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AUTISM FIRST STEPS
AUTISM DAILY NEWSLETTER
Thursday December 13, 2001
INDEX:
* Single Vaccines:
Editorial
* Masket Family Fundraiser Raises over $50,000
* Researchers: Autism Is More Common Than Thought
* Mind the gap
* Ancient tolls aid autistic children
* Tories demand answer to Leo MMR riddle
* Cherie Blair takes personal interest in mother's MMR claim
* Phobic Anxiety-Related Brain Activity May Influence Severity Of
Irritable
Bowel Syndrome
******************************
Single Vaccines: Editorial
[In the Scotsman.]
http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/letters.cfm?id=128500
Linda Long, the health development officer for Sense
Scotland, makes a
valid point when she says that the alarming fall in the uptake of the MMR
vaccine may lead to the re-emergence of measles, mumps and rubella (Letters,
7 December). It would be a tragedy if anyone became ill or disabled through
the consequences of a large number of children not being vaccinated.
However, how can we justify preventing one serious
disability by
replacing it with another? If the consequence, for some children, of having
this vaccine is autism, then let us take steps to avoid this tragedy, too.
Allowing parents access to single vaccines may not be
the long-term
solution to this frightening dilemma, but it is what is required now to
raise levels of immunisation.
A commitment to real research, which investigates the
children
diagnosed as having autism and/or the bowel disorder caused by MMR, coupled
with a complete review of our whole vaccination policy, may provide a safe
and manageable alternative. Until this commitment is made and carried out,
allowing parents the choice of single vaccines or MMR is the only way
forward.
******************************
Masket Family Fundraiser Raises over $50,000
Last year I received a phone call from Elaine Masket who, upon
reading about the Bernard families generous contributions to CAN,
wanted to hold an event to benefit CAN. We had no idea what a
wonderful and heart warming success this endeavor would be.
Elaine and Steven Masket have two sons - Willy who is 16 and Alex,
who has autism, is 14. Willy and his friend Josh Lerner and their
banned "Passed History" put on "A Night of Music for Cure Autism
Now"
in Westfield, New Jersy on December 1st.
The boys and their families worked on this event for many months,
brought together 350 people for the event, and raised $56,000 to
support the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange.
We are so thrilled and grateful for their effort and energy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elizabeth Kilpatrick
Director of Development
CURE AUTISM NOW
ekilpatrick@cureautismnow.org
5455 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 715
Los Angeles, CA 90036
tel:(323) 549-0500
fax:(323) 549-0547
www.cureautismnow.org
******************************
Researchers: Autism Is More Common Than Thought
Updated: Wed, Dec 12 8:57 PM EST
LONDON (Reuters) - Autism is more common than previously thought and affects up
to six in every 1,000 children in Britain, researchers said in a report on
Thursday.The report by the Medical Research Council (MRC) found no evidence
linking autism to the triple measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
vaccination.Concern that the MMR jab could trigger autism has led to some
parents refusing to have their children vaccinated. But the MRC's report, which
was commissioned by the Department of Health, supports previous research which
found no association between MMR and autism.A range of factors probably cause
autism, the report said, with the strongest evidence pointing to a major
genetic component.It suggested several genes interact to create susceptibility
to the condition. The interplay between genetic and environmental factors could
also play a key role.Autism is a set of neurodevelopmental problems in which
the way a person communicates and interacts with other people is
impaired.Restrictive or repetitive behaviors are characteristic of the
condition.The report said an apparent rise in the number of cases of the
disorder is likely to have resulted from changed ideas about what an autism
disorder is, as well as increased awareness of the condition.It called for more
research into possible environmental risk factors such as diet, drugs, toxins
and infections.The MRC promotes public understanding of research into
biomedical sciences and helps ensure there are enough researchers into health
issues.
http://news.excite.com/news/r/011212/20/science-health-britain-autism-dc
******************************
Mind the gap
My sons show no interest in Santa and never clamour for presents. Yet I wish
they were more acquisitive
Charlotte
Moore
Wednesday December 12, 2001
The Guardian
Jake (aged three, not autistic, stirring the Christmas pudding): "I wish I
will see a reindeer. What do you wish for, Mum?" Me (weedily): "I
wish that everyone has a happy Christmas." Jake (exasperated): "Oh,
Mum, you could have wished to see a bat in the day. George, what do you wish
for?" George (staring at the pudding): "I wish for a pudding."
Jake: "What about you, Sam?" But Sam has no wish. Sam does not have
the means of expressing a wish, but nor - I think - can he grasp the concept.
Autistic people tend not to project forward or backward. They live in the
moment. Their capacity for abstract thought is limited; they don't ask
themselves, "What if?" They are absorbed by what they experience
directly, through the senses - hence George's "wish" for a pudding
that was already there. It is at Christmas that the contrast between my boys
and other people's children shows up most vividly. The differences are not all
bad. George and Sam do not clamour for presents. They are immune to the
blandishments of advertising. Avarice and acquisitiveness don't exist for them.
