Had a playdate at a new play structure indoor playground that costs $9 per kid (sibling discounts though) but I had a free pass. Wyatt really liked the play structure, but then one of my friend's kids somehow wangled a balloon and then Wyatt had a meltdown because he wanted a balloon. It took a long time to calm him down. The play structure owners didn't want to give Wyatt a balloon because the policy is that you get a balloon or prize when you leave. My friend's kid took his balloon all through the play structure and no one said anything. But then Wyatt took his balloons in and the owners were all upset about it and said it was dangerous and I had to get him out of there. Then they gave me trouble when Wyatt went in the toddler section even though he wasn't bothering anyone.  And of course they had a water dispenser and Wyatt used up all of their paper cups and had water dripping all over the cement floor.  Lovely!  At least he didn't grab any of the packages of cookies and chips that were right there on the counter within kids' reaches.

Then there was a birthday party and, of course, tons of balloons which totally set Wyatt off.  I had to work hard to keep Wyatt out of the party room, which of course did not have a door on it. 

So, even though the play structure place says it is autism friendly (the owners have an autistic child) and they even hired an adult greeter who has autism, it seemed as though Wyatt was "too autistic" for their play structure. I explained to the owner lady that Wyatt is only 4 yrs old but looks older. After that, the lady seemed a little nicer to me and seemed to warm up. She told me I had a tough job [as Wyatt's mom].  read more »

I took my girls to Playworks today. It takes about 25-30 minutes to get there and sometimes longer to get home depending on the time of day. Well, today we were driving home during rush hour and I was almost to the second freeway we take to get home when I asked my daughter where her stuffed animals were. She said "Playworks" and burst into tears. Why did I have to screw up and go and ask her about them? Well, I'm glad I did because I was able to pull over and call the place and ask them to place them aside for her, which they gladly did. So now I guess I get to drive back out there tomorrow to get them. Fun Times!

Why is it I want to put a Mickey Mouse hat on your picture mmm?

I just think you'd look so cute with Mickeys ears lol =)

Researchers at Cornell University asked the question, “Does television cause autism?” and published their research.

Click on the newslink to read the story (removed by request).

What is normal behavior and what are the early signs of autism? Today’s concerned parents are swamping medical experts with questions and concerns.

Sandra Devlin cradles her newborn daughter, Delilah, with the same devotion she lavished on her four older children.

"De-li-lah," she coos in a singsong voice, holding the 4-month-old baby close to her face. As she did with her other kids, she hopes to elicit a smile, a laugh or a gurgle of recognition.

It’s a time-honored mother’s gesture — but one that now comes with a twist: This time, Devlin is also checking for autism.

Every generation of parents has a worry unique to its era. In the ’40s, the specter of polio made mothers frantic about any trip to the neighborhood swimming pool. The ’80s brought the sense that every child risked abduction, his photo ending up on the side of a milk carton.

For today’s parents, that fear is autism.

"In my office, that’s the big elephant in the room. They’ll ask about something else, but what they’re really asking is, 'He doesn’t have autism, does he?’ It is the question for this generation," said Dr. Ari Brown, a Texas pediatrician and spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

With autism spectrum disorders now diagnosed in 1 out of 150 children nationally, rare is the parent who isn’t aware of autism. And with that awareness can come a new wariness of vaccines, which a vocal minority of autism activists blame for the jump in cases. Pediatricians report seeing more parents question, delay or even shun altogether the traditional round of childhood immunizations.

Such worries never crossed the mind of Devlin, of Denville, N.J., with her first two children, now 19 and 13. Autism arrived on her radar screen for the next two kids, now 9 and 3. With Delilah, born 11 weeks prematurely, that concern is front and center.

Williamston police have charged a 24-year-old home-care worker with slamming a plastic ball and plastic hammer into the head of a man with autism.

Marcus Grisham, a resident of Central and an employee of Quality Care In-Home Health Care Services in Greenville, was arrested Saturday and is being held at the Anderson County Detention Center with a $5,000 property bond, according to detention records and Williamston Police Chief David Baker.

Grisham was hired to care for a 20-year-old man suffering from autism, Baker said.

“The family had installed a video surveillance system for the purpose of monitoring their son during the day and on the morning of July 24, the video system did record (Grisham) physically abusing the 20-year-old victim by throwing a hard plastic ball repeatedly against his head and face area, hitting him in the head twice with a plastic hammer causing injury to the victim which required medical attention,” according to a written statement provided by Baker.

http://www.classmates.com/profile/user/view?registrationId=8687968190

My classmates profile. Cindy Kunz (my maiden name) Verdugo Hills High

in Tujunga (the most photographed school EVER) alot of movies and commercials

are filmed at Verdugo. Class of 1979.

