kwombles
please take one hour out of your busy schedule and see a DAN! (medical) doctor. You have nothing to lose, everything to gain.

"they" say that using Lupron is dangerous and junk science...messing with the hormones and such (essentially chemically castrating our children...but then, "they" have no problem prescribing Risperodal, which completely screws up the hormones (to the point of a four year old growing friggin breasts for crisakes!) and they seem to have no problem doing so.....
maddening.....

I read Ms. Wombles "Theory of Mind" paper and of course by me not being a scientist I have no idea what she is talking about, really.

I have a question though, as I understand it children with autism do not possess "theory of mind," they can't enter an abstract and react typically. Also it is mentioned, I believe, that theory of mind does not begin to develop until someone reaches 4 years of age. Why then did my 3 year old son, run from us at bath time and hide under the covers in our bed? Why did he run away scared from a baby bird that was on the ground today flapping and chirping? How is it that when he saw a cougar pacing back and forth at the zoo on his birthday he remarked rather forcefully, "He's not happy!"? Is he not placing himself in the shoes of another, is he not mind-reading? Is this not theory of mind?

I don't know, maybe my son's initial diagnosis was wrong, I mean since children do not recover from autism, if they reallyhad it in the first place, how could this be, maybe I"m imagining things, maybe not being a "scientist" I am misinterpreting information. Or maybe I am paying a good deal of attention, looking for clues that your science can't discover because of biases, a need to find a square peg to fit into your square hole.

Maybe science is a lot like art, there is no one truth. It's all open for interpretation.

My son sleeps with his pink teddy bear not because it is another pillow, it's because he has attached a humanistic personality to it that gives him comfort. Anthropomorphism perhaps? Theory of mind?

"According to Baron-Cohen (1985), theory of mind is not dependent on intelligence levels. The theory of mind model is the idea that a person understands the idea that not only does he possess states of mind (feelings, thoughts, and beliefs), but that other people also possess states of mind and that these might differ from his own. An inability to conceive of this state of mind is what sets an autistic person apart from those who can.."

"While the first order theory of mind acquisition usually occurs around age 4 in children who have no neurocognitive deficits, the second order theory of mind abilities tend to develop between the ages of 6 and 7 (Coull, Leekam, & Bennett, 2006)."

I also noticed that you stated in your 2008 paper that you have a child diagnosed with autism. In fact I quote, "... but as the mother of an autistic child, it is one that has played a prominent role in my caring for and teaching of my son – how do I honor his
unique gifts while helping him gain the tools and judgment to better fit into society."

Didn't you just post that you have three children with autism?

Or were you just speaking scientifically when you said:

"To Cherry Sperlin Misra:

No, I, as the mother of three children on the spectrum and as a college instructor of psychology with a focus in autism, will most emphatically not be joining the Age of Autism crowd. Ever. Thank you.

I absolutely know what it is like to parent a severely autistic child who will never be leaving home to live an independent life.

To say that AoA is about the science borders on absurd and your sanctimonious post certainly goes right over that edge.

Posted by: KWombles | May 24, 2009 at 08:31 PM
"

Sigh... science is so confusing.

Stephen Becker...a summary will be available shortly here on AoA. In fact, there will be much, much more to follow on the 14 studies.

AoA is not about the science, K Wombles? It is the reason we exist. This debate is very simple, so pay close attention:

You believe the very people who will ultimately be held responsible for this disaster not only have the right to study themselves to see if they are indeed guilty, but that the very science they use to claim innocence is qualitatively and quantitatively enough to do so.

We don't.

That's it. That's the debate. It's just too damn bad no one wants to go there.

So again, I ask you, since you are clearly implying you are all about the science, which study would you like to discuss?

Perfectly said, Anne!

This is not the first time the Trib has shown bias and slanted autism research or information on treatments. I see two things happening:

1-Autism One was approaching (Jenny McCarthy, too) and someone or some organization contacted the Trib to plant a seed of "desperate parents". Lupron and the Geiers are a great target (thimerosal research and vaccine expert witness are the real targets here). Homefirst and Dr. Eisenstein- more targets as it has been reported that there is a low incidence of autism ( as in none )in their patients as many/most are not vaccinated. Dr. Eisenstein does not hide his opinion that vaccinations may be directly related to this phenomenon seen at HomeFirst- http://www.whale.to/vaccine/olmsted1.html

2-The other issue happening is that we are no longer p.25 material -- front page status must mean something. It may mean that the truth about vaccine safety concerns is too honest and too close to the epicenter of the autism epidemic thus, attack those who are involved in that proclamation of the truth.

