Posted on 01/19/2007 3:51:33 AM PST by shrinkermd
Roy Richard Grinker, a professor of anthropology at George Washington University, whose 15-year-old daughter is autistic, has just come out with a new book that calls into question what we’ve come to know as the autism “epidemic.” It’s called “Unstrange Minds,” and it makes the argument that the dramatic rise in the incidence of autism in the past few decades is mostly – if not entirely – the result of more and better diagnoses...
...It’s easy to believe: After all, in 2001, the National Institute of Mental Health issued a widely-cited report [pdf] stating that 20 percent of children in America have a “diagnosable mental disorder...
...The fuzziness starts with the mental health institute’s much-contested 20-percent figure, which drops to 10 percent, in the same report, when what is being measured is “mental illness severe enough to result in significant functional impairment” – the level at which, many mental health professionals would argue, “disorder” actually begins.
...All this does nothing to address the fact that, whatever the actual numbers, too many real children with real needs today are not receiving help. The most important figure from the mental health institute’s report, for me, is one that has largely passed under the radar: that of the 20 percent of kids said to be suffering from mental disorders, only 5 to 7 percent are getting “specialty mental health services.”
(Excerpt) Read more at warner.blogs.nytimes.com ...
She covers all the bases including a few controversial ones--including what is and what is not a disorder and do immunizations cause autism?
If you avoid the editorial pages the NYT has a tendency to do a good job with complex issues not ordinarily dealt with by the MSM.
Autism Bump
I don't want to sign up for this to read the conclusion.
What is the conclusion of the article?
''It’s called “Unstrange Minds,” and it makes the argument that the dramatic rise in the incidence of autism in the past few decades is mostly – if not entirely – the result of more and better diagnoses... ''
Last paragraph of post.
I thought the dramatic rise in autism had more to do with people finally admitting over the past few decades that their children were autistic and seeking treatment for them, instead of just hiding them in mental hospitals.
And, I also thought another factor in the dramatic rise in autism was that more and more things are classified as being "under the autism umbrella" than used to be.
But, I'm not the parent of an autistic child and I don't know a lot on the subject. Just done a bit of reading here and there.
The statistic I've heard on the radio recently is one child in 166 being diagnosed with a disorder under the autism spectrum, a spectrum which has admittedly broadened in recent years.
Don't believe the hype.
As a parent of a profoundly Autistic 8 yr old boy and a member of Autism Speaks, the organization using that statistic, I'm sure that number reflects a VERY wide net with which to classify children as Autistic. The purpose of these ads was to provide cover as Congress passed a large appropriations bill for Autism research in December.
As a Libertarian leaning Conservative, I'm not a fan of big government spending. However, it was contrasted with the amount of money allocated by the federal government for AIDS research. Unlike AIDS however, Autism does not have a root in misguided behavior.
What bothers me about this statistic is that they are now essentially saying everyone employed as an engineer is likely to be Autistic. And as an engineer, I have seen some colleagues try to cloak their bad habits behind the crutch of Autism now. It's baloney.
I am convinced that there is an epidemic of Autism but I'm also convinced there is an epidemic of Auto-Immune disease that is being overlooked. You will find the relationship there, not in MMR vaccines or heavy metals.
If there is a Autism list on FR please add my name to the ping list.
My 18y/o daughter was just diagnosed with Aspergers.
Thanks
You're on.
It's not a very active ping list but I try!
I also add the key word Autism so you can search by that as well.
I also have an autistic child, albeit not profoundly. He is now 15 years old and has made more progress than we thought possible. He is enrolled at Kennedy-Krieger in Baltimore, and they have done a wonderful job with him.
I think there are varying degrees of autism. There are some high-functioning autistics. People may think they just have a very bright but shy/distant kid.
Can you elaborate a bit on auto-immune disease, what it is and what the implications are? And thanks for your work on behalf of our special children and adults.
My nine-year old grandson, a high functioner, is very excited right now as he wants to try out for the part of the lead guard in his school's production of "The Wizard of Oz" ("She's...she's dead. You killed her.") He also scored advanced on both the math and language sections of the state's public school achievement tests.
Proof that there is life after the autism diagnosis. :-)
LOLOLOLOLOL! As the wife, mother, daughter-in-law, cousin, granddaughter, niece, etc. of multiple engineers, my kids and grandkids do not have a chance! And that does not even start to count the musicians and computer gurus in the family (two other career groups that have been targeted).
I do have one profoundly autistic grandchild, but he is the first one in the family that has ever shown a sign of the disorder. As far as I'm concerned they really don't even know what it is, except for the profoundly affected and they certainly don't know what causes it. Now, another grandchild (cousin of the first) has been diagnosed as an Asbergers. Frankly, I just don't believe it. I think it is a case of an overly worried mother listening to her sister suffer with a real problem (raising a profoundly autistic child) and projecting symptoms onto her own quite normal little boy (IMHO).
Hey can you add me to that list too! Big thanks.
I agree with you on the Auto-Immune disease, but don't think that necessarily rules out immunization/heavy metals. I think they could still play a part. How many autistic kids have allergies or family histories of allergies? We do.
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