SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT "Healing Autism:

No Finer a Cause on the Planet"

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December 12, 2002 Promote Your Event - Free! - Send a CALENDAR

LISTING:

RESEARCH

* Neurologic Disorders After Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccination

* You Can Still See This Week's Burton Hearing Online

* Dear Mr. President

* U.S. Study Links Makeup Chemical to Sperm Damage

ADVOCACY

* US Lawmakers Vow Repeal of Vaccine Additive Law

CARE

* Mother of Autistic Son Charged With Attempted Murder

EDUCATION

* With Helping Hands

AWARENESS

* Square Peg In A Round Hole: Parenting A Child With Special Needs

FUNDRAISING

* Cards Speak For Children

RESEARCH

Neurologic Disorders After Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccination

PEDIATRICS Vol. 110 No. 5 November 2002, pp. 957-963

Received for publication Jun 3, 2002; accepted Jul 25, 2002. Annamari Mäkelä, MD*, J. Pekka Nuorti, MD and Heikki Peltola, MD* Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland

Objective. The possibility of adverse neurologic events has fueled much concern about the safety of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccinations. The available evidence concerning several of the postulated complications is controversial. The aim of this study was to assess whether an association prevails between MMR vaccination and encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, and autism.

Methods. A retrospective study based on linkage of individual MMR vaccination data with a hospital discharge register was conducted among 535 544 1- to 7-year-old children who were vaccinated between November 1982 and June 1986 in Finland.

For encephalitis and aseptic meningitis, the numbers of events observed within a 3-month risk interval after vaccination were compared with the expected numbers estimated on the basis of occurrence of encephalitis and aseptic meningitis during the subsequent 3-month intervals.

Changes in the overall number of hospitalizations for autism after vaccination throughout the study period were searched for. In addition, hospitalizations because of inflammatory bowel diseases were checked for the children with autism.

Results. Of the 535 544 children who were vaccinated, 199 were hospitalized for encephalitis, 161 for aseptic meningitis, and 352 for autistic disorders. In 9 children with encephalitis and 10 with meningitis, the disease developed within 3 months of vaccination, revealing no increased occurrence within this designated risk period.

We detected no clustering of hospitalizations for autism after vaccination. None of the autistic children made hospital visits for inflammatory bowel diseases.

Conclusions. We did not identify any association between MMR vaccination and encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, or autism.

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You Can Still See This Week's Burton Hearing Online

Vaccines, Autism Epidemic & the Federal Govt's Track Record

Full committee hearing on, "Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: Reviewing the Federal Government's Track Record and Charting a Course for the Future."

Presenting are David Baskin, board member, Cure Autism Now; Mark Geier, Genetic Consultants of Maryland, Bethesda, MD; Walter Spitzer, professor of epidemiology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Karen Midthun, director, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, FDA; Stephen Foote, director, Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, MD; Christopher Portier, director, Environmental Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. About three hours.

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Dear Mr. President

I am sending you my Christmas wish list. . .

No, this is not a little child writing who has you confused with Santa - this is the mom of a child with Autism, who knows you have more power than Santa, and the influence to make my Christmas wish list come true.

You see, it has to be MY Christmas wish list - because my son who is 9 years old - cannot speak, write, read, or talk. He is a child with Autism. For him - Christmas is just another sensory overload - he can't eat the Holiday goodies because of severe allergic reactions to some of the ingredients. As part of his Autism, he lacks the gift of imagination and pretend, and so he doesn't understand Santa, Frosty, or the Reindeer. He doesn't even really play with toys - so there is no perfect gift to buy for him. He would rather stim off of a piece of wrapping paper by flapping it by his face - than open a gift to see what's inside. Sitting on Santa's lap at the mall? Been there, Tried that, Not pretty.

We can't even travel to relatives for the Holidays - because our son must be in his own environment and have his own surroundings.

And so - the only Christmas wish on my list is for you to make Autism - and the hearings Congressman Burton has called for - top priority. The only hope for us, meaning the 1 in 250 parents who have a child with autism, to have any chance of future Merry Christmas' - is for you to make that happen.

We need for you to make Autism, and all the research, educational, funding, and medical issues that go along with it - a national priority.

