Autism and What the Experts are Saying, Part One: NPR's Tom Ashbrook Interviews Geri Dawson and Max Wiznitzer
By Anne Dachel
I recently listened to a recording of the April 2, 2012 Tom Ashbrook Show on NPR in Boston. It featured Dr. Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer for the advocacy group Autism Speaks, and Dr. Max Wiznitzer, pediatric neurologist at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland. The topic was the latest jaw-dropping autism rate increase, now one in every 88 U.S. children and one in every 54 boys.
This interview was 45 minutes long and during that time we heard endless
commentary about autism, most of it focused on the need for early detection and intervention at the same time neither expert could give us a reasonable explanation for why we’re losing a generation of children to a disorder that no one ever heard about 25 years ago.
Max Wiznitzer on one in every 88 kids now having autism:
"I'm not surprised. Number one, I think our diagnostic criteria are being applied more liberally. . . . [And] we're getting much better at identifying them. Twenty, thirty years ago, no one knew what autism was. Nowadays, everybody knows, up to the point that parents to some degree walk in with any child with a developmental problem and their first concern is, is it autism?
"It doesn't really matter what we call it, if we identify that they have a problem, we know that they need some help.
"In my opinion, I think that to some degree, we have over-labeling. But again, we may not have the right label, but if you the right intervention, that's all that's important."
HOST: "What about more incidence of this? Do you think there's simply more autism in the population?"
WIZNITZER: "I don't think we have numbers that definitely would tell us this. Look at the reason we could have more numbers:
1. More liberalized diagnostic criteria
2. Greater awareness. The public knows more about it. The people who make the diagnosis know about it. There's also an increase in populations that have risk factors. For instance, people are having children at an older age. We know that parents of older children have a higher risk for this. ...If you have one child with autism, the risk for a second child with autism is 20 percent."
Wiznitzer went on to cite other countries with even worse autism rates than the U.S.
The host again asked Wiznitzer if there could be an actual increase in the number of children with autism. Wiznitzer conceded that there may actually be more autism at the same time he went over all the reasons children could have social impairments. They may end up classified within the autism spectrum when they're really not autistic. We may still be mislabeling children as autistic when they really belong in some other category.
Wiznitzer pointed to ongoing studies looking at environmental factors. "…things that affect the brain while the baby is still developing in the womb--not after the birth, but in the womb. Could it be that there's some exposure to some substances? All this is being researched. But for the most part, it's still conjecture. There's no proven causal association."
All that matters is that kids get identified so they can get help according to Wiznitzer. He lamented the fact that half of the pediatricians out there aren't screening for autism.
Next Dr. Geraldine Dawson was interviewed. The host asked Dawson why her group, Autism Speaks, calls autism a "national public health emergency--autism epidemic" while doctors like Wiznitzer and the CDC call it "better screening and awareness."
DAWSON: "It's important to keep in mind that the CDC has used exactly the same methods every year. So every year they've been looking at records and keeping those methods exactly the same so we can systematically monitor the increase. We can't really attribute the changes that we've seen in prevalence to something about the methods and the way that the CDC has been looking at educational records."
She said that about 50 percent of the increase was due to "broader diagnose, increased awareness, and diagnostic substitution." But the other 50 percent of the increase is unexplained. Dawson said that it's "prudent" to look at environmental risk factors.
DAWSON: "We do have a public health crisis at this point and we do need a national plan to try to address not only the need for research but also better early detection, early intervention, and develop more effective treatments. We have to presume at this point that environmental risk factors are playing a role. We already have some evidence of some of those risk factors. ...Ones that have been shown so far are ones that affect the very early brain development of a baby, typically in the prenatal period. Some examples are advanced age at the time of conception. ...Both fathers and mothers. Nutrition during pregnancy... Babies who are born [with] very low birth weight and or have birth complications that involve anoxia... Exposure by the mother during pregnancy to high levels of pesticides or even air pollution can increase risk for autism. ...We believe that both genes and environment play a role."
WIZNITZER: "...We have to look at other numbers for other developmental disorders. Something as simple as ADHD. In the same time period that the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder went up 87 percent, ADHD went up 66 percent. ...Is it something that is affecting them or is it that we're just getting better at identifying them?"
WIZNITZER: "I don't like to use of the word 'epidemic.' ...We need to have heightened awareness that developmental disorders are out in the population and need to be identified and treated."
On prevalence and clustering:
DAWSON: "If anything, I think the current prevalence from the CDC study likely are an underestimate of the number of children affected by autism in the U.S. And the reason why we believe that is because of the method that was used to conduct the study. ...We recently funded a study in South Korea where they used a different approach and screened an entire population. ...Using that approach, we found an estimate of one in 38. So currently, we're working with the CDC and funding a similar study that will be collected at one of the CDC sites that is going to use this total population screening approach. So we think we've only scratched the surface here. So it’s very unlikely that we're overestimating."
WIZNITZER: "On the South Korea study, there have been some individuals who've raised questions about the statistics that were used in order to calculate that number because what they did was to have a small group of individuals and they generalized information and made inherent assumptions there. There are individuals in the autism community who question the assumptions that are made and feel that the numbers that were recorded were overly-generous and were overly-broad. ..."
HOST: "When you start talking about one in 54 for boys or one in 38...these are really frightening numbers. ...How should people take this onboard?"
WIZNITZER: "I think we look at it the other way around. Even if it's one in 54, it's about 2 percent. That means you've got a 98 percent chance it's not going to be there. If you look at other conditions, there's a much higher chance of some of these conditions are there. ...ADHD, 8 percent risk that it's going to be there. Intellectual disability, mental retardation, a 3 percent chance that that's going to be there. Learning disability, 6 to 8 percent, and that's a conservative number. ...There are a lot of risks that are out there.
Wiznitzer then went on to talk about kids getting the wrong label. "If I’m seeing this over-diagnosis in my area, is this also happening, 'cause what we're doing, first of all, the CDC numbers is a range. It was a prevalence range. The numbers were low in some areas and higher in other areas. The number you quoted was the average. I agree that this is an area that needs to be addressed. This is an issue that we need to be aware of with services provided."
HOST: "But you're saying over-diagnosis. Geraldine Dawson was saying under-diagnosis. Why would there be over-diagnosis? What factors would lead to that?"
WIZNITZER: "I think autism is on everyone's mind. Some people who make the diagnosis, especially if they don't have a lot of experience, ...take an impairment in socialization and automatically assume that it's autism."
"Autism as special education diagnosis has a higher rate of compensation for special ed services than other diagnoses... Parents are told erroneously by school systems that if you have a diagnosis of autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder, then we can give you the following services..."
Call from a listener:
Stephanie called in and listed all the developmental diagnoses her 13 year old son had---which didn't include autism. She described the failure of her pediatrician and the school to address her son's needs. They had to sell their home to afford a school that could help him.
Dawson then recounted the benefits of early diagnosing and intervention.
A mother, Glen Finland, with an autistic son (24) who wrote a memoir on his life growing up, was featured next.
FINLAND: "I think the diagnosis creep makes sense for all the reasons your thoughtful experts have outlined: the early screening, the detection, the intervention, the greater awareness, along with the broader definition. But for me, the question is, because these kids are growing up...when is the government going to confront this as the public health crisis that it is? We need to see what we can do for these kids and stop seeing them as targets for therapy and really focus on supported employment and competitive wages and jobs that will help them become independent adults. We need to welcome them into our workforce.”
The host then speculated that if the numbers have always been so high … “This really does get back to this issue of whether we have more Americans now with autism or just more diagnosis. If it’s not really more, then somehow, one way or another, for better or for worse, it’s been working. Is that a fair thing to say Glen?”
Finland didn’t address this critical question. Instead, she talked about her son seeking independence. “It’s really a civil rights issue. Work is a right and these young people are entitled to work…”
DAWSON: “This is a lifelong condition. What we want is for every person to not only reach their potential but to become a productive member of society, to have a job, to be able to contribute, to have a life that is satisfying. We can do that with the right kinds of support.
Dawson went on to talk about the transition from high school to adulthood. “..Some parents talk about as falling off a cliff because there are very few services, especially for higher functioning individuals…”
Call from Roy in Kentucky. He’s a father of a 7 year old with autism and he described the lack of support he’s found.
