Kathleen Sebelius: “Autism Now Hits 1 in 100 Children. We Have No Idea Why.”
By David Kirby
Washington loves to dump its bad news on a Friday afternoon, and today it confirmed that one percent of American children (and by extension, perhaps 1-in-58 boys) - has an autism spectrum disorder.
On a hastily arranged telephone “visit” with US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the autism community, the health chief announced that “the prevalence of autism might be even higher than previously thought.” But, she added, “We don’t know if it has gone up, and we are hoping to unlock these mysteries.”
The Secretary then declared autism “An urgent public health challenge,” declared that President Obama was “right to make it one of our top health priorities,” including research into “treatments and a cure” for the disorder, and promptly ended her visit.
Helping to fill in some of the details was Dr. Thomas R. Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and Chair of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, who confirmed that CDC data to be published later this year will estimate the current childhood ASD rate at 100-per-10,000 children.
The data, collected from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, shows a significant uptick in ASD prevalence estimates in just two years.
According to ADDM, the average rate of autism among eight-year-olds across all study sites was 67-per-10,000 in 2000 (the 1992 birth cohort), and 66-per-10,000 in 2002 (the 1994 birth cohort). Only six sites were included in both studies, and their average prevalence rate increased by 10%, from 67-per-10,000 to 74-per-10,000.
Now, CDC has announced that among the 1996 birth cohort, the estimated rate of ASD is 100-per-10,000; a staggering 50% increase over the 1994 birth cohort.
It is easy to understand why the Feds would call autism an “urgent” issue, but any sense of urgency by the officials on the phone was clearly absent, at least from my perspective. In fact, most of the discussion was centered around providing services and education to the growing ranks of Americans with ASD, an entirely laudable goal, to be sure.
But no one expressed any alarm that up to 1 in 58 boys in this country is now on the autism spectrum. The officials on the call seemed to think that wider diagnostic criteria – such as adding Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified - to the concept of an “autism spectrum disorder” vastly inflated the rate of ASD in the United States.
There was no alarm, and little time for questions from the community that was invited to “visit.” After about 15 minutes, questioning was cut off, and the call abruptly ended. I tried three times to ask a question (via a telephone switching system) and so did many other people on the call, which lasted a total of 39 minutes.
And so, here is my (expanded) question, directed to Dr. Insel:
Dr. Insel, thank you for arranging this call. I understand that the estimated average ASD rate increased from 66-per-10,000 to 100-per-10,000 between the 1994 and 1996 birth cohorts. Officials on this call believe this increase could be attributed purely to expanding diagnostic criteria and greater awareness, though they don’t know for sure.
But how could you attribute a 50% increase in just two years to wider diagnostics, especially when the 1994 cohort would have been diagnosed, on average, in 1998 and the latter cohort in 2000? The expansion of the ASD definition to include Asperger and PDD-NOS occurred in the early 1990s, so how can you explain this sudden and delayed explosion in the numbers?
Also, you have declared that the vaccine-autism link had been disproven, yet all the studies you cite have only looked at MMR and thimerosal. But why is the IACC, which you chair, not investigating the possible role of Hep-B vaccine, given the following:
1) An abstract just published in the Annals of Epidemiology said that giving Hepatitis B vaccine to newborn baby boys more than triples the risk of ASD. (HERE)
2) A study just published in Neurotoxicology reported that infant male primates who received one dose of Hepatitis-B vaccine were far more likely to display developmental delays than unvaccinated controls. (HERE)
3) A study last year in Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry showed that boys getting the 3-shot HepB vaccine series were eight times more likely to require early intervention services than boys who did not have the series. (HERE)
4) A study in the journal Neurology found that children who received the Merck brand Hepatitis B vaccine series were 74% more likely to develop "central nervous system inflammatory demyelination" than children who did not receive the vaccine. (HERE)
Finally, why does your committee ignore evidence associating heavy metals and other toxins with ASD, why did you jettison the vaccinated-vs.-unvaccinated study that your own committee had previously voted to recommend, and why are you spending only 39 minutes speaking with the community that represents, according to your boss, one of the nation’s “top health priorities?”
I am also sending this question to HHS, to see if I can get a proper response. But I am not holding my breath.
David Kirby is author of Evidence of Harm, a founding contributor to Huffington Post and a contributor to Age of Autism. His next book, Animal Factory: The Looming Threat of Industrial Pig, Dairy, and Poultry Farms to Humans and the Environment will be released within the year and is available now for pre-order at Amazon.
http://www.scipub.org/fulltext/ajbb/ajbb4261-72.pdf
Yes synthetic DHA used in today's infant formulas may initiate oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Yes,this would result in severe digestive disorders. Yes, this would prime an infant for vaccination injury-ask Dr.Jon Poling.
