Autism

[All_In 0]

sorry, double post.

[All_In 0]

This is the heading of the articleThe Geek SyndromeAutism - and its milder cousin Asperger's syndrome - is surging among the children of Silicon Valley. Are math-and-tech genes to blame?Heres the articlehttp://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aspergers_pr.htmlbetter source time magazinehttp://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020506/scautism.htmlMy best friend teaches autistic kids and they come to my store twice a year for a day out. Great kids lots of personality. Doug Flutie does a tonne of charity work for the cause and raised my awareness about it.

thanks.i remember now, it was the Wired article that i had read.

[Ladi77 0]

Daniels blog on this subject was very informative. I found out that a co-worker of mine has a son that has autism recently. I attended a fund raiser for his son and got talking to him about his son and everything he and his family goes through. Glad to see people are stepping up and bringing more attention to this subject.Ladi

[Dratj 0]

If anyone is going through this with a child and wants to discuss this with someone who has been through it I would be more then happy to do so.My son was diagnosed with Autism at 2 years old and after 3 years of fighting, therapies, psychologists, DAN doctors, diets, speech, ABA, vaccine rebellion, etc etc my son lost his diagnosis and has been attending a regular education class room since kindergarden. He is now 8 years old and you would not be able to look at him interacting with kids and ever tell he had this disability.The biggest thing I tell people is that Autism is not a disease, its a behavior and behaviors can be modified with therapy training and chemical balance of the brain, gut, and entire body. We NEVER used drugs, all natural vitamins, supplements, diets, etc.We thank God every day for the miracle of his 'recovery'

He probably was never autistic to start with. It was likely a wrong diagnosis.

[kissluvr 0]

He probably was never autistic to start with. It was likely a wrong diagnosis.

I don't know you, but I am dna4ever's wife.I have heard this countless times from many different "types" of people and I always laugh when people say this. Our son was tested and diagnosed with autism by three different "autism" doctors using 3 different testing methods. Including an autism specialist at Vanderbilt University's Autism Clinic and Dr. Bernard Rimland, the autism consultant for "Rainman", the founder of the Autism Society of America and the founder and director of the Autism Research Institute in California. I certainly dont feel like I need to sit and defend my son's diagnosis, but until you have a child that goes through this and you have to spend your entire life trying to figure out what is going on and how to help him you may never fully understand. I just find it funny how far people will go to make things fit into their perfect little world and want to believe whatever the "professionals" tell them. If you look hard enough in the right places you can find tons of scientific evidence that link Autism and Mercury. Most of the published studies are paid for by the drug companies themself and they are not going to publish something that may show their product in a bad light. Havent we seen this many times with all the drugs that hit the market and have to be pulled off the shelves because of all the deaths when they were supposedly safe to begin with?There was a study done in the Amish Community in PA, because they do not vaccinate their children. In the entire community they only found 3 children with Autism. One of those children was adoped from China, the second one had received all of their vaccines diagnosed shortly there after and the third child's vaccination status was unknown. You can do a few google searches and easily find this study.Thimerosol was first introduced into vaccines in the early 1930s and the first case of Autism was in the late 1930s. It had never been seen, heard, or diagnosed until the late 1930s. The rates of Autism steadily increased every year from that point. Thimerosol was taken out of vaccinations in the late 1990s and the children that started receiving the Thimerosol free vaccines are just now reaching the ages of where Autism is usually diagnosed. There is an article in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons that shows that since mercury was removed from childhood vaccines, the alarming increase in reported rates of autism and other neurological disorders (NDs) in children not only stopped, but actually dropped sharply - by as much as 35%. You can read the full report here ... http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/38784.phpThis is also a very informing book regarding the link ... http://www.evidenceofharm.com/An interesting chapter of the book talks about adults that have accidentaly had mercury/thimerosol poisoning and their symptons are almost identical to autism. Here is an interesting quote by Boyd Haley, Ph.D, Professor and Chair of the Chemistry Department, University of Kentucky that is a world renowned scientist in the field of mercury and toxicity that talks about why boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with Autism ..."One of the conundrums of autism is the 4:1 ratio of boys to girls that get the disease. We therefore decided to test the effects of both female and male hormones on the neurotoxicity of thimerosal. The results were eye-opening. For example, 50 nanomolar thimerosal causes less than 5% neuron death within the first three hours incubation and 1 micromolar testosterone causes no significant death within this time frame. However, mix these two together and 100% neuron death was observed at the earliest time point checked. This represents a severe enhancement of thimerosal toxicity."I have three different sisters with three different boys who have been diagnosed with Autism so there is obviously also a genetic predisposition to Mercury poisoning. Alzheimers and Schizophrenia also run in Autistic families and these have been also linked with Mercury poisoning. There have been Alzheimer patients that have successfully been chelated back to normal functioning.I hope I did not come off as being too defensive, but I really do not like to hear people (especially that I do not know and do not know me or my son) try and tell me that he never had Autism, because I know what we went through and lived with for so many years and again thank God for the miracle of his recovery.

[hblask 1]

Since that time many large studies have looked into this issue, most notably a European study involving over 300,000 children, and have concluded that the link with MMR does not exist. In this European study 1/2 of the children had received MMR and 1/2 had not. There was no difference in the rates of autism in both groups, and in fact there were fewer children with autism in the MMR group (not statistically significant). The authors of the original British study have since republished and stated that they were wrong.

Not science?

There was a study done in the Amish Community in PA, because they do not vaccinate their children. In the entire community they only found 3 children with Autism. One of those children was adoped from China, the second one had received all of their vaccines diagnosed shortly there after and the third child's vaccination status was unknown. You can do a few google searches and easily find this study.

Science?I understand the difficulty of dealing with this issue, but it's when dealing with the most deeply emotional issues that it is most important to go with the best science. Has thimerosol been 100% eliminated as a possible cause? No, science doesn't really work like that. But right now the preponderance of evidence is there is no cause and effect. Now, if the next 5 years show a dramatic drop in cases, the issue will be on the front burner again.The other thing that makes this difficult is the question of diagnosis. It's not a condition where you can always give a definitive yes or no, it's more a continuum. So as awareness grows, and yes, an "autism industry" grows, how many new cases are due to diagnostic changes? It sounds like in your case that's not a question, but there are lots of people out there who are less than careful.None of this takes away from how worthy a cause this is. It is definitely a top concern right now, and the more money that can be raised to study these issues, the sooner these mysteries can be solved. And parents going through this need and deserve all the support we can offer.

[Sciolist 0]

The increases in autism are down to more accurate diagnosis of autism. There are not more people with it, it's just that we are better at measuring it now. People blame vaccines because they are angry and want to blame someone. There is very strong scientific concensus that vaccinations are not linked to autism.

[Dratj 0]