Wiznitzer urged Roy to get services and the host wished him the best of luck.
DAWSON (to Roy) “I feel your pain, buddy, but I have to say, it gets better, it really does. It takes a lot of maturity to parent a special needs child. It can be hard on a marriage, but boy do you need that partner because you can’t do it alone. Let me give you a tiny…, advice … I’ll tell you one thing that is important. Broaden your own circle of support, salt away time for yourself and your partner. You have to refresh the well. You have to get some sleep if you can. …It is very isolating to have a child with autism, so look outside and see who is there to offer help.”
Dawson went on to promote Autism Speaks online Facebook community.
The host then asked a question that was sent in. “Dr. Dawson, has the link between the MMR vaccine and autism been completely discredited?”
HOST: “I noticed the word ‘vaccine’ hasn’t even come up in this hour. Is that …off the table now, Dr. Dawson?”
DAWSON: “There is no evidence that the increase in prevalence that we’re seeing in Autism Spectrum Disorder is linked to the MMR vaccine. If vaccines play a role, and there has not been any evidence thus far to show that it has, it would be with a very small minority of individuals who have an underlying medical condition where the vaccine may have triggered an onset of symptoms for an already existing condition or vulnerability. So we do not believe that vaccines are an explanation for the increase and we strongly encourage parents to get their children vaccinated.”
The host then brought up the DSM changes.
HOST: “Is it possible that we’re just going to define this problem away?”
Wiznitzer said we just have to wait and see what happen. He went to encourage more community involvement for autistic individuals.
From the exchange between these doctors, it’s clear that autism is just too complicated an issue for the experts to reach any conclusions about. While Dawson suspects there’s UNDER-DIAGNOSING and Wiznitzer believes there’s OVER-DIAGNOSING, they’re really on the same page. There’s a concerted effort to deny any link to the ever-expanding vaccination schedule our children are subjected to. Both doctors cited PRENATAL environmental exposures, which neatly leaves the pediatric community off the hook. Dawson openly admitted, “If vaccines play a role, it would be with a very small minority of individuals who have an underlying medical condition.”
She’s also not interested in looking into the issue. These experts are prepared to turn their backs on “the very small minority” of children whose autism is caused by their vaccinations. Their parents must accept that they’re the collateral damage in the war on disease.
I wish I had been filling in for Tom Ashbrook on April 2. I would have asked the questions he never brought up during the interview.
To Wiznitzer:
“Dr. Wiznitzer, how can you can you say that there’s not been a true increase when no one has ever shown us a comparable rate among adults, especially adults with classic autism, whose symptoms are obvious to all?”
“Doctor, how do you explain regressive autism? What happens to kids who are born healthy and are developing normally but who suddenly and dramatically lose learned skills and end up with an autism diagnosis?”
“Doctor, how do you explain all the concomitant health problems associated with autism? Why do so many of these children have things like seizures, severe allergies, bowel disease, and sleep disorders?”
“Doctor, do you have any idea when you might actually know anything specific about the rate? Shouldn’t the medical community at least be able to give us accurate numbers?
To Dawson:
“Dr. Dawson, you said, ‘If vaccines play a role, and there has not been any evidence thus far to show that it has…’ Then how do explain the settlement that Hannah Poling received when HHS conceded that the vaccines she received resulted in her autism, as shown by CBS News?”
“Doctor, why has there been no recognition of the dozens of cases of vaccine injury that included autism and were compensated by the federal government as shown on FOX News?”
“Doctor, with all the research money that Autism Speaks provides, why has there never been a simple comparison study of the autism rate in fully-vaccinated and never-vaccinated children? It could end the heated controversy instantly if one in every 88 never-vaccinated children also has autism. With so many parents now too frightened to vaccinate, the study group is out there. Why has this never been done?”
How can a country that boasts having the best health care system in the world know so little and do so little about a health care problem affecting a million children? The only real message in the NPR interview is a call for early diagnosing--and doctors still aren’t doing that right. This is clearly a system that will continue to fail our children.
Ginger Taylor also wrote about the Boston NPR interview on her great blog, Adventures in Autism, on April 3, 2012.
Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism. Subscribe to her newsfeed at AnneDachel.com.
