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Puzzling rings may be finger loops from prehistoric weapon systems, research finds
LAWRENCE — When most researchers looked at a puzzling group of artifacts discovered at French archaeological sites, they presumed these to be ornaments or clothing. But a University of Kansas anthropology scholar saw something else: finger loops that were part of a prehistoric weapon system. Justin Garnett’s research appears in the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology.

Study shows vast discrepancies in autism diagnoses in US, Indian subcontinent
LAWRENCE — The United States and countries like Pakistan, India and Bangladesh are quite different culturally. But the people residing in those nations are not so different that Americans would have double the rates of autism spectrum disorder. Yet, international statistics show that is the case, and a new study from the University of Kansas finds that the differences in diagnoses are largely due to cultural biases and a lack of tools available to doctors, educators and families in the Indian subcontinent.

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Contact: Jon Niccum, KU News Service, 785-864-7633, [email protected]
Puzzling rings may be finger loops from prehistoric weapon systems, research finds
LAWRENCE — When most researchers looked at a puzzling group of artifacts discovered at French archaeological sites, they presumed these to be ornaments or clothing. But Justin Garnett saw something else.
“They resembled finger loops like those used by some North and South American spearthrowers,” said Garnett, a doctoral candidate in anthropology at the University of Kansas.
That observation led to his new article, “Exploring the Possible Function of Paleolithic Open Rings as Spearthrower Finger Loops.” It examines open-ringed objects discovered in the late 19th century at Le Placard, Petit Cloup Barrat and Cave à Endives. His research hypothesizes that such rings (fabricated from antler) were finger loops used as part of prehistoric weapon systems. It appears in the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology.
“If you are familiar with spearthrowers, the shape of it jumps out at you immediately,” said Garnett, who co-wrote the article with Frederic Sellet, KU associate professor of anthropology. “So it was like an ‘aha moment’ when I saw pictures of these objects in a publication. It was hiding in plain sight.”
These particular devices are distinctively shaped like the Greek letter omega, with pointed tabs on either end and an inner opening of approximately 2 centimeters. Since Garnett couldn’t use any of the dozen actual items to test his theory, he built his own.
He reproduced the open rings in antler, bone and 3D-printed plastic. These were then hafted to speculatively reconstructed spearthrowers.
“I used the 3D ones to get larger sample sizes of specimens so I could test them for comfort. Like how does shape relate to comfort when you’re using these things? But then for the actual experiment, I used elk antler since I was unable to get reindeer antler, which is the material that the originals were made out of,” he said.
For testing purposes, he employed them to throw darts, which are similar to large arrows or javelins rather than traditional rigid spears.
He said, “Most of these darts are designed to be used as hunting weapons, and their ranges are shorter than ones made to throw long distances because they’re heavy enough to inflict damage. So with hunting-weight darts, I could throw them 50 to 60 meters.”
The finger loop artifacts appear in the European Upper Paleolithic period (a later phase of the Stone Age). It shifts the confirmed presence of the spearthrower back from the Magdalenian or Solutrean to the Badegoulian – which is around roughly 22,000 years before the present.
“People are always interested in when a piece of technology first appears. This pushed back the existence of the spearthrower system by 5,000 to 6,000 years – and this feels significant to me in terms of understanding when things originated,” he said.
So how sure is Garnett that these items are actually finger loops for spear-throwing?
“Well, it’s a fairly simple shape. It could serve a lot of purposes. It might even be a mistake to assume all 12 of them are the same thing just simply because they have the same shape,” he said.
“But on a percentage basis of being right, I’d personally say it’s in the high 90s. They look exactly like what I would expect a spearthrower finger loop to look like if it were made out of antler. And they come out of digs that also produced other parts of spearthrowers. So it is a tidy explanation borne out by the evidence.”
At KU since 2019, Garnett focuses on technological organization around projectile weaponry. He first became interested in this topic when taking an archeology class as a student at the University of Missouri. Since then, he’s taken an active part in the spear-throwing community as an officer in the World Atlatl Association and the Missouri Atlatl Association. (Atlatl means “spearthrower” in the Nahuatl language spoken by the Aztecs.)
“The most misunderstood aspect of prehistoric weapons systems is that they are unsophisticated or poorly designed and crude,” Garnett said. “I think my research has relevance to today’s society because it shows that people all over the world when faced with similar situations do similar things. And prehistoric peoples and technologies were sophisticated and complex in ways we might not initially appreciate.”
