This talk of Deej and what not has me to thinking: what experience do some of you have with autism?  First off, let's regard autism as the "spectrum" disorder that it is, and not *necessarily* just the "plate spinners" many of you may be thinking of.  To be succinct, Autism consists of a broad spectrum of disorders ranging from the almost undetectable to the severely affected.  Think of it as a scale of 1 to 100, where the "plate spinner" is 100 and the somewhat aloof software engineer is the 1, autism just the same.  More than 1 in 500 are now believed to be in the spectrum, in part due to that so many more things previously thought of as independent are no grouped in, such as ADD (yes, though SEVERELY overdiagnosed, there *IS* such a thing), "hyperactivity", and other such fringe afflictions.  So, now that we understand that autism is a word representative of a spectrum of disorders, what experience do some of you have with it?

I ask because as the father of an autistic youngster, I obviously have a vested interest in this subject.  Luckily for him, my Son, Daniel, has been diagnosed with PDD/NOS, or Pervasive Disability Disorder, not otherwise specified.  This, my friends, would be the "1" on the scale.  He was diagnosed a year and a half ago, and attends a special school to assist him with his disabilities.  Those diabilities are spacial-language awareness and social skills, for the most part.  He is kind, very verbal, though somewhat steriotypical in his language, loving, quite self aware, yadda yadda.  He also is hyperlexic, meaning, he has been reading since age 1.5, he is now 4 and spells better than his sister, who is in 4th grade.  He can, and always could, read any writing, be it in cursive, upper or lower case, backwards, mirror-imaged, whatever, he can read anything.  He also is quite skilled in foreign language, being that he is learning Spanish and has picked up some Japanese via his videos.  He is, as well, a Deadhead!  He loves the Grateful Dead Movie, is watching it right now, and gets upset with me if I don't have shows on me when we're in the car.  Like I said, he is quite lucky, and will come out of all of this as a VERY well educated, valuable though at least somewhat socially awkward member of our society.

Many, sadly, cannot.  He attends school with a couple like that.  Sweet, good kids, but it is clear that they will be incapable of self-sustinence.  I guess, I just wanted to make some of you who know me, or are at least familiar with my screen persona, aware that this is quite pervasive, for a variety of reasons, out there thses days.  Autism, that is.  I have seen many, many MANY positive posts and responses from the majority of you regarding handicaps and this one in particular, but I have also witnessed some scathing remarks.  Remarks that I believe could only have come from a place of ignorance, and not the place of spite that is immediately evident.  I have had very interesting sidebar conversation with Kacer on this subject, and have appreciated her wisdom.  Still working on that book?  I also wanted to hear what experiences, on a personal level, some of you may have.

I can honestly say that I knew NOTHING about autism prior to my son's diagnosis.  As all parents with a child who has a hurdle to overcome must strive to do, though, I have become quite educated on the subject, moreso than anyone without a personal connection could justify doing.  He's an interesting little fellow, and has taught me MUCH.  So, anyone with anything they can share?

But first, the obligatory Cute Kid Pics!

My first ex wife worked with severly autistic kids.  So she taught them all show toons I used to go up to her work to visit her a lot, it gives you a unique perspective.

I've always found mildly autistic people's abilities fascinating. Their memory ability, in particular. We've got one here on the rig, he has a fondness of sports statistics. Fascinating guy to talk to.

maybe they are all normal and we are the autistic ones. Thats pretty deep huh.

Quoted: I've always found mildly autistic people's abilities fascinating. Their memory ability, in particular. We've got one here on the rig, he has a fondness of sports statistics. Fascinating guy to talk to.

True dat.  Tell Daniel your birthday once, he knows it.  Same with your name, even if you didn't tell it to him.  We have to be quite careful with our side conversations, as there is no such thing.  If we're talking to, say, other parents at a park and introduce names, when we leave, Daniel will say "goodbye insert-name-here" to them, having never been told their name.  

It's also quite interesting how D learns language, even his own.  He learns language as you and I would learn a foreign language, from the outside in, not inside out.  Language to him is a logic string.  If someone says or asks "X", there is an ever expanding set of appropriate responses, as is there an increasingly liquid pool of language strings for him to personally express.  The result is, as I have already mentioned, occasionally steriotypical language, as he pulls form a known set of strings.  Programming or any other logic skill will be his strong points, methinks.

