Autism and the Stigma of Intellectual Disability: Some CDC Facts

CDC:  Intelligence quotient (IQ) of children aged 8 years with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for whom psychometric test data were available,* by site and sex (IQ) score-Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 sites, United States, 2006

Last week some "autism" blog sites on the internet launched more personal attacks against me for daring to again correct the myth that ALL, or MOST, autistic persons are characterized by high intelligence.  I am not going to respond to the silly comments directly.  I will refer anyone who is interested in the subject and who  wishes to look at autism disorders realistically to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site which states that:



"A report published by CDC in 2009, shows that 30-51% (41% on average) of the children who had an ASD also had an Intellectual Disability (intelligence quotient <=70)."

The above information from the CDC is referring to ALL persons with ANY Autism Spectrum Disorder including those with Asperger's Disorder.  By definition Asperger's excludes diagnosis where the person has cognitive impairment.  For classic Autistic Disorder the average number of persons with an Intlellectual Disability or Cognitive  Impairment would obviously be much higher than the 41 % average for all persons with ANY Autism Spectrum Disorder.  

Perpetuating the myth that persons with autism disorders tend to be of high intelligence does not help the vast majority of those with classic Autistic Disorder who have Intellectual Disabilities.  It reflects a desire to disassociate autism from intellectual disability. Autism is seen as good or at least acceptable.  Intellectual Disability is seen as bad.

Perpetuating the myth of autism and high intelligence  stigmatizes those with autism and intellectual disability.  

Light It Up Blue? No, Thank You!

Tomorrow, April 1st, Autism Speaks will kick off their 2nd annual Light It Up Blue campaign to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day. Thousands, and possibly millions, of individuals and businesses will take part in the campaign to shine the light on autism and awareness of its growing prevalence in children. Participants will get involved in a variety of ways that include wearing blue clothing, changing Facebook profile pics to the "Light It Up Blue" banner, downloading an iPhone app, and many other ways. The most obvious and likely the most popular route to shed a blue light on autism awareness will be by doing just that - displaying blue lights.

Sounds like a really noble cause, right?

Well, before you head out to the local Home Depot (or anywhere else) and plunk down a few bucks for those blue lightbulbs, let's take a look at the organization behind the Light It Up Blue campaign.

The motto for Autism Speaks is "Autism Speaks. It's time to listen." They are correct - at a rate of 1 in 110 (according to the Centers for Disease Control's average - although many research organizations will quote the rate being more frequent than that) children being diagnosed, with boys being four times as likely as girls to be diagnosed, yes, it is indeed time for someone to start listening. But for whom is Autism Speaks speaking? And to who is Autism Speaks listening? Is it those who are affected by autism? Or to those who line their seemingly very deep pockets?

Autism Speaks raises millions and millions of dollars per year - to the tune of around forty-five million dollars in 2009. But where exactly does all that money go?

Charity Navigator is a non-profit organization whose mission is to facilitate intelligent charitable contributions by providing factual, unbiased information on charities based on their financial efficiency. Charitable organizations found on Charity Navigator are evaluated based on the IRS Statistics of Income. In other words, the information found on the Charity Navigator website is based in large part on a charity's IRS reportings.

With that said, one can compare how Autism Speaks rates in comparison to other large, well-known charities. Let's start with location.

Autism Speaks has chosen some prime real estate for their New York City office, but in order to hide the fact that their main office is located on Park Avenue, they apparently rely on those of us outside of New York City to be unfamiliar with which streets intersect others. On their website, Autism Speaks lists their main office address as 1 East 33rd Street. The Charity Navigator website lists the Autism Speaks address as 2 Park Avenue. Someone obviously has their information incorrect here. Or do they? According to Google maps, guess which street intersects at 1 East 33rd Street? Park Avenue! Call it 33rd Street if you want, but that is Park Avenue, baby!

A charitable organization on Park Avenue? Really? Autism Speaks couldn't find a suitable office space in a less expensive location than one that rubs shoulders with the likes of HSBC Bank (one of the world's largest banks with assets close to 200 billion dollars) and credit card giant Chase Bank?

Let's talk revenue versus expenses. As I mentioned earlier, in 2009, Autism Speaks reported revenues of roughly forty-five million dollars. Their expenses were over forty-three million dollars. Those incredibly poor financial statistics earned them an overall rating of one out of a possible four stars by Charity Navigator for their Efficiency Rating.

Even not-for-profit organizations have to pay their employees and executives. We cannot expect people to be so giving to go out and perform a highly stressful job without compensating them, but how does Autism Speaks rate? How much does the average executive working at a non-profit organization make per year?

Since it wouldn't be fair to compare salaries alone due to factors such as an organization's location and cost of living for that location, it is better to compare the differences in relation to what percentage of an organization a particular executive's salary takes up, as does the Charity Navigator website.

To compare the salaries of the two executives listed by Autism Speaks on the Charity Navigator website to other non-profit executives, I picked three charities certainly everyone has heard of: American Red Cross, American Heart Association, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Even the salary of American Heart Association's former executive director and CEO who weighed in with the highest salary (again, based on percentage of the organization's expenses) of the three organizations - a salary equal to 0.17% of the organization's yearly expenses - does not come close to the 0.93% of expenses Autism Speaks paid out to Dr. Geri Dawson, Chief Science Officer. American Red Cross paid their execs salaries equal to an average of 0.01% of their expenses and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's highest paid listed executive made just 0.08% of their overall expenses.

If I could just go off on a tangent here (because it just wouldn't be right for me to bring up the name of someone involved in the science behind autism without mentioning vaccines), Dr. Dawson seems a bit confused, herself, on the vaccine stance that Autism Speaks has notably taken over the years. Autism Speaks has held strongly to the belief that vaccines and autism cannot possibly have any link to one another, yet, Dr. Dawson contradicts herself in an interview conducted with her in 2009.

A few snippets from the interview: She stated, "It remains scientifically plausible that the challenge to the immune system resulting from a vaccine (or other immunological challenges) could, in susceptible individuals, have adverse consequences for the developing brain."

She goes on further to say, "Evidence does not support the theory that vaccines are causing an autism epidemic. However, it is plausible that specific genetic or medical factors that are present in a small minority of individuals might lead to an adverse response to a vaccine and trigger the onset of autism symptoms."

I'm sorry, but isn't admitting that individuals who experience an adverse response to a vaccine that triggers the onset of autism symptoms very similar to saying that, had those individuals not received vaccines, they would not have had the adverse response that ultimately triggered the autism symptoms?

So where else does all that money go that Autism Speaks raises every year? It does not go to individuals or families affected by autism and they have no problem admitting to that fact. In their own words, Autism Speaks states "Autism Speaks does not award grants to individuals or fund an individual or family for participation in personal programs."

So again, I ask, to whom is Autism Speaks listening? It sure isn't my family. If they were listening to me, they would practice some common sense frugality by moving their offices to somewhere with less notoriety than an address that probably 90% of the world's population has heard of. If they were listening to me, they would pay their executives less money and get someone in there who can work out a better ratio of revenue to expenses. But most importantly, if they were listening to me, they would put families first. If one of their main objectives is to bring awareness to autism, why not expand that awareness to the devastating financial effects autism has on families and assist them in a more direct financial way?

As far as Autism Speaks speaking, they certainly do not speak for my family either as they have done nothing for my son. Sure, they bring awareness to autism but at a very obviously high pricetag. And who needs awareness at a price? My family is very aware of autism on a daily basis....for FREE!

Give the Gift of Mercury!

Since today is my birthday and all, naturally, I had to do some shopping! At Walgreens, of all places.

Actually, my trip to Walgreens was not for a gift at all but rather, I was on a mission for flushable wipes, since we seem to have an increased need for them around here with all the potty-training taking place. However, while I was in there, I found that rare but commonly sought after gift: the really unique kind of gift that not just anyone will buy and give to a friend or loved one.

If you have been wanting to give someone the gift of mercury but are finding it difficult to come by (except, of course, to those who are employed in a position where a HAZMAT suit is required) or if you simply desire to give the kind of gift that keeps on giving (and giving and giving and giving - oh yeah, this stuff will not be leaving the body anytime soon!), Walgreens now makes it easy for you with the Walgreens Flu Shot Gift Card!

Brilliant, right?

And the best part? It is the gift of mercury....with no HAZMAT suit required!

This card has flexibility too! According to the Walgreens website, "this card can be redeemed only for administration of (1) Seasonal Flu Vaccination or (1) Preservative-Free Seasonal Flu Vaccination." So you can trade mercury (thimerosal) for any number of other things such as formaldehyde, neomycin (an antibiotic), chick kidney cells, or monosodium glutamate - depending upon the availability of various flu shot brands at your particular Walgreens, of course.

You can look for these gift cards in your local Walgreens stores now or link directly to them above and pre-order online with free shipping! Online availability is limited to their release date in September though.

Pick up a few on your next trip to Walgreens - and don't forget those babies on your gift lists. That mercury injection flu shot given to Mommy and Daddy is the same one given to their six-month old baby. After all, one size fits all!

Still in doubt about the ingredients in vaccines? Click HERE for the United States' Centers for Disease Control's list of vaccine ingredients.

Our Kids Are NOT Collateral Damage

But that is the response our governments are providing to many parents regarding the vaccine injuries their children have sustained. "Collateral damage" is the first thing that came to mind when I saw Eric Prine's story.

To see Eric's story, click here:

For a chance to win this beautiful painting, donate $10 to HAPI and one ticket will go into the drawing with your name. This 18x24 acrylic painting was hand painted and framed by Ronnie Prine, in Morrison, CO. Ronnie is the father of Eric Prine, 17, who was severely damaged by his DPT vaccine.

Eric is the size of a 5 year old and continues to have seizures every day of his life. He is Ronnie's angel on earth and requires 24/7 care which Ronnie and his wife, an RN, provide. Ronnie likes to paint away his pain by creating beautiful scenes.

The drawing for this painting will take place on Sunday, June 6th at the People's Fair booth in Denver, CO at 3:00pm. Need not be present to win. All proceeds will go to support HAPI in their continued efforts to provide information to parents regarding the risks of vaccinations and parents' rights.

Use hapi.vaxinfo@gmail.com for PayPal donations, use "painting ticket" for the memo, or send a check made out to HAPI to PO Box 7068, Gunnison, CO 81230 and write "painting ticket" in the memo line.

Donations are tax deductible. www.hapihealth.com

She Always Says Exactly What I'm Thinking...

And I like how she comes right out and says she is not telling people what to do with their own children and vaccines because that is the same thing I tell others.

Vaccinate or don't vaccinate - it is each parent's choice. All I ask is that people do not make the same mistake I did and blindly trust their pediatricians. Educate yourselves, people!

Do not count on your doctor being informed about vaccines. Ask your doctor how much time was spent in medical school learning about vaccines. You will be surprised. My child's doctor actually told me vaccines do not contain any of the toxins that I now know very well are contained in them.

Just last week, I informed the wife of a pharmaceutical company employee about toxins in vaccines that she said she was told were not in them. If a doctor and a pharmaceutical employee - one who works for a company that does manufacture vaccines - don't even know aluminum, thimerosal, and formaldehyde are in vaccines, then I suspect the average person doesn't know it either or simply chooses not to believe it. And in that case, I invite you to visit the CDC's website and see for yourself what kinds of ingredients are indeed in vaccines.

Part 1.....



Part 2.....

Swine Flu Vax Is A Moral Obligation???

Really? Seriously?
Read what I'm talking about here.....

Swine Flu Vax 'A Moral Obligation'

I am speechless, yet totally outraged at the same time, by the audacity of these people who are supposed to be "religious leaders" for their labelling the H1N1 vaccination 'a moral obligation.'

Um, no, I don't think so! Plain and simple. Who the you-know-what do they think they are, anyway???

And because I refuse to get off on a tangent and get any madder at these ignorant souls today, this concludes my post for the day, folks!

Enjoy! And don't shoot me....I'm just the messenger.

Let's Just Get Something Straight Here....

People, you do have rights regarding your child and vaccinations. Yes, Americans do still have a right to refuse to vaccinate their children....for now, anyway.....and they can still go to school! Although I would love to be a homeschool parent myself, becoming one is not a requirement if a person chooses not to vaccinate their child. Amazing!

I know this comes as a surprise to many people because, not only was I unaware until early last year when we began looking into not vaccinating our own children any further, but I was once again reminded just this morning when not a single one of the mothers who came to a playgroup I hosted were aware of the laws either in regard to vaccinating children and admission to school.

Let the CDC, the FDA, and the American Academy of Pediatrics be damned for their part in convincing unknowing new (as well as not-so-new!) parents that vaccinating their days old infants is the law and the only way to go. And shame on people like myself for blindly believing our doctors without looking into things further! If I knew four years ago what I know now....but hindsight is twenty-twenty. At least now maybe I can inform other individuals who may have otherwise gone ahead and let medical personnel shoot up their infant every few weeks with all sorts of harmful and unnecessary chemicals.

On numerous occasions, people have asked me, "Well, if you have stopped vaccinating your children, how are they going to attend school? The school requires vaccination records."

Oh.....the "requirement." Yeah, well, it's not a requirement and I wish the schools and doctors and everyone who is so darn pro-vaccine would stop referring to it as such. Yes, it is indeed a requirement that parents provide vaccination records in order for their children to attend school. However (and here is where the confusion comes in), showing the records is what is required - not getting the vaccinations.

So exactly how do we plan to have our children attend school without having all their vaccinations? It's very simple, really. It's this wonderful thing called a waiver. There are three different types of waivers - medical, religious, and philosophical - and all fifty states have at least one type that people can claim, with most states offering two or all three of them.

If you are interested in seeing which types of waivers your state allows, please visit the National Vaccine Information Center.

Please be informed of your rights and what you are putting into your child. Do it for your child and for yourself and do it for those of us who wish we had done so ourselves.....before our children became autistic.

Somebody, Please Put "M.D." by My Name!

Last night, I opened my email inbox to find a wonderful and most unexpected message. After a spectacularly craptastic weekend endured waiting for Reiss to dislodge seven days worth of waste, I was on the verge of coming on here to let it all out and write a tale of my woes. But before doing so, I checked to see if I had any new email messages.

A little background.....

A few weeks back, my husband was listening to a local radio station on his way to work when they were discussing the swine flu vaccination and taking caller comments. Several people on both sides of the argument - to get the vax or not to get the vax - were calling in, many of whom were doctors and professionals working in the medical industry.

A few doctors (as in, with M.D. beside their last names) actually called in to say that much of the general population was misinformed about the vaccine and that it does not contain thimerosal (that's big pharma speak for mercury, folks!). While there will be a thimerosal-free version, to say that is does not contain thimerosal is far from telling the entire truth and is most certainly a disservice to any listeners who most likely will not do their own research - a.k.a. the vast majority of people. The reality of the swine flu vaccine situation is that anyone in the general population receiving the vaccine will get a thimerosal-containing version unless he or she specifically asks to receive the thimerosal-free version. Such exclusion of details by these "professionals" just seems to be another example of the extreme ignorance being displayed in the medical field way too often these days. It serves only one purpose - in my opinion - to make me question what other more important things are doctors not entirely educated in? Things that more directly affect me other than just vaccines?

