Reprinted with permission from the author, Tony Lyons.  The article ran this week as a guest editorial on Dr. Robert Malone's Substack.

###

Guest Editorial

The New York Times, a bastion of censorship and corruption, warns the world that “America Has a Free Speech Problem.”

By Tony Lyons, President, Skyhorse Publishing

In a bold but clearly disingenuous statement from its famed Editorial Board, “a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate, and certain longstanding values,” the New York Times issued a cautionary statement:

    “For all the tolerance and enlightenment that modern society claims, Americans are losing hold of a fundamental right as citizens of a free country: the right to speak their minds and voice their opinions in public without fear of being shamed or shunned.”

The Editorial Board pounded the point home:

    “People should be able to put forward viewpoints, ask questions and make mistakes, and take unpopular but good-faith positions on issues that society is still working through—all without fearing cancellation…Freedom of speech requires not just a commitment to openness and tolerance in the abstract. It demands conscientiousness…We believe it isn’t enough for Americans to just believe in the rights of others to speak freely; they should also find ways to actively support and protect those rights.”

Of course, the New York Times should be teaching by example. In fact, it has not supported free speech, protected the First Amendment, or allowed honest debate. It has not allowed competing perspectives about the most important issues of the day. It has been a mouthpiece for greedy corporations and corrupt government officials.

In support of their interests, and at the expense of those of American citizens, it censored The Real Anthony Fauci by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in every conceivable way. It ranked the book #7 on its non-fiction bestseller list even though Kennedy’s book outsold any other book in America that week by thousands of copies. Then it refused to allow Skyhorse Publishing to place an advertisement for the book because it’s censorship division, ironically called “Standards Management,” decided that the book itself constituted misinformation, despite their stated policy that “Standards” only looks into whether an ad itself is “non-defamatory and accurate.”

The New York Times followed up with a scathing hit piece targeting Kennedy as “a leading voice in the campaign to discredit coronavirus vaccines and other measures being advanced by the Biden White House to battle a pandemic that was…killing close to 1,900 people a day.” It accused him of circulating “false information,” without indicating what that information is or explaining why it’s false, and of comparing the government pandemic response to the Holocaust, even though he clearly didn’t do that.

Thanks to Laura Hayes for sharing this video featuring Leslie Manookian speaking at the Weston Price Foundation Wise Traditions 2021 event about the state of politics, vaccine passports, medicine, digital id coordination, social credit score and much more.  There's a Q&A at the end.  Leslie is Founder and President of the Health Freedom Defense fund.

In 2014, Leslie produced a movie called The Greater Good: THE GREATER GOOD is an award winning character-driven documentary that explores the cultural intersections where parenting meets modern medicine and individual rights collide with politics. The film offers parents, doctors and policy makers a safe space to speak openly, actively listen and learn from one another. Mixing verité footage, intimate interviews, 1950s-era government-produced movies and up-to-date TV news reporting, THE GREATER GOOD weaves together the stories of families whose lives have been forever changed by vaccination.

2014 is a lifetime ago for autism. Since then, there is no longer any sense of urgency or worry for the future of the thousands of young adults with severe autism who are or have have aged out of school, or their families. The focus is on acceptance and awareness of the special gifts, the difference. Can you imagine that? Spend a day in the home of many of our readers, and tell me that autism is a difference. We're about to hit April - and the nonsense will be blooming along with the daffodils.

Monday morning science, in the hope of preventing a family from Monday morning quarterbacking a decision.

Although symptoms were transient and most patients appeared to respond to treatment (soley with NSAIDS), we demonstrated persistence of abnormal findings on CMR at follow up in most patients, albeit with improvement in extent of LGE.

The presence of LGE is an indicator of cardiac injury and fibrosis and has been strongly associated with worse prognosis in patients with classical acute myocarditis.

###

Persistent Cardiac MRI Findings in a Cohort of Adolescents with post COVID-19 mRNA vaccine myopericarditis

Jenna Schauer, MD
Sujatha Buddhe, MD, MS
Avanti Gulhane, MD, DNB, FSCMR
Sathish Mallenahalli Chikkabyrappa, MD
Yuk Law, MD
Michael A. Portman, MD
Show all authors

Published:March 25, 2022DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2022.03.032

Read the PDF here.

By Cathy Jameson

“Mrs. Jameson,” a young girl said to me when I approached where she was playing, “When I do this (presses her shoulder), it hurts,” she shared.

“Well, don’t do that, silly goose,” I replied. 

A few minutes later, a sinking feeling fell over me.  It wasn’t just that her shoulder hurt; it was where she pressed on her shoulder that made me sigh a deep, heavy sigh.  I didn’t know this little one too well, so I didn’t ask her why it hurt when she first mentioned it.  I did have that opportunity later, though, to get the rest of the story.

“Oh, it’s because I got my flu shot yesterday,” she said.

Flu shot?  Now?  Why??  I wanted to ask.  Since it’s none of my business, and because she was such a young child, I kept those questions to myself.  I know the flu virus doesn’t care what time of year it is, but I thought it was rather late in the “flu season” to get the shot.  What changed?  She was not the only young person I’d recently learned had gotten it, so I tried to recall what I’d heard recently in flu shot news.

I gave up listening to the radio for Lent, so I’ve missed quite a bit of on-air news these last few weeks.  I’m in the car a lot, which always provides ample opportunities for me to tune into all sorts of news and music channels.  I remembered that right before I turned off the radio for 40 days, I started to hear chatter about the flu shot.  “It’s not too late to talk to your doctor about getting the flu vaccine,” one of the talk radio hosts had pushed.  I tend to turn the channel when the talking heads start talking about that stuff, so maybe I missed the latest flu shot roll out.  Maybe I missed that the pharmaceutical companies were throwing ad dollars to the media hoping to play catch up with lost flu shot revenue.  After all, covid had taken center stage and pushed the flu right off its pedestal.  The flu all but disappeared last year.  With the massive drop in cases being reported last year, maybe the need to promote flu shots also disappeared. 

NEW YORK (AP) — February is usually the peak of flu season, with doctors’ offices and hospitals packed with suffering patients. But not this year.  Flu has virtually disappeared from the U.S., with reports coming in at far lower levels than anything seen in decades.

Gone.  Completely.  Just like that!  Too bad it didn’t last.  It was nice to get a break from the constant advertising that happens each flu shot season.   I didn’t miss those one-sided ads at all, but I did miss the reporting of how effective the powers that be claimed those shots were earlier this year.  They’d be pretty effective!  You’d be like a superhero if you got one, too.   

As if orchestrated, the flu - and that money-making flu shot, came right back this year.  Apparently, TV personalities and TV doctors joined in to do pharma’s bidding early on. It didn’t happen in this segment, but that TV doctor encouraged getting a covid and a flu shot at the same time.  I’m not sure why he’d promote that when unbiased, long-term studies on combining those two liability-free products haven’t even had a chance to be done yet.  I guess that’s part of the tactic of cheerily rolling out the vaccines hoping the public will roll up those sleeves of theirs.  That aligns with the CDC’s claim that they work “…each year to increase the number of people who receive a flu vaccine and eliminate barriers to vaccination.”  Like previous years, though, the vaccine effectiveness (VE) is questionable. 

Today's post features 3 videos that feature Robert Kennedy Jr's author of the best seller that has never seen the day of light in mainstream channels -  The Real Anthony Fauci. The videos are on Rumble - because, as you know, youTube and other media have been brutal in their crack down. The videos are on a program by Steve Bannon. Because, as you know, zero point zero mainstream media would touch this book. If that bothers you, we understand, and hope you'll still dig in to the information. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Covid has taken a back seat in the Trabant. We can't relax and assume the loss of medical choice and all that followed is over and done. It's not. This book is of paramount importance, because the information affects every single American and well, Earthling. You can purchase the book at Amazon or at your favorite book seller. The Kindle Edition is just $2.99 and the Kindle app is free to read on a Smart phone or tablet.


###

###

by Ginger Taylor

Cade Larson has cancer.

Jennifer Larson of The Holland Center, The Canary Party, and Health Choice has shared that her beloved son Cade has advanced cancer. Cade is 21, he has autism with a severe communication impairment, and has only recently had his world and his relationships open more broadly through the Spell to Communicate method, starting college classes last fall.

It has been a shock to learn that he has testicular non pure seminoma cancer that has advanced into his lungs and kidneys.

Yesterday Cade began recovering from surgery, and will begin chemo and alternative therapies today. Jennifer will be completely focused on him until until he is healed.

For more than a decade Jen has done selfless, intense, and impactful work on behalf of both our affected loved ones, and the entire medical freedom movement. Everything from providing individual treatment to children, to bringing members of Congress into our fold. Most of the work she does is out of the spotlight, and I can attest to the fact that everyone impacted by autism, vaccine injury, and vaccine mandates owe her more thank yous than they will ever know. We can pay her back now with loving, positive, and encouraging support by giving her the two things she has asked for:

Does anyone remember why Age of Autism was launched 15 years ago? Hint, it's in the title of Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill's book The Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine and a Manmade Epidemic.  Safeminds posted relevant research this week:

Mouse Model Study Shows Increased Production of Proinflammatory Cytokines after Exposure

New research from Saudi Arabia has investigated the effects of methylmercury chloride (MeHgCl) exposure on BTBR mice. BTBR mice are an inbred mouse strain that exhibit core symptoms of autism-like behaviors. The authors of this new study hypothesized that MeHgCl exposure could be associated with further neurobehavioral and immune dysfunctions in BTBR mice due to their genetic susceptibility of behavioral and immune system abnormalities. To prove their hypothesis, the researchers split the BTBR mice into two groups. The first group served as the exposure group and was administered MeHgCl daily through a saline solution for 28 days. The second group served as the control arm and was given a solution composed of saline only for the same period of time. At the end of the experiment, the researchers observed that the exposed mice had increased stereotypical behaviors (marble burying, self-grooming), imparied social behaviors, as well as locomotor problems. Additionally, the team also found that the exposed rodents had increased the production of CD4+IFN-γ+, CD4+T-bet+, CCR9+T-bet+, CXCR5+IL-9+, CD4+IL-9+, CXCR6+IL-17A+, and CD4+IL-17A+ in the cells of their spleens, which demonstrates immune system imbalances. Furthermore, MeHgCl exposed mice had increased mRNA and protein levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in their brains and blood serum. The control group mice did not exhibit any of these symptoms or outcomes. The study’s authors believe their findings suggest that MeHgCl exposure further causes neurobehavioral and immune dysfunction in a susceptible host such as the BTBR mice strain. Ultimately, the team feels their results could be used to design better therapies to counteract autism-associated social deficit and immune system dysfunction during MeHgCl exposure.

Note: The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health is currently ranked #11 on Amazon. 11 is amazing. 1 is better. We encourage readers to buy a copy - the Kindle version is just $2.99 right now!

###

By Lou Conte

Tony Lyons, the President, and Publisher at Skyhorse Publishing recently crafted an article for the Children’s Health Defense Defender Newsletter in which he detailed the New York Times refusal to run advertising for The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

We Tried to Run an Ad for ‘The Real Anthony Fauci’ in The New York Times. Here’s What Happened.

In refusing to run the advertisement, the New York Times responded, “The Times retains the right to decline an advertisement offered to us. This ad goes against our guidelines and as we cannot accept an ad that is misleading, false, or deceptive.”

