interesting article

[Guest guest]

Wow that was an awesome article.

I'm sure is seeting on the part where they say ABA is experimental and

unproven....

Keep sharing articles like this - they are inspiring!

oliverlulu wrote:

Sorry, the link didn't work right. Here is a copy of the article-

Morning Edition, September 26, 2007 · Two years ago, Micheletti

was diagnosed with autism.

His parents say Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has transformed their

son from a boy who was retreating into darkness into a precocious,

gregarious kid.

Jake's father, Joe Micheletti, who works for the state of New Jersey,

assumed the family's insurance company would cover the treatment

costs. They were not, which came as a shock, Micheletti said. So he

took the case to the state's highest court — facing off with fellow co-

workers along the way — and won.

The Treatment

When autism therapist Kerrie Pawlikoski first met Jake, she says his

language skills were limited.

" He would say 'Hello,' and you might say 'What's your name,' and

sometimes he would say 'Jake,' " Pawlikoski says of Jake's first days

in treatment. " Sometimes he'd say 'What's your name, Jake.' So, you

know, a lot of repeating what the other person said. "

Pawlikoski runs Child's Play, a therapy center in Branchburg, N.J.

During the school year, Jake spends 5 1/2 hours a week working with

her and therapist la Simon. They work with Jake on skills he can

only learn through intense repetition. Among other things, they spend

hours practicing how to answer a question with an appropriate answer.

But despite the potential of the treatment, the insurance company said

they would not cover the costs.

" What they said when they rejected me was that treatment was not

restorative. It didn't restore a previously existing function, "

Micheletti says. " Jake was three and a half. He had never spoken

before. [The insurance company thought], 'Why should we give him

verbal behavior therapy to make him speak now.' "

The insurance company may not have known who they were tangling with.

The Battle Ahead

Micheletti is a deputy in the state attorney general's office. If he

was to sue the state health plan, he knew he would have to fight his

own boss in court.

" The office was very mixed. There are people there who have worked

with me for a long time — career deputies — who were very supportive, "

Micheletti says. " There were administration officials who were not

that supportive. They did not appreciate one of their own challenging

them. "

Micheletti lives with his wife and three kids in Milford, N.J., about

an hour away from his Trenton office.

Micheletti, Jake's mother, is a stay-at-home mom who used to

work as an attorney, too. When the family decided to launch the

lawsuit, the couple turned into a crack legal team, and their writing

styles and legal approaches meshed.

" Joe is so good with strategy, but I don't think he's as eloquent as I

am, " says, laughing.

The case dragged on. Even after the family won in the lower courts,

the insurance company refused to pay. So before the New Jersey Supreme

Court, Micheletti argued against one of his colleagues in the AG's

office.

The court's justices were clearly peeved that the state-run insurance

system continued to refuse to pay for Jake's therapy, even after a

mandate from a lower court.

Assistant Attorney General A. Scheindlin told the court that the

insurers just wanted to ensure that the therapy was legitimate.

" [That concern] is consistent with this general practice of checking

who is providing therapies, " Scheindlin told the court. " Give us your

therapy notes, so we can check the patient's progress, [and] we can

ensure that appropriate utilization and medical services is being

provided. "

When a decision came down earlier in September, the state Supreme

Court ruled in favor of the Michelettis. The judges ordered the

insurance company to pay in full for all of Jake's therapy.

Growing Demands for Coverage

Many insurance companies say they will not cover ABA because they view

it as experimental and unproven. The New Jersey State Health Benefits

Commission declined to speak to NPR. NPR contacted a number of private

insurance companies, such as CIGNA and AETNA. Those companies declined

to be interviewed, but they did send regulations that state that they

won't cover therapies considered experimental — including ABA.

Pamela Greenberg of the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness

says there just is not enough data on the effectiveness of ABA

therapy.

" Yes, there are examples of where ABA has been very effective. And

there are other examples of situations where it has been very

harmful, " Greenberg says. " Coverage decisions need to be made based on

the best possible medical evidence and not just on the experience of a

few cases. "

The Michelettis' victory comes as parents of autistic children across

the country are pushing for better coverage of this disorder. But

better coverage for some families may mean higher premiums for

everyone. That presents a dilemma for insurance companies, according

to Mohit Ghose of America's Health Insurance Plans.

" The question then becomes: do you provide that through the healthcare

setting, or do you provide that through the educational setting as

many states have traditionally done? " Ghose says.

South Carolina and Texas have passed laws this year requiring some

insurers to cover autism therapy, and the Pennsylvania House recently

passed its own bill. When South Carolina's governor tried to veto his

state's bill, he said one reason was that it would raise premiums by

an estimated $48 a year. That veto was overturned. There's currently a

bill before the New Jersey legislature that would mandate coverage for

ABA. A state analysis concluded the bill would raise premium costs by

less than 0.5 percent.

Jake's Progress with Therapy

Joe and Micheletti are overjoyed watching Jake play with his

siblings. A year ago, they say, Jake largely ignored his brothers.

Even though this affectionate five-year-old is making great progress,

he still gets confused about how to phrase a question.

" What you can hug mommy, " Jake asks his mother .

She quickly corrects him, " When can you hug mommy. "

Like a lot of parents, the Michelettis desperately want Jake to

succeed, not simply to get by. The Michelettis felt like they got

adequate services from their school system. Jake has an aide in his

kindergarten class. But their neurologist says would benefit

from more intensive therapy. says her son has a right to

thrive.

" The standard for a school to teach autistic children is … that they

are making some progress, " she says. " So their goal is not to recover

or cure your child. Their goal is to show some educational progress. "

" And schools are not medical professionals, " Jake's father adds. " They

are not doctors; they are not there to cure your child. "

Therapists concede that some children won't flourish the way

has — no matter how much therapy they get. So while the Michelettis'

adventure is dramatic, it doesn't answer the toughest questions: What

are these children entitled to? How much therapy should they get? And

who should pay?

Radio piece produced by Marisa Penaloza

>

> I just came across this article and thought it was worth sharing.

Here

> is the link http://www.npr. org/templates/ story/story. php?storyId=

> 14577821

>

> I was wondering if this will set precedence to help us get coverage

> from our insurances for Texas. If there is anyone who understands

all

> the legal loopholes out there, I would love your opinion.

> Thanks!

>

>

M. Guppy

Don't tell God how big your storm is - tell the storm how big your God is!

Texas Autism Advocacy: www.TexasAutismAdvocacy.org

" There are some aspects of a person's life that we have no right to

compromise. We cannot negotiate the size of an institution. No one should live

in one. We cannot debate who should get an inclusive education. Everyone

should. We cannot determine who does and who does not get the right to make

their own choices and forge their own futures. All must. "

[Guest guest]

Sorry haven't had time to look at it.

You know it's funny what people say. Did you know that Aetna has decided

that autism isn't a disorder at all and that they don't have to cover it?

I actually chided the Harvard neurologist who spoke in town last weekend,

Dr.

Margaret Bauman, for placing ABA equally with Floortime, DIR, RDI, etc.

She did recant and admit that ABA is the only approach with any data to

support it. Boy, Stanley Greenspan must really be a charmer in order to get

so much support for Floortime without any peer reviewed data to support it.

But, it's so common, I don't even let it phase me anymore. Unfortunate, but

uncommon. It's kind of like the people who still call the country Myamar by

it's former name of Burma. I mean, it's only like the country changed it's

name

20 years ago. . . . .

S.

Re: Re: Interesting Article

Wow that was an awesome article.

I'm sure is seeting on the part where they say ABA is experimental

and unproven....

Keep sharing articles like this - they are inspiring!

oliverlulu wrote:

Sorry, the link didn't work right. Here is a copy of the article-

Morning Edition, September 26, 2007 · Two years ago, Micheletti

was diagnosed with autism.

His parents say Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has transformed their

son from a boy who was retreating into darkness into a precocious,

gregarious kid.

Jake's father, Joe Micheletti, who works for the state of New Jersey,

assumed the family's insurance company would cover the treatment

costs. They were not, which came as a shock, Micheletti said. So he

took the case to the state's highest court — facing off with fellow co-

workers along the way — and won.

.

[Guest guest]

I don't know if this is redundant, I just came across it and found it interesting:Health Canada Vs Unpasteurized Milk

Categories

Control tactics

Health through Nutrition

Practical Health

The Nature of Government

The following news releases are a transparent attempt by the vested

interests to discredit the small gains that are underway regarding

unadulterated milk.

Can it just be a coincident that in less than 2 weeks after a strong

presentation made to Health Canada (April 4, 2005 - see meeting summary

below) that thoroughly debunked their stance and at the same time,

provided strong evidence on health advantages of raw milk that these

unsubstantiated and biassed news releases suddenly should appear?

It is enlightening to see some data on raw vs pasteurized incidences of illness:

RAW MILK: Incidence of food-borne illness from raw milk – 1.9 cases

per 100,000 people, 1973-1992. (American Journal Public Health Aug

1998, Vol 88., No 8)

PASTEURIZED MILK: Based on CDC website, incidence of food-borne

illness from all foods including pasteurized milk – 4.7 cases per

100,000 people, 1993-1997. (US Census Bureau 1997 population estimate

267,783,607)

OTHER FOODS: Based on CDC website of reported food-borne illness

from other foods – 6.4 cases per 100,000 people, per year from

1993-1997.

THEREFORE, the incidence of food-borne illness from consuming raw

milk is 2.5 times lower than the incidence of food-borne illness from

consuming pasteurized milk; and 3.5 times lower than the incidence of

food-borne illness from consuming other foods.

On a case-by-case basis, persons consuming milk from ANY source (raw or pasteurized) are:

30 times more likely to become ill from fruits and vegetables

13 times more likely to become ill from beef

11 times more likely to become ill from chicken

10 times more likely to become ill from potato salad

2.7 times more likely to become ill from non-dairy beverages

Source: MMWR Vol 45, No SS-5

Given, from the above, that " Of All Foods, Milk has the Lowest Incidence of Reported Food-Borne Illnesses (0.2%) " ;

and that the actual milk in question was never tested for bacteria as

the source still was only alleged - the jump to the conclusion that the

milk was the source for these illnesses by the so called experts is

nothing short of hearsay masquerading as " expert science " .

Instead of doing some research on the issue Dr. , of

University of Guelph, has the audacity to parrot the party line and

then added insult to injury by stating, on April 15, 2005, CBC Ontario Today radio interview that except for Vitamin C pasteurizing essentially does not damage milk...

From the above, pasteurization not only destroys vitamin C but also the B complex, D (a questionable version of synthetic D is often added), the minerals Zinc, Iron, Copper, enzymes and whey proteins.

With this kind of processing of food, along with our highly depleted soils, the quack medical Mafia and there supporters tell us that we get all our nutrients from food!

This struggle is about our health and not pseudo science to protect

the status quo. It should be imperative to for all to study and follow

up on the excellent presentation:

Raw Milk and Raw Milk Products

Health, Safety, Economic and Legal Issues

Prepared by:

Lee Dexter, President, White Egret Farms

Sally Fallon, President, The Weston A. Price Foundation

We continually hear from the so called experts particularly

HC that their decisions are based on science and risk reward ratios.

This example demonstrates it is anything but science and risk is higher

than reward - clearly what they aspire and what they do is totally

opposite! Typically these publicly paid experts behave as though they

are representing the industry instead of the their constituents. A

clear demonstration how vested interests and status quo is maintained

though self serving regulatory bloat and inbred lack of

accountabilities. The only recourse left it seems is via the courts

unless they too are bought!

It is truly a disgrace that, lay unpaid health conscious, citizens

can research and find information central to their health while the so

called experts who we pay handsomely to protect our health (Health

Canada, Ontario's chief medical officer of health and a Food Safety

Network) seem to be so inept in looking after their constituents with

the very services they where hired to provide...

Gupta

Feb 23, 2005 Letter from Mayers,

Health Canada"pasteurization kills the organisms that cause disease"

Pasteurization does NOT kill all the organisms that cause disease.

Fails to define acceptable risk nor apply it to both raw and pasteurized milk.

"Listeria monocytogenes may contaminate between 1 and 10% of the raw milk supply"

These figures apply to regular bulk tank milk destined for

pasteurization; they do not apply to Grade A certified milk for raw

milk consumption.

"It can result in still birth or miscarriage if pregnant women become infected."

Pregnant women are much more likely to become infected from other foods than from raw milk.

Paragraph 3 lists outbreaks of foodborne illness 'associated' with raw milk.

Most occurred in farms where there are many sources of infection. In

a recent incident at a petting zoo in Florida, 15 school children

became infected with virulent E coli (but not drinking raw milk).

Most incidents were guilt by association, without proven links.

On Vancouver Island, five children from different families were

diagnosed with an infection of E.coli O157:h7 after drinking raw goat's

milk

(http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/02vol28/dr2801eb.html)

BIAS: This report provides an excellent example of bias. The title,

"Escherichia Coli O157 Outbreak Associated with the Ingestion of

Unpasteurized Goat's Milk in British Columbia, 2001" does not reflect

the possible sources of infection presented in the report.

SAMPLES: One milk sample found "presumptively" positive after

"enrichment" with a testing substance; No E.coli found in samples

before "enrichment"; no E.coli found in second bottle.

OTHER SOURCES: First child infected had also visited a petting farm

(a common source of infection); all children lived on a cooperative

farm (where contact with animals was the likely source of infection.)

"In the USA, where certified raw milk is allowed within certain States, foodborne outbreaks happen regularly."

There has been NO proven cases of foodborne illness from certified

raw milk in the US, but many cases of foodborne illness from

pasteurized milk.

"For example, in 2002, an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium was

caused by the consumption of raw milk purchased at a dairy producing

certified milk in Ohio."

According to the CDC report : "The source for contamination was not

determined; however, the findings suggest that contamination of milk

might have occurred during the milking, bottling or capping process."

There were many possible of vectors of illness on the dairy besides raw milk.

The dairy, which had been in business for decades without incident, caved in to health department pressure.

"While some milk protein may be mildly denatured by

pasteurization, denaturation does not affect the nutritional quality of

the protein and in fact tends to make it more digestible."

Pasteurization completely inactivates these proteins, many of which

are needed for protection against pathogens and for mineral metabolism.

No proof exists whatsoever that pasteurized milk is more digestible.

"losses [of vitamins] not considered significant in the context of the Canadian diet."

These losses can be very significant for children with digestive

problems or whose families cannot afford a diet high in meat and

seafood.

"there is no evidence that raw milk is better than pasteurized milk"

We have presented abundant evidence that raw milk is better than pasteurized milk.

The attitude of health officials does not take into consideration

those individuals who cannot tolerate pasteurized milk but do well on

raw milk.

----------------------------------------------------- Warmly, Verderaime RVT,RN,DHerbwww.mtairyfolkmedicinecenter.comThe whiter the bread, the sooner you're dead.

" I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of theConstitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, onobjects of benevolence, the money of their constituents... " Madison (Author of the Constitution)

" I've seen the village, and I don't want it raising my child. " Autumn Burke " No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human

spirit. " Helen Keller