Cedar Falls (IA) Patch

"For today's follow up to that story, here is an e-mail interview with Dr. Royann Mraz, a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Iowa at Co-Medical Director of the University of Iowa Children's Hospital Autism Center. We will also provide online resources vetted by the children's hospital for parents who would like to read more, as well as some other local media coverage for Autism Awareness Month."

"Has there been any progress made recently on what causes autism? Any hope on the horizon in the field as far as education and treatment?

"Dr. Mraz: There is strong evidence for a genetic predisposition. In 10-15% of children, we may be able to find a definite cause.

"Finally, as an expert in the field, what are some common misconceptions about autism that you would like to dispel for the public?

"Dr. Mraz: There is good evidence that vaccinations don't cause autism."

This doctor could care less about what autism is doing to our children.  She's pretending that its' a genetic disorder.  (And by the way, moms and dads, that makes it YOUR FAULT.  A slightly different version of the refrigerator mom---blame the mom claim from 30 years ago.)  I posted lots of comments and all my links are working.

NPR

"According to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 88 children in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder. For people like Schabel, attending college and interacting socially can be tough....

"Although symptoms and their severity vary widely, the majority of young adults with autism spectrum disorder won't make it to college and won't get a job after they graduate. This year alone, 50,000 adolescents with autism will turn 18."

Autism presents "a hiring opportunity" according to NPR.  Another reason not to worry about all the autism out there!  I left a comment.
 
NJ.com
 
"The students and staff at Battle Hill Elementary School were eager to do their part for National Autism Awareness month, which is observed during April.

"To raise awareness about autism, fourth-grade teachers Alison Brehm John Bogner organized a Bubble Day.

"On March 27 the entire student body and staff gathered on the playground where, at precisely 10 a.m., they simultaneously blew bubbles for Bubble Day.

"The bubbles are a symbol for children with Autism Spectrum Conditions to burst out of their bubble of isolation."

You have to love NJ. Despite all the autistic kids in that state, no one is ever worried. "...burst out of their bubble of isolation."

What is that supposed to mean?

It must be hard to know what to do about autism. It's so prevalent, it really can't be ignored. There are no answers, so there's not much to write about--except the numbers. Doctors and health authorities aren't worried, so I guess blowing bubbles makes sense. I am speechless after seeing this. No comment.
 
Miami Healthy Living

"Richard Lanigan, Doctor of Chiropractic, MSc (Health promotion) in the United Kingdom has four unvaccinated children. He and his partner (a solicitor with a PhD in chemistry) decided not to do what most parents choose for their children - vaccinate them.

"Dr. Lanigan has studied the pros and cons of vaccination for his masters dissertation in Health Promotion, which examined "informed consent" in the UK for the DTaP vaccines. He concluded that very few of the parents he surveyed had even basic knowledge as to what they had consented to (i.e. what the 'D' and the 'aP' stand for). Dr. Lanigan has also had decades of experience providing chiropractic care to children and the trials and tribulations of dealing with the childhood infections of his own children.

"On his website, he writes that although diseases such as smallpox measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus whooping cough and polio are extremely rare now in developed countries, no one actually knows exactly how many children die or are injured by the vaccines that have been used to reduce prevalance of the diseases. It is well known that reactions to vaccines are under reported and that parent groups have been formed in many countries seeking justice for vaccine-injured children. General Practitioners who have questioned vaccinations, including Dr. Jayne Donegan and Dr. Andrew Wakefield, risk professional suicide for doing."

I posted a lot of comments on this.  I love chiropractors----doctors who aren't afraid to think for themselves.

 UK Sunday Times

"Professor David Salisbury, of the Department of Health, accused the clinics of taking parents' money despite knowing they could not protect them from mumps.

"They should be telling these parents that the best way to protect these children is with the MMR, otherwise they are taking their money knowing full well that they cannot give the same degree of protection. They are playing on the parents' fears, entirely inappropriate fears,' said Salisbury."

April 20, 2013, Phillies

"'They would describe to me that they would have a child who would look typical on the outside,' Dr. Ross said. 'But for various reasons, either the impact of new sensory information, not knowing what is expected in a new environment or not having the language to express themselves, children with autism can be more likely to have extreme reactions.'

"Major League Baseball has teamed up with Autism Speaks, a national advocacy group, on an initiative to recognize Autism Awareness Month. The Phillies have sponsored an Autism Night for years. This season, along with Aramark and Theraplay and working with Dr. Ross, they've gone several steps beyond that.

"Families with autistic children were invited to Saturday night's game against the Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. Each had a clinician available in case an uncomfortable situation arose. Philadelphia City Councilman Dennis O'Brien, who has long been an advocate for autistic children, was also part of the group...."

They trained the staff at Citizens Bank Park to deal with autism. The whole world will somehow have to learn how to accommodate a significant population disabled with autism.
 
