Autistic Lawyer Develops Sensory Shield

WASHINGTON -- Do you ever wish you could get some privacy while riding public transportation? Meet the Sensory Shield.
Lisa Daly, a Maryland lawyer with autism and Sensory Processing Disorder, has just been awarded a $5,000 prize by the Rockville Economic Development Inc. to develop a collapsible partition for use on Metro, airplanes, buses or any crowded environment

Preparing Autistic Students for School Year

School is back in session and classrooms have opened their doors to welcome their students, both new and returning. One of the most common traits of autism is the love for sameness and rigidity. Individuals with autism fear change of routine and experiencing new situations. The outcome of a new experience is unpredictable. Routine activities on the other hand are guaranteed to always give the same result. The unpredictable situation requires extra mental processing of information, and more time to adapt and accommodate the new facts. It is an emotionally exhausting process.

Telehealth, Making Heath Care Accessible

Since Matthew’s hospitalization last year, he gets very nervous when he’s not feeling well.
“I think I need to go back to the hospital,” he’ll say. If he were living at home, I could see him, size up the situation and reassure him. So the folks at Camphill, having determined that a trip to the hospital was not necessary, suggested that we Skype each other. At first I thought this was a silly idea. Who do they think I am,  Jane Jetson? And who looks good on Skype, anyway? But Matthew’s ability to see me and mine to see him has proved not only to be reassuring, but saves time and money and unnecessary visits to the ER.

Colorado Officer Praised for Sensitivity, Patience

WALSENBURG, Colo. — On a daily basis police officers carry with them, mentally and physically, the tools they need to do the job well.
Equipment issued to the officer is visible to anyone, but there is so much more to what an officer needs to do the job than the items hanging from a duty belt. There is of course, the knowledge gained from time in the academy, on-the-job-training and experience on the streets. But there are also human qualities, like patience and compassion, that officers need to develop within themselves to be able to handle the varied day-to-day calls they must answer.
Last month, Walsenburg police were called to investigate an incident involving an at-risk adult client of Southern Colorado Developmental Disabilities, Inc. Police Chief James Chamberlain assigned Sgt. Garry Hornsby to the investigation.

Fatal Group Home Fire Claims Accomplished Special Olympian

 Residents who were able to escape
the fire watch as firefighters
work at the scene.

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. — Richard Bouman, the group home resident who died tragically in a fire Wednesday, was an accomplished Special Olympian whose athletic talents enabled him to be a world traveler.
Bouman, 50, traveled to Japan for the 2005 as a floor-hockey player for the Special Olympics World Summer Games and to Shanghai, China, in 2007 as softball player again for the Special Olympics World Summer Games.
“He was a sweet guy, very nice and polite and he loved sports,” said Janet Riley, executive director of North East Westchester Special Recreation, a community based therapeutic recreation agency serving children and adults with developmental disabilities in north east Westchester.

Program Eases Transition to Adulthood

Special education occupies a large part of the mission — and budget — of many school districts. With learning disabilities such as ADHD and dyslexia each estimated to affect more than 10 percent of the school-age population, special education teachers have their hands full helping those students navigate increasingly rigorous, state-mandated curricula.
An equally daunting challenge, though, is how to serve a growing student population with more severe learning problems, from intellectual disabilities (the term officially established in 2010 by Congress to replace mental retardation) to autism, a spectrum of cognitive and behavioral conditions that affects an expanding number of youngsters. 

N.Y. Group Home Fire Leaves One Dead

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. -- A 50-year-old man was found dead late Wednesday after firefighters extinguished a blaze at a group home for the mentally disabled on Highland Avenue.
The man's name has not been released, pending notification of family members. An autopsy is scheduled for this morning. Whether the victim was a resident in the home is unclear.

Learning to Ride a Bicycle and Much More

From Huffington Post's Marynell Henry, mother of an autistic son.

As a parent of a child with special needs, I have often found myself in that painful place of not experiencing the pride and sheer elation of watching my child reach one of life's many milestones with effortless ease.
Remember when you first learned to ride a bike? Do you remember that moment when you realized that the person supporting the back of your bike had let go and you were riding on your very own? I do. I remember that moment as if it were yesterday. After all the hard work, the scraped knees, the falls, I had accomplished this fabulous feat and soon would be able to venture out to places on my own.

Salt Lake City Co. Donates iPads to Autism School

Congrats to Apartment Management Consultants in Utah for making such a difference.

SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake school for kids with autism lacked the funding to get iPads to increase the learning for their students. But a local Salt Lake company saved the day by donating the iPads.

Teachers have found that iPads really help autistic children to learn. With the colors, sounds and hands-on technology, the children stay more focused on their work.

Parents to Sue Connecticut School in Autism Case

CHESHIRE, Conn. -- The parents of an autistic child are planning to sue the town, its school system and several of its employees, charging that district officials during each of the last two years caused their son’s condition to regress.
Norwalk attorney Anne Treimanis filed notice with the town on July 26 that a town family is planning to file suit.
Treimanis’ letter claims that several incidents at Highland Elementary School in Cheshire over the past two school years “caused significant injuries and damages” to the boy, who is now 9 years old.

An Autism Mom's Reflections on Being Yourself

Great message posted on AutismMommy.ca

We live in a society that has standard norms and all kinds of written and unwritten rules about staying within accepted boundaries. Peer pressure, meeting others’ expectations, and the desire to fit in are strong urges that can override the impulse to do your own thing, march to the beat of a different drummer, or be an eccentric nonconformist. In fact, sometimes it’s pretty difficult to “just be yourself”.

For autism families, parents are constantly measuring their child’s and their own success based on other “typical” children. Plus, our kids need to learn to interact with peers - even though the process can be wildly uncomfortable for them.