Be our "Miracle on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue"

- Brandon's mom

>>>>> CONGRESSMAN DAN BURTON IS CALLING ON THE PRESIDENT <<<<<

TO HAVE A WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON AUTISM. YOU

CAN SUPPORT REP. BURTON BY SENDING YOUR LETTER

URGING HIM TO DO SO AS WELL:

President George W. Bush

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

EMAIL: President George W. Bush: president@whitehouse.gov

(Make sure you send a copy of your letter to us: edit@doitnow.com)

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U.S. Study Links Makeup Chemical to Sperm Damage

Forget the MMR shot, or that early pregnancy half-bottle of wine, maybe it's your eye shadow. . .

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Everyday exposure to a chemical ingredient used to preserve many cosmetics and fragrances may contribute to sperm damage in adult men, according to a study published on Monday.

In one of the first studies of the effects of substances known as phthalates on humans, Harvard University researchers found signs of correlation between exposure to a common type of the chemical and damage to the DNA of human sperm.

The study, published in the government journal Environmental Health Perspectives, does not show whether this DNA damage could leave men infertile or cause birth defects, the researchers said.

Last month, the U.S. Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel, an industry-sponsored watchdog, sparked fury from health and environmental lobbyists when it voted to allow the continued use of three types of phthalates in perfumes and beauty products, saying they were safe in their current uses.

Phthalates, used to make fragrances last longer and to soften plastics like baby toys, have been linked in previous studies to birth defects in animals, but no evidence has proved they are harmful to humans.

The American Chemistry Council maintains that phthalates are safe and the U.S. government so far has declined to limit their use.

But the European Union banned their use in some products, including baby toys, in 1999.

The study, conducted at a Massachusetts fertility clinic, analyzed urine and semen samples from 168 men believed to have normal levels of exposure to diethyl phthalates through the use of cosmetics products and plastics.

Russ Hauser, a Harvard University School of Public Health professor and senior author of the study, said preliminary results suggested exposure to those phthalates was associated with increased DNA damage in sperm, but said it was too early to tell how severe the damage was.

"What the significance of it is, we don't know. What it predicts in terms of end points in the fetus or child is really unclear at this point," he said in a telephone interview.

Hauser said his group planned to extend its research to include between 700 and 800 men in order to verify the findings, and to cross-reference results with findings of other studies measuring factors like pregnancy success rates.

"This paper shows early findings in a relatively small number of men," he said. "Our next step here really is to expand the study, and repeat the analyzes."

But a group that has been fighting the use of phthalates, Health Care Without Harm, said the study showed they were right.

"The correlation found in this study is extremely troubling and deserves urgent follow up," Dr. Ted Schettler, science director of the Science and Environmental Health Network said in a statement on behalf of the group.

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ADVOCACY

US Lawmakers Vow Repeal of Vaccine Additive Law

Calling a last-minute provision added to last month's massive homeland security bill barring lawsuits against makers of a preservative used in childhood vaccines "special interest politics at its worst," a bipartisan group of US House and Senate members Wednesday announced an effort to repeal the provision when Congress reconvenes in January.

"We will be doing whatever is necessary to reverse this provision," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) of the language that would effectively dismiss hundreds of lawsuits filed by families of children with autism and other neurological disorders. The lawsuits claim that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative formerly used in many vaccines, contributed to their children's condition. "This is about making sure that families of autistic children are protected," Stabenow said.

The lawmakers, including Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN), said they were particularly outraged by the way the provision--which technically requires complaints about thimerosal or any other vaccine additive to be first adjudicated by the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program--was added to the bill at the last possible minute. "They gave the companies a 'get out of jail free' card," said Leahy.

The biggest problem with the language, said Burton, is that many of the families whose lawsuits will now be dismissed are ineligible for the vaccine compensation program, which has only a three-year window in which to file claims. "Many of these families of autistic children didn't even know there was a program until the three-year statute of limitations was up," Burton said.

Lynn Redwood, the mother of an autistic child and president of the advocacy group "Safe Minds," said hers was one of those families unaware of the program until it was too late. "For my son, the statute of limitations had already run before we were even aware there was mercury in the vaccines," she said. Eli Lilly issued a statement defending the provision being added to the homeland security bill, saying Congress always intended that claims against vaccine additives should follow the same process as those against vaccines themselves. In filing the lawsuits in the first place, the company said, "the trial bar is clearly attempting to thwart the original aim of Congress, which was to reduce the chilling effect that litigation has on the development of new vaccines."

Exactly what lawmakers can do to affect the situation, however, remains unclear. Stabenow conceded that by the time Congress reconvenes in January, most, if not all, of the pending lawsuits will already have been dismissed, so repealing the provision will not help those families. Extending the three-year window for filing claims under the federal vaccine compensation program is one option, the lawmakers said, as is raising the tax vaccine manufacturers now pay to finance the compensation program.

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CARE

Mother of Autistic Son Charged With Attempted Murder

A Stanton woman accused of trying to poison her 5-year- old autistic son was charged today with attempted murder, but without the "premeditated" enhancement that could result in a life prison term.

Heidi Shelton, 38, made her initial appearance in a Westminster courtroom this afternoon. But her arraignment on the attempted murder and felony child abuse charges was postponed until Dec. 19, a court clerk said.

Superior Court Judge Michael McCartin set bail at $1 million, the clerk said.

Deputy District Attorney Jo Escobar said she would seek a bail amount that would ensure Shelton would not be released, given reports that she took an overdose of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax -- after allegedly giving her son five pills -- in what was described in police reports as an attempt at suicide.

"We're still trying to investigate her mental state," Escobar said. "Clearly it's at issue."

Shelton was arrested after paramedics, sent to a residence in the 7400 block of Penn Way on Monday, found the woman and son dazed and disoriented, Escobar said.

Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department said authorities were called by the boy's grandmother, who lives with the family.

Upon their release from a hospital, the mother was booked into the Women's Jail, and her son placed in protective custody, Amormino said.

Escobar said she does not yet know "if this dose would ever have worked, but an ineffectual attempt to kill someone is not necessary" for an attempted murder conviction.

"This is sort of a sad, sad situation," Escobar said.

If convicted, Shelton faces a maximum prison term of nine years in prison, Escobar said.

A neighbor told the Los Angeles Times that she could not believe Shelton would try to kill her son.

"She worshipped that boy," Darci Rynsburger said.

"Zachary is her whole life," Reggie Bernard, another neighbor, told the newspaper.

Neighbors said the woman dropped a real estate career to take care of the boy herself, and that when they saw her on frequent walks with the boy, she never seemed upset.

The neighbors said the boy is rambunctious and needs constant attention.

Bernard Rimland, founder of the Autism Society of America, told the newspaper that dealing with autism, a neurological disorder that affects a person's ability to interact with others, is frustrating.

"A mother likes to get a response from their kid. But the autistic kid is programmed so he does not respond to kindness and hugs," Rimland said. "He often is indifferent."

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EDUCATION

With Helping Hands

School of their own in New York state aids autistic kids

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When her son Danny was 18 months old, Donna Fecht took him for a routine check-up. His hearing was perfect, but he couldn't talk. After more than a year of speech therapy and special-education services, Danny was only getting worse. His frantic running, jumping, arm-flapping and screeching was eventually diagnosed as autism.

"I didn't even know what autism was," said Fecht of Malverne. She quickly learned. Fecht and her husband, Doug, connected with a group of parents who, frustrated with the quality of most programs for autistic children, were trying to start a school of their own. "It wasn't like we could look in the phone book and go fill out an application," Fecht said. "There are not enough excellent programs out there."

That was almost five years ago. Yesterday, the families and staff of Ascent School for Children with Autism held an open house for the near-200 volunteers who helped build the brand new 1,200-square-foot facility in Deer Park, which opened in September. Chartered for 24 children, Ascent teaches autistic students from ages 3 to 21 everything from how to use the bathroom to how to function in classroom or job settings.

Autism is a neuro-biological disorder that generally surfaces by the age of 3, said executive director Nancy Shamow. Experts estimate that the disorder afflicts one in 500 children. There is no agreement in the scientific community about what causes autism; some theories attribute the disorder to a wide range of environmental factors.

Some autistic children are able to speak and socialize with others, but about 40 percent never gain the ability to communicate, Shamow said. They live in isolated worlds, oblivious to the attention, approval or love of those around them, Shamow said.

"There was a time when you looked into his eyes, and there was nothing there," Fecht said of Danny, who is now 8. "Now when he looks at you, he is really looking at you."

