Thimerosal Exposure Declines, Autism Rates Increase, and a Note About Myself
With numerous, as in every, news source reporting about the new study about exposure to thimerosal during childhood not being a primary cause of autism, this comment posted by “Anonymous” on the Wall Street Journal’s Health Blog stands out:
From my own observation: Moms of autistic kids are party goers or ex-party goers. Leaves me to think that birth control or drugs is the cause.
Jim will back me up: I have never been either a party goer or even an ex-party goer and, well, let’s just say that if I ever ran for public office (absolutely positively no plans of ever doing that), I could answer certain questions in full honesty and in non-controversial, really boring ways. Really boring.
So I’ll just repeat: Exposure to thimerosal during childhood is not a primary cause of autism.
37 opinions for Thimerosal Exposure Declines, Autism Rates Increase, and a Note About Myself
Morgan
Jan 8, 2008 at 6:33 pm
After reading through those comments (I think I need a shower), I’d just as soon buy the “TV causes autism” hypothesis.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 8, 2008 at 6:47 pm
From another commenter, call me crazy:
Kathy
Jan 8, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Another party pooper here!
Never went to parties. Just wasn’t my scene.
Unless of course it was a relative or friends birthday party. And they were rather sedate affairs.
Never went to nightclubs. Hardly ever drank.
In fact it is only in the last 5 years that I have developed a taste for good wine with a meal.
Also, a couple of friends who have autistic kids were’nt party goers either.
I never took the pill (or any other medications or drugs) Used the Billings Ovulation( natural) method.
Sheesh! How do they come up with this crap, eh? (Throws hands in the air.)
resilientmom
Jan 8, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Anonymous………hmmmmmmmmm, is the writer afraid he or she might get dragged to a party? What a foolish comment. I always worry that silly people divert the focus from the significant issue that we face every day, and that is autism. No party here.
xR
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 8, 2008 at 7:00 pm
“Party” for me growing up meant “yet another dinner at my grandmother’s house / a Chinese restaurant” and a lot of food.
Tanya
Jan 8, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Another party pooper here…not a drop of alcohol and no drugs.
KimJ
Jan 8, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Party means different things for different people. And there are plenty of people who use/abuse drugs completely unrelated to parties.
I hear more complaints/bragging from other Aspies and autistics that their parents had no friends, didn’t go out and were bookish.
Kathy
Jan 8, 2008 at 7:49 pm
“I hear more complaints/bragging from other Aspies and autistics that their parents had no friends, didn’t go out and were bookish.”
That would be closer to the mark(pun intended) Kim.
My son Mark is very much like his late Uncle Mark(hubby’s brother).He would of been 58 if he were still alive today. He died from stomach cancer about 9 years ago.
We are certain now that he had Aspergers.
“Uncle Mark” never had many friends, and was always considered to be a little odd, not quite fitting in. He had a massive stamp collection that he meticulously catalogued.
He was a homebody. Never partied.. Never drank.
He was on medication for epilepsy.
And, he was never vaccinated.
Mrs. C
Jan 8, 2008 at 7:55 pm
There are SO many things “out there” that weren’t there 100 years ago. Where on earth would anyone start studies on their effects on autism rates?? I’ve just been reading about some of the stuff they put in food and literally I’ve been vomiting all day. (no kidding.)
And could there be an increase in “finding” kids with autism that wasn’t there 20 years ago?? How could you possibly figure out a connection? Even whether someone was a “partier” can be pretty subjective, can it not?
That being said, I don’t want thimerosol in my vaccines OR all this “stuff” in my food. Yuck.
Emily
Jan 8, 2008 at 7:58 pm
You should never read comments! ;)
So, which is it? Are we “refrigerator mothers” or “party monsters”?
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 8, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Neither here—possibly a bit of a chimera…
Liz D.
Jan 8, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Blame the Mommies!!! — Mark II. Or III. or whatever — I’ve lost count.
And my dear Kristina, you may have been a demure homebody, but you are not boring!
Emily
Jan 8, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Momsterators?
Autismville
Jan 8, 2008 at 10:04 pm
My nickname in high school: Chairman of the Bored.
Emily
Jan 8, 2008 at 10:09 pm
I have to admit: mine was “Wild Thing.” Seriously.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 8, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Momstrosities?
Charlie likes his Jimi Hendrix.
Thanks, Liz!
Karen
Jan 9, 2008 at 12:32 am
Oh my goodness, this made me giggle.
I am not a drug user (as my ex, he found me quite boring) and alcohol gives me a rash. I’m fun, huh? :-)
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 9, 2008 at 12:53 am
Just lots of coffee (right now, even) here.
