Unlock Autism

Its comical and sad really how a well known doctor with a “Clinic” named after him could charge $2,500 for an evaluation, before admitting an Autistic child into their program. Evaluate what, the files?

I mean come on here, are you here to help or just profit? I understand the need to evaluate prior to providing services but these kids come with volumes of medical folders which one needs a milk crate to carry them around. It’s not as though an Autistic kid is coming in cold, by the time one is ready for the “Clinic” they may have seen upwards of 20-30 doctors and had dozens of tests from neurological to nutritional to IQ and most likely has been engaged in thousands of hours of therapy.

Its a shame or perhaps a sham that doctors would put profits in front of services. Or maybe they just want the right kids , on the cusp of a breakthrough, in the program so it looks more effective. Who knows these days, everyone seems to be “Selling” hope these days, instead of providing it.

Ranting and Raving because I am disgusted with the notion of Medicine being big business. When was the last time a disease was cured? Polio I believe it was – why? Because drug companies make more money from treating a disease than curing a disease. Medicine should not be free enterprise, it should not be free, but it should be there when people need it.

Share It

Hide Sites

by: Helen Williams

About The Author

Helen Williams
Editor Consistent Parenting Advice.com

Share It

Hide Sites

Original Article Found on TranslatingAutism.com You can find a more complete description and review of this paper based on the press coverage here. Thus, I’ll limit this to a micro summary and a few related thoughts. The researchers wanted to experimentally test the hypothesis that exposure to maternal neuronal antibodies (IgG) during the PREnatal period could be one of the causes of at least some variants of Autism. To test this hypothesis the researchers exposed 4 prenatal rhesus monkeys with IgG taken from human mothers who had multiple children with ASD. They also exposed 5 prenatal monkeys with IgG taken from human mothers who did not have any children with Autism. Once the monkeys were born, these two groups were also compared to monkeys that had not been exposed to any antibodies. The researchers found that the monkeys that had been exposed to the antibodies of human mothers of children with autism engaged in much higher levels of unique whole-body stereotypic behaviors and less social contact with familiar peers, than did the monkeys exposed to IgG of mothers of typically developing kids or monkeys not exposed to any antibodies. Furthermore, these stereotypic behaviors increased when the monkeys were exposed to novel environments or peers. As I understand how controversial this paper will be for some people, I want to say that the authors are very clear and explicit in stating that this is NOT an animal model of autism. That is, they did not intent to say that they were able to “cause” autism in these monkeys via exposure to IgG. Instead, their data presents some evidence that exposure to IgG before birth leads to unique patterns of stereotypic behaviors, similar to those observed in some children with ASD. This is a very small preliminary study, but the results are fascinating in that it will guide future research to explore exposure to IgG as a potential cause (one of many) of ASD.

Seems plausible since the IgG antibodiy can get through the placenta to protect the baby..but much more work needs to be done first. For more on IgG http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IgG

Share It

Hide Sites

Reference Buddy TV

Insensitive Person of the Year – Adam Jasinski the CBS Big Brother contestant who labeled Autistic children as retarded and claimed to spend “All Day” with Autistic children.

Adam Jasinski’s “PR work” for a Florida-based autism foundation was apparently a three-month stint that ended before he even entered the Big Brother: ‘Til Death Do You Part house.

While CBS has been billing Jasinski as a “public relations manager for a charity group,” United Autism Foundation founder Olaf Hampel claims the Big Brother ninth-season houseguest was only employed for three months and hasn’t worked for the nonprofit organization since January, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Saturday.

Hampel told the Sun-Sentinel he shut down the 9-month-old charity’s Fort Lauderdale office in January and is “debating” whether to reopen it after the “negative publicity” that has resulted from CBS’ February 13 broadcast of a Big Brother episode in which Jasinski called people with autism “retards.”

“I do PR work for an autism foundation,” Jasinski told his perfect-match partner Sheila Kennedy and several other houseguests. “I want to do a hair salon for kids with special needs so retards can get it together and get their hair done.”

“Don’t call them that!” scolded Kennedy.

“Disabled kids. I can call them whatever I want!” Jasinski fired back. “I work with them all day, okay?”

Looks like Adam has a few dirty little secrets….I’m waiting for the story to hit that Adam runs a brothel in Mexico.

“First, Big Brother 9 contestant Adam Jasinski caused an uproar by callously referring to autistic children as “retards.” Now there’s a second reason he may be the biggest jerk on the CBS series: Star has learned exclusively that he was arrested and convicted after being charged with possession of more than 20 pounds of marijuana!”

A resident of Delray Beach, Fla., Adam, 29, lived in Manhattan while attending Parson’s School of Design. According to New York County court records obtained by Star, Adam was arrested at his E. 33rd Street apartment on Feb. 10, 2004, after taking possession of an Airborne Express package containing more than 10 pounds of pot! The next day, Adam led police to a second apartment where an accomplice was found with another load of marijuana. Court papers add that MDA pills — a form of Ecstasy — and cocaine residue were also found during the bust.

