Pregnant women who lived in close proximity to fields and farms where chemical pesticides were applied experienced a two-thirds increased risk of having a child with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental delay, a study by researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute has found. The associations were stronger when the exposures occurred during the second and third trimesters of the women's pregnancies. \n The large, multisite California-based study examined associations between specific classes of pesticides, including organophosphates, pyrethroids and carbamates, applied during the study participants' pregnancies and later diagnoses of autism and developmental delay in their offspring. It is published online in Environmental Health Perspectives. "This study validates the results of earlier research that has reported associations between having a child with autism and prenatal exposure to agricultural chemicals in California," said lead study author Janie F. Shelton, a UC Davis graduate student who now consults with the United Nations. "While we still must investigate whether certain sub-groups are more vulnerable to exposures to these compounds than others, the message is very clear: Women who are pregnant should take special care to avoid contact with agricultural chemicals whenever possible." California is the top agricultural producing state in the nation, grossing $38 billion in revenue from farm crops in 2010. Statewide, approximately 200 million pounds of active pesticides are applied each year, most of it in the Central Valley, north to the Sacramento Valley and south to the Imperial Valley on the California-Mexico border. While pesticides are critical for the modern agriculture industry, certain commonly used pesticides are neurotoxic and may pose threats to brain development during gestation, potentially resulting in developmental delay or autism. The study was conducted by examining commercial pesticide application using the California Pesticide Use Report and linking the data to the residential addresses of approximately 1,000 participants in the Northern California-based Childhood Risk of Autism from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) Study. The study includes families with children between 2 and 5 diagnosed with autism or developmental delay or with typical development. It is led by principal investigator Irva Hertz-Picciotto, a MIND Institute researcher and professor and vice chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at UC Davis. The majority of study participants live in the Sacramento Valley, Central Valley and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. \tADVERTISEMENT Twenty-one chemical compounds were identified in the organophosphate class, including chlorpyrifos, acephate and diazinon. The second most commonly applied class of pesticides was pyrethroids, one quarter of which was esfenvalerate, followed by lambda-cyhalothrin permethrin, cypermethrin and tau-fluvalinate. Eighty percent of the carbamates were methomyl and carbaryl. For the study, researchers used questionnaires to obtain study participants' residential addresses during the pre-conception and pregnancy periods. The addresses then were overlaid on maps with the locations of agricultural chemical application sites based on the pesticide-use reports to determine residential proximity. The study also examined which participants were exposed to which agricultural chemicals. "We mapped where our study participants' lived during pregnancy and around the time of birth. In California, pesticide applicators must report what they're applying, where they're applying it, dates when the applications were made and how much was applied," Hertz-Picciotto said. "What we saw were several classes of pesticides more commonly applied near residences of mothers whose children developed autism or had delayed cognitive or other skills." The researchers found that during the study period approximately one-third of CHARGE Study participants lived in close proximity -- within 1.25 to 1.75 kilometers -- of commercial pesticide application sites. Some associations were greater among mothers living closer to application sites and lower as residential proximity to the application sites decreased, the researchers found. Organophosphates applied over the course of pregnancy were associated with an elevated risk of autism spectrum disorder, particularly for chlorpyrifos applications in the second trimester. Pyrethroids were moderately associated with autism spectrum disorder immediately prior to conception and in the third trimester. Carbamates applied during pregnancy were associated with developmental delay. Exposures to insecticides for those living near agricultural areas may be problematic, especially during gestation, because the developing fetal brain may be more vulnerable than it is in adults. Because these pesticides are neurotoxic, in utero exposures during early development may distort the complex processes of structural development and neuronal signaling, producing alterations to the excitation and inhibition mechanisms that govern mood, learning, social interactions and behavior. "In that early developmental gestational period, the brain is developing synapses, the spaces between neurons, where electrical impulses are turned into neurotransmitting chemicals that leap from one neuron to another to pass messages along. The formation of these junctions is really important and may well be where these pesticides are operating and affecting neurotransmission," Hertz-Picciotto said. Research from the CHARGE Study has emphasized the importance of maternal nutrition during pregnancy, particularly the use of prenatal vitamins to reduce the risk of having a child with autism. While it's impossible to entirely eliminate risks due to environmental exposures, Hertz-Picciotto said that finding ways to reduce exposures to chemical pesticides, particularly for the very young, is important. "We need to open up a dialogue about how this can be done, at both a societal and individual level," she said. "If it were my family, I wouldn't want to live close to where heavy pesticides are being applied." Story Source:
They should take the pesticide usage and kids w/autism stats from each state-keeping all things equal- and see if there's a glaring difference....... It would be an interesting follow-up. It should be a given not to expose yourself to chemicals regularly when you're pregnant....and then there are things like diet drinks and caffeine..I'm not sure if they've looked at that yet...probably have..It has to something like that, besides these situations w/pesticides, b/c ASD is growing fast...Caffeine is actually a natural pesticide...
