Items 1 through 5 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.


6. Colleges with Programs for Learning Disabled Students (2006). Almost
all colleges and universities provide services and/or accommodations for
students with learning disabilities as mandated by the Americans with
Disabilities Act. The colleges and universities listed on this Web page from
the American Educational Guidance Center go a step further-they offer
programs, some quite comprehensive, designed specifically to support
students with learning disabilities. More info is at
<BLOCKED::http://www.college-scholarships.com/learning_disabilities.htm>
http://www.college-scholarships.com/learning_disabilities.htm.

7. Transition to College: Strategic Planning to Ensure Success for Students
with Learning Disabilities (2006). This brief from the National Center for
Learning Disabilities can help parents and teens understand the requirements
and opportunities in the laws concerning transition from high school to
college so that they can successfully plan for the future. Available at
<BLOCKED::http://www.ncld.org/images/stories/downloads/parent_center/transit
ion_to_college.pdf>
http://www.ncld.org/images/stories/downloads/parent_center/transition_to_col
lege.pdf.

8. General Education Teacher: How Can I Help With the Transition Process?:
http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/transition/toolbox/brochures/GEtchr.pdf
<BLOCKED::http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/transition/toolbox/brochures/
GEtchr.pdf> and General Education Teacher: How Can I Help With the
Transition Process? (Includes Life Skills wheel):
<http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/transition/toolbox/brochures/SEtchr>
http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/transition/toolbox/brochures/SEtchr.

9. The Organization for Autism Research (OAR)'s OARacle E-Newsletter for
July is at
<http://www.researchautism.org/resources/newsletters/2006_july.asp#one>
http://www.researchautism.org/resources/newsletters/2006_july.asp#one. I
would encourage you to look over what that organization is doing in the
field of applied research for autism.

10. "How Mercury Causes Neurodegeneration (Brain Degeneration)" dated 7 May
2006 in a video from the University of Calgary.at
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDnfeIwd0wI&search=toxic%20mercury>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDnfeIwd0wI&search=toxic%20mercury.

11. "Fighting autism epidemic will pay off- Aiding kids with disorder now
costs less than caring for them as adults" dated 13 July 2006 by Barry Stern
in an editorial in The Detroit News at
<http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060713/OPINION01/607130
315/1008&template=printart>
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060713/OPINION01/6071303
15/1008&template=printart.

"Autism spectrum disorders are the nation's fastest-growing developmental
disabilities. These disorders include obsessive behaviors, limited social
skills and communications deficits. Despite a 10-fold increase since 1990,
our state and federal officials act as if this "epidemic" poses no threat to
our well-being and domestic tranquility. Yet the growth of autism, if
unchecked, poses a serious risk to the economy. With appropriate
interventions, a child with autism has a 1 in 2 chance of recovering.
Without them, their chances are slim to none. Those who fail to recover
will be dependent the rest of their lives, each one costing taxpayers $1
million to $2 million for their care. The federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention estimates between 120,000 to 360,000 U.S. children 14
and under are autistic. America will have to spend billions of dollars while
they are young to save hundreds of billions of dollars for their care as
they age. Autism in the schools. Autism and related developmental
disabilities are overwhelming special education programs. In Michigan, the
number of public school children diagnosed as autistic impaired grew 328
percent between 1993 and 2003, contributing to Michigan's enormous 30
percent increase in the number of special education students. Since very few
teachers have the skills to help these children, the vast majority of them
never make it out of special education. The Bush administration has an
excellent record of increasing funding to states for special education, from
$6.3 billion in 2001 to $10.6 billion in 2006, 40 percent more per student
when adjusting for inflation. Schools lack enough staff. In Washtenaw
County, voters passed a special education millage that provides millions of
dollars more for county schools. Metro Detroit counties have increased their
special education millages. However, parents of autistic children rarely see
their children benefit from these increases. Schools do not have enough
specialized staff to work with this population, and they are unwilling to
commit to the full-year, expertly led programming that will make a
difference for them. Some parents recognize that the public schools offer
little more than warmed-over babysitting and provide their own therapy
program in the home. This usually requires a well-prepared consultant in
behavioral therapy, who develops and continually monitors the child's
program and trains home aides who do most of the work. This is extremely
expensive ($30,000 to $60,000 per year), inflicting financial hardship on
many families. Parents in our situation are under considerable pressure.
Parents with autistic children have an 80 percent divorce rate. Our kids
frequently don't sleep through the night, which cuts into our sleep,
reducing our productivity and effectiveness at work, and our patience with
our children. Many of us are going into debt to finance private therapies
and expensive medical/dietary treatments. We continually fight about health
insurance coverage. Help pressured parents. While waiting for results on
the causes of autism, the federal government should immediately help the
thousands of families that must deal with this disability. ..."

12. "Computer Games Detect Early Signs of Autism and Dyslexia in Children-
Learning for Children's Innovative Diagnostic Gaming(R) Series Helps Parents
and Educators Spot Developmental Disorders" dated 24 July 2006 in a press
release from Learning for Children on PRNewswire at
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060724/dcm041.html?.v=55
<http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060724/dcm041.html?.v=55> .

"An experienced team of educators, psychologists and technology
professionals have teamed to develop the first computer-based games designed
to help educators and parents identify children ages 3-9 with early signs of
dyslexia, and children ages 3-5 with autism. Based on thousands of hours of
development, Learning for Children ( <http://www.learningforchildren.com/>
http://www.LearningforChildren.com) -- The Diagnostic Gaming Company(r) --
today announced the inaugural set of games in its innovative Early Detection
Diagnostic Gaming(r) series. The first two games in the series are the Early
Detection -- Dyslexia CD(r), and Early Detection -- Autism CD(r). Reviewed
by prominent health care and educational professionals, and leading autism
and dyslexia advocacy organizations, the entertaining, interactive games are
suitable for parents to test individual children or for teachers to use in
classroom settings. Feedback on a child's performance, as well as how to
interpret results, is instant and confidential. The National Institutes of
Health (NIH) estimates one in ten children have dyslexia. Seventy-four
percent of undiagnosed children in the second grade remain so into
adulthood. The NIH also predicts that one in every 166 children suffers from
autism. Early detection of these disorders, and intervention, is key to
building effective treatment programs. With help early in life, children can
progress through traditional educational experiences with fewer problems.
Children dislike tests -- especially if they know they are being tested.
Thus, Learning for Children's series of computer games, divided into six
levels, are based on low stress, low anxiety, fun and rewarding exercises in
which a child is totally unaware they are being tested. This method results
in a true measurement of a child's ability or disorder. Each level measures
the age-appropriate developmental skills required to complete a game -- all
through playing entertaining computer games that children love. ..."

13. "Schools to Offer STD Vaccine- L.A. Unified will give female students
the option of receiving a shot that could prevent cervical cancer. Some
parents voice opposition." dated 24 July 2006 by Lynn Doan from the Los
Angeles Times at
<http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-vaccine24jul24,1,7997883.story?
coll=la-news-learning>
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-vaccine24jul24,1,7997883.story?c
oll=la-news-learning.

