Boston Launches Flu Shot Tracking

Does this freak anyone out just a little? Or is it just me?

The logical stage two would be to use this to find out who has not been vaccinated, applying pressure to do so, and implementing restrictions on those who don't.

Senator Tom Daschle to Head HHS

...and this may be good for our kids.

Daschle fought the Eli Lilly rider in the Homeland Security Bill and fought the anthrax vaccine that was harming military personnel.

From David Kirby's HuffPo piece today:

By nominating Tom Daschle to head up the agency, President Elect Obama has selected a man who has demonstrated an unflinching willingness to question vaccine safety, and to fight for the rights of those people who believe they have been, or may be, seriously injured by certain vaccinations.

Senator Daschle is not anti-vaccine, but his record shows his willingness to question - and even oppose - vaccine makers and big pharmaceutical interests when it comes to protecting the rights of American medical consumers.

Certainly this is better than the guy that is running HHS now. Whose name I can barely remember because the only time his name comes up in articles on autism is when he is rumored to be telling friends in the church parking lot that HHS knows that the epidemic is due to the vaccines.

Is it Michael something...

Perhaps he is so forgettable to me is because our kids are so forgettable to him.

We Are All Somali!

In the past few months it has come to the attention of our community, via David Kirby's tenacious investigating, that the autism rate in the Somali community in Minneapolis looks to be 1 in 28.

Read that again.

The 1 in 28 Somali children in that community look to have autism.

I say "look to", because the Minnesota Department of Health's Judy Punyko, who collected the data from the school system in August order to confirm this number, and was supposed to have a report on Nov 15th, says they will need four more months to run the numbers.

Bullshit.

They have had time to run those numbers 8 ways to Sunday by now.

I would bet my house that they know that they have found an autism cluster that is on fire, and like the shenanigans in the Verstraeten study, they are inventing new math to try to hide the true incidence of autism in the Somali community.

Last weekend the Minnesota Department of Public Health held a PR party with the Somali community to assure them that they were hard at work on the problem, offered them no answers, and assured it was not the vaccines.

Totally Disgusting.

These people have been through hell and back, finally land in the Land of Promise, their kids get sick in obscene numbers, but the state government obfuscates and stalls and the federal government is no where to be found.

That is right... CDC has not even shown up in Minneapolis.

If there was ever a doubt that the Centers for Disease Control did not give a flying fig tree about autism, the fact that an autism cluster with a 1 IN 28 ratio does not even warrant a look, then it should be wiped away with this DISGUSTING inaction by Julie "Let them eat cake" Gerberding.

HOW HIGH DOES THE AUTISM RATE HAVE TO GET BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING!!!!!!! 1 IN 10? 1 IN 2?

I have not been so angry in a long time. These Somali-Americans and their children deserve better.

So I say today, WE ARE ALL SOMALI!

Idil, Abdulkadir and Hodan... we got your back.

Here are the links to all the relevant stories so you can catch up and be as horrified as I am:

Is Autism an "American Disease?" Somali Immigrants Reportedly Have High Rates

Minneapolis and the Somali Autism Riddle

Somali Parents Give the Autism Forum a "C+"

Autism Strikes 1 in 28 Somali Children in Minnesota

Minnesota Tracked Down Pig Brain Disease, Ignores Autism?

Somali Gloves Come Off: Autism in Minnesota

An Open Letter to the Somali Parents of Minnesota

Our Kids Somali or American

SCDBakery.com for Thanksgiving

So last month we ordered some Halloween yummies for Chandler through the SCD Bakery, and my very picky eater baby gobbled them all up.

So for those of you who want to get some Thanksgiving yums for your little GFCF/SDC chickens, I highly recommend Jill's particular yums.

This was her email this week. Her menu rotates every week, you have to order for Thanksgiving by Nov. 13:

SCD Bakery
Dear Ginger,

Baking for Thanksgiving:
Apple Delight
Blueberry Delight
Pumpkin Bread
Pecan Apple Muffins
Banana Whoopie Pies
Apple Cinnamon Whoopie Pies

NOTE: The baking schedule for Thanksgiving will be a little different than usual with orders due Thursday Nov. 13th instead of Sunday and shipped to the West Coast on Monday Nov. 17th and the East Coast on Thursday Nov 20th to ensure delivery in time for the holiday. All menu items can be frozen.

Please note orders will close on Thursday at midnight, due to time limitations we will not be able to accept any orders placed after Thursday. :)
Orders due by Thursday November 13th.

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING !

Take Care,

Jill Rainville
SCD Bakery

Obama's Autism Influences, Correcting Arthur Allen

Today in the Washington Independent Arthur Allen reported, while lamenting the possibility that RFK, Jr. could be chosen as head of the EPA, that Obama adviser David Axelrod was an autism parent who had been rumored to have let the President Elect know that autism was not caused by vaccines:

During the campaign, anti-vaccine advocates asked Obama and Sen. John McCain to comment on whether they thought parents should have the right to skip vaccines they feared. McCain hemmed and hawed, while Obama said he thought children should get all the recommended vaccines. Obama apparently was influenced on this by his chief strategist, David Axelrod, who reportedly has an autistic child. Sources in the autistic parents’ community say that Axelrod set Obama straight about the lack of any link between vaccines and autism.

