It’s a warm, Summer Friday night. My two adult daughters just had a rare argument. Over a young man? No. Over the latest outfit? No. Over who will use the car tomorrow? No.

Over a Kindle Fire tablet for Kids, loaded with preschool, Sesame Street, Nick Jr and other content.

It’s a warm, Summer Friday night.

They are in bed in their shared room. 

My adult daughters with autism.

And this is why AofA is still here.

Good night.  Kim

By Laura Hayes

I went grocery shopping this past Saturday, first time in 30 days. I find seeing my fellow humans masked, including young children, to be soul-stripping, and I come home angry and depressed. For some reason, I thought I would not be the only unmasked person at this stage of the insanity, but I was wrong. The store was more crowded than I had seen it to date, and yet, I saw no other shopper, or employee, not wearing a mask…nearly 6 months into this global machination.

In the event you haven’t noticed, things are getting worse, not better. And I am not talking about “Covid-19”, whatever that is or isn’t (no way for us to know, as we have been lied to from the get-go). I am talking about the state of our God-given rights, many of which our U.S. Constitution was created to protect, rights that include: the right to breathe freely, minus dangerous impediments; the right to communicate and socialize with others, minus facial covering and physical distancing requirements; the right to move about freely, including frequenting businesses of our choosing, minus finding businesses forcibly closed, and minus absurd shopping and walking around town rules; the right to conduct business, minus being deemed non-essential, minus being restricted in scope and ability to conduct business, and minus being coerced to enforce dangerous and absurd requirements of employees and customers; the right to assemble, minus ridiculous and arbitrary physical distancing and maximum number restrictions, and minus the forced covering of the majority of one’s face; the right to seek medical, dental, and eye care, minus temperature checks, facial masking, and in some cases, Covid-19 testing requirements (with the nasal swab testing causing harm and damage to some of those being tested that way); the right to practice one’s religion, and to congregate and fellowship with others, minus rules and requirements which prevent one from doing so; and the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, minus unwarranted, unconstitutional, and unacceptable government interference.

Americans should find it shocking, frightening, and intolerable that acting on our God-given fundamental rights as human beings has now been deemed illegal behavior and can result in being charged with a crime in a growing number of situations and locations. Stop and think about that for a few minutes. That which prior to 2020 were considered basic human rights, including the rights to breathe, smile at others, communicate, entertain, move about, congregate, shop, conduct business, seek care and services, and go to church, have instantaneously been labeled dangerous behaviors if done in a free, unregulated, and unimpeded manner, deemed worthy of fines, ostracization, shaming, social isolation, forced quarantine, closures, lockdowns, lawsuits, and no doubt very soon, prison time and “re-education camps”. Perhaps this is why nearly half of U.S. states have released thousands of prisoners before their sentences were completed, including those who have committed violent crimes…to make room for those who will refuse to comply with rights-stripping, unconstitutional, life-destroying edicts made and enforced by those abusing their positions of power.

Such a clever headline  and a WHOPPER of an obfuscation from National Pharma Radio, aka NPR. In the article they jauntily refer to a substance called "alum...."  The author might want to check in on the work of Chris Exley in the UK. His latest? The role of aluminum adjuvants in vaccines raises issues that deserve independent, rigorous and honest science

From NPR:

The Special Sauce That Makes Some Vaccines Work

There are many approaches to making a vaccine against COVID-19. Some use genetic material from the coronavirus, some use synthetic proteins that mimic viral proteins and some use disabled versions of the virus itself.

But before any of these approaches can generate the antibodies to the coronavirus that scientists say are essential to protecting people from getting sick, the immune system has to be primed to make those antibodies.

That's the job of something called an adjuvant.

"The definition of [an] adjuvant is something you add to enhance, in the case of immunity, the immune response," says Gregory Glenn, president of research and development at Novavax, one of the companies that has received money from Operation Warp Speed.

Vaccines essentially trick the body into making an immune response to a specific virus or bacterium, so if something dangerous comes along, the immune system will be prepared.

But before it can prompt a response to a specific virus, the immune system has to be made ready.

"When you inject a vaccine, the first immune cell that's of importance is a dendritic cell," Glenn says.

Dendritic cells are part of what's called the innate immune response. These cells will respond to anything foreign that enters the body, the coronavirus included.

Thanks to reader Judy R who always sends me excellent links,, including the story of NBC's Richard Engel and his plight for his disabled young so, below.

Only one of my daughters is still in school, at age 19. Ordinarily, ESY would have been 20 hours of direct instruction and therapy services with plenty of outdoor fun, water play, swings, slides, activity and life. This summer, she had 3 hours per week delivered by ZOOM with her mother sitting next to her facilitating. She also had carry over work on websites, that also required her mother to sit next to her.  Her tiny, private autism placement pooped the bed in June after providing unbelievably wonderful programming for 27 years. They decided to close their doors rather than accept the challenges of COVID and honor their 40 students. So now we are trying to create a new program for Bella to carry her through her final years in school.  And guess what? Her mother will be at her side.... at least for now. It's exhausting. I am not a teacher. I have other jobs that need tending. And she has two older sisters who are also home more than they are at the now re-opened day program.  I feel like the classic Lucille Ball chocolate factory episode. I love my kids. I love chocolates!

What about compensatory services? Are we supposed to turn a blind eye to the lack of services? When is school supposed to provide them, assuming we open for in person learning full time maybe in 2021?  Weekends? Nights?  It's an impossible task.

The Daily Mail ran this story today:

NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel has opened up about how the coronavirus pandemic has been a 'nightmare' for his severely disabled four-year-old son who has been cut off from the therapies that enrich his life. 

By Anne Dachel, CHD Contributing Writer, Age of Autism Editor, LossofBrainTrust.com

There is still a dearth of any real news on special education and autism in U.S. schools, but not so in Britain and Ireland where the press reports constantly on big time increases in special education spending.

Honestly, while it’s not being reported on as a crisis, any thinking person has to be concerned about what’s happening over there. Someone needs to explain what’s going on.

Back in 2015 the big news out of Britain was the announcement that the government would be opening 27 new special needs schools in England.

These schools would serve 2,000 students. It all sounded good. Of the 27 schools, 22 would be specifically for children with autism. Unfortunately 27 schools weren’t enough, so because of “increasing demand” more had to be done.

2020: 37 new special schools with 49 more schools in the planning stage

July stories from the U.K. were all about more funding and more provisions for students with complex special needs. The British national government has approved 37 additional special schools across England, and that’s only the beginning.

Seemingly no one can tell us when it’s going to stop. At the same time no one is alarmed. Stories include reassuring photos of teachers and officials smiling and being quoted using words like ‘delighted,’ ‘fantastic’ and ‘exciting.’

The truth is the U.K. government has to do this. They have no choice. Local county councils simply can’t pay the enormous cost of sending students with critical special needs outside their home areas to school. The government has to come up with funding and it’s adding up to be billions.

The same is true in Ireland where shocking reports tell us about hundreds of disabled students who wait 3 and 4 years for assessments and then go on waiting lists for services. Hundreds have been told there aren’t school places for them.

One might ask why everyone is so compliant. Why doesn’t anyone demand to know why all this is necessary? Read More at Children's Health Defense.

Posted with permission from Michelle Guppy.  Many of you will recognize her handsome son, 20-something Brandon, who is wracked with seizures and autism. Go ahead and provide a caption. The playhouse is for Michelle's darling grandson, her Grandfishy. But she snapped this photo and well, I had to ask if we could share it and she generously said, "yes."  I was reminded of the old Tom Hanks movie "Big," when he jumped into top of the the bunk bed after his date. But there is no Zoltan machine to change the past for Brandon or any of our adult children with autism.

Ginger Taylor posted this Tweet from Canadian MD Matt Strauss. It made my blood run cold. Read it. Admissions diagnosis, starvation. Our elders are starving because Covid measures have plunged all of into.... autism. Hear me out. 

Autism is loneliness.  I once watched my beautiful then 15 year old daughter stand at the front door of my home watching the neighbors much younger kids playing in their yard. She was mesmerized from behind the screen door. Then she said three words that broke another piece of what was left of my autism ravaged heart:

Gianna wants friends.

Autism is not being able to leave the house when you want to go somewhere or do something because it may be very difficult for your child.  My daughters have never left the house without an adult, caretaker or to board a bus with an adult.  I wrote in my memoir about the time I had to leave a Chinese food order in the restaurant because my daughter had such a meltdown in the parking lot that I had to carry both her and her older sister (they were tots) back to the minivan and drive home hungry.

Autism is not knowing what the person you see is feeling because you can't read his or her facial expression.  I thank God I am old enough to have crows feet and forehead creases so that people can tell if I am smiling or angry behind my red, white and blue mask. And poor enough that I can't even consider Botox...  ha ha.

Autism is isolation. My 25, 24 and 19 year olds have not been invited to a single event that was not adult facilitated for special needs since around 5th grade. That's more than a decade without a social interaction with typical peers.