"The Los Angeles Unified School District, and possibly dozens of other
school districts in Los Angeles County, plan to offer female students a
controversial vaccine that prevents a virus linked to cervical cancer,
health officials said. As the shots become available in the coming months,
L.A. Unified officials said, female students with parental consent would be
eligible to receive Gardasil, a vaccine recently approved by the Food and
Drug Administration that prevents four types of the sexually transmitted
human papillomavirus (HPV), two of which cause cervical cancer. Some
conservative groups have expressed concern that providing the vaccine to
adolescent girls would encourage them to engage in sexual behavior. An
advisory committee of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
has recommended that all 11- and 12-year-old girls receive the vaccine,
along with young women currently ages 13 to 18. It is generally not
recommended for older women who may have already been exposed to HPV. The
committee also voted to add Gardasil to its list of vaccines provided by the
federal Vaccines for Children program. Through the program, Los Angeles
County distributes 16 approved vaccines for free to qualified healthcare
providers, including 22 school districts, 80 nonprofit community clinics and
44 county health services sites. Karen Maiorca, who retired two weeks ago
as L.A. Unified's director of nursing services, said the vaccine would be
offered each year at dozens of clinics that the district operates. The
district's 600 school nurses will be responsible for spreading the word.
And though the Vaccines for Children program is designed for uninsured and
underinsured children, she said, no student will be turned away. School
districts registered for the Vaccines for Children program, including L.A.
Unified, Hacienda La Puente Unified and Azusa Unified, can refuse to offer
the vaccine. Lydia Estep, senior director of pupil services for the Azusa
Unified School District, said district nurses would not be providing
Gardasil to its students in the 2006-07 school year for a number of reasons.
"The vaccine is fairly new," Estep said. "And it's not a requirement at this
time." But Maiorca said it is L.A. Unified's policy to provide all vaccines
distributed by the county. Los Angeles school board President Marlene
Canter said she sympathized with those concerned that the vaccine might
promote sexual activity. "But the way I see it is you have a chance to
prevent a disease that kills people," she said. "You should look at it as a
preventive vaccine that saves lives." Every state in the United States is
currently involved in the Vaccines for Children program, and every county in
California receives vaccines through it, federal and state officials said.
..."

14. "Just two more years, then what's to become of Megan?" dated 25 July
2006 in an editorial by Lynn Miller in The Free Lance-Star at
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/072006/07252006/207680
<http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/072006/07252006/207680> .

"In June of 2008, my daughter Megan, diagnosed with Angelman syndrome, will
leave high school. I don't think she will be able to participate in a
graduation ceremony, so I say "leave" high school. She will then stay at
home with a home health-care provider, if one is available, or I will have
to quit teaching to take care of her, leaving a career that currently spans
18 years. Sadly, the only local adult day-care facility for Megan, Open
Arms, closed this spring and the only other options locally require mental
retardation waivers and involve a long waiting list. I don't think many
people are aware of the needs of the severe and profoundly disabled
community, nor do most people care, but as Megan's mother, I feel obligated
to give voice to her need, though it's been met with silence so far. She
passed the Virginia Alternative Standards of Learning test, receiving an
"Advanced" mark under Social Studies, and "Proficient" in all other
categories. However, as a high school teacher, I just don't see how this can
be because she cannot read or write, nor does she have a sense of time or
money, nor does she have any employable skills. In fact, I believe that
Megan is the poster child for the Child Who Has Been Left Behind.
Communication is her major deficit, and when she leaves high school, she
will have even fewer people with whom to communicate, not that her skills
are functional at this point anyway. Virginia has left her behind.
Spotsylvania County has left her behind. And my husband and I sometimes wish
that we could leave her behind. But she deserves a future like anyone else
who leaves high school. Sometimes when I'm helping students with college
essays, recommendations, and scholarship letters, I wonder who is working
this hard to help my daughter make the transition from high school into the
community. No one, as far as I can tell. Is there anything we can do to
create adult day-care opportunities within my Spotsylvania community to give
Megan something to do when she graduates from high school? My husband and I
are in our 40s and can still get Megan to bed at night and give her a bath
in the morning, but we'd like to have a place to send her during the day
where she can safely interact with other folks who have compassion and
interest in enriching the lives of the disabled. If anyone has any
information that might make Megan's future brighter, we would love to see it
in the pages of the newspaper. We are even willing to relocate to a
community that could afford Megan a better life."

15. "Specific details filed in Hill case" dated 27 July 2006 by MELISSA NIX
from The Free Lance-Star at
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/072006/07272006/209501
<http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/072006/07272006/209501> .

"A filing in Spotsylvania County Circuit Court alleges Spotsylvania School
Superintendent Jerry Hill obstructed justice by directing School Board
members to forward questions from a detective investigating possible
election law violations to the board's counsel. It also alleges he deleted
portions of a memo before providing it to the detective. During a June 26
hearing in the case, Spotsylvania County Circuit Court Judge George Mason
ordered King George County Commonwealth's Attorney Matt Britton to detail
his evidence in support of the obstruction charge. Britton is handling the
case because Spotsylvania Commonwealth's Attorney Bill Neely recused
himself. Neely's wife works in Spotsylvania schools. According to the "bill
of particulars" Britton filed, Hill sent a memo to School Board members on
Sept. 30 after a county detective began to investigate the legality of a
flier circulated by the School Board earlier that month. Board members paid
for and distributed the fliers after the Board of Supervisors voted to put a
$41 million school-bond referendum on the November ballot. School Board
members had sought $184 million worth of bonds. Supervisors demanded an
investigation into whether the fliers violated a state election law. When
asked about his filing, Britton declined to comment on any part of it.
"Those are qualitative questions and this case is pending in court," he
said, adding that answering questions before the trial potentially poisons
the jury pool. "I cannot give you a quote on the substance of the
allegations. We want an unbiased jury pool so that the defendant can get a
fair trial." Britton alleges that in his memo, Hill, "citing purported
advice of counsel," recommended School Board members not answer any
questions from the detective and to direct any questions posed by the
detective to the district's legal counsel. ..."

16. "Study debunks birth season-autism risk link" dated 28 July 2006 by
Anne Harding from Reuters in the July 2006 edition of the American Journal
of Psychiatry at
<http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006
-07-29T002531Z_01_ELK901504_RTRUKOC_0_US-STUDY-AUTISM.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-
C3-healthNews-3>
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-
07-29T002531Z_01_ELK901504_RTRUKOC_0_US-STUDY-AUTISM.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C
3-healthNews-3.

