Ontario Autism Coalition Prepares for Ontario Election 2007

http://www.ontarioautism.com/

http://www.soaringhorse.com/

August 13, 2007


The Ontario Autism Coalition (\'OAC\') is a grassroots organization with over 600 active members throughout the Province of Ontario. Our members are connected to thousands of families and supporters affected by autism. The OAC is determined to ensure the delivery of services and supports to families and individuals with Autism in the Province of Ontario. As political parties in the Province of Ontario prepare for a Provincial election in October 2007, the OAC seeks commitment from all Provincial parties to the following platform planks, which will improve the quality of life for over 10,000 pre-school and school age children and their families:

1) Allow IBI instructor therapists currently working within the AIP entry into the school system so that scientifically valid, supervised ABA can be implemented. Children receiving intensive ABA through the AIP and students attending school should receive the same quality of ABA services.

2) Eliminate the waitlist in the AIP and fully fund services for all children with Autism—from the mild to severe end of the Autism Spectrum.

3) Develop a formal credentialing system and a proper training and recruitment system for the implementation of ABA to ensure accountability and capacity within the system.

\"Under the current Liberal government, funding for Autism programs has gone unspent, waitlists have ballooned, school-age children were denied scientifically valid ABA models and Autism-related court cases have dragged on at taxpayer expense,\" says Susan Fentie, one of the OAC co-founders. \"Parents of pre-school children with Autism continue to go broke paying for treatment out of their own pocket while their children sit indefinitely on the waitlist. Parents of school-aged children encounter institutional road blocks as they try to secure an appropriate education for their children, and services for teens and adults on the Autism spectrum are either non-existent or inconsistent in terms of quality,\" she added.

\"Today we seek commitment from all political parties to the OAC platform to address Autism issues. The OAC will be pressing all of the Provincial political Parties for their commitment to these planks now, and monitoring the performance of the parties after the election to ensure they live up to their commitments, as the current Liberal Government and all of its predecessors have consistently failed to do.\"

The OAC will be issuing further statements, hosting press conferences and organizing events during the election campaign to draw attention to these important issues. To find out more, media may contact any members of our leadership team for interviews or comments at the numbers listed below.

-30-

For further information:
GTA
Laura & Bruce McIntosh
416-315-7939
905-761-5226
tosh555@hotmail.com

Toronto
Malcolm Stanley
416 275-3562
amstanley@rogers.com

York Region
Sharon Gabison
647 892-4418
shar.gabison@utoronto.ca

Windsor
Mary Beth Rocheleau
519 734-6387
grocheleau6@hotmail.com

Western Ontario
Susan & Dan Fentie
519-869-4198
autism@coolgoose.com

Ottawa
Sam Yassine
613-841-3886
Sam_yassine@rogers.com

Autism Researcher Dr. Michael Wigler - Who Is He?

The world of autism research is being rocked on an almost daily basis as the Autism Knowledge Revolution has wrested control of the world discourse on autism away from personal biases and opinions and placed it back in the ambit of solid scientific research. Dr. Michael Wigler and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have been at the forefront of this explosion of autism research with their development of the genetic mutations explanation of autism. But who is Dr. Michael Wigler? Newsday provides an introduction and details his impressive background in mathematics and cancer research.

" Michael Wigler, the geneticist leading Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's search for the genetic basis of autism, is a celebrated scientist who has made significant contributions to the molecular understanding of cancer.

Observers say it is his rare ability to see mathematical patterns in the complexities of genes that allow him to produce new ways of understanding disorders that underlie human debilities.

...

Having conducted research at the lab for 30 years, Wigler was in the forefront of scientists who developed the tools to probe cancer's DNA. He's also co-discoverer of the first human oncogene, a molecule capable of transforming normal cells into malignant ones. His work at the lab also led to the development of ROMA - representational oligonucleotide microarray analysis - a highly sensitive technique that allows scientists to profile the genetic basis of cancer and other diseases.

"Michael grew up as a mathematician and began to indulge in genomics," which required a strong mathematical background, said Dr. Mary-Claire King, the world-renowned medical geneticist at the University of Washington. She led the research team that discovered the breast cancer gene, BRCA1 and collaborated with Wigler on his initial work focusing on spontaneous mutations in autism.

Full Article at:

http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hsside125331616aug14,0,6247673.story

Autistic People In My Back Yard? Rack Off Mate!

Autism awareness can not necessarily change human nature. In Victoria, Australia, residents near a church proposed as a day center for adults with autism have voiced their objections to the proposal, delaying approval by local authorities and potentially defeating the proposal. The story from the Star News Group does not provide any specifics of the objections. The good citizens involved appear to be fearful but why?


ADULT clients of Alpha Autism have experienced further delays in settling down in a permanent site in Keilor.

Alpha Autism will have to present its case to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to use the Keilor Christ Church building as a day centre for adults with autism after more than four objections were submitted.

Alpha Autism chief executive officer Tracel Devereux said the Keilor clients had already been moved temporarily to other Alpha Autism sites outside the Brimbank area as the former site, the Keilor Scout Hall, had no heating and clients were getting too cold.

Alpha Autism submitted an application to Brimbank City Council to move into the Christ Church Keilor building on the corner of Church and Kennedy streets in Keilor.

The application stated that up to 25 adults with autism would spend time between 9am and 3pm, Monday to Friday, most weeks at the church building.

The application met objections from residents living nearby, with the objectors and the applicants addressing the council at a general purpose meeting on 26 June.

The application then followed processes and was approved by council last month.

More than four objections have been received by VCAT.

Ms Devereux said Alpha Autism had 14 days to respond to each objection.

“I’m very sadden by it,” she said.

“It is a very potent message to people with disabilities that they are not wanted.”

Ms Devereux said Alpha Autism had the support of the owner of the Christ Church building to pursue matter and Alpha would be applying to have the matter heard by VCAT as an urgent matter.

http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/46939

Reseach Based Autism Understanding and Hope for Treatment

Children and adults with autism and their families have been cursed by ignorance. Ignorance of what autism is, what causes it and what treatments are suitable. From Bettleheim, to his heirs in the Neurodiversity movement today, parents have been scapegoated for the challenges faced by autistic children, children who become adults and in some cases face greater challenges alone, without family. A variety of quack treatments have defrauded families of time, money and hope.