Autism is diminished financial security for adults with autism and their families alike. From this I surely know.

Autism is an epidemic.  And so are the repercussions of COVID.

We're starving. All of us.

XOX    Kim

SNARK ALERT!

For a world crippled by the coronavirus, salvation hinges on a vaccine. 

(I hope you read that sentence from the CNN article below in the movie trailer guy deep. ominous voice.)

Instead of sending $1200 checks, perhaps the Federal Government should send everyone a treadmill. Instead of COVID checkpoints in New York, perhaps there should be weigh ins (open the old highway truck weight stations?) Instead of temp checks, calorie checks.  Force Americans to lose weight to save us from COVID.  Heavy Americans will be looked upon as dangerous, uncaring, unwilling to sacrifice their Big Mac and fries for the greater good of humanity. Schools will pass laws outlawing students above a certain BMI from attending classes.  Hospitals will dock the pay of nurses and doctors who are overweight.  This article expresses "concern" for those for whom the "salavation" COVID vaccine might not work because of their weight.  The same folks express disdain for "anti-vaxxers," but isn't this the same?  If you do not whip yourself into proper shape to prepare your body, your temple for the Covid vaccine, then surely you are sinner and do not care about those around you.  Food is health. Fitness is health. The Western diet is pharma reliance and death.

According to CNN and others: US obesity epidemic could undermine effectiveness of a Covid-19 vaccine

By Cathy Jameson

This isn’t a post about the pros and cons.  It isn’t a debate for you should or shouldn’t.  It’s a post to share one fact that the media isn’t. 

Several years ago I was in the main office at my son's elementary school when a new family came in.  After settling her kids in the chairs where I was sitting, the mom asked to speak to someone about the enrollment procedure.  The young secretary, a twentysomething, showed and described the forms that would need to be filled out, signed and returned.  When she got to the health history form, the secretary said that the school required a copy of the kids' shot records, too.  I waited for her to add that vaccine exemptions could be accepted, but she neglected to share that information.  The mom thanked her for her time and said she'd get started on the paperwork that day.  "If I have any questions, I'll call you," she said.  I had a question for the secretary, so when the family left, I walked up to the counter.  

"Hey, I couldn't help but overhear what you said to that other mom about that health history form.  Do you ever tell parents that they can submit an exemption, because that's part of the law, too?"  

She said no.  

I told her it would be a good idea to include that info.  Not many people know that it's an option.  I shared that since she's the one person fielding calls and inquiries about school enrollment procedures, she should cite the whole law.

I was happily surprised that she said she probably should tell people that.  

These days, it isn't so much the vaccine laws that are being partly or wrongly cited; state mask policies are being wrongly cited.  

WEAR A MASK

MASKED REQUIRED BY EVERYONE

KEEP MASKS ON AT ALL TIMES

DO YOUR PART!!

How about those sharing the mask information do their part, too?

Here's a trip down memory lane, the kind of road that leads you to back to the future. When I look at Alec Baldwin, I am transported back to the late 90s, sitting on my couch in Doylestown, Pennsylvania watching a movie called Mercury Rising. I was in the early stages of Mia's autism diagnosis. The movie, about a boy with autism who cracks an encrypted government code setting off a very angry Alec Baldwin and a boyhunt, presented one of the most realistic portrayals of autism I've ever seen. I cried throughout the movie. One line especially slayed me:

Mommy. Simon is home.

Mommy was dead.

Robert Kennedy Jr had a 1 hour video chat on Facebook and Instagram with that bad guy from Mercury Rising, Alec Baldwin. Here we are some 20+ years later, and Baldwin, who has 5 young children with his wife Hilaria, just spent an hour listening to Robert tell him the facts about the demise of pediatric wellness.  The media is already going after him - but I have a feeling he's used to that and will not allow them to besmirch him. Alec Baldwin Just Did an Hour-Long Instagram Chat with an Anti-Vaccine Activist During the talk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who’s been promoting vaccine misinformation for years, promoted false and misleading claims about vaccine safety and COVID-19.

Let's hope Alec listens, thinks and acts. As only he can. XOX

From Corvelva, in Italy. An important appeal. Per favore. Grazie.

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We are appealing to all the associations (and citizens) whose Countries have experienced and are still experiencing restrictive measures like Italy. We need to share with you an unacceptable fact and we want to ask other citizens in the world to take action in order to shed light on the many shadows that envelop the emergency situation we are facing.

We are an Italian association 1 fighting for freedom of choice in the vaccination and therapeutical fields since 1993, but we are here today speaking also to those associations that do not totally agree with our way of thinking and living freedom.

Italian people have gone through the Covid-19 pandemic strictly following the rules imposed. Italian people have complied with the Government’s restrictions and provisions but even so, for months we have been watching tv programs showing drones, helicopters and law enforcement vessels chasing and identifying individual citizens walking deserted streets or empty beaches, 2-3-4-5-6-7 and even law enforcement precluding religious services. Media have been pointing the finger at the runners, ordinary citizens going solo for a run, suddenly becoming terrible plague spreaders and primary cause of infection, according to the mainstream media narrative.

We are silently accepting our Country’s economy to fall apart and we should at least expect that our Government, responsible for the imposed restrictive measures, would clarify and be willing to provide evidence and answers to the people.
Every single choice the Italian Government made to manage the Covid-19 emergency, was and will be based on the opinion of the Technical-Scientific Committee (CTS). A small number of people called the shots of the Government Agenda, from the forms and lasting of Lockdown, to the masks, the social distancing, and any regulatory act always issued “having consulted the CTS”.

Recently, three lawyers, being part of a foundation, decided to file a FOIA (request for access to documents) , specifically requesting to view the minutes of the Scientific Technical Committee of February 18th, March 1st, 7th, 30th and April 9th. The data and opinions expressed and collected in these minutes are basically the reason, the drive, the foundation for the Government to have issued every act relating to the Covid-19 emergency management.
After the request has been rejected at first instance, the lawyers have been forced to apply to a Court. On July 23rd, 2020 the Regional Administrative Court of Lazio (TAR) had ruled in favour of the publication of the documents by August 21st at the latest. 8

And here is the shocking and for us unacceptable fact: the Italian Government, through the State’s attorney, on July 31st opposed 9the Court (TAR) ruling, motivating that the publication would have caused “a real damage to public order and security that exposing the CTS minutes, at this stage of the emergency, would cause for both technical assessments and general guidelines of the technical body”. 10

On August, 5th 2020, we learned from journalistic sources 11 and from the same lawyers who had requested access to the documents, 12 that the Italian government will publish these minutes, but the question remains unchanged:
Why did not it make immediately transparent what really happened in the emergency? If the Italian government acted on expert opinions, why did it oppose the publication of the data? What are the contents of these reports that should cause damage? Why would damage to public order and security even be expected?

Dan Olmsted would have written, "Oh frabjous day!"  Below are two sentences you need to Tweet, Facebook, Insta and email to everyone you know OUTSIDE of our AofA world. It sums up the "Ah ha" moment that it took many of us years and a severely injured loved one to reach.  Reuters calls this a "3 minute read." 3 minutes that could save your life.

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AstraZeneca to be exempt from coronavirus vaccine liability claims in most countries Ludwig Burger, Pushkala Aripaka

"AstraZeneca has been granted protection from future product liability claims related to its COVID-19 vaccine hopeful by most of the countries with which it has struck supply agreements, a senior executive told Reuters."


...“This is a unique situation where we as a company simply cannot take the risk if in ... four years the vaccine is showing side effects,” Ruud Dobber, a member of Astra’s senior executive team, told Reuters. 

From Professor Chris Exley:

In April 2020, I agreed to a telephone interview with Marie McNeely, the co-founder of an organisation called People Behind the Science (http://www.peoplebehindthescience.com/). The interview took place in early May 2020 to the apparent satisfaction of all concerned. In late June 2020, I received an email from Michael Green, also a co-founder of People Behind the Science, telling me, without explanation, that my interview would not be broadcast on their podcast. Subsequent emails from myself asking for an explanation and asking for the return of a copy of the interview were completely ignored by Green. Only when my US legal representatives issued a demand letter for a copy of the tape of the interview was a reply from Green forthcoming. He agreed to send an mp3 copy of the interview to prevent legal action being taken against him. However, what he actually sent was not what I asked for. He sent a highly edited copy of the interview in which there are many gaps and all words spoken by Marie McNeely had been removed. This is the low-resolution interview tape that I received from Green. Perhaps, as you listen you can play, fill in the gaps? Make your own judgement as to whether anything I say on this version of the interview would warrant censorship. Rather it appears to me from everything that has gone on that I am the subject of censorship here and that someone has threatened Green and McNeely with some form of repercussion should they broadcast my interview on their podcast. Whatever the reason, People Behind the Science and specifically McNeely and Green, should be ashamed of their actions. They do not deserve the support of anyone listening to or contributing to their podcast in the future.