"One of the largest studies to date to look at the issue has found no
relationship between the month a person was born and his or her risk of
autism. The risk of some psychiatric disorders, for example schizophrenia,
has indeed been linked to season of birth, Dr. Abraham Reichenberg of the
Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and colleagues note. But
studies of autism and birth month have had conflicting results. It is not
that just being born in a particular month that could influence risk,
Reichenberg noted in an interview with Reuters Health. Instead, the season
in which a person is born reflects their exposure to certain types of
infectious agents in the womb. An example is whether their mother caught the
flu during flu season. Nutrition could also vary throughout the year, he
added. Such exposures would not cause the disorder, he explained, but might
be interacting with genes or nutrition to affect risk. "We don't really know
how it works," he said. Reichenberg and his team looked at Jewish men and
women born in Israel during the early 1980s who were assessed by the Israeli
Draft board at the age of 17. There was a total of 311,169 people, including
211 with autism or related disorders. The researchers point out that a
person with autism in the group they evaluated would be likely to truly meet
diagnostic criteria for the condition, especially since the individuals in
the study grew up in an era where the diagnosis of autism was much more rare
than it is today. The researchers found no link between the month a person
was born and autism risk. "In light of the present and other recent
findings, it would seem logical that future attempts to identify an
association between birth months and risk for autistic spectrum disorders
should be exercised with caution," they conclude."

17. "Tougher standards for teachers mulled" dated 28 July 2006 by Zinie
Chen Sampson from the ASSOCIATED PRESS in The Washington Times at
<http://www.washingtontimes.com/metro/20060727-103432-7440r.htm>
http://www.washingtontimes.com/metro/20060727-103432-7440r.htm.

"Virginia is considering proposals that would toughen competency standards
for teachers, including requiring new high school instructors to have
majored in or have a graduate degree in the subject area they teach.
Another option proposed by the state Department of Education would include a
requirement that new teachers pass a rigorous standardized exam in the high
school subject they teach. The proposals were presented Wednesday in
response to a directive by the U.S. Department of Education, which
determined that Virginia's standards for highly qualified teachers,
especially for those who teach special-education students, are too relaxed.
Under the federal No Child Left Behind education law, all classes must be
taught by educators who have a bachelor's degree, a teaching license and can
demonstrate knowledge in their subject area. "The data on classes taught by
highly qualified teachers that the [Virginia Department of Education]
submitted for the 2004-2005 school year are not accurate," Henry Johnson,
the federal education department's assistant secretary of elementary and
secondary education, said in a letter last month to state education
officials. No state met the June 30 deadline for getting all its teachers
to the highly qualified standard, and Virginia and five other states
received a warning letter.

18. "The Age of Autism: 'Amish bill' introduced" dated 28 July 2006 by Dan
Olmsted from United Press International at
<http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20060728-111605-353
2r>
http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20060728-111605-3532
r.

"For the second time this week, legislation aimed at determining whether
vaccines are linked to an epidemic of unrecognized side effects has been
introduced in Congress -- this time as a direct result of reporting by Age
of Autism. The new legislation, titled the Comprehensive Comparative Study
of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Populations Act of 2006, would order the
National Institutes of Health to study "health outcomes, including autism,"
in those two groups. In essence, the bill proposes the simplest way to
exonerate vaccines as a cause of autism: If the autism rate is about the
same in never-vaccinated children, vaccines are unlikely to play any role.
Yet such a straightforward and potentially decisive study has never been
done on American children. In the past, public-health officials have said
such an approach would be impractical due to low numbers of never-vaccinated
children, but this column found tens of thousands of such children --
beginning with the Amish -- in various locations in the United States. In
our anecdotal and unscientific reporting, the rate of autism seemed
strikingly lower in never-vaccinated children, although those findings
cannot be considered conclusive or convincing. For that, a scientific study
would be needed, as proposed in the new legislation. The bill is being
co-sponsored by Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Tom Osborne, R-Neb. It
seeks to determine whether there is any correlation between the increasing
number of immunizations in recent years and the rise in "chronic,
unexplained diseases such as autism, learning disabilities, and other
neurological disorders" over the same time period. ..."

19. "Scientists Work To Break Apart Cases Of Autism- Studies aim to divide
cases of autism into specific categories" dated 30 July 2006 by Holly
Villines from the Columbian Missourian at
<http://columbiamissourian.com/news/story.php?ID=20826>
http://columbiamissourian.com/news/story.php?ID=20826.

"Researchers with MU's Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental
Disorders are taking on a big problem by looking small. Since the center's
creation in April 2005, specialists have been
recruited in an effort to understand autism by studying slight variations
among patients diagnosed with the disorder. By dividing research into
individual projects, Judith Miles, the director of the center's autism
clinic, hopes to amplify the results once they are integrated. "Our
research mission is to sort out the heterogeneity within the autism
diagnosis," Miles said. This collaboration goes beyond the MU campus. Miles
is working on a proposal to share resources with Baylor and Harvard
universities to study the causes and treatment of the disorder. Under the
proposal, the universities would share information from willing patients
from the MU clinic and divide them into subgroups based on the genetic
differences they find. Miles said the approach is akin to the "childhood
leukemia model" where scientists discovered the disease was a group of
disorders with different causes and requires individualized therapies.
"Geneticists are sometimes called the 'splitters of the world' because we
really split diseases into subgroups," she said. One researcher at the
center is Ye Duan. Since June 1, Duan, a specialist in medical imaging, has
been working under a six-month grant, a $7,500 gift from the MU Research
Council to start his research. He said he will seek additional funding after
the six months. Duan's project focuses on finding structural differences in
the brains of those with essential autism. At the Thompson Center, autism
is classified into two categories: essential and complex. Essential is the
more common of the two, making up 70 to 80 percent of those diagnosed with
the disorder. People with essential autism are more likely to be male - the
sex ratio is seven or eight males to every female - compared to the fairly
even sex ratio among those with complex autism. Essential autism also has a
higher recurrence risk of 8 to 10 percent. Complex autism is diagnosed on
the basis of evidence of insult to development within the two to three
months of pregnancy. This is not found in essential autism. Duan's subjects
also come from the autism clinic, which treats patients and conducts
research on the disorder. Miles said she has never seen a group of families
so eager to help. "We wouldn't be able to do any of this without the
families," she said. ..."

20. "US child expert quits Britain over 'hidden crisis' in special needs-
An Observer story triggered an NHS doctor's decision to speak out on
discrimination against vulnerable pupils - and to return home early" dated
30 July 2006 by Anushka Asthana from The Observer (UK) at
<http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1833449,00.html>
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1833449,00.html.

