Rethinking the Definition of Autism and Aspergers

By Elise Ronan – The Times of Israel - Elise is the parent of two youngmen on the autism spectrum. She has been a volunteer special education advocate in …

Once again we have a mass murder and once again the media-whores are trying to blame it on aspergers, guns, misogyny and “white privilege.” When the reality is that the issue is mental illness and how it is treated, or not treated, in the United States. The family was fast to let the world know that their sociopath-narcissistic-highly disturbed-son had been diagnosed with aspergers. Not certain why that is even relevant. It is not that this family didn’t try to get the authorities involved. They actually alerted the police, who instead of searching his apartment or trying to get him involuntarily committed, found this murderer charming. Overly charming, by the way, is how most would describe every sociopath. Yet the question becomes, what is the point of letting everyone know about the autism diagnosis?

Yes, aspergers is the diagnosis of the moment. When doctors can’t figure out what category their patients fit into, they reach for something that is all encompassing. It just so happens that this decades all encompassing mental health diagnosis is aspergers. Before that it was ADD. Before that…who knows, but it was something. The problem too, is that psychiatry is a science that is not necessarily quantifiable in the same sense that something physical is quantifiable. Psychiatric definitions and understanding change as society changes. The “powers that be” in the psychiatric community consistently alter their view of what is a mental health disorder, and constantly change their opinion on what is, and is not, a cause for mental health concerns.

An additional problem that you have in the community is that so many of these book-learned people have never really dealt with autism or aspergers. They only read a book; took a class; heard a lecture. But they have no real experience in dealing with anyone with autism. A lot of times they simply look into the DSM and pick out something that sounds good and may be applicable to the situation at hand, something they simply cannot define for certain at the moment. That is exactly what happened with the boys when we visited one particular therapist.

Even though they had been given the dx of aspergers, when this particular therapist filled out his forms for insurance, he went into the DSM and looked for the dx that listed what he thought was more applicable to the boys. I argued with him that they had a relevant diagnosis that was appropriate. But he decided he knew better because as he pointed out to me, the DSM listed 4 applicable characteristics of “autism” instead of aspergers, which as far as he decided was more appropriate to the boys. He had never actually worked with, or had experience with, anyone with autism or aspergers. We went to him because he was used to working with adolescent males and highly recommended for that purpose. I had not realized until that moment that there really was a huge difference in approach when dealing with adolescent aspergeans and NTs.

Yes; we ended up leaving that therapist, but not because of this difference of opinion. When my younger son was having trouble with his 5th grade special ed teacher, instead of defending my son, he supported the teacher. Instead of coming up with some relevant classroom procedures that needed to be put into practice for my son, or relevant organizational skills that he had to learn, and that the teacher had to work on, this therapist decided that the teacher couldn’t be incompetent. The fact that he was having issues according to this therapist, had to mean that my son needed some heavy medication like risperdal or even an even stronger antipsychotic. (FYI- I am not against medication. I am against unnecessarily medicating.) According to this therapist there was no way that the teacher could be a gross incompetent,even though he had never met her, spoke with her or interacted with her on any level. Someone who is incapable of seeing the failings of another “professional,” is not someone you want working with your child.

As a note: I had not been told by the school district that this particular special ed teacher had been informed earlier in the year that she was not receiving tenure due to not meeting teaching standards. So she not only didn’t do her job vis-a-vis my son for the year,  but his entire class. (He was a fully included student with special support. And because the support was inadequate the entire class suffered.) In fact, she actually lost my son one day as well and tried to blame it on other people. The district did force her to go on medical leave half way through the year and put in a substitute, which helped the situation greatly. But unfortunately he had already been set back tremendously in his development. It took years and some very hands-on competent teachers to bring him back into the groove.

Meanwhile, I have been having a change of mind. The fact that the definition of autism/aspergers has been reworked by the DSM may not in the long run be entirely bad. I know that the aspergers community is very angry and there are psychiatrists who are unhappy about the methodology used to decide upon these new criteria. But perhaps when it is harder to diagnose someone with aspergers/autism, therapists and psychiatrists will actually have to figure out what is truly going on with a patient and not just decide that everyone with social issues must have aspergers/autism.

Autism is not simply about someone not understanding social issues. Autism is an entirely different brain wiring- a different operating system so to speak. It means that people see the world differently and interact with the world differently than an NT. It means they learn differently and work differently. It means they are able to think outside the limited box that the world has set up for itself. Autism does not mean that those with the dx are sociopathic, psychotic, violent or devoid of the ability to function within society on a healthy basis. These are all very different mental health issues. Quite frankly no, every sociopath is not an aspergean and every aspergean is not a sociopath. In fact one has nothing to do with the other.

The problem that you face is that the psychiatric community has made a habit of giving our children a list of dxes. These co-morbid issues are what cause the problems in society. While our children may have aspergers, they can also have OCD, anxiety, ADD, bi-polar, schizophrenia and (sadly) may even be a sociopath. But premeditated violent tendencies associated with the most extreme forms of these mental health issues have nothing to do with autism. They have to do with the comorbid issues. In fact, most of these co-morbid issues also do not result in violence or outward aggression either.

The interesting issue is whether under the new DSM definition would any of those with the most severest form of mental health issues even have a comorbid dx of any kind of autism? Would the psychiatric community be forced to actually reevaluate their patients to ensure that there is a real review of what is going on with their patients instead of dumping them into the mental health issue of the moment? Will there be more oversight and more accountability of the psychiatric profession instead of the media and society going  “autism” monster hunting?

Frighteningly, we have to be ever vigilant that the “witch-hunters” do not once again try to come after our children because of the reporting by an irresponsible media, police inaction and the psychiatrists who did nothing to stop a murderous rampage. My boys have no problem with telling everyone they have aspergers. They are proud of who they are. The problem is, that society’s ignorance about mental health and autism causes others to have problems with them, and it is this lack of societal education that is the real threat to their future.

A version of this blog post originally appeared in Raising Asperger’s Kids

More in this blog

• Mental Health Awareness: Wanted Compassion and Understanding
• To the Jewish-American Community: What is wrong with you?
• Yom Hashoah, the 3-D Test and Those with Special Needs
• The Season of Freedom and Special Needs Parenting
• April is World Autism Awareness Month: Heck, We are Autism Awareness

Technorati Tags: Austism,Asperger's,Autism-Warrior-Parent,Awareness,Guns,Misogyny,Mental Illness,“White Privilege”,Shootings

The AD, ADD, ADHD, Autism, Aging… Inflammation and Nutrition Connection

“We live too short and we die too long!” …Dr. Myron Wentz

By Marion Algier – THITW and Ask Marion

The rate of occurrences of Alzheimer's-Dementia (AD), ADD, ADHD, Autism, and debilitating Aging symptoms are through the roof. Everyone I know either suffers from one of these conditions (themselves); has a child, grandchild, parent, or grandparent who is afflicted; or they know someone, if not several some-ones, within their close circle that suffers from one or more of these diseases and conditions.