Can he help you win at games of chance?

What I know is that applied behavior analysis works wonders with autistic kids.  If you already know this , then just skip it.  

An applied behavior analyst will work with your and or your wife to set up contingencies of reinforcement  for desirable behavior and learn how to be consistent with them.  Their time is expensive, but the results can be remarkable.

Talk to your doctor about it. Sometimes it goes by the name Lovaas technique.  

The applied behavior analyst should be board certified.   Board

Here is a nifty site about applied behavior analysis info

My ex fiance's brother is severely autistic.  He is also blind on top of it.  He is 26 and is the sweetest, most interesting person to be around.  I don't know what you mean by "plate spinners", but on your scale he is probably a 80.  He will never be able to function in society.  He can not be alone and always needs constant attention.  He can not shower himself or wipe himself after going to the bathroom.  Do to being blind he needs his food cut up, things handed to him, etc.   He needs alot of attention.  He would come spend every other weekend with us and we would have a blast.   He doesn't have any behavoral problems, he is a real sweet guy.  But he just needs a steady routine and good conversation to stay happy.   Eventially when his mother dies he will live with his sister( my ex fiance).  I always enjoyed the time I spent with him.

I too did not know anything about autism until I meet him, but I am glad I know now.  People with autism, no matter where they are on the spectrum, are all great and interesting people.

The_Camp_Ninja,  I share your pain and joy brother.  My son (also Daniel) was diagnosed with autism (PDD/NOS) at age 2.  Unlike your son, my Daniel is verbally and socially delayed.  He has been enrolled in special education (currently the STRIVE program) since age 3 - he is presently 16.  As you are well aware it is challenging and rewarding raising a "special" child.  My wife and I firmly believe that God gave us Danny because he knew we would love and cherish him to the best of our ability.  Not to say that there aren't difficult times.  These kids can be truly amazing if you can get past the fact that they are "different".  You also have to keep things in perspective - there are kids in my son's class who are much worse off than he.  Best of luck with your son - he sounds lucky to have a great family around him.

Quoted: What I know is that applied behavior analysis works wonders with autistic kids.  If you already know this , then just skip it.   An applied behavior analyst will work with your and or your wife to set up contingencies of reinforcement  for desirable behavior and learn how to be consistent with them.  Their time is expensive, but the results can be remarkable. Talk to your doctor about it. Sometimes it goes by the name Lovaas technique.   The applied behavior analyst should be board certified.   Board Here is a nifty site about applied behavior analysis info

We were relieved to be told he was not, due to his relatively low level on the spectrum, in need of such.

My son William is autistic.  He was very low functioning when he was young.  He did not learn to talk until he was 6 and then immediately began talking in full sentences.  He is not a kid you can pick out of in a crowd from initial observation but typical most people can tell Will's a little 'off' right away.  Socially he's immature.  If something is important to him he will not let it go.  If something is not important to him he can hardly pay attention.  Some of his behavior mimics typical teenage boy behavior [ie being motivated to do his history homework] however he is not typical in anyway shape or form.  His autism has advantages and disadvantages, but like most things in life these can be double sworded.  An advantage that he has is his photographic memory - this is excellent when needed to take a vocabulary test but very annoying when he brings up for the upteen time that I spanked his hand when he was three when it was Whitney that got into the gum.

A disadvantage is that he does not learn things spontaniously [sitting down and figuring things out].  He has to be taught.  An advantage to this is when playing football or basketball he is as cool as ice under pressure.  No one has ever told him he should be nervous!

I can go on and on.  As a mother of an autistic child I have to admit I'm way over protective of him.  It scares the bejeppers out of me to think of him going to college in a year with out supervision.  My son has problems crossing streets and discrening good people from bad.  He will talk to anyone, assumes everyone is the nice guy, will state the obvious even if its best to keep his mouth shut [told a Gangster looking person his pants looked funny on him] and is extremely impressionable [wants to fit in too badly].

He is generous to a fault and will work harder than any kid his age IF he wants.

Patty

Since I am currently a receration therapy major in college, I have learned a lot more about the disabillity that I have.

I echo what Camp Ninja said 100%.  I too was low functioning and my parents were told that I would never walk or talk or amount to much.  I'm 20 years old, attending community college, and hope to go on to  a four-year school and recieve a Bachelors or higher.  

Quoted: The_Camp_Ninja,  I share your pain and joy brother.  My son (also Daniel) was diagnosed with autism (PDD/NOS) at age 2.  Unlike your son, my Daniel is verbally and socially delayed.  He has been enrolled in special education (currently the STRIVE program) since age 3 - he is presently 16.  As you are well aware it is challenging and rewarding raising a "special" child.  My wife and I firmly believe that God gave us Danny because he knew we would love and cherish him to the best of our ability.  Not to say that there aren't difficult times.  These kids can be truly amazing if you can get past the fact that they are "different".  You also have to keep things in perspective - there are kids in my son's class who are much worse off than he.  Best of luck with your son - he sounds lucky to have a great family around him.

Wow, that's a pretty cool coincidence!  Our D was, and still is, linguistically and socially delayed.  At 4, he LOVES to play with other children, he is just not always awre "how" to do so, not understanding the social structure.  At the park the other day, he spent about 30 minutes constantly playing soccer/football with a group of children.  He interacted, talked, called them all by name, but MOST importantly, stuck with it.  That he spent so much time in true social interaction was a milestone to be sure!  

As for his language, as mentioned, it's "different".  He struggles with spacial language (what, when, how, why etc.) but not with other aspects, for the most part.  I'd be interested to hear more about your son, and your experiences raising him.  We, like you, TRULY believe that we are raising Daniel because of the attention and love that we show him.  He was also given to me in order to rteach me patience.

parent of an autistic son here.

without him my life would be incomplete.

Quoted: Since I am currently a receration therapy major in college, I have learned a lot more about the disabillity that I have. I echo what Camp Ninja said 100%.  I too was low functioning and my parents were told that I would never walk or talk or amount to much.  I'm 20 years old, attending community college, and hope to go on to  a four-year school and recieve a Bachelors or higher.

I was told my son would be dependent on me for life that he would never marry, graduate from college or function in society.  That was the worst day of my life.  I cried for about 18 hours and then litterally out loud said "F*ck em" [I don't talk like that either!] I loved him before the diagonses and I love him now and I'll do all I can for him.

Its cruel to put parents through that.  However I don't hold a lot of grudge.  The doctor that diagoised my son as Autistic is autistic himself.

Patty

Quoted: Quoted: Since I am currently a receration therapy major in college, I have learned a lot more about the disabillity that I have. I echo what Camp Ninja said 100%.  I too was low functioning and my parents were told that I would never walk or talk or amount to much.  I'm 20 years old, attending community college, and hope to go on to  a four-year school and recieve a Bachelors or higher.   I was told my son would be dependent on me for life that he would never marry, graduate from college or function in society.  That was the worst day of my life.  I cried for about 18 hours and then litterally out loud said "F*ck em" [I don't talk like that either!] I loved him before the diagonses and I love him now and I'll do all I can for him. Its cruel to put parents through that.  However I don't hold a lot of grudge.  The doctor that diagoised my son as Autistic is autistic himself. Patty

I'd think we had the same doctor.  The first "expert" we went to spent a few minutes with our son, overtly challenged the veracity of what we had to say regarding his reading and other skills, then proceeded to inform us that he was autistic and probably retarded, all in the most confrontational and abrasive manner possible.  Unlike you, Patty, we do *in fact* still hold a grudge for what she put us through.  Your forgiveness-fu is definitely stronger than mine!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Since I am currently a receration therapy major in college, I have learned a lot more about the disabillity that I have. I echo what Camp Ninja said 100%.  I too was low functioning and my parents were told that I would never walk or talk or amount to much.  I'm 20 years old, attending community college, and hope to go on to  a four-year school and recieve a Bachelors or higher.   I was told my son would be dependent on me for life that he would never marry, graduate from college or function in society.  That was the worst day of my life.  I cried for about 18 hours and then litterally out loud said "F*ck em" [I don't talk like that either!] I loved him before the diagonses and I love him now and I'll do all I can for him. Its cruel to put parents through that.  However I don't hold a lot of grudge.  The doctor that diagoised my son as Autistic is autistic himself. Patty I'd think we had the same doctor.  The first "expert" we went to spent a few minutes with our son, overtly challenged the veracity of what we had to say regarding his reading and other skills, then proceeded to inform us that he was autistic and probably retarded, all in the most confrontational and abrasive manner possible.  Unlike you, Patty, we do *in fact* still hold a grudge for what she put us through.  Your forgiveness-fu is definitely stronger than mine!