Posted by: mike pescatore | April 06, 2010 at 02:03 PM
Benedetta,
They recommended 3 gms but my son weighs 130 lbs. My husband who has depression which they now are linking as an inflammatory issue was told to take 6-7 gms a day! We do liquid to get these high levels. You figure out the amount by adding EPA and DHA together, so if each tsp is say 600 EPA and 400 DHA for total of 1000mg omega 3's you give 3 tsps to get 3 gms. They said the fish oil helps "put out the inflammatory fire in their brain"
But this was advice given to me by a doc who saw my kid. and obviously i can't give medical advice. www.amenclinic.com is a good site
Be aware fish oil can thin blood and they need to take vit e to prevent the fish oil from causing lipid peroxidation (rancid fat in ur body) and DHA is the most important part in building a healthy brain oh the things i have learned along the autism trail.
Posted by: Quiet in the south | October 05, 2009 at 10:23 PM
Quiet in the South;
How much fish oil? You said lots, what dose did they recommend?
My daughter is feeling really rotten. Her hands are all swollen and red.
Thanks,
Posted by: Benedetta | October 05, 2009 at 09:14 PM
I recently took my son to the amen clinic to have a spect scan to see what more we could do to help him. He is considered neurotypical except for the fact he can't make friends with his peers. I believe socialization is the final frontier of recovery
Guess what it showed "Inflammation" surprise, surprise. Having never mentioned the A word they said this is a pattern we see frequently in our ASD clients.
their recommendation chelation, GFCF diet, suppelements and LOTS of fish oil. I felt like i was back with my DAN doc. so we are revisiting all the things we did when he was a toddler.
A great book they also recommended "The ultramind solution" by dr hyman
It so sad to think of how many children will be damaged this year by the flu shots and the sad part is us moms are so prone to ADD and Chronic fatigue. The shots will assure these pregnant moms will be sick too as they try to carry for their injured children. Gives those "perfect" moms more to talk about. Just a little bit bitter and VERY VERY PISSED
Posted by: Quiet in the south | October 05, 2009 at 05:07 PM
I see this these so called sympathetic statements from the CDC and I want to pull THEIR hair out. I have no tolerance anymore for this ignorance. They need to stop flapping their lips and do something. Let parents of ASD kids decide where government funding for research goes. Let us decide what they study. We know best anyway...aren't we the ones that are with our children everyday and can spot a symptom or a reaction immediately?!?!?! Either let us decide, or how about we stick these "researchers" in a locked room with 2 or 3 of our children on a "BAD" day and tell them that they can't come out until they figure out how to stop this and how to fix this Hmm...we might actually see some REAL results.
Posted by: AlabamaAutismMom | October 05, 2009 at 03:45 PM
gross, I think I just heard an ad for CVS pharmacy where they were bribing people with $100 for getting the flu shot. ANd I had to hear Snyderman on the TOday show. So pharma-driven.
Posted by: jen | October 05, 2009 at 12:24 PM
Where do the ASD numbers come from? doctors? schools? insurance?
I ask this because my ds was diagnosed at 2 1/2 as PDD-NOS - common for young kids. Today he is truly classic autism (no missing a non-verbal, etc 8-year old). That being said - my pediatrician has never given my son that diagnosis (they preferred developmentally delay) - however, she'd certainly would have to concur with it now. We rarely see them (instead a DAN). The "autism" diagnosis came from school testing. So where would my ds be counted (DOB = 2000)? He would likely be missed if using medical practitioners, but not for school numbers.
I never got hung up on the label - just give me the services - call it what ever the hell you want - just get me access to the services was and is my goal to help my son succeed.
Also - I typically don't allow the diagnosis of autism to be used along with any medical claims because in my state anything with on it will be denied as MH/MR even if its for something like an ear infection - truly a medical issue!
Posted by: Diane | October 05, 2009 at 10:28 AM
"I wonder if part of the reason they're pushing so hard on the seasonal and pandemic flu shots is to make a vaxed/unvaxed study even more difficult to do."
Garbo, perhaps. But I've heard so many more people question flu vaccines this year than before, people that in the past just accepted whatever their doctors told them to do...and if one is already a non-vaxer, I don't think they'd start now. I for one look at the H1N1 advertisements, I mean "news" and see right thru them.
Posted by: bek | October 05, 2009 at 10:10 AM
Birgit, ita. it is so sad how the kids and their families are "stigmatized". And I had one school nurse tell me that the stigmatization is "all in the mother's mind'. yeah, right. i guess i imagined the neighbors including all the other families besides ours in pool parties and baseball games.
Posted by: mary peck | October 05, 2009 at 07:31 AM
maybe we could help fund more of this primate resarch coming out of Pittsuburgh and Thoughtful House. They seem to be on track. And if you do have a march again, I'll come from Alberta. How many children with autism need to be born? ADHD? How many babies must die? (SIDS,"shaken baby syndrome")It's craziness and someone needs to stop it.
