Chemicals may be linked to autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs).

Here's something that you may find interesting. It's about certain chemicals and their possible link to child autism when they are used by pregnant women, including before conception and after birth. I couldn't possibly comment on these findings; I shall leave that to those whom are more knowledgeable in this area. However, when at university I was particularly interested in indoor air pollution. There are countless chemicals drifting about in the home e.g. from paints, varnishes and glues, not forgetting the ones used in various materials for furniture manufacture. Fact: did you know that cigarette smoke contains over 4000 different chemicals? Many, as we are now aware, carcinogenic in nature.

Anyway, if you would like to learn more about ASDs and chemicals, then please read this Telegraph article: "Child autism link to pet shampoo."

Are children who suffer from autism and Asperger's Syndrome receiving appropriate help at school?

This question, unfortunately, has been troubling my conscience for many years, but to a much greater degree over the past few months, and I can no longer refrain from making my feelings public. I apologise in advance for the inevitable annoyance this will cause to some people – hopefully only a small minority – in writing this piece but, I honestly feel that I am betraying my principles and subsequently the many children whom have been diagnosed with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) if I do not.

I am speaking from personal experience when I say that the situation at school for these children is unacceptable. I refer to our own son, Owain whom has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Furthermore, I have many reasons to suspect that numerous other children, whom have also been diagnosed with an ASD, are in a similar situation; our own son cannot be unique in this respect.

Owain frequently returns from school complaining about the lack of understanding and help he receives e.g. pupils suffering from other, non-ASDs, disabilities receiving a greater proportion of assistance, and unsympathetic teaching staff; a small proportion, it must be said. All this unpleasantness is gradually having a detrimental effect on his health and well-being, not to mention his important school work. Furthermore, Owain frequently has problems completing his homework, simply because he has difficulty remembering verbal instructions. Previously, most teachers would kindly assist by writing brief comments in his “red book” (which would inform us as much as Owain) but, unfortunately, even this help has almost disappeared. He does try his best to write notes in his Personal Planner, but with only limited success.

An ASD, in my eyes, still seems to be treated as an “unseen disability,” regardless of the fact that awareness of ASDs has risen considerably over the last few years. Please don't misunderstand, I am not blaming schools per se; however, in our particular case, I am concerned with the lack of professionalism shown by one or two individuals at Owain's school. There are, as we all know, competent teaching staff in our schools but, how many are suitably qualified to help these unfortunate children? If the answer is not many, as I suspect, why not? It's plainly obvious that teaching staff need more relevant training in the area of ASDs. Teaching staff are a vital part in ensuring our children receive the best education and deserve our full support, from all quarters.

On a more positive note, the Welsh Assembly Government is financing a three year plan to support families affected by ASDs. I am pinning my hopes on this important endeavour; it must deliver what it proposes, we all need to scrutinize it to ensure its success.

People affected by autism & Asperger's Syndrome will benefit from 3 years' funding.

Today, the Welsh Assembly Government announced plans to improve the lives of children, adults and their families whom have been affected by autism and Asperger's Syndrome. The Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Strategic Action Plan will be launched today at the 3rd Wales International Autism Conference organised by Autism Cymru in Cardiff. Funding of £1.8m has been allocated for the first year (2008/9), with more to follow in 2009/10 and 2010/11.

Obviously, this is excellent and exciting news; let's all keep a watchful eye on the Assembly to make sure our money is wisely used. The full story can be read here,"'World first' to improve autism services in Wales." The NAS's response can be found here,"NAS Cymru welcomes Assembly Government Action Plan."

United Nation's World Autism Awareness Day.

Wednesday, 2nd April, will be the United Nation's World Autism Awareness Day and events have been organised globally to mark this momentous occasion. Too many people are still ignorant about autism and Asperger's Syndrome; these global events will undoubtedly pave the way to a fuller understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).

Please click on "post" title for more information.

"MMR: Moment of truth for man behind the scare." (The Independent)

The doctor who linked the vaccine with autism will today be called to account

By Jeremy Laurance
Thursday, 27 March 2008

The doctor who triggered an international health scare over the safety of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine will take the stand at the General Medical Council today in an attempt to save his professional reputation.

Ten years after Andrew Wakefield's paper linking the MMR vaccine with bowel disease and autism appeared in The Lancet, he will defend the research, which is said to have done more damage than anything published in a scientific journal in living memory. Scores of parents who are convinced that the vaccine caused autism in their children will demonstrate in support of Dr Wakefield outside the GMC's headquarters in London, where the case is being heard, as they did when the hearing opened last July. They claim he is the victim of a witch-hunt by the Government and the pharmaceutical industry, who have conspired to cover up the harm the MMR jab has caused.