I don't know you, but I am dna4ever's wife.I have heard this countless times from many different "types" of people and I always laugh when people say this. Our son was tested and diagnosed with autism by three different "autism" doctors using 3 different testing methods. Including an autism specialist at Vanderbilt University's Autism Clinic and Dr. Bernard Rimland, the autism consultant for "Rainman", the founder of the Autism Society of America and the founder and director of the Autism Research Institute in California. I certainly dont feel like I need to sit and defend my son's diagnosis, but until you have a child that goes through this and you have to spend your entire life trying to figure out what is going on and how to help him you may never fully understand. I just find it funny how far people will go to make things fit into their perfect little world and want to believe whatever the "professionals" tell them. If you look hard enough in the right places you can find tons of scientific evidence that link Autism and Mercury. Most of the published studies are paid for by the drug companies themself and they are not going to publish something that may show their product in a bad light. Havent we seen this many times with all the drugs that hit the market and have to be pulled off the shelves because of all the deaths when they were supposedly safe to begin with?There was a study done in the Amish Community in PA, because they do not vaccinate their children. In the entire community they only found 3 children with Autism. One of those children was adoped from China, the second one had received all of their vaccines diagnosed shortly there after and the third child's vaccination status was unknown. You can do a few google searches and easily find this study.Thimerosol was first introduced into vaccines in the early 1930s and the first case of Autism was in the late 1930s. It had never been seen, heard, or diagnosed until the late 1930s. The rates of Autism steadily increased every year from that point. Thimerosol was taken out of vaccinations in the late 1990s and the children that started receiving the Thimerosol free vaccines are just now reaching the ages of where Autism is usually diagnosed. There is an article in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons that shows that since mercury was removed from childhood vaccines, the alarming increase in reported rates of autism and other neurological disorders (NDs) in children not only stopped, but actually dropped sharply - by as much as 35%. You can read the full report here ... http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/38784.phpThis is also a very informing book regarding the link ... http://www.evidenceofharm.com/An interesting chapter of the book talks about adults that have accidentaly had mercury/thimerosol poisoning and their symptons are almost identical to autism. Here is an interesting quote by Boyd Haley, Ph.D, Professor and Chair of the Chemistry Department, University of Kentucky that is a world renowned scientist in the field of mercury and toxicity that talks about why boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with Autism ..."One of the conundrums of autism is the 4:1 ratio of boys to girls that get the disease. We therefore decided to test the effects of both female and male hormones on the neurotoxicity of thimerosal. The results were eye-opening. For example, 50 nanomolar thimerosal causes less than 5% neuron death within the first three hours incubation and 1 micromolar testosterone causes no significant death within this time frame. However, mix these two together and 100% neuron death was observed at the earliest time point checked. This represents a severe enhancement of thimerosal toxicity."I have three different sisters with three different boys who have been diagnosed with Autism so there is obviously also a genetic predisposition to Mercury poisoning. Alzheimers and Schizophrenia also run in Autistic families and these have been also linked with Mercury poisoning. There have been Alzheimer patients that have successfully been chelated back to normal functioning.I hope I did not come off as being too defensive, but I really do not like to hear people (especially that I do not know and do not know me or my son) try and tell me that he never had Autism, because I know what we went through and lived with for so many years and again thank God for the miracle of his recovery.

Fair enough. I was working with very limited information from a single post. Regardless, I'm glad your son is fine now.

[MapleLeafpoker 1,462]

Just wanted to add as a member of this forum, and as a long time DN fan, it was great to see his blog today speaking about autism. I am the father of an autistic child who has come a long way and done great things and is truly a miracle. There is an epidemic going on that most people do not know about, as the rise in cases is staggering. But because of the hard work of many people, and with people like DN helping the cause, so many of these kids need and hopefully will get the help that will allow them to lead better lives. (Only spekaing about my case...) With the proper help, both biomedical and through proper education and therapy, these kids can overcome many of this disease's problems. Not cure it, but can overcome many of its obstacles, day by day. God Bless Daniel.

[DanielNEGROnu 0]

You have to consider the source of any information you get. I think the TACA ultimately has good intentions, but you have to remember that like all interest groups, they're trying to promote a cause. Throwing around numbers and citing poor research without giving the complete story is irresponsible. First of all, saying that children are getting 40+ different vaccines is misleading. In the US, the CDC recommends that all children get vaccinated against 13 different diseases: measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, diptheria, pertussis, hep B, meningitis, influenza, pneumonia, polio, Hib, and tetanus. Several of the vaccines are given in multiple doses, but that's not 40 different vaccines.Second of all, look at the research. The study that brought the autism-MMR vaccine theory to attention was by Wakefield et. al in 1998. This study included 12 children. TWELVE. Their study had no control and 10 of the 13 authors later retracted their interpretation. The other studies I've seen to support this theory have also been poorly designed and the findings have not been reproducible. Larger studies and epidemiologic data simply do not support this theory.This is obviously a very emotional issue and parents with autistic children undertsandably very passionate about it. When you're looking for answers though you have to put emotion aside and examine things objectively. Like wheezer16 already mentioned, the risks of administering a vaccine are weighed against the benefit and no vaccine is 100% risk free. They simply would not be recommended if they did not have a positive health benefit. Even if the TACA prefaces their statements with the assertion that they aren't against vaccinating children, it still makes people wonder. I think it's highly irresponsible for the TACA to make such a suggestion without solid scientific research.

[blakheart 3]

The increases in autism are down to more accurate diagnosis of autism. There are not more people with it, it's just that we are better at measuring it now. People blame vaccines because they are angry and want to blame someone. There is very strong scientific concensus that vaccinations are not linked to autism.

