Autism In U.S. More Prevalent Than Thought

Major Study: 1 In 150 American Children Has Development Disorder

(CBS/AP)  About one in 150 American children has autism, an urgent public health concern, said U.S. health officials Thursday who reported on the largest study done so far on the troubling disorder.

The new numbers, based on 2002 data, are higher than previously reported.

According to Lee Grossman, President of the Autism Society of America, "This report validates what we've been saying for quite some time, in that the numbers of those with autism has been under-reported. It also validates... that autism doesn't discriminate."

In addition to finding more children with autism than anyone thought, the study sheds light on another huge problem: Children are being diagnosed too late, usually not until they start school, reports CBS News medical correspondent Jon LaPook.

"This data today shows we're going to need more early intervention services and more therapists, and we're going to need federal and state legislators to stand up for these families," said Alison Singer, spokeswoman for Autism Speaks, the nation's largest organization advocating more services for autistic children.

To get a clearer picture of autism in America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a comprehensive review of the medical and school records of children in 14 states, reports LaPook.

The CDC study calculated an average autism rate 6.6 per 1,000. That compares with last year's estimated rate of 5.5 in 1,000.

However, the states studied are not demographically representative of the nation as a whole, so officials cautioned against using the results as a national average. The study doesn't include some of the most populous states like California, Texas and Florida.

Also, the study does not answer whether autism is increasing a controversial topic, driven in part by the contention by some parents and advocates that autism is linked to a vaccine preservative. The best scientific studies have not borne out that claim.

"We can't make conclusions about trends yet," because the study's database is too new, said Catherine Rice, a CDC behavioral scientist who was the study's lead author.

Autism is a pervasive development disorder usually not diagnosed in children until after age 3. The disorder involves delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize or form relationships with others as well as the ability to communicate and to use imagination, according to WebMD. The cause is not known.

Studies show that the earlier the intervention, the better the outcome.

"I think that the most important thing is that parents [and physicians] are informed," says Dr. Alfredo Lowe, a Psychologist in New Jersey. "The more knowledge we have, the more power we have. The sooner that these kinds of disorders can be diagnosed, the better the care."

Deena Chackes was diagnosed early, at only 14 months, LaPook reports. Her family moved from Georgia to enroll her in The McCarton School in New York City. She's now doing "fantastic." "She talks, not always easy to understand, but she talks. She behaves like any other kid," her family told CBS News.

Scientists have been revising how common they think the disorder is. Past estimates from smaller studies have ranged from 1 out of every 10,000 children to nearly 1 in 100.

Last year's estimate of 5.5 out of every 1,000 U.S. children was based on national surveys of tens of thousands of families with school-age kids. That fit into a prevalence range found in other recent studies.

The CDC has been developing an alternate way of measuring autism prevalence, building a network of university and state health departments for ongoing surveillance of autism and developmental disabilities. The study released Thursday is one of the first scientific papers to come out of that effort.

"This is a more accurate rate because of the methods they used," said Dr. Eric Hollander, an autism expert at New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

The study involved 2002 data from parts or all of 14 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Researchers looked specifically at children who were 8 years old that year. They said most children with autism are identified for medical or educational services by that age.

The researchers checked health records in each area and school records when they were made available, looking for children who met diagnostic criteria for autism. They used those numbers to calculate a prevalence rate for each study area.

The rates varied from 3.3 per 1,000 in the study site in Alabama, which was made up of the state's 32 northernmost counties, to 10.6 in the site in New Jersey, which involved four counties, including metropolitan Newark.

Researchers say they don't know why the rate was so high in New Jersey. They think the Alabama rate was low at least partly because researchers had limited access to special education records there.

[teeus]

This breaks my heart.

[cacee13601]

i feel sorry for those kids and their parents.. i wonder if the environment changing has something to do with it.. after all it effects everything who not this too??

[teeus]

The most common theory is that a lot of these kids' bodies can't flush out heavy metals, like mercury, out of their systems. When you couple a genetic intolerance to mercury, with the incredible proliferation in of it in our environment, it becomes pretty pervasive. Like one in 150 births.

