AGE OF AUTISM

"Is He High Functioning?"

Managing Edtor's Note: I met Jennifer Larson at Autism One. She was the winning bidder for a post on AoA and an autism flag signed by everyone from Dr. Wakefield to Jenny McCarthy.  (Please don't tell her, but we'd have run this post even if she hadn't won the bid.)  Thank you, Jennifer.

By Jennifer Larson

“Is he high functioning?”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked this in reference to my autistic child.  I assume they ask because I’m knowledgeable and have tried so many things to help him.   The answer is a solid “no”. 

I categorize my son as a “non responder”.  My 1st DAN! Conference was when he was 21 months.  I was on this immediately.  We’ve tried “everything”.  A few things have helped along the way, Seizure medication, Fibroblast Growth factor (Dr. Aguilar) and Yasko’s program.  Otherwise, most things seem to make him worse.  It seems there is always a reason from physicians for a regression, but at some point you just want your child to feel good and move forward. 

About a year ago, I’d pretty much given up.  Acceptance wasn’t a place I’d gone.  I wasn’t in denial, but I was in denial that this was lifelong.  I kept thinking…  We caught it so early, why isn’t my son recovered?

Dangerous TB Vaccinations Allowed to "Protect the Herd"

This article in the NYT (HERE) tells how the TB vaccine can be dangerous for babies with HIV, but the vaccination practice will likely continue to protect the uninfected children.

Sacrificing some kids is OK, isn't it? Isn't it?

.In countries like South Africa, where both tuberculosis and mother-to-child transmission of the AIDS virus is common, the vaccine gives infected children almost no protection against tuberculosis and instead may kill them with BCG disease, the authors found.

..Although they recommend delaying vaccination, the authors acknowledge that will not be easy. In poor countries, babies are often not brought back at 6 weeks for a test and 10 weeks for a shot. So the dangerous practice of vaccinating every baby may continue, because it protects the uninfected ones.

Think there's any difference in the USA? The herd mentality rules all. If your child is injured, that doesn't matter, as long as the herd is safe. This is the Public Health way of thinking. Take one for the team, right?

Winner: Nourishing Hope

Congratulations to Katie, 21 with autism and interested in the book, according to her comment.  THE CONTEST IS CLOSED.

Katie send an email to kimstagliano@gmail.com with your mailing address.

About Nourishing Hope for Autism: Biomedical intervention is one of the most promising areas parents have to find hope for recovery. It begins with diet. Autism is treatable.

Nourishing Hope for Autism is an autism diet book for parents that provides the scientific explanations for why and how autism diets work to help recover children from symptoms of autism. It shows how to successfully implement diets and cook creatively for families - even picky eaters! Used by parents and autism physicians, this book gives practical steps for dietary intervention, a roadmap for getting started as well as evolving and customizing the varied approaches.

Nourishing Hope is:

1. The first biomedical autism diet intervention guide for parents and physicians
2. A practical application of diets and cooking instruction
3. In depth research and science backed literature
4. The first and only autism cooking class DVD on the market
5. A book and DVD specifically created by a veteran Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) Practitioner

Learn about the critical connection between the nutrients that go into the digestive system of the child with autism and the impact they have on the child's brain. Parents are using this teaching today to bring about real recovery results:

* Improved digestion

* Reduced gastrointestinal pain

* Less rash or eczema

* Physical pain relieved

* Aggressive behavior ceases

* More language

* Ability to focus

* Sleeping through the night

* Making eye contact

* Easier toilet training

About the author: Julie Matthews is a leading US autism nutrition expert and Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) Practitioner helping parents worldwide find hope and healing for their children on the spectrum.

As demonstrated by pediatricians, scientific data, and parental experience, autism diets can help relieve some of the symptoms of autism. Julie has educated over 10,000 parents and clinicians at leading autism conferences about autism diet, nutrition, supplementation, enzymes, probiotics, meal planning and healthful cooking. She effectively guides parents as they apply autism diet and nutrition intervention for their child as a complement to behavioral and other conventional treatments. Through her autism nutrition practice, Julie provides one-on-one parent counseling, an online resource center, and autism diet intervention tools. She welcomes families from diverse backgrounds from cities, suburbs, towns and rural areas in the US and abroad. Visit http://www.nourishinghope.com/.

Winner: The Sanctity of Human Blood

MacGoddess is the winner. THE CONTEST IS CLOSED.

