The Thinking Moms’ Revolution joins SafeMinds and TACA in demanding action NOW from the Department of Health and Human Services to address the rapidly rising autism rate. We also want to express our fury at the bogus “autism rates are stabilizing” rhetoric that the CDC has been promoting since January, while knowing full well that they are doing nothing of the sort. A prevalence of 1 in 59 represents a 15% increase in just the last two years, up from 1 in 68. And a close analysis of data from a CDC survey released in December reveals that in 2016 the autism rate was already closer to 1 in 36 American children. If this were any other disorder, there would be widespread alarm in the medical community. The following is a press release issued today by SafeMinds.
U.S. AUTISM PREVALENCE RATE SOARS TO 1 IN 59 CHILDREN
National Autism Organization Demands Emergency Meeting with Secretary of Health and Human Services and Federal Autism Coordinator in May to Address Crisis
Baltimore, MD, April 26, 2018 – SafeMinds, a national autism advocacy organization, today sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials, demanding a meeting in May to discuss the creation of a Federal Autism Strategic Plan to address the Nation’s autism crisis, following the release of a report this afternoon by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC report found that autism is now diagnosed in 1 in every 59 American children, representing a 150 percent increase in 18 years.
Lisa Wiederlight, executive director of SafeMinds, stated, “The alarming increase in autism prevalence over the past 10 years signals the need for a significant change in the federal response to addressing autism in the United States. A more accountable, effective, and strategic plan is necessary to meet the needs of those with autism and their caregivers today. We’re hoping for a major overhaul of the current response as the Autism CARES Act is reauthorized.”
The CDC report, “Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders Among Children Aged 8 Years—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2014,” states that in some of the communities represented in the network, nearly three percent of eight year-olds had an autism diagnosis in 2014. It uses the same methodology that produced the CDC’s 2010 prevalence findings of 1 in 68 children with autism.
The extraordinary cost of autism care is expected to escalate dramatically as prevalence continues to increase. University of California Davis health economists estimate the national cost of caring for all people with autism in the billions, heading towards $1 trillion. Their forecasts for autism-related medical, nonmedical, and productivity losses were $268 billion for 2015, and $461 billion for 2025. The researchers noted that if ASD prevalence continues to increase as it has in recent years while effective interventions and preventive treatments are not identified and made widely available, the costs could reach $1 trillion by 2025.
Notably, the economic and social costs related to the autism crisis will continue to impact every American taxpayer as funding and priorities are redirected into areas, including, but not limited to:
- Medical and other health insurance expenditures for co-occurring conditions. Research shows that 47 percent of children with autism had at least one co-occurring condition
- Increased funding of social security disability and SSI benefits
- Training of public safety resources to manage the explosive increase in wandering and elopement cases, as 49 percent of children with autism wander/elope
- Programs addressing the needs of adults with autism including employment, housing, and community integration
For more information on this topic, please visit www.safeminds.org/autismpreval
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ABOUT SAFEMINDS: SafeMinds is a national 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization formed in 2000. Its mission is to end the autism epidemic by promoting environmental research and effective treatments. For more information, please visit www.safeminds.org.
Do you need help maintaining activity with your website ?
I can single handedly keep it ticking over with daily Vaccination news for sure.
Just a thought from a life long spectrum person. As you pull all the fire alarms and scream with your collective hair on fire, there are some very important issues happening within the real spectrum community.
One that might effect your kids is the emergence of online cults that employ ISIS like recruiting methods. These are run by self anointed “leaders” who insist upon rigid conformity to their ideas and values. Members who are often added to these groups without their consent are under the threat of social consequences that are commonly feared by isolated, fragile and vulnerable young spectrum individuals who’s social lives are almost exclusively online.
This is not a huge threat here in the US yet but emerging mostly in Europe at present. Consider that the long entrenched conflict between know-it-all moms & Autism industry professionals against the adult spectrum community is petty when compared to just one vulnerable person being pushed beyond their limits by something from one of these cults.
Yes, diagnosis numbers are rising, but to me and many like me that is more like the “surprising” number of gay and lesbian individuals who were long hidden and came out in increasing numbers not long ago after homosexuality was removed from the DSM in 1973. Only the straight community was surprised.
The social challenges facing young spectrum people in the current real time social tech world might require some collaboration in order to stop real threats like these cults. Consider that this is more important than alarms over “shocking numbers”.
No one would argue that your concern is unimportant, Bob. But the determination of “importance” is dependent upon your vantage point. You should be able to see why parents whose children are unlikely to ever get to the point of being able to hang out in online groups, “know-it-all” or not, may not agree with your ranking of what’s important.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/234311/polio-vaccine-allegedly-kills-3-infants/
PESHAWAR: Three infants died on Monday after allegedly receiving Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) in Peshawar.
According to the family members, the health of 12-month-old Rehan, 4-month-old Shehram and 1-month-old Aliyan deteriorated after they were injected polio vaccination which eventually caused their death.
The Health Ministry, however, rejected the family’s claims saying that the only reaction caused by IPV is anaphylaxis but it happens soon after injection.
“The chance of this child getting anaphylaxis is minimal because he received IPV previously during routine immunisation,” the ministry said in a statement.
The family has also requested the government to take notice of the incident, while the health ministry has formed a committee to probe into the matter and present a report over the incident within 48-hours.
Have you ever heard of a allergy? These kids were all allergic to something in the vaccine. It’s always a shame but the rate of kids who die to allergies caused by vaccines to the rate of kids who died with polio before vaccines were made is insanely low. You people don’t realize that vaccines took 101 steps forward and one step back, because you can only look at the one step and screech “LOOK HE’S GOING BACKWARD!”
That’s interesting. You’re making the OPPOSITE claim that the Health Ministry is making. Anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction, you see. The Health Ministry is claiming these children DIDN’T die of anaphylaxis because the deaths did not occur soon enough. Of course, the article gives no indication of the timeframes involved other than that the vaccines were administered before the deaths. Obviously, if the vaccines weren’t temporally linked to the deaths no one would be thinking that the vaccines were the cause of the deaths, however. Of course it doesn’t matter what you say because you don’t know what happened to these children. It also doesn’t matter what the Health Ministry is saying because they are being disingenuous (or “lying” if you prefer). No vaccine can be assumed to be exempt from manufacturing defects, and a vaccine that kills three children should automatically be suspected of contamination or of being what is known as a “hot lot.”
Susan Welch, One of the most typical behaviors of the type of neuro typicals who frequent gatherings like this is that they consistently come from a place or perspective of privileged “knowing”. They assume and presume from their ignorance. “… you are forgetting, or ignoring, the fact that not everyone on the spectrum is as able as you” reflects this all too common condescension. They proclaim when inquiry would be more useful and respectful.
Your statement essentially defines me as a abelist, perhaps the most grave insult within the spectrum adult community. But you, to be kind, do not understand the social structure or the sensitivities of the spectrum community do you? You are not aware of this emerging global community that not only has a deeper understanding of your children than you but also lives daily with the direct pain of you ignorance and its results that you inflict on your children and on us. Either that, or your insult was intentional. Do you ever ask yourself why you do not inquire beyond the comfort of your ‘knowing”?
We can only ask those who can respond, and even then, we need to understand that everyone is different. You might not feel the need for any type of “cure” or treatment. Just understanding and acceptance from the greater population. My daughter has Down Syndrome and Autism. I adore the ground she walks on, and she is so smart, I am sure waaaaay smarter than she appears to be. But the autism has made it so that she cannot communicate well. We are trying to find ways to open up the lines of communication. In the meantime, she is only recently able to start doing any kind of self care thanks to her fine motor planning issues and processing in general of information. I cannot speak for you, but I CAN say that the more we try to help our daughter with the issues that autism presents, the happier and more “alive” she becomes. She smiles more, she is more social, she just seems to love life more. I know that as her mother. I can sense when there is something off and when she is not feeling good or happy. So I CAN tell when she IS happy.
I don’t know if you understand this, but the mothers I know who are treating their children with autism have ASKED their kids how they feel and what they feel. So many have said that they are happier now, that they have more friends, some mothers have even been thanked. So when you come in here with a political agenda and tell US that we aren’t listening, I think you are doing the same thing. Sure, we could definitely do more listening. But the neurodiversity group is acting as though they are the spokespeople for all autistic people when it isn’t the case. And some of the autistic children are not able to speak for themselves, so while it is good to have another autistic person explain what is probably going on inside the child based upon THEIR own experience, it is exactly that….Their own experience. No one can ever tell another person what they should be or are feeling. In the case of these kids, we might not know exactly what is happening, but we CAN know when our kids are happy. We don’t need someone else to tell us that. And if my kid is happy, then I am happy.
