Autism Society of America Displays Inaccurate Billboard
Update: ASA Reponds to criticism today HERE. While feedback has been very positive, some individuals on Facebook have expressed concerns about the word “born.” Please note the intention of the billboard, which was completely funded by an individual donor, was to get a message out to the general public about the rising incidence of autism. The billboard was not meant as a venue to state the Autism Society’s organizational position about the finer points of the cause or course of autism. We provide more detailed information on our website. So an "individual donor" can state a message that is not in keeping with the organization overall? Interesting.
Managing Editor's Note: There has been a thread on FB of parents posting photographs of their children who were not born with autism. They run (with parental permission) at the end of this post. Perhaps ASA needs visuals to understand?
By John Gilmore
So what is with the Autism Society of America anyway? They are trumpeting on their Facebook page that they have put up a big billboard that says, “1 in 88 children are born with autism.” What? Haven’t these people even heard of regression? Is it still the 1980s? What is going on over there?
When my son was diagnosed with autism in 2002 there were 10 Autism Society chapters in New York. Since then three simply folded their tents and disappeared including the one in Queens, New York’s largest county. The Manhattan chapter consists of one, I am not exaggerating, one elderly woman who started the “chapter” back in the 70s. The Brooklyn chapter is half a dozen of the original founders. And several other chapters are very low visibility as well. Some are quite active and vigorous, but how do you have chapters of an organization dedicated to a specific disorder fold in the middle of an epidemic, and in the middle of America’s largest city. What gives?
This might be part of the problem. A couple years back the Autism Society changed their governance practices so that instead of the members electing the national board, the board itself appoints new directors becoming self-perpetuating, and answerable only to itself. If you look at the board now compared to a few years ago there is a stark difference: parents have disappeared. In 2006 at least nine of the fourteen board members were either parents or on the spectrum. Today, according to the biographies provided on the ASA website, 2 are parents and one member is on the spectrum, out of 15 directors. Many of the other board members are affiliated with businesses that sell things to the autism community, or are affiliated with service providers. One of the board members did not mention in her ASA website bio that she is the mother of a deceased child with autism, and I learned this only from following a link to a newspaper article from the website of a foundation she created. What is she hiding?
Given the experience the majority of parents I know have had with schools, service providers and administrators the last thing we need is a major autism organization dominated by people who do things to and “for” us and our children without the life experience we have. It’s like a veteran’s organization that excludes vets.
And it leads to the Autism Society spending large sums of money on a billboard that is patently false, and denies the lived experiences of hundreds of thousands of parents who witnessed their child losing speech, losing connection and retreating into autism.
It is a lie. It is insulting, and it should be taken down as soon as possible. If you agree please give the headquarters of the Autism Society of America a call at 1 (800) 328-8476 and politely ask them to correct their billboard or take it down.
John Gilmore is Executive Director of the Autism Action Network
There is a vaccine epidemic , Autism is an epidemic my son was not born with it ie Autism , i feel insulted that anybody would dare to tell me that i did not see my son regress into Autism i saw with my own eye,s his regression and yes i saw this after he had his MMR Vaccine , Age of Autism is a wonderful platform to disguss these issues
Posted by: Debora | April 27, 2012 at 05:32 AM
In Response to Sarah:
I agree with you. A march on Washington, D.C. would be tremendous in the face of the new 1 in 88 outdated stats. I think Pharma. and governmental/state alphabet agencies have always counted on our stricken community to not be able to show up en mass. What a relief for them that autism has devastated our ability to afford the financial, emoitional and logistical support such an undertaking would present.
I have an enormous amount of respect for the Act Up campaign of the 80s & 90s. I will never forget my pilgrimage to the Quilt in D.C. It was devastatingly beautiful and unimaginable in scope. Perhaps we should attempt a project such as this. let's take those stupid 'What Causes Autism" 'puzzle pieces and create our own quilt. I'm not very handy with a needle and thread but I'm sure I could cobble together one piece of my family's experience to interlink with another family and so on until the picture becomes not only clear but urgent. Perhaps we could leave a few empty pieces for the children and families who are not aware that they are part of this horrific tapestry.
That way, the whole community can share their experiences without the stress and financial burden of marching on our Nation's Capital when they are unable or unwilling to acknowledge us in the flesh. Just imagine the news media's response. This is catnip. it certainly would appeal to their 30 second sound bite mandates.