Posted by: jen | October 04, 2009 at 08:50 PM
Playing the dumb card is not going to work anymore.
Posted by: Kathy Blanco | October 04, 2009 at 12:54 PM
Robin let's also look into the delivery of those vaccines that require refrigeration, how long on a counter or tray, or held in a hand does it take before the vaccine's temperature changes and alters the vaccine in some negative way? It has even been discovered that even with safeguards in place, ie. a daily log of the temperature, about $20 million worth of vaccines are destroyed every year, and the biggest single reason is improper refrigeration.
By CDC estimates, hundreds of thousands of doses of vaccines against such diseases as flu, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, mumps, measles, chicken pox and the cervical cancer virus are thrown out each year because of poor refrigeration at clinics, hospitals and doctors' offices.
In one recent case in Sioux City, Iowa, more than 1,000 families were notified by letter and telephone that they needed to get their children revaccinated.
"We just didn't notice it," said Dr. Ray Sturdevant, president of the Prairie Pediatrics and Adolescent Clinic.
Poor refrigeration has been blamed for similar problems elsewhere around the country over the past 2 1/2 years:
• In St. Cloud, Minn., a clinic had to revaccinate 8,600 patients, most of them children.
• In Lane County, Ore., 500 children and adults had to get another shot.
• In western Florida, it happened to about 250 kids.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-12-04-spoiled-vaccines_N.htm
Posted by: bensmyson | October 04, 2009 at 12:31 PM
Kathleen Sebelius: “Autism Now Hits 1 in 100 Children. We Have No Idea Why.” No idea why? Next time someone talks to Ms. Sebelius, can they ask her why we are giving a virus with traces of mercury and aluminum (HepB at birth) to an infant whose brain blood barrier is not yet intact? When will this dangerous vaccine be taken off the schedule? Ask her if this could be causing the neuroinflammation we see our kids.
Can someone also ask Ms Sebelius why are we vaccinating infants whose immune system is not fully developed?
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/344/11/793 -- Summary: ABO-incompatible cardiac transplantation has been demonstrated to be safe in infants and results in lower waiting list mortality. The immaturity of the infant immune system can be exploited to great advantage in this setting.
Immaturity of the infant immune system!!! Can we get the pediatric cardiac surgeons to talk to our pediatricians about the immune system?
And my favorite recent retrospective study out of Mayo Clinic:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19293700
Exposure to toxins (halothane) and decreased methylation (nitrous oxide) to children at a critical point in development (0-4yrs), and you get an increased incidence of “learning disabilities”.
Will someone in mainstream medicine please connect the dots?!
Posted by: SC Rankin | October 04, 2009 at 11:37 AM
I'd also suggest that it might be wise, if millions were ever to be spent on an unvaccinated versus vaccinated study, to spend a tad extra and look also at vaccines in combination with Tylenol and/or antibiotics.
It might be a good idea, too, to have somebody try to determine how often in reality those multi-dose vials go unshaken, and just how 'hot' the resultant 'hot shots' might turn out to be when they aren't.
Posted by: Robin Nemeth | October 04, 2009 at 07:20 AM
It's sad that this is happening the way it is. The human toll does not just include those who are actually autistic. They certainly suffer. The human toll reaches far beyond. A family with ASD is often stigmatized. The ASD child is often left out of frienships and is ostracized from society, but so is the family around the ASD child.
David, you hit the nail on the head with your unanswered question. I have one more question: When Thimerosal was supposedly removed from all the vccines and the autism rate increased, it was stated that there was no change in the criteria for diagnosis. How is it that there now is a change?
Posted by: Birgit Calhoun | October 04, 2009 at 03:42 AM
Lisa,
By now the Editors know the score - they wouldn't let me post otherwise. Like me they want you the people to ask the question. I am not an American Citizen, it is not my place.
Robin
Posted by: Robin Rowlands | October 04, 2009 at 01:33 AM
Lisa,
the band plays on
.
the editors are watching
the whitehouse is watching
.
ask - ask here - ask now
.
Robin
Posted by: Robin Rowlands | October 04, 2009 at 01:01 AM
My son was born in 1996.... 1 in 10,000 golly gee, I thought he was special ;)
They don't know if the increase is real.
They don't know why the number is so high.
Sounds like a bunch of idiots...
May I recommend they first learn to read and then perhaps pursue a college education. oh wait... they already have one of those?
I wonder how it is that they are NOT embarrassed to claim such ignorance.
