Do you know anyone with autism?

[Evil Chris]

April is autism awareness month.

1:88 kids are affected, of that 1:54 boys.
That is a staggering number.

My son is affected. I've learned a lot in the past several years.

[Tom_PM]

I had an employee back in the 90's who has a daughter with autism. She was a pretty amazing teen really, a nice girl. She always would put the radio on and instantly tell you who the group was and any facts you could imagine about the members. Her mother hovered over her like mad, but understandable. Virtually unknown affliction when I was a child which makes me wonder if it was undiagnosed, or didn't exist to the extent it does now.

[Wiggles]

A recent study came out that linked it to obese mothers with poor eating habits, however, I have seen it in totally opposite cases as well.

[Cyndalie]

They have linked it to many things - vaccines, male sperm mutations, obesity in mothers, ultrasounds in-utero, environmental factors like bpa, flame retardants, pollution...it seems like a number of contributors. When we were kids add/hyperactivity as a big issue. Now Autism. Our world is increasingly toxic and I have a feeling even more disorders will appear as time goes on. While the 'green movement' is getting a big push from 'natural' 'crunchy' mothers, it'll take a few generations to show any kind of reversal. I do hope the research can give some solid answers soon as awareness and funding increases. The spectrum of autism is so wide now that they think the increase in numbers I read they are thinking about decreasing/declassifying certain grades of autism which is bad news for kids who need help that insurance won't cover.

[Relentless]

The amazing thing to me is the range they use for autism. Anyone from savant geniuses to people who need to live in group homes are considered autistic. I know researchers want to avoid stigmatizing anyone and seek to simplify things, but it seems to cause a lot of ambiguity when it comes time to diagnose a medical condition or pursue effective methods of improving quality of life. Hopefully one day they will find meaningful answers to all of it, my guess is that will come after they get more specific about individuals and worry less about grouping everyone along a spectrum that attempts to be a catchall for everything.

[Evil Chris]

The amazing thing to me is the range they use for autism. Anyone from savant geniuses to people who need to live in group homes are considered autistic. I know researchers want to avoid stigmatizing anyone and seek to simplify things, but it seems to cause a lot of ambiguity when it comes time to diagnose a medical condition or pursue effective methods of improving quality of life. Hopefully one day they will find meaningful answers to all of it, my guess is that will come after they get more specific about individuals and worry less about grouping everyone along a spectrum that attempts to be a catchall for everything.

What did you hope to accomplish by this post?
The ASD spectrum certainly isn't a catchall.

[Hit Man]

What did you hope to accomplish by this post?
The ASD spectrum certainly isn't a catchall.

I think he doesn't realize that there are indeed many different forms of autism that are clearly defined and assumed that doctors are just calling them autistic and leaving it at that.

[Relentless]

What did you hope to accomplish by this post?
The ASD spectrum certainly isn't a catchall.

Not sure if it is handled differently in the US than in Canada etc...

I have a nephew and the child of a very close friend who are both 'on the spectrum' according to their Doctors. Both are currently categorized as 'autistic', the two are about as dissimilar in their behavior and mannerisms as any two kids I have ever met. The care being offered is very similar for both of them. Their parents are constantly seeking second, third, fourth, fifth opinions to try and narrow the focus of the medical approach being used to address the needs of their specific child. Their frustration with the way Doctors categorize their kids and attempt to apply generalized care is endless... and they have been through plenty of Doctors - so it would seem to be a systemic problem. The reasons given for the 'grouping,' according to them, amount to making it easier for publicly funded programs and private insurance requirements to be applicable. They aren't sure that leads to the best medical practicality or individual progress, and I'm inclined to agree with them.

I am confident that I have the same goals and desires on this issue that you have.

[MFM]

Its definately a sad sad story.

I have an autistic nephew..man its rough

I guess now they are saying the government needs to prepare for a whole population boom of autisic young adults.. They said there are 200k teens turning to adults with autism and nothing really setup to help them past age 19

[Bad Kitty]

I've heard just recently they are starting to think it has a lot to do with BPA levels in everything.

[Hit Man]

I've heard just recently they are starting to think it has a lot to do with BPA levels in everything.

from where? anything i have read says it has been tested for over 40 years now for safety. why not pollution, why not deodorants? could be a million things.

[Cyndalie]

from where? anything i have read says it has been tested for over 40 years now for safety. why not pollution, why not deodorants? could be a million things.

There are articles showing BPA affects sperm and eggs and can lead to fertility issues, with new studies associating autism with gene mutations in sperm some people are trying to make this connection. The FDA did recently re-review BPA and found it to be non toxic for humans however most companies are offering bpa-free options of their products and almost every mom I know is on the bandwagon.

[Tom_PM]

Actually this past weekend, PBS had a documentary on BPAs and links to not only autism, but many other issues such as more feminine male babies and so forth.

Here is a link: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/expose/2009/02/303-index.html Look there for the episode, it was quite eye opening.

Video no longer available, sorry. but the reading is worth it anyway.

[Evil Chris]

I'll say this much. Nobody in this thread is going to figure out a cure, or what causes autism.

But what everyone in this thread CAN DO is be aware of it. READ: http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/16/health...man/index.html

[Hit Man]

There are articles showing BPA affects sperm and eggs and can lead to fertility issues, with new studies associating autism with gene mutations in sperm some people are trying to make this connection. The FDA did recently re-review BPA and found it to be non toxic for humans however most companies are offering bpa-free options of their products and almost every mom I know is on the bandwagon.

did you avoid canned food and bottled water or soda when you had your kids? I can't think of many people i know that did and their kids are fine. In fact, i know a few mothers that refused to drink anything but bottled water during their pregnancy and their kids are fine too.

chris is right, we mostly don't know the whys and non blind non controlled studies are merely circumstantial evidence at best.

[Tom_PM]

One thing interesting in the documentary was when the man did a before and after test. Spent a week using microwave safe and approved plastics, blood test after showed higher levels of the chemical. It was kind of remarkable, but is off topic I guess.

Another eye opener was how companies may simply put "fragrance" on labels where the fragrance might have 2 or 20 ingredients, including bpas. It's a technical labeling loophole.

It was not intended to show direct cause and effect, but rather draw attention to the major upswing in FDA approved but disputed chemicals in many more products than you might have imagined.

Canada was first to ban BPAs in baby bottles back in 07 or so. Naming it harmful to human health.

[SykkBoy]

My brother in law is high functioning autistic.
He has a vast movie knowledge and he and I can talk movies for hours. He'll watch a movie and remember the year it was created and often quotes movies.
He has some social adjustment issues, but has been doing well with increased exposure.

He just turned 19 and has the emotional maturity of a 9 year old, so it causes even more social issues.

My oldest son has selective mutism, which many thought may be linked to autism, but it's a different disorder altogether. The signs and some behaviors are similar, but they aren't the same thing.

[Bad Kitty]

I really wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with fluoride.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SPIe6z4iCQ

[WantCowNow]

I don't know anything about air fresheners, but don't get any vaccines.