Managing Editor's note: Dr. Tim O'Shea is a chiropractor and the author of The Sanctity of Human Blood, a book about vaccinations now in it's 13th printing. We have a copy to give to a reader. Leave a comment to enter the contest. Dr. O'Shea will be giving lectures on vaccinations and autism detox this summer. Here's info on the seminars from his site, The Doctor Within:

See the swine flu issue put into historical perspective. Ever wonder what happened to Avian flu, SARS, anthrax, and smallpox? This is one of the only seminars available today that offers a truly unbiased, scientific view of vaccines and their present agenda from sources who are not making a living selling vaccines.  Will introduce the complete nutrition and detox chelation program as presented at www.thedoctorwithin.com

Age of Autism Comment of the Week

Congrats to "Apple Bottom Genes", our commenter of the week.  (S)he commented on THIS post: Maybe the problem is that genes are a shortcut for discussing molecular biology in detail.  The fact of the matter is that genes do nothing - absolutely nothing.  They are a string of nucleotide base pairs that sit there and do zilch.  Ribosomes have to come along and translate that string of nucleotides into a linear strand of amino acids.  When that line of amino acids folds up into a three-dimensional form, well then you've got something - a protein.  Proteins do everything.  Genes do nothing.

If you're a girl, is it because you have XX chromosomes?  No.  You're a girl if you had early exposure to XX gene products AND you lacked exposure to other proteins (namely the Y gene products).  As proof (and this experiment has been done) if you take an XX mammalian zygote and allow it to develop in the presence of testosterone, the embryo becomes a boy.  You can't tell the XX zygote is a boy by looking at its DNA.  You also can't determine how it became a boy by looking at its DNA.  You'd have to understand the environmental factors to know what happened and why (i.e. that someone added testosterone to the developing embryo).

Autism Vaccine Complaint Movie: "Selective Hearing, Brian Deer and the GMC"

By Mark Hawking

In light of the PCC ordering the Times Newspaper to remove Brian Deer's latest material from its website (HERE), I thought it would be a good time to write about the film “Selective Hearing, Brian Deer and the GMC”  and my involvement in its making.... The video is  below, if it doesn't download, you can click HERE.

The film has been igored by the UK press despite a copy being sent to every major news editor.

To set the scene we need to go back two years to the opening day of the GMC. I was there with my wife Lara and members of the UK Treating Autism Charity, supporting the doctors and also (in my mind at the time the more important task) talking to the press about how recovery is possible.

We had our first encounter with Brain on his return from lunch with the MP Dr Evan Harris. Brian had trouble with the front door at the GMC, he pushed the wrong door and rather comically bumped his whole body into it. There was a large cheer from the crowd as Brian skulked inside a bit red faced.

My mother had a saying, when as a naughty child I would trip or fall whilst up to no good  "THE DEVIL DID THAT" she would say. This lit up in my head like a neon sign.

Barbara Loe Fisher on Swine Flu Vaccines

By Barb Loe Fisher, Read more and watch a video at the National Vaccine Injury Center site HERE. 

The summer will be over before we know it and it will be time for the school year to begin. This fall, many parents are wondering what will happen to their children when they enter the schools. Some public health doctors want to turn schools into vaccination clinics where children will be the first to be injected with experimental swine flu vaccines.

Every day, we are being warned by doctors at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) to worry a lot about the H1N1 influenza A virus, which was first identified in Mexico in April 2009 and is being called the new swine flu. As of June 15, 2009, the WHO stated that 76 countries have reported more than 35,000 cases, including 163 deaths. 108 of those deaths have occurred in Mexico. We are being told that nearly 18,000 AMericans have gotten sick from the new swine flu virus, with about five percent being hospitalized and 45 dying.....

Even The Shallows Dry Up: The GMC Hearing June 22nd and 23rd.

And it was another of those explanations that sounded good, but not if you were there. Not if you had the evidence of your gut to back you up.

Andrew Holmes, Criminal Records.
Sceptre (2008) London.

By Martin J. Walker

At mid morning on Tuesday June 23rd, Mr Miller finished his closing speech on behalf of Professor Walker-Smith. It was a bravura performance.