I'm beginning to think that this is just how we are evolving.. sure, outside factors definitely influence gene expression and such, but its like everything causes autism these days. Since its what we are becoming, almost everything and anything can be correlated with it.
idk. Autism rates aren't that high, and how do we know people didn't have it before Ans just weren't diagnosed? Sent from my LG-E739 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Here in San Diego we have uni of sd? I think?doing animal trials for a chemical that so far has been curing autism in mice. It's very interesting to see this thread like four days after learning that lol. Sent from my iPod touch using Grasscity Forum
Very well could be, but I do think its a growing condition. The awareness for it is growing too, so its like 'is it one of those things that's just always been there n never understood?' Like colorblindness, they say for it to be so prevalent today, it had to have been favorable to our survival. Streaks of autism throughout our entire history could of been favorable, well would of been favorable depending on the circumstance.. but I still think its a growing condition. A simple attack on the nervous system can induce autistic conditions, and attacks on the nervous system are definitely growing. The emotional states brought on by a disease can be passed along generation to generation even if the disease isn't. Then there's the damage done to us being a social species by social media.. so many factors that its who we are becoming. If there was only one physical cause to it, I'd say its the growing pollution and declining oxygen quality wrecking havoc on our nervous system. We know that people feel their emotions throughout their nervous system in their body, attack them and you can attack a person's emotions, dull them. If there was only one mental cause, I'd say it is the disconnect we've experienced with social media. You need actual interaction to be the most effective. We develop from watching and interacting with others socially, but put a computer screen between it all and you've just limited the physical development of your social centers. Either way, I looks like the direction we are headed. We won't break our connection with technological interaction, so we'll just have to advance it til it gets to the point we can use it to fully develop ourselves.
I think it's important to note (for those that haven't read it entirely or don't understand) that this study didn't actually measure pesticide exposure or examine its effects. It was just a survey of volunteers in one area compared to spraying records. I know that should be pretty obvious, but I've seen this study cited frequently by people who didn't get it.
