Day of Prayer and Fasting

Thought I would add this wonderful email from Children of Destiny about Monday's day and prayer and fasting.

A Call to Fast for Autism on April 23 Dear Daily Prayer Subscriber,

As many of you know, April is Autism Awareness Month here in the United States. In the several years since we have been involved in the cause of autism, we have been very pleased to see that with each passing April, more and more awareness of and programs devoted this devastating disorder have been presented in the media. Sadly, however, with each passing April, more and more children and families are devastated by the diagnosis.

This April, Paulette Britton, mother of Sam, was impressed to call for a Day of Prayer and Fasting for those affected by autism. We commend Paulette for this great effort. We at Children of Destiny fully endorse this opportunity to join with many others from around the world in fasting and lifting our prayers before the Lord on behalf of those afflicted with autism. Therefore, we are asking that you would consider joining with us as we humble ourselves before the Lord in Prayer and Fasting for our children and adults with autism. The official fast is for 24 hours and runs from sun up on Monday, April 23 until sun up on Tuesday April 24.

Why Fast?

For the Christian, fasting is an essential part of spiritual life. Even Jesus agreed that some things simply could not be accomplished without fasting.

Fasting removes spiritual clutter and puts us in a better position to receive from God. By fasting, we make it possible for the Lord to reveal Himself to us in a greater way, not because He speaks more clearly, but because we can hear Him more clearly.

Why is that? Because fasting is a sacrifice of submission and worship unto Him. It is because we have given up something temporal in order to pursue something eternal. To the degree we allow ourselves to hunger after God is the degree to which we will be satisfied by Him.

The fruit of our fasting is God's to decide. We cannot manipulate God through it, but we certainly can please Him. Fasting almost certainly will produce a deeper covenant relationship with Him. Isaiah 58, the great chapter on fasting, offers us a list of additional benefits that fasting can produce including deliverance, giving, guidance, healing, increased protection, spiritual cleansing, answers from God, increased fruitfulness, and restoration of spiritual things that have been lost (This material has been adapted from the book Possessing Your Inheritance by Chuck D. Pierce and Rebecca Wagner Sytsema, pp. 134-135).

Of course, we are asking that you join us in this fast as we specifically ask God to heal children and adults with autism. Paulette suggests that you make a specific list of what you are asking God for as you fast. Doing so is essential because it not only focuses you in prayer, but also allows you to go back later and see how the Lord has moved.

Here at Children of Destiny, we recommend that this list not just be generic, such as "God, please heal Nick of autism," but rather a list of specific issues related to the autism. For example, potty training, aggressive behaviors, language, running away, digestive disorders and so forth. The reason for doing this is so we can see the hand of God moving in very specific ways as issues on this list improve. Not only does it encourage us that God is moving on behalf of our loved one, it also increases our faith for the whole miracle!

Please Join Us

Again, the fast runs from sunrise on April 23 to sunrise on April 24. Many will likely choose to fast from all food. However, if for any reason you are unable to fast for the entire 24 hour period, or are unable to fast from food, please consider joining us anyway. Perhaps you can consider a fast of any beverage other than water, or perhaps you can abstain from sugar. We ask that you are wise in making your decisions to fast and do not compromise your health in any way. If you have health issues and are not able to consult with your doctor before Monday, please consider fasting in some other form -- perhaps from television or reading for pleasure. Also consider asking your children or granchildren to fast as well. If a food fast is unwise or unwelcomed, kids could also be encouraged to fast from video games or other daily indulgences.

Again, we thank Paulette for putting together this great initiative. She has put together a web site containing all the information necessary to participate. We encourage you to visit her site at http://www.asdPrayandFast.com.

Please pass this information along to your friends and family and listmates.

We would be thrilled to hear of your plans to participate, and also of the answers to prayer you see!

Blessings,
Jack and Rebecca Sytsema
Children of Destiny

Cho Seung-Hui Reportedly Diagnosed With Autism as a Child

From the first time we heard that, "he didn't talk at all and kept to himself", we all thought Asperger's, but no way was I going to say it first. My mind immediately went to the murder/suicide perpetrated by young man with Asperger's in Orange County about a year and a half ago.

It is clear that he had many additional problems, and all of us cringe at the thought of this man being any way associated with autism, but if he had autism, we need to take a good hard look at his life and learn what ever we can from it so that we can help those with autism that we care for. Was he toxic, was he bullied, did he get any appropriate interventions or support after his diagnosis at all?

