**CONGRATULATIONS to Pittsburgh!

The Pittsburgh Walk was held on Saturday, May 18.  It was a HUGE SUCCESS.
There
were more walkers than prior years - and to date over $350,000 has been
collected!!  That's a 41% growth over the prior year!  Congratulations to
Jim Edgar, Jackie Kulich and all of the Pittsburgh committee members on
this tremendous success.  It was a great way to kickoff the Spring walk
season!

Upcoming Walks:  Westchester/Fairfield Walk - This weekend
                             South Jersey - June 8
                             Seattle - June 9
                             Iowa - June 15
			     Long Island - September 28

For more info, see http://www.autismwalk.org/.


**The next edition of NAARRATIVE is at the printers as we speak.  This new
edition will feature a new look, and great information about the research
that the SAB approved just last month in DC.  We are working closely with
the printers to ensure that the mailings are done effectively, efficiently
and with a minor amount of duplicates.


Lisa Gallipoli
National Walk Director

National Alliance for Autism Research
99 Wall Street, Research Park
Princeton, New Jersey  08540
1(888)777-6227 x14
Fax:(609) 430-9163
Email:  Lgallipoli@...

----

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http://members.ud.com/services/teams/team.htm?id=6065F531-AD68-47F5-938D-F95F5CD\
FC284

The Westchester/Fairfield Inaugural WALK held Sunday, June 2, was a
stunning success!

Congratulations to all the organizers.

You may want to see the original Journal News article at

http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/060302/03autism.html

NAAR funded autism research makes it into the mainstream press . . .

" A Yale experiment showed that a highly intelligent autistic adult and a
control subject were seeing a movie in starkly different ways. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/11/health/11EYE.html

This original report appears in the June 2002 issue of The American Journal
of Psychiatry,

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/159/6/895


--
Gary M. on LI

Volunteer Your PC for Cancer Research @
http://members.ud.com/services/teams/team.htm?id=6065F531-AD68-47F5-938D-F95F5CD\
FC284

The sun was certainly shining on NAAR this past weekend!

On Saturday, June 8, the Inaugural South Jersey Walk took place at Cooper
River Park in Pennsauken.  Congratulations to Todd and Debbie Schmidt, and
the entire South Jersey committee, on an outstanding event.  Over 1,200
people attended - raising over $100,000.  (And we all know the money just
keeps on coming)  The weather was picture perfect! The Philadelphia Eagles
were a $5,000 sponsor. The Philadelphia Eagles mascot helped warm up the
crowd and the Eagles' Cheerleaders greeted the walkers at the finish line.
NFL Films came out and shot the entire event as well - thanks Todd :).

Seattle's inaugural Walk was held on Sunday.  Approximately 2,500 walkers
came out for the event.  To date over $310,000 has been collected - and
with
matching gifts and outstanding donations the event should reach the
$350,000
mark.  Seattle did an excellent job with sponsorship - securing over
$140,000 - and the committee did an excellent job of recognizing each and
every one of them. Many of the sponsors provided their own signage,
including IKEA, Pepsi and SASCO.  The Walk had great pre and post press -
with TV spots late last week and a great article in the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, see
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/73959_autism10.shtml .
For a city known for its rain there was not a cloud in the sky and the
temperature
was in the low 70s!  Congratulations to Barri Rind, Linda Bressler and
Linda Suzman
on an phenomenal event.

The Spring Walk season is coming to a close.  Iowa's Inaugural event - in
Des Moines - will take place this Saturday.  Please join me in wishing the
best of luck to Pat Shoff and her committee.

Have a good week.

Lisa

Lisa Gallipoli
National Walk Director

National Alliance for Autism Research
99 Wall Street, Research Park
Princeton, New Jersey  08540
1(888)777-6227 x14
Fax:(609) 430-9163
Email:  Lgallipoli@...

From Lisa Gallipoli, NAAR WALK Coordinator, lgallipoli@...:

The Inaugural Iowa Walk F.A.R. for NAAR event took place on Saturday, June
15.  Over 500 walker attended, under sunny skies, and over $55,000 has been
collected to date.  Congratulations to Patricia Shoff and the Iowa
committee
on a great event.

Special thanks to publicity chair, Wendy Lyons, who secured great pre and
day of walk coverage. The Des Moines Register did a fabulous story about
committee members Mary and Lee Zmolek.  The article appeared on Thursday.
Mary and Lee celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on the day of the
Walk.  Channel 8 anchor Mary Parker served as emcee at the Walk and the
Walk
was featured on the news at 6 and 10 the night of the event.  Additionally,
an interview with Lt. Governor, and NAAR Trustee, Sally Pederson, aired on
Wednesday prior to the Walk.

