Pursuing the puzzle of autism

MagazineR679

Autism and the related autisticspectrum disorders are nowknown to be widespread, affectingaround 0.6% of all live births.Scientific understanding of itscauses and educational provisionfor the children diagnosed withthe condition have so far remainedunsatisfactory. In the UK, anestimated number of around26,000 children on the spectrumrequire specialist provision, butonly 4,000 such places arecurrently available. Most of theexisting facilities are provided bysmall local charities, many ofwhich have been founded byparents exasperated by theinability of the state schools tocater for their autistic children.

One such charity is TreeHouse,which was set up five years ago bya group of parents in NorthLondon. It now runs a schoolcaring for 30 pupils aged 3 to 9years, on a one-to-one teacher-to-pupil ratio (www.treehouse.org.uk).The trustees hope that in a fewyears time, the school will be ableto accommodate 80 pupils in anew, purpose-designed building.The Wellcome Trust, Britain’sbiggest biomedical charity, is nowhighlighting the work of suchschools by hosting a photographicexhibition at its TwoTen Gallery inits London headquarters. Thephotographer Stefanie Hafner(www.stefaniehafner.com), whohas so far worked for the

advertisements of several globalcompanies, has spent threemonths with the staff and childrenof TreeHouse. Her exhibition‘Outside Looking In: Photographsfrom TreeHouse’ features a seriesof portraits of the children, alongwith photographs of thespecialized environment providedby the school (October 1–31, 210Euston Road, London).

With a high-profile launch eventon October 1st, the WellcomeTrust ensured the exhibition madea contribution to the current‘Autism Awareness Year’. Guestspeakers at the event includedProfessor Anthony Bailey, formerlyof the Institute of Psychiatry atKings College London, who on thesame day took office as the Cheryland Reece Scott Professor ofPsychiatry at Oxford, the first UKchair fully dedicated to autismresearch, along with the writerCharlotte Moore, who reports onher experience with two autisticsons in a newspaper column(‘Mind the Gap’ in The Guardian,every other Wednesday).

Along with the governmentreport on autism provided by theMedical Research Council earlierthis year (Current Biology 12,R42), activities including thisexhibition and other eventshosted by local charities in manyplaces will hopefully help toimprove the awareness of thepressing need for both a betterscientific understanding of autismand a more consistenteducational provision for thechildren affected by it. Mostexperts agree that, short of anefficient medical cure, intensiveearly education on a one-to-onebasis is the most efficient way tohelp children with autism toovercome their disability and leadat least partially independent liveswhen they grow up.

Michael Gross is a science writer inresidence at the school ofcrystallography, Birkbeck College,University of London.

Features

Pursuing the puzzle of autism

A photographic exhibition at the Wellcome Trust for Autism AwarenessYear highlights the continuing scientific uncertainty. Michael Grossreports.

Troubled: In spite of intensive studies into the causes of autism there remains little sci-entific insight into the cause of the condition. (Photo from the Wellcome Trust TwoTenGallery exhibition being held during October.)