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The Mystery of Autism
It is estimated that one out of every 150 kids in America will be diagnosed with autism; the fastest-growing developmental disability at this time. The neurological disease affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.

How is this happening? Could it be from vaccines? Is autism hereditary or caused by environmental factors? This subject is hotly debated across the country … and now on The Doctors.

Dan and Lori have seven children, and four of them are autistic. Their oldest son, Mitchell, 10, easily becomes anxious and emotional. Alex, 9, wears Halloween costumes every day and exhibits destructive tendencies in the home. Their oldest daughter, Danielle, 8, is starting to talk more, but rarely interacts with other children. Adam, 6, is the most severely affected. He has no verbalization and oftentimes hits and kicks his parents and pushes his siblings. His tantrums have become so intense that he has even been hospitalized.

“It’s like I failed the kids somehow,” Dan says.

One of the most difficult things for Dan and Lori to manage with autistic children is discipline. “It’s hard for them to realize that what they did is wrong,” Lori says.

In studio, Dr. Travis asks Dan and Lori, “How do you manage?”

“It’s a day-by-day thing,” Lori says. “We do see progress with the kids. That is great. We do see things work, and that’s what keeps us going.”

Dr. Jim explains that doctors still don’t know why children develop the disability. He asks the couple to describe some of the early symptoms they observed in their children. 

Dan says some of the kids did not exhibit speech, were staring off and were not able to effectively communicate.

“They don’t run to you with a toy and ask you to interact with them,” Lori says. “Not only did they not develop speech, speech stopped.” She adds that their daughter used to be a happy, bubbly baby, but her disposition changed, and she would sit in the corner and ignore others. “There were definite personality changes.”

Behavior Symptoms of Autism
Dr. Jim explains the signs of autism, often seen in kids before the age of 3 and many times by 12 to 18 months old:

• • Changes in social interaction
  • Lack of eye contact
  • Appearing to be in his/her own world
  • Displaying no interest in other children playing
  • Showing no attachment to parents
  • Unaware of the environment and other people
  • Changes in verbal skills: either doesn’t learn to talk or regresses and stops talking
  • Repetitive behaviors: hand flapping, staring at ceiling fans, spinning or rocking, lining up toy cars or other objects

“A lot of these behaviors are kind of typical in ‘typical kids,’ too,” Dr. Jim says. “That’s sometimes the confusing thing.” Autism affects each child differently.

Dan and Lori worry about their son, Eric, who is not autistic. They don’t know how to prevent him from modeling behaviors after his older siblings, when that’s all that he sees.

Dr. Jim explains that he will learn by watching his parents, other kids at school and friends.

The parents ask Dr. Sears when they should tell their younger children that their older siblings have autism.

“Tell them right now. They’re living it,” Dr. Jim says. He assures the couple that their younger children will understand.

Lori is pregnant again and worries for the fate of her unborn child.

“Over the years, we’ve learned that there definitely is a genetic factor here,” Dr. Jim says. “There is something in the genes of your kids that make them a little vulnerable to a trigger. We still don’t know what that trigger is.” He offers that triggers could be viruses, heavy metals like lead, or other chemicals. “There are a lot of theories.”

Pediatrician Dr. Jay Gordon, who strongly believes that vaccines are a major contributing factor in autism, joins the discussion. “Vaccines, as they are now formulated can cause autism and other problems,” Dr. Gordon says. “Right now, they’re not as safe as they can be.” He advises that Dan and Lori do not vaccinate their unborn child. “You have a genetic, a familial predisposition to children developing autism,” he tells them. “All children who get vaccines don’t get autism. All children with autism are not autistic because of vaccines.”

Dr. Gordon suggests that before parents vaccinate their children, they should educate themselves, find a doctor they trust, and look at their family history for autism, childhood depression and autoimmune diseases. “The very serious Neuroimmunologists are now saying that autism is a neuro-immune disorder,” he says. “I really think that it doesn’t make any sense to give five or six shots to a little baby whose immune system and central nervous system are still a little bit questionable and extremely immature. Wait six months, wait a year. Get counsel. Read as much as you can. But the way that vaccines are manufactured can cause autism. The way that they’re administered can cause autism, and they should be much, much safer.”

