Disclaimer: "Although I believe that vaccines caused the autism epidemic of the 90s, I do not believe that all autism is caused by vaccines. Autism is a syndrome, a group of symptoms, that can follow brain injury. Vaccines can cause encephalitis, and the symptoms of post-encephalitic syndrome are identical to autism. I do not believe that the thimerosal/mercury in vaccines is the only culprit. Reducing the amount of thimerosal in vaccines will not make vaccines safe. Removing thimerosal entirely will not make vaccines safe. Vaccines are full of chemicals that should not be pumped ad nauseam into human bodies without any prior research on what these chemicals do, or which organs they target and affect. "
Autism, Vaccination and Neurodiversity - A Timeline
by "Watson"
There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that the Neurodiversity movement is being supported by our governments and BigPharma. They know very well that many children were damaged by vaccines in the 1990s and, for once, there was an unacceptable number of casualties.
They have always regarded a few casualties as an acceptable trade-off - that's where "the benefit of vaccination outweighs the risks" comes from. The "benefit" they are referring to is not just the supposed benefit to an individual child, it is the supposed benefit to the entire population. The "risk" is to the child. So the slogan should read, "The benefit of vaccination to the population outweighs the risk to your baby." They are putting babies one at a time in the balance. And they really don't care about individual babies. Our babies.
So they had a real problem when worldwide tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of parents, like myself, witnessed their babies, toddlers and young children react to vaccines, sometimes severely as my son did, then lose their ability to communicate and go on to develop a cluster of symptoms, defined as autism, and diagnosed as "autism". There was no explanation given for our children's loss in development. They said it was called regressive-type autism that "just happens sometimes". There was no cause. Autism was not a known result of vaccination, therefore "autism" following vaccination, despite severe reactions, was not a known injury and would not be compensated.
Now the first and only priority has always been to protect the Immunisation Programme - at all costs. Even Jenner did it. When children and adults got smallpox despite being appropriately vaccinated, Jenner said that they would have had a much, much worse case of pox if they hadn't been vaccinated, or worse, they would have died. When children became severely ill after smallpox vaccination, or were brain-damaged, or died, 'something else' was always blamed. Vaccination couldn't be associated with failure to protect, injury or death.
Nothing has changed.
Except in the nineties, it was no longer the case of a child sacrificed here and there, and parents believing that their child was one of the unlucky 'one in a million' damaged by vaccines. With the Internet, parents of vaccine-injured children all over the world could now 'meet' and compare notes - and together, try to find out exactly what it was in the vaccines that had caused their children's problems so that they might recover their children.
Faced with many, many children damaged by vaccines, what were vaccine manufacturers and governments mandating those vaccines to do? Parents would lose confidence in vaccination, and that couldn't be allowed to happen.
Fearmongering was one strategy: "If fewer people immunise their children, there will be outbreaks of KILLER DISEASES. Children will DIE!"
And the other was to change attitudes towards autism.
Now, how were they going to do that?
Prior to 1999, few books had been written about the syndrome, all but two that I can think of were written from a parents' perspective, and they were read mostly by parents of children with autism, not the general public who knew next to nothing, if anything at all, about the disorder. Most had never even heard the word. Temple Grandin's 'Emergence: Labeled Autistic' was the first, published in 1986. Then in 1991 Donna Williams' book appeared.
I think it's important for people to realise that Donna did not write 'Nobody Nowhere' as an autistic person writing about autism. At the time of writing, she didn't have a diagnosis of autism. It was her autobiography, but its original title was "Dolly; autobiography of a disturbed child". Donna says that it was packaged by the publishers as 'Nobody Nowhere: Autobiography of an Autistic Girl', as if she had no idea at the time that "autistic girl" was going to be in its finished title.
Then after the thimerosal-autism link started to surface Jasmine O'Neill wrote her book, published in 1999 - 'Through the Eyes of Aliens: A Book about Autistic People'. She claimed to have very severe Kanner's autism and to be a savant in writing, music and art. She was an elective mute. This was the very first book to mention "celebration" and "beauty" in connection with autism, and the one that became Amanda Baggs' bible.
Not long afterwards, O'Neill flew off to settle in Hawaii with "the love of her life". She moved on.
In the same year 1999, an association was made between autism and genius. Speculative articles appeared such as, "Was Einstein Autistic?", followed by articles such as The Little Professor Syndrome, New York Times Magazine, June 18, 2000.
Frank Klein, then aged 29, apparently read the article which he said "explained everything" and led him a year later to Pittsburgh University and a diagnosis of High Functioning Autism.
He then set up his "Asperger's Advocacy" website which he later changed to "Autism Advocacy" when he said he realized he was more High Functioning than an Aspie. And, amongst other articles, such as, "Don't Cure Autism Now!" and "The Truth of The Myth of The Lack of Autism Recovery", he wrote "Autism, Genius and Greatness".
Then after four years of advocacy, he moved on.
In the meantime Judy Singer coined the word "Neurodiversity" and linked autism to "Nerds Wierdos, and OddBalls" in 1999.
Autistics.org was created by Laura Tisoncik, and Amanda Baggs joined her in 1999/2000.
Then Baron-Cohen's Aspie quizzes appeared, and screening for autism and Aspergers in younger and younger children began. The idea of an ASD which soon became "Autism" was extended to include any toddler with speech delay or shyness, and any shy or socially awkward teen with special interests.
Jim Laidler the ex-DAN! doctor who posted on autism support forums that his two sons had been damaged by vaccines and how they had made great progress after chelation - which is why Dr Rimland chose him to write the DAN! position paper on Mercury Detoxification of Autistic Children in 2001 - turned Judas a year later and joined Quackwatch, starting up his own branch of the organization named Autism-Watch. He had recanted and returned to the fold. Had he ever really left?
In 2002 Edan, diagnosed with Aspergers in 2001, created the website "Aspergia".
He writes:
"At school they are often viewed as normal children, if a little awkward or introverted but childhood and adolescence are such turbulent years anyway that many AMs (Aspergian Mutants) are missed completely". "AM children often develop some special powers too."
