There is a rise in autism in young children in recent decade.

Autism's mysteries remain as numbers grow - CNN.com

do you guys know anyone who have autism? this is an alarming illness that strike healthy children with no history of genetic defects.

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The name is Bond. James Bond.
Extraordinary lover

Well, this is rather random...>.>

Please don't say things like "alarming" and "strike", its not a terrorist attack. Too many people are buying into the "epidemic" mind set these days, without stopping to think how else this increase could have happened.

As far as I've heard a lot of autistic people actually do have the genes or probability in their familes. I know lots of autistic people who have other autistic family members, or people who are not quite "autistic" enough to get a dignosis but who share many of the traits (this is a spectrum we're talkin about).

[The general stuff I seem to be obligated to say nowadays -_- : It's not an epidemic. It's not caused by mercury or vaccines. Autistic people are not all amazing at maths. Don't use rainman as your primary source. There is no cure and lots of autisitc people don't actually want to be. Chelation is child abuse. Autism is not a "disease out to steal our chidren" nor is it always as dire as people like to think.]


Yes I know quite a few autistic people (those with and without a diagnosis). I am autistic myself.

*ignore the stuff in brackets if you don't get it*

Sir Picard, there is a new study published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons linking thimerosal in children's vaccines and autism. That study is just one of the many studies out there showing causal relationship between autism and vaccines.

Do you know the name and publication year?? I'd really like to read that...

My brother developed normally until about the age of three when he started to deteriorate into severe autism. We still have no idea why it happened, although my parents suspect that it could have been the medicine he took when he was very young. I can't remember the name of it now but it might have been the thimerosal vaccine someone mentioned.

the article mentioned that thimersosal was removed from the vaccine but autism cases continue to rise. No one knows the cause of this problem right now.

autism not all bad, aspergers is on the autism spectrum too, you just look at and react to the world differently, makes the world a more fun place i have it and my eldest has it (aspergers)

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"Where so ever you go, go with all your Heart."

There could be a lot of causes. Genetics do tend to play a role in this type of disorder, so it could be that your parents carry the genes. There could be a mutation of a particular chromosone. There could be enviornmental factors, although many studies have been done to rule out thiomersal. Plus the actual drug and amount that used to be in vaccines shouldn't have been enough to cause any problems at all.
The most important thing people focus on now is not what caused it, but what can be done to help (read: not eliminate).

How old is your brother now? How is he? (if you don't mind my prying...)


Ah, it's nice to hear from an optimistic parent It's great that you and your son have that in common. Do you think it makes it easier to understand him?

MARCH 2008