AUTISM AREAS: New research finds regions in Los Angeles and San Francisco that have high incidences of autism.
Image: ISTOCKPHOTO/DAVEL5957
-
The Best Science Writing Online 2012
Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...
Read More »
California scientists have discovered clusters of autism, largely in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas, where children are twice as likely to have autism as children in surrounding areas.
The 10 clusters were found mostly among children with highly educated parents, leading researchers to report that they probably can be explained by better access to medical experts who diagnose the disorder.
Because of the strong link to education, the researchers from University of California at Davis said the new findings do not point to a localized source of pollution, such as an industry, near the clusters.
“I suspect access to services plays the major role,” said Irva Hertz-Picciotto, senior author of the study published Tuesday in the journal Autism Research.
She added, however, that there could be other reasons why higher-educated parents lead to more autism. Environmental exposures, such as chemicals from consumer products, could be more common in those households, she said.
“Certainly there may be some consumer products to which more educated persons are more likely to be exposed. There is undoubtedly a possibility of higher exposures in the more educated,” said Hertz-Picciotto, a professor of public health sciences and an autism expert at the UC Davis MIND Institute.
For the study, the researchers analyzed the birth records of about 2.5 million babies born in California between 1996 and 2000. Nearly 10,000 were later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.
Autism is a neurological disorder involving impaired social development and communication skills. Experts believe that it is caused during pregnancy or early infancy since symptoms often arise by age two or three.
The new research is the first time that anyone has looked for geographic areas with high incidence, or clusters, of autism, according to lead author Karla Van Meter, an epidemiologist.
The 10 clusters were located in: the Torrance, Beverly Hills, Van Nuys and Calabasas areas of Los Angeles County; the Laguna Beach/Mission Viejo area of Orange County; the La Jolla/Del Mar area of San Diego County; San Francisco; the Sunnyvale/Santa Clara area; the Redwood City area; and Fresno. Two other possible clusters were also found in the Norwalk/Cerritos area of Los Angeles County and the Modesto area.
Although children within these cluster areas were more likely to have autism, the majority of California’s autistic children were born outside of them.
Bernard Weiss, a professor of environmental medicine at University of Rochester who was not involved in the study, said the research “confirms an association between parental education and autism risk” that had been found in earlier studies.
“I would agree that their findings indicate a higher likelihood of seeking services by educated parents,” he said.
See what we're tweeting about
67 Comments
Add CommentHas anyone tried to correlate with amount of TV.Video watched at a very young age?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am surprised that an alternative perspective was not offered here; perhaps, it isnt that educated parents take their kids to seek medical advice more often than those who have a lower education, rather, that highly educated parents spend more time away from their children as money permits them to hire nannies, cooks etc. Many autism studies indicate that children whose parents spent less time with them at an early stage in their development are at higher risk of autism. Further, there are many cases of parents who have reduced the symptoms of their childs autism by being constantly present in their childs life and development. The given reasoning in the article seems like a justification rather than explanation.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with CKlu. I think it is irresponsible and ridiculous for "experts" to theorize that education or the lack there of is responsible for the autism epidemic this country is experiencing. I guess we'll have to wait 50 years before the truth comes out. An increase in autism cases of this magnitude over the past 20 years cannot be attributed to a lack of education on the part of the parents. It makes more sense to me that there is something we're missing here. There is something that has contributed to this problem that is being overlooked. It could be something that is occuring right under our noses, yet we're looking everywhere else for answers. Alot of these parents, as well as their children's pediatricians have stated that their kids appeared normal, and it wasn't until after they had fallen ill, and experienced a high fever, that there was a change in the child's behavior.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe've devastated the planet, we've devastated species of animals and insects, we've devastated races of people, and now we're affecting the well being of our own children here in the U.S. My bet, there's a whole lot of money being made and the risk of autism in young children is just a casuality! The love of money is the root of all evil.
