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Prevalence of autism to increase, experts say
TweetBy KIM HONE-MCMAHAN
Austism experts say the extreme violence exhibited by the professor’s son is rare.
The teenage autistic son of Kent State University professor Gertrude Steuernagel was charged with her tragic beating death last month. The attack occurred Jan. 29; Steuernagel died Feb. 6 at Akron City Hospital from injuries suffered in the beating.
But experts on the disorder say this type of violence is rare, and as diagnoses of autism continue to rise, there are other pressing issues to focus on.
Barbara Yavorcik, executive director of the Autism Society of America, Ohio Chapter, said when her son was diagnosed with autism 17 years ago, the disorder affected four or five in 10,000 births. Today it’s 1 in 150 births. And the society says the prevalence of autism will continue to rise, potentially reaching 4 million in the next decade. That’s more than the combined population of Nebraska and West Virginia.
Autism is a complex developmental disability that usually appears during the first three years of life, and its cause is unknown. It affects the normal functioning of the brain, which can make it difficult to communicate or socialize.
Not everyone who has autism is affected in the same way. Some are mildly impaired. A man with autism in Mississippi landed a job with the National Weather Service after earning his master’s degree in meteorology.
Then there are others who are severely nonverbal, which can be ‘’Even on the worst of days, Sky would find something to enjoy, even if it lasted less than 30 seconds. So I started to look for my joy,’’ the root of great frustration.
‘’Imagine if you had a migraine, but you had no way to communicate that you were in severe pain. People kept coming after you to try to get you to interact and all you wanted to do was get some medication and feel better,’’ Yavorcik said. ‘’Imagine how you would react.’’
In an editorial posted on KentNewsNet.com, Steuernagel wrote last year that as much as she longed for it, she had never had a conversation with her son, Sky Walker. Instead, she connected with actions or short phrases.
“I know he doesn’t need to ask if I love him. When we’ve had a bad day, Sky says, ‘Swap me.’ I say ‘I’ll never swap you. I’m going to keep you forever and ever.’”
In her writings, the 60-year-old hinted at the problems she was having with her teenage son.
‘’I couldn’t be a friend to anyone because I physically and emotionally could not be there for them. I had no patience with good and decent colleagues who told me how busy they were. Busy? Try spending an evening sitting in a closet with your back to the door trying to hold it shut while your child kicks it in.’’
Still, a good mother takes care of her child. And that’s what Steuernagel did for her son. She loved him unconditionally. And she learned a lot from rearing a child with a disability.
‘’Even on the worst of days, Sky would find something to enjoy, even if it lasted less than 30 seconds. So I started to look for my joy,’’ she wrote.
Though those with autism might have difficulty communicating and are often hypersensitive to normal environmental influences such as sound and touch, it’s rare that they are so violent.
“This type of violence is no more prevalent in the autistic population than in any other population,’’ said Yavorcik of the case with Sky Walker. “And people should not be afraid.’’
Scientists and medical doctors have been aggressively studying the cause for autism.
“Is it the environment? Perhaps some. Is it better diagnostics? Perhaps some,’’ added Yavorcik, whose 20-year-old son works in a grocery store in Toledo.
The additive thimerosal, which contains mercury, was even removed a few years back from vaccines to address concerns that it might be causing the rise in autism. But as people continue to argue the issue, a study released last year said it made no difference. Cases continue to rise.
For those with autism who act inappropriately, medication and behavior therapy can control some behaviors. Yavorcik says early diagnosis and intervention is key for a more positive outcome for those with autism. And she encourages people to visit Autism Society of America at http://www.autism-society.org or call (330) 376-0211for more information and where to get help.
Comments
I wonder if Gertrude Steuernagel's teenager was on one of the so-called miracle antidepressants like Prozac, which can cause aggressive and violent behavior?
What a sad story.
The State of Ohio needs to place this autistic teen for treatment, NOT punishment. These kids do know right from wrong, but impulse control can be poor. They look and seem "normal" to outsiders, but the issues are huge and complex. He likely doesn't fully understand how he killed his mom, or why he did it, especially if he was on the cocktail of meds most docs use to "treat" autistic kids. But NO studies show that ANY of these meds do or do not really help. Instead, autistic kids complain of a long list of side effects, which are ignored--- a doc would immediately re-evaluate the meds if a non-disabled adult made the same complaints of the same side effects. But not these kids / teens. Their side effect reports of headaches, hallucinations, and parental reports of increased irritability and aggression are just flat out ignored !