ASD occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, but is almost five times more common among boys than among girls. CDC estimates that about 1 in 68 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). That is high ^ There's discussion about increased diagnosis because of awareness, but there is agreement that it is a combination. Whatever the causes of growth, the conditions in terms of needing treatment and education is growing very fast....schools are inundated with meeting all those levels of need and parents are trying to figure out what to do. ...This is not an evolved condition...kids w/this have huge difficulties...even if they have Asperger's (high on the spectrum, relatively small and always w/social issues)...some can have savant type abilities and have great memories, that's pretty great to encounter, but even they face huge obstacles... Children or adults with ASD might: not point at objects to show interest (for example, not point at an airplane flying over) not look at objects when another person points at them avoid eye contact and want to be alone have trouble understanding other people's feelings or talking about their own feelings prefer not to be held or cuddled, or might cuddle only when they want to appear to be unaware when people talk to them, but respond to other sounds be very interested in people, but not know how to talk, play, or relate to them have trouble expressing their needs using typical words or motions not play “pretend†games (for example, not pretend to “feed†a doll) repeat actions over and over again have trouble adapting when a routine changes-Big one have unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste, look, feel, or sound lose skills they once had (for example, stop saying words they were using) Delayed speech and language skills Repeats words or phrases over and over (echolalia) Reverses pronouns (e.g., says "you" instead of "I") Gives unrelated answers to questions...This one is huge in reading comprehension.. Uses few or no gestures (e.g., does not wave goodbye) Talks in a flat, robot-like, or sing-song voice Does not understand jokes, sarcasm, or teasing They are all 'big' ones, but when a kid is on the fence at school-not diagnosed yet-these are the ones that stick out to us as being identifiers... Many kids can have language difficulties...but can be dyslexia (not just related to reading-it's all language). Our school only admits kids w/high spectrum (college prep school)-and when they are young they are harder to get diagnosed b/c of developing abilities....but when they have those bolded traits..It's a going to be a kid w/high spectrum The list goes on... They also have co-occurring mental and sensory issues...and there are many other aspects of it all that I don't feel like going into..There are many differences and huge swings in ability...That's why they moved to the term 'Autism Spectrum'...but it all has a basis in social/language/emotional difficulties http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html
Since you're telling me that this isn't an evolved condition, you must know what causes it.. right? Cause if you don't, how do you know it's not? This condition isn't new to humans, and the fact that it's so prevalent today says that it was a decent sized part of our evolution. As with my color blindness example. Normal people might be fooled by a green based camouflage, but someone who is partially color blind and left with mainly only green and red cones will see right through that camouflage. It provided an advantage at one point, hence why it's still around as much as it is. Same thing with those in the autistic spectrum, they see things differently. You're only focused on the negatives cause that's what you deal with, but everything has it's positives. I underlined your symptom list with one that I am personally experienced with. I was tested in the 2nd grade for autism and they were going to send me to a school for the "gifted", but never did. Instead got skipped a grade, but looking back, I wish they would have sent me. Public education failed me just as much as I failed it.. I was even failed 10th grade math with an A as my final grade. Had an issue with a teacher trying to force me to show my work when I did it all in my head, so I stopped doing homework for the most part but I would ace the tests and do all her extra credit. She'd get so pissed at me cause the homework I did do, I would do in the first or last couple minutes of the period. So I had the joy of taking 10th grade math again.. but I kind of liked it. My new teacher let me sleep cause I was half sleeping one day and he asked a question. He called on me cause he thought I was sleeping completely, people laughed, I picked up my head and gave him the right answer, then went back to sleep. He did it a few more times here and there, but for the most part he just let me sleep. With as weird as it sounds, with being rather anti-social, I could fit into most any group in school, but not feel like I fit in. One of my friends once said I was like a chameleon, blending in with different groups. Not standing out in any of them, but blending in nicely like a good lil sociopath. I was almost impervious to teasing emotionally, to the point where very few people even tried anymore. So I completely understand the negatives.. hell, my initial reaction to someone touching me, like a pat on the shoulder, causes me to flinch or dodge away, but usually I catch myself so I don't look weird. I could make you my own list of weird shit that happens, but I am sure you've seen them before. Point is, there are positives.. As someone with it in one shape or form, the positives have to be found. They should be found and expanded upon, instead of going about it like it HAS to be cured. It has to be understood first, including the positive aspects. As for the cause, take your pick. Born to parents with vitamin deficiencies that smoked religiously, being born to a schizophrenic parent, living beside massive power lines as a kid, while surrounded by cornfields that got sprayed, my own vitamin deficiency, or maybe I was just born this way due to my genetics with is due to our evolution.. I would be curious though, if you have or would look at kids with whether they are left handed or right handed and see if you notice any differences. Someone who is left handed uses the sides of the brain in reverse compared to someone who is right handed. Being left handed, I always wondered if it had any kind of influence with it all. I know it makes me one hell of a bullshitter in person cause most right handed people would subconsciously feel as if I am being truthful when I am lying.. and most people don't believe me when I am telling the truth.
