SchaferAutismReport: Caregiver Bill Gains Support, Goes to Senate

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SAR "Healing Autism:Schafer Autism Report No Finer a Cause on the Planet"________________________________________________________________Tuesday, December 12, 2006 Vol. 10 No. 207>> PROMOTE YOUR 2007 EVENTS NOW - FREE <<Conferences * Presentations * Parent MeetingsDEADLINE FOR JANUARY SAR AUTISM CALENDAR ISDECEMBER 23!Submit listing here:http://www.sarnet.org/frm/cal-frm.htmADVOCACY* Caregiver Bill Gains Support, Goes to Senate PUBLIC HEALTH* The Age of Autism: 'Problems' in CDC Data* Scientists Say Toxic Stew Harming Canadians; Tougher Pollution Laws NeededCARE* "Thermometer Factory" Day Care Parents Look AheadEDUCATION* ACLU Opposes Taxpayer-Funded Scholarships for Disabled, KidsCOMMENTARY*

Biomedical Interventions In AutismLETTERS* Another Take on Autism* A Comment from the Autism Oxalate ProjectADVOCACYCaregiver Bill Gains Support, Goes to Senate Rep. Ferguson's bill would help families that take care of sick, disabledloved onesBy Kara L. http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061207/NEWS/612070306The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed Rep. MikeFerguson's bill to help family caregivers who provide daily care to lovedones with disabilities, chronic conditions or illnesses.Ferguson's Lifespan Respite Care Act would provide $289 million duringfive years in funding for state agencies to create respite programs,according to the proposal.Respite care is the ability to find temporary relief for familycaregivers -- time to prepare meals, run errands or simply to take a break."We felt like we had a very good case to make because we

think thiswill dramatically improve the quality of lives for people who are familycaregivers," said Ferguson, R-New Providence. "We're delighted, but we'renot yet done."The legislation won House approval unanimously by voice vote. Sen.Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is the chief sponsor of the bill in the U.S.Senate, which will consider the bill later this week, Ferguson said.The White House has said President Bush would sign the bill into lawif it is approved by Congress.Ferguson said his bill would create a coordinated national approach tohelp family caregivers get relief. The measure would provide grants tostates to train volunteers and offer information counseling and otherrespite care services. He said some respite care programs exist, but mostare for family caregivers to the elderly. Ferguson's proposal opens respitecare to in-home caregivers regardless of the age of the disabled orchronically ill family member

being helped.Though Ferguson has worked with other legislators on many bills, thisis his first free-standing piece of legislation that has a strong chance ofbecoming law.Ferguson learned about the importance of respite care during the sixyears that his mother battled multiple myeloma, or bone marrow cancer. Inbetween hospital stays, his father, , cared for his mother, a,during her battle."There are millions of people around the country who make similarsacrifices for their loved ones," Ferguson said, noting that there are 50million family caregivers -- including 900,000 in New Jersey -- who providedaily care for loved ones with disabilities, chronic conditions orillnesses.One is Pinter of Hillsborough, whose 10-year-old daughter, Kramer, has a developmental disorder within the autism spectrum. is very intelligent but struggles with daily activities suchas getting dressed and

relating to her classmates, her mother said. She hastantrums and tends to ask the same questions over and over again."Having a child with a disability -- it's such a challenge and it'ssuch a joy in the same breath," Pinter said. "We just need a break."Pinter said she was a single mother of a child with disabilities untilher recent marriage."This will help so many people," Pinter said of the bill. "It's like abig snowball. If there's no help, how are people going to help otherpeople?"Pinter receives funding -- five hours a week at $8 per hour -- throughthe Epilepsy Foundation. It helps her hire a tutor for her daughter.Although it doesn't cover the entire cost, the funding offsets the costenough to make it affordable."Sometimes I run to the grocery store or run an errand. It's just niceto do it alone," Pinter said.-- > DO SOMETHING ABOUT AUTISM NOW < --SUBSCRIBE. . . !. . .Read, then

Forward the Schafer Autism Report.To Subscribe http://www.SARnet.org/ $35 for 1 year - 200 issues, or No Cost Review Sub.!. . .PUBLIC HEALTHThe Age of Autism: 'Problems' in CDC DataBy Dan Olmsted for UPI. http://tinyurl.com/yd3bk8For three years, the CDC has used a study conducted on its own VaccineSafety Datalink to reassure parents that mercury in vaccines does not causeautism. Now a panel of government- appointed experts says there are "seriousproblems" with exactly the approach the CDC took."I think what we're saying is that (study) wasn't the last word andthat things need to be looked at again and perhaps with differentmethodology," chairwoman Irva Hertz-Picciotto told Age of Autism, whichobtained a copy of the panel's report.Critics said that renders reassurances about the mercury preservative,called thimerosal, unconvincing."How can health authorities, with a straight

face, claim they have anyevidence proving no connection after this report?" asked J.B. Handley,co-founder of Generation Rescue, an advocacy group that believes autism isessentially mercury poisoning by another name."This is analogous to our government not finding WMD in Iraq afterreassuring the world they would. It's a loss of credibility, and we are backat square one."+ Read more: http://tinyurl.com/yd3bk8. . .Scientists Say Toxic Stew Harming Canadians; Tougher Pollution Laws NeededBy Arrowsmith http://www.680news.com/news/national/article.jsp?content=n121199AEdmonton (CP) - A toxic stew of chemicals from birth control pills,shampoo and even compounds used to make foam seating pours out of sewers andpipes across Canada every day, and hundreds of scientists say Ottawa must domore to stop it.More than 700 scientists signed an open letter to Prime Minister Harper, urging the

federal government to do more to crack down onthe chemicals they say are hurting human health."A significant body of scientific evidence is drawing links betweentoxic chemicals and health conditions such as cancer, asthma, autism,learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, birthdefects and low birth weight," reads the letter released Monday.The scientists also urged Harper to make industry prove that chemicalsare safe before they're used in consumer goods, rather than keep the currentsystem, which requires governments to prove there's a problem before theycan ban them.Work is now underway in Parliament to update environmental regulationsunder the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, which hasn't been reviewedsince 1999. Schindler, an award-winning ecologist from Alberta, and Smol, a prominent environmental researcher at Queen's University,spearheaded the letter campaign in hopes of

influencing the way newregulations are crafted.They want the federal government to protect ecosystems such as theGreat Lakes, where substances such as flame retardants and pharmaceuticalshave been detected in the water.Compounds used in electronics production and insecticides are alsobeing belched into waterways, Schindler said Monday in Edmonton."These were not supposed to accumulate or to be transferred longdistances in the atmosphere, but science has shown that they are," he said.Scientists are especially concerned about the effects ofpharmaceuticals and personal care products that are pouring out of sewageplants, because not much is known about the possible long-term healthimplications of the those materials.Worries include "everything from birth control hormones to antibioticderivatives to some of the common painkillers that humans use and thenexcrete," Schindler said. He added that many chemicals, such as

the onesused to make foam seating and electronics, are still unregulated."We really don't know what the effects of many of these are in singledoses, let alone in combination with other chemicals, so it's really time weput the brakes on."In 2005, the Ontario Medical Association estimated that smog aloneaccounted for 5,800 premature deaths and more than 60,000 emergency roomvisits in the province in a single year.Studies done in the Arctic suggest that mercury levels are leading tohigh blood pressure in newborn babies and are causing polar bears to losecubs at birth."I think it's important to put the environment firmly on the politicalor social agenda or plate," said Smol."It seems that it's constantly falling behind on other issues andwhile it does come up on political issues, like right before a potentialelection, it has to be there on a fundamental level."Last week, the federal government announced a

$300-million, four-yearprogram to curb toxic chemicals.The announcement followed a seven-year effort to identify dangeroussubstances among the 23,000 chemicals available in Canada.Smol called the federal government's announcement a good first step,but said federal regulations should be more holistic.He said that instead of simply focusing on healthy drinking water,regulations need to protect entire waterways and the ecosystems that are thesource of that drinking water.These things affect the entire economy - everything from human healthto commerce and even tourism, he said."I think (the federal government) needs to show some strong leadershipin dealing with this at a broad, national level." Waddell, a spokesman for federal Health Minister Tony Clement,said Ottawa takes the review of current legislation very seriously andthat's what was behind last week's announcement to more strictly regulatepossibly

harmful chemicals."As part of our announcement on safe chemicals last week, we'rerequiring that industry demonstrate to us that they are using chemicalsubstances safely," Waddell said from Ottawa."If they can't do that, they either have to switch to a chemical theycan prove is safe, or stop producing what they're producing."He said the federal government is concerned about the potential healtheffects of things such as chemicals used in flame retardants and non-stickcoatings for cookware.He said in drafting new regulations, federal officials will draw froma wide variety of scientific knowledge about toxic chemicals, including fromsome of the scientists who signed the letter.EVIDENCE OF HARM DISCUSSION LIST HEATS UPAS MERCURY LINK TO AUTISM QUESTION SPREADS>> PAPERBACK BOOK NOW OUT - CHECK AMAZON.COMAn Evidence of Harm email discussion list hasbeen created in response to the growing

interestin the book and the issues it chronicles. Now over1,470 subscribers. Here is how to subscribe(no cost): EOHarm-subscribe . . .CARE"Thermometer Factory" Day Care Parents Look AheadBy Vit, NJ. http://tinyurl.com/y7e49llin Twp. - Parents and community members affected by thecontaminated Kiddie Kollege day care center continue to push for long-termtesting, with plans to seek corporate funding if the state's healthdepartment refuses.The donations will fund a task force of four doctors recognized in thefield with the intent of providing more exhaustive testing of the children,workers and community members living around the center, explained GeneElwell, president of American Medical Saliva Testing."There is a lot more that needs to be done to determine what (are) thetoxic levels of mercury for a child," Elwell told an audience of parents offormer Kiddie

Kollege students gathered Sunday at the township's communitycenter. "The current levels are based on an adult."After snapping on a protective glove, Elwell removed a small containercontaining a thermometer's amount of mercury. He suggested to everyone inattendance that "nine grams of mercury is enough to contaminate your child."A previous blood plasma test conducted by Elwell's Mount LaurelTownship-based firm found three people to contain mercury at toxic levels ofeight or more micrograms per deciliter of blood.Kiddie Kollege housed in a former thermometer manufacturing plant offStation Avenue was closed in July after state Department of EnvironmentalProtection air samples showed elevated levels of mercury. How the day carecenter was allowed to open in 2004 in the former Accutherm Inc. building hasbeen the subject of debate among state, county and township officials.+ Read more: http://tinyurl.com/y7e49l. .

..EDUCATIONACLU Opposes Taxpayer-Funded Scholarships for Disabled, KidsBy Randy Hall for CNSNews.com http://tinyurl.com/ymlwueA legal battle over two new scholarships in Arizona has pittedproponents of school choice for children who have special needs or live infoster homes against opponents, including the state chapter of the AmericanCivil Liberties Union, who claim the programs use vouchers that fund"private schools with public dollars.""Parents should be free to choose the education environment that isbest for their child," said Geroux of Apache Junction, Ariz., onThursday, when five families filed papers asking the Arizona Supreme Courtto support the Scholarships for Pupils With Disabilities Program andDisplaced Pupils Choice Grant Program.Geroux's six-year-old son, Tyler, has been diagnosed with autism."This plan would let us move to another public school district in ourarea

that may run their special education program better or let us seek outschools that specialize in teaching autistic students," she told CybercastNews Service Friday.Tim Keller, executive director of the Arizona chapter of the Institutefor Justice, which is representing the families in court, said school choicehas helped parents, children and even public schools that benefited from thecompetition."Arizona is the first state to offer school choice to foster children,a population at high risk for falling through the educational cracks,"Keller added. "Children in foster care are twice as likely to drop out ofhigh school before graduation and are far more likely to attend anunder-performing school than other children."Thursday's action was made in response to a lawsuit filed on Nov. 14by a coalition of parents, educators and civil rights groups in Arizonaclaiming that the programs, which were established by the

Republican-ledstate legislature earlier this year, violate Arizona Constitution provisionsthat prohibit state funding of religious and other private schools."Vouchers for church-run schools are part of a political andideological crusade, not a plan for education reform," said Alessandra SolerMeetze, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona, which joined the liberalgroup People for the American Way and several state education associationsas plaintiffs in the suit."True education reform would not include programs aimed at subsidizingsectarian institutions with taxpayer dollars and abandoning the publicschools," she added."Vouchers drain money from public schools that don't have enough as itis," said parent Holcomb, another plaintiff in the lawsuit. "Thesestatutes would open the door to wholesale funding of private education withpublic dollars."Geroux told Cybercast News Service that she found Holcomb's

argumentconfusing, because "if my son is not going to be at a school, it's not goingto get that money anyway."The new programs, she said, "just take the money that is set aside foreach student - which each child has a right to for a good education - andhave it follow the child like a backpack to whichever school setting [he orshe is in.]" + Read more: http://tinyurl.com/ymlwue. . .COMMENTARYBiomedical Interventions In AutismThe magazine of the National Autistic Society. Winter 2006.(Not online)NOTE: This is a breakthrough for the biomedical approach and the firsttime that the conservative NAS of the UK has acknowledged its existence.-L.S.There are those working in the field of autism - and many parents -who believe that autism is treatable. Dr Lorene Amet of the Autism TreatmentTrust in Edinburgh gives her opinion of the available research."Today's parents who receive a

diagnosis of autism for their child areless likely to accept the verdict of 'untreatable', particularly when noplausible explanation is offered for the child's withdrawal into autismfollowing a period of normal development. In addition, the explosion ofautism diagnosis throughout the developed world continues to throw anuncomfortable spotlight on the traditionalists within the autism community.The US Centre for Disease Control has stated that 'autism is thefastest growing childhood developmental condition in the USA', with onechild in 166 now affected (1). A similarly alarming statistic has beenestablished, by the Medical Research Council in the UK in 2001 (2), and morerecently from official UK governmental surveys with as many as one child in100 affected by autism (3). A careful review of over 50 autism prevalencestudies has also confirmed that rates for autism have risen from the 5 to 10per 10,000 to 50 to 80 per 10,000

(4). A previously rare childhooddevelopmental condition seems to have become common in ten years! This doesnot appear to be a matter of changing definitions, ascertainment bias, orcase-finding methods. What this may tell us is that the role ofenvironmental factors in autism is greater than previously envisaged andthat the often-quoted triad of impairments that define autism is likely theresult of complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors."What these practitioners advocate is that autism is treatable"The biomedical approach to autism is currently endorsed by over 500medical doctors throughout the world in a total of 23 countries (5). Whatthese practitioners advocate is that autism is treatable. They uphold theprinciple that children with autism not only have the right, like any otherchildren, to full medical investigation, but that the investigation must becomprehensive. It is only through thorough

examination and biomedicaltesting that the individual child's symptoms can be understood andtreatments tailored accordingly.The biomedical movement promotes diagnostic and treatment options thatare consistent with the evolving picture of the environmental cause.Further, they acknowledge that each child is different, and his or herlaboratory testing and response to treatment should be the guides to aclinical intervention. It also recognizes that children with autism have aset of characteristic clinical complaints. And these are very wellsubstantiated in the current peer-reviewed medical and scientificliterature.Let's look at one particular area: the immune system. There are, todate, 98 peer-reviewed publications that describe abnormalities in immunefunction in autism. Let's just discuss one of them, a recent report byVargas (6) on 11 post-mortem brain tissues of children with autism and six=== message truncated

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