Most people by now have heard the disturbing news regarding the explosion of autism diagnoses in the United States in recent years. People understand that 1 in every 88 children born in the country is ultimately diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, and when a trend like this one is uncovered it tends to send medical researchers scrambling as they attempt to find out what is happening and why it is happening. That’s why recent years have led to the unveiling of several different hypotheses as to why so many American children are diagnosed with autism, and while some of them do not seem to be serious, others very much are and they are met with surprise if not shock.
One such revelation was recently made in an article published by The Daily Beast’s online magazine known as Women in the World. The long and detailed article was not even necessarily written to focus on autism, but instead was written to explore the potential dangers of pregnant women having several ultrasound scans done while their children are in the womb. However, the piece goes on to describe what appears to be a growing concern among medical professionals regarding the possibility that the waves that are sent into the mother’s womb by these ultrasound machines could have something to do with this skyrocketing autism rate.
Specifically, the article stated that ultrasound waves were discovered to have had a significant effect on the way that brain cells develop in mice, and that those who made this discovery decided that they needed to publicize it because of its potential scope. In addition, independent analysis has shown that ultrasound waves are eight times more intense than they were prior to the year 1991, which roughly coincides with the rise in autism rates both in the United States and around the world. Finally, the article points out that countries with universal healthcare often have pregnant women undergo a regular series of ultrasound scans while pregnant, and that these countries have autism rates that are even higher than the one that currently exists in the United States.
Clearly, much more needs to be learned with regards to the potential link between ultrasound scans and the autism rate. However, women who are pregnant should not simply assume that the more ultrasound scans they receive, the better off their child will be during the pregnancy. Instead, women in this position should ask direct questions of their doctors regarding the potential risk for harm before simply allowing all of this to happen.
In the meantime, we hope that more can be learned with regards to this topic. We have represented too many families over the years as New York medical malpractice lawyers who have wondered how and why their child could have ever contracted autism. In some situations, there has been an answer, and the team at The Fitzgerald Law Firm hopes that we continue to fight this powerful enemy until it’s defeated.