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ASPIRES
Recent Media Coverage of AS & Related Articles
We
will list the current media coverage for the last 30 days at the
beginning of this page as well as in our section below. This will be
updated on the first day of every month. A.S.P.I.R.E.S.
does not endorse these articles. We share them with you for
informational purposes only.
06-28-2009
 |
Age of Autism Adds Military Category - I
have been reading
Age of
Autism since it’s inception as
Rescue Post. I am proud of Age of Autism. I’ve
witnessed incredible growth of the world’s only
autism daily web newspaper both in the
information put forth, and in the readership and
the ensuing dialogue in comments. I am
especially proud of Age of Autism for embracing
and opening the door, for the mutual support of
both the military and civilian communities with
regard to all things autism. It is an honor to
share that Age of Autism will have a new
category; the Military Category.
|
 |
All about the music - Chart-topping Kiwi
band Goldenhorse has broken up, so what next for
co- founder
Geoff Maddock? He reveals his new plans.
Geoff Maddock takes a while to warm up just like
his favourite music. Listen to the score he
wrote for Kiwi short film This is Her. A note
here. A note there. It's like suddenly becoming
aware it's raining. "I love that," says Maddock,
co-founder of chart-topping band Goldenhorse.
"When things just sort of ease in, slip in,
cruise in." |
 |
Autism cruises - Looking to go on a cruise
but thought there was no way. Great news is
here!
There is an organization, Autism
on the Seas that has paired up with Royal
Caribbean International to have "autism
cruises". These are regular cruises to
places such as Alaska and even a Disney cruise.
They have wonderful
features such as PECS for the cruise,
experienced staff, and cruise Social Stories.
For dining they have early seating, and same
table/seating and wait staff to help with
continuity. There are a host of other features
that will make this a pleasurable vacation for
the whole family. They also have
flexible payment plans . |
 |
Autism safety program by Autism Speaks -
Lisa Jo Rudy,
Informal Education Examiner and
About.com’s Guide to
Autism writer, posted a
blog about the new
Autism Safety program from
Autism Speaks and asked readers to review
the program. The program which is offered
under Autism Speaks’
Family ervices website has an abundance of
tips for keeping those who have an Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD) out of trouble when
local police or mbulances arrive during a
crisis. |
 |
Autistic adults cracking 'code' to working world
- On any given Tuesday night, St. Michael’s
Harbour Inc. in Hermitage serves as a haven for
about 10 young adults with autism spectrum
disorder who are delving into the world of work.
That’s when the peer groups meet as part of the
agency’s Transition to Adulthood Program. The
20-somethings get together to talk about their
trials and triumphs and share a few laughs.
They’re just like any other young adults hoping
to find a job that they like where they can make
a living. They just need a little help to get
there. “With autism, you see things in a
different light,” said John Dutcher, 25, of
Sharon. “Autism is not a bad thing.”
|
 |
Autistic kids Laugh Differently - According
to a recent article written in
TheTimesOfIndia, children with autism have
only one type of laughter. The article goes on
to state that neuro- typical,
or children without autism, have two types of
laughter. As the parent of 6 children, 5
with Autism, I have noticed different laughs
from all of our children. From very high
pitched laugh from our oldest daughter, to a
laughter that comes out of nowhere from our
youngest son. Giggles occur often in our home
and I am very happy for that. |
 |
Key gene for autism identified, no effect on
treatment or cure - Researchers have
discovered a
gene that causes autism in 20% of the population
who have the disorder. "While this gene
variant is common in the general population, we
discovered that it occurs about 20 percent more
often in children with autism," said Dr. Daniel
Geschwind of the University of California Los
Angeles, who worked on the study. "Until now, no
common genetic variant has been identified with
such overwhelming evidence to support its role
in autism spectrum disorders," added Dr.
Margaret Pericak-Vance of the University of
Miami. Researchers have found the first common
genetic link to autism earlier this month and
said it could potentially account for 15 percent
of the disease's cases. |
 |
New Study Says Autism and Aspergers Essentially
the Same - Interesting
new study in the upcoming issue of
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
which examines the historical emergence of the
classification of
autism alongside the emergence of the
classification of Aspergers. Abstract is:
The histories of autism and Asperger’s
Disorder (AD), based on original contributions
by Kanner and Asperger, are reviewed in relation
to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Their original
articles appear to have influenced the
distinction between AD and autism made in the
DSM-IV. Based on up-to-date empirical research,
however, it appears that AD and autism are not
qualitatively distinct disorders, but are
different quantitative manifestations of the
same disorder. The differences between AD and
autism may be a function of individual
variability in these areas, not the
manifestation of qualitatively distinct
disorders. The DSM-IV criteria for AD and autism
need to be considered with their historical
developments, and based on empirical evidence,
the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria may be subject to
critical review. |
 |
Please don't judge my child's behaviour - A
MUM has asked people not to judge when they see
a child misbehaving, throwing themselves on the
floor, rocking, hitting their parents or
seemingly acting up. Liz Gregory and her
partner Andy Cotterill have dealt with stares
and rude comments from strangers confused by the
behaviour of their five-year-old son Lewis
Cotterill for a number of years. The Cobbs
Infant School pupil was diagnosed with severe
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder when he
was four in 2008. |
 |
Researchers: minor genetic flaws may combine to
cause autism - A new study has used a large
number of families with multiple autistic
children to explore the role of genes in the
disorder. The results reinforce other findings
that suggest the disorder may be the result of
the cumulative impact of many minor genetic
problems. |
 |
Rise in autistic adults worries caregivers -
As a chubby, smiling baby boy, Marlon Barton
delighted everyone around him. Now that he is a
strapping young man who flaps his hands and
makes odd noises, no one knows quite what to do
with him. Barton is 26 years old, 6 feet 2, 283
pounds and acutely autistic. He was diagnosed
when the condition was considered unusual and
when doctors offered little hope to parents of
the children who suffered from it. His mother,
Pearlie Barton, cares for her son
around-the-clock now in their south Sacramento
home. "He scares people, even though he usually
is not aggressive," she said. |
 |
“Tidal Wave” of Young Adults with Autism about
to Flood Cash ... - Broke California will
begin the new decade with crushing debt and
wholesale elimination of human services.
Meanwhile, President Obama has rankled
Congressional Democrats with plans to earmark
millions of dollars in NIH funds to find the
causes and cures of autism. Are these two things
related? You bet they are. |
 |
They Taught Him to Fish, Then Let Go - The
invitation for Dan Mulvaney’s graduation Sunday
showed a burly young man with a hipster’s goatee
wearing a graduation cap (courtesy of Photoshop)
and holding a real striped bass he caught in the
bay behind Long Beach High School. It
read: “ ’Twas said that by teaching a man to
fish you feed him for a lifetime. “Dan Mulvaney
has learned to fish, learned to cook and
accomplished many things. Dan is ready to take
on the world. Join us in celebration of his
graduation, with honor, from Long Beach High
School.” It concluded: “Casual cuisine,
beach-friendly dress code, indescribable pride.”
You could sense that indescribable pride Friday
as his father, Jim Mulvaney, watched his son at
work at the recreation center in this Long
Island suburb just across the bay from their
home. |
 |
You Don't Say - But Maybe You Should - "You
don't have to talk to people," which really
means ‘there isn't much opportunity for chit
chat'. I think that was my niece, who knows the
restaurant business somewhat well, talking about
my oldest child and her summer job making salads
at the local restaurant. The fact that it
was said didn't bother me all that much,
although it would've been better said correctly.
For with all jobs, every last one that I can
think of off of the top of my head at any rate,
there is a need to converse. But that's ok, it's
just merely a matter of semantics, the mistake
that my niece made. |
 |
Was Michael Jackson autistic or one of the most
famous people with Exposure Anxiety? -
Michael Jackson was a fascinating human but as
much as the autistic community wants to claim
him as an icon, he was likely only as autistic
or not as most members of the human race. But
whether he had Exposure Anxiety, a condition
easily confused with (and which commonly
co-occurs with autism) is another question, and
perhaps he had more of that than most. As
a performer he was fearless, wildly creative,
innovative, in his own world and a league of his
own. As a person, he was somewhere between
painfully shy and extremely vigilant. In his
interviews he'd fluctuate between almost
autistic in his avoidance of direct touch, eye
contact and his voice could retreat to a timid
whisper. Then, in the blink of an eye, he could
confront before, just as quick, he'd be gone
again. |
06-26-2009
 |
15 Ways to Use Social Media for #FindingTheGood
- By allowing people from all around the
world to come together and share information,
experiences, and knowledge, social media has
become an amazing catalyst for social change.
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve all
witnessed how important and powerful social
media can be as a vehicle for spreading
information and calling people to action by
watching how it is being
put to
use in Iran. While what’s happening in Iran
has been a very compelling and fascinating use
of social media for political organizing, social
media tools are being used across the world by
people coming together around all manner of
social change issues. |
 |
A Father's Memoir of His Autistic Son -
Weather Reports from the Autism Front is a
father's
riveting memoir of his autistic son ("Sam"). The
father, James C. Wilson, is a Professor of
English and Journalism, at the University of
Cincinnati. The book, as penned by Wilson, has a
hybridized form: part incomprehensive,
biographical account; and part insightful,
critical commentary. The book's biographical
component focuses readers' attention selectively
on particular incidents, behaviors, and
interests, pertinent to Sam. Joined adeptly to
the biographical narrative is Wilson's game
intellectual grappling with a multitude of
contentious issues associated with autism. The
writing of Wilson is stylistically informal,
bluntly opinionated, and tinged with humor.
Wilson's animating, if sobering, account of his
autistic son's life, together with his very
determined efforts to wrestle gamely with
formidable concerns raised by autism, will
likely engage readers' interest enthrallingly.
|
 |
An 8-year-old tells the world: "Bullying, no
way! - An 8-year-old boy in Florida has a
message for all of us. Take time to
understand the disabled, and stop picking on
them for circumstances beyond their control.
|
 |
Anorexia and Autism: Is There a Connection?
- Both anorexia and Asperger's, a form o f
autism, remain highly misunderstood. Ongoing
research
out of the Maudsley Hospital in London
points to a surprising relationship between
these two conditions. Maudsley researchers
believe anorexia is an inheritable trait, rather
than a psycho-social problem, and is related to
autism. Although the two conditions present
differently, both conditions, according to
autism expert Simon Baron-Cohen (Sacha's
cousin) share a "narrow focus of attention, a
resistance to change and excellent attention to
detail." Research has also shown that 15 to 20
percent of patients diagnosed with anorexia are
also on the autism spectrum. |
 |
Area savant recognized by Reader's Digest -
Except to ask for your name, address and birth
date, Beth Catlin maintains a quiet and low-key
demeanor. For almost four decades, the
50-year-old Hampden Township woman has been
making homemade birthday cards for family,
friends, neighbors, people at church and
everyone else she has ever met — strangers who
were willing to share their information with
her. “These cards mean so much to everyone she
sends one to,” her mother, Barb Catlin, said
about the greetings her daughter works on every
evening after dinner. |
 |
Autism Environmental After All? - In its
position statement on disabilities, the official
Obama Administration Web site singles autism out
for special comment, indicating support for
"increased funding for autism research,
treatment, screenings, public awareness, and
support services." Indeed, autism has
increasingly been in the news. Last February,
the "vaccine court," a federal court established
in 1986 to adjudicate cases involving side
effects from vaccines, ruled against three
plaintiffs who alleged that the mumps, measles,
and rubella (MMR) vaccine had caused autism in
their children. |
 |
Autism, Music, Mozart and more:
Reiterated in Nova's 'Musical Minds'
- I was certainly excited
earlier this evening to see the following posted
on LinkedIn! "Nova will be airing the program
Musical Minds' with Dr. Oliver Sacks,
neurologist and acclaimed author, whose book
Awakenings was made into a Oscar-nominated
feature film starring Robin Williams and Robert
De Niro, has encountered myriad patients who are
struggling to cope with debilitating medical
conditions. While their ailments vary, many have
one thing in common: an appreciation for the
therapeutic effects of music." Get a sneak
preview of this program Here:
Nova's Musical Minds Program
Overview
Nova's Musical Minds Video Extra
|
 |
Autism Screening Test - An autism diagnosis
can be devastating for parents. Early
intervention is key in helping these young kids.
Now a diagnosis could potentially come sooner if
a new screening test makes it out of study and
into doctors offices. We're talking about a 5
minute autism screening test that could help
doctors make a diagnosis earlier. A recent
study in the journal "Pediatrics" found that
despite screening recommendations, only 8
percent of pediatricians routinely screen their
young patients. This new test could be a
quick way for busy doctors to screen patients.
Reagan Williams is part of a study to help
diagnose autism. Austism Specialist Jenny
Mathys says, "As an autism specialist, I sort of
have my microscope and I'm looking at certain
pivotal behaviors." |
 |
Autism, SPD and special needs: Supreme Court
Rules in favor of a teenage boy from
Oregon - Although I’m sure there will
be editorials to the contrary……..and I’m sure
this will be marginalized….allow me to revel in
the moment and say Woo Hoo!!! Today the
Supreme Court Ruled in favor of a teenage boy
from Oregon whose parents sought to compel
their local public school district to pay the
$5,200 a month it cost to send their son to a
private school. How wonderful for this family!
|
 |
Autism Trial Gives Parents, Researchers Hope
- Researchers at the University of Louisville
got the attention of the National Institutes of
Health and an almost $1 million grant for a
groundbreaking clinical trial for autism. The
many studies and clinical trials for autism
center on the treatment of the symptoms of the
condition. This is the first trial that focuses
on what researchers believe is one of the
primary causes for autism. Its possible impact
has opened the door for a groundbreaking
four-year clinical trial at UofL's School of
Medicine. |
 |
Blue Cross settles $1 million autism lawsuit!
- Over 100 families to recover autism therapy
fees
after Blue Cross refused claims. Detroit,
MI(JusticeNewsFlash.com)–Blue Cross Blue Shield
of Michigan settled with about 100 plaintiff’s
for $1 million in Detroit’s U.S. District Court
regarding unpaid autism therapy. According to
the Attorney General, families paid $10,000 for
behavioral therapy treatments at Beaumont
Hospital for their young autistic children. The
parents and families of the autistic kids paid
$10,000 for the specialized, needed therapy. The
settlement will help families who paid for the
costly treatment at Beaumont Hospital, Royal
Oak, since 2003. |
 |
Chromosome Abnormality Tied to Autistic Behavior
in Mice - Mice with an extra chromosome
region inherited from their fathers display many
behaviors seen in people with autism, a finding
that suggests that the same chromosome
abnormality in humans is one cause of autism,
according to Japanese scientists. The mice
will be an important tool in efforts to develop
treatments for autism, the researchers from
Hiroshima University say. Their report appears
in the June 26 issue of the journal Cell.
|
 |
Criticism of rethinking autism -
Historically the passion that propels parents
who lobby for vaccine injury versus the parents
who believe that the question has been asked and
answered, ignites a fire. Every faction believes
that its camp has all of the facts. What's true
is that further investigation is vital.