Yahoo reports: Yahoo News/YouGov coronavirus poll: Number of Americans who plan to get vaccinated falls to 42% — a new low   Americans do not trust the rushed vaccine in either party. Because we're pretty smart people no matter how we vote.  Even experts are speaking out:

“Why should we expect Americans to agree to a vaccine before one is even available?” coronavirus expert Natalie Dean, an assistant professor of biostatistics at the University of Florida, recently wrote in the New York Times. “I’m a vaccine researcher, and even I would place myself in the ‘not sure’ bucket. What we have right now is a collection of animal data, immune response data and safety data based on early trials and from similar vaccines for other diseases. The evidence that would convince me to get a COVID-19 vaccine, or to recommend that my loved ones get vaccinated, does not yet exist.”

I don't buy the political division - do you?

The outlook for universal vaccination is clouded by political considerations from both sides: skepticism about medical authority and expertise (more common among Trump supporters), and suspicions (mostly among Democrats) that the administration is cutting corners on safety to rush a vaccine into production before the election.

Note: Many years ago, when I was a cub saleswoman for a female run organization, my mentor taught me a phrase: "Don't punish progress."  Those three words have served me well when I adhered to them, especially when teaching my daughters skills.  All forward movement is progress, even if glacial in pace. I am trying not to punish progress as Forbes' writer Steve Salzberg admits he is wrong, then says:

"...if we expand the distribution of vaccines too quickly, and then the vaccine doesn’t work, we may seriously undermine the public’s trust in any eventual vaccine that really does work."

I translate this to mean that if the earliest COVID vaccines cause harm, it could mean that a nation of "anti-vaxxers" will be born.  And that's exactly the fear.  Not the early injury to those who might give their consent but are still vulnerable lab rats. Slap your head much, readers? Welcome to.... The Age of Autism where so many of us experienced vaccine injury that "undermined our trust."  Do read the entire article and let us know what you think.

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I Was Wrong: We Can’t Skip Phase 3 Vaccine Trials

I wrote a blog post over the weekend that has generated tremendous pushback, including an op-ed in the New York Times as well as thousands of comments on Twitter.

In my previous post, I suggested that while we’re pursuing Phase 3 testing of several promising Covid-19 vaccines, we could simultaneously offer those same, unapproved vaccines to a wider community of volunteers, as long as those volunteers were fully informed. The benefits of moving quickly, I argued, would outweigh the risks.

I was wrong. After reading many of the responses to my article, some of them outlining the risks in greater detail, I have concluded that (1) the risks are greater than I presented them, and (2) the benefits are not as great as I had thought....

By Twilah Hiari

In 2020, we find ourselves living in a world where some of our fellow humans are not only rationalizing, but demanding human sacrifice. The question is not so much how we got here, but what does it say about our moral malleability and basic humanity.

On June 26, 2020 the New England Journal of Medicine published an article entitled Ensuring Uptake of Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. The piece serves as a legal blueprint to guide states to increase uptake of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine when it becomes available, guidance to when a mandate of the vaccine may be appropriate, and strategies to use to sidestep legal challenges in the event of a vaccine mandate.

As a person who lost the ability to read, write, speak and count in 2014 due to a series of medically induced injuries, including injury from two vaccines, the piece read not so much like the prequel to a dystopian novel, but like a direct threat to my life. 

Included among the criterion the authors suggest as a trigger for state vaccine mandates is Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation of the vaccine for populations including the elderly, health care professionals working in high-risk or with high-risk patients, and persons with certain underlying medical conditions. I strongly suspect that I’d qualify as a person with certain underlying medical conditions.

An unusual characteristic of the paper is its recognition that vaccine injury is real and will inevitably affect some people who receive the vaccine. One of the criteria that the authors outline as a prerequisite for a vaccine mandate is that, “a generous compensation program for people who have serious vaccine side effects should be a centerpiece of these efforts.” 

Do I, as a person who is under potential threat of state mandated vaccination feel assured by a promise of generous compensation should I lose my ability to read, speak and perform the functions of daily living independently again? No, I do not. No amount of money would be fair compensation for a loss so far reaching as severe vaccine injury. Severe vaccine injury is a loss that destroys not only the life of the injured individual, but transforms the lives of that person’s family and community. My spouse would lose a partner again, my community would lose a person who grows and shares a quarter acre of organically grown produce, my friends would lose a loyal support. And I, as a shell of my former self, would require valuable productive energy and resources from a team of other human beings to maintain an existence that no longer nourishes me or anyone whose life intersects with mine.

NOTE:  Tell us in the comments what is happening in your district, from Early Intervention to Adult Services. Is your child being left behind?

Safeminds: Fears Rising of Massive Special Education Litigation

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, students with disabilities and their families are facing the rapidly approaching fall semester with reservations, as many of these families suffered through enormous difficulties last spring while trying to implement special education programs remotely. These families are now left to wonder if the fall semester will be any better for their students.

Concerned about the current state of special education programs, SafeMinds spoke to Tim Adams, a California special education attorney earlier this summer about special education advocacy during the pandemic. Sadly, in our article, Adams reported numerous instances where students eligible to receive special education were unable to receive any services since the COVID school closures. He also reported many other instances where students with disabilities received only a fraction of their educational services during the same time period.

Adams explained that early in the COVID shutdown, school districts from across the nation had erroneously interpreted a provision in last March’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities (CARES) Act as providing schools a free pass from following the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA was passed in 1975 and guarantees a “Free and Appropriate Education” (FAPE) for all students with disabilities. A few weeks later, clarification from the Department of Education would prove these districts’ assumptions to be wrong.

(I'm Ed Sullivan plate spinning old, how about you?)

The New York Times has an article about our plight. Imagine that. But they forget that many of our children are.... adults themselves.

The Pandemic’s Toll on Children With Special Needs and Their Parents

From this we know.  Flatten the curve is flattening families, even when the day to day living isn't catastrophically behavioral.  In my home, my youngest's school shut down - closed its doors - rather than continue to provide an education to its most vulnerable population. They were cowards. My district is doing a great job of helping us create a custom program for her. My older daughters' day program has been amazing, providing a full day of online programming for MONTHS (I Zoom in my sleep) and now offering placement for Phase 1.  My daughters attend two half days per week, just like preschool....  They could go full time, but I thought it best to start slow. Everyone I know is taking full precautions with cleaning, handwashing, distancing and more. I can't afford to get sick, can you? I certainly don't want my daughters to fall ill, and end up in a hospital alone.   School begins in a month here. We have no idea if it will be hybrid or not. If hybrid, how do parents work? How have we BEEN working all these months. Me? Like a circus plate spinner- stirring a pot of sauce with my foot while typing with two hands while one daughter grabbing me to tighten her ponytail for the 1000th time, another asking me to print a 1/2" screen shot of a Sesame Street video to add to her pages of tiny cut out photos that she carries and the other zooming around with her phone blaring The Bubble Guppies Party at Sea and reciting the calendar as I ask her yet again to pleas

I had this album as a kid!

e turn it down!  They  visit their father for 2 nights every three weeks, which is a chance for me to catch up on sleep and also to worry since the woman he lives with is a Long Island, New York hospital based nurse. Long Island is former hot zone of sickness and death. I have to trust that his home is safe for the girls, and unless there is a jump in New York, I do.  (He questions my protocols more than I question his, but that's divorce for you!) Mind you, I'm not complaining. It's rather amusing and the grasshopper never thinks the ant is doing enough work.  Tra la la! We're doing GREAT.  We've gained skills and we've created a new routine. What else can we do?  That said, it's kind of a miracle Age of Autism is still running - and I hope you'll forgive any lapses in content as I try to keep my plates in the air!  KIM

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The Pandemic’s Toll on Children With Special Needs and Their Parents

Missing social contacts and altered routines, disturbed sleep and eating habits can be particularly intense for the kids with developmental challenges.

Franscheska Eliza has a 9-year-old son with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and sensory issues. Before the pandemic, he was in a program in the Bedford, Mass., public schools designed for children with autism.

This meant her son, Rafael, was in a special classroom, but also was a member of the regular third-grade class, and could join them for morning meeting or some academic subjects. He had a dedicated aide who worked with him when he got anxious. This was his first year in the school, and the beginning of the year was tough, but by March, things were going well.

Then came Covid-19. At first, Ms. Eliza said, her son was excited to be home. “He was happy that he didn’t have to get up early for school,” she said.

Note: I live in Connecticut. We've been giving ourselves atta boy boolah boohlah top drawer I tell you top drawer high fives all summer for our response to COVID.  The state's response to autism for twenty years has been the equivalent of spitting in the face of families. Here's the long and the short of it: If you have a testable IQ over 70 and autism, you are shunted into the autism waiver. Last I was told, there were 115 waivers in the state. 115. In. The. State.  All taken. Think about the age of autism - we're looking at people under 40? Under 30? How long is the wait for someone to drown, wander, get hit by a metro north train, be beaten to death by a caregiver or murdered by a parent?

