News Articles

Kris · September 8, 2003

Kris · October 2, 2003

Elefan · December 5, 2003

Hi all,

Unfortunately, I don't have the date of the article I am about to refer to, but it appeared in The Herald (a scottish newspaper) recently.

It details a 17 year old boy being named Scottish School Candidate of the Year. He was diagnosed with Aspergers only last year. He achieved 5 Highers (A-levels in Scotland), including 4 at grade A band 1's!! He is not only happy and well adjusted, but a tireless campaigner for the rights of young people with special needs!

What did make me chuckle was the newspapers column describing the problems of Aspergers,..and their sweeping statement that it is 'probably hereditory'!! Well, there you go!!!

Elefan

Elefan · December 5, 2003

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5021401.html

I have found a similar article in another scottish newspaper!!

Elefan

Elefan · February 20, 2004

Special needs targets 'must rise'

England's chief schools inspector wants 'realistic goals' set

Special needs pupils should be set "challenging" targets in an effort to raise standards, the English education watchdog Ofsted has said.

Currently, mainstream schools do not have to set performance targets for children with learning difficulties.

Special schools, meanwhile, have often set lower-than-usual targets.

Ofsted said head teachers should "focus their efforts and learning on achieving realistic goals" for the one child in six who has special needs.

'More help needed'

Since 1998, all schools have had to set performance targets based on national expectations.

Until it was banned in 2001, special schools, who educate children with severe and profound learning difficulties, had usually set zero-points targets.

Ofsted's head, the Chief Inspector of Schools, David Bell, said: "Setting challenging targets for pupils with special educational needs can help both pupils and schools focus their efforts and learning on achieving realistic goals."

He also called for more help from local authorities in training staff to set standards.

Ofsted found special schools were good at tracking the progress of individual pupils, but less good at gauging overall levels of achievement.

Meanwhile, mainstream schools, which had experience of tracking overall development, were failing to use it for special needs pupils.

'Unworkable plan'

Ofsted asked the government to provide guidance on the expectations head teachers should have of pupils of all abilities.

But the Liberal Democrat education spokesman, Phil Willis, said: "For years Ofsted has ignored the plight of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools. This unworkable plan has all the hallmarks of guilt rather than solution.

"It is totally unrealistic to begin setting so-called ambitious targets for mainstream schools working with special needs pupils until resources in schools are properly dealt with.

"The recent Audit Commission report painted a damning picture of specialist teachers, specialists resources and whole school training. Without rapid improvement in all these areas new targets are meaningless."

Earlier this month, the Education Secretary Charles Clarke, said educational provision, in both mainstream and special schools, had to be improved.

More children would attend mainstream schools, with special schools becoming "centres of excellence", sharing the best methods, he said.

A Department for Education and Skills spokesman said: "The strategy sets out plans to personalise learning for all children and make education more responsive to the diverse needs of individual children.

"It makes clear that we will explore how we could better reflect the progress made by all children in national performance tables."

He said officials were "collecting information" on children's needs, adding: "We will then be able to look at progress of different groups of pupils."

From,.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3502953.stm

kaz · February 21, 2004

not sure if you had seen this in the news today.

lib dem MP is calling for an independent inquirery into possible links between MMR and autisum

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3508865.stm

Karen

kaz · February 21, 2004

sorry i read it wrong its not an inquiery into possible links............. its an inquiery into the study that showed possible links.

Elefan · March 4, 2004

Of particular interest to our Scottish members,...

When Alison Leask's son was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum she was left completely in the dark.

After doctors diagnosed the 12-year-old's Asperger's Syndrome all she received by way of advice was a flimsy leaflet through the post.

No-one sat down to talk her through the vast impact it was about to have on her son's and her family's lives.

No-one steered her towards any help groups or organisations which might have been able to help them all come to terms with his condition.

No-one did anything apart from lick a stamp and stuff a piece of paper in an envelope.

Despite being a nurse, Alison found there was very little out there to help her and her son shed some light on his newly discovered condition.

It became very clear when we spoke to families and parents that they had gone through the same experience

Alison Leask

"When my son was diagnosed you were given a kind of leaflet and they basically told me - 'Your son's got Asperger's Syndrome, it might be worth phoning the Autistic Society'," she explained.

"That was about all the information you got at the time."

Over the next few years, she and her son had to find out about autism and the condition he had developed all by themselves as they carried on with their lives in Campbelltown, Argyll.

Between them they managed to work out how to deal with the syndrome on a day-to-day basis without much help from anyone else.

But then a chink of light appeared after Alison came into contact with another mother who had gone through a similar experience with her own son.

Small beginnings

After contacting Maureen Mackintosh, who lived 50 miles away in Lochgililheed, they decided to set up a meeting with families to share their autistic experiences.

On that night three years ago Autism Argyll was born and from the initial six who turned up on the very first evening they now have 65 families as members.

"It became very clear when we spoke to families and parents that they had gone through the same experience - some had had leaflets and some got nothing at all," explained Alison, who is now chairperson of the voluntary group she and Maureen helped set up.

"When you consider the impact the autistic spectrum has on a child's life and that of their family we decided that we would try and develop some information of our own for parents who found themselves in our positions.

The aim now is to take the kit onwards and make them available to everyone across Scotland

Alison Leask

"I don't think you can point a finger to one person about why there has been this lack of information because I bet there are many other people out there who could say the same thing about the condition they have to cope with."

But under the new banner of their support group they managed to gain some funding and put together their own information pack.

After a series of meetings, a lot of hard work and the help of the region's multi-agency team who deal with autism, their kits are now given to every parent in Argyll after their children are diagnosed.

"We just filled the kits with contact numbers, good websites we had found, lists of recommended reading and any information we thought might be useful," said Alison.

Positive feedback

"Some people have come back to us and told it has been a life-saver and one parent told us her son had been diagnosed for six years and she didn't know a quarter of what she found in the kit."

The kits have been such a success Alison is now part of the Scottish Executive-funded team who will help put them in the hands of every parent who needs them across Scotland over the next three years.

"The aim now is to take the kit onwards and make them available to everyone across Scotland," she said.

"With the help of the executive we want to help deliver similar information to packs to every parent whose child is diagnosed with a condition off the autistic spectrum.

"We don't know how we're going to do that yet but we'll find a way."

From BBC online.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3530413.stm

Elefan · March 4, 2004

Brilliant minds linked to autism

Andy Warhol: Obsessed by collecting

Historical figures including Socrates, Charles Darwin, and Andy Warhol probably had a form of autism, says a leading specialist.

Professor Michael Fitzgerald, of Dublin's Trinity College believes they showed signs of Asperger's syndrome.

Scientific geniuses Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein have also been previously linked to the condition.

Asperger's is associated with poor social skills, and obsessions with complex topics such as music.

It proves that we should accept eccentrics and be tolerant of them.

Professor Michael Fitzgerald

However, people with the condition are often bright, and have above average verbal skills.

Professor Fitzgerald said the number of people being diagnosed with Asperger's had significantly increased as doctors had become more aware of the condition.

He came to his conclusion after comparing the behaviour of his patients with that described in the biographies of the famous.

He believes the author Lewis Carroll, the poet W.B. Yeats and former Irish prime minister Eamon de Valera also showed signs of autism disorders.

He said: "Asperger's syndrome provides a plus - it makes people more creative.

"People with it are generally hyper-focused, very persistent workaholics who tend to see things from detail to global rather than looking at the bigger picture first and then working backwards, as most people do.

The case of Yeats

Eamon De Valera: A single-minded politician

"Yeats for example, had problems with reading and writing and did very poorly at school.

"He failed to get into Trinity College and was described by his teachers as 'pedestrian and demoralised'. His parents were told he would never amount to anything.

"This is typical of people with the condition. They don't fit in, are odd and eccentric and relate poorly with others. Most are bullied at school, as Yeats was."

And yet, said the professor, Yeats went on to prove that he had a hugely vivid imagination while remaining socially aloof - both classic signs of Asperger's.

Strange behaviour

Warhol's unusual behaviour, his odd relationships and his distinctive art also strongly suggested that he had the condition, said Professor Fitzgerald.

Charles Darwin: Revolutionary theories

"He was a massive collector of articles, but didn't even take them out of the packaging - his house was like a mausoleum - and he had the same difficulties at school."

Professor Fitzgerald said the success of such high profile figures gave hope to people whose lives were touched by Asperger's syndrome.

"It proves that we should accept eccentrics and be tolerant of them," he said.

"The nation is pushed forward by engineers, mathematicians and scientists."

The claims are made in Prof Fitzgerald's new book: In Autism and Creativity: Is There a Link Between Autism in Men and Exceptional Ability?

From BBC onlinehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3380569.stm

Elefan · March 4, 2004

Linked to the other article about Scotland and ASD

Autism projects given �2m boost

Part of the funding will pay for a study into autism

Almost �2m is to be spent on improving services for children and adults who suffer from autism.

The bulk of the Scottish Executive money will go to the Greater Glasgow and Lothian health boards.

They will each receive �750,000, spread over three years, to develop "one-stop shops" for adults with autism, and for families struggling with the disorder.

And a further �300,000 will be spent on information packs for families and for professionals who deal with autism.

Deputy health minister Tom McCabe said the information packs, which were developed by a family in Argyll, had been well received.

"This is the only pack that pulls together all relevant material for families and professionals," he said.

