AGE OF AUTISM

Age of Autism Awards: Steven Higgs, Best New Blogger

Managing Editor's Note: You can subscribe to Steven Higg's blog  
HERE.

By Anne Dachel
 
As autism continues to overwhelm our children and health officials still haven't figured out if there's a problem, the Internet has become a source for answers for countless thousands.  The mainstream media rarely deviates from announcing the latest autism gene study and giving us the standard claim that no one knows if more kids have autism.  Vaccines have been exonerated.  Major news sources work to lull the public into autism acceptance.  Autism happens; we just need to adjust and accommodate it. 
 
Any rational adult can recognize that something is very wrong.  A generation of children is now afflicted with a disorder no one ever heard about 30 years ago.  Kids like this weren't around when we were young.  Enter the Internet.  Real information is a click away.  Sources that never make the network news can be found there.  One of these, the Bloomington Alternative (HERE), is outstanding.  The work of Steven Higgs, editor and publisher of The Bloomington Alternative since 2002, deserves recognition by the autism community. Higgs (editor@BloomingtonAlternative.com) collects his columns in a blog called Autism and the Indiana Environment.

Here is his own description of the blog's creation: "It's been a year since John McCain piqued my reporter's curiosity about the parallel epidemics of autism and environmental pollution that have swept our nation the past couple decades, a journalistically productive and, sadly, intellectually reaffirming 12-month period, to be sure.

Since the Arizona senator announced on the campaign trail last year that he would find the cause of autism if elected, I have pursued the question through interviews with parents, clinicians, advocates, physicians and researchers; stories, articles and books; and more than a few studies and videos. I've also published nearly a dozen-and-a-half stories on the subject in The Bloomington Alternative, CounterPunch online and print editions, NUVO and IU Alumni Magazine.

So far, nothing I've found contradicts my initial premise that toxic pollution is a contributing factor to the meteoric rise we've seen in the incidence of autism. To the contrary, that argument seems more plausible today than it did when I began this time last year. All signs point to "yes," so I am taking this project to the next level.

Phase II, as it were, will involve a more in-depth analysis of the connection between environmental pollution and autism in Indiana, within a new literary framework. From this point forward, the online aspect of this project will be called the "Autism and the Indiana Environment" blog. And it will involve research for a book with a working title of "Autism and the Environment: Indiana, Industrial Pollution and Developmental Disabilities," as well as more freelance writing."

Higg's stories are easily found on Google News.
 
Dec 27, 2009, Defeating autism, now (HERE) talked about biomedical and dietary intervention. 

Age of Autism Award: Jim Carrey, Quote of the Year

We award the 2009 Quote of the Year to Jim Carrey, who appeared on Larry King Live on April 4th, with Jenny McCarthy, J.B. Handley, Dr. Jerry Kartzinel and a group of autism epidemic and treatment deniers who appear to be against vaccine safety for all children.

Thank you, Jim.

KING: Isn't the problem here, Jenny, that people sometimes listen with one ear are going to panic. And not vaccine at all?

MCCARTHY: Probably. But guess what? It's not my fault. The reason why they're not vaccinating is because the vaccines are not safe. Make a better product and then parents will vaccinate.

CARREY: We're not the problem. The problem is the problem.

HANDLEY: The AAP has failed our kids.

Larry King Live - Jim and Jenny -4 April 09 @ Yahoo! Video

Carmel Wakefield Speaks Out on Pending GMC Decision

Managing Editor's Note: Below is an excerpt from Autism File magazine by Carrmel Wakefield, wife of Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Read Mrs. Wakefield's complete, heartfelt message HERE. Have you subscribed to Autism File yet?

By Carmel Wakefield

...To get us in the mood for Christmas we have just been told that the longest GMC hearing in history is grinding towards a decision on the facts – the GMC’s complaint against my husband Andy Wakefield and his two colleagues Professors Walker Smith and Murch. The sixth anniversary of the complaint being made by the freelance reporter, Brian Deer, will be in February; the GMC hearing itself has lasted over 2 and a half years. At the time of writing, the date for a verdict to be “handed down” has been set for January 29th 2010 but that date has shifted three times in less than 10 days.

It is very sad on so many levels. Obviously on a highly personal level, we have had to live with the shadow of the sword for a ridiculously long time but it goes much further than that. Think of the financial cost of this travesty of an inquiry: three barristers for the GMC, two barristers for each of the three defendants, at least one solicitor per defendant and a couple for the GMC for good measure. Add to the mix the cost of the panel’s remittance and their expenses – six lots of them – and of course the GMC administrative staff assigned to this case, both in Manchester and London; heat, light – the show goes on and on and multiplying that, brings a mind boggling total in the millions of Great British Pounds.

