(CNN Student News) — Record the CNN Special Investigations Unit Classroom Edition: Autism is a World when it airs commercial-free on Monday, March 31, 2008 from approximately 4:00– 5:00 a.m. ET on CNN. (A short feature begins at 4:00 a.m. and precedes the program.)

Program Overview

For years, Sue Rubin says she was “her own worst nightmare.” Sue has autism, and until age 13, she was unable to communicate or control her unusual behavior. Now in her late twenties, Sue has become a disabled-rights advocate and a college student with a top IQ. In the Academy Award-nominated documentary Autism is a World, filmmaker Gerry Wurzburg and CNN take a rare look at autism through the words of a young woman who lives with it.

It looks like the UK is making big strides in the recognition, diagnosis and treatment for autism. With an eye to the future the government seems to realize that instances of autism are not decreasing. In fact, quite the opposite seems to be the case worldwide. It’s good to see a government making big gains in the social, economical and health-care impact of such a prevalent disorder.

Conference to give a voice to those affected.

People living with autism will share a conference platform with experts and researchers from the USA, Australia, Belgium to make their voices heard.

The third Wales International Autism Conference, to be held next month, will examine where we have come from in our understanding and management of autism, where we are today, and what lies ahead for everyone involved in the worldwide autism community.

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Does anyone know if there’s a directory of autism or ASD play groups or meetings in different areas?  I live in Seattle and my son has Asperger’s.  We’re confused about where to start looking for play groups or play-dates.  We’d also like to know if there ASD family support groups in different areas.  We’re slowly learning that our son faces a host of challenges in every aspect of life.  He’s already been expelled from 3 schools and we can’t afford a private school.  Luckily our employers work with us on our numerous trips to bring him home from school.  Your chelation therapy strategies help enormously, but he needs social interaction beyond what he gets at school where he undoubtedly faces ridicule and scorn.

We have found a nice school about twenty miles from home that is really putting a lot of effort into helping him.  He spends a lot of time with the special education teacher now when he starts having an outburst.  He’s extremely bright and years ahead of his peers in terms of cognitive abilities.  His reading and mathematics levels are literally well beyond the curriculum of his first grade class.  He struggles terribly with this emotions, though, and it is certainly heartbreaking.

My concern with the playgroups comes from speculation that some ASDs, like Asperger’s, are genetic.  Along that line of reasoning it would be safe to assume that many of the parents also have traits of ASD which may ultimately lead to the parents in the play group not getting along.  Is this a phenomenon anyone has experienced?

What are Autism Spectrum Disorders?

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), also known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs), cause severe and pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. These disorders are usually first diagnosed in early childhood and range from a severe form, called autistic disorder, through pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), to a much milder form, Asperger syndrome. They also include two rare disorders, Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder.

Signs & Symptoms

Parents are usually the first to notice unusual behaviors in their child. In some cases, the baby seemed “different” from birth, unresponsive to people or focusing intently on one item for long periods of time. The first signs of an autism spectrum disorder can also appear in children who had been developing normally. When an affectionate, babbling toddler suddenly becomes silent, withdrawn, self-abusive, or indifferent to social overtures, something is wrong.

Treatment

There is no single best treatment package for all children with ASD. Decisions about the best treatment, or combination of treatments, should be made by the parents with the assistance of a trusted expert diagnostic team. 

* This public service information was reprinted from the National Institute of Mental Health

Non-invasive and non-harmful treatment for autism is available to parents and medical professionals.  Nutraceuticals are growing in popularity for their gentle, humane and effective approach.

ADVANCED PARENT TRAINING SESSION
AUTISM ONE 2008 CONFERENCE, MAY 21-25, 2008, CHICAGO, IL
www.autismone.org 

Friday, May 23rd from 1:45 – 6:00 pmHave you been to several biomedical autism conferences over the years?  Has your child been using biomedical interventions, diets, and supplements for a while?  Then join us for this new feature of Autism One and hear:

Sudhir Gupta, MD, PhD presents:
Contemporary Immunological View for the Pathogenesis of Autism

Autism is a multi-factorial and polygenic disorder in which immunological and metabolic factors appears to play a role in the pathology of the brain and the gut.  In this presentation Dr. Gupta will provide evidence and propose a role of determination of fates of CD4 T cells to explain the pathology in the brain and the gut of autistic children.  A role of oxidative stress in the cells of the immune system will also be discussed. 

Mary Megson, MD presents:
Medical Management of the Improving Autistic Child:  Does my child still need 25 supplements a day?

Experienced parents are very knowledgeable and have tried various biological interventions with their children with autism as they heal.  This talk will discuss treatment of those “almost off the spectrum” kids.  Many need support in long term management of their child’s ongoing biomedical treatment. 

Anju Usman, MD presents:
From Complexity to Simplicity:  Implementing the right protocols for your child with ASD

 Biomedical interventions have evolved over the past decade from B-6/Magnesium to options almost too numerous to count.  In our attempt to leave no stone unturned, some effective and non-invasive interventions may be overlooked.  We will discuss a few protocols that we have developed and refined over the years.  These protocols are individualized based on specific signs, symptoms, and laboratory biomarkers.  Protocols to be discussed will include those for:  strep/aluminum, glutamate/Ca+2, ammonia/biofilm, COMT ++, COMT–.

