The recent announcement regarding the new CDC study does not tell those of us in the autism community anything we do not already know. As of today, we can now affirmatively say autism affects 1 in 88 children born 12 years ago, a 23 percent increase since the CDC last released numbers in 2009.
We have been sounding the alarm bells for years to this glaring epidemic.
All that these new numbers indicate is the fact that we are continuing to lose children at an alarmingly rapid pace. The current emphasis on awareness and genetic research has not brought us any closer to a cause. We need to focus our efforts as a global community on prevention and providing treatment and life care services for those currently affected.
The dialogue today, in the aftermath of the CDC's release with regard to what these new numbers indicate, completely misses the point. The new numbers have been equally attributed to better diagnosis, higher incidence and unknown factors. What is missing from today's dialogue is the effect autism is having on families, our society and what the unknown factors are.
The 300lb. gorilla in the room is that our children with autism today will soon become adults with autism.
We can either continue to collectively stand on the sidelines and debate what is causing autism and if it is an epidemic or we can get on the field and start addressing the real problem -- a generation of children with autism. We are not focusing enough on prevention, treatments and support services.
As long as the powers that be continue to keep their head in the sand with regard to treatment and services, there is little in the way of progress that can be made. Families need resources for early intervention, treatment opportunities, support, safety measures, educational tools and housing and employment opportunities. Only through direct support and intervention will we be able to ease the burden.
If we fail to take action, in four more years we can look forward to the CDC revising the numbers down again and we will witness a further increase in the need for prevention, treatment and support.
As we continue to lose yet another generation of our children, families will continue to struggle and power on. Thankfully there are organizations helping autism families.
Those outside of autism need to understand this is an epidemic and we need more government funding, insurance coverage and education reform. Without intervention today, the cost of care for adults with autism will be significantly greater and the burden will no longer lie with the parents, but on our entire society.
In the words of Margaret Meade "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. "
Please take action today by supporting a family in your community and urge others to learn more about autism at www.generationrescue.org.
Mark Roithmayr: Autism Is a National Epidemic That Needs a National Plan
Lisa M. Dietlin: Making a Difference: The World of Giving -- April Is Autism Awareness Month
Improvements in autism symptoms vary kid by kid
With autism, no longer invisible
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/04/04/peds.2011-2583.abstract?sid=29b39ccf-afce-4b8f-bac6-d261190ef194
Again one of the interesting findings is the probable link to the immune system indicated by the relationship to those three factors. Diabetes and obesity research linking the immune system to both conditions can be found here ...
Type 2 Diabetes: Inflammation, Not Obesity, Cause Of Insulin Resistance
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106133106.htm
Properties of Insulin Reduce Inflammation Caused by Obesity, Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Research Finds
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100509202647.htm
Obesity and Diabetes: Immune Cells in Fat Tissue Explain the Link
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100816095800.htm
Inflammation in Body Fat Is Not Only Pernicious
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100325092251.htm
Some more work on hypertension and inflammation can be found here published in Nature
http://www.nature.com/ajh/journal/v24/n10/full/ajh2011113a.html
Brief Review - Inflammation, Immunity, and Hypertension
http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/57/2/132.full
Yeah, that narrows it down.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/health/research/scientists-link-rare-gene-mutations-to-heightened-risk-of-autism.html
From the quoted article ...
"The gene mutations are extremely rare and together account for a tiny fraction of autism cases — in these studies, only a handful of children."
You're still on the 1900's Mendelian genetics thing. Just an FYI, we've come a long way since then. It might be worth learning about it if you really are concerned about this topic.
.....or you can be like the others and live in your alternate-reality bubble.
Funny. You write this on the same day ground-breaking studies are released on this very issue. So, I'm sure you'll read those studies any day now and recognize that there are people working toward finding the root causes.
Perhaps there's a funding round coming up and everyone's jockeying for position.
Neither do the parents of the 2000 victims of vaccine-induced brain damage, who were compensated in US vaccine court, where it was ADMITTED that vaccines caused that brain damage.
I told you so!!!!! And yet you wouldn't accept the mounting evidence. Now, the inevitable reality has come to bite you in the behind.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/04/us-autism-usa-genes-idUSBRE83312820120404
"For this study, researchers sequenced data from 549 families that included both parents and a single child with autism. ...the combined results from the three studies suggest some 600 to 1,200 genes may contribute to the risk of developing autism."
600-1200 genes? Yeah, that really narrows it down.
"MAY contribute to the RISK of developing autism?" And you think that is somehow proof that there is an "autism gene?" Ask any epidemiologist--this isn't proof of anything. They didn't even look at the genetics of non-autistic children for a comparison.
This is just a desperate attempt to deflect attention away from the fact that the latest autism rates STILL reflect the fact that thimerosal-laden vaccines, WHICH WERE STILL GIVEN IN 2000--the year of birth for the children in the new CDC study--can account for the continued rise in autism rates.
The lies don't work any more; too many of us know the truth. No amount of whitewashing ("autism is just quirky nerdiness, nothing to worry about!!"), distractions ("ooh, look, 600-1200 genes that MAY contribute to risk!!!"), or blue-sugar-coating ("let's CELEBRATE world autism!!") can cover it up.
600-1200 genes that MAY contribute to risk of developing autism? And non-autistic children were not looked at to see if they happened to have these same 600-1200 genes? Any epidemiologist will tell you that that proves nothing.
On the other hand, we do know that infant boys who are given a hep B shot are 3 times as likely to develop autism than infant boys NOT given a hep B shot:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/new-study-hepatitis-b-vac_b_289288.html
Will this shuffle the percentages from the exisiting 10 - 15 % (the article quotes 10% I believe) linked to genetics ?
Will it link directly to the 'aberrant behaviours' autism ?
...and finally how does it preclude environmental risk factors themselves.
Nice but inadequate.
Really? Because you seem to disagree with a lot of what they said...
I agree, we need to take immediate action to help children and families now. Every parent of a child with special needs should consider what they can do to help their child, not "wait and debate" - because they can get better. There are many things that can be done from diet and nutrition, to biomedical treatment and special therapies. Here's more from a Pediatric Neurologist from Harvard talking about how ”food is big" in autism - http://nourishinghope.com/2012/04/a-great-day-for-autism/ I'm a Certified Nutrition Consultant specializing in autism for ten years and I can tell you I know hundreds of stories of children who have gotten better when attention was put on their food and nutrition. Diet improvements are one area that anyone can get started with right away, and it helps everyone.
Support organizations like Generation Rescue because they can help families get the treatment they need (not just talk about it), and if you are a family in need they have Rescue Angel moms to help you.
Many experts are claiming this is just better diagnosing and no real increase at all. The truth is, the definition of autism was broadened in the DSM IV (manual for diagnosing mental disorders) in 1994. Are we to believe that doctors are STILL learning to recognize the symptoms 18 years later?
Autism has steadily risen over the last 20 years when it affected one in 10,000 children. In 2004 it was one in 166, in 2007, it became one in 150, in 2009, it soared to one in 110, and now it's one in every 88 children. The criteria for diagnosing it hasn't changed since 1994.
How long are parents expected to just sit back and accept it when their child is lost to autism?
Autism officially has no known cause or cure. There's nothing a mainstream doctor can tell a new mom to ensure that her baby won't also end up on the autism spectrum. The autism numbers have been soaring for over 20 years and nothing has been done to stop it.
Anne Dachel, Media editor: Age of Autism