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Special Needs Research and News
Gainesville Music Therapy parents receive frequent e-mails with the articles of interest to the special needs community, including research on Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, etc.; conferences and trainings being offered in the local area; and information on music therapy practice. If you would like to receive these articles, and/or our monthly newsletter by e-mail, please e-mail us to join the mailing list.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006Scientific brain linked to autismScientific brain linked to autism
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Down syndrome more common than once thoughtCDC report: Down syndrome more common than once thoughtMike Stobbe, The Associated Press Published: Monday, January 30, 2006 ATLANTA -- Down syndrome in the United States is more common than previously thought, at one case for every 733 live births, according to a new government report containing what are regarded as the most reliable estimates yet on the prevalence of 18 types of birth defects. Previously, Down syndrome, a type of mental disability caused by a genetic mutation, was estimated to occur in a range of one in every 800 live births to one in every 1,000. The report, released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also found that cleft lip occurs in about one in every 1,000 births, and cleft palate in about one in every 1,500. The report was celebrated by advocacy groups that help families affected by birth defects. They noted that the new numbers are based on statewide data, while previous estimates were derived from selected clinics and hospitals. "Until now, there’s been a real dearth of good, reliable, national statistics on Down syndrome," said Suzanne Armstrong, spokeswoman for the National Down Syndrome Society. The risk of Down syndrome increases with the age of the mother, from an estimated one in 2,000 among 20-year-old women to one in 100 for women age 40. Many women are having babies later in life, which might explain the higher rate in the new study. But because the new statistics were not collected in the same way as the old, it is not clear whether the incidence of Down syndrome has really increased, Armstrong and others said. The reported incidence of Down syndrome would be higher if not for abortions among women who decide to terminate their pregnancy after prenatal tests show the fetus has the chromosomal disorder. In the CDC estimates, some but not all of the 11 states included fetuses that were diagnosed with the condition but were aborted or miscarried, said Margaret Honein, a CDC epidemiologist and report co-author. From 1974 until the mid-1990s, the government tracked birth defects through a system that relied on hospital discharge reports. But not all hospitals were represented, and researchers said it was possible that the participating hospitals attracted more or fewer problematic births than the norm. In 1997, the government collected data from all birth hospitals, clinics and referral centres in certain parts of the country. The new report presents statewide data for Arkansas, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. It also has data from the metropolitan Atlanta area, the Central Valley in California and a group southern Alabama counties. The statistics are for the years 1999 to 2001. The 11 states account for about 22 per cent of all live births in the United States each year and are a good representative sample, said Joann Petrini, a study co-author and director of the March of Dimes’ perinatal data centre in White Plains, N.Y. The researchers included only 18 of the thousands of birth defects that have been identified by doctors and scientists. Missing are common birth defects such as clubfoot, hip dislocation and hypospadias, in which a boy’s urinary opening is on the underside of the penis instead of the tip. Spina bifida was not included either, because health officials already have what they consider reliable estimates. © The Associated Press permalink posted on 7:36 AM 0 comments
Friday, January 27, 2006Study Confirms Parents' Claims: Birthday Home Videos Prove Existence of Autistic RegressionResearchers studying home videotapes of children's first and second birthday parties have confirmed what a number of parents have been claiming for years -- that some youngsters who are seemingly normal at age 1 regress and exhibit the characteristic behaviors of autism by the end of their second year. In a study published today in the Archives of General Psychiatry, research done at the University of Washington's Autism Center provides the first objective evidence for autistic regression. This form of autism is estimated to account for about 25 percent of all autism cases in the United States. The study did not address the cause of autistic regression or the possible role that childhood vaccines might play in children developing autism, according to lead author Geraldine Dawson, director of the UW's Autism Center. "Once again, this study provides an important lesson that parents are good reporters on what is happening with their children. It underscores the importance of professionals to listen to parents," said Dawson. "And it certainly suggests that in early screening for autism that we need to screen at 18, 24 and 36 months to find children who develop normally at first, but then experience a regression." The researchers examined the birthday videos of 56 children -- 15 who were later diagnosed with autism and whose parents reported that their children experienced regression in the first three years of life; 21 whose parents reported that their child had symptoms early in life and had no regression; and 20 typically developing youngsters. The children's behavior was coded by trained observers who were not aware of which children had been diagnosed with autism or regression. Parents also filled out a detailed questionnaire about their child's development during the first two years of life. Perhaps the study's most striking finding involved verbal communication. The three groups differed significantly in their use of complex babbling and use of words at 12 months of age. Children later diagnosed with regressive autism used complex babbling and words much more frequently than those diagnosed with early onset autism. Typically developing youngsters fell between the groups of children with autism. However, a year later typically developing infants showed a dramatic increase in the use of words and complex babbling while the two groups of toddlers with autism either lost their language or failed to make meaningful gains. Children with regressive autism at age 2 displayed other symptoms of autism that didn't show up at 1, such as not pointing or using their body to refer to objects, not turning when their name was called and not looking at other people. Both groups of children with autism significantly decreased their amount of looking at other people in the second year of life. Dawson said these findings corroborate parent reports that some children with autism use words spontaneously and meaningfully, use gestures and participate in social games early on and then lose these skills. The parental questionnaires also indicated that children with regressive autism had regulatory difficulties such as sleeping problems and being soothed when upset prior to the onset of autism symptoms. "This does suggest that there might be an early vulnerability in the development of the nervous system and that these children weren't developing normally," she said. The researchers also found there were no differences at ages 3 and 4 in the severity of autism, IQ, adaptive behavior or neuropsychological functioning between children with a history of regression versus those with early onset autism. The UW Autism Center continues to track the children with autism in the study to see if there are differences in the course of regressive autism from early onset autism and to determine if regression is a distinct form of the developmental disorder. permalink posted on 10:55 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, January 25, 2006Children with autism found to have specific memory problems that may underlie aspects of disorderIf children with autism can't see the forest for the trees, that may be partly because the burden of processing all those trees at once makes it harder to lock in the scene.Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System have found that children with autism differ from other children in two specific memory capabilities. The research is in January's Neuropsychology, which is published by the American Psychological Association (APA). Researchers including neurologist Nancy Minshew, MD, studied 76 children from ages 8 to 16. Half were verbal individuals with autism, half were normal controls matched for age, IQ and gender. The diagnosis of autism reflected social and communication impairments of the autistic type along with restricted interests and patterns of behavior. First, the children with autism, compared to the matched controls, had poorer memory for complex information (many individual elements or one complicated element) in both word and picture form. In essence, the children with autism found it hard to remember information if they needed a cognitive organizing strategy to aid recall or if they had to detect such an organizing element in the information itself. The authors speculate that, "People with autism don't have the automatic cross talk between brain systems -- the reasoning and the memory systems -- that tells their brain what is most important to notice or how to organize it thematically." Second, children with autism also had poor working memory for spatial information, or remembering over time where something was located once it was out of sight. Although working memory for verbal information was fine, a "Finger Windows" subtest of recall of a spatial sequence easily distinguished between children with and without autism. Spatial working memory depends on a specific region of the frontal cortex that is known to be dysfunctional in autism. Despite these two impairments, the children with autism did not have global memory problems. They showed good associative learning ability, verbal working memory and recognition memory. Because their memories differed in only two specific ways, memory in autism appears to be organized differently than in normal individuals -- reflecting differences in the development of brain connections with the frontal cortex. Says Minshew, "If the brain does not, from the start, automatically identify and store key information, that seriously impairs the capacity to interact, communicate and solve problems. Children with autism can be easily overwhelmed by the complex information in most everyday experiences." She explains how these memory problems can affect behavior. "Typical people automatically notice and focus on what's important or relevant," she says. "But because people with autism focus on details instead, they can't recall or respond to what most people think is important." Let's say some teenagers see a poster for a new movie about a small-town romance. They talk about going to the movie and joke about the love story. One boy, though, interrupts with how great it will be to see a football film. Hearing this seeming non sequitur, the other kids stop talking. The boy, who has autism, doesn't understand why they aren't interested in what he is saying. He was responding to what he saw - not the larger-than-life stars embracing, but the small background detail of a man in a football jersey. Minshew and her colleagues believe that a growing appreciation of memory deficits and their impact on social function in autism will extend research beyond the traditional diagnostic triad of the social, language and reasoning problems. The Pittsburgh group has, in prior studies, found autism-related problems with motor, sensory and balance systems. "With autism, there seems to be a widespread problem with how the brain copes with or processes all types of information," Minshew says. Thus, she urges scientists to look more broadly at the brain in autism to find whatever causes such widespread involvement. Article: "The Profile of Memory Function in Children with Autism," Diane L. Williams, MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Gerald Goldstein, MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System; Nancy J. Minshew, MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Neuropsychology, Vol. 20, No. 1. http://www.apa.org permalink posted on 7:07 AM 0 comments
Cells involved with Down syndrome restoredJohns Hopkins University scientists in Baltimore say they've restored the normal growth of nerve cells in the brains of mouse models of Down syndrome.The restoration occurred in the cerebellum -- the rear, lower part of the brain that controls signals from the muscles to coordinate balance and motor learning. The finding is important, investigators say, because the cells rescued represent potential targets for therapy in human babies with Down syndrome. And it suggests similar success for other DS-related disruptions of brain growth might lead to additional treatments, perhaps prenatally, that restore memory and the ability to orient oneself in space. Down syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome 21, a condition called trisomy -- a third copy of a chromosome in addition to the normal two copies. Children with Down syndrome have a variety of abnormalities, such as slowed growth, abnormal facial features and mental retardation. The brain is always small and has a greatly reduced number of neurons. A report on the Hopkins work appears in the Jan. 24 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright 2006 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved. permalink posted on 7:02 AM 0 comments
Sunday, January 22, 2006'Autism Speaks' Develops Unprecedented National Autism DatabaseAutism Speaks Makes First Major Funding Commitment, Supporting the Development of an Unprecedented National Autism DatabaseInitial $2.26 million award funds project that will serve as a unique resource for families and researchers. Autism Speaks, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness about the growing autism health crisis and raising funds for critical autism research, today announced that its board of directors has voted to fund a program for the development of a national autism database. Kennedy Krieger Institute, one of the nation's leading treatment centers for autism and other developmental disorders, will develop the open, interactive database. Autism Speaks is making an initial three-year commitment to the project, beginning with an award of $2,266,000 for the first year. This is the first award of over a million dollars given out by Autism Speaks, which was founded in February 2005. "The funding of this program is an important first step in Autism Speaks' efforts to advance innovative autism research," said Mark Roithmayr, president of Autism Speaks. "The database project has the potential to create a powerful tool for thousands of families, educators and researchers across the country and around the world." The national online autism database will serve as a shared resource to centralize registration of families and individuals with autism spectrum disorders and connect them with researchers, parents and other individuals with autism throughout the country and the world. In addition to supporting scientific investigation, it will provide individuals and families affected by autism with unprecedented information about the experiences of others and serve as an open resource for educators and policy makers. A longitudinal database will enable families and individuals to participate in an online study aimed at understanding the patterns of treatment use and responses to those treatments. Online community features including internal message boards, researcher chat sessions, member profiles, a calendar, and links to outside autism resources are also planned. The fostering of communication between families and the research community will not only lead to research of the highest quality, but also invite parents to have direct input regarding the scientific and policy questions to be investigated. Dr. Paul Law of the Kennedy Krieger Institute will oversee the development of the resource. According to Law, parental and scientific advisory boards will have continual influence on the project so that both parent and research interests are constantly considered. The data collection and management processes will be designed with careful attention to confidentiality and medical ethics, added Law. "Our expectation is that, by creating a unique network of research scientists and families, the database will become an unprecedented source of information that will dramatically increase our knowledge and understanding of autism spectrum disorders," said Dr. Law. Today, one in 166 individuals is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. permalink posted on 12:49 PM 0 comments
