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AUTISM FIRST STEPS
AUTISM DAILY NEWSLETTER
Tuesday December 18, 2001
Special Edition
INDEX:
* United States Autism Ambassador's Birthday
* Miller Method's interactive strategies "interrupted
rocking" has found
its way to Great Regarding: TIMES STORY Mother and autistic boy see
eye to eye
* Autism 2001: The Silent Epidemic
* S-1133
for Autism Research in NJ, passed the Senate, 26 to zero
* CAUCUS for Autism Meeting
******************************
United States Autism Ambassador's Birthday
Today
December 18th, is the Autism Ambassador's Birthday. Many people know her by
many titles, Some have known her as founder and developer of many autism
organizations and programs. Others know her as advocate, ambassador,
representative, Voice for the voiceless, Mom, and friend. It does not seem to
matter what name she is known by, people around the world respect her for her
achievements and endeavors for the autism community.
LD Wedewer has spent the past few years dedicating herself not only to her
youngest daughter with autism but in her endeavors has helped thousands of
families worldwide. She strives for better treatment, therapy, diagnostic, and
educational options, better legislation, and new free or appropriate programs
for individuals with autism.
She published a 15,000 linked page website located at www.AutismAwakening.com
in an effort to raise awareness around the world as well as enpower parents and
professionals with the knowledge they need to get off to a good start and
maintain resources and continue to move forward. She truly has earned her title
as the United States Autism Ambassador.
We would like to take the time to wish her a Happy Birthday and say thank-you
for everything you do for individuals around the world with autism.
If you would like to send her a card or special note on her birthday e-mail her
at:
AutismAwakening@aol.com
By: Abbie Madison
******************************
Miller
Method's interactive strategies "interrupted rocking"
has found its way to Great Regarding:
TIMES STORY Mother and autistic boy see
eye to eye
Editor
Autism Awakening: Autism First Steps Daily Autism Newsletter
Dear Editor,
We were delighted yesterday to find that one of the Miller Method's interactive
strategies "interrupted rocking" has found its way to Great Britain
and proven effective in developing eye contact for the first time between an
autistic boy and his mother. The article was published in the Times
(United Kingdom). I have reproduced the relevant part of the story:
Mother and autistic boy see eye to eye
BY LAURA PEEK
A SCHEME to teach autistic children and their parents how to communicate helped
a four-year-old boy to look his mother in the eye for the first time. Deborah
McDougall had despaired of ever making normal eye contact with Jamie, who was
two when autism was diagnosed. Because of the severity of his condition he
could barely communicate with the rest of his family. He ignored his parents
and could not play with his older sister, Rachael. "He just wandered
around the house in a world of his own, ignoring everybody," Mrs
McDougall, 41, said. "Sometimes there were dreadful tantrums and I was
tearing my hair out." However, a pilot scheme run by the National Autistic
Society (NAS) changed everything, radically improving her relationship with
Jamie. .One of the Early Bird volunteers suggested that Mrs McDougall
gently rock Jamie on her knee then suddenly stop, as an exercise to improve his
eye contact. The effect was instant: Jamie enjoyed the game so much that he
wanted it to continue. He looked at his mother and made noises to encourage her
to start rocking again. "It was absolutely brilliant," said Mrs
McDougall. "We did Row the Boat on my knee and he loved it and didn't want
it to stop. The scheme gives you the tools to unlock your child's world."
Mrs McDougall, who lives in Sheffield and works in a blood
transfusion center credits Early Bird with transforming her
life. "I cannot praise it highly enough. It was a lifeline. The earlier
you can intervene then the better the prognosis for the future with autism.
Early Bird did a fantastic job. "That is why it needs money so that more
and more families across the country can benefit like we did." Since it
was set up in South Yorkshire in 1997, Early Bird has helped more than 450
families. The scheme aims to help parents to understand their child's autism,
structure interactions in which communication can develop and pre-empt problem
behaviour and deal with it when it occurs.
Make your donations using the coupon, or online at www.thetimes.co.uk/appeal.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001580136,00.html
******************************
The Miller Method's "interrupted-rocking" strategy is described in
some detail on Page 120 in the book "From Ritual to Repertoire" by
Miller and Eller-Miller, 1989, John Wiley and Sons as follows:
"With the use of a Rocking sphere, many disordered children who rock by
themselves can transform it into an interpersonal activity. The worker or
care giver sits on a stool, with the child either lying infant-style in the
adult's arms or sitting astride the adult's legs. Typically, the adult's
arms and hands are supporting the back and head of the child. This is necessary
so that, as the adult moves from Postion A (tilted back) to Position B (leaning
forward), the rocking movement does not interfere with the eye contact so
necessary for interaction.
