Please add your comments at the full article on CBS HERE. The study link appears to be over-taxed at the moment.

by CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

For all those who've declared the autism-vaccine debate over - a new scientific review begs to differ. It considers a host of peer-reviewed, published theories that show possible connections between vaccines and autism.

The article in the Journal of Immunotoxicology is entitled "Theoretical aspects of autism: Causes--A review." The author is Helen Ratajczak, surprisingly herself a former senior scientist at a pharmaceutical firm. Ratajczak did what nobody else apparently has bothered to do: she reviewed the body of published science since autism was first described in 1943. Not just one theory suggested by research such as the role of MMR shots, or the mercury preservative thimerosal; but all of them.

Ratajczak's article states, in part, that "Documented causes of autism include genetic mutations and/or deletions, viral infections, and encephalitis [brain damage] following vaccination [emphasis added]. Therefore, autism is the result of genetic defects and/or inflammation of the brain."

The article goes on to discuss many potential vaccine-related culprits, including the increasing number of vaccines given in a short period of time. "What I have published is highly concentrated on hypersensitivity, Ratajczak told us in an interview, "the body's immune system being thrown out of balance."

University of Pennsylvania's Dr. Brian Strom, who has served on Institute of Medicine panels advising the government on vaccine safety says the prevailing medical opinion is that vaccines are scientifically linked to encephalopathy (brain damage), but not scientifically linked to autism. As for Ratajczak's review, he told us he doesn't find it remarkable. "This is a review of theories. Science is based on facts. To draw conclusions on effects of an exposure on people, you need data on people. The data on people do not support that there is a relationship. As such, any speculation about an explanation for a (non-existing) relationship is irrelevant..."

Please add your comments at the full article on CBS HERE.

By Donna Laken

I've been angry about autism for a very long time now. I know it's not healthy, and I have several large stacks of books and CDs on forgiveness which I've accumulated over the years in an effort to work through my anger. I can tell you this, they haven't worked. I'm angry because my son's life was forever altered, due to debilitating reactions to the twenty-six vaccines he got as a baby. I'm angry at myself because I didn't appropriately research the effects of vaccines before I took him (on time, and with a smile and a thank you) to each of his well-baby visits. I'm angry at the pediatrician who recommended my son receive each vaccine in combination with other vaccines, as if any and all of them were proven to be perfectly safe. I'm mad at the nurses who injected them into my son, and I'm mad at the CDC for not conducting appropriate testing on each individual vaccine as well as testing on how six or eight or nine of these vaccines given together would affect my child. I'm mad at the school officials who required over thirty vaccines to be injected into my child before kindergarten, without knowing a single thing about their safety. But mostly these days, I'm mad at public health officials (and certain ignorant authors and physicians) who continue to persuade the media, and thereby most of society, that vaccines do not cause autism. And I'm mad at the general public for believing them, without further investigation.

I've been thinking a lot about victimization and anger lately, and my mind keeps coming back to a person I met and worked with over twenty five years ago. Right after college I took a position at a medical rehabilitation center for patients suffering from chronic pain. I had a coworker there who I'll call Greg who was a caseworker at the center. Greg was paralyzed from the waist down, due to injuries he had sustained in a car accident in which he was hit by a drunk driver. He used a motorized wheelchair in order to get around.

Being newly married and also newly transplanted to the west coast after having spent most of my life in the mind numbingly boring farmland of the Midwest, I was filled with energy and wonder and all good things one is naturally filled with when having spent only a little more than twenty years on the planet. I suppose I thought the world was my oyster, that all that I could possibly want was out there for the taking. Greg struck me as one of the most angry, bitter individuals whom I'd ever met. He never smiled, he barked out orders and demands at work, he grumbled and complained and had no sense of humor; he was just all around unpleasant. I remember thinking to myself, Man, just get over it! So you got hit by a drunk driver. Are you going to let it ruin your whole life? Forgive and forget and get on with your life! I actually thought to myself, if something like that ever happened to me, I would not let it ruin my life. I would make the best of the situation. You know, that old 'lemons into lemonade' type of thinking. I also recall seeing photographs on Greg's desk, family portraits of Greg and his beautiful wife and their two very young children, pictures of Greg playing football with his little boy, happy photos of typical family events like birthdays and Christmases. All taken before Greg's accident, all taken before he was confined to a wheelchair, all taken before he was divorced and living apart from his children.

Read the full article explaining the saga of the Godboldo family at MLive.com HERE. There but for the grace of God go any number of us seeking to do right by our own children. This is less to do with autism than it does with pure parental rights.  Learn more at:

http://justice4maryanne.com

http://twitter.com/jstice4maryanne

Facebook page Justice for Maryanne Godboldo

Maryanne Godboldo was looking only for help.

Last year, the Detroit mother went to the Children's Center, a group that works with troubled children, to seek advice and a treatment plan for her 13-year-old daughter. The girl, who'd never had behavioral problems before, was suddenly irritable and not her usual self following a series of immunization shots.

As part of the center's treatment plan, a doctor prescribed the child an anti-psychotic medication. But the child's symptoms only worsened. As a result, Godboldo sought another physician, who quickly recommended taking the child off the psychotropic drug.

The mother agreed and, according to her attorney, who spoke exclusively with MLive Detroit earlier today, Godboldo began following that doctor's orders.

Unfortunately for Godboldo, the state didn't agree. Child Protective Services wanted Godboldo's child medicated according the center's plan, and CPS workers essentially told the 56-year-old mother — who was never under any court order to follow the plan — to agree to their program or surrender her child.... Read the full article explaining the saga of the Godboldo family at MLive.com HERE

By Teresa Conrick

Having a child with autism changes your life forever. Mine changed sixteen years ago as I saw my daughter regress and begin to have medical issues that went unanswered and tragically, it is happening more frequently to other parents today.  For those reasons, I have become a seeker of truth and healing by reading and examining past and current information regarding autism and the serious medical issues that it includes.  For those of us in the trenches of autism, we know how SICK OUR CHILDREN ARE with issues of sensory overload, severe GI dysfunction, immune dysfunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, mast cell/inflammatory dysfunction, toxic encephalopathy, endocrine system dysfunction and seizures.  Another factor involved in much of that, is the issue of immune-glutamatergic dysfunction.  I know ---  more dysfunction, but that is the medical reality of autism.

So a quick -- Immune-Glutamatergic Dysfunction 101 class -- with Wikipedia:

"Glutamate receptors are synaptic receptors located primarily on the membranes of neuronal cells. Glutamate is one of the 20 amino acids used to assemble proteins and as a result is abundant in many areas of the body, but it also functions as a neurotransmitter and is particularly abundant in the nervous system. Glutamate receptors are responsible for the glutamate-mediated post-synaptic excitation of neural cells, and are important for neural communication, memory formation, learning, and regulation. Furthermore, glutamate receptors are implicated in the pathologies of a number of neurodegenerative diseases due to their central role in excitotoxicity and their prevalence throughout the central nervous system."

Pubmed, the website of medical, peer-reviewed journals, is a great way to read about autism and its many medical dysfunctions, including glutamate receptor issues.  In doing that, I started with just the key words, "glutamate receptor dysfunction" and Pubmed showed 7,043 studies.  I then decided to see what other medical conditions may also be involved with glutamates - glutamate receptor dysfunction plus the word "seizures" gave me 858 studies;  glutamate receptor dysfunction and "schizophrenia" showed 641; glutamate receptor dysfunction with "Parkinson's" had 303; and then typing in "autism" with glutamate receptor dysfunction brought me to 29 medical studies.  Not very many compared to the others. 

One of the first studies, (HERE)  "Postmortem brain abnormalities of the glutamate neurotransmitter system in autism'. went back to 2001.  Here was the conclusion: "Subjects with autism may have specific abnormalities in the AMPA-type glutamate receptors and glutamate transporters in the cerebellum. These abnormalities may be directly involved in the pathogenesis of the disorder."  That sounds important and so I looked at the other 28 studies to read more.  What was interesting and maybe disturbing is that about half of the studies done were in the last couple of years.  These two specifically caught my attention and seemed to be a trend:

"Fragile X and autism: Intertwined at the molecular level leading to targeted treatments":  (HERE)"Research regarding dysregulation of neurotransmitter systems in FXS, including the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)1/5 pathway and γ aminobutyric acid (GABA)A pathways, have led to new targeted treatments for FXS. Preliminary evidence suggests that these new targeted treatments will also be beneficial in non-fragile X forms of autism."

By John Stone

Nearly three weeks after BMJ editor-in-chief Fiona Godlee’s flimsy “it didn’t occur to us” apology for failing to disclose links with Merck and GSK in regard to its publication of Brian Deer’s allegations against Andrew Wakefield (HERE) only the most token and near-invisible gestures have been made to rectify matters.

While a correction notice (HERE) has been placed on line in regard to the original editorial signed by Godlee and fellow editors Jane Smith and Harvey Marcovitch (who doubles as chair of panels at the General Medical Council), there is no link to it on the article itself or the several other related articles in the journal, including those by Brian Deer himself. So, having admitted they were wrong they have done almost nothing to visibly correct it, continuing to leave at a disadvantage everyone who read, heard or saw the story reported, not to mention a great many of their own readers. It is a very disappointing result from Godlee and Marcovitch who have long purported to be experts on journal ethics, and are both former chairs of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (HERE). If BMJ and its distinguished editors were really interested in rectifying the problem they would have published on-line links above the relevant articles, as for example in this instance  (HERE).

The notice itself reads:

“The BMJ should have declared competing interests in relation to this editorial by Fiona Godlee and colleagues (BMJ 2011;342:c7452, doi:10.1136/bmj.c7452). The BMJ Group receives advertising and sponsorship revenue from vaccine manufacturers, and specifically from Merck and GSK, which both manufacture MMR vaccines. For further information see the rapid response from Godlee (www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d1335.full/reply#bmj_el_251470). The same omission also affected two related Editor’s Choice articles (BMJ 2011;342:d22 and BMJ 2011;342:d378). “

However, this also still fails to mention the most glaring conflict of all, which started all this, which is BMJ’s business partnership with Merck through their “information” arm, Univadis (HERE ). Furthermore, Marcovitch has remarked elsewhere on the double standards of the big journals (HERE ) .

"It is a paradox that the professional medical association that owns JAMA was less than open and transparent with Lundh and colleagues about potential financial conflicts (such as their income from industry sources) as they expect their authors to be."

Noon Eastern today! Click HERE to listen live.

Brought to you by Skyhorse Publishing and available in time for Autism Awareness Month, Ken Siri and Tony Lyons have created an updated edition: Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism 2011-2012. This excellent compilation gives parents the information they need to help their children. Teri interviews Ken, a freelance journalist and father of teenaged Alex, about his experience as a single-parent ASD dad and about the chapters in this extensive book that aims to list all of the latest research, developments, and treatments to make the lives of other parents of children with autism much easier. Please visit www.SkyhorsePublishing.com.

Purchase a copy HERE.

The treatment category is sponsored by Lee Silsby, the leader in quality compounded medications for autism.

