Same Genetic Basis Found in 5 Types of Mental Illness

The psychiatric illnesses seem very different -- schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, major depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Yet they share several genetic glitches that can nudge the brain along a path to mental illness, researchers report. Which disease, if any, develops is thought to depend on other genetic or environmental factors.
Their study, published online Wednesday in the Lancet, was based on an examination of genetic data from more than 60,000 people world-wide. Its authors say it is the largest genetic study yet of psychiatric disorders. The findings strengthen an emerging view of mental illness 

School Suspends Autistic Boy for Running Away From School

In what appears to be yet another example of how ill-equipped some schools are to handle the needs of children with autism, 5-year-old Kendrick Butler of Killeen, Texas ran away from his school last week. He was on the run for 35 minutes in all. He made it several blocks, and was almost hit by a car at one point.Fortunately, he was okay. His mother got a call Friday afternoon telling her to come pick him up, and they gave her a brief description of what happened, along with his punishment --a three-day suspension from school.

Opinion: Everyone Deserves a Place to Call Home

Opinion piece by Gail Levinson, executive director of Supportive Housing Association of New Jersey. 

TRENTON, N.J. -- Overcoming our history of segregating people with special needs has proved a challenge for society, yet government and provider agencies, professionals and families continue to demand better. The timing of this new advocacy is right, given the state’s decision to close two developmental centers within the next five years.

Approximately 88,000 people in New Jersey live with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Currently, there are 2,376 individuals living in state developmental centers, and 8,144 people with developmental disabilities living in community group homes, supervised apartments and supportive housing.

Christie Wants Disabled in Community

New Jersey residents with developmental disabilities will have an easier time receiving publicly funded services at home, thanks to additional funding announced by Gov. Chris Christie in his budget address on Tuesday.Christie said that the state has settled an eight-year-old lawsuit alleging that New Jersey was violating a 1999 U.S. Supreme Court decision by having too many residents with disabilities live in institutions.

Act of Sportsmanship Gives Texas High Schooler Shot at Glory

With a minute-and-a-half left -- Coronado leading, but only by 10 -- Coach Morales put in his manager. "And I just started hearing, 'Mitchell, Mitchell,'" Morales says.

But here's where the fairytale fell apart. Although his teammates did everything they could to get Mitchell a basket, each time they passed him the ball, he either missed the shot, or, like on their last possession, booted it out of bounds, turning the ball over to the other team with just seconds left.

"He wasn't going to be able to score, but I was hoping that he was happy that he was just put in the game," Morales says. He couldn't have imagined what happened next.

Christie Administration, Disability Rights Group Settle Suits Over Community Services

The Christie administration and New Jersey’s leading advocacy group for the rights of the disabled on Tuesday settled two longstanding lawsuits charging that the state had failed to provide adequate community services for people with developmental disabilities.
Under the terms of the agreement, the administration commits to pouring millions into the community programs, both for current residents of New Jersey’s publicly owned developmental centers and for thousands of disabled individuals living at home who are now on a state waiting list for services.

States Can Cut Back on Medicaid Payments, Administration Says

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Monday that states could cut Medicaid payments to many doctors and other health care providers to hold down costs in the program, which insures 60 million low-income people and will soon cover many more under the new health care law.

Growing Pains vs. Warning Signs

When your child trips on his shoes, does it signal a developmental disorder in the making?
More parents of young children are hearing surprising warnings these days from educators and doctors who say they are picking up on the subtler signs of developmental problems. It used to be red-flag disorders like autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder that attracted attention in early childhood. But now specialists say they are being asked to evaluate kids for a more nuanced array of issues to correct them before they mushroom into bigger problems.

Opinion: The Forgotten Ones

Guest opinion piece by Monica Attridge, the sister of a person with developmental disabilities and representative of the Arizona Association of Providers for People with Disabilities.

PHOENIX -- In Gov. Jan Brewer’s recent State of the State speech, she spoke of protecting Arizona’s most vulnerable citizens. Certainly, we must protect children in danger of abuse or neglect, but what are we doing to protect another population which is just as vulnerable? Children and adults with developmental disabilities are struggling to find services in a system which has been cut so much in the last four years that it is operating, no failing, at just 70 percent reimbursement of costs.
 