Along with two of his former colleagues, Professors Simon Murch and John Walker-Smith, Dr Wakefield, 51, is accused of abusing his position as a doctor and of failing to obtain the necessary ethical approval for his research on children, or of going beyond it or of not being qualified to carry out the procedures he undertook. If found guilty of serious professional misconduct, all three doctors face being struck off the medical register. They deny the accusations.

The charges, though narrowly focused on the ethics of the research rather than the disputed link between MMR and autism, have revived the decade-old row which has pitched parents against the medical establishment and led to a collapse in immunisation levels nationwide.

Vaccination rates with MMR stood at 91 per cent in 1997-98, before The Lancet published Dr Wakefield's findings. In the ensuing scare, vaccination rates slipped to 80 per cent in 2003-4 and lower still, to 60 per cent, in parts of London.

Although the rates have since recovered to 85 per cent, hundreds of thousands of children remain unprotected from the diseases and cases of measles have soared.

Almost 1,000 people were infected with the illness last year – the highest figure since records began in 1995. The illness causes fever which can lead to serious complications. Cases of mumps have also risen sharply.

The five-member GMC panel, who are each being paid £310 a day, have spent three months listening to the prosecution case. Today, they begin hearing the case for the defence. A further three months of hearings are scheduled, involving scores of lawyers, medical experts and witnesses in what is likely to be one of the most expensive misconduct cases ever heard by the GMC, which is responsible for regulating doctors and ensuring good medical practice. There is speculation that a judgment could be delayed until 2009.

The 92-page list of allegations took more than an hour to read out. A key charge is that when Dr Wakefield submitted his research paper to The Lancet, he failed to declare he was a paid adviser to solicitors acting for parents who believed their children were harmed by MMR and had accepted £55,000 from the Legal Aid Board for research to support their legal action.

It was this disclosure that led The Lancet to announce a partial retraction of the paper in 2004 in what the editor, Richard Horton, declared was a "fatal conflict of interest". Dr Horton said the had he known about it at the time, he would never have published the paper.

Yet Dr Wakefield had admitted receiving the legal aid payments in a letter published in The Lancet in May 1998, three months after his research appeared, and he is expected to argue that the journal knew this before publication. He had also patented a single measles vaccine in 1997.

Other medical editors have pointed out that most authors of research papers have some conflict of interest. While normal practice is to declare it at the end of the paper, the degree of conflict that would render a paper unpublishable is undefined. But it is the damage done to public confidence in vaccination that is the most serious legacy of Dr Wakefield's work.

Since The Lancet printed his paper in February 1998, a series of epidemiological studies has failed to find any evidence of a link between MMR and autism. This has failed to satisfy parents, predominantly middle-class and well-educated, who have refused to allow their children to be immunised or demanded single vaccines, as Dr Wakefield recommended.

One of the greatest puzzles of the saga is what has sustained this level of mistrust in the medical authorities. Unlike most scientific controversies which flare up and die away, this one has simmered for a decade – and is now to be fired up again by the GMC case.

Dr Wakefield is said to be unrepentant about his research and remains convinced that some children are vulnerable to damage by the MMR vaccine. His supporters claim that independent studies from different countries have confirmed his findings – but clinical investigation of individual cases which could provide the proof has been blocked in the UK.

Dr Wakefield's career in Britain ended in 2001, when he lost his job at the Royal Free Hospital in London, where he carried out his research. Ostracised by the medical community, he moved to America with his wife and four children and now works at Thoughtful House, a centre for children with developmental problems in Austin, Texas.

The risk is that the GMC case against Dr Wakefield will reinforce the view that there is a conspiracy by the Government, drugs companies and the medical establishment to promote the MMR vaccine and discredit a doctor whose only sin was to raise questions about its safety. If found guilty, he will become a martyr to the cause – a lone voice struggling to defend the interests of desperate parents and their damaged children. If he is exonerated, it will add fuel to the anti-MMR campaign. Either way, it looks as if parents and children will be the losers.

"Campaign to raise autism awareness launches."

