10 autism clusters identified in California

[thereishope]

I wonder if the clusters they refer to are anywhere near the cluster of PANDAS kids in CA.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34730544/ns/he...#storyContinued

 

10 autism clusters identified in california

 

Pockets located in areas with high concentrations of white, educated adults

 

 

CHICAGO - U.S. researchers have identified 10 locations in California that have double the rates of autism found in surrounding areas, and these clusters were located in neighborhoods with high concentrations of white, highly educated parents.

 

Researchers at the University of California Davis had hoped to uncover pockets of autism that might reveal clues about triggers in the environment that could explain rising rates of autism, which affects as many as one in 110 U.S. children.

 

But the findings likely say more about the U.S. healthcare system than the causes of autism, said researcher Irva Hertz-Picciotto of UC Davis' MIND Institute, whose study will be released online on Wednesday in the journal Autism Research.

 

 

Advocacy groups have been clamoring for treatment options

and for better research to show what might be causing an apparent increase in

autism cases.

 

Hertz-Picciotto and colleagues used a research technique

that has been effective at identifying cancer clusters.

 

"This kind of analysis sometimes turns up clues about

environmental factors," she said in a telephone interview.

 

The researchers looked at about 2.5 million births

recorded in California from 1996 through 2000. About 10,000 of those children

were later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, according to the state's

department of developmental services.

 

Using data from birth records, the team found a strong

link between parental education and the high rates of autism.

 

 

"In this particular case, we found 10 clusters of autism across the state of California. When we looked further, we discovered virtually all of them were areas where there was a higher level of education among the parents who were giving birth in those years," Hertz-Picciotto said.

"We already know that people with a higher education in the United States are more likely to get a diagnosis of autism for their child. It doesn't necessarily mean that autism occurs more frequently in those families," she said.

"It was also a greater likelihood to be white, non-Hispanic, and for the parents to be a little bit older."

Hertz-Picciotto said studies in Denmark, which offers universal access to healthcare, have found no link between autism and race or socioeconomic status.

"In this country, we have a lot of people who are uninsured. They may not have someone to go to if they have suspicions about their child," she said.

She said some communities with lower education levels and fewer resources may have higher rates of undiagnosed autism. But the study did offer new clues about autism.

"What it tells us is if we want to go looking for environmental factors, they are not going to be these focused fixed points of contamination, for example," she said.

Also in msnbc.com Health

 

 

"It is probably going to be something much more widespread — common sorts of exposures that are more across the board."

Hertz-Picciotto said her team is now undertaking two different kinds of studies to look for environmental causes of autism, a spectrum of diseases ranging from severe and profound inability to communicate and mental retardation to relatively mild symptoms called Asperger's syndrome.

In one, her team plans to collect dust samples from the homes of 1,300 families with autistic children to look for common chemicals, such as flame retardants, that might be playing a role.

In another, the researchers are following pregnant women who have already given birth to a child with autism, to see if there are any common exposures that might be a factor in developing autism.<I itxtvisited="1">Copyright 2010 Reuters

[laura s]

The cluster meaning, same neighborhood, same area...they probably all have the same pediatrician who just keeps "grabbin' and stabbin'" them with vaccines!!

[faith]

The cluster meaning, same neighborhood, same area...they probably all have the same pediatrician who just keeps "grabbin' and stabbin'" them with vaccines!!

 

 

Yup.............or just the same batch......

 

but did they site this as one of the possibilities in this article? ..... of course not....

[thereishope]

What I was thinking if any of those kids came into contact with the same strain of strep that eventually attacked some of the kids in this forum in CA. Whether the kids in the article were labelled autistic when they may have had PANDAS.

 

It also states how the kids cited are mainly from parents of higher education. Same as what laurenjohnsonsmom was thinking in her opinion poll for PANDAS kids and their parents.

[Fixit]

The cluster meaning, same neighborhood, same area...they probably all have the same pediatrician who just keeps "grabbin' and stabbin'" them with vaccines!!

 

Right....did they question that....

You should send that statement to them...we all should send it...if you can find the address i'll do it.