Zmolek's story
http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c5917686/18451241.html

See the attached link for a photo and a thank you from some of the
participants.
>>>
http://www.myFamily.com/isapi.dll?c=ecard&htx=pickup&token=BHeMAI%2APolWaplWapkQ\
aFTSb9JKEpXu2OlL2YxzoB&_ref=ecard%5Cecardrecip

Wall Street Journal

Science Journal
Sharon Begley


                      FROM THE ARCHIVES: June 21, 2002


Genes May Be Triggered By Subtle Human Thought


It wasn't the kind of passage you usually encounter in a strait-laced
science journal: "I have had to spend periods of several weeks on a
remote island in comparative isolation," an anonymous contributor
wrote in Nature magazine. Curiously, he continued, the day before he
was due for leave his beard grew noticeably: "I have come to the
conclusion that the stimulus for this growth is related to the
resumption of sexual activity."

Neither the anonymous contributor nor his fellow scientists were surprised that
the aforementioned activity loosed a flood of testosterone, which affects the
way beards
grow. No, the weird part is that merely anticipating female companionship did
the trick.

Just as stress in the medical students I wrote about last week altered the
expression of genes in their immune systems, libidinous thought also seems to
affect gene expression, says developmental psychologist David Moore of Pitzer
College in Claremont, Calif.

If something as subtle as a thought can tweak genes, it is no surprise that more
substantial influences can, too. For instance, when R. Adron Harris and his team
at the University of Texas, Austin, screened 10,000 genes in the frontal and
motor cortexes of alcoholics, they found changes in the expression of 191,
according to a report published in last month's Journal of Neurochemistry.

Alcohol seems to cause "a selective reprogramming" of brain genes in areas
involved in judgment and decision-making, Dr. Harris says. Among them: genes
that code for myelin, whose loss may impair cognition and judgment.

Antidepressants also might alter genes. The conventional wisdom is that drugs
such as Prozac work by blocking the re-uptake by brain neurons of the
neurotransmitter serotonin. Prozac starts doing that in 24 hours. Why, then, do
such drugs typically take weeks to lift depression? "The hunch is that Prozac
works by altering gene expression, maybe causing sprouting of new neurons and
remodeling of synapses," Dr. Harris says.

Experience, too, can affect gene expression. How much a mother rat handles and
licks her offspring -- an environmental influence if ever there was one -- has
an astonishing effect: It determines whether genes that code for receptors for
stress hormones in the brain are expressed or not. The level of those receptors
affects how a rat reacts to stress. Rats raised by attentive moms were much less
fearful and more curious, finds Michael Meaney of McGill University in Montreal.
Rats that got less maternal handling grew up to be timid and withdrawn in novel
situations.

Rats aren't long-tailed people, so you can't infer that maternal affection
affects gene expression and thus temperament in human babies. But something sure
does. There is no shortage of evidence that intelligence, shyness, impulsivity,
risk-taking and illnesses have a genetic component.

But identical twins, who have the same genes, don't have identical traits. One
twin might be schizophrenic and the other not, one might be shy and the other
outgoing, one might get a "gene-based" cancer and the other not. The difference
between identical twins is the experiences they have and, if I may speculate,
which of their genes are expressed.

What signal from the environment keeps schizophrenia-related genes silent? What
activates IQ-lifting genes? Whatever it is, even a short-lived environmental
signal might turn on genes that tell neurons how, and how much, to grow. That
would leave an enduring mark: Neural circuits would be complex or simple, and
different brain regions would be strongly linked or not. From such neuronal
differences arise differences in intelligence and personality, health and
temperament.

Linking specific environmental influences to gene activity would have been a
pipe dream only a few years ago. But the new technology of microarray analysis,
in which "gene chips" reveal which DNA in a sample of tissue is expressed, is
making such discoveries possible.

This April, in one of the most interesting findings so far, gene chips showed
the difference between human brains and chimp brains isn't which genes each
brain has. Those are nearly identical. The difference is which genes are turned
on and which are switched off.

Ironically, the recognition that genes depend on the environment follows
genetics' greatest triumph: sequencing the human genome. But what's now clear is
that the more we learn about genetics, the more we'll see that genes aren't
destiny.

