SAR "Healing Autism:
Schafer Autism Report No Finer a Cause on the Planet"
________________________________________________________________
Tuesday, May 9, 2006 Vol. 10 No. 80



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RESEARCH
* The Obfuscation of The Iatrogenic Autism Epidemic
* Gastrointestinal Comorbidity, Autistic Regression and Measles-
Containing Vaccines: Positive Re-Challenge And Biological Gradient

PUBLIC HEALTH
* Analysis: No Malpractice Crisis
* Vaccine Makers Helped Write Frist-Backed Shield Law
* Lead Exposure Tied to ADHD Symptoms

ADVOCACY
* Nonlawyer Father Wins His Suit Over Education, and the Bar Is Upset

LETTERS



RESEARCH

The Obfuscation of The Iatrogenic Autism Epidemic Kenneth P Stoller,
Pediatrician, International Hyperbaric Medical Assoc., in the current
Journal of American Academy of Pediatrics. (5 May 2006)Pediatrician, Post
peer-review letter.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/eletters/117/4/1028

UW-Madison researcher Paul Shattuck concludes that special
International Hyperbaric education figures being used are "faulty and do not
substantiate such a claim" (that there is an autism epidemic). Paul Shattuck
seems to be saying that all the reported autistic children have always been
here, they were just called something else. (Paul T. Shattuck: The
Contribution of Diagnostic Substitution to the Growing article
Administrative Prevalence of Autism in US Special Education, Pediatrics
2006; 117: 1028-1037)
As a pediatrician, who has been in practice for over two decades, I
find it more than a little insulting as well as disturbing to have someone
say that these children were always there. As a scientist, I find the
current approach to the autism epidemic - "The Emperor's New Clothes"
approach - to be deeply disturbing. For years the vaccine division at the
CDC and others have said the reason for the dramatic increase in autism is
due to "better diagnosing" and "greater awareness." They have encouraged
those like Paul Shattuck to manufacture uncertainty. Nevertheless, with
eighty percent of autistic Americans under the age of 18, we will see,
clothes and all, a dramatic impact on Social Security in coming years as
these children become dependent adults. There are no studies that have found
the previously undiagnosed or misdiagnosed autistic individuals among older
Americans. They simply aren't there.
We need to address the real reason for the alarming autism rate. No
more secrets or truth-spinning. This is not a faux epidemiological epidemic,
nor an infectious epidemic, nor a genetic epidemic (as there are no genetic
epidemics). That leaves an epidemic linked to some sort of exposure. Now,
the increase of autism has been linked to the increase in mercury exposure
through fish and industrial sources, amalgam and additionally, through
increased parenteral exposure to ethylmercurithiosalicate.
No controlled, randomized study regarding the safety of amalgam or
ethylmercurithiosalicate exists.
A recent study, using infant Macaca fascicularis primates exposed to
injected ethylmercury or those exposed to equal amounts of ingested
methylmercury, showed that ethylmercuy was retained twice as much inorganic
mercury in their brains in comparison to the methylmercury exposed primates.
(Burbacher T, et al. Comparison of blood and brain mercury levels in infant
monkeys exposed to methylmercury or vaccines containing thimerosal.
Environmental Health Perspectives, 2005 Aug:113(8):1015-21.) These primates
were exposed to mercury levels at a rate equal to what children in the
United States received via standard childhood vaccines from 1991- 2003.
Cysteine and glutathione synthesis are crucial for mercury
detoxification, and are reduced in autistic children, possibly due to
epigenetic polymorphisms. (Deth, R.C.: Truth revealed: New scientific
discoveries regarding mercury in medicine and autism. Congressional
Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives. Subcommittee on human
rights and wellness, Sept. 8. 2004, Waly M et al: Activation of methionine
synthase by insulin-like growth factor1 and dopamine: a target for
neurodevelopmental toxins and thimerosal. Mol. Psychiatry 9, 358-370 2004).