Autistic Pianist Plays Key Role at Temple

Harris Engel practices with Cantor
Sharon Brown-Levy at
Temple Emanu-El of West Essex.

LIVINGSTON, N.J. -- The ability to identify and reproduce a musical note without a reference is rare. Harris Engel, 20, is among the few individuals with perfect pitch, and this summer he has been putting that gift and his performance skills to work, subbing for the accompanist at Temple Emanu-El of West Essex in Livingston.
That distinction alone would be worthy of note, but what makes his achievement even more remarkable is that Harris is autistic.

University Focuses on Obesity in Group Homes

PHILADELPHIA -- Obesity has become quintessentially American and an equal-opportunity problem.
Name a group — children, seniors, poor people — excessive weight is a health threat. In Central Pennsylvania, researchers from Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education are working in group homes to help people with developmental disabilities find solutions.

Penn Medicine Breaks Silence on Heart Transplant Denial for Autistic Patient

Penn Medicine is part of the Hospital
of the University of Pennsylvania.

Much of the coverage devoted to Paul Corby’s quest to get a heart transplant has focused on the cardiac and transplant side of things. But Paul, of Pottsville, PA hasn’t been denied placement on the heart transplant list for cardiac reasons.
Paul has been denied placement on the heart transplant list, at least in part, because he has autism.
Paul, who has a rare congenital heart disorder called Left Ventricular Noncompaction (LVN), has had three mini-strokes already. He’s 23 years old. His father died of a stroke, caused by the same disease, at age 27.  Penn Medicine at Radnor, part of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, denied Paul placement on the heart transplant list in part because Paul is autistic.
A letter from a Penn Medicine transplant doctor to Paul’s mother, Karen Corby, reads, “I have recommended against a transplant given his psychiatric issues, autism, the complexity of the process, multiple procedures and the unknown and unpredictable effect of steroids on behavior."

N.J. Girl with Special Needs Becomes Jets Cheerleader for a Day

Jadyn Waiser cheering as a member
of the Jets Junior Flight Crew.

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. -- Many little girls dream of cheerleading for their favorite professional sports team one day, but for one New Jersey girl, her wish has already come true.
The Jets gave an 8-year-old autistic girl from Bridgewater her big chance.

Study: Large Percentage of Hispanic Children with Autism Remain Undiagnosed

Maribel Hernandez is a mother of two young sons with autism, Max, 12, and Chris, 10, and she agrees with the importance of early intervention.
“Sometimes, as parents, we want to justify the behavior of our children, but we have to admit the behavior is not right,” she says. “For example, when I noticed my son stopped talking, I justified it saying that he was just looking for attention.”
UC Davis MIND Institute released this week the largest study to date comparing the development of Hispanic and non-Hispanic children and found a higher percentage of Hispanic children often have undiagnosed developmental delays, or autism.

California Legislators Pass Bill to Drop 'R' Word

SACRAMENTO -- A bill awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown's signature won't change any services, rights or responsibilities in state law. But to supporters, the bill's changes are critical: It would drop the words "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" from state regulations and publications.
The terms, which supporters of the bill say are outdated and offensive, would be replaced by "intellectual disability" and "person with an intellectual disability." The legislation, by Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Santa Monica, passed unanimously in both the state Assembly and Senate last week.

Group Gives Girls Chance to Ride Bikes for 1st Time

Jaiden Garrett, 9, happily chases her
twin sister Skylar, who is riding a
bike for the first time.

AIKEN, S.C. -- For the first time ever, Skylar Garrett "feels free with her sisters," her mother, Brook Garrett, said, barely containing her emotions.
Over and over, Skylar has watched from her house in New Ellenton as her twin sister Jaiden and younger sister Rilie would ride off on their bikes in the neighborhood -- unable to join them because of physical constraints.

At the USC Aiken baseball field on Saturday, a grinning Skylar, 9, rode her new specialized bike, with Jaiden and Rilie running after her and sharing her joy.

Adults with Learning Disabliities Find Meaningful Work

GEORGETOWN, Texas -- Erin Kiltz was worried about what her daughter, a Georgetown High School student who has a severe brain injury and cannot walk or talk, was going to do after she finished high school.

"Its the No. 1 fear of a parent of a special-needs child," Kiltz said, that "she will outlive me, and what will her future hold."
Kiltz did something about that fear. About a year ago, she established a nonprofit program that gives adults with learning and physical disabilities a job during the day, doing such things as making granola and pottery in free rooms donated by the Georgetown Church of Christ.

Acting Classes Teach Autistic Children Social Skills

POTTSTOWN, Pa. -- “All the world’s a stage; and all the men and women merely players.” — from “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare
Just getting along with others can require a bit of acting: pretending to like something we aren’t; acting confident when we aren’t; or laughing when we don’t find something funny. But for some young people with Asperger’s Syndrome, the outside world might always seem a stage; a place where they mimic others’ actions to fit in.

An Immune Disorder at the Root of Autism

Opinion piece in today's editions of The New York Times by Moises Velasquez-Manoff, author of “An Epidemic of Absence: A New Way of Understanding Allergies and Autoimmune Diseases.”

In recent years, scientists have made extraordinary advances in understanding the causes of autism, now estimated to afflict 1 in 88 children. But remarkably little of this understanding has percolated into popular awareness, which often remains fixated on vaccines.

So here’s the short of it: At least a subset of autism — perhaps one-third, and very likely more — looks like a type of inflammatory disease. And it begins in the womb.

It starts with what scientists call immune dysregulation.

Largest Multistate Study for Autism Launching Second Phase

The Centers for Disease Control has launched its second phase of a multistate study on autism and JFK Partners at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the Colorado School of Public Health and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are collaborating at the Colorado site for the study.

The Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) will look at autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities in Colorado. It is the largest multistate collaborative study in the United States to help identify factors that may put children at risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and other developmental disabilities.