Hiring Requirements Eased for Disabled

Traditionally, many people with disabilities have been required to prove their “job readiness” in order to be hired by the nation’s largest employer. Not anymore.
Under a new rule issued late last week, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management said that people with intellectual, psychiatric and severe physical disabilities will no longer be required to provide certification that they are ready to work when applying for jobs with the federal government.

Girls May Be Protected From Autism, Scientists Find

A team of Boston and European scientists have found evidence for a “female protective effect” in autism that could explain why boys are at far greater risk for the disorder than girls.
For years, it’s been known that boys are disproportionately affected by autism spectrum disorders, outnumbering girls 4 to 1. What has never been clear is the reason for the gender imbalance: Were males more biologically susceptible, or were females somehow insulated from the disorder and its suite of communication and behavioral problems? In a paper published last Monday, scientists studied thousands of pairs of twins and found evidence that supports the idea that females are protected.

Hot Sex and Disability at the Movies

Enjoy the Oscars Sunday!

As we head toward the Oscars on Sunday, there's one little-noted trend: sex and disability was hot at the movies last year to an unprecedented degree. And not just in degree but in kind. Three major releases prominently featured sexually active disabled people. The narratives range from light to dark, but are all decidedly what one New York Times reviewer called "sex positive." The explicit erotic scenes offered this year between nondisabled and disabled people mark a welcome step forward in how disability and sexuality are portrayed in popular culture

Sheriff Cancels Meeting Amid Uproar Over Death of Maryland Man

FREDERICK, Md. -- A community meeting previously scheduled for Thursday night by Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins to discuss neighborhood law-enforcement issues has been canceled due to a large turnout expected following the furor over the death of a developmentally-disabled man, according to authorities.
The sheriff’s office announced Thursday morning that the meeting scheduled earlier this month for Crestwood Middle School near Frederick to discuss crime trends in that area will be rescheduled after several media sources reported that it was being held to discuss the death of Robert E. Saylor, 26, of New Market, a sheriff’s office news release said.

NY Medciaid Rate Cut to Hit Disabled

ALBANY, N.Y. — A change to federal reimbursement rates for New York’s care of the developmentally disabled will deliver a $500 million hit to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal, his administration announced Wednesday.Cuomo’s 30-day budget amendments reflect a planned change in the rates paid by the federal government to the state for patients at nine facilities for the developmentally disabled. The federal government began negotiating a rate change with the state after a Poughkeepsie Journal investigation in 2010 revealed state and federal reimbursements totaled $4,556 per patient, per day.

Man with Down Syndrome Who Died in Police Custody Idolized Law Enforcement

Robert Ethan Saylor

FREDERICK, Md. -- Fascinated with law enforcement, Robert Ethan Saylor would sometimes call 911 just to ask the dispatchers a question. He loved talking to police officers and was a loyal follower of the TV show “NCIS.”
Now, his death at age 26 is the subject of a criminal investigation that has left those who knew him in his Frederick County community and those who didn’t around the country wondering: How did a young man with Down syndrome die in an encounter with the very people he idolized?

Georgia Execution Halted

ATLANTA -- Condemned killer Warren Lee Hill, whose mental retardation claims have attracted international attention, was spared execution Tuesday night with less than an hour to go before he was to be put to death.
Hill had already been given a sedative to prepare for his lethal injection, shortly after the state parole board declined to commute Hill’s capital sentence and after the Georgia Supreme Court rejected his final appeal.

Virginia Families Fear Future Without Institutions for Their Chidlren

Adam Bertman at the Northern
Virginia Training Center in Fairfax.

On his bad days, Adam Bertman would crush light bulbs with his bare hands. He once launched the heavy lid of a toilet tank down the stairs, striking a caregiver.One of his worst days came in fall 1998, when Bertman, who has autism and brain disease, became upset while out for a supervised walk. He started throwing rocks at cars and was so out of control by the time police officers arrived that they pulled their guns.
That was Bertman’s life before he entered the Northern Virginia Training Center in Fairfax, one of the commonwealth’s five state-run institutions for the developmentally disabled. It was before he developed relationships with the center’s staff members, who have learned to read his body language for signs that he is becoming agitated.

