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News Archive
February,
2002

Treating the Biology of Autism; An Approach to Interventions for Spectrum Disorders
(2nd annual conference by the Autism Society of America Oakland County Chapter)
April 13-14, 2002
Pontiac, Michigan
(Metropolitan Detroit)
Featured Speakers Include:
John Hicks, M.D.
Amy Holmes, M.D.
Susan Owens
Ted Page, Ph.D.
Bruce Semon, M.D.
Paul Shattock
Andrew Wakefield, M.D.

World leaders in autism research will explain why and how biological issues may have an impact on the physical, behavioral and cognitive health of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), (PDD-NOS, Asperger's Syndrome, Tourette's Syndrome), as well as ADHD and other neurological disorders. Conference Information.

Article: Lessons that we must all learn; artist goes to war against discrimination.

Article: Boy's determination earns him a black belt.

MMR vaccine remains a concern reveals latest survey.

SUNY-Albany Program Uses Distance Education to Teach Parents and Professionals About Autism.

From GFCF Diet.com; Enzyme Use & GFCF Diet.

CNN Show Transcripts; The Big Question: Do Vaccinations Actually Help or Hurt Children? With Barbara Loe Fischer and Marie McCormick.

Measles Outbreak Hits German Region. From Reuters Health; 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.

Award-winning Girl Scout project inspired creator to reveal her autism. Katie Grimes is not your typical college student. The 20-year-old from Federal Way has autism, a disorder she did not openly reveal until three years ago when she started working on a Girl Scout project.

New Study: A new controlled study has found that porcine secretin is no more effective than placebo in the treatment of autistic disorder.

Researchers May Have Found Key To Fragile X Syndrome.

From Unlocking Autism:
Autism Prayer Project


From Autism Today:

Dr. Temple Grandin, Autism specialist and activist will be on a live, personal and intimate telephone call with a selective group of folks. You are cordially invited to attend: "Temple By Telephone" ! March 25, 2002 4:00 pm- 5:00 pm PST.

MMR author urges fresh research The senior author of the study that triggered fears of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism has broken his silence to call for urgent research to “resolve the genuine concern of parents”.
In a letter in The Lancet, the medical journal, John Walker-Smith said that studies made clear that “the MMR vaccine is safe in most children”. But he said that this did not rule out the possibility of a link between the measles, mumps and rubella jab and autism and bowel disease.

Atlanta, Georgia; Families Torn by Childhood Disorders Finding Hope.

Article: Dealing with autism - every day.

Secretin Online Video; The number of children diagnosed with autism in the US has increased 1000% in the last 20 years. Although the cause is unknown, parents are now voicing praise for Secretin, a hormone that may help autistic children relate to the world around them. See this online video of the Blaxill family. From New England Cable News

Article: A family fights autism, at home and everywhere.

Article: British Columbia, Canada; All autistics under six to get treatment. Promise made by lawyer for attorney-general.


A simple grocery purchase can change a child's life. February 4 - April 5, 2002 will mark an endeavor between Cure Autism Now and Maple Leaf Bakery. During the two months, both groups are hoping that you will make it to your local supermarket to purchase a loaf of California Goldminer Sourdough Bread. With each purchase of California Goldminer Sourdough Bread in over 6,000 stores nationwide, a portion of the proceeds will go directly to fund a Cure Autism Now scientist for one year.


Show your spirit! The Autism Recovery Network offers 3 different autism awareness ribbons. Children's or Men's small lapel pin with small red heart only $2 each.

What is Autism? An exciting new e-Learning course designed to help you understand autism; from The Autism Society of America.

Autism centre opens in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The first dedicated centre for autistic children in Sharjah - and only the second in the UAE.

Unlocking Autism needs your support for the 3rd Annual Autism Awareness Rally - The Power of ONE! I.D.E.A. - to be held on April 21st in our national capitol! They are encouraging everyone to purchase a t-shirt to wear during the month of April to help spread autism awareness in your community. See Unlocking Autism for more details.

Washington, D.C. - A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Government Reform Committee Chairman Dan Burton (R-IN) and Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA) today introduced legislation to make the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program more generous and compassionate.

Autism CD "All God's Children Living with Autism" is available at www.Amazon.com. / Just type in the title or Amy Ames, and it will appear.


Download for Free!
Kirkman Laboratories Guide to Intestinal Health in Autism Spectrum Disorder. A comprehensive review of intestinal health issues in Autism Spectrum Disorders and the options available for treating them.

