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          "Healing Autism: No Finer a Cause on the Planet"

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March 2, 2002         Autism Database Search  www.feat.org/search/news.asp

 

    PUBLIC HEALTH

   * MMR Critics 'Irresponsible'

   * The Discomfort Of Patient Power

   * Brief Commentary on Patient Insubordination

   * (Not German) Measles Outbreak Hits German Region

   * Court Challenge On Single Vaccines

   * MMR Vaccine Remains A Concern Reveals Latest Survey

 

    RESEARCH

   * The Neurobiology Of Social Cognition [Review]

   * Neurosteroids: Biochemistry And Clinical Significance [Review]

   * Brain Mechanisms In Normal And Dyslexic Readers [Review]

   * Human secretin (SCT): Gene Structure, Chromosome Location,

     And Distribution Of mRNA

   * Newly Formed Hippocampal Neurons Function Like Mature Cells

 

    EDUCATION

   * 'Distance Education' to Teach Parents and Professionals About Autism

   * NCD Calls for Accountability, Achievement, Fidelity for Students

     with Disabilities

   * Education Funding Shortfall Misses Opportunity

   * Reform Leaders Call for Major Changes in Federal Special Education

Policy

   * Irish Government 'Has No Coherent Strategy' For Autistic Education

 

   * Forging Links Between Biomedical And Educational Approaches

 

   * Reader's Posts

 

 

MMR Critics 'Irresponsible'

 

[By Jonathan Walker in The Birmingham Post - United Kingdom.]

http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=020227010527&query=mmr  <-- address ends here.

 

      A Birmingham MP who nearly died due to measles as a baby condemned

critics of the MMR vaccine as 'irresponsible' yesterday.

      Lynne Jones (Lab Selly Oak) said the risks of refusing to immunise

children with the triple vaccination were far greater than the risks of

accepting the treatment.

      She was speaking in an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on

the controversy surrounding the measles, mumps and rubella injection, known

as MMR.

      Julie Kirkbride (Con Bromsgrove) argued that the NHS should offer

parents a choice between single injections and MMR.

      A study has linked MMR to autism, although most independent medical

organisations insist the injection is safe. Ms Kirkbride has refused to

allow her 16-month-old son Angus to receive the triple injection. He is

being treated with separate injections instead. And last year she put the

spotlight on Tony Blair, demanding he reveal whether his son Leo had

received the MMR injection.

      Yesterday she led a debate in which she called on the Government to

'live in the real world' and recognise the fact that many parents did not

trust MMR, rightly or wrongly.

      In the circumstances, the best way to ensure as many children as

possible were immunised was to allow parents to choose the treatment they

wanted, she said.

      However Dr Jones told the debate she nearly died as an infant from

pneumonia arising from measles, and condemned Ms Kirkbride. She said: 'I

think she is being very irresponsible in the way she is raising issues.

      'Of course there is concern. But the fact is that the risks associated

with not having the MMR jab are far greater than the risks associated with

having it.'

Peter Bradley (Lab The Wrekin) said that, as a parent, he was angry with Ms

Kirkbride as well as with the media.

      'In the face of overwhelming evidence that MMR is safe, some

newspapers have sensationalised largely refuted research by one doctor, and

some opposition MPs I'm sorry to say have jumped on the bandwagon.'

The medical establishment was certain MMR was safe, he said.

      The focus on Leo Blair gave the impression that Mr Blair was the

expert on MMR when the views of medical professionals were far more

important, he said.

      'I would suggest some elements of the press and indeed some members

should search their consciences.'

Ms Kirkbride said: 'Single vaccinations used to be available on the NHS

until this Government came to power in 1997 and the Department of Health

then changed the guidance, and only MMR was then available. That was a fatal

mistake.'

Even if MMR was safe the Government should 'live in the real world' and

recognise the fact that parents did not trust it. I don't believe it will be

effective in persuading parents to do something that goes against their gut

instincts,' said Ms Kirkbride.

      She added: 'The way we do boost immunisation levels is to give parents

a choice.' The triple vaccination was being blamed for causing autism in a

court action bought by 2,000 parents, she said.

