SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT "Healing Autism:

No Finer a Cause on the Planet"

Your Profile: ${token1} ${token2} ${token3} ${token4}

________________________________________________________________

July 2, 2002 CALENDAR LISTING: EVENTS@doitnow.com

RESEARCH

* Researchers Identify Mental Retardation Gene

CARE

* Autistic Girl's Urge To Explore Put Her In Harm's Way

* Boy's Death Focuses Attention On Special Ed Policies

* Patrol Disables Bomb Outside Missouri Autism Center

* Massachusetts Resource Center Provides Hope

* Camp Helps Kids With Special Needs Develop And Socialize in Kentucky

* Boy Scout Troop Teaches Outdoor Skills To Florida Children With Autism

* The Kid who Wasn't Bullied and The Kids who Didn't Bully Him

ADVOCACY

* ASA Election Results

Researchers Identify Mental Retardation Gene

erse_113609_133631636229002348.php3

Clemson University and Greenwood Genetic Center researchers have found a link between a single gene and mental retardation. Dr. Anand K. Srivastava and his colleagues report their findings in the June 28 edition of the internationally respected journal, Science.

The researchers found a single gene, Angiotensin II receptor 2 known as AGTR2 on the X chromosome that may trigger mental retardation when the gene is abnormal. Srivastava, associate research geneticist in Greenwood and adjunct research professor at Clemson, has linked this gene to mental retardation in males.

"The identification of a single gene mutation that may prove to be the cause of some cases of mental retardation is very encouraging," said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which funded the study. "This advance not only may lead to insights into a variety of new therapies, but may also help us to better understand the processes involved in normal brain development." The research was conducted at the Center for Molecular Studies at the J.C.

Self Research Institute of Human Genetics in Greenwood. "Identification of genes that cause mental retardation and other human disabilities is a major focus of the institute," said Dr. Charles Schwartz, head of the research program.

A single patient led scientists to research the connection. Knowing beforehand that the mentally retarded female patient had an abnormally arranged X chromosome, they theorized that a single gene was silenced by the rearrangement, resulting in the patient's developmental disabilities. Dr.

Srivastava's team identified the gene that was silenced and then studied it in 590 male patients with unexplained mental retardation, identifying mutations in eight of them.

"Although an AGTR2 mutation appeared to be present in only 1.5 percent of males with unexplained mental retardation, this percentage is significant," said James Hanson, M.D., chief of NICHD's mental retardation and developmental disabilities branch. "With 30,000 to 35,000 total genes in the human body, the discovery of even a single gene that may play a pivotal role in brain development could be an extremely important discovery. This study also shows that the technique of identifying candidate genes in a single individual with mental retardation and testing them for mutations is useful for identifying genes related to mental retardation." Chromosomes are thread-like chains of genes, which carry genetic information for specifying proteins to build the cells that create a body. An X chromosome regulates female genetic traits; a Y chromosome expresses male characteristics. Women have two X chromosomes, and men have an X and Y chromosome. The genes on a chromosome act like instruction manuals, directing the body to make proteins that build cells, which become organs and other body parts. When a gene is broken, it fails to make the correct protein, which can cause disease or disabilities.

"Genetics experts believe that more than 100 of the approximately 1,200 genes on the X chromosome are involved in brain development and function," said Schwartz. The precise function of the AGTR2 gene has not been determined. It is not known, for example, whether the gene interrupts early formation of the brain or disturbs the later function of the brain.

The X chromosome AGTR2 gene is similar to the AGTR1 gene, which plays a part in blood vessel development, blood pressure regulation, water and electrolyte balance and hormone secretion. The researchers suspect that AGTR2 is linked to blood vessel function or development, likely to be important for brain formation or function.

Source: Clemson University Cosmiverse is the Premier Internet Destination for space and science fans. © 1999-2002 Cosmiverse.com

* * *

Autistic Girl's Urge To Explore Put Her In Harm's Way

The autistic preschooler wandered away from home and into the path of an SUV. July 2, 2002

LAGUNA NIGUEL -- Donny and Judy Richard are haunted today by a wrenching question: Was their 5-year-old daughter, Mya Donnae, afraid in the instant before she was struck and killed by a sport utility vehicle on busy Crown Valley Parkway?

