Life, Animated: There's More to Say About Autism

Life, Animated just premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The documentary tells the story of a nonverbal autistic boy who begins to speak when his family connects to him through his passion for Disney movies and characters. Life, Animated left audiences moved and inspired and won the directing award for U.S. documentaries. The film is a great success, but Owen, who is now 23, is still greatly impaired.

Owen was developing normally--speaking, playing, and socially engaged up until about the age of 3. And then, for some reason, he stopped talking and engaging socially. This is not typical of most nonverbal autistics. This is a form of the disorder called regressive autism, and is much less common--only about 25%-30% of cases. This was not discussed in the movie. It is not clear that the parents or even the doctors and therapists were aware of it. No one raised the simple question: why did this boy, who was developing normally, regress and stop talking? What is he now missing that is required for healthy development? Or, what is present that is interfering with healthy and normal development?   

I don’t hear Owen’s parents and therapist asking these questions, and if they are, this was not included in the film. Has anyone measured Owen’s blood looking for toxins? Have they tried to avoid chemical exposures that have already been linked to an increased risk of autism?  It appears not.

It also appears that there have not been any attempts made to improve Owen’s diet. Owen uses a cell phone and keeps it on his bedside table at night. Have the parents, doctors, or therapists read any of the peer reviewed and published research on the health effects of wireless radiation and how they match the symptoms of autism?

There is no mention of other autistic children who have improved and recovered using other behavioral therapies, or a wide range of treatments that address diet, environmental factors, inflammation, immune function, and infection. There is is no mention of doctors who have autism prevention programs and have lower rates of autism in their practices. No mention of other countries with lower autism rates, and why that might be.

Many parents feel that if they just had more money and time and access to good doctors, their child could improve. But if you are familiar with autism and other cases of improvement and recovery, by contrast, this story demonstrates that even well intentioned and well-off families can lack awareness and miss opportunities. If anything, they are surrounded and entrapped by professionals they trust too much, but who are not current in their understanding of autism.

In 2011, a Stanford twins study showed that the majority of factors that contributed to autism were environmental and not genetic, as people had previously assumed. And yet, many doctors and therapists are not even aware of this landmark study.  

Our health and performance are impacted by our diet and our environment. The good news is that we can change these things, and we can reevaluate our past choices and assumptions which may have, at one time, appeared correct, and align them with what is known to be true today.

Stories, especially Disney stories, are not just for our entertainment. They are written to model paths to overcoming setbacks and creating change in our lives. They can provide insights to help us break free from behaviors and beliefs that are not serving us. Owen’s story does provide some hope and inspiration that autistic children can improve, but it misses the opportunity to enlighten us about the full range of factors that are driving the autism epidemic.  

I hope that Owen and all other autistic children can recover and realize their true potential. But in order to make this happen, we cannot hide in a world of fantasy and distraction, or in the comforting routine of doing the same things over and over. When we make enough changes to see our children improve and recover and the autism rate goes down, then and only then can we finally rest and know that we have been heroes and heroines for our children in the real world.

References
 

[1] Life, Animated (Sundance 2016 - Directing Award: U.S. Documentary)

[2] Regressive Autism

[3] Herbert, Martha R., and Cindy Sage. "Autism and EMF? Plausibility of a pathophysiological link–Part I."Pathophysiology 20.3 (2013): 191-209.

[4] Herbert, Martha R., and Cindy Sage. "Autism and EMF? Plausibility of a pathophysiological link Part II."Pathophysiology 20.3 (2013): 211-234.

[5] The Kids Who Beat Autism - New York Times (July 31, 2014)

[6] Non-verbal autistic boys speaks 3 days after removing constant wireless exposures

[7] Hallmayer, Joachim, et al. "Genetic heritability and shared environmental factors among twin pairs with autism." Archives of general psychiatry 68.11 (2011): 1095-1102.

[8] Top 5 Autism Suspects and How to Avoid Them

[9] The Emerging Link Between Wireless and Autism

Campus Safety: How to Survive and Thrive in the Wireless Era

When my oldest son went to college last year, we gave him and some of his friends a copy of the book “The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: College.”  The book covers a wide range of topics from how to do laundry to how to deal with a nightmare roommate.  The only problem is that it was missing information on the newest campus safety issue that concerned me the most: wireless radiation. This paper will present simple tips for surviving and thriving in wireless environments in college. Most of these tips also apply to elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, home, and work environments.

Cell towers

Find the cell tower(s) on or near your campus and minimize your time near them to reduce exposure to microwaves . If you have the ability to choose your dorm, consider the distance to cell towers as one of the most important deciding factors. Ideally, you would not want to be in a dorm that was within a quarter mile of a cell tower, and the further away the better (go to  antennasearch.com to find the cell tower(s) in your area).

Wi-Fi

Many classrooms and lecture halls have Wi-Fi routers installed inside them. Sit as far away from Wi-Fi routers as you can.  

If you can choose your location in your dorm, ask for one that is as far from the Wi-Fi router as possible. The ends of buildings may often have lower Wi-Fi levels than the middle. To measure the signal strength and the number of signals you are exposed to in each location, you can walk around the building with your phone or laptop and watch the Wi-Fi signal level(s) rise and fall.

Cell phone

Part of your wireless (microwave frequency) exposure comes from your cell phone, even when you are not using it. Buy a phone that has a low SAR (specific absorption rate) rating. Radiation levels drop off quickly--every time you double the distance, the radiation level goes down by 75%. Conversely, moving twice as close (for example, from two inches to one inch away) will quadruple the radiation level. This is why the FCC and the cell phone manufacturers warn you to always keep your phone at least 5 mm (about two-tenths of an inch) from your body. (See the “show the fine print” website to look up the exact distance for your phone).

Carrying the phone on your body will likely increase your exposure to a level above the FCC’s guidelines. Try to develop a habit of not carrying your phone in your hand, pocket, bra, or any other place that is in contact with your body. A good solution is to keep your phone in a backpack or purse as much as possible. If you must carry your phone in your hand, pocket, or bra, turn the phone to airplane mode and make sure Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are off.  If the phone really must be on and against your body, use a shielding product like a Blocsoc.

When you use your phone, either text, use speakerphone, or use an airtube headset to avoid exposure near your head. You can also turn off the stronger LTE connection to reduce exposure (on the iPhone->Settings->Cellular-“Enable LTE”->Off). Another option is to  use Apple’s iMessage or Google Voice texting to keep up with text messages on your computer, ideally from a wired connection.

Computer

Spending hours working with a laptop can dramatically increase your stress and EMF exposure. Also, after sunset, it can increase your exposure to blue light, which can disrupt your circadian rhythms and sleep cycle. To prevent this, you can install a free app called f.lux to reduce blue light exposure at night.

Working on your laptop while it is plugged in and charging will increase your exposure to harmful electric fields, so use it unplugged as much as possible. If you have a wired Ethernet connection available, use that and turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. If you only have a Wi-Fi Internet connection, turn it off when you don’t need to connect to the Internet. This is also a great tactic for removing distraction and interruptions when you need to focus. Place your laptop on a desk, instead of your lap. If this is not an option, consider a shield like a HaraPad to put under your computer, especially if you are using Wi-Fi. The HaraPad can also be kept right against your back in a backpack to protect your body from cell phone exposure if your cell phone is on and in your backpack.

Electromagnetic Fields and Electrical Noise

Keep LED electric clocks (a major source of magnetic fields) and light and power cords as far from your bed as possible, especially away from your head. An Alan Maher Designs Tech Ground Mini is a great device to plug into a dorm room outlet to reduce electrical noise and field effects in the room.  Another Alan Maher Designs product that would be useful on campus is a shoe insert that can filter electrical noise around the body and in the nervous system. This is a discrete and very effective way to stay calm and keep your brain and nervous system sharp and focused.

I hope these tips help you survive and thrive in your college years and beyond.