Be agressive in all areas and you can improve so much for your son! Try linked in, there are great groups for parents with kids on the spectrum. Good lick to you and your family!

[D]octors first must know where to send families for follow-up testing. That can cost several thousand dollars, and state programs for free evaluation of at-risk children may have waiting lists.

That is the problem with our entire healthcare system. Even when we know that early detection and treatment works and saves thousands more dollars down the road, we leave those mechanisms up to a piecemeal system mostly run by individual states. When state budgets get tight, these programs are always the first to be cut.

Until we wise up and get a comprehensive medical system where long-term as well as short-term costs are considered, nothing is going to change.

The new health care reform is a good first step - too bad the GOP put off implementing it until 2014.

Look, its not as simple as all that. Autism is hard to spot in many cases in the very young. Most parents have little reason to suspect problems until they make very serious appearance. There is no medically accepted treatment for it - according to studies - which is what is used to permit or deny coverage under any health insurance. Schools get in on the act making their own diagnoses, or denying medical diagnoses that already exist. Its very complex and there are no simple answers. Obama care will not change this one iota.

Actually, Flyover, the Health Care Reform Act (which you call Obama care) DOES SPECIFICALLY provide coverage for autism screening. For the first time ever in America.

Preventive Services Covered under the Affordable Care Act

If you have a new health insurance plan or insurance policy beginning on or after September 23, 2010, the following preventive services must be covered without your having to pay a copayment or co-insurance or meet your deductible. This applies only when these services are delivered by a network provider.

Covered Preventive Services for Adults

• Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm one-time screening for men of specified ages who have ever smoked
• Alcohol Misuse screening and counseling
• Aspirin use for men and women of certain ages
• Blood Pressure screening for all adults
• Cholesterol screening for adults of certain ages or at higher risk
• Colorectal Cancer screening for adults over 50
• Depression screening for adults
• Type 2 Diabetes screening for adults with high blood pressure
• Diet counseling for adults at higher risk for chronic disease
• HIV screening for all adults at higher risk
• Immunization vaccines for adults--doses, recommended ages, and recommended populations vary:
  • Hepatitis A
  • Hepatitis B
  • Herpes Zoster
  • Human Papillomavirus
  • Influenza
  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella
  • Meningococcal
  • Pneumococcal
  • Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis
  • Varicella
• Obesity screening and counseling for all adults
• Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) prevention counseling for adults at higher risk
• Tobacco Use screening for all adults and cessation interventions for tobacco users
• Syphilis screening for all adults at higher risk

Covered Preventive Services for Women, Including Pregnant Women

• Anemia screening on a routine basis for pregnant women
• Bacteriuria urinary tract or other infection screening for pregnant women
• BRCA counseling about genetic testing for women at higher risk
• Breast Cancer Mammography screenings every 1 to 2 years for women over 40
• Breast Cancer Chemoprevention counseling for women at higher risk
• Breast Feeding interventions to support and promote breast feeding
• Cervical Cancer screening for sexually active women
• Chlamydia Infection screening for younger women and other women at higher risk
• Folic Acid supplements for women who may become pregnant
• Gonorrhea screening for all women at higher risk
• Hepatitis B screening for pregnant women at their first prenatal visit
• Osteoporosis screening for women over age 60 depending on risk factors
• Rh Incompatibility screening for all pregnant women and follow-up testing for women at higher risk
• Tobacco Use screening and interventions for all women, and expanded counseling for pregnant tobacco users
• Syphilis screening for all pregnant women or other women at increased risk

Covered Preventive Services for Children

• Alcohol and Drug Use assessments for adolescents
• Autism screening for children at 18 and 24 months
• Behavioral assessments for children of all ages
• Blood Pressure screening for children
• Cervical Dysplasia screening for sexually active females
• Congenital Hypothyroidism screening for newborns
• Depression screening for adolescents at higher risk
• Developmental screening for children under age 3, and surveillance throughout childhood
• Dyslipidemia screening for children at higher risk of lipid disorders
• Fluoride Chemoprevention supplements for children without fluoride in their water source
• Gonorrhea preventive medication for the eyes of all newborns
• Hearing screening for all newborns
• Height, Weight and Body Mass Index measurements for children
• Hematocrit or Hemoglobin screening for children
• Hemoglobinopathies or sickle cell screening for newborns
• HIV screening for adolescents at higher risk
• Immunization vaccines for children from birth to age 18 —doses, recommended ages, and recommended populations vary:
  • Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis
  • Haemophilus influenzae type b
  • Hepatitis A
  • Hepatitis B
  • Human Papillomavirus
  • Inactivated Poliovirus
  • Influenza
  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella
  • Meningococcal
  • Pneumococcal
  • Rotavirus
  • Varicella
• Iron supplements for children ages 6 to 12 months at risk for anemia
• Lead screening for children at risk of exposure
• Medical History for all children throughout development
• Obesity screening and counseling
• Oral Health risk assessment for young children
• Phenylketonuria (PKU) screening for this genetic disorder in newborns
• Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) prevention counseling and screening for adolescents at higher risk
• Tuberculin testing for children at higher risk of tuberculosis
• Vision screening for all children

You miss the point (and we could have done without that long ridiculous excerpt -way to get the column collapsed). A "covered" screening at 18 and 24 months can mean many things -there screenings now and they don't work well. Screening without treatment is empty and that brings us back to the issue of no study showing "effective" treatments for autism, the wide variations of autism and the wide disparate treatments necessary for that range.

Obama care does NOTHING for kids with autism any different than private insurance, which does pathetically little now.

FlyOverMe - I'm sorry that you have such a prejudice against "Obama care" that it is inducing a reading comprehension problem. But look on the bright side - maybe there's coverage for that, too.

I am all for health care reform, which Obama's plan is not. His plan is a windfall for insurance companies - they do nothing to help people with autism. I dont give a damn about your political agenda.

You want to imply I am somehow mentally defective because I dont like the presidents health care proposal. Go ahead - you out yourself as being a simpleton on the issues who only cares about politics, not real reform. Booyah - way to go, psuedo intelectualism is pleased to have you I'm sure.

Now what does that do to help people with autism?

Actually the part that stops any insurance company from denying coverage to a child due to a pre existing condition (autism would be a major one) is helpful. It means you can get coverage for them on the private market.

RealAmericansFirst........ Could you keep posting the Affordable Care Act for those people that don't realize we are finally going to be getting coverage for health insurance that we are paying those totally unreasonable premiums for.

I worked for those greedy insurance companies for many years and they have done everything in order to NOT pay benefits for their members. The Insurance companies only wanted to collect premiums. In the long term, preventative care will save money for all of us.

FlyOverMe why is it ridiculous that someone is just trying to give some extra information? The information should be widely published, it is not, and many still do not have it.

FlyOverMe

There are cognitive therapies, that if started early enough, will have an impact on many of the children with autism. These kids can actually move forward intellectually, emotionally and socially in ways that children who received no therapy did not. It is not a cure, but for the parents and children, it was as close as they could get. Early detection and diagnosis are very important, as younger patients seem to receive the most benefit.

Real American, thanks for your informative posting. We should have more proactive people like you who can actually read before making blind/prejudice remarks, just like the birthers who can't even google our president's birth certificate because their only interest is to spread more hate and fear. Obamacare is certainly a step in the right direction. This bill would have been much more powerful if it weren't for the conservatives fighting against it every step of the way. Now they want to defund and repeal this bill. The same people claim to be "pro-life" but they don't realize pro-life does not end at birth.

Those 'same people' have their heads in a 'dark place' if they do not know that many aspects of current health care system desparately need a make-over.

No one has yet posted how Obama care helps people with autism. Its nice they can get coverage - but we can do that now. What we cannot get are benefits for autism treatment.

Early detection is great - if you have the money to pay for ABA yourself. Otherwise, insurance doesnt cover it. Obama care wont cover it either. It may be super wonderful for others, but for the autistic community - not so much.

FlyOverMe, I know what you're saying about the ABA treatment. Here's the thing in my daughter's situation though....our insurance does cover ABA treatment....but there's no one in my area that offers the service that accepts my insurance. How bogus is that?!?!? So I still have to pay out of pocket for my aide to come in and also have started doing the therapy myself as well since I can't afford to fork out the money for an additional aide. There is some limited assistance with cost coverage, but it's not through the govt. or the state, it's within the county I live in.

"Wapner's on"

Trish - The reason that no one will accept that insurance is because the insurance company wants to negotiate a contract where they would pay pennies on the dollar billed by the providers. There is funding out there but it is just a trickle. Here in WV they just passed a law to make the insurance carriers to start covering some of the autism treatments. What is even sadder for these autistic kids is that the coverage evaporates when they become adults.

I agree with you 100%. Parents automatically start looking for something physically or mentally wrong with their child when there are behavior problems. They never want to believe that their kid could just be a problem child or that it could be something to do with their parenting skills. If their kid is not as smart as the others it must be because they are ADD/ADHD, not because the kid just happens to be below average intelligence. After all, it is called average intelligence for a reason - half are above the line and half are below. Far too many kids have labels hung on them and are placed on drugs for no reason other than they act up a little, exhibit bad behavior, or are just a little different. Many of these kids have nothing really wrong with them to start with other than the need for a little discipline and understanding. However, these kids are then place on powerful drugs whose long term effects are only now starting to be understood and end up with real problems. Schools that do not want to deal with a child who is a little rambunctious label the kid as ADD/ADHD and then force the parents to medicate the kid into behaving. There are schools that literally tell parents that they have to medicate the kid or remove them from the school. This is not because there is anything really wrong with the kid, other than needing a little discipline, but the schools and teachers do not want to deal with it. They medicate these kids into submission, doing long term damage in the process. Ritalin and Adderall are two of the most over prescribed pediatric medications in existence.