We are drowning in epidemics…

Having become the caregiver for a father-in-law who suffers from Alzheimer’s as well as heart disease; a mother-in-law with RA and onset dementia, who is in complete denial about either of their conditions or her part in the development of those infirmities; and a husband who has developed several afflictions that are generally explained away as normal aging, this has all become very personal.  I have far too many friends and associates with children who suffer from ADD, ADHD, Autism… including Asperger's Syndrome (AS) and now I’m surrounded by the 80+ set, not to ponder the numbers and perhaps even the connection(s).

I have long believed that all these conditions and a lot more are related to a combination of diet, vaccines, too many meds, noise pollution and stress, etc…  a long list.  But we, who have become oblivious observers of our own lives have been sold ‘the official’ causes of these afflictions by Big Pharma, Big Agriculture, Big Business and a ruling class and their media minions who think they are smarter than we are or that we are ‘useless eaters’ just taking up space.

I recently went on the Adkins Diet to lose some weight I had slowly put on over several years and virtually over-night I noticed how much better I felt in general.  The Adkins diet had always worked for me when I needed to shed a few pounds, but this was the first time that I really took notice of how much better I felt while I was on it; perhaps it is my age or that I’m just more aware these days?  But I did a little more digging…

I am fairly stubborn!  My husband would say that is an understatement! So once I started my new eating regiment, I went 3+ months without ever cheating. But since, I have eaten carbs on a few special occasions and at a few events when I didn’t want to put anyone out.  Each time I noticed that I felt sluggish, tired or just a little out of sorts. Celiac Disease, requiring sufferers to eat gluten free, is also at epidemic proportions. And after Elizabeth Hasselbeck, formerly of The View and now co-host of Fox and Friends, appeared on The Factor as part of her book tour for The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide, Bill O’Reilly, not a Celiac sufferer, decided to give up wheat products to see if it would help him feel better in general.  He reported the same results that I had after going on Adkins.  He felt better and lost 20-pounds without changing anything else in his lifestyle… and he admits that since he doesn’t have a gluten allergy he does cheat once in awhile, but like me always feels a bit bloated or sluggish when he does.

Recently I watched a television program with Dr. Oz and then a day later I turned on PBS to find a special with Dr. David Perlmutter, a renowned neurologist, author and president of the Perlmutter Health Center. Perlmutter is known for advocating a functional and holistic approach toward treating brain disorders and is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post, The Daily Beast and Mind Body Green.

At the Perlmutter Health Center, they deal with a variety of medical problems including arthritis, elevated cholesterol, bowel and digestive disorders, obesity, cardiovascular problems, respiratory disorders, including asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, allergies, environmental sensitivity, cancer and a wide variety of other illnesses as well as a long list of neurological problems including epilepsy, stroke, Parkinsonism, dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease), myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, dystonia, joint pain and inflammation, other movement disorders, and neuropathy.

Changing our dietary habits and the eating habits of our children could also help reduce the symptoms of ADD, ADHD and even Autism.

In the PBS special Dr. Perlmutter pulled together what I had discovered independently through my research and was actually feeling myself.  Bottomline: Wheat (gluten), carbs, and sugar are silently killing our brains, causing inflammation throughout our bodies and creating food induced hyperactivity thereby contributing to the “A“ epidemics:  Alzheimer’s-Dementia (AD), ADD, ADHD, Autism (ASD) and aging.

Dr. Perlmutter points out that most of what Americans have been told about eating from the food pyramid they taught us in school, to shifting everyone to low fat diets, to giving up eating eggs, and to putting half of America on cholesterol medicine is wrong.

We need to cut our carbs, gluten, and sugar and pay attention to the sources of our food, plus add more good fats into our diet. 

Shop the outside aisles of the market and with the exceptions of a few spices, etc., check out and go home. Read the labels of everything pre-prepared, frozen, boxed or canned that you do consider buying. Put in a garden, using non-GMO seeds, and create a compost heap for fertilizer. (There are some amazing options even for apartment dwellers, window box herbs, and many cities and towns now have community garden plots.)  Eat less but better quality meat; try to buy wild or range grazed meat and poultry (and eggs) and wild and stream caught fish… or consider taking up hunting, fishing and gathering.  You can supplement your protein needs with legumes and nuts.

The book Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health (Cookbook) rightfully  blamed wheat for the American epidemic of obesity.  And Dr. Permutter’s book Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar -- Your Brain's Silent Killers deals specifically with the effects of too many carbs, wheat, and gluten on the brain.

 Looking at a Better Way

Dr. Perlmutter started looking at the role diet plays in brain health after he got tired of treating his patients’ symptoms with drugs, which at the time was the only tool in his arsenal. He describes it like trying to get rid of smoke while leaving the fire burning.

In the past decade he learned that the brain is extremely sensitive to the food we eat and that our diet plays a pivotal role in our brain health.

He also learned that brain cells do replace themselves, but once you have reached the Alzheimer’s stage it is too late.

Too Many Carbs, Too Little Fat

As we’ve moved towards a low-fat diet high in grains, the kind recommended in the USDA food pyramid below, we’ve traded in eating fat for eating more carbs. We have never before been exposed to this level of carbohydrate consumption in human history and this experiment is not going well.  Plus, much of the wheat, corn, and soy produced today has been genetically modified (GMO).

In a recent report on the 5-worst food companies there were 3 glaring occupants on the list: Monsanto, Nestle, and Coca Cola, that should jump out and cause everyone to both take note and do their homework.

High blood sugar levels correlate directly with brain shrinkage of the hippocampus, the seat of memory and the first target of Alzheimer’s. Perlmutter states quite emphatically that there is no treatment whatsoever for Alzheimer’s and that drugs flat-out don’t help.

If you begin to mentally lose it in your 60′s and 70′s, sometimes even earlier, it becomes very hard to reverse the trend, so it is much wiser to take steps to prevent mental decline sooner than later.

Excess carbs create inflammation and free radicals, two major causes of brain aging.

Perlmutter found in his practice that nothing is worse for your brain than a low-fat diet. It contains too many carbohydrates and too little brain-healthy fat. He promotes olive oil, coconut oil, butter, avocados, grass-fed meat, wild salmon, and eggs. (No margarine, trans fats or vegetable oil).  Have you ever thought about Canola Oil and asked yourself… what is a canola?

In his practice Dr. Permutter puts patients on a diet that is 50-60% good fats. The brain is 70% fat by dry weight and he finds this much fat is ideal. Glucose is considered the main fuel for the brain, but our brains are quite happy to burn fat which he refers to as a “super fuel” for the brain.

One of the biggest ongoing debates in nutrition is what are the best ratios of fat, carbs, and protein. Perlmutter cites a JAMA study that followed two groups for 12 months. One group was on the diet popularized by Dr. Atkins — a low carb/high fat/high protein diet. The second group followed Dr. Ornish’s low fat/low protein/high carbohydrate diet. This diet is identical to the ultra-low fat diet being promoted in the book Power Foods for the Brain.

For those of us who have been brainwashed into believing that low-fat is good, it may come as a shock that the people who followed the Atkins diet did better on all health markers including triglycerides, good cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.

Perlmutter reminds us to think of cholesterol as our brain’s friend. Low cholesterol levels increases the risk of suicide, depression, and dementia. The risk of dementia is reduced by 70% in those with high cholesterol. You read that right – high cholesterol reduces risk of dementia.

The Problem With Gluten

Perlmutter appreciates that the book Wheat Belly made the public aware of the profound modification of wheat itself.

