thoughts on researcher comment

[Guest guest]

Hi folk. I submitted a research article to a serious peer reviewed journal. I

did the study and wrote it up explaining the results in terms of the mother's

loneliness and how the mother is often abandoned by the community. 2 reviews

were positive but the 3rd reviewer made this odd comment which I have cut and

pasted. It reminded me of the myth only recently dispelled that children w/ASD

had refrigerator mothers, but maybe I am mis-interpreting. How does it strike

you guys? The article was rejected but it was suggested I re-work it as it adds

to the literature.

Another major weakness of the paper is the dialogue it establishes with

the existent literature. The author(s) does not accomplish a critical

and thoughtful examination of relevant studies. The literature on

emotional and behavioral aspects of mother of children with autism may not be

overwhelming, but definitely exists. One whole, potentially relevant,

aspect of this literature, completely ignored by the manuscript's

author(s), is the possibility that mothers of autistic children present what

has be labeled and a 'broad autistic phenotype' (see Piven et al and

others). That is, mothers would have some of the same characteristics of

their children (e.g., social withdrawn) but in a milder level,

suggesting the mild expression in relatives of genes related to autism. If this

literature was explored, the notion of community abandonment would

certainly become more complex.

Thanks. Diane