Medicare's Orphans: Jean Lewis On The Struggle for Autism Treatment In Canada

The video and clip below are from the Medicare for Autism Now web site and feature MFAN co-founder Jean Lewis, one of Canada's foremost autism advocates, providing an articulate, personally informed summary of the struggle for autism treatment in Canada.  

Jean keeps the discussion on a non-partisan level and discusses the fight to end Canada's inhumane and  discriminatory exclusion of treatment for those with autism disorders in the context of other historic struggles for liberation from discrimination based on race and gender. A very important point to remember in Jean's message is that such struggles are never overnight affairs.  They are essentially political wars which involve many battles before the wars are won.  

For those of us who are parents it is difficult  but it is, and always will be, necessary to stay engaged in the battles, to continue the fight and to assist newcomers who need to join the political armies fighting for a humane, Canadian  government to fulfill the promise of Medicare of which Canadians are justifiably proud  and ensure coverage of evidence based treatment for autism disorders. 

Jean Lewis, co-founder of Medicare for Autism Now and Civil Rights Now and co-producer of Medicare’s Orphans discusses the purposes of the film — which are provide a detailed history of the autism treatment movement, and to help maintain momentum in the campaign for justice.

 

Autism 2012: Disaster for the Autism Spectrum's Intellectually Disabled

"Autism Spectrum Disorder

Must meet criteria A, B, C, and D:

A.    Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across contexts, not accounted for by general developmental delays, and manifest by all 3 of the following:"

Autism annual reviews have been published by a number of sources most of  which ignored or mis-characterized the most important autism event of 2012.  The most important event by far and the one with the most negative implications for those who actually suffer from autism symptoms was the APA approval, on  Saturday, December 1, just before the holiday season, of the DSM5 as it is now written including the new Autism Spectrum Disorder.  The new ASD will preclude future autism diagnoses for those most severely affected by autism symptoms: those with moderate to severe intellectual disability. 

I have written many times about the express targeting for exclusion of those with intellectual disabilities.   I have been virtually alone in my criticism of this exclusion but I stand by my objection to that exclusion.  It is reprehensible.  It helps  insurance providers and governments that seek to reduce provision of autism treatment and benefits.  It helps those academics and researchers who are building careers researching every trivial idea they find fascinating without helping or bringing anyone with an autism disorder any closer to treatment or cure of the symptoms which in fact restrict their ability to function in the real world.  They are now free to conduct autism research without the need to include difficult to work with intellectually disabled, severely autistic children and adults among their subjects. It helps those persons with High Functioning Autism and Aspergers, their parents and other loved ones, who feel stigmatized by association with low functioning, intellectually disabled autistic children and adults.

Intellectual opposition to the direction the DSM5 is taking autism did arise in 2012 in Rethinking Autism: Variation and Complexity by Professor Lynn Waterhouse. She has articulated in a very comprehensive analysis, backed by learned authorities on every point, the fundamental problems with the new streamlined, simplified version of autism.  The title summarizes her arguments succinctly: autism is in essence a group of symptoms characterized by variation, heterogeneity and complexity.  The unified, simplified DSM5 ASD ignores that heterogeneity.  Every parent, academic and clinician who has repeated Stephen Shore's caution,  now a cliche, "if you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism" knows that autism is heterogenous, varied and complex.  The DSM5 however, contrary to all research and real life experience, pretends otherwise.  The DSM5 ASD is a false step, a road block to the understanding of autism disorders, autism symptoms.  Debates over whether autism is increasing, and what factors are involved with causing autism will be muddied again for another generation by the redefinition of autism.

The moderately and severely intellectually disabled who otherwise display the social communication and restrictive, repetitive criteria of the DSM5's New Autism Spectrum Disorder, will not be included in the new autism diagnostic era. They will be relegated to the Intellectual Disability group which will receive very little research attention or dedication of resources.  After all it will be deemed wiser to concentrate resources, including treatment and cure research resources, on those for whom successful results are more likely .... just as the distinguished, open minded, intellectually conflict free and oh so compassionate members of the DSM5 autism committee have done in their pre-Christmas gift to the intellectually disabled, severely affected members of the pre-DSM5 autism spectrum.  

