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SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT                "Healing Autism:
                              No Finer a Cause on the Planet"
________________________________________________________________
Tuesday, March 14, 2006                          Vol. 10  No. 45


        >>  APRIL IS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH -
            PROMOTE YOUR AUTISM EVENT - FREE!

            DEADLINE FOR APRIL AUTISM CALENDAR IS
            MARCH 25        Submit listing here:
            http://www.sarnet.org/frm/cal-frm.htm



   >>  Mercury Generation March
       Washington DC - April 6 - You Can Make a Difference -
       Protect Your Children - But you have to show up!
       http://www.sarnet.org/MercMarch.htm



     RESEARCH
    * Researchers: Does 'Brain Fat' Dictate Risky Behavior?
    * Australian Researchers Win Four Rotary Grants
    * It Turns Out There Is No Norm for DNA, Scientists Say
    * Silent Struggle: A New Theory of Pregnancy

     CARE
    * Center Faulted In Death - Ohio Halts New Mentally Ill Patients
    * Prosecutor: California Therapist May Have Had Hundreds of Victims

     TREATMENT
    * New ABA Degree Helps Tackle Needs of Autistic Children in Ireland

     MEDIA
    * Heavy Metal Detoxification: The need - the Strategies

     ADVOCACY
    * U.S. Tort Costs A Record $260 Bln In 2004 - Report

     SPORTS
    * PEI Roadrunners Ewen Stewart Inspirational Award

     LETTERS



RESEARCH

Researchers: Does 'Brain Fat' Dictate Risky Behavior?

        By Scott LaFee
http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20060312140607502

        In popular vernacular, the human brain is "gray matter" - the 100
billion or so nerve cell bodies that form the basis and biology of our
minds, and give the brain its characteristic pinkish-gray hue.
       But white matters, too. "White matter" is myelin, a pale lipid or fat
that envelopes the trillions of fibrous axons connecting neuron to neuron,
making the brain a singular, functioning whole.
       While gray matter is typically credited with defining who we are,
white matter tends to be described as mere "insulation." A professor of
neurology at the University of California Los Angeles begs to differ.
       "The single biggest factor that makes us human is not just our brain,
but the amount of myelin in it," says Dr. George Bartzokis. "Myelin is one
of evolution's latest inventions. Vertebrates have it; invertebrates don't.
And humans have more than anything else."
       Over a lifetime, Bartzokis says, the brain busily sheathes axons in
myelin - a process called myelination that not only insulates axons from
external dangers but dramatically speeds the transmission and quality of
signals between nerve cells.
       "Think of the Internet. Myelination makes axons more efficient. It
increases bandwidth. Axons are able to do more so our brains are able to do
more."
       It is myelination, as much as any developmental process in our brains,
he says, that determines the character and nature of a person's mind and
personality.
       In a paper published late last year in Adolescent Psychiatry,
Bartzokis hypothesized that the brash, risky behavior of teens and young
adults is related, at least in part, to incomplete myelination in critical
thinking areas of the brain.
+ Read more: http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20060312140607502





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. . .

Australian Researchers Win Four Rotary Grants

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-03/ra-uoq031306.php

       Life may soon be just a little easier for parents of autistic children
thanks to a parenting program being trialed at The University of Queensland
(UQ).
       Professor Matt Sanders, founder of the world-renowned Triple P
Positive Parenting Program, has received a grant from the Australian Rotary
Health Research Fund (ARHRF), to evaluate the effectiveness of his Stepping
Stones Triple P Program for parents with autistic children.
       The Stepping Stones Triple P Program is a parenting program designed
for families of children with developmental disabilities and help them
better manage their children's behaviour.
       Professor Sanders also received a second ARHRF grant to test the
benefits of the Triple P on female teachers who are also mothers. It is
hoped that participants will experience lower levels of family and workplace
stress, which will have a positive impact not only on their families but on
their classroom and students.

. . .

It Turns Out There Is No Norm for DNA, Scientists Say

       By Faye Flam for Knight Ridder http://tinyurl.com/efz27

       It was a nice idea that we're all genetically 99.9 percent identical,
but new research says it's not so simple.
       The old thinking held that coiled in our cells, we all carry the same
instruction book with just a few alternative spellings. But upon closer
scrutiny, it appears our DNA is full of long strings of genetic code that
are copied sometimes hundreds of times, the number of copies varying wildly
from person to person.
       And each of us is apparently missing quite a few large chunks of DNA.
Other large segments of genetic code are misplaced on their chromosomes or
pasted in backward. Not that there's any one designated normal arrangement -
we're all just different.
       As this all was becoming clear over the last several years, scientists
expressed some surprise that the human genetic code is such a disorganized
mess.
       "This changes how we think about evolution and, in some respects,
disease," says Evan Eichler, a researcher at the University of Washington,
Seattle. "That's the part that's exciting."
+ Read more: http://tinyurl.com/efz27

. . .

Silent Struggle: A New Theory of Pregnancy

        By Carl Zimmer for the NY Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/14/health/14preg.html

        Pregnancy can be the most wonderful experience life has to offer. But
it can also be dangerous. Around the world, an estimated 529,000 women a
year die during pregnancy or childbirth. Ten million suffer injuries,
infection or disability.
       To David Haig, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard, these grim
statistics raise a profound puzzle about pregnancy.
       "Pregnancy is absolutely central to reproduction, and yet pregnancy
doesn't seem to work very well," he said. "If you think about the heart or
the kidney, they're wonderful bits of engineering that work day in and day
out for years and years. But pregnancy is associated with all sorts of
medical problems. What's the difference?"
       The difference is that the heart and the kidney belong to a single
individual, while pregnancy is a two-person operation. And this operation
does not run in perfect harmony. Instead, Dr. Haig argues, a mother and her
unborn child engage in an unconscious struggle over the nutrients she will
provide it.
       Dr. Haig's theory has been gaining support in recent years, as
scientists examine the various ways pregnancy can go wrong.
       His theory also explains a baffling feature of developing fetuses: the
copies of some genes are shut down, depending on which parent they come
from. Dr. Haig has also argued that the same evolutionary conflicts can
linger on after birth and even influence the adult brain. New research has
offered support to this idea as well. By understanding these hidden
struggles, scientists may be able to better understand psychological
disorders like depression and autism.
+ Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/14/health/14preg.html

. . .

CARE

Center Faulted In Death - Ohio Halts New Mentally Ill Patients

       By Sheila Mclaughlin For The Enquirer http://tinyurl.com/ezkkg

       State officials temporarily banned new admissions at a residential
center for the mentally retarded Monday after an investigation into the
beating death of an autistic man showed that Fairfield Center's staff failed
to protect the victim.
       The report by the Ohio Department of Health comes almost three weeks
after Joseph Beaudoin, a 50-year-old man with profound mental retardation,
was beaten and strangled.
       Police have charged Edward "Teddy" Shuman, his 20-year-old roommate of
six days who was known to have violent outbursts, with murder in the attack.
+ Read more: http://tinyurl.com/ezkkg

. . .

Prosecutor: California Therapist May Have Had Hundreds of Victims

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11768980/

       San Diego - A therapist accused of molesting brain-damaged children at
a long-term care hospital pleaded not guilty Friday afternoon.
       NEW IMAGES: Therapist Appears In Court
       Wayne Bleyle, 54, of Santee, was arrested Wednesday. He is accused of
molesting and taking pornographic photographs of children under his care at
the Children's Rehabilitation Hospital. He has worked as a respiratory
therapist for the hospital the last 10 years.
       Deputy District Attorney Laura Gunn requested that Bleyle be held
without bail, calling the defendant a threat to public safety and a flight
risk. She said the case was the worst example of child abuse imaginable. She
said he began molesting young patients in 1996 and had hundreds of victims.
       "He averaged about two kids a week and specifically chose children who
were the most brain-damaged, the most comatose, the most non-verbal -- the
children who could never say anything about it," Gunn said.
       Police said Bleyle was a prolific trader of Internet pornography and
that they found tens of thousands of child porn images on two computers they
seized from him last week.
       After listening to the evidence, Judge David Szumowski raised Bleyle's
bail to $5 million.

. . .

TREATMENT

New ABA Degree Helps Tackle Needs of Children With Autism in Ireland

http://www.ulster.ac.uk/news/releases/2006/2109.html

       The first Masters degree in Ireland aimed at addressing the needs of
children with autism has been launched at the University of Ulster.
       From September 2006 the University's School of Psychology at Coleraine
will offer an MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).
       The course is aimed at education and health professionals who are
working with children and adults with autism.
       It will also benefit people working with learning disabilities,
general behaviour management, parent training, community development, adult
mental health or gerontology.
        The new Masters programme was spearheaded by the community work of Dr
Mickey Keenan, who set up the charity Parents' Education as Autism
Therapists (PEAT). PEAT has been working alongside the School of Psychology
to help plan the course.
       The charity has long been campaigning for autism intervention that is
based upon sound scientific evidence.  ABA is the only intervention and
educational approach that has strong scientific evidence to support it.
       The course team, which includes Professor Julian Leslie, Dr Mickey
Keenan, Dr Denis O'Hora, and Dr Robert Bones, have secured an International
Development Grant from the Association of Behavior Analysis International in
America to help fund the programme.       Professor Leslie, Course Director
said: "Professionals will now be able to access accredited training in ABA
which will give them the additional skills to make a real difference for
children with autism.  This is a real step forward for autism treatment
here.
       "The course is the only one of its kind in Ireland and it is intended
that graduates will become Certified Behaviour Analysts. The content of the
course has been approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board".
       Dr Tony Byrne, father of two children with autism and Chairperson of
PEAT said: "Parents are delighted that the University is taking such a
pro-active role in addressing the needs of children with autism in our
community.  At last professionals who want accredited training in ABA can
access it in Northern Ireland.  This is only the beginning and we hope to
continue our work with the University to establish a research and treatment
centre.  The Masters degree is good news for families living with autism in
Northern Ireland."
+ Read more: http://www.ulster.ac.uk/news/releases/2006/2109.html

. . .

MEDIA

Heavy Metal Detoxification: The need - the Strategies
Autism Today Programming

http://www.autismtoday.com/thrive.htm

       Be sure not to miss this weeks class "Heavy Metal Detoxification: The
need - the strategies"
       The strategies included in the entire series include:
       "Heavy Metal Detoxification: The need - the strategies"
       "Creating a Positive Sleep Cycle; solutions for ADD/ADHD and Stress"
       "Brain Building: Choices, activities, and programs that help the brain
to function at its peak"
       "The diet that makes a difference"
       "Reducing frustration, creating positive moods, learning to read".
       Also, the personal well being for all concerned, especially the
parents and caregivers who face the day-to-day challenges while working with
people with autism will be covered.
       Press on the link below for full details:
http://www.autismtoday.com/thrive.htm





       EVIDENCE OF HARM DISCUSSION LIST HEATS UP
       AS MERCURY LINK TO AUTISM QUESTION SPREADS

    >> PAPERBACK BOOK NOW OUT - CHECK AMAZON.COM

       An Evidence of Harm email discussion list has
       been created in response to the growing interest
       in the book and the issues it chronicles. Now
       1,200 subscribers.   Here is how to subscribe
       (no cost):   EOHarm-subscribe@yahoogroups.com


. . .

ADVOCACY

U.S. Tort Costs A Record $260 Bln In 2004 - Report

http://tinyurl.com/olnd7

       Reuters - Costs related to U.S. legal disputes rose to a record $260
billion in 2004, boosted in part by a rise in medical malpractice claims and
lawsuits against businesses, according to a report released on Monday.
       U.S. tort costs grew 5.9 percent in 2004, up slightly from the 5.5
percent growth rate seen in 2003, said the annual report from insurance
industry consultant Tillinghast.
       Medical malpractice disputes cost $28.7 billion in 2004, up from $26.5
billion in 2003, the study said.
       But asbestos claims, which contributed to a surge in costs earlier
this decade, were less a factor in 2004. The impact of insured asbestos
losses was $5 billion in 2004, less than in each of the prior three years,
according to the report.
       For 2005, tort costs are expected to grow about 6.5 percent with
similar gains forecast for 2006 and 2007, said Tillinghast, a unit of Towers
Perrin.
       "There are a number of emerging issues that have the potential to
impact tort costs going forward, such as recent lawsuits in the
pharmaceuticals industry, the impact of class-action reform passed by U.S.
Congress in early 2005 and obesity-related litigations, Russ Sutter, a
principal at Tillinghast, said in a statement.
       Still, critics this year and in the past have said the Tillinghast
figures are inflated and include claims that are settled outside the courts.
       "This is just corporate propaganda created by CEOs who want a get out
of jail free card for corporate negligence," said Chris Mather, a
spokeswoman for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, a trade group
for plaintiffs' attorneys.
       Some other studies have found that lawsuits and jury awards have not
skyrocketed in recent years.
       A study by law professors at the University of Texas, University of
Illinois and Columbia University found that insurance payouts and jury
awards in medical malpractice lawsuits in Texas and their associated costs
had changed little between 1988 to 2002.
       The Tillinghast report includes benefits paid or expected to be paid
to third parties, defense costs and administrative costs, it said.

. . .

SPORTS

PEI Roadrunners Ewen Stewart Inspirational Award

        Presented by Walter Lee,
http://www.peiroadrunners.ca/AWARDS2004/ESIR2004.HTML

       I was very pleased when I was asked to announce the winner of this
year's Ewen Stewart Inspiration Award. This award doesn't celebrate the
fastest times or the most improved runner; rather, it celebrates and honours
a club member who presents spirit, determination, guts, grit, and who
inspires us all to be the best we can be.
       To quote Alex Bain -- the winner of this year's Ewen Stewart
Inspirational Award:

           "Autism the boy is Alex Bain
          Autism is happy and sad
          I like Autism
          Autism makes me different from my friends
          That's OK"

        Alex graduated from Bluefield High School in 2005 and won prizes for
the highest marks in two of his courses and as well as an application prize.
       As a runner, Alex was on the school Cross Country and Track and Field
Team for three years. In 2004, he won the Award of Distinction for boys'
cross country and another for top junior. Alex has also competed in a number
of PEI Roadrunner races. In 2004, he placed 27th out of a field of over 400
runners in the half marathon and was named Rookie of the Year at the 2005
annual meeting.
       Almost every weekend, for most of the year, Alex puts on his signature
yellow t-shirt, heads to a road race on the Island, and runs for autism.
       As his shirt says, he runs for autism, not against autism. Not to
raise money to find a way to cure himself or his brother or his mom or
prevent people like himself from ever being born, but just to raise
awareness and acceptance. He's doing it.
       Alex was also successful in raising over $550. in the Canadian Breast
Cancer Foundation Run for the Cure. He crossed the finish line 9th out of
the hundreds of runners in Charlottetown.

       By facing, accommodating, tackling, and conquering many challenges and
obstacles, Alex has inspired many and has proven himself to be a most worthy
recipient of the Ewen Stewart Inspirational Runner Award.
       [Thanks to Janet Bain.]

. . .

LETTERS

To ABC News - WJLS Open Forum

       The relationship between ethyl-mercury (thimerosal) and
neurodevelopmental disorders is worthy of critical investigation by media
and government agencies responsible for ensuring that drugs given to our
children are safe and do not cause acute or chronic illnesses.  Use of
vaccines, like all drugs, results in serious injury and death to some.
Vaccine-based adverse events could be minimized if the FDA and CDC ensured
that all vaccine components - individually and in combination - are safe and
non-toxic before being used in children.  An active surveillance system to
evaluate acute and chronic adverse vaccine reactions (and is open to public
scrutiny) is urgently needed.
       The Geier study findings add to a growing literature that support the
hypothesis that increasing doses of ethyl-mercury (thimerosal) is linked to
increasing neurodevelopmental disorder rates.  The studies used by the
Institute of Medicine to disprove this hypothesis were not convincing or
sufficient.
       CDC must aggressively identify, control and prevent the epidemic of
neurological disease in children.  Often, these disease are horrible life
sentences for children and their families who too frequently, are ignored
and shunned by the medical and social services communities.
       CDC can begin to reduce preventable and unnecessary harm to children
by clearly stating a preference for vaccines that do not contain known
neurotoxins such as mercury.  The fact that Sanofi still has mercury-free
flu vaccine available but is sold out of mercury-containing products is a
reflection of CDC policy.  These toxins must be completely removed from
vaccines given to women and children in America and around the world.
Thimerosal isn't an effective preservative and it can cause great harm to
the developing nervous, immune and gastro-intestinal system.  Failure to
express a preference for mercury-free vaccines is eroding public trust in
the national immunization program.
       - Vicky Debold, RN, PhD

. . .

Anti Anti-Mercury

     The "Why Anti-Mercury Legislation Is Dangerous In New Jersey" is another
piece of industrial / political PR - prefaced by 2 words much more powerful
than the commentary itself - "source unknown".  These sad, anonymous efforts
to support the use of mercury in vaccines only serve to strengthen the
resolve of those with the opposing point of view - those who do not favor
injecting babies with a known neurotoxin.
     - R Toni, Ontario, Canada



Public Service Announcement to the Reader:

       AUTISM IS TREATABLE.  Consult these sources:

       .  Autism Research Institute
          http://www.autismwebsite.com/ari/index.htm

       .  Generation Rescue http://www.generationrescue.org



COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The above items are copyright protected. They are for our
readers' personal education or research purposes only and provided at their
request. Articles may not be further reprinted or used commercially without
consent from the copyright holders. To find the copyright holders, follow
the referenced website link provided at the beginning of each item.

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We've participated in the Duke Genetics study for Autism and have found
the experience to be very rewarding. If there is more than one person
in your family (either immediate or extended) with autism, they would
love to speak with you. There is no cost to enroll in the study and I
found that they do a very thorough evaluation. Here' s the contact
information if you are interested 888-385-3288. Chantell is the primary
person we've worked with but everyone we've spoken with has been great.

Beth

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SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT                "Healing Autism:
                              No Finer a Cause on the Planet"
________________________________________________________________
Monday, March 13, 2006                           Vol. 10  No. 44



           >> PROMOTE YOUR SUMMER / FALL EVENT NOW - FREE <<
            DEADLINE FOR MARCH AUTISM CALENDAR IS
            March 25          Submit listing here:
            http://www.sarnet.org/frm/cal-frm.htm




NOTICE:  APRIL IS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

          APRIL 7 IS THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY of THE SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT


     RESEARCH
    * Researchers to Study Effectiveness of Stem Cell Transplant
      In Human Brain

     TREATMENT
    * Doctors Question Benefit of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy For
      Autistic Children

     MEDIA
    * BOOK - Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum:  A Parent's Guide to
      the Cognitive, Social, Physical, and Transition Needs of Teenagers
      with Autism Spectrum Disorders
    * Local ABC-TV News Reports on Autism Epidemic Controversy

     ADVOCACY
    * Anna Nicole Smith Supreme Court Decision May Aid Autistic Petitioner
    * Moms Find It's Tough To Change A Law
    * Rollens Appointed to Blue Ribbon Autism Commission

     COMMENTARY
    * Why Anti-Mercury Legislation Is Dangerous In New Jersey

     LETTERS



RESEARCH

Researchers to Study Effectiveness of Stem Cell Transplant In Human Brain

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-03/ohs-drt030906.php

       First-of-its-kind clinical trial will explore safety, preliminary
efficacy of injecting human stem cells directly into the brain to treat
fatal pediatric neurodegenerative disorder Researchers in Doernbecher
Children's Hospital at Oregon Health & Science University will begin a Phase
I clinical trial using stem cells in infants and children with a rare
neurodegenerative disorder that affects infants and children.
       The groundbreaking trial will test whether HuCNS-SC(TM), a proprietary
human central nervous stem cell product developed by StemCells, Inc. is
safe, and whether it can slow the progression of two forms of neuronal
ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), a devastating disease that is always fatal. NCL
is part of a group of disorders often referred to as Batten disease.
       "NCL is a heartbreaking and devastating diagnosis for children and
their families," said Robert D. Steiner, M.D., F.A.A.P., F.A.C.M.G., vice
chairman of pediatric research, head of the Division of Metabolism and the
study's principal investigator at Doernbecher Children's Hospital, OHSU.
       Steiner also is an associate professor of pediatrics, and molecular
and medical genetics in the OHSU School of Medicine. "While the preclinical
research in the laboratory and in animals is promising, it is important to
note that this is a safety trial and, to our knowledge, purified neural stem
cell transplantation has never been done before. It is our hope that stem
cells will provide an important therapeutic advance for these children who
have no other viable options."
       NCL is caused by mutations or changes in the genes responsible for
teaching the body how to make certain enzymes. Without these enzymes or
proteins, material builds up inside brain neurons and other brain cells,
causing a rapidly progressive decline in mental and motor function,
blindness, seizures and early death. This study addresses two forms of NCL:
infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (INCL) and late-infantile neuronal
ceroid lipofuscinosis (LINCL). Tragically, children with INCL typically die
before age 5 and those with LINCL typically do not live past age 12.
       "If delivering stem cells directly into the human brain is safe and
effective, it will, in my opinion, be a major step forward in the efforts of
scientists and clinicians around the country to find new treatments with the
potential to help tens of thousands of patients with degenerative brain
diseases," said co-investigator Nathan Selden, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S.,
F.A.A.P. "I am proud that Doernbecher Children's Hospital will be part of
this effort." Selden is Campagna Associate Professor of Pediatric
Neurological Surgery and head of the Division of Pediatric Neurological
Surgery, Doernbecher and OHSU School of Medicine.
       Up to six children from Oregon or around the country will undergo
HuCNS-SC transplantation at Doernbecher. Previous studies of mice that are
missing one of the enzymes that causes NCL have shown HuCNS-SC increases the
amount of the missing enzyme, reduces the amount of abnormal material in the
brain and prevents the death of some brain cells. No major side effects have
been reported in animals.
       StemCells, Inc. received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of HuCNS-SC in October
2005. The company believes this will be the first trial using a purified
composition of neural stem cells as a potential therapeutic agent in humans.




