SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT "Healing Autism:
No Finer a Cause on the Planet"
________________________________________________________________
Monday, April 4, 2005 Vol. 9 No. 54


RESEARCH
* Study Links Free Radicals to the Spectrum of Autism
* A Two-Phased Population Epidemiological Study Of The Safety of
Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: A Follow-Up Analysis

PUBLIC HEALTH
* "Must Read" Evidence of Harm Reviewed
* CDC Issues Response To Book Expose of Mercury-Vaccine 'Whitewash'
* Drugs firms 'Creating Ills For Every Pill'

ADVOCACY
* Ontario's Autistic Children Win Court Victory

TREATMENT
* California Feingold Doctor Vindicated

EVENTS
* Evidence of Harm Author on Imus Radio Show Today 7:30am East.
* "Spirited Talks" on Autism on San Francisco's NPR Monday PM
* Rally At The Ohio Statehouse Wednesday, April 13 at 11 AM

LETTERS
* Mirror Neuron Dysfunction
* Response to No Thimerosal in Denmark



RESEARCH

Study Links Free Radicals to the Spectrum of Autism

A Metabolic Flaw May Account Partly For The Range In Severity Shown In
Children With The Developmental Disorder, Scientists Report.

By Robert Lee Hotz for the LA Times.
http://tinyurl.com/42mor

Many autistic children share a chronic flaw in the body's natural
defenses against oxygen free radicals - corrosive molecules in the body that
can severely damage developing brain cells, scientists said Saturday in San
Diego.
The molecular havoc caused by free radicals - natural byproducts of
metabolism - is believed to be a major factor in the cell damage that
underlies aging.
Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in
Little Rock found that a single breakdown in the body's metabolism might
underlie many of the puzzling symptoms of autism, a complex developmental
disability with a spectrum of behaviors.
"This is a very promising thing to look at because it gets at the
actual metabolic processes in the brain," said UCLA neurologist George
Bartzokis, who did not participate in the research. "The brain is especially
vulnerable to damage from free radicals."
Those with autism typically have difficulty communicating and
interacting with other people. It strikes some in infancy. Other children
may develop normally for several years before falling into a private world
where normal social interaction and behavior becomes impossible.
The new findings also may help shed light on the condition's range in
severity because maturing neurons and synapses are especially vulnerable to
this biomolecular bombardment. Autism could therefore cause different
symptoms and degrees of severity in children depending on when the disorder
is triggered.
Normally, the body shields itself from such damage with a chemical
produced by every cell called glutathione, which neutralizes oxygen free
radicals. It binds to them, altering their electron balance and sees them
safely expelled from the body.
By analyzing blood samples from 95 autistic children and 75 healthy
ones, researchers led by biochemist S. Jill James at the University of
Arkansas determined that levels of this protective antioxidant were
abnormally low in many autistic children.
They presented their work at the Experimental Biology 2005 conference
in San Diego.
The finding is suggestive, several experts said, because glutathione
also is crucial for neutralizing toxic heavy metals such as mercury, which
is found in food, the air and, at one time, a vaccine preservative called
thimerosal.
"When glutathione is less available, then it is easier for things to
get out of balance and the free radicals can cause more damage," James said.
"One interpretation of this finding is that children with autism would be
less able to detoxify and eliminate these heavy metals."
The researchers cautioned that they do not know whether this metabolic
flaw precedes the disorder or is one of its symptoms. Indeed, no one knows
what causes autism, which has increased in prevalence 10-fold during the
last 15 years. So far, there is no medical test that can identify it
reliably.
Most experts agree that autism most probably involves the interaction
of many genes that together predispose a child to the condition, combined
with some outside factor that triggers the disorder. No one has identified
any genes for autism, nor is there any consensus on what environmental
factor is involved.
"We have added now the fact that there may also be a metabolic
component that reflects both the underlying genetics and the environment,"
James said.
[Thanks to Phillip Hain.]