[inresponse1]

Get the mercury preservative out of infant inoculations or this devastating pattern will continue. (University medical staffs don't let their kids get them, nor even complete all innoculations if the infant shows signs of stres... you hear your infant "scream like a cat," after one of these mandatory innoculations, you can say to yourself, "I just fried my little sweetheart's brain" and say goodbye to whomever he or she might have grown to be. We are imposing this on our infants because the big pharmaceuticals want to save what $1 or $2 per innoculation. I am so sad for parents, they are too trusting and their children are being tragically damaged by this big business-at-the-expense-of-the-child issue and the medical society is going along with it (they get to give further tests to discern the damage that they protect their own children from.) Wake up America, things have changed, big business is more powerful than you think and government is not doing enough to protect you.

[momofm3]

I have an autistic 10 year old son. I don't want pity. I want answers that help. I think the results of these studies will not in the end show a good picture of what society's up against. We need to have a plan. When my son was first diagnosed 8 years ago, people would ask me "what's wrong with him?" as he lay kicking and screaming in the middle of the street. I'd scoop him up and carry him to the curb and say "I have no idea". Now they ask me "Is he autistic?" and I say yes, and they ask "what's his prognosis?"...this is a dirty word in my vocabulary...I am still saying "I have no idea" Now that he's 10, and nearly as tall as me, I can no longer scoop him up, I have to trust that the driver of the on-coming car will stop. I want to solve his problem, prevent his problem, at least KNOW his problem, and be able to reason with him to get him out of the street. And we're going to keep crossing the street, so don't tell me to keep him home.

What causes autism? Well, finally, the professionals have STOPPED blaming ME. Personally, I think it's global warming....

[usawatchman]

What they

CONVENIENTLY LEAVE OUT

or FAIL TO RESEARCH

is HOW WE COMPARE to the rest of the WORLD

(the rest of the world.... WHO DO NOT VACCINATE)

If the ratio are the same.. .
..then you really do have a DON'T KNOW the PROBLEM

but if there is a DIVERGENCE...
.. then WE really DO KNOW,

but we LIE to the PUBLIC... for their own good...????

[lambofgoth]

Aspergersjournal.com keeps a lot of current information. Thermasol has not been used in vaccines for years yet autism rates continue to climb.

[davek455]

this horrifying trend is unfolding and what do the republicans concern themselves with? Nancy Pelosi's travel arrangements, the size of her plane.....get a grip republicans, you say your the party of family values? then focus and act upon things, like autism, that really affect families!

[gbnevitt01]

I have an 8 year old son who has austism, he's had all the test done to see if mercury may have caused his problem and it was determined that eventhough he has a small amount it may not have been to blame for his autism. The problem we're having is that the teacher that are suppose to teaching him don't know how to deal with children with autism and the schools lack the resources to provide for that kind of training
or the teachers.

[gaye5]

The article below says that the study does not say whether autism is increasing. .
Well all they have to do is talk to older teachers to find out that Autism or anything looking like autism was something that very really reared its ugly head... it almost didn't exist. e.g., in my husbands 43 years as a teach, he had only known of a very few cases, the first being 25 years ago where the child drew dead flies all day, then he saw nothing until the last 10 years... He has taught and been a principal around may NZ and Australian schools, he has a Masters and is doing a Ph.D...
Some would say that these children were not sent to school, or were put into institutions and that could be true, but in the smaller areas people know each other and they talk...so in all the many schools that my husband taught in, you would think that if it was that prevalent back then that either we would have heard about it or experienced it.. It is in effect only in the last few years that we have come across it, but of course to cover up the real cause there will be many excuses made.. so talk to older teachers and become wise to the cause...

[cheney214]

I can't fully comment on this study, per se, not having read it. However, given that the claimed rate is now two orders of magnitude higher than it is in, say Finland, it sounds like nonsense. Here in North Carolina there is a truly evil organization, TEECH, that is suposedly an advocate for austism, but that instead pushes a school of thought that participates in and fans wildly inaccurate diagnosis of autism, all with a goal of inflating the number of cases so as to get more funding. This study sounds like more of the same. Austism is far rarer than this study claims. Everyone who has a fever does not have measles.