In the past 50 years, wheat has been changed to contain up to 50 times more gluten than it did when our ancestors baked their first loaf of bread.

We are biologically unprepared to handle this big of a change in such a short period of time. For arguments sake, Dr. Perlmutter states that humans have been around for 2.6 million years yet didn’t start eating wheat and gluten in any form until about 10,000 years ago; a mere blip in our entire existence! Or .004% to be more precise.

Gluten is a protein most commonly associated with wheat but can also be found in other grains like rye, oats, and barley; prepared foods of all kinds; and even in medications.

It’s been known for decades that gluten can cause a long list of neurological problems including dementia, headaches, seizures, tremors, depression, memory loss, and epilepsy in those who are gluten-sensitive. But what hasn’t been realized until recently is how ubiquitous gluten sensitivity is. If eating gluten tears up your gut, you know you have a problem. But it turns out that most people have no obvious digestive upset from gluten, so this is not a reliable indicator of gluten sensitivity.

Grain Brain makes a solid case for how eating more grains and carbohydrates of all kinds, and less goods fats, is taking a toll on our collective brain health. And it offers suggestions for what you can do about it.

Additionally, Dr. Permutter points out the need for vitamin D in our diets and that when watching our diets, it is the glycemic index that we should be concerned with.  In an example, he points out that between the four foods: wheat bread, white bread, white sugar and a candy bar, that reality is quite different from what most people think. When looking at the glycemic index the worst choice of the four foods listed is the wheat bread, not the candy bar.  In fact, the candy bar, not that he is promoting eating candy, is the best choice out of that group which goes in this order: candy bar, white sugar, white bread, wheat bread… when looking at the glycemic index.

Perlmutter also talks about the worst breakfast choice, for anyone, being a glass of orange juice and a bowl of packaged cereal.  A glass of orange juice isn’t much different than having a coke for breakfast.  Then we add a bowl of additional sugar, gluten and preservatives = cereal, covered with milk (casein… see below) and sending our kids to school sugared and carbed up… And for children with ADD, ADHD or Autism (ASD) it is even worse, plus then we add drugs into the equation to theoretically calm them down, and we wonder why they can’t learn or why they act out.

Several recent studies published in the International Journal of Attention Disorders support a connection between ADD, ADHD and Autism and the broader eating patterns of a ‘Western-style’ diet as well. It has been know for quite some time that food coloring and dyes should be avoided by people with ADD and ADHD.  And according to Craig Kendall, author of The Asperger's Syndrome Survival Guide, gluten and casein free (GFCF) diets help overcome Asperger’s Syndrome symptoms, and symptoms of children suffering from any form of ASD, including improving their behavior. Casein is a protein found in milk. Proponents of a GFCF diet believe people with Autism have a "leaky gut," or intestine, which allows parts of gluten and casein to seep into the bloodstream and affect the brain and central nervous system. The belief is that this may actually lead to Autism or magnify its symptoms.

We need to cut our sugar levels by cutting out/down carbs, gluten and sugar and adding fat from good sources. (No margarine or vegetable oil). And we need to go back to a natural diet… vegetables, fruit (in moderation), seeds, nuts, natural fats, range raised meat and poultry, wild fish, and range-eggs.  And, the most important brain anti-oxidant is cholesterol.  That’s right… cholesterol.

Cholesterol, the most important brain anti-oxidant, has been taken out of our diets, like good fats.  It is imperative for natural brain function. Eggs are one of the best things we can eat and c-reactive protein causes inflammation and is a direct contributor to the development Alzheimer’s Disease, if you are pre-deposed or added to other factors. Yet the trends and diets that we have all been sold for decades now have us doing and consuming exactly the opposite says Dr. Permutter.

Dr. Oz, a former Oprah team-member… not sure of their present relationship, actually pointed out that with the coming of ObamaCare, if it is not ultimately scrapped or implodes on its own, there will be a need and a move toward more holistic and homeopathic treatments, alternative medicine and healthier eating; perhaps the only good thing that ObamaCare will bring. (Remember, Dr. Oz was a major part of the promotional team for the H1N1 vaccine, but his wife and daughters like the Obama girls, did not take that vaccine.) But now physicians like Dr. Oz with an array of featured guests and experts, plus others including Dr. Mercola, Dr. Sears, and Dr. Perlmutter, who have always looked for alternatives are activiely promoting natural solutions. People are increasingly looking to places like Sanoviv, an alternative, holistic and integrative health facility built in Rosarito, Mexico by Myron Wentz, Ph.D, a microbiologist and immunologist who invented the test kit for Epstein Barr and founded Gull Laboratories, USANA and Sanoviv, S.A. de C.V. (Sanoviv) …because the AMA wouldn’t allow it in the U.S.

Coffee is all of a sudden being promoted as a good thing, Oulong tea and peaches (without sugar) have anti-Cancer properties. Vinegar and pharmaceutical grade hydrogen peroxide have great healing powers. The list of natural cures and preventative remedies is endless and suddenly being promoted instead of destroyed or hidden. See Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice.

America, the winds of change are blowing; many of them not good but some offer some great possibilities amidst the destruction of what was the greatest healthcare system in the world at its core, at least before the Rockefellers and other corruptocrats got their hands on it.

I am not a health practitioner, but have explored alternative health solutions all my life and I definitely have spent more time studying nutrition than physicians do in Med School. I have also researched and sold several holistic health products and high-end all natural nutritionals.  And when my daughter developed ulcerative colitis we took her to Sanoviv, an alternative healthcare facility outside the United States, where I took every class and seminar they allowed me to attend during her treatment. There is a place for surgery and some medications, but because of Big Pharma, Big Business, Big Agriculture and corruption, Americans are over medicated and sicker than they should be… Why?  So that we ultimately can be put on drugs or sold an agenda.  It is all about money and control! The information is out there; we all have to become more proactive and use the common sense that God gave us.  If it feels or sounds wrong or questionable… it probably is!

About The Author:  I am 61-years-young and am in perfect health (and yes, I am knocking on wood as I say that).  I have never been admitted to a hospital; I was delivered by a mid-wife.  I, as well as my children… the two and four-legged ones, only received the immunizations and vaccines that they absolutely needed; I did my homework in depth long before there was an Internet.  I, as well as my children, never ate store bought, pre-fabed, commercial baby food (or commercial pet food), let alone the glue they call formula that is given to most American babies these days. (Nor did I use baby wipes, floor and rug cleaners with chemicals in them or pesticides… I used old school warm water and mild soap instead of wipes, and nontoxic natural-based vinegar and orange oil type  cleaners and for pest control.)  I also have always done the majority of my marketing from the outer aisles of the grocery store. And even though we were suburb dwellers, my dad and brother hunted and fished and much of our other meat (now and when I was a child) was purchased from a butcher or supplier who guaranteed antibiotic and steroid free meat… and money was an object through much of my life so I learned to be creative.

I have only been to a doctor less than 20-times in my entire life if you do not count the well-baby checks and for the necessary shots I did get as a kid. I have only ever had one mammogram and 2 pap smears and I don’t get flu shots, nor have I ever been on any long-term medications and probably have taken no more than a few bottles of aspirin or the like in 60+ years… and I am just now going through menopause. The only (out-patient) surgery I have had was when I slipped on some black ice and broke my ankle.

