SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT "Healing Autism:

No Finer a Cause on the Planet"

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June 27, 2002 CALENDAR LISTING: EVENTS@doitnow.com

PUBLIC HEALTH

* Private Eye MMR Update: Measles Virus Found In Spinal Fluid

* Jeff Bradstreet At Burton Hearing on Vaccine, Monkey Virus in Spinal Fluid

RESEARCH

* Transmission Disequilibrium Testing Of Arginine Vasopressin Receptor 1A

* Cerebral Blood Flow SPECT, Metabolic FDG-PET May Be Useful in Autism Dx

COMMENTARIES

* Anti-Science Activists Label Pro-Vaccine Safety Advocates "Antivaccine"

* Blind Faith In Anti-Science Hides The Informed Truth

AWARENESS

* Local Boy's Wish Granted - Playground Is A Dream Come True

* Readers' Posts

PUBLIC HEALTH

Private Eye MMR Update: Measles Virus Found In Spinal Fluid

Conflicting evidence and studies emerging on both sides of the Atlantic on the MMR/autism controversy in the past few days have left parents even more confused.

Last Wednesday Dr Arthur Krigsman, a paediatric gastroenterologist from the New York University School of Medicine, told a US congressional committee on autism that he had found an identical pattern of inflammatory bowel disease in 90 per cent of his 43 young autistic patients, to that reported by Dr Andrew Wakefield four years ago when he first raised questions over MMR.

As the Eye reported in its special report MMR: The Story So Far, Krigsman's work is one of a handful of small clinical studies which gives the lie to government claims that Wakefield's work has not been replicated. It is understood that Krigsman is now going to look for measles virus in his patients' guts.

The committee also heard that measles virus had been found in the spinal fluid of two autistic children. This means it would have direct access to the brain. Dr Jeff Bradstreet, medical director of the International Child Development Resource Centre, told the committee that spinal taps on his own autistic child and another had revealed measles virus; and that research work was now underway with other autistic children and normal control children to explore the significance of the discovery.

Dr Wakefield, the London gastroenterologist who first sounded alarm bells about the MMR vaccine, told the same hearing that preliminary studies had shown that 25 autistic children who had had a second dose of MMR, compared to those who had received only one, had suffered a worsening of their physical and behavioural symptoms, suggesting evidence of a link between their condition and the jab.

He said research by his group and collaborators and other small pockets of researchers in the US had now found that children with regressive autism had a novel form of inflammatory bowel disease not found in normal children and consistent with a viral cause; that the measles virus had been found in the diseased intestine where it would be expected if it were the cause; that the measles virus had been found in only a small minority of developmentally normal children; and, referring to the latest study from Prof John O'Leary's team from Trinity College, Dublin, that in 12 autistic children it had been identified as vaccine strain.

Meanwhile, in the UK, a study billed as "the most in-depth analysis of the scientific literature to date" published in Clinical Evidence concluded that "there is no evidence that MMR or single measles vaccines are associated with autism or inflammatory bowel disease". The work was yet another review of the same body of work which others have trawled over before and it would be surprising if it had come up with any other conclusion. The trouble is, as a similar review carried out by the American Institute of Medicine (IOM) acknowledged, "the epidemiological evidence lacks the precision to assess rare occurances of a response to MMR leading to autism". The IOM called for more research comparing MMR-vaccinated children with non-vaccinated children and investigating whether vaccine strain measles was present in autistic children.

The UK review not only had no new research work, but it excluded the whole body of research that Wakefield was referring to - about 20 papers in total - includng that which revealed the vaccine strain virus. Independent researchers from Bazian, a company promoting evidence-based health care, who carried out the review, said they followed strict research criteria and ruled out all small clinical studies which were open to bias. But it is the small clinical studies, which are actually looking at what is happening to these children, that are causing alarm.

One such study is that of Prof O'Leary. Though he himself declared last week that he still advocated immunisation and his new work showing the presence of vaccine strain measles virus in the guts of autistic children does not prove any link between MMR and autism, his work does raise serious questions.

What is the virus doing in the guts of these children? Is it causing the damage or is it there because autism and bowel disease mean the children can't clear it from their systems? Could it be elsewhere in their bodies?

