[FoRK] Autism for 1 in 60 males in NJ

[Adam L Beberg]

Well we all know NJ is toxic, but wow. Between this and the infertility 
rate heading from 1/6 to 1/3 by 2015, it turns out that movie 'Children 
of Men' will be a documentary after all.

Of course you never heard this, go back to worrying about terrorists.

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New Jersey has highest rate ever documented in U.S.

Friday, February 9, 2007
By LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER www.northjersey.com

One in every 94 children in New Jersey has autism -- the highest rate 
ever documented in the United States. For boys, the rate is one in every 60.

New Jersey's rate, based on 2002 data, should "be understood as a public 
health crisis," said the principal researcher for the study in New 
Jersey, Walter Zahorodny, of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of 
New Jersey. His work was part of a multistate study by the federal 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The burden of autism is much more than people estimate," he said.

Zahorodny traveled to Washington, D.C., on Thursday to brief members of 
Congress on his part of the report, which provided the first broad look 
at the prevalence of autism here and in other states.

Overall, the rate in 13 other states studied was one in 150 children. 
While that is higher than the previous estimate of one in 166, it is 
unclear whether autism is increasing or the studies have simply improved.

HOW MANY?
One of every 94 children in New Jersey has autism.
Boys: 1 in 60
Girls: 1 in 250
National rate: 1 in 150

"We do know, however, that these disorders are affecting too many 
children," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the CDC.

Even veterans of the autism world were stunned. "One in 100? Oh my Lord. 
I'm shocked," said Diane Lento, who helped to found a private school for 
children with autism a decade ago. Her daughter, Kate, who has autism, 
is now 15.

"It's really frightening," said Barbara Strate of Palisades Park, the 
mother of an 11-year-old girl with autism and manager of an Internet 
community for North Jersey families affected by autism. "If I were 
having children in this day and age, I'd be really scared."

The new research raised as many questions as it answered.

"We don't know why the rates are higher in New Jersey," said Marshalyn 
Yeargin-Allsopp, chief of the CDC's developmental disabilities branch. 
"We need to continue working toward figuring out what's causing the 
range of autism to answer that question."

Autism is a complex disability that affects the brain's development in 
early childhood, and interferes with a person's ability to communicate, 
learn and form relationships. Behavior is often focused and repetitive. 
Symptoms vary in their combination and intensity: Some people with 
autism have higher-than-average intelligence and appear quirky and 
socially inept, while others are completely unable to speak, sometimes 
bite, scratch and hit themselves, and require constant supervision.

The studies published on Thursday include the entire spectrum of autism 
disorders. They were based on a review of health and educational records 
for 8-year-olds in 2000 and 2002. In New Jersey, the records of nearly 
30,000 children -- all the 8-year-olds -- in Hudson, Essex, Union and 
Ocean counties were culled, yielding 295 children with autism in 2000 
and 316 in 2002. These counties are "very likely to be representative of 
the entire New Jersey-New York metropolitan region," Zahorodny said.

The New Jersey Autism Study found a rate of one in 101 in 2000, and one 
in 94 in 2002 -- a difference that was not statistically significant, he 
said. The rate for boys went from one in 68 in 2000, to one in 60 two 
years later, while for girls it went from one in 233 in 2000, to one in 250.

A new study, funded by the New Jersey Council on Autism, is to examine 
the rate in 2006.

The high rate of autism in New Jersey was not caused by families moving 
to the state, Zahorodny said. Researchers checked birth certificates and 
found that 84 percent of the children with autism were born here, a 
higher rate than in other states.

The higher rate among boys -- found in all states studied -- confirmed 
previous studies. The difference in the rates among whites, blacks and 
Hispanics was not significant, Zahorodny said.

Among other states, Georgia reported the lowest rates in 2000, with one 
in 222. Alabama was the lowest in 2002, with one in 300. Zahorodny 
attributed the comparatively high numbers here to greater public 
awareness of autism and sensitivity by educators and physicians to the 
disorder.

Suzanne Buchanan, head of clinical services for the New Jersey Center 
for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community (COSAC), said, "New 
Jersey ... is much more knowledgeable about autism than other states. 
You're working with professionals in the educational system here who are 
much more aware of autism than professionals in other states."

The study should be an impetus for more research into the causes of 
autism, said Dr. Joseph Holahan, chief of the child development center 
at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Paterson.

"What used to be considered a very rare condition is actually a very 
common one," he said.

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., is co-chairman of Congress's Coalition on 
Autism Research and Education, said: "You can't combat any disease until 
you start chronicling it. This information, disturbing as it is, is 
necessary. We need to know the truth."

His district includes Brick Township, site of a 1998 CDC investigation 
to determine whether the incidence of autism was abnormally high. The 
new studies show that, in fact, there was no cluster of autism in Brick 
Township.

While it was not designed to gauge the effects of childhood immunization 
on autism, the study shed some light on the issue: Immunization rates in 
the study states were similar, though autism rates were not, Zahorodny 
said. Future data may reveal the effect, if any, of removal of mercury 
from most vaccines in the late 1990s.

The study underscores the enormous need for resources, not only for 
early diagnosis and treatment, but to provide jobs and homes for people 
with autism as they become adults and grow out of the educational 
system, educators and researchers said.

"I hear these numbers and I think all these children need to be 
educated," said Dawn Townsend, director of the Institute for Educational 
Achievement, a private school for children with autism. "Where are we 
going to do that?"

The 8-year-olds counted in this study are now 15. "We need to provide 
opportunities," so they may participate as fully as possible in jobs and 
housing and cultural activities, said Linda Walder Fiddle, who started a 
foundation that funds programs for adolescents and adults with autism.

Mary Beth Walsh, whose son, Ben, 8, attends Reed Academy in Garfield, 
said the results are "a cry for greater funding of services."

"There's a tremendous need for more training, for more people to do the 
interventions that make such a difference in these kids' lives," she 
said. Ben did not use his vocal cords before he began therapy, but now 
counts the steps as he climbs them and enjoys telling his mother, "Come 
on, Mom," she said.

Brendan Gilfillan, a spokesman for Governor Corzine, said New Jersey is 
at the forefront of identifying and treating those with the disorder, 
and the state's fiscal 2007 budget contains $15 million for 
special-education programs, including one for autism. "The governor is 
committed to doing more to address the complex issues associated with 
autism." he said.

The CDC figures may lead to a surge in funding proposals, said Judah 
Zeigler of Leonia, a member of the Governor's Council on Autism, which 
distributes millions of dollars for in-state research.

"The study shows what the autism community and what researchers have 
been saying for a long time," he said.

Staff Writer Elise Young contributed to this article. E-mail: 
washburn at northjersey.com
* * *

Some facts about autism in New Jersey

•  New Jersey's rate is the highest among 14 states studied. Researchers 
don't think that necessarily means more children here are born with 
autism. Rather, there is more awareness, better identification and 
better record keeping.

•  More children in New Jersey are categorized as "severely impaired" 
(classic autism) than "less-impaired" (Asperger's syndrome and pervasive 
developmental disorder-not otherwise specified).

•  The rates were the same among ethnic groups and races.

•  Boys are three to four times more likely than girls to have autism.

•  The rates didn't vary much by county, which may mean that specific 
local environmental factors are not a cause.

•  Some 14,000 New Jerseyans ages 3 and 21 have autism.

•  Future state-funded studies will determine the rate for 2006, and 
analyze the data for correlations with socioeconomic class and maternal 
and paternal age.

•  The study is published in the Feb. 9 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and 
Mortality Weekly Report, available online at CDC.gov/mmwr. Details on 
the New Jersey data from the study are available at njcosac.org.