My daughter was perfectly healthy as well, at least until she had to have what seemed like an endless batch of shots to travel around the world with the Semester at Sea (SAS) program and after getting one last shot on-board (from an unknown source) after a Japanese Encephalitis outbreak about halfway through the sail, she came back with severe ulcerative colitis.  Coincidence?  We took her to Sanoviv.

My husband, who pretty much beat up his body through sports… football, baseball, basketball, snow and water skiing, racquetball, competitive swimming, etc., has recently developed related health issues but it seems to be the inflammation that has attacked those previous injuries and weak spots.

I consider myself lucky in many ways and was blessed to be born healthy and to have parents who made all the right food and health choices for me and my siblings… at least until we were old enough to be able to follow their advice or choose to make our own wrong decisions.

My mother always cooked at home; going out to dinner was a rare treat.  We never drank soda.  And doctors & dentists were visited only as needed.  As a side job, my father even cleaned the office for our family doctor, an OD until forced to become an MD, who agreed with that philosophy; a pattern I carried through with my own children.  None of us kids smoked, we drank in moderation when we got old enough and nobody did drugs. I played softball, tennis and snow skied but never felt the need to over-tax my body or to fry my skin in the sun. We ate in moderation so although I love sweets, I have only been on a diet 4-times in my life (3 of which were on the Adkins diet after age 40), and I now plan to stay on a modified version of that diet for life.

*My in-laws on the other hand, even with their new found knowledge, fight me daily about eating margarine instead of butter; over-salting their food… even though my father-in-law suffers from heart disease and is suppose to be on a salt-free diet; they seemingly fell for every new campaign that came down the pike throughout their lives; and they refuse to entertain the idea of cutting down on the medications and number of doctor visits.  The system of eldercare has been an eye-opening journey in itself and the affect of the systematic brainwashing on that generation is both frightening and phenomenal.

Unless you are born with a serious defect or disease or are injured in later life, I truly believe that our choices and those we make for our children define our health, especially if we make the wrong choices or don’t do our homework!  And therefore I am writing a new book, “ The Common Sense Path to Good Health”.  Somewhere along the way we have lost our common sense in far too many areas!

Related and Sources: 

Eating antibiotic-fed animals can cause health problems in humans 

11 Food Ingredients Banned Outside the U.S. That Americans Eat 

Margarine Linked to Lower IQs in Kids 

The Drug Story 

Western Medicine - Forbidden Cures

Technorati Tags: Alzheimer's-Dementia,AD,ADD,ADHD,Autism,Aging,Debilitating Aging Symptoms,Alzheimer's,Dementia,Books,Inflammation,Nutrition,GFCF,Sanoviv,Choices,Healthy Eating,Joint Pain,Connecting the Dots,ObamaCare,Holistic Medicine,Common Sense,Neuropathy

Mental Health Awareness: Wanted Compassion and Understanding

By: Elise Ronan | Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel

Impressions we make are essential to how we view each other. Social awareness, some call it mindfulness, of the unsaid signals we emit are part and parcel of human interactions. But what happens when a person doesn’t understand the nuances and the secret handshake of unwritten social rules? What happens when these people become so overwhelmed by their environment that they exhibit actions, such as a meltdown, inappropriate yelling – laughing, or experience a panic attack complete with hysterics and uncontrollable crying?

It’s one thing if the helpless person involved is a child. Most of society has all sorts of qualifiers for a child that has issues and mental health concerns. But, as a person ages, society’s tolerance for such actions not only becomes mute, but in most part disappears altogether. Mental illness becomes an unspoken burden in part because it is sadly ignored,  swept away by families due to societal derision. As a person ages the stigma associated with mental illness becomes as much of a weight as the illness itself.

Society lacks basic knowledge about mental health issues. And in many ways tabloid journalism is to blame. The issues are sensationalized, especially when a violent individual commits some unspeakable crimes. (Ignoring the fact that most heinous crimes are actually committed by person considered sane.)The news will drone on and on about a subject that they know nothing about, simply making life unbearable for those already viewed to live on the fringes of society. The uneducated make conjectures, elicit ignorant opinions and promote fear instead of trying to enunciate understanding of what mental illness is and what it is not.

-Mental illness covers a wide range of illnesses. HERE Everything from ADD to autism to panic attacks to PTSD to the more severe forms of schizophrenia.

-The overwhelmingly vast majority of persons with mental illness are NOT violent. In fact they are more likely to be the victim of a violent crime than the perpetrator. HERE

-With help recovery is possible. HERE

It is important to remember that those with mental health illnesses are trying their best. What they need is understanding and acceptance. We can talk about accommodations and we can talk about civil rights until we are  “blue in the face,” but in truth, if someone is uncomfortable around a person with a mental illness, there will never be friends, employment and a successful navigation of society. Can comfort be taught? Can compassion become part and parcel of society?

First, what society needs to understand is that meltdowns, panic attacks, “episodes” are personal to the person. It is how the effected individual is feeling at that one given moment in time. Their being overwhelmed is about how they are processing the sensory information before them. They are in that space and they cannot necessarily remove themselves from that tornado that is their mind. (And as I have said before this inability to see beyond themselves-mindblindness- becomes more problematic as a person ages. A meltdown by a 10-year-old is taken alot differently than a meltdown by a 200 pound, 6 foot tall, grown-adult-male.) HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE

Second, yes, once their “episode” is over, they are capable of understanding what has happened. They realize, once they feel better, if they have been mean, cross or had been inappropriate. “I’m sorry,” is something heartfelt. Apologies abound. They truly feel embarrassed when they have digressed in the presence of their peers and they truly feel shame.

But unfortunately if their actions have frightened someone, scared off a potential friend, or have lost them a job, sometimes there really is no going back. What is lost is lost. The question becomes how do you teach them to understand their feelings in the moment and to control themselves? How do you teach them that impressions are real and that they have consequences before these consequences are life effecting?

Lastly, so what is a parent or caregiver to do? It is trying to teach the idea  that it is the little things that become important when talking about perception. It is the little things that become important when preparing someone for the future.

Walking out of a room, class or environment when they start to feel overwhelmed is a typical self-help method. (Making sure that they leave the room before they exhibit any negative actions is important also, and part of a long process of education.) Trying to get them to understand that their “tone” in a conversation is essential to how their emotional state is perceived is important for social interactions at both school and work. Teaching them the appropriate way to horse-around (even though it seems that in a school setting typical male bonding is seen as anathema in the first place in today’s world) and what to say as a “joke” in public is a good place to start, when teaching about community acceptance. Getting them to understand the necessity of therapy and medication to their own well-being. Promoting a healthy attitude towards exercise, food and self-care can also help in their navigation of the world.

But in the end we do need to accept the fact that there is also just so much anyone person can do to accommodate the world-at-large as well. We also need to understand that no matter how hard those with mental health issues do try, there is always going to be that one person who is just totally unaccepting towards them. This person will, no matter what, never forgive the ill for who they are. They will never see beyond the disability or mental health issue. Honestly, its better to teach the effected individual how to identify these antagonistic people and to just stay away from them. You can’t please everyone and honestly it’s not even worth trying.