What do you think? Anyone?
Posted by: Christine Thompson | April 23, 2012 at 10:57 AM
I am glad to see reaction to this continues. The recent paper by Wolff et al. (Am J Psychiatry. 2012 Feb 17) on differences in white matter fiber tract development that become evident from 6 to 24 months of age, states at the outset "... the latter half of the first year is a pivotal time for both brain changes and symptom onset in infants later diagnosed with an ASD."
Why do pediatricians tell parents to wait-and-see, boys are slower than girls, he will catch up, etc? Autism is not evident at birth, and it is important to object to the idea that autism is something a child is born with, unless a clear prenatal cause such as exposure to valproic acid in utero, or one of the metabolic conditions associated with autism is confirmed.
Academic science has failed miserably to pinpoint the cause of autism. Actuarial-type science is what is needed. Medical interventions all need careful scrutiny. "Medical care" is practiced too much by protocols and published standards. Read Marsden Wagner's "Born in the USA" and his description of modern childbirth, induction of labor leading to need for pain management, and cesarean delivery if induced labor fails. The most serious error is the now standard use of a surgical clamp on the umbilical cord. Blood flow from the placenta is needed until the lungs take over the function of respiration. Traditional textbooks taught this basic understanding of transition from placental to pulmonary respiration, based on the need for fetal valves in the heart to close (the foramen ovale and ductus arteriosus).
Too many infants suffer compromise during birth. Then vitamin K and hep B vaccine injections are given, which may be safe for infants who breathed right away at birth. Strong grassroots movements are needed to urge obstetricians and neonatal specialists to evaluate present-day required procedures.
Posted by: Eileen Nicole Simon | April 22, 2012 at 07:24 PM
This billboard is disgusting.
I live in Australia and it makes my blood boil to know that this 'autism advocate' (AMA) appears to be a willing participant in peddling such untruths about our kids.
Amazing how many of these organisations and people who claim to be working FOR kids with autism seem to be doing the exact opposite.
One tried to tell me that the Rubella vaccine may actually PREVENT autism! What planet is she living on?
There is big money in Autism nowadays.
Makes me sick.
Posted by: Liz Hempel | April 22, 2012 at 06:11 PM
I went to the ASA website and looked up their board of directors. One of the names I found was Jose F. Cordero, MD, MPH. Per the bio shown, prior to August 2006 Dr. Cordero "was an Assistant Surgeon General of the Public Health Service and the Founding Director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Cordero worked 27 years at the CDC."
It seems to me that this is the same Dr Cordero who urged publication of Thorsen's "Danish study" by Pediatrics (www.putchildrenfirst.org/media/5.11.pdf).
If you then look at their board of professional advisors (among other members) you find:
Eric Courchesne (see www.ageofautism.com/2011/11/autism-speaks-study-courchesne-brain-study-not-worth-sacrificing-our-children-further.html)
Geraldine Dawson of Autism Speaks
and Bennett L. Leventhal, MD - who has apparently stated that mercury does not trigger autism; believes that autism is a genetic disorder, does not believe that the increase in autism is real, and has been an expert witness against children with autism in the Autism Omnibus cases. (see www.ageofautism.com/2010/01/tribune-watchdog-or-tribune-skunk-part-1.html and www.ageofautism.com/2012/03/the-phoenicians-autism-recovery-denial-drug-profits-and-the medias-flat-earth-2012.html).
I have not investigated further. There appear to be some good choices for membership on the panel of professional advisors (such as Martha Herbert, MD, PhD), but one wonders how much influence they have compared to ones like those I cited above.
Posted by: Carolyn M | April 22, 2012 at 06:00 PM
I couldn't figure out how to add my sons picture but I posted this comment on the ASA FB page...
"Please. Autism in many cases has to be triggered by something toxic in our kids environment otherwise we wouldn't see a staggering 78% increase since 2002. The CDC reports that 1 in 54 American boys now dxed with autism and the number continues to climb. Dr. Gerry Dawson of Autism Speaks even went on National televsion and called the autism increase an "epidemic" and a Naional "health crisis". There is NO way this can soley be due to genetics. There is much more to the story. Some kids may have fragile X or Retts but many of us saw our kids regress after a period of normal development. My son's genetics test came back "normal" per the lab report so what would cause a child with normal DNA to regress? He had a chromosomal microarray analysis done which is considered the gold standard genetics test and the test even looked for mutations assocaited with autism. They found NOTHING!!!"