Having dealt with the Lancet Children singularly throughout the previous week, on Monday Mr Miller turned his attention to Professor Walker- Smith's involvement in the Lancet paper. Generally speaking the prosecution case in relation to the Lancet paper - not the individual children cited in it - is that this paper was entirely organised by Dr Wakefield in defence of his supposed view that MMR created autism. The paper was promoted at a 'press briefing' when Dr Wakefield uttered the words that ended his career in England when he suggested that parents might want to use single vaccines until the adverse reactions associated with MMR had been researched at the Royal Free.

In terms of content, the prosecution claimed that the paper was actually a very badly carried out research trial with missing controls. According to Miss Smith the paper was the result of research project 172/96. This view was completely wrong, untrue and a misrepresentation, the Lancet paper had always been a case review study that examined the symptoms presented in 12 sequentially referred children and tied to diagnose a specific illness. The defence had said from the very beginning of the GMC trial that the paper not only did not set out to prove anything about MMR but that each child cited in it had already been treated clinically and the case review was, as case reviews are, an overview of the twelve cases and an attempt to describe a novel illness. Clearly in writing up the paper, especially because the cases were self-referred, the authors had to mention the fact that a number of parents had told Dr Wakefield that the onset of first gastrointestinal problems that were followed by ASD like developments had coincided with their child having received the MMR vaccination.

Autism and Gene Research. Who Benefits?

Managing Editor's Note: This is a thoughtful post on the heels of Eric London's departure from Autism Speaks. 

By Teresa Conrick

I am no gene expert though I did take Genetics in high school and again learned much in college and even more while getting my Masters in Science and Education.  I thought it was fascinating - recessive genes, dominant genes, punnett squares and who could forget the father of it all, Gregor Mendel?
 
Now I wonder what Gregor would think of all of this research on autism and genes and more importantly what is the purpose?  To help Gregor out, I took a Google trip backwards year by year to see what we have learned from the research, the data and the comments from researchers. Since I have a daughter with severe autism and no family members who have autism, I am interested in how the heck genes are involved and who actually benefits from. this type of research.  Fasten your seatbelts as genetic studies can be very bumpy!
 
Let's go back to the start -- but where is the start?  Using my trusty google, I put "autism gene research study" in and after much hunting, it looked like 1997 would be a good place to start.  Why then, you might ask and that would be a good question as apparently the cases were increasing and somebody or some group thought it was time to find out why, but why genes? So here in David Letterman style, let's look at those top autism gene studies over the years and see how far we have come and what we have learned:
 
1997-"Researchers discover first autism-susceptibility gene": (HERE)

"The discovery should speed the search for additional genes that increase susceptibility to autism and enhance understanding of this complex disorder. It could eventually result in more precise diagnosis and possibly better treatments." "This is just one of at least three to five genes whose interactions result in autism," says Ed Cook, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Chicago and lead author of the report."
 
Now why is a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics looking into genes?

Blast from the Past Post: MESSAGE BOARD BUZZ. Autism Speaks Selects Eric London?

Managing Editor's Note:  I wrote this post on August 17, 2007 (before we launched AoA) about Eric London and Autism Speaks. And now he's joining his colleagues at ASF. Mazel Tov and mind the Sleestaks. My condolences to the Jackson family. Kim

Scenario A) Mrs. Smith? My name is Michael Jackson. Oh, that's so lovely. Thank you! Yes, I'm so glad you enjoyed my songs in the 1980's. Well, you see, the thing is, speaking of "Beat It" I'm soooooo excited to tell you that I will be Johnny's cubby scout leader this year, and our first trip is to Neverland Ranch to study the night time habits of the habitual bed sharer!

(So we at Rescue Post ask, are you nervous, Mrs. Smith? Oops! Careful not to pull Johnny's arm out of its socket as you yank him away from Mr. Jackson and drag him home to safety!)

Scenario B) "Like, um, hi! I'm, um, Lindsay Lohan. Welcome to the DARE 2007 Just Say No (sniff, sniff, anyone got a tissue?) conference."

(Feeling confident, Mom and Dad? You'd better hide your twenty dollar bills.....)  Now try this one on for size:

Scenario C) Eric London, psychiatrist and founder of NAAR, is about to be put in charge of alternative treatment research for Autism Speaks. 

Sorry, but that one just might be true.

Eric London Resigns from Autism Speaks

Managing Editor's Note: Dr. Eric London (founder of NAAR) has left Autism Speaks to join Autism Science Foundation, with Dr. Paul Offit and Alison Singer, also an Autism Speaks alum. Their stated goal is to conduct autism research with the exclusion of investigating vaccinations, as they are certain there is no correlation.  I'll send a T-shirt to the first reader who can tell us what's in the photo and why. (Kevin D. just won!)