What should have been printed is that vaccine injuries are happening. Individuals with autism share many abnormal laboratory levels and that Autism One would be having experts from all over the world to discuss why these levels are so abnormal : Gaba; Glutamates; Calcium; Aspartate aminotransferase and Creatine kinase levels -- mitochondria markers; Vit B6; Vit D; Gluten, casein and soy foods/allergies;Histamine and allergic responses, asthma, immune markers; Testosterone and other hormones; HHV-6; Measles; Mumps; Rubella; Varicella and other viral titres; Streptococcus and Clostridia bacteria;Yeast and fungal biofilms; chronic infections; Aluminum, Lead, and Mercury;
It is a sad day in the history of Chicago print news that the lack of real facts, real focus, and real families are discussed. Wake up Chicago Tribune -- People know that you are not printing the truth.

PS-LJ,

Your letter to the Tribune is excellent and I thank you for writing it.

The blindness of today's reporters on this issue, as well as the financial interests of the press, are distressing. Julie, thanks so much for your continuing advocacy.

LJ Goes,
Thank you for sharing your excellent letter to the Chicago Tribune. You've acquired an incredible amount of knowledge in 5 short months. I have no doubt your little one will benefit greatly from your perseverance.

Is somebody else using Cherry's computer? This does not sound like the other blogs from Cherry?

Anne and Company,

First, thank you for your wonderful and accurate protrayal of the truth.

I submitted this letter to the Trib in response to Trine's firt article on "The New Chop Science" and received nary a reply. It's okay though. Many Chicagoans and facebookers have responded to it, and thanks to Autism One, we are mobilizing on the south side! WE WILL BE HEARD. Thanks for your talent and effort,

LJ Goes

Dear American Citizen (and prospective Parent Warrior),

In the last decade we have seen a 700% increase in autism. I am the mom of a 31 month old boy named Noah Patrick, who received his official autism diagnosis 3 weeks ago. You’d think I’d be reeling from this news. Sadly, I diagnosed him myself over 5 months ago. I had to. No one else would.

My pediatrician told me, “not to worry”, the first time I asked about his unresponsive behavior.

The second time I inquired she said, “Boys develop at different rates than girls, let’s give him some time.” This seemed reasonable. Our first child was a girl and she hit most of the milestones early. Plus, I was pretty sure I’d read something about this in my constant companion, Parents Magazine (the great endorser of vaccine safety).

The third time I questioned her I had something tangible, “He’s not speaking,” I said. “It sounds like he’s trying to,” she gestured toward him as he stared up at the ceiling tiles. “That’s grunting. He does that a lot.” I replied.

“Oh,” she laughed, “some kids are grunters…he looks good!” she said with a warm, comforting smile.

“He doesn’t eat,” I said.

“Well, he’s certainly a big boy,” the doc said. She was right. And she is the doctor, after all. It would be another year before I would discover the real reasons why a boy with plump, perpetually red cheeks, who only drank milk, could still appear normal instead of emaciated (hypothyroidism coupled with aluminum poisoning).

On my fourth visit, the doctor suggested we see an ears nose and throat specialist. Maybe he can’t hear, she supposed. We were referred to a doctor who spent 90 seconds (this is not an exaggerated diminution) examining him in exactly the same manner his pediatrician did. He simply looked in his ears with an instrument. He told me a nurse would be calling to schedule surgery for typansotomy tubes. There might be fluid in there, even if he didn’t actually see any. I sought a second opinion from a research physician who spent 15 minutes with us and performed several rounds of tests beforehand. He concluded with, “100% certainty,” that Noah could hear clearly out of both ears. And then he said something that stuck with me. “You’re the parent, though, you would know better than me. If you still have concerns let me know.” Thank you, Dr. Gartner.

I reported this series of events to my pediatrician who simply replied, “Huh. Okay.”

My husband took Noah for his next “well baby” visit, the one where he received 7 shots. Soon afterward we ended up in the emergency room. He had a 104 degree fever and uncharacteristic lethargy. The words of the emergency room nurse will never leave me. “Oh, mom,” she said casually—as if we were old friend, “this is just the beginning—he’s going to have lots of fevers and bumps and bruises. You’ll toughen up.” She was right about the last part.

