The Age of Autism: The Amish anomaly

The Washington Times ^ | April 18, 2005 | Dan Omstead

[agsloss]

Lancaster, PA, Apr. 18 (UPI) -- Part 1 of 2. Where are the autistic Amish? Here in Lancaster County, heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, there should be well over 100 with some form of the disorder. I have come here to find them, but so far my mission has failed, and the very few I have identified raise some very interesting questions about some widely held views on autism. The mainstream scientific consensus says autism is a complex genetic disorder, one that has been around for millennia at roughly the same prevalence. That prevalence is now considered to be 1 in every 166 children born in the United States. Applying that model to Lancaster County, there ought to be 130 Amish men, women and children here with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Well over 100, in rough terms. Typically, half would harbor milder variants such as Asperger's Disorder or the catch-all Pervasive Development Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified -- PDD-NOS for short. So let's drop those from our calculation, even though "mild" is a relative term when it comes to autism. That means upwards of 50 Amish people of all ages should be living in Lancaster County with full-syndrome autism, the "classic autism"...

-snip-

I have identified three Amish residents of Lancaster County who apparently have full-syndrome autism, all of them children. A local woman told me there is one classroom with about 30 "special-needs" Amish children. In that classroom, there is one autistic Amish child. Another autistic Amish child does not go to school. The third is that woman's pre-school-age daughter. If there were more, she said, she would know it. What I learned about those children is the subject of the next column.

[Old Professer]

Diagnostically epidemic.

[Wuli]

When correlation seems to direct us in a certain way, we must still be careful about making declarative statements that the correlation is related to the cause. Can it lead to productive further questions? Yes. And that is as much as we should declare about it until those questions are investigated. Why? There are always many possible correlations. Not all all can be related to the cause; many are, and in most research, lead to dead ends; against the few that "prove" to be related to the cause. Caution, not hubris is required.

[Egon]

And how many studies does it take to prove to you that it has been looked into and no cause-and-effect relationship has been found?

Good question. I guess it would partly depend on who's funding the studies.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Outrageous! The news that some vaccines are derived from aborted babies! I don't think most folks know this.

[GovernmentShrinker]

The Amish are a very inbred group, IOW a very distinct genetic profile. I expect you could find a lot of other conditions that either less prevalent or more prevalent among them, than among the general population. There are also a huge number of environmental factors that would be different among the Amish than among the general population: what kind of chemical fertilizers, if any, do they use on their crops? what kind of cleaning substances do they use in their homes? what kind of preservatives do they consume in their foods? how much radiation do they get from TV and cell phones? How often do they take over-the-counter painkillers or antihistamines? How much gasoline or oil exhaust fumes from engines and furnaces do they inhale? How much synthetic substances do they inhale or ingest from household items like synthetic carpet, foam rubber cushions, plastic food containers, vinyl flooring and wallcovering, flame retardant-treated children's sleepwear, plastic-latex baby teething rings? How much physical activity do mothers get while pregnant? Vaccine use is just one of many, many environmental differences that this group has.

[hobbes1]

Something New....


http://www.autismconnect.org/news.asp?itemtype=news&section=000100010001&page=5&id=5154

[TomB]

I'll ask you the same question: Assuming thimerosol use has declined, and the autism rate hasn't, what is causing autism?

That isn't the same question. You are alleging thimerosal causes autism, and that is being shown not to be the case. Nobody knows what causes autism, but they are reasonably sure that it isn't thimerosal exposure.

Would you rather nobody know of the mounting anecdotal evidence that points to a correlation between immunization and autism?

"Mounting"? Where do you get the idea the evidence is mounting. If anything, it is dwindling.

And I notice you are confusing two separate issues here. There are separate allegations. One is that a vaccination, specifically the MMR vaccine, causes autism. The other is that the preservative thimerosal causes it. It would be wise to differentiate the two.

What, exactly, is your connection to the immunization field?

Ah yes, what vaccination thread would be complete without the allegation that, since I'm sticking up for vaccinations, I MUST have a financial stake in the business. No, I'm just trained in this area, and I know what I'm talking about.

[Explodo]

One FAmily Member with Autism...Thank you very much...And yes, that's where the understanding of the varuious studies comes from...I firmly beleive there is nothing wrong the vaccines...

[TomB]

And you know this how? Granted, when we took the manufacturer list in, with us, to our local clinic, we found none. Do you have a list of what remains?

See post 109

[independentgrrl]

Do you have any idea how offensive your post is to this grandmother of a beautiful, loved, well cared for, 3 year old autistic child?

We're also contributors to the National Alliance for Autism Research where they KNOW what they're talking about.

Until people such as the poster you are referencing actually experience the heartache of helplessly having to see a perfectly normal and healthy child be lost to autism forever, they will continue to spout ignorant comments.

[TomB]

Most of the epidemics you refer to accured before antibiotics.