Early intensive intervention with Applied Behavior Analysis has been demonstrated and proven effective in helping many autistic persons to overcome their autism deficits or improve their abilities to function and understand the world. But ABA is expensive and time consuming and governments and other service providers have resisted the introduction and proper provision of ABA services. They have been aided in their resistance by ideologues with personal agendas who argue against ABA on any ground they can and who will use distorted caricatures of ABA to advance their agendas.

Today research into the causes of autism and possible biomedical treatments is exploding. An Autism Knowledge Revolution is taking place. The paradigm for researching and understanding autism has shifted to a combined genetic/environmental perspective withtreatments encompassing combined biomedical/behavioral approaches. Each days headlines bring new reports of important developments. With this research is coming greater understanding of autism, its genetic roots and its environmental triggers. And hope for treatments that will help all autistic persons grows.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/

Researchers: New understanding of autism is near

Last month, the Cold Spring Harbor team developed a grand unification theory that stitched together previous notions about the genetics of autism and demonstrated how DNA variants - often transmitted from mothers to sons but not exclusively so - may lie at the disorder's roots. Boys are three times more likely than girls to develop autism, Wigler said. He's calling on the CDC to use laboratory techniques similar to the ones he and his Cold Spring Harbor collaborators have developed to assess the prevalence of autism-related mutations in the U.S. population. Screening would help provide guidance on the rate of autism's growth in the population, he said.

...

Based on his work to date, Wigler surmises a clear genetic understanding of the numerous ways in which autism manifests may be tantalizingly close: "I expect that we'll have a very good bead on a number of the [genetic] causes," of autism in the not-too-distant future, Wigler said. "And I suspect there will be a way to treat children to lessen the symptoms." With his Cold Spring Harbor collaborators, Jonathan Sebat and Lakshmi Muthuswamy, Wigler has found that spontaneous mutations specific to autism occur with a relative degree of frequency in the human genome. These random strikes are technically known as copy number variants, or CNVs. The Cold Spring Harbor team defines these mutating hits as a major cause of autism.

...

Alison Singer, executive director of Autism Speaks, a national advocacy organization, said the Cold Spring Harbor studies are destined to have a strong impact on how parents understand autism.

"We want them to pursue the science wherever it leads," Singer said. "But we don't want to get into a situation where we blame the parents. When some parents read stories about older fathers or older mothers, they can become very sensitive."

Singer said what's missing in Wigler's work is the mechanism that causes genes to mutate. Susceptibility genes, she said, often need an outside stimulus to set off a genetic chain of events. Perhaps parents may be correct who think vaccination underlies autism, said Singer, whose daughter and brother are autistic.

"In the 1960s, when my brother was diagnosed, there was the theory of the 'refrigerator mother,' the mother who was too cold," Singer said. "They were essentially telling my mother that she wasn't interacting and bonding with her child. But, of course, we found out that autism is not the fault of bad parenting."

Wigler thinks his work will yield practical information that aids the lay and scientific understanding of autism. It is even possible that knowing which genes are affected can lead to medications that block the function of variant DNA.

Autism Reality from Roanoke

All autistic persons are not savants. There is a wide range of severity of autism. There are some who are intellectually impaired and some who can not communicate. But if you went by some mainstream media sources like CNN, Newsweek and the UK Guardian, by Hollywood movies or by internet sites devoted to autistics who choose to become non-speaking autistic adults, after years spent as a speaking person with a different diagnosis, you would know little of the realities of life for severely autistic persons and their families.

The realities of life for severely autistic children and their families were well and accurately portrayed in the Autism Every Day video and in the excellent Faces of Autism series in the Vancouver Sun. And the attached link and excerpts from The biggest frustration is you don't know in The Roanoke Times, Roanoke.com, August 13, 2007, also provides a realistic portrayal of life for, and with, a more severely autistic child. It is the story of Nicholas Crouch-Hullender a non-verbal 8 year old autistic boy.


http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/127717

A few months later, when Nicholas turned 2, he was officially diagnosed. Crouch-Hullender had an answer to her son's unusual behavior.

And that's when her questions really began. Would Nicholas ever talk? Could he ever live by himself? What teaching method or special diet would be best?

Years later, Crouch-Hullender is still wrestling with such questions about her son, who is now 8 and can say just two words, "hi" and "bye," though he can type his name and can use sign language to say "I love you" to his family.

...

Nicholas tends to pinch when he gets mad. A naturally fair-skinned redhead, Crouch-Hullender now frequents a tanning salon so that bruises from where her son has grabbed her won't show as much.

Nicholas is among the roughly 40 percent of children with autism who do not speak. Many children with autism are also mentally impaired, but to what degree can be tough to tell because of their severe communication barriers.

Crouch-Hullender said her son is "very intellectual" in some regards but still struggles with some tasks a kindergartner could do.

When Nicholas was 5, doctors told Crouch-Hullender her son could never get by on his own, but she holds out hope that he will inherit her house one day and be able to live at least somewhat independently.

Autism Research - Autism's Environmental Triggers

The paradigm shift taking place in autism research is well underway and it is intensifying with the announcements of funding of several autism research centers in the United States. The focus of much current research is to find the environmental factors that may trigger the onset of autism in genetically vulnerable children.

Specific pesticides have recently been identified as possible triggers in some cases. But research into environmental factors as causes of autism has been stalled by the fallout from the thimerosal debate as researchers feared becoming marginalized in their careers if they discussed environmental issues. Now the research into possible environmental causes or triggering factors is moving ahead. And, in a truly revolutionary development, researchers are even listening to parents, a fact which will not sit well with Neurodiversity ideologues:

http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2007/08/13/under_suspicion/


She [Nancy Duly, autism mother] was speaking at a press conference at the University of California at Davis announcing $7.5 million in new federal funding, including about $2 million for a groundbreaking study that seeks to track, earlier and more closely than before, potential environmental triggers for autism -- beginning in the womb.

As the ranks of children diagnosed with autism grow, researchers are focusing more on such efforts. They are casting an ever-widening net to try to detect possible environmental factors -- such as chemicals or infections -- that could be interacting with genetic risk factors.

Money is beginning to stream toward researchers who are on that trail, supporting a new wave of studies.

"Environmental research will be a much bigger field going forward," said Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health. "A lot of parents have been telling us about their concerns; now we're listening very closely."

