ABC7 Chicago: For Your Family: Autism Awareness

"The numbers are alarming. It is estimated 1 in 50 children are born with autism. That is more than childhood cancer, pediatric AIDS and juvenile diabetes combined.

"Part of the reason is doctors are getting better at diagnosing children, but it remains one of the most puzzling disorders and heart-wrenching for families. ...

"But experts do believe there has been tremendous progress made in the treatment of autism."

This is outrageous.  First of all, no one has shown us that children are born with autism. Better diagnosing can't possibly explain what's happening to our children and I'd really like to see where Dr. Daniels is getting his statistics from. "It happens during pregnancy"? Another lie about something ABC7 calls "one of the most puzzling disorders."

"Environmental factors" is always a vague reference to something that's not elaborated on. "Tremendous progress"? I at a loss to understand that claim.

There are no comments so far and I couldn't post one myself.

Augusta (GA) Chronicle

Opinion by Maurine Meleck:

"We saw a lot of blue lights during the Light It Up Blue porch-light campaign for autism awareness. There were numerous autism walks and runs, and money was raised for research. Very little, if any, will be spent on significant environmental research. They'll look at how many overweight mothers and old fathers have children with autism, and they'll study some more genes that so far have come up with no answers.

"It's not awareness we needed all month, but action. What are we doing to stop this epidemic that is now affecting one in 50 children in America and one in 31 boys, according to the Centers for Disease Control?"

Excellent letter by Maurine pointing out the fact that we're using April to make ourselves feel good in the middle of a national disaster.


NY Daily News: 


"While the cause of autism has been difficult to uncover, research is continually improving doctors' understanding of the disorder. "At this point we know that autism is a primarily genetic disorder with some environmental influence," says Kolevzon. "We know this based on studies of identical twins that provide estimates of heritability.

"Because autism is a genetic disorder, siblings of autistic children are at higher risk. "If one child has autism, there's a 15% to 20% chance their sibling will too," says Kolevzon. "We've identified a few risk factors, including mothers over the age of 35 and fathers over 40." There's evidence to suggest that autistic patients are also more likely to have experienced problems during birth. While some people continue to believe vaccines contribute to autism risk, research from the scientific community is conclusive that there is no link.

"Signs and symptoms: Autism is presents in very early childhood. "By 12 months of age, the emerging warning signs are things like lack of eye contact, lack of interest in other children, and not responding to their name," says Kolevzon. "Another red flag is lack of joint attention--where they're not pointing, or showing things to other people, like, 'Look at that dog, Mommy!'

"'As children develop, the next set of symptoms that can suggest the presence of an autism spectrum disorder are delays in language development or idiosyncratic language. Language delay by itself is not sufficient to indicate autism, so affected children will also have difficulty relating to other children,' says Kolevzon. 'Other signs include repetitive behaviors like rocking, hand flapping, and playing repetitively with toys -- for instance, lining up trucks, or focusing on a specific part of the truck.'"

This psychiatrist used every lie in this article.

Autism is genetic.

Kids are born autistic; the symptoms start to appear by 12 months.

These is no link to vaccines.

Research has given us lots of answers.

Autism is a chronic lifelong condition.

Behavioral therapy is the only thing for these kids.

THE RATE WAS NOT MENTIONED ONCE! I posted so many comments, I lost count.

UPI

If your child starts regressing---see your doctor, it could be autism.  Ask your doctor if early intervention is right for your child.

This piece made me so angry. Children suddenly losing learned skills and regressing isn't alarming. It's normal. There's nothing obviously to prevent it. Just see your doctor if it happens to your child--It could be autism. Happens all the time. We need to start the early intervention as soon as possible.

1011-TV Lincoln, NE

I can't imagine the words AUTISM and CELEBRATE in the same sentence. I posted comments.

"The Autism Family Network of Lincoln will be at the Lincoln Children's Zoo Sunday to celebrate the conclusion of Autism Awareness Month."

Providence (RI) Journal

"The 11th annual Imagine Walk for Autism and Family Fun Day at Goddard Park Sunday morning was the largest crowd ever with an estimated 7,000 people.

"Attending the event were Governor Lincoln Chafee, Congressman David Cicilline, Congressman Jim Langevin and Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts among others.

