Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Grant to Develop Center of Excellence to Educate Students with Autism

Autism Center of Excellence, Inc., a non-profit corporation dedicated to the education of children and young adults with autism, announced it has been awarded a $700,000 grant from the Florida Department of Education to plan and develop an autism education center of excellence near Tampa. Florida Autism Center of Excellence (FACE) will apply for a charter and request authorization to serve students in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Manatee and Polk counties. The center is scheduled to open in August 2007 and will serve students ages three to 24.

"The Florida Center of Autism Excellence will provide a comprehensive program to address the unmet needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders," Mark Claypool, president and chief executive officer of ESA, said. "We believe that children and young adults with autism can advance in their academic and interpersonal skills if they are given the right type of instruction, encouragement and tools to learn in a safe and healthy academic environment.

"Unfortunately, current public education and social programming for students with autism is severely limited by a lack of resources and expertise, and many students simply do not receive the individualized programming that will help them progress from elementary school through high school and transition to post-secondary education," Claypool said. "That's exactly what FACE will provide students in these six counties." child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for more info

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Bush Signs Healthcare Related Bill For Autism

President Bush signed a bill to increase federal funding by 50 percent for the disorder, which afflicts 1.5 million people in the United States. Congress voted to increase federal funding to identify the cause of autism, now diagnosed in one in 166 children. The Senate has also approved a voice vote legislation that authorizes $945 million to National Institutes of Health over five years for autism research, screening and treatment. The institutes would reportedly research areas related to autism spectrum disorder, including an examination of whether the increase in autism diagnoses is caused by environmental factors.

According to Bush, "By creating a national education program for doctors and the public about autism, this legislation will help more people recognize the symptoms of autism." "This will lead to early identification and intervention, which is critical for children with autism," he added. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Thursday, December 14, 2006

The Age of Autism: 'Problems' in CDC data

By Dan Olmsted
UPI Senior Editor

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- For three years, the CDC has used a study conducted on its own Vaccine Safety Datalink to reassure parents that mercury in vaccines does not cause autism. Now a panel of government-appointed experts says there are "serious problems" with exactly the approach the CDC took. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Monday, December 11, 2006

Autism Expert Advocates Technology at Senate Hearings

Testifying before the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology inquiry on the issue of funding for the treatment of autism Canadian autism expert, Dr. Jeanette Holden, from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario advocated the use of computer technology as a means to alleviate the problem of providing autism intervention services to families of children with autism.

Dr. Holden is currently undertaking a research trial consisting of 46 families across Ontario, including 63 adult care providers and 52 children aged 2 to 9, using AutismPro. The study is being done in partnership with Autism Ontario and Autism Spectrum Disorder - Canadian American Research Consortium (ASD - CARC) out of Queen's University. Participants have been provided with a one year subscription to the program.

"Early results of our research trial indicate that parents are strongly impressed by AutismPro as a valuable tool for providing care to their children," said Cynthia Howroyd, CEO and President of Virtual Expert Clinics. A speech pathologist who worked with children with autism in New Brunswick. Ms Howroyd developed the online program as a solution to the dilemma of providing timely autism services with limitations in dollars and trained therapists and the startling growth in the disorder. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Combating Autism Act Passes House

The National Autism Association (NAA) and SafeMinds are calling the passage of the Combating Autism Act an important step forward for the one in 166 children now diagnosed with autism. The two groups have been involved for the past year and a half with the legislative process to ensure that three main concerns were addressed in the bill:

• Research provisions for investigating the link between environmental factors and the development of autism.
• Greater research oversight from the autism community
• Treatment of those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.

In the report language accompanying the bill, Congressman Joe Barton stated, “..the legislation rightfully calls for renewed efforts to study all possible causes of autism—including vaccines and other environmental causes.” Barton also states, “..these provisions will insure continuation and intensification of crucial research at NIEHS so that it is able to conduct all necessary research to determine the environmental factors in autism.” child-autism-parent-cafe

Click here for info

Monday, December 04, 2006

New Research Suggests Oxytocin’s Potential for Treatment of Two Core Autism Symptom Domains

American College of Neuropsychopharmacology

Contact: Sharon Reis (202) 745-5103
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
9 am EST, December 4, 2006

Study Presented at ACNP Annual Meeting Outlines Effects on Key Symptoms

Nashville, TN, December 4, 2006 – Preliminary new research discussed today at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s Annual Meeting finds that oxytocin, when administered using intravenous fluid and nasal technology may have significant positive effects on adult autism patients. The study, funded by the Seaver Foundation, examined the effects of oxytocin on repetitive behaviors and aspects of social cognition in adults with autism.

Investigators Eric Hollander, MD and Jennifer Bartz, PhD presented results of both intravenous and intranasal administration of oxytocin in high-functioning adult autism patients and discussed the implications of this research for the treatment of autism. Dr. Hollander is Chairman of Psychiatry and at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, NY and Director of the Seaver and New York Autism Center of Excellence, one of eight NIH-funded (STAART) centers devoted to the study of autism. Dr. Bartz is a Post Doctoral Fellow at the Seaver Center at the Mt., Sinai School of Medicine.

“Studies with animals have found that oxytocin plays a role in a variety of behaviors, including parent-child and adult-to-adult pair bonding, social memory, social cognition, anxiety reduction and repetitive behaviors,” explained Dr. Bartz. “However,” adds Dr. Hollander, “we have only recently considered that administration of oxytocin can have behavioral effects. Autism is a particularly ripe neuropsychiatric disorder for studying this approach because it presents with the types of symptoms that have been found to be associated with the oxytocin system.”

High-functioning adults with autism or Asperger’s disorder received an intravenous infusion of pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) or placebo (saline solution) over a four-hour period. During that time, participants were monitored for repetitive behaviors that are hallmarks of autism spectrum disorders including need to tell/ask, touching, and repeating. These behaviors were assessed at a baseline and throughout the course of the infusion.
“Repetitive behaviors are often overlooked as symptoms of autism in favor of more dramatic symptoms like disrupted social functioning,” noted Hollander. “However, early repetitive behavior is often the best predictor of a later autism diagnosis.”

The infusion produced results that were both clinically and statistically significant. Hollander noted a rapid reduction of repetitive behaviors over the course of the oxytocin infusion, whereas no such reduction occurred following the placebo infusion, suggesting that oxytocin does indeed address these symptoms.

Researchers also looked at the effects of oxytocin on social cognition. Autism patients are often unable to detect or read emotion in others through facial and voice cues, resulting in the decreased ability to have meaningful interactions with others that characterizes individuals with this disease.

To test participants’ ability to assign affective significance to speech, participants listened to pre-recorded sentences with neutral semantic content that were presented with different intonations such as anger, sadness, or happiness. Participants were asked to identify the emotion. Participants received intravenous infusions of pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) or placebo (saline solution) over a four-hour period; participants then returned approximately two weeks later, receiving the alternate compound. Comprehension of affective speech was assessed throughout the four-hour infusion on both occasions, that is, once with intravenous infusion of oxytocin and once without.

Most interestingly, participants who received oxytocin on the first testing day retained the ability to assign affective significance to speech, performing above expectations when they returned approximately two weeks later. This effect was not found among participants who received the placebo on the first testing day.

Hollander and his colleagues are now using nasal technology to study the treatment implications of oxytocin in a controlled six week trial. “The intranasal administration of oxytocin is important because it may allow for better penetration of the blood brain barrier, and is easier to administer,” explained Hollander. “When administered orally, oxytocin is metabolized and only a small amount reaches the brain. This is important because the behavioral effects of oxytocin are thought to result from its action on the brain.”

Hollander and his colleagues are among the first group to have used intravenous fluid technology and nasal technology to study the behavioral effects of oxytocin in autism spectrum disorders. Though the findings are promising, Hollander cautions that this research is still very preliminary.

“Our findings will need to be replicated in large scale, placebo controlled trials to fully explore treatment potential,” said Hollander. “And, though both intravenous and intranasal approaches have been well tolerated, we need to understand more about the safety of these potential treatments, particularly before these effects are explored in autistic children.”


ACNP is holding its Annual Meeting December 3 – 7, 2006, in Hollywood, FL.

ACNP, founded in 1961, is a professional organization of more than 700 leading scientists, including three Nobel Laureates. The mission of ACNP is to further research and education in neuropsychopharmacology and related fields in the following ways: promoting the interaction of a broad range of scientific disciplines of brain and behavior in order to advance the understanding of prevention and treatment of disease of the nervous system including psychiatric, neurological, behavioral and addictive disorders; encouraging scientists to enter research careers in fields related to these disorders and their treatment; and ensuring the dissemination of relevant scientific advances. A non-profit organization, ACNP receives revenues from a variety of sources including membership dues, publication sales, registration fees, and pharmaceutical industry grants.

