Its amazing how an Autistic child continues to grow and develop considering how their diets are so limited at times. Is this a cause of Autism or a clue to what lies ahead? The more clues the better, the earlier the better as well. this article points to being able to identify children at one month who MAY have an ASD, this would be welcome news as the best remedy for Autism right now is getting the right therapy in Early Childhood.

New research on the finicky eating habits of children with autism finds that while autistic children do tend to eat a less varied diet than other kids, their feeding preferences have little negative effect on their height, weight and growth.

Researchers at the University of Bristol began with a database of all children who were born between 1991 and 1992 and enrolled in a long-term study in Avon, England. The children’s caregivers completed detailed food questionnaires describing the kids’ eating habits at five intervals, beginning at 6 months and continuing to age four and a half. Since autism is generally not diagnosed until after age 2, when children begin speaking, the study captured feeding habits in children well before parents were even aware their children may be affected with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). That means their answers to the questionnaires were less likely to be biased by knowledge of their child’s eventual autism status.

By the end of the study, when the children were 7 years old, 79 had been diagnosed with an ASD, compared with 12,901 who had not.

Researchers found that by the time they were 1 month old, autistic children were already 35% more likely than unaffected children to be slow feeders. By 1 year, their diets were considerably less varied – they ate fewer vegetables and fruits, but they also consumed less sweets and carbonated beverages. By that age, parents also reported that children with ASD were nearly twice as likely to be choosier about their food than unaffected children.

However, the scientists found no significant differences in the total energy intake or overall carbohydrate, fat and protein consumption between the autistic children and the controls at 18 months. All the children were similar in height, weight and body mass index (or BMI, a ratio of height and weight used to measure obesity). “For parents of an autistic child, these data suggest they needn’t be too concerned about their child’s eating habits,” says Pauline Emmett, a nutritionist and one of the authors of the paper published in Pediatrics. “In general, these children are not going to end up malnourished. I think it’s a hopeful message for parents.”

Read more at Time.com

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Biofield – This new term adopted by the National Institutes of Health in the United States describes a growing body of research purportedly showing a subtle human energy field that permeates and extends beyond the physical body. The biofield has been identified by many biophysics scientists as an integral part of our being and oversees the co-ordination and regulation of our physical body, chemical reactions, emotional balance, mental functions, energetic systems and memory. When our biofield is out of balance, we’re out of balance!

Stress to our biofield comes in many forms: Traffic jams. Irate bosses. Fears and phobias. Stressors in these examples, although they are not totally unavoidable, they can be manageable as a result of our ability to exercise positive control over our reactive, emotional human nature.

iRenew BioField Products

Other more constant forms of stress, which are more difficult and if not impossible to avoid altogether as well as being much less manageable, are delivered to us daily without consent arrive in the form of ElectroMagnetic Fields (EMF) also known as ElectroMagnetic Radiation (EMR). ElectroMagnetic Fields (EMF) / ElectroMagnetic Radiation (EMR)

You cannot see it, taste it or smell it, but some believe electromagnetic radiation is becoming one of the most pervasive environmental pollutants in industrialized countries today. Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) or electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are the terms that broadly describe the unnatural energy fields created by the vast array of wired and wireless technologies that have altered the landscape of our lives in countless beneficial ways. However, these technologies were designed to maximize energy efficiency and convenience; not with the possible negative biological effects on people in mind.

Even the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued warning, stating, “There is reason for concern” and advises “prudent avoidance.” Based on the existing science, many public health experts believe it is possible we will face an epidemic of cancers and other illnesses in the future as a result of the unnatural frequencies we absorb due to the uncontrolled use of cell phones and increased population exposure to WiFi and other wireless devices.

We live in an invisible fog of EMF which thirty years of science, including over 2,000 peer-reviewed studies, demonstrates massive amounts of evidence of possible serious health risks as a result of excessive exposure to electromagnetic fields. It has been estimated that the average person is exposed to 100 million times more electropollution than was exposed to their great grandparents.

How EMF / EMR stressors affect your BioField?

According to many top ranked scientists and professionals in the medical community, ambient man-made electromagnetic fields, across a range of unnatural frequencies, are believed to be a serious environmental issue. Every aspect of the ecosystem may be affected by electromagetic fields, including the biofields all living species from animals, humans, plants and even microorganisms in water and soil.

In the past few years there has been a drastic increase in the number of people getting brain tumors (not to mention other cancers and disease states like Autism, ADHD, CFIDS and so on). Brain tumors are now the number-one cause of death in children in Australia and the United States. It is now being predicted by epidemiologists, that within the next ten years we could see at least a 1,000 percent increase in this disease state.

Ever growing scientific research corroborates the suspicion that unnatural electromagnetic energy fields may:

* Cause brain tumors
* Harm blood cells
* Cause cellular changes
* Damage your DNA
* Accelerate and contribute to the onset of autism
* Trigger Alzheimer’s disease
* Damage your eyes
* Cause sleep disorders

This mounting scientific evidence suggests that our safety standards are inadequate and out of intelligent caution we must limit our exposure to electromagnetic fields or risk possible negative health consequences in the future.

Protecting ourselves against the electromagnetic fields of unnatural energy is not easy as we are exposed to an estimated 100 million times the levels our great grandparents experienced. So in this new landscape of what some have dubbed ‘e-smog’, it is each individual’s responsibility to take certain precautions and protections against the effects unnatural energy fields are believed, by many doctors and scientists, to have on our biofields and overall health.

iRenew BioField Products

Step #1: Limit Your Electromagnetic Field Exposure

Limit your exposure and exercise prudent avoidance of the electromagnetic fields emitted by electrical devices is crucial in reducing the amount of electromagnetic radiation your body absorbs each day. Here are most common electromagnetic field avoidance and radiation reduction tips:

* Do not stand in front of the microwave while in use.
* Use the speaker phone feature on your cell phone when possible.
* Place your computer tower as far away from your body as possible.
* Place all electric clocks and other electrical devices such as telephones and answering machines at least 6 feet from your bed.
* Use incandescent bulbs instead of fluorescent lighting when possible.
* Use the oven to warm and cook your food instead of the microwave.
* Maintain at least 8 feet from the TV screen.
* Avoid using hair dryers on children.
* Rearrange your office and home area so that you are not exposed the electromagnetic fields from the sides/backs of electric appliances and computers.
* Don’t sit too close to your computer monitor.

Every day, our biofields are impacted by flickering computer monitors, irate bosses, cell phones, emotional stress, tabloid television, and traffic jams just to name a few. We are literally bombarded with electromagnetic radiation and unnatural frequencies that can wear us down. When our biofield is out of balance, we’re out of balance.

Bringing your biofield to a more balanced state is believed by many to increase mental and physical performance, reinforce our natural immunity to stress and enhance our sense of well-being.

Biofield Therapy – The New Science of Healing

Although it seems like magic, it is actually science! It is believed by many that the unnatural energy fields in our environment disrupt the natural energy frequencies on which our biofield operates causing an imbalance throughout our personal energy system.

Your Life’s Energy is Your Biofield

iRenew BioField Products

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Sometimes I wonder if it is better to home school or not. Any ideas? We would love to hear them and your thoughts on home schooling an autistic child, or any child for that matter.

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For the past year or so, I have tried to watch every movie with an Autism link in it in hopes of learning or as a source of inspiration. And for the most part, this has worked in providing insight and further understanding. Recently, I watched the Temple Grandin movie starring Claire Danes on HBO last night. All I can say is very well done and impressive. I highly suggest making time to view this movie which to me was dead on.

Here is a speech given by Temple Grandin that is sure to educate and inspire. Here are some insights from Temple on what to do as soon as you know or see an indication of Autism. “When I was a little kid, I had all the symptoms – no speech and really severe autism,” she says. “You’ve gotta work with the kids really young … My mother made sure I had my first job when I was 13, working for a seamstress. When I was in college, I had internships at a research lab and at a school for autistic kids.” Early intervention is key.

There are a wealth of great tips and insights in this video for anyone who is in contact with an autistic person- Focus on strengths, Don’t punish sensory issues, The Autistic brain is highly detailed and constantly at work, limit surprises. Thinking in pictures- a mind that works like Google search engine for images and more…

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• Autism through a time machine (thestar.com)

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• What’s the Story About Gastrointestinal Problems in Kids With Autism? (usnews.com)
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• The Lancet retracts paper linking MMR vaccines and autism (arstechnica.com)

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There is no cure for ASD.  Therapies and behavioral interventions are designed to remedy specific symptoms and can bring about substantial improvement.  The ideal treatment plan coordinates therapies and interventions that meet the specific needs of individual children.  Most health care professionals agree that the earlier the intervention, the better.

Educational/behavioral interventions:  Therapists use highly structured and intensive skill-oriented training sessions to help children develop social and language skills, such as Applied Behavioral Analysis.  Family counseling for the parents and siblings of children with ASD often helps families cope with the particular challenges of living with a child with ASD.

Medications:  Doctors may prescribe medications for treatment of specific ASD-related symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.  Antipsychotic medications are used to treat severe behavioral problems.  Seizures can be treated with one or more anticonvulsant drugs.  Medication used to treat people with attention deficit disorder can be used effectively to help decrease impulsivity and hyperactivity.

Other therapies:  There are a number of controversial therapies or interventions available for people with ASD, but few, if any, are supported by scientific studies.  Parents should use caution before adopting any unproven treatments.  Although dietary interventions have been helpful in some children, parents should be careful that their child’s nutritional status is carefully followed.

What research is being done?

In 1997, at the request of Congress, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) formed its Autism Coordinating Committee (NIH/ACC) to enhance the quality, pace and coordination of efforts at the NIH to find a cure for autism (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-pervasive-developmental-disorders/nih-initiatives/nih-autism-coordinating-committee.shtml). The NIH/ACC involves the participation of seven NIH Institutes and Centers: the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders,  the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institute of Nursing Research, and the National Center on Complementary and Alternative Medicine.  The NIH/ACC has been instrumental in the understanding of and advances in ASD research.  The NIH/ACC also participates in the broader Federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) that is composed of representatives from various component agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the U.S. Department of Education and other government organizations.

In fiscal years 2007 and 2008, NIH began funding the 11 Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE), coordinated by the NIH/ACC.  The ACEs are investigating early brain development and functioning, social interactions in infants, rare genetic variants and mutations, associations between autism-related genes and physical traits, possible environmental risk factors and biomarkers, and a potential new medication treatment.

Where can I get more information?

For more information on neurological disorders or research programs funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, contact the Institute’s Brain Resources and Information Network (BRAIN) at:

BRAIN
P.O. Box 5801
Bethesda, MD 20824
(800) 352-9424
http://www.ninds.nih.gov

Information also is available from the following organizations:

“Autism Fact Sheet,” NINDS. Publication date September 2009.

NIH Publication No. 09-1877

Prepared by:

Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD 20892

NINDS health-related material is provided for information purposes only and does not necessarily represent endorsement by or an official position of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke or any other Federal agency. Advice on the treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient or is familiar with that patient’s medical history.

All NINDS-prepared information is in the public domain and may be freely copied. Credit to the NINDS or the NIH is appreciated.

Last updated October 19, 2009

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A new twist on the PECS system of communication and a great way to start off the new year. An app for Autistics that could one day morph into a bluetooth enabled device that offers voice prompts? Need more innovation and courage in developing new solutions to help those with Autism, and this is a great start.

What is most appealing to me is you can easily upload a photo of anything you want and add it to the picture library for future reference and use or for use right now! Its very close to spontaneous communication. Its a great app and sure to be a smashing success.Thanks Hammie and your developer for a new ray of hope to Unlock Autism.

Link to the original site

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Written By Lourdes Salvador of www.americanchronicle.com

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability characterized by social withdrawal, communication deficits, and repetitive behaviors. Both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated as causes of autism, moreover a high body burden of mercury and other toxic metals from vaccinations and environmental exposures has been increasingly given more attention.
Thimerosal is mercury containing vaccine preservative added to many childhood vaccines. It is widely suspected as a cause of an increasing widespread epidemic of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.
Now, a new study shows that administration of thimerosal leads to long lasting neurological impairment in rats, specifically by altering the neural process of handling noxious stimuli.
Analysis also shows that significant amounts of mercury from thimerosal accumulates in the rat brain and remains long term. The mercury is not readily cleared, as was previously believed. Though mercury readily leaves the blood stream, it does not leave the body. It is now recognized to accumulate in brain tissue.
Additionally, this research is supported by various prior studies which show that children with autism suffer from a weak ability to excrete mercury and that the weaker the ability, the more severe the symptoms of autism.
Now, two new research studies investigating the effects of chelation therapy on the health and behavior of children with autism spectrum disorders have discovered that children receiving chelation to reduce mercury levels had significant improvements.
It appears that mercury may produce they symptom set recognized in the autism spectrum disorders as a form of autism.

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Pitch in $100 to support our work on behalf of those affected by autism by 11:59 PM EST on Friday, Nov. 13, and you could be chosen to receive two complimentary tickets to the Concert for Autism Speaks on Nov. 17.

http://action.autismspeaks.org/Donate100

It’s not often that you’ll find Jerry Seinfeld, the Boss, and a Beltway star like Meet the Press’s David Gregory under one roof.

But they’ll all join us on Nov. 17 at Carnegie Hall to celebrate the movement we’ve built together to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders.

In support of that movement and our shared goal, can you pitch in now?

http://action.autismspeaks.org/Donate100

By donating today, you will support our work to fund biomedical research on autism spectrum disorders, helping people affected by them live better lives.

Side benefit: you could join us as a special guest on the 17th as we laugh, rock and cheer at Carnegie Hall.

Thank you for all that you do.

Hope to see you on the 17th,

Mark Roithmayr
President, Autism Speaks

P.S. — If you want to be sure not to miss what’s certain to be an unforgettable night, purchase a ticket for the Concert for Autism Speaks here:

http://action.autismspeaks.org/Nov17Tickets

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Not good news on the research front.

A study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics indicates about 1% of children 3 to 17 have autism or related disorder

Results based on national telephone survey of more than 78,000 parents
CDC official: “This is a significant issue that needs immediate attention”
Researchers saying finding could reflect heightened awareness of disorder

Today, 1 in 91 have Autism.  Boys were four times as likely as girls to have ASD, and non-Hispanic black and multiracial children were less likely than non-Hispanic white children.

The question on everyone’s ,mind is where will these children go to school and what will become of their lives as they enter adulthood.

The Educational system and job market is already overburdened. We need to act quickly on all fronts, Quickly with intervention, quickly with therapy and services and in providing a better Education opportunity.

Now I must go and update my User Name to 1 in 91, down form 1 in 150 children have Autsim today.

PS – I am not liking what I am hearing about candles recently. Cheap candles are horrible to burn inside. The wick may contain lead and the wax is filled with nasty stuff… So many things correlate with the rise in ASD- computers and the web, cellphones, plastic bottles, Korean cars it could be anything and everything…

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Finally a positive article about Autism and why not, the attention, focus and commitment to detail found in most Autistics would make anybody a more productive worker, and they probably wont gossip too much either.

Radical Ideas from

Thorkil Sonne: Recruit Autistics

By Drake Bennett

Most occupations require people skills. But for some, a preternatural capacity for concentration and near-total recall matter more. Those jobs, entrepreneur Thorkil Sonne says, could use a little autism.

Sonne reached this conclusion six years ago, after his youngest son was diagnosed with the mysterious developmental disorder. “At first I was in agony and despair,” he recalls. “Then came the thought of what happens when he grows up.”

In Sonne’s native Denmark, as elsewhere, autistics are typically considered unemployable. But Sonne worked in IT, a field more suited to people with autism and related conditions like Asperger’s syndrome. “As a general view, they have excellent memory and strong attention to detail. They are persistent and good at following structures and routines,” he says. In other words, they’re born software engineers.

In 2004, Sonne quit his job at a telecom firm and founded Specialisterne (Danish for “Specialists”), an IT consultancy that hires mostly people with autism-spectrum disorders. Its nearly 60 consultants ferret out software errors for companies like Microsoft and Cisco Systems. Recently, the firm has expanded into other detail-centered work-like keeping track of Denmark’s fiber-optic network, so crews laying new lines don’t accidentally cut old ones.  Read more at WIRED.com

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With autism, parents have extreme concerns about future independence, finances and isolation, compared to more common worries of parents with typically developing children

(Washington, December 16, 2008) — Parents of children with autism are struggling with a host of worries that impact every aspect of their lives, and are particularly fearful that their family will lack the life-long supports needed to address the significant challenges of autism, according to a new study released today by Easter Seals and made possible by MassMutual Financial Group.

Easter Seals’ Living with Autism Study results reveal parents raising children with autism are very concerned about the future independence of their children. In fact, they’re far more concerned than parents of typically developing children — nearly 80 percent say they’re extremely or very concerned about their children’s independence as an adult, compared to only 32 percent of other parents. This is especially true when it comes to their financial independence, quality of life, social and inter-personal connections, and employment and housing opportunities — and with good reason.

Autism is a growing public health crisis, with millions of families desperate for solutions and resources. Easter Seals and others in the autism community are doing their best, but current systems, structures and resources to help people with autism and their families do not adequately meet the growing need, especially for adults with autism.

“The study quantifies what we’ve heard anecdotally over the years,” says Patricia Wright, Ph.D., MPH, Easter Seals national director, autism services. “The one consistent message Easter Seals hears from the families we serve — after the initial apprehension and anxiety of learning their child has autism — is an overwhelming concern about the life-long supports their child with autism may need to be independent.”

Study Shows Parents’ Hope for Independence . . . Financial and Otherwise
The nationwide study provides new insight into the ongoing challenges facing individuals and families living with autism, particularly their concerns about the future. It’s unique in that it closely considers and quantifies the very real concerns of parents of children with autism in relation to parents of typically developing children.

A sampling of the findings:

• Parents of children living with autism are very concerned about their children fitting into society, with very few feeling their children will be able to:
  • Make his or her own life decisions (14% compared to 65% of parents with typically developing children)
  • Have friends in the community (17% compared to 57% of typical parents)
  • Have a spouse or life partner (9% compared to 51% of typical parents)
  • Be valued by their community (18% compared to 50% of typical parents)
  • Participate in recreational activities (20% compared to 50% of typical parents)
• Children with autism also are less likely than their typically developing peers to have bank accounts (37% vs. 55%) and use electronic products like cell phones (9% vs. 41%) or MP3 players (23% vs. 49%) — all tools of mainstream society.
• Many parents of children with autism report they’re “financially drowning,” with concerns for their children’s financial independence seeming to far surpass the worries of typical parents. Seventy-four percent of parents of children with autism fear their children will not have enough financial support after they die, while only 18% of typical parents share this fear.

  They also express extreme financial strains and costs associated with caring for a child with autism, with more than half stating that the cost of caring for my child:

  • Drains my family’s current financial resources (52% compared to 13% of typical parents)
  • Will drain my family’s future finances (50% compared to 10% of typical parents)
  • Will cause me to fall short of cash during retirement (54% compared to 13% of typical parents)
• Key to adult independence is employment, yet only 24% of teenagers with autism have looked for a job, compared to 77% of their typically developing peers. And 76% of parents of children with autism are concerned about their child’s future employment, when only 35% of typical parents share this fear.

“Families living with autism face so many challenges on a daily basis,” says John Chandler, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of MassMutual’s U.S. Insurance Group. “But this study has really brought home for us how much stress they face when it comes to their current financial situation, the future of their child with autism, their other children and their own retirement. Our hundreds of Special Care Planners across the country are in a great position to help make at least this part of their struggle easier.”

As an Easter Seals corporate partner and the study sponsor, MassMutual is committed to serving people living with autism and other disabilities through its exclusive SpecialCareSM program, an innovative solution that gives families with individuals with special needs access to information, specialists, and financial strategies that can help improve their quality of life.

Easter Seals worked with Harris Interactive, and in cooperation with the Autism Society of America, to conduct the Living with Autism Study and survey 1,652 parents of children who have autism and 917 parents of typically developing children about daily life, relationships, independence, education, housing, employment, finances and healthcare.*

Study Findings to Drive Solutions
“Easter Seals strives to make data-based-decisions,” Wright says. “With this study, the disparities that parents of typically developing children and parents of children with autism experience can now be shared via solid numbers.”

Easter Seals will use the study results to raise awareness of and advocate for the life-long services millions of families living with autism desperately need — including school to work transitions, employment support, residential and community support, and financial planning.

“For parents of kids with autism, there are no simple answers,” adds Wright. “There is an urgent need for increased funding and services — especially for adults with autism. Easter Seals wants to help change all of this and make a difference for families living with autism today.”

*Methodology
This Easter Seals’ Living with Autism Study was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Easter Seals between June 16 and July 17, 2008 among 1,652 parents of children age 30 and under who have autism and 917 parents of typically developing children age 30 and under. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available.

About Easter Seals
Autism is a lifelong disability that affects the way a person’s brain functions, involving challenges in communication, social skills, and behaviors. While there is no known cause or cure, autism is treatable and people with autism can — and do — lead meaningful lives. Easter Seals is the leading non-profit provider of services for individuals with autism, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities and other special needs. For nearly 90 years, we have been offering help and hope to children and adults living with disabilities, and to the families who love them. Through therapy, training, education and support services, Easter Seals creates life-changing solutions so that people with disabilities can live, learn, work and play. Visit www.easterseals.com or http://www.actforautism.org/ to learn more about autism, find services at an Easter Seals near you, or help change the lives of people living with autism by becoming a donor or volunteer.

About Harris Interactive®
Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research that is powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit http://www.harrisinteractive.com/.

About MassMutual Financial Group
MassMutual is a leader in helping people with disabilities and other special needs and their families through its exclusive SpecialCareSM Program, an innovative outreach initiative that provides access to information, specialists, and financial solutions that can help improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and other special needs and their families and caregivers. For more information and resources on autism, go to www.massmutual.com/autism.

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. MassMutual and its subsidiaries had more than $500 billion in assets under management at year-end 2007. Assets under management include assets and certain external investment funds managed by MassMutual’s subsidiaries. Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a mutually owned financial protection, accumulation and income management company headquartered in Springfield, Mass. MassMutual’s major affiliates include: OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company; MML Investors Services, Inc., member FINRA and SIPC (http://www.finra.org/ and http://www.sipc.org/); MassMutual International LLC and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB. MassMutual is on the Internet at http://www.massmutual.com/.

About the Autism Society of America (ASA)
ASA, the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization, exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. We do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy. For more information, visit http://www.autism-society.org/.

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I found this on the Easter Seals site and suggest  visiting their site for more in depth information on Autism and Services needed for children on the spectrum.

Easter Seals — helping people with disabilities gain greater independence

Easter Seals provides exceptional services, education, outreach, and advocacy so that people living with autism and other disabilities can live, learn, work and play in our communities.
Understanding Speech and Hearing Therapy

Speech and hearing therapy (also known as speech-language pathology and audiology) are important health-related specialties concerned with normal development of human communication and treatment of its disorders. Speech therapy focuses on voice and speech-language skills, while hearing therapy deals with hearing and hearing impairment.

Speech or language disorders may be present at birth or acquired later in life by disease, illness, head injury, substance abuse or allergy.

Hearing loss may be acquired before or during birth if a pregnant woman takes certain drugs or contracts a viral disease such as rubella (German Measles). Children sometimes acquire hearing loss from infection and inflammation of the middle ear or from communicable diseases. Adult hearing may be affected by prolonged exposure to loud noise and the process of aging.

Who Needs Speech-Language Pathology and Audiological Services?

Speech-Language Pathology is used to help:

* Individuals with voice disorders to develop proper control of their vocal and respiratory systems
* Individuals who stutter to learn to cope with the disorder and increase fluency
* Individuals with aphasia (a condition in which an individual has difficulty expressing thoughts and understanding others) as a result    of a stroke or head injury. Speech-language pathology helps individuals relearn language and speech skills.
* Children and young adults with language disorders

Audiological services are used to:

* Determine existence and type of hearing impairments
* Provide rehabilitative services
* Assess amplification devices, such as hearing aids
* Teach individuals ways in which they can make the best use of their remaining hearing

Speech and hearing therapists, recognized as speech-language pathologists and audiologists, who provide treatment are professionally trained specialists holding master’s degrees or the equivalent from programs accredited by an Educational Standards Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Some speech-language pathologists and audiologists hold doctoral degrees and work as teachers, advisors, researchers and consultants. Some specialize in certain areas, such as aphasia or hearing disorders in children, or participate in prevention and early identification programs.

Speech-language pathologists who use the initials “CCC-SLP” after their name have passed a national examination administered by the Clinical Certification Board of ASHA. Audiologists who pass a different national test, administered by the board, receive a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology and qualify to use the initials “CCC-A” after their name. A person who meets requirements in both professional areas may be awarded both certificates.