Posted by: Jenny | October 03, 2009 at 11:59 PM
With the money Obama spent to fly a 747 to denmark to get the olympic committee to say no to Chicago for the olympics he could have paid for about half of the vaccination trial and I do not believe that a study of 200 children 100 vaccinated and 100 not vaccinated would cost anything near 6 million dollars the cost of the vaccines is really all that is involved and you are only paying for 100 sets of vaccines the other children get saline and since the vaccines are the scheduled ones anyway the additional cost is minimal. Blood work is the typical blood work for children unless further prevaccination blood work is done. This type of preliminary study is a good starting point and really only requires the physician and a consent form and sterile saline in addititon to the scheduled vaccines of course.
Posted by: WILLIE | October 03, 2009 at 11:41 PM
I'm with Twyla. I need a March, a Rally. I need to make a scene. My mind wanders regularly to what kind of act of civil disobedience, maybe not so civil, would make a difference. I went to the 'Green the Vaccines' Rally.I think they counted us at 8,500 people. To my mind, I imagine that we'd have around 20,000 if we rallied again. But, I immediately get depressed thinking about how the newest Hep B research (Wakefield) got no press, that 1-100 got no press. Would it matter if 100,000 of us marched on Washington? I'm flummoxed. We are such an articulate, bright, passionate, educated group of parents. Where is our power? How can we effect change? I'm sure there is a way, but it's not coming clear to me.
Posted by: alison macneil | October 03, 2009 at 10:11 PM
I should say that I was told by a representative at CVS Pharmacy that they routinely give out flu shots that are thimerosal free or trace level (less than 1 microgram per dose) at both their flu shot clinics and their drop in MinuteClinics.
I was glad to find that there is a drug store that I can continue shopping at. I explained to the manager of Walmart why I will no longer be shopping at Walmart.
Posted by: Robin Nemeth | October 03, 2009 at 09:07 PM
Sally,
The mercury is NOT out of the vaccines. Go to the FDA’s own website, if you don’t want to believe me.
http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t1
In table #1 you can see that there are still vaccines (Fluzone and Fluviron) recommended for children that have 12.5 to 25 micrograms of thimerosal. This is the same toxic level of thimerosal that has had parents of vaccine damaged children screaming for well over a decade now. They keep saying that the thimerosal was removed but the rates continued up, and it’s a LIE. The thimerosal WAS NOT REMOVED. In recent years flu shots have been routinely advised by Doctors for pregnant women and children. This was not the case when my own children, aged fifteen thru twenty, were babies and toddlers.
Try to find out what the odds are of going to a flu shot clinic and getting a flu shot with less than twelve and a half to twenty five micrograms of thimerosal in it? Go ahead, I dare you. Ask the managers of the flu shot clinics. Ask the flu shot clinic nurses. Ask the hospital pharmacists or the drug store pharmacists. Ask the public health officials or ask the vaccine makers. Ask them what types of flu shots they routinely administer, and what the thimerosal content of those doses are?
I hope you don’t mind being treated like dirt, treated like a stupid idiot, treated like a conspiracy nut simply for asking the simplest of questions, fed a lot of irrelevant but reassuring sounding nonsense, and having none of your questions answered. Because I can promise you that that is exactly what is going to happen to you.
Ten years after public health officials and vaccine makers agreed to remove the mercury from the vaccines, IT IS NOT OUT OF THE VACCINES. Somebody at CNN was able to get some information years ago. They reported that only six percent of flu shots administered had trace amounts (1microgram) or less of thimerosal.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/10/31/flu.hm.flu.shot/index.html
I’ve no reason to believe that this has changed.
I was in Walmart the other day. The table set up inside of the door had some very defensive sounding nurses giving out shots. When I asked if they contained thimerosal they said they didn’t know but gave me a package insert. It said that multi-dose vials had--you guessed it--the same old toxic twenty five micrograms per dose. I asked if that was what they were administering—shots from multi-dose vials, and was told yes. I asked if they were giving shots to children, and was told “yes, if the parents ask us to”.
Calls to Walmart confirmed that all shots given at my local stores are the same. Calls to Target and Walgreens confirmed that they too administer only the same old toxic flu shots. Perhaps if parents are wise enough to request thimerosal free they might get those, although the Target representative told me that they can’t be had in Ohio, as they are reserved for the states which require them for pregnant women.
The mercury has not been removed. It has NOT been removed. The mercury HAS NOT BEEN REMOVED.
They are lying when they say otherwise. A few years ago I would have given them the benefit of the doubt and said they were wrong. No longer.
Posted by: Robin Nemeth | October 03, 2009 at 09:02 PM
It is fairly simple.
The CDC can scratch their heads a little longer and then, if they can actually swing this mandatory swine and flu shot deal, they can effectively force most pregnant women, infants and young children to get 4 mercury and aluminium laden shots...all close together. Just like the good ol days
This, effectively eliminates ANY possibility of doing a vaccinated versus unvaccinated study...any "leftover unvaccinated" would be dismissed like the amish are. And, now everything is developmental again. It was just, genetically "predestined."
