Sep. 13, 2009 Autism - What It's Really Like
For just a little bit of what autism is really like, this short video really helps with understanding: When my sister emailed it to me, I really wanted to cry ... but I didn't ....
Church folks ... looking for a mission field ... mandatory community service projects ... how about families with autism ... you won't even need to travel very far ... just look around and pay close attention. They're everywhere now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDMMwG7RrFQ
This video is not long, careful as it is YouTube and not suitable for casual visiting. |
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Sep. 13, 2009 Not New to Autism - Communication Sep. 11, 2009 Not New to Autism - Resource Page Jun. 30, 2009 Anat Baniel -- Feldenkrais Method for developmental delay Jun. 17, 2009 Message from California Governor
This is an email message I received today from the Governor. I may take these posts down later on, but for now, they are pertinent.
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Thank you for writing to me about funding for Early Start. I am always inspired by Californians who are concerned about the most vulnerable members of our state.
In February, members of the Legislature set aside their ideological differences and solved our $42-billion deficit with a combination of cuts and tax increases. But as our economy has continued to deteriorate, California's revenues are much lower than we anticipated. In fact, our revenues for the coming year are at least 27 percent below where they were projected to be just two short years ago. We now face a shortfall that has grown to $24.3 billion, and the people of California have made their voices clear: they want the state to live within its means and solve its problems through spending cuts and not tax increases.
We are proposing cuts that I would have never proposed except in a worst-case scenario, and I fully comprehend the human costs. To achieve a balanced budget, deep cuts are required in all General Fund supported programs, including education, California's state parks and the prison system. Because a significant portion of the state budget goes to Health and Human Services - as it should - this is an area where a lot of cuts must be made. Behind those cuts are children who rely on critical health coverage, aged, blind and disabled people who rely on the In-Home Supportive Services program, and families who rely on grants and services provided through CalWORKs. I understand these cuts affect real lives, but this is the harsh reality of the crisis we face. We simply cannot spend money we don't have.
As I work with my partners in the Legislature to find solutions to these problems, know that I will keep your concerns in mind. Working together, I believe we can weather this storm and start the slow but steady march back toward prosperity.
Sincerely,
Arnold Schwarzenegger |
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Jun. 17, 2009 Autism - Developmental Disability Services Cuts in CA - Call to Action
I received the following in my email today. I don't post alot of this stuff but I was really interested in the part where the legislators just seemed to turn their backs and go with the flow. I will phone my local representative at least today. They also had picket vigils yesterday at various places tho I did not try to attend. This is no surprise considering the way things are going in the world. What a fascinating time to live. Now don't pick on me for saying that. Every day history is being made and this will be a well remembered time, I am sure.
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As a parent, I must take strong exception to our elected legislators' decision today to ignore the will of the people of the State of California by decimating the Lanterman Act. We must let them know that this will not be forgotten when we next go to the polls.
The 10 members of the Legislature's budget conference committee late today (Monday) caved in without discussion to Governor Schwarzenegger's devastatingly destructive cuts in the support system for people with developmental disabilities and their families.
The six Democrats and four Republican legislators voted 10-0 to accept all of the cuts recommended by Schwarzenegger's Department of Developmental Services.
Virtually every Californian with a developmental disability will be hurt. For thousands of people, this very likely will mean the end of the Lanterman Act's promise of the most appropriate supports for people with DD. Some children who are at a very high risk for disabilities will end up with permanent disabilities even though preventable through early intervention.
This catastrophe wasn't necessary. The Arc and other community groups relentlessly presented alternatives that would have saved the state just as much money without these terrible results. In the end, Governor Schwarzenegger and these 10 legislators ignored us.
Our community must respond promptly and strongly. Please call Governor Schwarzenegger and the 10 legislators immediately and express your strong disappointment, even outrage if that's what you feel. Their numbers are at the bottom of this Action Alert.
We are especially disappointed in those we've always seen as our friends, beginning with Governor Schwarzenegger, a supporter of the Special Olympics and the son-in-law of disability champion Eunice Kennedy Shriver. His Department of Developmental Services proposed more cuts than necessary to meet the dollar goals Governor Schwarzenegger ordered them to meet, and they brushed off too many of our alternatives. Intentionally or not, the department misled the 10 legislators into believing that the community "stakeholders" supported these cuts.
And the legislators allowed themselves to be misled. Our groups' professional advocates in Sacramento clearly and repeatedly, as recently as this morning, let the legislators' staff members know that these cuts were the Schwarzenegger administration's proposals, not ours, and that we have concrete alternatives. Hundreds of people testified at three separate hearings with some of these 10 legislators present. Thousands called, emailed and faxed letters to all 10 of them.
