Understanding The Pdd Autism Link

                

 

Autism comes under the PDD (pervasive development disorders) umbrella For the longest time, kids who had PDD slipped under the radar and did not get the correct diagnosis, instead they were given labels by others who did not understand them. They were called shy, weird, or just ?different?. These problems, as it turned out, are related to PDD autism. Though classic autism was diagnosed long ago, there are high-functioning forms that are now just being understood and diagnosed. These are the children that were often misunderstood and teased. Research and understanding now allows these children enjoy a more ?normal? way of life.

The word normal is something that should be used carefully however. What is normal for one child is not for another. There seems to be a standard range of accepted behavior and development though, and those with PDD often fall outside those ranges in some areas.

Many with PDD can blend in, but they are often singled out eventually. Many of them say that PDD makes them who they are, and they would not change that for the world. However, because they want to interact with others who do not have autism, they do have to learn to adapt. There are programs now that are designed just to help these children with the social and communication problems they often have.

Almost every child with a PDD has communication issues. Some have no vocabulary, and some have a very extensive one. Some never utter a word, but instead, choose to communicate through hand motions. There are many problems, even for those with large vocabularies. Though they know the words to use, they often use them in the wrong context, or use them in the literal sense only, which can lead to misunderstandings on both sides of the conversation. Just think about the everyday expressions like ?raining cats and dogs? or ?going hell for leather? ? pretty confusing if taken literally.

Social settings can be huge problems for children and adults with PDD autism. Many want to interact with their peers just like everyone else, but it can be very painful for them. They lack the skills needed for this type of friendship. There are times when they say the wrong things, and they can have a problem with maintaining eye contact. Failed attempts at socialization can become frustrating and they may choose to retreat into their own world where they are safe from disappointments. Many think they want to be alone, but this usually comes after they have tried to relate to others and fail. Once they fail, they feel safer on their own, and begin to develop a preference for that.

In most cases, children will be diagnosed with PDD autism by the ages of three or four. Though this is not true in all cases, a majority will know before they reach school age.

Other than social and communication problem, there are other common PDD signs. These can include repeated motions, and a tendency towards having tantrums for small things like a shift in routine. There can be aggressive behavior is some, and that is usually due to failed attempts to communicate feelings or messages. Some are overly sensitive to noise and other stimuli, and others seem to be unaware of things going on around them. No two children will exhibit the same symptoms. It is thought that early diagnosis is best, and can lead to a better life all the way around for those with PDD autism.

By Rachel Evans. Sign up for a free newsletter about autism and discover more on the signs and symptoms of autism

Art Therapy For High Functioning Autism How To Get Started

                

 

People who have high functioning autism can be taught at an early age to express themselves through different forms of therapy. In order to lead relatively normal lives, a high functioning autistic requires a certain level of social skills. The development of these skills can be accomplished through a number of therapies including play therapy, social skilled classes or groups, psychotherapy, social stories and expressive therapies.

One expressive therapy that has proven to be quite beneficial is art therapy. Art therapy can help an autistic develop social response by allowing them to express their emotions through art. This form of complimentary therapy may be an ideal way for an autistic to develop social skills.

What is art therapy? It is a therapy that involves using a number of various art materials such as paints, batik (a way to dye fabric), clay, etc. as a method of expressing thoughts or feelings through visual representation. Art therapy is based on psychological research and theory that art is naturally therapeutic. This therapy takes into account the behaviors, thoughts and feelings experienced by those with high functioning autism and other disorders.

Art therapy allows an individual to explore various issues including those that involve family, relationships, life change, loss, abuse and overall development. It may be carried out as a group process or individual counsel. The artwork that is created during therapy may be of spontaneous creations or based on suggestion provided by a therapist.

What are the benefits of art therapy? Art therapy has many benefits, especially for an autistic because it doesn?t rely on verbal or language skills, is a fun activity, and does not require any art skill or experience. The following is a list of other benefits -

?Increases self awareness
?Develops social skills
?Changes behaviors
?Develops problem solving strategies
?Allows an individual to engage in creative thinking in a safe environment
?Allows an individual to focus solely on the activity at hand and shut out other thoughts that may be intrusive.

Keep in mind that all of the above positive outcomes of art therapy may not be experienced by someone with high functioning autism. Remember, not every autistic functions the same.

Where can I find and art therapist and what should I look for? If an individual with high functioning autism is interested in art therapy, an art therapist will need to be sought out. An art therapist can practice in a number of environments, but can usually be found in psychiatric or general hospitals. They may work in oncology or geriatric wards, schools, rehabilitation centers, and counseling centers. The best way for you to find an art therapist locally, is to speak to your child?s health care provider or call your hospital.