A new campaign has been launched to raise awareness of autism among criminal justice professionals.
The new UK wide initiative was launched by The National Autistic Society (NAS) and the Co-Operative bank in Nottingham yesterday. Entitled 'Keeping Safe' the campaign aims to equip young people affected by Asperger syndrome, a form of Autism, the skills to learn about the risks of crime, recognise dangerous situations and keep themselves safe. 'Keeping Safe' also offers guidance on how to recognise autistic behaviours and the best ways in which to deal with a suspected autism sufferer. Alan Bicknell, NAS head of support programmes, said in a statement: "Autism affects one in a hundred people so it is likely that criminal justice professionals will meet people with the condition fairly regularly during their career."There is a resource pack which will be distributed to police officers, and a more comprehensive guide to autism for criminal justice professionals it has been claimed.PC Joe Scarth, a Merseyside policeman who has a seven-year-old autistic son and was speaking at the launch, told the Liverpool Echo, "As a police officer I became aware that if my colleagues came into contact with someone with the disorder, they may well not realise that someone has autism."

(Source: Craegmoor Healthcare.)

"Court links MMR to autism."

9th March 2008

by Phil Doherty, Sunday Sun

FAMILIES who blamed the MMR jab for their children’s autism may be vindicated by a landmark court case.

The Government has denied a link between the immunisation and autism, but a US court ruled that a girl did dev- elop the condition after a series of jabs.

The vaccines reacted with a DNA defect in her body . . . a defect found in 38 per cent of those with autism.

The ruling was made last November but “sealed” — or not made public — until a compensation figure was agreed.

However, details of it have been leaked to the Sunday Sun, and we understand there are a further 4900 similar cases to be heard in the US.

It’s thought the disorder in the girl was triggered by the existence of mercury, used to make the vaccines more efficient.

Mercury has now been removed from child vaccines in the UK but many parents whose child developed autism when it was in use will feel the case backs up their suspicions.

The developments are being watched closely by experts in the UK.

They include Paul Shattock, head of Sunderland University’s Autism Research Unit. He said: “No one has ever claimed vaccines caused all autism, which can have many different routes, but around seven per cent of parents say their child was developing normally until they were immunised.

“There is now a link to vindicate their view and this has been proven in court.”

It was in 1998 that Dr Andrew Wakefield, then working at London’s Royal Free Hospital, first suggested a link between the triple jab for measles, mumps and rubella and an increased risk of autism and bowel disorders.

He is currently before the General Medical Council facing allegations of misconduct.

The British Government has always denied such a link, pointing to a series of studies backing its claims, the latest published last month by a team led by London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospital.

The US Court ruling concerned Hannah Poling, nine, from Georgia. She received five vaccinations, including MMR, diphtheria, whooping cough and polio, two of which contained thiomerosal, a mercury-based preservative.

Thiomerosal was phased out from all UK vaccines from 2004 but was used in vaccines before this date.

After the ruling, the US Government said it wasn’t the vaccines which caused her autism, but a DNA defect in those who were inoculated which was triggered by the jab.

According to research, just 0.2 per cent of the general population have the defect, compared to at least 38pc of autism patients.

Jackie Fletcher, founder of Jabs, a support group for vaccine-damaged children, said: “This is significant precedent and it’s vital the Department of Health put in a screening programme for this defect before children are given jabs.

“We know a number of autistic children in the UK had more than one vaccine on the same day . . . exactly the same as the America girl.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “The evidence is clear. There is no link between vaccines and autism.

“MMR is the safest and most effective way of protecting children from measles, mumps and rubella.

“This issue relates to one child with an extremely rare metabolic genetic condition. In the US, rates of autism have continued to rise since mercury was removed from its vaccines.

“This case has no relevance therefore for vaccination in the UK.”

(Source: http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/).

"MMR and Autism: US court says there’s a link, and awards compensation."

06 March 2008

The MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine can cause autism, a US court has concluded.

In a secret ruling that has only just come to light, the US Court of Federal Claims has conceded that the mercury-based preservative thimerosal, which was in vaccines until 2002, caused autism in the case of one child.

The ruling is one of 4,900 cases currently being considered for compensation payments, and it is feared by health officials that it could open the floodgates for even more claims. It also appears to support the controversial findings of Dr Andrew Wakefield, who, in 1998, suggested a link between the vaccine and autism.

The ruling, made by US Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler, was made last November, and was one of three test cases into the MMR-autism link that was being considered by a three-member panel, which Keisler chaired.

In his conclusion, Keisler said that “compensation is appropriate”.

The case involved a child who, when she was 18 months old, received nine vaccinations in July 2000, two of which included thimerosal. Within days, the girl, who had previously been healthy, suddenly exhibited no response to verbal direction, loss of language skills, no eye contact, insomnia, incessant screaming, and arching.