Free Regional Training in GainesvilleAttention Gainesville Music Therapy Parents: For more information on this training, sponsored by CARD, email me and I will forward you the informational flyer, with registration form. Or, contact Lisa Roll at CARD (contact info at the end of email).- Abigail Yeh- Time-out, Restraint, and Seclusion: Legal and Ethical Issues and Positive Behavior Support Alternatives Presented by Sylvia Smith & Bob Jacobs - The Advocacy Center and Maureen Conroy, Ph.D. - University of Florida College of Education JANUARY 31, 2006: Holiday Inn West; 7417 Newberry Road; Gainesville, FL Their workshop will present vital information for all who work with students who have autism or related disabilities especially for professionals who work with individuals who are aggressive, hyperactive, noncompliant or out of control. Dr. Maureen Conroy is an Associate Professor and researcher at the University of Florida, College of Education, Department of Special Education. Her research focuses on understanding problem behavior and developing social skills interventions for students with autism. Sylvia Smith is an attorney who serves as the Director of the Developmental Disabilities section of the Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities. Bob Jacobs is an attorney with the Advocacy Center who specializes in Education and Developmental Disabilities law. Learner Outcomes:
Target Audience: Teachers, administrators, related service professionals, parents, adult service providers, paraprofessionals For Questions specific to this training, please contact Lisa Roll at UF Gainesville CARD ~ Ph: 352-846-3455 ~ Toll Free: 800-754-5891 ext. 5 ~ Email: monalisa@ufl.edu permalink posted on 12:46 PM 0 comments
Thursday, January 19, 2006Utah Researchers Confirm Chromosome May Harbor Autism GeneUsing technology that allows DNA from thousands of genes to be collected and surveyed on a 3 x 1-1/2-inch chip, University of Utah medical researchers have confirmed that a region on a single chromosome probably harbors a gene that causes autism. The researchers at the U School of Medicine made the finding by tracing variations in the DNA of an extended Utah family that has a high occurrence of the disorder and whose members are descended from one couple.As part of the study, the researchers also ruled out one gene that appeared to be a good candidate for being linked to autism. They're now looking at other genes for a connection to the disorder. Published in Human Heredity online, the study is part of the Utah Autism Research Project. The researchers are interested in finding more families with a history of autism to join the study. The just-published research confirms Finnish studies of families that linked autism to the same region on chromosome 3, according to principal author Hilary Coon, Ph.D., research associate professor of psychiatry. In fact, the results of the U of U research were surprisingly similar to the Finnish studies, Coon said. "It was remarkable to confirm the Finnish studies," she said. "Our results were so close to their evidence, we thought it was important." Autism is a behavioral disorder that strikes before age 3 and is characterized by impaired ability in social interactions and communication. Those with autism also display repetitive behaviors and interests. The study involved 31 members of a family of Northern European ancestry, seven of whom have autism or an autism-related disorder. The family members are part of the Utah Population Database, a computerized set of the genealogies of 170,000 Utah families comprising 1.6 million people. Information on some families goes back to the state's pioneer founders. The researchers used a gene chip similar to a microarray to search for genetic markers of autism. They used a coated glass chip from Affymetrix, Inc. This chip has 10,000 short segments of DNA with known gene sequence variations, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), attached to 3/8 by 3/8-inch area. The DNA strands of the family members were broken up and then bonded to the DNA on the chip, allowing researchers to compare the variations in the SNPs of the different DNA on an extremely fine scale. The chance of the same variants of SNPs in a particular region on a chromosome being passed through several generations from a founding couple to multiple affected family members is slight. When such identical blocks of SNPs are found, the chromosomal region often is a good candidate for being linked to a disease. Other studies, including the Finnish ones, have found a high degree of evidence linking chromosome 3 to autism, so Coon and the other U researchers began their search on that chromosome. The first region of the chromosome they looked at contained 106 SNPs, 70 of which strongly indicated a gene in that region being linked to autism. One gene, FXR1, appeared to be a likely candidate for a link to autism. FXR1 is similar to the X-chromosome Fragile X gene, FMR1. Mutations in FMR1 cause Fragile X Syndrome, an inherited condition that can cause mental impairments ranging from learning disabilities to severe cognitive problems. Fragile X syndrome has been shown to overlap with autism, and because FXR1 is similar to the gene that causes the syndrome, U researchers suspected FXR1 might be linked to autism. But after analyzing the entire coding sequence of FXR1, the researchers found no alterations in the gene likely to contribute to autism. Based on statistical evidence, they're now looking at other genes. But evidence that a gene on a particular region of chromosome 3 is linked to the disorder doesn't preclude other genes from being a cause of autism, according to Coon. All in all, the researchers have a daunting search ahead of them. "We're just looking for the needle in the haystack," Coon said. Along with the original family, the U researchers are studying two more families with autism in some members, and they'd like to find others in which the disorder occurs. Large and small families with individual or multiple cases of autism are welcome to join. Those interested can call (801) 585-9098. permalink posted on 12:45 PM 0 comments
Saturday, January 14, 2006Upcoming Conferences in FloridaGainesville Music Therapy Parents:There are a number of upcoming conferences and workshops available in our area for parents and caregivers of individuals with special needs. Below, please find a summary of 3 such conferences:
If you would like more information on any conference, please email me for the full email on the event, or visit their websites. Learning Disabilities Association 43rd Annual International Conference: Jacksonville, FL February 26 - March 1, 2006 The LDA 43rd Annual International Conference will now be held in Jacksonville Florida. All events and sessions will be held at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel. We invite you to join us for another outstanding four days of the best research and findings in learning disabilities, including specific workshops on Medical issues, Mental Health, Technology, Teacher Preparation, Early Childhood, and much, much more. Preliminary conference program books are available for downloading the pdf or by contacting LDA. What: The largest meeting on learning disabilities in the world, featuring over 300 workshops and exhibits. Who Should Attend: Adults with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Parents of children with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Teachers of special education and general education, Principals, Administrators, Counselors, Social Workers, Researchers, Medical and Mental Health Professionals, Education Policy Advocates and College Student Support Personnel Why You Should Attend: Discover the latest in LD research; learn effective teaching techniques and strategies; hear from leading experts in the LD field; network with colleagues and make new friends; learn about critical policy issues; earn CEUs, and much more. http://www.ldaamerica.us/conference/index.asp Building Bright Futures- 11th Annual Conference for and about the Families of Children with Special Needs Jacksonville, FL Friday,February 3, 2006; 7:30-4:30 A free conference, with free childcare available. Autism Society of Jacksonville's first daytime parent meeting Parent Support & Empowerment for IEP + navigating the school system: Orange Park, FL Monday, January 30; 9am-11am There will be a speaker from the Family Network of Disabilities available to talk on many topics- the meeting will focus on Parent Support and Empowerment for IEP and navigating the school system, among other topics. Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant- 1625 Wells Rd.; Orange Park, FL Lunch will be available at a group rate until 12:30 The Autism Society of Greater Jacksonville 1526 University Blvd West #235 Jacksonville, Florida 32217 Phone: 904-399-4490 Email : autismsocietygjax@yahoo.com permalink posted on 12:40 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, January 11, 2006Families Share Traits of Autistic ChildrenNewScientist.com news serviceSome relatives of people with autism also display behaviours and brain differences associated with the condition, even though they themselves do not have it. This could make it easier to spot families at risk of having an autistic child. It could also help in the quest to identify the genetic and environmental triggers for the condition, though it seems these triggers might vary from country to country. Eric Peterson of the University of Colorado in Denver had compared an MRI study of the brains of 40 parents with autistic children to that of 40 age-matched controls. And he told the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington DC that the parents who had an autistic child shared several differences in brain structure with their offspring. Looking at the group averages, the differences in parents of the autistic children included an unexpected increase in the size of the motor cortex and basal ganglia, areas important for movement planning and imitation. The somatosensory cortex, neighbouring the motor cortex, by contrast, was smaller than average. This region is important for understanding social information such as facial expressions - one key skill that autistic people often lack. These parents also had reductions in the cerebellum, important for coordinating movement, and in a frontal region thought to be responsible for understanding the intentions and feelings of others - the so-called theory of mind area. In another study, Brendon Nacewicz of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School and colleagues tested whether brothers of autistic children would avoid eye contact with others, a common feature of autism. While the parents seemed normal in this respect, brothers avoided eye contact just as strongly as their autistic sibling. He is now planning to test sisters too. Nacewicz also showed that the amygdala, a region important for processing emotions, particularly fear, was shrunken in the brothers too, just as it is in autistic people. One theory laid to rest by these findings, says Nacewicz, is the idea that autism somehow falls on the far end of a shyness spectrum. The siblings showed no signs of autism or shyness, despite avoiding eye contact with others. Although gaze avoidance is accompanied by differences in the biology of the brain, he says, other brain areas must somehow compensate for the differences. Peterson agrees. This suggests that several core brain differences have to be present for someone to show the symptoms of autism, he says. A further complexity in the underlying biology of autism was reported by Antonio Persico from the University of Rome. He found certain genetic variations linked with autism in North America were not present in autistic families in Italy. It is possible that there are regional differences in the environmental factors that interact with different genes to trigger autism, he suggests. The differences were in a gene that makes an enzyme called paraoxonase. In North American populations, families with autistic members seemed to share a variant of the gene that makes a less active form of the enzyme. In Italian families with autism, however, that variant was no more common than in families without. One job of the enzyme is to inactivate organophosphates, which are often used in American homes as insecticides. In Italy, they are rarely found in the home. So one possible explanation, claims Persico, is that Americans with the less active enzyme use more of it to clear the pesticide, leaving less free to do another important job in helping neurons migrate to their right places during brain development. "Parents who had an autistic child shared several differences in brain structure with their offspring" In Italian families, the interaction between environment and genes may be different. For instance, an environmental effect may interact with the gene reelin, which also guides neurons to the right place, and has been linked to autism. "The important thing is that I am not trying to prove that organophosphates are bad," says Persico. These children may become sick anyway. The point is that there may be different genetic risk factors and different environmental interactions which lead to autism, he adds. Dan Geschwind, an autism expert from the University of California, Los Angeles, who chaired the session on brain differences, is yet to be convinced about the claims of environmental triggers, however. "There is no evidence for one," he says, "but we can't rule it out. permalink posted on 12:39 PM 0 comments
Brain Inflammation Found in AutismChildren with autism have inflammation in their brains, although it is not yet clear whether the inflammation actually causes the condition, researchers said.Tests on the brain tissue of 11 patients with autism who had died and spinal fluid from six living children with autism showed the activation of immune system responses, the team at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and the University of Milan found. "These findings reinforce the theory that immune activation in the brain is involved in autism, although it is not yet clear whether it is destructive or beneficial, or both, to the developing brain," said Dr. Carlos Pardo-Villamizar of Johns Hopkins, who led the study. Autism is a brain disorder usually seen as children become toddlers. Affecting an estimated two to five out of every 1,000 children, autism has a spectrum of symptoms that include difficulty with social interaction and repetitive behaviors. In a study published in the online edition of the Annals of Neurology, Pardo and colleagues said they found abnormal activity by immune system signaling chemicals called chemokines in the autistic patients. "This ongoing inflammatory process was present in different areas of the brain and produced by cells known as microglia and astroglia," said Pardo. "Scientists have found hints that the immune system may be involved in autism, but not all studies have confirmed this," Pardo added in a statement. "We wanted a more definitive answer, so rather than looking at the overall immune system, we focused on immune responses inside the relatively sealed environment of the nervous system." No one knows what causes autism, although experts have largely rejected purported links with childhood vaccines. The condition is strongly influenced by genes. If one identical twin has autism, for instance, the other is also usually affected. Pardo said more study would be needed to show if the inflammation itself underlies autism, or is a reaction to something else that causes the condition. permalink posted on 12:38 PM 0 comments
