From HuffPost: Why all the autism?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

There is no such thing as a genetic epidemic. Yet U.S. autism rates have gone from about 1-in-5000 in the 1980s to 1-in-166 today. But if autism is purely genetic (without an environmental "trigger") and has always been prevalent at the same constant rate, then where are the 1-in-166 autistic 25-year-olds (those born in 1980)? Where are the 1-in-166 autistic 55-year-olds? Why can't we find them?

http://www.evidenceofharm.com

Ponder.

[Cha]

1. I've read in times past that

autism could be from a result of mercury in the shots they give to kids. eli lilly?

[Kerrytravelers]

2. I work with special needs kids. Frequently, I work with austic children.

I have often wondered this myself.

I use to think maybe the man-made sugars and other junk thet we're putting in our bodies, or the exposures to chemicals and pollutions we've never had before caused a variety of issues.

Since autism is genetic, I don't think outside sources can cause this, but I could cerainly be wrong. Any siceintis here want to pipe in and let us know, I'd love to hear it. I find this an interesting subject.

I still wonder if all the above mentions do play a role in ADD and ADHD.

Good post. Thanks. I hope we can all learn something and not just flame away at one another.

[megatherium]

5. Is autism genetic? I'm not sure they know the cause.

But I've heard the theory that autism is linked to logical left-brained sorts of personalities, such as engineers; if two engineers get married (common in California, where the autism epidemic is particularly worrisome), they have a higher probability of having an autistic child. (I have a close friend who is a software engineer and who has an autistic son.)

Another theory to explain the high rate of autism is that lots of children who decades ago would have been diagnosed as mentally retarded are now diagnosed as autistic. I also suspect a lot of people are diagnosed as high-functioning autistic who in former times would have had no medical diagnosis at all. I have at least one friend who has Aspergers; it never occurred to me he has this condition.

The mercury theory is intriguing but there are good studies that weaken the link to vaccines. E.g., I recall reading that certain Scandinavian countries banned mercury in vaccines years ago but still are having increasing autism rates.

By the way, there is a fascinating web site on this subject: www.neurodiversity.org

[Kerrytravelers]

3. kick

[TalkingDog]

4. Why the Amish don't have autistic children.

http://www.mercola.com/2005/may/4/amish_autism.htm

[faithnotgreed]

7. i completely believe in mercury toxicity (amalgams vaccines air water etc)

and strongly believe in its connection to a host of disease incl autism

btw - i have dr mercolas site bookmarked

[bleedingheart]

10. but the Amish have a host of other issues genetically speaking

I am from PA and there is a brochure they give you when your baby is born and about half the diseases they test infants for have a warning about how they are specifically related to people of Amish descent.

[TalkingDog]

12. which would lead one to believe

that if autism were entirely genetic, it would show up within that plethora of problems somewhere.

Shaken Baby Syndrome is another problem that seems to clear up when babies aren't vaccinated. Some fascinating studies in Japan and Austrailia.

[riverwalker]

6. Aspartame. n/t

[Deja Q]

8. Asparteme, mercury in fish, video games, men w/hair growing in their ears.

A lot of it is environmental too. Or the environment could create a condition similar to it...?

[Gabi Hayes]

9. whuh? so answer me this, smartypants

A holandric gene is known in humans that causes long hair to grow on the external ears. When men with hairy ears marry normal women, what ratio of hairy eared:normal children is expected?

a) 0
b) 1 : 1
c) 3 : 1
d) 1 : 2 : 1

[KamaAina]

11. Maybe they're all hanging out at DU

and that's why we can't find them. :-)

Seriously, though I know I'm not the only one around here, we couldn't make that much of a dent in the figures even if all 70,000 of us had autism!

I'm flummoxed, and I actually worked in the field for a few years. One approach to searching for an environmental trigger might be to look for substances first introduced into the environment around the time the rates began to take off -- aspartame, for instance.

[NMMNG]

13. Autism rate increase

Researchers theorize that autism rate increases can be linked to a variety of factors including antibiotics, thimerosol (a preservative derived from mercury) found in vaccines, and environmental pollution. One somewhat well-known case occurred in Leominster MA. Both employees of the plant and people who lived near the site where the plant dumped their waste had an abnormally high number of children with autism. Studies were conducted to determine if there was a connection. Apparently no conclusive evidence was found, but some claim that the technology used in the tests was outdated so "the jury is still out", so to speak.




http://www.autismwebsite.com/arri/v143/page1.pdf
http://www.autismwebsite.com/arri/v093/page3.pdf
http://www.autismwebsite.com/arri/v062/page1.pdf
http://www.autismwebsite.com/arri/v044/page6.pdf
http://www.autismwebsite.com/arri/v081/page4.pdf

[spindoctor]

14. HFCS is my favorit suspect

There's been a rise in all kinds of mental conditions in kids since we started sweetening our food with corn syrup.

I believe we are also out of sync with the rest of the world, that uses primarily beets.

So far I have not been able to find any evidence to back this up.