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 'barney'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:32:01 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190132&cid=t_174939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F8iLCUwDSaaQ%2F By Caleb O. BrownU.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) believes that cutting the military means rethinking the purpose of our military. He argues that the far-flung adventures that have killed thousands of American soldiers and consumed trillions of dollars simply haven’t been justified by U.S. defense needs. He also takes issue with President Obama exempting military spending from his so-called “spending freeze” proposed earlier this year. He spoke at the Cato Institute November 19, 2010. Barney Frank: Cut Military Spending by Following Cato Plan is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190132 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:10:09 +0100 4190132 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3907583&cid=t_174939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHHS4AV0nPuY%2F By David Boaz“Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said Tuesday that he will hold a hearing this fall to examine whether regulators are being tough enough in curbing pay practices at Wall Street firms that can lead to excessively risky practices,” writes Zachary Goldfarb in the Washington Post. Hmmm. “Pay practices that can lead to excessively risky practices.” Since Barney Frank entered Congress, federal spending has risen from $590 billion in 1980 to $3.7 trillion this year. (U.S. Budget, Historical Tables, Table 1.1) The annual deficit has risen from $74 billion to $1.5 trillion.  Gross federal debt rose from $909 billion to $13.8 trillion — and to over $15 trillion next year. (Table 7.1) And all this without a major war o... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3907583 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:11:01 +0100 3907583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3662655&cid=t_174939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FrSSK8xUwy-Y%2F By Christopher PrebleSeveral months ago, I co-authored an op-ed in Politico with Heather Hurlburt of the National Security Network calling on the White House and Congress to include the Pentagon’s budget in any deficit reduction package. because our national security rests on our economic health as well as on the strength of our military, a liberal and a libertarian can agree that the Pentagon should no longer get a pass. That op-ed caught the attention of Congressman Barney Frank. He formed the Sustainable Defense Task Force, an ad hoc advisory panel to assemble a list of possible reductions in military spending that would not undermine essential U.S. security. Last Friday, the task force presented its findings at a press conference at the Capitol. You can read the full report ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3662655 Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:19:04 +0100 3662655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3648472&cid=t_174939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYrCpVrDzsKE%2F By Mark A. CalabriaToday begins the televised political theatre that Barney Frank has been waiting months for:  the first public meeting of the House and Senate conferees on the two financial regulation bills.  While there are a handful of important differences between the House and Senate bills, these differences are overshadowed by what the bills have in common.  The most important, and tragic, commonality is that both bills ignore the real causes of the financial crisis and focus on convenient political targets. As our financial system was brought to its knees by an exploding housing bubble, fueled by government mandates and distortions, one would think, just maybe, that Congress would roll back these distortions.  Despite their role in contributing to the crisis and the size of ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3648472 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:35:23 +0100 3648472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3499050&cid=t_174939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-80GP0dPdEo%2F By Sallie JamesYet another show of that rare commodity, bipartisan efforts to reduce the size of government today. Four members of the House—two Republican and two Democrat—have sent a letter to President Obama, calling on him to reverse the insane policy of bribing Brazilian farmers with subsidies in an attempt to correct, in accordance with the perverse two-wrongs-make-a-right school of logic, for  illegal U.S. subsidies. (There were other questionable parts of the deal with Brazil). Barney Frank (D, MA), Ron Kind (D, WI), Paul Ryan (R, WI) and Jeff Flake (R, AZ) make compelling arguments for finding a better and more permanent  solution to the dispute than the current (dodgy) deal with Brazil, including arguments about fiscal responsibility, the adverse effects of di... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3499050 Fri, 23 Apr 2010 14:42:09 +0100 3499050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3479866&cid=t_174939_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2010%2F04%2F16%2Ftea-party-racist-homophobic-show-me-the-video%2F New cartoon by Trussell & Trussell on AOL’s Politics Daily. Tea Party Racist? Homophobic? Show Me the Video. Filed under: Politics Daily Tagged: barney frank, chaos theory, emanuel cleaver, political cartoon, southern poverty law center, tea party, tea party protest (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3479866 Sat, 17 Apr 2010 00:43:10 +0100 3479866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3403865&cid=t_174939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQDepYd-vmKQ%2F By Tad DeHavenAt Tuesday’s congressional hearing on the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said that “It’s a mistake for the government heavily to subsidize homeownership.” Coming from one of the biggest cheerleaders for federal homeownership subsidies, and an architect of the housing meltdown, a conversion from Frank would be welcome. Unfortunately, Frank followed the comment with a call for more rental housing subsidies: We are much better off trying to subsidize rental housing, because when you put people into decent rental housing, you do not confront the problems we have seen putting people inappropriately into homeownership. Frank is correct that tying oneself to a mortgage is much riskier than renting. The federal bias toward homeownership has... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3403865 Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:48:11 +0100 3403865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3350256&cid=t_174939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4X94fxr3RvI%2F By Tad DeHavenLast week, after Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said that holders of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s debt shouldn’t be expected to be treated the same as holders of U.S. government debt, the U.S. Treasury took the “unusual” step of reiterating its commitment to back Fannie and Freddie’s debt. If ever there was case against allowing a few hundred men and women to micromanage the economy, this is it. Fannie and Freddie, which are under government control, are being used to help prop up the ailing housing market. If investors think there’s a chance Uncle Sam won’t back the mortgage giants’ debt, mortgage interest rates could rise and demand for housing dampen. Therefore, Frank’s comments caused a bit of a stir. However, with the government bailing out anything that walk... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3350256 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:28:59 +0100 3350256 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3266961&cid=t_174939_106_f&fid=34805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAwfulPlasticSurgery%2F%7E3%2FqAMM6NEFJp0%2F Real Housewife Tamra Barney... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit MyWebsite.com for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Awful Plastic Surgery) Awful Plastic Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3266961 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:39:18 +0100 3266961 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2977273&cid=t_174939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F8Zy8En-qHt4%2F On its front page today, the Washington Times reports that expanded powers for the Federal Reserve are being opposed by “odd allies.”  The Fed’s imperial over-reach for additional regulatory powers is being opposed by Democrats and Republicans, and liberals and conservatives alike.  As well it should be.  As Senator Shelby observed, “Anointing the Fed as the systemic-risk regulator will make what has proven to be a bad bank regulator even worse.” The regulation of financial services failed conspicuously to prevent the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.  The Fed failed most conspicuously as it was charged with oversight of all the major banks, including notably Citigroup and Bank of America. Bank regulation now functions to insulate banks f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2977273 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:28:21 +0100 2977273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2912219&cid=t_174939_106_f&fid=34805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAwfulPlasticSurgery%2F%7E3%2Fd-3jfJTbny8%2F The women on the reality... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit MyWebsite.com for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Awful Plastic Surgery) Awful Plastic Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2912219 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:18:56 +0100 2912219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2653666&cid=t_174939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fv4MERyzbrMU%2F The recent focus in Washington on mortgage modifications once again illustrates one of the most fundamental flaws in current political debate:  the notion of using government to threaten or force the “voluntary” transfer of wealth from one group of citizens to another. Just this week Rep. Barney Frank warned the banking industry if they don’t “voluntarily” do more to reduce foreclosures, Congress will step in and make them do so, by allowing bankruptcy judges to re-write mortgage contracts.  This proposal is really nothing more an ex poste transfer of wealth from investors in mortgage backed assets to borrowers. Of course, Rep. Frank and others respond that they are only trying to “bring lenders to the table” in order to keep negotiations going... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2653666 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:42:48 +0100 2653666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441163&cid=t_174939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FAjEqW0zgX5g%2F In a hagiographic profile of Obama budget director Peter Orszag, Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker writes of the “pressure” he might get from congressional deficit hawks: The respective heads of the House and Senate Budget Committees, John Spratt, Jr., of South Carolina, and Kent Conrad, of North Dakota, have spent years trying to control the deficit… Kent Conrad, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, has made eradicating the federal budget deficit his life’s work. Now, you’d think that if the ranking Democrats on the congressional budget committees had made deficit reduction their life’s work, the budget wouldn’t have, you know, skyrocketed over the past decade and more. So let’s go to the tape. The National Taxpayers Union has given Spratt a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441163 Fri, 29 May 2009 18:48:39 +0100 2441163 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2389660&cid=t_174939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZtP_7C0-_28%2F Following on from the mildly good news of a few weeks ago, Barney Frank (D, MA) has announced that he will introduce a bill tomorrow to roll back current restrictions on gambling online (the restrictions are made operative by bans on U.S. banks from processing transactions to and from gambling websites).  Although the details of the bill are yet to be released, this here article contains some good analysis. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2389660 Tue, 05 May 2009 21:27:58 +0100 2389660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2052839&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FccVGdnlzW9A%2F We do not, as I’ve noted from time to time, have a TV set—a fact which, when I happened to mention it to my students a while back, completely shocked them. “What do you do?” they sputtered. The class was my Elementary Latin class and it was one of those “teachable moments” when I could have launched into a discussion about “how did the Romans spend their free time” and “what about those giadiator fights.” It was the week before exams and we had so much to review and so I let the moment past, and got back to the fourth conjugation of verbs. Apparently I’d made an impression on my students, as they brought up the not-having-a-tv business a couple of times (mostly, I suspect, to avoid having to think about that inevitable entit... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2052839 Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:23:07 +0100 2052839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2046915&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FDN0Djg95KF0%2F So yesterday I wrote “what comes around, comes around.” Siliconmom commented about this sentence, the last one in the post: Is that one of the stages of being an autistic parent - that at some point you realize and accept that life is what it is? For me, I would say, yes, very much, and that, too, hope starts with acceptance. Charlie was around 5 years old when I let go of feeling I had to save him from, and fight against, and do the warrior mom thing. I’m not saying I don’t have moments when a shadow of the old “fightin’ spirit” passes through me (pre-IEP meeting, for instance, or when you get The Stare-’n'-Shakes-Head Combo in the supermarket). Being Charlie’s mom is not about doing everything I can to “take the autism out of hi... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2046915 Thu, 18 Dec 2008 06:36:35 +0100 2046915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2040118&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F7QBg4H8cu4U%2F While I’m contemplating where to locate twinkling bike lights and as it’s the holiday season, I thought I’d make a confession: Charlie’s never sat on Santa Claus’s lap. We have tried, when he was much younger and we found ourselves in a mall in New Jersey, the land of malls and mallrats. Or maybe we had gone to the mall that day for that sole purpose. Something about “mall air” and the deliberately smiling velvet-clad elves/Santa’s helpers, and the line of overly excited, bored, or wandering about children, led Jim to say, quite wisely: “Let’s get out of here.” We never really brought up the matter after that. Charlie was around 4 or 5 then and he wasn’t too inclined to sit on anyone’s lap for too long, and we wo... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2040118 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:48:34 +0100 2040118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1907712&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%3A80%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FSkyEfs9HItA%2F As we were leaving a subway station on Friday night in Manhattan, Jim paused for a moment, pointed to a dingy wall, and said “here’s the sign to the PATH.” On a pale green piece of paper PATH train ————> was written in black marker, with the arrow pointing toward a staircase. Someone had carefully placed four long strips of masking tape like a picture frame around the edges of the makeshift sign. Yes, there’s a lot you can do with tape. Charlie’s had a longstanding fondness for the sticky stuff, or perhaps a better word to use is intrigue. I guess there is some magic in something that can put back together what gets ripped or torn (like some of his favorite photos). It’s been found that just unrolling tape can produce X-rays; a... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1907712 Sat, 25 Oct 2008 07:15:19 +0100 1907712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1889037&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FnUQV6kW2q0Y%2F After a bit of an unordinary Saturday, we had a nothing-special Sunday. It’s a balance of new things and familiarity that we’ve found amenable for Charlie. While bike-riding and piano and cello playing were all nothing unusual for Charlie to do, doing these things for a camera and with a lot unfamiliar people around—-that calls for some unwinding. Sunday Charlie woke up early and then went back to sleep (actually, we all slept in). He had breakfast and wanted to eat more and when I suggested he ride his bike to the bagel store with Jim, Charlie called for his helmet and put on his socks and shoes and sweatshirt. He looked in the usual place for the helmets and only found a very old one of Jim’s (that makes the wearer look like he has a turtle on his head). Charlie t... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1889037 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:10:22 +0100 1889037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1889039&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fha8DZLflSkI%2F Legislation to provide for insurance coverage for autism treatment has been introduced, and even passed, in many states including my own state of New Jersey; here’s a number of previous posts on this topic. An Associated Press article quotes J.P. Wieske, a lobbyist for an insurance coalition, as saying that “‘This is the hottest trend in mandates we’ve seen in a long time…..It’s hard to fight them.’” Notable in the Associated Press is mention of families with older children—-11, 12 (same age as my son) who are using ABA therapy. It’s noted that, while there are studies arguing for the benefits of ABA therapy in younger children, research supporting its efficacy for older children are “sparse.” Some states require beha... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1889039 Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:10:42 +0100 1889039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1886445&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FP1bgW0LvnGY%2F Back in the summer, I noted that Charlie had discovered the wonders of YouTube, when he and I found that a number of the Barney videos he used to watch, ask to see a thousand times over, and get so upset and over-stimulated over that he’d knock his head on the floor when we turned one on—-that many of these could be found posted on YouTube. For the past two months, he’s been typing in “Barney” and “school” or “good day good night” and sitting on his knees to watch the old familiar scenes. It was in mid-September that he discovered “Let’s Play School” and that’s been the main one he watched, as I realized just how deeply I have indeed memorized many a Barney song (”butterfly, butterfly, fly fly away”&#... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1886445 Sat, 18 Oct 2008 08:10:55 +0100 1886445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1851078&cid=t_174939_140_f&fid=35448&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseemedlikeagoodideathetime.com%2F2008%2F10%2F03%2Fthe-irishman-vs-barney%2F For D…..The Irishman takes on The Toe Tapping Bathroom Stall Dwelling Barney Frank            (Source: bipolar chicks blogging) bipolar chicks blogging blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1851078 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:30:25 +0100 1851078 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1825831&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FUg-wgE4Wthw%2F I signed Charlie up for a special needs kids bowling league every Wednesday. It’s at the same bowling alley we’ve been going to all summer and with many of the same kids. Yesterday Charlie bowled a few, poked a finger in some ketchup on a plate of French fries, and sat with his head against his elbows. “No bowling,” he told me, and let that be known in a louder way. He sat, I bowled a round (why not), and after I’d told him he only had to bowl two more times and we’d head for the car, Charlie stood up, picked up a neon orange ball, and rolled it with such force that nine pins came down. He barely pushed the ball the second time so the spare remained, and, as promised, it was to the car. I’d sensed something edgy in the set of Charlie’s featur... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1825831 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:10:15 +0100 1825831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1802768&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F5Kb-he4Y444%2F My son Charlie has, for most of his life, been a hands-down good eater. As a baby, while he did have more than a few gross motor delays), he had no difficulty learning to nurse. We’re not always or, indeed, often sure about what Charlie might be thinking due to his limited language, but we’ve generally been able to assume that he’s ever ready to eat. And then, this summer—-amid various other changes—a most curious thing happened. Charlie (who is definitely an adolescent) must be in the throes of a growth spurt. He’s needed new shoes after only a few months and shirts that seemed loose and baggy now are just the right length. He’s gotten decidedly lanky and lean. And he’s been eating less than he usually has, and left fries and burgers uneaten... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1802768 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 07:38:37 +0100 1802768 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1742805&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F6EYmfCPbXR0%2F Since coming home from the beach on Saturday, Charlie’s seemed more in need of deep pressure, especially on his hands and feet. He’s been twisting his hands into his shirt all summer, and he’s now also burrowing his feet deep within the couch cushions (it’s a soft, blue, quite beat u couch). At night, as ever, he sort of self-swaddles himself all the way down to his feet in his fleece blanket. He wasn’t doing as much of the hand and feet wrapping while were on vacation and last night it occurred to me that, when we’re at the beach, so many more of Charlie’s sensory needs are readily met. Endless amounts of sand, warm in the sun and squishy lovely wet and what equals the ocean, water in constant motion, cool or warmed, washing up every possible curi... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1742805 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:25 +0100 1742805 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1729479&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FcjhzijRv8vU%2F I mean, what do you expect? We spend two whole weeks in a house with a lovely big open room one block from the ocean (and are able to piggyback on someone’s internet server so Charlie is able to discover the pleasures and perils of YouTube) and (after a very anxious start) fall into a fine routine of late morning and late afternoon ocean swims, punctuated by plenty of beach food (i.e., seafood and fries, though Charlie was not too interested in the latter—a first—but wanted sushi again and again; good thing it’s become a fixture at the Jersey shore along with the crabcakes). We overpacked, meaning that all that I should have packed was three shirts, one pair of shorts, and three swimsuits for Charlie (because he rotated wearing those few items). A few years ago, Cha... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1729479 Sun, 24 Aug 2008 06:49:09 +0100 1729479 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1729480&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FQke96WwyP2E%2F Two weeks ago, we went back to the beach house. At first Charlie was not happy to be there. But the third day was the charm and we had some interesting meetings. Charlie discovered YouTube and its cache of Barney videos (especially the really old ones, which he seems to prefer). He got very upset after a fun visit with friends. He swam worthy of an Olympian. He worked on the concept of “swimming flag to flag” and ate his share of ketchup. He had a super surfing lesson. And on the last day, we (i.e., Jim and Charlie) went kayaking in the bay. Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, barney, disabilities blog, disability, Family, family blog, Health, jersey shore, New Jersey, ocean, Parenting, pdd-nos, surfing, Water, youtubeShare This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1729480 Sat, 23 Aug 2008 22:00:55 +0100 1729480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1704767&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FgKt8DHukbZw%2F Change of scenery, change of routine—-that’s all part of vacation and, as recounted here, why Charlie’s first three days at the beach house were full of more sorrow than smiles. We’re back in the swim (big-time—-Jim’s been calling Charlie “the torpedo” for the way he propels himself through the water, in the moving waves and all). We came down here with a minimum of “stuff”; just enough clothes (mostly swimsuits, of course!) and beach towels; laptops (Jim is in the final, final stages of finishing his book and I am trying to dig into mine); a few books (wish I could say “a nice stack,” but going to the beach with Charlie means being as active as him; no relaxing in a beach chair with something cold to drink and “... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1704767 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:00:15 +0100 1704767 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683093&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F-8H3n90TS-E%2F Our visit to the optometrist was inconclusive. She was able to test Charlie for acuity—-he’s 20/20 in his right eye and 20/25 in his left—-but, as she no longer dilates patients’ eyes (I gathered that the repetitive stress on her hands from gently coaxing kids to open their eyes for years had take something of a toll) and so could not do a full exam. Charlie, for the past few months (since around May) has been squinting a lot, sometimes both eyes, sometimes the left or right only. During the exam, he was squinting almost non-stop, so it wasn’t possible to examine his eyes too much. The optometrist noted that his right eye looks like it is looking out and away from the direction his other eye is; she’s noted in the past that Charlie’s eyes don&#8217... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683093 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:28:32 +0100 1683093 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1399189&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F277784065%2F It’s been noted that some autistic children can sing before they can talk. My son Charlie was taught to say sounds and then words starting from when he was three and, while he’s always hummed and responded to music, it was a few more years before he started to sing short melodies and bits of tunes. Today, he tends to speak in phrases of a two to five words, often without verbs and other connecting words. He does add these in if we prompt him. In the past year, we’ve noted that Charlie can sing longer phrases and sentences than he speaks with. He can sings back a song minutes after hearing it on the radio, and sometimes keeps singing it for the rest of the day. (And Charlie has learned to read music with more ease than words.) An article in the April 22nd New York Times ab... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1399189 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:36:05 +0100 1399189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1375102&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F271272165%2F Who doesn’t wish that progress would be a one-way street? That, once one’s child “gets” something—starts talking, asks for a break, reads a word—this is it, learning of just about everything else will follow, and there will never be another need to reteach, and new skill and new skill will follow new skill? Charlie’s learning of anything has generally followed such a simple pattern. Often he gets some new skill—saying a new word, tapping the ball off the tee in the days when he did the Challenger league—and it then seems as if, try as he might (and he does), he can never say that word, do that thing, again. And so begins a long and often achingly slow process of teaching, and teaching Charlie to remember what to do; of falling down, dus... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1375102 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:17:52 +0100 1375102 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1332542&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F259488781%2F When I say that my son Charlie is “minimally verbal” or “can’t talk too well,” I don’t mean that he just says a few words and then is silent the rest of the day. You can hear Charlie’s voice all the time in our house. Plenty of words are said though what Charlie means by “Jesso doggy Barney tape” is probably not clear to many (if not most) people. Charlie hums and warbles and sings ever-longer snatches and phrases of songs. In the past few months, he often sings the melody of any song he’s heard and, more and more, the lyrics too. Today it was something by Van Halen after hearing it on the radio; at school, after another student sang “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” after the Pledge of Allegiance over the loudspeaker, C... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1332542 Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:42:51 +0100 1332542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1320556&cid=t_174939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F255914946%2F To my office in Jersey City where he kept going down the hill towards a parking lot full of fascinating gravel—-a stop for gas and a 7up—-onto the IKEA store in Elizabeth where he carried one of those yellow bags as I put things into it—-back home where Charlie got mad at me for telling him not to stand in the neighbor’s yard and to practice the cello—(we ended up practicing both cello and piano)—-on a ride down local roads to get to a certain central Jersey (open 24 hours) diner where Charlie had a big ol’ burger, fries (some from my mom’s plate), and a great deal of ketchup (and gave me his onion rings): Throughout another day of travels with Charlie, he kept singing snatches of two songs that felt like leitmotifs to the day. One was the op... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1320556 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 06:21:33 +0100 1320556