AGE OF AUTISM

It's Time for Our Age of Autism Awards Nominations

Editor's Note: Again this year, Age of Autism will name the year's winners and warriors (and a few sinners) -- and we want your nominations. Please send them by Dec. 18 to me at olmsted.dan@gmail.com. There are several obvious categories involving people, events, publications and media moments. But true to our reader-inspired spirit here at AOA, we'll let you decide.

2008 winners -- who are thus ineligible though much appreciated -- included Dr. Andrew Wakefield (The Gailieo Award), Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey (Couple of the Year), David Kirby (Journalist of the Year), Katie Wright (Mother of the Year), Hannah Poling (Child of the Year) and Dr. Bernadine Healy ((Person of the Year).

But think creatively -- what mattered most in '09 and who or what deserves to be honored? Tell us why, too, and we'll run many of your comments, along with winners and runners-up, over the year-end holidays. (Worst moments, lousiest books, newspaper or magazine article, dumbest quotes also are welcome! We wouldn't want to leave anyone off-it.) -- Dan Olmsted    

From SafeMinds: Confusion Ensues as IACC Adopts Vaccine Research Objective

By Theresa Wrangham

As someone who regularly listens and/or attends meetings of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), I was stunned and confused by the statements made by IACC public member Alison Singer in the Autism Science Foundation’s recent press release regarding vaccine research adopted by the IACC on November 10th. While it is true that two vaccine objectives in the draft were rejected, it is more accurate to say that the two vaccine objectives were deleted and a new vaccine objective adopted. In terms of this research not being based on “good science” it is clear the Ms. Singer must have attended a different meeting from the one I attended.

The addition of language from the Institute’s of Medicine’s (IOM) 2004 report on vaccines and autism clarifies that the current body of epidemiological research is limited in detecting subpopulations genetic susceptibilities to vaccines. The focus of the new objective is to detect these subpopulations and identified vaccines as an area of possible investigation. This language also alludes to the same recommendations made by the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC – an expert federal advisory committee) this past June with regard to investigation of subpopulations and conducting research via animal models and cell cultures. Ms. Singer would do well to familiarize herself with the recognized deficits in vaccine safety research noted by the IOM and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC – a federal advisory committee of experts) and the “good science” needed as it applies to autism. Below are additional salient quotes from IOM 2004 that hold implications for the IACC’s strategic plan:

“The committee notes several factors that limit acceptance at this time of the hypothesis that vaccines cause autism… However, the experiments showing effects of thimerosal on biochemical pathways in cell culture systems and showing abnormalities in the immune system or metal metabolism in people with autism are provocative; the autism research community should consider the appropriate composition of the autism research portfolio with some of these new findings in mind...”

Please click HERE to read the full post and watch a video at the SafeMinds site.

The Heroes of Autism Video

This is a beautiful way to end the holiday weekend. Thank you to AL for creating the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev8onanMtxc

The Original Wines For Autism Supports Autism Orgs and an Autism Family

20% Discount for Age of Autism readers! Use code AOA20 at checkout.

We'd like to introduce you to Christine Roffi, founder of the online wine retailer, Wines for Autism.

By ordering your holiday spirits from Christine, you'll support a worthy autism organization and a family with an autistic child as well.  Each bottle arrives with a Ribbon Awareness label and features the websites of the current autism biomedical non-profit (NPO) partner. A third of the gross profits from all sales of WFA Inc. goes to the featured NPO, which is NAA  from now until the end of January, 2010.

Please, tell your co-workers, friends and family about Wines for Autism! Here's a note From Christine:

Dear Friend,

Wines for Autism was started by me, a stay-at-home mom, who is directly affected by autism. The goal of Wines for Autism is to promote awareness that there is hope for children suffering from an autism spectrum disorder and to help fund non-profit organizations that aid the families affected by autism.

From witnessing my son’s significant progress I have made it my goal to spread awareness of the effectiveness of biomedical interventions while supporting charities that share my beliefs. The vehicle I have created to do this is the Wines for Autism program.

Watch Autism In the Criminal Justice System by Dennis Debbaudt

Click HERE to watch Autism In the Criminal Justice System by Dennis Debbaudt of Autism Risk Management. Dennis Debbaudt is the leading global voice on autism training for law enforcement and emergency responders.  His work becomes ever more important as youngsters with autism grow into teens and adults who may interact with the justice system as a result of their communication and social impairments.

Autism In The Criminal Justice System produced by Debbaudt Legacy Productions for the State of North Carolina:

• illustrates verbal and non verbal communications difficulties experienced by persons with autism who may become victims, witnesses or offenders in the criminal justice system

• offers advice and information for criminal justice professionals they may interact with

• features persons with autism, criminal justice professionals and autism professionals through vignette and interviews 

Produced by Debbaudt Legacy Productions, LLC

Inquiries and feedback via: http://www.autismriskmanagement.com or ddpi@flash.net

Autism In The Criminal Justice System © 2009 State of North Carolina

Brief Background:

The North Carolina Joint Legislative Study Committee on Autism Spectrum Disorder, Law Enforcement, Public Safety, and First Responders was established in 2005 and reappointed in 2007 by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  The committee was authorized to study the availability and appropriateness of autism-specific training and education for law enforcement personnel, community colleges, public safety personnel, first responder units, judges, district attorneys, defense attorneys, magistrates, and related organizations.

An Autism Mom's Video Response to the Chicago Tribune Story

“This Too Shall Pass…..”

By Jacey Capurso

I sit here, banging away on my computer, as I continue to reverse the effects of my local hometown rag’s recent articles on biomedical interventions. Family, friends and foes have all emailed me the articles with “Have you seen this?” in the subject box. I have responded to each and every one of them. I reply with one line comprised of one link of one boy who conquered one disorder in the video below.

