History
In 1997 AiA gained charitable status and set about bringing together the available bio-medical research. Research into detoxification already underway, the CEO, Rosemary Kessick, set about identifying gastrointestinal, B12 and immune system issues. Previous work on opioid excess in autism and schizophrenia clearly formed part of the picture and allergy induced autism, a name coined by one Great Ormond St. doctor who had observed a growing number of patients with the condition, began to piece the jigsaw together. In 2005 AiA amalgamated its efforts with Visceral.
Visceral is the only charity in the UK, and one of a handful of charities in the US, that co-ordinates and funds research into the relationship between environmental factors and the recent increases in diagnoses of autism that have occurred in many developed world countries.
At present Visceral is providing financial and administrative support for sixteen investigations taking place in eleven medical schools, hospitals and financial institutions in Europe and the United States. Over 35 salaried researchers and independent collaborators are engaged in these studies.