From Little Things Healthy Kids Grow

It began with a "lunchbox cop" audit of what kids were bringing to school to eat.
But the outcome has been some significant changes of behaviour in children with disabilities. Kim Shepherd, principal of The Hills School, Northmead, said up to 75 per cent of students audited had processed, packaged items in their lunchbox.

So the school worked with parents to shift their diet to more healthy food, planted and cooked by themselves, and paired with exercise.

"For me it's extremely exciting to see kids who previously had been unresponsive to being adventurous and excited about food and the farm to fork experience," Ms Shepherd said.
Some students who had aversions to certain tastes and textures were living off noodles and Tiny Teddies. 

Judge Rules Ebay Not Covered By Americans With Disibilities Act

Siding with eBay, a federal judge has dismissed allegations that the online auction violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by requiring sellers to use a telephone to verify their identities.

U.S. District Court Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, Calif., ruled that the federal law -- which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities -- doesn't apply to online companies like eBay. The 1990 statute says it applies to "places of public accommodation."

The ruling, issued earlier this month, dismissed the bulk of a potential class-action lawsuit filed in 2010 by Melissa Earll. She alleged that as a "profoundly deaf" person, she was unable to register with eBay becausethe company verifies identity through telephone calls. eBay allegedly gives prospective merchants passwords over the telephone; the registrants must then enter those passwords online.

Florist and Photographer Team Up To Feature Kids with Special Needs as Models

BEVERLY, Ill. -- In April, Beverly florist Steve English and Palos Park photographer Katie Driscoll tag-teamed for a project to use special needs children in ad campaigns. A few months later, word of mouth spread so quickly that one of Driscoll’s photos made the cover of the summer edition of Chicago Special Parent magazine and one of Driscoll’s blog entries was featured on Maria Shriver’s website

Feds Recommend End to Subminimum Wage

A key federal agency is calling for an end to a controversial government policy allowing some employers to pay workers with disabilities less than minimum wage.
In a report that’s expected to be sent to President Barack Obama on Thursday, the National Council on Disability is recommending that a provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act — section 14(c) — which allows companies to obtain government permission to pay so-called subminimum wage be eliminated over the course of six years.

Neglect, Weak Oversight Seen at California Center

California’s largest institution for the developmentally disabled risks losing millions of dollars in federal funding because of poor medical care and widespread failures to prevent abuse and thoroughly investigate when patients are harmed, state officials said in a confidential report.
The Department of Public Health inspection report presented a damning indictment of the Sonoma Developmental Center, which houses more than 500 people with cerebral palsy and other intellectual disabilities. Normally such reports are kept from the public, but California Watch obtained a copy of the 495-page document this week.

Father's Age Linked to Autism, Schizophrenia

Older men are more likely than young ones to father a child who develops autism or schizophrenia, because of random mutations that become more numerous with advancing paternal age, scientists reported on Wednesday, in the first study to quantify the effect as it builds each year. The age of mothers had no bearing on the risk for these disorders, the study found.

Jacqueline Laurita Reveals Son Has Autism

For your celebrity news of the day . . . 

Jacqueline Laurita had tried for years to have another baby, so when she finally welcomed son Nicholas three years ago, the proud mom celebrated his every achievement.
But then, at around 18 months old, Nicholas began regressing with his speech and motor skills, then refusing to answer to his name or notice people enter a room. 

Editorial: Autism and the Budget Crisis

The prevalence of autism is continuing to rise, with an increasing number of families facing the reality that there will be cuts to both services and programs affecting people with autism unless we all take action. Tax revenues continue to decline during the current economic woes and the budget reserves are drained. Most states in America are proposing sweeping and deep budget cuts that will affect families through reductions in services that are proven and needed.

The cuts that are proposed are coming at a time when the experience of autism has become a national health care crisis, something that affects every single community in the nation. The current delivery system for services is often times unresponsive, ineffective, inefficient, and inappropriate where provision of quality and seamless services over a person with autism’s lifespan is concerned. The evidence is particularly noticeable in the adult services sector.

Celebrating Progress In All its Forms

From Adventures of a Bipolar Mom, a post that I think should resonate with everyone.

My little guy will be turning three in less than a month. It amazes me sometimes at how excited I get watching him grow and learn. It was always exciting with my other three children, but this time — it’s just so different.
When my “typical” developing children hit their milestones, it was exciting, but expected. We knew it was coming and exactly what to expect. It was almost boring. We loved all the progress, but I didn’t want to throw a party and call everyone when my kids did the smallest things.
Now, when my little guy does something awesome, I have to call everyone and post it on facebook.

Thousands in Indiana Finally Get Services

INDIANAPOLIS -- Thousands of Hoosiers with developmental disabilities are coming off the Medicaid waiver waiting list and getting the services they need.
A year ago, 20,000 people were waiting for services, but that number has been whittled down to 13,000.

N.J. Senate Backs Bill To Prohbit Discrimination

TRENTON – Legislation that would prohibit discrimination against a potential organ transplant recipient on the basis of a mental or physical disability cleared the full Senate Monday.
“People with developmental disabilities should not be treated as second-class citizens,” said state Senate President Steve Sweeney. “Their disabilities do not make them any less human or worthy of respect and common decency. They should be afforded the same rights as anyone would want when entering a hospital.”

Early Anesthesia Linked to Language Problems

Increasingly, research finds that exposure to anesthesia in early childhood may have long-term effects on kids’ brain development.
One 2011 study linked exposure to anesthesia to learning disabilities, finding that exposed kids had lower scores on standardized tests of reading, writing, math and reasoning, and were more likely to have behavioral issues at school. Another study in 2012 found that children who underwent multiple exposures to anesthesia early on were twice as likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder as teenagers, compared with children with fewer exposures to such drugs.