Scientist says autism provides insight into the world viewed by animalsBy Linell SmithThe Baltimore Sun Posted January 9, 2006 Animal scientist Temple Grandin often drops to her hands and knees to crawl through chutes in meat processing plants, striving to see the world the way pigs do -- and fix what's spooking them. Sometimes it's the reflection on a puddle of water. Sometimes it's a change in floor surface, or a sudden draft of air. Sometimes it's a tiny piece of flapping plastic that no human would notice. Humans tend to "live surrounded by our ideas of things" rather than noticing what's actually there, Grandin says. Animals, on the other hand, tend to notice every detail of their environment. Without language to process the world, animals navigate their lives by "thinking in pictures." So does Grandin. Because the 58-year-old scientist has autism, Grandin's thought process works differently from that of most humans. While a normal brain will search for the "big picture," automatically screening out irrelevant details, Grandin's brain lacks such a filter. She believes that many, perhaps most, autistic people experience the world as animals do. Because she can discover what makes agricultural animals fearful, Grandin has revolutionized the way livestock is treated in this country. Her humane and innovative systems for handling cattle, sheep and pigs, used in most of the nation's stockyards and slaughterhouses, have created standards of animal welfare and auditing guidelines adopted by the American Meat Institute and required by many fast-food corporations such as McDonald's. An associate professor at Colorado State University, Grandin has written extensively about autism as well as animal behavior. Her latest book, the best-selling Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior, reveals more about how animals think. She recently answered questions about her findings. Q. What's the first step in trying to understand animals? A. Animals store their memories in pictures or sounds or smells or tastes. They can't do it any other way. It really helps to start noticing details, to see things the animals see. Horses might associate the sight of a black hat with their memory of being abused by someone wearing a black hat. A dog who's hit by a car might be less afraid of a car than by the piece of pavement he saw when he was hit by the car. They think in very specific terms. Q. You say your autism causes you to think in pictures. Can you describe the process? A. Basically my mind works like Google for images. If I'm asked to think about something abstract, like "freedom," for instance, I think of it in its different picture contexts. It might be someone in jail, then out of jail. If it's a freedom like freedom of speech, I see people demonstrating. Q. You write that the worst thing you can do to an animal emotionally is to make it feel afraid. Do you think this is worse than pain? A. Animals don't understand the consequences of a wound or injury. . On the other hand, fear is what keeps an animal alive. While human beings have higher cognitive abilities to control fear, when an animal gets really scared, it sometimes goes into an absolute panic, kicking and biting in a way that people usually don't. People with autism often suffer similar emotions. When I got into puberty, I had constant anxiety attacks, it was like being in a state of stage fright all the time. That's the way I used to feel before I got antidepressant drugs. Q. What is the first step toward improving an animal's behavior? A. People need to understand the animal's motivation. Did the dog bite because she was angry or scared? One of the most common mistakes people make is not recognizing the difference between fear and aggression. If a horse is kicking and bucking when you are trying to train it, it's probably fear. If you punish fear, it makes it worse. Q. One controversial part of your book suggests that music is a form of language, one that's used by many animals. A. I think many animals communicate with music or tone of voice, but this is just a hypothesis. Studies show that the part of the brain that understands spoken language also understands music. When I was learning how to speak, I thought that the tones used in speech were the communication rather than the words. I've heard that from other people with autism. permalink posted on 12:36 PM 0 comments
Lab offers help for cerebral palsyLow-birth-weight babies far more likely to suffer such brain damageBreonna Bergstrom longs to dance, and on this early December morning, she looks the part. The 11-year-old stands tall on her left leg as an instructor moves her right leg and calls out the motions. "Up ... out ... swing to the side ... back ... around ... good." The choreography might help Breonna at her high school prom some day, but it isn't really a dance. The dance hall in this case is a motion lab at Gillette Children's Hospital in St. Paul, the instructor is a physical therapist, and the performer is a girl with cerebral palsy, a type of brain damage that limits mobility. Most of the children who come here, including Breonna, were born prematurely or at low birth weights. Children born weighing less than 3.3 pounds are 30 times as likely to develop cerebral palsy as are children born at typical weights. Researchers are studying that connection and ways to prevent cerebral palsy among preemies. Meanwhile, Gillette and a few other pediatric hospitals are using motion labs to analyze and improve the range of motion of children with the incurable disorder. "It helps our clinicians, the physicians and the therapists get patient-specific information that they can't see with their eyes, they can't feel with their hands," said Michael Schwartz, Gillette's director of bioengineering research. Cerebral palsy covers a wide range of disorders in which the damaged brain gives faulty signals to the nerves that carry out voluntary movements. The disorder can disrupt walking, cause spastic movements and impair thinking. Preemies often suffer brain bleeds or even miniature strokes, which can cause the disorder by killing or damaging brain cells that regulate movement. Preemies also are prone to infections that can cause similar damage. Breonna was born 12 weeks before her due date -- at 2 pounds, 7 ounces. She had bruising on her head -- trauma from her delivery. Her parents suspect that caused her cerebral palsy. On Dec. 16, the Austin, Minn., girl made her sixth trip to the Gillette lab, which uses the same virtual reality sensors and infrared cameras that software companies use to create lifelike video games. Fitted with motion sensors at her joints, Breonna performed routine motions so the cameras could record her basic physical dimensions. Then she walked in a straight line, stepping on sensors that indicated how she plants and exerts pressure on her feet and joints. A computer collected the images and sensor readings and created a stick figure on its screen that replicated the hitches in Breonna's stride. Nationally, there is disagreement in medical research over whether these labs lead to better diagnostic decisions. Gillette's Schwartz is a believer. There are more than 100 surgeries performed at Gillette for cerebral palsy, he said, and the lab determines which ones will offer the most benefit. His own research showed patients receiving a certain type of hamstring surgery fared much better when the surgery was selected as the result of motion lab tests. Breonna's mobility has improved over time with the help of two surgeries and physical therapy. But she has recently shown some old tendencies to turn her feet inward and to walk flat-footed rather than heel-to-toe. Her parents, Brad and Lisa, worry about how Breonna will cope with the disability in her teen years. Leg braces help her walk, but she doesn't like to use them when wearing shorts or a skirt. Breonna sometimes balks at her stretching exercises and therapy and hates the corrective brace that painfully straightens her knees when she goes to sleep. Her parents keep up the encouragement. Breonna recently saw a prom dress and shoes that she liked in a storefront window, and her father didn't miss the opportunity. "If you're going to wear those shoes," he said, "you're going to have to keep up with your stretching." permalink posted on 12:35 PM 0 comments
2006 Partners in Policymaking ClassThe Florida Developmental Disabilities Council is now accepting applications for the 2006 Partners in Policymaking class.Partners in Policymaking is an innovative leadership program for individuals with developmental disabilities and family members. The program is designed to provide information, training, and skill-building for effective advocacy. Throughout the training, participants learn best practices in addressing current issues facing persons with disabilities and strategies for establishing effective relationships with local, state, and federal policymakers. Participants attend a 2-day training session once a month, from June to November, and commit to completing an advocacy project. Participants' travel, meal, and lodging expenses are reimbursed by the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council. Further reimbursement for respite or personal care services is also available. Self-advocates and parents of young children with developmental disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. The application deadline for the 2006 Class is March 1, 2006. Please visit the web site (http://www.fddc.org/PPA/PIP.asp) or contact 1-800-580-7801 or 1-888-488-8633 (TDD Toll-Free) for an application. permalink posted on 12:33 PM 0 comments
