Autism - what do you think?

[auntpolly]

I was kinda sorta watching Oprah yesterday. I was working while it was on and frankly, it was making me cry so I kept wandering away.

Have you been affected in any way by autism? (I have a nephew).

Are you like me, and can't help believing it's not some kind of conpiracy when they say it has nothing to do with immunizations, the HUGE increase in recent years (more common than breast cancer, diabetes and heart disease?????)

 

[Liberty Belle]

I work with students with Autism. It's such a sad, frustrating disorder.

I don't know why the increase. I think a lot can be contributed to more knowledge of Autism, but I really don't think all of it can be.

 

[aprilgail2]

Have you been affected in any way by autism? (I have a nephew).

no one in my family (including cousins, aunts and uncles) have autism and I don't have any friends that have kids with it-they have a special classa t my daughters school with 4 kids in it that have autism but no one I know directly. I do have 4 friends that have had kids with childhood cancer though-including my 2 best friends from when I was a kid-both their children have/had leukemia...

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I watched that too. Pretty good stuff. Did you see the "tiff" between the parents and the doctor with the immunization issue.

I am glad the parent spoke up. Yea right the medical community can say with certainly that immunizations have nothing to do with it.

Anyway I have 2 nephews that are autistic. One is severe and the other is developing, he is borderline severe.

I knew they were autistic but the parents pretended they were not. Both of them have finally gotten help.

 

[monkeyboy]

Much of the increase has to do with things that have never been on the scale before (never fell under the blanket term)

Although I still feel there is some type of link wethere it be manmade (immunizations) or enviormental

 

[meandtheguys2]

Aunt Polly, I've wondered through the years as people have talked about the vaccines whether this is a possibility. I believe that far too many meds are put on the market too quickly, allowing huge profits while using people as guinea pigs.

That said, I think that the world is so toxic anymore, that I am willing to believe that any number of the "changes" over the last 40 years could be causing these issues. We (as a society in general) live with polluted air and water, put chemicals in the food supply, rub chemicals on our bodies, eat far too much sugar, not enough fiber...well, you get my point.

 

[Buckalew11]

I didn't see that Oprah show and wish I had.

I have a client whose son is autistic. He is 5, and will be starting school next year. He is a sweetheart and is learning to speak but knows so much--just doesn't verbalize it. He's come a long way since he was diagnosed. He used to be hysterical when I cut his hair and now he just wants it over as quickly as possible but barely makes any noise through the whole process. I have an extra soft spot in my heart for this child and am hoping that the more they discover about the disease, the more he will be helped.

I saw a commercial the day that said 1 in 166 children are diagnosed with some form of autism! That is amazing.
Yes, I do think they catch more stuff like that these days but I still believe there is something contributing to it. There must be.

 

[auntpolly]

.

I am glad the parent spoke up. Yea right the medical community can say with certainly that immunizations have nothing to do with it.

I'd like to think I'm a semi-intelligent person - and something just doesn't seem right when they say they've ruled out immunizations as a cause. Those drug companies are pretty powerful....

 

[golfgal]

I too think it is better diagnosis then an actual increase in cases of autism. I look back at some kids I went to school with that would probably be classified as mildly autistic now but were just considered 'slow' when we were in school. Same thing with the 'rise' in cases of ADD, I think more kids are just being diagnosed with it vs there actually being more kids with it. These kids were just 'active' before and now they are ADD/ADHD.

 

[auntpolly]

That said, I think that the world is so toxic

Yes, you have a very good point!

Individually we are all "Global warming is a joke!" and "Who cares if animals go extinct". And then we're all when people start bing affected or whales start washing up on beaches.

We never seem (want) to see a connection between the environment and our health.

 

[froglady]

ITA

Children today are exposed to WAY more chemicals, etc than I was (baby boomer), PLUS they spend more time indoors with said chemicals. They also eat more processed foods than we did.

Added with the increased awareness of, and broadening definition of, Autism it's no wonder there are more diagnosed cases.

There really is no proof that immunizations are the cause. Autism symptoms don't usually show up until a certain age, which also happens to be the age when most children complete their innoculations. The evidence has been anecdotal, so far. If I am presented with scientific (ie, a legitimate clinical study that proves a direct link) proof, I will change my opinion.

I have WITNESSED polio, etc when a child. I've personally known people with leg braces, and was very close to someone on a permanent external chest compressor (it replaced her iron lung, although she had to go into one when hospitalized. She died in 1980) A neighbor died of measles, and almost everyone I grew up with had some sort of scaring from chicken pox. I took care of a patient who died from tetanus because she didn't keep up to date on her boosters.

My children have had their innoculations, and we have all gotten our boosters when due, thank you very much.

 

[auntpolly]

I too think it is better diagnosis then an actual increase in cases of autism. I look back at some kids I went to school with that would probably be classified as mildly autistic now but were just considered 'slow' when we were in school. .