The 10 legislators also accepted the department's dismissal of our alternatives without even giving us a chance to respond.
For us, the cruelest betrayal was by legislators who have been our friends, who have visited our service programs, spoken at our conferences and meetings,
supported some of our bills in the past, listened respectfully to our testimony, and even spoken about how Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed cuts were too much.
Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, the committee chair, had said all the harmful cuts that Governor Schwarzenegger proposed should at least be temporary, yet she ignored our repeated urgent appeals to make any cuts in the DD support system temporary. We had let Ms. Evans know that the department was flatly wrong when it said or implied that the "stakeholder" groups supported some of the cuts, yet today she said that they were "developed by the stakeholder groups."
Senator Mark Leno had told an earlier public hearing that the amount Governor Schwarzenegger proposed to cut was too much, yet today he voted for it. He had seriously questioned the department's proposals to shift much of the decision-making power over the IPPs from the IPP teams to the regional centers, yet today he didn't say a word as the committee adopted them.
Assemblyman Robert Blumenfield, Assemblyman Kevin de Leon, Senator Denise Ducheny, and Senator Alan Lowenthal, all people we have considered our good friends, were silent -- and all voted for the cuts.
Senator Robert Dutton, Senator Mimi Walters, Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, and Assemblyman Roger Niello also all went along with all the cuts.
Please call them all and tell them what you think of their votes today.
- Don't be shy. Our community's future rests on politicians learning that attacking our vulnerable people has consequences. Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.
- Don't be deterred if they have represented you well in the past. They didn't represent you today.
- Don't be bothered if you know and like them. This isn't personal, it's about what's right for people with DD and their families. Friends tell friends when they feel betrayed.
Depending on how much well-deserved criticism they receive in the next few days, there may be some chance to reverse some of the worst cuts, or at least make them temporary. Without a community response, there's no chance, and little chance our community will be able to stand up to more assaults in the future.
The department's next "stakeholder" meeting on the bill language is tomorrow. We and the other groups will be there fighting for our community. It's time once again for you to speak out and hold your representatives accountable.
Please phone all 11 if you're able. Calls have more impact. The email addresses are for people who can't call. The fax numbers are for faxing letters on your group's letterhead.
If you live in the district represented by any of the 10 legislators, start by giving them your name and address so they know you're their constituent. If you're a member of the same party as theirs, say so. Resist any temptation to lie; they can check easily.
All of their phone numbers are in the 916 area code.
- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, 445-2841, 558-3160 (fax), email using the web form at www.ArcCalifornia.org, "Write Your Legislators."
- Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, 319-2007, 319-2107 (fax), assemblymember.evans@assembly.ca.gov
- Senator Denise Ducheny, 651-4040, 327-3522 (fax), senator.ducheny@sen.ca.gov
- Senator Robert Dutton, 651-4031, 327-2272 (fax), senator.dutton@sen.ca.gov
- Senator Mark Leno, 651-4003, 445-4722 (fax), senator.leno@sen.ca.gov
- Senator Alan Lowenthal, 651-4027, 327-9113 (fax), senator.lowenthal@sen.ca.gov
- Senator Mimi Walters, 651-4033, 445-9754 (fax), senator.walters@sen.ca.gov
- Assemblyman Roger Niello, 916-319-2005, 319-2105 (fax), assemblymember.niello@assembly.ca.gov
- Assemblyman Kevin de Leon, 319-2045, 319-2145 (fax), assemblymember.deleon@assembly.ca.gov
- Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, 319-2040, 319-2140 (fax), assemblymember.blumenfield@assembly.ca.gov
- Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, 319-2002, 319-2102 (fax), assemblymember.nielsen@assembly.ca.gov
Please call all 11 of them now. And please forward this Action Alert far and wide.
Dwight Stratton
President
The Arc of California
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Apr. 25, 2009 Judgment on Vaccines
froma local list ...
http://www.huffingt onpost.com/ jim-carrey/ the-judgment- on-vaccines_ b_189777. html
Jim Carrey: The Judgment on Vaccines Is In???
Recently, I was amazed to hear a commentary by CNN's Campbell Brown on
the controversial vaccine issue. After a ruling by the 'special
vaccine court' saying the Measles, Mumps, Rubella shot wasn't found to
be responsible for the plaintiffs' autism, she and others in the media
began making assertions that the judgment was in, and vaccines had
been proven safe. No one would be more relieved than Jenny and I if
that were true. But with all due respect to Ms. Brown, a ruling
against causation in three cases out of more than 5000 hardly proves
that other children won't be adversely affected by the MMR, let alone
that all vaccines are safe. This is a huge leap of logic by anyone's
standards. Not everyone gets cancer from smoking, but cigarettes do
cause cancer. After 100 years and many rulings in favor of the tobacco
companies, we finally figured that out.
