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Washington loves to dump its bad news on a Friday afternoon, and on October 2 it confirmed that 1 percent of American children (and by extension, perhaps 1-in-58 boys) has an autism spectrum disorder.
On a hastily arranged telephone "visit" with US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the autism community, the health chief announced that "the prevalence of autism might be even higher than previously thought." But, she added, "We don't know if it has gone up, and we are hoping to unlock these mysteries."
The Secretary then declared autism "An urgent public health challenge," proclaimed that President Obama was "right to make it one of our top health priorities," including research into "treatments and a cure" for the disorder, and then promptly ended her visit.
Helping to fill in some of the details was Dr. Thomas R. Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and Chair of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, who confirmed that CDC data to be published later this year will estimate the current childhood ASD rate at 100-per-10,000 children.
The data, collected from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, shows a significant uptick in ASD prevalence estimates in just two years.
According to ADDM, the average rate of autism among eight-year-olds across all study sites was 67-per-10,000 in 2000 (the 1992 birth cohort), and 66-per-10,000 in 2002 (the 1994 birth cohort). Only six sites were included in both studies, and their average prevalence rate increased by 10%, from 67-per-10,000 to 74-per-10,000.
Now, CDC has announced that among the 1996 birth cohort, the estimated rate of ASD is 100-per-10,000 -- a staggering 50% increase over the 1994 birth cohort.
It is easy to understand why the Feds would call autism an "urgent" issue, but any sense of urgency by the officials on the phone was clearly absent, at least from my perspective. In fact, much of the discussion was centered around providing services and education to the growing ranks of Americans with ASD, an entirely laudable goal, to be sure.
But no one expressed any alarm that up to 1-in-58 boys in this country is now on the autism spectrum. The officials on the call seemed to think that wider diagnostic criteria - such as adding Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) -- to the concept of an "autism spectrum disorder" vastly inflated the rate of ASD in the United States.
There was no alarm, and little time for questions from the community that was invited to "visit." After about 15 minutes, questioning was cut off, and the call abruptly ended. I tried three times to ask a question (via a telephone switching system) and so did many other people on the call, which lasted a total of 39 minutes.
And so, here is my (expanded) question, directed to Dr. Insel:
Dr. Insel, thank you for arranging this call. I understand that the estimated average ASD rate increased from 66-per-10,000 to 100-per-10,000 between the 1994 and 1996 birth cohorts. Officials on this call believe this increase could be attributed purely to expanding diagnostic criteria and greater awareness, though they don't know for sure.
But how could you attribute a 50% increase in just two years to wider diagnostics, especially when the 1994 cohort would have been diagnosed, on average, in 1999 and the latter cohort in 2001? The expansion of the ASD definition to include Asperger and PDD-NOS occurred in the early 1990s, so how can you explain this sudden and delayed explosion in the numbers?Also, you have declared that the vaccine-autism link has been disproven, yet all the studies you cite have only looked at MMR and thimerosal. But why is the IACC, which you chair, not investigating the possible role of Hep-B vaccine, given the following facts?:
1) An abstract just published in the Annals of Epidemiology said that giving Hepatitis B vaccine to newborn baby boys more than triples the risk of ASD.
2) A study just published in Neurotoxicology reported that infant male primates who received one dose of the Hepatitis-B were far more likely to display developmental delays than unvaccinated controls.
3) A study last year in Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry showed that boys getting the 3-shot HepB vaccine series were eight times more likely to require early intervention services than boys who did not have the series.
4) A study in the journal Neurology found that children who received Merck's Engerix B brand Hepatitis B vaccine series were 74% more likely to develop "central nervous system inflammatory demyelination" than children who did not receive the vaccine.
Finally, why did you jettison the vaccinated-vs.-unvaccinated study that your own committee had previously voted to recommend, and why are you spending only 39 minutes speaking with the community that represents, according to your boss, one of the nation's "top health priorities?"
I am also sending this question to HHS, to see if I can get a proper response. But I am not holding my breath.
David Kirby: Do You Believe that One In 60 American Males Has Autism?