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. . .

TREATMENT

Doctors Question Benefit of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy For Autistic Children

       By Jessica Adler for The Herald News. http://tinyurl.com/aoj9d

       To Andrew Piccirillo, the hyperbaric oxygen chamber seems like a
spaceship. To his parents, the see-through, bed-sized capsule at Paterson's
Barnert Hospital seems like a new bit of hope.
       Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which exposes a patient to increased
atmospheric pressure and 100 percent oxygen-filled air (as opposed to the 20
percent we breathe in the environment), is typically used for people with
chronic wounds, infections or gas poisonings. Most recently, HBOT made
headlines when it was used to treat a West Virginia coal miner who suffered
carbon monoxide poisoning.
       Andrew, who is 10 years old, is autistic. His parents are giving HBOT
a try - even though no studies have been done on the effectiveness of HBOT
in treating autism; even though insurance doesn't cover the 90-minute, $200
HBOT "dives" for the treatment of autism; even though virtually every doctor
who doesn't make money administering the treatment to autistic children is
skeptical about using it for such patients.
       "This happens often in the autism world -- something comes out and
parents flock to it," said Paul A. Potito, executive director for the Center
for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community (COSAC). "Parents are
willing to try lots of things because the disease is so devastating."
       The Piccirillos aren't blind to that phenomenon. Like other families
battling autism, a cognitive disorder that impairs social and learning
abilities to varying degrees, the Piccirillos face the daily reality of an
emotionally and, at times, physically exhausting illness. They will, they
say, try almost anything to make it better. That includes treatments --
chelation therapy, which allows for the release of heavy metal in a
patient's urine and hormone treatment with Secretin -- viewed with great
skepticism by the mainstream medical community.
       "When you're faced with a disability like autism, where there is no
F.D.A.-approved treatment for it; you're faced with trying all different
things you think might work," says Andy Piccirillo, Andrew's dad. "I don't
think (HBOT) is the cure, but I think everything we've done collectively has
brought Andrew from a non-verbal state to being a kid that goes to school
and participates in the classroom and is learning and has friends."
       The Piccirillos heard about HBOT from a friend, another parent of an
autistic child. It had done wonders for her 7-year-old son, she told them.
After almost 40 HBOT sessions, the mother said, he was making more eye
contact. His concentration had improved. His temper was better.
       On Web sites for parents of autistic children, Piccirillo found
similar accounts. At www.healing-arts.org, a Web site advocating holistic
medicine, he found a study purporting to show that HBOT had effectively
treated childhood encephalitis, or swelling of the brain: "Viral
encephalitis," it said, "presents a model for the inflammation that may be
part of autism."
       But, many doctors warn, it's not a good idea to rely on "may be's."
       "If there is a treatment for autism, the approach would probably
depend on the underlying problem, and we don't know what the cause of autism
is," said Dr. Jonathan Mink, associate professor of neurology and pediatrics
and chief of child neurology at the University of Rochester. "There is
little or no evidence that hyperbaric oxygen is helpful for established
brain injury."
       His skepticism is widely echoed.
       "As far as what exactly it does in brain, based on everything we know
about autism, I do not believe (HBOT) could possibly help," said Dr. Leonid
Topper, a pediatric neurologist with Pediatric Neurology Associates in
Morristown.
       "It's like the old tonics out west that were good for rheumatoid
arthritis, the liver and the kidney," said Ronald Jacobson, an associate
clinical professor of neurology and pediatrics at New York Medical College
and a pediatric neurologist with Pediatric Neurological Associates in
Englewood. "When a treatment is proposed to be good for many, many
conditions, people should be wary."
       While doctors are skeptical of HBOT and point out that it can cause
seizures and oxygen toxicity in a limited number of patients, most are
mindful of the plight parents of autistic children face. Although he doesn't
recommend HBOT, Jacobsen says, "I'm very sympathetic to patients trying
anything, because there are not a lot of treatments that work."
       While researching HBOT, Andy Piccirillo read accounts from those
offering the therapy that boasted of its potential.
       "Think of it like a charge not firing," said Geoffrey Saft, a
chiropractor who administers HBOT to about three autistic children per day
in his Corte Madera, Calif., office. "What we believe happens in hyperbaric
therapy -- in the brain and nervous system -- is that it causes idle
synapses that are not working right, to get going again."
       Saft charges $80 per session, relatively little compared to the $100
to $900 charged at the approximately 300 centers offering hyperbaric therapy
around the country. The more treatments a patient has, the more lasting its
effects, Saft maintains, adding that those effects can include increased
attention span and improved socialization. Eighty percent of his autistic
patients, he says, experience some improvement.
       "His language skills jumped -- really jumped -- and he's picking up
more phrases and vocabulary," said Nancy, the parent who originally referred
the Piccirillos to HBOT, of her son's improvement following more than 40
intermittent sessions. Nancy, who lives in didn't want her last name
printed, since her son is so high-functioning that some don't know of his
diagnosis, she said.
       But skeptical doctors such as Mink call experiences like Nancy's "the
placebo effect."
       "We all know that a good expectation leads to a temporary perception
of improvement," Mink said.
       Piccirillo is used to such skepticism. Even though he knows HBOT isn't
scientifically proven to be effective, Nancy's account provides hope.
       "We have to be realistic judges of each therapy on our own," he said.
"There is nothing proven, but if one out of 10 kids benefit from it, that's
a good thing."
       When the Piccarillos found out that HBOT was available 10 minutes from
their Wayne home, at Barnert Hospital, they signed Andrew up for 10 sessions
over two weeks. Last week, the little boy burst into the hospital room full
of energy, carrying a DVD of "Buzz Lightyear," one of his favorites, and
repeatedly quoting memorized excerpts of the book "The Three Little Pigs."
       The redundant speech patterns and hyperactivity are two behaviors the
Piccirillos hope will be helped by the HBOT.
       When it was finally time to get into the oxygen chamber, "the magic
schoolbus," as Andrew calls it, the boy laid calmly as he watched his movie.
       At this point, Andrew is about halfway through his morning sessions,
which will cost a total of $2,000 -- $150 per "dive," plus a $50 doctor's
fee. The Piccirillos remain hopeful that they'll see some of the improvement
described by their friend Nancy. If they notice any positive changes in
Andrew's behavior, they'll continue the treatments in spurts.
       Andy Piccirillo, an accountant, and his wife, a teacher, believe their
insurance company will reverse its decision not to cover the HBOT for their
son. Even if they have to pay out of pocket, though, they say they'll find a
way to fund any treatment they think works, including HBOT.
       "As parents, you do anything you can to make your child's life
better," Piccirillo said. "We won't give up on him."

. . .

MEDIA

BOOK - Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum :  A Parent's Guide to the
Cognitive, Social, Physical, and Transition Needs of Teenagers with Autism
Spectrum Disorders
by Chantal Sicile-Kira.

         Now available: Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum is a complete
guide to the cognitive, emotional, social, and physical needs of preteens
and teenagers on the spectrum, ranging from   Asperger's Syndrome to those
severely impacted by autism. Using clear examples, practical advice, and
supportive insights, this book covers:
       - Health risks such as seizures and depression
       - Treatments, therapies, and teaching strategies
       - Teaching skills to cope with puberty, self-care, and social skills
       - Teenage emotions, sexuality, appropriate relationships, and dating
       - Middle school, high school, and developing an Individual Educational
Program
       - Preparing for life after high school
       Author Chantal Sicile-Kira, author of Autism Spectrum Disorders (2005
ASA Outstanding Literary Work of the Year Award) is a national speaker and
advocate who has been involved with autism spectrum disorders for nearly 20
years,  as a professional and as a parent.
         Some Reviews: "Earlier this year, I had the honor of reading Chantal
Sicile-Kira's book Autism Spectrum Disorders. With Adolescents on the Autism
Spectrum, she has once again written a book that should be read by every
child on the autism spectrum. Chantal provides useful, practical, and
insightful guidance on topics ranging from transition to sexuality. These
are tough topics and she handles them with tremendous wisdom, frankness and
grace. Any parent who opens this book will find a wealth of incredibly
helpful information."
       - Dr. Cathy Pratt, Director, Indiana Resource Center for Autism Chair,
National Autism Society of America (ASA)
       "Parents raising a teenager on the spectrum will find this clearly
written and carefully documented guidebook to be full of important
information and practical advice. Helping adolescents transition from the
pre-teen years through puberty and on to young adulthood is a difficult
task. This book will provide invaluable help and guidance to both parents
and professionals.  It is highly recommended."
       -Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., Director of the Autism Research Institute

. . .

Local ABC-TV News Reports on Autism Epidemic Controversy

       A new study shows a dramatic decrease in the rate of autism since
mercury has been removed from most childhood vaccines.
       But the whole topic of childhood vaccines remains controversial, as
the Centers For Disease Control disputes the study. Medical reporter Kathy
Fowler joins us with a look at this study.
       Local researchers looked at three different federal and state data
bases to determine what they say is absolute proof that thimerosal or
mercury in vaccines has been responsible for an epidemic of autism in this
country.  But the CDC calls the study misleading.  One local mother says all
she wants is the truth. Vicky Debold says she will never forget the day her
eight-year-old son, Sam, was diagnosed with autism. She is convinced this
new study is more proof that thimerosal or mercury in his childhood vaccines
played a role. She noticed gradual changes in him within days of his shots.
       Vicky Debold: "As a parent and as someone with a doctorate in public
health, I think our CDC has failed us miserable. I'm not anti-vaccine but I
am definitely anti-mercury."
       According to local scientists, who just published a study in the
Journal Of American Physicians And Surgeons, there has been an almost 22%
decrease of reported neurological disorders, including autism, since
manufacturers first started to remove mercury from vaccines.
       Mark & David Geier studied three different government database's
including the CDC's own vaccine adverse events reports to track their
results. David Geier: "We've used their own numbers to show autism was up
and now it's on the decline it directly mirrors the amount of mercury in the
shots..."
       The CDC says its database was never meant to be used as a scientific
tool although CDC doctors have used the exact same data base to publish
their own studies on vaccines.
       The CDC insists no studies have proven a definitive link between
mercury, vaccines, and autism.  This is the same stance it's taken for at
least seven years. Vicky Debold: "I truly believe that sooner or later the
truth will come out. And as a parent of an affected child that's all I care
about. I don't care about making the CDC pay."
       Sam is doing well at home and at his Oakton Elementary School  after
years of music therapy and numerous alternative treatments for autism.
       Vicky Debold: "He's a delightful child and he's just the love of our
life and it just killed me to see what happened and it's just so exhausting
to keep fighting the fight."
       The CDC says it's trying to order more flu shots without mercury, for
next year, but is concerned about shortages.  However, the U.S.'s largest
vaccine manufacturer says it could make more mercury-free vaccines but in
years past there hasn't been much of a demand in the U.S.

. . .

ADVOCACY

Anna Nicole Smith Supreme Court Decision May Aid Autistic Petitioner
Former Playmate of the Year Anna Nicole Smith may help rescue a 35-year-old
autistic woman, Nancy K. Golin, from confinement in a California facility.

       Excerpts from a counsel press announcement.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/3/prweb356513.htm

       PRWEB - Former Playmate of the Year Anna Nicole Smith may help rescue
a 35-year-old autistic woman, Nancy K. Golin, from confinement in a
California facility.
       Smith's case, Marshall v. Marshall (No. 04-1544), was argued in the
U.S. Supreme Court on February 28, 2006, and seems headed for a win over
oil-billionaire Howard Marshall II's son E. Pierce Marshall. Smith, aka
Vickie Lynn Marshall, seeks to overcome E. Pierce Marshall's attempt to
block her from receiving millions of dollars gifted to her by her late
elderly husband during their brief marriage.
       Golin also has a case before the Supreme Court. Her parents filed a
civil rights suit seeking to address California's alleged illegal removal
and confinement of her, as well as alleged state perpetuated physical and
mental abuse.
       While the two persons seem world's apart, their case aren't. And what
happens in Anna Nicole's case will probably dictate the outcome in Nancy's.
       At stake is federal jurisdiction over state guardianship abuses. In
other words, is there a so-called "probate exception" that immunizes state
guardianship from congressional enactments? As recent federal appellate
decisions have declared.
       According to Wallace, even more could be at stake. "The Golins
provided for Nancy from her birth. They never ceased acting as her parental
caregivers and as her natural guardians. Now they want to use Section 1983
of the Civil Rights Act to address the significant harms perpetuated by the
state. But their rights as parents have gone unrecognized. The Supreme Court
has never ruled on whether parents who have cared for disabled children
since birth have the same rights as parents of minor children. Even though
both sets of parents have never ceased to exercise care, control, and
decision making." If Anna Nicole wins, the Court could use Golin to decide
whether the Golins have a constitutionally protected liberty interest in the
continuing association and companionship with their disabled adult daughter
Nancy.
       On Saturday, March 11, the Golins submitted a Supplemental Brief,
suggesting that the Court reach its final opinion in Marshall before
deciding their case. A decision on the Golins' brief is expected on March
24. More information and photos can be found at http://www.freenancy.com,
Contact Jeffrey Golin, (650) 814-6284, or Gerard Wallace, at (845) 679-4410.
+ Read more: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/3/prweb356513.htm

. . .

Moms Find It's Tough To Change A Law

       By Treena Shapiro for the Advertiser http://tinyurl.com/o32wb

       A couple of first-timers in the political process are finding that
it's easier to get a bill introduced than it is to get it passed.
       Mothers Linda Elento and Kalma Wong have each seen their bills survive
the latest hurdle of this legislative session - first crossover - but now
they have to persuade a new set of lawmakers to help them advance their
causes.
       Elento, the mother of a 5-year-old with Down Syndrome, worked with
senators on legislation that would allow children with developmental
disabilities to receive early-intervention services for two extra years,
rather than automatically shifting them into a special-education preschool
they might not be ready for at the mandatory 3 years of age.
       Now she has to meet new lawmakers, this time members of the House, and
go through the whole process again.
       Wong, the executive director of Cure Autism Now, is advocating for a
bill that would prevent the state from using mercury-containing vaccines,
which some studies have linked to developmental disorders, including autism.
       She managed to persuade the House members who heard the bill to send
it to the Senate for consideration, but will face tremendous obstacles
trying to get it heard in that chamber.
       The bills advocated by Elento and Wong have gotten further than
hundreds of others that have already been deferred or held, if they were
even scheduled for hearing.
       But hundreds more will be taken off the table before the session is
over. To keep their bills alive, the two have a big job ahead - and time is
short.
       Their situation illustrates the struggle that citizens can face when
taking their cause to the Legislature without help from experienced
lobbyists or politically savvy supporters, both of which can take
connections or money.

'It's Intimidating'
       Although she has contacted friends who better understand the political
process, Elento is on her own to a certain extent. "I'm a parent who has
spoken to many parents," she said.
       Wong, with Cure Autism Now, has the backing of a national
organization, but she has no experience in lobbying. "I'm not politically
savvy," she said. "This whole thing is new to me."
       The process can be hard to dive into. "With the Senate, just not
knowing who these people are and so forth, it's intimidating," Elento said.
       While seeing a bill through crossover is a victory of sorts, it also
requires repeating the process in the other chamber. "Now I have to start
over," Elento said, as she tried to sort through which House members would
be best to talk with.
       Although Wong has figured out whom she needs to talk with, scheduling
the meeting has been difficult. Both times she has scheduled a meeting with
the Senate health committee chairwoman, the meeting has been canceled.
       "She refused to hear the companion Senate bill, which died. We don't
know about the House bill. It's crossed over ... Now what?" Wong asked. "All
we want is for it to be heard."
       While continuing to advocate for their legislation, the moms will be
turning to different strategies to advance their causes: Elento is drafting
resolutions, while Wong is also looking to education.
       While the bills are somewhat narrow in focus, they do have broad
implications for the state and other people, one of the challenges these
women will have to overcome if they want to see their bills become laws.
+ Read more: http://tinyurl.com/o32wb

. . .

Rollens Appointed to Blue Ribbon Autism Commission

       California autism advocate Rick Rollens has been appointed to be one
of sixteen statewide members of the Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on
Autism by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles).
       Rollens reports "I was honored to have been asked by Assembly member
Fran Pavley (D-Malibu), a parent of an autistic child, and Assembly Majority
Leader Dario Frommer (D-Pasadena), who has two relatives with autism, to
consider serving on the Commission. At their urging I applied for the
appointment."  Other members of the Commission include high level
representatives from various aspects of the autism and education communities
throughout California."
       The Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism was created by SCR 51
(Perata and Nunez), and adopted unanimously by the Legislature in 2005,

. . .

COMMENTARY

Why Anti-Mercury Legislation Is Dangerous In New Jersey

       Source unkown.

       1. It would perpetuate false and misleading information that vaccines
are not safe. Parents may see the banning of thimerosal as an admission that
vaccine safety oversight is inadequate. If thimerosal is banned, parents
will doubt the safety of vaccines in general, immunization rates would fall,
and rates of vaccine-preventable diseases (e.g., measles, whooping cough,
and Hib bacterial meningitis) would rise. Many parents may also unknowingly
choose to reject vaccines that have never contained thimerosal because they
don't understand the issues.
       2. It would add more complexity to the current vaccine delivery
system. The number of vaccines given to infants and children has increased
from 7 in 1985 to 10 in 1995 and now to 14 in 2006. With new vaccines being
introduced, changes in scheduling, and all of the other complexities of
vaccination delivery, it is already difficult for providers to stay current
with the ever-changing nature of immunization. Adding a requirement that
providers may use only vaccines in either reduced thimerosal or
thimerosal-free formulations would add more complexity.
       3. It could result in children going unvaccinated because current U.S.
manufacturing capacity cannot produce enough thimerosal-free vaccine each
year to vaccinate all children. The pediatric influenza deaths during the
2003-04 season are a sharp reminder of the danger that vaccine-preventable
diseases still pose to children and of the need to ensure every child is
vaccinated. The one manufacturer that produces thimerosal-free influenza
vaccine is moving to expand manufacturing capacity. Passing state laws
outlawing thimerosal will not make manufacturing capacity increase faster;
it will just mean that vaccine may not be available to vaccinate children in
anti-thimerosal states.
       4. If trace amounts were prohibited (as is proposed in A 1324 to take
effective on January 1, 2009), it would disallow use of combination
vaccines, which are important in reducing the number of injections children
receive. Example: In St. Paul, Hmong mothers frequently tell a doctor that
"5 shots is too many." This leaves the doctor to determine which
vaccinations to postpone and if the mother and child are likely to return
for the necessary follow-up. Thus, anti-thimerosal legislation may result in
a drop in rates of childhood vaccination, endangering the health of kids.
       5. It would limit the ability to quickly administer influenza vaccine
to everyone in the U.S. when a pandemic strikes. When the next influenza
pandemic occurs, whether it is the Avian/H5N1 influenza that is now in Asia
or another influenza virus, it is vaccine packed in multidose vials that
will protect Americans. Thimerosal-free vaccine can be packaged only in
single-dose units, and we are far short of the capacity necessary to fill
enough single-dose units for all in the nation. Single-dose presentations
also waste vaccine-a given volume of vaccine packaged in a multidose vial,
will vaccinate more people than if packaged in single-dose units.
       6. It would prevent travelers from getting protection from Japanese
encephalitis. Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne infection and
the leading cause of childhood encephalitis in Asia, where up to 50,000
cases may be reported annually. When encephalitis develops, the casefatality
rate can be as high as 30%. Transmission is seasonal and occurs in the
summer and autumn in the temperate regions of China, Japan, Korea, and
eastern Russia. The risk to shortterm travelers and those who confine their
travel to urban centers is very low. Expatriates, travelers, and U.S.
government workers living for prolonged periods in rural areas where JE is
endemic or epidemic are at greater risk and should be vaccinated. No
thimerosal-free JE vaccine exists today.
       7. It would be a more costly alternative to taxpayers. Influenza
vaccine without thimerosal is, on average, 25-30% higher, than are products
containing thimerosal as a preservative or in trace amounts. Thus, for every
100,000 persons enrolled in the state's Medicaid program who are vaccinated
for influenza, the state will pay an additional $265,000-$330,000 for
thimerosal-free or thimerosal-reduced vaccine. Using scarce resources to buy
thimerosal-free vaccines would also impede the state's ability to purchase
other critical vaccines.
       8. Contrary to the claims of the proponents of antithimerosal vaccine
legislation, no evidence exists that associates thimerosal-containing
vaccines with the development of autism and other neurologic disorders. The
issue of mercury's ill effects on the neurologic development of infants is
based on studies of methylmercury. Nearly all methylmercury exposures in the
U.S. occur through eating fish and shellfish. Several large scientific
studies have shown no evidence between autism and the
ethylmercury-containing thimerosal in vaccines. This has been confirmed by
many major professional medical and public health organizations and affirmed
by the independent Institute of Medicine.
       Why Anti-thimerosal Vaccine Legislation in New Jersey is Dangerous to
Health Vaccines save lives! Don't allow the New Jersey legislature to deny
access to them - support their availability to every person in the state.




