ABC news video in today's online news

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http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4869525

I don't think anyone has posted this link yet. I thought I'd put it here on the forum because it is currently on ABCnews.com, so it's getting wide exposure..

WARNING: Initially it shows where someone is devastated that their kid has autism and this could be offensive... I just thought because a lot of people in the country are now seeing this same video, that it concerned us here and some people here might want to know what they're discussing.. Whether you are anti-cure or curious, I just thought it might be important for people here to know what millions of people are now viewing concerning autism as an FYI.. I hope it's not too upsetting.. If you think it might be, then you might not want to watch this.. I'm not condoning it or refuting it... just passing it along, so we know what they're discussing out there at least this week anyway..

L

P.S. -- I think the causes for autism are mostly genetic.. but it could be a combination of reasons...

Regardless of your 6 disclaimers. I am still angry with you.

Grrr.

A lot of people like looking for things to blame [for the cause]. Far better to put effort into helping the quality of life of those affected (at least an equal amount of effort into helping compared to the cause); they're not going anywhere.

It's good that they're looking at teenagers and older individuals too; they're not going anywhere either.

It's hilarious how incredibly clueless some people are

The more I see autism in the media, the more I feel like a character in an X-Men comic.

I'm ready to kick some Sentinal butt \m/

This is a good example of how the media subtly distorts just about everything they get their hands on. They say 1 of 150 kids is diagnosed with autism, and then they show a non-communicative boy rocking in a chair, which clearly implies every autistic is exactly like this. They fail to mention that only 3 or 4 out of every 10,000 are affected to this degree. Then they bring up some study that shows a correlation with pet shampoos. They ignore the basic scientific fact that correlation is not causation. Even their medical guy couldn't resist engaging in some speculation.

Inadvertently they made a good case for genetics as the cause of autism by showing several families with more than one autistic child. Despite the suspicions of their doctor reporter, I haven't seen any credible evidence that it's anything but genetics.

This just supports my position that I don't believe anything I see, hear, or read in the popular media until I can research more reliable sources.

Sorry Thomas... I guess I thought, since this show is aired all over the country, that people should know.. Maybe, since alot of what they're talking about isn't exactly right or just guesses, this will give people here a "head's up" warning so they can maybe formulate an explanation to enlighten people who might ask them or start up conversations based on the inaccuracies in the report.. Such as, nothing has really been proven about the pet shampoo, it's not a horrible disability -- sometimes people have gifts too, etc.. to help enlighten people who may only know what they saw in that news video ...

IN defense of video--Kids on the lower spectrum, obviously, that are nonverbal and not potty trained at six-years old are in a more desperate seeming situation.

Aspergers or mildly affected kids are another picture. There needs to be more of a distinction made between the two--what do you think?

We see a rise in autism due to this new category not because there is an epidemic! Before, Aspergers, kids with mild autism symptoms and high intelligence were considered maldadjusted, emotionally disturbed or ADHD--right?

equinn

So they think that pet shampoo causes autism now? WTF??! ! I thought it was bad when they thought it was Wi-Fi, but pet shampoo??? You've got to be kidding me. I couldn't even watch that clip the whole way through. When the guy mentioned that they think it might be caused by shampoo, I just clicked it off. That's utterly disgusting that they would think that. I mean, come on! What will they think of next?

I have a few problems here:
1) the title "leading expert" (which is sort of the same point as my "complete guide" post.)
2) the phrase "we tend to forget about them". Heck yes! I know people are more sympathetic towards children than teens and adults but I think this unbalanced coverage is biasing opinions and having a negative effect on overall acceptance of Autism.
3) has no one seen a screaming child before?! ! My brother isn't autistic and he screamed plenty more than I did when we were kids. I disagree with using the screaming child as a way of drawing awareness to Autism.

It should be assumed that whenever news media mentions autism, aspergers is not part of the discussion.



I always assumed Jenny Mccarthy was a prostitute and wondered why anyone listened to her.

First off, I wish they would stop describing autism as an "illness" or "disease" (both those terms were used in this video). Second, none of the autistic children they showed even displayed any behaviors that were really out of the ordinary, aside perhaps from the one boy rocking in his chair. But why shouldn't he rock? It was a rocking chair after all.

Now, what is this crap I keep hearing about "toxins" that cause autism? Can anyone explain to me how it is that these toxins which, as their "expert" said, can cross the blood-brain barrier, impact similar areas of the brain in so many different people, but leave the rest of the brain either normally functioning or even improved? Why is it only the thalamus and the mirror neurons that are damaged? How is pesticide causing changes in neuroanatomical structure?

mmm, MERCURY? a GENETIC disorder cannot be caused by LIQUID METAL! its totally genetic. they just want to hold everything back so they will get attention and what? MONEY!! !