"When AM (Aspergian Mutant) individuals combine their strong personal focus with their special power, they have an extraordinary potential to contribute to society and develop new and striking inventions and works of art or science. Further research is required in the field of history to find out how many central innovative figures in human history did indeed have Aspergian traits."
In 2004 Edan moved on.
Bonnie Ventura, and many others, who found Edan's site about "Aspergians", and as a self-identified "Aspergian", jumped on board with her ideas, for one - a site for science fiction writers, which generated much more online Aspie traffic.
The idea that a cure for autism would lead to abortion of autistic fetuses and genocide of a whole race (a superior race - the next step in human evolution) was brilliant! It had anti-abortionists and minority groups up-in-arms, and had, and still has, many people who know a child with an ASD concerned, and self-diagnosed Aspies quaking in their boots.
In 2004, the "Aspies for Freedom" forum was created by Amy and Gareth Nelson, which has the wholehearted support of Simon Baron-Cohen and Tony Attwood, the UK and Australasian autism experts.
In the same year, Kathleen Seidel's undoubtedly pro-vaccination, Neurodiversity.com sprang into action with links to Stephen Barrett's Quackwatch and Laidler's Autism-Watch - which has links back to Neurodiversity.com, Autism Diva and other ND sites and blogs. Simon Baron-Cohen is in touch with Seidel, and he has praised her for her efforts. This year in the March edition of the British Medical Journal he said, "I'm very impressed by the scholarship in the neurodiversity.com website".
Now the word "autism" appears regularly in our newspapers, often linked with genius and giftedness. There must be literally hundreds of books about autism, many of them written by "autistics" or parents of "autistics" who are painting an entirely different picture of autism. I hear that Uta Frith and Simon Baron Cohen have enthusiastically supported "autistic" authors.
We have certainly come a long way since 1988 and the movie Rainman. Aspies today are surprised when they discover that the character, Raymond Babbit, was inspired by the life of the real autistic-savant Kim Peek, and that at the time Kim Peek was regarded as a high-functioning autistic.
Since 1999, several films have been made, and others are on the way, such as the Jason McElwain Movie, all depicting a different kind of autism that wasn't familiar even ten years ago.
Ten years ago, who would have guessed that the president of the USA would be photographed with an autistic basketball player? Who then could have imagined that a young man with autism would be able to play basketball - a fast-paced team sport, with the high-level activity and noise that the game entails?
Since 1999, the face of autism has been and is being deliberately changed.
Let's return to 1999. By that time, the rate of autism had climbed to 1 in 166, and many parents of children with regressive autism were waiting impatiently for the rate of autism to drop after the removal of thimerosal from vaccines. They knew it would take a few years, but they were sure that it would happen. To see a decline in the rate would have been positive proof that a substance repeatedly injected into children's bodies had damaged their brains. Unfortunately, for us and our children, that could never be allowed to happen.
The numbers kept rising, and are still rising. Last month Simon Baron-Cohen announced that autism now affects 1 in 58 children.
To the public that means that 1 in 58 children have autism. They don't. Simon Baron-Cohen knows that 1 in 58 children don't have autism. It is a deliberate deception to keep the rate of "Autism" skyrocketing in the public eye.
Joe and Jane Public read their newspaper, see the numbers rising, and completely dismiss the idea that vaccines cause autism. Their doctor has assured them that vaccines are safe, and warned them that without vaccination their baby could die or be severely brain-damaged from "a preventable disease". They've also read that Einstein, Michelangelo and Jane Austin had autism, and they've heard that autistic children are highly intelligent, gifted, and might even have special powers. They wonder what all the fuss is about. There's no question that they will vaccinate their baby.
O'Neill, Edan and Klein have moved on. How many of the current Neurodiversity activists will move on and get on with their lives, leaving their advocacy behind? Parents don't just advocate for their children with autism for a few years and move on. They can't. It's a life-time commitment.
What was and is the Neurodiversity movement's real aim? Looking at the timeline, what do you think?
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51 comments:
The reason the neurodiversity movement and the theory that vaccines cause autism emerged at the same time is because the Internet and world wide web allowed both of these ideas to circulate, and the 1990s is when the popularity of the Internet and world wide web grew massively.
Also, the amount of awareness about autism has increased dramatically over the past ten years or so. An increased awareness about autism is going to mean that there is likely an increase in awareness about issues related to autism, and the vaccine theory and neurodiversity are both issues related to autism, so it makes sense for both to occur at the same time (at the time autism awareness increased).
In addition, I don't think it is sound reasoning to argue that because two things occur at the same time, that one must have caused the other. Arguing as such is an example of the fallacies similar to post hoc, ignoring a common cause, and questionable cause fallacies. See the following websites for descriptions of these fallacies:
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/post-hoc.html
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/questionable-cause.html
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/ignoring-a-common-cause.html
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/confusing-cause-and-effect.html
Nine,
That's rather simplistic reasoning. Autism was always a devastating diagnosis until a bunch of loons began to celebrate it.
I hardly see what is simplistic about my reasoning. The Internet makes it easier for ideas to spread and circulate so I think it makes a lot of sense that the rise of the Internet has allowed two ideas to circulate at the same time (the time the Internet increased in popularity). I actually find the reasoning of this blog entry to be simplistic. It looks like this blog entry is arguing, "The idea of neurodiversity emerged at the same time as the idea that vaccines cause autism. Therefore, neurodiversity's real aim is to increase the vaccination of children."
Nine said...
"The reason the neurodiversity movement and the theory that vaccines cause autism emerged at the same time is because the Internet and world wide web allowed both of these ideas to circulate, and the 1990s is when the popularity of the Internet and world wide web grew massively."
Nine, You are quite right that the popularity of the Internet grew massively in the 1990s, but you are quite wrong that the vaccines cause autism theory emerged at the same time as the Neurodiversity Movement.