News from the US that the virus has also been found in the spinal fluid - albeit only in two children - has alarmed parents even more. Julie Loch, a pharmacist whose son Oliver is severely autistic said, "Many like my son are awaiting MRI scans due to further increasing and alarming neurological problems. The measles virus has now been found in cerebro spinal fluid in others, suggesting its presence in the brain. Are our children sitting time bombs, that will at some point develop the fatal brain condition SSPE?"

Instead of relying on reviews of old research and studies, the case for new research to answer these questions one way or another is overwhelming. Why won't the government embark on it?

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Jeff Bradstreet At Burton Hearing on MMR Vaccine, Monkey Virus in Spinal Fluid Jeff Bradstreet, M.D., F.A.A.F.P. Medical Director and Founder, The International Child Development Resource Center and an autism parent, Palm Bay, Florida

Unfortunately, the nature of autism is so complex that to do it in five minutes will be challenging. So I have submitted, under tab five, a more complete review of the nature of our research. I will try and get through my slides quickly, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you very much for the hearing and for an opportunity to present this. Dr. Weldon and I previously met two weeks ago in your office with the deputy secretary of health and human services, Claude Allen, to present this data to him. So he has been made aware of it. And it was a very encouraging and very positive meeting. I look forward to the outcome of that over time.

With that, the next slide.

The prevalence may be both misunderstood and underestimated. Two recent studies, one from England and one that was a CDC study with Brick Township, indicated between 57 per 10,000 and 67 per 10,000 children. However, autism is primarily a boy-related disorder; four to eight times as many boys suffer with this disorder. That means that the prevalence is therefore in the order of one percent for boys.

Next slide.

The economic impact. We estimate that there are approximately 420,000 children with autism in this country at this time, based on those studies, greatly less than what the "Time Magazine" article set at one million. However, that puts a price tag, over the next 50 years to take care of these children, in excess of $1 trillion.

That was a lot of zeroes. I had to go through that a couple times on my calculator to make sure that that was correct. But that is the real number. The lifetime costs could be $3 trillion to $4 trillion for the families and for society, with the lost wages and other factors.

Next slide.

The biological evidence for causality is growing significantly. And for those members of the committee who may not be familiar with me, I am a physician. I am also a parent of a child with autism. And I am a clinical researcher associated with studies currently ongoing at 14 medical schools around the world.

The growing evidence is substantial that measles virus is still the front runner with the viral etiology aspects of things. And not all children suffer from measles virus-related disorders. But we'll show you today some examples that are quite, I think, impacting.

Additionally, autoimmunity continues to be published by a variety of researchers at multiple medical schools that there is a unique disorder affecting the autoimmunity in these children where they become immune to their gut and their brain. And that is a disaster for them.

Mercury -- and, to a lesser extent, lead -- remain significant toxic burdens. And we presented that data to the Institute of Medicine in July of last year.

Next slide.

The first case -- I'm going to present two cases today. I'll try and go through them briefly.

Matthew (ph), who was born in 1984 from an uncomplicated pregnancy and an easy delivery, had a normal early development, except he did develop some gait abnormalities that are very consistent with what you might expect from Mercury. We'll see that data later on.

He had a rapid decline after each of two MMRs. He did receive those in combination with other vaccines, however.

He developed autoimmunity to myelin basic protein, a critical insulator of the brain. He suffered seizures shortly after the second MMR. And he has consistent immune deficiency with protracted low mythecide (ph) counts.

Next slide.

He has inflammatory bowel disease that has been documented on an endoscopy and biopsy. He has persistent measles virus genome in that inflammatory disease. He has persistent measles virus in circulating white blood cells. He has persistent measles virus "F" gene in his cerebral spinal fluid, which is the fluid that surrounds the brain, implying it is present in the brain as well.

He has auto-antibodies to measles virus in his spinal fluid. He has auto-antibodies to myelin basic protein in his spinal fluid, elevated a million, a very low serum sulfur level and cysteine level and very high Mercury as a result of that.

Next slide.

And next. That is my son, who is also the, I think, inspiration for our research and the work that we do. He was a very happy, well- connected child prior to his MMR. That's about approximately at 12 months of age. And that is Matthew (ph), completely lost, about two months after his MMR vaccine.

