New Vitamin/Mineral Supplement for Children and Adults with Autism

Participate in a 12-week trial of a new vitamin/mineral supplement for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders. The purpose of the study is to determine the effectiveness of a new vitamin/mineral supplement by evaluating symptoms at the beginning and end of the study. This study has been approved by the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board at Arizona State University.child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Hillary Clinton's Autism Plan

Hillary Clinton unveiled her plan to help children and families affected by autism, vowing to dramatically boost research funding and support services for families caring for an autistic loved one.

As President, Hillary Clinton will provide approximately $700 million a year to address autism through the following initiatives:

•Expanding research to identify causes of autism and monitoring its impact across the country
•Creating an Autism Task Force charged with investigating evidence-based treatments, interventions, and services
•Providing planning and demonstration grants for services for adults
•Improving access to post-diagnosis care
•Providing teacher training
•Creating a National Technical Assistance Center
•Guaranteeing quality, affordable health care

Read what Autism Organizations are saying about Hillary’s Plan

For information on autism visit child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Toy Containing 'Date-Rape' Drug Pulled

Two children in the U.S. and three in Australia were hospitalized after swallowing the toy Aqua Dots, a popular holiday toy distributed by Spin Master Toys. Scientists say a chemical coating on the beads, when ingested, metabolizes into the so-called date rape drug gamma hydroxy butyrate. When eaten, the compound - made from common and easily available ingredients - can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death. The toy beads are sold in general merchandise stores and over the Internet for use in arts and crafts projects. They can be arranged into designs and fused together when sprayed with water. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Read full article here.

Adolescence And Autism: A Difficult, But Not Hopeless Combination

The challenges autistic patients face become more pronounced during adolescence, when many kinds of social behaviours are developed these individuals can become more aware of their relationship difficulties.

"This study shows that the social and interpersonal skills of autistic adolescents can be improved, and we established that our method is efficient and does not require significant resources," said Dr. Fombonne, Head of Child Psychiatry at McGill University Health Centre.

They wanted to address the needs of autistic adolescents who had no major delay in their language development or who were not cognitively challenged (high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome). The major component of the sessions is role play, which allows the patients to simulate different social situations and create new friendships with other members of the group.

The study results definitely back up this conclusion, as there was increase in patients' social skills over the course of the sessions, an improvement that was maintained outside the training groups. This last point proves that behaviour improvement in these patients is not solely tied to the hospital environment. The training has also helped some of the adolescents reduce problems with excessive irritability or sensitivity.

McGill University Health Centre (2007, November 3). Adolescence And Autism: A Difficult, But Not Hopeless Combination.

For more information on adolescence and autism visit: child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Three New Video Presentations Added to www.Autism.com

From the Autism Research Institute:

The following video presentations are now available on the Autism Research Institute's homepage:

Dr. James Adams' recent talk titled 'Results of a DMSA Treatment Study.' This lecture was presented at last month's Defeat Autism Now! Conference in Garden Grove, California (Oct. 2007). For those who remember, ABC's Primetime Live aired a story about this research project last year while the study was ongoing.

ASA President Lee Grossman's talk at the Defeat Autism Now! Conference in Garden Grove, California (Oct. 2007). Lee is the President of the Autism Society of America (ASA), and he discusses some of ASA's initiatives and ASA's association with the Autism Research Institute.

Andrew Wakefield, M.D.'s keynote address at the Autism Society of America's National Conference in Phoenix, Arizona (July, 2007). Dr. Wakefield discusses the research on gastrointestinal problems associated with autism.

To view the videos:
Go to www.autism.com -- the video links are located on the far right column on the homepage. The videos were rendered in both high band (DSL, cable) and low band (dial-up).

child-autism-parent-cafe.com

National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week

During National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week check out Parent Guide to Understanding Bullying to help you recognize and deal with both bullied and bullying children, warning signs parents should be alert to, the psychology of bullies and victims, how to empower children, and how to reach out to bullies, how not to raise a bully and what schools can do to help prevent bullying.

Books

Bullying at school: What We Know and What We can Do
By Dan Olweus, Ph.D.

Bully-Proofing Your Child: A Parent’s Guide
By Carla Garrity, Ph.D., Mitchell Baris, Ph.D., and William Porter, Ph.D

Resources

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

American Medical Association
Violence and Bullying Resource Links

NYU Child Study Center
Social Life in Middle and High School: Dealing with Clicks and Bullies (pdf)

Hidden Smarts Abstract thought trumps IQ scores in autism

There's more to the intelligence of autistic people than meets the IQ. Unlike most individuals, children and adults diagnosed as autistic often score much higher on a challenging, nonverbal test of abstract reasoning than they do on a standard IQ test, say psychologist Laurent Mottron of Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies in Montreal and his colleagues.

The same autistic individuals who score near or below the IQ cutoff for "low functioning" or "mental retardation" achieve average or even superior scores on a test that taps a person's ability to infer rules and to think abstractly about geometric patterns, Mottron's team reports in the August Psychological Science. child-autism-parent-cafe.com.

Click here for full article.

Fisher-Price To Recall Almost A Million Toys

Fisher-Price is recalling 83 types of toys -- including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters -- involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.

Owners of a recalled toy can exchange it for a voucher for another product of the same value. To see pictures of the recalled toys, visit www.service.mattel.com. For more information, call Mattel's recall hot line at 800-916-4498. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Morgan Autism Center Autism Conference

Morgan Autism Center 6th Annual Autism Conference Co-Hosted By Santa Clara Valley Medical Center/Santa Clara University, Saturday September 29th At Santa Clara From 8:00am - 5:30pm


Speakers:

Dr. Steven Gutstein – “Going To The Heart Of Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome And Pervasive Development Disorder”

Michelle Garcia Winner – “ Implementing Social Thinking Vocabulary And Concepts Into Our Home And School Day”.

Blue Ribbon Commission – Led By Dr. Albert Wang – Update On Recommendations From California Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission On Autism.

Dr. Pilar Bernal – “Understanding Diagnosis And Screening To Achieve Best Practices Care Plan”

Dr. Richard Coolman –“Asperger Syndrome; A Professional/Parent Perspective”

Dr. Robert Hendren – “ What The M.I.N.D. Institute Is Learning About Autism And Neurodevelopment”

Dr. Glen Elliott – “ Alternative Treatments For Autism: A Skeptical Survey Of The Terrain”

Kevin Dotts – “Introduction To Applied Behavioral Analysis”

For more information contact the Morgan Autism Center

child-autism-parent-cafe.com

An Opportunity to Support Dr. Andy Wakefield

from National Autism Association

The Austin American Statesman, the only daily newspaper in Austin, has run a disparaging story on Dr. Wakefield in yesterday’s paper.

“Austin Autism Researcher is Investigated: Man behind discredited study on autism and vaccines now runs Austin center for autistic children”

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/07/17/0717wakefield.html

This is another in a long line of attacks that ignores the facts and relies on recycled propaganda. We want to send a message to the Statesman that this is a poor attempt at telling this complicated story and they owe their readership and the autism community something more. This story is full of inflammatory language, misquotes and mistakes and clearly calls in to question the nature, quality, and validity of the work we do here at Thoughtful House. It is vital to our efforts that this publication be told the truth and set the record straight.

Please send a brief email to the reporter and her editor letting her know your thoughts.

Send your email to:

maroser@statesman.com; dharmon@statesman.com; roppel@statesman.com

You can include any/all of the following:
• A brief version of your child’s story
• It is incorrect to say that that Dr. Wakefield’s first study was discredited and renounced. The only retraction was a retraction of the interpretation that the press made following the release of the study. It had nothing to do with the facts in the paper.
• Dr. Wakefield’s work has been replicated and supported by subsequent, peer-reviewed publications by other researchers
• A statement about what Dr. Wakefield’s work means to you and your family
• A request for a retraction or an article clarifying these inflammatory remarks
OR if you do not have time but would still like to support Dr. Wakefield, you may fill in, cut and paste and send the following message:

To Mary Ann Roser
My name is ______ and I have a _________ year old child that has been diagnosed with ____________. Your story regarding Dr. Wakefield was full of inaccuracies and innuendos that are an injustice to the families affected by autism spectrum disorders. There is a significant amount of peer-reviewed, published literature that supports his work. Many of the inaccuracies you reported are recycled, inaccurate facts that have been perpetuated through a long line of regurgitated stories. Trust and responsibility are crucial in journalism, something that seems to have been lost here. You owe the community you report for to tell an honest story, even if it is a complicated one.

Organizations that care for children with ASD, particularly those that actually listen and address real medical concerns, should be applauded. Dr. Wakefield, and all of his colleagues at Thoughtful House, should be given credit for taking care of children that others left to languish in pain.

If you are going to write a story, you should at least take the time to understand what you are saying.

Sincerely,

Your name

child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Show Support for Dr. Andrew Wakefield – Sign The Nigel Thomas Petition: Autism: Stop The Deceit: Start The Treatment

Our autistic loved one received a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine at age 15-months in 1993. He became ill with a fever, and would later develop a rash. He then began having chronic gastrointestinal symptoms and slowly over time became autistic, which grew worse after a second MMR shot at age 4.11. At this time, he had another autistic regression. No doctor would listen to our concerns, try to diagnosis or treat his symptoms. We were told to give him Imodium AD everyday to control diarrhea. He went on to develop a failure to thrive condition since he could no longer gain or maintain weight properly.

At age 5 we sought help from the late Dr. Bernard Rimland, of the Autism Reseach Institute, who referred us to a Defeat Autism Now! (DAN) physician in our area. Remarkable improvements were seen on the very first day of treatment, e.g. he regained his sense of smell, and the diarrhea would end for some time. Within a few weeks he began to speak spontaneously. Once we could no longer afford to continue with certain biomedical treatments, the chronic gastrointestinal symptoms returned.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield would soon publish a study in The Lancet about a bowel condition affecting a small subgroup of children with autism. This study gave our family hope, and offered validity to our loved one's medical history. A new DAN doctor referred him to a pediatric gastrointerologist who would finally listen to our story and concerns. In March, 2002 our loved one underwent a colonoscopy and endoscopy. After biopsy, he was found by an independent hospital pathologist to be moderately affected by a bowel condition, commonly known as "autistic enterocolitis." After eight years of suffering, treatment for our family member finally began. child-autism-parent-cafe

Excerpts from Barbara Loe Fisher Commentary:
Andrew Wakefield, M.D., will be defending himself against charges of professional misconduct lodged against him by British physicians running the General Medical Council of England. At the heart of the matter is the medical establishment's fury at Dr. Wakefield for daring to publish an hypothesis in the Lancet in 1998 that provided clinical evidence for an association between MMR vaccine, intestinal bowel disease and autism. Subsequently, Dr. Wakefield suggested that some genetically vulnerable children might be unable to handle being injected with three live attenuated viral vaccines at once, pointing out that children rarely are simultaneously infected with wild type measles, mumps and rubella infections in nature.

Andrew Wakefield has steadfastly resisted pressure from government, medicine and the pharmaceutical industry to halt his research into autistic enterocolitis and the possible links between childhood vaccinations, intestinal inflammation and autism. That refusal to stop investigating the potential biological mechanisms for vaccine-induced autistic enterocolitis has made him a target for those determined to make an example out of him. Like individuals who are persecuted for holding different ideological, religious or political beliefs from those in power, Dr. Wakefield is being persecuted for taking a scientific position that does not conform with the majority of those operating or profiting from the global mass vaccination system.

Many parents of vaccine injured children - regardless of which biological mechanism was involved in their children's vaccine-associated regression into autism - support the pioneering work of Andrew Wakefield and his right to pursue his scientific investigation without being persecuted.

Please show support for Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Sign the Nigel Thomas Petition: Autism: Stop The Deceit: Start The Treatment.

Parent Advocacy Brief: Preschool Services Under IDEA

The National Center for Learning Disabilities has created a new Parent Advocacy Brief, to help parents understand their children's education rights. child-autism-parent-cafe.com


Click here to download the Parent Advocacy Brief.

NYS - VESID New Amendment to Part 100 Regulations

The Regulations of the Commissioner of Education have been amended to conform to IDEA 2004 and the final federal regulations to implement IDEA 2004. The Commissioner*s regulations, which were approved as an emergency action by the Board of Regents at their June 2007 meeting, are effective July 1, 2007. Public comment will be accepted until August 17, 2007. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Autistic Brains Can Be Trained To Recognize Visual And Vocal Cues

Individuals with often miss the subtle meanings conveyed by a person's face and tone of voice, and have trouble determining the communicative intent of others. Neuroimaging show individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) show reduced activity in the regions of the brain that respond to such cues. In a report in the Archives of General Psychiatry and currently online, UCLA researchers providing ASD children with explicit instructions to pay more attention to facial expressions and tone of voice elicited an increased response in the medial prefrontal cortex, part of the brain's network for understanding the intentions of others. "That's significant. The fact that you can 'normalize' activity in this region in the ASD group by directing their attention to these important social cues clearly indicates there's nothing intrinsically wrong with this region in the autistic brain," said Mirella Dapretto, co-authored the study with her former graduate student Ting Wang, a postdoctoral fellow at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "This is a very positive thing," Dapretto said, "because these findings have implications for future interventions" they suggest that you could train the autistic brain to make use of the information conveyed by the human face and voice to successfully navigate social interactions. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Read full article

National Autism Association Letter to NBC Television

Mr. Steve Capus, President
NBC News
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112

June 13, 2007

Dear Mr. Capus:
The undersigned organizations are writing to you regarding the concerns among families of vaccine-injured children across the country over NBC’s recent coverage of the Autism Omnibus proceedings. In particular, we take issue with the comments Dr. Nancy Snyderman made during yesterday’s Today show. While one would hope a "First do no harm” philosophy would have some bearing on the information Dr. Snyderman provides to viewers, clearly it does not.
Dr. Snyderman's ties to Johnson & Johnson, defendants in vaccine injury litigation, are obviously dictating the agenda in her appearances on your network at the risk of the safety of our children. This conflict of interest calls into serious question your journalistic integrity and credibility.
NBC’s viewers were exposed to a blatant falsehood yesterday as Dr. Snyderman claimed that vaccines no longer contain mercury. This is not the case, and this misinformation has unfortunately given America's parents a false sense of security that vaccines are now mercury-free. This false claim puts all of America's children and the unborn at risk of great harm.
The mercury-based preservative thimerosal has never been fully removed from childhood vaccines as Dr. Snyderman vehemently claimed. A simple check on the FDA's website would have confirmed this: http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t1. Mercury is still in most flu, tetanus, and diphtheria/tetanus vaccines--and an array of vaccines still contain "trace" amounts. (The term "trace" must be used loosely as this aspect of vaccine production is not being regulated and there is some variation on what constitutes a trace amount. As children often receive multiple "trace" amounts of mercury in one sitting, cumulative amounts and potential adverse effects are as yet unknown.)
While no reputable medical practitioner in this country would allow even "trace" amounts of lead to be injected through vaccines given its known neurotoxicity, physicians continue to allow mercury, which exceeds the toxicity of lead by more than 100-fold, to be routinely injected into humans.
As a physician representing NBC, Dr. Snyderman has failed to tell the truth about mercury-containing vaccines and the known dangers associated with them. There is simply no excuse for such careless and false reporting while this country is in the throes of a childhood epidemic of neurological disorders.
During Monday’s NBC Nightly News Dr. Snyderman stated, “there really is no science” behind the autism/mercury link. Vaccines and the mercury-based preservative thimerosal have not been ruled out as a cause of autism. To the contrary, there are literally thousands of scientific, peer-reviewed studies supporting the extreme neurotoxicity of mercury and the relationship between mercury exposure and neurological injury. The following link provides a copious amount of research which contradicts what Dr. Snyderman told the American public: http://www.generationrescue.org/studies.html
The CDC's own study conducted in 2000 clearly shows the agency knew that injuries were occurring to children from mercury-containing vaccines, yet the data was manipulated to obscure the link. Lead researcher Dr. Thomas Verstraeten had this to say regarding the CDC's thimerosal findings:
“...we have found statistically significant relationships between the exposure and outcomes for these different exposures and outcomes. First, for two months of age, an unspecified developmental delay, which has its own specific ICD9 code. Exposure at three months of age, tics. Exposure at six months of age, an attention deficit disorder. Exposures at one, three, and six months of age, language and speech delays which are two separate ICD9 codes. Exposures at one, three, and six months of age, an entire category of neurodevelopmental delays, which includes all of these plus a number of other disorders.” (Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, page 40, Simpsonwood meeting transcript)
The full transcript of this secret, closed-door meeting held by the CDC at the United Methodist Retreat Center, Simpsonwood, can be read at NoMercury.org or PutChildrenFirst.org.

Many European countries have banned the use of thimerosal/mercury in vaccines for many years. Seven states have passed legislation banning the use of thimerosal/mercury in vaccines and similar legislation is pending in over 30 additional states. If there was no science to back up the dangers of using mercury in vaccines, we wouldn’t be seeing such legislative efforts to ban its use.

In her most recent NBC appearance, Dr. Snyderman was asked why parents were filing claims on behalf of their vaccine-injured children, to which she answered matter-of-factly, “money.” This cavalier statement alone goes far beyond contempt and displays an appalling ignorance of the emotional and financial devastation faced by families of vaccine-injured children. This must be addressed by an immediate apology from NBC to all the parents of children suffering from vaccine-induced illnesses.

We urge you to speak with the growing number of scientists who have published research supporting a causal link between mercury in vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders, and can provide you contact information for these researchers.

Reporting false information is a disservice to the American people. When it comes to the children and the unborn in this country, we should err on the side of safety, regardless of personal belief, conviction, or backing from the pharmaceutical industry.

Based on the misinformation presented by Dr. Snyderman, and the potential for harm this has brought to bear upon children, we ask for her resignation. We will accept nothing less than a full and public retraction of her false statements, along with an apology from your network.

We expect an immediate response to our request. We can be contacted at 828-776-0082 or amy@momsagainstmercury.org.

Respectfully,

Advocates for Children’s Health Affected by Mercury Poisoning (ACHAMP)
Autism Recovery Resources of Washington (ARROW)
Autism Society of Oregon – Lane County Chapter
Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs (CoMeD)
David A. Geier, Vice-President Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc.
Developmental Delay Resources (DDR)
Dr. Boyd Haley, Bio-Chemist, Chemistry Department University of Kentucky
Educate Before You Vaccinate
Foundation For Autism Information and Research
Foundation for Mercury Injured Children
Generation Rescue
John Wilson, MD Great Smokies Medical Center
K Paul Stoller, MD, President, International Hyperbaric Medical Association
KindTree Productions, Inc
Mark R. Geier, MD, Ph.D., FABMG, President Genetic Centers of America
Maryland Autism Recovery Coalition
Mercury Free Maryland
Moms Against Mercury
Moms of Hope
National Autism Association
No Mercury
SOAR! Salem Oregon Autism Resources
Talk About Curing Autism (TACA)
TN4SaferVaccines
Treating Autism in the UK
UnInformed Consent
US Autism and Asperger Association
World Mercury Project

Fears over vaccines link to autism reaches US court

In an unprecedented case, some 5,000 US families were Monday seeking to overturn a body of medical evidence and prove to a court that childhood vaccines are linked to a rise in autism. At least 20 experts are due to testify to the case which could last as long as a year as the families seek to persuade the special court that vaccines can trigger developmental problems in healthy children. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for full article

Autistic students face race and class struggle

According to the state Department of Education, more than 34,000 children in California public or specialized schools with autism, a developmental disability that affects a person's ability to communicate and socialize. Local public school districts are responsible for education costs even for children who cannot be mainstreamed, or placed in regular classes. Since the 2000-01 school year, overall enrollment in the state's public schools has gone up by about 2%, while the number of enrolled children with autism has more than doubled.

POOR and minority kids with parents who don't know how or whom to pressure get fewer services — and get them later — than middle-class and wealthy kids with assertive parents. African American and Latino children with autism are one to two years older than white children before they're diagnosed.

In Los Angeles, it took white kids an average of four visits to specialists over four months to be diagnosed with autism; black children required 13 such visits over 10 months, according to 2005 legislative testimony of Robert Hendren, executive director of the UC Davis MIND Institute.

Click here for article

To learn more about African Americans and autism visit Child-Autism-Parent-Cafe.Com

Autism And Scoliosis

A mother shares her thoughts, feelings and experiences with an autistic child who needs scoliosis surgery. Click here for info

Children with both autism and ADHD more likely to bully

A new study finds children with both autism and attention deficit or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders are four times more likely to bully than children in the general population, according to a study released in the journal, Ambulatory Pediatrics. However, the researchers caution against labeling these children simply as bullies. child-autism-parent-cafe.com


Click here for more info

Free Internet Training for Parents & Professionals

Learn the ins and outs of monitoring your kids use of the internet. Do you worry about your children falling victim to internet predators? Things NOT to do online.

The Inter-Agency Council on Child Sex Abuse
When: May 18, 2007
Time: 2:00-4:00
Where: Orange County Department of Mental Health
30 Harriman Drive
Goshen, New York
By: Nicole Powell, Victim Services/ Community Education Coordinator, and Rape Crisis Counselor from the Mental Health Association, and Will Garcia, Sr. Investigator of the Child Abuse Task Force

R.S.V.P. by Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Contact Regina LaCatena at (845) 291-2622 or send e-mail.

child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Autism Groups Oppose Draft Compounded Medicine Legislation

A coalition of autism organizations expressed concerns regarding draft legislation that would restrict or eliminate access to compounded medicines doctors prescribe to treat children with autism. The organizations – A-CHAMP, Autism One, the Autism Research Institute, Defeat Autism Now!, Generation Rescue, Moms Against Mercury, the National Autism Association, NoMercury, REAACH, SafeMinds, SOAR Autism Network, TACA – Talk About Curing Autism, US Autism and Asperger Association and Unlocking Autism – issued a position paper outlining their concerns with the so-called Safe Drug Compounding Act of 2007. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here to read position statement.

May 2 Interactive Webcast To Focus On Children’s Coverage and Health Disparities

On Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at 1 p.m. ET, the Kaiser Family Foundation will host an interactive webcast to discuss racial/ethnic disparities in children’s health, and how efforts to expand health coverage can reduce these inequalities. You can ask questions of the panel in advance of or during the webcast by emailing your question to TodaysTopics@kaisernetwork.org. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info.

Autism One 2007 Conference

Autism One 2007 Conference to be held on May 23-27, in Chicago, IL with speakers: Lisa Ackerman, Executive Director, Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), “Starting the Biomedical process - a parent's perspective.” Wendy Fournier, President, the National Autism Association (NAA), “Raise Your Voice: Politics and the Autism Research Agenda.” Portia Iversen, co-founder of Cure Autism Now (CAN), “Profoundly autistic behavior with high verbal intelligence - a new phenotype and a reason for much hope.” Lyn Redwood, RN, President, the Coalition for SafeMinds, “Mercury and Autism: Past, Present, and Future.” child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Looking For Families Coping With Autism

Do you have a child with autism or PDD who is 6-12 years old? The Clinical Graduate Program of the Psychology Department at the University of Massachusetts (Boston) is conducting a study that will examine how families who have a school-age child
with autism are coping. The data is being collected through a survey that is mailed to the family. Families will receive $10 after returning the survey. There is a lack of research on the impact of autism in diverse groups, and therefore they are especially interested in recruiting families that will provide racial, ethnic, economic, and religious diversity. If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact Meg Manning at Margaret.manning001@umb.edu or (617) 287-6318. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Grants to support Pennsylvania families living with autism

One-time mini- grants to help individuals and families gain access to essential community services and supports.

Applications for the grants must be submitted to the Department of Public Welfare's Bureau of Autism Services by April 27, 2007. Families may be eligible for grants up to $500 which can be used for supports and activities, including child care, summer camp/recreation programs, or home modifications.

Individuals or families must be a United States citizen, a resident of Pennsylvania not currently receiving any other family support services, including waiver-funded services, Family-Driven Support Services, services funded under Individual Support Plans or county-based funds from MH/MR or other similar services or funding. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for more info

Drug Compounding In Jeopardy

Proposed bill would give the FDA full control over compounding

Senators Kennedy (D-MA), Burr (R-NC) and Roberts (R-KS) have circulated a
copy of proposed draft legislation that would greatly restrict access to
compounded medications. The legislation would severely restrict and possibly
deny your access to critical medications. According to Parents and
Professionals for Customized Care (PsC2) , if this legislation passes, federal regulators, not your doctor, will decide what medicines you can take.

The so-called Safe Drug Compounding Act of 2007 would, among other things, broadly eliminate the availability of many critical, commonly compounded medications that many patients rely on.

Dr. Jaquelyn McCandless states that [for the autism community], "this means
that our children would not be able to obtain MB-12 (nasal or injections),
LDN, detoxification agents such as DMSA and DMPS, secretrin, transdermals
(such as NAC, TTFD, ALA, GSH), etc. (not to mention bio-identical natural
hormone replacement and many other extremely important health items that
have to be compounded). This is clearly written to benefit pharmaceutical
companies, which is also behind the move to restrict or eliminate many of
our vitamin- nutrient compounds. We have to become activists to protect our
children; it would be devastating to not be able to get many of these
compounds that are helping kids to an unprecedented degree now."

What can you do? Act now to stop this dangerous legislation! Write your
elected representatives in Congress. Use P2C2's easy to use tool to write
your members of Congress. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Take Action Now!

Autism: It’s Not Just in the Head

Excerpt From Discover Magazine article by Jill Neimark

The devastating derangements of autism also show up in the gut and in the immune system. That unexpected discovery is sparking new treatments that target the body in addition to the brain.

“There were days I considered shutting the garage door and letting the car run until I was dead,” says Colorado mom Erin Griffin, of the time nine years ago when she learned that both her boys—not just her firstborn—suffered from autism. Brendan, her angular, dark-haired older child, was diagnosed in 1996 at age 4. Kyle, her round-faced, hazel-eyed younger son, was diagnosed in 1998 at age 2½.