Celebrities pick causes. The culture has
transcended beyond cereal commercials and
athletic endorsements. Now, the notion of
sensationalizing medical opinion has broadened
the playing field. The public loves the gossip
and the controversy. Even bad news is news,
consequently publicists contour a celebrity
package that invites attention. |
 |
Expelled from school at five - "I remember
it was a struggle. I used to get into arguments
with
teachers all the time. I knocked over desks, was
always getting sent to other rooms." Ed, from
Surrey, was first expelled from school at the
age of five. By the time he was nine, he
had been to about six schools. He is now
happy and settled at a school which specialises
in helping children with dyslexia, one of the
two conditions he has since been diagnosed with.
He also has Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism.
"I had anger problems back then. If I did not
get something and someone asked me about it, I
would get angry, and if a teacher expected me to
do work and I wanted to chill out I would get
angry," he said. |
 |
Film review: Adam - FULL of tender moments
and blessed with fine central performances from
British actor Hugh Dancy and Australia's Rose
Byrne, the 2009 Edinburgh International Film
Festival's closing film Adam (screening Saturday
at the Cineworld) may not be the strongest of
the fortnight, but it should make even the
hardest-hearted viewer smile in parts.
Suffering from Asperger's Syndrome, a type of
autism, Adam (Dancy) finds it difficult to
interact with the real world, particularly when
new neighbour Beth (Byrne) moves in. Though
attracted to Adam, Beth must decide whether she
can cope with someone. |
 |
Fundraiser set for boy's medical travel -
With his tousled blond hair, bright blue eyes
and enormous grin, 4-year-old Adam Sprow looks
like an average young boy. The difference is, he
can't talk. Adam has Angelman Syndrome, a
neurological disorder that resembles (and is
often misdiagnosed as) autism. Discovered by Dr.
Harry Angelman in the 1960s, the genetic
disorder causes severe developmental delays,
lack of speech and epilepsy, requiring
round-the-clock lifetime care. |
 |
Gene linked to causes of autism -
Abnormalities in a gene important for learning
and memory
have been identified as a cause of autism,
according to medical researchers. The University
of Aberdeen findings could hold the key to the
future development of new treatments.
Researchers said it was another step forward in
understanding the disorder. It has been
estimated that about 50,000 people in Scotland
have the condition which affects how a person
communicates and relates to others. who isn't
quite the perfect man she thinks she needs in
her life. |
 |
Gene Variations Linked to ADHD - Hundreds of
gene variations that occur more frequently in
children with attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) have been identified by
researchers. Many of the gene variations
identified were already known to be important
for learning, behavior, brain function and
neurodevelopment, but had not been previously
associated with ADHD. “Because the gene
alterations we found are involved in the
development of the nervous system, they may
eventually guide researchers to better targets
in designing early intervention for children
with ADHD,” said lead author Josephine Elia,
M.D., a psychiatrist and ADHD expert at The
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
|
 |
Government may take closer look at potential
link between vaccines and autism - For
several
years pediatricians have calmed parental nerves
about vaccines and autism by saying there is no
study that shows a link between the two. And
that is absolutely true. According to Dr. Sears,
however, there is also no study that proves
there is not a link. Based on tremendous
pressure from the public, the government has now
agreed to look at the possibility of studying
whether or not such a link exists. The first
step in that process will be to have an
independent research group figure out how such a
study could even take place. Dr. Sears says even
figuring out how such a study could be done
could take a couple of years, then the study
would actually start which would take another
few years, and then the data would have to be
analyzed. But at least the proverbial ball is
now rolling. |
 |
Growing Divide Among Courts On Vaccines -
The National Law Journal recently reported on a
DPT (diphtheria, whole-cell pertussis, tetanus)
vaccine case that was reversed on appeal,
reports CBS News investigative correspondent
Sharyl Attkisson. The Federal Circuit
Court decided that a boy vaccinated at 8 weeks
is entitled to compensation, after all.
|
 |
House Bill Mandates Autism Coverage For Military
- Military families would get insurance coverage
for autism treatment under a bill approved by
the House of Representatives Thursday. The
measure, which passed as part of the National
Defense Authorization Act, would mandate
coverage of autism treatment under TRICARE, the
health care program for active duty members of
the military, retirees and their families.
Currently, autism coverage is limited for those
insured by TRICARE, and only 5 percent of
military children with autism receive services
they are eligible for. The bill passed by the
House this week requires coverage of autism
treatment, including behavior therapy, for the
estimated 13,000 military children who have the
disorder. |
 |
How Hard Should You Push a Child with Autism?
- In response to an earlier blog, a commenter
writes: This remark bothers me: “The limits of
autistics should constantly be pushed and their
educational materials should never be
simplified.” While this sounds great in theory,
since my 2 year old son was diagnosed a few
months ago I have grown increasingly skeptical
of the conventional approach of many I have
learned about. if your child was deaf, you
wouldn’t try to force him to act as if he could
hear or refuse to teach him sign language in an
effort to force him to develop the ability to
hear. I agree that we need to help our children
develop all of the skills they can, but I think
you have to hold them back in some areas if you
spend all your energy and their time forcing
them to do things that are incredibly difficult
for them. It rather reminds me of these places
where they take immigrant children who can’t
speak english and stick them in a classroom
where only english is spoken. meantime, how do
they learn math and science? ... |
 |
Investigators Link 27 Genetic Regions to Autism
Susceptibility - Scientists have identified
27 different genetic regions where rare copy
number variations were found in the genes of
children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs)
but not in healthy controls. They note that
these findings reinforce the view that multiple
gene variants, both common and rare, may be
interacting to cause the heterogeneous group of
disorders included under autism spectrum
disorders. |
 |
Is it Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, or
both? - Sensory
processing (sometimes called
"sensory
integration" or SI) is a term that refers to
the way the nervous system receives messages
from the senses and turns them into appropriate
motor and behavioral responses. Whether you are
biting into a hamburger, riding a bicycle, or
reading a book, your successful completion of
the activity requires processing sensation or
"sensory integration."
Research by the
SPD Foundation indicates that 1 in every 20
children experiences symptoms of Sensory
Processing Disorder that are significant enough
to affect their ability to participate fully in
everyday life. Symptoms of SPD, like those of
most disorders, occur within a broad spectrum of
severity. While most of us have occasional
difficulties processing sensory information, for
children and adults with SPD, these difficulties
are chronic, and they disrupt
everyday life. Excerpts from the
SPDFoundation.net |
 |
Laughter Differs in Children with Autism -
According to a recent paper entitled “Laughter
Differs in Children with Autism: An Acoustic
Analysis of Laughter Produced by Children with
and without the Disorder,” children diagnosed
with autism produce different laughs than their
nonautistic peers. (http://is.gd/19u2B)
“We revealed that children with autism produce
very engaging laughs that we call ‘voiced’
laughs,” said William Hudenko, the lead author
on the paper and assistant professor of
psychology at Ithaca College. The study recorded
laughter during a series of playful interactions
with an examiner. The results showed that
children with autism exhibited only one type of
laughter, compared to two types of laughter for
nonautistic children. There was no difference in
laugh duration, frequency, change in or number
of laughs per interaction. “We hypothesized that
children with autism may be expressing laughter
primarily in response to positive internal
states, rather than using laughter to negotiate
social interactions,” said Hudenko.
|
 |
Measuring Intellectual Disability -
Researchers from the University of California,
Davis have developed a specific and quantitative
means of measuring levels of the fragile X
mental retardation 1 (FMR1) protein (FMRP),
which is mutated in fragile X syndrome.
Fragile X syndrome is the most common form of
inherited intellectual impairment. Nearly one
third of patients diagnosed with fragile X
syndrome also have some degree of autism, and
the mutation underlying fragile X syndrome is
the most commonly known single gene cause of
autism. |
 |
More Gene Mutations Linked To
Autism Risk - More
pieces in the complex autism inheritance
puzzle are emerging in the latest study from a
research team including geneticists from the
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine,
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP),
and several collaborating institutions. This
study identified 27 different genetic regions
where rare copy number variations – missing or
extra copies of DNA segments – were found in the
genes of children with
autism spectrum disorders
(ASDs), but not in the healthy controls. The
complex combination of missing or extra copies
of certain genes is thought to interfere with
gene function, which can disrupt the production
of proteins necessary for normal neurological
development. |
 |
Olmsted on Autism: Affective Contact - One
of the great ironies of autism is that a
“disorder of affective contact,” as it was
called the very first time it was described, has
led to quite the opposite – to a community of
people who care so much about each other, about
their children and about the world they will
inhabit. |
 |
Patterns of genetic changes in
mental retardation uncovered
= An
international team
of researchers claims to have uncovered the
patterns of genetic changes in
mental retardation.
Mental retardation is caused by many different,
yet individually rare DNA deletions and
duplications. The researchers have identified
certain DNA changes responsible for the
condition. During the study, the scientists took
DNA from over 150 individuals with mental
retardation and compared it with the genomes of
5,000 mice, each had single genes disrupted.
|
 |
Ramsey mother's outrage at autistic daughter's
two year OT wait - LAST week the Hunts Post
revealed that disabled people are waiting so
long for OT assessment that the Huntingdon
Freemen's Charity had in a handful of cases
stepped in to pay for it. Letters came flooding.
A woman in her 80s says she has been waiting
since April for an OT assessment. While a mother
of a seven-year-old says she has been waiting
two years. Here are our readers' stories.
A MOTHER has spoken of her outrage after her
autistic daughter has been waited two years for
an OT assessment. Sharon Carr says a
request for an Occupational Therapist (OT) was
first lodged in 2007 when she moved to West
Avenue, Ramsey. |
 |
Sensitivity towards disabilities - RE: MLC
sued over autistic girl ~ I would like to point
out that the correct terminology used to
describe a child with a disability is 'child
with autism', not 'autistic child'. The
purpose of this child first language is to
ensure that the child is seen as a child first,
and having a disability second. I
understand that articles are constrained by a
word count and that autistic child may have more
of a headline impact. When I was a student
undertaking the Bachelor of Education degree at
Edith Cowan University (WA's original teachers'
college) it was drummed into us by the
passionate lecturers to use child first
language, ie to see the child before the
disability. |
 |
Tics, Tourrete Syndrome and Autism - A tic
is a sudden, repetitive, nonrhythmic,
stereotyped
motor movement or vocalization involving
discrete muscle groups. My son has had none of
these behaviors up until about a month ago. One
evening my wife had me come into his room and
watch his face. I watched and his face was
contorting and twitching at regular intervals
along with eye movements that looked involuntary
- something we've never seen before. That
combined with him telling his therapist that day
that he had an "owee" and pointing to his head
during the day had us alarmed to say the least.
We let him sleep and in the morning - no tics.
We asked that his teacher keep an eye out for
more during school. Towards the end of the
afternoon the tics began again and I decided we
were off to our doctor's office in Corpus
Christi. |
 |
The kids, including the boys, are all right
- If boyhood is in a gloomy state, then Sue
Palmer’s latest book, 21st Century Boys,
scatters light on it like a fizzing Catherine
Wheel. She greatly regrets what she sees
as the modern tendency to diminish the
importance of care and caring attitudes,
battling the discourses of ‘outcomes’ and
‘efficiency’ that can make any stay in hospital
an experience of marvellous technological
sophistication mixed up with a feeling that no
one has any time for you. |
 |
These kids sit on sidelines no longer -
After spending years watching his two brothers
play soccer from the sidelines, Brian Hufford
finally got his chance. Brian, 9, has
Pervasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise
Specified (PDD-NOS), an autism-like disorder. He
was unable to participate in any sports until
the Fort Wayne Sports Club created the Program
for Disabled Children, which utilizes TOPSoccer,
a national program developed by U.S. Youth
Soccer. The program's mission is to teach all
children, regardless of disability, to learn and
enjoy playing the game. |
 |
TIME reports on anorexia, autism genetic link
- Could an obsession with body image and a
social/emotional disorder have anything in
common? While on the surface there appears
no
similarities
between anorexia and autism, researchers have
been probing common symptoms.
TIME reports on researchers in London
examining the common links between the two, such
as obsessive behavior and rigid thinking.When
the brain is starving in people with anorexia,
they exhibit more autism-like symptoms such as
the inability to read other people's emotions
and easily agitated. |
 |
Unlocking the mystery of Autism - Tony
Williams remembers the moment when he found out
his
baby Tony Jr. had autism. “It was just
heartbreaking. I sat in the room and cried.”
That was a year and a half ago. Tony Jr. is now
almost 3-years-old, but even with early
intervention he barely speaks and is prone to
tantrums. His mother Daureena Williams says
there are times when she feels lost not knowing
what to do. “There are days when you wake up and
he’s just screaming at the top of his lungs from
the time he wakes up to the time he goes to
bed.” The Williamses say they’ll do whatever
they can to improve the life of their son. A new
groundbreaking study may give them that
opportunity. |
 |
US Supreme Court ruling has no bearing on
Berthoud case - Parents hoping local school
districts will foot the bill for the expensive
treatment and education of their disabled
children should be happy with a ruling Monday by
the U.S. Supreme Court, a Denver lawyer said.
Still, the ruling has no bearing on the case of
Jeff and Julie Perkins, who tried to get the
Thompson Valley School District to cover
$130,000 a year in tuition and fees for their
autistic son, Luke, at a Boston boarding school,
, said attorney Jack D. Robinson, who
represented the Perkins family. "In this
case, the court was addressing certain statutory
provisions very different from ours," Robinson
said. "This case wouldn't have affected our case
one way or another. The Perkinses enrolled
Luke at Berthoud Elementary School in 2002. But
the parents and school counselors found that
Luke wasn't progressing educationally because
his disabilities were severe and getting worse,
according to court documents. At home and
at school, Luke had extremely destructive
behavior. However, at the private Boston
Higashi School of Autism — where Luke attended,
starting in 2004 — the boy did meet federal
requirements for progress, according to court
rulings. |
 |
Vaccine Case Pits Federal Circuit Against
Federal Claims Court - A string of setbacks
for plaintiffs who claim that vaccines
containing thimerosal, a mercury-based
preservative, cause autism, led us to conclude
in several recent posts that drug manufactures
are winning this fight. But as
the National Law Journal reported Friday,
plaintiffs may have found a friend in the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. On
June 18,
the court reversed a decision by a special
master of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to
deny Enrique Andreu, a developmentally-disabled
boy, compensation under the National Vaccine
Injury Compensation Program. The reversal
"highlights the widening gulf between the
Federal Circuit and the Federal Claims Court on
vaccine cases," according to the NLJ.
|
06-21-2009
 |
Attorney building chamber for disabled -
Pete Schoemann wants to build a bridge between
the business and disabled communities. The
Orlando attorney is part of both worlds: A
partner in the law firm Broad and Cassel, he has
two sons with autism. He founded the Chamber of
Commerce for Persons with Disabilities Inc. two
years ago and is now looking to expand the
organization's regional focus to a national one.
|
 |
Autism and SPD text: New edition: 'Raising a
Sensory Smart Child forward by Temple Grandin
- In the world of special needs education,
parents can sometimes get lost. They can
actually be over looked, undervalued and sadly
enough…. even belittled by educators who do not
understand that (in the words of Glenn Doman,
founder of the Institutes for the Achievement of
Human Potential),” Parents are not the problem.
