Items 1 through 7 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.


8. "Study: FDA advisers typically recommend approval for drugs and devices"
dated 28 August 2006 from the Associated Press at
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/health/20060828-1444-fdaadvisers.html
<http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/health/20060828-1444-fdaadvisers.html> .

"The independent panels that the Food and Drug Administration relies on for
advice almost always recommend approving new drugs and devices, according to
a study issued Monday. The study's author said that raises questions about
the independence of the committees that the FDA counts on for independent
safety feedback on drugs and medical equipment. The report analyzed the
voting patterns of six of 16 FDA drug advisory committees and five of 18
medical device advisory panels that met from January 1998 through December
2005. The committees, selected randomly for analysis, met on 89 occasions to
consider new devices and drugs, as well as new uses for old drugs. The
advisory panels analyzed in the report recommended approval 76 percent of
the time for new drugs, the report found. For new medical devices, positive
recommendations came 82 percent of the time. "Our sense is that the
advisory panels have been assumed to be this important, independent voice.
But they don't seem very independent; they seem more like a rubber stamp,"
said study author Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center
for Women & Families. The FDA often refers decisions it considers "close
calls" to its advisory committees, which typically meet in all-day sessions
that include public comment sessions. The FDA isn't required to follow the
recommendations of the committees, but usually does. An FDA spokeswoman
said bringing a product before a committee is not a guarantee of approval.
"Agency decisions regarding product approval are made on the totality of the
data brought forth; while the process may include input and recommendations
from an advisory committee, FDA undertakes a thorough, independent review of
safety and efficacy data relevant to the product," spokeswoman Kathleen
Quinn said. The study comes amid stepped-up criticism of the FDA advisory
panel process, including the handling of conflicts of interest among panel
members. The FDA recently announced it would spell out how and why it grants
waivers for outside experts that allow them to serve as FDA advisers, even
when they report financial ties that create the potential for a conflict.
An April study found that more than one-fourth of the experts relied on by
the FDA for advice on drugs, including whether to approve new
pharmaceuticals, reported a financial conflict. "When experts serve on
FDA's outside advisory committees, they should be valued for providing
independent expertise based on scientific scrutiny. Consumers are harmed if
those advisers are pressured, directly or indirectly, to recommend approval
when they are uncertain if a product is truly safe or effective," said Rep.
Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., a member of the House subcommittee that oversees
FDA."

9. "Fears of vaccine overload with new jab for meningitis" dated 28 August
2006 by FIONA MACRAE from the Daily Mail (UK) at
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_ar
ticle_id=402527&in_page_id=1774>
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_art
icle_id=402527&in_page_id=1774.

"Babies are to be given lifesaving jabs against meningitis from next week -
prompting fears of vaccine overload. From next Monday the injection will
be routinely given to babies when they are two months, four months and 13
months old. Children under two who have already started their vaccinations
will also be offered the jab as part of a 'catch-up' programme. Experts say
vaccination against pneumococcal or bacterial meningitis will save at least
50 lives a year. However, some parents fear their youngsters delicate
immune systems will not be able to cope with the recommended number of
vaccines. The introduction of the trio of pneumococcal jabs means children
will receive 25 vaccinations, in ten injections, against ten different
diseases before the age of two. Each year, more than 500 children become
seriously ill after catching the bug which can cause meningitis, pneumonia
and blood poisoning and around 50 die. Half of the survivors are left with
permanent disabilities including brain damage, deafness and cerebral palsy.
Philip Kirby, of the Meningitis Trust, said: "Vaccination is the only way to
prevent meningitis and we welcome these changes as it will help save lives.
Pneumococcal meningitis is a devastating disease - 20 per cent of those who
get it will die and a further 25 per cent will suffer severe after-effects.
"This vaccine will help save lives and will significantly reduce the burden
of the disease." Health Minister Caroline Flint said: "This vaccine will
help save lives and prevent hundreds more serious cases of illness such as
meningitis and pneumonia. "Immunisation is the best way to protect people
from disease and the routine childhood programme has been extremely
effective in achieving this." Children could also soon be offered a
revolutionary vaccine against cervical cancer. Experts want all women
between the ages of nine and 55 to receive jabs against the disease, which
kills 1,000 British women each year. ..."

10. "Asperger's Frequently Confused with Other Psychiatric Disorders" dated
4 September 2006 in a press release from The Menninger Clinic at
http://healthnewsdigest.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=12
<http://healthnewsdigest.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=12&num=437
1&printer=1> &num=4371&printer=1.

"Doctors often diagnose children with attention deficit disorders, learning
disabilities or bipolar disorder when their patients actually have
Asperger's-a developmental disorder that inhibits the ability to socialize
well with others. Misdiagnosing the disorder prevents patients from
receiving proper treatment and learning important skills for success in
social settings, school and relationships. While a diagnosis can be made for
Asperger's Disorder as early as 2 years old, most children are not diagnosed
until they reach middle school or later (see sidebar for common
characteristics of Asperger's Disorder). "There is a huge confusion over
what Asperger's is and what it isn't because it has only been diagnosed by
the present criteria for the past 12 years," says Dan Hoover, PhD, a
psychologist with the Adolescent Treatment Program at The Menninger Clinic
and associate professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry &
Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. "Asperger's is over
diagnosed by some clinicians who are looking for it, and missed by
clinicians who don't know what to look for, or who do not want to give their
patients the label of having Asperger's Disorder." A combination of
environmental and genetic factors may contribute to the development of the
disorder, but the exact cause is unknown. Mental health experts believe
Asperger's disorder is similar to autism because it affects the areas of the
brain that control communication. However, symptoms of Asperger's Disorder
are not as severe as autism. Children with Asperger's disorder may be
highly intelligent and can communicate with others---they just don't do it
well. They are preoccupied with special interests like trains, motors,
dinosaurs or Internet gaming. They also often speak in an idiosyncratic
style that is hard for outsiders to understand. "Patients with Asperger's
are limited in brain areas that enable people to understand subtle cues,"
says Dr. Hoover, who treats individuals with the disorder. "They don't
reciprocate in conversation and tend to lecture others about subjects, and
they don't notice if the person who they are talking with looks bored or has
no interest in the subject." Because children with Asperger's disorder
can't communicate well, they seem odd and may be singled out for ridicule
among their peers. Over time, because of their negative experience with
people, patients with Asperger's disorder distrust others and seek further
isolation. Many people may misinterpret their behavior as rudeness, when in
actuality, "almost everyone with Asperger's wants to relate to others," Dr.
Hoover says, adding that patients with Asperger's become depressed or act
out when they can't connect with other people or make friends. ..."

11. "Prenatal influences on brain dopamine and their relevance to the
rising incidence of autism" dated 5 September 2006 by
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pu
bmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Previc+FH%22%5BAuthor%5D> Previc FH in PubMed at
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=A
bstractPlus&list_uids=16959433&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum>
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Ab
stractPlus&list_uids=16959433&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum.