Jeff Bradstreet, MD presents:
Understanding the Core of the Gut-Brain Connection and How to Fix It in ASD

The automatic regulation of the gut largely requires a balance between two opposing sides of the nervous system: the sympathetic (fear, fight, and fight) and the parasympathetic (rest, focus and digest).  The rest and digest side uses acetylcholine as its main transmitter and the vagus nerve as the principle pathway. The vagus nerve simultaneously regulates motility, digestion, heart rate and speech (through the recurrent laryngeal nerve). Now we know it also provides anti-inflammatory signaling to the GI tract as well. It is likely the vagus nerve plays a central role in ASD symptoms and recovery.
 

HOPE IS ALWAYS REAL
RECOVERY IS HAPPENING 

Autism one 2008 conference, May 21-25, 2008, CHICAGO, IL
For a list of 100+ speakers and presentation abstracts (in progress) visit: www.autismone.org

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the science of applying experimentally derived principles of behavior to improve socially significant behavior. ABA takes what we know about behavior and uses it to bring about positive change (Applied). Behaviors are defined in observable and measurable terms in order to assess change over time (Behavior). The behavior is analyzed within the environment to determine what factors are influencing the behavior (Analysis). Applied behavior is the third of the four domains of behavior analysis, the other three being, behaviorism, experimental analysis of behavior, , and professional practice of behavior analysis. Applied behavior analysis contributes to a full range of areas including: AIDS prevention, conservation of natural resources, education, gerontology, health and exercise, industrial safety, language acquisition,littering, medical procedures, parenting, seatbelt use,sports, and zoo management and care of animals.  ABA-based interventions have gained recent popularity in the last 20 years related to teaching students with autism spectrum disorders.  Learn how chelation therapy and a rigorous behavioral regimen can augment treatment for autism.

Education and information about the austistic spectrum is a critical starting point for anyone parenting a child with autism.  

The autism spectrum, also called autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or autism spectrum conditions (ASC), with the word autistic sometimes replacing autism, is a spectrum of psychological conditions characterized by widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, as well as severely restricted interests and highly repetitive behavior.

The three main forms of ASD are autism, Asperger syndrome, and PDD-NOS. Autism forms the core of the autism spectrum disorders. Asperger syndrome is closest to autism in signs and likely causes. Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) is diagnosed when the criteria are not met for a more specific disorder. Some sources also include Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder, which share several signs with autism but may have unrelated causes. Unlike autism, Asperger’s has no significant delay in language development.

The terminology of autism can be bewildering, with autism, Asperger’s and PDD-NOS sometimes called the autistic disorders instead of ASD, whereas autism itself is often called autistic disorder, childhood autism, or infantile autism. ASD, in turn, is a subset of the broader autism phenotype (BAP), which describes individuals who may not have ASD but do have autistic-like traits, such as avoiding eye contact.

One review estimated a prevalence of at least 1.3 per 1,000 for autism and 6.0–6.5 per 1,000 for ASD; PDD-NOS was the vast majority of ASD, Asperger’s was about 0.3 per 1,000 and the atypical forms childhood disintegrative disorder and Rett syndrome were much rarer.

Find Helpful Treatment for Autism

First-ever Genetic Animal Model Of Autism

ScienceDaily (Dec. 9, 2007) — By introducing a gene mutation in mice, investigators have created what they believe to be the first accurate model of autism not associated with a broader neuropsychiatric syndrome, according to research presented at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology annual meeting. This animal model could help researchers better understand abnormal brain function in autistic humans, which could help them identify and improve treatment strategies. Broader neuropsychiatric conditions include Fragile X, the most common cause of inherited mental impairment, and Rett Syndrome, a childhood neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by normal early development followed by slowed brain and head growth, seizures, and mental retardation.

Autism is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by repetitive behaviors and by impairment in social interactions and communication skills. These symptoms can coexist with either enhanced or decreased cognitive abilities and skills.

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FAIR Autism Media has posted the press conference held earlier today in Atlanta with the family of Hannah Poling.

Click here to view:  http://www.autismmedia.org/media11.html

The Vaccine-Autism Story: Trust Your Government, or Be a Patriot and Get on Google

By David Kirby
Posted March 7, 2008 | 01:33 PM (EST)
 

A big autism bomb went off yesterday, about how US medical personnel had determined that vaccines had aggravated a little girl’s mitochondrial disorder, resulting in autism. Now, the American people are left to interpret what it all means.

Here is a handy guide. You can:
A) Blindly trust what government officials are saying (or not saying)
or
B) Invest 30 minutes in the future of your nation’s young people (do it now, over a nice, warm latte!) and go Google for yourself.

Please visit Huffington Post to read the rest of Mr. Kirby’s article and share your comments. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/the-vaccineautism-story_b_90431.html