(Managing Editor's Note: I changed the headline until we clarify. Regardless of diagnosis, Risperdal is a "go to drug" for many with autism and the story resonates within our community. Thanks. KS)

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110328/METRO01/103280326/Detroit-mother-jailed-after-standoff#ixzz1Hvc0Sgiy

Detroit mother jailed after standoff

Detroiter faces felonies in dispute over daughter's medication; shot fired, police say

Doug Guthrie / The Detroit News

Detroit — A 56-year-old woman faces multiple felony charges and is being held on $500,000 bond after a 10-hour standoff with police, claiming she was protecting her 13-year-old daughter from unnecessary medication.

Maryanne Godboldo, 56, was arraigned Sunday before 36th District Magistrate Sidney Barthwell Jr. on charges of firing a weapon in a dwelling, felonious assault, resisting and obstructing an officer, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Barthwell set an April 8 preliminary examination.

"What has happened here is a travesty," said Wanda A. Evans, Godboldo's attorney. "This family has never been under the jurisdiction of the court. This shouldn't have happened."

Godboldo is accused of barricading herself inside her west side home with her 13-year-old daughter and a gun after being confronted Thursday afternoon by Child Protective Services workers who had a warrant to remove the girl because the mother had withheld her medication. Detroit Police said Godboldo fired a shot and refused to leave the home until negotiators, including a Wayne County judge, helped talk her into surrendering.

Managing Editor's Note:  We ran this post back during the Sky Walker case.  In light of the Detroit story, it seemed approprite to run it again.

Sondra Williams, wife, Mom, writer (and adult with autism) wrote a post for us about the Sky Walker murder case (HERE.)  One of her own comments on the post referred to her having been put onto Risperdal, like Sky Walker (the "he" she refers to.)  I asked for (and received) her permission to run the comment as a post. Her final sentence chilled me, "yes much scary life when autistic and not have a voice."  Thank you, Sondra. 

Jane did not know he was of resperadol as I to been of that one too and it was of the worse  drug ever for me in this life. I to gaiend of much weight almost of 70 pound sin 3 or so  months, wet of the bed every night in floods not just slight accident, drooled and began of tardive issues, I to also had of no monthyly and began of lactating as if were of nursing a baby. they had of me on so much medication could do nothing but sleep most of my entire 24 hour day.

it was still for me undx autism at the time and the symptoms they seen were of all parts of autism but they were of only seeing parts of the whole and not putting all the parts together and thus over medicated as if the more the better and the more the less autistic I would of be to them.

in my of my past mental health records of the late 1990's much of the nurse and doctor notes shout of autism and yet none dx of me of it. was told was mentally ill and mild retardations. some of the things shared odd posture, no eye contact, odd pacing, long bouts of being of non verbal and not responsive and would not begin any task even though verbally told what to do unless one was in my space and began to physically get me to begin through prompts and cues of one to one. rigid notes of need for the same nurse to be in on the clinics, and the odd confused appearance of fear and such and then much also comment on the flat affect of me emotionally. One doctor asked of the husband over my eye contact and the husband shared it has been that way all or our marriage and dating time and that it was not new, the doctor asked of him do you think of that as odd he shared no it is of just her.

but anyways reperidol was of the culprit to me that eventually lead of me to be of locked away to massilon state hospital with very serious mentally ill people.  yes much scary life when autistic and not have a voice.

By Abdulkadir Khalif

I am writing a response and a rebuttal to Maura Lerner’s story of 03/17/2011, (HERE) concerning Measles and unvaccinated Somali Kids in Minneapolis. This story, like so many others before it on this newspaper and others across the country, highlights the issue of autism and Somali kids. There is an increasing sense of desperation in medical circles and the media concerning the causes of autism and how to delink it to vaccinations. It is the wish of every parent in this country and around the world that causes and cures of autism are found quickly, and hopefully without forgoing the benefits of vaccines. I am a Somali parent, resident in Minneapolis and a father of a 6-year old boy who is severely affected by autism. He is still non-verbal and horribly dysfunctional.

As a parent, I am desperately looking for answers from my son’s doctors. I am looking for a cure for my son’s conditions, or at least a treatment regime that would make him function as a human being and hopefully live an independent life once we are gone. I am not finding hope anywhere and obviously no answers for my many questions. Our doctors and scientists agree on a few things:

• That they have no idea what causes autism.
• That there is no known cure for autism.
• That autism is a life-long condition for which there is no hope.
• That behavioural therapy if administered early, consistently and over a long period of time may give some good results.
• That vaccine and especially the suspect MMR is perfectly safe for all kids irrespective of their genes, diets, background and lifestyles.
• That the rate of autism is increasing every year all over the world.
• That autism has always been around and better diagnoses is giving it the attention it is getting now.
• That some research has shown that some communities are more vulnerable than others.
• That more research is needed to disprove earlier research.
• That there is no money for autism causation research.
• That they are still too ignorant about what autism is, and that instead of admitting that they would rather just deny its prevalence, rise etc.

To me that sounds like a bunch of contradictions. It is sad that we have to trust our lives and that of our kids to a few technocrats and uncertain scientists who are voting with their pockets instead of their guts.

I have a gut feeling (trust your gut feelings always) that my son was affected by what got into his body around the time he was 18 months. My son grew up a normal, healthy and bouncing baby. He started speaking a few words by the time he was about 15 months. He waited for me at the door everyday as I got back home from work and welcomed me inside. He knew how I opened the door and the approximate time I came home each day. He raced down the stairs and hugged me, then held my hand and led me inside. I looked forward to those moments and they were perfect moments as they relieved me of the day’s tensions and small workplace frustrations. Then one day, I came home and he did not welcome me as was his wont.

A few days earlier, Abdimalik got his 18 months MMR vaccine as scheduled. I still remember that day. His mother was coming back from his appointment and passed my place of work to give me a ride home. Abdimalik was sitting in his car-seat, very quite, subdued and absent minded. As I took my seat I glanced back wondering if he was asleep or not. He was seated squarely in his seat but was looking straight ahead at a point in space. I called out to him and he did not respond. I shook him and he did not move. I looked at my wife and asked what happened and she explained where they came from and that everything went well. She explained how he thanked the nurse as she put a sticker on his chest before the injection in order to build rapport. After that we rode home in silence and life was never the same again.

From our good friend David Kirby's blog. Read the full entry at  My Travels with Elizabeth Taylor HERE.

By David Kirby

On a warm June afternoon in 1991, about 800 members of the international press corps were fidgeting impatiently as they waited for Elizabeth Taylor to finally make her grand appearance at the Basel Art Fair in Switzerland. As National Chairwoman of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR), she was to speak about the global AIDS crisis and AmFAR’s auction that night of three major works of art to support research.

As AmFAR’s public information director, I had played this scene many times before. We all knew that Elizabeth (NEVER call her “Liz,” I was admonished on my first day) was not exactly an on-time sort of gal. She knew we would wait, and we always did – happily.

On this particular occasion, the wait was getting uncomfortably long. The press conference had been called for 1:00PM. I begged our Swiss hosts not to begin on time. Instead, they started 15 minutes early. By 1:00PM, the other press conference participants had completed their statements.

There were no questions, just 800 reporters from all over the world glancing at their watches. We waited. The hall was stuffy. People complained. The Italians were indignant, the French were pouty. The Swiss were downright apoplectic.

But not a single grumbling reporter left that hall.

At around 1:20, I called over to the hotel. Sally Morrison, AmFAR’s point person for Elizabeth (and faithful friend and personal publicist for many years) picked up the phone.

“I’m afraid Elizabeth’s just now gotten out of the bath,” Sally said with her British accent. “It’s going to be a while.”

My heart sank into my stomach. I had witnessed Elizabeth’s extraordinary bath-to-motorcade process the day before. It was lengthy, though efficiently executed. I had watched in awe as Elizabeth sat wrapped in a towel at a small vanity brought into her Presidential Suite overlooking the roaring Rhine River. Her husband, Larry Fortensky, was watching CNN.

One person handled her magnificent chestnut mane; another applied makeup around those extraordinary eyes, which up close seemed to be more pale lilac than deep violet. As a third assistant began painting her nails, Elizabeth set down her Richard Burton diamond, a square ice cube, just inches from my face. You don’t forget these moments..

Read the full entry at  My Travels with Elizabeth Taylor HERE.

Click Made in China: Our Toxic Imported Air Pollution to read the full story in Discover by David Kirby.

“There is no place called away.” It is a statement worthy of 
Gertrude Stein, but University of Washington atmospheric chemist 
Dan Jaffe says it with conviction: None of the contamination we pump into the air just disappears. It might get diluted, blended, or chemically transformed, but it has to go somewhere. And when it comes to pollutants produced by the booming economies of East Asia, that somewhere often means right here, the mainland of the United States.

Jaffe and a new breed of global air detectives are delivering a sobering message to policy makers everywhere: Carbon dioxide, the predominant driver of global warming, is not the only industrial by-product whose effects can be felt around the world. Prevailing winds across the Pacific are pushing thousands of tons of other contaminants—including mercury, sulfates, ozone, black carbon, and desert dust—over the ocean each year. Some of this atmospheric junk settles into the cold waters of the North Pacific, but much of it eventually merges 
with the global air pollution pool that circumnavigates the planet.

These contaminants are implicated in a long list of health problems, including neurodegenerative disease, cancer, emphysema, and perhaps even pandemics like avian flu. And when wind and weather conditions are right, they reach North America within days. Dust, ozone, and carbon can accumulate in valleys and basins, and mercury can be pulled to earth through atmospheric sinks that deposit it across large swaths of land...

Please join me on Wednesday, March 30 at 4:30pm in the library theatre for a book talk, Q&A and book signing at Elms College in Chicopee, Mass. 

I'm excited and honored to have my friend (my very tall friend, as you can see) John Elder Robison introducing me at the event. John is the author of a new book called Be Different (if you have a child with Asperger's it's a must read) and the New York Times best seller Look Me In The Eye. If you've read my book, you know I'm eager to begin a certain therapy John has participated in at Harvard (and that's all I'm saying!)

Please tell your friends and famil in central Mass and CT about the event!  Thanks. KIM

Kim Stagliano is Managing Editor of Age of Autism. Her book from Skyhorse Publishing, All I Can Handle I'm No Mother Teresa; A Life Raising Three Daughters with Autism is available now. Visit her website at Kim Stagliano

.

By Cathy Jameson

M.O.M = Mean Old Mom    

The mother of one of my oldest childhood friends told me that’s what Mom meant. I was in third grade. I could not believe that she said those words out loud! My friend’s Mom was tough as nails as a parent, and she had her kids’ respect at her fingertips. She was nice and helpful as friend’s Moms go, but she also scared me with her quick commands.  I said I’d never turn into that kind of Mom when I grew up.

When Ronan’s issues flare up I do turn into that M.O.M. I bark orders instead of asking help. I get more vocal as my frustrations grow. The volume in my household increases and the Easy button is no where to be found. If I don’t get a grip on whatever has unraveled, I usually end up in a mushy mess of tears. My once-peaceful world crumbles as I resist the urge to smash my fist into a wall.