Well I don't blame you.  I have to say my son's doctor did come to nowhereville [where I live] and testify on behalf of my son when the public school changed his IEP from autistic to Mentally Retarded at no cost to me.  The man has no sense of humor, is brash, biased and annoyingly neat but he came to bat for my kid and that helped with the forgiveness process.

Patty

I have asperger's syndrome, which is a mild / functional form of autism.

Actually the guy who invented "bit torrent" claims to have it.

You wind up with a singular focus on something, almost fanatical.  Really whatever your "thing" is tat the moment.   It screws up relationships, because when you're "into" your partner, you're fanatically into them and like the "perfect" mate, but when you become interested in something else (like video editing, writing, poker playing, computer programming, etc), then your entire focus shifts to that.

For some work, being aspergers is actually helpful.   I have had tremendous success as an attorney, because when I take a big case it becomes my "thing" and I learn every possible angle on the case.   At trial, there's rarely been an evidentiary exception I didn't see coming and I've got the authority ready to countermand it.  I've battled with this as well, as its possible to spend too much time preparing.  But overall, especially writing briefs, etc., its been a help.

Good thread. I'm learning some interesting stuff.

I'm currently working on a California teaching credential. My current and final class is on the inclusion of special needs children into regular classes. The class is very interesting. I was never really aware of the different levels of Autism. It sounds like the Arfcom parents of these "special neeeds" children are special in their own right. Keep up the great work with your children.! Everyone benefiits from your hard work. Your child, you and even me and the rest of society benefits from your efforts.

My wife received her PHD from Columbia in behavior disorders/special education specifically focusing on early intervention with children affected by autism.  She is now the director for a school that uses the ABA approach when addressing this problem.  While I am not an expert, I can pass questions along to her if any of you want to IM me.

btw-  I've spent time with many of the kids and find them fascinating.  Their minds work is such unique ways that make me question my perspective on different things.  Sometimes I find it frustrating to watch as they seem to be communicating something that is just beneath the surface of expression, other times I am amazed by their brilliance.

Let me know if you need advice/info and I'll forward it along.

I have two fully autistic cousins, though one is almost normal now because of intense therapy including kelation (removal of heavy metals from the body.)  When he was four or so, he still could barely put more than two words together.  Now he won't stop talking.

Many other members of my family have small signs of it, including me.  We're pretty sure that I and most or all of the others have Asperger's syndrome, though not a serious case of it.

<Arfcom Experts> It doesn't exist! <Arfcom Experts>

My sister is getting her masters in Communication Disorders. She worked with autistic children and has presented her research in Commie-fornia. She is a real inspiration, and so are the kids she works with. That would be a hard life.

Quoted: I have two fully autistic cousins, though one is almost normal now because of intense therapy including kelation (removal of heavy metals from the body.)  When he was four or so, he still could barely put more than two words together.  Now he won't stop talking. Many other members of my family have small signs of it, including me.  We're pretty sure that I and most or all of the others have Asperger's syndrome, though not a serious case of it.

Kelation really helped my son too however its expensive and we had to stop.  Its very sad that these things are not covered by medical insurance.  

I did ABA on my son when he was young.  I now use role play and we write cartoons to prepare him for situations.  Before I ever enter into a room that might be different in some way or something might be expected of William before it happens I give him a quick instruction on how to ask.  He's learned now to find someone to ask when I'm not around too.

Patty

Well like most diseases/ syndromes there is wide spectrum of how much is effected.  There are many that are highly functional and then there are the head bangers.  I live right across from a school for the autistic. All the schools in SE Michigan ship their autistic kids to this school.  The kids again range from perfectly normal with a few disabilities to really severe behavioral problems.

Its a pain in the ass for me because the school is located in the neighborhood and they pack the buses in and you cant even pull out of your own driveway.  You have to avoid coming and going for 2 hours a day.  Its not that bad but I have almost been run over by those buses and those middle aged women dont care if they hit you!

