Note: See the Covid Inquiry Terms of Reference announcement on 10 March,  below John Stone's submission.

By John Stone

The consultation closes 11.59pm UK time April 7. Submissions can be made until that time here. These are the substantive points I have made to the inquiry on behalf of Age of Autism on their questionnaire.

Please explain why you think the draft Terms of Reference do not cover all the areas that the Inquiry should address.

Congressional Hearings Needed Before Reauthorization of Autism CARES Act

Baltimore, MD., November 28, 2018 – The Federal advisory committee charged with coordinating all U.S. Government efforts on autism is failing to meet the needs of individuals and families affected by the disorder, according to a survey released today by several autism advocacy groups. The survey, primarily of parents and caregivers of individuals with autism, found that the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, or IACC, has failed to make a difference in the lives of people with autism. The autism advocacy groups are asking Congress to replace the IACC with a more effective Office of National Autism Policy Coordination when it considers reauthorizing the Autism CARES Act next year.

The 2018 Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Stakeholder Satisfaction Survey collected responses from 1,405 autism community members through an online questionnaire. The Reform Autism CARES Coalition (RACC) released the findings to inform Congress of the deficiencies in the Federal response to the autism crisis. The RACC is comprised of national autism advocacy groups Autism Action Network, SafeMinds, and the Thinking Mom’s Revolution (TMR).

According to its website, the IACC “is a Federal advisory committee that coordinates Federal efforts and provides advice to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on issues related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).” The IACC was originally established under the Children’s Health Act of 2000. The current Committee was reauthorized through the Autism CARES Act of 2014. Operating the IACC costs American taxpayers $1.38 million per year.

Since the Committee’s creation in 2000, the number of American children with autism has increased 120 percent, from 1 in 150 in 2000, to 1 in 59 in 2014, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The age of diagnosis has barely budged, and no new treatments have been identified. Autism is on track to cost up to $1 trillion by 2025 in medical, nonmedical and productivity losses, according to a University of California, Davis study.

From our friends at SafeMinds, an important message for families. 

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Research shows that up to 56 percent of people with autism aggress against their caregivers, and that autism mothers have been shown to have the same level of stress as combat soldiers. There are few resources and support services available to meet the behavioral and mental health needs of the growing population of people with autism, and those who care for them.

Fortunately, SafeMinds Board Vice President Dr. Michael Cummings, M.D., and SafeMinds Research Committee Member Janell Van Cleve, have pioneered a program known as Access to Psychiatry through Intermediate Care Program (APIC). The grant-funded APIC program makes house calls to families facing challenging behaviors in 17 New York counties, free of charge.

APIC focuses on four specific areas—medical needs, alternative behavioral health therapies, home environment, and time for caregivers to get respite. Pairs of APIC staff members meet with families in crisis situations, connect them with medical and social service providers, and collaborate on strategies for preventing avoidable emergency room and extended hospital stays related to challenging, aggressive behaviors.

The program has achieved measurable success. Dr. Cummings reports that, according to Erie County Medicaid data, the APIC program has assisted in reaching a 40 percent reduction in hospitalizations, 30 percent reduction in ER visits, and a 50 percent increase in outpatient case management visits during the past 3.5 years, among the population it serves. Family reported aggression measures decreased by 40 percent, and family distress fell by 50 percent.  Read more here.

When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the most recent autism prevalence numbers this year, SafeMinds, TACA, and The Thinking Mom's Revolution sent a letter to the U.S. Autism Coordinator, Dr. Ann Wagner, Ph.D. In our letter, we requested a meeting to discuss the development of an urgent response to the growing autism crisis.
 
The letter specified that our organizations:
 
" .. recognize that the Interagency Autism, Coordinating Committee (IACC) sets aside time for public comment at its quarterly meetings, however, this forum does not give ample time to discuss and address the severe problems we recognize as priorities for our constituency. The IACC is not a mechanism for creating a Federal Autism Strategic Plan with measurable goals and objectives, and for discussing policy alternatives and best practices from programs across the country." 

Dr. Wagner declined the opportunity to meet with our three national autism organizations, and instead referred us to the IACC. She stated, "The IACC is the venue for the public to share ideas, perspectives, and feedback, including thoughts on federal agency priorities.  In addition, you are welcome to submit written public comment to the IACC."

In August, we'll be issuing a written response to Dr. Wagner's refusal to meet with us. We’ll forward the letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Azar, and some other interested parties in Washington, D.C.

Hopefully, after she reads the public's thoughts and experiences with the IACC, Dr. Wagner will reconsider her decision, and the survey responses will also serve to educate others, such as federal elected officials and the media, about the IACC's failures and limitations.

Please help us in this effort by completing this short, four-minute survey. Please use the comment section if you’d like. There are only two weeks in the survey period—please answer the questions as soon as you can, even if you’ve never heard of the IACC until today! Your email will only be used to ensure that someone completes the survey only once. It will not be put into any database or used in any other way without your express approval. 

We need your honest answers—and we need a lot of people to complete the survey! We appreciate your time and support in answering the survey questions, and getting the word out. The survey period closes on July 31st, so please make sure you answer soon.

We’ll make a difference together! 

Fashion Rocks Autism 2018, New Time, New Location!

Join in the fun as Fashion Rocks Autism at The Valley Mansion in Hunt Valley, the season’s most meaningful, memorable, and fun event!

When: Friday, September 28, 2018, 7-10 p.m.

Cost: $125 per ticket

Schedule of Events

7-8 p.m.
The pre-show reception will feature heavy hors d’ouvres, two carving stations, desserts, and an open bar. Baltimore’s finest DJ, Vince Christopher, music will set the mood, while you bid on our silent auction and visit with exhibitors from across the Baltimore-Washington, DC region.

8-8:30 p.m.
SafeMinds stunning live auction will give you the chance to start your holiday shopping and pick up some gifts for yourself, too. It’s going to be a whirlwind of excitement you don’t want to miss.

8:30-9:30 p.m.
The fashion show and rock concert begins. Enjoy 80s and 90s music from the powerful and versatile band High Voltage, as models rock the Fashion Rocks Autism runway in designs by Baltimore’s top designers and boutiques. Models include people with autism from across the country, family members of people with autism, sports and news personalities, fashion industry leaders, Baltimore business executives, and professional models. The participating designers and boutiques are:

• A Style Studio
• Christopher Schafer Clothiers
• Francesca’s Atelier
• Sassanova Boutique
• The Little Shoebox
• Tuxedo House
• The QG Hunt Valley

9:30 p.m.
Trunk show with the clothiers selling the clothes you’ve seen in the show. You’ve asked for it, you’ve got it!