Next slide. That is a copy of the laboratory result documenting the presence of measles virus in his terminal ileum.

Next. Copy of the laboratory result from Utah State University where Matthew (ph) had spinal fluid analyzed that showed antibodies to myelin basic protein and to measles virus in his spinal fluid.

Next slide. This shows the presence of antibodies in his RBCs. Excuse me, the presence of virus in his red blood cells. It is also present in his

cerebral spinal fluid. Next slide. And this is his first mercury titer,

showing marked elevations of mercury. And if you can see for all those, essentially the only thing that is truly abnormal is a significant increase in Mercury.

Next slide. The first challenge to us to get Mercury out of his body resulted in an extremely high titer. That number of dots actually represents 24 micrograms for gram of creatne (ph). It would take it well off the slide, perhaps into the next room.

Next? This is an interesting correlation. Mark Blacksill (ph) presented this to the Institute of Medicine last year. And that shows the rising titer of cumulative Mercury in the vaccine program in California, compared to the prevalence of autism in California.

Next? And I want to superimpose on that a very interesting graphic derived from the government website on the use of methylphenidate, also known as Ritalin or Concerta. And look at the time relationship between the rise in that.

Next? It's identical. In 1990, the rise in the mercury titer started to go up. And in 1990, there is a striking and continuous rise in the use of Ritalin in this country, which I think is rather telling.

Next slide, please. This is the thimerosal versus autism relative risk that was produced in the CDC confidential study that was acquired under the Freedom of Information Act, showing that by the time approximately 37 micrograms of Mercury is administered, there is more than a doubling of the relative risk of autism.

Next. This is a copy of a transcript from the Simpson-Wood (ph) meetings. It is page 229, where Dr. Brent (ph) -- who is not employed by the CDC; he is a public health official from one of the states -- said that the medical-legal findings in the study, causal or not, are horrendous. If an allegation was made of a child's -- the behavioral findings were caused by thimerosal-containing vaccines, you will not find a scientist with any integrity who would say the reverse of the data that is available.

So we are in a bad position, from the standpoint of defending any lawsuits if they were initiated. And I am concerned.

I think that may set part of the tone for what we have seen happen in the last several years.

Next slide. Additionally, there was a very good documentary on this. Parents are aware. And I think it's very important for Congress to be aware that the parents are receiving information from a variety of outlets.

This is not just your doing or undoing a vaccine policy. Parents are well educated. They are hungry for information. And they currently don't

believe many of the reassurances that are being provided by CDC. Next

slide. Case two is very similar to my son. And I present it so that you

will realize that this is not -- my son was not an isolated case. He had,

again, normal developmental milestones. He arrests shortly after his first MMR at 15 months. He again has antibodies to many things in his brain and persistent measles virus in places that it doesn't belong, including his cerebral spinal fluid.

Next. Lab slide. This indicates that, in fact, he has antibodies to myelin basic protein and to measles virus in his spinal fluid.

Next. He has this unique antibody. And this is the presence of MMR antibody, which is actually the "H" protein or the hemogluten (ph) protein from the measles virus of a special antibody titer that was derived using MMR vaccine. And this was done in Dr. Singh's laboratory at Utah State University. Also positive in spinal fluid.

Next. We presented this data, Dr. Singh and myself, at the American Society of Microbiology last month, which indicates that 50 percent of children in our society had antibodies to this special measles, mumps, rubella-derived protein in their cerebral spinal fluid. Also, 86 percent have antibodies to myelin basic protein in their spinal fluid. And again, a very high percentage, up to 100 percent, had antibodies to myelin basic protein in their blood.

This is not present in normal controls. This is a controlled study. We now have significant controls. And we do not see these present. This is not an antibody leakage phenomenon. This is real disease in these children.

Next. Again, Scott (ph) has documented measles virus in his terminal ileum in his blood, as well as the spinal fluid. These are laboratory data.

Next. And I want to include from Dr. Menkes (ph), his comments, where he concludes that, in fact -- this is related to the MMR vaccine in this particular child. Dr. Menkes (ph) wrote the textbook, "Child Neurology." He is considered to be one of the foremost experts, both on child neurology and on vaccine safety and has concluded that measles, mumps, rubella vaccine is causing this syndrome.

Next. That's the child. I think it's always important to put a face. This is impacting human lives.

Next slide. I would leave you with some questions. I think we have some important things that we need to ask. These are in the handout. But as we work through this, I think we need to know that what if Dr. Wakefield, myself, Dr. Singh, Dr. O'Leary and Dr. Menkes (ph) and others are right. What then? What would be the reaction to public health officials if, in fact, this data is -- as we believe it is -- verifiable?

In addition to that, what is the response to treating these kids? How are we going to get this virus out of these kids and restore them to good health? And have we traded a very rare occurrence of severe side effects to natural measles infection for a very common occurrence of autism?

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RESEARCH

Transmission Disequilibrium Testing Of Arginine Vasopressin Receptor 1A

(AVPR1A) polymorphisms in autism.

ds=12082568&dopt=Abstract <- - address ends here.

Kim SJ, Young LJ, Gonen D, Veenstra-VanderWeele J, Courchesne R, Courchesne E, Lord C, Leventhal BL, Cook Jr EH, Insel TR. Laboratory of Developmental Neuroscience, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

Impairment in social reciprocity is a central component of autism.

In preclinical studies, arginine vasopressin (AVP) has been shown to increase a range of social behaviors, including affiliation and attachment, via the V(1a) receptor (AVPR1A) in the brain.

Both the behavioral effects of AVP and the neural distribution of the V1a receptor vary greatly across mammalian species.

This difference in regional receptor expression as well as differences in social behavior may result from a highly variable repetitive sequence in the 5' flanking region of the V1a gene (AVPR1A).

Given this comparative evidence for a role in inter-species variation in social behavior, we explored whether within our own species, variation in the human AVPR1A may contribute to individual variations in social behavior, with autism representing an extreme form of social impairment.

We genotyped two microsatellite polymorphisms from the 5' flanking region of AVPR1A for 115 autism trios and found nominally significant transmission disequilibrium between autism and one of the microsatellite markers by Multiallelic Transmission/Disequilibrium test (MTDT) that was not significant after Bonferroni correction.

We also screened approximately 2 kb of the 5' flanking region and the coding region and identified 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms.

PMID: 12082568 [PubMed - in process]

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Cerebral Blood Flow SPECT, Metabolic FDG-PET May Be Useful in Autism Dx

ds=12077922&dopt=Abstract <- - address ends here.

[Article in Hungarian]

Galuska L, Szakall S Jr, Emri M, Olah R, Varga J, Garai I, Kollar J, Pataki I, Tron L. Debreceni Egyetem, Orvos- es Egeszsegtudomanyi Centrum, Nuklearis Medicina Tanszek, Debrecen. galuska@ibel.dote.hu

The authors have analyzed and compared the results of the 99mTc-ECD-SPECT and FDG-PET examinations, performed in alert state, of 12 children suffering from infantile (9 subjects) or atypical (3 subjects) autism.

In addition to frontally increased FDG metabolism, a decreased blood flow with left-sided dominance was found bifrontally and bitemporally in the infantile form (perfusion-metabolism mismatch).

The regional differences in cortical FDG uptake were not significant in atypical autism, although both the blood flow and the metabolism of the thalami were decreased.

Based on the results, the authors suggest that, beyond the usually inconclusive structural (CT or MR) examinations, cerebral blood flow SPECT and metabolic FDG-PET investigations may be useful in classifying the disease.

PMID: 12077922 [PubMed - in process]

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COMMENTARIES

Anti-Science Activists Label Pro-Vaccine Safety Advocates "Antivaccine" Commentary by Barbara Loe Fisher, Co-founder and President National Vaccine Information Center

In the latest efforts by anti-science activists to label pro-vaccine safety advocates "anti-vaccine," a trio from Northwestern University have published an article in the June 26, 2002 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) entitled "Content and Design Attributes of Antivaccination Web Sites." In what must surely be a lull in the careers of Robert M. Wolfe, M.D., Lisa K. Sharp, Ph.D., and Martin S. Lipsky, M.D., these three have spent a lot of time and effort pouring over the content of what they have dubbed "antivaccination" websites in order to come up with an analysis purporting to get to the heart of the thinking and motives behind organizations and individuals who operate websites questioning the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) which operates the oldest and largest vaccine safety advocacy website, offers the following observations about the content of the article and the thinking and motives of its authors:

1. This is not science, it is an op ed piece.

2. The information on the internet, thank goodness, is not peer

reviewed by doctors like these authors or we wouldn't be able to believe what is on the internet anymore than we are able to believe what is published in JAMA.

