MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'adulthood'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:59:49 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159202&cid=t_102326_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F23%2Fsecrets-of-adulthood-family-vacation%2F Good-bye, I’m off for vacation! Right now, I’m in that stage where it feels like so much work to get away, I’d rather just stay home. But I’m sure once we’re underway, I’ll be glad we undertook it. As I’m getting ready to leave, I’m reminding myself of my Secrets of Adulthood for family vacations. What are they? Click through to find out! (And then add your own in the comments…) Less is more. Start early if possible. When packing an item that might leak, put it in a plastic bag. Don’t let anyone get too hungry. Especially me. Cheerfulness is contagious, and crabbiness is even more contagious. Wear sunscreen. Carry tissues. Remind kids to visit the bathroom—don’t wait for the thought to occur to them. Never choose the buffet opti... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159202 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:37:03 +0100 5159202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118709&cid=t_102326_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F11%2Fthe-ecstasy-of-crossing-something-off-the-list%2F Recently, my older daughter and I went to the post office to apply for her passport. I’d been dreading this trip for days. Every task associated with it filled me with anxiety — but nothing ended up being as hard as I expected. And as we walked out of the post office, I felt a giant surge of energy, happiness, and relief. Ah, the ecstasy of crossing something off the list! Even accomplishing the smallest task gives me a little jolt. This is my new Secret of Adulthood: Crossing something off the list is very cheering. (Also: Make sure you know where to find family members’ birth certificates. I was very happy when I found that document in the proper file.) (Source: World of Psychology) World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118709 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:25:40 +0100 5118709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107520&cid=t_102326_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fgrowing-up-with-type-1-diabetes%2F2011.08.08 In the years I’ve attended CWD’s Friends for Life conference, I always came away with this appreciation for what the conference provides for kids with diabetes, and their parents.  Kids – a whole bunch of them – running amuck and clad in green bracelets with pump tubing flapping from underneath their t-shirts … it’s a place where these families hopefully feel normal, and safe, and understood. But I’m not a kid with diabetes.  I’m an adult.  (I checked, and it’s true: adult.)  I always felt welcomed at past FFL conferences, but people constantly checked for the kid at my side, because the “child with diabetes” surely couldn’t be me.  (And then there was that time that the registration lady thought Sara(aah) was my ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107520 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:00:15 +0100 5107520 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077771&cid=t_102326_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F28%2F5-reasons-for-the-joy-of-craft-or-why-is-computer-programming-fun%2F I recently read (sort of) Frederick Brooks’s The Mythical Man-Month. As I understand it, this book is a cult classic, and I was very curious to read it. It’s about software project management, and even though that’s a subject about which I know nothing, I found the book very interesting — that is, the parts I could understand. My favorite section was a discussion of “The Joys of Craft,” in which Brooks answers the question, “Why is programming fun?” This question interests me because it’s such a good reminder of my Secret of Adulthood: Just because something is fun for someone else doesn’t mean it’s fun for me — and vice versa. Nothing is inherently fun. Some people find computer programming fun, or skiing, shopping, ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077771 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:21:46 +0100 5077771 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952992&cid=t_102326_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F17%2F7-tips-for-minding-my-own-business%2F Lately, I’ve really been focusing on trying to be less judgmental. It’s a tricky resolution, because it’s hard to turn it into specific, manageable resolutions to keep me on track. What, exactly, do I do differently in my life to be less judgmental? I need to change the way I think. One of my helpful mantras, though, is to “Mind my own business.” I remind myself: 1. No one asked for my advice. Except in the rare instance when people specifically ask me for help clearing their clutter, raising their children, or deciding their careers, I should keep my advice to myself. 2. I don’t know the whole story. It’s very easy to assume that I understand a situation and to form a judgment when in fact, I understand almost nothing about what’s happening. 3. It doesn’t affect me. A f... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952992 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:12:20 +0100 4952992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893557&cid=t_102326_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F02%2Frun-like-a-girl-how-sports-can-empower-you%2F I never considered myself an athlete. My twin sister grew up with the reputation of being the tomboy of the family, the sporty one who participated in soccer and other organized sports. I was the brain and artsy one, who spent more time practicing my scales and arpeggios on our baby grand piano and perfecting pirouettes in the dance studio. I was intimidated by sports. And I found that I had absolutely no coordination once you threw a ball into the competition. So out were softball, volleyball, soccer, and pretty much every other sport. I swam during the summer and for my high school, and I started running in junior high, but just to lose enough weight to stop my period (I was a tad anorexic). I continued jogging and swimming through college into early adulthood. But just to stay in shape.... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893557 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:37:03 +0100 4893557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4797800&cid=t_102326_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F08%2Fdo-you-need-a-mama-psychodrama%2F Grown don’t mean nothing to a mother.  A child is a child.  They get bigger, older, but grown?  What’s that suppose to mean?  In my heart it don’t mean a thing.  ~Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987 The first relationship with another human being is with our mother.  We forge our sense of who we are, who we are going to love, and our needs based on the interactions and understandings derived from through thousands of encounters with mom.  For better or worse we are molded by an emotional dance with mom. Then we move on.  We deal with dad and siblings, develop friendships, find lovers, and then a spouse.  Throughout this journey mom serves as a role model and becomes a source of  encouragement, love, anxiety, frustration, avoidance, support and conflict. “It’s comp... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4797800 Sun, 08 May 2011 10:35:06 +0100 4797800 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4151685&cid=t_102326_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F11%2F10%2Fjournal-of-the-american-medical-association-2010-vol-304-no-18%2F This study aims to determine incidence and risk of severe obesity in adulthood by adolescent weight status. An NHS Athens password is required to access this article online, alternatively contact the Library for a copy of this article. Filed under: Athens Password, E-Journals, Journals Tagged: Adolescence, Adulthood, Morbidity, Obesity, Prevalence, United States (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4151685 Wed, 10 Nov 2010 09:15:48 +0100 4151685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4065417&cid=t_102326_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F13%2Fdo-you-still-have-a-security-blanket%2F Do you still have your favorite blanket, pillow, or plush toy from your childhood? If you do, don’t fear — you’re amongst good company. Our partner LiveScience has the story by examining the data that drives our need to keep these reminders from our childhood. We believe these objects hold something of greater value to us than just their outward appearance or physical properties. Scientists call this belief “essentialism.” Essentialism is why we don’t feel the same about replacing a lost object, whether it be our wedding ring, a toy from our childhood, or our cherished iPhone. The new object loses that emotional attachment the original had. That’s one of the reasons some of us hang on to those childhood toys or objects — they hold an emotiona... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4065417 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 09:00:04 +0100 4065417 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3545441&cid=t_102326_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fyour-health-on-stress%2F2010.05.08 So I’ve been thinking a lot about stress lately. Obviously, it’s because I’m in one of those work/personal periods where the word comes in all capital letters and my dreams seem to be caught on a continual loop of taking-an-exam-in-a-class-I-forgot-to-attend-all-semester (and yes, I’ve been out of school for 26 years now)/realizing-I-just-bought-a-new-house-and-have-to-move/or, finding-that-I-have-10-stories-due-tomorrow (for the newspaper at which I haven’t worked in years). This latter dream comes closest to my own situation at the moment given that I find myself with just a wee bit too much work for the time allotted (ok, maybe a lot too much work). I’m coping — going to bed later, getting up earlier, reaching out to a couple of writer friends f... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3545441 Sat, 08 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 3545441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3259269&cid=t_102326_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FMQr5lGvE6bA%2F ACOA's often have inner shadows of early life Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA) refers to individuals who have grown up in a dysfunctional family as a result of their parents or caretakers alcoholism. Each ACOA finds they often have common characteristics in adulthood as the result of their childhood and upbringing, often including alcohol or drug abuse themselves. These traits can also be found in other dysfunctional families that include drug addiction, compulsive gamblers, or workaholism. The condition is often referred to as co-dependency as the sufferer usually needs a person dependent or addicted to alcohol or drugs to feel needed. Adult Children of Alcoholics can also refer to any 12 Step Fellowship that, like Al-anon, who assist ACOA with their common problems. Common Traits ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3259269 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:22:33 +0100 3259269 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3118983&cid=t_102326_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fholiday-blog-contest-winner-the-good-that-has-come-from-ms%2F The second of our Holiday Guest blogs comes to us from Sarah of Boston, MA.  This may have been the most difficult of our editorial panel’s decisions as we had so very many wonderful submissions.  It seems that there are many of us who, facing the stark realities and unknowns of multiple sclerosis, choose, for reasons of solace or of survival, to see some kind of good which has come as a result. Sarah’s new gained perspective and thus compassion is a good way to enter the Christmas holidays. Growing with MS by Sarah Tourjee Multiple sclerosis appeared in my life when I was 17 and just edging into adulthood.  Recently, I read and have to agree that some of the most formidable years of personality development occur in your late teens to mid 20s.  As such, I realize now that my diagno... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3118983 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:37:37 +0100 3118983 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3018945&cid=t_102326_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F23%2Farchives-of-pediatrics-and-adolescent-medicine-2009-vol-163-no-11%2F The objective was to trace how racial/ethnic and immigrant disparities in body mass index (BMI) change over time as adolescents (age, 11-19 years) transition to young adulthood (age, 20-28 years) (NHS Athens is required to access this article online) Posted in Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals, Journals Tagged: Adulthood, Athens Password, Children, Current Awareness, E-Journals, Obesity (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3018945 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:34:06 +0100 3018945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923410&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FaidMFg-ao9w%2F ABC News reports that doctors have begun “firing” parents who decline to have thier children vaccinated. One California mom, who’s oldest child has been diagnosed with autism said her doctor said the presence of her and her child was “too much of a liability.” Doctors are apparently feeling more compelled to say “no” back to anti-vaccine parents. The issue surfaced this at the annual American Academy of Pediatrics meeting in Washington, D.C. Presenter Dr. Gary Marshall said there are some cases when it’s ethical and legal to refuse to continue to see, or treat, a child, especially if parents and the physician will never see “eye-to-eye” on a specific issue. Stipulations for such situations include written notice that the doctor... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923410 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:12:58 +0100 2923410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2890858&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FI8njbT1Um9s%2F Britain’s National Autistic Society is calling for a national strategy to help people with autism get work. the NAS “Don’t Write Me Off” campaign began in light of most of the more than 300,000 working age adults with autism in the U.K. going without work. Only 15% are employed full-time, and the NAS says a key problem is a lack of understanding of autism among agency staff who determine eligibility for benefits and provide employment support. NAS wants the British government to introduce autism coordinators who would work with frontline staff, local employers and employment support services, including services to obtain Britain’s new Employment and Support Allowance. Though the government has pledged support and says it will an autism strategy “in due c... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2890858 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:10:26 +0100 2890858 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876095&cid=t_102326_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F10%2F09%2Fcandy-violence-correlation-causation-and-association%2F Week after week, month after month, the health (and mental health) news headlines blare with the latest “link” between two things. Take, for instance, a few articles from just this past week we’ve published… Childhood cancer? Less likely to marry. Obese? Depression is more likely. Eat licorice while pregnant? Your child may have a smaller IQ. And my favorite from the past week? Eat candy as a child? You’re going to become a criminal. Researchers seem content to draw these correlations, knowing full well their data shed little light on the actual problem. Instead, what they manage to do is to shed a whole lot of brain cells. Ours. I’ll pick on the candy study because it’s low-lying fruit and it’s easy to make fun of. Let’s look at the da... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876095 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:11:10 +0100 2876095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2846566&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Ftbb554LxvTo%2F This is kind of eye-catching (especially if you have Jill’s eye), from a review in today’s New York Times TV section of “The Middle,” which premiers tonight: ”The youngest child, Brick (Atticus Shaffer), is peculiar, and not in a cute way, which makes him all the more appealing. His teacher describes him as ‘clinically quirky’ and wants him tested. ‘I just hope that he’s weird enough that our insurance covers it,’” says one character. Tested for? How weird would that have to be, exactly? Could the money-counters who govern prime time entertainment finally be realizing that one of every 150 kids could translate into a lot of interest from would-be sponsors? * * * President Obama has announced $5 billion in new research grants to... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2846566 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:08:58 +0100 2846566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2807808&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FJ2v_tN2UKjw%2F Extremely-Lagging-Indicator Dept.: Unemployment nationwide for disabled adults is generally parked at about 70 percent, according to advocates. Two years ago, the New Jersey Legislature commissioned a task force within the state’s Dept. of Human Services to study better ways to care for autistic adults’ needs for housing, jobs and long-term care. Recommendations for the employment section of the report include creating public-awareness ads to educate the public and employers about autism; compiling a roster of companies willing to hire autistic adults; and requiring schools to give job training to autistic children and young adults. (Another excellent recommendation might have been “repair our entire economy and change outdated perceptions”). As usual when tacklin... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2807808 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:32:27 +0100 2807808 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2803985&cid=t_102326_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F17%2Fanother-treatment-for-borderline-personality-disorder%2F Borderline personality disorder is a mental disorder characterized by a longstanding pattern of instability in one’s relationships with others, with a person’s own image of themselves, and their own emotions. It’s marked by impulsivity and, like most personality disorders, usually begins in early adulthood (early 20s) and pervades every aspect of a person’s life. People with borderline personality disorder live tumultuous lives. Their romantic relationships rarely last more than a year, and their relationships with their own family tends to be unstable — some weeks they love them and want to spend all of their time with them, some weeks they hate them and won’t even talk to them (to extremes not usually experienced by the rest of us). Traditionally, the ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2803985 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:12:20 +0100 2803985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774669&cid=t_102326_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F08%2Ftreating-internet-addiction-is-new%2F I’ve been loathe to give any additional attention to the tiny treatment center in Washington state that says it’s treating “Internet addiction” in a “first of its kind in the US” treatment program, seeing as it’s already had over 350 media mentions in the past few days, including the one below in none other than the New York Times. Apparently when you start a media snowball rolling downhill, it’s hard to stop for a moment and do any actual reporting on the topic. It is much easier to eat up the PR and repackage it with no critical eye on the claims made. One of the problems with the mainstream media’s reporting on the topic is that it’s acting as though this is the first treatment center to treat this mythical condition (I say &#8... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774669 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:40:23 +0100 2774669 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2758022&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FVdGjnynngqU%2F The site I Teach Autism is an excellent resource for the coming school year. Almost 20 sites and blogs are mentioned, and awareness materials offered for sale. I Teach also offers tips on parent/student/educator cooperation, a few of which we hope to post here before, as the Staples commerical once put it, “the most wonderful time of the year” begins again. Especially useful: tools for teachers, including transition tips, picture communication examples, and peer initiation strategies. * * * Our note about the young Michigan woman with autism who has carved out a living cutting rags gave us great hope for Alex at precisely the right time of his life. We join many parents of children with autism, I think, in being terrified of our kids’ adulthoods in terms of care and l... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2758022 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:54:06 +0100 2758022 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2758023&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FTOfY2x_U2bQ%2F Owner and operator Lisa Witte, 29 and diagnosed at age 2 with autism, has cut a place for herself in the world at Lisa’s Quality Rags, based in Wyoming, Mich. Witte can’t read, write or talk beyond saying, “Hi, I’m Lisa,” and sometimes parroting what others say (sounds like Alex), but she’s turned a decade and a half of training by Goodwill Industries into a profitable business. She began by taking clothes out of boxes and putting them on hangers, but her aide soon saw she could do a lot more, becoming by last summer a veteran rag cutter, producing half a ton of rags monthly. When Goodwill’s government funding for Witte’s program evaporated, her family decided to set her up in her own rag-cutting business. Goodwill sold three cutting machine... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2758023 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:15:46 +0100 2758023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2727354&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FdyVQIWg1i1g%2F Adult autism is bound to become a huge topic in coming years, and several institutions are moving to anticipate the need. Massachusetts General Hospital is creating a program to provide specialized medical care to adults with autism. The hospital expects to receive $29 million to help add “a major adult component to its pediatric autism program,” allowing the the hospital to expand services for children with autism. The hospital notes, not that many parents of the adult autistic needed to hear it, that some doctors are hesitant or unsure how to talk to and examine adult autistic patients. *   *    * Photo courtesy of gadgetdude (flickr.com) Arizona State University has added a master’s program in special education. Officials at the school claim that one of the motiv... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2727354 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:58:06 +0100 2727354 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2705293&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fi2dQ7OqTK8I%2F The latter part of our Q.-and A. with Ernst VanBergeijk, associate dean and executive director of the New York Institute of Technology’s Vocational Independence Program (VIP), a certificate program for adult students with learning disabilities. Q: Do you know of any other programs like it in the country? EVB: There are many great programs that provide transitional services to individuals with autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities. However, very few are college based, i.e., are a part of a college like VIP. Q:How are these programs run? EVB: Most are based in an apartment complex and affiliated with either a community college or a 4-year college. That means the employees of the program work for a private entity and are not employees of the college. The employees of the affili... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2705293 Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:28:05 +0100 2705293 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2649214&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FwG3g2xGBFNM%2F This morning Jill and I had a spat that centered around control. Amid Alex’s dawning sexual awareness and continuing inscrutable behaviors, and our own beginnings of the health concerns common to our ages, Jill and I wage a battle to keep control. Or rather the illusion of control, since nobody has control, really. Image: Chinatradeonline.com But some people have at least more of an illusion of it, and a condition like autism does a lot to erode that illusion. Often even we, his parents and the people — aside from maybe Ned — who know him best, must ask ourselves: Why does he bolt? Why won’t he eat vegetables, even delicious buttered ones? Why does he line up his big metal letters across the middle of the living room floor, and arrange his toy plastic animals right... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2649214 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:46:15 +0100 2649214 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2621984&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FCwz_en7hE4Y%2F Yes, I fired remarks, I shut myself in the bedroom, I cried. Macy's fireworks in Manhattan, 2008 (photo by Neotint, flickr.com) Likely the wrong tack to take with Jeff, who dislikes being fired at, but teeth are a sensitive issue for me. “OK,” I said. “Let me look it up.” I don’t know why this didn’t settle things, but he didn’t want me to do any looking around online, and I felt only a little Google search would put my fears to rest. I became even angrier and more miserable. Finally, when he wasn’t looking, I did look and came across this, which says that permanent teeth finish erupting by age 12 or 13. I felt better and apologized (sort of) but it didn’t seem to take. We were left feeling misunderstood and ill-treated, yelled at ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2621984 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:46:22 +0100 2621984 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398815&cid=t_102326_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2F09%2Fmoms-and-daughters-promoting-a-positive-body-image%2F Does this sound familiar? You’re standing in front of your full-length mirror scrutinizing your hips or thighs, and whispering to yourself how you should really lose some weight ASAP. However, as you’re engrossed in self-criticism, what you might not have expected is that your little girl — or older daughter — isn’t too far away, watching and listening and internalizing what you say and do. Recently, two books have been published on how mothers can influence their daughters’ body image (see here) along with practical advice on helping daughters foster a healthy body image. In You’d Be So Pretty If…, Dara Chadwick discusses how her mother’s weight struggles shaped her own image. Seemingly harmless statements have affected the author into adulthood. Barbara Kantrowitz and... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398815 Sat, 09 May 2009 13:00:34 +0100 2398815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376581&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FQLh9ptxvMnI%2F Reader Laura (the autismfromtheoutside blog) wrote in response to “Work It Out”: “What do you see in his future? Helping sorting in school cafeteria, hanging clothes as a local store, watering plants at a nursery.” She mentions these are jobs she’s seen students trained for, and they all sound pretty good to me for Alex. (Of course, I just got laid off, and they sound pretty good for me, too.) I remember watching Alex in the isolette after his premature birth (21 ounces, 27 weeks’ G), watching him grip the breathing tube in his silent, tiny determination to some day pull it from his own throat — which he did, more than once, and sometimes before he was ready. Doing something before you’re ready has always been to me a sign of a good spirit. ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376581 Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:34:35 +0100 2376581 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348537&cid=t_102326_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2F19%2Frelax-unwind-and-go-back-in-time-it%25e2%2580%2599ll-do-you-some-good%2F Having fun should come naturally. Right? You simply drive to the closest watering hole, grab a beer with a friend, and bam, you’re there! Except that I no longer drink … which was the only way I knew how to relax. Because liquor became a kind of babysitter for my brain, quieting all the rowdy children in my head so that I could sneak out for a soirée with some friends. Although I’ve been sober for over 20 years, I still haven’t gotten the hang of chilling out … without any aids, that is. Gerard Musante, Ph.D., writes in “The Structure House: Weight Loss Plan”: When people ask me how often they can find something enjoyable to do during their leisure time, I often ask them to think about their childhood and the games they played or activities in which they participated. The ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348537 Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:27:46 +0100 2348537 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349373&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FZhjHk0k5-e0%2F An item in the inbox has made me think of Alex’s future worklife: CareerAdvice, “Succeeding at Work With Autism.” Citing such luminaries as Temple Grandin, the piece discusses how the workworld needs to prepare for an influx of autistic adults as those “1 in every 150″ mature, and what skills the autistic possess to handle a job. “Jobs requiring specific, concrete tasks such as library cataloging, equipment or graphic design, data gathering and mathematical modeling are well-suited to autistics,” reads the piece. “They do less well in positions requiring complex social skills, such as management. And jobs that depend on multi-tasking, such as being a restaurant hostess or receptionist who must simultaneously answer phones and type, are also p... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349373 Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:17:07 +0100 2349373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349374&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FOwyQV6w87hU%2F “We fear for Alex as he grows up and maybe comes to depend too heavily on a system that was built when there was a lot more money around. Is there a reason to suppose that a money shortage is going to abate just because Alex is closer to 21 years old than he used to be?” I wrote this in my second book. For a long time, I thought I was the only one thinking this way. Then I ran across the recent piece by Linda Davis, who in addition to being the author of Charles Addams: A Cartoonist’s Life, is president of the nonprofit SAGE Crossing Foundation, which was formed to create a farmstead for autistic adults. David and her husband wrote what should become a classic piece to every parent who fears for their growing special-needs child. “What coming social expenditure will... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349374 Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:09:04 +0100 2349374 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2320469&cid=t_102326_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F5wXddSnEZ2E%2F This study investigated whether these problems can be overcome by a training program designed to boost working memory. Children with low working memory skills were assessed on measures of working memory, IQ and academic attainment before and after training on either adaptive or non-adaptive versions of the program. Adaptive training that taxed working memory to its limits was associated with substantial and sustained gains in working memory, with age-appropriate levels achieved by the majority of children. Mathematical ability also improved significantly 6 months following adaptive training. These findings indicate that common impairments in working memory and associated learning difficulties may be overcome with this behavioral treatment. 9) Brain cortex thinning linked to inherited depre... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2320469 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:38:54 +0100 2320469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2074311&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FlCxl1pmVf30%2F Discussion was dominated by two stories, that of 13-year-old Adam Race, against whose parents a priest filed a restraining order, and of 5-year-old Alex Barton, who was voted out of his kindergarden class by his classmates, at the suggestion of his teacher, Wendy Portillo. These two incidents sparked some very heated and often acrimonious exchanges and remind me of why there’s a need to think about autistic persons and the community, in faith communities and all others. Also: It was reported that there had been 72 cases of measles so far in the US, the highest number since 2001—-and the number would only go up, while misinformation about vaccines continued. Sometimes it seems that everything, if not anything, could be said to cause autism (and that everything, and anything, has... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2074311 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:47:21 +0100 2074311 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2056134&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FVlMp_Gb2gTo%2F Soon as December started, my students started asking me what we were getting Charlie for Christmas. I fumbled with an answer—what do you get for the child who doesn’t ask for anything?—and they seemed quite incredulous that he’d no desire for any electronic devices or a football jersey with X player’s last name emblazoned on it. I’ve been used to telling people that things are different with Charlie but, on further reflection, the thought occurred to me: Charlie, at 11 1/2, is getting closer and closer in age to my college-students. Certainly there’s more than a few similarities between him and the tall guys with really big sneakers or Timberlands with legs too long to fit in the desks and always fishing around in a beyond dog-eared notebook for th... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2056134 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:47:58 +0100 2056134 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2052844&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FBl61jJRNTPs%2F It’s said to be something that parents of children with developmental disabilities experience. An article by Amy Basking and Heather Fawcett coins the terms “Empty Nest Envy,” as noted in today’s Orangeville Banner: While most parents can look forward to children spreading their own wings, there are some who look to the future with trepidation and uncertainty. Not just for themselves, but more importantly for their adult children who have developmental disabilities. These parents, when their children graduate from high school, suddenly find themselves supporting their adult child full-time. The reality for these parents can be daunting. In the article, the authors talk about how for one family their 28-year-old son remains with them. Despite thinking that he would b... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2052844 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:43:57 +0100 2052844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2040115&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F0mNa4v_a0hI%2F Today Easter Seals is unveiling the results of its Living with Autism Study. The study was done in cooperation with the Autism Society of America. 1,652 parents of children who have autism and 917 parents of typically developing children were surveyed about daily life, relationships, independence, education, housing, employment, finances and healthcare. The results are summarized on the Easter Seals blog: The Easter Seals Living with Autism Study results reveal parents raising children with autism are very concerned about the future independence of their children. In fact, they’re far more concerned than parents of typically developing children — nearly 80 percent say they’re extremely or very concerned about their children’s independence as an adult, compared to only 32 percent of... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2040115 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:22:49 +0100 2040115 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2035858&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fv3UB4FiJwVA%2F In the midst of talk of diagnosis and disability rights, of treatments and of what’s an appropriate education for an autistic student, we took a hands-free cold walk last weekend to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza, and passed a wall of snowflakes too. Age of Diagnosis and the Apparent Increase in Autism A study in the December Archives of Pediatrics and General Medicine examines autism prevalence trends over time in Denmark and states that “the apparent increase in autism in recent years is in part attributable to a decrease over time in the age at diagnosis. Recovery Distracts How the notion of “recovery from autism” colors—not for the better— parents’ decisions about “treatments” and “therapies” for autism, and also on the popular percept... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2035858 Sun, 14 Dec 2008 02:36:32 +0100 2035858 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2033258&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F43dWxgLWU5o%2F Earlier this week, mega-autism-organization Autism Speaks announced the appointment of three new board members, Artie Kempner, lead director for the NFL and NASCAR on FOX; Billy Mann, President of International A & R - Labels and President of Global Artist Management, EMI Music; and Jack Schneider, managing director of Allen & Co.. Kempner and Mann are both fathers of autistic children. It’s been noted (by Lisa Jo Rudy at About.com) that the new board members include no one who’s autistic. With the rise of self-advocacy organizations like ASAN, and also GRASP and many others, the absence of an autistic member on Autism Speaks’ board seems more and more puzzling. The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee lists Stephen Shore, a self-advocate, on its roster, and ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2033258 Sat, 13 Dec 2008 07:51:20 +0100 2033258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2033262&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fmrd9ldllxJQ%2F The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is meeting today from 9am to 4pm, at the National Institutes of Health Neuroscience Center, Conference Room A (6001 Executive Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20892). You can listen in virtually via a webinar: Use this link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/446892042 Or, you can attend via conference call at these numbers: USA/Canada Phone Number: 888-455-2920 International Phone Number: 212-287-1838 Access code: 3857872 The agenda for today’s meeting is to complete the review of the IACC Strategic Plan for ASD Research Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan addressed six questions: 1) When should I be concerned? • What are the early warnings signs? • Are there typical characteristics that are part of an ASD diagnosis? • How much v... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2033262 Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:36:47 +0100 2033262 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2033264&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FarDyYzTlSrY%2F Life 101: That’s how the University of Arizona’s Chapel Haven West program is referred to in a story on yesterday’s ABC News. The program helps young adults with autism learn “to live independent and productive lives.” “Just friendships, job interviews, actually filling out resumes and bringing them to a job, having a roommate,” said Betsey Parlato, president of Chapel Haven. “These are all things that you and I take for granted, but for someone with autism it’s a monumental challenge.” In a social skills class, University of Arizona teaching assistants show the students the “hidden rules” that help them navigate their surroundings and interpret changing social cues. “Not to stare inappropriately and that kind of... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2033264 Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:06:47 +0100 2033264 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2017841&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FltH-dwmThgc%2F Next Wednesday, on December 10, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET, there will be a meeting of the Services Subcommittee of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), to review public comments received in response to a completed Request for Information. When I attended the November 21st IACC meeting, a good part of the agenda was devoted to discussing services and the many needs of adults. You can view the meeting agenda and also see who is on the committee. The meeting is being held here: National Institutes of Health 9000 Rockville Pike Building 31 Conference Room 7 Bethesda, MD 20852 You can attend the meeting virtually via a webinar; to register and access it, go here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/563207085 Or, to attend via a conference call, here’s the numbers: ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2017841 Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:59:00 +0100 2017841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2013669&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FnBJ5rrnzdsg%2F Majority of Local Authorities [in the UK] Failing Adults with Autism, as noted in Medical News Today. The National Autistic Society’s Think Differently campaign has found that 148 out of 149 local authorities do not know how many adults with autism are in their area; 27% are planning to “address this issue,” that’s 73% who still need to. A long long way to go………… Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, disabilities blog, disability, Education, Health, Legislation, local authority, think diferentlyShare This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2013669 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:35:06 +0100 2013669 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2011194&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F7N4v9CZX5V4%2F An audit of the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs has reported numerous oversights including failures to follow up on up on safety violations and insufficient efforts to keep abusers off facility payrolls, yesterday’s Associated Press (via the Courier Post) reports. The audit recommends Disabilities and Special Needs require fingerprinting and FBI national background checks for caregivers, not just a check through the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division. The agency said it would consider the feasibility of fingerprint checks. Meanwhile, the agency isn’t doing enough to check references. It “does not have an adequate system to ensure that direct caregivers who are dismissed for consumer safety-related disciplinary infractions are not reh... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2011194 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:00:29 +0100 2011194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1999137&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FTkI3-YarwUE%2F Made it through Thanksgiving; did some holiday shopping from the comfort of home (and here’s some gift suggestions); time to get back on the school bus! Autism and Schizophrenia: The Same “Disease”? According to the latest theory, “an evolutionary tug of war between genes from the father’s sperm and the mother’s egg can, in effect, tip brain development in one of two ways.” Girls and Getting a Diagnosis Are girls and women sometimes not diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum because they do not have the same symptoms as boys and men do? Denis Leary Tries (Tries) to Defend Himself Contrary to what he said a few weeks ago, Denis Leary doesn’t seem to be so sorry after all about what he said Nicotine Addiction and Autism While studying drug abuse and addiction, re... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1999137 Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:00:26 +0100 1999137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1999141&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FKbYAZBv0GTQ%2F 35-year-old Kate Southern lost her mother, Dorothy, to brain cancer last week, and it’s unclear where she’ll live and who’ll take care of her. Today’s Illawarra Mercury describes Southern’s situation: Her two sisters, Jane Southern and Jenny Wilson, have been caring for her along with an in-home respite worker. But the worker will not be provided after December 22nd and there’s no residential placeent for Southern in Illawarra, where she currently attends a day care group. A placement in Queanbeyan, far from her family and her familiarity, has been offered and the Illawarra Mercury notes, Southern has been “pulling her hair out in clumps, terrified at the prospect of being separated from her family.” An article in today’s New York Times... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1999141 Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:33:22 +0100 1999141 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1990891&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FuVlMHfSgK80%2F I have been thinking more than ever about where Charlie will live as an adult since hearing about the services offered in different states at last Friday’s IACC meeting. The pressing, pressing, pressing need for staff with appropriate training, for facilities, and for much much more was more than made apparent—the November 10th death of 28-year-old Tara O’Leary highlights just how pressing these needs are. Tara O’Leary had severe developmental disabilities and was a client in a community care residence in Hunterdon County in central New Jersey. Her death is being investigated by both the state Department of Human Services and the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office. According to yesterday’s FOX News, O’Leary had brain deformities, scoliosis, and o... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1990891 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:02:12 +0100 1990891 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1990895&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FD6lKH0gnDiw%2F McDonalds. Burger King. They’re the competition. Not against Guardians of Healthy (and Happy) Meals. They’re competition for staff—for workers—for disabled adults who need support in their living, work, and other arrangements. And, if you cook burgers and fill drinks at a fast-food restaurant, you don’t need the sort of training—which can be extensive—that can be called for in assisting some disabled adults. Emily Homer of VOCA of Maryland D.C. made this point at last week’s IACC meeting and it sobered the atmosphere in the room up. She noted that, if Americans won’t take these kinds of jobs for those wages, it’s likely that people will turn to immigrants to fill the positions—-and I thought about how at least half of the bu... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1990895 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:07:06 +0100 1990895 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1984966&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F5_OLxvYYeok%2F Connecticut’s Pilot Program For Autistic Adults which “adults of normal intelligence with diagnoses on what is called the autism spectrum” is in danger due to budget cuts. Today’s New Haven Register reports that Governor M. Jodi Rell has ordered all state government agencies to submit proposals that will cut up to 10 percent from their upcoming budgets. Prior to the program’s inception in 2006 (with $1 million from the state), no services were provided to autistic adults of normal intelligence (adults with diagnoses of both autism and mental retardation did receive services). The program received an additional $500,000 in July 2008 and is financed through June 2009. Currently, 52 people with autism and Asperger’s syndrome in in the greater New Haven and Hart... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1984966 Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:43:37 +0100 1984966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1980897&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Ft2YxqrfOdGU%2F If you weren’t able to listen in to yesterday’s meeting of the IACC meeting, this is a brief summary: In the morning, the committee members reviewed the draft of the Strategic Plan and “wordsmithed” various additions and revisions suggested by various members of the IACC. These revisions included: • the use of “may” or “can” in regard to describing the effects of Early Intervention • mention of “comorbid” and “co-occurring” (medical) conditions • a lengthy discussion about vaccines and about what science and evidence there is to refute or support a link (it was decided to include the statement “the weight of the available evidence does not support a link between autism and vaccines”—more details... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1980897 Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:01:30 +0100 1980897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1939209&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fw8m3l0PMss8%2F The Dangers of Autism: Autism in America: A Perilous Diagnosis is the title for today’s story about autism over at ABC News. Safety’s a more than top concern (if that’s possible) for us concerning my son Charlie; I’ve frequently noted how overly careful we are in choosing babysitters and in teaching him to walk beside us and to wait at the corner before crossing the street. “Stranger danger” is a concept he has yet to grasp. ABC News highlights these sorts of concerns and notes how difficulties understanding social cues can lead to misunderstandings: Autism lends itself to guileless and trusting behavior, which makes people with the disorder prime targets for abuse, thievery and scams. According to the Department of Justice, people with developmental dis... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939209 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:30:48 +0100 1939209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1930301&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fcb9yc4DJfGA%2F Today’s ABC News reports on the difficulty of getting a diagnosis of autism. 29-year-old Jason Ross was 25 when he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome; his mother, Lois Ross, describes how he was first said to have speech delay, attention deficit disorder, “psychosis not otherwise specified,” obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia. You can also read Ross’s own words on his blog, Drive Mom Crazy. Tags: abcnews, asd, asperger, attention deficit disorder, autism, autism blog, disabilities, disabilities blog, disability, Education, Health, jason ross, ocd, Psychiatry, psychosis, schizophrenia, speech delayShare This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1930301 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:33:12 +0100 1930301 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1926558&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FIemCECmXMAk%2F Vaccines don’t cause autism and yet a connection between the two seems to have become deeply lodged in the public consciousness. Some believe in a vaccine-autism link with something akin to religious faith, or fervor, to the point that, no matter how often one cites scientific studies refuting, such a link, some are not, will never be, convinced. Some say that parents should have the right to choose to vaccinate or not; meanwhile, measles has been on the rise this year with some 131 cases so far reported, This focus on vaccines has come to preoccupy discussions about autism, over and above the very real concerns of appropriate schools and educational programs, and housing and jobs for adults. The excessive attention given to a hypothetical vaccine-autism link keeps discussion about a... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1926558 Sun, 02 Nov 2008 08:35:35 +0100 1926558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1924542&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Ft46whc0tCpg%2F Brooke Dickerson’s 19-year-old so, Quinn Carey, has attended 10 different schools, yesterday’s Santa Cruz Sentinel reports. Diagnosed with autism as a young child, Quinn has not been able “to receive the consistent care that is needed to develop the skills he is lacking.” His mother notes that his physical size has been a factor: Now fully grown at 6 feet tall and about 300 pounds, Quinn is more than a handful. The family has taken him to schools in Morgan Hill, San Jose and Palo Alto, but the schools shut down or turned Quinn away because of his size. “It’s nuts because he’s entitled to appropriate education,” Dickerson said. “He is denied treatment here because of his size and then he is denied over the hill because he is from Santa C... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1924542 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:05:20 +0100 1924542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1914716&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F_sW7TCcktw0%2F So maybe it had to do with finding myself driving through a most unexpected (in New Jersey) October snowfall to take Charlie to a medical appointment (the dentist, to be more precise) on a cold mid-afternoon on Tuesday—-but as I glanced at him in the rear view mirror, a strong sense of déja-vu came into my mind. I was driving down a wide avenue on a snowy afternoon, gray sky, and strapped in the middle of the backseat, in his carseat, was my little boy and there was something wrong with or inside of him and no one seemed to know what, or to be able to say what, and not the kindly pediatrician we’d just seen for the nth time…… I was remembering the late late fall days of 1998. We were living in St. Paul, Minnesota, then (I was a newly hired classics professor here) ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914716 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:23:34 +0100 1914716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1908840&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FfEMbc1CDGko%2F Autism gets mentioned for the first time in a presidential debate on October 15th; here’s more news: After Many Years, A Diagnosis Deborah Lipsky was in her 40s when she found out that has autism. There Goes Another Autism Myth While out riding his bike, Charlie hears another child crying and……. Denis Leary Does a Michael Savage I know Leary’s a comedian but some things just aren’t funny—-alumni from Emerson College don’t think so either. McCain and Obama Debate: Down Syndrome, Autism, Special Needs Disability historian Paul Longmore writes about Sarah Palin as “talking about special needs children” and Obama as having substantive plans for all people with disabilities” in the October 3rd Huffington Post Barney Can Wait What happened to all tho... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1908840 Sun, 26 Oct 2008 21:35:07 +0100 1908840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1892048&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fhkqo8UGVQCE%2F My son Charlie is 11 and just started middle school. I think a lot about what he’ll do when he’s older; about what kind of job he might have and what kinds of supports will need to be in place to assist him. Today’s Birmingham News notes some of the challenges facing autistic adults seeking to enter and remain in the workforce. In order to qualify for community-based services under the Alabama Medicaid Agency, individuals with ASDs must currently also qualify with a diagnosis of mental retardation and, while some do, many do not. The Birmingham News describes how a non-profit agency, Triumph Services, helps to fill in the gap. Two-thirds of Triumph’s 36 clients do not qualify for medicaid services, but still “struggle with life’s minor problems - how to ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1892048 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:00:11 +0100 1892048 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1892049&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FXmewqKxjFIs%2F I was interviewed by Claudia Kalb in a web exclusive for Newsweek: Spotlight on Autism: The mother of an autistic son reacts to John McCain’s recent pledge to help families like hers. Was it just rhetoric? More about McCain’s comments about autism in the debate last week here. Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, barack obama, disabilities blog, disability, down's syndrome, employment, Family, family blog, Health, jobs, john mccain, Parenting sarah palin, pdd-nos, WorkShare This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1892049 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:31:56 +0100 1892049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1888283&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FcaVj8ItrXYI%2F A study from Minnesota look at how adults with Asperger’s Syndrome compare to others and offers a sense of hope. The study was done by Kim Klein, a pediatric neuropsychologist at the Fraser Center and Pat Pulice. From today’s CBS4.com: “We’ve found that in some ways, this population is doing as well as their peers. They’ve been successful in obtaining employment. They’ve been successful in pursuing their hobbies,” said Pulice. “Virtually all of the young adults with Asperger’s disorder graduated from high school, same as our control group,” said Klein. “Forty-five percent went on to college or some type of post-secondary education; identical rates to the control group.” Klein and Pulice also noted that no one in the ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1888283 Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:33:24 +0100 1888283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1883392&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FF2EHRdCSaHk%2F Palin has experience with special needs kids, says an October 16th Associated Press article which I discussed some in the previous post. Says the Associated Press: Sarah Palin is frequently seen at campaign stops cradling her infant son Trig, who has Down syndrome. Her decision to give birth to Trig even after learning her fifth child would have the condition has burnished her anti-abortion views with conservatives. So viewers of Wednesday night’s presidential debate might have been somewhat taken aback when John McCain said his running mate understands “what it’s like to have an autistic child.” Palin, it’s noted “does have a 13-year-old nephew with autism”: Karcher is the son of her sister and brother-in-law, Heather and Kurt Bruce and the family... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1883392 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:14:32 +0100 1883392 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1883394&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F6Yb_Xrp9DtU%2F Forgotten is the name of a report about autistic adults by Autism Ontario: The report says that the province has a “piecemeal” approach to addressing the issues facing an estimated 50,000 autistic adults and calls on the government to create a framework to assist them. With this guy making the news about autism somehow I’m not surprised that what we need to talk and do something about gets “forgetten.” You can read the Autism Ontario report here. Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Comedy, denis leary, disabilities blog, Disability Rights, Education, Health, michael savage, ontatioShare This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1883394 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:37:48 +0100 1883394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1873109&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FnZDAe0tweKo%2F Says Janice Nodvin, program director of the adult Down syndrome program at the Institute for the Study of Disadvantage and Disability, a nonprofit advocacy organization based in Atlanta, about her now 29-year-old son Evan in today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Evan is a man, and he should always be treated as a man, even though we sometimes have to help him out.” While doctors predicted that Evan would not live until adulthood, he now works at a senior adult day care center, lives on his own, takes public transportation, votes. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution article is about the issues facing the aging parents of developmentally disabled adults and also notes that ….Nodvin said, transitioning her son into the community has been a tricky dance. Without a persona... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1873109 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:03:41 +0100 1873109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1870900&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FgCcByaTWylk%2F Deborah Lipsky was in her 40s when she found out that has autism, today’s Carroll County Times notes. Others have described getting diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in their 50s; Nicky Gottlieb was 21 when he was diagnosed, after his sister, Lizzie Gottlieb, started to make a documentary about him, Today’s Man. When claims of a recent and dramatic increase in the autism rate are used as evidence for an “epidemic of autism,” the question is asked about where are all the adults with autism. Psychology professor Simon Baron-Cohen has written about the very late diagnosis of autism: Baron-Cohen describes a “lost generation” of adults with AS who did not know what diagnosis they have—who did not know that what they have even existed. It was 25 years ago tha... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1870900 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:34:56 +0100 1870900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1868575&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FKzjR8lk87gQ%2F Since Charlie had Thursday off from school, I took the train to work so he and Jim could have the car. Almost every seat was taken when I got on and I settled into a windowless row by the door. Neither the air-conditioning nor the lights were working. I put my coffee cup between my feet, pulled my bag (front pockets well-stocked with Kleenex and the other matériel one needs to get through a bad cold) onto my lap, and shut my eyes, and hoped I’d be able to keep my voice going through the day. We three have been passing around this cold like a hot potato—Charlie first, then Jim and now me. Can’t say how grateful I felt that Jim could take care of Charlie on Charlie’s day off and that Jim was well enough to take Charlie on a long bike ride, on a very warm October afte... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1868575 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:05:43 +0100 1868575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1853662&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FrueevV3dxpU%2F Weekends used to be really tough for our family. Charlie thrives on the structure and busyness of school, and try as we might to fill Saturday and Sunday with activities, it just never seemed to be enough. Now that he’s older, and feeling very secure about his school situation, weekends have been better—-nonetheless, I think a lot about how necessary it is that Charlie will always have lots to do, will have work to do that is meaningful and uses his talents, for his whole life. Today’s Baltimore Sun has an article about vocational programs for autistic and developmentally disabled adults in Maryland. Located in Ellicott City, the Linwood Center provides vocational programs for individuals who are not able to find jobs in the community; some participants have also been abl... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1853662 Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:18:41 +0100 1853662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1825641&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35082&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautism.gbrettmiller.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fmilitary-service%2F This article applies to those who live in the U.S. = = == === ===== If your autistic child is in an inclusion setting in high school, attending as a “regular” student, you will eventually encounter military recruiters. As part of No Child Left Behind, public schools are obligated to provide student information to the local recruiters. A recent story in the Oregonian (excerpted below) shows the problems that can occur. To help prevent this kind of problem, you can take the following steps: Have appropriate documents of diagnosis, treatment, IEPs, etc. for your child If possible, obtain a letter from the school district case manager, pediatrician and others Be proactive, and find out who the local recruiters are, for all services Be even more proactive, find out the chain of co... 29 Marbles blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1825641 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:37:32 +0100 1825641 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1791673&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FpfHHQZZ3bas%2F I wrote a few days ago about a new study about how parenting disabled children can become less taxing over time. This has been our experience in many ways over the years with Charlie, though he has yet to have any really serious medical issues (he has certainly had some very serious behaviors problems). Today’s Guardian about the “financial ruin, stress and exhaustion”—about the difficulties faced by carers of adult disabled children and relatives, especially as they (and the carers) grow older. One thing that keeps me going is mentioned at the end of a quote from Henrietta Spink, whose two sons, 20-year-old Henry and 16-year-old Freddie (who has “profound autism”), are both “profoundly disabled”: ‘Families and friends do fade away when... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1791673 Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:02:57 +0100 1791673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1782713&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FEvHQ7P5FYG8%2F A new study by sociologists and social work researchers from the University of Chicago and University of Wisconsin-Madison has found that parenting children with disabilities becomes less taxing over time. From today’s Science Daily: …….over time, parents learn to adapt to the challenges of caring for a disabled child. As these parents age, the study shows, their health more closely mirrors the health of parents with children who don’t have disabilities. The study, Age and Gender Differences in the Well-Being of Midlife and Aging Parents with Children with Mental Health or Developmental Problems: Report of a National Study, is published in the September 2008 Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Am only speaking for myself—-but, for Jim and me, parenting has gott... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1782713 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:27:35 +0100 1782713 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1746379&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F2bes8q4TPEs%2F Charlie once took the car key and put it in the lock of the front door lock. We park our car outside and, fortunately, we soon noticed the key in the lock and quickly retrieved it, realizing that our car could have been driven away by the next passerby. Charlie’s never (yet) tried to get behind the wheel and given his visual processing difficulties, that wouldn’t be a good thing to occur. An autistic 16-year-old in Apex, North Carolina, drives his family’s SUV, damaging mailboxes and cars and accidentally striking his father, today’s WNCN-TV reports.  And in tomorrow’s New York Times, writer Ann Bauer describes how her 20-year-old autistic son Andrew drove her car 70 miles away to St. Cloud, Minnesota, where it was found “scratched, filthy and out of ga... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1746379 Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:07:31 +0100 1746379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1720392&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FCMVyfgFq-Ck%2F The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) coordinates research and efforts pertaining to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). On August 11th, the National Institute of Mental Health issued a Request for Information (RFI): Priorities for the IACC Services Subcommittee for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to seek input from Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) stakeholders including individuals with ASD and their families, autism advocates, State officials, scientists, health professionals, therapists, educators, and the public at large about what they consider to be high-priority issues and concerns surrounding services and supports for children, youth, and adults with ASD. The IA... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1720392 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:00:52 +0100 1720392 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1657221&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F347010204%2F At 5 years old, Matthew Morreale had tantrums so bad that his mother, Marthe Morreale, did not take him out in public. At 24 years old, Matthew Morreale operates a 1-man shredding business. The July 25th Orange County Register has the full story and I’ve a new thought of a job option for Charlie (perhaps not being able to read too well can be a potential, a bit of, an asset?). Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, disabilities blog, disability, disneyland, employment, Family, family blog, Health, orange county, paper shredding, Parenting, pdd-nos, WorkShare This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1657221 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:30:53 +0100 1657221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1649088&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F343872027%2F Researchers pulling back the veil on adult autism read the headline in a Vancouver Sun article on July 20th. Noting that autism, and in particular Asperger Syndrome, is being recognized in more and more adults, the article cites these examples: A doctor who got “upset when people didn’t say what they mean” and who seems to have a sort of finger and nose “tic.” A man who “organized his wife’s CDs by the composer’s date of birth and fell asleep on the floor during social events.” These might just seems “quirks” and “eccentricities” and then a third example: An office clerk who, “obsessed with not walking on the cracks between the tiles on the sidewalk,” beat up a window because she was in his way as he ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1649088 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:00:18 +0100 1649088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1639275&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F339987202%2F Writer Ann Bauer’s adult son is autistic and, in an article in today’s Washington Post, she writes about the question that are always just under the surface of my conscious thoughts: What happens to Charlie after Jim and I are not here? Bauer, the author of the novel A World Ride Up the Cupboards, has described a terrifying episode in her family’s life, when her son (at 17) was misdiagnosed as psychotic and had autistic catatonia. She’s also written about the struggle to find and help him keep a job, and how, too often, she’s gotten the message that Autistics Need Not Apply. But the struggles are also because of the world we live in, a world that talks about “raising awareness” but has yet to provide sufficient (or even adequate) and appropriate se... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1639275 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:55:14 +0100 1639275 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1618091&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F334742962%2F I’m team teaching for my summer school on Psychology and Literature. My co-teacher and I have known each other for a few years but haven’t worked on any projects together; she’s a social psychologist and teaches in my college’s Education Department, and we’ve been figuring out how to take turns presenting material to the class, trade off speaking and answering students’ questions, grading assignments. I’ve team-taught before (last time with an Irish historian—no, not Jim), and I enjoy the back and forth, and not being “all alone” in front of a room of students. Team-teaching does require compromising, and stepping back, and adjustment to another person’s perspective—all of which I see as ways to learn, and to learn new... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1618091 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:02:01 +0100 1618091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1556399&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F323501924%2F The June 29th Herald (Sharon, PA) describes a program that helps young autistic adults transition from high school to adulthood. The program is run by St. Anthony’s Point and St. Michael’s Harbour, Inc., Hermitage. After participating in it, 23-year-old Michael Mondak is working in the Community Library of the Shenango Valley and matriculating at the Shenango campus of Penn State University; 20-year-old Shane Myers is working at Farrell Golden Dawn and Big Lots in Hermitage, and will soon be working full-time. Both note that, besides work and life skills, the program has taught them something more: …..the program seems to have taught them a lot about themselves as well as career and life skills. Myers said it helped him see that his disabilities wouldn’t stop him from getting a... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1556399 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:24:37 +0100 1556399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1499993&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F306877698%2F Inspire for Autism is the name of a new school for autistic teenagers in Brattleboro, Vermont. According to a June 6th WCAX-News report, the school will be located in a 5,600 square foot farmhouse and will take students from Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Its focus is on vocational and life training. Bill and Kathy Vranos’ son, Jake Vranos, is just finishing middle school and will be attending Inspire; his parents note that “there isn’t a high school in the area that can adequately address their kid’s specialized needs.” We’re fortunate that our district in New Jersey has a high school program with this kind of emphasis on vocational and life skills. It’s still in something of a pilot phase; students start working various jobs in the hi... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1499993 Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:58:02 +0100 1499993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1480748&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F301017971%2F For the past two weeks, one post after another has been about the exclusion of autistic individuals: 13-year-old Adam Race from church—and by a restraining order. 5-year-old Alex Barton from his kindergarten class—and by a “voting out” process that has had more than a few echoes of the “Survivor” reality TV show. But these cases weren’t the stuff of network drama (like this TV show—remember the “mercuritol”?). They were real things that happened to real autistic people and—based on what’s been said ‘round the web and here on this blog—this kind of exclusion is not at all uncommon. And it’s not unusual especially when attempts are made to include autistic individuals—in “mainstream” e... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1480748 Fri, 30 May 2008 05:17:53 +0100 1480748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1467020&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F297566840%2F We were walking down the West Side Highway in Manhattan on Saturday when Charlie started running and laughing. Jim and I saw that we were nearing the shed where you can take out a canoe into the Hudson River—-we had passed the shed back in April and met a retired longshoreman who’d noted how he likes to be near the water, and exchanged stories of the waterfront and Cockeye Dunn, a New York mobster who’s one of the characters in the book about the port of New York and New Jersey and the Waterfront priest that Jim is very, very close to finishing. “Want a kayak ride?” asked Jim. “Yes!” said Charlie. He paced back and forth pier 96 with the river splashing below him as Jim filled out some forms and I coaxed Charlie to put on a life vest. “No ves... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1467020 Sun, 25 May 2008 04:54:57 +0100 1467020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1442967&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F289908112%2F The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) coordinates research and efforts pertaining to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The IACC met this past Monday, May 12 in Washington, D.C. I had attended the November 2007 meeting and learned a great deal and was hoping to attend this May meeting. Jim had an event planed Monday night—-and then Jim heard that the event was (maybe) not going to happen, so I wrote a statement and submitted it and thought I might go, and then Jim heard that the Monday event might happen. Our Mother’s Day weekend was busy and a bit intense at times and I found myself one moment looking up train tickets on Amtrak and the next realizing that it was Sunday night and I hadn’t planned far en... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1442967 Wed, 14 May 2008 04:10:09 +0100 1442967 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1439662&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F289098729%2F In The “Open Question” on Vaccines and Autism, CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson interviews Dr. Bernardine Healy, a former head of the National Institutes of Health and a member of the Institute of Medicine. Noting that Dr. Healy’s credentials “couldn’t be more ‘mainstream’”—no DAN! doctor she—Attkisson writes: According to Healy, when she began researching autism and vaccines she found credible published, peer-reviewed scientific studies that support the idea of an association. That seemed to counter what many of her colleagues had been saying for years. She dug a little deeper and was surprised to find that the government has not embarked upon some of the most basic research that could help answer the question of a link. T... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1439662 Tue, 13 May 2008 01:57:00 +0100 1439662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1436945&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F288478385%2F There’s been plenty of debate about whether or not there is an epidemic of autism; about whether or not the increase in the prevalence rate of autism (now 1 in 150) is due to our being better able to diagnose and count cases of autism, or whether there is some actual something that can be pointed to that is actually causing more children to become autistic. Recently, I’ve noted mention of an “autism pandemic,” a term which strikes me as a not exactly subtle attempt to make the rise in the prevalence rate of autism seem to be a much more extreme, and scary, phenomenon than various autism organizations claim that it is. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the definition of an epidemic is disease outbreak in which some or many people in a comm... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1436945 Mon, 12 May 2008 05:51:11 +0100 1436945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1432564&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F286958053%2F The British government has announced that it is planning to calculate the number of autistic adults in England. The £500,000 project is the first to specifically study the number of adults who have autism, the BBC reports. It will be interesting to see how the study is conducted: The tools for diagnosing autism in adults are neither as valid nor as reliable as those used for children. And: The group has been hard to measure partly because so many people have grown up before improvements in recognition and diagnosis; and some may have been labelled inappropriately as having mental health problems or learning difficulties or not acknowledged at all. Academics at the University of Leicester will lead the research which will include a study of a sample of the adult population - a sort of mini... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1432564 Fri, 09 May 2008 17:00:53 +0100 1432564 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1426521&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F285550955%2F Herb Heflich, executive of 10 NJ properties for senior citizens, has a plan to create a supported living facility for autistic adults—”a group home without the stuffiness of an institution“—in central NJ: Designed to give adults with autism around-the-clock care — ranging from physical and occupational therapy to “vocational rehabilitation” — the two-story building proposed by CMG Chelsea would house 42 apartments within its 51,796 square feet. The units each would include a kitchen, living room, bathroom and one or two bedrooms, according to renderings of the building. Plans also call for a shared dining area, a large kitchen, television and computer rooms, a gym, work shop and a conference room, as well as 64 parking spaces. Twenty employees are ex... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1426521 Wed, 07 May 2008 18:32:39 +0100 1426521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1423284&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F284411504%2F In yesterday’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer, journalist Paul Nyhan writes about parents as the “invisible casualties” when a child has autism. 4-year-old Sharky Munat’s mother, Lillie Addams, recalls when the police showed up because Sharky’s screams permeated the thin walls of their apartment. After her son was diagnosed with autism, Addams went through “depression, chest-seizing anxiety attacks, insomnia and incessant guilt that she wasn’t doing enough.” She says: “It’s this overwhelming sense of powerlessness….I feel blamed by society, by insurance companies. As if it was somehow our fault.” Sharky is fortunate to have three parents. He lives with Addams and her partner, Stormy Addams; Sharky’s father, Ted Munat... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1423284 Tue, 06 May 2008 05:31:20 +0100 1423284 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1418469&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F282850084%2F Autism Awareness Month 2008 ended Wednesday; here in my state of New Jersey, Senator Robert Menendez marked the closing of the month by unveiling the Helpings HANDS for Autism Act. The act calls for the creation of “autism navigators” to assist families in figuring out services; training for law enforcement and other primary responders; and the creation of a Task Force to address the “serious lack of sufficient housing” for autistic adults. A recent report about an autistic man in Utah, Eric Hale, who died in a group home and was found weighing 100 pounds and in a fetal position and, from the report of a friend, with a “‘punctured bowel [and] vomiting feces,’” more than underscores the need not only for housing for autistic adults, but for highly tra... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1418469 Sat, 03 May 2008 17:33:27 +0100 1418469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1418470&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F282618448%2F Today, a daylong “town hall” meeting of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is being held at the UC Davis Cancer Center, as reported in the May 2nd Sacramento Bee. (Previous meetings of the IACC this year and last year have been held in Washington, D.C.) The meeting offers a chance to express one’s views about what direction the government should take with research about autism. While research is linked with notions of “treatment” and “cure,” I’m with Connie Lapin of Northridge, whose 40-year-old son has autism, and who sees the meeting as a chance to “talk about the long-term consequences of the diagnosis.” She said it’s a conversation many parents don’t want to have because they believe their child c... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1418470 Sat, 03 May 2008 08:04:33 +0100 1418470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1411790&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F281076450%2F The Spring semester is almost over at the college where I teach and “getting some kind of job” is the main response from students to the question “what are you planning to do this summer?”. And—it occurs to me on this last day of April with May and Charlie’s 11th birthday right around the corner—-what kind of job will Charlie get some day? Today’s Southeast Missourian describes the Tailor Institute, which is now offering skills training sessions and social outings for “high-functioning” adults on the autism spectrum. The Institute operates under the Southeast Innovation Center and is currently training three high schoolers and two college students. One student works for the Southeast Missourian and scan negatives. The other studen... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1411790 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:07:09 +0100 1411790 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1407052&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F280147534%2F On Sunday I wrote about hope starting with acceptance and asked: Does one strive to do everything one can to cure, heal, recover a child from autism with the goal of the child “losing“her or his diagnosis? Or, does one learn to accept that one’s child is different, disabled, autistic? In Sunday’s Wall Street Journal, Jeff D. Opdyke, whose five-year-old daughter has (like my son) a speech disability which impairs her pronunciation, wrote about the costs of raising a special needs child and the hard choices that one finds oneself having to make: ….parents at some point do begin to think about the dollars. You have to: With limited resources you can’t pursue an open-wallet policy forever when you have so many other needs that ultimately must to be funded, t... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1407052 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:11:37 +0100 1407052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1405399&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F279633182%2F Below is the press release about the new autism legislation that New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez unveiled this morning in Weehawken, in Hudson County in northern New Jersey. The legislation has three parts: The creation of “autism navigators” to help families “navigate” their way through services, treatment options, and much more; the development and implementation of autism training for first responders (police, fire departments, emergency medical technicians and other volunteers); the creation of an HUD Task Force to address the “serious lack of sufficient housing” for autistic adults. The legislation is specifically about services and community supports. The need for housing for autistic adults is underscored in a story from KGW.com in Washington s... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1405399 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:06:26 +0100 1405399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1402991&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F279050368%2F Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey will be announcing a new initiative for families dealing with autism spectrum disorders on Monday, April 28th, at 11am in Louisa Park in Weehawken, New Jersey. The legislation will combine guidance for families seeking autism spectrum disorder services and care, greater public awareness of autism spectrum disorders and support for adults with autism. New Jersey has the highest prevalence rate of autism in the nation (1 in 94). I was was hoping to be in Weehawken which is not far from where I teach at Saint Peter’s College (it’s the Senator’s alma mater) but I have a class (and it’s the last week of classes). You can be sure my thoughts will be directed down Kennedy Boulevard…… Tags: asd, asperger, autism, corzine, go... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1402991 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:31:41 +0100 1402991 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1400700&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F277931727%2F Organic brain disorder, brain-injured, multiply handicapped, aggressive personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder: 51-year-old Anne Carpenter received all of these labels before being diagnosed with high-functioning autism at the age of 30. Read her story in today’s Lansing State Journal; you can contact Anne via email here. Says Carpenter, who now runs the library at the Autism Society of Michigan in Lansing’s Old Town.: “I’ve gotten happier over the years because I know what I’m made of now,” she said. “I’m a better person and I feel like I can handle anything. I’m enjoying life more. “In fact, I think the 50s are turning out to be my magic years.” Getting better all the time, no? Tags: adults, asd, asperge... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1400700 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:29:56 +0100 1400700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1382404&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F273034745%2F There’s a video out on the web now called Autism Yesterday, echoing the title of another video that appeared in 2006, Autism Every Day. The latter video by director Lauren Thierry strove to present “what it’s like” for families to live with a child for autism. The other video, “Autism Yesterday,” presents the message that “autism is reversible” via biomedical interventions; autism could become a thing of yesterday if families chose to use such treatments (many of which we have used for my son, when he was younger). I’ve never been one for taking a lot of videos of my son. I suppose you could say, I’m too busy watching and being with him to be inclined to run and get the camera. It is certainly “life with an autistic son&#822... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1382404 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:36:32 +0100 1382404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1380564&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F272476904%2F The state of New Jersey’s Department of Human Services is being sued by a legal advocacy group, New Jersey Protection and Advocacy Inc., for violating the rights of over 8000 developmental disabled people who have been waiting (over a decade, in some cases) to move into government-supported community housing. The department has a waiting list for housing, but few people ever leave the list except under emergency circumstances, as when a parent becomes ill or dies. From today’s Star-Ledger: “These individuals have been for years diverted to a so-called ‘wait-list’ for such services, with no guarantee, and little hope, of accessing the services they need,” said R. Scott Thompson of Lowenstein Sandler, which is representing the federally funded legal rights... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1380564 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:36:11 +0100 1380564 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1369131&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F269564933%2F The highpoint of the week for us was Thursday night’s reading in conjunction with the Artistic Spectrum exhibit—–and Charlie also had a lot of things to say himself. Did Your Child Reach Her or His Gross Motor Milestones? Some parents note that their children had gross motor delays (Charlie did), while others said their child did not. Indeed, some parents whose children met all their gross and fine motor milestones then had other delays in social and communicative skills. About This “Autism Dilemma” According to health journalist Alison Rose Levy, there is an “autism dilemma” afoot, in which parents of autistic children speak emotionally and from the heart about what they think (a vaccine, for instance) “caused” their child to become autistic, while “aloof ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1369131 Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:32:50 +0100 1369131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1356186&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F266430159%2F To what extent has the prevalence rate of autism increased because of the “better diagnosis” argument—-that we are able to better diagnose and identify autism today than in the past? Is what some call an “epidemic of autism” more accurately described as a sort of “epidemic of understanding and awareness” about autism? A new study in the Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology by Dorothy Bishop, et al., has found that some adults who received a diagnosis of language disorder during childhood might now have been diagnosed with autism. 