Until recently, about 90 percent of autism research has focused on genetics, and only perhaps 10 percent on environmental factors, said Dr. Gary Goldstein, chairman of the scientific board of Autism Speaks, a national research and advocacy group. In the coming years, he expects the ratio to be 1 to 1.

Dr. Martha Herbert, a Harvard neuroscientist and Massachusetts General Hospital neurologist, said a few years ago, autism researchers would be marginalized if they talked about environmental factors. But now, "any major article or proposal concerning the causes of autism is coming to be considered incomplete if it doesn't talk about a potential role of environmental factors."

India Lacks Autism Services for 4,000,000

India has, by the estimates in this article from Daily News & Analysis, at least 4,000,000 persons with autism and lacks the services and facilities to treat and educate them. The full article is available at:

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1114990

MUMBAI: In India, autism has a single storyline: parent, parent, parent. And, it’ll stay that way until India has an adequate number of specialists and facilities to help families fight the disorder.

....

The situation in India is no less alarming. “There are about 4 million autistic people in India today,” says Merry Barua, founder-director of the Delhi-based Action for Autism.

Dr Vibha Krishnamurthy, director of the Mumbai-based Ummeed, which works with children with developmental disabilities, has also noticed a rise in autistic cases in Mumbai. “Five years ago, I would treat about three cases a week. Today, it’s increased to five. We think India’s four million cases is a small figure since autism is highly underreported here.”

Dr Leo Rebello, director of the Mumbai-based Natural Health Centre, believes we are looking at the tip of the iceberg. In a research paper, he says autism cases have risen dramatically.

“They were 17.40 lakhs in 2005, 40 lakhs in 2006, and today, the autism-affected population in India would be close to a crore.”

Other doctors too see a sharp rise. Dr Anjali Joshi, an occupational therapist at KEM Hospital, says autism cases have jumped in the last two decades.

“I would hardly see one autistic child in six months those days; now, I treat at least two kids per week.” Points out Dr Anahita Hegde, a neurologist at Jaslok Hospital: “I would see one-two cases a month 10 years ago; today I see 20 fresh cases a month.

Autism Study Shows Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Benefits Autistic Children

I guessed right about the therapy study announcement from the USAAA conference in Boulder Colorado this week. Dr. Dan Rossignol released the findings of a study in which autistic children are reported to have made significant improvements in speech, versus those in a control group, after receiving 40 treatments in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The improvements are said to include more language, new words, more words put into sentences and improvements in cognition. If the Lovaas 1987 study is any guide this study will undoubtedly receive intense scrutiny; some from professional sources and some from those with a more ideological bent.

A report on CBS4 from Denver tells of the Wrangham family of Boulder whose 16 year old daughter Rachel has an autism spectrum disorder and whose family has purchased a $15,000 hyperbaric oxygen chamber for their home and who report language gains from using the Chamber. Rachel herself reports that the chamber treatment has helped her organize her thoughts. As the CBS4 report indicates "Doctors believe the hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps children with autism by increasing blood flow to areas of the brain which may have lower levels of oxygen than in typical children.The hyperbaric oxygen therapy has also been found to help with sleep and intestinal problems often associated with autism.

http://cbs4denver.com/health/local_story_223173252.html

Autism & Vaccines -A Doctor & Autism Mother Rebuts Dr. Rahul Parikh

Medical doctor, and mother of an autistic child, Dr. Lynne Mielke, in a comment on the Contra Costa Times online, has challenged Dr. Parikh's view of the science in the "autism trial", and the medical establishment view, that vaccines and thimerosal are safe and do not contribute to autism. She makes some interesting points.

LYNNE MIELKE From the community

Ties between autism, mercury are clear

Contra Costa Times

Article Launched: 08/11/2007 03:03:30 AM PDT

AS A physician who specializes in treating autism and the mother of an autistic child, I would like to express my opposition to the viewpoint in Dr. Rahul Parikh's editorial, "Junk science vs. real thing in autism trial."

Parikh implies that the research showing a link between autism and vaccines is wrong and that the vaccine preservative Thimerisol (which is about 50 percent mercury) is safe.

It is no surprise that pediatricians as a group have been slow to acknowledge the evidence that vaccines may play a role in the causation of autism in some children.

After all, it is pediatricians who administer those vaccines. Many vaccines still contain Thimerisol, although it is less now than in the peak mercury years -- the decade of the '90s.

No one questions that pregnant and nursing women should avoid mercury pollution, mercury-containing seafood and should not have dental work involving amalgam silver-colored fillings, which are also about 50 percent mercury.

But some doctors still say that injecting a pregnant woman or a newborn baby with a mercury-containing vaccine is OK.

Many toxins are implicated in the causation of autism, not just mercury, but it is certainly one of the worst.

Veterinarians realized how toxic Thimerisol is and removed it from animal vaccines years ago.

There are significant differences in how people react to the same toxin. A good example is cigarette smoking.

Some people who smoke get lung cancer, but others will get emphysema or heart disease. Not everyone who is exposed to mercury and other toxins will become autistic.

Genetic predisposition, timing of exposure, amount of exposure and type of exposure all interact to produce a unique symptom complex.

Toxins also have been implicated in the causation of ADD, sensory integration problems, and language and learning disorders, among other things.

One in six children now has some sort of neurologic problem. If that is not an epidemic, I don't know what is.

Most of the studies claiming that vaccines are not related to autism were done by researchers with financial ties to vaccine manufacturers -- a clear conflict of interest.

Most of those studies are epidemiological studies done on large populations that could easily miss an issue that affects about 1 in 150 children.

Epidemiological studies are retrospective and are the easiest type of research to manipulate statistics to get the outcome you want.

The designs of those studies were extremely flawed, as the group SafeMinds has clearly shown.

The science showing direct harm on a cellular level from Thimerisol is biological, prospective science and has been done by many fine upstanding clinicians and scientists who have risked their careers to publish unpopular findings.

The link between toxic exposure and autism is clear, not only from the science that shows it, but also because the treatments that address that exposure and its many consequences improve the level of functioning of autistic children.

Unfortunately, families of autistic children are victimized twice -- first from the poisonings that damaged their child, and then from the doctors who misinform their patients that there is no science behind treatments that work.

