Increased diagnoses of Autism and Asperger's in children environmental, dietary

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   jessefutchposted 11 years ago

   Increased diagnoses of Autism and Asperger's in children environmental, dietary or genetic?
   
   Is the 1000% increase in Autism and Asperger's Syndrome over 30 years ago in our diet? Is it in our environment? Or is just simply in our genes?
   
   

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   peeplesposted 11 years ago

   I think it is just more parents and doctors becoming informed. My oldest child has Aspergers. Years ago he would have gone undiagnosed and assumed to just be a "bad child". Also Aspergers has been misdiagnosed as Bi Polar for many years. I'm sure some of it has to do with our environment but mostly just more information being available.

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      jessefutchposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      My oldest son also has Aspergers. When the possibility was mentioned by his doctors I was appalled and honestly I fought it for almost a year! After reading more about it, I became much more informed and the pieces started to fit together.

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   duffsmomposted 11 years ago

   I think it is being diagnosed more due to all of those things; environment, genetics and diet.  Plus I think our children are being evaluated and watched more closely then in generations past-so diagnoses are being made more often.

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   chef-de-jourposted 11 years ago

   It seems all three have some part to play in the advance of autism, plus, doctors nowadays are more aware of the symptoms and will diagnose more cases. Lots of recent studies do show that environmental factors at conception or embryonic stage can increase the risk of autism developing, especially if the genes that code for the brain are involved.
   
   Other research into chemicals - notably BPA - bisPhenol (widely used in plastic containers and food containers/liners) and phthalates (shampoos and soaps) shows that these affect learning,behaviour and memory in zebrafish studies!!
   It all gets very complex.
   
   Still further research into sperm and mutations reveals that older males are more at risk of conceiving autistic children, and that males are more likely to be affected - father to son. This is not bound to happen but the chances are increased with age.
   
   I work with autistic young people and have long been reading reports from all kinds of scientific institutions keen to prove a definitive cause. None has yet been able to say with 100% certainty that if a happens to b autism is bound to develop. There are just too many unknowns at the moment.
   
   What is troublesome is the language some scientists use - describing autism as a glitch, a mistake, and other such things, when autistic people want to be known as 'perfectly healthy with a brain which is not neurotypical.'

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      jessefutchposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You are very right. Autism is not a mistake. Some autistic people are able recall vast amounts of information, some can perform complex mathematics in an instant, to name a few. Seeing their abilities, perhaps THEY are the next step in our evolution?

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   Sue B.posted 11 years ago

   If the answer to this question was simple, I think we would have a cure by now!
   
   Unfortunately, it seems, the harder we look the more complicated autism and diagnoses on the autism spectrum appear.
   
   Based on the research I have read thus far, autism cannot have a simple genetic link.  Autism has risen year after year even taken into account an increase in awareness and an increase in practitioners' ability to make a diagnosis.  Unless our genes are changing at a rapid rate, there are other factors that influence autism.
   
   Current research on many different disorders is moving beyond just carrying genes and analyzes how genes are turned on or off.  This gives people some hope that we can prevent autism in some way. 
   
   We know a lot can be prevented or greatly improved with diet and lifestyle changes but we still struggle to drop unhealthy habits and adopt the healthier ones!

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   artist101posted 11 years ago

   Dr Mercola and Dr. Wakefeild blames the current vaccinations on this, what is increasingly becoming an epidemic disease, and condition.
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl … IsFW5phHas http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic … -case.aspx

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      artist101posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      my recommendations are a good probiotic, as intestinal dysbiosis effects everything from recall to intestinal distubances.

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