38 adults (age 15 to 31) were included in the study, whose findings Translating Autism by Nestor L. Lopez-Duran, Ph.D., cogently summarizes: The authors were mostly interested in a particular type of language disorde... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1356186 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:00:30 +0100 1356186 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1353075&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F265110543%2F “…….happy endings are possible, even if they’re not quite the endings originally envisaged.” So an article in today’s Telegraph about love and Asperger’s syndrome describes the relationship between Sarah Hendrickx and Keith Newton. The couple met through internet dating: ……the first stage of their relationship was fiery and fraught. To Sarah, Keith was ‘a puzzle’. He’d plainly state that their blissful weekends were enough for him, that he’d never live with her or even move nearer. Sarah frequently found him selfish, cold and distant. Keith found Sarah hard work, demanding and ’screechy’. Hendrickx got a job with ASpire, an organization which works with adults with Asperger’s, and realized that ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1353075 Sun, 06 Apr 2008 15:14:51 +0100 1353075 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1352116&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F264084021%2F I grew up in California and almost all of my family still lives there, and Jim and I have talked very seriously about possibly moving out west when Charlie is an adult. My dad has lived in Oakland for all but a few years of his life and has long said exasperated things about the city’s politics and politicos (and don’t get him started on Berkeley’s). On hearing about a package of eight autism bills introduced by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, my dad (who is, by the way, a really really nice guy) said that he might have to change his mind about this particular politician. (Might.) The April 3rd Sacramento Bee reports on the eight autism bills: SB 527 directs California’s Department of Developmental Services to establish a pilot project to find best ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1352116 Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:42:15 +0100 1352116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1347434&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F263183396%2F Writes Linda H. Davis in the Washington Post yesterday, April 2nd, World Autism Day: While greater media attention on autism is certainly welcome, virtually all coverage of autism in recent years has focused on a cure or on the education of young autistic children. You would think that, like children in a fairy tale, autistic children never grow up. Yet parents are getting old, tired and ill caring for their adult children. Davis’ son Randy is 21 years old and is able to work, with supervision. While the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that individuals up to the age of 22 receive a free and appropriate education, “few seem to know or care that there is no similar legal mandate for them after age 22.” And two years ago, Davis discovered that she has an... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1347434 Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:05:31 +0100 1347434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1336878&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F260608792%2F Brooklyn is to Manhattan as California’s East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley) is to San Francisco: Today’s New York Times draws these comparisons: ….there is a young, earnest population that is beating a path between artsy, gentrifying neighborhoods in Brooklyn and their counterparts in the Bay Area, especially East Oakland and the area south of Market Street in San Francisco, or SoMa. The New York Times describes some 20- and 30- something year olds who, in search of a place with a “messy urbanism”—-a urban, creative vibe of the sort found in edgier city neighborhoods before gentrification sets in—-shuttle between the East and West—the Left—coasts. Maybe this transcontinental connection is now found among “creative people” in searc... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1336878 Sun, 30 Mar 2008 07:38:07 +0100 1336878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1305837&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F252178469%2F In recognition of World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, CNN is planning a report on myths of autism (such as that “thimerosal in vaccines is the main cause for autism”) and ask readers: Do you think that there are prevailing myths related to autism? What are they? What questions do you need answered? Does autism touch your life? Tell us your story here: Autism iReport Here’s 10 myths about autism on Wrong Planet including “autism is an epidemic” and “most autistics are ‘low-functioning (and for some further debunking of the whole notion of “high vs. low functioning,” see Asperger Square 8’s post entitled I Am Joe’s Functioning Label). Let the debunking begin! Tags: asd, asperger, autism, debunking, Epidemic, myths, parent... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1305837 Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:33:20 +0100 1305837 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1305361&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F251876507%2F Today is the Ides of March, the 15th of March according to the Roman Calendar. On my own calendar, I had marked March 14th as the date of a meeting of the meeting of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) in Washington, D.C.. I had attended the November meeting; here is the testimony of some who were at the meeting today: Joe Mele Alex Plank of Wrong Planet Ari Ne’eman of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network Shakespeare highlighted March 15th in the phrase “Beware the Ides of March” in his play Julius Caesar, as the Roman ruler was indeed assassinated on the Ides of March in 44 B.C.. The date did not hold any sinister associations prior to that, though one of my students (who works as an EMT) proclaimed that larger than usual numbers of people in various sta... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1305361 Sat, 15 Mar 2008 09:17:48 +0100 1305361 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1303316&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F251532365%2F A post here on adult sexuality in autistic individuals led to a very interesting exchange, including critique of the survey itself. The survey is being conducted by the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System is and the University of New Brunswick and the researchers have sent me a response (see below, after the jump). Being the mother of a 10 year, 10 month old son who (as I’ve noted) has started a moustache —-puberty is right around the corner—-I very much value the findings of the research and, too, discussion of this topic among readers. If you review the “Ashley treatment“—which involved the removal of her uterus and breast buds, so that she will not start to menstruate and will also be “kept small,” Ashley growing up and into adult... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1303316 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:00:05 +0100 1303316 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1296106&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F249735213%2F Looks like everyone has to get in their say about the case of Hannah Poling and the government’s recent concession that her underlying mitochondrial disorder was aggravated by receiving nine vaccines and led to “symptoms like autism,” as today’s New York Times puts it in an editorial entitled A Puzzling Autism Case. The NY Times calls for the “court for vaccine compensation [to] unseal documents involved in this unusual case so that experts, families and their doctors can better understand exactly how Hannah Poling, now 9 years old, came to be harmed after receiving a battery of shots when she was a toddler.” And just imagine how much more we’ll all have to debate, argue, and blog about this issue—-which has lately become seemingly the only t... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1296106 Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:00:18 +0100 1296106 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1271860&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F244456968%2F At the Strategic Planning Retreat for COSAC yesterday, an autistic man noted that one thing his mother used to do for him, and that his brother now did for him as she has passed on, is to balance his checkbook. Today’s Newsday describes the financial difficulties that autistic adults face: 25-year-old Sean Beaudoin works 20 hours a week as a kennel assistant and has his own car, credit card, and good credit rating: Last month, Sean walked into Hustedt Chevrolet in Centereach and traded in his fully paid 1997 Ford Explorer for a $2,500 credit toward a 2002 Chevy Malibu with 50,000 miles. He owed an additional $11,400 on the Malibu. After Beaudoin’s mother discovered the purchase and complained to the dealership, the manager agreed to lower the total price to $8,550. That’s... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1271860 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:00:31 +0100 1271860 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1269621&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F243538954%2F Yesterday I noted two musicals about autism—-here’s two more movies with autistic characters. Today’s New York Times has a round-up of 15 films in the 13th annual Rendez-Vous With French Cinema 2008 series. One is a documentary by Sandrine Bonnaire about her autistic sister, Her Name is Sabine / Elle s’appelle Sabine: …..throughout her acting career, Bonnaire has also been filming her younger sister, Sabine. Called crazy by her schoolmates and diagnosed as problematic by the authorities, Sabine moved in and out of schools until, in her late 20s, she was put in a mental institution. Bonnaire’s very moving, enlightening film finds Sabine at 38, living in an adult care facility after having finally been diagnosed as autistic five years earlier. An exposé of the ig... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1269621 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:08:18 +0100 1269621 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1266822&cid=t_102326_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F243138847%2F Several recent news (including video of our recent panel discussion): 1) Study Finds Improved Cognitive Health among Older Americans (Journal of the Alzheimer's Association) - "Societal investment in building and maintaining cognitive reserve through formal education in childhood and continued cognitive stimulation during work and leisure in adulthood may help limit the burden of dementia among the growing number of older adults worldwide". - "Cognitive impairment dropped from 12.2 percent in 1993 to 8.7 percent in 2002 among people 70 and older."  - "Education and financial status appeared overall to protect against developing cognitive impairment." - "Further, they suggested, the results support the notion of cognitive reserve, which hypothesizes that... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1266822 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:05:14 +0100 1266822 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1261673&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F242232205%2F The Wisconsin Senate has passed a bill requiring insurance companies to cover autism, but the bill still has to pass the state’s Assembly. And in Oklahoma, families with autistic children are calling on the state Senate to pass “Nick’s Law, which would require health insurance policies cover diagnosis, treatment and therapy for autism spectrum disorders. Here in my own state of New Jersey, the state Assembly’s Health and Senior Services Committee has released six new autism bills on Monday; last September, New Jersey Governor Joseph Corzine signed a package of seven bills relating to autism; go here for details about the bills. The new “second phase” of autism bills calls for: insurance coverage for treatments (applied behavior analysis or ABA); creation... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1261673 Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:00:42 +0100 1261673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1252852&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F240496523%2F Just over a year ago, the CDC reported that the prevalence rate for autism was 1 in 150 among children in the US; New Jersey’s rate—1 in 94— was the highest. On seeing such numbers, some have quickly concluded there must be an epidemic of autism in Jersey, and cited the state’s longstanding (if exaggerated, sometimes to mythic proportions) reputation as a toxic dumping ground for chemical waste and all manner of environmentally suspicious substances. It’s not exactly roses and geraniums in the wrongly named “Garden State,” and no wonder the autism rate is so high, the (sneering) accusations go. In a recent post, a Grey Matter/White Matter presents a first look at New Jersey autism numbers by analyzing the total number of students in special educati... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1252852 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:59:15 +0100 1252852 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1246644&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F238670979%2F To be “in the Nation’s Service and in the Service of All Nations” is the “informal motto,” of Princeton University, where I went to college. On Tuesday, Princeton announced that it hopes to create an “international ‘bridge year’ program,” in which “would allow newly admitted undergraduates [can] spend a year of public service abroad before beginning their freshman year.” The University hopes to start the program in 2009 and will not charge tuition for it, and will offer financial assistance to those who need it. In a February 19th interview with the New York Times, Princeton’s president, Shirley Tilghman, suggested that the program will be a “cleansing the palate of high school, giving [incoming freshmen] a year to r... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1246644 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:53:47 +0100 1246644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1240223&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F237225252%2F 35-year-old John Lang is the new president of Alpha Autism, which provides a number of services for autistic adults and those with similar needs in Australia. Lang was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at the age of 17 and, in a February 18th article in The Age, talks about being “mercilessly bullied” in secondary school: Looking back, he realises he didn’t know how to relate to other students. “I was a huge train fan,” Mr Lang says. “Sometimes, to relieve stress, I would do fairly realistic train impressions.” This, he now recognises, made him a target. But like many young people with an ASD, he had a particular interest and his, since age three, had been trains. As a young boy his house backed on to a train line. When he left school he worked for ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1240223 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 22:59:17 +0100 1240223 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1239301&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F237091714%2F Autism alters lives, but parents feel “blessed”, reports an article about a family in McAllen, Texas. Patrick and Sylvia Hamilton’s son Michael is 23. While they worry—as many, and perhaps all, of us do—about resources and opportunities as children get older, the Hamiltons have no regrets. “Special children are born into special families,” Sylvia said. “We’re highly blessed.” And special families, like the Hamiltons, do a lot to help their children with disabilities long into their adult years. The constant need for care changes the course of all of their lives. The scope of that impact varies with the severity of the disability. Many with disabilities are able to function on their own in society; others need more support from the... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1239301 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:00:23 +0100 1239301 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1223734&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F233439506%2F “As a parent, I saw the future and so the question is, given our position, what do we do about it? Maybe we could be an example, maybe we could use our position of leadership to try to change the work environment.” So Walgreens executive Randy Lewis—who has a 19-old-son with autism—says in an ABC news report on companies employing disabled employees. More than 40 percent of the 700 workers at the Walgreens distribution center in Anderson, South Carolina are disabled. Another quote from Lewis: “People come to me and say, will this work in my environment? Yes, it will. This is not just a good thing to do, the right thing to do. This is better…..When you walk through this building, there is a sense of purpose. Everybody knows why they’re here. Ever... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1223734 Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:20:49 +0100 1223734 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1221298&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F232954388%2F The North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System is doing a joint project with the University of New Brunswick on Adult Sexuality for individuals between 21 and 65 who fall into the Autism Spectrum. Individuals can participate in the study via a confidential online survey. Here is some more information: The purpose of this study is to better understand sexuality and relationships of adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The information collected from the study may increase knowledge of how best to help teens and adults with ASDs experience healthy sexual development. Participation in this study involves completion of a set of online questionnaires at www.unbstudy.com that will take between 45 minutes and 1¼ hours to complete. For more information about this ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1221298 Mon, 11 Feb 2008 05:21:29 +0100 1221298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1207489&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F229842024%2F Ego sum: That’s my Latin translation of “I Exist,” which is the name for the second phase of the National Autistic Society’s “Think Differently About Autism campaign. The NAS is launching a campaign specifically about adults with autism because: Autism is a lifelong condition and children with autism grow up to be adults with autism. Our survey of adults with autism and their carers found that most are isolated and ignored. A lack of recognition that autism affects adults, a lack of understanding of people’s needs, and a lack of suitable services means that most adults are prevented from realising their true potential. I Exist aims to transform lives by campaigning for better support and services for adults with autism. You can go here for a PDF file cont... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1207489 Tue, 05 Feb 2008 21:34:40 +0100 1207489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1173266&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F222020986%2F ABC’s Nightline is airing a special on girls with autism tonight, on ABC News World News with Charles Gibson at 6:30pm (ET) and on Nightline, Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 11:35pm (ET/PT). Aspie Dad posts a summary:   …in a surprising twist, correspondent John Donvan and producer Caren Zucker talk to several researchers and psychologists who believe there are actually more girls with autism in the U.S. than diagnosed. Not only may there be many under-diagnosed girls, according to these experts, but some girls with autism may be assigned some other diagnosis. In fact these girls are often being under-diagnosed or diagnosed with something else. The researchers believe that many of the symptoms are being missed, or that they are just more subtle in girls. Nightline takes an i... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1173266 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:04:14 +0100 1173266 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1165339&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F220286699%2F “We put a lot of energy into birth to 3 and somewhat through the teen years, but depending on when they graduate, they fall off the end of the earth.” “Why put resources, energy and money into them and then have nothing when we know that if our young adults are supported into the next stage, they are going to do OK.” So Lois Rosenwald, co-director of the Connecticut Autism Spectrum Resource Center says in the January 20th Hartford Courant about autistic adults. Rosenwald was instrumental in developing a $1million pilot program that was created by the Connecticut legislature a few years ago “to assist adults of normal intelligence with diagnoses on what is called the autism spectrum”; it is the first such program (according to the Hartford Courant). T... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1165339 Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:02:10 +0100 1165339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1147280&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F215929435%2F Monday. The The Archives of General Psychiatry publishes Continuing Increases in Autism Reported to California’s Developmental Services System: Mercury in Retrograde. The trial of Karen McCarron begins. Tuesday. A new documentary, Today’s Man is shown and discussion ensues. Wednesday. Three articles about CNTNAP2 as an autism-susceptibility gene are published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. Thursday, Friday, Saturday. A lot of discussion ensues. Today’s Man: A Documentary about Nicky GottliebA new documentary about 28-year-old Nicky Gottlieb, who has Asperger’s syndrome; the film was made by his sister, New York director Lizzie Gottlieb. Thimerosal Exposure Declines, Autism Rates IncreaseFrom a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry: Expos... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1147280 Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:00:09 +0100 1147280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1146459&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F215661146%2F 自閉症, zi bi zheng (formed of the three words “self,” shut/close,” “obstruction”) is the Mandarin for “autism,” with the suggestion that it is a condition in which the self is withdrawn, shut and closed up in itself. A January 9th Wall Street Journal article profiles the efforts of Ma Chen to create and fund a school and other efforts to help autistic children (thanks to Mike Stanton at Action for Autism for highlighting this). Ma’s daughter, Yu Miao, was born in 2000 and has autism. The China Disabled Persons’ Federation estimates that 104,000 children in China have learning disabilities, mostly autism, but the number is probably higher. There are few schools for autistic children in China: Go here to read about the Kangda Training Center in Zhengzhou and h... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1146459 Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:17:18 +0100 1146459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1133914&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F212634311%2F Today’s Man is a new documentary about 28-year-old Nicky Gottlieb, who has Asperger’s syndrome; the film was made by his sister, New York director Lizzie Gottlieb. You can go here and watch a short preview of the film, in which Nicky Gottlieb’s parents, Robert Gottlieb (who was Editor in Chief of Simon and Schuster, Knopf, and of The New Yorker) and actress Maria Tucci, describe his babyhood: When he was nine months old, Gottlieb had a number of seizures; his mother also noted that he “connected” in a different way to people. A top New York neurologist told his parents that Gottlieb might never talk and might be a “vegetable”—– on the preview, you can see a black and white video of Gottlieb saying his first word, “bread.” ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1133914 Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:24:53 +0100 1133914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1132186&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F212233703%2F 29-year-old Jennifer Cron works as an aide at The Creator’s Corner, a Salvation Army day-care center in Tustin, California. Cron was diagnosed with autism when she was 21 years old after barely graduating from high school; she has worked at The Creator’s Corner for the past five years. Says the Orange County Register: [Program Director Betty] Linstead said Cron does tend to lose focus easily but her supervisors have adapted by working around her disability and only giving her one task at a time. “It worked out even better than we anticipated,” Linstead said. “At this point, I would say she’s probably one of the single-most valuable employees.” Cron is also a big hit with the children, wearing Mickey Mouse ears to school celebrations and talking... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1132186 Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:58:31 +0100 1132186 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1126229&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F210128170%2F I just got back from a meeting with a Senior Advisor and a Legislative Assistant on the staff of New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, and with five other parents of autistic children. I was the parent of the youngest child: The other parents had children who were 28, 20, 17, 16, and 11-about-to-turn-12 shortly. Parents of younger children—preschool and elementary school age—had been asked, but none had been able to attend a meeting. It was an educational session for me, to be sure. Most of the conversation centered around the issues of housing and employment—about adult issues. As one mother put it, what our kids transitioning into adults need is: somewhere to live something to do during the day transportation (Of course, there are many and more and more autistic ad... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1126229 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 22:12:46 +0100 1126229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1116708&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F206419343%2F On Christmas, just before noon, my family goes to the cemetery. With flowers in the trunk, we go up the winding paths (the cemetery is located in the Oakland hills), and up almost to the top to where there’s a slope that looks west towards the Pacific. “From here,” my father said to me in 1975, “Yeh-Yeh can see all the way back to China.” Yeh-Yeh was my father’s father, Charlie Chew—yes, Charlie was named after him. He died in 1975 when I was six years old and I still remember how my grandmother, Ngin-Ngin, keened and wailed at his wake and funeral, and how it rained and rained, and how high the pile of flowers—wreaths and fancy displays on green posts—was atop his gravesite in the rain. My older cousins admonished me not to smile and... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1116708 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 08:21:19 +0100 1116708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1096684&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F200716888%2F Two recent cases involving abuse and neglect by caretakers of autistic and developmentally disabled persons underscore (to say the least) the great need for highly trained and carefully supervised aides for workers. My own son was improperly restrained using a basket hold in a previous school district so many times that he sometimes pretends that he is having a tantrum and wraps his arms around himself. There are ways to train workers in “crisis management” that emphasize the safety and calming of the autistic person with compassion and dignity. Such practices were not the case in the death of Jonathan Carey on February 15 of this year. Edwin Tirado, who was convicted of second degree manslaughter in the 13-year-old’s death, was sentenced today to the maximum sentence f... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1096684 Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:48:16 +0100 1096684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1088749&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F199005059%2F Senator Barack Obama has unveiled his plan to empower Americans with Disabilities: This is an overview of the full plan (PDF file) and a short video message can be heard here in which Obama says “we must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination……..policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities.” Obama’s plan has four parts: (1) providing Americans with disabilities with the educational opportunities that they need to succeed; (2) ending discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity for persons with disabilities; (3) increasing the emp... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1088749 Wed, 12 Dec 2007 05:00:59 +0100 1088749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1064889&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F194012733%2F A child is now able to attend school in the same grade as his same-aged peers—without an aide or any special services; his academic skills are at grade level or above; he plays video games. The above description equals “recovery from autism,” in the words of two parents I recently encountered. This “recovery” was attributed strictly to biomedical methods including various intravenous treatments, injections, detoxifying processes, and so forth. (Whether or not the child was receiving any educational services—if not ABA,perhaps speech therapy—-or occupational therapy to address sensory processing needs—or assistance with social skills, was not mentioned.) Many questions enter my mind on hearing of this as a definition of “recovery from a... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1064889 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 20:16:20 +0100 1064889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1064890&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F193887936%2F “The public’s view of the typical person with autism is a 6-year-old,” according to an article in the November 30th Newsday about how more young adults who have autism are entering the workforce. While the article itself is hopeful—Joanne Gerenser of Eden II cites Walgreens, Home Depot and CVS, all of whom have programs to hire autistic adults—that statement about the general perception of an autistic person as at a 6-year-old level is something that needs to be addressed. Of course autistic children grow up into autistic adults who change and develop. Some might remain interested in Sesame Street for all of their life, but this does not mean that the person who still talks about Elmo is not an adult. Some might still make “inappropriate noises” in pub... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1064890 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 14:04:09 +0100 1064890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1048724&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F190200821%2F We went to the pool for a special Saturday program in which autistic children are paired with teenage volunteers. I was talking to two mothers I know and we all looked down at the same time and saw a little boy, swim diaper showing over his swim suit, crawling on the ledge that goes all the way around the pool. He was grinning and a teenager was right near by. The others mothers—their sons are 4 and 8—and I glanced at each other and shared a mutual chuckle, and a bit of a sigh: Our boys would never be little enough to crawl there again. Charlie was hanging onto a swim noodle and splashing around; he had been paired with an eighth grade girl just a few inches taller than him and had given her a big smile before getting into the pool in the shallow end. As I watched him doing his... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1048724 Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:42:49 +0100 1048724 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1047958&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F189731518%2F My mom and dad made a point of telling me how much they liked the CNN special on autism, Finding Amanda that aired last Monday (and was supposed to be re-aired Friday night, but got pre-empted by live programming on Larry King). Charlie calls my parents by the Cantonese words for “grandfather” and “grandmother,” “Gong Gong” and “Po Po”; while they live in California, they are his main babysitters. Aside from Charlie’s home speech therapist who we have known since she was in college, my parents are the only people who can take care of Charlie for long periods of time, and overnight, if need be. That does mean that they have been with Charlie through every possible sort of moment, including some really tough ones—-as on Tuesday... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1047958 Sat, 24 Nov 2007 09:19:24 +0100 1047958 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1041493&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F188190961%2F To the casual eye, my son is not disabled. He walks fine (maybe with a skip unbefitting a 10-year-old boy in quest of coolness); he talks (though listen closely and you’ll note that it’s the same words over and over and the initial and final sounds get slurred ); he carries two bags weighed down with groceries. He walks into school with an LL Bean backpack and wears a blue fleece coat (no matter that the only things in his backpack are a well-stocked lunchbox and a worn red folder—we are looking forward to the day when Charlie has a worksheet for homework). (And, he has the fleece’s hood pulled so far over his head that it is likely he can’t see anything except for what is directly in front of him.)    These are some reasons that people call autism a hidd... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1041493 Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:13:35 +0100 1041493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1040118&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F188002827%2F Last night CNN had a one-hour special on autism, and yesterday morning the CBS Early Show aired the first of four segments about Jacob Allen in its Autism: A New Frontier series. Another Early Show segment on a “medical history of autism” was shown this morning and tonight brings another  CNN special on adults; tomorrow (Wednesday) brings a report on schools and education for autistic children; Friday offers another, longer showing of CNN’s program; and Monday, a final Early Show segment on adults and autism. Topics discussed have ranged from what it’s like live with autism from the perspectives of autistic persons; the American Academy of Pediatrics‘ recently issued guidelines for universal autism screening in young children; theories linking au... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1040118 Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:24:26 +0100 1040118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1035631&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F186989156%2F One hears about the costs of autism and about how much autistic persons cost society: Almost £28 billion a year, according to an article in The Scotsman today; $35 billion a year, as Mike Stanton noted in October, but please also read his analysis of how to understand these numbers. He points out that the costs attributed to an autistic person and to their carers seem to be “almost entirely based upon loss of earnings and lost productivity”: But where are the measures that account for the positive impact of autism on the economy in terms of employing such a vast array of therapists and stimulating so much research into the human brain with unquantifiable impact on the whole area of neurological reasearch? ……..Yes we do need more money for autism reasearch. But we... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1035631 Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:24:32 +0100 1035631 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1030173&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F185443664%2F Early intervention, diagnosis, developmental milestones: A lot of the discussion on this blog focuses on the needs of children, of autistic children, and certainly we parents have a lot to think about in educating our kids with an eye constantly on the future. One often hears regrets about an autistic child “never going to get married” and “never falling in love.” But certainly it is simply a myth to think that an autistic person, whatever the extent of their disabilities, cannot love and, too, fall in love. Stars in the Sky is a dating agency for persons with learning difficulties in London: The November 15th Age.com (Australia) reviews a TV program about the agency with the “startlingly insensitive” title of Madly in Love: It’s a startlingly ins... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1030173 Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:27:26 +0100 1030173 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1003649&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F180026840%2F 21-year-old Devon Carmans has an apartment of his own in the federally subsidized ABC Apartments on Corte Arango in El Sobrante, California; he has a roommate and a regular support staff. Gannet is 22 years old and has physical and developmental disabilities; in the film The Key of G he moves out of his mother’s apartment and into a new living arrangement: ……he leaves his mother’s home to share an apartment with a close-knit group of artists and musicians who support him, not only as paid caregivers, but also as friends. Together they create a uniquely successful model of supported living, and a compelling alternative to institutionalized care. You can watch a trailer of The Key of G at the Lateral Films website; I’m intrigued from what I saw. Let me know if y... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1003649 Mon, 05 Nov 2007 13:09:42 +0100 1003649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1002296&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F179355726%2F This study shows that the social and interpersonal skills of autistic adolescents can be improved, and we established that our method is efficient and does not require significant resources,” said Dr. Fombonne. Dr. Fombonne organized the first training group in 2002, with his colleagues Jack Strulovitch, social worker at the MUHC, and Vicki Tagalakis, therapist in psychiatry paediatrics at the MUHC. They wanted to address the needs of autistic adolescents who had no major delay in their language development or who were not cognitively challenged (high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome). Since then the training groups have been running twice a year for 14 sessions, each group involving seven to eight adolescents aged an average of 14.6 years. The major component of the sessions... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1002296 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:00:39 +0100 1002296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=968385&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F173216742%2F Jean Gambell was 85 years old when she saw two of her brothers, Alan and David after living for 60 years in an institution and being considered a “feeble-minded person.” An October 21st story in The Times notes that today, she may instead have instead been diagnosed with autism, Asperger Syndrome or dyslexia. What’s especially saddening about this story is that her brothers only found out about their long-lost sister by accident: It was only when David found a letter addressed to his mother (who had died 25 years ago) in his mail that the brothers were finally reunited with their sister. The letter contained a questionnaire from a “local care home” on which was written “Jean Gambell”; finding it ultimately led David to contact Warwick Mews and to s... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=968385 Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:23:37 +0100 968385 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=966947&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F173034567%2F 21-year-old Devon Carmans has autism. He lives independently, in the federally subsidized ABC Apartments on Corte Arango in El Sobrante, California, and is studying reading and math at the California Autism Foundation’s A Better Chance school at Richmond’s Hilltop Office Park. He hopes to attend Contra Costa College to study computers, the October 21st Oroville Mercury Register notes. ABC Apartments is a “supported living” residence, in which individuals like Carmans can live with the help of a service provider of their own choosing. On weekdays, an East Bay Paratransit van takes Carmans from his home to the school, which enrolls 45 students across the street from a former produce center where the foundation has its offices and runs an industrial vocational program,... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=966947 Sun, 21 Oct 2007 21:32:43 +0100 966947 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=943029&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F168362462%2F These are the six “common life phases” according to New York Times columnist David Brooks in The Odyssey Years (October 9): childhood, adolescence, odyssey, adulthood, active retirement and old age Once upon the 1960s, the phases were four: childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age This “odyssey” age is, true to its classical roots in the title of Homer’s epic about the 10-year-old journey home of the hero Odysseus after the Trojan War, the decade of wandering that frequently occurs between adolescence and adulthood. During this decade, 20-somethings go to school and take breaks from school. They live with friends and they live at home. They fall in and out of love. They try one career and then try another. Their parents grow increasingly anxious. Thes... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=943029 Thu, 11 Oct 2007 09:54:59 +0100 943029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=935307&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F167019735%2F 19-year-old Max Hollen, who has autism and epilepsy, has been missing from his group home since yesterday afternoon. Update: Hollen was found by Monday morning, Oct. 8. Two employees of the Rainer School at Buckley, Washingston, have been arrested after videos shot by undercover KIRO 7 Eyewitness News shows that disabled students at a school run by the Department of Social and Health Services were allegedly slapped, struck in the face, and otherwise mistreated. An 11-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome was “brutally attacked” after stepping off the school bus in Templeton, Massachusetts. Authorities are planning to press charges against two girls and three girls who filmed the incident, as reported by WCVB today. A parent has to worry: What will it be like when, if, Cha... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=935307 Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:38:40 +0100 935307 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=932052&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F166059557%2F A lot is being said about the effects of a special diet on autistic children: A few more items of note, including a technological device designed to help a user understand social expressions. UK grandfather donates sperm to father his own grandchildScientists cite the “older dads” theory of autism: At least mom wouldn’t get all the blame in this case. That tuna fish sandwich is ok after allOverriding debates about mercury in fish, a new study urges pregnant women to eat fish But hold the bread, oatmeal, cheese and definitely the pizzaThe LA Times notes that Jenny McCarthy’s “celebrity status is likely to lend credence” (which is just, well, credence) to the gluten-free casein-free diet. Did Isaac Newton have Asperger’s?And if he did, would this ha... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=932052 Sat, 06 Oct 2007 07:43:51 +0100 932052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=918937&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F164061096%2F Two recently published autism books are #16 and #17 in Amazon.com rankings as of the writing of this post, Jenny McCarthy’s Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism and John Elder Robison’s Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s. McCarthy’s book (which is also #4 on the New York Times Bestseller List for hardcover nonfiction) is memoir with a “roadmap” of how, thanks to behavior therapy, a special diet, and supplements (and candida wipe-out via anti-fungal therapy), the author indeed “healed” her child from autism. Louder Than Words is another book in the tradition (if one can call it that) of books by parents of autistic children that offer the latest “how I cured my child from autism”: Others in this ge... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=918937 Tue, 02 Oct 2007 10:48:15 +0100 918937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=915382&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F163352272%2F With the study on early thimerasol exposure and neuropsychological outcomes in the New England Journal of Medicine published on Thursday, the case of the school aide against 6-year-old Nathan Darnell going to court on Tuesday, Jenny McCarthy making autism news every day, and a lot, lot more, it was a busy week. Court Hearing for 6 Year Old Autistic Boy is Sept 25Criminal charges against Nathan Darnell were dropped. Autism Shot, Autism Whisperer, Autism What?The MMR vaccine, Jim Carrey (according to Jenny McCarthy). Getting Better All the TimeA new study co-authored by Paul Shattuck notes that suggests that, over the course of their lives, autistic persons grow and change. Does Jenny McCarthy Have (Mild) Asperger Syndrome?No consensus, lots of questions. Institutional AutismAs autism in ch... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=915382 Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:28:19 +0100 915382 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=877687&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F157706871%2F Ruth Kieffer, whose 21-year-old son has Asperger Syndrome, writes about his difficulties finding long-term employment in a letter in today’s Appleton Post-Crescent: After many, many job applications, there were two places that seemed eager to hire him — until someone in higher management positions decided they didn’t want to hire someone with an autism disorder. Do they not understand that this is discrimination? Is there a fear of what they don’t understand? [my emphasis] Here is a young man with a genius IQ who wants to work, was never late to his job experiences, never called in sick, is honest to a fault — yet is not given a chance because of prejudice, plain and simple. Adults with autism are a fact of life.[my emphasis] Would we prefer they live on disability in... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=877687 Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:29:38 +0100 877687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=828184&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F149298685%2F 45 years ago, playwright Arthur Miller institutionalized his infant son, Daniel Miller, at a state facility in Connecticut. Miller did not mention his son in his own autobiography and did not visit him. 40 years ago, Lena DeRose gave birth to her sixth child, Randy who, like Daniel Miller, has Down Syndrome. Notes the August 28th Daily Herald (Utah): [Now 84-year-old Rose] has had her son by her side since the day four decades ago when she told off a doctor for suggesting she leave her newborn in the care of the state. “I said ‘How can you insult me like that?’ ” Facing the ravages of age, including death, groundbreaking parents like Lena [sic] are among the first who have to ask themselves what will happen to their 40 and even 50-year-old mentally disabled sons or... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=828184 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:30:14 +0100 828184 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=814246&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F146608820%2F A few days ago I wrote about how, when a different test for intelligence (Raven’s Progressive Matrices) was used to evaluate autistic children, they scored significantly higher, than when a more “traditional” test was used (the Wechsler). An interesting observation about intelligence and autism is made by psychiatrist Glen Elliot in an August 19th article in the San Francisco Chronicle about Bryna Siegel, director of UCSF’s autism clinic at the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute: …..mentally retarded people usually achieve superior self-sufficiency than autistic people, even if their IQ is lower. A retarded person with an IQ of 65 can learn to ride a bus, but an autistic person with an IQ of 80 might struggle to do this, Elliott says. If the bus arrives a fe... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=814246 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:51:16 +0100 814246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=809626&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F146015113%2F The mother of Clay, who is 23 years old and has autism, cerebral palsy, and hydrocephalus and is legally blind in both eyes, asked this very question—–”what about the adults”—–in a comment on If There’s No Autism Epidemic, Where are all the Adults with Autism?. It is a questions that, I suspect, more parents of autistic persons who are children think about constantly; yesterday’s report about the 50 year old autistic woman who was beaten by workers in a group home is yet another news story that brings home so many fears and worries and that, perhaps, is somewhat behind some wishes for a “cure” for autism: How will a child like my son Charlie be able to have a good life—indeed, to survive—when he is older? when my husband J... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=809626 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 06:42:32 +0100 809626 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=785926&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F141775083%2F “Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s” (John Elder Robison), John Elder Robison’s memoir of growing up with Asperger’s (before knowing that he had Asperger’s), appears in bookstores September 25. In the meantime, the July 31st Library Journal interviews the author; here are some of his Robison’s views on Asperger’s as a “positive character trait for someone in business,” his favorite car to fix (Robison owns a successful repair business in western Massachusetts), and what is normal. Asperger’s as a “positive character trait for someone in business” People with Asperger’s can do really well in many highly technical occupations. Car repair (my field) is a good example. Software engineering is another. Som... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=785926 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:04:58 +0100 785926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=773387&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F139760377%2F 100,000 children with intellectual and developmental disabilities were housed in 162 state facilities—some say as many as 200—-across the US in 1967. This was the “height of institutionalization,” notes today’ s CNN.com. The CNN.com story, Families get help finding loved ones lost in institutions, focuses on the efforts of some families seeking to reconnect with relatives who were sent to institutions many, many years ago. Jeff Daly, who last saw his sister, Molly, when he was six years old in 1957, has made a film about his efforts to reconnect with his sibling, Where’s Molly?. Molly, born with a club foot and a lazy eye, was three when she was sent away to live at Fairview; the CNN.com story notes that “When she was around 2, records show, docto... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=773387 Thu, 02 Aug 2007 00:37:21 +0100 773387 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=752881&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F136717462%2F , if there’s no autism epidemic? Read this from USA Today. Kathy Marshack, a psychologist in Vancouver, Washington, has Asperger’s and says that her late mother and her adopted daughter also have it. William Loughman of Berkeley, California, is a retired director of a hospital cytogenetics lab and has six grandchild. Three years ago—at the age of 71—-he found out that he has Asperger’s syndrome. Those adults with autism are right here, working and living among us. Share This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=752881 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 03:42:09 +0100 752881 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=735111&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F133850727%2F When I started blogging over two years ago—in June 2005—I stuck to recounting our daily life in “Autismland” with our son Charlie. This gave me plenty to write about: Like many families with an autistic child, getting through a day of happy times, of wild times, of worrisome tough moments, was enough. It was good to focus on the present—on what Charlie needed right now and on what we might do; if I did think to the future, it was often with stress and anxiety about what would happen to Charlie in his adulthood—although, as I realized today when my dad noted of Charlie “he’s almost as tall as you!”, the future is here. Worrying about the future is something that parents of autistic kids do a lot, I have to say. Christine Collinson, who h... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=735111 Sun, 15 Jul 2007 07:22:55 +0100 735111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=733810&cid=t_102326_133_f&fid=35084&url=http%3A%2F%2Fballastexistenz.autistics.org%2F%3Fp%3D419 Kassiane, a.k.a. Rett Devil, has been an online friend and advocate for a long time. She is in a lot of trouble at the moment. This video explains it. It’s basically an emergency situation and she needs money for meds to keep her from going into status epilepticus among other things: A friend of mine transcribed the video (which I did not make, by the way) as this, for those of us who can’t read that fast: Kassianne is severely epileptic and has lost her health coverage, due to an act of fraud performed by her former housemate out of spite. She is running dangerously low on Topamax, Neurontin, and Keppra, without which she will most likely die of status epilepticus. - This is ‘Ask and Tell’, a book to which she contributed a chapter on self-advocacy for autistic ... Ballastexistenz blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=733810 Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:22:44 +0100 733810