As I have always taught my children this primary life lesson…wherever you go in life there is always going to be one “shmendrick.” The trick in life is to NOT be the “shmendrick.” That is basically impressions in a nutshell. That is the basic goal of those with challenges.

In the meantime, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Maybe one day there will be more give and take with society. Maybe one day the partnership will actually be 50-50. But until that time we work, we teach and we hope that the stigma of mental illness will be lifted and those that are forced onto the fringes of society will be accepted, understood and welcomed into the world inwhich they live.

Technorati Tags: Mental Illness,Mental Disorders,Awareness,Understanding,Compassion,Mental Health Awareness Month,May,Mind

Book Review and Giveaway: Make Your Worrier a Warrior by Dan Peters, PhD

Raising Asperger's Kids:  Dealing with your fear of fear. That is how I always describe the boys' need to worry. Of course the doctors call it generalized anxiety disorder or even the anxiety that goes hand in glove with autism. This drive that something is never perfect or that something in our life is wrong or could be better if only...if only, but you don't know what that only is. The  catastrophizing about your reality. Worrying that the most awful things will happen, even if there are no realistic basis for the worry. Allowing this worry to prevent you from having a happy and enjoyable life.

Anxiety is the monster that attacks us in our brains and in our every waking hour It is the monster that hides in the recesses of our  minds and prevents us from living life. As parents it is hard to watch your child deal with anxiety. It is hard to not know how to help them. It is hard to not understand what is going on inside their head. Anxiety is a complex pattern of thoughts and ideas that just seem, seem seem to be on the otherside of a divide that we cannot get ahold of.

Well here comes some help. Dr. Peters breaks everything down for us in a matter of fact way that makes it very understandable in his book Make Your Worrier a Warrior: A Guide to Conquering Your Child's Fears.  He teaches us the basics and gives us useable information on how to help our children and even ourselves. He breaks down the types of fears and anxiety you might encounter and then goes about telling you how to handle them. He gives you practical advice. He also acknowledges that debilitating anxiety isn't something that just happens in a vacuum. That dealing with anxiety you may also have to deal with other mental health or learning disabilities as well. He talks about a convergence of ideas that incorporates all aspects of your child. He discusses how to get your child's (or even your) village on board with a treatment plan. (As anyone who reads this blog knows, I am a big fan of the concept of "village" to help your child. You cannot do this alone and neither should you have to. It is NOT a matter of weakness, but of understanding that at times you do and are entitled to seek help for yourself and/or your child.)

What is equally important is that Dr. Peters, unlike many other authors,  doesn't stop with the parents. He writes a companion book for children, From Worrier to Warrior.  Using the same methodology that he does in the parent's book, he tells children about the "worry monster" and what it means. He explains through vignettes how there are other children who feel like they do. In the end he gives your child advice and understanding on how to help themselves.  Of course if you do buy these companion books for younger children you would simply want to pick out the applicable stories to your child and their situation. In fact, I would say reading the stories together goes along way in helping and supporting your child.

Note: This book is not really for younger elementary school children. It is definitely too much information for a young child to process. The book is also for independent learners. Even if your child is a tween or adolescent, it is not a bad thing to read it together if that is what it takes for them to synthesize the information.

Actually remember that these two books are meant to be read together. I would say its akin to a family therapy session. I would coordinate the chapters in the two books so that after each one is read you could sit down with your child and help them process what they have just learned. Discussions could also be helpful for you to see just how your child views themselves in relationship to their worry monster. My personal opinion is that these books are helpful for any family dealing with anxiety issues. It is definitely a good place to start.
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Here's something new and fun for me:  in conjunction with Mother's Day, which here in the USA, is May 11, I will be doing a giveaway of these companion books. Please leave me a comment about what you think of the book review above along with your email address so I can contact you once a winner has been randomly chosen. The contest runs from today until May 1, since I would like to send the books out to the winner before Mother's Day.

There are several rules: (1) only ONE entry per person and; (2) since this is my first contest I am going to limit it to those people who live in the USA (sorry to my foreign readers); (3) If you are going to do a critique of my writing be kind, and (4) FYI the caveats. If the comment doesn't fit into the prescribed rules, it doesn't get published and you are not entered. Go to Raising Asperger’s Kids to comment and enter.

Good luck,

Elise

Technorati Tags: Anxiety,ASD,Autism,Book Review,Depression,Generalized Anxiety Disorder,OCD,Contest,Solutions,Disabilities,Mother's Day,Asperger's

Autism - Meme as Political Insult

One of the biggest issues facing punditry is how to get your point across elegantly while excoriating the “other” point of view. Sadly many in this so-called adult world of political discussion, argumentation and  debate, have taken to childhood name-calling, bullying and insult. It is not enough to simply prove your opponent incorrect you need to dispel any notion that their ideas have any merit or perspective of worth. Unfortunately in order to accomplish this goal, many otherwise highly intelligent people use insulting memes to accomplish what they think is an intelligent spin on the opposition. What occurs however is the denigration of those who through no fault of their own have been born with neurological, developmental or mental disabilities. It is highly unseemly that in the greater world these insults to people living with immense challenges goes unchallenged. 

Being the parent of two young men with asperger’'s I do not go quietly into that good night when I see that ignorance about whom aspergeans happen to be abounds. The ancienne mode of thinking and understanding disabilities, as well as mental illness, is being challenged and destroyed on a daily basis by science, advocates and civil rights laws. It is time that those in the world of intellectual debate caught up to the notion of respect, understanding and appreciation of those who live life with a different “operating system” and try as hard as they may to fit in and become productive, happy, and accepted members of society.

Shame on those that perpetuate ignorance and hate. No matter who they happen to be they should be called out for their pomposity in thinking they can denigrate other human beings and yet still consider themselves religiously observant, ethical, moral and descent.

Remember we do not fight the fights that are easy, we fight the fights that are worth fighting.

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Everyone who reads this blog knows that I am not afraid to show my political bent. Not a fan of Obama, democrats, political correctness and cultural relativism. I’m also not a conservative or libertarian either. I am a Constitutionalist. I believe in the US Constitution over and above all other forms of government, politics, religion and realities.

That being said I do not hesitate to point out, mention, discuss, or accuse when someone, no matter their political bent, insults those with disabilities to attempt to make any kind of point. I am an equal opportunity tuchas-kicker. I do not shrink away angry. I let them know that their maligning of my sons is not only disingenuous, its stereotyping/bullying at its worse and ignorant at its best.

Earlier today I happened upon one of the more interesting blogs that I read. I do not hesitate to comment when I think he has gone too far politically. As anyone will tell you I am not shy, at least not on-line.

His latest screed was about socialism and its failures, disasters and the incomprehensible blindness of its adherents. Not anything I haven’t read or said at times myself. Absolutes in politics don’t work, no matter which side of the aisle you sit on. It’s why even our most important laws have get-out-of-jail-reasons, even the admonition “Thou shalt not murder.”