I have great respect for parents that handle this kind of thing well.  Its takes a lot of energy and patience.  A lot more then what I would have.  It would be so easy to just put the kid into an institution or to abandon the kid.

I wonder what the pro is for sending a high functioning kid to a school with low functioning kids?  I want my son to mimic normal or as close to normal as possible [for a 16 year old boy ]

Is autism genetic,or is it random ?

Quoted: Is autism genetic,or is it random ?

Don't quote me on this, but I don't think anyone really knows.

My youngest son has PDD/NOS as well, probably a tad milder than your son, but with the same issues.   he was diagnosed at age 4.  Speech and language therapy helped tremendously, but we are still working on his social skills.   He is a warm and loving kid, and wants to interact with others but doesn't always quite get how to do it.  Rehearsing "scripts" of what to do in social situations has made a big difference for him.

Quoted: Is autism genetic,or is it random ?

Genetics are a factor.  As I said, I have two cousins with autism and many family members including myelf that have variations of it.

But there is strong evidence that mercury can trigger or worsen the effects of autism (after all, my cousin got almost normal after intense kelation.)  Mercury is used as a preservative in innoculations.  Therefore, almost all children get large doses of mercury very early in life.  Not a good thing.

My parents never gave us shots unless they didn't have a choice.

Quoted: Quoted: Is autism genetic,or is it random ? Genetics are a factor.  As I said, I have two cousins with autism and many family members including myelf that have variations of it. But there is strong evidence that mercury can trigger or worsen the effects of autism (after all, my cousin got almost normal after intense kelation.)  Mercury is used as a preservative in innoculations.  Therefore, almost all children get large doses of mercury very early in life.  Not a good thing. My parents never gave us shots unless they didn't have a choice.

So,do the drug companies still preserve medicines with mercury ? Or is it just a small percentage of cases that Mercury triggered autism,they don't give a damn ?

A very good friend of mine has a sole child that is autistic.  It was evident immediately when I first met him, but I honestly enjoyed his innocence.  Nothing in this world bothers him, and to him, the world is rotating on a good axis.  He's a gentleman with an outstanding sense of humor, a love of the outdoors, and is probably the only child that has yet to disrespect my home.  

If you ask me, we could use more people like that.  

Yes, he can be annoying.  But his ideals are refreshing in their honesty and innocence.  I'd gladly have a hundred friends just like him.

My wife is a school psychologist who specializes in kids with autism.  She does all the evaluations for kids with autism in her county.  

She is conservative with regard to her assessments and is always working to keep the kid it the least restrictive environment because of the effects it can have on the child and the family.  Based on what she tells me some of her co-workers need to stop working.  Several times she has been asked to take over an assessment for a co-worker that didn't know what they are doing or had a bad relationship with the parent or child.

Quoted: I have two fully autistic cousins, though one is almost normal now because of intense therapy including kelation (removal of heavy metals from the body.)  When he was four or so, he still could barely put more than two words together.  Now he won't stop talking. Many other members of my family have small signs of it, including me.  We're pretty sure that I and most or all of the others have Asperger's syndrome, though not a serious case of it.

Most engineers tend to be at that end of the spectrum.  My wife works with kids on the spectrum and I am an engineer.   Maybe thats why we get along.

Quoted: I wonder what the pro is for sending a high functioning kid to a school with low functioning kids?  I want my son to mimic normal or as close to normal as possible [for a 16 year old boy ]

Legally, they had to provide the least restrictive environment here in SC.  I thought it was that way in most states.

A lot of evidence points towards thimerosol, the mercury preservative in vaxs.

A friend of mine has 2 sons with severe autism that were perfectly normal in all development phases until they got their 18 month old vaxs.
Within a week, they had both instantly become severely autistic, low level functioning, violent "head bangers", if you will.
The week before, they were talkative, cheerful, connected little boys.

There are VERY few cases of autism amongst cultural or religious groups that do not allow vaxing, like the Amish, or Jehovah's Witnesses.

It might not be vaxs in every case, but there is a LOT of evidence that points that way.
Of course, Big Pharma has bought off any investigations into it, as their liability would be tremendous if the finger were allowed to point at them.

But the explosion of cases of autism in the last 25 years is terrifying.