Therefore, autistic children have 20% lower levels of cysteine and 54%
lower levels of glutathione, which adversely affect their ability to
detoxify and excrete metals like mercury. (James, S.J. et al.: Metabolic
biomarkers of increased oxidative stress and impaired methylation capacity
in children with autism. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 80, 1611-1617 2004).This leads
to a higher concentration of free mercury in blood, which then transfers
into tissues and increases the half-life of mercury in the body, as compared
to children with normal levels of cysteine and glutathione. As was shown by
Bradstreet et al (Bradstreet, J et al.: A case control study of mercury
burden in children with autistic spectrum disorders. J. Am. Phys. Surg. 8,
76-79 2003) in a study involving 221 autistic children, vaccinated autistic
children showed about 6 fold elevation of urinary mercury than normal
controls after appropriate mobilization with the chelating agent DMSA.
Delayed detoxification of mercury severely impairs methylation
reactions (required for the correct expression of DNA, RNA, and
neurotransmitters), which further adversely affects growth factor derived
development of the brain and attention abilities. Phospholipid methylation,
which is crucial for attention, is impaired in autistic and attention
deficit hyperactivity disorders. Ethyl mercury levels, seen ten days after
vaccination (Pichichero et al: Mercury concentrations and metabolism in
infants receiving vaccines containing thiomersal: a descriptive study.
Lancet 360, 1737-1741 2002) with ethylmercurithiosalicate doses lower than
what infants received during the 1990s, produced greater than 50% inhibition
of methylation.
In vitro studies have shown that ethylmercurithiosalicate was more
than 100-fold more potent than inorganic mercury in inhibiting such
essential methylation reactions. Inorganic mercury was found to be 10 fold
more potent than lead in inhibition of neuronal microtubule. (Stoiber, T et
al.: Disturbed microtubule function and induction of micronuclei by chelate
complexes of mercury(II). Mutat. Res. 563, 97-106 2004; Thier, R et al.:
Interaction of metal salts with cytoskeletal motor protein systems. Toxicol.
Lett. 140141, 75-81 2003). Inorganic mercury also leads to growth inhibition
and denudation of neuronal growth cones. (Leong, C.C. et al: Retrograde
degeneration of neurite membrane structural integrity of nerve growth cones
following in vitro exposure to mercury. Neuroreport 12, 733-737).
It was also shown that concentrations of ethylmercurithiosalicate,
which can occur after vaccination, induce membrane and DNA damage and
initiate apoptosis in human neurons. (Baskin, D.S. et al: Thimerosal induces
DNA breaks, caspase3 activation, membrane damage, and cell death in cultured
human neurons and fibroblasts. Toxicol. Sci. 74, 361-368 2003).
It has been estimated that about 15% of the population may show
enhanced susceptibility to mercury exposure. Levels of ethyl mercury found 8
days after vaccination leads to 50% inhibition of methionine synthase (MS).
Compounding this toxic sequelae of ethylmercurithiosalicate, neurons are
unable to synthesize cysteine, the rate limiting amino acid for glutathione
synthesis. Thus, neurons are most sensitive to mercury toxicity since
glutathione is the major intracellular agent in mercury and heavy metal
detoxification. It is known that ethylmercurithiosalicate and inorganic
mercury depletes intracellular glutathione levels, which subsequently leads
to oxidative stress, neuronal cytotoxicity and death.
In vitro studies suggest that the neurotoxicity of
ethylmercurithiosalicate is enhanced through neomycin and aluminium
hydroxide (ingredients in vaccines) and testosterone, while estrogen
decreases the toxic effects. Estrogen has been shown to decrease the
toxicity of inorganic mercury which may explain the 4 to 1 ratio of boys to
girls in autism. Lead may play a synergistic pathogenetic role in
neurodevelopment disorders and autism. Combination of lead and mercury
resulted in an increase of toxicity in vitro.
In a first analysis of the VSD datasets, Verstraeten et al had
described a 7.6 to 11.4 fold increase of autism risk in children at one