The Times took issue with a blurb from Noble laureate, Dr. Luc Montagnier - “Tragically for humanity, there were many, many untruths emanating from Fauci and his minions. RFK junior exposes the decades of lies.”

Tony Lyons detailed the Times’ role in the campaign of suppression and censorship of The Real Anthony Fauci. Despite the campaign, the book which exposed the corrupt world around Fauci, became a nation-wide best seller.

Even in the face of establishment media censorship, the truth got out.  

Many who visit the Age of Autism are keenly aware of the on-going censorship and suppression of those who criticize public health officials like Anthony Fauci or who criticize vaccines. The New York Times has been front and center in silencing those who question. For years, the Times has quashed the words of anyone who challenges the public health mantra that “Vaccines are safe and effective.” The Times has labeled those who question vaccines as “anti-science” and “conspiracy theorists.”

Silencing the words of and suppressing writing of a community of people who have the courage to challenge the Vaccinology hegemony pours salt on the wounds of those who have vaccine injured loved ones. It is shocking that a newspaper that was once a bastion of the Free Press now sees fit to engage in the raw censorship of the powerful writing and journalism that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered to the world in the Real Anthony Fauci.

The good news is that many other Americans are now also questioning Big Pharma’s Vaccinology belief system for the simple reason that millions took the COVID vaccines and got sick with COVID. Americans have realized that these vaccines, described as being “96% effective”, simply did not work.

Mandating an ineffective vaccine on millions of people will lead to one nasty public relations problem for the public health establishment and the propaganda apparatchiks who work for them in organizations like the New York Times.

Regarding censorship, Judy Blume once said, “It’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship.”

By Anne Dachel

I sincerely hope that people in the U.K. are not going to spend April telling us that we should celebrate and accept autism. From the stories I’m increasingly finding, autism is overwhelming county councils and schools there, and officials can’t keep up with the demand.

Here are just some of the reports on Loss of Brain Trust from the past week:

One opinion piece blamed parents for the special education crisis in Britain. It focused on the struggles parents have getting services, and it cited AUTISM as a big part of the problem.

As readers of my previous columns will be aware, the government has belatedly recognised that the current system is beset with problems. It is adversarial and confrontational and regularly leaves parents facing debilitating David and Goliath battles with their local councils over Education Health & Care Plans (EHCPs) for their children.

These matter. They outline a child or teenager’s educational, health, and social care needs, and set out what is required to meet them up to the age of 25. And they are legally binding – particularly important when some British institutions look for any excuses not to do their jobs.

The number of appeals against local authority decisions with respect to these are rising.

Moreover, parents are winning at an astonishing rate: more than 95 per cent per Ministry of Justice statistics….

You might think that an “independent” report would recognise what is glaringly obvious: losing at that rate demonstrates there is clearly something going badly wrong with local authorities’ decision making.

You might also think that an “independent” report would further recognise that one condition – autism – accounts for close to half of them, and would underline that. You would be wrong.

Here’s what the British government has failed to address:

Sounds  like a melodrama from the 50s, yes? No. The New York Times,  nicknamed The Old Gray Lady, turned down a full page ad for Skyhorse Publishing's book The Real Anthony Fauci by Robert Kennedy, Jr. Below is a link to the story straight from the publisher Tony Lyons.

We Tried to Run an Ad for ‘The Real Anthony Fauci’ in The New York Times. Here’s What Happened. Skyhorse Publishing tried to place a full-page ad in The New York Times for ‘The Real Anthony Fauci,’ Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s bestseller. The ad salesman was thrilled — until he understood what the book was about.

The NYT would not run an ad for a book, here in the United States of America. Let that sink in for a moment. We're sunk. Or are we? We can fight Goliath. And the Gray Lady. We can fight for our freedoms. Here's a quick way to help.

MAKE AND SHARE MEMES DIRECTLY FROM THE BOOK! Amazon creates a nice little ad with just a few taps.  Send me your Meme at AutismAges@gmail.com and I'll share them too.  You can use the memes as your social media cover page and profile picture to avoid being censored, at least for a while. Just keep changing them back and forth. They'll end up on your wall and people will see them. They're public.  We need to keep the pressure up - Fauci is not going to let up on us, pharma is a greedy SOB that must be fed and fed and fed. We are in the eye of the storm. Hang on to your hat and make memes.

Highlight and Create a Meme!

1) Download the free Amazon Kindle App
2) Purchase The Real Anthony Fauci Kindle version for just $2.99
3) Highlight a passage
4) Create a meme from the passage (see photo instructions)
5) Share the meme! 

Choose Your Meme format

Share & Save Instantly1

By Cathy Jameson

Waving her off, I faked a smile and then quickly turned my head.  Capturing the curiosity of a stranger, my heart sank.  I'd just encouraged my typical children to go ahead of us into the chapel.  Wishing I'd asked one of them to stay with me, Ronan and I were now in a standoff in a parking lot.  It's not the first time he'd been there.  But he was making every indication that he did not want to go again. 

I whispered to Ronan, “Dude, it's just a few more steps.  You can do it, I know you can.”   

Turning my head back toward the lady who'd come to a complete stop in her car behind us, I politely waved her off.  She was still trying to decide if I needed help or not, so I faked another big smile hoping she’d take it that we were okay.  At the same time, Ronan took one tiny, willing step forward.  Seeing him take that step must have reassured her because she zoomed away.  I wish Ronan would've zoomed into the church where his younger sisters were waiting for us.  But that one step was all he ended up taking. 

Frustrated, I said, “Can you please go?”

Before Ronan could make any sort of response, good or otherwise, an usher left the narthex and walked toward us.  Both doors that lead into the back of the church were wide open.  He had a front row seat to the struggle I was praying would end.  “Hey, can I help with anything?” he very politely asked.  Normally, my other son helps walk Ronan in, but he'd gone to an earlier Mass.  They effortlessly walk in together.  They always make it to the pew.  If Ronan shows any sort of hesitation, it’s brief because Willem turns up the encouragement which always results in a happy ending. 

I was not the fun sibling though.

In that parking lot, I was the mean ol' mom who only made demands, demands that Ronan had no interest in.  If that wasn’t bad enough, I now had a growing audience.  I sheepishly smiled at the usher and said, “Well, he doesn't seem to want to go to church today."  Nodding, he asked, "What can I do?"  As much as I wanted to do this alone, I said, “This is Ronan, and if you could take his hand, maybe we can walk him in together."  Without hesitation, the usher did exactly that.  We were just a few steps from the doorway when the woman who'd seen us in the parking lot came walking quickly toward us.   

"Is he okay?  Are you okay??"  

I was startled by her questions.  I was okay, and my kid was just being stubborn, I wanted to share.  I didn't say that, of course.  The last thing I wanted to do was make it sound like Ronan was being obstinate.  If he was typically developing, I would call his refusal to go in the building an obstinate behavior.  But the developmental delays, the communication struggles, and the sensory overload is not obstinate at all. 

It’s part of what he has to handle. 

As we careen toward April and the nonsense of "awareness" month, I wanted to share a tidbit from deep inside the life of those all too well aware. Us. See this Thermos brand straw cup? See that black "yuck" on a Q-Tip? That's the moldy, mildewy grossness that forms inside the straw attachment. I only fill that cup with water. Good old H2O. And yet, it get disgusting. Fast. Simple question number 54,567,579:

WHO WILL CLEAN HER CUP PROPERLY WHEN I AM GONE?

That's it. That's today's autism reality moment.

https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/435709-investigating-europe-s-life-saving-lockdown-policies

Fauci said he is encouraged that BA.2 does not appear to cause more severe disease, but warned if the U.S. experiences another COVID wave, Americans must be willing to readopt mitigation measures -- and other experts agree. ABC News March 17, 2022 COVID cases predicted to rise in coming weeks because of new BA.2 variant BA.2 makes up 23% of new COVID cases, up from 7% two weeks ago.

###

The war in Ukraine has overshadowed most else in the media. But yesterday, Dr. Fauci spoke out on the BA.2 variant of Covid and said "we" should be ready and willing to go back into the [dark, scared, distrustful] "mitigation" measures of the lockdown. One of my daughters' therapists works in Birth to Three services. She is overwhelmed with referrals of children who have fallen way behind in their development - even by the looser 2022 standards of pediatric milestones. A friend's child was uncertain about whether or not he wanted to take off his  mask in school - it just felt safer to be hidden behind a mask. I've read of girls feeling "too ugly" to remove their masks with confidence. Businesses are barely getting back on their feet. And now inflation and energy prices are pummeling all of us again. And Dr. Fauci says we must be willing to go back to all of that - for.... what?

I want to remind readers that Robert Kennedy's Book The Real Anthony Fauci continues to be  important. It has more than 14,000 reviews on Amazon - and 90% are 5 star.  But let's face it, it's a DENSE book, jammed with information and not casual reading for most of us. Still, we owe it to our children, our family members, our colleagues and friends to READ IT and then pass it along to someone else.  Fortunately, Dr. William Gaunt wrote a 4 part review that breaks down some of the highlights. Here are his summary points, the full review follows.

Review of Part 1

• Regulatory agencies have been captured by the pharmaceutical industry they are supposed to regulate. The result is a relationship that greatly benefits Big Pharma and harms the public.
• Safe, effective, and inexpensive medicines for early treatment of COVID-19 were and still are aggressively suppressed and made unavailable in the U.S. while several other countries are saving many lives using these same medicines. Why? Because these medicines (HCQ and IVM) would compete with COVID-19 vaccines and favored COVID medicines that generate big profits.
• The deadly, expensive, and ineffective drug Remdesivir has been promoted as the favored COVID-19 treatment in hospitals.
• VAERS is intentionally ineffective at identifying vaccine injuries and deaths. Efforts to improve VAERS have been blocked.
• Fauci has been deeply involved in all of the above. It makes sense when we realize that his first priority is to do whatever is best for Big Pharma. More on this topic in Part 2.

Review of Part 2

• Fauci’s NIAID ignores chronic allergic and autoimmune diseases which have greatly increased on his watch. (Vaccine ingredients cause many of these allergic and autoimmune diseases.)
• Fauci’s main focus is developing and promoting very profitable drugs. He is Big Pharma’s BFF.
• Incontrovertible evidence shows that vaccines were not responsible for the huge drop in mortality from infectious diseases.
• Improvements in nutrition and sanitation caused infectious disease mortality rates to fall to near zero BEFORE most vaccines were introduced.
• AZT is horrendously toxic, very expensive, and ineffective against AIDS.
• Studies of inexpensive and highly effective medicines for AIDS and COVID-19 have been designed to fail. The results of these fraudulent studies are then used as justification for suppressing their use and making them unavailable to doctors and the public. What is a good word for deliberately denying life-saving medicines to sick people? Hint: It starts with an “m”.