Fecht and other parents at Ascent said Applied Behavioral Analysis isthe hallmark of Ascent and several other programs on Long Island, has helped their children progress.

"I'm loving life thinking about his future," said Aroza Sanjana, mother of Armando Nunez, 7, who is beginning his fourth year at Ascent. Years ago it was difficult for Sanjana and her husband to imagine that Armando would function on his own. Today, he rides bikes and goes sledding with the family, Sanjana said.

Under the Applied Behavioral Analysis method, tasks such as getting dressed are broken into small steps and reinforced with rewards and repetition until a studentmasters it.

On any given day in each of Ascent's four classrooms, children sit at individual stations working on a personalized curriculum. To keep up with their short attention spans, a buzzer sounds every minute and a half, signaling teachers to change stations and begin working with children on a new task. Teachers also visit families at home to ensure that parents reinforce what their child has learned in school. If parents have a child who refuses to get a haircut, a teacher simulates it at school and accompanies the family to the barbershop. If a child tries a new food at school, the teacher tells the parents to serve it for dinner that night.

Such personalized instruction comes at a price. Fecht couldn't afford to send Danny to Ascent until about three years ago when the state began providing aid. Though the state covers about $900,000 in funding paid through local school districts, Ascent must raise the $700,000 balance through private fund-raising efforts, said Al Eskanazy, president of Ascent and founding board chairman. In the next few years, "My hope ... is that we will have been discovered by corporate charities or foundations," he said.

From its beginnings in the basement of one family's home, Ascent later moved to St. Hyacinth's Church in Glen Head. Earlier this year, the church reclaimed the space, leaving the school with just six months to relocate.

From the steel beams that support the gleaming white walls to the blueberry-colored computers in the classrooms, materials for the new building came courtesy of local businesses.

Volunteers, including the 55 carpenters who did eight weeks' worth of work in one day and the parents who shed their professional roles to spackle, paint and mix cement, finished the building in three months.

With at least a 10 percent increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism over the past five years, the demand for schools like Ascent far exceeds the supply. Tours of the schools can attract hundreds of parents for a handful of spaces.Ascent has already begun thinking of the future. Its leaders hope in the next five years to have established a group home where autistic adults can live as a community, Eskanazy said.

"I would like to see Dan in a group home with his other friends," Fecht said. "I'd like for him to have some kind of job." That is the reality Fecht hopes for, and Danny works toward, every day. Copyright © 2002, Newsday, Inc.

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AWARENESS

Square Peg In A Round Hole: Parenting A Child With Special Needs

Cara Speer has earned multiple degrees in social work – a bachelor's degree from Abilene Christian University and a master's degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. She currently is the director of social work at Lubbock Christian University, where she puts all that education to work.

But most of what she learned about living with a child who has different needs began when her son was born, 18 years ago. And during her presentation called "A Square Peg in a Round Hole," she shared some of those lessons with participants of the Building Strong Families Parenting Conference. This annual conference, hosted by the Partners for Parenting Coalition, was held recently at the First Church of the Nazarene in Lubbock. Texas Cooperative Extension, one of the original members of the coalition, is also one of the sponsoring agencies for the conference.

In looking back on the 18 years of her son's life, Speer was frank when she described those years as "chaotic." She said people often ask her and her husband "how did we do it – raising a child who did not fit the mold, who was not ‘normal'.

"We still don't know if we did it right."

Through an accident at his birth – the umbilical cord disconnected from his body while he was still in the birth canal – Speer's son was without oxygen for a time. And although he was born "blue," she said, "no one said anything to us about his being in danger." In fact, she said, "the worst thing we could see was he had red hair!"

Four hours later, when the new parents were expecting their son to be brought to them to be fed, they were instead visited by a pediatrician, who, Speer said, told them: "Your baby had a really rough time, but we think he will live ... but he will probably have brain damage."

As a mother, Speer said, her comprehension stopped on the part about the baby living. "The brain damage part I didn't believe," she said. The Speers found the information and advice they needed to raise their "square peg" child was sparse – almost non-existent, in fact. While advice for parents is out there, it doesn't apply "to this kind of child," she said.

From the beginning of his life, she knew her son was different, she said. "From his failure to make eye contact, resistance to cuddling, rubbing his face in circles with a blanket – all these are symptoms of autism, but he was too young to be diagnosed."

