Articles labeled: autism

We’ve all heard about the “explosion” in autism cases, which naturally leads one to believe that the number of kids afflicted with the disease is on an alarming rise. Well another school of thought is proposing that the numbers are caused by an advance in diagnosing autism, as well as the relatively recent expansion of the “autism umbrella” into a range “autism spectrum disorders” and that the actual number of cases may not really be on the rise at all:

But many experts believe these unsociable behaviors were just about as common 30 or 40 years ago. The recent explosion of cases appears to be mostly caused by a surge in special education services for autistic children, and by a corresponding shift in what doctors call autism.

Autism has always been diagnosed by making judgments about a child’s behavior; there are no blood or biologic tests. For decades, the diagnosis was given only to kids with severe language and social impairments and unusual, repetitious behaviors.

Many children with severe autism hit themselves or others, don’t speak and don’t make eye contact.

As someone who was under the impression that a diagnosis of autism in a child could not be definitive until 4 years old, this is interesting news. The American Academy of Pediatrics today is urging parents to bring their kids in for at least 2 autism screenings before they are 2 years old. Certain warning signs can apparently be seen as early as 4-months-old, and the recommendation is to try to catch and treat cases of autism as early as possible:

The advice is meant to help parents and doctors spot autism sooner. There is no cure for the disorder, but experts say that early therapy can lessen its severity.

Symptoms to watch for and the call for early screening come in two new reports. They are being released by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday at its annual meeting in San Francisco and will appear in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics and on the group’s Web site.

The reports list numerous warning signs, such as a 4-month-old not smiling at the sound of Mom or Dad’s voice, or the loss of language or social skills at any age.

The authors of the report are quick to point out that parents should not freak out if your kid displays a couple of the symptoms, as not all kids with “quirky behavior” are autistic.

Thimerosal doesn’t cause brain damage, so unqualified voices against thimersal really need to find another bandwagon to hop on and stop making unscienfic and false conclusions based on false pretenses and incompetent theories. Just stop it already. Simplying believing that it causes brain damage doesn’t make it so:

In the most recent study funded by the CDC, researchers evaluated more than 1,000 kids between the ages of 7 and 10 who were exposed to various levels of thimerosal as babies.

Researchers tested the children extensively, assessing the children in 42 different areas of neurological functioning and making almost 400 different statistical comparisons. They found that for the vast majority of tests, children with high levels of thimerosal exposure performed equally well compared to children with low exposure levels, indicating that thimerosal has no effect on brain development.

Cook County prosecutors this week outlined their case against a special education teacher at Robert Frost Junior High School in Schaumburg. The teacher, Patrick E. McCarthy, is accused of doing some horrific things to the kids in his class:

[Assistant state’s attorney Lynn] Palac described four specific assaults involving two 12-year-old boys and one 11-year-old boy, all of whom have autism.

In the first instance, McCarthy allegedly threw a box of cookies across the room and swore at a 12-year-old pupil after he took a cookie without asking.

Another time, McCarthy put a weighted vest, commonly used to help calm special-needs children, on the same boy and forced him to jump on a trampoline in the classroom for 30 to 40 minutes, Palac said. When the boy repeatedly tried to get off the trampoline, McCarthy allegedly forced him back on, causing bruises on his legs. Later that night, the boy suffered a seizure, the prosecutor said.

On another occasion, a 12-year-old boy who does not speak overturned his desk and McCarthy allegedly shoved him into a metal cabinet, Palac said.

McCarthy allegedly tied the 11-year-old boy to a chair with a jump rope until he wriggled free. Another time, he shoved the same child into a brick wall, prosecutors said.

While any case of child abuse is shocking, for it to be done by someone who actually made the effort to go through and education program and dedicate their lives to helping disabled kids — well, it’s hard to comprehend.

Drastic situations need drastic measures, so why is this mother upset that law enforcement took a “tough love” approach to saving their autistic son?

Orange County sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday defended their decision to use a stun gun on a 15-year-old autistic boy who ran away from his parents and later dashed into traffic.

Using the Taser in this case “was the right thing to do,” said Jim Amormino, a sheriff’s spokesman. “If that were your son, would you want him Tased or hit by a car? The deputy made the right decision. . . . It could have saved [the boy’s] life.”

The mother’s response:

She said her son would have followed deputies’ directions if he hadn’t felt threatened. “This was a very aggressive response,” she said. She said her son “didn’t have any weapon on him. He didn’t even have a pencil.”