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Autism diagnosis rates on the rise

Doctor urges 3-level plan of treatment

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Aaron Geary, 6, who has autism, plays on the trampoline with his older sisters, Grace, 9, and Anna, 16, in the backyard of the Geary's home in Edmond. The Geary family has seen dramatic progress over the last year since Aaron began bio-medical treatments for his autism in Austin, Texas. BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN
Autism options
Keith and Joni Geary are average people with typical lives who were introduced to autism when their son, Aaron, was just 5 months old.
But like most parents of autistic children, their own research means they now know more about autism than many traditional, well-meaning physicians. They are determined to boost Oklahoma's biomedical research for autism treatments.
In August, the Gearys started The Geary Foundation with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation to bring better autism treatment options to Oklahoma. Specifically, they want to encourage Oklahoma physicians to learn the "DAN! Approach” to treating autism as a disease rather than a psychiatric disorder. DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) is an organization of the Autism Research Institute founded by Dr. Bernard Rimland, the father of the movement for biological treatment options for autism.
"We formed the foundation to try to bring awareness for the need for biomedical intervention here in Oklahoma and to help children with autism in any way we can,” said Joni Geary. "But we are really focusing at this time on the biomedical piece.”
The Geary Foundation brought Dr. Bryan Jepson to Oklahoma City for a recent seminar. He spoke before more than 250 parents of autistic children, and physicians, about his book, "Changing the Course of Autism,” about Thoughtful House Center for Children and his scientific findings that support treating autism as a disease rather than a psychiatric disorder.

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Some states report higher rates. New Jersey's is one of 94. The numbers are even more pronounced in other countries. In Japan, the rate is one of every 86 children. In some areas of England, the rate is one of 54. The steady rise in diagnoses has led many experts worldwide to conclude that autism has become an epidemic.

"How high do we need to let that number go before we start taking it seriously?” asked Dr. Bryan Jepson, author of "Changing the Course of Autism: A Scientific Approach for Parents and Physicians.” Jepson is a physician at Thoughtful House Center for Children. The Austin, Texas, center offers medical, educational and recreational services for children with developmental disorders. Jepson, like many other autism experts, considers autism a disease.
"If we had one in 94 kids that had leukemia, diabetes, SARS or West Nile Virus, it'd be all over the news every day, and that would be Congress' biggest thing they'd be talking about.”

The beginning
Jepson's son, Aaron, 6, is one of the children on the "autism spectrum.”
He was a normal, happy baby, but when Aaron was 2 years old, Jepson and his wife, Laurie, started noticing unsettling problems in their son. He no longer wanted to play with his parents, and he barely noticed if they were in the room with him. He lost interest in most of his toys and started behaving strangely, repeating over and over his ABCs and lines from his favorite movie, "A Toy Story,” and spinning in circles in the middle of the floor.
When Aaron was diagnosed, the pediatrician told the Jepsons that Aaron had little hope of getting better. It was almost inevitable their son would eventually need to be institutionalized, the doctor told them.
"He also told us that we would hear about a lot of experimental treatments that many people were trying but not to waste our time and money, because they were expensive and unproven,” Jepson wrote in the introduction to his book.
These are common statements made by doctors to parents of autistic children, Jepson said.
Actress Jenny McCarthy recently released "Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism,” a book that chronicles her challenges as the parent of an autistic child, Evan. McCarthy said she consulted many doctors who were stumped by Evan's symptoms, even misdiagnosing him as epileptic and prescribing anti-seizure medicines that had adverse effects.
Eventually, McCarthy found a doctor who identified Evan's illness as autism. But it took exhaustive efforts, searching the Internet and eventually finding the organization Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) for her to find a way to start managing her son's autism.
Jepson began his career in emergency medicine, but when Aaron was diagnosed, Jepson's medical focus changed from emergency medicine to a quest to find the cause and effective treatment for autism.

Defining autism
Symptoms of autism can include problems with nonverbal communication skills and body language. They also can include lack of friendships with children of the same age and failure to share enjoyment, interests or achievements with other people. Other symptoms are an unusual focus of attention on parts of a toy rather than the whole toy; on numbers, such as license plates and schedules; and on routines.
Autism, according to the National Foundation for Autism Research, is a silent epidemic. It is misunderstood and mistreated by many physicians, Jepson said. It is classified as a psychiatric disorder but has so many physiological components that many doctors, including Jepson, have devoted their lives to autism research and treatment. These doctors call it a multisystem disease.
While Jepson believes genes play a role by creating a susceptibility to the disorder, he thinks other environmental factors are to blame for the surge in autism diagnoses. For parents of autistic children, that is good news, because it means hope for finding treatment.
"There's no such thing as a genetic epidemic. So we know that there has to be some sort of an environmental component or environmental trigger or a series of triggers that are creating these issues,” Jepson said. "Our environment is becoming more and more toxic all the time. Studies that have been done in this area are pointing toward heavy metals like mercury and lead, pointing toward pesticides and all these other things we know are neuro-toxic and are increasing in our environment.”
Other experts, including Roy Richard Grinker, a George Washington University anthropology professor, disagree that there is an autism epidemic. In his book, "Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism,” Grinker argues that the increase in diagnoses is as much a product of culture as of science. He said a combination of factors, including broader definitions of autism, more accurate diagnoses and more awareness of the disease have contributed to the view that autism has become an epidemic. But he does think today's numbers are probably more accurate than those compiled in the past.
"A lot of what is getting called autism is so much more mild than what used to be called autism, and there's so much better prognosis for those kids that we're actually seeing them do much better,” Grinker said. "So a lot of people think that kids are recovering or whatever, and maybe they are. But it's also possible that what we're seeing as good outcomes are with children who are less severely affected.”