By Katie Wright

Autism has been the most humbling experience of my life. I was wrong about so many things for so long.  Despite his nightmarish adverse reactions, I wanted, so badly, to believe that vaccines had nothing to do with Christian’s autism. It took two years of non stop reading, talking to hundreds of parents and traveling all over the country in search of a doctor who could identify, never mind treat, my son’s chronic medical problems, for me to painfully admit to myself I was wrong. In admitting I was wrong I had to let go of my fantasy that doctors know best, the CDC had this under control and all the right research was being done.

I could continue on in a state of denial, comforting myself, or I could dig deeper in all this ugliness. The choice was easy because my son was so sick and even top quality behavioral interventions were failing Christian. If Christian were mildly affected who knows how I would have reacted.

Eric London resigned from Autism Speaks yesterday. Everyone knows I do not speak for the organization (!), but I think I can safely say this is for the best. Despite being in the field of autism research for over a decade London has never doubted himself or his resolute belief that he knows vaccines never trigger autism. Such dogmatic rigidity no longer has a place at AS, especially in the face of the obvious exponential growth of ASD and heterogeneous nature of this disease. No one parent can, or should, attempt to speak for all.

Press Complaints Commission Orders Sunday Times to Remove Deer's Stories on Dr. Wakefield

Press Complaints Commission Orders Sunday Times to Remove MMR Journalist’s Stories on Dr. Wakefield from Paper’s Web Site

Work by Reporter Brian Deer is at Center of Investigation Being Conducted by Medical Regulators

(Austin, Texas) – The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) of London, an independent body that oversees journalism fairness in the UK, has issued an interim order calling for the Sunday Times to remove stories written by Brian Deer about Dr. Andrew Wakefield from its web site.  Dr. Wakefield had filed an extensive complaint with the PCC regarding errors of fact in Deer’s reportage on the MMR vaccine and its possible relationship to autism.  The General Medical Council (GMC) in the UK is presently hearing evidence involving Dr. Wakefield and two of his colleagues following a complaint to the GMC by Deer himself. The PCC decision today appears to indicate there are questions about the accuracy of the Deer stories.

Autism One Radio: Polly Tommey & Martin Walker from UK on Closing Speeches at the GMC in London

Tune into Autism One Radio, today, Wednesday, July 1 2:00 pm ET (and available on archive)

Polly Tommey Presents: Autism Issues from Around the World
           
Guest:  Martin Walker
 
Topic:   An Update on the Closing Speeches at the GMC in London
 
June 2009 - Polly reports from the General Medical Council hearing in London where she obtains an update from investigative journalist, author, and GMC case expert Martin Walker on the closing speeches in this long running and vitally important saga.  Martin and Polly discuss the various potential outcomes and reflect on the progress of the case to date.
 

A "Refrigerator Mother" Adult with Autism Speaks Out

Managing Editor's Note: It has been my pleasure to get to know Roger Kulp, an adult with autism. Here he tell us in his own words what autism has meant and done to him. If you can offer a referral to a primary care physician (Albuquerque area) who would assist him, one who understands that autism is not simply a behavioral diagnosis and can manage his care and help him get to The Cleveland Clinic, please do so in the comments.  Thank you readers. And thank you, Roger. 

By Roger Kulp

Kim,

I have been interested in trying to contact you for quite a while. If you want to  publish this email at AoA I give you permission to do so.Actually this is more of a cry for help than anything else.

There is a lot that I don't like about AoA,but what bugs me the most is the fact you concentrate exclusively on children.There is this whole mindset that there were no autistic children who ever had severe biomedical issues, mitochondrial disease, inflammatory disease,what have you before there was thimerosol,or the current vaccine schedule in the late 1980s.When there were always autistics who had these problems, we just didn't recognize them.

As we have discovered that these diseases exist alongside autism,and may even cause it,the response should have been "Yes,let's take care of the children,but let's try to find out how many  AUTISTIC ADULTS  are out there,who have been suffering with these diseases for years,but have never been diagnosed."

Especially ,since we now know,that in many cases,it isn't so much what is  in  the vaccines,but what the shock of receiving so many vaccines so early does to the children,and that the same sort of shock can occur in unvaccinated children,who have suffered acute infection,as infants or toddlers.