These Are My Comments Reviewing Part 3:

1. Regarding the HIV/AIDS hypothesis, Kennedy wrote on page 178: “From the outset, I want to make clear that I take no position on the relationship between HIV and AIDS.” He then covered in detail the scientific controversy surrounding this hypothesis. (I should have included this quote in Part 3.)
2. The evidence points to AIDS being multifactorial and not a simple matter of HIV being the only cause of AIDS.
3. Testing toxic drugs on thousands of orphans is morally wrong. Many of these children were seriously injured and some were killed. Dr. Fauci was in charge.
4. A deplorable part of science being used by Dr. Fauci and his researchers involves blatant cheating in order to get very toxic drugs approved. The trick is to get rid of the control group which gets a harmless placebo and replace it with a “control group” which gets something as toxic as the drug being tested. This will result in close to the same number of injuries and deaths in both groups and the researchers then claim that these injuries and deaths are not caused by the toxic drug being tested.   
5. A major effort was made to discredit the science pointing to COVID-19 being a gain-of-function engineered virus that escaped from the Wuhan lab in China. Scientists who joined Dr. Fauci in this effort were richly rewarded with multi-million-dollar research grants.  
6. It is totally unacceptable for any country to opt out of the COVID-19 vaccines. Several leaders of countries who tried to do this died suddenly and were replaced by new leaders who then welcomed these vaccines. (Important details can be found on page 308.)

###

The Real Anthony Fauci, from Skyhorse Publishing

By Dr. William H. Gaunt, NMD

Format of this article

This article will cover highlights from the first 100 pages of this 445-page book. Future articles will cover the rest. The plan is to list page numbers so those who have the book can read more about each nugget and look up the references if they want more information. My comments will appear in parenthesis.

An Author’s Take on Kennedy’s Book

Best-selling author James Howard Kunstler (The Long Emergency and several other books) describes The Real Anthony Fauci as “A massive book about Fauci’s unholy career at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a virtual prosecution manual, meticulously annotated, that will be used in countless lawsuits against Dr. Fauci, his colleagues who outlive him, and the many agencies and NGOs and perhaps in actual criminal trials of these well-known perps.” (Is this derogatory quote justified? Read on.)

By Anne Dachel

Looking over the stories I’ve added in the last week, all I can think about is what I’ve long called “the really big lie about autism,” namely that all the kids on the spectrum are nothing new. They’ve always been here—we just called them something else.

That myth has been in circulation for the last twenty years, and true to the narrative, whenever the folks in Atlanta (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) get around to updating the autism rate, there’s never been a real increase.

“Better diagnosing”/”greater awareness”/”expanded definition” are always the explanations for more and more and more autism.

We once again prepare for April, Autism Awareness Month, and it’s time for the media to remind the public that autism is something we should celebrate. There will be calls for inclusion and acceptance and talk about neurodiversity.

All this flies in the face of reality when you look at the stories from the U.K. Even though officials still routinely tell us that they’re ‘excited’/‘delighted’/‘proud’ of the newest autism school or additional school  places, they’ve got to be worried about  the increases that never level off.

I would love to see a single reporter somewhere in the world bring up the obvious: When is this going to stop?

Is the rate of one in every 44 among U.S. children finally getting it right?

Or more specifically, what about one in 39 in North Carolina or one 36 in Minnesota or one in 35 in New Jersey or one in 26 in California or one in 22 in New York?

Is the one in 14 rate among 8 year olds in Toms River, NJ  the better diagnosing level we should all be shooting for?

I just have to ask these things because no one else is. I guarantee that when we’re lighting up the world in blue next month, no one will bring up the uncomfortable questions.

One of the reasons I’ve compiled LossOfBrainTrust stories over the last five years is to show what officials and governments have long ignored. Something is terribly wrong with the health of our children, especially with their ability to learn, communicate and socialize.

Here’s a look at some of news over the last week. This will continue until special education takes over the schools.

First from the U.K.

Shropshire: New special school

Donna with Tanner's Dad Tim Welsh at an Autism One Conference

Below is a copy of a letter Ms. Knepple sent to President Biden after his State of the Union address.  There are two industries that manufacture and sell products that are unavoidably unsafe, and  that are shielded from product liability. Guns and the vaccine divisions of pharmaceutical companies.  President Biden was wrong when he said only guns enjoy this shield.  Donna's letter should go to every Senator and Congressperson in the United States of America. 

###

Donna M. Knepple
6  XYZ Road, Upper
XYZ, NY  12345

VIA CERTIFIED MAIL WITH RETURN RECEIPT

President Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC  20500

Dear President Biden:

I watched the State of the Union address and was in utter shock and disbelief when you said, "Look, repeal the liability shield that makes gun manufacturers the only industry in America that can't be sued”. I would like to remind you that President Ronald Regan signed into law the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA) of 1986 (42 U.S.C. §§ 300aa-1 to 300aa-34) giving pharmaceutical vaccine manufacturers and doctors who administer vaccines complete legal liability protection from all vaccine injuries including death. The NCVIA’s purpose was to eliminate the potential financial liability of vaccine manufacturers due to vaccine injury claims to ensure a stable market supply of vaccines, and to provide cost-effective arbitration for vaccine injury claims as a result that stemmed from all the vaccine injuries and deaths caused by the Swine Flu X53A and DPT vaccines in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Do you not recall voting on this bill when you were in the Senate? Henceforth, the reason why vaccine manufacturers gave Congress an ultimatum for complete indemnification or no more vaccines. Due to this industry’s liability shield since 1986 the following examples depict why it is imperative to hold vaccine manufacturers liable again:

• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Simpsonwood Secret Meeting, June 7-8, 2000, held in Norcross, GA, re: Thimerosal in Vaccines; Dr. William Thompson, CDC Scientist Whistleblower, re: MMR and Autism, Dr. Frank DeStefano, Former Director of the CDC Immunization Safety Office; Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, Mercury and Autism; Dr. Julie Gerberding, Former Director; Dr. Anthony Fauci, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
  
  
• National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, Government Witness showed that VACCINES CAN CAUSE AUTISM as in the Hannah Poling case conceded in 2008; on Sept. 10, 2010 the story was leaked in the first ever VACCINE AUTISM CASE AWARD; Soon thereafter, 5000+ Autism Omnibus petitioners were dismissed with callous disregard. 
  
  
• Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) against U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Case 1:18-cv-03215(JMF) Document 18, Filed 07/09/18; revealing THERE HAS BEEN NO QUALITY CONTROL OVER VACCINES MANUFACTURED BY PHARMA FOR AT LEAST 32 YEARS
  
  
• Institute for Autism Science and the ICAN against Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Case 1:2019cv11947-LJL, Document 15, Filed 03/02/20 CDC admits in Federal Court they have NO EVIDENCE that “Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism”
  
  
• ICAN against United States Food and Drug Administration, Case No. 18-cv-11237-VEC, filed 2/10/19, No clinical trials prior to approving influenza or Tdap vaccine for use in pregnant women as an indicated use.
  
  
• MERCK’s Measles, Mumps, & Rubella (MMR) live virus vaccine; Gardasil HPV vaccine; and Zostavax live vaccine; CDC Whistleblower, Dr. William Thompson, MMR and Autism; The infamous Lancet Paper “Ileal Lymphoid-Nodular Hyperplasia Non-Specific Colitis and Pervasive Developmental Disorder”. 1 in 44 with an autism diagnosis as reported by the CDC reported, surveillance year 2018, birth year 2010. The Gardasil HPV vaccine achieved FDA approval in just 6 months with serious and deadly injuries continuing to date.  Zostavax live vaccine used since 2006 was pulled from the market and no longer available in the United States, as of November 18, 2020. 
  
  
• ICAN against United States Food and Drug Administration, results of ICAN lawsuit against FDA reveals that Merck’s Chicken Pox Vaccine, Varivax should never have been licensed.

In case you forgot, while you were Vice President the Obama Administration filed an amicus brief for Wyeth presented in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, 562 U.S. 223 (2011). Did Wyeth’s Tri-Immunol DTP cause Hannah Bruesewitz’s disabilities? The United States Supreme Court case decision stated that vaccine manufacturers could not be sued for design defects in their products dismissing Hannah’s severe vaccine injury to their product.  Assume arguendo, was this premeditated to further shield Pharma vaccine manufacturers from liability and denying JUSTICE to the 5000+ Autism Omnibus Petitioners dismissed with callous disregard from the NVICP?  I can attest to the consequential frauds and damages, as an Autism Omnibus Petitioner v. Secretary of Health and Human Services, in the United States Court of Federal Claims, Office of Specials Masters, No. 02-1890V, filed for compensation on May 21, 2003, after 9 ½ years of waiting was dismissed on April 27, 2012. 

The Obama Administration also granted whistleblower immunity to Dr. William Thompson, CDC Whistleblower, after he exposed all the CDC senior level vaccine and autism staffers who destroyed data which demonstrated a clear link between the MMR vaccine and autism.  Whatever happened to Dr. William Thompson’s investigation that was started by Congressman Bill Posey on the floor of the House of Representatives on July 29, 2015?     

I saw this graphic on Insta yesterday. Haven't we all used our never ending exhaustion as a badge of autism honor? But how long can we manage before the badge simply weighs too much and we collapse? The Puritan work ethic has always been a American "thing." Autism families have taken it to an extreme.

In Connecticut we have pretty good DDS budgets - assuming your son or daughter with autism has a testable IQ under 70. If 70 or above, you're on decade long wait list for the handful of autism waivers. Other states are far worse than Connecticut.  Are you aware of the wait lists in your state, or country, if you're not in the USA?

Having budgets is a blessing. Finding staff is a curse. I have dollars for respite, and I self-hire. this means that either I have to leave my house, or I have to send off my 3 daughters with staff to a hotel - that I have to fund. Respite dollars are only for staff. So we stay home. A LOT. Together.

Tell us how you are planning, hoping, worrying, dreaming of the future for your loved one with autism. I think we'll be exhausted until our last breath. Such is the plight of caregivers, and women in particular.

When Age of Autism launched in 2007, a source of great pride and revenue was that we were Google News Indexed.  Our headlines were scooped up and distributed to thousands of potential readers and supporters.  This was a good draw for our sponsors and advertisers. Then? Little by little, we were dropped from searches because we discussed vaccine injury. And now? It's nearly impossible to reach anyone except those who click into our site intentionally.  And we haven't a single sponsor or advertiser.  We DO have amazing, wonderful readers though! I had switched over to Duck Duck Go, and now also use a search engine called BRAVE.

This weekend, The Washington Post ran an article about search engines and platforms are under pressure to take explicit stands against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  Messaging and information are always part of war, the good guys use it too. Deplatforming was rife during the height of the Covid pandemic. and now, we have a powder keg in Europe. Propaganda will always be with us, with every government, it has been part and parcel of media and government forever. When “we” do it, it’s education. When “they” do it, it’s propaganda. But now that the public has a platform, the rules are changing. What we saw during Covid, and continue to see, vis a vis vaccines, was Orwellian, to use the overused adjective. No other adjective fits as well.  We’ve seen the messaging change for autism too. Acceptance and awareness crept in and took over, treatment and cure were quashed. Here comes April. 

###
From The Washington Post In Ukraine, tech platforms abandon the illusion of neutrality From Facebook to TikTok to DuckDuckGo, companies that once claimed to be 'unbiased’ are showing that they can take a side after all.

Search results should be unbiased. Social media platforms should be neutral. The Internet should be for everyone.

Though they’ve taken beatings over the years, these sorts of cyber-utopian ideals have proven surprisingly durable — in part because tech companies have insisted that they’re true. The Ukraine war, however, is putting them through a wringer.

From Facebook to TikTok to DuckDuckGo, tech companies are facing pressure to take explicit stands against Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. With some exceptions, tech has responded to the call, at the cost of its relationships with Russia.