It may console you to know that the dosh is out of the pockets of doctors, rather than
yourselves, which in this context, would make it totally unbearable. Nonetheless it is hard earned money, which has been poured straight down the drain. Money, which if used for research might have delivered critical results that could already be impacting on your children’s lives. What a waste of time, emotion, effort and money.

Whatever the verdict in this case, there will be no winners: not a single one...

2009 Age of Autism Awards: Memorial for Trudy Steuernagel

We present this memorial to Trudy Steuernagel, the mother of Sky Walker. Her beating death at the hand of her severely autistic son serves as a reminder of the seriousness of autism for many families, and the lack of support often available. Sky is now living in an institution in Ohio, missing his mother, his remaining family trying their best to piece together a life for him. We've heard from some family members. They are good people who have been placed in a difficult situation. Below are some of the articles about the story during the year.

Kent State professor Trudy Steuernagel's fierce protection of her autistic son, Sky Walker, costs her life: Sheltering Sky

18 Year Old With Autism Faces Murder Charges

Mom with Autism Talks About Sky Walker Matricide Case

Portage County's Sky Walker Autism Murder Case

Autism's Harsh Reality: The Death of Harry Horne-Roberts

By John Stone

The parents of Harry, Jennie and Keith, have issued the following press release:

Harry Horne-Roberts born 29th June 1989, had been in the care of the London Borough of Islington since August 2007, as his ageing parents Jennie, a Barrister and Keith, an Architect, could no longer keep him safely at home. He lived near them in supported accommodation and they took him on outings 4-5 times per week. They are described by his Daycentre as 'brilliant, devoted parents'.

Harry was described by the Tavistock Centre in London as highly intelligent. He became autistic aged 1 having received the MMR jab then. He was however an outstanding artist and musician and had already had many exhibitions in London.

Harry sometimes became anxious and would then be noisy, sometimes staying awake late.  Jennie and Keith discovered to their horror after his death that his medication, which they had thought was a tranquillizer such as valium, was in fact Chlorpromazine a dangerous anti-psychotic drug which can cause sudden death and heart failure. He had been taking 150 mgs. of this per day. His parents tried to visit his psychiatrist but were cut out of his health care and received no replies to their several letter to Dr. Jaydeokar of Haringey LDP (Learning Disability Partnership) near Harry's care home.

Harry died in his sleep of heart failure on the morning of 16th December 2009, having been healthy and active when his parents took him for a walk in Epping Forest two days before. He was physically healthy and had had only two colds in his life. He was overweight, about 20 stone, which is an additional reason why he should not have been prescribed any anti-psychotic medication (as these increase weight).He was certainly NOT psychotic. He had late onset autism with its accompanying anxieties. He should have been helped, not given chemical cosh which resulted in his death.

His parents are utterly devastated as well as grief-stricken. Everybody loved Harry who was a very special boy.

Is Britain now a fascist murdering state? It would seem so. Many others may have died, and more be still at risk.

Our most beloved and talented son Harry R.I.P.

Jennifer and Keith Horne-Roberts.

Age of Autism Awards: Louise Kuo Habakus, Person of the Year

By Dan Olmsted    
 
 It’s been a rough year for people concerned about the relentless onslaught of autism in America’s children. First, the U.S. vaccine court ruled against three brave families who were fighting to establish a link to their children's disorders, dismissing the parents as dupes and their lawyers and scientists as worse. Then a slew of negative and know-nothing articles tried to make anyone concerned about the issue look not just dumb but downright dangerous.
 
Meanwhile, the number of afflicted children kept rising like the waters after a levee break – and the federal government’s response was suitably Katrina-worthy. The storm surge has now reached 1 in 100 children, more or less, and in some states and some populations, far more than that.
 
But amid the doom and gloom, there were bright spots -- none brighter, ironically, than New Jersey, the place with an autism rate so high the CDC “disappeared” the entire state in its latest calculation; not coincidentally, it’s also the home of rivers of toxic waste, an armada of pharmaceutical companies, and a torrent of legislated vaccine mandates taken to extremes never before witnessed in America.
 
But New Jersey is home, too, to Louise Kuo Habakus, who did something quite amazing this year – rallying vaccine advocates and concerned citizens in numbers that made the difference in the New Jersey governor’s race, defeating Jon Corzine and carrying Chris Christie, the first candidate to go on record for vaccine choice, to victory.
 
