Cheryl: Thanks for your understanding.

I did not say your MB was against me talking about genetics of autism. There are other MBs where people get real "psycho" and try to kill me w their words or
block me from posting further! I don't think those moderators or web masters were fair. They are the "OPPRESSORS" and try to silence people, if they
putforth arguements in favor of genetics or autism or highlight genetics as "the cause for autism". What do you call it? I call it internet oppression. That is not freedom.

You wrote,
>>I think, and i think others agree, that the solution is not changing the genes, but changing the triggers>>
No medical geneticist said to me so far they will try to change those genes at all. It is not like replacing your car batteries and putting in a new set of batteries! It is not that easy.

Genomics is the study of genes, where as Proteomics is the study of proteins in those genes. From what I have understood so far, it is not a simple process. We have a long way to go. We need to pool our resources and energy to expedite that process now. Otherwise, autism becomes an orphan disease and no body gives a care about it.

Anyway, let me try to explain few things here.
1) Say for example, a particular gene is either damaged or malfunctioning.
What they will try to do at the most is to find out by analyzing the contents of that particular gene (The sample of one drop of blood will do this to extract the DNA/Chromosomes/GENES) and find out exactly what is wrong w it.

2)If a gene for example (say speech gene) has to have 100 atoms in it in order to function optimum, but in my son has only 20 atoms, they will figure our by a special process called chromatography or spectrometry
which are those 20 atoms. Genes as I mentioned earlier are nothing but proteins. Then they will substitute only those 20 missing elements.

3)In some kids, instead of 100 atoms in a speech gene, say it contained 200 atoms. then it also produces malfunctioning. So they have to figure out a way to reduce those 200 atoms to 100 atoms.

4)Then there is this replacing the entire gene w a normal gene for single gene disorders. They have to select a transport agent to take it to all indl cells in our body. This is a very tough job. They are doing it for some conditions like SCID (Severe combined immune deficiency syndrome, I believe) and for cyctic fibrosis thru clinical trials. Also for some Gliomas
(brain tumors) and for certain cancers.

5) Autism being a multigene disorder, it will take a long time to do complete replacement. We are talking about that now. But gene based meds,see #2 and 3 above
are what I am interested right now. If replacement of gene is available as an option for my son, I am all for it as well.

Pharmacogenomics is the latest technology that uses genetics and medical discoveries together. They have started it already. Hopefully it will go smooth and we will all have some remedial medical intervention for kids even at prenatal levels to prevent further damage to CNS.

The bottom line is medical treatment for our children should be number 1 priority. There is no way they can eliminate all the so called "triggers" from our envt.
For example, drug usage, sexual behaviors, wars, toxic substances, bioterrirism, unknown microbial organisms which occur in our daily envt, etc., are very very difficult to even pin it down and clean up our entire nation.

And you can't keep your child secluded at home or in your community every day or be able to protect forever. We need to see things in totality. that is all I am saying.

Re: Inclusion for my son~It makes me mad to see him in selfcontainer, even if it is only for few hours, mainly because they did a great job w him for 8 years in full inclusion. It is not him. He is a good boy. It is the educational set up for all normal kids that they focus so much on. Our kids are oppressed and put in self container. It is so sad.