Mya was like other autistic children, who often wander away, attracted by dangers they do not recognize.

She scampered in her diaper through an unlocked doggy door, opened a wooden gate, made her way down a 100-foot slope and across three lanes of traffic Friday night.

"We think she was enthralled," said friend Kris Farrell. "She loved lights, loved running down hills. I don't think that little girl knew what hit her."

Monday, the Richard house was filled with friends and relatives providing emotional support and arranging Mya's memorial, set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Capo Beach Calvary Chapel in Dana Point.

Signs of Mya remained. Her red Winnie the Pooh backpack and rain slicker hung by the front door, and her blue trampoline sat among the stuffed animals in her playroom.

Mya was a determined girl who constantly rewound her Barney the dinosaur videos for re-viewing. She loved grabbing the backs of people's elbows, where the skin is soft.

"I guess she liked the way the skin felt," said her grandfather, Dennis Richard, speaking for his distraught son, Donny, and daughter-in-law, Judy. "She was like a little butterfly, floating around in her own little world."

Like other autistic children, Mya did not respond to warnings. Autistic children may not react to hearing their name called, shouts to stop or even the tone of voice that communicates to other children that they are in trouble, said Barbara Parker, principal of Mya's preschool class for autistic children at Foxborough Elementary School.

Mya was showing signs of emerging from the isolation of autism, her grandfather said. She was more social, walking up to strangers to say hello and grabbing people's fingers to get their attention.

She also was more interested in exploring her surroundings -- a change that may have contributed to her death, he said.

"Her disability has protected her from life," said Dennis Richard, 61, of Las Vegas, a retired firefighter.

"That's why I don't think she ever experienced fear," he said, tears in his eyes. "She was never scared of the dark. And when she went down that hill, she went to explore a new world."

Dennis Richard said he doesn't believe negligence was involved in Mya's death.

Orange County sheriff's officials say the investigation could take several weeks. They said they would not release the name of the driver of the SUV until the investigation is complete.

"It looks like a very tragic accident," said sheriff's Sgt. Steve Doan.

Mya slipped out about 8:20 p.m. after her mother left to run an errand. A caretaker watched Mya and her brother, Jeremy, 8, authorities said.

The caretaker, who taught at Mya's school, formerly lived with the family, Dennis Richard said. The doggy door was installed for her pet, and it usually was locked, but Friday night the caretaker unlocked it because she had brought her dog, he said.

"Mya had never gone out that door," he said. "It was not something you'd expect her to do."

Mission Viejo Animal Control officer Lori Perry, returning to the shelter after a call about a snake, spotted the girl in the median, Doan said. She stopped her truck, turned on the emergency lights, got out and tried to talk the girl into walking over to her, Doan said.

"She was afraid to approach the young lady because she didn't want to scare her and make her run into traffic," Doan said.

Mya put her hands over her ears - something Dennis Richard said she did when a noise bothered her -- walked into traffic on the westbound side and was hit by a Ford Expedition.

Perry and a doctor who witnessed the accident gave aid to the girl until an ambulance arrived. Perry did not return calls Monday. Her supervisor said she was still shaken.

"She was placed in a horrible situation," shelter manager John Gonzales said. "I think this will be at the back of her mind for a long time."

Mya's death is the worst nightmare for those who work with autistic children, said Parker, principal of the girl's preschool program.

"We are constantly, constantly on the alert," said Parker, who was at the Richard house Monday afternoon along with a school psychologist and teachers to support the family. "These kiddos often don't have a sense of danger, don't understand the environment they're in."

Mya's class, run by the Orange County Department of Education, includes 12 children from ages 3 to 5, with four instructional assistants and two teachers.

Dennis Richard said Mya was normal the first year of her life. But she was diagnosed with autism at 18 months, after a series of childhood vaccinations, he said.

Some parents of autistic children have pointed to vaccinations as a possible cause of the learning disability, which strikes one in 250 California children. Scientists say the link is unfounded.

Mya's mother, Judy Richard, is a waitress at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Dana Point. Father Donny Richard, 28, a part-time Web site designer, changed after Mya was diagnosed with autism, his friend Farrell recalled.

"It's heartbreaking," Farrell said. "He went from typical young man to 'This is my role in life, to do the best for her.'"

"He grew up overnight - quit smoking, lost weight," she said. "He did everything he could (to) be there for her for a long time."

A memorial service for Mya Donnae Richard will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Capo Beach Calvary Chapel in Dana Point. A trust account in the girl's memory has been established at Wells Fargo branch banks. The account number is 5523049384.

_______________________________________________________

>> DO SOMETHING ABOUT AUTISM NOW <<

Subscribe, Read, then Forward the Schafer Autism Report.

No Cost!

_______________________________________________________

* * *

Boy's Death Focuses Attention On Special Ed Policies

The death of a disabled Buckingham boy in a residential school in New Jersey has advocates pushing for keeping such students closer to home.

Janice Roach believes her son would still be alive if he had received proper treatment for his mental and medical disabilities.

She says Matthew Goodman - who died Feb. 6, a month before his 15th birthday - fell into a bureaucratic limbo because he was a Pennsylvania boy placed in the Bancroft School in Haddonfield, N.J., which specializes in treating children with severe behavioral disorders.

"How were all these agencies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey not able to help this child?" asked Roach, of Buckingham.

The executive director of the Association for Retarded Citizens (Arc) of Bucks County said Matthew, who was autistic, might not have deteriorated mentally and physically if he had gotten education and treatment in the Central Bucks School District.

"When Matt was 7, what if someone had said keep him in his home school? Who knows what would have happened?" asked Chris Martin Clee.

Bruce Hochman, director of student services for Central Bucks, said he could not comment specifically on Matthew's case because of confidentiality requirements.

However, he said the district's policy and priority is to educate special education students in its schools, and it seeks outside placements only in extraordinary cases. Of 2,100 special education students, from 15 to 18 are enrolled in private schools in Pennsylvania and two in New Jersey.

"They're our kids. We want 'ownership,' Hochman said. "We have the staff. We don't want to send a kid somewhere else." Added Jay Lawfer, a special education supervisor, "We also feel we can do a better job than anybody else." Central Bucks is among eight districts in Bucks and seven in Montgomery that had special education students in out-of-state schools in 2001-02, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. While 60 percent of the students were placed in New Jersey schools, other states included Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, Idaho and Oregon.

Only if nothing else appropriate is available within the state will the district seek an out-of-state placement. The education department, which funds 60 percent of the private school charge to the district, must approve the move. "Whatever the needs of the child require, the school district must provide. The factors considered are the needs of the child, not the wants of the parent," Hochman said. "If we can meet the needs of a child in a more cost-effective manner, we can do that." Costly placements Residential placements in another state can be extremely costly.

Central Bucks paid Bancroft NeuroHealth, the parent company of Bancroft School, $454,000 in 2000-01 for Matthew and another child and $389,000 thus far in 2001-02, which includes the other child and Matthew until his death, according to finance director Thomas McCambridge. The district is reimbursed 60 percent with state tax dollars. Bancroft is being scrutinized by New Jersey agencies because of Matthew's death, which is under investigation by the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, and other complaints. The New Jersey Department of Human Services this month halted admissions of children under its care, after the school took 10 minutes to evacuate residential buildings during a surprise nighttime fire drill.

While the school disputes the state's contention that children's safety was jeopardized, it has submitted a correction plan that addresses fire drills and other issues, according to spokesman Paul Healy.

"We are 100 percent confident of the safety and security of people in our care," Healy said. About 60 children, including nine from Bucks and Montgomery counties, reside on the Haddonfield campus, and another 75 are in community residences. Bancroft serves about 900 children and adults in its various programs. Central Bucks' Lawfer noted that an out-of-state school, particularly in New Jersey, might be more convenient for a child and parents from this area than one within Pennsylvania. For example, Central Bucks and other districts may send deaf children of high school age to day classes at the Katzenbach School for the Deaf in Trenton rather than a residential program at a high school for the deaf in Pittsburgh.

Lawfer said a drawback of out-of-state schools is that they are not bound by Pennsylvania regulations. An in-state private school has to comply with "pendency," which means it can't force a child to leave the program until the sending district has found another placement.

If a parent complains about an out-of-state school, Lawfer said, he would call the school to see if the problem could be resolved. However, if there is no resolution, he would have to contact the Pennsylvania Department of Education to deal with the regulating agency in the other state.