His life is a cautionary tale that we all should learn from with humility.

AutismLink Reacts to Diagnosis of Autism in Virginia Tech Shooter

PITTSBURGH, April 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AutismLink and
Autism Center of Pittsburgh Director Cindy Waeltermann today issued a
statement regarding the recent revelation that Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-
Hui was diagnosed with autism as a child.
"While the entire autism community in Pittsburgh and across the nation are devastated by the recent events at Virginia Tech, we would like to caution the public not to stigmatize children or individuals with autism.

Cho likely did not receive the help and support that he needed early on -- that is why early intervention is so important, and that is why places like the Autism Center of Pittsburgh exist. The act of one individual should not reflect upon the entire autistic population.

It is unfair to blame Cho's actions on autism when he was clearly psychologically impaired and likely had another disorder in addition to his autism. His psychological evaluations apparently revealed a dark history that concluded that he was an imminent danger to himself and others and was also depressed.

This is a wake up call that stresses the importance of early intervention, research, and appropriate treatment strategies. Many strides have been made in autism spectrum disorders and research has consistently shown that when children receive the help that they need early on they are more likely to become more adept at social and communication skills.

Autism affects 1 in 150 children and is now the most commonly diagnosed developmental disability in the world. It is time to recognize autism for the epidemic it is."

Julie Gerberding: Getting out the BIG shovel

I sit here trying to come up with a post on this that does not contain any offensive synonyms for animal leavings, but I am hard pressed to do it. When I signed onto this debate almost three years ago, we heard the same thing from the CDC yet they have done NOTHING to get us any closer to finding answers to the questions that parents have been screaming at them. It is completely absurd.

The statements Gerberding makes in this "hearing" are laughable.

CDC chief: Autism not overlooked

By JEFF NESMITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/18/07

Washington — Autism is an "urgent" concern of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its director, Dr. Julie Gerberding, told senators Tuesday.

Although the CDC has been criticized by some autism activists and members of Congress, Gerberding said the Atlanta-based agency is best equipped to do the surveillance and research needed to understand and respond to the disorder.

THEN DO IT!!!!!!

GIVE US A VALID, REPLACEABLE, TRANSPARENT VACCINE/AUTISM STUDY!

YOU HAVE THE MONEY, YOU HAVE ALL THE DATA, DO IT!

STOP PRETENDING THAT DENMARK AND VERSTRAETEN ACTUALLY SUPPORT THE CLAIM THAT VACCINES ARE SAFE FOR OUR KIDS!

GIVE US THE AMISH STUDY THAT YOU WERE CHARGED WITH DOING IN 1982!

STUDY THE CHILDREN THAT ARE LOOSING THEIR AUTISM DIAGNOSIS AFTER DAN! TREATMENT!

DO IT ALREADY!!!!

IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DO IT THEN STOP TALKING ABOUT AUTISM!

AND PLEASE... PLEASE... STOP SAYING THAT YOU CARE WHAT IS GOING ON WITH OUR CHILDREN!

YOU LOOK RIDICULOUS!

"The profound lifelong impact of autism spectrum disorders, tremendous costs to the affected individuals and their families, the lack of known causes or cures and concerns about the increased rates of diagnosis all make autism spectrum disorders one of our urgent realities," she told a Senate appropriations subcommittee.

She said "CDC recognizes that parents want answers," adding, "We share their frustration at not having more answers about the causes and possible cure."

This statement is just a lie. No other way to say it. She is lying.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), whose Appropriations subcommittee on the departments of Labor, Education and Health and Human Services held the hearing, said that "millions of families are grappling with the profound difficulties of understanding and coping with this disease."

"We've got to do something about this," Harkin said.

Testifying with Gerberding were the director of the National Institute of Mental Health and a generally supportive group representing families and advocacy organizations.

Not represented at the hearing were autism activist groups that have accused the CDC of concealing evidence of a link between childhood vaccinations and the disorder.

I am sure that our invitation was lost in the mail. Again.

However, while the Senate committee hearing was under way, two members of the House announced that they will reintroduce legislation to end what they called "a conflict of interest whereby CDC is responsible for both vaccine promotion and vaccine safety."