Parents are the biggest part of any solution,
and their child's best teacher." Parents will do
virtually anything for their children. he trick
is to supply them with the appropriate
information as to how to move forward. As one
who knows this to be true, imagine my joy to
have early childhood professionals and authors
contacting me, and voicing that same exact
philosophy. |
 |
Autism diet book wins major health book award
-
Nourishing Hope for Autism, a holistic
book
that promotes diet as an effective way to help
reduce the symptoms of autism, has been named
the
Most Progressive Health Book of 2009 as part
of the Independent Publishers Book Awards.
The author of the book is Julie Matthews, a
noted nutritional consultant from San Francisco,
who specializes in dietary intervention for
autism, ADHD, and other disorders on the autism
spectrum. Matthews espouses the belief
that autism is not a mysterious brain disorder,
but rather a whole body dysfunction influenced
and aggravated by environmental factors,
including toxins, inflammation, sedentary
behaviors, food sensitivities, nutritional
deficiencies, and slow digestive development.
|
 |
Autistic boy distraught at cruel flag collection
theft - A YOUNG boy who suffers from autism
was devastated after his beloved collection of
flags was stolen. Finn Gillespie has built up a
collection of 40 flags, which he puts up every
morning and takes down each night, as part of a
routine. Mum Emily said it helped her beloved
seven-year-old son cope while his dad an Army
doctor, is away serving in Afghanistan.
|
 |
Court permits autistic teenager to join in
graduation - It took a court injunction, but
an 18-year- old
student with autism was able to attend the
People's Academy graduation in Morrisville
Thursday night with all his classmates. The
supervisory union that oversees the school had
decided that Todd Geraci could not participate
in graduation because he had not completed all
aspects of his schooling, as required under
district rules. As a student with autism, Geraci
is eligible for assistance under state and
federal rules until he turns 22, or until he
completes high school. Geraci had completed his
academic work but had not completed work in his
individual education program, which includes
social and other goals. Julie Sullivan, Todd
Geraci's mother, felt that was unfair and sought
legal help to allow her son to join the
ceremony. |
 |
Father's Day for Dads with children or adults
with autism - Happy Fathers Day to the great
group
of dads that also happen to be a father to a
child or adult with autism. These men are extra
special people who work harder than any other
father you can imagine. Not only do they work
full-time jobs or run businesses they also are
actively involved in the raising of their son or
daughter with autism. They are their voice when
no one will listen. They schedule their own
daily life around their sons and daughters
needs. |
 |
Happy Father's Day to Autism Dads! - Autism
can come between fathers and sons. Here in the
US, role models for father-son bonding usually
revolve around sports, camping, or projects
involving power tools - rarely ideal options for
boys on the autism spectrum. All too often, Dads
are in the dark about their children with
autism. They're off at the office while mom sits
in on IEP meetings, therapist's sessions and
doctors appointments, and have few opportunities
to learn about their child's disorder or how to
be a part of the treatment. Yet despite
frustrations, confusion, anxiety and even fear,
autism dads figure out how to make those
connections, and how to be there for their child
with autism. |
 |
Kids' vaccines aren't the problem - Over the
years, there has been considerable controversy
concerning vaccines and their possible link to
autism. More recently, some people have claimed
that infants and young children receive too many
vaccines at one time, and that as a result they
somehow overwhelm the immune system.
|
 |
Luke deserves so much more - LUKE Modra
spends 20 hours a day locked in a spartan room.
He's alone. His guards pass his food through the
door. He has a TV in his room, but no remote
control. For Luke, simple luxuries such as
toasters or a kettle are banned in the suburban
Melbourne house that has become his prison.
Luke has never broken the law. He has never been
charged or convicted of any wrongdoing.
But he has been given a life sentence - autism,
a complex condition of developmental disorders
that affect communication and social skills.
|
 |
Mainstreaming autistic children - AN
illustrator with a photographic memory. A
teenaged math prodigy who solves a canine murder
mystery. Extraordinarily gifted savants of the
autistic world, whether real like London-born
artist Stephen Wiltshire, or fictional like
Christopher Boone (the central character from
Mark Haddon’s award-winning Curious Incident
of the Dog in the Night-time), spring to
mind easily and guilt-free, as success stories
are wont to. |
 |
Science vs. Mother's Emotion: Turn a Lion into a
Vegetarian - When parents choose not to
vaccinate, for whatever reason, they are usually
accused of choosing “mother’s emotions” over
“science.” The argument is framed so you have to
choose between emotional mothers or proven
science. These choices are set up to disparage
mothers while giving the obvious logical choice
of science. This is a false choice. Mothers
emotions are valid and ironically it is the lack
of science that mothers are the most concerned
about. |
 |
Share Your Father's Day Story - Happy
Father's Day. Please share a story about your
own Dad ,
your children's father, your partner, brother,
uncle or any male who has made a difference in
the life of your chilld with autism.
Here's mine. When my father in law Mike
Stagliano saw how hard I was working to take
care of Mia and Gianna as newly diagnosed
preschoolers, he sent me a check to hire
cleaning help in my house. I'll never forget
that. Happy Fathers Day, everyone.
|
 |
Six things to do after your child is diagnosed
with autism - Hearing that your child has
autism is
one of the scariest things a parent can hear.
Your heart is breaking, your mind is reeling
with so many questions, and you wonder if you
will make it to your car, much less all the way
home. Though you may have been wondering for
some time if it is autism, the actual diagnosis
of autism can still hit like a ton of bricks.
It's hard to know what to do next. Here's a list
to get you started: |
 |
Study shows harm of restraint - B.A., a
second-grader at an elementary school in
Alabama, has autism and doesn’t know how to
verbally communicate. While in class one
day, B.A. began to scream and wouldn’t stop when
her teacher asked her to be quiet. B.A.’s
teacher asked a classroom aide to restrain her.
The aide took B.A. to a bathroom, tied her to a
chair and left her there unsupervised. When the
teaching aide returned to the bathroom sometime
later to check on B.A., she had flipped the
chair over, was hanging by the restraints and
had urinated on herself. A report released last
week by the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy
Program relates this story about B.A. as an
example of the harm that can result from the use
of seclusion and restraint in public schools.
|
06-20-2009
 |
A new interest in faith - Andrew Gelles
wants to celebrate becoming a man just like any
other
13-year-old Jew: with a few mazel tovs.
Andrew, who is autistic, is celebrating his bar
mitzvah today. The Jewish rite of passage gives
him the rights -- and responsibilities -- of
being an adult. He's been working for three
months with the help of friends, family and
Chabad of Delmar to prepare for the ceremony.
When asked what he thought about the bar
mitzvah, Andrew hesitated, then mentioned the
story of Dumbo, an elephant who has oversized
ears and is ridiculed by his peers. In the
classic Disney movie, the lonesome circus animal
flaps his abnormal ears and learns what they let
him do. |
 |
Anti-Seizure Drug Depakote Needs More Study, FDA
Staffers Say - Depakote, the Abbott
Laboratories anti-seizure drug approved for
treatment of epilepsy and bipolar mania, should
be studied further to determine the risks of
delayed development and birth defects in
children whose mothers took the medication
during pregnancy, Food and Drug Administration
staff members said. |
 |
Autistic pride day celebrations worldwide -
Yesterday was Autistic Pride Day around the
world,
where the neurodiversity of people on the autism
spectrum is celebrated. The day is about
changing views on autism from "disease" to
"difference" and how autism sufferers have a
unique set of characteristics rather than a
sickness. Autistic Pride Day is an Aspies
for Freedom initiative, an autism rights group
that aims to educate the general public with
initiatives to end ignorance of the issues
involving the autistic community. The news comes
as the autism bill returns to parliament today
for its third reading. After securing the
government's support, it is expected to pass to
the House of Lords where it is set to become
England's first disability specific law.
|
 |
Connection between regressive autism and Lyme
disease -
Under Our Skin is a daunting and
riveting film about the devastation of Lyme
Disease
(NY Times review). Environmental
triggers for regressive autism are being
investigated by scientists around the world.
Vaccine injury heads the list of controversy.
What about the possibility of Lyme Disease
induced autism? The International Lyme and
Associated Diseases Society (Ilads) is a
professional research organization that
discusses the facts about Psychiatric Lyme
disease. Patients suffering from neurological
and psychiatric problems including cognitive
loss, anxiety, seizures, OCD and even
gastrointestinal issues are cautioned to be
tested. |
 |
Court permits teen to join graduation - It
took a court injunction, but Todd Geraci, an
18-year-old student with autism, was able to
attend the People's Academy graduation in
Morrisville on Thursday night with all his
classmates. The supervisory union that oversees
the school had decided that Geraci could not
participate in graduation because he had not
completed all aspects of his schooling, as
required under district rules. |
 |
Governor Rendell Discusses Impact of Budget on
Services for Families of Children With Autism
- Governor Edward G. Rendell today met
with families in southeastern Pennsylvania to
discuss what is at stake in the proposed state
budget as it relates to autism services. An
estimated 25,000 Pennsylvania children and
adults live with an autism spectrum disorder.
"Pennsylvania has worked hard and made great
progress for families who rely on services that
their children need," said Governor Rendell
during an event at Bryn Mawr College. "Funding
for these services is now being threatened. The
budget proposed by Senate Republicans would cut
funding for autism by nearly $8 million, which
means cutting services and support to nearly 250
families." |
 |
How vinyl flooring is linked to autism -
Scientists say it's still not conclusive, but
baffling as it is, a recent Swedish study
published in March 2009 has linked vinyl
flooring to autism. See the March 31, 2009, Scientific
American article, "Scientists
Find 'Baffling' Link between Autism and Vinyl
Flooring." The link between homes or
apartments with vinyl flooring and autism is the
phthalates in the vinyl that creep out. Homes
with wooden or linoleum floors aren't affected.
|
 |
In Landmark Settlement, Insurer To Reimburse For
ABA Therapy Since ... - Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Michigan will reimburse policy holders
who paid out of pocket for behavioral therapy
for children with autism dating back to May 1,
2003 under a legal settlement reached this week.
The move comes in the case of Christopher Johns
who filed suit earlier this year after Blue
Cross denied claims for applied behavioral
analysis (ABA) for his son who has autism
because the insurer said the treatment is
experimental. Already in May Blue Cross
announced that it would begin covering ABA
therapy effective July 1. |
 |
Insurer settles autism care lawsuit - Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Michigan announced Friday
that it has settled a lawsuit seeking coverage
for behavioral therapy for young children with
autism, a challenge that led to a decision by
the insurer to offer the treatment for employers
with group mental health policies. The
$1-million settlement in Detroit's U.S. District
Court provides money to some 100 families whose
children got the therapy at Beaumont Hospital.
Attorney Gerard Mantese, who filed the lawsuit,
said the settlement applies to families who paid
for the $10,000 therapy themselves since 2003 at
Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. |
 |
Science vs. Mother's Emotion: Turn a Lion into a
Vegetarian - When parents choose not to
vaccinate, for whatever reason, they are usually
accused of choosing “mother’s emotions” over
“science.” The argument is framed so you have to
choose between emotional mothers or proven
science. These choices are set up to disparage
mothers while giving the obvious logical choice
of science. This is a false choice. Mothers
emotions are valid and ironically it is the lack
of science that mothers are the most concerned
about. |
 |
Sexy Autism Ads: Clever or Catastrophic? -
RethinkingAutism.com is a new website,
conceived and created by Dana Commandatore.
According to the website
Terra Sigillata: Dana is a former NYC
advertising guru and the mother of Michaelangelo,
a child with autism. His story inspired her to
write the children's book, Michaelangelo the
Diver. Dana has now taken her creativity
and contacts in her new home of Los Angeles to
produce a series of controversial public service
announcements to combat misinformation about the
causes and treatment of autism and the
acceptance and celebration of neurodiversity.
|
 |
Standard IQ test may undervalue people with
autism - Standard IQ test may undervalue
people with autism. The most commonly used test
to measure intelligence is underestimating the
intellectual potential of autistic people, new
research suggests. People with
autism often struggle with the verbal portions
of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the
test most often used to measure IQ, researchers
said. But when given another test of
abstract reasoning abilities, the Raven’s
Standard Progressive Matrices, autistic people
not only had scores equal to those of their
non-autistic counterparts, but they answered the
questions, on average, as much as 42 percent
more quickly. |
 |
The similar compulsions of autism and anorexia
- Control is the operative word regarding
behaviors in autism.
Fear is the dominant force that motivates
the individual to control his or her
surroundings. Poor eye contact, lack of
communication and socialization are in a sense
victims of this disorder. Ironically it is the
same need for control that dominates the person
diagnosed with anorexia.
Time.com reports new findings that there is
a genetic link between autism and anorexia.
London's Maudsley Hospital has done extensive
research in this area: |
 |
Will Asperger’s stop me finding love? -
I am at
university but I have little to do with my
fellow students as I have Asperger’s disorder,
which makes social situations difficult. Last
term I met another student who shared the same
interests as I have in art, literature and
music. We both felt we had searched all our
lives to find each other. But just a few months
later my ‘Keats, Carroll and Wilde’ decided that
he was better off alone. He said he wanted to
try different things. Due to my disorder,
my day has to be regimented from morning to
night and I couldn’t give him what he craved. I
couldn’t face being so alone so I have returned
home, and have just been back to sit my exams. I
now fear that because of my social difficulties
my first relationship may also be my last.
|
06-18-2009
 |
ADAM -
I can appreciate what writer / director Max
Mayer (directed an episode of "The
West
Wing" and "Alias") was
trying to do in the Fox Searchlight film
''Adam''. The title character has Asperger's
Syndrome, a form of autism and lives alone in
his huge apartment that was left to him when his
father passed away. This is a rich character to
explore as there are a handful of handicapped
characters that are portrayed in film and many
of the actors who play them go on to win Oscars,
as Ben Stiller's character in ''Tropic Thunder''
thoroughly explains. |
 |
Autistic people better at problem solving than
non-autistics: Research - New research
suggests
that autistic people are 40 per cent faster at
problem solving than non-autistics. Researchers
from Universite de Montreal and Harvard
University said the results will offer more
effective ways to teach people with autism. "I
hope the finding will convince people that
autistics have a higher intellectual potential,"
said lead author Isabelle Soulieres, a
post-doctoral fellow at Harvard who completed
this experiment in Montreal. "That way, people
will expect more and give them more
opportunities to learn." |
 |
Book on Dating a Man with Aspergers - Your
Opinion Requested - Bonny Albo, the
About.com Guide to Dating, just alerted me a
review she's written about a book called
22 Things a Woman Should Know if She Loves a Man
with Asperger Syndrome. Bonny
gave the book four stars, though she notes that
it's written entirely from the point of view of
just one woman (author Rudy Simone).
|
 |
Bruno Bettelheim: Satan in Drag, by Cornelia
Read / Bettelheim’s
The Empty Fortress: Infantile
Autism and the Birth of the Self – once
revered as the authority on autism but now
highly discredited – is one book this author and
parent refuses to read. - This is a review of a
book I have not read. The book in
question, titled
The Empty Fortress, was written by
Bruno Bettelheim. I bought a copy of it in
hardcover two years ago, and it sits on the
bookshelf in the living room, in a stretch of
books on the same subject. All the rest of these
are well-thumbed; some I know nearly by heart.