I wish that I could remember that “this too shall pass” because it always does. In the heat of the moment though, Ronan feeds off my frenzy which adds more negativity to my present moment.  I think I do the same when he has his own tough days. Bad days for Ronan include sensory overload, chronic constipation or disappointment from trying to communicate as a pre-verbal child in a very verbal world. Watching him flounder makes me feel tired, cranky and authoritative. On those days, that side of me proves that I have turned into M.O.M. 

I’ll be honest I don’t always know where to go for help when it comes to parenting Ronan. I haven’t found one book, one website or one person with all the answers. As I morph into that less than desirable M.O.M. I said I’d never become it’s usually because I forget that all I have to do is ask for help. At that point it’s beyond time for me to cool off and squash my worries.  If I remember that I have found reliable books, website and people for support, I don’t need to send myself into a Time Out to catch my breath in order to jump back into real life again. The resources I have found are never under one roof but I’ve gotten used to hunting and pecking for information. Even if some sort of “Yellow Pages” guide existed with key words to help me find the right person or lead me to the right department, it sometimes takes slaying a seven-headed dragon to step foot in that direction.

When I decide to change my own attitude despite what is currently trying to bring me or Ronn down, I’m able to set my mind on getting done what needs to be done. With my determination and always being able to see Ronan’s abilities, I feel I have become an upgraded M.O.M.:  Mom on a Mission. This new and improved M.O.M. is able to decipher and then manage how to get Ronan’s needs met which always remains at the top of my list of things to do.

Since time is ticking away, I feel the need to work diligently in my quest for help for my son. Ronan lost several of his skills half a childhood ago. I can’t help but think and worry that time is not on his side to gain or regain some of those skills.  Receiving all the answers I crave won’t be served to me all at once.  A small amount of pessimism clouds my always hopeful thoughts and I realize that something or someone will inevitably try to slow me down again even after I turned into Mom on a Mission. But, I won’t allow that someone, their attitude, unforeseen budgeting problems or rolls of red tape stop me for too long.

Free! From home! Temple Grandin! What else do we need to do to entice you, bring you a piece of chocolate cake  and a glass of wine?  Check this out from the wonderful Chantal Sicile Kira.   For information and to sign up for the conference, visit AUTISM COLLEGE.

AUTISM AWARENESS: 1out of  91 CHILDREN HAVE AUTISM

Temple Grandin to Keynote at Free Virtual Conference to Help Parents
Irvine, CA, March 24, 2010 -   Sixty families a day receive the devastating news that their child suffers from an autism spectrum disorder.  To help these families  in honor of Autism Awareness month, AutismCollege.com, a new on-line resource for parents and educators, is co-sponsoring a free virtual conference with 16 autism experts over two days on Saturday, April 9th and Sunday April 10th from 8:00 to 5:00 PST.

Temple Grandin, Ph.D., subject of the recent HBO movie, winner of  seven Emmy  awards, will be the keynote speaker on Saturday at the “Get Educated About Autism” conference.  Dr. Grandin  will be discussing “The Basics Every Child Needs to Learn.”

“Due to budget cuts, parents need to educate themselves and to learn practical autism parenting tips ,” explained Chantal Sicile-Kira,  award-winning author  and founder of Autism College. Sicile-Kira’s son, Jeremy, who is non-verbal and severely impacted by autism, was highlighted in the media in June 2010 when he graduated from Torrey Pines High School and gave a commencement speech using voice output technology. “When he was diagnosed, I was told to find a good institution for him.  I was given no hope. That’s why I have devoted my life to providing practical information to parents. Jeremy is now attending MiraCosta College, and is a staff writer on the MiraCosta College newspaper, The Chariot.”

Other presentations include: Areva Martin, Esq, on Special Education Rights, Julie Matthews on Nutrition,  Dr. Cathy Pratt on Best Educational Practices, Beth Gallagher on Adult supports, Elaine Hall on Creativity, Eric Chesson on Fitness,  Dr. Carl Hillier, OD FCOVD on Vision Processing, Darlene Hanson MA CCC,  on Communication; Nancy Brady Ed-Sp ATS on Inclusion, Dr. Feder DFAPA on Medication, Julie Matthews on Nutrition,  Michelle Hardy, Neurologic Music Therapy, Eric

“Many parents have a hard time leaving their home to attend conferences. An on-line colloquium  is the best way for many people to get information they need without leaving their home. I’m glad I can help make their lives a little easier.” said Ernest Priestly, founder of www.momsfightingautism.com.

Momsfightingautism.com is a producer of webinars for mothers of children with autism. This website provides the tools and services that allow moms to vent, cope, support and learn from each other http://www.momsfightingautism.com/ Autism College is a place where people can get educated about autism. For information and to sign up for the conference, visit http://autismcollege.com/.
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By John Stone

These links show that at least 90 published peer review studies already condemn the medical use of the organic mercury compound thimerosal manufactured by Eli Lilly, which is still given in the United States to infants, children and adults in flu vaccine, and in many other infant vaccines globally. This is the reality in advance of any new investigation by the Centers Disease Control into the safety of the vaccine programme. Severally, the studies show the compound to be an environmental hazard to health, neurotoxic at vaccine levels of exposure, and plausibly implicated in autism.  If the CDC and international vaccine organizations like the World Health Organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the GAVI Alliance are serious about the health of the world’s children, rather than a flourishing global vaccine industry, why do they persist in this folly?

Has Thimerosal Been Absolved ,

Evidence of Thimerosal Risk ,

Evidence of Thimerosal Risk Page 2

By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.

I recently finished reading the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and couldn't help thinking how relevant its message is to so many communities.

For those unfamilar with the book, it tells the story of Louis Zamperini, one of the world's great runners in the years before the Second World War, his experiences as a Japanese POW, and what happened upon his return to the United States.  The author, Laura Hillenbrand suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome/ME.  I know, sounds sad and disturbing, right?  I agree.  And yet it's one of the most profound and uplifting stories I've read in years.

I've been spending a good deal of time recently on chronic fatigue syndrome/ME websites.   I don't know if you're aware of this, but lately they've been striking some pretty good blows for the autism community.  There has been preliminary data linking both autism and chronic fatigue syndrome/ME to the XMRV retrovirus and it has some of the traditional opponents of the autism community concerned.   I've mentioned it before, but both my daughter with autism and my wife have tested positive for the XMRV retrovirus.

The other day there was a web-chat with Chicago Tribune reporter Trine Tsouderous and Dr. Paul Offit regarding vaccine safety.  Dr. Jamie Deckoff-Jones, a chronic fatigue patient asked the following question of Trine and Dr. Offit.

Dr. Deckoff-Jones: Are you concerned that the current epidemics of ME/CFS, ASD (autism spectrum disorders) and GWI (Gulf War illness) are related to vaccines? These neuroimmune disease cohorts are all of mysterious etiology and share many clinical similarities: sensory and cognitive processing deficits, susceptibility to and inability to clear certain infections, an unusual susceptibility to stress, increased oxidative stress, glutathione depletion, methylation blocks, mitochondrial defects, high levels of heavy metals, inflammatory bowel issues, hormone abnormalities and a suspicion that vaccines are implicated in pathogenesis. The pathology in humans is extremely similar to what is known of simple retroviral infections in animals. We have evidence that xenotropic and polytropic MuLVs are infecting humans (Lombardi et al Science Oct 2009, Lo et al PNAS Sept 2010). Given the history of the use of mouse and chick embryo cells for vaccine production coinciding with the history of Epidemic Neuromyasthenia (as documented by Henderson and Shelokov, NEJM 1959), the known presence of animal retroviruses in those cells, and the documented ability of these viruses to infect human cells, aren't you the least bit concerned?

By John Stone

Once again BMJ and its editor Fiona Godlee have demonstrated their high-handedness and double standards by refusing to allow full discussion of their non-disclosure of affiliations in the Wakefield affair. At least two letters responding to Godlee’s belated disclosure (HERE) have not been posted in the on-line edition, one of which documents undisclosed hospitality received by author Brian Deer a few weeks before publication of the articles attacking Wakefield. While BMJ have posted limited comments, they are evidently hiding from others by Dr Mark Struthers and myself which put their activities further under scrutiny. Even they have been forced to face the fact that as supposedly leading experts on Conflict of Interest they have been caught with their trousers down. Godlee and Marcovitch are both former chairs of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) (HERE ) so any claims at naivety fail. Marcovitch had even in an earlier article remarked on the double standards of the Journal of the American Medical Association, even if it is not quite the paradox that he claimed:  "It is a paradox that the professional medical association that owns JAMA was less than open and transparent with Lundh and colleagues about potential financial conflicts (such as their income from industry sources) as they expect their authors to be." (HERE ).

Here are the missing letters.

From myself:

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for responding [1]. Unfortunately, as we know from the history of religion pious sentiments are not always accompanied by pious deeds: there can be no assurance from the finest words that the culture of a journal is not altered by its business associations. Moreover, we can base very little on the fact, bearing in mind the sequence of events, that BMJ discussed Vioxx in 2007 or Rosiglitazone in 2010 (a little after the horse had bolted in both cases?).

I wonder what we can deduce from the judgement that serial publication of Brian Deer's articles, full of familiar allegations for which many challenges exist [2], were of "high global importance" [1]? As it is, to my certain knowledge, several substantive letters questioning Deer's interpretations and findings have been blocked, and outside the traditions of academic and scientific publications the defence of them has been legalistic, technical and incomplete [3,4,5]. Most noticeably, Deer has never been required to return to BMJ's columns to meet any of the criticisms.

Further, I note with concern that while Harvey Marcovitch as a signatory of the editorial 'Wakefield's article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent' [6] and associate editor of BMJ may not have a problem with his role as head of GMC panels, he should as head of GMC panels have a problem with signing that article. He has also in that role failed to investigate or discipline the chair of the 'Wakefield hearing', Surendra Kumar, who failed to disclose that he sat on two licensing authority committees, owned shares in GSK [7], and after the hearing called for MMR to be made compulsory at the BMA [8] all in clear breach of the Nolan rules on standards in public life [9], although it may not have occured to him.

By Ulla Danielsen

In 2002 a Danish group of researchers headed by medical doctor Poul Thorsen, Aarhus University, repudiated a connection between MMR-vaccine and the occurrence of autism. The following year, 2003, Poul Thorsen’s team succeded in repudiating a connection between mercury in vaccines and the occurrence of autism. These scientific results, published in prestigious medical journals, were broadcast the world over and received a huge amount of international attention.

Now – less than a decade later – maybe the international public, or at least those concerned with the expanding epidemic of autism, should pay attention to what is going on these days in Denmark.

In that country the Prosecution of Eastern Jutland has charged the former autism researcher Thorsen with coarse tax evasion concerning an amount of fully 6.4 million Danish crowns.

For this deed the Prosecution claims that Poul Thorsen must be punished with prison. Thorsen on the other hand - according to a leading Danish news agency - claims that he is not guilty.  

In the indictment it is stated, that Poul Thorsen during the years 2001-2005 has evaded income from fees, salary or the like for 6.430.768 danish crowns. By these illegal acts the public has been denied 3.470.020 danish crowns in tax.

