Herbert has claimed that many autistic children have biomedical problems, and that these problems make autistic traits more pronounced. Her research focuses on attributing the development of autism to the existence of certain predisposing
genes, with her coauthors on this topic including
Peter Szatmari. In addition, some of her research focuses on the possible existence of enlarged superficial
white matter in the brains of people with autism, as well as developmental language disorder.
Views on environmental autism causes Herbert does not believe autism is solely caused by genetic inheritance and has suggested that anyone who discounts environmental factors is unwilling to face a harsh reality that involves the
complicity of researchers, corporations and authority figures. In 2004, Herbert gave the following statement to
Mother Jones: Herbert wrote an opinion paper in 2010 that argued, among other things, "Systemic and central nervous system pathophysiology, including
oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction can be consistent with a role for environmental influence." In 2013, Herbert co-authored a case report published by the
Journal of Child Neurology, which described an autistic patient who improved markedly after she was placed on a
gluten-free, casein-free diet. Meta-analyses by other researchers published in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2020 found insufficient or inconsistent evidence regarding the efficacy of gluten-free or casein-free diets as an autism treatment, with some recommending that such diets only be prescribed to patients with specific conditions proven to benefit from them (such as
food allergies or
intolerances). In 2022, the
United Kingdom's
National Health Service included exclusion diets — including gluten-free and casein-free diets — on a list of alternative autism treatments it found showed no benefit and did not recommend to the public.
Thimerosal and vaccines Herbert wrote the introduction for
anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 2014 book,
Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak, in which Kennedy made the false claim that the vaccine preservative
thimerosal caused autism. In the introduction, Herbert labeled the book "aggressively pro-vaccine" and posited that one could be in favor of vaccination while still advocating for the removal of thimerosal from vaccines. and that the thimerosal used as a preservative in some vaccines is not harmful.
The Autism Revolution Herbert is also the author of a book,
The Autism Revolution: Whole-Body Strategies for Making Life All It Can Be, published in 2012 by
Ballantine Books. In the book, she recounts stories of autistic children who followed recommendations to receive
unconventional autism treatments, and whose conditions improved, "sometimes dramatically so", according to Herbert. It was reviewed in
The Washington Post, and
Kirkus Reviews.
The Washington Post reviewer Maggie Fazeli Fard stated, "It is unclear, however, what makes this book 'revolutionary.' Her [Herbert's] holistic approach isn’t unheard of in medicine and Herbert herself acknowledges that her strategies aren’t a cure; there’s no guarantee that any of her recommendations will work and what helps one person won’t necessarily help another." ==References==