{"id":5100,"date":"2014-08-26T09:21:59","date_gmt":"2014-08-26T14:21:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/?p=5100"},"modified":"2017-03-28T20:47:01","modified_gmt":"2017-03-29T01:47:01","slug":"external-link-pursue-medical-treatment-for-autism-adhd-and-other-neuroimmune-diseases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/26\/external-link-pursue-medical-treatment-for-autism-adhd-and-other-neuroimmune-diseases\/","title":{"rendered":"[External Link] &#8211; Pursue medical treatment for autism, ADHD, and other neuroimmune diseases"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"color: #4b4f4f;\">A Worldwide Medical Crisis<\/h1>\n<p style=\"color: #4b4f4f;\">Autism was once so rare that it did not have a name. The renowned American psychiatrist Dr. Leo Kanner described autism in a 1943 paper based on observations of 11 children. For several decades afterwards, autism was thought to afflict 4 or 5 out of every 10,000 children. Over the past two decades, this population has exploded. In March of 2013, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that parent-reported autism spectrum disorders (ASD) now affect 1 in 50 children aged 6-17.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #4b4f4f;\">Autism isn&#8217;t the only growing problem. The National Survey of Children&#8217;s Health (NSCH) shows a 21.8% increase in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from 2003 to 2007. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS), Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Tourette syndrome, and other neuroimmune disorders are also on the rise.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #4b4f4f;\">A diagnosis of autism or a similar condition can devastate families, emotionally and financially. In 2006, Michael Ganz of the Harvard School of Public Health published research that estimated a cost of $3.2 million for lifetime care for a single autistic person. The CDC&#8217;s report Mental Health Surveillance Among Children \u2014 United States, 2005\u20132011 estimates a total annual cost of $247 billion.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #4b4f4f;\">In light of this crisis, how is the system responding now? Educators and psychologists use the American Psychiatric Association&#8217;s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to determine a diagnosis. The criteria are based on observations of the patient&#8217;s behavior, not medical tests. Typical interventions include behavioral modification, speech, and occupational therapy. With heroic efforts from parents and therapists, these treatments can help some, but few of these children will have a normal, productive life until we realize that we have misunderstood what is happening. We are teaching chronically sick kids coping skills instead of trying to cure their illness.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #4b4f4f;\">The world must recognize that these children are ill. Genetic predispositions play a role, but genetics can&#8217;t cause an epidemic. Are these mental disorders? Researchers have known for decades that most of these children also have physical symptoms, including allergies, gastrointestinal problems, seizures, chronic illnesses, motor issues (clumsiness), and fatigue. A growing number of researchers are finding that these conditions may be related to inflammation and immune system dysregulation. There may be multiple contributing factors, such as environmental stresses or viruses. It is no wonder that these children have trouble thinking, communicating, and relating when they are chronically ill. Many of these children developed normally until they regressed after becoming sick. They were not born with this disease; they acquired it. And some are recovering. Too few. It is time for world governments and medical systems to make curing these diseases a priority!<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #4b4f4f;\">Please take the time to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/ban-ki-moon-pursue-medical-treatment-for-autism-adhd-and-other-neuroimmune-diseases?share_id=SdVauTQsqz&amp;utm_campaign=signature_receipt&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=share_petition\" target=\"_blank\">sign this on-line petition<\/a>. It only takes a minute but just may change someones life forever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Worldwide Medical Crisis Autism was once so rare that it did not have a name. The renowned American psychiatrist Dr. Leo Kanner described autism in a 1943 paper based on observations of 11 children. For several decades afterwards, autism was thought to afflict 4 or 5 out of every 10,000 children. Over the past [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":5101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[365,4],"tags":[221,244,246],"class_list":["post-5100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-external-link","category-text","tag-autism","tag-dr-goldberg","tag-nids"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/gInUrkLIzXDMhxo-556x313-noPad.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p47XZT-1kg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5070,"url":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/15\/external-link-can-autism-be-cured-dr-mark-hyman\/","url_meta":{"origin":5100,"position":0},"title":"External Link: Can Autism be Cured? &#8211; Dr. Mark Hyman","author":"Thomas Tomchak","date":"March 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Many people think that receiving a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder is a label you wear for the rest of your life. We don't believe that. This post goes into some of the details that points to the rise in Autism diagnosis being more of an immune disorder, not a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Text Post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Text Post","link":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/category\/text\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/2014-0302_RandomSnaps_005.