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"The number of
students identified with autism spectrum disorders continues to grow
exponentially. "In Oregon, the only statewide measure of
prevalence is the annually collected child count of students who are
eligible for special education under the eligibility of autism. The most
recent data (December 2007 Special Education Child Count) shows that
there were 7,078 students with a primary eligibility of autism out of a
total statewide school enrollment of 566,067 (October 1 2007 Average
Daily Membership), or 1 in 80 students. However, the regulations
defining the special education eligibility of autism are different from
(and somewhat broader than) the medical definition of the ASDs set forth
in the DSM IV-TR (2000 American Psychiatric Association), possibly
affecting Oregon’s numbers compared to other states."
The increase in ASD's prevalence is systemic
across the entire
United States and should be a urgent public health concern.
The majority of
the
increase is attributed to young children and does not take in to
consideration those placed in private, home, residential or
other placements. Nor does it take in count or recognize the adult
population. The increasing prevalence time trend provides
additional evidence that frequency is, and has been,
increasing in the United States. The frequency of autism spectrum
disorders now surpasses that of all types of cancer combined."
A must read is:
US Department of Education Data on "Autism"
Are Not Reliable for Tracking Autism Prevalence
by James R. Laidler, MD. From the
Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon.
Why are Oregon stats so high? Are we better at diagnosing or
is mercury, vaccinations, environmental factors or
genetics a concern in Oregon? Should Oregon families be
worried?
B.R.A.S.S.
is a support group for families with
Asperger Syndrome in Central Oregon. This site is dedicated to
"all" families in all parts of the world and their loved one's
"with" AS.
"We
might not always agree, ...but together we
will make a difference."
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New Definition of Autism May
Exclude Many, Study Suggests
Proposed changes in the
definition of autism would
sharply reduce the
skyrocketing rate at which
the disorder is diagnosed
and may make it harder for
many people who would no
longer meet the criteria to
get health, educational and
social services, a new
analysis suggests.
A
Specialists’ Debate on
Autism Has Many Worried
Observers
A debate among medical
professionals over how to
define autism has spilled
over into the public domain,
stirring anger and fear
among many parents and
advocates of those with the
neurological disorder, even
as some argue that the
diagnosis has been too
loosely applied.
By Amy Harmon
A Message
from GRASP
GRASP responds to the
proposed changes in the DMS-V
regarding morphing Asperger
Syndrome and other labels under
one umbrella titled, “Autism
Spectrum Disorders”. What does
this mean to you and your family
in terms of services and
diagnosis, and what can YOU do?
Girls on
the Spectrum: Q&A with the
Author of
Aspergirls
Is
Asperger syndrome really less
common in girls and women, or
are females just better than
males at masking autistic
symptoms?
Navigating
Love and Autism
By Amy Harmon/NY Times
“Love on the Spectrum: Jack
Robison and Kirsten Lindsmith,
two college students living in
Greenfield, Mass., discuss how
autism affects their lives and
relationship”.
Video
Discovering Autism / LA Times
 |
·
Autism hidden in plain sight
/
As more children are
diagnosed with autism,
researchunreconized cases of
the disorder in adults. The
search for the missing
millions is just beginning. |
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·
An epidemic of disease or of
discovery?
/
Autism rates have increased
twentyfold in a generation,
stirring parents' deepest
fears and prompting a search
for answers. But what if the
upsurge is not what it
appears to be? |
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·
Warrior parents fare best
in securing autism services
/
Public spending on children
with autism in California
varies greatly by race and
class. A major reason: Not
all families have the means
to battle for coveted
assistance. |
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·
Families cling to hope of
autism 'recovery'
/
An autism treatment called
applied behavior analysis,
or ABA, has wide support and
has grown into a profitable
business. It has its limits,
though, and there are gaps
in the science. |
|
·
Finding traces of autism in
earlier eras
/
As more children are
diagnosed with autism,
researchers are trying to
find unrecognized cases of
the disorder in adults. The
search for the missing
millions is just beginning. |
Pretending
to be normal: A photo story of
Asperger’s Syndrome
Catching
the Snowflake: A photo story of
Asperger’s Syndrome (Part one)
“The
Comfort of Acceptance.”
(Part two)
LOVE AND
CRITICISM
By Dan Coulter
Does your child know you believe
in him, even when you’re
correcting him? Without meaning
to, many of us give our children
with Asperger Syndrome reason to
question their worth in our
eyes.
