The American Centurians
10-20-2006, 09:23 PM
When I considered what to write about today, I immediately thought of the diplomatic crisis of North Korea or the congressional scandal surrounding the Mark Foley incident (remember he is the Florida representative who resigned from the U.S. Congress because he liked the underage “pages” too much). However, after thinking about these issues for a very few minutes, I said that they could wait until another time. Surely I thought, there must be a social issue out there which gets little attention and which affects the masses. Well, there is! It is a big issue which a majority of people know little or nothing about unless you and your family have been touched it. Autism is one of the most underrated and most misunderstood neuro diseases in the country. What causes autism? In order to understand what the cause is, you must investigate exactly what it is and whom does it most likely attack?
Autism is a serious and complicated developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. It is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the routine functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal areas, social interactions, and leisure as well as play activities. One should keep in mind however, that autism affects each individual differently and at varying degrees. Early diagnosis is so crucial in attempting to battle this condition in its never ending attack. It not only kills the soul of the child but it defeats the will of the parents to battle it.
Learning the signs that may be present in your child is very important in helping to select the proper intervention program. So what are the signs? Children or adults with autism may be described in several different ways, with medical professions using different terms. Children tagged with the same medical terminology may act completely differently when observed over periods of time. Studies have shown that no matter what the diagnosis may be, children may function normally and learn and show improvement with the proper treatment program. Some individuals with slight autism may have problems with speech patterns or specific social interaction issues while in groups. One must understand that there are a wide variety of signs and that diagnosis is more subjective than objective. Here are a few more clues to possible autism in children:
No real fears of danger
Noticeable physical over-activity or extreme under-activity
Uneven gross/fine motor skills
Non responsive to verbal cues; acts as if deaf, although hearing tests in normal range.
Insistence on sameness; resistance to change
Difficulty in expressing needs, using gestures or pointing instead of words
Repeating words or phrases in place of normal, responsive language
Laughing (and/or crying) for no apparent reason showing distress for reasons not apparent to others
Preference to being alone; aloof manner
Tantrums
Difficulty in mixing with others
Not wanting to cuddle or be cuddled
Little or no eye contact
Unresponsive to normal teaching methods
Sustained odd play
Spinning objects
Obsessive attachment to objects
Apparent over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain
Children with autism frequently have problems with their human sensory functions. What appears to be a delightful feeling or smell to a healthy child, may feel painful or smell disgusting to an autistic child. That is why healthy people have such a hard time understanding the world of autistic people. We don’t know how they feel or why they feel the way they do. And worse yet, the autistic person cannot explain the feelings in ways for us to better understand them.
The greatest myth about autistic children is that they cannot give or feel love from their parents or siblings. There is no proof suggesting that this myth is true in any way. What is true is the fact that autistic children will display and accept love in a different manner than a normal, healthy person might do. What is required is that parents of autistic children must show great amounts of patience and insight when searching for that special love that does exist in each affected child.
Autism strikes 1 out of every 166 children. As syndicated radio talk show host Don Imus said “that statistic beats cancer in children”. The “I-Man”, as he is known to listeners, is extremely active with parental groups that are searching for more objective facts about the causes of this great American tragedy. The “I-Man’s” wife, Deidre Imus, is spear heading the attack in lobbying congress with the parents. She is attempting to raise millions of dollars for research efforts that could lead to the discovery of the cause of autism. I have to agree with Imus that it is shameful how little attention and funding is given to the effort of research. In fact, it is a hard slap in the face of those parents who struggle everyday with the children suffering in their homes without any hope for a cure. Without the ability to afford or even qualify for medical insurance for these children, the parents are left with no government assistance and no glimmer of light that things might improve in their lives.
Little is known about the causes of autism. There is no single cause. It is generally accepted by the medical community that autism is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Brain scans show differences in the shape and structure of the brain in autistic versus non-autistic children. Researchers are investigating a number of theories, including the link between heredity, genetics and medical problems. Still other researchers are investigating problems during pregnancy or delivery, as well as environmental factors such as viral infections, metabolic imbalances, and exposure to environmental chemicals; to include the possible link of thermarisol that is used in vaccines to increase its shelf-life. If true, our own doctors could be injecting this mercury based drug into our children which then triggers the condition of autism. There is no solid proof of such a link, however, more research dollars and public attention is needed in all directions as we seek the answers through research. That attention is needed now, not tomorrow!
America is losing children everyday to autism. It is a national epidemic and it deserves our attention as much as the war on terrorism does. Wake up America and at least think about it. I hope you don’t wait until autism touches your family.
Kevin /s/
www.theamericancenturians.com
Autism is a serious and complicated developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. It is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the routine functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal areas, social interactions, and leisure as well as play activities. One should keep in mind however, that autism affects each individual differently and at varying degrees. Early diagnosis is so crucial in attempting to battle this condition in its never ending attack. It not only kills the soul of the child but it defeats the will of the parents to battle it.
Learning the signs that may be present in your child is very important in helping to select the proper intervention program. So what are the signs? Children or adults with autism may be described in several different ways, with medical professions using different terms. Children tagged with the same medical terminology may act completely differently when observed over periods of time. Studies have shown that no matter what the diagnosis may be, children may function normally and learn and show improvement with the proper treatment program. Some individuals with slight autism may have problems with speech patterns or specific social interaction issues while in groups. One must understand that there are a wide variety of signs and that diagnosis is more subjective than objective. Here are a few more clues to possible autism in children:
No real fears of danger
Noticeable physical over-activity or extreme under-activity
Uneven gross/fine motor skills
Non responsive to verbal cues; acts as if deaf, although hearing tests in normal range.
Insistence on sameness; resistance to change
Difficulty in expressing needs, using gestures or pointing instead of words
Repeating words or phrases in place of normal, responsive language
Laughing (and/or crying) for no apparent reason showing distress for reasons not apparent to others
Preference to being alone; aloof manner
Tantrums
Difficulty in mixing with others
Not wanting to cuddle or be cuddled
Little or no eye contact
Unresponsive to normal teaching methods
Sustained odd play
Spinning objects
Obsessive attachment to objects
Apparent over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain
Children with autism frequently have problems with their human sensory functions. What appears to be a delightful feeling or smell to a healthy child, may feel painful or smell disgusting to an autistic child. That is why healthy people have such a hard time understanding the world of autistic people. We don’t know how they feel or why they feel the way they do. And worse yet, the autistic person cannot explain the feelings in ways for us to better understand them.
The greatest myth about autistic children is that they cannot give or feel love from their parents or siblings. There is no proof suggesting that this myth is true in any way. What is true is the fact that autistic children will display and accept love in a different manner than a normal, healthy person might do. What is required is that parents of autistic children must show great amounts of patience and insight when searching for that special love that does exist in each affected child.
Autism strikes 1 out of every 166 children. As syndicated radio talk show host Don Imus said “that statistic beats cancer in children”. The “I-Man”, as he is known to listeners, is extremely active with parental groups that are searching for more objective facts about the causes of this great American tragedy. The “I-Man’s” wife, Deidre Imus, is spear heading the attack in lobbying congress with the parents. She is attempting to raise millions of dollars for research efforts that could lead to the discovery of the cause of autism. I have to agree with Imus that it is shameful how little attention and funding is given to the effort of research. In fact, it is a hard slap in the face of those parents who struggle everyday with the children suffering in their homes without any hope for a cure. Without the ability to afford or even qualify for medical insurance for these children, the parents are left with no government assistance and no glimmer of light that things might improve in their lives.
Little is known about the causes of autism. There is no single cause. It is generally accepted by the medical community that autism is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Brain scans show differences in the shape and structure of the brain in autistic versus non-autistic children. Researchers are investigating a number of theories, including the link between heredity, genetics and medical problems. Still other researchers are investigating problems during pregnancy or delivery, as well as environmental factors such as viral infections, metabolic imbalances, and exposure to environmental chemicals; to include the possible link of thermarisol that is used in vaccines to increase its shelf-life. If true, our own doctors could be injecting this mercury based drug into our children which then triggers the condition of autism. There is no solid proof of such a link, however, more research dollars and public attention is needed in all directions as we seek the answers through research. That attention is needed now, not tomorrow!
America is losing children everyday to autism. It is a national epidemic and it deserves our attention as much as the war on terrorism does. Wake up America and at least think about it. I hope you don’t wait until autism touches your family.
Kevin /s/
www.theamericancenturians.com