       EVIDENCE OF HARM DISCUSSION LIST HEATS UP
       AS MERCURY LINK TO AUTISM QUESTION SPREADS

    >> PAPERBACK BOOK NOW OUT - CHECK AMAZON.COM

       An Evidence of Harm email discussion list has
       been created in response to the growing interest
       in the book and the issues it chronicles. Now
       1,200 subscribers.   Here is how to subscribe
       (no cost):   EOHarm-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

. . .

LETTERS

Rhode Island Residents - Mom Needs Your Help!

       The RI thimerosal bill is sitting with a commission appointed by the
health committee who is to determine whether or not this bill should move
forward. Last week was the first meeting of this commission.  A Dept. of
Health official stated that RI has used only Thimerosal-free vaccines since
the year 2000 except for the flu vaccine.
       I have my daughter's vaccine record showing that this is absolutely
untrue.  Aly received 10 thimerosal-containing vaccines during 2000 and 2001
totaling over 212 micrograms of mercury.   I will be showing this record at
the next meeting on Wednesday and would like to have others as well.  If you
are willing to share your child's vaccine record - with personal info
blacked out of course - please contact me.
       - Wendy Fournier  wendy@....




Public Service Announcement to the Reader:

       AUTISM IS TREATABLE.  Consult these sources:

       .  Autism Research Institute
          http://www.autismwebsite.com/ari/index.htm

       .  Generation Rescue http://www.generationrescue.org



COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The above items are copyright protected. They are for our
readers' personal education or research purposes only and provided at their
request. Articles may not be further reprinted or used commercially without
consent from the copyright holders. To find the copyright holders, follow
the referenced website link provided at the beginning of each item.

SUBSCRIBE to SAR: http://www.sarnet.org or mailto:subs at doitnow.com
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SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT                "Healing Autism:
                              No Finer a Cause on the Planet"
________________________________________________________________
Friday, March 10, 2006                        Vol. 10  No. 43


     RESEARCH
    * Study Links Vaccines Containing Mercury With Autism
    * 'Nerd' Gene Reported

     PUBLIC HEALTH
    * UK Town Gets Double Dose of Diseases

     EVENTS
    * Autism One Radio Schedule Mar 13�Mar 19 Kaplan Debuts!

     FROM THE EDITOR
    * Tenth Anniversary of the Schafer Autism Report this April 7!
      Hello, goodbye
    * Retribution Checklist for Diagnosing Deviant ABA Professionals


RESEARCH

Study Links Vaccines Containing Mercury With Autism
Article addresses the CDC's dismissal of the science.

       By Roman Bystrianyk, Health Sentinel, March 10, 2006,
http://tinyurl.com/lz53p

       A 1948 article in the journal Pediatrics opens with, �Inflammatory
reactions involving various parts of the nervous system following injections
or various sera or vaccines have long been known�. In that paper they
discuss 15 instances in children at Boston Children�s Hospital that
developed �acute cerebral symptoms within a period of hours after
administration of pertussis vaccine."
       During the same time, the 1940s to the 1950s widespread use of the DTP
vaccine (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis � more commonly know as whooping
cough) came into use. Analysis of the historical data available shows that
the recorded rate of whooping cough slowly fell coinciding with the use of
the vaccine. However, using additional historical references from England �
which maintained the most accurate historical disease mortality records �
shows that before widespread vaccination the death rate from whooping cough
had already declined by approximately 98.8 percent from its peak recorded in
the 1860s.
       A 1996 article in Pediatrics noted that a large controlled study, the
NCES or National Childhood Encephalopathy Study, found that, �a significant
association exists between the occurrence of acute neurologic illness and
DTP vaccination with the preceding 7 days.� In 1994, an IOM (Institute of
Medicine) committee concluded that the, �balance of evidence is consistent
with a causal relation between DTP and chronic nervous system dysfunction in
children whose serious acute neurological illness occurred within 7 days of
DTP vaccination."
       However, a 1991 American Academy of Pediatrics report indicated that
severe problems were rare. Although half the children were reported to be
�fretful� or have fevers, severe neurological problems were reported to be 1
in 140,000 to 1 in 300,000. Seizures were reported to be 1 in 7,500,
persistent screaming as 1 in 100, and unusual, high-pitched cry as 1 in
1,000.
       Thimerosal is a mercury-containing compound that has been used since
the 1930s as a preservative in many vaccines. According to the FDA (Food and
Drug Administration) website, �Over the past several years, because of an
increasing awareness of the theoretical potential for neurotoxicity of even
low levels of organomercurials and because of the increased number of
thimerosal containing vaccines that had been added to the infant
immunization schedule, concerns about the use of thimerosal in vaccines and
other products have been raised. Indeed, because of these concerns, the Food
and Drug Administration has worked with, and continues to work with, vaccine
manufacturers to reduce or eliminate thimerosal from vaccines."
       Autism is a disorder of the brain that impairs communication and
social skills. It encompasses a broad range of disorders that may range from
mild to severe. Autism, once uncommon, is now more widespread than childhood
cancer, diabetes, and Down syndrome. According to the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP), 1 in 166 children currently have an autistic disorder, and
1 in 6 children have a developmental and/or behavioral disorder.
       A study published in the spring edition of Journal of American
Physicians and Surgeons, examines the connection between vaccines that
contain thimerosal and autism. The authors of the study are David A. Geier,
B.A. and Mark R. Geier, M.D., Ph.D. According to the authors the study was
thoroughly reviewed prior to publication. �Our manuscript underwent blinded
peer-review by three different peer-reviewers including a
bio-statistician/epidemiologist prior to its publication."
       A great deal of debate and controversy has surrounded this one
ingredient in particular, thimerosal, as being in part responsible for the
huge increase in cases of autism. While many parents of autistic children
and activists believe that there is a link between vaccines containing
mercury, government and other officials have rejected these claims. In 2004,
the IOM (Institute of Medicine) stated that, �the committee concludes that
the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between
thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism."
       But according to the Milford Daily News a confidential CDC (Centers
for Disease Control) study in 2000 actually found that children were 2.5
times more likely to develop autism when they receive 62.5 micrograms of
mercury from vaccines at 3 months of age. The study was uncovered by an
advocacy group under the Freedom of Information Act. �They're on record
saying there's no effect from thimerosal, it's completely safe, even though
their own internal studies show it's harmful,� said researcher David Geier.
       According to Geier�s study, �exposure to mercury has previously been
shown to cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral
dysfunctions similar to traits defining or associated with autistic
disorders, and with similarities in neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, and
biochemistry.� Also that, �recent research that codes children�s behaviors,
and toy play from videotapes of the toddlers� first and second birthday
parties demonstrate that the regression associated with autistic disorders
clearly manifests between the ages of 12 and 24 months, concurrent with the
exposure to thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines (TCVs)."
       Citing other research the authors note that several studies have
examined the effect of thimerosal. One study examined infant monkeys
following injection of doses of mercury comparable to the amount that U.S.
children received during the 1990s. These researchers established that,
�thimerosal crosses the blood-brain barrier and results in appreciable
mercury content in tissues including the brain.� Another study examined mice
after similarly being exposed to thimerosal and found that, �autistic
symptoms in a susceptible mouse strain that included growth delay, reduced
locomotion, exaggerated response to novelty, increased brain size, and
significant abnormalities in brain architecture affecting areas subserving
emotion and cognition."
       In the late 1980s into the 1990s the CDC expanded the number of TCVs
to be given to children. Because of this increase a child could have
received as much as 200 micrograms (�g) of mercury during the first six
months of life. During the same time epidemic levels of neurodevelopmental
disorders (NDs) including autism were observed that, �cannot be explained by
immigration, changed diagnostic criteria, or improved identification."
       The authors hypothesized that since thimerosal has been removed from
many vaccines that this decrease in thimerosal exposure should be
accompanied with a decrease in autism and other neurodevelopmental
disorders. �Assuming a 3- to 4- year lag time between birth and diagnosis of
an ND, the peak followed by a decline in NDs would be expected to occur
around 2002 if thimerosal had a significant impact on NDs."
       Using the VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) and CDDS
(California Department of Developmental Services) databases, the independent
researchers analyzed reports of childhood NDs, including autism, before and
after removal of mercury-based preservatives.
       From the data the authors determine that, �overall, it appears that
the increasing and subsequent decreasing trends in the rates of NDs,
observed in both the VAERS and CDDS databases, correlate with temporal
periods when the cumulative amount of mercury in the childhood immunization
schedule expanded and later contracted.� Continuing the authors note that,
�the consistency of the effects observed for the spectrum of NDs, including
autism and speech disorders, and the agreement between the observations from
two separate databases, support the conclusion that the effect is real and
not a chance observation."
       Critics charge that the VAERS database cannot be used to draw any
conclusions about autism because anyone � including doctors, patients, or
lawyers � can submit reports to it. According to Milford Daily News, Glen
Nowak, spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated
that the VAERS data �in and of itself is not a strong signal."
       Responding to that criticism, the authors state that the VAERS is an
epidemiological database that was established by an act of the United States
Congress and set-up by the CDC to track adverse events reported following
vaccination and is jointly maintained by the CDC and FDA. The VAERS has a
total of approximately 200,000 adverse event reports that have been reported
following more than 1 billion doses of vaccines administered in the United
States. This probably makes the VAERS the largest database of adverse
vaccine reactions in the world.
       Adverse vaccine reactions are by law required to be reported to VAERS
with a VAERS group that specifically analyzes and has published numerous
peer-reviewed epidemiologic studies based upon examination of the VAERS
database. The CDC has made official vaccine policy recommendations based
upon epidemiological assessments of the VAERS. For example, the withdrawal
of the rotavirus vaccine back in 1999 following numerous reports of
intussussception following rotavirus vaccine to the VAERS database.
       �It appears that the US CDC can analyze and publish epidemiological
assessments of the VAERS database, but when independent researchers such as
us, publish conclusions based upon epidemiological assessments of the VAERS
database, that the CDC does not agree with, than according to the US CDC the
VAERS becomes an unacceptable database to draw epidemiological conclusions
from."
       �In quickly examining those who claim to dispute our results and
others that have reported an association between Thimerosal and autism, they
claim to not understand why autism increased in the US during the 1990s (as
Thimerosal was increased in US vaccines), they claim to not understand why
autism decreased in the US during the early 2000s (as Thimerosal was
decreased in US vaccines), they claim to not understand why when comparing
children that received additional doses of mercury from
Thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccine in comparison to Thimerosal-free DTaP
vaccine those children that received Thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccines
were at increased risk of developing autism, and they claim to not
understand numerous recent clinical, biochemical, genetic, molecular, etc.
studies that support the ability of Thimerosal from vaccines administered in
the US to occasion autism."
       �Based upon the fact that all the previous observations have one
simple and transparent explanation, namely that Thimerosal was causing
autism in the US, and those who purported dispute the link have no cohesive
explanation for the phenomena observed, one must seriously considered that
Thimerosal was a cause of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in
the US."
       The authors conclude their paper with, �From the data presented here
and other emerging data, it appears clear that additional research should be
undertaken concerning the effects of mercury exposure, particularly from
TCVs."
       According to wikipedia.org, �Mark R. Geier, MD, PhD, is a medical
doctor based in Silver Spring, Maryland, who also holds a doctorate in
genetics and is board-certified in medical genetics and forensic medicine.
He was a researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for ten
years, and previously was a professor at Johns Hopkins University. He has
studied vaccines for more than 30 years and has published over 50
peer-reviewed papers on vaccine safety, efficacy, contamination and policy.
He has authored over 90 publications and has made several presentations to
the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on the adverse effects of vaccinations. He
and his son, David Geier, are the only independent researchers ever to have
been permitted to study the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) database of the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)."
       US health agencies have uniformly rejected the conclusions of the
Geiers' studies, and one of the Geiers' articles was the subject of heavy
criticism by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Geier says public health
officials are �just trying to cover it up.� On the other hand, �Mercury in
Medicine Taking Unnecessary Risks�, a report prepared by the staff of the
Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness, House Committee on Government
Reform, Chaired by Dan Burton, was published in the Congressional Record in
May, 2003, stated:
       �However, the Committee upon a thorough review of the scientific
literature and internal documents from government and industry did find
evidence that thimerosal did pose a risk. Thimerosal used as a preservative
in vaccines is likely related to the autism epidemic. This epidemic in all
probability may have been prevented or curtailed had the FDA not been asleep
at the switch regarding the lack of safety data regarding injected
thimerosal and the sharp rise of infant exposure to this known neurotoxin.
Our public health agencies� failure to act is indicative of institutional
malfeasance for self-protection and misplaced protectionism of the
pharmaceutical industry."
       SOURCE: Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons





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� � �

'Nerd' Gene Reported
Research abstract � contains technical language.

Association between the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor (AVPR1a) gene and
autism in a family-based study: mediation by socialization skills.
http://tinyurl.com/48x2u

Yirmiya N, Rosenberg C, Levi S, Salomon S, Shulman C, Nemanov L, Dina C,
Ebstein RP.
1Department of Psychology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.

       We examined three microsatellites in the arginine vasopressin 1a
receptor gene (AVPR1a), two in the promoter region (RS1 and RS3) and an
intronic microsatellite (AVR), for association with autism as well as scores
on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS), the Autism Diagnostic
Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation
Scale-Generic (ADOS-G), measures that are widely used to diagnose autism
spectrum disorders.
       We tested for association between the AVPR1a microsatellites and
autism in 116 families (128 probands diagnosed with the ADI-R and ADOS-G
using a family-based association test (UNPHASED)).
       Testing each individual microsatellite showed significant transmission
disequilibrium in these families with the AVR intronic microsatellite
(UNPHASED: LRS=11.46, global P-value=0.009, df=3).
       Haplotype analysis of three microsatellites also showed significant
association (LRS=144.94, df=103, global P=0.004).
       Additionally, significant association is observed between these three
microsatellite haplotypes and the VABS scores (P=0.009), with the ADI-R
(P=0.009) and the ADOS-G (P=0.0000765) diagnoses of autistic disorder versus
pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) that were
available for 47 of these probands.
       This is the third consecutive report of an association between the
AVPR1a gene and autism spectrum disorders and in the current study a third
microsatellite is shown to be associated with autism spectrum disorders as
well as haplotypes consisting of all three markers.
       Importantly, the association appears to be mainly mediated by the role
of the AVPR1a gene in shaping socialization skills, similar to its role in
lower vertebrates.Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 7 March
2006; doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001812.
       PMID: 16520824 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

� � �

PUBLIC HEALTH

UK Town Gets Double Dose of Diseases

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/4791034.stm

       The MMR vaccine was introduced in the UK in 1988
       Doncaster has been hit by a double dose of highly infectious diseases
according to health officials in the town.
       In January, 36 children were diagnosed with mumps in addition to a
measles outbreak that is being described as one of the worse in the country.
       There have already been 22 cases of measles, a disease which has not
been seen in the town for five years, and another 18 cases are suspected.
       Parents are urged to let children have the measles, mumps and rubella
vaccine.

Vaccine uptake fallen
       Dr Wendy Phillips of the South Yorkshire Health Protection Agency said
a fall in the number of children being vaccinated was partly to blame for
the outbreaks.
       "I think it is very bad for Doncaster," she said.
       "The uptake of vaccines has fallen off and as every year goes by we
have a larger and larger number of people without the vaccine.
       "The advice is that when you're called to take your child for a jab,
you go for the jab and if you've missed it then make an appointment with
your GP."
       The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunisation was introduced in
the UK in 1988.

Legal action
       Children are given a first dose between 12 to 15 months old and a
second, booster dose, at between three and five years old.
       But about 2,000 families have taken legal action claiming their
children have been damaged by the MMR jab, with many believing it has
triggered autism.
       In December 2005, Julie Kirkbride, Conservative MP for Bromsgrove
launched a bid to allow children to be immunised separately against the
three diseases
       But the Department of Health said there was no evidence to suggest
that separating the vaccines is safer.

       BRIEF COMMENTARY: Hey, what's a little spreading of diseases in order
for the Department of Health to prove themselves right?  I guess the public
gits deserve getting sick for not following their advice and submitting to
combo injections. "Sorry, no single jabs. It's our way, or nothing � so go
ahead, get sick, see if we care."  Shouldn't adults be running the
Department of Health?





       EVIDENCE OF HARM DISCUSSION LIST HEATS UP
       AS MERCURY LINK TO AUTISM QUESTION SPREADS

    >> PAPERBACK BOOK NOW OUT - CHECK AMAZON.COM

       An Evidence of Harm email discussion list has
       been created in response to the growing interest
       in the book and the issues it chronicles. Now
       1,200 subscribers.   Here is how to subscribe
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� � �

EVENTS

Autism One Radio Schedule Mar 13�Mar 19 Kaplan Debuts! Shannon Kenitz!
A Worldwide, Internet-Based Radio Station for the Care, Treatment, and
Recovery of All Children with Autism
http://www.autismone.org/radio

Mon, Mar 13:
       9pm-10 ET Beth Clay: Capitol Weather Report

Tues, Mar 14:

       Special: Hope & Possibilities
       10am�11 Teri Small: Autism: Help, Hope, and Healing. Guest: Shannon
Kenitz, Exec Dir, International Hyperbarics Assoc, did not accept the
recommendation to stop life support for her daughter, Gracie � who has a
rare mitochondrial disorder and was in a vegetative state for her first 3
years, but took Gracie for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Gracie defied the odds
and lived, crawled, fed herself, talked, recovered from blindness, and most
recently, walked independently this past January.  A must-hear,
inspirational story.
       12pm-1 Betsy Hicks: Path to Wellness. Guest: Dawn Vitello Mangan, MS,
BCBA of the Pennsylvania Mentor Autism Camp. As camp season approaches,
we�ll be looking for qualities you want in a camp for your child.
       1:30pm�2 Chantal Sicile-Kira: The Real World of Autism with Chantal.
Topic: 10 Things Every Child with Autism Wishes you Knew. Guest: Ellen
Notbahm, author of 10 Things Every Child with Autism Wishes you Knew,
columnist for Autism Asperger's Digest and co-author of 1001 Great Ideas for
Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

       Mardi, le 14 Mars a 2:30 pm - 3:00 EST (heure local a New York)
       Chantal Sicile-Kira: l'Autisme Vu au Quotidien avec Chantal
Sicile-Kira. Sujet: Le syndrome d'Asperger et la Sexualit�: de la pubert� �
l'�ge adulte.
Invitee: Isabelle Henault, auteur de Le syndrome d'Asperger et la Sexualit�:
de la pubert� � l'�ge adulte, Editions Cheneli�re. Isabelle Henault a obtenu
sa ma�trise en sexologie et son doctorat en psychologie � l'Universit� du
Qu�bec � Montr�al. Clinicienne en pratique priv�e, elle travaille �galement
aupr�s d'organismes et d'�coles. Elle a con�u un programme d'�ducation
sociosexuel adapt� aux personnes pr�sentant le syndrome d'Asperger et
collabore � plusieurs recherches sur l'�ducation sexuelle et la
psychoth�rapie des client�les autistes et Asperger.

Wed, Mar 15:
       11:30am�12 Seth D. Pearl, DC, CCN, CNS: Health and Wellness with Dr.
Seth Pearl
       3:30pm�4 Nicola Kuria, ND: Preconception health care: breaking the
cycle of autism and creating healthy families. Topic: An outline of relevant
diagnostic testing prior to conception.

       Special: Debut!
       9pm-9:30 Larry Kaplan, PhD: Autism Issues Across the USAAA. Larry
Kaplan, Exec Dir of the US Autism & Asperger Assoc, interviews guests from
across America on topics such as biomed and educational interventions,
research, and current events.  Today�s guest: Betsy Tipps. Topic: Healing
autism through the multi-faceted approach of the Environmental Health
Center-Dallas: nutrition, incitant avoidance, immunotherapy, and reducing
the total body load.