Structural Brain Abnormalities Identified in Autistic Patients; Reuters Health
Autistic patients differ from healthy subjects in the size, number, and arrangement of minicolumns, the basic functional unit of the brain, according to a report published in the February 12th issue of Neurology.
Dr. Manuel F. Casanova, from Downtown VA Medical Center in Augusta, and colleagues used a computerized imaging program to analyze the brains of nine autistic subjects and nine control subjects. The specific regions analyzed included the prefrontal cortex and the temporal lobe.
The minicolumns in autistic brains were more numerous, smaller, and less compact in their arrangement than those found in control brains, the investigators note.
"Analyzing minicolumns offers a new way of investigating neurologic diseases," Dr. Casanova told Reuters Health. "Classic neuroanatomy typically involves the analysis of the neuron, which doesn't tell you anything about the brain's circuitry," he noted. Furthermore, "the differences we uncovered using a computer program could not have been picked up with the human eye." Dr. Casanova noted that "the greater number of minicolumns identified supports the theory that autistic patients are actually flooded with stimuli rather than deprived." The "signal-to-noise ratio in these patients is altered in favor of more signal," he added.
However, "under certain circumstances, this may actually be beneficial, allowing these patients to focus better on the task at hand."
Neurology 2002;58:428-432.

The Chelation of Mercury for the Treatment of Autism; Dr. Amy Holmes.


Ashley Hubbard prepares to shoot the ball during competition in the Team Challenger Basketball League.
Meeting the challenge. Fernandina League gives special needs kids a chance to play.

Article: Probable Cause Released In Autistic Man's Death.

MMR doctor asked to hand over research. The chief medical officer has contacted the doctor who first raised concerns about the MMR vaccine, asking him to turn his research over for independent analysis.

Teenager is accused in autistic boy's death. Broward County sheriff's detectives have charged a 17-year-old boy with first-degree murder in the drowning of a 5-year-old autistic child, a spokesman said.

Autism study will not look at MMR. Fresh research into the causes of autism is to be carried out - but it will not address allegations that the condition is linked to the MMR vaccine.

Article: Siblings of kids with disabilities get help from their peers.

Repligen Announces Initiation of Phase 3 Clinical Trials for Secretin in Autism.


Article: In a groundbreaking study published today in the journal Neurology, Medical College of Georgia researcher Manuel Casanova and his team say they have found fundamental physical differences in the brains of autism patients.

Article: Abnormalities in Brains of Autism Patients.

Center created to help nurture autistic kids.

Article: Differences in Mood Associated with Activity in a Specific Area of the Brain.

Tragic Events: Pompano Beach, Florida; The body of a missing 5-year-old boy who suffered from autism was found in a canal about a half-block from his home early Monday, deputies said.

See our Autism Photo Contest. Enter one of your own and win a prize and certificate!

New! 2002 Autism Rally Information. Washington D.C., Sunday, April 21, 2002


2002 Autism Society of America National Conference
2002 Conference theme: "Champions and Challenges"
Where: Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana
When: July 17-21, 2002
Why: To hold a national forum for the presentation of important field studies, intense educational sessions, structured networking opportunities, information exchanges, and interaction between individuals interested in the well-being of children and adults with autism.
For registration information, please email us at: conference@autism-society.org.

From Autism Today; Teleclasses with Autism and Asperger's presenters are now available. March 25th we will have Dr. Temple Grandin. If anyone is interested in finding out more about Temples class, it will be up on the site in a day or so at www.autismtoday.com

Diet can ease problem behaviours. Fatty acids found in many common foods may help to treat children with dyslexia and behavioural problems, say scientists.

Article: Where the ski's the limit. Outdoor program ensures nobody's left out.

Dennis Debbaudt, the leading authority on law enforcement and autism has established a new online discussion group. For more information contact:
www.policeandautism.cjb.net

Repligen and McLean Hospital Initiate Brain Imaging Study of Secretin Clinical Study to Assess Activation of Amygdala by Secretin in Healthy Adults.

U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, M.D. Urges Physicians to Give Parents Choice of Separating the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine Due to Growing Concern
Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, a Florida physician, urged the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to fully inform parents of their choice in having the MMR vaccine separated and administered at different times. There is growing concern among parents and medical researchers that concurrent exposure of the measles virus with other viruses may be linked to serious developmental disorders in some children. A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Pathology (Ulmann et al.) found persistent measles virus in the intestinal tissue of 75 of 91 patients with developmental disorders (i.e., autism) who also exhibited severe bowel disease.

Researchers have traced the light-sensing circuitry for a type of “second sight” that is distinct from the conventional visual system and seems to interact directly with the body’s internal clock.

Brown University researchers have found a new cell in the eye that acts as a photoreceptor – like a rod or cone – and sets the body's circadian clock.

 

 


2001 Autism Rally, Conference, Hearings, and Caucus


Book of the Week:
Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome


Salon Cover Story on Autism:
"Secrets and Lies" by Lesli Mitchell

New Book!
From Emotions to Advocacy
; The Special Education Survival Guide; Pete Wright, J.D.

New Book!
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations : Hidden Dangers, Pros and Cons, and Safety Measures That Can Protect Your Child by Stephanie, Md. Cave, Deborah Mitchell (Contributor)

New Book! Soon Will Come the Light : A View from Inside the Autism Puzzle By Thomas McKean

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