Autism Speaks Unveils 100 Day Kit, A Unique Resource for Parents of Children Newly Diagnosed with Autism
Providing Families with Connections to Resources and Support Services in Their Communities

NEW YORK, NY (February 29, 2008) — Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism advocacy organization, today announced the launch of its 100 Day Kit, a personalized resource to assist families in getting through the critical time following an autism diagnosis. In addition to receiving the contents of the kit, which includes information about services and service providers in a family’s community, those who register will also be connected with a regional Autism Speaks Autism Response Team member who can provide further insight and guidance.

A personalized version of the 100 Day Kit is available by visiting www.autismspeaks.org/community/family_services/100_day_kit.php, where parents of a newly diagnosed child will be asked to fill out a short survey. In response, an Autism Response Team coordinator will contact the family to get additional information so that the 100 Day Kit can be tailored to include resources specific to their child’s age and location. The family will receive a binder with pertinent information, as well as contact information for an Autism Response Team coordinator in their region who has been trained specifically to answer questions they may have.

The turn-around time for a new kit will be approximately one week from the date of the initial request. Members of the Autism Response Team will follow up with families four months after they receive the 100 Day Kit to see how they are doing, answer any questions they may have, and solicit their feedback. Families may also download the text of the kit without registering – and without personalization – and use Autism Speaks’ Family Services Resource Guide to access local resource information.

The 100 Day Kit includes basic information about autism and dealing with the news of a diagnosis. The personalized kit lists local service providers, support groups, recreational activities, sources of legal information, conferences, local autism and disability organizations and information about the local chapter of Autism Speaks. It provides insight into getting services for a newly diagnosed child and explains various available treatment options. A week-by-week action plan helps walk a family through the steps it needs to take to ensure that it is on the right track. The kit also includes a glossary of terms associated with autism, as well as a safety plan and a list of recommended books and informational web sites.

“When a child is diagnosed with autism, his or her parents are often left feeling overwhelmed and confused about what to do next and where to turn for help,” said Peter Bell, Autism Speaks Executive Vice President for Programs and Services. “This kit will be a valuable tool for these families and will help make the first few weeks and months after diagnosis a little less daunting.”

“Parents need to know that they are not alone,” said Lisa Goring, Autism Speaks Director of Family Services. “The 100 Day Kit and the Autism Response Team will help families get informed, get organized and get connected to important resources and support services in their community.”

The 100 Day Kit was created by the Autism Speaks Family Services staff in conjunction with a professional advisory committee comprised of twelve autism professionals, a parent advisory committee that included parents from across the country, and members of the Autism Speaks Family Services Committee.

ABOUT AUTISM
Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 150 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The diagnosis of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.

ABOUT AUTISM SPEAKS
Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders, to funding research into the causes, prevention and treatments for autism, and to advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. It was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Bob Wright is Vice Chairman, General Electric, and served as chief executive officer of NBC for more than twenty years. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit http://www.autismspeaks.org/.

The Interactive Autism Network (IAN), a project of the Kennedy Krieger Institute sponsored by Autism Speaks, has released the February 2008 research report.  Parents of children with autism were asked to join the project and voluntarily supply information about their entire family.  As time passes numbers are crunched and research reports are released.  The February 2008 report focused on autism treatments.  Parents were asked how many different treatments their children were receiving at a given time.  The results from the survey were astounding.  Some children were only receiving one type of intervention while another parent reported that her child was receiving 56 different treatments…at the same time.  The numbers seemed to peak at five simultaneous treatments.

The top five treatments were speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, applied behavior analysis (ABA), social skills groups, and the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).  The survey then broke down the treatments into types of treatment with prescription medications being the most popular.  The report goes on to discuss the lengths that parents have gone through in order to receive adequate services with 5% reporting a move to a new state and 18% either had one parent quit a job or reduce hours in order to meet the child’s therapy schedules.   

Read the entire report at Ian Research Report #5 - February 2008.

Visual Schedules Help Kids Maintain Routines at Home or at School

Dix Hills, NY ( PRWEB ) February 26, 2008 — Children with autism thrive on structure, and routine is often their best friend. Autism spectrum kids feel more secure when they know what to expect, and visual schedules provide comfort while teaching vital independence and self-help skills. Now Natural Learning Concepts, a noted provider of quality materials for children on the autism spectrum, has released two of its most eagerly awaited new products, the Responsibility Check List Sets, in separate editions for School and Home. Each set is priced individually and affordably at $12.95 apiece.

