MMR/thimerosal lie

"Kimmer" wrote in message
...
It is insignificant because the author meant to say that mecury
in the other vaccines may cause autism. The kids getting MMR
are usually getting the other vaccines also.

Mercury is nearly gone for the usual childhood vaccines. If you add
the
total doseage that a kid could get now, it is far less than the the
kid was
getting before the rise in autism.

I also believe that the perceived rise in autism could be attributed to
a change in just what is considered to be autism. We saw a huge jump in
the diagnosis of dyslexia and other learning disabilities that seemed to
correspond to a change in the definition of just what dyslexia and
learning disabilities are. Anyone more knowledgeable in the field care
to comment on this?

In 1991, under the First Bush administration, the Department of Education
mandated that schools had to take an active approach and find out why kids
were not learning. This is one of the reasons conditions such as ADHD began
to be diagnosed more frequently.

Autism used to be an either/or diagnosis, and, like pregnancy, you could not
be slightly autistic. Over the years it was found that there is a wide
spectrum of the disorder and this has fueled the increase, IMNSHO.

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 17:51:28 GMT, "Roger Schlafly"
wrote:

"Kimmer" wrote
I also believe that the perceived rise in autism could be attributed to
a change in just what is considered to be autism.

I believe I saw a study that looked at precisely that question, and
concluded that the rise in autism is real, and not just a change in
definition. I don't have the study, and I don't know whether it is
reliable or not. But people have certainly looked at that issue.

The general consensus from those who know better than Roger is that
the recent shift from underdiagnosis to overdiagnosis can account for
some but not all of the concomitant rise in incidence of autism.

I personally have seen three families in the last year where the
parents "fought" with various evaluators (school officials,
psychologists, neurologists, etc.) to get their child labelled with
either autism or Asperger's disorder, which children otherwise would
not likely be given that diagnosis, in order to get better free
tax-supported services through the school.

There's one in particular who, after a thorough, detailed assessment
of his difficulties, I came to one conclusion: He's a dummy. I so much
would have loved to say, "He doesn't have autism spectrum disorder. He
doesn't have Asperger's disorder. He doesn't have 'sensory integration
disorder.' He doesn't have 'PDD-NOS.' He's just a dummy, and I can't
fix that. Sorry."

Of course, I was more diplomatic about it instead. Nevertheless, the
family is still going to take him to an autism center in their quest
to get him the coveted PDD-NOS label, and they may very well succeed.
Good luck to them.

PF

--
"We are as dwarfs seated on the shoulders of giants that we might see more
further than they."
- Bernard of Chartres
"Roger Schlafly" wrote in message
. net...
"Kimmer" wrote
I also believe that the perceived rise in autism could be attributed to
a change in just what is considered to be autism.

I believe I saw a study that looked at precisely that question, and
concluded that the rise in autism is real, and not just a change in
definition. I don't have the study, and I don't know whether it is
reliable or not. But people have certainly looked at that issue.

I've seen studies on both sides of the fence. One in California showed a
clear substitution but there have been others that didn't.

I think what someone else posted in most accurate. It is not so much that
kids that would get one diagnosis are now getting another (although this
happens) as much as kids who were being found to not quite meet the
criterion are now meeting expanded definitions. There are many kids who are
now "autistic spectrum" who previously would have been just plain "not
autistic".

I also believe that social factors are driving parents to seek diagnoses
("He's not weird he's under the PDD umbrella.") while funding issues are
driving both parents and schools to pursue the diagnosis.

--
CBI, MD

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 21:13:14 GMT, "Mark Probert"
wrote:

Autism used to be an either/or diagnosis, and, like pregnancy, you could not
be slightly autistic. Over the years it was found that there is a wide
spectrum of the disorder and this has fueled the increase, IMNSHO.

Indeed, and thus arose garbage-pail diagnoses such as "ASD" and
"PDD-NOS."

PF

"PF Riley" wrote in message
...