[gaye5]

seandgreen, there is no need to put someone else down for their opinions, who is to say that he isn't right, more and more people are having problems with immunisations.
Of course immunisations effect some children, you cannot go pumping into children things like egg whites, which children are not supposed to have until a year old without something happening to a portion of children whoi are allergic to egg white, then here is just a few of the many ingredients which are pumped into our children there is antifreeze Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
* Phenol also known as carbolic acid (this is used as a disinfectant, dye)
* Formaldehyde a known cancer causing agent
* Aluminum which is associated with Alzheimer disease and seizures also cancer producing in laboratory mice
- -( it is used as an additive to promote antibody response)
* Thimerosal (used as a mercury disinfectant/preservative) can result in brain injury and autoimmune disease
* Neomycin, Streptomycin (used as antibiotic) have caused allergic reactions in some people. I was a nurse and even our child stopped breathing in my arms three times just after her immunization shot, now what would they have said if she had of been asleep in her bed, they would have just said it was a cot death.. perhaps you should read more yourself... try looking up what Dr's against immunisations say, or the dangers of immunisation etc...

[gaye5]

continued from below.
These vaccines are grown and strained through animal or human tissues like monkey kidney tissue, chicken embryo, embryonicguinea pig cells, calf serum, human diploid cells (the dissected organs of aborted fetuses as in the case of rubella, hepatitis A, and chickenpox vaccines) etc etc... and much more...

In the May 24, 1996, New Zealand Medical Journal, J. Barthelow Classen, MD, a former researcher at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that juvenile diabetes increased 60 per cent following a massive hepatitis B vaccination campaign for babies six weeks or older in New Zealand from 1988 to 1991...
These are only a few of the long list of medical journal articles dealing with the dangers and ineffectiveness of vaccines.

*A Prefecture-wide Survey of Mumps Meningitis Associated with Measles, Mumps and Rubella Vaccine (Infec Dis J 1991 Vol 10 pg 204-209)
*Reports of Sensorineural deafness after measles, mumps, and rubella immunization Arch of Disease in Childhood 1993:69 [2pgs.]
*Chronic Arthritis After Rubella Vaccination Clinical Infec Dis. 1992 15;307-12 [6pgs]

[gaye5]

*Neurological disorders Following Live Measles-Virus Vaccination (JAMA March 1973, Vol 223 No 13) [4pgs]
*A Persistent Outbreak of Measles Despite Appropriate Prevention And Control Measures ( American Journal of Epidemiology Vol 126 No3) [13pgs.]
*Child Mortality After High-Titre Measles Vaccines (this is on E-Z measles) Lancet Vol 338 1991 [4pgs]
* Vaccine Associated Poliomyelitis Lancet March 1994 Vol 343 [3pgs]
*More on Vaccine Associated Paralytic Poliomyelitis New England Journal of Medicine Dec 23,1993 [2pgs]
*Neurologic Complications In Oral Polio Vaccine Recipients J of Ped June 1986 [4pgs]
*Fatal Anaphylactic Shock occurrence in identical twins following second injection of diphtheria toxoid and pertussis antigen JAMA June 1946 [6pgs] *Pertussis Vaccination and Asthma: is there a link? JAMA 1994 Vol 272 no 8 [1pg]
*Recurrent Seizures After Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis Vaccine Immunization AJDC Oct 1984 Vol 138[3pgs]
*Seizures Following Childhood Immunizations J of Pediatrics Vol 102 no 1 [7pgs]
*Abnormal T- Lymphocyte Subpopulations in Healthy Subjects After Tetanus Booster Immunization New England Journal of Medicine Jan 1984 [2pgs]
*Acute Hepatitis B Infection after Vaccination Lancet Vol 345 Jan 1995

[gwagener]

I thought the probability of having an autistic child sky rockets for women over 36 and that these statistics are due to women having children at older ages nowadays. I could be wrong, I'm remebering some old infomation and I don't know if the data supports this.
I also thought they tested the amniatic fluid of pregnant women over 36 for fetal autism.

[gaye5]

*Severe Acute Hepatitis B Infection After Vaccination Liver Dysfunction and DNA Antibodies After Hepatitis B Vaccination Thrombocytopenic Purpura After Recombinant Hepatitis B Vaccine Lancet Vol 344 [2pgs]
*Vaccine Damage Lancet Jan 1997 [1] *Sudden Death Amoung Finnish Conscripts (this deals with vaccines causing death due to damage to heart ) British Med J 1976 [3pgs] *Childhood Immunization and Diabetes Mellitus New Zealand Medical Journal May 1996 [1pg]
So no seandgreen although many good things have been done because of immunisation, we must not put others down for their opinions as they could be more correct than you... there is much more on this subject, which the media is reluctant to print.
*Malignant Tumors as a Late Complication o f Vaccination Arch Derm Vol 98
1968 [4pgs] *Multiple Sclerosis and Vaccination BMJ April 1967 [4 pgs ]*Increase in Asthma correlates with Less Childhood
InfectionLancet Jan 1997 [1pg] *DTP Vaccination and Sudden Infant Deaths Tennessee MMWR March 23,1979 [2pgs]

[cantshutup]

pollution from coal burning plants causes autism...sounds like a good enough reason for alternative energy sources!

