The Autism Epidemic

Ten years ago Autism was considered a rare disorder that was diagnosed in approximately 1 in 10,000 children. Today the odds of a child receiving an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ADS) diagnosis are 1 in 91. In the 6-11 age group it is 1 in 63 and if it is a boy the chances climb to 1 in 38, or 2.6% of all male children in America! This represents a 7000% increase from the 1980’s till now.

Some critics would argue that the dramatic increase is because doctors are recognizing the condition earlier and they are better at diagnosing these conditions. A study done at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute has found that the seven to eight fold increase in the number of children born in California with autism since 1990 cannot be explained by either changes in how the condition is diagnosed or counted and the trend shows no sign of abating.

The study was published in the January 2009 issue of the journal Epidemiology, results from the study also suggested that research should shift from genetics to the host of chemicals and infectious microbes in the environment that are likely at the root of changes in the neurodevelopment of California’s children.

The study also revealed that no more than 56% of the estimated 600-700% increase, that is, less than one-tenth of the increased number of reported autism cases, could be attributed to earlier age at diagnosis. Only 24% of the increase could be attributed to earlier age at diagnosis. In total only 200% of the 600-700% increase could be attributed to improved diagnosis.

So what exactly is causing this autism epidemic? Dr. Francis Collins, the Director of the National Institutes of Health and architect of the Human Genome project had told a Senate committee nearly 3 and a half years ago that the rise in autism was due to “changes in the environment.”

Dr. Collins also stated that, “Genes alone do not tell the whole story. Recent increases in chronic diseases like diabetes, childhood asthma, obesity or autism cannot be due to major shifts in the human gene pool as those changes take much more time to occur. They must be due to changes in the environment, including diet and physical activity, which may produce disease in genetically predisposed persons.”

These problems are NOT genetic. They are environmental or EPIGENETIC! (Melillo, 2010) What this means is that these problems are potentially correctable. You are not doomed if your child has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Just as you are not doomed if you have any of the above conditions listed.

Recent research has shown that ASD, ADHD, Dyslexia, LD, OCD, etc. are all the result of a common underlying problem. This problem is known as a Functional Disconnection Syndrome. Dr. Lauren Caffery is currently studying under Dr. Robert Melillio pursuing her specialty in Childhood Developmental and Neurobehavioral Disorders with the Carrick Institute. Both Dr. Chris Caffery and Dr. Lauren Caffery utilize a holistic approach that includes Hemispheric Integration TechniqueTM to treat patients with a variety of different neurodevelopmental or behavior disorders as well as neurodegenerative disorders. Please stay tuned for more information about Functional Disconnection Syndrome and the highly successful Hemispheric Integration TechniqueTM. If you would like more information about the treatment approaches at Functional Neurology Associates please contact us at 267-354-1734 or at DrCaffery@gmail.com.

Below you can find the link to the full text article about this ground breaking research done by Dr. Robert Melillo and Gerry Leisman.

http://files.meetup.com/1436730/Autistic%20Spectrum%20Disorders%20as%20Functional%20Disconnection%20Syndrome.pdf