The Neurodiversity movement began as soon as the masses learned that babies were being repeatedly injected with neurotoxic mercury. Before that time, the vast majority of people believed that vaccines were as pure as holy water, and that vaccine-manufacturers and the medical professionals they trusted with their children's lives, knew what they were doing. Every person in the street knew that mercury is not good for brains, they did not know it was present in the vaccines they allowed their doctor to inject into their babies. That's why they removed thimerosal from vaccines - or reduced the amount of thimerosal to 'trace amounts' - to restore public confidence in the vaccination programme.
Some parents and medical professionals already knew that vaccines caused brain damage, and autism. Read Harris Coulter's books,'A Shot in the Dark' first published in 1985 and, 'Vaccines, Social Violence and Criminality: The Medical Assault on the American Brain' (1993). He, and others such as Dr Guylaine Lanctot had long made the connection between vaccines, encephalitis and autism.
In the 90s parents were searching for answers and remedies, the push for a change in attitude towards autism came about in the last year of that decade, in 1999, when Singer used the word "Neurodiversity" and O'Neill's book was published. Do you believe that O'Neill, a manic-depressive, elective mute, diagnosed with autism at 26, actually had severe Kanner's Syndrome?
Here's a simplistic response to Nine. "Nine, you're and idiot."
Watson, you should write a book. Excellent article.
My becoming ill from a vaccine many years ago stopped me from allowing my beautiful children to be injected with animal DNA, viruses and dangerous chemicals, therefore, preventing them from developing severe autism and God only knows how many other terrible life long disorders, illnesses, you name it.
The often quoted lie that if a child becomes ill after a vaccination that they got a 'milder dose' of the disease is what makes me ill. People routinely quote that lie because they 'read it somewhere' or their 'doctor told them.' How the hell can you quantify how sick a child 'might' have got or if they would have got sick at all.
People, wake up and start thinking for yourselves!
And as for you parents who think that your mildly aspie kid does not need to learn a a little empathy, a few social skills, a good work ethic, remember that those kids will grow into adults with no empathy, no social skills and no work ethic. They will wonder why they have bad relationships, fail in work, (despite their supposed genius) and will make dangerous and uncaring parents.
If they manage to develop enough self awareness to actually see their own deficits I hope they all come back and blame you for not helping them when you could have.
Treefrog aka Fox2012
Watson, congratulations on your manifesto of paranoia.
FSGT
This is horse hockey! Watson you should be hanging your head with a beetroot red face. Nine's got it in one.
Do a refresher in history before expressing such asshat speculation. Autism was always celebrated and/or accepted. Why? Cause it can't be cured!
Very interesting post, Watson. I haven't heard this theory before - it seems highly original. I was wondering if you could clarify a couple of points for me.
First, do you believe that the actual incidence of Kanner type autism (severe autism) peaked in the late nineties and the incidence of this more severe form of autism has since become stable or even decreased?
Do you believe then, that that the so-called autism epidemic � the ever increasing prevalence rates (1:166, 1:160, 1:100�.) is due to a conspiracy to essentially bury �real� autism cases with a flood of �high functioning� type autism and Asperger�s diagnosis?
How many people (rough estimate) do you believe are involved in this conspiracy? How far down the line do you believe it goes � to the level of local developmental pediatricians who are diagnosing autism - to the educators that are assessing children and providing special education services to them? Or, is the conspiracy managed at a much higher level - and the folks on the ground, the folks diagnosing and educating these high functioning �autistic� children, are merely dupes of this propaganda campaign?
Thanks.
Anon said..
"This is horse hockey! Watson you should be hanging your head with a beetroot red face."
I think vaccine manufacturers and government health departments should be hanging their heads in shame.
Vaccines have been damaging children since they were first used.
You think it's okay for a few to be sacrificed for the many, do you?
Do you?
"Do a refresher in history before expressing such asshat speculation. Autism was always celebrated and/or accepted."
I suggest you read the history of autism, and see how many articles and books you can find celebrating Autism pre-1999.
If autism has always been celebrated and accepted then why is ND fighting for it to be celebrated and accepted. According to ND advocates, autism was formerly celebrated by shuttling the child off to an institution and never mentioning their name again.
the push for a change in attitude towards autism came about in the last year of that decade, in 1999
Actually, anti-cure ideas and advocacy to move away from a disorder model of autism were around prior to 1999. Jim Sinclair's essay "Don't Mourn for Us" (url http://web.syr.edu/%7Ejisincla/dontmourn.htm) was written in 1993. Autism Network International was founded in 1992, and activities leading up to its founding date back to the late 1980s (url http://web.syr.edu/~jisincla/History_of_ANI.html). 1999 might have been the year that the term 'neurodiversity' was coined, but the movement to advocate away from the disorder view of autism has existed well before 1999.
I am not going to wade into who is correct or incorrect here but I will mention four important points to take into consideration to your position and I guess to consider in future postings here.
For those of you who don't know me I have high functioning autism, as does my son. I do belong to other autism forum and enjoy being a member.
Firstly: Many people on the spectrum (such as myself) were not identified or diagnosed correctly when we were younger. I personally was diagnosed with slight mental retardation. Living with this incorrect diagnosis was difficult due to the reason that I am not and those that know me, know me as intelligent, articulate and rational.
Secondly: The proliferation of awareness in both the medical/psychological communities and the general and internet community has lead (I believe) to a lot of socially inept or weird people without the condition to happily embrace the condition incorrectly.
Thirdly: Something that has really pissed me off no end is the NT bashing I see as autistics "embrace" their condition and seek to disparage the other 99% of people in society.
I am autistic and accept my autism rather than embrace it. I make great efforts to be a good father, friend and member of society. I have almost exclusively NT friends and they accept me as I am. They are considerate of my ineptitude and do keep in mind to deliberately cause me stress. I would take a bullet for anyone of these NT's.
My friends, girlfriend, little daughter and practically everyone I know is NT. If it came to choosing sides in a battle between them and a bigoted autistic NT basing who do you think I would side with?