The idea that you can accurately diagnose autism at the age of one seems to be pretty far fetched. Even if this initial study can be believed, a one in four false positive rate is quite high. Of course this rate assumes that the other three do actually have autism, which can not be reliably determined until the child is older. I fear that these attempts to detect signs of autism at such a young age will lead to the incorrect labeling of many children who are just a little slower to develop as having autism. Not all children develop at the same rate and just because a child develops a little slower does not mean there is something wrong with them. To start pushing medication on very young children based on a difficult to make and sometimes questionable diagnosis is very worrying. The attempts to treat these young children may result in far more damage than good due to misdiagnoses and the side effects of the medications typically used.

What qualifications do you have to diagnose and judge others parents? My daughter who was born prematurely and had delays benefitted greatly from a drug that helped her learn in school. We took her off of them periodically to see if she could go with out and now she is on the Dean's listen college. But unless you have ever had a child who has autism or some other problem, you should not judge. It is hard enough on parents to have a child that is different.

I agree with you guys to a degree...i've long wondered to what degree does parenting play a role in all of this. I doubt a parent would ever say "well, I sort of sucked when this kid was age 1-3, i mean, their so boring and frankly, so needy"...but, ive witnessed parents who dont care to do a whole lot of parenting, especially in situations in which it seems BEYOND OBVIOUS that good parent would exercise parenting skills in that situation...so to see a parent just basically ignore the situation leads me to wonder "do they do this often? these are teaching moments, these are times to engage a kid and teach them right versus wrong, up versus down...and here are parents doing nothing".

I watched my brother and sister-in-law essentially wait til age 5 until they decided "hmmm, maybe something is wrong with our kid since he's not potty trained yet". But it wasnt the kid, it was the parents. LAZY.

I complained since he was 3 that it wasnt good for him to not be potty trained, and all i heard - from them, and my parents was "you dont have kids, what do you know..." and "boys take longer"...and then, 5 rolls around and my parents are astonished he's still not potty trained.

The doctor says he had been impacted with fecal matter for 2 years.

Boys just take longer.

Except, then flash forward to 2 years ago...and im on a car ride with my brother and sister-in-law, and they are talking about how my nephew cant figure out how to do buttons (like buttons that go through button holes)...and my sister-in-law says

"im just going to wait til he's 12, it'll be easier for him to get it then".

WTF? things dont get easier, they get harder...and this is classic LAZY ASS PARENTING 101.

But, I dont have kids...what do i know. Right?

Sounds like your family,their doctor and school officials need to get together and get this child into OT/PT for his delayed skills, and a program to help deal with the fact that their child is significantly delayed. I don't think this is the norm. Most people who have a child that has some serious issues realize it very early, but getting doctors and schools to do anything is hard.

Some is real, some is parenting...but not always lazy parenting. Sometimes border-line kids are given these diagnoses just to qualify for financial aid. There are cases where that assistance makes up half of the family's income. In these cases where the family needs financial assistance and if their child qualifies, they do whatever they can to maintain their qualification status for as long as possible.

I do know some parents who are receiving $$$ for their "austistic" kids. When the kids don't "pass the autism test" they will search for a psychologist who will "pass the kids" so the parents can continue getting $$$.

In these cases the diagnosis of autism was incorrect, obviously. I have worked with kids who were all over the autism spectrum and can't understand why any parent would want their kids to have such an isue.

I have been a therapist for many years, along with having a child who was delayed. Most parents that I have encountered over the years are totally distressed by their helplessness. The number of people who have come to therapy with their child and sat and cried is heart breaking. I am not sure where you have come up with parents receiving money for an autistic diagnosis. Social security and medicaid is not that easy to get unless a child is severely disabled. I will concede that there are some parents who are "lazy," but in my experience, most are overwhelmed by what fate has done and are willing to try any thing to help their child.

Funny, in my (admittedly narrow) experience, its more parents fighting the diagnosis than pushing for it. No one wants to be labeled has having the "different" kid. And based on the extremely judgmental views expressed here, I don't think it's so hard to understand why. The shame is that the kids get lost in the parents stubbornness.

You ignorant people make generalized comments about your perceptions of parents of kids with autism are pathetic, misinformed and some, plain old mean.

Your stereotyping is misguided. Brickwall, JS and Jessica; grow up. Life is not as easy as your minds are simple. Neither is the problem of autism. Your comments are together the trifecta of ignorance about autism.

Caty/Fly, maybe the original post didn't come out saying it properly but the gist is don't accept a diagnosis that your child is different and accept it as factual. My best friend's son was diagnosed with autism at 3 years old. The physician prepared he and his wife for the the road ahead of being a parent of a child with autism (his speech was delayed and he did not engage anyone). He is now 10 and about as a regular child as there could be. He has never had to have special schooling and does well in school, plays sports, a fishing fanatic and speaks well and engages everyone - it just came late. I don't think the original poster meant any harm - just (as I am sure you already know and do like any good parent) question everything.

I would like for Beer and lexi to point out exactly WHAT "$$$" parents of an autistic child receive? Unless the kid qualifies for SSI (which requires a very severe and well-documented disability), these parents are on their own in our society.

The old phrase "walk a mile in someone else's shoes" needs to be brought back into this nation's consciousness.

H25: Thanks for the words, you also have to understand the context of the Autism issue; for the last 25 years, autism has been seen as the fault of the mothers. By fault, I mean causation. This has been due in no small part to the difficulties that autism manifests itself with in kids; poor to no socialization skills interpreted as "weirdness", meltdowns from sensory overload interpreted as "poor parenting" or "spoiled brats". Its goes on and on. To make the statements they did and offer it as some relevant commentary on autism in the world is harmful.

Great for the first one that it all worked out - the rest of the taggers on simply expounded on the ignorant stereotypes of autism. No parent of a kid with autism has ever - ever - not questioned absolutely everything about their child's diagnosis and treatment. There is simply to little known and no uniformity in effective treatments for them not to.

This test isn't strictly for autism; it seems to spot all kinds of incipient developmental problems. It started out as a general diagnostic tool to try to catch other developmental deficiencies (delayed language, motor skills, etc.); it just happens that interpreting these results correctly can also point out signs of autism. The article does say that other children were referred for other therapies, not just autism.

What worries me is that so many of the parents of the children who flunked apparently didn't follow up. It's a stick-your-head-in-the-sand, there-can't possibly-be-anything-wrong-with-my-child mentality that I've seen too often. It could also be a reluctance to continue because of embarrassment. And it's the children who will suffer for either of those reasons.

@real america

I was offered and encouraged to get SSI for one of my kids. He had issues but was not so severe I felt justified in recieving SSI for him. ALL I wanted was for someone to help me figure out what the problem was so it could be addressed properly.

It is not particularly difficult especially in rural areas to get SSI for a child.

I know too many people in too many states who have done it----Maine, Maryland, Virginia, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana to name a few.

I have two sons with Asperger's/Autism. One is very high functioning but struggles with social interaction, the other is more profoundly affected and struggles in school.
The older boy is living on his own, writing (that's his goal in life, to be a writer) but he's doing it his way, because that's the way he needs to do it. He is working 2 or 3 jobs, and socializing via direct interaction and instruction. He's been hired as a blog writer and is doing very well, his articles have been well received.
The younger boy has qualified for SSI, and now that he's 18, receives $300/month. He needs to work, I want him to work, and we're working with him at school and at home on how to be successful in a job. However, his inability to process verbal instructions, at which point he shuts down and refuses to cooperate, is a barrier to a job except with a very understanding employer. However, when he knows what he needs to do, he finishes it in a hurry, much faster and more complete than his siblings. He is a funny kid with a dry sense of humor and good natured most of the time. He doesn't talk much, except when it comes to his 'passions'...music in particular. These kids are capable of storing and recalling an unbelievable quantity of information. A year ago I was organizing and 'cleaning up' the music on my computer, which included a lot of mislabeled and unidentified songs. He sat with me for 5 hours, going through song after song, telling me the title, name of the CD/Album, the composer, and the year it was released, along with trivia and tidbits about the artist.
As to diet, we lived on a farm, ate homegrown beef, fresh milk...rarely ate fast food, so diet likely wasn't part of the problem, nor were vaccines (that's been disproved). I wish I knew why we have so many children with autism, if there were a way to 'cure' them, but I think you also need to look at the abilities of these kids, too. Sure they struggle socially, and when it comes to academics many of them are uneven because they aren't interested in everything, and aren't interested in doing things just to please others.

However, they have an incredible capacity to learn and understand the things they ARE interested in and, in fact, Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein are believed to have had Asperger's Syndrome...so do what you can to help them develop, and socialize, but encourage their 'passions' because they are amazing kids.

You are a wonderful parent!!!!!!!!

It shows by how successful your kids have become despite difficulties. My hope is that with more and more being done on line many of these kids who are becoming adults will be able to have employment via the internet.