The couple, who were already parents of a normal daughter, decided not have any more children because they knew raising their son would take most of their time and effort.

As a toddler, he had to follow a specific routine, he developed a phobia about wind, he became obsessive about certain types of toys, and he developed a violent temper that "seemed to come out of nowhere," Speer said. He also developed amazing memorization skills and counting abilities far beyond the comprehension of most 3-year-olds.

As the child grew, his parents learned to follow his lead. "I devoted myself to what he wanted to do, observed his quirks and what made him lose his temper," Speer said. In that, she wasn't all that much different from other parents. "The major task of all parents in the first few years is to get to know our own individual child – what works and what doesn't."

But she and her husband faced many challenges most parents don't. "People can be really cruel to parents of kids who are different," Speer said. "At times we thought maybe we were crazy, maybe we were wrong.

"Parents of children who are not normal need to learn to not react to their child out of embarrassment," she said. "Parenting is hard, and parenting a child who is not normal is even harder."

Slowly but surely, Speer and her husband found their way. Their son was gifted in some ways far beyond his age. When he was 3, he could do math, including fractions and division. "To keep him happy at church, I would write out pages and pages of math problems," Speer said.

They learned that changing the surroundings is easier than trying to modify the child to fit the norm. "Instead of forcing the child to fit and just banging away until he fits, modify the environment and the gently modify the child," she advised.

For example, because their son can't handle a lot of sensory stimulation at the same time, things are kept quiet at their home. If the family plays music, it's soft and gentle. His room is kept dark and quiet.

Disciplining any child can be a challenge, but the Speers learned from their child's reactions. "With discipline, we give him a little lag time," Speer said. Given a choice, he "almost always chooses to do the right thing, but the more he was forced, the more he resisted."

When it came time for school, Speer and her husband did everything they could to prepare their son for the changes he was about to face. "If we could predict the change, we could prepare him for it." He needed a quiet environment "because he couldn't filter out stimulation," so they chose quieter classes for him. When it came time to get up and get ready for school, "we never rushed him; we gave him plenty of time to get ready."

He also needed downtime when he came home – and still does. "Home should be a haven where he could relax and be himself," Speer said. "When he comes home from school it's like he's been rubbed raw – he needs alone time."

Their life as parents of a "square peg" has not been easy, but it has been rewarding. Through "tears, trial and error, and a lot of prayer," Speer and her husband have raised a son who not only is a straight-A student, but who won 32 awards last year, is a National Merit scholar and made perfect scores on both the SAT and the ACT tests. He has been accepted at both Duke University and Vanderbilt University but is leaning toward Vanderbilt, "because they let freshmen have private rooms," his mother said with a smile.

Her other advice for other parents who might find themselves in a similar situation: - At school, be an advocate for your child. Do everything possible to insure the child is in a classroom situation and with a teacher best suited to his or her specific needs.

- Focus on what is best for the child and on finding the solution.

- Don't leave a child in a very bad situation, in a classroom that doesn't fit his or her needs.

- Look for the environment that makes it easier for the child to behave.

- Do not let the child use his or her condition as an excuse. "We worked toward helping our child modify his own environment, because we will not always be with him," she said. "He needs to be able to understand himself."

And above all, supply unconditional love to the child, no matter how bad his or her behavior, she said – which does not mean condoning unacceptable behavior. Parents can accept the person without accepting the behavior, she said.

So instead of trying to make a "square peg" of a child fit into a "round hole" of social expectations, use love and acceptance and self-awareness to help that child learn about his or her own uniqueness. "If you leave the self esteem in place, they turn out to be productive citizens," she said.

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FUNDRAISING

Cards Speak For Children

The idea for a product line for her own stationery business was so simple that Randi Sargent almost didn't see it, yet it was something she used hundreds of times each day in her Sudbury home.

As the mother of a non-verbal special needs child, Sargent works with her son Graham, 6, to build his communication skills using a system called The Picture Communication Symbols. Developed and trademarked in 1980 by Mayer-Johnson Inc., a California-based company, the picture symbols enable limited-speaking or non-speaking children with autism, pervasive development disorder (PDD), cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions to make choices and communicate wants or desires.

Sargent makes "story boards" using the picture symbols to help Graham express opinions, emotions and to make choices in activities. A picture of a rainbow, for example, means "beautiful." By pointing to a picture of a glass, Graham can indicate he wants something to drink.

