Quote from  Sue Lateure (mother of Kimberly) who spoke out at the Ebcala press conference today. We remember Kimberly and all of the vaccine injured children, whether compensated or not. Read the full paper Unanswered Questions from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program HERE.

New Study of U.S. Vaccine Injury Awards Reveals Settlements with Vaccine-Autism Link:

62 of 150 families (41%) identified and contacted post-settlement have autism

For the past 11 years, Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) has provided support, education, resources and HOPE to almost 25,000 families of children diagnosed with autism.  

In those 11 years, parents have shared heartbreaking stories of how autism entered their lives.  For many, signs of autism were present since birth. Thousands of other parents watched helplessly as children who had reached developmental milestones, began to fall behind, eventually “fading away” into autism.  Most parents of children with regressive autism report dramatic changes within a few days of vaccination. 

At TACA, we believe that thousands and thousands of parents are the best witnesses, the best advocates for their children.  For 11 years, both mainstream science and mainstream media have told parents otherwise. 

David Kirby writes about the EBCALA press conference at HuffPo. Please read and comment at  Autism and Vaccine Court Awards HERE.

Investigators and Families of Vaccine-Injured Children Released Study Revealing Clear Vaccine-Autism Link Based on Government’s Own Data

Report Demands Immediate Congressional Action

Washington, DC – Directors of the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy (EBCALA), parents and vaccine-injured children held a press conference on the steps of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to release a study linking vaccine injury to autism.  (To view the full study online, please click here.)

For over 20 years, the federal government has publicly denied a vaccine-autism link, while at the same time its Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) has been awarding damages for vaccine injury to children with brain damage, seizures and autism.  Coming out just after the prevalence study of autism in South Korea, this investigation, based on public, verifiable government data, breaks new ground in the controversial vaccine-autism debate.

The investigation found that a substantial number of children compensated for vaccine injury also have autism.  The government has asserted that it “does not track” autism among the vaccine-injured.  Based on this preliminary investigation, the evidence suggests that autism is at least three times more prevalent among vaccine-injured children than among children in the general population.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS FROM THE VACCINE INJURY COMPENSATION PROGRAM:

 A Review of Compensated Cases of Vaccine-Induced Brain Injury

Pace Environmental Law Review, vol. 28, no. 2, 2011

Mary Holland, Louis Conte, Robert Krakow and Lisa Colin

Available in full * at http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pelr/vol28/iss2/6

*Paper not available on line until  9:00 am EDT

Executive Summary

In 1986, Congress created the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (1986 Law).  This Program has original jurisdiction for children’s claims of vaccine injury.  Because almost all children receive multiple vaccinations for daycare and school, it is critically important that the Program provides fundamental fairness, due process and transparency.

This empirical investigation, published in a peer-reviewed law journal, examines claims that the VICP compensated for vaccine-induced encephalopathy and seizure disorder.  The VICP has compensated approximately 2,500 claims of vaccine injury since the inception of the program.  This study found 83 cases of acknowledged vaccine-induced brain damage that include autism, a disorder that affects speech, social communication and behavior.  In 21 published cases of the Court of Federal Claims, which administers the VICP, the Court stated that the petitioners had autism or described autism unambiguously.  In 62 remaining cases, the authors identified settlement agreements where Health and Human Services (HHS) compensated children with vaccine-induced brain damage, who also have autism or an autism spectrum disorder.

Investigators and Families of Vaccine-Injured Children to Unveil Report Detailing Clear Vaccine-Autism Link Based on Government’s Own Data  Report Demands Immediate Congressional Action

Watch the press conference that will run live on UStream  on Tuesday, May 10th at Noon EDT. Channel: www.ustream.tv/channel/ebcala.

Read the entire post at FairWarning.   For years, government health officials and most other medical authorities have dismissed the idea that autism might be linked to childhood vaccines. And the special court set up by Congress to compensate people hurt by vaccines has denied thousands of claims over the past decade by parents who have contended that their children developed autism because of their inoculations.

But a new report in a New York law school journal, the Pace Environmental Law Review, could reignite the often-inflammatory debate over the issue. Based on a sampling of cases in which plaintiffs won settlements or awards in vaccine court, the authors found that many of the victims demonstrated evidence of autism – even though, perhaps as a legal tactic, their lawsuits emphasized other injuries.

Join us as we celebrate May and discuss the issues facing moms with AbilityPath.org experts Kim Stagliano and Dr. Heidi Feldman.

Through an online video platform called “Livestream,” AbilityPath will host an online event with the special needs community on Tuesday, May 10 at 9 p.m. EST/6:00 p.m. PST. The one hour event will feature live video streaming of up to three AbilityPath.org experts discussing issues facing mothers of children with special needs. This is the first in a series of Livestream Community Chats on our Facebook page.

