Bloomberg News

Autism Speaks co-founder Bob Wright appeared on Bloomberg TV's "In the Loop with Betty Liu" to discuss recent developments in state and federal autism legislation, as well as the exciting prospects of Autism Speaks 10K Genomes Program. Mr Wright also discussed optimal outcomes in autism which were reported on recently by the New York Times.

COMMENT:

This upbeat coverage discusses kids recovering from autism (which Wright cautions isn't typical while attributing it to early intervention).  Wright focuses on the genome database and what it'll provide to science along with the Autism Care Act. 

It sounds like positive things are happening and we're doing everything possible to address this disorder.  Of course the rate isn't mentioned nor the fact that despite years jaw-dropping rate increases, U.S. health officials still refuse to call autism a crisis.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is helpless and disinterested when it comes to autism.  With a rate of one in every 68 children, they're still not sure if there's been a real increase. 

The elephant in the room here is the fact that Bob Wright is talking about CHILDREN WITH AUTISM.  The rate is based on studies of eight year olds, not eighty year olds. No one can show us a comparable rate among adults--I mean adults who don't speak, are still in diapers, flap their hands endlessly, and have a medical history that includes a suddenly and dramatic loss of skills as toddlers. 

Imagine the future when a million children with autism age out of school and are dependent on the taxpayers for their support and care.  Maybe when that happens we'll get serious about what's happening to our children.

CNN

The trend of not receiving vaccinations has been fueled by many, including Jenny McCarthy. The son of the former co-host of "The View" was diagnosed with autism in 2007. Since then she has been fervently critical of vaccination, claiming vaccines such as those for measles, mumps and rubella cause autism.

COMMENT: Why is it that the American press continues to blame the unvaccinated for measles? These stories from a prominent Canadian news source, the National Post, make it clear that top vaccine expert, Dr. Gregory Poland at the Mayo Clinic and others are saying the measles vaccine DOESN'T WORK IN MANY CASES. IT'S VACCINATED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE GETTING SICK.  That’s already been shown about the whooping cough vaccine as well.

April 1, 2014, Lawrence Solomon: The untold story of measles

May 1, 2014, Lawrence Solomon: Vaccines can’t prevent measles outbreaks

May 8, 2014, Lawrence Solomon: One-size-suits-all vaccines will soon be replaced by safer, more effective ones | Financial Post

June 19, 2014, Vaccinating the 'herd'

Everyday we have health officials/doctors in U.S. news stories blaming non-vaccinating parents for outbreaks of disease. Dr. Poland is telling us that we have to make changes in how we vaccinate and that there are plenty of reasons to question the efficacy of the vaccine we have now. Why isn't this reported in the United States?

Alternet.org

This week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. releases a new book, Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak, on  the perceived dangers of thimerosal in vaccines. The book's release has reignited the debate over the safety of this common vaccine preservative, long after many laypersons and the medical-research community believed it was settled. Much of the rhetoric on this issue over the past decade has been polarized, resulting in pro-vaccination and anti-vaccination factions. While Kennedy assures us he is thoroughly in the former camp, he seeks to renew the debate about the potential dangers of and uncertainty about this mercury-based preservative. Reception of his book from the journalism community, even before its release, has been overwhelmingly negative, even by Kennedy's own admission. While AlterNet does not support the anti-vaccination movement, we decided that Kennedy's article on thimerosal and his call for a debate on the subject serves a greater purpose in furthering public discourse on the topic, perhaps even bringing some eventual closure. We welcome sincere rebuttals to the claims made in Kennedy's article and book.  

Someone who wants to discuss what's in Kennedy's book?  His book is about toxic mercury use in vaccines.  It's not anti-vaccine, despite what TIME Magazine, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, and Forbes reported.


The Dachel Media Update is sponsored by Lee Silsby Compounding Pharmacy and their OurKidsASD brand.  Lee Silsby Compounding Pharmacy is one of the largest and most respected compounding pharmacies in the country. They use only the finest quality chemicals and equipment to prepare our patients’ compounded medications and nutritional supplements. Customizing medication and nutritional supplements for our customers allows them to achieve their unique health goals.

Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism and author of  The Big Autism Cover-Up: How and Why the Media Is Lying to the American Public, which goes on sale this Fall from Skyhorse Publishing.