We are pleased that the executive has responded to some of our key concerns, such as the need for autism training for health and care workers

Robert McKay

National Autistic Society Scotland

"I know it has been much appreciated in Argyll and I hope others across Scotland will see the benefit too."

Other elements of the new push include spending �53,000 on a study into autism at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill, in Glasgow, and �80,000 on developing new educational resources for health workers.

Isobel Sutherland, the acting chief executive of the Scottish Society for Autism, said she was particularly delighted with funding for training.

And Robert McKay, national co-ordinator of the National Autistic Society Scotland, said: "We welcome the Executive's recognition that the needs of people with autism and their families in Scotland are a priority, particularly after diagnosis when many families tell us that they struggle to access local advice and information.

"We are pleased that the executive has responded to some of our key concerns, such as the need for autism training for health and care workers and the need to develop services for adults with autism across Scotland."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3528967.stm

pennyindorset · April 1, 2004

Gene 'increases risk of autism'

About one in 1,000 people have autism

Scientists say they have identified a gene which may increase the risk of developing autism.

The gene is involved in the production of ATP, a molecule that provides the energy cells need to function.

Researchers in the United States said the risk only applied to people with a certain genetic make-up.

Writing in the American Journal of Psychiatry, they said as many as 10 different genes might be involved in the development of autism.

Autism affects about one in every 1,000 people. It is a developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates and interacts with other people.

People with autism can have problems relating to other people and to the world at large. They can have problems understanding people's feelings or making friends.

Having one of these variants appears to approximately double an individuals risk for the disorder

Dr Joseph Buxbaum

There is growing evidence that the condition may be inherited. Studies suggest parents with one child with autism are 100 times more likely to have another child with the condition compared with other families.

However, scientists agree that the condition is complex and that more than one gene is involved.

Gene tests

Dr Joseph Buxbaum and colleagues at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York carried out genetic tests on 411 families, who have members with autism.

They found that they all had variations in the SLC25A12 gene, which is involved in the production of ATP.

The researchers suggested this flaw could disrupt the production of the fuel needed by cells. They said even minor disruptions could affect the ability of cells to function properly.

However, the researchers said the genetic variations they identified in this study appeared to be quite common.

By themselves, they do not cause autism. They said people with autism probably had this and other genetic mutations.

"Having one of these variants appears to approximately double an individuals risk for the disorder, but it is an accumulation of genetic factors that cause the disease," Dr Buxbaum said. "Our current challenge is to identify more of these genes."

He added: "Identifying all or most of the genes involved will lead to new diagnostic tools and new approaches to treatment."

The National Autistic Society in the UK welcomed the study.

"Scientists over the world are engaged in looking for the genetic roots of autism," a spokeswoman said.

"Some are looking at other chromosomes as loci for possible genes. The NAS welcomes any research which furthers our understanding of the cause and possible treatment of autism."

pennyindorset · April 3, 2004

All about Autism

03 Apr 2004

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities that are caused by an abnormality in the brain. People with ASDs tend to have problems with social and communication skills.

They also are likely to repeat certain behaviors and to not want change in their daily activities. Many people with ASDs also have unusual ways of learning, paying attention, or reacting to different sensations. ASDs begin during childhood and last throughout a person's life.

The following question and answer section will help you learn more about ASDs.

-- What are some of the symptoms of ASDs?

-- What conditions are included in ASDs?

-- How common are ASDs?

-- What causes ASDs? Can they be treated?

-- Where can I go to learn more about ASDs?

What are some of the symptoms of ASDs?

As the name "autism spectrum disorder" says, ASDs cover a wide range of behaviors and abilities.

People who have ASDs, like all people, differ greatly in the way they act and what they can do. No two people with ASDs will have the same symptoms. A symptom might be mild in one person and severe in another person.

Some examples of the types of problems and behaviors a child or adult with an ASD might have follow.

-- Social skills: People with ASDs might not interact with others the way most people do, or they might not be interested in other people at all. People with ASDs might not make eye contact and might just want to be alone. They might have trouble understanding other people's feelings or talking about their own feelings. Children with ASDs might not like to be held or cuddled, or might cuddle only when they want to. Some people with ASDs might not seem to notice when other people try to talk to them. Others might be very interested in people, but not know how to talk, play, or relate to them.

-- Speech, language, and communication: About 40% of children with ASDs do not talk at all. Others have echolalia, which is when they repeat back something that was said to them. The repeated words might be said right away or at a later time. For example, if you ask someone with an ASD, "Do you want some juice?" he or she will repeat "Do you want some juice?" instead of answering your question. Or a person might repeat a television ad heard sometime in the past. People with ASDs might not understand gestures such as waving goodbye. They might say "I" when they mean "you", or vice versa. Their voices might sound flat and it might seem like they cannot control how loudly or softly they talk. People with ASDs might stand too close to the people they are talking to, or might stick with one topic of conversation for too long. Some people with ASDs can speak well and know a lot of words, but have a hard time listening to what other people say. They might talk a lot about something they really like, rather than have a back-and-forth conversation with someone.

-- Repeated behaviors and routines: People with ASDs might repeat actions over and over again. They might want to have routines where things stay the same so they know what to expect. They might have trouble if family routines change. For example, if a child is used to washing his or her face before dressing for bed, he or she might become very upset if asked to change the order and dress first and then wash.

Children with ASDs develop differently from other children. Children without ASDs develop at about the same rate in areas of development such as motor, language, cognitive, and social skills.

Children with ASDs develop at different rates in different areas of growth. They might have large delays in language, social, and cognitive skills, while their motor skills might be about the same as other children their age.

They might be very good at things like putting puzzles together or solving computer problems, but not very good at some things most people think are easy, like talking or making friends.

Children with ASDs might also learn a hard skill before they learn an easy one.

For example, a child might be able to read long words, but not be able to tell you what sound a "b" makes. A child might also learn a skill and then lose it. For example, a child may be able to say many words, but later stop talking altogether.

Sources:

Mauk JE, Reber M, Batshaw ML. Autism and other pervasive developmental disorders (4th edition). In: ML Batshaw, editor. Children with disabilities. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes; 1997.

Powers MD. What is autism? In: MD Powers, editor. Children with autism: a parents' guide, 2nd edition. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House; 2000. pp. 1-44.

What conditions are included in ASDs?

ASDs include autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS, including atypical autism), and Asperger disorder.

These three conditions all have some of the same symptoms, but they differ in terms of when the symptoms start, how fast they appear, how severe they are, and their exact nature. These three conditions, along with Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder, make up the broad diagnosis category of pervasive developmental disorders.

How common are ASDs?

We at CDC do not know how many people in the United States have ASDs. We do know more about children with ASDs than about adults with ASDs. Studies done in Europe and Asia since 1985 have found that as many as 6 of every 1,000 children have at least one ASD. We do have information about how common ASDs are in children in some parts of the United States.

We track the number of children with ASDs and four other disabilities in a five-county area in metropolitan Atlanta (Georgia) through the Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program (MADDSP). In 1996, 3.4 of every 1,000 children 3 through 10 years of age in metropolitan Atlanta had at least one ASD. [Read a summary of the paper about ASD in metropolitan Atlanta - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...6&dopt=Abstract]

We have also studied how common ASDs were in Brick Township, New Jersey, in 1998. We found that 6.7 of every 1,000 children 3 through 10 years of age had at least one ASD.

We are now working with several states to learn how many children in other parts of the country have ASDs. These states are developing or improving programs that track the number of children in their areas with ASDs. The program,s began gathering information in 2002, and we expect that they will start reporting findings in late 2003.

We also know that in the United States during the 2000-2001 school year, more than 15,000 children 3 through 5 years of age and more than 78,000 children and adults 6 through 21 years of age were classified as having autism under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA is the federal law that supports special education and related services for children and youth with disabilities.

However, there are more children with ASDs who are classified under IDEA in a disability category other than autism. There are, however, some children with ASDs who are not included in these counts, such as children who are in regular education classes, who attend private school, or who are home schooled. [View state-specific IDEA information for children ages 3-5 years http://www.ideadata.org/tables24th/ar_aa2.htm] [View state-specific IDEA information for children ages 6-21 years - http://www.ideadata.org/tables24th/ar_aa3.htm]

We do not know if ASDs are becoming more common in the United States. We do know that today more children are being identified as having an ASD than in the past.

The studies that have looked at how common ASDs are often used different ways to identify children with ASDs, and it is possible that researchers have just gotten better at identifying these children.

It is also possible that professionals know more about ASDs now and are therefore more likely to diagnose them correctly.

Also, a wider range of people are now being classified as having ASDs, including people with very good language and thinking skills in some areas who have unusual ways of interacting or behaving.

Clearly, we have much more to learn. CDC studies in Atlanta and CDC-funded studies in the states will continue over time and will help answer this important question of whether ASDs are truly becoming more common in the United States.

What causes ASDs? Can they be treated?

No one knows exactly what causes ASDs, but scientists think that both genetic and environmental factors might play a role. We do know that parental actions do not cause children to have ASDs.

We are now planning the Children's Longitudinal Development Study (CHILD Study), which will look at what factors make it more likely that a child will have an ASD. We are also funding several state projects that will study such factors.