When choosing a therapist, keep the following in mind:

?Find out about their education background and where they received training
?Find out if they have previous experience with high functioning autism patients
?Ask what types of therapeutic approach do they use
?Ask what to expect during a lesson

Grab your free copy of Rachel Evans' brand new Autism Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you and your family find out about autism characteristics

Tv Implicated In Autism Rise

                

 

In an interesting and unorthodox study, researchers have determined that television viewing might be one cause of the dramatic rise in autism cases in the United States.

The study is unorthodox not only because it examines autism not from the usual standard of perhaps diet or genetics being a cause -- or even immunizations, which is frequently blamed for the rise in autism -- but from a standard of ?nurture?. That is, the idea that something in a child?s environment that can be controlled might cause autism.

Michael Waldman, PhD., a Cornell University management professor, wondered if television might be a cause in the autism rise when it occurred to him that in recent years the number of children diagnosed with autism has increased substantially. This comes at the same time that children have experienced increased access to a number of television opportunities, including cable TV, DVDs and the like.

Waldman contacted some colleagues in the medical community and asked them to look at the issue, but nobody would. Waldman, then, decided to look at the issue himself, utilizing research tools more often seen in the economic community than typical medical studies.

But the results of his nonscientific studies bolstered Waldman?s opinions. He found that there?s a strong link between television viewing and autism.

Waldman was interested in how much television toddlers watch, but found there are few statistics on how much television they actually watch. But there are studies, he found, on how much television families watch, and there are also statistics that show toddlers watch more television when it?s raining than when it?s not raining.

Using this information, Waldman and colleagues looked at autism rates in California, Washington and Oregon counties. Each of the three states has significant regional differences in annual total rainfall. Confirming Waldman?s suspicion, autism rates are the highest in the wettest counties.

But this wasn?t enough information to back up Waldman?s beliefs. He said it was possible that indoor toxins could be causing the autism and not the television viewing. If children are inside watching TV, they are also indoors more, and if there are toxins in the home, that could be the cause and not television. So Waldman and his colleagues added a second test: They studied the rates of cable television subscriptions in California in Pennsylvania.

In this study, researchers found that the areas with the highest incidences of cable television subscribers also had the most autistic children.

Waldman says this further bolsters his claims because, ?our view is there is no obvious thing correlated with both rain and cable TV access except television viewing,? he says.

Waldman still would like to see further studies done within the medical community, but he and colleagues have recommended parents follow the American Academy of pediatrics? recommendations that children under the age of 2 not watch television. The AAP also recommends that children older than 2 not watch more than an hour or two of television a day.

Leslie Rubin, a child development expert, disputes aspects of Waldman?s study, arguing it doesn?t provide a solid link between television viewing and autism. Rubin, the director of developmental pediatrics at Emory University, is also director of the center for developmental medicine in Atlanta.

Rubin says the study fails somewhat because it looks ?at trends in the diagnosis of autism more than the actual prevalence? of autism specifically. Rubin says that while the proliferation of DVDs, VCRs and television viewing all came at the same time, that fact alone does not provide an undeniable link of one thing leading to another.

But Rubin says there could be a more nebulous link. Since autism treatment focuses on social interactions, Rubin says children who watch a great deal of TV might not get those necessary social interactions and might make them more withdrawn. Children who are autistic or display autistic tendencies might be unduly harmed by too much television.

?Social experiences are good for kids as they grow up,? Rubin says. ?If children watch TV for most of their lives, I think there will be some sort of negative impact. This may well be associated with some diagnostic condition.?
Dr. Beth Paxton is a family physician and educator on common health issues today's family faces, and how to prevent and deal with the health concerns such as bedwetting, childhood immunizations, and chicken pox.

Autism Education

                

 

Autism is basically a brain disorder wherein a child is unable to interact, communicate and acquire language like other kids. Sometimes, autism can be diagnosed in a child at birth while some children begin to show signs of autism at the age of three. Until today, there are still no clear and sure findings on what really causes this disorder. There are now ways to reverse autism. One such way is autism education.

Experts believe that giving proper education to your child with autism can help improve their conditions and develop their interaction skills. Autism education includes teaching methods such as simple color and shape recognition, word matching and the like. Mostly, autism education includes basic and simple methods so that your children can cope easily.

Important Pointers in Teaching your Child with Autism

There are a lot of factors to consider in autism education. First, if you are the one to teach them, you obviously have to be very patient. Never rush them, or they might get scared. Getting frustrated easily will not benefit you or your child.