But there’s another cost to doing what many see as the right thing in Ukraine. It requires the tech companies to acknowledge in a very public way that their products and policies aren’t neutral after all — and it reminds us all of their own unchecked power over the world’s information systems...

By Cathy Jameson

We live in a neighborhood with several young active duty military families.  Some of the guys will exercise and run through the streets with their military gear on – either wearing their boots, or carrying a rucksack, or while wearing their bullet-proof vest.  We saw a young man running with his vest on just last week.  I could’ve yelled out a Marine Corps brat OORAH to him, but I said a little prayer for him instead. 

That guy may just be some guy who likes to push himself, but he may also be gearing up to go overseas.  Wearing the vest, which weighs about 20-25 pounds, while running may help him get ready for the physical rigors he could soon encounter.  If he is deploying and if he knows where he’s headed, bravo to him for prepping now.  He’ll know what to pack and what to expect wherever he lands.  After seeing him, and after watching a re-released documentary last week, I’ve been thinking about how ready – and how not physically ready – I’d be if I’d unexpectedly have to carry some extra weight.

The documentary I just watched is called The Last Days, a film about Hungarian Jews who lived during the Final Solution.  Always fascinated by other people’s survival stories, I am so grateful to learn about their past.  I’m even more fascinated that some people, who’ve lived through frightening times, are still alive today and continue to talk about what they witnessed.  The stories presented in The Last Days had me listening more intently than other documentaries I’ve watched about the war.  One of the women shared that they knew trouble would soon be crossing into their homeland.  When the troops did make it to her town, she was permitted to grab 25 kilos of personal belongings.

They were told they could take…all your valuables…this after being turned in by neighbors.

They were permitted…25 kilos…and had just 30 minutes to pack up.

What do you take? 

What is 25 kilos? 

How much is 25 kilos…do you take your plates…dishes…your pillows?

God forbid we ever have to gather our belongings and leave as quickly, and for as long, as these young Jewish families had to.  I’ve never thought about having to do that today, but if we ever did, I know what I’d need to bring with us.  While I could get by with the bare minimum, Ronan could not.  We’d have to bring more than 25 kilos, or 55 pounds, of his items: 

The first thing I’d grab is small every-day bag.  That weighs 3.5 pounds.

Funny how people come into our lives and the timing. Earlier this week, I wrote about an autism Mom who was facing problems with her daughter's dental hygiene. Well, that Mom has another daughter who opened the amazing Puzzles Bakery and Cafe where she employed people with autism and launched awareness right in Schenectady, New York, near Albany. I visited Puzzles on March 11 back in 2016, and wrote about how fabulous it was then.  And will be AGAIN soon, we hope.  On a darker note, Sara got blowback because she used the Puzzle theme for autism.  The Neurodiversity crowd in action. Imagine causing grief for a young woman trying to help the community over... a symbol?   Sara had to close because of Covid, but the hope is that it will reopen.  In fact, the local paper featured Puzzles this week.

Foss: Puzzles Bakery and Cafe remains closed in Schenectady, but hopes to reopen

...What makes Puzzles’ ongoing limbo so distressing is its human toll.

Pratt conceived the restaurant as a place where developmentally disabled adults would work side by side with their neurotypical peers, attaining the meaningful, real-world work experience that too often eludes them.

###

Written March 13, 2016 by Kim Rossi

Sometimes dreams come true. Thoughts and ideas on paper spring to life before your eyes.  For instance, I'm a big Harry Potter fan.  I can recall watching the very first movie in the theatre and marveling at how each scene turned the book into a cinematic reality before my eyes.   

When I was a young woman, I joined the Junior League and volunteered at a local Children's Museum. One of their exhibits was "The Great Green Room" from the classic book, Goodnight Moon.   I had no kids of my own, but I knew the book, of course.  And when I walked into the room for the first time, I was transported into the pages. 

As my girls have aged into adulthood, I've been writing the story of their future in my mind's eye. A bakery with an autism theme has been a dream of mine - far fetched - but still, a dream.

On Friday night, I saw firsthand how that dream would look when I had the great honor of speaking at Puzzles Bakery & Cafe, in Schenectady, New York, whose owner, Sara Mae Hickey is an autism sibling.  From their website:

In addition to serving delicious food, the bakery-café provides adults with developmental disabilities with an opportunity for personal growth, as well as a source of income, social interaction, and a sense of purpose.


Sara Mae has done everything right. And I mean everything. From the design of the signage, to the soothing, bright cheerful interior (with a community room) to the menu of fun, healthy and delicious foods, Puzzles would be a great bakery and cafe even without the autism theme.  But that theme is truly the icing on the cupcake.

I think the autism siblings will change the world for our kids.  They are battle tested.  Some will become advocates and warriors on behalf of their brothers and sisters.  Like Sara Mae Hickey has for her sister. 

THIS IS FANTASTIC! Thank you NAA, always fighting for families. XOX

Click National Autism Association Give A Voice Program

###

The intent of NAA’s Give A Voice program is to provide the opportunity for meaningful, effective communication to individuals with autism who are nonspeaking or unreliably speaking, and whose communication challenges put them at increased risk of injury or harm.

We are thrilled to announce that we are now offering access to certified practitioners in S2C (Spelling 2 Communicate) and RPM (Rapid Prompting Method) while continuing to offer our iPad AAC program.

S2C and RPM involve the process of communication through spelling on a letterboard. To learn more about letterboarding and how it works, we recommend visiting i-asc.org as well as reading the recently-released book “Underestimated: An Autism Miracle” by J.B. and Jamie Handley.

Grants for spellers will provide up to 4 sessions with a practitioner of your choice along with a set of letterboards.

NAA’s Give A Voice Program also can provide qualifying individuals with an assistive communication device including:

A 32GB Apple® iPad® (9.7″ – Wi-Fi only)
AppleCare+ Protection Plan
Avatalker AAC Augmentative and Alternative Communication Software app
Protective Case

To learn more about Avatalker AAC, please visit http://www.avatalkeraac.com.

iPad grant recipients, please use this link for helpful support resources from Apple in both English and Spanish.

We have very limited funding for this program. Every application is carefully reviewed and all information submitted is verified by NAA staff. This program is intended for families who are in dire need of financial assistance and are otherwise unable to attain access to these communication methods.

Give A Voice Applications are now being accepted.  Click here to learn more and apply.

TACA's Autism Action Month Conference is an entirely new offering for TACA families. This virtual opportunity will include presentations from experts, followed up with “take action workshops,” to help families implement what they learn. On the TACA Connect platform, families will be able to access resources, download presentation slides, and interact with other families going through the autism journey. Walk away with bite-sized action steps, a plan for your children, and the empowerment to act with confidence.

TACA's Autism Action Month Conference will feature 2 tracks of presentations from an incredible line-up of experts, covering all stages and aspects of the autism journey, including:

Featuring
2 tracks
Challening Behaviors
IEPs and Advocacy
Complex Medical Issues
Therapies
Legal Planning
Research
Life After High School
Communication & AAC

You’ll come away from the conference with new information, strategies, and resources to help maximize your child’s potential and improve their quality of life.  Click HERE to learn much more!

Below is a Facebook status from an autism Mom I've known for many years. Her daughter lives in a residential home and her dental health has plummeted. You might have noticed over the years that many adults with special needs are missing teeth. It's easier to let them rot, and then extract them. However, there is no money for dental implants. My own daughter had a tooth extracted during a hospital based routine filling. I wanted to STRANGLE the dentist with unwaxed floss. He was so blase about it. My father was an orthodontist who practiced dentistry early in his 40 year career.  (Those are my baby teeth in the photo.) Teeth are important to me - and gum and tooth health is very important to overall health. Adult issues in autism revolve around basic healthcare and necessities. Poorly paid and poorly trained staff can blow off hygiene and no one is accountable. And even professionals, like the hygienist mentioned below can be disconnected from usable strategies. Until we all start demanding BETTER.

My bite is much worse than my bark.

###

Feeling very emotional.

Spent several hours this morning advocating for appropriate dental care for my 29 y/o daughter. I know that many of my fellow Warrior Mamas will be able to relate. Had multiple conversations with her dentist, nurse and dental hygienist. Two were very professional and helpful and one was not. She (the hygienist) suggested in a judgmental manner that I drive back and forth to my daughter’s home twice a day every day. Not only is that impractical; but, it would take 14 hours of time per week. I already brush XYZ’s teeth when I see her on Saturdays. She needs a professional cleaning due to severe tartar and plaque buildup along the gum line. The hygienist tried to tell me that this is normal! Part of the problem during the pandemic was a supply chain issue with the ketamine that Emily needs for sedation and the availability of her doctor to administer it.  Sadly, there are 50 individuals awaiting this kind of care and the dentist only performs these procedures on Friday afternoons.

By Anne Dachel

By far the stories I’ve been posting on LossOfBrainTrust  are from England, not the entirety of the British Isles, and everywhere it seems schools are going broke educating massive numbers of disabled children.

Consider that the United States has four times the population of England which is about 55 million, yet nothing like that is happening here. This is an incredible thing to watch. Most puzzling of all is the fact that there is no end in sight. Over and over officials tell us numbers are going to continue to increase. The country is helpless to stop it. There’s nothing to do but keep on paying.

IF this were happening here in America, I think many advocates would demand to know WHY kids are flooding special ed classrooms and WHY enormous costs never level off.

Here’s what is normal and acceptable in England:

1. Yorkshire: We are seeking the go-ahead to expand provision at a North Yorkshire school, so it can meet the needs of children and young people with complex needs related to autism.

…The number of children with complex needs, including Autism, is expected to continue to grow over the coming years….

Slough: The cost of “adult social care.”

HISTORIC financial issues have forced Slough Borough Council (SBC) to spike council tax to the maximum allowed as it potentially faces a £479m blackhole.

Family is everywhere, right autism friends? I was on Instagram when a video reel caught my eye. A gorgeous woman helping her beloved daughter out of the house, into a shiny Mercedes and then to a chic boutique where they met up with Dad.  As a full time single parent/caregiver to my 3 daughters, who need similar assistance with tasks of daily... everything, the video brought tears to my eyes and I had to learn more.  Have you EVER heard of a Burnout Prevention Specialist? No, but man, you sure need one, right? Meet Nakita Nelson. I think we all need to get to know her - and how we can support each other when respite isn't a luxury, but a necessity to function.  Do you have any sort of respite? I am fortunate that my daughters have respite budgets, and I have a great team of helpers.  Overnights are tougher, to coordinate so many schedules. But I have managed to travel and get a break. It's DEElicious. I suppose my ex-husband is a respite provider, as the girls visit him at his girlfriend's house in New York every 3-4 weeks for a Saturday, Sunday night stay. It's better than a sharp stick in the eye, as my own Dad used to say.

I hope you can see the video below the jump so you can enjoy a few minutes of music and the uplifting prayer of love, acceptance and sacrifice.  I don't know if the lengthy embed code from Insta will work here - so here is a link to the video as well. You can find Nakita on Insta @NakitaNelson_

By John Stone

The British government consultation for the revision of the 1998 Human Rights Act grandiosely re-entitled the Bill of Rights closes at 11.59 pm GMT Tuesday 8 March. It is a somewhat elusive document to encompass and after months of indecision I decided on brevity. Unsurprisingly the Johnson government seems more interested in its own rights than the rights of citizens, but it is not always clear where law comes into it. Anyone wishing to comment can write to the email address hrareform@justice.gov.uk 

Dear Justice Secretary

 

Until it can recognise its own failings the government will have no useful contribution to make in the field of human rights, not least because it has itself abandoned humility and common sense.  

