[silverleaf]

People who have been through the diagnosis treadmill (and who getup ever day and walk the walk with a loved one who is autistic) have a very important data point yes, our own children or family members

But we also have exposure to a whole culture of kids like ours and the parents and caregivers and teachers who work with them.

You take an article like this and read (and spread) internet opinions that doctors teachers pharm companies welfare families researchers and others are “making up” an epidemic to defraud.

We get up everyday and give our kids meds and hope we can get them to school or to therapy sessons and hope they have a good enough day to learn at least one tiny little adaptive skill to function in a “normal” world.

You see doctors special ed teachers and pharm companies as greedy shysters. We see them as angels and our kids’ lifelines

Now, mighty I ask what is your “data point” for your assertion that the autism epidemic is really a giant misuse of medical diagnoses to defraud the US government? Internet articles you read? Anecdotes and opinions from people who post on the internet?

Now I have to get back to work- I've got my autistic young man next to me struggling through world geography on his computer. I am working real hard to get him through 6 high school subjects in homeschool this year!

[carlo3b]

I know how you feel.. I also know why others are making their assumptions with all of the fraud that the welfare state has encouraged, BUT, we know what we go through everyday..

This is a National Health Alert, and when it in your own home, it’s a family tragedy.. We never got any check, and never tried, because we didn’t need it, but it has cost us in excess of $50,000 a year for the past 11 years..

We have had our boy, my grandson, to every therapeutic advancement in ever corner of the globe, literally, and have had at least 2 professional teachers, morning and afternoon, in our own in home classroom 5 days a week, from age 3 until he was 9.. We finally found a group Autism program that he seems to respond to..

With all of that, my daughter, and son-in-law are getting a divorce because of the lasting strain that all of this has caused.. :(

Let these folks believe what they want, or need to believe.. We know the facts, and it isn’t in our imagination, it’s a living nightmare, but still a blessing in disguise.. %@%@^^..