The Empty Fortress, however, has
remained untouched by me. I plan to read
it, but I cannot utter the more familiar phrase
that "I would like to." I detest this book and
its author so intensely, in fact, that I could
only bring myself to buy the book used. I had to
be certain that no money of mine would benefit
even Bettelheim’s estate, now that he is, thank
God, deceased. |
 |
Charlotte man given life without parole for a
double killing in 2007 - A sentence of life
without parole Thursday for a Charlotte man
charged with a deadly shooting inside a Dilworth
restaurant nearly two years ago. The emotional
pain of the October 2007 shooting at the Moe's
Southwest Grill on East Boulevard was brought to
bear again Thursday for the families of Vinnie
Farens and Jeff Maher when their admitted
killer, Derrick Gregory, addressed the court
before heading off to his plea-bargained
sentence. |
 |
Commons protest as 'Nasa hacker' court date set
- A new date has been set to decide if
self-confessed Nasa hacker Gary McKinnon should
be extradited to the US, or tried in the UK.
High court judges Lord Justice Stanley Burnton
and Mr Justice Wilkie will hear an application
for a judicial review on 14 July, according to
reports. McKinnon, accused of the "biggest
military hack of all time" by the US, faces a
stretch of up to 60 years in a maximum security
prison if extradited, according to his
solicitor. His MP (Tory David Burrowes) today
called for further debate on whether McKinnon's
diagnosis with autism should have a bearing on
the case. |
 |
Common Treatment Ineffective for Autism -
The growing prevalence of autism worldwide has
parents and clinicians searching for effective
treatment options. Though not approved by the
United States Food and Drug Administration for
the treatment of autism, a common class of
antidepressants is often prescribed to treat the
symptoms of autism in children. The selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are among
the most widely used drugs for autism treatment,
even though the effectiveness to date has been
questionable. A new study published in the June
issue of Archives of General Psychiatry
reports that, not only are SSRIs ineffective,
they may actually cause unintended side effects.
|
 |
'Designer' Babies: Where to Draw the Line? -
A
new study has highlighted traits for which
people believe it is acceptable to screen
embryos for. As reported on health website
H+, Researchers at NYU Langone Medical
Center found that an overwhelming 75 per cent of
parents would be in favour of pre-implantation
genetic diagnosis (PGD) for mental retardation,
while a further 54 per cent would screen their
embryos for deafness, 56 per cent for blindness,
52 per cent for a propensity to heart disease,
and 51 per cent for a propensity to cancer.
|
 |
How medication can help and hurt the symptoms of
autism - My penchant for interest in
scientific
study regarding medication is not relagated to
vaccine therapy. Blind studies are imperative
for all pharmaceuticals and how they are
prescribed. A article in the
Naturalnews.com
SSRIs Prescribed for Autistic Children Make Them
Worse highlights the recent criticism about
the drug Celexa and SSRI being utilized to
diminish repetitive behaviors in autistic
adolescents and teenagers: |
 |
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increasingly popular
option for autism - Hyperbarics, or the use
of comressed air in a pressurized chamber, is
well-known for improving the healing of wounds.
But, does this therapy offer hope to thousands
of children diagnosed with autism? The
discussion is one that led us to the newest
hyperbaric chamber in Northeast Arkansas not
associated with a hospital. |
 |
Man says cops used excessive force by shooting
son 12 times with stun gun - The father of a
severely autistic man has sued the city and
three police officers for Tasing his son 12
times when they arrested him last December after
a disturbance at a Parc group home. "They
used excessive force against someone who was
unable to respond to their commands or
understand what they were saying," said David
Washington Jr., the father of David "Davy"
Washington III. |
 |
Mother's antibodies may contribute to autism
- While a mother of an autistic child is
pregnant,
she develops an immune response to her fetus's
brain. As part of that immune response, her body
develops antibodies that can attack the fetal
brain. Now, in new research in mice, scientists
have discovered that the mother's fetal brain
antibodies are circulated back to the fetus
through the placenta, possibly triggering
inflammation in the brain that could eventually
result in autism. At the Johns Hopkins
Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Harvey
Singer and colleagues took antibodies from human
mothers of autistic children and injected them
into pregnant mice, exposing the unborn mice
pups to the antibodies as they circulated
through the placenta. A second group of pregnant
mice was injected with antibodies from mothers
of non-autistic children. A third group of
pregnant mice got no injections at all.
|
 |
Move the Energy and Heal Yourself - We have
already established that everything is energy,
and
that energy and matter are interchangeable.
That's what the most famous equation in the
world is all about: Einstein's E=MC2 . Energy
equals the Mass times the Speed of Light
squared. All this is really saying, is that
energy can turn into matter and matter can turn
into energy. There is now a great movement
in the medical community to draw an
association on how the energy moves in your body
and disease. This, of course, is not new
information. The Chinese have believed for
thousands of years in this flow of body energy
and it's relationship to heath. By removing the
blocks in the energy, they know that the body
can heal itself...it's called
Acupuncture. In the Metaphysical
world, there are many holistic health
practitioners that believe there are several
energy centers, or vortexes, in the body. They
call these
Chakras . The same theory applies
here as well...if one of the Chakras is not
functioning properly, then the flow of energy is
disrupted and the body has a physical reaction.
I would suggest looking into both of these areas
as an alternative healing method.
|
 |
Much Touted 'Depression Risk Gene' May Not Add
To Risk After All - Stressful life events
are strongly associated with a person's risk for
major depression, but a certain gene variation
long thought to increase risk in conjunction
with stressful life events actually may have no
effect, according to researchers funded by the
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part
of the National Institutes of Health. The study
challenges a widely accepted approach to
studying risk factors for depression.
|
 |
NW Ohio family knows long road of autism
diagnosis - These are the new faces of
autism: Children born into a world they can't
touch, but a world that at least knows what
autism is. It's a world at least trying to reach
out. There is another lost generation. Adults
with autism who live at Bittersweet Farms. They
are carefully protected on the grounds of a
world renowned facility. It is still one of the
only of it's kind in the world. |
 |
Protest over hacker extradition move -
Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith "chose to
disregard" the impact of a computer hacker's
mental health problems when she approved his
extradition to the US, an MP said today.
Tory David Burrowes' constituent Gary McKinnon,
who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, is accused
of hacking into US military networks and could
face a US trial after Ms Smith decided to order
extradition last October. |
 |
Researchers find first common autism gene -
Researchers have found the first common
genetic link to autism and said on Tuesday it
could potentially account for 15 percent of the
disease's cases. Three studies, two in the
journal Nature and one in Molecular Psychiatry,
suggest changes in brain connections could
underlie some cases. While the findings do not
immediately offer hope for a treatment, they do
help explain the underlying causes of the
condition, which affects as many as one in 150
children, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. |
 |
Reflections on Autistic Pride Day by Someone
With Asperger's - Today is Autistic Pride
Day. I was not aware of this until this
morning, when I went to look on Wikipedia for
something and saw it highlighted under "On this
day...", located on the right-hand side of the
page. I had absolutely no clue of this day's
existence, like many days set aside during the
year, whether by statute or national
organization. Now that I know that today is set
aside for the purpose of educating the public
about autism spectrum disorders, I feel that it
is my duty as someone with Asperger's Syndrome
to comment on it and to share a personal
anecdote or two. |
 |
Talking in colour - Karrie Karahalios can
show a child with Asperger's Syndrome when he's
lost in a conversational riff or a taciturn
spouse when he doesn't speak very much. Their
voice appears on a computer terminal as vibrant
colours -- red, yellow, blue, green -- the image
growing in size if the voice gets louder,
overlapping another colour as it interrupts or
abruptly narrowing with silence. |
 |
Video Shows Dynamics Of Molecule Implicated In
Autism - A protein called neuroligin that is
implicated in some forms of autism is critical
to the construction of a working synapse,
locking neurons together like "molecular
Velcro," a study lead by a team of UC Davis
researchers has found. Published online in the
June issue of the journal Neural Development,
the study is accompanied by groundbreaking
images that are the first to show two neurons
coming together using neuroligin to construct a
new synapse. |
 |
Whatever Happened to Simon Baron-Cohen's Study
of Adult Prevalence? - Has the British
government buried an important study into the
prevalence of autism in adults? In his latest
response to Anne Dachel, Simon Baron-Cohen’s
first remark is puzzling. He writes: I
agree we need a good prevalence study of ADULTS
with autism spectrum conditions, and I haven't
seen a study like this!
(HERE) At this stage of the game,
and given people’s concerns it is indeed a
surprising omission, but what is even stranger
is that Baron-Cohen was supposed to be engaged
in just such a study at the present time
according to this announcement from Eurekalert
(PR arm of the American Academy for the
Advancement of Science) in May last year:
|
06-15-2009
 |
10 brainy ideas
- IT IS amazing how much scientists know about
the brain, yet how little we take this knowledge
to work in our schools and in our lives.
recently braved the swine flu scare at its peak
and traveled to
Washington,
DC, to attend the 23rd Learning and the Brain
Conference. |
 |
A Prom Night to Remember for Teens With Autism
and Other Special Needs - Dance
Lessons at The Help Group Teach Students All The
Right Moves. For the students of The Help
Group's Bridgeport School, prom night was an
evening to remember -- filled with friendship,
fun, music and dance. Students with autism
spectrum disorders and other special needs lit
up the dance floor with energy, excitement and
confidence. |
 |
About what it is to be me (a self-identified
Aspie) - This is a response to
these
comments. Asperger's Syndrome was
first identified in
1944. In four boys, he identified a
pattern of behavior and abilities that he called
"autistic psychopathy", meaning autism (self)
and psychopathy (personality disease). The
pattern included "a lack of empathy, little
ability to form friendships, one-sided
conversation, intense absorption in a special
interest, and clumsy movements." Asperger called
children with AS "little professors" because of
their ability to talk about their favorite
subject in great detail. It is commonly said
that the paper was based on only four boys.[who?]
However, Dr. Günter Krämer, of Zürich, who knew
Asperger, states that it "was based on
investigations of more than 400 children"
|
 |
Another look at the citalopram trial - A
recent study shows that Citalopram doesn’t
control repetitive behaviors in people with
Autism Spectrum Disorders. The failure of a drug
trial usually leads to harsh criticism of the
medical establishment from the biomedical
community, but I haven’t seen much so far.
Instead,
Kev has already discussed this and made his
opinion crystal clear. (As an aside—anyone who
thinks bloggers here are somehow paid by
pharmaceutical companies may want to read Kev’s
post.) |
 |
Autism and the double standard of discrimination
- Did you hear the news recently that told of
the business executive -- at his company for 12
years -- who goaded his (white) co-workers to
ostracize the single African-American employee
and have her separated from the other workers?
Of course the executive was discovered for what
he’d done, senior brass brought in, and the
executive was quickly fired for discrimination
in the workplace. Justice was served, and
onlookers breathed a sigh of relief. Well, that
story was just a generalized example, one of
many such incidents that occurs – whether racial
or sexual discriminatory in nature. Here at the
beginning of the 21st century, we almost expect
such a perpetrator to get caught at this point.
But swap out “African-American” from this story
and replace it with “autistic” and all bets
apparently are off. |
 |
Autism and "typical" siblings - We all know
that living in autism-land adds stresses to our
lives. What is sometimes forgotten is how it
affects parents and siblings .There’s an
interesting new study out that shows a
biological effect on mothers of autistic
children. Apparently, they have low levels of
the stress hormone Cortisol. It also effects
siblings in day to day life. |
 |
Autism Vaccine Debate - The notion that
vaccines cause autism has triggered heated
debate.
Now one expert says, for the safety of our
children, it's time to move on.
Pediatrician Dr. Paul Offit said blaming
vaccines for autism only puts children in more
danger, "Because not vaccinating them, not,
doesn't lessen the risk of autism, it only
increases the risk of vaccine preventable
disease and it's enough. It's got to stop."
He believes people are exploiting the disease
and misleading families looking desperately for
a cure. "I think there's a lot of
profiteering and a lot of quackery frankly that
surrounds this and these to me are the false
prophets of autism," said Dr. Offit.
|
 |
Autism Hangout's Dr. Emily Willingham shows 'the
wisdom to know the difference' - Gazing over
the special reports that are offered on
Autism hangout, one video title jumped out
at me this evening. Strangely enough, even
though there are many contributors to the
hangout, this was presented by the same person
whose work I took a look at a few days ago, Dr.
Emily Willingham. The title of this presentation
is Fixers and Accepters. Knowing when to
be which. |
 |
Couple alleges false imprisonment in sex assault
case involving teen daughter - Julian and
Thal Wendrow were arrested and jailed in
December 2007 on charges that Julian sexually
assaulted their 14-year-old autistic daughter
and that Thal had allowed it to happen.
Prosecutors dropped the case nearly four months
later after admitting that they did not have the
evidence to proceed. Now, in a federal
lawsuit that is likely to test the limits of
governmental immunity, the Wendrows of West
Bloomfield have sued former Oakland County
Prosecutor David Gorcyca and 24 other
defendants, including the West Bloomfield Police
Department. The lawsuit alleges malicious
prosecution, false imprisonment and more than 50
other counts. Defense attorneys say
governmental immunity will be the defense for
nearly all of the defendants. |
 |
Do OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and
Autism Go Together? - Earlier today, I
blogged about a young boy with autism who has an
intense interest in trains. I suggested that his
parents find ways to build on that interest
through social, academic and hands-on activities
related to trains. Jonathan, an adult with
autism, responded: |
 |
Family has come to accept autism through
children's experiences - Strangers in stores
have tried to shame Renee Hardy's son. They make
comments or glare at her and her son, Nathan,
because he doesn't behave like they think he
should. Once an elderly man came up to them and
started mimicking Nathan, Hardy said. Nathan's
socially unaccepted behavior is caused by autism
spectrum disorder, but the people who watch him
do not know this. He doesn't look like a child
who has autism. |
 |
Girl with autism 'leaves a mark on your heart'
- Julie Hansen is an 8-year-old with a sweet
disposition and a heart made of true grit.