Be A Sponsor:  Learn about sponsorship opportunities. Great sponsorship opportunities still availablewith an early bird discount until April 30, 2018.

Reserve Your Seats Now!   

Note: Thank you to our friends at Safeminds for this video with Dr. Walter Zahorodny, the associate professor of pediatrics at the New Jersey Medical School at Rutgers University, and director of the New Jersey Autism Study.

Heidi Roger: Hi. I’m Heidi Roger. I am a board of director for SafeMinds, and I am the mom of a 23-year-old man with autism. Today, we’re speaking with Dr. Walter Zahorodny, the associate professor of pediatrics at the New Jersey Medical School at Rutgers University, and director of the New Jersey Autism Study. Hi.

Dr. Walter Z.: Good afternoon.

Heidi Roger: Thank you for joining us.

Dr. Walter Z.: It’s a pleasure to speak with you.

Heidi Roger: Great. We’re here because the CDC released the new autism prevalence rate of one in 59 American children. That’s up from one in 68 American children reported only two years ago. You’re the principal investigator for New Jersey on this study. Can you give us a little background on this study and your role in this study?  Read the full transcript at the Safeminds site here.

These are great tips from our friends at Generation Rescue. And most of us will ignore every single one of them, admit it. Self-care is nearly impossible for us as autism parents/caretakers.  Let me let you in on a secret. Self-care is imperative. But it might not mean what you think. Sure, a manicure might be a nice break and make for pretty hands for a few days. A run or a hike will release endorphins, and Lord knows we need them. But self-care can also mean making really hard choices and decisions for the entire family.  Whether you are a young family, single parent, managed autism for decades or somewhere in between, my best input (I won't deign to call it advice) is that you are open to changing course. Even radically.  Trust your choices and be gentle with yourself. Even when others are not. Kim

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Moms often neglect themselves and don’t always take time for self-care for the sake of their children. Their reasons range from not having enough time to feeling guilty for not putting that time towards their children. But self-care is important and we asked some of our favorite mommy warriors for their tips on how to take time for themselves

1. Make self-care a priority.

On every flight, you hear the familiar safety precaution “please put on your oxygen mask before assisting others.” And there’s a reason they tell you that. A mom’s first instinct is to help their child, but you won’t have anything left to give if you don’t give yourself what you need first. Set aside a specific time period where you can take care of yourself. If you’re in a relationship, discuss your self-care regimens with your partner to build a stronger relationship and partnership.

2. Make it simple and sustainable.

From our friends at Health Choice:

On Tuesday, February 20th, the Duke Chronicle reported that vaccine researcher, Dr. Peter Hotez spoke at the Duke Global Health Institute in the first lecture of the Victor J. Dzau Global Health Lecture Fund Series, established by Dzau in 2017, as part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Matching Grant.

Hotez reported remarks include the claim that, there is no link between autism and vaccines, and that vaccine safety and choice advocacy groups, including Texans for Vaccine Choice and NVIC, are “[Anti-vaccine organizations] camouflage themselves as a political group, but I call them for what they really are: a hate group,” Hotez said. “They are a hate group that hates their family and hates their children.”

Professor Mary Holland of NYU Law School has penned a letter to Dr. Hotez.  We join her in sentiments and demand an apology from Dr. Hotez for his smear of vaccine injury families and the organizations who represent them in their fight for full informed consent in vaccination.

Mary S. Holland
22 Washington Square North,
B-16 New York, NY 10011
(212) 998-6212

February 20, 2018

Dr. Peter Hotez, M.D.
Dean, National School of Tropical Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX

Dear Dr. Hotez:
It is with sadness and distress that I read of your inaugural Victor J. Dzau Global Health Lecture Series at Duke University. Based on reporting in the February 20, 2018 Duke Chronicle, I understand that you accused those whom you brand “anti-vaccine” as “a hate group that hates their family and hates their children.” Let me explain why I find your remarks both offensive and off-the-mark.

Like you, I am the parent of a young adult with autism. Unlike you, I believe that vaccine injury is by far the most plausible explanation for my son’s onset of autism in his second year of life. Through extensive education and work with groups that you dub “anti-vaccine,” I came to understand that vaccine-induced encephalopathy, which can manifest with “features of autism,” is a well-known phenomenon. Indeed, colleagues and I revealed that the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has been compensating such cases of brain injury, with concomitant autism, since the program’s inception in 1988.

Note: Thanks to our sponsor Generation Rescue for ideas on how we can all increase our health safety at home.  Tops are from Dr. Peter Koslowski.  Dr. Kozlowski is a Family Practice M.D. who specializes in Functional Medicine. He has trained with many leaders in the field such as Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Deepak Chopra, and Dr. Susan Blum. He focuses on nutrition, gut health, and underlying environmental triggers to create individualized treatment plans.  We encourage you to visit the GR site regularly for actionable info for the entire family.

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Team GR: Environmental detox is important for all families to consider. We asked Dr. Peter Kozlowski, one of our favorite natural medicine doctors, for the best ways to eliminate those pesky toxins lurking in our home.

Written by Dr. Peter Kozlowski, M.D.

Our homes are where we spend most of our time and a place where we can minimize our exposure to toxins.

Toxins come in all forms and sizes. We can create toxic burdens in our bodies through what we eat. High sugar diets cause high insulin, which creates metabolic toxicity.

Toxins can be chemical such as heavy metals or mycotoxins, biological such as bacterial, viral or fungal toxins, physical such as radiation or trauma, or psychological such as chronic stress or toxic relationships.

Some of these toxins are evident. Others are not so evident and quietly burden our bodies.

Here are five things you can do today to reduce your exposure to toxins in your home.

Focus on the air

Dust in the home has the highest percentage of air born pollutants. Get a HEPA/carbon air filter to control dust.

The carbon cleans gases, fumes, and smokes, while the HEPA cleans particles greater than 0.3 microns. Use a HEPA vacuum (air sealed) frequently, focus on the bedroom.

Bring down pollutants by opening your windows, but turn off your filter while open. Leave your shoes outside, they carry pesticides. Remove wall to wall carpeting, which traps toxins from our shoes, and is a source of flame retardant.

If you have poor ventilation, carbon monoxide from the furnace or hot water tank could be contaminating the air in your home. Faulty plumbing could lead to air contamination from sewer gas. If you smell or suspect mold get a mold inspection.

Finally, chimneys should be airtight glass and have a direct vent.

