Items 1 through 6 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. Thanks!
>
7. "Children with autism have distinctly different immune system reactions
compared to typical children" dated 5 May 2005 by Immunologists from UC
Davis M.I.N.D. Institute at
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-05/asfb-cwa050205.php and at
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-05/asfb-acr050405.php.

> "A new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis,
> M.I.N.D. Institute and the NIEHS Center for Children's Environmental
> Health demonstrate that children with autism have different immune system
> responses than children who do not have the disorder. This is important
> evidence that autism, currently defined primarily by distinct behaviors,
> may potentially be defined by distinct biologic changes as well. ..."
>
> 8. "Learning As Much As They Can- For Arlington's students with
> developmental disabilities, high expectations can mean high achievements"
> dated 22 April 2005 by Stefan Cornibert from the Connection Newspapers at
> http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/printarticle.asp?article=49529.
>
> "When teachers asked Cherie Takemoto if her 16-year-old son Pete would be
> taking the Standards of Learning exam that year, she was hesitant. "I
> didn't really think it was worth it, but they told me he'd been doing well
> and that he could do this," she said. Pete, a student at Yorktown High
> School, is living with developmental disabilities. In the classroom he
> gets extra help from teachers and takes tests in a different way - without
> the same time limitations, for example - than others. But, despite the
> challenges, Pete has come to not only survive but thrive in school. His
> SOL results surprised his mother. "He didn't pass, but he missed it by
> only one question," she said. ..."
>
> 9. "Taking a shot" dated 30 April 2005 by Rich Tucker from Townhall.com
> at http://www.townhall.com/columnists/richtucker/rt20050430.shtml.
>
> "Where some see a crisis, others see an opportunity. Recently, the
> government announced it soon might face shortages of many common childhood
> vaccines. The federal stockpile, supposed to contain 41 million doses, now
> holds only about 13 million doses. Some launched into crisis mode. "I'd
> start the meeting at 1 o'clock, lock the door, and wouldn't let anyone
> leave until they had found a solution," Dr. Jerome Klein, a member of the
> National Vaccine Advisory Committee, told The Washington Post. Sen.
> Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., intoned, "Research shows that a vaccine delayed
> is a vaccine denied, and when kids are young we should never take that
> gamble." But this also can be an opportunity to discuss whether we need
> to be giving children all the shots they're getting. After all, the
> greatest gamble may not be in skipping some shots, but in giving children
> shot after shot at a remarkably young age. During a child's first 18
> months, the government recommends he receive up to 20 doses of vaccine to
> protect against 11 diseases. The amount of dangerous material we're
> pumping into our children's bodies, at an age when they're especially
> vulnerable, is frightening. ..."
>
> 10. "The possibility of a friendship" dated 1 May 2005 by Lisa Wangness
> from the Concord Monitor at
> http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050501/REPOSITO
> RY/505010304/1031.
>
> "Brad Niejadlik's disability hasn't kept him from warm relationships at
> Concord High. A gregarious personality has helped. So have the efforts of
> his classmates. Brad Niejadlik springs from his chair next to the china
> cabinet and peers out the dining room window. Kate's car isn't there.
> Not yet. He doesn't have to set the table tonight. He won't be home to
> eat pork roast with his mother and father. Tonight, he's going bowling
> with friends from school. ..."
>
>
> 11. "Immune system, blood altered in autism-studies" dated 5 May 2005
> from Reuters at http://story.news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050505/hl_nm/autism_dc.
>
> "Children with autism show different immune system responses from children
> without the condition, and these might be measured in the blood for a
> possible screening test, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. ..."
>
> 12. "New New York City charter will serve children with autism" dated 4
> May 2005 by Emma Daly from The New York Times at
> http://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/04/ny
> region/04autism.html&OP=2851c42d/B56PBlQ5D2g8Q5DQ5DJQ5CBQ5Cyy1By1ByQ20BIL8
> 6{qQ5DIByQ20_MJqguvGJuA.
>
> "Two Manhattan women have won approval to open a charter school for
> autistic children in New York, the first public school in the city
> dedicated to providing the expensive therapy that can transform the lives
> of autistic children and their families. The school, the New York Center
> for Autism Charter School, is to open in September in a Manhattan public
> school, and is likely to start with four pupils and four instructors. The
> children will be grouped according to the severity of their autism, a
> developmental disability that can cause social isolation, repetitive
> behaviors and difficulty in developing language skills. The school expects
> to add a pupil every few weeks for a total of 12, ages 5 to 9, by the end
> of the year. At full capacity, the school plans to educate 28 children, 5
> to 14 years old, with a one-to-one ratio of staff members to children, in
> a full-day 12-month program. Tuition will be free, compared with as much
> as $70,000 a year at a comparable private school, and children will be
> admitted by lottery. ..."
>
> 13. "Research Offers Hope for Autism Blood Test- New Findings Could Help
> Point the Way to Autism Diagnosis in Newborns' dated 5 May 2005 by Salynn
> Boyles
> from WebMD Medical News at
> http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/105/107860.htm?z=1728_00000_1000_tn_01
> .
>
> "Autism researchers say they are closer than ever to developing a simple
> blood test that will identify the developmental disorder in newborns.
> While acknowledging that a diagnostic blood test for autism is still years
> away, the researchers say their new study offers "a proof of principle"
> that such a test is possible. The study findings were reported today at
> the 4th International Meeting for Autism Research in Boston. Some 700
> scientists from around the world were expected to attend the conference.
> "Finding a sensitive and accurate biological marker for autism that can be
> revealed by a simple blood test would have enormous implications for
> diagnosing, treating and understanding more about the underlying causes of
> autism," researcher David Amaral, PhD, said at a news conference. ..."
>
> 14. From NICHCY, the National Dissemination Center for Children with
> Disabilities.
>
> AD/HD 101 at http://www.nichcy.org/enews/foundations/ADHD101.asp.
>
> Autism 101 at http://www.nichcy.org/enews/foundations/autism101.asp.
>
> NICHCY Connections...to Learning Disabilities at
> http://www.nichcy.org/resources/LD1.asp.
>
> Rare Syndromes and Disorders at
> http://www.nichcy.org/enews/foundations/raredisorders.asp.
>
> National and State Disability Groups at
> http://www.nichcy.org/enews/foundations/national-stateresources.asp.
>
> Resources within the Medical and Healthcare Community at
> http://www.nichcy.org/enews/foundations/healthcare.asp.
>
> Resources in the Mental Health Community at
> http://www.nichcy.org/enews/foundations/mentalhealth101.asp.
>
> Disability and Education Laws- NICHCY Connections...to U.S. Education Laws
> at http://www.nichcy.org/resources/Laws2.htm.
>
> NICHCY Connections... to Resources on IDEA 2004 at
> http://www.nichcy.org/resources/idea2004resources.asp.
>
> NICHCY Connections...to the No Child Left Behind Act at
> http://www.nichcy.org/resources/nclb.asp.
>
> 15. Petition to "Show Us The Vaccine Data" at
> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/896046564. Your signature will
> help reach our goal of 100000 signatures, which currently at 14,432nd
> persons. We are always told that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh
> the risks, but when a reaction happens to your child the risks are 100%.
> Please help more by sharing this petition with your friends and family!
> Petitions will succeed only by word of mouth, and every signature will
> help make a difference! Send the email below and encourage more people to
> sign! Together we can truly make a difference!
>
> 16. FOR A COMPILATION OF MOST OF THE RECENT NEWS AND EVENTS THAT I HAVE
> SENT OUT SINCE 7 DECEMBER 2004 ON VARIOUS LIST SERVS, PLEASE GO TO THE
> POAC-NoVA WEB LINK OF:
> http://www.poac-nova.org/base.cgim?template=news_and_events.