[mccarty44]

I am the parent of a 4 year old Asperger kid. This is a mild case of autism. He can speak - and boy can he - he can tell you where to go and what to do with it. All we are wanting is awareness that MOST of our insurers DO NOT recognize that autism is a problem. We pay for 100% of our childs services - including therapy because the funding is NOT THERE. The government and America need to wake up. Have you ever been to Walmart and spoken about a child in the next aisle who is completely unconsolable?? That may have been me with my child who can hear the fans humming, who can hear everyone speaking at the same time and can not decipher it, Who smells the fish and its not so fresh. he's on overload. I for one want to know what caused this and how I can help him overcome this.

[mccarty44]

and to clear up the "skyrocketing effects for women oer age 36" That is for Downs Syndrome. I had my autistic child at age 24.

[lionheart-]

The cause of autism is in the vaccines given to our children. All vaccines contain a preservative called THIMEROSAL. This preservative contains mercury, a deadly poison. The government mandates that children receive 24 vaccines. The vaccines are given in massive amounts, much more than is needed. Mercury accumulates in the body. Antibiotics also contain thimerosal.
The cure? Stop giving vaccines. Those who have received vaccines need a heavy metal cleanse.
Autism did not exist before the 1930's, when thimerosal was first introduced in vaccines.

[gaye5]

seandgreen, thankyou Sean, I love talking to people who can discuss things intelligently, and you have definitely shown that...
Sean, I am yet to be convinced that immunisation is as safe as getting the disease and as safe as they tell us, I am suspicious that authorities will not allow proffessionals who are worried about it to discuss their findings..
Yes many children die from some disease even the odd ones which Dr's used to count as mild childhood diseases but many health professionals are now of the opinion that we are becoming tooo sterilised and more children are being damaged or dying because of immunisation than the disease and or becoming sick later..excluding polio and hooping cough.
I also am of the opinion that it isn't only immunisation which is causing problems but the interactions of hundreds of chemicals in our food and water. E.g Fluoride which I gather is a toxic waste product of many types of industry; for instance, glass production, phosphate fertilizer production and many others.
Evidently it is one of the most toxic chemicals known, fluoride emerged as the leading chemical health hazard of the US atomic bomb program, both for workers and for nearby communities yet they stick it on our water, perhaps it is the only way that they can get rid of it.

[gaye5]

and then there is..
(New epidemiological evidence from China adds support, showing a correlation between low-dose fluoride exposure and diminished IQ in children.) I have read that it also makes people docile, so maybe this is why Americans and other countries are not fighting the enemy from within, and why Muslims will not allow it in their drinking waters..

[gaye5]

mccarty44, my heart goes out ot you. Just the fact that it has not been recognised as a problem before surely says that it is only a fairly recent problem.
Mccarty, have you looked into going to a natural therapist who has also been a Dr's of medicine, I believe that there is some children who have been either totally cured or helped with some minerals etc... cleansing the body of the poisons from immunisations and chemicals has helped in some cases, as some children are not able to do this naturally... have you tried amino acids, which we use for ADD children and fish oils. These have helped and calmed down many children...I am only telling you what other parents have told us...good luck there...

[mccarty40]

I Mccart40,
my name is Mccarty too. My son has asperger also and he is in college now. His first year. People thought he could not handle it but he showed them. He major is computer graphic and AutoCad. Computer is very well know with kids that has asperger. He is 20 years old now. Hang in there and try to find his gift. Work with it and do a lot of research, I did. Also, loves music and he is very good with the piano and trumpet. Kids like them loves music. He is apart of a adult asperger austism group that just like him. I am here if you need to talk.

My prayers are with you.

