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For those of you with autistic kids everywhere perhaps you are looking in the wrong places for the cause then. If it were vaccines or breastmilk then the statistics would hold true everywhere. There are not autistic kids everywhere here. Perhaps there is some environmental issue in your area causing the alarming increase in autism? I know ONE child with autism. He has a a couple different disorders and they were present very early on in his case.
For those of you with autistic kids everywhere perhaps you are looking in the wrong places for the cause then. If it were vaccines or breastmilk then the statistics would hold true everywhere. There are not autistic kids everywhere here. Perhaps there is some environmental issue in your area causing the alarming increase in autism? I know ONE child with autism. He has a a couple different disorders and they were present very early on in his case.
Hey, Golfgal! I hear what you are saying . . . and I have thought about this a lot. What part of the country do you live in? Now, here in NC, from talking w/ teachers and healthcare professionals, here is what I am getting. The majority of cases they are seeing are w/ newcomers and most of them are from the NE. I found that very interesting. As some of you may know, NC is one of the fastest growing states w/ newcomers flocking here - young families as well as retirees. In CLT and RDU, requests for help for autistic children has skyrocketed and our infrastructure was not prepared - as autism has not been an issue to be addressed here in NC until the last decade. So I have really wondered about the connection w/ newcomers from the NE. ????? I have wondered about such things as heavy metal contamination, for example - environmental emissions, from factories as well as run off into water systems.
Also, did any of you see the report several months ago about water quality in major metropolitan areas - and the levels of prescribed meds now found in water - i.e., Prozac, various Hormones, etc. How scary is that!!! So I am wondering if areas of the country where heavy manufacturing has taken place may have higher populations of autism. Very hard to measure when there is a big migration of young families leaving those regions.
As for breastmilk and environmental contamination levels (and measurable levels of toxins in tissues) being the same all over the country, no - that is definitely not accurate. Some areas, such as the midwest, test high for certain pesticides, for example, if there has been run off from agricultural sources - and if a person has been there over a long period of time and ingested the water and breathed the air. So the levels of contamination - and the toxins that are in a person's system - does vary. However, studies in Sweden and UK also show toxins in tissues at unsafe levels, but not necessarily the SAME toxins as we are seeing here in the USA. It does appear to be different from region to region . . . for ex . . . mercury levels.
Hope that made sense - I am just typing this off the top of my head, LOL!!!
As for breastmilk and environmental contamination levels (and measurable levels of toxins in tissues) being the same all over the country, no - that is definitely not accurate. Some areas, such as the midwest, test high for certain pesticides, for example, if there has been run off from agricultural sources - and if a person has been there over a long period of time and ingested the water and breathed the air. So the levels of contamination - and the toxins that are in a person's system - does vary. However, studies in Sweden and UK also show toxins in tissues at unsafe levels, but not necessarily the SAME toxins as we are seeing here in the USA. It does appear to be different from region to region . . . for ex . . . mercury levels.
But cows are drinking the same water and breathing the same air, so would be exposed to the same environmental toxins as are humans. Therefore, formula, which is made from cow milk, would not be any safer than human breast milk (assuming this were even a factor).
But cows are drinking the same water and breathing the same air, so would be exposed to the same environmental toxins as are humans. Therefore, formula, which is made from cow milk, would not be any safer than human breast milk (assuming this were even a factor).
I don't think she is saying formula is safer then breastmilk, I think she is pointing out that breastmilk is also contaminated.
People react to things differently. Some kids are affected by Red Dye #40, others are not. Some kids are affected by sugar and others are not. Some kids are able to handle vaccinations and some are not. It's probably a mixture of genetics, exposure to other toxic things (both in utero, during birth, and after birth), etc.
Do vaccines cause autism? Not in every child, of course. In some children, probably. Do environmental toxins cause autism? Same answer.
There can be study after study done showing "no clear correlation," but many, many parents can tell you otherwise. There is also "no clear correlation" between taking Vitamin C and fighting off flus and colds more easily, "no clear evidence" that supplements such as Airborne and Zycam work, and "no defined link" between sugar ingestion and hyperactivity in kids... and yet, people all over ARE fighting off colds more easily when taking Vitamin C and Airborne, and parents ARE noticing extreme differences in their kids "ADHD" when their diets are changed. Of COURSE the people running the studies don't want there to be links between these things, because it amounts to less money in the pharmaceutical companies' pockets. If, after all, people refused vaccines, took cheap Vitamin C instead of stocking up on Tamiflu and Robitussin, and changed their kids' diets instead of resorting to mind-altering drugs, less money will be made.
I don't think she is saying formula is safer then breastmilk, I think she is pointing out that breastmilk is also contaminated.