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* * *

A Two-Phased Population Epidemiological Study Of The Safety Of
Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: A Follow-Up Analysis

http://www.MedSciMonit.com/pub/vol_11/no_4/6630.pdf

David A. Geier1, Mark R. Geier2 1MedCon, Inc., U.S.A 2 The Genetic Centers
of America, U.S.A Potential Conflict of Interest: Dr. Mark Geier has been an
expert witness and consultant in cases in involving vaccines before the
no-fault National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) and in civil
litigation. David Geier has been a consultant in cases involving vaccines
before the no-fault NVICP and in civil litigation

Summary
Thimerosal is an ethylmercury-containing preservative in vaccines.
Toxicokinetic studies have shown children received doses of mercury from
thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs) that were in excess of safety
guidelines. Previously, an ecological study showing a significant
association between TCVs and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) in the US
was published in this journal.
A two phased population-based epidemiological study was undertaken.
Phase one evaluated reported NDs to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting
System (VAERS) following thimerosal-containing
Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular-Pertussis (DTaP) vaccines in comparison to
thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines administered from 1997 through 2001. Phase two
evaluated the automated Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) for cumulative
exposures to mercury from TCVs at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 6-monthsof-age for infants
born from 1992 through 1997 and the eventual risk of developing NDs.
Phase one showed significantly increased risks for autism, speech
disorders, mental retardation, personality disorders, and thinking
abnormalities reported to VAERS following thimerosal-containing DTaP
vaccines in comparison to thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines. Phase two showed
signifi cant associations between cumulative exposures to thimerosal and the
following types of NDs: unspecified developmental delay, tics, attention
deficit disorder (ADD), language delay, speech delay, and neurodevelopmental
delays in general.
This study showed that exposure to mercury from TCVs administered in
the US was a consistent significant risk factor for the development of NDs.
It is clear from these data and other recent publications linking TCVs with
NDs that additional ND research should be undertaken in the context of
evaluating mercury-associated exposures and thimerosal-free vaccines should
be made available.
Mark R. Geier, 14 Redgate Ct., Silver Spring, MD 20905, U.S.A.,
e-mail: mgeier@...
* * *

PUBLIC HEALTH

"Must Read" Evidence of Harm
Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy by David
Kirby

Reviewed by Mark Sircus Ac., OMD. Medical Veritas,
http://www.imva.info/main.html

From the halls of Congress, to the kitchen table of SafeMinds
president, Lyn Redwood, to behind the closed doors of the clandestine CDC
Simpsonwood meeting, Evidence of Harm is a Who's Who of the autism advocacy
community and a Whodunnit of the most heinous and far-reaching iatrogenic
epidemic known to modern man.
This book reads like a detective novel and a history book all at once.
Reading this book as the parent of a child with vaccine-induced
autism/mercury poisoning, and even though Mr. Kirby states facts and makes
no judgment, I was constantly covering my mouth with horror and needing to
take frequent breaks due to the intensity of the information presented and
the repeated implicit reminder that "THEY KNEW" and that, hence, the
perpetuation of this tragedy was preventable.
Reading this book as a seasoned advocate, I was impressed at the
investigative detail presented by Mr. Kirby that held even my interest.
Lastly, reading this book as a member of the autism advocacy
community, I appreciated the personal stories and tenacious struggles that
Mr. Kirby shared about others in the autism advocacy community, which adds a
dimension to the respect that all of us waging this sustained battle should
feel towards one another.

This book does not rest on sentimentality.
This book contains scientific information substantiating the validity
of a Thimerosal-autism connection.
And this book contains numerous quotes from agency personnel and
government officials lending credence to the connection - even an FDA
official condemning the FDA's failure to do simple high school algebra that
could have prevented multitudes of infants from being mercury poisoned.
And HOW did little mercury poisoned, vaccine-injured, disabled
children end up being involved in the rider surreptitiously inserted into
the Homeland Security Bill at the eleventh hour? Evidence of Harm raises
that question, too.

If you DON'T have an affected child and you're NOT a member of the
autism advocacy community, why should you read this book? Precisely because
this iatrogenic debacle occurred under the allegedly watchful eyes of some
of America's - even the world's most prestigious and trusted public
agencies, you must be aware of what has happened.
If the mass poisoning of thousands upon thousands of children is found
to be true, you have paid with your tax dollars and votes for agencies and
officials that have let you down.
You have paid and will continue to pay with your tax dollars and
diminished quality of life for generations of children who are poisoned,
brain-damaged, dysfunctional, and maladapted to productive living in our
society.
You are paying for medical, educational, social service, and adult
service programs to handle a vast number of poisoned youths and debilitated
adults.
YOUR health and the health of YOUR children are in jeopardy, because
the same agencies and public servants who were "asleep at the switch" or
that tried to cover up the largest iatrogenic tragedy wrought upon America
and the world are still in control, are still being protected, and are still
protecting the powerful pharmaceutical companies that weigh in heavily on
Capitol Hill.
Countries affected by this catastrophe will never be the same: the
intellectual heritage has been plundered and the future for these children
and these countries cannot ever be the same.
Evidence of Harm provides substantiation of this preventable disaster
to all Americans and the world.