The cost
The biomedical approach to treating autism is also controversial. Many doctors believe autism is solely a psychiatric disorder. Autism is listed as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
"Autism doesn't prevent you from getting other disorders. People with autism can get other sicknesses just like everybody else,” Grinker said. But Jepson thinks that the physical problems that manifest themselves in autistic children are too similar to be considered coincidental. He treats autism as a combination of systemic illnesses that all contribute to the psychiatric problems that result in autism.
Jepson said that most autism research money is being used for genetic studies. While he agrees that the genetics are important, he and his colleagues want more time and money devoted to physiological aspects of autism

"My point is that we really just need to continue further study on this and not explain it away and not ignore the question,” Jepson said. "I'm happy to treat as many kids as I can treat. But until we get more doctors involved, there's going to be a big underserved population. It's a problem I don't have an answer for other than trying my best to spread the word and to facilitate treatment.”

One in every 150 children is significantly disabled, and they're going to need lifelong treatment unless we can help them get them better, Jepson said. Cost of treatment for each autistic person is estimated at several million dollars over a lifetime.
"Multiply that by the number of autistic kids we have, and it's trillions of dollars, and that's got to come from somewhere,” Jepson said. "We're not prepared for that right now. So, we need to understand that investing in this problem right now is critical.”

Payne's Mom39377.3123726852ya, jeeze back in my day when I got DX'ed when little it was like 15:10,000 if I can recall correctly, in those 10-20 years since its now about 1:150, or 15:2,250!!

Their are many factors including better diagnostic criteria (which was awful in my day), better training/understanding, and of course, nature V nurture!It's unbelievable.

