Autism and the National Science Bowl

Managing Editor's Note: You can meet Kent at Autism One. Join us at our 3:00pm session on Saturday in the Executive Forum.

By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.

I was checking my school e-mail account on Monday morning when I got the message.

A team of five kids from my school, including three of my students had qualified for the finals of the National Science Bowl.  For those of you unfamiliar with the National Science Bowl, it's a competition which was started twenty years ago by the Department of Energy to promote science excellence among middle and high school students.  This year there were more than 1,000 middle school teams competing and the team from my school had made it to the final two.  The panel asking questions would consist of the Secretary of the Department of Energy and Nobel Prize winner, Steven Chu and First Lady, Michelle Obama.

The e-mail informed me the competition would be streamed live starting at 8:00 a.m. west coast time.  I glanced at the clock, noting that my first period class, (which had one of my students on the team) started at 8:15.  I ditched my planned activity in favor of having the class watch the competition.  It was also the day before we began STAR testing and I figured what could be more inspiring than watching their classmates be questioned by a Nobel prize-winning scientist and the First Lady?

I didn't imagine my class could get so enthusiastic about a science competition.  It was like watching the Superbowl with them.  Our team won the first round of questioning with about three seconds left to spare.  Unfortunately we lost the second round to a private school from New Mexico.  I couldn't help noticing though, that their team was composed of all 8th graders while our team was all 7th graders.  We'll be back next year.

It was all very exciting, especially when the team came back and wanted to present the science department with one of those big super-size checks you see when somebody wins an insane amount of money in a lottery.  The check was large in size, but the amount was not, just a thousand dollars.  Maybe now we can buy a plastic skeleton for anatomy discussions.

The parents of the team came along with their kids to a staff meeting to present the big check and of course they wanted to talk to me.  Even though this is my first year teaching middle school science I get kudos for being an engaging teacher and always encouraging my students to ask questions.  Although this team started studying in sixth grade before I got there, several of the parents personally thanked me for making science so enjoyable for their kids.  At the very least, I wasn't one of those teachers who destroyed their love of science.

During the gathering one of the mothers came up to me and said, "I understand you have a daughter with autism."  It's something my students know and I'll often talk about.  I figure, it's my life, why shouldn't I share it?

The mother motioned to her son, who was in the midst of having a conversation with another science teacher and said, "His brother has autism.  And he has had some problems as well."

Normally I stay away from the issue of causation, but as this was a private conversation with a parent I figured it was okay.  I told her I'm a strong believer in the vaccine-autism connection and told her of my experiences.  She nodded, noted that she was a medical doctor herself, and shared many of the same concerns.  Recently she'd agonized over giving her son with autism the flu shot, gave it to him, and noticed a significant worsening of his symptoms.  Our conversation continued in the brief amount of time left before the start of school, and we promised to talk more in the future.

As I left I couldn't help but reflect on what the future holds.  I always tell people that I teach at an amazing school.  I tell them I know somewhere in the future I'll pick up the newspaper to read about some amazing scientific discovery, I'll see a name and say, "Hey, I taught that kid!"

And it strikes me that what is a fringe cause of today, the role of vaccines in autism and other neurological disorders will be one of their mainstream concerns.  They live with autism and the other health problems of their generation on a daily basis.  As today's medical authorities inch towards the idea that there may be an environmental component to autism (but God forbid you mention injected vaccines!) I know my students would tackle the question head-on.  It would strike them as eminently logical to do a study of the neurological outcomes of vaccinated and unvaccinated children to answer the question. 

I'm reminded of the old adage that a new idea doesn't succeed so much because it changes the minds of those in authority, but that a new generation takes their place with different ideas. 

Personally, I think some of my seventh graders could do a better job with autism than those currently in charge. 

Kent Heckenlively is Legal Editor of Age of Autism

Comments

[Cherry Sperlin Misra]

Kent, this is such an interesting article in so many ways, but I shall comment on the mother who gave an autistic child a flu shot, because that really bothers me a lot. And she is a medical doctor- Could she not read the word Thimerosal on the package? She probably just put another 25 mcg of ethylmercury into her child that is going to take 20 or more years to excrete. You have to wonder from where she is getting her information on autism.
I would like to see all autism organizations- and those who deal with hyperactivity and dyslexia too-start out the newly diagnosed kids with the simple do's and donts that any parent can do- ie- Stop the vaccines for a year or two. Stop the fish. Get your child into the sun more often. No dental work with mercury. No high fructose corn syrup. Go through a list of possible mercury /metal exposures and get rid of them if possible.
Instead, what one hears of is ABA and "services". How much can ABA and services do for a child receiving continued toxic exposures ?
We have almost no "services" in India and therapy is limited and for the lucky or wealthy, so we just have to get down to the basics that any parent can do ; and I have seen wonderful improvement in some kids whose parents followed these guidelines.
I would really like to see autism organizations and magazines publish lists of what a parent can do from the very first days that they suspect autism or ADHD or see a child have seizures .
I also spend some time with parents telling them about avoiding exposure to dogs and how to treat wounds so that they wont be told to give their child a tetanus toxoid. Rabies and tetanus vaccines in India have very high levels of mercury and if Im not mistaken the same may still be true for the US. Perhaps things are different in the US- but in India a fairly high percentage of small kids are given rabies or tetanus toxoids vaccines. The autistic kids are particularly vulnerable as they may have poor coordination and lack of awareness of danger.
Would any of you readers like to suggest other instructions for parents - things that they can do without any help from anyone else?

[Autism Grandma]

Here's an article I just noticed in todays news in relation to my previous comment regarding the FDA, which does not REALLY investigate anything. Their job is to keep covering up the truth:

FDA Probes Complications, Deaths Linked to J&J Children's Meds

U.S. health officials are investigating hundreds of complications that have been reported with several recalled Johnson & Johnson liquid children's medicines, but have not uncovered a direct link, according to Congressional documents.

The Food and Drug Administration did not find an apparent connection between the 775 incidents, which included 30 deaths, and dozens of recalled products, the Democratic staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said in a report released Tuesday.

"At this time, FDA is not aware of any child being harmed by taking one of the recalled products," said the May 24 document. "FDA is still investigating some of these adverse events to determine if the events were related to a child taking one of the recalled medicines."

"The Food and Drug Administration did not find an apparent connection between the 775 incidents, which included 30 deaths"...

This is what always happens, the FDA never finds any "APPARENT CONNECTION" to anything that Big Pharma produces which damages and kills our children...it's not just the vaccines that they cover up the truth about, it's EVERYTHING.

Full Article Here: http://www.aolhealth.com/2010/05/27/fda-probes-complications-deaths-linked-to-jandj-childrens-meds/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl5|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolhealth.com%2F2010%2F05%2F27%2Ffda-probes-complications-deaths-linked-to-jandj-childrens-meds%2F

[Autism Grandma]

Re: "I know my students would tackle the question head-on. It would strike them as eminently logical to do a study of the neurological outcomes of vaccinated and unvaccinated children to answer the question.

I'm reminded of the old adage that a new idea doesn't succeed so much because it changes the minds of those in authority, but that a new generation takes their place with different ideas.

Personally, I think some of my seventh graders could do a better job with autism than those currently in charge."

Yes your 7th graders could certainly do a much better job!!!

Re: Post by Beth: "People in their 40's and younger are awakening to alternative medicine and it's real solutions to prevent and treat health problems versus the allopathic approach to blame genes and feed patients toxic pills daily for life."

Absolutely this is true, but absolutely the pharmaceutical industry is fighting alternative medicine with every evil corrupt method they can come up with. And unfortunately the entire FDA and FTC will have to be overhauled to get rid of all these directors with conflicts of interest, who actually work for the pharmaceutical industry.

They keep the toxic drugs that are killing millions of people on the market, just like the vaccine industry keeps all these toxic vaccines on the market even though they KNOW they are producing millions of children with all kinds of learning disorders and health problems in addition to autism!!!!

[ObjectiveAutismDad]

Kent, This is the best positive thing I've read in quite a while. Thank you.

I believe the original quote was from Max Planck: "It is one of the most painful experiences of my entire scientific career that I have seldom -- in fact, I might say never -- succeeded in obtaining universal recognition for a new result, the truth of which I could demonstrate by a conclusive but only theoretical proof. . . . A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponenet and making them see the light; but it triumphs because its opponents finally die off, leaving a new generation that is familiar with the new idea."

Teachers like you inoculate young minds from attempts at brainwashing that will occur later in life.

[Beth]

"I'm reminded of the old adage that a new idea doesn't succeed so much because it changes the minds of those in authority, but that a new generation takes their place with different ideas."

Well put, Ken! I don't think we'll have to wait until your 7th graders are in their 30's though to see change. I think as soon as those who are in their late 50's to 70's today retire or die we'll see some change.

That's the generation that grew up worshiping white coats.

People in their 40's and younger are awakening to alternative medicine and it's real solutions to prevent and treat health problems versus the allopathic approach to blame genes and feed patients toxic pills daily for life.

Congrats on inspiring students and taking your team to the top in the competition!