"'It was always my intention eventually to return home to the United States,
but I'm going years early because in all conscience I can no longer
participate in a corrupt and dysfunctional system that is dishonest in its
treatment and management of children with special needs.' Janis Newcomen
throws her hands in the air in exasperation. She is part of a system that is
supposed to provide for the needs of Britain's most vulnerable children,
those with conditions such as autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder and severe learning difficulties. But she has had enough. In seven
years as an NHS neuropsychologist, Newcomen has been so disgusted and upset
by what she has seen that she is packing her bags and walking away. She says
she can no longer bear to watch children and their families let down again
and again. As a specialist who is supposed to provide help she says that she
feels 'handcuffed', forced to accept hidden waiting lists, discrimination
and constant cost cutting. She says she is officially prevented from making
recommendations that could safeguard children's futures. 'The system is in
crisis,' she said. 'But it is like the emperor's new clothes - nobody is
willing to tell the truth.' Recent research has revealed that autism and
associated behaviour disorders among children are far more prevalent than
was previously thought. The debate over whether such pupils should be taught
in mainstream or special schools has also been reignited by reports that the
present government policy, which leans towards inclusion, is not working
properly. Researchers who studied 56,946 children in south London found
that almost 0.4 per cent had 'classic' childhood autism and just below 1.2
per cent had autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger's syndrome and
milder forms. Until the Nineties, the generally accepted figure in Britain
was four to five cases of autism per 10,000 people - 10 times lower than the
rate suggested in the new study. It was an Observer investigation last May
that triggered Newcomen's decision to speak out. She found the story of
parents struggling to get their children's needs assessed and met by local
education authorities and schools depressingly familiar. Now, as she
prepares to leave her job at the Sussex Partnership NHS Trust, she no longer
fears the consequences. Newcomen talked from her office in Hastings, East
Sussex, where she carries out specialist assessments and diagnostic work
mainly with autistic children. Parents of such pupils experience an ordeal:
'If you have a child [with special educational needs], it is like Russian
roulette. If you are passive, you could be waiting years, but if you have a
loud voice you will be seen.' It is wrong, she argues, that so many of the
children she sees have been excluded from school because of behaviour
directly related to their condition, which they have no control over. 'There
are federal laws against that in the US - if it is not discrimination, I
don't know what it is.' ..."

21. "Mysterious disorder isolates children, families" dated 31 July 2006 by
Miriam Falco from CNN.com at
<http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/07/28/autism.overview/index.html>
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/07/28/autism.overview/index.html.

"Autism. It's a word more often heard these days. But what autism actually
is is probably less understood by the average person. For someone who may
not have met a child with autism, the closest reference to what it is may
come from the 1988 movie "Rain Man," where Dustin Hoffman is rocking and
counting toothpicks. However, when you meet some of the children who have
autism, that's not what you see. Wendy Stone, a longtime autism researcher,
says autism is "really the absence of behaviors. It's not the presence of
unusual behaviors, like spinning or hand flicking ... which a lot of people
look for." Moreover, there's no one type of autism. There's no one
treatment to help a child with autism -- no pill, no cure. The cause is
still a mystery, but one that scientists have been unraveling more in recent
years.BM_1 What is autism? So what is autism? Autism falls under an
umbrella of disorders called "pervasive developmental disorders" (PDD) or
autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). "Autism spans a range of symptoms ...a
range of degrees of symptoms so that one child with autism, or an autism
spectrum disorder can be very different from another child," says Stone from
Vanderbilt University's Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 166
children is born with autism. Boys outnumber girls 4 to 1. Most experts,
doctors, therapists and researchers believe children are born with ASD, a
brain disorder that leads to difficulties in social interaction,
communication and behavior. Parents are experts, too, because they live with
autism every day, for the rest of their lives. Chicago speech therapist
Sharon Rosenbloom, also the mother of 18-year-old son Joey with autism, puts
it this way: "People with autism do not experience the world as others do."
If you don't have a child with autism, it may be difficult to imagine. ..."

22. "Different Genes May Cause Autism In Boys And Girls" dated 31 July 2006
in a press release from
<http://www.emaxhealth.com/index.html?m=search&opt=search_proceed&nnet_autho
r=1&nnet_catid=-&search_conjunction=AND&keywords=VW5pdmVyc2l0eSBvZiBXYXNoaW5
ndG9u&page=1> University of Washington at
http://www.emaxhealth.com/37/6827.html
<http://www.emaxhealth.com/37/6827.html> .

"Cause of Autism. Like detectives trying to solve a murder case,
researchers searching for the biological cause of autism have come up with
some surprising suspects. They have found that different genes may be
responsible for causing autism in boys than in girls. In addition, the
researchers also have discovered that other genes may play a role in the
early onset form of the developmental disorder and in the recently verified
regression, or late onset, type of autism, according to a new study
published today in the online edition of the journal Molecular Genetics.
The study also provides new evidence for the idea that multiple genes
contribute to autism, said lead author Gerard Schellenberg, a researcher at
the Puget Sound Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a research professor of
medicine at the University of Washington. The research team was headed by
Schellenberg, Ellen Wijsman, a UW research professor of medical genetics and
Geraldine Dawson, director of the UW's Autism Center. "It is highly
unlikely that there is only one gene responsible for autism," said
Schellenberg. "There may be four to six major genes and 20 to 30 others that
might contribute to autism to a lesser degree. "If an individual only gets
three high-risk variants of these genes, it could mean a less-severe form of
autism. And because autism is rarer in females, it may take more risk genes
for a female to have autism. There also is the possibility that there might
be a biological difference in autism for females versus males," he said.
"What is meaningful is that we have found evidence for two genetic subtypes
of autism, male versus female and early versus late onset," added Geraldine
Dawson, a professor of psychology. "This is a critical piece of information.
With Alzheimer's disease research, one big breakthrough was segregating the
late and early onset forms of the disease, and this led to important genetic
discoveries." Schellenberg said the study came up with "strong support" for
an autism gene on chromosome 7 and "less, but still compelling evidence" for
genes on chromosomes 3, 4 and 11. These results confirm some data from
previous studies, particularly involving chromosome 7. The search for
autism genes is part of a long-term Autism Center effort to uncover the
genetic and neurobiological causes of autism. To find regions of the human
genome that contain autism genes, the researchers scanned the DNA of 169
families that had at least two siblings who met the strict criteria for
autism. They also scanned the DNA of another 54 families that, in addition
to having individuals with strictly defined autism, also included members
who had less severe forms of the disorder, such as Asperger syndrome. "We
have been working almost 10 years to get to this point," said Schellenberg.
"If we can find and confirm that a particular gene is involved in autism the
field will explode. We have to find a gene so that molecular biology can be
defined and we can understand what's inside autism. Until that happens, we
are dancing on the outside." Dawson said the researchers are looking for
autism susceptibility genes, ones that heighten the risk of an individual
getting autism, just as there are genes that raise the chances of getting
breast cancer. "Once we discover these susceptibility genes, we can
immediately screen infants to identify those at risk early in life. Early
identification can lead to early intervention, which could have a much more
dramatic effect. "Also, when a gene is discovered, you discover the
underlying biology of autism at the molecular level. Once you understand the
biology you can develop a prevention strategy including medical approaches.
Genetic research is a good strategy for eventually designing effective
medical treatments for autism," she said."

23. "TeenScreen
<http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_evelyn_p_060801_teenscreen___normal
_.htm> - Normal Kids Labeled Mentally Ill" dated 1 August 2006 by Evelyn
Pringle from OpEd News at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_evelyn_p_060801_teenscreen___normal_
.htm
<http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_evelyn_p_060801_teenscreen___normal
_.htm> .

"Despite years of public outcry, based on recommendations by President
Bush's New Freedom Commission to screen all school children for mental
illness, TeenScreen is now being administered in the nation's public school
system and children are being regularly diagnosed with one, or more,
disorders chosen from the close to 400 listed in the "Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV" (DSM), also known as the
psychiatric "Billing Bible." The list of mental disorders to chose from
when diagnosing children mentally ill with TeenScreen, are "voted" into the
Billing Bible by members of the American Psychiatric Association, and
include, among others, conduct disorder, avoidant personality disorder,
mathematics disorder, reading disorder, disorder of written expression,
general anxiety disorder, nightmare disorder, oppositional defiant disorder,
and factious disorder. A mental illness that drew a lot of ridicule
recently, is called the "intermittent explosive disorder," for people who
fly into occasional but unwarranted fits of rage. Critics view TeenScreen
is a main components in an overall pharmaceutical industry-backed marketing
scheme pushed along by the NFC, aimed at recruiting new customers for
psychiatric drugs. The NFC's report specifically identifies the target
population Big Pharma is after when it states: "Schools are in a key
position to identify mental health problems early and to provide a link to
appropriate services. Every day more than 52 million students attend over
114,000 schools in the U.S. When combined with the six million adults
working at those schools, almost one-fifth of the population passes through
the Nation's schools on any given weekday." The TeenScreen survey is billed
as a suicide prevention tool, but according to former government
investigator, Allen Jones, "Teen Screen is a nefarious effort to recruit our
children into the quagmire of biological psychiatry." "The program employs
dubious screening tools administered by non-professionals," he states. "It
is based on misleading science and diagnostic criteria that would be
downright laughable if the stakes were not so high," he adds. "While the
idea of screening kids for mental problems seems like a good idea, it ends
up being nothing more than a Drugging Dragnet," says Jim Gottstein, an
attorney who represents clients harmed by the psychiatric industrial
complex. "The high rate at which we are drugging America's children with
psychotropics," he says, "is a national disgrace." "This is junk science at
it's worst," says Dr Jan Johnson, MD, "follow the money, the trail leads
right back to the drug companies." Activist groups against TeenScreen have
posted an online petition and plan to send it to federal, state and local
lawmakers. The petition can also be used to educate people about TeenScreen
because it conveys many of the facts about mental health screening and can
be printed off and presented to school board members or legislators. Persons
interested in signing the petition can click on the following link:
<http://www.petitiononline.com/tscreen/petition.html>
http://www.petitiononline.com/tscreen/petition.html. ..."

24. "Rice Lake, Wis., clinic suspended in girl's death- Officials fail to
address state's concerns about methods used at counseling center" dated 1
August 2006 by KEVIN HARTER from the Pioneer Press at
<http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/15167428.htm>
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/15167428.htm.

"The Rice Lake, Wis., counseling center where 7-year-old Angellika "Angie"
Arndt died after being restrained will lose its state certification and be
closed for at least six months. Northwest Counseling and Guidance Clinic
officials failed to adequately address shortcomings cited by the state,
meaning its certification will be pulled Aug. 15 and it will lose all county
and state funding. In a letter to Northwest President Denison Tucker dated
Friday, state officials said the facility failed to meet requirements
outlined in a Plan of Correction and failed to address a psychiatrist's
recommendations. Northwest officials can appeal, but the suspension will
remain in effect during the appeal. Tucker said officials hadn't decided if
they would appeal, but he said officials will work "to do the things we need
to do to restore their trust in the Rice Lake center. ... We are committed
to that mission and our goal is to address their concerns as quickly and
practically as possible." Northwest operates 12 other centers, which were
not affected. Angie died May 26, the day after she was injured while being
restrained at the center, according to the state report. The girl, who had
attended the clinic's day treatment center five days a week for a month for
behavioral problems, had been restrained on nine separate occasions, the
report said. The Hennepin County medical examiner ruled her death a
homicide caused by "complications of chest compression asphyxiation" leading
to "cardiopulmonary arrest while restrained by another person." A criminal
investigation into her death by the Rice Lake Police Department, Barron
County District Attorney and the state Justice Department is expected to
conclude in the coming weeks. The state investigated the Rice Lake center
and the girl's death to see if procedures were followed. After finding they
were not, the state gave Northwest officials 30 days to file a plan to
correct multiple violations of state law, including the law governing
physical restraint of clients. ..."

25. "Wis. Clinic Where Girl Died Closed" dated 1 August 2006 from WCCO4
News at <http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_213072221.html>
http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_213072221.html.

"The Wisconsin clinic where a 7-year-old girl was fatally injured while
being restrained will lose its state certification and close for at least
six months.

The state told Northwest Counseling and Guidance Clinic officials in a
letter Friday that the clinic failed to adequately address shortcomings
cited by the state following the death of Angellika Arndt in May. The
certification will be pulled Aug. 15 and the clinic, in Rice Lake, will lose
all county and state funding. The letter to Northwest President Denison
Tucker said the facility did not meet requirements outlined in a plan of
correction and failed to address a psychiatrist's recommendations that the
clinic severely limit its use of restraints. The clinic can appeal but the
suspension will be in effect during that process. The state told the clinic
it must help the 11 youths currently at the center find other facilities.
None of the 12 other centers operated by Northwest will be affected. Tucker
said officials had not yet decided if they would appeal. But he said
officials will work "to do the things we need to do to restore their trust
in the Rice Lake center." "We are committed to that mission and our goal is
to address their concerns as quickly and practically as possible," Tucker
said. Angellika had attended the clinic's day treatment center five days a
week for a month for behavioral problems. She had been restrained on nine
separate occasions, according to the state report released June 22. She
died May 26, the day after she was injured while being restrained at the
center. The Hennepin County medical examiner in Minneapolis ruled her death
was a homicide caused by "complications of chest compression asphyxiation"
leading to "cardiopulmonary arrest while restrained by another person." A
criminal investigation into the girl's death by the Rice Lake Police
Department, Barron County District Attorney and the state Justice Department
is expected to be finished in the coming weeks. The state gave the center
30 days to file a plan to correct multiple violations of state law,
including the law governing physical restraint of clients. The facility was
required to submit a plan by July 21 that would outline how it would correct
the violations and make sure they weren't repeated. The Health and Family
Services Department also advised clinic officials to make use of
recommendations by consultant Dr. Randall Cullen, who recommended that
officials severely limit their use of restrains. ..."

26. "Book traces autism rise to mercury in vaccines" dated 1 August 2006 by
Bernard W. Miltenberger in an editorial from the Cumberland Times News at
<http://www.times-news.com/opinion/local_story_213104238.html>
http://www.times-news.com/opinion/local_story_213104238.html.

"Earlier this spring, I watched with interest as area parents and children
walked to raise money for autism research. The community really came out and
supported these parents to help find a cure. At this time, I was receiving
almost weekly updates from Drs. Russell Blaylock and Paul Connett on the
effects of mercury poisoning in the brain. For anyone interested in this
subject, Google the name Boyd Haley, the leading expert in the world on
mercury toxicity, and look for his open letter to Congressman Dan Burton's
House Reform Committee investigation on autism. I think any parent and/or
teacher should read Dr. Haley's writings on this subject and should pick up
The New York Times Bestseller "Evidence of Harm - Mercury in Vaccines and
the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy," by David Kirby. Here are some
following questions parents need answers to: Why did the CDC and the FDA
allow mercury exposures from childhood vaccines to more than double between
1988 and 1992 without bothering to calculate cumulative totals and their
potential risks? Why was there a corresponding spike in reported cases of
autism spectrum disorders during this time period? Why did autism grow from
a relatively rare incidence of 1 in every 10,000 births in the 1980s to 1 in
500 in the late 1990s? Why did it continue to increase to 1 in 250 in the
year 2000 and then 1 in 166 children today? Many should ask why trusted
health agencies would allow a known neurotoxin to be interjected into the
bodies of small babies - in amounts that exceed federal safety exposure
levels for adults by up to 50 times per shot? Why are rates of ADD,
attention deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), speech delay, and other
childhood disorders also rising? Why does one in every six American children
have a developmental disorder or behavioral problem? Why does autism affect
boys at a 4-to-1 ratio over girls? Why to this day, is thimerosal still
found in the majority of flu shots, which the U.S government recommends for
pregnant women and children between six months and 23 months of age? Why in
2004, did the CDC decline to state a preference for mercury-free flu shots
for infants? Why is autism research that has been successfully treating this
disease as mercury poisoning using chelation and glutathione not being
recommended to combat this epidemic? Clearly, if a parent of an autistic
child got answers to these questions, they would not be walking for a cure,
but storming the Houses of Congress to demand answers and filing lawsuits. I
feel very sorry for parents who have been afflicted with these health
problems. Some parents are saying, we were just trying to be a good mother
and father and follow all the guidelines for my child's health and are now
devastated. No longer should these parents fight this issue alone. Every
citizen of this country should stand up and demand accountability from
public health officials and the pharmaceutical industry. This is negligence
and incompetence, at best, and malfeasance and collusion at worst."

27. "City investigates claim student improperly aided- A caller complained
about a Richmond school, official says" dated 1 August 2006 by LINDSAY
KASTNER from the RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH at
<http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_B
asicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149189718476>
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_Ba
sicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149189718476.

"The Richmond school system is investigating an allegation that a student at
Thirteen Acres School received improper assistance on a state assessment.
The assessment, the Virginia Grade Level Alternative, is a portfolio of work
collected throughout the year. Some special-education students can submit
the portfolio in lieu of taking Virginia's Standards of Learning tests.
Acceptable work includes classroom work, tests and quizzes. Richmond
notified the Virginia Department of Education yesterday of the allegation.
"Richmond is looking into this, and that is the proper procedure," said
department spokesman Charles Pyle. "It's really an exception when the state
would come in and investigate," he said. The department did investigate
reports of irregularities in SOL testing at Oak Grove Elementary School
about a year ago, but Pyle said the situation there was different: "You had
allegations that practically every test was impacted and where the
irregularities involved multiple staff members at the school." Former Oak
Grove principal Tommye Finley was fired after the state investigation at
that school. Also in Richmond, at Chandler Middle School some students
retook a portion of the SOL tests this spring after documents were
improperly stored. Former Chandler principal Melvin Rose was later demoted
and will serve as an assistant principal in the coming school year. Pyle
said the Thirteen Acres allegation involves one student receiving improper
assistance during the "collection of evidence" for a middle school math
Virginia Grade Level Alternative. A teacher has to certify that collected
work represents the student's efforts. School Board Chairman David L.
Ballard said the allegation came as an anonymous phone call to board member
Carol A.O. Wolf, who represents the district that includes Thirteen Acres
School. Ballard said he expected the investigation to take a few days.
"They're treating it as a priority issue," he said. Ballard said the
caller's information - including the school and number of children involved
- changed as the investigation proceeded. Pyle said there is no timeline
for Richmond to report back to the department, and he said there are no set
guidelines for how quickly a locality must report such allegations to the
state. "The expectation is that it will be done in a timely manner," he
said."

28. "Study Provides New Insights Into Brain Organisation, UK" dated 2
August 2006 in a press release from the UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYN in
Medical News Today at
<http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=48519>
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=48519.

"Scientists have provided new insights into how the brain is organised -
knowledge which could eventually inform diagnosis of and treatments for
conditions like Alzheimer's disease and autism. A study by Newcastle
University, UK, and the International University Bremen, Germany, debunked a
prevailing theory that the nervous system should have mainly very short
nerve fibre connections between nerve cells, or neurons, to function at its
most effective. Instead the study, which carried out a sophisticated
computer analysis of public databases containing detailed information of
worldwide anatomical studies on primate and worm brains, found that long
nerve fibre connections were just as vital to overall brain function as
short ones. Much of what we know about the human brain derives from
neuroscience research on primates, which are used because they have have
experienced similar evolutionary stages to humans. Brain scans of
Alzheimer's patients and people with autism have shown that they are lacking
certain long-distance neural interactions, although experts have yet to
discover their specific purpose. The new study, published in the academic
journal PLoS Computational Biology, found that long fibres are important
because they can send messages quickly over a longer distance compared with
if the same message was sent over the same distance via lots of short
fibres. It also found that long fibres are more reliable for transmission of
messages over longer distances. "You can draw parallels with a train
journey from Newcastle to London," said lead researcher, Dr Marcus Kaiser,
of Newcastle University's School of Computing Science and the University's
Institute of Neuroscience. "For example, you would get to London much more
quickly and easily if you took a direct train there. However, if you had to
make the journey via Durham, Leeds and Stevenage, changing trains each time,
then it will take you longer to get there, and there is the possibility you
would miss a connection at some point. It's the same in the human brain."
The computer programme, run over several days, took information about the
length of nerve fibres in the primate brain and neuronal connections called
axons in the brain of a species of worm known as Caenorhabditis elegans. It
then tested if the total length of fibres could be reduced, by testing
billions of different position arrangements. Indeed, wiring lengths could be
reduced by up to 50% owing to the fact that neural systems have surprisingly
many long-distance connections. Co-researcher Dr Claus Hilgetag, an
associate professor with International University Bremen's School of
Engineering and Science, said: "Many people have suggested that the brain is
like a computer and that for optimum effectiveness it should have mainly
short connections between the nerve cells. Our research suggests that a
combination of different lengths of neural projections is essential. "It is
particularly interesting that we made the same observations in both the
primate and the worm as their brains are very different in terms of shape
and size." Although it is too early for the research to have direct
clinical applications, the researchers suggest that it may eventually
contribute towards insights into the diagnosis and possibly the treatment of
patients with Alzheimer's and autism if more information about neural
networks - and specifically what the long and short nerve fibres do in the
brain - is garnered. One potential development could be a predictive test
for the conditions, which examines and analyses a patient's brain
organisation, aiding diagnosis and possibly showing how the condition may
develop over the coming years. The study is the most comprehensive yet to
look at the spatial organisation of the nervous system in primates and
worms."

29. "Mice learn set shifting tasks to help treat human psychiatric
disorders" dated 2 August 2006 in a press release from Purdue University in
RxPG News at
http://www.rxpgnews.com/psychiatry/psychology/coginitivescience/article_4770
.shtml
<http://www.rxpgnews.com/psychiatry/psychology/coginitivescience/article_477
0.shtml> .

"Mice that couldn't be dissuaded from the object of their attention by a
piece of sweet, crunchy cereal may help researchers find new treatments and
cures for human disorders like autism and Parkinson's disease. For the
first time, a psychiatric test for monitoring many human mental
abnormalities has been adapted for use in mice, according to researchers at
Purdue University, University of California-Davis and Justus-Liebig
University in Giessen, Germany. The test involves the ability to switch
attention from one task to another, a skill often impaired in people with
autism and similar illnesses. "Without a measure of cognitive deficit in
mice that is relevant to such disorders in humans, research into new
diagnostic methods, treatments and cures is severely hindered," said Joseph
Garner, a Purdue assistant professor of animal sciences and the study's lead
author. "The level of complexity at which we assess mouse behavior is often
very rudimentary, and it just does not match up with subtleties of the
cognitive deficits in human mental dysfunction or with the tools we use to
study the mechanisms that underlie disorders in people." Garner and his
colleagues designed a task to measure a process called set shifting in which
a focus on one object must be abandoned in favor of another object or task.
This test long has been used to monitor brain processes involved in human
psychiatric disorders and also has been tailored to a few other animals.
However, researchers previously had not adapted it to the most-used of
research mammals, the common laboratory mouse. "Set shifting underlies our
ability to use categories in day-to-day life and our ability to do many
things including execute complex plans," Garner said. Garner's team reports
its findings in the journal Behavioural Brain Research, which is currently
online. Set shifting as an important neuropsychological skill applies to
more human mental disorders than any other measure, Garner said. Mechanisms
in the brain that enable people to shift their focus from one task to
another also seem to be present in most other mammals and probably also in
birds. Set shifting occurs when you've learned to pay attention to one
thing and then need to concentrate on something different," he said. "For
instance, I could ask you to name the suit on playing cards as I turn them
over, and then I'd ask you to tell me the numbers on the next cards I turn
over. But you might fail to tell me the numbers because you are continuing
to pay attention to the previous set - the card suits. You've both learned
to pay attention to the suits and that the numbers are irrelevant so you
should ignore them." ..."


30. "Parents can invest in treatment strategies for autistic children"
dated 2 August 2006 from The Republican at
<http://www.masslive.com/metroeastplus/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-1/115
441845313390.xml&coll=1>
http://www.masslive.com/metroeastplus/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1154
41845313390.xml&coll=1.

"How can parents deal with the problem behaviors that many children with
autism exhibit at home, such as screaming, hitting, throwing tantrums,
destroying things and hurting themselves? In a previous column, I discussed
these and other problem behaviors and described some of the ways specialized
educational programs use "functional analysis" to try to determine what
might be causing these behaviors. Typical causes (also called functions)
include: to get attention from other people, to get preferred food or toys,
to escape from instructions or to obtain sensory stimulation. Professionals
trained in applied behavior analysis develop detailed comprehensive
treatment plans to deal with problem behaviors within a program or school
setting. Understandably, many parents have difficulty following these plans
as consistently as do the therapists and teachers. Parents must deal with
many competing demands for their attention and time. Siblings must be cared
for, laundry must be done, meals must be prepared, telephones must be
answered and time must be spent with one's spouse. Below are listed the
typical components of a comprehensive plan, with suggestions for using them
at home. Even so, it is likely that most parents will need some assistance
from a school staff member or from a behavior specialist. Define the
problem behavior in simple, observable terms such that both parents can
agree when the problem is occurring or not occurring. Begin by addressing
only one or two behaviors. For example, screaming could be described as loud
vocalizations that last for more than 15 seconds. Use positive rewards for
periods of time with no problem behaviors. Choose one of the child's
preferred foods or toys and only let the child have access to the reward if
there has been no problem behavior for a predetermined period of time, such
as one hour. The hardest part of this procedure is for parents to not allow
the child to have the item if he or she has demonstrated the problem
behavior. Sometimes it is easier to give in or to make an excuse for the
child; however, if the parents can follow through, it is more likely that,
over time, the behavior will occur less frequently. Identify one or two
specific appropriate skills the child can learn as an alternative to the
problem behavior, such as independent play. Start with a small amount of
time, such as five minutes, and provide a reward at the end of the
five-minute period. If possible, use a different reward than the one used
for the absence of problem behavior. ..."

31. "At D.C. Home for the Disabled, Money Falls Short of Mission" dated 2
August 2006 by
<http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/karlyn+barker/> Karlyn
Barker from The Washington Post at
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR200608010
1322.html>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080101
322.html.

"The house on Military Road NW blends in nicely with its upscale Chevy Chase
neighborhood. Every day, the four men who live there dine together, watch
their favorite television shows and generally come and go with little
fanfare -- save for a small cadre of helpers. The men, ages 34 to 72, are
wards of the District government and receive support services from its
Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Administration. Until
three years ago, they lived in a group home on crime-ravaged Bay Street SE,
where the ceiling had caved in, the staff wasn't being paid and the only
food available was what the employees brought in. Their current residence,
unlike several other D.C.-contracted facilities, won't make headlines for
abuse or neglect. It stands out as among the best in a group home system
that has drawn repeated criticism for problems with care. But it's also in
jeopardy. "We've lost more than $50,000 on this home every year since it
opened," said Thomas F. Wilds, president and chief executive of St. John's
Community Services, a nonprofit, multistate organization that moved the four
men to Military Road in 2003 after the Bay Street operator went out of
business. St. John's runs nine group homes in the city and some apartments.
It has assisted people with special needs since 1868. "We're not in it for
the money, but the mission," Wilds said. Still, with losses on St. John's
D.C. residential programs totaling more than $400,000 this year, he said,
conversations with the nonprofit's board of trustees are "pretty tense these
days" about whether to continue operating homes in the District. There are
about 360 group homes in the city for people with mental and physical
disabilities. A court monitor has said that conditions in some of the homes
are so bad that lives are in danger; a judge is weighing a request to place
the troubled mental retardation agency in receivership. A recent day-long
visit with residents and employees at the house on Military Road provided a
snapshot of the challenges, and expenses, of trying to deliver quality care
to some of the city's most vulnerable people. Unlike in many homes, the
four men who live there are relatively self-sufficient, with supervision.
They can walk on their own and feed themselves, and they need only minimal
help with personal hygiene and getting dressed. On weekdays, three attend
day programs. The fourth man has such serious behavioral disorders that he
is too disruptive for group activities and needs a personal attendant 18
hours a day. The goal is to give residents as many choices as possible, to
include them in the community and to maintain family ties. ..."

