What on Earth is Happening to Our Children? A Therapist's Perspective on a Cultural Change

Beginning my career in the early 1980s, I wasautism spectrum, but also a broader classification
employed by a public school system to providesystem for the diagnosis. The "picture" of the typical
speech and language therapy to school aged childrenautistic child has made dramatic and wide range
within the setting and the time of school attendance.changes in the years since beginning in the field of
The problems that children displayed those 25-plusspeech and language therapy. An extensive review of
years ago would seem to fit into what I would refer tothe medical, professional, and autism interest group
as "traditional" speech and language therapy. By this Iliterature results in a wide diversity of opinion and
mean we saw children who had problems withexplanation to the apparent escalating rise of autism.
articulation (the way that sounds are formed intoOne will find an extreme pivotal range from the most
words), deficits in language knowledge and usage (thetraditional and conservative to the most transitional and
understanding and expression of the system forholistic of theory. There are the ones that state that
encoding and decoding communication information),autism has no cure, while others claim that there is a
difficulties in using fluent speech (stuttering), andcomplete and definite cure.
disorders of the voice (the quality and attributes of theMany medical professionals will explain it as a way of
vocal system). Certainly we had a wide severity range"better diagnoses" or a change in genetics. Some will
for these areas of difficulty, however the number ofblame the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccination given
disabilities that are now diagnosed and treated into children around their 15-16th month. Others believe it
comparison to then is mind-boggling!to be a problem of toxins and chemicals found in the
In today's culture we see a tremendous increase in thefoods eaten and the air breathed. Other less common
incidence and severity of more and more disorderscausation theories exist as well. Trying to formulate
and disabilities. We see comprehension problems,one's own concrete opinion, given the variety of
learning with disabilities, attention disorder, Sensorytheories, can be quite confusing.
Integration Disorder (SID), Dyslexia and Alexia, andWhen we really look at our culture over the past 25
many more. Another increasing disorder is Autism.years, many changes have occurred. Our lifestyles
Let's look at this disorder in detail. In 1980, autism wasand living habits are vastly different. We are now
considered a rare disorder, with an estimated 2-5 per"high-speed" everything: Internet, cell phones,
10,000 people. In 1999, the California Department ofmicrowaves, drive-through eating, etc. In 1940
Developmental Services issued a report entitledprocessed food constituted only 10% of the American
'Changes in the Population of Persons with Autism anddiet, whereas today's diet is 90% processed. A 2005
Pervasive Developmental Disorders in California'sreport issued by the USDA stated every person
Developmental Services System: 1987 through 1998'should consume between 5 to 13 servings of fresh
which reported a 273% increase in DSM-IV full-criteriavegetables and fruits daily. But what is the average
autism cases enrolled in their program during that 10American person of today feeding their body? A
year period of time. Currently, 1 in every 150 children willrecent national survey indicated that 40% of American
be diagnosed with autism, a disorder that bringspeople eat NO fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily
heartache and chaos to basic family dynamics.basis! In knowing that, is it a wonder that we have a
As noted earlier, my career began in a public systemrise in health, learning, and developmental disabilities as
setting where I traveled between several differentwe do in this country? Illnesses such as cancer;
schools to provide speech and language therapy tolearning disabilities such as dyslexia; and developmental
school aged children. At that time, there was only ONEdifferences such as autism.
diagnosed case of Autism in the WHOLE schoolSo, in summary, what is happening to our children and
system, and I was assigned to his case. Today one willto our culture? Why are more and more children
find numerous diagnosed cases of Autism in everydiagnosed with medical, emotional, and/or learning
school! One may wonder what is happening to causedisorders? Are the modern advances and
such a dramatic increase in this relatively new disability.conveniences in our culture contributing to weaker
As a therapist, I have not only noted theminds and bodies? These are very big questions, ones
unprecedented increase in the diagnosis of autism orI cannot confirm or deny. But one thing is certain -
one of the various diagnostic labels that fall within thechanges are happening with our children.