Friday, January 06, 2006Cerebral Palsy Risk Linked to Early Virus ExposureTHURSDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to neurotropic viruses like herpes shortly before and after birth can heighten a baby's risk of developing cerebral palsy, Australian researchers report.According to the researchers, these findings add weight to the theory that infections can trigger brain damage and the development of cerebral palsy. The report appears Thursday in the online edition of the British Medical Journal. "This research underlines the fact that yet another antenatal cause of cerebral palsy has been identified, and provides further evidence that cerebral palsy is very rarely caused by events during labor," said lead author Catherine Gibson, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Adelaide. "We are gaining more understanding of the pathology and mechanisms behind the development of cerebral palsy," Gibson added. "And with this understanding, we may be able to prevent some cases of cerebral palsy in the future, for example through vaccinations against infectious agents." In its study, Gibson's team collected data on 443 children with cerebral palsy, comparing them with 883 infants who didn't have the condition. Gibson's group took blood samples a few days after the children's birth to test for the neurotropic viruses. These viruses include herpes viruses, which can cross the placenta and infect the fetus. They found that exposure to viral infection was common in all newborn babies, especially in preterm babies. Particularly, herpes group B viruses were found more often in babies later diagnosed with cerebral palsy compared with babies who didn't develop cerebral palsy. "The risk of cerebral palsy was nearly doubled with exposure to certain herpes viruses, including the chicken-pox virus," Gibson said. "In addition, the presence of cytomegalovirus was associated with preterm delivery in babies without cerebral palsy." One expert thinks that while the findings are important, a lot remains to be explained about exactly how the viruses cause cerebral palsy. "This paper describes a previously unrecognized association between herpes virus exposure and cerebral palsy," said Dr. Yvonne Wu, an assistant professor of neurology and pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. "This finding is exciting and provocative," she added. The cause of cerebral palsy, a group of disorders that affect body movement and muscle coordination, remains poorly understood, although it is believed to start in the brain before or around birth. Perinatal infection and inflammation have been thought to play a role in some cases, Wu said. "The findings in this paper support this notion and may lead to a better understanding of what underlies the brain injury that leads to cerebral palsy," she said. "It is important to remember that although these findings may help us better understand the complex processes leading to cerebral palsy, the viruses linked to cerebral palsy in this study are commonly present, and only increase the risk of cerebral palsy by a very small degree," Wu said. "It is also unknown how exposure to these viruses could cause brain injury in the infant or fetus." Another expert noted that viral infections have been known as causes of cerebral palsy for some time. "We need a lot of help in understanding what may be the causes of cerebral palsy," said Dr. Karin Nelson, a senior investigator at the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "And this may be part of the answer." In addition, it may be possible to prevent some cases of cerebral palsy by vaccinating women against certain viruses, Nelson said. Nelson cautioned that this latest research should not cause parents to panic. "Although viruses can play some role, there seems to be something else going on that would explain why only a small proportion of people with some exposure to the virus actually end up with babies who get disabling troubles," she said. permalink posted on 12:32 PM 0 comments
Autism problems explained in new researchResearch AustraliaNew research from Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute helps to explain why children with autism spectrum disorders (autism) have problem-solving difficulties. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging technology (fMRI) the Florey scientists have shown that children with autism have less activation in the deep parts of the brain responsible for executive function (attention, reasoning and problem solving). Research leader Dr Ross Cunnington said autism was known to have a biological cause, but this neuroimaging research clearly showed the dysfunction in the brain that accounted for why children with autism have problems with their executive function. "Discovering why children with autism have impaired executive function may help develop better therapies to improve their ability to pay attention and solve problems," Dr Cunnington said. Specifically, we found that activity in the caudate nucleus, a critical part of circuits that link the prefrontal cortex of the brain, is reduced in boys with autism." "These findings have important implications, since prefrontal brain circuits play a critical role in maintaining and focusing attention, planning and setting goals, and keeping goals in memory during problem-solving and decision-making." "Our neuroimaging findings showing dysfunction in these prefrontal brain circuits now explain why children with autism have problems with learning and problem-solving," he said. Dr Cunnington along with PhD student, Tim Silk, have also been studying children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and have found similarities in the impairment of specific executive function in children with ADHD and autism. The autism study was conducted with boys aged 11 to 18 years who had autism or Asperger's disorder, as well teenage boys without the condition. Autism affects one in 100 Australians and is lifelong condition that affects the way a person communicates and relates to other people. People affected by autism typically display major impairments in social interaction, communication and behaviour (restricted interests and repetitive behaviours). The majority of people with autism also have an intellectual disability. Those with Asperger's disorder are typically of average or above average intelligence and may have relatively good communication skills but specific learning difficulties. The Florey scientists collaborated with scientists from Monash University, the Brain Research Institute and Texas Tech University in the USA. The results of this research are soon to be published in American Journal of Psychiatry. permalink posted on 12:31 PM 0 comments
CDC report: Down syndrome more commonMike Stobbe, Associated PressATLANTA - Down syndrome in the United States is more common than previously thought, at one case for every 733 live births, according to a new government report containing what are regarded as the most reliable estimates yet on the prevalence of 18 types of birth defects. Previously, Down syndrome, a type of retardation caused by a genetic mutation, was estimated to occur in a range of one in every 800 live births to one in every 1,000. The report, released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also found that cleft lip occurs in about one in every 1,000 births, and cleft palate in about one in every 1,500. The report was celebrated by advocacy groups that help families affected by birth defects. They noted that the new numbers are based on statewide data, while previous estimates were derived from selected clinics and hospitals. "Until now, there's been a real dearth of good, reliable, national statistics on Down syndrome," said Suzanne Armstrong, spokeswoman for the National Down Syndrome Society. The risk of Down syndrome increases with the age of the mother, from an estimated 1 in 2,000 among 20-year-old women to 1 in 100 for women age 40. Many women are having babies later in life, which might explain the higher rate in the new study. But because the new statistics were not collected in the same way as the old, it is not clear whether Down syndrome has really increased, Armstrong and others said. The reported incidence of Down syndrome would be higher if not for abortions among women who decide to terminate