We are wearing masks like badges of saintly honor. Preening over our numbers. Gazing at Covid stats like Narcissus at the water's edge. We are a state of sinners. Autism will explode. Imagine if we had a fraction of the attention, will, resources to combat the autism epidemic and help families. Read and learn:

I commend writer Matthew Zabierek for this unvarnished look at what we face. The autism the media doesn't usually show. The ventilator version....

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‘The system is going to explode’ — Adults with autism struggle to find support in Connecticut

A special report by Matthew Zabierek, Record-Journal staff , August 01, 2020
Read the full article at

During a trip to Bridgeport’s Beardsley Zoo in 2012, Sharon Cable’s son, diagnosed with autism and schizophrenia, wanted to find out whether the zoo’s tiger was ticklish. An in-depth series looking at how autism impacts us all. So when his dad went to the bathroom and a zookeeper wasn’t looking, 18-year-old Alex Cable hopped a fence, ran up to Victor the tiger’s cage, and reached his hand in while Victor was sleeping.

“When Alex tickled him, he woke up and bit off the tip of his finger,” Sharon Cable said, adding that doctors were able to surgically repair her son’s hand.

Alex Cable, now 26, is taking classes at Tunxis Community College in Farmington and hopes to one day get a full-time job. Due to his autism and schizophrenia, he constantly needs to be watched because he has “no sense of safety,” his mom said.

“He's 26 years old, he's doing college classes, and he cannot cross the street by himself,” Cable said. “It sounds ridiculous, and you say, ‘Why can't you teach him that?’’ We taught him, he can explain how to cross the street, but he doesn't actually do it … If he wakes up in the middle of the night, you better be awake to see what he’s doing.” Read the full article here.

A classic scene from Auntie Mame. Gloria Upson is a wealthy CT gal whose very life is "top drawer..."

I wrote this post on my Kim Rossi Facebook page yesterday and I made it public. I've been pretty quiet on Facebook over the last couple of years, on my personal page.  I post memories and the occasional sweet treat I've baked or some local news.  Basta - enough. It's time to tell all your friends and family and colleagues what's going on.   Removing encryption opens you to hacking, fraud, theft, safety issues galore. I excerpted information from NORTON security below.  The more Gates interviews, the more he seems to be a few lines short of a fully working code.

Here is what I wrote on Facebook.

Do you use What's App to communicate when traveling or with family and friends overseas? Bill Gates wants to remove encryption safety to make sure big tech can read your content. See the article below. He wants to protect YOU from two evil groups - Pedophiles and Anti-vaxxers. I am a nationally known "anti-vaxxer" which means I learned from my family's sacrifice and seek to inform and warn others. I use humor mostly. But it ain't no fun. I fight for YOUR RIGHT to say yes OR no. I am pro-choice. I resent and am disgusted by Gate's conflating pedophilia and "anti-vaccine." BTW, If you aren't already 100% decided to take the very first Covid FrankenVax and give it to your children and elderly parents too, and I mean the fresh off the pharma line first shots from whatever manufacturer crosses the phinish (sic) line first, - then welcome to the anti-vax club. We'll send you the secret decoder ring in the mail. Unless Gates hacks it.......  Kim

Bill Gates: Lies spread faster than facts on social media, which is hard to police

By Cathy Jameson

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw an article suggesting that pregnant women should be first in line to get the undeveloped, untested, unlicensed COVID vaccine when it becomes available.  Other vaccines are strongly recommended for those carrying a child in utero, including the liability-free influenza and Tdap vaccines despite insufficient data being available on those vaccines.  They are pushed heavily even though it is also unknown if the (Tdap) “vaccine can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity.” (HERE)  So why on earth would anyone suggest a pregnant woman receive a fast-tracked vaccine that has had no current data let alone any documented long-term, well-controlled studies? 

I haven’t gotten a solid time table on what long-term testing is considered industry standard—is it 5 years? 10 years? 20?  But I did find a webpage, recommended by the CDC, that somewhat details the average length of time it can take for vaccine development:

Under a heading First Steps: Laboratory and Animal Studies, we’re told that this exploratory stage “involves basic laboratory research and often lasts 2-4 years.”  The next stages, the pre-clinical stages, “often lasts 1-2 years and usually involves researchers in private industry.”  After those stages, add up to 30 more days to the new vaccine development timeline.  That’s how long the FDA has to respond to vaccine applications that have been submitted.  Within that time, the FDA can state they will or will not approve the vaccine for the next stage, which included an additional 3 stages of testing.  Once that’s complete, and depending on the outcome, the vaccine can then be eligible for licensing by the FDA.  Worth noting on this website was Phase IV.  “Phase IV trials are optional studies that drug companies may conduct after a vaccine is released.  The manufacturer may continue to test the vaccine for safety, efficacy, and other potential uses.”  

They may, and I think they should, but they don’t have to. 

The thalidomide tragedy in the last century led to US tightening restrictions "surrounding the surveillance and approval process for drugs to be sold in the U.S., requiring that manufacturers prove they are both safe and effective before they are marketed. Now, drug approval can take between eight and twelve years, involving animal testing and tightly regulated human clinical trials.”

One would hope that this tragedy--where thalidomide drug manufacturers ignored reports of birth defects--would serve as a warning for our own time. But apparently not, as the current COVID vaccine development is taking months, not years, skips animal studies, and may not include complete or adequate human clinical trials.

Looking at each of the CDC’s recommended vaccines licensed by the FDA (section 8.1 on a package insert), one can clearly see that not enough data exists to sufficiently inform the public of risks associated with many of the vaccines during pregnancy.  Maybe that’s why those who administer them are asked to encourage pregnant women to record post-vaccination pregnancy outcomes on the FDA’s pregnancy registry.  Those who license vaccines admit that safety and effectiveness hasn’t been established in that population but will, in the same breath, say to give it to a mother-to-be anyway.  Instead of doing the trial studies themselves, which I understand could be seen as unethical, they’d rather wait until the products is on the market and injected into women.

Ginger Taylor summed up this nonsensical, anti-science, anti-health, patronizing, condescending, anti-American article from Forbes. Forbes, a financial magazine, does not want you to read science. You should get your science from Forbes, a financial magazine. (This message brought to you by GSK, which sponsors Forbes, a financial magazine.)  This article is part of the frightening trend toward sanctioned, mandated obeisance and ignorance of facts that is the new America -  36 years after it was predicted by Orwell.

You Must Not ‘Do Your Own Research’ When It Comes To Science

By Ethan Seigel "I am a Ph.D. astrophysicist, author, and science communicator, who professes physics and astronomy at various colleges. I have won numerous awards for science writing since 2008 for my blog, Starts With A Bang, including the award for best science blog by the Institute of Physics. My two books, Treknology: The Science of Star Trek from Tricorders to Warp Drive, Beyond the Galaxy: How humanity looked beyond our Milky Way and discovered the entire Universe, are available for purchase at Amazon. Follow me on Twitter @startswithabang"

“Research both sides and make up your own mind.” It’s simple, straightforward, common sense advice. And when it comes to issues like vaccinations, climate change, and the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, it can be dangerous, destructive, and even deadly. The techniques that most of us use to navigate most of our decisions in life — gathering information, evaluating it based on what we know, and choosing a course of action — can lead to spectacular failures when it comes to a scientific matter.

The reason is simple: most of us, even those of us who are scientists ourselves, lack the relevant scientific expertise needed to adequately evaluate that research on our own. In our own fields, we are aware of the full suite of data, of how those puzzle pieces fit together, and what the frontiers of our knowledge is. When laypersons espouse opinions on those matters, it’s immediately clear to us where the gaps in their understanding are and where they’ve misled themselves in their reasoning.... You Must Not ‘Do Your Own Research’ When It Comes To Science

News we've all known was coming from Del Bigtree:

Greetings! I regret to tell you that this is the darkest day for The HighWire. The worst news has just happened. While the news is shocking and has created waves for our team, supporters, and viewers, we have a PLAN. We are confident every negative circumstance will ultimately serve to optimally benefit YOU after the challenge has been met. Google and YouTube may have won the battle but they will NOT win the WAR!! We WILL come out stronger with a larger audience, who is eager to hear truth, than ever before!!

Google and YouTube have decided to pull The HighWire. Our more than 200,000 subscribers and millions of viewers will not be able to watch our original, science-based reporting via this platform. 

Strike a pose! We're VOGUE! But none of us are like vaccine virgins. Covid is really turning the world inside out.  Two music superstars are battling it out: Annie Lennox of Eurythmics and Madonna. The Material girl is one of us? She posted on social media about Dr. Stella Immanuel and the video that was stripped from the Internet this week. Madonna is a Mother. And she adopted children from Malawi Africa. And her boyfriend, as of news reports in December, is Nigerian. Perhaps she knows more than the average censor? There are few bigger stars on the planet. If Madonna is angered, I can't imagine her staying quiet.

“The truth will set us all free!” the pop star wrote. “But some people don’t want to hear the truth. Especially the people in power who stand to make money from this long drawn-out search for a vaccine. Which has been proven and has been available for months. They would rather let fear control them and let the rich get richer and the poor and sick get sicker.”

HuffPost (remember them, many of us used to write about autism and even vaccines providing them with FREE labor and content for years before being faded out and then deleted) the UK edition posted this article yesterday

Annie Lennox Blasts Madonna For Sharing ‘Dangerous’ Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory

Annie Lennox has called out Madonna for sharing a debunked coronavirus conspiracy theory on social media. On Tuesday, the Like A Prayer singer shared a video of false claims, previously supported by Donald Trump, that hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment for Covid-19. In her post, which has since been hidden by Instagram for containing false information, Madonna called controversial US-based doctor Stella Immanuel – who appears in the video – her “hero”.

To join this virtual conference live, go now to -

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/protecting-our-future/facts-you-can-use/5g/chd-v-fcc-press-conference-evidentiary-brief-filing/?itm_term=home&fbclid=IwAR39CSAmOmgG8j3TjcP8REC7lkD_9MyoolgyjzSd1cHDxCHaMG9mHTbC3TM

Let's encourage this brave Vaccine Pioneer to bring Senator Richard Pan and Vaccine Compliance Expert Dorit Reiss along to test the very first COVID vaccines.  Perhaps CNN will cover a prime time televised injection with a 2 week body cam follow up (turned off for personal privacy when appropriate.)  Imagine the ratings as Americans sit glued to the TV like the earliest space race!  We need this kind of cohesive national moment. Let's gather a bevy of politicians who have worked so hard to protect children by removing vaccination choice to put their arms where their legislation is.   Josh Elliott here in Connecticut! COME ON DOWN!!! This moment was made for you and yours. 

Readers, whom would you like to invite to take the very first, freshly minted, hot of the presses, brand spanking new with the new car smell COVID shots? Tell us in the comments!

Following SB277 in California: California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) served as the Assembly Principal Co-Author and Floor Manager for the Bill and applauded the decision today. “As a mom, there's nothing more important to me than making sure our kids are kept safe – especially when we have the means to protect them from preventable diseases,” Gonzalez said. “As the Governor reminded us today, the science is clear that vaccines work, and removing the personal belief exemption with SB 277 is critical to fulfilling our responsibility to make sure all our students are kept as safe as possible.”

Note: I feel like the entire world is living the autism post-diagnosis nightmare. When our kids got diagnosed, we were sent out into the big wide world to find treatments, therapies, care, educational choices on our own. The road map we all got, and that parents get even today, looks like a plate of angel hair pasta - a tangled mess. COVID seems rather the same. Here is yet another controversy to set us all at each others' throats.....

Dr. Stella Immanuel is getting the full "nuts and sluts" treatment in the media since her press conference about the use of hydroxychlorquinone. Dr. Stella, if correct, and that's a genuine IF, is in the way of selling Carl Sagans andMcDonalds hamburgers worth of vaccines. "Beelions and Beelions" and "Billions Injected." I'm doing more homework - trying to sort out who she is, her education (medical school in Nigeria, just as many US citizens go to medical school in the islands) etc. I've read some pretty out there info about her. Alien DNA? That said, we've seen the media hatchet jobs and pharma/public health disinformation campaigns done to experts, doctors, friends we know and trust.  There were other doctors at the press conference. I  haven't seen the men dissected with such a sharp scalpel. I tried to link the VIMEO version below, but I'm pretty sure it's gone now. The video has been scrubbed everywhere.  If you have it somewhere, let us know in the comments.

Many Americans have asked themselves if there WAS a cure for cancer, would we be allowed to know about it? Lord knows in autism we are actually FORBIDDEN to discuss cure.  We all know, on both sides of the aisle, that healthcare in America is rarely about actual prevention, it's about customers for life on medications and keeping Ritz Carlton like cancers centers humming. So, it's not that far fetched that a COVID treatment that slows or shuts down the need for a vaccine would be received badly by many. Especially Bill Gates, whose global influence is a juggernaut.

By Kim Rossi, Managing Editor

A male Kindergarten teacher posted the above comment on Facebook. He's so sick of hearing about special needs kids. He
uses the R word. He uses vulgarity.  

I'm going to tread politely on this post, despite my desire to go full steam ahead Kim Blast-you-out-of-the-water Rossi on this teacher from Colorado. I'm not using his name or the name of the district. They are sorting out the issue as I type. I'm either growing up or just plain old. Maybe both.

I commented on the district Facebook when they said they are investigating:

I’m sure this is traumatic for you too especially at this time. Please understand that when parents of kids with special needs send our children to school, we are entrusting you. I have 3 daughters with autism and have spoken at two major conferences in your beautiful state. The teacher is like a rogue police officer. You can be grateful you discovered his rotten core BEFORE he harmed a student. I guess you could say you dodged a bullet. Kim - Managing Editor Age of Autism, formerly Stagliano.

I would like to invite him to my home for a week, a weekend, a day, maybe a half day, if he can tolerate being around my three special, beautiful, kind, funny, teachable, educable in their fashion daughters. I have never had a teacher make me feel like my daughters were anything but valued members of school.  Many years ago, I wrote a post about our High School - and that the included Gianna holding a PBS Kids level library book (upside down!)  in their main corridor on a huge poster.



He wrote: "Do you really think they'll be different after a year of staying home with their parents?"

Maybe we love them exactly as they are, Mr. Kindergarten Cop.  We always want more and better for them, because we are parents, and that's what good parents do, whether their kids are in special ed or gifted and talented programs. Maybe Mom and Dad enjoy their career, and work to put food on the table and having a special needs child home prevents that from happening. Maybe the special needs student loves being with other kids, in a school, surrounded by sights and sounds and adults who mostly are very kind and attentive to their needs.

Covid has been horror for so many families, who have always suffered in silence, but now without the break that school provided, are crying out for answers, help.... school.

Yesterday our Connecticut Governor announced that schools could offer distance learning in addition to opening classrooms. I'm hearing that many teachers are afraid to go back to the classroom, others are eager to get back to their calling. I have been teaching Karate for a month now, in person, and it has worked beautifully. The children follow the instructions without any issues and we have a pretty normal class, with some modifications. I think school can do the same. I went to a tiny Catholic grade school. We never changed rooms. We ate in our classrooms.  We had no bus. We had PE outside or in the auditorium. We walked the hallways in two straight lines. No wait, that was Madeline in Paris.  You get my point, we CAN find a way to get our kids back to school. We just don't need any teachers like the Kindergarten Cop waiting for them.

Kim

Below is an excerpt from attorney Rick Jaffe's review of the debate between Robert Kennedy and Alan Dershowitz last week.

The Kennedy-Dershowitz Debate: Must See TV! July 27, 2020 Richard Jaffe

A few days ago, the Bobby Kennedy/Alan Dershowitz debate was released. As a lawyer involved in the vaccine issue, it was very heartening to see such a high quality debate on the subject. It was very enjoyable to watch these two extremely smart, deep thinkers talk about these issues with open mindedness, clarity and mutual respect for each other, and for the opinions of the other with which they did not agree. I can’t personally recall anything like this ever happening in the vaccine area. I hope that there will be more of them.

If you haven’t seen or shared it on social media, please do. If you have seen and shared it, share it again! Here is a link:

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/vaccine-debate-is-on-robert-f-kennedy-jr-vs-alan-dershowitz/

I made some notes and have some thoughts about what I particularly liked about the debate, and I thought I’d share them.

First, it wasn’t so much of a debate as a discussion among two people with very different areas of expertise. AD is a long-time legal scholar and extremely well versed on constitutional law. Bobby Kennedy is a health and environmental advocate, and knows a zillion times more about the science and policy than AD. Bobby himself acknowledged the differences in their areas and expertise and jokingly said he would try to keep the discussion on the science and policy rather than constitutional law. And he succeeded in doing so, providing AD with a much-needed education of the many of the mainstream-suppressed scientific facts concerning vaccines.

Three days after birth, the baby exhibited sudden symptoms like irritability and muscle spasms, and after 11 days, the researchers observed white matter injury in the brain.

This is a nightmare many of us know firsthand.  We acknowledge the injury report, a courtesy we never seem to get. My first question might have been yours too. How do scientists know that the neurological injury to this newborn is a result of Mom's COVID infection and not, let's just hazard (whoop whoop, word choice alert) the flu shot loaded with mercury, DTaP that ACOG recommends* (see below) or the HEP B vaccine routinely administered at birth? Feel free to explain. And remember what we have been told for decades:  Correlation does not equal causation.

I have a relative who is pregnant and due next week, and she has COVID.  It's a worry.

