KindTree is dedicated to serving and celebrating the Autism Community through art, education, and recreation. With warm hearted whimsy, an open sense of family and a deep level of caring, we reach inside ourselves to embrace our flaws, gather our strengths, and offer our love while reaching out to people with autism spectrum disorders, their families and care givers. Through the power of self-advocacy in an atmosphere of acceptance and respect, autistic and neuro-normal people alike can work toward self- realization.

Research providing insight into autism's mysteries Imagine being unable to express your thoughts and feelings, being mystified by everyday conversation and events, and feeling assaulted by commonplace sights and sounds. Art by people with autism: Notecards and More... Help Support Artists With Autism   Published: Sunday, September 3, 2006, Register-Guard - by Cynthia Whitfield of Eugene (cynhome2 @msn.com) is a freelance writer. For more information about the Autism Speaks walk, call Teri Baker at 686-8450, e-mail teribaker97436@yahoo.com or go to www.autismwalk.org\Eugene. That's what life is like for many people with autism - including my 12-year-old son Jalen, who also has mental retardation. Although he struggles to understand many concepts most preschoolers grasp with ease, he can read and write at a first-grade level. He loves Mickey Mouse, Disneyland and his family. He has quicksilver moods, a beautiful smile, and a very uncertain future. Chances are most people know someone with this mystifying brain disorder. In Oregon, about one in 122 people has some form of autism, compared with one in 166 nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is now considered one of the most common developmental disabilities. The number of children diagnosed with autism has risen dramatically since the 1980s, for reasons still unclear. Autism is more prevalent than childhood cancer, cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Autism is a neurological disorder that affects functioning of the brain. Its hallmarks are impairments in social interaction and communication. Some people with autism have little or no speech, while others function at much higher levels. Many have narrow interests or engage in repetitive behaviors, such as repeatedly rewinding a videotape to watch the same scene or saying the same phrase over and over. No one knows what causes autism, but many researchers believe there are multiple causes. According to the Princeton Child Development Institute, these may include genetic factors, maternal health problems during pregnancy, problems during delivery, or exposure to toxic chemicals. This last possibility is the most controversial. In recent years some parents and professionals have cited the mercury-containing preservative thimerosol once used in most vaccines as a cause of autism. Others believe susceptible babies may suffer damage from negative reactions to vaccines with or without thimerosol. Although some recent studies suggest no link between vaccines and autism, critics say there is much conflicting evidence. In a column in the Aug. 18 edition of The Register-Guard, Rosalynn Carter and Dr. Peter Hotez claim the autism-vaccine link is "nonexistent," in part because babies diagnosed with autism show unusual brain growth at the age of one month, "well before" babies receive their first immunization. However, babies born in the 1990s were routinely given the Hepatitis B shot at birth until the practice was finally abandoned. My own son received the shot after a difficult birth with serious complications. He also developed severe jaundice. At this point there's no way to prove that one, all or none of these factors contributed to his disabilities. In the meantime, more research is needed to help prevent and treat autism and related disabilities. A walk to support autism research organized by Autism Speaks, an organization that raises funds for autism research, is scheduled for Sept.10 at Alton Baker Park in Eugene. Registration is at 9 a.m., and the walk begins at 10 a.m. Members of Autism Speaks organize walks all over the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. All funds raised at the event will go into biomedical research. Autism Speaks is sponsoring a University of Oregon research project designed to help researchers gain insight into brain regions affected in autism, and attempt to pinpoint a cellular and molecular basis for the condition. "The researchers we fund help fill in the gaps left by government research efforts," says Scott Ryan, Autism Speaks regional director. "It's hard to get government funding for a project when you only have a theory. That's where we come in. We evaluate research proposals and fund the more promising ones.." Local Autism Speaks walk organizer Teri Baker has a special reason for organizing the first annual Eugene walk. Her daughter Ragan, who had autism, died two years ago after respiratory failure resulting from seizures. About one in four people with autism develop seizures by the time they become young adults. Teri donated Ragan's brain to Harvard for research, and she's now working to raise awareness of the importance of brain tissue donations to facilitate autism research. The brains of people with and without autism are needed. "Most people think that if they're classified as an organ donor, their brains will also be donated. That's not true. People need a separate brain donor designation," Baker says. Sufficient research should produce advances in the prevention and treatment of autism. Baker urges community members to create, join or sponsor a walking team, or simply donate much-needed funds. Cynthia Whitfield of Eugene (cynhome2 @msn.com) is a freelance writer. For more information about the Autism Speaks walk, call Teri Baker at 686-8450, e-mail teribaker97436@yahoo .com or go to www.autismwalk.org\Eugene.