Items 1 through 10 have been deleted, since they are primarily for families
living in Virginia and Maryland, and I did not want to send useless
information to the folks in the rest of the country. However, please let me
know if you live in Virginia, Maryland or DC; so that I can add you to my
private email distribution list for events in those states.


11. "Anti-psychotic drug use in kids skyrockets- Fivefold increase from
1995 to 2002, researchers find" dated 16 March 2006 from the Associated
Press on MSNBC.com at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11861986/
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11861986/> .

"Soaring numbers of American children are being prescribed anti-psychotic
drugs - in many cases, for attention deficit disorder or other behavioral
problems for which these medications have not been proven to work, a study
found. The annual number of children prescribed anti-psychotic drugs jumped
fivefold between 1995 and 2002, to an estimated 2.5 million, the study said.
That is an increase from 8.6 out of every 1,000 children in the mid-1990s to
nearly 40 out of 1,000. But more than half of the prescriptions were for
attention deficit and other non-psychotic conditions, the researchers said.
The findings are worrisome "because it looks like these medications are
being used for large numbers of children in a setting where we don't know if
they work," said lead author Dr. William Cooper, a pediatrician at
Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. The increasing use of anti-psychotics since
the mid-1990s corresponds with the introduction of costly and heavily
marketed medications such as Zyprexa and Risperdal. The packaging
information for both says their safety and effectiveness in children have
not been established. ..."

12. THIS IS A GREAT IDEA! "Sign of relief" dated 17 March 2006 by Andy
Rathbun from The Battle Creek Enquirer at
<http://battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060317/LIFESTYL
E08/603170302/1032>
http://battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060317/LIFESTYLE
08/603170302/1032.

"Kelli Gibson needed some help looking out for her four boys, three of whom
suffer from disorders like autism, and so she went to the traffic department
for help. Yes, Battle Creek's traffic department. Her brood can become a
bit unmanageable, and she was worried about their safety in her own front
yard. One might go into a tantrum over the tag on the back of his T-shirt,
working himself into a state of irritation that only ends after he strips
off the loathsome clothing. As she handles her half-naked child, another
might become transfixed by a flashing light or twirling fan, and chase the
object into the street, not paying attention to the blaring horn from an
oncoming car. "We're quite the circus act," Gibson said. Gibson had grown
concerned about passing vehicles on North 28th Street, where she lives with
her boys and husband, Keith. She wanted a street sign on the block to warn
drivers about her kids. After making her formal request in late February,
the signs were up within 10 days. The yellow warning signs read "Autistic
Child in Area," and are something new for the city, according to Max Phares,
Battle Creek's traffic engineer manager. "For years we put up deaf children
signs and occasionally blind children signs," Phares said. "That's the first
one we've ever done (for autism)." The signs gave relief to Gibson, who had
feared for her kids' safety. ..."

13. "Ped Med: The skinny on ADHD contributors' dated 17 March 2006 by LIDIA
WASOWICZ in Science Daily.com at
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-15193200-bc-pedmed-adhd10.xml>
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-2006031
7-15193200-bc-pedmed-adhd10.xml.

"Nutritionists are convinced that, just like everyone else, children with
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-15193200-bc-pedmed-adhd10.xml#> attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
are what they eat. Specifically, the specialists have their
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-15193200-bc-pedmed-adhd10.xml#> eye on so-called omega-3 fatty acids as
playing some role in the condition that, in general, is marked by trouble
keeping still, difficulty in maintaining attention, propensity toward acting
impulsively or some combination of the three. Omega-3
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-15193200-bc-pedmed-adhd10.xml#> fatty acids are plentiful in cold-water
fish, such as salmon, herring, tuna, clams, crab, cod, flounder, sole,
halibut, catfish, trout and shrimp. They also abound in nuts; soybeans;
walnut, olive and flaxseed oil; seeds; whole grains and dark leafy greens.
The fatty acids comprise a hefty component of the brain, which weighs in at
about 60-percent fat. The compounds, which studies indicate are essential
for forming and maintaining the
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-15193200-bc-pedmed-adhd10.xml#> dopamine system, have been found in short
supply in some, though not all, children diagnosed with ADHD. Many
researchers see ADHD as a hereditary imbalance of
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-15193200-bc-pedmed-adhd10.xml#> brain chemicals, such as dopamine --
which regulates movement, emotion, motivation and sensations of pleasure.
That view is strongly contested by critics who point to a dearth of physical
evidence for such a notion. Whatever their connection to the "feel-good"
chemical in the brain, the omega-3 fatty acids appear to have an impact on a
child's behavior, portending problems in youngsters who don't have enough of
the compounds. As one example, a recent Duke University study of 96 boys
ages 6 to 12 indicated those with low blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids
face increased risk of ADHD-like behavior, learning and health challenges.
..."

14. "The Age of Autism: Mercury creeps back in" dated 17 March 2006 by Dan
Olmsted from United Press International in Science Daily.com at
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-22550900-bc-ageofautism.xml>
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-2006031
7-22550900-bc-ageofautism.xml.

"New calculations suggest
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-22550900-bc-ageofautism.xml#> children today can be exposed to more than
half the mercury that was in vaccines in the 1990s, even though
manufacturers began phasing it out in 1999. Adjusted for a child's body
weight at the time of the shots, there's virtually no reduction at all,
according to this analysis. The source:
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-22550900-bc-ageofautism.xml#> Flu vaccines, which have been recommended
for millions more kids over 6 months old and
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-22550900-bc-ageofautism.xml#> pregnant women in the past few years. Most
of those shots still contain the mercury-based preservative called
thimerosal that some fear is behind a huge rise in
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-22550900-bc-ageofautism.xml#> autism diagnoses. "It's been under the
radar and it's allowed health officials to say, 'We've taken it out of all
the childhood vaccines,'" said Dr. David Ayoub, an Illinois anti-thimerosal
activist who put the data together along with Maryland researchers David
Geier and Dr. Mark Geier. "They don't consider
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-22550900-bc-ageofautism.xml#> influenza one of the mandated childhood
vaccines yet," Ayoub said. But because the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention now recommends flu shots for all pregnant women and all children
between 6 months and age 5, doctors routinely give them. The CDC and the
American Academy of Pediatrics urged in 1999 that manufacturers remove
thimerosal from childhood vaccines amid concerns over mercury exposure from
shots including
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200603
17-22550900-bc-ageofautism.xml#> hepatitis B and the
diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus combination shot. "Because any potential risk
is of concern, the Public Health Service, the American Academy of
Pediatrics, and vaccine manufacturers agree that thimerosal-containing
vaccines should be removed as soon as possible," they said in a joint
statement at the time. Since then, however, the CDC has significantly
broadened its flu-shot recommendations. And the "coverage" rate -- the
percent of those who actually get the recommended shots -- is rising as
well. The thrust of the numbers compiled by Ayoub and the Geiers: By 5,
children exposed to an all-thimerosal schedule of flu shots would get 53
percent of the mercury the same kids got from all shots in 1999, they
concluded. ..."

15. "Joshua's Tough Questions for His Mother" dated 17 March 2006 from the
Morning Edition of NPR at
<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5285066>
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5285066.

"When he was 5 years old, Joshua Littman was diagnosed with Asperger's
Syndrome, a form of autism. But the condition that has robbed him of many
social skills has also played a role in Joshua becoming an honor-roll
student at 12. Born in Dorset, England, Joshua and his family moved to the
United States soon after his diagnosis. When he was 9, Joshua became a
member of MENSA. His mother, Sarah Littman, is a journalist and an author
of children's books. She describes children with Asperger's as "born without
social genes." They can come across as eccentric, and often develop
obsessions -- in Joshua's case, animals. Confronted with the chance to
interview his mother at a StoryCorps booth, Joshua eschewed the prepared
questions that many participants rely on, and instead created his own. His
questions touch on everything from his mother's past to how she really feels
about him. ..."