Here is his Bio

Biography

Adam, 29
Single
Public Relations Manager
Delray Beach, FL via Cherry Hill, NJ

Adam has a master’s degree in fashion design/marketing. He studied at Camden County College in New Jersey, Parson’s School of Design in New York and Fashion Art Italy in Italy. He currently works as a PR manager where he arranges events, does publicity and is the Sponsorship and Creative Director for a foundation.

Adam is very close to his mother. He sees himself as an “in the moment” kind of guy when it comes to relationships and likes aggressive women who know themselves well. He talks a big game with women and considers himself to be quite the Casanova. He prefers to settle disagreements sooner rather than later and doesn’t hold back during an argument. He is not easily intimidated.

He describes himself as stylish, trendsetting and a good person and is very proud to have his own clothing label. Clearly a bad trendsetter- whpo would put this guys name on their back?  

Adam’s birth date is April 30, 1978.

30 years old and foolish, oh to be young again.

Share It

Hide Sites

What is SEED?

SEED stands for the Study to Explore Early Development. It is a 5-year, multi-site collaborative study that will help identify what might put children at risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and other developmental disabilities. It is being conducted by six study sites and a data coordinating center called the Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE) Network.

What are the six CADDRE centers?

The six CADDRE centers are:

* California CADDRE: Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and the California Department of Health Services
* Colorado CADDRE: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the University of Colorado at Denver and Heath Sciences Center
* Georgia CADDRE: the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
* Maryland CADDRE: Johns Hopkins University and Kennedy Krieger Institute
* North Carolina CADDRE: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
* Pennsylvania CADDRE: University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania

Where exactly is SEED being conducted?

California

a two county area: Alameda and Santa Clara counties

Colorado

the seven-county Denver metropolitan area: (Arapahoe, Adams, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties).

Georgia (CDC)

the five-county metropolitan Atlanta area: Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties.

Maryland

seven jurisdictions in northeastern Maryland: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Harford and Howard Counties and Baltimore City.

North Carolina

a ten county area: Alamance, Chatham, Davidson, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Johnston, Orange, Randolph, and Wake counties.

Pennsylvania

three counties: Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.

*CDC also funds Michigan State University to run the study’s Data Coordinating Center and Johns Hopkins University to run the study’s central laboratory.

How were the sites selected?

The sites were originally picked through an open competitive review process in 2001 and funded for 5 years. The sites were selected based on the merit of their application. In 2006, CDC had a limited competitive review process and funded the sites for another 5 years.

How can I enroll my child into the study?

The study is a population based study – meaning that the participants will be recruited from all children and families in each study community who meet certain criteria rather then focusing on individuals at a specific clinic or school. Families of children with specific developmental conditions, as well as a random sample of all children born in the community will be invited to participate. If the invited family is interested, then we ask some questions to determine if they are eligible, and if they are eligible then the family is enrolled.

Can I sign my child up for this study?

Although families can self-refer to participate in this study, they have to fulfill certain criteria in order to be eligible. Some families who self refer may not be eligible. Our goal is to send letters of invitation to all families who may fulfill the eligibility criteria. By sending letters of invitation to as many eligible families as possible, we hope to enroll a representative sample of families in each study area.

Examples of the study eligibility criteria include – the child must be born within the study period, the child must be born and still living in the study area, they must have a legal guardian, they must know English or Spanish (although these vary by site), and they must also meet certain diagnostic criteria.

What will each study participant have to do?

Each parent or caregiver will have to answer questions about their child’s development and their family’s medical history. The study clinicians will perform a brief exam and developmental tests on the child. Each parent and child will have to give small samples of blood, cells from inside the mouth, and a sample of the child’s hair. Finally, we would access the mother’s and the child’s medical records.

Why are we only looking at children in 6 states?

The funding for the study allowed us to support 6 study sites around the country.

Why are we only looking at children between the ages of 2-5?

The study will focus on children who are 2 to 5 years old. This age range was selected to reduce the amount of time since pregnancy and early development so that parent recall of events during these time periods is better, so that medical information is easier to retrieve, so that families are less likely to have moved away from the study area, and it will also be nearer the beginning of treatment for children in developmental intervention programs.

What is being investigated, and why?