Take away any kind of distractions in the room so you will gain their attention. Children with autism can be sidetracked by almost anything. You should store away conspicuous things such as brightly-colored toys or drawings that are not related to the topic you want to teach. Gather quality teaching materials and prepare detailed instructional procedures that can aid you in one-on-one communication.

It is also important to employ materials that are uniform so as not to get your child confused. It will also help if you include special videos, toys and games in your teaching.

Special Schools for Autism Education

Autism education is now among the major concerns of parents. Hence, several schools for autism have been founded. In these schools, complete learning procedures and therapy for rehabilitation are available.

If you want to send your child to one of these schools, it would be better if you research first. Look into what services the school offers and the track records that they have. If you cannot afford it, you might want to check out special autism foundations.

Autism provides detailed information on Autism, Autism Symptoms, Autism Treatments, Cause Of Autism and more. Autism is affiliated with Dyslexia Testing.

Autism and Asperger's Syndrome

                

 

It is every parent?s nightmare for a child to be born with some form of disability. In the case of most physical disabilities this can be obvious or at least quickly diagnosed by a doctor. However, less obvious are disabilities or abnormalities associated with the child?s brain. Autism is such an abnormality and asperger's syndrome is a particular type of autism. Autism and asperger's syndrome in particular cannot usually be detected until the child has reached 18 months to 3 years of age. Asperger's syndrome may not become apparent until much later and sometimes into adulthood.

Asperger's syndrome (AS) is one of five neurobiological pervasive disorders (PDD) which collectively cover deficiencies in social and communication skills. Asperger's syndrome specifically identifies a person with normal to above normal intelligence compared with classic autism. As with classic autism, the asperger's syndrome person will have difficulty communicating and interacting with other people but is more specifically characterised by limited interests other than a preoccupation with a particular topic to the exclusion of all other topics. Other characteristics include repetitive behaviours or rituals, peculiarities in speech and language, socially and emotionally inappropriate behaviour and interpersonal interaction, problems with non verbal communication and clumsy and uncoordinated physical movements.

More simply, the characteristics of asperger's syndrome can be divided into three main categories: social impairments, narrow but intense interests and peculiarities of speech and language.

Many asperger's syndrome sufferers will experience difficulty in life and the progress of treatment will depend on how early in their life the condition was diagnosed, development of language skills, access to suitable schooling and above all the love and support of parents and family. Usually, treatment can be provided alongside a normal life and mixing with normal people.

There is no specific cure for asperger's syndrome or any form of autism but it can be managed by using special behavioural management techniques, special education and medication. With the love and support of parents and family together with a good psychologist many autism and asperger's syndrome people are able to integrate into a normal life pattern.

For more information on Autism and Asperger's Syndrome visit http://www.aboutautismhealthsite.info/ for other Health Issues visit http://www.the-health-issues-directory.com/

Parenting Autism ? Getting Past the Embarrassment

                

 

One of the more difficult parts of parenting a child with autism, and something that can be hard to talk about, is the embarrassment you may feel about your child's behavior. As parents, we're not supposed to feel embarrassed about our children, yet we're also taught that children should behave, and if they don't, it's probably a result of faulty parenting.

This belief system can be very disempowering, especially for a parent of a child with autism, because it's impossible to control everything your child does. At those times when your child is acting strangely or falling apart, you can feel embarrassed or angry about the judgment you may feel from others. As a result, you may feel pressure to do something against your instincts, such as punish your child, just to save face, to look like you're in control, or to assuage your anger.

In reality, just like the sadness issue, how you feel about others' opinions is completely up to you. Believe it or not, you can choose to feel however you like when your child throws a tantrum in the mall. You don't have to feel unhappy just because your child is unhappy, or because others may judge you or your child. It's possible to empathize with your child in the situation while remaining happy and calm, or at least neutral and calm.

Next time you're in such a situation, ask yourself this question- "Which attitude would best serve me, my child, and this situation? Happy and calm, or embarrassed and angry?" My guess is that happy and calm would be the better choice in most situations, but ultimately your mindset is up to you. You cannot be influenced by others' opinions, your child's feelings, or anything else, unless you decide that you can.

Now let's turn for a moment to the person who is judging your child. This is someone who is judging a child with special needs. What exactly does that say about them? In reality, their judgment doesn't define you or your child at all. Instead, their judgment defines them as someone who needs to judge. It has nothing to do with you or your child.

If your child could do better right now, he would. In time he will do better, no matter what's happening at this moment. If you choose happiness instead of embarrassment, you can best support your child when he needs you most, even while he's falling apart at the mall.
Sandra Sinclair is a parent of a child with PDD-NOS. She is author of ?Newly Diagnosed Autism Spectrum?- A free mini-course with 7 clear steps you can take to help your child. http://www.autismvoice.com/blog/7StepstoHelpChildrenwithAutism

Sign of Autism in Your Child

                

 

Children develop very quickly at an early age. All parents prey that their children will develop normally and grow up in good health with a bright future ahead of them. Autism is a concern of many parents so what is the sign of autism in your child?