Thurs, Mar 16:
       1pm�1:30 Mary Coyle, D.I. Hom: Discussions on Bioenergetic Therapies�A
New Revolution in Healing. Guest: Dr. Millicent Holliday, a naturopathic
doctor who has worked with ASD patients for many years; she uses EAV
assessments, homeopathic detoxification, botanicals, drainage, and nutrition
at her large practice in Atlanta.
       10pm�10:30 Alyson Beytien: Family to Family

Fri, Mar 17:
       2pm�2:30 Amy Lansky: There�s Hope with Homeopathy
       9pm�10 Suzanne Messina: ASIA Caf�: Addressing Special Issues in Autism

Sun, Mar 19:
       11am�11:30 Jack & Rebecca Sytsema: Children of Destiny: Spiritual
Strength and Hope for Families Struggling with Autism. Topic: �God is Able!�
Our God is an awesome God! Yet, there are times in our lives when the
pressures and cares can crowd around us with such intensity that we can
easily lose sight of how awesome He is and how He is at work on our behalf.
This week we focus on seeing that, even in the midst of our struggles, God
is able to fulfill all His promises to us.

� � �

FROM THE EDITOR
Tenth Anniversary of the Schafer Autism Report this April 7!
Hello, goodbye.

       My, time flies when you're having fun.  This reprint below is from one
of the first editions of the Schafer Autism Report, which started out as the
"F.E.A.T. Online Network". It later became the FEAT Daily Newsletter when
fittingly enough, it started coming out daily shortly thereafter.  Myself,
and the newsletter were connected then to Families for Early Autism
Treatment in Sacramento.  Parents brought information and food to share at
the meetings. My offerings were printed and duplicated downloads from the
internet.
       This publication started out sending out autism information I would
dig up as a cc: list in April of that year. It went out to 3 or 4 people who
just happened to have "home" computers and connections to the internet, no
less. The "world wide web" was only in its crowning stage of being born.  To
mine information from the net back then, you had to know some unix operating
system lingo and how to use stuff like "ftp" and "gopher" sites and text
editors designed for nerds.
       Two months later, I turned my cc: list, which had grown to an amazing
14 addresses by then, into a formal mailing list and gave it its
internet-ish name.  Here is a reprint from then.


>From June 15, 1996


       Retribution Checklist for Diagnosing Deviant ABA Professionals

       X-Sender: schafer@netcom
       To: "F.E.A.T. Online Network
       Subject: Retribution Checklist for Diagnosing Deviant ABA
                Professionals
       Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1996 09:00:01 -0400


             I found this on Autism.faq gopher server.
             I loved it!

             The autistic individual may like to use this "Retribution
             Checklist for Diagnosing Deviant ABA Professionals".

             1) Insist on having people name or point to objects.
             2) Will not allow others to do what they call "self
                stimulatory" behaviors such as finger flicking or
                rocking back and forth.
             3) Will not imitate self stimulatory behavior of others.
             4) Resists sameness. Prefer to alter events rather than
                enjoying their sameness.
             5) Do not appreciate differences in intonation and rhythm
                in language (has not yet developed the ability to de-center
             6) Cannot yet understand or respond to meaningful echolalia,
                even though they insist on having others repeat things
                after them.
             7) Walk on whole foot, often placing heel down first.
             8) Complain of dizziness after whirling and seldom engage in
                lunging and darting about.
             9) Prefer moving toys forward and backward (e.g. trucks and
                cars) or stacking them (e.g. blocks) to lining them up.
            10) Unusual need for mutual gaze. Often refuse to interact
                with people unless the people look them in the eyes.
            11) Have not developed beyond the checklist stage in their
                ability to understand or evaluate others.


And Now

       Fast forward to the present. This publication now has over 20,000
readers and easily adds 14 new members every day, instead of taking two
months.
       The Schafer Autism Report has no paid advertising and takes no
donations.  For ten years, it has been paid for mostly out of my son's
adoption assistance disability money, supported in addition by the Alta
California Regional center, the fair County of Sacramento's health and human
services agency and the noble Department of Agriculture's contribution to my
family of $10 a month in food stamps. (For awhile FEAT did help out with
some of the expenses, for which I am eternally grateful.)
       Having no advertising, taking no donations, seeking no grants, and
taking no salary gave me the advantage of having no conflicts of interest.
By not following my pocketbook, I am able to follow my heart to produce
information honestly and straight forward, without spin, without
partisanship and without a hidden agenda. My formula is simply to present
the information they way I would want it presented to me.  The golden rule
also works for the positive, let us not forget.
       I believe now we are at the "tipping point" where the truth about the
cause of autism starts coming out. The lead article here pretty much says
much of it, if not all.  Finally, after ten years, the cracks appear in the
fa�ade.

       While my high tech contemporaries were chasing dot.coms, my enterprise
went into this project. Now, I must move on. My son will soon age out of his
adoption disability pension and I must turn my efforts into labors for money
as well as for love.  Producing the newsletter and caring for my children as
a single parent consumes all my time, leaving little for a social life and
the companionship that it could bring. Ten years is a long time, even for
the best of sailors. Yet, this is the most gratifying thing I have done in
my life.  I know from the email I get that I have improved the lives of
hundreds of children and their families by providing them with good, useful
and timely information.  I have no doubt that the advocacy efforts here will
save untold many more children in the future by helping to stem the autism
epidemic.  This has been by exposing the perpetrators with the truth �
chipping away at it a little each day.
       Yet little of that matters when I look at my 17 year old son, still
trapped by his injuries.  For all the good that may have resulted for so
many from my efforts, I have failed saving him from his autism, the one
person for whom I have done all of this. What should it profit a man if he
would gain his soul yet lose his son?  One option for us financially was to
turn this newsletter into a more commercial product; start taking
advertising and even donations. . I have made a few false starts at this
over the years, but have finally realized I just don't have the heart to
despoil it so, nor even the support required to go the donation route.
Ironically, I am trapped and isolated by my good work. There are only so
many hours etc..  As rich as I may be for it all, I find myself lonely and
broke.  So, barring I win the Nobel Prize money for poetic justice or some
such, this will be the last year of publication of the Schafer Autism
Report.  Maybe by next year, the worst of autism, the epidemic, will be over
with anyway, God willing.
       �Lenny Schafer, Izak's dad



Public Service Announcement to the Reader:

       AUTISM IS TREATABLE.  Consult these sources:

       .  Autism Research Institute
          http://www.sarnet.org/ari.htm

       .  Generation Rescue http://www.sarnet.org/genres.htm


COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The above items are copyright protected. They are for our
readers' personal education or research purposes only and provided at their
request. Articles may not be further reprinted or used commercially without
consent from the copyright holders. To find the copyright holders, follow
the referenced website link provided at the beginning of each item.

SUBSCRIBE to SAR: http://www.sarnet.org or mailto:subs@...
_______________________________________________________________________
Lenny Schafer, Editor edit@...  Teresa Conrick  Edward Decelie
Richard Miles


_______________________________________________
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You can unsubscribe at:
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SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT                "Healing Autism:
                              No Finer a Cause on the Planet"
________________________________________________________________
Thursday, March 9, 2006                        Vol. 10  No. 42


        >>  APRIL IS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH -
            PROMOTE YOUR AUTISM EVENT - FREE!

            DEADLINE FOR APRIL AUTISM CALENDAR IS
            MARCH 25        Submit listing here:
            http://www.sarnet.org/frm/cal-frm.htm



   >>  Mercury Generation March
       Washington DC - April 6 - You Can Make a Difference -
       Protect Your Children - But you have to show up!
       http://www.sarnet.org/MercMarch.htm



     RESEARCH
    * M.I.N.D. Institute Launches Largest Biomedical Assessment
      of ASD Children
    * The Age of Autism: Pay No Attention

     TREATMENT
    * Pica Behavior Can Cause Mental Health Issues
    * Therapists Use Music To Help With Healing

     PUBLIC HEALTH
    * Autism Diagnoses Surge In State, Nation

     CARE
    * Medicaid Limits Kick In For Children in Kansas - Disrupts Placements
    * Mothers Help Put Face To Autism
    * Bracelets Track Vulnerable People

     EVENTS
    * Actors for Autism: Open Mic Night.....Huge Success!


RESEARCH

M.I.N.D. Institute Launches Largest Biomedical Assessment of ASD Children
Autism Phenome Project aims to redefine autism by identifying distinct
subtypes

       Multidisciplinary teams of physicians and scientists at the University
of California, Davis, M.I.N.D. Institute have launched the nation's most
comprehensive assessment of children with autism to detect the biological
and behavioral patterns that define subtypes of the disorder.
       Called the Autism Phenome Project, the large-scale, longitudinal study
will enroll 1,800 children -- 900 with autism, 450 with developmental delay
and 450 who are typically developing -- who will undergo a thorough medical
evaluation in addition to systematic analyses of their immune systems, brain
structures and functions, genetics, environmental exposures and blood
proteins. Children will be 2 to 4 years old when they begin participating in
the study, and their development will continue to be evaluated over the
course of several years. The first phase of the research is funded by the UC
Davis M.I.N.D. Institute and philanthropic donations.
       "Children with autism clearly are not all the same," said David G.
Amaral, research director of the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute and co-director
of the project. "The tremendous variation leads us to believe that autism is
a group of disorders rather than a single disorder -- several autisms versus
one autism. We are determined to provide the specific biomedical and
behavioral criteria that accurately define distinct subtypes."
       Autism has common hallmarks: difficulties initiating and sustaining
social interactions, impaired communication skills and restricted,
repetitive patterns of behavior. However, these hallmarks vary in severity.
In addition, some children with autism can have co-existing conditions such
as cognitive impairments, seizures, coordination issues or gastrointestinal
difficulties, while others do not. This heterogeneity has been a major
obstacle to progress in autism science.
       Another obstacle involves access to reliable data. Autism science
includes many quality studies on specific aspects of the disorder -- from
genetics and immunology to behavior and imaging -- that can be difficult to
combine and compare. With the Autism Phenome Project, UC Davis M.I.N.D.
Institute researchers aim to overcome this limitation.
       "We spent two years designing the project so that it would be both
comprehensive in scope and fully capable of integrating data across
disciplines," said Amaral, a neuroscientist who specializes in brain systems
involved in memory, emotion and social behavior. "Our goal is to identify
specific types of autism and develop a database of biomedical information
that can be shared with the worldwide community of autism scientists. This
is crucial to refining our understanding of autism and to developing
targeted treatments for a specific 'type' of autism as early as possible so
children can reach their fullest potential."
       According to Thomas R. Insel, a physician who is director of the
National Institute of Mental Health, the Autism Phenome Project is an
important new direction in autism research.
       "Multifaceted biomedical approaches are exactly what is needed right
now," said Insel. "This is a monumental task, but one that needs to be
undertaken if we are to accurately diagnose and treat people with autism."
       While the Autism Phenome Project is ambitious, Amaral believes its
successful completion will shorten by decades the road to discovering the
causes and treatments of autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder that now
affects 1 in 166 children in the United States. The unexplained rise in
autism prevalence has frustrated parents and scientists trying to find
answers.
       "The extraordinary biomedical tools currently available at the
M.I.N.D. Institute make it the ideal environment for launching this clinical
research effort," he said. "The time is right for us to build a strong
database of information that we can all share in order to speed the
discovery process and clarify the variability that now plagues autism
research. From there, we can more quickly identify causes and treatments,
and by adding collaborative partners we will be able to gather as much
information as quickly as possible."
       The UC Davis M.I.N.D. (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental
Disorders) Institute is a unique collaborative center for research into the
causes and treatments of autism, bringing together parents, scientists,
clinicians and educators. For further information, go to
www.mindinstitute.org.





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                             SUBSCRIBE. . . !
             . . .Read, then Forward the Schafer Autism Report.
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            ___________________________________________



. . .

The Age of Autism: Pay No Attention

       By Dan Olmsted for UPI.
http://tinyurl.com/e6947

       There's a Steely Dan album called Pretzel Logic that could be the
theme song of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as it struggles
with concerns over vaccines and autism.
       At least in our view, it is a bit twisted -- logically speaking -- to
simultaneously spend taxpayer money to keep studying whether a mercury
preservative causes autism, yet recommend that pregnant women and children
get vaccines containing that preservative. Especially so when alternatives
are available that are free of the preservative, called thimerosal.
       It is puzzling to urge, as the CDC did in 1999, that thimerosal ought
to be phased out as soon as possible from all childhood vaccines used in the
United States -- yet successfully fight efforts this year by state
legislatures to codify a ban.
       It is peculiar to issue an "Autism Alarm," as the CDC did in 2004 --
then publish a 72-page annual report in 2005 that mentions the perils of
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, cryptosporidiosis, leprosy and the four people
"killed by rabies transmitted through transplanted organs or tissues in
2004," yet never use the word autism, not once. (Check it out at
www.cdc.gov/cdc.pdf)
       Perhaps the oddest, though subtlest, anomaly is the seeming resistance
by the CDC to the idea that the autism rate might be declining.
       Our last column reported a new study that suggests it could well be.
The study's authors are firmly convinced a drop in autism cases in two
separate government databases -- one run by the CDC, the other by the state
of California -- proves thimerosal is the big culprit in autism. That's a
step we're not ready to take, to the consternation of some in the
anti-thimerosal movement.
       But wouldn't even tentative signs of a decrease, for whatever
conceivable reason, be welcome and hopeful?
       Instead, the CDC seems keen to clobber any suggestion that autism
might be declining. In Thursday's Boston-area Herald News Tribune, reporter
Jon Brodkin quotes Dr. Robert Davis, director of the immunization safety
group at the CDC, as saying: "I don't think this study can really be taken
to provide any evidence one way or another."
       Davis also said one of the databases the study authors used -- the
CDC's own Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System -- is unreliable because
anyone can report any health problem as a possible vaccine side effect.
       Fair enough, but new cases in that database seem to be declining in
tandem with new cases in California's special education system. And those
California numbers are widely regarded as the most reliable count of
full-syndrome, professionally diagnosed autism cases in the United States.
P.S.: The most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Education also
dropped.
+ Read more: The Age of Autism: Pay No Attention

. . .

TREATMENT

Pica Behavior Can Cause Mental Health Issues

       By Sally Robinson and Keith Bly for the The Daily News.
  http://tinyurl.com/rfx6o

       Most children put nonfood items in their mouths at some point. For
example, a child may put dirt from a sandbox in her mouth. This is a normal
exploration of their environment. However, some children may develop pica,
an eating disorder characterized by persistent and compulsive cravings to
eat items other than food. The word "pica" comes from the Latin word for
magpie, a bird known to eat almost anything.
       Pica is most common in children between age 2 and 3, and in those with
developmental disabilities, such as autism and mental retardation. Children
with pica may crave and eat nonfood items such as dirt, clay, paint chips,
plaster, chalk, cornstarch, baking soda, coffee grounds, cigarette ashes,
cigarette butts, feces, glue, hair, buttons, paper, sand, toothpaste and
soap. Children with pica may repetitively eat such items for a period of one
month or longer. Some of these items may seem harmless, but pica is
considered a serious eating disorder and can lead to health problems such as
worm or parasite infections, lead poisoning, intestinal obstruction and
iron-deficiency anemia.
       The causes of pica are unknown, but some situations that increase the
risk of pica include:

       . Mineral deficiencies
       . Malnutrition
       . Cultural factors
       . Parental neglect, lack of supervision or food deprivation
       . Developmental problems
       . Mental health conditions
       . Pregnancy

       If you suspect your child may have pica, talk to your pediatrician,
who might test your child for iron and/or zinc deficiencies, as well as lead
poisoning. Iron is used by the body to make hemoglobin (the red part of your
blood that carries oxygen throughout the body), by the nervous system for
growth, and to fight infections. Foods that contain iron include meat, eggs,
grains, cereal, dried fruits (apricots, prunes and raisins), green leafy
vegetables (such as spinach, greens and broccoli) and legumes (beans and
nuts). Zinc is used by the body for growth, vision, taste and smell, and to
help wounds heal and fight infections. It is found in meat, seafood, eggs
and dairy products.
       Your doctor will also educate you on how to manage and prevent
pica-related behavior, by suggesting ways to teach your child about
acceptable and unacceptable food items. If your child's iron and zinc levels
are normal, your doctor may suggest a child psychologist for behavioral
therapy.
       Pica is normally a temporary condition that improves as your child
gets older, but it may be more difficult to control pica in children with
developmental or mental health issues.
       If your child's pica behavior does not improve after several weeks
after treatment, call your pediatrician. Being patient with your child is
important in treating pica - remember to praise your child when you notice
that he has not been eating nonfood items.

. . .

Therapists Use Music To Help With Healing

       By Lauren Sonis for the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
http://tinyurl.com/nhggx

       When music therapist Vicki Gross, a West Volusia resident, appeared on
the NBC "Today Show" in the mid-1990s, few had heard of her profession.
       The segment detailed how Gross taught an autistic girl -- who once
could only say "father" -- to speak in full sentences by communicating to
the girl with a guitar, hand chimes and other musical tools. She used the
instruments to provoke reactions that eventually elicited verbal responses.
       The televised report increased demand for Gross' services in Volusia
and Flagler counties and has led to a greater awareness among health care
professionals that music can be used to heal, she says.
       Critics caution patients not to expect miracles from music therapy.
They remain unconvinced that music can provoke healing and say a placebo
effect is likely responsible for research concluding the therapy works.
       But believers such as Gross say results speak for themselves.
       Rhythmic drumbeats can help a patient with Parkinson's disease measure
strides. Singing lessons can help improve speech and enunciation. Guitar
strumming can be a reward for a stroke victim's efforts to relearn motor
skills, Gross says.
       Today, Gross brings her instruments to sessions with people who are
homeless, developmentally disabled, mentally ill or substance abusers. She
logs hours at The Duvall Home and Boston Avenue School in DeLand, and
schedules private sessions for patients throughout Volusia and Flagler.
       She's one of 5,000 board-certified music therapists in the United
States, but probably the only licensed music therapist working locally.
"We're a very rare breed," she says.
       In 1944, Michigan State University offered the nation's first degree
program to train professional therapists to use music to address physical,
emotional, cognitive, academic and social needs. Four-year degree programs
are offered today by Florida State University and the University of Miami.
       To become certified, degree holders must pass an exam that requires
expertise in both music and clinical psychology, Gross says.
       "Music training is not enough," she said.
       Still, her services can be a tough sell for some facilities, she says.
       Hospice of Volusia/Flagler considered bringing a music therapist on
staff but officials decided that one person could not serve all 600 patients
at the facility, said Christine Garden, the hospice's coordinator of
complementary therapy programs.
       Hospice officials instead decided to purchase a therapeutic harp CD
and offer an in-room television channel featuring natural scenes and
soothing music. Other hospitals opt not to use music therapists but invite
volunteer musicians to perform bedside to help soothe troubled souls, Gross
says.
       At Jacksonville's Mayo Clinic, harpist Diane Schneider uses her
instrument for a therapy she developed that relieves symptoms of people
suffering from pain, depression, anxiety, and heart arrhythmias.
       Tones emitted by the harp occur at mathematic intervals that differ
from what the listener perceives. Schneider, who is a research scientist but
not a certified music therapist, says the tones can provoke cellular and
neurological changes.
       Palm Coast resident Catherine Arsenault, hospitalized twice for high
blood pressure, says Schneider's harp music helps her relax and fall asleep.
       "When I heard her play, I thought I was in a different dimension," she
said.
       And some music healers feel their practices can help those with
spiritual struggles as well as physical problems.
       St. Augustine-based drummer Howard Lewis, who performs in Volusia and
Flagler, doesn't claim to be a healer, but says his music can help relieve
stress and help people connect with each other.
       During performances, Lewis, who performs under the name Xhabbo, says,
"I'll go in, ask people to express things on their minds, concerns, and
suggest that we resolve it internally while playing rhythms," he said.

. . .