NOTE: It seems to me like America is in a pretty grim place of division, anger, abhorrent behavior and rancor. The holidays call for peace, happiness, joy and gratitude. Below is a perfect Hallmark card for the holidays.   Some of our kids do not speak. My Bella has very few words. She uses "Hello, Mama" for most every verbal request. Smart kid! Check out this young boy, a recipient of the Generation Rescue family grant program during his first successful visit with Santa Claus.  Please don't believe the Scrooges and Grinches who tell you autism is not treatable. That acceptance is all you need. All there is. So many of us old timers heard that over and over. There was no Google when my kids were tots. Today? You can get to Generation Rescue and other orgs, national and local to get true meaningful help for your child.  Thank you to Jenny McCarthy and Generation Rescue for their tidings of great joy - and hope.

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After years of being uncomfortable or frightened, a warrior mom participating in the Rescue Family Grant Program was shocked that her 6-year-old son with autism was excited to see Santa.

“William has always been interested in Santa but when we would go see Santa, he just couldn’t handle it – refused to speak or look in Santa’s direction and would start to cry.

We also always had to hold him. Last year we even went to great lengths to take a Santa train ride and have a private appointment with Santa in his train coach. That didn’t even work.

This year it all changed. I know this sounds dramatic, but it felt like an early holiday miracle!

When it was time for Santa to arrive, he did so on a firetruck lit up with Christmas lights. I told Will we needed to line the street to greet him. He got so excited, but I held my breath.

Santa’s Christmas Firetruck stopped in front of us and Santa climbed down the ladder and came right over to us. Will looked Santa in the eyes and said ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Thank You’ when Santa handed him a candy cane. Will also chased down Olaf the snowman and gave him hugs and danced with him!

After years of being uncomfortable or frightened, a warrior mom participating in the Rescue Family Grant Program was shocked that her 6-year-old son with autism was excited to see Santa.

“William has always been interested in Santa but when we would go see Santa, he just couldn’t handle it – refused to speak or look in Santa’s direction and would start to cry.

We also always had to hold him. Last year we even went to great lengths to take a Santa train ride and have a private appointment with Santa in his train coach. That didn’t even work.

This year it all changed. I know this sounds dramatic, but it felt like an early holiday miracle!

When it was time for Santa to arrive, he did so on a firetruck lit up with Christmas lights. I told Will we needed to line the street to greet him. He got so excited, but I held my breath.

Generati0n Rescue has a provocative post running today on their blog. Is the Vagus Nerve the Culprit Behind Speech Delay?

Team GR: Part of a healthy routine is staying in alignment. We asked chiropractor Dr. David Foss to help explain the vagus nerve and how it may be affecting individuals with autism.

Written by David Foss, D.C.

As much as I love watching some classic Elvis shows in Vegas, new studies on the vagus nerve and its implications to those with autism spectrum disorders make me sing, “Viva Las Vagus!”  

We can now understand so much more about the reasoning behind some of the behaviors that those with autism exhibit because of their neurology.   

Science can now explain how “vagal tone” influences social behavior, immune function, digestion, detoxification and heart rate.  Having a better understanding of functional neurology allows doctors to give hope for autism recovery.  

Let’s first start with some understanding of the vagus nerve and what it’s responsible for. I’ll then introduce what can happen when the vagus nerve is stressed, what can cause stress to the vagus nerve and finally how to correct the imbalance to bring about an optimally functioning nervous system.

Note: Our sponsors offer a deep well of learning. Here, Generation Rescue talks diet.  Please bookmark their blog for updates.
Thank you to Jenny, Candace and the GR team for always putting families first.

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We’re always trying to stay on top of the latest trends in functional medicine. We’ve heard a lot about the ketogenic diet and were curious about the benefits (if any) for individuals with autism. We asked functional medicine doctor Will Cole, D.C. to give us all the details.

In conversation with Dr. Will Cole

GR: What is ketosis and what does it mean to follow a ketogenic diet?

WC: A ketogenic diet is one made up of high-fat, moderate protein, and low carbohydrates. The whole goal behind a ketogenic diet is to reach a state of ketosis, where your primary energy source is fat in the form of ketones, instead of glucose.

The standard belief is that we absolutely need glucose for energy when that is simply not the case. As babies we relied on fat in the form of breast milk for optimal development. And with our brains made up of 60% fat with 25% of our bodies entire cholesterol found in the brain, it makes sense to feed our body exactly what it is made of instead of depriving it.

GR: What foods should be eliminated and why? What potential reactions could we be having as a result of eating these foods? 

WC: You should avoid all grains, most fruit, sugar and legumes. Not only can all of these be inflammatory they can interfere with your body reaching ketosis by raising your blood sugar. In addition, fruits should be eaten in moderation because of the high fructose levels. The best fruits are lemons, limes, and berries since they are low-fructose.

GR: What foods are allowed?

Read more here.

NOTE We suggest you bookmark the Generation Rescue blog as a great resource.

Team GR: Magnesium is a essential mineral we keep in our supplement cabinet. How critical is it for individuals with autism? We brought in one of our supplement experts, Jared Skowron, ND, to help us crack down the importance of taking magnesium!

Magnesium — Don’t Forget About Me!

Written by Dr. Jared Skowron

Sometimes, we forget about the old things; the classics, the foundations, like magnesium. We get excited about new things in the hopes of finding the magic bullet. Sometimes when we get wrapped up in all things new, we lose sight of pillars of importance. We must remember the foundations of health and illness: Genetics, Nutrition, Toxicity.

Where to Begin

Where do we start our journey? In the past or in the present? Looking into the future? Do we first reflect on our health and life today, or reach back into our old photo albums of sepia stained square polaroids? I think today, I’m in the mood to rewind the clock 80 years….

I found an article from Berkeley Medical School published around 1937. This was an animal study analyzing symptoms of magnesium deficiency in the diet, especially related to calcium levels and Vitamin B2 levels (which they used to call Vitamin G back in the day). What interests me is the understanding of nutrition at that time. Here’s a couple quotes:

“A fixed value cannot be given for the minimum requirement of a given element. The amount required will be found to vary with varying conditions of life,…and also in relation to the intake of other components of the diet.”

“A high content of calcium in the diet increases the severity of magnesium deficiency and raises the amount necessary to meet the minimal magnesium requirements.”

Even back then, insights were given to individuality. I listen to so many parents who want to know the perfect dose, the exact number, and frankly it depends on your child. The need varies based on the individual’s health and genetics. While 100mg is right for some, 400mg is right for others. We must follow the response to a therapy individually.  Read more here.

Fall is here! We invite and encourage you to attend the Autism Education Summit in Dallas, Texas.  Thank you to our good friends at Generation Rescue for this conference.

 

Autism Education Summit
Sponsored by Generation Rescue
9/29 - 10/1 Dallas, Texas

GO


GO.

GO.

Fall is coming! (Please don't throw tomatoes at your screen!) This means autism conferences are about to begin. We invite and encourage you to attend the Autism Education Summit in Dallas, Texas.  Thank you to our good friends at Generation Rescue for this conference.

