Our team at the Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT) Program at UT Health San Antonio wanted to share this important resource of interest:
“Autism Data Visualization Tool” from the CDC.
The tool explores information to help people visualize autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence estimates and demographic characteristics at the national, state, and community levels.
“About 1 in 36 children were identified with autism spectrum disorder among a 2020 sample of 8-year-olds from 11 U.S. communications in CDC’s ADDM Network,” according to the tool website.
This tool is important for people who suffer from chemical intolerance (CI), said Dr. Claudia Miller, allergist/immunologist, professor emeritus, and leader of the TILT Program at UT Health San Antonio.
Parents with chemical intolerance scores in the top tenth percentile had 5.7 times the risk of reporting a child with autism and 2.1 times for ADHD compared with parents in the bottom tenth percentile, according to Dr. Miller’s 2024 research.
The new work builds on her 2015 research findings.
To spur awareness of the chemical-intolerance-and-autism connection, among patients, policymakers, and health practitioners, Dr. Miller developed a TILT Tutorial on Autism and ADHD.
The tutorial explores the growth of autism and ADHD in the United States, how these conditions are linked to chemical intolerance and TILT, how to understand TILT and its origins, and how we can reduce TILT – which could, in turn, help reduce the frequency of conditions like autism and ADHD.
“This tutorial contains information not available in any text. It makes clear the massive health implications of the interwoven rise of chemical intolerance and autism and ADHD, and spells out what we should do about it,” said Dr. Miller, professor emeritus at UT Health San Antonio.
How can you find out if you have chemical intolerance?
Answer these three questions from the TILT Program on Chemical Intolerance:
- Do you feel sick when you are exposed to tobacco smoke, certain fragrances, nail polish/remover, engine exhaust, gasoline, air fresheners, pesticides, paint/thinner, fresh tar/asphalt, cleaning supplies, new carpet or furnishings? By sick, we mean: headache, difficulty thinking, difficulty breathing, weakness, dizziness, upset stomach, etc.
- Are you unable to tolerate or do you have adverse or allergic reactions to any drugs or medications (such as antibiotics, anesthetics, pain relievers, X-ray contrast dye, vaccines or birth control pills), or to an implant, prosthesis, contraceptive chemical or device, or other medical/surgical/dental material or procedure?
- Are you unable to tolerate or do you have adverse reactions to any foods such as dairy products, wheat, corn, eggs, caffeine, alcoholic beverages, or food additives (e.g., MSG, food dye)?
If you answer YES to any question, take the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory (QEESI) and share the results with your doctor!