Study: Genetics explain most cases of autism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also think that for kids on the milder end of the spectrum, the dramatic changes to our education system in the last few decades make a huge difference. My ADHD son had no issues at his relaxed outdoor-education K-1st program, but once he aged out and transitioned to a more traditional school with significant desk-work and less physical activity he began to struggle. And that was a private school that still had 3 recesses per day and no testing. If you had a kid like mine at a daycare or play-based preschool and put him into a standard public K with a big class, one recess per day and lots of emphasis on reading (and sitting), he would crash and burn. The standard experience in K 30 or 40 years ago was much more like the play-based preschools of today.

Also the fact that 40 years ago, most kids wouldn't have spent much time in an early childhood education setting. My DS is adhd-hyperactive, bordering on aspergers. Because of my job, he's had to be a 8-4pm preschool setting since he was 2. My father clearly has a very similar profile, but the first time he would have set foot in a school setting would have been K. And even then, it was only a half day. And before K, they wouldn't have done any organized activities (like music together, library reading time, etc). Their only interaction with other kids would have been if his mom went over for coffee to the next door neighbor, and the kids played for an hour. Also, more schools used to have kids be eligible for K based on a January 1 birthday, but now a lot of programs have shifted to Sept 1. That means the K kids' starting age is 9 months younger than the average age was when I was growing up. So my son has been in a high demands setting for 3 years of preschool and a full day Kindergarten -- and finished all that, on average, 9 months before my dad's generation would have even started a full day of school in 1st grade.

My DS had to get a diagnosis at 2-3, because he was unable to function in the settings he was in. But if I were a mom in 1950, the first time he would have been "tested" in any way was K -- and by age almost-6, my son could have probably skirted through 4 hours of K a day, and by 1st grade (almost age 7 in the 1950s cutoffs) would have been even more equipped to get through a 7 hour school day. By 7 or 8, I think my son probably won't need medication. So in 1950, his problems might have evaded notice altogether.

Totally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, except it doesn't exactly move the ball forward.

"Sandin, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, noted that the findings also don't reflect anything about the reported increases in autism rates in recent years. The higher rates must have something to do with increased awareness or environmental factors, "and our study cannot shed any light on this," he said."

Those are the major questions

Rising numbers is also correlated to IEP labels which aren't medical but are legislative designations.

My guess is that rising numbers may also be attributable to the high-stakes testing atmosphere that makes everyone anxious about kids who are in any way different in K. In some schools this likely results in increased identification of special needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also think that for kids on the milder end of the spectrum, the dramatic changes to our education system in the last few decades make a huge difference. My ADHD son had no issues at his relaxed outdoor-education K-1st program, but once he aged out and transitioned to a more traditional school with significant desk-work and less physical activity he began to struggle. And that was a private school that still had 3 recesses per day and no testing. If you had a kid like mine at a daycare or play-based preschool and put him into a standard public K with a big class, one recess per day and lots of emphasis on reading (and sitting), he would crash and burn. The standard experience in K 30 or 40 years ago was much more like the play-based preschools of today.

I agree with this. After learning a lot about ADHD, I'm now convinced my father has it. He's a pretty successful computer scientist. It's unclear to me whether he would have had a hyperactive aspect as a child....he lived in a rural area where he got up, fed the animals, walked 2 miles to a one room school house where they just let him sit and read all day, walked home and did more manual labor. The combination of a ton of exercise with a totally self-directed education may have masked all his hyperactivity. We just don't have that lifestyle anymore.

But I also think that severity and prevalence of both ADHD and ASD are increasing due to environment factors, which probably include chemicals in the environment and the changes in bacteria in our guts. I think we have only a really hash and incomplete picture of neurological development at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, except it doesn't exactly move the ball forward.

"Sandin, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, noted that the findings also don't reflect anything about the reported increases in autism rates in recent years. The higher rates must have something to do with increased awareness or environmental factors, "and our study cannot shed any light on this," he said."

Those are the major questions

Rising numbers is also correlated to IEP labels which aren't medical but are legislative designations.

My guess is that rising numbers may also be attributable to the high-stakes testing atmosphere that makes everyone anxious about kids who are in any way different in K. In some schools this likely results in increased identification of special needs.

Not really. The IEP categories are really broad and out of date. There are probably kids categorized under autism who aren't autistic but with early identification it's the category that makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, except it doesn't exactly move the ball forward.

"Sandin, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, noted that the findings also don't reflect anything about the reported increases in autism rates in recent years. The higher rates must have something to do with increased awareness or environmental factors, "and our study cannot shed any light on this," he said."

Those are the major questions

Rising numbers is also correlated to IEP labels which aren't medical but are legislative designations.

My guess is that rising numbers may also be attributable to the high-stakes testing atmosphere that makes everyone anxious about kids who are in any way different in K. In some schools this likely results in increased identification of special needs.

Totally disagree. As someone who had to get her kid diagnosed at age 3, I'd find it unfathomable that anyone would be pushing for a diagnosis simply because they're worried there kids are looking different from the bright kids in the class and/or not keeping up with the Jones. You only start seeking a diagnosis at that age as a pretty much last resort, because your kid can't function without help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So is diabetics and heart disease and cancer and alcoholism and anxieties and depression.

But that does not mean that we can't do something preventative to give each child the most positive outcome.

You may find there is a treatment or something preventative to keep this "genetic marker" from becoming debilitating.

I am dyslexic ... Guess what I was told I was stupid. You think that is okay? No. It's not. 2 of my brothers are dyslexic and were told they were stupid. Neither went to college. Not because they couldn't but because they were told they couldn't. Is that okay? No it is not. My kids are both dyslexic and they had early intervention and are thriving.

I don't see anyone arguing that all diseases with genetic components are lost causes. I think that chip on your shoulder is coloring your view pretty aggressively.

I'm not the poster about dyslexia, but I totally agree. Is it personal? Um, yeah. Is it emotional? You bet. Expecting parents and family members not to be passionate about this topic is ridiculous. And it's a good reminder that these topics are not merely academic. We have a vested interest, our kids, to make sure they get all the help they can get; the world is tough out here.