If you would like to learn more about a specific genetic condition that you think could cause an ASD, you can go to the National Library of Medicine's Genetics Home Reference Web site. Information on each genetic condition includes symptoms, how common it is, related genes, treatments, and links to resources where you can learn more about the condition. The Genetics Home Reference also can help you learn more about genetics, including genetic testing, genetic counseling, and gene therapy. [Go to the Genetics Home Reference Web site - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/ghr/page/Home]

There is no known cure for ASDs. However, early and intensive education can help children grow and learn new skills. The goal of these efforts is to help with the difficult symptoms of an ASD in a child and to improve the child’s skills that help him or her talk, interact, play, learn, and care for his or her needs. Medicines can relieve symptoms and be helpful for some people, but structured teaching of skills (often called behavioral intervention) is currently the most effective treatment.

Sources:

Mauk JE, Reber M, Batshaw ML. Autism and other pervasive developmental disorders, 4th edition. In: ML Batshaw, editor. Children with disabilities. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes; 1997.

Powers MD. What is autism? In: MD Powers, editor. Children with autism: a parents' guide, 2nd edition. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House; 2000. pp. 1-44.

Where can I go to learn more about ASDs?

The links below go to the Web sites of federal agencies or programs that are federally-funded. CDC has no control over the content on these sites. Links to these sites are included for information only. The views and opinions expressed there are not necessarily those of CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS).

Public Health Grand Rounds: Autism Among Us

CDC cosponsored Public Health Grand Rounds on "Autism Among Us: Rising Concerns and the Public Health Response" in June 2003. The Grand Rounds covered topics such as:

--- Key behaviors that may suggest a child has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

--- The role health care staff providers can play in diagnosing ASDs and other developmental disabilities

--- Possible reasons for the rise in autism diagnoses

--- Community plans for helping children who have an ASD

The Grand Rounds were followed by a 2-week online discussion. [see a video of the Grand Rounds and read the discussion that took place - http://www.publichealthgrandrounds.unc.edu/autism/about.htm]

MEDLINEplus: Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome

MEDLINEplus is an online service of the National Library of Medicine that is designed to link users to information on specific health topics, including autism and Asperger’s syndrome. MEDLINEplus brings together information from many sources and is updated every day.

The site includes information on the latest news, general overviews, projects at the National Institutes of Health, clinical trials, diagnosis and symptoms, rehabilitation, research, specific conditions, treatment, directories, organizations, children, and teenagers. Some of the materials are available in Spanish.

[in English: MEDLINEplus Health Information: Autism]

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autism.html

[in English: MEDLINEplus Health Information: Asperger’s Syndrome]

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/aspergerssyndrome.html

[En Espa�ol: MEDLINEplus Informaci?n de Salud: Autismo]

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/autism.html

[En Espa�ol: MEDLINEplus Informaci?n de Salud: S�ndrome de Asperger]

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish...rssyndrome.html

National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) Publications

NCBDDD staff have written scientific papers on ASDs. These papers look at such topics as how common ASDs are and vaccines. You can see a list of these papers (starting in 1990) by using the keyword search on the NCBDDD publications Web page.

Choose "autism" in the keyword box on the search page. You can choose whether you want the list to be sorted by author or by date. You can also choose to have the list appear with or without graphics. Click on the Submit button.

You will see a list of papers that are about ASDs. The list will include the complete reference for each paper and a link to an abstract of the paper or to the full text, when available. [Go to NCBDDD publications keyword search page - http://www2.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pubs/KeywordSearch.asp]

National Information Center on Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY) NICHCY provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues for families, teachers, and other professionals.

NICHCY has a fact sheet about autism that includes information on topics such as characteristics of children with autism, the impact of autism on a child's education, and resources. The fact sheet is available in both English and Spanish. [in English: General Information about Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder - http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs1txt.htm]

NICHCY also has a more detailed paper about pervasive developmental disorders that includes information about all forms of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) but focuses mostly on pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). The paper has information on the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of pervasive developmental disorders.

[Read Pervasive Developmental Disorders paper - http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs20txt.htm]

NICHCY staff will also give information and referrals over the phone (800-695-0285) or by email (nichcy@aed.org).

National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)

NICHD has several fact sheets and other publications related to ASD. Some give basic information about ASDs, including symptoms, causes, and treatment. Others talk about vaccines, the role of genetics, and programs funded by NICHD. Many of these materials are available in both English and Spanish. [View list of NICHD ASD publicationshttp://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubskey.cfm?from=autism]

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIMH has a booklet about autism that includes sections on what autism is, what causes autism and how it is diagnosed, what other disabilities a child with autism may have, what education and treatment programs are available, what research offers, and where to go for information and support. [Read the NIMH booklet "Autism" - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm]

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

NINDS has a fact sheet on autism that includes information on common signs of the condition, diagnosis, causes, treatment, and where to go for more information. The fact sheet includes links to information sheets about pervasive developmental disorders and Asperger disorder. The sheet is available in both English and Spanish.

[in English: Autism fact sheet - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/pubs/autism.htm]

PubMed

PubMed is an online service of the National Library of Medicine that lets users search scientific journals for articles of interest. You can enter a keyword or the subject you are interested in (for example: "autism" or "asperger") in the Search box and then click on Go.

spottedpelican · April 5, 2004

Hi all,

Thought you may be interested in the following:

Researchers identify autism risk gene

Thursday, April 1, 2004 Posted: 2:26 PM EST (1926 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/conditions/...s.ap/index.html

NEW YORK (AP) -- Scientists say they've identified two variants of a single gene that might raise a child's risk of autism by twofold or more.

The variants are fairly common and can't bring on the disease by themselves, the researchers said. Scientists believe several genes, perhaps five to 10, have to work together to produce autism.

Previous studies have identified variants in other genes that might contribute to the disease but none has been proven to do so. Finding autism-related genes might help scientists develop treatments for the perplexing disorder.

The new work provides strong evidence that the gene influences susceptibility to autism, but more studies will be needed to confirm the link, said lead study author Joseph Buxbaum of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

"It looks like they might have something there ... but it's a bit too soon to say definitively," said Susan Santangelo, a Harvard expert not involved in the study.

The study appears in the April issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Autism, which normally appears by age 3 and usually in boys, interferes with a child's ability to communicate and interact with others. Affected children might not respond to their names or even look at other people.

The new study looked at 411 families, analyzing DNA from more than 2,000 people. Of those, 720 had autism.

The study found that the two gene variants had been inherited by family members with autism more often than one would expect by chance. That implicates the variants in the disease.

The gene is involved in providing energy to brain cells, so variant versions might hamper the operation of those cells, the researchers said.

American Journal of Psychiatry. 2004 April;161(4):Pp 662-9.

Linkage and Association of the Mitochondrial Aspartate/Glutamate Carrier SLC25A12 Gene With Autism.

Ramoz N, Reichert JG, Smith CJ, Silverman JM, Bespalova IN, Davis KL, Buxbaum JD.

OBJECTIVE: Autism/autistic disorder (MIM number 209850) is a complex, largely genetic psychiatric disorder. The authors recently mapped a susceptibility locus for autism to chromosome region 2q24-q33 (MIM number 606053). In the present study, genes across the 2q24-q33 interval were analyzed to identify an autism susceptibility gene in this region.

METHOD: Mutation screening of positional candidate genes was performed in two stages. The first stage involved identifying, in unrelated subjects showing linkage to 2q24-q33, genetic variants in exons and flanking sequence within candidate genes and comparing the frequency of the variants between autistic and unrelated nonautistic subjects. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that showed evidence for divergent distribution between autistic and nonautistic subjects were identified, both within SLC25A12, a gene encoding the mitochondrial aspartate/glutamate carrier (AGC1). In the second stage, the two SNPs in SLC25A12 were further genotyped in 411 autistic families, and linkage and association tests were carried out in the 197 informative families.

RESULTS: Linkage and association were observed between autistic disorder and the two SNPs, rs2056202 and rs2292813, found in SLC25A12. Using either a single affected subject per family or all affected subjects, evidence for excess transmission was found by the Transmission Disequilibrium Test for rs2056202, rs2292813, and a two-locus G*G haplotype. Similar results were observed using TRANSMIT for the analyses. Evidence for linkage was supported by linkage analysis with the two SNPs, with a maximal multipoint nonparametric linkage score of 1.57 and a maximal multipoint heterogeneity lod score of 2.11. Genotype relative risk could be estimated to be between 2.4 and 4.8 for persons homozygous at these loci.

CONCLUSIONS: A strong association of autism with SNPs within the SLC25A12 gene was demonstrated. Further studies are needed to confirm this association and to decipher any potential etiological role of AGC1 in autism.

Very interesting I think.

Look forward to hearing progress in the future.

spottedpelican :thumbs:

Kris · April 5, 2004

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/conditions/...s.ap/index.html

Kris · April 5, 2004

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3477735.stm

and a couple of extra links for you, taken from the above article:-

http://www.nasen.org.uk/mainpg.htm

http://www.ipsea.org.uk/

http://www.parentcentre.gov.uk/publishCont...ic&r=10&do=list

Kris · April 5, 2004

In the same week as the Government launched it's SEN strategy IPSEA complained

about apparent breaches of law in five authorities.

http://www.ipsea.org.uk/sencmplaints02-04.htm

(courtesy of Nellie)

pennyindorset · April 6, 2004

Comic Carrott opens school's �1m home Comedian Jasper Carrott officially opened Sunfield School's new house for autistic youngsters today (Monday April 5) following a mammoth �1m appeal.

The Birmingham comic unveiled a plaque and `cut the ribbon' at the new purpose-built home for 12 children with severe learning disabilities at just after 2pm this afternoon.

He and his wife Hazel joined Sunfield supporters, staff, parents and trustees to celebrate the completion of the project.