Well as I was reading his latest diatribe I came across this paragraph:

The Asperger shortcuts to manipulating people that are such a big part of convincing you to try a new soft drink or selling voters on Obama 2012 worked, but getting people to buy your hairspray or vote for your candidate is fundamentally different than changing how they live. The nudges and the data streams may seem sophisticated, but they rely on a Pavlovian view of human beings reacting to impulses in predictable ways. It’s good enough for making a dog salivate when a bell is rung or a coed’s eyes fill with stars at a Hopey poster, but it doesn’t account for anything deeper than that.
Sultan Knish, The Crash of Socialism 2.0

I left a comment to say the least. I told him that his use of autism spectrum disorders is stereotyping an entire group of people who deal with prejudice on a daily basis. That his job is to teach not vilify. That he was promoting ignorance and bullying. That as a religious person he should be ashamed of himself. I told him to print my comment or don’t print the comment. Respond in condescending tones about political correctness and leftist politics all he wants. But what he should do is rewrite that paragraph and apologize.

Nope haven’t checked back to see what happened. Maybe I will and maybe I won’t. I don’t think I actually care. I have had many of my comments vilified by fools who think its smart to use the “R” word when I’ve pointed out how wrong it is. I have been ignored by authors who think its OK to use the autism-meme to show societal-ambiguousness-towards-humanity.

In all the time I spend on the internet there has only been one incidence where someone actually changed their article and apologized to me for what they had written. That was at Israellycool. I suppose one is still better than none. But it does make you think.

The ultimate  irony here is that the blogger in question continually points out the antisemitic nature of so many articles, persons, political philosophies and organizations around the globe. He rails against antisemitism and the stereotypes promoted by some of the world’s biggest (and smallest) Israel-and Jew-haters. (Yes I do that too.) But was unable to see how his stereotyping of those with aspergers spreads just as much hatred as racial or religious animus. It amazes me to no end, how people are so incapable of seeing what they dislike in others in themselves.

What I take away from this is simply how sad a place is the world at times and the challenges still out there for my sons and others with autism.  I shouldn’t be surprised. Really I shouldn’t. I just wonder where have all the intelligent people gone? I expect autism-stereotyping from the uneducated politically unaware, but not from those who pride themselves on their ability to think, discuss and reason. Did intellects, true intellects, ever exist and am I fooling myself into thinking that the boys may not actually have to fight hatred for the rest of their lives?

Whenever I am confronted by the ignorance of the intelligent I always come back to hubby’s admonishment about keeping the boys information private to the world. Hubby always warns about the nastiness of the working world. While I know that there are always ways to find out who someone truly happens to be, for the majority of people it’s not important to go that extra mile to delve into the bowels of the internet. So I do the best I can with keeping their identities secret. And yes, after today, I am glad I listened to hubby yet again.

Ultimately, bigotry is bigotry. There are no excuses for being uneducated in today’s day and age. Those who do not recognize their own intellectual shallowness while even trying to excuse their equally vicious perspectives only make this a harsher world for our children. Silence in the face of such ignorance is not an option.

To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men…Abraham Lincoln.

Here is a video that can help people understand aspergers:

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Update:  No I never checked back to see what was the reaction at Sultan Knish. Quite frankly I do not care. I have gone up against bloggers and their acolytes before and have been sorely disappointed in everyone. No it does not stop me from pointing out the hurtfulness of their ways. If others wish to check back then so be it. But quite frankly if Daniel Greenfield wanted to contact me he had my email address attached to my comment, plus I tweeted him a copy of this post, and we could have discussed the issue of aspergers, what it is in reality, its characteristics,  the false methodology associated with autism, as well as, how it affects those who happen to be born with this developmental disability. But he did not. 

Liberty’s Spirit  -  Cross posted at Raising Asperger’s Kids

Technorati Tags: Asperger's,Autism,manipulation of the public,ignorance

MEDIA & POLITICIANS STIR UP FRENZY BUT WON’T REPORT EDUCATIONAL “CHILD FIND” LAW THAT COULD HAVE PREVENTED NEWTOWN , CT MASSACRE

By: LM & AJ  -  cross-posted at Ask Marion - h/t to the NoisyRoom for photo

In light of the recent massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, we learn today that, “The Newtown school gunman’s mother was so angry at education chiefs for failing her son she thought ‘screw them’ and refused to stop dealing with them any more, a relative has claimed.  Nancy Lanza pleaded for better services for her disturbed son Adam but was apparently rebuffed so many times, she took it upon herself to home school him.”

One can imagine there isn’t a Special Education Director who isn’t wondering if they could do more to identify students with mental health disorders.  In fact, there are some who know they can do more – *and the law requires them to do it.  However, the administrative apparatus of the public school system is managed in a way that restricts access to the supports and services needed by children with mental illness or disabilities.

Too often, pressure from school Superintendents require Special Education Directors to reduce their budgets, thus leaving Directors no choice but to purposely deny eligibility, interventions, appropriate services and/or supports to children who need them.  In essence, school districts claim these children are fine or they’re “cured” because they really don’t need interventions or services despite clear warning signs that something’s very wrong.

Adam Lanza was no exception.  Educational professionals report they saw Adam Lanza’s problems as early as 9^th grade.  At Newtown High School , he was often having episodes and the protocol used by the school was to call his mother, Nancy Lanza, and have her come in to diffuse each crisis.

The head of security for the school district at the time, Richard Novia, told AP reporter Adam Geller, “He would have an episode, and she’d have to return or come to the high school and deal with it”.

While Nancy Lanza suffered in silence and rarely spoke of the seriousness of Adam’s problems, the indicators of her son’s severe mental illness were there.  Nancy Lanza’s friends knew Adam had switched schools more than once and that Nancy tried home schooling him.

John Tambascio said, “I always said that I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes.  But I thought, “Wow.  She holds it well.””  Russell Hanoman said Adam was “clearly a troubled child.”  Ryan Kraft, who babysat Adam when he was younger, said, “His mom Nancy had always instructed me to keep an eye on him at all times, never turn my back or even go to the bathroom or anything like that.  Which I found odd but I really didn’t ask; it wasn’t any of my business.”

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes a legal mandate requiring school districts, under the “Child Find” provision, to seek out and find children who exhibit significant problems at school, to include developmental and functional problems; not just academic problems.  Most parents aren’t aware of this and the media and politicians won’t tell you about it, but all school districts know.

Under IDEA, anyone concerned about an individual can refer the student, confidentially, to the school district for assessment.

Usually, it is a teacher who refers a student for assessment. Unfortunately, due to the nationwide “budget constraint” mantra from the educational system, we are told that teachers are discouraged by their districts in the referral of students with suspected disorders and that "it’s a big waste of time as districts take no forward motion" according to one teacher who has asked to remain anonymous.

Did Lanza’s school district follow the Child Find law?  Did they refer him for a psycho-educational assessment and provide the interventions and services needed?  As we now know, they did not.

You may wonder, “Why at school?”  Children with mental illness or disabilities experience the majority of their difficulties within and because of school.  The random, unpredictable and social dynamics and demands of all school campuses generally intensify the manifestations of a child’s disorder.

Their inability to properly navigate the school environment is the first warning sign that, without proper interventions and supports, they will be unable to navigate in the real world when they reach adulthood.

Unfortunately for parents, their distraught and possibly violent child is often denied an assessment by the school district or, if given an assessment, they’re denied Special Education eligibility and/or appropriate supports and services, especially if the child is demonstrating “adequate academic progress”.  Parents are often pleading and begging for help from the school.