[mccarty40]

HI Mccart40,

my name is Mccarty too. My son has asperger also and he is in college now. His first year. People thought he could not handle it but he showed them. He major is computer graphic and AutoCad. Computer is very well know with kids that has asperger. He is 20 years old now. Hang in there and try to find his gift. Work with it and do a lot of research, I did. Also, loves music and he is very good with the piano and trumpet. Kids like them loves music. He is apart of a adult asperger austism group that just like him. I am here if you need to talk.

My prayers are with you.

[shirl336]

I HAVE A 6YR OLD WITH AUTISM WAS JUST DIAGNOSED AT AGE 5,HE HAS PROBLEMS WITH COMMUNICATION,HE DOSENT SPEAK VERY WELL.IT JUST REALLY HURTS ME THAT I KNOW MY SON IS VERY SMART HE JUST CANT VERBALLY LET IT OUT TO TELL IT.HE IS ALSO VERY STUBBORN,HAS A PINCHING AND BITING PROBLEM WHEN HE IS UPSET,IF ANY ADVICE FROM ANYONE IT WOULD BE GREATFULLY APPRECIATED.HE IS IN SCHOOL BUT I DONT THINK HE'S GETTING THE HELP HE DESERVES AND NEEDS.

[disjo]

I have a fifteen year old with autism. he was not diagnosed until he was twelve. he is high functioning and smart. however, he is falling between the cracks of our public education system due to the fact that teachers and the public school system are not equipped to deal with children with special needs. he is in mainsteam classes but struggles everyday. i ask, beg and plead for help but only get told my option is to put him in the mentally challenged class. this is a kid who can beat a video game in two hours and is extremely computer smart but just cant funtion in a regular classroom. he does not have very good social skills , he is hyper sensative to any type of destraction whether it be noise, smell whatever. we live in an area where there is no specialized school. i would like to see the school systems have specialized class rooms for these kids so they can learn maybe from computer. right now it is uncertain if my child will graduate. and he should be able to do this if he was taught in a manner to suit him. we are entertaining the idea of home school just so we know he will have the education required to go to college. these kids can succeed if given the right tools.

[leslief3]

The rise in the number of cases of austism since 1980 has been expected by people familiar with the research showing that risk of non-familial autism rises with the age of the father at the birth of a child. Autism will continue to rise in some families without a family history because average paternal age has risen so much since 1980. In a study in 1980 Gillberg found that the average mean age of fathers of autistic children was 34 which was much higher than the average mean age of the fathers in the general population. Neural disorders like schizophrenia, autism, mental retardation, and epilepsy amoung others rise in children of older fathers. The age of the maternal grandfather might explain some other cases of autism.

Burd Utah 1999, Lauritsen Denmark 2004, Reichenberg Israel 2005. Malaspina Schizophrenia Research Forum 2006

[mtredhawk200]

I am a theraputic riding instructor. Horseback therapy has helped several of my autistic students succesfully connect with people, animals and their environment. Hippotherapy (horse therapy) is nation wide, and has shown great promise for many disabilities.

[twinteror1]

You need to go to
http://www.wrightslaw.com/
if your child is in the Autism spectrum, your school district is bound BY LAW to give this child a Free & Appropriate Education.
If you read IDEAS you will know your rites.
If anyone would like a copy of YOUR WRIGHTS as a parent with an Autistic child or for that matter any special neeeds child you can e-mail me
[e-mail]
please put AUTISM in the subject line so I don't delete you by accident.
Deb C.

[drinuk]

I would agree with those people suggesting that vacinations and mercury are very suspect, however if there IS genuine concern by government regarding the growing numbers they should be taking a serious look at the behaviour of BIG PHARMA and in particular ASPARTAME and SPLENDA. How many pregnant women are guzzling gallons of Diet Drinks every day ? How many kids are fed on these poisons? Something must be done, it is nothing short of criminal and possibly genocide to allow these products into the food chain.

[fdwolf]

All I know is that we started our son on a heavy metal detox and have him sleeping on a special magnetic mattress. Three months after starting him on this routine every one of the adults that normally interacted with him (piano teacher, sensei, teachers, school pyschologist, and after school caregivers)commented that he seemed to be a changed kid. He is not cured but his improvement was dramatic. I firmly believe that some portions of the population are genetically more susceptible to retaining heavy metals and that these interfere with the brain. Whether these metals are introduced via vaccinations or other sources is immaterial. We need to get it out of their system. As to Newark having a higher percentage of autistic kids, duh, consider the environmental record of that area of the US versus Alabama. Finally we had a positive result on the alpha-fetal protein test but no downs syndrome. We are curious if anyone has done a study to see how many "false" positive babies turn up with some other neurological diagnoses.

[citizen3513]

Why isnt more being done?
I have an almost 14 year old son with moderate to severe autism. He is for the most part nonverbal and starting to get aggressive because he cant always get his message across effectively.
I'm currently homeschooling him because there are no special classes for him in the nearby area and the local schools pretty much just babysit and call every other day to come get him. He's doing a lot better since pulling him but I'm fast losing ideas on how to help him. We literally cannot afford to move to a different state that has special classes. It should be federally mandated that ALL SCHOOLS be equipped with specially trained teachers and classes, and maybe even help the parents get the training also.

[gaye5]

LeslieF3, this is just authorities not wanting to tell the truth, as one lady said here that she is only 24 and her son has aspergis.. Men and women used to have children till it was impossible before conception so if being older when having children then why didn't they have the problem then.

DRinUK that is a good point... They immunise knowing that it will cause some to die, and some to be effective but their attitude is that the good for all over comes the problems... what rot, they cannot possibly stop all diseases in the world, besides many children still get the diseases even when immunised...Oh but of course they are told that it would have been worse if they weren't immunised...
The policy is that no child can go to preschool unless immunised, and all I can say to that is WHY???? If the children are all imminised then what danger does an unimmunised child have on them... or are we being told porkies...

[beachmom22]

16 years ago I had a son who was developing normally until about 6-7 months. At that time he stopped babbling and interacting. At 24 months he was started on intense speech therapy. One day at my allergist's office that I saw an article about pediatric sleep apnea. I took him to an ENT for evaluation and had his tonsils and adenoids taken out before he was 3. I had not realized he had sleep apnea because the symptoms are different for children.
3 weeks after surgery he was a different child; his pediatrician was amazed and could not believe he was the same child.
By 3 he was well on the way to learning new behavior skills, relationship skills and speech skills even though he had been so far behind in all developmental areas (other than growth).
I thank God very day that I read that article on pediatric sleep apnea and acted. I feel autism is on the rise because tonsillectomies have decreased since my generation. I also really feel that much of the ADD/ ADHD we see today are of the same nature because my child was on track for ADHD before surgery.
I've tried my best to get my experience out to others. I am a RN and just so thankful that I found a solution. Even though my son had classic signs, no speech development, rocking, poor personal interactive skills (plus stiffing when I tried to hold him) and sensitivity to noises, with the T&A and a lot of love and physical interaction he is now a healthy 16 year old testing in the 90th percentiles for the PSATs.

[beachmom22]

16 years ago I had a son who was developing normally until about 6-7 months. At that time he stopped babbling and interacting. At 24 months he was started on intense speech therapy. One day at my allergist's office that I saw an article about pediatric sleep apnea. I took him to an ENT for evaluation and had his tonsils and adenoids taken out before he was 3. I had not realized he had sleep apnea because the symptoms are different for children.
3 weeks after surgery he was a different child; his pediatrician was amazed and could not believe he was the same child.
By 3 he was well on the way to learning new behavior skills, relationship skills and speech skills even though he had been so far behind in all developmental areas (other than growth).
I thank God very day that I read that article on pediatric sleep apnea and acted. I feel autism is on the rise because tonsillectomies have decreased since my generation. I also really feel that much of the ADD/ ADHD we see today are of the same nature because my child was on track for ADHD before surgery.
I've tried my best to get my experience out to others. I am a RN and just so thankful that I found a solution. Even though my son had classic signs, no speech development, rocking, poor personal interactive skills (plus stiffing when I tried to hold him) and sensitivity to noises, with the T&A and a lot of love and physical interaction he is now a healthy 16 year old testing in the 90th percentiles for the PSATs.

