AUTISM is everywhere

Autism in the Holy Land

By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.

An Age of Autism reader sent me an article reporting on autism trends over time in Israel. The article is entitled “Time Trends in Reported Autistic Spectrum Disorders in Israel, 1972-2004” and was published in the Israeli Medical Association Journal in January of 2009 (HERE.)
The reader was concerned that little attention was being paid to the findings of the article. Although one might point to a more thorough, recent U.C. Davis study showing the rise in autism is not due to better screening and diagnosis, and suggesting an environmental cause, the findings from the Israeli study are nonetheless chilling.

From the abstract, “The incidence data showed an increase in the number of cases from zero in 1982-1984 and 2 in 1985 (1.2 million per capita under 18 years) in 1985 to a high of 428 cases in 2004 190 per million).” That makes the current rate of autism in Israel to be about 1 in 2,400 kids. But the numbers on a yearly basis tell an even more interesting story than an inexorable rise in autism rates.

The graphic for figure 1 in the document shows a slow increase from 1985 (0 per year) to 1996 (approximately 65), then a sharp increase, peaking in 1999 (about 350), a plunge from that time to a low in 2002 (about 200), then a sharp increase to 2004 (about 450). The authors note that “The fivefold increase in the annual number of patients eligible for disability benefits (author's note - referring to the time-frame between 1996 and 1999) might be attributable to several factors,” and then goes on to identify the usual suspects, namely better diagnosing and reporting.

What’s curious, though, is how this population of medical professionals who were supposedly good at identifying and diagnosing autism in 1999, then had a drop of more than 40% by 2002. Did they lose their newly-acquired skills in a sophomore slump? If I’m not mistaken, those were also the years of the vaccine-autism "panic" which began shortly after the publication of Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s article in the Lancet, linking the MMR shot and autism. Was there a drop in vaccination rates in Israel after the Wakefield publication? Did vaccination rates then subsequently go up in later years?

Think about it. Autism rates in Israel dropped more than 40% during that time. Shouldn’t there be some investigation of what caused this dramatic change? Isn’t this something the CDC should be looking into? Can somebody call Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN?

Because if we could discover what caused such an amazing decrease in autism we'd all have a new miracle from the Holy Land.

Kent Heckenlively is Legal Editor of Age of Autism

Autistic students making progress at aquatics center

SOUTHBOROUGH —
In one corner of the pool, a boy named Robert carefully places a pair of flippers on his feet and eases into the water.
He treads water for a few seconds, dives under the surface and kicks up a plume. His head emerges, and he smiles and begins swimming for the opposite wall.
For the students at the New England Center for Children (NECC), swimming has become engrained in their weekly school routines. Just as the students differ in where they fall on the spectrum of autism disorders, they also range in skill and comfort level in the water.
But for most, the pool is a place where they can thrive.
It has been a year since the Michael S. Dukakis Aquatic Center opened at NECC. In that time, most students have made progress in the pool. While some were once too scared even touch the water's surface, they now get their feet wet. For others, progress has come in the form of building endurance and stroke development.
"It's a part of the culture now," said Aquatics Director Kristen Sidman. "For all the kids, they're learning functional life skills no matter where they are on the spectrum."
In the last year, NECC reports that in physical and adaptive education, including pool and gym time, 83 percent of elementary day students and 82 percent of residential students have attained at least one more physical or behavior skill than they initially had. Eighty-nine percent of preschoolers made the same progress.
"Over 80 percent (of all students) have advanced their skill level," Sidman said. "That's very significant because some autistic kids learn very slowly."
Residential students at NECC swim three to four times a week between lessons and recreation time, while day students are at the pool twice a week for lessons and can come to evening swim times Monday through Saturday with their families.
The hour-long sessions include about 30 minutes of lessons, with 15 minutes on either end for changing and showering. Lessons include warmup time, working on skills as a group and one-on-one time with aquatics staff and classroom teachers. Each session ends with a game or playtime with squirt guns or dive toys.
NECC follows the American Red Cross swimming and water safety program. Students are assessed after every lesson, and records are kept on their achievements. Each has an aquatics goal on their education plan.
Most preschool students are at level one, getting acclimated to the water. About 100 students are at level two, working on fundamentals like swimming short distances, floating on their backs or going underwater.
Others are at level three and are working on strokes, treading water and swimming longer distances. Fewer are at level four and concentrate on improving strokes and swimming laps.
The pool was designed keeping in mind that most students would be at the lower levels. The shallow end runs the length of one side of the pool, while the deep end is two lap lanes that are six feet deep.
On Thursday afternoon, a class of boys ages 14 to 18 were led in a lesson on floating on their backs and stomachs. Then they worked individually on swimming the length of the pool or jumping into the water. Before the end of class, they played a popular game called "sharks and minnows."
Not all the students have been as adaptive to the water, and instructors work to gradually ease their fears, asking them to go a little further each time - from entering the pool area with clothes, to putting on their bathing suit to finally touching the water.
"Some sit on the pool steps by themselves, and before they wouldn't do that," Sidman said. "Until they can get to the next point, they stay where they are comfortable."
For children with autism, tasks like working in a group, following instructions or being close to others aren't always easy. But the pool has become a place where many are comfortable, Sidman said.
"All these things are really challenging for kids with autism," she said. "To see a group work together is in and of itself an accomplishment."
The health benefits are also sizeable, as swimming works all muscle groups and helps build endurance. Most importantly, it's fun and isn't always viewed as exercise, said Phil Leonard, an adaptive physical education instructor.
"I think some of them realize that they're getting exercise," Leonard said. "But most of them are really enjoying it."
Instructors also use video as a learning tool to help students figure out how to coordinate their arm and leg movements. They show clips of what a stroke should look like, then clips of how the student looks doing it.
"They have a decreased perception of their bodies in space and where their limbs are," Sidman said. "This is a way to show them."
After class, all students must take a shower before getting dressed, providing another opportunity for the students to practice life skills, Sidman said.
NECC founder and CEO Vincent Strully Jr. says he takes time out of his schedule to watch the kids swim at the $6 million aquatic center. Their smiles are satisfying to see after developing a capital plan to focus on building a pool about eight years ago, he said.
"It was worth every penny and all the hard work," he said. "We wanted it for many years, and we're thrilled with it."
Source: http://www.milforddailynews.com/multimedia/x29300720/Autistic-students-making-progress-at-aquatics-center