* Physical and behavioral characteristics – Autism is a complex disorder and we want to better understand the full range of characteristics that are associated with autism. In this way, we may also better understand how the different causes of autism may be associated with specific subgroups of children within the autism spectrum.
* Infection and immune function, including autoimmunity – We want to follow up on reports that infections, or an abnormal response to infection – called the body’s immune response – may increase the risk for autism.
* Reproductive and hormonal features – We want to follow up on reports that abnormal hormone function – perhaps in the mother when she is trying to get pregnant, or later during pregnancy, or even later in the child after birth – may be associated with autism.
* Gastrointestinal features – We want to follow-up on reports that children with autism have abnormal gastrointestinal function, and whether it may be related to the causes of autism.
* Genetic features – Autism is a highly genetic disorder, but in particular we want to see if the genes that may be related to risk factors we are investigating – such as the genes that control immune function – are associated with autism.
* Socio-demographic features – We want to better understand the social, demographic, and economic features of families that are associated with having a child with autism.
* Smoking and alcohol use in pregnancy – Substance use in pregnancy can potentially harm the developing fetus and so we want to see if these so-called lifestyle factors are associated with autism.
* Sleep features – We want to follow-up on reports that children with autism have abnormal sleep patterns.
* Select mercury exposures – There are several studies, including studies funded by the government, looking at environmental exposures related to autism including mercury. CADDRE didn’t want to duplicate the work of these other studies, but we chose to look at information on vaccines and other types of medical procedures that may have mercury exposure that we can get through medical records.
* Occupational exposures – There are several studies, including studies funded by the government, looking at environmental exposures related to autism including mercury. CADDRE didn’t want to duplicate the work of these other studies, but we chose to ask parents to report to us about possible exposures they may have had at their jobs.

We selected these research factors after an extensive review of the literature. We designated each of the factors as high priority based on the how strongly they seemed to be associated with ASD and what new information we needed to collect about each factor, balanced by how well we could study each factor with our particular study methods.

What “selected mercury exposures” will be studied? How will they be studied? Why were these selected?

The mercury exposures we are looking at relate to vaccines or other medical treatments that are being studied include – vaccines that the mom received during pregnancy, the child’s vaccine exposures after birth and specific other factors such as RhoGAM treatment in pregnancy if the mom has developed an immune response against the fetus that can harm it.

There are several studies, including studies funded by the government, looking at environmental exposures related to autism including mercury. SEED didn’t want to duplicate the work of these other studies, but since we are getting medical records, we choose to look at information on vaccines and other types of medical procedures that may have mercury exposure that we can get through medical records.

Will the study include vaccines as a potential cause of autism?

Yes, the study will include vaccines. The mercury exposures being studies include – vaccines that the mom received during pregnancy, the child’s vaccine exposures after birth and specific other factors such as RhoGAM treatment in pregnancy if the mom has developed an immune response against the fetus that can harm it.

There are several studies, including studies funded by the government, now looking at environmental exposures in autism such as mercury. SEED doesn’t want to duplicate the work of these other studies, but since we are getting medical records, we choose to look at information on vaccines and other types of medical procedures that may have mercury exposure that we can get through medical records.

Will CDC find out if thimerosal causes autism?

It is too soon to speculate on the results of the study. We hope the study will give us a better idea of which of the risk factors that we will be looking at seem to be the most important in causing autism.

If the study shows that thimerosal is a cause of autism, will CDC report the data? What guarantees does the public have that the findings won’t be covered up?

We will report all the findings of the study by following the normal scientific review process as soon as possible.

When the study is completed, will we know the causes of autism?

It is too soon to speculate on the results of the study. We hope the study will give us a better idea of which of the risk factors that we will be looking at seem to be the most important in causing autism. The causes may be related to genes, the environment, or a relationship between the two – such as if some groups of children with certain genes are more easily harmed by some environmental exposures.

Will this study find a prevention/cure for autism?

It is too soon to speculate on what we might find about the causes of autism. But, we are hopeful that the findings from SEED will help the development of future studies specifically designed to assess treatments among children with autism.

What are the other developmental disabilities being studied?

We will be studying a range of other developmental disabilities, including mental retardation, developmental delay, and other behavioral problems in early childhood.

Why are we looking at other developmental disabilities?

By comparing children with autism and children with other developmental disabilities we will try to see if the risk factors we observe in children with autism are unique to autism or if they are also important in children with other developmental problems.

Looking at children with other developmental disabilities will also provide a way of comparing responses of children with developmental disabilities, in general, versus typically developing children.

How will you get the names of children to invite into the study?

We are working with our partners in the community who serve children with developmental problems and through these partners we will be sending out letters to families to invite them to participate.

Why didn’t or doesn’t the 2001/2002 funding represent “the first national study”?

In the initial grant awards (2001/2002), the grantees were responsible for 3 activities: setting up monitoring programs for autism and other developmental disorders, collaboration on the multi-site epidemiologic study, and investigator-initiated special studies. Although the multi-site study was planned, funding levels were not adequate to implement the multi-site study during the 2002/2002 funding cycle. Consequently, implementation was delayed until the current funding cycle. All funds awarded to the grantees in the current grant cycle are dedicated to implementation of the multi-site study. The grantees competed for funding to continue their monitoring activities under a separate grant announcement earlier in 2006, and no funding will be available for investigator-initiated special studies.