      'We do not know whether MMR caused that problem, but thoseparents

believe it did,' she said. She was supported by Bill Wiggin (Con Leominster)

who said: 'We are not debating whether MMR is good or bad. We are debating

whether we can give people a choice.'

While the proportion of children being immunised continued to fall 'lives

are being put at risk', he said.

      Health Minister Yvette Cooper said offering single vaccinations would

create three problems.

      Some children would not get all three injections, there would be a gap

between injections during which children were vulnerable to illness, and it

would demolish confidence in MMR which was undoubtedly more effective than

single jabs.

      All Material Subject to Copyright

* * *

 

The Discomfort Of Patient Power

Medical authorities will have to learn to live with "irrational" decisions

by the public

 

      [BMJ 2002;324:497-498 ( 2 March ).]

 http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/324/7336/497

 

      Patients will often chose to ignore their doctors' advice and do

something that their doctors regard as odd, even crazy. The BMJ described

the case of a young man who lost blood after a road crash, declined a blood

transfusion, and died in front of disbelieving and disturbed doctors. He was

a Jehovah's Witness, and nobody disputed his right to do as he did. This is

the reality of patient autonomy and power. But does it extend beyond

individuals? Does patient power mean that large groups of patients should

have the right to behave in a way that "the authorities" think misguided? We

see more and more examples where groups of patients chose to ignore the

advice of authorities, and it seems likely that this will happen

increasingly.

      The most prominent example in Britain at the moment concerns MMR

(measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.  The authorities, including the BMJ,

are unanimous in seeing it as a highly effective vaccine with minor side

effects. Following a report in the Lancet, the public and the media have,

however, become increasingly worried that the vaccine may cause bowel

disease and autism.

      Increasing doubts about the vaccine seem to stem from conflicting

scientific evidence over possible side effects, longstanding anxieties over

vaccination, declining folk memory of the potential horrors of the

infections being prevented, distrust of the authorities (fuelled by the

government's mishandling of bovine spongiform encephalopathy), and a media

campaign motivated partly by a correct instinct to side with the governed

rather than the government and partly by newspapers who seize any

opportunity to oppose the Labour party. The result is a fall in the number

of children being vaccinated and more outbreaks of measles.

      The government has responded by gathering together ever larger groups

of authorities to back its line that the vaccine is safe and that it would

be folly to offer parents the choice of having their children vaccinated

separately against each disease. The authorities' case is strong and

supported by the BMJ. But would any doctor respond to the doubts of an

individual patient by assembling authorities to tell the patient of the

foolishness of his or her thinking? Perhaps initially, although any doctor

should recognise that excessive reassurance may be counterproductive  The

doctor would eventually do what the patient chose. Should the government do

the same for the population and offer a choice that it thinks misguided?

      The government's own rhetoric on patient partnership suggests that it

should. Patients come first and are free to make silly choices. The

government should also recognise, as the Royal Society has concluded, that

when it comes to assessing risk experts are no better than the population at

large. This is mainly because assessing risk is not simply a matter of

statistics: it also involves factoring in the "horror" of the risk. A very

low or perhaps highly uncertain risk of a dreadful outcome may feel to the

public like a high risk and who is to say that it isn't? It may even be as

the proponents of "lay epidemiology" argue  that the public is good at

combining confused and conflicting information to reach a conclusion.

      The first argument against the government giving way is the scientific

case that more choice is likely to lead to lower levels of protection and

more infections. Another argument is that giving way to the few may cause

harm to the many. The result of one set of parents deciding not to get their

children vaccinated may be that somebody else's child suffers brain damage

from measles. The doctors who watched the young Jehovah's Witness die went

along with undoubted harm to the man's young children, but the scale is

quite different with public health problems.

      MMR vaccine is not the only example of authorities and the public

taking different views. A dispassionate examination of the evidence suggests

that routine screening for prostate cancer with prostate specific antigen

may cause more harm than good. But particularly in the United States those

who argue that case may find themselves howled down and abused. Many men,

particularly those who have had prostate cancer, resent greatly any attempt

to restrict the availability of the test.