Standing in a wind-swept marquee-covered courtyard outside the new house, the television funnyman also presented a certificate to seven-year-old schoolboy Patrick Cragg, on behalf of Hagley First School, which raised �300 towards the appeal through selling pens and pin badges.

Fighting against the blustery weather, which proved the ideal side-kick, he said: "It's been a wonderful experience. Over the last two years I've met the most wonderful people.

"The thing that has amazed me most about this project is how the whole region has contributed. It has been my privilege to help."

And he joked: "I can go home now!"

The veteran funnyman became involved with Sunfield nearly two years ago when he presented a new minibus on behalf of the Variety Club Golfing Society.

Soon after he became patron of the Woodman School and later raised �164,000 towards the new house appeal when he appeared on television quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? with his daughter Jenny.

He also raised money through his Christmas Cracker event at Birmingham's NEC in 2001 and compered two outdoor classical concerts at Hagley Hall - which each raised �10,000.

Professor Barry Carpenter, Sunfield chief executive, said: "In realising this dream we are extremely grateful to Jasper for his invaluable support, and to the generous donors who have given us not only financial support but who have encouraged us to achieve what has been a huge and complicated project."

Members of the community will be able to have a look around the new house at a further open day tomorrow (Tuesday April 6) between 10am and 4pm.

Elefan · April 18, 2004

Thanks to 'Colin and Shelagh' for the below.

From the Independent on Sunday, 18 April 2004

Scientists discover autism link to male brain

By Maxine Frith, Social Affairs Correspondent

18 April 2004

Scientists claim that dramatic new evidence shows that autism may be just an extreme version of the male brain - suggesting the condition may be entirely genetic rather than environmental.

The research, led by a team at Cambridge University, links autism to higher levels of the male hormone testosterone in babies in the womb.

The theory holds out the possibility that in the future pregnant mothers could be screened for autism in the same way that tests are conducted for Down's Syndrome.

It also throws further doubt on the controversial claims that the MMR vaccine is to blame for a huge rise in autism in children.

Autism is a developmental disorder characterised by a lack of empathy, poor communication skills and a highly systematic view of the world. The latest research, presented yesterday at the annual conference of the British Psychological Society by the internationally respected autism expert Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University, is based on studies of babies in the womb to the current point where they are four years old.

Amniotic fluid was taken from their mother's wombs and tested for levels of the hormone testosterone. At one year old, babies with higher levels of foetal testosterone were found to have much less eye contact than those with lower rates.

At 18 months, they were also found to have slower language development. The most recent research, not yet published, was conducted when they reached four. Children with higher levels of testosterone in the womb found it harder to make friends and were more obsessional. There were no differences between the girls and the boys.

Professor Baron-Cohen said: "All our research is suggesting that hormones are having an effect on development. Your chromosomes can make you female but you may have a male brain because of the levels of testosterone. This research was conducted on children who do not have autism and are developing normally but the traits we were seeing in children with higher foetal testosterone are similar to those we see with autism."

Kris · April 20, 2004

Thanx to Elefan for the below

from the Independant - 19th April 2004

Through the eyes of autism

Visual distortions could be the cause of autistic symptoms, according to an American expert. And a simple treatment with vitamin A might be the answer.

Jerome Burne reports

19 April 2004

Virtually every fortified cereal packet broadcasts the message that vitamin A is vital for good eyesight. But even the most gung-ho marketing manager would pause before claiming that the vitamin can dramatically improve the symptoms of autistic children by repairing damage to their retina. However, this is precisely the claim being made by an American paediatrician, who has evidence that treating these children with the right sort of vitamin A is not only highly effective but provides valuable new insights into some of the most puzzling symptoms of this disorder.

"Once you understand the way autistic children 'see' their world," says Dr Mary Megson, a professor of paediatrics at the Medical College of Virginia, "the fact that they don't look you in the eye and can't bear for things to be changed makes perfect sense." She emphatically rejects the widely accepted hypothesis that these children have no theory of mind (ie, no understanding that other people have their own thoughts, plans, points of view), and that they relate to other people as just another type of thing.

Instead, she maintains that their seemingly alienated behaviour is perfectly rational. It is their way of surviving in an extraordinary and terrifying visual world, the result of damage to a protein pathway that affects the way that certain specialised cells in their retinas work. "Imagine that everything appeared to you like a some paintings by Picasso, flat and two-dimensional, with various features superimposed," urges Dr Megson, who has specialised in developmental disorders for the last 15 years. "Or think of a Hockney collage, digitally remastered with all the depth cues taken out."

At a conference on nutritional psychiatry in London earlier this year, Dr Megson described how she has found that a proportion of her patients have only a tiny visual window on the world where things are reasonably clear and appear in 3D. All around this they only see colours and vague shapes. This makes it very hard for them to follow movement, especially the subtleties of facial expressions. Making sense of a new scene is equally challenging - hence their desperate insistence that everything should follow ritualised, predictable patterns.

What concerns Dr Megson, like many other clinicians in this field, is the massive increase in the number of children coming to her with this sort of damage. "Since I've been practising, the number of cases has gone up from one in 10,000 to one in 600, and it may be more," she says. "There are officially 1,522 cases in the state of Virginia, but I've got 1,200 in my practice, which just covers one district."

She is certain that vaccination is at least one of the factors fuelling the rise. But although she agrees with Andrew Wakefield's controversial ideas about the effects of the MMR vaccine on the gut, she is particularly concerned about the vaccine for whooping cough and the "pertussis toxin" it contains. The evidence that she has seen has convinced her that certain children have a genetic susceptibility that makes certain proteins in their bodies vulnerable to damage by the toxin, which can have wide-ranging effects.

Known as "G proteins", they are found all over the body, but especially in the brain and guts, and are involved in boosting or dampening down the signals coming in from our senses (such as sight via the retina), as well as controlling such vital pathways as those for fats and glucose. The scary visual world of the children provides a close-up of how far-reaching the damage can be.

The theory is that receptors in the brain that control the "rod" cells in the retina have been affected by the whooping-cough vaccine. Rods are the cells that convey shading and depth, and allow us to see in black and white in the dark. They are more thickly clustered around the edge of the retina. "When these children look away from you," says Dr Megson, "they are turning their eyes so that the light reflected from your face lands on the outside of their retina, where the rods still have some function."

Controversial as her theory is, what has made her clinic in Richmond, Virginia, such a magnet for desperate parents is that it leads to a form of treatment that seems to be having considerable success. The key to getting the G-protein pathways working again is a form of natural vitamin A. "The results can be dramatic," says Dr Megson. "Within a few days, these children regain eye contact. They may start looking at their mother and speaking. Watching it happen, you get a strong sense of something being unblocked."

It is vital to use unsaturated "cis" vitamin A, as found in cold-water fish such as salmon or cod, as well as liver, kidney and milk fat. "These are foods that children often don't get in modern diets," says Dr Megson. "Synthetic vitamin A, the sort often found in supplements and cereals, can actually make matters worse because it has to be properly absorbed. This in turn needs a healthy gut, but many of these children have damage to the gut due to food allergies and overuse of antibiotics." That is why treatment is usually supported by removing certain foods from the diet, most commonly wheat and milk, and giving probiotics - beneficial gut bacteria.

Autistic children are also often hyperactive, they appear to be running on overdrive. If they were adult, they would be described as highly stressed, with the "sympathetic" side of their nervous system going full blast. Their pupils are frequently dilated and their heart rate and blood pressure is up. This, says Dr Megson, is the result of another one of the effects of the G-protein malfunction, which leaves a number of metabolic pathways without an off-switch.

Just as this messes up the retinoid receptors, it also prevents the proper function of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine that controls the relaxing (parasympathetic) side of the nervous system. To get this going again, after a couple of months on cis-vitamin A, Dr Megson may give a single dose of a drug called bethanecol, which mimics the effects of acetylcholine.

Again, the results can be dramatic. "We suddenly see these withdrawn children laugh, concentrate, show a sense of humour and talk after just 30 minutes," she says. A recent placebo-controlled study of 38 autistic children given cod-liver oil and bethanecol, showed significant improvement.

Besides treating the damage, Dr Megson has also being attempting to detect links between the genetic vulnerability of these children and the diseases suffered by their parents. She has found that, often, a parent or close relative has one of the rare disorders caused by a genetic defect in G protein, such as night blindness, which involves damage to the rods in the retina.

Surprisingly, the same mutation in the gene involved is also connected to a raised risk of colon cancer, and there is also a higher incidence of colon cancer among the parents - along with high levels of fats and cholesterol in their blood, and thyroid problems - all linked with faulty G proteins. "You'd be amazed at how many times I ask a parent of a child with autism if they have a dazzle effect when driving at night - a marker for night blindness - and they say that they do," says Dr Megson.

Such findings are all part of the evidence that G-protein damage is involved, but are far too vague to provide useful guidance on their own as to which children might be at risk. For now, Dr Megson advises that parents with such factors in their medical history check the child's cis-vitamin A level with a blood test before giving a vaccine, and raise it if necessary.

Currently, there are two places in the UK that are familiar with Dr Megson's work, and may be able to offer help with treatment. One is the autism research unit at the University of Sunderland. "Her approach is useful but not the whole answer," comments Paul Shattock, the director. "If cod-liver oil were the cure, you couldn't have autism in Norway." The unit's website features many research papers and an extensive treatment protocol based on nutrition. The other is the Brain Bio Clinic in London, which is just starting to use her approach.