But when she was 2, the diagnosis was autism.
Julie withdrew, hid under tables and avoided eye
contact. Frustration made her run in circles.
The help she needed was found at home and in
school. "Autism will always be a part of
what she is," said Julie's mother, Kathy Hansen,
chief cheerleader. "But she is so
high-functioning she doesn't need the extra
support." |
 |
Human hormones, chemicals a bad mix /
Research about everyday chemicals that may harm
human health is piling up. Some people say
government regulators have handled the situation
irresponsibly. Others say more study is needed.
- First organic food -- free of pesticides --
had the spotlight. Then consumers learned about
buying cosmetics without parabens. Just last
month Minnesota banned the chemical Bisphenol-A
(BPA) from baby bottles and sippy cups. The
mounting health cautions might seem tedious --
does every little thing cause cancer? -- but a
common thread weaves through the concerns.
Numerous everyday products are made with
chemicals that may disrupt people's endocrine
system, which is also known as the hormone
system. |
 |
'If not us, who?': Catholic couple recognized
for autism advocacy - When Nicholas
Giangregorio, 8, was first diagnosed with autism
before his second birthday, his family found it
difficult to convince society to accept them.
The town pool wouldn't let the family in because
they didn't want the child's stroller -- his
safety net -- near the water. An usher at their
Long Island church shut the back doors on the
family because of the noise he made in the
vestibule. But since Bob and Suzanne Wright
founded Autism Speaks in 2005, the Giangregorios
have noticed a collective increase in awareness
and understanding about the disease, which is a
complex brain disorder affecting abilities to
communicate and develop social relationships.
They learned how to approach the town and are
now allowed to bring Nicholas to the pool,
stroller and all. |
 |
Jury finds ex-judge guilty of sex assault -
A Dunn County jury took 30 minutes Friday to
convict a former Colfax municipal judge and
retired teacher of sexually assaulting an
18-year-old mentally challenged man in November
2007. Eugene E. Dunagan, 72, formerly of
Colfax, was found guilty by a Dunn County jury
of felony second-degree sexual assault of a
mentally deficient man. |
 |
Merck admits the vaccine Gardasil, can cause
faints and seizures. - Due to the high
volume of reports of young girls fainting and
having 'non epileptic' seizures after the
Gardasil vaccine, Merck have conceded to include
these side effects to their packaging and
labelling as from 9th June 2009. "On
June 9, 2009, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) approved a revised label for Gardasil, a
vaccine to protect against cervical, vulvar and
vaginal cancers caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
types 16 and 18 and genital warts caused by HPV
types 6 and 11. In the new label, information
pertaining to syncope (fainting) is now also
included in the Warnings and Precautions
section, and this section has new information
noting that individuals who faint sometimes have
tonic-clonic (jerking) movements and
seizure-like activity. The addition of syncope
to the Warnings and Precautions section
emphasizes that healthcare providers and
consumers should be alert that fainting may
occur following vaccination with Gardasil,
sometimes resulting in falling and injuries. To
prevent falls and injuries all vaccine
recipients should remain seated or lying down
and be closely observed for 15 minutes following
vaccination." |
 |
Musings on the intersection of science,
medicine, and culture - It's just
disgusting. Autism
spectrum disorders are an important health
problem (although not the "epidemic" claimed by
some). While real scientists and clinicians
(and parents) are looking for causes and
treatments based on evidence, fake experts are
pulling "answers" out of their backsides.
Studies of families with autism have shown
specific genetic defects associated with autism,
and while this applies only to a small
percentage of cases, it is an example of a good
lead. Even if a minority of people with autism
have similar genetic defects, these findings can
lead to more generalizable concepts.
|
 |
'MY SON IS NOT A CYBER-TERRORIST' - GARY
McKinnon is facing extradition for what has
been described as “the biggest military computer
hack of all time”. His mother JANIS SHARP argues
that his treatment by the authorities is cruel,
unnecessary and totally unjust. I used to
be a foster carer; one of the few that could
accommodate large sibling groups and was happy
to be able to help keep families together. Yet
now, in a cruel twist of fate, my own family is
being ripped apart. My son, Gary, 43, was
arrested in 2002 for hacking into American
military computers. I’m not sure I can ever
fully explain the shock of that day.
|
 |
Nasa hacker petition tops 4000 - Over 4,000
people have now signed a
petition that people with Asperger's
Syndrome should not be extradited, directed at
the Prime Minister's Office. The petition
directly refers to Gary McKinnon, the man
accused by US prosecutors of "the biggest
military hack of all time." McKinnon was
diagnosed with Asperger's, a condition on the
autism spectrum, last summer, and faces
extradition to the US to face hacking charges.
|
 |
Neutralising the toxicity of vaccines -
I have been corresponding with
the Union Health Minister and his department on
this subject since 2006. Neither the Minister
nor the Ministry have any answer to these
points.. Even when Dr Abdul Kalam, then
President, raised the subject based on my inputs
there was no sincere attempt to clarify the
position. I have since then continuously
educated the doctors on the subject. I have also
written to the current President, Vice
President, PM, Sonia, the NHRC, NCPCR, CM's of
various states, MP's of various political
parties and all the medical institutions I can
think of. I have also written to the WHO, GAVI,
UNICEF & PATH, premier institutions that promote
this highly controversial medical intervention .
You will agree that there should be a public
debate on vaccines, otherwise the unfortunate
children do not stand a chance.
|
 |
Oregon judge commits disabled teen for murder
- A mentally disabled teenager has been
committed to state care after a judge ruled he
killed his father's girlfriend. Coos County
Circuit Judge Martin Stone said the testimony of
34 witnesses was enough to convince him that
18-year-old Henry Cozad posed a danger to
others. Stone ordered Cozad to a secure group
home in Salem for at least a year and placed him
in the custody of the state Department of Human
Services. Stone said he is convinced that Henry
Cozad "is a danger to others," noting that that
Cozad has shown aggressive behavior since
elementary school. "There is a history of
kicking. There is a history of pulling hair.
There is a history of choking and a few
instances of inappropriate sexual conduct."
|
 |
Parents of two autistic sons vaccinated one but
not the other - Punch drunk as I am,
required to read every alert regarding vaccine
injury, I was struck by the facts issued on
WKRG.com News 5. Reported by Kesshia Peyton,
who interviewed Dr. Paul Offit, there is a surge
of parents who are very angry at the diversion
that anti-vaccine activists have created.
Tina Brown, mother of 2 boys with autism,
decided not to vaccinate son Dylan because his
brother Dalton had been inoculated and was
subsequently diagnosed with autism. Sadly, even
in the absence of vaccines Dylan demonstrated
symptoms of autism at 4 months of age. (video
interview is below). |
 |
Prof. Simon Baron Cohen Expands Comments -
I'm sincerely grateful to Simon Baron-Cohen for
engaging in this dialogue with me. He sent me
yet another response: ... |
 |
Secrets of Psychotherapy (Part 3): What's Your
Psychological Type? - Swiss psychiatrist
C.G.
Jung formally introduced his theory of typology
to the world in the classic text Psychological
Types (1921). People are sometimes surprised to
learn that Jung's book is the basis for the
popular Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and
the less well known Gray-Wheelwright Test and
Singer-Loomis Type Deployment Inventory (SL-TDI).
While these Jungian systems of type testing can
be interesting--formulating complex permutations
of introversion, extraversion, feeling,
thinking, sensation, intuition, judging and
perceiving--as a psychotherapist, I have always
found Jung's primary notions of introversion and
extraversion to be the most clinically useful.
|
 |
SPD: Inclusion and theraplay @ Home - The
best of intentions can become a ‘wisp of a
notion’ when a practical, tactical, game plan
isn’t put in place. In my estimation,
Occupational Therapists are the ones who lay the
‘tactical ground work’ when a teacher has her
intentions set on successful inclusion of a
special needs student in her classroom. When I
dealt with children on the autism spectrum in my
early childhood classrooms, the OT was my ‘very
best friend’, and I was never afraid to say, “I
don’t know what to do here!….How can I help?”
This, I feel, was one of my greatest strengths
while teaching….being quick to admit when I
needed a professional to guide me through
therapy techniques…and then consistently using
them! |
 |
Treating childhood autism -
WHEN Ingrid Kelly¿s four-year-old son first
started banging his head repeatedly against a
wall, she knew something was wrong.
Despite battling cerebral palsy and a vision
impairment, Jake had never exhibited such
challenging behaviour before. It was
another two years before the little boy was
finally diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder
(ASD). |
 |
Understanding autism - Autism is a lifelong
developmental disability - find out more about
the
condition that affects over half a million
people in the UK. Autism is much more
common than most people think, affecting one in
100 people in the UK. Autism is a serious,
lifelong and disabling condition which has a
profound and sometimes devastating impact on
individuals and their families. |
 |
What happens now? / Many parents of
disabled children who are due to leave school
say they
will have nowhere to go as a result of health
spending cuts, writes CARL O’BRIEN -
BREDA PURCELL feels a gnawing sense of worry
every time she thinks of her son’s future.
Emmet, 18, is autistic and suffers from
behavioural problems. He’s made great progress
in recent times at the day-school he attends in
Lisnagry, outside Limerick. He’s able to
communicate properly for the first time by using
sign language and picture exchange. He’s happier
in himself and less frustrated and his
occasional violent outbursts have almost
disappeared. Yet now, for all the progress he
has made, he’s facing a cliff-face drop.
|
06-11-2009
 |
Adult Stem Cell Research Helping Autism /
A woman from New York has written an open letter
to President Obama saying that stem cell
research using Adult Stem Cells has helped her
daughter’s autism. Judy DiCorcia is reporting
that her daughter, Lauren, a 10 year old girl
with autism has improved significantly after the
stem cell treatment and therapy in Germany in
January 2009. - A woman from New York has
written an open letter to Obama saying that stem
cell research using Adult Stem Cells has helped
her daughter’s autism. Judy DiCorcia is
reporting that her daughter, Lauren, a 10 year
old girl with autism has improved significantly
after the stem cell treatment and therapy in
Germany in January 2009. |
 |
Attorney building national chamber for disabled
entrepreneurs - Pete Schoemann wants to
build a bridge between the business and disabled
communities. The Orlando attorney is part of
both worlds: A partner in the law firm Broad and
Cassel, he has two sons with autism. He founded
the Chamber of Commerce for Persons with
Disabilities Inc. two years ago and is now
looking to expand the organization's regional
focus to a national one. The Chamber hopes to be
an umbrella organization for groups across the
U.S. that promote the disability community and
help disabled entrepreneurs get businesses off
the ground. "Instead of pulling in all different
directions, we're deciding to just pull
together," Schoemann said. |
 |
Autism activists overjoyed - Parents and
professionals who work with autism say they're
overwhelmed with joy over today's announcement
at the National Assembly. The Justice
Minister says more professionals will soon be
allowed to formally diagnose kids with the
disorder. Montreal has the longest waiting
list in the province when it comes to getting a
diagnosis...there are 600 children on waitlists
in the city right now. Most wait more than
a year just to see someone who can tell their
parents what is wrong with them.
|
 |
Autism: Starting a dialogue on ability vs.
disability - Dr. Emily Willingham,
Autism Hangout reporter, had just returned
from a parent teacher conference with her son
TH's grade report. Like many parents of children
with autism, she's questioning whether TH should
be made to conform to standards that to him may
be meaningless. If you've a similar story,
please leave it in the
discussion forum of Autism Hangout for
others to discuss and consider. |
 |
Beware of Autisms - There’s a new fad in
some quarters of the autism world. Frustrated by
their lack of progress in pinning down the
biology of autism, many scientists have begun
planning a retreat, a way to avoid owning up to
their failures and to keep doing what they want
to do in autism research despite the fact that
little of it has been working. Some have been
trying out an innovative branding concept.
Instead of using the familiar label “autism”,
they’re proposing to change the name and the
message by adding a single letter, an s at the
end of the word. Changing the name of the
disorder we know as autism to “autisms” may seem
like a small matter. It may even seem intriguing
and attractive: a way to recognize the diversity
and individuality of our children. But beware of
scientists bearing semantic shifts. There is
more to autisms than one additionals.
|
 |
Dear Professor Baron-Cohen, - OPEN LETTER TO
SIMON BARON-COHEN, Professor of developmental
psychopathology at Cambridge University and
director of its Autism Research Centre,
Cambridge University... |
 |
Doctors claim earlier treatment yields better
results for autistic ... - Autism has grown
into a common diagnosis in children in this
country. It's estimated that about one in 150
children appear on what's known as the Autism
Spectrum. Some doctors say the earlier you
treat the syndrome, the better the outcome for
the child. That's something a West Hartford, CT,
mother found to be true. "He's really come
so far, almost more than we could have
imagined," said Noreen Simmons. She first
started noticing something was not quite right
with her son Weller when he was just a baby.
|
 |
Dr. Baron Cohen Responds - Managing Editor's
Note: Thank you to Dr. Baron Cohen for
responding to Anne Dachel's open letter to him
(HERE). We need to be able to discuss the
future of our kids with the experts and
professionals who wield tremendous influence. We
might not always like it. We might strongly
disagree. But we'd darn well better keep talking
- for the sake of our kids who are hurtling
toward adulthood. Thank you, Dr. Baron Cohen.