My persistent questions during the next visit prompted our pediatrician to accede that there might indeed be a real reason for concern. She said maybe I should call Early Intervention for an evaluation. I couldn’t understand why she would be referring me to anyone other than another doctor. Apparently this sort of thing happens a lot. So much so we have a government run agency in place to handle it.

I called immediately and set up the appointment. It was determined that Noah was significantly “developmentally delayed”. The short, uncomplicated version of this assessment is that at 15 months of age he was considered to be cognitively and developmentally functioning at the level of an 8 month old.

“What does this mean?” I asked.

“We don’t know—could be any number of things. We see a lot of it, though. Don’t blame yourself, mom.” They replied.

Still no diagnosis but the label, “developmental delay”, and a cavalcade of occupational therapists, developmental therapists, nutritionists, speech pathologists and physical therapists were subsequently scheduled to visit our home on a daily basis.

I pressed every single one of them repeatedly, “What does this mean?”

Collectively, these people seemed wiser and were far better listeners than our then pediatrician. They were not doctors though and they did not have the answers. I needed answers. For an entire year we had specialists, coordinators, therapies, meetings and constant activity. No answers came. Soon our time with Early Intervention would come to an end and Noah had made little progress. I would be on my own in just a few months, seeking therapists and trying to get insurance to cover his treatment—still without a diagnosis.

The therapists taught me about his sensory integration issues—the disconnect happening with his nervous and vestibular systems. If all these things were affecting his neurological development why wasn’t my doctor all over it? How was this possible? Plus, I just couldn’t shake the notion that he was in pain. As the months passed he grew more agitated. He had lots of skin conditions and wouldn’t eat anything but dehydrated fruit. He had strange bowel movements and would pick up his shirt and point to his stomach repeatedly. His muscle tone was poor and he examined things by holding them against his face, looking at them with his peripheral vision.

I hit the Internet hard. I started researching and received Jenny McCarthy’s book, Mother Warriors, as a Christmas gift. Each page was like a brick to the chin. My son has autism. MY SON—has autism. This was a two-fold revelation. On the one hand, utter relief. I finally knew that I wasn’t crazy and there was a medical diagnosis for his condition. On the other, absolute rage at the medical community that not only failed to offer direction but actually exacerbated the damage to my son’s already compromised immune system with repeat assaults through excessive vaccines. If Noah’s story was an isolated incident this would amount to a sad chapter in our family’s history and I would not be writing to you now. Tragically though, many families have gone before me, forced to endure this convoluted journey—a twisted path riddled with misinformation, wrong diagnoses, needless surgeries, and excessive antibiotics and immunizations.

What I have learned from them has altered the course of my life and my family’s forever. Please read on to learn the truth about the autism epidemic and how it affects you.

Pediatrics and Parenting

As I began this letter it was not my intent to demonize our pediatricians, but rather call them and our parent collective, to consciousness. Passivity and laissez-faire attitudes have taken over on both sides. Have you ever questioned your pediatrician about the contents of your child’s vaccinations? Sadly, until Noah was affected I reflexively signed my name to the consent forms, one after another after another. I live daily with the consequences of my inertia.

Perhaps you’ve noticed we’ve developed a customer service style of communicating with our physicians that seems to be more about getting through the visit and on to the next thing than having a genuine dialogue. Parental concerns and probing medical questions impede the efficacy of this process. How can a physician possibly give an accurate assessment of a child’s overall health in three minutes or less? Healthcare is after all a business. A medical practice must run efficiently to turn a profit.

When it comes to the question of autism, Asberger’s, ADD, ADHD, and other developmental disabilities our pediatricians do not have answers. Frankly, they don’t seem all too enthused to find them either. If they entertain a parent’s doubts about their child’s development (without the ability to diagnose or offer direction) it will not be a pleasant and brief encounter. Autism is just not a three-minute, drug solution disease. It’s not like we won’t figure it out eventually anyway, right?