There are huge financial and political forces against this truth because the liability and the stakes are so high. What gets lost are the needs of the affected families who struggle with heartbreak every day under incredibly difficult circumstances, with very little help from the government and insurance industry, and often even their doctors.

Mielke is a physician in Pleasanton.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/columns/ci_6600802

Some Autism Society Canada Questions for Health Minister Clement

The attached letter from the Autism Society Canada is somewhat lengthy but the ASC does ask some important questions of Canada's Health Minister Tony Clement.

In particular, the ASC asks questions previously asked on this blog site concerning the cancellation of, and failure to re-schedule, the national autism stakeholder's symposium.

The symposium was the one commitment of any substance at all in the Harper government's otherwise farcical excuse for a national autism strategy. Then, with very little notice, the symposium was suddenly cancelled in a fit of public relations panic. I have excerpted and highlighted the key paragraphs from the ASC letter and the letter itself follows the highlighted paragraphs.


Excerpt from Autism Society Canada Letter to Health Minister Clement

"It is now the beginning of August and there is still no date set for this Symposium. With no information coming from CIHR, the community has lost any hope that this meeting will actually take place and vague assurances of a fall meeting from the Minister in response to public enquiries has not done anything to inspire confidence.

Adequate prior notice, preparation and planning is an essential accommodation for people with ASD in order to allow these individuals to take part in an event of this nature (and in some cases prepare presentations) and we believe no consideration has been given to this special requirement. The planning and time commitment needs of family members responsible for children with ASD is also of utmost sensitivity to this community, most of whom are already pressed to the maximum trying to provide the necessary supports for their children.

On behalf of our membership across the country and all of the nominees who were put forward to bring their expertise to this gathering, Autism Society Canada would like to know why the original Research Symposium was postponed, why any public communication about this Symposium has been non-existent, whether the meeting will indeed take place, and if so, when."

Full Autism Society Canada Letter

August 6^th, 2007

Honorable Tony Clement
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

EMail: Clement.T@parl.gc.ca

Dear Honorable Tony Clement,

In October 2002, Autism Society Canada (ASC) hosted the first Canadian Autism Research Workshop in Toronto, with lead sponsors: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) in the U.S.. ASC's
Canadian Autism Research Agenda and Canadian Autism Strategy: White Paper (March 2004) grew out of work accomplished at this meeting where autism community stakeholders, government representatives and research experts from across North America set some benchmark research priorities to improve outcomes for people with ASD.

In November, 2006 you announced new Health Canada initiatives in support of Canadians with ASD, including significant targeted funding to Canadian funding organizations such as CIHR and Genome Canada for ASD research.

In its final report entitled, PAY NOW OR PAY LATER: Autism Families in Crisis, the 2006 Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology Enquiry on the Funding for the Treatment of Autism made many important recommendations to the federal government, including the following:

· to develop an autism strategy to address the complex needs of our community – one that would be inclusive of all stakeholders, including those with ASD.

· to convene a federal/provincial/territorial ministerial conference to look at innovative funding arrangements for the purpose of financing autism therapy in order to establish an “appropriate level of funding by the federal government”, and

· to create an Autism Research Network with substantial new funding through CIHR.

The Senate report urges the government to include all stakeholders and partners in developing an autism research agenda:

The Committee is aware that CIHR is prepared to take the lead in a federal autism research program and work with all partners and stakeholders in order to define the priorities. It is important for CIHR to work inclusively with such partners as the Autism Society Canada, Autism Speaks and the Canadian Autism Intervention Research Network to develop a comprehensive research agenda. The development of this agenda should: include multidisciplinary research teams; encourage more programs that train autism researchers; provide the long-term, randomized, controlled trials required to properly measure treatment effectiveness; facilitate collaboration; and, include public policy research. Moreover, CIHR must also consult with autistic individuals in identifying priorities.

In April of 2007 Christine Dade, the President of the Autism Society Canada, was contacted by letter by Barbara Beckett, Assistant Director, Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health & Addiction of CIHR asking ASC to put forward the names and contact information of family members of individuals with autism as well as individuals with an ASD from the autism community that ASC could recommend to attend (and in some cases present at) an autism Symposium in Ottawa on June 14^th-16^th, 2007.

ASC is a federation of Canada-wide provincial and territorial autism societies whose collective memberships represent a large body of individuals with ASD and their families in Canada. We were asked to put together a list that was regionally representative, gave information on affiliation and any necessary companions needed for candidates with ASD. The letter stated that invitations would be sent to as many people as could be accommodated. The letter indicated that this was to be the Symposium announced by the Minister of Health in his announcement in late November 2006.

Following is an excerpt from this letter:

There will be a reception on the evening of June 14th, and full day meetings on June 15th and 16th. An estimated 120 people will participate in the event, representing autistic individuals and their families, service providers, researchers and government officials.

The goals of the symposium are as follows:

• Provide latest research results for families, health care professionals and other service providers, policy makers & administrators
• Provide researchers with perspectives of families and service providers regarding what types of interventions are perceived as most effective and need to be further investigated
• Provide families, service providers, researchers, and policy makers & administrators with information about what is being done in Canada and abroad, to identify best practices in intervention and service delivery
  

The event will primarily be an opportunity for knowledge exchange, networking, and community-building.

Autism Society Canada and other organizations had a very short time frame in which to pull together nominations and affiliation and contact information from our membership, with a due date of April 25^th. The reason given for this short response time was that invitations needed to be sent out as soon as possible in order to allow participants time to make their arrangements.

Working hard to try to meet this tight deadline, ASC sent requests out to its member societies who then took the time to contact their respective candidates and ask if their names could be put forward. Member societies also took the time to collect information on e-mail address and short bios in most cases. In addition ASC communicated with its Advisory Committee of Adults with ASD to find out who was interested in attending this meeting and what their requirements might be. A number of our Committee Members had presented to the Senate Committee hearings in December 2006 and were very eager to continue to take part this process.

In the end, ASC put forward a detailed list of over 60 nominees including individuals with ASD, parents and family members who were very involved in the ASD community as well as some other ASD professionals. At the time, CIHR could give us no indication of how many of these nominees would be invited to attend the meeting, how the nominees would be chosen, or exactly what would take place there – nor was there any web site or written information about the meeting to direct people to. Colleagues were asking if there was to be a call for papers, and/or nominations for research presentations but there was little information coming forward.