The adult's intent is to establish a rocking game by starting slowly with a
quiet voice, gradually building up the rocking tempo and the voice to a level
of excitement and then abruptly interrupting the motion. Prior to
interrupting the sphere (activity), the adult observes the child for signs that
he or she is beginning to anticipate the forward rocking motion. When
this is evident, the adult, on returning to the leaning-back position, abruptly
interrupts all motion. If the child responds to interruption by seeking
to continue the rocking sequence (compensatory response) as shown by intense
eye contact, incipient rocking motion (or any sounds such as "Whee! that
the adult has been producing) - then the child is successfully internalizing
the sphere with another person.
The "interrupted rocking" strategy is also included in a new book for
parents and professionals scheduled for publication in England and the United
States by Jessica Kingsley Publishers
We applaud the effective use of Miller Method strategies in England and other
countries as people become aware of them. Children on the autism spectrum
- wherever they are - need to be exposed to techniques that work.
However, care should be taken to attribute these methods to their proper
source.
Sincerely,
Arnold Miller, Ph.D.
Language and Cognitive Development Center, Boston
www.millermethod.org
Editor Comminatary:
It is fortunate that many programs and autism projects can be accessed across
the world. However as Mr Miller has kindly pointed out it is also wise to note
in story lines where the information or techniques has come from.
Many times others not knowing that this option is out there reproduce something
that has been done. We have had simular happens with the Worldwide autism
registry and other programs and projects we have done like the Autism First
Steps Autism Action Plan. Others now do first steps and other related things
when it might be better to link to our page.
Just a thought. Thank-You again Mr Miller for you correction to the Times
article.
Our Staff
******************************
Autism 2001: The Silent
Epidemic
F. Edward
Yazbak,
MD, FAAP.
Note: The information on
this website is not a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a
qualified, licensed professional.
Although 2001 was filled with news of the MMR vaccine controversy,
discussion of the enormity of the autism explosion and its impact has
been minimal. In the UK, the Government spent more money and
enormously more time defending the MMR vaccine and destroying its
critics than actually researching the causes and the increasing incidence
of autism. The cruel reality is that the last published incidence of autism
in
the UK of 1 in 324 (Journal of the American Academy of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry, volume 39, p 694), was just amended this week to
1 in 166, according to a Medical Research Council (MRC) report
commissioned
by the Department of Health. A National Autistic Society survey had found that
1
in 110 children under 11 has autism.The vaccine authorities still assert that
the
reported increase is unrelated to the use of the MMR vaccine but offer no other
reasonable cause. The toll in human suffering is immense, and the actual
financial
cost per child for a lifetime of care and support services is a staggering 2
million
plus British pounds.Similar increases in the incidence of autism have been
reported on the European Continent. A Swedish study in 1993 by Ehlers and
Gillberg found a rate of 71 per 10,000 (1 in 141) in children with IQs of 70 or
above. A Finnish study looking at the incidence of autism in the northern
provinces, revealed a fourfold increase between 1979 and 1994 with a present
incidence rate of 1 in 483 among 5 to 7-year-olds (European Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry, volume 9, p 162). Also, in this study, a clear increase
in
the number of children with IQ of 70+ was reported. (This finding has often
been
reported with regressive or late-onset autism.) Interestingly, this particular
Finnish
study went almost unnoticed, while other Finnish studies (of dubious
epidemiological relevance) were highly publicized because they supported the
MMR vaccine’s “safety”.In the United States, the atrocities of September 11,
the
Anthrax letters and the present war in Afghanistan have certainly touched every
one. But life goes on. For the parents of children with autism, each day’s
battle is
overwhelming and their lives have changed forever. There is no final victory
they
can look forward to and no end to their war in sight. Each morning brings new
problems, new challenges and more concerns about funding cuts and decreased
services. Every night, the same awful dream recurs “What will happen to my
child
when I am gone?”According to the Department of Education annual reports to
the US Congress, autism cases in children aged 6-21 in US schools increase
yearly by approximately 25%Since September 12, it is more than likely that
between 600 and 700 new cases of autism were diagnosed and accepted into the
system in California alone. This projection is based on the last published
3-month rate of between 7 and 8 new cases a day. If the average incidence of
new cases of autism in the remaining 49 states averages only 1/8th of the