But now, as the state prepares to close four of the five centers and move their residents to community-based group homes, his mother, Judith Korf, worries that Bertman, 41, will end up in the same situation again.

Disability Awareness Is Too Important for So Many To Be Clueless About

You know those posts on Facebook and tumblr about bullying and the person being bullied having issues outside of school? Well, this is about one of the issues that person may or may not have.

Don't take this the wrong way. It's not some sort of, "Oh hey, analyze everyone because what if they've got problems we can't see!" type of thing. It's more of a, "Maybe we should think about who we're hurting" kind of thing.

Genius Grant Winner Brings Creativity to Caregiving

Most creative people would use a $500,000, no-strings attached grant to do something practical for themselves: maybe pay off a mortgage, or fund a research trip, or otherwise enable their next piece of work. But when the poet Heather McHugh won a MacArthur genius grant in 2009, she used that largess to start an organization called Caregifted, which provides free vacations to caregivers of the severely disabled.

Opinion: Stop Planned Execution of Man with Intellectual Disabilities

A post from the ACLU's Blog of Rights.

Warren Hill

Breaking Update, 2:30pm, February 14th: State doctors reversed an earlier finding and officially declared today that Warren Hill has mild mental retardation, placing Mr. Hill in the category of citizens protected from capital punishment by the 2002 United States Supreme Court decision Atkins v. Virginia. Mr. Hill's execution, scheduled for February 19th, must be stayed.

Secular and religious leaders from Vice President Humphrey to Mahatma Gandhi have taught that the character of society is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members. The words echo the teaching of Jesus and seem fitting to reflect on today as many Christians embark on the Lenten season of fasting, repentance, and spiritual discipline.

When I think about Georgia's scheduled execution of Warren Lee Hill, this principle haunts me. Hill is intellectually disabled (formerly called mentally retarded), and so clearly among society's weakest. The State of Georgia plans to execute him on February 19^th. How do I explain to my six year-old son what kind of a society plans to execute an intellectually disabled man?

Legislation Planned to Halt Closing of Two New Jersey Developmental Centers

WOODBRIDGE, N.J. — State Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-19th District, plans to introduce legislation next week that would reverse the binding aspect of a recommendation made by a task force last summer to close two of the state’s developmental centers, including the one here.

A similar bill is planned in the Assembly, and if approved could lead to a more negotiated discussion about the future of the development centers that house some of the state’s most profoundly developmentally disabled residents.

Against All Odds, Couple Finds Joy

When you pitch stories like these and the journalist gets it, there's no better feeling. Knew as soon as I spoke with the couple on Monday night, that they would be great!

SUFFERN, N.Y. — He helps her put on her coat, opens the door for her, and cooks their meals almost every night. She does the dishes, makes his favorite cheesecake from scratch, and suffers watching wrestling on television only because he loves it.

Michael and Laurie Zeilberger, both 51, have been married 17 years and recently passed a big milestone in their lives — they paid off the mortgage on their one-bedroom condo. Both have held stable jobs for more than two decades and he has nursed her through poor health.

Such a loving and durable marriage would be an accomplishment for many couples. It’s especially remarkable for the Zeilbergers because both have learning disabilities.

“We want to be married like other people are married for 50, 60 years,” said Laurie. “It may be harder for us but we want to try.”

Folic Acid Linked to Lower Autism Risk

Women who took folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy were about 40% less likely to have a baby later diagnosed with autism, according to a provocative new study generating high interest in the scientifc community.

Study: Autism and Schizophrenia Develop During Short Period in Infancy

Genes connected to the two disorders may only be active for a brief window of time.The study, while in mice, could provide clues about how the developmental disorders develop. Focusing on a region of the brain known as the subplate, where the first nerve cells develop, researchers at the University of Oxford, King’s College London and Imperial College London found that genes linked to autism and schizophrenia were only active in these regions during early stages of brain development.

