Saw this, thought I'd share
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| Tue, 01-16-2007 - 12:28pm |
Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. I am having issues with my pregnancy. I have be spotting so needless to say, I am wrapped up with miscarriage worries. I am ok, just scared. I pray so hard for this baby.
I'll keep ya posted.
In the meantime, I found this little tid bit to share with my ladies
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Time Magazine Wonders... Is the Autism Epidemic for Real?
In an article entitled "What Autism Epidemic?", Time Magazine questions the whole idea that autism spectrum disorders are a new and rampant problem. Citing "Unstrange Minds," a new book (soon to be reviewed on this site) by anthropologist Roy Richard Grinker, Time suggests that the apparent epidemic is really a combination of new awareness, broader definitions, relabeling, and other changes in American policy and culture.
Personally, I think there's something to this argument. In my article "Is Autism on the Rise?" I outlined some of the questions surrounding this debate -- and in my research on the topic I found a great deal of evidence that at least some of the epidemic is more statistical than it is actual. Asperger Syndrome didn't even exist as a diagnosis 20 years ago, so the fact that diagnoses are soaring is hardly surprising.
It's still the case, however, that information is lacking that could really settle the debate. For example -- we just don't know whether to what degree classic, unmistakable autism is truly on the rise (as opposed to, for example, high functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome, which could more easily be mistaken for other disorders). We don't really know to what degree children have been diagnosed with autism because they would more easily gain access to services for other disorders such as speech delays. We haven't got good statistical evidence that autism diagnoses have replaced what would, before the 1990's, have been mental retardation diagnoses.
What's your take on this question? Is there a real autism epidemic? Or are many other factors combining to create the appearance of a true epidemic?
Tuesday January 16, 2007 | comments (0)
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Honestly I think (and this will sound like a cop out) there's merit to both sides of the argument. True AS wasn't a dx until a few years ago, but I also feel the changes we have perpetuated on the environment, medicine etc has affected the rise of many neurologiocal disorders.
First of all.. good luck with your pregnancy... take it easy.. sending good vibes your way.
I also read about this Time article, it might have been mentioned in our local paper. I'm not really sure how I feel about it.. but there was another article I read that was on a similar subject. You're from PA, right? Well the recently elected PA house speaker(Dennis O'Brien) is known for advocacy work for kids with Dev disabilities, specifically autism. Here's a link to an article about that, hope it doesn't get eaten..
http://cbs3.com/pennsylvaniawire/PA--AutismServices_d_n_0pa--/resources_news_html
Anyway, I'm not trying to hijack the thread, the relevence is in these paragraphs from the article which I'll copy and paste..
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The Autism Society of America estimates that as many as 1.5 million Americans have some form of autism. During the 2005-06 school year, autistic children accounted for a little more than 3 percent of the 270,075 children enrolled in special-education programs, according to the state Education Department.
State public-welfare officials, who oversee programs for the developmentally disabled, do not know how many Pennsylvania children and adults are affected by autism, but are in the process of compiling statistics, Department of Public Welfare spokeswoman Stacey Ward said.
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What I found troubling here is that, in a state as large as Pennsylvania, they really don't know how many kids or adults are dx with autism!! It's not like it's a brand new thing. How can anyone gauge whether there is or isn't an epidemic if there aren't accurate statistics?
On a related note.. while trying to find a link for the PA house speaker stuff, I found this article in a Pittsburgh, PA paper..
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07008/752085-114.stm
Again, this is what struck me in the article regarding PA and autism services..
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The autism report decried the state's failure to coordinate services for people with autism, the absence of programs for adults with autism unless they also have mental retardation, the lack of public education and awareness programs relating to autism, and other perceived inequities compared to other types of disabilities.
While autistic individuals often have retardation, with an IQ below 70, they also have distinct problems with compulsive or anti-social behavior. The 2005 report identified Pennsylvania as among the states providing the least in the way of services and funding specifically to assist individuals and families dealing with the neurological disorder.
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I found it interesting and disappointing to learn that PA is at the bottom of the states in providing autism related services. And again.. the relevance to the Time article is that in MHO, in PA, people with autism might still be given "other" dxs, in order for them to get the services they need, not the other way around as the article suggests.
It makes for an even more interesting debate.