A few other professionals, were calling in to argue that we, as a population, are over-vaccinating. One particular individual, a naturopathic doctor, I contacted myself, and we had a lengthy conversation - one that left me feeling more informed when we hung up and about which I think she felt the same. Interestingly, she has been practicing natural recovery for children with ADHD and autism for several years but had never heard of DAN! until I made mention of it to her. I strongly encouraged her to become DAN! certified, as Indiana could definitely use more providers practicing this treatment protocol.

Aghast as I was when my husband informed me of the comments of the very misinformed doctors, I knew I had to write to the radio show hosts. I tried to sound as informed and diplomatic as possible, yet passionate and knowledgeable as I provided proof of my argument. A few weeks past and then last night I received an invitation to be an in-studio guest in the near future to discuss vaccines. As of now, I do not have a date but am eagerly, excitedly, and nervously looking forward to this opportunity.

As for the information I provided regarding the vaccines, it can be found on Age of Autism and on the ABC News websites.

Hmmmm....Our doctors are saying there is no mercury in this H1N1 swine flu vax. Surely they can't be wrong....can they? Really? Isn't it strange that thiomersal (known as "thimerosal" in the United States) is listed right there on the bottle???

Seriously, it gets old being more informed about vaccines than the doctors doling them out (and making way more money than my family to do so!).........

Dear Centers for Disease Control

Originally, I found this over on Matthew's Puzzle. It gave me such a laugh I couldn't help but post it to my own blog. I worked and worked to make it fit and still be a large enough print for the average person to read....Alas, I am not a techno geek. For a larger image, click on it and ENJOY!!!

A Little Thursday Afternoon Rant

If anyone is actually reading this, I am probably going to catch some flack for saying what I am about to say but if you are a regular here, you know I don't care. And if you're not a regular, consider yourself warned. If you're dumb enough not to see common sense when it's right in front of you, the joke's on you.

It has been nearly a week since the passing of the Fourth of July and with every coming day that I sit here on the computer browsing my regular haunts, I am seeing more and more photos posted on Facebook, message boards, and blogs of way-too-young children sporting sparklers or lighting some other fireworks-type of pyrotechnic. What amazes me is how the parents of these children have posted these photos in a way to give an unspoken statement of the typical proud parent mantra of "Look what Little Johnny can do!"

Seriously, folks, what on God's earth are you thinking!

Now generally, I try not to judge other people and their parenting skills because, as a parent of a child with autism, my experience is that my husband and I are subjected to outsiders' stares and whispering on a much grander scale than the average parent. However, when a child's safety is at stake, hand me a gavel because someone needs to put the smack down. When I see photos of your three or four-year-old holding a lit sparkler, it does not conjure up thoughts of "How precious!" in my head. It makes me think you're a moron who has placed your child's safety on the back burner in exchange for a little bit of holiday fun and photos.

Come on, people! Educate yourselves! If you really think sparklers are harmless fun and safe for young children to handle, I encourage you to click HERE for the Center for Disease Control's statistical facts on fireworks. If you choose not to click, I'll just give you a teaser and clue you in on the fact that those "harmless" firecrackers and sparklers are the most injury-associated type of firework on the market.

By the way, considering my stance on vaccines, you'll probably never see me touting the CDC again!

It's Progress, I Suppose

This morning Dr. Harvey Karp, also known (at least, according to his profile) as "America's most read pediatrician," posted "Cracking the Autism Riddle...." over on The Huffington Post.

Although I don't claim to speak for anyone other than myself, much less the entire autism community, I am certain there are several thousand parents with children on the autism spectrum out there who will agree with me when I say it is very difficult to give any measured amount of credibility to a medical professional such as Dr. Harvey Karp, who has a history of adamant denial of the existence of a link between vaccines and autism. It never ceases to amaze me how so many of these "professionals," who have not done their own laboratory studies, nor have they ever been witness to watching one of their own children regress into himself after receiving a round of vaccines, can sit back and so unbudgingly deny what seems so apparent to many of us who experience the effects of autism in our children on a daily basis.

And don't even get me started on Dr. Karp's fellowship in the American Academy of Pediatrics.

What's that? You don't understand why being a member of the AAP is a bad thing? Well, let's just say that I am sick and tired of the pediatric medical community in this country being fed the same information regarding vaccines that any average Joe is capable of finding if he or she does their homework, yet so many of these overpaid imbeciles swear up and down that vaccines play no part in autism. Many of these pediatricians have this problem that I like to refer to as not knowing what they don't know - a.k.a. Ignorance. I've even had the privilege (that's sarcasm, folks!) of being told by one pediatrician that there are no longer any vaccines that contain thimerosal (and that's mercury, folks!). Hmmm....that's news to me - and apparently to the FDA (see Tables 1 and 3) as well. And the FDA can call it a "trace" all they want, but when we're talking about one of the Earth's most dangerous and volatile substances, it's no comfort to me that it's only a "trace" amount when someone is standing over me or my child's body, ready to take aim with a needle syringe. Seriously....

Until concrete evidence of the cause of autism is found, I'm going with what I've seen in my own child and no doctor will ever be able to convince me otherwise. In the meantime, Karp's article provides a trace amount of hope for me that perhaps some of the allopathic medical community may be coming around to admit that autism indeed is on the rise and not just being better recognized.

What NOT To Do....

As autism becomes more and more common, with it come greater odds that each and every person reading this blog will at some point in their lives be affected by it. It may be one's own child, grand-child, niece, nephew, student, a friend's child, or anyone else we come across in life.

Current statistics estimate 1 in 68 families in the United States has at least one child affected by autism. Depending on the information one reads, I have seen autism estimate rates said to be 1 in 151 children to all the way as high as 1 in 60-something children in certain areas of the country. (And the CDC adamantly argues that we do not have an epidemic on our hands! Bull-oney....but that's not why I am posting today and with any luck, I won't go off on a tangent about that.)

Because I know not everyone reading this has yet been affected by autism in some way or another, I would like to offer my two cents worth of what I wish more people around me would have known as we began our journey into the land of autism. The more people I meet who have children diagnosed with autism, the more often I hear stories of how parents discovered their own child's detour on the journey of having a typical childhood. Furthermore, the more online research I do on my own, the more often I see people on parenting message boards advising parents to consult their pediatrician with concerns about autism or developmental delays. Surprising as it may be to many people, in our case, it was not our pediatrician who clued us in on our son's developmental delays. Nor was it the pediatrician who gave any indication of possible developmental delays to a single one of the parents of other children I know who have autism spectrum disorder. Sadly, I am not surprised by this at all.

Pediatricians generally schedule their appointments in ten or fifteen minute increments for each patient, with some of them even double booking - just in case. Really, what do they think they are - an airline?

With that said, ten minutes is barely enough time to perform the basic tasks expected of a well-child appointment let alone get into an in-depth discussion on whether the child is developing motor skills and behaviors at the same or similar rate as his or her typical peers. I vaguely remember bringing up a few concerns to our doctor regarding Reiss and his quirks, as I called them back then, at a few of those well-child visits only to be told that all children develop at a different rate and all children have their quirks. I can only imagine how my husband and I would be the only people in America not affected by the economy if I had a dime for every time someone gave me the "All children develop at a different rate" line or the other one I hate, "Oh, that's normal for children that age."

So....rule number one: If you think your child or a child you know has autism, please don't depend on the family doctor or the child's pediatrician to have any idea of what may or may not be going on with the child in regards to developing.