    Send comments to sciencejournal@....

    Updated June 21, 2002

    Copyright 2002 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved


                 For information about subscribing go to http://www.wsj.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/02/science/social/02CHIL.html


Happy 4th,

--
Gary M. on LI

Volunteer Your PC for Cancer Research @
http://members.ud.com/services/teams/team.htm?id=6065F531-AD68-47F5-938D-F95F5CD\
FC284

: J Autism Dev Disord 2002 Jun;32(3):207-15


The changing prevalence of autism in California.
Croen LA, Grether JK, Hoogstrate J, Selvin S.

March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation/California Department of Health
Services, California Birth Defects Monitoring Program, Oakland
94606-5226, USA. Lisa.A.Croen@...

We conducted a population-based study of eight successive California
births cohorts to examine the degree to which improvements in detection
and changes in diagnosis contribute to the observed increase in autism
prevalence. Children born in 1987-1994 who had autism were identified
from the statewide agency responsible for coordinating services for
individuals with developmental disabilities. To evaluate the role of diagnostic
substitution, trends in prevalence of mental retardation without autism were
also investigated. A total of 5038 children with full syndrome autism were
identified from 4,590,333 California births, a prevalence of 11.0 per
10,000. During the study period, prevalence increased from 5.8 to 14.9 per
10,000, for an absolute change of 9.1 per 10,000. The pattern of increase
was not influenced by maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, child gender,
or plurality. During the same period, the prevalence of mental retardation
without autism decreased from 28.8 to 19.5 per 10,000, for an absolute
change of 9.3 per 10,000. These data suggest that improvements in
detection and changes in diagnosis account for the observed increase in
autism; whether there has also been a true increase in incidence is not
known.

                           PMID: 12108622 [PubMed - in process]
--

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FC284

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/30/health/30PATT.html?8vd

Dr. Eric London is quoted in today's Washington Post regarding the
findings of a new study from the New England Journal of Medicine on
the use of Risperdal in autistic children.

Study: New Drug May Aid Autistic Children

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28464-2002Jul31.html

"Treatments of the disorder raise more questions."

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/autismWNT020801.html#

Note the link to naar.org at the end of the article!

From: "Monica Moshenko" <monica@...>
Subject: EBay auction to benefit Autism Walk in Buffalo begins TODAY!!

We are grateful to receive donations of TV memorabilia from award winning TV
Producer and Writer, Tom Fontana (St. Elsewhere, Homicide and OZ). Tom is a
former Buffalonian who keeps giving back to his community and now to Autism for
"Buffalo Walk F.A.R. for NAAR."Check out the items up for auction on EBAY
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1563591047&ssPageName=ADME:B:\
LC:US:1

Great for collector's and for gifts!!! PLUS you will be a part of leaving a
lasting imprint on Autism in Buffalo!


NOTE:  More items from well known celebrities to be added to the EBay Auction!!


The Inaugural Walk for Autism in Buffalo is only 14 days away!!
Sunday, September 29, 2002 - Delaware Park
Join "Baby" Joe Mesi, NYS Heavyweight Boxing Champion and Sam Hoyt, NYS
Assemblyman - 144th District, Honorary Co-Chairs and Sue O'Neil from Star 102.5
FM

Corporate sponsors include:  Fantastic Sams, State University of New York at
Buffalo, Wegmans, Taber Industries, Adelphia, Tops, Montana Mills Bread Company,
Pepsi Cola Bottling Corp., M.J. Peterson, Brawdy Construction, NYSOTA, Shady
Acres Entertainment (Film Director, Tom Shadyac), Tom Fontana (Award Winning TV
Producer and Writer)

Register online TODAY at http://www.autismwalk.org  BUFFALO
Volunteers needed to help with registration, food, kids area, setup and cleanup.

Buffalo Walk F.A.R. for NAAR - 5K walk begins at 1:00 PM
(Registration at 12:00 PM- Parkside Lodge)
Enjoy live music, food and family fun all afternoon!

Monica Moshenko, Co-Chair (716) 522-9185
email monica@...