It used to be a rare disorder, but now almost everyone knows a family that has been affected by it.

It points to something environmental, for sure, especially when chelation seems to help the kids so dramatically.

Quoted: A lot of evidence points towards thimerosol, the mercury preservative in vaxs. A friend of mine has 2 sons with severe autism that were perfectly normal in all development phases until they got their 18 month old vaxs. Within a week, they had both instantly become severely autistic, low level functioning, violent "head bangers", if you will. The week before, they were talkative, cheerful, connected little boys. There are VERY few cases of autism amongst cultural or religious groups that do not allow vaxing, like the Amish, or Jehovah's Witnesses. It might not be vaxs in every case, but there is a LOT of evidence that points that way. Of course, Big Pharma has bought off any investigations into it, as their liability would be tremendous if the finger were allowed to point at them. But the explosion of cases of autism in the last 25 years is terrifying. It used to be a rare disorder, but now almost everyone knows a family that has been affected by it. It points to something environmental, for sure, especially when chelation seems to help the kids so dramatically.

It is scary to say the least.  My oldest boy who is autistic had severe reaction to his first vaccine at 2mo's old.  His reaction was one of those one in a million cases where the kids actually develop symptoms and he was hospitalized for whooping cough.  He recovered and developed fine.  We did not give him the Pertussis part of his vaccine in the future.  He did have some strange habits that lead me to believe he probably would have been higher functioning then he is if I had stopped vaccinating him at that time.  At 18 months when he received his MMR shot he was slightly behind developmentally but walking, babbling, using typical pincher grip type feeding methods.  After his MMR shot he stopped developing at all and the tantrums began.  He didn't have the same reaction as he did with his DPT vaccine but he had some type of reaction.

For about 3 years I spent a good deal of my time physically restraining him to keep him from head banging and throwing what I thought were fits.  We joined early intervention through our local schools and he received in home services that helped me more than it really helped him.

When my son was 12 he got violently ill.  I thought he was having appendicitis as he had vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.  I rushed him to the hospital and when they ruled out appendicitis they started looking for other reasons for his illness.  One of the things they found was severe mercury poisoning.  His problem turned out to be E Coli poisoning but I found it interesting that my son had/has mercury poisoning and has never had a tooth filled, never had old paint in his room.  No real reason for it.

I took him to specialists and got no where.  Finally a natural pathic doctor recommended kelation.  It was a night and day difference.  However it cost several thousand dollars to continue and I could only do it for 4 months.

My daughter is fully vaccinated, never had a problem with it at all.  My youngest I did not vaccinate except for the DPT's and Polio and I had these done individually [First DPT  wait a few weeks then Polio].  He was fine until at 9 months the county nurse mistakingly gave him a DPT and Flu shot together.   At that time he stopped talking and developing.  At the age of two I had him evaluated for early intervention and he tested out to be at the 9month level.

He has not had anymore vaccines [except Polio] and started to pull out of his 'stooper' [for a lack of a better word] and is now talking but at the 3-4 year old level [he is 7].

The drug manufacturers swear that they no longer use mercury as a preservative to the vaccines.  If this is true then I believe my sons must be one of those strange bazaar cases where they react negatively to them.  If that is the case then DNA tests should be done to determine who will and who won't be adversely effected by their vaccines.

I would like to try kelation on my youngest but I can not afford it.

For some reason, young boys, and even blond and blue boys are many times more likely to react to the vaccines and become autistic.

You ever notice how *few* autistic girls there are?

Odd...

Quoted: For some reason, young boys, and even blond and blue boys are many times more likely to react to the vaccines and become autistic. You ever notice how *few* autistic girls there are? Odd...

Its true there are more boys than girls but I've seen more and more girls creep in now.  Patty

Quoted: I have asperger's syndrome, which is a mild / functional form of autism. Actually the guy who invented "bit torrent" claims to have it. You wind up with a singular focus on something, almost fanatical.  Really whatever your "thing" is tat the moment.   It screws up relationships, because when you're "into" your partner, you're fanatically into them and like the "perfect" mate, but when you become interested in something else (like video editing, writing, poker playing, computer programming, etc), then your entire focus shifts to that. For some work, being aspergers is actually helpful.   I have had tremendous success as an attorney, because when I take a big case it becomes my "thing" and I learn every possible angle on the case.   At trial, there's rarely been an evidentiary exception I didn't see coming and I've got the authority ready to countermand it.  I've battled with this as well, as its possible to spend too much time preparing.  But overall, especially writing briefs, etc., its been a help.