Healy said Bancroft deals the same way with all the sending school districts, whether they are in New Jersey or elsewhere. He said the state licensing agencies "look at the care we provided to the child, wherever the child is from." Group seeks change Len Rieser, co-director of the Education Law Center in Philadelphia, said his nonprofit agency, which assists families dealing with educational issues, does not oppose out-of-state placements as such, but believes the state should do more to keep special education students within their home district.

"In some situations, the kids are being placed far away, out of state. Couldn't we meet that child's needs in Pennsylvania?" he asked. "Closeness to home is the important thing, not in-state or out of state." The group has lobbied the state to change its requirements so districts could receive a subsidy equivalent to that for private placements and use it to create a local program for a child, according to Rieser. The state education department has resisted this proposal.

The law center filed a federal lawsuit against the education department in an effort to get it to supervise Matthew's educational program at Bancroft, Rieser said. A federal district court judge in Philadelphia dismissed the suit on procedural grounds, saying the center should have sought an administrative hearing first. The case was on appeal when the boy died, according to Rieser.

A spokeswoman for the education department said the sending district has the primary responsibility for monitoring its special education students in out-of-state schools, although the agency does have to approve changes in placement. Roach said Matthew, who was placed in Bancroft in 1996, was making progress until he developed a severe infection in the spring of 2000 and was hospitalized for three months. After his release, he was placed in The Lindens, a Bancroft unit for children with extreme behavioral issues, and made to wear stiff arm restraints designed to prevent self injury.

"He died mentally for two years before he died physically. Every ounce of dignity was taken away from him," Roach said.

With Clee's help, she tried to find another school to take her son, but any proposed change had to be reviewed by layers of bureaucracy and nothing was accomplished, Roach said. "Everyone said it's someone else's responsibility," Clee said. "No one did the right thing." Roach said, by searching the Internet in January, she located a school in Florida that was willing to accept Matthew. She said it took weeks to work out the arrangements, but by then it was too late.

Matthew became critically ill on Feb. 5 at Bancroft and was taken to Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, where he died the next day of pneumonia, respiratory distress and blood poisoning. Roach said she believes the school's use of restraints and sedation weakened her son's immune system and led directly to his death.

Healy said he could not discuss details of Matthew's treatment because of confidentiality, but said the school did everything it could to help the boy.

"The occasional use of restraints as part of Matthew Goodman's behavior plan, approved by Bancroft and Mrs. Roach, had absolutely nothing to do with his death," Healy said. "We strongly believe that Matthew Goodman, a medically fragile child, had continuing and excellent medical care at Bancroft." Edward Levenson can be contacted via e-mail at elevenson@phillyburbs.com

* * *

Patrol Disables Bomb Outside Missouri Autism Center

Police today were trying to learn who planted an explosive device outside the front door of Judevine Outreach Services in Columbia.

The not-for-profit center at 200 S. Keene St. helps people and families who are dealing with autism.

"I'd say it's extremely bizarre," Deputy Director Sonia O'Donnell said. "We have no reason to think that we would be a target of anything like this. We're hoping it was just a prank."

The device apparently misfired, charring the front door and a "welcome" mat. O'Donnell said the smell of fireworks lingered hours later.

"If it exploded as it was designed, it probably would have done some structural damage" to the glass-front building, police Capt. Mike Martin said.

About 7 a.m. yesterday, police said, the first Judevine employee to arrive at work found what police described as a "cylinder-shaped cardboard package" about the size of an oatmeal box. It contained "a significant" number of firecrackers, "a kitchen timer and nine-volt battery attached, lying near the front door of the business," Martin said.

A supervisor arrived a short time later and called police on a cellular phone. Responding to a "suspicious incident," the first officers reached the building at 7:56 a.m., unaware it involved an explosive device.

Police summoned help from the Missouri Highway Patrol bomb squad, which arrived about 9:50 a.m. and disabled the weapon with a high-pressure jet of liquid.

Martin emphasized that there was "no apparent connection to terrorism," although "no suspects are known at this time." Investigators had no leads, he said.

O'Donnell said investigators described the contraption as "a fairly sophisticated device."

"We were very shaken up," she said.

The center provides training and services for people in 49 counties. The incident closed operations yesterday morning, interrupting a three-week training course for parents with autistic children, O'Donnell said. The families all happened to be from the Columbia area, but families who visit the center often are from distant parts of the state.