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Contact: Mike Krings, KU News Service, 785-864-8860, [email protected], @MikeKrings
Study shows vast discrepancies in autism diagnoses in US, Indian subcontinent
LAWRENCE — The United States and countries like Pakistan, India and Bangladesh are quite different culturally. But the people residing in those nations are not so different that Americans would have double the rates of autism spectrum disorder. Yet, international statistics show that is the case, and a new study from the University of Kansas finds that the differences in diagnoses are largely due to cultural biases and a lack of tools available to doctors, educators and families in the Indian subcontinent.
Dr. Nida Taufiq is a pediatrician working in Pakistan. With an 11-year-old son with ASD and as a doctor who would sometimes see nearly 100 patients a day, she was acutely aware of the lack of diagnostic tools in her nation. Taufiq recently completed the KU graduate certificate program in autism to learn more about diagnostic and screening tools for ASD, as well as to better serve children and families. The autism program is one of KU’s special education online programs, which are ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report.
Taufiq and Glennda McKeithan, associate teaching professor in the KU Department of Special Education, conducted a study examining screening and diagnostic practices for ASD in the Indian subcontinent, one of the most populous regions in the world. They found that the advanced diagnostic and screening tools used in the United States are not commonly available in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and that cultural biases may further inhibit diagnosis and support.
“From my experience as a pediatrician, I know most here are not familiar with the screening and diagnostic tools for ASD,” Taufiq said of her work in Pakistan. “I completed the KU program because once diagnoses are made, there are very few supports that are available. My son is now doing very well thanks to the supports I learned about in the KU program.”
Taufiq noted that the Western “gold standard” tools are expensive, time intensive and often not available in low- and middle-income countries. The DSM 5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is the most widely used, but when used in isolation it only gives a general overview. Most of the diagnoses in India and Pakistan are made without supplementing DSM-5 with the most advanced tools, she said.
The authors conducted a systematic literature search, then screened 554 relevant research articles and analyzed 12 studies on ASD to learn more about screening and diagnostics in the Indian subcontinent. The studies, 11 from India and one from Pakistan, show the lack of availability of the most effective tools, coupled with cultural biases likely contribute to the disparity in numbers of diagnoses when compared to the United States and result in countless children and families not getting supports that could help them.
“Centers for Disease Control reports used to show that more children from predominantly white, higher-income families were more likely to be diagnosed with ASD,” McKeithan said. “Thanks to the improved awareness of ASD as well as the accessibility to diagnostic screening and assessment tools, that is not the case anymore. The research shows that lower-income countries have lower rates. We know the differences cannot be as great as the numbers suggest, and the CDC says the rates of ASD are likely higher.”
The CDC estimates that 1 in 36 American children have ASD. The World Health Organization estimates the rate to be 1 in 100.
Taufiq and McKeithan point out that cultural issues such as high poverty rates exacerbate the issue, leading to a failure to diagnose, misdiagnosis or delay in diagnosis and subsequently, lack of access to appropriate supports. Further, families in low- and middle-income countries may tend to accept children as they are and not focus on helping them build skills needed for independence in a similar fashion to the United States. The issue may be compounded by embarrassment, shame or negative community perceptions of families that have members with disabilities.
The authors point out that cultural differences only paint a partial picture. The study showed very few of the diagnostic tools used in the West have been translated to Hindi, Urdu or Bengali, the most spoken languages in the Indian subcontinent. Taufiq said that while the DSM-5 is routinely used, without supplementing it with standardized tools like ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised) and/or ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), the higher end of the spectrum is generally missed.
Furthermore, families in the region often do not seek such screening for children until they are 4 or 5 years old and nonverbal. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends universal screening for autism at 18 and 24 months.
“If you have a child that is verbal, you’re probably not going to admit anything is wrong,” Taufiq said of Indian subcontinent families. “Culturally, if you can work and support a family, it is not considered a disability. It becomes a quality-of-life issue.”
“The studies we reviewed agreed there is a delay in diagnosis,” McKeithan said. “Early recognition and intervention are linked to positive outcomes later in life.”
After completion of the KU program, Taufiq has started helping more families with children on the spectrum to better understand the diagnosis and become aware of appropriate evidence-based practices. She has plans to share what she has learned with other doctors as well as with medical schools in Pakistan. The discrepancies in prevalence rates mean untold numbers of children and families are not getting support that could improve education and quality of life, the authors wrote. They presented their research at the North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children annual conference, and the study is currently in peer review.
“Governments and the international community must work together to address this issue. Indigenous translated versions need to be available, and doctors have to be trained on them,” Taufiq said.
“The development of culturally appropriate and cost-effective tools can help to improve the identification and treatment of ASD in these regions, leading to better outcomes and a reduction in the global burden of this condition,” the authors wrote in the study. “By investing in research and resources to address these gaps, policymakers and stakeholders can help to ensure that individuals with ASD in developing countries receive the care and support they need to reach their full potential.”
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