Except that Alexrod apparently does not have a child with autism, but a child with eplipesy.

Senior Obama Strategist David Axelrod and Wife Susan to be Honored for Their Decade-Long Commitment to Epilepsy Research at NYC Benefit

NEW YORK, March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- David Axelrod -- one of America'sleading political strategists and senior adviser to Senator Barack Obama --and his wife, Susan, will be honored for their decade of leadership andcommitment to epilepsy research at the First Annual New York City Benefitfor CURE (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy). George Stephanopoulos,Chief Washington Correspondent for ABC News and anchor of "This Week withGeorge Stephanopoulos," will be the guest speaker at the May 13 event.PARADE Publisher Randy Siegel will emcee.

The Axelrod's commitment to curing epilepsy is deeply personal. Theirdaughter Lauren, now 26, has suffered irreversible brain damage as a resultof the disease. She began experiencing life-threatening seizures when shewas just seven months old.

However Michael Strautmanis, Obama’s former Senate chief of staff and close personal friend, is apparently an autism dad. From AutismPac.org:

"Obama’s Senate chief of staff and close personal friend, Michael Strautmanis, is the father of a child with autism; Obama’s campaign chief David Axelrod is the father of an adult with epilepsy (Obama was a keynote speaker for a foundation run by Axelrod’s wife in 2005). I have spoken with Sen. Obama about our issues in the past and he was always receptive and supportive."

Now, I have no idea if either of these men have "set Obama straight about the lack of any link between vaccines and autism", but I thought the record should be corrected.

Obama May Choose Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head EPA

Today has been a discouraging day, having lost the opportunity to have a president who was supporting families with autism. I have been looking for possible bright spots, and one has exploded onto the scene.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is said to be under consideration to head the Environmental Protection Agency, according to Politico. Mr. Kennedy is a great friend to out community and showed up for us at the Green our Vaccines rally in July.







He is a true environmentalist, in the best sense, and understands the threat that environmental mercury is to our children. In fact, his attention to the Simpsonwood cover up was the piece that made me start writing publicly about my own sons mercury toxicity.



Let's hope the rumors are true.

Update: Kennedy told HuffPo that if he is tapped, he will serve.

Update: Here is a little more:

I Endorse John McCain for President. He is the Autism Candidate.

Last year I decided that I would endorse whomever turned out to be the candidate who would be the one most likely to address the autism epidemic properly, and to end the government stonewalling that is preventing real progress from taking place. I am a republican, but if reforming the dysfunction in public health that is sustaining the autism epidemic meant endorsing Hillary Clinton because she made a 180 in her position on autism and decided to earnestly fix the problems, then I would endorse and vote for her, as difficult as that might be for me.

But what has happened is something unusual. The conservative candidate has turned out not only to be the better autism candidate, he has brought more attention to the disorder than any other national political figure in history.

So at this late date (I have decided you can either be an autism mom or find time to write about autism, but rarely both), I am announcing my endorsement of John McCain as the autism candidate, and urging you to vote for him for the following reasons, some of which you may be aware of, one of which is new information:

1. John McCain has brought autism to the forefront of the national agenda during this campaign.

This started in March, even before the Hannah Poling concession was announced, when he was the first presidential candidate to address the autism/vaccine connection publicly, causing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to add their comments on the topic.

It continued during the conventions, when McCain talked about autism in his acceptance speech, declaring:

"I fight for Jake and Toni Wimmer of Franklin County, Pennsylvania,... They have two sons. The youngest, Luke, has been diagnosed with autism. Their lives should matter to the people they elect to office. And they matter to me."

And he did again during the debates when he brought autism into the conversation.


2. John McCain is meeting with and listening to parents. Barack Obama is not.

John McCain met with several of my friends in late 2007, when he had been considered out of the contention for president. (I was actually invited to participate in this effort, but family obligations prevented me from doing so). He listened, he heard them, he acted on their behalf, and he began talking about our kids on the national stage.





Barack Obama will be introducing autism legislation shortly that he has been preparing for the last six months. Our community has reached out to him on several issues, and he has not responded. At any time he would have had a chance to gain our input on his autism bill, but we found out about this bill after it was drafted, from a source other than the Obama camp, practically by accident. Even those of us in regular contact with the Obama campaign had no knowledge of this bill. Reading the bill it is clear to see why he may not have wanted parents to read it. More on his upcoming legislation in a moment.

3. John McCain, after meeting with autism parents, along with Joe Lieberman wrote to the Senate Health Services Committee asking them "to hold a hearing on federal research efforts regarding factors affecting incidence and treatment in order to help determine where research efforts can best be directed". This included the environmental triggers of autism such as vaccine additives, pesticides, metals and other chemical pollutants.

Barack Obama is on that Committee and could have picked up the torch and initiated hearings, but didn't.

4. Barack Obama will be introducing this legislation after the election during the lame duck session of congress. This information has not yet been made public, so most of you will be seeing this bill for the first time. Some who have seen the bill in the last few days are upset not only because it will do little to help our children, but it will give even more money and more responsibility to the same agencies who have been wasting autism money and failing in the responsibilities thus far.