The things they most enjoy about Christmas are tinsel to finger and flap,
candles to blow, cake icing to nibble, log fires to throw things into. George,
at nearly 12, has just begun to show an interest in Father Christmas. He has
written a letter, though it contains only two requests: for firewood and a
stick of rock. Sam is as indifferent to Santa as he is to most adults, real or
imaginary. Jake opens his advent calendar every morning and counts the
remaining days. George and Sam show not a flicker of anticipation. They'll be
excited, but only when the tree is up, when things glitter and dangle in front
of their eyes. Years ago, when George was Jake's age, when asked what he wanted
for Christmas, he replied, "Aphids." A kind godfather approximated
with a box of stick insects. It was only a long time afterwards that I understood
George's request. In a book called The Bad-Tempered Ladybird, the constant
refrain of the eponymous hero is, "I want those aphids." George had
associated the word "want" with the word "aphids". As so
often - far more often than we realised in those days - he had misunderstood
the point of the question. The boys have no desires - or only rudimentary
desires - because, like all autists, they are "mind-blind". They
cannot put themselves into the position of another person. When we covet our neighbour's
ox, it's because we want the ox, but - more importantly - it's because we want
whatever our neighbour's got, just because he's got it. We compare ourselves to
our neighbour, we strive to be like him, or try to avoid turning out like him -
delete as applicable. It's called society. George and Sam might possibly covet
their neighbour's ox - or their neighbour's lollipop - but they don't give a
stuff, one way or another, about their neighbour's feelings or opinions. They
don't know their neighbour has feelings or opinions. For the autist, there is
truly no such thing as society. Clara Claiborne Park, in The Siege, her
excellent account of her autistic daughter Jessy, describes "a tiny golden
child... circling round and round a spot on the floor in mysterious, self-absorbed
delight... She doesn't want any objects. Instead, she circles her spot."
The "siege" Park laid was to force Jessy out of her charmed circle,
to plant and nurture want and need in her, because without them there is no
growth. The sequel to The Siege, the story of Jessy's emergence as an adult, is
called Exiting Nirvana. It is a painful irony that we parents must destroy our
children's isolated nirvana if we want to have them with us in our world. We
are snakes in Eden, but our unfallen children are untemptable, so we must
force-feed them the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Autism is
incurable; an autistic child becomes an autistic adult. But we should strive to
extend the overlap between their understanding of the world and ours. The
essential characteristics of social behaviour have their obverse: there is no
generosity without greed, no kindness without spite, no love without hate. I
need to drag my autistic sons into some kind of recognition of social behaviour
if they are to be at ease in our world. So my Christmas pudding wish is that,
by next year, George and Sam will have learned what wishes mean.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/parents/story/0,3605,617234,00.html
******************************
THE TIMES CHRISTMAS APPEAL
Ancient tolls aid autistic children
BY DEARBIL JORDAN
FINES and tolls collected
from London’s ancient bridges hundreds of years ago are making it possible for
children with autism to receive help under a scheme managed by the Corporation
of London’s Bridge House Estates Trust. Dating back to 1097, the trust was
established to build and maintain the capital’s walkways including London
Bridge and Tower Bridge. In 1995, after accumulating a surplus of funds through
its property assets and investments in bonds and gilts, the trust decided to
award grants to local charities.
This year it has given £50,100 to autism-related projects, including the Life
Skills, Education and Activity Programme (Leap), which received £40,000 to
refurbish and equip a centre in Acton. Leap is just one project set up by the
National Autistic Society (NAS), to encourage communication and social
interaction in autistic children and young adults. This year’s Times Christmas
Appeal is hoping to raise money for the charity to fund more of these
facilities. Assaf Admoni, director of marketing and fundraising at NAS, said
London’s business community is showing encouraging signs of supporting autism
charities, and this year has raised £750,000 through corporate contributions.
Barclays is one of a group of companies, including House of Fraser, that have
provided funds to NAS by sponsoring its helpline for parents and carers of
autistic children. It sets aside 1 per cent of its annual pre-tax profit for a
community programme and has donated £300,000 to the helpline. It plans to raise
this to £1 million. Mr Admoni said: “Businesses are recognising they have a
responsibility to society.”
