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The Autism News | English
| Millburn musicians compile album of songs about autism |
By Nyier Abdou | The Star-Ledger
When John O’Neil approached his friends Jon Fried and Deena Shoshkes, of the alternative pop band the Cucumbers, with lyrics he’d written about his son’s autism, Fried admits he was worried. He knew O’Neil as a friend and neighbor in Millburn. Their children were friends. And though O’Neil is a writer, he had never written songs before. But the words, which document the joys and difficulties of having an autistic child, leapt off the page. Fried wrote the first five songs in 15 minutes. After raising money through private performances, Fried and Shoshkes reached out to established musicians, like Jackson Browne and Marshall Crenshaw, to record the songs. The album, “Songs of the Spectrum” — a reference to the spectrum of disorders considered autism — will benefit autism research and awareness. The album can be purchased at www.singsos.org. (Video by Nyier Abdou/The Star-Ledger)
Source: http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2009/12/millburn_musicians_compile_alb.html
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The Autism News | English
By Laura Rillos | KVAL CBS 13
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Kate Skinner glows with pride when talking about her 10-year-old son, Mathieu, an aspiring filmmaker and inventor who was can’t wait for Christmas.
“[Saying] Just Mom, I love you so much, I’m so glad it’s Christmas,” recalled Skinner. “I’m going to make you something for Christmas, I don’t know what it is yet.”
Mathieu has autisum and can become overwhelmed during the holidays.
“Everything is different, the schedule changes, the expectations change,” said Skinner. “There are new bright shiny things in the house that weren’t there before.”
The things so many people enjoy about the holidays – vacations, holiday treats, seeing friends and family – can be stressful for kids on the autisum spectrum because their normal routine is disrupted, according to Michael Marcin, MD, a psychatrist specializing in autisum spectrum disorders.
Kids with autisum, he said, “actually have a predisposition to routine and focus and if you remove that from them, you’re actually taking away something they enjoy doing.”
Marcin recommends parents give their children a daily routine during the holidays. It can be as simple as waking up at the same time each morning and sitting down to discuss plans for the day, he said.
Children are used to seeing their friends at school, so Marcin recommends setting up a playdate during the school break.
Marcin says an advent calendar, which children use to countdown the days until Christmas, will give them a sense of control and predictability over the holiday.
It’s also important to figure out what works for your child.
To prepare Mathieu, Skinner talks with him about what they will be doing in advance, so he knows what to except. She also makes sure to designate a quiet space for Mathieu to have alone time if he needs it.
Since Mathieu, like many children with autisum, only eats certain foods, “Our table includes rice and corn in addition to all the traditional Christmas foods because that’s two things we know he’ll always eat,” said Skinner.
When the family plans to spend the holidays with relatives, Skinner sends a letter explaining her son’s autism and needs.
“Asking for respect for your child and being the advocate for your child with your own family,” she said. “Every family I know has someone in their family that doesn’t believe their autism is real.”
Source: http://www.kval.com/news/local/79691847.html
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The Autism News | English
Students at Westwood Intermediate School come to Kristin Anderson’s room for extra help with things like social skills.
Click here to watch: Helping Children With Autism Develop
By Maya Nishikawa | WCCO (CBS)
According to the Centers for Disease Control about one in 110 children have some form of the disorder. That’s a jump from the one in 150 kids the CDC used to use as a guideline. They think the jump is in part due to better diagnosis and recording of kids with Autism.
With more children identified with autism spectrum disorders, there is more demand for special education services. In Minnesota, there’s an effort not just to provide special education, but to raise the bar.
Students at Westwood Intermediate School come to Kristin Anderson’s room for extra help with things like social skills. Anderson is an Autism teacher, though she didn’t start out with that intention. This job came along and she’s learned to employ a lot of different strategies to help her students with Autism Spectrum Disorders or ASD.
“They have a very different learning style. So, just figuring out how they learn best is one of the key things. And there’s constantly different things that come up,” said Anderson.
Although there is a growing need to teach kids with ASD, the state does not require specific training to teach these students. There is an effort underway to change that. The state board of teaching is working on creating an Autism teaching license. This plan began a couple of years ago at the urging of the Autism Society of Minnesota. Teachers earning the license would get specialized training.
“The preparation would be very targeted to meeting the needs of ASD kids. And it’s similar to what we do in eight other special education areas right now,” explained Karen Balmer, Executive Director of the Board of Teaching.
The hope is more teachers like Anderson will step up. She’s glad she did.
“They really, really just touch your heart. The things they say, and the relationship you build with them. They let you know that you’re somebody they can trust. It’s very rewarding.”
Eventually, the state would require teachers working with students with ASD to have an Autism license.
The earliest the state might start issuing the licenses would be the fall of 2011 and then there might be some phasing-in time as teachers get the training they need.
Source: http://wcco.com/health/autism.license.Centers.2.1379228.html
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The Autism News | English
By Will Astbury | Digital Spy
Shah Rukh Khan has said that his latest movie My Name is Khan is about love, not terrorism.
The actor, who plays an autistic man caught up in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in the US, claimed that it was one of the best romance movies he has ever been involved in.
“This film is first and foremost a love story,” he told MTV India.
“In fact, this is one of the nicest love stories I have ever participated in – and I have participated in some of the best love stories that have been made here.”
My Name is Khan, directed by Karan Johar, sees Khan star alongside actress Kajol for the first time in eight years.
It is due for release on February 12, 2010.
Source: http://www.digitalspy.com/bollywood/news/a192023/khan-my-name-is-khan-is-a-love-story.html
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The Autism News | English
Rise in Autism Diagnoses
A new study says that one of every hundred 8-year-olds was diagnosed with autism or a related disorder in 2006. That’s a 57 percent jump from four years earlier. Dr. Jennifer Ashton reports.
CDC: Roughly 1% of 8-Year-Olds Have Disorder; Communities Participating in 2002 and 2006 Studies Saw Prevalence Go Up 57%
By CBS News
An average of one in 110 children – roughly one percent of 8-year-olds – have autism, according to data collected in multiple communities nationwide from 2006.
Overall, the data indicates that one in 70 boys and one in 315 girls have an Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday.
ASD refers to a group of symptoms including a profound inability to communicate, mental retardation, and other developmental disorders – from mild to severe, reports CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton. The diagnosis can be complicated and subjective.
“It’s not like going out and measuring a blood test. This isn’t concrete like that, this is looking at behavior,” said Dr. Gary Goldstein of the Kennedy Krieger Institute.
The new research reveals an overall increase in autism from earlier studies. According to the newest data, all 10 communities participating in an earlier 2002 study observed autism prevalence shoot up by an average of 57 percent.
Arizona and Missouri saw the highest uptick in autism prevalence while Florida had the lowest rate, according to the research.
Read the full CDC report on autism
The ASD prevalence was 4 to 5 times higher for boys than for girls.
The study used data based on a retrospective review of health and education records from communities compromising eight percent of the U.S. population of eight-year-olds. The studies focused on eight-years-old because previous research has shown that most children with autism have been identified by this age.
The studies’ authors noted that it was impossible to pinpoint one reason for the increase in autism.
“Although some of the increases are due to better detection, a true increase in risk cannot be ruled out,” the researchers noted.
In analyzing the numbers, Ashton reports, researchers are wrestling with an important issue: Are there really more autistic children? Or does the growing awareness of the symptoms lead to more diagnoses?
“Based on everything we have right now, I would say it’s more likely than not that there is an increase in the number of cases. It’s not absolute,” Dr. Goldstein said.
Jennifer Chancellor has been a special education teacher for 14 years; she told Ashton that she’s seen a big change in perceptions of children’s behavior.
“I think there is an awareness of what developmental milestones should be hit for children, and I think when there is concern that there children are not meeting these milestones, then parents are asking physicians and physicians are directing them to their educators,” Chancellor said.
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/18/health/main5995630.shtml
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The Autism News | English
By JoAnne Allen | Reuters
WASHINGTON – Autism, a brain disorder that interferes with communication and social skills, affected an estimated one in 110 American 8-year-olds in 2006, according to a federal study released on Friday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that autism cases were four to five times higher among boys than girls. The study also found autism was far more common among non-Hispanic white children than among black children and Hispanic children,
The CDC analyzed data on 307,790 8-year-olds in 10 communities across the country in 2006.
Autism refers to a spectrum of diseases, from severe and profound inability to communicate and mental retardation to relatively mild symptoms.
There is no cure for autism but experts believe intensive, early treatment can help many children with the disorder.
The study said the vast majority of children with autism showed symptoms before age three. Autism symptoms typically are seen in the first three years of life, but identification is often not made until later. (Editing by Jackie Frank)
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN185235120091218
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The Autism News | English
By CNN
London, England (CNN) — When Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets in January 2009 the news was greeted with amazement around the world.
But astonishment soon gave way to criticism directed at her — it was revealed that she was already a mother to six children — and over the ethics of fertility treatment.
So far she has weathered the storm and soon her eight babies will be celebrating their first birthday. But how on earth does she cope?
“The children sleep all night,” she told CNN’s Max Foster. “They sleep maybe from 7.30pm to 5am, but there are not enough hours in the day.”
Caring for octuplets — six boys and two girls — poses a unique economic challenge for the 34-year-old mother of 14 who has also been criticized for being jobless.
“It’s a challenge. It’s a double-edged sword. I’m damned if I work and I’m damned if I don’t. I can’t work a nine-to-five job because that’s not going to be enough income to support the kids. I’m trying to secure what I can.”
Suleman says trying to manage the domestic budget is like “a revolving door of expenses. Every dollar that comes in goes on the kids.”
“Octomom” — as she has been dubbed by the media — does have some help with the child-rearing from three helpers, one of which is dedicated to looking after her child who has autism.
Inevitably, it is impossible for her to give each child the attention they deserve.
