- EDMONTON - Despite signs
of a sharp rise in children diagnosed with autism, Canada is doing nothing
to track the number of children with the disorder, says the president of
Autism Society Canada.
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- Lisa Simmermon said that her association now relies on
statistics from education departments in three provinces - Saskatchewan,
Quebec and B.C.
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- All three provinces have seen a steep rise in the number
of students with the disorder. In Saskatchewan there was an 80-per-cent
increase in just two school years.
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- "B.C. has seen an amazing rise in the number of
cases as well," said Simmermon, the mother of a 14-year-old autistic
son.
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- However, what's needed is a full survey that includes
preschoolers and adults, one that can track the rise of the disorder, she
said.
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- Such a survey appears unlikely. Health Canada says it
doesn't have the money to do it. Statistics Canada said it would take 10
years to organize such a survey as part of the census.
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- Finding out how widespread autism is should be a government
priority, said Simmermon.
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- "If the numbers continue to grow like this, it's
incredibly important to our health system, our education system and our
social service system in the long term," she said.
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- Sherry Miller, head of the Alberta Autism Association,
said there are no good numbers on Alberta cases.
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- Autism is a complex brain disorder that often inhibits
a person's ability to communicate, respond to surroundings or form relationships.
Most sufferers need lifelong supervision and care.
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- In California, autism is the fastest-growing disability
the state government deals with. Between 1987 and 2003, the state autism
program saw its clientele grow by 634 per cent.
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- What's not clear is how much the new nubmers are driven
by better diagnosis, rather than a rise in the condition among young children.
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- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta
says it doesn't know if autism is becoming more common but that more children
are being diagnosed with the condition.
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- Simmermon said a new research report last week on the
causes of autism, which suggested a link with a preservative used in some
vaccines, will add to parents' confusion about the causes of the condition.
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- The new study contradicts many studies that found no
link between the preservative, thimerosal, and autism. A Danish study found
the incidence of autism in Denmark rose after thimerosal was removed from
vaccines in 1990.
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- "Unfortunately it will likely be many years to come
before we get to the real answers," said Miller.
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