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Dachel Media Review: Autism Rings the Doorbell

Online newsBy Anne Dachel

Read Anne's comments and view the links after the jump.

Oct 31, 2013, CBS Philly: Mother's Dream To Create Life Home For Young Women With Autism Becomes Reality

Oct 30, 2013, New Jersey Jewish News: Timely help for those on autism spectrum

Oct 30, 2013, ABC6 Indianapolis: Missing boy with autism found safe

Oct 30 and 31, CBS New York and The Westchester County Journal News: Autistic teen lost and found
 

Continue reading "Dachel Media Review: Autism Rings the Doorbell" »


Science Summary: Response to Predicting the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Gene Pathway Analysis

Science post imageLetter to the Editor

Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication 22 October 2013; doi: 10.1038/mp.2013.125

Response to ‘Predicting the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder using gene pathway analysis’
Open

E B Robinson1,2,3, D Howrigan1,2,3, J Yang4,5, S Ripke1,2,3,6, V Anttila1,2,3,6, L E Duncan3,7,8,9, L Jostins10, J C Barrett10, S E Medland11, D G MacArthur1,2,3, G Breen12, M C O'Donovan13, N R Wray4,5, B Devlin14, M J Daly1,2,3,6, P M Visscher4,5, P F Sullivan15 and B M Neale1,2,3,6

    1Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
    2Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
    3Medical and Population Genetics Program, Broad Institute for Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
    4The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
    5The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
    6Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute for Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
    7Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
    8Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Massachusetts, General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
    9Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
    10Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
    11Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
    12Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Center, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK
    13MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK
    14Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
    15Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Correspondence: BM Neale, E-mail: [email protected]

In a recent paper published online in Molecular Psychiatry, Skafidas et al.1 report a classifier for identifying individuals at risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Their classifier is based on 267 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were selected from the results of a pathway analysis using cases from the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE).1 Using within-sample cross-validation, the authors claim a classification accuracy for ASDs of 85.6%. They subsequently applied their classifier to ASD cases from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) and controls from the Wellcome Trust Birth Cohort (WTBC) and report ASD classification accuracy of 71.7%.

We believe that the claims made by Skafidas et al.1 are inconsistent with current knowledge of the genetics of ASDs,2 and inconsistent with the expected precision of risk predictions for complex psychiatric disorders. Further, as classification accuracy depends on the size of the discovery sample, the results are also inconsistent with the size of the sample they employed (only 123 controls were included in the discovery set).

Continue reading "Science Summary: Response to Predicting the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Gene Pathway Analysis" »


Find Avonte Oquendo: Autism, Missing Since 10/4 Queens NY

Avonte 95


On this Halloween, there is a family in New York hoping for a treat - 14 year old Avonte Oquendo eloped from his school in Queens., NY on Friday October 4. There has been no trace of him since, despite weeks of searching and a $95,000 reward.

Wandering is a huge problem, a life threatening issue in our community.  Toddlers to teens and as the population ages, we'll hear of 20 somethings wandering.

If you want to help - this is from the Find Avonte team. The photo on this post is the flyer. Right click it to download and save. Also, there is a petition to start an AVONTE ALERT for autism in New York - view it HERE.

MISSING Flyers are a continued need at the search site! If you are willing and able to donate flyers, please mail to Jennifer Prevete, 402 Graham Ave. #147, Brooklyn, NY, 11211 or drop off at the command post at 1-50 51st Avenue, Queens.

Flyers in the English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese and Bangladesh languages are needed most. They may be downloaded and printed from the photos section above. Thank you!

Wed, October 30, 2013. Avonte Oquendo is still missing! He is 14 years old and has the mind of a young child. He is autistic and mute. He needs your help to get back home. Please get out and search. He was last seen wearing dark blue almost black jeans, black Jordan sneakers and a grey striped shirt. He is afraid of strangers and likes to hide. If you see him, do not approach him, call 911 IMMEDIATELY and follow him at a distance. Do not let him out of your sight. Thank you for your help and your vigilance in searching, it is greatly appreciated! Spread the word. Tomorrow is Halloween, there will be millions on the streets, let's Bring Avonte Home!!!!


Dachel Media Review: Lie Back and Think of England

Online newsBy Anne Dachel

Read Anne's comments and view the links after the jump.

Oct 29, 2013, WQOW Eau Claire WI: Colfax family uses art to raise awareness about autism

Oct 28, 2013 Guardian: Is it right to try to 'normalise' autism?
 
Oct 28, 2013, TIME: Forget the Saudi Driving Ban: The Five Weirdest Beliefs About Women Ever

Continue reading "Dachel Media Review: Lie Back and Think of England" »


Hopey Halloween From Kim Stagliano

Halloween 011By Kim Stagliano

Hello, AofA friends. I thought I'd share another hopeful video with you today. Bella continues to learn how to create words with her mouth. I use that phrasing because I know the words are clearly in her mind - it's her autism that prevents them from flowing freely.

You might recall from my book that Bella is my water girl (crapisode ring a bell?)  Her perseveration on water is always correlated with gut issues. When her stomach is in bad shape, she is desperate to feel water on her face.  I've learned that I'm usually at fault - having tried a new food or beverage with a suspect ingredient. Carageenan, the thickener in many non-dairy milks and almost all of the So Delicious brand that we loved, destroys Bella's gut and behavior after about 6 weeks of steady consumption.  It makes her aggressive, angry, she pinches, she growls, she will not sit in a car or bus safely.  I guess that means the refrigerator theory can be resurrected - Mom really IS to blame - ha ha.

Anyway, here's Miss Bella with a special cameo appearance by my beautiful Mia, who will be 19 in December. That Halloween costume in the photo was from when Bella was in Kindergarten - I made her Leo the Late Bloomer - a beautiful story about a little Tiger with lots of delays - and whose last sentence is, "I made it!" And so shall Bella, and all our kids.



House of Cards 200 pixelsKim Stagliano is Managing Editor of Age of Autism. Her novel,  House of Cards; A All I Can Handle 50 pixel Kat Cavicchio romantic suspense is available from Amazon in all e-formats now. Her memoir, All I Can Handle I'm No Mother Teresa is available in hardcover, paperback and e-book.

 

 


The Bullying of Autism Recovery

Fisher Price BullyBy Zack Peter

Recently the Huffington Post’s Linda Matroianni wrote about autism recovery being just a “bandwagon.” She said there is no such thing as recovery and all this bandwagon is doing is providing people with “false hope.”

I’ll say it time and time again. There is no such thing as “false” hope. Either you have hope or you don’t. There’s no faking hope. Therefore, if you have hope, there can be nothing false about it.

In terms of there being no such proof of autism recovery? I’ll be the first to raise my hand and call that bullshit. I’ll be honest, my brother isn’t fully recovered at this point in time. But that has nothing to do with whether biomed treatment works or doesn’t work. There are other influences that are unfortunately overshadowing his recovery at the moment. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still hold my hope alive.

Again, I’m not going to lie, recovering a child with autism is HARD AS HELL. It’s extremely difficult. But hey, no place worth going comes without a struggle.

Continue reading "The Bullying of Autism Recovery" »


Umpteenth Vaccines/Autism Study from Defective Database Launched Amid Maximum Publicity

Brent TaylorBy John Stone

The latest study to decry a connection between vaccines and autism was launched the week before last by the on-line journal BMJ Open, an off-shoot of British Medical Journal. The lead author of the study is none other than Brent Taylor, one of Andrew Wakefield’s principal antagonists at the Royal Free Hospital and former member of the United Kingdom’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). British Medical Journal is also conflicted by its partnerships with vaccine manufacturers Merck and GlaxoSmithKline as well as the legal suit they are currently defending against Wakefield.

While the database used - the United Kingdom’s General Practitioners’ Research Database - is beyond public scrutiny the evidence is that it contains highly inadequate data, and the study has glaring defects. For instance, the database has no systematic recording of autism cases (general practitioners do not diagnose it) and perhaps only a tenth of actual cases are included. The study examines the upward trend in autism only in relation to the introduction of MMR and ignores other increases to the vaccine schedule. The study claims that the trend in the UK in contrast to the US had levelled off by the 2001 birth cohort although it had risen by a further 60% on its own figures for 2008 with the final numbers for this late period not yet in (meanwhile the number of cases in Scottish schools – a part of the UK where cases are recorded - rose from 3919 in 2007 to 8650 in 2012, as reported in the Scottish Sunday Mail 23 December 2012). 

It is likely that data on vaccine status on the database is also inadequate as is recorded in an email of 2001 between two Centers for Disease Control Officers, Thomas Verstraeten and Bob Chen disclosed in an Freedom of Information Request. Verstaeten wrote:

I think two issues are important in assessing the potential strength of the GPRD study:

 1. Maximum exposure and 2. Unbiased controls.

 The maximum exposure is indeed relatively low if that was the only (Thimerosal) containing vaccine used. My estimate is that you need at least >50 by 3 months or >100 by 6 months to see an effect if there is one which you can barely make (50 at 2 [he means 3] mo and 75 at 4 mo in the UK).

