The Autism News

The Autism News | English

By SAM DILLON | The New York Times

More than 200,000 schoolchildren are paddled, spanked or subjected to other physical punishment each year, and disabled students get a disproportionate share of the treatment, according to a new study.

Most states prohibit corporal punishment in public schools, but 20 do not. The two watchdog groups that collaborated on the report, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union, are urging federal and state lawmakers to extend the ban nationwide and enact an immediate moratorium on physical punishment of students with disabilities.

“Corporal punishment is just not an effective method of punishment, especially for disabled children, who may not even understand why they’re being hit,” said Alice Farmer, who wrote the report.

The report, based on federal Department of Education data, said that of the 223,190 public school students nationwide who were paddled during the 2006-7 school year, at least 41,972, or about 19 percent, were students with disabilities, who make up 14 percent of all students.

As recently as the 1970s, only two states had laws banning corporal punishment, but 28 others have since passed similar legislation. Corporal punishment is still permitted in some form in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.

The most recent state to enact a ban was Ohio, where Gov. Ted Strickland last month signed into law a measure including a such a prohibition.

In states that do not have bans, some school districts do. In Louisiana, about 56 districts allow corporal punishment, while about 14 prohibit it. Last month the Education Committee of the Louisiana Legislature voted 8 to 6 to reject a proposed ban.

Roy McCoy, principal of Beekman Junior High School in Bastrop, La., testified against the bill. Classroom discipline has been an increasing problem, Mr. McCoy told lawmakers. In an interview, he said paddling is no cure-all, “but when other means of correcting behavior have failed to produce the desired improvement, it could be a viable option.”

“My view is that this should be a decision made by each local school board,” Mr. McCoy said.

Among the cases cited in the report was that of a 6-year-old, first-grade boy with autism, who was paddled at his Mississippi elementary school. An assistant principal who the report described as weighing 300 pounds “picked up an inch-thick paddle and paddled him” on the buttocks, the report said.

“It just devastated him,” the report cited the boy’s grandmother as saying. “When a child with autism has something like that happen, they don’t forget it. It’s always fresh in their minds.”

Alan Richard, a former journalist who is the spokesman for the Southern Regional Education Board, said he once surveyed attitudes in Southern districts.

“One principal said, ‘I was whipped as a child, so it’s fine with me,’ ” Mr. Richard recalled. “Others said, ‘We don’t do that anymore.’ It varied by community.”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/education/11punish.html

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The Autism News | English

By Forbes • Associated Press

Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry has signed legislation designed to increase the number of therapists who provide services to autistic children.

But Henry said Monday the measure is just a small step in the effort to help affected Oklahoma families. He urged lawmakers to pass legislation to mandate insurance coverage for the treatment of autism.

The bill calls for enactment of a licensing process for national board certified behavior analysts and enhancement of existing state programs that would train doctors to diagnose and treat autism.

But the governor says some people question whether it will actually produce significant new services if insurance doesn’t cover the cost of treatment and parents can’t afford to pay the bill.

Republican legislative leaders oppose insurance mandates and say they drive up the cost of health insurance.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/05/05/ap6379364.html

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The Autism News | English

Hyperbaric chambers are improving mannerisms, physical behavior

By Kim Archer – Tulsa World

It looks like a white submarine ready to dive into the depths, with a small circular window to peer out on an imaginary sea.

It’s a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, and true to its U.S. Navy roots, time spent in one is called a dive.

“It forces oxygen into malfunctioning limbs. For diabetic wounds and wounds in general, it can start building new blood vessels in that area,” said Dr. Gerald Wootan of Jenks Health Team.

Wootan’s patients are stroke victims, children with autism, patients with peripheral vascular disease, people whose bones or soft tissue have been damaged by radiation, people with cerebral palsy, patients with skin grafts or burns, and those with any condition created or worsened by a lack of blood flow.

In fact, more parents of autistic children across the country are turning to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, chelation and a special diet to help their children. It is called the Defeat Autism Now protocol.

As one of only two licensed health care professionals in Oklahoma listed on the Defeat Autism Now clinician registry, Wootan sees 100 to 200 autistic children on a regular basis. Autism is a brain-based disorder that affects a person’s behavioral, social and communication skills.

Seeing progress
The parent of one of those children, Yvette Hill of Shawnee, has been thrilled with how her 11-year-old autistic son, Trent, is progressing due to hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

“Within a week, I noticed a big difference in Trent. Before, his speech was very basic and babyish talk. He would stare and laugh inappropriately. He wouldn’t look you in the eyes and he would zone out,” she said.

After a month of the therapy, “Trent was a completely different little boy,” Hill said.

U.S. researchers are launching studies on the use of hyperbarics both for traumatic head injuries and for autism. A 2006 pilot study by a Virginia researcher saw statistically significant improvements among its autistic subjects in mannerisms, health and physical behavior, sensory and cognitive awareness and speech, language and communication.

Some label this treatment for autism as quackery. But Wootan, a state-licensed osteopathic physician in good standing, sees significant benefits.

At a price of at least $400 per dive, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be expensive. But for a diabetic seeking to ward off amputation of a limb, a 40-dive protocol can save money and a limb, Wootan said.

By immersing the patient in 100 percent oxygen at more than twice the normal atmospheric pressure, the hyperbaric oxygen treatment dissolves oxygen in the blood plasma and in all body cells, tissues and fluids at up to 10 times normal concentration, he said.

The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, the governing body of hyperbaric medicine, has approved the therapy for the treatment of 13 select conditions. Those are covered by Medicare and most insurers, he said. So-called off-label uses, such as for autism, are acceptable as long as prescribed by and conducted by licensed physicians, he said.

“It’s like any other procedure. It has to be done correctly,” Wootan said. “About 60 percent of the autistic children we’ve seen do better in behavior and function after hyperbarics as evaluated by their parents.”

Wootan hopes more research will be done to support this treatment for autistic spectrum disorders.

Source: http://newsok.com/parents-of-autisti…rticle/3351683

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