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

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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


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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

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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

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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

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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