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,5-2001573190,00.html
******************************
Tories demand answer to Leo MMR riddle
Ananova : 
The Tories have demanded to be told if Tony Blair's 18-month-old son has been
given the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.Conservative MP Julie Kirkbride,
mother of a 14-month-old boy, insists the public has a right to know if Leo has
had the triple MMR jab.Shadow Health Secretary Dr Liam Fox has urged Mr Blair
to send a "strong signal" to the public, reinforcing the Government's
insistence MMR is safe.The combined jab, endorsed by the Department of Health
as the best protection against the three diseases, is given to a child at 12 to
15 months and a second booster dose at between three and five years old.Ms
Kirkbride, understood to be the first politician to challenge the Blairs
publicly over their views on the jab, said: "As a politician I perfectly
understand the need to keep children's lives private but there are times when
policy carries a legitimate public interest."It is the Government's policy
to refuse the right of parents to have single vaccinations. In those
circumstances, I believe the public should be told whether or not Leo Blair has
received his MMR."Ms Kirkbride, wife of fellow Tory MP Andrew Mackay, said
she had thrown away an invitation for her son Angus to have his MMR jab and was
looking for a doctor to give him single injections.Dr Fox, a former GP, said:
"It would be inconceivable for the Government to give strong and adamant
advice to other parents, only for the Prime Minister to send a different
signal."About 2,000 families in Britain have taken legal action, claiming
their children have been damaged by the jab, with many believing it has
triggered autism and bowel disorders.A Downing Street spokeswoman said:
"Mr and Mrs Blair believe their child has the same right to medical
privacy as any other child in the country. However, both support the Government's
campaign of the MMR vaccine which is based on strong scientific
evidence."Story filed: 15:57 Wednesday 12th December 2001CHECK FOR MORE ON:
Tony
Blair
Politics
MMR
Health
UK
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_471960.html
******************************
Cherie Blair takes personal interest in mother's
MMR claim
By Sarah
Womack, Political Correspondent
(Filed: 11/12/2001)
CHERIE BLAIR has expressed a personal interest in a mother's legal fight for
compensation for a son she believes was brain damaged by the MMR
vaccination.Mrs Blair's response to emails sent to her by Julie Loch from Wales
has raised speculation about whether Leo Blair, now 18 months old, has received
the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccination.A Downing Street spokesman
refused to comment, saying the Prime Minister's children were entitled to
"complete privacy in medical matters".But a doctor at the centre of
the MMR row said the Blairs should be open about what medical route they had
chosen. Peter Mansfield, a Lincolnshire GP who offers single dose injections,
said: "If you expect to be some kind of role model, it is important to be
transparent."It is prudent to be beyond reproach. I do not know what the
Blairs' situation is." Mrs Blair thanked Mrs Loch for keeping her
informed, and said she would be "happy to receive further
information".The Department of Health retains faith in MMR, insisting that
parents have no need for concern. MMR is recommended for children at 13 months
and for four-year-olds.But with fears mounting that the vaccine could be linked
to autism in young children, an increasing number of parents are having
children vaccinated privately with separate jabs at a cost of almost £200.A
report by the Medical Research Council has concluded that the possibility of
MMR causing autism in susceptible children cannot
be ruled out on current evidence.Mrs Loch said her youngest son began to
"regress developmentally and behaviourally" when he was two years
old.He is now autistic, with chronic bowel damage which was affecting his
gastrointestinal tract. She said "countless medics" had refused to
accept that her son was vaccine damaged. However, her son was among eight cases
that had been selected to represented a group litigation case against the
vaccine manufacturers. Pat Troop, the Government's deputy chief medical
officer, said she had been advised that the single jabs were not safe.Dr
Mansfield was charged by the General Medical Council's disciplinary body with
putting patients at risk and failing to conform to the recommendation of the
Chief Medical Officer. The charges were subsequently dropped.He said: "The
MMR vaccine should not be administered in one dose. When three live viruses are
forced alongside each other into the body, they may mutate with devastating
consequences."
9
December 2001: Studies fail to disprove autism link to MMR jab
9
December 2001: Anti-MMR doctor is forced out
1
December 2001: Medical chief says MMR jabs 'too low'
7
August 2001: MP backs doctor in row over single dose MMR
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/12/11/nmmr11.xml
******************************
Phobic Anxiety-Related Brain Activity May
Influence Severity Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
A DGReview of :"Phobic
Anxiety Changes the Function of Brain-Gut Axis in Irritable Bowel
Syndrome"
Psychosomatic Medicine
12/10/2001
By James Adams
Anxiety-related hyperreactivity in the frontal brain may affect the function of
the brain-gut axis and contribute to disease severity in irritable bowel
syndrome.
"Disease severity in the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is highly
influenced by psychiatric comorbidity," report investigators from the
National Hospital in Oslo and the Oestfold County Hospital in Fredikstad,
Norway. "The mechanism is generally unknown, even if the brain-gut axis
seems to be involved."
The investigators compared 11 female patients with IBS and comorbid phobic
anxiety disorder with 22 age-matched female IBS controls.
Effects of the comorbid disorder on brain information processing of auditory
stimuli were assessed. Event-related potentials (ERP) in response to
auditory-presented words with emotional content were measured.
Any consequences to visceral sensitivity thresholds and disease severity were
determined.
Results showed that the comorbid anxiety IBS group had significantly enhanced
first negative ERP wave (N1) to all stimuli. This group also showed increased
visceral threshold for the sensation of gas and reduced gas-stool and
gas-discomfort tolerances compared with the non-comorbid IBS group.
Enhanced N1 amplitude and reduced gas-stool tolerance could predict subjective
gas complaints, the investigators report, "explaining 47 percent of the
symptom variation."
The study suggests an interaction between information processing in the frontal
brain and visceral characteristics in IBS patients that may predict disease
related symptomatology.
Psychosom Med 2001; 63(6): 959-965. "Phobic
Anxiety Changes the Function of Brain-Gut Axis in Irritable Bowel Syndrome"
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256B1800509668?opendocument&wf=yes
******************************
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