Autism, The Story of Conrad Simon
Autism, the signs may not show up or be diagnozed until the child is 2 or 3.
Please visit this website for the story of Conrad Simon, http://conradsimon.org/
Infantile autism is a serious disorder clearly recognizable by age three, but it is defined (or
diagnosed) in terms of a set of
behaviors, not yet by any known impairment of brain function. Failure to learn language is the most
serious aspect of the disorder,
at least for parents who must cope day by day with a non-communicative child.
The prevailing opinion is that autism is caused by an obscure and mysterious combination of bad genes.
Currently there is more
research on chromosome loci associated with autism than on which systems of the brain might be affected.
Many genetic disorders have been found among children with autism, including phenylketonuria, tuberous
sclerosis, and fragile X
syndrome. But children with autism are also found among those with prenatal rubella infection,
and autistic behaviors have been
observed in children with prenatal exposure to alcohol, thalidomide, the anti-seizure medication
valproic acid, and drugs of
abuse. I will argue here
that asphyxia at birth can sometimes be another cause of autism - a most disagreeable notion
for
the medical establishment. I would like to solicit discussion pro and con on this subject.
The focus of research should be to look for areas of the developing brain vulnerable to any and all
factors that can impair function
whether these might be genetic, infectious, or due to toxic substances, or asphyxia.
The auditory system has been found to have the greatest blood flow and metabolism in the brain, and
to be vulnerable to many
factors such as alcohol, lead, mercury, infections and asphyxia at birth. Impairment of auditory function
deserves greater
emphasis in research on failure of language development.
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Conrad died of a heart attack at the age of 31. It is suspected the drugs for his condition contributed to the heart attack.
Haldol (haloperidol) 6 mg/day 3 mg at 8am and 3:30pm An antipsychotic.
Mylicon (simethicone) 80 mg at 8am, 3:30pm, and 7pm a drug used to combat gas in the stomach
and small intestine.
Depakote (valproate) 2000 mg/day 500 mg at 8am and 3:30pm, 1000mg at 7pm valproic
acid, an anticonvulsant, temporary
loss of hair.
Thorazine (chlorpromazine) 1500 mg/day 500 mg at 3:30pm, 7pm, and 8:30pm; Antipsychotic,
muscular stiffness,
constipaton, difficulty in urinating, faintenss on standing, rashes. Some Instant Death Syndrome. Warning not to mix drugs with
other antispsychotic drugs.
Chloral Hydrate 2 grams at 8:30pm sleeping pill
Circumstances of birth:
Conrad was born December 20, 1963. He was born pale and limp, and I remember the anxiety.
I was told Conrad was a "face presentation" - born face first, which was why forceps were
needed for his delivery
Conrad used words and phrases on time, but everything he said was a verbatim recitation of something
he had heard. He recited
nursery rhymes and sang songs in perfect pitch.
Conrad was a classic example of an autistic child, by all current definitions of the syndrome. He was
in special education
programs until age 22 and made great strides in communication, but sadly it was clear he would not become
an independent self-supporting adult. When special education funding ended he was placed in a community
group home where he lived until his
death at age 31.
Investigation of Conrad's Death
"We were shocked to learn that cause of death was due to chlorpromazine (Thorazine) intoxication.
Investigations by the
Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation and the Disabled Persons' Protection Commission included
a review of the
data by an independent toxicologist, who concluded that death may have resulted from a phenothiazine
induced cardiac
conduction block or dysrhythmia.
The most recent orders were written by a psychiatrist who had taken on care of the group home residents
only recently, and who
expressed concern to the investigators about the use of two phenothiazine compounds. Staff of the group
home had been
reluctant to accept a change in medications, claiming that it was this combination that brought clinical
stability to this client over
the past four years.
Conrad's physical health was excellent; he was not overweight, he exercised, and ate well. There was no family history of cardiovascular causes. At his annual physical exam, liver enzymes and other laboratory studies were all within normal limits. According to the autopsy report, there were no significant atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels of the heart.
I reported this case to the Food and Drug Administration, and submitted a 500-word letter-to-the editor
for publication. I received
a form letter from the FDA and a rejection from the journal to which I submitted a letter. We investigated
filing a lawsuit, but
abandoned this when it appeared to be turning into a long, complicated, and futile effort. I am sure
Conrad's is not the only death
so neatly swept under the rug.
I don't understand legal proceedings, but I have now spent much of my life investigating all that is
known about autism. The legal
route did not appear to offer any solutions for better treatment of people with autism; science should.
So I decided my efforts
would be better spent in trying to promote wider understanding of autism based on multi-disciplinary
viewpoints such as the
findings from research on cerebral circulation and metabolism.
Chlorpromazine was introduced nearly half a century ago as a treatment for intractable psychotic illnesses.
It is not a cure and it is
clearly toxic. Its use for treatment of autism would appear to be utterly unwarranted, and based on
totally out-of-date thinking
about therapeutic approaches to working with people with autism spectrum disorders."
Bibliography
(on deaths related to use of anti-psychotic medications):
Hollister LE, Kosek JC: Sudden death during treatment with phenothiazine derivatives. JAMA 1965; 192:1035-1038
Moore MT, Book H: Sudden death in phenothiazine therapy (a clinicopathologic study of 12 cases). Psychiatric Quarterly 1970; 44:389-402
Cancro R, Wilder R: A mechanism of sudden death in chlorpromazine therapy. Am J Psychiatry 1970; 127:368-371
Girdwood RH: Death after taking medicaments. British Medical Journal 1974; 1(906):501-504
Evans DL, Rogers JF, Peiper SC: Intestinal dilation associated with phenothiazine therapy: a case report and literature review. Am J Psychiatry 1979; 136:970-972
Wakasugi C, Nishi K, Yamada M: Sudden death in a patient taking neuroleptics. American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology 1986; 7:165-166
Jusic M, Lader M: Post-mortem antipsychotic drug concentrations and unexplained deaths. British Journal of Psychiatry 1994; 165:787-791
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We need support, Internationally, to help Canada correct or investigate present training of all medical persons who will or intend to be at a mother's birth.
We need support for informed choices, of both parents, that our babies are not being harvested by methods of Active Management.
Search this www.lotusbirth.com web site for : AAP policy, SOGC policy, ACOG policy; Placenta; Fetus to Neonate Circulation; 30-second clamping; World Health Organization and Dupont ; Circumcision ; Dr. Sarah Buckley's Declaration ; Canadian Criminal Codes and when a baby is a person; and any other subject you may be interested in child birth. Search Lotusbirth
(Reference from Protect Babies
http://www.123-baby-birth.com)
Search at Google this web site for the " No Policies " on equal
protection to babies at from the various government officials who appointed representatives to protect
the public on medical
policies and practices; also the "No policies" of the various medical associations, societies,
and colleges did not live up to no
form of discrimination to women or the child of any kind. It is believed they had a duty to have
a policy of equal protection and
security of person, regardless of: age, mental or physical disadvantages ; race, color, social
or marital status of the pregnant
lady ; or belief or faith of the family, or genetic type of blood sought for by medical researchers,
for stem cell matching, and use of
white cells, mature red cells, platelets, enzymes, hormones, and plasma.
contact:
Donna Young, Mother and Grandmother
Home: www.lotusbirth.com
References of research: www.lotusbirth.com/doc/FEB2003Lotusbirth-110.htm
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