Study: Newborn Infected With Covid-19 In Womb Experienced Neurological Complications

A pregnant woman infected with the novel coronavirus during her final trimester had the virus spread through the placenta to her unborn child, leading to neurological complications in the infant days after birth, according to a study published in Nature Communications on Tuesday....

*Immunization is an essential part of care for adults, including pregnant women. Influenza vaccination for pregnant women is especially important because pregnant women are at greater risk of maternal morbidity and mortality in addition to fetal morbidity, including congenital anomalies, spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, and low birth weight 1. Vaccines such as Tdap provide fetal and neonatal benefit through passive transfer of protective antibodies across the placenta. Other vaccines provide maternal protection from severe morbidity related to specific pathogens such as pneumococcus, meningococcus, and hepatitis for at-risk pregnant women. There is no evidence of adverse fetal effects from vaccinating pregnant women with inactivated virus, bacterial vaccines, or toxoids, and a growing body of data demonstrate the safety of such use 2 3. Therefore, all pregnant women should receive an influenza vaccination during influenza season and Tdap with each pregnancy. Additional vaccines are indicated during pregnancy for women with certain conditions, as noted in this document. Other vaccines should be reserved for use in the postpartum period.

Warning! Snarky post alert. I’m just a dumb autism Mom but I didn't even have to take off my socks to figure out that we will need five and a special education bus to transport 66 students who used to ride one bus to school. Full disclosure: I am wearing flip flops.  We can send an armada of buses out during COVID. Or is that a flotilla? I guess global warming is no longer a problem. Ain't that a gas?

Kim

By Cathy Jameson

My children will return to their academic lessons in just a few weeks.  With Ronan staying home, his siblings, for now, will have the chance to have their classes in the classroom.  Pros and cons exist for returning, for staying home, and for opting for a hybrid-teaching model.  Before the CDC published their thoughts on the topic, we’d already decided that if given the option, we would allow our children to go back to a school this fall.  

While I tend to have a different opinion than the CDC has on other topics, I do agree with what they’ve stated in their most recent report:  The in-person school environment does the following:

• provides educational instruction;
• supports the development of social and emotional skills;
• creates a safe environment for learning;
• addresses nutritional needs; and
• facilitates physical activity.

As a trained educator I can attest that, yes, all of that can happen in an in-person setting.  One could argue that so does an in-home environment offer each of those also.   And it does.  

In the past, when I homeschooled, sending my children to school was not the best option for them.  Based on several factors, we planned each year for each child according to their individual needs.  It was sometimes a very tough decision to make—stay home and teach them with myself, or send the kids to an educational establishment where others took on that responsibility?  Yearly, we’d weigh the pros and cons, including Ronan’s special education schooling needs, and make a decision that we prayed was best and appropriate for our child’s growth and development.  

The challenge to make a school decision this year is greater.  COVID has created massive changes to aspects of everyday life.  It affects a great number of both short- and long-term decisions that we, and other parents, have to make.  It’s not impossible to make decisions, but given the information we’re provided, feeling confident about them can waiver.  That includes feeling confident about knowing what to do for the upcoming school year.

When it starts, this school year will include health checks, physical distancing, and wearing of masks if within a certainly proximity of others.  Classrooms and other areas of the buildings will be modified to carefully accommodate staff and students.  The daily schedule will be a little different than previous years also.  Those changes will certainly make life a little more interesting for them, but I don’t believe that they will deter my children from being active learners in the classroom.

Here's a bright spot for all of us! TACA is hosting a virtual conference throughout the month of October. Don't laugh, it's not that far off! We have Halloween candy in our grocery stores already.  This conference will provide an opportunity to rebuild our community - after the long months of COVID isolation and frustration.  Thank you, TACA!

Learn more here.

Who is old enough to remember this GLORIOUS album of songs from 1972? Every song was about kindness, acceptance,  a cohesive America and sought to shatter stereotypes.  It featured stars like a young Michael Jackson, Alan Alda, Rosey Grier, Carol Channing (try saying that cleaning product commercial fast!) and of course, Marlo Thomas. "That Girl."

What has happened to 1972? I am so disheartened by what I see on social medial.  Each news report isn't an episode, it's a crapisode.  Friendships, alliances, partnerships, shared struggles not just cast aside, but gleefully and publicly denounced as if casting off oozing sores. (Is there a vaccine for that?)

I wonder if AofA is more important than ever (I hope!) or woefully, pathetically anachronistically doomed to the dust bin of censorship and abandonment. I used to be part of a group called "Tough Nuts and Old Timers." Shout out to AnaGrammy! I thought I was an old timer 10 years into my fight for my daughters and my public advocacy. I'm now almost 25 years in. Mia will turn 26 in December. A quarter century of fighting. A quarter century on the sidelines watching life's beautiful milestones go to everyone but.... me.  You.  Us.

What shall we do, friends? How do we even begin to heal?

Kim

Thank you to Professor Alan Dershowitz for having the chutzpah to debate vaccination policy, safety and mandates with Robert Kennedy, Jr. yesterday.  He's the first national figure to enter into a civil, rational and yes, heated conversation on the controversial topic.  Love him or not so much for his controversial clients including OJ Simpson, Claus Von Bulow and even Jeffrey Epstein, Professor Dershowitz is a powerful figure in American law. As is Mr. Kennedy. We hope that he spent more than a few sleepless moments last night mulling over what he learned. He'd be a formidable ally.  Watch below.

A full return to school allows families and children to get caught up on important immunizations, health checks and wellness care.

https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/Press-Room/Press-Releases/2020/CT-Chapter-of-the-American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-and-CT-Association-of-School-Based-Health-Centers

CSDE, CT Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and CT Association of School Based Health Centers Highlight Critical Link Between In-Person School and Children’s Well-Being and Access to Health Care

(Hartford) – The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), the Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (CT-AAP), and the Connecticut Association of School Based Health Centers, Inc. (CASBHC) today promoted the importance of getting children back into medical care as part of preparing students for school this fall.  Planning for a full return to school will allow families and children to get caught up on critically needed immunizations, health checks and wellness care.

“The pandemic shut down Connecticut’s primary care infrastructure, and many children fell behind on well visits and immunizations,” said Dr. Robert Dudley, president of the CT-AAP. “Practices are re-opening and we encourage families to reach out early to their primary care providers to get children up-to-date on critically needed vaccinations, health screenings, and wellness checks. We hope that children will be able to participate in in-person educational activities this fall, and getting up to date with immunizations and well child checks will put them in the best position to do that.” 

“Connecticut’s school based health centers will continue to a be strong collaborative safety-net health care provider within their individual school districts, collaborating with school nursing, social work, guidance staff and teachers to provide critical services including school required vaccines, school physicals, behavioral health counseling, and flu vaccines, so that students will be able to start the new school year on time and have the support they need to be physically and emotionally healthy and ready to learn,” said Melanie Bonjour, president of the CASBHC.

“Research shows that healthy children learn better. Returning to school is vitally important for their social and emotional development and well-being, including the promotion of health and wellness activities that support better student outcomes. It is well-recognized that the provision of a safe and healthy school environment will positively impacts academic achievement,” said Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona. “While returning to school in fall is the best way to ensure all students have equitable access to opportunities to thrive both academically and personally, doing so safely has and will always be our priority.”

Grab a coffee! 8:45am today! Go to

https://youtu.be/IfnJi7yLKgE

From CHD: Don’t miss this historic debate between Children’s Health Defense Chairman Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz.

With the current COVID crisis dominating headlines at national and local levels, the topic of vaccines is now front and center. The two attorneys will debate a range of issues including vaccine mandates, the PREP Act, the lack of vaccine safety studies, Jacobson vs. Massachusetts, and HHS’s failure to act on provisions of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. Are compulsory vaccines even legal? Should any government be able to force medical procedures on families?

Tune in today July 23, 2020 8:45 a.m. EST / 7:45 a.m. CST / 5:45 a.m. for insightful discussions on these questions and more.

Here's a disheartening report for the average American who worries daily about their job, income, retirement and overall financial picture.  I take umbrage with the out of date term "Food Stamps." The program is now known as SNAP - Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program. There are no more stamps, users receive a card that works in every store like any debit card. And when the money is gone. It's gone. Here in CT, a single person receives $190 a month for SNAP. That's $47.50 per week to feed yourself. There have been increases during COVID. Have you noticed that food prices are through the roof? I have. My grocery bills for Mia, Gianna, Bella and myself have increased by at least 25%. Plus, we're home all day, and that means more meals, more snacks, more money.   At the same time, some are raking in millions to add to their billions. This is a another legacy of COVID and a broken nation.

6 million people enrolled for food stamps in the first 3 months of the US coronavirus outbreak as America's superrich kept getting wealthier

More than 6 million people signed up to receive food stamps in the first three months of the US coronavirus outbreak, according to an analysis from The New York Times.

