• Autism has a behavioral definition.
  • Of greatest concern is developmental
    language disorder.
  • Verbal auditory agnosia is a possible
    explanation - an inability to distinguish
    syllable and word boundaries in rapid
    streams of speech.
  • Autism has multiple etiologies.
  • It is proposed here that current obstetric  
    protocols should be questioned as
    possibly responsible for the recent
    increased prevalence of autism.
  • A lapse in respiration at birth can result in
    ischemic damage of the brainstem
    auditory pathway.
  • The infant heart can recover from anoxia
    at birth, but not the brain.
  • Brainstem damage is not static.  Growth
    and maturation of the cerebral cortex was
    disrupted in monkeys subjected to
    asphyxia at birth.
  • The the idea that recovery through "brain
    plasticity" may be seriously flawed.
I.  VIEWS OF AUTISM

1.  Behavior and Language
    1 - Autism's behavioral definition
    2 - Verbal auditory agnosia

2.  Etiologies and the Brain
    1 - Autism's multiple etiologies
    2 - Perinatal complications
    3 - Childbirth protocols
    4 - Outcome after asphyxia at birth
    5 - Mercury, bilirubin, and the blood-brain barrier

3.  Spectrum of Impairments
    1 - Autism, a neurologic disorder?
    2 - Metabolic activity in the brain
    3 - Hemoglobin
    4 - Autism versus cerebral palsy
    5 - The broader autism phenotype (BAP)

4.  Personal View and Motivation
    1 - Conrad
    2 - Ralf
    3 - Family
    4 - Approach

5.  Disrupted Development
    1 - Maturation and the auditory system
    2 - Wernicke's encephalopathy
    3 - Vulnerability of the auditory system

6.  Major Points and Purpose
    1 - Major points
    2 - Purpose