Text Box: Evidence of Harm delves into the scientific, political,
bureaucratic, legal, and personal aspects involved in the Thimerosal-autism
question, weaving them together in a riveting tapestry that will hold the
interest of parents of newly diagnosed children, seasoned advocates, and
members of the general public.
This book is a must-read for relatives, educators, legislators, and
medical practitioners who are not familiar with many of the challenges that
children who are diagnosed with autism and their parents must face.
Evidence of Harm is a powerful historical account that captures and
exposes the debacle that has been wrought upon innumerable children.
[Thanks to Teri Small.]
* * *

CDC Issues Response To Book Expose of Mercury-Vaccine 'Whitewash'

From Stephen L. Cochi, Acting Director, National Immunization Program,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for internal distribution.

This message is to inform you of the release of a new book entitled
"'Evidence of Harm, Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical
Controversy," authored by David Kirby, a journalist and freelance writer.
The book is a "look back" at issues related to thimerosal and vaccines - and
is primarily written from the perspective of people who believe there is an
association between vaccines and autism. Mr. Kirby is on a media tour to
promote the book, a schedule of which can be found at
www.evidenceofharm.com.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are an urgent public health issue,
and affect the lives of too many families. Parents and families who have
children affected by ASD are understandably interested in finding the causes
of this lifelong disability. We appreciate the concern of parents of
children with autism and their desire for information about its cause and
treatment. We are dedicated to understanding better the biological,
environmental, and gene-environmental causes of autism and other
developmental disabilities. There is much that remains unknown about
autism. However, we do know that early identification and intervention can
help improve children's outcomes. CDC continues to support research related
to autism, including studies designed to examine the possible causal
association between autism and other possible environmental causes,
including thimerosal-containing vaccines.
We at CDC are in the process of reviewing Mr. Kirby's book in detail,
but the general issues raised in the book have already been extensively
examined, including by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in the past few
years. As the IOM concluded in a recent report, the vast majority of
studies, which have involved hundreds of thousands of children in a number
of countries, have failed to find any association between exposure to
thimerosal in vaccines and autism; that is, they have failed to find any
evidence of harm.
CDC places a high priority on vaccine safety and the integrity and
credibility of its vaccine safety research. We welcome attention and
interest on vaccine safety. The public should expect safe vaccines, and the
public is entitled to safe vaccines. CDC is committed to monitoring and
ensuring vaccine safety. We carefully evaluate allegations of harmful
vaccine effects and are prepared to adjust our policies if allegations prove
scientifically valid.
Given the historical nature of the book, it is important to emphasize
that today, with the exception of some influenza (flu) vaccines, none of the
vaccines used in the U.S. to protect preschool children against 12
infectious diseases contain thimerosal as a preservative. Though some flu
vaccines contain thimerosal as a preservative, preservative free, reduced
thimerosal-content influenza vaccines are also available for use in infants,
with the supply expected to increase significantly for the coming next
season.
CDC and a number of agencies within the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) have responded to concerns related to the use of thimerosal
as a preservative in some of the recommended childhood vaccines. All
supported, as a proactive and precautionary measure, efforts to remove, as
quickly as possible, the use of thimerosal as a preservative in childhood
vaccines. CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have funded
studies to assess the health effects of thimerosal as well as assess whether
there is an association between thimerosal and autism, learning or
developmental disabilities, and other adverse health outcomes. Research in
these areas is ongoing. CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have
encouraged vaccine manufacturers in their efforts to remove thimerosal as a
preservative as fast as possible, and FDA has facilitated the review and
licensing of thimerosal preservative-free vaccines.

