On snacks and autism

This is in response to Mr. Sunarto Prawirosujanto's letter entitled Snacks and autism, which was published in The Jakarta Post of Jan. 18, 2002, and is a comment on Ms. Santi Hendrawati's article entitled Snacks: Delicious but dangerous (The Post, Jan. 2, 2002.

Just for the record and to put certain things straight, I have not read Ms. Santi Hendrawati's article, as the newspaper delivery man was still on leave. However, having been involved in writing and conducting seminars on autism, I can say that the problem of autism doesn't just involve monosodium glutamate (MSG), but also the whole bunch of food additives (preservatives, coloring & flavoring agents, emulsifiers, stabilizers and what have you).

I also have no data of the snacking habits of Korean, Taiwanese or Singaporean children or how much MSG and other food additives are consumed by them. But I do know that controls on the use of food additives and food production in these countries are strictly observed and strictly monitored by the government. This is not the case in Indonesia. Add to this the fact that the level of food intolerance varies from one person to another.

The authorities here may not acknowledge this fact, but autism is on the rise in Indonesia. You don't need polls and surveys (which are difficult to come by anyway in Indonesia) to realize this. Just try to make an appointment with one of the doctors who specializes in treating autistic children and you will see that it takes a wait of two months to three months before the doctor can see you.

If one doctor sees three new autistic patients every day (this I know to be a fact), calculate how many new autistic patients are discovered every year in Indonesia. And then try to talk with one of the mothers of an autistic child to see how certain special diets have brought such amazing improvements to her child.

While I agree with Mr. Sunarto that there is no need for alarm in eating snacks, I also see no harm in being selective about the food you eat.

HIANG MARAHIMIN

Assistant Chief Editor

Nirmala Magazine

Jakarta