      Arguments over the effectiveness of mammography are more complicated

because there are experts and patients on both sides. Although the big money

is on one side, a united patient view might eventually prevail. Views of

patients are certainly beginning to prevail with chronic fatigue syndrome.

England's chief medical officer took the bold step of setting up a working

party on the condition that included every shade of opinion. One result was

that half the members resigned before the working party reported but another

was that the patient view, based on what experts see as anecdote, was given

the same credibility as the evidence based view.

      This is the way that the world is going. It's called postmodernism.

There is no "truth" defined by experts. Rather there are many opinions based

on very different views and theories of the world. Doctors, governments, and

even the BMJ might hanker after a world where their view is dominant. But

that world is disappearing fast.

      Richard Smith, editor. [Reference deleted.]

* *

 

Brief Commentary on Patient Insubordination

By Lenny Schafer

 

      It's only human, but not very scientific, to dismiss one's detractors

as "irrational", or suffering some other form of mental incompetence because

they disagree with one's conclusions, as Mr. Smith does in his editorial

(above) bemoaning his profession's loss of patient subordination.  In a

rational world, the expert's informed opinions could only prevail over those

of the public lemmings, is the plaint.

      When patients, in growing numbers, see before their own eyes their

children disintegrate mentally after receiving an MMR inoculation and are

then summarily dismissed as anecdotal hysterics by the experts, it is only

natural for these parents to lose respect for the authorities.  The expert's

unwillingness to even listen to the "anecdotes" before dismissal is the

public health equivalent to being told "let them eat cake."

      Mr. Smith should not be so irrational himself to think that the

medical experts can slap down the noisy rabble with such condescension and

then expect them to salute their "evidence based" conclusions in response.

Instead they will find their authority so guillotined.  This is nothing as

fancy as "postmodernism" as it is plain old grievance based rebellion that

the experts brought onto themselves with their autocratic presumptions that

they can only be right and the rest, mad.

* * *

 

(Not German) Measles Outbreak Hits German Region

 

      [By Ned Stafford at Reuters Health.]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020228/hl_nm/germany_6

 

      An outbreak of measles in a rural district of southern Bavaria is at

least partly due to "militant" opposition to the combined measles, mumps and

rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to Germany's Professional Association of

Pediatricians (BVKJ).

      More than 600 cases of measles have been reported in the past few

weeks in the district of Coburg, which has a population of about 135,000,

the BVKJ said in a statement.

      Dr. Waltraud Knipping, head of the Bavarian branch of the BVKJ, said

that as the number of opponents to MMR vaccination has risen, the readiness

of parents in Bavaria to have their children vaccinated has declined.

      Opponents of MMR vaccinations believe the combination vaccine is not

safe, and that the dangers outweigh the benefits. MMR vaccinations have

become a major issue in the UK after research suggested they might be linked

to inflammatory bowel disease and autism in some children.

      Knipping said on Thursday that she strongly disagrees that the

vaccinations are not safe, and encourages all children to be vaccinated.

      She told Reuters Health that at least 90% of all children need to be

immunized to effectively fight against measles epidemics.

      In Germany, the MMR vaccination normally has been given in two doses,

the first for infants and the second when the child is around 6 years old.

In 2000, about 80% of children in Bavaria were vaccinated with the first

dose of MMR, and only 60% had taken the second dose, she said.

      An effort will be made to promote MMR vaccinations in Bavarian schools

by the BVKJ, the Bavarian Health Ministry and other health organizations,

Knipping said.

 

 

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* * *

 

Court Challenge On Single Vaccines

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/03/02/nmmr02.xml&sSheet=/news/2002/03/02/ixhome.html

By Nicole Martin

A father is seeking to take the Government to court for refusing to provide

single vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella on the National Health

Service. Gareth Fairhurst, who has a 13-month-old son, believes that the

Government's rejection of the vaccinations is in breach of the Human Rights

Act…

* * *

 

MMR Vaccine Remains A Concern Reveals Latest Survey

PR Newswire

http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=020301003460&query

=mmr < - - address ends here.

Recent research carried out by Martin Hamblin GfK has revealed that the

Government has not fully reassured the public about MMR and its safety.