their pregnancy after prenatal tests show the fetus has the chromosomal disorder. In the CDC estimates, some but not all of the 11 states included fetuses that were diagnosed with the condition but were aborted or miscarried, said Margaret Honein, a CDC epidemiologist and report co-author. From 1974 until the mid-1990s, the government tracked birth defects through a system that relied on hospital discharge reports. But not all hospitals were represented, and researchers said it was possible that the participating hospitals attracted more or fewer problematic births than the norm. In 1997, the government established a system for collecting and combining data from all birth hospitals, clinics and referral centers in certain parts of the country. The new report presents statewide data for Arkansas, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. It also has data from the metropolitan Atlanta area, the Central Valley in California and a group southern Alabama counties. The statistics are for the years 1999 to 2001. The 11 states account for about 22 percent of all live births in the United States each year and are a good representative sample, said Joann Petrini, a study co-author and director of the March of Dimes' perinatal data center in White Plains, N.Y. The researchers included only 18 of the thousands of birth defects that have been identified by doctors and scientists. Missing are common birth defects such as clubfoot, hip dislocation and hypospadias, in which a boy's urinary opening is on the underside of the penis instead of the tip. Spina bifida was not included either, because health officials already have what they consider reliable estimates. permalink posted on 12:28 PM 0 comments
Thursday, January 05, 2006Psychiatrists believe they have found a way to treat Down's Syndrome patientsHighlight:The Archives of General Psychiatry has published research from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London that suggests that doctors may be able to treat people with Down's syndrome by controlling the level of myo-inositol in their brains. Original source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4498652.stm Summary:
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New autism treatment study publicized... Wisconsin Early Autism Project releases resultsNew research is out regarding autism treatment.Wisconsin Early Autism Project (WEAP), a Wisconsin-based treatment program for young children with autism, has published a study showing that 48 percent of children treated can achieve average functioning by age 7. The research, conducted as a replication of work done at UCLA in the 1970s, found that a service model utilizing in-home intensive behavioral therapy with autistic preschoolers is so effective that 90 percent of the children who participated learned to use speech as their first form of communication. Half of the participants in the study reached average IQs after three to four years of treatment and were able to enter first grade and follow the regular classroom curriculum. The findings were published in the November issue of the American Journal on Mental Retardation. The Wisconsin Early Autism Project began its research in 1995. Treatment involves a team of therapists working one-on-one with the child for approximately 40 hours or more per week to achieve the best outcome. The service model can be implemented on a wide scale. While the research group was much smaller, 200 to 300 children have received these services each year since 1995 at clinics based in Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, La Crosse and Eau Claire. WEAP also provides ABA services in several other states and countries including Canada, Great Britain and Australia. For more information and copies of the study contact: Wisconsin Early Autism Project, Inc. Glen Sallows Ph.D, president Tamlynn Graupner, CEO Madison Office, 6402 Odana Road Madison, WI 53719. Call (608) 288-9044. Fax (608) 288-9042. Visit http://www.wiautism.com. Or contact Amy Masek, MS, Director of Development and Outreach, at (262) 432-5660. Fax 262-432-5666. E-mail amasek@wiautism.com permalink posted on 12:23 PM 0 comments
Sunday, January 01, 2006Researchers look to predict developmental difficulties in babiesBy Carey Goldberg, Boston GlobeBrain scientists are experimenting with tests to show in infancy whether a child will later develop autism, trouble speaking, or even problems reading. Scientists based at Rutgers University in New Jersey report that they can predict with 90 percent accuracy whether a 6-month-old will have speech problems by age 3, simply by measuring how quickly the child's brain processes patterns of rapidly played "beeps." In another study, among children born premature, those who were slower at processing information and weaker at remembering it at 7 months old ended up scoring worse on mental development tests when they were 2 and 3, according to work just published by Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. And at Brigham and Women's Hospital, scientists plan within weeks to resume scanning the tangerine-sized brains of peacefully sleeping babies, using state-of-the-art MRI technology capable of capturing even the delicate, shifting pathways that connect neurons. Though researchers there and elsewhere aren't ready to put their work into widespread practice, in theory, such early diagnoses would allow for early intervention when the brain is most malleable, teaching an autistic child how to connect with others, for instance, and helping another child avoid the stigma of falling behind in school. Right now, too many of the answers doctors give nervous parents are frustratingly vague, said Dr. Steven Ringer, chief of newborn medicine at the Brigham. The prognosis, Ringer said, is often something like: " 'Well, he's at risk of problems, and the range runs from normal to very significant, to something in-between.' " On the downside, though, early brain-based diagnoses could end up giving children labels that later prove inaccurate. Specialists note that the restorative powers of a baby's brain are legendary. "With the understanding that we have in 2005, we don't know whether the damage [we see] will be there or whether it will be compensated for," said Gary Zientara, a medical imaging specialist at Brigham who is a pioneer in the use of MRI to scan the brains of babies. The goal is to establish more exactly what the damage they are beginning to detect will mean for the child's future. Their plan is to "use MRI as like a flag" of possible trouble, said Seung-Schik Yoo, an imaging colleague of Zientara's and Ringer's at Brigham. Much of the brain research is driven by concern over babies born premature, a record half-million last year, and whose brains take a little extra time developing outside the womb. MRI scans show that a premature birth damages white matter, the critical connections between neurons. The effect is "a bit like bombing the railway lines" in war, said Dr. David Edwards, whose newborn intensive care unit at Hammersmith Hospital in London is one of the few in the world to have an MRI scanner adjacent to its nursery. The work on premature infants also fits into a more general, theoretical picture: The basic building blocks of mental ability, such as processing speed and memory, are already in place and can be tested quite early in life. And if these basic skills are faulty, the trouble can cascade into problems with speaking, reading, and remembering later on. In the latest issue of the journal Child Development, Susan Rose of Albert Einstein writes that "specific deficits in attention, speed, and memory can be detected within the first year of life" and "these very early deficits are critical to general cognitive compromise," that is, difficulty learning, "at later ages." In particular, she found that the speed at which a baby's brain processes information seems to be critical. At Rutgers, neuroscience professor Dr. Paula Tallal and Dr. April Benasich use simple and high-tech methods to measure how quickly a baby processes a series of beeps of differing pitches. By following the babies for years, Tallal said, they have found that "the single best predictor of language development across the population is individual differences in how fast the brain can organize simple incoming auditory information" at extremely young ages. That speed was an even better predictor of later trouble than whether a baby came from a family with