"The incidence of autism has risen 10-fold since the early 1980s, with most
of this rise not explainable by changing diagnostic criteria. The rise in
autism is paradoxical in that autism is considered to be one of the most
genetically determined of the major neurodevelopmental disorders and should
accordingly either be stable or even declining. Because a variety of
epigenetic influences, particularly those occurring during the prenatal
period, can override or masquerade as genetic influences, these should be
considered as prime contributors to the recent increase of autism. Prenatal
influences on dopamine activity are especially well-documented, including
the effects of maternal psychosocial stress, maternal fever, maternal
genetic and hormonal status, use of certain medications, urban birth, and
fetal hypoxia. All of these factors have been implicated in the genesis of
autism, which is characterized by a "hyperdopaminergic" state based on
evidence from monkey and human behavioral studies, pharmacological studies
in humans, and a left-hemispheric predominance of both dopamine and
autistic-like symptoms. Chronically high maternal levels of dopamine caused
by the pressures of increasingly urbanized societies and by changing
maternal demographics such as increased workforce participation, educational
achievement level, and age at first birth, may be especially significant
epigenetic contributors to the recent autism rise."

12. "Family-based association study of TPH1 and TPH2 polymorphisms in
autism" dated 6 September 2006 by
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pu
bmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Ramoz+N%22%5BAuthor%5D> Ramoz N,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pu
bmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Cai+G%22%5BAuthor%5D> Cai G,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pu
bmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Reichert+JG%22%5BAuthor%5D> Reichert JG,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pu
bmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Corwin+TE%22%5BAuthor%5D> Corwin TE,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pu
bmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Kryzak+LA%22%5BAuthor%5D> Kryzak LA,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pu
bmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Smith+CJ%22%5BAuthor%5D> Smith CJ,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pu
bmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Silverman+JM%22%5BAuthor%5D> Silverman JM,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pu
bmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Hollander+E%22%5BAuthor%5D> Hollander E,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pu
bmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Buxbaum+JD%22%5BAuthor%5D> and Buxbaum JD. from
Laboratory of Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine in
PubMed at
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=A
bstractPlus&list_uids=16958027&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum>
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Ab
stractPlus&list_uids=16958027&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum.

"The TPH1 and TPH2 genes encode the rate-limiting enzymes that control
serotonin biosynthesis, and serotonin is clearly altered in autism. In the
current study, eight SNPs in the TPH1 gene region and eight SNPs within the
TPH2 gene were examined by family-based association tests in a large cohort
of 352 families with autism and in clinically defined subsets of these
families with either severe obsessive-compulsive behaviors (sOCB) or
self-stimulatory behaviors (SSB). We found no evidence for association
between autism and single SNPs or haplotypes of the TPH1 and TPH2 genes in
the cohort of all families or in the sOCB and SSB subsets. In particular, we
failed to replicate the association between autism and variants of the TPH2
gene, rs4341581 (TRANSMIT P = 1; PDT P = 0.323; FBAT P = 0.446) and
rs11179000 (TRANSMIT P = 0.174; PDT P = 0.293; FBAT P = 0.374). Furthermore,
no evidence for linkage was observed between autism and SNPs in the TPH1 and
TPH2 genes (although linkage at the TPH2 locus was observed in the SSB
subset). Thus, it appears unlikely that the TPH1 and TPH2 genes play a
significant role in the susceptibility to autism or to autism endophenotypes
including sOCB and SSB. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc."

13. "Critical Gaps Cited In Evidence For How Best To Treat Children's
Behavioral And Mental Health Problems" dated 12 September 2006 from the
American Psychological Association <http://www.apa.org/> at
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060912173906.htm
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060912173906.htm> .

"Limited access to services for children and adolescents with behavioral
problems or
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060912173906.htm#> mental
illness often leads to inadequate care and treatment based on insufficient
scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness, concludes a report by the
American Psychological Association (APA) released today.

According to the report, a product of the APA Working Group on Psychotropic
Medications for Children and Adolescents, gaps in the scientific knowledge
concerning which treatments work best for specific diagnoses and patients, a
dearth of clinicians specifically trained to work with children, cuts in
Medicaid funding, and poor reimbursement for
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060912173906.htm#> mental
health services leads to many children being treated with medication despite
limited efficacy and safety for their use particularly with children.

Research published earlier this year showed a five-fold increase in the use
of antipsychotic drugs to treat behavioral and
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060912173906.htm#> emotional
problems in children and adolescents from 1993 to 2002.

"This entire state of affairs is in part related to our health care system's
failure to provide sufficiently for children, particularly in the area of
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060912173906.htm#> pediatric
mental health care," states Ronald T. Brown, PhD, chair of the APA Working
Group and Professor of Public Health and Dean at Temple University. "As a
result, much of the care provided to children for
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060912173906.htm#> mental
health issues has been limited to medication even though many psychosocial
treatments have been found to be effective and some with better risk
profiles. Psychosocial treatments, however, can be more labor intensive and
more expensive." The Working Group's report identifies and calls attention
to several "notable gaps" in the knowledge base upon which psychotropics are
currently being prescribed, including anti-depressants and anti-psychotics.
The report furthermore notes that existing evidence for both psychosocial
and psychopharmacologcial treatments are "uneven across disorders, age
groups, and other defining characteristics of race, ethnicity, and
socioeconomic status". "Furthermore," the report states, "data are lacking
concerning the long-term effects of the majority of treatments, both
psychosocial and psychopharmacological, as well as their effects on
functional outcomes" such as academic achievement and peer relationships.
Finally, the report notes that the lack of availability of all
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060912173906.htm#>
pharmaceutical data on psychotropics and their effects prevents the news
media and the public from a full understanding of which treatments work,
which do not, and the possible adverse side effects of some medications.
..."



14. "Tutor convicted of raping disabled boys- Plea may send man to jail for
life" dated 12 September 2006 by James F. McCarty from The Cleveland Plain
Dealer at
<http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/11580506
85151780.xml&coll=2>
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/115805068
5151780.xml&coll=2.



"Phillip Distasio said pedophilia "brought him closer to God," but his
punishment for raping seven boys may send him to prison for life without
parole. Distasio, 34, said he decided to plead guilty Monday to 74 charges
of rape, drugs and pandering obscenity to minors to spare his victims and
their families the pain of having to testify at a trial. Judge Kathleen Ann
Sutula scheduled Distasio's sentencing for Oct. 16 in Cuyahoga County Common
Pleas Court. Assistant County Prosecutor Brendan Sheehan said he expected
all of the boys and their parents to appear at Distasio's sentencing, and
several to testify against him. "This guy is a monster and the worst
pedophile in America," Sheehan said outside the courtroom after the hearing
was over. "He preyed on young children who couldn't even tell their parents
what had happened to them." Rocky River police arrested Distasio last
September on charges he molested two disabled boys he was tutoring at his
Wooster Road home, and raped seven other autistic children at a Cleveland
school for special-needs students. All but one of the boys was younger than
13. In a previous hearing, Distasio told the judge his apartment was a
religious sanctuary where engaging in sex with boys was considered a sacred
ritual and protected under civil rights laws. But according to court
documents, Distasio later acknowledged that claim was part of an elaborate
ploy to avoid criminal prosecution. He said that he believes God
communicates to him through coincidences and that he considered one of his
11-year-old victims "a gift from God." Distasio also confessed in court
documents to trying to stir up public hatred so an inmate would murder him,
because he couldn't kill himself. Distasio remains under suicide watch in
the County Jail."



