Childhood Epidemic Rises 6,000% What Can Be Learned About Autism?

The latest tallies show that over three million people in North America alone carry some type of autism diagnosis. With this increase the biggest question people are asking is why. Over 20 years ago the incidence was estimated to be 1 in 10,000. Now it's a whopping 1 in 166 according to the U.S. Center for Disease control and is still expected to rise. With the life long care of someone with autism costing approximately 2.2 million per person according to the MIND Institute, we need to start committing proper resources to early intervention now to enable this population to lead fulfilling and productive lives as well as contribute to society

The frustrating point in the above scenario is the lack of interest and resources allocated through government and other agencies towards a solution. This includes actively determining the cause and implementing adequate research towards curative and helpful measures. The US Government will happily spend 1.9 billion dollars for a single Trident nuclear submarine in a fleet of around fifty, yet is only spending 66 million on the entire special education area, which includes special teachers, training and proper equipment and supports.

While hosting an autism conference in Hawaii last month I received a call from a grandmother asking if I could help her thirteen-year-old autistic grandson who was still in diapers. This just shouldn't be happening in this day and age. Whether there is a cure for autism or not, there are programs and interventions that help all children with autism grow up to be productive community citizens especially through early intervention practices as mentioned earlier. This can happen when parents put their own egos aside and recognize very early that their child has autism, accept the diagnosis and get the treatment the child deserves allowing them to use their inborn strengths and talents to live to their fullest.

Methodologies also need to be more visible and understood. Yes there are successful ways to approach autism like Applied Behavioral Analysis, Greenspan, Daily Life Therapy, Miller Method, the SCERTS method and Relationship Development Intervention which may all sound Greek to some, however, most parents just hear of one and go with it. This could be due to the nature of the beast so to speak, in that many parents of children with autism even show signs of autism themselves such as structured, literal thinking. This forces them to have limited beliefs and be less willing to consider other options in a more abstract manner. Many of these methodologies and belief systems have become rigid and unchanging even though many more options are now available and even more are on the horizon.

As to the cause, many speculate that mercury in addition to other heavy metals could be a strong culprit though the proof is not in the pudding yet. Books like "Evidence Of Harm" by David Kirby, a New York Times writer clearly organizes all the facts for others to draw their own conclusion surrounding the issues around immunizations. Perhaps it's in the dental amalgams, the fish we eat or other environmental surroundings.

Then still others are pointing to the gene pool saying it is passed on from one generation to the next. I know in my case, I believe my Aeronautical Engineer father has a high functioning form of autism and I grew up thinking he was "normal". I was therefore attracted to someone who also has many symptoms of autism such as the lack of social skills in certain situations, an egocentric focus, and perseveration (doing the same thing over and over again), especially when it comes to working 7 days a week 12 hour days. And then, there's me. The more I learn about autism, the more I certainly can see signs in myself.

The best, most proven hope of helping children with autism to lead fulfilling and productive lives I know of, is early intervention. Also, many experience reduced symptoms in their children with autism when gluten and casein are removed or reduced from their diets. Other dietary strategies are being successfully implemented such as a modified Atkins type diet or even sugar and milk free diets. Even if it isn't perfect, it's a step in the right direction. Others are having luck by adding vitamins, minerals and glyconutrients back into their systems. Glyconutrients are the sixteen essential sugars missing from our diets due to the poor cultivation processes with our natural fruits and vegetables.

Our Sherwood Park, Alberta based firm, Autism Today is Western Canada's leading provider of autism conferences. Parents, teachers and professionals can go to: http://www.keystotreasures.com to learn about our upcoming "Keys To The Treasure Chest" conferences and workshops. Upcoming speakers include: Dr. Lori Ernsperger and Nick Martin, March 2005, Stephen Shore, June 2005, Dr. Steven Gutstein, October 2005, and Dr. Temple Grandin, Dec 2005. Autism Today also hosts online education and Tele-classes as well as a broad selection of books, videos and other learning material.

To wrap up, more studies need to be in place to prove the validity of certain hopeful interventions. Parents need to know what options are available to them instead of hopping on the first methodology train that comes along. Through autismtoday.com we are implementing two such programs. The first is an unbiased study for glyconutrients in a predetermined group of children with autism. The second part of the effort involves devoting a portion of our site, which will be geared to offering a way for parents to sample some different methodologies for their children before deciding on a particular approach of treatment for their child.