Denying Health Care to Autistic Is Nothing New

From Age of Autism's Kim Stagliano.

Traditional and social media are abuzz with a story of a Pennsylvania man with autism who has been denied a heart transplant at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania over his "psychiatric condition" and "autism."  His mother, Karen Corby, is rightfully outraged that her son's life has been judged and fallen short of the "criteria" for life.
In thinking about the story, it occurred to me that while denial of a heart transplant is cut and dried no bones about it refusal to give medical care to a sick American - it's only the ugly publicized tip of a dirty and monstrous iceberg under the surface of healthcare for people with autism.

FDA-Approved Clinical Trial to Cure Autism Begins

Researchers announced Tuesday the beginning of a FDA-approved clinical trial that uses umbilical cord blood stem cells to ‘cure’ autism.
Dr. Michael Chez, director of pediatric neurology at Sutter Neuroscience Institute in Sacramento, Calif., said he and his colleagues have been processing the trial for more than a year now, and they have high hopes it will succeed.

Farm Provides Meaningful Life for People with Disabilities

From Canada, but sounded too good to pass up this morning.

Lynette Zacharias, 31, was driving a tractor on the farm the other day when it occurred to her how much the farm has changed. And how fast, too.
Three years ago, the place was a canola field. Now there is a house with 10 bedrooms, three bathrooms and a kitchen big enough to make a feed mill jealous. There are young fruit trees and potted flowers. A garden has beets and potatoes. Chickens and a pot belly pig are in the new red barn. A donkey is in the pasture with two ponies and a pair of animals that are a mix of llama and alpaca.
Zacharias and her friend Krista Neufeld, 32, are part of the picture. As Neufeld looked out a window in the house facing west, she was thinking the same as Zacharias, struck by the change.
"There is so much joy here," Neufeld sad.

Autistic Adults Capable of Working Lack Assistance

Ron Wright, of Iowa City, visits the Iowa
Vocational Rehabilitation Services office
in Iowa City.

IOWA CITY -- For more than three months, Ron Wright relied only on state unemployment compensation that was to end in June. It eventually continued with a nine-week extension but at half the amount of his initial jobless pay.
Struggling with autism at the age of 54, Wright, of Iowa City, thought about participating in a medical study that would pay him $3,000. He also has considered taking a college course partially funded by Vocational Rehabilitation Services, a state agency that helps people with disabilities who need jobs. Finding a job is a chore, and he has not had a lot of success.

Social Media Helps Autism Community Connect

Gretchenleary, “@AspergerSadie can you please RT my tweet about the Ellen show?”
AspergerSade, “@Gretchenleary @TheEllenShow It may not happen. I actually wrote to Ellen YEARS ago about this, and she never replied. But I believe in her.”
A few months ago, the tweets between Erin Clemens of West Whiteland, AspergerSadie, and Gretchen Leary of the Boston area, Gretchenleary, were an attempted campaign to get on the Ellen DeGeneres show and raise autism awareness.
“I really just wanted her to be able to promote somebody on the show that could really show the world that people on the spectrum are not all the same,” said Leary. “It’s not all rocking and crying and meltdowns; it’s lots of different things. It was a shame it didn’t work out, but at least we did bring a lot of awareness,” said Clemens.

Opinion: N.J. Needs More Community-Based Care

In this year’s budget address, Gov. Chris Christie said, “New Jersey has the second-highest rate of institutionalization in America. ... This is a shameful fact. We must change. It’s long overdue. We must move aggressively to provide this type of care in the community.”
Staying true to his commitment, Gov. Christie committed more than $40 million in this year’s budget to programs and services to support moving individuals with developmental disabilities who live in institutions to community residences. Additionally, he signed legislation to create a Task Force on the Closure of State Developmental Centers and charged it with selecting one or more for closure. In late July, the task force issued its binding recommendation to close the North Jersey Developmental Center in Totowa and the Woodbridge Developmental Center within five years and move residents who are able to community-based options.

Relationships Challenging for People with Autism

Housemates Edward Wren and
Ana Clements spend time together.

RICHMOND, Va. -- Edward Wren used to automatically assume that when he liked someone romantically, that person returned the feelings. So he used to "jump right in," the 29-year-old said.
"It's hard to grasp where a relationship is," said Wren, who lives in a home operated by Richmond House, a nonprofit organization that provides supportive living to young adults who have higher functioning forms of autism such as Asperger's syndrome.

North Carolina Eugenics Victims Not Giving Up

North Carolina was poised to become the first state to compensate people who had been sterilized against their will under decades of eugenics laws. More than half of states had forced sterilization laws, but North Carolina's were particularly aggressive.

John Railey of the Winston-Salem Journal
says the eugenics program in
North Carolina "was always
hiding in plain sight."

Enlarge Julie Rose for NPR John Railey of the Winston-Salem Journal says the eugenics program in North Carolina "was always hiding in plain sight."

A bill to pay the victims nearly passed in recent months. But "nearly" isn't enough for the victims who risked their reputations to go public with their stories.
Now they — and their advocates — wonder what comes next.

Autistic Child Inspires Business, Patrons

Marcia Williams and her
son, Blake.

Story of the day is sure to get you started on a good note.

GREEN, Ohio --  When Marcie and Derek Williams’ 3-year-old son was diagnosed with autism, the Louisville couple accepted that his life would be different from other children’s.
They decided it would be up to them to make sure Blake — Marcie’s first child and Derek’s fifth — had the same opportunities to grow up to be an independent adult as other children in their Louisville household.

