http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=3079

is the higher number of children diagnosed with autism due to vaccinations, something else in the environment, or due to better education about autism? ask three people and you are likely to get three different answers. this is probably because scientist have yet to find a definitive reason for autism in the first place. because we have no “reason”, we tend to correlate incorrectly why. the above link i posted may help shed some light on the reason we see these soaring numbers.

myself? i agree with this article. i am not one who believes that vaccinations have anything to do with causing autism. there have been to many studies debunking this theory. nor do i believe that environmental issues cause autism; autism does not discriminate and it shows up in all areas of our environment. but, over the years our knowledge of autism has spread. this is about the only thing i give “jen jen” positive credit for; she has spread awareness. but so have those in the healthcare industry, in education, and other parents who have a child with autism.

Follow up:

when you have a child with autism it tends to envelope your entire life. your whole world revolves around it. it effects every member of your immediate family. you can’t help but to talk about it. i will talk about it to anyone who will have the patience to listen to me. i share stories about sir dantes at work, at the grocery store, if we go on a social outing, and of course here on this blog. i talk about studies, research, and how our son’s diagnosis effect me, his father, and his sister. i share stories of sir dantes’ victories and set backs. i am pretty sure you talk about your child too.

while we may bore some people we are doing our part to spread the word. we are letting other parents know what to watch for and where to go and what to do. this parent to parent communication is so, so important. one thing that most in the autism world agree upon is that the earlier autism is detected and therapy started, the better chance the child has of learning to adapt and function in a world that is hard enough to maneuver in for the most typical of us.

this month is autism world awareness month. let us do our part to keep people aware. talking may not seem like a big deal, but it is because talking opens the door for knowledge. when i talk about how we started noticing sir dantes didn’t seem “quite right”, and why we thought that, another person may be saying inside to themselves, “my child does that”. it may be enough for them to go and seek out professional advice. and talk is cheap! maybe you can’t afford to donate. maybe you can’t afford the hours off of work to go to a function like an autism awareness walk. maybe you can’t afford to purchase a lunch box that says “i love someone with autism” (i mention the lunch box because i have one). but it doesn’t cost you a penny to open your mouth and talk.

happy autism awareness month, which for us, is every month of the year!