That has nothing to do with it!! You obviously do not know what you are talking about!! If that was the case all kids would have Autism!!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI don't agree with you, if that was the case all kids would have Autism!!!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHave you ever seen a child with Autism? I have!!! I have a son that has it!! There are however several different levels of Autism!! From severe to high functioning!!! It isn't something you can fake to get money out of the parents!!! I believe it is environmental and also linked to immunizations and the mercury in them!!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would suspect that there is some behavior (be it lack of breastfeeding, "ferberizing" kids, hyper-vigilence in getting shots! ---esp. since "brain damage" used to be a complication of the measles) or some other environmental cause that causes autism. I do not have children with autism but do have friends who do--they all report the same thing.....autism after the measles shots!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe are all waking up to government lies! We know that autism is caused by the vaccines. We know the billionaire bankers who control the medical system are eugenicists and want us all dumbed down, diseased and dead. So they can continue to loot the nation of trillions of dollars. They are the ones spraying us with "chemtrail" poisons full of viruses and nanotechnology. They control the medical system and force vaccinations on people as part of their depopulation agenda. They are responsible for 9/11 and all the terrorists attacks that they falsly blame on middle easterners. If you don't believe it that google "the illuminati" and the "new world order". They plan on getting rid of the rights and freedoms of americans so they can bring in their "one " world government that is commununist and national socialist (nazi). They want us all sick so that we can't fight their takeover. Americans and people across the world are waking up. We know you did 9/11 and you will find yourselves behind bars and living in a small 2x4 where you can think of your crimes against humanity for decades while you rot in the cell full of your own feces. And drink poisoned flouridated water. Which your families used during nazi germany. We know you bankers funded hitler and are continuing the natzi experimentation against innocent human beings and you disguise new name as NASA which began when you deported the 1500 nazi scientists into high ranking u.s. govt positions and formed nasa so you can continue your evil genocidal plans. We are awakening and you will be punished!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou obviously have drank too much of the flouridated water to correlate autism to tv watching. Autism is caused by our govt pushing vaccines in a nazi style eugenics plan. We are awaking to the lies that is our govt and the intentional poisoning of innocent people. Thanks to the 'illuminati" who believe that they can murder civilians b/c they believe they are gods. Researh this and find out the truth! They are murdering 1000's of scientists and making sure there are no cures for any diseases so they can make billions of dollars from big pharma. This is nazi style racial cleansing plan by our "shadow govt". Watch the youtube video on Aaron russo the screenwriter who was told about 9/11 6 months before it happened. You will see the billionaire families that are behind the culling of the human population. They believe we are the sheep and they are the wolves. They are using media to brainwash everyone. While they are poisoning the water with flouride (poison!) and putting mercury fillings in people's mouths (poison!) and killing scientists who have cures for diseases. They are mass murderers who need to be put away in a jail cell for the rest of their lives!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisVery interesting article. We have a 12-year old son with Asperger's. Prior to becoming pregnant, my wife and I lived in Redwood City before moving north to Stockton, CA. During pregnancy my wife commuted to Santa Clara and Sunnyvale until one month or so before delivering in Stockton. My son was born in June 1997. Would appreciate knowing more and reading comments from others.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe concept of "autistic clusters" caught my eye because my babysitter, my daughter and myself all gave birth to autistic children. I have always wondered if there was some environmental trigger associated with my property. None of us had health insurance at the time our children were diagnosed and none of our children received any treatment. I live in a rural area where there are no treatment centers. I designed a treatment for my son on my own and, fortunately, was successful. My son is now "recovered." He has a job and a few close friends. The babysitter's son was not so lucky. He is still severely disabled. It is too soon to tell about my grandson.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with franchescaone. My son is high functioning, and if it could be faked, he wins the Oscar.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe are all waking up to government lies! We know that autism is caused by the vaccines. We know the billionaire bankers who control the medical system are eugenicists and want us all dumbed down, diseased and dead. So they can continue to loot the nation of trillions of dollars. They are the ones spraying us with "chemtrail" poisons full of viruses and nanotechnology. They control the medical system and force vaccinations on people as part of their depopulation agenda. They are responsible for 9/11 and all the terrorists attacks that they falsly blame on middle easterners. If you don't believe it that google "the illuminati" and the "new world order". They plan on getting rid of the rights and freedoms of americans so they can bring in their "one " world government that is commununist and national socialist (nazi). They want us all sick so that we can't fight their takeover. Americans and people across the world are waking up. We know you did 9/11 and you will find yourselves behind bars and living in a small 2x4 where you can think of your crimes against humanity for decades while you rot in the cell full of your own feces. And drink poisoned flouridated water. Which your families used during nazi germany. We know you bankers funded hitler and are continuing the natzi experimentation against innocent human beings and you disguise new name as NASA which began when you deported the 1500 nazi scientists into high ranking u.s. govt positions and formed nasa so you can continue your evil genocidal plans. We are awakening and you will be punished!