 

The government should bear in mind the old legal adage “hard cases make bad law”. In order to remove the inevitable hard cases the danger is that government restricts the public’s access to the courts even further, bearing in mind that for the ordinary citizen justice is prohibitively expensive anyway, and generally unavailable - for a long time and increasingly governments have considered justice for the citizen an expensive luxury while continuing to liberally fund its favoured enterprises from the public purse. 

 

Beyond that one can certainly see that the old Human Rights Act has been woefully inadequate at protecting citizens’ rights, notably in the last two years when it turned out time after time that the government advisors who were limiting our lives over what we were supposed to do or not do mostly got things momentously wrong, whether by design or accident. A stock taking of the last two years would suggest objectively that any protection against the use of arbitrary executive power has largely failed. The government scarcely inhabits the moral high ground in trying to extend its rights over citizens, not least because it has performed so poorly in the recent past, and does not seem to realise it.

The government’s claim to support freedom of speech is particularly moot given its moves in the past two years to swamp mainstream media with cash in pursuit of state health propaganda, while leaning on social media to limit or stop legitimate comment - it is not a desirable position when people may not  talk about their health predicaments or criticise government policy in public, being often subject also to foul abuse if they do from government funded sources. It is equally horrifying to see the same machine move into action over Ukraine. The government’s position, both in terms public policy and science, has been the opposite of “open” leading to autocratic behaviour, divisive social policies, economic catastrophe and the compounding of error at human expense. Please allow the public to speak.

I wanted to update readers on your generosity at work. Here’s a photo of some of the supplies we've sent to Dr. Theresa Cianciolo in Vermont for Ukrainian orphans and families with special needs children. Thank you! The Amazon wish list seems to work well, if you ignore the constant emails for other folks' joining and departure activity.  You can visit Theresa's website here. ScottandTheresa4UK

1) Click Amazon Ukraine List
2)Sign into the list
3) Add items to cart
4) Check out
5) Ship to SCOTT CIANCIOLO'S GIFT REGISTRY Irasburg VT
6) Pay

Here is an update from Theresa: We need your help. We are making a team to help individuals first of all get to a safe border, help to fill out visas (this is extremely important as we have many children who are medically fragile and have special needs). We need those individuals who have time to one on one get with a parent (most of the time Mom’s as Dads are fighting) and build a relationship, pray with them assist them with paperwork. What a wonderful opportunity to build those relationships. We continue to collect resources and I have so many to be thankful for some I have never met 🙂 future plans are for Scott and I to go out to Poland and Romania within the next 5 weeks (where we are supporting ministries taking children with special needs and their families) bringing those supplies and resources right to them. We also have items that we can get through the border of Poland directly to our ministry leaders who use their gifts to get them to military hospitals and for their communities as their currently are not pharmacies that are stocked. 

Email me at AutismAges@gmail.com. Thank you. Kim

By Cathy Jameson

Let me preface today’s post saying that I am absolutely thrilled that Covid has seemingly been whisked away.  Pick the positive adjective - thrilled…ecstatic…grateful…relieved - and that’s me.  Really!  So why am I hunting and pecking for any and every bit of news about the disappearance of Covid, mask and vaccine mandates?  Why am I questioning the statistics that were a constant for two years?  Why do I care that restrictions are no longer? 

Something doesn’t add up. 

And I want to know why. 

I guess it comes down to being curious. 

The Curious Cat, that’s me.  I’m especially curious when those in charge of the official Covid narrative, who shoved their Covid authority down our throats for two very long, arduous, emotionally/psychologically/physically draining years, have turned an about face.  Conspiracy theorists – and conspiracy realists – have their own ideas about why that’s happened. 

So I went searching for some information. 

Our country’s Covid case numbers are still considered high,  according to the officials. 

Despite that, schools, government agencies, and local businesses rather quickly changed their tune and lifted restrictions. Could it be because the parents said no more?  Could it be because the Canadian truckers took a stand?  Could it be because those midterms are looming?  Could it be related to the timing of the crisis overseas?  Maybe it’s because they’ve changed metrics yet again.  I haven’t found a solid reason yet, but all of those, including the people orchestrating some of those events, are worth looking into.

One of my daughters finds great comfort and joy in the TV shows she watched as a toddler and youngster. Every so often, she finds a way to tell me that she wants to find a certain program on YouTube. Yesterday, she was singing a song in her inimitable fashion. It took me a several listens to know what she was singing. From 1992 - 2008, The Learning Channel had early morning children's programming that they called "Ready, Set, Learn." The bumper  between shows when my daughter watched was an adorable cartoon about a penguin named Paz and his Mom. Shows included Skinnamarink TV, Jay Jay the Jet Plane (before CGI!) Hip Hop Harry, High 5, Peep and the Big Wide World (before PBS) and Pappyland. Pappyland was a local programming show from Syracuse, that found its way to the big leagues on TLC. Yesterday, my daughter was singing the Pappyland theme song. I found episodes on YouTube, and I only wish I could show you her JOY as she heard the theme song begin.  She sang at the top of her lungs, and stimmed, and smiled her beautiful smile. 

We all crave certain comforts, nostalgia is soothing. Is this what drives my daughter?  Is this when he neurological status fully changed - into autism - and she is stuck there? I don't know. I know that she is very happy. And I will be listening to this song for quite some time. I until I unravel the next mystery for her.

I'm sure some folks would tell me to extinguish this juvenile behavior and bring her forward. I will, just as soon as the Brady Bunch episode is over....XOX

By Katie Wright

A long-time criticism of IACC is the inadequate representation of people with severe autism. Instead of listening to these voices, Dr. Gordon has created a committee that is almost entirely composed of High Function Autistic (HFA) individuals. Ironically, there is a LOT of talk at IACC about “equity in representation,” “intersectionality” and “the need to hear unheard voices.” Yet when it comes to the talking the talk and walking the walk, Dr. Gordon appoints few if any parents of severely autistic kids. 60% of the spectrum not represented ay IACC.

I have a severely ASD son and I rarely hear ACC members addressing issues that affect him. I hear all about trans & intersectional ASD people, systemic exclusionary practices, lack of transparence in community engagement and ASD people with “high support needs!” That phrase is flat out absurd! It sounds like an architectural term!

Severely, or profoundly affected ASD people make up 60 % of the spectrum and are virtually unrepresented at IACC and in NIH autism research. Ironically, the IACC NIH team do a really nice job making sure our priorities, such as GI problems, SIBs, autoimmune dysfunction are included in Strategic Plan. However, these issues, so central to profound autism, rarely discussed by committee members. If such parents are on the committee, I haven’t heard a word from them. Hence, families like mine are not represented.  

During public comments, long time parent advocate and president of Autism Science Foundation, Alison Singer, gave simple and straightforward speech about the lack of representation of on the committee of people like her daughter. Ms Singer’s daughter has profound ASD and is under represented, meanwhile the HFA community is grossly over representation on IACC. Singer also expressed concern that the HFA community is very judgmental of parent advocates and are quick to criticize what they do not understand. That will soon play out!!! Parents of severely affected kids are castigated by the HFA community for “abusing their children” by sending their child for ABA instruction. Another frequent criticism by the HFA community is that parents are cruel and “wanting perfect children, and “not accepting them (the autistic child) for who they are.”

My late Mom grew up in a big, noisy family. She taught me a lot about speaking in order to be heard: “be specific and get to the point!” I would rehearse school presentations with her and she would comment, “Too many ahhhs and umms, start over!” Or “you already said enough about that, cut it…..people’s eyes will glaze over here, too many details!” Tough but valuable lesson in time management and being heard. Ultimately, be mindful of others time.

Dena Gassner identifies as a person with autism She is working on her PhD. Ms. Gassner, routinely, uses up an excessive amount of the committee’s time. Deena presents herself as an expert in ALL that is autism. Gassner, all too frequently, expounds, in minute detail on dozens of behavioral studies no one asked to discuss. Ms. Gassner has college graduate son also on the spectrum AND claims to be able to fully represent children like mine and Alison’s! However, here on planet earth, when it comes to severe autism, I promise you she would not last an hour caring for my son, not because she is not a kind and caring person, but because she has never lived this life.

Dena was “distressed” by Singer’s simple and valid request for more equitable representation on the committee for those with profound ASD. Gassner believes the current committee is covering the subject very well! I find such conceit amazing!  I live in the world of severe autism and while I know a lot about autism science in general, I would never condescend to know the needs of HFA than the HFA people themselves!

CUMULATIVE ANALYSIS OF POST-AUTHORIZATION ADVERSE EVENT REPORTS OF PF-07302048 (BNT162B2) RECEIVED THROUGH 28-FEB-2021

By Anne Dachel

For a very long time now I’ve been posting stories from Britain on my site Loss of Brain Trust about how they’re continually  building special schools and adding autism classrooms to mainstream schools everywhere while telling us about the increase in kids with complex needs and how  ‘delighted’ and ‘excited’ everyone feels about it.

I haven’t seen that happening in the U.S. and for a while I wondered about that, but what I discovered is the American alternative: autism therapy centers.

It didn’t take long to see that these places are popping up across the country, and I’m going to strike a balance between news reports from the U.S. and those from the U.K.

In America they’re just as excited about more kids with autism and the coverage shows it.

Paducah, KY: Feb 26, 2022, Paducah Sun: Easterseals announces plans to build autism

Easterseals West Kentucky announced Friday that it would open an autism center in Paducah sometime this fall.

It seems Kentucky now requires insurers to provide autism therapy to residents and that makes it a ‘sustainable program.’

Carroll said that since insurance companies now have to cover that therapy, there is a funding stream available for the Paducah program….

Sarah Smith, a board-certified behavior analyst, is Easterseals’ vice president for autism services. “An ABA center is something that western Kentucky has needed for a long time,” she said. “As the rates of autism continue to increase, this is going to provide opportunities for families to get the services they need.”…

“It’s full-day services that we’ll be able to offer, including meals,” he said. “So, it’s a way that the families who have a child in the spectrum can lead full lives and know that their kids will be taken care of.

Here’s what the doctor associated with the clinic had to say:

Read this good news about several orphanages in Ukraine that my friend Dr. Theresa Cianciolo posted yesterday. “No workers have left them and they have food.” Praise be to God. What beautiful people. Below is the Amazon Wish List that Theresa has put together for her trip to Poland later this month.  Many people have sent items - thank you.  Using the Wish list feature seems to work best from a laptop.

1) Click Amazon Ukraine List
2)Sign into the list
3) Add items to cart
4) Check out
5) Ship to SCOTT CIANCIOLO'S GIFT REGISTRY Irasburg VT
6) Pay

  If you have issues, let me know at AutismAges@gmail.com. Thank you.

AMAZON UKRAINE LIST

Good morning. My dear friend Dr. Theresa Cianciolo (in photo) moved her family to Kyiv last year, to devote herself full time to helping the children of Ukraine - orphans with special needs and children with autism.  She and her husband Scott, a Pastor, adopted orphaned twin toddlers with  Down Syndrome & autism themselves.  They had moved to Kyiv last year and returned to the safety of Vermont a few weeks ago, as the danger escalated.