This is where school districts misinterpret the law.  Clearly, IDEA legislation requires that students who demonstrate issues of functional, social, and/or emotional development are to be assessed and the needed interventions, supports and services must be provided.

If Adam Lanza’s school district had followed the law, they would have requested Nancy Lanza’s consent to conduct a psycho-educational assessment in all areas of suspected disability, which includes mental health, in order to get to the bottom of his mental illness, thus enabling them to determine the interventions and services he needed (to include institutionalization if necessary).  In addition, he would have been closely monitored via an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

Adam Lanza’s problems were no secret; his brother told reporters that Adam suffered from a “personality disorder” (the clinical term is usually “sociopath” or “psychopath”).  Adam Lanza’s mental illness was evident and Nancy Lanza’s problems with the school district have been reported.

Ask yourself… could things have been different if the school district had followed the law just a few short years ago?  Would it have revealed the severity of his mental illness? Would interventions have been provided that may have prevented the murder of 27 innocents?  We’ll never know the real answer to that question now.

But we do know his mother, Nancy Lanza, suffered in silence, was murdered by her son, and friends and educators knew something was seriously wrong with Adam Lanza.

Often, when a parent is struggling at home with a child who has a mental illness or disability, they are completely overwhelmed and very few can understand this unless they walk in the parent’s shoes.  More often than not, parents are not aware of the laws and provisions of IDEA and rarely do they have the energy or resources to fight the educational apparatus’ complex, bureaucratic and lengthy legal process.  Not all school districts create barriers such as what is described in this article, but the problem is that the vast majority do.

Like Nancy Lanza, many parents end up pulling their children out of school and implementing a home school program.   Consequently, removed from the social world, the child’s problems may appear to diminish somewhat… but those problems re-emerge when they are adults and attempt to re-enter mainstream society.

Did you know that twelve children commit suicide every day in the US ?  Everyday.  One must ask what educators knew and what they did or didn’t do while those children were in their care.

Adam Lanza became an evil killer and educators saw signs of trouble as early as the 9^th grade.  One must ask what educators knew and what they did or didn’t do while he was in their care.

For parents of children with autism, it’s important to correct the media’s unsubstantiated reference to Asperger’s Syndrome with regard to Adam Lanza.  Although Adam Lanza’s brother said “somewhat autistic”, if reporters had done their due diligence, they would have learned that an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not a mental illness and it was not in any way related to what Adam Lanza did.

Autism Society: No Link Between Autism and Planned Violence

• No evidence exists to link autism and premeditated violence. Suggesting otherwise is wrong and harmful to the more than 1.5 million individuals living with autism in the United States.¹
• Individuals with autism and those with other disabilities are more likely to be victims of violence than the perpetrators.²
• Many of the individuals with Asperger’s syndrome who have committed crimes had co-existing psychiatric disorders.³
  1. Gunasekaran, S., & Chaplin, E. (2012). Autism spectrum disorders and offending. Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 6, 308-313.
  2. Hughes, K., Bellis, M. A., Jones, L., Wood, S., Bates, G., Eckley, L., ... & Officer, A. (2012). Prevalence and risk of violence against adults with disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. The Lancet. 379, 1621-1629.
  3. Newman SS, Ghaziuddin M: Violent crime in Asperger syndrome: the role of psychiatric comorbidity. J Autism Dev Disord 39:1949-52, 2008.

The media has yet to discuss the real issue regarding Adam Lanza, the failure of the educational system, and what might have prevented the massacre of 27 innocent people in Newtown , CT.

Did his school district follow the law and provide the appropriate interventions, supports and services that he needed while he was young, which could have prevented him from becoming an evil killer that took so many innocent lives on December 14^th?

President Obama said that he will put funding toward a solution.  Well, here it is Mr. President.  Clear evidence of what can be, and should have been, done.  These laws are already mandated; they’re on the books.  The job of the Executive Branch is to enforce the laws of the land that are enacted by Congress, so that’s what the American people have hired you to do.  Enforce the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

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*Excerpts of IDEA Legislation:

Child Find System - Sec. 303.321 - IDEA requires all states to have a "comprehensive Child Find system" to assure that all children who are in need of early intervention or special education services are located, identified, and referred.

Sec. 300.320 Definition of individualized education program.

(a) General. As used in this part, the term individualized education program or IEP means a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in a meeting in accordance with Sec. Sec. 300.320 through 300.324, and that must include--

(1) A statement of the child's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including--

(i) How the child's disability affects the child's involvement and progress in the general education curriculum (i.e., the same curriculum as for nondisabled children); or

(ii) For preschool children, as appropriate, how the disability affects the child's participation in appropriate activities;

Case law has further clarified the specific parameters of functional, social, and emotional progress.  An example of this is Acalanes vs. Student in California .

About the authors:  We are parents of children with disabilities and have collectively advocated for the needs of children with disabilities for twenty years.  LM is currently a paralegal involved in litigation against the CA Department of Education.  This litigation, which was filed one year ago, alleges the State’s failure to appropriately monitor how individual school districts provide supports and services to children with special needs.  AJ is currently working as a special needs consultant and has served on various autism-related, non-profit boards.  AJ has been very involved in legislative change regarding how children with disabilities are provided services and spearheaded the creation of pilot classrooms for school districts to help them meet the educational needs of children with autism.

Technorati Tags: Asperger's,Autism,Child Find System,Connecticut,creating chaos,educate yourself,gun control,IDEA,intellectual disabilities,media,mental health,Obamaland,politicians,public schools,scapegoats,shootings,Special Education,violence,watch the other hand,You be the judge

Autism Spectrum Disorder has Risen to New Heights

A pair of studies on autism rates show that somewhere around one percent of all U.S. children currently have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The rate is even higher among 6 to 11 year olds and among boys.

Among all children aged two to 17, one in 100 currently have an ASD, which is considerably higher than the previously estimated rate of one in 150. There was a 100 percent increase in parent-reported ASD rates compared to 2003.

One possible explanation for some of the increase is the expansion of the ASD classification within the public schools to include not only full-blown autism, but also milder forms of ASD such as Pervasive Developmental Disorder and Asperger's Syndrome. But it is difficult to believe that this accounts for the entire increase.

One possible answer is the Hepatitis B vaccine, which also contained 25 micrograms of mercury containing thimerosal. Only 8 percent of infant children received the Hep B vaccine in 1992, when that birth cohort showed an ASD rate of 60 per 10,000.

By 1994, the number of children receiving Hep B vaccine had reached just 27 percent -- and the cohort showed an ASD rate of 66 per 10,000. The Hep B coverage rate rose to 82 percent by 1996, when that cohort's ASD rate exploded to around 100 per 10,000, or one in 100.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

If you’ve been following this issue you will be very aware that autism is on the rise.

For a number of years the accepted rate of autism was about one in 150, but for awhile now I have been stating that the incidence is far higher than that, and now we finally have statistics to support that.

Overall, the 2007 survey results from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) reveals a 100 percent increase in parent-reported cases of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), compared to their 2003 survey.

According to this latest data, the odds that your infant will develop some form of ASD are now one in 63. And if you have a boy, the chances are a staggering one in 38.

That’s 2.6 percent of all male children in the U.S.!

Among all children aged two to 17, out of the 82,000 respondents, one in 100 reported that their child currently has an ASD. This is far higher than the previous CDC estimate of one in 150.