Vaccine Autism Shocker: Study Reports Strong Evidence of Autism Connection to Aluminum and Acetaminophen Exposure

It is quite possible that a paper claiming that empirical data confirm autism symptoms are related to Aluminum and Acetaminophen exposure, and possibly to the MMR vaccine,  could put the research standing and careers of the authors in jeopardy.  The paper in the journal Entropy is tantamount to treason in some health circles and could invite serious retribution from those who have elevated vaccines to a level beyond criticism.  

The researchers, to my great surprise, did not try to sugar coat their findings in  Empirical Data Confirm Autism Symptoms Related toAluminum and Acetaminophen Exposure, published in Entropy, November 7, 2012: 

Abstract: Autism is a condition characterized by impaired cognitive and social skills, associated with compromised immune function. The incidence is alarmingly on the rise, and environmental factors are increasingly suspected to play a role. This paper investigates word frequency patterns in the U.S. CDC Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database. Our results provide strong evidence supporting a link between autism and the aluminum in vaccines. A literature review showing toxicity of aluminum in human physiology offers further support. Mentions of autism in VAERS increased steadily at the end of the last century, during a period when mercury was being phased out, while aluminum adjuvant burden was being increased. Using standard log-likelihood ratio techniques, we identify several signs and symptoms that are significantly more prevalent in vaccine reports after 2000, including cellulitis, seizure, depression, fatigue, pain and death, which are also significantly associated with aluminum-containing vaccines. We propose that children with the autism diagnosis are especially vulnerable to toxic metals such as aluminum and mercury due to insufficient serum sulfate and glutathione. A strong correlation between autism and the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine is also observed, which may be partially explained via an increased sensitivity to acetaminophen administered to control fever.

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6. Conclusion 

In this paper, we have presented some analyses of the VAERS database which strongly suggest that the aluminum in vaccines is toxic to vulnerable children. While we have not shown that aluminum is directly causative in autism, the compelling evidence available from the literature on the toxicity of aluminum, combined with the evidence we present for severe adverse reactions occurring much more frequently following administration of aluminum-containing vaccines as compared to non-aluminumcontaining vaccines, suggests that neuronal damage due to aluminum penetration into the nervous system may be a significant factor in autism. The fact that mentions of autism rose steadily concomitant with significant increases in the aluminum burden in vaccines, is highly suggestive. However, it is possible that other factors, such as more aggressive reporting or simultaneous increases in other environmental toxins, e.g., herbicides or pesticides, or aluminum in other products such as antiperspirants and antacids, may have contributed to these observed increases. We also observed a strong correlation between the MMR vaccine and autism, which we suggest could be explained by the effects of acetaminophen. 

We have proposed elsewhere that an impairment in cholesterol sulfate synthesis in the skin and in the vasculature may be causative in autism, and we argue here that vaccines can act synergistically with this impairment in the vulnerable child. We propose that simple corrective measures such as increased sunlight exposure and decreased use of sunscreen may help protect a child from a severe reaction to aluminum-containing vaccines, but we also feel that the vaccine industry should find a way to reduce or even eliminate the aluminum content in vaccines. 

As might be expected Dr. David H. Gorski, writing under the handle Orac has already spewed some venom on  one of the authors of the study in his blog commentary of November 20, 2012, Stephanie Seneff: Following the Geiers dumpster-diving in the VAERS database.  I am not sure why Gorski engages in the childish, self inflating style that he does. There is no question he has a loyal following but I doubt very much that he is persuading parents or others with vaccine concerns to abandon those concerns and vaccinate themselves and their children.   I suspect his venomous hostility is actually counter productive.

I have received the usual recommended vaccines and so have both of my sons. I have never suspected vaccines as contributing factors to my younger son's severe autistic disorder and profound developmental delays although I have not closed my mind on the possibility either should further research demonstrate such a connection.  I believe that more research is needed to persuade those with concerns and, if connections are shown, to recommend study and changes to eliminate those possible connections.

What I don't recommend is the strategy of attacking vaccine safety skeptics and expecting the attacks to change their minds.  That approach simply has not worked. A much better scientist than David Gorski, a gentleman named Albert Einstein, characterized "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" as a form of insanity.   I don't expect Orac to change his approach. Nor do I expect the results of his attacks to yield different results.  What would be helpful is to have the Seneff study findings properly rebutted or, if confirmed, the problems they point to addressed.