The time has come for Wally Hill’s fourth annual art show at the Gathering Grounds. Inasmuch as April is autism awareness month, it is especially wonderful to have the awareness focus on Wally’s art ability more than his autism—as it will at his show. Nevertheless, as I am always trying to increase awareness about autism, I’d like to share some information on the topic. When Walter received his diagnosis in 1996, one in 5,000 children were diagnosed with autism; in 2013, the number in Arizona alone was one in 64. Clearly, this is an increase that bears scrutiny.
The vaccine controversy rages on, with study after study claiming that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) shot is safe, but the studies test the MMR in isolation, given separately, and that is not the way it happens at the Well Baby checkups. In fact, when I objected to the number of shots given, I was told that they had to be given together because the parents couldn’t be trusted to be compliant if the visits for the shots were spread out. Now the pendulum has swung, and it is the doctors who aren’t trusted by the parents.
Parents are rightly concerned with the safety of the shots their children receive. A finding of the vaccine strain of measles in the guts of children with autism has been made and duplicated by independent labs around the world. Attacking the doctor who first found this and destroying his career does not change the fact that it was found; it is reprehensible and, frankly, counterproductive. The MMR remains suspect.
It is ironic that the safety of the child is not the critical issue in this tug of war. It would appear that giving the shots separately is the ideal for studies meant to prove their safety, but not in practice. This is flawed science with manipulated results. The focus needs to be shifted to safety first; this would go far toward reestablishing trust.
There is more than vaccine safety involved though, and an interesting study is being proposed that shows the relationship between C-sections, premature deliveries, and autism. This connection has been posited by a Polish and a Finnish study, and, of all things, one by a veterinary specialist from UC Davis named John Madigan who treats neonatal maladjustment syndrome (NMS) in newborn foals. NMS can occur as a result of insufficient time in the constricted birth canal, resulting in a failure to bond, marked detachment, in a word—autism. Madigan uses a squeeze procedure, which causes a chemical switch to be thrown that reduces the levels of neurosteroids that limit fetal movement and promotes sleep in the womb. When Madigan is called in to treat a foal exhibiting symptoms of NMS, he uses this same procedure. After a few minutes of squeezing, the baby horse falls asleep, and when it awakens it seeks out its mother to interact and feed. This is amazing—a simple procedure that works every time with the 5 percent of newborn horses so affected. Would that this method could be employed with all the babies born by C-section, and the “preemies,” too. Where it is now in use, it is called “kangaroo care.” Behavioral abnormalities that resemble autism vanish. Turns out we can learn a lot from the animals.
Wally certainly has his own perspective on the natural world, and you will enjoy seeing that he has branched out from his bird drawings into the wider animal kingdom. I hope you’ll make time to take in the show. The artist will be demonstrating his technique at a reception on April 9 from 5 to 7 p.m. Come on by and shake his hand. The experience will expand your awareness and touch your heart, I promise.
See page 20 for information about Wally’s April exhibit at the Gathering Grounds.