Last week my best buddy from my college days came down from Oregon to visit me.  She showed off her 5 month-old baby boy, her first baby.  Although she also has a delightful stepson who is in middle school.   Anyway, she is in baby mode, a totally adoring mommy.  She was making a list of pros and cons for having another baby.

It shocked me how different our lists were, with her leaning toward having another baby and me having decided, "NO, definitely NOT."  My list pretty much consisted of fear of having another special needs child.  I feel that one is almost more than we can handle.  My friend's list was all "Pro-I want another baby, Con-lotta people in the world already, Pro-Got  some baby gear already, Con-Pregnancy sucks."  Her list seemed so happy, so naive, so carefree.  I wish I could feel that way again.

On a happier note, she hadn't gotten a crib yet AND she was driving a van back to Oregon.  It was cosmic meant-to-be FATE, that she, my soul-friend, ended up with Wyatt's crib and baby backpack.  It made me unbelievably happy to be able to give her that crib.  Having decided not to have another baby, I had just started getting rid of Wyatt's old things, and had given his bassinet away to a stranger just the week before.  

Today I had two friends and their kids over for pool time, but at two different time sots in the day due to scheduling conflicts.  We've been meaning to have a "pool party" for forever but it just never happened.  We thought that was sort of sad, me and my two buds that I've known for years and years.

It is a bit of work to get the towels, swimsuits (cozzies to you, Perz), shoes, sunscreen, toys, totes, and changes of clothing together.  Then, there is anxiety at the pool ("No!  I don't want to go in!), plus the need for safety vigilance ("DO NOT THROW THAT CHAIR INTO THE POOL!") and constant positive attention ("Great kicking!  That's fantastic splashing!").  And then, getting three children prepped to leave the pool with one skinny one shivering from near hypothermia, one chunky one throwing a tantrum and refusing to leave, and the third one dawdling at the showers and asking 100 distracting questions ("Who owns the pool?  Does she own the pool?  Does he own the pool?  Can I walk on the pool cover?  Can I touch the pool cover with my toe?  Can I go back in the spa?  Why is he rolling around on the cement?")

We're going to give the "pool party" another go next week, but on two different days.  It's too bad me and my two old buddies can't all get together on the same day/time, but maybe it is a blessing in disguise.  It might be too much mayhem with two toddlers, three pre-schoolers, and a six yr old. 

My friends and I each have one son on the autism spectrum.  Do you think that's more than a coincidence?  If at least 1 in 94 boys now has autism, then isn't it odd that everyone in my closest circle of friends has a child on the spectrum?  I mean, shouldn't only 1 in 94 friends have a son with autism? 

Caution: Long-Winded Post

Last week I bought myself a nice outfit. I had heating assistance left over, so I actually had one entire child support check with no bills coming out. Thats over as of this month. My Cable/Net is divided in two checks. And my electric may take up two. My rent is just out of one. Thank goodness for income based housing :( I am almost ashamed to admit that.

Anyways, yes I bought a nice outdit. I have been living in tshirts (with the sizes going up up up over the last 4 years) and jeans or capris. It was Crazy Days sale at the mall so I got a cute top from JC Penney, and could not find a pair of bottoms I liked. I actually found dress pant on clearance at Wal-Mart that I actually liked. So I spent less than 30 bucks on shirt, pants, and a whole bunch of jewellrey.

So here are my goals. I want to try to pick up a top or pants on sale every week. Spending no more than 15 bucks. That is of course if I have the 15 bucks free from Michael's needs. I want to work up a nice wardrobe slowly so I can start dressing nicely. That would make me feel a little better about myself, and make up a better impression of myself.

Starting Friday since it is the 1st, I am hopping back on the diet wagon. It will be even easier once Michael starts school, I can go back on the yogurt/cereal diet. I have a treadmill, I would use it more often except for two glitches. It is an old motorozed one, and loud. I live upstairs, and the neighbors downstairs hear every step we make. I hate the idea of annoying them. They get up early and I want to work out in the evenings since it is cooler. And my other glitch is rather silly. I have torn apart my already overcrowded room and I cannot finemy other tennis show. I only wear socks when I wear tennis shoes, and I only wear those types of shoes on my treadmill. So I only have one pair. And I am missing one. I hate socks.  read more »

Dont wanta crack your screen =)

I'm middle aged, heavy. I was prettier in my younger days when I had more

time to take care of myself. This is a particularly BAD picture. I havent worn makeup

in years. I pull my hair back. I dont even get it cut anymore. I just shower & put

it on top of my head. Im a real hotty aint I lol?

