Here is your update on the TACA (TALK ABOUT CURING AUTISM) Group for December 2003 #2. As always, email your thoughts and/or questions.
I want to make this e-newsletter informative for you. Let me know your thoughts on how I can improve it.
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IF this email is NEW to you and you don't recognize the name... WELCOME! These emails happen two to four times a month for the Southern California autism support group called TACA.
We focus on parent information and support, parent mentoring, dietary intervention , the latest in medical research, special education law, reviews of the latest treatments, and many other topics relating to Autism. Our main goal is to build our community so we can connect, share and support each other.
Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) provides general information of interest to the autism community. The information comes from a variety of sources and TACA does not independently verify any of it. The views expressed herein are not necessarily TACA’s.
TACA has an official web site at www.tacanow.com
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In this edition of TACA e-news:
- Next TACA Meeting Information
- Upcoming TACA Costa Mesa schedule & other TACA
meeting schedule info –
December 2003 - March 2004 - IMPORTANT: SCHOOL DISTRICT ROUNDTABLE ATTENDEES MUST RSVP!
- General News:
- Don’t like the idea of RADICAL budget cuts? Rally in Sacramento on December 10th
- A FLURRY OF great articles covering the unprecedented, proposed budget cuts
- Vaccine & FLU News
- IMPORTANT information about Dec 13th TACA Costa Mesa SCHOOL DISTRICT ROUNDTABLE MEETING
- Need more support? MORE Coffee Talk!
- Social Events – SPECIAL SANTA ANNOUNCEMENT FOR TACA FAMILIES!
- Upcoming Conferences
- Personal note
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1) Next TACA COSTA MESA support group meeting:
Date: Saturday, December 13, 2003 (always the 2nd Saturday of each month)
Time: 1:00 - 4:00 (NEW TIME!!!!!)
TOPIC: School District Round Table
An open discussion about school district services for PARENTS
AND
CARETAKERS OF ASD children only!
SEE ITEM #5 FOR IMPORTANT DETAILS ON THIS MEETING!
PARENTS MUST RSVP FOR THE MEETING
PLACE: VINEYARD NEWPORT CHURCH - 102 East Baker Avenue - Costa Mesa
(I am happy to report the church is back! With the new
time, consider it our new home!!)
(Please do not contact the church for meeting details. They have graciously offered use of their facility, but are not affiliated with TACA.)
Directions:
405 FWY South, Exit Bristol
Right on Bristol
Left on Baker
Go under FREEWAY.
The Vineyard Church is on the corner just after the freeway - turn left onto the freeway access road, make FIRST right into the Vineyard's parking lot.
And remember, we are still a non-faith based group!
CONTACT PHONE FOR DAYS OF THE MEETING ONLY: 949.678.9010
Please do NOT use the cell contact for days outside of the meetings. Thank you!
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2) UPCOMING TACA Costa Mesa Meeting Schedule:
All meetings at the Vineyard:
January 10, 2004: Big Fun Gymnastics – Occupational Therapy for ASD Kids
Gene Hurwin
February 14, 2003: An Insiders View on Autism – What does the DSM IV Criteria for Autism mean? Important information for parents and friends of autistic children.
Attorney and mother of four, Dana, like her seven-year-old son, is autistic. She will share her unique insider view on autism. An active, devoted mother, Dana offers her views on autism, including building on her strengths, her philosophical perspective on autism, and how she helps her children.
We are excited to have Dana take the time to be with us at our group!
March 13, 2004: Speaker to be announced!
Much more is being planned for 2004! Stay tuned!
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TACA has FIVE So. California meeting locations:
1) Costa Mesa: 2nd Saturday of each month (info in item #1 for meeting subjects and details.)
2) Mission Hills (the Valley, man!): NEW the 1st Sunday of every month, 7-9 p.m. Location: Jay Nolan Community Services – 15501 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Suite 200, Mission Hills CA 91345... -- Info: Contact Us
3) San Diego: 4th Tuesday evening – 6:30- 8:00 p.m. – Info: Contact Us
4) Corona: 3rd Saturday – 1:30–4:30 pm - NEW LOCATION!!! Info: Contact us
5) Torrance: 3rd Monday of each month at Whole Foods Market on PCH in Torrance – 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. For more info: Contact us
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3) General News:
Missed the RALLY in Sacramento? Here is your chance in LOS ANGELES!