I did not get into teaching this type of kid to see 'negatives'..A huge amount of their school time designated to work on all those various challenges. I teach these kinds of kids because I love them. They are huge Souls...and have always been some of my favorites for what they bring to the table. They entertain me with their wry observations daily..haha..and I have many funny stories about their quirks. There's plenty of positives....funny, witty, clever, and can twist things to their point of view as to make perfect sense. The job is to help them strengthen the weaknesses and build on the strengths. Until the kids can realize it's OK to be who you are, they will not risk..and life is about stepping out and risking... All that you describe sounds familiar...esp. doing the math in your head..hah...It's just that there's eventually so many steps to keep in your head that it's real easy to make a mistake Public education is bullshit and I'd rather go work in a cubicle than teach in a shithole like that...putting everyone in a fucking box...makes me sick...They are clueless. As far as left brained/right brained kids (handedness), it's a debate about whether it's true that there is a difference. Kids in general are strong in Math OR Reading (some equal)...but with high spectrum it's usually Math. When a huge non-verbal gap is found these kids tend to be more attuned to math and logic...whereas some kids are better 'absorbers' of information..content area-Social Studies and Science....like sponges. As for lying...ha...that might be an individual ability.. I had a 2nd grader that could tell me all the layers of the atmosphere and all their characteristics...and brought a different book each day about bridges all around the world...He knew everything about them...everything. However, he could not tell you the message in 'The Boy That Cried Wolf'. Yeah, there are a combination of causes....The real issue is knowing how to address it correctly and educate kids to live up to their potential. And yes, there are many positives...the weaknesses have to be addressed...(equally) before they grow up. It's a huge task...one of the kids I taught in 5th grade graduated this year...Asperger's as they come...and he was ready. That was b/c of the environment he'd had since he was young...You get that foundation laid and it goes from there. Some kids don't get this...and it doesn't sound like you were supported in the way you were learning (although you really needed to write those steps ) Ok-I'm going on and on..lol...you get my point. Kids need to get the support they need...that's what it's all about. They can be just as successful as anybody else...no reason why not.. If I rambled..sry...I'm
Sorry for the late reply, but I've been thinking about this lately and wanted to get some ideas hashed out in my head. I highly doubt Melt would mind the rant/hijack though. So I've been thinking about left handedness and autism. According to most sources, it seems the majority of autistic people are left handed. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6580656 Several other sources have said similar things. For the majority, I am going to just use 3/4. For the minority, 1/4. An easy number that'd be pretty close to the average. So 3/4 of the people in the world are right handed, 1/4 left handed.. yet 3/4 of autistic people are left handed, 1/4 right handed. With a left handed person, most of their brain activity is in the right hemisphere. As in the article, the damage they see is on the right side. Now genes are a funny thing, my dad had these clumps of varicose veins on his right leg, mainly right above his knee. Both my sister and I also have a clump of varicose veins in the same exact spot, she recently had hers removed though. So genes can be very specific.. I am thinking that the reason most people who are autistic are left handed is because their genes encoding for traits related to autism are still coded for a right handed person. Wouldn't surprise me if 3/4 of the left handed autistics had 2 right handed parents. Both my parent's are right handed, and I'd think that a left handed person with both right handed parents would be the most prone to being autistic. Basically their body is left sided, but parts of their brain are still trying to be right handed. Lol, it's a stretch, but part of the reason for autism being on the rise could be because left handed people are being more accepted. Not that long ago it sucked to be someone who was left handed, especially in school. As a kid, I only had one teacher who tried to get me to use my right hand more often, but didn't force it. There was a time when you'd get the shit smacked out of your left hand if you used it. Forcing them to use their right hand could/would of helped train those neural pathways on that side, leading to a more "normal" person. There's even notable differences between right and left pawed dogs. If you want a dog you can train with almost no problems, go with a right pawed individual. If you want a more spunky, creative, sometimes more unruly, go with a left pawed one. So you should try to keep track of the children you work with and which hand they use the most. Hell, if you're in college, you could even try to do a study of logging what type of hand dominance the children have coupled with what their parents have, you could try to make a study out of it, look for patterns.. I have a couple other crazy theories on autism, like a vague connection to emotional autism and Native Americans.. lol, but maybe another day.