To celebrate the new products, and for a limited time only, customers can enjoy a $5 savings on the sets, for a combined purchase price of just $20, available immediately at http://www.nlconcepts.com/autism-new.htm Please use the coupon code 4309117 to redeem this offer, which is valid for the first 300 customers only.

“We all follow daily routines,” comments Natural Learning Concepts Co-Founder Jene Aviram. “Students on the autism spectrum are empowered by these visual Check Lists. Their confidence levels rise when they control their own schedules. The Check Lists also ease anxiety and frustration, as children always know exactly what is coming next, as well as how many steps there are to completion.”

The Responsibility Check Lists are portable laminated card sets, bound on a single metal ring that can be easily opened or closed. The ring allows parents and students to remove, add, or change the order of items (or even to combine Check Lists, if both Home and School packs are used together). The use of the ring means that the list may be easily clipped to a belt, key ring, or backpack, for added convenience. Each Responsibility Check List includes an assortment of high-quality, laminated photo cards as the perfect tools to teach self-help skills, establish routines, and to self-monitor behavior.

The Home Responsibility Check List contains activities that occur before and after school, breaking down the tasks of the day with clear images and short sentences. Examples in this Check List include: “I wake up, I go to the toilet, I brush my teeth” right through to evening activities such as “I eat dinner, I take a bath, I put on my pajamas,” and more, with each step clearly defined.

For the School Check List, activities are separated into three categories, Before School, During School and After School. This visual schedule includes a wealth of common helpful activities and reminders, such as “I listen to my teacher, I do my work, I raise my hand in class, I keep my hands to myself, I pack my school bag, I say good-bye to my friends,” and more.

“The cards of each Responsibility Check List are a visual representation of a child’s day, at Home, or at School,” adds Co-Founder Jocelyn Blum. “They empower kids with autism who typically thrive on structure. For parents and teachers working to increase independence, accountability and self-help skills, they’re truly an affordable and invaluable tool.”

Using the Responsibility Check Lists is easy and fun. Parents or teachers can begin by organizing and reordering the set to the child’s own schedule and preferences. Teach the use of the cards by flipping through the sets while practicing the activities. Once the child is familiar with the set, she can begin flipping through the cards on her own, swiftly learning how each card corresponds with the completion of an activity. The cards will soon become an important and reassuring part of the child’s daily life.

About Natural Learning Concepts

Natural Learning Concepts is committed to the acceptance, celebration and understanding of people with autism exactly as they are. Their range of outstanding books, materials and inspirational content are designed to facilitate communication, increase speech, language and comprehension while having fun in the process. All of the materials on the Natural Learning Concepts website are used for teaching children at all levels of the autism spectrum as well as those diagnosed with PDD-NOS, Asperger’s, ADHD and speech and language delays. The company’s critically acclaimed materials are routinely used for ABA therapy, social storybooks for autism, early intervention and verbal behavior analysis. Parents, teachers, and other loved ones enjoy using these tools to celebrate and work with that special child in their life who has autism.

Please visit the Natural Learning Concepts website to learn more, as well as to take part in its diverse and enthusiastic online community, at http://www.NLconcepts.com. Also, don’t miss its exciting and successful Job Community, at http://www.nlconcepts.com/autism-jobs.htm.

For more information on Natural Learning Concepts or its products, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell, at (904) 982-8043.

Meanwhile, to contact founders Jene Aviram or Jocelyn Blum directly for interviews, please call 1-800-823-3430 or (631) 858-0188. Review copies of the Responsibility Check Lists and other superb NLC products are gladly provided upon request.

St. Anthony’s School in Northvale, New Jersey which has an unusually high percentage of teachers giving birth to autistic children, will not receive the $50,000 in funding needed to look at this increased rate of autism.  From an article posted on NorthJersey.com

St. Anthony’s has housed a Northern Valley District program for children diagnosed with autism and other disorders for the last 30 years. The Walnut Street building is owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

According to a WCBStv.com report, the first study done to look at the rates of autism and other developmental concerns that children of St. Anthony’s staff face concluded that of the

24 current or former school employees who had children either while they worked at the school or since then. Their 42 offspring included 24 with developmental disorders — 10 with autism.