National Alliance for Autism Research - http://www.naar.org

We are leaving a lasting imprint on Autism in Buffalo, NY

Autism, Genes & the Environment will be the subject of a two-day conference
open to researchers and the greater autism community on October 3 & 4 at the
Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The conference will feature some
of the nation's leading autism researchers exploring the relationship of
environmental factors to other influences in the development and progression
of autism spectrum disorders.  Speakers include NAAR Trustee, Dr. C.T.
Gordon, NAAR Scientific Advisory Board members Drs. Emanuel DiCicco-Bloom
and Richard Nowakowski, and NAAR Grant Awardees Drs. David Amaral, Margaret
Bauman, Linda Brzustowicz, Charles Cartwright, Susan Folstein, and Rebecca
Landa.

This conference will provide a unique opportunity for parents to meet with
autism researchers to discuss the current state of the science. For further
information or to register, visit: www.eohsi.rutgers.edu, or call UMDNJ at
(973) 972-4297.

Wall Street Journal
Science Journal
by Sharon Begley

Genes Explain Why Some Kids Grow Up to Be Violent, Abusive

       It has been one of the most frustrating mysteries of child development:
some children subjected to chronic physical or emotional abuse grow up to be
troubled, violent, abusive and even criminal, but most become law-abiding and
well-adjusted adults. Why?

       Researchers have offered myriad explanations -- that having even one
trusted, loving adult in his life can buffer a child from the worst long-term
effects of abuse, for example. But there is no conclusive evidence.

       That may have changed. Last month, researchers from the U.S., Britain and
New Zealand presented persuasive evidence for why some children are resilient
and others remain scarred by neglect and abuse: It depends on the child's unique

genetic make-up.

       Abused boys who carry one version of a particular gene are more likely to
grow up to be violent and antisocial than those carrying another version, who
usually turn out fine.

       The gene lies on the X chromosome and makes MAOA (monoamine oxidase-A), an

enzyme that acts like a biochemical garbage disposal. A target of one family of
antidepressants, it breaks down neurotransmitters, including serotonin and
dopamine.

       The dna that determines how much MAOA sloshes around the brain comes in
two varieties. One produces low gene activity and thus small amounts of MAOA.
Another produces high gene activity and high amounts of MAOA. In mice, the
absence of MAOA has been linked to aggression. One study in humans found the
same thing. But genetic determinism -- "gene A causes behavior B" -- is too
simplistic an explanation.

       Studying 442 white, male New Zealanders who had been followed since birth
in 1972, the researchers found that childhood maltreatment was far more likely
to lead to adult violence in boys with the low-activity MAOA gene than in boys
with the high-activity version. The 55 men who have the low-activity form and
had been neglected or abused were about twice as likely to have engaged in
persistent fighting, bullying, theft, cruelty and vandalism during adolescence,
and also more likely to have a conviction for a violent crime, than men with the

high-MAOA form who had been maltreated.

       Low MAOA alone produced no increased risk for growing up bad. Absent
abuse, such boys were no likelier to be antisocial or violent adults.

       "Genes can moderate children's sensitivity to environmental insults," the
study's leader, Terrie Moffitt of King's College, London, writes in an e-mail.
       That, she adds, "may partly explain why not all victims of maltreatment
grow up to victimize others; some genotypes may promote resistance to trauma."

       How? Maltreatment seems to cause lasting changes in brain chemistry, says
Ian Craig of King's. One possible result: the person becomes hyperreactive to
threat. That's a logical response to chronic abuse. If MAOA levels are high, it
constrains those changes. If low, it can't. Hyperreactivity and the attendant
aggression become permanent.

       In another gene-environment discovery, researchers led by Frank Gilliland
of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, figured out why only some

kids whose moms smoked during pregnancy (exposing them to tobacco toxics in
utero) suffer asthma, wheezing and repeated ER visits.
       One variant of a gene called GSTM1 protects against the poisons, they
reported last month; another leaves you vulnerable.

       Irving Gottesman, a veteran of the search for a genetic basis of
schizophrenia, teamed with colleagues in Germany and Iceland to suggest how
genes and a viral infection can combine to cause this terrible disease.
Infection, they say, may further weaken glial cells in the brain that have been
damaged by wayward genes. That could help explain why, in 54% of cases among
identical twins in which one has schizophrenia, the other doesn't:
Identical twins have identical genotypes but different environments.

       It won't be easy to sort out how parenting styles interact with a child's
genotype: Erratic parenting (rules come and go, affection waxes and wanes)
leaves some children morally adrift and with little self-control. Some kids with

erratic parents, however, turn out fine. Punitive parenting scars some kids for
life. But some children of totalitarian parents grow up to be warm and giving.
Exposure to media violence turns some kids into killers, yet leaves no mark on
others.