This is what people should be angry about. The amount of thimerosal they are wanting to inject to pregnant women and children and why. The insanity of trying to force swine flu vaccines on everyone should make people very suspicious.
Posted by: anonymous | October 03, 2009 at 08:33 PM
WRT vitamin D, there is another school of thought, which is that CWD bacteria and biofilm infections can interfere with activated vitamin D levels:
http://www.townsendletter.com/Jan2009/vitaminD0109.htm
Posted by: GH | October 03, 2009 at 08:12 PM
Sally Troxell
First:
Tom Insel- head of the IACC which is part of the NIH is funding research for the cause of autism, said that the amount of antigens in vaccines have gone down and been refined.
So what makes sense to me is, if the antigens have gone down, then adjuvants have gone up. That would be aluminum which does interfere with mitrochondria.
Al is also found in the brains of alziheimer patients too by the way.
Maybe it is a perfect storm
Low vitamin D - although vit D was in my son's milk and he drank plenty at the time of his vaccine/stroke crisis.
Maybe is a combination of low vitamin D, low vitamin C, lots of Tylenol(also a mitrochondrial/liver damaging med), and then added on top of that a whooping cough vaccine (just one of an example) that has a highly reactive antigen tagged onto a highly reactive adjuvant!
Let us not forget the mercury (still in flu shots and multivial vaccines) used as a perservative.
So it is still the fault of government agencies and pharmas for not taking the time to listen up to the parents that saw immediate reaction of vaccines.
Posted by: Benedetta Stilwell | October 03, 2009 at 07:07 PM
Sally -
It's easy. The mercury is not out of vaccines. The mercury is not out of vaccines. The mercury is not out of vaccines.
These moronic doctors just repeat this crap without backing it up.
Not only is the mercury not out of vaccines, the kids are gettng more and more and more vaccines at an earlier age, including this ridiculous flu shot that has a whopping 24.5 mcg of mercury in it. You realize they inject that into babies and pregnant women without batting an eye?
The mercury is not out of vaccines.
Posted by: Jessica | October 03, 2009 at 06:32 PM
Jeff asks-"Does anyone have a fair idea of how much such a study would cost? It needs to be well designed and statistically powerful enough that the results cannot be challenged."
JB Handley has posted here that it will cost upward of six million for a good study and you can forget it not being challenged. The people and orgs behind this epidemic are worth TRILLIONS! They have a lot to lose and they will never accept responsiblility or willingly give up any power or money. That being said, I'll pony up a hundred bucks for the study. It may save a kid or two and bring about true change even as they deny deny deny...
Posted by: sarahsam | October 03, 2009 at 05:36 PM
I wonder if part of the reason they're pushing so hard on the seasonal and pandemic flu shots is to make a vaxed/unvaxed study even more difficult to do.
Posted by: Garbo | October 03, 2009 at 05:35 PM
I agree with Twyla that it's time for another march. It would be a shame to waste the momentum and body count from all these fired-up health care workers.
Posted by: Gatogorra | October 03, 2009 at 04:44 PM
I just received a newsletter from The Vitamin D Council's John Cannell http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/) regarding a recently-released paper on autism, from Dennis Kinney & colleagues of Harvard, with which you're likely familiar. The Vitamin D Council's many epidemiological studies demonstrate many possible conditions which may well relate to Vitamin D deficiency, including autism, a position I share. But the Council appears to believe Vit D deficiency is the CAUSE of autism: "All in all, I liked Dr. Kinney and colleagues’ paper; I hope Dr. Kinney can wake someone up at Autism Speaks, which funds Dr. Kinney. (If Autism Speaks doesn’t hurry and help fund the Vitamin D Council, they won’t be able to get any credit at all for helping discover the cause of autism.) The authors also listed evidence that strengthens the Vitamin D theory of autism, evidence I discussed in the original paper."
But Dr. Cannell also states: "My problem with the paper is the same problem I have with any of the air and water pollution autism theories, why now? Certainly, if a toxin was causing autism, evidence exists that exposure to that toxin has increased part and parcel with the epidemic of autism. For awhile, that was one of the strongest arguments for the mercury in vaccines theory; administration of more and more mercury-containing vaccines paralleled the increase in autism. The problem with the vaccine theory is that when they took the mercury out of vaccines, the incidence of autism went up, not down."
Since I am a "lurker" on your good A of A site and have not thoroughly read the body of work, I have missed your information / explanations to the commonly held view "...when they took the mercury out of vaccines, the incidence of autism went up, not down."
Could you or someone else address this issue?
Many thanks to you for your important work.