A diagnosis of autism was confirmed seven months later.

In its defence, the US government said the girl had a pre-existing mitochondrial disorder that was aggravated by the vaccine.

(Source: The Huffington Post, February 25, 2008).

(Source: http://www.wddty.com/).

"Autism: What are the ethics of treating disability?"

A row about the correct response to the condition – acceptance or treatment – is dividing campaigners and carers. Jeremy Laurance reports on a bitter ideological war

Published: 16 November 2007

Battle has been joined between leading organisations in the autism field and Lara Hawkings is in the thick of it. She is the mother of a four-year-old, Edward, who has been diagnosed with autism – and she is cross. What has sparked her ire is a campaign by the National Autistic Society (NAS), backed by a bevy of celebrities, to encourage greater understanding of the condition that affects her son. It is not understanding that she needs, she says. It is help.

"The attitude in Britain is 'Oh dear, nothing can be done.' Hundreds of thousands of people are affected and the response to that is, it doesn't really matter, we have to put up with it.

"In America it is completely different. There they have massive conferences on the subject, lots of research and lots of children being treated. It is widely accepted that a lot can be done for these children."

Mrs Hawkings, 37, is not alone. She was one of 25 signatories to a letter published in The Independent last week attacking the 18,000-member NAS and demanding withdrawal of its latest leaflet, "Think Differently About Autism", which aims to increase public awareness of the lifelong disability.

The NAS's view is that the problem lies not with autism but with the public response to it. People with autism are stigmatised and discriminated against and the NAS's aim is to prevent the damage that can cause by raising awareness of the condition.

Its approach is summarised by Jane Asher, president of the society, and 20 celebrities who have put their names to the campaign, including the actresses Helena Bonham Carter, Sheila Hancock and Prunella Scales and the chef Antony Worrall Thompson.

Ms Asher said: "The lack of understanding about autism among we so-called 'normal' people is one of the major causes of the unhappiness and isolation of those affected by this potentially devastating condition. It would be wonderful to think the NAS's campaign could change attitudes."

That is not good enough for Mrs Hawkings. Her son Edward's autism has improved, not from "greater public understanding" but thanks to medical advice which led her to cut out gluten, wheat and dairy foods from his diet, she said. Like many autistic children, Edward suffered severe gastrointestinal problems which have now been largely resolved.

"He had massive distended tummies, constipation, diarrhoea. He had private tests which you can't get on the NHS which showed he had a 'leaky' gut. A lot of doctors say it's rubbish, but it has helped Edward," said Mrs Hawkings.

She and her colleagues, members of the rival organisation Treating Autism, organised last week's letter to The Independent. Treating Autism is a charity that promotes therapy for children with autism and insists it works. "Hope for people with autism does not lie in celebrity endorsement and a pretence that autism is normal but in the torrent of medical research that is pouring out of the United States," its letter said. It accused the NAS of being "on another planet".

It was the first salvo in the latest round of hostilities in the autism movement. Similar disputes have been seen in other areas of disability between those who believe it is best to accept the condition and adapt to it, and those who insist on fighting for research funding and treatments.

But autism is different. It exerts a grip on the public imagination because it disturbs something that is core to being human. That is why it fascinates. In the social world in which we live, the capacity to read social situations and respond appropriately can mean the difference between popularity and loneliness and smooth the route to professional and social success. Autistic people lack this capacity – the uniquely human skill of forging relationships – and can face a lifetime of loneliness and isolation as a result.

Sally Eva, chief author of the Treating Autism letter and mother of a 15-year-old daughter, Edith, diagnosed with autism, said: "People with autism range from those at the severe end who can't tell a person from a post to those at the mild end who may be madly over-communicative. The NAS employs people with autism so it is over-influenced by those at the mildly affected, employable end of the spectrum. The real argument is between people who believe in "neurodiversity" – that autism is on the normal spectrum and we should work for more public acceptance of it – and those who believe it is a medical condition that needs treating."

Others have since joined the battle in The Independent's letter columns. On Wednesday, Paul Wady, 43, who was diagnosed as on the autistic spectrum two years ago, and is employed by the NAS, described the demand from Treating Autism as "sheer lunacy".

Later Mr Wady said: "Of course if you can treat someone with autism so that they are more functional and they can progress to adulthood, that is great. But denying someone their nature – that is wrong and stigmatising. It is the idea of eliminating faulty genes that cause the condition that is so objectionable. We are what we are."