       On Aug. 23, I wrote about the interaction of genes and food. But when it
comes to parenting, you have something hard to quantify. Those interactions will

be a lot tougher to pin down. But think of all the mysteries that will fall when

we do.

       • Write me at sciencejournal@....



       Updated September 20, 2002


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Own your very own WALK F.A.R. for NAAR T-shirt autographed by "American Idol"
Kelly Clarkson. All proceeds of this auction benefit the National Alliance
for Autism Research.

Title of item:  American Idol KELLY CLARKSON autograph Tshirt
Seller: garymonli
Starts: Sep-29-02 20:55:34 PDT
Ends:   Oct-06-02 20:55:34 PDT
Price:  Starts at $25.00
To bid on the item, go to:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=910291381


Item Description:  Kelly Clarkson Autographed WALK F.A.R. for NAAR T-shirt

Kelly Clarkson autographed this XL cotton/poly T-shirt during her appearance on
the Today Show, 9/26/02.  All of the proceeds from this auction will go to
benefit the National Alliance for Autism Research. The National Alliance for
Autism Research, NAAR, is a national nonprofit, tax-exempt organization
dedicated to finding the causes, prevention, effective treatment and,
ultimately, cure of the autism spectrum disorders.


The winnning bidder must pay for the T-shirt via credit card or echeck on the
National Alliance for Autism Research website. BE SURE THAT YOU ENTER THE EBAY
ITEM # UNDER "SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS" SPACE ON THE DONATION PAGE!

  There is NO charge for shipping this item in the continental USA.

This is a fascinating article on language development, both verbal and
nonverbal, in babies . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/01/science/social/01BABB.html?8vd

--

You can still bid on eBay for this unique, one-of-a-kind WALK F.A.R.
for NAAR T-shirt. The bidding just topped $100!!

To bid on the item, go to:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=910291381


Item Description: Kelly Clarkson Autographed WALK F.A.R. for NAAR
T-shirt

Interested in Accelerating the Pace of Autism Research?

National Alliance for Autism Research Hosting Meeting To Explain How
Local Denver and San Diego Communities Can Advance Autism Research


             http://naar.org/denver.htm

Availability of NAAR Funding for Autism Research Awards and
Fellowships

http://www.naar.org/grants/2002fundingindex.htm

Also, more meetings around the country to organize WALK F.A.R. for
NAAR events . . .

http://naar.org/denver.htm

From the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/22/health/children/22AUTI.html

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-10/uoc--ugf102202.php

Wall Street Journal
October 30, 2002

New Genetic Map Is Sought To Explore Links to Ailments

By ANTONIO REGALADO and LEILA ABBOUD
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

In search of the genetic roots of humanity's most pervasive ailments, the
U.S. and five other countries plan to spend a total of $100 million over
three years to build a next-generation human genetic map.

Unlike the Human Genome Project, which is decoding the shared structure of
human inheritance, the map will focus on the tiny percentage of DNA that
varies among individuals. Scientists increasingly see such variations as
the key to elucidating the inherited components of heart disease, diabetes,
psychiatric disorders and other conditions that affect billions of people
world-wide.

The International HapMap Project will collect and study DNA from four
ethnic groups, project sponsors said. The National Institutes of Health in
Bethesda, Md., will provide $39 million to the effort, with the rest of the
money coming from agencies in Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada and China,
as well as from nonprofit and corporate sponsors.

Blood samples will be collected from individuals in four countries. The DNA
to be studied will include samples from people in Japan, members of China's
predominant Han ethnic group, U.S. residents of European descent and people
from Nigeria's Yoruba population. The groups were selected to be
geographically and racially inclusive.

Scientists studying population genetics have generally concentrated on
large families or isolated populations, where known patterns of inheritance
have helped researchers zero in on genes responsible for rare conditions
such as Huntington's disease, a degenerative nerve disorder.

The more detailed map is designed to allow study of complex traits, such as
hypertension and other maladies, that are influenced by many genes.

While some genetics experts voiced doubts the project will deliver such
discoveries, Francis Collins, the director of the National Human Genome
Research Institute at the NIH, the effort's main sponsor, called the map an
"elegant shortcut to enable this kind of study to go forward much faster."
[hapmap]

The map will make use of two million to three million common variations in
single DNA letters already uncovered by government- and industry-funded
scientists. The variations are known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, or
SNPs. But the map will focus on haplotypes, which are essentially blocks of
SNPs that are inherited together, and which might be significantly cheaper
to study, although that is uncertain.