Photo Credit: PerezHilton.com

What fun to see Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg and her husband Donnie at the Generation Rescue fund raising concert earlier this week featured on Perez Hilton!

EXCLUSIVE! Donnie Wahlberg, Jenny McCarthy, & Some Old Friends Put On An EPIC '90s Charity Concert To Help Kids With Autism — See The Pics!

We know many (OK most) autism families struggle to make ends meet given the intense needs of our kids.  But we always like to share what our wonderful sponsors are doing to raise funds for their work. Like this auction from Generation Rescue. Their funds directly support families.  Forward to family members or friends who have a few dollars to spare and want to show their support. And don't forget to tell them about Autism Age (our Age of Autism non-profit) too!  From GR:

We want everyone to feel a part of Monday night's special experience. Here's your chance to help us rock the house with our online auction of unique VIP experiences curated with love just for you! 

All proceeds from the VIP Auction go toward supporting families affected by autism. 

REGISTER NOW! 

xoxo, 

Team GR

PS: Not all items -including more NKOTB goodies - are listed yet, but keep checking back for more from all your favorites! (We’re adding items in daily between now & Monday.

NOTE: If you love reading AofA every day, you can thank Generation Rescue.  I launched Rescue Post for JB Handley 11 years ago, and then Mark Blaxill and Dan Olmsted invited me (!) to merge and become Age of Autism.  GR has a new look with the same determination to help families. Always.  I saw Jenny on Tuesday when I co-hosted her show on Sirius. Her commitment to us is unwavering. It's very cool. XOX Kim

After my son's diagnosis, generationrescue.org was the first website I turned to for information to heal him, 11 years ago. 

I am so proud to see what was once just a website has grown into a worldwide community of doctors, scientists, and devoted parents working toward the same goal... RECOVERY! 

Thank you for being part of our journey. We're so excited to invite you into the next chapter and introduce you to the new and improved generationrescue.org! 
 

Our friends at Generation Rescue are changing the lives of individuals with autism every single day. And that means changing life for entire families, for the better.  I especially love that the grants are not limited to youngsters. Many of us have older kids, my oldest is 22. And they can still benefit greatly from treatment. Thank you to Jenny McCarthy and the entire GR team. XOX

Rescue Family Grants provide autism treatment to families in financial need. The grant provides financial support, products and services for auditory listening therapy, dietary intervention training, dietary supplements, two doctor visits, and lab testing. To date, more than 700 individuals have participated in the program and report a better quality of life and improvement in speech, language, behavior, health and wellness, and social interaction. The grant is available to individuals of all ages who meet the eligibility criteria below. 

To see if you qualify for a Rescue Grant, which provides medical treatment for autism, click here.

Post a photo of your little Superstar with the hashtag it #My1in68 and let your friends and family know why their support of GR means so much to you. Don't forget to tag us! @generationrescue (It may just end up on our IG story!)  

NOTE: I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I'm quite pleased that what was a simple introduction a few years ago, has turned into meaningful progress toward recovery for so many families through Generation Rescue.  My dear friend Sarge Goodchild of Active Healing told me about the IonCleanse system and how he was seeing great results in his practice in Massachusetts. I introduced Glenn Wilhelm to Candace McDonald and well, read the rest for yourself! We need hope and progress as we head into April and the IonCleanse water is ANYTHING but BLUE, as those of you who've used it know!  KIM

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OK, if we start NOW, maybe be can find enough sitters to watch the kids and go!!!  What a way to support Generation Rescue! Kim

Monday, June 19, 2017 at 8:00 PM - Tuesday, June 20, 2017 at 1:00 AM (PDT)

St. Charles, IL

BUY TICKETS HERE

The holidays are upon us! Here's an easy way to shop and support our sponsor Safeminds.

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Don’t miss out—from November 7^th through November 30^th, SafeMinds Online Marketplace (SOM) will be available to everyone who wants to support autism advocacy, education, outreach, and research. The marketplace is an exciting auction, where you can shop for extraordinary bargains for friends and family. Click HERE to see the trips, purses, jewelry, AC/DC’s Angus Young autographed Gibson Epiphone SG guitar, clothing, books, spa visits, and wallets, among other items. There’s truly SOMething for everyone!

Why should you use SafeMinds Online Marketplace for your holiday shopping?

1) It’s fun, and there’s a big variety of really cool things from which to choose!!  Click HERE to enter the Marketplace.

2)  As the new Administration starts its term of office, SafeMinds will need to fund effective autism advocacy efforts focused on newly-appointed cabinet staff and other political appointees in the Executive Office of the President, in addition to newly-elected congressional representatives and their staff, and incumbent Members of Congress and their staff.

Your generous financial support will be greatly needed, as soon as possible, so we can begin preparation and hit the ground running early in the year!  Click HERE to enter the Marketplace.

3)  Remember how fun it is to park at the mall during the holidays? Click HERE to enter the Marketplace.

4)  SafeMinds is planning major education and outreach activities in 2017 to ensure that the conversation on autism continues to include a focus on the prevention, treatment, and resolution of moderate to severe autism; and a focus on identifying and treating potentially life-threatening, commonly co-occurring conditions with autism, including gastrointestinal disease, seizure disorders, wandering, and suicidality. Click HERE to enter the Marketplace.

UPDATE:  The person whose name has been bandied about is NOT the person in the photo. We have confirmation of this. Please put down the pitchforks before someone puts an eye out.  His rude gesture isn't appreciated by any of us. It's puerile at best. Obnoxious too.  I suppose his fight or flight kicked in and he chose.... finger.  Protests trigger anger all around.  We are a community near the brink in many ways. 

Onward with our mission. The real culprits are safely ensconced in corner offices.

There's still time to register for the Autism Education Summit in Dallas September 29 -  October 2.   Check out the keynote panel! Registration costs just $89 and includes all of this!  Click here for details.

• Access To All Summit Lectures

• Access To Saturday Night Hope for Recovery Party

• Complimentary Coffee and Tea Throughout the Event

• Gift Bag with Products, Conference Program Guide and Vendor Coupons

From our friends at Safeminds:

The time is now to take action to protect our families—H.R. 4919, Kevin and Avonte’s Law of 2016, addresses wandering incidents and fatalities in children with developmental disabilities. If passed the bill would:

• Ensure that grants from the U.S. Department of Justice can be used by state and local law enforcement agencies and nonprofits for education and training programs to proactively prevent and locate missing individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities.
  
  
• Make resources available to provide first responders and other community officials with the training necessary to better prevent and respond to these cases.