ACTION
ALERT:
(LA AREA PEOPLE)
COME TO SENATE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE WILL HOLD INFORMATIONAL
HEARING ON IMPACT OF GOVERNOR'S CUTS
WHEN
DECEMBER 15, 2003 - MONDAY
12:00 NOON to 3:00 PM
WHERE
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chambers
Kenneth Hahn Hall of
Administration, Room 381-B
500 West Temple Street, Los Angeles
WHAT
* Will hear from
several panels and limited general public testimony on the impact of the
Governor’s proposed mid-year cuts to health and human service programs, including
regional centers, suspension of Lanterman Act, IHSS, Medi-Cal. This is not a
budget hearing nor will any action or vote be taken. However, it is a hearing
that is meant to make visible the impacts of the Governor's cuts (both fiscal
and human needs).
* We are organizing a
press conference at 11:30
AM and working with
local groups to bring hundreds of people with disabilities, and their advocates, to the hearing.
WHY
* This committee is a
different committee from the Senate Budget Subcommittee #3 that heard from
people with disabilities at the 12/10 hearing at the State Capitol, though
several members are on both committees. (Sen. Deborah Ortiz is the Chair, and
members include Sen. Wes Chesbro, who chairs the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review
Committee, and also the Budget subcommittee on health and human service
issues).
* Though the committee
has no jurisdiction over budget issues, its focus is on health and human
services related legislation and issues, and the hearing will further highlight
to the Governor, the media and the Legislature about the real impact of the
Governor's proposed cuts to people with developmental and other disabilities,
seniors, low-come families and others.
* This is another step
in community-based organizing efforts - and it is important to show
policymakers and others that these issues are tremendously important to people
with disabilities and others.
WHO
SHOULD COME
* Everyone in the Los
Angeles area - people with developmental and other disabilities, seniors,
people with low incomes, community organizations, providers, direct care and
other workers.
* It is important that
all people -- whether with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities,
the blind, the deaf, those with mental health needs, seniors and others -- should
come.
* Not everyone will be
able to testify, but your face and presence is important.
* For help in
coordinating local groups to the hearing site, please contact Steve Rosenthal
with AbilityFirst at 626/396-1010, ext 351, or Terri Lantz with UCP of Los
Angeles and Ventura at 818/782-2211, ext 582, or Area
Board 10.
AGENDA
(not final)
Senate Health and Human
Services Committee will hear from four panels – 20 to 30 minutes each; 3
stories each. This agenda is subject to change. Testimonies and remarks should
be concise, focused and really brief (to allow others to speak, but also
because its the best way to get a point across):
12:00 Panel One
Issue: Capping
enrollments -- in Healthy Families, Regional Centers, AIDS assistance
Focus: What does this
mean for families and individuals? Young children (Healthy Families and Regional Center services for developmental disabilities)
* Persons with AIDS
12:30 Panel Two
Issue: The
In-Home Supportive Services “residual” program
Focus: What does
eliminating it mean for individuals and families?
* A family caring for a young child
* A senior caring for spouse
* A family member caring for an adult who is disabled
1:00 Panel
Three
Issue: Developmental
Disabilities – “non-core” services (especially respite)
Focus: Who uses respite
services and what does it mean for them?
* Families with children
* Person/s caring for an adult family member who has a disability
1:30
Panel Four
Issue:
Medi-Cal provider rate reduction
Focus: Impact on
access to health services due to rate reduction
* E.R. doc testifying about too many people coming to emergency rooms because
they
have no primary care physician
* A physician who takes Medi-Cal patients
2:00 Open testimony from general public (limited)
3:00 Adjournment of hearing
BACKGROUND
- WHAT THE GOVERNOR PROPOSED
* Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger's Department of Finance submitted to both the Senate and
Assembly Budget Committees Tuesday last week, a proposal for massive cuts to
health and human services in both the current year budget now in operation and
for next year including (see also CA UCP Capitol Report #171-2003-addendum).
The cuts include:
* Suspension of the landmark
Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act - the civil rights act that
protects people with developmental disabilities, including thousands of
children with autism, mental retardation and cerebral palsy. The
suspension would be permanent and is the first time that any Governor has
proposed suspension in its 35-year history. The original historic act was
authored by Republican Assemblyman Frank Lanterman in 1969 and signed into law
by then-Governor Ronald Reagan.
* Enrollment caps (at December
31, 2003 caseload levels) to several health and human service programs -
including regional centers that serve people with developmental disabilities;
state hospitals that serve people with mental health needs; developmental
centers serving people with developmental disabilities; rehabilitation
programs, Healthy Families (health insurance program for low-income families);
AIDS Drug Assistance Program, Genetically Handicapped Persons Program; the
California Children's Services state only program - impacting thousands of
people, including children with autism. The draft legislation
submitted by the Governor Tuesday called for caseload and spending caps on
INDIVIDUAL regional centers - and authority to modify, change a person's
individual program plan with the right of appeal eliminated (except for cases
impacted by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Social
Security). The caseload caps would be permanent.
* Waiting Lists - the Governor's
Department of Finance is proposing the establishment of waiting lists for the above
programs and services. As attrition occurs, new persons would be permitted to
enroll into those programs, up to the December 31, 2003 capped caseload level - meaning
that a mother, for instance, who gives birth to a baby with autism (or other
developmental disabilities) would - if the Governor's proposal passes - have to
wait probably for years to receive regional center services. The waiting
lists would likely be permanent.
* Elimination of In-Home
Supportive Services Residual Program for families who employ parents or spouses
to assist their own family members with disabilities.
* Huge cuts to important
community services funded through regional center services including
elimination of critically needed respite services for families with children
with developmental disabilities, recreational programs, non-medical therapies
including music therapy, equestrian therapy (permanent cuts of over $300
million).
* Another rate reduction for
Medi-Cal providers of 10% (on top of the 5% reduction imposed by the current
budget) that will further reduce access to health care by people with
disabilities and seniors. This reduction would be permanent.
* Increase licensing fees for
community care facilities for children and adults with developmental and
other disabilities, seniors.
* More major cuts and
reductions are expected when the Governor releases another possible round of
current budget cuts and his proposed budget for 2004-2005 on January 10.
OTHER
THINGS YOU CAN DO
* DON'T PANIC! We can fight
back if we unite and coordinate our actions together!
* FRIDAY, DEC. 12 and
FRIDAY, DEC. 19 -- State Town Hall Tele-Meeting on regional center co-payment
and Lanterman suspension proposal and other cuts. For more information,
email - martyomoto@rcip.com or call 916/446-0013.
* VISIT AND CALL
YOUR OWN LEGISLATOR AT LOCAL DISTRICT OFFICE - go in groups of five or more
(people with disabilities, friends, neighbors, family members, direct care
workers and providers and others) and ask their position on the Governor's cuts
- and urge them to oppose. Don't be insulting (it doesn't help).
* LETTERS TO THE EDITORS OF
YOUR LOCAL PAPER - write letters to the editor on the Governor's proposed cuts
and proposal to suspend the Lanterman Act.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT THIS ALERT
* This is a NON-PARTISAN
online ALERT of the non-partisan California Disability Community Action
Network, a link to thousands of Californians with developmental and other
disabilities, their families, community organizations and providers, direct
care and other workers, and other advocates. These reports (formerly the CA UCP
Capitol Reports) are for all of them.
* If you would like to get
on this distribution (and conversely, get off of it) please send an email with
that request to: martyomoto@rcip.com. Sharing information is part
of our organizing effort. Please feel free to forward or copy this
(attribution is nice). We're all in this together!