It is not the complete answer and social skills do have to be honed. I have a friend whose kid (with aspergers)is working in a museum largely away from people putting together various displays of small artifacts. He loves his job.

All the best to you and your kids! Thanks for the good feelings.

Actually, I think we have to ACCEPT that they're different and that it's not necessarily all bad. Support and encourage their strengths, work with needed social skills and tasks that they struggle with, and allow them to be different.

Sometimes, it's easier for a parent to think that their kid has autism than to accept the fact that their kid isn't the brightest star in the sky.

Face it, some kids are just a little slow and there's nothing you can do about that. It's part of the diverse nature of human beings. You're kid isn't "special," and your kid isn't "disabled." He's just a little slow. Quit trying to find problems that arent' really there.

lexiwords-1

I do know some parents who are receiving $$$ for their "austistic" kids. When the kids don't "pass the autism test" they will search for a psychologist who will "pass the kids" so the parents can continue getting $$$.

In these cases the diagnosis of autism was incorrect, obviously. I have worked with kids who were all over the autism spectrum and can't understand why any parent would want their kids to have such an isue.

Ooooo, can you tell me where I can get money for my autistic kid? So far, we've had to pay for everything. Thank goodness for insurance!

Juice-2517506

Sometimes, it's easier for a parent to think that their kid has autism than to accept the fact that their kid isn't the brightest star in the sky.

Face it, some kids are just a little slow and there's nothing you can do about that. It's part of the diverse nature of human beings. You're kid isn't "special," and your kid isn't "disabled." He's just a little slow. Quit trying to find problems that arent' really there.

Some autistic kids have IQs higher than "normal" people, but have other issues that overshadow that intelligence. You really ought to read or see the movie about Temple Grandin as a good example of an extremely impaired, but extremely intelligent autistic. She is far from a dim bulb.

My youngest daughter was always "different" than her three siblings. She was well behaved and intelligent; she did not act out, instead she withdrew when she was overwhelmed. It turned out, she has Asperger Syndrome and did not function quite the same or interact socially the same. We had the same expectations of her as our other children, we just made sure we discussed and listened to her a little more. She is 20 now and functions pretty much the same as everyone else.

As far as parents trying to shift the blame of their childrens behavior, I have seen it alot! It is called Spoiled Brat Syndrome and the cause is parents who DO NOT parent! It is curable, but it requires time and attention from the parent!

"I get my underwear at K- Mart"

Those who are making comments that do not have kids and especially kids with autism, I think some don't understand that what is called autism spectrum disorder is a very broad definition of symptoms and behavior that have somehow been linked to autism. There are many layers of severity along many different lines of behavioral and learning problems. People with Asperger's tend have higher IQ's than the normal population. To me there are some benefits to Asperger's, as long as, it is not severe. People diagnosed Asperger's tend to have increased abilities to focus for very long time periods. Too many people put too much emphasis on the social interactions, or the lack thereof, and want to label these people as different. It is very difficult to draw a line and say that social interactions to this point is okay and everything below needs treatment because the causes can be many. What if a person has a social phobia and is withdrawn from people, are they autistic? No. What if a person has repetitive behaviors, is this a sign of autism? Not necessarily, they could be OCD. I have IQ of 140 and have serotonin deficiencies. I can be very focused at times, when the serotonin levels are not correct I show behaviors of not being enegaged with people to avoiding people entirely, I would have extreme panic attacks. Am I autistic? No. Do I have Asperger's sysndrome? No. The lack of knowledge the laypeople have about autism and mental disorders I try to assist by giving them information. For those who have these disorders and the family members, I try to explain or give them resources to find out more at this time. Next year I am planning on starting work on my PhD in Neuroscience to understand more and hopefully help in creating new treatment methodologies to help. If you want to help, learn more about these disorders, donate money to organizations like Autism Speaks so they help people and families dealing with these disorders.

And if you lived at the time everyone believed the world was flat, you would have probably stuck to your guns that it was in fact flat even when scholars and such were saying it was round.... open your mind... with exploration and study of something anything is possible.. even a cure in the case of autism, cancer or any other horrible disease out there.

Well, A PERSON, you would be wrong.

They are trying to spot early signs of autism. They know they will get false positives, but the aim to to identify the signs early so that you can act early once you are more sure.

a person - thats about the dumbest thing ive read in a long long time.

clearly you dont understand that science ADVANCES. it doesnt say "well we have no clue, why bother trying".

Thankfully, science is not like you.

"A PERSON" . . . stop with the smug, sanctimonious, self-righteous bullsh*t. As an OBSERVANT parent who is actually involved in my little one's life, I've known something wasn't right with my child from the time he was under a year old. My kid was never able to self-soothe, and if you put a piece of clothing or blanket with the wrong texture on him, he would work himself into a frenzy. He didn't babble, he didn't coo, but he was absolutely obsessed with blinking lights. He would scream until he lost his voice if we tried to put a hat on his head. And there were many, many, many more little idiosyncrasies that clued us in on his autism.

So don't you DARE tell me that you can't see some of the signs of autism by age one. They are there, and getting the proper speech & occupational therapy has made a world of difference for my son.

I hope early intervention is working for your kiddo. It can do a world of wonders for autisitc kids. You have my admiration for being an astute parent and for seeing to it your kid got the appropriate interventions.

I'm sure this is the press mischaracterization.

They probably just use the list to identify children at greater risk, and therefore candidates for early intervention. There is no doubt that the sooner you identify the problem, the easier it is to help the kid in the long run.

Then there are probably signs that the kid is totally fine.

I have a feeling that the people who say their kid was normal one day, and not the next, may have been missing more subtle queues. My wife was overly intense about Autism the past 15 months of our kid's life, but he's SO engaging with us and everyone around him (even with a few language delays) that I had a difficult time buying into her concerns.

Catydid you are missing the point probably because you are too nice. The fact is, many parents can not accept disabilities, and just try to cover them up while other parents treat any characteristic in a child that they do not like as a personal slight, and then seek any treatment, not always for the right reasons.

A possible sign of something is not a guaranteed diagnosis of anything.

People can show symptoms of whatever a bit earlier or later than you'd normally see them, too. And that's not even exclusive to developmental disorders.

" Almost time for Wapner"

I bet that 90-95% of all people that think that vaccinations have anything to do with autism are downright crazy.

I would point you to several studies that have shown no relationship to autism and vaccinations, but, crazy people do not believe in science, only their own paranoid ideations.

I would also point you to the actions of ethics committees that have shown that studies that do show a relationship to vaccinations to be fraudulent and without merit, but crazy people continue to cite them as fact.

What a load of crap. The original study that started this fiction was done by a Dr. Wakefield in England. It has since been proven that the study data was manipulated and that the results claimed were completely false. It also came out that Wakefield was paid by an attorney to come up with the conclusion about the link so that the attorney could win a lawsuit. The Lancet which originally published the study has retracted it and Wakefield has lost his license to practice. In addition, the British Medical Journal has called Wakefield a fraud. And that his theory did not even come into being until he was retained by the attorney in question and that he had identified his new syndrome before there was even any data collected.

In addition, the component of the vaccines that was claimed to cause autism, a mercury based preservative called Thimerosal has been removed from virtually all vaccines and has not been in use for a number of years now.

This whole fiction about Thimerosal causing autism has been debunked by numerous studies, yet some people refuse to accept that. There has been considerable damage done as a result of children not being vaccinated by parents who fell for this debunked theory. Many children have been harmed and some have even died as a result of contracting preventable diseases due to their not being vaccinated. I only wish they could put Wakefield in prison for murder for starting this whole mess.

JS in SD: What you said!

We have measles killing kids again because of the superstitious anti vaccine movement.

Two years ago, we had a rubella outbreak because of a cluster of Europeans who moved into an area refused it for their kids and it was scary. It involved a child outside the "cluster" as they called it because as we all know, giving all the shots doesn't protect your kids 100%. Protect your kids, please!

Yeah, well tell all that "non-believer schtuff" to the Federal Government which has set aside a fairly large fund for those who can prove their child(ren)s vaccines contained mercury and thimerosal. Indeed, pediatricians have testified that children in their care were developing normally until certain vaccines were given that happened to include these two ingredients. If you care to read about the Government's acceptance of the vaccine theory, click on this link: http://www.infowars.com/government-concedes-vaccine-autism-case-in-federal-court/

My nephew was diagnosed as having some aspect of autism under the "broad-spectrum" category. He's doing quite well with intensive speech therapy and exceptional teachers/therapists working with him on his socialization skills. He's a wonderful, sweet 6 year old. His issues were apparent from a young age, and he was NEVER put on medication, for the record. His behaviors were classic as it relates to many of the typical behaviors of an autistic child. The diagnosis was a long-time coming, but we saw and recognized the behaviors far earlier.

Some people don't know what they're talking about and/or only know a "version" of the truth. There are likely many more contributors to the development of autism in children. That said, vaccines have been recognized as a contributor by physicians, medical researchers and, now, the U.S. Federal Government. Oh, and as to that fund set up to pay claims for those who can prove they got the vaccines with mercury and thimersol. . .uh. . .we didn't qualify because our "bath #" wasn't included. Being the pan-handler's we are, you can imagine our disappointment. I mean, what's the use of having an autistic child if we're not going to be paid for it?! Some of you Poster Children of the Corn get on my last raw nerve!

sorry. . batch # wasn't included. . . .