Cliff
Jan 9, 2008 at 2:40 am
Hmm… I could say with certainty that my mom wasn’t a party person (heck, she isn’t). In fact, it’s such a foreign concept it made me laugh. On a similar note, I’m not either (in fact, parties become a matter of survival, with the overbearing stimuli creating such an environment that either I have to withdraw or suffer a migraine, and that’s if I’m lucky (it’d probably be unconsciousness).
Cliff
Regan
Jan 9, 2008 at 3:21 am
Mercy me. That’s quite a grab bag of opinion at the WSJ. Sort of underlines the *unknown-ness* of the etiology. Nice to see Kristina bring the point back to the study under discussion.
Partying…lots of room for subjectiveness there…I suspect that my partying would be considered pretty tame, to say the least.
Eleanor
Jan 9, 2008 at 11:49 am
Party girls, huh? Well, do all-night Dungeons and Dragons games count? Ah, I remember all those glittering 20-sided dice… gatorade… cheetos. Those were the days!
Norah
Jan 9, 2008 at 2:34 pm
My mom wasn’t a party type either and is not now. No drugs, no excessive drinking, no smoking. Autistic, though. Gee… I wonder if that could have something to do with it….
wskrz
Jan 9, 2008 at 11:53 pm
HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAA!!! I’m so boring that I make my cats fall asleep.
Gah. What a ridiculous “hypothesis.” My last “party” was my son’s second birthday. Wow. It took me days to recover from that extravaganza. Someone should have arrested those darn chocolate cupcakes.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 9, 2008 at 11:59 pm
We have kept the last two celebrations totally beyond lowkey—-relief for the mom and the boy as well! There is a limit to how much sprinkle-encrusted soy ice cream cake a by can eat.
Misha
Jan 10, 2008 at 1:17 am
If that’s what anonymous thinks or expects then boy are they going to be sorely disappointed. I’ve long since stopped the wild partying. A “wild” night for me now is enjoying quiet time when the kids are gone for the night. I guess I should be careful I might overdo it.
Becca
Jan 10, 2008 at 2:40 am
Oh, Kristina, all that Chinese food — all that MSG! That must have been it.
My husband and I joke that the rise in autism correlates exactly with the decrease in quality of Stevie Wonder’s music. (I posted as such on the WSJ website.)
A friend said it must have been the diet Coke I drank when pregnant. (The correlation of aspartame/rising autism rates, etc.)
Ugh.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 10, 2008 at 2:46 am
It was mostly Chinese food cooked by my grandmother….but you never know what was in the salted fish…….. Jim was just talking about Stevie Wonder the other day.
Maybe the carbonation in sodas—Charlie did have the hiccups a lot when he was in utero………
Emily
Jan 10, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Misha, your wild nights sound like mine. This wild thing can’t even drink a beer anymore without lapsing into a coma.
Becca, I think my oldest son picked up the Stevie Wonder head-movement habit; he does it perfectly, although unaware that he imitates greatness. Maybe you’re onto something.
Beverly
Jan 10, 2008 at 4:32 pm
I have got a better one! This is actually true. A pastor said that my son’s autism was the result of demonic possession…
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 10, 2008 at 4:39 pm
@Beverly–
That’s been discussed here—perhaps anonymous might we’ve all been attending séances……
Daisy
Jan 10, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Gee, I liked Grinker’s book, too, but I didn’t send him an email about it. I guess I won’t be quoted in the next batch of controversial connections.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 11, 2008 at 12:07 am
@Daisy, be careful, you could be included as an interested party……….
ange
Jan 11, 2008 at 1:08 am
This is too funny. My children’s disabilities are apparently cause by the ultrasound machine (according to my MIL).
I too was Ms. Boring. Still am. No heavy drinking, no drugs, no partying, late nights were about doing papers! I cannot stand the thought of not being in control of my thoughts, so I avoid most things that lead to “letting go.”
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 11, 2008 at 3:34 am
Late nights spent with a dictionary and a Latin or Greek text in my case!
David
Jan 31, 2008 at 10:26 pm
All my kids were exposed to mercury vaccinations and not one of them has Autism…blows that theory!!!!
T
Jul 2, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Read this: http://forums.momstampabay.com/viewtopic.php?t=3430
Notice she doesn’t qualify how thay proved vaccines are the cause?
donald savitz
Jul 16, 2008 at 11:56 am
DAVID; I am sorry that I haven”t gotten around to reading yor comment before. If I could ask you if the place that live has FlUORIDATED water or not. If you see this I would appreciate an comment.
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