Posted by: Sally Troxell | October 03, 2009 at 03:20 PM
Jeff, my family would contribute to such a study, but I agree that it would have to be conducted by a neutral party. We need to give the naysayers and critics as little as possible to ridicule. The gov't is NEVER going to fund the vax/unvax study and I think our community, though well-intentioned, is wasting its time pushing for it. The powers that be in gov't and medicine will never fund or conduct research that places undeniable culpability and liability squarely in their laps.
Posted by: Cindy Keenan | October 03, 2009 at 02:58 PM
Lisa
Ask your President
Ask him for the truth
Ask him to trust you
Robin
Posted by: Robin Rowlands | October 03, 2009 at 02:33 PM
David, As always, thank you for putting these questions so concisely.
I think the current public reluctance to take the flu and H1N1 shots is a direct result of the concerns that our community is raising. The entrenched medical community has no one blame but themselves for this state of affairs. At some point people in power will hopefully realize that.
Posted by: ObjectiveAutismDad | October 03, 2009 at 11:47 AM
First thing Monday morning I am contacting my member of congress and asking:
1) Why did it take so long to publish the 1996 birth cohort who turned 8 ~5 years ago.
2) In 2009, we should be looking at the 2000 birth cohort that turned 8 last year.
3) What is the plan and accounting for the $85M in promised funding.
This is truly unbelievable. If the data is showing 1:100, the US population is ~300M, and if we are to believe that the rate has not really changed, that means that there are ~3,000,000 people in the country with ASD. I don't think the social security disability/early intervention/education services info matches a 3M number.
The PDD-NOS criteria change is BS too. IMHO,I think PDD-NOS just catches those who are recovering. My son had a full blown autism diagnosis and is now categorized as PDD-NOS. He is recovering, and in no way would he have been "missed", if he had been born prior to diagnostic changes. With a PDD-NOS diagnosis, he is mainstreamed but has a full time 1:1, receives ST and OT, and ~5-6 hrs of ABA/wk. PDD-NOS, although higher functioning, still requires significant support services.
Posted by: PhillyMom | October 03, 2009 at 11:07 AM
It seems as though the Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated study is not going to be done by the government. I think it's time that our community steps up and makes it happen. How about creating a special fund at SafeMinds, Generation Rescue or ARI to do it?
Does anyone have a fair idea of how much such a study would cost? It needs to be well designed and statistically powerful enough that the results cannot be challenged. Also, who should/would do the study? The most neutral parties possible should be involved. Is it possible to approach an undergraduate college statistics department and say we will provide the funds to have a class or group of students directed by faculty to perform this study? What are other options?
Are we just going to allow this study to not get done and allow 1 out of 100 children born in the next few years to join the spectrum ranks? My family will forego our 2010 vacation and contribute the funds to such a study. Anyone else?
Posted by: Jeff Stone | October 03, 2009 at 10:55 AM
I noticed the Today Show anchor took his flu shot this morning.
From what I could tell he was still 9 doses short of the 2009 "toddler rate" of mercury that will be available soon at drive up pharmacy windows.
The Doctor on the show basically stated that it was ok to get both flu shots on the same day... and to calm fears, stated that all the vaccines (mercury poison) were being made at the same location....
Posted by: curtis | October 03, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Thimerisol is the big bad bear in the woods and they keep lying about it. It's hard to change people's minds who know the answer.
Posted by: Mr. T | October 03, 2009 at 10:25 AM
What got me is when a commenter wanted to know why in a state of emergency we were not getting specific numbers from the department of education. He added since it was admitted that the numbers currently (1-100) were way off and predicted to be much worse of a prevalence in reality.
In$el, should I say non-urgently, said it went against some rule that was in place for the department of education. I know when there was the estimated rate of autism in over vaccinated Somali refugees (rate estimated at 1 in 28) they were able to obtain numbers from the school.
It just kills me the reasoning used to obscure and delay the obvious truth.
Posted by: Patrick | October 03, 2009 at 09:25 AM
Just remember, you can't spell pHARMa without harm.
We have no idea what causes autism other than it is not our cash cow, vaccines. And we will keep studying it until finally autism is the new normal.
But rest assured, vaccines have nothing to do with it. I know because Paul Offit and Tom Insel have told me it is all my imagination that there is a rise, or it's better diagnosis, or that it is just a coinky-dink that my four year old son regressed after a vax or some othet lame bullshit excuse that clears the moneymaker.
Posted by: MadDad | October 03, 2009 at 08:58 AM
My two sons: One had H1N1, a few days of misery followed by lifetime immunity. The other has autism, a lifetime of misery that affects 1 in 100 kids. Which one is getting all the government attention and funding? What is wrong with this picture?!?!
~Sue
Posted by: Sue | October 03, 2009 at 05:06 AM
Why did it take so long to crunch the numbers for the 1996 birth cohort? These children were eight in 2004/5. I presume data collection was in 2005/6. It is 2009! Don't they use computers at the CDC?The census gets done faster than that.