Republican Convention Creates Job Opportunities

MacDonald Training Center workers
Mike Hybler, left, and Daniel Aboud,
both of Tampa, stuff Mitt Romney’s
book into goody bags

TAMPA-- Daniel Aboud walks down the line of boxes, stuffing a canvas bag with items ranging from a can of Coke to Mitt Romney's book, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness.
It is one of 14,000 goody bags that he and fellow workers at MacDonald Training Center will fill with 144,000 items for delegates, VIPs and media coming to Tampa for the Republican National Convention, Aug. 27-30.
e.

California Task Force to Examine Autism Services

SACRAMENTO -- With autism on the rise in California, state leaders are turning to Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, director of the UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities, to co-chair a statewide task force to spur the fair distribution of services to diverse communities in California.
In appointing Aguilar-Gaxiola, state Sen. Pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, noted that disparities exist in providing autism-related services to communities that are disadvantaged and to Latino and African American communities.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/17/4733609/hed-here.html#storylink=cpy

Temple Grandin: Focus on Children's Strengths

There's a reason we think Dr. Temple Grandin is awesome! She wrote this exclusively for TakePart.com.

Special educators need to look at what a child can do instead of what he/she cannot do.
There needs to be more emphasis on building up and expanding the skills a child is good at. Too often people get locked into a label such as dyslexia, ADHD, or autism, and they cannot see beyond the label. Kids that get a label often have uneven skills. They may be talented in one area and have a real deficiency in another.

Airline iPad Policy Sparks Disability Debate

Carly Fleischmann is a 17-year-old author who has a form of autism that prevents her from speaking. Doctors said she would never intellectually develop beyond the abilities of a small child, but Carly eventually began using a computer to communicate and now carries an iPad with her so she can "talk" on the go.
Last week, a flight attendant asked Carly to put away her iPad before a flight, something she says had never happened before, even though she travels often for media and autism advocacy-related reasons. Carly explained that she needed it to communicate, but the fight attendant still insisted that she put it in the front of her seat, out of her reach, due to FAA regulations that require passengers to turn off electronic devices during take-off and landing.

Debate Continues Over Autism Transplant Denial

POTTSVILLE, Pa. -- It was hard enough for Karen Corby to hear that her autistic son would need a heart transplant to survive, but it was even harder to take the news that doctors wouldn't give him one.
"I was numb at first," Corby, of Pottsville, Pa., told ABCNews.com, remembering the phone call from Paul's cardiologist when she found out he wouldn't be placed on the transplant list. "Before she hung up, she told me to have a nice day."
Her son Paul, 23, has a left ventricle that didn't close after he was born, so his heart doesn't pump the right amount of blood. The Corbys found out in 2008, and were told it was time for a transplant in 2011.

Chance Encounter Eases Mom's Fears

Stumbled upon this article this morning on Pittsburgh Post Gazette by Jennifer Eddings-Morrill of Verona, who is entering nursing school this fall, can be reached at imdagrl1972@comcast.net.

HARMARVILLE, Penn. -- I went to Target in Harmarville in June to get a gift for Conner's teacher.
I also needed some new cheap shoes for the kids. Their crocs and such from last year were looking a bit on the ragged side. So I found myself in the shoe aisle and I heard:
"Shoes. ... Shoes."
I didn't even have to look up to know that this young person had autism.

With Support System and Determination, Autistic Man Leads Full Life

Seventy million people - 1 percent of the world’s population - have some form of autism, a neurologic disorder that affects their ability to interact with other people and to care for themselves. Although treatment is available in developed nations, advocates say the outlook for those with severe autism is poor, and many spend their lives in sheltered environments. Those with milder forms of the disorder, however, can have more success integrating into society.
26-year-old Kevin Gibson is one of those success stories. He loves living in his own apartment. “It’s a great feeling, to like, be able to live on your own,” he said.

Art Takes Latino Child Beyond Autism

Luis Paredes' drawing depicts the
Greensboro Four during the
famous 1960s sit-in that took
place in Greensboro, N.C.

For anyone who has ever seen it, 11-year-old Luis Gerardo Paredes’s art can only be described as powerful. It’s no surprise that one of his pieces would beat out a little over 3,000 nationwide submissions to land one of the 102 spots for exhibition in the 2012 All Kids Can CREATE art contest. But unlike his fellow junior artists, Paredes is autistic.
“He has a talent, it was evident then and an inquisitiveness and an awareness, an eagerness to recreate,” said his art teacher, Tany’a Wells-Vasquez, who first taught Paredes when he was only 5 years old. “He was such a good boy. He was a good boy then and he’s a good boy now.”

Should Autism Block a Heart Transplant?

Paul Corby, left, joins
his mom, right, and
his family.

Twenty-three-year-old Paul Corby has a bad heart and a flawed mind.
The question before doctors now is whether his mental problems -- he has a form of autism - are severe enough to make him a bad candidate for a heart transplant.

CDC Aims to Enhance Health Services

Federal health officials are backing a major new effort to improve health care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are supporting a three-year initiative that will be run by The Arc that’s designed to address health disparities facing those with disabilities.
Specifically, the program known as HealthMeet will provide training for health care professionals on working with people who have special needs in addition to offering health screenings in local communities for individuals with developmental disabilities.

From Autism and Special Ed to State Capitol Steps

Kendall Collins

PORTERVILLE, Calif. -- Porterville’s Kendall Collins has come a long way since he was first diagnosed with autism at age 5 and placed in a severely-handicapped special education class.
Collins, son of Dana and Brad Collins, and brother to Candace Collins, is a local artist who has recently graduated as a Docent at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento — an intense five week training course, mostly on railroad history. He is also a Porterville High School 2012 graduate — graduating with a 3.4 GPA. But what has made him unique is that he has not let autism, or anything else, get in the way of going after his dreams while being a role model and proving that he has what it takes to be a leader.