The truth is that no one without a vested interest in the
profitability of vaccines has studied all 36 of them in depth. There
are more than 100 vaccines in development, and no tests for cumulative
effect or vaccine interaction of all 36 vaccines in the current
schedule have ever been done. If I'm mistaken, I challenge those who
are making such grand pronouncements about vaccine safety to produce
those studies.
If we are to believe that the ruling of the 'vaccine court' in these
cases mean that all vaccines are safe, then we must also consider the
rulings of that same court in the Hannah Polling and Bailey Banks
cases, which ruled vaccines were the cause of autism and therefore
assume that all vaccines are unsafe. Clearly both are irresponsible
assumptions, and neither option is prudent.
In this growing crisis, we cannot afford to blindly trumpet the agenda
of the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) or vaccine
makers. Now more than ever, we must resist the urge to close this book
before it's been written. The anecdotal evidence of millions of
parents who've seen their totally normal kids regress into sickness
and mental isolation after a trip to the pediatrician' s office must be
seriously considered. The legitimate concern they and many in the
scientific community have that environmental toxins, including those
found in vaccines, may be causing autism and other disorders
(Aspergers, ADD, ADHD), cannot be dissuaded by a show of sympathy and
a friendly invitation to look for the 'real' cause of autism anywhere
but within the lucrative vaccine program.
With vaccines being the fastest growing division of the pharmaceutical
industry, isn't it possible that profits may play a part in the
decision-making? That the vaccine program is becoming more of a profit
engine than a means of prevention? In a world left reeling from the
catastrophic effects of greed, mismanagement and corporate
insensitivity, is it so absurd for us to wonder why American children
are being given twice as many vaccines on average, compared to the top
30 first world countries?
Paul Offit, the vaccine advocate and profiteer, who helped invent a
Rotavirus vaccine is said to have paved the way for his own
multi-million dollar windfall while serving on the very council that
eventually voted his Rotavirus vaccine onto our children's schedule.
On August 21, 2000 a congressional investigation' s report titled,
"Conflicts in Vaccine Policy," stated:
It has become clear over the course of this investigation that the
VRBPAC and the ACIP [the two main advisory boards that determine the
vaccine schedule] are dominated by individuals with close working
relationships with the vaccine producers. This was never the intent of
the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires that a diversity of
views be represented on advisory committees.
Isn't that enough to raise questions about the process of choosing the
vaccine schedule?
With many states like Minnesota now reporting the number at 1 in 80
children affected with autism, can we afford to trust those who serve
two masters or their logic that tells us "one size fits all" when it
comes to vaccines? Can we afford to ignore vaccines as a possible
cause of these rising numbers when they are one of the fastest growing
elements in our children's environment? With all the doubt that's left
hanging on this topic, how can anyone in the media or medical
profession, boldly demand that all parents march out and give their
kids 36 of these shots, six at a time in dosage levels equal to that
given a 200 pound man? This is a bias of the most dangerous kind.
I've also heard it said that no evidence of a link between vaccines
and autism has ever been found. That statement is only true for the
CDC, the AAP and the vaccine makers who've been ignoring mountains of
scientific information and testimony. There's no evidence of the
Lincoln Memorial if you look the other way and refuse to turn around.
But if you care to look, it's really quite impressive. For a sample of
vaccine injury evidence go to
www.generationrescu e.org/lincolnmem orial.html.
We have never argued that people shouldn't be immunized for the most
serious threats including measles and polio, but surely there's a
limit as to how many viruses and toxins can be introduced into the
body of a small child. Veterinarians found out years ago that in many
cases they were over-immunizing our pets, a syndrome they call
Vaccinosis. It overwhelmed the immune system of the animals, causing
myriad physical and neurological disorders. Sound familiar? If you can
over-immunize a dog, is it so far out to assume that you can
over-immunize a child? These forward thinking vets also decided to
remove thimerosal from animal vaccines in 1992, and yet this
substance, which is 49% mercury, is still in human vaccines. Don't our
children deserve as much consideration as our pets?
