Background: Ambient levels
of pesticides ("pesticide drift") are detectable at residences
near agricultural field sites. Objective: Our goal was to evaluate the hypothesis
that maternal residence near agricultural pesticide applications
during key periods of gestation could be associated with the
development of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children.
November 2007.
In 1983, the Centers for Disease Control recommended a total
of 10 vaccines for our children. In 2007, the CDC recommends
36, an increase of 260%. Yet, no studies have ever been done
to compare neurological disorder ("ND") rates of
unvaccinated children to vaccinated children. We commissioned
a national market research firm to survey more than 13,000
children in California and Oregon. October 2007.
On a bright July day in Dorena, Jackie Gwaltney sits inside
and wonders what could possibly be going through the mind
of her 18-year old son Joey.
He's worked up today, and she's not sure why.
Joey can't walk, but he does hop around excitedly, gesturing
and making wordless sounds, trying to get a point across. He
seems upset, perhaps because there's a stranger in the house.
Or maybe he's just thirsty.
THEN: In 2003, David Olson of Eugene, once
stuffed in trash cans and shoved into lockers by kids at his
middle school because of his autism, made news for earning karate's
black belt. What made his story particularly compelling was
that, given a chance to take revenge on one of his "tormentors,"
he chose, instead, to forgive the kid.
NOW: At 26, Olson's world has blossomed
even more since he was profiled four years ago.
When Nan Lester realized the Eugene School District knew next
to nothing about Asperger syndrome, a type of autism afflicting
her young son, she lobbied and cajoled school officials until
they formed a special team to work on autism issues.
When she realized there were other parents fighting the same
battles here and around the state, she formed the Asperger Advocacy
Coalition to provide support and practical advice.
When Lester realized there was a whole population of adults
and children with Asperger syndrome who needed help, she decided
to go back to school and get a master's degree so she could
work with them professionally. She decided to become a counselor
specializing in Asperger issues, she said, "because there
wasn't anyone doing it."
"I wanted to go one step further than the maverick mother
who shook things up," she said.
WASHINGTON -- The largest U.S. study of childhood autism to
date has found that about 1 in 150 have the disorder, a higher
prevalence than previous national estimates.
The autism rate was about 6.6 per 1,000 in the new study, based
on data from 2002. It was released Thursday by the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year, the agency had
estimated the rate was about 5.5 in 1,000.
The research involved an intense review of medical and school
records for children in all or part of 14 states and gives the
clearest picture yet of how common autism is in some parts of
the country, CDC officials said.
Deeper than the mirror Puberty is a difficult stage for developmentally disabled
children who may not be equipped to deal with the way their
bodies and minds change. By Sheila Hagar of the Union-Bulletin, 12/06, about
former KT board member Geri Newton. Puberty. Every parent knows the anxiety and fear associated
with the topic.
First-grader’s art
a budding business
The Times Nov 30, 2006
TIGARD – Suzie Noel Duncan-Wynn is only a first-grader,
but she is already an entrepreneur. (Suzie is not a KindTree
artist - not yet!)
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) is initiating a multi-state collaborative study
to help identify factors that may put children at risk for autism
spectrum disorders (ASDs) and other developmental disabilities.
Approximately 2,700 children, ages 2 to 5, and their parents
will be part of this study.
TV
As The Cause of Autism Studyby Kendra Pettengill
October 21, 2006 Message to the authors of the study at Cornell
University. "First and foremost this is a perfect
example of what happens when economists that know nothing of
a medical condition try to find some statistical relationship
between their beloved data and a condition."
Scientific
American Cover Story: Broken Mirrors: A Theory of Autism By Vilayanur S. Ramachandran and Lindsay
M. Oberman, November, 2006
"Is there a connection between autism and a newly discovered
class of nerve cells in the brain called mirror neurons? Because
these neurons appear to be involved in abilities such as empathy
and the perception of another individual's intentions, it seems
logical to hypothesize that a dysfunction of the mirror neuron
system could result in some of the symptoms of autism. Over
the past decade, several studies have provided evidence for
this theory. Further investigations of mirror neurons may explain
how autism arises, and in the process physicians may develop
better ways to diagnose and successfully treat the disorder."
Research providing insight
into autism's mysteriesRegister-Guard,
Sept. 3, 2006 Imagine being unable to express
your thoughts and feelings, being mystified by everyday conversation
and events, and feeling assaulted by commonplace sights and
sounds.
WASHINGTON - A bill that marshals
an army of new research dollars to strike a forceful blow against
autism deserves - and we hope will get - full consideration
from the House of Representatives when it returns in September.
Passed unanimously by the Senate
on Aug. 3, the Combating Autism Act will increase research funds
for autism and offers new hope that a cure can be found for
the nation's most common genetic disorder. More here...
Autism
Movement Seeks Acceptance, Not Cures from NPR,
June 26, 2006.
Michael John Carley is trying to change your image of autism.
He has autism and he's happy just the way he is. He thinks that
might surprise you.
Mark
Leland, Country Music star, is enjoying success with "Missing
Pieces", a song about autism.
The largest motivation behind this CD is the title track, “Missing
Pieces”. Leland’s manager and long time friend,
Tim Calhoun, is the father of Nathaniel, the inspiration for
this song. Nathaniel, like 1.7 million other children, is autistic.
After listening to the stories of the challenges that families
face in receiving treatment for their children diagnosed with
autism and watching the pain his close friend was facing, Leland
began to learn more and more about autism. Together, Calhoun
and Leland wrote “Missing Pieces”. It is a touching
song that takes a listener through the anguish of having a beautiful
baby whose neurological sense become challenged in the first
few years of life. The autism community faces a constant struggle
of learning about the causes of this terrible disease and the
ever-changing ideas on effective treatment.
Doctor
Who Sparked Vaccine Controversy Faces Charges The doctor who sparked a worldwide scare over the
safety of the MMR vaccine is expected to be charged with professional
misconduct by Great Britain's General Medical Council, the London
Independent reported Monday.
By Richard Nangle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
STAFF, Massachusetts
rnangle@telegram.com
A battle pitting many parents of autistic children against
the bulk of the state’s medical establishment, with
state lawmakers squarely in the middle, could spill onto
the House floor this week as debate begins on a bill to
ban mercury from children’s vaccines.
What spurred the proposed legislation is a rise in autism
rates that coincides with an increase in the required
number of children’s vaccines. Since 1989 the number
of required injections is up from about 8 to 22. In that
same time period, according to the federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, incidences of autism have
risen from 2 in 10,000 to 1 in 166.
Cheryl Guadino took this picture of her son Ryan’s
reaction to several vaccinations containing thimerasol.
The North Attleboro mother has sent a copy of the photo
to every member of the Legislature. (CHERYL GUADINO)
"A lot of folks don’t want to
believe that we could have been unwittingly doing harm to our
children."
STATE REP. BARBARA L’ITALIEN, D-ANDOVER, MOTHER OF AUTISTIC
SON
Be
proactive if you suspect disabilityBy
Nanny Yvonne, Thursday, June 15, 2006 Q: I have a child who likes to keep to himself and
won’t interact with other children. Some of my friends
have suggested I have him tested for autism.
What are the signs of autism and how do I get him tested?
Deadline for Summer 2006 Contest -- entries must be postmarked
by August 15, 2006
The purpose of the poetry contest is to
bring recognition to poets both young and old. Winners share
over $70,000 in prizes. With most contests regionally based,
poets are competing against their peers in both age and location.
In addition to the winning poems, other poems of high merit
are accepted to be published in our hard bound anthology. Within
the guidelines of accepting less than 50% of the poems that
are entered in each contest, the contest is selective so that
it is an honor to be accepted, yet not so exclusive that it
is discouraging to enter. Unlike many other organizations who
sponsor poetry contests, there is no entry fee and no required
purchase in order to become published. Creative Communication
staff is comprised of teachers, professors, and poets.
April 19 –Disability
News Radio Featuring Tim Mueller, KindTree Productions,
Inc. Dedicated to serving and celebrating the autism
community through art, education and recreation.
Caroline Alterio, President, New York State
Occupational Therapy Association April is National Occupational
Therapy Month http://www.nysota.org/
Bill Stillman, Speaker, Columnist, Advocate
and Author of books including, “Autism and the God Connection.”
Demystifying autism from the inside out! http://www.williamstillman.com/
January 25, 2005
(Washington, DC – January 25, 2005) -- State of the Art,
Inc. is pleased to announce that "Autism
Is A World" produced and directed by Gerardine Wurzburg,
has been nominated for the 2004 Academy Award® in the Documentary
Short Subject category. The nomination is Gerardine Wurzburg’s
second; her film “Educating Peter” won the award
in the same category in 1992. Available at the Springfield Library
By BENEDICT CAREY, The New York Times Desperate parents of autistic children
have tried almost everything - hormone injections, exotic diets,
faith healing - in the hope of finding a cure.
It
is difficult to imagine Mary-Minn Sirag without words.
At 51, she talks incessantly, in a rich, low, singsong voice.
Her command of the language is impressive, her vocabulary prodigious
- a byproduct, perhaps, of the shelves and stacks of books lining
the walls of almost every room of her River Road-area house.