Kate
P.S. if you read the articles.. they leave something to be desired in their "one size fits all" descriptions of autism.
Dee, I don't think it is a cop out. I think it is both as well.
First, AS was not diagnosed until 1994 and most of the more able or more verbal end of the spectrum was not either. Most were misdiagnosed as having other disorders.
However, on a whole all neuro-behavioral disorders are on the rise. It is just that autism is most noted in news. I don't know the rates of other disorders but there is no doubt that one a whole children with special needs are way more prevalent now than they were when we were kids. IDEA and school districts can barely keep up with the number of kids who qualify for special education.
It used to be that only 5% of kids would be in special ed, now it is more like 10-15%. Lets take my 1st graders class. I know this because I volunteer in there and I see the kids go to speech, RSP, etc. Plus dave is in speech with many. I know in a class of 19 there are 2 kids at least who go to RSP, there are an additional at least 2 that are on an IEP for speech (dave being one). THat is 4 kids out of 19 or more than 25%. This is the way it has been in each and every one of my kids classes. There are always at least 3-5 who are pulled out for special ed services regularly.
The amazing thing is that Autism is still a relatively low incidence disability as far as IEP's go. Believe it or not I think it is like 5-6% of kids with IEPS have autism. I have it in one of my texts. I have to look it up but the text is 2006 so I know it is relatively recent data.
There is something DEFINITELY going on in our society causing more children to be non-typical than in years past.
Is it our environment? Is it higher expectations that kids can't keep up with? WHo knows, probably both, but something has changed.
Renee
We may never know! It's all uncharted territory and we are the involuntary pioneers. I do know that they know 1 in 3 of children with ASD have seizures or seizure activity. I don't know if I've ever read anything that would indicate this is on the rise dramatically as well. It seems one of the easiest correlations to try and look at, but I've not seen anyone compare this relationship.
Other things are known to be on a dramatic rise. Asthma, allergies and preocious puberty to name a few. I would think these things would not be as hazy to dx even in the past. These things are in tangent with the endocrine system, just as ASD is an endocrine system/nervous system sensitive disorder. I think it's easier to fugde ASD because on the outset it seems more of a behavioral or cognitive issue, but it's hard for me not to see it as similar to the above issues because I believe ASD is a medical issue as are the asthma and such, not a mental one.
I do think there could be better awareness, but I think you take someone genetically vunerable to say, asthma or allergies, etc who would in a purist state would have not had these problems emerge, but then put into a world that is inundated with endocrine disrupting chemicals (or diet or what-have-you) then it will trip them into disease sooner than someone not as genetically vunerable.
It does make me wonder how someone like my dd would make it out on the world or even be able to raise a family without being noticed? Are these people now homeless persons? In jail? On the fringes of survival as adults? Wouldn't the more affected person on the ASD continuum also be in greater numbers? Or, has already been asked many times...where are all the adults? Would their numbers tell us something? I guess there would have to be someone keeping score of the degrees of ASD then too.
It is good to be open to all possibilities one way or the other tho. I guess the jury is still out on this one. I am decidedly confused, but in my case, I believe it's in my family and goes back to at least my grandfather who was schizophrenic (also on the ASD continuum). I suspect even further back tho. I think my dd and her generation of cousins are more medically impacted than her older relatives. They didn't have as much of the medical stuff as children as my young cousins do now in addition to carrying the cognitive issues, such as seizures, type I diabetes, etc.
You know I also live in PA and I have actualyl found that on a preschool/Early Intervention level the services are very good.
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I definitely agree with you about the pre-school services in PA being good, that was our experience as well. If you read my thread about kindy, that was the main reason we held Ryan back.
But now that I think of it, when we were getting preschool services from the I.U., the word autism or Aspergers is not mentioned in any evaluation. Now our I.U. evals never involved a psychologist or anything, just the typical OT, PT, ST, and "itinerant" or whatever.. we got the AS dx from 2 dev peds and psychiatrist, around the same time we contacted the I.U. We shared the reports from those professionals with the I.U. The I.U. evals focused on delays in fine/gross motor, whatever.. but did not specifically mention autism. They seemed reluctant to label him, it was weird. We never questioned it, because, as I said, we were happy with the services and the therapists.
However, ds is in the Autism disability category for his IEP with the school district.
I agree that services in PA for autistic adults leave much to be desired.
Kate