Kevin and Avonte’s Law passed by unanimous consent in the U.S. Senate in July. It is critical the bill gets the attention it deserves as soon as possible—we are hoping it is passed in early September. So here’s what we need you to do:

Contact your Representative and ask him or her to co-sponsor H.R. 4919 today.  Here are the main points for you, and feel free to add your own personal reason for calling:

• I am calling/writing to ask you to co-sponsor Kevin and Avonte’s Law, H.R. 4919.
• If enacted, H.R. 4919 would help families like mine, and would work to keep children with autism — and other developmental disabilities — safe.
• Thank you for helping to protect some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

With your help and a donation, SafeMinds can make a positive impact on the lives of individuals and families living with autism. Thanks for your time and treasure! To donate to SafeMinds, click here.

From Generation Rescue:

We're excited to announce that Jacqueline and Chris Laurita will once again be joining us on Friday, June 24th for the 8th Annual Rescue Our Angels. 

One of the original ladies of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Jacqueline Laurita is a revered TV personality, mom, wife, philanthropist, and businesswoman. She is returning to the cast this year and the new season debuts on July 10th. Jacqueline is also the co-author of two books, Get It! A Beauty, Style and Wellness Guide To Getting Your 'It' Together, available now and Defy Expectations, coming this fall and written with her husband, Chris, on their struggles and successes while raising a child on the Autism Spectrum, with secrets to keeping their marriage strong.

A mother to Ashlee, 25, CJ, 14 and Nicholas, 7, Jacqueline is a Warrior Mom and has been a celebrity ambassador to several non-profit Autism organizations, since Nicholas was diagnosed. She regularly travels the country as a sought-after public speaker raising Autism awareness. Her mission is not only to help her youngest son reach his full potential, but to also help as many families as she can along the way. 

Jacqueline and Chris are amazing parents and we're so thankful that they will be supporting Rescue Our Angels again this year! Time is running out to get your tickets as sales end at midnight on June 20th. Please visit www.RescueOurAngels.com to buy your tickets or make a donation.

Download the video podcast here.  Ms. Wiederlight’s testimony starts at 03:26:00

SafeMinds Executive Director Lisa Wiederlight testified in front of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) in January to ask its members to immediately establish the four work groups SafeMinds recommended at the November 16, 2015 meeting. The work groups are:

1) Environmental Factors that May Underlie the Rise in Autism Prevalence
2) Co-occurring Conditions with Autism
3) Autism and Wandering
4) Caregiver Support

Ms. Wiederlight’s full testimony is below:

My name is Lisa Wiederlight. I am the mother of a 15 year old son with autism, and executive director of SafeMinds, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to end the autism epidemic by promoting environmental research and effective treatments.

In November, I asked this Committee to form four workgroups to address the urgency of the autism crisis. I am told that you must begin to formulate a Strategic Plan immediately, and so I ask that these workgroups are established today, to inform the Strategic Plan document.  The four workgroups are: (1) Environmental Factors that May Underlie the Rise in Autism Prevalence; (2) Co-occurring Conditions with Autism; (3) Autism and Wandering; and (4) Caregiver Support.

Workgroup 1: the Environment. Autism is an urgent issue for this country—in terms of the safety, health, and welfare of people with autism and the skyrocketing costs to American taxpayers. As you know, autism prevalence has increased from 1 in 88 in 2012 to 1 in 45 in 2015, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With a number of potential environmental causes tentatively identified scientifically but no policy in place to utilize these findings for prevention, it is unlikely this number will cease its downward spiral anytime soon.

Read more here.

Albert Enayati, co-founder and board member of SafeMinds, testified in front of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) at its January 2016 meeting, to support SafeMinds' recommendation of forming a workgroup on co-occurring conditions with autism. He stressed that there "is an urgent need for a workgroup to follow promising treatment leads, shepherd existing treatments through clinical trials and facilitate FDA approvals and/or mainstream acceptance." 

His full testimony follows:

My name is Albert Enayati. My son regressed into autism after receiving seven vaccines in the space of two days.

Today, I would like to expand on the SafeMinds recommendation to establish a workgroup under the IACC to investigate co-occurring conditions. Many of the most disabling or fatal features that are present in a person on the spectrum are co-morbid conditions. These conditions are amendable to treatment. There is an urgent need for a workgroup to follow promising treatment leads, shepherd existing treatments through clinical trials and facilitate FDA approvals and/or mainstream acceptance. This group would require membership from within the committee as well as significant representation from the broader autism advocacy and research communities. An example is Isaac Kohane, MD of Harvard Medical School[i] who was invited to speak to the IACC in the past and who has the knowledge to advise IACC on this topic. Over the history of the IACC, there has been no coordinated effort to develop treatments for people on the spectrum. 

Despite 1.6 billion dollars in spending, parents still have few options that have been proven effective. Risperdal and Abilify are only appropriate for certain symptoms and have significant side effects. We can and must do better. In 2015, researchers at Johns Hopkins University Medical School in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital for Children determined that chemicals extracted from broccoli sprouts may help ease autism symptoms[ii] . In another published paper, researchers at Stanford University found that symptoms of autism can be caused by a gene mutation that both blocks the body's natural production of endocannabinoids and also interferes with the way cannabinoids communicate with the brain[iii]. These leads need immediate follow-up and there is currently no mechanism to ensure this. 

There are existing medications such as antibiotics, pioglitazone (Actos), and naltrexone that need further study in autism. In addition, there are vitamins and supplements such as folinic acid, melatonin, methyl B-12, carnitine, folinic acid, probiotics and tetrahydrobipterin that have preliminary evidence of efficacy, but need further study. Lastly, many psychiatric medications are prescribed off-label for those with autism despite lack of properly controlled clinical trials and long-term safety studies in this population. A toll-free number and the IAN surveys should be used to collect community input on treatments to be investigated and to report side effects as a way to include the broad community's input. All of these areas need the concentrated attention of a dedicated workgroup to move the research forward. Perhaps most importantly, this workgroup should play a key role in identifying the biomarkers associated with various comorbidities, assessing what treatments might help, and shepherding these treatments through clinical trials. For example, someone with a co-occurring phenotype of PANDAs and tics will have an underlying immune problem (biomarker) and can be treated with an existing and validated intervention (IVIG) for PANDAS. Or, someone with co-occurring irritability and glutathione imbalance can be helped by N-Acetyl Cysteine treatment. We need to investigate broadly what differentiates the biology of people with autism compared to controls and pursue treatments that make sense. Related to all of this, I must draw attention to the fact that the IACCs database of published research in autism is now ridiculously out of date[iv]. 