Authorities told the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms about the incident. Anyone with tips can call CrimeStoppers at 875-8477. The organization guarantees anonymity.

* * *

Massachusetts Resource Center Provides Hope

West Boylston - For Ellen Hoyt Holmes of Ashburnham, the diagnosis that her eldest son was autistic came as a relief.

"I started expressing concern about his language at 15 months," she recalled. "They said, 'It's your first child.' "

More months passed, and her son's language development still languished. "Then it was, 'He's a boy,'" she recalled.

As a toddler, he was becoming aggressive.

"There was just no explanation," Ms. Holmes said.

Then the diagnosis was made. He was autistic.

"It was a relief when we got the diagnosis," she said. "I knew what we were fighting, what he was fighting."

But when her second son was also diagnosed as autistic, she got angry.

"The worst part of it is it cheats you out of different parts of enjoying your life," she said.

Ms. Holmes, a member of the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School District School Committee, also has a 10-month-old daughter who, so far, has not exhibited any symptoms of autism.

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by a pervasive deficiency in language and communication, play skills and social interaction, said Sue Loring, assistant director of the Autism Resource Center.

"They don't perceive the world the way others do," she said.

While research into the family of disorders continues, diagnoses for autism are increasing. The center serves more than 570 families from 63 cities and towns in Massachusetts.

Ms. Loring's own son, Ed, was not talking at 18 months and stopped responding to her when she spoke.

"When my son was diagnosed, it took us five years to find another child with autism," Ms. Loring said.

Ed, now 17 years old, was surrounded Wednesday by families just like his at the Family Fun Days at Woodhaven, a free camp run by the Autism Resource Center.

For Ms. Holmes and the other families served by the center, the camp is a haven.

"You can come here and if your child has a nuclear meltdown at the pool, everyone understands," Ms. Holmes said.

"It's a life-saver," added Kathleen Hamelin of Fitchburg, who has two sons diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a disorder with symptoms similar to those of higher-functioning people with autism.

Her eldest son, Kevin, now 11, was diagnosed three years ago. She was referred to the resource center and remembers placing the call.

"I cried for about an hour," she said, now able to laugh at the memory.

Through the center she learned about Camp Woodhaven.

"The resource center does so much for our family," she said. "The socializing we can do as a group is so wonderful. My kids don't have regular friends. We know we can come here and be accepted and loved for who we are."

Ms. Loring said the camp provides families with a sanctuary. On Wednesday , children played games and made crafts inside while others enjoyed the huge swimming pool and the relief from the daytime heat.

"The center's motto is, 'Families working together,' " Ms. Loring said. "Kids with autism are one-to-one with their moms so much of the day, they need opportunities to get independence. It's positive for the kids, because they have the chance to just play and be kids."

The camp program ran for one week last summer, and today wraps up its first week of this season. Another week of camp is scheduled for August.

A golf tournament will be held at 9 a.m. Aug. 14 to benefit the Autism Resource Center. The tournament will be held at the Woods of Westminster on Bean Porridge Hill Road. Proceeds will benefit children with autism and their families in Central Massachusetts. [For more information on the center or the camp or the golf tournament, call the Autism Resource Center at (508) 595-9101.]

* * *

Camp Helps Kids With Special Needs Develop And Socialize in Kentucky

Nathan Bryant made a scrapbook Wednesday.

Today, he'll get in a water fight.

Friday, he'll perform a skit.

Nathan, 10, has been at Camp T.J. Kids this week.

The camp - named after its biggest sponsor, T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow - is designed for children with special needs. It goes to a different place and works with different groups each week for five weeks every summer.

The camp has already hit Barren County and is now in Warren County at Cumberland Trace Elementary School.

Kim Parks, director of the camp, said children with special needs are left out many times during school activities.

"It's more apparent during the summer," Rosemary Irwin, a volunteer at the camp added.

But at Camp T.J. Kids, every child is allowed to participate in every activity.

Alex Wisdom, 6, made a fireman jacket and learned sign language. But he said his favorite thing at the camp was when he "did a good deed." Another child was thirsty and Alex opened the cooler for him and helped him get a soda.

"I opened it without making a mess," Alex said.

Parks said the camp affects more than just the children. The camp helps parents as well, she said.