I tried something new with Marcel yesterday. I turned our high speed room fan up to

top speed & yelled into it in an attempt to get Marcel to use his voice. Mommy sung,

mommy acted silly. I showed him how it vibrates your voice........ and it helped. Marcel

yelled into it, not a lot but a little. I'd do anything to help this kid talk EVEN eat another

poison pizza and about die again ugh.

Called Dominoes to ask Levi the manager what happened as a result of our food

poisoning (3 days of hell). He said he threw out a bunch of pepperoni, sauce &

cheese and then admitted his area manager told him to DENY DENY DENY that

it was from the pizza. I told him I appreciated his honesty & to tell that s.o.b that if

Levi hadnt been so kind I would have sued the living s*** out of Dominoes.

BTW we're much better now =)

 About the longissssssssssssh posts:

Oh I LOVE you guys dont worry about it. Didnt mean you ladies in particular. Im like Wyattsmom,
too short and Im not satisfied, too long and Im bored, kinda like sex lol =)~~~

Im just curious if Im the only one whose irritated by really long emails and posts lol.

My sister wrote me such a long email the other day I didnt have time to read it & I

noticed on here as much as I like the site if a post is too long I'll either skim through

it or ignore it all together. Scuse me its just a pet peeve of mine lol.

This morning I woke up and rolled over just as the clock turned 6AM. Its odd how I seem to wake up at the hour. Then I realized my TV was on. Which means Michael was up. Before 6AM. That is just way too early. I rolled over and snoozed lightly for a bit.

I came out and Michael had a bowl of cereal. Which means he got the cereal, milk, and everything out for himself. Thank goodness the milk was nearly empty. But Michael never ceases to surprise me.

Genevieve DeLarm’s idea of charity began with the remains of her government stimulus check and the will to help others like herself.

With $120 remaining from her check, she gathered six bands willing to donate their talents to raise money for the organization Potential Inc. of South Jersey and Philadelphia, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to help individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities.

With assistance from the Bridgeton Fraternal Order of Eagles, DeLarm will host an event from 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday, rain or shine, at the Bridgeton Fraternal Order of Eagles, 100 Cohansey St.

Along with music by the bands and a DJ, the event will feature a chicken barbecue, snow cones, face painting, vendors, a 50/50 drawing, a Chinese auction and more. Bands scheduled to perform include Parkside Ave., Hopscotch Injury, Hangman’s Cry, Tony Mecca and friends, Drive 56 and Them Bones.

DeLarm’s son Paul Simmons was diagnosed in 2002 with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. After several years they’ve found ways to work around the troubles and turn life around for Paul. Now at 15, he’s a straight-A student.

A speaker from the organization Potential Inc. will attend Saturday’s event and offer help to anyone interested in learning more about autism.

For more information, call Genevieve DeLarm at (856) 391-1037, send e-mail to Gdelarm71@aol.com or visit www.myspace.com/musclegrungeentertainment.

The first time I heard the word “autism” it it did not communicate much to me; I had no idea what the word meant and had never met anyone with the diagnosis. I had seen a movie during the 1980s about a little boy who hid under a table in a fetal position and could not communicate but it did not touch my life.

In later years I saw “Rain Man” and thought, “How sad!” It was not until it touched my own family that I began to read everything about it that I could find in bookstores and libraries. Then the subject came up on several talk shows such as “Oprah” and “Larry King Live,” with parents relating their ways of coping with the condition. And sadly, the numbers increase each year.

Autism or ASD or (autism spectrum disorder) is occurring at an alarming rate and is the fastest growing developmental disability in the world today. Autism is a neurobiological condition that significantly impacts the way a person perceives the world, interacts with people and communicates. Researchers around the world have been scrambling to come up with some answers and define the cause of autism, but so far the answers elude them. To date, autism remains a mystery. But there is lots of speculation out there.

Parents and grandparents like myself are at a loss for words to describe the heart-breaking scenario that is occurring in our homes and others across the land. One day your toddler is acting like any child of the same age and the next day he will not make eye contact and is oddly spinning his toys or lining them up instead of playing with them in the usual manner with a distant look on his face.

The child begins to violently resist the everyday routine and runs up and down the hallway as if someone is chasing him, looking over his shoulder. He bites his arm and hits himself in the head.  read more »

More than 400 people attended the Walk Now for Autism Kickoff Barbecue Tuesday night, including guest speaker David Marciano of the FX cable channel series "The Shield."

"New Jersey is one of the better states in the nation for helping our children," said Newark native Marciano, whose 7-year-old son, Marcello, is on the spectrum of autism diagnosis. "I'm such a fan of New Jersey."

Marciano, who plays Detective Steve Billings on the show, said he has been active in autism research causes since 2003 when he started walking with Cure Autism Now.

The walk, this year scheduled for Sept. 28, is conducted by Autism Speaks, which was founded in 2005 as a merger of Autism Coalition for Research and Education, Cure Autism Now and National Alliance for Autism Research.

Janice McGreevy, co-chair of Autism Speaks' New Jersey Shore walk, said the barbecue, hosted by Jenkinson's every year, is designed to inform new team captains how to raise funds and get them motivated. The turnout was double the number for the 2007 kickoff.

"It's the kickoff for fundraising events for the year," she said.

McGreevy's son, Tiernan, 7, was diagnosed with autism just before his third birthday.

"He's why I do what I do," McGreevy said.

Dina Schwab, New Jersey regional director for Autism Speaks, said Walk Now for Autism has already raised $70,000 with the walk itself still two months away.

"The New Jersey Shore walk had about 4,000 last year. I'm expecting 5 or 6,000 this year," Schwab said. "It's been growing tremendously."

I have decided to get back into making beaded jewelry to try and sell to raise some money to publish an eBook about autism. Please check it out and see if there is anything you like. Anyone who purchases my jewelry will receive a free copy of the book when it is complete. Thanks!

www.freewebs.com/twinsmominmn

We went to the pool today and a friend showed up with her kids who have these little squirt guns. My daughter filled one up and started squirting water into the air. The water was falling on 2 women who were laying in the sun (in the kiddie pool area). I was telling my daughter to stop when one of them women looked over at me and said it felt good and she didn't care. A few minutes later I look over and my daughter was squirting water all over these 2 women and rubbing it like it was lotion or something. My friend and I were cracking up because the women just kept letting her do it. She spent about 10 minutes or longer cooling these women off. I went over to talk to them afterwards and they said it was like having a Cabana Boy. I just thought it was quite hilarious and sweet that she wanted to cool them off. She'd never seen them before either, so I thought it was neat that she just walked right up and started talking to them. She was even putting their shoes on their feet. I'm glad she's not a boy because they might not have thought it was so cute.

Rainbeau told me today that she used to work in a gentlemans club as a topless stripper.

We had a good laugh over that one lol. She never got into drugs but like most young people

spent the money foolishly. Frankly I dont care, to me it was like she fell from heaven to help

our family. By the way fellas, lap dances only ten bucks lol =)~~~

This is only my second blog, though I've made some comments.  Hard to believe July is almost over, and we've had different family members visit us from out-of-state every other weekend.  But looking back, I'd have to say the most memorable day for me will be the 8th. 

 We took the kids to their 2nd dental appointment and their first full cleaning.  The first appointment was to acclimate them to the office, introduce them to the doctor and get their teeth counted.  Piece o' cake, but this new appointment was the one that had worried us, and the one that we'd been putting off for far too long.

Nora's teeth were fine, but David had a pretty impressive tartar build-up.  The office was focused on kids with special needs and they had a good set-up.  If your kid needed it, they could provide a local sedative or nitrous oxide to calm the child down.  If that didn't work, it's off to the hospital for general anesthesia and the work is done while the kid is unconscious.  We imagined that David would need to do the hospital.  But the first visit, the doctor told me that she thought David wouldn't even need a local.  She said, at worse, they'd have to "papoose" him, an idea which my father didn't like, but which I understood could make the child more comfortable.   read more »

People just don’t make sense. They use language that has no logic behind it. They always want me to look at them. Can’t they understand that I can’t “read” their faces? It is so hard to get through a day ...

That’s what a person with one of the many autism spectrum disorders might say if they were asked about living with normal or “neurotypical” people.

To increase understanding, CAAR (the Center for Autism and Asperger Resources, Inc.) will sponsor “Life on and slightly to the right of the autism spectrum: An inside view towards promoting life long success for people with autism,” a conference featuring author Stephen Shore and Paul Hough, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Aug. 1 at 22703 Racine St., the former site of the First Baptist Church in Robertsdale.

The first conference, designed for professionals, (but organizers say it will be valuable to all) will begin at 8 a.m. and run to 3:30 p.m. Educators will earn continuing education credits for attending this session. A second program, designed for the general public, will begin at 7 p.m. and run to 9 p.m.

"This is important because individuals at the right side of the spectrum are average to above average IQ and have a lot of potential to be successful, with the proper supports in place." said Mary Thweatt, CAAR director.

Shore, who holds a doctorate in special education from Boston University, has an autism spectrum disorder. He’s very aware of the struggles most ASD youngsters go through.

“When I was in the public schools,” said Shore, “the teachers really didn’t know what to do with me. I recall hours spent reading my favorite books.”  read more »

Gov. Rod Blagojevich's power to rewrite legislation could give hope to thousands of Illinois parents who deal with expensive diagnoses and treatment for children with autism.

The governor proposed July 13 to tack on an insurance break for parents of children with autism to another bill after the proposal was originally shot down in January. If the proposal passes, insurance companies would be required to provide patients with autism a $36,000 maximum yearly coverage plan for treatment until age 21.

The proposal is now coupled with a bill that requires employees' health plans to cover preventative physical therapy treatments for multiple sclerosis.

State Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Sycamore, has been an avid supporter of this bill. Although Blagojevich is trying to use his amendatory veto power to transfer the autism proposal to the existing bill, Pritchard said, there still needs to be more effort from everyone to make it happen.

Pritchard said the government does not realize how serious autism is and the amount of children it affects every day.

"Children across the country suffer from this disorder. Without the proper treatment, they might never be able to function," Pritchard said.

One in every 150 children in the United States suffers from autism, according to the Centers for Disease and Control. Autism is a brain disorder that impairs social, emotional and communication skills.

In just six years, the number of local children with autism receiving treatment for their behavior and learning struggles has nearly increased eightfold.

As the Children's Service Center of Wyoming Valley, based in Wilkes-Barre, works to meet the growing need for its specialty services, a new office in Danville will enable the local staff of nine trained professionals to better help the 14 clients they will be working with this coming school year.

The need for autism services has grown since the local program was launched six years ago, according to Roxanne Stoker, a behavior specialist consultant with the Children's Service Center, who said as more children are identified with autism the need for local services increase.

Autism is a development disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, restricted and repetitive behavior, all exhibited before the child is three years old. An estimated one in 150 children has an autistic spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"When we started, we had two clients," Stoker said. "Now, we have 12 clients and two who are currently going through our in-take process. The need is definitely there, and there is a growing interest from the community and schools for more services."

Stoker said the agency receives referrals from a variety of health professionals, including Geisinger's pediatric neurology development department. Referrals are also made by school districts, day care centers and early intervention providers.

"We have even had referrals from speech therapists," said Stoker, who added the services are provided through the client's state medical assistance. "We cover Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties. We stay pretty busy."  read more »

I've spent most of the last couple of days in bed with a good case of food poisoning.

"The Gothem Pizza", ugh. I will NEVER eat pizza again. Emile didnt eat any because he

has trouble with spicey food, LUCKY HIM. Marcel got the poops and mommy started

throwing up ALOT. Yesterday I ate four teaspoons of yogurt and half a soda cracker.

Daddy whose recovering from a bite to the wrist (yep Marcel )stayed home from work Monday.

Next thing we know Marcel had gotten into the Pepto Bismol (dont ask me how, I know

I closed it) and had "painted" the walls, the carpet, the furniture and himself. Good thing

for the carpet cleaner! So here it is Tuesday, daddy is off to work. Im better, not great but

better. Marcel is calming down (Clonidine helps). Elsie is barking at something out front and

Thank GOD Rainbeau will be here today!! Never a dull moment.

Wyatt slept the WHOLE night in his own room the other night!  Woo hoo!

Hello, I am new here and dont even know where to begin.  My son is 6 and is becoming increasingling rigid in his behaviour, not to mention strong - he is tall, slim and wiry, which now makes it difficult to remove him from situations.  We have an appointment next week with pediatric neurologist to talk about Risperdol.  We'll see how it goes.  My other question is do alot of you parents sometimes resort to anti anxiety medication or alcohol just to deal with your child and the consequences it has on your other family members?  I also have 2 exceptional girls age 10 and 8 who are starting to become more affected by his behaviour.

 Thanks for listining

When it comes to Autism, Dr. Michael Gruttadauria is an expert. Not only does he run the Long Island Spectrum Center, a facility that treats children with Autism, he has two children of his own that were diagnosed.

Day after day, patients come from all over the NY Tri-State Area asking questions about their Autistic children...and what can be done to help them. As a clinician, he patiently consults with families and examines and treats their children. But each day, his frustration grows...frustration based on ignorance, misinformation and politics.

 "People need to know that Autism is NOT a mental disorder that is genetic and therefore untreatable. It is a biochemical and neurological problem that can be treated, once you know where to look for the causes of the symptoms!" says Dr. Gruttadauria.

There is (and always has been) a lot of confusion as to what Autism and the Autistic Spectrum Disorders are. This starts with a significant problem with the way Autism is classified; Autism is considered a 'mental disorder'. Since it has been classified as such since the 1940s, most physicians learn little to nothing about it. Its classification further breaks down Autism to be an impairment in social interactions, repetitive behaviors and problems communicating. With these 'defining characteristics', it is no wonder that these children are placed into a structured special learning environment accompanied by behavior modification with little to no medical intervention.

"I understand Autism to be a biochemical and neurological problem that alters the way the brain and body develop, and eventually results in the social, behavioral and communication problems that these individuals experience. These characteristics are symptoms, and the result of a multi-system breakdown that went undiagnosed!"  read more »

The Federal Government has announced the rollout of 150 play groups for children with autism over the next four years.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services, Bill Shorten, says 50 groups should be set up within the next 10 months.

"The earlier that parents can get intervention for their children, the better these children will do in life," he said.

"Play groups are a very necessary soft entry into helping parents find out what they need to do."

Mr Shorten says the initiative is part of the Government's $190 million support package.

"These play groups, along with all the other things the Rudd Government is doing, will assist parents cope better with raising their children and getting early intervention," he said.

Still cant respond =(

My name is Mark. I am the father of a 10 yr old autistic son named Matthew. I have recently been forced to leave my job because I was having to take of so much from work for Matthew. We live in a very small town and resources here are limited as far as special needs childcare. I have decided my best option is to either find somewhere that will let me work from home, or come up with some sort of home based business. I have tried or looked into the offers you see on the net, tv, and radio, and for the most part they are scams or want you to put up "start up" money that sounds fishy to me. Surely I am not the only parent in this situation so I was curious if anyone had any advise or ideas that might help me.

Wyatts recent problem with the splinter reminded me of something when I was a kid.

My mom kept a tube of black drawing salve handy to help draw out slivers, glass, that

kinda thing. I put it in search, there are several brands and it comes in a plastic bucket

rather than a tube. You might be able to find it at a pharmacy. Truthfully I dont have any

and have been meaning to get it. I remember my mom using onion to get rid of warts &

putting cold mud on a bee sting.

I downloaded Firefox, it didnt fix it grrrrrrrrr. Thanks anyway Holly. Im just gonna sit over

here with my mouth shut =X

We're going beach camping up in Ventura county.  We've never gone camping there before, so it should be an experience.   See you in a couple of days!

I have never had a problem posting content, of any variety. I am wondering if it is something simple, like a difference in browsers ect.

I use Firefox for many reasons. Faster, cool things to add to it, less spyware gets through it. This could be an IE error. Correct me if I am wrong and another FireFox user has encountered the errors. Be sure to tell me what version you are using, as I am using a beta testing version.

To clean cookies I never clean them through the browser. I use CCleaner, which is a free program. I run it usually once a week, but for the sites I have passwords I exlude those. I usually clean about 200MB in junk a week. Then of course it has a registry cleaner. Temp files can bog down the system, and cause the oddest little glitches.

Another thing to do would be to keep a memo pad and right down the time you get each error when commenting or posting. There may be a trend. For example the site was down for me earlier today, and when I sat down a few minutes ago, I could not get on the site because it was taking so long to respond. The servers may be doing maintenace during specific hours, or there may be heavy traffic slowing things down.

I hope this helps a little.

We are still "speechless" grrrrrrrrrrr

AH @#*!

I found an article discussing a possible correlation between autism and Acetaminophen. The preliminary findings indicate that "Acetaminophen use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was significantly associated with autistic disorder when considering children 5 years of age or less" and "Ibuprofen use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was not associated with autistic disorder". Obviously, more research needs to be done on this subject, but this information may help some people decide which treatment method(s) to pursue. Alot of people feel their child regressed into autism after receiving the MMR vaccination. If this study can be proven true, then people may have an alternative cause to look into. Rather than scaring people into not vaccinating their child, this may help encourage people to still vaccinate, but be more careful to administer ibuprofen instead of tylenol if anything is needed. I believe my daughter was born with autism because I have watched home videos of her showing signs in infancy. Feel free to leave any comments on this or more information.

Wyatt had a splinter in his foot.  It was there for a few days.  We think it was a cactus spine.  He wouldn't let us touch his foot, so last night when he was sleeping we tried to remove it, but with no luck.  It was in there pretty good, a little black dot covered by a layer of skin with an angry ring around it.  Today, Wyatt woke up from a cat nap, screaming.  He brought me the PEC that I made for the pool key, but when we got outside he wouldn't budge from the front steps.  He kept screaming.  Finally, he took my hand and WANTED me to get the splinter out.  But he wouldn't let me past him to get into the house to get tweezers. 

