Richard Moore: Autism Global Pandemic or Myth
Autism debate focuses on question of epidemic Global pandemic, or myth?
By Richard Moore
Investigative Reporter
Read the full article and comment at Wisconsin's, The Lakeland Times.
Second in a series, the first was: Autism diagnoses explode off the charts - 1 in 110 affected
Children who are diagnosed with autism are described as being "on the spectrum," sitting along the range of neurological impairments, from mild to severe, that compose autism spectrum disorders, or ASDs, but it could be said those so diagnosed are not the only ones on an autism spectrum.
In the politically-tinted scientific world, there is what might be called a spectrum of causality, a sweep of beliefs about autism yielding two opposing viewpoints - those who believe the globe is engulfed in an autism pandemic constituting a major public health crisis, and those scientists who say it is all a myth.
Put UW-Madison Dr. Morton Anne Gernsbacher in the latter group.
"If you have learned anything about autism lately from the popular media, you most likely have learned - erroneously - that there is 'a mysterious upsurge' in the prevalence of autism (citations omitted), creating a 'baffling . . . outbreak,' in which new cases are 'exploding in number' and 'no one knows why,'" Gernsbacher wrote in a 2005 paper, Three Reasons Not to Believe in an Autism Epidemic. "However, no sound scientific evidence indicates that the increase in the number of diagnosed cases of autism arises from anything other than intentionally broadened diagnostic criteria, coupled with deliberately greater public awareness and conscientiously improved case finding."
Put Dr. Bernadine Healey, the past director of the National Institutes of Health, in the former grouping.
"I think one has to listen to the families of these children," Healey said on Larry King Live in April 2009. "I have always believed, you listen to the patients and the patients will teach. I think there are many legitimate concerns that families have. And I honestly believe that the focus that we have on autism today and the embarrassing recognition that we know so little about it, in terms of what causes it, in terms of how to treat it, in terms of whether it's dynamic, whether it's structural, I think that says that we have neglected this disease for all too long in the face of this growing epidemic."
Certainly no one disputes the exponential rise in autism diagnoses.
Into the 1980s, no more than 5 per 10,000 persons received an autism determination. In 2006, approximately 1 percent of the child population received such a verdict, or one child in every 110.
What's disputed are the reasons for the rising rates.
Those who debunk the idea of an epidemic say they are easily explained by three reasons: Changes in diagnostic criteria for autism, with current criteria including milder forms of the disorder, such as Asperger's Syndrome, which weren't previously counted; greater awareness among both the general public and the medical community, leading to greater identification; and earlier diagnosis stemming from heightened observation.
Those who believe the epidemic is real have marshaled their own evidence.
They say common sense, on-the-ground reporting by parents prove the increase is real, no matter what the overall body of research asserts. They also attack both the methodology and conclusions of many studies, and point to pharmaceutical-backed researchers as the driving force against the idea of an epidemic.
Not least, their own comprehensive studies show, changes in diagnostic methods cannot account for anywhere near the increase, and they say rises in diagnostic rates just as easily parallel an increasing assault on children's immune systems by both environmental pollutants and medically rendered immunizations as they do changes in medical technique.
The outcome of the debate is critical, for it will affect billions of dollars of funding, which now flow primarily to researching the genetic foundations of ASD. If there is no real increase in the incidence of autism, that funding line will remain stable.
But the apple cart would be upset if autism is on the increase absolutely, for it would mean something other than genetics - something in the environment - is triggering the rise, and that funding needs to be shifted toward finding those environmental causes.
Moreover, if that something in the environment turns out to be at least partially due to the immunization schedules of young children, as many advocates in the autism community believe, billions of dollars in pharmaceutical profits could be at stake as well...Read the full article and comment at Wisconsin's, The Lakeland Times.
The next article in this series looks at the potential causes of autism, and explores the debate over vaccines and autism.
Richard Moore can be reached at [email protected].
An excellent article.
I commend this investigative reporter for taking the time necessary to gain an understanding of the topic to be able to write about it. Few reporters are willing to do this.
Having covered the topic several years ago, I can fully appreciate the time and effort that this article required.
Posted by: Evelyn Pringle | April 25, 2010 at 04:18 PM
If autism was so prevalant back then and these kids were always out there, then where are all the school and medical records from past decades?
How is it that so many kids functioned without any therapeutic support and managed to even graduate.
People have claimed the kids were hidden away in institutions. If that were the case then the institutions would be brimming and we'd see a large population of autisic adults.
Where are they?
The autism increase is real. The efforts to explain it away are based on myth.