Reps. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.), and Carolyn Maloney, (D-N.Y.,) said they will introduce the bill Thursday. Their bill last year that would remove the CDC's responsibility for vaccine safety did not pass.

UPDATE:

My good friend Wade responds to my post with a What What, and like me, far less civility than those who read his blog are used to.

UPDATE:
From John Gilmore of A-CHAMP:

If you were to deliberately design a plan to not find the cause of a disease, or even accurately count how many people are affected with a disorder, you couldn't have done better than the CDC management under Dr. Gerberding. She has not brought us an inch closer to finding the cause of autism or any treatments. She has destroyed confidence in the CDC and much of the federal public health apparatus.

It is time for her to go. And I think all autism organizations should give serious thought to calling for her resignation.

John Gilmore

Autism on Nickelodeon

Nick is doing a show on Autism on Sunday. "Private Worlds: Kids & Autism " looks like it will be great for helping our kids be understood by other kids.

Day of Fasting and Prayer for Autism

Monday April 23rd http://www.asdPrayandFast.com

From Unlocking Autism:

As Autism Awareness Month approached us this year, I am sure that so very many of you wondered what you could do to make a difference. Our children are so precious to us and so many of them are still suffering in silence or struggling so bravely in this world that assaults their senses at every corner of their lives.

Paulette Britton, mother of Sam, turned to God for an answer to what she could do to make a difference and below you can read her words as she was impressed to call for a Day of Prayer and Fasting for those affected by autism.

I call on each of you to join with us on Monday, April 23, as we humble ourselves before the Lord in Prayer and Fasting for our children and adults with autism. Please share this info with your friends and family and listmates.

http://www.asdPrayandFast.com

Paulette lives in Southern California and you may contact her with questions and inquiries at: pdbrit@mac.com.

Nancy Cale,
Unlocking Autism

Teddy's Turn to Talk

UPDATE! Check the bottom ... Teddy wins!!!

Teddy is a 5th grader with Asperger's, who has a hard time in school:

[His mother's] voice cracks with emotion when she talks about a day last November when Teddy came home after school bursting with excitement. It was the best day of his life, he told her.

What happened?

“No one picked on me today.”

Teddy wanted to speak about his disorder at his school during Autism Awareness month so that kids will understand him.

His principal said no.

His local newspaper said yes.

I am with them.

He's on a mission to raise awareness

By JO CIAVAGLIA
phillyBurbs.com

Teddy Willis just wants to tell classmates something about himself.

Maybe if they understood what autism is, what it's like for kids like him who have it, maybe they won't pick on him anymore. Maybe he'd make new friends. Maybe others would treat him like a regular kid.

“I'd tell them I'm one of the kids with autism and sometimes kids with autism get picked on,” Teddy explained recently in his family's Newtown Township kitchen. “It's not their fault; it's just because they have autism.”

The fifth-grader asked his mom about talking about autism at his school, Goodnoe Elementary. He thought April would be the perfect time since its autism awareness month.

What an awesome idea, Irene Willis told her son. After all, when Teddy spoke about his disability in his social skills class in February, he made a new friend. He also wrote about his autism for a school report.

“He has a lot of cool things they probably don't know,” Willis said.

Principal Eileen Dwell says the school is marking autism awareness month, but she doesn't think it would be appropriate for Teddy to share his story with regular education classmates at morning meeting, a pre-class activity where the kids practice social skills.

She is worried about it indirectly violating the privacy of other students.

“There are other children in classrooms who don't realize they are different than anyone else,” Dwell explained. “I need to look at the privacy of others.”

BALANCING ACT

An education rights lawyer says the situation illustrates the delicate balancing act schools face with helping children learn about disabilities in a positive way, while respecting student privacy rights.

Slightly more than 8 percent of Council Rock School District's 1,981 special education students last year received services for autism disorders, more than any other district in Bucks County, according to state statistics. Goodnoe has a large population of special education students with autism disorders, Dwell said.

At age 6, Teddy was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism spectrum disorder, a neurological condition that impairs a person's ability to connect with the world, form relationships or communicate.

People with Asperger's often are described as highly intelligent, but they experience behavior or social difficulties.

As a toddler, Teddy could write his name, but he didn't talk, preferring to point “yes” or “no,” or spell answers in the air with his finger, his mom remembered. At age 3 1/2, Teddy taught himself the American Sign Language alphabet in one day, Irene said.