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswethepeople! you must be joking!?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn addition to the parent education level, the data collectors probably just looked at the label and not the actual student with the disability. If this was done, the clusters might change. In high socio-economic areas parents refuse to accept mental retardation as the qualifying condition to receive special education services. It is not uncommon to see students that have been diagnosed with downs syndrome who have autism listed as the primary disability. In the lower socio-economic areas you will see a lot more students with a label of mental retardation that present exactly like autism. Look at the students, autism is everywhere.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf autism is on a spectrum that includes Asperger's, and if both groups often show interest and ability in math and science, it would make sense to find people with mild Asperger's pursuing higher education in math and science, marrying each other, and producing children with two sets of Asperger's genes, which might result in autism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn addition to the parent education level, the data collectors probably just looked at the label and not the actual student with the disability. If this was done, the clusters might change. In high socio-economic areas parents refuse to accept mental retardation as the qualifying condition to receive special education services. It is not uncommon to see students that have been diagnosed with downs syndrome who have autism listed as the primary disability. In the lower socio-economic areas you will see a lot more students with a label of mental retardation that present exactly like autism. Look at the students, autism is everywhere.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am surprised by reading Lucky's comments about the parents who had normal kids who suddenly became autistic right after gettting a measles shot. I have never heard that before. I always thought the kids were born with autism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe have clusters of cancer in these cities here in California too especially in the more affluent neighborhoods. I think it is environmental because we use lots of sprays on greenery such as fertilizers and pesticides. We have plants and vegetation growing year round here and people live near golf courses such as the highly educated types. My 3 daughters were immunized with no harmful effects. We watched tv a lot and used the computer because I think it is very educational. My kids do not have autism and we have lived in these areas. My husband and I are highly educated. I always drank bottled water and breast feed my kids until they were over a year old. My friends who did not breast feed did not have kids with autism. I would be curious to know if the problem is the tap water?? My neighbor's daughter was born autistic and the Father was a stay at home parent doing a great job so I don't think it has to do with a nanny or parental neglect type of thing. Some kids who had nannies didn't have autism. Most conditions develop while the mother is in the early stages of pregnancy such as the first trimester. My heart really goes out to these families whose children have autism. It would be nice if we could find out the cause of these high rates of cancer and autism. Our lawns and neighborhoods look beautifully tended but maybe we are exposing ourselves and our children to invisible chemicals. What about parks and recreation fields where the kids play soccer? Are all of these lawn products safe? Remember DDT and the effects it had on the environment showing up in the bird population? Most of our neighborhoods are run by home owner's associations and I remember the gardeners spraying the lawns regularly and putting up little flags to signal that the vegetation was still wet from spraying. I use quite a few household products as well as did parents from previous generations with no ill effects so I do not really think the household products are the main source of the problem. This seems to be a relatively new phenomenon but the number of cases are staggering. Maybe there is an underlying genetic condition that is getting triggered by an environmental exposure to a certain substance. I wonder if the workers who regularly use these chemicals in their line of work have suffered from any ill effects?
As a parent of 2 autistic kids (one with classic autism, one with higher functioning autism), we strongly believe in the most common theory backed by clinical study--that autism has a genetic predisposition with an environmental trigger. Yeah, I have friends who are parents of autistic children who often declare (heck, some of them literally shout about it) that their child was fine, until one day...poof!...things changed overnight. And it may be that this is their situation, it is not in our case with our son. We have proof in the form of home videos in that in hindsight, we could now see clear red flags as early as 7 months of age. My son never had the vocabulary from the get-go, never had the human connection period as a baby. My husband's family tree is LOADED with a bunch of genetic drama going on, including clinical depression, OCD, Tourette's syndrome and bipolar disorder, and some studies theorize that there is a strong link between OCD and Tourette's and autism, for example.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThink of it this way: statistics now say that 1 in every 110 children are on the autism spectrum, from the highest functioning person with quirks or those that are severe and savant. So, the human population increases and each time we multiply ourselves, it's like making a copy of a copy of a copy (like photocopying a paper, copy of a copy of a copy, etc).
The field of genetics will hopefully be able to shed some light on this in the future. I sit on the fence when it comes to vaccines.
I found the article very interesting, too as I lived in the Redwood Shores area of Redwood City when I got pregnant and gave birth to my son in 1990. I want more information also.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPS. I don't think autism is caused by vaccines b.c then both my children would be autistic and they are not yet they received the same vaccines at the same time and had the same parenting, tv watching or not watching, etc. I am interested in the fragile X theory since the boys in my family are prone to some "drama" with autism, retardation, bipolar, etc. It's all so interesting. I would like to be involved in the UCDavis study. How do they find these clusters and then not contact us for more information?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI knew there was something wrong with my son from the beginning but I thought he was deaf. He never responded to the sound of my voice and didn't have the startle reflex. He became distressed easily and nothing I did would calm him down. However, he did start talking before his first birthday and then suddenly at 15 months he stopped. This is common for the regression to begin at 15 months and that is where the theory that it's the MMR comes from. But we were poor and didn't get the shots on schedule, so I know that's not what did it for us.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI believe that some autism is from pyscological trauma from an early age. We are frustrated and angry as a society and we simply dont see those moments that we are traumatizing our children. All parents should think hard and be aware of your reality and your childrens reality. We are angry and lots of it is going to our children. Just a argument between the parents can traumatize a child. Think about it not deny it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI believe that some autism is from pyscological trauma from an early age. We are frustrated and angry as a society and we simply dont see those moments that we are traumatizing our children. All parents should think hard and be aware of your reality and your childrens reality. We are angry and lots of it is going to our children. Just a argument between the parents can traumatize a child. Think about it not deny it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisInteresting new research. More needs to be done. According to the former director of the NIH - Dr. Bernadine Healy - the CDC and FDA have been discouraging causal research for fear that it would lead to parents withholding their children from vaccination programs. See this CBS interview with Dr. Healy:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.healing-arts.org/children/mercury_in_vaccines_autism_research/drbernadinehealynihvaccinate.htm#Dr_Healy_interview_Vaccines
All people have different genetics and therefore different responses to toxins. I am not sure that we have a world wide eugenic program as wethepeople has supported, but babies can get exposed to toxins in the uterus as well as after. This issue is far to complex to hash out in a couple of postings, but the facts are that our brains develop until we are in our 20's but most of it when we are young. Developing brains are susceptible to toxins especially mercury which come in fish, fillings, and flu vaccine (and at one time many others-and if it were safe, why was it changed?). The results of the studies haven't changed, there is an association between vaccines and autism, it was the conclusions that changed so the govt and media could get away with saying there is no connection and therefore no payout from the vaccine fund. Higher socioeconomic class also means better access to vaccines, food (toxic like fish, mercury, etc) and other health care (as well as cleaners, formaldehyde in carpets, new car chemicals, you get the idea) and to say that dx is the issue is the kind of short sighted conclusion I would expect from most studies to avoid having to find a real answer. This stuff is complex and the chances of finding a one cause, one cure thing is not real. My heart bleeds for parents who have children with this problem, but when a parent like Jenny McCarthy has an established dx, finds a successful tx for her child and then is ridiculed, it means mainstream medicine is more worried about protecting its turf than giving a damn about the kids.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNo where do I see any evidence that the actual rate of autism is increasing.. only that the rate of detection/labeling/reporting of it is.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnd aren't the conspiracy theories great? I love em!
This really shows how blind even researchers can be when they have a particular speciality. Did it not occur to them that very possibly that the offspring come from very intelligent parents and that the possibility of a genetic issue that is tied to so called high IQ parents can result in autistic children? This study is hugely flawed by finding an external cause without considering an internal one...Pretty poor science in my estimation. One can reasonably link gene pools with autism and California is filled with high functioning computer programmers and engineers and scientists who might very well carry some predisposition to such a genetic result.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOne thing worth pointing out: the risk of autism rises with the age of the parents (this is thought to be due to the accumulation of small DNA mutations or replication errors in the gametes). The correlation of autism rates with parental education is probably (at least partially) due to the fact that people who are more educated tend to have children later in life.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe story (and study) point out that it can't be explained by age. The correlation with age was nowhere near as strong as the correlation with education.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's far more likely to be due to educated parents succumbing to US psychobabble about alternative treatments during pregnancy than to vaccines that have been tested over and over and found to have no affect on the incidence of autism. Just look at where the clusters occurred.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy friend teaches at a school for autistic children. She knows the families...and is sure that it's genetic "denial".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisShe says that most of the kids are helped by the school. Many of them are aggressive, they bite and spit so it's not an easy job. I feel very sorry for these children and hope that some new discovery will make a brighter future for them.