Posted by: sarah | April 25, 2010 at 08:31 AM
@Judith. I think about that too. Out of the 5 people I was closest to in high school we have 4 children on The Spectrum between us. I don't recall my mother having ANY friends who had children with Spectrum when I was growing up. All hail the new normal. Nobody gives a damn but us.
Posted by: AnaB | April 25, 2010 at 06:49 AM
When my Mom, a stay at home Mom in a world of big catholic families with many children and , learned about my son's bowel symptoms and that many other children with autism had them, she said "Those are absolutely new. Mothers used to talk about EVERYTHING and I never, ever heard of that. EVER. Also, these children are not the same as Down's or the mentally retarded or 'slow' children. First of all it was not prevalent like this. Secondly, you NEVER heard a story of a child who was fine, then wasn't fine any more. Some child might have a speech delay for instance, but there would be an explanation. For instance, one child I know of was 'held back at birth' literally stopped from being born so that the doctor could get his fee. They were either born that way or there was a reason we could understand. You mention vaccines? Our family doctor vaccinated the older children, but refused to vaccinate you or your brother because he saw you had eczema and similar skin issues. He told me the last child he vaccinated who looked like you ended up in the hospital. I took his advice. Wow, what if the susceptibility is genetic and what if we saved you? Did your Dr ask questions or look at my grandchild before he gave him the shot? Our doctor asked a lot of questions and examined you."
We have to start asking questions.We have to support doctors who THINK. I am going to call that doctor right now and thank him. He's in his 80's!
We have got to get these stories out there. If they are going to say this was always there, then make them prove it.
Posted by: CarolynKylesMom | April 24, 2010 at 02:36 PM
To those who claim there is no epidemic, I'd like to offer a conversation I had last Saturday. A little boy bowling against my son's team would bowl, stare at and flick his fingers incessantly, and then do a little routine before bowling again. Every time. Over and over and over. I recognized it immediately but didn't say anything.
A parent of a someone on my son's team leaned over.
"That little boy has Autism."
"I know," I replied. "My daughter is affected as well."
"Oh, I didn't know that. Gosh, that's so weird. My neighbor's child has Autism too. Seems like it's everywhere now a days, no?"
"Yes, yes it does."
In one lane, of one bowling alley, there was a directly affected child, the sibling of an affected child, and the neighbor of an affected child. But surely, we just missed this all before, no?
Posted by: Julie Obradovic | April 24, 2010 at 01:00 PM
Thank you, Richard Moore, for an outstanding article (series) on where we are in this autism epidemic. Your article shows both sides of the issue and provides the facts on financial conflicts of interest and government denial that we often don't see in the media.
Your in depth look is refreshing and much appreciated as I have a very affected daughter who was born in 1993 and began regressing into autism after a series of vaccines. Her MMR at 18 months accelerated that regression into losing speech and then gaining the familiar behaviors associated with autism - loss of eye contact, extreme sound sensitivity, and perseverative behaviors.
But she also had signs that are not discussed in the media, not included in the DSM because they are the physical and medical symptoms that show our children to be sick and affected by something other than the historical "infantile autism". These are not genetic signs but signs of toxins and environmental assaults. This is her story: http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/03/mother-warrior-the-bitter-sweet-16.html
Little did I know then that these were symptoms of encephalopathy, immune dysfunction, mitochondria dysfunction, and GI dysfunction/disease. These are what many, many of those with an autism diagnosis have that are being ignored by CDC, APA and those who disseminate the news to the media.
I also want to share that I am very familiar with the Lakeland Times as I have a history of being a traveler up to the Northwoods of Wisconsin. In my early years and again as an adult, I spent many weeks in Vilas County fishing and exploring the Manitowish chain of lakes. With autism and its many difficulties, this is not a trip that I have been able to do in many years. I do love it there and your article has inspired me in not only appreciation for excellent, unbiased reporting on autism but also that I need to plan a trip up north.
Posted by: Teresa Conrick | April 24, 2010 at 12:01 PM
It's about time we had some good in depth reporting. Thank you Mr. Moore.
Maybe we parents should nominate Mr. Moore for an Association of Healthcare Journalist Award for this autism series.
Here's the link.
Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism
http://www.healthjournalism.org/awards-jump.php
Posted by: Sarah | April 24, 2010 at 10:53 AM
Wow. This is one of the best, multi-faceted articles I've read on this subject in a long, long time. It reminds me of good, old fashioned investigative reporting, which is dead in the mainstream media, IMO. Congratulations Mr. Moore.
Posted by: AnaB | April 24, 2010 at 10:03 AM