For this, as well as for her tireless, smart and effective educational efforts and advocacy, we’re pleased to name Louise Kuo Habakus our Person of the Year.
 
In doing so, we’re also acknowledging and, hopefully, encouraging some shifting currents. We’ve pleaded with complacent – and in some cases complicit -- bureaucrats and their media apologists long enough. It’s time to confront their bosses and fire them when we have to, time to tap into the innate decency and common sense of the American people – who, when they've had enough, have a long and distinguished history of throwing da bums out.

Autism Ambassadors Train Typical Peers to Work with Peers with ASD

Have you heard of Autism Ambassadors? A group of four high school students have created a program for schools to train typical students to respect and work with their peers with autism spectrum disorders. Follow them on Twitter, HERE. Their Facebook page is HERE. From their site:

The idea for Autism Ambassadors was conceived during the summer of 2008, by Zak Kukoff.   When Zak was about three, his family took in a cousin with Autism from Southern California.  For four years, Zak saw how she was mistreated and maligned in the classroom.  Years later, when recalling his cousin’s negative experience, Zak and his colleagues who comprise the student advisory board, Max Sauberman, Tyler Feldman and Zach Flyer, came up with the idea for Autism Ambassadors and, with the help of a psychologist, developed a curriculum to teach average children how to acclimate children with Autism to a typical lifestyle.

Mission Statement:

Autism Ambassadors aims to teach typical children how to help children with Autism become accustomed to daily classroom experiences.

 

Music To The Mind - Activating Human Potential

Steven Michaëlis

Music has been around for a long time. A simple flute made from bone was used by Neanderthal man more than 40,000 years ago and clay tablets found in Syria depict the score of 4,000 year old songs. But we do not have to go back that far for evidence that music is an integral part of the human experience. A foetus in the mothers womb will start to react to sounds at just 16 weeks and in a clinical experiment Brahms Lullaby being played to premature babies six times a day for just five minutes each time resulted in faster weight gain. Babies start to sway and rock to music long before they can walk or talk and much language is learned through nursery rhymes and songs. Adults spend billions on pre-recorded and live music because it makes them feel better.

So what is it that makes music so special? We listen to music using our two ears and the signal received by our ears is send to the brain for processing. To be able to filter, comprehend and use this information the brain needs to organise all the incoming data. It will look for patterns and similarities and it will try to match these to previous experiences stored in memory. Fortunately almost all music is highly structured and organised, with only small, often predictable, variations providing the tune or melody. Music thus provides pre-organised information to the brain, which is very easily assimilated and processed. The rhythm and beats within music often mimic our breathing and heart rate. Thus music with a slow rhythm can relax us, while disc jockeys in clubs make use of the beats-per-minute to whip the audience on the dance floor into an ever-increasing frenzy.

Music is food for the brain and it can influence how we feel, learn and develop in extraordinary ways. Rather than using it randomly when we have some spare time or just feel like it, it can be used in a much more directed and purposeful way to improve emotional well-being, speed up learning or help overcome developmental difficulties.

Prevent Harmful Restraint and Seclusion for Special Ed Students

Q & A - How About a Half Cup of Mercury Hazardous Waste?

By Jim Thompson

Q & A - How About a Half Cup of Mercury Hazardous Waste?

How much mercury is in the flu shot when it has Thimerosal as a preservative?

There are 25 micrograms of mercury in each flu shot that uses Thimerosal as a preservative (1).  And a half cup of water (4 ounces) with that much mercury has 0.2114 parts per million mercury and is considered a hazardous waste by the USEPA (2).

Why is there a concern about mercury?

Mercury is a known neurotoxin (4). 

How much mercury is in the blood after receiving a flu shot with Thimerosal? 

The mercury blood level in human newborns has been measured at a peak levels with an average of 5 nanograms per milliliter (5 parts per billion) (5).

How much mercury ends up in the brain?

The mercury level in the human infant brain after receiving a shot with Thimerosal is unknown.   However tests have been performed on infant monkeys.  Burbacher et al (5) gave infant monkeys shots with Thimerosal--with the same mercury weight per body weight, on average, as received by human infants.  This study reported that “The inorganic form of Hg was readily measurable in the brain of the thimerosal-exposed infants. The average concentration of inorganic Hg did not change across the 28 days of washout and was approximately 16 nanograms per milliliter (16 parts per billion).”