Purportedly we have no “known” cause of autism. No cause and no answers, yet we are told with absolute confidence that it has nothing to do with the now 36 vaccines we are injecting into our children. Most of which enter their little bodies prior to their admittance to grammar school. At the time of this writing there are more than 100 new vaccines in development. Gentle Reader, regrettably, “well-baby” visits are no longer about ensuring our children’s wellness as implied. They are about administering immunizations and lining the pockets of the inventors and pharmaceutical companies who have been forcing aggressive and unrealistic vaccination schedules upon our pediatricians and the general public, for more than a decade. These same experts love to assert that the science does not lie. No, real science does not, but the special interests funding it do.

The Truth about Autism and Vaccine Research

I often hear the phrases, “autism research” and “vaccine research” used interchangeably. The two are not synonymous. Those who are creating, patenting, and selling vaccines are interested in getting their product to market. They do not research whether or not their particular vaccine might have a causal relationship to autism when administered in conjunction with pre-existing immunizations on the schedule. This simply does not happen. Why would it? Where is the money in such research? A profit-producing patent is the overall goal. Besides, these manufacturers are held only loosely responsible for the harm their own product may or may not impose because of protective legislation. Why should they muster alarm over possible cumulative damage to our children’s bodies? This sounds heartless, but in reality, it’s just business—big business—the kind that possesses absolute power with no system of ethical checks and balances in place to counter it. It’s like playing God.

Imagine the legal dilemma of a parent convinced their child has obtained a vaccine injury. Their toddler descends into full blow autism and they look in their baby wellness book only to determine their child had 9 shots that day. Who is held responsible? How does one determine accountability? That very conundrum and the burden of proof that follows is exactly what the vaccine manufacturer’s legal team is counting on. The final judgment: “Sorry American family, the science is inconclusive, we just don’t know. Plus, I don’t know if you’ve heard but they say it’s not the shots!”

Paul Offit, the infectious disease expert made rich for his role in bringing the rotavirus vaccine to market, and author of the book, Autism’s False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine and the Search of a Cure, has repeatedly stated that our babies’ bodies can withstand over 10,000 vaccines. I am quite certain that is his goal.

In fact, this morning The Chicago Tribune featured a study performed by his employer, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The basic contention of the piece written by Trine Tsoudersos is that research points to a genetic variation in autistic brains. It states that, “They found evidence that those with autism have differences in DNA affecting the cell-adhesion molecules of the brain.”

Let’s clarify this once and for all. This research, its brothers, sisters, and cousins are IRRELEVENT to the vaccine controversy. It is not possible to have a genetic epidemic. The toxic reaction to vaccines in children predisposed to autism will not diminish because someone finds the elusive autism gene.

Remember what I said earlier, the part about profit?

Trine goes on to report that, “…(this) discovery may improve diagnosis and offer the promise of developing treatments for the frustratingly mysterious disorder.” “Developing treatments,” means big bucks. Now we are getting somewhere.

Tom Lehner, from the National Institute of Mental Health tells Trine, “It (the research) opens up biology. With biology you can find drug targets.” Alright! This is something we can start pitching to investors.

I frequently hear from this same faction that there is simply a better criteria for autism diagnosis now than there was before. If we had a handle on it earlier we would see the numbers are not so staggering.

Do you remember going to school with kids that said the same phrases repeatedly while flapping their hands and blinking as they tried to carry on a conversation on the way to the bus? Did the waitress at your local hang out hold your burger up to the side of her face to examine it before she placed it in front of you? How about your mailman, did he walk on his toes and fall to the ground and tantrum if you did not take your mail from his hands in exactly the same way, wearing exactly the same outfit, and say “thank you” with the exact same inflection, every single day?

I take Noah to one of many therapy centers near our home. That center is to him what the school playground was to me as a child. It’s full of kids who live in our neighborhood, just like him. Something is terribly wrong with this picture.

Fear and The Media

The media loves a good story. Scary pictures of people in masks have dominated the newspapers, television and the Internet for the past four days. Please note here that it is not my intention to minimize the seriousness of the swine flu and the importance of taking precautions to protect our families against it. I hear it may reach pandemic proportions. However, right at this moment autism is an epidemic affecting 1 in 94 children in New Jersey (the hub of the vaccine industry), and 1 in 150 nationwide—and that number is growing at a terrifying pace. According to the Autism Speaks website, “Autism is the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the United States. Autism costs the nation over $35 billion per year, a figure expected to significantly increase in the next decade.” Masks will not shield us from this debilitating reality.