But Kyle and Brendan’s story does not have a tragic ending. After interventions that included occupational and speech therapy, as well as dietary change and nutritional supplements, both boys improved significantly. Their tale of slow, steady recovery reflects the changing landscape of autism today. The condition, traditionally seen as genetic and originating in the brain, is starting to be viewed in a broader and very different light, as a possible immune and neuroinflammatory disorder. As a result, autism is beginning to look like a condition that can, in some and perhaps many cases, be successfully treated." child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here to read full article

New Autism Bill S. 937 Introduced

On March 20, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) introduced the “Expanding the Promise for Individuals with Autism Act of 2007” (S. 937) with Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO). The bill authorizes funding to expand and enhance effective interventions, supports and services to individuals with autism spectrum disorders and related developmental disabilities and their families. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for info

Bill Cosby, Toni Braxton Discuss Autism Tonite on CNN

Check out Larry King tonight 9-10pm ET! Bill Cosby and Toni Braxton speak out on the autism epidemic affecting 1 in 150 children. As autism cases soar, what's behind the rise? child-autism-parent-cafe.com

COSAC Issues in Autism Conference

COSAC (the New Jersey Center for Outreach & Services for the Autism Community) is celebrating its 25th Annual Silver Anniversary Conference May 17-19, 2007 in Atlantic City, NJ. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

Click here for more info

Autism Concepts Blog Back Online

Hello,

After signing up for Blogspot's custom domain name the Autism Concepts blog was missing in cyberspace for awhile.

I'm happy to say, we're back online!

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Crystal

International study finds new autism genetic links

Scientists revealed the most extensive findings to date on the genetics of autism, pinpointing two new genetic links that may predispose children to develop the complex brain disorder. The five-year study, led by international researchers from 19 nations, indicated autism had numerous genetic origins rather than a single or a few primary causes. The study incriminated a gene called neurexin 1 involved with glutamate, a brain chemical previously implicated in autism that plays a role in early brain development, as a possible susceptibility gene for autism. A previously unidentified region of chromosome 11 also was implicated. Autism is a spectrum of disorders apparently stemming from genetic and environmental causes. Geneticist Stephen Scherer of the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto said 90 percent of autism may have a genetic basis. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

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LIVE Webcast – First in New Series “Today’s Topics In Health Disparities”

On Friday, March 2, at 1 p.m. ET, Kaiser will launch a new series of live, interactive webcasts entitled “Today's Topics In Health Disparities,” which will be devoted to addressing a range of issues relating to health and health care disparities in the United States. Each discussion will feature a panel of experts tackling current issues in health disparities and answering questions from webcast viewers. The first in the series, “Is the U.S. Making Progress in Reducing Disparities in Health Care Access and Quality?” will provide an overview of key findings in the 2006 National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR), focus attention on evidence showing the areas in which racial and ethnic disparities in health care have narrowed, and discuss interventions that may explain some of the gains achieved. Marsha Lillie Blanton, Kaiser senior advisor on race, ethnicity, and health care will moderate the panel, which will include Carolyn Clancy, M.D., director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Reed Tuckson, M.D., senior vice president of Consumer Health and Medical Care Advancement at UnitedHealth Group; and Elena Rios, M.D., M.S.P.H., president and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association. Submit questions to TodaysTopics@kaisernetwork.org. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

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Children's sleep and cognitive functioning

A new study shows that African-American children and children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds fare worse than their counterparts when their sleep is disrupted. African-American and European-American children's performance on cognitive tests was similar when they slept well, the study found. But when sleep was disrupted, African-American children's performance was worse.

"The findings are consistent with the idea that health-related disparities between different groups of American children have important consequences. In the context of these disparities, children are not at equal risk for cognitive difficulties when sleep is disrupted."
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NAA Again Calls for CDC to Declare Autism a National Emergency

The National Autism Association (NAA) is asking again for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to treat the epidemic of autism among children as a national emergency following the release of the agency’s latest study claiming a new diagnosis rate of one in 150.