Why always look at the environment? Sure, it has its importance, but another explanation why highly educated parents have a higher percentage of autistic children might (I say might) be that autism is a biproduct of those factors which cause a high intelligence. Just consider how many autistic children, and Asperger children, show special talents. Perhaps they have gotten too much of a good thing. That not all parents who have these children we have one of our own I add, and yes, we are academics are highly educated could be explained by the obvious fact that our societies do not provide higher education for all who who could use it. This is, also, a non-paranoid hypothesis. I would like to have someone to seriously test it!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis article did not clai to find any cause for autism, it simply pointed out a correlation. Those are two very different things. As the article says- finding out about the stregnths of lots of differing correlations could lead to the causes and even treatments.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBreast feeding causes autism. Most breast milk has tons of environmental pollutants, including flame retardant chemicals and rocket fuel additives. As rates of breast feeding have increased in the US, so have rates of autism. Breast feeding is causing the autism epidemic.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBreast feeding causes autism. Breast milk in the US is full of environmental pollutants, including rocket fuel additives and flame retardant chemicals. As rates of breast feeding have increased, especially in educated, upper income groups, autism rates have soared. Breast feeding is causing autism rates to soar.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEmpty studies, such as this one from UC Davis, are counterproductive. Rather than adding useful information, its emptiness triggers raw speculation that passes too easily as substance. Even the senior author falls into the trap. The author should have used the weaknesses in the study’s design, weaknesses that she points out, as a lesson in what defines otiose work. This study was published because it was done, not because it had anything to offer. Autism research cannot advance, other than by happy accident, when the bar is so low.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's the chemicals in modern technologies (BPA materials etc.). 1 in 110 is a very high number, howcome other developed countries don't have such a high rate. Maybe the educated parent angle is because they can afford these technologies more. Just a thought.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPersonally, this is a difficult subject to take lightly but I’ll try, anyway! From this study it should be concluded that a genetic predisposition to autism spectrum behaviors predisposes those affected (due to their limited social skills) to pursuing higher education, achieving higher incomes and living in areas near those of similar socio-economic status. Seriously!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEvaluating the track record of sociologists statistically analyzing autism population data, what is their success rate of identifying actual causes for it or any other conditions? Perhaps the groups performing such studies should increase the percentage of staff members with autism spectrum disorders in order to improve their analytical abilities and success rate!
Uh, you didn't read the aricle very well. They did not attribute a higher risk of autism to a lack of education but the opposite: rather the more educated in these areas have a higher incidence of children diagnosed with autism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWell--this is truly the Age of Superstition. You really should screen these comments and not give the paranoids the space you do. The SciAm blogsite seems to be infested with them, some of whom think vaccines (pushed by some peculiarly unmotivated government conspiracy) cause autism. They are the "decider" types, too fixiated and fanatic to understand that the only link is NOT causative--only parallel. Autism becomes noticeable about the time that the last infancy vaccination is administrated.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have been a teacher, have known many autistic children, and it is a disease that needs curing by rational research, not mumbo-jumbo. Ridiculous beliefs like those of the paranoids are already causing a recurrence in dangerous disaeases in young children--diseases which could be prevented by vaccination but are now spreading through schools and playgrounds. Let me make a personal appeal. I was born in 1936 before the diphtheria and measles vaccines were developed. In 1938 I contracted diphtheria and nearly died. I lost half my weight, came so close to death I stopped breathing and only round the clock artifical respiration and manual removal of mucous from my throat by my parents and grandmother saved me. My mother had terrible nightmares about that episode for the rest of her long life! Later I contracted both German and 5-day measles simultaneously, and again, was extremely sick and ended with reduced eyesight, one of the perils of measles. Two youngsters in my grade school died in that epidemic, and a friend was brain retarded because of high fever and had to leave school forever. The paranoid fringe would RETURN US TO THOSE TERRIBLE DAYS OF EPIDEMICS when children were at high risk and parents suffered agonies of waiting, watching, wondering, praying, and sometimes burying.
I made sure my son, born 1971, was vaccinated--thank God!--for every potential illness. He had one tonsil infection at age 3, and afterward no colds or flu throughout childhood and only two minor sicknesses, mumps and chicken pox, between age 3 and 18, when he contracted his first cold in 15 years. He's hardly been ill since. His generally outstanding health, aided by vaccinations and booster shots, may have given him a strong immune system.
As a psychologist diagnosing and working with children with autistic spectrum disorders, I have been very concerned about the issue of overidentification. Many parents want the extensive services that children with autism receive, so they put pressure on providers to identify their children with that diagnosis. A number of parents with mentally retarded children seek a diagnosis of autism for the same reason. There are some cases of probably emotional Munschausen's By Proxy in which the parents get sympathy for having ill children by demanding that they be identified as autistic. Still, there is a growing number of children correctly diagnosed. I think that the diagnostic procedures have improved dramatically during the past 20 years or so. People who used to be described as "weird" or "nerdy" are now being understood as having autism. Still, it's important to use caution in the identification process.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisChildhood immunizations have not contained a mercury perservative since the early 2000's.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHere's a hot tip: Correlate the density of diagnosing Doctors to Clusters!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSee?
Fees for services. Simple.
I have two possible explanations:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this1) Autism may be related to genes which also affects the level of education. Not only IQ but obsessive behavior and such. Higher education does require 'will' to complete the studies which is just another form of obsession.
2) This requires a correlation study of the risk of miscarriage of an autistic spectrum child - whether it was higher. If so, one could argue that higher education leads to better treatment of a condition which would otherwise be resulted in a miscarriage.
Very intriguing article. If you'd like to learn more about Autism, and its affect on America, please visit the Ad Council's Autism Awareness campaign at http://my.adcouncil.org/autismawareness.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere was a study done a German doctor that indicated if the father is older than 40 then the likelihood of autism in the child is higher. Highly educated parents do wait until they have finished their education and stated their careers before marrying and having children.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisQuinn the Eskimo - Good point. It has been apparent that the diagnosis rate has increased significantly over the past several decades, but for some reason the profit motive had escaped me completely. While these diagnoses may be technically justified, business interests cannot be ignored as a contributing factor...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have read many articles on this subject as I have a son with adhd but had many symptoms of sensory deficits, the common thread that generates a diagnosis of autism in very young children. While he did not have autism as it was not severe, it took until 1st grade before his symptoms worsened. It happened after a case of strep throat. I became borderline psychotic twice, after two cases of strep throat. My final diagnosis was bipolar, never had it in the past. there is a theory that post strep infections can cause PANDAS which results in OCD & tourettes. Thirty to fifty percent of these kids have ADHD. this is also known as rheumatic fever causing problem in the heart, joints, kidney and the brain. The brain, most noteably sydenhams chorea, a motor coordination movement disorder. I write this because there are so many people blaming chemicals and vaccinations diectly, but it is most likely that our immune systems are taxed by all of this. rhuematic brain disease was coined back in the 1940's and it was only theorized that strep infections were related to the most serious adult mental illnesses. Ultimately the reseach is showing that most mental illnesses are protein related. Post strep autoimmunity causes direct problems to protein reactions, particularly amino acids and collagen protction. Vitamin D and proteins bind most invaders from our our bodies. There is also research that mental problems are inflammation related. What they have not discovered or published is that this problem perhaps in 30% of cases of autism is related to adolescent adhd, aspergers, OCD and adult schizophprenia and bipolar. If you ask a family member of an autistic child how many other 'mental illnesses'there are in an extended family particularly anxiety (worry wart and panic attacks) then ask about the frequency of allergies, sinus problems (both my son and I were found to serious sinus infections and a history of chronic ear infections which should be considered inflammatory) any legimate researcher or average parent concerned with their autistic child would be astounded at what they will learn. it would be nice if scientists would add all the real concerns of people and look at this 'theory'. It coul explain just about everything.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI fully agree with johnwnorton on this subject. This kind of research gives rise to wild speculation and conspiracy theories. It should only be considered as an observation which has to be rigorously studied before being published...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPerhaps children in these clusters received immunizations that contained mercury or themersol and the highly educated moms took their babies to the same clinics. That's probably too simple and we all know immunizations do not cause autism...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDid you all go to the same pediatrician?