PUBLIC HEALTH

Autism Diagnoses Surge In State, Nation

       By Lisa Snedeker, North Carolina.
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=228143

       The number of children being diagnosed with autism in Cumberland
County and across the nation is increasing at an alarming rate, doctors,
activists and parents say.
       Cumberland County had the second highest increase from 2003 to 2004 in
the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in the state,
according to the 2004 North Carolina Schools Statistical Profile, the most
recent statistics available. The highest was Wake County.
       "It's an epidemic," says Anna Finch, president of the Autism Society
of Cumberland County's board.
       Statistics appear to back up her claim. In 1997, a national study by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found one autism diagnosis
per 500 children. The Autism Society of America reported that during the
1990s the disorder increased 172 percent, and today that same group reports
that there will be an autism diagnosis in one out every 166 births.
       Closer to home, there has been a 7 percent increase in autism
diagnoses in the state from 2003 to 2004, the 2004 North Carolina Schools
Statistical Profile shows.
       The number of students in Cumberland County schools in 2004 was
52,812. Out of those, 266 students were diagnosed with autism. In 2003,
there were 185. And in 1993, there were 10 self-contained classrooms for
autistic students in the Cumberland County and Fort Bragg schools. This
school year, there are 40-plus, Finch said.
       During Autism Awareness Month in April, Finch, who is the mother of an
autistic child, plans to get the word out about what she says is a
significant increase.
       "I personally believe that we've got big problems here," she said.
       Experts say there are a number of reasons behind the increase.
       One is that the criteria for an autism diagnosis have been broadened.
Under its umbrella fall Asperger syndrome, elective mutism, pervasive
developmental disorder, Rett syndrome and even attention deficit disorder.
       Another reason cited for the increase is that children are being
diagnosed at much earlier ages.

Genetics, Environment
        While the cause of autism remains a mystery, many, including Finch,
believe that it is a combination of genetics and environmental factors.
Others think it may be caused by some of the immunization shots most
toddlers receive today.
       "I think the key to it is the study of genetics," Finch said. "In most
cases they can't find a biological reason for the autism, but every child
that is autistic doesn't have it for same reasons or the same severity."
       Hope is a powerful tool in treating autism, says Debbie Hopson, who is
the mother of quadruplets, two of whom have moderate autism.
       "The thing that grieves me more than anything is the lack of attention
you are given with the diagnosis of autism," she said. "As a parent, you are
left hanging. It's more like a death sentence, and it seems hopeless."
       Hopson attended a national autism conference in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in
November. The most significant advice she heard there came from a doctor who
said, "Please don't ever think that autism is a hopeless diagnosis."
       Hopson says most people have no idea how hard it is to live with
someone with autism.
       Finch agrees that it has a devastating effect on parents.
       "'Rain Man' was a wonderful movie, but not everyone has a rain man,"
Finch said.

Children's Treatment
        Through a combination of treatments, the Hopson children who have
autism are improving.
       "It is so good to see what God has done," she said. "It is every
parent's dream to have your child get to this point. You just pray that God
is going to come through. We are very blessed to have been able to do this
therapy."
       Phillip and Elizabeth Hopson have worked with doctors specializing in
autism in Florida and also used a hyperbaric chamber as part of their
treatment.
       "We've used it 10 times, but we need to use it more to see results,"
Debbie Hopson said. "It's a relatively new treatment. It's not proven
scientifically, but the first afternoon Phillip said, 'Mommy, the spaceship
makes me feel better.'"
       Allen Hopson said, "That blew us away."
       The Hopsons are hoping to borrow a hyperbaric chamber from one of the
doctors.
       "That would be so much fun," Elizabeth said.
       Julie Buckley is a pediatrician in Ponte Vedra, Fla., who works
primarily with autistic children. She is also the mother of an autistic
child who has used hyperbaric therapy as part of her treatment.
       The Hopsons have used Buckley's hyperbaric chamber.
       While Buckley is not treating the Hopson children, she does recommend
a gluten-free diet such as Elizabeth's for some of her patients as well as
vitamin supplements, in addition to the hyperbaric treatment.
       "We've seen tremendous improvement, which is so rewarding," she said.
       "I tell every single one of my patients that it is never too late and
to never, never, never give up hope."




       EVIDENCE OF HARM DISCUSSION LIST HEATS UP
       AS MERCURY LINK TO AUTISM QUESTION SPREADS

    >> PAPERBACK BOOK NOW OUT - CHECK AMAZON.COM

       An Evidence of Harm email discussion list has
       been created in response to the growing interest
       in the book and the issues it chronicles. Now
       1,200 subscribers.   Here is how to subscribe
       (no cost):   EOHarm-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

. . .

CARE

Medicaid Limits Kick In For Children of Kansas - Disrupts Placements

       By Steve Painter for The Star
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/14052584.htm

       Four years ago, Terry and Boyd Perry made one of the toughest
decisions parents can make.
       Unable to afford the care that their autistic son, Eric, needed, the
Wichita couple gave up custody to the state so Medicaid, a federal and state
program that provides health care for low-income residents, would cover his
treatment.
       Now, Terry says, a decision by federal Medicaid officials threatens to
cut off money for the care he receives at Lakemary Center in Paola.
       "It's devastating," she said. "He's very comfortable there. If he were
taken out of there, we're truly afraid that he will regress."
       The issue has now landed before state lawmakers. The cost of picking
up care for Eric and others with extensive needs is projected to be $3
million a year.
       About 500 such children are in the program.
       Rep. Bob Bethell, an Alden Republican who leads a special committee
studying the issue, says the state may have little choice but to pay up.
       "What I'm hearing is that people are being moved and they don't
believe they really have any choice," he said. "Most of these kids are in
need of stability in their lives. They certainly don't need to be moved
around now, or threatened to move."
       The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services notified the
state in December that it would strictly enforce limits on the number of
days it would pay for services at Lakemary and other centers known as Level
5 facilities.
       Those places provide 24-hour care with extensive supervision and
services.
       Federal funding is cut off after a child has been in the center for
140 days, although extensions frequently are granted. For Eric, that
extension expires Tuesday.
       "After that, they have not a clue where he will go," Terry Perry said.
She intends to address Bethell's committee Monday.
       The funding cutoff does not apply to facilities with fewer than 16
patients, but few homes that small accept high-needs children.
       + Read more:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/14052584.htm

. . .

Mothers Help Put Face To Autism
Dority, Folks strive to expand ranks, awareness with local support group

By Patrick Cady for the Eudora News, Kansas.
       http://www.eudoranews.com/section/frontpagelead/story/6089

       Two-and-a-half years ago, Rebecca Dority walked with her son into a
room full of children.
       About 20 of the children surrounded Dority and her son, Isaac, now 5.
But instead of reverberating with the rambunctious noise and energy of the
youngsters, the room was silent.
       As she looked around, she saw some of the children shaking, others
humming and showing other forms of "stimming" in the parlance of those
suffering from autism.
       Dority said it wasn't what she expected when she took her son to an
autistic support group.
       She cried and took her son elsewhere. At the time, she wasn't ready.
       "It's just a myriad of emotions you go through," Dority said.
       She said she was new to the disability then, still in the angry stage
of asking herself, "Why?"
       Eighteen months later she found herself and her family going through
one less emotion ---- loneliness.
       She began speaking ---- on the phone at first ---- with Jacqui Folks
who is also a mother of an autistic child.
       Folks welcomed her, and the pair became fast friends.
       "She's helped me. I've helped her. We'll be lifelong friends," Folks
said.
       Isaac and Folks' 5-year-old son Ethan also share the same
paraprofessional teacher.
       "When we get together as families we get along together," Dority said.
       Since meeting, the two mothers have exchanged ideas and strategies on
helping their children make the most of their lives.
       "If I can give him the tools to help him get along better in this
reality, then great," Dority said.
       Folks, for instance, told Dority about a summer camp created
especially for children with autism.
       Because there are few "cut-and-dry" ways to treat autism, the little
things the mothers learn from eachother, like using sign language with Ethan
and Isaac, help, Folks said.
       The duo also trades ideas and tips from doctors who help treat the
boys.
       "There's a lot of trial and error for these guys here," Folks said.
       The meetings also provide the mothers with substantial moral support.
       "If I told her I was crying, we could cry together," Folks said. "If I
were at the point that I'm angry, we can be angry together."
       Although the local support group, Eudora Mother's Autism Network, has
only Dority and Folks as its current members, the group will try to find
more people at the start of next month, which is National Autism Awareness
Month.
       While expanding ranks, the group will also look to expand awareness.
       "There's not a face to autism. There's not enough awareness out
there," Folks said.
       Before her child was diagnosed, Dority said she knew very little about
the disability or others.
       But working with Isaac, she gained a whole new outlook.
       "I'm not thankful my son has a disability, but I am thankful for what
it has taught me," Dority said. "These are people just like us."
       The group will accept people who don't know a lot about autism as well
as those who are affected by the disability.
       The group could be a resource for the parents, but giving the children
a place to interact in a local context is an advantage Folks said she wants
to tap further.
       "If they could just interact and learn more about each other, then
they could really help each other," Folks said.
       To help publicize the group, Folks said she'll be working with
Nottingham Elementary School Principal Jim Lauer school to send information
about autism and the support group home with students in April.
       Folks said she hopes that would do the trick to bring more people to
the group.
       "Two minds are better than one, and three minds are better than two,"
Folks said. "That's what I'm looking for."

. . .

Bracelets Track Vulnerable People

       Trace Christenson for the Battle Creek Enquirer.
http://tinyurl.com/ndd2l

       A battery-powered bracelet could save a life, so two Battle Creek,
Michigan women hope some people in Calhoun County soon will be wearing them.
       Cyndi Carstens and Sheri Marvin have begun a survey to determine how
many people would use Project Lifesaver.
       The national program fits people - like children with autism and
adults with Alzheimer's disease - with the bracelets, which emit a signal
and can be tracked by police trained to use special tracking equipment.
       "The need is there," Carstens said. "There are people with autism and
Alzheimer's who just wander, and you just never know when it is going to
happen."
       Both Carstens and Marvin are active in the Autism Society of
Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, which is promoting the program.
       But they said they must determine how many people might use it before
they begin searching for the approximately $50,000 needed to buy equipment
and train officers.
       In Kalamazoo County, Project Lifesaver began June 1. Lt. Wally Kipp of
the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department said 25 people in the county - 23
children and two adults - are wearing the wrist bands.
       Nearly an equal number of officers are trained in the program, and
nine tracking devices are spread across the county with seven police
departments.
       Kipp said the system enables officers to locate a missing person,
sometimes in minutes.
       "We have used it on three different individuals, and it has worked
perfectly," Kipp said.
       In one case, he said, a child slipped away from his parents and was
hiding in a nearby home, but officers found him 22 minutes after they were
notified.
       Kipp said the tracking equipment has about a half-mile range on the
ground and up to three miles when used in a helicopter or plane.
       When a person is reported missing and the police are notified,
officers go to the last known location of the missing person and dial in the
radio frequency unique to the wrist band on the missing person.
       Kipp said the program not only finds people quickly, but saves
emergency agencies hours of searching and costs.
+ Read more: http://tinyurl.com/ndd2l

. . .

EVENTS

Actors for Autism: Open Mic Night.....Huge Success!

       Our first open mic night on March 2nd in Tarzana, California was a
huge success! Stage and television star Adrian Zmed was our gracious host.
We had an array of acts including: poets, actors, comedians and musicians.
Actors for Autism funds local programs to fully integrate children with
autism in their communities.
       Please note the open mic night will continue every other Thursday.
Instead of weekly which was previously posted. Our next open mic night will
be Thursday, March 23rd 8:00-10:00pm.  Signups start at 7:00pm -- remember
audience members are free.
       click here  http://www.actorsforautism.com/OpenMicNight.html



Public Service Announcement to the Reader:

       AUTISM IS TREATABLE.  Consult these sources:

       .  Autism Research Institute
          http://www.sarnet.org/ari.htm

       .  Generation Rescue http://www.sarnet.org/genres.htm


COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The above items are copyright protected. They are for our
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request. Articles may not be further reprinted or used commercially without
consent from the copyright holders. To find the copyright holders, follow
the referenced website link provided at the beginning of each item.

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delivered to: jennyboys2@...

Hey all!

Its time again for our monthly meeting!  I hope lots of you can come!
We're getting together Thursday March 16th at the Longhorn restaurant
in Pineville....We are starting PROMPTLY at 7pm...("established"
parents can come at 6:30 if they wish).

Please let me know if you plan on attending.  Thanks!
Pam McCarthy

Click here to visit our website

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SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT                "Healing Autism:
                              No Finer a Cause on the Planet"
________________________________________________________________
Tuesday, March 7, 2006                          Vol. 10  No. 40


   >>  THE AUTISM CALENDAR MARCH UPDATE IS OUT!

       Scores of New Listings - Our Biggest Calendar Yet!
       http://www.sarnet.org/events/

   >>  Mercury Generation March
       Washington DC - April 6 - You Can Make a Difference -
       Protect Your Children - But you have to show up!
       http://www.sarnet.org/MercMarch.htm



PUBLIC HEALTH

A Poisonous Move for Kids by CDC

       By Robert F. Kennedy Jr.   http://tinyurl.com/zwbbw

       On February 22, CDC announced that it is dramatically expanding
America's flu vaccination program to include all children between six months
and 5 years and their siblings and caretakers. But, guess what CDC forgot to
mention? There is not nearly enough thimerosal-free flu vaccine to go
around. Vaccine makers produced fewer than 8 million thimerosal-free flu
doses this season, which doesn't bode well for the more than 17 million
children designated to receive flu shots under CDC's new protocol.
       Thimerosal is the mercury-based preservative that has been linked to
the epidemic of neurological disorders including speech delays, language
delays, hyperactivity, attention-deficit disorder, and autism in American
children born after 1989. CDC recommended the removal of thimerosal from
children's vaccines by 2001, but most flu vaccinations still contain 25
micrograms of thimerosal in every 0.5ml dose. Under CDC's new
recommendations, every American child under five will be injected once each
year, with a double dose for first-timers. By his fifth birthday, a child
whose parents cannot obtain the child-safe vaccine will have received up to
100 micrograms of thimerosal, which is half ethyl mercury. A recent
scientific study indicates that many children will retain the
tissue-destroying toxin in their brain and organs for years. CDC has moved
aggressively to cut funding and derail follow-up studies that examine the
impacts of retained mercury in children's brains.
       In its announcement, CDC admitted that the health risks from flu to
children do not justify the dramatic expansion of the vaccination program.
For the first time in history, CDC rationalized the new protocols by arguing
that the inoculations will spare parents and the health care industry
significant lost work time now spent taking care of sick children. Although
framed as a recommendation, CDC's new protocols function as mandates, since
they establish the standards of care for the medical profession. Doctors who
fall short of that standard are liable if a patient were to die from flu.
       Since CDC is not requiring production of thimerosal-free children's
flu vaccines, its expanded recommendations are bound to provoke a scramble
among parents, pediatricians and HMOs to get their hands on the limited
stashes of thimerosal-free flu vaccines.
       CDC's new protocols contemplate inoculating 185 million Americans with
influenza vaccines. The industry shipped only 81 million doses this year, so
even before CDC announced its new requirements, the battle to secure flu
vaccines was ferocious. When vaccine manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur opened its
phone lines to accept pre-orders on January 31, it was flooded with calls
from physicians, hospitals and HMOs desperate to reserve vaccines. During
the first 30 minutes Sanofi got 40,000 phone calls and over 200,000 calls
within eight hours, collapsing its communications system. By week's end it
had received 400,000 calls -- more than the company customarily receives in
a year.
       Mercury-free flu shots are in particularly short supply. Sanofi, the
only commercial supplier of thimerosal-free pediatric influenza vaccines,
produced only eight million children's doses this year. CDC's announcement
increases the pool of targeted children by over 11 million kids, ages 2 to 5
years old. Only about one-third of America's children under age five will be
lucky enough to get the child-safe vaccines. While CDC's Director of
Immunizations Dr. Lance Rodewald assured me he expects no shortage of
thimerosal-free vaccine, doctors and medical groups are telling a different
story. Those who customarily give their patients only thimerosal-free flu
shots are already finding that the industry cannot fill their orders for the
2006-2007 season.
       Pediatrician Lawrence Rosen, Director of Pediatrics at Pascack Valley
Hospital in Westwood, New Jersey, told us that his eight-doctor family
medical practice had been informed by Sanofi that the company was unable to
fill his order for next season. "It was like trying to get tickets to a
Rolling Stones concert," he said. Sanofi will give him only 300 of the 900
thimerosal-free doses he needs. "The only other shots I can get contain
thimerosal, and I'm not going to do that." According to Rosen, the problem
is widespread across the country, with very few practices able to fill their
orders for flu shots. "The gist is there's not enough safe vaccine. The
government wants us to give more shots, but there's no supply. They are
leaving millions of kids between the ages of 3 and 5 with no option --
millions of kids."
       Sanofi has said that the company was prepared to double production of
thimerosal-free children's flu vaccine, but that there were no requests from
CDC or the State Health Departments that it do so. Indeed CDC has ordered
3.5 million doses from Sanofi for its Vaccines for Children Program, which
provides vaccines to economically disadvantaged children mainly in minority
communities. Only a fraction of these will be thimerosal-free, according to
Rodewald. He refused to disclose the precise number.
       Why will CDC inject millions of minority kids in America's poorest
neighborhoods with poison proven to kill brain tissue and cause learning
disorders when child-safe vaccines are available? CDC's spokesperson Glen
Nowak explained to me the agency "doesn't have a preference for
thimerosal-free vaccines" despite its repeated statements to the contrary
since 1999. CDC also admitted it has no efforts underway to further educate
the public about thimerosal, or to encourage manufacturers to move more
quickly toward 100 percent mercury-free vaccines.
       CDC's recommendation to vaccinate millions of additional children
without assuring any additional capacity of thimerosal-free vaccines is a
bad one. It will almost certainly encounter stiff resistance as skeptical
parents and pediatricians balk at injecting young children with a known
brain poison by order of bureaucrats that they increasingly don't trust.




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. . .

Prenatal Pesticide Exposure Affects Blood And Brain
May Lead to High Blood Pressure and a Decreased Neurological Ability to Copy
Shapes In Childhood

       By Harvard School of Public Health News Release
http://tinyurl.com/ncnc2

       Children in Ecuador whose mothers were exposed to pesticides while
pregnant had increased blood pressure and diminished ability to copy
geometric figures as compared to a control group, according to an
epidemiological study in the March issue of Pediatrics. The results appear
to be independent of current exposure to the chemicals. The mothers
themselves were reported to be healthy.
       A team of researchers led by Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor in
the Department of Environmental Health at HSPH, analyzed data on 72 children
aged seven or eight years old in the rural Tabacundo-Cayambe area in
Northern Ecuador. The children were examined by a physician and were given a
battery of standardized tests for neurobehavioral functions. Thirty-seven of
the children had mothers whose self-described occupational histories
indicated that the women had been exposed to pesticides during pregnancy,
typically by working in greenhouses. Dose-response relationships and the
exact timing of the exposures' impact were not established due to the nature
of the study design.
       In the exposed children, the average systolic blood pressure was
higher than in those who were unexposed (104.0 mm Hg versus 99.4 mm Hg). An
increase in diastolic pressure was not statistically significant.
Hypertension among children and adolescents is defined based on a range of
blood pressures in healthy children, and children above the 95th percentile
are considered hypertensive. In the Pediatrics study, nine children exceeded
the approximate 95th percentile of 113 mm Hg. Seven of those children had
prenatal pesticide exposure.
       Prenatal pesticide exposure was also associated with a decreased
ability to copy figures presented to the children as part of a standardized
Stanford-Binet test. Adjusted regression analysis indicated that the exposed
children experienced a developmental delay on this aptitude of four years.
The authors noted that the confidence interval, or range of value, for this
coefficient was relatively wide but was a statistically significant finding
in a study of limited size, suggesting that the effect could be substantial.
       In the part of Ecuador in which the children live, malnourishment is
frequent. The authors used delayed growth, or stunting, to explore the role
of nutrients in the study's results. Stunting is viewed as an indicator of
malnutrition and is defined according to a height-for-age scale. Stunting
was associated with decreased copying ability in both exposed and
non-exposed children. The researchers found that stunting had no clear
effect on blood pressure. They therefore concluded that prenatal pesticide
exposure may add to the already deleterious effects of malnutrition.
       Current pesticide exposure was measured by excretion of pesticide
metabolites in urine and was associated with increased reaction time, one of
the standardized tests given for neurobehavioral function, indicating that
current and prenatal exposures result in different outcomes. Effects caused
by exposure in utero may last into childhood.
       "These results suggest that more attention should be paid to
protecting the developing brain and that we should seriously consider
adopting and enforcing a greater margin of safety in protecting both fetuses
and children from potential toxic exposures," said Grandjean.
       This research was supported by the Danish Medical Research Council.
       Grandjean was an author on two papers that appeared in the February
2004 issue of The Journal of Pediatrics on the effects of prenatal exposure
to mercury.

. . .

Some Illinois Vaccines Still Legally Laced With Mercury

       By Rita Sand. Reprinted from chicago.indymedia.org
http://english.epochtimes.com/news/6-3-4/38899.html

       Despite the new Illinois law that limits mercury levels in vaccines,
the Illinois Department of Public Health has declared 4 vaccines with high
levels of mercury exempt from the law.
       Before you roll up your child's sleeve-and yours- for a flu vaccine
this year, you'd be wise to check the package insert to see if it contains
what many say are toxic levels of mercury. Although Illinois passed landmark
legislation that limits mercury levels in vaccines to 1.25 micrograms per
dose by the first of this year and eliminates mercury all together by
January 1st 2008, the Illinois Department of Public Health has issued a
declaration of exemption which allows four vaccines to exceed the limit. In
addition to the flu vaccine, the diphtheria-tetanus, Japanese encephalitis
and meningitis vaccines are also exempted from the law. The Illinois
Department of Public Health claims the mercury-free versions of these
vaccines are either too expensive, in short supply or non-existent, hence
they have allowed thimerosal, the mercury-laden preservative in these
vaccines to persist. In the case of the flu vaccine - that means a whopping
25 micrograms of mercury per dose.
       Dr. David Ayoub, Assistant Prof. of Southern Illinois University
School of Medicine and Medical Director of Prairie Collaborative, an
immunization watchdog organization in Springfield says the mercury contained
in one dose of the flu vaccine exceeds both the EPA's and CDC's adult
toxicity limits for organic mercury exposure and could be considered a toxic
waste. "For mercury level to be defined as toxic waste level is 200 parts
per billion. What is contained in a mercury vaccine vial is 50,000 parts per
billion, so if you were to drop a vaccine vial, you would have to call
hazmat. I mean that's a toxic hazard and we are injecting toxic waste levels
of mercury into people and that's unimaginable."
+ Read more: http://english.epochtimes.com/news/6-3-4/38899.html

. . .

Florida Attorney Sues Over Mercury Pollution

       By Nathan Crabbe for the Sun, Gainesville.com
http://tinyurl.com/khdwm

       Some might think taking on the region's power plants and cement kilns
is a quixotic pursuit. But Andre Shiromani says he isn't tilting at
windmills.
       The Gainesville attorney last week sued every power and cement plant
within 75 miles of town, claiming they create a public nuisance by spewing
mercury that taints fish. Two years out of law school, Shiromani says he's
idealistic but not unrealistic in believing the lawsuit can force change.
       "The courts are still for the people and not for the corporations," he
said.
       The suit is part of his work guiding a clinic for University of
Florida law students on the issue of mercury-contaminated fish. A dozen
students have interviewed local anglers about their fish consumption and
will conduct education efforts about the dangers of eating fish caught in
area waterways, he said.
+ Read more: http://tinyurl.com/khdwm




       EVIDENCE OF HARM DISCUSSION LIST HEATS UP
       AS MERCURY LINK TO AUTISM QUESTION SPREADS

       An Evidence of Harm email discussion list has
       been created in response to the growing interest
       in the book and the issues it chronicles. Now
       1,200 subscribers.   Here is how to subscribe
       (no cost):   EOHarm-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

. . .

CARE

No Rest for New Jersey Family Warning of Vaccine-Autism Tie
Father believes son, now 21, developed condition after getting inoculation

By Colleen O'dea For The Daily Record http://tinyurl.com/h3rn2

       For Raymond Gallup, second to the incomprehensible pain of having a
son who is autistic is the frustration of trying to educate the public about
his beliefs that a childhood vaccine was responsible for Eric's autism.
       The boy's story is getting a wider audience in an Australian magazine
on the stands now and in a book about speech disorders due out later this
year.
       "It's been very frustrating," said Gallup of trying to get his son's
story publicized. "There's a lot more activity in the U.K. Over here, they
totally ignore it."
       Now 21, Eric Gallup was a typical child from birth until age 15
months. Raymond Gallup says that after his son received the
measles-mumps-rubella MMR vaccine, he lapsed into autism.
       "Looking back at home video-tapes, I could see what happened before
and after the MMR vaccine was given to Eric," wrote Raymond Gallup in the
piece in the current issue of Informed Voice magazine. "His speech was
progressing and then after, nothing."
       Gallup founded The Autism Autoimmunity Project in 1998 to raise money
for research and to spread the word about a possible link between
vaccination and autism. Its Web site, www.taap.info includes information and
research about autism.
       Autism includes a spectrum of developmental disorders affecting social
interaction, communication, behavior and other brain functions. The national
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 166
children have autism. It is more prevalent in boys than in girls.

Incidence on rise
       The incidence of autism in the United States has risen exponentially
in the last decade. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 22,664
children age 6-21 in special education programs had autism in 1994. By 2004,
that number had soared to 166,424.
       The CDC states that because autism was only added as a special
education category in the early 1990s, "it is unclear how much of this
increase is due to changes in how we identify and classify ASDs in people,
or whether this is due to a true increase in prevalence." Although its
actual cause isn't known, genetic and environmental factors may play a role
in autism.
       In his article, Gallup disputes such assertions: "I know that the
autism epidemic can't be genetic in nature. There never has been, nor will
ever be, a genetic epidemic. Like many parents who know their children, I
know that vaccines are responsible for my son's autism disorder."
       A study by British doctors led by Andrew Wakefield published in the
British medical journal The Lancet in 1998 first brought worldwide attention
to the issue. That study found a correlation, but not necessarily a causal
relation, between the MMR and autism. But some of the doctors involved in
that study have since disavowed that.
       But the CDC states that most evidence shows no link between vaccines
and autism. It has done two studies, one looking at the MMR and another at
Thimerosal, a mercury preservative commonly used in vaccines, and found no
link. The CDC plans additional research on the topic.
       The national Institute of Medicine's Immunization Safety Review
Committee released its final report on the question of vaccines and autism
in 2004 and found that the majority of evidence "favors rejection of a
causal relationship" and recommended that "available funding for autism
research be channeled to the most promising areas."
       "I fail to understand how in heaven's name, faced with the data, they
could have come to that conclusion," countered Wakefield, a
gastroenterologist who is now based at Thoughtful House in Texas, during a
presentation at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh last November.
       Gallup said few doctors in the United States are doing research on the
topic and those who are, including Wakefield, have difficulty getting
funding. He has sought funding before the National Institutes of Health
three times over the last decade and was denied.
       But he has reason to seek additional studies: Two doctors, including
James Oleske, the famous pediatric immunologist specializing in AIDS, found
extremely high measles antibody titers in Eric's blood in 1995.
       Statistical association The research of Wakefield and other doctors
has found evidence of the measles virus in a much higher percentage of the
intestines of children with autism and bowel inflammation, compared with
children without autism.
       "Again, this is not a causal association, but a statistical
association," Wakefield told the audience. "There is a convergence of
biological evidence toward causation. We may not be there yet, but this is
most certainly not the time to stop looking."
       Statistics seem to show the increase in the incidence of autism
beginning around the same time period as the MMR vaccine. If MMR is a factor
in autism, it could be that the vaccine, which contains live viruses, may
only cause harm in children whose immune systems are compromised at the time
they receive the vaccine, Wakefield said.
       While Wakefield and his research had been widely criticized for years
in England, The Daily Mail of London earlier this month reported that a
former British government medical officer responsible for deciding whether
medicines are safe believes that evidence of a connection between the MMR
vaccine and autism is mounting and governmental officials are ignoring it.
       "It is the steady accumulation of evidence, from a number of respected
universities, teaching hospitals and laboratories around the world that
matters here. There's far too much to ignore. Yet government health
authorities are, it seems, more than happy to do so," Fletcher told the
Mail.

Profound questions
       The new book in which Eric is mentioned and which may feature him on
its cover, "Milestones: Normal Speech and Language Development" by John W.
Oller, Stephen D. Oller and Linda C. Badon, does not take a stand on the
question of whether vaccines may cause autism. The authors' only mention to
the cause of autism is that "profound questions remain about the extent of
the genetic factors in the autism spectrum, and in other pervasive
developmental disorders ... and their potential interaction with
environmental factors."
       But Raymond Gallup says any exposure has the potential to bring his
cause to light.
       "This is a way we can get more publicity, if we can get into an
educator's book," he said. "I hope this will add some clout to the message
we've been trying to get out."
       The book, aimed at speech professionals, highlights Eric's case to
demonstrate the expense of caring for an autistic person. In it, Raymond
Gallup estimates the annual cost of caring for Eric today at between $50,000
and $100,000.
       Today, Eric is living at a residential school in Delaware because he
had become increasingly violent over the last few years.
       "In 2002, Eric started to develop aggressions where he would bite,
head-butt, kick, scratch and pull hair," wrote Raymond Gallup, who is now
four inches shorter than his son. "In February 2003, Eric broke my left
index finger with his teeth almost amputating it off."
       Affected sister Eric's sister Julie Gallup, a student at the Visual
and Performing Arts Academy in Denville, wrote about how her brother's
actions affected her.
       "As soon as we saw he was getting agitated, we'd run into a room and
lock the door behind us," she wrote on Red Flags, an independent Web site on
health issues. "I couldn't get over the fact that I was actually afraid of
my brother. I knew he was in pain and had no other way to show it. The
police were at our house frequently. Eric was transferred from hospital to
hospital, but no place was right for him. I know it broke my parents'
hearts, and mine too, but it was nearly impossible to give him 24-hour
care."
       Two years ago, after numerous incidents Eric had to be hospitalized.
He spent time at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital but staff there told
the Gallups that it was not the best place for him.
       He's been at the residential school for the last 18 months and while
his behavior has improved, he is on strong anti-psychotic and anti-anxiety
medicines. Because his school is more than two hours away, the Gallups are
able to visit only every other weekend. They hope some day to be able to get
him placed in a group home in New Jersey.
       "I worry about Eric constantly," Raymond Gallup wrote. "I wonder what
his and our lives would be like if he wasn't damaged by the MMR vaccine."

. . .

Close-Knit: Seeing a Need, She Picked Up Her Needles

       By Gillian R. Swart/ newburyport@... http://tinyurl.com/ott8e

       If someone had told Anita Perkins that one day she would be the unpaid
CEO of a non-profit organization - funding activities by knitting - she
would not have believed it. Even now, at home on Plum Island, running
payroll in her bathrobe, she sometimes still can't believe it.
       The one-time reporter gave up her old life nearly two years ago to
provide a better life for her autistic daughter Katie.
       Katie was living in a group home, but a cut in funding meant then end
of Katie's prized paper route.
       Perkins knew what the job meant to her daughter and that something had
to be done.
       "Nothing is more energizing than the parent of a handicapped person's
rage," someone from the Association for Retarded Citizens once said to
Perkins. In Perkins' case, her anger led to a novel solution in January
2004.
       The idea was for Katie to have her own home, a plan that required a
lot more money. Esther Njugi, the manager of the group home where Katie had
been living, suggested they buy a house together and set up a care program
for the young woman. Perkins quickly set up the Katydid Foundation, and in
early July, Katie and her friend from the group home moved into a 14-room
house in Haverhill.
       Today, the foundation is helping other families with adult autistic
children find a place their children can call home and receive the attention
they need.
       State funding only covers the basics, so Perkins needed another source
of funds. Into the mix came the Plum Island Knitters. Perkins was already
teaching a knitting class out of her home when she left her job and decided
to ramp up the knitting classes, holding them in both Newburyport and
Haverhill, with a portion of students' fees going to the foundation.
       "The knitting classes became the funding mechanism [for the
foundation]," she says, "You could say we really knitted the two together!"
       Perkins says that although services for children and adolescents with
autism are becoming more plentiful, resources for adults with autism are
scarce. Perkins found that once Katie turned 22, she only had two options
for her daughter: Put her in a group home or bring her into the family home.
The latter was not an option for the single mother, so she placed Katie in
the group home although she does not think it is the best place for a person
with autism.
       "They have to be familiar with their own routine and see the same
people," Perkins says. "They need a lot of consistency."
       Katie and her friend Bobby now live on one side of the house with a
live-in staff, and Njugi, who is the onsite manager of the program, and her
daughter live on the other side.
       "The state Department of Mental Retardation allowed us to start this
[home]," Perkins says. "It took a lot of calling." She is quick to add that
the agency is very supportive of the program now. Perkins also had the
burden of filling out a mountain of paperwork to set up a 501(C)(3)
tax-exempt public charity, which is necessary to receive state funds.
       Buddy Bostick, Katie and Bobby's Department of Mental Retardation
caseworker, says, "It's a wonderful success. She and everyone involved
should be applauded."
       Bostick says that the relationships and interactions both Katie and
Bobby have experienced in their new environment have allowed them to
flourish.
       Perkins compares the process of setting up the house to crocheting
squares on a granny quilt, joking that she didn't sleep for a year and a
half. But when she goes to the house in Haverhill and finds that Katie is
out, it makes it all worthwhile.
       "When she was younger, it was difficult to get her to go out into the
community," says Perkins.
       Now 29-year-old Katie has a paper route again, runs errands and goes
shopping.
       "Going out is what keeps her going," says Perkins.

. . .

EDUCATION

New Hampshire Schools Adapt To Increase In Autistic Needs

       By Emily Aronson seacoastonline.com
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/03052006/news/90998.htm

       Portsmouth - While educators say there has been a slight increase of
students with autism in recent years, they say it's the way city schools
teach these children that's really changed.
       Twenty years ago, a student with autism, like many students with
special needs, would have been in a separate classroom taught by a special
education teacher. Autistic students would have had little interaction with
peers in regular classrooms.
       Today, autistic students join peers in regular grade classrooms, a
practice known as inclusion. While they may have a paraprofessional to
assist them in class or provide additional tutoring, they are no longer
separated into a world unto themselves.
       While inclusion has been shown to benefit autistic students' academic
and social development, it's proven financially and logistically challenging
for city schools.
       "Inclusion can be expensive," said Beth Setear, special education
coordinator for the elementary schools and the Portsmouth Early Education
Program.
       Setear said self-contained classrooms for special needs students were
less expensive because the schools only had to have a few special education
teachers, rather than paraprofessionals, for each classroom.
       Separate programs also meant classroom teachers were not required to
know how to teach autistic children. Now, the teachers have to cater lessons
to children with a variety of disabilities.
       "Every child certainly does require a very individualized program,"
Setear said.
       Children on the autism spectrum can range from mild to severe cases.
Autistic children have developmental delays that affect intelligence,
language and social skills - these are the children often described as in
their own world.
       On the low end of the spectrum is Asperger's syndrome, where children
have normal to high intelligence, but have trouble interacting socially.
       "You can have a child who can be extraordinarily high functioning in
the classroom, can have friends, and just may be off slightly," said Robin
Burdick, principal of Little Harbour School.
       Burdick said she noticed an increase of students "on the spectrum"
about three or four years ago.
       "It wasn't just one child, now we have four or five," Burdick said,
adding there are also students who are not formally diagnosed, but display
behavior akin to autism or Asperger's.
       The two other city elementary school principals have told the School
Board they are also dealing with more students on the spectrum.
       According to data from the special education services department,
there are nine students in Portsmouth with autism. This does not include
students with Asperger's or other disorders on the low-end of the autistic
spectrum.
       There are various theories as to why Portsmouth has more autistic
students. Setear said better diagnosis and awareness of the disorder might
be one reason.
       Some members of the School Board have noted that Portsmouth's quality
special education services attracts parents of special needs children to
move here. There's also a theory that links mercury in childhood
vaccinations to autism.
       Setear and Burdick, however, said they're not really concerned with
why autism seems to be on the rise.
       "I think from the school district's perspective, it doesn't much
matter how you came to it," Setear said. "It's the intervention and (school)
programming that's much more important."
       That is why elementary schools are looking to hire a special education
coordinator next year to help students on the autism spectrum. The
$60,000-a-year position will have to be included by the School Board in next
year's budget.
       "We have staff that are very knowledgeable about other disabilities.
We now have to develop an expertise in autism," Burdick said.
       Setear said the autism specialist would collaborate with elementary
school teachers, track student development, and work with paraprofessionals
who assist students in the classroom.
       "It takes more time for a person to case manage someone with
developmental disabilities than someone with speech or language
disabilities," Setear said, noting that speech and language delays are still
the most common learning disability in schools.
       Hiring additional staff and expanding programs for autistic children
may prove challenging for the school as federal special education subsidies
decline.
       Special Education Director Paulette Hoeflich told the board recently
that special education reimbursements have dropped tremendously, while the
number of special education students have not.
       According to Hoeflich, Medicaid reimbursements for special education
students was about $168,000 last school year. That is down from a high of
$401,000 in 1998.
       Setear said special education costs that used to be paid for by
federal subsidies are now left to the school district to cover.
       Despite the financial situation, Setear said she thinks the school
system is an excellent provider of services for people with autism. She said
the challenge is to carry those services into adulthood.
       While those on the low end of the spectrum can become functioning
adults with jobs and families, Setear said people with severe autism can
never be independent.
       She said she would like to see more community resources for autistic
adults, such as group homes or day programs.

. . .

LETTERS

On Schools Failing Children With Disabilities

       With data cited by her article http://www.sarnet.org/schofa.htm,
Evelyn Pringle might have made the point more strongly that federal spending
on special education increased to $11.1 billion in 2006 from $3.7 billion in
2000, a three-fold or 200 increase percent in only six years.  Spending per
student increased to $1599 from $605, an increase of 164%, which is a
slightly smaller percent because the number of special education children
has also risen.  However you slice it, the federal government has indeed
stepped up with more funds for special education.  No other federal
education program has ever achieved such increases in so short a time.
         What is not evident is whether this infusion of new money is
improving school effectiveness in delivering special education.  I am a
parent of a child with autism.  In almost every school district my wife and
I have researched,  programs for children with autism are under-staffed,
under-supervised, under-evaluated, and under-resourced.  Very few are guided
by a coherent plan that is based on science.  Programs for the most part are
warmed over baby sitting.  Few districts can tell you whether children with
autism are better off because of their programs.  Few can cite even one
child who has ever matriculated into the mainstream program, unless the
child was on the Asperger side of the spectrum to start with.  Parents who
are able to see results also have home therapy programs which cost them
thousands.  Our conclusion: You have to be rich in America to afford
appropriate interventions for your child with autism.
         So while the federal government has stepped up with more funding, it
has done nothing to ensure that schools demonstrate their effectiveness in
educating children with autism.  As a taxpayer much less a parent, I would
hope the feds and our Nation's schools give priority to learning what they
are getting for what they are spending.  If they cannot or will not do it,
then do what a few states like Ohio are doing, give the money directly to
the parents of children with autism so they can purchase appropriate
interventions for their kids.  -Barry Stern, Ann Arbor, Michigan


Public Service Announcement to the Reader:

       AUTISM IS TREATABLE.  Consult these sources:

       .  Autism Research Institute
          http://www.sarnet.org/ari.htm

       .  Generation Rescue http://www.sarnet.org/genres.htm


COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The above items are copyright protected. They are for our
readers' personal education or research purposes only and provided at their
request. Articles may not be further reprinted or used commercially without
consent from the copyright holders. To find the copyright holders, follow
the referenced website link provided at the beginning of each item.

SUBSCRIBE to SAR: http://www.sarnet.org or mailto:subs @doitnow.com
_______________________________________________________________________
Lenny Schafer, Editor edit@...  Teresa Conrick  Edward Decelie
Richard Miles


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Thanks Tracy,

I am doing the happy dance (tentatively).  Jessica did actually
bring Tom her address and phone number, but he has yet to act on
it.  I don't think I'd be comfortable with him going to her house
anyway.  I really don't think he has the social skills at this point
(plus, he's only 11yo!).

But, I did speak to Tom's teacher on Fri. and she said that she has
noticed the crush.  I asked if this girl was just being nice to Tom,
and she said no, that she thought it was mutual!!  She did
say, "well, look at him, he's really really cute, and the kids do
know how smart he is."  (God's way of evening out the playing
field :-).

If it helps, at 5yo, Tom also had no friends nor any interest or
really understanding of that concept.  He still struggles with that
and with conversations, but has obviously come a long way.  He was
also completely face blind back then - not so at all anymore.

So there is definitely hope!  Keep up the good fight.

Sally
p.s.  And just to bring us all down to earth on how Tom is doing, he
was supposed to share a math book with a boy in his class he doesn't
know very well, and refused to do it because "he's a stranger"
(ugh!).  Teacher spoke with Tom privately, but he still refused and
he ended up in time out.  I've tried to reason that the boy won't be
a stranger if he sits next to him and gets to know him, and Tom just
doesn't seem to get it.  I asked him if the time out worked, and he
said he enjoyed it and played out a Lord of the Rings episode in his
head to keep himself company.  Being embarassed never even crossed
his mind :-/.




