Items 1 through 17 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.

18. "Portsmouth teacher charged with assaulting autistic 3 year-old" from
WAVY10 News at <http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=5486989>
http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=5486989.

"
A woman trusted to teach young special-needs children has been arrested and
charged with assaulting one of her pupils. According to police, the
incident happened on September 25th when 53 year-old Dale Beale, a teacher
at the D.A.C. Center for Learning in Portsmouth, pulled a 3 year-old
autistic child out of his seat and then pushed him onto his backside. The
boy then fell all the way back, striking his head on the floor, witnesses
said. Beale has been with the Portsmouth School system for 19 years. The
D.A.C Center provides educational services for pre-school children from 2 to
4 years of age who have learning disabilities. The incident remains under
investigation by Portsmouth Schools and Child Protective Services. She was
charged with assault and battery and released on bond."


19. "Clock ticking on autism legislation" dated 28 September 2006 by ELISE
YOUNG from North Jersey.com at
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmV
sN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2OTk3OTg2JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg
<http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYm
VsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2OTk3OTg2JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg> ==.


"The Combating Autism Act is Congress's $1 billion effort to chase down the
cause of the disorder and treat those in its grip. Onboard are New Jersey's
two senators and 11 of its 12 representatives -- Rep. Scott Garrett,
R-Wantage, has not taken a position and the 13th seat is vacant. It has huge
support from the country's most influential autism groups and advocates.
The legislation passed unanimously in the Senate on Aug. 3. Yet it is
running out of time in the House of Representatives, where sponsors have
mere days to introduce it before Congress goes into recess Oct. 6. The bill
needs a majority of 218 representatives to pass. It has 190, according to a
list compiled by CombatAutism.org, a coalition of advocates. "We would like
to pursue this this year," said Lisa Cohen, chief of staff for Rep. Diana
DeGette, the Colorado Democrat who is a primary sponsor. "We're hopeful,
because the bill has broad bipartisan support both in the House and the
Senate." Over five years, the bill aims to direct $643 million for research
through the National Institutes of Health, $210 million for therapy and
other services for autistic youth and adults and $75 million for public
education. It calls for the screening of every child in America, because
therapies for autism work best when started at a young age. It demands that
the director of the National Institutes of Health make autism a priority,
with annual reports to Congress. The research money could be a boon for
autism specialists at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
and Rutgers and Princeton universities. "Clearly, New Jersey, as a leader
in this field for more than four decades, would benefit both in the
health-related context as well as in the potential biomedical research and
related sciences that are actually being conducted here," said Sen. Robert
Menendez, D-N.J., one of the bill's sponsors. "If it went through the full
Congress this year, it seems like the benefits could begin to flow at the
end of next year." Of course, President Bush's signature is crucial -- and
he has not publicly committed to the legislation. And some believe that
election-year politics is making some House members leery of committing to a
$1 billion expenditure. ..."

"The reason it's being held up in the House has to do with how much money
the present majority wants to spend on health care in general," said Rep.
Steve Rothman, D-Fair Lawn. "They don't want to come up with a figure before
the election."





20. "Is prevention worth a shot?- A cervical-cancer vaccine leaves parents
with tough decisions" dated 3 October 2006 by Amy Wilson from the Lexington
HERALD-LEADER at
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/living/health/15645375.htm
<http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/living/health/15645375.htm> .


"What's a mother to do? Bombarded by commercials that urge her and everyone
around her to "tell someone," she pays attention to the news that a vaccine
has been engineered -- and approved -- that will protect women against the
human papillomavirus, which causes 75 percent of all cervical cancer.
Furthermore, studies have found the vaccine to be almost 100 percent
effective in preventing precancers of the cervix, vulva and vagina and
genital warts. But should she vaccinate her daughters? The virus, also
known as HPV, can be fatal. It is the most prevalent sexually transmitted
disease in the world. The cancer it can cause is second only to breast
cancer in its ability to kill women. Kentucky women have the second-highest
rate of cervical cancer deaths nationwide. In June, the Food and Drug
Administration approved the manufacture of Gardasil, Merck & Co.'s version
of the vaccine. The vaccine itself was developed by Albert Jenson and
Shin-Je Ghim, researchers now at the University of Louisville. The decision
whether to vaccinate is complicated by its price, $360, and that insurance
coverage is being worked out. (Some insurers are waiting for the CDC to
formally adopt recommendations from its Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices, expected in November.) Then there is the debate about the wisdom
of any vaccination. So, yes, all parents are cautious. Parents of teenage
daughters have a lot of deciding to do. We turned to the experts for
advice. Here is what they had to say: The Food and Drug Administration: The
agency recommends the vaccine for all girls and women ages 9 to 26. Centers
for Disease Control: Its immunization committee has recommended that the CDC
endorse routine vaccinations for girls 11 to 12 years old, before sexual
activity. Dr. Albert "Ben" Jenson, a researcher of tumor immunobiology at
the University of Louisville James Graham Brown Cancer Center and part of
the original team of scientists at Georgetown University that invented the
HPV vaccine and holds the patent on it: "I can't think of a reason not to
(get the vaccine). The adverse reactions are very small. It's the first
vaccination to prevent cancer. My three daughters -- ages 42, 40 and 38 --
are going to get it. I think every woman should have it. Maybe they don't
have it (HPV) now, but they could get it if their partner, no matter how
committed, has (pause) flaws and brings the virus into the relationship. I
think men should have it too -- to protect women." ..."