I'm not at all surprised by the results, they are more in line with working numbers in the UK. I'm concerned with the process. The CDC should have results for the 1998 cohort by now, and maybe they do. Concerned people should write their congress person and ask why the CDC is so slow to process and/or release important data about a major epidemic.
Posted by: Laird Jones | October 02, 2009 at 11:54 PM
We have no idea what causes autism....now roll up your sleeve it's time for your H1N1 shotS!
Posted by: Kristie Renee' Sepulveda-Burchit | October 02, 2009 at 11:43 PM
We need another march -- a really really big one. This is unconscionable. They still "don’t know if it has gone up"? And they "are hoping to unlock these mysteries” but they want to keep the lid down firmly on the causes?
Posted by: Twyla | October 02, 2009 at 11:37 PM
They know what is causing autism but to many politicians would lose their fat Pharma bonus checks if they acknowledge autism is vaccine related. It is much easier to let the damage continue and look the other way, after all pharma has lots of money for the politicians and what do the vaccine damaged have to offer?
Posted by: Richard | October 02, 2009 at 11:28 PM
Sebelius said, “We don’t know if it has gone up, and we are hoping to unlock these mysteries.”
The rest of her statement should go like this: "We'll get back to you on this after we inject mercury into a bunch more kids and pregnant mothers as we continue our reckless disdain for health and safety on our march to oblivion."
Posted by: michael framson | October 02, 2009 at 11:25 PM
David - excellent summary and unanswered questions (sadly as always on the latter.)
I feel like the movie AND THE BAND PLAYED ON is playing this time for a different problem.
WHAT NUMBER WILL IT TAKE ... said the character played by Matthew Modine is hugely appicable in this situation.
Waiting for the shock from the crowd at any moment
Posted by: Lisa @ TACA | October 02, 2009 at 11:01 PM
she better do more than hope! (Sibelius) TOday I reemed out the Alberta "health minister" for reducing the H1N1 vaccine fears to being about getting "pricked." We have a lot more NB things to worry about like adjuvant and thimerosal! THis is all so galling
Posted by: jen | October 02, 2009 at 10:54 PM
David,
Just reading this and your expanded question (related HepB studies). It is damn good and highly appropriate to ask, which is why you received no answer. The connection from study to study and conclusion to conclusion is what we are seeing in our homes and in our schools.
What possible answer could Insel have given except maybe the old tired line - "All of the studies have been done on vaccines and there is no connection." Instead, he took off. Your last question - "why are you spending only 39 minutes speaking with the community that represents, according to your boss, one of the nation’s “top health priorities?”....... is THE best approach on the behavior and apparent lack of concern that he represents.
"Only 39 minutes" needs to be an article that exposes Insel and any associates as ineffective leaders or more likely, biased and financially connected perpetrators.
Thank you for all that you do.
Posted by: Teresa Conrick | October 02, 2009 at 09:12 PM
More like 1 in 100 children are very ill and too many parents can't afford to help them get better...even if they have health insurance. Gee Mr. Obama...ya think this is a serious enough problem yet? Still looking for a cause yet still pushing new vaccines that are just going to make these children, including both of mine, more ill. Maybe the cause is the greedy pharma companies who pad the pockets of those doing all those "independent" studies.
Posted by: Debra | October 02, 2009 at 09:06 PM
Thank you Age of Autism and Mr. Kirby for consolidating the news for our family, so we can do all the extra work it takes to help a non-verbal 12 year old (yes, born in 1996, Hep B at birth) hit milestones he should have hit years ago...
Posted by: Amanda Blinn | October 02, 2009 at 09:06 PM
Off topic-- authorities are saying that the girl who died after Ceravix vaccine in Britain had a large chest tumor-- I suppose it's possible but this story is what the cops call hinky. I hope she isn't cremated, family should get an independent autopsy, if such things are possible in UK.
Posted by: julie | October 02, 2009 at 08:41 PM
Kathleen Sebelius: “Autism Now Hits 1 in 100 Children. We Have No Idea Why.” 'and we will continue to spend millions looking in the wrong place"
My question would be: When the CDC and 52 industry experts gathered in Simpsonwood, Georgia in June of 2000,
did anyone in the back of the room raise their hand and say... "I think Autism is a new genetic disease, started in 1990, and these children all have genetic defects..."
Posted by: curtis | October 02, 2009 at 08:09 PM
Thanks, David, as always.
Just thinking here. If this is 2009 and we're just getting the numbers on the 1996 cohort of kids, then in 2011, we should have the 1998 cohort data, in 2013 the 2000 cohort presumably.