He is furthermore accused of having evaded paying the state 514.455 crowns in contribution to the labour market from 2001-2005.

“NO COMMENTS” FROM AARHUS UNIVERSITY

The management at Aarhus University declined to comment on the charges. – “We neither comment on tax cases belonging to present or former employees. This we consider a private matter,” says chief of press relations at Aarhus University, Anders Correll to Danish Daily Information.

By Louise Kuo Habakus and Mary Holland, JD

Imagine your child was hit by a reckless driver and catastrophically injured. Cognitive impairments, seizures, problems with walking, eating, talking – you name it.  You find out who the driver was, and you sue the driver for damages – but you can only sue in a “special driving court.”  Cases in this court usually take years, sometimes more than a decade.  For ten years, you and your child struggle to make ends meet to pay for all the healthcare bills.  Finally, the special court issues a ruling.  Against the weight of the evidence, without affording you discovery or a jury of your peers, you lose. You’re out on your ear, even though the driver has a massive insurance policy for just such accidents.

You dust yourself off and sue the driver in a regular court, because you have that right by statute – and the regular court says, “No, the special court is good enough for you; no regular courts for those injured by reckless drivers.”  So you appeal that decision to the court of appeals, and you lose; and then you appeal again to the U.S. Supreme Court, and you lose again.  For almost twenty years, you’ve been fighting just to get fair compensation, only to learn that the Supreme Court would rather protect reckless drivers than your innocent child.

If you re-write the first sentence to “imagine that your child was injured by a badly designed, federally-recommended vaccine,” you have the essence of the Bruesewitz v. Wyeth decision that the U.S. Supreme Court handed down last month. Hannah Bruesewitz, as an infant, suffered catastrophic seizures and brain injury within hours of a diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine that was pulled from the market several years after her injury because it was insufficiently safe.  Hannah has devastating injuries from which she will never recover.  Her family had no choice but to go to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a very “special court” if ever there was one.  The family litigated there for ten years, losing a case that common sense, science, and decency say they should have won.  This week, the U.S. Supreme Court tells them that there is no court – no court in the land – that may hear their case.  The Supreme Court tells the family this when the relevant law, the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, provides for recourse to civil court.

This Supreme Court decision is a betrayal.  It betrays American parents and children.  This is not what the 1986 law provides, and it is not just.  No parents should be compelled to subject their children to “unavoidably unsafe” medical interventions, which are mandated by every state in the country as a requirement for school admission, and then have no direct recourse against the manufacturers when the products could have been made far safer, as was the case in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth.  This decision violates the intent of Congress and appears to be a policy decision to shield the U.S. government and the pharmaceutical industry from the prospect of real trials seeking to prove that federally recommended, mercury-containing vaccines caused autism in some children.

Managing Editor's Note: We learned that Billy is back in the hospital, hobbled by his agonizing GI pain. Share your own story in the comments please. Or send us your submission to [email protected] for review.

By Julie Obradovic

Over the last six years I have been privileged to meet some of the most outstanding human beings on the planet. One of them is a woman I'll call Jane Doe.  Jane is a warrior mother in the truest form, a leader in the advocacy community and a parent of a severely affected child. No matter what comes her way, she faces it with grace, dignity, and love. I am lucky to call her a friend.

I have wanted to write about Jane and her son, Billy (not his real name), for a long time. Autism truly is a spectrum, and the severity with which it affects some children is often too casually dismissed. Billy is one of those children who is profoundly affected, now a teenager. Over the years since I have gotten to know Jane, her plight to help him has always hit me hard. I asked her to share a recent traumatic episode with Age of Autism to put a name and face on the children and parents who are fighting this fight everyday. To those of you going through the same thing, this story is also for you. To those of you in a position of power to do something about it, I beg you to do so. This is the reality of Autism for far too many families. Here is the story in Jane's own words....

The Medical Story

Billy is fifteen-years old and nonverbal with a long history of GI disease, immune deficiency, and more recently headaches. When not in pain, he is sweet, engaging and affectionate. He has not been doing very well since the end of September, mostly battling headaches on top of the usual GI issues. For the two weeks prior to this recent hospitalization, the topic of this story, Billy was very edgy, noncompliant, self injurious, and at times aggressive. In the last week before, he became more self injurious and aggressive; I was talking to his DAN physician or the staff almost every day. 

Billy had a little congested cough (very unusual for him) in the two weeks prior, and when the cough ended, the aggression/self-injurious behavior increased. He kept biting/gnawing on his upper arms. He wanted me near him, but he wanted to dig his nails into me and scratch me almost constantly. At this point he would not wear clothes, and he would not get off the couch. 

Billy has epic constipation (he is suppository dependent), reflux and chronic headaches. I know the behaviors associated with all of those things, and I know how to handle them and relieve his pain. This time I knew he was in pain; I just could not figure out what it was. Then he stopped drinking his elemental formula and water. So by Friday I knew there was no avoiding ER, because he was dehydrating. 

We could not even get Billy to the car. He refused to dress and refused to leave the couch, let alone the house. I thought I'd never see anything more frightening than Billly's grand mal seizure in 2006, but this night was worse. The more I talked to him and explained to him that we had to get in the car and get help, the more upset and self injurious he became. He bit up his arms badly, and he gave himself two black eyes in the process. 

I had to call 911. It took five paramedics to get him on a gurney, in restraints, and in an ambulance to get to our local hospital. At this point I thought the poor kid had appendicitis or something. I'd never seen him so out of control. The hospital got IV fluids going and ruled out a  lot of things. CT scan finally showed that his small and large bowel were full of air, even though he did not look any more distended than usual. Soon after the CT scan, however, his belly grew very large and became very hard. 

The local hospital transported us to Children's Memorial in Chicago, which is where we were for five days. Billy was in loose restraints Friday through mid-day Monday. He was just too aggressive and self injurious because of the pain in his belly. Diagnosis was ileus (bowel shut down) due to virus (the cold in the last two weeks).

Since Billy was not vomiting and began passing the air in his belly on his own, the hospital doctors decided not to intervene other than to give IV fluids and a little Tylenol for the pain. So you sit and wait for that air to pass; even with medication on board, it's pretty damn painful. Thankfully, the distention went down, and he seemed more comfortable on Sunday, but then suddenly his belly blew up again and we had to start over. That was pretty disheartening. The doctors at the hospital said that while passing all that air, another pocket of virus can open up in the intestine and cause you to distend again. By mid-day Monday Billy had a soft belly, was much calmer and back to drinking water and elemental formula again. So they took him out of restraints, and on Tuesday they removed his IV. 

Despite the hutesium et clamor from the media and industry, the autism vaccine scientific debate is not  closed.

FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR VACCINE-AUTISM STUDIES

 Office of Immunization Safety (OSI)
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

● Will study autism as a possible clinical outcome of immunization.

● Will study mitochondrial dysfunction and the risk for “post-vaccine neurological deterioration.”

● Will convene an expert panel on the feasibility of studying health outcomes such as autism among vaccinated and unvaccinated children.

National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC)
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

● Calls for the study of adverse events following immunization (e.g., fever and seizures) to see if they increase autism risk.

● Calls for an external expert committee to consider “strengths and weaknesses, ethical issues and feasibility of examining outcomes in unvaccinated, vaccine delayed and vaccinated children.”

● Calls for the inclusion of autism as an outcome in the vaccine study.

● Calls for more research on “the possible occurrence of ASD in a small number of children subsequent to MMR vaccination” especially given “recent research around the incidence of mitochondrial dysfunction in children with an ASD phenotype.”

● Calls for studying adverse vaccine reactions in subsets of the ASD spectrum, especially in light of “recent developments around mitochondrial dysfunction.”

● Reports that some subsets (ie, those with mitochondrial dysfunction) “may be at elevated risk of reduced neurological functioning, possibly including developing ASD, subsequent to vaccination.”

● Reports that, “in the context of vaccination research, the ASD clinical subset of particular interest is regressive autism.”

● Concludes that “public concern regarding vaccines and autism, coupled with the prevalence and severity of ASD, warrant additional study in well defined subpopulations.”

Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Includes CDC, HHS, NIH and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

● Will fund studies of environmental risk factors for ASD, such as toxic exposures and "adverse events following immunization (such as fever and seizures), and mitochondrial impairment."

● Will fund studies to determine if some subpopulations are “more susceptible to environmental exposures (e.g., immune challenges related to infections, vaccinations, or underlying autoimmune problems)."

● Will continue to coordinate with the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC), ”To address public concerns regarding a possible vaccine/ASD link

● Will monitor scientific literature “regarding possible associations of vaccines and other environmental factors with ASD to identify emerging opportunities for research.”

● Concludes that existing population-based vaccine-autism studies were “limited in their ability to detect small susceptible subpopulations.”
 
Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP)
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS

● An Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee will consider adverse events from the  DtaP vaccine, including autism and autism spectrum disorders, on behalf of VICP.

● The IOM committee will also consider adverse events from the MMR vaccine, including autism and autism spectrum disorders, on behalf of VICP.

● The committee will consider vaccine-associated “secondary” autism or autistic features arising from chronic encephalopathy, mitochondrial disorders and/or other underlying disorders.

● VICP has asked the committee to consider “primary autism” in light of “recent theories of neuro-inflammation and hyper-arousal/over-excitation of the immune system via multiple simultaneous antigenic stimulation” (several vaccines at once).

Managing Editor's note: After I created this post I got another alert of a female with autism who had wandered in New York. Silver Alert Issued for Long Island Teen. Ms. Ramirez was found safe, thank God. As mom to three girls with autism, each of whom are prone to wandering, I can't tell you the ice cold fear that goes through my  belly when I imagine them in public without proper supervision. Yes, I'm in favor of ICD-9 support. KS

We need formal wandering language for autism. Here's m0re proof. Fortunately, unlike so many others, the  child in the video below from New York City survived. There is an action alert circulating to ensure that we protect Americans with autism. See below.

"Please support a wandering medical code for at-risk individuals by signing this petition. You can also send a personal or organizational letter of support via email to Donna Pickett, Co-Chair of the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee, at [email protected] . The comment period closes April 1, 2011.
 
This medical code would be available for those most at risk. Not every person with a developmental disability wanders into potential danger, but for those individuals that are susceptible, the consequences can be devastating. They should be afforded every opportunity for protection from harm."

 NAA ACTION ALERT

Keep Our Loved Ones Safe From Wandering-Related Injuries and Death

Please click HERE to act NOW to protect Americans with autism.

 

For full details on the May 21st 5K run/walk for C.A.D.E. click Autism5K HERE.

Kym Grosso gave us permission to link her article at Psychology Today about autism and divorce. We hear the number 80% bandied about as the staggering divorce rate in our community. Is it accurate?

Most parents of children with autism are acutely aware of the issues that comes with the diagnosis and particularly, how stress affects their marriage. So what does the research say about autism and divorce? One study published by Hartley et al. showed that parents who had a child with autism had a higher divorce rate than parents without a child with autism (1). However, a more recent study presented in 2010 by Dr. Brian Freedman of the Kennedy Krieger Institute found there was no increase in divorce rates. According to their research, "64% of children with autism lived with married or adoptive parents compared to a rate of 65% for children with no autism diagnosis" (2).