That figure could rise even further if the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act expires as planned by the end of July.

This would will see many Americans lose $600 a week in benefits and become eligible for food stamps, USA Today reported.

In the same period, US billionaires have increased their wealth by around $565 billion, according to the Institute for Policy Studies...

Update: A reader has informed us that the article* is indeed last week’s spoiled borscht. We’ve removed it. The politics of implicating the American company is worth watching as all of the experimental and myriad Covid vaccines go global. What will happen when resultant injury begins? 

“*Yesterday I saw a Tweet that claimed that four Ukrainian military members had died following va cks in ation for Covid using the vaccine from Moderna. I have not been able to double confirm the source.”

Note: We'll follow up with where and how to watch before the event. Here you go! 

https://youtu.be/IfnJi7yLKgE

From CHD: Don’t miss this historic debate between Children’s Health Defense Chairman Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz.

With the current COVID crisis dominating headlines at national and local levels, the topic of vaccines is now front and center. The two attorneys will debate a range of issues including vaccine mandates, the PREP Act, the lack of vaccine safety studies, Jacobson vs. Massachusetts, and HHS’s failure to act on provisions of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. Are compulsory vaccines even legal? Should any government be able to force medical procedures on families?

Tune in July 23, 2020 8:45 a.m. EST / 7:45 a.m. CST / 5:45 a.m. for insightful discussions on these questions and more.

A worrisome article from Disability Scoop. Schools want protection from special education services lawsuits. Gee, we're sorry our kids have autism and other diagnoses, but could you please find a way to educate them?  Our children deserve and we demand a Free and Appropriate Public Education and enforcement of IDEA. We are not second class citizens. Isn't education essential to our nation's health?  My youngest daughter's private school closed its doors with 9 days' notice to staff and families. 9 days (!)  claiming they could not provide an education during the Pandemic. Hey schools, you have one job. Ask the government for funding to find ways to meet students' needs despite the shut down. Don't pad yourself with a liability shield so you can walk away from your duties. Most every parent I know has been accommodating and understanding that we aren't getting full services right now. That doesn't mean we like it or will tolerate it for an entire school year. We used to be a nation of problem solvers. Where are the Teachers' Unions on this development. The teachers I know are working like dogs to provide services.

###

by Michelle Diament | July 20, 2020

Schools Want IDEA Liability Protections From Congress

Concerned that the pandemic will prompt an onslaught of special education litigation, school leaders want federal lawmakers to grant them liability protections related to their obligations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

AASA, The School Superintendents Association, as well as the National School Boards Association and the Association of Educational Service Agencies are calling on Congress to include the protections in the next COVID-19 response legislation.

In a 21-page report, the three groups said that surveys of school leaders across the nation show growing concern about “unparalleled rates of litigation” as schools struggle to follow through with students’ individualized education programs during the pandemic.

“Congress must act swiftly to provide liability protection to districts around IDEA,” reads a statement from Daniel Domenech, executive director of AASA, in the report. “District leaders need to be focused on addressing learning loss, not preventing litigation. This is not a free pass for districts to stop serving students with disabilities appropriately. Instead, this is an opportunity to provide reasonable, temporary, litigation protection for the vast majority of districts that are doing everything feasible to meet IDEA during the pandemic, but simply cannot meet every requirement exactly as intended for every single child.”

Risk estimated at 3 to 5 percent vs. 1.5 percent in general population

According to new research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a child who has a parent with a sibling on the spectrum is more likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to the general population. The study, published in Biological Psychiatry, analyzed health records of approximately 850,000 children born in Sweden between 2003-2012. Using the Swedish National Patient Register and the Multi-Generation Register, information on ASD diagnoses in both the child and parental generations were recorded.

Close to 13,000 Swedish children ended up with an autism diagnosis, about 1.5 percent of the cohort. However, children whose mother had one or more siblings with autism were three times more likely to have ASD than the general population and children whose fathers had one or more siblings on the spectrum were twice as likely to be diagnosed with autism than the general population. The study considered the slightly higher autism risk rate of children from mothers who had a sibling with ASD to that of the fathers to be insignificant. The research also reported that the autism risk rate was not different if the parent had a brother versus a sister with autism.

Ultimately, the researchers found that 3 to 5 percent of children whose parents have a sibling on the spectrum also have autism themselves. This points to a 100 to 230% increased chance of developing the disorder compared to the 1.5 percent autism rate in the general population. According to the authors, this is the first epidemiological study to provide an autism risk estimate for children with aunts or uncles on the spectrum.

Oxford coronavirus vaccine induces strong immune response, early trial results suggest The vaccine was found to produce both antibodies and virus-killing T cells.

Note: Corrections made below to match manufacturer. Thank you.

Spin the vial it's a clinical trial, "CoVax Express " You won't leave home without it."

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Breaking news from NBC yesterday.

Oxford coronavirus vaccine induces strong immune response, early trial results suggest The vaccine was found to produce both antibodies and virus-killing T cells.

A Coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca is safe and shows signs of inducing an immune response, according to early clinical trial results published Monday in the medical journal The Lancet.

The trial did not look at whether the vaccine prevents coronavirus infection, however. That's a question that will be answered in trials that are currently ongoing.

Studies provide glimpse at efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines from Oxford-AstraZeneca and CanSino

The data, published in the medical journal the Lancet, also show that the vaccine caused side effects, including fever, headaches, muscle aches, and injection site reactions, in about 60% of patients. All of the side effects were deemed mild or moderate, and all resolved themselves over the course of the study.

From UnHerd

"UnHerd is booming. I don’t know how many online publications have seen their traffic increase nearly *threefold* over the past twelve months, but UnHerd must be one of the fastest growing in the UK. It has become a go-to source of original and fearless thinking – and that’s more needed than ever."

Read the accompanying article on UnHerd here: Oxford epidemiologists: suppression strategy is not viable We wanted to learn more about the current state of the pandemic and the direction it was headed. Joining Freddie Sayers was Prof Heneghan and his Centre for Evidence Based Medicine colleague Tom Jefferson who shared their thoughts in this wide-ranging discussion. Have a watch above, key quotes below…

00:00 – Intro

2:55 – Masks • Tom Jefferson: “Aside from people who are exposed on the frontlines, there is no evidence that masks make any difference, but what’s even more extraordinary is the uncertainty: we don’t know if these things make any difference…. We should have done randomised control trials in February, March and April but not anymore because viral circulation is low and we will need huge number of enrolees to show whether there was any difference”. • Carl Heneghan: “By all means people can wear masks but they can’t say it’s an evidence-based decision… there is a real separation between an evidence-based decision and the opaque term that ‘we are being led by the science’, which isn’t the evidence".

9:26 – Pandemic life cycle • CH: “One of the keys of the infection is to look at who’s been infected, which shows a crucial difference when comparing the pandemic theory to seasonal theory. In a pandemic you’d expect to see young people disproportionately affected, but in the UK we’ve only had six child deaths, which is far less than we’d normally see in a pandemic. The high number of deaths with over-75s fits with the seasonal theory”.

14:00 – Covid seasonality • CH: “The stability of the virus is far less when the temperature goes up but humidity seems to be particularly important. The lower the humidity, the more stable the virus is in the atmosphere and on surfaces… It’s now winter in the southern hemisphere, which is why places like Australia are suddenly having outbreaks.”

A TV report out of Texas reported on a restaurant called the Alamo Biscuit Company that has a "disinfectant arch" that sprays mist onto customers before entrance.  I'm sure it's not the only establishment in the USA with the same idea. From KHOU:

Would you walk through it? San Antonio restaurant installs entryway that will spray you with disinfectant "It's not mandatory," the restaurant owner said. "But we definitely recommended it. It makes our staff feel a little bit better about having people come in here."  KHOU - read more here.

Questioning the push to do something that worries you, that you don't want to do, that might harm YOU to protect others is taking root outside of the vaccine conversation. It will open Americans' eyes (but please -  not while walking under the arch into the "Lorna Doom" biscuit shop). 

Are you willing to walk under a chemical spray to make your server feel safe?  Care to get sprayed at a biscuit shop when you have a bun of your own in the oven? Will you roll your toddler in a stroller or hold the hand of your 90 year old Great Auntie and sashay through the mist to make an employee feel safe? What's in the spray? No mention. The owner suggests you "cover your mouth and eyes." 

It’s likely a bleach solution. (Note to self, ix-nay on the dark clothes when dining at the Alamo Biscuit Company.)  See the attached article:

Is spraying disinfectant in public spaces a good way to fight COVID-19?Is spraying disinfectant in public spaces a good way to fight COVID-19?

Workers wearing protective suits, rubber boots and tanks of disinfectant strapped to their backs have been photographed all over the world hosing down plazas, roads, church steps, airports, vehicles, indoor spaces and even the occasional person.