A similar British study puts the overall U.K. rate at one in 83.

These numbers sadly support the surprising findings earlier this year, when the journal Epidemiology published a studyshowing a sevenfold increase in autism cases in California, between the years of 1990 to 2006.

In 1990, 6.2 of every 10,000 children born in California were diagnosed with autism by the age of 5. By 2001, that had risen to 42.5 in 10,000.

I still remember that 25 years ago. when I first started practicing, the incidence of autism in the United States was only one in 100,000! This is clearly an epidemic happening in massive proportions right before our very eyes.

What’s Causing These Out of Control Autism Rates?

Many researchers are now advocating for a shift in autism research to focus on environmental factors such as pesticides, viruses and chemicals in household products rather than genetics.

It makes no rational sense that funding for studying the genetic causes of autism is 10 to 20 times higher than funding for environmental causes. Because although genetics play a role in an estimated one percent of cases, the other 99 percent are still a mystery to conventional scientists.

Likewise, to suggest this massive increase could be due to relaxed diagnosis criteria seems to be grasping at straws.

So what is the explanation?

The Common Thread Among Those With Autism

Dr. Klinghardt, one of my primary mentors and a pioneer in natural medicine, discussed the toxic origins of autism in an extensive interview with me late last year. You can watch a snippet of it here, or join my Inner Circle to get access to the entire interview.

One topic discussed is the fact that in most people with autism, their pathways of detoxification have become overwhelmed by both man-made and microbial toxins.
The toxins that are at the top of this list are:

1. Mercury and other metals, such as aluminum. The major route of exposure here is from vaccines, and also from eating contaminated seafood.

2. Viruses and microbes, such as mold. Children with autism not only have overwhelmed detoxification pathways and often heavy metal toxicity, but, according to Dr. Klinghardt, they also have a silent, daily toxin production in their body caused by toxic microbes.

3. Electromagnetic Fields (EMF). These come not only from cell phones and cordless phones, but also from electrical outlets and WI-FI. Dr. Klinghardt considers EMF “synergistically causal," partly because it potentiates the production of toxic microbes and endotoxins.

We already know that children are now born toxic due to the increasing toxic load of their mothers. We know that the childhood vaccination schedule has gone from requiring 10 vaccinations in 1976, to now including 36 injections before your child reaches 12 months of age.

We also know that the use of cell phones and other WiFi equipment has exploded, and according to some experts, like Dr. Klinghardt, EMF exposure increases the toxicity of many already hazardous substances.

For example, in a small study performed by Dr. Klinghardt, he showed that autism can actually be predicted based on the EMF levels of your sleeping quarters while you are pregnant!

He found that if you sleep in strong electromagnetic fields during pregnancy, your child will likely begin to exhibit neurological abnormalities within the first two years of life, such as:

• Neurological dysfunction

• Hyperactivity

• Learning disorders

What About Vaccines?

Once you’ve reviewed the available data, it’s also virtually impossible to ignore the dangerous impact of our overzealous vaccination schedule.

According to Lee Grossman, President and CEO of Autism Society of America (ASA):

"A person with an autism spectrum disorder has a number of underlying and seemingly unnoticed immunological, inflammatory or mitochondrial issues happening, and there could be any number of factors that trigger this, and it is certainly plausible that vaccines are one of those triggers."

As discussed in the article above, the increased use of the Hepatitis B vaccine also coincides with a rise in autism, and the Hep B vaccine contained 25 micrograms of thimerosal – a mercury-containing ingredient that has long been thought to be a contributing factor to autism due to its potent neurotoxic effects.

According to the CDC's National Immunization Survey, 8 percent of infants received the Hep B vaccine in 1992. At the time the ASD rate was 67 in 10,000. Four years later, at which time 82 percent of infants received the Hep B vaccine, the ASD rate rose to about 100 in 10,000.

Recent studies have shown that the Hepatitis B vaccine can damage myelin in those with certain genetic factors. For example, one recent study found that children who received the vaccine were 50 percent more likely to develop "central nervous system inflammatory demyelination" than children who did not receive the vaccine.

GlaxoSmithKline’s Engerix B brand of the vaccine was shown to be the worst of the bunch, increasing the risk of demyelination by 74 percent. It also nearly tripled the risk of developing multiple sclerosis in genetically susceptible people.

As you can see, there are likely a wide variety of potential factors involved, and we need to know what all of these exposures in combination mean to the health of our children if we ever want to turn this tide of autism around.

One Contributing Factor You Can Remedy Right Now

Another major contributor to autism that has recently been appreciated is vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women.

The vitamin D receptor appears in a wide variety of brain tissue early in the fetal development, and activated vitamin D receptors increase nerve growth in your brain. It is my personal belief that this may be the single largest contributing factor to autism and that it is a deficiency of sun exposure to the pregnant mom, and subsequently to the fetus, that puts the child at a massively increased risk of developing autism in the first place.
Fortunately, this is one risk factor you can do something about right now.

I believe one of the most important changes that could radically reduce autism is to make certain that ALL pregnant women normalize their vitamin D levels to 50-60 ng/ml.

What to Do and Where to Turn if You Have an Autistic Child

Lee Grossman of the ASA was quoted as saying,

"Now, many people believe that autism is associated with environmental triggers, and my message is: 'Wake up.'

If this doesn't wake people up, then I don't know what will.

I'm hopeful that this unfortunate statistic, and the terrible growth in autism, will finally get people to act to do something about autism. And by that, I mean the fine folks in government who are not responding in the ways that they should."

I hope so too.

But I’m not holding my breath for sanity to sweep across government any time soon. And if you’re waiting for conventional medicine to come up with some “cure,” you may be waiting for a long time.

Fortunately, there are other options, many of which are turning out to be effective.

I am collaborating with some of the leading experts in autism, including Dr. Klinghardt, and participating in the THRiiiVE think-tank that will provide basic resources for those afflicted with autism.
During the most recent THRiiiVE summit in October, 2008 we created the Top 10 Prioritized To Do List for people with autism.

I have detailed the entire list in this past article, so please, if your child or someone you know has autism, take a few minutes to review it.
As part of the program, Dr. Klinghardt recommends the following three steps that should be urgently addressed in children with autism:

1. Lower microbial burden: Reduce microbial overgrowth in your child’s body through dietary changes (less starch and sugar at minimum) and lower overall stress. Also, consider testing for mold (in your house) and Lyme (in his or her body)but only after “provocation treatment.”
2. Lower incoming toxic burden: Do whatever you can to establish a mold, dust, toxin and smell-free environment for your whole family and THEN establish a detoxification program. Please remember hidden toxins like fluoride, and look carefully at ALL your cleaning products.
3. Lower EMF burden in your child’s home and bedroom: Your child’s health will be optimized with daily sun exposure (healthy EMF) and nightly avoidance of man-made (harmful) EMF.

If you are interested in receiving important updates on matters relating to autism directly from THRiiiVE, you can sign up for their e-Alert by sending an email to Autism@THRiiiVE.com.

In the next two weeks I hope to post videos and transcript summaries of highly effective strategies for autism. These strategies have taken years to develop, so stay tuned.

Source: Dr. Mercola

Posted: True Health Is True Wealth