For the Obama Administration and the mainstream media to accept that autism levels have always been this high is, frankly, wishful thinking and unsettlingly wrongheaded.
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Revised with different links so please allow to post.
Read this report & scroll down at the second link to see the important video concerning what is said to be the worst cover up in the history of the military.
It was stated when this comes out, it will make the Walter Reed scandal pale in comparison.
NBC reports on secret shots leaving many on the brink of death in the military & it was found the mystery shots were flu vaccine.
A highly praised Department of Defense Medical Officer disclosed that thousands are having severe reactions & he believes they are being used as guinea pigs in experiments.
"The ‘big lie’: H1N1 coincidences, contradictions and conspiring"
Part 1
http://www
Part 2
http://www
I just found this on the CDC website:
http://www
The Hep B vaccine was not recomended for everyone until 2003-not 96 like Kirby suggests. So MMR, mercury, and heb B all shot down. Aluminium-probably not. (i'm trying to find the refernce he mentions so I can post it)
http://www
Why does england have the same rate of autism as us, but less than half the vaccines?
http://www
Why have they not looked at the autism rates in denmark, sweden, and france recently-all the stats all over 5 years old. If they have come out w/ new numbers for those country-do tell please.
Watch this & weep America!
http://vid
Read more at: http://www
&
http://www
Thank you for posting these links, mofmars333!
Thank you David!
Marc
http://www
Another excerpt from the post: "Autism: "An urgent public health challenge" or just another smoke screen?"
Another possible contributor to ASD or any biochemical and psychological disorder largely overlooked is the exposure to invasive toxic chemicals. I mentioned earlier flame retardants, namely brominated and chlorinated hydrocarbons (halogen family), we can add pesticides (present in food and in air), Bis-phenol A and PVC in plastics, aluminum and triclosan in personal care products, just to name a few. All these chemicals are carcinogens and neurotoxins, most can cause neurological and reproductive impairments; cancer; attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder; infertility; reduced sperm count and endocrine disruption; asthma, dermatitis, birth defect, diabetes among other health disorders. All of them without exception will bio-accumulate in your body, your system being completely defenseless in front of these foreign substances. They will affect the breast milk and the placentas of pregnant women and directly affect the fetus to the point that a newborn has already a body burden of nearly 300 synthetic chemicals … before receiving his/her load of vaccines.
So being in the dark as to figuring out what exactly trigger autism spectrum disorder, but knowing for a fact that biochemical and psychological disorder cases have increased dramatically, shouldn’t we start phasing out the unnecessary toxins that plague our bodies and environment? Now, if they were phased out, would that fix ASD? Maybe, maybe not, since we don’t know …
An excerpt from the post
“Autism: An urgent public health challenge” or just another smoke screen?"
Very few people deny the vast improvement vaccination has made to public health (take Polio and Diphtheria), but it would be simply foolish to believe all vaccines are safe. And it would be even more foolish to vaccinate everyone against every deadly pathogen known to men. (...) When emptied of its substance, every scientific based recommendation that is used today to promote or enact a policy, a standard or a regulation is inaccurate or incomplete and therefore is misleading. (...) Take the two most controversial vaccines the one against HPV , and the one against Hepatitis B. What have been the premises for vaccinating teenage girls and babies against these two pathogens?
We know that survival for women with pre-invasive cervical cancer lesions is nearly 100% with early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. As for hepatitis B, there is a 90%-95% chance all cases recover completely after 3 to 4 weeks. Now, as for any STD, condoms and/or faithfulness are your best bets to live a healthy life (and oh yes, I forgot … abstinence). As for drug use … well, it only confirms my point that most vaccines should be used appropriately and accordingly to the risk level of any targeted population.
Years ago there was not that many cases of autism...t
vaccinations are the ONE thing in common with autism...w
...there hurting our kids by giving them experimental drugs.....
when my son was very young he had bronchial asthma and was given a medicine for it...it helped him breath and he seemed to do better....
