Reported April 27, 2005
Experimental Drug for GI Dysfunction in Autism
(Ivanhoe First)
By Heather Kohn, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- An experimental immunoglobulin drug called Oralgam may help gastrointestinal dysfunction in kids with autism.
The immunoglobulin drug is FDA approved for intravenous use in immunodeficiency disorders where patients have lower-than-normal levels of immunoglobulin (a protein produced by plasma cells and lymphocytes). It is also used in chronic lymphoid leukemia and chronic idiopathic purpura. It has only been FDA approved for clinical trials administering it orally to treat gastrointestinal dysfunction in autism.
Read full article at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=11095
For more information and resources on autism, go to:
http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Study: Too Poor to Get Sick? The Implications of Place, Race, and Costs on the Health Care Experiences of Residents in Poor Urban Neighborhoods
ABSTRACT
Too Poor to Get Sick? The Implications of Place, Race, and Costs on the Health Care Experiences of Residents in Poor Urban Neighborhoods
Sandra L. Barnes
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22305
Literature suggests that the poor often face a myriad of health care constraints and health problems. This study uses bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine the effects of systemic factors, such as the availability of health-care providers and neighborhood poverty, on individual health decisions for a sample of African-Americans, Whites, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans in poor Chicago neighborhoods. Results show that Medicaid usage and having a regular physician increase the number of days home ill and days hospitalized, while frequenting clinics decreases such activity. Additionally, residents in more impoverished urban areas are less likely to stay home ill. Differences in health profiles and providers are also evident based on race/ethnicity. These findings illustrate the important relationship between macro-level factors and specific health choices many resident in poor urban areas make at the micro-level.
Contact: Amy Patterson - Neubertapatterson@purdue.edu
765-494-9723
Purdue University - http://www.purdue.edu/
For more information and resources on autism, go to:
http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Too Poor to Get Sick? The Implications of Place, Race, and Costs on the Health Care Experiences of Residents in Poor Urban Neighborhoods
Sandra L. Barnes
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22305
Literature suggests that the poor often face a myriad of health care constraints and health problems. This study uses bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine the effects of systemic factors, such as the availability of health-care providers and neighborhood poverty, on individual health decisions for a sample of African-Americans, Whites, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans in poor Chicago neighborhoods. Results show that Medicaid usage and having a regular physician increase the number of days home ill and days hospitalized, while frequenting clinics decreases such activity. Additionally, residents in more impoverished urban areas are less likely to stay home ill. Differences in health profiles and providers are also evident based on race/ethnicity. These findings illustrate the important relationship between macro-level factors and specific health choices many resident in poor urban areas make at the micro-level.
Contact: Amy Patterson - Neubertapatterson@purdue.edu
765-494-9723
Purdue University - http://www.purdue.edu/
For more information and resources on autism, go to:
http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Study: Comparison of Blood & Brain Mercury Levels in Infant Monkeys Exposed to Methylmercury or Vaccines Containing Thimerosal
Study: Comparison of Blood & Brain Mercury Levels in Infant Monkeys Exposed to Methylmercury or Vaccines Containing Thimerosal
Read the study available at the link below.
Abstract:
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2005/7712/abstract.html
Full article available in PDF at:
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/7712/7712.pdf
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Read the study available at the link below.
Abstract:
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2005/7712/abstract.html
Full article available in PDF at:
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/7712/7712.pdf
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
New report suggests that mercury-laced preservative may be more toxic than once thought
Vaccination researchers urge caution
New report suggests that mercury-laced preservative may be more toxic than once thought
By Douglas Fischer, STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay Area
A mercury-laced preservative once widely added to pediatric vaccines exposes infants brains to twice the neurotoxin as previously suspected, offering evidence health guidelines may underestimate the risk newborns face, researchers say in a report being published today.
The additive, thimerosal, has been used in vaccines since the 1930s and is almost 50 percent mercury by weight. Since 2001, manufacturers have gradually phased it from almost all domestic pediatric vaccines, though it remains in use overseas in cheaper multi-dose vaccines.
The study, being published today in Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed publication of the National Institutes of Health, also chides health officials for abandoning an earlier recommendation that the preservative be completely phased out and further studies conducted.
And it fuels the debate over the federal governments aggressive vaccination plan that subjects infants to a battery of shots - some of which contain aluminum and other potentially harmful compounds - in their first weeks of life.
Were talking about a low-level delivery of a toxin given toa baby on the first day of its life, said mercury expert Boyd Haley, chairman of the chemistry department at the University of Kentucky but who was not involved in the study.
Whats needed is a total study of the sensibility of the vaccine program. Why would you want to vaccinate a baby on the first day of its life?
The report is one of the first to look beyond mercury blood levels resulting from vaccines. Instead it examines both the amount and type of mercury reaching the brain. It suggests health officials examined the wrong compound and failed to look far enough when assessing the danger of mercury in thimerosal.
This is largely a past concern for the United States, given the predominance today of thimerosal-free vaccines. Both the studys lead author and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday urged parents to have their children vaccinated.
Thats the first message, said Thomas Burbacher, lead author and associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washingtons School of Public Health.
The bottom line is that trying to assess the effects of a compound with very little or no data is not a good thing to do.... Unfortunately, we started doing studies on this compound way too late. Basic information like this shouldve been available decades ago.
The problem is very much alive for developing nations, however, where the additive is common. The World Health Organization has expressed interest in Burbachers research.
The problem, Burbacher said, is that regulators trying to assess thimerosals harm used as a benchmark methylmercury, a widely studied compound, rather than the little-known compound called ethylmercury in thimerosal.