month, with the highest mercury exposure levels compared to children with no
exposure. In four subsequent separate generations of the analysis, which
involve the exclusion of children with no ethylmercurithiosalicate exposure
and less than two polio vaccines, the statistical significance disappeared.
Ethylmercurithiosalicate was tested only once, by Eli Lilly on 22
adult patients suffering from meningitis. There was no chance for follow- up
to observe long-term effects, as all of the patients in this "study" died.
Even if follow-up had been possible, damage to the developing brains of very
young children would have remained an unknown. Eli Lilly said it was safe
and the medical community accepted it. After the creation of the FDA, its
use was simply continued. The federal government has never tested the type
of mercury in vaccines for toxicity. This is an unconscionable oversight
failure at best, at worse it is an example that we have left consensus
reality to be created by the liars, thieves, cheats, killers, and the PR
junk scientists they employ.
So, here we have a real problem, autism affecting 1 in 166 or even
more - where is the public funding? Where is the public outcry? Where is the
response from academia? There isn't any! But in the case of bird flu, with
no real evidence that the H5N1 virus is a health problem for humans that do
not have the most intimate contact with birds combined with a compromised
immune system, billions of dollars have been allocated to clothe this
"Emperor."
We have troubling glimpses, in the press, of the brand-new bird-flu
containment plan the White House is laying out as detailed in an April 16
Washington Post piece by Ceci Connolly, "U.S. Plan For Flu Pandemic Revealed
Multi-Agency Proposal Awaits Bush's Approval." "...Experts project that the
next pandemic -- depending on severity and countermeasures -- could kill
210,000 to 1.9 million Americans.National Guard troops could be dispatched
to cities facing possible 'insurrection,' said Jeffrey W. Runge, chief
medical officer at the Department of Homeland Security. ...The federal
government --as well as private businesses -- should expect as much as 40
percent of its workforce to be out during a pandemic, said Bruce Gellin,
director of the National Vaccine Program Office at HHS. Some will be sick or
dead; others could be depressed or caring for a loved one or staying at home
to prevent spread of the virus. 'The problem is, you never know which 40
percent will be out,' he said."
Putting down INSURRECTIONS, no more Bills Of Rights for the duration
of the "pandemic." Chaos! Madness! Protect government workers first and
foremost. All based on ZERO scientific evidence, all this is swinging into
gear. April 15, two days before the above Washington Post article, an
article in the Tacoma Tribune by M.A. Otto. It reports on a public-health
conference in downtown Tacoma, with featured speaker, Julie Gerberding, the
head of the CDC. "'There is no evidence it will be the next pandemic,' Dr.
Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in
Atlanta, said of avian flu. There is 'no evidence it is evolving in a
direction that is becoming more transmissible to people.'" "Gerberding's
comments on bird flu contrast earlier statements from the federal government
that tended to emphasize worse-case scenarios."
So, there is no evidence of a pandemic, but thank you for the $7
billion anyway?
We are living in a time where an incredible overplay and lies and
self-aggrandizing behavior and non-science is the norm. Autism is a real
problem, not a potential problem. We have tolerated the junk science that
has covered up the true cause of this epidemic at a considerable cost to
science, the public, and our very way of life in this country. Is it stretch
to realize that by putting our heads in the sand about the autism epidemic
we have made it possible for the groundwork to be put in place for Marshal
Law?
Not something easy to contemplate? Then ask why haven't pediatricians
come forward to demand the end of the use of ethylmercurithiosalicate once
and for all, and to advocate for the treatment of these children before it
is too late? Conflict of Interest: None declared.