32. "Different genes may cause autism in girls- Other genes may be
responsible for early or late onset, study finds" dated 2 August 2006 from
Reuters at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14158295/from/ET/
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14158295/from/ET/> .

"Different genes may be responsible for causing autism in boys than in
girls, researchers said Wednesday in a study that may help explain why the
condition is more common in boys. And other genes may play a role in the
early onset and late onset forms of autism, the researchers at the
University of Washington reported in the journal Molecular Genetics. "What
is meaningful is that we have found evidence for two genetic subtypes of
autism, male versus female and early versus late onset," said Geraldine
Dawson, a professor of psychology. These findings could help scientists
understand autism at a molecular level and seek ways to prevent it, Dawson
added. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in May
that autism was very common among U.S. children - with up to one in every
175 with the disorder. That would mean at least 300,000 U.S. schoolchildren
have autism, a condition that causes trouble with learning, socializing and
other behavior. The researchers examined the DNA of 169 families with at
least two siblings who met the strict criteria for autism. They also
scanned the DNA of 54 other families that had members with autism and
less-severe forms of the disorder, such as Asperger syndrome. They came up
with "strong support" for an autism gene on chromosome 7 and "less, but
still compelling evidence" for genes on chromosomes 3, 4 and 11, said Gerard
Schellenberg, a professor of medicine at the University of Washington who
led the study. "It is highly unlikely that there is only one gene
responsible for autism," Schellenberg said in a statement. ..."

33. "Measles remains a threat despite 'eradication'" dated 2 August 2006 by
Anita Manning from USA Today at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-08-02-measles_x.htm
<http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-08-02-measles_x.htm> .

"Measles was officially eradicated in the USA in 2000, but a report
published today points out that Americans are still vulnerable, especially
if they're not vaccinated. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention investigated a measles outbreak last year in Indiana that
began when an unvaccinated 17-year-old returned from a church mission trip
to a Romanian orphanage, where she contracted the virus. A day after her
return, she attended a church event and passed the infection to unvaccinated
children who in turn passed it to other family members. Eventually, there
were 34 confirmed cases of measles, the largest outbreak in the USA in 10
years. No one died, but three patients were hospitalized, including two
adults and a child. The effort to control the outbreak, including medical
treatment and tracking of exposed people, cost $167,685, the report says. It
was published in today's New England Journal of Medicine. Family members
interviewed by CDC epidemiologists said they didn't have their children
immunized because of concerns about vaccine safety. They cited fears that
the vaccine could cause autism and worries about the possible effects of the
vaccine preservative thimerosal, and they said they'd prefer their children
to acquire immunity through exposure to the virus. "Isn't it a tragedy that
their children, because of this, had to experience the disease itself?" says
infectious-disease specialist William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University,
who was not involved in the report. Measles is serious, he says; it includes
rash and fever, and it brings the risk of complications including pneumonia
and encephalitis. The vaccine is "extraordinarily safe," Schaffner says. A
theoretical link with autism, which was raised several years ago, has been
discredited, Schaffner says, and the vaccine has never contained thimerosal.
..."

34. "Vaccinators vs. Non-Vaccinators: Deciding When (and If) to Immunize
Your Child- Should you delay vaccinating your child, avoid it altogether, or
follow the government-recommended childhood immunization schedule? by Rachel
Mosteller from American Baby.com at
<http://www.americanbaby.com/ab/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/ab/story/d
ata/1153420132804.xml>
http://www.americanbaby.com/ab/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/ab/story/da
ta/1153420132804.xml or <http://tinyurl.com/hw9b8>
http://tinyurl.com/hw9b8.

"Making the Right Decision for Your Family. When Heather Sanders, a mother
of three from Huntsville, Texas, brought her youngest child to the hospital
to get treatment for reactive airway disease, she was in for more stress
than just dealing with a sick child: Doctors tried to blame the disease on
her. Why? Sanders had chosen to delay vaccinating her children. She's not
alone. A greater number of parents are choosing to either delay or opt out
of vaccinating their children. Though the reasons vary from worries about
autism to concerns about the ingredients in the vaccines, more and more
parents are educating themselves and choosing when and if they will
vaccinate. Standing Up for Your Beliefs. Because she had investigated her
options for her children so thoroughly, Sanders never thought that doctors
would try to point the finger at her. "I cannot tell you how much of a
challenge it has been to deal with the doctors and nurses that treat me as
if I'm the least-informed parent on the face of the Earth," the
work-from-home mom says.
Thanks to expanding technology, parents are turning to a variety of sources
including the Internet to learn about issues that concern their children.
Parents on both sides of the vaccination debate are informing themselves and
making decisions that are best for their families. Every parent wants what
is best for their child. But with all the information available, it is hard
to decide what, exactly, is the best thing for kids. Here are the stories of
four parents who have made very different decisions about vaccinating their
children. Delay Vaccinations? Vaccines and Autism. For Sanders, seeing
the 18-month-old son of a family friend react to his vaccines was what
helped make up her mind to delay vaccinating her children. According to
Sanders, the boy has autism and test results point towards his 18-month
vaccinations. "I saw that young boy every single week," she says of the boy
who had functioned normally up until that round of immunizations at the age
of 18 months. "That was the single largest impact to stand my ground."
Sanders has educated herself with books and has received support online.
After much study, she decided to delay beginning the vaccination routine
until after her children turned 3. ..."

35. "Autism's Angels" by Diane Guersney in the August 2006 edition of Town
and Country at <http://www.autismspeaks.org/docs/Town_and_Country.pdf>
http://www.autismspeaks.org/docs/Town_and_Country.pdf and
<http://magazines.ivillage.com/townandcountry/subscribe/issue>
http://magazines.ivillage.com/townandcountry/subscribe/issue.

"Summary: Autism Speaks co-founders Bob and Suzanne Wright are profiled in
an article in the August issue of Town and Country magazine entitled
"Autism's Angels." In the article, the Wrights discuss their reasons for
founding Autism Speaks and the organization's mission. The article looks at
the work of a number of prominent autism advocates, including Autism Speaks
board member Laura Slatkin and her husband Harry Slatkin, creators of the
New <http://www.newyorkcenterforautism.com/index_flash.htm> York Center for
Autism (NYCA) charter school, and Jim and Marilyn Simons, founders of the
Simons <http://www.simonsfoundation.org/> Foundation."


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