None of this has been proved, and much more work needs to be done to firm up the biochemistry. The official position is that these vaccines are perfectly safe, and that people such as Dr Megson are scaremongering. But something is going on, the number of cases is rising, and the treatment she has developed does seem to help.

Autism Research Unit: http://www.osirissunderland.ac.uk/autism

Brain Bio Clinic: 020-8871 2949; http://www.mentalhealthproject.com

http://www.megson.com

COULD VACCINATIONS DAMAGE YOUR CHILD?

* A new fear about the link between vaccines and autism is causing concern in the US.

* Thimerosal, a form of mercury, is added to many vaccines as a preservative and to reduce the risk of infection in multi-use phials. It is known to be a potent neurotoxin.

* In 1999, an American official calculated that a baby who had all the recommended vaccines at the two-monthly check-up would receive 118 times the Environmental Protection Agency's official limit for daily exposure.

* There have been Congressional hearings about the use of thimerosal, and an action claiming damage to 3,500 children by thimerosal is currently being heard before the federal vaccines injury court.

* Thimerosal is no longer used in American vaccines, but stockpiles of old doses containing it are still being used up.

* Almost alone among Western nations, the UK still uses vaccines containing thimerosal. If you know to ask for a non-mercury containing vaccine for whooping cough, you will be given one. Most parents do not know to ask.

* A report in the journal Molecular Psychiatry this month traces some of the pathways that can be inhibited by mercury. "This may lead to serious disorders that manifest themselves during childhood," say the authors, "including autism and ADHD."

Kris · April 20, 2004

Call for more special schools

By Sarah Cassidy, Education Correspondent

The Independant - 17 April 2004

More special schools must be built to prevent schools from being swamped by special-needs pupils whose disabilities and behavioural problems disrupt the education of other children, teachers say.

Forcing children with special needs to attend mainstream lessons was "child abuse or torture" which damaged their self esteem and disrupted the progress of other students, delegates were told yesterday at the annual conference of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers in Llandudno, Wales. The union voted to condemn the Government's policy of "inclusion" and argued the policy was putting pupils into mainstream lessons despite theirdisabilities, which needed the support of a special school.

The drive to close special schools and transfer pupils to mainstream education had gone too far, teachers said. Forcing mainstream schools to take children who needed specialist attention had merely turned them into "enormous special schools without any of the benefits of true special education", the union warned.

Amanda Haehner, the union's executive member for London, said teachers were cynical about the so-called "inclusion" policy because they suspected it was a way of saving money by shutting down expensive specialist provision. She said some children with physical disabilities or conditions such as autism, Asperger's syndrome and behavioural difficulties could succeed in mainstream classes if schools received more funding.

Kris · April 22, 2004

City study to aid children with autism

AUTISTIC children could be helped with communication thanks to a new project launched by Capital academics.

Researchers at Queen Margaret University College have received a �178,000 grant to investigate the ways in which children with Asperger?s Syndrome communicate.

The study into prosody - not what is said but the way it is said - in children with the condition is to go ahead after being awarded the funding by the Economic and Social Research Council.

Dr Fiona Gibbon, reader and head of speech and language sciences at QMUC, said the study would look at inflection, emphasis and tone of voice in children with Asperger?s Syndrome.

She added children with the condition often had unusual sounding speech, which could lead to them becoming socially isolated.

She said: "This research will help develop better diagnostic procedures and intervention strategies for prosodic difficulties in children with Asperger?s and also in children with other communication or language impairment disorders, which will help them achieve and maintain a better quality of life."

Elefan · June 2, 2004

What Asperger's syndrome has done for us

By Megan Lane

BBC News Online Magazine

Michelangelo might have had it. So, too, may Einstein, Socrates and Jane Austen. All are claimed to have had Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. What is it about this developmental disorder that can lead to genius?

We will never know for sure if the genius of past greats may have been a symptom of a form of autism.

Informed speculation that Michelangelo might have had Asperger's syndrome is just that - the Renaissance artist was never diagnosed in his lifetime. Indeed, Asperger's was only identified as a separate condition in 1944, and not until the mid-90s that it was a clinical diagnosis.

Instead, two medical experts have drawn this conclusion from studying accounts of the artist's behaviour - his single-minded work routine, few friends and obsessional nature - and comparing it with traits displayed by adults who have been diagnosed today.

It's a theory which has been rubbished by art historians, but which has a ring of truth for Eileen Hopkins, of the National Autistic Society. The artist's meticulously observed figures and high work rate resonate with such a diagnosis.

WHAT IS AUTISM?

A complex, lifelong developmental disability

It involves a biological or organic defect in brain function

Autism (including Asperger's) is said to affect about 500,000 people in the UK today

"This reflects the positive side of this gene, that people with it can contribute in many ways. Being single-minded, it gives them the chance to focus on something which interests them. Their talents are not diluted by the everyday interactions that take up so much time for the rest of us."

The same posthumous diagnosis has been made of other historical figures, among them Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton and Andy Warhol.

Attention to detail

What is the link between this condition and creativity, be it in the arts or sciences?

Professor Michael Fitzgerald, of Dublin's Trinity College, one of the experts who posed the Michelangelo theory, says it makes people more creative.

"People with it are generally hyper-focused, very persistent workaholics who tend to see things from detail to global rather than looking at the bigger picture first and then working backwards, as most people do."

Einstein is credited with developing the theory of relativity

But Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, of Cambridge University, says it is more accurate to describe this creativity as "systemising" - a strong drive to analyse detail.

"This might be in mathematics, machines, natural phenomena or anatomy, to identify rules that govern a system and any variations in that system."

While those whose strength lies in rational analysis are by no means exclusively male, it is described as a male brain trait compared with the so-called female ability to empathise - a characteristic weak spot for those with Asperger's.

"The condition does tend to affect men more than women, especially among those who are high-functioning. Males outnumber females nine to one in this diagnosis," he says.

DEFINING TRAITS INCLUDE:

Find social situations confusing

Hard to make small talk

Good at picking up details and facts

Hard to work out what others think and feel

Can focus for very long periods

Source: Cambridge Lifespan Asperger Syndrome Service

Thus it is thought possible that some maths and physics experts, far from being bright but anti-social misfits, may actually have had Asperger's. One whom Mr Baron-Cohen has helped diagnose is the British mathematician Richard Borcherds, the 1998 winner of the Field's Medal - the Nobel Prize of the maths world.

The naturalist and TV presenter David Bellamy mentions in his autobiography that although undiagnosed, he believes he has a form of autism. And Microsoft boss Bill Gates' personality quirks have been compared to those of an autistic.

"This goes to show that people who get by without a diagnosis have found a niche where they can use their skills to make a contribution. This need not be dramatic - perhaps they are a very methodical worker, who understands the rules of their chosen profession," says Mr Baron-Cohen.

Characters with autistic traits

On a lighter note, fictional characters said to display characteristics of those with Asperger's include Mr Spock, Lisa Simpson, Mr Bean and Cliff from Cheers. And one of the school boys in Grange Hill, Martin Miller, has the condition and so has gotten into difficulty after taking a mate's advice on girls too literally.

"Mr Spock is an extreme example of someone driven by logic and systemising, but who has no interest in the feelings of others," says Mr Baron-Cohen. "But he is very much a caricature."

nellie · June 11, 2004

The NAS is to launch the biggest and best UK national Public Autism Resource Information System (PARIS) at the end of the year. This groundbreaking system will build upon existing NAS information initiatives to collect, validate and hold information on autism in a single database.

The system will hold information for people affected by autism such as their nearest diagnostic centre, after school club, specialist autism school and parents support group. It will also tap into the resource rich NAS website to access information on all forms of autism and its impact as well as other information systems and will help with autism research and local or health authority enquiries.

This system will be unique as it will become the biggest store of information on autism in the world ever. Anyone with a PC Internet connection will be able to access PARIS.

nellie · June 11, 2004

A place in society: The Importance of Planning for Life

The 2004 Autism Awareness Week report 'A place in society' pulls together evidence on current outcomes for people with autistic spectrum disorders, using real life examples to illustrate the particular difficulties in planning for life experienced by people with autism. While a statutory framework exists in all the UK nations for transition planning after compulsory education, its implementation is at best patchy.

This report can be downloaded from this link.

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=160&a=4443

Following on from this the NAS have highlighted some of the problems that a person with an ASD and their family can face throughout their life time, from getting a diagnosis and obtaining the services they need, through to employment.

40% of all children with autism wait more than three years for a clear diagnosis.

4 in 10 GPs do not have enough information about autism to make an informed assessment.

Children with autism are 20 times more likely to be excluded from school than other children. The main reason being that the school was unable to cope with the child.

49% of adults with an ASD are still living at home with their parents. Although 70% of parents felt that their son or daughter would be able to live independently without support.

65% of these adults with an ASD had not had an official care assessment and are therefore unlikely to be known by any supporting bodies that should be helping them.

Only 1 in 4 local authorities are sufficiently preparing to meet the needs of people with an ASD when their parents are too old to cope or have died.

Only 6% of adults with an ASD are in full-time paid employment.

Only 20% of adults with an ASD are in any employment.

Adults with autism say that finding a suitable job would improve their lives more than anything else.

21% of people with learning difficulties (including ASD) surveyed had been subject to physical attacks in the past year. This is likely to be due to a lack of social understanding and awareness of their disabilities.