Posted by: Sarah | April 22, 2012 at 02:17 PM
wow, I look at these pictures of these gorgeous kids and think yes, we have to show the world our children. Our children are not a statistic. Maybe we should organize a Children's March on Washington, DC. With 1 in 88 kids -- that's a huge number of families.
Posted by: Sarah | April 22, 2012 at 02:04 PM
Can you imagine if the American Cancer Society ran a billboard that said 2 out of 5 people are born with cancer (instead of 2 out of 5 will get cancer in their lifetime)? Such a statement would send shockwaves through the country. That's how huge an error ASA has made.
Correcting the blatant error will cost money, and neither the donor nor the organization wants to fork out the dough to pay for the correction. So the solution is to call the error "a fine point."
What other mistakes is ASA making on a grand scale? The billboard is like a giant ad that advertises how inept they are. Their "we don't care" response is mind-boggling. "Don't bother us with details. We got our name on a billboard and that's all that matters."
Posted by: Madvocate | April 22, 2012 at 12:11 PM
Hi Lone Voice Australia, would you mind leaving a message on my blog to that effect? Yes, we just 'love' Tony Attwood over here. He has been here many times. See the thing is, because we (they) are so devoid of having knowledge about autism, they bring in so called international 'experts' to fill the vacuum of their knowledge and then tip the forelock and bow down.
Then these professionals go to the 'oiks' (parents) and tell them, "yeah, but Tony Attwood says so", so it's true."
I am sorry your country has similarities to us. I know how frustrating it is. One side of me says, just get on with raising your own children, but then, OH but then, you meet parents who are put in the same horrible position you were, and well, you just have to inform them. What good is knowledge if you can't or won't pass it on right? What good is having knowledge if you don't use it to protect your future grandchildren and wider family circle?
I despair for both of us then. However, change is inevitable. I love to watch the yanks and what they do - their demonstrations, their 'walks' with thousands and thousands of people - can't imagine that ever happening here mind (autism is all sewn up by just a few charities and they would just fight amongst each other for donations)
But all things are possible.
Parents do tend to conspire in their own repression over here and then bask in the comcomitant victimhood (co -existing conditions eh)
Tea and sympathy is the name of the game here - they even used to have a government run program here until last year and it was called (wait for it) 'Tea Talk and Toast'!
No, I am not lying. Parents just loved it - they could cry on shoulders, get a bit of sympathy and feel all aglow that someone listened to them. God forbid they ever became empowered!
I sometimes think I am living in Stepford Wives country. Parents aren't to blame per se - they have been brainwashed to some degree, but at what point do parents take full responsibility for their health of their children? Is dialogue such a scary thing? Where vax is concerned, seems it's very scary.
We are a very conservative society here in N.Ireland and its not considered 'good form' to rock the boat. You would think with the 30 year political struggle here, that people would have more fight in them, but all the fight has been sucked out it seems.
deserves a study.
My heart goes out to you.
I am actively seeking a rich patron for our own 'billboards'.
(p.s. doctors who have 'practiced' biomed over here have been threatened by the BMA to have their licenses revoked.)
Maybe Age of Autism will highlight our plight and join forces somehow to empower our respective communities?
xox
Posted by: Autism Northern Ireland | April 22, 2012 at 04:25 AM
@ Lone voice Australia
Well said "hubby"
Elizabeth Gillespie
Posted by: AussieMum | April 21, 2012 at 08:50 PM
N.Ireland and Aussie;
God bless you both!
Posted by: Benedetta | April 21, 2012 at 08:34 PM
@Autism Northern Ireland
I clicked on your name at the bottom of your post and it took me to your blog. You really are a lone voice in the wilderness. I live in Australia and feel exactly the same.
In Australia our autism organisations are totally worthless.
They proclaim your child was born with autism, it is a behavioural condition, there is no cure, but it can be managed by buying crappy plastic toys from a self proclaimed expert at suelarkey.com and reading a book by psychologist Tony Attwood. tonyattwood.com.au.
These two have a travelling circus which is fawned over by the Australian autism organisations. Their own websites list the dates of their seminars which cover the whole county and even into New Zealand (Larkey). Attwood goes further afield into USA, England, and even Portugal and Slovenia!!!
Here you will not hear a word about causation, vaccine damage is a nasty ill informed taboo topic, Dr Andrew Wakefield is the devil, GF/CF diets are 'controversial, supplements are a waste of money and your doctor knows best. I may be totally wrong in my firm belief a vaccine caused my son's autism however there is no discussion to join here to listen to others reasonable points of view. I
Here it is totally a behavioural/psychological condition. Absolutley no-one in the medical profession has a role to play other than administering the vaccine on day 1.
Seriously, if it weren't for the internet and sites such as Age of Autism there would be zero information about autism causation in Australia.
Best of luck to you 'Autism Northern Ireland'
Posted by: Lone voice Australia | April 21, 2012 at 07:15 PM
Just another attempt at high-jacking the language. Change the language and then the vaccine-caused epidemic just goes away.
Posted by: Cynthia Cournoyer | April 21, 2012 at 01:36 PM
Next big march or demonstration and I might have to come down from Canada. I miss the full pagers in USA Today, too.
Posted by: Jen | April 21, 2012 at 12:10 PM
Wouldn't it be great if all the worthwhile autism organizations would get together, pool their resources and put up billboards with the ACTUAL TRUTH on them???? I miss the days when Generation Rescue took out full page ads in major newspapers, and when we marched in DC to protest. Not sure it would do much good, but god it would feel really, really good to scream at the CDC again! It is so disgusting to see a billboard like that. My son is 17 now, and I thought for sure by this time, the world would actually start to understand that #1 we have an epidemic!! I cannot believe we are still debating that! #2 The vaccines and the toxic environment are to blame!! What is is going to take for people to get it?? Billboards maybe, lots and lots and lots of billboards from coast to friggin coast....good god. John, it's good to see you're still out there kickin ass and taking names!
Posted by: Val Boergesson | April 21, 2012 at 09:55 AM
Another thought, granted, most of you on this site already have kids with autism...But I love to journal and that has SAVED me!!!
I started journaling to my son from the moment he was born. Therefore, I actually have WRITTEN PROOF of his autism appearing!!! My pages actually show his regression!!
JOURNALING IS A GREAT WAY TO PROVE THE VACCINE ISSUE!!!
Posted by: antoinette f. | April 21, 2012 at 09:04 AM
The article says to call them to take the billboard down. It's Saturday as I read this and they're closed. I did post an email on their site:
http://www.autism-society.org/about-us/contact-us.html
Email them to take it down!! I am beyond numb at how much the buck gets passed with this! Funny, I don't think anyone realizes how LOUD parents can scream. And the more kiddos that are diagnosed, the louder we get.
Truth and Time, folks....
Posted by: antoinette f. | April 21, 2012 at 08:57 AM
Unfortunately, the more something is said and 'printed' the more people believe it. The average person does not examine why they believe something, they just do what others do. So, they read the billboard, read the paper, hear it on television, and voila, it must be true.
Vigilance in getting out the truth (based on facts) is paramount. Every bit of rhetoric needs to be countered.
Absolutely floors me the number of parents whose children have autism, who agree to continue vaccinating their children with absolutely no evidence that their children won't be damaged or even further damaged.
Easier to relinquish parental responsibility to a doctor I guess.
Fight the good fight, because that is what this is. Look at those children above, and the millions more to come. Truly astounding that one more child will be diagnosed with autism today and the world makes excuses.
I live in Northern Ireland. Our main autism charity received a lovely 'award' and a 6 figure sum from Glaxo Smithkline,(nice one huh) They publicly suggests that drugs are an 'intervention' for adult autism, and so much more. We can't keep up with the number of kids diagnosed and there is absolutely nothing for them here. Parents remain quiet, no outrage, just subsumed by big mouth charities who purport to speak for them. Very few parents in N.Ireland would have heard of this website. They don't need to research - in N.Ireland we think doctors are Gods and people don't like to speak up for appearing 'pushy'. Better their children go to hell instead!
We need to up the ante to get 'silent' parents find their voices. Not just internet squabbling but cobbling together with our own billboards, tv campaigns, etc. As parents we need evidence based knowledge to blow all this rhetoric out of the water as well as machiavellian political prowess to understand the dirty politics that surrounds anything to do with autism.
