AGE OF AUTISM

Drop the Donuts, We Ordered Size Medium Ts!

We just re-ordered the Age of Autism T-shirts and added size Medium and XXL. So you can either drop the donuts or pick up a couple of dozen depending which size you want!  If you're waiting for a T now, we should have our order in within 2 weeks.

Taking a page from public television, we'll happily send you a t-shirt as our thank you for making a donation to A of A via our PayPal donate button.  You choose the donation amount. OK? If you've made a donation and have not received a T-shirt, please email me KimStagliano@gmail.com with your mailing address and size, M - 2XL.

And we're giving one shirt away each week to our "commenter of the week" - make sure you use your proper email address on your comment so I can contact you. Click past the jump to see the back of the t-shirt.

Age of Autism Comment of the Week

Congrats to DIANE who commented on
THIS post on Gov. Jay Nixon of Missouri:

I love his passion. I love that he tells it like it is about the insurance companies' position. (I just KNOW there's a special place in hell for the insurance executives - acutally I could name a few). But i still wanna hear someone in government talk about medical treatments for our kids' medical issues. From my personal experience, glutathione ivs are far more effective than a "therapist" with 3 hours of ABA training feeding my kid m & m's when she touched her nose upon command.

Diane, email me at KimStagliano@gmail.com with your address and if you want M, 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 M, L, XL or 2XL and include your address in the comments box at PayPal. 

The Insurance Industry Doesn't Want It!" Gov. Jay Nixon on Insurance for Autism

Watch this six minute video on Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri present angrily and eloquently on the failure of the autism insurance bill passage in his state. Paraphrasing, "We have coverage for Alzheimers..."  "The industry has survived other mandates. Mammograms, prostate screening."  If the video doesn't download on AoA for you, click HERE to go to You Tube. 

Thank you, Governor. And thanks for keeping the insurance industry and weak politician's feet to the fire.  Thank him yourself HERE.

Thoughtful House Responds: Sunday Times Defies Press Complaints Decision on MMR Autism Stories

Managing Editor's Note: Scroll down to read email correspondence as well.

Sunday Times Defies Press Complaints Commission

Paper Notifies Media Oversight Agency that it Will Not Remove from its Website False Stories about MMR and Dr. Andrew Wakefield  
 
(Austin, Texas) – The Sunday Times of London, a Rupert Murdoch News Corporation paper, has defied direction from the UK’s Press Complaints Commission (PCC) to remove from its web site controversial stories it has failed to substantiate, which allege Dr. Andrew Wakefield “fixed” data relating to the MMR vaccine.  The reports by correspondent Brian Deer are the subject of an extensive complaint filed with the PCC by Wakefield.

The PCC last week issued an unpublished directive that the stories be removed (see below).  They were taken down immediately, unannounced, but the Sunday Times has now defied the PCC by putting the stories back online after complaining Dr. Wakefield publicly announced the PCC’s directive. 

Autism Speaks: Call Speaker Pelosi to End Autism Insurance Discrimination

Senator Reid's mailbox is full and all lines are busy, I'm on hold right now (11:36am, Kim)  Keep Calling!

Managing Editor's Note: Click HERE to see the new TV ad campaign from Autism Speaks calling for an end to insurance discrimination for autism. Below is an action alert from AS asking you to please call and email Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid.  Sample script included. Please act now.  KS

Today, Autism Speaks has launched its first national television advocacy campaign. 
 
Our ad, entitled “Neighbors,” depicts the consequences of insurance company discrimination against individuals with autism and calls on the American public to urge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to end autism insurance discrimination in the upcoming health reform legislation.

We need YOUR help to make this a reality!  “Neighbors” will be broadcast on CNN, MSNBC and CNBC, reaching millions of informed and politically active Americans.  Watch our TV Ad. Then, ensure your voice is heard by calling Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi today! HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP!

1. CALL SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE NANCY PELOSI & SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID AT THE PHONE NUMBERS BELOW!

Speaker Pelosi: (202) 225-0100

Majority Leader Reid: (202) 224-3542

Restraint and Seclusion of Special Ed Students in Schools: End the Abuse

Tuesday, July 7 at 12:00 noon ET

Autism One: A Conversation of Hope
Host: Teri Arranga
On the VoiceAmerica Health and Wellness Channel Click HERE.

Restraint and Seclusion of Special Ed Students in Schools: End the Abuse

From a National Autism Association release:  "In May of 2009, a government report listed 19 state governments that have yet to regulate the practices of restraint and seclusion in schools.  The report also cited multiple cases of improper restraint and seclusion resulting in death, injury, and emotional trauma of children with varying disabilities."  Lori McIlwain, NAA chairperson of the board, Phyllis Musumeci, founder of Families Against Restraint and Seclusion, and Sharon Boyd, founder of Parents in Action, join Teri for this discussion about the scope of the situation and what you can do.  Please see also the NAA site HERE.

Videos of the Maine CDC Autism Conference

 By Ginger Taylor

In May, I told AoA's readers [HERE] about the Maine CDC's Autism Conference where GI treatment, and environmental causes, including vaccination, were discussed.  The videos of the conference were due to be posted on the Maine CDC's web site by the end of June; however, after the conference Maine CDC discovered that a new state law had been passed that prevented them from being made available on the state's site before being closed captioned so that they were ADA compliant. 

As they had not budgeted for close captioning, it took some time to find the funding and some more time to actually get the job done, and well... I got impatient.

So this week I posted the videos to Adventures In Autism in six parts:

• Welcome and introduction by Dora Ann Mills, MD, MPH, Director, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, State Health Officer, featuring Becky Grant-Widen, board member of the National Autism Association. [HERE]
• Autism 101, and overview of autism and diagnostic measures by several Maine developmental pediatricians. [HERE]
• Gastrointestinal and Nutritional Co-Morbidities in Autism by Tim Buie, MD, Pediatric Gastrointerologist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School [HERE]

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/.

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).

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.