Causes of Autism Survey

Causes of Autism Survey
by Autism Coach

We invite you to complete our brief survey on what you believe caused your child or you to be diagnosed within the autism spectrum.
In 2004, I surveyed Autism Coach customers to determine what customers believed was the cause of their child's autism. 
Five years later, in 2009, we now have 1 in 91 children diagnosed between the ages of 3 and 17 diagnosed within the autism spectrum.  We need to know more than ever what is causing this high incidence of autism. 

If you could email back your responses to autismcoach@comcast.net, you can help others by sharing your history and story.
Because everyone these days is strapped for time, I'm keeping it short:
1.  I believe my child's autism diagnosis or my own diagnosis was caused by (if you select more than one, please list in order of priority):
A.  Immunization of child, if yes, please specify which immunization(s)
B.  Genetic condition
C.  Environmental toxins (downwind from a coal fire power plant, living in a heavily polluted area, etc.)
D.  Immunization of parent (during pregnancy or in the military, for example)
E.  Illness (of child or parent during pregnancy)
F.  Other (if other, please specify)

Please feel free to share your story, as this information can help other parents make decisions concerning their children. 
Optional questions for parents, if you have time:
2.  What year was your child diagnosed?  At what age?
3.  When did symptoms first appear?
4.  How old is your child now?
5.  What diagnosis does do they currently have?
6.  How are they doing in school, home, and/or work?
7.  What therapies, supplements, other strategies do you feel were most helpful?
8.  What therapies, supplements do you feel did not make a positive difference or were harmful?
9.  If you are a parent or guardian and had one piece of advice to give a parent or guardian whose child was just diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, what would it be?
Optional questions for adolescents and adults diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder:
2.  What year were you diagnosed?  At what age?
3.  When did symptoms first appear?
4.  How old is you now?
5.  What diagnosis does do you currently have?
6.  How are you doing in school, home, and/or work?
7.  What therapies, supplements, other strategies do you feel were most helpful?
8.  What therapies, supplements do you feel did not make a positive difference or were harmful?
9.  If you had one piece of advice to give to another person on the autism spectrum and one piece of advice to a parent whose child had just been diagnosed on the autism spectrum, what would you pieces of advice be?

To my surprise the 2004 survey ended up being included the Wikipedia Autism entry for several years.  Evidently no-one had bothered to ask parents about their own observations concerning their children.

This is an opportunity for you to have a voice  and share your story.  It is intended to be filled out by parents or guardians of children diagnosed with the autism spectrum.  It may also be filled out by adolescents or adults who are diagnosed within the autism spectrum.

For those of you who choose to respond, thank you for sharing your stories and by doing so helping others in the autism community.  The responses will be made public on the Autism Coach web site.  We will be accepting responses through November 30, 2009. 
If you answered the 2004 survey, feel free to respond again - your contribution made a difference and will do so for 2009 survey! 

Again, to complete it, just email your response to the above question or if you have time the additional questions to autism.coach@comcast.net. 

Thank you again,
Sue Bennett
Autism Coach