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SafeMinds.org Director Mark Blaxill on environmental factors and their connection to autism in today’s youth.
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Imus watch.
Good morning there aren't.
-- terrific -- -- minds is what.
We're.
-- research and advocacy organization around the environmental causes of autism.
OK so you are different from say for example Bob -- -- and now.
-- Autism Speaks is.
The more traditional nonprofit day they tend to focus on.
Public relations and and towing the the party lot of little bit more than we do I think of our focus is.
On facing the reality.
The autism epidemic in the environmental causes and the party line of one.
-- party line is that autism is confusing it's a great mystery that it's inherited from the parents.
And that the governments and scientists are working hard to find the causes.
The reality is that we've got a crisis.
You know but that one -- 88 American children born in the year 2000.
Had an autism diagnosis and that's up from.
Very small numbers just few decades earlier.
That's by anyone's measure crisis and no one's two and good job getting to the bottom of that and we need to -- and -- and loans.
Well it got dragged into that I -- seventeen year old daughter who was diagnosed with autism when she was two and a half years old.
-- -- -- -- -- Well she started out relatively severe.
But.
Mother and I've got a lot of work with therein and she's -- long way she's -- she's very verbal she's a lovely.
What we -- woman she's first social shoes she loves her friends that are at a family -- -- teachers.
And she's doing great.
-- because she's still she's still gonna be it dependent for what Iowa.
-- talked about how much about it I know.
A little bit about a for my wife.
And from Suzanne Wright and -- -- -- -- -- little -- -- are part of our systems recite.
I I didn't ever agree not solution -- what I think but.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- That there were obviously those let me suggest this genetic link because that value -- -- -- forced them to accept.
All I genetic epidemic which on the face of it seems idiotic so -- impossible to a rate of one that in some areas of New Jersey.
One -- -- -- talk more as I was diagnosed with autism shortly -- inspired.
I would think.
It's not so I grew up in New Jersey I was a child and in New Jersey and that's been born in 1958.
And I can tell you what it's way out of my buddies -- of autistic a new one kid in my hole in my old town.
Who is autistic and -- it was sort of a rare and exotic thing no.
And now it's everywhere it you turn there's an effective Tyler affected family.
And -- you wonder whether the numbers can get high enough that the people will will open their eyes and say there's -- crisis here and we just haven't seen that.
We're talking -- Barcelona is gonna testify today.
-- -- -- sat down and you're testifying.
In front of her.
In front of.
The the house.
-- Government Reform Committee and it's really the first hearing in about a decade -- into the environmental causes of autism so exit is an important.
Now the hearing was that parent as a result of walked -- -- don't demand the hearing was there idea or.
-- I think it's there idea I think there -- a number of of community.
Advocates who have been spending a lot of time with committee staffers and and with chairman -- debt burden.
There are some of the folks who -- -- interest didn't open to to that kind of input.
But.
I think a lot of the parents involved have been reaching out to members of congress for a long time and so.
There are a lot of people doing good work it and and -- convenient.
Relatively diverse panel of different a different organizations.
So what's government agency control all the money was raised no 100 million dollars or Alec drone.
Well.
Not an exit that.
Most of that goes two NIH trip to research and I stands for what.
The National Institutes of Health -- And there was bill passed in 2006.
Called a combating autism act which -- rise to a bunch of research money it was extended.
In 2011 -- for just another three years.
And it was an important.
-- of progress congress I think did its job and said that we do have a problem we need to do something about it.
And unfortunately.
-- -- HC DC that the agencies of that are of the Health and Human Services Department.
Have really dropped the ball they've failed in their duty to get under get to the -- what's going on and they've been wasting money wasting time.
And -- you know in in the eyes of many they've actually been getting in the way they've been covering up the issue they've been manipulating data.
And that's one of the issues that -- talk about today.
Seldom manipulating data recovery now British.
-- -- -- what enemy what do they believed.