I work with a co-worker with a mild case of Asperger's.  His son has it too on a slightly more severe level.

My brother in law also has it.  He walks with an awkward gait (can't describe it, you have to see it), has nervous ticks, most social cues go way over his head, etc.  He also has an uncanny ability to bond with children.  He's the favorite uncle of all the nieces and nephews.

Also, like you said, he's either very interested in things or else can't pay attention.

Interesting sidenote, he got a degree in finance and analyzes the stock market as a hobby.  My inlaws have made several thousand dollars the past year just by listening to his comments about which stocks to buy and when to sell.

thank you for sharing.

Quoted: Since I am currently a receration therapy major in college, I have learned a lot more about the disabillity that I have. I echo what Camp Ninja said 100%.  I too was low functioning and my parents were told that I would never walk or talk or amount to much.  I'm 20 years old, attending community college, and hope to go on to  a four-year school and recieve a Bachelors or higher.

Godspeed, Deej

Quoted: I have asperger's syndrome, which is a mild / functional form of autism. Actually the guy who invented "bit torrent" claims to have it. You wind up with a singular focus on something, almost fanatical.  Really whatever your "thing" is tat the moment.   It screws up relationships, because when you're "into" your partner, you're fanatically into them and like the "perfect" mate, but when you become interested in something else (like video editing, writing, poker playing, computer programming, etc), then your entire focus shifts to that. For some work, being aspergers is actually helpful.   I have had tremendous success as an attorney, because when I take a big case it becomes my "thing" and I learn every possible angle on the case.   At trial, there's rarely been an evidentiary exception I didn't see coming and I've got the authority ready to countermand it.  I've battled with this as well, as its possible to spend too much time preparing.  But overall, especially writing briefs, etc., its been a help.

Hell, that sounds like ME.  I think we're crossing over into the 'assign a name to my weird behavior and that makes it ok' zone.

I know that a lot of people are looking for environmental factors to blame for autism.  Maybe there are and maybe there aren't.

As far as vaccines go, there doesn't seem to be any evidence of a link between vaccines and autism.  At least, not with the MMR vaccine which many suspect.


www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/13703.html

www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/autism2.htm

www.hon.ch/News/HSN/515304.html

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36703-2004May18.html

autism.about.com/cs/vaccinations/a/vaccinewar.htm

Quoted: I know that a lot of people are looking for environmental factors to blame for autism.  Maybe there are and maybe there aren't. As far as vaccines go, there doesn't seem to be any evidence of a link between vaccines and autism.  At least, not with the MMR vaccine which many suspect. www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/13703.html www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/autism2.htm www.hon.ch/News/HSN/515304.html www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36703-2004May18.html autism.about.com/cs/vaccinations/a/vaccinewar.htm

That won't sell well with the parents of children who know their child was effected by the vaccines.  There is a correlation to vaccines and autism and challenge the health professionals to spend their time and energy in fixing it rather than denial.  

Quoted: Quoted: I know that a lot of people are looking for environmental factors to blame for autism.  Maybe there are and maybe there aren't. As far as vaccines go, there doesn't seem to be any evidence of a link between vaccines and autism.  At least, not with the MMR vaccine which many suspect. www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/13703.html www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/autism2.htm www.hon.ch/News/HSN/515304.html www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36703-2004May18.html autism.about.com/cs/vaccinations/a/vaccinewar.htm That won't sell well with the parents of children who know their child was effected by the vaccines.  There is a correlation to vaccines and autism and challenge the health professionals to spend their time and energy in fixing it rather than denial.

Patty,

There really haven't been any proven links yet.  Obviously time and energy has been spent in an attempt to see if there is a link.

I know it won't sell well with parents of autistic children because they want there to be a clearly identified culprit.  They feel a need to blame something, and it's convenient to say, "it must be the vaccine that's at fault."

