AAP admits Autism is an epidemic.


AAP Calls Autism an Epidemic

Fish on bikeThe new head of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. James Perrin, Wake up callcalls autism an epidemic.  He really does.  Perrin was the focus in an interview just outfrom the Boston Globe: Pediatrics leader talks about biggest issues facing kids.
“Perrin is particularly interested in addressing chronic childhood illness during his three years of leadership at the academy.”
Perrin had this to say about “chronic childhood illness.”
“Childhood obesity and other chronic health conditions: the continuing growth in childhood asthma, and the tremendous growth in mental health conditions and developmental conditions like autism. We’ve got three or four major epidemics really growing among children and adolescents in America.”
I couldn’t believe he talked like this because in the past the AAP has been leading the way calling autism a mysterious disorder with no known cause or cure.  I have never seen anyone connected to the AAP ever sound worried or use the word crisis in the same sentence with the word autism, let alone epidemic.  Most of the time, the AAP is right there in the news declaring solemnly that, regardless of the latest rate increase, they’re still not sure how much is real and how much is more better diagnosing.  When the rate went to one in every 88 children, one in every 54 boys, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Thomas Frieden, still wasn’t sure if more children really have autism.  In the same story, Dr. Susan Hyman, chairperson of the Autism Subcommittee of the AAP, could only say that early intervention helps a lot. 
Still, no one at the AAP has even been alarmed about the numbers continually climbing with no end in sight—until now.
1995 1:500, 2001 1:250, 2004 1:166, 2007 1:150, 2009 1:110, 2012 1:88.
And while experts love to credit doctors for all the better diagnosing they’re doing, stories about doctors needing help to learn the signs of autism are common.  In May, 2012, this story was in Education Week, Families Don't Seek Help for Autism from Pediatricians.
“A small new study discussed at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Toronto last week found that parents didn't expect their pediatricians to provide autism-specific treatment, and many pediatricians don't view autism treatment as within the scope of their work.
“The study involving families and doctors in Philadelphia, also found that even doctors who want to help families manage their children's diagnoses lack the training to do so.
“‘This study validates what previous studies and parents have told us: Many pediatricians are not prepared to provide the kind of advice and information that parents need after receiving a diagnosis of autism for their child,’ Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer for Autism Speaks told Health Day News.”
It sounds like Dr. Perrin has his work cut out for himself.  Lots of doctors don’t see a problem with all the kids everywhere with asthma, autism, ADD/ADHD, and lots of other health problems children never used to have in overwhelming numbers like they do now.

I wish I could have interviewed Dr. Perrin because I have my own questions about his role as head of the AAP.
Dr. Perrin, are you comfortable with the fact that the ever-increasing vaccine schedule has never been tested for its cumulative effect on the health of a baby?
Dr. Perrin, how can doctors continue to deny a link between vaccines and autism when medical experts at Health and Human Services conceded the vaccine damage case of Hannah Poling? She's the young Georgia girl who regressed into autism following routine vaccinations.CBS News ran the story: Family to Receive $1.5M+ in First-Ever Vaccine-Autism Court Award? 
Dr. Perrin, the report, Unanswered Questions, on HDNet TV exposed the fact that dozen of cases of vaccine damage that included autism have been compensated by the federal government.   Shouldn’t the AAP be interested in these findings?
Dr. Perrin, what is your opinion on the award-winning documentary, The Greater Good,  which examines both sides of the vaccine safety question?
Dr. Perrin, what about all the independent scientific research raising serous concerns about vaccine side effects? 
Dr. Perrin, do you agree with the comments made by the late Dr. Bernadine who said that we shouldn’t be afraid to look into the issue of regressive autism? Healy on CBS News in 2008 said we need to study the kids that were fine until they vaccinated. 
Dr, Perrin, in 2008 CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson exposed the financial ties between the AAP and the vaccine makers in How Independent Are Vaccine Defenders?”  To the public it’s clear that the money received from major pharmaceutical companies may be a factor in all the denial of a link between the vaccine schedule that the AAP promotes and the exponential increase in autism.  How can you justify your financial ties to the drug industry?
Just this year the AAP announced that they opposed a ban on mercury exposure. (See: Ban on all mercury-based products would risk global immunization efforts, says AAP, WHO)  
“The Academy has endorsed a recommendation by the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization that the preservative thimerosal be retained for use in the global vaccine supply.”
Dr. Perrin, how can the AAP defend injecting a deadly neurotoxin into human beings—especially children and pregnant women?  Are you aware that the mercury based vaccine preservative thimerosal was never tested or approved by the FDA.  The drug company Eli Lilly invented it in 1930 and tested it on 22 meningitis patients who were all dead by the end of their study.  Eli Lilly said it was safe and after the creation of the FDA, its use was merely continued.  Shouldn’t this pathetic oversight record call every safety claim into question?
The record of the AAP is pretty pathetic.  They’ve willingly closed their eyes to what’s happening to our children and they’ve blindly defended an unchecked, unsafe vaccination schedule.
In 2008, I wrote this about Dr. David Tayloe, then president of the AAP:  The AAP and Dr. Tayloe: Ignoring a generation of sick kids.  
In 2009, I wrote this about the AAP website where they blamed autism on bad genes: New AAP Website-- Autism: 'It's Not Environmentally Caused'
In truth, Dr. Perrin and the AAP have to wake up to what chronic illness is doing to our children.  If the AAP continues to ignore the reality of our children’s health, they will only end up further marginalized as irrelevant. We need doctors who really care about all the sick and suffering children in the United States and who want to do something to help them.

Anne Dachel is Media Editor of Age of Autism.