Nevertheless, the
family is still going to take him to an autism center in their quest
to get him the coveted PDD-NOS label, and they may very well succeed.
Good luck to them.


That's the problem - if they go to enough docs someone will give them a
diagnosis. The tally could be 50-1 against but the opinion of the one doc
will be taken over the other 50.

--
CBI, MD

"Kimmer" wrote:


I also believe that the perceived rise in autism could be attributed to
a change in just what is considered to be autism. We saw a huge jump in
the diagnosis of dyslexia and other learning disabilities that seemed to
correspond to a change in the definition of just what dyslexia and
learning disabilities are. Anyone more knowledgeable in the field care
to comment on this?

Check the publication dates of the diagnostic manual that is
standard (DSMR?) that first set out clear, obsservable criteria
and the rise in "autism".

It started the epidemic.

Tsu Dho Nimh

--
When businesses invoke the "protection of consumers," it's a lot like
politicians invoking morality and children - grab your wallet and/or
your kid and run for your life.

PF wrote:

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 21:13:14 GMT, "Mark Probert"
wrote:

Autism used to be an either/or diagnosis, and, like pregnancy, you
could not
be slightly autistic. Over the years it was found that there is a
wide
spectrum of the disorder and this has fueled the increase, IMNSHO.

Indeed, and thus arose garbage-pail diagnoses such as "ASD" and
"PDD-NOS."

Diagnoses of inclusion instead of exclusion? I get it.

Something else that has concerned me, especially since I know of some
children in the situation I'm going to describe. What about kids who
have been "diagnosed" with many different "learning disabilities" and
are taking a litany of different medications - some of which are to
counter side effects from others - who have seemingly remarkable
turn-arounds when medications are discontinued/greatly reduced? I've
seen this happen in kids I know personally, where the first thing that
was done was to remove all medications and see their baseline behavior
and learning problems, then treat appropriately. Amazing how some of
these "uncontrollable" kids are suddenly quite well behaved and are able
to learn quite well.

Kimmer
email: Lady_Kimmer at altcastlenet dot com

"Kimmer" wrote in message
...
PF wrote:

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 21:13:14 GMT, "Mark Probert"
wrote:

Autism used to be an either/or diagnosis, and, like pregnancy, you
could not
be slightly autistic. Over the years it was found that there is a
wide
spectrum of the disorder and this has fueled the increase, IMNSHO.

Indeed, and thus arose garbage-pail diagnoses such as "ASD" and
"PDD-NOS."

Diagnoses of inclusion instead of exclusion? I get it.

Something else that has concerned me, especially since I know of some
children in the situation I'm going to describe. What about kids who
have been "diagnosed" with many different "learning disabilities" and
are taking a litany of different medications - some of which are to
counter side effects from others - who have seemingly remarkable
turn-arounds when medications are discontinued/greatly reduced? I've
seen this happen in kids I know personally, where the first thing that
was done was to remove all medications and see their baseline behavior
and learning problems, then treat appropriately. Amazing how some of
these "uncontrollable" kids are suddenly quite well behaved and are able
to learn quite well.

Are you saying that the medications caused them problems? Give some
examples.

On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 02:39:08 GMT, "CBI" wrote:

I also believe that social factors are driving parents to seek diagnoses
("He's not weird he's under the PDD umbrella.") while funding issues are
driving both parents and schools to pursue the diagnosis.

Yes, and certainly for the patient in particular that I cited, a
diagnosis of "autism," which evokes images of a talented, intelligent,
but troubled being trapped in a mysterious world of social and
communication dysfunction, is far preferable to "mental retardation,"
which means he's just plain dumb.

PF

"PF Riley" wrote
Yes, and certainly for the patient in particular that I cited, a
diagnosis of "autism," which evokes images of a talented, intelligent,
but troubled being trapped in a mysterious world of social and
communication dysfunction, is far preferable to "mental retardation,"
which means he's just plain dumb.

Yes, I am sure that motivates some of the autism diagnoses.
Likewise for ADD diagnoses.