Cheerleading for All

Amanda Zimdars during practice.

UNION GROVE, Wi.  — Lauren Behrendt doesn’t talk much, but if you ask the 18-year-old with Down’s syndrome about cheerleading, she’s quick to respond.“Um-hm. Fun,” she said last Tuesday, Feb. 5, during her cheerleading squad’s practice, her eyes lighting up when asked about the activity.
Behrendt is one of eight special needs individuals on Union Grove’s Inspire cheer team, which pairs helper cheerleaders with developmentally disabled people for a rare type of competition squad.

Georgia Bill Would Mandate Autism Coverage

Melissa and Arthur Solares, with children Carmen
and Arturo.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Advocates are expecting a fight over Georgia legislation to require insurance coverage for early intervention care for children with autism.
But this time they’re hoping to win.
Ava’s Law, which state Rep. Ben Harbin, R-Evans, plans to file this week, would mandate insurance companies pay for expensive, intensive services for children diagnosed with autism.
Currently, insurance companies in Georgia won’t pay for specialized therapy, including Applied Behavior Analysis, for children with autism. Parents must either accept the diagnosis and rely on minimal special needs services from the public school system, or pay for therapy that can improve the child’s abilities at an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 per year.

Start-Up Learns From Its Autistic Staff

Matt Sabady of Einstein Productions.

It's all about living, loving and working -- our new mission at YAI. And it's stories like this which are so reaffirming.

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- Renee Graber graduated from Marquette University nearly two years ago with a major in broadcast and electronic communication and a minor in film studies. After trying to find her footing in Los Angeles, she returned to Milwaukee where she found herself working with Matt Sabady, a 23-year-old with high-functioning autism, at a local Milwaukee start-up company - Einstein Productions - that is breaking the stigma regarding young adults with autism.
Einstein Productions, a nonprofit that opened its doors in September in The Shops of Grand Avenue, aims at assisting two sets of individuals in achieving their future careers in communication: recent graduates of Marquette University's Diederich College of Communication and high-functioning young adults with autism spectrum disorders.

When Bill Met Shelley: No Disability Could Keep Them Apart

Bill Ott and Shelley Belgard.

From the cold and snowy northeast, a story sure to warm your heart.

Bill Ott will always remember the moment he met Shelley Belgard. It was in spring 1988. He was 12 and sometimes shy. Into music, sports and, suddenly, girls.
Shelley was three years older, chatty and outgoing. They’d both shown up at a Montgomery County social club looking for friends, fun and the kind of acceptance that seems so elusive during teen life.
Shelley smiled. Bill introduced himself. And that was it. “I didn’t know what love was,” he says. “Until I met her.”
He was sure it was the real thing, but nobody ever believes that coming from a 12-year-old.
Certainly not one with Down syndrome.

Beloved Executive Director of Hudson Valley Agency Heads to OPWDD

This party was different.

It was a big, happy, buzzing party to say goodbye to Regis Obijiski, the 26-year executive director of New Horizons Resources, a disability agency based in the Hudson Valley. Courtney Burke, New York state commissioner of the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, recruited Obijiski to pitch in statewide from Albany.

Among the 300 partygoers, one was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable sports fan decked out in his New York Yankees jacket, and another, even though it was a workday, was sporting his party clothes.

One insisted I meet her “family,” introducing me to three staff members from her group home in Clintondale.

There was no gloating over past accomplishments, no boasting of future triumphs.

Instead, it was people with disabilities — masters of the present moment — happily showing that they knew, understood and liked their leader.

Review: Early Social Skills Training Aids Children with Special Needs

Social skills training in early childhood can boost the social and emotional development of special needs children, according to a newly released research review by the federal What Works Clearinghouse.

Fox News Asks: Can Autism Be Prevented?

It’s happened again at Fox. After taking down a story last year that was packed with misinformation about genetically modified foods–headlined “What you need to know"–Fox has now offered up another similarly underevidenced article, this time headlined “Can autism be prevented?”
Short answer: No, not usually.
In spite of that, the article goes longer and turns to one ‘Rober’ (sic) Melillo, who practices something called “chiropractic neurology.” The unbylined article says about autism: The statistic rates used to be one in 150 – so how did we get these new numbers?  Dr. Rober Melillo, co-founder of the Brain Balance Achievement Centers, spoke with Dr. Manny Alvarez, senior managing health editor for FoxNews.com, about the science behind autism, as well the facts and myths surrounding the condition.

Residents Question NYS Officials About Who Will Be Living in Group Home

NIMBY reaches an extreme in New York State.

FORT EDWARD, N.Y. -- Residents of Bascom Drive and Hillview Avenue have a better idea about the new residents of a 7 Bascom Ave. group home and also have a way to contact state officials with their concerns.But residents, some of whom have lived in the neighborhood for more than five decades, are still uneasy about how a home for people with developmental disabilities was opened up to clients with both developmental issues and criminal backgrounds.One resident asked for the names of those living in the home and was told that information was protected by privacy laws.

A More Inclusive World

 Isaac Zablocki is Director NY Film Programs, ReelAbilities: Disabilities Film Festival.

 

 As the Special Olympics kicks off in South Korea, I am brought once again to question our standards of inclusivity in America. People with disabilities make up the largest minority in America and intellectual disabilities is the fastest growing percentage of that group among children. In our society, we tend to judge people by subjective standards, like aptitude and exterior beauty, often leaving out those who do not have "standard abilities." We admire and idolize people who are not particularly talented, unique, or outstanding, yet, people with different abilities are hidden from the spotlight -- particularly people with developmental disabilities.

Bill Could Help Find New Homes for Autistic Adults in New Jersey

State raises concerns that Medicaid may not pay for proposed housing options.
The families of adults with autism in New Jersey are urging the state to take a more flexible approach to housing at a time when thousands of residents with developmental disabilities are on a waiting list for placement.
That flexibility is one of the goals of a bill (S-254) released on Monday by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. The legislation would require the state to explore new ways to deliver services to adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Autism advocates say the bill is a vital step toward averting a housing crisis.

DJ Apologizes For Mocking Woman With Disability

An Ohio radio disc jockey is apologizing after publicly ridiculing a woman with Down syndrome who mistakenly called his station.
Kellie Christine Baker, who has Down syndrome, was trying to reach a friend when she misdialed and reached the DJ known as “Mo” at WDJQ in Alliance, Ohio. Rather than tell Baker, 30, that she had the wrong number, Mo made fun of her speech and laughed at the woman. He subsequently played the conversation on air.

Shortage of Brain Tissue Sets Back Autism Research

Research on autism is being hobbled by a shortage of brain tissue.

The brain tissue comes from people with autism who have died and it has allowed researchers to make key discoveries about how the disorder affects brain development.

But there's not nearly enough tissue because most potential donors aren't identified and their family members are never approached about the possibility of donation. The shortage has been especially bad since last summer, when a freezer at a Harvard brain bank failed, allowing dozens of autistic brains to thaw.

Unemployment Rate Rises Among Disabled, Labor Department Reports

The unemployment rate among Americans with disabilities increased significantly in January, the U.S. Department of Labor said Friday.
Statistics indicate that the jobless rate jumped to 13.7 percent last month for people with disabilities, a steep rise over the 11.7 percent unemployment rate reported for the final month of 2012.

Opinion: Finding Guardians for Vulnerable Citizens in New Jersey

New Jersey Supreme Court
Chief Justice Stuart Rabner.

From nj.com, a guest post by Stuart Rabner, chief justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. 

 From a young age, we are taught how important it is not just to look out for ourselves, but also to help others in need. A new initiative the state judiciary has announced recognizes that concern in a very practical way. It empowers judges to appoint guardians for people who cannot manage their own affairs because of mental illness, disability or other reasons.
Family members, friends, lawyers and others who are willing to commit time and attention to help the elderly and disabled can be appointed as guardians. They make decisions about personal and medical care, meals, transportation and even where a person lives. And they take control of an incapacitated person’s assets. Guardians manage budgets, pay debts and make all financial and investment decisions for the people they assist.