Now, if thimerosal truly was reduced in vaccines starting around that time, and really not until 2003 or later, does that mean we have to wait until 2015 or 2017 when they publish the 2002 and 2004 cohort rates to finally see if there's been the beginning of a drop?
Oh my gosh, maybe 8 more years?! I can hear the excuse already...
"See, we were really, really bad at diagnosing autism and then we slowly got better, and then like, everyone wanted to have Autism just to get services, so then we started pulling back on diagnosing it. That increase? No, just an issue with giving out diagnoses to kids who really didn't need it."
Posted by: Julie Obradovic | October 02, 2009 at 07:42 PM
Thank you, Mr. Kirby, for your continued vigilance. Your follow up question was worded much more nicely than the one I sent to HRSA.
This call was so depressing. I'm thinking that maybe they'll start to figure this stuff out about 2016 or so, when the babies that are about to get 100mcg of thimerosal in their 4 flu shots, on top of all the other vaccines, turn 8.
Posted by: Garbo | October 02, 2009 at 07:14 PM
Isn't everyone doing Sebelius too much honour spelling her name like the great Finnish composer, or is it just to irritate her?
Posted by: John Stone | October 02, 2009 at 07:09 PM
Hey President Obama, you gonna hop on AF1 and fly to the DAN! conference to find out what the hell is going on in the autism world? 1 in 100 kids? Kiss the tax base goodbye and watch Medicaid and SS sky rocket. Are you going to ACT or just push H1N1 vaccines on us all for the mythical epidemic you seem to care about the most?
Kim - pissed.
Posted by: Kim Stagliano | October 02, 2009 at 06:04 PM
David quotes HHS sec Kathleen Sibelius:
“the prevalence of autism might be even higher than previously thought.” But, she added, “We don’t know if it has gone up, and we are hoping to unlock these mysteries.”
We ought NOT be suprised that a "political hack" presidential appointee like Ms. Sibelius...would find the "prevalance of autism"...AFTER TWO DECADES...mystifying.
After all....she represents a BI-PARTISAN history of "appointing" someone with POLITICAL CONNECTIONS....to lead one of the most powerful public health agencies in our nation.
Which means....our ELECTED PRESIDENTIAL LEADERS...BOTH PARTIES... are far more interested in "protecting the vested interests of their political campaign contributors" than they are in "protecting the public's health.
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | October 02, 2009 at 06:02 PM
Thank you David! I too listened to that ridiculous call. Sebelius said what a high priority autism is at HHS and then proceeded to get off the call within the first 5 minutes.
Then we had to endure Insel and his NIH and HHS colleagues thanking each other for their "hard work" for about 5 more minutes. What a great job they have all been doing, how much they appreciate each other! Unbelievable ! These guys have been asleep at the wheel for a decade. They are only funding autism research now because of all the hard work of families getting the CAA passed. They have doing nothing for our kids and plan on doing more of the same.
Insel outlined more gene research and diagnosing tools. Wow. Then all basically agreed that these new numbers are a result of better diagnosing. I swear these idiots live on another planet.
At no point did any othem even mention environmental research. I am not saying vaccines, but the word environmental.
Insel never expressed concern about these numbers nor the devastation this was causing so many families. Just another day at the office for these bureaucrats.
They spent forever talking amongst themselves and then took 4 softball questions and called it a day.
Posted by: Katie Wright | October 02, 2009 at 06:01 PM
they suck and they must know they suck.
Posted by: KN | October 02, 2009 at 05:58 PM
Outrageous! I keep asking the following question, "What's the magic number?" At what point will America wake up and be outraged? 1 in 100? 1 in 50? 1 in 25? 1 in 2? 1 in 1? How much longer? This is ridiculous.
And David, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, THANK YOU for your continued hard work and determination to discover the truth. You are, as I've said many times over the years, a true hero to us all. <3
Posted by: Jeanne | October 02, 2009 at 05:56 PM
Thank you, David. This is terribly depressing but we were warned about Sibelius's vapid, team-player (not our team, mind you) stance on vaccine risks in any earlier post by Jake Crosby.
It seems that Kathleen Sibelius is to the autism/vaccine question what Nancy Pelosi was to the financial collapse/deregulation question. The world falls down around their heels and they just stay put in their little spots of remaining sunshine, shrugging their shoulders with the same bland insouciance. Are they related? Is it genetic? I have no idea.
Posted by: Gatogorra | October 02, 2009 at 05:43 PM
as always, thank you for asking questions they don't want to even hear
Posted by: Gabriella | October 02, 2009 at 05:40 PM
This is so unbelievable-just seeing this in print, even though we already knew it was coming out. We need to change all our shirts
to 1 in 68 boys-maybe it'll grab more attention. About the short telephone vist that was arranged--I am speechless.
maurine
Posted by: Maurine Meleck | October 02, 2009 at 05:09 PM