21. "Local autism cases increasing- School districts tackle problem,
research reasons" dated 2 October 2006 by YaSHEKIA SMALLS from the South
Bend Tribune at
<http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200661002034>
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200661002034.


"Imagine not being able to grasp the meaning of "next week." Or having so
much trouble adjusting to the slightest change in routine that throwing a
tantrum becomes a normal way to deal with the unpredictable. Picture
hearing other people talk but not being able to get a word out yourself,
though the thoughts slog through your mind. Or finding the noise of a busy
store or restaurant simply unbearable, where you emotionally go into
meltdown. At one point, one in a thousand live births eventually showed
signs pointing to autism spectrum disorder. Now, that average is 1 in 166,
according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Michiana is not immune to the national explosion in children's autism cases
-- now deemed an epidemic by researchers nationwide, local administrators
say. In fact, the Regional Autism Center at South Bend's Logan Center --
which opened its doors in October 2004 after lingering in the planning stage
for a couple of years -- is working to bring resources into the community.
"It's a lifelong developmental disability," said Wendy Kelley, autism
coordinator for Joint Educational Services in Special Education based in
Plymouth. "It doesn't go away." ..."


22. "Exam exemption extended for pupils with disabilities- DIPLOMA: The law
only applies to the class of 2007. The students still must take the test
twice." dated 2 October 2006 by MICHAEL FISHER from The Press-Enterprise at
<http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_H_exit03.37fe2fc.h
tml>
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_H_exit03.37fe2fc.ht
ml.



"Thousands of California high school seniors with disabilities will be
exempted from having to pass the state's exit exam before receiving their
diplomas this year, under legislation signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger.
Students in the class of 2007 must still fulfill all other local, state and
federal graduation requirements and must have an individualized education
plan in order to be granted their diploma under the bill by Sen. Gloria
Romero, D-Los Angeles. "This is validation of all their hard work and the
fact that they may not be able to test under some of the same circumstances
as their peers but they have worked just as hard as their peers and were on
track with them in every other way," said Nicole Winger, a spokeswoman for
Romero. To be eligible, disabled students also must take the exam at least
twice after the 10th grade, including at least once during their senior
year. The bill, signed Friday by Schwarzenegger, extends the 2006 exemption
by one year to cover disabled students among the state's latest class of
high school seniors. It also calls on State Superintendent of Public
Instruction Jack O'Connell to make recommendations to state lawmakers by
June regarding future students with disabilities who have met the
requirements for graduation but failed to pass the exit exam. The State
Department of Education did not take a position on the bill, spokeswoman
Hilary McLean said. The new law "gives us more time to really look at the
issue of providing high standards for all students, including students with
disabilities," McLean said. "The question that's still before us is: Where
do you draw that line where you can best prepare the greatest number of
students for a successful life after high school?" Some parents, educators
and advocates have argued that children with disabilities who have satisfied
all of the other graduation requirements should be granted their diplomas
even if they fail to pass the state-mandated exit exam. Students can retake
the test up to five times. California offers no alternative test for
special-education students but does make some allowances, such as giving
some disabled students more time to take the exam or providing them with
copies with larger print, depending on their individual needs. Of the more
than 458,000 high school seniors in the state last year, more than 20,000
were exempted from the test because they were special education students.
Winger noted that the new law only affects disabled high school seniors this
year. Those who are set to graduate in 2008 or later should proceed as if
they will be required to pass the exit exam to earn their diploma, pending a
future exemption. ..."


23. "New Data Refute Measles Virus Persistence in Children With Autism"
dated 2 October 2006 by Megan Rauscher from Reuters at
https://profreg.medscape.com/px/getlogin.do;jsessionid=FlhyxQMkf2gfh2yf6qrlB
JtqNDpVWgrXfdytbK4ZtnnfMxKnlGq4!557337291?urlCache=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5tZWRzY2FwZ
S5jb20vdmlld2FydGljbGUvNTQ1NDI4
<https://profreg.medscape.com/px/getlogin.do;jsessionid=FlhyxQMkf2gfh2yf6qrl
BJtqNDpVWgrXfdytbK4ZtnnfMxKnlGq4!557337291?urlCache=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5tZWRzY2Fw
ZS5jb20vdmlld2FydGljbGUvNTQ1NDI4> .


"Molecular studies by a Canadian team show no evidence for the persistence
of measles virus following MMR immunization in peripheral blood mononuclear
cells (PBMCs) of children with autism spectrum disorder. Dr. Brian J. Ward
and colleagues from Montreal's McGill University report their findings in a
paper in the October issue of Pediatrics. In it, they note that despite
mounting epidemiologic evidence against an association between MMR
vaccination and autism, several molecular investigations have been used to
implicate MMR vaccination in the development of autism spectrum disorder in
at least a subset of affected children. For example, in 2000, using nested
RT-PCR, Kawashima et al reported the presence in PBMCs of one or more
vaccine-strain measles virus gene in three of nine children with autism
compared with none of eight healthy children. In another study, in 2002,
Uhlmann et al using real-time PCR reported the presence of measles virus
fusion and hemagglutinin genes in biopsies from 62 of 68 autistic children
compared with 4 of 39 biopsies from control children. Dr. Ward's team
attempted but failed to replicate the results reported by Kawashima and
Uhlmann by applying their primer pairs to PBMCs isolated from children with
autism spectrum disorder and developmentally normal controls. "In our
hands, the primer-pairs published by Drs Kawashima and Uhlmann yielded many
PCR 'positive' results that turned out to be false-positive on closer
examination," Dr. Ward told Reuters Health. "These data are a direct
refutation of the reports of persistence of measles virus in the tissues of
autistic children," he said. "We are hopeful that this paper will simply
put a quiet end to the debate surrounding this topic," the researcher
added."