To assist you [CDC officials] in addressing questions generated by the
release of "Evidence of Harm", we want to remind you of these resources and
provide you with additional talking points:
Information about mercury and vaccines can be obtained at
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/concerns/thimerosal/default.htm#facts.
Information about autism can be obtained at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/aic/about/default.htm
(keep in mind that April is Autism Awareness Month!)
* * *

Drugs Firms 'Creating Ills For Every Pill'
Expensive new medicines are oversold when cheaper therapies or prevention
would work better, say MPs

By Gaby Hinsliff for the Guardian Observer, UK.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1451177,00.html

The power of Britain's multi-billion-pound drugs industry has turned
this country into an over-medicalised society that believes in a pill for
every ill, a Commons inquiry will claim this week.
The report will say that the billions of pounds poured into
researching and promoting new drugs have fuelled an over-emphasis on
medicinal cures at the expense of cheaper and better therapies, or simple
prevention.
The MPs heard evidence of 'disease-mongering' drugs firms effectively
inventing diseases for which they could then sell treatments, with
relatively normal behaviour - from mild depression to low female sex drive -
re-labelled as conditions for which drugs were supposedly necessary.
Lord Warner, the health minister responsible for medicines, admitted
to the inquiry: 'I have some concerns that sometimes we do, as a society,
wish to put labels on things which are just part and parcel of the human
condition.' The report from the Commons health select committee is also
expected to criticise the secretive process of licensing medicines in
Britain, following several safety scares in which so-called 'wonder drugs'
have turned out to have serious side effects.
The common anti-depressant Seroxat was recently linked to an increased
risk of suicide in teenagers, while the widely prescribed arthritis drug
Vioxx was withdrawn last year over links to fatal heart attacks and strokes.
Labour's election manifesto is now expected to include a pledge to
overhaul the drug licensing regime. Expert members of the government's
medicines regulator will be banned from holding financial interests in drug
firms to avoid potential conflicts of interest.
The seven-month inquiry follows complaints from patients' groups and
senior doctors that the interests of the industry are distorting health care
priorities.
Prescriptions for Seroxat tripled after it was licensed for mild
depression, while The Observer revealed earlier this year that it was being
marketed to doctors as a treatment for ill-defined 'social anxiety
disorders'.
Drug firms are banned from advertising directly to patients in
Britain, or offering bribes to doctors to prescribe a certain brand. However
campaigners say the industry has discovered ways of 'guerrilla' promotion,
including generously funding medical charities - which, the inquiry heard,
raises the risk of them becoming its 'unwitting foot soldiers'.
One mental health charity, Depression Alliance, receives almost 80 per
cent of its funding from drugs companies, while Arthritis Care received
money from Merck Sharp and Dohme, maker of Vioxx.
Paul Flynn, the Labour MP who has campaigned to expose the influence
of the industry and gave evidence to the committee, said it deserved an
'absolute hammering' for its practices. 'The whole of society has been
conditioned to believe that we are dependent on medicines. I have had
arthritis all my life and I haven't taken anything for it - I believe in
exercise, swimming and walking.' The inquiry heard of drugs marketed to
doctors in papers written for medical journals ostensibly by independent
experts which are, in fact, ghostwritten by the firms, which pay academics
to lend their names to the reports.
Dr Richard Horton, editor of leading journal, the Lancet, disclosed he
had been effectively offered bribes to publish papers showing drugs in a
favourable light. He said firms offered to buy 'hundreds of thousands of
reprints' - which could be worth up to half a million pounds to his magazine
- if their paper went in.
+ Article continues here:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1451177,00.html

Brief commentary from John Stone, UK autism advocate: Though this does
not deal with vaccination, it looks like the general critique is spot on.
The problem is that vaccine [criticism in the UK] has been turned into a
taboo area, as if somehow that is where the pharma and our health officials
should be given total deference when they have debauched the system
everywhere else. But of course, if not a public word of criticism may be
offered in regard to vaccine the situation is rendered even more perilous
than with the other products.
* * *

