Your opinions about statrting an awareness campaign about autism as it is increasingly becoming prevalent

Question

Do you know about autism?How prevalent is autism in singapore?how do you think we can raise awreness about autism in singapore?

Answer 1

The best way to raise awareness is to really understand, listen to those on the autism spectrum and speak out....

One thing to remember when starting an awareness campaign that all your facts are up to date and correct as can be. As one the the biggest problems in the autism world is scare mongering, misconceptions, fad treatments.. etc... etc unfortunatelly where the is money to be made, often things can become confussed with people wanting to sell a produce. With no real answers for autism, aspergers official criteria only around since 1994 so experts few and far between.

Hopefully my site link below and others can help give you an up todate view:

Felt need to mention below because of last comment, otherwise even move people may be mislead:

No Vaccine link to autism:

Being on the SAutism Spectrum myself I do not and have never suffered, just differently minded. So personally I feel there is NO link to sutism and vaccines I was born different... I am not a expert in the vaccine field, but feel we all have to make our own minds up and the best way to do that is listen to the real experts, top research centers and up to date info.

My gut feeling even before reading all the best research information would still be NO. I do not take any think lightly, as very rarely even take any form of medication or drugs... but I do believe these vaccines save many lives.. scare mongering kills!

Just some expert opinions:

The MMR Vaccine and Autism -Tim Worstall

This rather surprised me in the papers this morning.

The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is safe and does not cause autism, the most comprehensive study carried out on the jab has concluded.

Is there anybody out there who seriously thinks it does?

No, that's being unkind I think, my position is clearly influenced by the fact that I actually know something about the background. (Disclosure, I'm paid to write about Simon Baron Cohen's theories elsewhere and given that he's the head of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge, obviously some of the knowledge has sunk in.)

The observed rise in autism incidence from the early 1980s onwards has been down to two things.

1) The diagnosis was changed then from being purely what we might call "classic autism" to the autism spectrum, including conditions like Asperger's Syndrome. Change the diagnosis and you'll change the incidence, obviously.

2) If Baron Cohen is correct (and he does seem to be) there's been a rise in assortative mating. This leads to more children with the extreme systemizing brain type which is the definition of autism.

No, it hasn't been the use of mercury in vaccines, which is the current US woo woo scare. (When Japan removed such mercury from childhood vaccins the autism rate continued to climb just the same as everywhere else.) Nor is it the MMR vaccine, which has been the woo woo scare here.

So can we get back to people vaccinating their children please? We really don't want to return to visions of children dying, being brain damaged, by measles, do we? Or children being born deaf, dumb and blind as a result of their mothers getting rubella while pregnant? Nor, if I might mention something closer to home*, a return to 1% of adult male mumps sufferers becoming infertile?

The Centers for Disease Control says "There is no convincing scientific evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site."

The American Academy of Pediatrics says"No scientific data link thimerosal used as a preservative in vaccines with any pediatric neurologic disorder, including autism."

The Food and Drug Administration conducted a review in 1999 -- the year thimerosal was ordered to be removed from most vaccines -- and said that it "found no evidence of harm from the use of thimerosal as a vaccine preservative, other than local hypersensitivity reactions."

The Institute of Medicine’s Immunization Safety Review Committee concluded "that the body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism."

And a study of California Department of Developmental Services data published last month indicated that there was "an increase in autism in California despite the removal of thimerosal from most vaccines."

MMR vaccine 'does not cause autism' - Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jht...

How Safe Are Vaccines? 21 May 2008 by Alice Park - Time

Interesting article, I guess until there are clear guild lines we will all have to make up our own minds:http://www.time.com/time/health/article0...

Nearly all experts say NO - you decide.

But fad treatments, alternative treatments is big business - money to be made. Maybe I will start my own fad treatments and charge (water and exercise) work better than most fad treatments!

The great autism rip-off

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/articl...

How-huge-industry-feeds-parents-desper...

Answer 2

Awareness of autism? That's interesting! Making people aware that it exists? I think they know! There is no more autism in Singapore than in other countries.

How about making people aware that vaccinations are the usual cause of autism and making people aware that they can refuse to have their children vaccinated or that they can choose homeopathic vaccinations which are effective and without side effect or horrible long term effects like autism? That would be much more effective.

All the best!