From: NANCALE aol com Date: 10/12/2005 10:10:51:PM Subject: California Reports New Autism Cases Continue To Decline From the Desk of Rick Rollens Sacramento, CA October 2005
According to information released today by the California Department of Developmental Services (www.dds.ca.gov), the number of new cases of professionally diagnosed full syndrome DSM IV autism entering California's developmental services system declined from 734 new cases during the second quarter of 2005 (April through June) to 678 new cases during the just completed third quarter of 2005 (July through September), a 7 1/2% decline in one quarter.
During the first three quarters of 2003 California added 2449 new cases, last year in 2004, California added 2267 new cases of autism, and most recently, during the first three quarters of this year, 2005, there have been 2148 new cases added to the system.
The recent continuing decline of new cases of autism is occurring against the backdrop of over two decades of record setting consecutive years of new cases of autism entering California's 36 year old system. Even with the declining numbers, autism as a category, the other categories being mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy, now comprises 66% of all new intakes, or 2 out of every 3 persons now entering California's system has been professionally diagnosed with full syndrome, DSM IV autism..easily making autism the number one disability entering California's developmental services system.
It is important to note, that in California's developmental services system, children under the age of 3 years old are NOT counted in DDS's quarterly reports. Also, only those persons with professionally diagnosed full syndrome autism, not including PDD, NOS, Asperger's, or any other autism spectrum disorder, are included in these reports.
The latest quarterly report confirms the trend of decreasing number of new cases entering California's developmental services system. (See Los Angeles Times article below.)
New Autism Cases Level Off in State, Data Show; Some say the slowdown may be linked to the removal of mercury from infants' vaccines.
Los Angeles Times Jul 13, 2005 by Thomas H. Maugh II
The number of newly diagnosed cases of autism in California, which had been skyrocketing for more than a decade, has leveled off and may even be declining, according to new data compiled by the state Department of Developmental Services.
Although the total number of autistic children receiving special education services from the state continues to grow -- bringing the current total to 28,046 -- the rate of increase peaked in 2002 and has dropped slightly since then.
The findings are important because California has the best reporting system for autism in the United States and is generally considered a bellwether for the rest of the country.
Experts do not have a good explanation for the slowdown in new cases.
"Perhaps whatever caused [the number of cases] to go up -- environmental insult, or whatever -- is no longer present," said Dr. Robert Hendren, executive director of the UC Davis MIND Institute, which researches neurodevelopmental disorders. "It's all speculation. I wish we had good studies."
Parent activist Rick Rollens of Sacramento, who played a key role in the creation of the MIND Institute, said that the trend roughly corresponds to the removal of mercury preservatives from pediatric vaccines. Many activist groups say that the use of mercury in the vaccines caused the sudden increase in autism cases. Federal scientists, however, have continually said that the evidence does not support such a link.
The state data do not include children under the age of 3. According to the department, about 90% of all autistic children are entered into the system before the age of 6.
That means, Rollens said, that children born since 1999, about the time that mercury was phasing out of vaccines, are just now entering the system. The slowdown could thus reflect the change in vaccination practices.
"We can argue till the cows come home about what caused the increase," Rollens said, but the bottom line is that the increase is slowing.
California guarantees access to special education for all children diagnosed with autism and other developmental problems. Thus, the state's data are considered particularly reliable.
According to the state data, 2002 was a record year for new autism diagnoses, with 3,259 cases. In 2003, the number of new cases slipped to 3,125. In 2004, the number was 3,074.
For the first half of 2005, there were 1,470 new cases, compared to 1,518 in the same period in 2004.
"The interesting thing is that, before 2002, every quarterly report had shown an increase over the previous year," Rollens said. "Now, that is no longer the case."