Posted by: Autism Northern Ireland | April 21, 2012 at 07:59 AM
Really cute which is now 100 times more common than polio
Posted by: sunglasses hut | April 21, 2012 at 01:06 AM
If anyone from ASA is reading this, please... take some time to truly analyze what is happening to these children. Something happens to these children that didn't use to happen when you were growing up. Do you remember your grandma warning you to watch carefully incase your healthy, walking, talking, happy, smiling baby stops talking and goes into themselves? Are you doing something about getting these kids properly assessed for GI disorders and immune dysfunction? Do you care about these children's bodies, or are you all about funding ABA? Do you know that many of these kids can recover when treated for their illnesses? If you really want to help these kids (and I hope you do) then prove it by helping their bodies recover from their illnesses and injuries.
Posted by: Please care about their bodies! | April 21, 2012 at 01:00 AM
If I was having a baby today and drove past that bill board, I am not sure I could keep driving without just sobbing out of fear for my child. This is what it says, "NO HOPE" rather than, "EDUCATE YOURSELF autism is PREVENTABLE and RECOVERABLE" Another Autism Speaks. What a shame..and hello, NOT BORN WITH IT HERE!!!
Posted by: Cheryl | April 21, 2012 at 12:02 AM
Let me say a word in defense of the ASA network. The local ASA chapters are parent run operations and perform a much appreciated support system for families with autism. Local chapters unfortunately do not have much input into what the national organization does. Also, fwiw, It does not bother me that there are no or few people with autism who run autism organizations. It takes social skills to help families navigate the mazes and obstacles of getting support and treatment for this disability. Since by definition people with autism are not accomplished in this area it makes sense not to have them at the helm. The goal should be saving people from this scourge, not political correctness. Autism is more a disability than an oppressed minority.
Posted by: Lenny Schafer | April 20, 2012 at 11:13 PM
What complete and utter Bull%$#@! My son was NOT born with autism! He was POISONED by VACCINES! To say that I am offended by this bill board would not BEGIN to cover it. They should be ASHAMED!
Posted by: Rachel | April 20, 2012 at 10:25 PM
To (ASA -Denial of the Truth): re: Dear ASA
Excellent post - very well said!
Posted by: Rachael | April 20, 2012 at 10:14 PM
Isn't the CDC telling us that, several years ago, 1 in 88 American kids born at the turn of the century had an autism spectrum diagnosis? That's history; those kids are 12 years old. Surely it's not splitting hairs to ask, in the middle of an epidemic, what about the prognosis for kids born in 2012? Surely that's what pregnant moms really want to know.
Jeez.
Posted by: Dan E. Burns | April 20, 2012 at 09:55 PM
ASA -Denial of the Truth blogger;
Is correct.
I went over there today and that is what it said.
Not much there really.
Loved the pictures of the kids, cute, cute, cute!
and so very precious - and I cried for everyone of them, God bless their heart the world is hard enough without a childhood vaccine doing this to them.
Posted by: Benedetta | April 20, 2012 at 09:31 PM
Dear ASA,
The "1 in 88 children born with autism" caption "was completely funded by an individual donor" you say....so that makes it ok? Are you trying to weasel your way out of this by blaming Autism Action Network because they are calling you out on this blatant propaganda campaign? ie - "some have attempted to elicit a campaign against our organization"...
You are also NOT apologizing I see, to the thousands of parents who saw their children regress into autism after vaccination nor apologizing to the other thousands that you continue to try and keep in the dark with your archaic messages - from your website -- "There is no known single cause for autism, but it is generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Brain scans show differences in the shape and structure of the brain in children with autism versus neuro-typical children. Researchers are investigating a number of theories, including the link between heredity, genetics and medical problems. In many families, there appears to be a pattern of autism or related disabilities, further supporting a genetic basis to the disorder. While no one gene has been identified as causing autism, researchers are searching for irregular segments of genetic code that children with autism may have inherited. It also appears that some children are born with a susceptibility to autism..."
Trying to blame an anonymous "donor" is a smoke and mirrors trick. People are not buying your blatant misinformation and denial of the nature of most autism - which is a regression in a normal child after being exposed acutely or chronically to toxins in their environment, especially vaccines. How many other anonymous people are funding your "born with it" campaign?
