Last week it was news the discovery of some Spanish researcherswho have associated certain alterations in the neuronal protein CPEB4 with autism of unknown cause, approximately 80% of the total. Finding the trigger means opening the door to also finding a treatment. in the near future. Nothing is certain, of course, there is a lot of research ahead, a lot of need for funding that is likely to arrive given that the autism It is the complete opposite of a rare disease and the potential social and economic benefit is high.
I know that many people on the spectrum would not have the slightest interest in taking a treatment. They assume that autism is part of their being, they have accepted it and, in certain cases, they are even proud. Good for them. Normally, it is also the least affected people who are best able to lead an independent life. For many others, the majority although they have less voice, who are dependent for almost everything, the possibility of softening or reversing rigidity, behavioral problems, lack of understanding of the environment… everything that hinders their enjoyment of life, its final realization, it would be good news.
But Nobody with half a brain expects a magic pill. Much less expect it soon. In the best of cases it will be something that, in many years, will help, supported by effort, to experience improvements. That autism has no cure is something we have more than assumed. and Autism Spain is absolutely right to remember that, although the research conclusions “are interesting”, the path is long and complex, it does not guarantee that there will ever be a treatment and “the direct implications that this work may have for people with autism are still unclear.”
It should not be forgotten that it could also (and everything is hypothetical) lead to identifying people with autism before they are born. AND If there are prenatal diagnostic teststhe number of births of babies with ASD was going to be significantly reduced. It has already happened in other circumstances. There is a complicated debate here that is not the time to develop because it continues to be based on nothing today.
Of course, it is absurd to think that science will not be able, sooner or later, to find the causes of autism, one or more. There’s no point believing it knowing how science advances and the interest there is in this regard. The time will come, although it is still far away, when treatments and debates will be a reality supported by much more than speculation.
People with autism who could benefit and their families, meanwhile, have the task of keeping our feet firmly on the ground. Go through life on certainties, flee from siren songs, but keep faith in which researchers will contribute to improving our existence, although we may never see it.