California rate-- a very conservative estimate, indeed-- we should expect that
approximately 4000 new cases of autism have been diagnosed nationwide in the
last 3 months. In the United States, the cost per child over a lifetime is soon
to
surpass 2 million dollars.One can only imagine the outcry if there was an
outbreak
of 4000 cases of any other pediatric illness in the same 3-month period. The
CDC specialists would be clamoring for a cure and seriously looking for clues
to
the epidemic. Why aren’t they? We witnessed the reaction that followed 15 cases
of anthrax on the East Coast. Before anyone without personal experience with
autism rushes to criticize this statement, I respectfully submit that 10 out of
the 15
cases of anthrax went on to complete recovery, a result we will never have with
autism. As for the five deaths from anthrax, they are certainly sad and most
unfortunate but children with severe autism have brain damage, and “die” every
day even if they are still breathing and moving. Every day, their parents and
grand
parents die a little too.Research into the causes of autism is being carried
out
nationwide. Many studies dealing with biochemical and genetic causes are
published and only receive transient interest. It is likely that many studies
concerning genetics now in progress will go similarly unnoticed, as it is
impossible
to have an epidemic of genetic diseases.The impressive mercury
study undertaken by a group of dedicated parents in New Jersey is different. It
deserves our attention and gratitude, and supports the original Redwood theory
of
mercury damage. It now appears that the CDC also carried out a study, which
suggested some relationship between mercury in vaccines and neuro-
developmental disorders in infants.A special committee of the Institute of
Medicine (IOM) held hearings on the subject of mercury and autism, and
recommended removing thiomerosal from all pediatric vaccine formulations. The
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the CDC had also recommended an
all mercury-free vaccine schedule. All three organizations believe that
mercury-
containing vaccines have not actually caused damage to children.Concern over
mercury has attracted the attention of the manufacturers of adult vaccines. On
November 21, the FDA announced that a single-dose influenza vaccine for adult
use, with only a “trace” of thiomerosal, is now available.Our own research
seems
to indicate that, certain children have reacted unfavorably and were “set-up”
by
mercury-containing vaccines in year one and then have regressed into autism
following another antigenic insult in their second year of life.The auto-immune
theory of autism and the possible relationship between autism and MMR
vaccination have captivated many minds since they were formulated in 1998.
Although no one has proved conclusively that MMR vaccination has contributed
to the increase in autism in the western world, no one has convincingly proved
that it has not.While the vaccine lobby and authorities have adamantly and
viciously condemned Andrew Wakefield and his findings, hundreds of parents are
totally convinced he is right.
These parents have no doubt that their previously normal children became
symptomatic after their first MMR vaccination and then regressed into autism,
and
many have videos, pictures and doctors’ notes to prove it. A further regression
after the second MMR, at age 5, seems to have convinced some of those parents
even more.The identification of measles by intricate PCR testing in the British
pathological specimens and the later revelation that these measles strains were
of
vaccine origin, by independent Japanese researchers, do offer more support to
the hypothesis. The likelihood that any investigator would try
duplicating these
findings after witnessing Dr. Wakefield’s public lynching is remote.In London,
many children with autism have been investigated carefully and found to have
abnormal pathology in the colon, the terminal ileum and the esophagus. A group
of children in the US have also been found to have identical pathological
findings.In March 2001, an IOM committee looking at autism and MMR,
reported that, “…evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship at the
population level between MMR vaccine and autistic spectrum disorders…”. A
little later in the report, the committee conceded that it could not “…exclude
the
possibility that MMR vaccine could contribute to ASD in a small number of
children….” and went on to recommend further research on the subject.The
media propaganda asserted that the committee took the MMR “off the hook” but
failed to highlight the similarity between the committee’s conclusions and
Wakefield’s own: that the MMR vaccine could contribute to autism in a small
group of genetically predisposed children, and that good research is urgently
needed.The IOM report on MMR and autism was published on April 24, 2001
(www.iom.edu, recent reports) The Institute
of Medicine (IOM) Committees’
conclusions, which are strictly based on epidemiological data, require a large
number of cases to justify one of the following classifications.
N
o evidence
bearing on a causal relation.
The evidence is inadequate to
accept or reject a causal relation.
The evidence favors rejection of a causal relation.
The evidence favors acceptance of a causal relation.