Comedian Jeff Dunham, who does
not have Asperger Syndrome,
honed his ventriloquist act for
years to get a spot on the
Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
For comedians, this was the door
to big-time success.
Asperger
Syndrome: Alone by Choice?
By
Dan Coulter
Does your child with Asperger
Syndrome really want to be
alone?
I have Asperger Syndrome, and I
enjoyed being alone when I was
little, mostly when I was in my
own
world reading. But I also craved
company and wanted to be with
people. I think a
significant number of children
with Asperger Syndrome who say
they want to be by themselves
are creating a protective
cocoon. They don’t really always
want to be alone, they just
prefer it to being teased or
ignored.
Vaccines and
autism: a new scientific
review - CBS
News
For
all those who've declared the
autism-vaccine debate over - a
new scientific review begs to
differ. It considers a host of
peer-reviewed, published
theories that show possible
connections between
vaccines and autism. The article
in the Journal of
Immunotoxicology is entitled
"Theoretical
aspects of autism: Causes--A
review." The author
is Helen Ratajczak, surprisingly
herself a former senior
scientist at a pharmaceutical
firm. Ratajczak did what nobody
else apparently has bothered to
do: she reviewed the body of
published science since autism
was first described in 1943. Not
just one theory suggested by
research such as the role of MMR
shots, or the mercury
preservative thimerosal; but all
of them.
Temple Grandin:
Understanding autism
In the world of autism and
autism research, there is no one
of greater stature than Temple
Grandin. As Lesley Stahl says in
this week's Overtime
Correspondent Candid, "She's one
of those rare people with autism
who can explain autism. She's a
sort of interpreter of autism
for the rest of us." For
parents of autistic children,
for scientists who study autism,
for teachers and caregivers who
work with autistic children and
adults, Grandin's insights have
been groundbreaking and
immeasurably helpful.
83 Cases
of Autism Associated with
Childhood Vaccine Injury
Compensated in Federal Vaccine
Court
Government program has been
quietly paying awards to
vaccine-injured children with
autism for two decades but
continues to deny vaccine-autism
link. Safe Minds calls for
immediate Congressional
investigations.
Press release;
Press Conference;
Findings published in Pace
Environmental Law Review
"How
to Be a Sister: A Love Story
with a Touch
of Autism,"
Eileen Garvin, author will
appear at our stores May 5 and 6
to speak about her
book and her experiences as the
sister of a person with autism.
Eileen's
book tells the story of her
efforts to re-connect as adults
with her
sister Margaret, who was
diagnosed with severe autism at
age three. This
memoir of their adult
relationship is also peppered
with stories from
their shared childhood. Eileen
will visit our store in Sisters
on Friday, May 6 at 6:30 pm.
The
address is 252 W Hood St, and
our phone number is
541-549-0866.
Eileen will also visit our store
in Redmond on Saturday, May 7 at
6:30
pm. The address is 422 SW 6th
St, and our phone number in
Redmond is
541-526-1491
Redmond;
Sisters
C.B. v.
GARDEN GROVE UNIFIED SCHOOL
DISTRICT / 9th Circuit
After the Garden Grove Unified
School District (“District”)
repeatedly failed to provide a
free appropriate public
education to student C.B., as
required by the Individuals with
Disabilities in Education Act
(“IDEA”), 20 U.S.C. §§
1400-1482, his aunt and guardian
(“Guardian”) enrolled C.B. in a
nonpublic program, the Reading
and Language Center (“Center”).
Guardian sought reimbursement
for the full cost of sending C.B.
to the Center. An administrative
law judge (“ALJ”) found that C.B.
received significant educational
benefits from attending the
Center. But, because the ALJ
found that the Center did not
meet all of C.B.’s educational
needs, he awarded only half of
the reimbursement sought.
Guardian filed this action, as a
result of which the district
court awarded full
reimbursement. We affirm,
because the statute does not
require that a private school
placement provide all services
that a disabled student needs in
order to permit full
reimbursement. ...Read
the descion
GREAT
article for children, siblings, partner's and spouses
connected to AS
Growing up in an
Asperger Family
by Maxine Aston
View as HTML
or
download as a PDF
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I Love Someone
with Autism.
Doesn't
Everyone?
"Solving the Puzzle
One Piece at a Time."
"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best
night and day to make you like everybody else means to fight the
hardest battle any human being can fight and never stop fighting."
- E.E. Cummings
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"I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God
had some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin." ~ Jerry
Newport