15. "T-ball trial begins" dated 12 September 2006 by Chris Foreman from the
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review at
<http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_470140.html>
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_470140.html.



"A 9-year-old Fayette County boy testified Tuesday that his former T-ball
coach asked him to throw baseballs at an autistic teammate to prevent him
from appearing in a playoff game. But on the first day of the trial, the
coach's defense attorney suggested that the boy created the story to avoid
being blamed for the minor injuries to the autistic boy. Mark Downs Jr.,
29, of Bitner, Franklin Township, is charged with two counts of criminal
solicitation to commit aggravated assault and one count each of corruption
of minors, criminal conspiracy to promote simple assault and recklessly
endangering another person. Under questioning by Fayette County District
Attorney Nancy Vernon, 9-year-old Keith Reese Jr. said that Downs wanted him
to warm up on June 27, 2005, with Harry Bowers Jr. "He told me if I would
hit Harry in the face, he would pay me $25," Keith testified. Keith said
Downs explained that he didn't want Harry, who has autism, to be able to
play in the game. Harry, who was 9 at the time of the incident, turned 11
last month. Keith said the first toss bounced off the ground and hit Harry
in the groin. After Harry began crying and left the field, Downs took Keith
into a parking lot, Keith said. "He said, 'His mom's letting Harry back in
the game. Try hitting him harder in the face,'" Keith testified. The next
throw hit Harry in the left ear. Twice, Keith was asked his motivation for
throwing at Harry. "Because my coach told me to," Keith answered both
times. Defense attorney Thomas W. Shaffer took issue with Keith's
contention that Downs whispered the offer in the parking lot, although
nobody else was around. "If no one was around, why did he whisper?" Shaffer
asked the boy. Outside the courtroom, Shaffer said Keith shifted the blame
to Downs because Keith "felt everyone was pointing the figure at him."
Harry didn't play in the game, which his mother, Jennifer Bowers, said was
his last in T-ball. She claimed Downs wouldn't let Harry or his younger
brother play in another game three days later. However, Jennifer Bowers'
recollection of the order of the injuries was different from Keith's. She
testified that Harry first came to her in tears with a bloody ear. "He was
crying and his ear was swollen, but I still encouraged him to go out,"
Jennifer Bowers said. Later, Harry returned and said he was hit in the
groin. She said she decided to keep her son out of the game after Downs
said "the balls were after him." ..."



16. "Ped Med: Accelerating autism debate" dated 12 September 2006 by LIDIA
WASOWICZ from United Press International at
<http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20060912-033216-414
0r>
http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20060912-033216-4140
r.



"Note: In this multi-part installment, based on dozens of reports,
conferences and interviews, Ped Med is keeping on eye on autism, taking a
backward glance at its history and surrounding controversies, facing facts
revealed by research and looking forward to treatment enhancements and
expansions.) In 1943 eminent psychiatrist Leo Kanner of Johns Hopkins
University first described to the world eight boys and three girls with a
curious condition that, in his expert opinion, "differs ... markedly and
uniquely from anything reported so far." In a way, he was more prescient
than he may have realized. His characterization of the baffling disorder he
dubbed "early infantile autism" could just as readily apply to the peculiar
developments occurring more than a half century later. For one, the hunt
for the source of the ailment that, in general, fetters a child with social,
language and behavioral challenges has taken some unusual turns. The search
parties, traditionally limited to the closed ranks of medically trained
specialists, have expanded to independent-minded, parent-propelled advocacy
groups, many of which promote, provide for and/or produce scientific
research. Some of these have fanned out in such divergent directions, they
find themselves on a collision course with established experts whose word
once was undisputed law. "You can look at the history of autism and know
that a lot of the changes have been brought around by parents basically not
willing to concede to the medical establishment," said Peter Bell, chief
executive officer of Cure Autism Now, a parent-founded network that has
become a leading funder of research into the disorder. The parting of the
ways has been paved by dismay and distrust -- residues of years of
scientific miscalculation and inattention, a time of lost opportunities for
a generation of autistic children. Doubts and disillusionment have festered
over mainstream medicine's failure to pinpoint the disorder's core and
procure its cure as well as for its decades-long blame of cold-hearted
"refrigerator moms" for what it now regards as a biologically based
neurodevelopmental disturbance. This "age of denial," as some have dubbed
it, shackled parents with shame, guilt and remorse. Its demise relieved
them of the undeserved responsibility for their children's suffering, but to
many it offered no release from despair at doctors' inability to alleviate
it. "It wasn't until the mid '60s that we were able to more or less
convince everyone that there was a biological basis to autism, and,
unfortunately, we then entered 'the age of defeat' -- established medicine
offered little hope," said Bell, who has a son with autism. Having borne
the burden, a growing number of parents and their supporters are no longer
unquestionably accepting of medical opinion, no matter the reputation of the
source. Arguably their most hotly contested stand concerns the role of
vaccines in autism and certain other childhood developmental and even
medical disorders. The question of whether medical measures to prevent
suffering are in fact causing it has morphed into one of the most fractious
and divisive issues in pediatric medicine. Dismissing adamant assurances to
the contrary by those not long ago considered the ultimate authority on such
matters, the renegade thinkers -- including some scientists and physicians
-- insist on implicating immunization in the exploding U.S. rates of autism
diagnoses. During the 1990s these shot up more than ten-fold -- from an
estimated four to as high as nearly 60 per 10,000 live births. ..."



17. "Autism advocates hail pilot program" dated 13 September 2006 from The
South Carolina State.com at
<http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/15504961.htm>
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/15504961.htm.



"Autism advocates are hoping a pilot program approved by the Legislature can
be the silver lining of a failed attempt at broadening insurance coverage
for the disorder. Instead of expanding coverage for treatment through a
mandate, the S.C. House approved $7.5 million in Medicaid funds to treat
autism in children 3 to 6 years old. But the Senate did not go along. The
resulting compromise was a one-time allocation of $3 million in state money
for a pilot program. The dollars could be matched with federal Medicaid
money. The program is set to provide in-home and community-based services
for those with autism. The state will measure progress. Advocates say the
expanded treatment may help more S.C. children than the insurance. They plan
to meet today with state officials."



18. "Number Of Autistic Children In CA Doubles" dated 13 September 2006 by
Nannette Miranda from KGO ABC7 News at
<http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=politics&id=4559052>
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=politics&id=4559052.