In a news conference in Washington, the NIH took pains to address concerns
the HapMap could be used to negatively characterize racial groups or to
delve into the genetic basis for such social issues as sexual preference or
criminality.

Outrage over perceived exploitation by scientists of indigenous peoples has
derailed a number of research projects. A special advisory group was formed
to make recommendations on how to minimize any misuse or misinterpretation
of the map. "This project, to better understand the nature of disease
across populations, is too important for us not to get it right," said
Georgia Dunston, a member of a Howard University team that will collect
blood samples from Nigeria's Yoruba ethnic group.

Pharmaceuticals companies want to use the mapping data to find genetic
markers that predict patients' response to medications. Arthur Holden,
chairman of the SNP Consortium in Deerfield, Ill., an industry-funded group
that will pay to warehouse the data generated by the HapMap scientific
teams, said it wouldn't be cost-effective for industry to undertake such a
project on its own.

A number of biotechnology companies stand to benefit from the mapping
effort, including Illumina Inc., San Diego, which received $9 million to
help construct the map. Academic groups are relying on equipment and
supplies from publicly traded Sequenom Inc., San Diego, and Third Wave
Technologies of Madison, Wis.

Some biotechnology firms, including Genaissance Pharmaceuticals Inc., New
Haven, Conn., have been building proprietary haplotype maps. Genaissance
says it has found 160,000 haplotypes and has patented many of them.

Write to Antonio Regalado at antonio.regalado@... and Leila Abboud at
leila.abboud@...
URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB103593191659623231.djm,00.html

Hyperlinks in this Article:
(1) http://wsj.com/health
(2) mailto:antonio.regalado@...
(3) mailto:leila.abboud@...
(4) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB995204667508987494,00.html
(5) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB994977251653607698,00.html
(6) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB993678699703189755,00.html

Updated October 30, 2002

See the New York Times report of the same story,

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/30/health/30GENO.html

--

November 6, 2002  -- Embargoed Until:   5 p.m. on November 6, 2002

CONTACT:    Joe Guzzardo (609) 430-9160, extension 17
                         National Alliance for Autism Research


NAAR-funded Study on MMR & Autism Reports No Association
Between Controversial Vaccine and Autism

  Results of Danish Study to be Published in
  New England Journal of Medicine Nov. 7

PRINCETON, NJ – A study funded by the National Alliance for Autism
Research (NAAR) that will be published in tomorrow's edition of
the
New England Journal of Medicine reports there is no association
between the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine and autism.

See http://www.naar.org/ for the full story and reprints of the study
from the New England Journal of Medicine.

As many of your may already know, the new NAAR.ORG web site is now
online @ http://www.naar.org/.

Unfortunately, the links to the NEJM MMR & Autism Study are not yet up
on the new site, so I've uploaded the files to NAARnews. The links are
noted below.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NAARnews/files/mmrstudy.pdf

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NAARnews/files/mmrperspective.pdf

Books on Health: What's Normal? A Look at Asperger Syndrome

In "American Normal," Lawrence Osborne argues that Asperger syndrome,
a form of autism, may be less a disorder than a societal and
psychiatric construct.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/03/health/children/03BOOK.html

Interested in Accelerating the Pace of Autism Research?
Avon Lake Public Library, Cleveland, OH
14 January 2003

National Alliance for Autism Research is hosting meetings and forming
committees. Learn how local communities can advance autism research.

The National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) is hosting the following
informational meetings this winter to explain how volunteers can help
advance autism research by organizing an autism walk. Organizational
meetings are free and open to the public.

When: Tuesday, January 14, 2003
Time: 6:45pm - 9:00pm
Place: Avon Lake Public Library (off Route 83) Cleveland, OH
Call Tina at (440) 240-9461 or (888) 777-NAAR to RSVP or for more information.

Committees are in formation for Inaugural Walk F.A.R. for NAAR events in
the following cities/states:

St. Louis, Missouri
Denver, Colorado
Tampa, Florida
Fort Myers, Florida
Atlanta, Georgia
Cumberland/Hagerstown, Maryland
Providence, Rhode Island
Western Massachusetts
The State of New Hampshire
Baltimore, Maryland
Orlando, Florida
San Diego, California

If you are interested in joining a committee in formation for an Inaugural
Walk, or a committee for a Walk that is already scheduled for your area, or
in obtaining information about participating in a Walk F.A.R. For NAAR
event please call (888) 777-NAAR or email autismwalk@... for
additional information.