Both compounds cross the blood-brain barrier. But methylmercury breaks down slowly, whereas ethylmercury dissipates fairly rapidly, suggesting to regulators that a standard based on methyl mercury would adequately protect infants.
Burbacher and colleagues found ethylmercurys fast breakdown leaves higher levels of so-called inorganic mercury in the brain. Inorganic mercury lingers in the brain for a year or more, potentially altering certain cells. A previous study has shown such damaged cells are also found in children with autism.
Using monkeys, Burbacher found the brains of thimerosal-exposed infants had twice as much inorganic mercury as methylmercury-exposed infants.
The Food and Drug Administration has never required testing of thimerosals safety or of its safe exposure levels for newborns and children.
Although high mercury levels - particularly as a result of vaccinations - have long been suspected as a leading cause of skyrocketing autism levels, the CDC and Burbacher cautioned Wednesday against drawing any conclusion linking the two.
To date, the vast majority of the science doesnt support an association between thimerosal and incidences of autism, said CDC spokesman Glen Nowak. But at the end of the day, we still dont know what causes autism.
Others, however, expect such links to become apparent as thimerosal fades from use in the United States. Already, noted Haley, Californias autism rates have decreased three of the past four quarters - a first.
Theres something in the vaccines doing it. That something is thimerosal.
The FDAs Web site on thimerosal and vaccinations, including a chart showing common pediatric vaccines and the date thimerosal was eliminated, can be found at www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm.
Contact Douglas Fischer at dfischer@angnewspapers.com.
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
New report suggests that mercury-laced preservative may be more toxic than once thought
By Douglas Fischer, STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay Area
A mercury-laced preservative once widely added to pediatric vaccines exposes infants brains to twice the neurotoxin as previously suspected, offering evidence health guidelines may underestimate the risk newborns face, researchers say in a report being published today.
The additive, thimerosal, has been used in vaccines since the 1930s and is almost 50 percent mercury by weight. Since 2001, manufacturers have gradually phased it from almost all domestic pediatric vaccines, though it remains in use overseas in cheaper multi-dose vaccines.
The study, being published today in Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed publication of the National Institutes of Health, also chides health officials for abandoning an earlier recommendation that the preservative be completely phased out and further studies conducted.
And it fuels the debate over the federal governments aggressive vaccination plan that subjects infants to a battery of shots - some of which contain aluminum and other potentially harmful compounds - in their first weeks of life.
Were talking about a low-level delivery of a toxin given toa baby on the first day of its life, said mercury expert Boyd Haley, chairman of the chemistry department at the University of Kentucky but who was not involved in the study.
Whats needed is a total study of the sensibility of the vaccine program. Why would you want to vaccinate a baby on the first day of its life?
The report is one of the first to look beyond mercury blood levels resulting from vaccines. Instead it examines both the amount and type of mercury reaching the brain. It suggests health officials examined the wrong compound and failed to look far enough when assessing the danger of mercury in thimerosal.
This is largely a past concern for the United States, given the predominance today of thimerosal-free vaccines. Both the studys lead author and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday urged parents to have their children vaccinated.
Thats the first message, said Thomas Burbacher, lead author and associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washingtons School of Public Health.
The bottom line is that trying to assess the effects of a compound with very little or no data is not a good thing to do.... Unfortunately, we started doing studies on this compound way too late. Basic information like this shouldve been available decades ago.
The problem is very much alive for developing nations, however, where the additive is common. The World Health Organization has expressed interest in Burbachers research.
The problem, Burbacher said, is that regulators trying to assess thimerosals harm used as a benchmark methylmercury, a widely studied compound, rather than the little-known compound called ethylmercury in thimerosal.
Both compounds cross the blood-brain barrier. But methylmercury breaks down slowly, whereas ethylmercury dissipates fairly rapidly, suggesting to regulators that a standard based on methyl mercury would adequately protect infants.
Burbacher and colleagues found ethylmercurys fast breakdown leaves higher levels of so-called inorganic mercury in the brain. Inorganic mercury lingers in the brain for a year or more, potentially altering certain cells. A previous study has shown such damaged cells are also found in children with autism.
Using monkeys, Burbacher found the brains of thimerosal-exposed infants had twice as much inorganic mercury as methylmercury-exposed infants.
The Food and Drug Administration has never required testing of thimerosals safety or of its safe exposure levels for newborns and children.
Although high mercury levels - particularly as a result of vaccinations - have long been suspected as a leading cause of skyrocketing autism levels, the CDC and Burbacher cautioned Wednesday against drawing any conclusion linking the two.
To date, the vast majority of the science doesnt support an association between thimerosal and incidences of autism, said CDC spokesman Glen Nowak. But at the end of the day, we still dont know what causes autism.
Others, however, expect such links to become apparent as thimerosal fades from use in the United States. Already, noted Haley, Californias autism rates have decreased three of the past four quarters - a first.
Theres something in the vaccines doing it. That something is thimerosal.
The FDAs Web site on thimerosal and vaccinations, including a chart showing common pediatric vaccines and the date thimerosal was eliminated, can be found at www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm.
Contact Douglas Fischer at dfischer@angnewspapers.com.
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Study Says Ethylmercury [Thimerosal] is Most Toxic to Brain
PRESS RELEASE
April 21, 2005
Contact: Laura Bono (919) 423-3749
Rita Shreffler (417) 725-6107
Study Shows Ethylmercury Used In Vaccines Ends Up In The Brain Of Primates. Environmental Journal Puts Happy Spin On Results.
Study Says Ethylmercury Is Most Toxic To Brain - National Autism Association (NAA) Says Journal Paints Rosy Picture Of Ominous Outcome
Washington, DC - A newly-released primate study published in Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), a NIEHS publication, is getting fluffy reviews today. The NIH-funded study, conducted by Dr. Thomas Burbacher, a University of Washington researcher, found that Thimerosal, best known for its use as an ethylmercury-based preservative in infant vaccines and pregnancy shots, is actually more toxic to the brain than methylmercury (MeHg).
MeHg has always been widely hailed as the greater of two evils, pushing ethylmercury out of the limelight as "most toxic." Burbacher's study, however, proves ethylmercury is more damaging because it crosses the blood-brain barrier at a quicker rate than MeHg. Once in the brain, ethylmercury converts to what's called "inorganic" mercury-the more toxic form-and is unable to be excreted.
Regardless of the study's grim findings, EHP is presenting their interpretations of the findings in a positive tone, "..injected Thimerosal reacted differently from methylmercury in that it cleared from the infant [blood] much more quickly."
In the actual study, Burbacher states: "There was a much higher proportion of inorganic Hg [mercury] in the brain of Thimerosal infants than MeHg infants (up to 71% vs. 10%). Absolute inorganic Hg concentrations in the brains of the Thimerosal-exposed infants were approximately twice that of the MeHg infants."
Several organizations that advocate on behalf of children with neurodevelopmental disorders are surprised that the powerful findings are trivialized by those appointed to protect America's health. NAA asks the media to investigate this discrepancy. "To minimize Thimerosal's damage to the brain is concerning to say the least," says Scott Bono, Durham, NC, parent and Board Member of NAA. "These primates are shown to have the most toxic form trapped in their brains-how is that not the center of focus? To say that ethylmercury clears the blood faster and is therefore less toxic than MeHg is deceptive by omission, attempting to deflect attention from the alarming fact that ethylmercury makes its way to the brain much faster than MeHg and can be trapped there for years."
Burbacher is a long-time researcher of the effects of mercury. Earlier work by Burbacher and colleagues on low-dose MeHg demonstrated that inorganic mercury was the principle cause of tissue changes and toxic effects in primate brains. "This latest study in primates shows what happened to our children," says Jo Pike, Executive Director of NAA. "When people who can help turn a blind-eye to children injured by Thimerosal, it only adds to the heartache our children endure each and every day."
To learn more about Dr. Burbacher's findings, visit http://www.nationalautism.org/ or www.safeminds.org.
For more information and resources on autism, go to:http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
April 21, 2005
Contact: Laura Bono (919) 423-3749
Rita Shreffler (417) 725-6107
Study Shows Ethylmercury Used In Vaccines Ends Up In The Brain Of Primates. Environmental Journal Puts Happy Spin On Results.
Study Says Ethylmercury Is Most Toxic To Brain - National Autism Association (NAA) Says Journal Paints Rosy Picture Of Ominous Outcome
Washington, DC - A newly-released primate study published in Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), a NIEHS publication, is getting fluffy reviews today. The NIH-funded study, conducted by Dr. Thomas Burbacher, a University of Washington researcher, found that Thimerosal, best known for its use as an ethylmercury-based preservative in infant vaccines and pregnancy shots, is actually more toxic to the brain than methylmercury (MeHg).
MeHg has always been widely hailed as the greater of two evils, pushing ethylmercury out of the limelight as "most toxic." Burbacher's study, however, proves ethylmercury is more damaging because it crosses the blood-brain barrier at a quicker rate than MeHg. Once in the brain, ethylmercury converts to what's called "inorganic" mercury-the more toxic form-and is unable to be excreted.
Regardless of the study's grim findings, EHP is presenting their interpretations of the findings in a positive tone, "..injected Thimerosal reacted differently from methylmercury in that it cleared from the infant [blood] much more quickly."
In the actual study, Burbacher states: "There was a much higher proportion of inorganic Hg [mercury] in the brain of Thimerosal infants than MeHg infants (up to 71% vs. 10%). Absolute inorganic Hg concentrations in the brains of the Thimerosal-exposed infants were approximately twice that of the MeHg infants."
Several organizations that advocate on behalf of children with neurodevelopmental disorders are surprised that the powerful findings are trivialized by those appointed to protect America's health. NAA asks the media to investigate this discrepancy. "To minimize Thimerosal's damage to the brain is concerning to say the least," says Scott Bono, Durham, NC, parent and Board Member of NAA. "These primates are shown to have the most toxic form trapped in their brains-how is that not the center of focus? To say that ethylmercury clears the blood faster and is therefore less toxic than MeHg is deceptive by omission, attempting to deflect attention from the alarming fact that ethylmercury makes its way to the brain much faster than MeHg and can be trapped there for years."
Burbacher is a long-time researcher of the effects of mercury. Earlier work by Burbacher and colleagues on low-dose MeHg demonstrated that inorganic mercury was the principle cause of tissue changes and toxic effects in primate brains. "This latest study in primates shows what happened to our children," says Jo Pike, Executive Director of NAA. "When people who can help turn a blind-eye to children injured by Thimerosal, it only adds to the heartache our children endure each and every day."
To learn more about Dr. Burbacher's findings, visit http://www.nationalautism.org/ or www.safeminds.org.
For more information and resources on autism, go to:http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Study: Promise of lowering costs for treating autism
Promise of lowering costs for treating autism
Case Western Reserve University study
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22709
Parents of autistic children can spend as much as $50,000 a year on therapies for their children. But a new research study from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences shows promise of providing effective treatment for autism and other developmental disorders at a far lower cost.
Gerald Mahoney, the Verna Houck Motto Professor for Families and Communities and co-director of the Center on Intervention for Children and Families at the Mandel School, and Frida Perales, a research associate, conducted a year-long study of the effectiveness of "responsive teaching" strategies for parents to help their autistic children develop and use pivotal developmental behaviors.
Responsive teaching strategies promote parent interactions with their children through strategies such as "follow the child's lead" and "take one turn and wait." The results of their study appear in an article in the April 2005 issue of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
Mahoney and Perales compared the effects of the responsive teaching strategies on 50 children and their mothers, divided into two groups: children with pervasive developmental disorders, or PDDs (primarily autism), and children with other types of developmental disorders. The researchers investigated how these responsive teaching strategies helped parents' interaction with their children and improved children's development.
The study found that the responsive teaching strategies improved parents' responsiveness with their children, and were highly effective at enhancing children's developmental growth. Both groups of children made an overall 60 percent increase in their rate of cognitive development and a 150 percent increase in their rate of language development. The technique was also effective at reducing the social/emotional problems of the children with PDDs. "Although many professionals have speculated that interventions that encourage parents to become more responsive can be effective at promoting children's socioemotional well-being, this is the first long-term intervention study to actually demonstrate this effect," the authors write.
Equally important, the improvements occurred with an average of just 32 sessions with early intervention specialists, a relatively modest level of contact. The annual average costs for such interventions are about $5,000, a fraction of the annual costs of most existing interventions for children with PDDs.
The results also challenge the idea that only highly structured interventions can help children with PDDs, say the authors, since the less-structured procedures, which have aided the cognitive and language development of children with developmental disabilities, address those same needs in children with PDDs.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Sciences.
Contact: Jeffrey Bendix
jeffrey.bendix@case.edu
216-368-6070
Case Western Reserve University
http://www.cwru.edu/
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Case Western Reserve University study
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22709
Parents of autistic children can spend as much as $50,000 a year on therapies for their children. But a new research study from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences shows promise of providing effective treatment for autism and other developmental disorders at a far lower cost.
Gerald Mahoney, the Verna Houck Motto Professor for Families and Communities and co-director of the Center on Intervention for Children and Families at the Mandel School, and Frida Perales, a research associate, conducted a year-long study of the effectiveness of "responsive teaching" strategies for parents to help their autistic children develop and use pivotal developmental behaviors.
Responsive teaching strategies promote parent interactions with their children through strategies such as "follow the child's lead" and "take one turn and wait." The results of their study appear in an article in the April 2005 issue of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
Mahoney and Perales compared the effects of the responsive teaching strategies on 50 children and their mothers, divided into two groups: children with pervasive developmental disorders, or PDDs (primarily autism), and children with other types of developmental disorders. The researchers investigated how these responsive teaching strategies helped parents' interaction with their children and improved children's development.
The study found that the responsive teaching strategies improved parents' responsiveness with their children, and were highly effective at enhancing children's developmental growth. Both groups of children made an overall 60 percent increase in their rate of cognitive development and a 150 percent increase in their rate of language development. The technique was also effective at reducing the social/emotional problems of the children with PDDs. "Although many professionals have speculated that interventions that encourage parents to become more responsive can be effective at promoting children's socioemotional well-being, this is the first long-term intervention study to actually demonstrate this effect," the authors write.
Equally important, the improvements occurred with an average of just 32 sessions with early intervention specialists, a relatively modest level of contact. The annual average costs for such interventions are about $5,000, a fraction of the annual costs of most existing interventions for children with PDDs.
The results also challenge the idea that only highly structured interventions can help children with PDDs, say the authors, since the less-structured procedures, which have aided the cognitive and language development of children with developmental disabilities, address those same needs in children with PDDs.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Sciences.
Contact: Jeffrey Bendix
jeffrey.bendix@case.edu
216-368-6070
Case Western Reserve University
http://www.cwru.edu/
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
NYS: Free Legal Resource Website for NYS
The New York LawHelp Consortium is reaching out to our communities and informing them about a resource that would be very useful in their communities. LawHelp.org/NY is a free web site that helps low-income New Yorkers access free legal services and other legal resources and information. Some things you can do include informing your staff about the web site's resources, posting the enclosed flyers, and placing a link to LawHelp on your web site.
What is LawHelp?
LawHelp (http://www.LawHelp.org/NY) is an online, legal-information clearinghouse that provides low-income people throughout the State of New York with referrals to free legal services, information about their legal rights, links to social services and government agencies, and information about the court system. The website matches a potential client with appropriate referrals and materials, based on place of residence and type of legal problem, and has the most comprehensive and up-to-date database of New York legal services providers available. LawHelp is a collaborative project of: the New York State Bar Association, the City Bar Fund, Legal Services for New York City, Pro Bono Net, The Legal Aid Society and Volunteers of Legal Service, the Greater Upstate Law Project, and the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York.
Who should use LawHelp?
Legal services and social services organizations should use LawHelp/NY to provide referrals to clients who they are unable to assist, and to distribute legal education materials and other information to those seeking assistance. Individuals who have access to a computer with an Internet connection can use LawHelp/NY independently.
What legal topic areas does LawHelp cover?
LawHelp/NY provides referrals and information the following areas: consumer, disability, education, family & juvenile, health, housing, immigration & naturalization, individual rights, life planning, public benefits, taxes and workers' rights. LawHelp also has a September 11th page containing information about legal rights, benefits and other resources relating to the tragedy. During the next year we will also be posting legal education materials in a number of new areas.
How you can help
The LawHelp staff would be happy to train your organization on the web site, provide an ad or short article for your newsletter, send additional flyers, help you link to the LawHelp site, or work with you in other ways to help poor people get the legal help they need.
Contact info:
800-462-2922 ext. 309
e-mail: anunez@lasnny.org
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
What is LawHelp?
LawHelp (http://www.LawHelp.org/NY) is an online, legal-information clearinghouse that provides low-income people throughout the State of New York with referrals to free legal services, information about their legal rights, links to social services and government agencies, and information about the court system. The website matches a potential client with appropriate referrals and materials, based on place of residence and type of legal problem, and has the most comprehensive and up-to-date database of New York legal services providers available. LawHelp is a collaborative project of: the New York State Bar Association, the City Bar Fund, Legal Services for New York City, Pro Bono Net, The Legal Aid Society and Volunteers of Legal Service, the Greater Upstate Law Project, and the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York.
Who should use LawHelp?
Legal services and social services organizations should use LawHelp/NY to provide referrals to clients who they are unable to assist, and to distribute legal education materials and other information to those seeking assistance. Individuals who have access to a computer with an Internet connection can use LawHelp/NY independently.
What legal topic areas does LawHelp cover?
LawHelp/NY provides referrals and information the following areas: consumer, disability, education, family & juvenile, health, housing, immigration & naturalization, individual rights, life planning, public benefits, taxes and workers' rights. LawHelp also has a September 11th page containing information about legal rights, benefits and other resources relating to the tragedy. During the next year we will also be posting legal education materials in a number of new areas.
How you can help
The LawHelp staff would be happy to train your organization on the web site, provide an ad or short article for your newsletter, send additional flyers, help you link to the LawHelp site, or work with you in other ways to help poor people get the legal help they need.
Contact info:
800-462-2922 ext. 309
e-mail: anunez@lasnny.org
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Report to Congress on Autism
HHS Report to Congress on Autism Activities may be found on the IACC webpage at:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/autismiacc/autismreport2005.pdf
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/autismiacc/autismreport2005.pdf
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Study: Psychological reasoning begins earlier than had been thought
Psychological reasoning begins earlier than had been thought, study shows
http://www.eurekalert.org/pubnews.php
Public release date: 14-Apr-2005
Contact: Jim Barlow, Life Sciences Editor <mailto:jebarlow@uiuc.edu> jebarlow@uiuc.edu 217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign <http://www.uiuc.edu/>
CHAMPAIGN, IL. -- According to conventional wisdom, babies don't begin to develop sophisticated psychological reasoning about people until they are about 4 years old. A study of 15-month-olds at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign proves otherwise.
The findings, published in the April 8 issue of the journal Science, potentially could lead to an early screening tool for autism, a developmental disability that is marked by a failure on false-belief and related tasks, the researchers say.
In a non-verbal experiment, each participating baby, 56 in all, sat on aparent's lap and faced an actor (a university student). On the table between the baby and the actor was a toy watermelon slice and two boxes whose openings faced each other; one box was green, the other yellow.
To start, the actor picked up the watermelon slice, played with it, and then hid it in the green box. On subsequent trials, the actor always reached into the green box, as though to grasp the watermelon slice she had hidden there. Then, seemingly unbeknownst to the actor but in sight of the infant, the watermelon slice moved to the yellow box.
This change created a false belief for the actor as to the location of the coveted watermelon slice, said principal investigator Renee Baillargeon(pronounced BY-uhr-zhan), a professor of psychology at Illinois.
The infants expected the actor to search for the watermelon toy in the green box (where she falsely believed it to be), and not in the yellow box (where it actually was and where the infants knew it to be). The infants looked reliably longer when the actor searched the yellow box, as though surprised by this unexpected event.
If the actor was present when the watermelon slice moved from the green to the yellow box, the infants now expected the actor to search the yellow box, and they were surprised if she went to the green box instead. The infants attributed to the actor a true belief that the toy was hidden in the yellow box, and they expected her to act accordingly.
In another condition, the actor was again present when the toy moved from the green to the yellow box -- but after she left, the toy returned to the green box. In this condition, the infants attributed to the actor a false belief that the toy was hidden in the yellow box; they expected her to go to that box, and they were surprised when she went to the green box instead.
"Infants understood that the actor could have a true or a false belief toy's location, and they always expected her to act in a manner consistent with her belief," Baillargeon said.
Whenever the actor looked for the toy where it was instead of where she falsely believed it to be, the babies looked longer.
"Looking-time is the gauge," Baillargeon said. "This is the violation-of-expectation method: Babies look longer at events they view as unexpected. It is a 'whoa' look -- a state of heightened attention. It's like it is in everyday life. You expect something and then when it's not what it should be, you tend to look longer, as when we watch a magic show. It's the wow of the unexpected."
The research, which was part of the doctoral research of lead author Kristine H. Onishi, now on the psychology faculty at McGill University in Quebec, Canada, has since been duplicated many times using various scenarios in Baillargeon's lab.
"These findings will provide parents and educators with a better understanding of how children think," Onishi said in a McGill news release."Kids are actively trying to make sense of the things they see others do. To some degree, children think about what others can see, what others think, and what others believe."
The findings also call into question the long-held view that an enormous conceptual change takes place in early childhood in the understanding of others, Baillargeon said. "If 15-month-olds can reason about what others believe, it means that psychological reasoning is much more sophisticated than we thought, and begins at a much earlier age than we had thought."
Many years of earlier work, reviewed by Onishi and Baillargeon, have suggested that "between 3 and 4 years of age, children go from a non-representational to a representational theory of mind: They begin tounderstand that beliefs are only representations of reality, which can betrue or false," Baillargeon said.
Because their non-verbal approach produced findings that challenge previousassumptions, Baillargeon said, it may be that the verbal tasks used inearlier work were overly complex. It could be that having to predict theactor's actions and also interpret and produce sentences overwhelmed the3-year-old subjects, she said.
###The research was funded by a predoctoral training grant to Onishi from theNational Institute of Mental Health and by a grant to Baillargeon from theNational Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pubnews.php
Public release date: 14-Apr-2005
Contact: Jim Barlow, Life Sciences Editor <mailto:jebarlow@uiuc.edu> jebarlow@uiuc.edu 217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign <http://www.uiuc.edu/>
CHAMPAIGN, IL. -- According to conventional wisdom, babies don't begin to develop sophisticated psychological reasoning about people until they are about 4 years old. A study of 15-month-olds at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign proves otherwise.
The findings, published in the April 8 issue of the journal Science, potentially could lead to an early screening tool for autism, a developmental disability that is marked by a failure on false-belief and related tasks, the researchers say.
In a non-verbal experiment, each participating baby, 56 in all, sat on aparent's lap and faced an actor (a university student). On the table between the baby and the actor was a toy watermelon slice and two boxes whose openings faced each other; one box was green, the other yellow.
To start, the actor picked up the watermelon slice, played with it, and then hid it in the green box. On subsequent trials, the actor always reached into the green box, as though to grasp the watermelon slice she had hidden there. Then, seemingly unbeknownst to the actor but in sight of the infant, the watermelon slice moved to the yellow box.
This change created a false belief for the actor as to the location of the coveted watermelon slice, said principal investigator Renee Baillargeon(pronounced BY-uhr-zhan), a professor of psychology at Illinois.
The infants expected the actor to search for the watermelon toy in the green box (where she falsely believed it to be), and not in the yellow box (where it actually was and where the infants knew it to be). The infants looked reliably longer when the actor searched the yellow box, as though surprised by this unexpected event.
If the actor was present when the watermelon slice moved from the green to the yellow box, the infants now expected the actor to search the yellow box, and they were surprised if she went to the green box instead. The infants attributed to the actor a true belief that the toy was hidden in the yellow box, and they expected her to act accordingly.
In another condition, the actor was again present when the toy moved from the green to the yellow box -- but after she left, the toy returned to the green box. In this condition, the infants attributed to the actor a false belief that the toy was hidden in the yellow box; they expected her to go to that box, and they were surprised when she went to the green box instead.
"Infants understood that the actor could have a true or a false belief toy's location, and they always expected her to act in a manner consistent with her belief," Baillargeon said.
Whenever the actor looked for the toy where it was instead of where she falsely believed it to be, the babies looked longer.
"Looking-time is the gauge," Baillargeon said. "This is the violation-of-expectation method: Babies look longer at events they view as unexpected. It is a 'whoa' look -- a state of heightened attention. It's like it is in everyday life. You expect something and then when it's not what it should be, you tend to look longer, as when we watch a magic show. It's the wow of the unexpected."
The research, which was part of the doctoral research of lead author Kristine H. Onishi, now on the psychology faculty at McGill University in Quebec, Canada, has since been duplicated many times using various scenarios in Baillargeon's lab.
"These findings will provide parents and educators with a better understanding of how children think," Onishi said in a McGill news release."Kids are actively trying to make sense of the things they see others do. To some degree, children think about what others can see, what others think, and what others believe."
The findings also call into question the long-held view that an enormous conceptual change takes place in early childhood in the understanding of others, Baillargeon said. "If 15-month-olds can reason about what others believe, it means that psychological reasoning is much more sophisticated than we thought, and begins at a much earlier age than we had thought."
Many years of earlier work, reviewed by Onishi and Baillargeon, have suggested that "between 3 and 4 years of age, children go from a non-representational to a representational theory of mind: They begin tounderstand that beliefs are only representations of reality, which can betrue or false," Baillargeon said.
Because their non-verbal approach produced findings that challenge previousassumptions, Baillargeon said, it may be that the verbal tasks used inearlier work were overly complex. It could be that having to predict theactor's actions and also interpret and produce sentences overwhelmed the3-year-old subjects, she said.
###The research was funded by a predoctoral training grant to Onishi from theNational Institute of Mental Health and by a grant to Baillargeon from theNational Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Help Your Child Learn to Play Piano - Free!
PIANO IS EASY FOR KIDS
Put the numbered stickers on your piano.
Kids read music with a FREE book.
FREE VHS video, too!
A great way to get started.
Come see all the fun songs you can play at:
http://www.pianoiseasy.com/?src=bkc8
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Put the numbered stickers on your piano.
Kids read music with a FREE book.
FREE VHS video, too!
A great way to get started.
Come see all the fun songs you can play at:
http://www.pianoiseasy.com/?src=bkc8
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Playing Politics At Kids' Expense
Playing politics at kids' expense
Bill would insulate pharmaceutical firms from liability
By Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/syndicated/stories/PE_OpEd_Opinion_D_op_11_autism.f42d.html
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has buried a provision in the "Protecting America in the War on Terror Act" to insulate the pharmaceutical industry from liability for venal actions that may have poisoned an entire generation of Americans.