Only 22% of NAS carer members had ever received any support from social services in their role.

IvanTravalian · June 28, 2004

I'd like to juxtapose the above document with an excerpt from Peter F. Drucker?s book from 1999 [ref 1]. Peter Drucker is the most eminent management thinker, and here he writes about the management of the individual, for general public, of course, primarily for neurotypical people.

�The answer to the three questions, What are my strengths, How do I perform? and What are my values? should enable the individual, and especially the individual knowledge worker, to decide where he or she belongs.

This is not a decision that most people can or should make at the beginning of their careers. But most people, and especially highly gifted people, do not really know where they belong till they are well past their mid-twenties?

Knowing the answer to these three questions enables people to say to an opportunity, to an offer, to an assignment, �Yes, I?ll do that. But this is the way I should be doing it. This is the way it should be structured. This is the way my relationships should be. These are the kinds of results you should expect from me, and in this time frame, because this is who I am.�

Successful careers are not �planned.� They are the careers of people who are prepared for the opportunity because they know their strengths, the way they work, and their values.�

Hmm. If the above is true, if planning is an inadequate concept to find a Place in Society for non-handicapped, it is even more likely to be for the ASD affected. In few instances, the specifics of the ASD condition would make the above suggestion inadequate. In far more cases, ASD makes them more important.

l'd suggest that, beside demanding special considerations for the ASD affected (which is about state intervention), people should start seeking ways to promote the notions outlined in the quote, that are serving the higher functioning among the ASD affected, as well as any NT individual(which isn't(?) damaging). If statutory framework exists in all the UK nations for transition planning after compulsory education, and its implementation is at best patchy, it should largely be from cultural reasons. So we should seek - a new culture.

Another reason: the highly inpredictable economic and social environment we find today may make many initiatives for governmental help futile in near future. (E.g, even if NLabour wins on the next elections, maybe the minister responsible will have some wacky views, as Clare Short had on the environmentalists.)

Superficially, the idea of supporting cultural transformation (a slow process) looks extravagant, idealistic, and thus unlikely to succeed. But, if Drucker is anything to go by, the economic trends are going to be in support of it:

�Organizations that [?] strip away everything that gets in their... workers' way [to perform] -- will be able to attract, hold, and motivate the best performers. That will be the single biggest factor for competitive advantage in the next 25 years.� [2]

This could be a vehicle... ? :rolleyes:

[1] �Management Challenges for the 21st Century� Peter F. Drucker 1999

[2] http://www.pfdf.org/leaderbooks/l2l/spring2000/drucker.html

Kris · July 2, 2004

12/05/2004

Furious parents fear that new Scottish law will spell disaster for autistic children educated at home

EDINBURGH, Scotland: By any standards, Lloyd Allanson?s progress in the past two years has been dramatic

Diagnosed with autism at the age of six, the youngster could barely speak, read, write or count. Now, he can construct sentences, read simple phrases, count up to 50 and place objects in order according to size and colour.

But now his mother, Lorene Amet, fears that a new law passed by the Scottish Parliament on April 1 will dramatically transform special-needs education north of the Border and could bring a halt to the dramatic strides that Lloyd has made since he began being taught at home.

According to Lorene, 38, her son?s transformation is down to the fact that he is educated at home. She says that the few short months her son spent in mainstream schools had left him "totally traumatised" and saw him regress to the point where he was unable to communicate with those around him. Since giving up her job as a research scientist at Edinburgh University, Lorene has spent 40 hours a week educating Lloyd at her home in a quiet residential street in Morningside.

Unlike his time at Royal Mile primary and Craigentinny school, where Lorene says the teachers were unable to give Lloyd the personal attention his condition required, he has thrived, thanks to his mother?s tuition.

"When he first went to school, he was very sensitive to noise and would roll on the floor and scream," she said. "He was totally traumatised by the experience. Now he?s talking in sentences, he?s asking questions, is very inquisitive and can read about 100 words, as well as some simple phrases. Being educated at home has saved him - there is no doubt about that."

To assist Lloyd in his educational development, the youngster also has a "record of needs", entitling him to speech therapy funded by the City of Edinburgh Council. But Lorene fears that the new law passed by the Scottish Parliament could bring Lloyd's progress to a halt.

The Additional Support for Learning Act will scrap the record of needs and replace it with a co-ordinated support plan (CSP). Under the Act, local authorities will no longer be responsible for children whose parents choose to educate them at home - although they can assist when a parent asks that their child is assessed.

According to Lorene, that means that Lloyd will effectively be cut off from any form of state support.

She told The Scotsman newspaper: "Every child with special needs is entitled to a record of needs, but now there will be a lot of children with special needs, such as those who are home-educated, who will get nothing. I feel I have been let down by the democratic system."

There are other parents of children with special needs who feel the new law will be disastrous for them. They believe that the sScottish Executive, which has insisted all along that the Bill will improve support for more young people, has failed to listen to their concerns and has, instead, introduced a piece of legislation which will leave them worse off than they were before.

Ken Ross is a lawyer whose son James, aged seven, has autistic spectrum disorder and attends a mainstream Edinburgh school with shadow support. He says the new act will give local authorities the power to reject a family?s calls for their child to have a CSP on the grounds that it would be too expensive.

"The practical effect is that, even if you can set out a good case for a particular provision to meet the best interests of the child, the local authority can knock that down on the basis of cost," he said. "The new Bill was driven not by the parents, but by the councils and the politicians. If parents had had a choice, they would have improved the ?record of needs? system, but we weren?t given that choice. The end result is that the new system will be even worse than what was already in place."

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive said local authorities may only refuse a CSP on the grounds that a child does not meet the criteria for one. "If a CSP is refused, parents have the right to appeal the decision. Ministers have pledged that no pupil will miss out on the support they currently receive under the current record of needs system," she said.

Parents say they have also been left disillusioned by the parliamentary process. From the Scottish Executive?s original consultation last year, through to the Bill?s scrutiny by Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), they say their concerns have been largely ignored.

Lorraine Dilworth, who set up the Record of Needs Alert (RONA) pressure group when the Executive first unveiled their proposals, said the politicians should be "ashamed" of their actions.

She said: "I thought the whole thing was a charade. MSPs are meant to be there for the people and to ensure our children reach their potential, but they?ve ignored the parents and they?ve passed a Bill without knowing what its implementation will mean. We feel like we haven?t been listened to. I?ve never come across a parent who even wanted this Bill in the first place."

Steve Law, whose son Matthew, 11, has autism as well as severe learning difficulties, is angry that the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition ensured the Bill was guaranteed a parliamentary majority.

Mr Law said: "What good is it if you can convince parliamentarians of the problems associated with the Bill if they can?t stand up and have a free vote, when you?re talking about the most vulnerable children in society?"

But while the Executive stood firm to ensure the Bill?s safe passage through Parliament, there were dissenting voices on the opposition benches.

The Tory education spokesman, James Douglas-Hamilton, said: "There?s a danger that the emphasis has been shifted away from parents towards giving more discretion to local authorities. There?s also great worry because many thousands of those who have records of needs are unlikely to have a co-ordinated support plan, which will mean they will not have the same legal rights."

The SNP education spokeswoman, Fiona Hyslop, called the Bill "a missed opportunity" to help more youngsters with special needs. She said: "My concern is that there will be a rationing of resources, and the few children that will be eligible for the co-ordinated support plan will be the ones that get resources first and children, possibly those with dyslexia or autism, will be left at the back of the queue."

Although the Bill is only awaiting Royal Assent before it officially becomes law, parents opposed to the legislation have not given up the fight. The code of practice, which will provide details of how the law will be implemented, has still to be completed.

The Executive insisted that the legislation is for the benefit of special-needs children. Its spokeswoman said: "The Additional Support for Learning Act enables children and young people to make the most of their abilities by delivering the support they need when they need it. The views of parents, teachers, local authorities, voluntary organisations and others have been central to shaping this legislation. We will consult with them again to develop a code of practice that will support local authorities in meeting the new duties."

But Mr Law voiced the determination of parents to fight for something better: "The Bill has been passed, but the regulations and the code of practice will be the most important part of the legislation. We will still be campaigning to make sure our children do not lose out."

(Source: The Scotsman, May 12, 2004)

Kris · July 2, 2004

Families with autistic adults need more help, says charity

By Sarah Womack

(Filed: 17/05/2004)

The intense difficulties faced by parents of autistic children when their children become adults are highlighted today in a report.

The National Autistic Society said that for adults with autism there was no equivalent of the services available to some autistic children.

Many local authorities are also reluctant to support people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), a range of social and communication disorders.

There are an estimated 500,000 people with ASD in Britain, of whom 320,000 are adults. Half of adults with ASD still live at home, with only six per cent in full-time employment although many could work with the right support.

While 70 per cent of parents feel their son or daughter would be unable to live independently, 65 per cent of ASD adults had not had a community care assessment and did not know the agencies that could help them.

"People with ASD continue to fall through the gaps between mental health and learning disability services," says the NAS report, A Place in Society. "Families are left in the dark about options that may be available and left with stark choices - for instance between an inappropriate residential service and keeping their adult child in the family home."

Society's awareness of autism is still low, particularly of adults with autism, and the nature of the disability is extremely complex.

The average age of children when they are diagnosed with autism is five and a half. For children with Asperger syndrome, a neurobiological disorder, it is 11.

ASD has been widely recognised only relatively recently. Asperger syndrome appeared in diagnostic manuals only in 1994.