The school’s air quality has been tested and the classes have been moved from the main building but nothing conclusive has been determined.  This increased rate of autism spectrum disorders has given some boost to the environmental factors hypothesis that researchers are looking at when helping to determine the causes of autism.

Sources:

NorthJersey.com

WCBStv.com

Wisconsin Senators are set to vote on a bill that would require mandated insurance coverage for autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger’s Syndrome and PDD-NOS.  The Senate will be voting on Tuesday, February 26, 2008.  There are some interesting requirements listed in the bill; per an article appearing in the Sunday edition of The Journal Times Online:

According to Senate Bill 178, the treatment must be provided by a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a social worker who is certified or licensed to practice psychotherapy, a paraprofessional working under the supervision of any of those three types of providers, or a professional working under the supervision of an outpatient mental health clinic.

Only a handful of states currently require this mandated insurance coverage of autism spectrum disorders.  Arizona is working on an autism insurance bill and parents in Florida are starting to drum up support for similar legislation.

Source: The Journal Times Online

Madison, N.J., February 19, 2008 — Wyeth (NYSE: WYE) announced today that The Honorable Stuart R. Berger of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City in Baltimore, Maryland, has granted Wyeth’s motion for summary judgment in the case of Blackwell, et al. v. Sigma Aldrich, Inc., et al — an alleged vaccine injury case claiming that Jamarr Blackwell’s exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines caused him to become autistic. 

Previously, the Court had granted Wyeth’s motion to preclude all five of plaintiffs’ expert witnesses from offering testimony at trial following extensive briefing and a 10-day evidentiary hearing held by the Court last August.

In his December 21, 2007 Memorandum and Order pertaining to Wyeth’s evidentiary motion, Judge Berger found that “it is generally accepted in the relevant scientific community that thimerosal in vaccines does not cause or contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism,” also noting that “it is generally accepted in the relevant scientific community that autism is genetic in origin except in rare instances of prenatal exposures to certain substances at defined periods during pregnancy.”

“This is a significant victory for good science generally,” says Daniel J. Thomasch, a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, who served as lead counsel for Wyeth in this matter.  “The Court appropriately found that plaintiff’s  attempt to link autism to childhood vaccines is contrary to generally accepted science.”

About Wyeth
Wyeth is one of the world’s largest research-driven pharmaceutical and health care products companies.  It is a leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology products and non-prescription medicines that improve the quality of life for people worldwide.  The Company’s major divisions include Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort Dodge Animal Health.

Source:  Wyeth Press Release

A CBS-affiliate station in Florida has reported that the Florida Attorney General is investigating the United Autism Foundation.  The United Autism Foundation was a relatively unknown organization until Adam Jasinski, a contestant on Big Brother 9, called the autistic children he works with “retards.”  The use of this derogatory descriptor has autism organizations up in arms demanding action.  Lowe’s is the first big-name company to step up to the plate as described in Lowe’s Pulls Advertisements From Big Brother After Jasinski Comment.

The following statement was released by Autism United in response to the controversy surrounding Big Brother contestant Adam Jasinski’s reference to autistic children as “retards”.

Autism United has received a statement from the Lowe’s Companies that they will be no longer advertise with the CBS program Big Brother in response to a broadcast last week that referred to people with autism as “retards.”

Karen Cobb, a spokeperson for Lowe’s, said in a statement:

“Lowe’s has strict guidelines that govern the placement of our advertising. Our company advertises primarily in national, network prime-time television programs and on a variety of cable outlets.

Lowe’s constantly reviews advertising buys to make certain they are consistent with its policy guidelines. Lowe’s doesn’t routinely advertise on the show “Big Brother” and has taken steps to ensure that our advertising isn’t appearing on future shows.”

Lowe’s is the second largest home improvement retailer in the US.

CBS has not apologized for the incident nor have they taken responsibility for the content of their own broadcast. Autism United and a nationwide coalition of autism and developmental disability groups will be mobilizing families affected by autism to call upon advertisers with Big Brother, including Taco Bell, Saturn, Geico, and others to follow the leadership shown by Lowe’s Companies and withdraw their support for Big Brother. Details of the campaign will be released later today.