24. "Eligible families not notified- Birth-injury program not required to
contact potential claimants" dated 3 October 2006 by BILL MCKELWAY from the
Richmond TIMES-DISPATCH at
<http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_B
asicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190944333>
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_Ba
sicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190944333.



"Families who could receive lifetime medical benefits for their severely
injured children thanks to landmark legislation signed five months ago by
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine may never learn they are eligible to apply. The
legislation includes no notification provision and the key state agency
responsible for approving birth-injury benefits which can reach into the
millions of dollars per child -- is refusing to notify potential claimants.
The Virginia Birth-related Neurological Injury Compensation Program also
will not release records that show that as many as 17 families may qualify
for help. Birth-injury board members learned that number last month from
the program's executive director but disavowed responsibility to notify
families. "There's nothing in the law that says we are responsible for
that," said board Chairman Melina Dee Perdue, a hospital executive in
Roanoke. Other board members backed her up. "That's just not what the
program is supposed to be all about," said state Sen. John S. Edwards,
D-Roanoke, a former birth-injury board member and sponsor of the
legislation. "The program is designed to reach out to these families who
need help. The bill doesn't include a notification provision, but what's the
problem in finding these families and telling them that a benefit might be
available?" Each child admitted into the birth-injury program represents
potential medical costs and other benefits of about $2 million, according to
financial studies of the 18-year-old program. The program is facing a $132
million cash shortage, money that analysts say it should have in hand to
meet future obligations of program children. The program was created to
protect doctors and hospitals from malpractice suits involving the births of
children who suffer lifelong physical and mental injuries from oxygen loss
or spinal damage. Children who meet eligibility criteria are barred in most
cases from filing medical malpractice suits; instead, they receive lifetime
medical care from the program. Edwards' bill allows another opportunity to
apply for families that have previously been denied entry into the program.
Children must have been born between June 1, 1988, and July 1, 1993. The
offer expires in July next year. While it has helped lessen increases in
malpractice premiums, the program has been criticized for allowing debts to
pile up while fees paid by the medical community lapsed; studies also
criticized the program for failing to aggressively seek out children who
might qualify for care. It took three years before the first child was
admitted and a 1998 study found that "information about the program is
neither readily nor routinely made available to the parents." ..."



25. "Big rise in child autism" dated 3 October 2006 by CRAIG BILDSTIEN from
The Adelaide Advertiser (Australia) at
<http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,20514382-5006301,00.html>
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,20514382-5006301,00.html.



"Record numbers of South Australians are being diagnosed with autism -
almost all of them children.Autism SA has reported a 51 per cent increase in
referrals in the past year. The number of positive new cases has also
jumped almost 20 per cent to 384. Chief executive Jon Martin says the
increase is "unprecedented" and creates major challenges for the community.
All but about 40 are children, who Mr Martin says are likely to face
"bullying, teasing and harassment" at school because their symptoms will be
misunderstood. Many were also likely to be "mismanaged" by the mental
health system as it struggled to come to grips with autism and asperger
syndrome. Mr Martin told The Advertiser yesterday his group was "searching
for answers" to explain the dramatic rise in new cases. "And the thing is,
there is no doubt a huge number of people who have it that we don't know
about," Mr Martin said. Of those diagnosed with autism and asperger's last
year, about 120 were under six, while the majority were school-age. Autism
SA provides services for 2700 clients, including 1800 school-age children.
However, despite a one-off grant of $180,000 last year to reduce waiting
lists, there remains a six-month delay for people seeking diagnosis. "We
were making some inroads, but the waiting times have unfortunately blown out
again," Mr Martin said. He believes part of the reason for the rise in
referrals reflects a greater awareness of autism within the community. The
group's autism information hotline is now taking more than 300 calls a month
and more than 1200 people attended Autism SA training sessions last year.
"The challenge for us is to ensure continued growth in services to match the
increase in service demand," Mr Martin said."



26. "In Antipsychotics, Newer Isn't Better- Drug Find Shocks Researcher"
dated 3 October 2006 by Shankar Vedantam from the Washington Post at
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/02/AR200610020
1378.html?referrer=emailarticle>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/02/AR2006100201
378.html?referrer=emailarticle.