Please do not speak out of your ass. I have a 11 year old son with Autism. It is a very life changing event. Most parents of autistic children end up knowing more about autism then a typical pediatrician. (See DNA's wife's post regarding mercury and Autism). Regrading vaccines and Autism. I personally am convinced that using Mercury as a preservative is a terribly dangerous plan and most likely the trigger for autism in many children. Fortunately Mercury is no longer being used in the United States in vaccines. When my youngest child was of an age to receive vaccines we made sure to vaccinate him with single vaccanitions instead of the three in one MMR. In addition we made sure to get more expensive vaccines without mercury in them. My autistic son just had his 11th birthday this week and we are throwing him a birthday party today. He has many friends and has things he loves to do. There is a bounce house place here in town and he and his classmates are going to jump around and have a great time. His life is certainly different then his brothers and his future is hard to imagine, but I can not imagine our family any different at this point. There can be little doubt that there is a rising epidemic in this country. There is little doubt in my mind that the CDC was negligent to ignore the cries of parents regarding the corelation between vaccines and rising Autism. I know many families who can tell me that there son exhibited the first signs of autism the day after they were vaccinated. It is unforgivable that US drug companies still export MMR with Mercury as a preservative to third world countries.Thank you Daniel for taking the time to support research on Autism. My son thanks you as well.

[DanielNEGROnu 0]

If you look hard enough in the right places you can find tons of scientific evidence that link Autism and Mercury.

If you look hard enough in the right places you can find just about anything. Typically the harder you have to look the less reliable the information is...

Most of the published studies are paid for by the drug companies themself and they are not going to publish something that may show their product in a bad light. Havent we seen this many times with all the drugs that hit the market and have to be pulled off the shelves because of all the deaths when they were supposedly safe to begin with?

This statement shows your ignorance for the FDA drug approval process. I cannot quote you an exact number but on average it costs several hundred million dollars for a drug to go from an idea to being prescribed by a physician. If pharmaceutical companies weren't backing these studies then the vast majority of drugs simply wouldn't exist. Yes, some drugs are taken off the market and it's going to continue to happen. No system is perfect. The FDA approval process is among the most, if not the most rigorous in the world. You dismiss it though as if new drugs are coming from meth labs and going straight to pharmacy shelves. Numbers vary, but preclinical testing about 3.5 years, Phase I clinical trials takes ~1 year, Phase II trials take ~2 years, and Phase III trials take ~3 years. Assuming a drug gets this far (the vast majority don't), a company can then file a New Drug Application to the FDA. The approval proccess can last anywhere from 18 months to 5+ years. Once the FDA approves the drug the company must continue to submit periodic reports to FDA, including any cases of adverse reactions and appropriate quality-control records. FThe FDa also requires some drugs to undego additional testing, Phase IV, to evaluate the long-term effects.

There was a study done in the Amish Community in PA, because they do not vaccinate their children. In the entire community they only found 3 children with Autism. One of those children was adoped from China, the second one had received all of their vaccines diagnosed shortly there after and the third child's vaccination status was unknown. You can do a few google searches and easily find this study.

Admittedly, I did not spend a lot of time, but I could find no such study. The closest I found was an article by Dan Olmsted from the Washington Times. I hardly consider that a scientific source. If you could cite the study you mention I would appreciate it.Even if there is such a study it's inherently flawed anyways. You can't take an isolated community an extrapolate the results across all cultures and all geographic locations. If autism does indeed have a genetic component then it's incidence is going to vary between genetic groups. The epidemiolgic data that has compared vaccinated and unvaccinated children and taken into account genetic variablity has not shown an association.

Thimerosol was first introduced into vaccines in the early 1930s and the first case of Autism was in the late 1930s. It had never been seen, heard, or diagnosed until the late 1930s. The rates of Autism steadily increased every year from that point.