“It would be impossible for a couple. You just try and do the best you can. You try and have special time with each child — putting them to bed, telling them a story, asking them about their day — as long as they get alone time and it’s quality. I’d love to give them quantity but that’s virtually impossible.”
Despite her experience with fertility treatment Suleman is reluctant for across the board limits on the number of embryos that can be implanted during IVF treatment.
“Every case is subjective, every woman responds differently,” Suleman said.
“Given my past reproductive history my doctor didn’t make any kind of mistake, he was guided by what was successful in the past. So only a certain amount of embryos were transferred — the same amount when I had my twins. The last thing anyone imagined was more than one or two growing.”
Although the burden of raising 14 children is obvious, Suleman is reluctant to jump into a relationship. She isn’t in a rush to find a male role model for her children.
“I believe I do not have to put myself out there. I do not have to date. I feel the missing piece of the puzzle will be placed naturally when the time is right. I don’t see the point in going out and wasting precious time and energy that I need for my kids.”
Suleman is currently documenting the experiences of the past year in a book and despite the constant sniping from the media she still manages to reflect positively on the past 12 months.
I’ve definitely grown more in the past eleven months than I have in the past 34 years. I personally believe everything happens for a reason and I’ve learnt how strong I am. It’s a choice who you let into your life and who you are going to allow to affect you psychologically or emotionally. I’ve learned how to maintain boundaries and how to grow as a result of some extraordinarily challenging situations.”
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/12/18/ctw.suleman.octuplets/
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The Autism News | English
by Amanda Stanzilis | KENS 5
It was terrifying and traumatic for dozens of families.
Last week, 80 autistic children were suddenly without a school after Treehouse Pediatrics administrators announced they had to close their doors., immediately and permanently. Parents were overwhelmed, and you can imagine the panic of the teachers who were suddenly without a job just before the holidays.
Treehouse Pediatrics said they had to close their doors because of three months of non-payment from Tri-Care, which is a military health-care insurance provider.
Tri-Care claims paperwork wasn’t filled in correctly.
Either way, the 80 autistic children were left out in the cold. The autism community network immediately stepped in.
Thursday, parents got the news they were praying to hear.
Two anonymous donors along with he USAA Foundation provided $235,000 in emergency funding.
The funding means at the start of the new year, the children’s services will be continued, and the teachers will have jobs again.
There was a lot of gratitude spilling out of the Thursday meeting, and a few tears.
Source: http://www.kens5.com/news/Anonymous-donors-come-to-the-rescue-of-80-autistic-children-79573007.html
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The Autism News | English
Miramichi launches autism registry Miramichi has launched an autism registry for first responders, which is believed to be the first in Canada Watch: 1:46
By CBC News
Miramichi has launched an autism registry for first responders, which is believed to be the first in Canada.
The Miramichi Police Force partnered with the local autism resource centre to develop the registry of people in the New Brunswick area who have an autism spectrum disorder, officials said.
It gives police and firefighters a snapshot of an individual’s personality traits and suggests calming mechanisms that can be used if they come into contact with a person on the list.
The registry comes just one week after a seven-year-old autistic Cape Breton boy died after wandering away from home shortly before a snowstorm.
James Delorey, who did not speak, died in hospital Dec. 8 after spending two days in the woods in South Bar, near Sydney.
“Having the ability to flag our individuals in the 911 system, I believe, can only be a win-win situation for all involved,” Debby MacGregor, director of Autism Resources Miramichi Inc., stated in a news release Thursday.
“With both the education of the responders as well as the ability for them to have advance notice that they are dealing with an individual with autism, we will be able to minimize the risk to both the individuals and to the responders, and increase the number of positive outcomes,” she said.
Many people with autism spectrum disorder are non-verbal, or become so when stressed, said MacGregor.
“Also because of issues like wandering, lack of social awareness, behaviours, lack of fear, attraction to water and other sensory issues, we know that are individuals are up to seven times more likely to come into contact with the law,” she said.
Last spring, police in Mount Pearl, N.L., arrested and detained 18-year-old Dane Spurrel, mistaking his autistic behaviour for public drunkenness.
Ease their minds
Some families who attended the news conference at the Rodd Miramichi Thursday morning said having their loved ones on the registry will help ease their minds.
They can fill out a detailed application form at the autism centre, which will include a photograph of the autistic individual, identifying features and information about them, such as what causes them to become more stressed. So if, for example, it’s auditory, police might turn their sirens off. The forms might also have information about what helps calm the individual, which could help firefighters coax them out of a burning building.
There is no age limit.
“Having a registry embedded in the 911 system for our force to utilize when responding to calls or making inquiries will promote successful interventions and better prepare my officers for when they are deployed to situations involving an individual with autism spectrum disorder,” said Police Chief Earl Campbell.
He hopes the registry will serve as a model in other jurisdictions.
“I encourage other police services to contact my agency if they are considering developing a registry for first responders,” he said.
“We will share what we have done. It is our intention to offer to other police services any and all information to promote education and proactive leadership in program development.”
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/12/17/nb-autism-registry.html
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