* * *

 

    RESEARCH

 

 

The Neurobiology Of Social Cognition [Review]

 

      Ralph AdolphsCurrent Opinion in Neurobiology, 2001, 11:2:231-239

Abstract Recent studies have begun to elucidate the roles played in social

cognition by specific neural structures, genes, and neurotransmitter

systems.

      Cortical regions in the temporal lobe participate in perceiving

socially relevant stimuli, whereas the amygdala, right somatosensory

cortices, orbitofrontal cortices, and cingulate cortices all participate in

linking perception of such stimuli to motivation, emotion, and cognition.

Open questions remain about the domain-specificity of social cognition,

about its overlap with emotion and with communication, and about the methods

best suited for its investigation.

* * *

 

Neurosteroids: Biochemistry And Clinical Significance [Review]

Synthia H. Mellon and Lisa D. GriffinTrends in Endocrinology and Metabolism,

2002, 13:1:35-43 Abstract

 

      The brain, like the adrenals, gonads and the placenta, is a

steroidogenic tissue. However, unlike classic steroidogenic tissues, the

synthesis of steroids in the nervous system requires coordinated expression

and regulation of genes encoding the steroidogenic enzymes in several

different cell types (neurons and glia) at different locations in the

nervous system, often at some distance from the cell bodies.

      Furthermore, the synthesis of these steroids might be developmentally

regulated and related to their functions in the developing brain. The

steroids synthesized by the brain and nervous system, given the name

'neurosteroids', have a wide variety of diverse functions. In general, they

mediate their actions not through classic steroid hormone nuclear receptors,

but through other mechanisms, such as ion-gated neurotransmitter receptors

or direct/indirect modulation of other neurotransmitter receptors.

      We summarize the biochemistry of the enzymes involved in the

biosynthesis of neurosteroids, their pharmacological properties and modes of

action. The physiological relevance and potential uses of neurosteroids in

certain human diseases are discussed.

* * *

 

Brain Mechanisms In Normal And Dyslexic Readers [Review]

Elise Temple

Current Opinion in Neurobiology, (February 18, 2002),

10.1016/S0959-4388(02)00303-3 Abstract

 

      Developmental dyslexics, individuals with an unexplained difficulty

reading, have been shown to have deficits in phonological processing — the

awareness of the sound structure of words — and, in some cases, a more

fundamental deficit in rapid auditory processing. In addition, dyslexics

show a disruption in white matter connectivity between posterior and frontal

regions.

      These results give continued support for a neurobiological etiology of

developmental dyslexia. However, more research will be required to determine

the possible causal relationships between these neurobiological disruptions

and dyslexia.

* * *

 

Human secretin (SCT): Gene Structure, Chromosome Location, And Distribution

Of mRNA.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=11060443&dopt=Abstract <- - Address ends here.

Whitmore TE, Holloway JL, Lofton-Day CE, Maurer MF, Chen L, Quinton TJ,

Vincent JB, Scherer SW, Lok S. ZymoGenetics Inc., Seattle, WA 98102, USA.

 

      Secretin is an endocrine hormone that stimulates the secretion of

bicarbonate-rich pancreatic fluids. Recently, it has been discussed that

secretin deficiency may be implicated in autistic syndrome, suggesting that

the hormone could have a neuroendocrine function in addition to its role in

digestion.

      In the present study, the human secretin gene (SCT) was isolated from

a bacterial artificial chromosome genomic library. SCT contains four exons,

with the protein coding regions spanning 713 bp of genomic DNA. Human SCT is

similar structurally to the secretin genes of other species.

      Amino acid conservation, however, is most pronounced within the exon

encoding the biologically active mature peptide. Northern blot analysis

shows that human SCT transcripts are located in the spleen, intestinal

tract, and brain. Radiation hybrid mapping places the SCT locus on

chromosome 11p15.5. Copyright 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.

      PMID: 11060443 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

* * *

 

Newly Formed Hippocampal Neurons Function Like Mature Cells

http://www.thelancet.com/journal/vol359/iss9308/full/llan.359.9308.news.2021

9.6

…Neurons newly formed in the adult mammalian brain not only look

like …studied newly generated neurons in the dentate gyrus of adult mouse

hippocampus and compared their structure and function with that of mature

neurons…

* * *

 

 

    EDUCATION

 

'Distance Education' to Teach Parents and Professionals About Autism

A SUNY-Albany Program

 

      [By Brock Read.]

http://chronicle.com/free/2002/02/2002022801u.htm

 

      The difficulties of understanding and educating children with autism

can make parents and teachers "desperate," says Sarah Roche, a project staff

assistant at the State University of New York at Albany. Through a

three-course certificate program, the university uses a variety of

distance-learning media to provide instruction in what can be an exhausting

field.

      The university's project, the Autism Distance Education Network,

offers two of its three courses this spring: "Autism I: Foundation Course"

and "Autism II: Introduction to Intervention." In the first course, students

discuss the causes of autism, historical views of the disorder, treatments

drawing on psychology and biology, and recent research. In the course on

intervention, they learn to plan programs that monitor autistic students'

communication, behavioral, and social skills.

      V. Mark Durand, a professor of psychology and interim dean of the

university's College of Arts and Sciences, developed the courses, which are

based on his lectures. When the foundations course made its debut in the

fall, students watched and interacted with the lectures through

videoconferencing technology at 13 university classrooms and health centers

located throughout New York.

      Now, students receive CD-ROM's on which Mr. Durand's lectures,

recorded from the fall sessions, appear as video files. At the beginning of

the course -- and after each of its four exams -- the university sends three

disks, each with one lecture and a set of notes, to every student. Both the

lectures and notes are also available on the course's Web site, but the

university decided to adopt CD-ROMs, because they allow students to review

material more easily at their own pace, according to Ms. Roche.

      The lectures and self-administered exams form the bulk of the course,

but Mr. Durand holds online chat sessions and moderates a discussion board

as well. Graduate students earn credit by completing a research paper of 8

to 10 pages in which they formulate a plan for teaching a specific skill to

an autistic child.

      Students in "Autism II" still meet through videoconferences, which are

now held at 12 locations in New York. (Online lectures are available for

students who must miss a session.) Mr. Durand does not simply lecture,

however; he holds interactive sessions modeled after hospital rounds. In the

"eRounds," students present case studies taken from their experiences and

lead discussions about treatment and education issues.

      Mr. Durand says the interactive sessions are productive because

parents, teachers, and students bring different experiences and ideas to the

discussions. "A parent can say, 'This is what I used in my house,'" says Mr.

Durand, "and teachers can suggest certain other things."

      He developed the online autism program after participating in an

assessment of autism education in New York state. The report, which was

sponsored by the state's department of education, recommended a series of

steps that educators could take to improve programs for autistic children.

Mr. Durand used the suggestions as guiding principles for the courses at

Albany.

      Response to the certificate program "has exceeded our wildest dreams,"

according to Mr. Durand. More than 160 people enrolled in the introductory

course in the fall, and the figures have held steady this semester. "We're

turning people away at this point," Mr. Durand says.

      The majority of the students in the course are graduates working as

special educators and looking to obtain certificates as associate behavior

analysts. Many, however, are undergraduates, and some are parents who audit

the class seeking alternative methods of helping their own children. That

concerned parents can participate reflects Mr. Durand's concept of the

course, which is "designed to help people, not just as an intellectual

exercise," he says.

 

      The Autism Distance Education Network

Institution: State University of New York at Albany

Instructor: V. Mark Durand, a professor of psychology

When offered:Fall and spring sessions

Cost: Each course costs $639 for graduate students in New York, $411 for

undergraduates.

Enrollment: 150 to 200 students enroll.

Information about the program is available

http://www.albany.edu/psy/autism/aden_courses.html

 

 

 

 

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* * *

 

NCD Calls for Accountability, Achievement, Fidelity for Students with

Disabilities as IDEA Reauthorization Looms

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/020227/180/16v0u.html

U.S. Newswire

... Special education is statutorily defined as "specially designed

instruction" that meets the "unique needs" of...

* * *

 

National Education Association: Education Funding Shortfall Misses

Opportunity to Truly 'Leave No Child Behind'

U.S. Newswire

..." The Administration's budget is a good first step in boosting Title I,

special education  and literacy funding, but overall is the smallest

increase since 1996 and far short of promised...