"It seems all of us know someone dealing with what was once a rare disorder
-- autism. It's not only challenging, it can be absolutely devastating. But
many of us don't realize autism is now more prevalent than childhood cancer,
diabetes and Down Syndrome. Chuck Genseal from the Central Valley can tell
you how frustrating it is to get medical and classroom support for
6-year-old autistic granddaughter, Michelle. He says information is too
disjointed and offices have too much red tape. Chuck Genseal, grandfather
to autistic child: "I spend probably 75 to 80 percent of my waking hours
advocating for little Michelle, trying to get some little piece of help for
her." The state's Blue Ribbon Commission on autism met for the first time
Wednesday to come up with ways to help the increasing number of families
like Michelle's. A California Health Interview Survey last year estimated
more than 36,000 children in the state aged 3 to 11 had autism, more than
double the number in 2001. Pegeen Cronin, Ph.D/UCLA Autism Evaluation
Clinic: "It's taxing the support services to no end. There's not enough
funding. There's not enough trained providers and people who understand.
Genseal joined other parents in telling the commission about the challenges
these families face everyday. Chuck Genseal, grandfather to autistic child:
"My healthcare maintenance provider is the biggest obstacle." The
Commission's goals are to make policy recommendations that diagnose and
treat autism early; help the public school system deal with the increasing
number of autistic students; and address their needs once they turn 18. The
chairman hopes lawmakers will be motivated to take on the issue. Darrell
Steinberg, commission chairman: "I hope as a top priority so that we begin
bringing the resources and attention it needs." And that's music to
Genseal's ears. Chuck Genseal, grandfather to autistic child: "I wouldn't
be able to exist if I didn't have hope. That would be like giving up. And I
don't want to give up."



19. "Autism and vaccines: making a connection asdf" dated 13 September 2006
in an oped article by Larry Anderson in the Great Fall Tribune at
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/DC5/609
130351
<http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/DC5/60
9130351&SearchID=73256910254770> &SearchID=73256910254770.



"Since 1991, the estimated number of cases of autism has increased fifteen
fold, from one in every 2,500 children to one in 166 children. The dramatic
increase was first raised in government circles at a private meeting
convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and
Drug Administration in June 2000. Attending were corporate vaccine makers,
excluded were members of the public. A CDC epidemiologist analyzed its
massive database - medical records of 100,000 children. He concluded a
mercury-based preservative in vaccines, thimerosal, appeared to be
responsible for the dramatic increase among children with autism and other
neurological disorders such as speech delays, attention-deficit disorder,
and hyperactivity. Thimerosal is used as a preservative to stem fungal and
bacterial growth in vaccines. It contains ethylmercury, a potent neurotoxin.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health labels Thimerosal
under its "very toxic criteria." NIOSH warns that thimerosal should be "away
from food, drink, and animal feeding stuffs. After contact with skin, wash
immediately with plenty of water..." Yet, it was allowed as a preservative
in vaccines. Ely Lilly first developed thimerosal in 1930. Its own studies
showed that thimerosal could cause damage, and death, in both animals and
humans. Yet, Lilly failed to report these results when it declared
thimerosal safe. In 1935 another vaccine manufacturer, Pittman-Moore, warned
Lilly that its claims about thimerosal's safety "did not check with ours."
Since the 1930s the evidence against thimerosal continued to mount. In 1967,
a study published in the journal, Applied Microbiology, found that
thimerosal killed mice when added to injected vaccines. In 1971, Lilly's own
studies discerned that thimerosal was "toxic to tissue cells" in
concentrations as low as one part per million, 100 times weaker than the
concentration in a typical vaccine. Nevertheless, the company continued to
claim thimerosal is "nontoxic." Other countries recognized the toxic nature
of thimerosal. Twenty years ago Russia banned thimerosal from its vaccines;
and thereafter, Denmark, Japan, and Great Britain, among others, followed
suit. Government policies have a lot to do with children's increased
exposure to thimerosal. Before 1989, American preschoolers only received
three vaccines - polio, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and
measles-mumps-rubella. In 1991, the CDC recommended that newborns and
infants be vaccinated for hepatitis B within 24 hours of birth, and
2-month-olds be immunized for haemophilus influenzae B and
diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis. A decade later, children were receiving a
total of 22 immunizations containing thimerasol by the time they reached
first grade - getting ethylmercury doses 187 times the EPA limit for daily
exposure to methylmercury, a related neurotoxin. The government never
bothered to measure the cumulative dose of thimerosal children would receive
from the newly mandated vaccines. The director of viral products for the FDA
asked in an e-mail, "Why didn't CDC and these advisory bodies do these
calculations when they rapidly expanded the childhood immunization
schedule?" ..."



20. "Autism gains attention of lawmakers" dated 14 September 2006 by
Stephanie Bertholdo from The Acorn at
<http://www.theacorn.com/news/2006/0914/Health_and_Wellness/027.html>
http://www.theacorn.com/news/2006/0914/Health_and_Wellness/027.html.



"A proposed state law that would gather the latest research on autism in
order to provide consistent educational services in all California schools
could receive a financial boost from the federal government. If signed into
law by Gov. Schwarzenegger, Assembly Bill 2513 will require the office of
the superintendent of public instruction office to identify ways for public
and private schools to better serve the educational needs of children with
autism. Jeffrey Frost, executive director of the California Association of
Suburban School Districts, said the superintendent's office would work with
the University of California, the California State University system,
relevant legislative committees, including the Blue Ribbon Commission on
Autism, and with other appropriate agencies to develop the best educational
approaches for students with autism. According to Mary Schillinger,
director of pupil services in the Las Virgenes district, when uniform,
research-based diagnostic and educational standards are established for
children with autism, the actual costs of such education will be identified.
While special education is mandated by law, the federal government has
failed to meet its financial obligations to school districts nationwide.
"(The legislation will) allow us to put more pressure on the federal
government to fully fund the mandate to educate all children with
disabilities," Schillinger said. "It's one more piece of a very large
puzzle." The federal government's financial piece of the puzzle is
supposedly set at 40 percent, but generally only 17 percent flows from its
coffers to offset the state and school district's escalating special
education costs. The bill is championed by Terilyn Finders, a Las Virgenes
Unified School District Board of Education member, and was written by
Assemblymember Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills). It was introduced to address
the gap between the diagnoses of children with autism and the educational
services schools provide to them. Apparently educational standards differ
widely from school district to school district. "This bill is necessary if
we are going to make any real progress in addressing the needs of students
with autism," Frost said in his letter to the governor urging him to sign
the bill. "For this to occur, the state needs to take a leadership role in
filling the void in addressing the educational needs of autistic children
and their parents." ..."



21. "Coach denies soliciting injury" dated 14 September 2006 by Chris
Foreman from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review at
<http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/fayette/s_470398.html>
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/fayette/s_470398.html.