A survey found that only 53 per cent of people with ASD who should have a "transition plan" for moving into adulthood, agreed with the family and health, education and social services officials, had one in place.

More than half of parents of 11- to 16-year-olds were not even aware of the transition plan for those 14 and over or what it meant.

The charity called for all relevant agencies to be given training in autism, with staff and money to support planning for people with ASD.

Gavin Owen, policy and campaigns officer for adults at the NAS, said: "Parents are not given advice on the possibilities about autism in adulthood, such as help into employment or shared accommodation in converted flats.

"A lot of people with ASD in their forties still live at home and parents worry because they are getting older and cannot look after them indefinitely."

He said the Commission for Social Care Inspection should investigate why social services were not participating in transition reviews.

He said there should be penalties for those social services departments which did not participate. "People in directly relevant services must have an understanding of autism," Mr Owen said.

"Local agencies such as careers advisers or housing agencies should also be able to tell people with ASD what their rights are. "Often in adulthood, the safety net drops away for adults with ASD in terms of social services and health care.

"Someone might have a paediatrician who knows about autism but when that person becomes an adult, they cannot find an adult psychiatrist or psychologist who understands their needs."

The National Autism Society's helpline is 0845 070 4004 and is open 10am-4pm, Monday to Friday.

Kris · August 2, 2004

'Quack Autism cures must end'

A new charity, The Autism Intervention Research Trust has been set up. It will fund studies that will look at which autism intervention treatments work, and which do not. They are concerned that many intervention treatments have no scientific backup and want to ensure we parents are not being conned through our wish to help our autistic children.

The chairman, Mr Guy Maddrell, says the charity will also fund research into new ways of treating autism.

Currently, only 8% of autism research is focussed on intervention treatments, and the Trust want to address this vital need for study on treatments.

The NAS and the Government are both backing the charity.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3840629.stm

Hopefully, I should have provided a link so you can have a look yourselves. It's kind of old news, but as I hadn't heard about it yet, I thought it was a good idea to post this.

Colin_and_Shelagh · August 2, 2004

Following on from the previous post, from The Independent

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_me...sp?story=547162

In search of a cure for autism

Parents spend thousands on therapies that claim to help autistic children live normal lives, but most of them are unproven. Now doctors aim to find out what really works

By Jane Feinmann

02 August 2004

When Tim was diagnosed with autism five years ago, his parents were told he would be unlikely to speak or make relationships. Now aged seven and doing well in mainstream primary school, he and his family are moving to a new town and a fresh start. His mother, Andrea, believes that only other people's memories of his autistic past will hamper his future as a normally developing child.

His advances have occurred as a result of working with an intensive educational intervention programme - paid for by his local educational authority but unproven as a clinical intervention. And in the field of autism therapy, it is not unique in this respect.

Of the hundreds of remedies and interventions on offer to the half-million people with autism, of whom 100,000 are children, virtually none has been subjected to the stringent scientific evaluation required throughout the rest of health care.

"Evidence-based practice has passed autism by," says Richard Mills, the research director at the National Autistic Society (NAS). "Only eight per cent of the research budget spent on the disorder is spent on interventions. As a result, there is no reliable guidance available to desperate parents. Doctors are just as much in the dark as parents and often less wise because they think they know all the answers."

Inevitably, parents turn to the internet for help and the pressure to make the right choices can be overwhelming. There are a dozen or more intensive educational programmes for young children, of the type that have helped Tim. There are flash cards and behavioural therapies, diets that restrict what the child eats or add expensive supplements, not to mention opportunities to swim with dolphins. Drugs are equally under-investigated. Seven out of 10 children with autism are taking prescription drugs, including ritalin, SSRIs, major tranquillisers and anti-psychotics, none of which has been tested for people with autism or adequately studied in children. "Most parents start by believing that the disorder can be cured and throw themselves into researching therapies," says Andrea Spinks, the mother of eight-year-old, severely autistic Emily. "The paediatrician who diagnosed Emily gave us no advice whatsoever. So every time you hear of something new, you get terrified that you're missing the one therapy that will make all the difference."

Such pressures can prove expensive. Patrick Armstrong's parents have spent �45,000 in the two years since he was diagnosed with autism at the age of two - a substantial amount of which was not money well spent. Beverley Armstrong paid �3,000 to a "verbal behaviour consultant", who taught Patrick sign language and then left without giving notice. Another �1,000 went on a workshop that would have "taught Patrick as though he was a robot". And �250 went on an hour's telephone consultation with a nutritionist "who basically told me to make sure he ate his vegetables".

At last, however, change is on the way. The Autism Intervention Research Trust was set up last month to fund research both to "halt the exploitation and the wasted time and money on inappropriate methods of treatment" and to find out what works.

"Good advice, based on impartial scientific evaluation, is very hard for parents and many professionals to find," the Trust's chairman, Geoffrey Maddell, said at its launch. "Yet without effective and timely intervention, the consequences for the individual and the family can be devastating" - implying what many parents believe that, never mind the cause of autism, far more can be done to improve the life skills of children who have to live with the disorder.

The Trust, which has the support of leading international academics and will draw funding from the Government and the research bodies, has already begun work by drawing up a list of priorities, based on a survey carried out among the NAS membership. The initial task will be to provide doctors, and eventually parents, with a website that gives detailed information about the latest advances and methods of intervention, including claims that are being made about each therapy and how those claims stand up to scientific evaluation.

Parents are most keen to get an assessment of biomedical interventions, particularly diets and vitamin supplements - which are likely to be among the first candidates for evaluation. More tricky will be an assessment of the early intervention programmes, which appear to promise the greatest benefit and, at up to �40,000 a year per child, are by far the most expensive - not least, says Mills, because the wide autistic spectrum means that what works for one child will not necessarily help another.

What research there is, and almost none is independent, suggests that at least some children with autism can make massive strides forward. In 1987, the University of California Los Angeles psychologist, Ivar Lovaas, published the results of a (subsequently hugely successful) intensive early intervention programme, teaching cognitive skills to children under four years of age - reporting that 47 per cent of the children were successfully mainstreamed.

Since then, other early intervention programmes such as the Son-Rise programme, TEACCH and Growing Minds (which helped Tim) have become widely used on both sides of Atlantic. Beverley Armstrong has also found Growing Minds transformational - though she acknowledges that it takes up considerable time and money. "It's all about joining with the child to encourage him to relate to other people. You follow their lead, so that when he flaps his arms, you flap your arms."

Patrick is taught at home with a rota of up to four tutors at a time, with Beverley planning the programme, video taping lesson and regularly visiting the headquarters in the USA, "something I find essential to keep motivated". But it's worthwhile, she says - Patrick attends a mainstream playgroup, uses single words and has near-normal eye contact with people he meets. "He is still delayed developmentally but his progress has been astounding. He is as bright as a button and ready for mainstream primary school next year," she says. She is also trying to raise �7,000 to pay for a week's intensive training for Patrick in the US.

Another successful programme, PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), which encourages children with autism to exploit their often highly developed visual senses, has helped Emily Spinks. Three months ago, she started producing animated stories that are already provoking interest in the art world. "Suddenly, there's this feeling: Em's got something. After all the work for such little reward, suddenly a door has opened," says her mother.

Yet there is also deep concern about the "umpteen complaints" that the NAS receives from parents who have invested heavily in their children's future and been disappointed. There's also recognition that the programmes are both very expensive and under-assessed, not least as regards their long-term impact.

"Take, for instance, the fact that at two weeks, a normally developing baby is aware of its mother's emotions. Yet that is something that will always remain a problem for someone with autism," says Ofer Golan, a research coordinator at Cambridge University's Autism Research Centre who uses the centre's Mind Reading programme (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) to help eight- to 14-year-old Asperger's children to develop an emotional language. "At a basic level, where children are learning about different emotions by rote, reinforced by rewards, the programme works quite well. But even with a group of high-achieving autistic children, the difficulty comes when they're encouraged to generalise what they've learnt to other situations. One of them asked me: "Well, now I can tell when someone is angry with me. So what do I do now?"

There is concern, says Richard Mills, that while children lose the symptoms of autism, and behave in ways that are more acceptable, enabling them to progress at school more easily, they remain autistic. "When they get to secondary school or university, where social skills are needed for survival, there can be problems."

Meanwhile, at Reading University, microbiologists have just got the go-ahead for new research, focusing - for the first time since the MMR d�b�cle - on the high incidence of gastro-intestinal problems in children with autism, with the possibility that probiotics, live microbiological food supplements that have been shown to prevent toxic bacteria from colonising the gut, may have a role in therapy.

In a previous study, professor Glenn Gibson at Reading's department of microbiology, has already shown that that, compared to normally developing children, those with autism are more likely to have a poisonous type of bacteria, clostridia, in their gut, as well as having a higher risk of suffering chronic constipation or diarrhoea. "It is a particularly nasty bug that can cause a dangerous gut disease in newborns," explains professor Gibson. "It also produces neurotoxins, which can affect the brain - which may explain the link with autism."

In the new study, a group of autistic children with high levels of the clostridia, will be given a probiotic drink that contains Lactobacillus plantarum, "good" bacteria that the team has already shown are able to keep the clostridia under control. At the same time, psychologists will monitor the children's use of language and social skills and compare them with another group of autistic children who will receive a placebo.

