Rising Developmental Disability Rates, Specifically in ADHD and Autism, Natural Diets Show Promise
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently conducted a study which aimed at analyzing the evolution of developmental disability rates among American children, over a period of 11 years, from 1997 to 2008. The study noted a steady increase in the prevalence of these disorders: while about 12.8% of American children suffered from some form of developmental disability in the 1997-1999 period, that figure grew to 15% in the period between 2006 and 2008, which translates to roughly ten million affected US children. Some parents taking matters into their own hands, choosing the natural route with their children, including protocols like a raw food diet, have reversed autism and other disorders in some reported cases.
This staggering increase in diagnosis has led Dr. Coleen Boyle, head of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at CDC, to declare that the research is merely pointing out a health issue that needs to be addressed, and that "Children are our future, and many of these children can grow up to be very productive citizens, so we need to invest in programs to help facilitate their development." The study reveals the fact that ADHD and autism are the leading disorders to have increased in prevalence among young children.
While autism diagnoses have jumped 0.19% in the 2006-2008 period, when compared to 1997-1999, and ADHD diagnoses have risen from 5.7 to 7.6 between the aforementioned reference periods, a number of other developmental disorders that could be controlled or reversed are also affecting children.
Dr. Boyle's study has taken note of various intellectual disabilities, learning disorders, seizures, cerebral palsy, along with other impairing conditions that have plagued children in the 1997-2008 time span, according to parental reports.
The exact causes of these deficiencies are still the subject of much debate, as the scientific community has yet to reach a consensus. Although there are clear indicators that autism, for example, has a strong genetic basis, numerous factors such as inadequate nutrition, heavy metal poisoning, prenatal exposure to toxic substances, pesticides and drug use are cited as possible causes.
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