Why are there so many special needs kids?

LittleDucky

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 11:37 am

If vaccines are to blame, why do the one 2nd generation anti vax family have almost all their kids have special needs? And I am not talking about "just ADHD" but autistic spectrum and other more "severe" issues. Why blame 1 thing that has not been proven to cause it when we should look at a more holistic and wide spectrum view.

There are many reasons... and its probably a combination of all of these.

1. We are more aware in 2022 than 1950 or 1980. Teachers are more informed and can make referrals. Parents are more knowledgeable. Both in the frum community and as a society as a whole. Kids are not just "bad kids" but we see that they have learning differences etc.
2. We are open to accepting it as a frum community. In the past these things were hidden. In some communities it still is but as a whole we are better than we were 1-2 generations ago. Having ADHD isnt a shidduchim destroyer as it once was- we realize for many it is just a neurotransmitter issue and what matters more is if they are functional, act "typically", are good people etc. Who they are rather than the fact that they take a tiny green pill each morning and then are able to be just as good employees, spouses, parents and community members.

3. The DSM has jumped in size. More kids are diagnosed with autism in the last 10 years than before because besides awareness-- they expanded the definition. More kids qualify now. There are many more diagnoses so more kids will fit into it.

4. Our society is very different than 100 years ago. We have boxes kids need to fit in- we have to send our kids to school so those who are not cut out cant just stay home, work the farm, learn a trade etc.

5. Technology. People cant sit still and do nothing like in the past. For those with smartphones - besides Shabbos when do you not see people pull it out when they have to wait 5 minutes?
6. Diet and other environmental exposures.

Chayalle

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 11:40 am

#BestBubby wrote:

Anecdotal evidence supports that unvaxxed kids MUCH lower risk of Autism and other
developmental delays, allergies, ADHD.

CDC refuses to do a Vax vs UnVax Study, hmmmm......

My mother A"H was pro spacing vaccinations. But she would get so upset when people said things like this.

My mother told us she felt something was "different" about my brother from day 1. She had him on R"H and a Rav from the community came to the hospital to blow shofar, and found her crying. He told her that on R"H special neshamos come down (he meant to comfort her), and my mother said she wanted a normal neshama, and yes, she feels she got a special one. She saw differences in his development right from the beginning, he showed signs way before he ever had a single vaccine.

Whatever. This stuff is so old hat. Everyone knows it's been disproven, there's no link between autism and vaccines. Sorry but anecdotal evidence doesn't cut it.

#BestBubby

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 11:44 am

Chayalle wrote:

If there never was a vax vs unvax study then nothing was "disproven".

You say anecdotal evidence doesn't count, yet you use ONE story of a child born "special"
to "prove" your point - you CONTRADICT yourself!

amother

Sunflower

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 11:48 am

LittleDucky wrote:

All these new diagnoses make me wonder if we're just looking to slap on labels on just about anyone. If we continue this way, we will soon have every other person labeled with some sort of tag. If some labels are so broad that they fit many, maybe that's just a norm for human beings. Who says there's only one norm that's typical for human beings. We should be evaluating a person and advising them of the best path for their unique characters. But we shouldnt be using the word diagnosis, it implies that something is off with them.

Chayalle

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 11:49 am

amother [ Sunflower ] wrote:

Um...that's what we do by evaluating, diagnosing where necessary, and advising based on what was learned or diagnosed.

Chayalle

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 12:00 pm

amother [ Sunflower ] wrote:

Right, but do we need to work it as a medical condition diagnosing? If there are so many people of a particular character is just not a characteristic rather than a diagnosis?

Diagnosis implies a problem. A character is just a description of a person.

Yeah I hear. Sometimes getting a diagnosis makes it easier. It can be a relief.

For example, when my brother was finally diagnosed, my mother was able to get him services that he so desperately needed. It also was so validating to her, finally a name to it, a direction, for so many years she insisted something was "wrong" and "different" and specialists insisted that he just didn't fit any of their categories.

I think the issue is only when someone is stuffed into a diagnosis that doesn't really fit.