3. They need to include a dictionary in their article. What exactly

is their definition of "antivaccination?" Is it the label they apply in the second sentence of the first paragraph to those challenging "the safety and effectiveness of recommended vaccines?" If that is the definition of anti-vaccine, we can label these authors anti-science for suggesting that challenging and testing existing knowledge in science be abolished in favor of protecting the status quo.

4. The hallmark of good science is replication. We call for a public

release of the names of all the websites these authors have labeled anti-vaccine so their analysis can be independently analyzed.

5. In just one of the many examples of intellectual bias, the

authors perseverate about the internet access the public has to personal and emotional experiences of families with vaccine injured children. They, however, apparently have no problem with the use of visual images of children who were injured or died from polio as an incentive to the public

to get vaccinated. 6. This article is a sophomoric attempt to label the

vaccine safety and informed consent movement as "anti-vaccine" in order to deflect attention from the very real gaps in scientific knowledge about the biological mechanisms of adverse responses to vaccination.

Should the Institute of Medicine be labeled anti-vaccine for repeatedly publishing reports over the past decade calling for increased scientific research into outstanding questions about vaccine safety? Instead of analyzing websites which are pointing out and asking for answers to outstanding scientific questions about vaccine safety, these doctors should be pulling their microscopes out of storage and finding out why some children are not able to handle the 36 doses of 11 vaccines they are now getting.

They could work to develop genetic and other biomarkers to identify and screen out high risk children. That would go a long way toward re-instilling trust in national vaccine policies and eliminating some of the nagging doubts about vaccines that parents of learning disabled, hyperactive, epileptic, autistic, asthmatic, diabetic and mentally retarded children talk about on the internet.

7. History shows that challenge to the status quo, which is embodied

Finally, this kind of pretentious posturing by doctors who claim that they engaged in "critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content" did not remove the responsibility from JAMA editors to exercise a little self discipline and pass on this one. What the publishing of this kind of junk science does is fuel the suspicions of parents that those in power are determined to silence the voices of people suffering because science will not listen and does not care. It is a sad commentary on an even sadder reality that faces many families with vaccine injured children.

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Blind Faith In Anti-Science Hides The Informed Truth

Falsehood flies and the truth comes limping after; so that when men come to be undeceived it is too late: the jest is over and the tale has had its effect.

- Jonathan Swift

Commentary by

Nicki Turner, director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre, New Zealand.

hesubsection=dialogue <- - address ends here.

The tale of childhood vaccines and autism is a sad one. Even though there is now a large bulk of excellent scientific evidence that MMR does not cause autism, it is too late. The story is out and the damage affects the credibility of the vaccine. The immunisation rates drop, the disease comes back and our children suffer.

This article responds to the Dialogue view expressed by Barbara Sumner Burstyn (June 24). I am saddened to see how a call to be more honest with scientific knowledge has degenerated into slander and name-calling.

My concerns have been directed to health professionals to consider the accuracy of the information they are distributing. What midwives recommend to patients should have a basis in science.

Science is not truth - it is a tool using an accumulation of knowledge to build a verifiable body of knowledge. It is the foundation on which our practice of medicine is based.

We all know there have been errors in medicine, and there will be again. But while acknowledging the limitations of science, we can recognise the tremendous gains.

Control of infectious disease means we do not expect our children to die or be maimed from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Immunisation is universally acknowledged as one of the greatest advances in science, and its achievements are well documented - for example, the eradication of smallpox, the eradication of polio in the Southwest Pacific and measles eradication in many countries.