In what way(s) will the sample populations be representative of all children?

It seems that by not including major states like New York, Illinois, Texas, etc. it’s hard to claim this is “nationally representative”? Further, how will the selection/recruitment processes ensure or foster generalizability?

The two groups of children with ASD and other developmental problems will be identified in multiple clinical and educational facilities in each community to insure that the participants are representative of all children with these types of developmental problems – and not just children who might be seen at a single clinic or intervention program. The third group of study children will be randomly selected from all children born in each community during the same time period so that they are representative of all children in the study area most of whom do not have developmental problems.

Although resources do not permit the sample to be drawn so that it is statistically representative of all children in the nation, by conducting the study in 6 different geographic areas across the country with diverse populations and by identifying children from multiple sources in each community we hope to have a study sample that more closely represents children with ASD, other developmental problems, and typical development across the country.

Will there be interim results or will the study first have results six or so years from now?

Many of the core study hypotheses will require that we have data collection completed on the full study sample before analysis can take be completed, but some interim analyses that require less than the full study sample may be possible. We don’t want to rush interim analyses, however, before we have a good representative sample of children.

What do you mean by “community diversity”?

SEED is located in select study areas within 6 states: 2 counties in the San Francisco, California area, 7 counties in the Denver, Colorado area, 5 counties in the Atlanta, Georgia area, 7 counties in the Baltimore and northeast Maryland area, 10 counties in central North Carolina, and 3 counties in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.

These study areas include diverse communities and populations from which study participants will be drawn.

Can this really be classified as a national study since it only involves six states?

It is a multi-site study set in diverse communities in 6 locations around the country: California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

Although resources do not permit the sample to be drawn so that it is statistically representative of all children in the nation, by conducting the study in 6 different geographic areas across the country with diverse populations and by identifying children from multiple sources in each community we hope to have a study sample that more closely represents children with ASD, other developmental problems, and typical development across the country.

How will this give us national insight?

Compared to a study located in a single area, our study in six different areas gives us geographic and community diversity that will give us greater insights into the variability of who is at risk and what are the risk factors for autism.

What is the methodology for collecting the data? Same for each state?

Yes, all the sites are using a common study protocol – meaning they are following the same procedures for recruiting participants and collecting data so that, at the end, the data from all 6 sites can be pooled into a single large data base for analysis.

We will be asking participants to complete self-administered questionnaires; interviewing mothers about pregnancy-related issues and developmental conditions in their children; conducting a developmental exam of each study child to evaluate cognitive and

emotional development, language and adaptive skills, and motor skills, and a dysmorphology exam of the child (that will look at physical features that may indicate an underlying genetic condition); taking cheek swab and blood samples from the mother; father, and child; taking a hair sample from the child; and looking at the mother and child’s medical records.

Do all 2,700 of the children have an ASD?

No, there will be 900 children in each of 3 groups: children with ASDs, children with other developmental problems, and children drawn from the community most of whom are typically developing.

I live in one of the states with a CADDRE center. Who can I contact for more information about the study?

California CADDRE
Kaiser Permanente Division of Research
California Department of Health Services
Oakland, CA
510.620.3700

Colorado CADDRE
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
University of Colorado at Denver and Heath Sciences Center
Denver, CO
303.315.0066
303.692.2680

Georgia CADDRE
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Atlanta, GA
404.498.3800

Maryland CADDRE
Johns Hopkins University
Kennedy Krieger Institute
Baltimore, MD
877.868.8014

North Carolina CADDRE
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
919.966.2068

Pennsylvania CADDRE
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
215.573.2469
215.590.7474