On the other side of the debate is Dr. Harvey Karp, who agrees with the many studies that show zero association between vaccines and autism. “If you stop immunizing children, especially in the first year or two, you’re putting them at risk,” he says. “Vaccines are a miracle.” He adds that studies performed in other countries show that when the rate of immunizations go down, the rate of illnesses go up.

Dr. Gordon disagrees. “The studies were not done well. The studies were often funded by the manufacturers of the vaccine,” he refutes. “I don’t vaccinate against any illnesses that pose anywhere near as much a threat to your family as autism does. I admit that if we stop giving certain vaccines, some illnesses might return. I admit that there’s no proof that vaccines cause autism. There’s evidence.” He is adamant that more testing needs to be completed.

Dr. Karp tells Dr. Gordon that he must back his claims with scientific proof. “The only reason we have little disease right now is because so many people are getting their kids immunized,” he says. “If more and more people follow the advice that [Dr. Gordon’s] giving -- to defer these vaccines -- and we see more illness, the children who are going to suffer are not so much the ones who choose not to get the immunizations, but the next-door neighbor and the kids in the preschool, who then spread the illness back to little babies who are not even old enough to get the immunizations yet.”

Dr. Sears weighs in. “I do not want everybody to stop vaccinating, because then we’re going to see polio come back, and kids are going to start dying of measles again,” he says. “In my office, I try to look at each child individually. I want to get them eventually fully vaccinated, unless they have a lot of risk factors for autism.” He looks at Dan and Lori and tells them, “If your family was in my practice, there’s no way I would vaccinate your kids, but I would also talk to you about how to minimize your risks of catching those important illnesses.” He adds that the vaccine companies have taken mercury out of most of childhood vaccines -- a metal people think contribute to developing autism. “I encourage my patients not to blow off vaccines, but I want to do it as safely as I can,” Dr. Jim says, explaining that he starts children at 2 months with the important vaccinations like whooping cough and meningitis, but he only gives one or two at a time. “Some of the more controversial ones, we wait until later,” he says.

Dr. Travis concludes, “Most physicians support vaccination, and we don’t want to go back to a time where when someone comes into the hospital, we’re worried about all of these diseases that have pretty much been wiped out of our children.”

Go to the shows website-click here

How Old is Too Old?

More women than ever are getting pregnant over the age of 40, and The Doctors discuss the risks and rewards of having babies later in life. Since people are getting married and starting families later than ever before, they also have babies later.

But there are risks. A woman over 40 has about a 1-in-100 chance of having a baby with Down syndrome, and for a woman over 45, the chances increase to about 1-in-30.

Down syndrome is a genetic condition that causes delays in physical and intellectual development. People with Down syndrome have 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46. It is the most frequently occurring chromosomal disorder.

DOWN SYNDROME FACTS (Source: National Association for Down syndrome)

-Down syndrome occurs in approximately one in every 800 births

-There are more than 350,000 people living with Down syndrome in the United States

-The incidence of Down syndrome increases with advancing maternal age, however, 80 percent of children are born to women under 35 years old.

-The average life expectancy of individuals with Down syndrome is 55 years, with many living into their 60’s and 70’s.

And while there are risks for women over 40 who get pregnant, The Doctors say that as long as the woman stays healthy and pays extra attention to prenatal care, 40 is never too old.

Living With Down Syndrome

Pam, 39, talks about her 2-year-old son Torin, who has Down syndrome. She explains that Torin’s special needs forced her to make adjustments in her family’s routine and how she raised Torin. She is happy to report that they have been working on his speech and motor skills, and Torin is thriving and happy. Pam and Torin join The Doctors and talk with Drs. Bill and Jim Sears about raising a child with Down syndrome.