The evidence establishes a causal relation. It is well known that it takes
years
and mountains of epidemiological evidence, for the IOM committees to even
consider a complication, and/or move it from a certain category to a higher
one. [The perfect example is in the report published on 4/23/2001 ONE
day
before the MMR report in question. It concerns “Agent Orange”. In 1991, the
Veterans Administration commissioned a study on the defoliant and appropriated
a million dollars towards that research. There have been many reports from the
IOM committees on the subject and many revisions. It is only in April 2001-- a
full TEN years into the study-- that Diabetes Mellitus and Children’s
Myelogenous Leukemia were moved from Category 3, where they had
previously been listed, to Category 4. Clearly these two complications had been
caused by “Agent Orange” exposure since the Vietnam War; hundreds of
veterans and many VA physicians never doubted that Agent Orange caused
them. The fact that it took the IOM committee so long to concur did not alter
that
reality.]At its first meeting on the subject, the IOM committee actually placed
the
MMR-Autism problem in category 3+ by adding that a few cases of autism did
follow MMR vaccination. Many issues never make it past class 1 or 2 this early
on.It is likely that the matter will
be reviewed again in the not so distant future, because of the continued
attention
generated by the debate, and the justified criticisms which surrounded the
release
of the first report.It is tragic that while all this discussion about
administering three
live viruses at the same time is going on, the authorities in both the US and
the UK
have decided to add the chicken pox vaccine to the present MMR formulation.
Not too long ago, health care providers had to wait a month between the
administration of MMR and the chicken pox vaccine. Now they are assured that
giving them together in the same syringe does not affect their safety and
efficacy.Other vaccines to treat less serious illnesses are being developed at
a
frantic pace and will be certainly added to the present “routine” schedule.
Mega-
combinations are promised and well known infectious disease specialists and
immunologists have no difficulty stating that a child’s immune system can
comfortably deal with all these simultaneous antigenic assaults, even if he is
very
young, febrile, and on antibiotics.Empathic and qualified pediatricians and
pediatric nurse practitioners are urgently needed to control the present autism
epidemic. A high index of suspicion, an early work up, and a firm diagnosis are
imperative to assure timely initiation of therapy and limitation of brain
damage.
The children must never be referred to as “autistic” because they do not have a
psychiatric illness. They suffer from autism, a multi-system medical illness,
with
neurological, gastro-intestinal, endocrine, immune, developmental,
communicative, and psychiatric issues. Each of them needs a pediatric expert
who can care for
the “whole” patient and who has liberal access to consultants.Sensible and
affordable therapy should be available to each and every affected child.
Parents
need not uproot and move to find good medical care and superior
schools.Serious independent research is urgently needed. It can not be expected
from people with agendas of their own, or questionable financial ties. It also
can
not be performed on computers looking at epidemiological data. It must include
parents’ interviews and a careful examination of the affected child.It is only
then
that there will be any hope to control this silent and most tragic pediatric
epidemic
of our time. Regressive autism should have never “happened”!
The above is my personal opinion and may not
reflect that of organizations to which I belong
.F. Edward Yazbak, MD, FAAP
December 13, 2001
TLAutStudy@aol.com
Links to other stories:
His initial work
"Autism
99: A National Emergency "
<http://www.garynull.com/Documents/autism_99.htm>
first described the national increase in autism.
It was followed last year by
"Autism 2000: A Tragedy
"
<http://www.garynull.com/Documents/autism_2000.htm>
and now by the "Silent Epidemic" in which Dr. Yazbak relates, in his
own sensitive way, the latest on Regressive Autism in 2001.
******************************
S-1133 for Autism Research in NJ, passed the
Senate, 26 to zero
BULLETIN:
Good News in New Jersey
Geoff
Dubrowsky called in from the Statehouse in
Trenton to say that our bill,
S-1133 for Autism
Research in NJ, passed the
Senate, 26 to zero!
(Several Senators were absent
for the vote or
abstained.) The bill
appropriates $1.5 million for
each of five years for autism
research at UMDNJ.
Geoff also met with
Gov. DiFrancesco's staff
person who indicated that we
shouldn't run into
any problems with the Governor
signing the bill.
Geoff will be following up on
the status of the
signing. Please also note that
Governor-Elect
McGreevey has the ability to veto any spending
legislation passed just before
his term starts
(which is Jan 15th). We are
also taking steps to
ensure Gov-elect McGreevey's
support for S-1133
- Sallie Bernard of Safe Minds
and CAN
******************************
CAUCUS for Autism Meeting
Date: Tuesday, December 18, 2001
Time: 7:00PM - 9:00PM EST (GMT-05:00)
Topic of this meeting is HOW TO SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS!
Meetings held at the Upper Main Line YMCA, 1416 Berwyn-Paoli
Road, Berwyn, PA call 610-647-YMCA or www.UMLY.org for
directions.
******************************
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