"The money raised benefits programs throughout the year sponsored by the Autism Project of Rhode Island. April is Autism Awareness month. One in 88 children in America has Autism. Photo courtesy of The Autism Project."

"Family Fun Day" for autism in RI. Does anyone realize that if 7,000 people show up at an event---there's a reason. A lot of people are affected. We're now so used to hearing about autism, we're not asking any questions. A couple more years with events like this and no one will remember a time when we weren't hearing about autism. This is a day dedicated to ACCEPTING AUTISM. If it's YOUR CHILD---THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS. We only want people to be AWARE.  I posted my usual comments.

NorthJersey.com

"Lia Caravella, autism ambassador, character education teacher and student council advisor, created lessons to explain to students what autism is and how to make and be friends with classmates who have autism."

One of the teachers is the "autism ambassador" at this school. They don't even give the rate---no matter, the real message is that autism is here to stay and we're all going to have to learn to deal with it.  People are so accepting in NJ.  I posted comments.

 KCRG-TV9 Cedar Rapids

"The 6th annual Autism Walk brought together hundreds with a new goal in mind; Action.

"'I think we're well past the point of awareness.' Bohn adds, 'Everybody is connected to somebody {with autism} at this point in their life.'...
 
This report still says one in 88 and there is a call for ACTION---but there's no demand for ANSWERS. They had books on display on the video and Age of Autism was given a close-up view. The rest is lots of people dealing with the problem who fail to see what needs to be done.

Register-Guard, Eugene OR 

"Autism spectrum disorder is a particularly confounding brain development disease. More children than ever are being diagnosed with it, but no two kids are alike. Federal law requires public schools to provide an appropriate education for these students, but coming up with just the right plan for each child can be a challenge, educators say....

"Researchers caution that the increase could be the result of improved diagnoses rather than more children being born with the disability."

"This is how brainwashed we've become. Here's a child having a violent episode. They have to clear the classroom. The boy takes off and the teacher follows him.

 It's always been that way, 'cause the increase is probably "the result of improved diagnoses"...

And by the way, children are "born with the disability."

There are two realities. There's one where parents are desperate for answers and struggling everyday raising their autistic children. Schools are overwhelmed by the special needs students who never used to be here. Children are sick and their needs aren't being met.

The media has created another world of autism. In that world, autism is never a problem no matter how bad the situation may seem. The rate doesn't matter because it's always just better diagnosing. No one is worried about the future even though we're always talking about children with autism. The cause doesn't matter because kids are born with autism.

I don't know how a teacher can deal with a situation like this and tell herself that it's always been like this. I can't imagine what people are going to say when the full impact of autism hits the U.S. taxpayers. They're all so unsuspecting. There was no place for comments.

Fox 11 Green Bay, WI


"More than 3,000 people turned out to support autism awareness at the 8th annual Walk for Autism.

"Friends of Autism - Wisconsin's largest autism charity - hosted the fundraiser in Kimberly.

"The money raised at the event will be used for research, as well as aid for families of children with autism.

"'I think that autism awareness is growing, but we can always use more support. We can always use more money for research, and we can always use more supporters for the families who need the direct aid,' said Friends of Autism Executive Director Jim Jones."
 
'Awareness is growing'? Only because you can find an autistic child on every block.

"We can always use more money for research." Why? No one's alarmed about autism. We aren't after real answers. It's something that only needs awareness. People show up for walks in T-shirts.

3,000 people showed up. For something that was unknown 20 years ago!

Madison.com

"Landon is one of 270 children diagnosed with autism enrolled in the institute's behavioral health rehabilitation services. In 1994, there were only 10.

"A new report said one in 50 U.S. school-aged children - or about 1 million kids - has some form of autism spectrum disorder, an increase of 72 percent from 2007.

"The rise also rings true for children across the Erie region, local autism experts say.

"The federal report was based on a survey of parents conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

"Authors of the report said the rise in autism - the fastest growing developmental disability in America - is likely a combination of increases in previously undiagnosed cases and improved tools to recognize autism matched with escalating awareness of the disorder."

More stunning numbers and no real increase.  If the American people so willingly accept this lie, they'll believe anything. I posted a comment.

