Autism Epidemic Deniers Grasp at Wisconsin Straws

Both Kev at lbrb and the  former journalist who purports to offer evidence based autism sources to journalists at AutismNewsBeat have jumped on the new Wisconsin  study to push their non evidence based beliefs that autism is 100% genetic and that there are no environmental factors involved in causing autism. The study  does not appear to be, as described on  Milwaukee Magazine news buzz online a study to determine whether environmental factors were involved in causing autism. It appears simply to indicate that in some Milwaukee school districts autism cases with lower reported cases have caught up to other districts  and have now leveled off at the current CDC autism estimate rate of 1 in 110.

How that study means anything in the understanding of autism causes as opposed to education district practices in Wisconsin  is not explained clearly by Kev or ANB both of whom use the study to discount possible environmental triggers of autism generally.  

In discounting the existence of an autism epidemic and the existence of environmental causes of autism both the Neurodiversity ideologue Kev and the purportedly evidence based journalist ANB ignore the  testimony heard recently at the US Senate by several expert autism researchers and government officials including the following testimony of Issac N. Pessah Ph.D. Professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Director, UC Davis Children’s Center for Environmental Health and Disease Prevention University of California, Davis, Department of Molecular Biosciences :

"Although autism risk has strong heritability, no single locus alone appears to be sufficient to account for the full clinical phenotype. Results from many genomewide autism screens indicate that potential susceptibility genes are spread across the entire genome. Recently several very rare genetic mutations, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), de novo copy number variations, and epigenetic factors that influence DNA methylation were shown to contribute complexity in the transmission of autism risk. Yet genetics alone cannot account for the majority of autism cases currently being diagnosed. There is lack of full concordance between monozygotic twins, with some estimate ranging as low as 60%, and the prevalence of ASD among siblings has been reported as high as 14%. Interactions among multiple genes are likely to contribute to various types of autism, and heritable epigenetic factors and/or non-heritable environmental exposures are likely to significantly contribute to susceptibility and variable expression of autism and autism-related traits. It is therefore likely that constellations of epigenetic and environmental factors are contributing to the increasing prevalence of ASD, a rise that cannot be fully accounted for by changes in diagnostic criteria.


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There is a critical need to identify environmental factors, including exposure to xenobiotic chemicals and changes in diet that contribute to autism risk and severity. The vast majority of public and private resources has, and continues, to support work on identifying genetic impairments associated with autism risk. From these studies we have learned that genetics alone cannot predict the majority of autism cases, the patterns of impairments, severity, nor can they predict success for current treatment modalities. Moreover, we have learned that many of the molecular and cellular systems that are associated with autism are the very same ones that are the target of environmental chemicals currently of concern to human health because of their widespread use.




We know that autism prevalence continues to increase dramatically clearly implicating environmental factors in autism risk. We must identify which environmental exposures and combination of exposures are contributing to increased overall risk in the population and identify the most susceptible groups. Only by bringing together the concerted effort of multidisciplinary teams of scientists can we identify which of the >80,000 commercially important chemicals currently in production promote developmental neurotoxicity consistent with the immunological and neurological impairments identified in individuals with idiopathic autism. It is clear that there is a critical need to identify which chemicals in the environment that influence the same biological pathways known to be affected in autism. Limiting exposure to these chemicals is the only way to mitigate or prevent autism in susceptible individuals.

Both Kev and AutismNewsBeat ignore serious evidence and analysis from expert government and academic researchers which point to environmental triggers of real increases in autism. Instead they grasp at a Wisconsin study which shows that some education districts in Wisconsin caught up to the other Wisconsin districts at the current 1 in 110 estimated prevalence level of autism disorders.  The study may well have implications for education practices in Wisconsin. It is difficult to see how it addresses the studies, evidence and analysis offered by government and academic autism experts in US Senate hearing clearly implicating environmental triggers of autism.  For reasons unknown both Kev and ANB WANT autism to be 100% genetic and they will continue, on the flimsiest grounds, to discount the role of environmental factors in causing autism disorders and in explaining the horrific rise in autism diagnoses over the past 12 years from 1 in 500 to 1 in 110.  

Kev and ANB continue to deny the evidence and expert opinion that autism is caused by the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. They will continue to deny that the increase in reported cases of autism disorders is real in whole or in part.  They will continue to grasp at straws wherever they can find them .... in Wisconsin or elsewhere.

"He's Right Here", Missing Autistic Man, Keith Kennedy, Found Alive In Wisconsin

Keith Kennedy, the missing autistic man from Minnesota, has been found alive a mile from the Wisconsin camp from which he went missing a week ago. Mr. Kennedy was found, curled in a fetal position, severely dehydrated and covered with sores and ticks, just before searchers were to decide whether to start scaling back on search efforts according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. It was the fourth sweep of that area by searchers who were amazed to find him:

"We were yelling for the other guys because [the woods were] so thick," he said. "Suddenly we came to a clearing and Jim said, 'He's right here.' I said, 'Who?' and Jim said, 'No, he's right here, the one we're looking for. He's right here.'"

Congratulations to all the searchers who made such a determined effort to find Keith Kennedy. Incredibly, and thankfully, this has ended well for Keith Kennedy and his family.

autism

Desperate Search Continues For Missing Autistic Man Keith Kennedy

Keith Kennedy, a 25 year old autistic man from Minnesota, has now been missing a week from Trade Lake Camp, a camp for developmentally disabled adults in Wisconsin. The search area has been expanded. With the passage of a week, and Mr. Kennedy's need for medication for his kidney, WCCO Minnesapolis reports that the search has become desperate and that his family is praying for a miracle. "It's especially challenging since Keith can be scared off by loud sounds and probably will not respond to his name."

autism

When Autism Isn't A Joy - Missing Keith Kennedy Won't Call Out

Keith Kennedy

Somewhere tonight, perhaps at an art gallery in Toronto, or a literary event in New Jersey, there are some who will celebrate the joy of autism. But in the woods of Wisconsin, Keith Kennedy, an autistic man from Minnesota, with serious physical health issues, is still missing and it is feared he will not call out if he hears his name. Keith's mother told the StarTribune.com that:

"her son has been a wanderer since he was very young. She said that some camp officials didn't know he required constant vigilance."

You won't see much about some of the negative realities of the autistic persons, children and adults, who go missing, in the rhetoric of "Autism" Rights ideologues like Michelle Dawson, Ari Ne'eman or Alex Plank. Most parents of severely autistic children though, including me, are all too aware of the need for constant vigilance.

I have felt the fear of a severely autistic son gone missing; although for a much shorter time than the Kennedy's have endured. It was the most intense fear I have felt in my life. I hope it turns out well for Keith Kennedy and his family.

autism

Autistic Man Still Missing in Wisconsin

Keith Kennedy

Twin cities.com is covering the search for a 25 year old autistic man in Wisconsin who walked away from a camp for adults with disabilities Sunday evening. Keith Kennedy has missed five "episodes" of anti-rejection medication he is required to take for a kidney transplant he received in 1995 and concerns are growing that his kidney may start to fail. Kevin Harter reports that the searchers have adjusted their search methods because of Mr. Kennedy's autism:

Officials had been using planes and all-terrain vehicles in their search. But concerns how his autism would affect his reaction to the vehicle noises prompted a call for searchers on horseback. Search dogs are also helping.

The fear of an autistic son or daughter going missing are shared by many parents, including me. It is autism reality for many families with autistic members.

I hope it turns out well for Keith Kennedy and his family.

autism

Wisconsin Teachers Improperly Restrained Students With Autism

Teachers in a Racine, Wisconsin school district, the Unified School District, have been improperly restraining autistic school children and other children with cognitive disabilities. The Journal Times Online reports that a young autistic boy had been restrained in a chair with a belt for up to 50 minutes a day, without his mother's knowledge, and without entering information concerning the restraint on his Individual Education Plan. The teacher's involved were using it to "remind him to sit" and lacked adequate training in behavioral interventions for autistic children.

The "educators" involved, the bureaucrats, and the politicians who fail to ensure that educators working with autistic children have adequate autism specific training all deserve a share of responsibility for situations like this. But so too do the "autism acceptance" ideologues who continually, despite decades of evidence of its effectiveness, try to denigrate Applied Behavior Analysis as a proven effective method of helping address problem behavior in autistic children and helping them make real social, communication and intellectual gains. The anti-ABA crowd provide cover to bureaucrats and politicians who want to avoid the financial cost of paying for ABA trained teacher aides and teachers, to provide autistic children with a real education free of unnecessary restraints.

autism