"Schizophrenia patients do as well, or perhaps even better, on older
psychiatric drugs compared with newer and far costlier medications,
according to a study published yesterday that overturns conventional wisdom
about antipsychotic drugs, which cost the United States $10 billion a year.
The results are causing consternation. The researchers who conducted the
trial were so certain they would find exactly the opposite that they went
back to make sure the research data had not been recorded backward. The
study, funded by the British government, is the first to compare treatment
results from a broad range of older antipsychotic drugs against results from
newer ones. The study was requested by Britain's National Health Service to
determine whether the newer drugs -- which can cost 10 times as much as the
older ones -- are worth the difference in price. There has been a surge in
prescriptions of the newer antipsychotic drugs in recent years, including
among children. The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry,
is likely to add to a growing debate about prescribing patterns of
antipsychotic drugs. A U.S. government study last year found that one of the
older drugs did as well as newer ones, but at the time, many American
psychiatrists warned against concluding that all the older drugs were as
good. Yesterday, in an editorial accompanying the British study, the lead
researcher in the U.S. trial asked how an entire medical field could have
been misled into thinking that the expensive drugs, such as Zyprexa,
Risperdal and Seroquel, were much better. "The claims of superiority for
the [newer drugs] were greatly exaggerated," wrote Columbia University
psychiatrist Jeffrey Lieberman. "This may have been encouraged by an overly
expectant community of clinicians and patients eager to believe in the power
of new medications. At the same time, the aggressive marketing of these
drugs may have contributed to this enhanced perception of their
effectiveness in the absence of empirical information." Peter Jones, a
psychiatrist at the University of Cambridge in England who led the study,
searched yesterday for the right word to describe what had happened to his
colleagues. " 'Duped' is not right," he said. "We were beguiled." One
drugmaker immediately questioned the findings. Carole Puls, a spokeswoman
for Eli Lilly and Co., which makes Zyprexa, said it was problematic to
compare large groups of medications because there are differences between
the drugs in each class. Individual patients need different medication
options, she said. ..."



27. "Awareness: Doctors Prescribe More Than They Explain" dated 3 October
2006 by NICHOLAS BAKALAR from The New York Times at
<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/03/health/03pres.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=h
ealth&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin>
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/03/health/03pres.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=he
alth&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin.



"Correction Appended. Many doctors, a new
<http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/166/17/1855> study
reports, prescribe medicine without explaining its purpose, discussing its
side effects, offering instructions about its use or even mentioning its
name. Researchers audiotaped 45 doctors during their encounters with 909
patients, identifying 185 visits in which 243 medications that had not been
used before by the patient were prescribed. The average age of the patients
was 55, half of them were men, and most had some college education. Almost
all had health insurance. About three-quarters of the doctors were men, and
89 percent were white. Although there were variations, depending on the
type of medicine prescribed, 74 percent of the doctors mentioned the trade
or generic name of the medicine, and 87 percent stated its purpose.
Sixty-six percent said nothing about how long to take the medicine, 45
percent did not say what dosage to take and 42 percent failed to mention the
timing or frequency of doses. Physicians mentioned adverse side effects only
35 percent of the time. The authors noted that the results may not be
applicable to other groups of patients, and that the presence of recording
equipment may have influenced what doctors said during the patient visits.
Still, Dr. Neil S. Wenger, the senior author on the study, said, "The
problems we're seeing are exactly the things we see going wrong in clinical
practice. "You prescribe a
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics
/cholesterol/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier> cholesterol-lowering
medicine, a medicine that has to be taken for a lifetime, and the person
never refills the first prescription. And we wonder why. Now it's clear why:
we never told them that they were supposed to keep taking it." Dr. Wenger
is a professor of medicine at the
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/univers
ity_of_california/index.html?inline=nyt-org> University of California, Los
Angeles. The study was published Sept. 25 in Archives of Internal
Medicine."


28. "UCD may curb doctors' drug-company freebies" dated 3 October 2006 by
Dorsey Griffith from the Sacramento Bee at
<http://www.sacbee.com/101/v-print/story/32968.html>
http://www.sacbee.com/101/v-print/story/32968.html.


"You've seen them in your doctor's office: pens and notepads labeled with
the names of leading drugs or medical devices. What you don't see are the
free lunches, expense-paid trips and lucrative consulting deals for
physician lectures and conferences. Concerned that the goodies and other
tactics by drug or medical device companies can drive medical decisions, the
UC Davis Health System is considering strict limits on meals and on payments
for doctors to attend meetings or participate in online medical education
classes. If UC Davis ultimately adopts the policies, it will join an elite
group of academic medical centers taking the same tack: Stanford and Yale
universities and the University of Pennsylvania. "We need to reaffirm the
social contract under which we practice medicine," said Dr. Garen Wintemute,
an emergency doctor and UC Davis professor who is leading the charge for
reforms. "Our primary responsibility is to the welfare of our patients.
Industry marketing practices interfere with our ability to fulfill that
responsibility" The medical center's Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee,
which oversees the purchase of drugs and devices for the health system,
voted last week to send three recommendations to the medical center's
executive committee for consideration:


* A ban on all gifts, free meals, payment for travel time or time spent at
meetings, and payment from drug or medical device companies for
participation in online medical education programs.

* An end to the system that allows pharmaceutical sales representatives to
give doctors free drug samples for patients. The former arrangement would be
replaced with a voucher system to benefit low-income patients.

* The exclusion of any medical professional with ties to drug or device
manufacturers from hospital and medical group committees that oversee the
purchase of drugs or medical devices.