Gene Tied to Autism Identified in Mouse Study

In a new mouse study, University of California, Davis, researchers have found that a defective gene is responsible for brain changes that lead to the disrupted social behavior that accompanies autism.
Investigators believe the discovery could lead to the development of medications to treat the condition.

In Florida, Greater Control Comes with a Cost

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The state of Florida and the Agency for Persons with Disabilities are implementing a new program that will give people with developmental disabilities more control over what services they choose.

However, the greater control apparently comes at a cost.

Some officials who work closely with those with disabilities who receive state services say the down side to the new iBudget Florida program is that the clients are seeing a reduction in benefits.

Families of Young Adults with Disabilities Cope with Funding Challenges

Bill Yoakam of Napperville water
flowers with his mother, Linda in
the family's front yard>

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — Like so many young adults, Bill Yoakam of Naperville is still living at home with his parents.  They’re happy to have him, but as their son gets older, the reality that soon he’ll need to leave home becomes profound, and carried with it many challenges.

Bill, 25, was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome when he was 17-years old. It’s a developmental disability caused by a chromosomal defect.

Singing Sensation with Autism

From the UK, this was too good to pass up.

Kyle Coleman, 25, released his first album earlier this year after spending most of his life unable to say more than a few words. Kyle was found to have perfect pitch and a lovely singing voice after attending music therapy lessons.
Kyle performed at the Holifield Festival – which raises funds for a day care centre for people with special needs – in Gweek on August 4.

Connecticut Pulls Residents from Fla. Center

A Connecticut agency plans to pullat least four disabled state residents out of a Florida rehabilitation center facing allegations that its patients wereabused and neglected.
Terrence Macy, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services, said he was “outraged” watching video that police describe as footage of two autistic patients being beaten at the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation.

Bat Mitzvah Celebrant Meets the Challenge

Alexis Sokoloff holds the
Torah at her Bat Mitzvah.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Fourteen-year-old Alexis Sokoloff smiles as she recalls her Bat Mitzvah on June 9. “I wasn’t nervous at all,” she told the AJP. “I really love learning Hebrew.”
Sokoloff was born with Down syndrome, but with the support of her parents, Gwen and Mitchell Sokoloff, and her younger sister, Rebecka, she’s thrived — and been fully engaged with Judaism

Hotel Rehires Man with Down Syndrome

ANDOVER, Mass. -- The State Department of Health and Human Services recently had to take Mark Stanganelli, who has Down syndrome, out of their program that employed him at the Wyndham Hotel. Despite his nominal pay, it was a job that Stanganelli loved.
However, on Wednesday, a spokesman from the state said that, after discussions with his family, Stanganelli will be able to return to his job at the Wyndham Hotel.

Life Begins Again for Man After Stabbing

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- An armed man, unsuccessful in his attempt to rob Daniel Cuddy of $2 the night of June 14, did succeed in stealing, for a short time, Cuddy’s independence.
Cuddy, 48, who is developmentally disabled and a local leader in the self-advocacy movement, found himself in a hospital room after the attack. He had been stabbed four times and was totally dependent on others.

New Visions Brings Students with Disabilities to Onondaga Community College

SYRACUSE, N.Y. Christine Paronis signed up for classes in computer skills, current events and small group communications this week at Onondaga Community College.
“I’m being a serious student,” said Paronis, 52, of Solvay.
Paronis was among 95 students who spent the week on campus through New Visions, a full-time college experience for students with developmental disabilities.

Family: Heart Transplant Denied Due to Autism

From Babble's blogger Jocelyn Gray. Don't forget to sign the petition after reading this post.

POTTSVILLE, Pa. -- Karen Corby’s husband died at age 27 of a stroke, due to an undiagnosed heart condition. Now she is fighting for a heart transplant for her 23-year-old son, who has the same condition.
Paul Corby has Left Ventricular Noncompaction, a rare, congenital disorder in which part of the heart muscle appears spongy, or “non-compacted.” The heart is less able to pump blood throughout the body; Paul’s “ejection fraction” of blood through his heart is only 20 percent. Strokes and heart failure are common prognoses. Paul has had three mini-strokes already.
Paul now takes 19 medications a day, most of which are to try to stabilize his heart. The only cure for LVN is transplant.
Paul doesn’t drink, or smoke. He is an otherwise healthy 23-year-old man. And yet, he has been denied placement on the national heart transplant list.
According to the Corbys, and according to a letter from Penn Medicine which they shared with me, Paul has been denied the placement in large part because he is autistic.

Autism Rates Jump in Sacramento Region

SACRAMENTO -- More than one of every 100 local students have autism, a rate that has more than tripled during the last decade, according to new figures from the California Department of Education.
About 3,830 students in the four-county area were autistic in December 2011, up by 450, or 13 percent, from 2010. The rise occurred even as total enrollment in the region stayed flat.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/06/4698741/autism-rates-jump-again-in-sacramento.html#storylink=cpy

Multiple Challenges Transitioning from School to Adult Services, GAO Finds

Thirty-six hours after Marlyn Wells gave birth to Anna, she learned her daughter had Down syndrome. Just a few years later, the family started talking about Anna's career. In pre-school, Anna had said she wanted to be a "fire truck" when she grew up.
But 20 years later, the family hit roadblocks trying to help find paid work for Anna. One program responsible for helping Anna find a job only kicks in six months before students like her graduate from high school. A different vocational agency was required to contact her once a month, "which is not adequate," Wells said. "We were not told how the funding part of that particular service works, so it left us out of being able to make an informed choice as to which service provider might be the most appropriate one for Anna's needs."

Autism Group Calls for End to 'Infighting'

A leading national advocacy group is calling for a summit this fall in an effort to mitigate divisiveness within the autism community.
The Autism Society wants to bring together all of the major autism organizations to establish a series of joint goals.
“The infighting that a lot of times characterizes the autism community needs to stop,” said Scott Badesch, president of the Autism Society. “Until we come together, we’re not going to be able to move the needle on enhancing autism services.”