--- In CharlotteSTAR@yahoogroups.com, "Tracy" <ACTAReed@...> wrote:
>
> I think I'd just be doing the happy dance over all of this.
> Conversations?  Interest in other people?  Knowing what a crush
> is???  Wow.  My 5 year old has no friends (doesn't know he
> could/should), never mentions anyone from school, can't really
have a
> back and forth conversation.  So, if in the 4th grade he could
tell
> me that he whispered to a girl that he liked her (and even told
her
> let's keep it between us), I think I'd probably pop open the
> champagne.  FWIW, if Tom is having this level of personal
interaction
> now, I think it bodes well for him learning more about the nuances
in
> the future.
>
> Tracy
> Drayton's mom
>
> --- In CharlotteSTAR@yahoogroups.com, "sam_hsmom"
> <sallyannmiller@> wrote:
> >
> > Oh my!  So Brandon's further along than Tom with a kiss and
> > everything!  He's such a cutie too, I really do think the girl
was
> > probably thrilled.  But it's the not understanding how to read
> > people that has me concerned.
> >
> > Tom told me on Thur. that Jessica's brother has some star wars
game
> > and she was going to bring him her address so he could go play
two
> > player with him.  Hmmm, I wish I had heard that conversation!
> >
> > Quite frankly, I'm just amazed he's having conversations at
all!
> > So, overall, it's kind of cool, but well you know, I doubt I'll
> ever
> > feel secure in situations like this!
> >
> > Thanks for your input, Melissa.
> >
> > Sally
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --- In CharlotteSTAR@yahoogroups.com, "Melissa Myers"
<snoozer4@>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > When I went to pick up Brandon from school on Friday there
were
> > three kids
> > > waiting for me at the door -- all smiles.  They told me that
> > Brandon kissed
> > > Hannah ON THE LIPS.  (Oh Brother!)  I went and talked to
Brandon
> > about it.
> > > The whole class was buzzing with the news and laughing.  It
was
> > hilarious.
> > > The sad news was that when I asked Brandon why he kissed
Hannah
> he
> > said
> > > Ryan told me to."  So we had a talk.....
> > >
> > > The best part was that some of the kids were teasing Hannah
> > saying "Yea but
> > > it was BRANDON that kissed you."  I loved it because her
response
> > was "I don
> > > t care WHO it was that kissed me, I HAD MY FIRST KISS and that
is
> > all that
> > > matters.
> > >
> > > So....hormones are starting to flare up in the 4th grade at
> > Brandon's school
> > > too.
> > >
> > > Tom is SO cute I have no doubt that there will be many crushes
in
> > his
> > > future!
> > >
> > > So happy to hear from you Sally.  Brandon still talks about
Tom!
> > >
> > > Melissa
> > >
> > > -------Original Message-------
> > >
> > > From: Jill Urwick
> > > Date: 02/22/06 15:02:03
> > > To: CharlotteSTAR@yahoogroups.com
> > > Subject: Re: [CharlotteSTAR] Tom has a crush :-/!
> > >
> > > Don't of any books right off, Sally.  BUT, Tom IS 11 years
old.
> > Kendall
> > > started having a crush in the 4th grade, and now has one again
in
> > 5th grade.
> > >  I think it is totally age appropriate.  You are right that
most
> > kids don't
> > > actually TELL the other kid at this point...BUT, I remember
> > actually having
> > > a boyfriend (he liked me and I liked him) in 5th grade.  I'm
> > impressed that
> > > he knew enough to whisper it to her!
> > >
> > > I'm a little distraught that the teacher told the class about
his
> > > differences without your okay on that first.  But, there is
> > nothing you can
> > > do now.  What's done is done.
> > >
> > > And, honestly, Jack has had a crush on the same girl since 1st
> > grade!!!  And
> > >  she likes him, too!  They say they are going to get married
one
> > day!  By
> > > the way, she is not on the spectrum at all.  So, I do think
that
> > it depends
> > > on the child...every kid is at a different place where this is
> > concerned.
> > > But, I think that Tom is right on target for the most part in
> > having these
> > > feelings...totally age appropriate.
> > >
> > > For what it's worth,
> > > Jill
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: sam_hsmom
> > > To: CharlotteSTAR@yahoogroups.com
> > > Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 1:13 PM
> > > Subject: [CharlotteSTAR] Tom has a crush :-/!
> > >
> > >
> > > Good Lord, Tom told a girl in his mainstream class that he has
a
> > > crush on her!  I don't know what to think about it!  He and
Ben
> > both
> > > have crushes on girls in their classes, and have
> been "discussing"
> > > it with each other.  Tom told Ben he was going to tell Jessica
> > > (his 'girl') and then went and did it!
> > >
> > > I asked him what he said and here's how the conversation
> > went...Tom
> > > says... "I just said (in a whisper) - Jessica, I have a crush
on
> > > you, but let's keep it between you and me.  Then, she sort of
> > > giggled and said she didn't mind."
> > >
> > > Alright, on the one hand - Tom has a crush!  He's noticing
kids
> in
> > > his class enough to like them!  Woohooo - this is huge.  On
the
> > > other hand, not very socially acceptable or 'cool' to say
> > something
> > > like that in 4th grade, particularly since he doesn't even
know
> > her
> > > that well.  He seems completely oblivious that telling her
might
> > not
> > > have been a smooth move.  I have no idea how to explain it!
Not
> > to
> > > mention, the teacher had "the talk" with that class before Tom
> > came
> > > in explaining he was "different, autistic, whatever"  Grrr,
that
> > > breaks my heart in so many ways - it's not like I tell the
> > neighbors
> > > if he goes to play that he's "different" (of course, they
usually
> > > figure it out, I'm sure)!  How will the kids ever accept him
as
> an
> > > equal with a huge label like "AUTISM"? - KWIM?
> > >
> > > Tom is now pressing Ben to tell his 'girl', but Ben is saying
NO
> > > WAY!  He seems to understand the subtle nuiances of elementary
> > > school love.
> > >
> > > Well, a really long post to ask - Does anyone know of some
good
> > > books teaching social appropriateness and stuff like that.
Tom
> > > would probably be fascinated with reading it, and it could
help.
> > >
> > > Thanks for listening guys!
> > >
> > > Sally
> > > p.s.  Tom told me that he likes Jessica even though she has
> > > freckles :-).  I said, 'well, thanks, I appreciate that'! (for
> > those
> > > of you who don't know me, I'm covered in freckles.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > SPONSORED LINKS Center for health and wellness Health and
> wellness
> > Health
> > > and wellness program
> > > Health wellness product Health and wellness job Health spa
> > wellness
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
> > >
> > >  Visit your group "CharlotteSTAR" on the web.
> > >
> > >  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > >  CharlotteSTAR-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> > >
> > >  Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
> > Service.
> > >
> >
>

I think I'd just be doing the happy dance over all of this.
Conversations?  Interest in other people?  Knowing what a crush
is???  Wow.  My 5 year old has no friends (doesn't know he
could/should), never mentions anyone from school, can't really have a
back and forth conversation.  So, if in the 4th grade he could tell
me that he whispered to a girl that he liked her (and even told her
let's keep it between us), I think I'd probably pop open the
champagne.  FWIW, if Tom is having this level of personal interaction
now, I think it bodes well for him learning more about the nuances in
the future.

Tracy
Drayton's mom

--- In CharlotteSTAR@yahoogroups.com, "sam_hsmom"
<sallyannmiller@...> wrote:
>
> Oh my!  So Brandon's further along than Tom with a kiss and
> everything!  He's such a cutie too, I really do think the girl was
> probably thrilled.  But it's the not understanding how to read
> people that has me concerned.
>
> Tom told me on Thur. that Jessica's brother has some star wars game
> and she was going to bring him her address so he could go play two
> player with him.  Hmmm, I wish I had heard that conversation!
>
> Quite frankly, I'm just amazed he's having conversations at all!
> So, overall, it's kind of cool, but well you know, I doubt I'll
ever
> feel secure in situations like this!
>
> Thanks for your input, Melissa.
>
> Sally
>
>
>
>
> --- In CharlotteSTAR@yahoogroups.com, "Melissa Myers" <snoozer4@>
> wrote:
> >
> > When I went to pick up Brandon from school on Friday there were
> three kids
> > waiting for me at the door -- all smiles.  They told me that
> Brandon kissed
> > Hannah ON THE LIPS.  (Oh Brother!)  I went and talked to Brandon
> about it.
> > The whole class was buzzing with the news and laughing.  It was
> hilarious.
> > The sad news was that when I asked Brandon why he kissed Hannah
he
> said
> > Ryan told me to."  So we had a talk.....
> >
> > The best part was that some of the kids were teasing Hannah
> saying "Yea but
> > it was BRANDON that kissed you."  I loved it because her response
> was "I don
> > t care WHO it was that kissed me, I HAD MY FIRST KISS and that is
> all that
> > matters.
> >
> > So....hormones are starting to flare up in the 4th grade at
> Brandon's school
> > too.
> >
> > Tom is SO cute I have no doubt that there will be many crushes in
> his
> > future!
> >
> > So happy to hear from you Sally.  Brandon still talks about Tom!
> >
> > Melissa
> >
> > -------Original Message-------
> >
> > From: Jill Urwick
> > Date: 02/22/06 15:02:03
> > To: CharlotteSTAR@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: Re: [CharlotteSTAR] Tom has a crush :-/!
> >
> > Don't of any books right off, Sally.  BUT, Tom IS 11 years old.
> Kendall
> > started having a crush in the 4th grade, and now has one again in
> 5th grade.
> >  I think it is totally age appropriate.  You are right that most
> kids don't
> > actually TELL the other kid at this point...BUT, I remember
> actually having
> > a boyfriend (he liked me and I liked him) in 5th grade.  I'm
> impressed that
> > he knew enough to whisper it to her!
> >
> > I'm a little distraught that the teacher told the class about his
> > differences without your okay on that first.  But, there is
> nothing you can
> > do now.  What's done is done.
> >
> > And, honestly, Jack has had a crush on the same girl since 1st
> grade!!!  And
> >  she likes him, too!  They say they are going to get married one
> day!  By
> > the way, she is not on the spectrum at all.  So, I do think that
> it depends
> > on the child...every kid is at a different place where this is
> concerned.
> > But, I think that Tom is right on target for the most part in
> having these
> > feelings...totally age appropriate.
> >
> > For what it's worth,
> > Jill
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: sam_hsmom
> > To: CharlotteSTAR@yahoogroups.com
> > Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 1:13 PM
> > Subject: [CharlotteSTAR] Tom has a crush :-/!
> >
> >
> > Good Lord, Tom told a girl in his mainstream class that he has a
> > crush on her!  I don't know what to think about it!  He and Ben
> both
> > have crushes on girls in their classes, and have
been "discussing"
> > it with each other.  Tom told Ben he was going to tell Jessica
> > (his 'girl') and then went and did it!
> >
> > I asked him what he said and here's how the conversation
> went...Tom
> > says... "I just said (in a whisper) - Jessica, I have a crush on
> > you, but let's keep it between you and me.  Then, she sort of
> > giggled and said she didn't mind."
> >
> > Alright, on the one hand - Tom has a crush!  He's noticing kids
in
> > his class enough to like them!  Woohooo - this is huge.  On the
> > other hand, not very socially acceptable or 'cool' to say
> something
> > like that in 4th grade, particularly since he doesn't even know
> her
> > that well.  He seems completely oblivious that telling her might
> not
> > have been a smooth move.  I have no idea how to explain it!  Not
> to
> > mention, the teacher had "the talk" with that class before Tom
> came
> > in explaining he was "different, autistic, whatever"  Grrr, that
> > breaks my heart in so many ways - it's not like I tell the
> neighbors
> > if he goes to play that he's "different" (of course, they usually
> > figure it out, I'm sure)!  How will the kids ever accept him as
an
> > equal with a huge label like "AUTISM"? - KWIM?
> >
> > Tom is now pressing Ben to tell his 'girl', but Ben is saying NO
> > WAY!  He seems to understand the subtle nuiances of elementary
> > school love.
> >
> > Well, a really long post to ask - Does anyone know of some good
> > books teaching social appropriateness and stuff like that.  Tom
> > would probably be fascinated with reading it, and it could help.
> >
> > Thanks for listening guys!
> >
> > Sally
> > p.s.  Tom told me that he likes Jessica even though she has
> > freckles :-).  I said, 'well, thanks, I appreciate that'! (for
> those
> > of you who don't know me, I'm covered in freckles.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > SPONSORED LINKS Center for health and wellness Health and
wellness
> Health
> > and wellness program
> > Health wellness product Health and wellness job Health spa
> wellness
> >
> >
> >
> > YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
> >
> >  Visit your group "CharlotteSTAR" on the web.
> >
> >  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> >  CharlotteSTAR-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >
> >  Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
> Service.
> >
>

We are certainly getting more HBOT opportunities!!!

Dr. Dayrit (aka Francis - who has been an awesome addition to our
STAR meetings!) has his HBOT in his office now and is taking
patients!  See below......

Pam
----- Original Message -----
From: Francis Dayrit
To: Pam McCarthy
Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 11:44 AM
Subject: Re: Flyer for March 11th Hyperbaric Therapy event


Hey Pam,

I just wanted to announce that we will have our mild HBOT available
for others in the community. We are located in Lancaster, which is
about 25 miles south of Pineville. Right now, I don't know what is
the best time to make it available. I was thinking that I would make
it available in the evenings for the parents who can't make it
during the day. If they wanted, they could stay overnight here and
have another session the next morning. We will be pricing it at $55
per session. Since this is a medical office, we will need a
prescription from the physician for the therapy. I would appreciate
it if you could disseminate this information to the community.
Thanks.

Francis M. Dayrit, MD
fdayrit@...
834 W. Meeting St. Suite H
Lancaster SC 29720
803.285.8333/803.28LUNGS(285.8647)

_______________________________________________
SAReport mailing list
SAReport@...
You can unsubscribe at:
mailto:unsubscribe@...
--
delivered to: jennyboys2@...

SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT                "Healing Autism:
                              No Finer a Cause on the Planet"
________________________________________________________________
Thursday, March 2, 2006                          Vol. 10  No. 37


     FINANCE
    * Autism Tsunami Carries Away Parents' Resources

     PUBLIC HEALTH
    * Newly Disclosed Documents Show CDC Ignored Industry Offers of
      Mercury-free Vaccines Despite Agency's Own Safety Warning
    * Group Charges Centers For Disease Control Skirts Laws in Autism Study
    * Measles Outbreak Affects Children

     EDUCATION
    * Voucher Plan Not Right, Public School Advocates Say

     TREATMENT
    * Research-Based Computer-Assisted Therapy Now Available for Children
      with Autism Spectrum Disorders

     CARE
    * New Jersey Boy's Love Of Buses Causes Scare For Father

     SPORTS
    * Team Brings Out Autistic Teen's Talent

     EVENTS
    * Best Practices in Autism Treatment Education Conf. in California


FINANCE

Autism Tsunami Carries Away Parents' Resources
Society also faces high and growing costs

        By James Ottar Grundvig for The Epoch Times.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-2-27/38658.html

       At his baptism at two-and-a-half-months old, my son Fridrik, had
better focus and communication skills than he would two years later when the
regressive form of autism took hold. That rite followed the first batch of
baby vaccinations by two weeks. Those immunizations included DTP, hepatitis
B, and HiB vaccines. But Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTP) was a triple
shot that contained thimerosal. So Fridrik, weighing a slight thirteen
pounds at the time, had in essence five vaccines in a single day. And that
didn't include the "birth dose" of hepatitis B he received in the hours
after he was born.
       In retrospect, it wasn't the six vaccines he had in sixty days that
did the damage, but it allowed thimerosal, the mercury-based preservative
used in many baby vaccines, to take root and accumulate. The full impact of
that accumulation of mercury poisoning wouldn't reveal itself until after
the end of the baby vaccination cycle. By then Fridrik's nervous system
began to show signs of being fried. It would strangle his speech, turn his
fingers into claws, causing him to lose his desire to draw, and make his
skin very sensitive to the touch. Gone too was his ability to focus,
socialize, and recognize the faces of his mother and father.
       It would be a full year after the first signs of autism that he was
officially diagnosed, and another year after that before his parents figured
out what to do about the devastating disorder.
       A year into treating Fridrik with the multi-prong approach of
vitamins, lipoic, folinic and amino acids, glutathione, and chelation
therapy, we are starting to see results. Yet we also know the horizon of
recovery, when he can be "mainstreamed" with his peers, is several years
away.
       Most parents at the onset of bringing their autistic child to a DAN
(Defeat Autism Now!) doctor are unaware of the expense that lies ahead. The
sheer outlay of money often accumulates faster than thimerosal in the
tissues of spectrum kids. The costs go well beyond the visits to one or more
doctors, who have developed varying protocols to treat different spokes of
the autism wheel.
       The commitment to treat an ASD child cannot be measured in weeks or
months, but years and even decades. At a cost of $10,000 to $30,000 or more
a year after taxes, with little or no insurance reimbursement, and our
local, state, and federal governments giving a deaf ear, the money squeeze
is on. There are myriad tests, from blood and yeast tests to stomach X-rays
and brain MRI's, that balloon costs upfront. That's because doctors need to
rule out a variety of ailments that either fall on the spectrum or outside
it. When gastrointestinal (GI) problems, aka "leaky gut" or inflamed bowel
disease, are added to the mix the expense and the course for treatment soar
exponentially.
       No longer are parents of leaky gut children merely treating the brain
and detoxing the body of heavy metals, they are also trying to balance diets
to curb a relentless diarrhea and constipation and get their aging kids out
of wearing diapers. Leaky gut issues also have another hidden long-term
drawback: Cost. When it comes to chelation therapy, my son, who doesn't have
GI issues, takes the oral and stronger form of chelation. But the DMPS
chelation pill ravages the stomach of children with leaky gut, who have
yeast, bacteria and absorption problems, which in turn causes inflammation.
       The majority of ASD kids who are receiving chelation therapy are
forced to take it as a transdermal cream application, using the skin as
opposed to the stomach as the conduit to receive the medicine. This slower
acting chelator costs more than the pill and takes three to five years to
work, due to the gradual absorption rate. The pill form takes approximately
half that time and is given in cycles of every two weeks as opposed to every
day or two. Thus the costs of chelating autistic children with gut issues
are far more exorbitant and time-consuming than those who do not suffer GI
ailments.
       Add to the monetary obligation of following a doctor's protocol,
periodic tests to monitor whether a protocol is working, office visits, and
trying new and more exotic treatments, such as a hyperbaric oxygen
chamber-to enhance oxygenation of the brain-and parents can be pushed to the
precipice of financial ruin.
       The decision to cutback on treatment or to continue to treat autistic
children in the face of bankruptcy is too often dictated by money. But the
damage to the family, the fabric of American society, is incalculable both
in terms of cost and loss productivity for the stressed-out working parent.
       But the costs of the autism tsunami do not end there. When the
population of more than one million-and growing- ASD children never reaches
full potential as contributors to tomorrow's workforce, the term brain drain
will take on a darker connotation.
       In recent months, New York University (NYU) announced that it will
build a new $200 million center for mentally disabled children, because they
saw the need to address the "acute shortage" of mental health teachers and
therapists. Acute shortage, however, does not address the real problem. The
autism epidemic, along with the spike in children with ADHD, created the gap
not because there is a shortage of professionals, but because there are
literally tens of thousands of more kids to treat than in 2000. Without
admitting there is an epidemic, our government and institutions are unable
to call the white elephant standing in the room by its true name.
       NYU's philanthropy is good for the long run in trying to keep pace
with the spate of ASD cases, but it does not address the parents' plight of
trying to acquire treatments for children who suffer from leaky gut and
heavy metals contamination.
       In the same vein, much has been made of Bill and Melinda Gates winning
two thirds of Time People of the Year in 2005. The co-founders of the Gates
Foundation received the award mainly due to their charitable work to curb
malaria in Africa by bankrolling a vaccine to fight the deadly disease. But
there could be unintended consequences in carrying out such a plan. That's
because thimerosal, used in the production of vaccines, will find its way
into the bloodstream of African infants. Most of them will be able to
excrete the toxin. But there will be a subpopulation which cannot and they
might show signs of autism in a few years.
       With no government oversight of American-made vaccines sent abroad, I
would be wary of anyone giving away vaccine shots for free. Maybe if the
Gates understood the issue of autism in America, what its causes are, and
that it can be treated to a great degree beyond special education, then they
can redirect some of their philanthropy to help families on the verge of
collapse.




                  -- > DO SOMETHING ABOUT AUTISM NOW < --

                             SUBSCRIBE. . . !
             . . .Read, then Forward the Schafer Autism Report.
                    To Subscribe http://www.SARnet.org/
                   Or mailto:subs at doitnow.com No Cost!
            ___________________________________________



. . .