Participants may submit questions prior to the online event or live during it through www.facebook.com/abilitypath. $40 Amazon Gift Cards will be awarded to the top five questions submitted ahead of time. Simple post them on this page.


No additional software, tools or equipment are needed for those that wish to participate; only access to the Internet, Facebook account and “like” of AbilityPath’s page.

By Cherry Misra

Recently I reread the book Evidence of Harm and  felt the little shiver all over again-  the thrill of reading about the early autism explorers, who  struggled to uncover what was in the childhood vaccines which seemed to make their children ill- and then compiled  information about the Thimerosal mercury compound which they discovered there.  But this tale  is about someone who understood mercury another way.  This is a true story; only names have been changed.

Radhika Lu, an attractive young mother,  stood in my little nursery school in New Delhi, asking  questions .  Tiny Liam, in her arms looked at me with a piercingly intelligent gaze. Then she put Liam down.  After that I didn’t hear what she said to me ; I was noticing something different about Liam.  Finally I had to speak up, “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I think I have to tell you- In 37 years of running my school, I’ve never seen a child as short as yours.  I think you need to find out why that is”

Soon the tears were trickling  down Radhika’s cheeks. She knew very well that Liam was too short.  He was completely off the charts. He was the height of a nine month old and he was two years old.  She had been to at least 12 doctors and she had no answers. Maybe  it was genetic.  Her husband was from the small Chinese community which settled  in Bengal  a century or more back. Some of his relatives were unusually short and stocky.  We both puzzled over it.  I explained to her that she needed to see  a pediatric endocrinologist and I gave her a reference .  Radhika was pretty sure that she recalled receiving three tetanus toxoids during pregnancy-  That’s 25  micrograms of ethylmercury  in each dose.  She and her husband ate fish fairly often, so that was a possible added  source of mercury.  I wondered if that could have anything to do with Liam’s height, and I mentioned it to Radhika, who seemed interested in the idea,  but at that time I could not make a logical hypothesis . Radhika recalled that she had had many ultrasounds done during  her pregnancy.  Liam had been developing normally till his 5^th month of gestation and then suddenly his growth  appeared to stop.

A few months passed and we met again, perching  together on a stone ledge outside my school.  Things weren’t much better.  She was still visiting more doctors; the endocrinologist had said, Lets wait and see; he is growing a little. Radhika was still disturbed.

“But what do all these doctors tell you, I enquired?”  “ Well” declared Radhika, “ Either they tell me that he is normal, or they say he is too short but they don’t know why.”  My regular paediatrician saw the papers of the other doctors in Liam’s file and he shouted at me “ See, you’re running to all these other doctors and there is nothing wrong with him! “ (This was the director of Pediatrics at a leading Delhi hospital)

Many months passed and then one day a smiling Radhika appeared at my school.  Liam had been diagnosed with Russell Silverman Syndrome, a type of dwarfism ;  was being given growth hormone and was growing one and a half centimetres per month. Liam somehow understood and tolerated his daily injections.    This is how it happened:  She had, one day, gone to yet another doctor and that doctor told her “ Go immediately to Fortis Hospital. There is an endocrinologist there  who has returned from the U.S. and he is giving a talk today- right now ! “  Radhika dashed  to meet the doctor and the next thing she knew Liam was posing proudly on a podium in front of an audience of doctors as the endocrinologist explained his diagnosis.

From Fox News today in advance of  the press conference that will run live on UStream  on Tuesday, May 10th at Noon EDT. Channel: www.ustream.tv/channel/ebcala.

Investigators and Families of Vaccine-Injured Children to Unveil Report Detailing Clear Vaccine-Autism Link Based on Government’s Own Data  Report Demands Immediate Congressional Action

Dr. Sarah Bridges, parent who was awarded compensation:

By J.B. Handley

In the most recent issue of the Journal of Immunotoxicology, Helen V. Ratajczak, PhD  , had two separate reviews published. The first review, Theoretical Aspects of-Autism Causes a Review tackles a seemingly taboo topic in mainstream health: the many potential environmental causes of autism. Dr. Ratajczak writes:

“Autism could result from more than  one cause, with different manifestations in different individuals that share common symptoms. Documented causes of autism include genetic mutations and/or deletions, viral infections, and encephalitis following vaccination. Therefore, autism is the result of genetic defects and/or inflammation of the brain. The inflammation could be caused by a defective placenta, immature blood-brain barrier, the immune response of the mother to infection while pregnant, a premature birth, encephalitis in the child after birth, or a toxic environment.”

Perhaps more controversially, Dr. Ratajczak also proposes a novel theory regarding the mechanism of action for a vaccine to cause autism:

“The MMR II vaccine is contaminated with human DNA from the cell line in which the rubella virus is grown. This human DNA could be the cause of the spikes in incidence. An additional increased spike in incidence of autism occurred in 1995 when the chicken pox vaccine was grown in human fetal tissue (Merck and Co., Inc., 2001; Breuer, 2003). The current incidence of autism in the United States, noted above, is approximately 1/100.

The human DNA from the vaccine can be randomly inserted into the recipient’s genes by homologous recom- bination, a process that occurs spontaneously only within a species. Hot spots for DNA insertion are found on the X chromosome in eight autism-associated genes involved in nerve cell synapse formation, central nervous system devel- opment, and mitochondrial function (Deisher, 2010). This could provide some explanation of why autism is predomi- nantly a disease of boys. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that residual human DNA in some vaccines might cause autism.”

Her conclusion is something I’m sure many parents wish more researchers were willing to embrace:

“It is possible that autism results from more than one cause, with different manifestations in different individuals that share common symptoms. Integrating the data presented here, a hypothesis is that autism is the result of genetic defects, with the contributory effect of advancing age of the parents, and/or inflammation of the brain. The inflammation could be caused by a defective placenta, an immature blood- brain barrier, the immune response of the mother to a viral or bacterial infection, a premature birth, encephalitis in the child after birth, or a toxic environment. Also, intracellular pathogens could induce an immune response, resulting in neuro-inflammation, autoimmune reactions, brain injury, and autism.”

Click (Action Alert Invite)  to inform your Senator and Congressperson about the live press conference so that they might send a staffer in person or watch online. Thank you to Autism Action Network for the action alert.

Watch the press conference live on UStream  on Tuesday, May 10th at NOON EDT. Channel: www.ustream.tv/channel/ebcala

Investigators and Families of Vaccine-Injured Children to Unveil Report Detailing Clear Vaccine-Autism Link Based on Government’s Own Data
Report Demands Immediate Congressional Action

Directors of the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy (EBCALA), parents and vaccine-injured children will hold a press conference on the steps of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (717 Madison Place, NW in Washington, DC) on Tuesday, May 10 at 12:00 PM to unveil an investigation linking vaccine injury to autism. For over 20 years, the federal government has publicly denied a vaccine-autism link, while at the same time its Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) has been awarding damages for vaccine injury to children with brain damage, seizures and autism. This investigation, based on public, verifiable government data, breaks new ground in the controversial vaccine-autism debate.

Managing Editor's Note: Now that the breakfast in bed has been digested, the cards read, the flowers smelled and the macaroni necklace worn with pride, here's an action plan for all of us Moms. Dads too.

By Lori Brozek

I had an idea.

The idea was to have a coordinated event across the country on Mother’s Day. 

The Mother’s Day Dissent.

In every state there would be designated sites where mothers could drive.  The sites would be the State’s Department of Health Office, an office of the State’s Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the office of a Vaccine Manufacturer or other similar sites.  No overnight trips - just a car ride to a spot in your state on Mother’s Day.  We all would gather at the sites across the country at the same time.  And here’s what we’d do:  one by one, burn a copy of our child’s vaccine records.   

There were a couple of other ideas for coordinated events the following week.  Everyone gets four or five cereal boxes, empties them and covers the boxes with white paper.  On the front is a picture of your child with autism and above the picture are the words:  Have You Seen This Child?  Below the picture are the words of Mark Blaxill:  What Did You Do During the Age of Autism?  The boxes are addressed to various people:  the CEOs of Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, the Special Masters in the Cedillo case, the President, etc.  We mail them all the same day.

Then we get really crazy (we are a bunch of lunatic parents aren’t we?).  We assemble groups of mothers to stand in front of trucks trying to leave a vaccine manufacturing plant.  We form a hand-holding chain and don’t let them cross.  Maybe we get arrested.  I think everyone should get arrested at least once in a lifetime, no?

By Cathy Jameson

I never consider Mother’s Day to be a day for me to celebrate—I hear Mother’s Day and still think of my Mom, not myself. Even when my kids make their hand-made cards and shower me with their gleeful greetings Mother’s Day morning, I look over my shoulder and wonder if my Mom showed up for a visit.

I guess I do qualify as Mother though because I have four little people underfoot that call me Ma, Mom or Mommy. It should be five little people hollering at me but one of my sons is still catching up to normal speech. Ronan has said Mommy in the past, and oh, what sweet music to my ears when I heard it! The last time I remember him saying Mommy was September 2005.  Now, Ronan uses sign language to get my attention.  While he was shaping the “Mommy” sign a few years ago, his hand would slip and a finger would go up his nose. “Mommy” looked like a boogey being retrieved and was not as endearing as the correct sign.

When I look back over the last ten years to what can contribute to my rank as Mother, I have a few typical qualifications: I’ve birthed five kids (all by c-section; ouch--I wonder if I could have an extra day off for that?). I’ve raised mostly polite children who would do anything for another human being (as long as it isn’t for a sibling).  I’ve turned a house into a home with toys, books and playtime fun while keeping it all secretly educational (I’m a former teacher who constantly thinks of potential learning moments). How then, with those easily identifiable Mother attributes do I sometimes feel that I am not the best Mother in the world? 

I guess, like any human, I find faults in myself when things aren’t perfect. That happens on the days I don’t see any signs of hope for Ronan. On those days, I wish I could be more patient, more organized, less frustrated and more accepting of my situation as his Mother. You’d think I might have a better outlook or even schedule by now—Ronan is eight.  I’ve been chasing his recovery for six or seven years already. I should expect delays, red tape, poor attitudes and financial constraints as I map out his future. Add that I’m juggling more than the average Mother with the needs my four typical children throw at me on a daily basis and my own attitude turns sour. Those needs intrude the ever-constant issues I am trying to sort out for Ronan’s special needs. I’ve run into more “Calgon, take me away moments” than I expected in the last decade (and I expect a few more as my children grow).

Please thank our good friend David Kirby by leaving a comment on this post at HuffPo: Government and Many Scientists Agree: Vaccine-Autism Research Should Continue Visit David's website Animal Factory The Book HERE.

 
By Katie Wright

I hope that as many people as possible in our community watch the IACC meetings. The Office of Autism Research Coordination National Institute of Mental Health makes it easy! This department, directed by Dr. Susan Daniels, provides comprehensive details of every meeting as well as an almost minute-by-minute breakdown of the program. This is tremendously helpful.

Before I get started with the content of the meeting I want to address the major problem of absenteeism. Didn’t Woody Allen say 90% of life is showing up? Well I wish certain IACC members would try actually attending these committee meetings.  I don’t think requiring IACC members to come to meetings is setting the bar too high. No one, least of all the public members, are forced to take IACC seats. In early 2011 Director Kathryn Sebelius reminded the committee than many, many, many members of the ASD community would like to serve on IACC. So why did some public members take committee seats if they could not commit to attending just 6 meetings a year?

In 2010 there was a crisis of leadership within IACC.  A leading federal IACC member resigned after sending inappropriate notes during meetings. Parents throughout the autism community were frustrated with IACC’s insufficient number of public members. The community was also disappointed with IACC’s failure to address environmental science or biomedical treatment research.

Autism Speaks, SafeMinds, the National Autism Association and TACA were the organizations behind the effort for more IACC accountability and better stakeholder representation.

Dr. Francis Collins graciously invited the entire autism community to the NIH to discuss these issues. The next month Dr. Collins asked Dr. Gerry Fiscbach of the Simons Institute to take an IACC seat. Simons is an academic foundation that conducts brain and gene research only. It does not have a public membership mechanism. Dr. Collins also invited Denise Resnick, ASD parent and director of an Arizona based autism intervention organization, Ari Ne’Man of the HF adult community, Dr. Marjorie Salomon of MIND and Dr. Geri Dawson of Autism Speaks to take IACC seats.

Please join me in Doylestown, PA in beautiful Bucks County for a book event this Saturday, May 7 at 11:00am. Gianna was born in Doylestown, and part of the book takes place there.  Maybe we'll get inside Hong Kong Jack's this time? 

16 S. Main Street (the cennter of this charming town)
Doyelstown, PA 18901

click Doylestown BookShop hosts Kim Stagliano HERE.

Managing Editor's Note: Hey guys and gals! Print out and this nifty Connect The Dots art and if you can complete it (assuming you are not an honest moron) you'll have a new piece of art for Mom on Mother's Day!  Grab a gray crayon and get busy!  Nap time is at 1pm.

By J.B. Handley
 
How many times do I need to tell you people, “Correlation does not equal causation!”
 
You crazy parents are so pathetic. You just want something or someone to blame. So what, your little guy went to the doctor, got six vaccines in one minute, and then you watched him seize up, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he stopped talking. And you think anyone cares?
 
Oh, and now he has autism? So what! Starbucks Coffee locations have ALSO grown since the autism “epidemic” started – maybe it’s all that ground coffee in the air. Ha ha!
 
What’s that you say? Vaccines are KNOWN to cause brain damage? Well, so what, I, um, gotta go, my phone is ringing…Seth Mnookin is calling…
 
Here’s the detail, from a CBS News report:
 
“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.”
 
Oh, thank God, vaccines won’t cause any autism. Brain damage I can live with. Thanks, Dr. Strom, for your service to the IOM--very helpful indeed.
 
Author’s note: Sorry, I’ve had a lot of coffee this morning (Peet’s, not Starbuck’s)

Our friends at TACA's PA chapter invite you to their Friday night meet-up featuring Kim Stagliano this week.

TACA holds monthly meetings in many locations throughout the United States that feature educational speakers on important topics and allow family members to connect with one another and stay on top of the latest information in the autism world.

Each TACA group maintains a resource library of the latest autism books and DVDs/CDs that can be checked out by members at no charge.

Are you wondering what happens at a TACA meeting? Watch our video.

Date:	Meets the 1st Friday of each month
Time:	7:00 – 7:15 PM – Parent Support and Networking 7:15 PM – Introduction 7:30 PM – Presentation
Location:	16 Campus Blvd, Suite 200 Newtown Square, PA 19073 Directions from your location
Coordinators:	Contact Honey Rinicella, Nicky Simon, and Pattie Moor
Child care:	Not offered at this time, sorry.
May 6	Meet Kim Stagliano, Author of All I Can Handle – I’m No Mother Teresa
	Speaker: Kim Stagliano   Kim Stagliano is the author of All I Can Handle I’m No Mother Teresa, a “humorous look at a life that is anything but ordinary”. Kim is the Managing Editor of the nation’s first daily web newspaper about the autism epidemic – AgeofAutism.com. She is on the editorial staff of the Autism File and is a Huffington Post blogger. Kim has appeared on multiple news outlets like ABC News, FOX News and Good Morning America. She lives in CT with her husband and three gorgeous girls, Mia, Gianna and Bella, all of which are affected with autism. Kim is not only a gifted writer and mother, she possesses the ability to maintain an incredible sense of humor during trying times. Her talent encourages us all to have hope in face of adversity. Come meet and listen to Kim and prepare to laugh, cry and be inspired.

By Katie Wright

Autism Speaks recently awarded two highly qualified, innovative and independent scientists $1.3 million towards a huge ASD/ gastrointestinal research project (HERE). Thank you Autism Speaks and Dr. Geri Dawson for making this project happen.

This grant is significant for a number of reasons. Children belonging to this ASD subset have been hugely underrepresented in autism research. Many of these children live with acute pain. If addressing acute pain isn’t a high priority what is? Hundreds of thousands of families caring for ASD children with debilitating GI disease want this research done. The days when parents have only the Internet as their main source of GI treatment information must end. It is time for environmentally induced regressions and GI disease to be a top research priority. Endless eye gazing and brain imaging research needs to move to the back of the line.

Rather than fund a few token GI grants for $60- $100k, AS made a real commitment to this issue by awarding Dr. Fasano and Dr. Ashwood $1.3 million towards a ground-breaking GI research project.  From any perspective this is a tremendous amount of money.

Years and years of hammering home the importance of this research went on behind the scenes in order to make this project happen. Nothing comes easy with GI research. There are few really excellent researchers working on this problem and it is exceedingly difficult for them to receive funding and get published. Too many public and private research organizations are afraid of where this research will lead and therefore, avoid it all together. Too many academics are totally unfamiliar with these children, preferring to more safely focus on the behavioral, rather than medical and environmental aspects of autism. This is a shameful reality.

Managing Editor's Note: If you don't know Zack Gonzalez, you're in for a treat. I met him last month at the Generation Rescue offices in CA. We should all have a son or daughter like Zack. Trust me. KIM

By Zack Gonzalez

Inside the Mind of a Sibling (AND some advice for you Mom and Dad!)

A day never goes by without at least one person asking me the number one question, “Can I have you number?” Just kidding. I wish. That number one question is actually, “What’s it like being a sibling of a kid with autism?” My immediate instinct is to respond, “Buy my book. That’s why I wrote.” But not trying to be rude, I often respond, “It’s like having expectations that are never fulfilled, but at the same time, bringing in a surprise that, at first, may seem challenging, but in the end, if you follow the instructions correctly, will lead a much more fulfilling journey.”

Being an older sibling to three other brothers (at the time; two from my dad’s side and one from my mom’s), when my mom announced she was preggers, again, I thought I knew what I was in for. And at first, I was right. But the night I scared Ethan, expecting him to crack up, laughing, and in turn got an blank response, was the day I felt like a failure as a brother. I thought I lost my groove. Defeated, after more attempts at playing with my brother, I gave in. I gave up. I was Amanda Bynes; retiring before I was old enough to even say I had a full career.

Within the coming weeks, I overheard my family talking about Ethan having autism. Autism? What the hell is that? My grandpa Pete calls it ARTism. Not intentionally. That’s just how he pronounces it. I giggle. Corrected him once or twice, but now just let him be. Autism or artism, either way you pronounce it, it still sucks. Or does it? Sure, Ethan was getting all this new attention, but sitting out feeling sorry for myself? That was my big plan? Way to go, Zack! That’s really going to get your somewhere in life.

 
By Teresa Conrick

The sketch you see of my daughter, Megan, was done by my neighbor, Ceil, when Megan was eight.  She used a photo as Meg was never able to pose and Ceil wanted to capture the sense of Megan's autism.  I think the likeness is stunning and the message haunting.  Meg is unable to speak and yet she wants to desperately. Ceil and her family moved in 2004, right as my marriage was moving into divorce court.  It was a hard year and honestly, this year may top it.

Megan is now eighteen and as I have written here Hormones Seizures and Autism a Dangerous Mix she  began to have Catemenial Epilepsy in the Summer of 2010. It is an extremely unusual type of epilepsy as it comes violently, strikingly and fortunately, only one time monthly, announcing the rise of estrogen and impending ovulation.  Megan is a victim of injuries to her body brought on by vaccines as a baby/toddler and this latest assault, like a sniper rising out of the shadows each month, is a reminder of why autism is so very dramatic in its medical and behavioral picture. 

We completed a month of hormone testing to be able to get a more comprehensive view of what could be happening to cause Megan to violently convulse into a grand mal type seizure, leaving her incapacitated and then into a deep, deep sleep for hours.  Before I share that data and a possible source of this mysterious medical monster, let me describe the behaviors that have been happening, especially since autism has been historically branded as "psychiatric" and the medical horrors downplayed as "anecdotal."

My sweet daughter who has no words is charming and beautiful but this experience has turned her personality into Mr. Hyde as the hormones surge.  As we get closer to Meg's period, she begins to snort out of her nose loudly and often.  Any professionally-trained DSM follower, would call this a "stim" or possibly "repetitive" behavior but they would be wrong.  You see, as Meg's potent levels of hormones begin their crazy climb, estrogen especially, causes nasal swelling:

"ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec. 2000 Jan-Feb;62(1):39-42.

Nasal Mucosal Swelling and Reactivity During a Menstrual Cycle.
CONCLUSION: There is a connection between high oestrogen level and nasal mucosal reactivity."

Another "behavior" is wetting and I mean frequent, horribly smelling and like clockwork each month.  Again, easy to say that this is autism, a "developmental disability", thus issues of toileting would be included but again, they would be wrong.  This is a young woman who knows how to use the toilet but something happens in tandem to the hormone surges.  In keeping with the theme:

Tufts Mast Cell Inflammation HERE

"Critical Role Of Mast Cells In Inflammatory Diseases And The Effect Of Acute Stress"

Hormones and Mast Cells

"The bladder has a surprisingly high number of estrogen receptors which make the bladder sensitive to variations in estrogen levels found during the menstrual cycle. Why? The bladder, urethra, vagina and vulva are all part of the urogenital sinus, and began as one small cell in a fetus which later divided to create each organ. Thus it is not suprising that the bladder can be so sensitive to estrogen. High estrogen levels activate mast cells and can cause IC patients to experience an increase in pain, pressure and frequency. Many IC patients endure an increase in bladder symptoms during the times of the month when their estrogen levels are high, particularly in the days before their period"....."These finding could be important in view of the fact that mast cells express estrogen receptors."

By Anne Dachel

April 27 CBS News put out a Google News link to "10 deadly myths about childhood vaccines" by Seth Mnookin. (See Ten Deadly Myths about Vaccination HERE)

Coming from the CBS website, it looked like an official news report but in reality, it was a series of slides, each with the description of a supposed "myth" about vaccines.
 
This was the introduction:

"What's the truth about childhood vaccines? Are they an effective way to safeguard kids against a range of potentially deadly illnesses? Or do they cause autism and other medical problems? Keep clicking as Seth Mnookin, the author of 'The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear,' separates vaccine fact from fiction with his list of common misconceptions. It's information that just might save a life."
 
The message was clear: There are a lot of myths out there and Mnookin is the source of truth, according to CBS.  Very strange since Mnookin is not a CBS correspondent nor a medical doctor but a journalist taking a one-sided advocacy view of the vaccine safety issue and being given a platform on the CBS website to sell his new book.
 
Mnookin started out right away with MYTH #1: "Vaccines cause autism."  We were told that "dozens of studies involving millions of children have found no link between childhood vaccines and autism."  Vaccines are safe, they certainly don't overwhelm the immune system and they not responsible for serious health problems.  According to Mnookin, there's no problem with the ever-expanding vaccine schedule and no need to delay any vaccines.
 
I don't know why someone who's not a medical expert was considered a qualified source to declare controversial claims about vaccines to be "MYTHS," but CBS let Mnookin do it.  How do people at CBS reconcile promoting Mnookin's statements as gospel truth with the well documented news reports by one of their veteran investigative reporters, Sharyl Attkisson?  She's given us years of ground-breaking investigative reports about vaccine safety questions that are yet to be fully answered by people like Mnookin who pretend that nobody should be asking any questions.

From our friends at Unlocking Autism. Fellow autism families in Tuscaloosa, Alabama need our help - even a $10 donation from AofA readers would add up quickly to provide direct financial support. Thanks.

May 3, 2011

Dear Unlocking Autism Family Member:

Watching members of our UA family go through Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav, I know how difficult it is to have a child with autism and survive the aftermath of destructive natural disasters. 

For our children, especially those who rely so heavily on routine and order, recovery from such events is so hard.  It is still amazing to to me how seemingly impossible it was for the families that went through it - to explain to their children that they did not have electricity to run the air-conditioner, television or computer. Or to dig through the debris while keeping an eye on their children so they wouldn't run through the gaping holes in our walls left after the trees hit. Or to make sure their children didn't escape and get tangled in an electrical line. We don't realize how quickly our blessings in life can just disappear.

Can you imagine sitting in a shelter for days with your child with autism?

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP!

1) DONATE AND SHOP!

Tuscaloosa was hardest hit by the F5 last week.  For the month of May proceeds from the UA Store and any donations made that are directly for storm victims will be donated to the Arts-N-Autism School in Tuscaloosa.  Arts-N-Autism provides aftercare during the standard school year for 55 children ages 2-19 as well as summer programming. Their entire building was shattered. Their program destroyed. Their transportation van obliterated by a tree. Several of their families lost everything they own. Many of them are still in shelters and we want to help find them temporary housing and rebuild their lives.

2) SPREAD THE WORD!

Post this on your Facebook and Twitter pages:

"I am helping families of children with autism recover from the storms that hit Tuscaloosa. Please visit http://www.unlockingautism.org/ and donate to rebuild a school that was destroyed there or buy stuff in their store during May! Proceeds benefit families directly!"

As a community, we have to care for our own families. 

Thank you for your support.

Warmly,

Nancy Cale
Vice President
Unlocking Autism

Thank you to Cynthia Parker for having this letter to the editor run in her local paper,
The Columbia (Missouri) Daily Tribune. You may comment and like on FB from the live link HERE.


The PBS series “Autism Now” was received with jubilation by vaccine-damaged families. In it, revered broadcaster Robert MacNeil’s daughter Alison recounts the story of her son Nick’s regression into autism four years ago. At 15 months of age, he received the MMR, DTaP and Hib vaccines all in the same visit and quickly developed the symptoms of autism and bowel disease. The first program shows Nick and his family, their warmth, their love and the difficulties of living with a severely impaired child.

The program depicting a tragedy for one family validates on mainstream television the experience of many thousands of families. Nick’s disease is the same as that of the children studied by Andrew Wakefield, whose measured report in the Lancet caused the witch hunt we all saw in January. Big Pharma and the medical establishment are doing everything possible to deny the obvious: The recommended vaccines have caused rates of autism to soar so that it is 20 times more common now than 20 years ago. One in every 100 children is diagnosed with autism. The consequences are devastating for the child, his family and society, which in most cases will be responsible for the millions of dollars required for the lifetime care of each individual.

Since 1991 it has been standard practice to administer the hepatitis-B vaccine at the hospital to newborns, in many cases without asking the parents’ permission. There is near zero chance a baby or child will be exposed to hepatitis B unless a family member has it, and whatever protection might be offered by the vaccine series will wear off before the child is old enough to engage in the unprotected sex or the sharing of needles in illegal drug use that are the principal means of transmission.

By Louise Kuo Habakus and Mary Holland

 The co-editors of Vaccine Epidemic are chagrined by the misinformation about the vaccine debate in mainstream media.  This Sunday’s New York Times magazine story “The Crash and Burn of an Autism Guru” achieved a new low. (New York Times Magazine Dr. Andrew Wakefield)  In chapter 25 of Vaccine Epidemic, entitled “Who is Dr. Andrew Wakefield,” Mary Holland presents a decidedly different, fully referenced account of the facts leading up to and concluding with the General Medical Council’s verdict to deprive Dr. Wakefield of his medical license.  While the chapter was written before the January 2011 British Medical Journal attacks, and thus does not discuss them, it does set the record straight on the events through 2010.

With our deepest appreciation to Skyhorse Publishing, we are proud to make this chapter available.  After reading the chapter and footnotes, you may wonder why the New York Times and others have failed to ask obvious questions and to conduct proper due diligence.  The stakes could not be higher. It is up to us to find and share the truth when the mainstream media fails us so miserably.

Vaccine Epidemic

Chapter 25 – Who is Dr. Andrew Wakefield?

By Mary Holland, JD

If you’ve heard Dr. Wakefield’s name—and you probably have—you’ve heard two tales. You’ve heard that Dr. Wakefield is a charlatan, an unethical researcher, and a huckster who was “erased” from the British medical registry and whose 1998 article on autism and gastrointestinal disease was “retracted” by a leading medical journal. You’ve also heard a very different story, that Dr. Wakefield is a brilliant and courageous scientist, a compassionate physician beloved by his patients, and a champion for families with autism and vaccine injury. What’s the truth?

Continue reading chapter 25… (Vaccine Epidemic Ch 25 on Dr. Andrew Wakefield)

Read the footnotes… (Vaccine Epidemic Ch 25 Footnotes)

Buy the book… (Vaccine Epidemic from Skyhorse Publishing at Amazon)

Review an outline of chapter 25:

• Background on the Controversy
• The Allegations Against Dr. Wakefield

-        Failure to Disclose Payment from Litigators

-        “Medical Necessity” and Ethical Clearances

-        The Lancet 12’s Referrals

-        Control Blood Samples from a Child’s Birthday Party

• The Meaning of the Wakefield Prosecution

I started AutismCollege.com to help get practical information out to parents. Earlier this month we co-sponsored a free on-line conference with over 3000 people participating on-line.

Autism College  Classroom Courses:  I will give away one of each to an Age of Autism Reader! Leave a comment to enter.

Has you child hit puberty and you feel his/her autism is getting worse? Are you wondering how to best prepare your teen for adult life through the Individualized Transition Program? Are you wondering how to teach your teen about relationships and sexuality?   Then perhaps you should attend course on Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum, starting Tuesday May 3rd,  we will be offering a four week course on ASD adolescent challenges. Please go here for more information.    Autism College Adolescents on the Spectrum

Are you  parent of child newly diagnosed with autism or Asperger’s Syndrome? Do you feel overwhelmed, not only by your child but the systems that are supposedly there to help you? Do you wonder   how you are supposed to know  which treatment, therapy, and strategies are best for your child? Are you feeling overwhelmed and wondering how you are going to manage? Do you feel like you are not going to make it through another day?    Then Empowerment Strategies for the ASD Parent is for you.  Starting Thursday May 5th we will be offering a four week course on Empowerment Strategies for the ASD Parent.  Autism College Strategies for Parents

Our sponsor SafeMinds announces their new SafeMinds Affinity Card HERE.  Each purchase will help support research for the health and well-being of our loved ones.

 

While the numbers skyrocket, kids get sicker, teens approach adulthood and adults cry out for assistance the mainstream media, skeptics, CDC, AAP,  and others continue to do this:

 

Autism is 24/7/365 and we need your help, support and work year round. We're thinking of something more like this:

 

Below are three articles by Dr. Edward Yazbak on Thimerosal and vaccinations:

Thimerosal Containing Vaccines, Part I
In the Dark
by F. Edward Yazbak MD, FAAP
Read Part I HERE

This series on thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCV) is a critical review of the subject and what is known about it at this time. (Spring 2011)

Thimerosal is not my primary area of interest. I therefore promise to be extra careful documenting the facts and even more careful commenting on them.

Because the CDC only promotes vaccines and vaccination, the write-up about Thimerosal in vaccines on the CDC web site is relatively short:
Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative used in some vaccines and other products since the 1930's. There is no convincing evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site. However, in July 1999, the Public Health Service agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and vaccine manufacturers agreed that thimerosal should be reduced or eliminated in vaccines as a precautionary measure. 

Thimerosal Containing Vaccines, Part II
 Part II: WHO

The featured article on the World Health Organization (WHO) web site on March 15, 2011 was, as expected, about the “Japanese government taking appropriate protective measures” by asking people living within 20 km of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to evacuate and those between 20 km and 30 km to stay indoors in unventilated rooms. The detailed information about the catastrophe was presented as several well written pages of questions and answers starting with the all-important: “What is the current risk of radiation-related health problems in Japan to those near the reactor at the time, and those in other parts of Japan?”

WHO was doing what it was supposed to do!