Four other recommendations aimed at eliminating potential conflicts of
interest are pending at the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee level. The
suggested changes come from a proposal outlined for academic medical centers
in a January article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
One such proposal would prohibit manufacturers from funding medical
education programs for health care providers. Instead, companies could
contribute to a central repository overseen by the medical center for
spending on education. Currently, about 90 percent of funding for physician
education comes from industry. That was obvious last week during a
conference on psychotic disorders at the UC Davis MIND Institute. The
conference was supported by "educational grants" from four companies that
make anti-psychotic drugs. The drug makers had display tables just outside
the meeting room, where they handed out pamphlets about their products, free
pens and other goodies labeled with their brand names. ..."



29. "Troubles Melt Under the Rainbow, Too" dated 3 October 2006 by John
Kelly from The Washington Post at
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/02/AR200610020
1148.html>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/02/AR2006100201
148.html.



"The "normal" kids were lined up at one end of the middle school cafeteria
Sunday afternoon, looking like participants in some sort of speed-dating
event. They were middle- and high-schoolers mostly -- that is, they seemed
to me far too young for what lay ahead: spending two hours with kids whose
disabilities ranged from mild to severe. As I waited with the teenagers, I
thought back to my own school days and the deep and horrible vocabulary we
employed to describe anyone who seemed a little slow, anyone whose body was
less than symmetrical, whose mind less than whole. Yes, said Phi Le , a
19-year-old from Annandale, kids could still be cruel. "But I don't think
any of those kids are here," he said. We were at Washington Irving Middle
School in Springfield. Phi and about 70 other teens had volunteered for
Eddie's Club, a monthly recreational opportunity that pairs disabled young
people from age 4 to about 20 with able-bodied kids 12 and older. What a
responsibility, I said: being in charge of a special-needs kid. "It isn't
necessarily being in charge of them," Phi said. "It's being a friend to
them." A little before 2 o'clock, Eddie's Club members started coming into
the cafeteria. Those who had participated before pulled at the hands of
their parents, eager to get started. Eddie's Club staffer Shannon Tate
worked as a matchmaker. "Can I have you guys?" she said to two teenage
boys. "You like basketball?" Off they went to the school's basketball
court, their new companion a boy with Down syndrome who pointed to the image
on his T-shirt: a basketball-playing Porky Pig. Eddie's Club is the
creation of 51-year-old Eddie Garretson , who works at a construction
equipment and truck rental company. Nearly 30 years ago, he stopped on his
day off at the Northern Virginia Training Center, a facility that works with
the mentally retarded. "I don't know why," said Eddie, who had no disabled
kids in his family. He volunteered there, then with Special Olympics. He
started a baseball league for disabled children, and then, to make sure the
kids would have something to do during the fall and winter, he launched
Eddie's Club. ..."



30. "Relief offered at last" dated 4 October 2006 by Rosanne Barrett from
The Courier Mail (Australia) at
<http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20518785-3102,00.html>
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20518785-3102,00.html.



"A Gold Coast family who threatened to give up their autistic daughter to
the state if they did not receive additional help are "coping a lot better"
after being offered some respite care. Two weeks ago Rob Lachlan and his
family were suffering under the daily stress of constantly attending to
their youngest seven-year-old daughter Emma. He called for at least a day
of respite each week to relieve the stress of providing the constant care.
He said the Government, through Disability Services Queensland, had provided
little help and the family were stuck on a waiting list for an increased
funding package. But after two meetings with agency officials, the
Lachlans' household contentment is slowly improving with an offer of respite
for seven hours each Saturday. But he said ongoing respite was yet to be
determined, with their application for a funding package to be decided early
next year. "Things have settled down to a point here," Mr Lachlan said.
"They have been very supportive but we'll have to see what happens next
year." But he said if the family funding package did not eventuate, they
would still have to re-evaluate their care options. "There is no guarantee
- they have raised us to a higher-need category . . . but if we end up
knocked back we will have to look at it again," he said. "I can't survive
like this." Autism Queensland CEO Penny Beeston said government funding was
essential for families to avoid reaching the crisis state the Lachlan family
arrived at two weeks ago. "It is critical that Government provides the
early support that families require for them to maintain their sons and
daughters with autism in the family unit," she said. A spokesman for
Disability Services Minister Warren Pitt said the department would continue
to work with the Lachlan family. "The objective is, as far as possible, to
keep the family together," the spokesman said. "The department has been
working with the family both before and after the case was publicised and
had made offers of support."



31. "
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/beth-feldman/mom-of-reinvention-aliso_b_30978
.html> Mom of Reinvention: Alison Singer" dated 4 October 2006 by Beth
Feldman in the Huffington Post.com at
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/beth-feldman/mom-of-reinvention-aliso_b_30978
.html>
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/beth-feldman/mom-of-reinvention-aliso_b_30978.
html.



"Before she became a mother, Alison Singer was quickly racing up the
corporate ladder. After carving a successful path in the television
industry, Alison was at the top of her game as a vice president of business
news programming in NBC's cable and business development division. But when
her daughter Jodie was born, her life took a dramatic turn. After giving
birth to what seemed like a healthy baby, Alison soon learned that Jodie
suffered from autism, a disorder that impairs a person's ability to
communicate and relate to others. Without any instructions on how she and
her family would be able to combat or cure this disorder, Alison and her
husband were sent home to care for their daughter without knowing where to
turn or what to do. "You don't know fear until they tell you your child is
autistic and then they say goodbye and good luck," Alison recalls. After
investigating their options, Alison discovered that Jodie's treatment would
take at least 40 hours a week, and so she decided to ask her employer if
there was any way for her to take on a reduced work schedule. Unfortunately,
at the time, she was told that the job of a vice president is not a part
time position. And so, she had to quit. Alison took some time off to care
for Jodie and also gave birth to her second child, Lauren, a healthy baby
girl. When Lauren was four, Alison began freelancing as a producer for CNBC.
As she continued to hone her knowledge and expertise with issues relating to
autism, Alison produced a series on the disorder that opened the door to a
new opportunity. Following the CNBC broadcast of the award-winning series,
"Autism: Paying the Price," Bob Wright, chairman and CEO of NBC Universal,
tapped Alison to become Acting CEO of Autism Speaks, a foundation which he
was creating along with his wife Suzanne, after being touched by the disease
on a personal level. Mr. Wright's grandson was diagnosed with autism at an
early age and as a result, he and his family have become determined to raise
awareness, funds, and find a cure for this illness that affects nearly 1 in
166 individuals, making autism more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes,
and AIDS combined. ..."



32. "Families Gather For State's First Respite Care Conference- Families
Participated In Discussions, Toured Exhibits" dated 4 October 2006 from
Channel 3000 at <http://www.channel3000.com/health/10003478/detail.html>
http://www.channel3000.com/health/10003478/detail.html.



"Families with special-needs children say it's a need that constantly goes
unfulfilled, and on Wednesday families from all over the state met to talk
about respite care at Wisconsin's first Respite Care Conference. For moms
like Shiela Deforest-Davis, who has a child with bi-polar disorder, respite
care gives parents a chance to focus on their other children -- something
they rarely have time for. "It was the first time that my husband and I
were able to spend time with our other two children alone in four years,"
said Deforest-Davis, talking about her Respitality weekend. Amanda Wing,
who has a brother with autism, said the need for respite care extends to the
siblings as well. "People don't usually understand that we go through as
much stress as the parents go through when there is a sibling with a
disability in the family," said Wing. "And when you have respite services,
the parents have more time to focus on you." More than 100 people shared
concerns like these Wednesday at the first annual statewide Respite
Conference. "It's been very frustrating kind of walking this alone," said
Deforest-Davis. "And so we're hoping that people can come here and find some
support so that they don't feel so isolated." Families and care providers
participated in discussions and toured exhibits. The conference also
recognized Camp Awesome as the respite care provider of the year. "I think
we knew that going into this the first year would be a test, and I think
we've passed that test and it's been a great day," said coordinator Michelle
Sturz. "We look forward to it growing." Organizers are already planning for
next year's conference, which is set for the first Wednesday in October
2007."



33. "Marky's back! High School fan ban lifted" dated 4 October 2006 by Vic
Gideon from WKYC News at
<http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=57589>
http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=57589.



"North High Schools biggest fan -- a 45-year-old man with autism -- is
allowed back on school property to root for the teams. Marky has rooted for
North High sports teams for 25 years, attending every game and nearly every
practice. But that was until a cheerleading advisor, recently transferred
from Central Hower High School, reported Marky to the principal when she
believed he was engaged in inappropriate behavior with his hands in his
pockets while watching practice. "It's an unfortunate thing that his
happened to him," says Alex Borkowski, Marky's brother. "Really, it was
detrimental. I just took his life way. It was hard for him to accept." An
outpouring of support for Marky in the community, however, caused the school
to reconsider the ban. "He would be allowed to come on the school grounds,"
says Addie Veasley, North High School's principal. "Hopefully, he will come
back and be our number one supporter as usual." Marky ran back to the
school when he learned of the decision. He watched football practice and
then the girls' volleyball game. North High's number one fan was ready to
see all his old friends again. "I'm looking forward to seeing everybody
back."



34. "U.S. scientists question air pollution decision" dated 4 October 2006
by Deborah Zabarenko from Reuters at
<http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2006/10/04/eline/links/20061004elin013
.html>
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2006/10/04/eline/links/20061004elin013.
html.



"Pollution experts have "serious scientific concerns" that newly unveiled
U.S. air quality standards may pose risks to human health and welfare,
according to a letter made public on Tuesday. The experts, all charter
members of a key advisory panel to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
questioned the agency's decision to keep annual standards for fine soot
particles at the same level they have been since 1997. The panel's
scientists, along with a broad range of environmental and health groups, had
sought to lower the amount of soot permissible, citing research that showed
health risks from even small amounts over the course of a year. "There is
clear and convincing evidence that significant adverse human-health effects
occur in response to short-term and chronic particulate matter exposures at
or below 15 micrograms per cubic meter (of air), the level of the current
annual...standard," the experts wrote in a September 29 letter to EPA
Administrator Stephen Johnson. Johnson announced the decision to leave this
standard unchanged on September 21, saying it offered "cleaner air to all
Americans," and would reduce premature deaths, heart attacks and hospital
stays for people with heart and lung disease and bring health benefits
valued at between $20 billion and $160 billion a year. ..."



35. "Ped Med: Debate mounts over autism counts" dated 5 October 2006 by
LIDIA WASOWICZ from United Press International at
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-200610
05-11430400-bc-pedmed-autism-7.xml>
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-2006100
5-11430400-bc-pedmed-autism-7.xml.



"Even as new numbers are reported of autism diagnoses in America's children,
the sum total of their meaning remains embroiled in controversy. So much
so, divisions are being drawn even between parties with a shared personal
interest in the outcome. As a case in point, when investigators at the
University of California, Davis, M.I.N.D. Institute declared an
unprecedented increase in the most populous state's autism rates is real and
cannot be explained away by such factors as misclassification and diagnostic
criteria changes, another group of respected scholars challenged the
findings and offered "three reasons not to believe in an autism epidemic."
What made the dichotomy all the more striking is that, while such divergent
views abound, both of these positions came from parent-powered perspectives.
The M.I.N.D. Institute was co-founded by a group of moms and dads with
autistic children, a feature shared by two of the authors of the competing
study. The third is autistic herself. Even though it was not published in a
peer-reviewed journal -- typically a key criterion for establishing a
study's credibility -- the M.I.N.D. survey, led by UC Davis pediatric
epidemiologist Robert Byrd, has been widely viewed and cited as
incontrovertible evidence of an epidemic. It holds such sway in part
because whereas accurate counts generally are hard to come by, California
mandates special services for all children diagnosed with autism and other
developmental disorders, and, thus, requires separate recordkeeping of such
cases. Considered to have the best autism reporting system in the United
States, California is generally viewed as a bellwether for the rest of the
nation -- and as the great numerical hope that can settle the controversy
over whether any connection exists between autism and vaccines. If the most
accurate record of trends in autism shows the numbers are declining
alongside the removal of thimerosal from childhood shots, it would give a
sizeable boost to the theory that hangs on rates of the disorder rising and
falling with the extent of youngsters' exposure to the mercury-based
preservative. ..."



36. "Many Children Lack Flu Shots, Study Finds" dated 5 October 2006 from
the Associated Press in The Washington Post at
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR200610040
0892.html>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100400
892.html.



"At least half of the young children who are supposed to get annual flu
shots have not been doing so. Among children with chronic medical conditions
such as asthma and heart disease, about two-thirds are missing out on the
vaccine. With medical experts expanding the age range of children who
should be vaccinated, the percentages could go up. Health officials now say
children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years should get flu shots;
previously, the range was 6 months to 2 years. Health officials with the
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases said Americans do not take flu
seriously enough. This year, a vaccine shortage will not be a credible
excuse for not getting a shot. More than 100 million vaccine doses will be
available -- the most ever. "Vaccine that remains in the refrigerator
cannot prevent influenza," said William Schaffner, chairman of the
department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University. The stakes are
high when it comes to the flu, said officials who attended a news conference
designed to raise awareness of the illness. The flu kills about 36,000
people in the United States each year and puts more than 200,000 people in
the hospital. Most of the deaths and serious cases are among the elderly.
Still, for children between the ages of 2 and 5, there is a higher rate of
clinic and emergency-room visits because of flu-related illness than for any
other disease. Officials also said that vaccinating siblings is important
for newborns. Although children under the age of 6 months should not get
vaccinated, it is important that their siblings and parents do, officials
said. The estimate of about 50 percent getting a shot was based on a
telephone survey conducted by state health departments. Another survey,
which requires verification from a child's health-care provider, indicates
that the percentage of children getting a flu shot could be even lower --
about 33 percent."



37. "Shock therapy expense blasted" dated 5 October 2006 by RORY SCHULER
from The Taunton Gazette at
<http://www.tauntongazette.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17286051&BRD=1711&PAG=46
1&dept_id=24232&rfi=6>
http://www.tauntongazette.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17286051&BRD=1711&PAG=461
&dept_id=24232&rfi=6.



"In a symbolic stand against a therapy he has long considered inhumane,
School Committee member and state Department of Social Services caseworker
Alfred W. Baptista Jr. refused to vote to approve payment to the Judge
Rotenberg Educational Center. A 19-year-old city student suffering from
autism, mental retardation and extreme fits of violence has been getting
treatment and living at the center for the past three years. His mother
praises the therapy, which involves supervised, court-ordered, occasional
skin-shocks to curb dangerous, erratic behavior. A mental health
professional herself, she credits the center for saving her child's life.
The topic emerged publicly during a finance and law subcommittee meeting
last month. Baptista and fellow committee member Richard J. Faulkner are
strongly opposed to the district picking up the $18,000 monthly tab - or
more than $200,000 a year - for the treatment. Several other committee
members - chairwoman Christine A. Fagan, Josephine B. Almeida and Peter H.
Corr - support the mother's decision, which has the approval of
Massachusetts courts and the school's special education administrators. As
the committee heard a motion to approve more than $1 million in districtwide
bills, the typically rubber-stamped approval was halted by Baptista. He
requested the Rotenberg Center bill be separated from the list and voted on
separately. Faulkner seconded the motion. A motion was needed to pay the
Rotenberg bill on its own. After a few moments of silence, Fagan made a
motion to pay the bill, seconded by Corr. The motion passed narrowly by
voice alone, and Mayor Robert G. Nunes ushered the meeting forward without a
roll call vote. Before the meeting, Baptista passed a scathing 26-page
study by New York state to his fellow board members, urging them to read it.
The Center is under review by that state's Department of Education.
Legislation to outlaw shock therapy in the Bay State has stalled repeatedly.
"There are rapists and murderers in prison," Baptista said. "This kind of
therapy can't be used there. You shouldn't be able to do this to children
either."