UK Guardian
 
"Due to the current measles outbreak in Swansea, Andrew Wakefield is getting undue attention again. Andrew Wakefield is known for spreading information which turned out to be wrong, so one possible response would be to spread wrong information about him."
 
This is nonsense.  The controversy that simply won't go away is becoming a real frustration to the media.  I posted lots of comments.
 
 
NJ.com

"April is Autism Awareness Month, a period in which national attention is given to autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disability that is becoming increasingly visible throughout the United States.

"It is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that one in 49 children is affected by autism in New Jersey. ...

"This month, everyone should feel welcome to contribute toward improving awareness of autism, with the hope that the collective effort will ensure that society is able to provide individuals with autism with the highest quality treatment possible.

"Kathleen Enerlich is executive director of PerformCare New Jersey."

Enerlich isn't alarmed about autism. She carefully tells us that autism "is becoming increasingly visible." We read, "Treating autism takes a community." PAYING FOR AUTISM will also take a community and no one is even talking about what this disaster is going to cost the U.S.
Stories like this do the greatest disservice to children with ASD. A photo with a smiling child make us comfortable with autism. How could autism be so bad when these kids look so happy? Do we really need a whole month for autism? Isn't this a little overdone? We're getting a little tired of hearing about something that's always been around. No one really wants to find any "missing pieces."
 
MS Press
 
"Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disorder in the United States with an estimated one in 50 school-aged children now affected, yet the state has failed to seriously address its implications.
"Yes, the Mississippi Legislature appointed a one-time task force and an ongoing committee to study autism and recommend strategies to deal with it. Among the suggestions were for the state to hire a full-time autism director, fund more early intervention and better train teachers to educate this growing population. But their proposals now gather dust on the proverbial shelf.

"Meanwhile, the autism rate gains steam -- from one in 150 children when the task force issued its report in 2007, to one in 100 when the committee submitted its own findings four years later.
"But the state lacks comprehensive autism services. Doctors still aren't diagnosing the disorder soon enough. Early intervention providers are scarce. And the public school system hasn't equipped teachers with the tools necessary to educate these kids, much less prepare them for a future."
Why are we so accepting of all these disabled children? Where are they coming from? Why is a once rare disorder now so common that everyone knows someone with a disabled child?

UPI

"Up to 10 percent of the population is affected by specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia and autism, British researchers say.

"'We now know that there are many disorders of neurological development that can give rise to learning disabilities, even in children of normal or even high intelligence, and that crucially these disabilities can also co-occur far more often that you'd expect based on their prevalence,' Brian Butterworth of the University College London's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience Butterworth said in a statement.

"Specific learning disabilities arise from atypical brain development with complicated genetic and environmental causes, causing such conditions as dyslexia, dyscalculia -- difficulty in learning or comprehending arithmetic -- attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder and specific language impairment."

UK Telegraph
 
"The measles epidemic appears to have claimed its first victim after health officials confirmed that a young man who died was suffering from the disease.
 
"Officials said those who were not vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine were highly likely to catch the disease, which is extremely contagious. Dr. Lyons said: 'We know that there are unprotected people in all age groups but we have particular concerns about the 10 to 18 age group. We are therefore urging all parents of children who have missed doses of MMR to arrange vaccination for them as a matter of urgency.' ...

"Tests on Friday confirmed that Mr Williams was suffering from the measles when he died, but the cause of death has yet to be established."

And while a death following vaccination is always just a coincidence, I'm sure this death will be a direct result of having the measles.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

"Milwaukee alderman attacked local public health officials Thursday, accusing them of being smug and arrogant liars when they came before a Common Council committee for permission to apply for a federal grant to fight a group of cancer-causing, sexually transmitted viruses.
 
"Ald. Jim Bohl, who last year opposed fluoridation of city water, said he was concerned that the $900,000 grant to educate physicians and parents about vaccines aimed at 11- and 12-year-olds to prevent cervical and other cancers caused by human papillomaviruses would tout only the vaccines' benefits and not warn them about potentially serious side effects.
 
"Health officials dispute whether serious side effects have been linked to the vaccine."
 
Jim Bohl isn't buying the "vaccines are safe" claim. He's taking on the vaccine promoters. Look at the money involved here.
 
Finally, this is a story I just posted on my blog, anndachel.com,10 Stories--Autism in America, April 20, 2013
 
It's about all the fluff pieces on autism on Google News. They are the sweet little human interest stories showing how much Americans care about children disabled with ASD. 
 
"We are now so brainwashed that though we see our children acting like kids never acted when we were little, we meekly disappear into the shadows when we’re told it’s autism.

"Doctors are either taking bows for all the better diagnosing of a disorder that’s always been around or calling autism a mystery they just can’t figure out. Health officials have barely noticed autism and have never even called it a crisis.

"Bottom Line: None of the people in charge really care about what autism is doing to our children.
"Autism is a normal part of childhood in 2013. Stories call for awareness, acceptance, and inclusion—but not answers.

"If you listen to the news and read the papers, you’ll quickly get the message that there’s nothing we can do."