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTo hippydippy, my daughter was not breastfed and she has autism. If our breast milk contains environmental pollutants, surely cows milk would too, and probably more so.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisno quizzle, I hope they do studies on this. Who knows?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisgeneinnj, did the problems with strep occur before or after antibiotics? I have read that antibiotic use has been considered a possible cause of autism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisdesert girl, I used to think antibiotics were the problem. There are adverse side effects listed on most of them such as Central Nervous System disorders. However, it is possible that my problems listed below is that I did not use them exactly as prescribed. If my theory that autism like adult mental health problems are auto immune/protein processing, then antibiotics are helpful; penicillin, a natural product is highly underated because it is cheap. using antivirals and anti fungals could very well be beneficial. If anything the medical community should help people understand what types are best for individuals. Kids are being diagnosed more with this because the medical community is simply redrawing line of symptoms. Autism diagnosis is based on a collection symptoms. they are just using less symptoms. Clusters can be caused by illness outbreak. think this way. H1n1 caused the mostharm only to people with underlying causes, like a bacterial infection. If they new to take an antibiotic ahead of time, there would be less harm. Autism can be considered like leukemia or lupus. Immune boosters help.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisdesert girl, I used to think antibiotics were the problem. There are adverse side effects listed on most of them such as Central Nervous System disorders. However, it is possible that my problems listed below is that I did not use them exactly as prescribed. If my theory that autism like adult mental health problems are auto immune/protein processing, then antibiotics are helpful; penicillin, a natural product is highly underated because it is cheap. using antivirals and anti fungals could very well be beneficial. If anything the medical community should help people understand what types are best for individuals. Kids are being diagnosed more with this because the medical community is simply redrawing line of symptoms. Autism diagnosis is based on a collection symptoms. they are just using less symptoms. Clusters can be caused by illness outbreak. think this way. H1n1 caused the mostharm only to people with underlying causes, like a bacterial infection. If they new to take an antibiotic ahead of time, there would be less harm. Autism can be considered like leukemia or lupus. Immune boosters help.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisdesert girl, I used to think antibiotics were the problem. There are adverse side effects listed on most of them such as Central Nervous System disorders. However, it is possible that my problems listed below is that I did not use them exactly as prescribed. If my theory that autism like adult mental health problems are auto immune/protein processing, then antibiotics are helpful; penicillin, a natural product is highly underated because it is cheap. using antivirals and anti fungals could very well be beneficial. If anything the medical community should help people understand what types are best for individuals. Kids are being diagnosed more with this because the medical community is simply redrawing line of symptoms. Autism diagnosis is based on a collection symptoms. they are just using less symptoms. Clusters can be caused by illness outbreak. think this way. H1n1 caused the mostharm only to people with underlying causes, like a bacterial infection. If they new to take an antibiotic ahead of time, there would be less harm. Autism can be considered like leukemia or lupus. Immune boosters help.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisExcellent fact based reply on a topic where facts are scarce. I too have a classically autistic child. He did however, show progression, then regression, as evidenced by home video. Verbal expression was the first area of regression then social connection. I still remember my child's personality and miss him terribly. He is now 14 years old and with much hard work on the part of my family and a great many educators and practitioners he is now much higher functioning. By higher functioning I mean he talks, and is educated to the second grade level in most areas, but only first grade level in other areas. He also shows meaningful social connection with his family and a few other people that are a regular part of his life. He does however, present many signs of autism when interfaced by anyone outside of this inner circle of people. Still I also sit on the fence when it comes to vaccines. You can bet your bottom dollar however, that I really, really spaced out the vaccines for my other children.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt does seem as if intelligent/educated people are being targeted for having autistic children at a higher rate than the general population. It is possible that most of the tainted MMR vaccines (batches with extra high amounts of mercury in them) were given to babies in these particular "cluster" areas (where a greater percentage of the educated live). I also have a theory that the plastic used to make BABY CAR SEATS is poisoning some children. There is already good evidence for the connection between "out gassing" of plastic products and various allergies seen in both children and adults. Before laws requiring car seats there were very few cases of autism. It was considered a rare disorder until the use of car seats became widespread. Nearly all car seat shells are made in China. My question - How many toxic substances can a Chinese manufacturer put in one car seat?