Note to Nitzwitzer: If you going to insert yourself in discussions about autism then do your homework!! You should brush up on the latest research that shows our kids have serious underlying medical problems such as Mitochondrial dysfunction, endocrine disruption and GI imbalances. You should know that experts at UC Davis, EPA and NIEHS have publically stated exposures to chemicals in the environment play a significant role. Regardless of the accuracy of the label, the fact is 1 in 88 American kids has a serious neurological issues which should concern all doctors. Instead of haggling over whether the increase is real or not or whether the label is accurate- HELP OUR KIDS!!!
History has a way of revealing the truth. One day, people will look back at the autism generation and gasp with horror at the insenstivity, denial and ignorance of many in the mainstream medical establishment (and you know who you are) toward our children and at the misguided belief that preserving the sanctity of vaccines is more important that the health of our own children. Just as the world reacted to the Holocoaust, people will ask: how could they let this happen. Indeed, how could they?
Posted by: Sarah | June 06, 2012 at 09:25 AM
Dr. Nitwitzer answers Ms. Dachel's questions
Dr. N: I know where they are. I've seen them. Have you ever noticed all the grocery baggers. They account for at least 70 percent of the adults with autism. The other 30% must be
helping at the car wash. Then, of course, the last 5 percent
are probably in shelters.
Dr. N: No way. Wait a minue-what does regressive mean? Ah ha-here;s my little Webfoot dictionary--Ok Ok--Digress means when you go off the subject at hand. But I digress--more than likely the parents missed the first early signals that include-toe pointing, potty language babble and the babies crying if they can't watch Bill Maher's Real Time.
Dr. N: In the words of my good buddy Brian Deer-diarrhea is not a symptom. By gosh I just had diarrhea the other morning.
Dr. N: Accurate--No, no, I never use the word accurate. It sounds too phoney When talking about people studies I prefer to use the words : sounds like, nad Wait, wait don't tell me. Somtimes I even like to say Liar, liar pants on fire because then the people forget the question they asked me.
Posted by: maurine Meleck | June 06, 2012 at 12:17 AM
Well, all I can say is that Wiznitzer just demonstrated to all the medical professionals out there who stay current with even mainstream medical research into autism that he has not been keeping up with the research in his own field and ended up looking ignorant and incompetent. I'll bet Dawson even had to hold back a few eye rolls herself at much of what he spewed. Dr. Luc Montagnier's approach fits with what is known about autism and neuro-inflammation; Johns Hopkins' neurologists have been researching the use of antibiotic minocycline to address inflammation in autism. By 2009 even parents had learned that acute/chronic infections in our children set off a skewed immune response that results in neuro-inflammation. I know my daughter's symptoms of autism are greatly reduced by the use of antibiotics when prescribed for various infections. She is one who also tests high for clostridia metabolites in her urine.
Posted by: Donna K | June 05, 2012 at 02:40 PM
Nitwitzer and another boy genius opine:
"....Dr. Luc Montagnier [is] an acclaimed virologist who in 2008 won a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking research that firmly established the HIV virus as the cause of AIDS.
Now, the highly lauded researcher is giving parents strange advice on how treat autism: just give children antibiotics.
'This is ludicrous. This is absolutely preposterous,' said Dr. Paul Offit, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 'Dr. Montagnier was a brilliant man. But he has descended into darkness.'
....'The idea that infections cause autism does not align with the pathology of autism,' said Dr. Max Wiznitzer, an associate professor of pediatric neurology and an autism expert at Case Western Reserve University. 'There is no scientific merit here. At all.'
Treating autism with antibiotics is also accompanied by a bevy of health hazards, especially because the method has never undergone comprehensive safety studies. 'You could be exposing kids to an increased risk of infection, to digestive problems, to any number of things,' Wiznitzer said. 'I'm sure even Dr. Montagnier himself doesn't know what the risks are. He doesn't seem to have studied them.'
Still, the idea is gaining traction. Montagnier's claims most recently found an audience with British physician Dr. Andrew Wakefield, whose 1998 study linked autism to the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Wakefield's medical license has been revoked in Britain and his work has been described as 'fraudulent' by the British Medical Journal."
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/18695192/former-nobel-prize-winner-draws-condemnation-for-proposed-autism-treatment
The concern about the digestive problems of autistics is rich.