The Special Needs of Special Education

Most would agree that you have to be a pretty selfless person to be a teacher.  The days are long, the pay sucks, and when something goes wrong, you’re the first person that everyone blames.  Never mind the fact that the only way you’re even able to stay on top of the unique needs of each of your 20 or so students is by taking your work home with you and doing it after dinner.
But Special Education teachers?  They’re a special breed of selfless.

Funding Challenges Familes with Adult Children

Neil Stevenson and his son, Niles,
at home.

GEORGETOWN, Del. -- Neil Stevenson's son is 33 years old, yet he still lives at home. That's because he has nowhere else to go.
Stevenson calls his son, Niles, a "forever child." He's intellectually disabled, but because of a seizure condition, it's hard to find adequate medical services to supervise him. And Niles doesn't qualify for group housing -- that is, unless Stevenson and his wife either abandon him or die.

Gender Bias May Lead to Fewer Girls Being Diagnosed with Autism, Study Finds

A new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry explores the differences in diagnostic characteristics of autism between boys and girls, suggesting a gender bias in which girls with "high-functioning" autism are underdiagnosed.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are typically more prevalent in males, rather than females, with estimates of a 4:1 ratio of males to females, for reasons unknown up until this point. Deficits of ASD include, but are not limited to, delays in language development, difficulties in reciprocal social interaction and communication, repetitive behaviors and narrow interests.

Angels' Fan Talking Baseball

Kodey Flaxington meets his favorite
player, Torri Hunter, at Angel Stadium.

ANAHEIM – After a few minutes with Kodey Flaxington, you start to understand his language. He's a chatterbox. "Can't shut him up," his father, Chris, says.
He could put on a head switch and type out a sentence on a computer keyboard. But that would take about two minutes.
No time for that. So he talked as clearly as the cerebral palsy would let him, in slurred and garbled syllables that those who know 18-year-old Kodey well can understand.
He shouted, "Oree Unger," and shrieked with glee on July 24 when he came to visit the Angels before their game against Kansas City at Angel Stadium.

Accepting Autism

Came across this post by Bekki DeAntonio, who has a son with autism.

"Neurodiversity is not about celebrating the autism spectrum, it is about recognizing and accepting the undeniable diversity of the human spectrum." John Scott Holman (who is a 25 year old with autism)
This quote really got me thinking and also got my husband and I talking. I love those times where Michael and I sit, coffee in hand, spouting out ideas and theories. Time goes by quickly, but there is an electric charge. We are completely enveloped in each other.
At most basic level, we are all different. Our DNA is all different. That's a great thing. The problem arises if a person isn't able to assimilate into what our culture views as, "normal." I'm sick of normal. What is normal?

Tour Guides with Autism Share Passion

SHAKOPEE, Minn. - A new program is helping young adults with autism land a job.

Erik's Minnesota Adventures just launched this summer and hires people with autism to be tour guides at different places across the Twin Cities. Canterbury Park and the Walker Art Center are just two of the places where tours are being offered.

'Not Throwaway People'

BURLINGTON, Iowa -- Ginnie Hager might fall through the cracks.
For the past four years, Hager, 33, has lived at the Walton Group Home, a residential care facility in Burlington overseen by the nonprofit group Hope Haven. She lives there with 11 other clients, all of whom have a variety of disabilities.
Since Hager was a baby, she has suffered from epileptic seizures. Last week, she had one that lasted 10 minutes. There have been times when she has woken up on the floor with black eyes and no memory of the convulsions that came before.
Functional, but unable to drive or perform other tasks due to her disorder, Hager requires near 24-hour care because a violent seizure can take hold of her body at any moment.
She gets that care at the Walton Group Home, along with a job at Goodwill and a healthy social life that might not otherwise be available to her.
By the end of September, that might be taken away.

Making Lives Meaningful

Anthony Phillips, right, and Mike Skinner
clean radiation dosemeter cases
at the Michael Dunn Center.

 

KINGSTON, Tenn. -- Here's what Darnell Hamilton, 29, brings to his job site every day: A giant smile. An infectious laugh. A willingness to work.
But Hamilton also brings a set of intellectual disabilities that prevent him from holding a typical job, or working a typical eight-hour day.

Ohio Schools Lock Up Students in Seclusion Rooms

Some Ohio children with disabilities are regularly isolated in cell-like rooms, closets or oldoffices when they behave badly.
The rooms are supposed to be used to calm or restrain children who become violent. But an investigation by The Dispatch and StateImpact Ohio, which is a collaboration of NPR and Ohio public-radio stations, found that they’re being misused.

Panel Urges N.J. to Expand Community Services

TRENTON, N.J. -- Trenton should spend all of the mon­ey it saves shutting down state institutions for the disabled in Totowa and Wood­bridge on building up a community-based replacement system of housing and care, according to the state task force that rec­ommended the closures.
But the governor’s office stopped short of making that commitment. In a state­ment Friday, a spokesman for Governor Christie said only that the administration will continue to make “significant invest­ments” in community services for the de­velopmentally disabled.

Laughing at Life's Realities

Came across this post by Nicole Thibault blogs for theleader.com on special-needs parenting.

CORNING, N.Y. -- We have a unique family - three boys, two with Special Needs. Our oldest has Moderate Autism, our middle son is typically-developing, and our youngest son has Apraxia of Speech.
Our boys with Special Needs have both had hours and hours of therapy sessions over the years -- Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Special Education Therapy.  We've devoted much time as a family driving to and participating in activities for children with Special Needs, as well as dealing with autism behaviors in the home.
So it begs the question: How does our son without Special Needs handle living with two brothers with developmental issues? How is it for him, being sandwiched between an older brother and younger brother with Special Needs?

