Our Children - Their Diagnosis

Is it just me or is anyone else concerned about the incredible increase in the numbers of Autistic children being born in this generation?

In an excerpt from an article titled:
The Parent’s Role in Biomedical Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorders
By Lisa Ackerman in December 2006 - she writes;

In the new millennium, in which doctors are capable of saving thousands of lives using state-of-the-art treatments, the evaluation and treatment of autism appears to be trapped in the Dark Ages. While much progress has been made in the past 20 years through the use of traditional therapies including Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), speech therapy, occupational therapy, and other key therapies, little has been offered in the way of biomedical intervention and treatments for children on the autism spectrum. This is even more frustrating now that we are in the midst of an epidemic affecting 1 in 150 children.

From the statistics of what I have heard in the last three years, the above numbers are outdated. Even so, if we just consider that 1 in every 150 will be diagnosed is a staggering number to wrap our minds around.

The debate rages over whether vaccines play a part. Does genetics play a part? Does the environment play a part? Perhaps, all of these avenues play a part but we owe it to this generation and to these children to figure out what is causing this rise in diagnosis and what can be done to reverse these numbers in future births.

On Jenny McCarthy's website (http://www.generationrescue.org/),
Generation Rescue, she writes;

Generation Rescue is an international movement of scientists and physicians researching the causes and treatments for autism, ADHD and chronic illness.

She goes on to say in her brochure:

Our children are experiencing epidemics of ADD/ADHD, Asperger’s,
PDD-NOS (see below), and Autism. We believe these neurological disorders
(“NDs”) are environmental illnesses caused by an overload of
heavy metals, live viruses, and bacteria. Proper treatment of our
children, known as “biomedical intervention,” is leading to recovery
for thousands. The cause of this epidemic of NDs is extremely
controversial. We believe the primary causes include the tripling of
vaccines given to children in the last 15 years (mercury, aluminum and
live viruses); maternal toxic load and prenatal vaccines; heavy metals
like mercury in our air, water, and food; and the overuse of antibiotics.

Yale School of Medicine writes:
Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) is a 'sub threshold' condition in which some - but not all - features of autism or another explicitly identified Pervasive Developmental Disorder are identified. PDD-NOS is often incorrectly referred to as simply "PDD." The term PDD refers to the class of conditions to which autism belongs. PDD is NOT itself a diagnosis, while PDD-NOS IS a diagnosis. The term Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS; also referred to as "atypical personality development," "atypical PDD," or "atypical autism") is included in DSM-IV to encompass cases where there is marked impairment of social interaction, communication, and/or stereotyped behavior patterns or interest, but when full features for autism or another explicitly defined PDD are not met.
It should be emphasized that this ''sub threshold'' category is thus defined implicitly, that is, no specific guidelines for diagnosis are provided. While deficits in peer relations and unusual sensitivities are typically noted, social skills are less impaired than in classical autism. The lack of definition(s) for this relatively heterogeneous group of children presents problems for research on this condition. The limited available evidence suggest that children with PDD-NOS probably come to professional attention rather later than is the case with autistic children, and that intellectual deficits are less common.

Is it possible that many other diagnosis, such as those mentioned above, ADD/ADHD, Aspergers, PDD-NOS, and autism are in part products of the same causal effect? Is there really anyone out there that can't say someone in their own family or extended family has been diagnosed with one of these conditions? ADD and ADHD went largely undiagnosed in the baby boomer generation. They had children and many of these children were diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. Now these children are having children and many of them are being diagnosed with Asperger's or autism. We have entire public schools that are being repurposed and used just to bring in the multitude of children that are in the system that need this type of help.

We are just beginning our research and understanding of what and why this has become such a pervasive problem. We welcome your comments, stories, and suggestions on this subject.