I recieved this book in yesturdays mail, a life line. She spoke my language, said the things I was affraid to say or even admit to  myself I felt. I sat on the couch reading and crying, reading some more. This book reached out and touched me, and allowed me to see myself good and bad and in between, and be okay with what I saw. I felt connected to the Author and her struggles in raising an Autistic son, I felt connected to her other boys as they struggled like my boys struggle. I see how judjmental we as parents can be in dealing with other parents who are just trying to do what they feel is the best thing for there child, and will always from this point forward respect other parents ability to chose for themselves even if it is not the choice I would make, and not feel like either choice is superior just different. I will make sure I take care off myself and make sure I stay emotionaly healthy so I keep my own identity ( some thing I have not done I felt to guilty). I will belly dance, or paint or whatever it takes to get to that place where there is peace. I will live a normal life with a child that I love who is normal in his own way and take more time to see his beauty as an individual not an Autistic.  This book is a must read in my opinion, if you are new to these issues like me or some one who would appreciate another parents life long journey raising an Autistic child, you will laugh with Susan and cry with her and you will appreciate her honesty.

Are you having a hard time raising a child with autism? If you're like me you can use all the help you can get.

I came across a book that helped me with many of the problems on raising my child with autism.

PROS:

Tips about which natural supplements helps autistic children sleep

Tips for getting your autistic child photographed

Techniques for potty training an autistic child

Tips for celebrating holidays with your autistic child

And many more!

CONS:

Though this book helped me out a great deal, it didn't solve 100% of the problems.

CONCLUSION:

I am very happy with this book, it made my families lives so much easier.  I highly recommend you check out this resource.

GO TO:   SOWORTHIT.INFO

A BEST PRACTICE GUIDE TO ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION FOR AUTISM AND ASPERGER SYNDROME IN SCHOOLS

 read more »

As a kid, it seemed like the "Public Service Announcement" tests came on the television at least once a day. Usually right in the middle of a good "Laverne and Shirley" episode (yes, I used to think there was such a thing!) would come the deep male voice, "This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast Network. If this were a real emergency, the next 60 seconds would include important information and blah, blah, blah. Beeeeeeep."

Nowadays those long test beeps are rare. If there was some sort of emergency, these days most people would likely find out about it through a friend's facebook status. Emergencies aside, it is how many of us find out about what is going on in our country and our world. It is a very real fact for thousands of people. How many of you first learned about Farrah Fawcett or Patrick Swayze's deaths through facebook? Who learned of the recent earthquake in the American Samoa from a facebook link?

News travels fast. More than 100 million users log onto facebook every day. No, Austin Powers, that isn't one million, that number is one HUNDRED million. Staggering. I have been on facebook for over 3 years now. I too am guilty of learning about some of the events happening in this world first from my facebook friends, but the simple truth is that I have connected with some terrific people and I am glad that I would rather check what they are up to in my day before turning on the world news. (Which can be, quite frankly, annoying at times)

One of the great people I have connected with via fb is a guy named Craig Lancaster. Craig and I went to high school together. We weren't bff's or anything in high school, but as adults we have realized that we have a lot in common. We probably would have been good friends in high school if we had the opportunity to get to know each other better.  read more »

 Jordan Lake School of the Arts is a new inclusive autism education. This place is amazing and I wanted to share it with everyone.  Look at the Facbook page or website www.jordanlakesa.com

A Marietta College student and Warren High School graduate is attempting to cover new ground in autism research, exploring an area of the disorder mostly ignored until now.

Heather Haught, 20, of Tunnel, a junior at the college, is entering the second phase of a research project aimed to form a better picture of what foods those with autism spectrum disorders prefer and how a diet can be made to cater to their needs and address eating problems associated with autism.

Often, children with autism are underweight, while many adults with autism are overweight or obese.

"I want to try to determine how we can get these people into a healthy weight range and have it be based in science," Haught said.

Haught had little background on autism when she learned a bit about it in a developmental psychology course at the college. She took that interest to assistant psychology professor Alicia Doerflinger, who had a background in the research of development of feeding behaviors, and the study was born.

The two found they would be virtual pioneers in their experiment, titled "The Effect of Food Preferences, Food Intake and Taster Status on Body Weight in Children with Autism."

"When we started to look at the literature, there was obviously not a lot of work done in that area," said Doerflinger. "Even though it's pretty well known that parents of children with autism have feeding issues on a daily basis, there didn't seem to be investigation into that in any depth. It was a little niche we could move into."