Individualized Treatment Plans

A speech-language pathologist evaluates a person’s speech-language skills, determines the probable cause and extent of any existing disorder and develops appropriate treatment to correct or lessen the communication problem. Clinical methods used depend on the nature and severity of the problem, the age of the client and the client’s awareness of the problem.

An audiologist, after evaluating a person’s hearing and determining the type of hearing loss, establishes a treatment plan. This may involve therapy, prescription of special equipment such as hearing aids and electronic communication devices and referral for possible surgery or medication.

Visit the Easter Seals site for more information

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Psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen and his colleagues at Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre have created the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, or AQ, as a measure of the extent of autistic traits in adults. In the first major trial using the test, the average score in the control group was 16.4. Eighty percent of those diagnosed with autism or a related disorder scored 32 or higher. The test is not a means for making a diagnosis, however, and many who score above 32 and even meet the diagnostic criteria for mild autism or Asperger’s report no difficulty functioning in their everyday lives. You can take the test here.

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Free offer for UnlockAutism.com users. A 20 page Photo Book, all you pay is shipping and handling. Simply use redemption code PP0509

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We recently we received this email from Autism Speaks, an organization that is doing great job these days with Autism Awareness. The email speaks of the promise of Autism Treatments being covered by insurance. I say-Why stop at New York State? Why not make it nationwide or worldwide?  Governor Plain, Senator McCain since it was part of your platform, why does the support you promised have to end with the election? President Obama and VP Biden, a good idea is a good idea. We can all do more to be supportive of Autism sufferers as we should for anyone suffering with a disease or sickness.

But seriously, can anyone imagine the cost of cancer care, surgery and treatments,  not being covered by insurance? Hundreds of thousands of dollars a month or more that I am aware of and I am 1000000% thrilled that it is mostly 100% covered by insurance. That is how it should be in the medical system we have today.

Given the high degree of clinical research data showing how treatments can help benefit Autism sufferers, essentially at every age and stage of life but especially before the age of 3, 7 and 12 years of age. The time has come to get serious about Autism and insurance companies need to step up and begin covering for the treatment of Autism, and government needs to somehow impose on either the insurance comanies or themselves a retro-active refund of coverage or tax credit for prior years spending because $20, $30, $50,000 a year or more on treatment don’t last too long even while making a very healthy six figure income .  We insure our health, not against specific diseases- at least that’s what I’ve always thought I was buying into with insurance -does anyone know how that works? Send me a comment..  Does this mean a child with Autism will never be able to be covered by insurance because of a pre-existing condition that has a real chance of being reversed with proper treatment coverage in the first place? Ok you getthe point..

Perhaps the folks I mention above need to watch the movie Sicko by Michael Moore, because it seems to me a lot of people are getting it right when it comes to medical care and it isn’t in the United States of America- which few love more than I.

Here is the email. Get Involved and Take Care.

Imagine a time when autism treatment is covered by insurance. That dream can be a reality for New York state.

Thank you! For 10 years, the autism community has been coming together for Autism Speaks. This year alone over 50,000 strong will unite in Walk Now for Autism Speaks in Long Island, New York City, Rochester, Central New York, Capital Region, Sullivan County, Greater Hudson Valley and Westchester County – raising money and awareness for Autism Speaks, the world’s largest autism advocacy organization in the world. Your time, talent, resources and donations help move ground-breaking research forward and to advance the autism cause. Dollars raised through our Walk Now for Autism Speaks program are the fuel for all of our efforts!

New York State’s time is NOW for insurance legislation. New York has the ability to pass insurance reform this session.

Over the next few weeks we will be in a critical time for this legislation and we will be asking for all of New York state to take action – calling and emailing their senators and assembly members.

“OPT IN” for news about this legislations and action alerts about how you can help. Sign up for Autism Votes today at www.autismvotes.org. If you don’t register you will not receive the action alerts.

Be part of history! Have your voice heard in Albany. Help make it possible for families to get coverage for autism.

The time for this legislation is now – and you can make it happen. You have already taken the first step of being part of our grassroots efforts in New York state by participating or supporting our Walk program. Take the next step and help the almost 130,000 families in New York state who live with autism every day get the coverage they deserve.

UPDATE – It was great to see Sarah Palin marching alongside others at the Autism Walk in Westchester, NY this weekend. Keep it up Sarah, our children need high level partners and supporters in government.

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Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, and Unlock Autism today applauded Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Eliot Engel (D-NY), and Hank Johnson (D-GA) for their introduction of a House companion bill to the Senate’s Autism Treatment Acceleration Act (ATAA), which was introduced last month by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Robert Casey (D-PA), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ). Like the Senate version, the House version of the ATAA (H.R. 2413) is comprehensive federal legislation that addresses several critical challenges facing the autism community, including increased funding for scientific research, treatment and services. The ATAA incorporates provisions from the Expanding the Promise of Individuals with Autism Act (EPIAA), originally proposed by Representatives Doyle, Smith, Engel, and former-Representative Chip Pickering.

A welcome sign of relief  to many who routinely spend $30-$50k on therapy’s – not even considered for reimbursement by insurance companies.

As in the Senate’s ATAA bill, a key section of the House bill requires all insurance companies to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASDs), including coverage of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy – a medically-necessary, evidence-based autism treatment. While the number of states that have enacted comprehensive autism insurance reform legislation has grown to ten, most state insurers are still allowed to specifically exclude coverage for these critical services, which can cost upward of $50,000 a year – well beyond the means of most families.

The House version of the bill also addresses the unique needs of adults with ASDs, creating a demonstration project with one-year planning grants and multi-year implementation grants for the provision of service for adults with autism. In addition, it creates the Network for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research and Services aimed at accelerating the dissemination and utilization of critical, new information, moving it from “bench to bedside” as quickly as possible.

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What are thre best schools for Autism services? The consensus seems to be larger, mostly Northeast cities but there is no
one resource for researching or selecting the best school options for your child.

I have been searching for the past 4 years now, finally I present a few posts I have found that offer a glimmer of information.

In my experience it comes down to knowing your rights and always have an advocate in the room with you. We live in NY, we found the services
are varied form district to district and have come a long way. In the end though, there is no plan for my child past 6th grade, his options are Boces
or some place far, far away from home.  If you do find a good site, please post it so we can help spread the word.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061109092801AAiVpeX

http://www.city-data.com/forum/special-needs-children/300371-best-school-districts-us-autistic-children-4.html

http://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/autism-schools.html

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More people are looking to store Umbilical Cord blood in hopes of having a magic formula for a cure if a tragic disease were to strike a family.

A few company’s have been collecting and storing cord blood for the past 6 years.  Here is an interesting article on the subject. In my view, its worth the cost. how could you not store something which could save your life down the road or help to cure a disease such as Autism..?

Should you wish that your baby is credited with the title of a Good Samaritan as soon as he is born? If so, one way is to donate blood from your baby’s umbilical cord. The umbilical cord is usually considered waste after a baby is born (once separated from the mother). The umbilical cord stump peels off the body of the newborn baby within 12-15 days of the baby being born.

But, the umbilical cord can be put to good use by taking blood from the umbilical cord before discarding it. This blood can be extremely helpful to leukemia patients and patients of other life-critical diseases. Umbilical cord blood is different from embryo blood in the sense that this blood is taken from the umbilical cord and the placenta after the birth of the baby.

Why is cord blood critical to various medical functions?

* Cord blood is extremely useful for individuals/patients who need a transplant done quickly. Cord blood is easily accessible as they are stored in units and ready-for-use.

* Many surgeries require patients to find a matched bone marrow donor. Bone marrow blood, especially one matching the donor and the acceptor’s RH level are extremely difficult to find. Cord blood can be used as an effective replacement in these cases.

* Many individuals/communities have a very rare group of blood RH. Patients from such communities find it increasingly difficult to find blood matching their blood indicators. Cord blood can be used to donate blood to these patients as they do not require to be matched with the acceptor’s blood indicator.

Umbilical cord blood – Use in transplant surgeries

Cord blood considered suited for transplantation purposes are typed on tissues, frozen and stored. A liquid Nitrogen refrigerator is used in sub-zero temperatures to store the cord blood for transplantation.

What factors are considered for patients needing transplant surgeries?

* Type of transplant required – Use of cord blood in transplant surgeries is extremely dependant on the type of transplantation required to be done. Cord blood cells are extremely useful in treating certain life-threatening diseases, not all of them.

* Adequate blood forming cells – Cord blood units having inadequate blood forming cells are not considered for transplant surgeries. A cord blood unit having umbilical cord blood is considered effective for transplantation purposes only if it has adequate blood forming cells.

Close to 6000 patients suffering from leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases are constantly in need of cord blood to meet their blood acceptance needs. Cord blood donated by a newborn baby is used for bone marrow surgeries or cord transplants.

A simple act of donating umbilical cord blood can prove to be a life-saver for many patients. Irrespective of the race of the baby, the mother can decide to donate the umbilical cord blood as early as the 34th week into pregnancy.

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Although in it’s too early, this Autism Fever and the Brain research is very promising and holds a lot of hope for Autism sufferers.

ScienceDaily (Apr. 2, 2009) – Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have proposed a sweeping new theory of autism that suggests that the brains of people with autism are structurally normal but dysregulated, meaning symptoms of the disorder might be reversible.

The central tenet of the theory, published in the March issue of Brain Research Reviews, is that autism is a developmental disorder caused by impaired regulation of the locus coeruleus, a bundle of neurons in the brain stem that processes sensory signals from all areas of the body.

The new theory stems from decades of anecdotal observations that some autistic children seem to improve when they have a fever, only to regress when the fever ebbs. A 2007 study in the journal Pediatrics took a more rigorous look at fever and autism, observing autistic children during and after fever episodes and comparing their behavior with autistic children who didn’t have fevers. This study documented that autistic children experience behavior changes during fever.

“On a positive note, we are talking about a brain region that is not irrevocably altered. It gives us hope that, with novel therapies, we will eventually be able to help people with autism,” says theory co-author Mark F. Mehler, M.D., chairman of neurology and director of the Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration at Einstein.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. It usually appears during the first three years of life. Autism is called a “spectrum disorder” since it affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. It is estimated that one in every 150 American children has some degree of autism.

Einstein researchers contend that scientific evidence directly points to the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic (LC-NA) system as being involved in autism. “The LC-NA system is the only brain system involved both in producing fever and controlling behavior,” says co-author Dominick P. Purpura, M.D., dean emeritus and distinguished professor of neuroscience at Einstein.

The locus coeruleus has widespread connections to brain regions that process sensory information. It secretes most of the brain’s noradrenaline, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in arousal mechanisms, such as the “fight or flight” response. It is also involved in a variety of complex behaviors, such as attentional focusing (the ability to concentrate attention on environmental cues relevant to the task in hand, or to switch attention from one task to another). Poor attentional focusing is a defining characteristic of autism.

“What is unique about the locus coeruleus is that it activates almost all higher-order brain centers that are involved in complex cognitive tasks,” says Dr. Mehler.

Drs. Purpura and Mehler hypothesize that in autism, the LC-NA system is dysregulated by the interplay of environment, genetic, and epigenetic factors (chemical substances both within as well as outside the genome that regulate the expression of genes). They believe that stress plays a central role in dysregulation of the LC-NA system, especially in the latter stages of prenatal development when the fetal brain is particularly vulnerable.

As evidence, the researchers point to a 2008 study, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, that found a higher incidence of autism among children whose mothers had been exposed to hurricanes and tropical storms during pregnancy. Maternal exposure to severe storms at mid-gestation resulted in the highest prevalence of autism.

Drs. Purpura and Mehler believe that, in autistic children, fever stimulates the LC-NA system, temporarily restoring its normal regulatory function. “This could not happen if autism was caused by a lesion or some structural abnormality of the brain,” says Dr. Purpura.

“This gives us hope that we will eventually be able to do something for people with autism,” he adds.

The researchers do not advocate fever therapy (fever induced by artificial means), which would be an overly broad, and perhaps even dangerous, remedy. Instead, they say, the future of autism treatment probably lies in drugs that selectively target certain types of noradrenergic brain receptors or, more likely, in epigenetic therapies targeting genes of the LC-NA system.

“If the locus coeruleus is impaired in autism, it is probably because tens or hundreds, maybe even thousands, of genes are dysregulated in subtle and complex ways,” says Dr. Mehler. “The only way you can reverse this process is with epigenetic therapies, which, we are beginning to learn, have the ability to coordinate very large integrated gene networks.”

“The message here is one of hope but also one of caution,” Dr. Mehler adds. “You can’t take a complex neuropsychiatric disease that has escaped our understanding for 50 years and in one fell swoop have a therapy that is going to reverse it – that’s folly. On the other hand, we now have clues to the neurobiology, the genetics, and the epigenetics of autism. To move forward, we need to invest more money in basic science to look at the genome and the epigenome in a more focused way.”

Science Daily is an excellent site for Autism related research, support them so they can support us..

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Can leaching plastics be involved with the rise in Autism? In m y view ABSOLUTELY! These days everything which was once housed in glass is now in plastic. Plastic water bottles embossed with company logo’s straight from the  capital of lead poisining – China, fill almost every corporate portfolio of chatzke giveaways. Its time to rid ourselves of plastics and go back to glass. Rep Charles Schumer of NY has just recently proposed a ban of BPA’s in any baby product, at least someone is aware and doing something about it!
BPA or Bisphenol A is Everywhere – Are We Safe?
BPA otherwise known as Bisphenol A is a compound widely used in the manufacture of plastics and epoxy resins. This
industrial chemical has created quite a stir since 2007 and is still a subject of intense controversy. BPA can be found
in plastics around us and is in the products that we use every day, from DVDs to eyeglasses to mobile phones.
Normally, BPA is harmless, that is, until it gets in contact with food and drinks and leaches out. According to
a report of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), “the primary
source of exposure to BPA for most people is through the diet…BPA in food and beverages accounts for the majority
of daily human exposure.”

However, not all plastics contain BPA. Plastics are categorized into 7 types according to the recycling process
and the classification codes are located at the bottom of plastic containers. According to NTP, only plastic no. 7,
designated as “other” contains BPA. Incidentally there are other organizations which report that BPA is also found in
plastic no. 3.

Some of the adverse effects that BPA may cause include the following:

BPA is an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) that mimics the neurotoxic properties of the hormone estrogen.
According to the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) of the Association of Occupational and
Environmental Clinics (AOEC). “BPA has been associated with increases in developmental disorders of the brain and
nervous system in animals. These developmental disorders in animals are like problems such as ADHD (attention deficit
hyper-reactivity disorder) in humans.”

PEHSU reports that “BPA may cause changes in cells in breasts, the uterus, and the prostate which can increase
risk of cancers.” The September 2008 report of NTP suggests that BPA exposure may be linked to prostate and brain
cancer.

The NTP report also says that BPA can cause behavioral problems in fetuses, infants and children. It can induce
early onset of puberty in girls and can cause reproductive disorders.

High BPA levels have been linked to increased risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

It comes as no surprise that these findings have generated a strong anti-BPA movement worldwide. To understand the
controversy behind BPA, let’s look at some of the events that have occurred in the last two years.

March 2007. A class action lawsuit was filed against baby bottle manufacturers on behalf of Californian babies who
may have been adversely affected by BPA.

November 2007. Researchers from the University of Cincinnati published an article in Toxicology Letters
(online edition) reporting that BPA is leaching out of the polycarbonate bottles popularly used as drinking bottles.
This report led to Nalgene plastic bottles taken off the shelves in Canada.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested infant formulas for BPA and detected BPA in some of the most
popular brands. When questioned, 4 out of the top 5 companies admitted using BPA in their packaging.

January 2008. The National Center for Environmental Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
published a paper which reported that BPA was detected in the urine of 92.6% of 2,517 participants during the
2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHNES).

April 2008. Canada announced its plans to ban
BPA-containing bottles. The US FDA established an
agency-wide BPA task force to facilitate cross-agency
review of current research and new information on BPA for
all FDA regulated products.

May 2008. In a health call, “leaders of the Committee on
Energy and Commerce threatened to subpoena the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) for records the agency used in
determining that the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) was safe
for use in making infant formula liners and other products
intended for infants and children”, according to a report
in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

July 2008. The European Food Safety Authority’s AFC Panel
declared that human exposure to BPA is too low to cause any
real harm. According to the panel’s report, the human body
rapidly metabolises and eliminates BPA out of the body.
September 3, 2008

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) issued a report on
BPA, expressing the following concerns: – “some concern”
for effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in
fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures
to BPA. – “minimal concern” for effects on the mammary
gland and an earlier age for puberty for females, in
fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures
to BPA. – “negligible concern” that exposure of pregnant
women to BPA will result in fetal or neonatal mortality,
birth defects, or reduced birth weight and growth in their
offspring. – “negligible concern” that exposure to BPA will
cause reproductive effects in non-occupationally exposed
adults and “minimal concern” for workers exposed to higher
levels – in occupational settings. “Some concern”
represents a midpoint in a 5-point scale of concern, with
“serious concern” as the highest and “negligible concern”
as the lowest.

September 2008. Researchers at the University of Exeter
(UK) re-examined the previously mentioned NHNES BPA urine
data. They found that high levels of BPA in the urine were
associated with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular
disorders, diabetes, and kidney problems. The BPA
Subcommittee of the Science Board to the US FDA met on
September 16, 2008 to discuss BPA assessment.

October 2008. Two studies reported research results in mice
exposed to BPA. One study reported that pregnant mice
exposed to BPA suffered from altered the cellular structure
of the breasts. A second study showed that female mice’s
exposure to low-dose BPA during fetal life or adulthood
caused alterations in maternal behaviour.

Researchers at University of Cincinnati report that BPA is
linked to chemotherapy resistance. The study demonstrated
that “BPA does not increase cancer cell proliferation like
DES [cancer-promoting compound called diethylstilbestrol]
does. It’s actually acting by protecting existing cancer
cells from dying in response to anti-cancer drugs, making
chemotherapy significantly less effective.”

The Canadian government announced the drafting of
regulations that will prohibit the import, sale and
advertising of polycarbonate baby bottles that contain BPA.

Based on a review by a subcommittee, the US Food and Drug
Administration (US FDA) stated that “consumers should know
that, based on all available evidence, the present
consensus among regulatory agencies in the United States,
Canada, Europe, and Japan is that current levels of
exposure to BPA through food packaging do not pose an
immediate health risk to the general population, including
infants and babies.” In addition, the US FDA thinks the
Canadian restrictions on BPA are “out of an abundance of
caution.”

January 2009. The US FDA and Health Canada’s Health
Products and Food Branch hosted a meeting of
representatives of U.S and Canadian manufacturers and users
of food packaging materials containing BPA. They discussed
what is to be done to help minimize the levels of BPA in
food. The meeting was also part of FDA’s efforts to assist
the manufacturing industry in its voluntary BPA reduction
efforts.

So what can we do to protect ourselves from BPA?

Recommendations from PEHSU – Avoid plastics with symbol # 3
(PVC or polyvinyl), symbol # 6 (PS or polystyrene foam) and
symbol #. Do not microwave food/beverages in plastic. Do
not microwave or heat plastic cling wraps. Do not place
plastics in the dishwasher. If using hard polycarbonate
plastics (water bottles/baby bottles/sippy cups), do not
use for warm/hot liquids. Use safe alternatives such as
glass or polyethylene plastic (symbol #1). Avoid canned
foods when possible (BPA may be used in can linings). Look
for labels on products that say “phthalate-free” or
“BPA-free”.

Recommendations from the Center for Science in the Public
Interest (CSPI): Avoid plastic containers made of
polycarbonate. Any bottle or container made of
polycarbonate has the recycling No. 7 on the bottom. When
possible, prepare or store food—especially hot foods
and liquids—in glass, porcelain, or stainless steel
dishes or containers. If you have polycarbonate plastic
food containers, don’t microwave them. The plastic is more
likely to break down and release BPA when it’s repeatedly
heated to high temperatures. Don’t wash polycarbonate
plastic containers in the dishwasher. The detergent may
break down the plastic, which could release BPA. Use infant
formula bottles that are made of glass or BPA-free plastic.
BornFree (newbornfree.com) is one of many companies that
make them. When you can, replace canned foods with foods
that are fresh, frozen, or packaged in aseptic
(shelf-stable) boxes. At least one manufacturer—Eden
Foods—lines its cans with a BPA alternative made from
plant extracts. A good alternative to polycarbonate is
polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), which has the recycling
No. 1 on the bottom. Avoid older versions of Delton dental
sealant…Most dental sealants are free of BPA. However,
older Delton sealants contain a compound that breaks down
into BPA, mostly during the first day after it comes into
contact with saliva.

—————————————————-
The article BPA or Bisphenol A is Everywhere – Are We Safe?
may be found in it’s entirety with references and links on
http://HealthWorldNet.com .

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I believe it is safe to say this could work with any kid who loves Spidey, not just a person with Autism.

BANGKOK (AFP) – A Thai fireman turned superhero when he dressed up as comic-book character Spider-Man to coax a frightened eight-year-old from a balcony, police said Tuesday.

Teachers at a special needs school in Bangkok alerted authorities on Monday when an autistic pupil, scared of attending his first day at school, sat out on the third-floor ledge and refused to come inside, a police sergeant told AFP.

Despite teachers’ efforts to beckon the boy inside, he refused to budge until his mother mentioned her son’s love of superheroes, prompting fireman Sonchai Yoosabai to take a novel approach to the problem.

The rescuer dashed back to his fire station and made a quick change into a Spider-Man costume before returning to the boy, he said.

“I told him Spider-Man is here to rescue you, no monsters are going to attack you and I told him to walk slowly towards me as running could be dangerous,” Somchai told local television.

The young boy immediately stood up and walked into his rescuer’s arms, police said.

Somchai said he keeps the Spider-Man costume and an outfit of Japanese television character Ultraman at the station in order to liven up school fire drills.

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Just saw this report, could vaccines be the great dead end towards finding a cure? It seems an awful lot of money has been spent and many pointing fingers..

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A special U.S. court ruled against three families on Thursday who claimed vaccines caused their children’s autism.

The Vaccine Court Omnibus Autism Proceeding ruled against the parents of Michelle Cedillo, Colten Snyder and William Yates Hazlehurst, who had claimed that a measles, mumps and rubella vaccines had combined with other vaccine ingredients to damage the three children.

“I conclude that the petitioners have not demonstrated that they are entitled to an award on Michelle’s behalf,” Special Master George Hastings, a former tax claims expert at the Department of Justice, wrote in the Cedillo ruling.

The families sought payment under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a no-fault system that has a $2.5 billion fund built up from a 75-cent-per-dose tax on vaccines.

No judges but instead three “special masters” heard the three test cases representing thousand of other petitioners.

They asked whether a combination vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, plus a mercury-containing preservative called thimerosal, caused the children’s symptoms.

Read More here

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Here is an update on the recent Salmonella Poisoning affecting the Peanut Butter Industry. I wonder how this will effect those allergic to anything with Peanuts?

Recently, the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) issued a
recall of peanut butter manufactured from its Blakely,
Georgia production plant after reports from nearly 500
individuals who had developed salmonella poisoning because
of infected peanut butter flooded health officials.

The contaminated peanut butter has caused at least seven
known deaths and is expected to continue to affect
individuals across the United States as the contaminated
peanut butter has been used in several varying products
ranging from crackers to cookies. Individuals are advised
to avoid consumption of peanut butter containing products.
However, those who have already been affected by the peanut
butter recall may want to locate an experienced attorney
who can provide assistance in the development of a peanut
butter recall lawsuit, which may result in compensation of
monetary means for a victim of the dangerous and
life-threatening recall.

What is Salmonella?

Salmonella poisoning occurs because of an infection known
as salmonellosis, which is derived from the bacteria
salmonella. According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) “salmonella is actually a group of
bacteria that can cause diarrheal illness in humans.”

According to the CDC, “approximately 40,000 cases of
salmonellosis are reported in the United States” each year,
however, “because many milder cases are not diagnosed or
reported, the actual number of infections may be thirty or
more times greater.” It is common that children are to
develop salmonella more frequently than adults, however,
individuals of any age can become infected with the
disease, which has been associated with to nearly 400
fatalities each year.