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. . .

Gastrointestinal Comorbidity, Autistic Regression and Measles - Containing
Vaccines: Positive Re-Challenge And Biological Gradient Andrew J. Wakefield,
FRCS FRCPath; Carol Stott, PhD; and Kirsten Limb, BS

Medical Veritas 3 (2006) 796-802
http://www.autismrecoverynetwork.org

Abstract Background: A temporal association between exposure to
measles- containing vaccine (MCV) and autistic-like developmental regression
in a sub-set of children with enterocolitis has been reported.
Measles virus (MV) was detected in ileal biopsies from these children
at higher prevalence than in developmentally normal pediatric controls.
This study tested the hypothesis of a dose-response effect of MCV
exposure on intestinal pathology, as evidence of a causal association.
Methodology/Principle Findings: Children with normal early development
and autistic-like developmental regression were divided into two groups:
re-exposed children (n=23), who had received more than one dose of a
measles-containing vaccine (MCV), and once- exposed children (n=23), who had
received only one dose of MCV. The groups were matched for sex, age, and
time-elapsed from first exposure to endoscopy. Comparisons included:
secondary (2o) gastrointestinal (GI) and related physical symptoms and
observer- blinded scores of endoscopic and histological disease. Re-exposed
children scored significantly higher than once-exposed for 2o physical
symptoms including incontinence, presence of severe ileal lymphoid
hyperplasia, number of biopsies with epithelial damage and number of
children with acute inflammation. Markers of acute inflammation included
number of children affected and proportion of biopsies affected
Conclusion/Significance: The data identify a re-challenge effect on symptoms
and a biological gradient effect on intestinal pathology, which links MCV
exposure to autistic-like developmental regression and enterocolitis.
For the rest of the story go to:
Medical Veritas 3 (2006) 796-802

+ To read the entire paper: http://www.autismrecoverynetwork.org





EVIDENCE OF HARM DISCUSSION LIST HEATS UP
AS MERCURY LINK TO AUTISM QUESTION SPREADS

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. . .

PUBLIC HEALTH

Analysis: No Malpractice Crisis

http://tinyurl.com/oyd6e

UPI - Medical liability insurance premiums, which have grown slowly
and comprise a small part of overall physician expenses, are not at crisis
levels, a new study has found.
"It's clear that the best available evidence we have shows claims of a
crisis are greatly exaggerated," study lead author Mark Rodwin, a professor
of health law and policy as Suffolk University law school, told United Press
International.
Two bills were being considered in the Senate Monday that would cap
pain-and-suffering damages in medical liability lawsuits, motivated at least
in part by claims that the high-dollar amounts awarded by juries have made
premiums unaffordable for doctors, in turn creating care access problems for
patients.
"Insurance premiums can be hundreds of thousands of dollars per year,"
Rebecca J. Patchin, a board member of the American Medical Association,
which supports the liability caps, told UPI. "When premiums escalate, we see
doctors relocating, retiring, or restricting their practice to reduce risk."
But the study, based on a new data source, challenges the claim that
premiums are going through the roof.
Self-employed physicians paid lower premiums in 2000 than they did in
1986, according to the study of survey data of self-employed physicians
collected by the AMA from 1970 to 2000 that will appear in the May/June
edition of the journal Health Affairs.
In constant 2000 dollars, mean malpractice premiums rose from $5,934
in 1970 to $20,106 in 1986, then declined to $15,478 by 1996. They then
increased again, but in 2000, mean premiums were $18,400, still below the
1986 level.
In addition, over the same period, premiums decreased from 11 percent
of physician expenses to 7 percent as the cost of operating a practice
skyrocketed from $185,981 to $246,000.
"The real question is why, if everything else is rising at such a high
rate, premiums aren't," Rodwin said.
The reason earlier studies have found premium increases, he explained,
is that they are based on prices published in the Medical Liability Monitor
Reporter and not on what physicians actually pay.
The AMA data, which are used by many scholars and the Medicare Payment
Advisory Commission, he said, shows that many doctors are able to negotiate
lower rates.
The study also found that the overall trend was virtually identical
across nine national regions, and even high-risk specialties like
obstetrics, surgery and anesthesiology.
Because premiums are such a small part of expenses, Rodwin said, caps
on damages will not solve physician access problems, which are more likely
due to Medicaid reimbursement rates and the high rate of uninsurance.
A recent study by Emory University professor Kenneth Thorpe found that
liability caps reduced premiums by about 12 percent, Rodwin said, but that,
given the overall picture, that doesn't amount to very much.
"Twelve percent of a small number is still a small number," he said.
The data, which is not more specific than regions, could be concealing
the fact that there are some local crises, he said, but those crises should
not be the impetus for national law changes.
Patchin, however, said because the survey data ends in 2000, it is
"obsolete at best" and doesn't include the recent crisis in the last six
years.
"There have been many changes in the marketplace and premium costs in
the past six years," she said, and many localities are already feeling the
effects of limited physician services because of the lack of reform.
In states like Texas, which have already imposed caps, premiums have
gone down significantly and access has increased, she said, and national
liability reform would "help many physicians -- and in turn patients --
across the country."
But Rodwin countered that, even if one accepts the 2000 to 2006 MLMR
premium growth data, no crisis becomes apparent because the beginning
fraction of physician expenses attributable to premiums is so small. "You
can do the math - you're still talking small numbers," he said. "When
someone is harmed or permanently injured, and there's negligence involved,
why not just let them be compensated by private insurance that doctors can
still afford?"