On May 16^th, 2007 ASC was advised by CIHR that the June ASD Research Symposium had been postponed by the Minister due to “logistical problems”. CIHR suggested that the meeting would likely take place in the fall of 2007 but we were told that no date had been set and that we would be informed as planning progressed. We then communicated this information to all the people involved in helping to develop the nominee list.

It is now the beginning of August and there is still no date set for this Symposium. With no information coming from CIHR, the community has lost any hope that this meeting will actually take place and vague assurances of a fall meeting from the Minister in response to public enquiries has not done anything to inspire confidence.

Adequate prior notice, preparation and planning is an essential accommodation for people with ASD in order to allow these individuals to take part in an event of this nature (and in some cases prepare presentations) and we believe no consideration has been given to this special requirement. The planning and time commitment needs of family members responsible for children with ASD is also of utmost sensitivity to this community, most of whom are already pressed to the maximum trying to provide the necessary supports for their children.

On behalf of our membership across the country and all of the nominees who were put forward to bring their expertise to this gathering, Autism Society Canada would like to know why the original Research Symposium was postponed, why any public communication about this Symposium has been non-existent, whether the meeting will indeed take place, and if so, when.

You should also be aware that many people have serious concerns about the goals of this Symposium. Although the goals of the Symposium, as outlined in the correspondence from CIHR, indicate the purpose of the gathering is to fulfill the Minister of Health’s promise, it is not clear to the Canadian autism community if the Government of Canada is intending this Symposium to also fulfill the function of consultation on a comprehensive National ASD Strategy, and/or the FPT ministerial conference to examine funding arrangements for the purpose of financing autism therapy, both of which are also discussed in the Senate Report. It would seem to make sense to work efficiently and cost-effectively on these combined issues while representatives of all stakeholders are gathered in the same place at the same time. Has there been any indication from the Government of Canada regarding addressing the other recommendations in the Senate Report, in particular the ones mentioned that require policy-makers and other autism stakeholders to be actively involved?

If there has not been any concrete response, it may make sense to take advantage of this gathering to move forward very quickly with at least the recommendations in the Senate Report that require the gathering and consultation of policy-makers and stakeholders. Perhaps the gathering could be extended by a day to provide time to address the multiple issues. Canadians with ASDs and their families should not have to wait another year to see some movement forward on these recommendations and no doubt the community involved will be considering how this is addressed when the federal election is announced.

As Lisa Simmermon, past president of ASC and one of our nominees for the Symposium so aptly stated: Research holds the key to understanding, enabling and empowering people with Autism Spectrum Disorders. We look forward to continuing the work begun with the Canadian Autism Research Workshop in 2002 to further the development and implementation of a Canadian research agenda.

We also look forward to addressing the other key National ASD Strategy issues brought forward in the Senate Report in concert with our provincial and territorial member societies, with government, other autism organizations, the autism community and our many research partners to ensure that all Canadians with ASD will one day be able to reach their full potential.

Sincerely,

Christine Dade, President, (representing Ontario)

On behalf of ASC’s Board of Directors:

Michael Lewis, First Vice-President, (representing British Columbia)
Elizabeth Oliver, Second Vice-President, (representing Newfoundland)
Nancy Adams, CA, Treasurer, (Chair, Finance Committee)
Lynn Elkin, Secretary, (representing Northwest Territories)
Vic Douse, Director, (representing Prince Edward Island)

Dr. Jeanette Holden, Director, (Queen’s University: ASD-Canadian-American Research Consortium, CARC)
Kristian Hooker, Director, (Chair, Advisory Committee of Adults with ASD)
Sandra McKay, Director, (representing Manitoba)
Lisa Rawlings, Director, (representing Yukon Territory)
Luigi Rocca, Director, (representing New Brunswick)
Lynn Verklan, Director, (representing Saskatchewan)

Real Autism Advice from Alan Harchik - Generalization

Alan Harchik, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer of the May Institute, offers sound advice on how to accomplish one of the most frustrating goals in educating your autistic child - encourage generalization of skills once they are acquired by an autistic child. Harchik presents five practices found to be effective by researchers and practitioners:

Modify rewards: Once the child has mastered the skill, we can try to modify the rewards to make them similar to those that may be found in other settings.

For example, after a child learns to participate in a simple conversation, we might begin using rewards after every five or six responses instead of after every response. Similarly, certain toys or food items used as rewards to initially establish the skill might not be available at home or in the community, but other rewards could be identified. We can bring these items into the teaching sessions.

Finally, structured opportunities to practice the skills with typical peers can be helpful in promoting generalization.

Use lots of examples: Most skills we teach should require the child to learn to respond to many variations of those skills.

For example, if we are teaching imitation, we will teach the child to imitate 20 or 30 different movements. If we are teaching a child to identify something, such as clothing, animals or colors, we will work with the child until he or she can correctly identify many examples.

For some children, generalization occurs after as few as four or five examples. For other children, it may take dozens of examples.

Present common features: The materials used while teaching should incorporate all of the relevant features and characteristics of the materials to be found in other situations.

For example, if we are teaching a child to put on a shirt, we should ensure that we use shirts that have long and short sleeves, are pull-over and button-down, have different types of material, etc. If teaching how to prepare a microwave meal, we should use microwave ovens of different sizes and with different dials and buttons, as well as meals that involve a variety of times, sizes and foods.

Teach loosely: Although teaching sessions often begin with very structured and set procedures to help the child acquire the skill, over time the sessions should be conducted more "loosely." This means that specific instructions may vary in wording, the exact style of prompting may not be as rigid and the pace of the session may fluctuate.

Further, the child should work with a number of different instructors throughout the day and week. This prepares the student to be less "locked in" to specific wording and interactions from the instructor.

Use intermediaries: Some skills for some children can be transferred by a "carrier" or "intermediary." For example, if a child has learned to follow a picture schedule, that same (or similar) picture schedule can be used in the generalization setting.

We teach children with good memorization skills to memorize and verbally state a sequence of steps at school, such as for washing hands (turn on water, wet hands, press soap dispenser, rub hands together, etc.), and then have them repeat the steps out loud at home while engaging in the skill or task.

http://www.masslive.com/news/republican/

Autism Intelligence - Does Language Matter?

Dr. Laurent Mottron is the leader of the Mottron-Gernsbacher-Dawson team that recently released a study in which autistic and non-autistic students were given two tests, the the WISC, which relies heavily on language, and the Raven's Progressive Matrices, in which the test taker has to select the missing pattern which would logically complete the series. The results, trumpeted across the Neurodiversity blogosphere, indicated that although autistic students tested in the lower intellectual range using the WISC test many did well on the Raven's test, presumably demonstrating that autistic students, or at least the ones selected by the Mottron team, had intellectual abilities not revealed by the WISC test which requires substantial language ability.

Given that the test was administered by Dr. Mottron's team with the autistic participants diagnosed at the same health facility where Dr. Mottron has spent his career studying high functioning autistic persons I have some reservations about the test, how it was administered and what it really means for autistic persons other than those chosen by the Mottron team. And the fundamental premise of this approach seems misguided. If you don't do well on one type of test, try another, keep trying until you find one that you can do well on , try one that doesn't involve something like ... oh ... understanding language.

Dr. Mottron's career has been spent studying autistic savants, persons with Aspergers and High Functioning autistic individuals as his study abstracts expressly state. He publishes as many as 3-4 such studies on high functioning autistic persons in any given year, year after year. I have been unable to locate, using Google Scholar, any reports where Dr. Mottron bothered himself with low functioning autistic subjects like my son Conor.

The good Doctor is also an active opponent of ABA intervention for autistic children. He has actually appeared before the Canadian Senate committee examining autism funding in Canada to oppose public funding of ABA intervention for autistic children. Dr. Mottron also provided an affidavit in support of his colleague Michelle Dawson when she applied for intervenor status before the Supreme Court of Canada to oppose the families in the Auton case who were seeking to require the BC government to include ABA treatment for their children under that province's medicare programs. Ms Dawson is herself a high functioning autistic person who has been active in opposing ABA and in criticizing parents and other activists seeking to obtain ABA interventions for their own children. Objective they are not.

Dr. Gernsbacher, the third member of this research trio, has publicly asserted that autistic persons like Ms Dawson should be consulted in researching autism issues. She has, to my knowledge, never addressed any resulting objectivity issues arising from subject participation in such research and whether researchers with such strong personal agendas can truly deliver an objective study or analysis of the issues on which they appear as public, legal and political advocates. Nor has she explained how low functioning autistic persons with limited understanding of language could be consulted with respect to such research. Does she assume that someone like Ms Dawson, who is very intelligent and has excellent communication skills, shares the same real world life challenges as a low functioning autistic person with limited understanding of language? Can someone who is at the very high functioning end of the autism spectrum of disorders communicate the perspective of someone who can barely communicate if at all because of an almost total lack of language capacity? Does it matter?

It seems particularly odd to me that Dr. Gernsbacher could assert that a high functioning autistic person should be consulted in research designed to measure autistic intelligence but not low functioning autistic persons. Of course, the lower functioning persons, like my son, would not be able to engage in such discussions because of his limited understanding of language. Presumably Dr. Gernsbacher believes that a person with a high functioning disorder on the autism spectrum can speak for someone who has a similar but different disorder on the low functioning end of the autism spectrum. It is not a position which I would endorse as the parent of a low functioning autistic child.

Language is one of the most striking characteristics of the human species. While many other animal species communicate with each other only humans have the capacity for such complex, abstract and adaptable communication. It is this communication capacity that has allowed us to become what we are today. It allows us to understand the world around us and to organize our societies, develop our sciences and medicines, govern ourselves by laws and understand the nuances of life through our arts. It is my son's lack of ability to comprehend language that makes it so difficult to communicate with him about almost every aspect of daily life. It is why a behavior based intervention like ABA is so critical in allowing us to communicate with Conor, the same ABA that Dr. Mottron and Ms. Dawson have publicly advocated against in Canada.

Conor has demonstrated intelligence many times. He routinely surprises us with his skills with computers and video equipment and his recognition of places and locations as we travel in the family car. But he has a very serious lack of ability to comprehend and communicate with language, written or spoken. It is that lack of ability in that critical area that renders him low functioning. The real world is not a Raven's Progressive Matrices test. Real World functioning requires understanding and ability with language to develop elaborate systems of thought and organization and to communicate the existence of basic dangers in daily life. The Real World is a difficult and unforgiving test. The Real World does not always allow for "do overs" if your child, lacking in language and understanding of life's complexities, wanders into automobile traffic or other such dangers. Language counts. Any measure of intelligence which excludes understanding of language does not itself pass the Real World test.

Deborah Renshaw 'Racing' Autism Awareness At Toyota ARCA 150

Deborah Renshaw will be sporting autism decals on her vehicle when she races in Saturday's Toyota ARCA 150 at Nashville Superspeedway. Deborah has a very personal connection to autism - her two nephews, Danny and Rush Renshaw, are autistic.




“Friday night a great deal came together,” explained Renshaw. “Bob Schacht called and offered a deal I couldn't refuse to get back to the ARCA Series. I am driving his car for the Nashville race. It’s the No. 75 Ford and will be carrying The Kelly Autism Program decal on the hood to help raise awareness about Autism.”

This cause hits close to home for Renshaw, whose two nephews are affected by Autism. “Autism is affecting more and more of our population,” Renshaw explained. “My two nephews (Danny and Rush Renshaw) are autistic and I am proud to say that they are both a blessing to our family. To see how they both have progressed with early intervention is amazing. As they grow into adulthood, the challenge will be in how to create transition programs that support the needs for them, and how to be a part of the community as well. The Kelly Autism Program (KAP) is committing the people, resources, and infrastructures to develop the programs that will help my nephews and others affected by Autism meet their potential and I am so happy to help spread the word."

KAP is designed to provide services to adolescents and young adults diagnosed along the Autism Spectrum Continuum, as well as their families, while serving as a training opportunity for future professionals in a variety of disciplines. KAP has programs for middle school, high school and post-secondary participants including higher education, vocational training, and job support. For more information on The Kelly Autism Program, please visit kap.wku.edu.

http://www.deborahrenshaw.com/

Autism(s) and Toxicogenomics

How To Read Genes

What looks like a simple light board, above, is actually a DNA microarray, and what you see here is a visual representation of genes responding to a chemical. Scientists know how a chemical affects gene activity in a cell by comparing the genes in exposed cells to those in unexposed cells. Each dot represents one gene. Red dots indicate genes that were more active in the exposed cells, green dots indicate genes that were less active, and yellow dots indicate genes that were equally active in both exposed and unexposed cells.

- Looking Deep, Deep Into Your Genes, NRDC, onearth, Summer 2007

http://www.nrdc.org/onearth/07sum/genes1.asp


Autisms not autism? References to autisms rather than autism may become much more frequent as the field of toxicogenomics provides more insight into autism and other disorders and diseases.

Laura Wright, senior editor at OnEarth has written an interesting article, Looking Deep, Deep Into Your Genes , which reports on some of the important research developments, such as the Human Genome Project and the Autism Birth Cohort, which are impacting how we understand autism and its causes, or as the article suggests, autisms and their causes. She provides a very readable description of the research into the complex interactions between genes and environment that may ultimately explain and provide treatments for many of the current illnesses and disorders which are on the rise including autism. The research brings into focus the need to look at the tiny genetic differences that make one person or group of persons more vulnerable to different environmental exposures. For example, some children with a certain genetic variant, living in high traffic areas, have been found to be more susceptible to develolping leukemia from exposure to benzene compounds in the auto exhaust. Our understanding of autism, in particular, is beginning to change dramatically:

Do we even understand what today's chronic diseases are? It is beginning to appear that what we call autism may in fact be many illnesses that we've lumped together because those who are afflicted seem to behave similarly. Doctors base their diagnosis on behavioral symptoms, not on what caused those symptoms. Some scientists now refer to the condition as "autisms," acknowledging that we've yet to find a single, unifying biological mechanism, despite the identification, in some studies, of a handful of genes that may confer increased vulnerability. But then, genes or environmental exposures that appear to be important causal factors in one study may not show up at all in another. This leaves scientists to wonder whether the problem isn't that the disease is so diverse in its biological origins that only a truly massive study -- involving many thousands of patients -- would have the statistical power to tease apart the various factors involved.

Autism Surging - the Numbers Are Going Up

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is estimating 1 in 150 births will be affected by Autism. In fact, that number is growing at a startling rate of 10 to 17% a year.

"The numbers are huge and they're going up," said Dr. Phillip Demio, Autism Specialist.



http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/13852467/detail.html

The arguments will continue about why the number of persons diagnosed with autism are going up. The arguments have been stated and restated many times and usually boil down to environmental toxins versus changed definitions and greater autism awareness. Bloggers, lawyers, cultural anthropologists and professors of english literature can foam and froth and offer their considered, or ill considered, opinions about why the numbers are rising but they are. In the UK the numbers are higher. Even Neurodiversity icon Simon Baron-Cohen begrudgingly cites 1 in 100 as the incidence figure for autism in the UK. To my knowledge no one has explained the divergence between the 1 in 150 US figure and the 1 in 100 UK figure. Hopefully though we will one day know what is creating the surge in diagnoses of autism disorder.

There is an explosion of research into the causes of autism now taking place. The Autism Knowledge Revolution is happening all around us and we should soon have more reports and more information from Boulder Colorado where the USAAA is holding its conference Treating Autism as a Medical Disorder; Bringing Biomedical Treatments and Behavioral & Developmental Therapies Together. Understanding the causes should help in the development of new treatments for autism. And someday conclude yet another seemingly endless autism debate.

Conor's Autism is a Disorder Not "A Way of Life"

" Autism is not a pathological condition or a disease, but a way of life that possesses a culture and history all its own" - Valerie Paradiz, School for Autistic Strength, Purpose and Independence in Education (Aspie) in New York State

I wish much happiness for the high functioning autistic persons who feel that their Asperger's is "a way of life" as recently reported in the UK Guardian. But I really wish they would stop speaking about "autism" in a general sense when they make statements like that. My son, Conor, does not have Asperger's or High Functioning Autism. At 11 his language is limited and he still does not understand many of the dangers of everyday life. He has Autism Disorder and he is low functioning in a real world sense. He did not choose to be autistic and his autism is not "a way of life". It is a disorder. He is autistic; but he did not choose to be autistic as
"a way of life".

Conor was diagnosed as autistic because of his several deficits which prompted us to seek medical attention for his lack of development. He was diagnosed at the age of 2, early for our area, at that time - 9 years ago. A way of life is a lifestyle that is chosen whether it be vegetarianism, a life spent as a deep sea fisherman, or practicing law. A way of life might be a decision to become an actor or a Buddhist but it is not a medical disorder.

If the high functioning autistic persons who blog on the internet, appear before political committees and get interviewed by CNN wish to call their high functioning autism a "way of life" that is their right even though they are using the expression incorrectly. If that bolsters their self esteem or helps them organize politically to achieve public policy goals fine. If it helps some parents adjust to their children's autism fine. But the "Autism Is a Way of Life" crowd do not have the right to speak for my son and other low functioning autistic persons and call their autism disorder "a way of life". Conor has enough challenges ahead of him in life. He should not have to shovel his way through other peoples' nonsense while doing so.

Autism Treatments - Keeping a Disciplined but Open Mind

The USAAA conference, Treating Autism as a Medical Disorder; Bringing Biomedical Treatments and Behavioral & Developmental Therapies Together, starts today in Boulder Colorado. When I first commented on the conference and the press release announcing that a major autism study would be disclosed I received a comment from a Neurodiversity blogger who asked whether I was now embracing "quackery". For the record, I have never accepted, to date, the evidence of a vaccine/thimerosal link. In my home province here in New Brunswick I have received criticism in the past for commenting on the shortfalls in the vaccine theories and for speaking against "conferences" at which unproven biomedical products are sold. My son does not receive any biomedical treatment, no medication, no dietary supplement. He does not receive HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment) or stem cell treatment. Conor receives Applied Behavior Analysis, ABA, intervention because, despite the fervent ideological opposition of the Neurodiversity movement, there are hundreds of studies demonstrating gains for autistic children receiving ABA intervention.

I have not embraced, to use the term offered by the ND blogger, biomedical treatments for my son's autism disorder. That does not prevent me though from keeping an open mind about biomedical, or any other autism interventions, if further studies provide evidence of their effectiveness. By open mind I do not mean an unquestioning, accepting, approach. I will try to take an open minded but disciplined approach to new studies and new evidence concerning autism treatments and interventions. If new studies and evidence are presented showing that interventions are effective then I will be prepared to examine the evidence, with the assistance of professionals in the field, and I will be prepared to change my personal assessment of a particular autism intervention.

Two interventions which have shown some promise as autism interventions are stem cell therapy and HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment). There is also anecdotal evidence of parents who swear by chelation as an effective autism treatment. None of the evidence of these interventions rises to the level, in my mind, of evidence based effective interventions for autism - to date. I do not know what intervention will be the subject of the study to be announced today. My guess was that the report will focus on HBOT but if you know my record on predicting the outcome of sporting events (I picked France over Italy in the World Cup, Ottawa over Anaheim in the Stanley Cup) you should probably assume that it will NOT be about HBOT. Regardless of what intervention turns out to be the subject of the study I intend to approach the announcement and the results of the study with an open but disciplined mind. Not out of desperation as some of the ND ideologues like to chant about parents seeking new treatments for their children's autism; but because it makes no sense to make a final decision about potentially helpful new treatments and to refuse to consider new evidence. It just does not make sense to close your mind forever on such important issues.

Autistic Man Kicked Off Southwest Airlines Flight, Wandered US for 12 Hours

If your knowledge of autism realities is limited to a few movies, CNN interviews and Neurodiversity "Autism Is Wonderful" Blog Sites, you might be forgiven for not knowing the harsher realities faced by many autistic persons - from being kicked out of a housing complex because your autistic child screams too much, to autistic persons being beaten by exorcists, to an autistic child being kicked out of a YMCA child care program. If all you knew of autistic intelligence and understanding of the real world was
garnered from reading press releases of the latest Mottron-Gernsbacher-Dawson study proclaiming the strength of autistic intelligence and awareness then you might be surprised by the story of Nick Andrews.

Mr. Andrews is a 22 year old autistic man who had to be helped through the airport by his family and who was shortly thereafter kicked off a Portland to Chicago direct flight by Southwest airlines after explaining the mechanics of jet airplanes to fellow passengers while waiting for takeoff. The airline employees were apparently unaware he is autistic. It is not clear that Nick Andrews did anything except annoy passengers with his conversation but he was asked to leave by airline employees. The airline then placed him on a number of other non direct flights that took him 12 hours to reach his destination. His family did not know where in the US he was, or whether he was safe, for several hours.

As an autism advocate I have worked with a family trying to get safe arrangements worked out for their autistic son to travel to school. Changing buses, let alone airplanes and airlines, can be a challenging and anxious ordeal.

Autism presents many serious challenges for those affected. It is not all stuff that Dr Gupta and Sigourney Weaver are going to want to spend much time discussing. Airline employees and other persons who deal publicly with autistic children, youths and adults would be aided immeasurably by a real understanding of some of the deficits and challenges presented by many people with autism disorders. Awareness, REAL autism awareness, would help a lot.


htttp://www.kptv.com/news/13838990/detail.html

Autism Discrimination Complaint 'at the YMCA' Settled

Autistic child, there's no need to feel down.
I said, autistic child, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, autistic child, 'cause you're in a new town
There's no need to be unhappy.
Autistic child, there's a place you can go
Uh, well, now there might me anyway.

(Apologies to the Village People)






The US Department of Justice Press Release which follows provides a brief summary of a discrimination complaint brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act against the West End YMCA in Ontario, California has been settled with payment of compensation and with changes in policies by the YMCA. The complaint was brought after the West End YMCA terminated a child from its after-school child care program, according to the DOJ Press Release, because the child has autism. It is good to see, as the release points out, that the WE YMCA 'cooperated' with the DOJ in arriving at a settlement but it is sad to see that an organization like the YMCA which performs many good works would have such policies in place to begin with. Autism awareness still has a long, long way to go.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement with the West End YMCA, headquartered in Ontario, Calif., that resolves an investigation into alleged discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The agreement covers associated YMCA branches in Ontario, Chino, Upland, and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

The underlying complaint filed with the Justice Department alleged that the West End YMCA terminated a child from its after-school child care program because the child has autism. Under the agreement, the West End YMCA will implement policies and procedures to ensure that children with disabilities are afforded a full and equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from YMCA child care programs. Procedures for requesting reasonable modifications to the child care program will be published in the organization's parent handbooks, and YMCA staff involved in child care decisions will be trained on ADA obligations in the child care setting. The West End YMCA also agreed to pay monetary damages to the complainant.

"Ensuring that children with disabilities, and their families, have equal access to reliable child care goes to the heart of the ADA's promises and protections," said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "I commend the West End YMCA for working with us, and I hope that this agreement will be a model for other child care providers."

Under Title III of the ADA, private child care providers are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability, and must make reasonable modifications to policies, practices and procedures to afford individuals with disabilities the opportunity to participate and benefit from the child care services. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/. Those interested in finding out more about federal disability rights statutes can call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TDD), or access the ADA Web site at http://www.ada.gov.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice -0- 08/06/2007 /CONTACT: The U.S. Department of Justice, +1-202-514-2007, +1-202-514-1888 (TDD)/ /Web site: http://www.USDOJ.gov http://www.ada.gov / CO: U.S. Department of Justice; YMCA ST: District of Columbia IN: SU: POL EXE LAW CHI ZB-ZB -- DCM090 -- 1806 08/06/2007 19:41 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

Autism Abuse in Iowa - 3 Hours in a Locked Room is Not a Time Out - It is Child Abuse

Des Moines Register Image From Video of 8 Year Old Isabel Loeffler During "Time Out.

Here is a message for the clueless officials at an elementary school in Waukee Iowa - there is no such thing as a 3 hour "time out". Locking an autistic child in a room by herself for 3 hours even leaving her there after she wets herself is not a time out, it is not educating or helping the child, it is child abuse pure and simple.

Here is another message for the so called educators in the Waukee district and the Heartland Area Education Agency who believe they did nothing wrong and who are appealing the ruling against them over the matter by an administrative judge - you are in the wrong profession. Do something else which does not involve children. You lack the ability to understand when you are hurting them.

As reported in the DesMoines Register the 8 year old girl wet her pants and struggled to obey but still wasn't let out of the room. Her parents were shocked to see a video of their child in the room out of control even hitting herself. The parents withdrew the child from the school and retained legal counsel.

http://desmoinesregister.com/