Read the full post here.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Lyn Redwood, she is a Nurse who sounded the alarm on the number of micrograms of mercury being injected into babies, including her son, when industry, government agencies and the pediatric community had failed to do the same. The result was the beginning of the biomedical autism movement really.  She recently was a member of  IACC - which had to have been akin to sleeping on a bed of nails - with grace and tenacity.  Learn more about Lyn's decades long contribution to helping our kids and the history of our community in David Kirby's book Evidence of Harm.

Below is an excerpt from the SafeMinds site - please read the full article here.

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SafeMinds co-founder and board member Lyn Redwood spoke at last weekend’s Truth, Transparency & Freedom Rally.  Read her moving account of decades of Federal inaction on vaccine harms – and her personal triumph helping her own son lead a successful life beyond autism.

My name is Lyn Redwood. I have a master’s in nursing and worked for years as a nurse practitioner in obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics.  I co-founded the nonprofit organization SafeMinds in 2000 and the National Autism Association in 2003, and I have been fighting on behalf of families affected by autism for over 15 years.

My youngest son weighed in at almost 9 lbs at birth. He was a strapping, happy baby who smiled, cooed, walked, and talked all by one year.  Shortly after his first birthday we started to lose him.  Suddenly my active, healthy baby was sick all the time. He had back-to-back colds, ear infections, and even strep throat. All he wanted to do was to sit in front of the TV and watch the Disney movie, “The Fox and the Hound,” over and over again. And he would cry inconsolably if you interrupted his routine.  He stopped interacting with us, he refused to eat most foods and suffered intermittent bouts of diarrhea. He also lost all the words he had been saying and the twinkle in his eye was gone too.  Something was horribly wrong with my beautiful baby boy.

At first he was diagnosed with a global receptive and expressive speech delay. Typanostomy tubes and aggressive speech therapy did nothing to help him recover his speech. Then he was diagnosed with autism.

SafeMinds Review of Autism-Like Outcomes from Vaccinations in a Non-Human Primate Model

Findings identify distortion in public reporting and argue need for full disclosure of study documents.
 
Does published research always reflect the truth? A research paper came out last month in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences with this title: Administration of thimerosal-containing vaccines to infant rhesus macaques does not result in autism-like behavior or neuropathology. The paper, by Bharathi Gadad, Laura Hewitson and colleagues, concluded that "administration of TCVs and/or the MMR vaccine to rhesus macaques does not result in neuropathological abnormalities, or aberrant behaviors, like those observed in ASD."

This paper was preceded earlier this year by another based on the same primate model of vaccine administration and autism and was led by the same primary investigators. It too was published in a prestigious journal, Environmental Health Perspectives. It also "provided no consistent evidence of neuro-developmental deficits or aberrant behavior in vaccinated animals."

Pretty strong conclusions. Case closed, no? Well, not so fast. The Medical literature is rife with misreported investigations and selective reporting. What is published in journals is only a small piece of the entire body of any investigation's work, and some investigations are not published at all, so a large part of the evidence base may remain largely invisible to the scientific community or to the public. What's ultimately published may reflect bias, intentional or not.

SafeMinds partially funded this investigation of vaccine administration and autism-like outcomes in a non-human primate model. We have been following it since its inception in 2003, have had regular internal updates from and interaction with various investigators, and have read all the public documents that have appeared from this decade-long, complex placebo-controlled experiment. Based on our knowledge, SafeMinds has serious concerns about the validity of the conclusions of the two most recent papers.  Read the full article at SafeMinds.

From our friends at Safeminds:

Wednesday afternoon we got a voicemail from a reporter at Newsweek asking SafeMinds how much money we spent on a primate vaccine safety study that was just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. We weren’t sure why Newsweek wanted this dollar figure, and what relevance it had in the endless mudslinging in the vaccine-autism debates.

We sent the reporter this following statement:

“The epidemic of autism is expected to cost the country $1 trillion by 2025 if prevalence trends continue. In a recent study, over 40 percent of parents agree or strongly agree that vaccines played a part in the development of their children’s autism. The vaccine primate study in question consisted of multiple phases. The initial phase found a series of negative effects in infant reflexes and brain growth among those exposed to vaccines. The second, recent phase purported to find no effect. SafeMinds has concerns about changes in the study design protocol and analysis that may have led to these contradictory results. We are in the process of collecting and reviewing additional information regarding this study.”

The reporter, Jessica Firger, told us she was delaying her article until she could speak with us directly about the statement. We thought this was a good sign, so Thursday afternoon my colleague and SafeMinds Board President, Sallie Bernard, and I spoke with Firger for about 20 minutes by phone.

From our friends at SafeMinds. 

Childhood Vaccines Make it Into Presidential Debate — View Transcript Here
Download Release Here as PDF

SafeMinds is delighted that several candidates for president of the United States have been speaking out on national television about the epidemic of autism in our country, as well as the choice that some parents and medical professionals are making to slow down and spread out the administration of childhood vaccines. Autism prevalence rates have skyrocketed since the 1980s. Prior to that decade, autism was reported to affect 1 in 2,000 children(1). Now, the data show that 1 in 68 children has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (2).

The autism epidemic continues to escalate unchecked as indicated by the latest California prevalence numbers (3), and it must receive the priority it deserves so that we can better protect children born today. A new study from the University of California-Davis estimates that autism will cost the United States $268 million in 2015, and this number is projected to increase to $1 trillion by 2025 if prevalence trends continue(4). This is far more than Alzheimer’s is expected to cost(5).

While autism is not new, the explosion of environmentally-induced brain disorders is unprecedented. Independent scientists have confirmed what classroom teachers and parents already know—the increase in autism is not just a question of better diagnosis or more awareness. Rather, it is also the result of something environmental, or perhaps several environmental factors, causing harm to children’s brains(6). Autism is one of the major crises of our time.

From our friends at SafeMinds. Read the entire article at the SafeMinds site.

"Acetaminophen as a cause of the autism pandemic? It makes absolutely no sense … at first."

Dr. William Parker

My research looks at what causes harmful inflammation in people in Western societies. The triggers of inflammation are recent developments in human history, appearing after the agricultural revolution only 10,000 years ago. Most did not appear until just a few decades ago, as we entered the post-industrial age [1]. My favorite example is the loss of biodiversity from the human body. Humans have always been bathed inside and out with bacteria, viruses, fungi, worms, and other organisms, but in recent decades our bodies' ecosystems have become much less diverse, to our detriment.

Inflammation can be described simply as an aggressive immune response. It's not a bad thing, and in fact is necessary under certain circumstances. However, inflammation in Western society has gotten out of control, resulting in pandemics of allergies, autoimmune conditions, and increased rates of cancer.