I think I'd rather listen to the more sensible voice of Dr. Bernadine
Healy, former head of the National Institute of Health, who says:
Listen to the patients and the patients will teach...I think there is
an inexcusable issue, and that's the lack of research that's been done
here...A parent can legitimately question giving a one-day old baby,
or a two-day old baby [the] Hepatitis B vaccine that has no risk for
it [and] the mother has no risk for it. That's a heavy-duty vaccine
given on day two [of life]. I think those are legitimate questions.
Dr. Healy is also calling for a long overdue study of vaccinated vs.
unvaccinated. Dr. Frank Engly, a researcher and microbiologist who
served on the boards of the CDC, FDA and EPA during the 70s and 80s,
warned:
The CDC cannot afford to admit thimerosal is toxic because they have
been promoting it for several years...If they would have followed
through with our 1982 report, vaccines would have been freed of
thimerosal and all this autism as they tell me would not have
occurred. But as it is, it all occurred.
In all likelihood the truth about vaccines is that they are both good
and bad. While ingredients like aluminum, mercury, ether, formaldehyde
and anti-freeze may help preserve and enhance vaccines, they can be
toxic as well. The assortment of viruses delivered by multiple
immunizations may also be a hazard. I agree with the growing number of
voices within the medical and scientific community who believe that
vaccines, like every other drug, have risks as well as benefits and
that for the sake of profit, American children are being given too
many, too soon. One thing is certain. We don't know enough to announce
that all vaccines are safe!
If the CDC, the AAP and Ms. Brown insist that our children take twice
as many shots as the rest of the western world, we need more
independent vaccine research not done by the drug companies selling
the vaccines or by organizations under their influence. Studies that
cannot be internally suppressed. Answers parents can trust. Perhaps
this is what Campbell Brown should be demanding and how the power of
the press could better serve the public in the future.
-- Jim Carrey |
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Apr. 25, 2009 Autism Causes, Contributors, Factors to Consider
Vinyl flooring and autism ??
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/25/Scientists-Find-Baffling-Link-between-Autism-and-Vinyl-Flooring.aspx (read the entire page)
Well, nothing should surprise us now - should it? Let's face it folks, autism is (and is not the only) evidence of a highly toxic environment.
I was surprised about the EMF link, but it made me think - we had two computers running full time in our bedroom where our son slept with us for his first year. And a tv and satellite receiver and cordless phones and .....?
We ought to both wonder at the physical and possible spiritual reasons for these disease epidemics including autism, and thank the Lord that He has so much grace and mercy that we are still here to talk about our problems.
Oh, how we need Jesus .... every one of us .... |
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Apr. 21, 2009 Helen Keller Autobiography Apr. 7, 2009 Experiencing Autism - The Reality
April is Autism Awareness month. April 2nd was World Autism Day. April 4th was a local Autism Awareness Fair ... I tried to go. April 25th was a local Autism Walk..... I didn't go.
These things are fine - these things are good. But I don't think that you can really 'get' what autism is until you experience the realities of autism.
You can hear and read about it - the lists of characteristics, the possible causes, the parent vents, the newspaper blurbs and articles. But you don't really get it. Even when you have a friend or a relative with someone with autism, you don't really get it. Not unless and until you have spent extended days and hours with an 'autism' child and family "experiencing autism" can you really get it.
Perhaps you can understand the endless sleepless nights ..... you may have had a colicky baby who couldn't sleep. But sleepless nights became the norm .... every night for at least 2 and 1/2 years, then finally, slowly and with the help of melatonin ..... a more normal sleep pattern and now we have only maybe 1 or 2 nights out of 7 with irregular sleep, usually during the phase of the full moon (really).
Your baby may have liked (or not liked) to ride in a carseat. But did he want to spend half of his waking hours there? Until he was 8?
Did he like to be carried and hang on your neck or sit on your lap? I still pick up my 8 yo. He is just starting to hug me.
Maybe you have had a toddler who didn't like to wear their clothes. I dress my son over and again throughout the day.
You may have had children who loved to play in the tub. But mine wants in there all the time.
Most children love music. Our would cry and cry if the tape stopped until the music started again. Yours like Thomas? I've played them more than anyone.
It's cute when a prereader asks you to "read it again" or "tell it again". But doing it again in some things feels ridiculous.
We love our readers to want to always be reading. But what if they were just turning pages endlessly, sometimes upside down ...
Autism changes everything. Your behavior, your expections, your reactions, your patience, your tolerance, your friendships, your family relationships, your church attendance, your visits to anywhere, your medical visits, your meals, your evenings, your thoughts, your prayers, your life mission.
Autism takes over your life and changes it.
(This was a draft of an essay I didn't finish but decided to post anyway.) |
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