Autistic kids free to be themselves at movies

This is a wonderful article I wanted to share with you guys because I know how it feels and how my kids on the spectrum feel about going to the movies .

My now7 year old daugther with Aspergers, has anxiety and sensory related issues .So when she was little and we didn't have the diagnosis she wouldn't sit still and so she would run and sit and scream at the load sounds , yes we were asked to leave many times.

She has improved so much now but still,
She either gets to overwhelmed that she looses her breath and we must take turns my husband and myself taking her outside to breath and if its sensory related is too muc h and we have to do the same thing . But she doesn't want us to stop taking her . They love the movies even though they have dificulties .

My son with classic HFA. He gets scared and covers his face and ears at the loud noises but doesn't want to leave . He used to cry and yes we have been told to leave when he wa little so now he wants to go but it has to be at his terms . siting there allowing him to cover his ears and between mom and dad so he can hold on to us . When things get to scary or lloud we d o have t o leave .

I know one day they will sit and not be bothered by the sensory issues and the anxiety or the 3-D visions they naturally deal with .

I have total faith in healing and so one day I will see that and I already thank God for that day .

********************************************************



Eat your tubby heart out, Paul Blart, mall cop. It was Chase Morrison who did the real boffo movie numbers a few Saturdays ago:

Four: How many times the Alpharetta 6-year-old scooted out of his seat and up the aisle toward the lobby during a morning showing of “Hotel for Dogs” at the AMC Phipps Plaza.

Three: Number of trips he made to the concessions stand with his father, Chris.

One: Very good time he had, simply getting to be a kid.

“It’s just fun for him,” Chris Morrison said before he and Chase watched an entire “sensory-friendly” movie with other autistic children and their families. “You don’t always think about that, but it matters.”

Indeed, pint-size Americans are endowed with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty and —- perhaps most important —- the pursuit of endless hours of watching “Shrek” and “Harry Potter” in darkened theaters while consuming twice their weight in popcorn and Milk Duds.

But what if the same things that make moviegoing so exciting for kids —- cartoon pandas kung fu-ing in blazing Technicolor, that wacky “Madagascar 2” menagerie playing it for very loud laughs —- can prove unsettling to those with autism? Among some of autism’s more common traits are sensitivity to sound, hyperactivity, distress when normal routines are changed, and a tendency to repeat words or phrases.

Not exactly conducive to sitting quietly through, say, “Hotel for Dogs” for more than 90 minutes in a crowded multiplex.

“My son loves to go to the movies, and at the end he has to sing to all the credits,” said Heidi Fernandez, a Woodstock mother of an autistic 14-year-old, who knows of families that can’t take their children to movies for fear of being asked to leave. “That’s why this is an amazing resource.”

“This” is a recently launched effort to show first-run movies in “sensory-friendly” form at select AMC theaters. The lights are turned up, the sound is turned down, and ads, coming attractions and AMC’s “Silence Is Golden” policy all get the old heave-ho.

That’s why, on this particular Saturday, Chase was free to let out a delighted “A-Ha-HA!” not long after the movie featuring a four-legged troupe straight out of Cuddly K-9 Central Casting had begun.

“In a normal theater, that would get a bunch of ‘Shhhshes,’ ” said Chris, who’d purposely sat on the aisle so his son could “escape” when necessary. “But here, nothing.”

