On snacks and autism

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