Theresa is going to Poland within the month, to bring much needed supplements, supplies and medications.  We're using an Amazon Wish List - that Theresa's team has compiled. Items ship to Vermont.  I realize not everyone is a fan of Amazon, but for expediency, this is our method of ordering.  Thanks.

This is something we can DO - so much more than being a keyboard cowboy or cowgirl.  For a few bucks - we can help a child get a good night's sleep, daily vitamins.

Note: Dr. Moskowitz has shared his extensive review of Robert Kennedy Jr's The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health with Age of Autism. I have provided the intro and then a link to the review in PDF format to preserve Dr. M's meticulous formatting - which is difficult to recreate in a blog format. Thank you.

Download It's All about Big Pharma a Review by Dr. Richard Moskowitz

It's All about Big Pharma

Richard Moskowitz, M. D.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health, Children's Health Defense and Skyhorse Publishing, New York, 449 pp.

As a progressive Democrat, I feel impelled to review this book for all those  who envision and are prepared to work for an alternative to the robber-baron capitalism that still reigns supreme in our country and most of the world.  During my 53 years of practice as a family doctor, I came to know and care for large numbers of vaccine-injured children, an experience that obliged me to re-examine the basic sciences that I'd been taught, and to write and speak out against vaccinating people without their consent since the early 1980's.                                                                                                                                                

After two years of the global pandemic, with no end in sight, despite vaccines and boosters being foisted on everyone willing to take them, or afraid not to, I still find it hard to believe that the vast majority of my friends and allies on the left, though well aware of the criminal wrongdoing of the drug industry, nevertheless buy into its insistence that vaccines are our only safe and effective response to the virus.  It's bad enough that our natural fear of the disease leads us to forget or ignore all of that, and thus leaves it to the far-right wing of the GOP to lead and win over the tens of millions of voters who are parents and friends of vaccine-injured children or still refuse to be vaccinated for whatever reason.   What's even worse is that these defections could well cost us the 2022 and 2024 elections and usher in literally decades of Trumpist rule.                          

Politics aside, his book speaks persuasively about matters of urgent concern to everyone.  With literally hundreds of endnotes following each chapter, it is based on exhaustive study, meticulous scholarship, and extensive first-hand knowledge of the main participants, including Dr. Fauci himself.  It names names, gives particulars, and provides a tale of corruption at the heart of the drug industry, the government agencies that are supposed to be regulating it, and the super-wealthy investors who own controlling shares in them both, an interlocking directorate that goes far beyond what I like most of us had any idea of.  I should add that preparing this review would have been a lot easier if he'd added an index and a glossary of acronyms to help keep track of it all. 

Download It's All about Big Pharma a Review by Dr. Richard Moskowitz                                                

NOTE:  Basic supplements & medical supplies needed urgently in Ukraine for children with autism and special needs. 

Here is an invitation to join the WISH LIST and the items will ship directly to Dr. Theresa and her husband Scott Cianciolo in Vermont.  I vouch for her - every tablet, gummy, item will go to Ukraine. 

1) Click Amazon Ukraine List
2)Sign into the list
3) Add items to cart
4) Check out
5) Ship to SCOTT CIANCIOLO'S GIFT REGISTRY Irasburg VT
6) Pay

  If you have issues, let me know at AutismAges@gmail.com. Thank you.

AMAZON UKRAINE LIST

Good morning. My dear friend Dr. Theresa Cianciolo (in photo) moved her family to Kyiv last year, to devote herself full time to helping the children of Ukraine - orphans with special needs and children with autism.  She and her husband Scott, a Pastor, adopted orphaned twin toddlers with  Down Syndrome & autism themselves.  They had moved to Kyiv last year and returned to the safety of Vermont a few weeks ago, as the danger escalated.

Theresa is going to Poland within the month, to bring much needed supplements, supplies and medications.  We're using an Amazon Wish List - that Theresa's team has compiled. Items ship to Vermont.  I realize not everyone is a fan of Amazon, but for expediency, this is our method of ordering.  Thanks.

This is something we can DO - so much more than being a keyboard cowboy or cowgirl.  For a few bucks - we can help a child get a good night's sleep, daily vitamins.

By Cathy Jameson

I have a handwritten note in a folder that goes with me to every doctor’s appointment I make for my son.  The paper isn’t that old.  Well, in terms of today’s technological advances, it may be - it’s from a dot-matrix printer we used to own in the late 1990s.  On it are the milestones my son was making.  Those weren’t just memories I wanted to preserve; they were my guide to knowing that my son was, for a time, on time with his development. 

Looking at the paper now, it’s clear that Ronan was not hitting some childhood milestones.  I knew that when I was jotting those notes down, not just because of later visits with the pediatrician, but because of my college studies.  I majored in Human Development and Family Studies.  My focus was child development, specifically early child development from birth to nursery school.  I used that information about milestones for research papers as I entered my 20s.  I cited it frequently after college and later into my 30s. 

My teaching career had me engaged with children of all ages and with typical abilities.  The very few students I encountered with special needs in the classroom tugged at my heart.  While I couldn’t compare my life with them, nor their parents, I had basic knowledge of what support they needed to be successful students.  Both in and out of college, I will be forever grateful for the information I learned and for the experiences I had.  That helped me to know that I needed to leap to action as a young mother sooner rather than later. 

The nagging feelings I started having about my own child’s growth and development proved helpful.  Of course, the nagging part wasn’t so pleasant, but knowing that something wasn’t right gave me a reason to talk with our doctor.  I rarely had to make an appointment for my first child, beyond the scheduled well-child visits, but I knew the option existed.  When Ronan didn’t hit a major milestone, walking, I’d planned to make a call about his development by the end of that week.  Luckily, I didn’t need to make that cold call.  I ran into our doctor at the grocery store before my self-imposed deadline. 

We lived in a small, rural town at the time and would see familiar faces wherever we went.  One evening, while waiting in line to pay for my groceries, I looked up and saw the pediatrician.  She had gotten in line behind us and said hello.  Not wanting to take advantage of her personal time, I told her she was on my list of people to call that week.  She quizzically said, “Oh?  Is everything okay?”  Fully taking advantage of her piqued interest, I continued, “Well, I think something’s wrong.  Ronan’s still not walking.”  Ronan had crawled on time and began to pull up on furniture on time, but he was still not able to stand completely on his own.  I knew about late walkers, my daughter was a tad late to walk, but he was almost 16 months old.  To me, that was concerning.  Ronan was getting a little old for not being able to walk according to the major milestone list I’d studied years ago in school.

By Dr. William H. Gaunt (NMD)

A small fraction of the information in the last 100 plus pages is covered here. Readers are encouraged to read before and after the selected quotes to put things in context. References are available at the end of each chapter for additional information. My comments will appear in parentheses.

These Are My Comments Reviewing Part 3:

1. Regarding the HIV/AIDS hypothesis, Kennedy wrote on page 178: “From the outset, I want to make clear that I take no position on the relationship between HIV and AIDS.” He then covered in detail the scientific controversy surrounding this hypothesis. (I should have included this quote in Part 3.)
2. The evidence points to AIDS being multifactorial and not a simple matter of HIV being the only cause of AIDS.
3. Testing toxic drugs on thousands of orphans is morally wrong. Many of these children were seriously injured and some were killed. Dr. Fauci was in charge.
4. A deplorable part of science being used by Dr. Fauci and his researchers involves blatant cheating in order to get very toxic drugs approved. The trick is to get rid of the control group which gets a harmless placebo and replace it with a “control group” which gets something as toxic as the drug being tested. This will result in close to the same number of injuries and deaths in both groups and the researchers then claim that these injuries and deaths are not caused by the toxic drug being tested.   
5. A major effort was made to discredit the science pointing to COVID-19 being a gain-of-function engineered virus that escaped from the Wuhan lab in China. Scientists who joined Dr. Fauci in this effort were richly rewarded with multi-million-dollar research grants.  
6. It is totally unacceptable for any country to opt out of the COVID-19 vaccines. Several leaders of countries who tried to do this died suddenly and were replaced by new leaders who then welcomed these vaccines. (Important details can be found on page 308.)

DTP Vaccine Discontinued in the U.S., Europe, and Japan

On pages 324-325: “A wave of gruesome brain injuries and deaths followed the introduction of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccines in the United States, and Europe in the 1970s … In 1991, the United States, E.U. countries, and Japan switched to a far safer (but less effective) dead cell (attenuated) vaccine—DTaP—and discontinued use of the DTP jab.”

DTP Is Too Dangerous for Rich Countries but Just Fine for Poorer Countries

Yesterday, the world awoke to the news that Russia blitzed Ukraine. For many years, I worked with a behaviorist who began to travel to Ukraine as a Missionary for Special Education. She had children of her own with autism. She described the heartbreak of orphanages chock full of children with Down Syndrome, autism and other special needs. She lamented the UTTER and complete lack of basic services and care, even down to a simple vitamin at birth that can prevent hearing loss in babies with Down Syndrome. There were no classrooms for autism - children stayed at home. So few people walk  the walk that they talk - not she. She adopted twin baby boys with Down Syndrome and brought them to New England, where they were treated with the finest medical care and began to thrive. That's a photo of me holding chunk-a-munk Sammy. But her heart was with the thousands of children who had no one to look out for them, for the parents desperate for ways to help their children. She earned her PhD and began seminars across Ukraine on ABA and how to help children with autism. Thanks to her, programs began to sprout up, families had help. Not long ago, she and her family moved to Kyiv. The returned to the USA 2 weeks ago. I'm glad she and her family are safe. But I think of the children - and wonder how they will fare.

Ask yourself, what would MY family do if bombs rained down on my city, if I had to duck into a subway station as a makeshift bomb shelter, if I did not have the ZILLION things my children needed just to get through the day?  Not to be glib, but imagine a day without Wifi?

Keep the families of Ukraine in your thoughts, especially the children with special needs.

Spasibo.

By Anne Dachel

Parents in the autism community have long been wary of anything that comes out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For over 20 years this agency has failed to show the least interest in the explosion of neurological/developmental problems plaguing our children.

Every year or two the CDC updates the autism rate affecting a mind-numbing percentage of kids, currently around 2 percent, with no alarm or explanation for why it’s always going up. In fact, officials routinely remind us that they have no evidence that there’s ever been a real increase   in the number of children with autism. They conveniently remind us that it’s probably just more better diagnosing and greater awareness. All the powers that be buy into that claim.

Now there’s a new pronouncement from this agency and it begs the question: What are they covering up now?

With little media coverage the CDC, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics, recently moved the goalposts on childhood developmental milestones. Among these changes are things like crawling, walking and talking. Crawling is no longer a milestone, walking has been moved from 12 months to 18 months and talking from 12 months to 15 months.

The CDC defended this new timetable by saying it will improve diagnosing development delays like autism.

One source reported:

In an effort to spot autism and other developmental disorders more quickly, the CDC has changed the major milestones up a little bit. …

Previously, the benchmarks reflected where 50% of children should be with that milestone at that particular time. NOW, the CDC has changed it to reflect where 75% of children should be meeting a certain milestone.

The AAP’s Peter Lipkin assured us, The earlier a child is identified with a developmental delay the better, as treatment as well as learning interventions can begin.

How is waiting till a child is 15 months to be concerned about a lack of language skills going to help doctors identify autism earlier?