Copyright Autism-PDD.net

	Back to Autism Information >> Next Topic
	Autism diagnosis rates on the rise Doctor urges 3-level plan of treatment Related Information Aaron Geary, 6, who has autism, plays on the trampoline with his older sisters, Grace, 9, and Anna, 16, in the backyard of the Geary's home in Edmond. The Geary family has seen dramatic progress over the last year since Aaron began bio-medical treatments for his autism in Austin, Texas. BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN Autism options Keith and Joni Geary are average people with typical lives who were introduced to autism when their son, Aaron, was just 5 months old. But like most parents of autistic children, their own research means they now know more about autism than many traditional, well-meaning physicians. They are determined to boost Oklahoma's biomedical research for autism treatments. In August, the Gearys started The Geary Foundation with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation to bring better autism treatment options to Oklahoma. Specifically, they want to encourage Oklahoma physicians to learn the "DAN! Approach” to treating autism as a disease rather than a psychiatric disorder. DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) is an organization of the Autism Research Institute founded by Dr. Bernard Rimland, the father of the movement for biological treatment options for autism. "We formed the foundation to try to bring awareness for the need for biomedical intervention here in Oklahoma and to help children with autism in any way we can,” said Joni Geary. "But we are really focusing at this time on the biomedical piece.” The Geary Foundation brought Dr. Bryan Jepson to Oklahoma City for a recent seminar. He spoke before more than 250 parents of autistic children, and physicians, about his book, "Changing the Course of Autism,” about Thoughtful House Center for Children and his scientific findings that support treating autism as a disease rather than a psychiatric disorder. - Some states report higher rates. New Jersey's is one of 94. The numbers are even more pronounced in other countries. In Japan, the rate is one of every 86 children. In some areas of England, the rate is one of 54. The steady rise in diagnoses has led many experts worldwide to conclude that autism has become an epidemic. "How high do we need to let that number go before we start taking it seriously?” asked Dr. Bryan Jepson, author of "Changing the Course of Autism: A Scientific Approach for Parents and Physicians.” Jepson is a physician at Thoughtful House Center for Children. The Austin, Texas, center offers medical, educational and recreational services for children with developmental disorders. Jepson, like many other autism experts, considers autism a disease. "If we had one in 94 kids that had leukemia, diabetes, SARS or West Nile Virus, it'd be all over the news every day, and that would be Congress' biggest thing they'd be talking about.” The beginning Jepson's son, Aaron, 6, is one of the children on the "autism spectrum.” He was a normal, happy baby, but when Aaron was 2 years old, Jepson and his wife, Laurie, started noticing unsettling problems in their son. He no longer wanted to play with his parents, and he barely noticed if they were in the room with him. He lost interest in most of his toys and started behaving strangely, repeating over and over his ABCs and lines from his favorite movie, "A Toy Story,” and spinning in circles in the middle of the floor. When Aaron was diagnosed, the pediatrician told the Jepsons that Aaron had little hope of getting better. It was almost inevitable their son would eventually need to be institutionalized, the doctor told them. "He also told us that we would hear about a lot of experimental treatments that many people were trying but not to waste our time and money, because they were expensive and unproven,” Jepson wrote in the introduction to his book. These are common statements made by doctors to parents of autistic children, Jepson said. Actress Jenny McCarthy recently released "Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism,” a book that chronicles her challenges as the parent of an autistic child, Evan. McCarthy said she consulted many doctors who were stumped by Evan's symptoms, even misdiagnosing him as epileptic and prescribing anti-seizure medicines that had adverse effects. Eventually, McCarthy found a doctor who identified Evan's illness as autism. But it took exhaustive efforts, searching the Internet and eventually finding the organization Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) for her to find a way to start managing her son's autism. Jepson began his career in emergency medicine, but when Aaron was diagnosed, Jepson's medical focus changed from emergency medicine to a quest to find the cause and effective treatment for autism. Defining autism Symptoms of autism can include problems with nonverbal communication skills and body language. They also can include lack of friendships with children of the same age and failure to share enjoyment, interests or achievements with other people. Other symptoms are an unusual focus of attention on parts of a toy rather than the whole toy; on numbers, such as license plates and schedules; and on routines. Autism, according to the National Foundation for Autism Research, is a silent epidemic. It is misunderstood and mistreated by many physicians, Jepson said. It is classified as a psychiatric disorder but has so many physiological components that many doctors, including Jepson, have devoted their lives to autism research and treatment. These doctors call it a multisystem disease. While Jepson believes genes play a role by creating a susceptibility to the disorder, he thinks other environmental factors are to blame for the surge in autism diagnoses. For parents of autistic children, that is good news, because it means hope for finding treatment. "There's no such thing as a genetic epidemic. So we know that there has to be some sort of an environmental component or environmental trigger or a series of triggers that are creating these issues,” Jepson said. "Our environment is becoming more and more toxic all the time. Studies that have been done in this area are pointing toward heavy metals like mercury and lead, pointing toward pesticides and all these other things we know are neuro-toxic and are increasing in our environment.” Other experts, including Roy Richard Grinker, a George Washington University anthropology professor, disagree that there is an autism epidemic. In his book, "Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism,” Grinker argues that the increase in diagnoses is as much a product of culture as of science. He said a combination of factors, including broader definitions of autism, more accurate diagnoses and more awareness of the disease have contributed to the view that autism has become an epidemic. But he does think today's numbers are probably more accurate than those compiled in the past. "A lot of what is getting called autism is so much more mild than what used to be called autism, and there's so much better prognosis for those kids that we're actually seeing them do much better,” Grinker said. "So a lot of people think that kids are recovering or whatever, and maybe they are. But it's also possible that what we're seeing as good outcomes are with children who are less severely affected.” The cost The biomedical approach to treating autism is also controversial. Many doctors believe autism is solely a psychiatric disorder. Autism is listed as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. "Autism doesn't prevent you from getting other disorders. People with autism can get other sicknesses just like everybody else,” Grinker said. But Jepson thinks that the physical problems that manifest themselves in autistic children are too similar to be considered coincidental. He treats autism as a combination of systemic illnesses that all contribute to the psychiatric problems that result in autism. Jepson said that most autism research money is being used for genetic studies. While he agrees that the genetics are important, he and his colleagues want more time and money devoted to physiological aspects of autism "My point is that we really just need to continue further study on this and not explain it away and not ignore the question,” Jepson said. "I'm happy to treat as many kids as I can treat. But until we get more doctors involved, there's going to be a big underserved population. It's a problem I don't have an answer for other than trying my best to spread the word and to facilitate treatment.” One in every 150 children is significantly disabled, and they're going to need lifelong treatment unless we can help them get them better, Jepson said. Cost of treatment for each autistic person is estimated at several million dollars over a lifetime. "Multiply that by the number of autistic kids we have, and it's trillions of dollars, and that's got to come from somewhere,” Jepson said. "We're not prepared for that right now. So, we need to understand that investing in this problem right now is critical.” Payne's Mom39377.3123726852ya, jeeze back in my day when I got DX'ed when little it was like 15:10,000 if I can recall correctly, in those 10-20 years since its now about 1:150, or 15:2,250!! Their are many factors including better diagnostic criteria (which was awful in my day), better training/understanding, and of course, nature V nurture!It's unbelievable.
	Copyright Autism-PDD.net