Posted by: Carol | June 05, 2012 at 12:29 PM
Sounds like Wiznitzer is trying to make himself the media's "go to guy" for autism. Reject him. Any time he is interviewed tell the media that he is does NOT speak for us or our children. We should supply the media with a list of trusted experts who actually have a clue about autism, autism prevalence and who are up to speed on the latest autism research.
My list includes:
Issac Pessah, UC Davis
Irva Hertz- Piccioto, UC Davis
Dr. Martha Herbert, Harvard
Linda Birnbaum, NIEHS
Dr. Carlos Pardo, Johns Hopkins, School of Medicine
Dr. Bruce Cohen, Cleveland Clinic and United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation
Dr. Robert Naviaux, UCSD School of Medicine
Dr. Richard Fry, Arkansas Children Hospital
Dr. Timothy Buie, MGH
I'm sure there are others but media can do better than Wiznitzer
Posted by: Sarah | June 05, 2012 at 09:29 AM
This piece would be better entitled, "Tom Ashcroft Interviews the Dufflepuds" For those unfamiliar with the Narnia series, the dufflepuds are creatures who ambulate on one leg and constantly echo the statements of each other and their leader. ( a little bit like echolalia!) In this case the chief dufflepud says things like:
Preexisting condition...vulnerability
Echo: That's right boss...pre existing condition and vulnerability
Early diagnosis and intervention !! Echo: Yes, boss, early diagnosis and intervention!
Increased awareness !!! Echo: So true boss! Increased awareness !!
Alas, I myself am in the U.S. these days, discovering that the world is full of more dufflepuds echoing the words of our Autism Doctor Dufflepuds.
For example, I met a kindergarten teacher who agreed with me that they have no autistic kids this year and the previous year, but then she opined.. "it could be the early intervention!!" I remained mute, but thought, "Oh sure...They are without speech, spinning, and ingnoring other kids at age two, and when they come to you at age 3, presto! Now they are normal!" No wonder some people think that autism isnt much of a problem.
Wanna make a bet that Dawson and Co. are still saying the same thing ten years from now ?
Posted by: Cherry Sperlin Misra | June 05, 2012 at 05:08 AM
Here you can listen to an actual autism expert--and I don't think he even considers himself one: http://www.autismone.org/content/dr-andrew-wakefield-speaks-american-assoc-physicians-and-surgeons
Posted by: Carol | June 04, 2012 at 09:27 PM
I admire Anne for having the stomach to sit through this interview. I don't think I could have done it. Anne is just so tenacious.
Cognitive Dissonance reigns: It seems that autism is do to expanded diagnosis and/but we still need to detect earlier and better.
Heh?
But pushing all the blather to the side...
Max, come on, you know that kids have regressed after vaccinations and that they now have pefectly legitimate autism diagnosis. You know that is true.
Geraldine, you also know that is true. And you know that it is not a small number because no one has really investigated properly.
But let's face it; you both benefit from the status quo.
Bernadine Healy gave all of you a way out four years ago. She had courage. What do you folks have?
Posted by: Louis Conte | June 04, 2012 at 08:30 PM
Dawson to an autism dad:
“I feel your pain, buddy, but I have to say, it gets better, it really does. It takes a lot of maturity to parent a special needs child. It can be hard on a marriage, but boy do you need that partner because you can’t do it alone. Let me give you a tiny…, advice … I’ll tell you one thing that is important. Broaden your own circle of support, salt away time for yourself and your partner. You have to refresh the well. You have to get some sleep if you can."
How absolutely revolting. Can I just say one thing to Geri Dawson?
Efffffffffff youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
Geri, you know what causes autism. And we know you know:
www.ageofautism.com/2010/01/parents-vs-the-science-ask-geraldine-dawson-and-autism-speaks.html
So take your pharma money and shut up.
And get some sleep - if you can.
Posted by: STFU Geri Dawson | June 04, 2012 at 06:21 PM
WIZNITZER: "I don't like to use of the word 'epidemic.'
Of course he doesn't! It means that the CDC has to fess up to the gravity of the problem at hand.