Maybe, but I thought that she was arguing for a connection between higher breastfeeding rates and higher autism rates. See post #5
Quote:
Originally Posted by anifani821
I am wondering if one of the reasons that autism is becoming so much more prevalent in our population is b/c of the upsurge in breast-feeding wh/ began in the early 80s. There was a period of time when mothers were not breastfeeding and indeed, considered it a "low class" thing to do (50s, 60s). Then the attitude started changing and there was a connection to perhaps improving a child's immune system if he/she were breastfed.
My thought has been - w/ people testing so high for toxic chemicals in their bodies - and so many chemicals showing up in breast milk . . . could there be a connection b/n breastfeeding and autism?
I have said it many times before, I don't really think there is an increase in autism rates, just an increase in diagnoses. I can think back to several kids growing up that were not considered autistic then but most certainly would now. Autism used to be only the kids that sat in the corner and rocked and wouldn't interact at all. Now, obviously, there is a large spectrum of autistic kids.
As for the breastfeeding/autism, if the mom has those chemicals in her system, they were there when she was pregnant thus the child was already exposed to them and already has them in his/her system.
I think we will find that autism is more genetic then anything, someday.
Mom of two fantastic autistic teenagers (well, one 20 and one 17 now) here! One, breastfed for only about 4-5 weeks and then on formula....the other 3 months and then formula. Mine also were products of the over-loaded thimerasol vaccination schedule generation. (One born in 1988, just after the gov't. upped the number of shots required for entering school, and the other in 1991) A couple of years ago I read the book "Evidence of Harm" and learned all I could about the vaccination/autism link. I am convinced that this did play a role in my children's autism, however, would not say it is the definitive "cause". I too, believe there is a genetic component in play here.
However, I found it very interesting that the incidence of "autism" is never reported within the Amish community....a community that does not vaccinate. Also, it has been on the rise in China for the past few years. I believe this could be a result of the fact that when the U.S. discovered that the thimerasol in vaccines was causing potential problems and made the "recommendation" to the big pharma to begin producing childhood vaccines w/o thimerasol, they had to do something with all those warehouses full of already produced, preserved, vaccines that parents in the U.S. would now be afraid to pump into their children, and so they sold it all off to China! Thus, the rise in the diagnosis of autism there. Genetic...yes, but I do believe thimerasol could be a major trigger.
Oh your poor baby... He doesn't want to do it sounds like, but is compelled to. Perhaps it is OCD? Get him to a Dr. quickly. I am sure there is some medication that might be of help. It could help him reign in any behaviors he is having trouble with.
Side note not directed to you:
I do hate when parents say they don't want to "medicate their children" because that is such a selfish thing to do to your kid. Do you really think kids LIKE being out of control? No, I would say they don't. I Know how scared I used to get when I would lose my cool. I believe we are born one way but we achieve to be our best and some of us need help to even us out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtjmom
I'm posting this in the general parenting forum, hoping to get a response from all kinds of parents, not just those with special needs kids.
My youngest son is 6 now. I'm the mom of a deaf and autistic 14 year old son as well, and a strong believer in the vaccine-autism connection. So much so, in fact, that my littlest one was not vaccinated. He's been a great kid to this point (still is, and always will be!), but I'm seeing a disturbing pattern, and need opinions.
He's very smart, interacts well with others most of the time, has a tremendous expressive vocabulary, no physical issues, etc. Over the past year or so, though, I've noticed some behaviors developing that concern me, as the mom of an autistic child. He's always had toileting issues (withholding), and several months ago, began an almost systematic hand-flapping. It only happens when he's looking at his pictures, pokemon or ben 10 cards, etc. At first, he told me he was pretending to color in the air. Now, he just asks me not to watch him do it. He's always sorted things in a nearly anal-retentive (no pun intended) manner, but now, he's beginning to line things up as well. I think the autistic moms will understand this one maybe better than those without an autistic child, but he takes his small toys, mostly platic figures or small trucks, and put them in a very straight line, and there's usually some pattern to it. Like I said, he's always done this with his trading cards, but is now doing it with toys as well.
There are other things as well, like I've noticed that his food preferences are changing, and he'll almost exclusively eat crunchy things. There is only one pillow he will sleep on, and will no longer sleep in his bed. He will only sleep in a certain recliner in the family room. He really prefers a certain texture of blanket, though he will tolerate others. He eats most of his food cold, and even prefers his bathwater almost cold. He's very sensitive to light. The list goes on.
I can't help wondering in the far recesses of my mind... by not vaccinating, did I really save him from autism? It looks to me like the personality traits are there. What I really want to know is if I should have him evaluated, or just go with the flow and enjoy my bright, happy, well-adjusted (if not a little clingy) boy. What really confuses me is that some of the real diagnostic markers for autism are the social issues, which he doesn't seem to have, at least at this point. Has anyone ever seen a child this age regress significantly?
I know this is just an internet forum, and I'm not looking for medical advice or a diagnosis, just opinions from other parents. Thanks for your thought!
~D
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