Posted by: ASA -Denial of the Truth | April 20, 2012 at 09:04 PM
Here's a link to their response regarding the billboard:
(and an opportunity to comment there)
http://www.autism-society.org/blog/in-response-to-questions.html
Posted by: Donna L. | April 20, 2012 at 08:21 PM
Nothing and I mean nothing sticks in my craw more than the words "Born with Autism." I understand that some kids seemed different from birth, I have a few friends who swear they knew before a month old that something seemed not quite right. But please please please... I am sick and saddened as an old, veteran parent, (who called ASA back in 1989 because there was NO WHERE ELSE to go) at what they have done.
I'd be interested in digging into the backgrounds of the board of ASA. DO they have ties to Pharma? Do they have ties to something else that would make them want to push a blatant lie?
It is just so disheartening!
Posted by: jan | April 20, 2012 at 07:28 PM
The CDC is not the only ones to blame! They are drunk on Kool-aid served to them by the FDA who got it from Big Pharma...who, BTW shared it with our physicians, too...then they all jumped in bed together and created a "venereal(or vulnerable) disease" called Autism. (Sorry, I did not mean to leave out our parasitic politicians-who only show up for a feeding...I mean vote!) Their orgy has destroyed our children's immune systems at their most "vulnerable" state(infancy) - which wreaked havoc on their development. Of course, none of them want to admit who the carrier is- so they all need to be put on the front lines in Afghanistan and let justice be served! We are experiencing a slow societal suicide if we allow this to continue-because we as a country are becoming vulnerable. You are only as strong as the weakest link...it's criminal! I have pictures and family witnesses that vaccine related autism stole our daughter when she was a toddler. But that will not phase these monsters- they need the ejection button...to Afghanistan, NOW!
Posted by: Terri Martino | April 20, 2012 at 06:49 PM
Those kids are all so beautiful.
Posted by: Mindy | April 20, 2012 at 06:19 PM
Oddly, I have one born with symptoms (but I had the mercury-laden Tetanus booster in my 6th month of pregnancy); I had another one who seemed only seemed hyper, but other than that, spoke beautifully, who lost speech at age 4, plus many other symptoms developed at that time (right after receiving 4 vaccines at once - some of them multiple formulas); and then identical twins who were perfect until 18 months. They then stopped their path of developing speech and social skills (one had twice the symptoms as the other). So, basically, one born with symptoms, one regressed at age 4 years, and two that stopped developing or rather very slowly developed after 18 months. Thus, I say it's the same causes whether born or develop later. For my family, we have typical causes of autism, low homocysteine, low Vitamin D, tickborne infections, strep, lots of mercury exposure, lots of electrosmog exposure, and even mold exposure. All the culprits the famous autism docs blame. Mine are all in regular school, so recovery is very possible. What makes me the most angry is that most docs still don't know that they can be medically treated to reduce much of their symptoms.
Posted by: Heidi N | April 20, 2012 at 06:13 PM
Can someone please locate ASA's most recent 1090 and inform us how much is being spent on salaries for these very lame individuals who do not read research and/or have middle-aged dependants with autism back before the epidemic took place? I recall a few employees with $ 200,000 salaries for part time jobs. ASA is worthless, Bernie Rimland would be very, very ashamed of the organization he started. They are as bad as Autism Speaks.
Posted by: Tami | April 20, 2012 at 05:21 PM
When is our community going to understand that language matters?!!
It should be worded: 1 in 88 get autism sometime during childhood.
Posted by: tiredmom | April 20, 2012 at 03:09 PM
There must a road sign company somewhere in the United States with an Autism connection, who could create a proper sign…
Such as... Autism is 100 times more common than Polio… it is not a “new gene”
Or....Denmark has 12 (not 36) vaccines by age 5, and Autism rates 100 times lower than the United States. Autism is not a mystery.
Modern medicine would forever crap if the truth was written where it could be seen by the public...
Posted by: cmo | April 20, 2012 at 03:03 PM
If I saw one of those signs, I'd have to edit it (with a ladder, though).
