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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The genes article is the lead article in a series of articles that confirms the genetic link. More recent research confirming the link:

http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/news-room-articles/scientist-identify-genetic-link-between-language-impairment-and-autism?contentid=121520[/quote]

Oh boy. That article is so far from saying that autism and MERLD are the same that I don't even know how to respond. First of all, it makes clear that there is a wide range of language abilities in autism and they are not sure why. Second, even if there is a genetic "link," that says nothing about clinical diagnostic categories and evidence-based therapies that work for each disorder.  So for instance it provides no insight whatsoever into one of the questions on this thread - how pragmatic language deficits are the same or different in MERLD and ASD. It also says nothing at all about prognosis and the assertion that some MERLD kids "catch up" while kids with ASD do not. [/quote]

It wasn't offered for any of those points.  It was offered to refute your point that MERLD and ASD are completely unrelated disorders. [b]Clearly, they are not unrelated. [/b][/quote]

"I" never said they were unrelated. There is more than one person on this thread. And anyway, those gene studies are so speculative that they are very far from being useful for the issues we all face. Psychiatric diagnoses are based on clusters of symptoms, not on underlying causes, which are still far from being understood. In some cases the symptoms might cross-cut diagnoses, of course. But we are far from being able to throw out the diagnostic categories in use. And even if we were we are so far from anything like gene therapy (assuming that the conditions share a genetic cause) that treatment would still be based on the symptoms for a long, long time. [/quote]

The whole way the article is written though suggests that autism is the more severe disorder, i.e. why do some people only have the language issues, while others have the language issues AND autism?

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