I know what I am saying contradicts the main purpose of well-baby and well-child visits - to make certain a child is hitting milestones and developing at a typical rate. I also know it may sound like I have a distrust in the medical community and for the most part, I do, but consider this: On any given day, the number of children these doctors and pediatricians see amounts to an average-sized elementary classroom full of children. Some of those children have a serious illness but for the most part, many children are there because of a runny nose and the parent wants it fixed.....now.

Is it any wonder pediatricians miss so much? When they see so many children each day and spend such a small amount of time with each child, many of whom have parents who over-react to the smallest illnesses more often than not, I can easily understand how it would be difficult for a mainstream pediatrician to weed out the legitimate concerns voiced by parents and distinguish them from the more commonly proclaimed trivial matters.

So if we can't count on a doctor - someone who is supposed to be trained in detecting problems - to offer guidance in determining whether or not a child is developing properly, who can we count on? Ourselves. We can only depend on ourselves and the people in our children's lives. We are the ones who spend countless hours with our children and really know them inside and out. We can usually predict the outcome of a situation before our child reacts. We know their likes, their dislikes, and their quirks too. We know when something just "isn't right."

When James and I began to think something was going on in Reiss that just "wasn't right," we talked to probably every person we knew who has children or in some way has experience with children. With the exception of one person, everyone we talked to chalked up our concerns as being "normal." Unfortunately, we did not listen to the one person who advised us to contact our local early intervention office to have Reiss evaluated for developmental delays.

Fast forward approximately a year and we finally decided we were no longer going to discount our concerns about Reiss as being simple quirks and totally normal for a child his age. By this time, he was nearing the age of three and that's the cutoff for early intervention services. Our next stop was the public school system.

I'm not going to go down this road today and explain how we got from Point A to Point B of where we are today but the point I do want to make is this: If you are someone who knows a child with behaviors that seem out of the ordinary, confide this to the parent if you are on that kind of level with them - but do not tell them, "Oh, that's normal" if they voice concerns to you. If you think your own child has any kind of developmental delays at all, do not depend on your pediatrician to give you a kick in the pants on getting your child help. Contact professionals who specifically deal with this type of thing daily. If you don't know who to contact, ask your pediatrician. Most likely they do not know autism when it's sitting right there in front of them but they can probably help with dispensing the contact information for those who do know it when they see it. The worst thing that can happen is your child has an evaluation and his or her quirks turn out to be just that - quirks.

D*#@ the CDC!!!

Thanks to Ginger, writer of Adventures In Autism, I found an interesting article regarding autism, the medical community, and health insurance providers. You can read the full article HERE. For Ginger's blog and her take on the article, go HERE.

The article itself is likely an eye-opener for anyone who is unaffected by autism in some way and/or is unfamiliar with the red tape families who are affected by autism must wade through when it comes to insurance companies and their policy coverage for autism-related treatments and therapies.

That said, what struck me most about the article was not the ridiculous stance insurance companies take regarding coverage (or lack thereof) for autism-related charges, as this comes as no shock to me having incurred way more out-of-pocket medical expenses than any family should ever have to face. No, the slap in the face I felt was a result of two statements contained within the article that were made by Catherine Rice, Director of the CDC's National Center for Birth Defects:

"Studies have linked autism to air pollutants, pesticides, pet medications and even drugs used in the birthing process, such as Pitosin."

“It could be anything from the exposures in our physical surroundings — chemicals around us in homes, clothes, products, medications we take and food we eat”

Rice is quoted in the article admitting to studies having linked autism to birthing drugs and then goes on further to say that it (the cause) could be linked to anything - including medications we take.

Besides myself, does anyone see the complete irony here? Autism can be caused by birthing drugs or even something as simple as medications we take....yet, it is such a stretch for the CDC to admit that vaccines could play a role in the onset of autism as well.

GRRRRRR!!!! This angers me so intensely...Seriously. I could have gone without reading that article today. Nonetheless, thank you, Ginger for all your digging in order to help keep our community of autism-affected families well-informed.