New study shows autism more common than previously thought

[Hathor]

This article says autism is as common as 1 in 58.

I'VE BEEN IN THIS FIELD FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS AND (oops) having returned to work after 3 years away,I see a big cluster of the age group you cite,yes Gess.

It is very painful to watch people being tricked 9no other word for it) inot believing that what is on offer is the best option and everything else is wacko stuff.

To my eternal shame,a few years ago I thought people who took their kids out of schools to do ABA programmes were pretty wacko too.

I had a lively discussion with a music therapist last week who works with autisitc children.She couldn't get her head aronud the fact that I could be an advocate of both ABA and music therapy (which is fantastic).
It seems one has to fall into one camp or other.

What I do know is that vague ill thought out, throw-stuff-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach used in most schools doesn't work.

Sorry,veering off topic slightly.

I'm doing my but to change stuff moondog. I showed ds1's teacher plus deputy head a video of ds1 in a therapy session and they were really impressed. We have no problems with the school he's in now, I think its great, and I know they can't do trials on site very easily (its where he gets music therapy, sensory work, hydro, SALT, life skills etc) but I think it did change their opinon of ABA. It was fast trial VB work so perhaps slightly easier on the eye than LOVAAS although we use both.

I remember showing his NHS SALT when he was in ms, and she was surprised, she was really anti to begin with.

Oh Gess,after v successful ABA intervention on a young child,my clinical supervisor on MSc course came in (at my invitation) to do a few hour's gentle introduction to ABA.

They were so impressed that they are asking education dept to scrap all their training for next year (generally useless crap) and use the days to all work towards a basic ABA certificate on a course devised and taught by him.

Yesssssssssss!!!

In excitement and failing to set the scene.This is in one of the...educational establishments I work in.

I have shown our date to other folk too and more and more people are sniffing aronud and asking questions.

OUr LEA have just fought two ABA funding tribunals (and lost hideously ). They did observe sessions as part of that, and are now setting up a watered down (but better than nothing) ABA pilot for preschoolers (or so I've heard on the grapevine).

I can't begin to tell you what a difference ds1 being able to imitate has had for us as a family. He notices his brothers now and joins in. DS2 demanded a kiss, ds3 one, then ds1!!!! He's always liked kisses but to demand them in sequence like that with his brothers was unheard of.....

Lovely!

Yes,education depts. Say no more......

Is there anything else that you can do to help a leaky gut in addition to avoiding glutten and casein?

Let me see if I still have the links....

You may start with this book

I havent read enough of his stuff to know whether I agree with everything this guy writes (I believe he's controversial) , but I do agree with this

How many words left to be written?

Thank you for sharing all this info with us.

gess
absoloutely same history here. I'm from HUGE family (one of eight children - there are twenty plus grandchildren) Son is only ASD in family and he was severe at time of regression although has improved on gfcf and some chelation.
He had massive anti-biotic load in the womb, chicken pox, eczema and obvious poor immune system. I had crap immune system and post natal depression after older brothers birth.

Watching happy healthy toddler disappear was hideous

Everytime I hear of the antibiotics link I cringe.

My sister gave her son antibiotics in a preventive basis for months on end (probably for a year)as she was scared, after her child ended up in hospital with a respiratory problem when he was 1 year old. I don't think this has caused the autism, as there were many signs before this. But can not stop thinking that it may have made the problem worse.

Obviously I'm not going to mention about this, as she has already enough on her plate, but she doesn't seem to accept that antibiotics are not like calpol and she thinks I am a loony for not using them with DS, so she continues with them but not in a regular basis.

BTW I'm not criticising them, I keep my mouth shut, keep the distance and respect whatever she decides as I know she preffers things that way in the most of the important things in her life.

I think of many medications as potential lifesavers, but with an ability to do harm. Ds1's eczema herpeticum got horribly infected and he was given antibs. Unfortunately the first 2 didn't work, so he was given very strong ones (the pharmacist said 'er are you sure he's meant to be having these?"). 3 lots, on top of a very recent stomach bug and some weirdy fluid leaky immune thing going on with his mole, plus a herpes infection (for which he got oral acyclovir), plus steroids, all at once and I think it was too much in too short a space of time.

I would still give antibs of course, they have the potential to do a lot of good, but I just ask 'does he really really need this' before giving them. I do think that the medical professions attitude to antibs have changed though. DS3 had a febrile convulsion following a double raging ear infection, and the ward would not give him antibiotics until he had been swabbed (and he didn't get them). When ds1 was 2 they would have been given 'just in case'. It was pleasing to see the change in a hospital.

That's the question isn't it? are they really, really needed for this? I'm also happy that the medical profession changing their attitude towards AB, and are not so quick to prescribe them. Unfortunately there are many places in the world where doctors ahve not get to that point and where you can still get AB without prescription even when the box says "requires medical prescription", pharmacies wwould just sell them to you if you ask for them by their name

BTW, the angry face was for the pharmacies, not you

The dangers of tuna depend on your son's ability to process heavy metals. Most will easily get rid of that, and deal with it with no problems. If they have problems e.g. a dodgy metallothionein (see here it may be more of a problem. DS1 had a lot of tuna as a baby/toddler. At least once a week. Tonight the boys have tuna steak, but I can't remember the last time I gave them it. I don't think its the world's bigget problem, but if I thought I had a reason to be careful about heavy metals then I would limit exposure.

Gosh not for me to say re the MMR. I don't know what the levels are in those countries. Would you feel happier with singles, remember it doesn;t have to be either or you could just have a measles jab or something. Of course the problem is those at risk from the MMR jab may also be more at risk from the actual disease. Perhaps ask for advice on the JABS website?

Gess, excuse my ignorance but reading the article that you linked to this thread, I was wondering...

Would it be more accurate to give the name autism just to the more severe cases of the spectrum or perhaps separate asperger as a different independent condition?