The quality of the comparison group is maybe even more important if you consider all the criticism we have received of comparing high T ([thimerosal] exposure to no or low T exposure. I am not sure if the GPRD [General Practitioners' Research Database] is that reliable that you can be sure that low exposure is really low exposure and not underascertainment in the database.

 I hate to say this, but given these concerns, it may not be worth doing this after all. On the other hand, maybe the grant can be given to Harald in Sweden to do his follow-up of the DTaP trial kids….”

[My underlining.]

(Click photo to read clearer version.)

JS Chen 2
 

Despite which the study, of which Brent Taylor was also senior author, went ahead. This episode is recounted in my article The British Dimension - the WHO Mercury Cover-Up and the CDC.

It is remarkable given the apparent inadequacy of the database how many studies defending the reputation of vaccination in relation to autism have been based on it, and launched with maximal Jick-Hershelpublicity. Among previous authors have not only been Taylor and  Hershel Jick (co-authors here) but other vaccine programme proponents Elizabeth Miller  and Eric Fombonne (here and here). As once again demonstrated it seems as if the quality and integrity of the studies are superfluous providing they achieve the customary widespread uncritical media attention.

In their own way the GPRD autism/vaccine studies are quite as troubling as the group of studies coordinated for the CDC in Denmark by indicted financial fraudster, Poul Thorsen.

Continue reading "Umpteenth Vaccines/Autism Study from Defective Database Launched Amid Maximum Publicity" »


IACC Question 1 Planning Group (Diagnosis and Screening)

Webcast2Reminder: Upcoming Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee-Related Meetings
 
Please join us for the following upcoming IACC-related  conference calls and workshop.
 
On Tuesday, October 29, 2013 - the IACC Question 1 Planning Group (Diagnosis and Screening) will be having a conference call from 1:30p.m. – 3:30p.m. (this was rescheduled from the previous date of October 4, 2013)
 
Conference Call Access
USA/Canada Phone Number: 888-730-9135
Public Access code: 8183922 (Listen-only)
____________________________________
 
On Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - the IACC Question 3 Planning Group (Risk Factors) will be having a conference call from 2:00p.m. – 4:00p.m. (this was rescheduled from the previous date of October 8, 2013)
 
Conference Call Access
USA/Canada Phone Number: 888-790-3086
Public Access code: 4051939 (Listen-only)

Continue reading "IACC Question 1 Planning Group (Diagnosis and Screening)" »


Dachel Media Review: A Life Without Words is OK?

Online newsBy Anne Dachel

Read Anne's comments and view the links after the jump.
Oct 27, 2013, Newsmax: Issa: Obama Needs to Fire Officials Over Obamacare Failure (Face the Nation)

Oct 27, 2013, NJ.com: Trenton's parents of special needs children struggle to ensure their children are properly taken care of at school

Oct 27, 2013, UK Worthing Herald: Autism figures have doubled since 2007

Oct 26. 2013, Charleston (WV) Gazette: Scott Finn: Life without words

Oct 26, 2013, Philadelphia Inquirer: Moms With Lupus More Likely to Have Children With Autism, Study Suggests

Oct 25, 2013, SFARI: Adult focus

Oct 25, 2013, Forbes: New Test For Autism Probably Not Test For Anything

Oct 25, 2013, Philadelphia Inquirer: Family plans for autistic daughter's adult life

Oct 24, 2013, NPR Boston: Nobel Prize-Winning Autism Researcher Gives Natick Family Cause For Optimism

Continue reading "Dachel Media Review: A Life Without Words is OK?" »


Cathy Jameson on Bullying and Vaccination

Retro pink radioAge of Autism’s Cathy Jameson as Special Guest on the Know Your Rights Hour Radio Show with Dr. Mayer Eisenstein and Attorney Alan Philips

I was taken aback when I received an email from Dr. Mayer Eisenstein last Monday morning. I thought to myself, ‘Not the Dr. Eisenstein!’ I wondered before I opened the message.  Yes, the Dr. Eisenstein was emailing me.  He was offering high praise for my Vaccine Bullying article that had posted the day before.  He also was asking if I wouldn’t mind giving him 5-10 minutes later that evening to talk about the article.

Would I mind?  Not at all!  I wrote him back and said would be thrilled to speak with him. 
A few months ago I was a nervous nelly doing my first live television interview on Fox News.  Last Monday evening, in the comfort of my home, I found myself a much more relaxed special guest on Dr. Eisenstein’s live radio show.  The show, Know Your Rights Hour, is hosted by Eisenstein and Vaccine Rights Attorney Alan Philips, J.D.  It can be heard on BlogSpot Radio Monday evenings from 8-9 CST. 

I shared some of my past experiences in the doctor’s office and how I stood up to our doctors and nurses who badgered us about vaccinating.  I said that because of my being vocal about what’s happened to Ronan that parents reach out to me and want to know what they can do when their doctor bullies them.  We also discussed the tips I’d offered in my article. 

What a treat it was to speak to these two gentleman about something I am very passionate about.  I guess I had a lot to say because my 5-10 minutes of talking turned into being on air for the first half of the show!  If you missed us, you can still give us a listen.  The archives can be found on the Natural News Radio page.

Cathy Jameson is a Contributing Editor for Age of Autism.

Vaccination Sales Contest at CVS "High Budget Need To Start Strong!"

Cvs flu shot goal board 2013

If you've ever doubted that vaccinations are  profit center with goals and incentives - here's your proof. Can you imagine this chart for heart medications? Or for pain killers? Vaccines are outside of medicine - they are liability free profit makers.  And you, the potential customer, bear all the risk.   Thank you AofA reader CSK for sending this photo from a New England CVS.

Frightening.


What Autism Moms Deserve: Affordable Care Act Offers Little

Fish on bikeBy Cathy Jameson

“…[to] have the security we need…for ourselves and our families.” – First Lady M. Obama

A few Fridays ago, at the end of a week full of meetings and appointments, I spent the morning catching up on household chores I’d been neglecting.  I was able to get most of the cleaning, sorting and organizing done that I’d wanted to.  I had about 10 minutes to spare before I had to pick Ronan up from school, so I sat at the computer to catch up on emails and see what news was making the headlines.  A piece on Yahoo! Shine, featuring the First Lady and titled What Every Mother in this Country Deserves, caught my eye.  Being mom to five incredible kids, one of whom has severe medical issues, I opened the link to find out what it was that I deserved. 

Michelle Obama begins by telling a familiar tale many mothers have gone through:  taking a child to the emergency room.  She shares details of the event and the overwhelming emotion that came with the experience.  Those types of medical visits are very scary for many mothers, I know.  Ronan’s had several.  A few of his ER visits happened soon after his vaccines and later ones were complicated by autism. 

Michelle goes on in the article to say how grateful she is for immediate medical response for her daughter, something everyone hopes for.  Then, she begins her spiel.  It’s a plug for affordable healthcare.  With all that has happened to Ronan and how expensive his care has been, I paused.  Those two words, affordable healthcare, don’t usually go hand-in-hand when you have a vaccine injured child.  I was interested in what else the article had to offer though, so I kept reading. 

As I finished the article I appreciated that Michelle gave props to all moms who’ve faced similar E.R. situations.  I also like that she states that, “…Every mother in this country deserves this kind of security (i.e., affordable healthcare) for herself and for her family…”  I absolutely agree with that.   But what I don’t appreciate is that the article read like a pharmaceutical advertisement with Michelle as the “celebrity” shill.  Those types of advertisement and spokespeople tend to glorify only the good, the easy and what usually ends up being beneficial to only a select few. 
With the years of experience I have now researching all things medical, by the end of the article, I wondered, where is the fine print?  I depend on that information to help me make informed decisions. 

Knowing the fine print, and if it includes denials, out-of-network charges or out-of-pocket No soupexpenses, is what I’ve gotten accustom to dealing with.  Because I have faced unfortunate discoveries, and that our medical insurance will not fully cover a promising treatment (or Ronan’s name brand medication or the voice output device that will reduce behaviors or the on-going therapy he needs), I wanted to know what wouldn’t be covered by this too-good-to-be-true-sounding insurance Michelle was selling.  I wondered if the coverage and programs being promoting through the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA) would actually help those with an autism diagnosis.  Would the plan fit children like Ronan—the “square pegs” who baffle and befuddle the nation’s top specialist and professionals?  Would the ACA pick up the legislative efforts that Autism Speaks  has started as they attempt to secure mandated insurance coverage nationwide for those with autism? 

On paper, the Affordable Healthcare Act is offering access to insurance for all—for people, including children, with pre-existing conditions and for adult children up to the age of 26.  I know of no other insurance company that compares with offering those types of benefits.  I had to admit that the ACA sounded like a good thing, especially for autism families!  But because some controversy has followed the development of this legislation since its inception, and because of the many complaints I’ve heard in the last few weeks that much higher deductibles and premiums will be the new norm, and because, honestly, curiosity killed this Cat, I took time after I got back home with Ronan to read more.  I wanted to learn and discern as much as I could

When I returned, I popped over to the HealthCare.gov website  to look not just at what Michelle said I deserved, but at what my son Ronan requires to live each and every day. 

As all good autism moms do, I hit the search box first.  My search list included:

autism
mitochondrial disease
behavior therapy
apraxia
speech therapy
occupational therapy
GI distress
seizures

What I discovered didn’t shock me.  What I discovered saddened and frustrated me instead. 
Autism:  Similar to my first hit, I opened this preventative care for children  link followed by this page .  Listed in the pdfs are typical childhood milestones.  Milestones are good to know, but with the rise in autism rates I had hoped to see that rate posted as well as a list of autism warning signs and a list of preventative measures most mothers I talk to want to know. 

Continue reading "What Autism Moms Deserve: Affordable Care Act Offers Little" »


Weekly Wrap: Mark Blaxill on the Canary Party and Congress, Michael Specter on "Silly" Footnotes

AofA Red Logo Ayumi YamadaBy Dan Olmsted

My friend, AOA colleague and co-author Mark Blaxill was on the Linderman Unleashed radio show on the Natural News Network this week. He and Curt Linderman Sr. talked about the Canary Party, of which Mark is chairman, the congressional hearing last year and another coming next month, as well as recent controversies within our own autism advocacy community.

Mark says fighting amongst ourselves is misguided, and makes the useful distinction between standing up for oneself against untrue allegations (which he does) and infighting (which he doesn't, we don't, and nobody should). Catch the interview here -- it's the second half hour. Peace, friends.

--
Michael Specter doesn't think much of people like us -- people who believe that evidence and  experience point clearly to excessive vaccination, and vaccine-type mercury, as the cause of the autism epidemic (which, we also believe, is all too real). Specter wrote his book Denialism in 2009 to make that case, lumping us in with all other manner of supposed unscientific quackery.

Specter was at it again in a talk this month in Canada, preceded by a Q and A in the local paper. "Rejecting science a perilous path, writer argues". The piece begins:

"From an unfounded correlation between vaccines and autism to a spreading fear about genetically modified “Frankenfood,” Michael Specter is a staff writer for The New Yorker who has been documenting what he believes is a dangerous denial of scientific evidence in the world today." (I may be a dangerous know-nothing scientifically speaking, but there's no denying that sentence is not so good English speaking.)

A short flavor of the thing:

Q: What is the danger of having people deny the evidence of science?

A: People who don’t get vaccinated are getting sick. We have measles, whooping cough. These things had disappeared. For a particular parent not to vaccinate their kid is bad, but it also affects my kid, because if you go to school with my kid and you’re not vaccinated you could be infectious.

Q: How much damage is done by celebrities like Jenny McCarthy and Dr. Oz who preach their own take on science?

A: A lot of people who are seemingly intelligent or, in the case of Jenny McCarthy, popular for a reason I couldn’t explain, are looked up to. I don’t think we should live in a society where what a Kardashian says is how we decide to deliver medicine.
--

You get the idea. Evidence is everything. Kim Kardashian causes measles. Which reminded me, when I wrote about his book back in 2009, pointing out some evidentiary issues -- i.e., mangled facts, copying Paul Offit's words as his own -- I noted it lacked footnotes but that his website, michael specter.com, promised the goods: "Footnotes coming soon".


Denialism


His website still says that nigh unto four years later, which, let's face it, is not too cool for someone who keeps pounding us for alleged failure to respect the importance of evidence. So I sent him an email this week:

Continue reading "Weekly Wrap: Mark Blaxill on the Canary Party and Congress, Michael Specter on "Silly" Footnotes" »


Dachel Media Review: Mike Royko & Residential Placement, Catholic Church

Online newsBy Anne Dachel

Read Anne's comments and view the links after the jump.

Oct 24, 2013, ABC 6, Austin, MN:  Medical Edge: Flu Shots for Moms
 
Oct 24, 2013, Hartford Courant: Parents of Autistic Children: Your Child Can Learn Some Independence

Oct 24, 2013, Catholic Online: Childhood Vaccinations, The Moral Dilemma

Oct 24, 2013, Chicago Tribune: Famed columnist Mike Royko's son updates his family's struggles with autism

Continue reading "Dachel Media Review: Mike Royko & Residential Placement, Catholic Church" »


Concerns: UN Convention on Rights of Persons With Disabilities

Your_rightsBy Karol Osborne, MD

I am writing to you because I have long respected the work and writings you have done for the Age of Autism website.

I wanted to make you aware of another push coming to ratify the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).  (The last such push, in December 2012, was voted down).  Word is out that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold two hearings on the CRPD, one on October 29 and one on October 31. It appears that the supporters of the treaty will try to push it through very quickly, and likely try to send it to the floor before the end of the year.

This document is concerning on many fronts, but I believe it should be particularly concerning to any parent of a vaccine injured child, or really to  anyone concerned about the skyrocketing incidence of autism (as well as a plethora of other serious chronic diseases) in our youth, and a potential link to vaccinations.  The fundamental concern with this document is its adoption of the "best interests of the child" standard.  With this change in language, courts and government agencies (rather than parents) would be given the authority to decide what is best for children with disabilities.  This would come into play with choices about future vaccinations for autistic (and all disabled) children, decisions about medical treatments for autistic (and all disabled) children and school/educational choices.

The CRPD is just the first arm of the "1-2 punch" that is being planned.  The second arm will then be ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).  Once the language is changed to the "best interests of the child" in the CRPD, this will grease the way to ratify the UN CRC, which, of course, is grounded in the same fundamental shift in language and approach to all of the children in the U.S., not just the disabled.   Political leaders are leading with the CRPD, I believe, because they feel it stands a better chance at ratification, because parents of the disabled (busy caring for their disabled children) will not have the time to stand up against these plans.

Continue reading "Concerns: UN Convention on Rights of Persons With Disabilities" »


Autism and Vaccine Rights Groups Unified in Opposition to New York City Mayor’s Vaccine Dictates

Call nowBy John Gilmore Your_rights
 
At a public comment session held yesterday by the New York City Board of Health, autism organizations spoke in opposition to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to require children age 3 to 6 years old to get annual flu shots and a pneumococcus shot to attend preschool or daycare.
 
The autism advocacy community is sometimes criticized for failing to work together achieve common goals, but yesterday representatives and supporters of the Autism Action Network, the Canary Party, the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy, My Kids, My Choice, the National Autism Association, New York Metro Chapter, the National Vaccine Information Center, SAFEMINDS and There is Hope, along with a score more of citizens spoke in opposition to the proposal. Not a single speaker spoke in support.
 
In the waning days of this third and last term as mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg is attempting to create for the first time a New York city-only mandatory vaccine regime.  As America’s leading proponent of the “nanny state,” this is the last of Bloomberg’s many well-publicized efforts to make New Yorkers behave the way he wants them to. He required calorie counts on menus, banned various cooking oils in restaurants, and notably failed to limit the size of soft drinks. A $100 million contribution to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, resulted in the renaming of their school of public health after Bloomberg.
 
The members of the Board of Health are all appointed by the Mayor and will rubber stamp anything he proposes. The meeting to vote on the proposal will be held sometime in December, but by that time New York will have elected a new mayor and Bloomberg will have just days left in office.
 
Advocates are asking New Yorkers opposed to Bloomberg’s unprecedented imposition of the city into families healthcare decisions, to call the offices of the two candidates from the major parties running for mayor and ask them to oppose Bloomberg’s proposal.
 
Front-runner Bill Deblasio’s campaign can be reached at:  347-746-2455
 
And please call GOP candidate Joe Lhota’s campaign at:  646-678-4792
 
And please keep calling until we get a statement from both candidates.

National Autism Association Conference is Next Month in St. Pete Beach, FL

NAC cabana chairs

Are you planning to attend the National Autism Association Conference in St. Pete Beach, FL November 14 - 17? Featuring special guests Jac and Chris Laurita, the conference is just $150 for 4 packed days of learning, friendship and support.  And you can bring a friend for just $100. Childcare is available - and The Tradewinds Resort boasts a family oriented staff TRAINED TO BE AUTISM FRIENDLY. (Most schools can't say that!)

This conference feels just like a vacation - the warm sands, cold cocktails and friendly faces at every turn will recharge your batteries. NAC is a single track format, so you can attend every session - or as many as you'd like.

Register and learn more at the National Autism Conference website.

Dr. Theo Theoharides and Autism Free Brain at the Possibilities & Potential Autism Asperger's Conference

Theo

Meet Dr. Theo Theoharides and our friends from Autism Free Brain at the  2013 Regional “Possibilities and Potential” Autism/Asperger Conference, October 28-29 in Greensboro, NC.