Lastly (and forgive the rambling):
Timelord ought not be seen as any kind of representative of autistics in any way. I am sure most people do not take this man seriously in any way. In AFF he came in there like thrusting in opinions down everyone's throats and hurling insults around and wondered why people were not embracing his lunacy. I don't dissuade your efforts to engage this man on any level. The more he responds the stupider he is shown to be. I just do worry that any interaction with this guy may taint by association.
delusional paranoid beliefs in conspiracy theory like this usually goes with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia.
Did your voices tell you to post this utter crap.
Make sure to take your tinfoil hat out with you, it will cure you from those nasty Autism vibes being beamed down from a secret satellite financed by Big Pharma with Amanda Baggs face on it.
Having been pushed to 'diagnose for services' my NON autistic child, I agree that things get messy with inclusion criteria. It's more than just broader definition that now includes the spectrum things, it's pretty much any developmental disorder. And some parents go for it because this is the only chance to get any help for their children that they have been advised of.
Considering how weak the current understanding of the condition is, I did wonder if that blowing up numbers is not coincidental.
Well done Watson!
Watson you are a fool. More horse hockey! History records that it was found early on that Autism can't be cured! That's the acceptance and embracing of it right there - where you don't want to see it just because nothing was written!
And you're talking like vaccines are a bad thing. Hey - every little treatment can have drawbacks for the odd person. You go for any operation to treat an injury and you face the same risk. Why the fuss? You're a fucking panic merchant, asshat!
And so is that stupid anon. ND is calling for it now because of asshats like Watson and Fore Sam who won't accept it and are treating it like some sort of bubonic plague!!
Anonymous said...
"Watson, congratulations on your manifesto of paranoia.
FSGT"
On the contrary, I think Watson did and excellent job and deserves a round of applause for his post.
Very well put, Ross.
You are a realist and I'ts refreshing to see an autistic person with such practical and rational views.
This is something I rarely come across. Thank you for your honest and valuable imput.
I feel sorry for any group that has Amanda Baggs and Laura T as their role models. Would you like your autistic daughters to look and behave like those two?
Would you like your autistic sons using Timelord and Christschool as models for their behaviour. All that rocking is exhausting, not to mention time consuming.
Between the fat girls and the nmorons when would your kids have time for useful things like school work, not to mention fun and games.
Anon said...
"If autism has always been celebrated and accepted then why is ND fighting for it to be celebrated and accepted. According to ND advocates, autism was formerly celebrated by shuttling the child off to an institution and never mentioning their name again."
Precisely, Anon.
Ross Lumbus said...
"Something that has really pissed me off no end is the NT bashing I see as autistics "embrace" their condition and seek to disparage the other 99% of people in society."
Yes, in the main self-diagnosed Aspies have formed an exclusive club. They believe they are more intelligent, more creative, and smarter than ordinary people, and not at all like "low-functioning autistics" who, some say are really mentally-retarded and have been misdiagnosed with autism.
Some, such as Phil Guylas, refer to low-functioning autistics as "unintelligent" and "retards", and others like Louise, the lawyer to be, say that they not worthy of respect.
Look at Phil Guylas's treatment of Droopy, and how he treated Joeker after he voiced his opinion and stood up for low-functioning autistics.
http://blogofmanytrades.blogspot.com/
Neither Phil nor Louise has been banned from AFF, but Droopy and Joeker have.
They've been silenced.
Mrs. Hudson said...
" Having been pushed to 'diagnose for services' my NON autistic child, I agree that things get messy with inclusion criteria. It's more than just broader definition that now includes the spectrum things, it's pretty much any developmental disorder. And some parents go for it because this is the only chance to get any help for their children that they have been advised of. Considering how weak the current understanding of the condition is, I did wonder if that blowing up numbers is not coincidental."
Your whole post is worth reading again.
Thanks for the positive feedback, Mrs Hudson.
I think that including on the spectrum other developmental disabilities, developmental delay, speech and language disorders, obvious genetic conditions that affect normal brain development, and other neurological disorders is ludicrous. And deliberate.
For many, including Dr Tony Attwood the Australasian autism expert, ADD/ADHD is already at the far upper end of the autistic spectrum, and I believe the current rate is around 1 in 10 children.
If tomorrow, ADD and ADHD were officially included on the spectrum as ASDs, and the rate of autism skyrocketed to 1 in 10 seemingly overnight, do you think people would catch on?
Anonymous said...
"delusional paranoid beliefs in conspiracy theory like this usually goes with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia. Did your voices tell you to post this utter crap. Make sure to take your tinfoil hat out with you, it will cure you from those nasty Autism vibes being beamed down from a secret satellite financed by Big Pharma with Amanda Baggs face on it."
How long did it take you to write your message, Anon? A minute, perhaps?
Any fool can post anonymous insults.
Anonymous said...
"Watson you are a fool. More horse hockey! History records that it was found early on that Autism can't be cured! "
Actually, you're quite wrong.
I know children who have lost all their symptoms of autism. Children whose immune systems and brains were damaged by vaccines who were treated early enough.
Others have made remarkable recoveries, like my son.
"And you're talking like vaccines are a bad thing. Hey - every little treatment can have drawbacks for the odd person. You go for any operation to treat an injury and you face the same risk. Why the fuss? You're a fucking panic merchant, asshat!"
And what exactly do you know about vaccination, Anon?
Does your knowledge extend any further than what you've read in school textbooks, and in the glossy advertising brochures produced by vaccine manufacturers?
Watson,
I know Phil Gluyas is "Timelord", but who is "Louise, the lawyer to be"?
Brook Trout said...
"First, do you believe that the actual incidence of Kanner type autism (severe autism) peaked in the late nineties and the incidence of this more severe form of autism has since become stable or even decreased?
There was a decrease in cases of full-syndrome autism in 2003/4. The autism numbers were starting to drop.
"Do you believe then, that that the so-called autism epidemic ? the ever increasing prevalence rates (1:166, 1:160, 1:100?.) is due to a conspiracy to essentially bury ?real? autism cases with a flood of ?high functioning? type autism and Asperger?s diagnosis?"