The subject of divorce and autism is important in that parents of a newly diagnosed child may read an article about higher divorce rates and assume that their marriage is automatically at risk for divorce. Also, if a couple already has a strained marriage prior to the diagnosis, they may think that divorce is unavoidable. While there are strong emotions resulting from a diagnosis and there can be significant stress involved with raising a child with autism, do parents who subsequently get divorced primarily divorce because of the autism?

Read the full post and comment at Psychology Today HERE.

THE GREATER GOOD interviews leading authorities on vaccines and vaccine safety. Equal consideration is given to the doctors and scientists who advocate for universal vaccination as to those who persistently ask probing questions about regulation and administration.Call your local theatre and ask them to show this film. Like them at FaceBook HERE. Follow them on Twitter HERE.  Visit their website The Greater Good HERE.

Please join us in congratulating Michelle Guppy, who has won the Jefferson Award for Public Service for her Autism  advocacy over the last 13 years. REad her own perspective on what the award means to her at her blog Life With Autism. For Houston area readers, pleae visit the Houston Autism Disability Network.

HOUSTON -- When her younger son, Brandon, was diagnosed at 2 years old with autism, Michelle Guppy's first reaction was relief: finally a definitive answer.
 
But that was 15 years ago, when there weren't many resources for support.

"All my pediatrician could tell me was to love him, and he would be in an institution one day," Guppy said.

Guppy refused to give up.She found comfort in talking to other parents, and in 2000 and 2004, she joined 3,000 of them on Capitol Hill to rally for autism awareness and legislation.

The experience inspired her to form the group Texas Autism Advocacy, now 2,000 members strong. Her spin off network, Houston Autism Disability Network, has almost 5,000 members locally. There's no fancy office or staff, just an online forum where parents and professionals can share resources. Read the full article in Click2Houston HERE

Click HERE to read and comment on the full post.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants to study autism as a possible clinical outcome of immunization, as part of its newly adopted 5-year research agenda for vaccine safety, the agency said on its website.

The CDC will also study mitochondrial dysfunction and the potential risk for post-vaccine "neurological deterioration," and convene an expert panel on the feasibility of studying health outcomes such as autism among vaccinated and unvaccinated children.

The CDC move comes one month after the federal government's leading autism body, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) announced a shift in research priorities toward environmental triggers for autism, which the IACC said could include toxins, biological agents and "adverse events following immunization."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Immunization Safety Office Scientific Agenda indentified the need to research "Neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD)" as a possible clinical outcome of vaccination.

The plan also seeks to deternine if the mercury-based preservative thimerosal is associated with increased risk for "clinically important tics or Tourette syndrome." The CDC cited one study (Thompson, NEJM, 2007), which "found that increasing exposure to mercury from birth to age 7 months was associated with motor and phonic tics in boys," and added that "an association between exposure to thimerosal and tics was found in two earlier studies (Andrews, Pediatrics, 2004; Verstraeten, Pediatrics, 2003)."

And, noting that the IACC federal autism panel "suggested several studies including vaccinated versus unvaccinated children to determine if there are differences in health outcomes," the CDC said it will convene an "external expert committee to offer guidance on the feasibility of conducting such studies and additional studies related to the immunization schedule, including studies that may indicate if multiple vaccinations increase risk for immune system disorders."

Meanwhile, the IACC has signaled a major shift in research priorities into the causes of autism, moving away from purely genetic studies in favor of investigating the interaction between genes and environmental factors, which it said could include toxins, biological agents and vaccines.

Click HERE to read and comment on the full post.

  By Anne Dachel

I've been listening to CNN covering the tragedy in Japan.  Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta are there giving us up-to-the-minute reports on what's going on. Gupta has been talking about the dangers of radiation exposure.  Cooper has been citing personal stories of survival. 

I am impressed that Gupta and Cooper are right there in the midst of a horrific disaster.  They're working hard to uncover the facts. Cooper and Gupta express heartfelt feelings over the unimaginable suffering they're seeing everywhere.  I feel like I'm getting honest, in-depth coverage.

CNN is also very concerned about the safety level of our nuclear plants.  They question the assurances by the government that the same thing that's happening in Japan couldn't also happen here.

As I watched the current news unfold, I couldn't help but think about how CNN and especially Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta covered the news about Andrew Wakefield in January.  (HERE) There, Cooper didn't seem so concerned with getting the facts.  He accused Wakefield of falsifying "a study" on vaccines and autism in 1998.   None of it was true. It wasn't a study; it was paper.  It was about the bowel disease he was finding in children who also had autism. 

Cooper included U.S. Congressman Dan Burton in the report and Burton said, "We've had leading scientists from around the world come and testify before my committee who are certain that one of the major causes of autism is the mercury in vaccines."

Instead of including any of the scientists Burton referred to, Cooper merely said that mercury was removed in 2001 and the autism rate has continued to rise.  He told viewers that he'd "confronted Dr. Wakefield earlier by Skype."  We got to watch the interview as he questioned Dr. Wakefield while repeatedly interrupting him as he tried to answer.

From The American Association of Healthcare Journalists, a nice feather in the cap of our own John Stone.  Read the full post HERE.

Mar. 15th, 2011 by Andrew Van Dam
Filed under: Conflicts of interest, Health journalism 

In BMJ, Bob Roehr wrote about a report published by German researchers in the Canadian Medical Association Journal describing an apparent tendency for journals that accept pharmaceutical advertising to publish more positive drug-related articles than those that depend on subscription dollars to pay the bills. The study and the Roehr’s summary are good reading in their own right, but the comment section is where things really get interesting.

There, Age of Autism UK editor John Stone points to a commentary penned by the Alliance for Human Research Protection’s Vera Hassner Sharav and draws into question BMJ’s sources of funding. His main focus is the tension between that publication’s Andrew Wakefield investigations and its receipt of money from an arm of Merck...

Age of Autism invites readers to submit a complaint to the General Medical Council regarding Dr Marcovitch. The email address for making a complaint to the GMC is [email protected].

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to express concern about Dr Harvey Marcovitch reg. 0520920  and his competing interests, particularly in relation the Wakefield affair. Dr Marcovitch is Chair of GMC panels, an associate editor of British Medical Journal, and until recently a director of the United Kingdom Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) a body in part funded by the pharmaceutical industry, and he still appears on their website (HERE).

The foremost concern about Dr Marcovitch is that holding the position of Chair of Panels he could sign an editorial in British Medical Journal in January 2011 accusing Dr Wakefield of fraud in support of articles by journalist Brian Deer with the results of the GMC hearing against Wakefield and colleagues still under judicial review (HERE).  While Dr Marcovitch declared that he was expressing his personal view this was surely still inappropriate. It was very questionable that any such articles should appear at all (most of the British media have not reported the allegations being both potentially defamatory and in contempt of court) let alone that he should be a signatory. On top of this he failed to disclose his involvement with UKRIO until this was pointed out to BMJ, and was disclosed by him in a later related article (HERE) . Very seriously he also failed to disclose with other senior editors of BMJ, who are not registered doctors, that BMJ had business affiliations to two manufacturers of MMR who were defendants in litigation, MSD and GSK. The editor-in-chief BMJ, Dr Fiona Godlee, has now agreed that these connections should have been disclosed (HERE,  HERE ).

Additionally, as Chair of GMC panels Marcovitch has taken no action against the chair of the Wakefield hearing, Dr Surendra Kumar, after it became known that the latter had sat undisclosed on two licensing authority committees and owned shares in MMR defendant manufacturer GSK (HERE ). The defendants at the hearing were more or less forced to pass this matter over when it came to light more than a year into proceedings but this matter plainly leaves the GMC compromised and in breach of the Nolan rules of standards in public life. Nor was any action taken when Kumar demonstrated his extreme views by calling for MMR to be made compulsory in a BMA debate (HERE ) again in flagrant disregard of the Nolan rules.  Equally, it seems that action against Dr Kumar is more than due.

There must also be concern that it was inappropriate for Marcovitch to be on the board of UKRIO, a body concerned with investigating doctors presumably with a view to bringing them before the GMC while acting as an influential officer of the GMC. Apart from anything else he sat alongside Dr Richard Tiner (HERE ) whose MedicoLegal Investigation (HERE ) – which is affiliated to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry – assisted Mr Deer in his investigation of Dr Wakefield and colleagues.

I request that GMC takes conflict and transparency at all levels of the profession with same degree of seriousness and investigate these matters.

"Please support a wandering medical code for at-risk individuals by signing this petition. You can also send a personal or organizational letter of support via email to Donna Pickett, Co-Chair of the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee, at [email protected] . The comment period closes April 1, 2011.
 
This medical code would be available for those most at risk. Not every person with a developmental disability wanders into potential danger, but for those individuals that are susceptible, the consequences can be devastating. They should be afforded every opportunity for protection from harm."

NAA ACTION ALERT

Keep Our Loved Ones Safe From Wandering-Related Injuries and Death

Please click HERE to act NOW to protect Americans with autism.

Dear Parents and Friends;
 
Deaths associated with autism wandering/elopement remain a leading cause of fatalities among children and adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Please see listing of recent fatalities below.*
 
Individuals with autism go missing from multiple settings – home, school, daycare, summer camps, relatives’ homes – environments that carry common supervision patterns.
 
The National Autism Association believes a medical code for wandering will help protect at-risk individuals who have a documented history of wandering.  Here’s why:

Physicians are largely unaware of this issue; therefore, cannot provide prevention materials or advice. A medical code will increase awareness, advice and prevention-material distribution.
 
A diagnostic code will allow for data collection on the incidence of wandering, thereby increasing opportunities for prevention education for doctors, caregivers, school administrators and staff, first responders/search personnel.
 
Many nonverbal individuals with ASD are unable to respond to their name when called. We feel a diagnostic code will lead to increased awareness and the development of emergency search-and-rescue response protocols.
 
We believe a medical code will enhance schools’ understanding of wandering so that children with a history of wandering will be better protected. Currently, wandering is not looked at as a medical condition, but one of choice or bad behavior. This has lead to a lack of school training, prevention and emergency response. In January alone, two children with autism went missing from their schools.

By Teresa Conrick

I usually write about my daughter, Megan, and her many medical issues related to her vaccine injuries.  I am detouring you all briefly to describe a recent bout of Shingles that I have been dealing with as it relates to Megan, autism and a pattern that we have seen.  Let me also point out that Shingles usually occurs in OLDER folks - and though I am enjoying the last days of my 4th decade - I am not the older that they mean - usually 60+ in years - but hold on to that fact as I'm going to revisit it down below.  As vaccine names and amounts have increased, so have disabling idiopathic and chronic conditions brought on by illness and injury.  Shingles, (herpes zoster) is a painful, blistering skin rash due to the varicella-zoster virus, the virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles also has been discussed as being directly related to the use in our country of a vaccine to fight varicella zoster - chicken pox, instead of natural immunity.