And thank you, Anne. Here's the response from
Dr. Baron Cohen: |
 |
From confines of autism, artist shines -
Omoro Ralls is 32 years old, has been diagnosed
with autism and doesn't communicate with others
easily -- sometimes not even speaking. But
"Moe," as he is known to his family and friends,
is one of the most successful artists at the
MacDonald Training Center in Tampa, where they
work with people with disabilities in the Tampa
Bay area. When Moe came to the center, he was
classified "with most profound challenges," said
Rita Hattab, Community Relations Coordinator at
the center. But now, people get into bidding
wars over his artwork. |
 |
Genetic link in ongoing autism riddle -
RESEARCHERS have found many people with autism
share common genetic variations, a discovery
that may improve diagnosis and offers the
promise of developing treatments for the
frustratingly mysterious disorder. Their
findings, published in the journal Nature,
compared the genomes of thousands of autistic
people to those of thousands of people without
the disorder. The genome is the complex system
of DNA coding that builds and runs the human
body. |
 |
Man accused of killing son has second sanity
check
- ... On Sept. 11, 2008, Allen Grabe allegedly
shot his son nine times as the boy was sleeping
in his bed. Grabe fired several shots at his
son, walked into a hallway and told his wife, “I
had to kill him because you were ruining him,”
according to an arrest affidavit. He then walked
back in his son’s room and fired more rounds,
the affidavit said. Jacob Grabe had been treated
for Asperger’s syndrome, a neurological disorder
similar to autism.
|
 |
Magic charmed by good-luck anthem singer -
The Orlando Magic's "sixth man" in the
NationalBasketball Association Finals is
actually a girl. The Magic have found a
good luck charm in Gina Marie Incandela. Orlando
is 7-0 when the 7-year-old grammar student
stands at center court in Amway Arena and belts
out the US national anthem before each home
game. Her stirring rendition of "The
Star-Spangled Banner" sends the more than 17,000
fans into a frenzy and gives the players the
comfort of knowing they are at home. "We know
she doesn't have a direct impact on the game but
she's the spark that gets the energy going,"
Magic guard JJ Redick said of Incandela, who
suffers from a form of autism. |
 |
Mirroring Behavior - Eighteen years ago, in
a laboratory at the University of Parma in
Italy, a
neuroscientist named Giacomo Rizzolatti and his
graduate students were recording electrical
activity from neurons in the brain of a macaque
monkey. It was a typical study in
neurophysiology: needle thin electrodes ran into
the monkey’s head through a small window cut out
of its skull; the tips of the electrodes were
placed within individual neurons in a brain
region called the premotor cortex. At the time,
the premotor cortex was known to be involved in
the planning and initiation of movements, and,
just as Rizzolatti expected, when the monkey
moved its arm to grab an object the electrodes
signaled that premotor neurons were firing. And
then, neglecting to turn off their equipment,
Rizzolatti and his team got lunch.
Nursing Science & Autistic Behavior - For
most of us, flexibility is essential to problem
solving
and managing our daily experiences. But
flexibility is a foreign concept to children
with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), who often
rely on predictability and routine to manage
daily events. In some circumstances, the
child is afraid of making the wrong choice, may
not be able to control, and therefore predict,
the outcome, or doesn't understand how to manage
uncertainty. |
 |
One family thrives on humor to combat autism
- Raising multiples holds a certain tenor that
provides a mystique for those who marvel at the
situation. I have always answered that
"You're given in life, what you can handle".
Certainly I did not invite autism into our
world, when reflecting on life with quadruplets.
Autism is not simply a condition one can
"handle". It's more like tackling jello.
Perhaps we rise to the occasions that life
presents, challenges included. Humor must be
escorted into each day, for without that
inclusion we wither in despair. |
 |
One mother addresses the needs of autistic
adults - When I consider “Addressing the
Needs of
Adults on the Spectrum” it nearly suffocates me.
A therapist once noted that "these kids are cute
at 3, but what happens when they grow up." Those
are hardly threatening words, but the
significance can suck the air out of a room.
Compliance is the operative word when trying to
reach our children of autism. We insist on
invading their space, procuring language and
appropriate behaviors. These are the keys to
assimilation and acceptance. However, what
happens when that very same acquiescence is used
against them? |
 |
Psychiatric and psychosocial problems in adults
with normal-intelligence autism spectrum
disorders - Individuals with autism spectrum
disorders (ASDs) often display symptoms from
other diagnostic categories. Studies of clinical
and psychosocial outcome in adult patients with
ASDs without concomitant intellectual disability
are few. The objective of this paper is to
describe the clinical psychiatric presentation
and important outcome measures of a large group
of normal-intelligence adult patients with ASDs.
Methods: Autistic symptomatology according to
the DSM-IV-criteria and the Gillberg &Gillberg
research criteria, patterns of comorbid
psychopathology and psychosocial outcome were
assessed in 122 consecutively referred adults
with normal intelligence ASD. The referrals
consisted of 5 patients with autistic disorder
(AD), 67 with Asperger's disorder (AS) and 50
with pervasive developmental disorder not
otherwise specified (PDD NOS). |
 |
Processing and accepting a child with a
disability - This weekend Sarah Palin spoke
at an
Independent Group Home Living Fundraiser.
This New York non-profit organization provides
much needed support for those who are living
with developmental disabilities. She is open
about the fact that she feels blessed to have a
child with Downs Syndrome and will continue to
support and advocate for those with
disabilities. She also participated in a
walk to benefit
Autism Speaks along with her nephew who has
been diagnosed with Autism. Her husband,
daughter and sister also walked with her.
While it took Palin and her husband time to
process the disability that their youngest son
has, they have come to accept the disability and
even embrace it as they have become strong
advocates for the disabled community.
|
 |
Rain Man's Curse - Autism is both
MR/DD and Einstein. Long ago
before "designer new age autism" autism was
largely UN diagnosable unless it was a severe
case.Many of its people came out very well! Only
after the advent of the hit move Rain Man and
the autism epidemic to follow did Autism become
the issue it is today. Autism was once filled
with odd geeks, strange kids and most of us were
tutored nightly or in special education and yes,
occasionally on the honor roll if things fit
just right. Many of us were in two grades at
once one above grade level and the other
struggling in our less than easy subjects.
Sounds like Einstein doesn't it? He too started
out "dumb". |
 |
Sarah Palin thanks Obama for allowing autism
research - Our Autism Speaks walk on Sunday
was a great success. Thousands walked to promote
research and awareness. Sarah Palin's choice to
walk with us was prompted by her sister Heather,
who has a child with autism. Lucky for me,
my friend Carol who is a fellow parent of
autism, taped the speech with her camera. Listen
to Governor Palin's words "autism is a non
partisan issue" (my daughter thinks she borrowed
a piece of my
column). She also thanked our "President and
members of Congress who are working hard to
allow funding for the research that we need for
autism". |
 |
Scots hacker 'could kill himself if sent to US'
- A Scottish computer expert who is sought by
the US for hacking into the Pentagon and other
secret institutions could commit suicide due to
the stress of being extradited and should be
tried in the UK, a court heard yesterday. The
claim was made by legal counsel for Gary
McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome,
at the High Court in London during a last-ditch
bid to avoid him being sent to stand trial in
the US. Mr McKinnon is wanted by the US
authorities to stand trial for allegedly hacking
into 97 US government computers, which included
the top-secret military headquarters and others
belonging to the US Navy and Nasa, from his
London home. |
 |
Someone 2 Know: Lisa Rogers - Lisa Rogers is
a mother of six. Although she didn't give birth
to one of them, she knows her children better
than anyone else. Over the past 18-years, Rogers
and her partner, Diane Monohan, have adopted
five special needs kids and they're the foster
parents of another. I'll quickly run down why
many consider Rogers a guardian angel.
|
 |
State Child Advocate Investigates
Autism Abuse Case -
Georgia's Child Advocate is getting involved
after 11Alive's investigation in an autism abuse
case. Tom Rawlings says his office has
launched an investigation after a judge ruled
that 11-year-old Stefan Ferrari was abused by an
adult at his school. Stefan is non-verbal
and attended a facility run by the state funded
agency Metro RESA. Stefan attended the school at
the recommendation of Atlanta Public Schools. He
is an APS student. Rawlings says his
office will look at how DFACS, Atlanta Schools,
Atlanta Police and MRESA handled the
family's
accusations of abuse. Rawlings said the possible
recommendations to Gov. Sonny Perdue could
include legislation or clarification of how
abuse concerns should be handled within the
educational system. |
 |
Study begins to sort out melatonin use in ASD
insomnia - A low dose of melatonin could
help solve insomnia problems for children with
autism spectrum disorders, Vanderbilt
researchers reported at a sleep conference.
Physicians said some parents are giving
melatonin to their children because they
perceive it as a natural treatment. A variety of
formulations has made it difficult to determine
the best way to use melatonin in ASD children.
Medscape (free registration) (06/10)
|
 |
Technology exposes boy to world of sound -
CindyLee Banks still remembers the first time
she
experienced the thrill of music. “I
remember that first day in band. The harmony
with all the instruments together was
phenomenal,” she said. “I love music. I love
sound.” For CindyLee hearing that harmony
was a powerful moment. Her family believes a
bout of mumps during childhood decreased her
hearing capabilities but was never able to
specifically trace her loss to the illness. She
got her first hearing aid when she was 11 and
her second at the age of 15. |
 |
To explain or not to explain - If you have a
child with autism, you’ve probably been in one
of these situations. You’re at a store, and your
child is acting up and behaving badly. Or maybe
he’s actually being thoroughly charming, and
people come up to him to try to engage him. No
dice. You get the strange look – the “what’s
wrong with your child?” accusatory look. Do you
explain this, or do you ignore it and move on?
Perhaps the neighborhood kids think that your
child is strange, and they shun him or her. Do
you let it go, or do you try to address it?
|
 |
The Autism Diaries: An Anti-Meltdown Tool -
The meltdown is a universal term for
those in the autism community and yes, the
nuclear implication is dead-on. It happens at
home, the store, school, a french horn
lesson...the meltdown is indiscriminate.
Autism as a disability is not always apparent to
the passer-by, and the parents share that common
bond of anonymous disapproval ranging from the
spoiled brat variety, to the more old
school ass whoopin' if that was my kid
model. But when you're living with autism the
emotional reserves are rarely flush, hence the
learned skill of judiciously picking battles.
|
 |
UFO-obsessed British hacker fights extradition
to US - A Briton accused of hacking into
NASA computers should not be extradited to the
US due to his mental health, a lawyer said
Tuesday,
adding that he was eccentric and "passionate"
about UFOs. Gary McKinnon, 42, could spend life
in prison if convicted by a US court of gaining
access to 97 computers in 2001 and 2002 in the
aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
McKinnon says he was only looking for evidence
of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) when he
hacked into the US Navy and NASA space agency
computers. And his lawyers said Tuesday that
McKinnon -- who suffers from Asperger's
Syndrome, a form of autism -- could commit
suicide or suffer psychosis if extradited and
could easily be prosecuted in Britain. McKinnon
was "an eccentric person who has passionate
views about UFOs," his lawyer Edward Fitzgerald
told the High Court in London, adding that
extradition was "unnecessary, avoidable and
disproportionate." |
 |
What is Scientology's position on medical care?
/ There has been a misrepresentation of what
Scientology doctrine is when it comes to illness
or physical problems like epilepsy or seizures
or "autism". The following are two answers from
the Church of Scientology, defining the Church’s
position - The Church of Scientology has
always had the firm policy of not diagnosing or
treating the sick. However Scientology policy is
adamant that no true spiritual progress can be
expected if underlying medical conditions remain
untreated. Medical doctors are trained to deal
with the physical aspects of illness and injury.
A Scientologist with a physical condition is
always advised and supported to seek and obtain
the needed examination and treatment of a
qualified medical professional. Separately and
once under medical treatment, a Scientologist
then can address his illness or injury with
Scientology counseling to handle any spiritual
trauma or other factors connected with the
physical condition which may have predisposed
him to illness or injury. There are also many
medical doctors who are Scientologists
themselves. |
 |
With high functioning autism, it seems the
easier it gets the easier it gets the harder it
gets - When Tom was three, four and
five years old he spoke almost entirely in
memorized scripts from TV shows. When he was
upset, he winged heavy toys across the room.
Once, he broke a window. More than once, he hit
a parent - hard. He wasn't potty trained until
he was close to five years old. Given all those
issues, it wasn't really surprising to us or
anyone else that he needed extra support.
Clearly, he wasn't able to process verbal
information at typical speed, play symbolically,
or think well about implied rules of conduct. He
needed extra help.
|
06-09-2009
 |
Alex 'wants to be part of this world now' -
Her son's autism diagnosis came at age 3 1/2 .
But
well before then, Pamela Camille knew something
was wrong. The boy was fascinated with running
water and patterns on floors. He walked on his
toes, ate almost nothing but rice and freaked
out over routine noises. "If he got a drop of
rain on him, the day was done." Once diagnosed,
Alex Amirkhosravi's parents looked for help,
quickly realizing, "whatever the teachers do,
whatever the therapists do, has to be followed
through at home," she said. Alex first attended
Seminole County public schools and made good
strides in their autism program. The family
thought a private school might be best for first
grade. They enrolled him in one, but eventually
the staff suggested another option: the new
Paragon School. |
 |
Amid obstacles, Justin is 'just a delight' -
Carol Tucker started her own school for autistic
children in 1996 for personal reasons: Her newly
adopted 3-year-old son had the disorder, and she
couldn't find the right program for him. Justin,
adopted from foster care, didn't walk or talk
and was still fed with a bottle. He had to wear
a helmet because he often hurt himself. The
public-school program was not intensive enough
to address his disabilities, complicated by
cerebral palsy, Tucker said. "He needed
immediate help," she said. "They wanted to wait
and see." So Tucker, who had taught for years at
the Catholic Diocese's special-needs school,
worked with another teacher to start a new
private school focused on autism.
|
 |
Autism poses unique set of challenges - Boys
are four times more likely than girls to be
affected. More children will be diagnosed with
it this year than diabetes, cancer and AIDS
combined. Autism among children is growing
exponentially, but still remains largely a
puzzle. As the number of cases continue to rise,
so do concerns about how this population will be
served in the future. Early intervention is one
of the most effective tools in dealing with the
behaviors associated with autism, but the child
must attend school by around the age of 5. The
challenge is that every case seems to be
different, requiring a wide array of teaching
methods. |
 |
Autism: Understanding the complex
disorder - Autism is a complex developmental
disability that delays and interferes with
communication and social skills. About 40
percent of children with autism do not speak.
The disorder strikes boys four times more often
than girls. The signs are apparent by age
3 and often by 18 months. Youngsters with the
disorder can show a range of symptoms, from mild
to severe, and can be gifted intellectually or
be very mentally challenged. |
 |
Autistic boy, 9, subject of 16-hour search,
found - A 9-year-old boy with autism who
disappeared from his California City home Friday
afternoon was found about one-mile from his home
Saturday morning. The boy wandered about
25 miles in the desert, naked, before being
located by search and rescue crews according to
California City Police Lt. Eric Hurtado.
The boy was suffering from hypothermia, because
it was an abnormally cold night in the desert,
and taken to a hospital for treatment. The
child's mother was helping to bathe the child
who disappeared out a sliding-glass door when
she left the room briefly to get him a change of
clothing, police said. |
 |
Autistic children deserve better - By
insisting that autistic children be diagnosed
only by a physician, Quebec is creating a
situation of great unfairness where children are
left for years on waiting lists to be diagnosed
and then to receive treatment. Deprived of the
chance to be treated as early as possible,
children with autism spectrum disorders cannot
reap the now-proven benefits of early
intervention. This means that children who might
have learned to speak and interact socially are
instead left to an uncertain future without
these skills. In Montreal alone, more than 600
children are waiting for a diagnosis. With one
in 166 children in the province estimated to
have an autism spectrum disorder, this is a
problem in urgent need of a solution.
|
 |
Best Way to Prevent Autism - Get Your Child
Vaccinated - For as long as I can recall,
this has
been one of the clarion calls of the
autism/antivaccine/pro-disease groups – that
the only way to know if
vaccines cause autism is to do a ‘simple’
study of vaccinated vs unvaccinated populations.
