Hi Everyone,
As some of you know here, I am a mother of two ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) children. The New York Times issued an editorial the other day dismissing the autism-vaccination link. They say it is time to move on. Frankly, I do get irritated with the mercury moms that claim the mercury preservative drug, thimersol, caused their child’s autism. Thimersol has been removed from most of teh vaccinations and the CDC has reported that the numbers of children diagnosed with autism has remained steady over the last several years. However, I am not ready to move on.
Something has gone awry with our male population. Did you know that many colleges reject more qualified female applicants over their male counterparts just so that the colleges can retain a 50/50 male – female ratio?
I must point out that 4 boys are diagnosed with autism for every girl that has been diagnosed.
This New York Times article demonstrates that something is occuring in our male population.
The reality is that because young men are rarer, they’re more valued applicants. Today, two-thirds of colleges and universities report that they get more female than male applicants, and more than 56 percent of undergraduates nationwide are women. Demographers predict that by 2009, only 42 percent of all baccalaureate degrees awarded in the United States will be given to men.
I read recently in the Journal of Neuroinflammation and article regarding pioglitazone treatment on behavioural symptons in autistic children. In this article they state that …
Altered immune responses in children with ASD are well documented. Autoimmune disorders of thyroiditis, colitis, myelin basic protein autoantibodies, and diabetes are prevalent in children with ASD. Stubbs (1976) published that 5 of 13 autistic children had no detectable rubella antibodies despite prior immunization.
Other world wide studies have confirmed that..
ASD patients show evidence of immune dysregulation.
Autoantibodies have been described in patients with autism to brain antigens.
There is an increased incidence autoimmune disease in the families of patients with autism.
The question remains on whether this a secondary sympton of autistic patients or can giving a large number of vaccinations to children that are susceptible to autoimmune diseases be causing the neurological disorders.
Please keep in mind that a child born in the 1960’s received 3 vaccinations before the age of 7. In 1983, that number had increased to 10 and now the number of vaccinations a child receives is 36 before they reach the age of 7.
Also, the federal government gives $28,000 to local school districts for every child diagnosed with autism. The Office of Special Education gave out $4.9 billion dollars in state grants in 2000 and that amount increased to over $10.5 billion dollars in 2006.