# # #
child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Study: Oxytocin’s Potential for Treatment of Two Core Autism Symptom Domains

American College of Neuropsychopharmacology

Contact: Sharon Reis (202) 745-5103
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
9 am EST, December 4, 2006

New Research Suggests Oxytocin’s Potential for Treatment of Two Core Autism
Symptom Domains
Study Presented at ACNP Annual Meeting Outlines Effects on Key Symptoms

Nashville, TN, December 4, 2006 – Preliminary new research discussed today at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s Annual Meeting finds that oxytocin, when administered using intravenous fluid and nasal technology may have significant positive effects on adult autism patients. The study, funded by the Seaver Foundation, examined the effects of oxytocin on repetitive behaviors and aspects of social cognition in adults with autism.

Investigators Eric Hollander, MD and Jennifer Bartz, PhD presented results of both intravenous and intranasal administration of oxytocin in high-functioning adult autism patients and discussed the implications of this research for the treatment of autism. Dr. Hollander is Chairman of Psychiatry and at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, NY and Director of the Seaver and New York Autism Center of Excellence, one of eight NIH-funded (STAART) centers devoted to the study of autism. Dr. Bartz is a Post Doctoral Fellow at the Seaver Center at the Mt., Sinai School of Medicine.

“Studies with animals have found that oxytocin plays a role in a variety of behaviors, including parent-child and adult-to-adult pair bonding, social memory, social cognition, anxiety reduction and repetitive behaviors,” explained Dr. Bartz. “However,” adds Dr. Hollander, “we have only recently considered that administration of oxytocin can have behavioral effects. Autism is a particularly ripe neuropsychiatric disorder for studying this approach because it presents with the types of symptoms that have been found to be associated with the oxytocin system.”

High-functioning adults with autism or Asperger’s disorder received an intravenous infusion of pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) or placebo (saline solution) over a four-hour period. During that time, participants were monitored for repetitive behaviors that are hallmarks of autism spectrum disorders including need to tell/ask, touching, and repeating. These behaviors were assessed at a baseline and throughout the course of the infusion.
“Repetitive behaviors are often overlooked as symptoms of autism in favor of more dramatic symptoms like disrupted social functioning,” noted Hollander. “However, early repetitive behavior is often the best predictor of a later autism diagnosis.”

The infusion produced results that were both clinically and statistically significant. Hollander noted a rapid reduction of repetitive behaviors over the course of the oxytocin infusion, whereas no such reduction occurred following the placebo infusion, suggesting that oxytocin does indeed address these symptoms.

Researchers also looked at the effects of oxytocin on social cognition. Autism patients are often unable to detect or read emotion in others through facial and voice cues, resulting in the decreased ability to have meaningful interactions with others that characterizes individuals with this disease.

To test participants’ ability to assign affective significance to speech, participants listened to pre-recorded sentences with neutral semantic content that were presented with different intonations such as anger, sadness, or happiness. Participants were asked to identify the emotion. Participants received intravenous infusions of pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) or placebo (saline solution) over a four-hour period; participants then returned approximately two weeks later, receiving the alternate compound. Comprehension of affective speech was assessed throughout the four-hour infusion on both occasions, that is, once with intravenous infusion of oxytocin and once without.

Most interestingly, participants who received oxytocin on the first testing day retained the ability to assign affective significance to speech, performing above expectations when they returned approximately two weeks later. This effect was not found among participants who received the placebo on the first testing day.

Hollander and his colleagues are now using nasal technology to study the treatment implications of oxytocin in a controlled six week trial. “The intranasal administration of oxytocin is important because it may allow for better penetration of the blood brain barrier, and is easier to administer,” explained Hollander. “When administered orally, oxytocin is metabolized and only a small amount reaches the brain. This is important because the behavioral effects of oxytocin are thought to result from its action on the brain.”

Hollander and his colleagues are among the first group to have used intravenous fluid technology and nasal technology to study the behavioral effects of oxytocin in autism spectrum disorders. Though the findings are promising, Hollander cautions that this research is still very preliminary.

“Our findings will need to be replicated in large scale, placebo controlled trials to fully explore treatment potential,” said Hollander. “And, though both intravenous and intranasal approaches have been well tolerated, we need to understand more about the safety of these potential treatments, particularly before these effects are explored in autistic children.”


ACNP is holding its Annual Meeting December 3 – 7, 2006, in Hollywood, FL.

ACNP, founded in 1961, is a professional organization of more than 700 leading scientists, including three Nobel Laureates. The mission of ACNP is to further research and education in neuropsychopharmacology and related fields in the following ways: promoting the interaction of a broad range of scientific disciplines of brain and behavior in order to advance the understanding of prevention and treatment of disease of the nervous system including psychiatric, neurological, behavioral and addictive disorders; encouraging scientists to enter research careers in fields related to these disorders and their treatment; and ensuring the dissemination of relevant scientific advances. A non-profit organization, ACNP receives revenues from a variety of sources including membership dues, publication sales, registration fees, and pharmaceutical industry grants.

# # #
child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Friday, December 01, 2006

Students with Disabilities Entitled to School Transportation When Home District Closed

Students with Disabilities are Entitled to Transportation to School Programs Even When the Home District is Closed

November 2006 - Did you know that students with disabilities who are placed in out of district programs by the Committee on Special Education (CSE) or the Preschool Committee on Special Education (CPSE) are entitled to transportation to that program even when the home district is closed? In other words, students who have special education placements, documented on their Individualized Education Program (IEP), should be transported to these placements everyday the program is open even if the home district is closed (snow days are an acceptable exception).

Section 4402(4)(d) of the Education Law specifies that a child identified by the Committee on Special Education as needing a placement outside of the district of residence shall be provided transportation to this placement. Nowhere in this section does it give the district authority to limit transportation to only those days that the district is in session.

If you are aware of a family being denied transportation to an approved placement, please send a completed intake form (attached to this letter) to:

Robin Worobey
Developmental Disabilities Planning Council
155 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12210-2329
(518) 486-7505 or fax (518) 402-3505
rworobey@ddpc.state.ny.us

The DDPC also request that those families that are currently struggling with denial of transportation share their personal stories in a letter. These letters will be collected and used to obtain a statewide resolution to this problem.

For clarification, we are not talking about students who are attending a non-public school selected by parents at the parent’s expense.
child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Free Eyeglasses DEC. 5th

Lenscrafters will be sponsoring a community day on December 5th. If you have a youth in need of new glasses, contact a Lenscrafters in your area and get their prescriptions filled for free. You'll need a valid prescription and a letter from an organization stating financial need (with the organization's Tax ID number on it). child-autism-parent-cafe.com.

Click here for info

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Ped Med: The biological factor in autism

Indeed, when Van de Water probed the brain's disease-deflecting armor in 30 autistic children ages 2 to 5 and 26 without the disorder, she detected a variation in the way specialized messenger molecules called cytokines react to bacteria and other health threats in the two groups.
These immune proteins, which normally get into gear when a response is needed to injury or irritation, instead appear to be constantly "switched on," or inflamed, in individuals with autism, reported another team.

The finding "backs up what we're seeing in the peripheral blood, that perhaps there is a change in these kids and the cytokine production in the brain is altered."

Cytokines are known to affect slumber, and sleep disorders are a common complaint of individuals with autism. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for more info

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Sad News from the Autism Research Institute

Dr. Bernard Rimland, fondly known as the "father of autism" passed away on November 21, 2006, at age 78.

Rimland’s book "Infantile Autism: The Syndrome and Its Implications for a Neural Theory of Behavior" dispelled the “refrigerator mother” view that autism was due to cold, uncaring mothers caused their children to withdraw into themselves. Rimland concluded autism is a neurological disorder.

Rimland reasoned autism is an epidemic, as one in every 166 children is diagnosed with the disorder. He believed heavy metals in vaccines, namely Thimerosal played a major role in the increase of cases, and supported a grass-roots movement among parents to have Thimerosal removed from vaccines.

Dr. Rimland founded the Autism Society of America, the largest autism organization in the U.S.

In 1967, Rimland established the Autism Research Institute (http://www.autismwebsite.com/ARI/index.htm) to conduct research, disseminate the results of research, on the causes of autism and on methods of preventing, diagnosing and treating autism, and provides information based on research to parents and professionals throughout the world. child-autism-parent-cafe.com


Click here for more info

Friday, November 17, 2006

Communicating With Your Child's Doctor

The key to building a better relationship with your child's doctor is open communication and reasonable expectations. What can you expect from your child's doctor? He or she should:

• help you monitor your child's health
• explain your child's growth and development and what you can expect
• diagnose and treat your child's minor or moderately serious illnesses
• explain your child's illnesses and treatment
• provide referrals and work with specialists in the case of illnesses requiring special expertise


child-autism-parent-cafe

Click here for more info

Monday, November 13, 2006

NYS Dept. of Ed Update on Behavioral Interventions

Message From The Special Education Muckraker. Beware! NYSED's newest version of its "aversive behavioral intervention" regulations will be published in the NY State Register on Nov. 15th. They must be horrible, because NYSED has refused to let the disability community see them before then - and is asking the Regents to vote to make these amended regulations permanent at their Dec. 4-5, 2006 meeting. They don't want the disability community to have enough time to organize a campaign to persuade the Regents to vote these abusive regulations down once and for all. Stay close to your computers on Nov. 15th. Your children's physical safety in school may - really - depend on it.

UPDATE from child-autism-parent-cafe.com: Revised proposed regulations relating to Behavioral Interventions, including Aversive Interventions have been published in the State Register and are available for public comment. Written comments on the proposed regulation must be received by December 15, 2006.

Effective June 23, 2006, the Board of Regents approved regulations that establish general standards for behavioral interventions and set a general ban on the use of aversive behavioral interventions, with a provision and procedures for a child-specific exception to this ban (http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/behavioral/exception.htm). child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for more info

Satisfaction with Primary Health Care Received by Families of Children with Developmental Disabilities

A recent study, "Satisfaction with Primary Health Care Received by Families of Children with Developmental Disabilities" from the Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 2006 – is especially interesting. This research shows that, even as we make progress, there is room for much more. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for more info

U.S. Study: Children show hardening of arteries

Children with risk factors for heart disease, including high cholesterol and diabetes, are showing signs of narrowing and hardening of the arteries, conditions normally associated with adults, a study said on Sunday. Testing should include regular blood lipid and glucose level testing, said the report's lead author, Sanaz Piran, a resident at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Earlier treatment could include more aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. Researchers found that children at risk already show signs of heart disease, including arterial wall thickness and decreased flexibility of blood vessels. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Friday, November 10, 2006

Industrial chemicals linked to autism, ADHD

Industrial chemicals have caused a "silent pandemic" of brain disorders, according to a study published Tuesday in the British medical journal, the Lancet.

One in every six children has some kind of developmental disability, and most of these affect the nervous system.

Exposure to toxic chemicals during fetal development can be linked to autism, attention deficit disorder, cerebral palsy and developmental delays, say the study's authors. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for full article

Thursday, November 09, 2006

NCLB and IDEA: What Parents of Students with Disabilities Need to Know

NCLB and IDEA: What Parents of Students with Disabilities Need to Know
and Do, National Center on Educational Outcomes, August 2006. This report discusses the intersection between the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA, in its latest update by Congress, has been more closely aligned with NCLB, making it equally important that parents become familiar with the ways the two laws have been positioned to work together to improve academic achievement of students with disabilities. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here to view report.

Friday, November 03, 2006

"Independence Beyond Borders: A Teleconference for Parents

The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange hosted a
teleconference, "Independence Beyond Borders: A Teleconference for Parents
of Children with Disabilities and Youth Influencers." If you are the parent of or work with youth with disabilities, learn how international exchange can be part of youth with disabilities life experiences! child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Willing, Able -- and Unemployable

By Ann Bauer
Monday, October 30, 2006

Today, what I fret about most is the fact that after two years of submitting applications, taking tests and going in for interviews, he cannot get a job.

When he was 16, I told him it was time to get a part-time job. I took him first to the coffeehouse where I wrote each morning, introduced him to the manager and took my usual table. But even from a distance, I could see things weren't going well. The "interview" took three minutes, ending abruptly when the manager offered Andrew a cup of coffee and my son -- ever conscious of the rules -- insisted on paying for it, fumbling with his wallet and spilling coins all over the floor.

I switched coffeehouses and tactics. Next, I took Andrew to Target, a company known for its history of working with disabled people. Only there's a catch: I was told when I called that their policy was to employ "visibly handicapped" workers. People in wheelchairs qualify, as do those with Down syndrome. My son, with his eccentricities and halting speech, does not. What's more, Target administers a computerized psychological screening test designed to eliminate people on the outer edges of the bell curve. People like Andrew. Read full article.

Check out Employment and Independent Living Resources here.

Medicaid Funds Cut Autism Education Program

A program that teaches autistic children at public schools will lose more than one million dollars in Medicaid funding at the end of the year. The state Department of Health and Human Services says it will provide enough funding to get programs through the end of the school year, but then schools will have to come up with other ways to pay for the programs. The program is called applied behavioral therapy and teaches new skills to children with the brain disorder. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

What is Guardianship?

Did You Know...

Parents do not have the legal authority to make decisions for their child once their child turns 18 years of age -- no matter the child's level of competency. This includes medical, housing, vocational and financial decisions.

Check out our updated What Is Guardianship? page. Learn how you may continue to protect your adult child’s rights.

Genetic Variant Carries Increased Risk Of Autism

Researchers have identified a common gene variant that more than doubles the risk of autism. The research, led by investigators at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, provides new insights into the genetic basis of the complex disorder.

“This is a relatively common variant, seen in about 47 percent of the population,” Levitt said. “So why doesn't everybody have autism?”

“Genes create a vulnerability that then gets coupled with some environmental disturbance - but right now, we don't have any idea what those factors might be.”
child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Study: Crucial Deficit In Children With Autism

Young children with autism appear to be delayed in their ability to categorize objects and to distinguish between living and nonliving things, according to a breakthrough study by researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. The results could provide a cognitive explanation for one of the characteristics of autism: the inability to recognize the goals and motivations of others. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Friday, October 13, 2006

FDA approves autism drug for behavior problems

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Risperdal to treat irritability in autistic children and adolescents. This is the first time the FDA approved a drug to treat behavior-related problems associated with autism in children. The drug can be used to treat aggression, deliberate self-injury and temper tantrums. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

NYS - Senator Golden Hosts Special Ed Fair For Community Children

Senator Golden Hosts Special Ed Fair For Community Children

State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C, Brooklyn) will be hosting a special education fair for families and students of School District 20, 21 and 22 on Saturday, October 14, 2006, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Marine & Academic Center Rotunda at Kingsborough Community College located at 2001 Oriental Boulevard in Brooklyn.

"As a member of the State Senate Education Committee who has worked very closely with our schools and our parents for many years, I have discovered the need to host this special education fair to address the needs, to provide the information, and to allow for the best of opportunities for our children who require special education. I think it is important for parents to understand how to access the services that are available to them in an effort to benefit their children. I look forward to hosting this event that will help our children learn and grow."

Refreshments and lunch will be served. For directions, call Kingsborough Community College at (718) 368-5000. For additional information, contact Sen. Golden at (718) 238-6044. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Free autism workshops

Eden II Foundation, in cooperation with KeySpan Energy, will offer a series of free monthly workshops from Oct. 19 through July 19 to educate parents and professionals on autism. The workshops topics such as an overview of autism, promoting speech and language in autistic children, managing challenging behaviors and using video and computer technology in autism education. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Monday, October 09, 2006

AutismExpo 2007

Where: Howard Community College
Location: 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Maryland
Rooms: Arts / ILB Wing (Smith Theatre, Monteabaro & Kittleman Room)
When: Saturday April 14, 2007
Time: 10AM - 4PM
Tickets: November 1st 2006 - $49.95 (until Feb 1, 2007 then $59.95)

Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Vincent L. Carbone, BCBA

Service Related Providers
Mary L. Dokos, Otr/L
Heather A. Franks, Ms Ccc-Slp
Michelle L. Hurst, Med, Bcba, Rdi® Certified Consultant
Leslie S. Smith, Med, Bcba

Other Guest Speakers:
Scott Campbell (Parents Of Autistic Children / No. Va)

Click here for info

child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Special Education Needs Improvement

But last week the state Department of Education said much more needs to be done. It found that all of the city's 33 schools districts are failing to meet the needs of special education students and that 23 of them require "immediate intervention" to address low test scores and woeful high school graduation rates. Only 37 percent of all special education high school students in New York state graduate. But in New York City the number is far worse: Less than 17 percent of special education students receive regular diplomas.
Of the students evaluated as needing special education, a disproportionate number are black and Latino. While about a third of city public school students are black, more than half of the students classified as emotionally disturbed and more than 40 percent of those labeled mentally retarded are black.

Click here for full article

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Autistic boy prevented from boarding flight

An 11-year-old autistic boy was prevented from boarding a flight at Bangalore by Central Industrial Security Force personnel who said he could harm other passengers. The boy's father, Tamil actor Prithviraj, has condemned the 'insensitiveness' of the security personnel and stressed the need for greater awareness about autism, which afflicts an estimated two million people in the country. "I want to make this issue a big one. We will make use of the publicity to see at least some good comes out of it so that people are more aware of autism or any such problem and are sensitive about it," Prithviraj told PTI. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Autism treatment options at Corey's Place

A new centre opened its doors hoping to provide services for children in the region who suffer from developmental challenges. Corey's Place, is a fee-for-service centre operating to meet the needs of families and children with developmental challenges. The new learning facility is structured with several service areas that work together to offer families comprehensive assessment, consultation, education, treatment and support. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Stop the Mercury. Start The Cure. To Benefit by SafeMinds

Please join SafeMinds founders Sallie Bernard & Lyn Redwood, Evidence of Harm author David Kirby, and Ross Bell, Producer of Academy Award nominated Fight Club and the upcoming Evidence of Harm movie.

October 19, 2006
5:00 P.M. TO 8:00 P.M.
$100 Per Person at
The Jonathan Beach Club
850 Palisades Road
Santa Monica, CA 90403

To purchase tickets, donate an item to the silent auction, or volunteer at the event, contact Elizabeth Kilpatrick at eksafeminds@gmail.com.
child-autism-parent-cafe.com


Click here for more info

Saturday, September 30, 2006

NYS health insurers must cover autism disorders

Insurers in New York state cannot deny health insurance benefits because claimants have received a medical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders under a bill signed into law by Gov. George Pataki. The new provision covers all health policies issued, renewed, modified or amended after Jan. 1, 2007. Legislators sponsored the measure after complaints were received that some consumers were having insurance coverage denied for such services as speech therapy and magnetic imaging tests. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Friday, September 29, 2006

Braxton upset with doctors over son's autism

Toni Braxton has blasted doctors who failed to diagnose her young son with autism because she's sure the three-year-old could have been helped if the neurological disorder had been spotted earlier. Braxton says, "They dismissed me. I don't know if it would have made a difference or not for him to be diagnosed earlier, but they had a 'wait and see' attitude. "It makes me so angry because a mother knows when something is wrong with her child." child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for article

Challenges for adults with autism

The public face of autism is young and cute. When most people think of autism, they think of children. But children grow up. They stop being cute. At 21, they stop getting the help they need.

Planning is crucial.

Parents are forced to navigate an often tangled bureaucratic system in order to get on the right waiting lists, secure available money and apply to suitable programs. The problem is, many parents are so overwhelmed caring for a child with endless needs they can't see past the end of the week, let alone plan ahead five or 10 years. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for full article

Click here for practical ways to help, plan and manage daily living with autism.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Awares' Autism2006 second free online autism conference October 4-11, 2006

This is the largest such conference ever to be held. You can register for free right now at http://www.autism2006.org to read the abstracts of most of the experts' papers and exchange views with other conference delegates in the online Foyer Café. The conference opens officially on October 4.

Topics for discussion include: Brain Research, Biomedical Approaches, Education, Asperger's syndrome, Autism and relationships, Autism and computers, Communication methods, First-hand experiences - Voices from the spectrum, Genetics, Autism and the environment, The immunology of autism, Diagnosis, Music therapy, Language and autism, Autism in adolescents and Adults with autism.

Most of the abstracts are available online now at http://www.autism2006.org and the full papers will be available from the beginning of October 2006. Experts will be on-line to answer questions in person between October 4-11. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Saturday, September 23, 2006

The Combating Autism Act of 2006 Needs Your Help Today!

Action Alert from Cure Autism Now. We must pass the Combating Autism Act of 2006 in the House this year! Time is short in this congressional session, so we must act now to gain passage in the House of Representatives to ensure all of our work in the Senate is not lost at the end of the session.

We currently have 181 House members cosponsoring the house version, HR 2421.

We need 218 cosponsors, a majority, in the next 10 days to give us our best shot at quick passage in the House! That’s 37 more cosponsors—we can do it!!

We need your help today! Please call your Congressman today and ask them to cosponsor HR2421. Their “support” or their “vote” is not enough—tell them you need their cosponsorship now! Go to www.combatautism.org to find your Representative and their telephone number to make your call. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click for more info

Friday, September 22, 2006

FDA Panels Reject Staff Position on Mercury dental Fillings

From Charlie Brown, National Counsel Consumers for Dental Choice
Dear friends -- On September 6 and 7, two FDA panels of distinguished scientists convened for the sole purpose of addressing the neuro-toxicity of mercury amalgam. One panel was primarily physicians, the other primarily dentists, with an array of scientist-consultants added. All of them are credentialed in their fields, and all must pass FDA ethics requirements before being appointed.

The FDA staff presented a White Paper consisting of shopworn rhetoric, selected studies (some of whom were misinterpreted) and out-of-date conclusions about mercury toxicity; in short, the staff paper argued that mercury fillings are safe. By two votes of 13 to 7, this panel decisively rejected the FDA staff position. It is highly unusual for a panel to disagree with staff. The questions presented:

“Does the draft FDA White Paper objectively and clearly present the current state of knowledge about the exposure and health effects related to dental amalgam?”
Yes 7
No 13.

“Given the amount and quality of information available for the draft FDA White Paper, are the conclusions reasonable?”
Yes 7
No 13. [N.B.: Two-thirds of panelist says the position that mercury fillings are safe is not reasonable!]

After the vote, each panelist made a statement. Virtually all expressed concern in one of more of the following three areas: (1) the need for informed consent (real informed consent, telling about the mercury and its effects; (2) the need to stop usage for pregnant women and children (as Canada, Sweden, the U.K., etc., already do), and (3) the reality that a substantial number of persons are severely hypersensitive. Some highly intelligent and educated consumers testified that they had no idea that “silver” fillings are mercury – until it was too late. Please, please proscribe the term Silver Fillings, and make dentists say the “M” word when describing a material that is so full of mercury.

FDA is itself divided on whether mercury fillings are safe, meaning, in our regulatory system, they are not proven safe (there is no category between safe and unsafe). In short, then, our government can no longer guarantee American parents and young women that mercury fillings are safe for their children and babies.

The solution is obvious -- we need an immediate ban on mercury fillings for pregnant women and children under seven -- the Health Canada model. From there, we work to put mercury fillings into the dustbins of history. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for more info

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Studies seek new treatments for autism

The National Institute of Mental Health has launched three studies. One study will define differences -- biological and behavioral -- in autistic children with different kinds of developmental histories. Another will examine the usefulness of the antibiotic minocycline in treating regressive autism. Research suggests that autism may be linked to inflammation in the brain. A third study will test whether autism may be treated by removing heavy metals from the blood, based on the belief that autism can be caused by thimerosol, a mercury-based preservative once used in childhood vaccines. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Monday, September 18, 2006

Disabled Are Targets of Abuse

People who are mentally retarded/developmentally disabled are easy targets for sexual abuse. The Kings County District Attorney's office is attempting to educate the public about this type of victimization. Catherine Reed, the program coordinator for the DA's Project Shield program, said there were five major types of developmental disabilities including autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, neurological impairments and mental retardation.

"A lot of perpetrators work in group homes," Reed explained of the sexual assault crimes.

Click here for info

LA County Efforts To Reduce Health Disparities

The Los Angeles County Early Identification and Intervention Group (EII Group) aims to improve the lives of children and families through early identification and intervention of disabilities, developmental delays or other problems.

This initiative does not focus exclusively or primarily on children who are low-income or ethnic-minority, but it does disproportionately help these children. Early identification and intervention are important yet often overlooked health disparity issues.


  • White children with serious disabilities are typically identified at much younger ages than ethnic- or language-minority children. A study of Pennsylvania children covered by Medicaid found that Caucasian children were diagnosed with autism more than one year earlier than their African-American or Hispanic counterparts (age 6.3 for Caucasian children, 7.9 for African-American children, and 7.4 for Hispanic children).

  • Racial and ethnic minority children are less likely than white children to get early intervention. In Los Angeles County, Hispanic children (age 3-4) with serious disabilities are the least likely to get early intervention and receive special education services, even though they make up two-thirds of children Countywide and are the most likely to be poor.

  • The highest-income areas of LA County also have the highest percentage of children identified as having special needs. The two lowest-income areas of the County have much lower rates.

  • A child in foster care is at least four times more likely to have a disability than a child living with one or both parents.



Contact:

Shavonda Webber-Christmas, Acting Director,
Children’s Medical Services at 626-569-6001, schristmas@ladhs.org and
Margaret Dunkle, Convener, LA County Early Identification & Intervention Group at 310-441-2345, mcd729@aol.com, MargaretDunkle@aol.com



For more information on health disparities and autism visit: http://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/disparities-in-health.html.
child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Seeking Participants in Clinical Research Study

The Cody Center and Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Stony
Brook is currently recruiting participants ages 6-17 with a diagnosis of
Autism (not autism spectrum), who are medically healthy and not on
medication (or not responding to medication) to participate in an
investigational study.

The purpose of the study is to see if the investigational medication is more
effective than placebo (inactive medication) in reducing behavioral problems
like irritability, tantrums and aggression.

All clinical and laboratory assessments as well as study medications for the
8 weeks of the clinical research study are provided at no cost. If your
child responds to the study medication, there may be an option to
participate in another similar research trial.

If you are interested in participating or wish to learn more about the study
please contact: Gregory Carlson at (631) 632-8828 or email: Gregory.Carlson@StonyBrook.edu. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Friday, September 15, 2006

Verizon Center for Customers with Disablities

Verizon LifeLine Assistive Equipment Distribution Program

VLS is a discount telephone service that allows eligible Verizon customers to receive basic phone services for as little as $1.00 per month. New LifeLine customers must be income eligibile or receiving benefits from any one of the programs listed on Part C of the application (includes: Medicaid, SSI, or Income Eligible but not receiving benefits)

Equipment offered under this program includes TTYs, large button phones, hands free phones, signalers, loud ringers & amplifiers. There is no charge for the equipment and it becomes yours to keep.

If you have any questions or would like to obtain an application, please call Verizon Center for Customers with Disabilities on 1-800-974-6006 Jeffrey Sampson, Program Administrator. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Asperger's Frequently Misdiagnosed as Other Psychiatric Disorders

Common characteristics of child with Asperger's Disorder

• Has difficulty interpreting non-verbal gestures such facial expressions, body language and gestures.

• Avoids eye contact with other people,

• Fails to make friends with children the same age,

• Doesn't share enjoyment, interests or achievements with other people,

• Often insistent on following inflexible rituals or routines,

• Not comfortable with own body; clumsy,

• Preoccupied with parts of objects and special interests. child-autism-parent-cafe.com


Click here for info

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

New NIMH Research Program Launches Autism Trials

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched three major clinical studies on autism. These studies will define the characteristics of different subtypes of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and explore possible new treatments. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Monday, September 11, 2006

Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education

From the enactment of the 1975 federal law requiring states to provide a free and appropriate education to all students with disabilities, children in some racial/ethnic groups have been identified for services in disproportionately large numbers.

Click here to read the National Acadamies Report, Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education

Dr. Haley special guest on Autism One Radio 9-11-06

Dr. Boyd Haley discusses mercury and chelation on Autism One Radio, Monday, September 11, 2006 12pm-1:30pm with Stan Kurtz: From the Children’s Corner: “Research, Reform, Recoveries.” Dr. Boyd will discuss mercury, the effects of antibiotics, fungus, viruses and bacteria, and chelation, and Dr. Haley’s latest chelation agents. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Study: 'Friendly' bacteria found helpful as autism treatment in children

Autistic children improved their concentration and behavior so much in a PROBIOTIC bacteria study that medical trials collapsed because parents refused to accept placebos, a scientist revealed yesterday. The effect of the placebo was so pronounced some of the parents taking part in a blind trial realised their children were taking something other than a placebo. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Study: Older fathers bring higher autism risk

Men who become fathers in their 40s or older are much more likely to have autistic children than younger dads. A new study involved about 130,000 Israeli Jews born in the 1980s based on biographical information on Israeli boys and girls who at age 17 were being assessed for eligibility to serve in the Israeli military. Among them, 110 had been earlier found to have autism or related disorders which include a less severe condition called Asperger's syndrome. However, most of the affected children in the study had autism and the researchers said their results may not apply to Asperger's or other autism-like disorders. Those fathered by older men were almost six times more likely to have autism or related disorders than those fathered by men younger than 30, and more than one-and-a-half times more likely than children fathered by men ages 30-39. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click for more info

Monday, September 04, 2006

The Latest on the Autism Epidemic

Psychologist Geraldine Dawson says, "What is meaningful is that we have found evidence for two genetic subtypes of autism, male versus female and early versus late onset." Researchers scanned the DNA of 169 families that had at least two siblings who met the strict criteria for autism. They also scanned the DNA of another 54 families that also included members who had less severe forms of autism, such as Asperger syndrome. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Sunday, September 03, 2006

"Putting People First" - Inaguaral Bicycle Tour and Fund

Help AMPLIFY the voices of people with disabilities... SUPPORT Self-Advocacy! On August 31st Max Chmura of Loudonville, New York will begin a 360 mile ride to support self-advocacy for people with disabilities. This ride will take him through the Alaska Range from Fairbanks, Alaska to Anchorage, Alaska, past the imposing Denali (Mt. McKinley). child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click for more info

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

VESID Special Education Updates

Re: State Assessments

A memorandum has been issued providing revised guidelines regarding
the participation of students with disabilities in State assessments, as
required by recent directives from the United States Department of
Education (USDOE). child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Re: Behavioral Interventions

Effective June 23, 2006, the Board of Regents approved regulations
that establish general standards for behavioral interventions and set a
general ban on the use of aversive behavioral interventions,
with a provision and procedures for a child-specific exception to this
ban. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Monday, August 28, 2006

Safe or Sorry

Here’s a bit of important news most pediatricians don’t tell you…
The MMR vaccine is given twice to children. "The first shot protects 95 percent of the children. The second shot is essentially for the 5 percent not immunized the first time. But there is a simple blood test to determine if any given child needs the second shot," Ball says. "Parents can opt for the blood test to find out if the second shot is needed." child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Saturday, August 26, 2006

The Age of Autism: Something Wicked -- 2

The idea of a "chemical connection" in many cases of autism arose
during the 1970s and 1980s, then gave way to gene-based theories. But
the time has come to revive it.
The last column highlighted a study by Thomas Felicetti, in the journal Milieu Therapy in 1981,
he compared the occupations of 20 parents of autistic children, 20
parents of retarded children and 20 parents of "normal" children who
were friends and neighbors of those attending the Avalon School in
Massachusetts where he taught at the time. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Discovery Toys And Autism Speaks Help Children With Autism

Discovery Toys partners with Autism Speaks and the Princeton Child Development Institute (PCDI) to raise hope and skill levels of children with Autism with a comprehensive development support program, helping parents of children with Autism understand the most commonly shared learning difficulties and select the most appropriate playthings and activities to support tailored development programs. child-autism-parent-cafe.com


Click here for info

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Tantrum-Free Haircut Parent Tips

Free ebook offers parents 20 tips and resourses leading to a tantrum and meltdown-free haircut. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here to view ebook

Autism Health Alert

An organization called the Autism Treatment Network hopes to open up a whole new world of resources for parents and children. Six different hospital sites nationwide will conduct autism research and share their findings. The participating autism treatment network centers include:
Baylor College of Medicine, Massachusettes General, Cleveland Clinic, The University of Washington Medical Center, Columbia University Medical Center, and Oregon Health and Science University. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Teaching The Person With Autism How To Drive

Teaching The Person With Autism How To Drive is an article written by a parent and speech pathologist whose son was taught to drive, and shares steps necessary for teaching the person with autism to drive. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here to read article.