This is a full and comprehensive conference with dynamic speakers and a variety of sessions.

It's the perfect conference for educators, parents, and professionals that work and live with individuals on the Autism Spectrum.  Learn more and register HERE.

Joseph S. Koury Convention Center
Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons
3121 High Point Road
Greensboro, North Carolina


Are You Reading the Generation Rescue Blog?

Gen Rescue HalloweenOur friends at Generation Rescue have a blog on their website. It's loaded with usable info for autism families from coast to coast.  And there's still time to enter the Halloween costume contest. Be sure to add GR to your favorites. Follow them on Twitter at @GenRescue and on Facebook

Here's an excerpted post on special needs planning - an important topic.

Q&A with Ryan Platt, Founder of A Special Needs Plan

We are proud to highlight Ryan Platt, founder of A Special Needs Plan. In this feature Ryan will discuss Special Needs Planning and will explain how planning for your child’s future does not mean that you are giving up hope or giving up on your vision of your child’s independent future. Parents are the best advocates for their children and work tirelessly to ensure they have the brightest and best possible future. Hope for our children is important to our belief system as parents.

GR:        What is Special Needs Planning and where should I as a parent focus regarding my child’s lifetime needs?

RP:        Special Needs Planning is a process to identify the financial, legal, and lifetime needs for you, your family, and your loved one with special needs. Special needs planning does not end with the identification of these needs, but includes the necessary action steps that you need to take to ensure a bright future for everyone in your family while you’re alive and well, while you’re alive but are no longer able to be your loved one’s primary caregiver because of your own health issues, and when you pass away.

Continue reading "Are You Reading the Generation Rescue Blog?" »


Dachel Media Review: Sebelius Fails Again, ME Program

Online newsBy Anne Dachel

Read Anne's comments after the jump.

Oct 23, 2013, Fox News: Ryan blasts Sebelius' silence on ObamaCare implementation inquiries
 
Oct 22, 2013, Bangor ME WABI TV5: Autism Program Only of its Kind in State
 
Oct 21, 2013, Youtube: Andy Wakefield- On the Offensive

Continue reading "Dachel Media Review: Sebelius Fails Again, ME Program" »


Dr. Levitt to Join IOM: Guaranteed to Deny Autism Vaccine Link

Pat LeavittBy Anne Dachel
 
On October 21, 2013, the Fort Mill Times in Fort Mill, South Carolina published the story, Children's Hospital Los Angeles Autism Investigator Elected to the Prestigious Institute of Medicine --Pat Levitt, PhD, noted neuroscientist elected to national advisory board
The Times said:

Internationally recognized autism expert, Pat Levitt, PhD, of The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, was recently elected as a member into the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM), part of the National Academy of Sciences. The IOM is an independent non-governmental organization that provides unbiased, expert advice to policy makers and the public. By election to the IOM, Levitt is recognized for his outstanding professional achievement and commitment to advancing the nation's health.

"This election is a great and very rare honor. It recognizes my career in research that, in some way, is viewed by my peers as impacting medicine and those who depend on scientific discovery to improve the lives of their children and families," says Levitt, who was recently named as the inaugural director of the Developmental Neurogenetics Program of the Institute for the Developing Mind within The Saban Research Institute.

The IOM works to provide peer-reviewed, evidence-based information to help inform health and science policy. Each year, the membership nominates and elects up to 70 distinguished professionals to join the Institute. Election is based on career accomplishments, as well as the willingness to remain actively involved with issues such as healthcare, disease prevention, medical education and research....

"I hope that our research on the role of genetic and environmental factors that impact brain development will contribute to a better understanding of the causes, and possible preventions, of disorders impacting children, such as autism," says Levitt. "As director of the Developmental Neurogenetics Program, I expect to help the incoming director of the IDM to recruit the very best and brightest researchers in our field to Children's Hospital Los Angeles."

Dr. Levitt has, for a number of years, talked about the gut problems experienced by many autistic children.

He's also big on the genetics surrounding autism. 

Continue reading "Dr. Levitt to Join IOM: Guaranteed to Deny Autism Vaccine Link" »


Surviving The Fall Autism Halloween Tips

Lucy-football

By Zack Peter

Surviving the Fall!

Is it fall already? I could’ve sworn I was just going broke buying last year’s Christmas gifts and here we are again. (I guess that’s what happens when your parents both like to keep busy and give you an abundance of siblings.)

With a young brother on the spectrum following a biomedical treatment plan (and living my own life gluten- and dairy-free), the holiday season can often be one of the most challenging times of the year. There’s all the food, the family members that lack respect for the GFCF diet, the relatives that don’t quite understand Ethan, all the food, the ever-changing schedules, and then there’s all the food. Not to mention all the dirty looks from family when Ethan slips some sweets and then goes nuts (when yeast and hyperactivity become his two best friends). 

I opened it up to you guys, via social media, asking for suggestions for beating the holiday Gen Rescue Halloween pandemonium. Some said to skip the family gatherings and go on vacation. That certainly sounds nice, but who has the extra money? Some of you suggested passing out handouts to family members on autism. Please. My family believes Ethan just needs a “spankin’” and you want me to give them a handout?

Reality is, going out of town for the entire holiday season is just too expensive and reasoning with the family is likely going to end with aunt Gerald punching another hole through the wall. So you always want to come prepared.


The best thing to carry with you this holiday season is a survival bag. And in that bag make sure to pack:

-    Digestive enzymes for all that food! (My favorite is Digest Spectrum by Enzymedica - covers everything!)

Continue reading "Surviving The Fall Autism Halloween Tips" »


Autism Research Institute Live Webinar Ask The Clinician with Dr. Nancy O'Hara

ARI logo FebWednesday 10/23, 2:00pm  Eastern.

Ask the Clinician - with Nancy O'Hara, MD Register HERE.

Please note: Because this is live Q&A and not a presentation in lecture format, certificates of participation will not be offered for this event.

Have questions you'd like to ask a physician? Struggling to navigate evidence-based treatment for yourself or your loved one on the autism spectrum? Here's your chance to pose questions for free in real time.

Dr. Nancy O'Hara is a board certified Pediatrician. Until January 2010, she was the Assistant Medical Director for Defeat Autism Now!® Physican Training and the Physican Mentoring Director for Defeat Autism Now!® in Europe. Prior to her medical career, Dr. O'Hara taught children with autism. She graduated with highest honors from Bryn Mawr College and as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society from the University of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine. She earned a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh. After residency, chief residency and general pediatric fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. O' Hara was in private practice for 7 years. Dr. O'Hara has worked with Dr. Sidney Baker and other practitioners in the research and care of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder for many years. Since 1999 she has dedicated her practice to the integrative and holistic care of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Lee Silsby logo 09 The treatment category is sponsored by Lee Silsby, the leader in quality compounded medications for autism.

Autism: Computer? Black Sweater. Where's the Mouse? Black Sweater.

Autism Reality

By Kim Stagliano

A recap of Sunday morning, chez Stag. Dad is golfing - his weekly respite from home and business duties. Mom is in charge. My 18 year old daughter has been on a "wear black clothing" jag for several months. She will wear colors to school, but at home wants black yoga pants and a black T shirt. Well, it's late October in Connecticut and her father and I have vowed we will NOT turn on the heat before November. It costs almost $1000 for a full tank of oil, and the tank lasts maybe 6 weeks during heating season with careful monitoring of the thermostat.  Yeah. NO. We wear warm clothes in the house. Well, four of us do.

After her shower, I pulled out a black long sleeved sweater. Nope. Nothing doing. This has happened before - of course. And I  have caved like a cheap lawn chair, letting her wear a short sleeved T.  Today is the day I stay strong. I need to help her learn to wear proper clothing for the weather. I know that. I need to keep her safe and healthy. But it's tough.

I took her computer mouse and iPod Touch away.  I explained that when she puts on the black sweater (I gave her choices of long sleeved black tops) I would give her the mouse for her computer. No go. She has been very sad. She has asked me with her VERY BEST words - making an entire sentence which means she really, really wants something: "Can. I. Have. Mouse. Please." I have girded my loins and said, "Not until you put on your black sweater." She has cried harder. 

Autism sounds like this:

Computer?

Black sweater.

Computer?

Black sweater.

Where's the mouse?

First sweater, then mouse.

Where's the mouse.

First sweater, then mouse.

Computer?

Black sweater.

Computer?

Black sweater.

Computer?

Black sweater.

Where's the mouse?

First sweater, then mouse.

Continue reading "Autism: Computer? Black Sweater. Where's the Mouse? Black Sweater." »


Contest: Stepping Stones iOS7 Personal Visual Organizer App!

Steppings StonesWe have FIVE free iPhone iOS7 download codes for the  Stepping Stones app. Leave a comment to enter. Visit Get Shiny Things to see more terrific apps!

Built for the iPhone and optimized for iOS7, Stepping Stones is a personal visual organizer for prompting daily routines and schedules.

Designed for users with developmental disabilities, this user-friendly app assists in building independence.

The simple interface allows a caregiver to create a routine, or ‘Path’, for the user to follow. The Path then works as reminder with personalized visual and audio guides to act as prompts. Users have the ability to set customized reminders for specific times and days as well as the option to set a task timer.

“Aware of the role technology plays in learning, Stepping Stones was developed from feedback received by parents and caregivers of people with Autism,” says Jane Abrams, Shiny Things Educational Researcher. “We hope to provide a valuable resource to help increase flexibility, manage anxiety, teach essential life skills and assist with sequential processing and time management.”

Stepping Stones is available in the App Store for $0.99 US and priced accordingly for other regions. View Stepping Stones in the app store at:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/stepping-stones-dailyroutines/ id673876719?ls=1&mt=8

About Shiny Things Shiny Things is a software development company based in Sydney, Australia. MiniBannerPartyStepping Stones is part of the company’s extensive portfolio of educational and
games based mobile apps.

For more information about Shiny Things and to see their full collection of digital
apps, visit www.getshinythings.com.

###

Dachel Media Review: Opting Out of Vaccines, Autism Clinic, Definition

Online newsBy Anne Dachel

Reads Anne's comments and view the links after the jump.

Oct 21, 2013, Cape Cod Times: More Cape parents opt to skip kids' vaccinations 

Oct 21, 2013, Central Michigan University: Psychology professors receive $500K, to train autism professionals

Oct 21, 2013, AutismDailyNewsCast.com: Ari Ne'eman, First Autistic Presidential Appointee, on Living with Autism, Finding a Cure, and Neurodiversity

Oct 21, 2013, DisabilityScoop.com: Disability Scoop: Majority of ASD kids on psychotropic drugs

Oct 20, 2013, Fox13 Salt Lake City: Clinic at U of U offers resources for those with autism spectrum disorders

Oct 20, 2013, Autism.about.com: Why the Definition of Autism Keeps Changing

Oct 20, 2013, ABC6 Indianapolis: New Mexico teacher's aide tapes mouth of student with autism

Oct 19, 2013, KIRO Seattle: Autism-vaccine fear confounds scientific community

Oct 19, 2013, Newsday: Expert: More hospitals may discourage supplements for kids
 

Continue reading "Dachel Media Review: Opting Out of Vaccines, Autism Clinic, Definition" »


Australian Researcher Finds Mercury Poisoning Symptoms Eerily Mirror Autism

SafeMinds banner
SafeMinds proudly announces the launch of its new documentary: From Acrodynia to Autism:
Mercury Across Generations, More Evidence of Harm. This heartbreaking story about the forgotten childhood illness, acrodynia, has lessons for us today as we face an eerily similar disorder, that of autism. As the acrodynia epidemic disappeared from the earth through scientific truth, so can the autism epidemic end in our own lifetimes.



Acrodynia, more commonly called Pink Disease, ravaged children in Europe, North America and Australia in the first half of the 20th Century. Besides developing bright pink hands and feet, common symptoms included social withdrawal, lack of eye contact; loss of language; repetitive and self-injurious behaviors; body-rocking; toe-walking; sensitivity to light, noise and touch; low muscle tone; immune disorders and respiratory problems.

Continue reading "Australian Researcher Finds Mercury Poisoning Symptoms Eerily Mirror Autism" »


Pediatrician F. Edward Yazbak on Dr. Tom Insel and Autism

Thomas inselNote: Thank you Vaccination News for allowing us to excerpt this article. 

F. Edward Yazbak MD

Many thousands of American children have developed autism. 

The Institute of Medicine’s Immunization Safety Review Committee held its ninth and probably its most important meeting on vaccination and autism on February 9, 2004. The purpose of the meeting was to review all “pro and con research” on the subject.

Relying in part on findings reported in certain Danish studies[1], the committee concluded in its May 14, 2004 report [2] that the “body of epidemiological evidence” favored rejection of a causal relationship between vaccination and autism. It also recommended “that available funding for autism research be channeled to the most promising areas.”

Since then, enormous amounts of money have been poured into “genetic” research.

***

For some time now, autism and autism research have been the responsibility of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).[3] [4]

Heading the NIMH since 2002 is Director Thomas R. Insel MD, a psychiatrist and a former Psychiatry Professor at Emory University. Excluding Dr. Robert H. Felix who served as the first Director of NIMH from 1949 to 1964, Director Insel has served longer than anyone else.

In addition to his many Institute activities and responsibilities, Dr. Insel has also been Chairman of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) since it was first convened in January 2007.

Dr. Insel regularly attends all full-day IACC meetings including the most recent on July 9, 2013. The next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday October 9, 2013 from 9:00AM to 5:30PM EST but according to a notice[5] on the website on Thursday October 3, 2013: “This meeting will take place as an in-person meeting only if the government reopens by Monday, October 7, 2013. If the government reopens on Tuesday, October 8, 2013, the meeting will be held as a phone meeting only, and public comments will be accepted in writing only and will not be shared with the committee until after the meeting due to lack of time for staff to process the comments. If the government remains closed on October 8, 2013, the meeting will be canceled and will not be rescheduled.”

As NIMH Director, Dr. Insel also regularly attends a multitude of other official hearings, meetings, conferences and activities. He has published [6] “over 250 scientific articles and four books…” including nine publications in 2012 and seven so far in 2013.

Dr. Insel also posts commentaries on mental health issues on his NIMH Blog.

Read the full article at Vaccination News.

Things to Know or Do When You’re Up Against a Vaccine Bully

Angry doctorBy  Cathy Jameson

October is National Bully Prevention Month.  It is National Vaccine Injury Month. 

Ironic, no? 

Here are some recent vaccine-related news articles posted on the web during October:

High Court Orders Two Sister Must Receive MMR Vaccine

Announcing UK Government Considering Mandatory Whooping Cough Vaccine for Newborns

Flu Shots During Pregnancy Reduce Autism Risk

Could A Vaccines for PTSD Protect Soldier?

Gates Foundation Introduces Trendy New Bracelets as Ridiculous Marketing Ploy to Push Vaccines
---
My head spins when I see headlines like those above.  But, to the average reader, they may truly not know why some of the content of those stories are absolutely ridiculous.  The reader may not be aware of the many risks of vaccinating or realize how much money goes into this industry.  This happens when mainstream news refuses to offer both sides of the vaccine story. 

I get several phone calls and emails every month from parents asking for help when they see similar headlines in the news.  I get questions like:  What can I do when my doctor isn’t listening to me?  Why is my doctor bullying me about this?  What do I say if I don’t want all those shots?  What should I bring to the appointment to prove what he’s saying about vaccines and autism is wrong?  I let parents know that the best thing that they can, and should do, is to learn as much as they can.  I tell them to be ready to speak up when it’s time and to never forget it’s their child—not the doctor’s, that they are bringing into the exam room.  I also suggest to these parents to read.  Read. Read. Read. Read. Read.  And then read some more.  Knowledge truly is power, and applying that knowledge can be very powerful. 

In the past, the places I spend the most time discussing vaccines, vaccine safety and how autism is linked to vaccines occurs in an exam room with one of my son’s medical providers as well as on blogs, message boards and in the comments of web-based articles.  In the exam room, some doctors and medical staff are adamant about “No vaccines? No service.”  Fine! I say.  I’d rather take my children to someone else who actually respects them and their health.  It may be more costly to find a different provider, but their life is absolutely worth it. 

Online discussions about vaccines can be no different.  Depending on the vaccine topic or fact being discussed, reported or distorted, I’ve run into hostile individuals who refuse to hear me out.  “You don’t like them?  Conversation OVER.”  I learned the hard way that some people aren’t worth engaging.  Fortunately, the last encounter I had with someone online who rudely represented the pro-vaccine camp hasn’t had a repeat.  Easily I could have decided to never discuss vaccines online again with how negative that interaction was.  But I decided I wouldn’t walk away completely.  I can’t because those quietly witnessing the conversation later seek me out offline.  Not wanting to chime in directly, they ask questions behind the scenes and appreciate my perspective as the parent of a vaccine-injured child and ask for advice. 

New parents on the scene, the lurkers who’ve just made the autism-vaccine link discovery, are listening intently to those conversations.  Those lurkers are sometimes on the fence about the decision they face.  Some of them want solid answers and would expect them from professionals they trust.  But how do they trust someone who’s banking off of their medical decisions:  Should I vaccinate?  I think I might. Maybe not all at once though like my friend did with her kid.  He’s been so sick after all those shots and now has autism.  Doctors say the autism has nothing to the shots, but I know it wasn’t there before the shots.  What if I don’t vaccinate? My doctor keeps badgering me like I’m doing something wrong.  I hate it.  He always says, “You know your baby best…” and then hounds me to do what he wants to do.  He says my kids have to have all these shots, SO many of them, to get into school.  I called the school and they take vaccine exemptions, so why is my doctor pressuring me so badly?