Yes.
http://www.thewavemag.com/pagegen.php?pagename=article&articleid=25361
"In 2005, a high-functioning child with a genius IQ but an aversion to social situations who has been given the diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome will be counted along with a severely incapacitated, low-functioning child with severe autism, an association that would have been deemed completely incompatible only a few years ago."
"How many people (rough estimate) do you believe are involved in this conspiracy? "
Only those who need to know. A handful.
How far down the line do you believe it goes?
The people working at the coal face are doing their jobs. They want to help parents and get services for their children., and if an atypical autism diagnosis or atypical Aspergers diagnosis works they see no harm in giving it.
And Aspergers has become a trendy diagnosis. Although children diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome today are nothing like those described by Wing in the 80s.
Children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Disinhibited Attachment Disorder, Spoiled Child Syndrome, Multiplex Developmental Disorder are being given an atypical autism diagnosis because it is far more socially acceptable. Children who fit the Broader Autism Phenotype, are getting the atypical autism diagnosis or the AS diagnosis. Some of their behaviours might appear to be autistic, but they don't have autism.
When emotionally disturbed children are moved to a more suitable and loving envioronment, their autistic-like behaviours disappear.
Considering the history of autism, emotionally disturbed, abused and neglected children shouldn't be getting the "autism" diagnosis. I think that's dangerous.
Diagnosing more and more, and younger and younger, children with Aspergers Syndrome and atypical autism has resulted in the continuing increase in the rate of "autism". More and more children are being squeezed under the autism umbrella, and more and more parents think that their children "have autism", and say that their children "have autism". This has trivialized the disorder, and made tracking any change in the number of actual cases of autism after the removal of thimerosal very difficult. Actually, without completely reliable databases, I would say, it's almost impossible.
The subgroup of vaccine-damaged children with regressive autism is being ignored.
To discover whether symptoms of this syndrome were caused or are being caused by vaccination, researchers should have been studying children with documented histories of normal birth with high Apgar scores, and normal development, followed by obvious regression after vaccination. Instead, they were sent on a wild goose-chase looking for faulty genes.
Researchers who have made the connection with vaccines are being vilified. Why? Because they are publicly announcing that children have been and are being damaged by vaccines. And public criticism of vaccines is not allowed.
Dr Rimland has data at the ARI to show that there was a change in the number of children diagnosed with regressive late-onset autism in the 80s, after the introduction of the MMR vaccine.
Prior to 1985, 2 out of 3 children with autism appeared to have autism from birth, after 1985, 2 out of every 3 regressed and developed autism. Something happened at that point.
Unfortunately, few listened to Dr Rimland because he believed that vaccination was a cause of autism, and he believed in intervention.
He also had no time whatsoever for the people he called "advozealots", "self-appointed spokesmen for the handicapped". And neither do I.
He wrote:
"The advozealots, some with a hidden agenda and others with the best of intentions, have done much harm. If you are truly concerned with the welfare of the handicapped, resist!"
You can read some of Louise's comments on this thread:
http://www.aspiesforfreedom.com/showthread.php?tid=8666&page=3
"Like pet monkeys"
Watson, I will not be surprised if you and I will wake up 'autistic' tomorrow!! Frankly, ADD and ADHD might as well be included officially as kids get diagnosed with both (attention things+'spectrum') more often than either one separately already, and many people do think it is basically a lighter form of the same thing. If you look at the latest Australian prevalence research (it's recent, only a few months ago nobody could even tell the prevalence of autism in the country! Some states still quoted 'one in 10 thousand' earlier this year) you will see that they didn't even use the same assessment criteria.
I am glad they have it on record now, actually.
Someone is fishing in muddy waters, definitely.
I wanted to add to the inclusion discussion and how is falsely pumps up numbers.
I have many friends with children who have various disabilities. Many of them are finding that autistic kids get a lions share of special services that would also be helpful to their child, but they are denied having the wrong condition. I know several who have actively sought an autism spectrum diagnosis so their child can also get beneficial therapies they desperately need but are denied. I don't blame these parents. A disabled child needs therapies and support, regardless of their diagnosis. Yet, someone high up is making decisions to limit services to autism only. The outcome is that on the ground level, you have desperate parents and well meaning service providers falsely handing out autism diagnosises to get children they care about the help they need. The effect is that the numbers of autism cases is being inflated, making it appear that the removal of thimerosol from vaccines had no effect decreasing autism incidences. The truth is, I see less and less children with autism who have the kind of autism my child has and those I know who are in that age group.
I completely agree that the rates of autism are false based on the inclusion of those who are not truly autistic.
I am wondering if Asperger's should be placed in a different diagnostic category because in all but the most severe cases the person is perfectly capable to taking care of themselves.
I also want to point out that even in its mild form Asperger's is still a disorder that should be cured or at the very least should be helped. It causes devastation to families. It is not a lifestyle, it is a neurological disease. If it was a lifestyle then none of them would need the services they demand.
Mrs. Hudson said...
"Watson, I will not be surprised if you and I will wake up 'autistic' tomorrow!! "
Neither would I. If being 'different' means being "autistic".
Being different is what makes us human. Humans are neurodiverse by nature, we are not clones. We all have our likes and dislikes, our sensitivities, phobias and special interests.
I believe that convincing the population that autism is genetic and runs in families was a very clever ploy.
"Frankly, ADD and ADHD might as well be included officially as kids get diagnosed with both (attention things+'spectrum') more often than either one separately already, and many people do think it is basically a lighter form of the same thing. "
Yes, autism-lite or Aspergers-lite. Anyone 'different' could be "on the spectrum", and seeing as we are all different, I guess the rate autism could eventually reach 1 in 1.
As the Quakers say:
"All the world is queer except me and thee; and sometimes I think thee is a little queer."
But there's a huge difference between being queer (as in 'odd' not gay), and being disabled, isn't there?
If you are going to include the name of a great author in your drivel, please have the decency to spell her name right.
It's Jane Austen.
It sounds like you are shifting your argument away from mercury, Watson. Was the evidence getting a little to much for you to handle?
Anonymous said...
"If you are going to include the name of a great author in your drivel, please have the decency to spell her name right. It's Jane Austen."
Anon, Be sure to let me know if there are any more spelling errors or typos. They're so dreadfully important, you know.
"It sounds like you are shifting your argument away from mercury, Watson. Was the evidence getting a little to much for you to handle?"
My argument has never been that mercury is the only cause of all autism.
If you'd read my disclaimer carefully, you'd have known that.
Watson, did I miss something or did you dodge the observation that Jim Sinclair's "Don't Mourn for Us" was released in 1993 which doesn't fit with your timeline.
Anonymous said...
"Watson, did I miss something or did you dodge the observation that Jim Sinclair's "Don't Mourn for Us" was released in 1993 which doesn't fit with your timeline."
I'm working on a response. Stay tuned.
Jane Austen was not autistic! She was a brilliant, insightful woman with a razor sharp sense of humour and irony; therefore, she could not have been autistic.
Mrs. Hudson and Watson are right, We are all autistic these days, or none of us are, at least the HF variety.
Nine said...
"Actually, anti-cure ideas and advocacy to move away from a disorder model of autism were around prior to 1999. Jim Sinclair's essay "Don't Mourn for Us" (url http://web.syr.edu/%7Ejisincla/dontmourn.htm) was written in 1993."
Who does s/he mean by "Us"?
What strikes me about Jim Sinclair's website is that s/he discusses intersexuality in great detail and what growing up as an intersexed person was like for him/her but spends no time at all talking about his/her own experience as a child growing up with autism.
The only hint that s/he might have had autism as a child is when s/he says that aside from her intersexuality s/he "had some severe developmental communication and other problems", which s/he doesn't dwell on. I find that curious.
Although s/he is often referred to as a person with Asperger's Syndrome, from what I have read, s/he had no formal autism diagnosis in 1988.
I get the impression from this article and others that as a child and as a teenager, s/he felt misunderstood, rejected and unloved, and that s/he is speaking primarily about him/herself as an intersexed person having undergone - against his/her will - several painful and useless treatments to remedy his/her physical 'difference'.
The problem with that, of course. is that his being born an intersexed person could not be changed, cured or treated, and parents of such a child have no choice but to accept their condition.
The bottom line is that Jim Sinclair did not have autism as a child, and he is not, and never will be, a parent trying to cope everyday with a severely autistic child.
Nine, Can you find another pre-1999 anti-cure article from an autism advocate other than Sinclair?
"Autism Network International was founded in 1992, and activities leading up to its founding date back to the late 1980s (url http://web.syr.edu/~jisincla/History_of_ANI.html). 1999 might have been the year that the term 'neurodiversity' was coined, but the movement to advocate away from the disorder view of autism has existed well before 1999."
I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong here.
Donna Williams, Jim Sinclair and Kathy Lissner founded Autism Network International in 1992.
Donna Williams
Donna Williams was an emotionally deprived, abused and neglected child - "a disturbed child". She was diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder. In 1990, in her mid-twenties and after gaining an honors degree in sociology, and writing her first book, she was described as "autistic" by Dr Laurie Bartak.
I have not been able to find out if Donna was ever actually given an autism diagnosis, although she described herself as a high-functioning autistic which, after the DSM_IV came out in 1994, would be the equivalent of Asperger's Syndrome. She did not have a diagnosis of autism of any kind when she wrote her book.
After it was published with the word "autistic" in the title, she was accused of fraud by people who knew her well. She has become an autism consultant, author of several books , script-writer, film maker, and she is a sought-after speaker at autism conferences all over the world.
Jim Sinclair
Jim Sinclair was born in 1965. S/he is referred to as a person with Asperger's Syndrome.
S/he has a B.A. in Psychology and graduate education in Developmental and Child Psychology, and a Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counselling. S/he is described as a dynamic and sought-after speaker at autism conferences.
I don't know when s/he was diagnosed with Aspergers, but growing up as an inter-sexed person, treated as a girl until s/he was twelve, and then as a boy, must have been exceptionally difficult.
Kathy Lissner
Kathy Lissner, born 1965, was raped and sexually abused as a young child. She gained a degree in Political Science in her twenties and she was officially diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome in 1994, at the age of 28, - although some sites say that she was diagnosed in 2001, at the age of 36 - having referred to herself as an "autistic" person, and having spoken as "an autistic", on behalf of "autistics", since 1988.
The ARI was founded by three highly-intelligent, high-functioning people with traumatic pasts who met in 1992 while Donna Williams was promoting her first book 'Nobody Nowhere: Autobiography of an Autistic Girl' at autism conferences. All are writers and all became self-appointed autism advocates.
I understand they were joined by Wendy Lawson.
Wendy Lawson was diagnosed, also, curiously, by Dr Laurie Bartak, with an "Autism Spectrum Disorder" in 1994, at the age of 42, after 24 years as a schizophrenic. She has five university degrees. She has written many books and is a qualified counsellor, social worker and psychologist. She was married with several children, and now lives with her lesbian partner.
Dr Laurie Bartak who diagnosed both Donna Williams and Wendy Lawson has said that abused and emotionally deprived children show autistic-like behaviours, and that these disappear entirely when the children are moved to more supportive and loving environments. Dr Michael Rutter found that Romanian orphans with autism "recovered with reasonable foster care in Britain".
Dr Bartak, Senior Lecturer of Education at Monash University in Victoria, and one of Australia’s best-known authorities on autism with 40-plus years in the field, has said that environmental factors play a part in the development of some autism. Both he and Michael Rutter know that some children with autistic symptoms recover completely when their environment is changed.
Looking at these advocates, do you think that their autistic symptoms could have stemmed from their early traumatic lives and turbulent pasts?
Ian Sinclair, Donna Williams, Kathy Lissner, Wendy Lawson and others may very well have talked amongst themselves and decided to promote greater awareness and understanding of autism, and acceptance of people with autism by the community, but it was only after a link with vaccines had been made that any idea of acceptance of the disorder itself became known to parents of children with autism.