Two weeks earlier, they’d tried and failed to make it all the way through “The Tale of Despereaux.” But that was at a regular showing, which Chris and his wife, Beth, had decided to give a try after seeing how much Chase enjoyed one of the first sensory-friendly films at Phipps.

“It was too dark and loud for him,” said Chris, a manufacturer’s rep for a ceiling fan company. “He was getting up a lot. And he just started laughing at an inappropriate time.”

But on this day, there were no inappropriate times to laugh —- or do anything else. Some children hummed softly or repeated favorite words or phrases, while others occasionally drummed the floor with their feet. One little girl rocked back and forth on her mother’s knee, her hands pressed tightly over her ears while her eyes never left the screen. A boy clutching a plastic sword raced up the aisle and back again.

For a newcomer, it wasn’t much more distracting than sitting in a theater full of grownups who “forget” to turn off their cellphones or start whispering about where to go eat halfway through the movie. For the parents and other adults in the audience, the relief at not having to explain their children’s behavior to anyone was obvious.

“It’s more relaxing for us,” said Chris, who wishes more companies would make similar accommodations for autistic and special needs children. “Frankly, this is a very good business decision. On Sundays when my parents watch the kids, my wife and I are going to go to an AMC theater over any other [chain] because of what they’ve done for us.”

Still, business seemed the furthest thing from his mind as he and his son watched a sweetly silly kids’ movie together from start to finish —- albeit with a few brief “escapes.” Returning from one such trip to the lobby, Chase spied his seat and dove for it, an ear-to-ear grin spreading across his face. His father handed him a frozen Edy’s Fruit Bar, his second of the day.

“He wins,” Chris laughed, watching Chase’s eyes dart between the pooches on screen and the treat in his hand. “There’s a fine line between discipline and just letting him enjoy himself.

“Today, enjoyment wins.”

NEXT SHOWING

The next sensory-friendly screening at three area AMC theaters is “Race to Witch Mountain.” It is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 14 at Phipps Plaza, Discover Mills 18 and Southlake 24. Information: www.autism-society.org or www.asaga.com

Source: http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/02/15/milestone0215.html

Detoxify your child with non-transdermal chelation

Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that is needed to detoxify our kids bodies daily . I myself started using it and with much faith I give it to my kids asking the Lord to do his part in the fuction of this natural Chelator in their bodies . I truly believe in the power of natural healing and my kids a proof of it .

If you are interested in more information here is a wonderful page to look at for more information . I myslef plan to go through with this new way of chelating.

http://autistic-child.info/

Autism is a mysterious and devastating disorder that is believed to affect as many as 500,000 children in this country.
No one knows for certain what causes autism, but one theory — chelation— has sparked controversy. Now, Jim Adams wants to put that theory to the test. In a desperate quest for answers, he is using his scientific know-how to test a controversial therapy called "chelation." And he has a special reason for taking on this mission — his daughter Kim. This report aired Dateline Sunday, June 4, 7 p.m.



CBS Taping of Parents With Autistic Children (Never Aired by CBS) at DAN Conference With Dr. Bernard Rimland.
Parents are able to prove vaccination caused autism in their children.

The LifeWave Booster Patches Detoxify Heavy Metals Without Chelation
LifeWave Carnosine and Glutathione booster patches have great promise for helping reverse autistic spectrum disorders as it is a more effective delivery system because it is natural and self regulating.

Carnosine and Glutathione are the master antioxidants in the body LifeWave Glutathione and Carosine booster patches act like little antennas...programming the body to produce more of these naturally occurring amino acids found in the human body.

They are effective simply by PLACING over the meridian of the body they were designed for. Parents reported benefits in their children after as few as 2 weeks, in the areas of socialization, expressive language, alertness level, energy level, adaptation to change, and curiously, gross motor planning.

Glutathione levels have reached 700 on several people using these patches after several months time...The patches have a calming benefit for Autistic Spectrum Disorder children .. do better in school in the areas of socialization, expressive language, alertness level, energy level, adaptation to change, and curiously, gross motor planning while wearing these patches.

The use of the LifeWave Carnosine and Glutathione booster patches can initiate detoxification symptoms very rapidly with high risk individuals (heavy smokers, people exposed to occupational chemicals and toxins like hair dressers, dentists, welders, crop dusters, roofers, painters, etc). It is important to recognize that this is a natural outcome from any approach that increases levels of the antioxidant glutathione.

Detoxify your child with
non-transdermal chelation.

Seeing the Spectrum

I love this video because is clearly displays the autism spectrum in its fullspectrum . from what is considered to be high fuctioning to what is considered t o be severe . Regardless of where on the spectrum your kid might be, our kids have the same creator as we do and the same rights if not more rights then we considered t o be normal people .

I totally relate to this family as I know many of you will as well .

http://autismbitestheblog.blogspot.com/