Scientific and Clinical Advisory Council
SafeMinds Scientific & Clinical Advisory Council is comprised of clinicians, health professionals, and scientists from a variety of disciplines, including, among others, specialists and experts in autism, environment, toxicology, pediatrics, neuroscience, pharmacology, and psychology.
José G. Dórea, Ph.D.
Professor of Nutritional Sciences, University of Brasília
A graduate of the University of Pernambuco with advanced degrees from the University of Massachusetts (MSc and PhD), Dr. Dorea has worked at Iowa State University (USA), University of Hawaii (USA), and University of Campinas (Brazil). He has authored numerous book chapters, and has published on infant nutrition and the environmental impact of toxic (natural and man made) substances on the growth and development of children. Dr. Dorea is on the editorial board of peer-reviewed scientific journals, and has authored and co-authored more than 180 papers in journals of public health, medical and environmental sciences, toxicology, and pharmacology.
Cindy Schneider, MD
Medical Director, Center for Autism Research and Education
Dr. Schneider is the Medical Director of CARE, the Center for Autism Research and Education. Her integrative medical practice is exclusively dedicated to individuals with autism and related neurological and immune disorders. Dr. Schneider’s areas of special interest include treatment of the immune, gastrointestinal, and metabolic aspects of autism and the identification of environmental toxins contributing to the autism epidemic. She has designed and implemented multiple research studies, and collaborated with researchers worldwide. Dr. Schneider’s priorities in both her medical practice and her research include the identification of the causes of autism, the formulation of effective treatment protocols, and the prevention of autism in future generations.
Dr. Schneider has served as a member of the Defeat Autism Now! think tank since 1997, and serves on the Clinician Advisory Committee at the Autism Research Institute. She was the founding president and medical director of two nonprofit organizations for autism research, and is a medical advisor for SafeMinds. Dr. Schneider has published extensively in the areas of genetic vulnerability to environmental toxins, and innovative treatments for the gastrointestinal and immune complications of autism.
As the mother of two children with autism and a leading authority in the field, Dr. Schneider closely tracks developments in autism research, and provides both a medical and personal assessment of current and promising treatment options.
Robert Sears, M.D.
Robert W. Sears, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician in a full-time private practice in Dana Point, Calif. He received his medical degree from Georgetown University, and did his pediatric residency training at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. “Dr. Bob,” as he likes to be called by his little patients, provides a unique blend of mainstream and integrative medical care. He is a co-author in the Sears Parenting Library, including The Baby Book and The Portable Pediatrician, and is the author of The Vaccine Book, The Autism Book, and HappyBaby: The Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months. Dr. Bob has appeared on Dr. Oz, The Doctors, CNN, CBS Early Show, Fox Morning News, and Dr. Phil discussg parenting advice and pediatric health issues. He is a frequent speaker at parenting conferences, and serves on the medical advisory board for various organizations, including Talk About Curing Autism, Autism Care and Treatment Today, HappyBaby Organic Baby Food, and Kaplan University Department of Health Sciences. Dr. Bob is a contributor to AskDrSears.com, and regularly answers questions on his Mothering.com Ask the Experts forum.
Autism Prevalence – Examining the Myths and Truths
SafeMinds interviews the New Jersey investigator for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) autism prevalence report of 1 in 59 children, examining the truths and myths behind the latest numbers from the Federal Government. The big news for May was the release of new autism prevalence numbers from the Federal Government. The CDC study by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) found that 1 in 59 children have autism, up from the 1 in 68 they reported just two years ago. This alarming increase compelled SafeMinds to call for an emergency meeting with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Along with other autism organizations, SafeMinds is demanding a Federal Autism Strategic Plan that address the urgent crisis of autism.
Autism & Mental Health: Problems & Solutions
Two new studies point to higher and growing healthcare costs for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) across the lifespan, particularly in the area of mental health. A new model program in New York might have an answer to this critical problem. A new study reports that children with autism were up to 30 times more likely to use emergency departments (ED) than youth without ASD. Many of those visits were for non-urgent ED visits, which is a costly way to provide routine healthcare. Up to 13 percent of visits were for behavioral or psychiatric problems, far more than for children without autism, for whom less than two percent of visits were for psychiatric problems. Youth with ASD were also likely to have repeat visits to the ED and more likely to be admitted to a psychiatric unit or medical floor. The study was a review of the literature published between 1985 and 2016.
Why We Can and Should Focus on Autism Prevention
In light of the recent increase in autism from 1 in 68 to 1 in 59 children in just two years, a new video by scientist Bruce Lanphear it worth watching and sharing. The video makes the case for preventing chronic diseases like autism rather than chasing down genes or finding cures. In “Cause or Cure. Is the relentless pursuit of a cure hazardous to our health?”, Dr. Lanphear says that more health and science dollars need to be directed to prevention. His approach to prevention is identifying environmental exposures that promote disease and then investing in removing these exposures.
Two Treatments with Positive Results and the High Cost of Autism
Two abstracts being presented this week at the annual conference of the American Academy of Neurology report positive outcomes from two treatments for autism. A third article on healthcare utilization reports double the cost for adults with autism. A MitoCocktail was tested in eleven children with autism and mitocondrial (mt) dysfunction. Mt dysfunction is common in autism. The MitoCocktail contained carnitine, coenzyme Q10 and alpha-lipoic acid. Investigators Craig Newschaffer and colleagues at Drexel University conclude: “This small pilot study supports the hypothesis that in ASD MitoCocktail may have a therapeutic benefit, improving mt function and maladaptive behavior and speech. Larger placebo-controlled trials are needed to demonstrate efficacy.”
Help Find the Causes of Autism through the National Birth Defects Registry
The non-profit Birth Defect Research for Children maintains a registry of thousands of children with birth defects. Through a questionnaire completed by parents, the organization is helping to link pre-conception and pre-natal exposures of parents with disabilities in their children. Autism is one condition they focus on. Parents of a child with autism can help identify pre-birth risk factors for autism by completing a registry questionnaire. Autism parents may not think of autism or a developmental disability as a “birth defect”, and some parents may feel that the cause of their child’s autism happens from exposures after birth, i.e., in early childhood, or is due to genetics. However, the research from this registry is applicable to autism and to cases that might have a genetic or a childhood exposure component.
Long Term Functional Improvement from an Achievable Diet and Nutrition Protocol
A new study by researchers at multiple universities has found that a comprehensive dietary and nutritional regimen is effective at reducing symptoms of autism, increasing functioning level and reducing associated gastrointestinal (GI) problems. The regimen is safe, uses readily available products, and can be implemented by the average family. Lead investigator James Adams of Arizona State University and colleagues tested a combination of supplementation with vitamins and minerals, essential fatty acids, sulfate through epsom salt baths, carnitine, and digestive enzymes, as well as a “healthy” diet. The creation of the treatment protocol was based on prior research showing effectiveness of each of the components individually. This study was the first to test them as a combined treatment over a period of one year. The goal was to determine if the components together would have an even greater positive effect than that reported for each individually. Another goal was to measure the effects of the diet and nutrition protocol over a longer period of time, as these types of interventions may take longer to show an effect than a standard drug.
