What causes autism? - Page 3

[therdogg]

Originally Posted by nataliachick7

i dont buy the "its more diagnosed thing nowadays" . i just went to a vaccine seminar by Dr eisenstien and he agreed that that was the most ridiculous thing....he was like you dont miss an autisitic kid....its pretty OBVIOUS when one has autism/or is on the spectrum (by the medical professionals anyway). he also showed us a research study that showed NO autism in the amish community. this reporter went there to dispprove a link between vaccines and autism. he figured he would find just as much austim there as there is amongst us. out of thousands of amish, he found 4 or 5 cases. and all of those cases were kids who were adopted and previously vaxed. interesting...here is the article on that:
http://www.homefirst.com/autism_dan_olmstead.html

YES, the Amish have autism! A very quick Google search revealed that in fact there is a specific variant of autism associated with a seizure disorder found ONLY among the Old Order Amish-- and yes, it's genetic:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Neurology/Autism/tb/2954

[aiccerb]

thx for posting the article finch...I needed that tonight.

[purslaine]

OP= just curious as to your interest in this?

I have 2 nephews that are autistic, and a child in my sons class is autistic, so autism has impacted my life. I wanted a variety of opinions from people who have loved ones on the spectrum - sometimes I really do think that mommy's know best, KWIM? I have tried researching a bit on my own - but I find a lot of the information very polarising, and often doesn't fit what I have seen.

On a more personal note, I am not sure I am done with baby-making yet....and while I cannot control the gentic part of the Autism equation, I would like to know any info I can ahead of time about the "environmental" side of things.

Oh, and I am a geek....I am one of those "need to know" type people.

Kathy

Finch...I love the article you posted...thank you!

[fullofgrace]

Originally Posted by Finch

But yes, I love that article. Here's what they're talking about, if anyone cares to read it. Again, I am not trying to hurt feelings here. I think this is an excellent viewpoint:

http://www.cammiemcgovern.com/articles_nytimes.html

Thanks for that Finch. What a great and powerful article. I'm passing it on to my DH now.

[sorteep]

too many triggers to list!! but to simplify.. kids come to the table genetically predisposed to ASD (at varyign levels) then their genetic predisposition gets triggered by usually several or many things and you end up with an ASD kid to wahtever severity matches the genetics and triggers.

for the record it is IMPOSSIBLE to have a genetic epidemic , genes don't chg that fast.. something(s) influencing these kids to express the genetic predisposition.. common triggers include but are not limited to

Heavy metal exposure (often mercury but can be any)
stealth virus' often herpes class
head trauma
gut dysbiosis
vaccines (like it or not, it's true)
other toxins (pesticides, industrial chems etc)
poor nutrition (this is HUGE)
Not breast feeding
pathogens such as lyme and measles to name jsut two
birth trauma
oxygen deprivation
immune dysregulation
food allergies/ sensitivities

I could keep going , but you get the idea..

genetic mutations / variations usually involve one or more detox pathways, metallotionene, P450 9# might be off there) the liver path one.. too lazy to look it up.. MTHFR .. and at least 9 others I would alos have to look up.. but most involve faulty detox pathways and metabolism..

this is a topic it would take a lifetime to adequately research.. huge topic

[fullofgrace]

My personal opinion is that there is an ASD gene. It's who my kids ARE. It's environmental and medical factors (ie pregnancy medications, illness, vaccinations, allergies, immune system issues...) that affected to what extent they need facilitation in their lives (ie a communication book, assistive technology, emotional supports, etc).

[nylecoj]

Wow. This is very interesting. I have a nephew who is extremely autistic but also suffers from a condition called tuberous sclerosis (sp?) and has benign tumors on the left hemisphere of his brain. My brother is probably a high functioning autistic person - has pretty severe sensory stimulation issues and doesn't really connect with people. Heck, he doesn't even really like people!

Read the article provided by Finch - woah. Can't even imagine doing something like that.

My dd is not symptomatic but she's only 5 mos and I still wonder if symptoms could come up. She's very engaging, and makes eye contact very well. She also has totally bonded with me, so I think we're okay, but she's still supposed to get so many vaccines and I'm honestly not sure where I stand on all that stuff.

[smilee777]

must read articles here for info on vax. and autism

http://www.generationrescue.org/biomedical.html

[MyTwoAs]

Thank you for linking that article Finch.

Some of the comments people posted here really rubbed me the wrong way thank you to whomever posted the link refuting the Amish claim. Here's a good blog entry with more information on it: http://www.kevinleitch.co.uk/wp/?p=535

[myjulybabes]

Sorteep, do you have any links handy on the MTHFR mutation and autism? That part of your post just jumped out hugely at me, as I just found out I have the MTHFR mutation...found it in pre-natal testing as we were looking for potential causes of pre-eclampsia. I'm self-dx Asperger and my ds is autistic. Wondering what this means for the next baby? How very very interesting!