ADVOCACY

Ontario's Autistic Children Win Court Victory

CTV.ca News
http://tinyurl.com/3tb22

Ontario's autistic children are the winners in a judge's decision on
funding a controversial program -- but their victory could put the province
on the hook for millions of dollars.
In a ruling issued Friday, the Ontario Superior Court agreed with
lawyers for 35 families with autistic children that denying the children a
treatment known as applied behavioural analysis on the basis of age violated
their constitutional rights.
"The defendant has violated the rights of the infant plaintiffs,"
Justice Frances Kiteley wrote in the ruling.
The ruling granted relief and damages for past and future therapy.
The treatment is a very intensive, one-on-one therapy that has
autistic kids improve their behaviour by doing repetitive actions. It can
cost from $30,000 to $80,000 per year per child.
Autistic children typically have impaired social functioning, poor
communication skills and behavioural problems such as disruptive outburst.
Although a non-autistic child can learn to ties his or her shoes in
about six attempts, an autistic child of the same age would require about
1,000 attempts.
Ontario started paying for the treatment in 2000 for children between
the ages of two and five. The policy had been to cut the therapy off at age
six.
"It's excellent news, not just for us but for all children who have
autism," Sheila Laredo told The Canadian Press about the ruling. She is a
Toronto physician who has two autistic boys and was a plaintiff in the case.
"There isn't any scientific reason for the age six cut-off." An
Ontario government spokesman said lawyers are still studying the 209-page
ruling. A decision on an appeal hasn't been made yet.
One Toronto psychologist who is expert in the treat had his concerns
about the judge's ruling.
"I worry about how our province is going to afford all of this, so I
have mixed emotions," David Factor told The Canadian Press.
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled last year that the B.C. government
wasn't compelled to provide autism treatment under the Canada Health Act.
But this challenge was based on obtaining the treatment through the
province's education system.
* * *

TREATMENT

California Feingold Doctor Vindicated
More than $450,000 was raised and spent for his defense."

From Shula Edelkind, Feingold Association of the United States
http://www.feingold.org


Dear Feingold Friends and Members,
We have great news --- it's over - over there in California -- and the
good guys won! Over the past decade, many of you have been following the
story of the Medical Board of California (MBC) vs. Dr. Robert Sinaiko. Many
of you have sent donations to the Medical Defense Fund of the Progress In
Medicine Foundation to help Dr. Sinaiko pay for this fight -- in total more
than $450,000 was raised and spent for his defense. For those of you who are
new, Dr. Sinaiko, who studied under our Dr. Ben Feingold, is an internist
and immunologist of international renown, and is one of the medical advisors
to the Feingold Association. Beginning in 1993, Dr. Sinaiko was accused of
"inappropriately treating" a child with ADHD -- he had recommended the
Feingold diet, performed IgG allergy testing, and treated the child with
antifungal medication for exposure to aspergillus mold. Meanwhile, as part
of an ugly custody battle, the boy's father lodged a complaint against Dr.
Sinaiko in an effort to disparage the mother's choice of doctor. The MBC
contacted other patients, searching for more information that could be used
against him. They obtained three adult cases to use as "evidence."
One of these patients had been treated for allergic fungal sinusitis,
one had a serious mold allergy and chemical sensitivity, and one had chronic
fatigue and a behavioral disorder. All of these patients had improved
under the doctor's care, and none of them actually complained or testified
at the hearings, but they allowed the MBC to read their records.
The one with mold allergy, unfortunately, had left California and
moved to another state where he became much more ill and committed suicide
some years later. Amazingly, the MBC actually attempted to blame the
suicide on Dr. Sinaiko. Concerning the patients with chronic fatigue
syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivity, Dr. Sinaiko was also accused of
"treating a disease that did not exist" since the MBC insisted that these
are not "real" disorders but only a psychiatric problem. (Multiple chemical
sensitivity (MCS), also known as environmental illness, is a condition that
typically comes about as the result of heavy chemical exposure.) The only
person the MBC could find who actually DID complain about Dr. Sinaiko does
not even exist -- but was a make-believe entity called "Samantha Simon." The
MBC has a long history of silencing physicians who use what is generally
called "alternative" medicine.
Most doctors just give up.
Dr. Sinaiko, however, chose not to bow to the intense pressure and
huge financial punishment the Board can, and did, dole out to him. The case
is well described and outlined in a cover article in the prestigious
magazine "Medical Economics" at http://treatmentchoice.org/memag.html and
you can see the legal documents and history at
http://www.treatmentchoice.org The heart of the case is this: Does a doctor
have the right to select a treatment for a patient -- when this treatment is
supported by good medical research and scientific studies -- even if it is
not generally a treatment used by other doctors in the area? The California
Medical Board maintains that a doctor does not have the right to treat a
patient according to emerging information found in medical research. The
MBC calls such innovative treatment "outside the standard of care."
Thus, the only treatments doctors would be allowed to use are those
which are currently being used by other doctors. Even if a new treatment is
clearly superior to the old methods, and is supported by good research, and
is beneficial for the patient....it would be illegal for a doctor to use
anything new. As far as the care of children with ADHD, the MBC invented a
"ladder of treatment" that would allow only drugs and psychotherapy. The
ladder would start with drugs like Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, and as the
child went up the ladder, progressively stronger drugs would be added. The
case is shameful on many levels, not the least being the blatant lies and
unethical practices on the part of the prosecution.
The Medical Board and the office of the Attorney General used the
money and resources of the citizens of California in an attempt to deprive
them of some very basic rights. (This is easily verifiable when you read
the legal papers.) Well, after 12 long years, the doctors and patients won.
But the road has been long and hard for Dr. Sinaiko. The final success did
not occur in the courtroom; rather, under orders from the Court of Appeals
to hear the case again, the Medical Board, now composed of all new members,
decided they had been wrong.
+ For full report: http://www.sarnet.org/lib/fgdoc.htm
[Thanks to Richard Black in Cains, Australia.]




