Autism

You can't cure autism because autism is not a disease or an illness.

Autism is a neurological difference, a variation in human kind, we are born autistic just like people are born neurotypical. As Autism is neurological the only way to get rid of it would be to change a persons brain, literally changing an entire person. This is not only impossible but would be unethical, when people talk about a 'cure' what they often mean is genetic testing to remove autism from the gene pool - this is known as eugenics, it's highly unethical and hopefully never happens.

To prevent such situations, many experts recommend that children with autism undergo desensitization by visiting the healthcare office regularly and getting familiar with the environment and staff. No procedures should be attempted during this "get-acquainted" period. Instead, the child should be led step by step through a process such as the following: For several visits, the child enters the office, sits in a particular area, waits to be called, greets the nurse, and leaves without having an invasive procedure. At the next visit, the child may be shown a thermometer and asked to show the nurse his or her hand and open the mouth. With subsequent visits over time, the potential for a tantrum or other behavioral eruption decreases. "Are we communicating?"Poor communication is a chief limitation for children with ASD, as many have a severe language impairment. Your efforts at communicating are most likely to succeed if you speak clearly, using short sentences and crystal-clear phrases. Be as concrete as possible. Ask specific questions, such as, "Does your tummy hurt?" or "Does your head hurt?" instead of the vague "What hurts you?"

Use repetition and keep your tone of voice pleasant and cheerful. If verbal intervention is ineffective, be aware that some autistic children may response to visual cues. Nothing is routineNursing procedures considered typical in most school settings may be challenging for children with ASD. For those who are hypersensitive to touch, health screenings may be difficult; what other students experience as an empathic hand on the shoulder might feel painful to one with autism. So before initiating any assessment or procedure, be sure to establish eye contact. Know that calling the child's name may have no effect, so you may need to gently turn the child's head toward you.

Research consistently shows that praise is an effective reinforcer. When the child complies with a request, offer a warm compliment that specifically identifies the behavior you wish to reinforce, such as, "What a good job you're doing with turning toward me!" or "Thank you for looking at my face."

Don't be surprised if you need several sessions to complete a simple screening process with an autistic child. During interactions that require routine nursing care, such as taking a temperature or auscultating the lungs, you may find distraction an effective tool.

Alerting parents to upcoming health screenings is useful in the preparation process. Some children with autism are extremely sensitive to changes in routine; therefore, parents may prefer that screening be done at the child's usual place of medical care. Administering drugsIf the child takes medications, try to administer them using exactly the same procedure and words each time. To teach the child to accept and swallow the medication, first write out all the steps involved: Sit down appropriately, open the mouth wide, and so on. Choose a motivator that's personally relevant to the child (say, a piece of apple) and reward each cooperative step.

Whether performing a screening or a procedure such as medication administration, always maintain a safe environment. Before the appointment, remove from the exam area any object the child could use for self-injury or aggression. Be aware that increased risk for such injury is related to the tendency of many children with ASD to exhibit impulsive and disorganized motor activity, self-stimulatory behaviors, pica, possible seizure activity, and altered sensitivity to pain. Keep in mind the risk of injury from self-abuse or a severe tantrum. Value vigilanceChildren with ASD require significant nursing awareness on an ongoing basis. Some have chronic somatosensory disturbances that may involve extreme sensitivity to sounds, odors, touch, and textures. Others have sensory underreactivity, including imperviousness to pain. During drug administration or events such as nosebleed or physical injury, such over- or underreactivity can be challenging for caregivers.

For example, an autistic child may become extremely agitated if you attempt to apply an adhesive bandage; as an alternative, use spray-on or liquid bandaging to cover an open wound and prevent the spread of body fluids. Another child might fly into a hysterical tantrum if an ice pack is applied, precluding the usual first-aid treatments. Consult with the parent when choosing appropriate care measures.

Stay alert for self-injurious behaviors, such as head-banging, hair pulling, and biting or scratching oneself (which may present as scars or open wounds on the hands or wrists). Some children repeatedly pick at sores until they bleed. Typically, these behaviors occur when the child is frustrated, fatigued, or overstimulated, and may come to the school nurse's attention if they require treatment. Maintain good communication with teachers and parents when caring for such injuries.

No, autism is not caused by psychiatric problems on the part of the parents.

Autism is a neurological difference, it's genetic just like eye color or skin color.

It was a fraud, spread by panic, fear, and a distrust of science in general and medicine in particular.

Even if the original study had not been fraudulent, a single study should not be taken as "proof" of anything.

Much of the original controversy was caused by a paper published by Andrew Wakefield (at the time he was a physician) in The Lancet - the prestigious British medical journal. After the publication of Wakefield's paper, other researchers were unable to reproduce Wakefield's findings or confirm his hypothesis of an association between the MMR vaccine and autism, or autism and gastrointestinal disease. After a British Journalist uncovered and published undisclosed financial conflict of interest information (Wakefield was getting money from people suing the vaccine company claiming the vaccine caused autism in their children), the British Governing Medical Council (GMC) - the governing body for physicians in Britain - opened an investigation against Wakefield and two former colleagues. Most of his co-authors withdrew their support for the study's interpretations.

On 28 January 2010, a five-member statutory tribunal of the GMC found three dozen charges proved, including four counts of dishonesty and 12 counts involving the abuse of developmentally challenged children. The panel ruled that Wakefield had "failed in his duties as a responsible consultant", acted both against the interests of his patients, and "dishonestly and irresponsibly" in his published research.

Wakefield's study that was used to link MMR to autism was retracted by The Lancet and was subsequently labeled an "elaborate fraud" in an investigation published by the British medical journal BMJ. The investigation concluded the study's author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, misrepresented or altered the medical histories of all 12 of the patients whose cases formed the basis of the 1998 study -- and that there was "no doubt" Wakefield was responsible.

Three months following The Lancet's retraction, Wakefield was struck off the UK medical register, with a statement identifying deliberate falsification in the research published in The Lancet and was barred from practicing medicine in the UK.

Wakefield's utter failure to conduct valid research does not disprove any possible links between vaccines and autism, but it is pretty obvious his "study" suggesting a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism was worthless.