Response to 'Autism: The hidden epidemic?'

Reader response to the NBC News/MSNBC special report 'Autism: The hidden epidemic?' was enormous. Many e-mail comments were from parents who have a child or children affected by autism. Others reflected concerns about the causes of the disorder. Below is a selection of the e-mails we’ve received. Some have been edited for length. When readers refer to a specific feature, a link to the story has been provided.

I cannot thank you enough for reporting on autism. It is a devastating disorder. When first diagnosed, you are overwhelmed by the knowledge that your child will not reach many of the obvious, and subtle, milestones most children blithely achieve: attending a regular education class, participating in Boy Scouts, playing with the children on the block, or sharing thoughts about — anything.
Many of these are hopes and dreams that you did not know you had, until you realized they were lost. But, in their place are hopes and dreams you never thought you would have — goals and milestones that your child has or will or may achieve. And, each achievement is wonderful.
— Catherine Stevenson Garcia

Your features on autism have been wonderful. As the mother of autistic triplets (2 of 3 diagnosed) I am pleased to see this topic discussed. Parents do feel very isolated and it's nice to know that so many others share the pain and frustrations of having a child diagnosed. I am also glad to see ABA therapy being stressed in a few of your segments. In my opinion it should have a place of its own as the best treatment for this disorder. Vitamins and diet are shots in the dark ... but this is a proven educational method. In three months of the ABA therapy my son went from not communicating at all to communicating using around 20 or so words! As a parent of autistic sons I can tell you this is a major break through. The next huge push will be for ABA therapists in the public schools. Parents will demand to have the therapy used that their children have received in the early years. I consider myself lucky, both my sons are rather high functioning.

P.S. Please show a child having an autistic melt down so my mother-in-law will appreciate what we go through on a daily basis.
— Veronica Scantrus

I will be following this story closely as I have not one but two beautiful nephews with autism.  I would love to see some heavy debate about the (what I consider from the bottom of my heart) not merely possible but probable connection between the vaccine program and the rising rate of this "disorder." My nephews were absolutely perfect babies. Perhaps the reason autism crosses all cultural borders is because the vaccine program does too. I have read the Japanese wait till their children are two years of age before administering vaccines in order to let the baby's brain and nervous system develop uninterrupted. Really, think about the increasingly numerous shots that are given to our children. It was only recently (couple years?) that the toxic mercury (thimerosol) was removed as the primary preservative from the vaccines. I don't know ... it's just such a magnanimous assault on all of us as a society if there is any truth to this theory that is being dismissed or covered up. Perhaps it takes an NBC executive's own child or grandchild being affected to get some truth out to us as catastrophic as it might be?  Let the government now take financial responsibilty for all the vaccine damaged children, not just those who suffered damage from the once dirty vaccine known as the DPT shot.
— Joanne

MORE FROM AUTISM: THE HIDDEN EPIDEMIC?

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