I know many adults with autism. Most are nonverbal and communicate by typing. To a person, they say PECS is demeaning, insulting and stupid. I could tell my son thought that when it was first offered to him 20 years ago. The pictures don't look like anything and the handwriting-like font isn't even readable for many. What a mean thing to do, making children and adults memorize meaningless line drawings and unreadable print. Shame on us.

they should do prevaccine and post vaccine checks for comparison. then they would have a baseline to work from probably

Nice try Paul, keep working on your fantasy that vaccines have anything to do with autism. Hopefully this will once and for all put an end to the destructive myth that has left so many children dead for lack of a simple vaccine.

I've been to places where children don't get vaccines and seen victims of polio and otheer preventable diseases. I just don't understand why anyone would not want to get vaccinated or any parents would not want to get their kids vaccinated. They are NOT better off getting the disease as these preventable diseases can cause permanent damage or even death.

I agree with Paul. While the vaccines do prevent horrible diseases, they should be thouroughly tested to see if there is a link to autism or mental illness.

Kevin and Sanescience's comments are great examples of why this is not looked into. Health professionals fear that they may have been wrong or made a mistake so they deny it alltogether with vehement conviction that vaccines are for greater good (which they are). All drugs have side effects as far as I know, so why would it be different for vaccines? This is worth looking into and extensively researching.

OMG Guy from TN! What kind of science denier ignores all the studies and reports that has shown, repeatedly, that no connection has been found. Even the original, controversial, article that started a lot of this fear couldn't reproduce their findings and the article was retracted!

But no! This is an example of why the possibility of vaccines causing autism is "not looked into", because of our "vehement conviction". Grow up!

"It found teenage boys vaccinated as children were:

Twice as likely to suffer from autism

Four times as likely to have Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

And boys and girls of all ages vaccinated as children - were more than twice as likely to have developed asthma"-CBN News.

Found that in 10 seconds. Also read or saw about 50 similar articles. Obviously the article was NOT retracted, and many more studies conducted suggest that vaccines are indeed related to autism. I think you are the science denier.

While the prevention of horrible diseases far outweighs the risk of autism, Surely scientists can find something other than mercury to bind the proteins.

"The Washington Post confirmed today that the swine flu vaccine, which is set to be rolled out nationwide this fall in what some fear could ultimately become a mandatory vaccination program, will contain mercury, a toxin linked with autism and neurological disorders.

Claims by the CDC and the Institute of Medicine, following a whitewash study that ignored previously verified evidence, that thimerosal, a mercury based preservative, has no causal relationship to skyrocketing cases of autism have been soundly rejected by top doctors and scientists ever since.

Epidemiologist Tom Verstraeten and Dr. Richard Johnston, an immunologist and pediatrician from the University of Colorado, both concluded that thimerosal was responsible for the dramatic rise in cases of autism but their findings were dismissed by the CDC.

Cases of autism in the U.S. have increased by 1,500 per cent since 1991, which is when vaccines for children doubled, and the number of immunizations is only increasing. Just one in 2,500 children were diagnosed with autism before 1991, whereas one in 166 children now have the disease." - Prison planet.

I do not subscribe to the "whitewash" conspiracy theories.

I am not saying that environmental factors in our modern world haven't been a factor.

When it comes to "laying cards on a table" in a lawsuit, the evidence hasn't held up. So quoting and citing like minded people is much like using the bible to prove your point.

Most damning, clear indications that genetics is the strongest indicator. And home movies can identify children at a very early age (before vaccinations) that are later diagnosed as autistic.

http://www.babygooroo.com/index.php/2010/02/05/science-trumps-fear-over-autism/

I have had numerous MRIs of my back and none of them have been more than about $500, and that is when they used contrast dye. Since a brain MRI is of a smaller area and would probably be quicker, I would think the cost would likely be lower or at least no more expensive. Please get your facts before you post instead of trying to stir up a fake conflict based on incorrect information.

The real issue is about getting the scan approved as a diagnostic technique for autism so that the insurance companies will cover it, not the actual cost of the scan.

Please tell us where they pass them out for that price. Still 3 or 4 times UK price.

Probably they are referring to actual costs since UK citizens don't pay directly.

As a teacher I can tell you that the scan will cost the family/patient nothing- if the school district screens the child and determines the child is likely to have a disorder. The district (ie, taxpayers) will pay for the testing, etc. If a student is diagnosed with a disability the district may be obligated to pay for it. I have seen one district pay for hearing aids and whole building carpeting (to reduce noise interference) for just one student. The key is to have the school district make the initial screening diagnosis.

Of course the child will be between 3-8, but autism isn't diagnosed now before the age of 2.5 or so.

@cls4n6,

Why would a parent want to WAIT to get their possibly autistic child diagnosed by the school district? To save a few dollars? That's insanity! Yes, under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), parents could get it for "free" (taxpayers pay for it in reality), but WHY wait?? Really - that concept boggles my mind!!

As a parent of a boy dx'd @ 3.5 years with PDD-NOS, I highly recommend not waiting for a school district to do the diagnosis. The earlier the better when getting autistic children the therapy they need. I'm glad to see my suspicions confirmed that genetics are factors in this disorder. If a child has these genetic markers, he/she may be prone to be autistic; throw in the mix environmental factors (pollution, vaccines as examples), this could cause autism and could account for the rise in diagnosed cases, along with expended definitions and better screenings.

Actually, C NJ Mom, the case I was referring to ocurred in NJ. And the NCLB laws are not relevant, it is a result of many SPED laws from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Nonetheless, there are many, many parents who either do not recognize a problem, do not care, or don't understand how to get help. I applaud your concern for your child; I did the same for both my son and my grandson- it is my responsibility to do the best I can for them. Plus I had the good fortune to have adequate insurance. No matter what there will be a large number of people who will wait untill the child is school age (or a bit younger if they take part in the early childhood programs out there) and let the district pay for the testing. It will be the taxpayers who shoulder the costs of many of these tests. On the other hand, at least a definitive diagnosis and subsequent treatment can be acheived if this test is accurate. That will be a blessing.

@cls4n6 -- If you are waiting to the age of three to have your child evaluated, you've already missed half of the best treatment window. My son was diagnosed at the age of two, my daughter at eighteen months. And no, insurance didn't pay for it.

@ JS in SD -- $500 for an MRI? Really? I had an ultrasound on my leg a couple months ago, it cost over two thousand dollars.

@cls4n6 -- I see you posted another comment while I was writing mine. I did not know you had an autistic child yourself. I apologize if my comment seemed accusatory. You are right that children with milder autism often do not appear to need help until they get to school. By citing my children's ages at diagnosis, I wasn't trying to show I was better or smarter or something. Both of my children were severe enough that they were clearly abnormal from infancy.

@cls4n6,

Thanks for posting again! I did not mean to bash you, but for a parent to wait until age 6 or older if they have autism markers is too long. I'm glad you also were able to get your child help early. I realize there are parents who are uninformed, unaware or in denial of their child's disability, and it only gets diagnosed when the child is older and in school needing help.

The reason I am sensative to this issue is I have a relative that is refusing to get her son evaluated for a learning disability and wants her school district to do the eval so she doesn't have to pay for it. I'm of the opinion that even if you have to sell an antique or a piece of jewelry to pay for a much-needed eval when insurance won't cover the eval for your child, you do it!! I would like to smack her in the head with a 2x4!

Thank you all for postings- kind and thoughtful comments in them. I, too, agree, that waiting for diagnosis is just horrible- but people do do that, unfortunately. If this test is accurate it will be a godsend for those parents and children. I think what I was really trying to convey is that the cost for the testing may be covered, albeit late, once the school system is invoked, if insurance won't cover some of it. It is so sad that economics plays such a large role in these matters.

Shame on your relative, C NJ Mom. My grandson lost his mother when he was 19 mos- and my son, bless his heart, allowed me to intervene and get the help that child needed, starting with the medical evaluations. Finally, at about age 3 (!) we were able to get Title One programs in place. At age 8 now he is delightful and in regular classrooms for most of the week. I am so impressed with the interventions and help he recieved. There may never be a cure but I am convinced that early intervention is the route for greatest success. I wish you all the best.

Thanks, cls4n6. My son was dx'd @ 3.5, and at age 10 he is doing well academically. Socially it is tough. Right now we're trying to help him come to terms with how to behave towards other kids his age. We're on the wait list for social skills classes to help him, but right now it's trial by fire for him.

i'm convinced many posters write content just to get a rise out of the readers.

true conviction about what is written isn't important, just tweaking others and savoring the response.

could make a small person feel pretty big......for a while.

well, just figured out from an above post there's a word for that. troll. duh.

Was it that refrigerator parent thing? That theory has caused a lot of parents a lot of unnecessary guilt. One reason I don't like the psychodynamic model.

I feel so sorry for people like you who get shut out by the system. Thanks for being one of those who appreciates your child for who he is. I know it's frustrating when you see on a day-to-day basis what the experts say is not so. Keep up the good work!

The parents accumulate more environmental toxins over time. Be wary of "studies" that compare populations with few comparison criteria. So the older dads have a greater chance of fathering kids with disabilities - who tested the fathers and tested the kids for environmental toxin levels to determine if it is AGE and not LIVING that is the problem? No one. Just another bunch of hacks crunching numbers and claiming they discovered something.