Given these facts, WHY has the medical establishment (which is by my definition, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) been let off the hook repeatedly by the mainstream media for failure to conduct proper research and study recovered children? Many cases of autism reversal and diminishing symptoms in ASD children pursuing biomedical protocols and behavioral intervention have been reported. If those kids are hard to track down why not consider profiling the very public case of Jenny McCarthy’s son, Evan? Not one scientific paragon or conventional medical authority has studied this boy. There’s a story here Mr. and Ms. Investigative Reporter, I promise.

Frustrated by this abdication of responsibility and denial of the facts by the powers-that-be a group of concerned citizens decided to author the discovery process. Please see the results of their efforts at www.generationrescue.org. In addition to their very disturbing global reports you will also find a critical review of the fourteen studies conventional medical science is using to proliferate the idea that further study of the autism—vaccine link is not warranted.

View the brilliant work of Ginger Taylor, featured on her blog, Adventures in Autism at the link below.

http://adventuresinautism.blogspot.com/2008/03/julie-gerberding-admits-on-cnn-that.html

This extraordinary piece of YouTube journalism dissecting an interview between former CDC head, Julie Gerberding and CNN’s Sanjay Gupta, tells the whole story.

Your Rights as a Human Being and an American Citizen

Please consider the words of Autism File USA’s, Editor, Terri Arraga, featured in Issue 31, 2009:

“Public health mouth-pieces, especially those who push one-size-fits-all mandatory vaccine requirements, tell you that vaccines are needed for the “greater good”. This means that they accept some babies and children may be sickened, suffer, and die, and that this is acceptable. This is not acceptable. This does not respect that all human life is valuable, and it lets the “powers-that-be” off the hook insofar as ensuring the safety of vaccines for all children—including those who cannot tolerate poison and who would not have regressed into autism if not for the insult.

Our government agencies have failed our children it what is their most fundamental right: to enjoy a healthy quality of life. Today, we have the sickest generation of children in modern times. Children are suffering from a myriad of childhood diseases—many that are skyrocketing in numbers.

Yet our health agencies have refused to conduct studies needed of vaccinated versus unvaccinated children to explore the possible correlations with asthma, allergies, autism, epilepsy, diabetes, bipolar disorder, cancer, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and more.

These same agencies are telling parents that they are immoral if they don’t vaccinate their children but, in reality, it is they who are being immoral for conducting the largest ongoing medical experiment known to mankind. Using generations of children as human guinea pigs—in essence, testing vaccines on children without knowing the full effects of the vaccines individually and collectively—is a human rights violation. Americans have every right to demand a full complement of studies toward ensuring the safety of vaccines.”

This miscarriage of justice cannot continue. We are citizens of the United States of America and we are a free people with the right to take control of our children’s healthcare. In addition to proper studies, we must demand a flexible immunization schedule, one that allows us, the parents, to choose only necessary, toxic- preservative free vaccines. We have a right to qualified, competent, INFORMED healthcare, administered by professionals who have our children’s best interest and well being at heart. It is time for us to make this happen. Our children are entitled to healthy lives.

For the full, true, and ongoing story, please visit www.ageofautism.com daily.

Respectfully,

LJ Goes

Cherry; autistic kids are as different from one another as regular kids. I know vaccines harmed my child. How do I know that? He ran a temp of 104 on his first DPT shot, He passed out 30 minutes after his second DPT shot with 105 temp, but recovered in less than ten minutes and continued in his play, He had a stroke six hours after his third DPT shot. There was nothing wrong with him untill the third shot, no fevers, no sickness, nothing except during these shots Before his third DPT shot he was walking and the next morning after his stroke he could not walk. My mother was a second grade teacher, I am a high school science teacher and between the two of us we taught him to talk, learn to look us in the eye, to say hi, - but even now complete communicattion gives him problems, he still at 23 finds cutting paper with scissors difficult, he skipped the peddling of the tricycle, but later was ablt to ride a bicycle,(he looks kinda of strange the way he does it). Think about stroke victims. How are they alike? How are they different? How is their coordination in their hands, their legs,how is their speech, do they recover some, do they recover completely, do they not recover at all?

Back in 1960 when I was an 18 year old college student, I read "Silent Spring". From that moment on I knew 'They" were not on our side and that their "science" was a science in name only. Vaccines are destroying the planet: domesticated animals, all humans, soldiers, infants. The more vaccines the greater the destruction. There are no safe vaccines and they cannot be made safe. Vaccines do not just cause Autism. They stimulate a hyper-immune response, a brain inflammation, that underlies asthma, cognitive disorders of all kinds, depression, aberrant behaviors, and the panoply of new diseases, such as Morgellons and many so-called idiopathic diseases.

What bothers me is that when we use things such as vitamins/minerals, DHA, and probiotics, we're persecuted. BUT, when Juicy-Juice, Dannon, and all of the other companies "enriching" their products use these "alternative" treatments, the message is that they are cutting-edge healthy and oh so concerned about our well being and the well being of our children.

And another thing, what about all those pharma drugs that are developed for a specific use, but over time are prescribed by docs (at the urging of pharma reps) for "alternative" uses.

It is just maddening. Even more so when you consider how many parents/individuals not in our community believe crap like what is spread in the Chicago Trib and LA Times. These articles set us back.

Our progress is like our kids' recovery, we work hard to spread the word and we make gains; but, then along comes the Trib/Times and BOOM, regression. Now we have to work harder to just recover from this stuff before we can keep moving forward.

To KWombles, I, as a person who has no autistic child, can tell you from long experience, that you have no idea how many of the parents of AOA are scientists themselves, or who, being non scientists, know all about research done by Dr Haley, University of Kentucky, Dr. Burbacher, University of Washington, and Dr. I. Pessah, U California, Davis, and so many others, of whom I am sure you have no knowledge, or you would probably be on our side. Comments are moderated because we want to keep up the science and because we want to have respectful discourse. You have no idea how tough it is to be the parent of a severely autistic child and some comments can be hurtful. Now, let us imagine that someone here thinks that Lupron is not a good treatment in some way. We want to hear that because we want to move forward. We want to discard the treatments that arent doing kids any good.But, yes, anything that might help an autistic child feel better, We're going to take a close look before we trash and dismiss. Open your heart and eyes, if you truly care for the suffering of children. Listen to the stories of parents. Look at the autistic children. Age of Autism is not the TRUTH, it is merely the SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH. Please join us on our journey

Thank you for posting my comment. I am duly impressed that you will allow for an open exchange. Surprised. But impressed. I will update my blog to reflect that you let the comment on. :-)

A few points...

A few of us had the opportunity to speak with this reporter yesterday afternoon. She defended her story and denied that it was any attempt to paint the entire conference with one brush. When a few of the other parents told her what a disservice that was to parents who just got a diagnosis and read that, she disagreed.

She also told us that she is a mom with 2 small children. And at one point when the discussion got heated, she ever so momentarily blurted something to this effect(not quoting, just paraphrasing),"...and you think all of those scientists and doctors are wrong!?" (meaning those who discredit the link between vaccines and autism). She said it with that condescending tone of disbelief that immediately outted her biased position. She was not there to learn; She had already made up her mind. Mainstream medicine has proven there is no link and she was there to ridicule what we are doing and what we believe.

She further went on to describe how concerned she was that Dan Rossingol could just casually suggest so many supplements to parents listening to his presentation, and that he even mentioned that some of the vendors carried them. When I cornered her and said, "So you object that he would prescribe something to the audience?" She said, "Yes". Then I asked, "Did he actually do that, or did he say something like, "If your child is having a hard time sleeping, you may want to try melatonin" (he didn't say that, I'm making an example). She confessed that's how he presented it. Still, she didn't like that. The idea of giving her child a "cocktail" (her word) of supplements really bothered her.

The whole experience was beyond upsetting giving what I had just finished doing. I was at Autism One yesterday for the expressed purpose of presenting the "14 Studies" that supposedly exonerate vaccines from causing autism. I gave 2 90 minute plus presentations going study by study to point out what the study actually studied, who funded and authored it, what the conflicts of interest were, what the study actually found, how it was done, and what the criticism of the study is.

I have read all 19 studies several times. I created a summary sheet and detailed informational sheet for my audience. I had the binder of all 19 studies with me.

Trinie, the Trib Reporter, I guarantee you, has never read these studies. She didn't come to my presentation. It would have been refreshing to actually speak to a doctor or journalist who has. Maybe then we could have an authentic debate and discussion. Maybe that could have been the front page story.

Maybe the fact that with the possible exception of 1 of the 19 studies (the name 14 is sarcastic), each and every one of them was done by someone who patents, manufactures, profits from, defends in a court of law, administers, or endorses vaccines. Maybe the fact that we've studied 1 ingredient of 46 and 1 injection given sometimes twice out of 36 to the most vaccinated children in the world just might be a little inadequate could be a story?