Date: December 19, 2007
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

Share It

Hide Sites

By Amy Lennard Goehner,
Time Magazine, Dec. 24, 2007
A few months ago, I took my sons to buy shoes. Nate is 14 and autistic. Joey is 8 and “typical.” And I’m the parent — most of the time. Before we got to the store, Joey said to me, “If Nate has a tantrum, I can handle him. You just focus on buying shoes. I’m better at handling tantrums than you. Sometimes you just yell and it makes things worse. No offense.”
None taken. He’s absolutely right.
The “typically developing” siblings of autistic children are, in fact, the furthest thing from typical. Often, they are wiser and more mature than their age would suggest. And they have to be, given the myriad challenges they face: parental responsibility; a feeling of isolation from the rest of their family; confusion, fear, anger and embarrassment about their autistic sibling. And on top of all of it, guilt for having these feelings.
As their parents, there’s a lot we can do to help. For starters, we can educate them early on, by explaining their sibling’s disorder — a conversation that should be ongoing. Dr. Raun Melmed, co-founder and medical director of the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center in Phoenix, suggests including non-autistic children in visits to the doctor or other autism professionals. Early intervention doesn’t have to be “thought of as being geared only to the involved child,” Melmed says. In his office, Melmed reassures siblings that “other brothers and sisters have negative and confusing thoughts about their [autistic] siblings. That is common.” He also instructs parents to reaffirm that message at home. “Parents need only acknowledge to their healthy children that they know what they are going through and that negative feelings are normal,” he says.
A great way for kids to feel “normal” is to meet other siblings of autistic children, which they can do at sibling workshops. At the Kennedy Krieger Institute for children with developmental disabilities in Baltimore, social worker Mary Snyder-Vogel runs a program called Sibshops. “The workshops give these kids the opportunity to realize they’re not alone,” Snyder-Vogel says. “[We play] a lot of games that help them interact and problem-solve with peers. Kids don’t even realize they’re getting support.”
At a recent Sibfun workshop at the Jewish Community Center on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, therapists used puppet shows to illustrate issues that are common among siblings of special-needs kids. When asked what they thought the puppets were feeling, the children in the audience needed no prompting, immediately shouting out words like sad, disappointed and jealous.
Siblings will commonly have negative feelings — some might never connect or want to connect with their autistic siblings — but the good news is that typical siblings often turn out to be more compassionate and caring than average. “These siblings have seen what it’s like to have a hard time in life,” says Sandra Harris, executive director of Rutgers University’s Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, a program for people with autism spectrum disorders and their families, and author of Siblings of Children with Autism: A Guide for Families (Woodbine House).
There are many other, more specific challenges that affect siblings of special-needs kids — and many of them apply to sibling relationships of every kind. Here are some of the issues that most frequently confront typical siblings — and their families — with advice from professionals.

Challenge #1: “Why won’t he play with me?”

For younger siblings of autistic children, one of their first doses of reality usually comes when their older brother or sister won’t play. “The child on the [autism] spectrum may seem indifferent or have a meltdown when the sibling tries to interact,” says Rutgers’ Harris.

Seven-year-old Adam, whose autistic brother Jacob is 11, says, “I can’t really play games with Jacob like I can with my cousin Eric [also 11]. Jacob likes to play games on the computer — but by himself, not with me. He gets too angry if he loses and then doesn’t want to play.” Adam’s father, Paul, says soberly, “I’m sure Eric represents the brother Adam might have had.”

Solution: Find common ground

Parents can start by telling the typical sibling that his brother or sister “is doing the best he can, and here are some things you can do with him,” says Judy Levy, director of social work at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. “Maybe in the future he’ll be able to learn to play with you in other ways, but right now this is what he can do.”

Harris encourages parents to “find ways in which the siblings can relate [or] share an interest.” That can be something very simple, as Elliot learned at an early age. “It turns out my brothers [Benjamin and Aaron] are really ticklish,” says Elliot. “Tickling was a good way to bond with them, and for them to show affection back by laughing and wanting it again.” (And again and again — and again.)

Challenge #2: “It’s not fair!”

Every parent has heard his or her child say, “It’s not fair!” But for families with autistic and typical siblings, “not fair” is the reality, when it comes to one child being treated differently from the other. Martin Bounds has one autistic child, Charlie, 13, and one typical child, Alex, 15, about whom Bounds says, “He’d get very upset when he would bump his knee or complain of feeling sick. He thought we weren’t sufficiently concerned about him, in the spirit of ‘I could be over here dying, and all you care about is Charlie.’”

That may be overstatement, but such sentiments often stem from legitimate gripes. Bounds recalls when he and his wife attended an important fund-raiser for Charlie three years ago, on the same day Alex rode in an annual bike race. “Alex won the race for his age group and was really upset when we were not there to greet him at the finish line,” says Bounds. “As much as you try to balance schedules, as parents of an autistic child, you have to basically accept that you are going to have moments when you feel you have cheated your other children, and those moments are awful.”

Solution: Create special time

Harris urges parents to set aside alone-time with their typical kids every week. “Private time can even [include] riding in the car to pick up the laundry,” she says, “but since [the child is] with Daddy, [he or she is] the focus of his attention.”

Some kids, like Elliot, develop new hobbies as a way to spend time with a parent. “Gardening was something I could do with just my mom — it was never easy to get my mom to myself,” he says. Elliot began gardening five years ago; he’s now a junior judge at flower shows and grows about 330 varieties at home, including the 170 seedlings he has hybridized.

For single parents, however, eking out one-on-one time can be a daunting task. As a widowed mom, I know firsthand — we do the best we can with the time we have. Single dad Ron Barth says his autistic 9-year-old, Daniel, “dominates everything, so I have to make special moments with Nicole [age 15], like taking her shopping — without Daniel.” But, says Barth, “There aren’t enough of those moments.”

Challenge #3: “I’m scared!”

