Dr Yazbak also figured in the critique of the Eric Fombonne study out of Canada, with its moving of the goal posts as well (from one town to another): prnewswire.com/news-releases/newly-released-canadian-study-links-vaccine-with-[PDD].

Also a good source: fourteenstudies.org

Joseph and Sullivan: Re increase:
(1) A recent study out of California found it was not just due to better or wider diagnosing:
ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/news
This study seems to date to 2002; I think there has been a more recent one out of the M.I.N.D. Institute of U of Cal at Davis, but I haven’t been able to source it right now.

As for reports of school districts being stretched terribly for special needs ed, Anne Dachel has researched this matter quite a bit. Her email address: adachel06@yahoo.com.

Good luck – and thanks to both of you for your interest in this matter.

Subsequent meet-ups, reunions, newspaper articles and facebook profiles indicate that the a sizeable number of the people I went to school with have since recieved significant diagnosis, even though the traits they were diagnosed for were in existance at school. In some cases these traits would often result in detention. Very few were in the Special Ed class like they would be now.

Even now, I’ve came across professionals who absolutely refuse to have their officially diagnosed children statemented, even though they know it’s probably the best way for their child.

But in following this issue for some years now, I have been struck with the ‘anecdotal evidence’ from many long-time teachers around the country that they never saw the number of ‘developmentally disabled’ kids coming through years ago that they have been seeing these days. And I know when I was in high school, in the early 50s, there was nowhere’s near the incidence of such kids as there are these days – an incidence that is breaking many school systems’ budgets, and making it difficult to find sufficient teachers trained to deal with the ‘developmentally challenged’ now coming through.

@Stan: Do you have a reference supporting this claim that special education is breaking school systems’ budgets?

Even if it’s true for some school here or there, if this were a widespread issue, then we’d be able to clearly see that in IDEA statistics, for example, wouldn’t we?

What we see instead is that the total population of students in special education has been roughly stable, relative to population growth.

The “anecdotal” evidence you claim exists (is it documented anywhere?) does not tell us much either. Teachers would have to recall back one generation and try to diagnose or rediagnose children from memory. Would they even be qualified to do that if they had perfect recollection?

And contrary to reports, the studies ruling out the vaccine line are not all that strong; and some have been so obviously ‘methodologically flawed’ as to make it appear that it was on purpose. Not helpful in scientific terms either.

In my experience, anti-vax critiques of papers are typically just laundry lists of (known) limitations that don’t explain away the results.

For a paper critique to be worthwhile, in my view, it should point out something the authors overlooked that could completely change the interpretation of the results.

You’re welcome to provide examples, though.

and I know when I was in high school, in the early 50s, there was nowhere’s near the incidence of such kids as there are these days

Do you realize that in the 1950’s, there was no mandate that the schools had to accept and teach disabled children?

If we just stay with the main issue – about the incidence of ASD rising or not in the last 20 years or so – I feel that the clear potential answer was, indeed, clouded by a change in the criteria; extending it to include a larger range of PDDs. Not helpful in scientific terms. But in following this issue for some years now, I have been struck with the ‘anecdotal evidence’ from many long-time teachers around the country that they never saw the number of ‘developmentally disabled’ kids coming through years ago that they have been seeing these days. And I know when I was in high school, in the early 50s, there was nowhere’s near the incidence of such kids as there are these days – an incidence that is breaking many school systems’ budgets, and making it difficult to find sufficient teachers trained to deal with the ‘developmentally challenged’ now coming through.

So something has happened. The question is what. What has changed?

Any manner of things have changed. But in terms of brain damage, there are few likely culprits. And since brain damage HAS been sourced back to vaccines in the early days (50s-60s-70s), there is every good reason to believe that the increase in the vaccine schedule in the late 80s/early 90s – and the change in ingredients in the vaccines – is a major suspect in a true increase of ASD, not just due to a change in the official profile.

Yes, pesticides can be involved. Yes, mercury in the environment other than in vaccines can be involved. Yes, EMFs can be involved. Even pre-natal ultrasounds can be involved. (All of these factors have increased over the years.) But it is not far-fetched to suspect the role of vaccines in this tragedy – in this tragedy for the adults affected and children alike. So the whole range of causal possibilities needs to be addressed. And contrary to reports, the studies ruling out the vaccine line are not all that strong; and some have been so obviously ‘methodologically flawed’ as to make it appear that it was on purpose. Not helpful in scientific terms either.