It is possible that vaccines are a contributing factor.  However, it really isn't productive to use vaccines as (unproven) scapegoats just because children start showing the signs of autism at ages when many are receiving vaccines.  Correlation does not equal causation.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I know that a lot of people are looking for environmental factors to blame for autism.  Maybe there are and maybe there aren't. As far as vaccines go, there doesn't seem to be any evidence of a link between vaccines and autism.  At least, not with the MMR vaccine which many suspect. www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/13703.html www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/autism2.htm www.hon.ch/News/HSN/515304.html www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36703-2004May18.html autism.about.com/cs/vaccinations/a/vaccinewar.htm That won't sell well with the parents of children who know their child was effected by the vaccines.  There is a correlation to vaccines and autism and challenge the health professionals to spend their time and energy in fixing it rather than denial.   Patty, There really haven't been any proven links yet.  Obviously time and energy has been spent in an attempt to see if there is a link. I know it won't sell well with parents of autistic children because they want there to be a clearly identified culprit.  They feel a need to blame something, and it's convenient to say, "it must be the vaccine that's at fault." It is possible that vaccines are a contributing factor.  However, it really isn't productive to use vaccines as (unproven) scapegoats just because children start showing the signs of autism at ages when many are receiving vaccines.  Correlation does not equal causation.

Shane that simply is not true.  Sure there are some that want to place blame and get some type of cash settlement but there are others such as myself that want to protect children.  There is a link between some reactions to some vaccines [MMR being most obvious] and autistic children.  There is no proof that the vaccines have caused the autism but there has been no study to see why the children reacted such as they have either.  Until both sides put away their differences [the drug companies are not 100% to blame nor are they 100% guiltless] children will continue to suffer.  Plain and simple.

My sons were affected by their vaccines.  Their vaccines cause them to have severe developmental delays.  No if ands or butts about it.  

Patty

Here are more studies and their results:

www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/concerns/autism/autism-mmr.htm

"A study by Gillberg and Heijbel (1998) examined the prevalence of autism in children born in Sweden from 1975-1984. There was no difference in the prevalence of autism among children born before the introduction of the MMR vaccine in Sweden and those born after the vaccine was introduced."

"Taylor and colleagues (1999) studied 498 children with autism in the UK and found the age at which they were diagnosed was the same regardless of whether they received the MMR vaccine before or after 18 months of age or whether they were never vaccinated. Importantly, the first signs or diagnoses of autism were not more likely to occur within time periods following MMR vaccination than during other time periods. Also, there was no sudden increase in cases of autism after the introduction of MMR vaccine in the UK. Such a jump would have been expected if MMR vaccine was causing a substantial increase in autism."

"Researchers in the U.S. found that among children born between 1980 and 1994 and enrolled in California kindergartens, there was a 373% relative increase in autism cases, though the relative increase in MMR vaccine coverage by the age of 24 months was only 14% (Dales et al., 2001). For more on this study, see California Data on Theory of Autism and MMR Immunization."

"Madsen et al. (2002) conducted a study of all children born in Denmark from January 1991 through December 1998. There were a total of 537,303 children in the study; 440,655 of the children were vaccinated with MMR and 96,648 were not. The researchers did not find a higher risk of autism in the vaccinated than in the unvaccinated group of children. Furthermore, there was no association between the age at time of vaccination, the amount of time that had passed since vaccination, or the date of vaccination and the development of any autistic disorder. Though there were many more vaccinated than unvaccinated children in the study group, the sample was large enough to contain more statistical power than other MMR and autism studies. Therefore, this study provides strong evidence against the hypothesis that MMR vaccination causes autism. "

--------------------------

Most of the hype about vaccines and autism came from a report published by Wakefield and colleagues.  Interestingly enough, "in 2004, 10 of the 13 authors of the study retracted the paper's interpretation, stating that the data were insufficient to establish a causal link between MMR vaccine and autism (Murch et al., 2004)"

In other words, the study was proven to be flawed and the researchers knew it.

In summary, a flawed study indicated a link between vaccine and autism.  The vast majority of the original authors of that report have rejected it themselves.  Subsequent studies have again and again shown no link (at least, none found yet).  Parents, grasping blindly for something to blame, have blindly clung to the original report (the same one who's selfsame authors have rejected) despite the fact that it has been proven flawed time and time again.

So how are doctors and scientists supposed to spend time and energy fixing a cause/culprit that hasn't been found yet?