New parents have questions.  New parents want answers.  What’s a new parent, or any parent for that matter, to do as they start asking what seems like an innocent question about vaccines either in the exam room or on the internet? 

# 1 – Do stay calm.  Online trolls love vaccine drama.  Pharma shills do too.  They get off on their wordsmithing, their debating skills and how much of your time they can waste.  If it’s in the exam room that you raise a question or concern, and if it’s an ill-informed doctor or pushy nurse you’re up against, be prepared well ahead of time with what you want to ask, say or point out.  Because your knowledge directly benefits your child’s health, stay calm, know your stuff and be ready to stand your ground.  Keep in mind that some practices benefit from doling out pharmaceutical products.  The more you know about where your doctor’s loyalty lies, the stronger you can be with the decisions or statements you want to make.

Continue reading "Things to Know or Do When You’re Up Against a Vaccine Bully" »


Best of: Autism From a Flu Shot... in 1937?

Mercury-vaccine We first ran this post in November of 2010.  Fall is time for the flu shot push from coast to coast.

By Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill
 
Seventy-three years ago, Elizabeth Peabody Trevett, a pediatrician and pioneer in promoting mass vaccination for infants, gave birth to a boy named John who became the seventh child ever diagnosed with autism. She presumably vaccinated her baby, and perhaps herself while pregnant, with the same shots she administered to her own patients. One of those shots, the newly developed diphtheria toxoid, was the first to contain the ethyl mercury preservative, thimerosal.
 
Today, pediatricians and public health officials scoff at concerns that thimerosal, still used today in most flu shots recommended for all pregnant women and infants older than 6 months, could cause autism. But after researching our new book, "The Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine, and a Man-Made Epidemic," we are much less sanguine about such an outcome.
 
Our conclusion: The facts of Case 7 fit with a common familial background exposure in the first cases to newly commercialized ethyl mercury compounds in agriculture and vaccines. They suggest children, then as now, are at risk from the dangerous and indefensible practice of injecting them with mercury for the stated purpose of protecting their health.
--
 
Elizabeth Peabody Trevett graduated from Johns Hopkins Medical School and won a fellowship to Harvard where she was one of seven pediatricians who pioneered the well-baby visit – at which vaccines are routinely administered. Her son John was born in November 1937. She subsequently divorced her husband, psychiatrist Laurence Trevett, and resumed using her maiden name, Peabody.
 
A few years later, back in Maryland, she was quoted about the importance of vaccination in an Annapolis newspaper article: “Too many parents, said Dr. Peabody, have the proper shots given and then relax, forgetting that booster shots are needed and that immunization does wear off. Speaking specifically of some of the most prevalent ailments, she stated that a child cannot be vaccinated against smallpox too often and it should be done for the first time when a baby is between three months and one year of age. In the case of diphtheria, booster shots are extremely important.”
 
Diphtheria was the first mass vaccine to contain thimerosal, starting in the 1930s just as the first autism cases were identified. It would have been widely available at a teaching hospital like Harvard at the time John was born.

Following her passion for public health, Elizabeth Peabody later set up a well-baby clinic in Iraq, again emphasizing the importance of vaccinating thousands of babies, and then joined the Public Health Service in Atlanta as a regional administrator for children’s health programs.
 
 As flu season kicks into high gear this year in the United States, infants, pregnant women and nursing mothers are among the millions of Americans whom public health officials are urging with unprecedented fervor to get a flu shot. Because most flu shots contain mercury, and because the CDC has declined to express a preference for giving these groups a mercury-free version, this means millions of the most vulnerable among us are getting a significant dose of the dangerous neurotoxin – some at grocery stores and airports and retailers, some without even having to get out of their car. Tracking short-term, localized and mild adverse reactions would seem difficult, and following up on any associations with the onset of chronic or delayed outcomes like autism all but impossible.

Continue reading "Best of: Autism From a Flu Shot... in 1937?" »


For Better of For Worse

Wedding cake

Today is my 22nd wedding anniversary. I think of the young women getting married today, tomorrow, last month and wonder how many will have to face an autism diagnosis in their precious child? 1 in 5000? Heck no. 1 in 500? Old school. 1 in 250? We chuckle. 1 in 150? Out of date. I in 110? The good old days. 1 in 58 boys? Optimistically.

We need answers as to cause. We need prevention. We need treatment. We need palliative care for those who are here now. We need. We need. We need.  And we will not give up until our needs - and the needs of the women who are putting on a white gown with a heart full of hope and love today - are met.

KIM



Well-Meaning, Highly Educated, Right Woman

 

A good teacher3

By Julie Obradovic

Everyday that I walk into my classroom I follow the same routine.

I flip on the lights, do a quick overview of the cleaning that should have taken place, and make my way to my desk. Doing so is a little bit of a dance this year due to overcrowding. All of my classes have over thirty students.

At my desk I put my personal things away, take out my favorite pen from my purse, turn on the computer and log on. I hang up my coat, if I have one, take a sip of my coffee I’ve brought from home, and wait for the computer to get going.

During that time, I scan my lesson plans for the day, quickly remember if I have made all of my copies or not, and settle into my very uncomfortable, creaky, and old desk chair. In spite of a brand new building redo, my room was left with the old teacher furniture. I’m guessing it’s about 30 years old, minimum.

And sometime right about then, immediately after I see the emergency drill poster on the wall, I have the same thought.

Today could be the day. Are you prepared?

I look at the door, the only entrance and exit to my room, all the way on the other side. I remember if I have it on “lock” so that no matter when the door closes, it is locked. I sometimes get up just to check.

I then look around and remember all of our drills. Against the wall, the one a shooter hopefully couldn’t get to, all thirty-plus of us are ordered to gather. Impossible, I think with a sigh because there’s just not enough room, but we’ll do it. We have to.

The checklist rolls on. Turn out the lights. Move the furniture in front to block the entrance if there’s time. Make sure your phone is on, but silenced. Stay calm. Silence and calm the kids. Be their example. Don’t panic. And listen. Listen carefully.

Continue reading "Well-Meaning, Highly Educated, Right Woman" »


Dachel Media Review: Measles Vax & Seizure Risk, Enzymes

Online newsBy Anne Dachel

Read Anne's comments and view the links after the jump.

Oct 16, 2013, NPR Boston: NPR Boston: Is The Autism 'Epidemic' Over?

Oct 16, 2013, Medical Daily: Autism Rates Level Off In The UK, But Rise In The US; Cause Remains A Mystery

Oct 15, 2013, WAFF Madison, AL: Autism expert holds teacher workshop in Madison

Oct 15, 2013, Montreal Gazette: Rejecting science a perilous path, writer argues

Oct 15, 2013, WebWire.com: Autism News: Parents And Pediatricians Are Thrilled About How Purely Scientific Digestive Enzyme Formula Improves Behavior

Oct 15, 2013, UK Guardian: Anti-vaccination activists should not be given a say in science journalism

Oct 14, 2013, Family Practice News: Measles vaccination at 12-15 months = lower seizure risk

Continue reading "Dachel Media Review: Measles Vax & Seizure Risk, Enzymes" »


Take Action: Mayor Bloomberg Pushes Flu Shots for Kids

Action alertManaging Editor's Note: Perhaps Mayor Bloomberg would like to accept personal liability in case of adverse effects since the pharmaceutical companies and their sales forces (doctors, school nurse, public health officials, drug store medical assistants) have no liability.  Put your money where the children's arms are, Mr. Mayor. Thank you to the Autism Action Network for their tireless work.  Follow them on Facebook.

 Take Action: Bloomberg pushes forced flu shots for kids
First NYC-only forced shots, Hearing 10/23 

Take action HERE.
 
In the waning days of his last term New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is attempting to ram through a new rule in the Board of Health that would “require children under six years of age to receive an annual influenza vaccination and be immunized against pneumococcal disease.” New York City would join New Jersey and Connecticut as the only places in America where children are forced to get flu shots.  This is an unprecedented use of the Board of Health to implement an NYC-only vaccine schedule.

There will be a public hearing on October 23rd and written comments will be accepted. We encourage you to attend the hearing and send comments.

And please click on the Take Action Link to send a message to the members of the NYC Board of Health expressing your opposition to this scheme. Detailed reasons are below.

Please attend the public hearing:

Opportunity to Comment on Proposed Amendment of Article 43 (School-Based Programs for Children Ages Three Through Five) and Article 47 (Day Care Services) of the New York City Health Code, found in Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York.

Continue reading "Take Action: Mayor Bloomberg Pushes Flu Shots for Kids" »


Follow-up on Proposed Minnesota Immunization Rule Changes

Crying libertyBy Patti Carroll

Well, the verdict is in – and it’s not good. Although I doubted this judge would be the one to stand up and say NO to the medical industrial complex, I did dare to hope – just a little.