Teddy splits time in special and regular education classes, but school can be hard for her son, Irene Willis said. His behaviors often are misunderstood. Sometimes, he gets frustrated, loses his temper or cries.

“He is eager to learn and it is going to get squashed,” she said. “Children don't understand the difficulties between hidden disabilities and other disabilities. If a kid is having a temper tantrum, then that kid is marked on the playground.”

Her voice cracks with emotion when she talks about a day last November when Teddy came home after school bursting with excitement. It was the best day of his life, he told her.

What happened?

“No one picked on me today.”

FINDING BALANCE

During autism awareness month, Goodnoe Elementary is attempting its first specific effort at heightening awareness of “invisible differences” among staff and students, Dwell said.

Students were involved in activities such as reading picture and chapter books about kids with autism and received autism awareness ribbons. Also, teachers had additional, extensive training in teaching students with autism disorders, Dwell said.
click here

For this first year, though, Dwell felt child speakers shouldn't be part of the activities out of concern that students who attend special classes with Teddy might be singled out.

“I don't want to have kids identified by association,” Dwell said.

Student privacy rights are a sensitive area for schools, said Len Rieser, co-director of the Education Law Center in Philadelphia, an education rights advocacy group. He can understand how a family wouldn't want other people to look at their child as different.

“It's an equally important consideration,” he said.

But the Goodnoe Elementary situation presents the district with an unusual teachable moment, he added. One that school officials should find a way to take advantage of.

“What is sort of striking about this situation you're describing is, for me, it's unusual to hear of a situation where a student and his family have said they want to be part of explaining disabilities to other students,” Rieser said. “Not every school, in a way, is lucky enough to have kids willing to do this.”

If schools can find ways to let students learn from each other about disabilities, it may have a greater long-term impact than adults delivering the message, he said.

“All of us struggle with this question how to help kids learn about disabilities in positive ways,” he added. “I say it's a tricky area, but in general, we can learn a lot about autism from people with autism. There has got to be something valuable in that.”

LIKE NORMAL KIDS

During a morning meeting last week, when a teacher talked about autism, Teddy raised his hand to share his story. But he said he was taken aside and told that autism is something “personal” he should keep to himself.

Teddy doesn't understand what's wrong with talking about autism.

The disorder is just a part of who he is. Sort of like how some people have red hair and others are better at math.

Kids with autism sometimes have trouble concentrating, he explained. Sometimes, they forget a question right after it's asked. They can have trouble switching from one activity to another. Controlling his emotional reactions can be hard.

“One thing that is hard for me is kind of explaining things,” Teddy said.

Other than that, Teddy's not so different. He plays kickball and video games like Sonic the Hedgehog (“I have a Wii”), baseball, skiing and karate. He likes summer camp and amusement parks. Chocolate chip and Oreo cookies and ice cream are among his favorite foods.

“If they really knew about autism, I bet people would start treating me differently. They wouldn't be mean,” Teddy said.

Sometimes, kids call him names like Teddy Bear or Theodore, which he hates. He is always picked last for gym teams and he's never been a team captain.

“I just want people to treat me better, like one of the other normal kids. If many people knew about autism, then they might think about what the person's good at and not what the person isn't good at.”

Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at 215-949-4181 or jciavaglia@phillyBurbs.com.

UPDATE:

Student with autism is silent no more

By JO CIAVAGLIA
phillyBurbs.com

See and hear Teddy's soundslide show

To you, the daily school note may have sounded matter-of-fact, but to Irene Willis it spelled victory.

In her son Teddy's journal, his teacher wrote that in the Tuesday morning meeting, Teddy's teacher read a book to the class about Asperger's syndrome and then let Teddy talk about living with this disorder.

“It's a start. Finally, maybe things will get better for him,” Irene said. “That is what it's all about. He just needs a little help.”

Now, Teddy, 11, is planning on bringing his one-boy, autism-awareness campaign to the Council Rock school board during the public comments portion of Thursday night's meeting, Irene said Tuesday.

Initially, his principal at Goodnoe Elementary refused the fifth-grader's request to talk about his autism disorder with classmates. Principal Eileen Dwell was concerned it might violate the privacy of other students.

In a Courier Times story last Sunday, Teddy talked about his efforts to share what it's like to live with Asperger's syndrome. Following publication, autism support Web sites, listserves and blogs posted links to the story and an accompanying slide show featuring Teddy.