. . .

Vaccine Makers Helped Write Frist-Backed Shield Law E-mails reveal private
meetings

By Bill Theobald for the Tennessean http://tinyurl.com/od72c

Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes
that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to
shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public
advocacy group.
E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers
show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House
about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed
by people hurt by the vaccines.
The communications were made public in a report released this week by
the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in The
Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.,
ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill
in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice.
The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted such
language in the bill, the e-mails reflect.
"At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I)
participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives (Sanofi
and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche, I believe),
administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further
discuss liability," BIO official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail
obtained by Public Citizen.
In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the
senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability protection in
the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue of the influence of
industry lobbyists.
The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes
prominent trial lawyers and liberals. "Trial lawyers oppose these provisions
because it will strip them of the ability to line their pockets at the
expense of the American public," Call said.
Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to
the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief lobbyist for
the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis of draft legislation.
The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine maker
could only be successfully sued if "willful misconduct" on its part were
proved. The law includes that standard and says a company is protected from
claims of negligence or recklessness.
The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's
concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people hurt by
vaccines to get jury trials.
"The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic," the
analysis said. "Where injured parties have no other avenue for relief,
juries are likely to find ways to award damages."
+ Read more: http://tinyurl.com/od72c

. . .

Lead Exposure Tied to ADHD Symptoms
Significant effect seen in children with particular gene types, study
reports

By Serena Gordon for HealthDay http://tinyurl.com/jrjj6

It's known that lead exposure poses serious health risks, including
cognitive function problems.
But new research suggests that certain children are more likely to
develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when exposed to lead
in their environment.
The study found that youngsters with a specific genetic variation in a
dopamine receptor, dubbed DRD4-7, had more problems with tasks that required
attention and flexibility. The researchers also found that boys exposed to
lead were at greater risk of attention problems than girls.
"Lead exposure leads to problems with attention and executive
function. And certain kids are going to be more affected by the adverse
effects of lead," said study author Dr. Tanya Froehlich, a developmental,
behavioral and pediatric specialist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Medical Center.
Froehlich was expected to present the findings at the Pediatric
Academic Societies annual meeting, in San Francisco.
An estimated 3 percent to 5 percent of American children -- 2 million
-- have ADHD. Symptoms include the inability to pay attention, hyperactivity
and impulsive behavior. The exact cause of ADHD isn't known, but there are
numerous theories as to what contributes to its development. Environmental
factors, such as lead exposure, have long been suspected of being a
contributing factor, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Since lead exposure can contribute to problems with attention and
executive function -- the ability to plan and organize behavior -- and
people with ADHD also have problems with attention and executive function,
the researchers thought there might be some genetic connection.
+ Read more: http://tinyurl.com/jrjj6

. . .