Mounting evidence suggests that Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative in children's vaccines, may be responsible for the exponential growth of autism, attention deficit disorder, speech delays and other childhood neurological disorders now epidemic in the United States.
Prior to 1989, American infants generally received three vaccinations. In the early 1990s, public-health officials dramatically increased the number of Thimerosal-containing vaccinations without considering the cumulative impact of the mercury load on developing brains.
Warning Issued
In a 1991 memo, Dr. Maurice Hilleman, one of the fathers of Merck's vaccination programs, warned the president of the company's vaccination division that 6-month-old children administered the shots on schedule would suffer mercury exposures 87 times the government safety standard (400 times the current U.S. government's safe level). He recommended that Thimerosal be discontinued, "especially when used on infants and children."
Merck ignored Hilleman's warning and, for eight years, government officials added seven additional shots for children containing Thimerosal.
Mercury is a known brain poison, and autism rates began rising dramatically in children who were administered the new vaccine regimens. A decade ago the American Academy of Pediatrics estimated the autism rate among American children to be 1 in 2,500. Today, the CDC places the autism rate at 1 in 166, or one in 80 boys. Additionally, one in every six children is now diagnosed with a related neurological disorder.
In 1998 the CDC's lead Thimerosal researcher, Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, complained to his colleagues in a secret memo that, despite rerunning and rethinking the research, the links between Thimerosal and autism "just won't go away."
Secret Meeting
In 2000, CDC, FDA and pharmaceutical companies called a secret meeting to review Verstraeten's findings. According to transcripts, participants were alarmed about the undeniable link between the mercury preservative and autism. Dr. Bill Weil told the group, "You can play with (the results) all you want. They are statistically significant."
Dr. Richard Johnston acknowledged he feared his grandchild getting vaccinated. But the group was most concerned with keeping the findings secret.
Numerous animal, DNA, epidemiological and other studies point to Thimerosal as the culprit in America's epidemic of neurological disorders.
Autistic children have been shown to have higher mercury loads than non-autistics, and there have been reports of significant improvements in some brain-injured children by removing mercury from their bodies.
Most of the symptoms of autism are similar to the symptoms of mercury poisoning. Recently, scientists have been able to induce autism in certain mice by exposing them to Thimerosal.
In a recent study, former FDA scientist Dr. Jill James uncovered a scientific link that helps explain why Thimerosal injures some children and not others. That study found that many autistic children are genetically deficient in their capacity to produce glutathione, an antioxidant generated in the brain that helps remove mercury from the body, a harmless difference until the child is exposed to large quantities of mercury.
Porter Bridges' experience is typical. In 1993, this healthy 4-month-old slipped into a coma hours after receiving his vaccines.
Today, 11-year-old Porter is autistic, hyperactive and severely brain damaged. He requires minute-to-minute supervision, is frequently afflicted with violent seizures and is not yet toilet-trained.
After a seven-year legal fight, the U.S. government acknowledged that Porter was damaged by his vaccines. There are now 520,000 autistics in the United States with 40,000 new cases each year.
High Cost of Care
The cost of caring for autistic children is conservatively $40,000. Families with children with autism and other neurological diseases have filed more than 4,200 claims in the special federal "Vaccine Court." Some plaintiffs have also filed in trial courts.
Some Drug Makers Act
Thimerosal defendants include Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Aventis, Weyeth and Eli Lilly. Frist's newly proposed "anti-terror" legislation would create insurmountable burdens of proof for plaintiffs in these cases and forbid states from banning Thimerosal.
Drug makers wary of liability have reduced Thimerosal in children's vaccines in recent years, with the exception of Chiron and Aventis' pediatric flu vaccine. Mercury-laced vaccine stocks were given to children until the end of 2003.
Thimerosal's inventor, Eli Lilly, donated $226,000 to Frist's national Republican Senate Campaign Committee in 2002 and bought 5,000 copies of Frist's book on bioterrorism. Congress will vote on Frist's bill in the near future.
Instead of demanding the immediate removal of Thimerosal from all vaccines, and making the drug industry help defray the public and private costs of caring for injured children, Frist's bill would give the industry a free ride at public expense.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the chief prosecuting attorney for Riverkeeper and a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Bill would insulate pharmaceutical firms from liability
By Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/syndicated/stories/PE_OpEd_Opinion_D_op_11_autism.f42d.html
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has buried a provision in the "Protecting America in the War on Terror Act" to insulate the pharmaceutical industry from liability for venal actions that may have poisoned an entire generation of Americans.
Mounting evidence suggests that Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative in children's vaccines, may be responsible for the exponential growth of autism, attention deficit disorder, speech delays and other childhood neurological disorders now epidemic in the United States.
Prior to 1989, American infants generally received three vaccinations. In the early 1990s, public-health officials dramatically increased the number of Thimerosal-containing vaccinations without considering the cumulative impact of the mercury load on developing brains.
Warning Issued
In a 1991 memo, Dr. Maurice Hilleman, one of the fathers of Merck's vaccination programs, warned the president of the company's vaccination division that 6-month-old children administered the shots on schedule would suffer mercury exposures 87 times the government safety standard (400 times the current U.S. government's safe level). He recommended that Thimerosal be discontinued, "especially when used on infants and children."
Merck ignored Hilleman's warning and, for eight years, government officials added seven additional shots for children containing Thimerosal.