16. "Stop the stigma of autism in its early stages" dated 18 March 2006 in
the Barbados Advocate at
http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/NewViewNewsleft.cfm?Record=24985
<http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/NewViewNewsleft.cfm?Record=24985> .

Hhere is need to sensitise the Barbadian public about autism, so as to
alleviate the stigma associated with the disorder. According to president
of the Autism Association of Barbados, Delphia Walcott, this lack of
education about the disorder has to be addressed as soon as possible. As a
result of the stigma associated with autism, Walcott said, there are some
parents who are wary about joining the association and also telling persons
that their children have the disorder for fear of the child being ridiculed.
"They are cautious because of the disability, so that is one thing, another
reason why some parents do not come out is because they do not have anyone
to look after their children," she said. However, the president said that
while no new members have joined the association, complementing the
association is a vibrant parents support group which is very active in
representing the interest and concerns of the association, helping to source
funds and continue to build the organisation. ..."

17. "Gains by autistic son buoy parents' resolve" dated 19 March 2006 by
Naomi Mueller in teh Asbury Park Press at
<http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060319/NEWS/603190431>
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060319/NEWS/603190431.

"With two autistic children, and teachers and consultants filing in and out
of their home, Bobbie and Billy Gallagher know their lives are anything but
typical. Yet Austin, their 13-year-old son on the severe end of the autism
spectrum, is in some respects a typical teenager - his parents say he says
"no" often and seems happiest with the headphones from his MP3 player in his
ears. And then there is Alanna, 15, who has a milder case of autism and who
goes to school at the Douglas Developmental Disabilities Center in New
Brunswick, and Chelsea, a 16-year-old junior at the Marine Academy of
Technology and Environmental Sciences in Dover Township. Although life may
not be what they imagined it would be like before two of their children were
diagnosed with autism, the Gallaghers take pride in providing their children
with the things they need. "(Putting Austin in a residential facility) was
never an option for us as a family," said Bobbie Gallagher, Austin's mother.
"We know there may be a time when we can't do what we now do for our
children, and if we have to bring staff in to help when that happens, that
is one thing. But right now we can provide for our children, and no one is
going to take them away from us." Nearly three years ago, the Brick
Township School District tried to do just that. In June 2003, three weeks
after telling the Gallaghers that Austin would be taught in an autistic
class at the district's Drum Point Road School, the district changed its
mind, attempting to enforce its proposal that Austin be placed in a
residential facility. That same month, the Gallaghers asked the state
Office of Administrative Law to enforce the earlier June 5 plan to educate
their son in the district. Last month, a judge ordered the district to
follow that plan. ..."

18. "Hornsby Approved For Md. Tutoring- Timing and 'Moxie' Irk School
Officials" dated 20 March 2006 by
<http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/nick+anderson/> Nick
Anderson from The Washington Post at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/19/AR2006031901
004.html
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/19/AR200603190
1004.html> .

"Andre J. Hornsby, the former Prince George's County schools chief who quit
last year after he became ensnared in an ethics controversy and an FBI
investigation, has won approval from Maryland to operate a tutoring business
in a taxpayer-funded program for needy students. Hornsby's company won
state approval in January to provide tutoring to children from high-poverty
schools in Prince George's, Baltimore City and elsewhere, starting this
year. His unexpected reemergence as a player on the educational scene has
provoked anxiety in the school system he led from 2003 to last year. The
school board just hired Hornsby's successor, John E. Deasy, who will take
office May 1. "The timing is wrong," said board member Judy Mickens-Murray
(Upper Marlboro). "I'm just disappointed that this will become yet another
distraction. It continues to take us back to the past." But Hornsby said he
simply aims to help kids. "I got into this business because I know how to
improve student achievement for children," Hornsby said last week. "And I've
demonstrated that across the country, everywhere I've been." With a company
called Quality Schools Consulting Inc., which he launched six years ago,
Hornsby is targeting a market created by the four-year-old No Child Left
Behind law. ..."


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