This explanation doesn’t make sense to any thinking person and many suspect that the milestones have been extended or eliminated because so many kids simply can’t make them today. A normally developing, healthy child is becoming more and more a rarity.

One professional group isn’t buying the claims of the CDC/APP.

WSBT TV in Mishawaka, IN ran the story, Experts question new guidance for young children; changes may fail to ID problems early. 

WSBT anchor: Questions tonight after updated guidance has been issued for young children. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC have updated milestones for kids who are learning to walk and talk. 

By Anne Dachel

No big surprise that once again, stories from the U.K. are predominant on LossOfBrainTrust. There are more stories from Schools Week that spell D I S A S T E R for Britain. Someone somewhere should be asked about the five stories recently published on their site.

After a four month investigation Schools Week makes it clear in their coverage that special education cannot continue like it is currently. The numbers and the costs are cannot be ignored.  More disabled kids are coming.

STILL, Schools Week fails completely to ask the obvious: Where are they all coming from? Why are there so many students today who can’t function like students have always been expected to?

SORRY, those questions are not allowed. We’re only supposed to call for more money and more support. The solution is more special schools and more special needs teachers. For some reason, if anyone asks about the never-ending increases, it’s considered an attack on the disabled.

So we struggle on. What is important about the Schools Week stories is the scope of the coverage. It’s not about expanding a special school in Norfolk or a new autism classroom in Derry—all the local stuff we’re do used to. Instead it’s about special education in the whole U.K.

Strong language

Feb 11, 2022, Schoolsweek: Special investigation: How collapsing mental health services are failing children  

The devastating toll of failing mental health support systems on families and schools is revealed in a four-month investigation by Schools Week.

Thousands of children are stuck on waiting lists for expert help, with schools digging into their own pockets to fund support Therapists once provided to schools free now cost hundreds of pounds a visit • Schools accuse parents of “fabricating illnesses” as collapsing support drives rifts.

Credit Colerain Police Department

Tough question. Do today's parents have the coping skills, the resources, the drive to launch into 5th gear when they have a child diagnosed with autism? Was the 1990s birth cohort of parents a different breed? Or did we have fewer obstacles like a Covid lockdown? When I had three children under 6 with autism, I worked day and night to find answers and get them help - to exhaustion, and still do, 27 years later. But I wasn’t struggling with mental health. I found the biomed community and had support. Is support harder to find today? Seems impossible, but what if the Yahoo group, NAAR, ARI, CAN days weren’t improved as organizations changed and social media came into being?

Abandoning them is the second most extreme example of dereliction of duty. So I ask with all due respect and interest - do today's parents have "what it takes" to cope?  Heather Nicole Adkins, age 32 (hardly a child) is one mother who did not.  A follow up story has a chilling response from her, during questioning when asked why she left her boy on the side of a road on a cold, February day:  “To save him from me,” Adkins replied.  (Source WKYT Cleveland Mother accused of abandoning autistic child speaks out from Scott Co. jail.  Of course, it's a blessing that she did not kill him. But turning him out on a road  where  he was likely to be killed seems premeditated to me. Thank God a stranger saw something that was not normal - and acted. I hope she gets the help she needs. 

###

COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio - Colerain Township police say a mother is now in custody after her abandoned, 5-year-old autistic son was found wandering alone last week.

32-year-old Heather Nicole Adkins is in custody in Georgetown, Kentucky, on a local warrant and a warrant issued by Colerain Township police in connection with her son's abandonment. They didn't elaborate on the charges filed.

Investigators said the unnamed boy, described as "non-verbal with Austim," is from Shelbyville, Indiana, about 75 miles away from the Cincinnati, Ohio area.  Fox News Los Angeles Reported

Here's a Monday morning eye opener. It’s a divisive topic, so please comment respectfully. 

By Katie Wright

When the 2020 Presidential election was over, I remember thinking, "well at least this new president will be less divisive." Wow, I could not have been more wrong!!!! Biden sold himself as a genial guy, always smiling, so empathetic. Sure, he sometimes mangled the English language and went off on tangents. Biden would never be a great orator, but he would be a kind and collaborative President.

A year later it is abundantly clear that the individual sitting in the White House is truly a mean old man! In one of the first speeches he gave, Biden blamed unvaccinated people for “stalling the economy” and said “his patience was running out” with those who declined the vaccine. What? Biden thinks he is an emperor, not a president of a democracy. He self-righteously railed on and on about why no one has a right to be concerned about vaccine safety, they just need to do what they are told.

Shortly after that nasty speech, here comes Mr. “My, Body, My Choice” ramming vaccine mandates down everyone’s throat. Mandates are mean and stupid. Mean because you are forcing someone to do something they really, really do not want to do or you take that person’s job away. Since when does President want to take away people’s jobs? To take away a person’s means of supporting themselves or their family is horrible thing to do!! We thank the front-line staff of hospitals for their extraordinary hard work by saying, “vaccinate or be fired!” Mandates are stupid because they only increase mistrust in the government.

This isn’t Sweden. There is a very small safety net for American workers. Taking away someone’s job puts their whole family in jeopardy. If you lose your job, you lose your paycheck, your healthcare and possibly, your housing. Some states are even denying unvaccinated people unemployment! That is so excessively cruel. It absolutely astonishes me that the President, who should be the American worker’s biggest supporter, fully supports these heartless and spiteful policies.

I am so tired of Biden’s Press Secretary Jen “Mean Girl” Pskai. Pskai loves to smirk and speak in the most condescending tone imaginable when demeaning unvaccinated people. Over and over again, Psaki repeats the old man/s false narrative that Covid is the “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” That is such a ridiculous lie, I doubt Pskai even believes it, but she shamelessly parrots this inane talking point whenever possible.

This is a Best of post from April, 2017. Cathy is enjoying a day off.

By  Cathy Jameson

I know I’ve mentioned it here before, but I am really proud of my kids.  They are not perfect.  Hardly.  But they are a lot of fun and pretty creative, too.  I love to see their creations and am in awe of how quickly and easily it is for them to think-outside-the-box when they play.  I encourage them always to think outside the box, not just when they play or when they’re trying to solve an academic problem, but for life in general.

I’m not sure what inspired them to play a game they call Bind and Go Seek, but it is absolutely one of the best games my children love to play.  It’s easy to play and could fill a whole morning or afternoon.  What are the rules?  Have fun, and be careful.  How do you play?  Imagine 3 of Ronan’s siblings giggling with glee as they tiptoe, scamper, and chase each other through the house.  Then, imagine the other sibling trying to keep up with the others while blindfolded.  So far, knock on wood, no one has been injured during a game.  They’ve grown closer to each other, albeit not permanently, but each game evokes stronger sibling ties as well as hours’ worth of laughter. 

One night, while watching the blindfolded sibling search for the others, I couldn’t help but think how helpless that child was.  Blind.  Unable to use clues in their environment they normally rely on, they had to rely on instinct and their senses.  Oddly, they didn’t think they were helpless at all.  Rather, for that night’s seeker, it was the opposite!  It was thrilling, exhilarating, and exciting.  With no light, with no sense of direction, and with nothing but her instincts as her guide, she confidently prepared to search for the others.

First, the countdown. 

Then, the bellowing of a friendly warning, “Ready or not, here I come!” 

Thinking about how many obstacles stood between her and her siblings, I cringed.  That didn’t stop that brave, little lady.  Gleefully with arms outstretched, and with a pep in her step, she set out to tag one of her sisters or her brother.

The game was afoot. 

Catchy headline, yes? Sadly, while we are very readable, we’re unreachable by name on Google.  They have deleted us from most searches.  And by doing so, blocked valuable information from and for autism families. We’re in our 15th year. Seems we’re a dinosaur. No one is talking about autism and vaccine injury and any mention of vaccine safety during Covid is setting off alarm bells we'd managed to avoid. The young parents will never know about our resources. Children are worse off than ever developmentally. CDC just changed the developmental milestones for babies, akin to adding a curve to testing for the kids who can not pass. It’s sobering. I love our community and I think we are valuable. Google thinks we are dangerous. 

Foil cherries added a sensory issue

Women with autism can struggle with their period. Think about the discomfort of cramps and the sensory issue of wearing a pad. Many years ago, I was explaining these challenges to a friend with a neurotypical daughter, and she asked quite innocently, "Maybe she should use tampons?" Sure, for a young lady who can manage her self care independently, tampons are an option. But for a female who needs full, or even hand over hand assistance, a tampon is out of the question for obvious safety reasons.

Five years ago, one of my daughters decided that pads were no longer comfortable, after years of wearing them.  She took her pad off within minutes.  The results were a disaster. I was at a loss to help her through what I hoped was a stage.  I had heard about period panties but was skeptical. I found a review of THINX, from a company right in New York, and ordered 3 pair. They were a Godsend for us. And now, other, less expensive versions have hit the market, including a line from Victoria's Secret's PINK brand.  Below is a review.

SheThinx Brand

Super HipHugger size L: $35.00 with specials and $10 referral coupons offered regularly

I  invested in 3 pair of SheThinx period panties.  They cost $35 per pair and are reusable. They are beautifully made, substantial without being bulky, very pretty,and soft as SILK. No one would know they aren't just lovely underwear.  They are fully lined. Thinx offers  an ORGANIC cotton line and a line for Tweens. They are tagless, which is a huge plus - no scratchy tags. My daughter slipped them on without issue.  They weigh in at a hefty 73 grams and yet are not bulky. AND THEY WORK! They hold several hours worth of the heaviest flow, without a leak.  You can see their line of products at www.shethinx.com. 

The downside?  You have to rinse them very well before washing. I put them in my laundry sink and it's a messy process. Then you  need to line dry them, which takes some time. I place them on a large fan to dry. Also, you have to change out of them and step into a fresh pair. You need to put the soiled underwear  in a baggie to bring home to wash, so if you are at school, or work, or out for dinner and need a change, it can be awkward. Our original panties have lasted several years. Our newer panties are even higher quality, as THINX has continued to improve them. They are worth every penny. We swear by them!

Absorbency area is much larger on THINX

Victoria's Secret PINK Brand
Size Large: $16.50

One of my home care team staff bought a pair of the VS Pink line of new period panty for us to try. They are quite flimsy compared to SheThinx.  The fabric is thin and unlined. The large foil cherries (ahem) decoration on the back added a sensory layer we did not need. And they have 5, count them, 5 tags that will cause sensory issues.  They weigh 42 grams compared to THINX' 73 grams. That said, they come in lots of fun colors, and patterns that most girls would appreciate. The absorbency fabric covers a much smaller area than the THINX - women move, dance, jump, squat, sit, stand, play sports. I think they would be a great backup panty for a young woman who is wearing a tampon and wants to prevent leak stains. Or on a lighter flow day.  Washing was a similar chore: rinse and line dry. They work, though not as well as the THINX in my opinion, because they have a smaller absorbent material area and they are not lined. But the PINK designs are cuter and more fun, which would matter to most girls, just not mine!

Verdict:  An investment in SheThinx is worth every penny. They beat PINK's version in that they are leak free, almost 40%  heavier and lined fabric, beautiful quality, with several colors, an organic cotton line and athletic pants and more.  Buying the PINK version is also an option, as you can buy 2 for 1, but then you will have more pair of "dirties" to wash and also to store in a bag at your desk, or locker or elsewhere, when you change.

