AUTISM FIRST STEPS
AUTISM DAILY NEWSLETTER
Monday, November 26, 2001
INDEX:
* Beth's Christmas 1999 Letter
* A u
t i s m S p e c t r u m D i s o r d e r s S o
u p e r E v e n t s C h a t
* NIDS
ANNOUCEMENT
* Quote
from Chair of President Bush's Commission on Special Education
* OPPORTUNITIES OF INFLUENCE IN IOWA.
* IOWA
First Lady Christie Vilsack's Public Schedule 11/26 - 11/30
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Beth's Christmas 1999 Letter
TAKE IN GOOD HUMOR
Please Note: All that you are about to read is true. Humor
has been added to make the vile , yet inevitable, yearly holiday update
slightly more palatable. Being stressed beyond human comprehension has finally
taken it’s toll!
Happy Holidays to
everyone!!!! December 1999Well this last year of the millennium has certainly
been eventful!! Where to start?!My dear little angel Alex continues to improve.
His vocabulary now includes such phrases as ‘damn it!" "what the hell
was that?!" "don’t touch that, you don’t know where it’s been"
"shut up you stupid!" and the ever popular "the mother ship is
calling me." He’s strong as ever - I still have a nice scar from the bite
he gave me in July when I wouldn’t buy him that tenth can of silly string for
$2.99. Oh, he tends to poop his pants, but I dutifully wipe him - unfortunately
not quite to his satisfaction though. I do need to learn to push harder &
be sure the wipe is clean. The little dickens is always full of surprises, not
the least of which is the return of his seizures. Yes, he is going back on
medication that "boosts his energy" so to speak to try &
normalize that EEG. He quite possibly could regress totally, so don’t be
surprised if you see us on a FOX TV special concerning alien abductions in the
near future - as we are certain this is what caused his problems in the first
place.Cassie of course is my perfect child. She never needs anything extra. She
is truly a joy. She was in tae kwon do for awhile, but decided it was too much
running in to town - so considerate. My biggest concern is keeping her safe
from the cult that her best friend’s family belongs to. They are always
inviting her to their gatherings & filling her mind with fanciful stories.
They meet in bizarrely shaped large buildings eerily lit with candles &
chant unintelligible songs. I shall call upon my full mothering power to
protect her from this threat!Amanda left 7th grade a perfectly behaved honor
student & is now taken a sharp turn in 8th grade into adolescent hell. She
just informed me of a noon detention! Her first! Other firsts include French
kissing, butt touching (of a boy no less!), several Internet romances (at least
there’s no butt touching!), a $900 dollar phone bill (see previous entry), the
use of the phrase "bite me", and having her navel pierced! Yes, she
does still get straight A’s, volunteers mentoring at the grade school, runs a
sibling support group, has applied for a scholarship at the private college
prep school, assists in the special ed. class at the middle school, and helps
with Alex - but really how much can that count for when she’s starting to do
those other evil things? There is no hope at all, I’m certain.Neil is another
year along in college & is many more thousands of dollars in debt! He
continues to major in brunettes, minoring in beer & occasionally dabbling
in schoolwork. When he does attend classes they are in political science
(course titles of Scam 101, Spin 202, and Raising Funds 103, 203,303, etc.) and
secondary education (How to Have Planning Periods Scheduled All Day Every Day
101, Student Affairs 69-Independant Study, subtitled Most Discreet Motel
Chains, etc.) Neil anxiously awaits the start of the new year as that is when
his third speeding ticket will be erased, clearing the way for yet another one
before he would lose his license. He will make a fine politician.I am busy as
ever - working two part-time jobs and volunteering at many others, thereby
making my hourly pay approximately that of the six year old down the street
running a lemonade stand. Ahhh, success. I have had lovely pictures of myself
in the paper from which I receive many compliments & awed respect of all
that I do, but hey, that don’t pay the mortgages - either of them! Speaking of
mortgages, this brings me to my social life - don’t ask, you don’t want to know
why. I was divorced in May & have made full use of my freedom. Ever notice
that men who are in their 20’s don’t have bad backs? Anyway, my therapist thinks
maybe I should lay off the men (ha! ha! like that pun?!), but I just don’t
know, they are soooo sweet & tasty, oh no I guess I’m thinking of donuts.