In the name of informed consent, a range of issues were expressed by Barbara Sumner Burstyn. These have no grounding in genuine scientific debate.

Informed choice needs to be informed.

I support the statement that we must lose blind reason. But when I look at statements which say vaccines cause SIDS, autism and Crohn's disease (good research shows they do not), we have moved into an era of blind faith in anything that is anti-science because all science must be faulty.

Is this just a new form of rigidity in a world looking for absolutes? We have probabilities, not absolutes. Why do we have to accept absolute statements that are incorrect disguised as informed consent?

It is not informed consent to tell parents there is thiomersal

(mercury) in childhood vaccines; there is not. There used to be. It was used widely as a preservative. It has been phased out of childhood vaccines as better technology has developed.

Genuine informed consent would look closely at the rigorous double-blind controlled trials that are the benchmark of vaccine licensing and look at the quality of the trials. Genuine informed consent would not tell us they do not exist.

The Government uses these studies to assess the safety and effectiveness of vaccines before deciding to license a vaccine.

Surely genuine debate should be about the adequacy and quality of the evidence that is used.

Genuine informed consent cannot ignore herd immunity. Herd immunity is an old-fashioned term and is known more sensibly as community immunity. It is the principle that bugs circulate in communities.

The less immune protection in the community (either from vaccine or past disease), the more bugs. Hence more disease in that community.

There are many heart-rending examples of disease outbreak throughout the world when immunisation rates drop, such as whooping cough epidemics in the 1980s in Britain, Japan and Europe which caused many children to die. Even today measles outbreaks occur in pockets of unvaccinated populations in Holland.

Why can we not debate the quality of the science? Why this trendy need to deny there is research? Why treat the deeply held belief of some pseudo-scientist as fact.

Opinion is not fact. Fact is a painful, slow accumulation of knowledge through peer-reviewed, published research. Let's understand science with all its limitations and use it as the tool it is.

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AWARENESS

Local Boy's Wish Granted - Playground Is A Dream Come True

[By Debbie Roberts for Florida Today Weeklies Thanks to Dennis Debbaudt.]

Dodging rain drops to find a good viewing spot, friends and family members waited to see Tristan Clinton's reaction to the new play area in his backyard. Although the 11-year-old was unable to verbally communicate his excitement to those around him, the happy gleam in his eyes told the story well enough.

Tristan, an autistic child who experiences numerous seizures on a daily basis, just had a dream come true: his very own playground, complete with swings, a slide, a clubhouse and various climbing areas - all funded by the Make A Wish Foundation.

"As a family, we tried to think of things that Tristan would enjoy," said the youngster's mom, Kathy Clinton. "He loves to go to the park, but because of his medical issues, it's difficult to take him out to places, so a playground in our backyard was a perfect option for us."

Clinton explained that Tristan's seizures sometimes are severe. They can be triggered when he is overheated, such as while playing outside during hot summer weather. Having a playground close at hand will help make life easier, and the curative benefits are an added bonus.

"Swinging is very therapeutic for children with autism, because it calms them down. He has a balance beam out there, and balance beams tend to bring out language in children who have language deficits," said Clinton. "There's also a playhouse, so we can have sessions out there when it's a little bit cooler, maybe in the fall. All of it will help bring out language and that's a real focus with him."

The Make A Wish Foundation is widely known for granting wishes to children with terminal illnesses, but the nonprofit organization also helps children with life threatening illnesses. In Tristan's case, his seizures - sometimes up to 30 in one day - fit the criteria needed to make a request.

"About 40 percent of children with autism also have seizures, and no one knows why," said Clinton. "Tristan has had seizures so severe he has turned blue and stopped breathing."

Kathy Clinton is the founder of Hidden Potentials, a nonprofit organization started six years ago to help special needs children. Program participants have a wide range of disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, hearing impairments and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

"I started Hidden Potentials because of the work we were doing with Tristan and the progress that we made with him through a home program we developed," she said. "The methods we used were so successful he started talking and behaving more appropriately. I knew there were other children out there who could benefit from these methods."

This fall, Tristan will be in fifth grade at Coquina Elementary School, where he attends a small class with other autistic children. When not in school, the youngster enjoys watching animated music videos, looking at books and wrestling with his 8-year-old brother, Logan.