The lack of previous studies may be due to the difficulty of working with young children who are autistic or simply because with all the functionality issues related to the disorder, it may not have been a high priority, she said.  read more »

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) - Research on a new device - a version of which is now available to consumers -  that measures young children's language-learning environment and holds promise for use in the screening, assessment and treatment of  young children with autism, will be the topic of the first 2009-2010 UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute Distinguished Lecturer address on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The address will be presented by Steven Warren, a senior scientist, professor of applied behavioral science and vice provost for research and graduate studies at the University of Kansas, at 4:30 p.m. in the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute auditorium, 2850 50th St., Sacramento.

Warren is internationally recognized for his contributions to understanding language development in children and his leadership in the field of developmental disabilities. He has conducted extensive research on early communication and language-intervention approaches and has published more than 120 papers, chapters, and books on these and related topics.

Warren’s major research interests are early communication and language development and intervention and the prevention of mental retardation. His Distinguished Lecturer address focuses on his research using a new device that is an extension of the LENA (Language ENvironment Analysis) system, which Warren calls a “breakthrough technology.”  read more »

(NaturalNews) According to a U.S. government survey just published, rates of autism in children have doubled since 2003. Today, an estimated 1 in 91 children are being diagnosed with autism, making this the highest rate in any population in the history of human civilization. Meanwhile, the vaccination push in America continues, specifically targeting children with not just seasonal flu vaccines (which may contain thimerosal), but also the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.

It all begs the question: Is there a link between vaccines and autism?

In defending vaccines, many doctors have blamed autism on a genetic cause. But if it's genetic, why are rates skyrocketing so quickly? The gene pool obviously isn't changing that dramatically. There's no such thing as a "genetic epidemic." If genes caused autism, the rate of autism diagnosis should be holding steady year after year. Clearly, something else is at work, causing the sharp increase in autism.  read more »

"Shocking" new autism data released in the U.S. on Monday sent reverberations across the border and renewed calls for Canadian government agencies to get a grip on autism rates in this country.

The U.S. data found the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder has continued to increase, and now affects one per cent of children in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC said it went public with the findings, because they were similar to those published Monday by the Boston-based medical journal Pediatrics, which found that ASD affected one in 91 children — including 1 in 58 boys — in the U.S.

"These data affirm that a concerted and substantial national response is warranted," said the CDC in a statement.

The published Pediatrics study, done by the Health Resources and Services Administration, surveyed by telephone 78,000 parents with children aged three to 17.

Suzanne Lanthier, of Autism Speaks Canada, said the U.S. data were "shocking" and should motivate Canadian health authorities to focus their energies on dealing with autism.

"We need to start paying attention to that, and putting significant resources into finding out why this is happening," said Lanthier.

Lanthier said Canada does not have similar national data on domestic autism rates.

Autism advocacy groups in Canada have relied on the previous 1-in-150 rate released by the CDC in 2007, said Lanthier.

"Given what we have seen, there is no reason to believe that Canadian rates would be significantly different from the U.S.," said Lanthier.

Canadian studies have pegged child ASD rates in Canada at between one in 147 and one in 165.

   read more »

Recovering Autistic Children, Edited by Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D. and Bernard Rimland, Ph.D. This book is the extensively updated and enlarged revision of Treating Autistic Children, which was published in 2003. Almost all of the 31 parent reports have been updated and 83 pages of new information have been added. You'll find up-to-the-minute information from ARI's acclaimed Defeat Autism Now! <!--(DAN!®)-->Project and new sections including Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment (HBOT); clinical use of Methyl B12; Specific Carbohydrate Diet; Low-Dose Naltrexone; Chelation; Medical Marijuana to control aggression; and much more! Thousands of autistic children have recovered and are recovering, based on the sound information in this book. 2006, paperback, 468 pages. ($24.00)

Changing the Course of Autism, Bryan Jepson, M.D. edited by Jane Johnson. A decade ago, autism was a rare disease--today, most Americans know a family with an autistic child. Autism is now epidemic, currently affecting half a million American children, or 1 in 150. This makes it the most common developmental disability--more common than Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation combined. Autism is growing at a startling rate of 10-17 percent per year, which means that the disease could reach several million Americans in the next decade. 2007, paperback, 358 pages ($18.95).

Facing Autism: Giving Parents Reason for Hope and Guidance for Help, by Lynn M. Hamilton. A treasury of detailed, helpful information from a mother who has carefully investigated all of the promising treatment approaches. 2000, paperback, 361 pages. ($17.00)  read more »