Some autistic children are aggressive, which can be scary and dangerous, especially for younger kids. And parents can’t possibly keep an eye on their kids every second — which is about the amount of time it took for one child I interviewed to get squirted in the eyes with Windex by her younger autistic brother. (She survived just fine.) Even my son Nate, who isn’t aggressive but is twice the size of Joey, often hugs Joey — tight. Very tight. Around the neck. When Joey yells “MOM!” I’ve learned to tell the difference between Mom, can you help me find my Gameboy? and MOM, he’s choking me!

Solution: Find a safe haven

“I tell parents to have a ’safe place,’ usually the child’s room, where the typical child can go while an adult handles the behavior problem,” says Harris. “Then, as soon as they can, the parents should comfort the typical child and help him or her understand what happened.”

Harris also suggests that parents develop an “intervention plan” to teach the child with autism alternate behaviors — such as asking to be left alone, or using words, cards or a special gesture — when he or she feels upset. “Kids with autism can learn to go their room, sit in a beanbag chair, or do something else that helps them calm themselves,” says Harris.

Challenge #4: “He’s so embarrassing!”

It’s common for siblings to feel embarrassed by their autistic brother or sister’s behavior in public, or to be reluctant to bring their friends home. Kelly Reynolds, 21, says it can be difficult introducing her autistic brother, Will, to her friends: “It’s hard to have a young child in an older kid’s body. [Will] may go up to one of my girlfriends and sit on her on the couch — which probably would have been cute when he was five years old but he’s 17 now,” Reynolds says. “That can be hard because you can tell when someone feels awkward or scared or thrown off.”

Solution: Encourage honesty — and laugh

“Interestingly, a lot of these [typical sibs] are more outspoken,” says Levy of the Kennedy Krieger Institute. “They’ll go up to people and say, ‘Yes, that’s my brother. He has special needs. Do you have any questions?’”

My son Joey is one of those kids. When he was 6, we were at a bus stop when Nate started jumping up and down and making weird noises — just being Nate. When Joey’s friend started making fun of Nate, Joey got right in her face and said, “Do NOT make fun of my brother again! Everybody learns differently.” They were my words coming from Joey’s mouth.

Several parents I interviewed said a sense of humor is key. “Your typical child can see the humor in the actions of his autistic siblings,” says Bounds, father to Charlie and Alex. “It’s okay to talk about his or her ‘weird brother’ in a way that signals that you both know this isn’t normal.”

When Nate does something bizarre in public, which is just about whenever he’s in public, Joey and I often give each other an Oh, my God! look and roll our eyes, which sort of says, “We’re in this together.”

Challenge #5: “I feel like the parent.”

Angela Bryan-Brown, 15, says she often feels like a parent to her 14-year-old brother Alasdair. “You don’t have a choice,” says Angie. “You’ve got to help out, and your parents can only do so much. They’re so stressed out.” Angie’s mom Florie Seery refers to Angie as “the third parent in the house” and “an old soul,” a phrase I’ve heard often from other parents.

Elliot says of his siblings’ disorder: “Even though I’m four years younger, it places me in the position of being the older brother. ”

Solution: Let sibs be children too

“It’s a challenge for children to feel that sense of responsibility for their sibling,” says Harris. “A wise parent works hard to temper that and to make the responsibilities fitting to the age of the siblings. An older sister can keep her brother entertained for half an hour because an older sister would typically do that to help out — but she’s not a parent.”

For young siblings, Harris suggests counseling them: “‘It’s wonderful to care about your brother, but you’re my little boy too. Because your brother has trouble learning sometimes, he might need help from you, but you’re not his mommy or daddy. We will take care of him when he needs help.’ That kind of message reaffirms one’s love and lifts that burden.”

Challenge #6: The holidays

“Attending loud, busy social gatherings with new sights, sounds, smells, intrusive relatives and strange places overwhelms the best of us, let alone those with sensitive sensory systems,” says Dr. Raun Melmed of the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center. “Of course, when the child gets overwhelmed and melts down, so do the siblings and parents.”

“In short, holidays suck, especially the ones you spend outside your own home,” says dad, Bounds. “They’re full of the most dreaded thing in an autistic life — unstructured time. People get together with relatives and friends and talk — which is sort of hard to do when your child has your sister-in-law’s cat by the throat and is about to put him in the food processor.”

Solution: Ask family members to help

Harris suggests that parents “create a rotating team of adults. Each person spends a half-hour with the child, so that parents and siblings aren’t trapped, and the child doesn’t have to be exposed to the chaos of the party. Cousins and aunts can take a turn.”

Siblings, however, should be spared. “The typically developing kid wants the holiday to come. She’s off from school, she’s getting her present and she can’t really enjoy that” if she’s expected to take care of her autistic brother or sister, says social worker Snyder-Vogel.

Challenge #7: In adulthood, the sibs will become “parents”

Someday, inevitably, the sibling of an autistic child will most likely take on the role of guardian and advocate. “You’re basically at some point going to be their parent,” says Kelly Reynolds, 21. “Anyone I want to marry has to take that into account. In some ways you kind of feel like you already have a kid. … For me, it’s kind of a deal-breaker when someone can’t really get along with my brother. He’s such a big part of my life.”