More useful autism articles

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Link between autism and abnormal blood-vessel function and oxidative stress

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that children with autism showed signs of abnormal blood-vessel function and damaging levels of oxidative stress compared to healthy children. The children with autism possessed levels of biochemicals that indicate the presence of constricted blood vessels via the (cells that line vessels) endothelium with a higher tendency to form clots (through cells called platelets). child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Saturday, August 05, 2006

GAO Autism Report: Federal Research Funding Increased, but Agencies Need to Resolve Surveillance Challenges

NIH and CDC have undertaken a range of autism activities, and the agencies reported that their funding of autism activities has increased. Federal agencies support services for people with autism primarily through broader disability programs, and some services may not always be available to meet the needs of this population. Education and HHS’s Administration for Children and Families support services for children with autism through education programs for children with disabilities. Other federal agencies support services for people with autism, generally as part of broader programs to provide services or enhance the delivery of health care to people with developmental disabilities. For example, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services supports services to meet the needs of people with autism through Medicaid programs targeted to people with developmental disabilities. However, many people with autism may not be able to obtain services under these Medicaid programs because they do not meet eligibility rules or because states limit enrollment. The IACC developed recommendations on how to better serve people with autism and established autism research goals. Agency officials told us that federal coordination is limited, in part because, except for education services, no agency perceives itself as having lead responsibility for supporting services for people with autism. GAO recommends that the Secretaries of HHS and Education work together to promptly identify options for overcoming challenges to CDC’s ability to use education records for autism surveillance. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for more info

Thursday, August 03, 2006

"Money Follows the Person" Helps States Rebalance Long-Term Care Systems

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced today that states will get additional help from the federal government to support elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients who wish to live in the community rather than institutions. In addition to the Money Follows the Person initiative, Medicaid will allow states to add home and community-based services to their permanent array of benefits without having to go through the waiver process. For example, states now have the option to provide home and community-based services without needing a waiver. A copy of the "2006 Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Initiative Demonstration Program," including the application forms, can be obtained at http://www.grants.gov. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Book explores autism rise to mercury in vaccines

Here are some following questions parents need answers to: Why did the CDC and the FDA allow mercury exposures from childhood vaccines to more than double between 1988 and 1992 without bothering to calculate cumulative totals and their potential risks? Why was there a corresponding spike in reported cases of autism spectrum disorders during this time period? Why did autism grow from a relatively rare incidence of 1 in every 10,000 births in the 1980s to 1 in 500 in the late 1990s? Why did it continue to increase to 1 in 250 in the year 2000 and then 1 in 166 children today? Many should ask why trusted health agencies would allow a known neurotoxin to be interjected into the bodies of small babies - in amounts that exceed federal safety exposure levels for adults by up to 50 times per shot? Why are rates of ADD, attention deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), speech delay, and other childhood disorders also rising? Why does one in every six American children have a developmental disorder or behavioral problem? Why does autism affect boys at a 4-to-1 ratio over girls? Why to this day, is thimerosal still found in the majority of flu shots, which the U.S government recommends for pregnant women and children between six months and 23 months of age? Why in 2004, did the CDC decline to state a preference for mercury-free flu shots for infants? Why is autism research that has been successfully treating this disease as mercury poisoning using chelation and glutathione not being recommended to combat this epidemic? For anyone interested in this subject, Google the name Boyd Haley, the leading expert in the world on mercury toxicity, and look for his open letter to Congressman Dan Burton's House Reform Committee investigation on autism. I think any parent and/or teacher should read Dr. Haley's writings on this subject and should pick up The New York Times Bestseller "Evidence of Harm - Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy," by David Kirby. Book available at http://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/autism-books.html. Click on Vaccines and Autism.

Click here for info

Friday, July 28, 2006

Advance Your Child's Understanding of Social Situations

Social Stories: Advance Your Child's Understanding of Social Situations



Social Stories can help advance your child's learning and understanding of social situations or change problem behavior. Learn why and how to write a social story for your child.

click for full blog

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Autism Pioneer Dr. John Wilson offers free interview

Autism pioneer Dr. John Wilson offers free interview on Access to Health Experts to the public on August 9, 2006, hosted by Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN. Written and audio transcripts are available after the event from: http://www.accesstohealthexperts.com. Dr. Wilson believes children who develop autism are not "hard-wired" for this disease. Rather, genetically susceptible children may develop autism as a response to exposure to environmental influences, i.e. certain types of chemicals in food or the environment, or lack of specific nutrients. The following have been shown to play a significant role in connection to autism:

•Mercury or Thimerosal- a mercury preservative in childhood vaccinations, combined with a genetic inability to excrete this toxic metal.
•Food allergies- primarily of glutein and casein. Glutein is found in most baked goods containing wheat, oats, rye and barley. Casein is the principal protein in milk.
•Severe physical sensitivities and allergies to inhalants, and environmental chemicals.
•About half of all autistic children have an inheritable metabolic impairment in their body's utilization of vitamin B-12 and Folic Acid. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Monday, July 24, 2006

Financial Problems For School Districts Serving Disabled Students

Every year school districts are confronted with a longer list of
students requiring an expensive special needs education.
Department of Education data shows the number of special
education students as a percentage of total enrollment has increased statewide every year since 2003. The numbers have clearly risen in years before that, but in 2003 the state began gathering enrollment numbers earlier in the school year -- on Oct. 1 instead of Dec. 1. child-autism-parent-cafe.com


Click here for more info

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Free Conferences and Chats on Biomedical Treatments for Parents All Over The World

The Great Plains Laboratory is offering parents and professionals free online conferences and chats with Dr. William Shaw about biomedical treatments for Autism, Asperger's syndrome and ADHD. Biological Causes and Most Efficient Therapies for ADHD. The conferences offer an invaluable resource for parents and professionals worldwide who want to learn more about biomedical treatments for autism, developmental disorders and chronic neurological disorders, and ask questions to one of the greatest experts in biological treatments for autism and PDD. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click for more info

Friday, July 21, 2006

Your Child Can Show Their Artistic Talent And Help Support FARR

Jul 21, 2006

Children of all ages on the autism spectrum are invited to enter a contest to create a Valentine's Day card for the Foundation for Autism Research and Remediation (FARR). All proceeds from the sale of the cards will benefit FARR, a non-profit organization committed to Quality of Life research and autism treatment. FARR is receiving submissions beginning now until October 30, 2006. A panel of judges will select 10 cards based on artistic expression and following the theme. These 10 cards will be professionally printed on beautiful card stock, mass produced, and sold. Winners will be announced on December 1, 2006 at their site. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for more info

Thursday, July 20, 2006

New Study Shows Difference in Male Autistic Brains

According to a new study, researchers at the U of California in San Diego and the Mind Institute at UC Davis, men and boys with autism have fewer neurons in the amygdala, a part of the brain involved in memory and emotion. Previous brain-imaging studies have shown that in boys with autism, the amygdala develops early and stops growing around age eight. In typical boys, the amygdala continues to grow until age 18. In the new study, the brains from nine people with autism and the brains from ten typical people were compared. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for more information.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Charges against doctor in MMR controversy may be dropped

After testing 12 autistic children in 1998 at the Royal Free Hospital in the UK for serious bowel disorders, Dr. Andrew Wakefield suggested parents consider three separate measles, mumps and rubella injections. In 2004, the General Medical Council announced an investigation into allegations that autistic children admitted to the hospital with serious bowel problems were subjected to "unnecessary and invasive" tests.

Click for more info

Read about our loved one with similar serious bowel problems and how autism affects his life.


For information, resources and practical strategies on autism click here.

http://www.AutismConcepts.com

Friday, July 14, 2006

New research finds autism in children

UK - Autism in children more widespread than thought
July 14, 2006

One in a hundred British children suffer from some form of autism - many more than previously feared, new research shows.

A study of youngsters aged nine and ten found 39 per 10,000 had autism and 77 per 10,000 a related disability known as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

Professor Gillian Baird, who led the research, said: "Prevalence of autism and related ASDs is substantially higher than previously recognised."

Full article at: http://www.lse.co.uk/ShowStory.asp?story=HF1327091Z&news_headline=autism_in_children_more_widespread_than_thought

Click here for more information on autism and prevalence rates in the U.S.

Click here for information, resources and practical strategies on autism and http://www.autismconcepts.com/.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Fighting autism epidemic will pay off

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Aiding kids with disorder now costs less than caring for them as adults
Barry Stern

Autism spectrum disorders are the nation's fastest-growing developmental disabilities. These disorders include obsessive behaviors, limited social skills and communications deficits. Despite a 10-fold increase since 1990, our state and federal officials act as if this "epidemic" poses no threat to our well-being and domestic tranquility.

Yet the growth of autism, if unchecked, poses a serious risk to the economy. With appropriate interventions, a child with autism has a 1 in 2 chance of recovering. Without them, their chances are slim to none.

Those who fail to recover will be dependent the rest of their lives, each one costing taxpayers $1 million to $2 million for their care. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates between 120,000 to 360,000 U.S. children 14 and under are autistic. America will have to spend billions of dollars while they are young to save hundreds of billions of dollars for their care as they age.

Read article at: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060713/OPINION01/607130315/1008

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com

www.AutismConcepts.com

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Study: How does PECS compare to other communication interventions?

A recent study conducted by the Special Education Dept. at Vanderbilt University, compared effectiveness of 2 communication interventions (Responsive Education and Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching [RPMT] and the Picture Exchange Communication System [PECS]) in 36 preschoolers with autism. The results discovered that the RPMT promoted the rate of recurrence of generalized turn taking and generalized initiating joint attention more than did the PECS. Generalized initiating joint attention occurred only for children who began treatment with at least some initiating joint attention. In comparison, the PECS promoted generalized requests more than the RPMT in children with very little initiating joint attention prior to treatment. These effect sizes were large.

Source: J Consult Clin Psychol. 2006 Jun;74(3):426-35.Randomized comparison of two communication interventions for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders.

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com

www.AutismConcepts.com

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Study: New Model of Brain Sheds Light On Triggers of Autism

New Model of Brain Sheds Light On Triggers of Autism
iSTART model illustrates brain mechanisms that lead to autistic behaviors

According to the researchers, iSTART is a breakthrough in theunderstanding of the many factors that contribute to autism and provides aunifying perspective that connects autistic symptoms to brain mechanismsthat have no obvious connection to the condition.

"This approach should make it easier for scientists studying normalbehavior to connect their work to autism research," said Grossberg. "iSTARTopens up a wide range of possible new experiments to evaluate autisticbehaviors and further test and develop the model."

More information about iSTART and its component models can be found at http://www.cns.bu.edu/Profiles/Grossberg.

Excerpts from article at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/bu-nmo071006.php

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com

www.AutismConcepts.com

Monday, July 10, 2006

Level of Mercury in Vaccines for Children is Shocking and Toxic

Letter to the Editor:

Level of Mercury in Vaccines for Children is Shocking and Toxic
Governor Lingle Should Support Bill Banning Mercury Content
By Michael Wagnitz, 7/6/2006 11:59:00 AM

Editor's Note: Gov. Linda Lingle is considering a veto of a bill that passed this legislative session that would ban the use of Mercury in children's vaccines - an move that has set off a firestorm of debate. Here is a letter on one side of the issue. The governor has to decide what she will do by July 11.

Thanks to the Hawaii Reporter for discussing the mercury/vaccine issue. As a chemist with 20 years experience evaluating material for mercury, I was shocked to discover the quantity of mercury in vaccines (50,000 parts per billion (ppb) Hg in vaccines, 200 ppb to qualify as liquid hazardous waste). It dwarfs all other sources of childhood mercury exposure. This doesn't even take into account that the main ingredient in thimerosal, Ethylmercuric Chloride, arguably, is one of the most toxic forms of mercury that exists (see Merck Index for detail).

Lisa Randall (Hawaii Reporter, 7/2/06) cites the six major epidemiological studies as the conclusive science on this subject. She dismisses the 5 published epidemiological studies done by independent researchers Dr. Mark and David Geier which reach a totally different conclusion. All of the other studies she refers to are from Europe where the vaccine schedule is substantially different than the U.S.

Read full article at: http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?21440de1-d4e2-4d58-8126-ce34ccf3c52d

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com

www.AutismConcepts.com

American Academy of Pediatrics fights efforts to ban thimerosal

06/15/2006

In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the U.S. Public Health Service recommended the removal of thimerosal from vaccines intended for American children.

In the past two years, state chapters of AAP have been extremely active in efforts to block state legislation to ban the use of thimerosal in pediatric vaccines—even though most vaccines are available in a reduced-thimerosal or thimerosal-free formulation. All pediatric vaccines in the UK are free of this preservative, and it has been banned in Scandinavia for years.

Many Americans simply do not believe the CDC’s assertions that injected mercury is safe, especially as pregnant women are advised to avoid eating tuna wraps.

States that currently ban thimerosal in vaccines are California, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, New York, and Washington. But even before the law was enacted in Illinois, the Illinois chapter of the AAP had planned an exemption. In its view, the single gravest issue is the potential unavailability of enough thimerosal-free influenza vaccine for infants and young children. The AAP has wholeheartedly endorsed the CDC recommendation to administer influenza vaccine yearly to healthy infants and young children.

Read full article at: http://www.aapsonline.org/nod/newsofday300.php

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

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Sunday, July 09, 2006

Autism treatment pioneer dies at 79

Raleigh, NC, July 8 (UPI) -- Autism treatment pioneer Eric Schopler, who founded a seminal program for autistic children and their families, has died in North Carolina at age 79.

An autism research and treatment pioneer, Schopler was known for rejecting the idea that autism is caused by destructive or negligent parents. Instead, Schopler saw autism as a brain disorder that could be managed with treatment and therapy.

Schopler's unique insights led to the creation of Division TEACCH -- Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication-Handicapped Children. TEACCH is a network of nine state-funded clinics
Excerpts from article at: http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060708-071803-6747r

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

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Saturday, July 08, 2006

Study: Girls With ADHD Continue To Struggle Academically And Socially In Adolescence

UC Berkeley Study Finds That Girls With ADHD Continue To Struggle Academically And Socially In Adolescence

As they enter adolescence, girls with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) show fewer symptoms of hyperactivity. But they continue to lag behind their peers academically and have a greater proclivity for other behavioral and emotional disorders as well as for substance abuse, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley.

In a much-anticipated, five-year follow-up study of one of the largest samples of girls with ADHD ever examined, UC Berkeley researchers found not only that difficulties for girls suffering from the disorder persist during their teens, but that insidious new problems can emerge. These findings are published in the June issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

"As girls with ADHD mature into adolescence, on average they don't show as many visible symptoms of the condition, especially the most noticeable form - hyperactive behavior," said the study's lead author, Stephen Hinshaw, who is a UC Berkeley professor of psychology and chair of the psychology department.

"But we can't get fooled into thinking things are fine. Delinquent and depressed behaviors, risk for substance abuse, symptoms of eating disorders, high need for services, difficulties with peers - these problems hit girls with ADHD harder than they did for the comparison group without the condition," he added.

Article at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=46228

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

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Friday, July 07, 2006

The Age of Autism: Anna's last days -- 1

The Age of Autism: Anna's last days -- 1
By Dan Olmsted
UPI Senior Editor

Washington, July 6 (UPI) -- On April 26 a Scottish child named Anna Duncan attended a party where two children had chickenpox. Nine days later she got her routine measles-mumps-rubella vaccination. Four days after that she developed classic chickenpox symptoms -- spots and fever.

One week later, on May 14, Anna was dead from an apparent seizure. She was 17 months old.

Now her father, John, is struggling with the sudden loss of a bright, lively child -- and increasingly suspicious that the MMR shot during an apparent chickenpox infection triggered her death.

Read article at: http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20060630-021004-3424r

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

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http://www.autismconcepts.com/

Judge: suit lacks evidence linking mercury, autism

Judge: suit lacks evidence linking mercury, autism
Associated Press

Raleigh, N.C. - Parental advocates fighting to prove a link between mercury-containing vaccines and autism had a setback Thursday when a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against a producer of a treatment given pregnant women.

U.S. District Court Judge James Beaty determined that a mother of an autistic child "failed to present sufficient evidence" that would suggest a link between RhoGAM and autism. The anonymous mother had sued producer Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

Read article at: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/local/14981271.htm

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

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http://www.autismconcepts.com/

Study: Pervasive Developmental Disorders in Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Prevalence and Links With Immunizations

Study: Pervasive Developmental Disorders in Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Prevalence and Links With Immunizations

Eric Fombonne, MD(a), Rita Zakarian, MEd(a), Andrew Bennett, PhD, CPsych(b), Linyan Meng, MSc(a) and Diane McLean-Heywood, MA(b)

(a)Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
(b) Lester B. Pearson School Board, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The findings ruled out an association between pervasive developmental disorder and either high levels of ethylmercury exposure comparable with those experienced in the United States in the 1990s or 1- or 2-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccinations.

Abstract at: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/1/e139

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:
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Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Study: The impact of ADHD and autism spectrum disorders on temperament, character, and personality development

The impact of ADHD and autism spectrum disorders on temperament, character, and personality development.