In the matter of the proposed vaccine rule changes, an administrative law judge has determined that the proposal recommending that Minnesota children receive yet more vaccines and at even earlier ages is somehow reasonable and necessary. Read the judge’s report HERE. This ruling was issued despite the fact that vaccine safety advocates showed, among other things:

•    There are more confirmed reports of people being injured or killed following receipt of the VACCINE than cases of the actual disease itself for Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B. How on earth could giving these vaccines at an even more vulnerable age be remotely “reasonable” or “necessary”?

•    Both Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B are extremely rare in Minnesota babies

•    Day care providers, for whom Hepatitis A is far more dangerous, are not required to get the Hepatitis A vaccine, which essentially puts the burden to protect adults on fragile infants who may already be over-vaccinated. Is this truly “reasonable”?

•    The 2013 Institute of Medicine report cited as “proof” of vaccine safety by rule change supporters was shown to contain blatant errors, was hardly “comprehensive” as reported, and likely contained selection bias in the few studies the IOM did choose to include in the report.

•    Rates of Meningitis, both vaccine strains and non-vaccine strains, are actually DECREASING in the age range the new vaccines are recommended for. Plus, Minnesota has had no reported cases of Meningitis in children ages 11-16 that could possibly have been prevented by a vaccine since 2007. How then could recommending this potentially dangerous vaccine for every Minnesota 7th grader be deemed “necessary”?

This was my first time participating in a vaccine rule change proceeding, and although this is an issue of paramount concern to Minnesota parents, I found the whole operation to be quite unprofessional. The Supreme Court of the United States has declared vaccines to be “unavoidably unsafe”. And there is absolutely no liability for those who require or administer vaccines when a child is harmed or killed by them. It stands to reason that any proposals requiring vulnerable children be subjected to additional doses of this potentially hazardous intervention be handled with the utmost care and caution. But what I observed during this process did not reflect that.

Background: The Minnesota Department of Health convened a team of pro-vaccine individuals, and this team worked for months to provide input for MDH’s “SONAR” document (Statement Of Need And Reasonableness). This document is a troubling read in itself, as the only alternatives to the new vaccine proposals explored by MDH were – you guessed it – other vaccines and/or a different vaccine schedule. MDH seems to have no other tools in their kit. To them, health only comes through needles.

Continue reading "Follow-up on Proposed Minnesota Immunization Rule Changes" »


Dachel Media Review: Still Debating Autism Rates, Spelling Jenny's Name Right

Online newsBy Anmne Dachel

Read Anne's comments and see the links after the jump.

Oct 15, 2013, ABC10 San Diego: Is the rate of autism really growing? Experts disagree on 'explosion' in autism rates
 
Oct 14, 2013,  UK Daily Mail: Jenny McCarthy 'set to be axed from The View and replaced by Elisabeth Hasselbeck' after making her debut just one month ago
 
Oct 13, 2013, Augusta (ME) Kennebec Journal: OUR OPINION: Kids with autism coming of age
 
Oct 12, 2013, Catholic Online: The Myths and Truths About Childhood Vaccines
 

Continue reading "Dachel Media Review: Still Debating Autism Rates, Spelling Jenny's Name Right" »


Uncertainty as High Court Judge Rules Two British Schoolgirls Should be Given MMR Vaccine

BritishBy John Stone

Last week a High Court judge in the United Kingdom, Mrs Justice Theis, ruled that two sisters aged 15 and 11 should be given MMR vaccine against their will and that of their mother, after an application by their father (now divorced). This replicates earlier ugly cases of this kind, however – as the girls’ lawyer pointed out – it is still hard to see how they can be vaccinated without their cooperation, as the law properly makes no provision for physical constraint.  She told the Mail on Sunday: “One of the interesting aspects of this case is the question of taking two healthy people and forcing them to submit to a medical procedure which they don’t want to submit to”. The decision may also go to the Court of Appeal.

The judge ruled that the girls were not competent to make a decision on their own behalf  but you wonder at the wisdom of the judge when successive Cochrane Reviews have concluded “The design and reporting of safety outcomes in MMR studies, both pre- and post-marketing, are largely inadequate”: while the rhetoric of these papers was pro the vaccine, they failed to disguise the underlying failure to ensure that the product is safe .  Likewise, the bureaucratic line that MMR does not cause autism has been contradicted by a number of decisions in the US Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) , and notably in an Italian court case last year, uncontested by the Italian government.

Presently, the US Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) lists 63,438 events for MMR and 322 deaths: the limitation of the system is that as a passive reporting system cases are unconfirmed but also likely to be under-reported by fifty or a hundred times .  Although the British state has largely rigged itself against the acknowledgment or compensation of vaccine damage the UK’s Vaccine Damage Payment Unit were forced in 2010 to acknowledge the grotesque damage to Robert Fletcher from MMR after a battle of 18 years. Most years (in contrast to the US’s VICP which has paid out $2.5b since 1989) there are no payments at all, and any payments that are made do not exceed £120k (less than $200k). In the UK vaccination takes place effectively entirely at the risk of citizen, which is another unreasonable feature of the present system given the moral pressure on citizens to comply.

In an earlier episode British medical doctor and homeopath, Jayne Donegan, was brought into the defence of two similar cases, and was subjected to rough treatment by the courts. The reviewing judge, Lord Justice Sedley, dismissed her evidence as “junk science” and she found herself before General Medical Council on a charge of serious professional misconduct. In a remarkable reversal, however, the GMC panel completely vindicated her stating:

The Panel were sure that at no stage did you allow any views that you held to overrule your duty to the court and to the litigants.

 You demonstrated to the Panel that your reports did not derive from your deeply held views and your evidence supported this.  You explained to the Panel that your approach in your report was to provide the court with an alternative view based on the material you produced in your references.  That material was largely drawn from publications that were in fact in favour of immunisation.

Continue reading "Uncertainty as High Court Judge Rules Two British Schoolgirls Should be Given MMR Vaccine" »


CHOP Says NO CHOCKS! Philadelphia Hospital Disallows Supplements.

Chocks XBy Eubie Quinoles

CHOP, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, just sent out an announcement via their blog – “Cornerstone, Where Science and Medicine Converge:”

Children’s Hospital First in Nation to Disallow Use of Dietary Supplements 

Maybe that blog should be called – Cornerstone, Where CHOP and PHARMA Want Your Dollars!
You can read the entire article but here are some choice tidbits:

“The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has announced that its Formulary – the list of medications approved for use – will no longer include most dietary supplements. The hospital said the action was being taken because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not routinely review the manufacturing of dietary supplements, and therefore cannot guarantee their safety and effectiveness……The move makes CHOP the first hospital in the United States to discourage patients from using these products without a doctor’s provision as a matter of policy.

Dietary supplements are defined as vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, amino acids, enzymes and animal extracts meant to “supplement” the diet and are not intended to replace a healthy diet or to treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure diseases. Melatonin, Echinacea, chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine, CoEnzyme Q10, milk thistle, and probiotics are some of the most commonly used supplements.”

Translate that to mean, the money made from those sales does not go to the gigantic companies Offit standingwho have a vested interest in medications to CORRECT disease.  Many if not most dietary supplements are bought to both MAINTAIN and CORRECT health.  Unlike pharmaceuticals, one does not need a doctor’s visit or prescription pad to be the decision maker of one’s health but some people are not happy with that and want to keep you, the patient, the consumer, and ultimately, your body, under their thumb. Enter Dr. Paul Offit, well known for his eternal attachment to the big pharmaceutical companies, owning a $1.5 million dollar research chair at Children's Hospital (CHOP), funded by Merck. He holds the patent on an anti-diarrhea vaccine he developed with Merck called Rotateq.  We can add on too, that he is also “Chair of the hospital’s Therapeutic Standards Committee."  Interestingly, Pfizer maker of vaccines and medications has just partnered with CHOP  – “This partnership will bring together the leading science at The  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with Pfizer’s global capabilities,” said Jose Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos, Ph.D., senior vice president, Head of Biotherapeutics R&D at Pfizer. “Together, we increase the potential to bring novel medicines to patients.”  

Continue reading "CHOP Says NO CHOCKS! Philadelphia Hospital Disallows Supplements." »


Winners: Enhansa Taste-Free Curcumin Supplement from Lee Silsby

Enhansa_tf_header_image1
Three winners of either the powder or capsule form of Enhansa Curcumin supplement from Lee Silsby are Lauren Harris, Joe P and Dave Kornbleth.  I'm sending you each an email so you can contact LS for your shipment. CONGRATS!

The same original Enhansa in a water-dispersible powder form that is nearly taste-free.

Enhansa Taste-Free also has less scent, is less staining and easier to mix than the original formula.

Continue reading "Winners: Enhansa Taste-Free Curcumin Supplement from Lee Silsby" »


15 More Things You Need to Know About Vaccines

MaskedMarch15By Cathy Jameson

Fox News online posted a lengthy article on October 9th called 15 things you need to know about vaccines.  While the article could have been very informative, it had several flaws.  As the parent of a vaccine injured child, I not only have additional information, but also a different perspective on the subject and thoughts about who Fox News chose to answer their questions. 

Here are 15 more things I think you need to know about vaccines.

1.
Fox News’ Question: How Do Vaccines Work?

My Question: Where Would One Find Empirical and Unbiased Information About Vaccines?

From the Fox News article: 

“Vaccines (create special proteins) without making you ill.  Vaccines induce the protective immunity that is a consequence of natural infection, without having to pay the price of [becoming sick with] a natural infection," said Paul Offit, chief of the division of infectious diseases and the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Getting a vaccine is "like having a protective bubble that keeps viruses and bacteria from attacking your body," Offit said.

I have parents asking me questions about vaccines, vaccine safety, vaccine efficacy and the vaccine-autism link all the time.  Parents want to more information.  Parents of vaccine injured kids know many of the answers.  We want other parents to be as educated about vaccines and their child’s health so they can avoid an unnecessary vaccine injury. 

People usually come to me after they’ve sought advice from their medical provider.  While it’s a good start to ask their doctor for input, I let people know that they can continue to research on their own.  I like to get my vaccine information from journals and articles and from several sources.  I’ve learned a great deal from the National Vaccine Information Center and from the SafeMinds Coalition among other groups dedicated to educating people on vaccines and vaccine safety. 

Continue reading "15 More Things You Need to Know About Vaccines" »


Avonte Oquendo, 14, Preverbal Autism, Missing From Queens NY

Avonte

We've been following and updating the Avonte Oquendo story on our FB and Twitter feeds. In case you have not heard, Avonte eloped from his school in Queens, New York and has not been seen since  the 4th.. His family is moving heaven and earth to find him. Officials have stopped train work - Avonte loves trains and there is the hope he is alive somewhere in the subway or commuter train system.  

Please send out good thoughts, prayers if you are so inclined, and alert anyone you know in New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut that Avonte may have boarded a train and been transported away from his family. 

Facebook Page Missing Avonte Oquendo

From ABC New York:

LONG ISLAND CITY (WABC) -- The desperate search for Avonte Oquendo continues, as the reward was increased to $70,000 for information leading to his safe return.


On Thursday, the Manhattan Children's Center, a not-for-profit private autism school, had matched the $5,000 put up Wednesday by the law firm Mayerson & Associates. Then on Friday, Autism Speaks and an anonymous donor upped that reward to $70,000.

As the search entered its eighth day Saturday, there are few clues to his possible whereabouts. Friday evening, the police and volunteers spent the evening searching the subway system.

A red tent has now been set up in front of the Center Boulevard School, where Oquendo disappeared from last Friday, to make the search more of a 24-hour operation. Volunteers, including at least one family member, are staffing it around the clock.

Continue reading "Avonte Oquendo, 14, Preverbal Autism, Missing From Queens NY" »


Weekly Wrap: Columbia Journalism School Single Subject News Network


AofA Red Logo Ayumi YamadaBy Dan Olmsted

UPDATE: Well, that was quick. Shortly after this article was posted, Columbia Journalism School withdrew their invitation, saying that after further review, "Age of Autism does take a clear position on the link between vaccines and the incidence of Autism, also engaging in advocacy on that position. Therefore we must disqualify the site from our study." The same person said, when inviting us in August: "I'm also a huge fan of The Age of Autism, how you've built and sustained an enriching and focused platform. It's a huge pleasure to invite you to join a community at Columbia University's Tow Center for Digital Journalism. ... What you're doing is part of a wave in the journalism world that the Tow Center wants to bring together and highlight as a trend." We warned them to expect to hear from critics but were told, "Thank you Dan for the head's up but we are happy to have you!" Que sera, sera.

 Age of Autism is honored to announce we have been chosen as part of Columbia Journalism School's inaugural Single Subject News Network. An initiative of Columbia's Tow Center for Digital Journalism, the network "connects news websites that focus on one subject on an in-depth level, filling the gaps in mainstream media and innovating models for journalism." 

On the weekend of November 9, the Tow Center "will host a series of panels amongst students, industry, and an elite class of 20 single subject news publishers selected by the program." I'll be on a panel discussing how to create community around a niche topic.

We really are in elite company with these other 19 online journalism sites, and as the network rolls out the names, and talks more about the increasing role that online, in-depth, independent journalism is playing in the evolving media universe, we'll keep you posted. This is a strong acknowledgement of the work all of us in the AOA community have done going on six years next month -- Kim and Mark, our tireless Contributing Editors, our valued commenters and faithful readers, sponsors and advertisers.

Meanwhile please do me a personal favor -- go to Facebook and Like the Single Subject News Network.
--

This week I was watching Morning Joe when they had a segment on a new Frontline episode and book on the NFL's concussion crisis,  called League of Denial. It's fascinating and instructive to watch an issue reach critical mass and break through the media barriers that keep big institutions from being held to account. The NFL is having its moment of karma right now, with the widespread recognition that it has failed to tackle the problem and in fact done a massive end-run around it for a long time, even as the damage piled up like players falling on a goal-line fumble.

I grabbed my composition book and took some notes of comments from the two authors: "a trajectory of denial over a period of two decades" ... A pattern of "attacking the scientists" whose honest research raised warning flags ... A legal settlement admitting no culpability ... But change is coming from the bottom up: "suburban mothers aren't letting their kids play as much as they used to," and that will affect the NFL down the road ... Change is "around kids' mothers making these decisions ... If ten percent of mothers decide it's too dangerous, that's the end of football as we know it."

This all seems more than vaguely familiar, doesn't it, dear readers of Age of Autism?

Continue reading "Weekly Wrap: Columbia Journalism School Single Subject News Network" »


For Payam: IACC Comments Make Tom Insel Squirm

Thomas inselBy Katie Wright
               
IACC 9/13

18 years ago Albert Enayati’s son, Payam was a happy, healthy well-adjusted toddler learning English as well as his parents’ native Farsi. Payam had reached or exceeded all age appropriate toddler milestones. However, after a series of childhood vaccines, most of which contained an excessive amount of mercury, Payam rapidly regressed into severe autism. Payam lost all his language and all his skills. As a result Albert became a pioneering autism advocate, involved in the inception of both SAFEMINDS and Cure Autism Now.

I want to draw attention to hour 4:05 on the IACC video cast Albert Enayati shows at IACC. Please view it. It is an incredibly compelling video of Payam today. Payam is yelling and hits this head with a closed fist so continually and ferociously that he has bald spots on his scalp. The family had to split up into 2 houses because of Payam’s unpredictable violence. Yes, Payam received early intervention ABA and speech but to no avail, behavioral interventions do not reverse mercury poisoning.

In 2011 the National Vaccine Advisory Committee recommended that the NIH study adjuvants and the vaccine schedule as they are administered. The IACC committee then voted to put vaccine research into the NIH autism research Strategic Plan. This proposed study would have amount to less than .01% of autism research monies. However, at the following IACC meeting, with no discussion or debate, Dr. Insel suddenly and unilaterally vetoed the committee vote. Albert asked Dr. Insel why he has blocked this research. It is a perfectly reasonable question.

Insel lost his typically cool persona and became visibly agitated as he claimed to have no power to decide what kind of autism research gets funded. Sorry Dr. Insel you cannot have it both ways, you unilaterally overturned a full and fair IACC committee vote, YET you no have no power to make research commendations? Good luck selling that argument.

Dr. Insel is easily the MOST powerful person regarding autism research at the NIH. He has chaired the Inter Agency Autism Coordinating Committee for over decade. I do not think that his boss NIH Director Francis Collins has sat through even 1 meeting IACC. Dr. Collins told us himself at an autism community meeting that he relies on Dr. Insel that they speak often about IACC and autism. So I think Dr. Insel is able to make p-l-e-n-t-y of recommendations.

Albert was asking why Dr. Insel overturned the committee’s recommendations yet Insel totally refused to answer the question. Just because one is an unelected bureaucrat does not mean one is unaccountable to the public. It was a reasonable question that Insel should be compelled to answer.
Instead of answering Albert’s question Insel starting scolding Albert as if he were the bad guy in all of this. The absence of empathy I have witnessed time and time again towards parents like Albert and children like Payam never fails to astonish me. How could a doctor not be moved to action, moved to help, moved to DO something to help severely affected people with autism after seeing the devastating video of Payam? How is that none of the federal representatives, people who have power to help the Payams in the world, did nothing, said nothing to Albert? How is it that no one even asked a question about Payam?

Continue reading "For Payam: IACC Comments Make Tom Insel Squirm" »