My neighbor and her teenage granddaugher saw what was happening and offered their assistance.  I was so surprised, it almost made me cry.  The grandmother and I held a struggling Wyatt while the girl valiantly pried the sticker from Wyatt's foot with her fingernails.  My other neighbor saw what was happening from her window and ran down to us, then returned with a pair of tweezers.  So then there were three of us holding Wyatt down and one teenager tweezing.  The granddaughter was able to tweeze out the last bit of sticker-spine.  And she said, "I hope I got it all because I'm not trying that again!"

=X I still cant respond grrrrrrr

Wyattsmom try valarian root. It helps to calm. It's cheap, like $7 a bottle and you can get

it at a health food store. Only I'll warn you when you open the bottle the capsules smell

like dirty socks ugh. It's worth a try if you can figure out a way to get one down him.

OKAY TODD WE'RE HAVING TROUBLE AGAIN!!

Recently I found a Myspace profile created for a 15 month old baby. The mother is the other woman to the father to my neighbor's children. She often hacks his profile. This girl is notorious for putting last names of everybody out there. Even to children who are not her own.

I reported her son's profile for the reasoning that she listed his age in the about me section, which is 15 months. Though she put 18 years old on the main information. She also listed where he lives, which is a small town. His first middle and last name. The girl also went on to list both of his parent's first and last names. This child is in foster care, and neither parent will eer have rights again, so he is slightly more protected, but I thought this was disgusting.

Identity theft is rising rapidly, and it is becoming easier to find somebody's details. Many young people lay it all out there on public profiles. Children are not safe from this crime.

There are also so many perverts out there. Some may be satisfied to browse and find pictures of little kids. Some specifically search for areas close to them. Adding your children's names and locations like that is almost asking for somebody to hurt them....

This is a sad world we live in. Which is why I take some extra measures to protect my son.

I have a myspace profile, like millions of other mothers. I am keen on custom layouts, which I design myself. So I cover up all the information. My profile is simple yet nice. My profile is public because I hate the look of private profiles, but I put all my pictures as friends only. I have more of Michael than anything.

I also keep a blog specific for Michael. Though I would like to add pictures, I refrain since it is public blog. I keep the information to the type you would talk to a child about. Nothing too personal or revealing.  read more »

The past few days I've practically had laryngitis, I can hardly speak. Weird. I can't help but think of the similarities between my current communication difficulties and my son's struggles with speech. It's made me realize how often I have to yell across a parking lot or a playground to my husband or a friend.

I feel like I don't have time to recover, but I have the worst sore throat. I can hardly go without speaking for an hour let alone an entire day. Of course, that's when my husband wants to debate something from across the house.

Things feel a bits strained this morning. Wyatt threw two of Marc's favorite cacti over the balcony. It's not like we can easily replace them. One of them was a rescued cactus. Marc rarely gets angry with Wyatt, but he lost patience and asked me to take Wyatt out for an hour to get him out of the house and entertain him. So I took Wyatt out to McDonalds .  He screamed in the drive-thru because there was a line of cars.  Normally, I count to calm him down, but I just couldn't speak, so he screamed.  My ears are ringing.  Silence and screaming.  Then on to the store for a balloon.  At the store, I made Wyatt wait for his balloon and as a result, he bit me on the back of the knee. Ouch!

The summer is limping along. I hope tomorrow I am feeling more optimistic. Everything seems worse when you are not feeling well.

New treatments for a rare genetic disorder may hold clues for treating autism, researchers said Thursday at the International Fragile X Conference held at Union Station.

Fragile X syndrome is a common inherited cause of cognitive impairments, including about 5 percent of autism cases. Symptoms can include hyperactivity, seizures, learning disabilities and speech delays.

About one in 4,000 boys and one in 6,000 to 8,000 girls are born with the Fragile X, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Because the disorder can be linked to a defect in a singular gene, it's a promising field of study for researchers. At the weeklong conference sponsored by the National Fragile X Foundation, St. Louis hosts several hundred parents, physicians and researchers looking for the latest developments in treatments and patient support.

Typically, treatment for Fragile X includes medications that treat behavioral symptoms. Researchers are now working on the underlying disorder that over-stimulates the nerve pathways in the brains of people with the syndrome and those with autism.

Drug therapies that block those pathways are still experimental. To date, there have been no large clinical trials in Fragile X patients. The small studies have shown some promise, however.

"It's been the first conference where the promise of powerful new treatments is literally around the corner," said Robert Miller, the foundation's executive director. "There's just a lot of hope and excitement because everybody's picked up on the buzz."