But even the doctor on the show yesterday agreed that there was an increase - that she just didn't know what the new trigger was - she just "knew" it wasn't immunizations".

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I'd like to think I'm a semi-intelligent person - and something just doesn't seem right when they say they've ruled out immunizations as a cause. Those drug companies are pretty powerful....

I know. It is like...ummmm...I didn't just fall off the turnip truck.
Unless you can name the causes then you can't say anything for certain.

 

[auntpolly]

My children have had their innoculations, and we have all gotten our boosters when due, thank you very much.

Yeah, my DD got hers too - back in the day that the debate was just beginning.

But the numbers of innoculations and of autism have gone up alot since then too.

I think today, I'd be looking at them alot closer.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

But even the doctor on the show yesterday agreed that there was an increase - that she just didn't know what the new trigger was - she just "knew" it wasn't immunizations".

Here is the CDC site she was quoting....

http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/concerns/autism/autism-research.htm

 

[Mouse House Mama]

My best friend's son is autistic so I have been able to learn alot on her journey. I do not think it has anything to do with immunizations. I don't even think there are more kids with autism now then there were 10 years ago- I just think that we now know what the issue it and they can label it. Years ago if you didn't talk, crawl, color etc. you were a late bloomer. Today we realize that these kids need a little more help in these areas. Therefore alot of them fall under the umbrella of autism. There are different degrees of course but it allows there children and parents to get the help/tools to make their learning a better process. If you think back to grade school I am sure you can come up with at least one kid who had a hard time learning/focusing/sitting still etc. They always chalked it up to diet, poor parenting, hyperactivity etc. Nowadays that child would be evaluated and that is where the rise in Autism comes from. My friend told me that she knew her son was different when he was an infant. She even asked the doctor about it. I definetly don't think it has anything to do with vaccinations. JMHO.

 

[tw1nsmom]

Yes, I've been personally effected by autism (my good friend's son is autistic). While I think there may be some small environmental trigger that is yet to be found, I think the overwhelming majority of new cases are due to both an expanded definition of what consititutes an autistic spectrum disorder as well as an increased awareness/availability of screening.

25 years ago the only form of autism that would be classified under autism would be the severe type. Only those with the typical stimming and nonverbal/noncommunicative issues would be seen as autistic. Now you have PDD, Aspergers, and others. My DS has been diagnosed with Nonverbal Learning Disability. It's not, at this time, considered an autistic spectrum disorder, but there's talk that it will be added. That just adds a whole extra layer of people that, in the past (and frankly also in the present) who would have just been considered weird, naive and sometimes a little stupid.

 

[MidgeD79]

I agree with golfgal about better diagnosing. I have a ds (8) with Aspergers. I am not aware of any child who died from autism. Millions die from diseases that immunizations prevent. IF there was (is) a link between autism and immunizations,I would rather have a live child who is autistic than a dead one.

 

[fan_of_small_world]

I believe there is clearly an increase in the ability of the medical community as well as parents to recognize this disorder. In the past, people only heard about children with severe autism, nobody ever talked about high-functioning autism. One reason, I think, for the increase in number is the recognition that autism is a spectrum disorder. So while a larger number of children are included in these numbers, it is important to keep in mind that the numbers include a huge range of abilities.

As for the "link" to vaccines, I don't buy the conspiracy theory. There may well be environmental factors, but I can't believe it is limited to vaccines. I wonder if there has been a scientific study to see if children whose parents don't vaccinate have a lower incidence of autism? I haven't read about one, but it would be interesting.

Also, there has been a lot of research into a possible genetic link to autism. Here's a good article from MSNBC:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17232075/

 

[Liberty Belle]

ITA

Children today are exposed to WAY more chemicals, etc than I was (baby boomer), PLUS they spend more time indoors with said chemicals. They also eat more processed foods than we did.

Added with the increased awareness of, and broadening definition of, Autism it's no wonder there are more diagnosed cases.

There really is no proof that immunizations are the cause. Autism symptoms don't usually show up until a certain age, which also happens to be the age when most children complete their innoculations. The evidence has been anecdotal, so far. If I am presented with scientific (ie, a legitimate clinical study that proves a direct link) proof, I will change my opinion.

I have WITNESSED polio, etc when a child. I've personally known people with leg braces, and was very close to someone on a permanent external chest compressor (it replaced her iron lung, although she had to go into one when hospitalized. She died in 1980) A neighbor died of measles, and almost everyone I grew up with had some sort of scaring from chicken pox. I took care of a patient who died from tetanus because she didn't keep up to date on her boosters.

My children have had their innoculations, and we have all gotten our boosters when due, thank you very much.

I agree, plus with most cases of Autism, it is apparent in infants. Or, I should say, as an infant the child is a bit "different". Maybe not enough to raise any red flags, but looking back most people can pin point things that weren't quite normal.