[beachmom22]

16 years ago I had a son who was developing normally until about 6-7 months. At that time he stopped babbling and interacting. At 24 months he was started on intense speech therapy. One day at my allergist's office that I saw an article about pediatric sleep apnea. I took him to an ENT for evaluation and had his tonsils and adenoids taken out before he was 3. I had not realized he had sleep apnea because the symptoms are different for children.
3 weeks after surgery he was a different child; his pediatrician was amazed and could not believe he was the same child.
By 3 he was well on the way to learning new behavior skills, relationship skills and speech skills even though he had been so far behind in all developmental areas (other than growth).
I thank God very day that I read that article on pediatric sleep apnea and acted. I feel autism is on the rise because tonsillectomies have decreased since my generation. I also really feel that much of the ADD/ ADHD we see today are of the same nature because my child was on track for ADHD before surgery.
I've tried my best to get my experience out to others. I am a RN and just so thankful that I found a solution. Even though my son had classic signs, no speech development, rocking, poor personal interactive skills (plus stiffing when I tried to hold him) and sensitivity to noises, with the T&A and a lot of love and physical interaction he is now a healthy 16 year old testing in the 90th percentiles for the PSATs.

[beachmom22]

16 years ago I had a son who was developing normally until about 6-7 months. At that time he stopped babbling and interacting. At 24 months he was started on intense speech therapy. One day at my allergist's office that I saw an article about pediatric sleep apnea. I took him to an ENT for evaluation and had his tonsils and adenoids taken out before he was 3. I had not realized he had sleep apnea because the symptoms are different for children.
3 weeks after surgery he was a different child; his pediatrician was amazed and could not believe he was the same child.
By 3 he was well on the way to learning new behavior skills, relationship skills and speech skills even though he had been so far behind in all developmental areas (other than growth).
I thank God very day that I read that article on pediatric sleep apnea and acted. I feel autism is on the rise because tonsillectomies have decreased since my generation. I also really feel that much of the ADD/ ADHD we see today are of the same nature because my child was on track for ADHD before surgery.
I've tried my best to get my experience out to others. I am a RN and just so thankful that I found a solution. Even though my son had classic signs, no speech development, rocking, poor personal interactive skills (plus stiffing when I tried to hold him) and sensitivity to noises, with the T&A and a lot of love and physical interaction he is now a healthy 16 year old testing in the 90th percentiles for the PSATs.

[teeus]

"Mercury has been removed from vaccinations for years"

NOT TRUE. Banned in 1998 from over the counter drugs, thimerosal is still found in some vaccines.

Merck continued to supply infant vaccine containing a mercury-based preservative for two years after declaring that it had eliminated the chemical.

Merck continued to distribute vaccine containing the chemical known as thimerosal, until October 2001, according to an FDA letter sent in response to a congressional inquiry.

Thimerosal has largely been eliminated
from most routine childhood vaccines, though it still is present in most flu ahots.

Where are the autistic Amish? In Lancaster County, there should be well over 100 with some form of the disorder. The Amish have a religious exemption from vaccination. Thousands of children cared for by Homefirst Health Services in metropolitan Chicago have at least two things in common with thousands of Amish children in rural Lancaster: They have never been vaccinated. And they don't have autism.

[house015]

I hope that parents do not read the rants of conspiracy nuts and the unformed and decide not to immunize their children. I work with some of the most highly respected physicians in the country, and you can bet they have immunized their children. I do, however, have a husband with a brother who died of one of the diseases an immunization could have prevented. His mother still thinks of him every day, four decades later.

[teeus]

"You can play with this all you want," Dr. Bill Weil, a consultant for the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the group. The results "are statistically significant." Dr. Richard Johnston, an immunologist and pediatrician from the University of Colorado whose grandson had been born early on the morning of the meeting's first day, was even more alarmed. "My gut feeling?" he said. "Forgive this personal comment -- I do not want my grandson to get a thimerosal-containing vaccine until we know better what is going on."

[teeus]

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who has received $873,000 in contributions from the pharmaceutical industry, has been working to immunize vaccine makers from liability in 4,200 lawsuits that have been filed by the parents of injured children. On five separate occasions, Frist has tried to seal all of the government's vaccine-related documents -- including the Simpsonwood transcripts -- and shield Eli Lilly, the developer of thimerosal, from subpoenas. In 2002, the day after Frist quietly slipped a rider known as the "Eli Lilly Protection Act" into a homeland security bill, the company contributed $10,000 to his campaign and bought 5,000 copies of his book on bioterrorism. Congress repealed the measure in 2003 -- but earlier this year, Frist slipped another provision into an anti-terrorism bill that would deny compensation to children suffering from vaccine-related brain disorders. "The lawsuits are of such magnitude that they could put vaccine producers out of business and limit our capacity to deal with a biological attack by terrorists," says Andy Olsen, a legislative assistant to Frist.

