Breitbart Blog Runs My Story on The Atlantic Hijacking The Age of Autism

Check it out on Big Journalism.

Olmsted and Blaxill discuss The Age of Autism on Fox Business

Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill on Fox Business talking to Imus about their book, The Age of Autism.

Is Autism Man Made?



Is There a Vaccine-Autism Link?



Update: I have just learned that these videos are being blocked in the UK. Instead of Dan and Mark, they read, "This video contains content from FOX News Network, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds". Yet Brits CAN watch the other videos on the Fox Business You Tube Channel. Just like Andrew Wakefield's book... BANNED across the pond!

Apparently not only are the Queen's subjects not allowed to speak truth to power, they are not allowed to hear anyone else do it either. They can't have mum's thinking for themselves, now can they?

Confirmation of this is welcome from our friends across the pond.

Rediscovering “Donald T.”: John Donvan and Caren Zucker Steal a Story

Last Tuesday, John Donvan and Caren Zucker wrote a beautiful article for The Atlantic, entitled, “Autism’s First Child”, accompanied by a video packet that ran on Good Morning America and followed by a lengthy interview on NPR, about the first patient ever diagnosed with autism.  Donald Triplett.  These intrepid reporters, share how they searched and found this man who had been lost to history, and share with the world what a successful life he turned out to have.  Donald was raised in a small town, by parents who stuck by him despite the recommendation of professionals to institutionalize him, and alongside neighbors who loved, accepted and supported him.  He went to college, joined a fraternity, worked at a bank, drives a car and plays golf.  It is a story that, as a mother of an 8 year old boy with autism, gives me hope.

But the problem is that it is not their story, the whole story, and the most newsworthy part of the story.

You see, in 1943, Leo Kanner, a Johns Hopkins Child Psychologist, wrote a paper in which he described a rare disorder he found in 11 children.  The disorder became known as “Autism” and Kanner referred to the first case he found as “Donald T.”, a boy who was indeed lost to history.  And it was intrepid journalistic investigating that found that Donald was still alive and living well in Mississippi.  But it wasn’t ABC’s Donvan and Zucker who found him in 2010.  It was a UPI’s Dan Olmsted who found him in 2005.

That year, Olmsted began a series for UPI called, “The Age of Autism”, which investigated the relationship between vaccines and autism.   While reading Kanner’s paper to look for clues to any toxic exposures or physical symptoms the first children with autism may have had, Olmsted discovered that Kanner’s patient zero lived in an area where a water soluble form of mercury was first used in forestry.  Potentially clinically significant as mercury was the component in vaccines suspected by many of being a causal factor in autism.  So Dan Olmsted decided to try to find Donald T.  And he found him living a full life in Mississippi. 

While Kanner’s other cases had poor outcomes, Donald did not.  It turns out Donald received a medical treatment that Kanner never recorded when, as a boy, he fell victim to crippling juvenile arthritis. Donald was treated with gold salts and his brother reported that as a result, Donald not only recovered from the arthritis, but "The proclivity to excitability and extreme nervousness had all but cleared up”. 

Donald began to recover from “autism”.

This is highly relevant to the autism debate because gold has an extreme affinity for mercury and pulls it from the body.  It is also significant because arthritis links his “nervous disorder” to his autoimmune disorder.  It is historical evidence that the claims that parents have been making, that their children with autism had regressed after their mercury containing vaccines, and that treating them for their autoimmune symptoms makes their “autism” better, are on the money.

In 2005 Dan Olmsted published a series of articles on Donald, the most explosive being, “The Age of Autism: Case 1 Revisited”, which poured gasoline on the fiery debate on whether or not autism is a result of medical poisoning and is treatable. 

Everyone in the debate has known about Donald T. for five years, and although Olmsted did not publish his full name, it was known by many.  Googling – “Donald T.” autism – returns more than 8,000 pages.

Olmsted wrote the “Age of Autism” series until 2007, when he left UPI and started a blog called, “Age of Autism”, where thousands a day come to comment and debate.

