Autism and autoimmune disease: A family study

Journal of autism and childhood schizophrenia volume 1, pages 146–160, Published: June 1971

Autism and autoimmune disease: A family study

John Money, Nanci A. Bobrow & Florence C. Clarke

Abstract

A family is presented to demonstrate the rare phenomenon of early infantile autism in the presence of autoimmune disease. The youngest son in the family has a multiple diagnosis of autism, Addison’s disease, and moniliasis. The next older brother has hypoparathyroidism, Addison’s disease, moniliasis, and diabetes mellitus. The next older brother has hypoparathyroidism, Addison’s disease, moniliasis, and alopecia totalis. The oldest son and first born child in this family of four is, along with the parents, symptom free. Whereas autism in the youngest son might be attributed to the traumatic family situation, in which there exists the constant threat of near-death, it might conceivably be attributed also to a primary effect of autoimmune impairment from the formation of autoantibodies affecting the central nervous system.