Posted by: Jen | April 20, 2012 at 02:26 PM
Of the national autism organizations, ASA is the one I trust the most. Autism Speaks is about genetics. ASA wasn't, at least not during my experience with them. I encourage everyone to call or e-mail them and let them know this error of judgement has offended a lot of us families, I would like to see the sign stay up, but they should change it from "Born" to "Has"
Posted by: Bridget Sargent | April 20, 2012 at 02:17 PM
I remember Dr. Rimland stating that prior to the epidemic years, they were seeing about 10% of cases that were regressive, 90% that had an identifiable genetic factor. Then in the 90s that reversed to where about 90% were regressive cases. I assume he was speaking at least partly from personal observation.
Using the word "born" does suggest that old paradigms might be influencing this "awareness" campaign, though I noticed they mention mercury particularly at the bottom of their causes page (http://www.autism-society.org/) and do include some biomedical treatment information.
But either way, do we even know if any child is ever "conceived with autism?" I've heard that having some genetic markers didn't mean you would develop the condition (I think in regards to fragile X)? We don't say people believed to have a genetic risk for cancer were born with cancer, if they develop cancer.
I wish I could put up a billboard saying "CDC's latest outdated count, 1 in 88 children have autism. CDC's latest response?"
On a tangent, the CDC's current features on autism don't seem to include any of the old oh-by-the-way mentions that research has found no evidence linking autism with vaccination.
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/AutismPrevalence/
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
They say this at one point (http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html):
"There is some evidence that the critical period for developing ASDs occurs before birth. However, concerns about vaccines and infections have led researchers to consider risk factors before and after birth."
???
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | April 20, 2012 at 02:02 PM
So disappointed in this sign. It's shameful
Posted by: nancy | April 20, 2012 at 01:34 PM
It says on their logo,,, "Improving the lives of all affected with autism". Evidently, they are not living up to what they advertise since they are only improving the lives of those born with it. It's false advertisement. Be sure not to give them any money. They are probably all about genes and nothing about environment. I just don't understand how many people are so stupid that after hearing countless stories from parents whose children regressed, they still stand by their programmed response. Better diagnosing.. or just a coincidence... or just a desperate parent looking for excuses... I don't want to call those people names, I'd rather be mature about it and ask them, "Why are there so many who have claimed regression knowing they will be told they are crazy and get beat down if they do."
Posted by: information not ignorance | April 20, 2012 at 12:41 PM
When I've seen these assertions in the past, I've thought a good defamation suit might stop the trend once and for all. Let them have the burden of proof and try to prove the claim-- they cannot.
Individual parents may by all means say that their own child was "born with it"-- but as soon as someone asserts that all were, it crosses the line.
Posted by: By the skin of our teeth | April 20, 2012 at 10:30 AM
Autism = Environmental + Iatrogenic Assault.
There is absolutely nothing beautiful in being assaulted so please STFU in telling me to accept the beauty in Autism!
Posted by: Elucidatus | April 20, 2012 at 10:26 AM
The CDC estimates 800,000 children under eightteen are on the spectrum .. and .. that 1 in 88 are being added to the spectrum every day.
What they have deliberately failed to report .. since they began gathering data .. is the number of children on the lower end of the spectrum .. especially those children whose parents report "regressed" following vaccinations.
Whether they know it or not .. ASA's use of the word "born" .. provides opportunity for supposed "experts" .. to continue denying any real increase in autism .. it is all due to "better diagnosing" or "broader definition".
The numbers of "regressed children on the lower end of the spectrum" .. who cannot tend or fend for themselves .. cannot be dismissed so easily.
How many of the "1 in 88" children are on the lower end of the spectrum today? Are their numbers decreasing after the slow withdrawal of thimerosal from vaccines .. or .. are their numbers continuing to grow today at the same rate they were 10-15 years ago? Either way .. we have a right to know.
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | April 20, 2012 at 10:24 AM
They've never heard of hep b at birth? Prenatal flu or catch- up shots? Never mind that the highest vaccinated kids in history are now having babies. Epigenetics, anyone?
Posted by: Jen | April 20, 2012 at 10:12 AM
1 in 88 children born with Autism?! When my son was born in 1999 and my daughter in 2001 there was no pre-natal counseling concerning "children born with autism." I'm sure the brave and weary parents who came before and followed were never counseled either. Can you imagine the expectant parent(s) to be being handed the ASA's brochure "What Is Autism?" Like expectant parents aren't worried enough.
Not long after my son Max was diagnosed with regressive/severe Autism, my husband and I allowed our images to be used by a local chapter of the ASA . We were told about the early diagnosis/intervention campaign and readily agreed to set up a photo shoot in the hopes of increasing public awareness.
I'm deeply ashamed that we took the Chicken Little approach in telling everyone that the sky is falling and not stopping to consider if the sky is falling, what should we be doing for Max? This point was brought home to me in a very real way when my daughter, Kathryn was experiencing speech delays etc. I'll never forget when the dedicated Infants and Toddlers therapist was trying to break the news about Kathryn to me.
We went round and round. I clung to the belief that only boys could have autism... girls are quite rare! Then she took out the brochure with my son's face on it (she was not aware that Max, John & I were the cover family for that edition). Talk about Shock And Awe-No! I was more than disgusted with myself and continue to be knowing that the ASA continues to use our photo shoot images on their "Living With Autism" section of their website. I remember the sweaty, crazy hours long shoot. They really wanted the glamour shot where Max could be wrangled to look at the camera. They most certainly did not want Kathryn in the family photos - after all, she's not autistic and siblings are not affected by Autism. if we had waited a few months to do that shoot, they would have had two ASD kids and their desperate parents to shill the prevailing wis-dumb.
I often wonder how many families were subjected to our smiling little faces of hope and thought, "What a crock... why are they smiling? autism is nothing to smile about."
1 in 88 born with autism?
Perhaps the new volume of "What To Expect When You're Expecting" has a section called "Autism... Cross Your Fingers Since You Didn't Cross Your Legs."
Here's a better idea for the ASA to push, " Your New Baby Is a Ticking Time Bomb - Good Luck."
Posted by: Christine Thompson | April 20, 2012 at 09:33 AM
John is absolutely right. Too many parents have before-and-after videos and photos showing their children's healthy status before vaccination, and the undeniable symptoms of regression afterward.
Of course, some children may have received toxic exposures in utero sufficient to cause neurodevelopmental damage -- e.g., medical mercury from maternal dental work and flu shots. What a pathetic healthcare paradox.
If ASA is to survive with any credibility, the group needs to embrace democracy and fair constituent representation.
Posted by: nhokkanen | April 20, 2012 at 08:33 AM
Great to see an article written by John Gilmore.
Last night a commercial came on for a local autism school. It's the first time I ever saw it. Those same words- which always trigger instant agitation in me... "born with autism" caught my attention.
My son along with how many thousands upon thousands was not born with autism. He was hitting his developmental milestones, engaged, alert and "normal". No concerns whatsoever for his development until after his 12 month vaccines. Then his spiral downward began. Along with constant illnesses- numerous upper respiratory illnesses, allergies, bowel problems to mention a few.
Shame on ASA for their billboard. I'll give them a call and my local autism school to set the record straight.
Posted by: Andrea | April 20, 2012 at 08:22 AM
This is a marked attempt to institutionalize autism. There's no alarm. No call to action. We're being told that a jaw-dropping number of our children is sick--disabled for life and the only action we need to take is to BE AWARE. We seem to be helplessly in the grip of autism.
The not-so-subtle message is of course that IT'S THE PARENTS' FAULT. KIDS ARE BORN THIS WAY. We hear about genetic studies all the time. Bad genes, fat moms, old parents---why should society have to pay for their mistakes?
Anne Dachel, Media
Posted by: Anne McElroy Dachel | April 20, 2012 at 08:07 AM
The 1 in 88 rates are for children born in 2000. Most of which had ....only a few minutes of life... before being injected with 25 micrograms of neurotoxin/ Thimerosal / mercury in the (4 dose / 100 micrograms by six months) hep b shot.
1 in 88 children are "born to be injected with Autism" at birth / would be a more accurate billboard. The hep b shot is a two dose option at age 12 in Canada.
NBC News / Dr. Nancy & the 222 US cases of measles..... at the end of the clip, Dr. Nancy says if you have not had the "real measles" adults need to get a booster MMR shot....about 300 million doses should save the USA. No mention of the 30,000 new Autism cases in 2011.
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/47108451/#47108451
It would be nice if Dr. Nancy would say she still has "no damn clue" as to the cause of Autism... which is now 100 times more common than polio.
Posted by: cmo | April 20, 2012 at 07:50 AM