As parents we are on constant lookout for any sign of abnormal development such as autism in our children and of course it is so easy to jump to the wrong conclusions. A child will go through many phases and being able to spot anything abnormal is very difficult. However, we should look out for any abnormal behavior which could indicate autism.

Autism occurs in around 1 in every 700 children and statistically more likely to occur in boys. It is not an illness brought by an infection or some contagious disease. Autism is something the child is born with and results from an abnormal development of the brain. Autism results in a level of introvertive behavior with the child not willing to interact with other children and perhaps the most disturbing symptom is their lack of response to their parents. A child with autism lacks the interpersonal skills of a normal child.

Autism usually manifests itself between the ages of 18 months to 3 years although some signs can be detected in babies with autism. The main symptoms to look out for are as follows:

Babies

• An autistic baby does not respond to your presence - will not make eye contact with you and appears to be more interested in staring at some other moving inanimate object.
• An autistic baby will often appear too calm and may lie still for hours without crying.
• An autistic baby may not interact with other babies.

18 months - 3 Years old

• An autistic child may appear distracted and not look you in the eye when trying to communicate with them.
• An autistic child may have difficulty picking up the sounds of words and will need repeating many times.
• An autistic child may have unusual mannerisms which they like to repeat many times.
• An autistic child may lack imagination and not like role play or 'pretend' games.
• An autistic child may be disturbed by a change in routine.
• An autistic child may show a lack of interest in other children and not want to play with them.

This is not an exhaustive list by any means and we should be aware that some of these symptoms can be detected in 'normal' children. However, if your baby or child exhibits some or all of these symptoms then you are advised to seek advice from a doctor or child specialist. They will carry out some simple tests to either confirm your fears or hopefully in most cases ease your concerns and allow you to enjoy the ongoing 'normal' development of your child.

However, if your child is confirmed as autistic then you should not despair. It is not your fault and like any other child they will need your love and support. Just as the cause of Autism is unknown, there is currently no known cure either. Depending on the severity of the condition with your particular child it may be necessary for you to make certain allowances in your behavior towards them and in your daily routine.

Seek the advice of experts in this field - in more severe cases it may be necessary for you to arrange for your child to attend a special school. Often an autistic child will exhibit very special abilities and talents which need to be nurtured and controlled while helping them to develop the social skills which come more naturally to other children.

The condition of autism in children is well known and you should be able to receive plenty of help and support.

For more information on autism visit http://www.aboutautismhealthsite.info or for other health topics visit http://www.the-health-issues-directory.com

Child Autism How To Spot The Signs

                

 

This article which you are about to read on Child Autism has been written because I have become aware of a growing concern amongst parents about this disorder, and I want to try and answer a few questions that people have been asking.

Child autism or autistic spectrum disorder is a syndrome that results from the combination of certain traits in a child. There are a lot of ways that you can spot this disorder:

1) Social impairment. This is a childs inability to interact normally with other individuals. We all know how man is naturally a social person. An impairment of the social abilities of a child can hamper a lot of his abilities. This sign of child autism or autistic spectrum disorder can be observed through the following symptoms:

a) No desire to make friends. Children are naturally very friendly individuals. When a child shows no inclination for friendship, it could very well point to child autism or autistic spectrum disorder. However, you should not be alarmed if your child does not want to be friends with someone. After all, children have moods too.

b) Lack of eye contact. Eye contact is an important part of social interaction. A child who does not make any eye contact during conversations may be showing signs of the disorder.

c) Gullibility. Many people would realize that gullibility is a natural trait found in children. However, when coupled with other symptoms, this may point out to child autism or autistic spectrum disorder.

2) Language impairment. We communicate through a variety of ways. However, all methods of communication can be referred to as a language. A childs inability to grasp the different idiosyncrasies of language can be a symptom of the disorder.

a) Monotonous speech. We use intonations and volume to convey our meaning together with words. A child suffering from child autism or autistic spectrum disorder often speaks in a monotonous manner.

b) Overly formal speech. As humans, we are entitled to make small mistakes on grammar. The term slang was invented for a reason. We often improvise words and change terminologies all the time. Someone with the disorder, however, will follow the proper form of language rigidly, not understanding the concept of colloquialism.

c) Taking phrases literally. Those who suffer from child autism or autistic spectrum disorder will not be able to grasp metaphors and take words at face value. Be careful with what you say around them as they will take things literally.

d) Delayed response to questions. When being questioned, someone suffering from this problem will take a long time to respond.

Now before we go any further let me jump in here and say that I really do hope you are finding this informative. At the end of this article I will be giving you some ideas on where you can gather more information on this subject, but for now, lets continue.

3) Impairment of imagination. Imagination is a part of a humans everyday activities. In cases of those with child autism or autistic spectrum disorder, the imagination is impaired and this means they are unable to take things beyond a literal level. It also limits their ability to improvise.

a) Poor understanding of symbolism. Symbolic languages are integrated into our everyday lives. We may not be able to imagine just how it would be like to say things outright. A child with this disorder may interpret things differently. For example, when he or she is asked what the color white means in the story moby dick, he or she may associate it with vanilla ice cream instead of an emotion or mood of death.

b) Preference for routine. A child with this disorder has limited improvisational skills. This means that they would rather stick to a good, solid, routine. They will be confused when presented with an option to do something new.

Let me finish by saying that there is a lot more information out there on this subject just waiting for you to unearth, in your local bookstore, library and the internet.

john savage has a blog devoted to Autism is children and adults. Please Click Here to visit

What is Autism and how can it be discovered and treated

                

 

Autism is a general term that is used to cover a number of disorders known as Autism Spectrum disorders. These disorders affect the ones that have them in their interaction and communication with others. Autism was discovered in 1943, but there were very few cases back then. The number of people that suffer from autism greatly increased since it was first discovered, and so did the doctors' and the media's attention on the illness.

Autism can affect anyone, no matter what age, sex, or race they are, and at the moment millions of people, both children and adults are suffering from one form of autism or another throughout the world. If one member of the family has one of the Autism Spectrum Disorders then the whole family will feel the repercussions, financial and social problems will occur and furthermore, it is a great chance that the children of the person who has Autism will also have it because it is transmitted genetically to the ancestors.

The Autism Spectrum Disorder term covers a wide range of affections with different symptoms and manifestations. For example, someone suffering from autism may be a person that doesn't speak and socialize at all. This was encountered in many cases of autism.
Children with autism don't understand what the others are saying, cannot interact with other children and cannot play with them. The affection seriously affects the behavior, some of the patients developed an aggressive defense against anyone who tried to communicate with them, others appeared to develop a special sensitivity to the environment and its changes.

How can autism be detected, does it have any specific symptoms? Well, it's up to the family and the ones around someone with autism spectrum disorders to discover his/her condition. In the children's case the family or the teacher should be the first to notice that a child has a different behavior. These are the signs that can make you suspect a child of autism:
-the child starts to speak at an older age, later than the other children
-he focuses on one single object for hours sometimes
-he can speak words, but until the age of 2-3 years old he does not say a sentence with more than one word in it
-some of the children with autism spectrum disorders don't even respond to their own name when it is called
-the general behavior of the child indicates that he is withdrawn, indifferent and lonely.

A child that was discovered to suffer from autism must follow a special treatment. He must go to a special school where only children with autism learn. There is no known cure for autism, so the only thing that can be done is to help the ones with autism spectrum disorders live a better life.

Unfortunately, the number of people suffering from autism spectrum disorders is continuously increasing. Until the doctors discover a successful treatment, society and family must do anything they can to help them integrate. There are many websites and support groups that try to help the ones with autism.



More informations about autism causes or about child autism can be found by visiting http://www.autism-info-center.com/

Parenting Autism ? Being Your Child?s Primary Resource

                

 

Don?t be Afraid of the Myths and Misconceptions about Autism.

Parents often feel sad, afraid and confused when they learn their child has an autism spectrum disorder, and It?s no wonder -- autism is often portrayed as a grim, lifelong disability, from which there is no hope of recovery.

Of course, these expectations are based on outdated information about people who grew up a generation ago, when only the most severe cases were diagnosed, and treatment was practically nonexistent. Unfortunately, parents are still given this outdated information, presented as if it?s still accurate and relevant in our present day.

These misconceptions lead to more fear, more sadness, limited expectations, and feelings of incompetence in parents about how to best help their child. As a result, some parents rely entirely on other people to work with their child and to make decisions for their child, instead of trusting their own instincts, knowledge, and abilities. Parents are their child?s best resource, yet somehow that?s not the message they?re getting from the experts.

Don?t be Afraid to Believe in Your Child?s Potential.

Each child has their own unique, unknown potential. Everyone who works with your child must believe in his ability to learn, grow, and have a bright future.

With effective intervention, the vast majority of children experience improvement, ranging all the way from slight recovery to complete recovery, and everything in-between. The degree of recovery a child experiences depends primarily on his unique potential, combined with whatever learning opportunities he experiences.

Learning opportunities are not just teaching style and content alone. A child's overall environment and expectations are also an integral part of his learning experience.

Knowing these things, we can do three very powerful things for our child:

1. We can love our child as he is now, and provide a positive, nurturing environment.

2. We can keep a completely open mind as to how far our child can go.

3.We can present lots of positive opportunities for learning and growth.

If we do these things, our child will have the opportunity to truly fulfill his unique potential.

Don?t Be Afraid to Ask Questions.

If your child has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, it?s important to ask questions. Ask as many as you need in order to feel confident in your understanding of the disorder. Even if you get most of your initial questions answered, you may find there are still many questions that no one can answer conclusively, because in many ways autism research is still in its infancy. Researchers are still gathering information regarding cause, prognosis, and what interventions are most effective.

Don?t Be Afraid to Explore Your Options.

Get to know all your options. It takes some time, but continue to seek opinions and advice from people with different backgrounds in autism. Even after your initial questions have been answered, it?s still a good idea to consult with additional people with different types of knowledge and expertise.

For instance, you may want to ask a few different doctors, psychologists, teachers, therapists, and parents with contrasting approaches to autism about their opinions and experience. Our understanding of autism is continually evolving, and one person may have knowledge that another does not.

As you gather more and more relevant information, you will make better and better decisions for your child. Remember, no decision is carved in stone. In fact, you?ll probably change direction and switch approaches a few times, and that?s okay. It?s all part of the process of learning what works best for your child, and adapting to your child?s changing needs.

Don?t Be Afraid to Work with Your Child.

Never believe that the experts have all the answers and that you should not get involved with your child?s treatment program. Talk with the experts to learn more about what you can do at home with your child. Do further research by reading books and articles on autism, attending classes and conferences, and talking to other parents.

You know your child better than anyone else. In addition, you have an undeniable bond with your child that no one else could ever possibly have. Take advantage of your bond to teach your child, build his self-esteem, and explore treatment options you feel will work for your child.

Regardless of their potential, children will seldom go beyond the expectations of their parents. We can't know how far our children can go, but we can take the lid off the box of low expectations, by having faith in their ability to learn, and by providing the loving environment necessary for them to achieve their highest potential.
Sandra Sinclair is a parent of a child with PDD-NOS, and a life coach for parents of children on the autism spectrum. She is author of ?Newly Diagnosed Autism Spectrum?- A free mini-course with 7 clear steps you can take to help your child. http://www.autismvoice.com/blog/7StepstoHelpChildrenwithAutism

Thimerosal & Autism - David Kirby's Evidence Of Harm

                

 

Thimerosal & Autsim - David Kirby's Evidence of Harm

David Kirby new book, "Evidence of Harm" is a must read for anyone seeking to understand the connection between autism and childhood vaccines containing the mercury based preservative Thimerosal. The book examines the political and legal side of this travesty and presents information that cannot be disputed.

The book is a result of a thorough investigation and is by no means an anti-vaccine campaign. But most importantly, its obvious that Kirby has no ax to grind.

"I was 100% unfamiliar with this story right up until November of 2002," Kirby says, "I had never met a person with autism in my life and I had never heard of Thimerosal,"

"And I had certainly never heard of any connection between any form of mercury and autism," he adds, "although I did know mercury was not good for you. But I dont think I realized the extent to which it could do damage in your body."

"Growing up in school," Kirby said, "I have tried...I have searched my brain going back class by class, trying to think, Could that kid have been autistic?

"But, I have seen autistic kids and no," he said, "I dont believe I had ever met anybodycertainly no one who was diagnosed."

For people who insist that there is no epidemic and that it is just better reporting and better diagnostics, "I really would like to pose the question to them that Mark Blaxill, from Safe Minds, asks," Kirby said, "Where are all those people? Where are the 1 in 166 autistic adults? We cant find them."

The epidemic is real and politicians know it. On June 18, 2004, Representative Dave Weldon (R-FL) took to the floor of Congress and told members of congress, "I would like to take this time to address what I consider to be a very growing problem, the epidemic of autism and neurodevelopmental disorders that are plaguing our Nation."

"In January of this year, the Department of Health and Human Services sent out an autism alarm to the Nation's pediatricians. In this alarm, they stated that one in every 167 children is being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. I will repeat that. One in every 167 children being born in the United States today is being diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. Furthermore, one in seven children is being diagnosed with either a learning disability or a behavioral disability."

"Mr. Speaker, something dreadful is happening to our youngest generation, and we must sound the alarm and figure out what is going on with our children," Weldon said.

According to Weldon, "autism was once in America a rare and infrequently seen condition. I went through 4 years of medical school, internship, residency, and years of private practice and practice within the military and had not seen one single case. I have seen case after case in my congressional district over the last 7 years, a disease that I had never seen before."

Weldon told the committee, "The number one question has been whether neurologic problems were caused in some children by the high levels of a mercury containing additive that was included in our vaccines in the 1990s. This mercury containing additive is called thimerosol, and in the 1990s, infants and unborn children were exposed to significant amounts of mercury at a most critical point in their development."

Ironically, Republican lawmakers are openly blaming Thimerosal and seeking to have it banned. In addition to Weldon, Senator Roy Holand (R-Missouri), also a physician by training, identified Thimerosal as the culprit and got Missouri legislators to prohibit its use in childhood vaccines in his state.

As a physician, Ive been concerned about the rising levels of autism, and the more Ive learned about thimerosal, the more convinced I am that it causes neurological damage, said Holand. Mercury has no place being injected into children.

Evidence of Harm examines the politics involved and reads like mystery. Kirby weaves together the determined efforts by parents to force attention upon autism; the conflicting scientific evidence regarding Thimerosal; and the behind-the-scenes maneuverings that led to an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services into allegations of malfeasance on the part of employees at the CDC and the FDA.

Kirby is no stranger to investigative journalism. He has been writing extensively for the New York Times for the past seven years and was a foreign correspondent in Mexico and Central America from 1986 -1990, where he covered the wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua, and the politics, corruption and natural disasters in Mexico. From Latin America, he reported for UPI, the San Francisco Examiner, Newsday, Arizona Republic, Houston Chronicle and the NBC Radio Network.

Kirby keeps up with all the studies by independent scientists. "The most important ones among them are the work of Jeff Bradstreet, Jill James, and Dr. Richard Deth, and others looking into this: Boyd Haley, of course, from the University of Kentucky. Mark and David Geier have looked more into the epidemiology than the biology of this," he adds.

"The bottom line of what their studies are showing," Kirby says, "is that autistic kids retain heavy metals at a much greater rate than normal kids; that they seem unable, in fact, to actually excrete it."

There is a treatment known as "chelation" that is showing some success when used to draw mercury out of the bodies of autistic children.

"Following chelation," Kirby reports, "autistic children excrete far higher levels of mercury than normal kids. And yet, in their baby haircuts, were finding that normal kids have much higher levels of mercury in their hair," he said, "And that would then make sense, because they were excreting it properly; the autistic kids were holding onto it."

This theory is supported by research conducted by Mady Hornig which took different strains of miceone strain which was genetically predisposed to have auto-immune disordersand exposed them all to the same level of vaccines that children would have received.

In the sensitive group of mice, Hornig noticed autistic-like behavior and physiological development such as increased brain size that you see in autistic children. Of course as always happens to scientists who connect the dots on this issue, she has been attacked for the study.

According to Kirby, people said, "How can you tell if a mouse has autism or not?"

But he explains, "Im not quite sure that was the point of the study. I think the point of the study was to show that certain members of the same species, with a genetic difference, will react differently to the same level of mercury exposure due to a genetic variance."

Which makes perfect sense. Those children whose bodies cannot rid themselves of mercury become autistic. The August 2003 International Journal of Toxicology study revealed that healthy children excreted eight times more mercury via their hair than did autistic children. In fact, the more severe a child's autistic symptoms, the less mercury was excreted in her hair, indicating that mercury also could be retained in the child's tissue, including her brain.

Thimerosal began to be slowly removed from vaccines in late 1999. "That means new vaccines started to be produced without mercury in them," Kirby said, "But as we know, all the vaccines on the shelf with mercury stayed on the shelvesthere was never a recall."

According to Kirby, "We have no idea how long it took to use up all that mercury-containing vaccine, or even if it has all been used up," he said, "The OSC has said that there may be vaccine out there with an expiration date of 2005 that still contains the full amount of mercury."

"We dont know when those lots were released; we dont know where they were released; we dont know what kids in what part of the country were getting mercury and what kids were not post 2000," he warns.