[teeus]

Infants who received all their vaccines, plus boosters, by the age of 6 months were being injected with levels of ethylmercury 187 times greater than the EPA's limit for daily exposure to methylmercury, a related neurotoxin.

[teeus]

"2)What does "massive amounts" mean? Most vaccinations are only 1/2-1 cc. This makes no sense."

Don't be deliberately dense. "Massive" would be relative to the contents of the shot. No, nothing would look "massive" if all you're doing is comparing the volume of a shot to the volume of a swimming pool.

[teeus]

"I hope that parents do not read the rants of conspiracy nuts and the unformed and decide not to immunize their children"

I kind of hope they do. You can insist that your child receive only mercury free vacinations. Single doses, rather than combos, provide this.

My sister was always skeptical of this. She's an ER doctor. Then she had kids. Funny, she insisted on Merc free shots for her kids.

[devinehdly]

Many children who have Autism may have a syndrome called Fragile X. Children with Fragile X may also have autism or traits of autism. Fragile X is genetic and is determined by a blood test. To learn more go to www.FragileX.org.
Fragile X can be found in 1 in 3600 males and 1 in 4000 to 6000 females, people that are affected. Carriers of this gene can be 1 in 250 females and 1 in 800 males, without any knowledge besides family history.

[devinehdly]

Many children who have Autism may have a syndrome called Fragile X. Children with Fragile X may also have autism or traits of autism. Fragile X is genetic and is determined by a blood test. To learn more go to www.FragileX.org.

[marieflowers-2009]

Join the Yahoo group called Mercury-Autism to find out about effective bio medical treatments.

The Philadelphia Inquirer put out a very misleading article saying all the vaccines no longer have mercury in them and mercury has been out of vaccines for a very long time. It is untrue, because Congressional hearings were held on this very same thing, getting mercury out of vaccines, from 1999 to 2003. Read the hearings at www.ctvia.org

Congressman Dave Weldon of Florida has a bill to get thimerosal out of vaccines that has not yet passed. Do a google search online and you will find it.

So mercury is not out of all vaccines. The FDA web site lists the vaccines that still have thimerosal in them. Some have 25 mcg which would only be safe, according to EPA guidelines, in a person who weights over 550 pounds. How many 550 pound babies have you seen?

Dr. Russel Blaylock, neurosurgeon, says the autism explosion is from a combination of thimerosal in vaccines, as well as too many vaccines being given in too short period of time. Too many vaccines assaults the immune system. He has information to vaccine data that you and I don%u2019t have under the Freedom of Information Act.

You can order his newsletters from NewsMax.com and they are excellent. He also has written a book called Health and Nutrition Secrets that Can Save Your Life.

For more information on poisoning from silver amalgam mercury dental fillings see my web site at www.MercuryPoisoned.com

Marie Flowers

[mtredhawk200]

I think we may be blaming autism on vaccines and missing the real causes. There is a genetic component, and our kids are exposed to an unbelievable array of chemicals. My oldest son had severe asthma, and we finally figured out that he was allergic to yellow dye #5. His MEDICINE contained it!!!! We switched to natural foods, clear medications and products with no chemicals or dyes, and his asthma disappeared. I read of a toxic spill somewhere, and the chemical that had people evacuating is used as a fruit flavoring in children's cereals! Yikes!

[mimi042989]

This comment is for Citizen 3513. I am 17 years old and today when I was in school I saw your comment and made me sad to know that you are almost out of ideas for your child who has autism and is home schooled. As a parent this is frustrating, and I know this because my sister is diagnosed with sever autism. She is completely non-verbal and gets aggressive she can%u2019t tell us what she wants. As a sister this kills me and I can only imagine if it was my child. Like your son there is no place for my sister. When she was diagnosed the doctors we went to see told us that we should but her in a bio behavioral unit where they could take care of her for her life. It was almost like that did not know what to do for her and how to help her, so they were going to take the easy way out. My mom and 5 other parents who had children started a support group to help parents help their children live lives as close to normal as they could get. This group fight for different rights for our kids and their families, and emotional help. A lot of the parents in our support group have pulled there children from school, because of inexperience teacher or bad settings. If you or anyone would like to get a hold of this support group to hopefully answer question or help you get help, the website is autsmsupportnetwork.org. If you would like to talk to us you can e mail us at [e-mail] or [e-mail] and we can give you personal contact through that