Salmonella Causes

Individuals who develop salmonella usually develop the
infection by consuming foods that have been “contaminated”
with animal feces. Most commonly, the foods that can be
affected include the following, according to the CDC:

* beef

* poultry

* milk

* eggs

While contaminated foods are often of animal origin, nearly
any food product can become infected with the bacteria
including vegetables and fruits, especially amoang foods
with undercooked meats or eggs, such as the following:

* homemade Hollandaise sauce

* Caesar and other homemade salad dressings

* tiramisu

* homemade ice creams

* cookie dough

* frostings

* mayonnaise

* raw or unpasteurized milk/dairy products

Additionally, if an individual handles any of the following
animals, he or she may become infected with the bacteria,
even if an animal appears healthy and normal:

* chicks/chickens

* young birds

* turtles

* lizards

* snakes

* pets of any kind

While salmonella can be killed by washing hands, if an
individual does not properly wash hands or
cross-contaminates utensils, such as knives or cutting
boards, they may be at risk for exposing others to
salmonella poisoning.

Those who have suffered from salmonella may be subject to
receiving monetary compensation for the pain they have
endured due to foods containing salmonella. It is important
to discuss a salmonella case with an experienced law firm
to learn about the details of a potential salmonella
poisoning lawsuit.

——————————

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Casein Free Gluten Free Recipes

These recipes are a great resource to help adhering to a strict diet and some variation to taste can be made to the ingredients depending on what the diet requires.
TOP- Before doing anything. Please consult with your child’s healthcare provider before making any dietary changes. This information is not to be taken as medical advice.

Banana Bread

1/4 cup rice milk
6 tablespoon safflower oil
6 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 1/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 5 medium bananas)
1 1/2 cups rice flour (I used 3/4 cup brown rice flour and 3/4 cup white rice flour– Blending the 2 flours give a nice consistency)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 tablespoon roasted grain beverage powder ( You may use rice protein instead)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup walnuts ( Raisins can be used for those with a nut allergy)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a loaf pan or cake pan and dust with flour.
Put the rice milk, oil, maple syrup, and bananas in a blender and blend until smooth.
In a large bowl , whisk the flour, beverage powder (or rice protein) baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
Add banana mixture and combine, using few strokes as possible. Do not over mix.
Fold in walnuts or raisins).
Scrape into pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Macaroni & Cheese
2 tablespoons butter ( You can use ghee–clarified casein free butter)
2 tablespoons flour (You can use gluten free pantry’s all-purpose baking flour mix)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup rice milk
Dash of onion powder to taste
Butternut squash

You’ll also need gluten-free elbow macaroni noodles

Cut up butternut squash and cook by boiling in water.
While butternut squash is cooking begin basic white sauce.
Melt butter in saucepan over low heat.
Blend in flour and salt, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly.
Remove from heat.  Stir in the milk and onion powder; return to heat and cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute, until thickened.
Once butternut squash is cooked. Drain it and mash it.  Then add the squash to the thick white sauce.  The more squash you add the more yellow it gets. Just keep adding until you get the color you want.
Pour the yellow sauce over cooked brown rice elbow macaroni and there you’ll have
macaroni and cheese (WITHOUT THE CHEESE!)
Pumpkin Waffles

2 eggs (Or use egg replacer or guar gum)
1 3/4 cups rice milk
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups gluten free pantry all purpose baking mix
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Heat waffle iron.  In blender jar combine rice milk, pumpkin, oil and eggs.  Blend at mix about 10 seconds.  Add  remaining ingredients.  Blend at mix about 60 seconds, scrape sides of blender jar every 20 seconds.   Be sure to spray the waffle iron well and bake in hot waffle iron until waffles are golden brown about 3 to 5 minutes.  May be served with maple syrup.

Portuguese Soup

Olive oil
Garlic
Onions
Stew beef (or short ribs)
Black pepper
Potatoes
1 big can Kidney beans
1 big can Cannelli beans
Carrots (optional)
Kale (can buy kale in pre cut bags)
Water (or for a really nice flavor use chicken stock)

There is no science to this soup.  Just layer each ingredient into
the pot beginning with the beef. Put desired amounts of ingredients into the pot and let everything cook down till the flavors gel together.  Soup tastes better the next day.
You can add a can of split pea soup to this same recipe for a really nice flavor (green or yellow split pea is fine).

Gluten Free White Bread
(You will need a Bread Machine to make this.  We use the Breadman and this comes out delicious–almost better than the real thing!)

2 1/2 cups white rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch flour
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 package of dry active yeast
3 large eggs (beaten)
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 cup milk substitute (rice or potato milk)
3/4 cup warm water

Follow instructions of your bread machine for baking details.

Tapioca Pudding
DELICIOUS!!

3 cups Organic Coconut Milk
1/4 cup Organic Granulated Tapioca
1/8 tsp. cardamom or cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar

In a saucepan, simmer the ingredients (except for the vanilla and sugar).  Cook for 10 minutes, stir often until tapioca is completely transparent.  Remove from heat, add sugar and vanilla until completely blended.  Set aside to cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature in individual bowl.  You can top with fresh fruit such as berries or bananas.

Casein Free Ice Cream

Approx. 1 cup of Frozen Bananas
Approx. 1/2 cup coconut milk
Add any frozen or thawed fruit of choice to add more flavor
Dash of sugar (optional)
** This is a flexible recipe that is not set in stone.  You can get as creative as you like–but the key is to use frozen bananas as your ice base.

In a food processor, add bananas and blend at a low speed.  Slowly pour in coconut milk until desired texture and consistency is reached.  You can also add more frozen fruit such as strawberries.  Final result should be a thick, creamy, delicious ice cream treat!

Disclaimer: The information and postings on this site are presented for support and educational purposes only.  The information supplied on this page is believed to be reliable but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.  UnlockAutism.com and AutismKey.com, its owner(s) and/ or webmaster(s) will not be held liable for any adverse actions or events related (directly or indirectly) to the information and/or recipes provided herein.  IN OTHER WORDS, USE THESE RECIPES AT YOUR OWN RISK AND ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR CHILD’S HEALTHCARE PROVIDER!

Source – A great resource site – AutismKey.com

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The Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance will hold a Public Hearing regarding the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder on Thursday, December 18, 2008 at 10am to discuss the management of Autism in New York State with specific attention to early diagnosis and intervention. The meeting will be held in Chancellor’s Hall in the State Education Building at 89 Washington Avenue (use the entrance on Hawk Street) in Albany.

During the hearing, testimony will be presented to evaluate programs and treatment options that already exist in this state for children with ASD, as well as evaluating what can be done to improve their living standards and assist families and caregivers with their many burdens, including financial, of dealing with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

This is the perfect opportunity for our community to demonstrate to the NYS Assembly that the autism community is dedicated to these issues – enough to show up in the winter cold and at holiday time – it’s just that important!

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

1) DRIVE TO ALBANY! This is a great chance for our community to demonstrate how important this issue is moving forward with our physical presence.  Please plan on attending.  We want to PACK THE ROOM!

2)  FORWARD THIS EMAIL FAR AND WIDE! Again, we want to pack the room so send this to anyone that you think could attend: neighbors, coworkers, family members, your child’s therapists!

3) REGISTER TO STAY INFORMED! If you haven’t signed up already, please visit the Autism Votes website and sign up to receive action alerts as we move forward on autism insurance reform in the state of New York!

Thank you for your help in this effort,

Your New York State Chapter Advocacy Chairs:

Jim Fahey, CAC – All New York State
NewYorkCAC@autismspeaks.org

Julie Rotunno, CAC – New York City
NYCCAC@autismspeaks.org

Julie Buick, CAC – Rochester
RochesterCAC@autismspeaks.org

Sharan DePalma, CAC – Westchester
WestchesterCAC@autismspeaks.org

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Taking care of our selves is just as important as taking care of our loved ones.

This company also has a full line of Digestive Enzyme products which may have good results on leaky gut.

Contact them here.

Stress in Our Diets

Currently, the Average American eats 133 POUNDS OF SUGAR each year; 75 years ago, the Average American ate only 7 pounds of sugar a year! Sugar is toxic to the body, accelerates aging, depletes the body of B vitamins and minerals, and can lead to heart disease, cancer, hypoglycemia, and diabetes.  An incredible 80% OF CARBOHYDRATES consumed by Americans are in the form of refined flours and sugars.
Only 9% of the population eats the recommended five servings of vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables.
Americans eat 230 MORE CALORIES PER DAY than they did just 15 years ago. Our diet consists of refined foods. Increasing our consumption of nutrient-depleted foods means we have an even higher requirement for the vitamins and minerals needed to metabolize them.
Many people eat non-foods like MSG, saccharine, NutraSweet, Splenda, artificial colorants and flavors that put stress on our systems.
Almost all foods have pesticides, chemical dioxins, and fluorides that come into our bodies each day. Most fast-food hamburgers have been shown to contain traces of OVER 100 PESTICIDES.
Most meats have antibiotic, hormone, and chemical residues that have toxic effects on our bodies.
Our foods are contaminated with phthalates from plastic wraps, styrofoam, tupperware, and non stick coatings from frying pans, that enter and damage our system.
Even the common practice of microwaving in plastic containers contaminates our food with toxins.
Vitamin B2 is one of the nutrients used by the body to support optimal thyroid function. An astonishing 5 million US adults suffer from Hypothyroidism (an under-active thyroid that slows the metabolism); most people go undiagnosed and do not even know they have it.
More than 10% OF CALORIES consumed in America come from ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. Alcohol in large quantities is detrimental to the liver, and it depletes B vitamins, zinc, and magnesium.
Prescription and over-the-counter medications can deplete nutrients and create deficiencies.
Birth control pills create B6 deficiencies and increase the need for B6 beyond what the diet can supply.
Those who exercise regularly have a much higher need for antioxidants and minerals.
Currently, millions of Americans are dieting and need supplements just to meet minimal nutrient requirements. Dieting increases free radical production, so more antioxidants are needed to support the health of the liver and other organs whose normal function can sometimes be compromised during weight loss.

Stress in Our Environment

An optimal selection of healthy whole foods does not give us enough antioxidants to defend ourselves against toxic chemicals and gases we absorb from office equipment, cigarette smoke, smog, and alcohol.
The average person is exposed to more than 500 CHEMICALS in the home environment and 700 CHEMICALS in drinking water that are known to deplete many nutrients.
Research has verified that routine application of organophosphate fertilizers over the past 50 years has decreased the calcium content of conventionally grown broccoli to ONE-SIXTH (17%) what it was in the 1950’s.

Even if we are drinking purified water, most of us shower in water that is full of chemicals, or sit in chemical filled jacuzzis or swimming pools, which enter our system every day.

Our clothes, mattresses, and sheets are full of chemicals, flame retardants, preservatives, and anti-fungals which enter our bodies through the skin.

Our air is full of carbon monoxide, petrochemicals, lead, mercury, plastic fumes, etc. which enter our bodies when we breathe.

The excess of cultural and environmental stressors we face daily produce free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that trigger oxidative damage by accelerating aging and quickening disease. In order to neutralize free radical damage caused by different stressors, our livers are burdened with the task of detoxification, a process which requires additional nutrients above the RDA recommended daily amounts.

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Reuters is reporting that trace amounts of the deadly chemical Melamine was found in US baby formula. How does this happen anywhere? How can this happen in the USA! Shame on the manufacturers and those responsible for oversight of our Foods and Drugs- I guess that would mean the FDA !

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. health officials have uncovered trace amounts of the chemical melamine in one sample of infant formula sold in the United States, a Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

The amount found in the sample was no cause for concern, said FDA spokeswoman Judy Leon said. “There’s no basis for concern because we’re talking about trace levels that are so low … that there’s absolutely no risk,” she told Reuters.

Melamine-tainted formula was found earlier this year in China, where thousands of children fell ill and several died.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey, editing by Chris Wilson)

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The development, maintenance, and repair of myelin is the single most important factor affecting cognition and behavior, according to a UCLA neurology professor who has collected extensive data on the nerve insulator. In an article to be published in an upcoming issue of Biological Psychiatry, George Bartzokis, MD, asserts that myelin may be the universal cause or contributor to a wide range of neuropsychological brain disorders, from autism to Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Bartzokis, who directs the UCLA Memory Disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease Clinic in Los Angeles, suggests that using noninvasive imaging technology to view the miles of myelin in the brain as it grows and breaks down throughout a human life cycle may offer insights leading to the development of new treatments for brain disorders. Nicotine, which studies have suggested enhances the growth and maintenance of myelin, could be one such novel treatment.

In some of the first research to approach brain disorders from a myelin-centered point of view, Dr. Bartzokis studied the effects of cholinergic treatments, including acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) that are used to improve a neuron’s synaptic signaling in people with diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Some data suggest that such treatments may even modify or slow the progression of Alzheimer’s as well as other diseases.

Nicotine, Age, and Disease

Dr. Bartzokis hypothesizes that cholinergic stimulation at neuronal synapses affects the myelination process throughout brain development in the course of a human’s lifetime.He found in clinical trials that cholinergic treatment protects brain cells, while postmortem and imaging data have shown cholinergic receptor changes during brain development and degeneration. Trials have also revealed epidemiologic evidence that nicotine from tobacco may have a protective effect on degenerative diseases of old age and younger psychiatric populations. Cholinergic treatments have also shown efficacy in the aging process and age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, as well as some neurodegenerative diseases like autism and ADHD.

According to Dr. Bartzokis, myelination development resembles an inverted “U” over the course of a lifetime, with increasing myelin development peaking in middle age and breaking down and declining in later years. Following the analogy of the Internet, Dr. Bartzokis says the “connectivity” provided by myelination increases speed by 10-fold and decreases refractory time by 34-fold. Thus, myelination increases the “bandwidth,” or processing capacity, of our brain’s Internet by 340-fold and is “indispensable for developing our uniquely elaborate higher cognitive functions.”

Different cortical regions myelinate at different ages, with later-myelinating oligodendrocytes growing increasingly more complex as we age. Irregular development during the most complex stages of the myelination process contributes to several of the neuropsychiatric disorders that tend to manifest in the early years. These disorders—eg, autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, mood disorders, addictions—are defined by overlapping cognitive and behavioral symptom clusters.

According to Dr. Bartzokis, healthy individuals with normal myelin development typically lose 45% of their myelinated fiber length when they reach the degeneration phase in adulthood. This change in the brain may cause progressive losses of memory and cognitive functions, as well as mild to severe behavioral changes.

The loss of myelin and its components such as sulfatide, myelin basic protein, and cholesterol begins early in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, well before diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment. The myelin breakdown process is further modified by risk factors such as the presence of APOE ε4 or environmental factors such as a head trauma.

Nicotine’s Effect on Myelination and Repair

Recent research has unveiled some surprising findings on the influence of nicotine on myelination and the aging process. Direct nicotinic stimulation associated with smoking has been shown to increase nicotinic receptors in the late myelinating frontal and temporal intracortical regions. Unlike most agonists, nicotine causes an up-regulation of its receptors and has been shown to accelerate brain function recovery when white matter is damaged.

Nicotine dependence is common among people with psychiatric disorders. Some researchers have suggested the high prevalence of nicotine use among the psychiatric population represents an unconscious effort to “self-medicate.” Research on proteins has suggested that nicotine may marginally increase the expression of myelin proteins; other addictive drugs (eg, cocaine, alcohol) along with developmental diseases (eg, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression) show a decrease of these proteins.

Other research has found an association between nicotinic stimulation and protective effects in schizophrenia and autism, where cortical myelination deficits have been documented. While nicotine has well-known negative effects on overall health, smoking during later years is also associated with a reduced likelihood of the development of degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Using the myelin-centered model, the apparent beneficial aspects of smoking on brain disorders can be attributed to nicotine’s stimulation of oligodendrocyte precursors. Dr. Bartzokis believes that nicotine, delivered through a patch, not through smoking cigarettes, should be studied for its efficacy in promoting the growth and maintenance of myelin, and that AChEIs “deserve much closer scrutiny” as a therapy for the prevention of both developmental and degenerative brain disorders.

—Kathlyn Stone http://www.neuropsychiatryreviews.com/07jan/myelin.html

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Wanted to repost this article we shared afew months back. I was shocked that the baby formula I was ent home with from the hospital and provided by Similiac used PVC and was stamped with code #3. Why are we still using this stuff?

It’s worth avoiding all plastics if you can. You can identify a plastic by looking at the recycling code number that appears inside a triangle at the bottom of many containers.

Resin code #3 – Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can leach phthalates, known male reproductive toxicants. It can be identified by code 3. One way to avoid it in the kitchen is by choosing plastic wrap made from polyethylene rather than PVC. If a box is not labeled, find a brand that is or call the manufacturer.

Resin code #6 – Polystyrene is used in Styrofoam products. It may leach styrene (a neurotoxin) when it comes into contact with hot, acidic, or fatty foods. It’s marked with recycling code 6.

Resin code #7 – Polycarbonate can leach bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor associated with a long list of health concerns. Baby bottles, “sippy” cups, 5-gallon water jugs, and reusable beverage bottles are typically made out of this plastic. Products may be marked with recycling code 7 (also includes any plastic that doesn’t fit into the 1 to 6 recycling code categories) and/or the letters “PC.”

The following plastics are considered safest for food storage. Glass and stainless steel are the best options as they do not have pores and bacteria catching scratches.

Resin code #1 – Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene (PETE), code 1.

Resin code #2 – High-density polyethylene (HDPE), code 2.

Resin code #4 – Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), code 4.

Resin code #5 – Polypropylene (PP), code 5.

Useful tips for when you do use plastic..

* Don’t microwave food plastic containers. HEat creates a good environment for chemicals to be re-activated and to leach out when plastic is heated. “Microwaveable plastic” doesn’t guarantee anything. Cover foods in the microwave with wax paper or a plate. If you do use plastic wrap, then make sure it doesn’t touch the food.

* Avoid putting hot foods in plastic containers. Let leftovers cool off before storing them in plastic.

* Take good care of plastics by not washing them with harsh chemicals, and dispose of scratched and worn containers. Just as your vet suggests no plastic bowls for your pets, we should follow the same advice.

Not sure about you, but i dont recall seeing plastic bottles around when I was a kid, it was glass and that was it. Now with nearly every child drinking form plastic and then followed up with nearly every adult drinking form a Poland Spring plastic water botle, its no wonder we are all poisopning ourselves! Use glass or stainless steel, avoid plastic!

For more green tips, visit Green and Ready

We use a product called BornFree made of “Glasstic” out of canada, one of the first PBA free plastic products on the market, but I would still prefer a glass baba for my kid. Here is a link to Consumer Reports story on this subject

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=====================================================

Looks like we are making progress..

President-Elect Obama has drafted comprehensive autism legislation, including a section addressing a broad based federal autism insurance mandate.

In his Presidential campaign statement on Autism Spectrum Disorders, President-Elect Obama committed to bringing autism insurance reform to the entire nation. The statement stated that Obama and Biden “will mandate insurance coverage of autism treatment and will also continue to work with parents, physicians, providers, researchers, and schools to create opportunities and effective solutions for people with ASD.” For the complete campaign statement, and to read the draft legislation, go to http://www.autismvotes.org.

=====================================================

Please be true to your word and fund more in depth research regarding the causes and prevention of Autism

and other PDD’s   1 in 150 is an epidemic of the worst proportions as it affects defenseless children and can destroy families, wreak hvvac on local school board budgets and community taxes. We need solutions now.

Here are some suggestions, Investigate and report back within 12 months time any connection regarding

- Plastic PBA’s, Cell Phone Signals and Mercury laced shots

- Providing economic support for families who actively seek and complete therapy’s currently not covered under health insurance

- Providing economic support on a per child basis still in the school system for providing a more precise and personalized education platform and goals to work towards. I do well for my family but paying $10-$25,000 for treatments, or more per year is just a bit too much to afford.

- Increasing regulation and oversight over Autism related treatments, too much hope being sold with snake oil out there

- Creating a national database of what works for which conditions best, right now its trial and error over and over again

- Provide $10 billion in funding Autism research asap, at both the commercial and holistic levels.

12 months is aggressive, but we need to fast track this as it continues to grow in numbers both in terms of those afflicted, and those it affects.

Do it Barrack, help our children and make this your legacy while still in office, not in the last few weeks of office.  Do it now..

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You may recall seeing the Eye Chart last time you visited the doctor. Today it is also common to see the entire human body chart, inner ear chart, neck, back and knee joint models and other props for the doctor to use with patients when explaining our all too common ailments.

With the explosive growth of Autism rates, can we expect to see more of this chart appearing in a pediatricians office near you?

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During the 3rd Presidential Debate, held at Hofstra University recently, both candidates spoke about autism. In response to a question from CBS News’ Bob Schieffer, “why would the country be better off if your running mate became president” the senators made the following remarks:

Sen. McCain: …She (Sarah Palin) also understands special needs families. She understands that autism is on the rise. We’ve got to find out what’s causing it and we’ve got to reach out to these families and help them and give them the help they need as they raise these very special needs children. She understands that better than almost any American that I know. I’m proud of her.

Sen. Obama: …I think it’s very commendable the work she (Sarah Palin) has done on behalf of special needs. I agree with that John. I do just want to point out that autism for example or other special needs will require some additional funding if we’re going to get serious in terms of research. That is something that every family that advocates on behalf of disabled children talks about. And if we have an across the board spending freeze we’re not going to be able to do it.

In response to the Bob Schieffer’s question “Do you think the federal government should play a larger role in the schools and I mean federal money?” the senators made the following remarks:

Sen. Obama: I do think it is important for the federal government to step up and help local school districts do the things they need to do….We did the right thing by saying every school should provide education for children with special needs but we never followed through on the promise of funding, and that left local school districts very cash strapped.

Sen. McCain: In town hall meeting after town hall meeting, parents come with kids, children, precious children who have autism. Sarah Palin knows about that better than most. And we’ll find, and we’ll spend the money on research to find the cause of autism, and we’ll care for these young children and all Americans will open their wallets and their hearts to do so.

We finally may have some real representation in the government with either candidate.  Palin knows the pain personally, Obama seems to understand  the need for federal funding of local schools. Should be interesting how this plays out, lets keep the Special Needs topic front and center.

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Dear Friends:

The Third Annual Rockland County Autism Symposium will be held on September 25, 2008 at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Suffern, NY. Once again, I am pleased to co-sponsor this symposium with Camp Venture, Inc., the Needelman Family and Mindworks, a private foundation.

We are again privileged to feature presenters from prestigious institutions, who are dedicated and distinguished experts in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Our focus this year will be on new research, abnormalities in sleep, pharmacological treatment, a look at adults with Autism and more. You may view the full program and information on our speakers, above.

Last year, our Symposium set the Rockland County record for attendance at any symposium to date. We look forward to this year’s event with great anticipation, and your attendance and participation is both valued and appreciated. Through the generosity of the Needelman Family and Mindworks there is no fee for registration and a complimentary lunch will be provided. To secure a seat, please click the reservation link and do it soon! Last year, we reached maximum capacity well in advance of the event. Please feel free to pass this information onto others interested in Autism.

I look forward to seeing you at this event on September 25th.

Sincerely,

John Murphy
Rockland County Legislator
President, Camp Venture, Inc. Board of Directors

Here is a short fundraiser video on the Camp Venture Equestrian Therapy program.

2008 Autism Symposium
Holiday Inn Holidome & Conference Center
3 Executive Boulevard
Suffern, NY 10901
Thursday, September 25, 2008
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Admission:Free for pre-registrants
$25.00 for walk-in and late registrants
Contact: Betsy Saetre
(845) 638-5184

or visit http://www.rocklandautismsymposium.com/

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This is the idiot who caused millions of dollars and years of research to go to waste. All this for 55,000 British Pound Sterling. Where are is the tar and feathers?  What has Elsevier done to make it up to all of our children ? How about $100 million in Autism funding ?

The editor of the Lancet said last night that the scientific paper which sparked the row about the safety of the MMR vaccine would not have been published if senior staff had been aware that its lead author had not revealed “a serious conflict of interest”.

Richard Horton said that Andrew Wakefield, the doctor whose research suggested a link between the triple jab against measles, mumps and rubella and autism, had made “an important error of judgement” in failing to say he had received an alleged £55,000 from the Legal Aid Board, now the Legal Services Commission to investigate grounds for legal action by parents of allegedly vaccine-damaged children.

Dr Wakefield’s article, published in the medical journal six years ago, caused a drop in uptake of the MMR vaccine and protracted argument. It also made the author a pariah in the eyes of the medical establishment.

Two months ago senior doctors boycotted a televised debate on the vaccine, scheduled to run after a Channel 5 drama documentary about Dr Wakefield’s work, as they regarded it as biased and emotive.

Dr Wakefield, who worked at the Royal Free Hospital, in north London, when the paper was published, denied last night that the authors of the report had any knowledge that one child investigated for the study reported in the Lancet had a legal aid certificate at the time.