Wednesday, Eugene Helton stood outside a room designated for autistic children and children with sensory processing disorders.

His 5-year-old daughter, Savana, was inside the room, asleep on a bean bag chair.

"We've discovered a lot," Helton said. "It's really nice because you get to meet other parents." Helton said he had talked to many doctors over the years about his daughter, but could never get clear answers.

"You all have said more in the last 15 minutes than all of the doctors we've been to combined," he told Parks, and co-director Jessica Casey.

Parks said many doctors are baffled by the disorders that affect many of the children at the camp.

Veronica Drake is trying to change that.

Drake, a clinical education coordinator, brought a group of four medical students with her to the camp Wednesday. The students served as group leaders.

"Eventually, being physicians, they are going to encounter special needs," Drake said. "It's a reality and they need to know that." Drake said she hopes her students will remember what they learned at the camp and use it when they are studying.

"I don't think they'll ever forget their experience here," Parks said.

Camp T.J. Kids will come to Hart County July 8-12; Metcalfe County July 15-19 and Glasgow July 22-26.

Registration is $20.

For more information, call the T.J. Samson Community Hospital Rehabilitation Department at (270) 651-4480.

* * *

Boy Scout Troop Teaches Outdoor Skills To Florida Children With Autism

Boy Scout Jay Abbott hoisted up 6-year-old Nicole Champa on Thursday so she could reach the top of the tent.

The simple act was significant because for autistic girls like Nicole and other youngsters, social interaction doesn't always come easy.

Adam Schwab, 4, of Naples, learns to pitch a tent with the help of Becky Witt, committee chair for Boy Scout Troop 707, during a summer camp program Thursday at The Community School of Naples. Schwab and other children with autism learned camping and first-aid skills from Boy Scouts in Troop 707. Dan Wagner/Staff "We're really focusing on social development and skills," said Anne Allen, who heads the unique, two-week camp that ends today.

Fifty-one children like Nicole enjoyed a summer camp experience many kids take for granted. This year, Boy Scout Troop 707 helped campers experience summer fun: building a tent, catching a fish and learning about nature.

"We're showing them what we do," Boy Scout Matt Probst, 18, explained, while helping Nicole and six other youngsters put up the tent.

Although Thursday's event took place at The Community School of Naples, this year's camp was held for the first time at Vineyards Elementary, headquarters of the district's autism program.

Last year, the autistic children's group and a Boy Scout troop were shut out of public schools when told they'd have to pay more than $9,000 and $5,000, respectively, to hold summer camps.

Special education teacher Melissa Rooney thinks the Collier School Board was wise to reduce the fees charged to nonprofit groups.

Having the camp at Vineyards, where many of the children go during the school year, helps them feel more comfortable in their surroundings, she said.

"They'll carry friendships from camp on throughout the school year," Rooney said.

The camp's sponsor paid $1,000 to hold the camp at Vineyards.

"I think that these kids need structure and consistency and this is one less thing we have to worry about," said Charlene Westman of The John Maxwell Biasco Foundation for Children with Autism of Southwest Florida.

Autism is a lifelong neurological disability that affects a person's ability to communicate, understand language, play and interact with others. Every person with autism is different.

The brain disorder becomes apparent in children usually by age 3 and affects more boys than girls.

Parent volunteer Marisa Mitchell loves the camp.

"My son wakes up every day and says: I want camp," the mother said.

Local teens teamed up with the campers to become "summer buds," going through a program put together by two organizations: the autism center at the University of South Florida, Tampa, and the Florida Inclusion Network.

The peers encouraged campers to be part of a team.

"I think kids with disabilities are better people than all of us because they have to try 10 times as hard as we do to get half as far," teen volunteer Jessica MacDonald said.

For Boy Scouts like Scot Witt, it's a chance to follow the Scout creed to help others.

"We can see what the kids are like and they can learn from us," the 15-year-old said.

Camp director Allen believes the two weeks are not only about helping the autistic youngsters, but also teaching the community about the disorder.

"Children with developmental differences want what all kids want," she said.

"They want to have friends.

_______________________________________________________

>> DO SOMETHING ABOUT AUTISM NOW <<

Subscribe, Read, then Forward the Schafer Autism Report.

No Cost!

