ABSTRACT
Silberman stated that: the notion that conditions like autism, dyslexia, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder should be regarded as naturally occurring cognitive variations with distinctive strengths that have contributed to the evolution of technology and culture rather than mere checklists of deficits and dysfunctions. However, in the myth that autism is caused by immunizations, it should be noted that there is not only a factual issue, but also serious ethical and public health issues. Studies have shown that children born prematurely have a much higher rate of autism at 7%—9% than infants born full term at.5%-2%, and children with autism often exhibit characteristics of children born prematurely in their gut biomes, abnormal cardiac activity, low vagal nerve activity, and cerebellar abnormalities. Amend et al. developed the gifted/Asperger’s disorder checklist to help teachers and parents distinguish demonstrations of giftedness from the challenges of Asperger’s syndrome.