Dr. Jim’s brother, 19-year-old Stephen, has Down syndrome. He and his mother Martha join the show. Stephen talks about his baseball and flag football accomplishments, and Martha says that her biggest challenge with Stephen has always been communication. She explains different methods she used to raise Stephen, including using sign language. She says there have been many developments in teaching communication skills to children with Down syndrome.

“Instead of just saying, ‘Oh your child’s going to have all of these problems, it’s going to be bad, bad, bad,’ [for] most families with kids with Down syndrome, that child is a huge source of joy,” Dr. Jim says.

Actor John C. McGinley, also known as Dr. Perry Cox on the hit TV show Scrubs, joined The Doctors to talk about his 11-year-old son Max, who also has Down syndrome. John says he uses laughter with Max, and it helped a lot especially early on dealing with the communication trouble.

“We didn’t have our terrible twos because of different delays that we had,” he says. “So now we’re having our terrible 11s.”

McGinley is a national spokesman for the National Down Syndrome Society. He talks about the “Buddy Walk” the Society puts on to help people with Down syndrome. The “Buddy Walk” was established in 1995 to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. In the U.S., there are 300 1-mile walks put on annually to raise awareness and funds for the NDSS.Link to the show

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Health & Special Education Services for Military Children with Autism

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/autism.mil.benefits.htm08

Health & Special Education Services for Military Children with Autism

The Department of Defense has been a leader in providing coverage for health and special education services for children with autism.

Military life, coping with disruption of routine or environment, is particularly difficult for children with autism and their families.

Based on the most recent prevalence data that 1 in 150 children have an autism spectrum disorder, as many as 12,000 children in military families (active duty, reserve and guard) may have autism. These families are affected substantially by the financial and emotional costs of raising a child with autism.

2008

On September 5, 2008, "Military Family Autism Equality Act," HR 3690 bipartisan legislation was introduced by Virginia Congressman James P. Moran (D-8) and Florida Congressman Jeff Miller (R). Retired military families who have children with autism will have their health care benefits protected if is enacted into law. This legislation will provide retired military families with children with autism the same health care benefits as families of active duty service members with children with autism. Department of Defense statistics indicate there are an estimated 8,784 retiree families that will benefit from this legislation.

"Caring for autistic children is expensive. Military families, already stretched thin by the high costs associated with the disease and long deployments overseas, are often left with a choice no parent wants to face: provide expensive treatments for their child or keep their family clothed and fed. This legislation will eliminate that painful decision," Moran said.

"This bipartisan bill to extend needed medical coverage for children of military retirees with autism is long overdue and I'm pleased Congressman Moran and I were able to address this issue together. Autism is an insidious disease inflicted upon our children and we should live up to our obligation to serve the children of those who have served this nation," Miller said.

Military Retirement Shouldn't End Autism Coverage - Letter of Support for this legislation from Congressman Miller and Congressman Moran.

A Lifeline for Military Families by Chuck Hagee in the Mount Vernon Gazette.
  
On May 22, 2008, HR 5658, the Defense Authorization Act of 2009 passed the House by a vote of 384-23. Congressman Joe Sestak (PA – 07), a member of  the House Armed Services Committee, successfully inserted numerous pieces of legislation as an amendment to the bill that was passed by the House.

The amendment addresses the difficulty faced by thousands of armed forces personnel and their families who are unable to obtain appropriate care for autistic children through the military's Extended Care Health Option (ECHO). With passage of this legislation, autistic children of servicemen and women will receive a minimum of $5,000 per month of autistic services, which is double the current limit of $2,500 per month.

Approximately 8,500 children from these families have autism, which is the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the U.S; however, a recent estimate by the Congressional Budget Office shows only 700 autistic children are enrolled in ECHO because of long waits and limited coverage. ECHO's limit on autistic care allows only five hours of therapy per week, while studies by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Research Council show that these youth need from 25-40 hours per week.

This amendment also requires a study by the Secretary of Defense that examines ways to improve autistic services.

On March 15, 2008, the Enhanced Access to Autism Services Demonstration, went into effect. This project allows reimbursement for educational intervention services, such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), delivered by paraprofessional providers. 

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