Posted by: Jacqueline VW | June 04, 2012 at 05:23 PM
I am full of sound and fury and NPR Boston's autism piece signifies nothing. I am no longer gob-smacked by the epidemic... sorry "alarming rates" of poorly trained and ignorant pediatricians who beat the well worn drum of better detection, early diagnosis and good luck to you nonsense.
However, I am grateful to all who share their unique experiences via this forum.
Posted by: Christine Thompson | June 04, 2012 at 04:48 PM
Witznitzer came to Marietta, Ohio, as a paid speaker funded by a gift from an alum and sponsored by their Sciences Division. He said there was no human DNA in any of the vaccines and never had been. He said the auditorium was filled to capacity because 'autism is sexy.' He said the problem was that kids were drinking too much juice. He said he had never taken any money to say that autism was not connected to vaccines. Then he went off to Hawaii to go do the same thing.
Posted by: Sandra | June 04, 2012 at 03:42 PM
When the caller, Glen Finland, said “It’s really a civil rights issue. Work is a right and these young people are entitled to work…”, I think her premise is faulty. Because basically, she's saying that the government should make a law that forces a private business to hire a person with autism, even if that particular person with autism cannot fulfill said duties as desired. That shouldn't be. But definitely each child with autism has different capabilities, and we parents should do all we can to help them reach their potential, including working, as children and adults. My 9-year old son helps with many things like the laundry, making cookies, and putting things away.
Posted by: Lori | June 04, 2012 at 01:48 PM
When the caller, Glen Finland, said “It’s really a civil rights issue. Work is a right and these young people are entitled to work…”, I think her premise is faulty. Because basically, she's saying that the government should make a law that forces a private business to hire a person with autism, even if that particular person with autism cannot fulfill said duties as desired. That shouldn't be. But definitely each child with autism has different capabilities, and we parents should do all we can to help them reach their potential, including working, as children and adults. My 9-year old son with autism is able to move clothes from the washer to the dryer, and from the dryer to the basket, and set the timer and push the button. He is able to help hang up his own clothes, and put some clothes in his dresser.
Posted by: Lori | June 04, 2012 at 01:26 PM
Let's not forget that Dr. Wiznitzer is also the government's 'star witness' against parents in the US Vaccine Court, too...
Posted by: DownWitDaSickness | June 04, 2012 at 12:38 PM
CMO
With due regard for the memory of Bernardine Healy - and Peter Fletcher also told me he had been advised similarly about vaccine damage cases by none other than Richard Doll - I suspect that the problem was so bad that epidemiology might have been able to detect it if it had not been systematically skewed. In 2012 Cochrane repeated its finding that that "design and reporting in MMR saftey studies both pre-and post marketing is largely inadequate". The institutional evidence is that they were backing off producing studies which would detect effects. The question is where are the good studies, and the answer is after 40 years of the product that they've never been done. This is not some slight oversight, and it would not be surprising if the result was mayhem.
Posted by: John Stone | June 04, 2012 at 12:17 PM
Epidemiology / will not and can not / ever locate a "small subset of children" who might be sensitive to vaccines or vaccine components. A "small subset of children" is "what the hell" the whole problem is about.
Dr. Bernadine Healy,
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4088138n&tag=related;photovideo
"Tobacco science" / epidemiology.... finding little difference in cancer rates between 3 pack and 4 pack a day smokers, "proved smoking did not cause cancer" for nearly 70 years....
The CDC uses ONLY similar epidemiology to prove the vaccine program does not cause Autism... they have no real science.... only population studies and statistics of groups that show what they want to see....
The CDC refuses to use an un-vaccinated population as the control group. Epidemiology, done correctly, can spot a possible medical trend, it cannot be used to prove or disprove a medical issue.
If even 1% of American children were to come down with the measles, the ENDLES SHOUTING would be for PREVENTION / and the need for vaccination.
Autism has long be said to have no cause, no cure, "be aware early" / parents please give up... rather than the need to "PREVENT WHAT IS HAPPENING" to now a SECOND GENERATION of American children.
Posted by: cmo | June 04, 2012 at 11:52 AM
"I think we look at it the other way around. Even if it's one in 54, it's about 2 percent. That means you've got a 98 percent chance it's not going to be there. If you look at other conditions, there's a much higher chance of some of these conditions are there. ...ADHD, 8 percent risk that it's going to be there. Intellectual disability, mental retardation, a 3 percent chance that that's going to be there. Learning disability, 6 to 8 percent, and that's a conservative number. ...There are a lot of risks that are out there.
This is a doctor's reassurance?! He provides a laundry list of some of the alarming numbers regarding our children's health and somehow thinks that any future parent with any sense won't be alarmed? Had he continued with allergies, OCD, ODD, fibromyalgia, etc, listeners would have assumed, quite rightly, that having a healthy child is really becoming a long shot.
Posted by: Canada mom | June 04, 2012 at 11:18 AM
Perhaps the Autism number should be changed to the number of children's issues that start with the "letter A."
This would include Autism, ADD, ADHD, asthma, allergies, & AoAD (All other Autoimmune Disorders) This would make the new number about....1 in 6.... or about 17% of the nations children.
This combination might be up by a factor of about 1000 since 1990.
Of course, they would then STILL have no clue as to why this is happening.
Posted by: cmo | June 04, 2012 at 09:51 AM
Kim :
I am so sorry about your experience.
I know what you just told us was very painful, and thanks for sharing.
You wrote two very good books,they gave me a good laugh, and some painful things like the agony of being fired, and broke. ---- but More Emotional strength to write about these incidents in the minute detail - that a book would require, takes too much of an emotional toll.
There are a lot of people in the medical profession like Wiznitzer that lack compassion and that is really that profession's only and main asset - without that - they are just another service - a very bad service that cannot deliver 99 percent of the time.
Posted by: Benedetta | June 04, 2012 at 09:31 AM
My older girls were diagnosed in Max's office by his colleague Sue Klein. I remember telling her by email how cursory and unprofessional was their diagnosis process. Even as a rote newbie I knew University Hosp in Cleveland was ass backward. Both Max and I wereinterviewed about autism for Fox Cleveland while I was pregnant with Bella - and Tim Taylor, then the long-time anchor - told me he had to edit the bejesus out of Max so he wouldn't sound like the pretentious, mean spirited ass caught on tape. His bedside manner was notorious and if you wanted meds - he was your man. I recall seeing him in the hallway when Mia was admitted for seizures - and just cringing at his callous and imperious glance. He hasn't changed a bit. Old school - old ideas - no help.
Posted by: Stagmom | June 04, 2012 at 08:13 AM
Anne .. other questions I would like to ask Dr. Wiznitzer:
Does the Doctor believe that "better diagnosing and broader definition" is also responsible for the years ago CDC report .. that "1 in every 6 American child" suffers some type of early childhood development problems .. many of them chronic autoimmune disorders, such as, autism, allergies, asthma, juvenile type 1 diabetes, etc?
Has the CDC updated the information on that rate?
Is the rate today .. 1 in 2 .. or .. 1 in 10?
Either way .. the CDC has a responsibility to inform the public if the "trend" of childhood development problems is improving or continuing to fail. That is their job .. no?
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | June 04, 2012 at 06:46 AM
It could be very misleading of Geraldine Dawson to talk about 50% of the total being better identification and 50% being greater prevalence. For example, supposing the rate was 1 in 10,000 just over a generation ago, that would mean that we had perhaps been missing another case so the real rate was 2 in 10,000 (or 1 in 5,000), but now we are talking 1 in 88, indeed Dawson is talking 1 in 38. So, were we missing more than 99.5% of cases twenty-five years ago? Can we please clear up this rather basic fog.
The truth is Dawson is actually talking down, and covering up the problem with whimsy and platitudes when she is supposed to be a top scientist. And actually these days we should treat "top scientists" like politicians talking guff.
We should also not forget Dawson's ambivalence with Autism Speak's piloting a new generation of pharmaceuticals and screening the population for potential subjects.
http://www.ageofautism.com/2011/05/1-in-38-autism-speaks-new-normal-is-the-biggest-business-bonanza-ever.html
http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/03/the-phoenicians-autism-recovery-denial-drug-profits-and-the-medias-flat-earth-2012.html
Well, that's what you get a fat salary for but it is spin, not science.
Posted by: John Stone | June 04, 2012 at 06:33 AM