-- > THE SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT IS < --

0 Canada's most read autism publication
0 United Kingdom's most read autism publication
0 The United States' most read autism publication.*

A Calendar of Events makes sense.
APRIL UPDATE FOR EAST AND WEST US IS HERE:
http://www.sarnet.org/events

Free Listing here
http://www.sarnet.org/frm/cal-frm.htm

_______________________________________________________
* Whew! That's a pretty tall claim. Here are more details:
~200 editions, times 12 pages each, times ~20,000 circulation
comes to 48 million electronic pages per year.



* * *

EVENTS

Evidence of Harm Author on Imus Radio Show Today 7:30am Eastern

From The Daily Imus

Tune in Monday at 6am eastern for the "Imus in the Morning" program on
the radio and on MSNBC. At 7:29am Imus will be joined by David Kirby author
of "Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical
Controversy."( http://tinyurl.com/6hhdq ) David followed several families
and traced their struggle to understand how and why their once-healthy kids
became autistic, and whether or not the condition can be linked to childhood
vaccines or mercury based vaccine additives. It's an issue that Imus has
taken a keen interest in since reading a Newsweek cover story a couple of
weeks back. He has raised the issue repeatedly and posed some tough, hard
questions to some of the politicians he has had on recently in an effort to
get congress involved in the search for answers.
* * *

"Spirited Talks" on Autism on San Francisco's NPR Monday Evening

A panel discussion on San Francisco's NPR station regarding autism
California autism advocate Rick Rollens, controversial autism expert Bryna
Siegel, and the chief epidemiologist from the M.I.N.D. Institute. is set for
one hour of spirited talk.
Listeners are encouraged to call in with comments and questions during
the program which airs this Monday, April 4 on KALW 91.7 FM from 7:30 to
8:30 p.m.
The studio call-in number is 415-841-4134, and they usually begin
taking calls at around 7:50 p.m.
Those without radio access can tune in through the station's web site
at www.cityvisionsradio.com
* * *

Rally At The Ohio Statehouse Wednesday, April 13 at 11 AM Ohio Autism
Taskforce releases 43 recommendations!

From an organization announcement.

The Ohio Autism Taskforce, created by Ohio House Bill 95, released its
43 recommendations to Governor Taft, Speaker of the Ohio House and President
of the Ohio Senate. The Taskforce found an alarming rise in autism cases of
over 300% in the last 5 years as reported by the Ohio Department of
Education (ODE). There are now 5,406 children identified with autism in the
public school districts in Ohio.
The increase in the number of individuals identified with autism may
be the result of improved diagnosis, a real increase in the prevalence, or a
combination of other factors the report stated. The incidence of autism is
growing to epidemic proportions. The taskforce recommends that the state of
Ohio develop, implement and maintain the First Signs or an equivalent
program of public awareness and a training model for screening children for
autism in Ohio. Chairman of the taskforce State Representative Jon Peterson
stated, "Early detection can avoid larger expense down the road, it's like
the Fram Oil Filter commercial, pay me now or pay me later." "When a kid is
diagnosed by 4, it's not soon enough," said Leslie Sinclair, program
director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for autism and an advisor to the
taskforce. "We have enough data to suggest kids can be diagnosed early -
15-18 months," she stated in a recent article in the Plain Dealer.
In addition, it recommends the establishment of a standard practice of
autism diagnosis and to develop and implement guidelines to facilitate the
timely educational identification of students with autism. The concept of
creating a comprehensive statewide system to accurately identify the number
of individuals with autism in Ohio, and maintain it is another
recommendation.
It is the recommendation of the taskforce to continue the Ohio Autism
Scholarship Program (ASP), which has received rave reviews from parents
throughout the state. The taskforce conducted 8 forums throughout the last
year and parents at all 8, in almost unanimous consent, raved about what a
terrific program it was and how much it had helped their children.
It is also recommended that health insuring corporations are prevented
from excluding coverage for services to individuals with autism and that the
General Assembly enacts mental health parity.
In addition, it is the recommendation of the task force that a
Medicaid home and community based waiver for individuals with autism be
submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and
implemented upon approval. Medicaid waivers represent an important funding
alternative in resource limited fiscal environments, such as Ohio's. Also,
the taskforce recommends that the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and
Developmental Disabilities allow the reallocation of permission to serve
children on a waiver among counties in order that waiver opportunities for
children with intensive needs do not go unused.
The taskforce recommends that the special weighted formula be expanded
to provide funding for preschool age children and that the General Assembly
provides an appropriation for that purpose. In addition, it recommends
updating the special education weighted formula to reflect the current costs
of providing services to individuals with disabilities. It is further
recommended to fund the special education formula at 100% of costs. It also
recommends a study be conducted in Ohio to determine the long term fiscal
costs of a lack of early interventions and that the Ohio General Assembly
provides funding for that study as well.
+Full report and rally information here:
http://www.sarnet.org/lib/oatrally.htm
* * *