This story makes me angry because I can bet the State will seek to try him as an adult, and as a non-disabled adult. This poor autistic kid is now "lost" forever in the legal system.
(signed)
Aunt of 2 autistic teenage boys going through similar med-agression problems.... and professionals won't listen to the mom's reports about the kids.
A huge correction needs to be made with this article.
Thimerosal IS NOT out of vaccines so the media needs to stop saying this and get the facts right.
It is in 90% of the flu vaccines recommended for pregnant women and children over the age of 6 months(25 micrograms) and is also still in large amounts in 11 of the childhood and young adult vaccines. many of the other vaccines are processed with thimerosal and then it's taken out leaving trace amounts still in the shots. It has never been proven that injecting any amount of mercury into the body is safe.
So to say that thimerosal doesn't cause autism is not true either. It has not been proven not to cause it.
I hope this paper will make a correction in tomorrow's paper.
Maurine Meleck
North Augusta, SC
Very sad that the Autism Society of Ohio doesn't get the breadth of the problem facing some families of kids with severe autism.
Ms. Yavorcik is only an expert on her High Functioning kid with autism who works in a grocery store. Not Sky Walker's kind of autism. The kind where you can't tie your own shoes or talk. And who has been medicated with powerful antipsychotics since he became a teenager.
The increase in prevalence of autism can largely be explained by the fact that the term "autism" was redefined 10 years ago to include children who are shy, children who are socially awkward and children who don't start speaking by by age 1, among others.
20 years ago, a child who was shy was shy, not pathological and a child that didn't speak by 12 months was a late-bloomer. The only children who were diagnosed with autism where children with no social functioning at all.
I am completely in favor of the earliest possible intervention for children with autism. I am opposed to labeling children who are simply outside the new narrow limits of "normal."
As for the violence, few children with autism become violent. It's very rare. Autism alone doesn't explain this horrible crime.
Obviously Plan for the best doesn't have an autistic child or a member of the family who is autistic.. The statement about no increase in autism and it being re-defined is ridiculous. I know hundreds of autism families and there is no way one could mistake a shy person from an autistic one .. This person knows nothing about autism.
Vaccines with “trace” amounts of Thimerosal, by definition, “contain less than 1 microgram of mercury (Hg) per dose (http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thime... For example, consider that the reduced-Thimerosal flu vaccine with 0.0002% mercury is equivalent to 1 microgram [µg] of Hg per 0.5 mL, or 2 µg of Hg per mL, which is the same as 2000 µg per liter; or 2000 parts per billion [ppb].
0.5 parts per billion (ppb) mercury has been shown to kill human neuroblastoma cells (Parran et al., Toxicol Sci 2005; 86:132–40).
2 ppb mercury is the U.S. EPA limit for drinking water (http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contamin...).
20 ppb mercury destroys neurite membrane structures (Leong et al., Neuroreport 2001:12733–7).
200 ppb mercury is the level in liquid that the EPA classifies as hazardous waste (http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste /mercury/regs.htm#hazwaste).
25,000 ppb mercury is the concentration of mercury in multidose, Hepatitis B vaccine vials, administered at birth from 1991-2001 in the U.S.
planforthebest is completely clueless about what autism can be like for some children. We don't know how many children have it because we don't know for sure what the actual numbers are. Reclassification, and broadening of criteria mumbo jumbo is for the birds.
Autism alone can explain this horrific crime ( it was a tragic accident in my book). Severely, autistic children who can't communicate efficiently, who are prone to meltdowns and are easily frustrated can very well lash out. When a 3 year old has tantrums parents/teachers/caregivers can manage them. When it's an 18 year old well sized man this is a different story. Hence the outcome of this tragic situation.
Instead of denying this can happen, accept the harsh realities of what is happening to our children. Autism is a horrible disability. People should be outraged we are sitting back comfortably accepting at least 1 in 150 has some form of neurological impairment.
This situation is a glimpse into the coming of age of autism for some.