PUBLIC HEALTH

CDC Failed to Follow Its Own Policy to Remove Mercury From Vaccines Newly
Disclosed Documents Reveal

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Joins A-CHAMP Demand for Senate Investigation of
CDC's Failure to Remove Mercury From Vaccines


       New York, NY - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. today joined Advocates for
Children's Health Affected by Mercury Poisoning (A-CHAMP), in demanding
Senate investigations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) obstruction in removing mercury from children's vaccines. This joint
announcement comes following the disclosure of correspondence showing the
agency declined the opportunity to provide mercury-free vaccines within
months of the 1999 recommendation by the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS)
and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to remove the neurotoxin thimerosal
(mercury) from pediatric vaccines "as soon as possible." You can read the
1999 PHS/AAP Joint Statement at this link: http://tinyurl.com/qfmzv.
        Newly obtained documents reveal that three weeks after the PHS/AAP
statement, vaccine maker SmithKline Beecham, now GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), sent
a letter to the CDC echoing thimerosal worries, and indicated that the DTaP
vaccine was of particular concern. The vaccine maker offered a partial
solution with thimerosal-free Infanrix, stating that it could be produced to
meet the U.S. demand at least through the first half of 2000, bringing the
AAP, CDC, and PHS "much closer to their stated objectives of thimerosal free
vaccines in the U.S." You can read the SmithKline Beecham letter by clicking
HERE.
        The CDC's response in November, 1999 declined SmithKline Beecham's
offer, indicating it would "continue to provide the States with a choice
among currently licensed brands of DTaP." You can read the CDC's letter in
response to the SmithKline Beecham letter by clicking HERE.
       "The CDC failed to make child safety its priority", said Robert F.
Kennedy Jr. "When manufacturers offered to supply vaccines that could
substantially reduce the amount of mercury infants and children were given
via vaccination, the agency basically said 'thanks but no thanks.' The
Senate must fulfill its oversight responsibility to determine the propriety
of the CDC's actions after the discovery that mercury content in vaccines
exceeded safety guidelines, placing children at risk of neurological
injury."
       Regarding the CDC's apparent failure to heed its own mandate to
provide safer pediatric vaccines, A-CHAMP Vice President Bobbie Manning
commented, "Even when handed the opportunity to prevent unnecessary mercury
exposure, this agency failed its obligation to keep children out of harm's
way."
       A-CHAMP has provided substantial evidence to Senate and Congressional
offices over the last year regarding thimerosal toxicity and the CDC's
handling of relevant data. "We have been patiently waiting for action," said
John Gilmore, A-CHAMP Board Member. "If Congress does not respond, parents
will mount a campaign for an independent investigation of CDC conflicts of
interest that permitted an entire generation of children to be injured."

For A-CHAMP Action Alert: http://www.sarnet.org/A-CHAMP1.htm

. . .

Group Charges Centers For Disease Control Skirts Laws in Autism Study

             CDC obtains children's confidential records without
       parental consent for autism study. Parents express outrage
       over covert tactics as CDC circumvents HIPAA and FERPA
       laws, prompting a call for congressional investigations.

       From an organization annoucements.

       The National Autism Association (NAA) today expressed dismay over the
CDC's continuing ability to obtain confidential medical and educational
records of children without parental knowledge or consent for an autism
study conducted largely in secret.
       Last week, an Arkansas parent confirmed that not only had her
daughter's medical records been accessed without her knowledge, but school
records had also been secretly obtained and used without her permission.
News stories last year from Colorado revealed that medical records had been
turned over to the CDC in apparent violation of the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), enacted to protect the privacy
of patients. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA),
such educational records are considered confidential.
       A former employee of the Arkansas school district informed the child's
family of the secret gathering of information after the fact, indicating
that school personnel had been expressly forbidden to inform parents of the
study, or that confidential records had been accessed and re-typed.
       "This is an outrageous invasion of privacy," said NAA President Wendy
Fournier, "one that the CDC must now explain. This agency has become
notorious in the autism community for its mishandling of data linking
mercury in vaccines to the development of autism.  For the CDC to now be
given carte blanche access to our children's confidential records is
frightening. Why bother having such laws as HIPAA and FERPA, when government
can obviously obtain whatever information it wants, even that of innocent
children?"
       Calling upon Congress to investigate the activities of the CDC
regarding its methods of collecting data for the study, NAA Board Chair
Laura Bono stated, "The CDC has continually set up roadblocks to outside
access of the taxpayer-funded Vaccine Safety Datalink which could hold
answers for the hundreds of thousands of children now diagnosed with autism.
It's an alarming irony that the public is denied access to information it's
clearly entitled to, while this agency continues to monitor personal
information which by law is considered confidential."
+ For more information, go to http://www.sarnet.org/naa.htm





       EVIDENCE OF HARM DISCUSSION LIST HEATS UP
       AS MERCURY LINK TO AUTISM QUESTION SPREADS

       An Evidence of Harm email discussion list has
       been created in response to the growing interest
       in the book and the issues it chronicles. Now
       1,200 subscribers.   Here is how to subscribe
       (no cost):   EOHarm-subscribe@yahoogroups.com



. . .

Measles Outbreak Affects Children
Eighteen cases of measles have been confirmed and a further 19 are suspected
in an area of South Yorkshire, it has emerged.

       Story from BBC NEWS: http://tinyurl.com/zmw26

       All those affected are children who have not had the MMR innoculation.
Some are too young to be immunised.
       Health officials in Doncaster warned there could be a large outbreak
in the town when five cases were confirmed last week.
       There has not been a confirmed case of measles in the area for five
years.
       Autism fears Parents are being urged to let their children have the
measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
       The immunisation was introduced in the UK in 1988 and by 1992 more
than 90% of children were being immunised.
       Children are given a first dose at 12 to 15 months and a second,
booster dose, at between three and five years old.
       But about 2,000 families have taken legal action claiming their
children have been damaged by the MMR jab, with many believing it has
triggered autism.
       In December last year, Julie Kirkbride, Conservative MP for Bromsgrove
launched a bid to allow children to be immunised separately against the
three diseases But the Department of Health said there is no evidence to
suggest that separating the vaccines is safer.

. . .

EDUCATION

Voucher Plan Not Right, Public School Advocates Say

       By Deirdre Fernandes, The Virginian-Pilot
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=100445&ran=98303

       A major battle is brewing over legislation that aims to give parents
of children with disabilities money to attend private schools.
       Fearing that the measure would be the first step toward vouchers that
would siphon resources from public school divisions, educators from across
the state have sent e-mails and made phone calls to their lawmakers, and
railed against the proposal in public meetings.
       "Something isn't right," said Chesapeake School Board Chairman Thomas
Mercer. "Someone has got to have some sense in Richmond."
       Public education advocates expected a low-key General Assembly session
this year, one dominated by transportation issues. I n the past few weeks,
however, they have found themselves battling some of the state's most
influential lawmakers as they push for private school grants, tuition tax
credits and school choice in Virginia.
       Public school advocates complain that they have been left out of
discussions, not allowed to testify during hearings and notified at the last
minute about committee meetings on the issue.
       Rob Jones, the lobbyist for the Virginia Education Association, said
the House was "ramming it through."
       Most of the measures started in the Senate under the guidance of
Majority Leader Walter Stosch, R-Henrico. In the past, the Senate usually
has defeated school voucher bills. However, Stosch, whose granddaughter is
autistic, sponsored two bills that would open the door to publicly funded
grants and scholarships for special education children.
       One, SB545, would give students with individualized lesson plans who
are unhappy with their current schools money for tuition to one of the
state's nearly 45 licensed special education private schools or a nearby
public school.
       Last month, a Senate committee decided by a single vote to delay a
decision on SB545 until next year. There was no companion bill in the House
of Delegates, and public education lobbyists thought the issue had been
defeated.
       Yet, last week, Del. Phillip Hamilton, R-Newport News, introduced a
similar measure in the form of a budget amendment. In that form, the
proposal did not have to go through the House's committees. Instead, its
fate will be decided by a small group of members from both chambers who
negotiate the budget. Stosch and Hamilton are among the negotiators.
       Del. Chris Saxman, R-Staunton, who supports school vouchers, said the
program is similar to the tuition grants state students receive when they
attend private Virginia colleges.
       Percilla Zeno, a Suffolk parent of a special-needs child, was relieved
to see the bill resurrected. Zeno enrolled her son David, 17, in Chesapeake
Bay Academy last year. She said he was being bullied in public school and
needed more help for his auditory processing problems. Zeno said she had to
refinance her house and scale back plans for her daughter's college
education to pay the school's tuition.
       "I was really ecstatic," Zeno said. "Any money that we can get helps."
       School boards, however, see the measure as an attempt to take money
from public school children.
       "It's a deduction, it's not new money," said Frank Barham, executive
director of the Virginia School Boards Association. "It's not right."
       Public school advocates acknowledge that the legislation is narrow and
would affect only a small group of special education children, but they
worry that it signals a policy shift that would mean more school choice
bills in the future.
       Stosch's other bill, SB544, which would have used tax credits to pay
for private school scholarships for disabled students, was defeated
Wednesday morning after it got to the House floor.
       Lil Tuttle, the education director for the Claire Boothe Luce Policy
Institute, a Herndon-based conservative think tank, said school choice is
gaining support among Virginia legislators.
       She called Hamilton's budget amendment "a step in the right
direction."

. . .

TREATMENT

Research-Based Computer-Assisted Therapy Now Available for Children with
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Company's First Product Increases the Availability and Affordability of
Pre-School and School-Age Autism Treatment

       From a company announcement.
http://tinyurl.com/ojsqf

        PRNewswire - TeachTown, a Seattle research firm, has announced the
release of their first product, TeachTown: Basics, a computer- assisted
treatment service for children with autism. With five years of research and
development, the company brings together experts from the video game
industry and autism researchers led by Christina Whalen, PhD., BCBA.
       "We have a rapidly growing school-age autism population that is
severely underserved. It's critical that these children receive ongoing
consistent treatment," says Dr. Whalen. "TeachTown's mission is to increase
the availability and affordability of that treatment."
       "Today, thanks to organizations like Autism Speaks and Cure Autism
Now, there is greater awareness of the autism epidemic," says CEO Sven
Liden, "and there is critical need for ongoing research, but also a current
crisis point for families who have already been diagnosed: 'How do we help
our kids now, on a massive scale?'"
       TeachTown's intervention is based on the principles of applied
behavior analysis and incorporates teaching procedures from both discrete
trial and pivotal response training. "I was very impressed with the fact
that TeachTown is totally research based," says Dr. Laura Schreibman of the
UC San Diego Autism Research Lab, "and it is something that is adaptable and
complementary with any of the other programs that the child's likely to be
involved in: clinic-type programs, school programs, as well as in the home."
       Jessica Lawrence, a preschool special education teacher from
Washington adds, "This program does everything that I spend months teaching
my support staff to do -- scaffold learning, provide reinforcement, collect
data...and it explicitly targets skills that research indicates as areas of
deficit in our students!"
       The program was developed with input from an advisory board with
expertise in applied behavior analysis, special education, developmental and
clinical psychology, and speech pathology, including Dr. William Frea from
Autism Spectrum Therapies in Los Angeles, Dr. Geraldine Dawson, and Dr.
Ilene Schwartz, of the University of Washington in Seattle.
       Says Tom McGurk, a Seattle parent: "We cannot stress enough what an
important tool this is. Our only wish is that this program had been
available when our son was first diagnosed!"
       The curriculum teaches a broad range of skills across several domains,
including emotion identification, matching feelings to events, face
matching, following eye gaze, friendship, safety awareness, personal needs,
sequencing, phonics and early reading, vocabulary, mathematics, time, money
plus off- computer generalization activities. The subscription is designed
for children with a developmental age of 2 to 7 years. TeachTown: Basics
also includes extensive data tracking, exceeding IEP reporting requirements
in all fifty states, plus a communication interface that connects all
members of the child's team. A 30-day trial is available at
http://www.teachtown.com/.

. . .

CARE

New Jersey Boy's Love Of Buses Causes Scare For Father

       Note: Almost every parent of an autistic child has had a lost or
run-away story to live through. Most have happy endings, like this one. -LS.
By Lynda Cohen http://tinyurl.com/lnbst

       Atlantic City - Uriel Hernandez knew the silence wasn't good.
       He had heard his 4-year-old son, Arie, playing in the living room of
their home on the 3300 block of Atlantic Avenue while he took a bath and his
wife was cleaning in another room. Then it was quiet.
       "I went in and said, 'Where's Arie?'" Hernandez said. When he went in
the living room, the boy was gone and the door was open.
       Hernandez ran outside and began searching for his son, who is
autistic. After about 15 minutes, he said, "I thought, No, I can't wait
anymore. I saw a police officer and told him what was going on."
       At about 12:50 p.m., police arrived on the scene and Sgt. Richard
Schall set up a search of the neighborhood. Several officers - including
Acting Chief John Mooney, joined in the search.
       Then a witness told Officer Anthony Gettle that he had seen a young
boy matching Arie's description get on a New Jersey Transit bus headed
toward Ventnor.
       A short time later, Margate police called to say they had found a
child.
       Bus driver Albert Kleuser told police that the boy got on his bus at
Boston and Atlantic avenues and appeared to be with two adult males. But
when the men left the bus at Washington and Ventnor avenues in Margate, the
little boy remained. That's when Kleuser called his dispatcher.
       The bus company notified Margate police.
       "It might be your son, it might not," Hernandez said Atlantic City
officers told him as they drove him to Margate. When he got there, he was
relieved to see Arie happily waiting.
       "He was happy because he didn't know anything was wrong," Hernandez
said. The little boy has a problem with his speech, said his father, who
speaks English but whose first language is Spanish.
       Hernandez said he thinks Arie got on the bus because he used to ride a
school bus four or five days a week.
       "He never goes out by himself. Never," Hernandez said, adding that's
why his wife, Gladys Salazar, stays home with the boy.
       But Arie does enjoy riding the bus, he said, which is likely why he
followed the men. "He likes the bus, he likes the cars and everything."
       New Jersey Transit does not charge for children 4 and younger who are
accompanied by an adult, according to a company spokesman, which is likely
why Kleuser did not realize Arie was alone. The company referred all comment
in the incident to the Atlantic City Detective Bureau.
       Arie was not injured in the incident and was playing at his home by
Wednesday afternoon.
       "Everything is good now," Hernandez said. "We're really happy."

. . .

SPORTS

Team Brings Out Autistic Teen's Talent
Lenny Mills isn't just a manager for his baseball team; he's a motivator

       By Liz Babiarz in the Herald-Tribune, South Florida
http://tinyurl.com/qyyvl

       North Port - By now, many have heard the story about Jason McElwain,
an autistic team manager for the Greece Athena High School basketball team
in New York, who scored 20 points with four minutes left in the final home
game of the season.
       McElwain's extraordinary display wowed the nation, capturing the
attention of the media and Hollywood producers alike.
       But McElwain isn't the only teen with autism overcoming the odds.
Other students, including North Port High School's Lenny Mills, are proving
they have a place in athletics, both on and off the field.
       Lenny, a junior at North Port High School, is the equipment manager
for the Bobcats baseball team this season. He hands out helmets, lines up
bats, fills water bottles and sets aside extra balls.
       Perhaps the most important part of his job goes beyond the equipment.
Lenny says he goes to every home game to cheer on the Bobcats in their
pursuit of the district title championship again this year.
       "I help support our team and win," said the 6-foot-2, lanky young man
with sandy blond hair sticking out from under his Bobcats baseball cap.
       Like many people with autism, Lenny has limitations, but also some
extraordinary abilities. While he doesn't swing a bat or play the outfield
for the Bobcats, Lenny has memorized the number of balls, bats and helmets
that are needed in a game. He can recall each player's name, team numbers
and statistics as well as game scores and game dates at the drop of a hat,
Coach Rob Rowe said.
       "He's got the charm of Forrest Gump and the brain of Rain Man," his
mother, Dorothy Mills said, referring to two movies about men with
developmental disabilities. "When he puts his mind to something, he can
really do it."
       Lenny didn't begin speaking until he was 5 and he lacked social
skills. Doctors initially thought he was mentally and emotionally
handicapped, Dorothy Mills said.
       But in third grade, he was diagnosed with autism and a learning
disability. Even so, Lenny is succeeding. He earned straight A's last
semester in his special needs classes and his mainstream classes, and he's
made plenty of friends at the high school and in the community.
       His latest achievement is his spot as equipment manager on the
baseball team, which he fully earned, Coach Rowe said. Rowe offered Lenny
the position after Lenny performed well in a physical education class.
       During most ball games, Lenny sits in the dugout watching the action.
+ Read more: http://tinyurl.com/qyyvl

. . .

EVENTS

Best Practices in Autism Treatment Education Conference in California

       Join us for the 2nd Annual Best Practices in Autism Treatment
Education Conference April 27th - 30th at the San Jose Marriott. This
unprecedented conference includes the unveiling of the national standards
project for evidence-based education methods.  To register on-line or to
download a registration flyer, visit our event center. You will also find
information about workshops, the program schedule, continuing education
credits, parking, presentation topics and speaker bios.
       Best Practices 2006 includes presentations topics like: Early Start
Interventions, Transitions to Middle School, Social Skills Training,
Inclusive Classrooms, Positive Behavioral Plans, Developing Social Language,
Preschool Screening for Development Delays, Building Bridges to Adulthood,
Parent Training Programs, Consultative Training for School Districts and
more.
+ More information here: http://support.autismeducation.net/events


Public Service Announcement to the Reader:

       AUTISM IS TREATABLE.  Consult these sources:

       .  Autism Research Institute
          http://www.autismwebsite.com/ari/index.htm

       .  Generation Rescue http://www.generationrescue.org



COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The above items are copyright protected. They are for our
readers' personal education or research purposes only and provided at their
request. Articles may not be further reprinted or used commercially without
consent from the copyright holders. To find the copyright holders, follow
the referenced website link provided at the beginning of each item.

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delivered to: jennyboys2@...

Hi everyone,

I know this was posted earlier, but I wanted to remind everyone.

The Cyzner Institute (a private preschool and lower school that does
ABA) is hosting Bill Schindler of the HBOT Institute in Atlanta.
Cyzner plans on purchasing a unit and it will be available for
anyone to use.  The preliminary price is $75 an hour.

If anyone missed hearing Bill speak when he was here in the Fall,
this would be a great time to meet him and see the unit.  Also, they
are scheduling free hour appointments for you and/or your child to
go in the unit.

I think it is SO GREAT that we are getting more HBOTs in Charlotte!!

Bill Schindler of The Hyperbaric Therapy Center in Cummings,
Georgia  Co-Sponsored by Myers Park Baptist Church  March 11,
2006 10:00 am to Noon MPBC (located across from Queens University)
 in Youth Hall(*) Free of Charge & Open to the Public RSVP 704-542-
9473 (*) Use entrance directly off Roswell Road and go to second
floor
The use of Mild Hyperbaric Therapy is now being studied and used
with children with autism, brain injury, and other disorders. If you
are interested in this latest therapeutic technique, please visit
Mr. Schindler's website: www.hypertc.com and follow the link:
hypertec.com/autism.htm for information and for one of the latest
articles from the International Hyperbarics Association: "The
Pressure Point: Autism & Its Growing Hyperbaric Movement."

__________________________________________________
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Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

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delivered to: jennyboys2@...

Below is something I saw in another group about the story that is to air on Thursaday.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  To all The News story will run on Thursday.  It will be on the local
news on your NBC station (not ABC) unless it gets bumped because of
other news.  I am assuming it will be probably the 6:00 edition,
although all I was told was local news stations across the country.
The story is about chelation therapy and the rapid gains that my son
has made from it.  There will possibly be video aired from the very
night before we started treating him.

OK, now, it is time to clear some things up here. First of all, we
do NOT consider our son cured, the story is not on ABC (It is on
NBC), Josh's mom is not convinced that it was allergy elimination
that is what is curing him, and I do not appreciate somebody sending
out emails using my son's name for their personal gain or gain of
their clinic and telling people to post it everywhere without
consulting me first.

Although others may argue otherwise, we still have some work to do
with him.  He has come an extremely long way in a VERY short time
after we started chelation.  Honestly, I am VERY annoyed by the
email sent out by Dr. TenPenny.  Now, I am stuck explaining myself
to everyone which is a bogus waste of my time.

The story that will air is on chelation and our success with it.  It
is not about Dr Tenpenny, the bird flu, or allergy elimination.  I
have personally never met Dr Tenpenny, and she has never met my
son.

We do use Dr Cheryl at Dr TenPenny's clinic, and she is a great
doctor and an awesome friend.  We also did do allergy elimination at
her clinic, but it was weeks before we started chelation.  We have
also consulted many other doctors and parents in our son's treatment
and recovery.

That said, I want to make it perfectly clear that the portion of
the "before" video that may air on the program on Thursday will show
our son on the very night before we started chelating him.  It was
well after the allergy elimination (acupressure), so any progress
should have been apparent in the before video that we sent the
reporter.  The video that I sent the reporter was video from the
night before chelation and the only treatment that we used for
several months after that video was chelation.  Also, my son has
never had ANY behavioral therapies of any kind whatsoever.  Most if
not all of his progress was from chelation for several months.  The
Dr that supervises his chelation is Dr Cheryl Leuthauser, who my
wife and I think very highly of.

Now, as far as the allergy elimination?  We maybe saw some benefit
from it.  It may have helped him chelate better (who knows).  The
only major improvement that we noticed after it was eye contact
mostly, and if you watched the before video that was taken after the
allergy treatments (but before chelation), you would see that he
still had very little of it.

Feel free to contact me directly If you have any other questions.

Thanks,
Scott Shoemaker