Asperger's is a mild form of autism, a disorder that impairs a person's ability to connect with the world, form relationships or communicate. People with Asperger's often are described as highly intelligent, but they experience behavior or social difficulties.

The Willis family and the newspaper have been flooded with e-mails supporting Teddy and criticizing Dwell's decision to not let him speak to students during a pre-class activity during April, which is autism awareness month.

The Courier Times was unsuccessful in reaching Dwell late Tuesday afternoon for comment.

“Children with autism spectrum disorders face many daily challenges, but one of the biggest is the challenge of prejudice and misinformation,” said Cathy Gallagher, a Middletown resident. “Principal Dwell may feel that she is protecting students' privacy, but she is really making a statement that "special' education students are different.”

Not only do students with disabilities know they're different, but everyone else already knows who they are, wrote Narberth resident Karin Fox, whose 6-year-old daughter is autistic.

“Do the kids with peanut allergies and diabetes have to keep silent?” Fox said. “He should be admired for his attitude — not pushed and shushed back into the closet.”

The support has been overwhelming, Irene Willis said, adding that Teddy and the family hope by sharing his story it will inspire parents to talk with their kids about people who are “different” and promote an atmosphere of tolerance.

During autism awareness month, Goodnoe Elementary is making an effort to heighten awareness of “invisible differences” among staff and students, Dwell has said. But this is the first year the school has undertaken the effort. Dwell felt student speakers shouldn't be part of the activities.

Slightly more than 8 percent of Council Rock School District's 1,981 special education students last year received services for autism disorders, more than any other district in Bucks County, according to state statistics. Goodnoe has a large population of special education students with autism disorders, Dwell said.

Teddy, who was diagnosed with Asperger's at age 6, splits time in special and regular education classes, but school can be hard for her son, Irene Willis said. His behaviors often are misunderstood. Sometimes, he gets frustrated, loses his temper or cries, which makes him a target for frequent teasing, Teddy and Irene said.

Teddy hopes his classmates will understand him a little better.

“I feel very good I shared because now they know,” he said.

Autism: Hope After Diagnosis

From TACA:

Love Me!

Got nominated for a thing. Cool.

Sneaky Senate

The politics of Autism just gets odder and odder. It seems to be about being able to say that things are being done with out doing anything, and that open conversation is taking place when the conversation is being strictly controlled. The voices that would ask the right questions are not allowed into the room.

From A-CHAMP:

Surprise Senate Hearing on Combating Autism - Community Not Notified

We learned for the first time Thursday that the Senate has scheduled a hearing Tuesday, April 17, 2007 entitled "Combating Autism: Undertaking a Coordinated Response". There was no notice of this hearing to the many autism organizations other than Autism Speaks and possibly ASA. We learned of it only because one of our CAA Watch A-CHAMP District Leaders inadvertently heard of the hearing from a highly placed source.

Many of us have placed calls to Subcommittee Chair Sen. Harkin's staff, including members of our strong Iowa contingent. None of us have had the courtesy of a return phone call.

The list of witnesses is pasted below.

On the second panel are two representatives of Autism Speaks and Dr. Judy Favell, former President of the American Psychological Association, Division 33. Dr. Favell is a behaviorist who received a large Dept of Education grant to research the provision of services to children with autism by interactive video. The program, called "telehealth" involves installing a video camera in one's home so that families may engage in therapy sessions at long distrance by video.

Dr. Favell appears to be closely associated with three for-profit ventures. One is Advoserv (www.advoserv.com), a Florida corporation that provides residential and other services in Florida, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey. The second is Cnow, billed as committed to being the "nation's premier telehealth solutions provider." (http://www.cnowinc.com/) The third venture is the National Institute of Telehealth, which develops the behavioral treatment plan that is implemented via video. Telehealth and telemedicine research is being funded by NIMH, headed by Dr. Insel, one of the witnesses at the hearing. (http://tinyurl.com/2uzyje)

No stakeholders are participating in this hearing.
Welcome to the BRAVE NEW WORLD of autism.

Senate Committee on Appropriations
Hearing Schedule for the Week of April 13, 2007

For more information, media should contact (202) 224-3904.