Indeed, Generation Rescue carried out
an ill-fated phone survey that in reality
meant absolutely nothing so badly was it put
together and carried out. But even if it had
been well designed and carried out the results
were not good for pro-disease anti-vaccine
autism believers: |
 |
David Kirby on HuffPo: Top US Panel Agrees On
Vaccine Safety Research - Click
HERE to read and comment on David Kirby's
latest HuffPo. On Tuesday, the Federal
Government's leading immunization advisory panel
unanimously approved a sweeping list of vaccine
safety research recommendations for the US
Department of Health and Human Services,
including several that are directly or
indirectly linked to the vaccine-autism debate.
The endorsement, from the highly influential
National Vaccine Advisory Committee, will surely
intensify the argument. |
 |
Does autism take a biological toll on parents?
- An article in
ScienceNews says that mothers of teens and
young adults with autism produce less of the
stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol helps people
deal with stress and threats. Stress also
usually causes people’s cortisol levels to
increase. The article states: It’s
still not clear whether low cortisol activation
in mothers caring for autistic children
represents an adaptive response that makes it
possible to handle prolonged stress or a
maladaptive response that fosters physical
problems down the road. |
 |
Effort for others - A WEST End business
owner’s bid to help autistic children at Marsden
has
been hailed a success, with efforts closing in
on the proposed target. In February, Thuy Nguyen
set out to raise $2000 to buy sensory items for
children at Marsden State School through events
such as chocolate drives, raffles, and high tea
events at her coffee shop Lettuce Eat Gourmet,
Fast Food, and Catering. Ms Nguyen said as a
business owner, she wanted to give back to the
community by organising a special autism support
and awareness project. “I thought it was time to
make a difference,’’ she said. “I was talking to
a friend who worked at Marsden and she shared
with me how the children’s quality of life at
the school could be improved.’’ Ms Nguyen held a
family information day at Marsden State School
last month which attracted more than 60 people.
|
 |
Equine edge / For more than 15 years,
children and adults with special needs have
benefited from CANTER, a local equine assisted
therapy program. And now Cochise Area Network
Therapeutic Equestrian Resources has added a new
member to its team. Ann Alden, who has been
named head riding instructor and program
director, comes to CANTER with a background that
spans 17 years as a certified advanced NARHA
(North American Riding for the Handicapped)
instructor. Alden is one of the first 30 people
in the United States to be certified by the
independent Certifying Board for Equine
Interaction Professionals as an equine
facilitated learning educator. She serves on the
NARHA Health and Education Advisory Group, which
reviews and updates standards of practice for
the NAHRA manual. |
 |
'Hands of Love': Trials of son's autism draw
Christian parents ... - Gifts
from God don’t always
initially appear that way. Sometimes they come
wrapped in disaster. When autism began to
afflict Rachel West Kramer’s 15-month-old son
about 10 years ago, erasing his progress in
language and social development, the Christian
singer — who is starting to get national airplay
on Christian radio stations — did everything
possible to restore him to normality. But soon
she and her husband, also a musician and
songwriter, found themselves exhausted and at
the end of their rope. |
 |
It is committing professional suicide to be
anti-vaccine! - There are three rules to
being a good
honest professional when it comes to vaccines
and they are,a) See no evil, b) Hear no evil, c)
Speak no evil. Break any one of these
rules and you are on a slippery slope to
professional suicide. Not only will big pharma
try to destroy you, so to, will every newspaper
known to man, your governing body and even your
own friends and colleagues. Play to the rules
and you will become rich and successful. So why
is it that there are some professionals, who
despite being discredited, professionally
dissected and left on the scrap heap by the
medical profession and their peers,still
continue to speak out time and time again
against vaccines and the pharmaceutical
companies who manufacture them? |
 |
Misconceived criticism - BOB Carr's
criticism of a proposal for an Australian Human
Rights Act ("So, whose rights reign supreme?"
Comment, 5/6) is completely misconceived on two
grounds. Carr argues that under the model act
(of which I am the principal author), the
Australian Human Rights Commission is given a
role in "effectively striking down laws".
Nothing could be further from the truth. The
commission's only role is this. It notifies the
Commonwealth Attorney-General that a court has
found it impossible to interpret government
legislation in a way that is consistent with the
rights set down in the act. |
 |
'Neuroscience heading towards a
unified theory of speech function'
- Speech is one important
faculty that distinguishes humans from the rest
of the animal world. Insights into how speech is
hardwired into the brain began with Paul Broca’s
discovery in the 19th century that the left
cerebral hemisphere is primarily involved in the
speech process. Over the years, various
researchers have found several pathways that
explain aspects of speech, but neuroscience now
seems to be heading towards a unified theory of
speech function in the brain.
|
 |
Oprah defends her 'experts' accused of talking
nonsense - Today on the Oprah Winfrey show:
balderdash, superstition and a dose of iffy
medical advice from some New Age healthcare
"gurus" who certainly haven't been recommended
by your doctor. The world's most influential
chat show host has been thrust to the centre of
a heated debate, following allegations that she
has abused her legendary influence to help
peddle alternative treatments that are
ineffective, expensive and dangerous. Ms
Winfrey, below, whose advice on fashion,
literature and pretty much everything else is
treated like gospel by tens of millions of
Americans, was last week forced to speak out
against criticism of the doctors and health
"experts" who preach from her billion-dollar
sofa. |
 |
Proper diagnosis helps youth understand, cope
- It's 3 p.m. on a Tuesday and Donia West sits
nervously on her porch scanning the crowds of
junior high school students sauntering past her
Elder Street home. Squinting her eyes, trying to
focus on the groups, she looks like a nervous
parent waiting for a third-grader who's walking
home from school alone for the first time. By
3:15 p.m., the Vacaville mom is starting to
wonder where her 14-year-old son is. School let
out a half hour ago, and they only live about a
block from Willis Jepson Middle School.
"I'm happy he has friends to stay after school
and talk with, but I get nervous," she says as
her husband Richard joins her on the porch.
"Where is he?" Within minutes, her son Devin
casually strolls up the sidewalk, oblivious to
the worry and concern his tardiness has caused
his parents. After showing off a two-liter soda
bottle his class turned into a rocket, he heads
into the house for a snack. Devin suffers from
Pervasive Development Disorder, Not Otherwise
Specified (PDD NOS) with Asperger tendencies.
Both PDD NOS and Aspergers are under the
umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
|
 |
Summertime Treats for Gluten-free Eaters -
Summer is underway, and eating 'gluten-free' is
a
hot topic, within and, increasingly, beyond the
Celiac and gluten-intolerant community. For 21
years, Pamela's Products has successfully
provided baking mixes and finished packaged
cookies that focus on great taste so that
everyone from Celiacs to wheat-eaters can enjoy
equally and together. To that end, the
award-winning leader in the gluten-free arena
salutes Celiac Awareness Month with involvement
in multiple events, and also offers a variety of
interesting savory and sweet recipe variations (www.pamelasproducts.com)
for family and friends to enjoy on Father's Day,
picnics and more. |
 |
Teachers: Electronic chalkboards transforming
classrooms - "Jay," a 12-year-old student
with
autism at Northfield's Spaulding Youth Center,
walked up to his classroom's SMART Board one
recent Monday. He began drawing a picture of a
car. The car had a flat tire, and there was a
man outside the car with a jack trying to fix
the tire. "Up high, up high," Jay said as he
drew the picture, the entire time looking
directly at his classmates and teachers.
That weekend Jay's family had been driving when
they got a flat tire. Jay returned to school
Monday and wanted to share the story of his
weekend with his peers. For many students
it's common to return to school and tell friends
about your weekend. But in Jay's case, the
occasion was remarkable. |
 |
The Autism Diaries - News Roundup - Everyone
who is disabled differently-abled due
to autism accesses areas of their brains that
are foreign to those who are neurotypical. The
key in many cases is finding the areas of
strength, which can be challenging due to the
inherent communication deficits. There are
sometimes cases where the area of strength is
unmistakable, particularly in those who we refer
to as
savant, such as Derek Paravacini, who is
featured in the clip below. |
 |
What My Mother Means to Me - Everyone thinks
his/her mom is special in many different ways. I
consider my mom is not just a caring mother; she
is also my best friend, teacher, and coach for
life. Doctors delivered the dreariest news
to my mom when I was three years old. "Autism
Spectrum Disorder." They predicted I will never
be able to catch up with my peer group,
academically or socially. That broke my mom's
heart. Fortunately, mom never let those words
stop her from helping me to achieve my highest
potentials. For years, I was reading without
comprehending. |
 |
When language can be the 'key to success' -
“Conspiracy of nature” is Sadaf Shahid’s
response when asked why she chose to become a
Speech Language Pathologist. Sadaf is one of the
handful of pathologists working in a country
where more than 20 million people suffer from
communication related disorders requiring the
services of 40,000 pathologists. Sadaf, who did
her Masters in Speech Language Pathology from
University of Karachi and has attained a diploma
in Clinical Autism and Neurological Disorders
acquired sufficient practical training before
attaining her degree in 2007. It was a few
months after the birth of her son in 1989 when
she learnt that he had hearing impairment and
she decided to develop his language skills
instead of isolating him from other members of
the society. |
06-05-2009
 |
Autism care takes biological toll on mothers
- Mothers with teenagers or young adults living
at home face plenty of stress. If the young
home-dwellers have been diagnosed with autism,
the emotional intensity of caregiving surges
dramatically in the mothers and may undermine
the functioning of a critical stress hormone, a
long-term study suggests. Over a five-year span,
women who had children with autism living at
home reported many more challenges in their
daily lives than women caring for typically
developing teens and young adults, reported
psychologist Marsha Seltzer of the University of
Wisconsin–Madison on June 4 at the annual
meeting of the Jean Piaget Society. Moms of
children with autism spent nearly all of their
time on caregiving activities, experienced an
inordinate amount of daily fatigue, often got
into arguments at home and at work, and reported
having negative feelings far more often than
positive ones. |
 |
Defense raises questions about Barrall's fitness
to stand trial -
One
of the attorney's for Neil Barrall wants more
specifics on Judge Micheal Kiley's ruling
concerning the fitness of Barrall to stand trial
for the October 2007 murder of Michele Cavaletto
of rural Centralia. Attorney Matt Vaughn is
asking the judge to enter a specific finding
that Barrall is presently unfit, but may be
rendered fit with special provisions or
assistance. Vaughn also wants the judge to make
a specific determination and finding as to
whether there is substantial probability that
Barrall will attain fitness within one year.
|
 |
MMR vaccination scheme bullies parents - The
latest scheme to bully parents into giving their
children the MMR vaccination is to bar kids from
school unless they have had the measles, mumps
and rubella jab. How grotesque is that? Parents
who decline the MMR jab are not thoughtless,
stupid or uncaring. They are unconvinced.
Privately, some doctors admit that the MMR jab
can probably do harm to children with
pre-existing conditions, although on balance
these doctors – or at least the ones I have
spoken to – still recommended the jab.
|
 |
Researchers Identify Novel Autism Candidate Gene
Analysis of 17q11 chromosomal region
implies CACNA1G plays role in condition's
etiology - The calcium channel subunit gene,
CACNA1G, may be a novel candidate gene for
autism spectrum disorder, according to a study
published online May 19 in Molecular Psychiatry.
Samuel P. Strom, a graduate student researcher
at the University of California in Los Angeles,
and colleagues typed both parents and one
affected son in 302 male-only trios. They
selected 2,042 single nucleotide polymorphisms
for genotyping in 17q11-q21, a chromosomal
region which had previously been linked to
autism spectrum disorder. The researchers
identified markers within the interval
containing the gene CACNA1G that were
significantly associated with autism spectrum
disorder. |
 |
The Normal One /
A Brother's Memoir By Karl
Taro Greenfeld - In the
1970s, when autism was a rare diagnosis and
accounts of raising a
child with the disorder were far less common,
Noah Greenfeld, the subject of several
well-received books by his father, Josh, was
“probably the most famous autistic child in
America.” Or so claims the journalist Karl Taro
Greenfeld, Noah’s older brother. His new memoir
supplies plenty of anecdotes to prove his point
— a “60 Minutes” crew moves into the Greenfeld
house; Karl’s juvenilia about Noah “ends up” in
The New York Times and Esquire. Yet for Karl,
living in a family that was “one of the public
accounts of autism” was shaming. He became
“locally famous,” as he puts it, “for nothing
more than having a retard brother.”
|
 |
Two Fathers Show Support For Autism Awareness
Through Racing - Not only will Marc and Jeff
be working together on the track for a good
result in this weekend’s Mazda Formula X event
at New Jersey Motorsports Park, they will also
be working together to raise funds and awareness
for autism. Both racers are fathers of a child
with autism, giving them added motivation to
promote something that is near and dear to their
hearts. |
06-04-2009
 |
Antidepressant not for Autism - Following
results of a new study, researchers question the
efficacy of the antidepressant, citalopram, for
the treatment of repetitive behaviors in
children with autism. Citalopram is in a class
of antidepressants know as selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), designed to
interfere with the way the brain regulates
serotonin. "Despite the relative dearth of
evidence supporting their use, SSRIs are among
the most frequently used medications for
children with autism, partially because of their
perceived safety," the study authors write.
|
 |
Art imitating life: Emotionally fragile children
find voice in art class - Kyle, at 16 a
friendly kid with a beard who towers over his
peers, shows a visitor around his art class in
an office building on Madison's east side. "We
make a lot of good stuff here," he says, pulling
out a collection of miniatures he fashioned from
clay. "This is a dead leg," he says. "Here's a
squid, a tree, and an overflowing toilet. A dead
beached whale. A dog cleaning itself."
|
 |
Autism lecture: 'recovery is possible' - A
two-hour free lecture about autism will be held
June 16 at 7 p.m. at the Diamond Ballroom at
Minerals Resort and Spa. Sponsored by Healthy
Thymes of Vernon along with Enzymedica and the
Autism Treatment Center of America, the talk
will feature Raun Kaufman, who is described as
having “recovered from autism” and is now the
CEO of the Autism Treatment Center of America,
plus Kristin Gonzalez, director of Autism
Education for Enzymedica and the mother of a
6-year-old with autism. |
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Autism may be missed in schoolchildren
- One primary school child in every 64 may need
help because they have some form of autism, but
have not been diagnosed, according to a new
study Researchers who surveyed children aged
five to nine in Cambridgeshire say the findings
should help education, health and social
services prepare for the future. Their figures,
published in the June issue of the British
Journal of Psychiatry, confirm that one per cent
of primary school children have an existing
diagnosis of autism, but also suggest that there
may be many more currently undiagnosed.