<http://naar.org/walk/ntl_accelerate.htm>

Greetings, all.

My name is Joe Guzzardo, communications director for the National
Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and new moderator of the NAARnews
list. Thank you for your continued interest in autism research.

I wanted to inform you that NAAR recently completed a national public
opinion poll that was designed to gauge America's awareness of autism
and determine what concerns the general public has regarding autism
and the state of autism research.  We are currently in the process of
releasing the results of the poll to the national and regional media.

Specifically, we were interested in finding out whether there exists
a gap in awareness regarding autism among the general public and
learning if Americans think enough resources are being allocated
towards better understanding this devastating disorder.

The poll has identified that a gap does exist in autism awareness and
knowledge among the American public, even though many Americans
either have autism in their family or have a close friend with autism
in the family.

We hope to help close this gap in awareness by presenting the latest
information on the state of the science in autism research and the
need for increased investments in autism research from both the
public and private sectors.

Along with the poll, NAAR has also developed a quick "True/False"
quiz that invites Americans to test their "Autism IQ" and addresses
some important facts regarding the state of autism diagnosis,
treatment and research.

We are using the poll and the Autism IQ test to raise America's
awareness of autism spectrum disorders and draw national attention to
the need for increased funding for research into the causes,
prevention, effective treatment and cure for autism spectrum
disorders.

To view the major findings from the poll as well as take the NAAR
Autism IQ test, please visit the NAAR website at: www.naar.org.

Thank you,

Joe Guzzardo
Communications Director
National Alliance for Autism Research
jguzzardo@...

PS - On behalf of everyone at NAAR, a special thank you goes out to
Dr. Gary Mirkin, who established the NAARNews list and served as an
excellent moderator for years.  Thanks, Gary!

Greetings, all.

This is a reminder for you to tune in to National Public Radio's Talk
of the Nation Science Friday airing tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 24 from 3 -
  4 p.m. for a program focusing on autism.  Guests include Dr. Andy
Shih, NAAR's director of Research & Programs, Dr. Susan Folstein, of
Tufts/New England Medical Center and coordinator of the NAAR-funded
Autism Genetics Cooperative, and Dr. Neal Halsey, director of the
Institute for Vaccine Safety, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health.

The program is scheduled to focus on the rising prevalence of autism
spectrum disorders and the latest research focusing determining the
causes of autism.

Thank you,

Joe Guzzardo
Communications Director
National Alliance for Autism Research
jguzzardo@...

Greetings, NAAR News members:

Long Island Walk F.A.R. for NAAR Raises Over $1 Million;
New England Chapter Also Hits Million Dollar Mark as 2003 Walks
Generate $6 Million for Biomedical Research

To the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR), Long Island
looks like a million bucks.

The Long Island Walk F.A.R. for NAAR autism research walk, held on
Oct. 26, is the country's first single-day autism walk event to raise
$1 million and one of three walk events held last weekend that capped
the 2003 walk season. NAAR's Southwest Florida Walk, held Oct. 25,
and Miami/Dade Walk, held Oct. 26, were also part of the year's final
Walk weekend. NAAR's 2003 fall walk events collectively attracted
more than 41,000 walkers and raised over $4 million for biomedical
research – an increase of approximately $1 million from last year's
fall campaign.

NAAR's Spring and Fall Walk campaigns included a total of 24 events
that raised an estimated $6 million for research in 2003.

"These extraordinary results illustrate the outstanding leadership
and dedication of our volunteers, who bring Walk F.A.R. for NAAR to
life," said Glenn R. Tringali, NAAR's chief executive officer. "Our
volunteers are among the most passionate and amazing people in the
world. They are playing the lead role in our quest to accelerate the
pace of research and find answers to this devastating disorder."

This year's Long Island Walk, which attracted an estimated 10,000
walkers, was NAAR's largest single-day event to date, in terms of
attendance and dollars raised. The event generated approximately $1.2
million for research.

Many thanks go out to the entire Long Island Walk Committee and 2003
co-chairs, Caryn Schwartzman and May Lynn Andresen. Special thanks
also go out to Dr. Bernard Rosof, senior vice president of North
Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, who served as corporate chair
and played an instrumental role in helping the North Shore team reach
its goal of raising $100,000 for the 2003 Long Island Walk.

Long Island's successful Walk was one of many ground-breaking events
held in 2003.