UK Daily Mail

"[Professor Ashton] said: 'You've got a lot of middle-class, well-off parents, large numbers of whom did not have their children immunised because of the [Andrew] Wakefield scare [the discredited doctor who linked the MMR vaccine to autism] - which was a very middle-class phenomenon. "
 
It would be nice if Professor Ashton cared this much about all the children with autism in the UK. And I'd like to hear him admit that since the government indemnified the MMR maker, they've got everything to lose if the link is recognized.

Madison.com

"Authors of the report said the rise in autism - the fastest growing developmental disability in America - is likely a combination of increases in previously undiagnosed cases and improved tools to recognize autism matched with escalating awareness of the disorder."

No matter how many children there are out there, it'll never be a real increase.

Boston Globe

"As part of Major League Baseball recognizing Autism Awareness Month, the Red Sox on Sunday will provide extra accommodations for families affected by autism.

"During pregame ceremonies, children on the autism spectrum will act as honorary bat kids and throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

"The club worked with the New England Chapter of Autism Speaks and executive director Russ Kenn to provide families with tickets to the game and information about what they can expect and how to prepare. The club is also designating the new Champions Club, located behind right field, as a 'quiet zone' for children with sensory issues."

I'm sure that within the next couple of years every activity families engage in will be tailored to include autistic children.

Most of them already do it.

"Autism Friendly" signs along with the puzzle piece motif will help make having a child with autism the new normal. Read the two comment that are up. People are excited about it.

Autism isn't seen as a disability. It's just part of being a kid.

TACA

"To be clear, I am not advocating for us to be actively seeking to vaccinate our kids against clostridia (or Candida). Many times, it just takes good doses of Lactobacillus and/or Saccharomyces to treat and suppress clostridia. And more importantly, by strengthening the immune system from birth (or ideally from preconception and through the pregnancy), by breastfeeding and then moving on to a high quality diet, maintaining good flora, vitamin D and zinc levels, and avoiding antibiotics, most kids would never develop clostridia or Candida in the first place. It is this strategy, along with minimizing toxic exposures, that I attribute to never having seen a child that came to my medical practice as a neonate go on to develop autism.

"But I am happy to see the gut/brain connection being taken more seriously at the university level. Hopefully more research will be done to show that the clostridia can be prevented and treated without needing to vaccinate a child."

In May, 2012, I wrote about Dr. David Berger, a Florida pediatrician who doesn't blindly endorse vaccinating according to the ever-expanding, untested CDC vaccination schedule.
  He's someone who hasn't closed his eyes to the autism epidemic either.
 
San Luis Obispo (CA) Tribune

"Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have landed a $9 million grant to study potential treatments for autism on a much faster time frame. It's part of a push by the National Institutes of Health to fast-track the pace of discovery that hopefully will lead to new therapies for several neurological disorders."

It seems that officials at NIH have given up on finding a cause for the explosion in autism, now affecting one in every 50 U.S. children and one in 31 among boys alone. We're regularly told that there is no known cause or cure. There's also no way to prevent a child that may have been born healthy and is developing normally from also regressing into autism by age two. In the face of this, NIH is pushing to develop drugs for the ever-expanding market of children disabled with autism.

CNN Money

"A quarter of U.S. households have a member with special needs. More than 8% of kids under 15 have a disability, and half of those are deemed severe."

"The number of children diagnosed with autism has skyrocketed in recent years, from fewer than 1 in 1,000 in the 1980s to 1 in 50 kids today.

"Well before Finn hits 22, a wave of disabled children will "age out," requiring massive amounts of state assistance. So just as baby boomers start putting unprecedented stress on government benefits, a slightly smaller but still significant population of disabled people will be in need of government help too.

"'People assume the state will be there to help with their child,' Nadworny says, 'but that's a really risky bet.'" ...

 CNN is part of the media effort to convince us that we just have to accept the autism epidemic. The best title for this is "Paying for Finn"

So 4% of U.S. kids under 15 have a disability? 2% are considered SEVERE?

Has it always been that way? If not, where are all these disabled kids coming from? (The autism number from Michael Ganz at Harvard in 2006 was $3.2 million...and now that's out-of-date and it was a underestimate back in 2006---Ganz told me himself.)

It's like CNN Money knows trouble is looming. These kids are going to need expensive care for the rest of their lives.

Maybe it's a preview for parents: when the time comes, there'll be nothing for your kids. Sorry, we'd like to help but the cost is so massive. You're on your own.

Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism.