Re: Autism rates leveling off in CA

[Guest guest]

> SCIENCE IN THE NEWS

> from Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society

>

> Today's Headlines - July 13, 2005

>

> NEW AUTISM CASES LEVEL OFF IN STATE, DATA SHOW from The Los

Angeles Times

>> http://www.waldensystems.com/autism/autism_cases_level.htm

>

> Suze Fisher

So why do you think this is? Do you think that parents

have " gotten " the nutritional aspects and are eating better while

pregnant and feeding their kids differently? Surely there is not

less mercury conatamination generally than just a little while ago.

Or is the counting different? Are there more Asperger's now and

less Autism kids?

Connie

[Guest guest]

Suze Fisher wrote:

>the rate of increase peaked in 2002 and has dropped slightly since

>then.

>

>

Isn't that about the time they stopped using Thimerosol (aka mercury)

in vaccines?

Steph

[Guest guest]

--- In , Deanna Wagner <hl@s...>

wrote:

> Connie,

>

> >

> >So why do you think this is? Do you think that parents

> >have " gotten " the nutritional aspects and are eating better while

> >pregnant and feeding their kids differently? Surely there is not

> >less mercury conatamination generally than just a little while

ago.

> >Or is the counting different? Are there more Asperger's now and

> >less Autism kids?

> >

> As a native of California, who gave birth to her first child in

that

> state - later to be diagnosed on the autistic spectrum as PDD,

nos - I

> can not even imagine blaming poor nutrition on high rates of

autism in

> certain states like FL, TX and CA. These states are big produce

> producers, so maybe pesticides are are better target. Why don't

we see

> rates more spread out if it is general poor diet (or even

thimerasol)

> that causes this family of disorders, of which Asperger's syndrome

is a

> member, btw? I always ate a pretty whole foods omnivorous diet

during

> my pregnancies, but only once was I pregnant and birthing in CA

(maybe I

> should be thankful to leave the state as the mother of sons, which

> autism hits disproportionately high).

>

>

> Deanna

Deanna,

I'm living in CA now. I had my first kid in Louisiana, 2nd and

third here in CA. I think my first and second may well be on the

Aspie end. Third is not. First two had the " classic celiac baby

belly " and both are now definately geeks - oldest daughter is

getting PhD's in Anthropology and Linguistics (languages and

statistics and geekspeak about how people talk to each other about

SomeOne Who is not physically present); middle son is studying

single molecule protein folding - PhD Physics; third child, daughter

is very social, very bright, no celiac baby belly, very even

tempered (I am sure I got lucky.) I think that we may have escaped

the autism by degrees. I ate a pretty good omnivore/old school/cook

from scratch diet for all three, although I had lots and lots of

wheat with all three.

I was just wondering why the numbers have leveled off. What has

changed? Somehow I just don't think that environmental mercury

levels have changed all that much. I don't know how they get

removed. Nor where the contaminated soil would go, or is it all in

the water and it goes to the ocean? There was an article/editorial

in one of this week's SF Chronicle issues about mercury poisoning

from overeating canned tuna - not autism as such, but lots and lots

of neurological problems. My older 2 ate a lot of tuna, my youngest

doesn't like it.

Just rambling,

Connie

[Guest guest]

>Although the total number of autistic children receiving special education

>services from the state continues to grow - bringing the current total to

>28,046 - the rate of increase peaked in 2002 and has dropped slightly since

>then.

>

>The findings are important because California has the best reporting system

>for autism in the United States and is generally considered a bellwether for

>the rest of the country.

>http://www.waldensystems.com/autism/autism_cases_level.htm

>

>Suze Fisher

Interesting. The decline comes at a time when the techies have

been moving OUT of Silicone Valley (offshoring). Silicone Valley is

on the rebound though, maybe they'll move back.

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

> I'm from Huntington Beach originally...

Deanna,

Representing...Seacliff!

Goldenwest and Yorktown!

B.

[Guest guest]

> Are you a geek? LOL!

>

>

> Deanna

>

Yeah, probably. I'm a biotech recruiter because I love to learn just

a little bit about a lot of stuff. I spend the day playing in an

Access database and on the phone leaving voice mail until I find a

real live person at their desk. I love watching science shows and

reading Discover Magazine. I homeschooled those kids until their

father divorced me and I had to go to work for the first time in my

life 12 years ago. And the apple don't fall too far from the tree as

my Mama said!

Connie

[Guest guest]

>

> Interesting. The decline comes at a time when the techies have

> been moving OUT of Silicone Valley (offshoring). Silicone Valley is

> on the rebound though, maybe they'll move back.