Reaching Out to Include Children with Special Needs

From KJ Dell'Antonia on The New York Times' Motherlode parenting blog.

Should you invite the special needs child to your child’s birthday party?
That was last week’s quandary, and it prompted, initially, the expected knee-jerk reactions from the moment a parent posted it on my Facebook page: of course you should!
But the parent who wrote the question knows that there’s a huge gulf between what people say they will do, and what they actually do — because she is the parent of a special needs child, and birthday party invitations have been few and far between.

JC Penney Denies Boy with Autism Haricut

TRI CITIES, Wash. -- A Richland mom is speaking out against national retailer JC Penney. Krista Archibald says her son was denied a free haircut because he has autism.
She had seen an ad for free kids haircuts at the store all through the month of August.
So, she was absolutely shocked when nanny Sarah Buchkoski took the 10-year old to the Kennewick store, only to be quickly turned away.

Access to Dental Care Is Not Enough

A comprehensive study using electronic dental records to profile the oral health status of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) has concluded that access to specialized dental care alone is not sufficient to meet the community's substantial oral health needs. The findings, published as the cover article in the August issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association, provide a foundation for further investigation into the significant oral health needs of adults with I/DD and the development of preventive oral health strategies.

Editorial: Waiting Lists Loom in Kansas

As the Brownback administration takes pride in fiscal-year-ending reserves, another number looms large and shamefully – the more than 7,000 Kansans with physical or developmental disabilities who are awaiting home- and community-based services.
With such services, individuals can live independently or in homelike residential settings. Without them, they may be forced to move into nursing homes – not only sacrificing quality of life but costing taxpayers far more.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2012/08/03/2433175/eagle-editorial-waiting-lists.html#storylink=cpy

Autism and the Neurodiversity Movement

Interesting post by Brenda Rothman on her blog Mama Be Good. Love her tagline, which definitely caught my attention: "He's beautiful. He's funny. He's autistic. Mama's just trying not to mess him up."
 
Integrating the minority neurodiverse community with the majority neurotypical community is not  easy.   Members of the autism community look at each other with distrust, expecting the worst. 
Some members will hold even more firmly to their viewpoints.  Some autistics will mistrust parents more.  Some parents will mistrust autistics more.  And some members will mistrust their own.  Some on both sides will withdraw.   Some will show less concern for each other's well-being, focusing on our own and our family's.  Community cooperation will decrease.  Friends will disagree.
This is what happens in an equal rights movement, in a diversity effort.   Acknowledging that a group of people within our midst have unequal opportunity because of disability is difficult.  We feel remorse for not recognizing the inequities.  We feel defensive because we didn't cause the situation.  We feel denial because the group includes our own children, for whom we have the most love and best intentions.  And, underneath it all, we feel guilt and helplessness for not being able to do more

Focus on Strengths Aids Autistic Teens Socially

Emerging research suggests that given the appropriate programming, autistic teens can improve their social skills during adolescence.
Most would agree that junior high and high school years are emotionally challenging for all teens, and, for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the time is often difficult. Deficits in social skills among teens with ASD may result in students being ostracized and bullied by their classmates.
Paradoxically, the new approach developed by researchers at the Koegel Autism Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara hinges on exploiting the unique strengths of teens with ASD – their high intelligence and very specific interests.

New Pets May Help Autistic Kids Socially

Getting a pet may help children with autism to develop their social skills, if the furry friend is brought into the home when the child is about 5 years old, according to a new French study.
Researchers found that children with autism who got a pet after age 5 showed improvement in their abilities to share with others and to offer comfort, whereas those who had a pet since they were born, and those who never had a pet, showed no such improvement.

Struggle to Find Normal Life Amid Special Needs

He rages again.
It's the fifth time since I've been up, counting from the blood-curdling time-out screams that awoke me. I have no idea how many it was before that. Kyle's on kid duty in the mornings since it's summer, a blessed reprieve from the glass-walking that is morning time with those two.
This time, it's because WALL-E is on, because Tova picked it while he was throwing a fit in his room. That's part of what he does now -- something disrupts his despotic rule over our family and he runs to the stairs, hitting and slapping them as he goes up to his room to lay on his bed with the blankets over him. Sometimes it's because we force him to share a toy or tell him not to hit us/Tova/a cat. Other times it's completely baffling, like when he asks to color with markers and we acquiesce, retrieving the marker tote from the top of the fridge, only to have him scream in a primal way as we return with them.

Judge Orders Tricare to Expand Autsm Therapy

A federal judge has ruled that Tricare must cover autism therapy for children of military retirees — but reimbursement for the treatment, called applied behavior analysis, could be years away while the issue remains tied up in the courts.

Study Finds People with Developmental Disabilities Prone to Poor Dental Health

Monday I wrote about Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte’s decorative dental grill.
Today I’m writing about a phenomenon at the other end of the dental-care spectrum. Research published Wednesday morning in the Journal of the American Dental Association sheds light on the dental health of people whose intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDDs) may interfere with their care.
Researchers at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston examined a year’s worth of electronic dental records for 4,732 adults (ages 20-98) with IDDs. The patients’ dental care was provided through clinics, supported by the state of Massachusetts and run by Tufts, designed to provide dental care to people with such disabilities.

Seeking Support as School Year Draws Near

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- It’s hard to believe that back-to-school displays are in full force in the stores already.

Before we know it, the kids will be back in class, and life will be back to business as usual. Most students will acclimate easily to the educational, social and emotional responsibility associated with school, however, there are those students and families who deal with challenges and pressures that can make an average school day extraordinarily difficult.

Many of these students have special needs that may or may not be recognized by the school itself. And, for those parents of these children, it can be a frustrating maze trying to find help for them within the school.