In discussing the possible signs of autism it is good to remember that, as it is with many medical conditions, it is necessary to try and get the whole picture before arriving at a conclusion. So often a single sign may simply be the result of a completely different issue altogether.

As mentioned previously, autism is a disorder that normally manifests itself when a child has extreme difficulty in interacting and communicating with others in a manner that we have come to consider as ‘normal’ behavior. This is usually accompanied by a pattern of repetitive stereotypic activities. This is motor behavior that seems driven and doesn’t seem to serve any particular purpose. It may even be a cause for self-injury.

If a child is having difficulty in these areas a parent may wish to give attention to other aspects of their child’s growth and development. Most certainly, anyone who is involved with children may spot some of these signs and be able to voice their concerns. An early diagnosis can be so important in helping a child with autism to learn to cope with their disorder and in finding the best possible route for them to achieve their potential in life.

Some of these conditions may seem to overlap but need to be assessed together. They include such things as language skills being slow to develop and there being an inability to express their needs or desires. In turn they may appear to not ‘hear’ you and may not even seem to respond to their own name. There is a lack of interest in what is happening around them as if they are absorbed in a completely different world of their own. They may prefer to walk on their toes or exhibit other odd awkward movements that are more than just an occasional occurrence.

Other vivid indicators seem to tend toward hyperactive, resistant and uncooperative behavior that is not easily controlled by a parent’s interest and admonishment. Their inability to socially interact could include not making eye contact and preferably trying to keep by themselves. Not even being slightly interested in what other children may be doing near by. There may also seem to be the need for them to compulsively line or arrange things in a particular order.

On the other side of the developmental coin - many autistic children show skills that appear to be more advanced than other children of their age. In fact, some autistic children can shine at a skill few adults could master.

Keep in mind that every child, whether ‘normal’ or with challenges, is unique. They will develop at different rates and if some of these signs are evident it is not necessarily a diagnosis of autism. But all of these conditions warrant some concern and care. And because children vary it may be that a diagnosis of autism takes some time. It is good to know that the growing awareness of this disorder can speed things up however, and a parent or doctor that is interested and aware can pick up some indicators while the child is only a year old.

Tags: signs of autism, autism

Source: autism

By J.B. Handley

I grew up a “Military Brat” and always figured I must have been one of the most vaccinated kids of the 1970s. Born in May of 1969, I lived in Singapore (where I was born), Laos, Mexico, and Korea before I was ten and also traveled to Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Philippines during this same time period.

If you took a travel itinerary like that to your pediatrician today, he’d back up the vaccine truck and start pumping you and your child full of every vaccine he had in inventory and probably special order some unique ones, too.

I often heard my own son’s pediatrician talk about “deadly foreign diseases” being “only a plane ride away” as he sought to allay our concerns over the volume of vaccines being given to our own kids in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

David Kirby’s Huffington Post article (HERE) about vaccines in the military and the incredibly high rate of adverse events spurred me to write about something I recently unearthed: my own shot records.

As a reminder, the CDC recommends that today’s children, by the age of 6, receive 36 vaccines. You can see a chart HERE that also compares today’s 36 to the 10 children received in the early 1980s.

But what about the 1970s? I’ve never been able to find a vaccine schedule before 1983, but you’d sure think my own experience would be at the extreme upper end of vaccines given to a child. Not only did I live in multiple foreign countries, but I was also part of the tight military healthcare system where mandatory doctor visits are part of any overseas travel protocol. They could never miss me!

So, here’s my schedule.

To keep it simple, I am only listing my vaccines from birth to age 6 so I can compare it to today’s schedule:

March 1970: Oral Polio
July 1970: Measles (Rubeola)
Sep. 1970: DPT
April 1974: Oral Polio
April 1974: Typhoid

That’s it. I got 5 vaccines. Today’s kids get 36 in the same time period. And, these are typical American kids who may never leave this country. I had lived in or visited nine countries, a number of them third world!

Notable that my first vaccine was given when I was 10 months old. Once, I got 2 vaccines in the same visit. Otherwise, they were a minimum of 4 months apart, and in some cases YEARS apart.

What can we learn from one kid’s vaccine schedule?

We can learn that the US Military is learning the same things we parents are: the insane US vaccine schedule is something very, very new.

We are witnessing a medical experiment being done on our kids and servicemen and women every day without precedent, without proper testing, and without acknowledgment for the extreme consequences of the insane number of vaccines we are giving our citizens.

This insanity is the product of a CDC that is corrupt and has let vaccine manufacturers make most of the rules. The question now is how this all will end. Who will step in and have the courage to reform a vaccine schedule that has clearly gotten out of control?

If a child of the 1970s can survive nine foreign countries with 5 vaccines, surely we can reduce the number of vaccines being given without putting our children and military at risk.

JB Handley is co-founder of Generation Rescue and Editor at Large for Age of Autism.

Source: vaccine schedule