John Gilmore
Executive Director
Autism United
www.autismunited.org
(516) 933-4050

If you have been hiding under a rock these past few days then you haven’t heard about Adam Jasinski, a contestant on Big Brother 9, and his comment calling people with autism “retards.”  This has created an absolute media storm, as well as it should have.  It is likely that the contestant, Jasinski, is in the dark about what is going on out here in the “real world.”  Big Brother is a real-time show and as of today Jasinski is still in the house.  Contestants are completely sheltered from any and all news/media while in the house. 

Here are some interesting posts on the topic:

Adam Jasinski From Big Brother Sticks His Foot in His Mouth

More on Adam Jasinski and the United Autism Foundation

United Autism Foundation Apology by Olaf Hampel

A new article has been published on the website Suite101 detailing Autism and Intelligence Levels.  Perhaps this article should be high on Jasinski’s “to-read” list upon his eviction from the house.

The Defeat Autism Now (DAN) 2008 Conference is scheduled for April 3 - 7 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  The DAN conference is geared towards parents, caregivers, and autism professionals in a wide range of specialties.  The organization has just announced the clinician seminars scheduled for Monday, April 7, 2008.

Introductory Lecture for Everyone: Vicious Cycles in Autism - An Integration of the Science
Elizabeth Mumper, MD

Dr. Mumper will review common problems in four areas - intestinal inflammation, metabolic abnormalities, immune dysregulation, and detoxification impairment. The basic science will be explained and documented with peer-reviewed, published science in preparation for application to case histories.

Essential Clinician Seminar:

Clinical Manifestations of Nutrient Deficiencies
Dana Laake, RDH, MS, LDN

Ms. Laake will review signs and symptoms of nutritional deficiencies, the recognition of which is an integral part of patient evaluations. She will cover a broad spectrum of nutrients including their functions, deficiency manifestations, interrelationships, deficiency diagnosis, and therapies.

History, Physical, and Laboratory Essentials
Nancy O’Hara, MD

Dr. O’Hara will present representative explanations and illustrations of history, physical exam, and lab features common in children with autism spectrum disorders.

Case Studies and Lab Interpretation
Nancy O’Hara, MD

Dr. O’Hara will review common case presentations of children with autism spectrum disorders and discuss how to determine interventions and set priorities based on the presentation and laboratory findings of each child.

Interactive Case Studies
Elizabeth Mumper, MD

Dr. Mumper will demonstrate how abnormalities in one aspect of the child’s health can interact to exacerbate symptoms in other systems, necessitating a comprehensive approach cognizant of the synergy associated with biologic systems. Clinicians in the audience will be encouraged to participate in analyzing the cases.

Sequential Clinician Seminar:

Those Who Ignore Individuality Fail the Patient
Sidney Baker, MD

Dr. Baker will illustrate the value of a comprehensive, mutually respectful dialogue between clinician and parent and patient, aimed at identifying what might be present that the child must get rid of, and what the patient is missing that could be of benefit.

Innovative Therapies and Strategies for Non-Responders
Jeff Bradstreet, MD

Dr. Bradstreet will present medical evidence in support of innovative strategies designed to help each patient reach their fullest potential for health, cognitive function, and social interactions. He will present strategies to consider when attention to the basics is not getting the child well.

Simplifying Supplementation: Compounding and Combining
Dana Laake, RDH, MS, LDN

How to utilize individually compounded formulas in combination with OTC supplements. Creating hypoallergenic and GF/CF custom compounds is an important tool in treatment.

Advanced Case Studies and Lab Interpretation
Sidney Baker, MD

Dr. Baker will analyze some complicated case histories to demonstrate the nuances of the clinical presentations of children with autism spectrum disorders. He will demonstrate how to use more advanced interventions consistent with the Defeat Autism Now!® philosophy and knowledge base.

Advanced Lab Interpretation with Summary
Jeff Bradstreet, MD

Dr. Bradstreet will summarize the lessons from the advanced-practitioner training by utilizing and interpreting complex lab reports from actual patients. He will explain how to determine when a lab value is important in the context of the patient’s presentation, and how to avoid chasing abnormal labs that might not be clinically significant.

Source:  Defeat Autism Now Mailing List