What's the difference? - University of Birmingham

24 The Birmingham Magazine
UNRAVELLING
AUTISM
Imagine
a world where no one speaks your
language and everyone behaves in a way
that you can’t understand or relate to.
That feeling of confusion, anxiety and
isolation is a daily reality, to varying degrees,
for the estimated 300,000 adults and one in
every 100 children living with autism in England.
Often described as being on a spectrum
due to the huge variations in its severity,
autism is found in every ethnic group and
country worldwide. A definitive answer as
to its causes is still unknown and while for
some it presents significant difficulties during
childhood and on into adulthood, others
feel it is society’s response to autism that
is the problem.
‘At root, autism is a social disability that
presents difficulties picking up the cues on
which interaction is based,’ explains Dr Mitzi
Waltz of the School of Education. ‘This then
affects the way people respond, which can
include prejudice and discrimination, and
that’s obviously where problems arise.’
Around the University, researchers are
exploring everything from the causes of autism
and the benefits of its early identification to the
ways in which educators can support children
and young people on the autism spectrum and
their families.
Biosciences’ Dr Rosemary Waring identified
a biochemical difference in some children
with autism for the first time 20 years ago.
‘We found that autistic children often had
dramatically lower levels of sulphate in their
body – around one sixth of the normal level,’
she says. ‘Previously, most parents had been
told it was their fault and offered no help, but
our work started to shift opinion towards a
medical cause.’
Having identified this lack of sulphate,
Dr Waring looked at how levels could be
increased. ‘It turned out to be very difficult