If you are intrested research the rate of autism in African children. There is no autism in children that do not have access to Western medicine. They do not specifically say it is vaccines that causes autism but you can draw your own conclusions. I was intrested and read about it but it was too long ago to give you specific articles.

Thanks, Ruby. I will do some research on that topic. I would surmise that it's not just Western medicine that is the culprit, but also Western food, Western lifestyle, Western environmental influences. . .the list goes on and on. We may, likely, never really know all of the ways we've been poisoned in this great Land of the Free. Advancement comes with a price. . .aluminum lined canned food, aluminum in our deodorants, mercury tooth fillings, radioactive waves from high power lines, carcinogens in our skin care, lead in our lipstick. Yes, we are HIGHLY advanced but at what cost?

Ruby there is autism in Africa , of course their lack of appropriate access to medical care will delay and prevent some from being diagnosed but it does happen.

http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/school-of-education/special-programs-and-centers/regional-autism-center/repository/files/DFahim%20Autism%20in%20the%20Developing%20World.pdf

JS in SD Dr Wakefield was cleared of any misdoing in his study. Apparently you are not up to date with the news. also there are numerous studies that also find a link. Just to totally disregard one or the other or to blindly believe what is reported is wrong. Something in man's environment has caused this dramatic increase in Autism. And looking at vaccines is a good place to start, they pump kids up with so much before they are 1 yr and have YOU even bothered to read the inserts? Educate yourself and don't depend on corporate news to do it for you.

Mercury poisoning can result in several diseases, including acrodynia (pink disease), Hunter-Russell syndrome, and Minamata disease.^[2]

Symptoms typically include sensory impairment (vision, hearing, speech), disturbed sensation and a lack of coordination. The type and degree of symptoms exhibited depend upon the individual toxin, the dose, and the method and duration of exposure.

UPDATE ~ Press, Complaints, False Stories on Dr. Wakefield | The ...

Jan 14, 2011 ... The PCC complaint by Dr. Wakefield provides clear evidence that Deer's allegations of "data fixing" by him are false. ...

Ruby - in regards to African children not having Autism and also not having access to western medicine, this could be a factor of a few things. First, because they don't have access to western medicine, autism may go completely undiagnosed. Another thing is that it may be something in our culture that is causing the rise in autism. The vaccine idea has been completely debunked - but other things may be causing it, the prevalence of processed food for instance. African children do not eat highly processed food. It really could be any number of things.

Some specific numbers for those who are interested in numbers from a text of mine:

"2 to 3 million children die each year from diphtheria, tetanus and measles."

"In India alone, 100,000 children died in 2005 from measles."

"Of all 500,000 children born in Denmark from 1991 to 1998, about a fifth never received MMR vaccine. They were just as likely to be diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders as those who were vaccinated."

All of the above info is in the textbook The Developing Person Through the Life Span by Kathleen Stassen Berger for those of you who would like to read more in more detail.

I don't know about you guys, but my kids are worth looking into all of the scientific facts - and I am talking scientific data, not opinion. 2-3 MILLION children DIE each YEAR from sicknesses that could be avoided by a single vaccine.

Im not willing to dismiss vaccinations/medications/environmental poisons from contributing to Autism.

However, I dont think the risks of avoiding vaccines and medications is worth it. It's tragic that some kids will develop autism, and that it might be because of vaccines...but its not more tragic than kids dying of the diseases that those vaccines prevent.

Which would you rather have as a parent - a dead kid who died from rubella, or an alive kid who has autism? Not great choices, but i think its clearer than the anti-vaccine folks want to make this debate.

nursing gal - your points about processed food are fair, and could also be connected with ADD/ADHD. think about the diets of pregnant women today, compared to 30 years ago. Not exactly a healthy diet, and this is while the fetus is maturing in the woman.

Is it possible that mothers diet rich in junk food and fast food and processed food could alter the brain chemistry? absolutely.

But I doubt most mothers would be willing to accept the notion something THEY may be doing MIGHT be harming the baby, and the food industry is not about to say "dont eat our crap while your prego"...heck no.

We have to remember that not everyone reacts the same to environmental toxins. A smoker for 50 years may never get lung cancer, while a smoker for 20 years will. Its still the smoke that caused the lung cancer, even though it didnt cause it for every smoker.

The same could be true with vaccines, medications, food, environmental poisons..or all of the above.

Kerry, I'm personally more concerned about our food (chemicals, sugars and all the additives) and how they'll affect our youngsters more than vaccines. (and not just autism/adhd- look @ obesity/diabetes and God knows what else. Our culture seems to think that there are certain foods for kids and certain ones for adults. The kids will have pizza bites, chicken nuggets, ice cream, french fries (loaded with ketchup) and the list goes on. Lots of people probably don't even read the labels. Then, for the people that do try to eat healthy, unless you can afford organic food, you're still digesting loads of chemicals on your fruit/veggies. (While watching Dr. Oz a while ago, he was talking about how many chemicals were on a single piece of fruit or vegetable, and quite frankly it was scary to think about. An single piece of fruit can have up to 60 different chemicals on them! (peaches, strawberries, apples were worse for fruit. I don't remember the exact list for worst veggies, but spinach was up there too, while corn and onions were pretty clean.) Anyway, that being said, it's almost impossible to avoid chemicals now-a-days, unfortutantely. We have seen just some of the effects of what these chemicals can do and we continue to allow people to spray and infect our food, water and soil with these things. In my mind, these conditions (autism/ADHD) weren't big news back in the day, b/c we weren't dousing everything with every possible chemical. I really wish that parents would just pay more attention to their children's diets and also their own.

As for vaccines, until that can be proven, my children will continue to get them. I will not take the chance of my children getting illnesses b/c people aren't protecting themselves from them, which enables these illnesses to come back, even though we thought they were gone. If in the end, one of my children were to be labelled "autistic or ADHD" well, that will be a bit difficult for the child, yes and a lot more work for me as a parent, but it will not endanger my child if they learn to speak later than my neighbor's child. But what can endanger my child is the sickness they catch (and spread to other children) b/c I didn't vaccinate my child. An epidemic is more tragic than a child with autism/ADHD.

That is just the way I see things.

My younger brother, who is now 28, was diagnosed with Autism when he was 4 or 5. This was way before doctors and the general public were that educated about the condition and the alleged link to vaccines. My step-mother and my dad knew from the time he was a baby that something was off.

I don't doubt that modern parents feel that there must be some correlation between the vaccines and Autism, and due to the increase of ASD diagnoses of late, it's logical to try and make some connection. However, as someone above me pointed out, many factors should be investigated, such as the prevalence of processed foods in American diets, the increase of hormones in our dairy and meat products, etc. Vaccines are just one part of the possible causes, in additon to heredity. The notion that formerly eradicated diseases are making a comeback due to the vaccine fear is ridiculous. In order to make medical strides and advancements, we must be sure we are not actually taking giant steps backwards.

Pseudoscience is nothing more then a monopolistic consensus that dupes people/sheeple to follow a prescription for life, where the reality of poor health issues and the direct correlation of vaccines to autism and other man caused diseases, keeps it's strong hold and cause for more stupid studies and redundant articles like this one.

How else is the industry and all those wrapped up in it's security blanket going to feed it's junkie habbit?

It is like the FDA cornering the food market to claim it is there to help the people of America yet they are quick to promote anything and everything GMO and stamp out and destroy ANYTHING NATURAL that is causing such poor health and is direct a threat to humans and animals very existence.

No man made pseudoscience steerage is better then nature and no amount ofBS skewed data can better reality. I do not need a committee to tell me what is right and what is wrong.

There are also many Asian children with autism, but many Asian culture deny it. (Just like there are "no gay people in Iran".) I had a good friend whose autistic child was born in Japan, and they had to bring the child to the U.S. in order to get the schooling and treatment he needed. The Japanese reaction was to hide him away and deny there was anything wrong - it was a matter of honor, not science.

Any time someone uses ignorance of other cultures to promote a pseudo-scientific viewpoint, look out.

And, asknreceive1-1054310, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program DOES NOT pay out claims for autism supposedly caused by vaccines. (They DO pay out claims for valid injuries, which is why the fund exists.)

God, I'm tired of people using half-truths to support destructive lies without doing any research!

tlc0624 - The notion that formerly eradicated diseases are making a comeback due to the vaccine fear is ridiculous.

It's not ridiculous - it's true. Just look up some of the news stories. Measles outbreaks have occurred in Minnesota, New Jersey, Utah, Oregon, California, Arizona, Kansas and other states. And whooping cough killed 10 kids in California just last year:

Illustrating the need for immunizations, the CDC points to the 2010 outbreak of whooping cough in California, where more than 8,000 cases were reported statewide, including 10 infant deaths. Now, whooping cough immunizations are required for any student entering the seventh grade or higher.

Education is important. Doing you homework even more so.

More evidence of pseudoscience corruption and manipulation of the truth..Look at Paul Thosen's web of alleged fraud. What do you think of this CDC sanctioned grunt?

Wow, someone who is supposed to be a professional and knows everything about vaccines. HMMMM..........evil is what evil does. And they expect us to believe ANY OF THE CRAP THEY TOUT? Who do you trust now baby? Certainly not the "EXPERTS"

So, Kerry, where do you get your information? You rely on some source of data - what is it? I personally prefer peer-reviewed science to chain email, but I suppose that's up to you.

