Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Autism

2008-08-17T04:07:06Z

Heraldblog: /* External Links */

'''Autism''' is a neurological disorder, characterized by inability to interact socially; linguistic disability; intense, narrow interests; and repetitive behaviors. These are called stims or stimming. They include walking on tiptoes, flapping of hands, staring at objects for a prolonged period of time, oral fixation, spinning in circles, and other repetitive activities. Other signs include lack of eye contact, playing alone, lack of words, or in the case of Asperger's syndrome, big vocabulary but lack of social skills or inappropriate behavior. It is usually detected by the time a child is four years old but some people's autism go unnoticed into adulthood. There are many intelligent and talented autistic individuals.<ref>Temple Grandin, "Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism" amazon link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307275655/ref=wl_it_dp/103-3432247-4184629?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1CWNFSEUCIXQL&colid=49VN3HJC5OQK</ref>

Diagnoses of autism has increased from 1:10,000 in 1988 to 1:166 people today. Some estimates are as high as 1 in 150 people <ref>http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/faq_prevalence.htm</ref>, and it has been rising. Among boys, 1 in 94 has the disorder. In New Jersey, which has the highest rate in the nation, 1 in every 60 boys has autism and 1 in every 94 children is affected.

Some parents, politicians and a few fringe researchers cite a [[mercury]] preservative used in [[vaccines]], thimerosal, as the cause of injury in many recipients, including a cause of increase in autism rates. Thimerosal is a inorganic form of mercury that was widely used as a preservative, but since FDA and CDC action in 1999 and 2000 thimerosal usage in vaccines has been either removed or lessened to around 0.01% in [[vaccines]] that still use it, including influenza and DT vaccines. This translates to around 25 [[micrograms]] per a 0.5mL dose. Humans in the US generally absorb between 3.9 and 21 micrograms of mecury per day. It has been generally accepted that there is no connection between vaccines and autism. <ref>http://www.fda.gov/Cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t3</ref><ref>http://enhs.umn.edu/hazards/hazardssite/mercury/mercdose.html</ref><ref>http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/vaccines.htm</ref>

Autism is a spectrum disorder which means there is a range in how it affects different people. There is the fragile x syndrome, Asperger's syndrome, pdd nos, mild autism, moderate autism, severe autism, and some [[idiot savants]]. Autistic children will not all act like the character portrayed in the movie ''[[Rain Man]]''. Nor are all autistic children uncaring or unable to show emotion, in fact many are very caring.

There is a rare form of low functioning autism called ''idiot savants'' in which the people who suffer from it cannot brush their teeth or take a bath or dress themselves or do any other basic activities but are extremely good at one thing, usually mathematics but sometimes also involving music, memory feats, or hyperlexia.

Autism was first identified in 1943 by Dr. [[Leo Kanner]]. Dr. Hans Asperger also did some research into autism at about the same time and discovered Asperger's syndrome. In the past it was blamed on frigid mothers. As early as the 90's many psychotherapies were used to treat it. One very effective treatment, though not a cure, is Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA therapy).

==External Links==

#http://www.autismspeaks.org/ Also has a charity that gives money to people who can't afford ABA therapy. Sadly, a good many parents are in financial difficulties, due to insurance companies and Medicaid bureaucracy. ABA therapy demands about 40 hours to treat autism by "retraining the brain."

Warning: Autism Speaks is a multi-million dollar scam created to take advantage of autism for the purpose of making money. It is the largest organization for autism and is highly controlled. Autism Speaks many lies and does not allow adults on the autism spectrum to speak at their conventions. The only adults on the autism spectrum who they permit visibility are those who will not challenge their agenda (profits). Likewise, Generation Rescue is a non-evidence based fringe organization that promotes the debunked hypothesis that autism is caused by vaccines.

The ABA therapy of "retraining the brain" is merely a fancy way of saying "brainwashing." Autism is not a disease that gets "cured" by "treatments." Because this is so highly complex and time-consuming to grasp an understanding of, most people eagerly go for what looks good. Admittedly it does appear on the surface to seem very good, but the long-term consequences provide a lot of risk. The "therapy" society needs, in regards to autism, is education to eliminate the ignorance and misleading information about autism; plus, to eliminate the bigotry and intolerance of those who are neuro-A-typical.

Here are a couple of better links:

#http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/
#http://ani.autistics.org/

[http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer Autism Society of America] Clubs is another huge organization to beware of. The best advice for doing research to get information is to go straight to the source and skip the organizations (at least until you've become properly educated). Either go to autism blog lists like those found at [http://autism-hub.com/ Autism-hub] and [http://www.blognetnews.com/autism/ Blognetnews.com/autism] or search online to read about what bloggers on the autism spectrum have to say. A lot of mothers of ASD children blog and have become quite knowledgeable also.

Also, be discerning when reading books published on this subject ---> especially ones written for parents of ASD (Autism Spectrum Different) children by 'professionals' (who are neurotypical and do not have any children on the autism spectrum).

One of the best books to own is by Tony Attwood called, "The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome." A couple of other good ones are: "Theory of Mind and the Triad of Perspectives on Autism and Asperger Syndrome" by Olga Bogdashina and "Asperger Syndrome: Natural Steps toward a Better Life" by Suzanne C. Lawton.

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#http://www.autismdigest.com/
#http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/
#http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer
#http://www.autismlink.com/

There are several [http://groups.yahoo.com/ Yahoo! groups relating to autism]. Each state has its own group, and one may enter "ASD" as a search query to find a relevant group.

==References==
<references/>

[[category:psychology]]
[[category: medicine]]

Talk:Autism

2008-03-18T03:39:01Z

Heraldblog: /* Expert needed? */

I once visited, on a business trip, a school for autistic children in England, with the local MP. You would not believe the love that MP, the teachers, and everyone we were with, had for these children. That is Christ's love truly functioning in our world.-[[User:Phoenix|Phoenix]] 21:33, 18 June 2007 (EDT)

I'm a mother of a mild to moderate autistic boy. I have put this on my yahoo asd list, so that they can come and edit as well. I'm hoping that those more knowledgable then I come by. I added in external links to while granted liberal sources, are also known for their knowledge in autism. moonwolf23(not sure how to put my hyperlink to my username in here)

== Expert needed? ==

I think this page is in serious need of an expert on the subject. I have been correcting spelling, bias, and grammar in this article since I saw it.

I have no experience in the subject, so there's no way of checking the content for accuracy as well.

Maestro pointed out that there's a difference between autism and idiot savants, which I was unaware of.

Also, I think we need a balanced view regarding the vaccine issue; not everyone believes that vaccines cause autism. Wasn't one of the scientists behind the research recently criticized for something in the news? I'm rather skeptical, since cavity fillings contain mercury as well (as far as I know).

Are there any Conservapedian psychiatrists here? :) -[[User:RedBlade7|danq]] 18:33, 8 December 2007 (EST)

__________

- It's called savant syndrome, and it's not a "type" of autism. Also, the vaccine/autism hypothesis has zero credible support among bona fide scientists. A diagnoses of autism is based on behaviors that were present by the age of three. Asperger's is technically "autism spectrum disorder".

- The increase in autism prevalence is most certainly due to changes in the diagnostic criteria, increased public awareness, increased social services, and better diagnoses by physicians.

- In addition, autistic-like behaviors can be present in a number of neurological conditions without an actual autism diagnosis. A closed head injury, for example, can mimic autism, as can a brain inflammation.

'

Autism

2008-03-18T03:27:35Z

Heraldblog: