Return to: Scandals: Adding Insult to Injustice to Injury Redux

As the mother of a severely autistic child I am outraged about your September 8, 2003 article "Why 4 of 5 Autistic Children Are Male- Boys, Girls and Autism/What New Science Tells Us About How Our Brains Work".  For a reputable magazine like Newsweek to embrace a theory that autism is an "exaggerated" version of the "male profile" is pure psycho-babble and smacks of the now bebunked "refrigerator mother" hypothesis promulgated by Bruno Bettleheim of the University of Chicago.

My son is not a "gifted geek" but a child who requires 24/7 supervision to prevent him from escaping from our house to run into the street or climbing out a window to jump on our roof.  He will never be "highly employable"; he can not even control his body movements or speak. He represents that vast majority of autistic children.

My son's autism was not caused by an imbalance between "E" and "S"; his imbalance is biological and was caused by the vaccines given to him as an infant.  I have hard scientific evidence that he has measles virus in his spinal fluid and intestines; that his immune system is severely compromised; and that he is unable to rid his body of enviornmental toxins.

As an example of the challenges faced daily by families with autistic children I have attached two pictures taken of my left arm (1,2).  The large bruise is the result of being bitten by my son this past weekend because he was frustrated. 

Like my son I am frustrated too; frustrated by the paucity of scientific research into this disorder; frustrated by the apathy of the NIH and the White House in addressing this huge societal problem; and frustrated by the irresponsible reporting on this issue by the media in this country. 

What will it take to waken the American public that we have an epidemic of autistic children in this country and we face a tidal wave of societal costs in terms of providing for these children.  Currently, the CDC estimates that the rate of autism is 1 in 250 children.  Does that number have to be 1 in 10 before someone, somewhere either in the government or the private sector notices?  As a parent of an autistic child I need actions and not stonewalling by our public health stewards. 

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Birt
Founder, Medical Interventions for Autism
Founder, SAFEMINDS