known language problems. The Rutgers group works with 6-month-olds, but German researchers have found a similar effect in 2-month-olds, and a Finnish group even found differences in the way 2-week-olds processed sounds, Tallal said. In an upcoming issue of the journal Neuropsychologia, Benasich and colleagues report that children who processed sounds slowly at 6 months also tended to have less developed language skills at age 2. Such testing "during infancy, may, in the not too distant future be a useful tool for early screening," she wrote. The next question, say Benasich and Tallal, is whether a baby identified as a slow processor can be helped to become a faster one. Benasich's lab is now setting up pilot studies for slower-processing infants, she said, to try "to nudge the baby very gently onto an optimal processing path" -- by changing the child's focus to sounds it hears around it, for example. Benasich is also beginning to look at autism, and whether precursors can be detected in siblings of children with autism, by observing the infant's brain waves, behavior, and emerging language, as well as the baby's brain structure as seen on an MRI. Other researchers have been working on detecting autism far earlier than when its signature lack of social connection-building usually becomes obvious, at 18 months or older. Autism is very varied, and some suggest that babies who will become autistic show unusual patterns of lying, sitting, crawling, walking, and other movements. Others list early signs of autism as including a lack of response to sounds, an aversion to eye contact, and a failure to learn to point or wave. Scientists also link unusually rapid brain growth to autism. But its basic causes remain a mystery. Autism is complex, but "you may be able to see the beginnings of abnormal patterns of processing and/or differences in brain organization if you look early enough and follow the children through to age two or three," Benasich said. Though young babies are notoriously difficult to study, their brains are less complex than older children's, she said, and "sometimes you can see differences in how abilities are being set up as they come 'online' that give you valuable clues about what's really happening developmentally." permalink posted on 12:20 PM 0 comments
Adaptive Immune System Abnormalities Seen in Down's SyndromeNEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 28 - The diminished T and B cell expansion that occurs in children with Down's syndrome represents intrinsic abnormalities in the adaptive immune system, not simply the result of precocious aging, new research indicates.In a related study, researchers show that Down's syndrome increases the risk of death in children with sepsis. Both reports appear in the December issue of the Journal of Pediatrics. Previous studies have documented an increased risk of infections, hematologic malignancies, and autoimmune diseases in Down's syndrome patients, supporting the presence of an immunodeficient state, senior author Dr. Ester de Vries, from the Jeroen Bosch Hospital, Arnhem, the Netherlands, and colleagues note. To better characterize the immunodeficiency, the researchers analyzed lymphocyte populations in 96 healthy children with Down's syndrome and compared the data to that obtained from healthy children without Down's syndrome. In the first years of life, Down's syndrome patients had diminished expansion of T and B lymphocytes, the report indicates. Over time, the T cell populations tended to normalize, whereas the B cell levels remained markedly diminished. In fact, 61% of the B cell values in Down's syndrome patients fell below the 5th percentile of normal. "In the children with Down's syndrome, this early expansion of T and B lymphocytes was severely abrogated, irrespective of the frequency of infections or development of autoimmunity. This strongly suggests that a disturbance of the adaptive immune system is, in fact, intrinsically present in Down's syndrome and is not acquired later as a consequence of precocious aging, as has been suggested," Dr. de Vries' team concludes. In the second study, Michelle M. Garrison and colleagues, from the University of Washington in Seattle, examined case fatality rates in septic children with or without Down's syndrome. Of the more than 32,000 cases included in the study, 620 involved Down's syndrome patients. The overall hospital mortality rate was 11%, the report indicates. A total of 106 of the Down's syndrome patients (17%) died during hospitalization. After adjusting for potential demographic, pathogenic, and comorbid confounders, septic patients with Down's syndrome were 30% more likely to die than their peers without Down's syndrome. In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Steven D. Douglas, from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, comments that the current studies "further delineate peripheral blood lymphocyte alterations in children with Down's syndrome and increased risk of death from sepsis." More studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms responsible for these associations, he adds. permalink posted on 12:18 PM 0 comments
National Autism Association Says Senate Gift to Drug Companies Is UnconstitutionalWASHINGTON -- After procedural maneuverings last week to lessen concerns over back-room deals that became unrelated additions to the Defense appropriations bill, the Senate allowed the bill to pass, leaving intact a provision granting immunity to drug companies from liability for injuries caused by their products. Children's advocacy and consumer watchdog organizations are calling this provision an affront to democracy and civil rights.The plan to grant sweeping liability protection to drug makers has been years in the making, spearheaded by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Previous attempts include the notorious 2002 "Eli Lilly rider" covertly slipped into the Homeland Security Act under the cover of darkness. "Such drastic changes to public health and our judicial system should have been open for public debate, not slipped in surreptitiously to unrelated, must-pass legislation. These behind-the-scenes tactics were necessary because of the unconstitutional provision to rob injured citizens of their rights," said Wendy Fournier, National Autism Association (NAA) president. The implications of liability protection for drug companies to families of vaccine-injured children and first responders who suffer future injuries are gaining increasing public attention. After Congress established the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in 1986, manufacturers had less incentive to ensure the safety of vaccines. In 1991, when warned that the mercury used as a preservative in many childhood vaccines exceeded safety guidelines, industry ignored the information, allowing an entire generation of children to be overexposed to one of the most dangerous toxins known to man. According to NAA board chair Laura Bono, "Families of vaccine-injured children have witnessed the emotional, physical, and financial devastation caused by the pharmaceutical industry's reckless disregard for safety standards. Now, the misplaced priorities of Senate leadership have sacrificed public health and basic civil rights to the greed of an industry willing to overlook safety concerns for the sake of profit." If enacted, such legislation will allow for no acceptable legal remedy for those injured by vaccines, including first responders required to receive vaccines when mandated by government. In comments following last week's vote, Senator Frist referred to the upcoming holiday season as "Fristmas." Ms. Bono observed, "Evidently, 'Fristmas' means the pharmaceutical industry gets a four billion dollar gift and complete liability protection for their products from our politicians. No other industry has enjoyed the marriage between government and private business to the extent of today's pharmaceutical companies. I am afraid for American citizens who could be one shot away from a lifelong disability far worse than the disease it was meant to prevent and be left with no legal recourse for pursuing compensation for their injuries. We should all be very concerned about the future of public health and civil rights now that the rules have changed so drastically." For more information, go to http://www.nationalautism.org/. permalink posted on 12:15 PM 0 comments
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