MN Somalis Are Now Aware Of Autism. But Still No WHY From Authorities.

By Kim Stagliano

From WQOW (cow?) in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A new report confirms that Somali children in Minneapolis are in autism programs at a higher rate than non-Somali children.

But a long-awaited report from the Minnesota Health Department doesn't speculate on why.

The study finds the percentage of Somali children in the Minneapolis district's autism programs is two to seven times higher than for non-Somali children. It was for children ages 3 to 4 for three years starting in 2005.

Some Somali parents have speculated that the higher autism rates were related to vaccines, lead exposure or vitamin D deficiency.

The New York Times reports the story too.

We can assume that the epidemiologists, in an intense and costly effort to solve the mystery, will scour Minnesota Public Television, probe the age of parents and determine that the Somali parents' stress levels are higher than the average Minnesotan without a child with autism in the next decade. Meanwhile, mind the killer pistachios, everyone.

Kim Stagliano is Managing Editor of Age of Autism.

Comments

[FYI from Minneapolis Star Tribune Opinion Page]

Readers Write for Monday, April 6
Minneapolis Star Tribune Opinion Page:

SOMALIS IN MINNESOTA
Autism study is flawed and incomplete
The Department of Public Health autism study among Somalis in Minnesota (Star Tribune, April 1) is flawed because it is based on the number of children in public schools who have been placed in classrooms for children with autism.
Several studies have shown classroom placement is a poor estimate of autism prevalence because children may be identified as having autism when they actually have another condition. A true estimate of autism prevalence can be obtained by screening and testing a large random sample of children within the community of concern, and compare prevalence with that in a similar group of children in another community. There is ample evidence various ethnic communities view disabilities differently, some perceive them as reflecting unfavorably on families (see Roy Grinker's book "Unstrange Minds"), which make parents less likely to welcome school identification as requiring special services.
Autism prevalence is higher in certain groups. A study published in the journal Science in July 2008 based on a large sample of children with autism from several countries in the Middle East, revealed that autism was more prevalent if the child's mother and father shared a common ancestor, such as a great grandfather. In some ethnic communities where marriage within a circumscribed group of people is common, that can greatly increase the risk of autism. A family lineage study would be required.

PROF. TRAVIS THOMPSON, ROSEVILLE; DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, AND MINNESOTA EARLY AUTISM PROJECT

[jruch]

most recent infamous use of the placebo term "monitoring" -

"It is useful to underline that it is not in any way possible to predict an earthquake," it said, adding that the agency saw no reason for alarm but was nonetheless effecting "continuous monitoring and attention".

-Italian Civil Protection Agency's Major Risks Committee in response to warnings by seismologist Gioacchino Giuliani a few weeks ago that a large quake was on the way in L'Aquila, Italy. Giuliani was reported to police for "spreading alarm" and was forced to remove his findings from the internet.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L6566682.htm

There is an earthquake of autism that will continue to shake us until the CCD takes the action necessary to study this event in MN.

[Beta]

Everything I'm reading here is exactly like what I see in the world of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Actually CFS is a made-up illness, it was made-up in 1988 to cover up an outbreak of a neurological disease called ME, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

http://www.ahummingbirdsguide.com/markingtime.htm

All these neurological problems, and all these officials saying that the patients, or the parents of the child patients, are making it up for attention.

I heard about Joseph Beiderman. There is another psychiatrist like that in the UK who is paid by the MoD and the medical insurance companies. He says Gulf War illness is stress, and when the water got poisoned in Cornwall in England and made people ill, he said that was stress too. That's what they always say to avoid responsibility and liability. If people fight against this they will even threaten to have them locked up in a psychiatric ward.

[sarah]

I think it will take a lot of public pressure to get the CDC to act which may mean making another big push contacting US Senators and Reps to make the CDC go in and investgate what's going hell is going on here.

The other thing I find extremely odd about this is that the Somalis who settled in places like Lewiston, Maine and Boston have shown no surge in autism like in Minnesota. Some people are arguing that stress from immigration is causing the rise, but the fact of the matter is Somalis were escaping an an extremely stressful environment (refugee camps) back in war torn Somalia.
Also the Somalis say autism isn't a problem back there. They call it the "American disease"

I think something is up here. Part of me feels like we could be witnessing a bioterror event but due to the epidemic of bureaucrats who have their heads up the
a---es, they do not see this so they rationalize.

The UK has expressed fear that an influx of Somali refugees would also result an increase in domestic terrorism. Perhaps this is what we're seeing in the US among the MN Somalis. It seems likely these kids had a toxic exposure of some kind. The Minnesota Somalis are a target. (IMO)

[jruch]

Sarah – I was thinking the same thing - On the CDC threatcon scale, is “monitoring” a step of urgency above or below “awareness”? I’m just wondering if we will be getting to autism monitoring month in the future, or if we’ve already been there. Is there a number above 7 times the normal autism rate that will trigger the next threatcon level, say maybe at 10 the CDC becomes “concerned”? Has the CDC ever taken autism incidence rate differentials seriously as an event, an opportunity or even a mandate to learn more about autism triggers? What is going on in Minnesota in general, where the 07-08 school data shows an overall rate of 1:74, compared to 21 states where the rate is over 1:200???? I am afraid we are going to spend years watching them try to debunk and obfuscate this statistic without ever really looking into what it could mean.