Investigations as a result of allegations made to the Lancet in the past few days suggest that as many as four of the 12 reported cases may have been on a list of 10 children on whom Dr Wakefield was commissioned by a solicitor to make studies. The exact number has still to be confirmed.

The two studies were completely separate and money from the Legal Aid Board was paid into a special research account administered by the hospital trust.

Dr Wakefield said: “Whether parents perceived an association with MMR vaccine or not, whether parents had approached lawyers with an intent to seek legal redress, or whether children were in receipt of legal funding or not, had no bearing whatsoever on their selection for clinical investigation of inclusion in the Lancet report.”

The paper in fact did not claim to prove a link between the MMR vaccination and autism, although Dr Wakefield said at its launch that he thought parents might be advised to give the jabs separately.

Mr Horton refused to reveal last night who had made six serious allegations of research misconduct. Three were not accepted.

“We regret that aspects of funding for parallel and related work and the existence of ongoing litigation that had been known during clinical evaluation of the children reported in the 1998 Lancet paper were not disclosed to editors.

“We judge that all this information would have been material to our decision-making about the paper’s suitability, credibility and validity for publication.”

The Lancet would publish an editorial commentary and statements from researchers involved in the 1998 study “as soon as possible”.

Mr Horton underlined how seriously he viewed the case. “In my view, not to disclose such a serious conflict of interest was an important error of judgement and conflicted with our guidelines on conflict of interest at the time.

“It is always very difficult with hindsight, but if we had known Dr Wakefield was not only lead investigator in the Lancet paper but also had been commissioned by the Legal Advisory Board, I am sure our view would have been this was a fatal conflict of interest and we would not have published the paper.”

Dr Wakefield’s co-authors have become increasingly critical, saying they believe in the safety of the MMR. Dr Simon Murch and colleagues have continued to research links between inflammation of the gut and autism and believe there is evidence of an association.

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You know, I had heard it was a disgruntled ex employee of a Pharmaceutical company that started this whole MMR connection, if that is true this person should be tarred an feathered and tied to a whipping post in the village square for wasting so many valuable years of research down a wrong street, years that could have been used to find a cause and cure. Instead, we have wasted big time dollars and time accusing and defending.. What a shame, Now this article appeared int he NY Times claiming that the researchers had a conflict of interest who published the findings.. all this for what, a Gov’t grant or a mention in some Journal?

“Meanwhile, the original paper’s publisher — The Lancet — complained in 2004 that the lead author had concealed a conflict of interest. Ten of his co-authors retracted the paper’s implication that the vaccine might be linked to autism. Three of the authors are now defending themselves before a fitness-to-practice panel in London on charges related to their autism research.

Sadly, even after all of this, many parents of autistic children still blame the vaccine. The big losers in this debate are the children who are not being vaccinated because of parental fears and are at risk of contracting serious — sometimes fatal — diseases.”

How about we shift towards researching things introduced into the environment that mirror the rise of Autism, Such as; Cell Phones, PC’s, Plastic Everything, Teflon, Hormone use in the food supply, even down to Hydro-Ponic Marijuana. Doesnt anyone else wonder about these things and their possible place in the cause of the Autism Epidemic? Anyone there?

Ten years ago, a clinical research paper triggered widespread and persistent fears that a combined vaccine that prevents measles, mumps and rubella — the so-called MMR vaccine — causes autism in young children. That theory has been soundly refuted by a variety of other research over the years, and now a new study that tried to replicate the original study has provided further evidence that it was a false alarm. Read More from this New York Times article

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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.

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My wife and I are blessed with 2 children and are expecting our third in October. We have been contemplating storing the umbilical cord for future use for someone in the family, should one of us become sick or if a break through occurs and we can help those with Autism Spectrum Disorder with this invaluable resource. We have decided it is worth the expense – $4,000 for a 20 year storage. Has anyone out there done this and actually used the blood to harvest stem cells? if so, please write to us.

This story hit the web recently, it helps to validate our decision for sure.

Scientists Grow Stem Cells For Parkinson’s, Down Syndrome, Other Disorders

By Stephanie Nano, Associated Press

AP – Harvard scientists say they have created stems cells for 10 genetic disorders, which will allow researchers to watch the diseases develop in a lab dish.
This early step, using a new technique, could help speed up efforts to find treatments for some of the most confounding ailments, the scientists said.
The new work was reported online Thursday in the journal Cell, and the researchers said they plan to make the cell lines readily available to other scientists.
Dr. George Daley and his colleagues at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute used ordinary skin cells and bone marrow from people with a variety of diseases, including Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Down syndrome to produce the stem cells.
The new cells will allow researchers to “watch the disease progress in a dish, that is, to watch what goes right or wrong,” Doug Melton, co-director of the institute, said during a teleconference.
“I think we’ll see in years ahead that this opens the door to a new way to treating degenerative diseases,” he said.
The new technique reprograms cells, giving them the chameleon-like qualities of embryonic stem cells, which can morph into all kinds of tissue, such as heart, nerve and brain. As with embryonic stem cells, the hope is to speed medical research.
Research teams in Wisconsin and Japan were the first to report last November that they had reprogrammed skin cells, and that the cells had behaved like stem cells in a series of lab tests. Just last week, another Harvard team of scientists said they reprogrammed skin cells from two elderly patients with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and grew them into nerve cells.
Melton said the new disease-specific cell lines “represent a collection of degenerative diseases for which there are no good treatments and, more importantly, no good animal models for the most part in studying them.”
A new laboratory has been created to serve as a repository for the cells, and to distribute them to other scientists researching the diseases, Melton said.
“The hope is that this will accelerate research and it will create a climate of openness,” said Daley.
He expects stem cell lines to be developed for many more diseases, noting, “this is just the first wave of diseases.” Other diseases for which they created stem cells are Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes; two types of muscular dystrophy, Gaucher disease and a rare genetic disorder known as the “bubble boy disease.”
Daley stressed that the reprogrammed cells won’t eliminate the need or value of studying embryonic stem cells.
“At least for the foreseeable future, and I would argue forever, they are going to be extremely valuable tools,” he said.
The reprogramming work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and private contributions to the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

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Came across this video series, http://www.modelmekids.com/autism-videos.html

Anyone ever use it? What were your results? Seems like a great idea and one I have often thought about given my sons love of the video tape, or dvd.

Thanks for sharing… is there anybody out there??

The Time for School video presents social skills in the context of school. It features elementary school-aged children demonstrating appropriate social skills in the classroom, library, on the playground, and in the hallway. Each scene lasts between 30 seconds and 3 minutes, depending on the chapter. At the end of each chapter is a storyboard summarizing the rules taught.

The video is hosted by a young boy, who narrates each scene.

With narration: In the first half of the video, the visual is combined with narration and graphics that help explain the particular rule.

Without narration: In the second half of the video, the same video is repeated without narration and graphics. This allows a parent, Autism teacher, or therapist to customize the lesson the individual child and/or to test what was learned in the first viewing of the video.

Each social skill is demonstrated in more than one situation and across environments. This is useful to children with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome because it helps with generalization of the skill taught.

Graphics and music are used to make the video appealing to children with Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and Nonverbal Learning Disorders. A high production value helps keep the child’s interest so that he or she will want to watch many times.

Check it out here

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by: Helen Williams

About The Author

Helen Williams
Editor Consistent Parenting Advice.com

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Research: “The Myelin Project”:

The exciting work of researchers funded by The Myelin Project, whose goal is to remyelinate the human central nervous system, may someday have benefits for autistic children. Only time will tell if a specific area of damaged neurons can be found and potentially repaired with stem cells.

The first human trial, conducted by Dr. Timothy Vollmer at Yale University School of Medicine, will attempt to transplant myelin-forming Schwann cells into the brains of five patients with multiple sclerosis. The cells will be obtained from the sural nerves of the patients themselves. Although Schwann cells normally produce myelin in the peripheral nervous system, several recent experiments conducted on rodents and cats have shown these cells have the ability to remyelinate in the CNS as well.

While multiple sclerosis is a long way from autism, there is discussion of anti-myelin antibodies in autism, and there is talk of inflammatory processes involving myelin. Whether this technology can help autism if it works for multiple sclerosis is anybody’s guess, but it’s exciting to wonder about.

The Myelin Project funds a Cell Culture Unit at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where Dr. Su-chun Zhang continues to generate cultures with ever-higher percentages of human oligodendrocyte precursors (OPs). Oligodendrocytes are the cells that normally myelinate the CNS. If obtainable in sufficient quantity, they would provide an alternative to Schwann cells for transplantation. The Unit has developed a method to track transplanted OPs by MRI, labeling the cells with iron particles. In another recent experiment, Dr. Baron-Van Evercooren and colleagues were able to remyelinate as many as 55% of the nerves in monkey spinal cord lesions by transplanting the monkeys’ own Schwann cells. These initial positive results, however, have not been confirmed in subsequent attempts. She suspects that the viral labels she used to distinguish the transplanted cells caused them to die. She is trying again without viral labeling. If successful, this experiment would prove that CNS remyelination is feasible in higher animals.

Several researchers funded by The Myelin Project have injected myelin-forming cells into the ventricles of the brain of experimental animals and have shown that these cells were transported by the cerebrospinal fluid to all regions of the brain. This makes it more likely that injected cells will travel to where the myelin needs to be repopulated.

The Myelin Project has funded Dr. Oliver Br�stle of the University of Bonn, Germany, and Dr. Evan Snyder of Harvard University to work with neural stem cells (NSC). These are self-renewing, multipotent cells, capable of differentiating into the major types of neural cells, including oligodendrocytes. One of their most potentially beneficial properties is their tendency to respond to signals in the CNS environment. In CNS diseases, these signals guide the cells to damaged areas. Second, they prompt them to differentiate into the specific cell type needed for the repair — neurons in nerve diseases like Parkinson’s and oligodendrocytes in myelin disorders like the leukodystrophies and multiple sclerosis.

NSCs are typically of fetal origin, but have also been found in the adult brain. NSCs can be multiplied in culture indefinitely as an “immortal” cell line. They could eventually provide an inexhaustible source of myelin-forming cells, eliminating the need for obtaining them from fresh tissue. Several research centers are now testing human NSCs to verify their safety and in particular to rule out any risk of their becoming cancerous. If this testing concludes favorably, then prospective myelin repair strategies could take a two-fold approach. NSCs would be injected into the ventricular system where the cerebrospinal fluid would circulate them to all parts of the CNS. Local signals would then come into play, guiding the cells to the specific demyelinated areas.

The Myelin Project has also funded Dr. Robin Franklin of the University of Cambridge to study olfactory ensheathing cells, a third type of myelin-producing cell. He has perfected a technique for demyelinating the area of rat brain connecting the cerebellum with the brain stem. He subsequently remyelinated the area by transplanting rat Schwann cells, which adds to the body of evidence in favor of Schwann cell transplantation as a way of repairing CNS myelin lesions.

The Myelin Project has also funded Dr. Inderjit Singh of the Medical University of South Carolina to study the use of Lovastatin in the treatment of myelin disorders. The drug corrects the biochemical defect of adrenoleukodystrophy, lowering the levels of very long chain fatty acids in plasma. Preliminary studies with an animal model of MS have confirmed Lovastatin’s ability to block the induction of cytokines, substances responsible for the inflammation of the CNS. We know that the levels of very long chain fatty acids and of some cytokines are elevated in autism. I am wonderijng already if Lovastatin might be worth trying for children with documented elevated very long chain fatty acids and elevated cytokines.

These studies present exciting possibilities for the future for treating neurodegenerative diseases. They may eventually have relevence for such diverse conditions as autism, cerebral palsy, and CNS vaccine damage syndromes. Time will tell.

find more at http://www.healing-arts.org/children/cell.htm

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Where as I appreciate any and most attention Autism receives, I feel a bit sickened by the fact that celebrity’;s seem to be leanding their names solely for the purpose of publicity.

Jenny is cool, but her book talks about she is able to afford the therapy’s that most of us only dream of or mortgage our homes for.  the therapy’s she mentions in the book are not hers, they are those of Berdard and Tomatis. Deidre Imus was a big factor in passing the Combating Autism Act, which is a lame act of empty promises. Where is she now? Robert Kennedy, now I was shocked to see how much attention he gets for helping Autism get reserach dollars, I thought he was an enviormentalist? And what is President Bill; Clintoln doing rasing money for children in far off lands, most of which wil never even see the dollasr raised when 1 in 150 children in the US are diagnosed with Autism, shame on you Bill! I don’t know, maybe I am wrong here and maybe, just maybe getting celebrity endorsement is better than none, but what have we gained since Autism is such a celebrity cause? A few best sellers or rehashed gobblee goop?

This is not a part time thing here, this is a life long condition and for most finanacial burden. What do we have to do, go on TV and get sponsors for individual families here in the states? We need insurance reforms like we see taking place in a few states like New Jersey, we need the medical community to rally here. Autism is horrible and the numbers climb ever day, why is it not being treated as an epidemic, but rather as a celebrity attention grabber!!?? What are your thoughts. Please share them and lets take the bull by the horns ourselves and Unlock Autism.

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It’s kind of like being on a plane, the flight attendant tells everyone in the event of an emergency … if due to a sudden drop in cabin pressure and the air mask drops, to put your mask on first so that you can assist your child and others. It carries through to taking care of someone like an Autistic Child.

Lets face it, a parent of a special needs child needs to be so much more than Special, we need to be Super, at all times and at all things. Friends are a gasp to hear of what a special needs family has to endure in order to get their kid in their home school district. Even the most basic of things in life that are taken for granted can be huge challenges. We just want our children to have the opportunity to cash in on a long and productive life.

So lets keep in mind, if we as Parents don’t take care of ourselves, we won’t be able to adequately take care of the people who are most important in our lives, for very long.

So make it a point to enjoy your life- including your physical and mental health. Create and make time to rejuvenate and replenish your mind, body and spirit. Make and go to that long overdue doctors appointment for yourself , take an hour per day to read, a day per month to Spa, a night out with friends, a weekend escape- whatever it is, do it and be strong for your kids.

Being on top of your game here means more than love, caring and understanding. Its staying healthy and wise and up with things in the move.

So make that commitment to yourself and the quality of your goodness and care will shine.

Here is a site you can look for travel ideas. ExplorerPod.com.

Health, Spiritual and Wellness try MorningCoach.com

A link to Pass Time Google Maps. Check out your house for a new perspective.

Some great tunes and channels. DeadShowPodcast.com

Seriously, do something for yourself today, so you can continue to take care of your kids tomorrow.

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We could use a hand in finding material to share with others like you. If you have an experiences or know of other great resources for information, Please leave some comments or write to us at info@unlockautism.com This site is for us all. We are trying to direct you to pertinent information about Autism. Success stories and information about therapy’s and diets which helped or those which didn’t. Keep in mind, not all therapy’s will work for all. Autistic people are individuals in the truest sense of the word, with loving and caring families trying to unlock autism and let that person out.

If we can gather enough stats and information, perhaps we can help others. For us personally, Its been a whole lot of Love, Therapy’s and at times Snake Oil. Whats worked for us has been, ABA, Signing Time, Auditory Integration and Omega’s plus the usual OT, PT and Speech. But also encouraging more social engagement.

All I know is that we as parents know what works and what doesn’t, lets help those who are just discovering Autism. Let us help each other from being fooled by the latest and greatest therapy’s promising miracle and instant cures.
If you are interested in getting involved with UnlockAutism.com, let us know and share your wisdom.

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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

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From Age of Autism – What will happen to the Monkees ?

The first research project to examine effects of the total vaccine load received by children in the 1990s has found autism-like signs and symptoms in infant monkeys vaccinated the same way. The study’s principal investigator, Laura Hewitson from the University of Pittsburgh, reports developmental delays, behavior problems and brain changes in macaque monkeys that mimic “certain neurological abnormalities of autism.”

The findings are being reported Friday and Saturday at a major international autism conference in London.

Although couched in scientific language, Hewitson’s findings are explosive. They suggest, for the first time, that our closest animal cousins develop characteristics of autism when subjected to the same immunizations – such as the MMR shot — and vaccine formulations – such as the mercury preservative thimerosal — that American children received when autism diagnoses exploded in the 1990s.

The first publicly reported results of this research project come in both oral and poster presentations on Friday and Saturday at the International Meeting For Autism Research in London. Poster presentations must go through a form of peer review before they are presented at the conference; the papers have not yet appeared in a scientific journal.

In addition to Hewitson’s oral presentation today, on Saturday in one of two related poster presentations, the researchers also are reporting in their abstract that “vaccinated animals exhibited progressively severe chronic active inflammation [in gastrointestinal tissue] whereas unexposed animals did not. We have found many significant differences in the GI tissue gene expression profiles between vaccinated and unvaccinated animals.” Numerous scientific studies, as well as many parents, report severe GI ailments in children with regressive autism.

The results are sure to be controversial, in part because they lend credence to studies first published in 1998 by British pediatric gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield, one of Hewitson’s co-authors on these findings. He described an unusual inflammatory bowel condition in children who had regressed into autism after they received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination. Wakefield is currently fighting charges of medical misconduct in Britain over allegations of conflict-of-interest and improper procedures related to that paper. He denies the charges.

In the program for the conference, the 7th Annual International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), there are three separate presentations listed that report results from the overall research program. The first, an oral presentation entitled “Pediatric Vaccines Influence Primate Behavior, and Amygdala Growth and Opioid Ligand Binding” (the “amygdala abstract”) was led by Dr. Hewitson and lists 12 co-authors, including five of her colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh and Dr. Wakefield. Other authors are chemists, pathologists and psychologists from the universities of Kentucky, California-Irvine, and Washington.

Hewitson’s introductory presentation will be followed by two poster presentations on Saturday; one of the two, “Pediatric Vaccines Influence Primate Behavior, and Brain Stem Volume and Opioid Ligand Binding”, was led by Wakefield and includes six additional co-authors.

It focuses on the developmental effect of vaccine exposures on brain growth during infancy. The second, “Microarray Analysis of GI Tissue in a Macaque Model of the Effects of Infant Vaccination,” was led by Steven Walker of Wake Forest University and performed gene array analysis on the intestinal tissues of the vaccinated and unvaccinated monkeys.

The studies address – albeit in animals, not children — one of the major criticisms by parents and scientists concerned about a possible link between the greatly stepped-up immunization schedule in the 1990s, including higher exposure to the mercury preservative, and autism. While the Food and Drug Administration approves individual vaccines as safe and effective, and an advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the childhood immunization schedule adopted by the states, the overall health outcomes from the total vaccine load, versus no vaccinations at all, have never been compared, the authors said.

A bill requiring the government to conduct a study of autism rates in unvaccinated American children is pending in the U.S. House of Representatives, co-sponsored by Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Tom Osborne (R.-Neb.). Just this week, former National Institutes of Health Director Bernadine Healy called for more research into a possible vaccine link to autism and said the question had not been settled, despite repeated assertions to that effect by the CDC, the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In the abstract for today’s oral presentation, the authors noted that macaques, the type of monkey used in the study, “are commonly used in pre-clinical vaccine safety testing, but the combined childhood vaccine regimen, rather than individual vaccines, has not been studied. Childhood vaccines are a possible causal factor in autism, and abnormal behaviors and anomalous amygdala growth are potentially inter-related features of this condition.”

The study found evidence of both behavioral and biological changes after the 13 macaque monkey infants were administered proportional doses, adjusted for age, of the vaccines recommended between 1994 and 1999. Three monkeys were not given any vaccines.

“Primate development, cognition and social behavior were assessed for both vaccinated and unvaccinated infants using standardized tests developed at the Washington National Primate Research Center.” MRI and PET scans looked for brain changes after administration of the MMR.

“Compared with unexposed animals, significant neurodevelopmental deficits were evident for exposed animals in survival reflexes, tests of color discrimination and reversal, and learning sets,” the authors reported. “Differences in behaviors were observed between exposed and unexposed animals and within the exposed group before and after MMR vaccination. Compared with unexposed animals, exposed animals showed attenuation of amygdala growth and differences in the amygdala binding of [11C]diprenorphine. Interaction models identified significant associations between specific aberrant social and non-social behaviors, isotope binding, and vaccine exposure.”

One of the Saturday abstracts makes the further point that the research “revealed significant differences between exposed and unexposed animals” in the kinds of developmental behaviors a mother might be able to observe, “with delayed acquisition of root, suck, clasp hand, and clasp foot reflexes.” They conclude by noting that “This animal model examines the neurological consequences of the childhood vaccine regimen, Functional and … brainstem anomalies were evident in vaccinated animals that may be relevant to some aspects of autism. The findings raise important safety issues while providing a potential animal model for examining aspects of causation and disease pathogenesis in acquired neurodevelopmental disorders.”
–
Dan Olmsted is Editor of Age of Autism.

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Coping skills

Raising a child with autism can be physically exhausting and emotionally draining. These ideas may help:

* Find a team of trusted professionals. You’ll need to make important decisions about your child’s education and treatment. Find a team of teachers and therapists who can help evaluate the options in your area and explain the federal regulations regarding children with disabilities. Make sure this team includes a case manager or service coordinator, who can help access financial services and government programs.
* Take time for yourself and other family members. Caring for a child with autism can be a round-the-clock job that puts stress on your marriage and your whole family. To avoid burnout, take time out to relax, exercise or enjoy your favorite activities. Try to schedule one-on-one time with your other children and plan date nights with your spouse — even if it’s just watching a movie together after the children go to bed.
* Seek out other families of autistic children. Other families struggling with the challenges of autism can be a source of useful advice. Many communities have support groups for parents and siblings of children with autism.
* Learn about the disorder. There are many myths and misconceptions about autism. Learning the truth can help you better understand your child and his or her attempts to communicate. With time, you’ll likely be rewarded by seeing your child grow and learn and even show affection — in his or her own way.

Source: www.mayoclinic.com

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Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have recently generated a mice model for autistic savants – a phenomenon in which an autistic person has an outstanding skill alongside his poor ability in social interactions. By using genetically engineered mice in which a specific protein in the brain was inactive, the researchers discovered an enhanced learning ability of the mice, but also an impaired long term memory, which resembles autism characteristics. The scientists hope that in the future, this work will lead to the development of treatment for autism and for other brain development disorders.
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Jenny and Jim, Autism Awareness’s newest and some of the most visible advocates for Autism reserach and CHANGE to lead march on Washington.

March on Washington DC to Clean Vaccine ingredients and request a better vaccination schedule.
JUNE 4th 2008 Visit www.tacanow.org for more info

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Tomorrow, April 2, 2008 is a day committed to Autism on CNN TV. All day they will feature insight into Autism Spectrum Diseases. The CNN web site is already gearing up with tons of fresh content.

It remains one of the greatest mysteries of medicine. Although autism will be diagnosed in more than 25,000 U.S. children this year, more than new cases of childhood AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined, scientists and doctors still know very little about the neurological disorder. full story

Check it out and pass the word.

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Seems a bit like covering one’s tracks here. Seizures and Autism commonly go – hand in hand and can trigger serious health issues which lie dormant in the body.

Written and owned By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today Published: March 14, 2008

Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

ATLANTA, March 14 — An apparent increased risk of febrile seizures has led the CDC to soften one of its recommendations on immunizing children against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella with a combination vaccine.

The agency had said the combination tetravalent vaccine against the four diseases (ProQuad) was to be preferred over vaccination with a trivalent measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine at the same time as a separate varicella shot.

That preferential recommendation has been withdrawn. The agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) now says there should be no preference, the CDC said in the March 14 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The change comes after review of data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink, which monitors vaccine safety, as well as preliminary results from a post-licensing study conducted by Merck, which makes the tetravalent vaccine.

The Vaccine Safety Datalink, the CDC said, showed a signal of increased risk for seizure among children ages 12 to 23 months who were given the tetravalent vaccine, compared with those who got the trivalent vaccine.

The increased rates were seen seven to 12 days after vaccination.

Once the signal was seen, the agency said, analysts used the Vaccine Safety Datalink for a study comparing seizure rates among children who got the tetravalent vaccine and those who got a trivalent vaccine plus a varicella vaccine at the same visit.

The analysis included 43,353 children ages 12 to 23 months who received the tetravalent vaccine and 314,599 who received the trivalent vaccine and varicella vaccine at the same visit.

The researchers reviewed medical records to validate the diagnosis and used a multivariate logistic regression to adjust for age and influenza season, the CDC said.

Results of that analysis showed:

* A rate of nine febrile seizures per 10,000 vaccinations among recipients of the tetravalent vaccine.
* The rate was four per 10,000 vaccinations among those who got the trivalent vaccine along with the varicella vaccine.
* The adjusted odds ratio was 2.3, with a 95% confidence interval from 1.6 to 3.2, which was significant at P<0.0001.
* Of the 166 children who had febrile seizures after vaccination and had hospitalization information available, 26 (or 16%) were admitted to a hospital.
* There were no deaths.