While many, including myself, would like to see (someday) well-designed scientific studies which would shed light on exactly what combinations of genetic, epigenetic, and (acute or chronic) environmental exposures are causing this ever-increasing incidence of autism, I want to invoke the “Precautionary Principle” now, and suggest that 1) certain modifications of the baby/childhood vaccine schedule should be made immediately (including perhaps elimination of some vaccines and pushing back the timing of others; 2) educating doctors to address the potential need to supplement probiotics during/after antibiotics; 3) strengthening informed consent and preserving medical, religious, and conscience exemptions; 4) training medical personnel to recognize and report vaccine reactions; 5) identifying sub-optimal Vitamin D3 status in pregnant women and babies; 6) banning organophosphate and organochlorine pesticides and banning/restricting glyphosate herbicides; and 7) increasing uptake of fat-soluble Vitamins A, D3, E (natural only), and K2 by encouraging people to eat healthy fats liberally, including some Omega 3 fatty acids (such as fish oil). These are just some ideas. Our government is asleep at the wheel when it comes to the current and future needs of families affected.
Hi I believe vaccinations are to blame for the increase you need safer vacs
Also cbd oil and medical marijuana is suppose to help with autism
Thank you for this. What about the educational costs, too?
Safe Minds, like your organization, is medical model and treatment driven. It like you ignores the “Nothing about us without us” standard of process and approach established by spectrum adult organizations. I for one cannot support this call to action because it would result in more widely spread misinformation and destruction of neuro diverse authenticity. Until you are able to move off your we-know-better bias based on imagined and second hand understanding, it is far better for the emerging spectrum youth to be excluded from your self-righteousness. Here is another slogan, “First do no harm”.
Bob Wood. I think you are forgetting, or ignoring, the fact that not everyone on the spectrum is as able as you. One of my grandsons is non verbal and will need 24/7 care for the rest of his life and the other, unlike you, does not celebrate his autism, he is an extremely unhappy 25 year old who does not understand why it is only his family who love him and have time for him.
Please do not assume everyone is like you.
To Bob Wood: Not every child on the spectrum is capable of autonomous participation in daily life. Many of the TMR contributors must help their autistic children eat, bathe, toilet themselves, talk, learn. These “emerging youth” require 24/7 care, primarily from their parents.
Autism IS medical. Many people on the spectrum are given psychological diagnoses for medical conditions that are treatable. Take PANDAS, for example, which is being successfully treated with a variety of modalities. The list of causal and comorbid disorders is too long to list here.
Medical ethics goes beyond primum non nocere. Part of the social compact involves sharing information that may help others, or prevent others from harm caused by others’ errors or malfeasance. If certain information is not useful to you, don’t attempt to restrict or censor what may be useful to others.
The writing of TMR, SafeMinds, Age of Autism, etc. is not meant to detract from you as a person. Instead it spotlights the failures of societal organizations, particularly government agencies, that have resulted in actual physical harm to others. Reserve your negativity for the people who construct public relations euphemisms hoping to convince society that vaccine-induced neuro-immune damage is a good thing.
@Bob –
I’ve been living with my son’s autism for 25+ years. My son is profoundly impaired and will need lifelong care and support. At times, he has been self-injurious, destructive,and aggressive. Throughout the past two decades, I’ve seen many in the neurodiverse community criticize parents of children with severe autism. I’ve even been told that my son was only severely impaired because I didn’t “love and accept his autism.”
What I find strange is that I’ve never found anyone who has high-functioning autism or Aspergers who is interested in spending time with my son. When we’ve attended autism events, the higher-functioning individuals totally ignore him and find his Disney fixation an irritation. I feel that his “community” has abandoned him and those like him.
Why aren’t the advocates in the neurodiversity movement – since they claim to be the only ones who really get autism – providing hands-on, in-home help to parents of children with severe autism? Why don’t they spend time with severely impaired individuals and their parents? Why is no one in the neurodiverse community interested in being a friend to my son?