I get an image of the CDC’s capabilities as being similar to a thinly woven spider web. If the facts do not land on one of the pre-scripted strands of the web, there is nothing there. Same with the tools that write for them on queue. Hopefully there is a university, foundation or international organization with the resources, integrity and creativity to take this on without regard for any other potentially conflicting policy objectives.

If only they put as much effort into this as have the Frankin/Coleman Senate election results recount, we might be on our way to celebrating autism victory month by now.

[Maggie]

So, now "they" are saying that maternal stress causes autism. And maybe migration to the US caused too much stress on the mothers resulting in autism in the children. What a bunch of crap. I didn't have any stress while pregnant but my son was injected full of mercury postnatally in his vaccines. My grandmother immigrated to the US in the 1920's and none of her children have autism. Oh wait, maybe my grandmother's migration stress caused her great grandchild's autism. Who believes this crap. Vaccines cause autism.

[Gatogorra]

Tim and Nancy,

When information on the meeting is posted, I hope you're share the part of the video that shows the "workers" gaggling and giggling while Tim asked questions. It sounds like such a Kodak moment.

[Cynthia Cournoyer]

I heard that there is no native word for "autism" in Somalia. If this is a sunshine-rich nation, with dark-skin natives, it would seem that genetically, they would thrive on sunshine. If vitamin D is necessary to the immune system and a population is then placed in an extremely northern latitude, with little sun for months, it would stand to reason that their immune systems may be at a higher disadvantage than the whiter northern population of the state. This could be a clue to the epidemic of autism in the U.S. as a whole. In one generation, we have tripled the recommended doses of vaccines. In one generation we have seen autism skyrocket. Vaccines stimulate the immune system. What if we were overstimulated? There are studies that show people who are deficient in vitamin D have less resistance to disease. What if they have less resistance to the components of the vaccines also? Find an unvaccinated Somali population in Minnesota and try to find autism. What a perfect place to study why vaccines could cause autism.
Cynthia Cournoyer
www.whataboutimmunizations.com

[WE SHALL OVERCOME]

If the CDC thought the autism explosion was a big crisis and they were intent on solving the "puzzle" (I hate that autism puzzle logo, there is no puzzle here) the MN Somali population would be the ideal group to find the culprit behind the epidemic. But the CDC will not study autism in Somali kids because, if they did, they know exactly what they would find. Thus, we get statistical fluke.

The correlation between autism and vaccination in this particular case is just too powerful to be able to deny it. I had to get a mandatory MMR shot when applying for a green card ten years ago even though I already had the measles as a kidas, as I pleaded with INS officials. Despite being more immune to measles than any kid getting a bunch of boosters in the US, I went ahead and got the shot since the INS wouldn't process my aplication otherwise. Similarly, a young somali kid would have to get every single shot on the schedule before being granted a visa. Knowing the kafkian process of filing INS paperwork, I suppose that PTSD'd Somali parents eager for stability would rush to get their one year old sSmali baby the full motherload of required vaccine shots within a few months just to get it over with, assured by the fact that US health experts say it is save to put 10,000 shots at a time. Ergo, Somali autism at higher rates that the already high US rates.

Hey, McNeil!! Yes you, statistical fluke of a journalist, thanks a bunch for solving the MN puzzle. Sherlock Holmes would be proud of you.

[Sarah]

The Somali cluster in Minnesota is begging for a study.

From NYT article:

Coleen Boyle, director of the (CDC) agency’s division of birth defects and developmental disabilities, called the study well done but preliminary, adding, “It highlights the importance of ongoing monitoring.”

"There are no plans yet to study autism in Somalis elsewhere or to do genetic studies," Said Coleen Boyle.

Montoring?? WTF? Why not do a genetic study? This is unacceptable not to mention outrageous. People should pressure Ms. Boyle at the CDC to study the Somali autism cluster.

Here's how to contact Ms. Boyle at the CDC:

Coleen Boyle, PhD. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd NE E-87
Atlanta, GA USA 30333

Email: cab3@cdc.gov

[Jack]

Somehow Donald McNeil failed to mention that just two weeks ago he wrote a headline suggesting it was a statisitcal fluke. Well, now it is real and the parents were right after all.

I wonder what else we're right about???

This guy also wrote a great story about conflict of interest in the medical world. I don't know why he can't get it with this issue. I really don't.

I sent him a lot of "scientific information" about the testing we had done on our children, the documentation of medical improvement and co-inciding lessing of "autistic symptoms" and he wrote me back comparing us to people waiting at the river Lourdes. How can he just not see? Pissed me off. And I had even posted defending him and that we need dialogue with people like him that might be open rather than attack them.

[Sarah]

This to me is a human rights violation.