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswethepeople is not joking. The pain of having ones child suddenly develop all these symptoms associated with autism has driven many parents deep into the world of "conspiracy theories". We want answers. We want to know how and why this is happening to our children!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow long will it take people to understand that autism - or most autistic traits- are most likely caused by using pitocin at birth? Children are born with a lack of oxygen to the brain. After birth, the babies are deprived of being held, and this causes furture failure to thrive. It is a mixture of western birth practices in combination with normative abuse. This is why autism rates are much lower in cultures where co-sleeping and natural births are prevalent.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTrue! The missing link is pitocin that is used at birth. The clustering could be due to a specific hospital that misuses the pitocin and causes lack of oxygen to the brain at birth. This in combination with western practices in raising a baby, very little touch, use of cradles, cribs and swings, the 'cry it out' method, further causes failure to thrive to the infant brain. Autism ratesare much lower in Sweden and other natural birth/ co-sleeping countries.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHmm,reading the comments here, I am very interested to see all the different theories, many of which I would not have thought of. If you had said the clusters were around Palo Alto and Silicon Valley, I would say the explanation is obvious. A lot of people in IT and technical fields are on the autism spectrum, and and pass on their AS genes to their kids. But LA and other parts of CA?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think if you are going to make a correllation to higher educated, and presumably more well off people, the first thing you should look at, besides the obvious fact that more well to do people have more access to diagnostic resources, are things like pesticide use, which is more common in more well to do areas to make lawns look prettier, and other things that people less off would not have access to. The point someone made about more financially successful people hiring nannies and spending less bonding time with their kids...possible also.
Also, the point about autism being a more "desirable" label for some more well to do kids...also possible.
On the lighter side, I ran across a great poem about an Asperger's teenager that some of you may appreciate...it reminded me of myself.
http://www.aspergerssociety.org/articles/18.htm
In the end, we will probably never know the full reason why these clusters exist.
There is apparently only one source of environmental chemicals that is known to affect children of college graduates twice as much as children of high school graduates. Neuro-developmental toxins (PCBs, PBDEs, and dioxins) are known to be present in human milk in several times higher concentrations than in cow’s milk. These “persistent” toxins bio-accumulate up the food chain, being found especially in meat and fat; cows don’t eat meat, butter or cheese. (Sources of this information indicated below) College graduates and/or high socio-economic status women are known to breast feed at about twice as high a rate as high school graduates in various countries, and in those countries autism is much higher among children of college graduates. In Denmark, almost 100% of mothers breastfeed, so educational difference in breastfeeding rates does not exist there. Not coincidentally, in Denmark the educational difference in autism rates also does not exist.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisa) In Denmark and in other countries in which breastfeeding is done by almost all women, autism rates are also very unusually high; in the countries (Ireland, U.K. and probably France) in which breastfeeding rates are lower, autism rates are also relatively low.
b) The three U.S. states that are highest in autism are also among the highest in breastfeeding rates; of the seven U.S. states that have the lowest rates of breastfeeding, EVERY one of these seven also has an unusually low rate of autism;
c) There is a 50% higher rate of breastfeeding among U.S. whites than among blacks, corresponding with a roughly 50% higher rate of autism among whites than among blacks;
d) The Mormon Church is the only major Judeo-Christian church to teach its members to breastfeed their infants; in the most in-depth study yet of autism prevalence at various locations in the U.S., the white (almost all-Mormon) children in a group of over 2000 Utah children were found to have an autism rate that is over three times as high as the average white (mostly NON-Mormon) groups in the other thirteen U.S. locations studied.
f) 65% of the children diagnosed with autism in a large study area had received substantial breastfeeding, in what is apparently the only study published with such data as of May, 2012; by contrast, only 28% of children in that area’s general population as a whole had received that much breastfeeding.
(SOURCES -- mostly government agencies -- especially the EPA -- and academic researchers, for all of the above, plus more of interest, are at www.pollutionaction.org.)
A front runner candidate for further investigation is the use of Ultrasound during pregnancy.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy 28 year old son was diagnosed as autistic. There is much discussion about the vulnerability of children who have taken the series of vaccines recommended especially when the MMR is given following others. The theory is that the earlier vaccines make the DNA vulnerable to change. The MMR is/was created using fetal tissue. Now, I think they are using animals to create the cell cultures in, but in addition the scientists are adding adjuvants that are very dangerous to the nervous system. Sorry, I don't have the source with me. In addition, they immortalize the cell structure so that it won't go away like the natural viruses do over time.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this