The advisory committee was told that interim data from the Merck post-licensing study showed a similar relative risk for seizure, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. Only about half of the final sample size needed was available for the analysis.

Neither study looked at the risk of a febrile seizure after the second recommended dose of the vaccine, at ages four through six years.

The CDC noted that the tetravalent vaccine is currently in short supply in the U.S., because of manufacturing problems not related to safety, and is not expected to be widely available before 2009.

The agency also said that febrile seizures are not uncommon in children and generally have an excellent prognosis.

Additional source: CDC
Source reference:
CDC “Update: Recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) regarding administration of combination MMRV vaccine” MMWR 2008; 57(10): 258-60.

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Written and owned by www.mayinstitute.org

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Many individuals with autism have also been diagnosed with another disorder. This secondary condition is referred to as a “co-morbid” disorder. Many of these secondary conditions are psychiatric in nature and require attention from parents, teachers and professionals. The most common co-morbid disorders are attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, and anxiety problems.

Diagnosing co-morbid disorders in children and adults with autism can be challenging because these individuals have difficulties with language, self-expression and social interactions. They may be unable to describe personal, internal feelings. Many do not speak at all, and some need specialized communication systems such as pictures, typing screens and basic sign language to communicate.

A proper diagnosis of a co-morbid disorder should be done by a qualified professional, such as a pediatrician, psychiatrist or psychologist. This specialist will be able to differentiate between the various disorders and provide a diagnosis based on direct observation of the individual’s behavior and actions, as well as reports from family members and teachers.

Below are some observable behaviors that might be associated with various co-morbid conditions. Note that many of these behaviors are characteristic of autism and do not necessarily indicate the presence of a psychiatric condition.

ADHD: Making careless mistakes; appearing not to listen; not following instructions; not finishing tasks; frequently losing items; fidgeting; squirming; difficulty in playing quietly; interrupting others; and not waiting for his or her turn.

OCD: Putting all chairs in place at the table; walking the same path at home or school; arranging items; counting items; repeating phrases; and needing to be first in line.

Depression: Sadness and excessive crying; little interest in previous favorite items; loss of appetite; and a lack of responsiveness to other people.

Anxiety: Increased breathing and heart rate, and strong avoidance of specific situations or items.

An accurate diagnosis is crucial in determining the most effective treatment, especially if medications are to be considered. Treatment for co-morbid disorders must be administered in the context of an individual’s comprehensive program plan. There are three components to this type of approach that are briefly described below.

First, any serious problem behavior – such as tantrums, hitting others, hurting oneself, or destroying property – must be addressed with a plan that includes:

Defining the behavior in observable terms;

Using rewards for good behavior;

Employing a specific consistent response to the behavior, such as ignoring, removing privileges, or directing to a task; and

Counting the number of occurrences each day.

Second, the child or adult should be taught ways to cope with situations that might result in problem behaviors. We do this by providing positive reinforcement and rewards, teaching in small steps, and offering assistance when it is needed.

Third, medications can be considered. Many children and adults with autism receive at least one medication for a psychiatric condition. The use of medication should not be seen as a failure, but as an important component of treatment along with a good plan for addressing behavior problems and a thorough program of instruction in skills. Further, the right medication – a stimulant, antidepressant, mood stabilizer, or antipsychotic – can help reduce behaviors such as impulsive or compulsive behaviors that interfere with establishing social skills and friendships.

Obtaining an accurate diagnosis of a co-morbid condition and determining an effective treatment plan based on careful observation and individual consideration will improve the quality of life for children and adults with autism. For more information, call (800) 778-7601, or visit www.mayinstitute.org

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I am curious to see Jon Stewarts usually funny and satirical view on Autism. I could use a good laugh.

March 11, 2008

Comedy Central has again partnered with Jon Stewart’s Busboy Prods. for its biannual live on-air special event “Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit for Autism Education.”

The event, which benefits Autism education programs, is set to air live at 8 p.m. ET April 13 from the Beacon Theatre in New York. Stewart will host the evening, which will include live performances, sketches and short films from a range of comedy stars.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com

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We all have our theory’s but its a proven fact that lead destroys the nervous system and ha wiped out whole

populations through acute lead poisoning. Who is to blame and why? This is an interesting story, as i always try to think about

things which were invented or used more than ever the past 15- 20 years like cell phones and computers or the more use of plastics and

increased outsourcing to manufacturers who don’t really mind poisoning our children with lead tainted toys, cookware and clothing.

Environmental Health Perspectives Focus Article

http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/116-2/focus.html

Face to Face with Toy Safety: Understanding an Unexpected Threat Face to Face with Toy Safety: Understanding an Unexpected Threat

Until March 2007, thousands of kids around the country could be found playing with toy trucks, helicopters, and soldiers sold under the “Elite Operations” brand name. The toys were fun, and they looked great with their thick coat of glossy paint. Trouble was, that paint was loaded with 5,000 ppm lead, a potent developmental neurotoxicant with no known safe exposure level.

When the high lead levels were detected during a routine inspection, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall, the first for a lead-contaminated toy in 2007. Lead-triggered toy recalls were rare, but not unheard of in the United States, with just a handful issued in the last decade. Eventually, nearly 130,000 Elite Operations units—made by a Hong Kong company called Toy Century Industrial and imported by Toys R Us—would be recalled.
group shot of toys
The $22 billion U.S. toy industry sells about 3 billion toys each year. In 2007 there were 81 toy recalls for a variety of reasons. Half of these, involving nearly 6 million toys, were related to lead paint.

In a typical year, the recall would have barely ruffled the $22 billion U.S. toy industry, which sells 3 billion units annually. But 2007 was far from typical as far as import recalls were concerned. Contaminated pet food, cough syrup, toothpaste, and other products—mostly made in China—were being yanked off store shelves under the full glare of the media. Given that most of its wares are made in China, the toy industry ramped up its inspections for lead, and found that high levels were a lot more common than they had assumed. By year’s end, 42 recalls involving nearly 6 million toys had been issued because of excessive lead levels.

Lead-contaminated toys became one of the biggest environmental health stories of recent times. It was shocking to think of children being poisoned while playing, and by lead no less, a toxic metal that consumers assumed had been purged from products long ago. Now lead was back, sparking a furor over toy safety.

Looking for Answers

“The ‘toxic toy’ issue really exposed holes in safety testing procedures,” says Sally Edwards, a researcher with the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. “The CPSC has responsibility for over fifteen thousand products, but it’s underfunded, understaffed, and dependent on voluntary testing by industry. What’s more, the toy industry is highly competitive; consumers expect low prices, and that forces manufacturers to look for low-cost materials. When you externalize the cost of production, you’re going to pay the price somewhere.”
group shot of toys
Who can you trust? Ramped-up safety inspections in recent months revealed that even trusted brands of toys could contain potentially unsafe levels of lead. Many experts cite the shifting of manufacturing overseas—which makes monitoring more difficult—as a reason why hazardous materials are turning up in consumer products.

Years ago, most toys sold in the United States were produced domestically. Now, 87% are produced abroad, according to Santa’s Sweatshop: “Made in D.C.” with Bad Trade Policy, a December 2007 report issued by the nonprofit Public Citizen, and of those, 74% are manufactured in China, where it would seem lead paint is used plentifully. A study led by Scott Clark, a professor of environmental health at the University of Cincinnati, found that 50% of the paint sold in China, India, and Malaysia had lead concentrations 30 times higher than the CPSC standard. That finding was published in Environmental Research in September 2006.

With manufacturing shifting overseas, U.S. toy importers have come to rely increasingly on test results from foreign suppliers. But overseas testing has been problematic for companies to monitor, and growing evidence suggests it’s more sporadic than one might assume. In congressional testimony given on 19 September 2007, Mattel’s chairman and chief executive officer, Robert A. Eckert, conceded that “a few [overseas] vendors, either deliberately or out of carelessness, circumvented our long-established [testing] standards and procedures.” As a result, Mattel wound up with 3 lead paint–triggered toy recalls in 2007.

Jeff Gearhart, campaign director for the Ecology Center, a nonprofit environmental group in Ann Arbor, Michigan, emphasizes that Chinese toys are not the only culprits. The center’s investigations have shown lead-containing toys originate from numerous countries in addition to China, including Canada, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States. “There’s nothing pristine about the U.S.’s regulatory structure or its production practices that would prevent toxic toys from being produced here,” Gearhart says.

Children’s advocates and industry disagree over where the non-DINP phthalates came from. Visit EHP direct to read more or make a comment

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Polish your chrome, rev up your engine and join Autism Speaks in South Florida for the newest ING DIRECT Ride Now event on March 29. Motorcycle riders from various starting points in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties will travel via several routes and converge at the Pompano Race Track in Broward County. Enjoy performances by Riders on the Storm and The Guess Who, as well as a motorcycle fair. Learn more.

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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.

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By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: February 07, 2008
Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

LONDON, Feb. 7 — A community-based case-control study found no relationship between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism spectrum disorders, researchers reported here.

“No difference was detected in the distribution of measles antibody or in measles virus in [autism spectrum disorder] cases and controls whether the children had received the first, second, or both MMR vaccinations,” Gillian Baird, Ph.D., of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and colleagues wrote online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

This study reinforces the findings of two case-control studies published last year and three epidemiological studies published since 1999 that also failed to make any connection between the vaccine and autism spectrum disorders.

Analyzing a cohort of children born from July 1, 1990 through Dec. 31, 1991 in the South Thames region of England, the researchers tested the hypothesis that the MMR vaccine contributed to the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders, “as evidenced by signs of a persistent measles infection or abnormally persistent immune response.”

Using various diagnostic criteria, Dr. Baird’s team recruited 98 children with autism spectrum disorders. They were divided into those with broad disorders (66) and those with narrow autism (32).

The researchers also recruited two control groups. One comprised 52 children with special educational needs but no signs of autism spectrum disorders, and the other, 90 children who were developing normally.

All participants had blood drawn and all had had at least one MMR vaccination.

The researchers tested for a persistent measles infection in peripheral blood mononuclear cells because viral replication occurs here during acute infection and has been reported to contain measles genome in a small number of autistic children. They used three reverse transcriptase PCR assays. Samples were tested to ensure that they were adequate by using a β2 microglobulin housekeeping gene PCR with a sensitivity of 10 genome copies per reaction mixture.

All samples were negative for the first two assays. On one of the assays — the M gene PCR — three samples were reactive for measles virus, with one sample from the narrow autism group containing the C2 strain and two from the normally developing control group containing the D6 strain. All three samples were negative when retested.

The researchers proposed two explanations for the initial positive finding: laboratory cross-contamination or incomplete immunity, which can allow measles virus to be found in asymptomatic people.

Dr. Baird’s team then tested the blood samples for measles IgG antibody with the plaque neutralization test to look for evidence of an abnormal immune response. There was no difference in IgG antibody levels between those with one or two MMR vaccinations (difference=0 log10 (mIU/mL), 95% CI -0.12 to 0.11, P=0.94).

There were no significant differences between the antibody levels in either autism spectrum disorder group or either of the control groups (P=0.13). Differences did not reach statistical significance when those with one or two vaccinations were analyzed separately (P=0.20 and P=0.66, respectively).

The combined control group of special educational needs and normally developing children did not have significantly lower levels of antibodies than those for the narrow autism (P=0.45), broad disorder (P=0.29), or combined autism/broad disorder (P=0.27) groups.

Some level of regression — either the loss of five or more words used communicatively during a three-month period or a regression of words or skills in communication or play behavior — was reported in 23 children in the broad disorders group but antibody levels were not significantly higher than those in the combined control group (P=0.18).

The researchers acknowledged limitations to the study, including the fact that the participants in the normal development control group were not randomly selected.

Also, parents were informed that the study was about MMR vaccination, which may have biased those who signed up to participate.

The researchers noted that only 29% of children with a local diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders received a second MMR vaccination, compared with 50% of those without such a diagnosis, a finding that “is of public health relevance. … This may reflect parental concern about vaccination following a diagnosis of developmental abnormality.”

The study was funded by the Department of Health, the Wellcome Trust, the National Alliance for Autism Research, and Remedi.

Dr. Baird has acted as an expert witness for the diagnosis of autism. Two co-authors have given unpaid advice to lawyers, and another has served as an expert witness, in MMR and MR litigation. Another co-author receives royalties from diagnostic tools used in this study.

Primary source: Archives of Disease in Childhood
Source reference:
Baird G, et al “Measles vaccination and antibody response in autism spectrum disorder” Arch Dis Child 2008; DOI: 10.1136/adc.2007.122937.

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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

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Results of an early study suggest that dairy-free diets and unconventional food preferences could put boys with autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at higher than normal risk for thinner, less dense bones when compared to a group of boys the same age who do not have autism.

The study, by researchers from the National Institutes of Health and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, was published online in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

The researchers believe that boys with autism and ASD are at risk for poor bone development for a number of reasons. These factors are lack of exercise, a reluctance to eat a varied diet, lack of vitamin D, digestive problems, and diets that exclude casein, a protein found in milk and milk products. Dairy products provide a significant source of calcium and vitamin D. Casein-free diets are a controversial treatment thought by some to lessen the symptoms of autism.

Funding for the study was provided by the NIH’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and National Center for Research Resources. The research team that conducted the study was led by Mary L. Hediger, Ph.D., a biological anthropologist in NICHD’s Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research.

“Our results suggest that children with autism and autism spectrum disorder may be at risk for calcium and vitamin D deficiencies,” Dr. Hediger said. “Parents of these children may wish to include a dietitian in their children’s health care team, to ensure that they receive a balanced diet.”

Dr. Hediger stressed that the current study results need to be confirmed by larger studies. Until definitive information is available, however, it would be prudent for parents of children with autism and ASD to include a dietitian in their care, particularly if the children’s diets do not include dairy products or they are not otherwise eating a balanced diet, she said.

Because girls are much less likely to have autism or ASD than are boys, the researchers were unable to enroll a sufficient number of girls within the short time frame of the study to allow them to draw firm conclusions. Dr. Hediger added that if a girl with autism or ASD is not eating diary products or eating a balanced diet, it would be prudent for a dietitian to be included in her health care team.

Autism is a complex brain disorder involving communication and social difficulties as well as repetitive behavior or narrow interests. Autism is often grouped with similar disorders, which are often referred to collectively as autism spectrum disorders. The underlying causes of autism and ASD are unclear. There is no cure for the disorders and treatments are limited.

When the boys were enrolled in the study, the researchers asked the boys’ parents if the boys were taking over-the-counter or prescription medications, were taking any vitamin or mineral supplements, or were on a restricted diet.

During the study, researchers X-rayed the hands of 75 boys between the ages of 4 and 8 years old who had been diagnosed with autism or ASD. The researchers then measured the thickness of the bone located between the knuckle of the index finger and the wrist and compared its development to a standardized reference based on a group of boys without autism.

Dr. Hediger said that the research team measured cortical bone thickness. She added that this procedure was done as a substitute for a conventional bone scan, which measures bone density. Bone density is an indication of bones’ mineral content. Less dense bones may indicate a risk of bone fracture.

The researchers used the measure of bone thickness because many of the boys were unable to remain still long enough for the conventional scan, which requires individuals to lie immobile for an extended period of time. To successfully complete the bone scan, many of the boys would have required sedation — a step the researchers were reluctant to take for an early study.

The hand X-ray, Dr. Hediger explained, offers an approximate indication of bone density. She added, however, that because the researchers were unable to use a conventional bone scan, the results of the current study should be confirmed by additional studies using conventional bone scans.

The investigators found that the bones of the boys with autism were growing longer but were not thickening at a normal rate. During normal bone development, material from inside the bone is transferred to the outside of the bone, increasing thickness, while at the same time, the bones are also growing longer.

At 5 or 6 years of age, the bones of the autistic boys were significantly thinner than the bones of boys without autism and the difference in bone thickness became even greater at ages 7 and 8.

The bone thinning was particularly notable because the boys with autism and ASD were heavier than average and would therefore be expected to have thicker bones.

The researchers do not know for certain why the boys had thinner than normal bones. A possible explanation is lack of calcium and vitamin D in their diets. Dr. Hediger explained that a deficiency of these important nutrients in the boys’ diets could result from a variety of causes. Many children with autism, she said, have aversions to certain foods. Some will insist on eating the same foods nearly every day, to the exclusion of other foods. So while they may consume enough calories to meet their needs — or even more calories than they need — they may lack certain nutrients, like calcium and vitamin D.

Other children with autism may have digestive problems which interfere with the absorption of nutrients. Moreover, many children with autism remain indoors because they require supervision during outdoor activity. Lack of exercise hinders proper bone development, she said. Similarly, if children remain indoors and are not exposed to sunlight, they may not make enough vitamin D, which is needed to process calcium into bones.

The boys in the study who were on a casein-free diet had the thinnest bones. In fact, the 9 boys who were on a casein-free diet had bones that were 20 percent thinner than normal for children their age. Boys who were not on a casein-free diet showed a 10 percent decrease in bone thickness when compared to boys with normal bone development.

The study authors wrote that bone development of children on casein-free diets should be monitored very carefully. They noted that studies of casein-free diets had not proven the diets to be effective in treating the symptoms of autism or ASD.

Only 9 boys on casein-free diets were available to participate in the study, Dr. Hediger said. When conducting a scientific study, it’s easier to obtain statistically valid results by studying a larger number of individuals than with a smaller number of individuals. However, the dramatic difference in the boys’ bone thickness when they were either on a casein-free diet or an unrestricted diet and when compared to normally developing bones strongly suggest that the bone thinning the researchers observed was statistically valid.

The researchers recommended that larger studies be conducted to confirm their results.

Until those studies can be conducted, Dr. Hediger offered the following advice: “Our study shows that it couldn’t hurt — and would probably help — if parents of children with autism or autism spectrum disorder consulted with a dietitian during their children’s routine medical care to make sure that their diets are balanced.”

General information about autism and ASD is available from the NICHD’s Web site, at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/autism/overview/index.cfm.

The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute’s Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation’s Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

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Controversial Preservative Doesn’t Have Time to Build Up in Babies’ Bodies

“Though it’s reassuring to affirm that these immunizations have always been safe, our findings really have greater implications for world health.”

February’s issue of Pediatrics offers another reason to rethink blaming the spike in autism diagnoses on thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative routinely used in several childhood vaccines until the late ‘90s.

New research from the University of Rochester suggests that infants’ bodies expel the thimerosal mercury much faster than once thought – thereby leaving little chance for a progressive building up of the toxic metal. This debunks the myth, believed by some parents and some pediatricians, that the gauntlet of thimerosal-containing shots many infants received in the 1990s – when the average number of vaccines kids received increased sharply – had put them at risk for developmental disorders.

“Thimerosal has been used for decades, but the surge in vaccinations caused fear that possible accumulations of ethyl mercury, the kind in thimerosal, might exceed safe levels – at least, when based on the stringent risk guidelines applied to its better-understood chemical cousin, methyl mercury, which is associated with eating fish,” said Michael Pichichero, M.D., professor of Microbiology/Immunology, Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Rochester and the study’s main author.

But scientists are learning that the two mercury species actually behave quite differently. In fact, the body rids the kind found in thimerosal more that 10 times faster than it removes the kind one might encounter in a Friday night fish fry.

In the Rochester study, 216 infants from R. Gutierrez Children’s Hospital (in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where thimerosal is still routinely used in vaccines) were divided into three age groups to have their blood-mercury levels tested both before and after shots were administered at either their newborn, 2- or 6-month checkup. Researchers learned that, in all three age groups, the half-life of ethyl mercury in the blood – or, the time it takes for the body to dispose of half the mercury, and then another half, and so on – was measured to be 3.7 days. That’s a far cry from the blood half-life of methyl mercury, which is 44 days.

“Until recently, that longer half-life was assumed to be the rule for both types of mercury. Now it’s obvious that ethyl mercury’s short half-life prevents toxic build-up from occurring. It’s just gone too fast,” Pichichero said.

To illustrate, researchers cite that infants in the 6-month-old group – who, in their lifetimes, had encountered more total ethyl mercury that any other group studied – still had the same pre-vaccination blood-mercury levels before their checkups as most 2-month-olds had before theirs. This suggests that, before each round of shots, the mercury has plenty of time to be cleared.

While the study was not specifically designed to assess the toxicity of thimerosal, it does provide data helpful for assessing related risk — in light of the short blood half-life of ethyl mercury. Moreover, the study also showed that ethyl mercury was nearly undetectable in urine samples; instead, it seemed that most of it was eliminated via stools. That’s good, because mercury in large amounts is toxic to kidneys – yet in the study sample, there was no evidence suggesting any harm to renal tissues.

These findings come in the wake of recent news from the California Department of Health, which reported last month that autism rates continue to mushroom in spite of the widespread removal of thimerosal from most U.S. childhood vaccines in 2001, though it continues to be used in vaccines used elsewhere in the world.

Thimerosal, hailed for its bacteria-killing properties, has been a vaccine staple ingredient since the 1930s. But when the Environmental Protection Agency announced in 1999 that the cumulative exposure children typically received in vaccines might exceed a safe level for intake based on methyl mercury statistics (even this “safe level” was placed ten times lower than the amount held to pose real risk), public health officials, together with the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommended its removal – though still without concrete evidence of harm. The decision demanded a new formulation be created and administered — at a higher cost.

“Though it’s reassuring to affirm that these immunizations have always been safe, our findings really have greater implications for world health,” Pichichero said. “Replacing the thimerosal in vaccines globally would put these vaccines beyond what the world community could afford for its children. It’s a relief we haven’t cause to do that.”

Pichichero has served as consultant to the World Health Organization, and his research has held considerable weight in the WHO decision to continue using thimerosal in vaccines administered in nations outside the United States.

In the past, Pichichero has also served as a consultant to vaccine manufacturers including GSK Biologicals, sanofi pasteur, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and MedImmune.

This research was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. It was performed in conjunction with investigators Angela Gentile, M.D, Norberto Giglio, M.D., and Veronica Umido, M.D., of R. Gutierrez Children’s Hospital in Buenos Aires; Carlos Gotelli, Ph.D., and Mariano Gotelli, Ph.D., of the Center of Toxicology Research in Buenos Aires; Lihan Yan, M.S., of EMMES Corp in Rockville, Maryland; and Thomas Clarkson, Ph.D., Elsa Cernichiari, M.S., Grazyna Zareba, Ph.D., and John Treanor, M.D., of the University of Rochester.
For more media inquiries, contact:
Becky Jones
(585) 275-8490
rebecca_jones@urmc.rochester.edu

direct link to story – http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/pr/news/story.cfm?id=1848

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As Posted on http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/?p=687  by Brett.

Driving yesterday evening, I passed a bus stop with a United Way advertisement with the slogan, “Autism is a trait, not a debilitation.” Obviously, when I made my way back online, I tried to find out a bit more about this United Way Campaign.

Through Google, I found a link to the campaign on the United Way website. Unfortunately, when I tried the link I received a 404 error. Hopefully it comes back up soon.

There was also a link to a story in the Belleville (Illinois) News-Democrat about the spokesman of the campaign, Tyrin Rencher (pictured at right).

He is on posters, pamphlets and television screens all around the St. Louis region as one of the many faces of the United Way fundraising campaign this season.Most people probably recognize Tyrin Rencher as the smiling young man in a red apron standing in the kitchen at Pasta Fare in Fairview Heights beneath the slogan: “Autism is a trait, not a debilitation.”

Rencher, 27, of East St. Louis, has autism. He was diagnosed with autism at 2 1/2 years old and was enrolled in the Illinois Center for Autism in Fairview Heights when he was 3. He still receives services through the organization and was selected as a spokesman for the United Way campaign this year and as a spokesman for the Illinois Center for Autism.

The article also gives a bit of bit of Tyrin’s history and what he’s up to today (besides being a “celebrity”):
He is currently a junior at the University of Missouri St. Louis, where he is working toward a degree in business administration.When talking to Rencher, a person quickly learns that he’s a man determined to fulfill his dreams, in spite of the autism, and he is an example of the slogan over his head on the United Way posters.

“A lot of the stuff I planned is coming true and I’m speechless that it is all happening,” he said. “I want to open up a restaurant with my degree. Something small, like (Pasta Fare.)”

He is thankful the Illinois Center of Autism was around when he was diagnosed when he was a toddler. READ MORE of this fascinating and encouraging story and additional links.

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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..

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Nerve Cell Gene Linked to Autism
By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today
Published: January 10, 2008
Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

BALTIMORE, Jan. 10 — The risk for autism appears to increase in the presence of a common genetic variation on chromosome seven, especially when the condition is inherited from the mother, researchers here said.