This is vaccines,but it is a universe removed from mercury and thimerosol.Babies were always getting acute infections,and a lot of those who did not die developed autism.Only now do we know this.

I had acute bacterial meningitis with pulmonary complications,at five months of age.

AAP Spokesperson Dr. Karp Speaks of World Wide Rise in Autism

By Anne Dachel

Huffington Post is running two major autism stories today.  Plesae comment on both over at HuffPo, links are below.

First is David Kirby's article "Tidal Wave" of Young Adults with Autism about to Flood Cash-strapped California" (HERE) about the looming generation of adults with autism and it points to the undeniable truth...

A once rare disorder has impacted hundreds of thousands of our children who are rapidly reaching adulthood.  As adults, they will be dependent on the U.S. taxpayers for their support and care.  For years, as the autism numbers exploded, our federal health agencies pretended that nothing was wrong.  Organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics congratulated doctors for "better diagnosing" to account for the children everywhere with autism.  No matter how bad the numbers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has adamantly refused to admit that there has been any real increase. 

In the second piece, Cracking the Autism Riddle: Toxic Chemicals, a Serious Suspect in the Autism Outbreak, (CLICK HERE TO COMMENT AT HUFFPO) assistant professor of pediatrics, UCLA, Dr. Harvey Karp, here billed as, "America's most read pediatrician," makes a stunning break from the official denials.  Karp publicly admits that there has been a "WORLDWIDE RISE IN AUTISM."  

This has got to be sending shock waves through the medical community.  Karp is a regular speaker at AAP events around the U.S. and I have to wonder what their reaction is going to be.  If "America's most read pediatrician" admits a real increase, the pretense about autism being a solely genetic disorder, can't be true.   Lots of people in high places have gone on the record holding fast to the claim that we've always had so many autistic kids everywhere, we just didn't call it autism.  

When the CDC finally got around to releasing the update on the autism rate to one in every 150 children/one in every 94 boys in Feb. 2007 (based on outdated study numbers from 2000 and 2002), they did so still denying any real increase.

David Kirby on HuffPo: Adults with Autism, Tidal Wave Coming

Please click HERE to comment on David Kirby's post at HuffPo on the tidal wave of adults with autism looming over us. You know the deniers will be there in force telling everyone to expect candy and flowers as our kids age out.  KS

Appeals Court to Vaccine Court: Don’t be a Putz!

By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.

Nobody was more surprised by the decisions in Cedillo, Hazlehurst, and Snyder than me.  It wasn’t just that the decisions went against the theory of vaccines causing autism.  I understood how controversial this claim was, and the proof which would probably be needed to sustain it. 

What shocked me was the tone of the opinions, the vitriol against a position which sought to explain a disease which has confounded the medical establishment.  These three public test cases in the Omnibus Autism Proceeding were supposed to give guidance regarding the nearly 5,000 cases filed in the Vaccine Court alleging autism and other neurological problems resulting from vaccinations.  The decisions undercut all of those pending cases.

But away from the glare of media scrutiny the decisions made privately were much different. There was the government concession in the Poling case, in which the government doctors conceded that the nine shots Hannah Poling received in a single doctor’s visit reacted with an underlying mitochondrial disorder leading to her seizures and autism.  Closely following that decision was the win in the Bailey Banks case in which the court found that a vaccine had caused that child’s Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD is often used interchangeably with autism) due to an encephalopathy. 

Legislation Introduced to Require First Comparative Study of Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated Populations

EDITOR'S NOTE: Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, one of the best friends autism families have in Washington, has just reintroduced the bill to authorize a study of health outcomes in vaccinated vs. never-vaccinated Americans. We at Age of Autism have a particular interest in this bill, which is sometimes called the Amish Bill for the reporting we've done on the apparently low incidence of autism in less-vaccinated populations like the Amish (HERE). The list of co-sponsors appears to be growing, and includes a Kennedy and the Chair of the House Science and Technology Committee. Stay tuned, and keep up the pressure. -- Dan Olmsted

WASHINGTON, DC – MALONEY REINTRODUCES BILL TO STUDY NEVER-VACCINATED

Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Smith (R-NJ) have introduced the “Comprehensive Comparative Study of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Populations Act of 2009,” HR 3069, (HERE) legislation that would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a comprehensive, peer-reviewed, comparative study of vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, which has never before been completed.