What's certain to emerge from this and the other new research programmes, is that there is no cure for autism. The new research programmes, however, represent a welcome change in clinical attitude to autism - that the existence of a wide autistic spectrum and the lack of understanding of its cause, doesn't mean parents should be left alone to decide how to provide support. As Geoffrey Maddell says: "Research into autism needs to be based on a wholehearted belief in the value of those on the spectrum and the hidden benefits they can bring to those around them. It must help them realise their potential."

The National Autistic Society helpline: 0845 0704004; Autism Intervention Research Trust: 0117 974 8400

Elefan · August 7, 2004

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3543900.stm

Hot off the press!!! A 5 in 1 vaccine though??????????

Elefan

xx

nellie · August 8, 2004

This mornings news. No Plans to Close Special Schools

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3544578.stm

Nellie.

Colin_and_Shelagh · August 8, 2004

That's OK then.

No wait. I remember reading this story recently.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/herefor...rcs/3898209.stm

Colin

Colin_and_Shelagh · August 11, 2004

These 3 articles formed part of a feature in yesterday's Daily Telegraph about a teenage girl with AS.

'Teachers suggested I was exaggerating.' Hmmm.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jht...8/10/haut10.xml

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jht...10/ixhmain.html

nellie · August 11, 2004

The Sunday Telegraph, August 8, 2004

British parents who set up autism school threatened with prosecution

SHARPTHORNE, East Sussex, UK: Parents who set up a special school for their autistic children have been threatened with prosecution for failing to send them to a mainstream primary school.

The Step by Step autistic school in East Sussex opened in April this year because parents felt that local schools could not cater for their children's special needs.

The county's education authority told the parents, however, that they would be taken to court if their children's "unauthorised absences" from school continued.

On August 7, the parents condemned the threats. Samantha Hilton, from Crowborough, whose son Max, six, goes to Step by Step two days a week and to a state primary school for three days, said: "They can prosecute me if they like but I'll go to jail rather than deprive my son of the chance of having a more fulfilling life. It is completely ridiculous to threaten me with prosecution because Max goes to an autistic school at our own expense."

Mrs Hilton, 34, whose five-year old son, Charlie, is also autistic, said: "Max is not playing truant. We are not failing to control him. We are trying to give him the best education we can find. Step by Step is good for him, he has made so much progress there, and he loves it."

Catherine James, whose son Joshua, six, attends Step by Step three days a week and St Mary's RC primary two days a week, said that the council's threats were outrageous. "We started Step by Step because the provision for autistic children was not good enough. Now they are pressuring me to give up something that gives Josh the chance of a brighter future."

Mrs James, 41, a teacher at a private secondary school, added: "The [british] government talks a lot about choice, but what choices are we given?"

Britain's National Autistic Society described the threats as "unnecessarily aggressive". A spokesman said: "Local authorities should work in partnership with parents to do the best thing for the children. Children's needs must be paramount and parents usually know their children better than local authorities."

The parents opened the school four months ago at Sharpthorne, 12 miles from Crowborough, after a tribunal refused to overturn the education authority's rulings that a local primary school was adequate for Max, and that two days at a primary school and three at a special-needs school was appropriate for Joshua.Mrs James said: "The local authority lumps together children with very different needs in the name of 'inclusion,' but that's no good for Josh."

The parents, supported by other families, spent two and a half years planning the new school and raised �500,000 in grants from the government, educational trusts and local fund-raising schemes.

They decided to defy the ruling, open the school and send their children there - at a cost of �12,000 a year for Max and �18,000 for Joshua, who goes three days a week there. From September, Josh will go to Step by Step full-time, increasing the fees to �30,000 a year.

The school, a registered charity, was approved by the Department for Education and Skills and passed its preliminary Ofsted inspection.

Step by Step has four autism therapists who use a teaching method pioneered in the United States called Applied Behavioural Analysis. The one-on-one technique breaks down tasks and speech into minute steps and aims to help children to achieve a degree of independence.

The parents said that the technique helped their children to develop in a way that would not be possible at a state school full-time. Mrs James said: "It can turn children's lives around."

The school has four pupils, with two more expected to join next month, and the capacity to take up to 12. The day consists of intensive one-to-one work in the morning and group sessions in the afternoon. Pupils are taught everything from reading and communication skills to dressing themselves, personal grooming and mixing with other people.

Other parents of autistic children criticised the local authority. Charlotte Moore, from Hastings in East Sussex, who has two autistic children, said: "The council's threats are unbelievable. Autistic children, almost without exception, should not be in mainstream schools. Step by Step is the right way to approach autism. If the council says that its own provision is adequate then it is almost certainly wrong."

Mrs Moore, whose children attend an autistic unit attached to a special needs school and have Applied Behavioural Analysis therapy for two hours a night five days a week at home, said: "This could be about saving money on the part of the local authority, but although it may be cheaper in the short term not to fund special schools, it will be much more expensive in the long term because the children will be less independent as adults."

The British government has sought to encourage councils to educate children with special needs, including autism and other disabilities, in mainstream schools, claiming that this is better for their education. It is also cheaper.

The opposition Conservative Party promised to reverse this policy last week by giving parents of children with disabilities the right to have their child educated at a special school.

David Cameron, the Conservative MP for Witney, Oxfordshire, who has a severely disabled son, said on August 7 that the government's inclusion policy was being used to cut costs and place children in the mainstream, when they would be better off in special schools. "It is crazy. We are talking about some of the most vulnerable children in the country. They have huge needs and really cannot do anything for themselves, and yet the blanket policy of inclusion is being used to close special schools," he said.

East Sussex county council insisted that the education offered by the council's schools was suitable for the children. A spokesman said: "We expect all parents to make sure their children attend school. In these cases the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal has found Step by Step School to be inappropriate. If a child remains absent, then the county council may ultimately have no option but to prosecute."

(Source: The Sunday Telegraph, August 8, 2004)

Kris · October 13, 2004

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3734370.stm

Kris · October 13, 2004

Autism Month Radio 4 - You and Yours.

Starting on October 4th, Radio 4 will be broadcasting all issues related to autism, you can email or phone them to have your say, many different people worth listening to including Paul Shattock, Stephen Ladyman[health minister] and Luke Jackson.

You can find relevent information from the site below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/fe.../comingup.shtml

NAS information on BBC Radio 4 broadcasts month-long series on autism

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=253&a=5711

Kris · October 13, 2004

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3753465.stm

Basically it says that "This new study proposes one possible mechanism for this effect by showing that there may be link between antibiotic use and alterations in the normal bacteria of the gut.

Since the same link to children "alleged" or "suspected" to have been damaged following vacination also points to gut problems and one of the many ingredients of the cocktail of vacination include antibiotic neomycin which is a very powerful antibiotic which is given to patients about to undergo serious bowel surgey and never given to patients in oral form under the age of 18 years of age.

Of course the theory goes (as I understnad it) that the damage to the gut and the bodies intolerance or allergy to casein/gluten (thereby toxins leak through the gut wall which has become porous due to viral damage and thereby peptides/toxins cross to the blood stream and end up in the brain causing or worsening the effects of autism. Many parents I know have implemented the cf/gf diet with great results.

Unfortunately my son's peaditatrician (and many medical experts) dismiss the leaky gut theory out of hand saying there is no proof! Grrrrrr

If I have gotten the leaky gut mechanism theory wrong, please feel free to correct me!

But what the asthma link does show is that antibiotics can play a part in allergy and my kids had loads of ear infections etc, were treated with antiobiotics my son was given intravenous antibiotics at one stage for non-specific viral infection and a week later went onto to have DPT, HiB, Meng C and Polio (surely health professionals should not have inflicted further pressure on an immune system already under so much pressure)!

Many of these kids have similar patterns and surely someone shoudl be looking at the patterns that develop with kids and antibiotics because the rise in childhood allergy is alarming (leaving aside the autism debate)!

Sorry, am just rambling here but thought the above link might be of interest to some of you whose children also have asthma or allergy in general.

Take care

nellie · October 18, 2004

Autism Month Radio 4 - You and Yours.

Tomorrow you will have your chance to have your say on air in Call You and Yours.

They want to hear your personal stories including living with autism, diagnosis, education, therapies and coping later in life.

The guest tomorrow will be the actress Jane Asher President of the National Autistic Society.

Tele. 080 044 044

E mail via the website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/

Include your telephone number so they can get back to you.

nellie · October 26, 2004

23/10/2004

British Education Minister: 'Special-needs provision must improve'

LONDON, UK: The provision for children with special educational needs (SEN) in schools "has got to get better,� Britain?s Education Minister, Lord Filkin, has said.

His comments follow an Ofsted report published last week revealing that while schools were increasingly committed to SEN there was still much to be done.

There are between 90,000 and 120,000 children with autism in Britain, but the vast majority are integrated in mainstream schools.

Audit Commission figures put SEN spending in schools at around �3.5 billion, 15 per cent of the total school budget.

But Lord Filkin said the Government was �not happy about whether the system is as yet delivering good enough results.�

The volume of parents resorting to tribunals to get the best education for their child was particularly worrying. According to Britain?s National Autistic Society, this went up by 47 per cent between 1999 and 2003.

"It does raise questions of a system where it is all too easy for it to feel that it's the parent in conflict with the education authority and the school,� Lord Filkin said.

Last week, the National Autistic Society warned of a "terrifying gap" in provision and support for autistic adults.

The NAS president, Jane Asher, said sufferers were often neglected by their local authorities once they reached adulthood.

(Source: Medical News Today, October 23, 2004)

nellie · October 27, 2004

New test for autism

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1799

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