This past Tuesday, Olmsted published a book, written with autism parent Mark Blaxill, called “The Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine and a Manmade Epidemic”.  Chapter 6 is where you will find Donald Triplett, who decided to come out of his self-imposed anonymity to be interviewed in May of 2009 by Olmsted and Blaxill to expand on the public understanding of his story for the book.

As an autism blogger whose commentary on the initial Age of Autism series eventually became an installment in the series itself, I was given an advanced copy last May.  I was so floored by the book that I built them the web site for it, gratis.

Galley copies also went to The Atlantic, NPR and ABC, but the outlets didn’t tell Olmsted’s story, instead they carried Donvan and Zucker’s puff piece.  Given that Donvan is a correspondent on Nightline, that Zucker is a producer for ABC in New York as well as an autism parent, and that this team has been reporting on autism for over a decade, it is impossible to fathom that they would not have known about the book (and Olmsted’s reporting) if a little autism blogger, tucked away on the coast of Maine, had one in her hands last spring.

So imagine my shock as I watched the video of Donvan and Zucker entitled, “Finding Donald”, where they describe the process of tracking down who “Donald T.” actually was, pronounce to the world that Kanner’s first autism case was sill alive, write extensively about his life, and fail to mention that he is evidence that blanket government health care mandates and FDA corruption and/or incompetence may be causing widespread neurological and immune system damage to more than one percent of children in this country.

Donvan/Zucker hit three major outlets with their Donald T. revelation at the same time that the book Olmsted has been researching for six years hit the shelves.  Olmsted, his reporting, his book and Donald’s connection to the mercury/autoimmunity aspects of autism, which Donvan and Zucker even touched on in their article, are never mentioned. 

It raises the question, why would these news outlets make an end around “The Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine and a Manmade Epidemic”, and try to bury this book?

Please catch my next article.  I tell the world about a talented new singer I have discovered.  She goes by the name of… get this…“Lady GaGa”.

Update:

NYT and WaPo publish fawning articles on The Atlantic piece.  Both NYT and WaPo also got advanced copies of The Age of Autism.

Update: Olmsted and Blaxill discuss the book on Fox Business:

Is Autism Man Made?



Is There a Vaccine-Autism Link?

Media Becoming More Alert: Becky Estepp Schools Dr. Mark Segiel on Fox

This is why parents are not usually allowed on TV to debate docs. Because they expose the ignorance of the physicians whom the networks are trusting to bring them accurate health information.

And Becky was even too polite to point out that the study was in Pediatrics, not the New England Journal of Medicine.

Which one of these two people would you turn to with your vaccine questions?

Vaccines Don't Cause Autism, and Guns Don't Kill People

A few days ago I posted a letter from HRSA responding to a media inquiry into the question of whether or not the Hannah Poling case showed that the government believed that vaccines caused autism.

[note: "encephalopathy" is a medical term for brain damage or a change in brain functioning.]

From: Bowman, David (HRSA) [mailto:DBowman@hrsa.gov]
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 5:22 PM
To: 'dkirby@nyc.rr.com'
Subject: HRSA Statement

David,

In response to your most recent inquiry, HRSA has the following
statement:

The government has never compensated, nor has it ever been ordered to
compensate, any case based on a determination that autism was actually
caused by vaccines. We have compensated cases in which children
exhibited an encephalopathy, or general brain disease. Encephalopathy
may be accompanied by a medical progression of an array of symptoms
including autistic behavior, autism, or seizures.

Some children who have been compensated for vaccine injuries may have
shown signs of autism before the decision to compensate, or may
ultimately end up with autism or autistic symptoms, but we do not track
cases on this basis.

Regards,

David Bowman
Office of Communications
Health Resources and Services Administration
301-443-3376

I have decided to play "If someone else said it", to show the sheer fraud at play in this statement, and of course, to ask the media if such poor quality lying and frank admissions of dereliction of duty would pass muster were it not coming from the government, and about such a sacred cow as childrens' vaccines.

