Fw: Washington Post: Autism's New Face In Soaring Numbers...

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----- Original Message -----

From: " Bunny Snow " <sksnow@...>

Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 11:16 AM

Subject: Washington Post: Autism's New Face In Soaring Numbers...

> A very good and very long article on autism is in the Washington Post

> today. The URL is

>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/2000-03/26/248l-032600-idx.html

>

> Title:

> Autism's New Face In Soaring Numbers, Children Are Diagnosed With Mild,

> Treatable Symptoms of Disorder

>

> By Brown

> Washington Post Staff Writer

> Sunday, March 26, 2000; Page A01

>

> Some excerpts:

>

> **...Some researchers and parents say yes, and they suspect that

> environmental toxins or childhood vaccines are causing the increase.

> Other experts, however, believe the numbers are rising steeply because

> children previously labeled with other disabilities--or missed

> altogether--are now being moved into the right diagnostic

> category...Recently a team of researchers in Baltimore reported a

> higher-than-expected prevalence of autoimmune diseases in relatives of

> autistic children. Some people believe as-yet-unidentified environmental

> toxins may explain both problems.

>

> The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry recently

> finished a study of Brick Township, N.J., a community north of Atlantic

> City where the childhood prevalence of autism is reputed to be 1 in 200.

> Although the agency's final report (and a formal prevalence survey by

> the CDC) will not be released until later this spring, a registry

> scientist, Tomas Mignone, said recently that the town's water system,

> which supplies all residences, meets state and federal purity standards

> and that no unusual airborne pollutants have been found...The number of

> children who are considered autistic is rising at a much faster rate

> than with other disabilities...**

>