Dachel Media Update: A Child Remembered, Nevada Services, Autism Speaks Research

Dec 20, 2012, BaltimoreRavens.com: Ravens Honor Newtown's Joey--Big Ravens fan Josephine Gay, 7, was one of the 20 children killed in Newtown, Conn.

Dec 20, 2012, CBS8 Las Vegas: Nevada Requires CCSD to Provide Autism Services

Dec 19, 2012, Newswise: WUSTL Study Chosen as One of Top Ten Autism Research Advances of 2012  

BaltimoreRavens.com 

"Josephine Grace Gay (Joey) grew up in a family full of Ravens fans.

"Thus, she developed a love of the color purple.

"But on Dec. 14, Joey’s life came to an end far too soon. She was one of 20 children killed during the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

"According to the family, Joey was autistic and severely apraxic. She could not speak, yet she touched many lives around her: teachers, therapists, friends, neighbors. They all loved and cherished her."

Even though so much coverage hasfocused on the shooter possibly having autism, it should be pointed out that autism was also mentioned in connection with the students who died.  Joey Gay was said to have autism and another little boy, Dylan Hockley, was described as having "special education needs" http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Dylan-Hockley-died-in-Anne-Marie-Murphy-s-arms-4122828.php and autism was mentioned several times in the story about him, along with a request to send donations to Autism Speaks. 

CBS8

“Autistic students who need in-home behavioral therapy will now receive it free of charge, according to the Nevada Department of Education…

“Diego's mother credits his in-home therapy with her son's ability to communicate his basic needs. She said he didn't say his first word until his was four-and-a-half years old.

“According to the school district, its legal department is reviewing the state's decision and it could not immediately comment.“

Four thousand? I remember when there were 4,000 in the whole state of WI.

There is no place for comments and I can’t get over the numbers so I don’t know what I could write.

 Newswise

“A groundbreaking study on young adults with autism, led by Washington University in St. Louis researcher Paul Shattuck, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School, has been chosen as one of the “Top Ten Autism Research Advances of 2012” by the advocacy organization Autism Speaks…

“The winning research studies were chosen by Autism Speaks Scientific Advisory Committee, a team of 16 scientists and researchers. According to the online research database PubMed.gov, more than 2,700 autism studies were conducted in 2012. Instead of isolated breakthroughs, many of this year’s top advances represent broad progress in areas of autism science and involve multiple research teams at sites across the nation and the world, the group states in announcing the list.

“Shattuck says very little is known about how life unfolds and what life looks like for adults with autism. “This study is really breaking new ground in terms of telling the story of what life looks like as people enter adulthood,” he says. “We chose to focus purposefully on young adulthood in the first few years after high school because that really is the beginning of adulthood. That sets the stage.

“‘If young people have a good launch during those first few years after high school, it sets them on a path that can spell success for many years to come. If they have a troubled launch on the years after high school, that can spell a troubled path,’ he says.”

It’s hard to move past the announcement that there were over 2,700 autism studies in 2012.  And what stunning progress have they made?  No one seems to know anything about autism---except that vaccines don’t cause it. 

This is absolutely dumbfounding to see. Paul Shattuck has been out there for years telling us that there’s been no real increase in autism.

Listen to his lame explanation for why they chose to focus on YOUNG adults. “Troubled launch”? I think he knows full well that there’s nothing for young adults because we’ve never had autistic adults on any large scale in the past. We are totally unprepared for how autism will impact us. And thanks to fraudulent studies like this, by the time we finally wake up to the truth, we’ll be too overwhelmed to deal with it effectively. Meanwhile, thanks to the efforts of Autism Speaks, America has no clue what’s going on. We’re told everything’s fine. Experts seem to be working tirelessly to understand autism. The truth is no one has been able to tell us anything significant about autism in the last twenty years—except that the numbers keep going up and up and up.

Comments

[ldb]

Autism Speaks has severely hurt the autism community. As a mother and grandmother, I have volunteered in so many organizations (cub scouts, boy scouts, soccer coach, referee, campfire girls, school class mother and helped school classes) for 40 years. Since my children had a big gap in age (same husband, same genes) I saw the huge difference in the emergence of autism to the huge numbers of today. Autism Speak can keep giving excuses for the number, but parents and grandparents know better. My husband and I have guess by our work in Boy Scouts that the number of kids affected are about 1 in 10. Newtown, Conn. number of 2 autistic children in 20...about right. Maybe even more were on the spectrum with just learning disorders caused by the thimerosal. Shame on you, Autism Speak. The truth will someday be told for my youngest son, oldest grandchild, and the generation of children poisoned.