>

>

> Heidi Jean

And might there be a generational thing going on as well? That the

parents of the current generation of autistic and sspie kids have

stopped having children and the kids themselves are not yet having

kids? And would the severely autistic even be likely to have kids

of their own? Or have a greater percentage of the now educated and

self-aware aspie/autistic folks decided that raising children is

just more than they want and deciden not to have the next generation

(I know a couple of guys that self ID and who just don't want kids.

I don't know if that is the reason). It is more of an option these

days than it used to be, afterall.

Or are they just not feeding their kids gluten and the younger sibs

are bright, perhaps a little " weird " (the way I ID) but

not " clinically classifiable " .

Or has the reporting methodology changed?

Connie

[Guest guest]

>

>

>And might there be a generational thing going on as well? That the

>parents of the current generation of autistic and sspie kids have

>stopped having children and the kids themselves are not yet having

>kids? And would the severely autistic even be likely to have kids

>of their own? Or have a greater percentage of the now educated and

>self-aware aspie/autistic folks decided that raising children is

>just more than they want and deciden not to have the next generation

>(I know a couple of guys that self ID and who just don't want kids.

>I don't know if that is the reason). It is more of an option these

>days than it used to be, afterall.

>

>Or are they just not feeding their kids gluten and the younger sibs

>are bright, perhaps a little " weird " (the way I ID) but

>not " clinically classifiable " .

>

>Or has the reporting methodology changed?

>

>Connie

The theory is that in the " old days " , Aspies didn't get married much, they were

the

" odd uncle " who lived in the basement. But since the invention of cubeland,

and the techie revolution, Aspie guys actually MEET their counterparts and it

turns out they get married a lot. A lot of them don't though: it IS hard to

raise

kids and work 20 hour days.

I also think you are onto something though, that the parents are more aware

now. Aspies are nothing if not Internet-saavy, and there is a big trend away

from " carbs " in general. Whereas a few years ago, all my programmer friends

would happily pig out on donuts, now they have mostly slimmed down, visit

the vegie plate more than the donuts, and are on various diets (raw food, Paleo,

Atkins). Since I host a conference, I really see the trend! The donut plate

was mostly untouched this year.

My own Mom, btw, was big on " don't feed your kids wheat cereal " for the

first phase of life. Rice cereal, she said, was ok. I don't know where she

got that from, but it might have saved us kids. That first introduction to

wheat seems to be key, and " cereal feeding babies " has gone in phases through

history, and the amount of celiac seems to key into the cultural trends

in feeding babies.

But I think the Asperger traits have to develop when the kid

is small: the brain itself is different probably. Actually I think the brain is

different even before birth, which might mean that the person starts

out with a different brain and it just goes majorly awry if the blood/brain

barrier is compromised (or some such thing). A lot of autistic folks can

remember, for instance, their own birth, which just isn't normal. Most people

forget everything before age 3 or so, which is when the brain does some

major changes. So the question is: is it a genetic difference in brain

ecology, or environmental, or a combination? Does the mother's diet or

other factor influence the brain of the fetus to that great a degree?

I don't think reporting has changed much though, in the last 10 years or so.

And the Autistic kids I know were *obvious* cases, not ones that would

ever have gone unreported.

>

>----------

>

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

Yes, thimerosal was announced to be removed back in 2002, however it's my

understanding from my readings that Vaccines are not required to be

completely thimerosal free until sometime later this year, and that doesn't

include ALL vaccines. Someone correct me if I have my dates mixed up. And

yes, there absolutely IS a direct link between vaccines and the rates of

Autism that the US and several other nations experience. See the following

links

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/7395411

http://www.mercola.com/2005/jul/23/mercury_vaccines.htm

Rolinda

RE:

Date: Thu, 04 Aug 2005 18:16:50 -0400

From: Steph <gasteph7@...>

Subject: Re: Autism rates leveling off in CA

>the rate of increase peaked in 2002 and has dropped slightly since

>then.

Isn't that about the time they stopped using Thimerosol (aka mercury)

in vaccines?

Steph

[Guest guest]

Quoting from " Mastering Leptin " :

" It has been our observation in workin with children who have autism or

Tourett's Syndrome that mothers frequently had issues with fertility,

leptin resisitance, and/or PCOS. This is not 100% of the time, as the

placenta can make these hormones during pregnancy. However, if a

pregnancy is not going smoothly it is common that there is a deficiency

of these important protective hormones.

Children born under such circumstances have a higher risk for being

neurologically adversely affected by chemicals in food, air pollution,

toxins from any infection - esp low grade ongoing GI tract infections,

and immunizations.............

emphasis on a mother having a lack of leptin resistance, PCOS symptoms,

and a smooth running menstural cycle before conceiving. "

Maybe some women in CA diets have been improving, lowering the autism rate?

Jeanne