The variant is a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) that’s found in 36% of the alleles of chromosome seven, according to Aravinda Chakravarti, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins, and colleagues.

Dubbed rs7794745, the variant lies within a gene called contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2), Dr. Chakravarti and colleagues reported online in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

The gene, which encodes a protein involved in nervous system cellular interactions, had previously been associated with other neurological disorders, including cortical dysplasia-focal epilepsy and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Also, two other papers in the journal reported links between autism and CNTNAP2. The reports come a day after researchers linked errors on chromosome 16 to the disorder. (See: Chromosome 16 Mutations Linked to Autism)

“CNTNAP2 is an excellent candidate gene for autism,” Dr. Chakravarti said.

“It encodes a protein that’s known to mediate interactions between brain cells and that appears to enable a crucial aspect of brain-cell development,” he added. “A gene variant that altered either of these activities could have significant impact.”

In a cohort of 72 families with multiple affected children — a total of 148 affected offspring and 292 other family members — the researchers performed a genome-wide scan for significant associations.

To reduce variation in the volunteers, the researchers required that the affected offspring meet a strict criterion of autism, rather than the broader “autism spectrum disorder.”

The gene scan found that a substitution of thymine for adenine at rs7794745 was significantly more common among those with autism (at P<2.14×10-5).

To confirm the finding, the researchers performed a separate genome-wide scan of 1,295 parent-child trios — this time with a broader definition of autism — and again found a significant over-transmission of the T allele (P<0.005) among the affected offspring.

Given the marked sex difference in autism — four times as many boys as girls are affected — the researchers also looked at which parent contributes the T allele to an autistic child.

The analysis found that the transmission frequency of the paternal T allele was 0.53 and the frequency of transmission of the maternal allele was 0.61, a difference that was significant at P<0.001, Dr. Chakravarti and colleagues said.

“This is a common variant,” Dr. Chakravarti said. “People inherit it all the time. Our finding that it’s associated with autism more often when it’s inherited from mothers is intriguing, but needs to be replicated.”

Meanwhile, using a language-based criterion — age at first word — another group of researchers found that a separate region of CNTNAP2 was associated with autism.

Daniel Geschwind, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of California at Los Angeles, and colleagues found that a SNP dubbed rs2710102 was significantly associated (P<0.028) with a delayed onset of speech.

In another study, researchers led by Matthew State, M.D., Ph.D., of Yale, found several rare variants in CNTNAP2 that appeared to be linked to autism.

Taken together, the three studies provide “unequivocal evidence” that disrupting CNTNAP2 leads to a subtype of autism spectrum disorder, said Dietrich Stephan, Ph.D., of the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix, in an accompanying commentary.

It’s now reasonable to say that people with autism combined with mutations in CNTNAP2 have “type 1 autism,” Dr. Stephan said.

The study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Chakravarti did not report any potential conflicts.

Primary source: American Journal of Human Genetics
Source reference:
Arking DE, et al “A common genetic variant in the neurexin superfamily member CNTNAP2 increases familial risk of autism” Am J Hum Gen 2008; DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2007.09.015.

Additional source: American Journal of Human Genetics
Source reference:
Stephan D, “Unraveling autism” Am J Hum Gen 2008; DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2007.12.003.

Additional source: American Journal of Human Genetics
Source reference:
Alarcon M, et al “Linkage, association, and gene-expression analyses identify CNTNAP2 as an autism-susceptibility gene” Am J Hum Gen 2008; DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2007.09.005.

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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..

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Yeah, I know what does this have to do with Autism you ask, well not much except that Foundations like “LEO” are a good source for funding charity’s that focus on Autism related diseases. We must be diligent in contacting organizations such as the LEO Foundation so we can channel funds to our worthy cause and inquire about employer matching grants too. Autism research needs funding, I know I could have used a few hundred thousand to help my son. So now I will be better prepared and form the trust needed to solicit funds to help my son, and those locally that are inflicted with Autism- by no choice of their own.

Leo Foundation seeks to battle homelessness in Northern States:

The Leo Foundation, a Palm Beach based charitable organization has announced an aggressive plan today to greatly reduce homelessness in several states. The foundation has announced today that Sisemen Development LLC, a company led by Palm Beach developer Thanos Papalexis has donated 400 acres of land and pledged up to $5m (for construction purposes) to the foundation. This land and monies shall be used to create a “Chance Compound”, a small townlike community to include medical facilities, accommodations, education and training centers, physical and mental training facilities, entertainment facilities, counseling and placement facilities and many other similar amenities and facilities tailored to helping homeless people regain control of their lives. The first phase of this compound is estimated to cost $20m which will be raised by The Leo Foundations various charitable events and in conjunction with other similar charitable organizations. The facility will seek out homeless persons predominantly from Northern States where adverse Winter weather conditions make their misfortune infinitely harder to endure and they will be transported to the facility in Texas. Once there, they will have a six month period whereby they will be accommodated and given every facility to regain their physical and mental strength, given vocational training to assist in obtaining gainful employment and they will be given the opportunity to work at the compound during their time their. Eventually at the end of their time at the compound, they will be placed in gainful employment and reintroduced into their chosen vocation. During a recent interview, Mr. Zurak Renny, President of the Foundation stated “ During a recent trip to Michigan, it dawned on me that being homeless in Florida or California is one thing but being homeless in Michigan, Illinois, or any other similar state has the added complication of harsh weather conditions which truly can beat a persons desire to want to get back on their feet. We therefore decided to try and give these people a chance by bringing them into a new world where they have the facility to regain control of their lives and a second chance to get back on their feet. Thanks to Mr. Papalexis’ enormously generous donation, we are now one great step closer to achieving the first step of the project which is estimated to cost $20m”.

The Foundation is setting up a local office in West Palm Beach ( in a building donated by Mr. Papalexis to the foundation) as a headquarters to manage the development of the project and the various fundraising projects that will begin in Mid 2008.

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By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today
Published: December 19, 2007
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 19 — Altering just one gene allowed researchers here to correct many aspects of fragile X syndrome in mice.

• Fragile X syndrome is the most common heritable form of mental retardation and also the leading identified cause of autism.
• Add that loss of a single gene has been shown to be the basis of the syndrome, but the exact pathogenesis remains unclear.
• Note that this study, conducted in experimental mice, suggests that loss of the fragile X gene allows the product of a second gene to run amok, causing many of the symptoms of the syndrome.

The finding offers the possibility of therapy for the syndrome, which is the most common heritable form of mental retardation and the leading identified cause of autism, according to Mark Bear, Ph.D., of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and colleagues.

The loss of the gene for fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) is known to cause the syndrome, but it hasn’t been clear exactly how, Dr. Bear and colleagues said in the Dec. 20 issue of Neuron.

A series of experiments in mice that lack the equivalent of the fragile X gene appear to show that FMRP acts as a brake on a second protein, a metabotropic glutamate receptor dubbed mGluR5, the researchers said.

Reapplying the brake by reducing the expression of mGluR5 prevented aspects of the syndrome, the researchers said, including a tendency to seizures, altered body growth, and a different pattern of brain structure and function.

The “constellation of findings,” the researchers concluded, implies that “fragile X is a disorder of excess … and these excesses can be corrected by reducing mGluR5.”

Dr. Bear and colleagues experimented with four lineages of mice — wild-type mice, mice lacking FMRP but not mGluR5, mice with FMRP but lacking one of the two mGluR5 alleles, and mice without FMRP and lacking one of the two mGluR5 alleles.

Missing one of the mGluR5 alleles reduced expression of the protein by 50%, the researchers said.

The animals lacking FMRP but with fully functioning mGluR5 (dubbed KO mice) exhibited many of the aspects of fragile X seen in humans with the condition, while those without FMRP but with a lowered expression of mGluR5 (dubbed CR mice) were similar to wild-type.

For example, an increased density of dendritic spines on neurons, the major targets of excitatory synapses in the brain, is associated with fragile X in humans.

Similar abnormal neurons were seen in the KO mice, the researchers said, but not in the CR animals.

The KO mice — whose wild-type ancestors are resistant to seizures — have a tendency to epilepsy-like convulsions in response to certain tones, which is a consequence of the loss of FMRP, the researchers said.

In this study, 72% of the KO animals seized when exposed to the tone, compared with none of the wild-type mice, a difference that was significant at P<0.0001. But the tendency to seizure was significantly attenuated (P=0.028) in the CR mice, the researchers said.

Humans with fragile X show accelerated prepubescent growth and the KO mice also showed a 10% increase in average weight within a few days of weaning, compared with wild-type and CR animals. The differences were significant at P=0.017 and P=0.004, respectively.

The data show “unambiguously” that the two proteins oppose each other, the researchers concluded, and support the idea that many aspects of fragile X are the result of unopposed activation of mGluR5.

Macro-orchidism is also a feature of the fragile X syndrome, however, there was no evidence of an interaction between FMRP and mGluR5 in the control of testicle size in the mice.

Primary source: Neuron
Source reference: Dölen G, et al “Correction of fragile X syndrome in mice” Neuron 2007; 56: 955-62.

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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.

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 Restaurant Gluten Free Food, Great write up from ueat.com

For the Gluten-Averse, a Menu That Works

WORTH THE EFFORT Risotteria’s gluten-free breadsticks are a result of long experimentation.

By JENNIFER ROMOLINI

Published: July 25, 2007

JOSEPH PACE’S rice-centered Risotteria, in Greenwich Village, was never what would be called an experimental restaurant, until he began developing a special gluten-free menu.

CROWD-PLEASERS Risotteria in Greenwich Village is a hub for people who are sensitive to gluten.

It started with a gluten-free cookie. A simple step, it might seem, but gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye, gives baked goods elasticity. Without it, cakes, breads and pastries can be leaden, dry and crumbly.

“It took more than 40 dozen batches,” he said. “My background in organic chemistry definitely helped.”

The work paid off. Risotteria is a nationally known hub for people with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder affecting about 1 in 100 Americans that can cause serious problems if even a bit of gluten is ingested.

Visitors frequently arrive at the restaurant straight from the airport, suitcases in tow, and dinner can seem like a celiac support group as regulars swivel in their chairs to talk about their hunt for food they can eat.

On a recent Tuesday night at Mr. Pace’s restaurant a preppy couple asked the people at the next table about the Sicilian pizza they were trying from the specials list. Farther down the packed, narrow space, diners exchanged guidebooks to gluten-free restaurants, and compliments flew around the room about the breadsticks; the light beer, made from sorghum instead of malted barley; and the rich brownies and cookies.

At the door a leather-jacketed couple discussed menu options and waited impatiently to get in.

“Are you going to get the gluten-free pizza?” the woman asked.

“Of course,” her companion replied. “You have to understand, this is like a chance of a lifetime for me.”

Like Mr. Pace, a growing number of restaurateurs have decided it’s worth catering to the gluten-free crowd. Chains like Outback Steakhouse and P. F. Chang’s now offer dishes without gluten.

New bakeries and pizzerias have popped up all over New York City, and restaurants that were already celiac-friendly have expanded their menus. There’s vegan at Candle 79, fusion food at Asia de Cuba, Italian at Sambuca, Greek at Gus’ Place and comfort food at Peters’ Gourmet Diner — all gluten-free.

Gluten-averse diners avidly track such sympathetic places with online help from glutenfreerestaurants.org and the tribe of celiac blogs that include, in New York, Gluten-free NYC (glutenfreenyc.blogspot.com), Gluten Free Guide (glutenguide.blogspot.com) and Please Don’t Pass the Nuts (allergicgirl.blogspot.com). Aside from safe food, they can find a camaraderie that’s unusual on New York’s jaded dining scene.

The pleasures of dining out are often denied people who avoid gluten because they are sensitive to it or have celiac disease. Menus are a source of anxiety and self-consciousness because — besides its presence in obvious culprits like bread, sauce thickeners, pasta and desserts — gluten also lurks in soy sauce, brewer’s yeast, bourbon, vegetable starch, vinegars, salad dressings, processed cheeses and some spices.

Creating a gluten-free menu is more difficult than, say, offering vegetarian options at a steakhouse. Chefs have to master special techniques and follow stringent regulations. Mr. Pace said each menu item — pizza, focaccia, breadsticks, cakes — took six months to develop, with the ingredients costing nearly five times as much as conventional ones.
Baking can be tricky without gluten, which creates a lattice of air pockets that binds doughs and batters while giving a moist, supple texture. To overcome the challenge, chefs turn to additives like xanthan gum to bind the flour together, guar gum to thicken and stabilize doughs and batters, and gelatin powder to moisten them. Breads are baked at very high temperatures to keep crusts crisp and insides soft.

While gluten-free dining is spreading in the United States, Dr. Peter H. R. Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, said it is more common elsewhere in the world.

“In Buenos Aires,” Dr. Green said, “you’d have little trouble getting a gluten-free ice cream cone. In Helsinki you can order a gluten-free Big Mac at McDonald’s. In Dublin most menus are clearly marked ‘Safe for celiacs.’ This is the way to live a normal existence with this disease. In a city as big as New York, for there to be so few safe restaurants, that’s just really bad.”

Cooking gluten-free isn’t an entirely altruistic act by chefs. A new base of customers can attract big business to a fledging location or revive an established spot.

“I’ve definitely seen a spike in business,” said Anthony Avellino, owner of Bistango, a 16-year-old Italian restaurant in Murray Hill. Mr. Avellino recently added dishes made with Tinkyada brown rice pasta, and dishes from Everybody Eats bakery in Brooklyn like celiac-safe bruschetta, served on gluten-free bread, and after-dinner biscotti. “When you’re a neighborhood place like we are, it’s always nice to see new customers and fresh faces,” he said.

In February Gourmet Land, a Chinese restaurant on the Upper East Side, opened with a menu including a separate 50-item gluten-free listing with items like soy sauce and other sauces made without wheat, crisp cheng du chicken breaded with cornstarch instead of flour, and gluten-free egg rolls rolled in … well, egg. The place has been packed nearly every night since its opening, no small feat for a neighborhood Chinese restaurant in Manhattan. Many customers, of course, have celiac disease.

http://ueat.biz/?p=135

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A website which lists the best places to live for those with Autism and in need of services, tolerance, acceptance and more. Its been a challenge to find good information on this topic. If you know of a good resource for this, please let us know. Is there a Best Place at all?If you want to share tips on where you live or in general, please post comments or send an email.

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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=

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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.

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As you may know already, treating Autism has become big business. Expensive therapy’s, Special diets, Vitamin supplements, ABA, Chelation have become new additions to most affected family’s budgets and vocabulary, yet unlocking the mystery that is Autism seems no closer than it did 1, 5, or even 10 years ago.
Parents who receive the dreaded news are caught in the middle of the skeptical medical establishment and new therapy’s which seem to greatly improve some and have no affect at all on others. If you are affected by Autism or know someone who is, then you know the burden this can be. You should Know , that although it seems like you are alone at times, you are not!
Today 1 in 150 children born are likely to be diagnosed with Autism. Autism affects everybody from Dan Marino to Doug Flutie to Sylvester Stallone to you and I. This site is an opportunity to be part of a community involved with finding a Cure for Autism Now and sharing of information and resources. Lets unlock the mystery and cure this horrible disease. We are Not Affiliated with unlockingautism.com, but that is a great site too to check out.

For more information, contact info@unlockautism.com

The content and links presented on this page are for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as medical, legal, financial or any other type of advice. Any articles or content presented here are the opinions of the author and have not been reviewed for accuracy. We assume no responsibility for the use of this page or the information and links contained herein.

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By Neil Osterweil, Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco MADISON, Wis., Sept. 27 –

Symptoms of autism, including maladaptive behaviors and impaired social interactions, appear to lessen over time in a significant percentage of patients. Action Points In a study of 241 adolescents and adults here and in Massachusetts with autism spectrum disorders, who were followed for nearly five years, many had stable symptoms, but a greater percentage had declines in their levels of autistic symptoms, reported Paul T. Shattuck, Ph.D., M.S.S.W., now at Washington University in St. Louis. But even with improvement, most of the patients in their sample remained seriously impaired, pointing to a need for continued intervention, the investigators wrote in the October issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

“On average, people are getting better,” said Dr. Shattuck. “It is a hopeful finding, but the fact remains that those with severe autism will depend on others for their everyday needs and care for the rest of their lives.” The investigators conducted a study to get a better grasp on the prevalence of autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviors among teens and adults with autism spectrum disorders from, and to determine predictors of change over time. The patients in the community sample were 10 or older at enrollment, had received a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (autistic disorder, Asperger disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified), and to have had a researcher-administered Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). Data were collected every 18 months via two- to three-hour interviews with family members. The 241 patients were followed from baseline through fourth follow-up, at 4.5 years. The patients ranged from 10 to 52 years at baseline (mean 22, + 9.7); two-thirds of the patients ranged from 10 to 21. Three-fourths of the patients were male.

About two-thirds of the patients (68.5%) also had a diagnosis of mental retardation. The authors saw decreases over time in the broad domains of communication, social reciprocity, and repetitive behaviors and stereotyped interests. They looked at 32 specific symptoms within those domains. They also evaluated broader maladaptive behaviors not specific to autism, such as aggression and self-injury. They found that “for all major symptoms, the percentage of people who improved was always greater than the percentage who worsened,” Dr. Shattuck said. “If there was significant symptom change over time, it was always in the direction of improvement, though there was always a group in the middle that showed no change. The mean never went down.” In terms of percentages, the largest changes were decreases in repetitive behaviors and stereotyped interests. For example, there was an 18.3% decrease in mean scale scores for circumscribed interests, a 15.8% decline in unusual preoccupations, and a 15.8% decline in unusual sensory interests.

Other areas of change included decreased deficits in reciprocal conversations, inappropriate questions or statements, direct gaze, and smiling in social situations. Nonverbal communication impairments improved in 26.1% of all patients in the sample, stayed the same in 54.4%, and worsened in 19.5%. Verbal communication impairments in the 179 patients who were verbal at baseline improved in 51.4%, remained unchanged in 22.9%, and deteriorated in 25.7%. Impairments in social reciprocity among all 241 patients improved in 32.0%, were unchanged in 53.5%, and got worse in 14.5%. Repetitive behaviors and stereotyped interests, again in all 241 patients, improved in 58.5%., stayed the same in 24.1%, and worsened in 17.4%. They also found that for seven of eight maladaptive behaviors there was significant decrease over time. The seven behaviors were unusual or repetitive habits, withdrawal or inattentive behavior, hurtful to self, hurtful to others, destructive to property, socially offensive behaviors, and uncooperative behavior. For the eighth — disruptive behavior — there was a trend toward decrease, but this was not significant. “Whereas the overall trend across measures was one of improvement, approximately half of the sample remained stable between [baseline] and [most recent follow-up] with respect to nonverbal communication impairments, impairments in social reciprocity, and all measures of maladaptive behaviors,” the authors wrote.

“Although worsening of symptoms was observed in only a small minority of sample members, identification of factors differentiating those whose symptoms and maladaptive behaviors worsened is warranted in future research.” The authors noted that autism treatment services are more widely available for children than for teens and adults, but the analysis indicates that both symptoms and behaviors can improve among older patients with autism spectrum disorders as well. “Over time, patterns of improvement represent the product of interactions among the autism spectrum disorder genotype, the autism spectrum disorder behavioral phenotype, and the environment, including the family environment, treatments, and interventions,” they wrote. They also cautioned against reduction or withdrawal of services from older patients with autism spectrum disorder “under the false assumption that this population’s impairments will spontaneously remit to a point where assistance and supervision is not required.” The authors acknowledged that the study was limited by its relatively short follow-up and by the use of parent-guardian reports rather than direct observation. The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. No authors’ conflicts of interest were reported.

Primary source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Source reference: Shattuck PT et al. “Change in Autism Symptoms and Maladaptive Behaviors in Adolescents and Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.” J Autism Dev Disord DOI: 10.1007/s10803-006-0307-7.

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CINCINNATI, Sept. 4 — Almost 9% of U.S. children ages 8 to 15 meet standard diagnostic criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but less than half of them receive treatment. Action Points * Explain to interested parents that this study suggests that less than half of the 2.4 million children ages 8 to 15 who meet standard diagnostic criteria for ADHD receive treatment. * Note that there are also ADHD prevalence discrepancies between racial and ethnic groups and according to socioeconomic status. Only 47.9% of the 2.4 million who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) criteria for ADHD had reportedly had their conditions diagnosed by a health care professional or been treated with medication, according to a report in the September issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

A research team led by Tanya E. Froehlich, M.D., of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center did a cross-sectional phone survey of the parents or caregivers of 3,082 eight- to 15-year old children who were participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Survey respondents provided information about each child’s ADHD symptoms between 2001 and 2004. They also provided sociodemographic information and information about whether the child had ever been diagnosed with ADHD or taken medicine to treat the disorder.

The researchers found that 8.7% (95% CI; 7.3%-10.1%) met the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in the year before the survey took place. An additional 3.3% of children did not meet the criteria, but had a parent-reported prior diagnosis and had been treated with an ADHD medication at some point during the previous year. The latter group, however, was not included in the main analysis. More boys than girls met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, 11.8% versus 5.4%, respectively (P<0.001), but girls were less likely than boys to have had the disorder recognized. There were also discrepancies in ADHD rates by race and ethnicity. Non-Hispanic white children were more likely to meet criteria for ADHD than were Mexican-American children or children of other races/ethnicities, the study showed. These findings held in both bivariate and multivariate analyses.

The study authors could not explain why Mexican-American children had lower rates of ADHD, but they speculate that this may be related to “differences in the prevalence of causal risk factors, genetic susceptibility, and/or rates of reporting ADHD symptoms across cultures.” Of the children who met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, 38.8% had received medication to treat inattention, hyperactivity, or overactivity in the prior year and 32.0% had been taking medication for most of that year. Regular medication use was more likely to be reported for older children than younger ones, the study showed. Money also mattered in the new study. Children in the poorest quintile were more likely than those in the wealthiest quintile to have been diagnosed with ADHD (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] for PIR, first quintile vs fifth quintile, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.4-3.9). “Reasons for the increased likelihood of ADHD in poorer children may include the elevated prevalence of ADHD risk factors (i.e., premature birth and in utero or childhood exposures to toxic substances) in this group,” the study authors write. “In addition, given the high heritability of ADHD and its negative impact on social, academic and career outcomes, it is plausible that families with ADHD may cluster within the lower socioeconomic strata.” Although poor children were more likely to have ADHD, the poorest children were three to five times less likely to consistently receive medication when compared with their counterparts in other income groups, the researchers noted.

This finding “warrants further investigation and possible intervention to ensure that all children with ADHD have equitable access to treatment when appropriate,” the authors conclude.

The researchers also analyzed ADHD by subtypes. Specifically, 4.4% of the children met the criteria for ADHD-1A, 2.2% for ADHD-CT and 3.0% for ADHD-HI. The poorest children were more likely to have ADHD-HI than their wealthier counterparts (AOR for PIR, first vs fifth quintile, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.2-8.3). In addition, African Americans and Mexican Americans were less likely to have ADHD-1A, compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts, the study showed. None of the study authors reported any financial conflicts.

The study was funded by an Ambulatory Pediatrics Association Young Investigator Grant, a National Research Service Award grant, and grants from the NIH and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Additional ADHD/ADD Coverage Additional source: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine Source reference: Froehlich TE, “Prevalence, Recognition, and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in a National Sample of US Children” Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007; 161(9): 857-864.

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By Chris Higbee, VP Marketing, Two Little Hands Productions

((I can tell you first hand, we owe a ton of gratitude to Signing Time, it has proven to be one of the top 2 most effective things to stimulate speech and communication))

A recent study out of the University of Washington written by Dmitri A. Christakis and Frederick J. Zimmerman suggests children’s educational videos may do more harm than good. The press release announcing the publication of the study in the Journal of Pediatrics specifically calls out Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby as ineffective. However, the press release and the study irresponsibly ignore the fact that the children’s educational programming market is comprised of vastly different products, which target different audiences and espouse different goals.

As a parent, I definitely understand the medical and scholarly communities’ concerns with overexposing our children to the potential pitfalls of television. Commercials. Sedentary viewing. The alienation of children from the family. The development of inappropriate habits. And I don’t necessarily disagree with Zimmerman and Christakis when they infer that unsupervised and non-interactive viewing can be counterproductive and keep children from reaching their full learning potential.

However, as a developer of children’s educational programming, I take issue with the idea that it’s all the same, causing readers to create incorrect and unfair associations between programs as a result. Here at Two Little Hands Productions, we receive dozens of letters and e-mails each day from our customers expressing their gratitude and sharing their success stories of how their children have grown because of Signing Time. A majority of these letters describe how children of all abilities have overcome language development problems as a result of Signing Time. Parents are often also pleasantly surprised to discover the positive effects of Signing Time on bonding and their personal relationship with their children due to its interactive nature. This anecdotal evidence along with scholarly research on sign language as a communication development device and on audio-visual learning strongly support our belief that certain types of educational content, are best suited to a video format when supervised and watched in moderation; sign language is one of those.

Sign language is a three-dimensional language. While it can be learned from books, the best way to learn sign language is to see it in motion. High quality live instruction is the best method for learning sign language, but video is also an ideal format. In fact, video or television provide something that live instruction cannot; a cost-effective and ubiquitous means of distributing it to children and adults who are interested in learning it but cannot afford or find live instruction. Additionally, learning aids such as music, animation, mnemonics, and interactive activities can be incorporated in to a video or television program much easier and more cost effectively than live instruction. And, as any early childhood professional will tell you, these types of aids have the greatest possible effect on the widest possible audience of children with varied learning styles and abilities. Additionally, for those families and educators who prefer printed media, Signing Time provides board books and flashcards that can be used on their own or supplement the instruction provided on the videos.

Another key teaching aid is interactivity. Children not only internalize concepts better, but they develop stronger communication and interpersonal bonds as they share those concepts with family and friends. Sign language provides a perfect medium for this and Signing Time is designed with this type of interactivity in mind. A child can learn sign language on his own, but what’s the point if he has no one to sign with? As with all forms of useful communication, sign language is a sort of positive epidemic. If it’s useful, it gets spread. Even if a child watches Signing Time alone, she will spread sign language directly by teaching it to friends and family, or inadvertently as curious friends and family see her using it.

Signing Time is designed for co-viewing. Signing Time is meant to be watched together by children and their parents. Even when watched separately, parents and children will use what they’ve learned from Signing Time away from the television to communicate and bond.

Signing Time was designed to teach children AND their families. This includes mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, and caregivers. In fact, Two Little Hands Co-Founder, Rachel Coleman has said regarding the founding of the company “I was tired of my dad, after three years, asking what the sign for ‘Grandpa’ was. When we originally set out to create Signing Time our goal was simple; teach Dad (and others who interacted with my daughter Leah, who is deaf) to sign.” Through the use of original music, clever animation and teaching a fun and engaging language, Signing Time has steered clear of the pitfalls of many other children’s educational programs that keep parents from watching with their kids; it’s not boring or annoying and most importantly creates an environment where children and parents learn together. The other day, I received a call from a convent in Canada where one of the nuns is deaf and the others wanted to learn sign language so they could communicate with her. One of them had seen Signing Time at a childcare center in which she was volunteering and ended up liking it so much, she told the convent and they purchased our entire DVD library over dozens of adult-oriented sign language programs, because it was fun to watch.

Signing Time is being used by state and federal education programs. Many preschools and elementary schools around the country are incorporating sign language into their regular curriculum because it is such an effective tool with young children. A large number have incorporated Signing Time in to this curriculum. Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada has made it part of their ready to learn program for pre through K, while the Hawaii state legislature has put out an official declaration that Signing Time should be considered when incorporating sign language in to any state-approved special education program (http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessioncurrent/Bills/HCR223_.htm). Additionally, we receive emails and letters from families who have been referred to Signing Time by their pediatricians and speech and language pathologists. An example follows:

“I am a Speech-Language Pathologist and have been recommending these videos to all of my clients. Every single one has loved it! I do too! These are the best videos—entertaining, educational, and fun! I stop people on the street to tell them about Signing Time!”

-Laurie Grief
Mesa, AZ

The benefits of Sign Language as an educational aid are well documented by respected scholars. Drs. Joseph Garcia, Linda Acredolo, Susan Goodwyn, Marylin Daniels and many other highly respected researchers have documented the benefits of signing with hearing children. In fact, Dr. William Sears, noted author of “The Baby Book” has said of Signing Time, “We heartily recommend Signing Time books and videos – not only because they are particularly effective and fun, but because they encourage family bonding through communication at an early age.” While this is not the place to cite all of the scholarly work that shows what a powerful influence for good a television show or video series such as Signing Time can be—suffice it to say that overwhelmingly supportive research is out there and can be easily found in any university or public library. However, as with any thing we assign value to, Signing Time’s only real value lies in whether it has been effective in meeting the needs of its viewers. As mentioned before, we are overwhelmed with customer letters affirming that we have, but the best measure of our effectiveness, and this may seem very commercial for the scholars out there, but it is whether customers continue to demand it enough to keep Two Little Hands in business.

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By Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
August 30, 2007
add your knowledge 1 Add Your Knowledge™ Post     Additional Autism Coverage

BRISTOL, England, Aug. 30 — Autistic children have an impaired ability to place unfamiliar faces in memory, possibly explaining some of the social difficulties associated with the disorder, investigators here concluded.

Keep In Mind

* This study shows that children with autism appear to have a reduced ability to adapt mentally to faces that differ substantially from familiar faces.

* This study suggests that reduced facial recognition abilities might be related to social problems associated with autism.

* Note that the findings are based on a small number of patients.

Specifically, children with autism have difficulty with face identity aftereffect, the ability to fix in memory faces that are polar opposites of familiar faces, Elizabeth Pellicano, Ph.D., of the University of Bristol, and colleagues, reported online and in the September issue of Current Biology.

The human brain seemingly has the ability to encode new faces in a “face space,” Dr. Pellicano explained. Average or typical faces are in the center of the space. More distinctive faces lie toward the periphery, making them easier to distinguish from faces that are closer to average.

In people with normal face recognition abilities, she continued, the brain automatically places a new face in the face space on the basis of deviations from the average.

“The really neat bit is that the precise characteristics of what constitutes an average face are continuously updated based on our experiences in looking at other people,” said Dr. Pellicano.

In the current study, the face identity aftereffect capabilities of 14 high-functioning boys with autism spectrum disorder were compared with those of 15 age- and ability-matched nonautistic boys (mean age about 11 years in both groups).

Scores on standardized tests showed the two groups had similar verbal and nonverbal abilities, but they differed significantly on the Social Communication Questionnaire (P<0.001).

The study participants were introduced to the faces of “Dan” and “Jim,” who were described as “team captains.” The boys then viewed computer-generated faces that resembled Dan or Jim to varying degrees. The two groups of boys demonstrated similar ability to place the new faces on Dan’s or Jim’s team.

The boys then viewed computer-generated faces that had features that were opposite those of Dan or Jim. After viewing these distinctly different faces, the normal boys substantially improved their ability to place faces that resembled Dan or Jim on the correct team. In contrast, the autistic boys showed little improvement in their aftereffect abilities (P<0.05 versus the normal group).

In the group of autistic boys, aftereffect scores had a significant correlation with Social Communication Questionnaire scores (r= -0.60, P<0.05). For the typically developing boys no significant correlation existed between aftereffect and the communication scores.

Dr. Pellicano and colleagues examined a subgroup of nine autistic boys with high social communication scores associated with more symptoms related to socialization, communication, and restrictive/repetitive interests. The boys’ aftereffect was about one-third that of the typically developing boys (P<0.01).

Because the normal and autistic groups demonstrated similar precision for recognizing Dan-like and Jim-like faces, the investigators ruled out poor identification performance or task motivation as the cause of reduced aftereffect in the boys with autism. Moreover, the boys inspected the faces with a similar degree of intensity.

“Reduced attention to the adapting faces could potentially contribute to the weaker aftereffect in autism, and we see the relationship between adaptation and attention as a promising direction for future research,” the authors stated.

Although face-reading difficulties might contribute to the social problems characteristic of autism, an early lack of interest in social phenomena could contribute to development of atypical face-coding mechanisms, they added.

The authors had no disclosures. The study was supported by the Australian Research Council and the Experimental Psychology Society of England.
Additional Autism Coverage

Primary source: Current Biology
Source reference:
Pellicano E et al. “Abnormal adaptive face-coding mechanisms in children with autism spectrum disorder.” Curr Biol 2007; 17: 1508-1512.

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By Neil Osterweil, Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
September 06, 2007

DALLAS, Sept. 6 — Clues into how autism spectrum disorders work may emerge from mice with a mutation that makes them socially awkward but enhances cognitive abilities.

Points to Consider

* The research described here was conducted only in mice, and that it is not known whether the same findings apply to people.

* The genetic mutation the authors described is seen in only a small percentage of people with autism spectrum disorders.

Transgenic mice with a mutation in the gene encoding for neuroligin-3, a synaptic cellular adhesion molecule, showed both social impairment and enhanced spatial learning abilities, a mix typical of some patients with autism, Asperger’s syndrome, or related conditions, reported Thomas C. Südhof, M.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern here, and colleagues.

The behavioral changes the investigators observed in the mice were accompanied by increases of inhibitory synaptic transmission but not excitatory transmission, the authors reported online in Science Express, the rapid online version of Science.

“Our data strongly support the notion that a change in the inhibitory-excitatory balance contributes to the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders,” they wrote.

If it can be shown that the mouse model accurately mimics the pathology of autism, it would suggest the possibility of treating some forms of autism spectrum disorders with therapies that can attenuate inhibitory synaptic transmission, the investigators said.

To see whether autism may be caused by an imbalance in synaptic circuits, the authors bred mice with an R451C-substitution in the gene encoding for neuroligin-3. A related mutation in humans is associated with familial idiopathic autism.

The investigators also bred a line of neuroligin-3 knockout mice for comparison purposes. They found that both murine strains appeared to be physically normal and had normal life spans.

The genetic substitution resulted in about a 90% reduction in neurologin-3 in the forebrain, and the deletion of the gene results in complete absence of the cellular adhesion molecule. However, mice with the R451C-substitution had an increase in the strength of inhibitory synaptic impulses, whereas the knockout mice did not. There were no significant changes in excitatory synaptic transmission.

The investigators then looked at the behaviors of the animals with the gene substitution to see whether the changes in synaptic transmission translated into changes in social behavior.

They found that the R451C-substitution mice were no different from wild-type controls in the time they spent examining a new inanimate object in their cages. But when a new caged adult mouse was introduced, they showed a small but significant decrease in interaction times compared with wild-type mice.

Although the neuroligin-3 deficient mice had social deficits, they appeared to have enhanced spatial memory, taking fewer days to learn the location of the submerged platform in a swim test, and finding the platform location nearly twice as often as controls.

“This combination of electrophysiological and behavioral effects is quite remarkable,” Dr. Südhof said. “It was also significant that these mice did not exhibit any other impairment of nervous system function — there was no abnormal locomotor activity or motor coordination, for example. This was a selective change, with social impairment on the one hand, yet cognitive enhancement on the other.”

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Recently I came across this link on Toys R US. 10 Toys geared towards differently-abled children. Although some may have children who have outgrown these specific toys, it is inspiring to see that Autism Speaks is making strides in creating awareness. I would also add arts and crafts, costumes, sports equipment and cause an effect toys such as , science themed projects, stained glass and shrink dinks. Toys that won’t create compulsiveness or a sense of dependency for the child seem to be one’s which are somewhat dynamic, Tinker Toys, train tracks and other put it together and tear it down items. What do you think?
Check It Out.

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I have to tell you, I’ve been skeptical of plastic for the past 5 years and 9 months. I often look at what was around when I was a kid versus today and it comes down to cell phones, computers and plastic everything. I never drank from a plastic cup as a child and today kids barely know what a glass is. And who knows how many plastic bottles of Poland Spring or Gatorade I have consumed this week alone, let alone the past 15 years or so.

Ask a vet and they will tell you, feed your pet from stainless steel or glass as plastic harbors germs and will cause a rash around the pets mouth. If you ever have had a pet with this problem, you know a switch to a stainless steel or glass bowl and shazaam, the rash disappears rather quickly. So why is it different for humans? Simple, lobbyists who fight for company’s such as DuPont and Union Carbide, who have been poisoning the people of this planet for decades to just make another buck of profit.

Although this report shows there is reason for some concern with BPA to Human Development, it downplays the connection. It should also be noted that the study is based only upon oral contact with the chemical, injections are a much better measure of how it would affect an unborn fetus. Here is a link to the study..

Plastics Chemical of ‘Some Concern’ for Fetal, Child Health
08.08.07, 12:00 AM ET

WEDNESDAY, August 8 (HealthDay News) — Bisphenol A, a chemical found in many plastics and resins, may present some risk to a developing fetus and children, a U.S. government panel concluded Wednesday.

Experts convened by the U.S. Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR), part of the National Toxicology Program, unanimously concluded that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) presents some risk to human development and reproduction.

BPA is chemical used in the production of polycarbonate plastic and several types of resins. It is found in products used everyday such as compact discs, DVDs, baby bottles and other food and drink packaging. It is also commonly found in cars, sports safety equipment and water pipes.

“The panel’s finding means that we cannot dismiss the fact that exposure to this substance may be causing effects on reproductive health,” CERHR Director Michael D. Shelby said.

However, “It’s going to take more research to verify what those effects are,” he said.

Animal experiments have suggested that BPA may mimic the female sex hormone estradiol. The fear has been that exposure to BPA can cause birth defects and developmental problems.

In addition, exposure to BPA has been blamed for a variety of other problems, including cancer, diabetes, obesity and attention deficit disorder.

Exposure to BPA can occur through direct contact or by exposure to food or drink that has been in contact with material containing BPA.

“The conclusions of the expert panel are expressed in levels of concern,” Shelby explained. The lowest level is “negligible concern,” followed by “minimal concern,” then “some concern,” “concern” and then “serious concern,” he said.

The panel found “some concern” that exposure to BPA causes neural and behavioral effects to the fetus. The panel members expressed “minimal concern” that exposure to BPA causes effects to the fetal prostate or that exposure causes an acceleration of puberty, Shelby said.

The panel also said there was “negligible concern” that the chemical causes birth defects and malformations.

However, the panel expressed “some concern” that BPA exposure causes neural and behavioral effects in children, Shelby said. It also said it had “minimal concern” that BPA would cause children to experience accelerations in puberty.

For adults, the panel found “negligible concern” that there would be adverse reproductive effects following exposure to BPA. In addition, it had “minimal concern” for people exposed to BPA at work, Shelby said.

The panel did recommend that studies be done that would remove the uncertainties in some of its conclusions, or raise or lower the level of concern it had expressed, based on the data available, Shelby said.

The committee’s report is not without its critics.

“If I were a committee member, I wouldn’t sign off on this broken report,” said Jennifer Sass, senior scientist for the Health and Environment Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group.

“Harmful effects in laboratory animals exposed to even the low levels of BPA that are commonly found in the blood and urine of Americans include an increase in prostate and breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, reproductive abnormalities, reduced semen quality, recurrent miscarriage, obesity, and neurobehavioral problems similar to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,” she said in a prepared statement.

The biggest problem with the report is the decision to limit the review to oral-dose studies, primarily the industry-sponsored studies, and not injection studies, the council said.

“This means they failed to include evidentiary science of the full range of risks to unborn fetuses, who receive BPA through the contaminated blood circulation, irrespective of the pregnant mothers route of exposure,” the group stated.

Reports from the National Toxicology Program are used by state and federal regulators to establish exposure standards, and are a resource for regulatory agencies to allocate resources toward most effective strategies to protect human health, the council noted.

A chemical industry representative took another view.

“What we saw today was a triumph of solid science,” said Steven Hentges, executive director of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group of the American Chemistry Council, which represents chemical manufacturers. “The panel of experts came up with what is really a very reassuring conclusion on the safety of BPA,” he said.

Hentges believes more research is needed in areas where the panel found “some concern.”

“Based on the science we do not think that additional regulation is needed,” he said. “The products in use today are safe.”

More information

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COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., July 26 – Autism, a developmental disorder, may more likely be carried by mothers and dependent on parental age, according to U.S. researchers.

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Albert Einstein College of Medicine analyzing the incidence of autism found a previously unrecognized pattern pointing to a spontaneous germ-line mutation model of disease acquisition.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates parents, especially women — who acquire the mutation but do not exhibit severe symptoms of the disorder — have a 50 percent chance of passing the mutation on to their children. Sons often show the most severe symptoms.

“The fact that germ-line mutations increase with age places older parents at a higher risk of having children with autism, explaining a pattern that has been recently observed,” study co-author Michael Wigler, of CSHL, said in a statement.

The model proposes two risk classes. One is sporadic or low risk autism — the more common form — caused by spontaneous germ-line mutation. The children, mostly female, who receive such a mutation but do not display the disorder, are the source of the other risk class — high risk families. Boys in high risk families may account for a quarter of autism. according to the study.

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FRAXA Research Foundation is a parent run organization that funds research to find effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for Fragile X. Fragile X is the leading inherited cause of mental retardation and the most common genetic cause of autism.

Fragile X is caused when a gene fails to produce a single protein necessary for normal brain function. There is a 50% chance of inheriting the Fragile X gene when one parent is a carrier. As parents of children with Fragile X, we understand first-hand the stress Chris Benoit and his wife might have been coping with. At birth many children with Fragile X seem normal and are often not diagnosed until two or three years of age when the child fails to meet typical developmental milestones. The initial shock of learning that your child is mentally impaired, followed by the continued emotional and financial strain of finding appropriate schools, child care and therapies can be an overwhelming emotional and financial burden for many families. Some of the symptoms Fragile X can cause are — severe anxiety, impaired learning, debilitating sensory integration problems, very limited (or possibly no) speech, obsessive compulsive behaviors, and even seizures — making day-to-day life extremely challenging. Most children with Fragile X have a normal life expectancy creating an added burden on parents to plan for their child’s future.

FRAXA funds biomedical research, in the US and internationally, aimed at treating and curing Fragile X. Currently FRAXA has numerous treatments for Fragile X in development in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies worldwide. FRAXA’s basic research, like the recently announced therapeutic potential of PAK inhibition, points the way toward innovative drug therapies for Fragile X and related disorders like autism.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, FXS affects 1 in 4,000 males and 1 in 6,000 females of all races and ethnic groups. The prevalence of autism ranges from 1 in 500 to 1 in 166 children. Currently there is no effective treatment for FXS and other types of autism.

FRAXA Research Foundation

http://www.fraxa.org

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To understand the meaning of a conversation, kids automatically do what adults do – besides processing the meaning of words, they unconsciously ‘read’ the expression on a person’s face and listen to their tone of voice, then integrate that information with the context at hand to discern meaning, be it humor, anger, irony or straightforwardness.

Individuals with autism typically don’t do this. They often miss the subtle meanings conveyed by a person’s face and tone of voice, and thus have trouble determining the communicative intent of others. Neuroimaging studies have backed this up, showing that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) – including autism, pervasive developmental disorder and Asperger’s syndrome – show reduced activity in the regions of the brain that respond to such cues.

But what if those brain regions could be trained to respond appropriately” In a report in the current issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry and currently online, UCLA researchers did just that. 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, associate professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and a member of the UCLA Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center. Dapretto co-authored the study with her former graduate student Ting Wang, who is now 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

Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder of development that affects one of every 150 children, impairing communication and social skills. ASDs encompass a broad spectrum of disorders that range from mild to severe.

The authors had two goals in mind with their study. One was to examine the neural circuitry in the brain that underlies the problems ASD children face in interpreting communicative intent. The other was to determine whether explicit instructions to pay attention to facial expressions and tone of voice would elicit more normal patterns of brain activity in these children.

While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), 18 ASD boys between the ages of 7 and 17, as well as a control group of 18 typically developing (TD) boys, viewed cartoon drawings of children in conversational settings while listening to short vignettes that ended with a potentially ironic remark. Researchers found that, compared with the TD control group, the ASD children had reduced activity in two areas of the brain – the medial prefrontal cortex and right superior temporal gyrus. But when the researchers gave both groups explicit instructions to pay attention to the speaker’s facial expression and tone of voice, only the ASD children showed a significant increase in activity in the medial prefrontal cortex.

“The typically developing kids recognized and interpreted these cues automatically when trying to infer if a speaker’s remark was sincere or sarcastic, so their brains were already responding appropriately,” said Dapretto. “But not so with the ASD kids, who did not show activity in this area when specific instructions weren’t provided. This is the first study to show that you can normalize activity in a key region of the so-called ’social brain’ in individuals with autism by simply directing their attention to these important social cues.”

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Other authors of the study included Susan S. Lee and Marian Sigman. The research was funded by the National Alliance for Autism Research, the Cure Autism Now Foundation, the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, and grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

The Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA is an interdisciplinary research and education institute devoted to the understanding of complex human behavior, including the genetic, biological, behavioral and sociocultural underpinnings of normal behavior and the causes and consequences of neuropsychiatric disorders. In addition to conducting fundamental research, the institute faculty seeks to develop effective treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders, improve access to mental health services and shape national health policy regarding neuropsychiatric disorders.

Contact: Mark Wheeler
University of California – Los Angeles

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Next time you lose your car keys and enlist the family to help you search, try a little experiment. After your spouse searches an area, go and look in the same place. It will likely feel strange, even irritating to both of you – and that’s because you may be fighting an ancient, hard-wired, human behaviour pattern.

The behavioural phenomenon is called ‘inhibition of return’ and for our ancient hunter-gatherer ancestors it made a lot of sense. As Dr. Tim Welsh explains, “This behaviour likely developed through evolution to increase search efficiency. Returning to search an area that someone else has already searched doesn’t make a lot of sense from a survival point of view because they’ve either found the food and eaten it, or there’s no food there.”

Inhibition of return has been well-documented over the years, but Welsh is interested in measuring exactly how the actions of another individual affect our own, and whether people with autism react differently than the rest of the population. To test this Welsh, a professor in the Faculties of Kinesiology and Medicine, came up with a unique and elegant experiment that uses some cutting-edge technology.

In Welsh’s set-up, two subjects sit across from each other wearing, liquid crystal goggles. They are told to reach for a lighted target in front of them.

Welsh’s previous work has shown that if we see someone else touching an area, we are much slower to move there, but Welsh wanted to see how much of another person’s actions we need to be aware of, to affect our own. Welsh’s crystal goggles become opaque allowing the subject to see only a fraction of the other person’s movement.

He discovered that as social beings, we are so sensitive to another’s actions that just the suggestion of a movement was enough to trigger the inhibition of return effect.

So what happens when the individual doesn’t really recognize, or can’t recognize the actions of another individual” Sadly this is often the case for people with autism, a complex neurological, developmental disability that affects over 50,000 Canadians. A current theory of autism is that individuals with the disorder have a problem with their mirror neuron system.

“In normal individuals if you see someone throwing a ball, your mind will ‘mirror’ those actions to make it seem as if you are throwing it yourself,” Welsh explains. “The theory is that a person with autism may not be able to mirror the actions of other individuals. So in our experimental set-up you would expect them to be unaffected by the actions of another person and this is exactly what we have found to this point.”

Welsh believes his research will advance our understanding of autism and the mirror neuron system – perhaps leading to more effective intervention and treatment of a condition that seems to be growing at an alarming rate. “What I think is very interesting,” says Welsh, “is that the same experimental set-up can effectively be used to test two theories, and in many ways the two groups we are working with – a typically-developing population and an autistic population – provide a control for the other group. I’m very excited about this research.”

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Dr. Welsh is currently looking for people between the ages of 14 and 25 to participate in his experiments. He is looking for with people autism and people from the typically-developing population.

Contact: Don McSwiney
University of Calgary

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NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 8 (UPI) — U.S. researchers have identified a new regulatory target for the Fragile X mental retardation protein, laying the groundwork for possible new treatments.

Fragile X syndrome, or FXS, is the leading inherited form of mental retardation.

The findings, published in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also have implications for autism, which shares a common physiological pathway with FXS, according to researchers at the Yale School of Medicine.

The research team, led by Dr. Yingqun Huang, previously found that FMRP — a protein without which brain development is hampered and nerve cells cannot communicate with each other — interacts with nuclear mRNA export protein NXF2 in the mouse brain and testes.

“Our findings explain why the NXF1 protein level is much lower in the hippocampal — brain — neurons involved in learning and memory than in many other cells,” Huang said in a statement.

“This may suggest that a high level of NXF1 might hinder the function of these cells.”

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By LIDIA WASOWICZ
UPI Senior Science Writer
SAN FRANCISCO, May 18 (UPI) — There is at least one dilemma that confronts virtually every family with an autistic child, at one point or another: the problem of access to needed services.By federal law, public schools must provide appropriate education for youngsters with autism, beginning at age 3, although programs vary by state and some families opt for private treatment, especially when the child is very young.

However, early intensive therapy is so expensive — averaging $33,000 annually, by some estimates — many districts refuse to foot the bill.

In addition, because of a lack of scientific support for certain interventions, parents often find themselves fighting health insurers to grant coverage or suing school systems to provide home-based instruction.

Some moms and dads take up the therapist’s role themselves or train college students — who come at a fraction of the cost of specialists — for the job.

“There’s very vigorous debate about which methods are optimal in a given situation for a given child, but there is virtually no debate any more about the need for intensive intervention, which means expensive intervention,” said Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, one of the oldest research centers in Washington.

“These treatments are simply unaffordable at the intensity that’s necessary to make them work.” added O’Hanlon, noting the out-of-pocket tab for his child’s therapies tallies up to some $75,000 a year.

Dr. Eileen Costello, a pediatrician on the staff of Boston University School of Medicine, said she finds third-party payers so unyieldingly reluctant to cover the bill, she sometimes has to stretch the rules to circumvent them.

“I call my friends that are developmental and behavioral pediatricians and say … ‘I want this kid to get this service. What code do you think I should use?’ And … it’s sort of sneaky, and you feel like you’re breaking the law, and we probably are,” she told an autism conference.

“But … when you’re in an office with a child, and you know he needs a certain service, you’re going to do whatever you can within reason to get that service for that child. But it shouldn’t have to be that way.”

Severe restrictions on service availability are nullifying the hard-earned gains made in physicians’ ability to diagnose the neurodevelopmental disorder early, said Barbara Firestone, president and chief executive officer of the non-profit autism service center The Help Group, based in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

“(A)ccess to intensive early intervention is still very limited in our country,” she said. “Identification without intervention is an incomplete and seriously flawed policy, very deficient.”

There are glimmers of hope, including some promising federal efforts such as the Combating Autism Act of 2006, signed by President Bush last year, which authorizes close to $1 billion over five years for autism research, screening and early detection and treatment.

The Children’s Health Act of 2000 mandated the establishment of an Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee to organize autism-related research, programs and initiatives.

An expert panel convened under the plan to focus solely on services came up with a laundry list of 50 challenges to developing and delivering care to children with autism.

“(The) five that I think are particularly important: That we don’t have professionals who are trained to deliver these interventions; that we have no consistent funding mechanism for treatment; that it varies tremendously by locality; (that there is) no established standard of care; that … we have multiple agencies that are responsible for the care of children with autism, and those agencies don’t coordinate that care very well (leading) to extraordinary variation in how care is organized, financed and delivered,” said panel member David Mandell, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

“(I)t’s a new paradigm for thinking about children with these disorders and how we care for them,” he told an autism conference. “Until things change at the federal level, it’s not going to filter down to states and localities and practices so that these treatments can be delivered in a meaningful way.”

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SAN FRANCISCO, May 11 (UPI) — On the question of extraneous physical problems that beset many children with autism, many practitioners and parents are starting to come together.Mainstream medicine is beginning to pay serious attention to, and act upon, parents’ long-dismissed contention that something other than the disorder itself is affecting their children’s health.

An increasing number of specialists have started to aggressively treat and study the relevance to autism of medical conditions — including acid reflux, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal ailments, sleep disturbances, food allergies and metabolic irregularities that make it difficult for the body to adequately break down certain biochemicals.

These maladies are commonly experienced by autistic children and may be contributing to their behavioral problems but often go undetected due to lack of physician awareness and patient articulation, doctors say.

A major move toward correcting that oversight has come with the establishment by six leading hospitals of the Autism Treatment Network.

Among priorities topping its agenda, the group is drawing up national guidelines for providing autistic children with physical examinations complete enough to catch any underlying medical conditions. It also plans to conduct clinical trials to identify problems that are most likely to affect this patient group.

One large and largely overlooked health issue facing children, especially adolescents, with autism is common to most American youth: failure to stay in shape, according to a six-year Indiana University review.

Just like all youngsters, those with autism spectrum disorders can give their bodies and minds a lift by kicking up their activity level. However, they are given an even skimpier possibility than their peers to exercise their right to fitness, the researchers said.

Many districts have eliminated or minimized structured school-based opportunities for burning calories and building muscle, such as recess and physical education. In addition, community-based programs frequently are thin on trained staff and support services needed by autistic youngsters.

Young people with autism spectrum disorders often aren’t in the running for team sports which require a quick pickup on social cues to keep the game moving.

What’s more, having no physical disability, they do not qualify for such events as wheelchair racing or Special Olympics, although some have succeeded in getting exemptions, the authors noted.

What may fit the bill for these athletes-in-waiting are individual or two-person sports, such as swimming, tennis, running and martial arts, doctors advised. Such activities provide a touch of the social element without making heavy demands for personal contact, they advised

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We have often thought about the link between technology and Autism’s rise. Computers and cellphones, their growth and prevalence mirrors that of Autism diagnosis. This is the first of hopefully more looks into this area.

       A new report is claiming to have found a link between the rise in autism in the USA, and the rise of the use of wireless technologies,specifically mobile phones. Tamara Mariea, founder of Internal Balance, is releasing findings from more than five years of research on clients with autism, and other membrane sensitivity disorders which claims electromagnetic radiation stress is one of the potentially major root causes of the explosion of autistic cases in the past two decades.

      People who visit the Internal Balance clinic are “detoxed” in an electromagnetic radiation clean environment.

In simple terms, Mariea explains to parents struggling to help their children that what her research is pointing to is with more cell phone towers being erected, more cell phones in use globally and more WiFi technology utilized, the risk for autism continues to rise. She says that Thimerosal – the mercury containing preservative in scheduled children’s  vaccines – has for the most part been eliminated from regularly scheduled childhood vaccines, according to public record and that the incidence of autism should be decreasing based on progress made in that area in recent years. But, it is not decreasing, she says. This is where Mariea and Dr. Carlo began to collaborate in the search to find what the larger contributor to the increase in autism is.

      They say that the epidemiologic curve of autism parallels too closely with the increase usage of wireless devices to not look at it. Mariea’s soon to be published paper will include her research which explores electromagnetic radiation as a cohort effect with heavy metals as a strong component of the etiology of autism.

      We shall have to wait and see if the report has any credible findings when it is published.

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By LIDIA WASOWICZ
UPI Senior Science Writer
SAN FRANCISCO, April 27 (UPI) — An estimated one in three families with autistic children opt for alternate treatments, usually as an accompaniment to structured counseling programs, U.S. doctors report.Some parents put their children on special diets, most often eliminating gluten and casein in the belief these proteins, found respectively in flour and milk, may trigger an allergic reaction that causes or exacerbates autism.

Some take the opposite tack, loading the child up on vitamins like magnesium and B6 or on food supplements, based on the supposition a deficit in these compounds may contribute to autism and on anecdotal reports the regimes at times can ease symptoms of the neurodevelopmental disorder.

The reported results from such remedies have been mixed. Some children may improve, some worsen and still others show little or no effect.

In general, none of these strategies has strong scientific backing as a safe and effective way to address the core symptoms of autism: social isolation, repetitive behaviors and language deficits.

What is testing well with a growing number of parents and some doctors is chelation — arguably the most defended, and defamed, of the alternative options.

For half a century, chelation has been a standard, government-sanctioned remedy for heavy-metal poisoning, typically employed following an industrial accident or environmental exposure.

In recent years, the technique has been gaining favor for an unapproved and highly controversial use: as a mercury-expelling treatment for autism.

Such use ensues from the contested assumption that mercury is the problem, hence, getting it out is a big part of the solution.

“The symptoms of early infant mercury poisoning and autism are virtually identical,” said toxicologist Boyd Haley, professor of chemistry at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

He backs the theory — dismissed by most mainstream scientists — that connects autism to the mercury-based preservative thimerosal, which until the turn of the millennium was widely used in childhood vaccines.

“Furthermore, research indicates that autistic children genetically have a harder time excreting mercury from their bodies.” Boyd said. “This is why chelation has become such a powerful key for unlocking and undoing the disorders associated with autism.”

The medical mainstream has been unwaveringly critical of the use of the technique in autistic children, deeming it ineffective at best and dangerous, even potentially deadly, at worst.

Derived from the Greek “chele,” or claw, chelation therapy uses pincer-like molecules to grasp and purge copper, iron, arsenic and other heavy metals from the bloodstream, flushing them from the body, usually through urine or feces.

The detoxifying drugs used to remove the poisons are administered through pills, creams, skin patches, rectal suppositories or intravenous infusions. Many medications can serve the purpose, including the chemical compound DMSA, which carries the FDA seal of approval as a treatment for lead poisoning.

Doctors who prescribe it for autism are doing so “off-label,” a common practice for most medications used in children. Once a drug gets the FDA nod as a specific treatment, it can be put to any other use at the physician’s discretion, and patient’s ability to pay.

Such use is not covered by insurance, which, in the case of chelation, may mean out-of-pocket expenses of thousands of dollars.

The annual cost to treat a child biomedically runs between $2,500 and $5,000, said Charlie Hoover of West Palm Beach, Fla., a founding parent of the non-profit advocacy group Generation Rescue.

He credits chelation with his young son Lenny’s recovery. In one of the often-cited anecdotes of the treatment’s success, the boy’s classic symptoms of spinning, repetitive behaviors and tantrums are said to have melted away after the metal purging.

Convinced of its therapeutic powers, more than 150 parents of autistic children concurrently launched Generation Rescue and its ad campaign May 24, 2005, with the express purpose of spreading the word about “a safe and proven detoxification treatment known as chelation therapy.”

“Our message for parents is very simple: Autism is reversible,” J.B. Handley of Lafayette, Calif., one of Generation Rescue’s founding parents whose son was diagnosed with autism, told reporters during a news conference called to announce both events. “I see every day with my own eyes how my son Jamie is recovering from what was previously perceived as an untreatable disorder.”

Many parents and, for that matter some practitioners outside the mainstream treatment community, proclaim the same message. Hundreds of doctors list their names on Web sites endorsing chelation as a remedy for autism.

“For years we have heard the experts say that autism is a lifelong disability. This simply is not true anymore, thanks to effective biomedical treatments that can restore many, if not a majority, of autistic children to full recovery,” Bernard Rimland, who died Nov. 21, 2006, told the 2005 news conference.

The famous psychologist’s landmark book, “Infantile Autism: The Syndrome and Its Implication for a Neural Theory of Behavior,” published in 1964, is credited with dismantling the notion of autism as a fallout of cold-hearted parenting that was widely held in the 1950s and 1960s.

Although it cannot work alone and should be supplemented with other treatments, chelation makes it possible to break a child out of his isolated world, its advocates say.

(Note: In this multi-part installment, based on dozens of reports, conferences and interviews, Ped Med is keeping an eye on autism, taking a backward glance at its history and surrounding controversies, facing facts revealed by research and looking forward to treatment enhancements and expansions. Wasowicz is the author of the new book, “Suffer the Child: How the Healthcare System Is Failing Our Future,” published by Capital Books.)

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BOSTON, April 26 (UPI) — Symptoms of bipolar disorder often appear in childhood but can be difficult to distinguish from other disorders, says a U.S. newsletter.Children, especially young children, usually do not show the adult cycle of distinct mood episodes of mania and depression, and many symptoms that may stem from bipolar disorder also occur in other childhood disorders — moods fluctuating in very rapid cycles, sometimes from hour-to-hour; irritability and agitation, or bursts of rage, according to the Harvard Mental Health Letter.

Bipolar disorder in children is especially difficult to distinguish from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder because they share a number of symptoms — impulsiveness, distractibility and hyperactivity.

Up to 30 percent of children originally diagnosed with ADHD eventually receive a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, according to the newsletter.

“Childhood bipolar disorder is a real and serious illness that should be recognized and treated as early as possible,” Dr. Michael Miller, editor in chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, said in a statement.

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HONOLULU, April 24 (UPI) — A Honolulu clinic and 20 others across the United States will soon begin a study into whether oxygen treatments help children with autism.

Some doctors say hyperbaric oxygen therapy, during which large doses of oxygen are delivered to patients in pressurized chambers for an hour a day for weeks, can transform brain neurons and improve the lives of autistic children, the Chicago Tribune reported.

But many autism specialists remain unconvinced.

“I understand that what all parents want is to be able to look back and say they did everything they possibly could to help their child,” Dr. Tina Iyama, an autism expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told the Tribune. “That’s why they are trying all these experimental new treatments. But … there is absolutely no reason to think that improving oxygen levels in a child with autism will be helpful.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that 500,000 children in the United States have autism.

More than 30 children have undergone oxygen treatment at the Hyperbaric Medicine Center in Honolulu, where patient-care coordinator Maryellen Markley said “every single child … had consistent quality-of-life improvements,” the Tribune reported.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.

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SAN FRANCISCO April 20 (UPI) — An estimated one-third of youngsters with autism are prescribed psychotropic drugs to control their behavior and outlook, scientists report.The more common pharmaceutical aids include anti-depressants like Prozac for anxiety and depression, stimulants like Ritalin for hyperactivity and impulsivity, anti-convulsants for seizures and anti-psychotic drugs, usually reserved for schizophrenia, for aggression.

In certain cases, these medications can quell such behavioral offshoots of autism as self-injury and severe tantrums, but they do not alter the underlying condition and can wreak havoc with some children’s moods and pose other potential risks, doctors say.

“There is no great drug for autism,” said Texas psychologist Steven Gutstein, developer of a behavioral treatment called relationship development intervention.

“Children with autism can have other problems that require medication like attentional problems or medical problems,” he added. “It’s a comorbid disorder, but there’s no Ritalin for autism, and there probably never will be because it’s a disorder with multiple etiologies.”

The drugs that are used are the same as those prescribed for similar symptoms in children without autism, but doctors often find the disorder affects the response, at times making the side effects much more pronounced or the medicine much less effective or both.

Most of these pharmaceuticals are not backed by sufficient science to be approved for such use, and the government acknowledges “much more research is needed” to determine what risks they pose to children and adolescents over the long haul.

The drugs’ usual aftereffects may be so exacerbated in children with autism, health authorities urge doctors to give them the lowest possible dose and monitor their reaction closely.

In a rare study of drug treatments for minors with autism, sponsored by the federal government, the anti-psychotic risperidone was found to control tantrums, aggression, repetitive behaviors, severe hyperactivity and/or self-injury for up to six months in children ages 5 to 17.

The survey of 82 boys and 19 girls, conducted at several U.S. medical centers, showed the medication — which was donated by its maker Jensen Pharmaceuticals — produced only limited side effects. However, when the drug was discontinued, symptoms rapidly returned in 62 percent of the cases.

Because the study lasted only eight months, “our data may be insufficient to estimate precisely the long-term risks of risperidone in children,” the authors concluded.

Although a variety of pharmaceutical and behavioral treatments is used to restrain violent behaviors in autistic youngsters, few scientific studies have looked into their effects, the authors noted.

Previously, the largest long-term studies of autism medications tested haloperidol, an older anti-psychotic that proved light on effectiveness but heavy on neurological and other ill effects.

In another recent study, reported in the Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers found methylphenidate, the No. 1 drug choice of doctors treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, may also be effective for calming hyperactivity in children with autism spectrum disorders.

There is a caveat, however, according to the Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology Autism Network, a consortium funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, which conducted the study.

The bad news is that the percentage of takers gaining benefits from the stimulants and the level of those benefits are lower, while the frequency of unwanted effects scientists call “adverse events” is higher in autistic children than in ADHD youngsters without the disorder, the authors reported.

Seven of the 72 participants ages 5 to 14 withdrew from the study due to intolerable reactions to the drugs, including irritability, loss of appetite, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, upset stomach, diarrhea, fatigue, self-injury and social withdrawal.

Even among the children who could stomach the medicine, only half showed any improvement in symptoms, and it was modest at best, the researchers said.

Nevertheless, the authors deemed methylphenidate “a reasonable choice to target hyperactivity in the context of PDDs (pervasive developmental disorders),” although they warned caregivers to “be cautioned about the strong possibility of adverse effects” and practitioners to “be prepared to suspend treatment if considerable adverse effects are reported.”

Although no causative association has been proven, reports of some ADHD children medicated with Ritalin and other stimulants suffering strokes and heart problems and seeing snakes and other hallucinations prompted two federal regulatory advisory panels last year to urge that parents and physicians be informed of the potential risks.

The Food and Drug Administration has obliged, ordering drug makers to revise the labels for doctors and insert medical guides for patients to alert them about the adverse cardiovascular and psychiatric side effects.

Other researchers, experimenting on mice, have come up with a way that may help alleviate the debilitating effects of Rett’s disorder, a type of autism that primarily affects girls.

The investigators found deactivating a certain gene produced the rodent equivalent of the ailment, but turning it back on in animals predisposed to the syndrome forestalled its onset. The research clears the path toward developing therapies for humans, the scientists said.

Some currently available treatments may ease certain symptoms, but they fail to address the condition at a more fundamental level. The researchers from the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Mass., and Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., said once they learn the molecular mechanisms underlying the disorder, they may be able to design more effective strategies against it.

(Note: In this multi-part installment, based on dozens of reports, conferences and interviews, Ped Med is keeping an eye on autism, taking a backward glance at its history and surrounding controversies, facing facts revealed by research and looking forward to treatment enhancements and expansions. Wasowicz is the author of the new book, “Suffer the Child: How the Healthcare System Is Failing Our Future,” published by Capital Books.)

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If you haven’t watched Lorenzo’s Oil, do it and you will be inspired by the efforts of Lorenzo’s family and see how “Lorenzo’s Oil” could be an important way to stop the advancement of Autism in our children’s bodies.

Ped Med: Autism tied to flawed cell armor. By LIDIA WASOWICZ, UPI Senior Science Writer

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 7 (UPI) — While some researchers are looking inside the nerve-cell package in the brain for clues to autism, others think it’s all in the wrapping.

A novel model of human brain development and degeneration proposed by scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, implicates chinks in the fatty armor that coats the brain’s internal wiring in such childhood developmental disorders as autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

From a review of scanned and autopsied brain tissue, the investigators said they unraveled the role of the insulation, called myelin, in these conditions.

Laden with more cholesterol than any other brain component, the sheet of fat encases the spindly nerve-cell extensions called axons, permitting them to carry messages to their neighbors in the safety and security of their shield.

The thicker and heavier the cells’ coat, the faster and more effective their communication, said team leader Dr. George Bartzokis, professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine and director of the UCLA Memory Disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease Clinic and the Clinical Core of the UCLA Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

The pioneering neuroscientist said he discovered that myelin production continues unabated throughout the first four decades of life before peaking and plummeting at age 45.

His latest research portrays the protective shield as the neural system’s Achilles’ heel, vulnerable to a host of environmental assaults.

“Myelination, a process uniquely elaborated in humans, arguably is the most important and most vulnerable process of brain development as we mature and age,” Bartzokis said in an interview. “The effect of all toxins should be examined in this context. At present, this is rarely done.”

Without adequate insulation, cells won’t connect properly, he said. He came to that conclusion after conducting a series of experiments that showed a breakdown in the sheath can expose the naked wiring beneath and open the gates to an array of neurological and behavioral problems.

Bartzokis’s hypothesis holds that humans “myelinate” different circuits at various points in life, which could explain the sizeable differences between brain diseases of the young and old.

An early disruption of the process, for instance, may throw for a loop the development of the basic circuits that govern language and social communication, two key impairments in autism, Bartzokis said.

A glitch during the early school years could hamper the ability to process information efficiently and effectively, leading to deficits in attention that characterize ADHD, he said.

Later in life, the result of a malfunction could be Alzheimer’s disease, Bartzokis conjectured.

To Bartzokis, the human brain is akin to the high-speed Internet.

“The speed, quality and bandwidth of the connections determine the brain’s ability to process information, and all these depend in large part on the insulation that coats the brain’s connecting wires,” he said.

The findings may explain why developmental disorders leave no calling card in the brain, scientists said.

“There’s no dead anything on autopsy,” Bartzokis said. “Those brain connections just never developed normally.”

The good news about myelination comes in feminine packages: Bartzokis’s studies show female brains make better myelin, which could explain why boys are at much greater risk for autism, ADHD and other similarly routed problems.

On a similar front, U.S. and French investigators conducting mouse experiments found the males had 20 percent to 40 percent more of the cells that form myelin in the brain and spinal cord than did the females.

The females produced up to twice as many of the cells, but twice as many of them died, making for a much higher turnover rate in this group, the investigators reported in the Journal of Neuroscience.

The discovery of the unexpectedly large gender gap may help clear up some of the mystery of how male-female differences are generated in the brain, which in turn may provide critical clues into why disorders such as autism, ADHD, depression and multiple sclerosis are so uneven-handed in their distribution between the sexes, the authors said.

(Note: In this multi-part installment, based on dozens of reports, conferences and interviews, Ped Med is keeping an eye on autism, taking a backward glance at its history and surrounding controversies, facing facts revealed by research and looking forward to treatment enhancements and expansions. Wasowicz is the author of the new book, “Suffer the Child: How the Healthcare System Is Failing Our Future,” published by Capital Books.) For more information, visit www.upi.com

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What should you expect from their school district when one has a Special Needs child? Especially when you child is in need of specialized instruction and social skill building?

When we were asked what we felt our son needed 3 years ago, I immediately mentioned time with his peers. He learns by example as does everyone else. So why not put him with more typical students now so he can learn some of their behavior- good or bad. It was hinted that ome parents might not want their typical child in a classroom with non typical children- what a joke huh? I was basically ignored by the school district and so called experts.

Today my son is serve as a role model in his classroom with other Special Needs children- all of which are so dear and lovable. He is doing great and making strides but at the age of 6 he still has yet to have any significant time with more typical students. Instead he has been enrolled in a BOCES program largely because our school district is completely understaffed and has yet to realize that the growing need for specialized education, is not going away any time soon.

So my son, who is smart, and considered, passive and high functioning is in a classroom, with other special needs children who have a similar lack of social skills, are non-verbal, have downs syndrome or cerebral palsey- again- these kids are awesome.

The main issue with my son is the fact that he is non-verbal, so why is he in a classroom with 9 others, 7 of which talk on a very limited basis or not at all? How is it that my son, serves as the role model in his class, when he needs help himself?
It’s a horrible situation to be in, and one I am addressing, once again- this week with the school system. My son deserves better than what the school system is providing.
And although I understand their needs to be a process to this madness, the process should not take precedent over the education and opportunity’s for my son. At least , make the attempt to find parents who understand how their typical child can be a role model for those who are less than fortunate and or just need a little more time to bloom.

In fact, I think I will start an integrated playgroup myself- asap. It’s funny, with Autism, parents seeks help from professionals, but more often than not, the professionals really are the one’s getting the education. Come on professionals, be innovative and lets unlock this terrible condition.

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Sounds more like Politics as Usual, how do these people sleep at night. Lets be careful and listen intently on what politicians say and do..

Reneged autism promise will hurt Liberals

/ From the St. Catharines Standard
Editorial – Saturday, April 14, 2007 @ 12:00

By refusing to hear an appeal from a group of Ontario families with autistic children, the Supreme Court of Canada has thrust the issue back from whence it came.

The families had challenged the provincial government’s refusal to pay for an intensive therapy that clinical studies have proven to be quite effective in helping kids living with autism.

The high court gave no reason for rejecting the appeal, but observers believe it was because the Ontario case is similar to one the court heard from British Columbia three years ago. In that case, the Supreme Court found a provincial decision to not fund autism therapy isn’t a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

While it’s a setback for those demanding the province fund treatment for their kids, it’s not the end of the line.

The court’s refusal to hear the case keeps this issue solidly in the political arena, and that is where it will have to be resolved.

It never should have come to this.

During the 2003 provincial election, families with autistic children were acutely aware of the government’s policy and for them it was a hot button issue in the weeks leading up to the vote.

In a nutshell, they were incensed with the Ernie Eves Progressive Conservatives and a government practice that cut off funding for IBI therapy when a child turned six.

As the argument went, it was discriminatory, a violation of these children’s rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

As it was, the issue was very political. The Tories had to defend their record. The NDP and the Liberals lined up to attack it.

On the campaign trail, Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty was dropping promises across the province, endearing himself and his party to Ontario voters.

One of those promises was to extend government support of IBI therapy for autistic children past the age of six.

This is what the parents of autistic children wanted to hear.

They started to put their support behind McGuinty. They talked to their families, neighbours and friends and encouraged votes for the Liberal party.

The Liberals won the election, and then reneged on the promise.

Not only did McGuinty fail to meet the pledge, his government has spent an untold amount of taxpayer money (the government has refused freedom of information requests for the amount) defending its autism policy against the lawsuit from angered parents feeling, quite rightly, betrayed.

Put this one in the file with the Liberals’ 2003 campaign promise not to raise taxes. It should also put to rest any questions about why recent polls have McGuinty trailing PC Leader John Tory by 10 points when questions about leadership are asked.

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