-- -- -- -- -- I I don't know what they believe I think they would they would they would like us all to believe that nothing is wrong.
That so autism has always been with us that it's just a natural state of the human condition.
That it's not an issue of injury to children that it's just.
A case of the medical system doing a better job diagnosing I think it's a status -- argument.
That wants to turn -- turn its back on on the epidemic.
That's what they're arguing but but the reality is that we we have you know Rome is burning we have a crisis 129 children in New Jersey.
What are twin boys -- New Jersey are or are autistic that's crazy that's -- that hasn't been the way.
The world has been and -- we need to do something about it.
Or salt salt as -- sort of month itself face -- and all of what's the bottom but I would I would ask.
All right in regards your third but their suggestion that is separate better diagnosis.
-- world all of them.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Well we have people look what I don't -- -- find that they don't exist exactly it mean that I've called that the theory of the hidden -- That DO if autism -- always been with us it's always been genetic.
There must be you know hundreds of thousands and of autistic people in the United States that just -- you -- undiagnosed and discovered.
And you just can't find what do you believe -- -- your daughter's.
Well what what I I wish I knew.
A I believe was -- -- suspension.
Normal well.
I do worry about environmental causes I do worry about Mercury Mercury is is Posner talks -- -- know that she was exposed.
20 a lot of Mercury through medical procedures and vaccinations.
In the first couple years -- life.
And that there was -- great event.
And many parents will report taking their child to the doctor getting their -- around of vaccinations and coming back with a different child.
We didn't see anything that dramatic with with our daughter.
But she did she was developing normally -- language she was connected she was a beautiful normal child at a at when -- when your page and then.
Between her first and second birthday she she slowly drifted away from us.
And who I'd all I can say is we have a beautiful normal child when when she was born and then something happened to -- and we believe that some kind of at our -- injury.
And and we need to get to the bottom of the causes I do know that she was exposed to.
Hey you a regiment of child that vaccinations that is.
Vote was the the most intensive.
In in recent history and that we're basically running a grand gun control human experiment on a generation children that include search our our daughter.
And and so that's that's that's an area of concern.
There was you know and contenders to be a raging debate.
The current people who thanked.
Those -- -- -- -- aerosol which is.
It was chosen -- talks and market was contained.
And that childhood vaccines and still bottlers content and a flu vaccines and those kinds of actions and so that their bottom -- to go to -- Question there was those and has contenders Rick there's regime debate people being characterized those -- -- Thank you know terrorists some -- to the current time -- -- David Kirby.
But as a brilliant author road evidence of arm suggests that zone but.
As a CDC are believed.
Were so -- couldn't find any evidence.
Are linking to primary assault on terrorism -- just mr.
-- reported -- was 280.
Degrees from -- -- the -- So they've never -- all that salt all you'll have to continue to point out MB.
They've been somewhat -- not to patronize -- but somebody has brought him -- -- -- best -- is endured.
By being characterized as crisis -- -- that.
Well it's uninteresting exercise in facing the propaganda.
The big government.
Government -- -- bureaucracies but the thing that David wrote about him and we've all explored is that the government.
-- that the CBC knows some of -- they've dealt with this data.
The first time they looked at the bit about about the merits all that that they found that there was eleven times.
Greater risk and the highest exposure group of of children of infants as opposed to a zero exposure group they looked at that data.
And to end the analyst wrote a memo to his boss and said it just won't go away.
So they've seen the data -- seen the numbers and they've found ways to publish data.
That that suggest there's not a problem.
So and and then they turn around and call advocates.
Like -- authors investigative reporters like David.
Parent advocates like myself crazy nut cases.
Looms.
-- -- a lot of names and and it's it's it's it's pretty tough actually.
You you grow up the kind of trusting the system and hoping that that responsible leaders will do the right thing.
And and when you find out that they don't that they're more interest in politics and more interest in defending their own policies it's it's a tough thing to deal.
