Feel the Hope: Autism Treatment Research

I was going to make a post after reading a few down saying "please don't turn this interesting topic into a debate about NHC" and then I read Basso turning it into a Sarah Palin baitfest.

How disappointing.

Anyway, interested in the results. I know people who swear by ABA.

Edit: Yay, we moved to page 2. Let's pretend the idiocy of page 1 didn't happen and discuss the topic at hand!@

 

Yes, I agree about poorer parents not knowing about available services.

I think early diagnosis for this would need to come around 2-2 1/2 years. Most children aren't in school then so it would need tro be health care that caught it.

 

Good idea.

 

And as I pointed out you were wrong about Palin hate. In addition there is zero Trig hate in the other thread. You have already been shown to be wrong in your previous accusations of Trig hate. In fact your arguments were dissected and your inability to back up your claim was layed bare for all to see.

Would you like to try again and find posts in the other thread to back up your accusation, or should we all just not bother and realize this is yet another unsubstantiated claim in your long history of unsubstantiated claims?

Remember the last time you made the claim, it was shown to be demonstrably false.

 

Again you are failing to seperate, or deliberately conflating, two issues. People hate Palin, and I will agree there is hate of Palin, for political reasons with hate of women that choose to have DS children and hate of DS children.

It would be the same as saying "People hate Obama because he is black and has married a black woman."

Do you hate Obama because he is black and married a black woman?

If you find that suggestion offensive then you should understand why many of us find your ridiculous suggestion that people hate Palin because of Trig and her decistion to have Trig as offensive.

 

I wish it was that easy.

 

Yes, and those people are utter idiots.

 

This might be better served as the topic for another thread but so far the evidence shows little connection with vaccination and autism. My own opinion is that the epidemic of autism is due to better reporting of the condition along with expanding the range of autism related disorders.

I have a cousin who was recently diagnosed with Aspergers when he was 17. I suspect that a decade ago he would've just been considered nerdy rather than having a disorder.

 

the initial concerns about vaccines had to do with mercury, specifically Thimerosal, in vaccines, but their use ended in 2002 (i believe) and the incidence of ASD has continued to rise (my son was born in 2004, from an embryo frozen in 2001).

Subsequent concerns have been about the combo MMR vaccine kids receive as infants, that somehow hitting them with multiple vaccines at one causes a breach in their immune systems.

there likely isn't one cause, nor will their be one therapy that works for every kid. what does seem clear is there is a predisposition, perhaps genetic, that is then triggered by external causes, perhaps a vaccine, perhaps something environmental, perhaps a combination.

some folks believe it's related to diet, and we tried the GFCF diet for a while, and saw no changes.

 

I haven't seen any kind of conclusive science on the issue, so I wouldn't buy into it until I see more evidence that backs up the claim. I think I would advise anyone to get their children immunized.

 

Complete garbage. I know plenty of autism experts who get angry at the suggestion made by certain groups.

 

I've heard the mercury connection too but my understanding is that even when Thimerosal was used the mercury was in such a small amount as to unlikely be able to cause any neurological damage.

Also if Thimerosal was the cause we would've seen a much higher incidence of autism before it was discontinued. I understand you are pointing out that your son whas born after Thimerosal was discontinued but just making a general point.

This is a topic that I haven't read about much so I don't have much info regarding the combo vaccines. From what I do understand though is that the combo vaccines have been used for quite awhile and again we haven't seen previous upsurges in Autism.

There may be genetic and environmental factors leading to more Autism but my own feeling is that this is due to better reporting along with a wider definition of Autism and related syndromes.

 

The truth is we don't know.

I'm familiar with one person who swears by the diet change. I'm familiar with others who have seen nothing work, including diet and ABA therapy. I'm familiar with others who have seen tremendous progress under ABA therapy.

Autism varies with different people, different people experience different results from different treatment options, and different people have very different ideas about what causes it.

 

As far as I am concerned, this is all you need to read about the junk science peddled by Jenny McCarthy and other twits about thermiserol and autism. (I've posted this before, so I'll just quote some parts)

There are similar articles debunking the MMR claim.