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/2014-0302_RandomSnaps_005.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/2014-0302_RandomSnaps_005.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/2014-0302_RandomSnaps_005.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/2014-0302_RandomSnaps_005.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/2014-0302_RandomSnaps_005.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3663,"url":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/2011\/08\/01\/max-meet-dr-goldberg\/","url_meta":{"origin":5100,"position":1},"title":"Max, Meet Dr. Goldberg","author":"Thomas Tomchak","date":"August 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Since Max and Andrew entered early intervention just after their first birthday, \u00a0Brenda has always looked for any and all solutions that might help the boys. As time moved forward the focus would change, and of course now the focus is on his diagnoses of being on the spectrum of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Photo Post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Photo Post","link":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/category\/photo\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/5937128027_95e6d6fd75_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/5937128027_95e6d6fd75_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/5937128027_95e6d6fd75_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3202,"url":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/2011\/01\/24\/new-book-not-my-boy-a-father-a-son-and-one-familys-journey-with-autism\/","url_meta":{"origin":5100,"position":2},"title":"New Book: Not My Boy!: A Father, a Son, and One Family&#8217;s Journey with Autism","author":"Thomas Tomchak","date":"January 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Print version here. Audio version here. Kindle version here.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book","link":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/category\/book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/notmyboy-thumb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2991,"url":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/2010\/11\/01\/the-a-word\/","url_meta":{"origin":5100,"position":3},"title":"The &#8220;A&#8221; Word","author":"Thomas Tomchak","date":"November 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The \u201cA\u201d Word That\u2019s what I called it. Every time Brenda would bring it up and I didn\u2019t want to discuss it, I would instead refer to it as \u201cthe A word\u201d. After all I didn\u2019t want to even hear the word unless it was our reality, which it was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Photo Post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Photo Post","link":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/category\/photo\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/2010-0605_WeekendPhotos60_-_Version_3-thumb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/2010-0605_WeekendPhotos60_-_Version_3-thumb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/2010-0605_WeekendPhotos60_-_Version_3-thumb.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3188,"url":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/2011\/01\/18\/a-new-year-a-new-preschool-for-max\/","url_meta":{"origin":5100,"position":4},"title":"A New Year, A New Preschool For Max","author":"Thomas Tomchak","date":"January 18, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"On January 4th Max started a new preschool that specializes in helping kids that have special needs. As part of going there he gets therapy that pushes him to overcome some of his challenges related to being on the spectrum of Autism. What's great about the school is that the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Photo Post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Photo Post","link":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/category\/photo\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/2011_0104_FirstDayJeffersonSchool_001-600x400.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/2011_0104_FirstDayJeffersonSchool_001-600x400.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/2011_0104_FirstDayJeffersonSchool_001-600x400.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3746,"url":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/2011\/08\/24\/first-day-of-school-2011\/","url_meta":{"origin":5100,"position":5},"title":"First Day of School, 2011","author":"Thomas Tomchak","date":"August 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Today is the first day of School for Andrew and Max, but it's the first time Andrew has attended Jefferson PreSchool with max. Max started going back in January as I previously posted and was accepted early because of his Autism diagnosis. It's generally a very hard school to get\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Photo Post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Photo Post","link":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/category\/photo\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/2011-0824_PreSchool_AndrewFirstDay_081.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5100"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5102,"href":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5100\/revisions\/5102"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomchak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}