Some countries, such as Russia, Iran and Indonesia, have even used trucks to spray more areas more quickly. And an industrial complex in Chongqing, China, has built "mist tunnels" to spray employees with disinfectant as they arrive for work. The disinfectant is typically diluted bleach. And officially, it prevents the potential spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

I am not anti-bleach. I'm no Anti-Cloroxxer! I've used it to clean up many crapisodes. I swim in a chlorinated pool. My white Karate gi sparkles and is never, ever gray. My hair is another story. Still, I want the right to decide whether to be bathed in a solution of ANYTHING. I want informed consent!

What's in a vaccine?  You won't see any chirpy reporters with flowing Farrah curls in sausage casing dresses and winged eyeliner letting you know.  Will you take a vaccine produced at the speed of light with no liability and guaranteed side effects to make those around you feel safe? Asking one group to undergo risk to protect another is the core tenet of today's public health.  When it was "just" vaccines, the majority of Americans had been able to ignore the risk. Most citizens fully vaccinate their children without worry or question, and adult mandates haven't hit us except for certain professions and the flu shot. Now the net is being cast far and wide.  Corona-wide. Risk of disease is poised and ready to pounce on every single surface. Fellow humans are death vectors. Disinfectant sprays will be an issue in school. What is the effect on children with asthma if they breathe the mist? Masks will be an issue. The "anti-vaxxer" tent is growing as more Americans feel impinged upon by demands to participate in what used to be polite society.

Kim

Kim's Daughter Bella when Police Had Visit Day

By Cathy Jameson 

Like another story  I recently shared, this is a memory of something that happened several years ago.  A follow-up of sorts to that phone call I’d received from Lt. Thomas, I shared the encounter with family and friends soon after.  Here is that story, edited a tad, for today’s Sunday post.

So, there I was minding my own business at our local police station when I found myself in one of the back rooms.  While waiting for the young police officer so I could give him some paperwork, I glanced over and saw a note that I made a few years ago.  Hanging on their bulletin board, it's a print out of some stats, including my son’s health information.  It’s there because Ronan is considered a "person of interest".

My first response when I saw the paper and Ronan's picture on it was, "Hey!  That's my kid!" and I'm all sorts of smiling.

In returns the young fellow.  I say to him, "Hey! That's my kid!" sounding all sorts of proud again.  

Then, it hits me.

That's my kid.

And he's on the police bulletin board.

Because he's a person of interest.

He's no criminal, but this group needs to know who Ronan is.  They need to know what he can and what he can't do if ever there is any kind of emergency, medical or otherwise.  

The officer glanced over at the picture and said, "Yeah, I know him.  I remember my first encounter with your son.  He needed help, and I was there to get him home."  I remembered that day and how frustrating it was.  It was a bad, bad day.  But he was there, this young guy, and he helped. 

He was ready, willing and able to offer assistance because he knew who Ronan was and because he was aware that Ronan sometimes needs help.  Our caregiver at the time, I’ll call her Celeste, wanted to take Ronan for a walk.  It was a nice day for Ronan to take a walk.  If it’s too hot, he will overheat quickly.  Too many sunny days in a row had kept them inside.  Finally a bit cooler and also overcast, it was a perfect day for an outdoor activity.   

I knew they wouldn’t go too far.  Ronan lacks energy to go for the long walks his sister and I like to go on.  Expecting them to be back within 15 minutes, it was taking longer for Celeste to return.  That day, Ronan and our caregiver made it to the stop sign, less than a quarter of a mile away.  Wanting to go no further, Ronan lit’rally stopped in his tracks.  Then, he sat down in the middle of the road.  It isn’t the busiest intersection, but it is a 3-way stop.  Where he’d parked himself was dangerously close to the one road that no one slows down on because they don’t have to.  Trying everything she could do, Celeste could not get Ronan to budge.  The more she tried, the more he resisted.  Forgetting to bring her cell phone, I thought maybe they were enjoying a longer outing.  I had no idea what was going on. 

"Disturbing??" We think not. This is hopeful! Let's focus on PREVENTION and then TREATMENT. Of the nine people I know personally who have had COVID, none were hospitalized. Two (over the age of 60) had a couple of rough days at home, one is 8 months pregnant with no symptoms, the others reports mild fever and discomfort for a couple of days.  All of them are fit, low BMI, no major pre-existing conditions.  It seems the loss of smell and taste most of them reported is rotten indeed. A friend's Grandfather contracted COVID because he was placed in a rehab center loaded with it after a successful, not COVID surgery.  He was in his mid 90s and passed away after about 6 weeks. Whom do you know who has contracted COVID?

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SF Chronicle:

With coronavirus antibodies fading fast, vaccine hopes fade, too

Peter Fimrite July 17, 2020

Disturbing new revelations that permanent immunity to the coronavirus may not be possible have jeopardized vaccine development and reinforced a decision by scientists at UCSF and affiliated laboratories to focus exclusively on treatments.

Several recent studies conducted around the world indicate that the human body does not retain the antibodies that build up during infections, meaning there may be no lasting immunity to COVID-19 after people recover...

The insanity of the pronouncements in this article sent to me by reader JR in The Guardian are never ending.  NO MENTION OF SAFETY. I repeat, NO mention of protecting global citizens from harm from the new vaccines.  Would you buy a car whose ad campaign said, "It might not start every day, it might poop out on the highway at 70 miles per hour, it might even catch fire,  but when it works, it's better than walking!" Here are a few gems:

People have suggested that the way to do a human challenge trial safely is by restricting it to the lowest-risk group of people: probably young women with no known pre-existing medical conditions.

That’s a problem. That’s why we have measles outbreaks in communities that don’t vaccinate. We’re going have to do a much better job to help [people] understand that you’re not just protecting yourself, you’re protecting somebody’s grandmother.

It’s not necessarily going to be the perfect vaccine. We might find early evidence that some of these vaccines are at least partially effective, and that’s enough for now because the need is so great.

The Guardian.com by Danielle Renwick

How quickly will there be a vaccine? And what if people refuse to get it?

Scientists around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus – and many believe at least one could be released early next year. According to the World Health Organization, about 23 vaccines are in clinical evaluation, and more than 130 are in development.

Biotech firm Moderna and the National Institutes of Health said their vaccine provoked a desired immune response in 45 individuals; it will move on to larger-scale testing at the end of the month. The University of Oxford, which has paired with drugmaker AstraZeneca to create another vaccine, said it was anticipating “positive news” on early trials of its drug.
How accurate are antibody tests and is it worth getting one?
Read more

The mumps vaccine, widely considered the fastest ever developed, took four years. Experts explain what goes into developing a vaccine – and what comes next.
How optimistic are you that we’ll have a vaccine in early 2021?

Angela Rasmussen: I’m optimistic. It’s not necessarily going to be the perfect vaccine. We might find early evidence that some of these vaccines are at least partially effective, and that’s enough for now because the need is so great.

Anna Durbin: I think we’re going to [understand] the efficacy for one, or maybe two candidates by the end of 2020 to the beginning of 2021 at the pace things are going. I’m more concerned with the ability to produce enough for everybody who needs it....Read more:  How quickly will there be a vaccine? And what if people refuse to get it?

Note: My daughter's amazing private placement closed its doors with 9 days' notice in June, claiming COVID was just too much for them after 28 years of providing a unique and effective program based on communication and learning, not just behavior. They sent students back to their home districts without a thought or a care. No transition (promised), no support, no conscience. Extended School Year is 20 hours per week here in CT. My daughter is getting 3 hours of direct Zoom service with staff from the closed school.  My district has been trying to accommodate her, and I know there are no easy answers. We're collegial and I am hoping for a custom program for my daughter come Fall. My daughter is 19 and at the end of her schooling at age 22. I'm choosing my battles. What about the students in elementary school? Younger? Certainly four years of high school are critical - as students approach adulthood. And COVID distance learning is NOT working for us. What are your thoughts?

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From The New York Post: Lawsuit rips schools for abandoning special needs kids amid COVID-19 pandemic

School districts across the country have abandoned special education kids amid the coronavirus crisis, according to a class action Manhattan federal lawsuit slated to be filed Friday.

The case argues that districts ignored federal law by failing to provide legally mandated services to kids who suffer from mental and physical deficits after the closure of schools in March.

“These school districts violated the rights of 6.7 million students across the country by altering their educational programs,” said parent and activist Patrick Donohue. “They put the burden on parents to do the job of these school districts.”

The case names Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza and districts across the country as defendants.

Backers of the suit will release radio ads in New York to draw attention to the ongoing plight of special education parents.

Two hundred families in 10 states have signed on as plaintiffs so far, arguing that remote learning models have been inadequate for special education kids who often require one on one assistance.

“These programs are federally protected,” Donohue said.

The case is demanding the resumption of full-time in person special education for impacted kids, fresh evaluations for badly regressed children, compensation for parental expenses incurred during remote learning and funding for additional staff.  Read more at Lawsuit rips schools for abandoning special needs kids amid COVID-19 pandemic.