ADVOCACY

Nonlawyer Father Wins His Suit Over Education, and the Bar Is Upset

By Adam Liptak for the NY Times Published: May 6, 2006

Editor's note: Last week we reprinted some local reports on this
subject. This report from the NY Times has more details and the issues are
far from settled. -LS

Several years ago, Brian Woods sued the school board in Akron, Ohio,
on behalf of his autistic son Daniel. Mr. Woods wanted to make sure that
Daniel received an appropriate education, and he won several concessions and
about $160,000.
She said lawyers wanted thousands of dollars to help Jacob, who is
autistic. "We had no money, and we had nowhere to send Jacob to school," she
said.
"I soundly defeated a team of lawyers," Mr. Woods, an adjunct
professor at Cuyahoga Community College, said yesterday.
When the Cleveland Bar Association got wind of Mr. Woods's victory
recently, it also went to court - to sue Mr. Woods.
The bar association said he had engaged in the unauthorized practice
of law. It sought a $10,000 fine, lawyers' fees and a promise that he would
not continue to assist other parents seeking to represent their own children
in court.
The Ohio Supreme Court was not impressed. On April 20, it ordered the
bar association to produce evidence by next week in support of its
complaint, saying the available facts suggest that Mr. Woods "has not
engaged in the unauthorized practice of law."
With that deadline looming and after reports on the controversy in The
Plain Dealer in Cleveland, the bar association backed down. Sort of.
In a statement on Wednesday, its president, P. Kelly Tompkins, said
the complaint against Mr. Woods "had a legitimate, technical basis." Mr.
Woods did, after all, represent someone else in court - his son - without
being a lawyer.
The filing of the complaint was nonetheless a mistake, Mr. Tompkins
said, withdrawing it and apologizing to the Woods family. The association
should not have considered filing the complaint, he said, until after the
United States Supreme Court acted in a case it might decide to hear this
month.
That case involves two other Ohio parents, Jeff and Sandee Winkelman.
In November, the federal appeals court in Cincinnati gave the Winkelmans,
who had been representing their autistic son Jacob in a suit against the
Parma, Ohio, school district, 30 days to find a lawyer or have their case
dismissed. Justice John Paul Stevens issued a stay of that order in
December.
Federal courts around the country are divided over the circumstances
in which parents who are not lawyers may represent their children in federal
court under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.
Ms. Winkelman said the ruling of the appeals court effectively barred
the courthouse doors to her son. Her family, she said, simply could not
afford a lawyer.
"One quoted $60,000," Ms. Winkelman said. "She wanted $2,600,
biweekly. I was in tears. I decided to go on my own. We had no money, and we
had nowhere to send Jacob to school. When you're in a do-or-die situation,
you do what you have to do."
Christina H. Peer, a lawyer for the Parma district, said there were
good reasons for requiring that only lawyers might handle such cases.
"People who are not attorneys cannot represent the interests of
another in a court of law," Ms. Peer said.
Where disabled minors are involved, she added, courts should be even
more reluctant to let others, even parents, speak on the minors' behalf.
"Do they have the skills," Ms. Peer asked, "to adequately represent
the rights of their children?"
A lawyer for Susan Woods, Daniel's mother, said he was furious that
the bar association had pursued charges of unauthorized practice of law
against her and her husband.
"I'm very angry about it," the lawyer, Allan M. Michelson, said. "I'm
upset that my fellow attorneys should spend their time like this."
In an interview, Mr. Tompkins of the bar association sounded
conciliatory.
"Our board had not approved this filing," he said. "We had a breakdown
internally on this."
But he refused to rule out the possibility of further action after the
Supreme Court acted in the Winkelman case.
"We'll stand down until it's resolved," Mr. Tompkins said.
Mr. Woods said he suspected that the peace might be temporary.
"The issue is," he said, "to shut me up so that I can't beat them
again."

. . .