One drug, the mood stabilizer lithium, corrected hyperactivity and reduced seizures in mice. In a two-month trial in 15 children, behavioral symptoms improved in 13 patients after two months, but IQ levels did not change.  read more »

The number of children diagnosed is soaring but as families reach out for help, the HSE admits it's struggling to cope, reports Fiachra O'Cionnaith

AUTISM services across the country are struggling to meet the needs of children desperate for help because they are being swamped by a "huge increase" in demand.

Confirming the situation in an official response to a parliamentary question, the HSE has stated that the "huge increase" in the number of children being sent to specialist autism services is making it almost impossible to meet demand.

Disability

Autism is a serious disability that affects a child's development in terms of social interaction, communication and a range of other social skills.

The first signs of the condition can usually be identified by medics and disability experts before the age of three if enough time is spent diagnosing the child in question.

If such a quick diagnosis is made, the impact of autism on a child can be drastically reduced, with specialist care from multi-disciplinary medical teams specialising in intellectual disabilities and child mental health services helping an affected child to overcome the condition.

Approved

However, despite major improvements being made in the service on paper in recent years, with a €5m research fund approved by the Department of Health through the Health Research Board into the causes of the condition, the HSE has now formally acknowledged that it is failing to fully meet the needs of hundreds of children diagnosed with the condition every year.

And in a worrying formal response to a series of parliamentary questions from Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan in recent weeks, the HSE has now confirmed that serious "challenges" are being experienced by medics because of the sheer numbers of children being diagnosed with the condition.

Srini Donthireddy's basement is quite colorful. Toys and puzzles are scattered throughout. A mirror hangs on the wall and a big beanbag chair covers the floor. So, it might be quite surprising to some that this room was specifically designed to help his 5- year-old autistic son to focus.

Donthireddy's son Anuraag has PDDNOS, which stands for pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified. Donthireddy is now using a new form of treatment for autism, called The Son-Rise Program. The program works with all of the disorders on the autism spectrum.

"With autism, there are very specific symptoms that you can identify and isolate," Donthireddy said. "This is milder than others, but it's not specific enough. It's just another shade of gray."

His son was diagnosed with PDDNOS in 2005, at the age of two.

"We did not believe the diagnosis," Donthireddy said. "[The doctor] took 20 minutes for the diagnosis and he didn't make eye contact. We wanted a second opinion. We believed it was just a language delay."

Eventually, Donthireddy and his wife came to realize their son did, indeed, have a form of autism.

I am in mommy heaven! She bathed Elsie AND she cleaned the master bath =)

She's really nice, easy going & she actually likes to clean toilets!

Gas dropped twenty cents here! There is a reason to celebrate :)

 Woo hoo Dolly has arrived!

Governor David A. Paterson signed a bill this week that will require the Department of Health (DOH) to update the guidelines used by pediatricians to identify children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and refer them for appropriate services.

“This legislation will help pediatricians across the state quickly and comprehensively identify kids with ASDs, so that they can receive the support they need at an early age,” said Paterson. “Coupled with other efforts recently announced by the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, this bill will not only ensure our children have access to appropriate services, but will help educate the public on these often overlooked disorders.”

ASDs are developmental disabilities usually evident and typically diagnosed within the first years of life and often associated with mental retardation. Individuals with ASDs often have difficulty relating and responding to persons, events or objects, and engage in repetitive behaviors or exhibit preoccupation with narrow interests. The severity of these challenging behaviors varies considerably, resulting in multiple diagnoses along the autism spectrum.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ASDs affect one in every 150 children in some communities.  read more »

 Teachers often further their own educations, but West Virginia's teachers are having a hard time keeping up with the demand for autism training, according to the executive director of the West Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University.

Large Increase

"We truly are seeing so many more students with autism in the school system; it really is an unusual thing we're facing," said Barbara Becker-Cottrill. "We have some fantastic teachers currently, but we're just really scrambling to catch up with the tremendous demand right now.

"I truly believe it's just an abnormal increase in the numbers that we're seeing (of students with autism)."

Education History

Becker-Cottrill said one in 150 students nationwide will be diagnosed with autism.

West Virginia currently offers an autism endorsement on teaching certifications, and if a special education teacher wants that certification, he or she doesn't have to start from scratch.

"You want someone to be the most highly qualified, but of course that means time and money," said Liza Cordeiro, spokeswoman for the West Virginia Department of Education.

Cordeiro said the department offers certain levels of reimbursement for those courses if there is a shortage in a Title 1 school, which are the schools with high percentages of students receiving free and reduced-price lunches.

For a child who becomes anxious in close quarters, may have trouble communicating and is sensitive to loud noises, it can be terrifying.

Those are common characteristics of autism, a developmental disability that affects about one in every 150 American children and one in every 94 boys, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For some reason my last post showed up twice, SORRY. I tried to remove it ugh.