I think we shouldn't rush to diagnose, but we certainly should diagnose where it's needed.

amother

Snapdragon

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 12:18 pm

Chayalle wrote:

But maybe ADHD and some things should be looked at like an introvert or extrovert. Just different personality types who need different things.

amother

Dill

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 12:25 pm

I think it's really important for parents to be educated about interacting with their babies from day one. From talking to them, playing with them, sensory stimulation, movement, and more. The first months and years are crucial and when a baby spends too much of that time sitting in a stroller, in a swing, or watching screens it's going to affect their development. Also if parents are aware of any delays they can intervene early which is also crucial.

amother

Clematis

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 12:35 pm

Chayalle wrote:

Its possible that your brother was from the rare few individuals that had truly genetic or syndromic autism. Or there was something that caused it in utero. But most kids on the spectrum don’t test positive for any of the genes associated with asd that we know about so far. What’s more, kids that appear to develop normally and later have an obvious regression must be worked up for medical causes, namely encephalopathies, according to the latest research. Quote from the conclusion of a peer reviewed article published in frontiers in psychology journal this past December regarding autism and autoimmune encephalitis

Quote:

It can no longer be assumed that regression, for example, is just “a part of autism” without any need for investigations. The cases of ASD appearing alongside AE provide a template for further clinical examination of such regressive onset patterns.

Full article here, must read for anyone who knows a kid on the spectrum https://www.frontiersin.org/ar...../full

amother

Beige

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 12:41 pm

amother [ Cyan ] wrote:

I had a conversation with someone about this years ago.

When I was growing up there were a few kids pulled out for help and a couple who had modified tests and that was it. But in truth there were probably a decent amount that could have used the help but instead struggled through school. We have better testing/diagnostics now, and help kids who would otherwise fall through the cracks or struggled in the past.

I agree with this. I think we're more aware of conditions and differences now, plus better testing and diagnostics.

Is there any actual evidence or data that points to a higher proportion of SN kids in Jewish communities or is this people's anecdotal experience?

amother

Clematis

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 12:44 pm

LovesHashem wrote:

Look at how our diets have changed, how our screen time and technology has changed us.

How much chemjcs are entering our bodies through junk food, makeup, hair and skin products, etc.

There's a lot more going on than just vaccines.

Toxins are a big piece too, but vaccines are the only thing in our environment that are designed to cause a sustained immune response, and immune activation is the biggest emerging piece in autism biomedical research, from elevated microglial activation found in autopsies of brains of autistic people, to papers that keep coming out on the overlap between autoimmune encephalopathies and asd, to the overrepresentation of autoimmune disorders in the family trees of autistic individuals.

FranticFrummie

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:01 pm

DD 18yo has just been diagnosed with HFA. She is SO relieved! Now, all the puzzle pieces are in place, and the jumbled mess now makes a coherent picture.

Up until now it was just a big basket of symptoms. PPD-NOS. Sensory seeking, sensory avoidant. Brilliant at reading, terrible at math (2 standard deviations in each direction, so a huge gap.) Socially and emotionally very young for her age. Depression, panic attacks, general anxiety, OCD tendencies, self harm, suicidal ideation.

The only thing this changes, is the course of her therapy, focusing more on emotional regulation. She takes Zoloft, is gluten free, is careful with sugar and dairy, eats lots of lean protein and veg. Nothing else in her life is different pre/post diagnosis. She's still holding down a job, paying rent, and going to college. Her diagnosis is part of her, but it doesn't define her.

Quote:

But we shouldnt be using the word diagnosis, it implies that something is off with them.

There is nothing wrong with getting a diagnosis, but there is a HUGE problem with this attitude. If you look down on autistic people, that's on you, and you need to think about that.

amother

Calendula

Tue, Jan 11 2022, 1:03 pm

LovesHashem wrote:

Except vaccines are literally linked to autism....look up hannah poling. Her family was paid for a settlement because her multiple vaccines caused her autism. As much as the cdc keeps spouting the same vaccines font cause autism, there are many more studies linking it that they dont talk about