Ridiculous Study of the Month II: Autism in the Rain

The media recently outdid itself by allowing bogus science to dictate their headline. Here is what I am talking about: Study: Counties with more rainfall have higher autism rates. This article was in the USA Today and written by my friend, Rita Rubin. I know for a fact that the writers don't pick their stories nor do they write the attention-grabbing headlines. The bottom line is that autism is "hot" right now so the media loves to push that subject into our faces. The problem is that is scares the crap out of parents. This ridiculous study came up with the conclusion that autism is more prevalent in areas with more rainfall. Huh? This is like saying that autism is more prevalent in areas with more poodles. The analysis was done in three states and the authors speculate that the increased rate may be related to pollution, lower levels of vitamin D or more television watching. The study is fraught with problems. The lead author is a Cornell University economist who has a son with autism; a conflict of interest right there. To Rita Rubin's credit, she gave both sides of the story in the piece and detailed the controversial nature of publishing it in a major medical journal. The headline, unfortunately, was made to suck you in and that, well, sucks.