I feel the constitutional rights of the Somalian children and all children who are among sensitive populations and who suffered autistic regression after being vaccinated due to the gov'ts mandatory requirement are having their rights violated. They are not being granted equal protection as required under Constitutional law. Maybe the Minnesota Health Department needs a reminder.

US Constitution says:

Amendment XIV

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

[David Troutman]

This to a simple dad of two ASD boys would be a perfect place to test (OAT,IgG hair) and let the results tell the truth. Even the most conflicted researcher has to see this oppertunity and yet nothing. GOD help us.

[Natasa]

Do Somali immigrants to the States get HIV screening? and if so which types? Does the screening include type 2 virus (not lethal, and not detectable by the usual tests aimed at HIV-1)

[LOuis Conte]

So. The autism rate for Somalis in Minnesotta is higher. So. There you are.

Can someone explain to me why these people are not being studied by an armada of health professionals to figure out why this is happening. Why is it that acceptable to say to people "Yeah, your kid has autism. Deal with it. See you around."?

I have suggestion for the Minnesota Health authorities: Do an investigation! Ask some questions! Examine these kids. Help these people.

Do your jobs. Even if it means dealing with autism.

[nhokkanen]

After today's press conference ended, the microphones were still on for a few minutes. While Tim Kasemodel could be heard asking questions, a gaggle of chattering women were laughing away in the background.

So much for thinking that the Minnesota Department of Health understands the seriousness of the Somali autism increase.

And no, the nice mommies and grandmas at MDH who are so adept at pushing unsafe products won't be doing medical exams on these kids any time soon. In times like these you find out just how unscientific these career bureaucrats are.

Autism will remain a mystery while MDH pays lip service to family aid, and gossipy workers are overheard mumbling that these immigrants should feel grateful for whatever they get.

[Abdulkadir Khalif]

The long awaited report on autism amongst Somali immigrants is finally out.It is long on words but short on ideas. It was, as expected a manifestation of unforgivable ignorance by the health authorities in this state. They have no idea why there is a prevalence of autism amongst the Somali immigrants of Minnesota. They however cannot deny that the numbers are outragious. They should have included kids more than 4 years and see what that does to the numbers. We have seen only the tip of the iceberg. this scandal is not going away anytime soon and we better brace for a long battle. I am studying the report and will write an appropriate report soon.

[Deb in IL]

@ Holly M: I think it's more than the vaccines (they're a big part). They're one generation from living in a less toxic environment - cleaner food, cleaner air, more sun.
I'm not saying Somalia is paradise by any means, but look at the trade off of coming to America. :(

[Gatogorra]

Looks like the New York Times was back in Minnesota (or maybe they killed two birds with one stone and covered the following during their "autism" trip):

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/health/29immig.html?hp

The Times isn't letting go of the Minnesota Somali issue and, on the thin pretext of focusing on battle-scarred emigres (oh, the Times cares so much), it's pretty clear what theory the Times is going with for the moment: Somali rates of autism are caused by PTSD. Or something. It doesn't matter because embedded media just needs to create what the public will think is "reasonable" doubt in the vaccine link. People are too stupid to stop and wonder why, for instance, Vietnamese refugees or WWII refugees didn't have an explosion of autism.

This is perhaps one of the cruelest, most grotesque propaganda campaigns I've seen happen in real time. What are individuals in the Somali community who may have had the dual misfortune of enduring war on TOP of having their children stolen supposed to do to ward off this distortion? Pretend that life under civil war was a day at the beach so that the "stress" isn't blamed for the enormous autism rates that only occurred once they left Somalia?

This isn't just a double victimization, it's triple. For US vaccine-injury parents, we're under the gun of, say, having to not appear devastated and outraged by our children being maimed lest we inadvertantly lend to a stereotype based on the multigenerational "genetic mental illness/autism" myth. That's just double victimization. Triple is when you do the same exact thing to war refugees.

I hope the Somali community puts a moratorium on cooperating with the New York Times and with any conflicted academic "research" outfits or conflicted media until their real concerns are heard.

[Tim Kasemodel]

We have been doing a cable TV show on SOMA-TV where a few of us parents, both white and Somali, discuss autism, vaccines, rates, whatever. The phones ring off the hook.

It is fun - Abdulkadir and the other translators are unbelievable.

This community is vibrant and educated, and have a strong desire for information. Getting documents translated is an issue.

I attended and videotaped the media briefing today and will try to write a synopsis for AoA after reviewing the tape and going over the rates of 3 to 4 year olds statewide to compare.

Had a great conversation with the Commish and the author of the study. My ears were hot as I spoke because being "diplomatic" is a challenge for me, but I succeeded in showing them that autism parents are not the crazies they make us out to be.

Tim

[K Fuller Yuba city]

I just read that Swedish children in homes with vinyl flooring have higher rates of Autism. Maybe they should just say kids with Mothers have higher Autism. That would make more sense.

[Holly M.]

I'm probably very naive but aren't these families networked enough to stop vaccinating all infants. Is there a common place of worship, restaraunts, grocery stores, etc. where they can get the word out about vaccines and autism.