Latest CDC number 1 in 36 children diagnosed with autism
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Anonymous
What is wrong with you that you need to name call? |
Anonymous
There’s one crazy on here fighting even the notion that inflammation might be worth researching vis a vis autism (I’ve been careful in my posts to not suggest a proven link, just small scale studies that merit further research and this poster is still going bonkers). I think there are at least six posters countering the one crazy. |
Anonymous
yeah so crazy to wish that scarce research dollars went towards useful projects and not useless searches for biomarkers … |
Anonymous
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I started working with children with autism when it was 1:750.
Some anecdotal observations: -The effective treatments and diagnostic tools available now to then really aren’t much different despite the abundance of research. -Parents will try most anything to help their child whether there is evidence to support it or not. I’ve seen it all from literal bowls full of vitamins, not allowing cell phones or plastics in the home, light table therapy, listening to what sounds like static to me, special diets, aromatherapy, feeding the kid coconut water from green coconuts (as parent almost chops their finger off trying to open it), acupuncture, massage, skin brushing, you name it I’ve probably heard of someone trying it. The biggest differences from then to now: -More funding sources -Less stigma around the diagnosis -Parents depend more on insurance and school than they did before to secure services. -Asperger’s is now part of autism diagnosis (this used to be a huge distinction). -Parents are less likely to form close social circles with other families with SN- I think this is likely because they don’t depend on each other as much to share ideas. -It used to be that parents would hire a consultant and hire and train their own staff, run team meetings, create materials, etc. I don’t see that much anymore, parents are more hands off though not always the case. I’m obviously generalizing regarding what I see most. What I’ve seen be most effective: -Early diagnosis and treatment, the younger the better. As early as 9 months would be feasible for me. -Some states allow for a pre-diagnosis given by pediatrician to obtain EI services more quickly. This is done at first signs or suspicions of developmental delay. Caregivers are then given time to put together appointments for more comprehensive diagnosis while comprehensive early intervention home-based services are started. In those places I was more likely to see children starting services in the 12-24 month range. In states requiring full diagnostic evaluations it’s closer to age 3-4. -I’ve noticed I make more effective progress the younger I start. While getting started is often slower at that age, “catch up” to NT peers is closer by the time school starts. I can also typically tell when I work with an older child if they had EI services so unfortunately I don’t think that making up for this lost time is that easy/ it doesn’t always equate in the long run. -I think parents also benefit from earlier intervention as the struggle of a constantly screaming 16 month old and how to deal with them can take a big toll on families. Parent training is /should be part of the EI process and many parents are grateful for it. My 2 cents of what is effective: -A comprehensive early intervention plan/team including ABA, speech, OT, PT, developmental pediatrician, parent training, nutritionist, educational advocate, case manager. -Focus first on language, attending, imitation skills, and parent training. -Get the junk (chemicals, sugar, etc) out of the diet -Limit or eliminate all electronics until they are older because it inhibits the ability to focus on other skills that are lacking. Anything very distracting likely isn’t going to be beneficial in promoting skill acquisition, language, attending, or independence. (I’ve had to ban spoons from work time because they were distracting to a spoon-obsessed child so it’s not an I hate screens argument, it can literally be anything distracting). What I think parents should push for: -Pre-diagnosis/ more focus on comprehensive early intervention including home based birth to 3, with programs that move easily to home and school based at age 3. What causes it? My guess is genetic predisposition and environmental factors. I doubt I’ll get a real definitive answer in my lifetime. I try to focus on how to help now regardless of the why but respect the researchers trying to pinpoint more specific causes. |
Anonymous
Yeah it's not one "crazy." (BTW, that's also name calling but it's okay when they support your view?) It's most people who can read. |
Anonymous
I hate all the garbage chemicals and pesticides added to our food supply. |
Anonymous
Sure. Anyone can find spurious correlations. Here's an even closer one for organic food and autism: https://imgur.com/nZLbxg8 
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Anonymous
I have definitively found the cause of the rise in the cases of autism. https://info.nicic.gov/ces/sites/info.nicic.gov.ces/files/Worldometer.png |
Anonymous
Strongly agree about eliminating garbage food and screens. Am hearing more and more about gut bacteria, specifically absent bifidobacteria. Well worth looking into the research about this. |
Anonymous
Thank you for the one helpful reply on this thread. My son has ASD similar to the former Asperger's. He's turning 4 and we're just getting the ball rolling on speech, OT, and ABA. Dad and I are both in the medical field (adults) and I feel awful that we missed so many signs until now. Do you have any specific observations for kids with Asperger's? |
Anonymous
It is mostly one person, or was. I asked Jeff. https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1121673.page |
Anonymous
My autistic child was born when I was 34. That’s not even a geriatric pregnancy. |
Anonymous
I honestly don’t change the approach much at age 4 for this distinction because the basic skill set required is the same. Usually when they are older you might need more focus on structured academics like direct instruction, executive functioning, creating independent schedules, building in supports without creating prompt dependence, social skills, etc. It’s such a spectrum that I see patterns of what works but never have met 2 individuals with autism that were the same and there are so many different things that could be beneficial to a specific individual. I do think with a later diagnosis parents often try jumping right into what a NT child might do at that age rather than focusing on making sure their child’s foundational skills are solid. Don’t compare your child to other children, just work in small systematic steps to get your child on track. That might take 3 years of intensive home based therapies and mean you put off starting school. IMO it’s better to have a strong foundational skill set and take longer catching up to peers than it is to skip the basics and just expect them to keep up with peers. You also have neuroplasticity on your side at this age so you’re still in good shape in many ways if you maintain the correct focus. In the scheme of things IMO a person at 30 that took 3-5 extra years to get on track with peers is better off long term than a person at 30 that never was taught the skills needed to learn how to get on track. These are not children that typically have difficulty learning per se, it’s usually that they just learn differently or lack some skills (like imitation) that prohibits them from learning the same way as their peers. I think most people don’t understand the differences and try too hard to make them be like the other kids when those things might not be most beneficial for their progress. You really have to maintain focus on what is working for your child. I like to start with a comprehensive assessment like the ABLLS-R at that age to assess basic skills. I won’t move much past the skills on that assessment until they are solid in those areas. This assessment won’t teach your child anything though so you also want to look for experienced therapists that focus on individualizing programs to fit the way your child learns and can think outside the box when something isn’t working. Focus on data based decision making. Even after 20+ years I don’t always get it right the first time but I certainly know how to recognize if something isn’t working fairly quickly and think of different ways to approach it. That’s more important. Ask questions like what would you do if…. to potential therapists as these types of questions show you a lot about their experience and breadth of knowledge. I prefer parents ask a lot of questions- some feel like an interrogation and I’m good with it because it helps me know their child, parenting style, what their concerns are, if they will work with me or fight me the whole way, and lets me know if I’m a good match for them or not as well. If I’m not then I suggest someone else or just don’t take the case. There’s a ton of work and money that goes into a home program on the part of the family and the therapists so it’s to everyone’s benefit to find people you trust and can communicate with. |
Anonymous
Autistic people marry very young or very old. This is more junk Science. |
Anonymous
Age 4 is actually very early for an autism diagnosis. The most common age of diagnosis for level 1 autism is age 12. |