I am now weeks into this illness, minimal blisters but they are VERY painful and I am dreadfully exhausted!  My right side is the affected side (shingles usually stays only on one side) and unfortunately, my eye is involved.  As I type this, I have my 2nd appointment tomorrow at the ophthalmologist. I will also add that I am the youngest of seven children and my sibs were generous in passing down to me all their childhood illnesses, including Chicken Pox, back in the day.  As I have shared with people about my having Shingles, these two responses show what many in the outside, autism world think - 1) Oh, You must have gotten that because you have so much stress and 2) Oh, I heard about that as it's related to measles.  SO Wrong! 

In 1995, Merck came out with a slugger of a vaccine.  Since the "War on Childhood Infectious Diseases" has proven to be such an effective PR tool for many companies who PROFIT ENORMOUSLY from making vaccines, it was inevitable that Varicella or Chicken Pox, the "chicken" of the "poxes", would be added to the list of mandated vaccines.  I remember it well as the campaign on its use seemed targeted at working mothers -- kind of an insurance plan to keep your child chicken pox-less so working moms would not have to be at home for the 5-10 days of their child's illness.  I know because I had two little redheads whose doctor convinced their mother that vaccination was the working mother AND loving thing to do.  How kind of Merck.  Now I know some will say children would die without the vaccine but the possible reality flip-side to that is now many, many more older folks can have a severe illness that also can be horribly painful and long-lasting as well as fatal. 

The NYT reported (HERE)  in 2005 that it was indeed, very possible that Merck's Varivax was causing a surge of Shingles - "But even as the vaccine protects children, questions are arising about whether its use will increase the incidence of a related disease, shingles, in adults."...."Dr. Vásquez, along with a Yale colleague, Dr. Eugene D. Shapiro, wrote a commentary in the current edition of The New England Journal of Medicine that hailed the effectiveness of the vaccine for chickenpox but urged more study of its effects on shingles."  Wow, here was an actual article seriously looking at how this new Chicken Pox vaccine from Merck may be about to cause a huge increase in Shingles.  I read on in excitement that the NYT was seemingly allied with many of us who look at safety.

"The vaccine has been somewhat controversial and is not routinely used overseas".."One concern in other countries is whether using the vaccine would increase the rate of shingles in adults. Shingles, evidenced by a rash, blisters and pain, can lead to nerve damage called post-herpetic neuralgia that can last for weeks or months and cause excruciating pain, even from the touch of a shirt against the skin."

Note: There is a push to make sure wandering is NOT addressed as a concern in autism among some of the IACC members, including the ASAN member. Wandering and death is a real problem in our community and we can not ignore it.  It needs formal recognition and action.

Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Subcommittee on Safety Conference Call

Please join us for a conference call of the IACC Subcommittee on Safety that will take place on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET.

Agenda: The subcommittee plans to discuss safety issues related to autism spectrum disorder. 

Conference Call Access
USA/Canada Phone Number: 888-390-3417
Access code: 4684708

This conference call will be open to the public.  No registration is required.  Members of the public who participate using the conference call phone number will be able to listen to the discussion but will not be heard. 

If you experience any technical problems with the conference call, please e-mail [email protected] or call the IACC Technical Support Help Line at 443-680-0098.

Please visit the IACC Events page for the latest information about the meeting, including registration, remote access information, the agenda and information about other upcoming IACC events.

By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.

It's been said that some of the greatest tragedies happen because those in charge fail to ask the most basic questions.

Consider the fire which swept the Apollo 1 capsule in 1967, killing all three astronauts.  A spark ignited the pure oxygen atmosphere in the spacecraft.  Every high school chemistry student learns pure oxygen is highly flammable.  After an exhaustive investigation the conclusion was that no engineer had asked the simple question of whether it was safe to have a pure oxygen environment in the capsule.

I was reminded of the Apollo disaster when I read a recent post by Dr. Jamie Deckoff-Jones entitled Cover-up and Contamination Theories.  HERE Dr. Deckoff-Jones is a former emergency room doctor, chronic fatigue syndrome/ME patient, and is currently the clinical director of the Whittemore-Peterson Institute of the University of Nevada/Reno. However, the blog explicitly states the opinions expressed are hers alone and do not necessarily represent those of the Whittemore-Peterson Institute.

The simple question Dr. Deckoff-Jones asks in her post is whether the culturing of viruses for vaccines in certain animal tissues, such as mice, has resulted in the combination of endogenous human and mouse retroviruses and caused both the chronic fatigue syndrome/ME and autism epidemics.

Dr. Deckoff-Jones begins by asking how those who claim XMRV (xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus) is a lab contaminant explain that the blood of chronic fatigue syndrome/ME patients contain antibodies to XMRV.  Anti-bodies can only be produced in the body, thus any later contamination of the blood in a lab would not provoke an immune response.  The Whittemore-Peterson Institute has also put out a statement on allegations of contamination.  HERE

I've been interested in XMRV since my daughter and wife have both tested positive for the retrovirus and are part of an ongoing research program at the Whittemore-Peterson Institute.  I have tested negative for the retrovirus.  Children with autism share many common clinical symptoms with the chronic fatigue syndrome/ME population, including immune disregulation, increased oxidative stress, expression of proinflammatory cytokines, low natural killer cell functionality, and active microbial infections.

From The Washington Post, a frank look at the reality of autism for thousands of families.  As the teens with autism age out this problem is going to grow. Cute little boys who punch are a far cry from adult men (and women) who can injure and even kill. Ask Trudy Steuernagel. We need better treatments so that our boys and girls, men and women on the spectrum receive proper care. We need to train law enforcement. And we need a national alarm to sound that the autism epidemic is very real.  The coming years will bring grave challenges. Violent does not mean criminal - but is our system able to tell the difference? And how do we teach and  protect our kids from the backlash?

In Va. assault case, anxious parents recognize 'dark side of autism'

The issue resonates not only with parents but with police. Every year, the International Association of Chiefs of Police picks one major issue to address at a national summit. In 2010, it was improving police response to people with mental illness and such conditions as autism.

"It has been a huge and significant part of our conversation in the last couple of years," said John Firman, director of research for the organization.

Firman, who participates in the Big Brother program, has a "little brother" with Asperger's. He said that when he goes out with the youngster, he sometimes wonders, "If anything would happen here, how would police deal with him?"

Among the summit's recommendations, Firman said, were that all officers be trained in how to deal with such people and that police work closely with families and community organizations.

Latson's case, however, was not a matter of a law enforcement officer being untrained, the prosecutor said. "This deputy has a 33-year-old mentally retarded child," Olsen said. "So the deputy is very sensitive to dealing with children with disabilities. He's lived it every day for the last 33 years."

 
The Westin Lombard is sold out! But don't worry, AutismOne/Generation Rescue had found wonderful deals nearby for you.  Families, don’t miss out on the full kitchens at the Marriott Towne Place Suites.  There are a limited number of blocked rooms available at these rates, so please register for the conference today (www.AutismOne.org) and reserve your room.

MARRIOT TOWNE PLACE SUITES   

455 E. 22ND Street

The Towne Place Suites is walking distance through the Target parking lot to the Westin Lombard.  This Marriott offers four moderately priced suites: studio, home office, one and two bedrooms. All rooms at Towne Place Suites Chicago Lombard feature full kitchens. Rooms also include separate sleeping and living areas, and well-lit work space. Amenities include: luxurious bedding, free high-speed Internet access, On-site business services and 24-hour staffing. Property includes an outdoor pool and health club.
 
The negotiated AutismOne rates of $88 for a studio and $139 for a two-bedroom suite include breakfast, wifi and complimentary parking.  Complimentary shuttle service is provided to the Westin Lombard Conference Hotel.
 
Please contact hotel directly at (630) 932-4400 or use the following link by May 1, 2011 : HERE 
 
 
THE FAIRFIELD INN & SUITES

645 W. North Ave
Lombard, IL

The Fairfield is located near the conference hotel.  All room types have sleeper sofas, microwaves and refrigerators. The property also has a health club, indoor pool and whirlpool.
 
The $85 AutismOne rate includes breakfast, wifi and parking.  Complimentary shuttle service is provided to the Westin Lombard Conference Hotel.
 
Please contact hotel directly at (630) 629-1500 or reservations can be made by following this ink by May 1: www.fairfieldinn.com/chifs. Under special reservations, the group code is autauta (king room) or autautb (queen/queen room).

CROWNE PLAZA GLEN ELLYN

1250 Roosevelt Rd.
Glen Ellyn, IL

The new Crowne Plaza Glen Ellyn-Lombard is completely renovated and 100% redesigned.  This full service "green" hotel is 100% smoke free. The hotel offers an indoor pool, business and fitness center.

The $88 AutismOne rate includes wifi (breakfast is not included).  Complimentary shuttle service is provided to the Westin Lombard Conference Hotel.

Contact the hotel at (630) 629-6000 or visit www.cpglenellyn.com and use group code: AUT

Breaking news this morning: Japanese vaccine recalled for contamination: Sanofi Pasteur and partner Daiichi Sankyo have decided to voluntarily recall 13 lots of a paediatric vaccine in Japan, where its use is currently suspended. The affected lots of ActHIB, which are manufactured and marketed by Sanofi and distributed by Daiichi Sankyo in Japan for haemophilus influenza type b, are being recalled due to an investigation which confirmed two cases of contamination inside syringes of diluent used to reconstitute the vaccine...

By J.B. Handley

Is this Paul Offit’s Pharma-Shill moment? It’s nice to have the world see the audacity the Merck-funded Paul Offit often shows when discussing anything to do with vaccines.

First, a quick chronological recap of the Japanese vaccine tragedy:

March 5^th:

News services around the world report that Japan has suspended the use of 2 vaccines after four children died subsequent to receiving one or both vaccines. From the Wall Street Journal:

“The deaths of four children in Japan prompted the government there to halt use of the vaccines Prevnar and ActHIB and caused some international health authorities to examine whether the widely used shots cause serious side effects.”

March 7^th:

Forbes writer Matthew Herper publishes a blog post with the reassuring title, “Don’t Be Frightened By Japan’s Vaccine Scare” and quotes our favorite Darth Vader-in-Chief, Paulie Profit, with some all-time gems:

“I think the Japanese Ministry of Health was foolish to suspend the HIB and pneumococcal programs,” says Paul Offit, a researcher at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia who co-invented a Merck vaccine used to combat rotavirus. “It was the wrong thing to do.”

In all likelihood, Offit says, the four deaths are likely to be sudden infant death syndrome or another cause; he says two of the children had serious underlying health conditions. Any time a large number of people are given a vaccine, some of them will get sick and die just by chance…

Offit profited from the creation of the rotavirus vaccine, but does not get ongoing money from vaccine manufacturers for speaking, consulting, research, or as royalties. 

March 8^th:

A Japanese panel clears the vaccines of causation, while upping the number of dead children to five. From Dow Jones news wire:

“A panel of Japanese medical experts expressed the opinion Tuesday that the deaths of five children over the past two months weren't connected to pediatric vaccines administered just before they died.”

