THURSDAY, Feb. 8, 2007 (HealthDay News) -- While media coverage may suggest that scientists are focused on how environmental factors -- particularly childhood vaccines -- contribute to autism, brain and behavior research are the main focus of autism research, U.S. experts say.
The finding suggests that the media isn't reporting on the full extent of research into autism, says a team from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Their study found that 41 percent of research funding and published scientific papers on autism featured brain and behavior research.
However, these types of initiatives were mentioned in just 11 percent of newspaper articles in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In contrast, 48 percent of newspaper reports and 13 percent of published research focused on potential environmental causes of autism, especially the childhood MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. The MMR vaccine had been linked to autism in a now widely refuted study.
"What was very interesting is that media frequently reported being very skeptical of the MMR evidence, as was scientific literature," study senior author Judy Illes, an associate professor of pediatrics, said in a prepared statement.
While most media reports accurately reflected scientific thinking, they failed to cover the full scope of research into autism, including the genetics, treatment and epidemiology, Illes said.
The study is published in the February issue of Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
The findings highlight the need for scientists to talk with the public about their work, Illes said.
More information
The Nemours Foundation has more about autism.