Living in the Chicago area last week had fired me up once again. Local biomed moms were more than prepared for the articles as emails and yahoo group posts flew around the Windy City. The news of the imminent publishing of, again, some crappy story on biomedical treatments for autism was the hot topic of the week. Honestly, I have resorted to not even justifying the articles as they are absolutely ludicrous. I believe some journal articles justify a healthy back and forth discussion about the treatments, but this series of reporting (if that is what they call it) was not even worth one breath.

A Quick Guide to the “Green Vaccines” Initiative

By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.

Okay, you’ve had time to digest the new direction I want to take our movement but let me go over the basics. (Please see our earlier posts, The Green Vaccines Initiative, Learn More and Kent's introduction to the Green Vaccines initiative.)

We’re not going to get anywhere with our current legal system because everything gets funneled into Vaccine Court.  We’re not going to get far with the current media because they’re so heavily funded by pharmaceutical drug ads.  We’re not going to get far with the medical community because they’re part of the machinery.

And don’t even get me started on the politicians.  On one hand you have pharma handing out millions of dollars to politicians, and on the other you have parents of children with autism who are slowly bankrupted by this disease.  Who do you think is going to have more money to “support” the politician of their choice?

And that brings me to the “Green Vaccines” initiative which simply seeks to do the same job the medical community should have been doing all these years.  We’re at the beginning of this process, but these are the ideas we want the political consultants to “poll-test” to determine support.  They told me specifically to go broad to see how people react to the various ideas. 

The time to winnow out ideas will come later.  Without recounting all the ideas at length, there were five general areas.

1.  Research/Testing – Oregon requests the federal government to return the records of the Vaccine Safety Data-Link from private industry and make them available to independent researchers, conduct a study of vaccinated and unvaccinated children, study the health effects of aluminum adjuvants, and other substances used in vaccines like hydrolyzed gelatin and sorbitol.

2.  Disclosure/Informed Consent – Comparison of Oregon schedules with that of the CDC and other first world countries and full disclosure of vaccine ingredients, as well as the level of safety testing on them.

Dr. Mercola Speaks to CBS Reporter Sharyl Attkisson on Reality of H1N1 "Epidemic"

(Managing Editor's Note: We have a contest with one of Dr.M's newest products coming up. Stay tuned!)

Dr. Mercola speaks to investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson of CBS on the H1N1 epidemic. Click Superstar CBS Reporter Blows the Lid Off the Swine Flu Media Hype and Hysteria to hear the interview.

From Dr. Mercola's site: Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News correspondent and investigative reporter. She’s covered Capitol Hill since February 2006 and has been a Washington-based correspondent there since January 1995. She was also part of the CBS news team that received the Edward Murrow Award in 2005 for overall excellence. Additionally, she received an Outstanding Investigative Journalism Emmy in 2002 for a series on the Red Cross.

In case you didn't realize it, Sharyl Attkisson is the investigative reporter behind the groundbreaking CBS News study that found H1N1 flu cases are NOT as prevalent as feared.

In fact, they’re barely on the radar screen.

How did this startling information come about, and why is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) painting a different picture entirely? I spoke directly with Sharyl Attkisson to find out.

When Journalists Play the Telephone Game - Part 2

Read Part 1 HERE.

By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.

As somebody who regularly writes about autism issues, I feel a responsibility to the families of children with autism.  I feel a responsibility to those who search for an answer and also those who are on the very cutting edge of solving this problem.  Let there be no doubt. I believe this problem WILL be solved one day.  And it will be done safely.

I must confess it's confusing to me when journalists like Trine Tsouderos and Patricia Callahan in the November 23, 2009 article "Autism Treatment: Science Hijacked to Support Alternative Therapies" seem to have no such feelings of responsibility or even intellectual curiosity.

I'll begin with the first part of the article.  It describes how Dr. Carlos Pardo and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins found neuroinflammation in the brains of people with autism who had died in accidents.  This research was published in 2005, nearly five years ago.  Do they have any additional information since that time?  Is anything imminent?  Additionally, the article goes on to say "the scientists did not know whether the inflammation was good or bad, or even how it might relate to autism."

I understand in the scientific process you may not definitively know the relevance of a finding, but you should at least have a general opinion as to whether something is good or bad to spur further research.  How about this?  Since autism is not a normal state, the finding of something so abnormal as neuro-inflammation may indicate a clue as to the condition.  Would that be too great a leap to make?  Yes, we understand that a fever is a positive response of the body to an infection, but in and of itself it is not a good thing.  It is fighting off a bad thing.  Too high of a fever can damage the body.

Pediatric SuperSite's Paul Offit Article: High Praise and Two RotaqTeq Ads.

Pediatric SuperSite says Advertising Though PediatricSuperSite.com is supported by advertising, its acceptance of advertising in no way implies endorsement by the editors, publisher or editorial boards. All advertisements appearing on PediatricSuperSite.com are placed in fixed positions that are predetermined. The positioning of advertisements is not related to editorial content or known in advance of an article's publication; any appearance otherwise is simply coincidence. Like this RotaTeq ad in two locations on the screen along with an article about Dr. Paul Offit, who sold the patent for the vaccine. Ah, serendipity! Sometimes it really is better to be lucky than good!

Click the photo to increase size. To learn we find this ironic, read Voting Himself Rich: CDC Vaccine Adviser Made $29 Million Or More After Using Role to Create Market.

Voting Himself Rich: CDC Vaccine Adviser Made $29 Million Or More After Using Role to Create Market

Posted on the Pediatric SuperSite on November 21, 2009

Omnibus autism decision: ‘Good science wins out in the end’