From: Heston, Charlton(HRSA) [mailto:CHeston@hrsa.gov]
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 5:22 PM
To: 'citizen@usa.com'
Subject: HRSA Statement

Citizen,

In response to your most recent inquiry, HRSA has the following
statement:

The government has never compensated, nor has it ever been ordered to
compensate, any case based on a determination that death was actually
caused by gunshot. We have compensated cases in which people
exhibited a perforation, or general hole in the body. Perforation
may be accompanied by a medical progression of an array of symptoms
including bleeding, organ damage, or death.

Some people who have been compensated for gunshot injuries may have
shown signs of dying before the decision to compensate, or may
ultimately end up dead or with fatal symptoms, but we do not track
cases on this basis.

Regards,

Charlton Heston
Office of Communications
Gunshot Injury Compensation Program
Health Resources and Services Administration
301-443-3376

What Bowman is saying is that 'vaccines don't really cause autism, they cause brain damage that may cause autism. And we don't pay attention if it does.'

When this PR failure ran in 2009, no one else in the media picked up on it.

This week, two mainstream journalists have actually reported on the ridiculous position that the government has taken that 'vaccines don't "cause" autism, vaccines merely "result" in autism'. The first is Sharyl Attkisson at CBS, who wrote about it here and whose interest apparently was piqued enough for her to take a hard look at the "encephalopathy" shell game that HHS is playing which led to a follow up piece here: Autism, Vaccines and Brain Damage: What's in a Name? Atkisson is the latest journalist to figure out that just calling the autism cases in the VICP "encephalopathy" is their very transparent attempt to maintain some sort of denial of the widespread damage the vaccine program is doing.

She reports:

But there's a trade-off: occasionally, vaccines cause injury or death. Very rarely, patients are left with what's known as "encephalopathy", the medical term for brain damage.

In fact, CBS News has found nearly 1,300 cases in which vaccine-related brain damage has been compensated in court over the past 20 years.

1,300 hundred cases of vaccine brain damage paid by the government more than blows away the made up statistic parroted far and wide that serious vaccine damage is "ONE IN A MILLION". Because for that to be true, there would need to be 1,300,000,000 vaccinated people in the US. Which is one billion too many people.

And this 1,300 number ONLY includes brain damage, not other injuries or deaths. The total number of cases paid is 2,503. Let's say we have 300 million people vaccinated in this country in the last twenty years. That would mean that if the government has actually found, recognized and compensated every serious vaccine adverse reaction (and we know that ain't happening) then vaccine injury is about 1 in 120,000. Given that only about 1 percent of vaccine injuries are ever even reported, and that few people who fall seriously ill are ever told that their circumstance might be a vaccine reaction, if we factor that in, then we are looking at 1 in 12,000.

Keep in mind that 1 in 100 has autism, and 1 in 6 children have a developmental disability or delay, and those populations are not exactly scoured to see how many of them are vaccine injuries, and well... that is how you get a citizenry that stops believing the government.

So as there has been no research comparing vaccinated people to unvaccinated people, we can't really know the true rate of vaccine injury. My estimate is somewhere between 1 in 120,000 and 18% of the population. Lets hope someone with time and money can narrow that down for us someday.

The second journalist to have a light bulb pop in over her head, is Alisyn Camerota at Fox News, who points out the "fishy legal language" the government is using. Dr. Manny also seems to be coming to grips with the hard truth, because as I recall, years ago he was ruling out vaccines in autism.






Let's see if any other reporters are woken up by the VICP announcement of paying a child around twenty million dollars for "autism-like symptoms". (You know because people with autism have autism like symptoms, a man with no legs is also missing his big toe, I am five pounds overweight, my great, great, great grandfather currently has a mitochondrial disorder where his cells just don't make enough energy to properly power his brain, or any other small subset of a larger more dramatic condition that is both completely true and completely misleading to the listener who expects the government to tell them the truth. Did I mention that Hannah Poling has full syndrom, DSM diagnosed Autism, with a capitol "A"?)

