-Caveat Lector-
Vaccinations, Aspartame, pesticides, Prozac....
Whadda ya got?
------- forwarded message -------
From: Muriel Hykes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999
Subject: [PSYPHY] Autism Report 237% Increase in Cases
See http://www.dds.ca.gov/new.htm
California Cries "273% Increase in Autism - We Don't Know Why"
Thursday, April 15, 1999
A new state report released today raises troubling questions about
why California's developmental services system is experiencing a
large unexpected increase in the numbers of children with autism,
announced by State Senate President pro Tem John Burton and Senator
Wesley Chesbro, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on
Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health.
"In the past 10 years, California has had a 273% increase in the
number of children with autism who enter the developmental services
system - 1,685 new cases last year alone," Burton said. "What is
generally considered a rare condition is increasing faster here
than other developmental disabilities. We need to find out why."
"The number of children with autism greatly exceeds the numbers
you'd expect from traditional incident rates," Chesbro said.
"The findings and conclusions of this report show we need to take
action now to figure out where this increase is coming from, what
the causes of autism are and what we as a state can do."
The Department of Developmental Services report, "Changes in the
Population of Persons with Autism and Pervasive Developmental
Disorders in California's Developmental Services System: 1987-1998"
was released to the Legislature this morning. While it confirms
the increased incidence, the report does not examine factors
leading to the increase. The report was required as a result of
legislation developed after parents, human services professionals
and educators expressed concern that they were seeing a dramatic
increase in children with autism.
In addition to special legislative hearings in the issue, Burton
and Chesbro called for funding an independent epidemiological study
to help identify the causes of autism and the factors leading to
California's increase in autism cases. The Senators suggested that
the U.C. Davis Medical Investigation of Neurological Disorders
Institute, (M.I.N.D.) would be the appropriate organization to do
the research.
Autism exacts a tremendous cost on children, on families and the
developmental disabilities system," Burton said. "The system is
getting seven new kids with autism seven days a week. Is this
because families are coming to California for services? A change
in diagnostic practices? Something environmental? We need to get
to the bottom of this and we need to do it right," Chesbro added.
For copies of the report contact Paul Verke a the California
Department of Developmental Services 916 654-1820. The report
is also on the Department's website: http://www.dds.ca.gov ,
or will be there by the end of the day. The contact for the
M.I.N.D. Institute is Carole Gan 916 734-9047
EXCERPTS OF THE REPORT
by Michael McIntire
FEAT Director
If there was ever any doubt about the rise in Autism Incidence,
this will forever dispel it. Following is an excerpt from a CA
Department of Developmental Services report released today by
state Senator John Burton.
While the 273% increase is quite notable in the face of 50%
increases for other disabilities, it is notable that data for the
13,000+ children in the the early start program for 0 to 3 year
olds was NOT included. The numbers will also show that the rate
of increase is accelerating at 3% per year.
If you really want to be scared: for the calendar year 1998,
there were 1,685 NEW diagnosis, or 16% of the total population -
in ONE YEAR.
Michael McIntire
********************************
excerpt:
Table 1 shows the number and percent change in the number of
persons with autism and other PDDs counted from all four levels of
CDER classification in the 11 years between 1987 and 1998. The
population of persons with autism increased from 4.85 to 9.37
percent of the total state wide client population. At the end of
1998 there were 12,780 persons, of all ages, with autism listed on
the CDER. Autism as a percent of the total client population
nearly doubled.
Table 1 - Number of Persons with Autism in 1987 and 1998
1987 1998
Total Client Population 80,483 136,383
Persons with Autism (Levels 1,2&4) 3,902 12,780
Percent of Total Client Population 4.85% 9.37%
Table 2 presents the total number and percent change between 1987
and 1998 for persons with autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and
mental retardation. To maintain equivalency in the way each
diagnostic condition is counted, only CDER classification Levels 1
and 2 for persons with autism are used in this table. Because some
individuals have two or more of the four eligible conditions at the
same time, all possible combinations of eligible conditions were
used and a separate count was obtained for each condition or
combination of conditions. For example, if an individual has
cerebral palsy, epilepsy and mental retardation, that person would
be counted three separate times, once for each separate condition
to get the total for each separate condition.
Table 2 shows that the percent occurrence of persons with autism
increased dramatically in comparison to the other conditions for
the 11 years between 1987 and 1998. The rate of the increase is
more than four times as great as the other diagnostic categories.
Table 2 -
Percent Increase in Diagnostic Populations from 1987 to 1998
1987 1998 Percent Change
Autism 3,864 11,995 210.43%
Cerebral Palsy 19,972 28,529 42.84%
Epilepsy 22,683 29,645 30.69%
Mental Retardation 72,987 108,563 48.74%
Whole Population 80,483 136,383 69.46%
As one example of the increase in the number of persons with
autism, between 12/31/97 and 12/31/98, there was a net increase of
1,685 persons with autism into the system. The population of
persons with autism increased 16.3 percent in one year, not
including persons with other PDD diagnoses. By the end of 1998,
there were 785 persons in the system with a diagnosis of one of
the (Level 4) PDD diagnoses, i.e., Asperger's, PDD, NOS or Retts
disorder.
Table 3 shows the percent change in occurrence of the other DDs
in comparison to autism. There was a 273 percent increase in the
number of persons with autism between 1987 and 1998 and nearly a
2000 percent increase in the PDD categories. Table 3 also shows
that as of December 31, 1998, there were 1,635 individuals coded
on the CDER as "autism suspected, not diagnosed."
Table 3 - Autism and the Other PDDs Compared
1987 1998 Percent Change
Autism 2,778 10,360 272.93%
(CDER Levels 1 & 2)
Other PDD Types 38 785 1,965.79%
(CDER Level 4)
Autism Suspected, 1,086 1,635 50.55%
Not Diagnosed (CDER level 9)
--
Vitamin A boosts immune function in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Act. Med. Hu. 1988, 45: 307-311
(If you have been reading these, you also know that Vit.D does too.)
http://www.drmom.cc
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