Or maybe the fact that 2 thimerosal studies show that the more thimerosal you get the higher your IQ you have, and better fine motor coordination you have could be a story? Or that several studies show that thimerosal, a neurotoxin, protects against autism? Or that 3 studies FOUND an association between tics and speech delay in spite of their crappy methodology? Do you think parents of children with tics and speech delay might want to know that? Could that be a story? Maybe?

I would be happy to discuss the studies with anyone, anywhere. KWoble, or whoever you are, let's talk. Which study would you like to start with? Please, tell me, which study are you referring to as the "science" that proves vaccines don't cause autism?

In my Open Letter to Paul Offit a while back I made an analogy that is still true today:

Our children's health is on fire. They are burning alive in front of our faces. Supposedly they spontaneously combusted due to a rare, unidentified gene that causes that. We are supposed to simply accept that, hoping that just as they spontaneously combusted, they will spontaneously stop burning...or maybe just slowly extinguish.

In the mean time, we are supposed to just let them burn to a crisp. Worse, those very people who have no idea if or why our children are actually on fire have the audacity to criticize us for grabbing the garden hose, the shower head, the bath tub, the pond, or any kind of water we can find to put it out.

Why? Because no one has actually ever proven water helps put out a fire. Our kids just LOOK like they're burning...water is only for REAL fires. And there aren't more fires, we just got better at seeing the smoke. It's all a big, fat, unfortunate coincidence, you see. The people who started the fire have studied themselves repeatedly and say so.

I will be contacting Trinie this week to ask for a discussion of the studies. I'll let you know what happens.

There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

Luke 12: 2-3

In response to Andrea's post of May 23:

IMO, these people deserve to be bashed.

The Chicago Tribune article was a disgusting piece, not journalism at all. It was a scheduled and deliberate attack. Homefirst's kids are just way, way too healthy without tons of vaccines and drugs and medical intervention. I can't believe it took them so long to exact their attack on Homefirst.

I'm wondering - if it's ever accepted that biomed and/or homeopathic treatments work, and mainstream medicine accepts it as a treatment, then will the parents who accept their autistic kids and do nothing be forced to treat their kids with this "alternative" medicine (ala the MN mom on the lamb with her cancer son refusing chemo).

Tables will be turned. I'm so happy to be amongst so many like-minded people who have their own evidence that there is hope and recovery.

Harold -- Conversely, ignoring potentially successful medical treatments for children on the spectrum is no way to help them, either. Any treatment or drug carries a variety of dangers, not only if misprescribed or dosed improperly.

In 2002 my son's neurologist was extremely cavalier after my son screamed for four afternoons while on Adderall. Before that he'd prescribed Tegretol for a child who'd only had 2 febrile seizures. So why all the vilification of Dr. Geier, while my kid's former doc had no public or private consequences for his bumbling?

Absolutely, "In the end, the truth will be undeniable."
Woo-quackery at it's finest here. Thankfully, the mainstream media are picking up on it finally. After all, there's only so much most people can stand of being wrong. And then it's time to consider what the truth of the matter really is. And where do most reasonable people go for that? Ahh, yes. Science.
Of course, many of the people at AoA wouldn't know science if it walked up and smacked them in the face.

I like how the comments are moderated and the author has to approve them. That's one way to control the dialogue. That's okay. You don't have to put this comment up here. It's in my blog, oh, where all comments are welcome, where I believe if you want to put it out there, go right ahead. :-)

I heard California is in deep trouble. Their budget is in the red and they are very very worried.

Anne-

As always you make excellent points. It is unsettling that reporters like this are more concerned about condeming alternative treatments than recognizing and writing about the numbers and the costs of autism. This is a crisis and the crisis is sidestepped for whatever reason. Good for the famlies that are working with these doctors- hopefully many will help their children make significant progress or achieve recovery. Hopefully, that will translate into less that will need the constant care.

The Tribune pieces were awful. I wonder who asked them to provide such slanted coverage? Could it be that organization located in Elk Grove right near Chicago where AOA is being held? The American Academy of Pediatrics.

I'm sure they hate that the BEST autism conference in the country is held on their home turf.

Thanks, Ann, for making so many good points in this excellent article.