Safeminds has featured a story from The Autism Society on the topic of Applied Behavior Analysis. ABA is controversial in many ways. Some families call it a godsend, others a nightmare. What has your experience been with ABA? For my family, I can say that since getting out of the school system where data collection was the  holy grail and rote, dead end tasks were considered learning goals, my daughters have THRIVED. I sought out a non-ABA based program for my youngest daughter's transition program. There's a team member who used to be at Bella's high school.  She did not recognize the happy, smiling, social young woman she knew from the frustrated young woman who had not 1 but 2 paras following her around data clicking 3 years ago.  ABA did not extinguished a single behavior in my daughters. Not one. They outgrew them with organic social instruction, and maturation.  Behaviors were communication phases. Behaviors were self-soothing coping skills - that I had no desire to trample. I had a private hire PhD behaviorist sit in many of my IEP meetings telling the high school team that ABA should be phased OUT through the school years because - and this is 100% true - the "real" world is not prompt based. Prompt dependent adults with autism have to unlearn and relearn how to manage skills that they have - but that are not readily accessible without prompting. Share your thoughts. Be kind. Be respectful. Be truthful.

###

Autism Society to Issue a Position Paper on the Topic

Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) has long been considered the “gold standard” of autism treatment. It is typically the first therapy recommended following a childhood diagnosis of autism. This is due to the large body of research to support its efficacy. Since 2019, all 50 states require insurance plans to cover autism therapy, specifically including ABA coverage. Many parents and ABA therapists view the therapy as a vehicle for reducing challenging behaviors, which could ultimately improve the quality of life for ABA participants. However, the therapy has increasingly faced growing opposition from people who participated in an ABA program during childhood. Consequently, while many view ABA as a godsend, others view it as an unethical and harmful therapy meant to normalize people with autism by hiding their identity and personality in order to conform to a neurotypical standard. Advocates for ABA feel that some of this current controversy stems from outdated practices such as the use of restraints or withholding food, which are no longer used and are now considered unethical. These advocates point out that newer ABA methods focus more on promoting a child’s self-direction and choice. The division over the way to view ABA is coming to a head this month as the Autism Society hosts three virtual town hall meetings to discuss the matter in preparation for a position paper on the treatment, which will be released later this year. The Autism Society’s town halls are designed for people in the autism community to share their experiences with ABA in a thoughtful and respectful way. But, in the meantime, the debate on ABA is likely to continue.  READ MORE AT SAFEMINDS

Note:  Children's Health Defense has a primer on the FDA advisory committee meeting, which was supposed to take place yesterday. Protect the Kids: Demand the FDA Vote No on EUA for 6 month olds up to 5 years!

Also yesterday, CDC published  Effectiveness of Maternal Vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine During Pregnancy Against COVID-19–Associated Hospitalization in Infants Aged <6 Months — 17 States, July 2021–January 2022.

CDC said the following: Completion of a 2-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccination series during pregnancy might help prevent COVID-19 hospitalization among infants aged <6 months. 

The Reuters headline? COVID vaccination during pregnancy helps protect babies after birth -U.S. study

The push to vaccinate while pregnant is well underway. Mom receives the full adult dose while pregnant. The dose for children 12 - 17 is lower than the adult dose, and the pediatric dose is said to be lower still. So how do we possibly know that the fetus can safely participate in Mom's vaccination?

February 15, 2022

Source: US FDA Press Release

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Postpones Advisory Committee Meeting to Discuss Request for Authorization of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Children 6 Months Through 4 Years of Age
The following is attributed to Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D., and Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been notified by Pfizer that new data have recently emerged regarding its emergency use authorization request for the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in children 6 months through 4 years of age. As part of its rolling submission, the company recently notified the agency of additional findings from its ongoing clinical trial. Based on the agency’s preliminary assessment, and to allow more time to evaluate additional data, we believe additional information regarding the ongoing evaluation of a third dose should be considered as part of our decision-making for potential authorization.

Therefore, the FDA is postponing the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meeting originally scheduled for Feb. 15. This will give the agency time to consider the additional data, allowing for a transparent public discussion as part of our usual scientific and regulatory processes for COVID-19 vaccines. We will provide an update on timing for the advisory committee meeting once we receive additional data on a third dose in this age group from the company’s ongoing clinical trial and have an opportunity to complete an updated evaluation.

Yesterday, I received an email from YouTube that a video I had posted ages ago had been removed for "medical misinformation."  The Video was Del Bigtree's Heroes video from The Highwire. Medical Misinformation is the PR flak buzzcode that was distributed across social media platforms, broadcasters and newspapers.  Call anything "unapproved" "misinformation. Heck, even old Howard Stern used it on his Sirius XM screen description a few weeks ago. That's when the light dawned on me - "this is a campaign word." Howard would be more likely to call it nonsense, not misinformation.  You want to talk about misinformation, YouTube? How about taking down every Botox'ed, false eyelash, hair, tattooed eyebrow, Spanx-shrunk, implanted celebrity's YouTube video for physical misinformation?  Here's what the YouTube email said:

Hi Kim (Old name I no longer use), We wanted to let you know our team reviewed your content, and we think it violates our medical misinformation policy. We know you may not have realized this was a violation of our policies, so we're not applying a strike to your channel.

However, we have removed the following content from YouTube: Video: Del Bigtree Speech HEROES

We realize this may be disappointing news, but it's our job to make sure that YouTube is a safe place for all. If you think we've made a mistake, you can appeal this decision - you'll find more details below.

What our policy says YouTube doesn’t allow content that poses a serious risk of egregious harm by spreading medical misinformation about currently administered vaccines that are approved and confirmed to be safe and effective by local health authorities and by the World Health Organization (WHO).

What you can do next

We want to help you keep your content on YouTube, so please: Review YouTube's Community Guidelines. Double check how your content may have violated our guidelines. Appeal here if you think we've made a mistake. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to us here.

Sincerely, The YouTube Team

By Anne Dachel

I added some really apocalyptic stories from this past week. I can’t say that strongly enough.  No one ever ventures to ask what the long-term affect on society will be from the relentless increases in the autism rate among 8 year olds or the astonishing special education figures told to us as asides in news reports. I’ve compiled these figures over the last five years.

I mean things like:

Kalmath Falls, OR: 18 percent of students are considered as having special needs.

Hays, KS: 19 percent of students have special needs.

Lewiston, ME: 21 percent of students have special needs.

Brainerd, MN: 22 percent of students have special needs.

Scotland: 32 percent of students have special needs.

Nothing ever levels off.

Two stories from Schools Week in the U.K. would have me shaking in my boots if I ran the Department of Education over there.

One piece from this past week revealed that no one in charge even knows what the figures for special needs mean.

Heads say the system is 'completely overwhelmed'

Special school heads say their classrooms are “bursting at the seams”, but government does not collect data to monitor how the sector is coping with rising demand for places. The number of pupils with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) has risen from 237,000 in 2015-16 (2.8 per cent of all pupils) to 326,000 this year (3.7 per cent). …

Headteacher Rachael Booth said they are “bursting at the seams …It’s not the local authority’s fault, it’s the whole system.”…

“The system is completely overwhelmed,” he said. “Schools are doing their best, but more and more children are missing out on the specialist provision they need.” The percentage of pupils with an EHCP in mainstream schools increased from 48.7 per cent in 2019-20, to 50.4 per cent last year.

By Cathy Jameson

For some time, Ronan’s younger brother has surpassed him in every phase of growth and development.  Long ago, there was a time when my sons were neck-in-neck both physically and cognitively.  Those years were wonderful years.  Then, the boys shared the same clothing, had similar tastes in food, shared playtime activities and also enjoyed the same television shows.  That’s not the way how life is now and hasn’t been for many years. 

As my boys aged, the gap in their growth and development widened. 

Cognitively, Ronan’s stuck in a much younger phase.  Physically, he’s a good 10 inches shorter than his brother Willem.  While not as tall as Willem, his sisters tower, or will soon tower, over Ronan.  Each of them has responded in their own unique way to the differences in growth and also to the very different life experiences they have had because of their brother.   Most of the experiences have been positive, for which we are all grateful.  Some, like for any family – typical or one that has a special needs family member, can also be tough experiences.  While I mostly paint a pretty picture of us, and especially of the siblings, I readily admit that not every day has been an easy one.  If asked, my children would admit that, too. 

Life is hard.

Moments are frustrating.

And Ronan really can be a rotten pickle (an affection family term for someone who can annoy the heck out of a growing impatient sibling who’s trying very hard to not lose their patience)!

Sibling rivalry doesn’t go away when autism enters the family; it just takes on a different form.  For Ronan to knowingly push our buttons because he can, takes quite the skill.  I don’t condone it, but secretly I love it.  Where he can’t verbalize typical sibling antics, he sure can do little things that get them a little peeved.  When I see that, I’m quick to correct it even though I am curious about what Ronan will think of to do next.  People should be polite to others, including Ronan, and not annoy someone just because they’re capable of doing so.

Note: Dr. Gaunt has provided the third and final installment of his review of The Real Anthony Fauci.  It's below and we'll run the post in order on Monday. The book continues to sell and is #19 on the AP list.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3: A Few Nuggets from the New Best-selling Book by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

By Dr. William H. Gaunt (NMD)

A small fraction of the information in the third hundred pages is covered here. Readers are encouraged to read before and after the selected quotes to put things in context. References are available at the end of each chapter for additional information. My comments will appear in parentheses.

Review of Part 2

• Fauci’s NIAID ignores chronic allergic and autoimmune diseases which have greatly increased on his watch. (Vaccine ingredients cause many of these allergic and autoimmune diseases.)
• Fauci’s main focus is developing and promoting very profitable drugs. He is Big Pharma’s BFF.
• Incontrovertible evidence shows that vaccines were not responsible for the huge drop in mortality from infectious diseases.
• Improvements in nutrition and sanitation caused infectious disease mortality rates to fall to near zero BEFORE most vaccines were introduced.
• AZT is horrendously toxic, very expensive, and ineffective against AIDS.
• Studies of inexpensive and highly effective medicines for AIDS and COVID-19 have been designed to fail. The results of these fraudulent studies are then used as justification for suppressing their use and making them unavailable to doctors and the public. What is a good word for deliberately denying life-saving medicines to sick people? Hint: It starts with an “m”.

The HIV/AIDS Hypothesis Is Not Scientifically Valid

There is a multi-billion-dollar industry built on this hypothesis and those who profit from it are not about to admit that it is flawed.  On page 209, a letter written by top international scientists is shown: “It is widely believed by the general public that a retrovirus called HIV causes a group of diseases called AIDS. Many biomedical scientists now question this hypothesis. We propose a thorough reappraisal of the existing evidence for and against this hypothesis, to be conducted by a suitable group. We further propose that the critical epidemiological studies be devised and undertaken” … “But in an early display of Dr. Fauci’s and Big Pharma’s combined power to control the medical journals, Nature declined to publish the letter. Nor would New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, or The Lancet. These journals rely on the pharmaceutical industry for upward of 90 percent of their revenues and seldom publish studies that threaten the Pharma paradigm. As Lancet editor Richard Horton has observed, “The journals have developed into information laundering operations for the pharmaceutical industry.” On page 235, Dr. Luc Montagnier, the French scientist who won a Nobel prize for isolating HIV is quoted: “The HIV virus is harmless and passive, a benign virus.”  (Profits are more important than people or scientific accuracy.)