Hi everyone: I am creating this post so that you may all share ideas you have for loving and caring for your special needs child. Please add your wisdom, ideas and web sites to help our parents. As an introduction, I am a certified special education teacher, retired. I spent 23 years working with MRDD persons and taught Autistic children. Here's an idea for tactile defensive children (don't want to touch that stuff). Uses rubber gloves to protect while touching offensive materials. For Language: simple pictuers at convenient location where they can point to simple needs like drink, toilet, hungry, tired. Put the same picture at the location like drink at the sink or tired at the bed. Mary http://hofs.en101.biz

Hello Mary I am very sorry I haven't responded to your thread sooner but I don't think I got a notification message about it. I appreciate your willingness to help us all understand ASD'S better and I do welcome your new thread. As you may have read in my other forums, I have taken a special interest in autistic spectrum disorders in light of recent developments about them. The government has finally admitted that there is a link between autism and childhood immunizations but, not untill they managed to pass legislation relieving drug companies of any liability for damages caused by their drugs. I will contine my research on this matter and keep you all informed about what I find. It seems that the more I dig into this subject, the more frightening it gets. So far we have uncovered lies, coverups, highly paid political lobbyists such as Bill Frist and some of the most underhanded dealings between government and big business that I have ever seen. I want to see justice prevail here for the families that have been torn apart by the devastation of autism. Thimerisol, the mercury based preservative used in vaccines and some antibiotics has caused a lot of pain and suffering and it is time that something is done about it. By all of us working on this togethr, I hope that some form of justice will prevail but so far, things are not looking very good. This will be a long hard battle but well worth the effort if any positive result occurs. Thanks again Mary. Mental Health And Political Forums http://community.adlandpro.com/forumShow.aspx?ForumID=10129 http://community.adlandpro.com/forumShow.aspx?ForumID=9637 http://community.adlandpro.com/forumShow.aspx?ForumID=8212 http://community.adlandpro.com/forumShow.aspx?ForumID=7420 http://community.adlandpro.com/forumShow.aspx?ForumID=8259 Lifetime web building and hosting for under $40. One time payment http://www.superpayline.com/p002859 The most advanced VOIP system there is anywhere. https://wv0079721.betteruniverse.com/members/index.php?action=buy_miphone Better Universe. The People Helping People Company http://wv0079721.betteruniverse.com May a smile follow you to sleep each night, and be there waiting when you awaken. SIncerly, Bill Vanderbilt / Fanbelt

Hello Mary The following is some very good information about autism and things that people are learning to do in order to help them cope. There are videos, books and personal accounts. I hope you find this helpful Sincerly, Bill Vanderbilt Current Date: January 27, 2006 Release Date: January 27, 2006 First-Person Accounts of Autism in New Book "Voices from the Spectrum" Bottom Back Next Top Special Features Reply to this release Send this link to a friend Profile of this group Robert Naseef, Ph.D. http://www.specialfamilies.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : First-Person Accounts of Autism in New Book "Voices from the Spectrum" Philadelphia, PA 19147 January 27 2006 Video Clip : Click to Watch FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kim Bouchard 201/329-9636 "At times easy to read and at times the kind of reading that leaves lumps in the throat and thuds in the heart." --Lianne Holliday Willey, Ed.D. Author of "Pretending to Be Normal" People with autism can be a mystery. While they seem locked in their own worlds, they actually touch everyone around them. A new book shares the perspective of their care-givers in VOICES FROM THE SPECTRUM: Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, People with Autism, and Professionals Share their Wisdom (February 2006, Jessica Kingsley Publishers Paperback, $19.95; 1-84310-786-4; 272 pages) edited by Cindy N. Ariel and Robert A. Naseef. VOICES FROM THE SPECTRUM presents personal accounts of the autistic child's school and childhood experiences to parents' and grandparents' reactions to a diagnosis. The contributors describe experiences of autism from the mildest to the most severe case, and share their methods of adapting. They tell both the positive and negative effects of autism on individuals and families, and pose the question: is a diagnosis on the autism spectrum a puzzle to be solved, or something to be embraced and accepted? Even the editors contribute essays sharing their own unique wisdom and experience. Anyone who knows a child with autism will appreciate their stories. Robert A. Naseef, PhD is a psychologist, author, and father of an adult child with autism. His highly regarded book "Special Children, Challenged Parents: The Struggles and Rewards of Parenting a Child with a Disability" has received international recognition. Dr. Naseef's specialty is working with families of children with special needs. His essay "The Path of Acceptance for Families" tells how he learned to accept his son's autism and how he helps other families do the same. Cindy N. Ariel, PhD is the co-founder and director of Alternative Choices, an independent psychotherapy practice which includes a Special Families Resource Center. As a child she had various sensitivities and differences which led her to develop a deep empathy with others. She tells about her struggles and how it helps her emphasize with her patients in her essay, "Closet Case: Finding the Way Out." The editors are pledging all of the royalties from VOICES FROM THE SPECTRUM to UNICEF "for our world's children, the future of the human spectrum." Robert Naseef, Ph.D. (rnaseef@alternativechoices.com) 514 South 4th Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 Phone : 215-592-1333 Fax : 267-200-0806 Authors' Web Site More Information Special Families Resource Center Journalists - Click here for a Review Copy of Voices from the Spectrum: Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, People With Autism, And Professionals Share Their Wisdom Order Voices from the Spectrum: Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, People With Autism, And Professionals Share Their Wisdom Contact Robert Naseef, Ph.D. Ask a question with InterviewNetSM Other experts on these topics: 1. Author (203 additional experts) 2. Disabilities (40 additional experts) 3. Psychologist (24 additional experts) 4. Special Education (11 additional experts) 5. Autism (8 additional experts) 6. Learning Disabilities (8 additional experts) 7. Child Health (7 additional experts) 8. Developmental Disabilities (5 additional experts) 9. Adoption/Special Needs (3 additional experts) 10. Fatherhood/ Motherhood (3 additional experts) 11. Parenting Problems (2 additional experts) 12. Family/Stresses (1 additional expert) Click to find more Experts on these topics Terms and Conditions / Privacy Policy / Contact us / Get Information Copyright© 2006 BIS Inc. All rights reserved. Broadcast Interview Source, Inc. 2233 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007 Phone: (202) 333-5000