From one Generation Rescue staffer:

The draft Obama Research, Treatment and Services Bill Puts HRSA/CDC At Helm:

1.) The bill had no input from the "biomedical" community (the fact that our people had no clue about this bill speaks volumes considering they've been in touch with the Obama camp for quite awhile.)

2.) Individuals within Obama's office who worked on the bill have not returned any of our calls asking for some background on the bill nor have they replied to our request for GR to have some input on the bill before it gets submitted.

3.) The bill is outlining many of the same mechanisms that are contained in the original CAA bill. It is redundant.

4.) The CDC is put in charge of "facilitating the rapid dissemination of evidence-based and promising practices" which, in my opinion is one of the most troubling aspects of this bill!"

5. John McCain has stated that parents should be the ones to be making health care decisions for their children, Barack Obama has stated that he is "not for selective vaccination", implying that he may be in favor of forced vaccination.

Our community has tried doggedly to get Barack Obama to expound on this statement and let us know if he is in favor of forced vaccinations like the kind that are taking place in New Jersey and Maryland. He will not respond.

5. John McCain has taken far less money from pharmaceutical companies, and has been consistently tough on them over the years.

6. Political Base has listed Julie Gerberding as a possible HHS secretary in an Obama administration.

The fact that she is even speculated by dems to be in contention to be in charge of this country's health services under Obama after all of the debacles she has reigned over is upsetting. The ONLY thing that our community agrees with the skeptic community is that Julie Gerberding has done a horrible job as the head of CDC, which is also the opinion of many of the people who have worked under her. Her public career should be over when Bush leaves office.

Hillary Clinton is also listed as a potential for the job. Hillary Clinton is no friend of the autism community.

7. John McCain chose a special needs mom as his running mate.

Sarah Palin is new to special needs parenting herself, but as her sister Heather Bruce has a 13 year old son with autism (hear Bruce's interview on Autism One Radio), she has been touched by the disorder. When you have autism in your family, you get a chance to see how much more difficult it is than people imagine, and addressing it becomes a much higher priority.

Her statement to the special needs community at the Republican National Convention was, "To the families of special needs children all across this country, I have a message for you. For years you've sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters and I pledge to you that if we're elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House".

Palin's first policy speech was on the Mccain/Palin Special Needs Platform (Please read to see what they are proposing), and the autism group she invited to the event was not Autism Speaks, the ConGlomCo of endless, fruitless autism research, it was a small local parent group called AutismLink.

8. Cindy McCain has a Masters in Special Education and a heart for children with autism as well.

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, and at this point it seems that the McCain/Palin crew can't stop talking about autism.

It should be noted that both McCain and Obama supported CAA and both will fully fund IDEA.

The debate is broader than what I have referred to here, but it sums up the differences between the two candidates.

You may be asking, "why should I vote for a candidate based on this one issue", so I will answer. This is more important than the economy. It is more important than the war. There are few issues as important as the autism epidemic, because what we are seeing happening in this country will be blossoming into a disaster that will effect every arena in this country in the next 10 years or so.

Autism now effects around 1 in 100 children. The CDC's number of 1 in 150 is several years old, and the Department of Defense reports that 1 in 88 of their dependents has some form of autism. The disorder is believed to be growing at 10 to 17 percent per year. And CDC admits that 17 percent of children have a developmental delay or disability.

Read that again... 1 percent have autism, 17 percent have developmental problems.

This week Suzanne Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks talked about how appalled she was to find out how prevalent and quickly growing autism was when her grandson was diagnosed 4 years ago. When she asked the CDC why they were not talking about this their response was, "Well, we don’t want to disturb people. Pediatricians aren’t sure of the diagnoses and it might just cause difficulty."

The federal government is not just allowing the autism epidemic to happen, they are now complicit in the escalation of the problem. The decision has been made that this epidemic will not be addressed because doing so will "cause difficulty".

So more and more children get sick, stop talking and their parents are told by doctors to just accept it.

Think about what it will mean for this country in ten years.

When somewhere between 1 and 17 percent of adults cannot reach their vocational potential, what will that do to tax revenue? What will that do to the economy?

A child with autism will cost between three and ten million dollars over their lifetime. If the autism rate remains at 1 percent, that means that those millions will be paid by the other 99 people. Which means that for my high functioning son with autism, 99 of my friends will pay more than $30,000 in taxes that will go to his care.

When 1 in 60 boys has an autism diagnosis, what will that do for military readiness and defense in 2018 and beyond?

In 10 years a generation of disabled children age out of education programs into adulthood. When their parents start passing on, or becoming too infirmed to care for them, what will that mean for homelessness in this country?

When a generation of people have melt downs when overwhelmed by loud noises and confusion, some becoming violent, what will that do for law enforcement?

1 percent of children have autism, yet the government will not even declare it an epidemic.

Now... is the economy this year really more important that what hundreds of thousands, even millions, of disabled individuals pouring into society will do to this country over the next several decades?

Please vote McCain on November 4th. He is the only one who takes autism seriously.

Ginger Taylor, M.S.

Update:

Bob had a few more reasons to vote McCain:

"Let's not forget that disgusting "midnight rider" the preservative republicans slapped onto the tail-end of the Homeland Security bill in 2002. You know, the Eli Lilly rider designed to provide liability protection to Eli Lilly against Thimerosal-induced Autism that came over from the White House at 10:10 PM and was inserted into the Homeland Security Act?

From the New York Times article "Whose Hands Are Dirty?" November 25, 2002

"Senator John McCain of Arizona characterized the provision as ''among the most inappropriate'' in the homeland security legislation. He said: ''This language will primarily benefit large brand-name pharmaceutical companies which produce additives to children's vaccines -- with substantial benefit to one company in particular. It has no bearing whatsoever on domestic security.''

John McCain gave his word that he would fight to remove the rider, and guess what? It was removed."
 

...John McCain continued to fight against Thimerosal liability protection efforts. He and few others banded together to to form the gang of fourteen.

They fought over and over against as Bill Frist and Hillary Clinton tried repetitively to slip Thimerosal language into countless bills. And when it became clear that Hillary Clinton and Bill Frist were blocking Thimerosal and vaccine research, together John McCain and fellow Autism ally Joe Lieberman composed a letter to the U.S. Senate H.E.L.P committee calling out the lack of Thimerosal and vaccine research and calling FOR Senate hearings concerning the Combating Autism Act fiasco.

McCain or Obama: Who Will Reform Vaccine Safety?

From Autism Action Network, Autism United, Generation Rescue, Moms Against Mercury, No Mercury, Schafer Autism Report, Talk About Curing Autism, Unlocking Autism and U. S. Autism and Asperger’s Association:

McCain or Obama: Who Will Reform Vaccine Safety?

San Diego, CA, October 27, 2008 - Parents, scientists and clinicians met this weekend in San Diego to discuss the current state of autism research. Organizations, representing hundreds of thousands of voters nationwide, are calling for Senator McCain to state his policy position on vaccine safety publicly and for Senator Obama to officially clarify comments made earlier this fall by noon October 30, 2008 so voters can make a final informed decision for their candidate of choice.

The community gratefully acknowledges the commitment by both Senator Obama and Senator McCain at the last debate to aggressively research the causes of and treatments for autism, a national health crisis affecting at least one in 150 children. However, the community remains concerned about vaccine safety reform. Reform issues include the removal of neurotoxic ingredients in vaccines and alteration of the present vaccination schedule for at risk children.

Emerging evidence in the scientific literature suggest that environmental factors including vaccines, may contribute to autism. The nation is facing a crisis of confidence in the safety of the vaccine program. More and more parents are opting out of the current vaccine schedule which has never been adequately safety tested. The Centers for Disease Control admitted last April that “simultaneous vaccination is incompletely studied at the time of licensure.” (page 33: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/00_pdf/draft_agenda_recommendations_080404.pdf)

In May, Rebecca Estepp of San Diego, who has a vaccine injured child with autism, contacted both campaigns for clarification on their positions with regard to vaccine safety reform. She made a plea for two Executive Orders to be issued within the first one hundred days of entering office including the removal all mercury from all vaccines and a moratorium on the addition of new vaccines to the recommended list for children until the current vaccine schedule can be proven safe.

On October 20th, Estepp received a detailed response from Douglas Holtz-Eakin, senior policy advisor to the McCain campaign, stating that if elected, McCain “will work with all agencies to take all necessary steps in an expedient manner to ensure safe vaccines for every American family.” Further, McCain endorsed parental vaccination choice stating, “The key to health care reform is to restore control to the patients themselves.”
(http://www.ageofautism.com/2008/10/mccain-senior-p.html)

In contrast, Senator Obama never responded to Estepp’s requests for improved vaccine safety, responding to her only with regard to his position on autism. Estepp is disappointed: “I truly wanted responses from both parties and while the concerns of vaccine safety and autism overlap, they are in fact two separate issues. I didn’t ask either candidate for their positions on autism. I asked for vaccine safety improvements on behalf of all children.”

However, earlier this fall, New Jersey parent Claudine Liss attended an Obama fundraiser with the express intent to get answers. After asking similar questions as Estepp, Liss explains, “He looked right at me and said, ‘I am not for selective vaccination. I believe it will bring back deadly diseases, like polio.’” Liss and many others are declining to vaccinate their children using the current CDC-recommended schedule.

New Jersey parents are furious about the first-ever mandated flu shot required for day care and preschool. Seven hundred people rallied in Trenton earlier this month in support of vaccination choice.

Estepp extends a final plea to Senator Obama to clarify his position: “This is a party-neutral issue and many of our parents are waiting to make up their minds. Senator McCain believes parents have a choice in how they vaccinate their children. Senator Obama appears to disagree. I sincerely hope that Senator Obama misspoke that night in New Jersey.” (http://www.ageofautism.com/2008/10/mccain-addresse.html)

Autism Action Network, Autism United, Generation Rescue, Moms Against Mercury, No Mercury, Schafer Autism Report, Talk About Curing Autism, Unlocking Autism and U. S. Autism and Asperger’s Association

For peer reviewed research on the connection between autism and vaccine, please visit: http://www.generationrescue.org/studies.html

Obama Releases Autism Plan

So sorry to be an absentee blogger this close to the election... Have not read this yet (nor the Palin speech.) Will comment later.