Anckarsater H, Stahlberg O, Larson T, Hakansson C, Jutblad SB, Niklasson L, Nyden A, Wentz E, Westergren S, Cloninger CR, Gillberg C, Rastam M.Malmo

University Hospital, Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, Sege Park 8A, S-205 02 Malmo, Sweden. henrik.anckarsater@skane.se.

OBJECTIVE: The authors describe personality development and disorders in relation to symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders. METHOD: Consecutive adults referred for neuropsychiatric investigation (N=240) were assessed for current and lifetime ADHD and autism spectrum disorders and completed the Temperament and Character Inventory. In a subgroup of subjects (N=174), presence of axis II personality disorders was also assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders (SCID-II). RESULTS: Patients with ADHD reported high novelty seeking and high harm avoidance. Patients with autism spectrum disorders reported low novelty seeking, low reward dependence, and high harm avoidance. Character scores (self-directedness and cooperativeness) were extremely low among subjects with neuropsychiatric disorders, indicating a high overall prevalence of personality disorders, which was confirmed with the SCID-II. Cluster B personality disorders were more common in subjects with ADHD, while cluster A and C disorders were more common in those with autism spectrum disorders. The overlap between DSM-IV personality disorder categories was high, and they seem less clinically useful in this context. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD and autism spectrum disorders are associated with specific temperament configurations and an increased risk of personality disorders and deficits in character maturation.

PMID: 16816230 [PubMed - in process]

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Study: Stereotypy in young children with autism and typically developing children.

Res Dev Disabil. 2006 Jun 28; [Epub ahead of print]

Stereotypy in young children with autism and typically developing children.

Macdonald R, Green G, Mansfield R, Geckeler A, Gardenier N, Anderson J, Holcomb W, Sanchez J.

New England Center for Children, 33 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772-2108, USA.

Although stereotypy is one of the key diagnostic features of autism, few studies have compared stereotypic behavior in children with autism and typically developing children. The present study employed direct observational measurement methods to assess levels of stereotypic behavior in 2-, 3- and 4-year-old children with autism or pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and age-matched typically developing peers. Thirty children with autism or PDD-NOS and 30 typically developing children participated. Each child's performance of several early learning and play skills was assessed using a direct observational assessment protocol developed for children with autism who were entering early intensive behavioral treatment. Duration of episodes of vocal and motor stereotypy was recorded from a videotaped 10min portion of that assessment session. Results indicated that the 2-year-old children with autism or PDD-NOS had somewhat higher levels of stereotypic behavior than the typically developing 2-year-olds, while the 3- and 4-year-old children with autism or PDD-NOS displayed substantially higher levels stereotypic behavior than their same-age peers.

PMID: 16814515 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com

www.AutismConcepts.com

Study: Stereotypy in young children with autism and typically developing children.

Res Dev Disabil. 2006 Jun 28; [Epub ahead of print]

Stereotypy in young children with autism and typically developing children.

Macdonald R, Green G, Mansfield R, Geckeler A, Gardenier N, Anderson J, Holcomb W, Sanchez J.

New England Center for Children, 33 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772-2108, USA.

Although stereotypy is one of the key diagnostic features of autism, few studies have compared stereotypic behavior in children with autism and typically developing children. The present study employed direct observational measurement methods to assess levels of stereotypic behavior in 2-, 3- and 4-year-old children with autism or pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and age-matched typically developing peers. Thirty children with autism or PDD-NOS and 30 typically developing children participated. Each child's performance of several early learning and play skills was assessed using a direct observational assessment protocol developed for children with autism who were entering early intensive behavioral treatment. Duration of episodes of vocal and motor stereotypy was recorded from a videotaped 10min portion of that assessment session. Results indicated that the 2-year-old children with autism or PDD-NOS had somewhat higher levels of stereotypic behavior than the typically developing 2-year-olds, while the 3- and 4-year-old children with autism or PDD-NOS displayed substantially higher levels stereotypic behavior than their same-age peers.

PMID: 16814515 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com

www.AutismConcepts.com

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Fast talker sets world straight on autism

By Jenna Johnson
Register Staff Writer
July 3, 2006

The talker of the Louisiana team is D.J. Gilder.

“People should know everything about autism,” Gilder says. And if people don’t take the time to find out that an estimated 1 million to 1.5 million Americans have autism or that it is the fastest-growing development disability or that autism has varying levels of severity or any of those other facts and statistics listed on the Autism Society of America’s Web site, Gilder says they should at least know that people with autism contribute to the world in incredible ways.

Excerpts from full article at: http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060703/NEWS/60703027/1001

For information, resources and practical strategies visit:

www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com
Practical ways to help, plan and manage daily living with autism

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Dietary supplements are safe.

Dietary supplements are safe. Senate Bill 3546 makes them even safer.
For release: 7/4/06
Citizens for Health today commended Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) for introducing Senate Bill 3546, the “Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Act,” a bill that will require manufacturers to notify the FDA of all serious adverse events (AEs) for over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and dietary supplements reported to them.

Joining with other consumer groups and trade associations in supporting this bill, Citizens for Health also thanks the dietary supplement industry for having set a good example over the years by working hard to voluntarily log and submit the small number of serious adverse events (side effects) that may or may not have been definitively associated with the use of dietary supplements, but which have been submitted in good faith regardless.

Not only does the bill show a serious commitment to consumer safety and protection by the dietary supplement industry - it also includes appropriate safeguards so that unjustified burdens are not placed on these responsible companies.

Show your support of Senate Bill 3546 today!
This bill emphasizes how well-regulated the dietary supplement industry actually is and how committed supplement companies already are to safety and to making the existing regulations work more effectively.
Citizens for Health looks forward to the passage of this bill in the Senate and encourages the House of Representatives to take similar steps. The bill was expected to go to the Senate floor for a vote in mid-July.

Ask your Senators to co-sponsor S. 3546 today! Please also ask your Representative to support the House version of this when it is introduced.

Check out The Council for Responsible Nutrition's Myths & Facts about Mandatory Adverse Event Reporting for Supplements.

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

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Questions of blame linger in autism, vaccine dispute

Posted on Tue, Jul. 04, 2006
By Meg McSherry Breslin
Chicago Tribune

Chicago - It has been nearly 50 years since mothers shouldered the blame for their children's autism. Yet for many parents, echoes of that painful era remain.

In the 1950s and '60s, the medical community accepted University of Chicago psychoanalyst Bruno Bettelheim's assessment that "refrigerator mothers" - those with a supposedly cold, unloving demeanor - brought on their children's disorder.

Although it is now known that autism is a neurological disorder and not the result of bad parenting, the exact cause remains a mystery.

Many parents, however, are convinced they've found the answer. And most experts are on the opposing side.

Indeed, few medical battles are more charged than that between parents who believe mercury in their children's vaccines brought on autism and the medical establishment that has found no evidence to support that claim.

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

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Monday, July 03, 2006

NYS - Parent Workshop "How to be your child’s' advocate"

Parent Workshop in Long Island, NY "How to be your child’s' advocate"
Marlene Rosenson from L.I. Advocacy Center will present facts and information about advocacy. She will discuss the CSE meeting, the IEP, LRE and other topics.

Date(s): 7/10/2006
Time(s): 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Location: St. Charles Hospital Suffolk Medical Home
200 Belle Terre Road
Port Jefferson, Ny 11777

Contact Lorraine or Michele at 631-474-6489 or 6490 or email lorraine.sawyer@chsli.org.

For information, resources and practical strategies visit:

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Sunday, July 02, 2006

ALERT: Students with disabilities may be cut-off from speech, PT, OT and other related services

From Paul Marchand:

If the Bush Administration has their way, families of students with disabilities who are Medicaid eligible and who receive IDEA related service through their school systems may be cut-off from their much-needed services, which can include speech, physical and occupational therapies, transportation to health services, tube feeding and other medical interventions.

The Arc of the United States needs your help. Here is how:

1. Help us stop the Bush Administration from gutting these services for students with disabilities. Click here to learn more about this issue and contact the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, urging them to restore the funding for this program.

2. Senator Ted Kennedy, a friend of the disability community, will be introducing legislation aimed at correcting this problem. To learn more, click here and contact your Senator, urging him/her to support Senator Kennedy’s bill.

3. Finally, click here to send us personal stories from Medicaid eligible families who have a student(s) with a disability and who receives IDEA-related services. Please emphasize the critical nature of the related services on the child's ability to thrive in school and the devastating impact the elimination of such services would have on the child.

For chapters and affiliates, to help us save this funding, it is vital to reach out to your network of families, distribute this Action Alert broadly and help us gather these stories.

Thanks for your efforts.

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com

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