From Press Release

The Autism Epidemic in the USA-Our Bitter Harvest and National Shame 

There is a myth out in the public that autism is not increasing but it is due to better diagnosis. Parents and Educators know otherwise and can cite their own schools as examples. In our son's school in New Jersey, there were 20 children with autism attending the school in 1992. Today, in 2002, there are over 100 children and 80% of them are younger than our son.

The following is taken from the statistics produced by the Department of Education in the United States, for numbers of children aged 6-21 served   by IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) who have autism. (Go to http://www.ideadata.org/tables24th/ar_aa3.htm for 2000-2001 figures.)

State                      1992-1993       2000-2001      % Increase

Alabama                        68                 765                  1,025

Alaska                             8                 195          (almost infinite)

Arizona                        199               1,119                    462

Arkansas                        30                 671                 2,137

California                   1,605           10,557                     558

Colorado                        14                453            (almost infinite)

Connecticut                  164             1,225                     647

Delaware                       15                263                  1,653

District of Columbia          0                 103                 (infinite)

Florida                          582             3,926                    575

Georgia                         262             1,916                     631

Hawaii                            52                276                    431

Idaho                              39                291                    646

Illinois                               5             3,103             (almost infinite)

Indiana                         273             2,621                    860

Iowa                               67                537                    701

Kansas                          74                619                    736

Kentucky                       38                 864                2,174

Louisiana                     409              1,145                   180

Maine                             37                 444                1,100

Maryland                        28              1,933           (almost infinite)

Massachusetts            493                 575                    17

Michigan                       288              4,075                1,315

Minnesota                    296               2,448                  727

Mississippi                       0                  385              (infinite)

Missouri                       336               1,589                  373

Montana                        20                   163                  715

Nebraska                        4                   337           (almost infinite)

Nevada                           5                   394           (almost infinite)

New Hampshire             0                   342                (infinite)

New Jersey                 446                2,925                  559

New Mexico                   16                  225                1,305

New York                  1,648               5,943                   260

North Carolina             786               2,374                   202

North Dakota                   9                  118        (almost infinite)

Ohio                               22              2,217        (almost infinite)

Oklahoma                      31                 666                2,048

Oregon                          37               2,516                2,516

Pennsylvania               346               3,304                   855

Puerto Rico                 266                  473                     78

Rhode Island                 19                  309                1,526

South Carolina            141                  852                   504

South Dakota                36                  227                   531

Tennessee                  304                  935                   208

Texas                       1,444               6,023                   317

Utah                            105                  584                   456

Vermont                          6                  160         (almost infinite)

Virginia                        539               1,983                   268

Washington                476               1,620                   240

West Virginia              101                  312                   209

Wisconsin                    18               1,823          (almost infinite)

Wyoming                      15                   94                    527

50 States, DC & PR            overall increase         % Increase

TOTAL                    12,222           78,717                  544

                                 Total              Total          

                           1992/1993       1999/2000          % Increase

                               12,222            65,396                  435

                               Total                 Total         

                          1992/1993        1998/1999          % Increase

                              12,222             53,561                  339

                               Total                 Total          

                          1992/1993        1997/1998          % Increase

                              12,222             42,487                 248

                               Total                 Total         

                          1992/1993        1996/1997          % Increase

                              12,222             34,354                 181 

                                Total                Total          

                          1992/1993        1995/1996           % Increase

                              12,222             28,813                 136

(Source: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act data, US Department of Education. Note: Where increases are from a very low base figure, these have been expressed as "almost infinite". For every two cases there were in the latest 2000-2001 figures represent a single-year increase of 20% over 1999-2000).

To date, Dr. Andrew Wakefield has found measles in the gut and Dr. Vijendra Singh and Dr. James Oleske has noted elevated measles titers in children with autism. In a 2000 Washington DC vaccine/autism Congressional hearing initiated by Congressman Dan Burton, Dr. Vijendra Singh said that he would welcome other researchers replicating his science. Unfortunately, there are lots of denials by government health officials with opinion reports and no clinical science research.

We see from independent research that there are certain immunological/gastrointestinal abnormalities involved with our children. At the same time, there is no NIH, CDC and FDA funding of this independent research to help our children and prevent further cases of regressive autism. This is shameful neglect on the part of these government health officials who are supposed to look after the welfare of our children, Instead of denials and opinion reports that there is no connection we need good independent clinincal science.

The USA is a free and democratic Republic and recognizes that its children are its most important assets. The tragedy is that we are losing children daily to this bitter harvest called autism. Normal children are regressing into autism because of an immune insult. This can be prevented by funding the research that is necessary and looking at immune-therapy treatments that will help those children already affected. To do otherwise brings national shame on our country.

Raymond Gallup, President

Autism Autoimmunity Project

45 Iroquois Avenue

Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034

Tel 973 299-9162

http://www.gti.net/truegrit/

http://www.casiquest.org/