_______________________________________________________

* * *

The Kid who Wasn't Bullied and The Kids who Didn't Bully Him

This is the story of Alex, the ultimate "different" kid and, as he graduates from Gulf Shore School. It is also a thanks to his friends and peers, and to all the students and staff, for having learned and practiced acceptance over the past 10 years since he first set foot there in Kindergarten.

Alex is Autistic (aka "Ooops...Wrong Planet! Syndrome"). When Alex started grade One, he still did not talk. He communicated with a picture/word board and by typing. "Why doesn't Alex talk?" his classmates would ask. "I'm not sure", I would answer quite honestly (50% of Autistics are non verbal), "maybe he hasn't figured out how to yet" or "sometimes Autistic kids don't talk". Despite the rest of his Autistic behaviour, to them Alex was just the kid who couldn't talk. Despite years of work we had done with him, and all the work speech therapists had done with him, it was his grade One classmates who held the key to his speech. In February of grade One he began to talk.

So it has gone throughout his school life. Being fully integrated, he has learned from his peers how to, at least on some level, be a regular kid. He has watched them and tried to be like them. He is very much the alien in this world, trying to learn how society works and how to function within it. He doesn't always get it right. Although he talks now, he is not "conversational". And although he does the regular curriculum and holds an 85% average, he is still very Autistic.

He is a perfect target for being bullied. Yet in his 10 years at Gulf Shore, this has never happened. His peers sometime laugh at him behind his back; but quite honestly Autism is a very bizarre thing and it can be funny. They just keep it behind his back and are reminded that they are laughing at his Autism, not him. Just imagine if you were born on the wrong planet...

Alex is a real success story in the world of Autism. He was in local papers when he was 6 and he was a runner up in the Great Island Kids contest in 2000. His story has been used in presentations around the world (in fact this piece is being used in an Autism Web Course in the UK in a Unit on "enabling environments").

Reaching the autism community worldwide through Alex's web page, in email and real life personal communications with people, I often sing the praises of all those who had a part in Alex's successes. Beyond his own grit and determination; his wonderful teachers and teacher assistants, speech therapists, the Cymbria Lions and Lioness, the Gulf Shore staff and students. In person, I seem to get to thank everyone except the kids. So Thank You! to his peers and all those in younger grades and those who have gone before you. You are to be commended for your practice of tolerance and acceptance. I have always known Gulf Shore was a special place but, with recent news stories of bullying here in PEI, I am realizing just HOW special. In these times when bullying is SO in the news, I get to tell people (all over the world) that my Autistic kid is in a regular school and doesn't get bullied. He LOVES school, both for the learning and the socializing. He obviously feels happy and safe there. I am the envy of many people being able to say that.

This success story can carry on. You are about to teach Alex how to be a teenager, a high school student, and all that comes with it. He'll be studying you as hard as he's studying his math. He will no doubt make mistakes (but not the kind "typical" teenagers make), but let's face it, he's not a regular kid and no matter how hard he tries, he will always be Autistic. As much as he would like to be like you, he is true to himself, first, as all of you should be. I hope you all continue to be cool with that. Alex is cool with it. As Alex wrote: Autism is happy and sad I like Autism. Autism makes me different from my friends. That's OK.

* * *

ASA Election Results

[From ASA President Lee Grossman.]

I am pleased to report to you the results of ASA's 2002 election.

These persons will be instrumental in advancing our mission and continuing the positive work that has taken place at ASA for 37 years.

Please join me in welcoming our newly elected

leaders.

Directors Term in Office

Jeff Sell 2002 - 2005

Cathy Pratt 2002 - 2005

Rick Rollens 2002 - 2005

Elizabeth Roth 2002 - 2005

These individuals officially take office after the ASA Annual Meeting on July 18, 2002 in Indianapolis, IN at which time they will be duly installed.

OTHER ADDRESSES:

* SUBSCRIPTIONS: SUBS@doitnow.com

* NEWS: POSTNEWS@doitnow.com

* EDITORIAL: Schafer@sprynet.com

* READERS' POSTS POSTINGS@doitnow.com _________________________________________________________________

Lenny Schafer, schafer@doitnow.com Kay Stammers Edward Decelie

CALENDAR EVENTS@doitnow.com Michelle Guppy Ron Sleith

====================================================================

Update your profile or unsubscribe here: