autism

Started by poopnoodle September 25th, 2010 5:50 PM
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Seen January 4th, 2013
Posted October 21st, 2011
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there's been a pretty staggering increase in autistic diagnosis in children. do you have any theories as to what might be the cause? also, do you think we should be looking for a "cure"?

i haven't looked much into this subject but im thinking maybe doctors are over-diagnosing and setting too many standards for what's considered "normal behavior;" but i do think it's possible that the increase could be a result of so many chemicals in our environment, but what do i know

im not sure we should be looking for a cure, i dont think we should view autism as a defect, but i'm all for studying and theorizing and all that. i think it's become a very significant matter and im looking forward to reading your thoughts! :=_)

donavannj

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I think some of it's genetics catching up to us, but most of its probably overeager diagnoses of what is probably some other mental impairment that needs to be treated in a different manner than autism is.

Autism either needs to be applied as an umbrella term for sub-diagnoses underneath it, or needs to be applied as the specific form of autism that it's most commonly associated with, and high-functioning autism and other autism forms related to it would need to be considered under a different umbrella since those diagnosed with those operate on a completely different mental/physical level than straight-up autism, for the most part.
whoops

Livewire

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You're considered Autistic these days if you fall under the Autism Spectrum, which is basically an Umbrella term that groups several, yet similar disorders under one roof.

If the '1 in 100 children are Autistic' note is true, then over 600,000 children in the US would be Autistic, which is a mind-blowing number. It's not the case though. All that means is that 600,000 children have disorders that fit under the 'Spectrum'

donavannj

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You're considered Autistic these days if you fall under the Autism Spectrum, which is basically an Umbrella term that groups several, yet similar disorders under one roof.

If the '1 in 100 children are Autistic' note is true, then over 600,000 children in the US would be Autistic, which is a mind-blowing number. It's not the case though. All that means is that 600,000 children have disorders that fit under the 'Spectrum'
At this point the "Spectrum" may a little too broad, though, if over 600,000 children are in the "Spectrum".
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Livewire

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At this point the "Spectrum" may a little too broad, though, if over 600,000 children are in the "Spectrum".
Exactly, The spectrum encompasses many autistic-related disorders, But for some reason they all get dubbed as Autistic if they fall under it. :/ Doesnt make much sense to me.


Mercury

it's in fillings and alot of immunization shots which passes down through pregnancy

no mercury, no autism
Autism has been around long before Immunization shots though. Maybe not as a recognized disorder, but it's not a new one.

twocows

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The rate of autism has not gone up, the rate of diagnosis has gone up. This is because parents these days go to the doctor whenever their child isn't being a perfect little flower, whereas they used to solve the problem through proper parenting. Doctors are happy to misdiagnose children to satisfy parents, it's more money in their pockets.

That's not to say all cases of autism are misdiagnoses, but I'm willing to bet that's the cause of the dramatic increase.

Mercury

it's in fillings and alot of immunization shots which passes down through pregnancy

no mercury, no autism
I don't think so.
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donavannj

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Mercury

it's in fillings and alot of immunization shots which passes down through pregnancy

no mercury, no autism
This is a fallacy. Autism has been around quite a while longer than immunizations and modern fillings. Many mutes in the past were probably mute because they had one of the Autism-spectrum disorders.
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Like said before, the spectrum and all that. More people getting diagnosed, and all the different types. As more types are discovered, more people would be diagnosed. It isn't saying that it is due to genetics or any factor, but perhaps because the knowledge we have now is better than what we used to have, so... Yeah.


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Yuoaman

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It's because they've broadened the definition of 'autism'. Prior to... 1990(?) or so autism was marked by low intelligence and severe issues in social development. (Don't quote me on the latter though, it's been a while.). When the definition changed suddenly a much wider group of people could be considered 'autistic'. It also rose because doctors became more adept at discerning autism from just being 'the loner' or whatever.

It's also definitely not caused by vaccines, and I feel that I should have the right to smack anyone who says it is.
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I think they might be diagnosing too early. Hell people thought I was a mute when I was a kid because I didn't want to pay attention to my parents; I was definitely a loner in gradeschool AND highschool. I'm perfectly fine learning AND in social situations now.

I think kids are being diagnosed, and for a lot of them, use autism as an excuse.. and it's really bad for the people who are seriously and acutely autistic because it takes away from their needs and time and resources spent helping them develop properly.

I feel a lot of bad parents want to blame the problem on this diagnosis, not by facing the fact that they did a bad job raising their child. I've met severely autistic children and I even FEEL a difference being around them because of the way they react and hold themselves around other people.. and those are the kids that need the help.. not the brats whose parents use it as an excuse to let their child misbehave.
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Skymin

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I think there has just been over diagnosis or something. I remember one of my friends was talking about how his brother had been lining up cars and therefore he had autism. I also have a few friends who have been diagnosed and they act perfectly normal and have no social issues whatsoever. I also have friends who *are* autistic and have seen the symptoms and stuff.

I personally think austism is some kind of thing parents can drop on their child when they misbehave uncontrollably. I think it's easier for parents to say "My child has a disorder and can't be controlled" and not do anything about it than actually doing something about it.

Yuoaman

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Mercury

it's in fillings and alot of immunization shots which passes down through pregnancy

no mercury, no autism
There's more mercury in a tuna sandwich than a child will ever receive in every immunization shot they will ever get during their childhood.
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The common misconception about Autism is that it's a "curable disease," when in reality it's a disorder spectrum -- Autism is actually now just a shorter term for "Autism Spectrum Disorder." There are many Autism Spectrum Disorders, among them being Asperger's Syndrome, which is what I have.

However, no matter what the circumstance, Autism should never be used as an excuse as being "uncontrollable." Autistic kids of any degree do have a conscience, although it is not as clearly defined as that of someone who does not have an ASD, and parents who use their child's ASD as an excuse for ill behavior is inexcusable. People are fussing about Autism far more than they really should -- instead of trying to understand children who have it they simply toss them aside as trouble and force their fates onto someone else.

From what I have heard, there is definitely a noticeable difference between someone who is perfectly, well, I don't want to use this word, but for lack of a better term "normal" in comparison to someone who has an ASD -- a friend of mine told me that she could tell I had one without too much thought before I even told her. People being falsely identified as having an ASD is certainly an issue, and is one of those that needs to be addressed.

tl;dr: Autism is really an umbrella term, but people who shove their kids under that as an excuse to not raise them properly is dumb. As well, from what I've heard (not necessarily what I've experienced because I'm not very good at noticing a certain "presence" or "aura" someone emanates), you can tell someone with an ASD from someone without one.
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Livewire

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Being autistic as 15, I can't say the cure. But there has been rumors that mothers over 25 have a higher chance. I can't say if it was true, though.
The potential for a child to develop an Autistic related disorder increases greatly after the parents (particularly dad) turn 40.

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The potential for a child to develop an Autistic related disorder increases greatly after the parents (particularly dad) turn 40.
Well that's the same for almost all birth abnormalities, because as you age the sperm production becomes less reliable and more prone to errors, though still functioning. Unlike women who produce all of their eggs long before they ever ovulate.

AND THAT CONCLUDES GENETICS 101, CLASS.
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I have autism, ADD, and ADHD, and from personal experience, it's not really fun, especially when you're aware of it.
Though that awareness of it that I had learned quite a young age helped me work with it, and work ON it, I used to be completely socially inept, I wouldn't answer when called, I would (according to my parents) ignore nearly every attempt to get my attention, I'd always be over-hyperactive when excited, and to this day have a hard time focusing on one thing for long periods of time. (Unless it is something that genuinely grabs my interests, like Graphic Design and, of course, Pokemon Games, kekeke.) In which case, I have a VERY difficult time stopping myself from doing it.

Though according to my doctor, and people I've known all my life, I've VASTLY improved in both self control, and have managed to increase from a short-term attention span, to a more normal one.

There is a young girl I know, about 8 or 9, and she's autistic as well, her father, as well as everyone else who knows her, knows of it, but seem to avoid the subject with her. Understandable, but I somewhat fear she's gunna end up needing more help than I did, and trust me, I needed a LOT of help. (I don't want her stuck in those special "Structured Learning" Programs for people with behavior problems and mental disabilities... It is not fun, and the Case Manager (The person in charge of you in that class) are usually rude, and often take advantage of your situation.

I hope one day that these sort of things can be worked out, and some sort of 'therapy" (for lack of a better word) can be thought of and implemented into school systems and medical facilities around the world.

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Livewire

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Well that's the same for almost all birth abnormalities, because as you age the sperm production becomes less reliable and more prone to errors, though still functioning. Unlike women who produce all of their eggs long before they ever ovulate.

AND THAT CONCLUDES GENETICS 101, CLASS.
Very true. And people who have children later in life wonder why their kids are messed up. :/

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Personally, I think that "autism", just like "attention deficit disorder" are just things psychiatrists made up to make money and stigmatize people who are different. I was told that I had a form of autism when I was in grade school, but I know now that was baloney because I never had trouble speaking or making friends. >:)

I was just really, really crazy about Pokemon.
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Personally, I think that "autism", just like "attention deficit disorder" are just things psychiatrists made up to make money and stigmatize people who are different. I was told that I had a form of autism when I was in grade school, but I know now that was baloney because I never had trouble speaking or making friends. >:)

I was just really, really crazy about Pokemon.
Actually, that's not true. Scientifically, kids with Autism have differently-wired brains from those who do not. Scientifically, they have developed in the womb in a different way than people who are "normal." The same thing applies with ADD.

For instance, most people are rather neuro-typical -- however, in the brains of some under the umbrella of ASD, their neurons in their brain either don't work properly or have a hard time passing from point A to B. This means the processing of a proper reaction as well as keeping a lid on other reactions is more difficult.
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Livewire

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Actually, that's not true. Scientifically, kids with Autism have differently-wired brains from those who do not. Scientifically, they have developed in the womb in a different way than people who are "normal." The same thing applies with ADD.

For instance, most people are rather neuro-typical -- however, in the brains of some under the umbrella of ASD, their neurons in their brain either don't work properly or have a hard time passing from point A to B. This means the processing of a proper reaction as well as keeping a lid on other reactions is more difficult.
That may be true, but Autism and ADD are extremely over-diagnosed.

Yuoaman

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That may be true, but Autism and ADD are extremely over-diagnosed.
Definitely true. For every one real case of both disorders there are dozens who have been misdiagnosed.
"pps new screenie" - No, really shut up yuoaman.

Haaave you read my LP?
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What about my [Un]Abridged series?
Aquaman the Unabridged Parody Series - Language warning.