Many
insist on vaccine-autism link By Gardiner Harris and Anahad O'Connor The New York Times,
from the Register Guard, 6/25/05 Kristen Ehresmann, a Minnesota Department
of Health official, had just told a state Senate hearing that
vaccines with microscopic amounts of mercury were safe. Libby
Rupp, a mother of a 3-year-old girl with autism, was incredulous.
``How did my daughter get so much mercury in her?'' Rupp asked
Ehresmann after her testimony.
``Fish?'' Ehresmann suggested. ``She never eats it,'' Rupp answered.
``Do you drink tap water?''
``It's all filtered.'' ``Well, do you breathe the air?'' Ehresmann
asked, with a resigned smile. Several parents looked angrily
at Ehresmann, who left.
Rupp remained, shaking with anger. That anyone could defend mercury in
vaccines, she said, ``makes my blood boil.''
Damning
Info from Robert F Kennedy, Jr. When a study revealed that mercury
in childhood vaccines may have caused autism in thousands
of kids, the government rushed to conceal the data
- and to prevent parents from suing drug companies for their
role in the epidemic. 6/05
Solving
the autism riddle: For more and more mystified
parents, alternative therapies offer a way out. By Tim Christie The
Register-Guard April 10, 2005 Featuring Eugene's Bridgeway
House
"They're putting their children on special diets. They've
cut out wheat, dairy and other foods and plugged in a boatload
of dietary supplements. Some put their children through a therapy
intended to cleanse their bodies of heavy metals."
The Health Files / Woman's son suffers
the burden of her vaccine skepticism. By Tim Christie The Register-Guard November
1, 2004
"But in recent years, childhood vaccines have come under
a cloud in some circles. Some activists, alarmed by an increase
in the number of children diagnosed with autism, have theorized
that the vaccines somehow trigger autism.
In Oregon, the number of school-age children diagnosed with
autism as their primary disorder increased from 897 in 1994
to 3,989 in 2003, a 344 percent increase, according to the state
Department of Education. Oregon has the highest rate of autism
in the country: 0.43 percent of young people age 6 to 21 have
autism, according to federal statistics."
Autistic students granted a place
apart: New Eugene program reaches out to kids who learn best
from a distance By Anne Williams, The
Register-Guard, October 8.
"Sandwiched between Kennedy Middle School and Churchill
High School on Bailey Hill Road, Path Finder is technically
a program, not a school, officials say. But it has its own building,
its own staff and its own, decidedly unordinary, student body."
Advocates focus on the students
who get picked on By Anne Williams,
The Register-Guard, October 8.
"Teasing and exclusion by their peers can torpedo the academic
achievement of kids with Asperger syndrome or other variations
of high-functioning autism - a possibility that educators and
parents must work against, said autism consultant Rebekah Heinrichs,
who will speak at the conference today.
Voting gets easier for citizens
with disabilities October 1, 2004 Register-Guard By Jeanne-Marie Moore (KindTree Board member) and Carole
Patterson
"In the 1980s, Oregon revolutionized the voting process
by implementing vote by mail, widely heralded as a convenient
option to increase voting. However, people with disabilities
and people who are blind or visually impaired are left at a
disadvantage when voting by mail."
New UO program trains autism specialists
Eugene, Or, September 25, 2004
The University of Oregon this week will launch the state's first
teacher training program dedicated solely to preparing specialists
in autism, a perplexing neurological disorder affecting an increasing
number of children.
Sherrif's Officials Apologize
Vancouver, Wash, Sept 24, 2004 The Clark County sheriff and a sergeant have apologized
for the sergeant saying that a disabled teenage girl, who was
missing two weeks before she was found with a man subsequently
charged with kidnapping and child rape, had invited the crime
on herself.
Why
Don't We Call Them Quirky?
As more and more kids live with labels, diagnoses and disorders,
a growing number of experts are beginning to use antiquated
terms like 'eccentric' and 'odd'. MSNBC 5/04
Making
Their Way
Despite Critics, Autistic Youths Still Typing
Jan. 20 — Autism is like a heavy curtain between its sufferers
and the outside world, and when facilitated communication was
introduced, it seemed like the curtain had lifted and autistic
people were at last able to reveal themselves. ABCnews.com
Girls,
Boys and Autism
Is this mysterious and sometimes devastating condition just
an extreme version of normal male intelligence? That’s
one provocative new theory. Behind autism’s gender gap.
MSNBC 9/03
Breaking
The Silence
July 16, 2003
(CBS) Over the last few years, statistics have shown a significant
and startling rise in the number of children diagnosed with
autism. But there has also been what some are calling an unexpected
breakthrough in the disorder. 60 Minutes II
Interview with Mary-Minn Sirag and Tim Mueller