Autism Puzzle, The

Research by the Australian Advisory Board on Autism Spectrum Disorders, based on the Commonwealth Government’s Centrelink data, found that one out of every 160 Australian children is now diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. This represents 10,625 children aged between 6 and 12 years.

In The Autism Puzzle, American journalist Brita Belli moves beyond the distractions of the vaccine debate and presents compelling evidence that exposure to heavy metals and other chemicals, when paired with genetic susceptibilities, impacts the brain development of children. The parallels with the situation in Australia are clear and compelling.

The alarming spike in autism in recent years has sent doctors and parents on a search for answers. And while many controversies have erupted, none have brought us any closer to a definitive explanation. The Autism Puzzle is the first book to address the compelling evidence that it is the pairing of environmental exposures with genetic susceptibilities that may be driving these rising rates.

Belli calls for an end to the use of hazardous materials like toxic flame retardants used in electronics and furniture that have been banned elsewhere, insisting that we cannot afford to experiment with our children. The Autism Puzzle puts a human face on families caught between the debates and offers a refreshingly balanced environmentalist perspective.