New Walks Added in '03

NAAR expanded Walk F.A.R. for NAAR with the addition of 10 new events
this year, including Cumberland, MD, Carolina, Atlanta, Western New
England, Southern New England, Northern New England, St. Louis,
Denver, North Central New Jersey and Southwest Florida walk events.

The inaugural St. Louis Walk, chaired by Colleen Dolnick and Jamie
Spies, raised $400,000 and was NAAR's largest first-year walk in
2003.

2003 Fall Campaign

This year's Fall Walk F.A.R. for NAAR campaign included events in
Atlanta, Holyoke, MA, Buffalo, Greater Boston, Central New Jersey,
Providence, RI, St. Louis, Denver, North Central New Jersey, Palm
Beach/Broward, Northern New Jersey, Manchester, NH, Southwest
Florida, Miami-Dade and Long Island.

Walk expansion efforts in New England and New Jersey resulted in
eight walks that raised nearly $2 million alone in 2003.

NAAR's New England chapter, led by President Margie Pascetta and Vice
Presidents Dolores Rezendes and Larry Cancro, transformed the New
England Walk into four separate events that raised a total of $1.1
million in 2003.

New England's four Walks included the Western New England Walk, held
Sept. 13 in Holyoke, MA; the Greater Boston Walk, held Sept. 20 in
Brighton, MA; the Southern New England Walk, held Oct. 4 in
Providence; and the Northern New England Walk, held Oct. 5 in
Manchester, NH. 2003 Walk chairs for NAAR's New England events are:
Western New England: Martie Murphy-Kane, Holly Santos and Lynn Dwyer;
Greater Boston: Marcy Wenning & Lisa Kearney; Southern New England:
Sammi Robertson; and Northern New England: Kim Drelick.

In New Jersey, walks in the Greater Delaware Valley (a Spring Walk),
Central New Jersey, North Central New Jersey and Northern New Jersey
collectively raised $850,000. Along with New England, New Jersey is
NAAR's only other Walk market to currently host four Walk F.A.R. for
NAAR events. 2003 Walk chairs for NAAR's New Jersey events are:
Greater Delaware Valley: Todd & Debbie Schmidt and Frank & Nancy
D'Amico; Central New Jersey: Jim Brady; North Central New Jersey:
Laura Kuntz; and Northern New Jersey: Judah Zeigler & Debbie Schwartz.

In Florida, volunteers in 2003 held three separate events, including
Palm Beach/Broward, Miami/Dade and Southwest Florida, that raised
more than $560,000. Walk chairs for NAAR's 2003 Florida Walks are:
Palm Beach/Broward: Grace Rodriguez, Julie Guzy & Diane Orr;
Miami/Dade: Seth Gordon (chair); and Jack Patterson, Johana
Deschapell & Loredes Miranda (co-chairs); and Southwest Florida:
Sharon & Beth Boyd.

2003 Spring Campaign

NAAR's 2003 Spring Walk F.A.R. for NAAR campaign raised $2 million
and included nine events held in Cumberland, MD, Charlotte,
Rochester, the National Capital Area, Greater Delaware Valley,
Seattle, Pittsburgh, Westchester, NY/Fairfield, CT, and Des Moines.

The Westchester/Fairfield Walk, chaired by Debbie Hilibrand, Debbie
Marchese and Angela Ditrio, raised $530,000 and was the largest of
NAAR's Spring Walks in 2003.

NAAR's National Capital Area Walk was the second largest Spring Walk
in 2003. Ann Gibbons, Lennie Gladstone, Marlene McConnell and Randi
Sidgmore chaired the event, which raised nearly $500,000.

In Pittsburgh, home of the first Walk F.A.R. for NAAR event, the Walk
moved to a new and much larger home – Heinz Field. The event, which
has grown steadily since its debut four years ago, raised $415,000 in
2003. This year's Walk was chaired by Jim Edgar and Jackie Kulich.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

In just its fourth year, Walk F.A.R. for NAAR has quickly developed
into the nation's largest autism walk program and has attracted more
than 150,000 people, raising $15.5 million at events throughout the
country.

But we still have much work to do – as our fifth Walk season is just
around the corner.

New Walks planned for 2004 across the country include Baltimore,
Chicago and Dallas – just to name a few.

The best is yet to come!

For more information on bringing Walk F.A.R. for NAAR to your
community, or to find a Walk in a city or town near you, please call
(888) 777-NAAR, or via e-mail at lgallipoli@....

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