AGE OF AUTISM

JOHN McCAIN ENTERS THE AUTISM WARS

This is from the ABC News blog: See the blog and leave comments HERE.

February 29, 2008 7:11 PM

At a town hall meeting Friday in Texas, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., declared that "there's strong evidence" that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that was once in many childhood vaccines, is responsible for the increased diagnoses of autism in the U.S. -- a position in stark contrast with the view of the medical establishment.

McCain was responding to a question from the mother of a boy with autism, who asked about a recent story that the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program had issued a judgment in favor of an unnamed child whose family claimed regressive encephalopathy and symptoms of autism were caused by thimerosal.
"We've been waiting for years for kind of a responsible answer to this question, and are hoping that you can help us out there," the woman said.

ABC NEWS: PLEASE LET ‘EM HAVE IT!

By J.B. Handley

As the email chain below from AOA reader Monica Bice shows, ABC is clueless and trying to defend the indefensible. Their chief medical correspondent blatantly lied to the American people and falsely reassured parents that the rates of autism amongst unvaccinated children has been studied when it has never been studied (except for Generation Rescue’s study!)

We want, and deserve, a retraction. Please email:

Roger Sergel
Managing Editor
Medical Coverage
ABC News
roger.h.sergel@abc.com

David Westin
President
ABC News
This email address is not working - if anyone has a working address please email leave us a comment!  Maybe David's mailbox is full???
David.westin@abc.com

Audrey Grayson
ABC News Medical Unit
(781) 455-6020
audrey.grayson@abc.com
 
________________________________________

ABC WORLD NEWS TALKS OUT OF ITS.......

Editor's Note: Age of Autism reader and mom Monica Bice got in touch with ABC to complain about Dr. Timothy Johnson's statement that studies have been conducted on vaccinated-versus-unvaccinated children to determine whether vaccines cause autism. First, read the response from Audrey Grayson of ABC. Then read what Monica answered back. And many thanks to Monica for obtaining this very useful information and sharing it with us. Perhaps others would like to let ABC know they still don't have their facts straight.
--

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Grayson, Audrey
    To: monica@aware4autism.org
    Sent: Friday, February 29, 2008 10:19 AM
    Subject: Autism and Vaccines

    Monica,

    Thanks for your call. Below is some of the information you requested, with studies and additional information attached.

    Best,
    Audrey Grayson
    ABC News Medical Unit
    (781) 455-6020
    audrey.grayson@abc.com

    There are two kinds of theories out there, neither of which is supported by the evidence.

ASA AND MEAD WESTVACO CREATE "AUTISM PLANNER"

Check out this fabulous idea! The Autism Society of America and Mead Westvaco Corp. have teamed up to create a new product, a Cambridge brand planner to geared to autism. From the ASA press release:

Special planner designed to help families organize, navigate the complicated medical, education needs of autism

ASA and MeadWestvaco Consumer & Office Products Group have partnered to design an autism-themed Cambridge Planner in honor of this April’s National Autism Awareness Month. The planner will go on sale at 1,000 Wal-Mart stores nationwide starting April 1.

Read the full press release HERE.

Beats the hell out of another study on Prozac or the genetic makeup of the short tailed, Mongolian titmouse.....

NEW BOOK ON ADULTS, AUTISM AND ASPERGER SYNDROME

ARI founder Dr. Bernard Rimland, who also founded the Autism Society of America, was the man who dispelled the refrigerator mother theory of autism. The current ARI newsletter speaks to the current state of care/services for adults with autism and Asperger Syndrome. Today's problem is going to be tomorrow's catastrophe as the tens of thousands of children with autism grow into adulthood, into a society that is ill-equipped to care for and respect them.

A new book called Families of Adults With Autism: Stories and Advice for the Next Generation is now available for sale on Amazon. (PURCHASE COPY HERE.)

Read the ARI newsletter HERE.

We're grateful here at Ageofautism.com for the generous sponsorship of ARI.

CITI-MOBILE TEAMS UP WITH NATIONAL AUTISM ASSOCIATION

NIXA, Mo., Feb 27, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- This week Citi-Mobile launched a new mobile billboard campaign to raise awareness about the autism epidemic. The advertising company generously donated their mobile billboards to the National Autism Association (NAA), a nonprofit autism organization dedicated to advocacy, family assistance, and cutting-edge research.

The mobile billboards are set for a three-month run in California, including the cities of Glendale and Burbank. Kevin Bartanian, Senior Account Executive of Citi-Mobile, helped coordinate the project. "Citi-Mobile, with its Hollywood Mobile Billboard product, is working to raise public awareness about the autism epidemic and its effect on millions of families," says Bartanian. "We've joined forces with the National Autism Association to bring much needed attention to this cause."

ABC's DR. TIM JOHNSON LIES TO AMERICAN PUBLIC

Managing Editor's Note: Well lookey here! Dr. Johnson was given the Sabin Vaccine Institute 2006 award.  Here.  The Albert B. Sabin Vaccine Institute’s mission is to prevent disease by advancing development of new vaccines and increasing immunization rates. Founded in 1993, the Institute pursues Albert Sabin’s vision of a world protected from disease by vaccines. You can email ABC at the link following this post.

By Julie Obradovic

What's that you say, Dr. Johnson?

So I'm sitting at work this morning, when an email from my best friend pops up. It's about 10 AM, and she wants to know if there's ever been a study of the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated. She wants to know this because Dr. Tim Johnson on Good Morning America just told her that not only has this study been conducted, but that it has conclusively shown there is no link between the rates of autism among those who get vaccines and those who don't. Even better, the IOM agrees.

Huh?

I thought she must be mistaken. Even Dr. Johnson wouldn't go so far as to make something up, would he?

A quick check of the GMA website verified he would.

WHAT DOES PROQUAD TELL US ABOUT THE MMR?

By DAN OLMSTED

Back in 2005, when the FDA approved the four-in-one live-virus vaccine ProQuad as safe and effective, manufacturer Merck had high hopes. "Based on the public health benefits realized following the introduction of other combination vaccines, such as M-M-R II, we expect PROQUAD to become a primary option for prevention of measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox," said Mark Feinberg, M.D., Ph.D., vice president of policy, public health and medical affairs, Merck Vaccine Division.

That was then. Now, because of a twice-as-high risk of fever-related convulsions, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has dropped its preferential recommendation for the four-in-one shot – measles, mumps, rubella (the MMR components) plus chickenpox. Read the story HERE.

THE SWEATHOGS RETURN

By Harry Hofherr

Remember that TV show about Mr. Kotter who was welcomed back to his old school as a teacher? The students he was assigned to were the challenging ones, the bottom of the class. They were called the Sweathogs. Eventually the show was cancelled. One of the students ended up famous while the rest just disappeared.

I think I found them.

AUTISM: FROM ADDERALL TO ZOLOFT SURVEY RESULTS

Click HERE to see the results the Autism Research Institute Parent Ratings of Behavorial Effects of Biomedical Interventions.

We are proud that ARI is an Age of Autism sponsor. Their commitment to our children is unwavering.