* * *

 

Reform Leaders Call for Major Changes in Federal Special Education Policy

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/020227/180/16qqz.html>Educati

on

Source: U.S. Newswire

Three prominent leaders of the education reform movement have called for

major changes in federal  special education  policy they say are needed to

ensure the program lives up to the "promise of its principles."

* * *

 

Irish Government 'Has No Coherent Strategy' For Autistic Education

www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=697764&issue_id=6958

…Services for children with autism are in crisis and are getting worse by

the day, campaigners claimed yesterday …A dedicated Autistic Unit opened in

Lucan, Co Dublin, last September may have to close for the second time in

less than six months because of uncertainty over funding, it has emerged…

* * *

 

Forging Links Between Biomedical And Educational Approaches: Talks with

William Shaw and Eric Schopler in LOOKING UP

 

Latest Edition of 40-page Monthly International Autism Newsletter, LOOKING

UP, Is Out Now.

 

      It features a special section: Building Bridges in Barcelona - Forging

links between the biomedical and educational approaches to autism.

      You can read a full report from the recent autism conference in

Barcelona.

      Dr William Shaw, director of the Great Plains Laboratory in Kansas,

and many others discuss biomedical methods for treating children with

autism.

      A Spanish mother describes the exciting improvements in her severely

autistic son following a gluten- and casein-free diet.

      Dr Eric Schopler, founder of the TEACCH programme in North Carolina; a

leading Spanish TEACCH proponent, Dr Juan Martos, and a prominent Spanish

LOVAAS practitioner, Dr Asun Puche, explain why educational methods are such

powerful tools for bringing about improvements in children with autism.

      Adam Feinstein, Editor of LOOKING UP, spoke to William Shaw, Eric

Schopler, Juan Martos, Asun Puche, Isabel Bayonas (president of APNA - the

Spanish national association of parents of autistic children) and Kalle

Reichelt, the Norwegian expert on the opioid peptide theory of autism.

      Feinstein also visited a remarkable residential centre for adults with

autism near Gerona.

 

      ALSO INSIDE THIS LATEST EDITION OF LOOKING UP:  The very latest on the

MMR vaccine debate, including the implications of Dr Andrew Wakefield's most

recent study on the measles virus.

      Why an abnormal glutamate pathway in the brain could provide a clue to

autism.

      Autism Awareness Year 2002:  Britain's largest-ever autism movement

Autistic adults 'misdiagnosed as schizophrenic and locked up' in Scotland.

      Diagnosis of autism in US 'rising by 20 per cent a year'.

      Why and how do weighted vests help some children with autism and other

disorders to focus?  Amazing mother-and-daughter team defies the odds.

      Autism and siblings: helping the children who get lost in the shuffle

AUTISM AND THE ARTS:  The new Sean Penn movie - Oscar-winner or cynical

sell-out? You can find more information at the LOOKING UP web site:

www.LookingUpAutism.org

* * *

 

Reader's Posts

 

                     FEAT'S "Night of Caring" April 27

 

Sacramento FEAT is holding its' 9th Annual "Night of Caring" Dinner and

Auction fundraiser on April 27, 2002.  If you have been helped by the FEAT

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                                        ******

I'm wondering whether anyone out there has experience with the oral

chelation formula sold by Extreme Health USA.Com

http://www.extremehealthusa.com/autism.html.  Please contact me at

iamdistracted@hotmail.com

                                        ******

Does anyone have any experience with a product called "Metal-Free"?  I am

considering using this on my 3 yr old who has elevated heavy metals?

rlzin@earthlink.net

                                        ******

New Diets : GF/CF Resource Site - http://newdiets.com/ Well organized

content including over 100 gluten and casein free recipes of all types

contributed mainly by parents with children on the diet. There is a wealth

of other resources including some scientific essays, poetry and prose and

about 200 "Putter Stories" about a child on the spectrum.

                                        ******

Looking for anyone who has used the Squeeze machine who could share their

experience.  Also interested in purchasing one used. Our son tried it out

and has been asking for one of his own since.  A new machine is out of our

reach financially at this time.  Will take suggestions funding: