Firefighters Find and Rescue Man With Autism Lost in Sewer System



Firefighters in Downers Grove Illinois have found and rescued a 20 year old man with autism whose parents reported that he might be lost in the sewer system.  Apparently after being notified by the family that the man might be in the sewer system the firefighters lifted man hole covers looking for the man. The article on mysuburbanlife.com, Downer's Grove Reporter, does not specify how severe the man's autism was, stating only that he was deaf,  but given the facts it is a safe assumption that he is functionally impaired by his autism disorder.  This father of a severely autistic 15 year old son  is very happy to hear of the man's safe return to his family.

No word yet on whether the very high functioning members of the Board of Directors of the Autism Self Advocacy Network who campaign, in the harsh glare of major media attention and in high level political and government institutions,  against curing autism disorders  have complained about the firefighters interference with the man's right to roam as a free ranging "autie" or "aspie".

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Glenn Thibeault's REAL National Autism Strategy



In the past 36 hours I have criticized CASDA's claims to be advocating for a National Autism Strategy and to be presenting a unified national autism voice.  Lawrie Mawlam of CASDA, a conscientious and courteous individual with whom I have had the privilege of talking in recent months,  has taken some objection to my criticism and I thank her for expressing her opinions so forthrightly.   I hope though that CASDA will consider the criticisms of their efforts before rejecting them defensively.  I also ask CASDA, and any one else purporting to advocate for a National Autism Strategy to consider and support the private members bills of Sudbury MP Glenn Thibeault. The two bills express a clear and coherent National Autism Strategy that would be great benefit to autistic Canadians and their families and that is consistent with the efforts by many Canadians seeking a REAL National Autism Strategy for many years before CASDA and its constituent elements began seeking a national approach to autism.

I recommend that CASDA, Conservative MP Mike Lake,  and all others seeking a real and meaningful national autism strategy support, and encourage their members of Parliament to support, Glenn Thibeault's private member autism bills as described on Mr. Thibeault's site:

"THIBEAULT RE-INTRODUCES AUTISM LEGISLATION


2011 06 15


OTTAWA – Today MP Glenn Thibeault (Sudbury) re-introduced two Private member`s Bills designed to assist individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.


The first Bill would amend the Canada Health Act to include Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) and Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) as medically recognised treatments for individuals living with autism spectrum disorders.


The second would create a National Strategy for individuals living with autism spectrum disorders, therefore ensuring that these individuals would receive the highest level of care, regardless of which region of Canada they live in.


“Far too many Canadians and their families are coping with autism spectrum disorders without adequate support from any level of government” said Thibeault. “Together, these two Bills would ensure that all Canadians, irrespective of where they live, have access to the most appropriate forms of care and extended health services.”

“With negotiations between the provinces and federal governments on the Canada Health Accord starting in 2014, I am calling on the Government to implement the provisions of these bills to ensure that individuals suffering from autism spectrum disorders are properly covered by the Accord.”

Autism spectrum disorders are a spectrum of psychological conditions, including autism and Asperger’s syndrome, which are characterised by an impairment of social interaction, restrictive interests and repeated behaviours. Currently, around 1 in 200 Canadians – representing roughly 190,000 Canadians - are estimated to have autism spectrum disorders. Incidence rates have been on the rise over the past decade, with the prevalence rate in children estimated to be 1 in 165.

-30-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Bushell, Parliamentary Assistant (Glenn Thibeault): 613-996-8962 or glenn.thibeault.a2@parl.gc.ca"

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Autism Research Awakening: Environment Plays A Role In Causing Autism

“We have to look also at environmental factors, and from my point of view, the interaction between the genetic factors and the environmental factors ... It looks like some shared environmental factors play a role in autism, and the study really points toward factors that are early in life that affect the development of the child"

Joachim Hallmayer, MD,  associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford University in California

WebMD reports on a new study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry which  found that autism was surprisingly common in fraternal twins, despite the fact that they don’t share as many of the same genes as identical twins, suggesting that some common environmental factors might be playing as big a role in causing their autism disorders as genetics.  Dr. Hallmayer was one of the study researchers who were surprised with the result.  Is this an awakening in the autism research professions?

For some it probably is.  For others not so much.  Even this humble autism father/blogger reported an autism paradigm shift 4 years ago and I have followed it since then blogging on developments in the area of environmental causes of autism. But there are die-hards who will not be convinced, who will not change their minds no matter what. Academic careers and reputations as expert witnesses have been built promoting the view that autism is 100% genetic and that accordingly autism disorders are not actually increasing.  Reported increases of autism diagnoses are routinely dismissed as due entirely to diagnostic definition change and increased awareness.  Of course manufacturers of products from vaccines to children's toys have a vested interest in encouraging the "it's gotta be genetic" autism causation paradigm described over a decade ago by Teresa Binstock.  Many will never admit that autism could ever be caused by the interaction of environmental and genetic factors.  

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CASDA National Autism Strategy Is Not A REAL National Autism Strategy: It Does Not Help Canadian Autistic Children and Adults



In looking at the National Autism Strategy information from a CASDA (Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance) conference held in Ottawa on June 8 2011, and which I have posted following this comment,  I see that there is the suggestion for expansion of tax relief for autism families. That is certainly a specific, concrete step that will help some families with autistic children. Beyond that though I don't, with all due respect, see anything being proposed to assist autistic children, regardless of where they live in Canada, to receive evidence based effective early intervention, yes that still means ABA, a real education and for the many who will require it, decent, autism specific residential care and treatment as adults.

Early autism intervention across Canada resulted from a wave of focused determined parents advocacy which began over a decade ago. It did not result from conferences of persons building careers in politics or charitable bureacracies or attending subsidized conferences in Banff or Ottawa. 

I recommend that this organization stop pretending and start getting serious about helping with early intervention, education, adult residential care and treatment for autistic Canadians. Sorry I if sound harsh but these types of conferences, with their timid agendas,  have accomplished nothing over the past 10 years. Pretending to help is worse than doing nothing at all. It creates the illusion that something is being done when that is not the case.

Conservative government MP Mike Lake, to his credit, did provide  links to parliamentary sites if you are interested in following autism bills introduced by Sudbury NDP MP Glenn Thibeault who has been a determined advocate for a real National Autism Strategy for several years.  My final comment is to recommend to Mr. Lake and other attendees at the CASDA conferences to fight for a real National Autism Stategy as Mr. Thibeault has done along with fellow NDP member Peter Stoffer and former Liberal MP Shawn Murphy.

"In 2007, Autism Canada spearheaded the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance (CASDA) and today sits on the Leadership Committee. On June 8, 2011, Laurie Mawlam, the Executive Director at Autism Canada, was in Ottawa with the others on the CASDA Leadership Committee advocating for a National Autism Strategy. Please find below the notes from that meeting, including the individuals the Leadership Committee met with and a synopsis of their conversations.
  
Connor Robinson, Canada Revenue Agency
  • Broadening the interpretation of existing categories of eligible expenses under the Medical Expenses Tax Credit to include more expenses often faced by families with a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Adding Autism Spectrum Disorder-related expenses to the list if eligible expenses under the Medical Expenses Tax Credit
  • Clarifying the rules and procedures of the audit process                    
Lisa Belzak, Epidemiologist, Public Health Agency of Canada 
  • The development and design of a National Surveillance System for Developmental Disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorders
  • The creation of a nomination committee to create an advisory committee for the National Surveillance System
  • The creation of an advisory committee for the National Surveillance System
Nathalie Gendron, Assistant Director, Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, Canadian Institute of Health Research 
  • The current levels of funding for research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
  • New developments that are in the works that should be made public shortly
The Honourable Jim Munson, Senator, Ottawa-Rideau Canal 
  • Raising awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorders among Senators and Members of Parliament
  • The reintroduction of Senator Munson's bill honouring Autism Awareness Day 
The Honourable Mike Lake, Member of Parliament, Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont 
  • Reviewed outcome from meetings of the day
  • Discussed Mike playing a role in reaching out to other MPs that have a family member with an ASD, to increase the base of support for a federal ASD agenda
  • Reminder from Mike that the following website permits us to follow the progress of bills related to ASD -www.parl.gc.ca
    • There are presently two bills dealing with Autism Spectrum Disorder, which are being introduced by the Member of Parliament for Sudbury, Glenn Thibeault (NDP).
    • Bill C-218: http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&billId=5079448
  •      Bill C-219: http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&billId=5080253

    These meetings were an opportunity for CASDA to reinforce the importance of action on the federal level in the area of Autism Spectrum Disorders and share our vision that all Canadians with an Autism Spectrum Disorder have full and equal access to the resources that they require to achieve their full potential.

    Thank-you for joining CASDA to ensure that our vision becomes a reality. Our strong, collective voice for the Autism Spectrum Disorder community at the federal level is making a difference!


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Update since accident

After 2 weeks on bedrest, pain medication and muscle relaxants plus daily visits to the Chiropractor I am happy to report the following:

My husband had 1 week off from work and then my 17 year old step sister came to stay with us for 1 week so that I could focus on getting better while they ran the house including homeschooling!

I am up and moving around with only very limited aches if I sit , stand or walk for too long.

My three physicians -- Chiropractor, Ear Nose & Throat Specialist & family doctor (who are all Christian! ) report that the swelling in pulled tendons in my neck (front) and pulled muscles in my neck (rear) , upper back, lower back, shoulders & chest has all been eliminated!

I was sent 8 hours away(I went 1.5hrs by plane) to the nearest MRI facility and those results came back CLEAR !

Our vehicle damage totaled around $4000 but this was mostly covered by MPI, with the exception of a small deductible. We will also be reimbursed for the purchase of new carseats for the ones that are now deemed unsafe after the accident (remember that the children were not in the carseats at the time of the accident).

I am scheduled for a LONG list of tests, blood work, glucose testing , EKG's etc etc to aid in finding a cause of the dizzy spells.

I will be seeing my family doctor every 2 weeks and my chiropractor every 2nd day , for rehabilitation until I am considered safe to drive again.

I am eternally grateful for the Lord's protection and provision during this time and I really appreciate all the prayers.

TIME Promotes Myth That Many With Autism are Highly Intelligent


In Could Amanda Knox Have an Autism Spectrum Disorder? TIME adds its influential voice to those who propagate the  myth that "many with autism are highly intelligent".

Amanda Knox is the 23-year-old American college student who was convicted of sexually assaulting and killing her roommate, Meredith Kercher, in Italy in 2007.  The TIME article makes a plausible case for the proposition that some of the evidence used to convict Ms Knox, including a forced confession, and some seemingly callous behavior, may indicate an un-diagnosed Asperger's Disorder condition rather than evidence of guilt. That possibility has become particularly important in light of revelations that DNA trace evidence used to convict Ms Knox may, after review by independent experts, be considered unreliable.  

In elaborating on the Asperger's Disorder possibility,  and explaining some aspects of Ms Knox's behavior including the confession, the TIME article states:

"like many autistic people, Knox was highly intelligent but also extremely naïve and gullible:
"She's the smartest person you'd ever know" but "dumb as a rock" when it comes to "street sense," [her stepfather said]. In conversations with her friends and family, a portrait emerges of a person with a childlike innocence. She was, as her mother, Edda, puts it, "oblivious to the dark side of the world.""

If the above quote said like many people with Asperger's Disorder", Knox was highly intelligent it might be an accurate statement.  Under the DSM-IV an Asperger's Disorder is excluded where the person has no cognitive development issues:

"E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behaviour (other than in social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood."

The lack of clinically significant cognitive developmental delay does not necessarily mean that a person has high intelligence but it does leave that possibility open. The article provided no studies to indicate that many persons with Asperger's are highly intelligent.

Where the article is flat out wrong though is in stating that many persons with "autism" are highly intelligent.  That information is contradicted by the Canadian Psychological Association 2006 brief to a Canadian Senate Committee stated that:


• Cognitive impairment is present in about 80% of persons diagnosed with Autism and general intellectual functioning is most often below average.  Persons diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder have average to above average intellectual functioning. [underlining added]


As noted above the CPA reference to autism is a reference to the autism spectrum disorders except Asperger's.

The United States Centers for Disease Control, the CDC,  has conducted two surveys which looked at the entire spectrum of autism disorders, including those with Aspergers and found that:

"Data show a similar proportion of children with an ASD also had signs of intellectual disability than in the past, averaging 44% in 2004 and 41% in 2006."

Contrary to the view, expressed by TIME,  that many persons with autism are highly intelligent, the US National Institute of Mental Health states with respect to Autism Spectrum Disorders in the section titled Problems That May Accompany ASD:

"Mental retardation. Many children with ASD have some degree of mental impairment. When tested, some areas of ability may be normal, while others may be especially weak. For example, a child with ASD may do well on the parts of the test that measure visual skills but earn low scores on the language subtests." [underlining added]

If Amanda Knox does in fact have an Asperger's Disorder, and if the Disorder casts doubt on the confession obtained from her and provides an alternative explanation for the behavior that was used to convict her then I certainly hope the issue is fully explored.  To that end TIME's powerful voice could be of substantial value in overturning a possible wrongful conviction for murder.  That would be a great accomplishment if all those developments play out as indicated.  In reaching such a conclusion though it is unnecessary for TIME to proceed by promoting the myth that many persons with autism are highly intelligent.  This myth, while pleasant for many to embrace, in fact obscures the very serious challenges faced by the vast majority of persons with Autistic Disorder who in fact are also cognitively impaired or intellectually disabled.

TIME with its great influence should be more careful in how it portrays autism, including Autistic Disorder, and the challenges, including intellectual disabilities,  faced by persons with Autistic Disorder, to the world.

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Autism and Wandering: Fredericton in 2003 and Abbotsford in 2011

The story of the autistic child in Abbotsford, Brisith Columbia (1,2) removed from her home with her caring father by provincial government officials has hit a nerve with many parents of autistic children including me.  In Abbotsford the girl was removed after she wandered from her family home.  She was found, at a neighbor's safe and sound. Despite the efforts the father had taken to prevent such occurrences and despite his diligence in searching for her and contacting authorities when he realized she was missing, the child was taken from the family home and placed in government "care" by government officials.  

I agree with the teacher who commented on this case and emphasized that autistic children need stability.  Removing them from their home can be a harmful event in itself. Maybe there are other facts, not disclosed in the local news reports, that prompted the removal of this child.  In the absence of any further information though it seems clear that government officials did not act in the best interests of this autistic child in taking her from her home.

I have mentioned in commenting on the Abbotsford story that my son had also wandered from our home on a day when I was the sole adult in our house and while I was answering a business phone call.   I was thankful beyond belief that my son did not come to harm when he "got away" many years ago.   I am also thankful that authorities here in Fredericton, New Brunswick did not react in 2003 as the authorities have reacted  in Abbotsford, British Columbia  in 2011.   Following is the comment I first posted in September 2006 about the time, three years earlier, when my son left our home while I was distracted by a business phone call:


Saturday, September 09, 2006

Vigilance, Constant Vigilance



A recent tragedy in Toronto has revived some terrifying memories for me. A 12 year old autistic boy fell to his death from the 16th floor of a Toronto highrise in early May while under the supervision of a caregiver who resided at that location and who has now been charged with criminal negligence causing death. The case has prompted calls from the Autism Society Canada for national standards for caregivers working with autistic persons.


I know from personal experience the challenges of caring for autistic children and the need for constant vigilance. Three years ago I was home alone on a Saturday with my then seven year old profoundly autistic son when I took a business call on my phone. I had gotten into the habit of taking such calls while listening for my son's whereabouts. This time I got too involved in the call.


When I hung up I could not find my son. I ran frantically around the house and the yard before calling 911. I was informed that he was safe at the nearby Ultramar. He had attempted to cross a busy neighborhood street oblivious to the dangers posed by traffic. A good Samaritan had stopped and helped him into the Ultramar from where I picked him up. The man was still there, waiting to ensure my son was safe, when I arrived but at that point he turned and left without waiting for recognition, reward, or expressions of gratitude.
In my entire life I had never felt such fear, guilt, relief and gratitude. The impact of these intense feelings in one short span of time was difficult to absorb. I can literally still feel them now as I type, three years later. The lessons learned will never be forgotten.


As a lawyer I would not pre-judge the caregiver in the Toronto case - or the outcome of that case. As a parent who has "been there" I know that it is all too easy, unless we want our autistic children to live imprisoned in "safe" environments, for the unthinkable to occur. There is no training that can absolutely guarantee our childrens' safety. But, to improve the odds and reduce the incidents of tragedy, there should be minimum national training standards for those who provide care for autistic persons - parents included.

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