But if you use your sources to promote public policy, you better be able to back them up.

Hey RAM,

Go to naturalnews.com and read the article. I can see where you only believe in and support "PEER REVUE" You must be part of it.

One doctor in England cooks up a phony study which supposedly shows a link between vaccines and autism... since then, hundreds of studies have shown this to be false, yet people still cling to the original false results, claiming that all of the rest of the research is biased.

For comparison...

Hundreds of studies show a link between carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and a warming trend in the Earth's climate... one pair of scientists in England fudges some data to make their study seem more convincing than it really merits and since then people cling to this to claim that all of the rest of the research is also flawed.

Conclusion... most people don't know jack about science and they believe what they want to believe.

Kerry - Well, considering your sole source seems to be infomercial guru Mike Adams, I guess that answers my question.

And peer REVIEWED science is the only science there is.

Pseudoscience is the real cause of Global Warming and the poor health of the human race. More hot air then reality. Sorry, more CO2 coming from the fear mongers and the need to follow you right off a cliff.

I know your Peer revue study and consensus is still out on the issue.

I remember reading an article a while back (wish I could remember where) that stated that a vaccine can trigger autism, but is not however the cause of it. There are many chemicals that were are exposed to everyday that humans were not exposed to in the past that can be the cause for developmental issues and diseases such as autism. I don't think that vaccines cause them. I can buy the idea that for some children with an underlying risk that a vaccine might contribute to autism, but I just don't buy it as THE cause.

In the article I also remember reading that there was a little girl who had autism and her parents sued the vaccine company and they did win. They won not because of the fact that the vaccine caused autism, but because through tests, studies, etc, the fact was that in this particular child the vaccine MAY have played a role in triggering autism. Because this could not be proven either way, the vaccine company settled. As a result of this particular case a fund was created for children with autism that was caused by vaccines. But now it has to be proven. I would assume if your child has been perfectly "normal" all his/her live and then shortly after receiving a vaccine suddenly shows signs of autism, then maybe I would buy it. But as several parents have stated they recognized signs long before their child even turned 1. In the case of my little brother it was obvious at just 2 months that something was not right. He only has a very mild form of autism along with other developmental problems, but even I, as a child myself (at the time), recognized these signs and lack of certain developments as an issue.

Yo RAM,

What do you have a problem with? The story having to be brought out by natural news.com or the fact that the article is RIGHT? I know you can not swallow either story can you? Is the article right or wrong? Let's hear your peer revue thoughts?

Kerry,

From wikipedia:

National and international science academies and scientific societies have assessed the current scientific opinion, in particular on recent global warming. These assessments have largely followed or endorsed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) position of January 2001 which states:

An increasing body of observations gives a collective picture of a warming world and other changes in the climate system... There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities

No scientific body of national or international standing has maintained a dissenting postion; the last was the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, which in 2007 updated its 1999 statement rejecting the likelihood of human influence on recent climate with its current non-committal position.

/end

The vast majority of governments AND scientific organisations agree there is global warming and that man is contributing to that warming.

Get over it.

Wikipedia IS NOT a reliable research tool or source. I hate when people use it as such.

clatz,

Nothing here to get over.

Paul Thorsen and his "opinion" was funded by the same Government sponsored frauds/scientific opinions for their pseudoscience peer consensus. That does not change the truth, just your perception of what they want you to swallow and bow to.

Money can buy any outcome to push any desired "OPINION" Get over it yourself.

MelBel

Wikipedia is as good as it's sources. If a statement has a source which can be checked for it's veracity then it is just as good as any other sourced material from a magazine or news paper.

What part of my post is not true?

Kerry,

Most governments, and ALL major scientific organisations and societies are all colluding in a global conspiracy?

Do you realise how crazy that sounds?

MelBel,

This is not a doctoral thesis evaluation committee. We are not doing "research". This is a public discussion forum and wikipedia is perfectly appropriate to refer to as a source of non-biased and usually fairly accurate (though not always perfect), information.

Get off your high horse.

Money can buy any outcome

You can certainly apply that to the "denialist" studies and websites which are funded by the oil companies. Which one do you work for?

clatz,

You said it. It is collusion. Why else do you see this administration lowering our standard of living/mentality to the lower level to that of the third world Countries? They have to DUMB DOWN people who are easily duped.

It is as simple as you said, make it sound as crazy as you put it. How big is your nose? Cause you must not be able to see the end of it.

Ridiculous.

That would require the coordination of hundreds of thousands if not millions of people across the globe. People that disagree on pretty much every single issue.

It's impossible.

M&M,

Sorry to burst your bubble but I do not work for anyone. Thanks to corrupt people in the Government, I am unemployed.

So what is funny is all I have in my pocket is the truth. I may be poor, but I have something no money can be bribed with and that is a mind.

Clatz,

I didnt research your post, I do not have the time nor the desire to do so, Did you? Or did you do a quick Google search and it was the first site at the top of the list, so you assumed it was true? Being that wiki sites are able to be edited basically by anyone at any time, makes them completely unreliable, unless you go and look at their sources and verify those sources. Why waste the time quoting something that may or may not be valid, when you can go directly to the source and qoute that.

Mikey,

Sure this is a public discussion board, but some people prefer to be given facts. Sorry that my "high horse" prefers that if something is to be quoted as fact then it should in fact be a FACT. Not an assumed fact. Sure Wiki can be a good starting point but facts need to be cross-referenced against reliable sources. I really dont care if you think I am on a high horse, I like to read factual information versus opinions (opinions are great), not opinions masking themselves as fact, which you can see a lot on this very board and many people being shouted out for it.

clatz,

You keep showing the scope of scholastic 101.

Keep going, maybe you will show a way to get them to stop looking with easy money for their pseudo-scientific opinions and do real work other then how much money is needed to falsify data. Like I said...collusion.

Fortunately the world disagrees with you both.

clatz,

You mean those that are part of the mentally challenged sheeple world right?

Here is one for you. How are you going to deal with the CO2 you breathe out? What program is there to stop exhaling this deadly gas? Wait a minute, lets get a scientific view point with millions of peer viewed idiots.

Kerry,

This will be my last post because this is all off topic. The fact is that there is consensus across the globe that humans are contributing to global warming, that consensus is a fact. People might disagree on exactly how much of a contribution we are making AND what exactly to do about it, but the fact remains that the world governments and scientific organisations agree we are adding to the problem.

You can fight that till you are blue in the face, but you may as well be arguing the world is flat.

Show of hands...who else here thinks that Kerry is a 'birther' too?

Honey, the vast majority of scientists, evidence, research is not on your side. The other people in this thread who have responded to your claims have not only provided more articulate and well presented arguments, they've also offered multiple sources for their information.

The way to counter CO2 emissions is with carbon 'sinks'...forests in particular offer a vertical cascade of CO2 using organisms. Reforestation, particularly in the Amazon is the most important mechanism to reverse carbon accumulation in the atmosphere...the Amazon produces more than 20% of the world's oxygen...to have that source of O2/carbon sink removed is further pushing us into global temperature increases...AVERAGE sea temps are increasing and killing coral, along with all the organisms that depend on them, both as shelter and their polyps as a food source. It's a huge problem, but u just go on believing the deniers and oil companies...they certainly have no economic stake in this...

If we've learned one thing over the last decade, is that it doesn't matter if your information is truth or a lie, if you repeat it often enough, idiots will believe it...

Wheres?

If you have learned one thing is right. Is that the only thing you have leaned?

I wonder how many natives beating on their chests it took for you to learn one fanatical viewpoint that the earth can not defend herself so progressives have to do it for her.

Yes keep spewing long enough and even the the sheeple keep taking it up the rear, all because all the left has to offer is a bigger mouth club that keeps pounding the ground.

And one more thing for your mind might go huh to. Wasn't it SCIENCE that thought the earth was flat? They are the ones who were supposed to be right. Who are you following? The science or reality. Isn't science who is spewing man made global warming? Well they are wrong again.

I tend to believe, from information over the years, that something about immunizations may be responsible for causing problems such as autism. But for those who counter me on that, read "The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear" by Seth Mnookin. Also, with as many as 70,000 various contaminants now found in water sources it is really hard to tell what is causing what.

And wheresthecommonsense and clatz, the book: Merchants of Doubt supports your view.

Thanks fgh. I don't see this as my view per se, it's the consensus view of the worlds science community.

I happen to trust their work. It's the aggregation of data from thousands of scientists working around the globe from many dispirit sources for more than a decade. It's an incredibly complex picture but as time goes on and we learn more the picture has become clear enough for there to be little doubt.

The earth is warming, and we are adding to the problem.

Damn, I said I wouldn't post again!

And I thought I heard just another broken record. Oh I know it did not play what the scientists wanted so it was purposely broke to update the scientifically "ACCEPTED" dogma cry.

Rats, those who have an independent mentality can not be reached.

I'd continue the conversation, but I want us both to be adequately protected:

http://zapatopi.net/afdb/build.html

They might be listening.

I'd like to add that when people say "science says ..." they show that they don't understand science at all. Science is a method, not a group of people or organization. You can say "This scientist says ..." but don't say "science says" because science doesn't say anything.

People who understand this realize that the conclusions of one scientific study should never be taken as "the truth", but rather should lead people to consider the conclusions as one possible explanation. It is only after many studies back up the same conclusion that it should be taken as most likely right -- and even then it's never the absolute truth, only the best explanation currently available.

It seems that some people need to go back and learn about science and logical thought as they don't seem to get how it works...

Clatz,

You have to understand that people like Kerry think that you and I are Sheepole and not awake. They have the delusion that the government is trying to kill us. There are 13 families that are REALLY in control, and some of them even think that they are lizards like the TV show V. In short they have partial delusional disorder.

Too funny.....I thought the aliens only wipe their behinds with with their left hands but I guess they just use Jake and clatz. No difference, I mean between the two and the aliens rears.

HAHAHHAHAHAH. Mork from Ork

Real Americans-

You missed my point. I know eradicated diseases are making a comeback, THAT'S why it's ridiculous that so many people are refusing to vaccinate their children. The fear of one condition supercedes the danger of exposing them to a multitude of other diseases. Not that I don't understand the concern to administer safe vaccines, just don't wipe out 100 years of medical advancements in the process.

Lacy, I appreciate your willingness to tell your personal experience with autism. Awareness of autism in the medical community has improved, albeit at too slow a pace. I'm sorry to hear of your daughter's "mis-treatment" in that regard. As to your ex-husband, he tops the List of Losers as far as I'm concerned. How ANY parent/husband could walk out on an entire family and especially considering your daughter's complicated illness, is beyond me. Indeed, I hope you consider yourself somewhat blessed by his departure. He was clearly lacking basic, normal parental and familial protective instincts that NORMAL men exhibit. I trust you have found or will find a man that is actually a "real man." May God bless & keep you and yours!

asknreceive - Actually, a whole lot of men lack what you describe as "basic, normal parental and familial protective instincts":

Associated Press
7/14/2006

Children with disabilities are more likely to live with a single woman — whether she is a mother, grandmother or a female foster parent — than other children, according to a new study.

The findings by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill indicate that organizations aimed at helping disabled children must also consider the particular problems faced by the single women who often care for them, said Philip Cohen, an associate professor of sociology at the university.

“In the patchwork of arrangements to care for children with disabilities, we have to realize that the system is also dealing with issues of gender equity,” Cohen said.

The study, conducted by Cohen and his former student Miruna Petrescu-Prahova, now a doctoral student at the University of California, Irvine, was published Friday in the quarterly Journal of Marriage and Family.

The study examined 2000 Census data on 2.3 million children ages 5 to 15. More than 130,000 were reported to have mental disabilities, physical disabilities, or both.

It found that while 62 percent of children without disabilities live with a married, biological parent in a two-parent home, only 46 percent of disabled children do.

Single mothers care for 17 percent of children without disabilities, but for 24.5 percent of those who are disabled. Fewer than 5 percent of disabled children live with a single father, about the same percentage of non-disabled children living with fathers.

Why do you have so much sympathy for the mother but the fathers a loser? Dads carry a lot of weight and guilt over stuff like this. If it was leave or put a bullet in his own head than he did what he had to do. Why show mercy to everyone?

Mainly because most of the mothers of disabled kids stick it out and provide the care they need. According to the article above, the fathers of 54% of disabled kids fail in that duty.

lacy, how is your daughter now? My son, who will turn 20 at the end of June, was diagnosed with Asperger's when he was 7 1/2. His kindergarten teacher noticed he had a problem of climbing the school bus steps one day when she was behind him. He didn't have a real noticeable problem, but she saw something there. It took almost a year and a half between then and when he was diagnosed. He also had the blank stare, wouldn't or couldn't make eye contact, was a constant hand flapper, and could remember things off the top of his head you wouldn't expect from someone so young. He was never put on medication (neither my husband nor I believe in them as being a cure-all when doctors are just too lazy to do otherwise). He was mainstreamed in school, but he did take PT, OT, and speech.

Thinking back, I'm trying to remember if he reached his milestones in a timely manner, but I think he may have only missed them by a couple of months. Plus, he was my first so I didn't really know what and when to look for. Now when I had my daughter, who's 7, I had her in Early Intervention starting when she was probably six months. Her pediatrician assured me at every well-baby checkup that she was fine, and did not show any signs of autism. She was a very late walker, didn't start until she was about 18 months old. Doctor said there was nothing to worry about, some babies start very early and some start very late. She now takes karate, as do her brother and I; in fact, her brother will be getting his black belt in about a month. She is in 1st grade and reads on a 3rd grade level.

While my husband didn't leave us, he is really no help with my son. He went to the school meetings with me, but I did all the legwork. When my son was in high school (he goes to college now) he was the first one in that school that had Asperger's (that they knew about). We, meaning the teachers, my son, (and to a smaller degree) my husband, and myself broke ground. He went to a transitional school for a year between high school and college. That was what all those meetings were about, on what to do and how to do it. Now, if they encounter another student with Asperger's they'll know what to do.

Patriot. Are men so weak that they can't deal with what a mother has to deal with every day? It takes two people to make kids, it takes two to take their share of the responsibility in seeing to the welfare of these kids. I'm sure my ex carried a lot of guilt out the door when he left his wife and three kids in poverty. Don't make excuses for the jerk. A jerk is jerk and you can't call him anything else.

And who says that the reason these men left was the disability? Did you ever think that these single women were just miserable, awful people incapable of maintaining a relationship? No, it must be the man, of course. A handicapped child (physically or mentally) isn't the only possible reason for a man leaving a woman. I'm not saying that some guys don't do this, but don't damn the entire gender.

divah2. My daughter is much better now that we took her off all the meds she was on. She still has a lot of problems, but we are learning to deal with those. She has no formal education because the school where we live kept jumping her from grade to grade and back, and kept changing what school she was going to. It was like a three ring circus and I got really tired of it,so I took her out of school. Soon she will be working on her GED, but her learning curve is so low, that's going to be a hard task. But, I know she can do it. Thank you for asking. I'm so glad things were better for you.

Oh by the way, I want to add to my post (this has nothing to do with lacy's original post but from what I've seen from other posters on here). Neither my son nor we, his parents, received any kind of $$$ whatsoever; he did not receive SSI. He works part-time in addition to going to college. Both my husband and I have full-time jobs.

My sister, who also has a son with AS, raked the system for all she could get (food stamps, SSI for her son which she somehow grabbed, child support, housing assistance); needless to say, she doesn't work.

Beard. I apologize. Maybe I should have said some men. I didn't mean to insult anyone. My own father was a good man that put his family first. Every situation is different and I did everything to keep my family together. All men are not good and decent and at the same time neither are all women. It is difficult for all parties involved when you have an autistic child, even the other children. I know what my situation was and you don't and all I ask is not to be judged for harsh words I have for my ex. He was not a good man and he was very unkind to our daughter.

Lacywild, you live in the same town as I do. Schools suck here - they just can't handle the mentally disabled. My younger son has bipolar disorder, and while very bright, just couldn't fit in at any of the places that they tried to send us. He at least earned his GED, no help from the school system. I hope things work out well for you and your daughter.

Hi Suze. Nice to meet a neighbor. I had to give up on the school system. My daughter has learned a lot more being out of school than she ever learned in school. They treated her like she was too dumb to learn anything. She is working on her GED, although it is difficult for her, but I know she will get through it. I hate that any child has to go through this yet it helps to know I'm not the only one with this problem. You have a good evening and maybe we'll run into each other some time.

lacywild, I'm glad things are going better for your daughter. I want to clarify for some that while my son is now working part-time in the mornings, going to college in the afternoons, and taking karate most evenings, what I went through with him was no rosy walk-in-the-park. He went to a therapist once, and when my husband and I were asked if we wanted to put our son on meds and we said no, after just a few minutes of talking with our son, he determined that he didn't need therapy; I think it was because we refused the meds.

I'd get strange looks from other adults because you can't tell that a child is autistic; they don't know there's something wrong with the child. He got picked on in school, from elementary school up until high school. He'd talk to himself (he still talks back to his TV); he'd pace for no particular reason (he still does this); he now has a nervous tic where he tilts his head and brushes his ear against his shoulder. He used to do the lip-licking bit, where he'd get a rash from below his nose, all around both sides of his mouth, to his chin.

Back when he was in elementary school there was some (very little) help, but mostly I had to figure things out on my own; from 10th grade on up the school he went to worked hard with us. He had an IEP from middle school up until the time he graduated. As I mentioned before, he took OT, PT, and speech. When he was in around 6th or 7th grade, there was one Autism group in the state where I live. I wrote to them explaining about my son and I was interested in receiving information from them. I heard absolutely nothing from them (and this was a nationally recognized group). When he was a senior in high school, there were two routes he could have taken: a transitional school that bridges the gap between high school and college and gets kids with developmental disabilities ready for college or work; and a program that helps kids with developmental disabilities get jobs. He chose the former. Last fall I got an email from the director of the second program saying they had gotten a grant from the state extending their program and they wanted my son to join. I told her all he was doing, and she replied that she was overjoyed that he was doing so well and he certainly didn't need the school! He also received an award last year for self-advocacy for those with Asperger's Syndrome.

lacywild, this will sound totally off-the-wall, but see if there's a karate program in your area. My son initially took karate back in elementary school because I heard that karate helps kids with developmental disabilities big-time. Where we take karate, there are three levels: preschool, Youth, and Adult. There is a little boy with autism in the preschool class, one with Asperger's in the Youth class, and my son in the Adult class. The mother of the little boy in the preschool class says he does so well in there. He listens and focuses, she says, much better than he does at home or his preschool class.

• Lack of what she calls "shared attention." Around age 1, babies should try to "pull your attention into their world," pointing to a bird and watching to see if you look, for example, or bringing you a toy, she said.
• Lack of shared enjoyment, where a baby may smile at mom but not engage if other people try peek-a-boo.
• Repetitive behaviors like spinning a car wheel rather than playing with the toy.

AncientGeek, those are examples. There are supposedly 24 questions.

From the article: "Thursday's study uses a 24-question checklist written in easy-to-understand terms that parents can answer in about five minutes."

Oh I don't know...off the top of my head...because it might be unethical to publish a medical questionnaire meant to be administered by professionals??? It probably hasn't been released to the public for said reason. There.

Because this is a news article meant to give an overview, not an article in a peer-reviewed scientific journal? I'm sure that if you looked up the original article you would find the questionnaire.

I assume that if all 24 questions were posted, almost every child would be labelled by parents.

Moral Clarity,

According to the article, if you had bothered to read it, the questionnaire has not been finalized. It is still in the process of being tested and refined.

If you're so all fired eager to see it, maybe you have a talk with your pediatrician about your child's behavioral symptoms, assuming that's why your so eager. Am I wrong?

I have two children, and I vaccinated them both fully, holding their little legs in infancy for their shots, through the age of four. I did it because I wanted to protect them. I have to say though, I was extremely distressed when they got their MMR's because that was the vaccine that was linked to autism. However, I held my breath, gave it to them and prayed after. My children are both healthy and I'm grateful. You can't know the power of the media until it involves your child, something they write that states, "there is evidence of autism with the MMR vaccine" and your appointment to get it for your child is in two weeks. That was in the news, right smack in the middle of vaccinating my children. Thankfully, it was discredited, but when you're faced with it, it's hard to know WHO to believe. I know there are a lot of parents out there who wonder why their child was one of those included in the alarming spike in autism cases. When your kids are in that age range when autism is diagnosed, it's very scary. I hope this will work out in the end and help these kids get treated sooner.

Looks like you fit the bill perfectly " loony on a vaccine rant".

The vaccine loons are just casting around for reasons why something happened. It's not hard to know who to believe, simply do some unbaised research. The information is all out there.

Actually, the "study" that "debunked" the vaccine/autism link was performed by a W.Ian Lipkin on only 38 children. I don't know of any other study performed on that few children that has ever been accepted. I wonder who paid for the study, hmmm? So yes, people, I agree, do your research. Find out exactly WHO performed the study, and, more importantly, WHO FUNDED THE STUDY".

And try not to call names. That only shows your immaturity and your inability to come up with any legitimate arguments. duh.

Everyone should always ask if any research is unbiased, just to ask.

You really need to become educated!

Don't you mean PROPAGANDISED like the brain washed pseudoscience quacks?

Sorry, freedom to think does not go well with eugenics.

You know you guys who hate people who warn about vaccines can just keep getting them! Hell, have your kids get them, your wife and your entire family tree.

But stop bit_ching and whining about those of us who can read real studies and trends about vaccines and what it does to people after getting them.

If you choose to be stupid, so be it. Stop insulting those of us who are not.

http://iansvoice.org/default.aspx Here, take a look at how safe vaccines are.

The only loony vaccine ranter on this forum is the idiot who posted first.

You may want to ask yourself, if they are safe why is big pharma IMMUNE to prosecution? Seems to me if they are safe you shouldn't worry about being sued. Common sense, something lost on the younger generation.

And its purpose was to direct children to further study before diagnosis. Why did so few parents follow up? Were they waiting to blame it on vaccinations?

I had every daycare provider I use tell me that something was "wrong" with my son and I "needed" to have him tested. Finally, when his daycare threatened that either I get him tested, or they would refuse to take him, I went to the doctor and asked for testing, and they came back with autism. He was 3. He's now 5 and most of the behaviors that qualified him are gone or drastically reduced. And all we did was 1 hour a week of therapy through our school system - we didn't seek any outside therapies, drugs, alternative treatments, diets, etc. He probably wouldn't qualify anymore if we brought him in for a diagnosis. Quite frankly, we waited so long to bring him in because we were pretty sure he would outgrow it, and I didn't want him to be "labeled". If I didn't need daycare, I never would have brought him in in the first place. As it is, I'm now one of those people who is "bringing the number up" and sucking up special education services in the school system that could probably be better used for other kids. Not what I wanted.

I did vaccinate - and "as the mother of an autistic child" - I think that no, vaccines do NOT cause autism. If I had another child I'd still vaccinate them too.

classicsgirl, do not think it is wrong to use any special education resources, your child is certified for them. The reason why special education courses have been shoved back upon the public schools is because various states think that they are saving money by closing facilities only dedicated to the special education problem. But this is a political dispute that has nothing to do with your son.

No autism is NOT just a language disorder. Its a NEUROLOGICAL disorder and language is only ONE part of it.

As the parent of 2 children with asd I have to ask that you not spread such misinformation.

There is already enough mis information about the disorder out there which makes treatment and acceptance so very hard to get, we dont need more wrong information being spread out there.

Greencraft, hey you're a MORON!!!

Where are you getting your information? You could not be more wrong about autism. Tell a parent of a child with autism that it is "basically a language disorder" and see what happens. It is amazing to me that you know there are resources out there to educate you on autism, yet you sound so ignorant on the subject.

Actually, UC Davis is doing some amazing research on Autism and early detection. They are studying children as young as 6 months and can see some tell tale signs. The earlier the better for detection and treatment.

Autism is NOT a speech disorder. There's a LOT more affected than just speech. I have a severely-autistic nephew; talking is NOT the only thing he can't do.

Asperger's is NOT a behavioral problem. Thanks for diagnosing a whole class of people with "it's all in their heads" syndrome. I'll bet you subscribe to the "cold mother" crap, too.

texasmom77 why call greencraft a moron?

What's changed is the awareness of it! 20 years ago, Autism was a tiny blip on the radar and doctors didn't know didly about it.

the vaccinations are being spiked.but people cant see whats in front of there face.they will read a paid government study and think everything is ok.when 1 in 110 kids are getting this,its time to grow up and protect our kids,not be braindead zommbies,and find out what and how they are getting this

Lazy parents...thanks, you just insulted all parents with a kid with developmental delays.

Puppet Leaders, do you know what else I see in front of my face? I much better healthcare system that makes diagnosis much easier (and therefore more common), a big increase in the use of food dyes, pesticides, antibiotics in meats, preservatives in processed foods, and on and on. It's pretty narrow-minded to look at just ONE thing that has changed over the last 50 years or so as a cause of autism.

Autism has no known cause----Not since Dr Bruno Bettelheim has anyone suggested that parents lazy or otherwise cause autism-@grahamta.

Autism is devistating to parents and kids alike.

Personally I blame environmental issues for the increase including genetically modified foods and irradiated foods. Not trusting the FDA to be honest about either. I think that the foods may still contain neutrients but perhaps our bodies can not utilize them properly.

I think and thank those who test kids for being able to catch this condition at earlier ages. Early intervention makes a huge difference for the kids and their families.

To all parents of austic kids my heart and admiration go out to you !!!

What has changed? Greater reporting, more understanding of the diseases, and therefore more diagnoses, more press, more money in research, and a fervent autism conspiracy movement.

I'm sure there are many reasons for this, but for our family it was awareness. After my son was diagnosed with Asperger's, 2 of his grandparents were diagnosed - they are even farther on the spectrum than my son and just never had a name for it. Their lives have been miserable.

The statistic of 1 in 100 is often quted these days, but in this study...

Of 10,479 babies screened, 184 who were sent for further testing followed through — and 32 eventually were diagnosed with autism

32 out of 10,479 is far from 1 in 100. It's more like 3 in 1,000 to round it off. What's up with that? Was this not a random sample?

When I was growing up, any child that seemed the least bit abnormal was considered retarded. That included everything from slight learning disabilities to extreme mental or physical health issues. Unless a child's illness was well known, doctors did not know what to do. Although there have been advances in childrens health issues, we are still a long way from where we need to be.

The study stated that of those flagged for further testing , only 184 parents followed through and got the additional testing , of those 184, 32 had autism.

The study flagged over 1000 kids for additional testing. How many of the other 900+ that didnt get tested might have ended up dx with autism?

What's changed? Diagnostics. Autistic children before were labeled retarded. The severe ones were simply institutionalized; no effort a treatment was made (many were probably lobotomized).

Yes, Genenut, I didn't read that carefully enough. It's not clear what happened with the others, so the proportion doesn't mean anything. Thanks.

According to some experts, The increase in autism is not due to different methods of diagnostics..if that were the case , other categories would see a decrease in diagnosis and that's not happening.. it's on the up and up and nobody knows why..

lacywild, supposedly for budget cuts, California has closed many permanent residential facilities for disabled children over the years. The one good thing to come out of it, is some of these children (and also adults who had grown up in this system), were found not to be retarded at all, just having various severe physical disabilities. Those who were found to be cognitively functioning finally have their own apartments, with in-home nursing care.