Scarlet fever was first described in 1626. Measles was first described in 1627. Rubella was first described in 1881. These dates don't necessarily mean anything more than the fact that they were first described at that time. The first described case of a disease is not the same as the first case of that disease. I have hard time believing that autism just started appearing in the 1930's. I think it's much more likely that the condition known today as autism was simply not recognized as such prior to then.Some of your other points seem a little more valid and some not so much. It seems like you're making some stretches with information that doesn't necessarily correlate with your conclusions.

I just find it funny how far people will go to make things fit into their perfect little world...

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[All_In 0]

This statement shows your ignorance for the FDA drug approval process.

there are many cases where the FDA approved a drug/additive, etc based solely on the research conducted by the company that made it.look into aspartame and u will see how the FDA is screwed up.

[Chisox6 0]

Just thought I would point out that vaccines are one of the least profitable drugs for Pharmaceutical companies to produce. They would have far less inclination to skew stats to make sure vaccines stay on the market than other moneymaking drugs (high end diuretics or ACE inhibitors for hypertension for example).

[blakheart 3]

Just thought I would point out that vaccines are one of the least profitable drugs for Pharmaceutical companies to produce. They would have far less inclination to skew stats to make sure vaccines stay on the market than other moneymaking drugs (high end diuretics or ACE inhibitors for hypertension for example).

Your arguement cuts both ways. If vaccines are a thin profit items, there is an incentive to use thimersol as a preservative to lower the costs. As a father of an autistic child I still vaccinated my younger children. The issue is the mercury in the vaccine. And that is in there as a cost saving measure.

[ilovejulie 0]

I have a 15-year-old son with Asberger's Syndrome. He is the twin of a "normal" brother, and while he has his social quirks and oddities, Kelsey is a contented boy who continues to progress. I'm a big reader of the General Poker Forum, and Kelsey is probably what many there might describe as the "Retarded Kid in the Grocery Store" type. I don't get offended when I read that, I just hope hope that someone at home loves those kids as much as I love mine.Thanks, Daniel, for helping to raise awareness.David in Atlanta

[digitalmonkey 929]

I work with autistic individuals everyday. It is my belief that we all have autism to some degree.

[El Guapo 8]

I just want the thank DNA for sharing some of his experiences on this with me. He and his wife took time out of there day to open up their lives and experiences to me.This is why I continue to waste countless hours on this site. Once again, this is a great community with a lot of caring people.

[ratwastard 0]

Link on WebMDBasically, it does not appear to be vaccine related, but because there is no other explanation, the story will not die. The possible explanations listed at the end of the article appear inadequate. While there appears to be a genetic component, that doesn't explain the sudden increase.At this point, though, it appears that the danger from childhood diseases outweighs the slim possibility that the vaccines cause autism. First, there appears to be no statistical correlation between shots and autism, and second, there is no explanation of how it *could* cause autism. Coincidental timing between diagnosis and the vaccines is not proof, that's just when autism can be diagnosed.At this point, most thimerosal has been removed from vaccines, and that was the suspected cause, so kids now are even safe from that.None of this is definitive. The controversy rages on, and will until the rise in autism is explained.

IT'S THE DAMN EVIL CORPORATIONS -- NOT SURE WHICH ONES -- THAT ARE THE CAUSE OF THIS EXPLOSION IN THE NUMBER OF CASES. AND NO ONE BETTER GIVE ME THAT ASSININE ARGUEMENT ABOUT BETTER DIAGNOSING OF THE CONDITION. THAT'S NOT ITGREEDY CORPORATIONS ARE THE CAUSE AND THAT'S THAT.ALSO IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME AT ALL IF VACCINATIONS ARE THE CAUSE.I'M RIGHT AND ANYONE WHO DISAGREES IS WRONGCORPORATIONS HAVE US ALL BRAINWASHED INTO POISONING OUR BODIES, OUR SPERM, OUR DNA WITH THEIR CHEMICALS. DRUGS, ALCOHOL, TOBACCO CHEMICALS --- THEY ALL HAVE A POWERFULLY DESTRUCTIVE EFFECT ON OUR DNA, AND THE EFFECT GETS MULTIPLIED GENERATION AFTER GENERATION.CORPORATIONS ARE GOING TO TURN ALMOST THE ENTIRE WORLD POPULATION INTO A BUNCH OF MUTANTS