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Autism-Mitochondrial Study: Participants
Needed - ASD Centers, LLC has expanded the
clinical study started in the Dallas, Texas area
to include other locations. This study is
designed to examine mitochondrial dysfunction
and how L-carnitine supplementation affects
behavior, cognition, muscle strength, and
health/physical traits in those with a diagnosed
autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
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Can kids with Special Needs ever fit in -
Lisa Jo Rudy (Informal Education Examiner)
published
an article today that asked the question
“Can a kid with autism every fit in?” I
think this is a question a parent of special
needs kid always asks themselves, regardless of
the actual diagnosis. Whether your child has
mental retardation, Down’s syndrome, bipolar,
reactive attachment disorder, autism, attention
deficit disorder, et al. we all want our
children to succeed in life. Part of success can
be measured by happiness. Humans are considered
happier when he or she has friends. And
therefore, parents want their children to have
friends and to “fit in.” |
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Childhood vaccinations should be compulsory,
says former head of BMA / Children should
not
be allowed into school unless they can prove
they have had their vaccinations, Sir Sandy
Macara, a former chairman of the British Medical
Association has said. -
Immunisation rates plummeted after research
linked the measles, mumps and rubella
vaccination to bowel disorders and autism.
Experts now fear another epidemic is likely as
measles and mumps have made a resurgence,
despite the research being discredited and
vaccination rates beginning to rise again.
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Crumlin family pay tribute to 'gent who loved Dr
Who' - THE FAMILY of a 26-year-old man who
died tragically at his Crumlin home said he will
be remembered as an “impeccably dressed
gentleman” and for his love of Star Wars and
Doctor Who. Seb Neale, who was diagnosed
with asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism,
at the age of 18, died at his Oakland Terrace
home on Sunday, May 17, after banging his head.
The former Crosskeys college student, had been
at a barbeque with friends the night before and
went back to his flat with a friend. The
friend left as he had work the next day and Mr
Neale’s last Facebook entry was made at 4.50am.
His mother Jennifer Neale said the cause of his
death has not yet been confirmed and she does
not know how he cut his head. |
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Former counselor gets year sentence for showing
child porn to to youth at Oregon computer camp-
A former camp counselor has been sentenced to a
year in custody for showing child pornography to
a 13-year-old camper. After he pleaded
guilty to encouraging child sexual abuse,
35-year-old Aaron Leonard Munter was sentenced
Tuesday to a half year in jail and another six
months in a work center. Munter was a
counselor at a 2-day computer camp at Corban
College in July. Prosecutors say he invited a
13-year-old camper with an autism spectrum
disorder to look at a video that showed sexual
contact between two boys. |
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GFree Eases Gluten-Free Living with Delicious,
Inspired Meal Plans and Tools / GFree (http://www.GfreeCuisine.com),
an innovative gluten-free recipe and menu
planning service, provides practical plans and
tools to prepare healthy, easy gluten-free
dinners. Subscribe now and receive a free bag of
the new Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornmeal.
- Dinner doesn't have to be a chore anymore.
GFree (http://www.GfreeCuisine.com),
a gluten-free recipe and menu planning service,
provides practical meal plans and tools to
prepare healthy, easy gluten-free dinners.
Launched in 2008, GFree is the only gluten-free
recipe website to offer an automatic grocery
list. The service is used by scores of celiacs,
parents with autistic children, and those
looking to feel better without wheat.
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Lakeland teen accused of stealing identity of
autistic friend ... - A
Lakeland teen has been charged with 24 felony
counts in an alleged identity theft and fraud
scheme involving a vulnerable adult — a
childhood friend. James Michael Staricha,
19, racked up more than $35,000 in debt — by way
of credit cards, loans, bank accounts and cell
phones — using his friend's name and Social
Security number, investigators said in a
criminal complaint filed in Washington County
District Court. |
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Mounties learn difference between autistic and
troublemaking behaviour - Distinguishing
between distressed people in a panicked mental
state and genuine troublemakers is not easy, but
North Vancouver RCMP officers are giving it a
try. “We had input from the public
expressing concern about what to do about people
who don’t appear normal, such as those with
adult-autism,” Const. Michael McLaughlin said
Tuesday. “We want to be proactive before
it turns tragic.” Almost 100 front-line
officers are getting training this week in
recognizing the differences between drunks
looking for trouble and people with “sensory
overload” from sirens and lights. “Those
people can be mistaken for combative drunks,”
said McLaughlin. “It might be someone with
a genuine disorder, someone who’s in crisis.”
Police will be trained to spot a combination of
behaviours which indicate adult-autism, such as
repetitive motions, underdeveloped upper bodies
and a fixation with bright objects. “We
can turn the lights off, talk calmly and
restrain them in a safe way if necessary,” he
said. |
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NO MMR, NO SCHOOL - A health expert has
called for children to be barred from school
unless they can prove they have had the MMR jab.
Former British Medical Association chairman Sir
Sandy Macara wants the vaccine, which guards
against measles, mumps and rubella, to be
compulsory. The number of children having it
plunged after studies wrongly linked it with
increased risk of autism. The drop in take-up
has been blamed for measles outbreaks across the
country that have sparked fears of an epidemic.
Sir Sandy said: "Attempts to persuade people
have failed. The suggestion is we ought to
consider making a link which would make it
compulsory for children to be immunised if they
are to receive a free education."
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No proof vaccine led to autism, court rules
- A special U. S. court has ruled against three
families who claimed vaccines caused their
children's autism. The Vaccine Court Omnibus
Autism Proceeding ruled against the parents of
Michelle Cedillo, Colten Snyder and William
Yates Hazlehurst, who had claimed that a
measles, mumps and rubella vaccine had combined
with other vaccine ingredients to damage the
three children. "Unfortunately, the
Cedillos have been misled by physicians who are
guilty, in my view, of gross medical
misjudgment," Special Master George Hastings, a
former tax claims expert at the Department of
Justice, wrote in the 183-page ruling.Overcoming
Autism - It's
estimated one in every 166 kids will be
diagnosed with autism.The great majority will
stay that way for the rest of their lives.But
new research is showing that a small percentage
of kids who once had the condition have ecovered
from it and are no longer considered
autistic.Manuel Gallegus reports.Jake Exkorn is
like any 12 year old.He talks to friends
online... and likes sports more than school.Jake
says, 'Right now I'm in sixth grade, I'm in
middle school, I have a lot more tests and
homework.'When you see Jake today it's hard to
believe.... he was once autistic.
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Organic food contains less toxins - For
those of us who eat organic foods regularly, we
know that our food contains less toxins. We
believe this to be true because the food, water
and soil were not treated with chemical toxins.
But now there is scientific data to support this
knowledge. What is almost more striking than the
facts in these studies is that they are not very
new and yet seem to get no national media
coverage. |
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piano phenom; women's chorus turns 10; reviving
a local classic ... -
Sixteen-year-old New Hampshire native Matt
Savage brings his venerated piano talents to
Portsmouth on Sunday, June 7. The Matt Savage
Trio makes its first Port City appearance at St.
John’s Episcopal Church beginning at 3 p.m. A
resident of Francestown, Savage began making
waves in the jazz world when he was only 8 years
old, playing for Dave Brubeck and jamming with
Chick Corea. In subsequent years, he would play
with a number of other living jazz legends,
including McCoy Tyner, Clark Terry and Jimmy
Heath, as well as soul goddess Chaka Khan. He
has performed live on the “The Late Show with
David Letterman,” “Late Night with Conan
O’Brien” and “Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz” on
NPR. |
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Rave Reviews for New High Tech Thriller “The
Five” by Thomas Roberts / If book reviews
are an
indication of how well a new book is being
received by readers, then The Five is deserving
of the red carpet treatment. The following
excerpt might explain The Five's phenomenal
success. - "Although listed as science
fiction, I believe it to be highly enjoyable to
even those not usually drawn to the genre.
Typically this classification brings to mind
aliens and monsters from outer space...you get
my meaning. The writing style in this book is
very reminiscent of great authors that we know
today. Take the late great Michael Crichton. Two
of his works, Jurassic Park and the Lost World,
both explore scientific advancements that may
not be that far away on the horizon. Both the
story and technical aspects were sound and
thoroughly explained. Author Thomas Roberts
accomplishes this within his work as well. I
look forward to seeing more from this emerging
talent. For more information on the author,
visit fivethebook.com. Happy reading..."
Review by: Science Fiction or Science Fact?, May
14, 2009 By G. Reba (Panama City, FL)
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Rock climbing wall for autistic kids -
"Gives them a chance to practice their fine
motor skills and
able to fine tune what their hands and their
feet are doing," says Shannon Jenkins, parent.
Shannon Jenkins is talking about a new rock
climbing wall, specifically designed for
autistic kids. "They think they're playing and
yet they're learning at the same time," says
Lindsay, an autism teacher. Learning things like
trust. "If they fall they will be held and then
they also have to listen for directions." And
how to follow directions. "Orange path, they'll
start here and depending on their ability level
we'll have them go straight up and touch all of
these orange up there on the top." "I was pretty
hesitant at first," says Jenkins. But Shannon's
six-year-old is a pretty active kid, so she
quickly realized this might be just the thing
for him. "Gives him a chance to get away from
academics and a chance to refocus and
regenerate," says Jenkins. "Children with autism
have a lot of sensory needs and if they are
moving while they're learning, they'll actually
retain more, then if they're just sitting at the
desk and just hearing it or seeing it."
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Scoop Essentials: Disclosing Disability,
Tackling A Dicey Proposition - Whether
you’re out in
public or in the company of family, talking
about a disability and what it means to you or a
family member can be tough business. But with
the right approach, talking about a disability
can go from stressful to meaningful, says family
therapist Diane Smith, who herself has a child
with a disability. Check out what Smith has to
say and then submit your own questions to her by
clicking
here.In this installment of
Scoop Essentials, Smith helps you find the right
words and a healthy approach to explaining a
disability to family, friends or even perfect
strangers. |
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Seven-year-old Huddersfield girl acts as voice
for her autistic sister - SHE’S only seven
but Charlotte Jones is a true champion. She’s
proving a vital, essential help to her autistic
little sister, at home and at school.
Charlotte’s sister Sarah, six, has severe autism
and is virtually unable to speak. Sarah, who was
diagnosed with the condition aged three, is
prone to wandering off, climbing, and putting
herself in dangerous situations. She finds it
difficult to communicate and will sometimes use
German words, learnt from her German mother
Elisabeth. But Charlotte is on hand to watch her
and get help when her little sister wants
something. The sisters, two of six siblings,
share a bedroom at their home in Ravensknowle
Road, Moldgreen, and are close in every way.
Both sisters attend Moldgreen Community Primary
School where Sarah receives much-needed special
help from the staff at the special autism unit.
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Simple change in diet makes big difference -
A sold-out a seminar is being held in Gates this
It didn't take Eaton long before she had
assembled all the help she thought Marius would
need .
But even with the right doctors and intense
therapy, Eaton says Marius wasn't talking and he
was extremely aggressive. Eaton began to change
her son's diet. “I will tell you what...with our
little boy, aggressiveness came down, much less
aggressive, we could get him to focus a little
better and his speech started developing.”
evening is focusing on gluten-free products Its
focus being gluten-free products. When
Deirdre Eaton's two-year-old son Marius was
diagnosed with autism, she was shocked. “My
first reaction was he can't have that. I didn't
know what it was but I know we were not having
it.” |
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Tech tools are helping busy moms stay in sync
- at's for dinner tonight? Check your recipe
iPhone app and your electronic shopping list.
Free for a play date next week? Sync your kids'
schedules on Google calendar. Looking for ideas
on potty training? Sign on to a virtual
community and see how other moms handle it.
While previous generations of mothers handled
all these tasks in chats in the car-pool lanes
and playgrounds, through books and magazines,
now you find them juggling it all with
smartphones. Modern moms have embraced the
communications revolution to make parenting
easier and richer, said Maria Bailey, whose
Pompano Beach, Fla.-based BSM Media specializes
in marketing to moms. She calls it Mom3.0, the
title of her new book on the trend.
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Technology exposes boy to world of sound -
CindyLee Banks still remembers the first time
she experienced the thrill of music. “I
remember that first day in band. The harmony
with all the instruments together was
phenomenal,” she said. “I love music. I love
sound.” For CindyLee hearing that harmony was a
powerful moment. Her family believes a bout of
mumps during childhood decreased her hearing
capabilities but was never able to specifically
trace her loss to the illness. She got her first
hearing aid when she was 11 and her second at
the age of 15. |
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Teen killed by gang after family move for a
better life / A teenager whose family
relocated from another part of the country for a
better life has died after he was attacked in
the street. - David Cox, 18, was left
seriously injured in the attack in Bessacarr,
Doncaster, on Monday night. His life-support
machine was switched off yesterday afternoon. It
is understood he suffered from autism and
dyspraxia and had a mental age of eight.
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The Autism Diaries: A Smile that Lit Up
the Galaxy & News Roundup - Version
cross-posted at
The Autism Diaries. This may be a true
story. At an autism event, I met a mother and
daughter. The girl was 13 and profoundly
autistic...non-verbal, occasional grunts,
squeals, etc. All outward appearances gave the
impression that the girl was oblivious to
surrounding conversations. Her mother showed me
a laminated card with the alphabet on it, a
letterboard, which looked similar to these:
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Three men arrested over death - Three men
have been arrested following the death of an
autistic teenager in a street attack in
Doncaster. David Cox, 18, had been playing
football with his sister when he was attacked at
a shop. The victim's father, Clive Cox, said:
"We moved from a really rough area of Leicester
because we thought Bessacarr would be a nicer
place." |
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Why it bothers me when people say I'm a good mom
- (This diary has been sitting in my draft
folder for about a month. I don't remember
exactly what inspired me to write it in the
first place, but some comments in a thread have
inspired me to publish it. Then I am off to the
dentist. If there are any comments when I
return, I'll reply to them then!) It took me
awhile to figure this one out myself. Why would
it bother me when people say things like,
"You're such a great mom," or "Your daughter is
lucky to have you," or "I admire you so much, I
could never do what you do" or the one that
aggravates me the most, "God wouldn't have given
you this challenge if he didn't think you could
handle it."? |
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YOBS KILL BOY IN 'SAFE' AREA - A DISABLED
teenager whose family moved house to give him a
better life died after yobs punched him to the
ground outside his
new
home. David Cox, 18, suffered
from autism and the learning disability
dyspraxia and had a mental age of just eight.
He was left brain dead and his anguished
family made the decision to turn off
his life-support machine on Tuesday night.
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