I totally understand the late diagnosis thing. My son had problems since birth and was given a variety of different diagnosises over the years. With each new diagnosis we would look at the criteria and say well....close but not totally. We tried different therapies and some meds. Again after a major episode at school, only my son was 14 almost 15 we got a social worker that pointed us to a neuropsych doctor and we got the diagnosis of PDD-NOS. My son will be 20 next week. He is still living at home and doing pretty good. I'm not sure if he will ever hold a real job because of the social issues but otherwise he is doing great. The one thing that I had a hard time with when he got diagnosed was not the diagnosis itself, that was almost a relief because so much made sense then, it was the fact that every program or therapy for kids with autism had a cut off age of 8-10 for treatment. What are we supposed to do with these kids that get a late diagnosis because the doctors cant't be bothered to look deeper and get a correct diagnosis earlier?

Now a days the average is age 5. back then most doctors didnt know enough to start the diagnostic process. My youngest was diagnosed at age 5, my eldest at age 10 and only because he was having other issues and the autism was found while dealing with those other issues. (severe depression). They are getting better but it will take time and pressure to make awareness happen.

:(

There are no drugs to treat autism itself. become educated about autism and take your conspiracy talk elsewhere.

An Autism diagnosis does not automatically mean that a child will be put on medication. That is an ignorant statement! Autism is a very broad spectrum & every child is different.

My son was diagnosed with a mild form at @ 2 yrs. old & has never been on meds. We got intervention very early & he has had wonderful teachers/aides in a mainstrem school since kindergarten. He will be 12 in September & starting Jr. High in the fall. It has definitely been challenging at times, but nothing we can't handle. He talks, has friends, helps around the house, does well in school (he is the best speller in his class!)....all without medication! He is the most caring kid in the world & I wouldn't change him for the world!

Autism is not treated with drugs. The interventions are behavioral therapy and related treatments.

My sister-in-law has been going full-out with therapy for her son (my nephew). He was diagnosed around age 2 (there were signs earlier, but the doctors didn't want to jump to wrong conclusions until they had ruled out other developmental issues). He's now 5. A couple of weeks ago, he had a major breakthrough: he looked her square in the eyes and said "Hi, Mommy."

To those parents struggling with this, hang in there. There is still hope that your children can improve with the right treatment.

Are you kidding me????? How they're raised and how much time is spent with them?

GET OFF YOUR HORSE!!!!!! DO YOU HAVE FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE OF THIS "LACK OF PARENTING"? JUST STEP OFF.........

refidgerator mom is a myth. Bad parenting does NOT cause autism and any suggestion that it does is repulsive. I have two on the spectrum, I receive no govt support checks and I work and carry regular insurance on both. Any treatment they get is to help them later in life to try to life a full and independent life because I wont be there forever.

Walk a mile in my shoes before you DARE to speak on the subject of autism again.

Do you have a kid with developmental delays...obviously not. You need to shut your mouth if you don't know what you are talking about. Autism is a devastating diagnosis and you take the time to write that comment. Unbelievable.

Interestingly, I heard that for years. "You're not strict enough", "you don't correct him enough." Well when you spank your child and ground them and deprive them of activities and toys at 3! I am so sick of people saying it's ALWAYS the parents fault!! I am a very strict parent with BOTH of my children, and only ONE has any behavioural issues. When your child throws themselves on the floor and starts biting and scratching themselves and nothing you do makes any difference, maybe you'll rethink YOUR crap!!! PARENTING! HUMPH!! I think NOT!! Get a monthly check?! The only thing I get from my son having Asperger's is BILLS!! Since I didn't want him on medication there is a lot of intensive therapy involved. Maybe you will reconsider your thoughts when you have a child who doesn't call you "Mommy" until he is almost 3. Will you think twice when your child would rather play ALONE with LEGO's, than play with other children? Perhaps when they get a little older (say 12) and their best friend is a 6 year old, because the kids his age don't want to play "kid games." Or maybe it will take you hearing other kids call your child "retard", despite the fact that he gets straight A's, or the teachers telling you that your child is "strange." You are the PRIME example why some kids don't get diagnosed PROPERLY until they are 10 or 11 years old. Perhaps if you would give up some of your archaic thinking and move to modern times, you would see how much progress has been made in this world.

Nanae13. Do you have a child with Autism? Because if you did, you won't be saying these things. My child didn't speak when she was 2 years old and had other development delays and I am a stay at home mom and have been a parent to her. I've done everything for this child including early intervention, Pre-K and now she is in an inclusion classroom in school.

The amount of time that I've spent with this one child so she can succeed so huge that my other child gets ignored.

Stop with the ignorant comments until you've been there.

You ignoramus. I have a family member who spends 24/7 with her autistic son - teaching him, doing his therapy with him, running him to doctor appointments - she has completely dedicated her life to this boy and does everything she can to help him. Most parents of autistic children I know are like this. It is not caused by bad parenting.

Nanae . . . Are you kidding me???? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME???????????? Can you really be that flipping ignorant????? Why don't you get off YOUR "axx" and spend some time with an autistic child? You wouldn't last five minutes in my house, where every. single. moment. of my day is devoted to keeping my son comfortable and happy.

It's gonna hurt like hell when you fall off that high horse.

You all are great I was going to try and put nanae-13 in her place. What a foolish old woman or possibly man.

nanae. Come to my house and say that to my face, you old bat. I've never gotten a penny from anyone because of my daughter. That's why I still live in poverty. Until you've had to deal with a situation like this, keep your freakin mouth shut. You don't know what kind of parent either of us on this post are. Why are you even posting here, GO AWAY.

nanae13 what you write goes on. It is occasional, not prevalent as you imply.

Early detection and treatment make a huge difference. Just out of curiosity, do you have children? You are making some pretty ridiculous comments. A little too ridiculous to have an understanding of what it means to be a mother.

Read the comments above, nanae13. Many of these children were not diagnosed until they were at least five. That's plenty of time for slow development to catch up; no one is "jumping the gun" here. A child who can't talk at the age of five is NOT going to "catch up" on his own.

Both my children are high functioning. Both had early signs of autism before their 1st birthday. This wont just find the severely affected.

My eldest walked at 7 months, talked early to and meet every physical milestone on time. He has a genius level IQ but He didn't make eye contact, wasn't soothed by being held and only played by himself instead of with others. He fails to pick up non verbal clues and always has. I used to joke that I could turn red and steam come out my ears and he still wouldnt be able to tell by looking at me that I was mad.

Nanae13- I know there are ignorant people out there, but I think you take the cake today. Granted, the day is young, but it's going to take a lot to top your ignorance today or any other day.

Genenut: Your comment made me smile. That was actually when I realized something was different with my 3-year old son. I was angry about something he did and leaned over in his face saying "Couldn't you tell by the look on my face I was angry?" He avoided looking me in the face and quietly said "No." I said "Look me in the face so I know you are listening!" His eyes darted everywhere but to my face and I could see he was so distressed by wanting to do what I told him to and being unable to make himself do it. That realization started me on the road to trying to find ways to understand and help him. My son was born in 1991 and I read they hadn't even formally recognized Asperger's until 1994. When I did read about Asperger's a few years later, I realized that the scene described above was a classic symptom. He never go out of consequences for unacceptable behavior, but after calming down, we would talk about it so he would understand why there were consequences. He still sometimes has trouble controlling his frustrations, but he has grown into the most self-aware person I know which helps him be understanding of others.

Pesticides may possibly be linked to lower IQ and ADHD, more research should be done to check on that.

However, neither low IQ or ADHD is related to autism.

Please educate yourself prior to commenting. Europeans (and Americans) have been studying autism since the late 1930's. Search Hans Asperger. Sound familiar? Asperger's syndrome IS an autism spectrum disorder.

The New Latin word autismus (English translation autism) was coined by the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1910 as he was defining symptoms of schizophrenia. He derived it from the Greek word autós (αὐτός, meaning self), and used it to mean morbid self-admiration, referring to "autistic withdrawal of the patient to his fantasies, against which any influence from outside becomes an intolerable disturbance.

Yes vaccines were routine in the 60's but not to the degree that they are now.. There are more and more vaccines being mandated . One theory is it's not the vaccines per se but the fact that they are being given to such young babies in such a short amount of time.. I'm not saying don't vaccinate but the scenario has changed...

A full proper diagnosis of autism is achieved after a an evaluation and testing done by a panel including the child's teachers, therapists, a psychologist , neurologist and pediatrician. It is a process that is not completed in a day and usually takes weeks to gather all the results and then come up with a diagnosis.

This check list will only refer kids for testing. It will not lead to false diagnosis anymore than happens now.

Genenut is right. Testing and diagnosis for a child takes hours, days, weeks or longer. My son showed signs of Autism since he was about a year old. I took him to one supposed "specialist" who spent less than 10 minutes with him and said "he doesn't have autism" but said I should put him on pills that had been shown to increase suicidal tendencies. I said "no way in hell!" that was a few years ago. I think he was in 4th or 5th grade, so he was about 10 or so. Last May, I took him to a place that deals with special services and a wide variety of disabilities. He had been having different tests from various places for a couple weeks before this, a little at a time. They spent the whole day with my son doing the tests before finally determining that YES, he has a high-functioning form of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). He is now 14 years old. A referal for testing will not have a lot of false diagnosis, unless they end up going to a quack like the first supposed "specialist" that I took my son to.