SafeMinds joins the autism community in mourning the death of Dr. Jeff Bradstreet. Jeff was remarkable. Always working so hard for our autistic children, recognizing that they suffered from comorbid conditions long before the medical establishment. You see, Jeff was one of us, a parent of an autistic child. He understood our heartbreak, our hope, our struggles, and our happiness over the “small” things: a new word, better behavior for one day at school, more smiles indicating our child felt better… a brown, formed poop. He rejoiced when we rejoiced. With his death, there is a hole left in the universe; and a Grand Canyon sized gap in the autism community.

Jeff wasn’t just an autism clinician treating our kids. Following a protocol that seemed to work for one child, then forcing our children’s square needs into round holes. He searched for answers for every child’s medical needs knowing that every child was an individual.

Jeff was a thinker… always making things happen. Publishing science. Understanding that every research paper adds to the knowledge needed to tackle and stop the autism epidemic. He collaborated with so many other doctors in the US and other countries, continuing the vision of Dr. Bernie Rimland, who wanted autism doctors to share their knowledge of what was working.

From our sponsor Safeminds:

Durham, NC — The idea that loss of species diversity from the ecosystem of the human body is leading to inflammation and disease is gaining widespread acceptance. This loss of diversity, known as “biome depletion”, is caused by a variety of factors in modern society and has an effect on every aspect of our body’s development and function, including our brain’s development and function. Most attention among scientists and the media alike has focused on the microbiome, the microorganisms or germs in our biome. However, a substantial body of experimental evidence points toward the presence or absence of larger organisms, helminths or worms, as having a generally more global effect on the body’s function, including alteration in the microbiome.

In a recent study funded in part by SafeMinds and published in the journal Gut Microbes , a team of investigators at Duke University asked what effect the addition of worms to a rat’s biome would have on the rat’s gut bacteria. Would the helminths affect the gut microbiome or would the microorganisms remain blissfully ignorant of the worm’s presence?

Read more here.

This ad is running in the Sacramento Bee today.  Go to YourFamilyYourChoice.org to learn more.

SACRAMENTO, CA—Survey USA released new poll results today showing the majority of California residents believe parents and doctors, and not bureaucrats at the State Capitol, should make vaccination choices. SB277 (Pan/Allen) eliminates the Personal Belief Exemption for vaccination, and would deny a child the right of a classroom education if their parents chose to exempt them from one, some or any of California's state-mandated vaccines.  

Opposition to this bill has reached record numbers.  More than 1000 concerned California parents have shown up to express their opposition during recent Health and Education Committees hearings, many making trips multiple times from all over the state. 

“Bills like SB277 are dying all over the country because this is America and we value freedom. In recent weeks, Oregon, Washington, Maryland, North Carolina, New Mexico, Illinois and Texas realized their proposed bills like SB277 were far too draconian to impose on their citizens. Those bills died. Is California going to join ranks with only Mississippi and West Virginia and be the third state that does not value parental choice,” asked Jude Tovatt of the California Coalition for Health Choice.

Thank you to Safeminds for their support on this study.

By Duke Medicine News and Communications

DURHAM, N.C. – A growing body of evidence in the medical community holds that greater diversity of bacteria and even worms in the digestive tract offers protection against a variety of allergic and autoimmune problems.

Germs from healthy people can be used to heal people with digestive disorders and other conditions caused by the loss of their own germs, and worms that live in the gut, called helminths, have shown success in quelling inflammatory diseases.

With this in mind, researches at Duke Medicine hypothesized that enhancing biodiversity in laboratory rats, including treating the rats with worms, would suppress their immune systems. Because worms have been shown to subdue inflammatory diseases such as asthma and allergies, the thinking was, the treated immune system would not fight infections as effectively.

Actual findings were quite the opposite. Researchers found enhanced rather than suppressed immune function in animals with increased biodiversity.

Publishing online in the April 8, 2015, issue of PLOS ONE, the findings add to the growing understanding of the complex environment in the digestive tract and its role in maintaining health.

“We were surprised – we thought enhancing biodiversity would make the animals more immune-suppressed,” said senior author William Parker, Ph.D., associate professor of surgery at Duke. “But it appears that at the same time we enhanced the biodiversity in a way that should suppress allergy and auto-immunity, we also enhanced the immune response to a variety of stimuli.”

By Katie Weisman

Five Ways to Really Help People with Autism

So, it’s Autism Awareness Month again. Hmmm….

Facebook is abuzz with posts about autism awareness. Buildings are lighting up in blue to show support for autism, while Twitter is chirping with the hashtags #autism and #awareness. There are hundreds of events around the country celebrating that more and more people know what autism is. Frankly, I think you’d have to be a hermit not to have heard of autism by now. The problem is that nobody seems concerned about how common autism has become.

I’m still waiting for the part where our government and the general public wake up and realize that what was considered a “rare disorder” when my boys were diagnosed 14 years ago, is now affecting children in every neighborhood in America.

Actually, in my neighborhood, counting my boys, there are eight kids on the spectrum. Eight children! And only one is high-functioning enough that you wouldn’t immediately know he’s on the spectrum. The general disregard for the increased numbers of people with autism baffles me. It is, as my son Don would say, an “Epic Fail! “

What are you doing for April Autism ACTION month in honor of someone you love with autism!?  Blue buildings to raise money for seminars on how to raise money from autism doesn't cut it with AofA or our friends at GR.

Go to www.generationrescue.org
Print out a form
Choose something to "give up" for April
Post a selfie on social media holding the form with your ACTION using hashtag #ChatAutism
Donate to the Grant program each time you are tempted or..... give in to temptation!

SafeMinds is excited to announce that the digital download and DVD release of Trace Amounts will be available on Thursday, April 2nd, World Autism Awareness Day!.

Trace Amounts is a compelling documentary that tells the story of one man's journey (Eric Gladden) coping with the neurological effects of mercury poisoning that he believes resulted from a vaccine containing the mercury-based preservative thimerosal.

The mission of Trace Amounts is to educate the world on the dangers of mercury and to eliminate mercury-based products and manufacturing processes immediately and responsibly, starting with the removal of mercury from all medical products.

We need your support in sharing Trace Amounts with your friends and family in an effort to protect them from the harm that was inflicted on Mr. Gladden; help educate our community with the right science and get them involved to take positive action.
 
As a Trace Amounts Coalition Partner, SafeMinds will receive a $1.00 donation for each copy purchased.  So please us the promo code TASAFE when you purchase to support SafeMinds.  Digital Downloads and DVD purchases will be available April 2nd  at TraceAmounts.com. 

By Lyn Redwood

I’ve blogged about the one-sided and exaggerated media coverage of the measles before. My colleagues and I are used to name-calling. But the hate circulating on the Internet and in mainstream newspapers about measles this week has escalated so much that even I am in shock.

In case you missed it, there is an article in USA Today claiming that non-vaccinating parents should be jailed and a Forbes opinion piece suggesting lawyers should sue parents whose children are not vaccinated against the measles.

The mainstream is actually endorsing and promoting the idea that we should put parents in jail, take their children away from them, and vaccinate the children against their parents’ best judgment. In America, not Stalin’s Soviet Union.  Read the full article at Safeminds.org.

Those of you who are fairly new to the Age of Autism family might not know our history, particularly our history with our sponsor Generation Rescue.  The "prototype" AofA was a blog called "The Rescue Post," and it was launched by JB Handley and  GenRescue.  Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill formed Age of Autism and rolled in Rescue Post, thus a star was born!  GR, like each of our sponsors, and like all of the most effective autism orgs, runs lean and mean and provides immediately accessible information and services to families.   You could say the walk they walk without the walk.....   From GR:

"Today is "#GivingTuesday, a day for donations. And while we know that all of us run on tight budgets, if you have family and friends who are looking to donate to an autism organizations, we hope you might suggest Generation Rescue as a wise choice.

You already know Black Friday. You've probably heard of Cyber Monday. Now we want to introduce to you: #GivingTuesday! 

On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.

This year, join us and give hope to families affected by autism."

By Eric Uram

If, like me, you grew up learning “germs make you sick,” you probably think bacteria are the bad guys.

It’s bacteria (Streptococcus pyogenes), after all, that cause strep throat.

And bacteria (E. coli) that cause urinary tract infections.

And bacteria (Salmonella) that cause food poisoning.

So, bacteria, of course, is bad.

Right?

The microbial world has been getting a bad rap for years.

But we humans have actually evolved to co-exist with bacteria.

Even more than coexisting, we humans are actually walking, talking microbial communities.

Bacteria is often beneficial

The bacterial cells in our bodies outnumber skin, blood, organ and other cells at least ten to one.

It’s not just that bacteria aren’t harmful. Bacteria are actually essential to our health. Bacteria and other microorganisms play a critical role in our survival.

Our skin, mouth, airways, gastro-intestinal and urogenital tracts all have microbial populations that co-exist and provide assistance to us. The microorganisms in our bodies help us digest our food, are a vital part of our immune system, and even help us grow.

Yet because of aggressive anti-bacteria health campaigns and propaganda and the relentless marketing of antibiotics (seen a hand sanitizer commercial lately?), we are actually threatening the environmental balance by creating antibiotic resistant superbugsand harming human health.

On October 4, 2013, Avonte Oquendo eloped from his autism school in Queens, New York and vanished into thin air.  His remains were found in January, in the icy waters of The East River.

Avonte was just one of many children, from tots to teens, who has died as a result of his or her autism. Safety is of paramount important in our community. There are orgs trying to promote safety, encourage programs and spread the world that autism is indeed deadly - from the outside in, which is to say, every bit as deadly as some cancers.



Our friends at National Autism Association are leading the way in safety with their Big Red Safety Box program.  That program is currently "open" for families to apply for a FREE safety kit.   Kits are available on a first come, first served basis and include:

1) Our Get REDy booklet containing the following educational materials and tools:

         A caregiver checklist
         A Family Wandering Emergency Plan
         A first-responder profile form
         A wandering-prevention brochure
         A sample IEP Letter
         A Student Profile Form

2) Two (2) Door/Window Alarms with batteries

3) One (1) RoadID Personalized, Engraved Shoe ID Tag*

4) Five (5) Laminated Adhesive Stop Sign Visual Prompts for doors and windows

5) Two (2) Safety Alert Window Clings for car or home windows

6) One (1) Red Safety Alert Wristband

Click HERE to apply for a kit or to make a donation to this life saving program. Thank you.

Congrats to Michael Bailey, Brooke Gorham, Real Tanner's Dad and Andrea Keller.

Contest is closed. Thank you.

###

Our generous sponsor Lee Silsby is offering four free bottles of Enhansa to AofA readers.  Choose from 150 mg 150 cap bottle or Enhansa REPAIR anti-inflammatory support, 60 cap bottle.

Enhansa is a proprietary blend of curcuminoids derived from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa (Curcumin). It is the specific ratio of curcuminoids, along with the specialized method of extraction, which allows for the unique benefits of Enhansa as compared to other Curcumin products.

Some of the positive results have been mentioned in a recent 20-patient study on Enhansa and concurred by hundreds of practitioners that prescribe it on a daily basis to their patients. Take a look at some testimonials here.

Enhansa has been tested to be very low in oxalates and phenols. Each batch of Enhansa is tested for heavy metal content. The results of the testing show that most heavy metals are below the detectable limit, and those that are detectable exist at extremely low concentrations.

 A large and growing body of research has been dedicated to the study of plant polyphenols and their anti-inflammatory properties. The findings have been very promising so far. As a result of this, Lee Silsby Compounding Pharmacy has developed Enhansa-Repair™, a proprietary blend of specialized extracts that aims to harness the significant potential of plant polyphenols to alter the inflammatory response.* Each ingredient used in Enhansa-Repair™ was chosen based on the following criteria:

A large body of research on the anti-inflammatory effects of the plant
A long history of medicinal use in humans, with low side-effect profile
The extraction process must yield an extract with high potency, absorption, purity, and standardization

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

Fraud investigation is warranted, says SafeMinds.

Atlanta, GA — For over a decade SafeMinds has claimed that the CDC manipulated data to show no link between vaccines and autism. But at least for one study, the rumors were put an end.

In a statement, William Thompson, Ph.D. acknowledged that he and his co-authors “omitted statistically significant information” linking the MMR vaccine to an increased risk of autism in a 2004 study. An independent reanalysis of the same data suggests that African American males have a 340% increased risk of autism if they received the vaccine prior to 36 months of age. Thompson also admitted to a cover-up of the increased risk, stating, “Decisions were made regarding which findings to report after the data were collected, and I believe that the final study protocol was not followed.”

“This is the tip of the iceberg,” says Lyn Redwood, RN, MSN, Vice President of SafeMinds. “We have found problems with every result generated by the CDC claiming no autism-vaccine link.  Sadly, their studies were utilized by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to deny restitution to over 5000 families whose children developed autism after vaccines.”

In 2004, CDC researcher Thomas Verstraeten published a study examining the mercury preservative thimerosal that had similar protocol manipulations. The first run of the raw data obtained by SafeMinds showed that children were 7.6 to 11.4 times more likely to have autism if they had high exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines compared to no exposure. Four alterations of the data occurred until the final publication showed no statistically significant findings.