As far as I know, Kathy Grant and Wendy Lawson have not spoken against treatment. Thomas McKean certainly hasn't. Donna Williams herself uses diet and biomed. And even Ian Sinclair has said that s/he is not against intervention for behaviours that "intrude on other people's boundaries".
Although it is quite true that Sinclair wrote "Don't Mourn for Us" in 1993, the article reached my mailbox in 1999. There's that pivotal year, again. That's apparently when it was widely circulated around parent-run autism support groups and e-lists.
Parents of children with regressive-autism after vaccination were outraged. They were indeed mourning for a child that they had lost, and they were searching for a cure.
If a child is born with a physical malformation, born with brain damage or born with a genetic disorder which interferes with normal brain development, one can understand why advocates who themselves were born with a physical difference would plead for acceptance, particularly after they'd endured several unsuccessful operations designed to remedy their difference.
However when a normally-developing child is brain-injured in an accident or after an encephalitis, or by a vaccine-induced encephalopthy causing organic brain damage, and they develop symptoms of brain-injury, parents do mourn for the child they have lost and desperately want to put things right.
Many parents in the 80s and 90s were mourning. They knew what had happened to their children, and they wanted to recover the children they'd lost.
In 2002, the first World Autism Congress gathered in Melbourne, Australia. and was attended by 1500 scientists, doctors, autism case workers and parents, "all absorbed in finding causes and treatments for the mystery disorder".
Both Donna Williams and Wendy Lawson were speakers, along with Temple Grandin. The first two we gather were described as "autistic" by Dr Laurie Bartak. Grandin, on the other hand, was diagnosed with autism in infancy. Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders also participated in online chat room discussions.
Why do you think that the very first World Autism Congress was held in 2002?
Why do you think Dr Laurie Bartak "found himself hosing down spot-fires threatening to engulf some of his most eminent guests"?
Why do you think sparks were flying?
And, do you think that the parents attending that meeting had speech-delayed toddlers or quirky children?
Great stuff once aain, Watson.
I have read before that trauma and the resulting PTSD can cause children and adults to 'appear' autistic and that they recover when given help to overcome the trauma. It is interesting that all the adults you mentioned who now call themselves autism advocates, except Temple Grandin, were traumatized children who later called themselves autistic. I wonder why they latched onto autism instead of PTSD as a label.
Droopy mentioned in another thread that autism has become fetish with many people and I agree. I'm curious as to why that would be.
Watson, what do you think?
Without wanting to violate your anonymity or privacy I an curious to know if you are a mum or a dad. Obviously, you will only answer that if you want to and if you don't, I understand.
Hi all,
Here is an interesting link that the breeder who I bought my Jack Russell from sent me. By the way this guy is in his mid 70'S, from Ireland third generation of breeding Jack Russell. When I contacted him to buy my pup he said he wanted to talk to me and to keep an open mind. Well guess what he wanted to talk about. VACCINES! He did not want me to get any vaccines for the dog other than rabies, and to hold off as long as possible. Also wanted me to find a vet that would adjust the dose to the dogs weight. here is the email he sent. Check out this link to the article
Hi Peggy, hadn't heard from you in a while, hope everything is going ok, here is something to check out, now scientifically proven. Fred
http://www.dogsadversereactions.com/scienceVaccineDamage.html
Thanks, Anon. I believe that many mentally ill adults, including sexual deviants, have latched onto the autism label because they can pretend that they are not really mentally ill, they only have "a healthy variation in neurological hard-wiring".
Watson, that makes sense.
What makes me crazy is that the minute they get caught in a criminal act they jump on the 'I could not help it because I have Asperger's' bandwagon. Increasingly Asperger's is being used as a defence in criminal prosecutions. I find that very disturbing, especially since half of them do not and never have had Asperger's.
Watson,
I agree with you on all points accept this one.
watson said...
I think vaccine manufacturers and government health departments should be hanging their heads in shame.
I think vaccine manufacturers and government health departments should be hanging from the end of a very, very long rope!
Peggy
The Neurodiversity group does not seem to be doing much for my AS granddaughter, Where are they when she is being dragged out of her classroom every day and put into restraints because she does not understand fucking poetry. I'm sure if anyone asked her she would tell you its nothing to celebrate. Right now I'm fighting DSS because I refuse to let them DX her with bi-polar. That would sure make things a lot easier for the schools system. How about being punished for five days of no activity because you went on a field trip to a park with no bathrooms and had to go pee when you got there. Trust me society is not celebrating our children. Of course I do consider myself lucky because my granddaughter can talk and tell me how she is being treated. GOD only knows what they are doing to the more severely effected children. I would like to know what planet these people live on?
Peggy
Wasn't sure which thread to post this in.
Didn't someone on another thread say something about a school for aspies with aspie teachers would be great for ASD kids. You've got to be joking!
12:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 15, 2007
By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News
bformby@dallasnews.com
A Collin County jury late Tuesday sentenced a former substitute teacher in Plano and Richardson schools to 15 years in prison for taking nude photographs of a 15-year-old student.
The eight-woman, four-man panel also gave 33-year-old Jason Joel Pearce two probated 10-year sentences for fondling the former student in a classroom at Williams High School in Plano in 2005.
"It still doesn't feel real," Mr. Pearce's accuser, now 17, said after the verdict. She said that the last two years had been chaotic and full of campuswide rumors and that she doubted she would ever be able to find closure.
She and some of Mr. Pearce's other former students released a joint statement after the trial.
"He didn't get what he deserved today, but on the final judgment day he will," they said.
The former students said they would have liked to see the man – whom they testified acted more like a friend than a teacher – be given the maximum 20-year sentence.
Jurors deliberated for more than eight hours Tuesday. About halfway through deliberations, they told the court they agreed on a length for Mr. Pearce's sentence but not how it should be spent.
"We are in a deadlock in respect to probation vs. nonprobation," they said in a note. At that point, the defense unsuccessfully argued for a mistrial, and the judge sent a note back to jurors instructing them to continue deliberating.
Several hours later, they announced their decision.
Mr. Pearce – grandson of the late Richardson ISD Superintendent J.J. Pearce, after whom a high school is named – showed no reaction as the sentence was read. His mother, who cried throughout her testimony earlier in the day, wept during the announcement. Family and friends appeared shocked at the 15-year term.
Prosecutor Jessie Allen said he felt confident that the jury did what it believed to be appropriate.
Mr. Allen declined to comment on his reaction to the jury giving Mr. Pearce a 15-year prison sentence for taking photos of a topless teenager but 10-year probated sentences for fondling her.
The 12 jurors declined to comment as they left the Collin County Courthouse late Tuesday night.
The charges on which Mr. Pearce was convicted – one count of sexual performance of a child and two counts of indecency with a child – are second-degree felonies. He could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each. Jurors acquitted him on a sexual assault charge.
John Hardin, Mr. Pearce's attorney, said he believed some jurors felt his client was innocent of the indecency charges. He said he believed those jurors then fought hard to probate the sentences, which led to the jury's difficulty in finding consensus.
"I truly believe people who were resisting finding him guilty in the first place were adamant about not sending him to the penitentiary," Mr. Hardin said.
Mr. Pearce will have to register with the state as a sex offender.
Mr. Allen did not call any witnesses during the sentencing phase. He asked the jury to sentence Mr. Pearce to 15 years in prison for all three of his convictions.
Mr. Pearce's mother, Linda Pearce, cried throughout her testimony on her son's behalf Tuesday.
"He needs help, and I should have given it to him," she said.
"Mr. Pearce's defense attorney argued during the trial that his client had Asperger's syndrome, an autism disorder that affected his ability to read social cues. But Mr. Allen said that Mr. Pearce was an irresponsible teacher who endangered his students. "
Anonymous said...
"What makes me crazy is that the minute they get caught in a criminal act they jump on the 'I could not help it because I have Asperger's' bandwagon. Increasingly Asperger's is being used as a defence in criminal prosecutions. I find that very disturbing, especially since half of them do not and never have had Asperger's."
So do I. Especially since some people with "mild Aspergers" are literally getting away with murder. Like Robert Durst.
And I see they're using the same defence for John Odgren.
I believe that if you deliberately take someone's life, you should pay with your own.
"Aspergers" should not be used as a 'Get out of jail free' card.
peggy said...
"I think vaccine manufacturers and government health departments should be hanging from the end of a very, very long rope!"
Peggy, I agree with you.
Do the crime, pay the time. There shouldn't be special treatment. They shouldn't do it in the first place, and if they do it, then they pay for it. I'm against the death penalty, and against the execution of those with mental defect, but in that case, a life sentence would fit nicely.
Just because someone has AS doesn't mean they should get criminal immunity.
Well said Joeker. I agree. The other thing I have advocated here is that irrespective of your condition or circumstances you have a social obligation to be an active contributor to society.
I expect that people will treat me as I treat them. I think that respect ought not be given but earned. I believe you get out of life what you put in and none of this has ANYTHING to do with my condition or ANYONE ELSE'S condition.
Those who use it as an excuse or complain that life is too hard are just weak and not prepared to try and stick it out. Know anyone with Asperger's like that? Yeah me too. It is rather sad and pathetic.
Indeed. There are no free rides. If you want something in life, you have to work for it. This is the way the world works. People who feel that the rules shouldn't apply to them are either foolish, dreamers, lazy, or off their rocker. There are allowances to be made for things which are unavoidable, but ultimately, it's no one's responsibility but your own to ensure your happiness.
Anonymous poster of: Sun Aug 12, 07:59:00 AM PDT
I have a bit of a point to argue here.
My family has hardly been, as you say, damaged, but then, I was never a demanding or pampered child, spoiled rotten and without any real idea of work or reality.
I have Aspergers syndrome, and I live with no special support in regards to it. I plan on finding a job, working, and getting paid. I don't plan on being a drain on the economy so I can get pampered. One of the earliest things I learned was that if you want something, you yourself must reach out to get it.
There are Aspies who aren't feeling that the world owes them, and there are those who are never satisfied. I'm part of the first, and I'm sure Watson or Fore know a few Aspies they have problems with, who, sadly, are part of the second. It is beyond me why a person who works somewhere for a while cannot seem to continue their work after getting diagnosed, and it's further beyond me that people of the second category often seem to be the ones demanding respect out of one side of their mouth, and asking pity out of the other. It really dumbfounds me.
Also, on another tangent, it truly is disgusting that the HFAs/Aspies are so concerned over image, and feel that LFAs are bringing them down. It's shameful that they care more for looking like they're brilliant than for actual people.
The Most Bitter Debate
There is no greater rancor in medicine than the autism-vaccine debate, and this debate has reached the federal vaccine court where 5000 autistic kids and their families are requesting compensation for vaccine injury.
In California it is a illegal to inject newborns with the mercury containing vaccines (such as the thimerosol Hep-B Shot), and it should be crime in your state as well.
Hepatitis B is transmitted with IV drug abuse, or via promiscuity, both of which are somewhat impossible for newborns. It is much safer to wait until the child is 3 years old to give the shot.
Hopefully, the injection of mercury into newborns will soon become a relic of the ancient past, taking its rightful place in the museum along with bloodletting and leeches. Until then, there is much work to be done to remove mercury from our vaccinations. As a nation, we can’t afford not to.
Thousands of families are reporting their normal children changed after receiving mercury-containing vaccines, and began displaying Autism symptoms (which mimic mercury poisoning).
There are many videos posted on U-Tube showing a typical story. The new born child develops normally, is then vaccinated and becomes autistic. After biologic treatment by a DAN physician the child dramatically improves. (Click Here for Video)
Read more at:
Autism and Mercury Vaccines by Jeffrey Dach MD
Jeffrey Dach MD
4700 Sheridan Suite T
Hollywood Fl 33021
954-983-1443
my web site
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