And if you check that HRSA National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Statistic Report page one more time, you will note that there is now a "1" in the "Compensable" column of the Autism Omnibus Proceedings. Of course HRSA has added an asterisk next to it with the following note:

"HHS has never concluded in any case that autism was caused by vaccination."

And now you can go back to the beginning of this article to remind yourself that HHS only compensates for bullet holes, not for bleeding or death.

Update:

I missed this one

Karen DeSoto at MSNBC also gets the wake up call and wants to know what the hell is going on.  She  notes that it is the government that has sealed the case when the Polings had requested it be open to the public so it could be of value in answering the questions we all have.

With all the attacks on them since the concession was made public, including people stalking their daughter, would they still be open to that? I don't think it matters. With out even mentioning the name Poling or one detail about Hannah, HHS could say, "Here is one process by which a seemingly neurotypical child can get autism from vaccination". Or if they want to maintain their BS legal word game cover, "This is a process by which a child with an undiagnosed mitochondrial disorder may develop autism like symptoms as a result of vaccination".




I hope that DeSoto follows up on this. She is right. Parents every where should be screaming WTH? at HHS.

Update:

Fox News follows up a week later. Becky Estepp of SafeMinds and TACA is on, and has to give Dr. Mark Siegel a lesson in vaccines.




Update:

This post is generating much traffic, so I will go ahead and add the news piece that really exposed how badly the government was lying to try to keep people from waking up to the fact that HHS has been paying these cases for almost twenty years. Julie "Vaccines Cause Autism and Do Not Cause Autism" Gerberding.

Age of Autism Book On Sale Today

Age of Autism Released.



Read it.

Today is September 14, The Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine, and a Manmade Epidemic is at book stores and available on line--we need your help.

Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill's groundbreaking book, The Age of Autism, traces the autism epidemic by examining the first diagnosed cases of autism. Dan and Mark's detailed research is impeccable and their conclusions are stunning. Their book will revolutionize the way people think about autism and children's health.

We need this book to make a big splash with the American public and you can help. Here is what we need you to do:

* Buy the book here (if you haven't already).
* Have your friends and relatives buy the book. Book purchases will drive up the book's ratings, create media interest and educate people on what happened to our children.
* Forward this e-mail to your friends in the autism community - just click on the "Forward to a Friend" button at the bottom.
* Arrange a book signing for the authors in your community. Contact Becky Estepp.
* Sign up for to receive Age of Autism action alerts here.

We must create change for all suffering with autism. Spread the word and join The Age of Autism revolution. Please help this book become a national best seller by forwarding the announcement below, and future advisories, to the media as well as family and friends.

Thank you!

For more information visit: Age of Autism Book Website

AJC: Settlement Reached in Autism-Vaccine Case

A curious thing happened in Atlanta. The AJC posted a story on the Poling case, then some sort of internet sewer alligator monster must have climbed up from the depths and eated it or somethin', because today it was gone.

Fortunately, I still had my browser open when I heard about the disappearance of the poor missing article, so I saved a copy. You are welcome AJC. Hope you catch that creature who is stealing your stories.


Update... I have taken the article down, because apparently it take of the AJC site because it contained several inaccuracies. I don't know what they were, but I don't wanna spread misinformation, so said article goes down.

Vaccines Don't CAUSE Autism, They Just RESULT in Autism

(looking at my stopwatch) aaaaaaaaand time!

Hannah Poling finally gets paid for her vaccine induced resulted autism.

So if a brilliant Johns Hopkins neurologist and his super smarty nurse/lawyer wife file a vaccine injury claim for their daughter, that is such a slam dunk case that the government does not even bother to fight it but concedes the case, they can expect to wait, let see... add the four, carry the three, divide by pain and suffering and... oh, thats not bad... ONLY ten years, one month and two weeks or so after the child is injured to be paid by the government. Yep! That is one compassionate program alright!

Mind you the Polings have been dragged through the mud, personally and professionally, for daring to file in the VICP and win to get money to help their daughter. Oh... and they also had the bad taste to tell people. In public even. Bastards.

But at least we have finally gotten a straight answer from the government on whether or not vaccines cause autism. Turns out that vaccines don't "cause" autism, they just "result" in autism. From CBS News:

In acknowledging Hannah's injuries, the government said vaccines aggravated an unknown mitochondrial disorder Hannah had which didn't "cause" her autism, but "resulted" in it.

THANK GOD! Parents, you can go back to blindly trusting their government. All your questions and concerns about the safety of the vaccine program have been asked and answered with the utmost integrity and with thorough thoroughness.

Sleep in peace citizens. All is well.

Government heath care is awesome.  More government health care please.

(And I hope Hannah fully recovers and buys a Ferrari with whatever is left of her 1.5 mil)


Update:

I thought I might include this email from David Bowman at HRSA. He sent it to David Kirby last year in response to an inquiry.

From: Bowman, David (HRSA) [mailto:DBowman@hrsa.gov]
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 5:22 PM
To: 'dkirby@nyc.rr.com'
Subject: HRSA Statement

David,

In response to your most recent inquiry, HRSA has the following
statement:

The government has never compensated, nor has it ever been ordered to
compensate, any case based on a determination that autism was actually
caused by vaccines. We have compensated cases in which children
exhibited an encephalopathy, or general brain disease. Encephalopathy
may be accompanied by a medical progression of an array of symptoms
including autistic behavior, autism, or seizures.

Some children who have been compensated for vaccine injuries may have
shown signs of autism before the decision to compensate, or may
ultimately end up with autism or autistic symptoms, but we do not track
cases on this basis.

Regards,

David Bowman
Office of Communications
Health Resources and Services Administration
301-443-3376

So again... vaccines cause encephalopathy which progresses into autism, but vaccines don't cause autism. And by the way, HHS does not track whether or not vaccines cause autism, they just pay attention to cases where vaccines cause encephalopathy. Then they stick their fingers in their ears and yell "la la la, I'm not listing", when parents come back a month later and say their child has been diagnosed with autism.

Why does anyone take vaccine advice from these people? Why did I?


Nostalga Update:

Oh alright... one more time just for fun.



And for those of you who would like to reminise more about the absurdity of the governments position on the Poling decision: Spinning the Hannah Poling Case

HOLY CRAP UPDATE: Hannah is not getting 1.5 mil, she is getting around 20 million dollars!

CBS has updated their post to read:

"The first court award in a vaccine-autism claim is a big one. CBS News has learned the family of Hannah Poling will receive more than $1.5 million dollars for her life care; lost earnings; and pain and suffering for the first year alone.

In addition to the first year, the family will receive more than $500,000 per year to pay for Hannah's care. Those familiar with the case believe the compensation could easily amount to $20 million over the child's lifetime".

The government is paying Hannah Poling 20 million dollars for a vaccine injury that the same government claims does not exist.

I am speechless.

Thimerosal Impairs Opioid System in Rats

Neonatal administration of a vaccine preservative, thimerosal, produces lasting impairment of nociception and apparent activation of opioid system in rats.

Brain Res. 2009 Dec 8;1301:143-51. Epub 2009 Sep 9.

Olczak M, Duszczyk M, Mierzejewski P, Majewska MD. Department of Pharmacology and Physiology of the Nervous System, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland.

Abstract

Thimerosal (THIM), an organomercury preservative added to many child vaccines is a suspected factor in pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders. We examined the pharmacokinetics of Hg in the brain, liver and kidneys after i.m. THIM injection in suckling rats and we tested THIM effect on nociception. THIM solutions were injected to Wistar and Lewis rats in a vaccination-like mode on PN days 7, 9, 11 and 15 in four equal doses. For Wistar rats these were: 12, 48, 240, 720, 1440, 2160, 3000 microg Hg/kg and for Lewis: 54, 216, 540 and 1080 microg Hg/kg. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that Hg from THIM injections accumulates in the rat brain in significant amounts and remains there longer than 30 days after the injection. At the 6th week of age animals were examined for pain sensitivity using the hot plate test. THIM treated rats of both strains and sexes manifested statistically significantly elevated pain threshold (latency for paw licking, jumping) on a hot plate (56 degrees C). Wistar rats were more sensitive to this effect than Lewis rats. Protracted THIM-induced hypoalgesia was reversed by naloxone (5 mg/kg, i.p.) injected before the hot plate test, indicative of involvement of endogenous opioids. This was confirmed by augmented catalepsy after morphine (2.5 mg/kg, s.c.) injection. Acute THIM injection to 6-week-old rats also produced hypoalgesia, but this effect was transient and was gone within 14 days. Present findings show that THIM administration to suckling or adult rats impairs sensitivity to pain, apparently due to activation the endogenous opioid system.

Neonatal Administration of Thimerosal Causes Persistent Changes in Mu Opioid Receptors in the Rat Brainst

Neurochem Res. 2010 Aug 28.

Neonatal Administration of Thimerosal Causes Persistent Changes in Mu Opioid Receptors in the Rat Brain.

Olczak M, Duszczyk M, Mierzejewski P, Bobrowicz T, Majewska MD.

Department of Pharmacology and Physiology of the Nervous System, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Sobieskiego 9 str., 02-957, Warsaw, Poland.

Abstract

Thimerosal added to some pediatric vaccines is suspected in pathogenesis of several neurodevelopmental disorders. Our previous study showed that thimerosal administered to suckling rats causes persistent, endogenous opioid-mediated hypoalgesia. Here we examined, using immunohistochemical staining technique, the density of mu-opioid receptors (MORs) in the brains of rats, which in the second postnatal week received four i.m. injections of thimerosal at doses 12, 240, 1,440 or 3,000 mug Hg/kg. The periaqueductal gray, caudate putamen and hippocampus were examined. Thimerosal administration caused dose-dependent statistically significant increase in MOR densities in the periaqueductal gray and caudate putamen, but decrease in the dentate gyrus, where it was accompanied by the presence of degenerating neurons and loss of synaptic vesicle marker (synaptophysin). These data document that exposure to thimerosal during early postnatal life produces lasting alterations in the densities of brain opioid receptors along with other neuropathological changes, which may disturb brain development.

Full article:  http://www.springerlink.com/content/d751p01x01013627/fulltext.pdf

Preventing Autism Before and During Pregnancy

This process of the public recognizing and accepting that autism is preventable and treatable is moving much more slowly than it should have (It should have made the front page of the NYT just after the turn of the century and that should have been it), but it is moving, the paradigm has shifted, and things are not going back to the way they were.

Try as they might, the hypervaccinators, Pharma shills and government ass coverers have not been able to keep the public, and growing sections of the medical community, from understanding that the autism epidemic is indeed an epidemic and is the result of the toxic avalanche coming down on our little ones from before conception until they get their last, brain inflaming doses of untested and under-tested vaccines.

This month we saw the Senate finally hear that autism is an environmental illness, in which mercury is implicated (despite the best spinning that the best PR spinners have tried). This year we saw the country walk away from THE biggest scare campaign to dose the country with mercury toxic vaccines in my lifetime.

People get that vaccines are a serious risk and are taking action to mitigate that risk.

This news piece is just another example of the fact that mainstream medicine and media gets it, and while they cant' yet say the V word, using the mercury word is surely code for vaccines, so they might as well.



In my mind, the announcement of the Poling concession was D day, and we are now in the march across Europe. But this war will end as people come to see what Pharma and Govt have done, and how they have lied to the public, and as they retire, those who come in behind them, who do not have blood on their hands and can admit that things have gone way over the line, will pull back.

We will likely never get our apology, but as we see in this story, and in the Senate last month, they know. And they are making changes.

If the autism story ends like the thalidomide story, I will die a happy woman.

Using Sex to Sell Vaccines

So this is happening:

Greeters and Admins needed for Mobile flu Clinic
posted: August 19, 2010, 03:05 PM

PUSH MODELS!!!!

Promotional Modeling Agency looking to hire Brand Ambassadors for an upcoming 6 week program. We are staffing a Mobile Flu Clinic that will be in Bangor Mall in Bangor, ME. We need outgoing, attractive, enthusiastic, and intelligent guys or girls between the ages of 18-30.

This is also a great opportunity for advancement in doing more promotional work. This program will run for 6 consecutive weekends (Saturdays and Sundays only). We are booking ambassadors for all 6 weekends, or every other weekend.

Please apply online at www.pushmodels.com. After you have filled out your profile, please email Amber Gordon at ag@pushmodels.com, put "Mobile Flu Clinic" in subject line, and specify that you will work in Bangor, ME.
Salary/Wage: $12/hr
Shift: Weekends

• Location: Bangor

Hot chicks that sell beer and cars... now used to sell vaccines.

Brought to you by the super ethical folks at Well Check.

Their web site is a "coming soon" page and their phone number only gets you a voice mail. Let's see if they return my call.

Aquaholics Surf Shop in Kennebunk, Maine Loves Special Needs Kids!

Wow what a great day we had yesterday!

Nanci Grenier Boutet owns the Aquaholics Surf Shop in Kennebunk, Maine and has a heart for our kids. So three times in the Summer, the third Tuesday of June, July and August, she gives a big shout out to all the local surfers to come to Kennebunk Beach and take our special little ones surfing on their Special Surfer Night.

We went yesterday for the first time, Chandler surfed until he was a Popsicle, and loved every minute of it. Tommy, Chandler's cutie pie surfing coach, comes down from his home in Quebec to vacation in Maine with his family in August, and he takes part in the event while they are here. Chan had a great time with Tommy and learned how to say, "Merci, Tommy" at the end of the day.

Here are the best shots from yesterday. It was so wonderful to see all our little guys loving the time they were having in the water, their dad's being able to do real father son sports bonding stuff that happens so rarely with our kids and, of course, to have a nice zone of love around our kids where they could be their weird, loud, difficult, haphazard selves with out a judgmental look or nasty comment as far as they eye could see.

Thanks so much to Nanci for doing this and thanks so much to all the loving, supporting, understanding surfers who made our kids day! All my pictures from the day will be posted here, and anyone connected with the event has my permission to download and use them in any way they like (as long as it is respectful to those in the images, of course). If anyone connected with the event would like hi res images, contact me at mail@adventuresinautism.com

These are the best pics of the day. Fog rolled in at the end, so those are not as clear, but as you can see... a good time was had by all.

My Webster

Chandler having a ball in his wet suit

Sensory issues in full effect, but didn't end up standing in anyone's way

For this little guy, getting his wet suit on was the hardest part, but dad got him through it.

Nick meets his teacher, Josh Wilbur

The instruction begins

Pam preps Scotty for the water

Loucas learning how to pup up

Some took things slow and easy

Some were a little bolder

But they were all loving it

Don't miss the guy in the back

Nanci introduces Chandler to Thomas Duplessis who taught him.  Chan was so eager to get in the water that daddy never got the chance to change into his swim suit.

Happy guy

Chan's first big ride

Loucas and Chandler decide they are ready for the big waves

Loucas totally rocks on the surfboard

This guy was great.  He got up several times and clearly is on his way to really surfing

Picture of the day!  Don't know who is happier, Stephen for surfing so well, or his friend when he sees Stephen!

This little girl was so precious.  Every time I saw her, just huge grins while being out on the water.  It was infectious.

As the fog was rolling in, I ran down to the end of the beach to catch these two.  Biggest shredders of the day.

I think that this might be my favorite.  Levi Wiley, God bless him, is working his butt off to make Zeke happy, and that joyful face is the big pay off.

Thank you for being there for our kids.

News piece on Nanci's program: http://www.wmur.com/chroniclevideo/24606545/index.html