Activity "story boards" used by Graham for swimming, horseback riding and other interests can show a therapist the sequence or manner in which he wants to do an activity.

"Graham is non-verbal, which means he doesn't have words - he has sounds, but not words - and because of this we introduced him to the picture symbols at a very early age," said Sargent. "The challenge with all of this is that the child slowly learns to use them all. No child just jumps in and learns 3,000 symbols. You do a lot of modeling."

As Sargent selected the pictures and modeled their use in various combinations to ease Graham's daily routines and communication skills, she began to form an idea.

"I've always wanted to have my own business, always. I'd done a lot of research into charity cards because I was thinking of starting a greeting card company for one-stop-shopping for charity cards," said Sargent. "And then it dawned on me that I could do my own greeting card line using picture symbols. The idea was so simple."

The picture symbols, tweaked a bit artistically to change the colors and typef ace, could be used in various design combinations in a line of greeting cards, stationery and gift items. A year ago, Sargent negotiated a license to use the trademarked symbols with Mayer-Johnson and began making customized stationery for friends.

The card designs are all computer-generated using Boardmaker, a Mayer-Johnson graphics database containing more than 3,000 picture symbols.

In September, Sargent launched her business, Giving Greetings, a line of 40 greeting cards for all occasions, as well as note cards, note pads, postcards, recipe cards and personalized teacher appreciation gifts. The company also does customized party invitations, including bar and bat mitzvah invitations, holiday cards and corporate orders.

Sargent's line of Hanukkah and Christmas cards, and boxed thank-you notes, were immediate hits. Personalized note cards purchased as teacher appreciation gifts are also selling well this month. Boxed cards and gift items range from $6 to $15, and single greeting cards are priced at $2.50.

"I'm off to a good start. There's a lot of camaraderie and support in the 'special mom' world. I've gotten tremendous support from families, and therapists love it," said Sargent. "And there is definitely national appeal.

These picture symbols are not just used locally, they are used around the world."

A Giving Greetings catalog is now available on the Internet, and customers can order online using a credit card. The greeting cards are also available at Mailboxes Etc. in Sudbury and The Children's Bookshop in Brookline.

"Customers generated the ideas for note pads and recipe cards. I love it when people give me suggestions," said Sargent. "The feedback from The Children's Bookshop is that customers are very interested in the picture symbols system.

I'm hoping that the lay public will be interested in learning about picture symbols and that it will result in large charitable donations."

A portion of the greeting card sales supports educational programs for families and children with special needs. Sargent donates up to 20 percent of the proceeds to two nonprofit organizations - the Federation for Children with Special Needs in Boston, and the LADDERS Clinic, a Wellesley clinic affiliated with the Autism Research Center at Mass General Hospital in Boston.

"I felt it was important that I donate to charitable organizations that work with children with disabilities. Graham's disorder is not diagnosed, but is called 'atypical cerebral palsy' because it has a gross motor component," said Sargent. "The Federation for Special Needs has a lot of programs that we've benefited from enormously so I felt it was important to give to them.

As the business grows, I hope to benefit them and provide ongoing revenue to support their fundraising efforts."

Sargent, a graduate of Syracuse University in New York, worked in marketing and publishing jobs for 20 years, and was first introduced to the concept of charity cards when she lived in England. She and husband Peter, an architect, worked in London from 1996 to 1999.

"In England, 70 percent of the cards sold, particularly at the holidays, are charity cards. Every store, church bazaar and craft fair sells them," said Sargent, who in addition to Graham, who was born in London, and is also mother to Liv, a 14-month-old girl. "Of course I bought them, and I loved using them."

Upon their return to the United States, Sargent wanted to continue using charity cards, but found them difficult to find. Most are available only through regional organizations during the holiday season.

Sargent began to think about starting a business that would provide a one-stop shopping source for cards and stationery items from multiple charity organizations.

For now, Sargent is focusing on building Giving Greetings.

"I think I'm at the tip of the iceberg. When you look at special needs catalogs, there is very little that's fun, so this gives parents and therapists something fun and colorful to give to students or share with parents," said Sargent. "Families are thrilled to see these cards. Picture symbols have become so much a part of their life, and now they can share this with other people."

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