“Vaccines have been instrumental in reducing the incidence of many once-common diseases, but we owe it to parents and children to study and resolve the questions that have arisen over the possible link between vaccines and neurological disorders,” said Maloney.  “What is ultimately needed to resolve this issue is a comprehensive national study comparing outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated children.  As the most scientifically advanced country in the world, we should be jumping at the chance to resolve the questions that have been raised.  Parents deserve answers, and children deserve no less than absolute certainty and safety.” 

Dan Mulvaney, Adult with Autism, Graduates (New York Times)

Congratulations to our dear friend and contributor Barbara Fischkin, her husband Jim Mulvaney and to recent high school graduate Dan Mulvaney. Read the full article in the NYT HERE.

The invitation for Dan Mulvaney’s graduation Sunday showed a burly young man with a hipster’s goatee wearing a graduation cap (courtesy of Photoshop) and holding a real striped bass he caught in the bay behind Long Beach High School.

It read: “ ’Twas said that by teaching a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime.

“Dan Mulvaney has learned to fish, learned to cook and accomplished many things. Dan is ready to take on the world. Join us in celebration of his graduation, with honor, from Long Beach High School.”

It concluded: “Casual cuisine, beach-friendly dress code, indescribable pride.”

14 Studies Part 3: Ladies and Gentlemen, Take Your Positions

By Julie Obradovic

Part 3 in the 14 Studies Series

Okay, we’re almost ready to begin.

As you know, there are very distinct positions regarding Autism; what it is, what causes it, and whether or not it is treatable. If you are reading this, chances are pretty good you know what your position is.

But just as it was important to define the true issue of the debate (Part 1) and the context in which it is taking place (Part 2), it is equally important to clearly define the positions of the parties involved (Part 3).  From there we will be able to analyze some of the research that has been done to support or discredit them.

Position 1: Autism is a Treatable, Medical Disease

People who take this position believe the first problem with Autism is its name. Autism by definition in one dictionary means “preference for fantasy over reality”, an inexplicable cluster of behaviors and symptoms that manifest for some unknown reason. (That particular definition makes it sound like it's even a choice.) It is categorized as a psychological disorder.

“Tidal Wave” of Young Adults with Autism about to Flood Cash-Strapped California

By David Kirby

Broke California will begin the new decade with crushing debt and wholesale elimination of human services. Meanwhile, President Obama has rankled Congressional Democrats with plans to earmark millions of dollars in NIH funds to find the causes and cures of autism.

Are these two things related? You bet they are.

Barack Obama is not a stupid man. He sees the budgetary train wreck hurtling down the track towards the US Treasury. His Administration knows that the number of adults with autism in this country is about to explode. Parents can’t foot the bill, so taxpayers will have to. The price tag will be stratospherical.

Isn’t it better to earmark millions in autism research funds right now for NIH to identify the causes of autism – despite outcries from Rep. Obey, Sen. Harkin and others – in order to save hundreds of billions further down the road?

It’s called frontloading the budget, and if we don’t do it, the coming army of young adults with autism will march in and break the bank.

Age of Autism Adds Military Category

By Angela Warner

I have been reading Age of Autism since it’s inception as Rescue Post. I am proud of Age of Autism. I’ve witnessed incredible growth of the world’s only autism daily web newspaper both in the information put forth, and in the readership and the ensuing dialogue in comments. I am especially proud of Age of Autism for embracing and opening the door, for the mutual support of both the military and civilian communities with regard to all things autism. It is an honor to share that Age of Autism will have a new category; the Military Category.

As a military spouse who has been contributing to Age of Autism since it was Rescue Post, I am especially thrilled. We’ve seen growth here at Age of Autism, but we’ve also seen growth of the autism epidemic both in the military and civilian community. We’ve also seen a rise in the challenges, or problems, that come along with this heartbreaking rise. In the military community the most recent FOIA shows that as of 2007, one in every eighty-eight military dependent child of an active duty member has autism. This figure most likely doesn’t include my own boys because of how and when the stats for the FOIA were tracked. Currently we’re waiting on new statistics.