Karen Simmons, known to many as “The Autism Lady” is the mother of six, one of which as autism, author of “Little Rainman”, “The Autism Experience”, “Artism”, “Surrounded By Miracle’s and “Peace of Mind for Autism” (CD). She has been featured in local media as well as Woman’s World Magazine, CBC Radio, The Donna Seebo Show and The Vicki Gabreau Show. Also she is the CEO and founder of Autism Today Online Magazine at http://www.autismtoday.com, which is host to the top autism experts in the field today.

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Autism - Are The Schools Prepared For The Epidemic?

The number of Autistic children are growing. Currently there is 1 in 150 children this year who will be diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum.
What is being done to prepare for this onslaught of Autistic children who will be entering the school system?
The Autism Spectrum encompasses a large scale. There are literally thousands of Autistic children with varying degrees of Autism joining the school system yearly. Some of the schools would never have seen a child with Autism and are ill prepared to deal with it.
Each Autistic child is an individual and the Individualized Education Plan cannot be mass produced and needs to be geared solely towards the needs of that child.
No two Autistic children are the same so you can't have a one size fits all IEP.
In the new age no child left behind school regime, what is being done to prepare the teachers for the new evolution of students that they are going to be teaching?
Children with Autism come with multiple challenges that the teachers are going to have to face, one of the main ones being communication. Approximately 50% of Autistic children never speak.
Effective methods of communication between the teachers and the Autistic student will need to be developed. Some include picture boards, where the student can pick the item that he wants, the pecs system, which basically works the same with an expansion of objects and sometimes just gesturing.
Some unfortunately display their Autistic symptoms more than others. The stimming, usually displayed as flapping and the child with Autism's sometimes inappropriate obsessive fixation on certain objects may be misunderstood by teachers and other students who may never have seen this before.
Some of these Autistic signs and symptoms are used by the child with Autism to regulate themselves and a place may need to be provided where the child can do this in order to cope with the overwhelming changes being in a different environment with a larger number of strangers will bring.
Also another factor which will need to be addressed is the privacy of the Autistic child. Obviously sometimes, these children behave in manners that a regular child does not and a stricter policy for privacy should be maintained to stop teachers and staff discussing this outside of school. The Autistic child is not always in control of their mannerisms or behaviors and they deserve the same dignity that a regular student has.
Are our Autistic children going to be lost in the shuffle?
Doomed to spend their days in a classroom where they are being babysat at best by teachers who quite frankly have no idea how to help them?
More emphasis needs to be placed now on recruiting and training Special Education teachers who want to make a change in the Autistic child's life.
Those that have been doing Special Ed for a long time need classes updating their skills and introducing them to the challenges they are going to face with the children with Autism.
A lot has changed since the first days when Autism was first diagnosed and treated with electric shock therapy.
There are many documented cases now where children who have received effective early intervention lose some of their Autistic signs and symptoms and go on to live productive lives e.g. Temple Grandin.
Children with Autism flourish with one on one instruction. Schools need to be aware that they may need to hire more auxiliary staff to help with the Autistic children.
They also need to be aware that burn out is a high risk for teachers with children with Autism and time needs to be allowed during the day when they can switch out with another teacher thereby refreshing themselves.
Regular class teachers need to be educated as the higher functioning Autistic children will be in their classes. The teaching format can and should be adjusted to assist the child with Autism in their learning process. This is not to say that time for the other students should be taken away, merely that this is where other staff can be incorporated to assist the Autistic student.
Regular communication between the families and the educational staff should be scheduled.
Parents should be encouraged with their input as to the Autistic child's education.
Quite a number of parents of Autistic children are relentless in their endeavours to improve the prognosis of their child with Autism, extra activities, exercises and the use of treatments to name but a few.
By working together as a team, they can all help the child with Autism grow more productively.
Headmasters need to be educated regarding Autism and the implications that it will have on their school in regards to extra staffing and the way the Special Ed department works, as officially as it is in their school, they are meant to be supervising it.
Ignorance is not an excuse and it will not be accepted by the parents of the Autistic children who want a decent education for their affected child.
If the no child left behind policy is going to be wholly effective for Autistic children as well as the average school child, then changes need to be made now.
The numbers of children with Autism are increasing annually.
If the schools wait to make changes, then the child with Autism will be left behind.

Donna Mason has been a Registered Nurse for the past 16 years. She is the mother of 6 children, 3 of whom have varying degrees of Autism. For more information on Autism signs and symptoms, and to learn more about this mother's battle in the fight against this misunderstood condition, visit us on the web at: http://www.autisticadventures.blogspot.com

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