Solution: Discuss future plans with adult children

Parents should talk about financial plans and any care arrangements that have been made, once typical siblings are old enough, says Harris in a recent article for the Autism Society of America. But this isn’t a discussion to initiate with younger children — unless they bring the topic up on their own.

Many of the children I interviewed showed deep concern for their autistic brothers and sisters. And nearly all of the professionals and doctors I talked with said that a disproportionate number of their students and residents were siblings of people with autism. “I’m very interested in trying to help find a cure,” says 15-year-old Elliot, who closely follows news about the disorder. “I’d just like to get a neat little pill someday for my siblings that they can pop in with their apple juice and hopefully be normal.”

Here is a direct link to the article..

Share It

Hide Sites

All we seem to hear about these days is the debacle facing the mortgage industry and the looming “National Foreclosure Crisis”. I personally do not know of anyone who is going through foreclosure, but based upon the news coverage, it seems everyone has a condition named “Foreclosure.” There is currently underway a government bail out for the many consumers who traded up to most likely, what they couldn’t afford in the first place or to simply live large on equity. But that’s another story. Last week or so I heard on Face The Nation or some other Weekend News show that 1 in 550 familes are facing mortgage default and or foreclosure - “An Alarming Rate” said one politician, “The most in the past 30 years”, said another. “Too Much for the country to bare, a real crisis and burden to the economy.” So a multi-billion dollar bail out is underway, through interest rate cuts and government loans.

Now I am not saying this isn’t important to do as a nation. Our economy is our best strength for sure. But unlike the Mortgage Foreclosure fiasco- which mostly affects people in the the Southeast, Southwest and California, and one we generally took on ourselves,  Autism knows no geographical boundary’s and today affects every town, county, city, state and country in the world, with intolerable indifference in selection by social standing, financial well being, class, race, religion and or nationality. Today- Autism affects 1 in 150 families or more and poses a lifelong commitment to a roller coaster of emotions an feelings an is expected to cost 200-400 Billion dollars ANNUALLY by 2010.
SO I have to ask, sine the numbers are so similar. Where is the multi-billion dollar bail out to help save our children, unlock or at least better understand this disease?

The awareness of Autism is on the rise for sure, we are light years from just 5 years ago in terms of awareness, research and understanding, but why is the very thing that has shown to help improve a child with Autism so unobtainable still today? Why do I have to spend $20, $30, $40,000 per year or more on therapy’s which only guarantee hope as the next great thing? Why is the school system an absolute joke for most children with Autism? Why do we have to wait 2 years to get into a program identified to offer the very things my child needs, mostly due to a lack of funding to expand? Where do George, Dick and the Presidential Candidates stand on Autism Research?

Ask your politician – what are you doing specifically to help find a cure, financial support for families, better therapy’s and more understanding of Autism and other PDD’s? And use the foreclosure vs Autism stats to show your point.

If you visit this site, you can replace “Foreclosure” and “Foreclosure Filings” with “New Autism Diagnosis” to give you an idea of just what 1 in 150 means. There were 220,000 new foreclosure filings in October and the number of people who have been diagnosed with Autism has reached  770,000.  WOW. Think about that for a while.

Share It

Hide Sites

A groundbreaking scientific study warns that wireless communication technology may be responsible for accelerating the rise in autism among the world’s children.

Washington, DC (PressReleaseHelp) November 15, 2007 — A groundbreaking scientific study published this week in the peer-reviewed Australasian Journal of Clinical Environmental Medicine warns that wireless communication technology may be responsible for accelerating the rise in autism among the world’s children. (J.Aust.Coll.Nutr.& Env.Med, 2007; Vol.26, No.2 pages 3 – 7; report attached.)

Autism is a disabling neuro-developmental disorder whose cause is not completely understood, but is known to involve heavy metal toxicity. American advocacy groups call autism “the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States.” Twenty years ago, only 1 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with some form of autism; U.S. government data show the rate in 2002 to be 1 in 150; clinicians who treat the disease estimate the occurrence today to be closer to 1 in 100.

The children studied were seen by Tamara Mariea², a certified clinical nutritionist based in Nashville, Tennessee, specializing in treating autism. She is the primary author of the paper, along with Dr. George Carlo¹, an expert on the dangers of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), who headed the world’s largest research program on mobile phone health hazards in the 1990s. Their work revealed the autism-wireless technology connection following a series of tests on autistic children monitored during 2005 and 2006.

The autistic children followed specific detoxification protocols in an environment that was mitigated with regard to sources of EMR including mobile phones and WiFi³. Heavy metal excretions were monitored from hair, urine and feces over periods ranging from several weeks to several months. The researchers found that with protocols administered in the mitigated environment, heavy metals were cleared from the children’s bodies in a pattern dependent on time and molecular weight. The heaviest metals, such as mercury and uranium, cleared last. In many of the children, the decrease in metals was concomitant with symptom amelioration.

Tamara Mariea, said: “These findings give us very important clues to solving some of the enigmas we see in the autism literature regarding the efficacy of detoxification. And, we are extremely pleased with the results we are now seeing in these children. Our protocols are working.”

Dr. Carlo said, “These findings tie in with other studies showing adverse cell-membrane responses and disruptions of normal cell physiology. The EMR apparently causes the metals to be trapped in cells, slowing clearance and accelerating the onset of symptoms.”

The authors point out that the rise in cases of autism is paralleled by the huge growth in mobile phone and WiFi usage since the late 1990’s – with worldwide wireless usage now having reached nearly 4 billion persons.

“Although some of the increase in autism can be ascribed to more efficient diagnosis by the medical community,” Dr. Carlo said, “A rise of this magnitude must have a major environmental cause. Our data offer a reasonable mechanistic explanation for a connection between autism and wireless technology.”
Notes to Editors:

1. In the 1990s, Dr George Carlo headed the $28.5 million Wireless Technology Research program, funded by the mobile phone industry and overseen by the federal government, studying health hazards from mobile phone technology. He is currently head of the non-profit Science and Public Policy Institute, based in Washington, D.C.

2. Tamara Mariea is Director of Internal Balance, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee. Since 2000, she has helped over 500 autistic children.

3. WiFi refers to technologies that use wireless communication to connect computers to the Internet.
Contacts:
Sarah Dacre (UK and Europe)
email protected from spam bots
202-756-7744

Jill Ungar (US and Canada)
email protected from spam bots

Sharon Yates
email protected from spam bots

###

Safe Wireless Initiative
Sarah Dacre
202-756-7744
E-mail Information
Trackback URL: http://prweb.com/pingpr.php/SW5zZS1IYWxmLVBpZ2ctSG9yci1UaGlyLVplcm8=

Share It

Hide Sites

And this will seem to explain why for some its a stomach and diet issue, for others cellular and for still others more cerebral symptoms.

Again, another connection to Meditating and insight form the Dali Lama.
Story By Jamie Talan.
It used to be dogma that the brain was shut away from the actions of the immune system, shielded from the outside forces of nature. But
that’s not how it is at all. In fact, thanks to the scientific detective work of Kevin Tracey, MD, it turns out that the brain talks
directly to the immune system, sending commands that control the body’s inflammatory response to infection and autoimmune diseases.
Understanding the intimate relationship is leading to a novel way to treat diseases triggered by a dangerous inflammatory response.
Dr. Tracey, director and chief executive of The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, will be giving the 2007 Stetten
Lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. His talk – Physiology and Immunology of the Cholinergic
Anti-inflammatory Pathway – will highlight the discoveries made in his laboratory and the clinical trials underway to test the theory that
stimulation of the vagus nerve could block a rogue inflammatory response and treat a number of diseases, including life-threatening
sepsis.
With this new understanding of the vagus nerve’s role in regulating inflammation, scientists believe that they can tap into the
body’s natural healing defenses and calm the sepsis storm before it wipes out its victims.
Each year, 750,000 people in the United States develop severe sepsis, and 215,000 will die no matter how hard doctors fight to save them.
Sepsis is triggered by the body’s own overpowering immune response to a systemic infection, and hospitals are the battlegrounds for these
potentially lethal conditions.
The vagus nerve is located in the brainstem and snakes down from the brain to the heart and on through to the abdomen. Dr. Tracey and
others are now studying ways of altering the brain’s response or targeting the immune system itself as a way to control diseases.
Dr. Tracey is a neurosurgeon who came into research through the back door of the operating room. More than two decades ago, he was
treating a young girl whose body had been accidentally scorched by boiling water and she was fighting for her life to overcome sepsis. She didn’t make it.

Dr. Tracey headed into the laboratory to figure out why the body makes its own cells that can do fatal damage. Dr. Tracey discovered that the
vagus nerve speaks directly to the immune system through a neurochemical called acetylcholine. And stimulating the vagus nerve
sent commands to the immune system to stop pumping out toxic inflammatory markers. “This was so surprising to us,” said Dr. Tracey,
who immediately saw the potential to use vagus stimulation as a way to shut off abnormal immune system responses.
He calls this network “the inflammatory reflex.” Research is now underway to see whether tweaking the brain’s acetylcholine system could be a natural way to control the inflammatory response. Inflammation is key to many diseases – from autoimmune conditions like Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis to Alzheimer’s, where scientists have identified a strong inflammatory component.
Dr. Tracey has presented his work to the Dalai Lama, who has shown a great interest in the neurosciences and the mind-body
connection. He has also written a book called “Fatal Sequence,” about the double-edge sword of the immune system.

Share It

Hide Sites