Age of Autism Comment of the Week

Congrats to "Linda", our commenter of the week.  She commented on THIS  post: When my son was about 13 months old he was given the measles vaccine, within days he had diarrhoea, which went on until he was 13 years old!!  I was told I was neurotic by our doctor until eventually, after 12 years, the Children's hospital (who had been treating Adam for 'tummy ache') did tests and found out he had Crohn's disease!!  I didn't like the treatment we had had, or the steroids Adam was taking, and I found a Kinesiologist (by sheer fluke) who treated Adam for 3 months, changed his diet, weaned him from his steroids & miraculously my son was back!! He grew 13 inches and gained 30lbs in 4 months & now fitted in with his peer group. He is now 26 years old and loves life!!!My point is: Vaccines in babies cause untold problems. Wait until they are a little older and maybe their immune systems are better equipped to deal with what doctors insist will keep them healthy!Our Kinesiologist was adamant that Autism could be safely treated with Kinesiology.Best regards. A mother who would do things so differently if I could go back in tim.

Linda, email me at KimStagliano@gmail.com with your address and if you want L or XL.

Didn't win but still want a T-shirt? Taking a page from public television, we'll happily send you one as our thank you for making a donation to A of A via our PayPal donate button.  You choose the donation amount. OK? Please tell us if you want an adult large or x-large and include your address in the comments box at PayPal. 

Click past the jump to see the back of the t-shirt.

You Don't Say - But Maybe You Should

By Robin Nemeth

We were at a Memorial Day weekend cookout.
 
"You don't have to talk to people," which really means ‘there isn't much opportunity for chit chat'. I think that was my niece, who knows the restaurant business somewhat well, talking about my oldest child and her summer job making salads at the local restaurant.
 
The fact that it was said didn't bother me all that much, although it would've been better said correctly. For with all jobs, every last one that I can think of off of the top of my head at any rate, there is a need to converse. But that's ok, it's just merely a matter of semantics, the mistake that my niece made.
 
What bothered me a bit more was the look that I saw on the face of another person seated at the table, and then the looks that were exchanged. That, to me, was the social faux pas. I always find it somewhat ironic when I am aware of the social faux pas of others. The look said "Ack, this is uncomfortable, we shouldn't be bringing this up!" The look said there is something shameful in the fact that my children, some of them, don't make casual conversation much or at all.  It was the kind of look that one might see if one of my children had syphilis or were in prison for committing some horrible crime and that were brought up as a topic of public conversation. I don't remember if any of my children were present, at the time. But they had been at the table earlier and could easily have been nearby observing the conversation. And ‘the look'. 

Autism Environmental After All?

Autism--an environmental health issue after all?

In its position statement on disabilities, the official Obama Administration Web site singles autism out for special comment, indicating support for "increased funding for autism research, treatment, screenings, public awareness, and support services." Indeed, autism has increasingly been in the news. Last February, the "vaccine court," a federal court established in 1986 to adjudicate cases involving side effects from vaccines, ruled against three plaintiffs who alleged that the mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR) vaccine had caused autism in their children.

 

Toxic Toys... Not Child's Play!

By Lisa Hunter Ryden

Last year, I discovered an interesting website which lists the toxic chemicals for various toys, and was able to do my holiday shopping for nontoxic toys using this website. In early December, I read a newspaper article that captured my interest because one in three of the children's toys tested were found to have significant levels of toxic chemicals including lead, flame retardants, and arsenic. The article went on to say that some of the toys on store shelves this holiday season would be illegal to sell by early next year. This left me feeling angry, so I posted this article far and wide to all my yahoo groups. Having a son who has previously tested positive for seven metals in his urine toxicology screen, with the highest being lead and mercury, I was even more outraged.

One of the toys which he has used for hours, and takes with him everywhere is the Leapster Learning Game System by LeapFrog. We found that the carry case and the toy both contained high levels of toxic metals.  I first tried to return them to Target.  While the store was understanding, they said that the best I could do was exchange them for another Leapster because I had no receipt and they are several months old.  So, I decided to send the company a letter.  Here is what I wrote:

Dear LeapFrog Customer Service,

We have successfully used your products with both of our sons, ages 4 and 8.  Recently, however we discovered the Leapster 2 toys and carry cases were contaminated with high levels of lead, arsenic, mercury, bromine, and chromium. 

Winners of the Lee Silsby Free Autism Treatment Supplements Contest!

Thanks for another great contest from our sponsor Lee Silsby compounding pharmacy in Cleveland.  Contest ended on the 24th.

4 winners won $40 worth of free products from OurKidsASD. From Enzymes to Enhansa! Congrats to Kerrie Ferrara, Jennifer Groves, Cathleen B. Reilly, Koteswara Panguluri.

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Check out the Children's Autism Recovery Map called, CharmTracker a web-based application for autism treatment management.

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