In the 64 years since Leo Kanner, who first described autism in 1943, said it was a developmental disorder characterised by "extreme autistic loneliness" and an "obsessional desire for the maintenance of sameness", debate about what it is, what causes it and how (or whether) it can be treated has continued to rage.

One of the most basic, yet still unanswered questions is how common it is. A disorder characterised by "an inability to read social situations" is not easy to diagnose. In some people autism is disguised by high intelligence and may go unrecognised throughout their lives. They are the brilliant but eccentric professors who, when not investigating Etruscan archaeological remains or complex mathematical formulae, are playing quietly with their train sets in the attic.

Classic autism, the severest kind, is thought to affect 30,000 people in the UK. This figure has remained largely unchanged over several decades. However, more than 500,000 are said to have autistic spectrum disorders, including Asperger's syndrome, a mild version of autism, sometimes described as "mind blindness". This more elastic definition has expanded over the years and most experts say this accounts for the supposed rise in autism, because there are no clear boundaries to it.

Uncertainty about the definition of autism and disagreement about the number of people affected lies at the heart of the dispute. Members of Treating Autism, mainly parents of affected children, are desperate for assistance with offspring who may be destroying their homes and any semblance of family life.

The NAS insists it supports everyone with autism and that different individuals have different needs. Benet Middleton, director of communications, said: "The fact that it is a disability doesn't mean that there are not interventions that can help. Treating Autism seems to imply that we shouldn't talk about raising awareness of the problems people face because by doing so we imply nothing can be done."

He said the key question was what worked. "There is an issue about evidence. There are interventions to support people live their lives but there is very little peer-reviewed evidence for those interventions. What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for somebody else."

Famous faces backing the National Autistic Society campaign

Helena Bonham Carter, actress

"Lots of people don't realise that autism is a life-long condition. I strongly believe that with improved understanding, a great deal more could be done to help people with autism to fulfil their potential in life, work and happiness."

Sheila Hancock, actress

"Very few people understand the profound impact autism can have on whole families, affecting every area in their lives. I hope the NAS campaign can achieve greater tolerance, understanding and support for those affected."

Antony Worrall Thompson, chef and broadcaster

"If you consider the number of people with autism and their families, that makes more than two million people affected by the condition. They need access to support and services to help them in their everyday lives. We must do everything we can to help."

(Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article3166420.ece).

"Support for autism taskforce."

Published by Michelle Blackwell for 24dash.com Thursday 17th January 2008 - 12:28pm

Baroness Uddin, speaking to a packed chamber in the House of Lords urged Her Majesty's Government to support the formation of an Autism Task Force to look at the serious issues connected with autism. Peers in the House of Lords spoke about autism after Baroness Uddin had tabled a question asking the Government to support the Autism Awareness Campaign's call for a national strategy on autism and a 10 year plan of action on autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

Support for the Day of Autism called for by the Autism Awareness Campaign UK came from many Peers and MPS. Harroy Cohen MP tabled an early day motion in the House of Commons - EDM 705 signed by MPs said: 'That this House supports the call of Ivan Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK for a national strategy on autism and a 10 year plan of action on autism and Asperger's syndrome; notes that the Prime Minister recently met Mr Corea and discussed autism; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to support the idea of an Autism Taskforce in order for Government departments, the voluntary sector, charities, community groups and parents groups to work together to address the serious education and health issues facing parents, carers and people with autism and Asperger's syndrome.'

Parliamentarians also raised a series of questions on autism in support of the 'Day for Autism' in Westminster.
Lee Scott MP for Ilford North and member of the House of Commons Select Committee on Health launched his 10 minute rule bill on Autism which has now reached the next reading and was not opposed by Her Majesty's Government. Children's Secretary Ed Balls addressed parliamentarians, charities and parents at the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism chaired by Tim Loughton MP.

Ivan Corea, head of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK said: 'We are grateful to peers and MPs for supporting what we called a 'Day for Autism in Parliament.' Certainly the focus was on autism and Asperger's Syndrome. We urge parliamentarians of all parties to continue to raise the profile of parents, carers and all people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome. There is still so much suffering and parents from all over the UK and indeed people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome voiced their concerns to Children's Secretary Ed Balls, including a moving plea from a young boy with Aspergers. We all need more support as autism is a 24 hour job. I just hope and pray that Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Children's Secretary Ed Balls and Her Majesty's Government listens to the voices of parents, carers and people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome,' he said. The Autism Awareness Campaign commended the Government for including children with disabilities in the Children's Plan announced by Children's Secretary Ed Balls.

(Source: http://www.24dash.com/).