Blogging Blue » Autism

Bachmann, Backed by Palin, Launches War Against Women and Children

Steven Reynolds — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:25:41 +0000

Oh, I have no problems with people attacking the Hair Candidate, but Michele Bachmann decided to attack Rick Perry during the Republican debate last night on the one issue where Perry took the right course, to require the HPV vaccine for schoolchildren. The vaccine prevents cancer. ‘Nuff said. But Bachmann attacked Rick Perry over it, hoping that the Tea Party would see Perry as a Governor Gone Wild with Power. And Palin backed up Bachmann today.

Here’s a bit from the head of the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership:

“Congresswoman Bachmann’s decision to spread fear of vaccines is dangerous and irresponsible,” said Evan Siegfried, a spokesman for the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership. “There is zero credible scientific evidence that vaccines cause mental retardation or autism. She should cease trying to foment fear in order to advance her political agenda.”

Let’s make sure to call this what it is. . . Bachmann is playing to the irrational fears of parents in opposition to every scrap of science on the issue. The end result will be fewer and fewer children immunized, and more and more women and children dying. Yes, you can die of measles, as has happened in Great Britain as the hysteria over vaccines rose.

Unfortunately, the debunked link between vaccines and conditions on the autism spectrum has been thoroughly debunked, with the original “scientist’s study shown to be fabricated so that he could cash in on it. Now Michele Bachmann is using the fears of parents in order to cash in politically, and that stinks. Every parent in the world should be cursing her name.

It’s not just about screaming about death panels on one hand, then screaming for sick people to die on the other. Now the GOP race has turned to endangering the lives of women and children. “Shame” is not an adequate word to describe this, not at all.

Autism through the lens of a camera

Zach W — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 10:24:27 +0000

This is worth a read….

Neighbors, friends and teachers were dropping hints — some subtle, others pointed, even cruel — that something was not right with Timothy Archibald’s first child, Elijah.

The little boy seemed hypnotized for hours by certain objects: doors, mechanical gears, the vacuum cleaner hose. He mimicked electrical sounds, knew the time schedule of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system by heart and had epic tantrums. Mr. Archibald, 43, an editorial and advertising photographer whose commercial clients include a maker of artificial limbs and Skittles candy, remembers thinking, “I can’t raise this kid; I can’t relate to him at all.’’

The tension at home was all but unbearable. Every waking hour had to do with Eli, who was 5 at the time. Why was he this way? Why was he that way? Was he mentally ill? Should he be medicated? In retrospect, the evidence seems so unambiguous, particularly once there was a second child, Wilson, to compare Eli to. But nobody in the household had yet spoken aloud the word “autism.’’

That was the moment when Mr. Archibald decided to look for his son, in the most literal sense of the word — through the lens of his camera.

Check out Timothy Archibald’s book echolilia for yourself.

One salutatorian’s inspirational message

Zach W — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:00:57 +0000

Anyone who knows me and my family knows why this brought a tear to my eye and a smile to my face:

I’ll give Sarah Palin credit

Zach W — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:05:50 +0000

I’ll admit I’ve often been a vociferous critic of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, but I have to give her credit for her advocacy on behalf of people with developmental disabilities. During a recent trip to the New York area, Gov. Palin took time to join thousands of other individuals at a fund-raising walk for autism research. In a speech, Gov. Palin said, “every single person has purpose no matter their developmental abilities.”

Walk Now for Autism Speaks

Zach W — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:56:37 +0000

At the risk of spamming my own blog, I’m going to post about “Walk Now for Autism Speaks.” As some of you may know, my son Nicholas is autistic, and on July 11, 2009, Patti, Nicholas, Alexis and I will be walking at the State Fair Park to raise money for autism research and awareness. I’m hoping some of you out there in the ether will consider joining our team or making a donation, because I’d love to have a big group of people walking with a common purpose…after all, the more, the merrier!

If you can’t or don’t want to walk with our team, consider making a donation. I know times are tough right now, but every little bit helps, even if it’s just a dollar.

Thanks!

I’m participating in Walk Now for Autism – will you join me?

Zach W — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:18:39 +0000

Dear Friends,

Please join me in my fight to make a difference in the lives of the more than 1 million Americans living with autism today, including my son Nicholas.

I am participating in Walk Now for Autism to help find a cure for autism. Autism is the second most common developmental disorder in the United States affecting one in every 150 children born today. Despite some promising discoveries, the cause of autism is unknown and a cure does not exist. Research is crucial. Every 20 minutes another child is diagnosed with autism. Not only must we find ways to improve the quality of life for children and adults with autism, but we also must find a cure, and soon.