Well, I must go now as Alex has informed me that his daily "gift" to
me is ready so I may continue to hone that skill and earn my "special
place in heaven" (this is as opposed to those really crappy places in
heaven we all hear about.)Wishing you Happy, or at least tolerable,
Holidays!!!!!Beth & the kidsps. In keeping with the electronic age we have
email addresses now: Beth’s is: busymom_x_4@yahoo.com , Neil’s is: email4neil@yahoo.com , Amanda’s is: apple85_04@yahoo.com , Cassie’s is: cass_a_frass@yahoo.com , but when I
enter Alex into the system I always get a strange blinking response that says
"AREA 51 - ACCESS DENIED" hmm don’t know what that’s about.*If this
letter offends you, please let me express my deepest regrets on the loss of
your sense of humor!
BETH
http://www.mothersfromhell2.org/humor/christmas1999.htm
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A u t i s m S p e c t r u m
D i s o r d e r s
M o n d a y , N o v e m b e r 2 6 , 2 0 0 1
a t 1 0 p m E T (7 p m P T, 8 p m M
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w i t h H O S T P
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o u p e r E v e n t s C h a t R o o m
»§«:*´`³Y³´`*:»§«Y»§«:*´`³Y³´`*:»§«
What is Autism? Aspergers Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental
Disorder/Not Otherwise Specified, Fragile X, Williams Syndrome are among some
of the Autism Spectrum Disorders, which have a number of symptoms -- including
impaired social interaction and communication -- and prognoses.
Heredity, yeast, food allergies, gluten, food additives, digestive disorders,
lack of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, exposure to radiation,
endocrine deficiencies, vaccinations, etc., have all been scrutinized for
possibly causing autism spectrum disorders. The only fact known right now
is that these are often severe developmental disabilities believed to have
multiple etiologies which may include one or more of these or none of them at
all.
Please join us in a chat and share concerns, support, funny stories, or simply
vent your frustrations as we discuss the issues and challenging factors that we
face while caring for our loved ones with an autism spectrum disorder.
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PARENT SOUP FEATURES
How well do you know your Harry Potter?
If your kids are like most kids these days, their favorite boy is Harry
and they want a pet owl. If you want to preserve family happiness -- not to
mention comprehend your kids’ Harry lingo -- it’s time you tested your
knowledge of J.K. Rowling’s magic world. Whether you're heading out to the
movie or having family read-alouds, take this quiz to
find out if you can hold your own in the land of the Sorcerer’s Stone.
-----------------
Parenting
issues worth talking about...
Does homework disrupt family life, overburden children and limit
learning? The authors of The End
of Homework, Etta Kralovec and John Bell
think so!
Picture a day when your child does NOT walk through the door at the end
of a school day lugging piles of homework in her bone-crushing backpack. When
she does NOT stay up until midnight frantically trying to finish her math
drills. Should
you say no to homework?
-----------------
MESSAGE
BOARDS
Calling all Parents!
As the holidays approach what "State" of
mind are you in? If you are thinking about the place where you grew up
and the good times that you shared with your family, join us on the Louisiana board!
-----------------
CHATS
Stay-at-Home Moms
Do you crave intelligent, adult interaction during the day? Well, come on in --
we're talking everything from new lunchbox ideas to parenting theories to the
nightly news, and there's always a spot for YOU.
Join us for the Stay-at-Home Moms chat every Wednesday at 2pm ET in Live Events.
