Autism Is a National Epidemic That Needs a National Plan

Merriam-Webster defines the word 'epidemic' as "Excessively prevalent. Affecting a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community or region at the same time."

With the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) numbers now showing that 1 in 88 children in the United States is being diagnosed with autism -- nearly doubling the prevalence since the CDC began tracking these numbers -- autism can now officially be declared an epidemic in the United States.

We are dealing with a national emergency that is in need of a national plan. At 1 in 88, we now have more than 1 million children directly affected by autism. According to a newly released study, the annual cost of autism in the United States is a staggering $126 billion annually, more than tripling the cost analysis from six years ago.

Behind all these statistics are real families, real individuals struggling each and every day. Some with autism are struggling to find satisfying jobs where they can productively use their talents and abilities. Others with autism have extremely complicated medical and social challenges. Make no mistake though, wherever one falls on the spectrum, all with autism struggle daily. And it is clearly time that we, as a caring society, commit to a National Plan. A comprehensive National Plan that substantially increases all efforts to date. A call to action that:

• Funds more basic science uncovering the genetic underpinnings of autism;

• Funds more environmental research detecting the causes of autism;

• Accelerates the funding and development of effective medicines and treatments;

• Commits to a strategy where all children with autism from every background are diagnosed no later than 18 months of age;

• Commits to a National Training Corps recruiting more therapists and service providers as well as specially trained teachers and teacher assistants into the field;

• Addresses the growing issue of adults with autism, specifically around continuing education, employment, housing/residential living and community integration; here, too, we need a focus on a National Training Corps to recruit and train professionals to work with our adults.

As the nation's leading science and advocacy organization, Autism Speaks calls on the entire nation -- from President Obama to each of the Republican candidates for president to all Members of Congress -- to commit to this National Plan, a true public-private partnership.

We desperately need further commitments from the CDC and Dr. Thomas Frieden, whose very funding of this prevalence study is in jeopardy of being cut going forward. The backing of Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Dr. Francis Collins of the National Institutes of Health are also essential.

And it is not the federal government alone we call on. We need the private sector to step up, as well as state and local governments to be part of this National Plan:

• Right now insurance companies and the majority of self-funded plans under ERISA discriminate against families with autism, denying reimbursement for the basic, evidence-based services that can often dramatically improve the quality of life for their children with autism.

• There are pharmaceutical companies that can speed the process of effective medicines for people living with autism to improve communication, socialization and behavior, the core symptoms of autism.

• We need companies across all industries to commit to hiring the 74% of adults with autism who believe they have the potential to be employed if just given the opportunity.

• We need employers of all parents who have children with autism to become much more family-friendly. Too many mothers of children with autism have had to stop their careers to be able to care for their loved ones because their work environments could not find a way to accommodate their schedules.

• We need local school systems to deliver individualized and quality-driven plans to meet autism's ever-growing demand for appropriate special education services.

• We need faith-based and community-based organizations that can provide respite services for parents and caregivers, as well as recreational and community integration opportunities for people with autism.

• And the list goes on to include siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends and neighbors. At 1 in 88, we are now hard-pressed as a nation to find anyone who is not touched by autism.

Ultimately the question we need to ask ourselves is why, over the last two decades, has there been such a tremendous increase in autism? Dr. Peter Bearman of Columbia University was funded by the NIH to answer this very question. His findings have revealed that the increase in prevalence is only partly explained by a broadening of the diagnosis, improved detection, and more awareness. A large portion of the increase -- some 50% -- remains unexplained. That is why we must aggressively fund research, including the critical study of potential environmental factors involved with autism. We need to find the answers.

At 1 in 88, the United States is experiencing an autism epidemic.

This is a national emergency. We need a national plan.

 

Follow Mark Roithmayr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/markroithmayr

Comments

[AnnainLA]

04:34 PM on 04/07/2012

Men who father children when they are over 40 are more likely to produce children with schizophrenia or autism . We focus too much on maternal age and too little on paternal age.

[onionboy]

05:24 PM on 04/19/2012

That could be true. Sperm are gametes too.

[AutismNewsBeat]

01:41 PM on 04/05/2012

Mr. Roithmayr's math doesn't add up. He assumes an autism epidemic, and tells us there are "one million children directly affected by autism." He can't have it both ways.

Assuming there are about 76 million Americans 17 and under (childstats.gov), his 1 million figure assumes a steady prevalence of 1:77 since 1995. Even if you count 18 year olds as children, the numbers don't work.

I suspect Roithmayr either knows better and doesn't care, or is channeling Katie Wright. Either way, making up statistics doesn't bode well for an organization that wraps itself in the respectability of science.

[calamityjohn]

09:39 AM on 04/05/2012

That last paragraph fits my perception really well .. on one hand I see a great number less severe cases broadening the diagnosis .. on the other hand I see more and more severe cases as well .. implying there is more to this than saying "diagnosis is broadening" .. every year for twenty years.

[ParentofASDChild]

09:26 AM on 04/05/2012

We need a lot less basic genetic science and a lot more environmental science. We are not making the progress we should and need to change course. We need to listen more closely to families and research their priorities. Drug interventions should be the last option not the first. Treating underlying medical problems has got to be the first priority.

[AutismNewsBeat]

09:07 AM on 04/05/2012

Merriam-Websters definition of epidemic is different than the one epidemiologists use. Perhaps Mr. Roithmayr can tell us why.

http://tinyurl.com/79gvq5s

[WillDav]

05:15 AM on 04/05/2012

Most of the huge increase in the incidence of autism is probably due to greater awareness of the condition, broadening diagnostic criteria and sociological factors. However, my own research concludes that prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals which disrupt GABA(A) receptor transmission is also contributing to the 'epidemic'. These include organophosphate, organochlorine and pyrethroid insecticides, phthalates, methyl mercury, bisphenol A and, perhaps most important, folic acid. There are undoubtedly many more.

In addition to contributing to the increase in autism, I believe these chemicals are also contributing to the increasing incidences of other childhood diseases in which GABA transmission is important. These include ADHD, asthma and type 1 diabetes.

More here:

www.nfkbdiseases.wordpress.com

[GinnyinCO]

06:33 PM on 04/06/2012

Fascinating, thank you for linking to it. I am not well enough informed to absorb more than about 45% of it. I am familiar enough with some parts that make me curious if the form of folate for prenatal vitamins could make a difference. I recently found out I probably have the genetic problem that requires I supplement with methylfolate. There are may be other links to diagnoses I am dealing with, primarily NF-kB activation or suppression.

The environmental factors from toxins is a serious issue for me (RN) and my ex ( MS Env Eng). Our kids are alright. We grieve for the alarming increase in individuals and for their families. Ex and our daughter have severe dyslexia. The difference between their life success is entirely due to the support from parents and teachers. While the problems with medical science are becoming more frustrating, individuals like the parents in "Lorenzo's Oil" have access to the most wonderful library ever: the world wide web. Best to you in your efforts.

[Melissa Christopher]

06:23 PM on 04/04/2012

You should have said this years ago

[MikeDavidson702]

02:05 PM on 04/04/2012

Vaccines and toxins in our environment cause autism. Kids used to get a few, they now get 34 before 1st grade. 2) Toxins in our food, environment. Vaccines, antiobotics, and other things destroy the good bacteria in the gut needed to digest food completely and eliminate toxins. Toxins build up. Those are the 2 main reasons for the increase in autism. Check out www.whale.to/a/children1.html for info that proves unvaccinated kids are much healthier. Also, check out Dr Singh - Utah State dr who discovered that it's the measles virus that causes autism. "Singh and Jensen analysed samples from 52 autistic children, all of whom had had the MMR vaccination, and 30 normal children, plus a further 15 siblings of autistic children. They showed that measles antibody levels, a sign of an immune reaction to measles virus, were significantly greater in children with autism compared with the non-autistic children. Levels of mumps and rubella antibodies were not different from the non-autistic children. Strikingly, they found that 43 out of the 52 (83%) of the autistic children had antibodies to the measles vaccine virus. None of the 30 normal children, and none of the 15 siblings, had these antibodies." Another doctor found that 96" of autistic kids had the measles virus from the MMR in their gut vs 0% of non autistic kids. You figure it out.

[AutismNewsBeat]

08:56 AM on 04/05/2012

"Another doctor found that 96" of autistic kids had the measles virus from the MMR in their gut vs 0% of non autistic kids."

Is that supposed to be 96%? Do you have a citation for this "study"?

[haferba]

09:15 PM on 04/05/2012

Psuedoscience is not science.