Why Is Autism On The Increase?

Is Autism Really on The Increase – or Are We Just Diagnosing it Now?

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that 1 in 88 children in America has Autism – which appears to indicate a 23 percent increase since the last report in 2009.

And another report I read recently indicated that over the last 15 years that the incidence of Autism had grown by more than 1000% – but interestingly that report also noted that Autism or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), is a relatively new disorder, and was not actually being diagnosed and monitored 20 years ago in the way that it is today. Hence one explanation for this dramatic increase. But are there other potential explanations that we should be taking a much closer look at?

The definition of Autism found on the MedicineNet website explains that it is “A spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication, and unusual and repetitive behavior. Some, but not all, people with autism are non-verbal”.

If you actually dissect that definition it could be claimed that this description is quite a “loose” description that could actually fit and include a very wide range of situations.

While I am no expert – and certainly my comments are not intended to downplay a situation that is serious – this would not be the first time in history that a “problem” is being to some extent “manufactured” to possibly benefit the medical and pharmaceutical companies who of course wholeheartedly support the use of medication for anything and everything – despite the age of the patient.

And if Autism is a real situation, and as Mark Roithmayr, president of Autism Speaks claims “Autism has now officially become an epidemic in the United States”, then surely we should be looking to the two main areas that affect us all now in a way they never did 50 years ago – processed foods and the use of microwave technology in modern communications, that has literally turned our world into one giant microwave oven.

I recently read another article that pointed out that virtually all packaged and processed foods now contain two products that are included simply to give them taste – Sugar and Salt!

Try and find any processed food that does not contain an abundance of at least one of these two items, and you will have a job on your hands. Yet multi-million Dollar industries have been built on the backs of Sugar and Salt production, despite the fact that it is well established that they are both bad for you, and have highly addictive qualities.

If you thought a little sugar never hurt anyone, think again. 60 Minutes reported that the average American consumes 130 pounds of sugar a year, and scientists are confirming that this overloaded amount is causing liver damage, heart disease, and cancer. And our salt consumption is approximately 10 grams per day when it should be no more than 2 grams daily.

But couldn’t the effects be much more far-reaching?

Then there is the use of Microwave Technology in modern Communications that has now become increasingly widespread over the last 40 years.

A report released in 2007 entitled “Microwave: The Radiation Poisoning of America” by Amy Worthington clearly detailed the dangers of personal microwave devices: microwave ovens, wireless Internet connections (or ANY wireless device), or cell phones. Yet despite this, we are increasing our widespread use of this potentially “dangerous” technology to the point where we have turned the entire earth into a giant micro oven, all in the cause of improving our lives?

So maybe if the Autism epidemic does exist, these are the places we should be seeking answers? But what is the likelihood that Governments will take the steps to seriously investigate these possible causes when so much money is involved?

PLEASE NOTE: To see more information about why children across the country with Austism are using Zane Education’s online Visual Learning solution to assist and stimulate their interest in learning please visit our page on Online Learning for Autism and Autistic Children.