From the Obama camp:

BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN: SUPPORTING AMERICANS WITH AUTISM
SPECTRUM DISORDERS
More than one million Americans have Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), a complex condition that impacts communication, socialization, and behavior. And more cases of ASD are being recognized across the country at an alarming pace. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that we must do more to help support Americans with ASD, their families, and their communities. Throughout his career, Barack Obama has worked with families affected by ASD to raise awareness and to provide support to parents and families living with ASD.

As president, he will build on these many years of advocacy and ensure that his administration prioritizes ASD research, public awareness, and lifelong support services. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will seek to increase federal ASD funding for research, treatment, screenings, public awareness, and support services to $1 billion annually by the end of his first term in office. They will also continue to work with parents, physicians, providers, researchers, and schools to create opportunities and effective solutions for people with ASD.

Record of Leadership on ASD Research and Care: As an Illinois state senator, Barack Obama sponsored legislation that became law to create an ASD diagnosis education program, an initiative designed to promote the implementation of evidence-based practices. The goal of the project is to offer educational opportunities at all levels of care, including physicians, early intervention (EI) specialists, psychologists, teachers, day care providers, parents, respite workers, and speech and language therapists. Obama has personally worked side-byside with Illinois families affected by ASD to support efforts to build the Therapeutic School and Center for Autism Research. This school and research center will bring together education, academic research, early intervention programs, and training to prepare its students for independent living.

In the U.S. Senate, Obama is a cosponsor of a measure that would expand federal funding for life-long services for people with ASD, authorizing approximately $350 million in new federal funding for key programs related to treatments, interventions and services for both children and adults with ASD.

Appoint Federal ASD Coordinator to Oversee All Federal ASD Efforts: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will ensure all federal ASD activities occur in an efficient manner that prioritizes both research and supports for families affected by ASD. They will appoint a Federal ASD Coordinator to oversee federal ASD research and federal efforts to improve awareness of ASD and improve the training of medical professionals to identify and treat ASD. By establishing one top-level point person to coordinate ASD efforts in the White House, they will ensure that ASD receives the recognition and priority it deserves in the federal government. The Federal ASD
Coordinator will also be tasked with eliminating bureaucratic obstacles that may be delaying implementation of important ASD measures and ensuring that all federal ASD dollars are being spent in a manner that prioritizes results. The Coordinator will work with state task forces on ASD to ensure effective communication and collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies.

Fully Fund the Combating Autism Act and Federal Autism Research Initiatives: Barack Obama supported the Combating Autism Act of 2006, which was signed into law in December 2006. The Combating Autism Act authorizes increased federal funding for ASD research and efforts to boost public awareness and early diagnosis of ASD. Since the bill has been enacted, however, federal funding for ASD has not increased to the levels authorized by the Combating Autism Act. As a U.S. Senator, Obama has worked to fully fund the Combating Autism Act and as president, he will ensure that his administration addresses the growing impact of ASD and other special needs on American families. President Obama will fully fund the Combating Autism Act, which
provides nearly $1 billion in autism-related funding over 5 years, and work with Congress, parents and ASD experts to determine how to further improve federal and state programs.

Support Special Needs Education for Children with ASD: Barack Obama and Joe Biden understand that children with special needs – students with visual, hearing, physical, sensory, and mental impairments – require meaningful resources to succeed both inside and outside the classroom. Obama is a strong supporter of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and supports full federal funding of the law to truly ensure that no child is left behind. The current underfunding of IDEA causes school districts throughout the country to deny necessary services to students with ASD and other special needs. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will also work to change IDEA’s definition of “autism” to Autism Spectrum Disorders to ensure that all children diagnosed with ASD disorders receive the support they need.

Support Universal Screening: While roughly 90 percent of infants in the United States are currently screened for various potentially disabling or life-threatening conditions, fewer than half the states screen all infants for the full recommended panel of 29 disorders. Many of these conditions, if caught early, can be treated before they result in permanent impairments or even death. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we should screen all infants, and also that we must set a national goal to provide re-screening for all two-year-olds, the age at which some conditions, including ASD, begin to appear. These screenings will be safe and secure, and available for every American that wants them. Part of the Obama-Biden early childhood intervention plan will be directed at coordinating fragmented community programs to help provide all children access to screening for disabilities as infants and again as two-year olds. Achieving universal screening is essential so that disabilities can be identified early enough for those children and families to get the special supports and resources they need.

Work Together: As part of their commitment to open the doors of our government to the American people, Barack Obama and Joe Biden are committed to facilitating open dialogue among Americans with special needs and their families, federal and state agencies, regional centers, resource centers, research institutions, school
districts, first responders, and community members.

Sarah Palin Gives Her First Policy Speech and It Is On Kids With Special Needs

So much to write about, but unfortunately I am stuck working today. But I wanted to provide the text of her speech this morning. I have not even read it yet:

REMARKS BY GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN ON THE MCCAIN-PALIN COMMITMENT TO CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
For Immediate Release

Contact: Press Office
Friday, October 24, 2008
703-650-5550

ARLINGTON, VA -- Governor Sarah Palin today delivered the following remarks as prepared for delivery in Pittsburgh, PA, at 9:00 a.m. ET:

Thank you all very much. I appreciate the hospitality of the people of Pittsburgh, and I'm grateful to all the groups who have joined us here today. The Woodlands Foundation, the Down Syndrome Center at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Autism-link, the Children's Institute of Pittsburgh: Thank you for coming today. And, above all, thank you for the great work you do for the light and love you bring into so many lives.