Organization Autistic children need to have everything in its place and a place for everything. Small containers will help to seperate and organize things. They like their drawers organized so it is best to let them put things as they like. Do they want socks folded or stuck inside each other. How do they want toys stored? If you do the organizing watch their faces for clues as to acceptability of how you are doing. On the other hand they can be a little disorganized as you might find dirty clothes stuffed in the drawer with the clean. The point is to be consistent in what ever way you organize your family routine and storage habits. Put them in a routine and stick with it. More consistency will cause less frustration for your austistic loved one. Mary http:hofs.en101.com language for those with disability

Hello Mary I hqve just received this report in a news wire and I thought I would share it with you. I will be posting it on my regular autism thread as well. Actually, you may want to consider posting on the thread that I allready have established on autism. There is more of an audience there and you might be able to reach more people with your information. Thank you though for your continued effort to help educate people about this terrible affliction. Consumer Health The Age of Autism: New test of gold salts By DAN OLMSTED UPI Senior Editor A Columbia University scientist plans to test whether gold salts improve the functioning of "autistic mice" -- a step toward finding whether they could help children with autism. Dr. Mady Hornig of Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health will give the compound to mice that have been bred to be susceptible to thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative in children's immunizations until recently. Some researchers and parents believe thimerosal is implicated in the explosion of autism diagnoses over the past decade, though federal health authorities say that theory has been discredited. In previous research, Hornig found that the susceptible mouse breed shows autistic-like behaviors, including self-mutilation, when given thimerosal at doses proportionate to those children received until recently. Hornig "is developing a treatment protocol using gold salts which she will administer to these genetically susceptible mice to determine if the treatment might improve their behavior and brain function and if there are side effects," according to an announcement of the project by the National Autism Association. "Gold tightly binds mercury and there are anecdotal reports of gold salts being effective in improving autism outcomes." That is a reference to Age of Autism's report last year that the first person ever diagnosed with the disorder improved significantly after treatment with gold salts. That child, known as Donald T., was given the compound to treat a life-threatening attack of juvenile arthritis in 1946, when he was 12 years old. According to Donald's brother, interviewed in the small Mississippi town where both still live, the treatment cleared up the arthritis -- and his autism improved markedly and unexpectedly as well. "When he was finally released (from the Campbell Clinic in Memphis), the nervous condition he was formerly afflicted with was gone," his brother said. "The proclivity to excitability and extreme nervousness had all but cleared up." Donald became "more social," the brother said. He went on to graduate from college, where he belonged to a fraternity; worked at a bank; lives on his own; and now, in retirement, travels the world and plays a good game of golf. That information caught the attention of autism researchers who believe the disorder might result from a toxic exposure in utero or in infancy, possibly the mercury that was used in vaccines as early as 1931 (Donald was born in 1933). One such scientist, chemistry professor Boyd Haley of the University of Kentucky, did a laboratory experiment in December to see if gold salts had any effect on mercury. They did, reversing the binding of mercury to molecules. "This does lend support to the possible removal of mercury from biological proteins in individuals treated with gold salts," Haley said. Gold salts acting on mercury is not the only way they might theoretically help a person with autism. Some researchers believe autism is an autoimmune condition, in which the immune system begins to attack the body. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, the ailment Donald had at age 12, is such a condition; gold salts were used to treat it because they somehow calm the inflammatory autoimmune attack. If the same process is happening in the brains of autistic children, gold salts might ameliorate it in the same way. Researchers caution that gold salts should not be tried as a treatment for autism because of the risk of severe side effects and lack of data about its effectiveness. Hornig said she was moved to begin the study by the death of Liz Birt, an advocate for children with autism who died in a car crash in December. Birt was a co-founder of SafeMinds, a group that urges the removal of mercury from all medical products. SafeMinds is sponsoring the study and soliciting donations in Birt's memory. Details of the project, called Go for the Gold, can be found at www.nationalautismassociation.org. -- E-mail: dolmsted@upi.com © Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved Want to email or reprint this story? Click here for options. Mental Health And Political Forums http://community.adlandpro.com/forumShow.aspx?ForumID=10129 http://community.adlandpro.com/forumShow.aspx?ForumID=9637 http://community.adlandpro.com/forumShow.aspx?ForumID=8212 http://community.adlandpro.com/forumShow.aspx?ForumID=7420 http://community.adlandpro.com/forumShow.aspx?ForumID=8259 Lifetime web building and hosting for under $40. One time payment http://www.superpayline.com/p002859 The most advanced VOIP system there is anywhere. https://wv0079721.betteruniverse.com/members/index.php?action=buy_miphone Better Universe. The People Helping People Company http://wv0079721.betteruniverse.com May a smile follow you to sleep each night, and be there waiting when you awaken. SIncerly, Bill Vanderbilt / Fanbelt