"I don't know what I'd do without Logan," said Clinton. "He's very considerate of Tristan's needs. Growing up with Tristan has also given him such a sense of compassion for all people who are different, who have special needs. If we're in a group of people and there's a child who has a language impairment, Logan is the first to go over and play with that child. He's been given a great gift in life, and he's a great 'big brother' for Tristan."

Tristan's "wish granters" are Herb and Jean Oschmann of Titusville. He is the eighth Brevard County child - and the first in Titusville - they have helped since becoming involved four years ago with the Make A Wish Foundation.

"We started donating money to Make A Wish and one year, at Christmas time, we got a note asking if we would be interested in becoming volunteers," said Jean Oschmann. "It's very rewarding to work with the children and their families."

The Oschmann's granddaughter, 7-year-old Alex Scott of Port St. John, has even pitched in to help grant wishes. She also saves the toys tucked inside McDonald's Happy Meals, so she can give them to the children.

"I think it's good to help people," said Alex.

Tristan's father, Richard Clinton, said he is grateful for the Oschmann's thoughtfulness while granting a wish for Tristan.

"The Make A Wish Foundation recruits people who really care about kids and I think that's very important," he said. "They are trying to make the best out of difficult situations and they have a lot of compassion. They've gone above and beyond in our son's particular case, because they really paid attention to his needs."

Added Kathy Clinton, "I would say to other families, that if they have a child with a life threatening illness, they should contact Make A Wish. It doesn't matter what your income is, or if you live in a big house or a small house. They are there to help you and I think that's a wonderful thing."

The Make A Wish Foundation is in need of volunteers in the Brevard County area. Those interested in learning more about the organization, and how they can help, should call 1-888-874-9474.

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Readers' Posts

Children’s Resource Center in Scottsdale, AZ has worked with autistic children since 1981. We would like to build an alternative medical center housing various therapies, medical treatment, homeopathic remedies and special dietary needs. We are asking for your support. Tax-deductible contributions will allow us to hire a Development Director to begin major fund raising. For information, call 480/483-9130 or info@childrensresources.com.

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Hi, we are relocating to Cabarrus County in North Carolina. We were wondering how the school system is with providing services in school and at home. We have a 4yr old PDD son. Our email is RayJsMama@yahoo.com

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In regards to the article "US Experts back MMR Doctor's findings". I am wondering where these Doctors are and what can they do to treat our children with these problems. The 13 year old child that was in so much pain reminds me of my daughter. She has had severe problems for years even on the restricted diet. I know she is in pain but no one wants to do anything. Her doctor in Atlanta didn't want to put her through doing a scope but feel it is necessary to find out what is wrong. Can anyone tell me where these supportive doctors are? Kathy Hudson jhud2@earthlink.net

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I am the parent of a 21 year old high Functioning Autistic son. We are looking for peer groups (other high functioning) Autistic adults or Aspergers in or near the Birmingham Alabama area. If any one in the area knows of such groups please respond to offmyrocker8@hotmail.com.

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We live in the southern suburbs of Chicago and are looking for an alternative placement for our son who is high-functioning to receive his education. The public junior high is just too overwhelming for him, and his behavior has become problematic. Does anyone know of any good

therapeutic schools in Illinois? Tterlis@aol.com

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My son has Gastro Intestinal, digestive,possible malabsorption, metabolic disorders. He has had diarhea for 4 months with no weight gain (he is 28 mo

old) and I am desperately looking for a doctor to help us. Can anyone make any recommendations or share their experiences with this? dgfindley@yahoo.com

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I live in Contra Costa County in the SF Bay Area in California. I am looking for a pediatrician who is knowledgeable and willing to evaluate autism-related problems - e.g. bowel problems, auditory problems, dietary issues, mercury level testing. mverga@earthlink.net

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I am moving to the NH/VT/Western MA area. I have a masters degree in clinical psychology, and over four years experience designing, implementing, and supervising home-based ABA programs for children with autism. I certainly would appreciate information on the services available to young children with autism in these regions. Are in-home programs funded by the families, state, schools? Thank you for your input. Sarah puddle_dive@hotmail.com

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