38. "Eye of the Autism Storm- What were you doing on August 28, 2005?" by
Shelley Hendrix-Reynolds from Spectrum Publications at
<http://www.spectrumpublications.com/eyeofthestorm.php>
http://www.spectrumpublications.com/eyeofthestorm.php.



"I was doing our laundry while frantically attempting to clean out my email
box. My friends and family across the country were sending me instant
messages and emails begging me to evacuate Baton Rouge because Hurricane
Katrina was coming. Each person was sending me minute-by-minute updates,
tracking the storm while I just sat here waiting for the bullet to hit.
Having been through hurricanes before, including Hurricane Andrew, I knew
what to do. Store water in the bathtubs so that you can flush the toilets.
Clean your laundry because you won't have electricity for three weeks or
more (in that hot, sticky post-hurricane climate you will really appreciate
clean underwear, thank you Hurricane Andrew!). Go to the store. Buy as many
bottles of water and cans of red beans as you can while trying to be
southern and polite when other shoppers see you looking at it. Do not make
ugly faces at people who got there first and grab it from you. Stock up on
rice and easy-to-prepare gluten free foods for my son Liam. Get 15 bags of
charcoal so that you can figure out once again how it was that you cooked
rice on the grill the last time. Enjoy the air-conditioning while you have
it and drink something with ice in it. Bring all the patio furniture inside.
Put away the wind chimes. Tape the windows. Find the cat. Clean out the
refrigerator. Go get sandbags. Put all your valuables and important papers
in one place so that you can get to them quickly. Get cash out of the ATM
and fill your car with gas. Once you finish that, make a big pot of
jambalaya then go sit on your porch with your friends, have a beer and watch
it all roll on in. At first everything is spectacular. The weather is nice
and breezy. The humidity levels drop, which is always a nice treat in the
summer here. The clouds make really cool shapes. Rain will pour down for
three minutes and then clear up like nothing happened again as a spiral band
moves on past your area. When the storm gets bad enough, you go back inside
the house to ride it out remembering with each passing minute that it really
is as scary as it was the last time. You spend the next couple of hours
praying to God and bargaining that if he will get you through this without a
tree landing on your house, or head, you promise, cross your heart, not only
to clean up your act but that you will heed the warnings and evacuate next
time. I made it until about 10:15 P.M. in my home and then I signed off of
the computer. By then the winds were howling all around me. I have nine
large oak trees in my backyard. I could hear them creaking and could imagine
those trees smashing me in half. So I got in the car amid tropical force
winds and drove to my friend Kelly's house. She doesn't have trees in her
yard. She has a brick house. I felt like one of the three little pigs. ..."



39. "Don't Wait to Vaccinate- By the age of 4, your child will need up to
26 shots. Here's why they're all important" by Norine Dworkin-McDaniel from
American Baby.com at
<http://www.americanbaby.com/ab/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/ab/story/d
ata/1159284083229.xml&categoryid=/templatedata/ab/category/data/Health_Gener
alHealth.xml&ordersrc=rafstory>
http://www.americanbaby.com/ab/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/ab/story/da
ta/1159284083229.xml&categoryid=/templatedata/ab/category/data/Health_Genera
lHealth.xml&ordersrc=rafstory.



"Andrea McMaster, of Lincoln, Nebraska, thought she was just making casual
conversation when she told her mommies group that the following day she was
taking her daughter, Erin, to get her two-month vaccinations. Instead, the
reaction stunned her. Of the 20 moms, 17 weren't immunizing their children.
And they were urging her to do the same. "I'd never thought twice about
vaccinations, and suddenly I was confronted with, 'Are you sure you want to
vaccinate your child?'" McMaster recalls. With her stomach in knots, she
spent the rest of the day learning all she could about infant vaccinations.
"I searched the Internet, called friends and relatives, and talked to my
pediatrician. But the more research I did, the more I found out that it's
even riskier not to immunize." Vaccine Anxiety. Pediatricians consider
childhood immunizations to be the foundation of a lifetime of good health,
but some parents choose to delay vaccinations or avoid them altogether
despite their decades-long track record of preventing dangerous childhood
diseases. It's natural to be a little anxious. No one likes needles, and
today, by age 4, a fully immunized child can receive up to 26 shots to
protect against 13 diseases, such as polio, meningitis, and measles. If your
pediatrician uses combination vaccines, such as Pediarix for diphtheria,
tetanus, pertussis, polio, and hepatitis B, or Pro-Quad for measles, mumps,
rubella, and chickenpox, that can cut the shots to 19 or 20. Still, while
the pain is fleeting, it's hard for parents to watch their kids become
pincushions. But parents usually decide not to vaccinate based on
misinformation gleaned from the Internet or playground gossip. "There's a
lot of bad information out there," says Paul Offit, MD, author of Vaccines:
What You Should Know (Wiley). "When people talk about vaccine safety, they
invariably discuss things such as learning disorders, behavior problems,
autism, and other diseases, which numerous studies have shown have no
relation to vaccines." ..."



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