Mercury is a known brain poison, and autism rates began rising dramatically in children who were administered the new vaccine regimens. A decade ago the American Academy of Pediatrics estimated the autism rate among American children to be 1 in 2,500. Today, the CDC places the autism rate at 1 in 166, or one in 80 boys. Additionally, one in every six children is now diagnosed with a related neurological disorder.
In 1998 the CDC's lead Thimerosal researcher, Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, complained to his colleagues in a secret memo that, despite rerunning and rethinking the research, the links between Thimerosal and autism "just won't go away."
Secret Meeting
In 2000, CDC, FDA and pharmaceutical companies called a secret meeting to review Verstraeten's findings. According to transcripts, participants were alarmed about the undeniable link between the mercury preservative and autism. Dr. Bill Weil told the group, "You can play with (the results) all you want. They are statistically significant."
Dr. Richard Johnston acknowledged he feared his grandchild getting vaccinated. But the group was most concerned with keeping the findings secret.
Numerous animal, DNA, epidemiological and other studies point to Thimerosal as the culprit in America's epidemic of neurological disorders.
Autistic children have been shown to have higher mercury loads than non-autistics, and there have been reports of significant improvements in some brain-injured children by removing mercury from their bodies.
Most of the symptoms of autism are similar to the symptoms of mercury poisoning. Recently, scientists have been able to induce autism in certain mice by exposing them to Thimerosal.
In a recent study, former FDA scientist Dr. Jill James uncovered a scientific link that helps explain why Thimerosal injures some children and not others. That study found that many autistic children are genetically deficient in their capacity to produce glutathione, an antioxidant generated in the brain that helps remove mercury from the body, a harmless difference until the child is exposed to large quantities of mercury.
Porter Bridges' experience is typical. In 1993, this healthy 4-month-old slipped into a coma hours after receiving his vaccines.
Today, 11-year-old Porter is autistic, hyperactive and severely brain damaged. He requires minute-to-minute supervision, is frequently afflicted with violent seizures and is not yet toilet-trained.
After a seven-year legal fight, the U.S. government acknowledged that Porter was damaged by his vaccines. There are now 520,000 autistics in the United States with 40,000 new cases each year.
High Cost of Care
The cost of caring for autistic children is conservatively $40,000. Families with children with autism and other neurological diseases have filed more than 4,200 claims in the special federal "Vaccine Court." Some plaintiffs have also filed in trial courts.
Some Drug Makers Act
Thimerosal defendants include Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Aventis, Weyeth and Eli Lilly. Frist's newly proposed "anti-terror" legislation would create insurmountable burdens of proof for plaintiffs in these cases and forbid states from banning Thimerosal.
Drug makers wary of liability have reduced Thimerosal in children's vaccines in recent years, with the exception of Chiron and Aventis' pediatric flu vaccine. Mercury-laced vaccine stocks were given to children until the end of 2003.
Thimerosal's inventor, Eli Lilly, donated $226,000 to Frist's national Republican Senate Campaign Committee in 2002 and bought 5,000 copies of Frist's book on bioterrorism. Congress will vote on Frist's bill in the near future.
Instead of demanding the immediate removal of Thimerosal from all vaccines, and making the drug industry help defray the public and private costs of caring for injured children, Frist's bill would give the industry a free ride at public expense.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the chief prosecuting attorney for Riverkeeper and a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Friday, April 01, 2005
ADAPT Community Statement re: Terry Schiavo
Below is a Community Statement from ADAPT (American Disabled for Accessible Public Transportation) on the Terry Schiavo matter.
March 31, 2005
We mourn the death of Terri Schiavo.
For many of us in the disability community this event underscores the devaluing of the lives of people with disabilities, especially people with significant disabilities.
With radical reforms in store for Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security we cannot help but remember that the cheapest way to serve people with disabilities is to kill us.
The double standards and inconsistent positions of both the right and the left leave many of us feeling vulnerable at best.
Disabled should not mean disposable.
Nat Hentoff recently wrote in the Village Voice:
".a 41-year old woman, who has committed no crime, will die of dehydration and starvation in the longest public execution in American history."
That this event was allowed to take place is deeply disturbing to us.
That some would sweep it away as nobody's business is equally disturbing.
Many immoral decisions have been made by the Courts. The Dred Scott decision and Buck vs. Bell are just two historic Supreme Court examples of judicial indifference to the rights of minorities.
Terri's death will hopefully bring to light the discrimination all people with disabilities experience and the need for society to address solutions so this never happens again.
Disabled people and Proud of it!
The ADAPT Community
http://www.adapt.org/
For more information and resources on autism go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
March 31, 2005
We mourn the death of Terri Schiavo.
For many of us in the disability community this event underscores the devaluing of the lives of people with disabilities, especially people with significant disabilities.
With radical reforms in store for Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security we cannot help but remember that the cheapest way to serve people with disabilities is to kill us.
The double standards and inconsistent positions of both the right and the left leave many of us feeling vulnerable at best.
Disabled should not mean disposable.
Nat Hentoff recently wrote in the Village Voice:
".a 41-year old woman, who has committed no crime, will die of dehydration and starvation in the longest public execution in American history."
That this event was allowed to take place is deeply disturbing to us.
That some would sweep it away as nobody's business is equally disturbing.
Many immoral decisions have been made by the Courts. The Dred Scott decision and Buck vs. Bell are just two historic Supreme Court examples of judicial indifference to the rights of minorities.
Terri's death will hopefully bring to light the discrimination all people with disabilities experience and the need for society to address solutions so this never happens again.
Disabled people and Proud of it!
The ADAPT Community
http://www.adapt.org/
For more information and resources on autism go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
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