"A former Fayette County T-ball coach insists an ex-player and his family
are lying by accusing him of offering the boy $25 to injure an autistic
teammate during warm-ups for a playoff game. During 45 minutes of
testimony, Mark Downs Jr. repeatedly denied Wednesday that he made the
proposal that Keith Reese Jr., 9, throw a baseball at Harry Bowers Jr. on
June 27, 2005. Bowers, who turned 11 last month, missed the game after two
pregame tosses hit him in the left ear and the groin. "I would never, ever
go as far to have anyone on my team or any other team hurt so I could win a
game," said Downs, 29, of Franklin Township. The jury is expected to
receive the case this morning after closing arguments before Fayette County
Common Pleas Judge Ralph Warman. Downs is the father of four children,
including twin 9-year-old daughters Alyssa and Madison, who also played on
the Falcons T-ball team and testified yesterday for the defense. State
police at Uniontown charged the former volunteer head coach with two counts
of criminal solicitation to commit aggravated assault and one count each of
corruption of minors, criminal conspiracy to promote simple assault and
recklessly endangering another person. The prosecution contends that Downs
told Reese to warm up with Bowers, although Reese was more skilled at
throwing and catching than Bowers was. On Tuesday, Reese testified that he
threw one toss that bounced on the ground, then hit Bowers in the groin. As
Bowers was returning to the field, Reese said Downs took him to the parking
lot and told him to "try hitting him harder in the face." Downs said he
"would never do such a thing like that." During the morning, Reese's
father, Keith Reese Sr., testified that Downs admitted to him after the game
that he had done "something ignorant" by asking his son to throw at Bowers.
"The thing is, he should be a man and admit what he did," the elder Reese
said on the stand. Downs disputes that account. "I can stand up and look
him dead in the eyes and say, 'Mr. Reese, you are a liar,' " Downs said. In
the back of the courtroom, Reese said: "You're the liar." ..."



22. "Coach denies asking player to bean autistic child" dated 14 September
2006 by Jennifer Harr from the Herald-Standard at
<http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17192925&BRD=2280&PAG=46
1&dept_id=480247&rfi=6>
http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17192925&BRD=2280&PAG=461
&dept_id=480247&rfi=6.



"Mark Downs Jr. testified he encouraged and happily made accommodations for
an autistic player on his T-ball team, and never offered one of the best
players on his team $25 to injure the child so he could not participate in a
playoff game. Taking the stand in his own defense on Wednesday in Fayette
County Court, Downs, 29, of Dunbar testified that all of the prosecution
witnesses in the case were either mistaken, misunderstood or flat out lied
about things he said. He is charged with criminal solicitation to commit
aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit simple assault, reckless
endangerment and corruption of a minor for allegedly offering Keith Reese
Jr. of Uniontown $25 to hit teammate Harry Bowers Jr. of Uniontown before a
June 27, 2005, playoff game. Downs testified that while it was good to see
his team win, Downs testified he never would have a player intentionally
disabled from playing. "I would never go as far as to have any child on my
team or any other team hurt so I could win," he testified. Downs testified
he was running late from work, and didn't arrive for the 7 p.m. game at the
Oliver ball field North Union Township until 6:55 p.m. That left him just
enough time to get the team gear to the dugout and make up his team roster
for the night, he testified. As he made up the roster, Downs testified that
Bowers came to him twice, complaining first he was hit in the ear and then
that he was hit in the groin. He testified the game started at 7:02 p.m.,
and that he at no time talked to Reese about hitting Bowers with the ball.
Reese testified Tuesday that Downs whispered to him in the parking lot that
he would pay him for taking Bowers out of the game, and while the boys never
warmed up together, Reese testified Downs instructed him to do so with
Bowers that day. When Bowers took the second hit and refused to get into
his catcher's gear to play, Downs testified he tried to encourage the then
9-year-old boy. "Come on, buddy, play. Put your catcher equipment on. Go
out there and play," Downs recalled telling Bowers, now 11. But as it
became apparent that Bowers did not want to, Downs testified he pulled him
from the first part of the game, hoping he would reconsider and play later.
"I'm not going to dress him and force him to put the catcher equipment on.
I'm not there to baby-sit. I feel that's the parent's responsibility," Downs
testified. Bowers did not play in any of the game. His mother, Jennifer,
said that Downs told her it would be a good idea to sit him out because the
balls "seemed to be after him." ..."



23. "Gardasil ... should it be a mandatory cure?" dated 14 September 2006
by Caspar Weinberger Jr. from the Portage Daily Register at
<http://www.wiscnews.com/pdr/opinion/index.php?ntid=87817&ntpid=127>
http://www.wiscnews.com/pdr/opinion/index.php?ntid=87817&ntpid=127.



"One would think that the promise of wiping out cervical cancer would be
greeted universally with elation. But there is a potent argument looming
here in America as to whether a vaccine which can prevent the disease,
actually only a potential vaccine at this point, should be on the required
list for school admission. Should it be included in the same category as
measles, mumps, etc? The vaccine is Gardasil and its manufacturer is the
drug giant Merck. Right now the general estimates are for an American market
of at least $2 billion a year. Gardasil targets four types of sexually
transmitted HPV, human papilloma virus, which is thought to cause more than
70 percent of cervical cancer cases and more than 90 percent of genital
warts. Reuters contributing writer Julie Steenhuysen (May 21) noted that
there is an argument now developed by various factions of the Christian
right that says Gardasil would encourages sexual liaisons, especially among
young people, by showing in essence that there is no longer much of a chance
to get the disease. This is deemed to be a negative or at least it is
amongst the first concerns raised by The Family Research Council.
Steenhuysen quotes council Vice President Peter Sprigg as saying, "From the
material being reported thus far, we are being told that they (Merck) have
not found that effect. ... We are monitoring this." While the issues in the
case of Gardasil may be particular to the fact that it is a cure for
sexually transmitted diseases and thus raises all the attendant issues
concerning promiscuity, sex before marriage, teaching or nonteaching of
sex-related subjects and so on, the fact is that we have entered some
interesting territory here in terms of the issue of public welfare vs.
corporate profits. Gardasil needs many events to occur before Merck can
claim any kind of profit. The company needs FDA approval and the backing of
the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Even then, it will be up
to the individual states to consider the level of seriousness for the
vaccine. They could make it mandatory for school admission, or something
less all-encompassing. However, unless the drug makes it to the mandatory
list in many states, it really will not accomplish what Merck needs and
wants: a healthy profit through steady large sales to America's and then the
world's children. Additionally, Merck will soon have competition in the
marketplace as another drug company, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, is developing it
own HPV vaccine called Cervarix. As a result the drug makers insist that
the market must have a booster shot by creating a captive and assured market
for the new vaccine. But where will the lobbying stop? Cervical cancer is
obviously something to avoid and if there is a good way to do that, then it
is wonderful. But even more wonderful, I would think, should be the freedom
of choice, which is what the American society is supposed to be all about.
If you do not want yourself or your children inoculated for something,
should you have to be? In essence, the answer to that question has already
been answered several times in the affirmative. Yes, if you want Johnny and
Jenny to go to school, they must have certain vaccines. But how long is the
list going to get? More importantly, will the school boards be unduly
influenced by the state mandates which may be set not necessarily out of
need, but instead perhaps because of a bowing to the pressure, or even the
largesse, of the pharmaceutical companies? ..."



24. "School to punish driver- Agency says discipline coming in case where
bus dropped off special-ed boy at wrong house" dated 14 September 2006 by
Candice Williams from The Detroit News at
<http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060914/METRO04/60914040
0/1015>
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060914/METRO04/609140400
/1015.



"The Livingston Educational Service Agency will initiate disciplinary action
against a bus driver and an assistant following a Sept. 7 incident in which
a special needs student was dropped off at the wrong house. "We are taking
disciplinary action," LESA Superintendent Sally Vaughn said Wednesday. She
said action could be taken as early as Friday. Vaughn said she couldn't
reveal details until the investigation wraps up. "We were all very upset,"
she said. "It's nothing that should have occurred." Samuel Jann, 6, was
dropped off at the wrong house a few blocks away from his Howell home last
Thursday. Because Samuel is autistic and non-verbal, he was not able to
alert the driver of the mistake, said Pam Jann, his mother. After the wrong
child was dropped off at Jann's home, she realized her son wasn't on the
bus. "I'm thinking they just switched the two," she said. "I don't know who
the boy was. By the time they figured out the problem, the fellow who had
received my son called and said his son was wearing the wrong backpack."
The bus driver then picked Samuel up and brought him home. Although the
incident lasted less than 10 minutes it felt like much longer, Jann said.
Jann on Wednesday said she is waiting to find out how the incident occurred
and what will happen to the bus driver and the assistant. Assistants ride
the bus to watch the children and help them get on and off the bus. Samuel
still takes the bus. "Everybody makes a mistake and this is a really big
one," Jann said. "I don't know if this should be tolerated. I want to know
how this could happen. Of all the kids in the world, special-ed kids aren't
the ones to misidentify."



25. "Bill would enable Kentucky's disabled students" dated 14 September
2006 from the Bluegrass Institute at
<http://www.bipps.org/ARTICLE.ASP?ID=645>
http://www.bipps.org/ARTICLE.ASP?ID=645.



"A proposed scholarship program that would bring school choice to parents of
Kentucky's special-needs children could save taxpayers nearly $200 million,
according to a soon-to-be-released report by the Bluegrass Institute,
Kentucky's free-market think tank. Legislation pre-filed today by Rep. Stan
Lee, R-Lexington, would help children with learning disabilities attend
public and nonpublic schools that best fit their unique needs. "I have
heard from overwhelmed parents of special-needs children, and it's obvious -
more options are needed," Lee said at a press conference announcing the bill
in the Capitol Rotunda today. "My program would allow these parents to place
children in schools that meet their unique needs and offer them the kind of
education that will give them the chance to succeed in life." An analysis
of the bill by education researcher Vicki Murray, Ph.D., finds significant
savings for taxpayers in addition to the benefits reaped by families with
children with learning disabilities:

* It would eliminate perverse financial incentives to put children into
special-education programs unnecessarily that exist under Kentucky's current
"bounty" funding system, which pays districts according to how many students
they claim are learning disabled. More than 11,000 students were likely
"over-identified" because of this funding system in 2005. The cost to
children wrongly placed in special education is incalculable, but the fiscal
cost to the state and school districts was an additional $132 million

* The program gives dissatisfied parents the option of using scholarships to
send their children elsewhere without having to hire lawyers or take their
children's school districts to court. By removing the specter of litigation,
the program allows teachers and staff to focus their talents on the
classroom, not administration and paperwork - which cost Kentucky school
districts about $44 million last year and parents untold millions in legal
fees.

* If just 1 percent of Kentucky's special-needs children - roughly 1,100
students - could have participated in the proposed scholarship program in
2005, state and local school districts would have realized an estimated
savings of $5.7 million.

"For too long, Kentucky's learning-disabled children have been ignored or
underserved by a one-size-fits-all system," said Jim Waters, the Bluegrass
Institute's director of policy and communications. "It's time to give
parents of these children a choice so our state's neediest citizens can have
a chance."



26. "Who Pays for Special Ed- Parents want the best for their disabled
kids. Public schools say they can't handle the cost" dated 14 September 2006
by Julie Rawe from Time at
<http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1535854,00.html>
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1535854,00.html.



"Luke Perkins has been living "two disparate lives," court documents say:
one at school in Berthoud, Colo., where the autistic boy was making some
progress, and the other outside school, where the 9-year-old was so unruly
he could not take part in such basic activities as going to church or eating
in a restaurant. He became so destructive at night that his family resorted
to locking him in his bedroom, which had been stripped of furniture because
he kept smearing feces all over everything. As with many autistic children,
the skills Luke was acquiring in the classroom were not very portable.
(Learning how to use the toilet at school, for example, didn't translate
into his knowing how to use one anywhere else.) Alarmed by his regression at
home, the Perkinses in late 2003 enrolled Luke in a Boston boarding school
renowned for its success with autistic children. And because federal law
requires school districts to provide an extended school day and even
residential services if a special-education student needs them, his parents
informed Colorado's Thompson school district it had to pick up the bill for
Boston Higashi's $135,000 annual tuition. Not surprisingly, the district
balked. It argued that Luke, now 11, had been doing just fine at his local
elementary school and that it shouldn't be held responsible for his
backsliding at home. But both an independent hearing officer and an
administrative-law judge disagreed and found that Luke's disability was
severe enough to warrant a publicly financed 24-hour educational program.
The district is now suing in federal court to try to overturn those rulings.
The battle over who should pay how much to educate Luke Perkins is only the
latest front in the war over funding for special education. It has been
three decades since the Education for All Handicapped Children Act first
guaranteed a free education tailored to meet the individual needs of
students with disabilities. The goal of that law is honorable: to protect
children whose disabilities for too long condemned them to low expectations.
But the number of kids receiving special-ed services--for physical,
cognitive, learning and other problems--has doubled since fiscal 1977, to an
estimated 6.9 million (or roughly 11% of all students nationwide), and
cash-strapped school districts are struggling to find funding for those
children, who on average cost more than twice as much to educate as
nondisabled students. The result, in many instances, has been
wrenching--and often expensive--clashes between parents seeking the best for
their child and school administrators trying to balance the needs of all
students. Special-ed costs threaten to eat into budgets for school endeavors
that are not federally mandated, like athletics or the gifted-and-talented
program. The money has to come from somewhere, says Becky Jay, who was
president of the local school board when the Perkinses first asked for
tuition reimbursement, "and regular kids lose out." ..."



27. "T-Ball Coach Guilty On 2 Counts In Autistic Boy's Beaning" dated 14
September 2006 from WTAE4 News at
<http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/9852494/detail.html>
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/9852494/detail.html.



"A T-ball coach
<http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/4735071/detail.html> accused of
paying a player to intentionally hit a disabled teammate with a baseball was
found guilty on two charges. Mark R. Downs Jr., 29, of Dunbar, Fayette
County, was convicted on Thursday of promoting conspiracy to commit simple
assault and corruption of minors. Downs was acquitted of a more serious
charge of criminal solicitation to commit aggravated assault. Also, the
jury said it was deadlocked on a charge of reckless endangerment, so the
judge declared a mistrial on that count. Prosecutors alleged that Downs did
not want Harry Bowers, a player with autism, in a playoff game because the
boy wasn't as good as his teammates. Bowers, who was 9 at the time,
testified that he was struck in the head and groin before the June 2005 game
in North Union Township. Player Keith Reese testified that he intentionally
threw the ball at Bowers after Downs offered him money. "He told me if I
would hit Harry in the face, he would pay me $25 ... so he wouldn't be able
to play the game," said Reese. Downs' attorney, Thomas Shaffer, has said
that the balls struck Bowers accidentally during pregame warm-ups. Shaffer
also said he was not permitted to call a witness who would have testified
that the whole incident was a misunderstanding. Sentencing is set for Oct.
12, but Shaffer promised to appeal."



28. "Kalam`s research sees bio-chip treatment for mental defects" dated 14
September 2006 from Zee News.com at
<http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=322423&sid=ENV&ssid=28>
http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=322423&sid=ENV&ssid=28.



"A bio-chip implant or some other mechanism can in the future be used to
transfer certain functions of the damaged portions of the human brain to the
healthy one, President A P J Abdul Kalam, who is carrying out a research on
mentally-challenged children, said. Also, a convergence of communication,
and bio and nano technologies, medical electronics, and mathematical
simulation can lead to an integrated solution to mental disabilities, he
told an International Conference on Autism here. The President said his
study also focused on use of stem cells for increasing the quality and
quantity of neurons in the brain system. "We are confident that it will be
possible to transform certain functions of the damaged portions of the
brain, say in the left hemisphere, to the normal portion in the right
hemisphere of the brain by some triggering mechanism or by implanting a
bio-chip to carry out those functions," Kalam remarked. The President said
he has been carrying out his research with an expert for the past three
years. Kalam, who recalled his visit to Thiruvananthapuram`s Central
Institute of Mental Retardation, also spoke about the possibility of
treating mental defects through a combination of a variety technologies and
techniques. "The research is indeed location the exact area of defect.
Permanent solution, which can help children afflicted with mental
disability, can be found by medical scientists and technologists using an
integrated approach," he said."




29. "Expanded FDA Review Sought into Safety of Mercury/Silver Dental
Fillings" dated 14 September 2006 in a press release from the International
Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology at
<http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=72425>
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=72425.



"In response to last week's groundbreaking vote by two U.S. Food and Drug
Administration panels to reject a staff white paper on the safety of
mercury-laden "silver" dental fillings, the dentists, physicians and
scientists of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology have
made a formal request to the FDA for an expanded review of current science
on dental mercury amalgams; a definitive date for such a hearing; and a
format that will assure that the full breadth of health effects is assessed.
The Academy's request follows votes Sept. 7, by two FDA- selected committee
panels (Joint Panel), which by a 13-7 margin, rejected the FDA's own report
as insufficiently representative of current science on the health risks of
what most consumers are told are silver fillings. Actually they are
approximately half mercury. Health risks identified by scientists and
health professionals that appeared to be persuasive to the joint panels
include:

-- Harm to unborn babies

-- Mercury exposure from chewing and drinking beverages

-- Interaction with other metals and dental materials that increases risk of
harm

-- Mercury's links to neurological diseases like Alzheimer's disease and
autism

-- Vulnerability of exceptionally sensitive people such as pregnant women
and young children

-- Lack of patient informed consent

"We applaud the joint committee's courage to resist pressures to
rubber-stamp support for the safety of fillings that are still being used in
many dental offices when the science shows that the claims of safety are
unsupportable," said Dr. Janet Stopka of Downers Grove, Ill., president of
the Academy. Dr. Terry Messerman of Beachwood, Ohio, immediate past
president of the Academy, added: "This one step of resisting
business-as-usual and denial of pertinent science is a tremendous victory
not only for the more than one-third of dentists in the U.S. who have
already switched to more biologically-compatible treatments, but especially
for the millions of patients that have already received what are essentially
mercury-emitting implants, and yet were never informed. Dr. Boyd Haley, a
University of Kentucky chemistry professor who chairs the Academy's
Scientific Advisory Board, said a recent study found 85 percent of dentists
already display a mercury- related biological impairment. For more quotes
from Academy leaders and a copy of their letter to the FDA, see
<http://releases.usnewswire.com/redir.asp?ReleaseID=72425&Link=http://www.IA
OMT.org> http://www.IAOMT.org."



30. "Special-education idea raises legal issues- Proposal OKs public money
for private schools" dated 15 September 2006 by Deborah Yetter from The
Courier-Journal at
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20060915
<http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20060915&Category
=NEWS0104&ArtNo=609150389&SectionCat=&Template=printart>
&Category=NEWS0104&ArtNo=609150389&SectionCat=&Template=printart.



"Betsy Gibbs said the skills her autistic daughter Elizabeth learned in
private school and through therapy began to disappear after only a few weeks
in a public elementary school. "It fell apart so fast," said Gibbs, of
Louisville, who said she now teaches Elizabeth, 13, at home after battling
unsuccessfully with school officials for better services. So yesterday
Gibbs joined about 12 other parents to endorse proposed legislation that
would let them choose another school -- public or private -- if they are
unhappy with special education at their public school. The state would pay
the tuition with money from the former school. Potentially the measure
could affect about 110,000 children in Kentucky public schools who have a
learning disability, which the state Education Department says is up 25,000
from 10 years ago. Rep. Stan Lee, R-Lexington, said he's hearing from an
increasing number of parents frustrated with services in their local schools
and unable to find solutions. "This gives the education choice back to the
parents where we believe it belongs," said Lee, who plans to sponsor the
measure in the 2007 legislative session with Rep. David Floyd, R-Bardstown.
The proposal drew immediate questions from some lawmakers and the Kentucky
Education Association, who criticized the use of public money for private
schools. An organization supporting the bill, Bluegrass Institute, a
nonpartisan Kentucky advocacy group, said Florida, Ohio, Utah and, most
recently, Arizona have enacted legislation similar to Lee's. But the amount
of support for such a bill in Kentucky was unclear. "That's probably
unconstitutional and bad public policy," said state Rep. Mary Lou Marzian,
D-Louisville and a member of the House Education Committee. "Surely the
House will see that it's a misuse of public funds." Senate President David
Williams, R-Burkesville, said through a spokeswoman only that he is "not
familiar with the bill." Lee said some members of the Senate pledged their
support but he declined to identify them. State Rep. Reggie Meeks,
D-Louisville, and on the House Education Committee, said he would oppose
taking money out of public schools at the expense of those who remain --
including the many minority, immigrant and poor students also in need of
extra services. "Obviously there's a danger here," he said. Lee
acknowledged the measure will face stiff opposition and that past measures
for school vouchers have failed in the legislature. But he said he believes
parents dissatisfied with their children's special education won't let the
matter die. ..."


31. "Ball Buzz: Youth coach guilty in beaning- Offered $25 to hit autistic
teammate Liriano MRI finds no major damage" dated 15 September 2006 from the
Toronto Star at
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Arti
cle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1158270614436&call_pageid=969907739730&col=970081600
908>
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Artic
le_Type1&c=Article&cid=1158270614436&call_pageid=969907739730&col=9700816009
08.



"A youth baseball coach accused of offering an 8-year-old money to bean an
autistic teammate so he couldn't play was convicted yesterday of two lesser
charges against him, and evaded more serious charges in Uniontown, Pa. A
jury convicted 29-year-old Mark R. Downs Jr. of corruption of minors and
criminal solicitation to commit simple assault, Fayette County authorities
said. Downs was acquitted of criminal solicitation to commit aggravated
assault, and jurors said they were deadlocked on a charge of reckless
endangerment. The judge declared a mistrial on the endangerment charge.
Authorities said Downs offered to pay one of his players $25 (U.S.) to hit a
9-year-old autistic teammate with a ball while warming up before a June 2005
playoff game. Earlier, defence lawyer Thomas Shaffer told jurors that Downs
was telling the truth when he denied offering to pay Keith Reese Jr. to hurt
Harry Bowers, a mildly autistic and mildly mentally disabled boy. But Reese
had testified about Downs' offer, saying he purposely threw a ball that hit
Bowers in the groin then threw another ball that hit him in the ear on
Downs' instructions. Reese's father, Keith Sr., testified that Downs
acknowledged after the game that he did something "ignorant" and confessed
to the deed."



32. "Early austim detection may better therapy's result" dated 19 September
2006 by Wendell Edwards from KHOU11 News at
<http://www.khou.com/news/health/stories/khou060913_ac_autism.70791c7.html>
http://www.khou.com/news/health/stories/khou060913_ac_autism.70791c7.html.



"Like all mothers, Jill Hazlip vividly remembers the day she became a mom.
"He was breached, so I had to have an emergency C-section," she said. "So it
was wild." For the next year, she and her husband doted on their son Lucas.
But just before his first birthday, she noticed a change in his behavior.
"He would take a truck and turn it upside down and spin the wheels instead
of rolling it," she said. "He had some words, like bye-bye, mama and dada,
and then he lost them at 12 months. "He just quit talking and started
moaning," Hazlip said. She feared the worst, and her graduate school
training in psychology told her what those behaviors meant. "I was very
scared," she said. "I didn't want to admit that my child might have autism."
Autism is a behavior disorder typically diagnosed around age 3. But a
recent study said early detection, as young as 14 months, is now possible.
"We want to detect autism as early as possible because early intervention is
crucial," Dr. Katherine Loveland said. Dr. Loveland, a researcher and
professor at UT Houston Health Science Center, is a leading authority on
autism. She said in some cases, early detection can lead to recovery. "The
symptoms of autism usually take time to develop," Dr. Loveland said. "Thus,
we might detect a child as needed intervention and being at risk for autism
and be able to prevent autism from developing." She siad they would like to
be able to prevent it, but they don't know if it's possible. There is no
cure for autism, but experts said with early intervention an autistic child
may learn to speak and develop social skills, putting them on a development
track more like a typical child. Michelle Waybright is the mother of two
twins, Cooper and Katie. Katie is autistic and was diagnosed at age
2-and-a-half. "I was worried that we didn't catch it soon enough,"
Waybright said. After a year of therapy, Katie is now speaking. But Dr.
Waybright said she believes Katie may have been even further along had her
autism been detected earlier, like Lucas, who diagnosed at 16 months. "I
hoping by the time he's 3 or 5, 6 years old, he will move off the spectrum
of autism," Hazlip said. It's a hope all parents of autistic children can
understand."



33. "Judging Autism- Parents of autistic children win two important
lawsuits against local school systems. Is Virginia ready for the fallout?"
dated 27 September 2006 by Brandon Walters from the Richmond Style Weekly at
http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=13018
<http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=13018> .



"Linda and Karl Peterson may have won in court, but they say victory eludes
them. They still don't know how, or for how long, their 12-year-old son,
James, will be able to stay in the private school he attends. It costs
$30,000 a year.James Peterson has autism, a developmental disability that
significantly impedes a child's capacity to communicate, talk and socially
interact with others. In late August, U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne
ruled that Peterson didn't receive what federal law entitles every child
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: a free and
appropriate public education in the least-restrictive environment. "The
question is, who pays for him to be where he is [now]?" his mother asks.
"That's the gray area in the law." The Petersons' case against Hanover
County Public Schools marks the second time in three months that Judge Payne
has sided with parents of autistic children who claimed that public school
systems broke the law by failing to properly educate a child with autism
and, consequently, had to provide private-school tuition reimbursement.
Linda Peterson says her son's experience in public schools was a disaster,
accompanied by a significant regression in reading and communicating.
Conversely, she says, he progressed well in a one-on-one, private-school
setting. Payne's recent decisions are a departure from the norm in which
school districts routinely win legal battles such as the Petersons'. The
rulings have been the buzz of educators, parents of children with
disabilities, lawyers and politicians. They also underscore a growing
problem within the realm of special education: How well are public schools
providing for the specific and increasing needs of children with autism?
Payne's rulings appear to be, for now, a litmus test. In the Peterson case,
Payne ruled that Hanover County Public Schools is liable for the $30,000 it
costs for James to attend the Dominion School for Autism, a tiny private
school on Monument Avenue, during the 2005-06 school year. (In 2003 and
2004, the Petersons paid nearly $90,000 in tuition at another private school
for autism in Chesterfield County.) In June, Payne found that Henrico
County Public Schools had failed to adequately teach Reid Tutwiler, an
8-year-old boy with autism. After three years of disputes with the school
system, the boy's parents, Courtney and Rick Tutwiler, pulled their son out
of the county school and placed him in the private Faison School for Autism,
which costs about $65,000 a year. Payne ordered the Henrico school system
to stop stalling, as it had through hearings and appeals, and pay the
Tutwilers the money spent on Faison. Today, Reid Tutwiler is enrolled again
in Henrico Public Schools, in an individualized special-ed program. And
while the school system still is working out how much it pays the Tutwilers
and for what period of time, the family stands to receive around $500,000 in
attorney's fees and tuition reimbursements. Likewise, Linda Peterson says,
her family expects their case will cost Hanover County upward of $250,000.
..."



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