One of the major mysteries of my adult life has been the emergence and acceleration of cases of autism. When I first heard about autism, I asked why I had never heard of it and was told that it had always existed but we simply did not identify the defining characteristics as part of something called autism. But then autism truly started to rapidly show up and then within our family. My question was always, "what causes this and why is it accelerating?"
My theoretical answers had always been in the sphere of something new - typically around the increased consumption of sugary beverages or television screens. But a recent study published in BMJ Open suggests that preschoolers with common ear, nose, and throat (ENT) issues may be at risk of autism or high levels of autism traits. The research, which tracked over 10,000 children from birth, suggests that early identification and treatment of ENT conditions may identify and alter the development of autism.
By coincidence, I had dinner with an ENT doctor a couple of days after the publication of this article. He stated that he was not surprised by this possibility. He derided the slack approach of pediatricians who say "the child will grow out of it." In a beautifully Spinozist conceptualization, he stated, "No, the child will not grow out of it; instead the child will grow into something else." He stated that by plugging up the ability for a child to clearly hear during an important developmental period, it was likely that brain development was altered.
On a related issue, I was amazed when the most important prayer of Judaism - the Shema - was focused on hearing rather than seeing. The rabbis assured me that while seeing was connected to insights and understanding, hearing was the basis of emotional connection. I think the Western world has consistently underestimated the impact of hearing - until Covid showed us what happens when the elderly are unable to be with one another, to hear one another. In addition, studies of the deaf have showed correlation with depression.
My takeaway was that the increase of autism is related to the increase of ENT problems that are germinated (pun intended) by daycare programs. After Covid, I found that almost every cold and flu I had historically had could be traced back to either air travel or daycare exposure. Daycare programs seem to be petri dishes for germ development. Perhaps more rigorous attention to that plus increased concern by pediatricians could reverse the continuing increase of autism.
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