Sebelius: Americans must get swine flu vaccination
http://new
Dodgy Sebelius Unfit for HHS
"Deceptive answers to senators and political favors for campaign contributors make her too risky to entrust with the nation's health care system"
http://www
The only way to know how these vaccines affect people is to do a controlled study with two groups of kids, one group gets the vaccines and one group does not get the vaccines. Then these two groups have to be monitored through adulthood. Nobody is even remotely interested in doing such a study, but it would be the only true test. Also, the vaccine schedule needs scrutinized. Why on earth do infants have to be bombarded with so many foreign substances before the age of two? And why so many at one time? You can go to the CDC website and get the contraindications for alot of these vaccines. Contraindications that parents are not made aware of by their health care professionals before their child is vaccinated. Parents and even many physicians need to be better informed before that needle goes in.
Are you suggesting that we withhold vaccines from people from birth through age 18?
Almost all of my neighbors aren't vaccinated while my family is fully vaccinated.
And their children play with my autistic son.
maybe it's because the pharma co's have to turn a huge profit.
Dare we say the word? Vaccination. Many many many vaccinations for newborns and babies. Could it be investigated independently, without concern for the billions big pharma makes and without a smear campaign against anyone who tries to bring up the subject.
There was an article last week in the NYT about the rise of autism (referencing an article in the journal Pediatrics), but it also emphasized that more than 40% of those diagnosed later no longer qualified for the original diagnosis.
It's important to include THAT information too, because without it, you lead readers to believe that, indeed, there is this HUGE increase in autism (and you indirectly suggest it may be due to the Heb B vaccines). There is undoubtedly a huge increase in DIAGNOSES, but if, several years later, 40% of those who were diagnosed no longer seem to have the disorder, that points to serious issues in the diagnostic "system."
The whole story, please!!
Hmm., possibly. That, or maybe some people are being recovered because of treatments they're trying. I agree: "The whole story, please!"
I think the fact that some got a diagnose and now don't indicates that the insurances companies should be required to cover services for autism like most of them don't (because, traditionally, autism has been considered untreatable).
my grandson cant get the therapy he needs because the insurance company wont cover it........
They should use DAN! doctors and researchers for the studies. There are so many variables to take into account, the average researcher wouldn't know about the recovered children.
Plus, some parents are undiagnosing their children on their own. The child may still have autism but because of dieting, supplements, and chelation they improve.
And to repeat AOD, I wish my son would have never recieved his diagnosis. Now we pay out of pocket for all his medical treatments.
Good point about the diagnosis. My granddaughter will be seeing a DAN doctor later this month. She has not been diagnosed with autism, only that she's on the spectrum.
Money is a great motivator! Autism programs, the early intensive in-home programs, charge hundreds of thousands of dollars per child for a multi-year program. No empirical basis yet, one study from 1984 that has yet to be replicated
You obviously don't know anyone who has tried this approach.
I am guessing that it' s a case of autism spectrum disorders being more widely diagnosed now. Even as recently as 30 years ago when we were trying to get a diagnosis for our son, who is a high-functioning autistic, autism was diagnosed in only the most severe, hand-flapping, object-spinning, self-harming children. Not until our son was 15 did we get anything like a diagnosis, and that was because of a devoted and dedicated teacher. But I don't think there is a greater *instance* of autism. I can think of at least half a dozen kids I knew growing up who were undoubtedly somewhere on the autistic spectrum. They were just considered "odd" at the time. Now they'd most likely be diagnosed with either Asperger's or PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified.
"Even as recently as 30 years ago when we were trying to get a diagnosis for our son, who is a high-functioning autistic, autism was diagnosed in only the most severe, hand-flapping, object-spinning, self-harming children.
So true. In fact, roughly 87% of the kids who are on the spectrum today would have received a different diagnosis, or no label at all, 30 years ago.
We have no idea why? Oh yes we do.
Autism is not on the list of invented diseases, but it is on the list of disorders, for which the diagnoses parameters have been dramatically expanded to include all sorts of problems, the mildest of which are more liable to be behavior problems, rather than disorders.
Add a profession of followers, and you have a recipe for an explosion of "autism."
Having said that, I can't imagine the heartbreak and difficulties for families with children who really do have autism.
So autistic disorder is not about behavior?
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