The study purpose was to compare the quantitative results from tests for urinary
porphyrins, where some of these
porphyrins are known
biomarkers of
heavy metal toxicity, to the independent assessments from a recognized quantitative measurement, the
Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), of specific domains of autistic disorders symptoms (Speech/Language, Sociability, Sensory/Cognitive Awareness, and Health/Physical/Behavior) in a group of children having a clinical diagnosis of
autism spectrum disorder (ASD). After a Childhood
Autism Rating Scale (CARS) evaluation to assess the development of each child in this study and aid in confirming their classification, and an ATEC was completed by a parent, a urinary
porphyrin profile sample was collected and sent out for blinded analysis. Urinary
porphyrins from twenty-four children, 2-13 years of age, diagnosed with
autism or PDD-NOS were compared to their ATEC scores as well as their scores in the specific domains (Speech/Language, Sociability, Sensory/Cognitive Awareness, and Health/Physical/Behavior) assessed by ATEC. Their urinary
porphyrin samples were evaluated at Laboratoire Philippe Auguste (which is an ISO-approved clinical laboratory). The results of the study indicated that the participants' overall ATEC scores and their scores on each of the ATEC subscales (Speech/Language, Sociability, Sensory/Cognitive Awareness, and Health/Physical/Behavior) were linearly related to urinary
porphyrins associated with
mercury toxicity. The results show an association between the apparent level of
mercury toxicity as measured by recognized urinary
porphyrin biomarkers of
mercury toxicity and the magnitude of the specific hallmark features of
autism as assessed by ATEC.