At our community mental health center, we have noticed an increase in the diagnosis of Autistic disorders. The most common type is Asperger's Syndrom. There is much that professionals do not understand about Autism. Our favorite treatments are neurofeedback, exercises that increase cognitive functioning, diet and using the least amount of medication as possible.

The following is an excerpt from an excerpt. The source is from The Feingoldr Association of the United States's recent E-newsletter. For more information contact: The Feingold Intitute

[] AUTISM: Autism Spike Sets Off Alarms
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(excerpted from article in Mercury Newsby Sara Solovitch)

A NEW REPORT from the state Department ofDevelopmental Services is triggering alarms about a hugeand unexpected increase in autistic children in California.

Last year, 1,685 newly diagnosed autistic persons enteredthe state's regional center system. This number representsa 273 % increase over an 11-year period.

In fact, autism appears to be the only disorder among thevarious developmental diagnostic categories that is on theupswing. Cerebral palsy, mental retardation and epilepsyhave all remained essentially stable over the past 11 years.

`It's a dramatic report, but what's shocking is that it's notclear what the cause is,'' says Dr. Thomas Anders, a childpsychiatrist and acting director of the newly establishedMedical Investigation of Neurological Disorders (MIND)Institute at University of California, Davis. MIND waslaunched in September to study autism as well as otherneurodevelopmental disorders.

Autism has always been considered a rare disorder. Itsrate of incidence in the United States is typically cited at4.5 cases per every 10,000 live births. But in California,there is an incidence rate of about 15 to 20 per every10,000 live births.

``I want to point out that this is a very conservativereport,'' says Rick Rollens, a lobbyist, former secretary ofthe State Senate and father to Russell, an 8-year-oldautistic boy. ``It does not include people who are not partof the regional system, and it is estimated that (theregional system is) really serving only half the people withdevelopmental disabilities,'' says Rollens, who asked theCalifornia legislature to commission the report last year.

``The truth is, we don't know for sure how many peopleare out there.''

Autism is a spectrum of developmental disorders, whichcan range from mild to extreme. It is characterized byobsessive spinning or repetitive motions, an inability tocommunicate with other people, and behavioral problemsthat are often self-destructive.

Despite an explosion in scientific research -- more than10,000 journal articles have been published about autismin the past 20 years -- the disorder is poorly understood,and the cause remains unknown.

Pointing fingers

Geneticists have, not surprisingly, attributed autism togenetics. And depending on their focus of study, otherresearchers have blamed it on pollution, food additives,vaccines and the overuse of antibiotics. Still others say theincrease simply reflects better diagnosis.

In February, two federal agencies began investigating aso-called ``autism cluster'' in Brick Township, NewJersey. The Centers for Disease Control and the Agencyfor Toxic Substance and Disease Registry responded tolocal calls for investigation after it was discovered that thetown had about 40 cases among 6,000 children.

Not a unique cluster

Rollens suggests that this autism cluster is not unique toBrick Township. In his own suburban town of GraniteBay, about 30 miles east of Sacramento, 22 of the 2,930children enrolled in grades K-6 are autistic -- a ratio about10 percent higher than in Brick Township.

In New Jersey parents have attributed the cases of autismto the water and to a nearby landfill, but federalinvestigators haven't identified any pollutants. In Granite,there seems to be nothing that would indicate a problem.

In response to the DDS findings, two California statesenators -- Democrats Wesley Chesbro of Arcata andJohn Burton of San Francisco -- are now calling for anindependent epidemiological study.

For more information

If you have questions about the treatment of Autism, please E-mail the Family Clinic. Our mailing address is: The Family Clinic, P.O. Box 170, Eastabuchie, MS 39436.

May 8, 1999 p.m.

New research about Neurons

This came on the web from the Psychwatch Newsletter. It is a little technical but illustrates the fact that neurons are constantly changing and growing. This is important for us because it adds more evidence to our theory that you can train the brain to grow new neurological pathways or connections to get higher cognitive functioning. This is improtant when you are trying to improve IQ and memory.

You can read this interesting article that comes from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology.

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Some new Information on Idea 97

Added May 12, 1999

 

On March 12^th of this year, federal regulations concerning the IDEA act of 1997 were released which, for the first time, included a description of ADHD symptoms under the category of "Other Health Impaired" allowing ADD to be included in disorders which call for mandated Special Education. (Wheh! that's one long sentence) In other words, congress has made it clear that it considers ADD a disorder worthy of special education consideration and all the special services that are entailed. Up till now, many school systems allowed only limited services to ADHD children. Hopefully, these new regulations will translate into easier access to services within the school system for ADHD children.

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A book on relationships

Added May 29, 1999

Wow, it took me a while but I am finely listening to something from John Gray, Ph.D. The audio tape Mars and Venus in Love has some very good points. On an unabridged audio tape it sounds very redundant. However, I would highly recommend that couples read or listen to the book "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus : A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships". Strong marriages make secure environments for children. Divorce is one of the worse experience anyone can go through in life. Anything to save a marriage or make marriages better is worth checking into. Well, I am going to go back into my cave and think some things through!

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