[Altair]

Originally Posted by Individuation

Not all but most, and I think there can be aggravating factors in making the condition more/less difficult (diet, other medical issues, etc.) I also think there's a strong autoimmune factor. I think there are a lot of reasons the numbers are going up, and yes, more common diagnosis is one of them. Altair had an interesting theory about birth trauma/compromised oxygen delivery that seemed to make a lot of anecdotal sense in the context of my family, so I think there's a lot we don't know as of yet.

I also think the genetic factor is coming into play--I think more people on the spectrum are having children. We're less likely to have been called "retarded" and thus sterilized, or to have spent our lives in institutions, so yes, we marry and have more spectrum kids.

You beat me to it-- these are the 2 things that go through my head the most. Something can be genetic and increasing with each generation if simply more people with that variation are given the chance to have children.

And the birth trauma theory is mainly anecdotal on my part, but TOO huge to ignore. I don't think there is any ONE trigger or ONE gene. It seems like the more research being done the more it points to it being a fairly large cross section of genes with a lot of overlap and genetic variations that not all people with autism share.

[kchoffmann]

Originally Posted by GC_Mom

Thank you for linking that article Finch.

Some of the comments people posted here really rubbed me the wrong way thank you to whomever posted the link refuting the Amish claim.

Yup and yup.

Is it just me, or do other people here get kinda bugged when people who don't have autism in their lives have really strong opinions about these sorts of things?

[peekyboo]

Originally Posted by kchoffmann

Yup and yup.

Is it just me, or do other people here get kinda bugged when people who don't have autism in their lives have really strong opinions about these sorts of things?

This could get me in trouble...but...lol...

I always find it interesting when people DEMAND you listen to their side of the argument when they won't even bend a little to listen to your side.

I also find it interesting when people stumble upon this particular board and bust into conversations with their opinions/experiences, and they end up inadvertantly stepping on toes here. It's happened to me a couple times and I've seen it many MANY times.

NOT that we don't enjoy visitors, but please, walk a mile in our shoes before telling us our opinions/reactions/feelings are wrong. Because if you lived our lives day in and day out, dealt with the rollercoaster of emotions we do, I bet your opinion of things like this would change.

[MyTwoAs]

Originally Posted by kchoffmann

Is it just me, or do other people here get kinda bugged when people who don't have autism in their lives have really strong opinions about these sorts of things?

It's definitely not just you. I get irritated as well - I don't mind it when people are curious but at least be respectful of the fact that we are the ones dealing with it everyday (this is not directed to the OP).

[MyTwoAs]

Originally Posted by peekyboo

This could get me in trouble...but...lol...

I always find it interesting when people DEMAND you listen to their side of the argument when they won't even bend a little to listen to your side.

I also find it interesting when people stumble upon this particular board and bust into conversations with their opinions/experiences, and they end up inadvertantly stepping on toes here. It's happened to me a couple times and I've seen it many MANY times.

NOT that we don't enjoy visitors, but please, walk a mile in our shoes before telling us our opinions/reactions/feelings are wrong. Because if you lived our lives day in and day out, dealt with the rollercoaster of emotions we do, I bet your opinion of things like this would change.

Very well said.

[sparklemama]

I'm in the camp that has thought that there's a genetic predisposition with environmental triggers. But more recently I've been looking into birth trauma and possible effects from it and very strongly feel that this plays a part in our particular situation since he did have a traumatic birth. I believe that his speech, eye and fine motor problems were definitely affected by his birth (nerve damage from vacuum suction delivery) and then the the "autism" (which I'm not even convinced anymore that he has) could be from the low oxygen during labor & pushing.

As others said, I think there are a lot of things now being called autism that really aren't and it really muddles the possibility of finding a cause(s).

[sparklemama]

Originally Posted by peekyboo

This could get me in trouble...but...lol...

I always find it interesting when people DEMAND you listen to their side of the argument when they won't even bend a little to listen to your side.

I also find it interesting when people stumble upon this particular board and bust into conversations with their opinions/experiences, and they end up inadvertantly stepping on toes here. It's happened to me a couple times and I've seen it many MANY times.

NOT that we don't enjoy visitors, but please, walk a mile in our shoes before telling us our opinions/reactions/feelings are wrong. Because if you lived our lives day in and day out, dealt with the rollercoaster of emotions we do, I bet your opinion of things like this would change.

I agree. And I find it not just with this board but with people IRL and other places online as well (people I've known for years). Some people will just never "get it", and I guess I should be happy for them that they don't but still, it would be nice if they were a bit more respectful or open-minded to the concept that they just DON'T understand.

[natashaccat]

just curious, has anyone ever looked at rising autism rates and maternal age? Is the increase in autism world wide or just a US thing?

[myjulybabes]

Originally Posted by kchoffmann

Is it just me, or do other people here get kinda bugged when people who don't have autism in their lives have really strong opinions about these sorts of things?

Eh, strong opinions are fine. I've got plenty of opinions on things I haven't lived. Spouting them in the "Special Needs" forum...that bugs me.

[MyTwoAs]

Originally Posted by natashaccat

just curious, has anyone ever looked at rising autism rates and maternal age? Is the increase in autism world wide or just a US thing?

From my understanding, it is worldwide. I have seen a study about advanced paternal age and autism but not one with regards to maternal age.