Walk Now for Autism is our chance to make a difference in the fight against autism by raising money for autism research and heightening public awareness. Please join me in my fight as I raise money to help fund essential research. You can donate to Walk Now for Autism and/or join my team online using the links at the bottom of this page. Donations can also be mailed to Autism Speaks using the donation form located on my page or send me a check made out to Autism Speaks.

Thank you for taking an important step in the fight against autism.

Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Autism Speaks 501 (C)(3) Tax Id #: 20-2329938

Matching gift program: Many companies provide their employees with matching gifts. Please consult your employer on its matching gift guidelines and attach matching gift forms accordingly.

Follow This Link to visit our family’s personal web page and help us in our efforts to support Autism Speaks.

A great story…

Zach W — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:15:09 +0000

This is just a great story:

Joe Steffy is off to Overland Park, Kan., this week to do a PowerPoint presentation on his business, Poppin’ Joe’s Kettle Korn. He’s a 23-year-old small-business man with a goal of $100,000 in sales by 2012. Joe also has autism and Down syndrome and is nonverbal. When he gives his talk, he will push buttons on an augmentative speech device to deliver the words. His audience will be parents who fervently hope their own special-needs children will be able to work, too.

Joe’s parents, Ray and Janet, didn’t agree with the school district assessment in their home town of Louisburg, Kan., that said Joe would never be able to work or live independently. “I’m one who can easily get ticked off,” says Ray. “That ticked me off. We saw more in Joe than that. We set out to prove to the school that he had capabilities.” They came across kettle corn while on a trip to Alaska and realized that all that popping, scooping, and serving suited Joe’s love of work.

That’s a great story, and it’s just proof that “experts” aren’t always right.

Early autism therapy works

Zach W — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:53:31 +0000

Earlier today, I wrote briefly about an article I read on CNN.com that detailed the struggles of a family with a child with autism. As a followup to that article, Linda Saether of CNN has written a followup detailing how intervention has made a difference for the Bilson family, who were struggling to deal with their thirteen-year-old daughter Marissa, who has autism:

The family couldn’t go out in public because of Marissa’s tantrums, and they couldn’t take her into stores because she’d shoplift what she wanted, or just scream until she got it.

But that was before.

Today, the Bilsons’ family life is a lot calmer and quieter. That’s because Marissa and her parents, John and Mary, are following the rules that were made during a five-day intervention. The intervention was provided to them free by the group Autism Partnership, or AP. Usually this type of treatment costs about $20,000 a week, and it’s not covered by insurance, but because CNN was allowed to videotape the entire process, AP waived the fee for the Bilsons.

The results the Bilson family has seen with Marissa are definitely wonderful, but what the CNN article didn’t mention is how effective applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy is if started early. Marissa Bilson was a teenager when she finally started ABA therapy, but the results of the therapy can be even more dramatic when started in younger children.

We’ve seen the impact ABA therapy can have here in our family; our son Nick has improved dramatically in the months that he’s been receiving therapy, and that’s why I think it’s so vitally critical that autistic children begin receiving therapy as early as possible. Wisconsin can take a big step towards ensuring our state’s autistic children have the opportunity to receive early intervention and treatment by following the lead of other states and passing Senate Bill 3 into law.

Doyle pushes for autism coverage

Zach W — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:08:14 +0000

One of my great disappointments in the aftermath of last year’s contentious state budget process was the removal of a mandate that health insurance companies in Wisconsin provide coverage to children affected by autism. Throughout the time this blog has been on the intertubes, I’ve written at length about my own personal experience as the parent of an autistic child, and I’ve often voiced my dissatisfaction at how autistic children are treated by health insurance providers.

However, health insurance companies may not be able to ignore autistic children for much longer, as Governor Jim Doyle has renewed his efforts to pass legislation requiring health insurance plans to cover autism treatment. At a press conference at the Capitol, Governor Doyle said, “We hope it will take the financial squeeze off many families who are dealing with this issue.” While I certainly understand why insurance companies don’t want to provide coverage for autism treatment due to the expense of such treatment and their desire to protect their bottom line, sometimes there are more important things than saving a few bucks. This is one of those issues, and it’s just a shame health insurance companies here in Wisconsin need to be forced into providing coverage for autistic children.

A look inside autism

Zach W — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 04:51:36 +0000

I came across a great article about autism on CNN.com yesterday, and to be honest, I don’t have much to add, except to encourage all three of you who read this blog to go read the article. It does a great job of giving insight into what it’s like to have a family member with autism.