OK OK We all know that....

It was all Bush's fault.

Forget global warming - sane people have already. The rest are nuts and don't care about anyhthing they cannot get for free by stealing it from you.

you sick nut case ... are you insinuating that autism is primarily caused by "cold" mothers?

I never had a problem with him at home (before age 5), all behavioral problems started AFTER he started in the school system .... so then HOW would it be the parents fault?!?! hmmmmmmmm?

I have done everything for my child (and I know many other parents with autistic children who spend sooooo much time, love, and care on their children) who is FINALLY getting the care he needs from the school system. He is FINALLY doing REALLY well, because I have had to switch him out of 3 different schools systems which failed to have compassion and give him the thing that he needs: TIME

He needs time to adjust to things: you cannot spring ANYTHING on him. As long as he knows what he has to do in advance, he is fine. He is now getting all A's and B's, where before, he tested in the bottom 1% of his age, he is now average (and in one test he tested in top 1%)


You ignorant fools who spread false information saying that it is the parents fault make it harder for the child to get the resources he needs! Rather than think that it could have happened to one of your own children, it is easier to just blame the parents, isn't it?

(and btw, the school he is in now does not cost more money, it costs less. The only difference is the teachers are more open minded and LISTEN to the parents about what helps with making the child comfortable)

michem55, "you sick nutcase?" I have seen 13 say some inciteful things but wow. Is that an official diagnosis or just a greeting in michemese?

To theburning3rd -- so my crazy nut case was a little to strong? .... well, maybe. But it is so frustrating as the sooner people realize that there is an environmental trigger (many children are fine until about the age of two, like my son was) that has nothing to do with the parents ( I didn't drink alcohol or even coffee while I was pregnant and I had a completely normal pregnancy) and that many of the parents with these children bend over backwards to help their child -- I think we will be closer to finding the REAL REASON behind the increase, and prevent what my son has gone through from happening to other children.

But there is so much misinformation out there ... you think with the interent and computers that the amount of information would increase, but unfortunately, the quality of information has gone WAY down. When you would get a book when we were younger, it was normally a fairly valid source -- now everyone is out there posting stuff, very misleading stuff that cause people to draw conclusion that may be false. And in this case, these false conclusion hurt the children like my son, and that upsets me.
So, sorry about the nutcase crack ... just please stop and think about how spreading misinformation about these children might hurt them.

I am so sickened and sad by your comment and several previous comments. My 11 yr old son has aspergers and I can assure you this was not brought on by alcohol consumption, drugs, or any other substance. My son is a wonderful person and more valuable than most of the human garbage out there. No need to worry about the aspies, they will be better off than most of you!!

well said. thank you!

....sigh....

There are SO many informational resources out on the net that it should be easily possible to write a balanced and useful article. This is at least not an "Autism, Fear Or Loathing" style of article. That's to the good. But sadly, it doesn't go far beyond being non-toxic.

It's certainly possible to react intelligently. As an "Aspie" - someone with aspergers syndrome, for lack of a more useful term - I find the willingness of the neurotypical to speak without fact-checking to be mildly appalling. It doesn't matter whether you are Right or Left if you are not *correct.*

But let me clear up a few, obvious points. The latest statistical information can be looked at in two ways. It COULD indicate there's an "epidemic." But the properly conservative interpretation of the study (which is preliminary data, not conclusive information) would be to assume that better understanding and greater awareness is leading to greater rates of detection. This would be an expected outcome, and since autism is NOT a fatal condition, obviously there will be an existing population of adults. It may well be that we are talking about a normal minority neurological profile. When you look into it, it's a little alarming to realize how little we know about "normal" and what the *range* of normal is.

When people are trying to get you to fear something they are generally also trying to pry money out of your wallet. That's true of Autism and with every other "cause" and "crusade" and "initiative" out there. A good crank of the fear siren is the quickest way to fill the coffers.

Regarding parenting: There are aspies and auties who have good parents and who have bad parents. Whether the parenting had anything directly to do with the manifestation of their disorder is an open question - however, it's obvious that better parenting leads to better outcomes. One of the better ways of finding out how to successfully parent an aspie or autie would be to talk to other parents who have already been there and done that.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AspergersCircle/

If you are a parent of an aspie/autie in Northern Nevada, you might check out ASGONN. It's good at tracking local resources and staying on top of relevant local legal and regulatory issues affecting special education resources.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/asgonn/

I have one url left, so let's use it for the best single place to find useful resources: Autism Hub. http://www.autism-hub.co.uk/

Note: I was limited to three links, so I chose broadly "Neurodiverse" resources; first, because that's my perspective, and second, because you are less likely to stumble across them, searching for sites. My perspective does not yet have a large foundation supporting it. It's greatest resource is that it's one supported by a rather large proportion of people who actually are autistic to some degree and who function with it well enough to interact with other people in text form.

No doubt others will contribute links to the perspectives they support. It's worth noting that there are several perspectives, many approaches and no-one is anywhere near the "final word" on the topic. We are still looking for good questions.

Speaking of auties and aspies - Asking Awkward Questions Are Us. :P

Be particularly skeptical of those telling you that Autism can be "cured" with some form of biomedical or nutritional intervention. People with autism and aspergers may well have certain "co-morbid" conditions, some of which can be addressed nutritionally. But run it by your GP before signing a check, eh?

I am a 72 year old caregiver (along with others) for an autistic grandson. Your letter was the most comprehensive and accurate of the ones I've read so far. Some of these writers, instead of railing against the supposed failings of parents, genetics, and the "global environment", should instead be feeling great sorrow for all the former children who grew up without being diagnosed, therefore not helped, because not enough was known about the condition. (Notice, the statistics say "number of those DIAGNOSED with autism", not those who actually had it.) Many of these are the people that society now has to support, because they were never helped to learn to care for themselves, control their impulsive behavior, or hold down a job. As so many have written here, my grandson has no history in his immediate family history, nor in that of generations past, of any substance abuse, mental illness, etc. But he WILL be able to be the best that he can, because he is surrounded by a loving family, and an education system that doesn't have it's head in the sand!

Sounds like you are one of the retarded, knee jerk, hateful, nobody knows anything but me left-wing loonies.

I believe the CDC doesn't want people to suspect the vacines, but autism has been known as an autoimmune desease .... and the number of vacines the children received by the age of two now adays has doubled!!!

I believe we will find, in time, that we are exposing these young babies to too many things at once, overwhelming their immune system, and creating the disease.

My son showed no symptoms at all until around age two .... when he his speech development came to a stand still. He was just starting to put two words together, when his speech development froze for about a year. At the age of three, he was still only able to put together two words, and at age five, he was still only 10% audible.

Working with him constantly, his vocabulary is now greater than the average 11 year old .... He is a great, wonderful child who I believe will end up ahead, not behind.

I cannot help but wonder what would have happened if I had not been such a proactive parent and I waited a few months more before giving him his next set of immunizations .....

maybe it is not the cold parents who end up with autistic children, but the really pro-active ones who follow the crazy schedule of giving thier children all the shots at once ....