The truth is there are still some vaccines out there that contain full doses of the Thimerosal with expiration dates in the fall of 2005. They include:

Meningococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (Aventis Pasteur) 10-dose Vial, lot UB505AA - Expires 17 Jun 05 - 25 micrograms of mercury per dose from Thimerosal; Td Vaccine (Aventis Pasteur) 10-dose Vial, lot U1014AA - Expires 2 Sept 05 - 25 micrograms of mercury per dose from Thimerosal; Tetanus Toxoid Absorbed Vaccine (Aventis Pasteur) 10-dose Vial, lot U1048BA - Expires 8 Sept 05 - 25 micrograms of mercury per dose from Thimerosal; Tetanus Toxoid Vaccine (Aventis Pasteur) 15-dose Vial, lot U0775AA - Expires 10 Mar 05 - 25 micrograms of mercury per dose from Thimerosal; Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine (Je-Vax - Aventis Pasteur) 3 x 1 mL Vials, lot EJN*196B - 35.7 micrograms of mercury per dose from Thimerosal; Td Vaccine Mass. Department of Health, 7.5 mL Vial, lot Td-102 - Expires 21 May 2005 - 8.3 micrograms of mercury per dose from Thimerosal; Influenza Virus Vaccine (Fluzone - Aventis Pasteur) 5 mL Vial - 25 micrograms of mercury per dose from Thimerosal; Pediatric DT Vaccine (Aventis Pasteur) 5 mL Vial - 25 micrograms of mercury per dose from Thimerosal.

As late as 2003, a review of the Physician's Desk Reference showed that three childhood vaccines were still being made with full doses of Thimerosal. Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular-Pertussis (DTaP) manufactured by Aventis-Pasteur in multi-dose vials contained 25 micrograms of mercury, Haemophilus-influenza-Type b (HibTITTER) in multi-dose vials manufactured by Wyeth contained 25 micrograms of mercury, and pediatric hepatitis B vaccine manufactured by Merck contained 12.5 micrograms of mercury. These vaccines represented about half of the childhood vaccines available for use in the US that year.

So we know that children may have been exposed to high levels of mercury in 2003. The total childhood mercury intake could have been more than 300 g, according to the report in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons Spring 2003 issue.

The bottom line Kirby says, "We do know that kids were getting mercury right up through 2002, and perhaps later. We also know that it is in the flu shots," he adds.

On January 19, 2004 Mark Geier, the internationally renowned genetic researcher, discussed the flu vaccines with Kelley Omeara of Insight News, "There is something called the blood/brain barrier, which prevents some toxins from entering the brain. But ethyl mercury, which is what is in the influenza vaccine, crosses that barrier," he explained, "The influenza vaccine has 25 micrograms of mercury, which means that to be at the recommended level of safety, and assuming that you get no mercury from any other source, you'd have to weigh 550 pounds to be safe."

The independent scientific research behind this public health crisis is mounting and the public is beginning to sit up and take notice of the media stories coming out that discuss the information contained in Evidence of Harm.

For instance, an article titled, "Deadly Immunity," written by Robert Kennedy, Jr was co-published this month in Rolling Stone and Salon. It mentions Evidence of Harm and discusses many of the issues detailed in the book.

Kennedy's article, tells how in June 2000, the CDC held a conference at the Simpsonwood Conference Center in Norcross, Ga, where doctors and scientists gathered to discuss a preliminary study that indeed found a statistically significant link between Thimerosal and autism. From material obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, Kennedy cites quotes that leave no doubt that the meeting's purpose, ultimately, was to "whitewash the risks of Thimerosal, ordering researchers to 'rule out' the chemical's link to autism."

The American Prospect hailed the article as a "blockbuster piece," and on June 21, 2005, while discussing the article with Kennedy, Joe Scarborough, on his MSNBC TV show, said that "there's no doubt in my mind that Thimerosal causes, in my opinion, autism."

According to Dr Geier, "the current epidemic of autism may well be the greatest iatrogenic epidemic in history. The damage already done to our society is already in the trillions of dollars. The damage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and that of the AIDS epidemic pale when compared to the current epidemic of autism."

Or put another way, "To cling to a purely genetic explanation for autism is a desperate attempt to maintain the illusion that one lives in a comfortable and rational world where new chemicals and technologies always mean progress; experts are always objective and thorough; corporations are honest; and authorities can be trusted," says Harvard's Martha Herbert, "That human actions, rather than genes, might be responsible for compromising the health of a significant proportion of a whole generation is so painful as to be, for many, unthinkable."

The vaccine makers, along with their complicit government scientists and policy makers, have a lot to lose. If they don't find a way to keep the public from finding out that they knowingly allowed an entire generation of children to be damaged, the ensuing litigation will spread through the nation's court system like wild-fire and push tobacco and asbestos law suits down into small claims court.

The evidence presented in Kirby's book forces readers to face the unthinkable and leads to one conclusion: a generation of innocent and defenseless children were poisoned for profits by a greedy segment of society mistakenly entrusted to protect the common good of children all over the world.

Evelyn Pringle
epringle05@yahoo.com

(Evelyn Pringle is a columnist for Independent Media TV and an investigative journalist focused on exposing corruption in government)