John McCain and I have talked about the missions he'd like me to focus on should I become vice president, and our nation's energy independence and government reform are among them. But there is another mission that's especially close to my heart, and that is to help families of children with special needs. And today, we'll talk about three policy proposals that are going to help us fulfill our country's commitment to these children: more choices for parents, fully funding IDEA, and efforts to reform and refocus.

Too often, even in our own day, children with special needs have been set apart and excluded. Too often, state and federal laws add to their challenges, instead of removing barriers and opening new paths of opportunity. Too often, they are made to feel that there is no place for them in the life of our country, that they don't count or have nothing to contribute. This attitude is a grave disservice to these beautiful children, to their families, and to our country -- and I will work to change it.

One of the most wonderful experiences in this campaign has been to see all the families of children with special needs who come out to rallies and events just like this. We have a bond there. We know that children with special needs inspire a special love. You bring your sons and daughters with you, because you are proud of them, as I am of my son.

My little fella sleeps during most of these rallies, even when they get pretty rowdy. He would be amazed to know how many folks come out to see him instead of me.

When I learned that Trig would have special needs, honestly, I had to prepare my heart. At first I was scared, and Todd and I had to ask for strength and understanding. I did a lot of praying for that understanding, and strength, and to see purpose.

And what's been confirmed in me is every child has something to contribute to the world, if we give them that chance. You know that there are the world's standards of perfection, and then there are God's, and these are the final measure. Every child is beautiful before God, and dear to Him for their own sake. And the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who are most vulnerable.

As for our baby boy, Trig, for Todd and me he is only more precious because he is vulnerable. In some ways, I think we stand to learn more from him than he does from us. When we hold Trig and care for him, we don't feel scared anymore. We feel blessed.

Of course, many other families are much further along a similar path -- including my best friend who happens to be my sister, Heather, and her 13-year old son Karcher, who has autism. Heather and I have worked on this for over a decade. Heather is an advocate for children with autism in Alaska. And as governor, I've succeeded in securing additional funding and assistance for students with special needs. By 2011, I will have tripled the funding available to these students.

Heather and I have been blessed with a large, strong family network. Our family helps make sure that Trig and Karcher have what they need. But not everyone is lucky enough to have that strong network of support. And the experiences of those millions of Americans point the way to better policy in the care of children with special needs.

One of the most common experiences is the struggle of parents to find the best and earliest care for their children. The law requires our public schools to serve children with special needs, but often the results fall far short of the service they need. Even worse, parents are left with no other options, except for the few families that can afford private instruction or therapy.

Many of you parents here have been through the drill: You sit down with teachers and counselors to work out the IEP -- an individual education plan for your child. The school may be trying its best, but they're overstretched. They may keep telling you that your child is "progressing well," and no extra services are required. They keep telling you that -- but you know better.

You know that your children are not getting all of the help they need, at a time when they need it most. The parents of children with special needs ask themselves every day if they are doing enough, if they are doing right by their sons and daughters. And when our public school system fails to render help and equal opportunity -- and even prevents parents from seeking it elsewhere that is unacceptable.

In a McCain-Palin administration, we will put the educational choices for special needs children in the right hands their parents'. Under reforms that I will lead as vice president, the parents and caretakers of children with physical or mental disabilities will be able to send that boy or girl to the school of their choice -- public or private.

Under our reforms, federal funding for every special needs child will follow that child. Some states have begun to apply this principle already, as in Florida's McKay Scholarship program. That program allows for choices and a quality of education that should be available to parents in every state, for every child with special needs. This process should be uncomplicated, quick, and effective -- because early education can make all the difference. No barriers of bureaucracy should stand in the way of serving children with special needs.

That's why John and I will direct the Department of Education to clarify the statute administratively. We'll make explicit that when state funds are portable, federal funds are fully portable. We're going to make sure parents have choices and children receive the education they deserve.

Even the best public school teacher or administrator cannot rightfully take the place of a parent in making these choices. The schools feel responsible for the education of many children, but a parent alone is responsible for the life of each child. And in the case of parents of children with disabilities, there are enough challenges as it is, and our children will face more than enough closed doors along the way. When our sons and daughters need better education, more specialized training, and more individual attention, the doors of opportunity should be open.

Like John McCain, I am a believer in providing more school choice for families. The responsibility for the welfare of children rests ultimately with mothers and fathers, and the power to choose should be theirs as well. But this larger debate of public policy should not be permitted to hinder the progress of special-needs students. Where their lives, futures, and happiness are at stake, we should have no agenda except to ease the path they are on. And the best way to do that is to give their parents options.

In a McCain-Palin administration, we will also fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. To his great credit, it was President Gerald Ford who signed the legislation that became the IDEA -- establishing new standards of respect and inclusion for young Americans with disabilities. From that day to this, however, the federal government's obligations under the IDEA have not been adequately met. And portions of IDEA funding have actually decreased since 2005.

This is a matter of how we prioritize the money that we spend. We've got a three trillion dollar budget, and Congress spends some 18 billion dollars a year on earmarks for political pet projects. That's more than the shortfall to fully fund the IDEA. And where does a lot of that earmark money end up? It goes to projects having little or nothing to do with the public good -- things like fruit fly research in Paris, France, or a public policy center named for the guy who got the earmark. In our administration, we're going to reform and refocus. We're going to get our federal priorities straight, and fulfill our country's commitment to give every child opportunity and hope in life.

For many parents of children with disabilities, the most valuable thing of all is information. Early identification of a cognitive or other disorder, especially autism, can make a life-changing difference. That's why we're going to strengthen NIH. We're going to work on long-term cures, and in the short-term, we're going to work on giving these families better information.

Once a condition is known, parents need the best and latest information on what to expect and how to respond. This service is also provided for under the IDEA. And we will make sure that every family has a place to go for support and medical guidance. The existing programs and community centers focus on school-age children -- overlooking the need for assistance before school-age.

But it would make a lot more sense for these centers to focus as well on infants and toddlers. This is not only a critical stage for diagnosis; it can also be a crucial time to prepare the family for all that may lie ahead. Families need to know what treatments are most effective, and where they are available, what costs they will face, and where aid can be found, and where they can turn for the advice and support of others in their situation. As Todd and I and Heather know, there's no substitute for the friendship of those who have been where we are now.

The IDEA is also intended to serve teens and young adults with special needs. And here, too, there is an opportunity to reform and extend the reach of federal support under the IDEA. By modernizing a current law, the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, we can better serve students with disabilities in our high schools and community colleges. This will require reform by the states as well. Just as the federal government expects proven results in the progress of other students, we must require results as well in the achievements of students with disabilities. And the result we will expect is simple: that every special-needs student be given a chance to learn the skills to work, and enjoy the freedom to live independently if that is their choice.

As families across America know, the care of special-needs children requires long-term planning, and especially financial planning. A common practice among these families is to establish financial trusts. These are known as special needs trusts, covering years of medical and other costs, and for parents they bring invaluable comfort.

Understandably, then, many families with special-needs children or dependent adults are concerned that our opponent in this election plans to raise taxes on precisely those kinds of financial arrangements. They fear that Senator Obama's tax increase will have serious and harmful consequences -- and they are right. The burden that his plan would impose upon these families is just one more example of how many plans can be disrupted, how many futures can be placed at risk, and how many people can suffer when the power to tax is misused.

Our opponent has an ideological commitment to higher taxes. And though he makes adjustments on his tax plan pronouncements seemingly by the day, his commitment to increase taxes remains the same. John McCain and I have just the opposite commitment. We intend to lower taxes, promote growth, and protect the earnings and savings of American families.

Not long ago, I spent some time at a place in Cleveland called the Michael T. George Center, a beautiful home for adults with Down Syndrome and other disabilities. I met Michael George, too, a boy of five with Down Syndrome. Michael is a healthy, sweet, joy-filled little man -- and I saw in him all the things I wish for Trig in just a few years.

Michael's parents, Tony and Kris George, are advocates for children with special needs in their community. They are thinking far ahead, in their own boy's life and in the lives of others. They named the center after their son. It's a public-private partnership. This welcoming place -- and so many others like it -- shows the good heart of America. They are places of hope. They are the works of people who believe that every life matters, everyone has something to contribute, and every child should have things to look forward to, and achievements to point to with pride and joy. As many of you know better than I, it can be a hard path, and yet all the more joyful and productive when the barriers are overcome.

John McCain and I have a vision in which every child is loved and cherished, and that is the spirit I want to bring to Washington. To the families and caregivers of special-needs children all across this country, I do have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. And I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.

Thank you all, and God bless you.

Cindy McCain Discusses Autism on Fox News

Ok... so I said about ten minutes ago that I would be likely endorsing McCain, and this pretty much sews that up. At this point the McCain campaign can't seem to stop talking about autism.

There is a wise biblical proverb that says, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks". Never has a political campaign talked so much (or even at all) about autism. And when Obama and Clinton have talked about it, it is because John McCain brought it up.

And keep in mind that Cindy holds a Masters in Special Ed.

FYI: Sarah Palin's sister, who has an autistic son, will be on Autism One Radio tomorrow.

Pneumococcal Doubles Asthema Incidence

From One Click:

One Click Note: The World Health Organization states that for every 1000 children vaccinated with the pneumococcal vaccine, 1.3 children will develop asthma on account of the vaccine. At the same time only 3.6 cases of pneumonia are prevented by vaccinating 1000 children. Pneumonia is an easily treated condition. Asthma on the other hand may be a lifelong disability:

Publication: Bulletin of the World Health Organization;
Type: Letters
Article DOI: 10.2471/BLT.08.054692

Incidence of pneumonia
is not reduced by pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Sona Chowdhary & Jacob Puliyel

Department of Pediatrics,
St Stephens Hospital,
Tis Hazari,
Delhi 110054,
India.

Correspondence to Jacob Puliyel (e-mail: puliyel@gmail.com).
(Published online: 1 September 2008)

Madhi et al.1 write that the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) is an effective instrument for pneumonia prevention in children. This is not strictly true. WHO data2 suggest that there are 450 million cases of pneumonia each year and that it causes 3.9 million deaths. In the sub-Saharan region of Africa, 1 022 000 die and 702 000 die in south Asia.1 The pneumonia referred to is “clinical pneumonia” – a diagnostic syndrome within the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness – WHO and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) system for triage and clinical management in developing countries.3 The Cochrane database4 states that PCV does not reduce the incidence of clinical pneumonia, although it has been shown to reduce vaccine-serotype bacteraemic pneumonia and radiological pneumonia. The benefit of reducing bacteraemic pneumonia and radiological pneumonia is so minimal that it has no effect on “clinical pneumonia”. Poor nations will need to assess its cost utility carefully.

A study from the Gambia showed that mortality was 16% lower in a PCV immunized group compared to placebo recipients (25.2/1000 children years versus 30.1/1000 children years).5 Data are also provided on adverse effects and deaths within 1 week of receiving any dose of the vaccine or placebo. The mortality benefit was seen in the first week after injection, well before vaccine efficacy could have been established. There were 12 deaths in the vaccine group and 15 among controls (23.8/1000 children years versus 29.8/1000 children years). This suggests that factors other than vaccine efficacy are responsible for the difference in mortality between the groups compared.

There is also another issue that we hope to raise here. The paper states that the vaccine programme would exceed the WHO threshold in 69 eligible countries. The authors assert that these findings are conservative in the sense that they did not assume any herd protection and did not assume protection beyond the age of 2.5 years. Beutels6 has cautioned against this trend of noting the “positive” uncertainties (herd immunity, protection beyond 2.5 years) without reporting the “negative” ones (serotype replacement,7 increased incidence of asthma),8 which could dampen enthusiasm for the intervention.

References

1. Madhi SA, Levine OS, Hajjeh R, Mansoor OD, Cherian T. Vaccines to prevent pneumonia and improve child survival. Bull World Health Organ 2008;86:365-372. PMID:18545739 doi:10.2471/BLT.07.044503

2. Revised global burden of disease 2002 estimates. Geneva: WHO. Available here [accessed 5 August 2008].

3. Integrated Management of Childhood Illness. Geneva: WHO; 2000.

4. Lucero MG, Dulalia VE, Parreno RN, Lim-Quianzon DM, Nohynek H, Makela H, et al. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines for preventing vaccinetype invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia with consolidation on x-ray in children under two years of age. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2004;CD004977. PMID:15495133

5. Cutts FT, Zaman SM, Enwere G, Jaffar S, Levine OS, Okoko JB, et al.; Gambian Pneumococcal Vaccine Trial Group. Efficacy of nine-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease in The Gambia: randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2005;365:1139-46. PMID:15794968 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)71876-6

6. Beutels P. Potential conflicts of interest in vaccine economics research: a commentary with a case study of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination. Vaccine 2004;22:3312-22. PMID:15308354
doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2004.03.001

7. Eskola J, Kilpi T, Palmu A, Jokinen J, Haapakoski J, Herva E, et al.; Finnish Otitis Media Study Group. Efficacy of a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against acute otitis media. N Engl J Med 2001;344:403-9. PMID:11172176 doi:10.1056/NEJM200102083440602

8. Klugman KP, Madhi SA, Huebner RE, Kohberger R, Mbelle N, Pierce N; Vaccine Trialists Group. A trial of a 9-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in children with and those without HIV infection. N Engl J Med 2003;349:1341-8. PMID:14523142 doi:10.1056/NEJMoa035060

Obama Sponsors Mercury Ban Bill

The bill passed and President Bush is expected to sign it.

I have been looking for some sign from Obama that he understands any of what is at issue here, and I have not seen anything more than talk, and with his comments that he is not for selective vaccination, I had lost hope.

But this shows at least that he understand that mercury is dangerous.

I think it is safe to say that I will be endorsing McCain at this point, unless we see anything further from Obama; but I am glad to see that Obama has take initiative and action in regard to something that will protect children from environmental exposures and ups the anti in how toxic materials are perceived and handled.

Would he go so far as to reform the FDA and HHS and clean out all the conflicts of interest and corruption? I don't see any signs that it is on his radar.

Bush to Sign U.S. Mercury Export Ban
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
UPI

WASHINGTON -- U.S. mercury exports to developing countries will be banned under a measure expected to be signed by President George Bush, backers say.

Under the measure, which was passed by the U.S. Congress with bipartisan support, exports from the United States' mercury stockpile would be banned starting in 2013 and users will be required to store the toxic heavy metal permanently rather than shipping unused mercury overseas, The Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.

The bill's chief was sponsor Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who introduced the bill after the Tribune published a series of articles about mercury contamination in fish.

Because fewer U.S. companies are using heavily regulated mercury in industrial processes, the newspaper said concerns are rising about exports of the metal to industries in developing countries where pollution controls are lax.

"We know that mercury can cause serious developmental problems in children and problems affecting vision, motor skills, blood pressure and fertility in adults," Obama said in a statement. "While the United States has improved its efforts to collect and contain mercury, this country remains one of the leading exporters of this dangerous product."