Autism rate about 1 in 150, higher than previous estimates

CNN ^ | 2/8/2007 | AP

[bluebeak]

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- About one in 150 American children has autism, an urgent public health concern, said U.S. health officials Thursday who reported on the largest study done so far on the troubling disorder. The new numbers, based on 2002 data from 14 states, are higher than previously reported. Advocates said the study provides a sad new understanding of how common autism is, and should fuel efforts to get the government to spend hundreds of millions of additional dollars for autism research and services.

[cinives]

You know, if there was a medical test, something that was not swayed by an observer's subjective opinion, I would be fine with the fact that there are x incidences of autism per x population.

But, the fact that these types of diagnoses are so subjective and often include behavior that is later grown out of or is just not a problem in other settings, that I think the vast majority of the claims are totally bogus. Not to mention, of course, that a lot of people are making a lot of money off of these claims and diagnoses, quite often at taxpayer expense.

It's the same with learning disabilities. Over the years (decades, back to the early 1900s) it's been estimated that about 1% of the population has true dyslexia, where no teaching method is entirely successful at teaching reading because of brain/physical issues. Since the 1990s we're told that at least 15% of the population is dyslexic and needs counseling and special ed services forever - can it be that the vast increase in funding for special ed since the IDEA legislation has "caused" more cases ?

Hmmm, let's cogitate about that for a while.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

If vaccines cause autism, then there should be less autism among those religious groups that refuse vaccinations, yet I've never read a study that shows that. Likewise 3rd world countries.

I believe this is true. There has been much info about the fact that the Amish have almost NO autism.

if it's thimerosal, then things should start to improve because they stopped using it

This is also beginning to happen.

[DBrow]

"Amish have almost NO autism."

Yet their rate of SIDS is very high. There may well be a genetic filter at work.

[af_vet_rr]

What ever happened to the idea that this was caused by the shots given to kids? Was this ever proven?

I've heard all of the various chemicals added to the foods we eat these days are going to cause problems that we can't even begin to fathom for years to come (and I'm not talking about the growth hormones that we can easily notice either).

I'm cynical about a lot of the things we do to kids these days - it seems like half the schools I see have playgrounds not much bigger than a basketball court, and with all of time devoted to the testing and pre-testing and practice testing that No Child Left Behind has caused, etc., in addition to all of that, everytime I hear somebody say their kid has one of the alphabet diseases/whatever, I'm thinking their kid is not getting much of a recess at school, so that they end up with all of this pent-up energy that has no where to go and is diagnosed with a short attention span and is drugged to here and back, and they get home and plant their butts on the couch and play video games, and they aren't eating right to begin with, and I've gone into old-man mode again :-0

[luckystarmom]

My daughter is definitely dyslexic (from brain damage).

The schools will only pull them out for reading help if they are 2 years behind. Even if the schools pull them up, then they have to slip back 2 more years before they help them.

[LtdGovt]

Like this? It's not sudden at all. Oh well...

But I know I can't argue with a conspiracy theorist, though you seem to be relatively reasonable.

[LtdGovt]

I've heard all of the various chemicals added to the foods we eat these days are going to cause problems that we can't even begin to fathom for years to come (and I'm not talking about the growth hormones that we can easily notice either).

Most of those stories are urban legends and hoaxes. Instead of needlessly giving yourself stress, verify such stories if you hear them.

[Choose Ye This Day]

Ummm...showing just the 1990's isn't helping your argument any.

Keep your head in the sand. For those who have no skin in the game, ignorance can indeed be bliss.

[LtdGovt]

Ummm...showing just the 1990's isn't helping your argument any.

If it is caused by government shots (other people were arguing that), a single year should be identifiable. And it is not.

Keep your head in the sand. For those who have no skin in the game, ignorance can indeed be bliss.

With due respect, but isn't that what the 9/11 conspiracy theorists say?

Anyway, I'm autistic myself, so it's not as if I don't know anything about it, or don't care.

[Choose Ye This Day]

Autism cases in Denmark:

Autism in the United Kingdom:

Autism cases in California:

Gradual?

[LtdGovt]

If it was caused by government shots, you would expect it to increase in a single year, and stay as high as it was. Your graphs don't show that.

What are you trying to prove here? That the government is engaged in a massive conspiracy to give children autism?

[Choose Ye This Day]

I'm not suggesting any conspiracy of any sort.

I'm merely stating the obvious--which you choose not to see--that there was a very dramatic increase in the incidence of autism in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and not just in our country.

That cannot be blamed on mere genetics. There may be some environmental cause somewhere, that affects people with a certain genetic predisposition, perhaps.

I'd merely like somebody to investigate the causes. And I want them to focus on REAL autism, true, low-functioning, severe autism, not just people with awkward social skills.

[LtdGovt]

There's no disagreement on your last point, research into the causes of such things is always useful and I agree that it should be done.

[Choose Ye This Day]

Interesting, but autism rates have increased throughout the whole country, not just in areas using MTBE.

And it has increased dramatically in other countries.

[DBrow]

Interesting- the UK plot shows the increase starting in 1975, while it's 20 years later in Denmark, but the CA data shows a start in the '70s, but not as severe a slope as the UK data.

It may be key to find out why Denmark got such a late start.

[SunkenCiv]

Ping!

[Coleus]

about the same times when more immunizations were developed, given in triple cocktails and made mandatory to get into school?

[VOA]

I'm sure autism is a real malady.

And at the same time I'd like to see the a graph of the number of
"austism specialists" (psychologists, etc) and the number of diagnosed cases.

[Dante3]

You just may have a point.

[MamaTexan]

As for people who claim that this is caused by government shots, I would expect something more than just assertions, and I haven't seen anything but circumstantial evidence.

Yet you continually assert your posts 'prove' something, as you did in #20:

The facts that I stated prove that it is probably something a child is born with, and not caused by vaccines.

-----

Your assertions do not create facts.

Why is your opinion 'proof' of something, but no one else's is?