Forbes Added:

“The panel said the deaths were not connected to the vaccines, and that there was nothing wrong with the lots of vaccines.”

Phew, we can all start vaccinatin’ again, that was a close one.

We have a  WINNING! opportunity for you!  The "Your Healing Retreat" conference is this June 3-5 at the Kanuga Conference center in Henderson, NC.  And one lucky person out of the next 100 people who register for the conference will not only savor the retreat, but will also win a REBATE of the entire conference fee!

Carve out a few days for yourself and spend time with Elizabeth Mumper MD, Julie Buckley MD, FAAP, Maureen McDonnell RN, Nancy O'Hara MD and Stephanie Cave MD, MS, FAAFP, true Goddesses of the autism treatment community. And one mere mortal - Kim Stagliano will be there too for a special appearance.

And there's more for everyone who registers!  If you refer an MD or DO who registers and attends, you will receive $50 back from your own registration fee at the conference.  (If two or more people refer an MD or DO, the first to do so will receive the $50.)  Refer two docs and get $100!  What a terrific way to help educate more physicians on how to help heal our kids.

This is a unique conference designed with treating Mom and Dad (yes, Gods are invited too) to a gentle retreat that will also help your child.

Visit Your Healing Retreat today to learn more. We'll announce the winner at conference time. Good luck!

Your Healing Retreat:
June 3rd – June 5th 2011
Sponsored by Hopewell Pharmacy and Compounding Center

Your Healing Retreat is a path of education, hope and rejuvenation for parents and physicians living and working with autism and ADD.

The stress of having a child affected by autism and or ADD is indescribable. Parents face financial strains, marital stress, and emotional pressures while trying to meet the special needs of their children. Learning how to help their children (especially understanding and carrying out treatment strategies for the medical conditions that can be at the route of the child’s behavioral problems) is exhausting and expensive!

Physicians who embark on this path, learning all they can to help parents identify underlying metabolic conditions and treating these complex disorders often find themselves in “burnout” mode, which may lead to questioning their personal and professional commitment to this work.

Your Healing Retreat offers the education parents and physicians have been seeking and delivers it in a beautiful relaxed setting with a deliberate focus on caregivers.

Your Healing Retreat participants will gain access to cutting-edge, safe and effective integrative approaches for healing children while recharging their own batteries with morning yoga, massage, hikes, organic food and cooking classes. They will learn relaxation techniques, tips to improve their relationships, and strategies to get back into balance.

This event is not about opening your brain and stuffing in information. It is about presenting practical strategies-based in science-for healing children while addressing the very real needs of parents and physicians called to do this work.

The treatment category is sponsored by Lee Silsby, the leader in quality compounded medications for autism.

By John Stone

Fiona Godlee, British Medical Journal editor’s defence of their failure to disclose financial interests “it did not occur to us”(HERE) , brought to mind the very similar reaction of MMR litigation judge Sir Nigel Davis when he was asked about his brother’s directorship of MMR defendants GlaxoSmithKline. Sir Nigel seems to have issued two press statements (HERE):

"In 2003, Mr Justice Davis's brother was appointed as a non-executive director of Glaxo SmithKline, a company which was formed as a result of a merger with SmithKline Beecham. At the date of the hearing before Davis J (February 2004), the possibility of any conflict of interest arising from his brother's position did not occur to him. If he was wrong, any possible remedy must be sought in the court of appeal."

And:

"In 2003, Mr Justice Davis's brother was appointed as a non-executive director of GSK. At the date of the hearing before Mr Justice Davis (February 2004), the possibility of any conflict of interest arising from his brother's position was not raised with him and did not occur to him. If he was wrong, any possible remedy must be sought in the court of appeal."

Later on when there was an investigation by the Office for Judicial Complaints Sir Nigel seems to have remembered after all that he didn’t know. Meanwhile, it also does not seem to have occurred to his brother Sir Crispin, when three days after Sir Nigel’s adjudication in the MMR litigation he gave evidence on the Wakefield affair to a House of Commons Select Committee as boss of the Lancet, either that he was a director of GSK or that his brother was the officiating judge in the case.

Brian Deer, however, was hugely annoyed with me for pointing it out, writing in his usual dispassionate and factually balanced style:

"Take, for example, their latest campaign: the denigration of a High Court judge. Mr John Stone of JABS, who I've previously characterised as being, in my view, "the doyen of petty complainers", notes that Sir Crispin Davis, chief executive of publishing and information giant Reed Elsevier (which owns the Lancet), and, since July 2003 a non-executive director of drug company GSK, was the brother of Sir Nigel Davis, the presiding judge in a High Court judicial review, in February 2004, related to MMR.

“The ruling elite remains surprisingly small. But for Mr  Stone this discovery is orgasmic: he's been insinuating conspiracy for years. Promptly, Jackie and Co issued a JABS press release, impressively dated "London, England, 13 May 2007". It was evidently hold-the-front-page stuff...

"JABS, again, seeks to suggest a connection between the lawsuit failure and Crispin Davis. How that works, god only knows. The mind of Mr Stone is mysterious. But, if Crispin Davis had any interest or influence - which I'm sure he didn't - it would have been to encourage the funding to continue, and to allow the MMR cases to go to trial. Although JABS has persistently suggested that somehow only they were distressed by the scheduled hearing's abandonment, the truth is that the drug companies were anxious to see the cases heard in London: preferring the usual wisdom of an English judge to the frequent insanity of American juries."

By now there seems to have been an awful lot of “not occurring” going on.

From Vera Hassner Sharav of the Alliance for Human Research Protection website in response to the BMJ competing interests declaration. See the original content at the AHRP site  HERE.

FYI
The editor in chief of the BMJ acknowledges that AHRP was right to criticize the BMJ and its editor for failing to disclose to its readership, the BMJ financial ties to Merck--manufacturer of 13 vaccines. She also acknowledges income from GSK--manufacturer of several vaccines as well.  (HERE)

"Thank you for giving me an opportunity to respond to Vera Hassner Sharav's comment, [1] which for those of you who haven't seen it is reproduced below. (HERE)

Although Vera's claims may seem far-fetched on this occasion, she is right that we should have declared the BMJ Group's income from Merck as a competing interest to the editorial (and the two editor's choice articles) that accompanied Brian Deer's series on the Secrets of the MMR scare.[2] [3] [4] We should also, as you say, have declared the group's income from GSK as a competing interest in relation to these articles. We will publish clarifications."

However, her statement, "We didn't declare these competing interests because it didn't occur to us to do so " is startling. How seriously are we to take her strongly articulated stance against researchers who fail to disclose their financial conflicts of interest--if she doesn't recognize her journal's blatant conflict of interest?

Either she is being disingenuous or downright cynical about the BMJs declared stand against financial conflicts of interest that are undermining the integrity of medical research reports, and its own clandestine partnerships with industry.

Let's be clear: financial conflicts of interest ALWAYS influence the position one defends-- human nature is no different between politicians whose campaign chests are filled by vested interests, government officials, or academics who have grown dependent on financial support from special interests. Each delivers the service for which he /she is paid.

Vera Hassner Sharav

By Cathy Jameson

I don’t recall where I read this or if I overheard it. I’ve managed a few Google searches to no avail on the topic, but I thought I heard that public school districts have access to insurance money for potential special education due process (lawsuit) issues. Fancy that. In case a school district is guilty of not complying with federal or state laws, insurance protection is available to cover them for their “oversight”. 

If I am wrong, I do apologize for getting you stirred up.  If I am right though, I want to know this: is an individual special education student insurance fund available to parents and caregivers? Who knows when one might have to make a complaint to their state board of education or worse, file a lawsuit against Goliath, I mean a school district.  Isn’t it better to be assured that the time, funds and energy it will take to protect a child’s special education is readily available to that child and his education?

The autism and special education community is no stranger to news of children being hurt, maimed and even killed while under a school district employees’ watch.  In light of the increase in stories I read last year about that, insurance to protect special education students is a no-brainer. Maybe it’s because of “better reporting” in mainstream media that this insurance makes sense to me.  Just when I think I’ve gone a week without reading a horror story, I read a headline like “Student forgotten on bus, Dies” or “Allegations of abuse for district, Again” or “Bus monitor abuses little girl, Pleads not guilty.”

I thought our children were entitled to a free appropriate public education provided by individuals who want to work and care for children, not come close to scaring, belittling and harming them.  It’s not the physical abuse being reported but also emotional abuse that will take just as many years to heal. Once happy children now become introverts who cower at the sight of school buildings. They fear certain school staff because of their injuries. That, as well as their emotional trauma, will certainly not make for a productive learning environment.  If children are fending off adults and are left with bruises, broken bones, handprints and poor egos as souvenirs maybe therapy to combat the abuse and post traumatic stress should be ordered for the Individualized Education Plan (IEP)!

In my search to understand more about the news of special education abuse in schools, I came across a website that I hoped would help me. Imagine my shock the further down the webpage I read.  This page popped up after my Google search of “special education and insurance”: (HERE) At first glance I thought I should check this out even though it’s marketed toward a school district. My son currently requires extra academic assistance and I always like to stay familiar with current school news.  I didn’t read too far before the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

“Created expressly for non-special ed teachers, it’s content-rich, wonderfully convenient, and exceptionally affordable. It will help you:

• Educate your teachers.
• Improve IDEA compliance.
• Protect your school and district.
• Better serve the needs of special ed students and their families.”

From US News Health.  American healthcare is fantastic at treating acute conditions (surgery, broken bones) but not so with chronic illness, most of which is a function of the terrible American diet.

By Jenifer Goodwin
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- From birth through old age, Americans have poorer health than their British counterparts, a new study finds.

Researchers used data on nearly 40,000 residents of the United States and 70,000 residents of England taken from nationally representative health surveys of the respective countries.

After all the numbers were crunched, Americans had higher rates of nearly all chronic diseases and markers of diseases than people of a similar age in England.

Those diseases and signs of poor health included: obesity, low HDL (good) cholesterol, high overall cholesterol, high C-reactive protein (a sign of inflammation), diabetes and asthma.

American women had significantly higher rates of high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack or angina than English women of a similar age. For males, heart attack or angina is higher in the United States only at younger ages. High blood pressure is the one measure that was higher in England than in the United States at young ages among males....

Read the full article HERE.

BMJ editor admits that they should have disclosed competing commercial interests in Wakefield attack

By John Stone

British Medical Journal’s editor has been forced into an embarrassing admission that the journal should have disclosed connections with MMR manufacturers Merck and GSK when publishing attacks on the integrity of Andrew Wakefield in January  (HERE). Godlee’s admission came eight days after my letter to the journal was submitted, and three days after the publication of my article on Age of Autism (HERE). My letter was occasioned by an article in Age of Autism by Martin J Walker (HERE ) subsequently also published in  Vera Sharav’s AHRP newsletter (HERE).  I had been responding to an article highlighting the issue of free access journals and advertising: BMJ apparently did not think this applied to them.

Godlee’s admission, “We did not declare these competing interests because it did not occur to us to do so”, underlines the complacence, and even arrogance, of large journals that think they are above having interests. Nor will her defence carry much water amid the hotly disputed claims of Brian Deer’s articles that the issue was fraud so who manufactured the products did not matter. BMJ in a breach of the basic traditions of peer review journals have been unwilling to allow their and  Deer’s  allegations to be discussed directly in its columns, many letters to the journal have been blocked, Deer has never been required to respond to criticisms, and the defence of their position has been crudely legalistic (HERE ).

Godlee was also reduced to make a technical defence of the journal decision to publish the Deer articles in Age of Autism (HERE) and BMJ Rapid Responses (HERE).

However, Godlee’s admission represents a major blow against scientific journals, however large, not declaring their commercial interests: the excuse “it did not occur to us” will scarcely wash again.

This is the latest episode in a long running series of battles between Age of Autism and the journal. In February 2010 BMJ were forced to admit that Prof Trisha Greenhalgh had not only contributed to Brian Deer’s website, but had also received £1.4m in Department of Health research grants since 2003 (HERE, HERE ). In March 2010 Age of Autism highlighted the removal by BMJ of a series of letters questioning how Brian Deer obtained confidential material about Royal Free patients and MMR litigants, while in May 2010 the journal refused to acknowledge that Brian Deer was the undisclosed complainant to the GMC against Wakefield and colleagues (HERE), which has been covered by tortuous language in the latest publications, though never acknowledged in the Sunday Times. Age of Autism has also focussed on the role of Harvey Marcovitch who doubles as a BMJ associate editor, co-authoring editorials against Wakefield, and chairman of panels at the GMC (HERE ).

From CNBC: Parents: Autism cuts could ruin children's future. An honest look at what we face as funding is scrutizined and cut. Americans are usually penny wise and pound foolish with our short term mentality. At what cost for the autism population?

CARSON CITY, Nev. - Last year, 10-year-old Reno resident Tyler Richard had an IQ of 38 and spoke only two words. On Thursday, he read a testimony aloud to legislators:

"I can tell my mom I love her. I can now tell you thank you for helping me and others," read Richard, diagnosed with autism and 13 other biomedical disorders. "Please don't stop."

Richard's mother Toni attributes her son's success to assistance through Nevada's Self-Directed Autism Program, which serves 174 children and faces an uncertain future as the governor's proposed budget shifts the program to cash-strapped counties.

The autism program was one of several painful cuts and drastic changes discussed Thursday at a budget subcommittee hearing for Nevada's Mental Health and Developmental Services Division.

"We had to make some pretty hard choices to make sure our residential and adult services could remain intact," said Deputy Division Administrator Jane Grunter.

Parents cried at the witness stand as they told legislators their children's conditions would regress —and cost more in the long run — without services from the state.

"A group home or an institution is not OK for my child," said Shannon Springer, mother of 11-year-old Joy, who has autism.

Times are changing throughout the division, which is facing major cuts and restructuring along with other state agencies.

Officials on Thursday discussed their plan to privatize the medical operations for the Southern Nevada arm of the Mental Health Division and the Department of Corrections. The effort would not necessarily save money, but would alleviate a chronic recruiting problem and improve efficiency after a recent internal audit showed productivity was low.

Division Administrator Harold Cook said 22 of the state's 59 psychiatrist positions are vacant and have been supplemented by temporary, contractual employees. Recruitment is notoriously difficult and time-consuming, and turnover is sky-high among medical directors, many who stay only a few weeks and one who only stayed two days.

"There are very few medical students that start their career with a goal of becoming a state employee," Cook said. "And our salary schedule has fallen behind."

But legislators scrutinized the decision to give up some state control of the mental health operations, saying privatization could lead to runaway costs and the large contract — involving about 40 employees — could be difficult to manage...

Read the full article at CNBC: Parents: Autism cuts could ruin children's future.

The following article is typically shallow, and misses several basic journalism questions, but... it points out that people are starting to notice the expense of autism. Schools are groaning under their programs' weight, social services are about to be hit with tens of thouands of new applicants as teens turn 18 and age out of school at 22. And given the nasty tone in America toward "the less fortunate" are we facing a backlash of anger toward the entire autism population?

Please watch the interview of Dr. Boyd Haley, Professor Emeritus at the University of Kentucky, by environmental lawyer, Robert Kennedy Jr. Dr. Haley is a leading international expert on mercury toxicity. Kennedy and Haley discuss what exposure to mercury is doing to the human race, especially the connection between mercury and both Alzheimer's and autism. Kennedy has championed numerous environmental causes but he said this about the link between toxic vaccines and autism, "This is the most important issue I've ever worked on."

Ring of Fire Radio.com

By John Stone

The Environment Committee of the European Parliament has questioned the influence pharmaceutical industry in the light of the swine flu fiasco. A press release from the parliament reports:

“Michèle Rivasi (Greens/EFA, FR), who drafted the report and resolution for the Environment Committee, commented  "This report is an important attempt to highlight the concerns that have been raised about the disproportionate response to swine flu in Europe, as well as the potential influence of pharmaceutical companies in response processes."”

And goes on to  state:

“Assessments of and communication about flu outbreaks must be more independent, says the resolution.  Safeguards are needed to prevent conflicts of interest. For example, declarations of interest by experts who advise European health authorities should be published. And under EU legislation, full liability for vaccines must lie with the manufacturer, not with Member States.”

The committee is to ask the World Health Organisation:

“to review its definition of a "pandemic", to take into account the severity of the illness, not only the spread of a virus. To buttress the EU's own risk assessment capacity, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control should be equipped to assess risks independently as well as perform its other tasks, say MEPs.”

While the new spirit of political scepticism in relation to WHO and health officials is to be welcomed the committee continues to fall into the trap of believing in false estimates of seasonal flu deaths.  The press release states:

“H1N1 had caused 2,900 deaths in Europe by April 2010, which compares with 40,000 for seasonal flu in a moderate year.”

By Anne Dachel

March 5, 2011, the Los Angeles Times published an editorial aptly called, Inoculating vaccine makers

(HERE) The essence of the article was that although it’s regrettable that vaccines damage some children, the Supreme Court did the right thing in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth.

“The Supreme Court correctly shields drug firms from lawsuits over children who have suffered severe side effects from vaccines.”

The LA Times wasn’t alone in their praise for the Court’s action.  The New York Times had the op ed piece, U.S. Supreme Court Decision In Bruesewitz V. Wyeth A Win For Public Health (HERE) In the NY Times piece, Pfizer Executive Vice President and General Counsel Amy Schulman expressed sympathy for Hannah and reminded everyone that the special National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program ‘provides for full consideration of the liability issues.’

The NYT pointed out that amicus briefs were filed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. government in support of Wyeth.  The government said. “The Vaccine Act has resulted in ‘a robust federal framework that encourages the development of even safer vaccines and that provides compensation where Congress deemed it appropriate.’”

(This Times piece contrasts with an editorial that was published just last October (HERE) entitled, The Court’s Pre-emption Test.

There the Times raised serious questions about the right of the federal government to preempt state law. “At stake is the ability of states to protect their citizens, by regulating health, safety, the environment, and other primary interests and by giving victims of wrongdoing redress in court, as long as a state law doesn’t conflict with a federal law.”

Regarding the Bruesewitz case, the Times told us, “The case is about whether the family of a girl, who they said was badly injured by a vaccine, can sue the manufacturer in a state court. Or are they barred by a 24-year-old federal law that blocks this sort of lawsuit if ‘the injury or death resulted from side effects that were unavoidable’?”  In closing, the Times piece recommended, “Where state efforts to protect citizens and compensate victims don’t conflict with federal law, pre-emption should not be used as a weapon to defeat them.”  It’s hard to reconcile this October article with the current editorial calling the Bruesewitz decision a win for public health.)

The Wall Street Journal had a not-too-subtle title to an opinion piece on February 23, 2011, Science 1, Lawyers 0.  (HERE) “Science and public health got a booster shot yesterday when the Supreme Court ruled 6-2 that vaccine makers can't be sued in state courts for injuries supposedly caused by their vaccines. The decision was an important strike against a scare campaign that has caused too many parents to put their children at risk by refusing to inoculate them.”

TIME Magazine on February 24, 2011, also endorsed the Wyeth win in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth: What the Supreme Court Decision Means for Vaccines. (HERE) In this editorial, we’re reminded that just as vaccines don’t cause epilepsy, they don’t cause autism either. “Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence that vaccines do not cause permanent disorders like autism and epilepsy, many parents cling to the myth. Why? Much of the confusion stems from timing: the first signs of epilepsy, other seizure disorders or autism often appear right about the time children receive many their routine vaccines. The co-occurrence is coincidental.”

Register HERE for Pieces of HOPE

A conference for those affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders 
April 2, 2011 8:30am - 5:00pm
Highland Colony Baptist Church, Ridgeland, MS 
NAA Mississippi

April 1, 2011- Meet & Greet, Meet the Author Night 5:30-8:00pm

Keynote Address:
Piece of Body, Piece of Mind, Piece of Hope - Autism, A Treatable Whole Body Disease
Speaker: Dr. Julie Buckley 
 
Working from Leo Kanner's initial description of autism, Dr. Julie Buckley will show how many behavioral manifestations of autism have their origins in metabolic and physiologic dysfunction. At the conclusion of this talk, attendees will have fundamental understanding of autism as a whole body physical illness which, when appropriately treated, results in improved behavioral, cognitive, and social functioning in the classroom and at home.

Keynote Address:
Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum
Speaker: Chantal Sicile-Kira 
 
To become as independent in adulthood as possible, teenagers of all different ability levels must learn self-care, appropriate behaviors, modesty and sexuality. Areas to be covered include: explaining about puberty and changing bodies, hygiene and self-care and how to problem-solve difficulties in teaching self-care routines, and what to do about masturbation. For safety reasons and in preparation for adulthood, all teenagers need to learn about relationship boundaries, and sexuality.

The treatment category is sponsored by Lee Silsby, the leader in quality compounded medications for autism.

Managing Editor's Note: Ms. Grandin has some sage advice, and I always appreciate her honesty and respect for those on the more severe side of the spectrum. Read the original article by Ms. Benca HERE.

Temple Grandin gives message of hope on autism
By Jeanine Benca
Contra Costa Times
 
LIVERMORE -- When you think of the word "steeple," what do you see?

For most, it's a single, generalized image of a pointed structure atop a roof.

When world-famous autism advocate Temple Grandin thinks of a steeple, however, her mind conjures up something very different. Instead of one abstract illustration, she sees a slide show presentation of specific steeples she has encountered in her life -- from those on modest churches of her childhood to gothic spires gracing the cathedrals of France.

"My concept of a steeple is based on pictures of steeples I put in a file folder in my brain," Grandin told the audience during a sold-out Monday visit to Las Positas College.

Grandin, a high-functioning autistic who was the subject of a 2010 Emmy award-winning HBO film, is widely regarded as the world's most accomplished and best-known adult with autism.

A doctor of animal science and professor at Colorado State University, the self-described "visual thinker" attributes her success as a humane livestock facility designer to her ability to recall details and play them in her head with movie-like precision. The steeple example was one of many she used to give listeners a glimpse into the world of autism.