4 ms·

I'm sure the kid isn't like that by accident. I don't believe the medical community is doing a good enough job when such children are becoming increasingly comm

I'm sure the kid isn't like that by accident. I don't believe the medical community is doing a good enough job when such children are becoming increasingly common. Hence my answer to that neuropsychologist would be something along the lines of "well, how do you have the complacency?"

Roboprog 14y ago
Well, it's possible the autism increase is merely due to more frequent diagnosis, but I dunno... (it's possible, sadly, that these kids maybe used to be infant mortalities back in the day - but it's also possible that pesticides, vaccines, lead paint, etc are simply poisonous to a small percent of the population as well)
- roguecoder 14y ago
  Rising age of fathers explains much of the increase in autism rates attributed by discredited science to vaccines: http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=668208 http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=66820... Coincidentally, hormonal birth control came about about the same time as the MMR vaccine, raising the average age of parenthood.
  - adrianwaj 14y ago
    "discredited science to vaccines" well that depends who and what doctors you ask. Heard of Andrew Wakefield? Secondly, what is affecting fathers so badly that the older they get, the more damaged their offspring could become? Whatever's affecting fathers could be affecting children too. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/researchers-warn-of-rapid-decline-in-quality-of-israeli-sperm-1.449661 http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/researchers-warn-of-rap... Researchers warn of rapid decline in quality of Israeli sperm http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/study-quality-of-israeli-sperm-down-40-in-past-decade-1.275772 http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/study-quality-of-i... Cause of decline unknown, but may be linked to children and pregnant women's exposure to local contaminants. -- This isn't just about age. (and I suspect it has very little to do with it)
    - slurgfest 14y ago
      Andrew Wakefield lost his license to practice medicine due to his quackery, so you should probably use a different 'authority' for your argument from authority.
      - adrianwaj 14y ago
        you should probably use a different 'authority' What if I don't braveheart?
        Tyrannosaurs 14y ago
        You'll continue to ignore reliable evidence in favour of the word of a man who falsified data as part of a study that was funded with the intent of supporting planned litigation, and who set up companies with the aim of profiting from his deception. Wakefield is a quack and a fraud who has done untold damage to public health. Believe whatever else you want but please believe that.
        adrianwaj 14y ago
        I've had way too many downvotes to just give up on Wakefield like that. My experience tells me, when I get voted down a lot on HN about non-hacker subjects, I'm usually right. You guys stick to your guns, I'll stick to mine.
        Tyrannosaurs 14y ago
        OK, let's take a different tack on this. Let's assume that you (or rather Wakefield) is right and that the MMR vaccine does cause autism (it doesn't but curiously it actually doesn't change much in terms of what you should do). Given that the risk of any one of mumps (complications including pancreatitis, encephalitis, spontanious abortion in pregnant mothers, impotence in men), measles (kills 0.3% of those who get it in the US, up to 28% in developing nations) or rubbella (can cause miscarriage in pregnant mothers and cardiac defects and brain damage in new borns) is greater than the risk from autism (both in terms of impact and probability), how does opposition to MMR and vaccination in general make any sense? Even if you accept the most extreme claims of anti-vaxxers in terms of what they might be causing and at what level, it's still better than the alternative. We've forgotten just how potent these diseases are because we're not exposed to them often these days. Drop vaccines and that would change very, very quickly.

Roboprog 14y ago

Well, it's possible the autism increase is merely due to more frequent diagnosis, but I dunno... (it's possible, sadly, that these kids maybe used to be infant mortalities back in the day - but it's also possible that pesticides, vaccines, lead paint, etc are simply poisonous to a small percent of the population as well)

roguecoder 14y ago
Rising age of fathers explains much of the increase in autism rates attributed by discredited science to vaccines: http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=668208 http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=66820... Coincidentally, hormonal birth control came about about the same time as the MMR vaccine, raising the average age of parenthood.
- adrianwaj 14y ago
  "discredited science to vaccines" well that depends who and what doctors you ask. Heard of Andrew Wakefield? Secondly, what is affecting fathers so badly that the older they get, the more damaged their offspring could become? Whatever's affecting fathers could be affecting children too. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/researchers-warn-of-rapid-decline-in-quality-of-israeli-sperm-1.449661 http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/researchers-warn-of-rap... Researchers warn of rapid decline in quality of Israeli sperm http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/study-quality-of-israeli-sperm-down-40-in-past-decade-1.275772 http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/study-quality-of-i... Cause of decline unknown, but may be linked to children and pregnant women's exposure to local contaminants. -- This isn't just about age. (and I suspect it has very little to do with it)
  - slurgfest 14y ago
    Andrew Wakefield lost his license to practice medicine due to his quackery, so you should probably use a different 'authority' for your argument from authority.
    - adrianwaj 14y ago
      you should probably use a different 'authority' What if I don't braveheart?
      - Tyrannosaurs 14y ago
        You'll continue to ignore reliable evidence in favour of the word of a man who falsified data as part of a study that was funded with the intent of supporting planned litigation, and who set up companies with the aim of profiting from his deception. Wakefield is a quack and a fraud who has done untold damage to public health. Believe whatever else you want but please believe that.
        adrianwaj 14y ago
        I've had way too many downvotes to just give up on Wakefield like that. My experience tells me, when I get voted down a lot on HN about non-hacker subjects, I'm usually right. You guys stick to your guns, I'll stick to mine.
        Tyrannosaurs 14y ago
        OK, let's take a different tack on this. Let's assume that you (or rather Wakefield) is right and that the MMR vaccine does cause autism (it doesn't but curiously it actually doesn't change much in terms of what you should do). Given that the risk of any one of mumps (complications including pancreatitis, encephalitis, spontanious abortion in pregnant mothers, impotence in men), measles (kills 0.3% of those who get it in the US, up to 28% in developing nations) or rubbella (can cause miscarriage in pregnant mothers and cardiac defects and brain damage in new borns) is greater than the risk from autism (both in terms of impact and probability), how does opposition to MMR and vaccination in general make any sense? Even if you accept the most extreme claims of anti-vaxxers in terms of what they might be causing and at what level, it's still better than the alternative. We've forgotten just how potent these diseases are because we're not exposed to them often these days. Drop vaccines and that would change very, very quickly.