What does antibiotics have to do with it? Most of these epidemics were caused by a virus.

[monday]

"You seem quite comfortable with the amount of children damaged by these vaccines. Why are they expendible?"

Why would you think that? I don't see anyone as expendable. I am thankful for vaccines however, because they have saved millions of lives.

[NPeery]

Bump! I think your are right on!

[peacebaby]

We may never know the cause(s) of autism or chemically imbalanced mental/intellectual disabilities. We may never find the culprits (mercury, thimerasol, etc).

My take is that these evasive medicines/chemicals and symptoms/side-effects will morphe, as does the body to penicillin, and will continue to be elusive.

[Egon]

Ah yes, what vaccination thread would be complete without the allegation that, since I'm sticking up for vaccinations, I MUST have a financial stake in the business. No, I'm just trained in this area, and I know what I'm talking about.

Not exactly what I was trying to ascertain, but pretty close-- having had the accusation leveled at me.

Here's my position, and it's pretty simple:

I believe the idea of vaccinations is very good, helpful, and serves the common good. I believe the actual implementation has been lax, shoddy, or any other similar term you want to apply.

Vaccination, as with all other drug-related products, is a business. Profit is what primarily guides it. Because of this, it behooves the drug companies to create the vaccines in the most profitable way possible, have it used in the most cases possible, and to minimize their financial risk whereever possible.

Do you think Thimerosol was pulled from drugs because it was more profitable to contain these vaccinations separately instead of together? No, it was done because a growing number of people and, as a result, studies started showing correlations. They saw the hand writing on the wall and decided to lower their financial risk.

When I post these questions, it is to raise awareness. If my mother had been aware of these studies or the anecdotal evidence at the time my brother was born, he might be a functioning adult right now, instead of a perpetual twelve-year-old in a 30-year-old body.

If Thimerosol doesn't end up being the cause of autism, the issue still will have sparked someone, through financial incentive, to figure out what the cause actually is. If Thimerosol isn't the cause, I would be the first person to applaud that discovery-- and look in a new direction. I've lived with autism. I certainly wouldn't wish that on ANYONE.

I want to find the cause. I also want people to be protected against diseases that we've largely put to rest. I want to make sure that the people who are well-suited to find the cause for autism aren't prohibited to do so because of financial disincentive.

How would you propose we best do that?

[Eva]

I had a friend who had two autistic children, that told me that the condition is hereditary and that is is very often found in children of engineers (now days, computer nerds). This could mean children of mildly Asperger people. Actually, both parents in two different families that I knew with autistic kids, could have qualified as possible Aspergers.

[hobbes1]

That isn't the same question. You are alleging thimerosal causes autism, and that is being shown not to be the case

No, what is being parroted, by the NIP, and the Industry, is "You can't prove it" ......

And I notice you are confusing two separate issues here. There are separate allegations. One is that a vaccination, specifically the MMR vaccine, causes autism. The other is that the preservative thimerosal causes it. It would be wise to differentiate the two.

That, is also erroneous, I clearly explained the case of the MMR, and its link to thimerosal. Those issues are cojoined.

[monday]

"Most of the epidemics you refer to accured before antibiotics."

Most diseases that vaccines are designed to prevent are viruses, which are not affected by antibiotics.

The reason that the only polio cases in the last twenty years have been caused by vaccines is because vaccines have almost caused it to go extinct.

Do you honestly think that there would have been fewer polio cases during the last twenty years if the polio vaccine had not been invented?

I agree that vaccines are not perfect and ways to make them safer should be explored, but I see no evidence that that is not the case.

[Egon]

I had a friend who had two autistic children, that told me that the condition is hereditary and that is is very often found in children of engineers (now days, computer nerds).

Heh. As a computer nerd, I'll keep that in mind.

In all seriousness, I believe that the epidemic rate in autism-like syndromes has risen is too quickly to be accounted for by genetics.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a genetic predisposition (a genetically-passed susceptibility, if you will) to whatever causes autism.

[TomB]

Do you think Thimerosol was pulled from drugs because it was more profitable to contain these vaccinations separately instead of together? No, it was done because a growing number of people and, as a result, studies started showing correlations. They saw the hand writing on the wall and decided to lower their financial risk.

No, the government MADE them remove it. And there was a legal aspect to it also.

In case you haven't noticed, the medical profession has change almost completely to disposable items. With "infection control" being the new buzzword the past decade, EVERYTHING is single use. As a matter of fact, since the companies can charge more for the newer packs, they make more money.

If Thimerosol doesn't end up being the cause of autism, the issue still will have sparked someone, through financial incentive, to figure out what the cause actually is. If Thimerosol isn't the cause, I would be the first person to applaud that discovery-- and look in a new direction.

So you are going to scare people away from getting vaccines to "raise awareness". That's insane. Kids are still dying in this county and other developed countries because they aren't getting their shots. To do anything to encourage people to forego vaccinations is plain wrong.