ABC News reports that doctors have begun “firing” parents who decline to have thier children vaccinated. One California mom, who’s oldest child has been diagnosed with autism said her doctor said the presence of her and her child was “too much of a liability.” Doctors are apparently feeling more compelled to say “no” back to anti-vaccine parents.
The issue surfaced this at the annual American Academy of Pediatrics meeting in Washington, D.C. Presenter Dr. Gary Marshall said there are some cases when it’s ethical and legal to refuse to continue to see, or treat, a child, especially if parents and the physician will never …read more

It’s no newsflash that the private insurance industry in the United States has a lock on health care. You need something? Maybe you’ll get it, maybe you won’t. Some life-saving procedures — cardiac catheterizations, appendectomies — are paid for without a murmur; others — dental care, for one  — are denied. And don’t get me started on the loathsome concept of pre-existing conditions.

When it comes to therapies for children with autism and other special needs, though, it’s even worse. Many parents of children with autism consider ABA (applied behavioral therapy) life-saving. Their kids have learned to brush their own teeth …read more

We get Alex up for school at 6:15. I do this four days a week, and Jill sleeps in a bit before she has to rise to get Ned ready for school. So I’m alone with Alex.
I have stuff to do for my day, plus make sure he gets dressed and brushes his teeth and gets his stuff together. (First I have to make sure he stays awake, as he’s often up in the middle of the night, and 0615 comes early.) One thing I like to do is empty the clean dishwasher so Jill doesn’t have to do it.

So …read more

Earlier this week, mega-autism-organization Autism Speaks announced the appointment of three new board members, Artie Kempner, lead director for the NFL and NASCAR on FOX; Billy Mann, President of International A & R – Labels and President of Global Artist Management, EMI Music; and Jack Schneider, managing director of Allen & Co.. Kempner and Mann are both fathers of autistic children.
It’s been noted (by Lisa Jo Rudy at About.com) that the new board members include no one who’s autistic. With the rise of self-advocacy organizations like ASAN, and also GRASP and many others, the absence of an autistic member on …read more

On October 12, while presiding as the honorary chair for an Autism Speaks walk on the campus of Ohio State University, President Gordon Gee made remarks including the statement that “‘It [autism] should not exist.’” Melanie Yergeau, a 2nd-year Ph.D. student in English, wrote this letter, which is posted on the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network blog. As Yergeau, who notes that she has Asperger’s Syndrome, writes:
Until very recently, I have felt incredibly welcome at Ohio State—due to the interdisciplinary work of the Disability Studies Program and the Department of English, the Office of Disability Services, and the programs for high-functioning/Asperger’s adults …read more

I’ve become rather obsessed with exercise—-no, I’ve not become a calorie counting fiend tracking the minutes on the treadmill. It’s making sure that there’s enough physical activity integrated throughout Charlie’s day in general and at school in particular that have preoccupied my thoughts. I’ve noted that the very layout and physical space of his middle school classroom are very different from the windowed, light-filled classroom of his elementary school last year; the fluorescent lights just seems to buzz and glow more harshly.
Charlie has gym every morning around 9.30am. He has a locker now and has to change into and out …read more

Try as we might, we couldn’t figure out a Halloween costume for Charlie. I found the captain’s hat that was part of last year’s costume (he was, yes, a captain) and Charlie took it off as soon as I placed it on his head. He’s never been too interested in dressing up for Halloween and has usually needed a big of coaxing to trick or treat: Charlie’s wary of walking up strange new walkways; once, a small dog appeared and started barking really loudly just as the door was slowly being opened. Charlie turned and raced back down the walkway …read more

Brooke Dickerson’s 19-year-old so, Quinn Carey, has attended 10 different schools, yesterday’s Santa Cruz Sentinel reports. Diagnosed with autism as a young child, Quinn has not been able “to receive the consistent care that is needed to develop the skills he is lacking.” His mother notes that his physical size has been a factor:
Now fully grown at 6 feet tall and about 300 pounds, Quinn is more than a handful. The family has taken him to schools in Morgan Hill, San Jose and Palo Alto, but the schools shut down or turned Quinn away because of his size.
“It’s nuts …read more

Remember the Got Autism?” that PETA put up in downtown Newark, New Jersey? The billboard that was subsequently taken down by the ad agency hosting it?
Well, it’s traveled West, to St. Louis, Missouri. From a PETA press release today:
In light of two scientific studies that link milk consumption to autism in children, PETA will be displaying a new billboard parodying a ubiquitous milk ad. The ad shows a bowl of milk and cereal next to the tagline “Has Your Child Got Autism? Learn About the Link Between Autism and Dairy Products at PETA.org.”
The bad news is that data from …read more

A three-year-old autistic boy died after being strangled by his seatbelt on a schoolbus this past Sunday, the Jerusalem Post reports. An aide has been arrested:
During a police investigation into the incident, the boy’s mother said that she realized he was unconscious when she boarded the school bus to help him off after it arrived at her house.
Police later began to suspect that the incident was a result of the boy being improperly secured into his seat, a suspicion that led to the arrest of his aide
Many, many thoughts with the boy’s family. Many.