The Age of Autism: The Amish anomaly

The Washington Times ^ | April 18, 2005 | Dan Omstead

[agsloss]

Lancaster, PA, Apr. 18 (UPI) -- Part 1 of 2. Where are the autistic Amish? Here in Lancaster County, heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, there should be well over 100 with some form of the disorder. I have come here to find them, but so far my mission has failed, and the very few I have identified raise some very interesting questions about some widely held views on autism. The mainstream scientific consensus says autism is a complex genetic disorder, one that has been around for millennia at roughly the same prevalence. That prevalence is now considered to be 1 in every 166 children born in the United States. Applying that model to Lancaster County, there ought to be 130 Amish men, women and children here with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Well over 100, in rough terms. Typically, half would harbor milder variants such as Asperger's Disorder or the catch-all Pervasive Development Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified -- PDD-NOS for short. So let's drop those from our calculation, even though "mild" is a relative term when it comes to autism. That means upwards of 50 Amish people of all ages should be living in Lancaster County with full-syndrome autism, the "classic autism"...

-snip-

I have identified three Amish residents of Lancaster County who apparently have full-syndrome autism, all of them children. A local woman told me there is one classroom with about 30 "special-needs" Amish children. In that classroom, there is one autistic Amish child. Another autistic Amish child does not go to school. The third is that woman's pre-school-age daughter. If there were more, she said, she would know it. What I learned about those children is the subject of the next column.

[agsloss]

Apparently autism is nonexistent in Amish who do not vaccinate, but is seen in the younger Amish who do vaccinate. (I apologize for the poor editing of the above article--it's my first post).

[dennisw]

xxxxx

[AppyPappy]

What evidence leads you to believe they don't vaccinate?

[Egon]

Ping.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[ikka]

My parents, of somewhat conservative Mennonite background, did not have me vaccinated against most childhood diseases.

I have gone through mumps, measles, chickenpox at the least, from what I can remember.

While my hearing is not perfect, that is probably due to an ear infection I had when I was two.

I am strong like bull and very rarely get sick; when I feel something coming on I drink more water and try to eat some spicy food, and that clears it up for me.

[ikka]

They usually don't. My grandfather (Mennonite) wasn't certain if he should put lightning rods on his barn, since he didn't want to interfere with God's will if God should decide to strike his barn.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

interesting article

[blackdog]

I live among Amish farmers and they sure as heck do vaccinate their babies/toddlers. I hate it when they bottle up my doctors office because they all come at once in a van with back to back appointments spanning two plus hours. They do take very good care of their children and afford them many hours of play and attention.

[agere_contra]

This is interesting. My godchild is autistic, and we believe it may be due to the MMR hab (the combined Mumps Measle Rubella jab). Do the younger Amish use vaccinations preserved with a mercury compound?

[Explodo]

So I guess you're going to next provide yet more anecdotal evidence that Autism is caused by Vaccinations?

Ok...Post it...You obviously have something you want to say...Say it so it can be stepped on... Honestly, WE are fighting a whooping cough epidemic in the northland due to the incompetent freaks who fall for this bunk...

[Mack the knife]

"What evidence leads you to believe they don't vaccinate?"

---

It is part of their culture -- they reject eveything modern, including electricity and automobiles (they still drive horse n buggy). They claim a religious exemption from otherwise "mandatory" vaccinations.

Curiously enough, in spite of the on-going controversy about vaccinations, no one had asked this question before.

[Koblenz]

They usually don't. My grandfather (Mennonite) wasn't certain if he should put lightning rods on his barn, since he didn't want to interfere with God's will if God should decide to strike his barn.

But why was it not against God's will to disturb the field and cut down the trees to make boards to make the barn?

[netmilsmom]

Everyone may think I am bizzare but I feel that many of the children who are diagnosed with Autism, actually have had too much input from tv and the brains developed differently.

I may be wrong but my Great-Nephew was recently diagnosed and he repeats everything on tv.

[agsloss]

See Part 2 of the article, which I just posted.

[YankeeinOkieville]

What evidence leads you to believe they don't vaccinate?

I don't know about Agsloss's experience but having midwifed for over 10 years for both 'Old Order' and 'Swartzendruber' Amish as well as a Mennonite community, I can definitely say that the more traditional the community the more resistant to such things.

[colorcountry]

I'm sure I'll be flamed for this, but I didn't have my children vaccinated. (mostly because I was young and against doing anything someone told me I "had" to do)

The 5 of them have grown into very healthy adults, with strong immune systems. My 4 immunized granchildren are not so lucky. They have allergies, ongoing ear infections, and at 4 years old, my grandson got leukemia.

[peacebaby]

very interesting artlcle. My daughter was first thought to have Asberger's disorder....I'll look forward to the next column.

[bboop]

Thanks -- GREAT post, very interesting.