LETTERS

Mirror Neuron Dysfunction

It amazes me how similar and different our ASD children are. The story
on Mirror Neuron Dysfunction fit my son perfectly. He has difficulty in
visual presentation, so learning from observing others is a daunting task
for him. Actually he is more of an auditory learner, yet has processing
problems there too. Goes to show what an individual diagnosis ASD can be.
- Betty Dunning
* * *

Response to no Thimerosal in Denmark

As a parent of a 14 year old son with Autism, and as an attorney that
has previously researched and worked on products liability cases,
obstetrical medical malpractice cases and environmental toxicity cases, I'd
like to comment on the remarks made by Mr. Hull, Minnesota state
epidemiologist with the Minnesota Health Department. that was printed in
the Wednesday, March 30, 2005, Vol. 9 No. 51 edition of your newsletter.
In "Rhetoric on Mercury In Vaccines Ignores Facts Letter to the
Pioneer Press, Twin Cities.com" Mr. Hull sites studies from Denmark that
allegedly contradict parents concerns for mercury causing Autism because
Denmark has been using Thimerosal free vaccines for the past ten years.
Well, it may be true that infant vaccines may be Thimerosal free in Denmark,
but has Mr. Hull investigated all other sources of mercury that may be in
Denmark's environment, including fish consumed by pregnant women, or
injections that were required to be given to pregnant women? When I was
37, I thought I knew EVERYTHING I had to know to have a safe pregnancy. I
had worked on obstetrical cases where both mother and child had died. I
researched everything about what foods, drugs, vitamins that were safe and
not safe to ingest. What I had not researched included facts about Rhogam
that my obstetrician required me to take because I was RH negative type O
blood (although I was insistent that I didn't need the injections because my
husband was also RH negative type O blood.) I also did not research the
amount of mercury that was included in the Pitocin that was given to me to
stimulate labor when I was two weeks over due. I did not investigate the
amount of Thimerosal that was in the flu shot vaccine and pneumonia vaccine
that I was given in 1989, before I got pregnant. I did not investigate the
amount of mercury I consumed in all the tuna fish I had eaten during my
pregnancy and also the swordfish and halibut I had eaten during my pregancy
because in 1989 and 1990 physicians encouraged pregnant women to eat more
fish.
I know now that I did everything I possibly could given the
information I had available at the time to have a healthy child. My son was
born with an apgar score of 9 that was, within minutes corrected to 10. My
son was a healthy, happy "normal" child until he turned 18 months. Overnight
the changes were astounding and horrific.
Mr. Hull, until you have an opportunity to become pregnant, ingest a
lot of fish, become injected with Rho gam, pitocin and give birth, do not
question a mother's gut instinct. If you question every one of the mothers
that were part of the Denmark studies, I would imagine, under close
scrutiny, as only an attorney doing cross examination could, you would
discover that there are plenty of other sources of mercury in Denmark.
By the way, doesn't anyone have concern about the amount of Thimerosal
that is STILL put into flu vaccines, tetanus shots and other injections
given to pregnant womeon? - Would Senator Bill Frist encourage his wife to
have all those shots I wonder, knowing what we know now.
- Mary Harrington, Fayetteville, New York


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