“While it’s nice that the CDC has shared these findings with the public, they must move forward with a plan to treat the children suffering with autism now,” said NAA board chair Claire Bothwell. “This agency has yet to answer the question, ‘Why are so many children sick?’ If this were an epidemic of practically any other disease among the children of this country, they would have long since investigated how it could have happened and made earnest attempts to find treatments.”child-autism-parent-cafe.com

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Autism diet gets a closer look

Dubbed by some as the "autism diet," it is a gluten- and casein-free way of eating, often used by people diagnosed with celiac disease. Gluten products such as wheat, rye and barley are eliminated, as are dairy products, which contain the protein casein. Why the diet seems to work isn't completely understood. One theory involves the "leaky gut syndrome," in which the autistic child's body isn't able to process proteins found in wheat and dairy products. The undigested chunks of protein get into the bloodstream and affect the brain. Another theory is the body's immune system is reacting to the proteins in the body. One study sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York looks at the effects of the diet in autistic children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 4 1/2. It began in 2004 and should be completed in 2008. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

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Daily increase in new autism cases in California DD system

"California is now averaging over 9 new cases of full syndrome autism entering California's DD system a day, seven days a week. 78% of the autism population in the system is under the age of 18, with 84% under the age of 22 years old. We currently have 1,223 more 3 to 5 year olds in the system then we have for ALL ages from 22 years old to 62 years old and beyond. 20 years ago in 1987 there were 2,273 persons with autism in California's system. Today, 20 years later, there are 32,809." - Rick Rollens, Co-founder M.I.N.D. Institute UC-Davis

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ADA Action Alert! Need your real-life stories of employment discrimination on the basis of disability

From The Disability Policy Collaboration

The Arc of the United States and United Cerebral Palsy need your compelling, real-life stories of employment discrimination on the basis of disability to help make the case to Congress that the Supreme Court's narrow interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act have harmed people with disabilities in employment. It is time to restore the original scope and intent of the ADA!

Click here for more details about this issue and how to send your personal story.

The Arc and UCP, together with the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), will use these personal stories in coming weeks to educate members of Congress about the need for a legislative "fix" to the ADA in a way they can relate to and that can be readily understood. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

A failure in autism treatment

The New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community released a white paper last month with more than 80 recommendations for revamping a system that largely ignores adults who suffer from the neuro-developmental disorder. The group, which provides autism education and advocacy services, called for an "integrated, seamless" service delivery system that's available to everyone and proactive strategies to meet the needs of an increasing number of adults with autism. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

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Punished, sidelined, betrayed - our lost generation of autistic children

SCOTLAND'S education system is failing hundreds of the country's most vulnerable youngsters, bringing misery to families, an investigation by The Scotsman has revealed. Our investigation uncovered disturbing evidence of how schools often refuse to accept that a child's behaviour could be linked to autism, despite the large rise in diagnosed cases. Even when a child is diagnosed, staff are often simply unable to cope with the challenges their autism presents. Instead, the pupils can be labelled disruptive, meaning the school looks to punish the child rather than help them to cope with the effects of their condition. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

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Mini DAN! Conference on Jan. 27-28, 2007

There is an upcoming mini DAN! Conference to be held later this month, January
27 and 28, in Jacksonville, Florida. Maureen McDonnell, R.N., Drs. Elizabeth Mumper, Nancy O’Hara, Jerry Kartzinel, and Julie Buckley will provide parents and clinicians with practical information on current research, relevant tests and effective approaches for treating autistic children. Parents are encouraged to attend this session on January 27.

On January 28, licensed health care providers are invited to attend a
full-day intensive training. During this session the DAN! faculty will share their
knowledge and experience regarding how to identify subgroups within the
autism population, prioritize treatments, select appropriate testing, and
interpret lab data. Additionally, information on treating common features
such as intestinal dysbiosis, nutritional imbalances, immune dysregulation,
inefficient detoxification and heavy metal toxicity will be reviewed. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

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IDEA Sample State Complaint Form

This complaint form provides a document to submit a complaint to the New York State Education Department (NYSED). This form can be used when parents, individuals or organizations believe a school district or public agency has violated a requirement of Part B of IDEA or NYS laws or regulations related to students with disabilities. Use of this form is not required. If you choose not to use this form, you must include in your complaint the required information that is identified on this form. For more information contact the Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID), Special Education Policy Unit at 518-473-2878. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

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Emotion detection may explain autism

University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have documented changes in the brain's emotional center that may explain the social impairment seen in children with autism. The UW authors found that males with autism who spent the least time looking at a person's eyes in photographs had a much smaller amygdala - the almond-shaped danger-detecting region of the brain - than males without autism. Males with a small amygdala also had difficulty distinguishing any face showing an emotion from those with neutral expressions, researchers say.

And in a separate French study, scientists identified a gene that may explain why some people develop autism. child-autism-parent-cafe.com

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