LETTERS

Discouraging Time

For many of us, the Time magazine story "A Tale of Two Schools" was
discouraging.
My home state of Texas -- like many states outside the Northeast-- has
a handful of good private programs, but parents pick up the entire tab (Due
process cases to recoup costs are rarely successful). The Time article
portrays two excellent but budget-busting programs that taxpayers fund,
thereby conveying the incorrect impression that such large public
expenditures on autistic kids are common everywhere. Imagine the reaction of
Time's readers, who will believe that enough -- indeed, too much -- money is
being spent on children with autism. Would it be that this were the case,
and would that Time magazine had made the real situation clear: that huge
disparities in special education and other services for people with autism
and other disabilities exist among the states.
- Polly Morrice


Don't Get It, Need Help on Myth of Autism

I'm not a medical professional and did not enjoy science at all in
school. Given that premise, I'm confused about Myth No. 4: "You're born
with autism". And the response, "On average, autism is diagnosed at 44
months of age."
I realize there are some diseases, such as adult onset of diabetes,
that one can develop in later years and a person is not born with. I also
agree that there is probably some environmental component that may trigger
autism, but wouldn't that mean that the underlying cause was already
present. And if so, wouldn't it have been at birth? Isn't that the
"genetic" part that people talk about? You don't "catch" autism like you
catch a cold or get infected through a virus, so it got there somehow. My
son was diagnosed at around 42 months, but the underlying signs started
appearing long before that.
Please help this informed but scientifically uneducated parent.
- Phillip Hain, Glendale, CA


SAR Helped

I had read about a month ago an article in the SAR about upper
cervical adjustments. I thought this was a fairly non-invasive and
inexpensive treatment to try. I brought the article to my chiropractor and
we decided to try it. He also has a massage therapist at his facility. So,
he did an upper cervical adjustment and the massage therapist performed a
cranial sacuum (not sure of the spelling) massage. After the first
treatment I noticed direct eye contact when my son spoke to me. He looked
me right in the eyes and said "You look very pretty today mom." I was
totally flabbergasted! My son was diagnosed with severe autism at 30 months
and then with Landau-Kleffner at the age of 5 1/2 years. He had an IVIG
treatment at 6 years which started his speech again. But his speech is very
limited and has made slow but steady progress since then.
He has had 5 adjustments and cranial massages now and continues to
improve in speech and social settings. He actually left his classmates of
multiple disabilities on the playground at school to play with the other 3rd
grade kids in a game of kickball. He also chooses to sit with the 'regular'
third graders at lunch instead of with his classmates. His teacher is
totally amazed. I did not let her know he was receiving any new treatments
until after she told of his improvements in school.
- Diane Paliscak

SAR Helped Here, Too

I am an avid reader of the SAR and would be happy to pay a
subscription fee to continue receiving it. You have to know it is
invaluable to those of us who are busy caring for and seeking a cure for our
children. We don't have time to do what you do for us -- bring us the
pertinent information that we need. Many, many thanks for what you do, for
what you bring to our lives. And for your sense of humor!
- Lisa

Response: read the response to the next letter. Sense of humor?


And Here SAR Helped, Too.

Thank for you introducing us to the work of Dr. Ron Calvanio. (For
Autistic Students, Social Skills From A Handheld Device, May 4, SAR) He is
using Personal Digital Assistants, PDAs to help the Asperger population
improve their social and organizational skills. As a result of your column,
I was able to connect with him personally and will meet with him in MA.
PLEASE let us know where we can send you a donation?
- Dr. Bill and Jerrine Murphy

Response: We have received many offers of donations and readers
willing to support our efforts with a paid subscription (optional). We are
working on finishing the web pages that will handle all this and hopefully,
hopefully, we'll have it ready soon. -LS



Public Service Announcement to the Reader:

AUTISM IS TREATABLE. Consult these sources:

. Autism Research Institute
http://www.autismwebsite.com/ari/index.htm

. Generation Rescue http://www.generationrescue.org



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Lenny Schafer, Editor edit@... Teresa Conrick Edward Decelie
Richard Miles