-----------------
AROUND
iVILLAGE
Christmas Cookie Jar
If you are looking for new cookie ideas, here are the 50
best Christmas cookies ever! Plus, get 10
Tips for Holiday Cookie Baking Success and 7
Tips for Freezing Cookies. Share your family favorites on the Cookie Exchange message board.
******************************
ANNOUNCEMENT: NIDS
PRESENTATION BY DR. GOLDBERG
The NIDS Research Institute and Parents Coalition announces the following
event:
Saturday December 1, 2001 10AM PST/1PM EST to 2PM PST/5PM EST.
Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADD/ADHD and Chronic Fatigue:
The Medical Epidemic and the Neuro-Immune Connection
A Video Tele-Conference presentation: Universal City in Los Angeles, CA --
Burlington in Boston , MA
Presented by the NIDS Research Institute and Parents Coalition:
Dr. Michael Goldberg, M.D. FAAP. Director, NIDS Medical and Scientific
Advisory Board
Presentation followed by a Questions and Answer period.
For Boston Attendance contact Ryan at nids.lecture@verizon.net
In Los Angeles contact me directly at marc@healnids.org or call 818-951-8579
This event can bridged to any other location. If you are interested setting
up a location to participate in the exciting event, please contact me
immediately at 818-951-8579.
For more information about Neuro-Immune Dysfunction Syndrome please visit
www.nids.net
Marc Share
President and Executive Director, NIDS-
******************************
Quote from Chair of President Bush's Commission on Special
Education
Gov. Branstad (former governor of Iowa) has been appointed to serve as
chair of the Administration's new special education commission.
Following is a quote from Gov Branstad (Iowa) from an interview
transcript. The entire transcript is available at:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/schools_1-16.html
GOV. TERRY BRANSTAD: In our state nearly 60 percent of the budget goes
for education. And what we find is people are willing to invest in
quality education, but they are also fiscally conservative. They want to
see results. They want to see achievement for the dollars that they put
in. I think that the federal government in its mandates in the area of
special ed has driven up costs needlessly. I think that needs to be
reviewed. I want to see every child have an opportunity to learn. All
special ed children do have a right to an education, but to spend tens
oft housands of dollars on kids that really are not going to be able to
support themselves or be able to really learn a great deal at the
expense of the general education of the rest of the students is not
fair. And so that has to be addressed. A lot of people are afraid of it,
of being, you know, accused of being insensitive or whatever. I was in
Sioux City,Iowa, yesterday, and I heard from a Teacher of the Year,
Nancy Mounts,who had been Teacher of the Year, and the superintendent
there about how their school is being squeezed because of the federal mandates
in the area of special ed and how there needs to be more flexibility and
latitude given to local school districts in that area.
******************************
OPPORTUNITIES OF INFLUENCE IN
IOWA
IOWA First Lady Christie Vilsack's Public Schedule 11/26 - 11/30
Monday, November 26
10:00 AM
Winterset Library Visit
Winterset Public Library
123 N 2nd Street
Winterset, IA
12:15 PM Prescott Library Visit
Prescott Public Library
607 2nd Street
Prescott, IA
2:00 PM
Villisca Library Visit
Villisca Public Library
204 S 3rd Street
Villisca, IA
3:30 PM Stanton Library Visit
Stanton Public Library
310 Broad Avenue
Stanton, IA
5:00 PM
Terrace Hill Society Cookbook Event
Red Oak Public Library
400 N. 2nd Street
Red Oak, IA
Tuesday, November 27
11:00 AM
Avoca Public Library Visit
Avoca Public Library
213 North Elm
Avoca, IA
215 PM Mondamin Library Visit
Mondamin Public Library
201
Maple Street
Mondamin, IA
4:00 PM Terrace
Hill Society Cookbook Event
Marketplace Branch Library
2901 Hamilton Blvd.
Sioux City, IA
Wednesday, November 29
9:00 AM Community Empowerment Event
Iowa State University
Scheman Center - Benton Auditorium
Ames, IA
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