Tuesday April 17, 2007
2:00 p.m. Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education SD-124
Agenda: Combating Autism: Undertaking a Coordinated Response

Witnesses: Panel I:
Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, Georgia
Dr. Thomas R. Insel, Director
National Institute of Mental Health
Bethesda, Maryland

Panel II:
Robert C. Wright
Vice Chairman and Executive Officer
General Electric Foundation
Fairfield, Connecticut
Dr. Judith E. Favell
Chief Executive Officer, AdvoServ
Executive Director, The Celeste Foundation
Mount Dora, Florida
Bradley Whitford
Volunteer Spokesperson
for Autism Speaks Organization
New York, New York

What Really Happened When Katie Mentioned Vaccines On Oprah

JB Handley of Generation Resuce is a friend of Katie Wright-Hildebrand and posted an account of her experience on the Oprah Show this week. She said a good deal more about the autism-vaccine connection that was edited out. Here are JB's very frank comments:

REMINDER: There has been a little confusion in the comments section. The following is not my account or opinion... it is JB Handley's.

Katie was told by the producers before the show was filmed that if
she mentioned vaccines she would be off the show.

While taping, the pediatrician made the misstatement about vaccines
and autism (that whole "no connection" reassuring bullshit), and,
during break, Katie appealed directly to Oprah to let her respond,
as you saw on the show.

However, Oprah's response to Katie about "opening the can of worms"
and the audience's applause after what she said was actually based
on a much longer exchange, all of which was edited out of the final
cut of the show.

After the part you heard Katie say, Katie went on to say that the
preservatives in the vaccines made her son sick and that the
combination vaccines and the vaccine schedule were grossly unsafe.

Everyone's favorite pediatrician then jumped in and said that if the
schedule were changed there would epidemics. Katie responded by
saying there already is an epidemic and that our kids are not
disposable so the CDC can perpetuate irrational fears of the measles
and the flu.

I think this highlights a number of things:

- The censorship most media outlets give to this issue is very high.
My personal opinion is that this is due entirely to the power of
pharma advertising and to the fact that the media outlets hear
directly from pharma in advance of these shows and get warned. The
fact that the daughter of NBC's FORMER CEO must be deeply troubling
for pharma because this is going to be one very tough person to shut
up.

- Oprah over-ruled the directive Katie was given because she is
Oprah and appears to have strong moral fiber. If Don Imus is a 10, I
give Oprah a 5, which makes her second-best for national
personalities dealing honestly about our kids, although it is almost
incomprehensible to me that this is Oprah's first show on autism.

- The lame doctor saying "if the schedule were changed there would
be epidemics" has no idea what she is talking about. It is
unbelivable that it is NEVER reported that in the mid-1980s there
were 10 vaccines on the schedule and today its 36. We were not
having massive epidemics in the 1980s and the schedule has more than
tripled due to money and recklessness, with no monitoring system
that could ever catch a delayed-onset condition like autism.

- Katie is a true warrior for her son and all of our kids. She said
so much more than America got to hear.

JB

Katie Wright Joins the NAA Board

HUGE news. Daughter of GE Chairman Bob Wright, mother to Christian, the child who's autism diagnosis lead to Autism Speaks, joins the boards of both the National Autism Association and Safe Minds

Today on the Oprah show Katie will state publicly that she believes that vaccines caused her son's autism.

Katie Wright-Hildebrand and Becky Grant-Widen
Join NAA's Board of Directors

The National Autism Association is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors, Katie Wright-Hildebrand and Becky Grant-Widen.

Katie is the mother of two boys, Mathias, age 3 and 5 year-old Christian. Christian regressed into autism at 2 ½ years old. Katie completed her under-graduate studies at Boston University and received a Masters in Education from Columbia University. Studying counseling psychology, she received her professional license in 2000 and was the Clinical Director of the Sexual Assault Crisis Center in Stamford, CT providing free and confidential counseling services to male and female survivors of rape and sexual assaults. Katie resigned her position when Christian became ill and now, with her husband Andreas, is dedicated to working to improve the lives of children and families affected by Autism. Watch for Katie on Thursday's episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show!

Becky comes to NAA with 13 years experience in public health non-profits, with a history in tobacco control and community health program development. She currently works as a public health consultant, focused on grantwriting for local and national autism organizations. As the parent of two boys, one of whom is on the autism spectrum, Becky is committed to using her experience to benefit children with autism. In her home state of Maine, Becky has organized local autism events, testified before the state legislature to eliminate the use of mercury in vaccines, and helps guide parents just starting out on the autism journey.

Everyone with NAA looks forward to working with these talented and dedicated parents as we carry out our mission of providing support and hope to all families affected by autism.

Together, anything’s possible.

UPDATE!:

Katie also joined the board of Safe Minds! DAMN!

SafeMinds is pleased to announce the appointment of Katie Wright-Hildebrand to the board of directors.

Katie is the mother of two boys, Mathias, age 3 and 5 year-old Christian. Christian regressed into autism at 2 ½ years old. Katie completed her under-graduate studies at Boston University and received a Masters degree in Education at Columbia University. She studied counseling psychology and received her professional license in 2000. She worked as the Clinical Director of the Sexual Assault Crisis Center in Stamford, CT providing free and confidential counseling services to male and female survivors of rape and sexual assaults. Katie resigned her position when Christian became ill and now, with her husband Andreas, is dedicated to working to improve the lives of children and families affected by autism.

NAA Maine's Autism Walk

So there has been a change of plans and we will not be walking in Boston, instead we will be walking in Auburn, Maine!

The National Autism Association of Maine is holding its kick off event:

The 3-mile walk will be held on May 6th, 2007. Registration will begin at 9:00 AM at Festival Plaza in Auburn and the walk will kick off at 10:00 AM.

We are currently seeking both corporate and private sponsorships as well as walkers. For more information please contact Shawn and Emily at walk@naamaine.org or by calling 207-514-0303.


The walk will take place rain or shine!

See you there!

Newsflash: Autism is expensive

Autism costs society an estimated $3M per patient
Peter Broderick
617-349-2882
JAMA and Archives Journals


Each individual with autism accrues about $3.2 million in costs to society over his or her lifetime, with lost productivity and adult care being the most expensive components, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a theme issue on autism spectrum disorders.

Autism costs society more than $35 billion in direct and indirect expenses each year, according to background information in the article. Relatively little is known about when these costs occur across the lifetime of an individual with autism.

Michael L. Ganz, M.S., Ph.D., Abt Associates Inc., Lexington, Mass., and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, used data from the medical literature and from national surveys to estimate the direct medical and non-medical costs of autism, including prescription medications, adult care, special education and behavioral therapies. Approximate indirect costs, including lost productivity of both individuals with autism and their parents, were calculated by projecting average earnings and benefits at each age, adjusted for the fact that some autistic individuals can work in supported environments. Only costs directly linked to autism, and no medical or non-medical costs that would be incurred by individuals with or without autism, were included.

These costs were projected across the lifetime of a hypothetical group of individuals born in 2000 and diagnosed with autism in 2003. Costs estimates were broken down into age groups at five-year intervals, with the youngest group age 3 to 7 years and the oldest age 63 to 66 years.

"Direct medical costs are quite high for the first five years of life (average of around $35,000), start to decline substantially by age 8 years (around $6,000) and continue to decline through the end of life to around $1,000," Dr. Ganz writes. "Direct non-medical costs vary around $10,000 to approximately $16,000 during the first 20 years of life, peak in the 23- to 27-year age range (around $27,500) and then steadily decline to the end of life to around $8,000 in the last age group. Indirect costs also display a similar pattern, decreasing from around $43,000 in early life, peaking at ages 23 to 27 years (around $52,000) and declining through the end of life to $0."

Over an individual's life, lost productivity and other indirect costs make up 59.3 percent of total autism-related costs. Direct medical costs comprise 9.7 percent of total costs; the largest medical cost, behavioral therapy, accounts for 6.5 percent of total costs. Non-medical direct costs such as child care and home modifications comprise 31 percent of total lifetime costs.

Because these costs are incurred by different segments of society at different points in an autistic patient's life, a detailed understanding of these expenses could help planners, policymakers and families make decisions about autism care and treatment, Dr. Ganz notes. "Although autism is typically thought of as a disorder of childhood, its costs can be felt well into adulthood," he concludes. "These results may imply that physicians and other care professionals should consider recommending that parents of children with autism seek financial counseling to help plan for the transition into adulthood."


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(Arch Pediatric Adolesc Med. 2007;161:343-349. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org.)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

PLEASE NOTE: Radio actualities from Michael L. Ganz, M.S., Ph.D., will be available in mp3 format on www.jamamedia.org at 3 p.m. CT on Monday, April 2.