Marty Omoto,
director/organizer
California Disability Community Action Network
1225 8th Street Suite 480 Sacramento, CA 95814 VOICE PHONE:
916/446-0013
FAX number:
916/446-0026 email:
martyomoto@rcip.com
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Thousands Swarm Capitol to Protest Cuts
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By Carl Ingram
Times Staff Writer
December 11 2003
SACRAMENTO; In what security officers described as one of the largest Capitol demonstrations in years, thousands of disabled Californians, college students and police representatives converged Wednesday to protest midyear budget cuts sought by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The complete article can be viewed at: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-demo11dec11,1,2412070.story?coll=la-headlines-california
Visit Latimes.com at http://www.latimes.com
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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20031209-1839-cnsxmaskid.html
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Escondido boy helps Schwarzenegger light state Christmas tree |
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SACRAMENTO – Cradled in the massive arms of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, toddler Reese Hodge flashed a joyous smile Tuesday while helping California's first family celebrate lighting the state's Christmas tree. But as the charming Escondido boy afflicted with cerebral palsy commanded a share of the stage with Schwarzenegger, a candlelight vigil was being held within earshot to protest the governor's proposed cuts in programs for the disabled. The developmentally disabled traditionally create ornaments for the tree and one child is selected to help the governor turn on the festive lights – an irony not lost on protester Sandra Coronilla, a San Diego mother of two autistic children. "This is just show," she complained. On a stage protected from a chilly drizzle and clutching a teddy bear, Reese, 2½, was surrounded by California's newest "it" couple, as well as singer Randy Travis and television personality Mary Hart. "They told me all you do is go up there and light a tree. No big deal," said Reese's nervous dad, Chris Hodge. No big deal indeed. A bank of television cameras beamed the event across the state as Schwarzenegger helped Reese flip the switch and hang an ornament on the tree. "This is an honor for us to share this with them," said Reese's mom, Sandra Pleitez-Hodge. Chris Hodge said he understands the dilemma families of the disabled may confront in these tough budget times. The Hodges heap praise on the San Diego Regional Center for helping them. "When he was born, we just didn't know where to turn," Chris Hodge said. "What they've done for our child is miraculous." The holiday celebration is not the place for politics, he said. Perhaps the governor will remember Reese as an "ambassador" and recognize how vital these services are, Chris Hodge suggested. Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, have a history of support for the disabled. They have been active in many programs, including Special Olympics. "I hope she throws her two cents worth in" when budget decisions are finalized, Chris Hodge said. Scattered catcalls did not faze the governor during his brief remarks. "Gov. Schwarzenegger – disabled kids should be more than a photo op," read a sign carried by Shella DuMong, of Santa Barbara, mother of a child with Down's Syndrome. |
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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/thu/news/news_1n11cuts.html
Hundreds join Capitol
protest of proposed health care cuts
By Bill Ainsworth
STAFF WRITER
December 11, 2003
SACRAMENTO – Social workers from the Valley Mountain Regional Center in Stockton help Donald Roberts live on his
own. They make sure the mildly retarded 41-year-old pays his bills, buys
groceries and attends doctors' appointments.
"If it wasn't for a regional center, I'd still be in a state hospital," Roberts said yesterday.
But these non-medical counseling services would be eliminated under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposal.
Roberts was one of hundreds of disabled people and parents and caregivers who gathered at the Capitol yesterday to protest a wide variety of health care cuts recommended by Schwarzenegger to trim $1.9 billion off the state's budget.
The Republican governor has proposed reducing the Medi-Cal reimbursement rate by 10 percent and eliminating non-core regional services for disabled people like Roberts.
He also has proposed capping the Healthy Families program that serves the children of the working poor and limiting enrollment in the California Children's Services, which cares for chronically ill children.
The Democratic-controlled Legislature has not given any indication whether it will enact these cuts.
For his part, Schwarzenegger has said that he hates to propose such cuts, but they are needed to get the state out of its fiscal crisis. At a luncheon on Tuesday, Schwarzenegger's wife, Maria Shriver, said she regrets the cuts.
"Am I happy about the cuts? Absolutely not. Is he? No way," said Shriver, a niece of Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, a champion of health care issues. "But my husband was elected to put California's fiscal house in order."
At a Senate budget committee hearing yesterday, parents, physicians and lobbyists warned that the cuts would cause dire consequences.
Those covered by Medi-Cal, the state/federal health care program for low-income people, would find it more difficult to get doctors' appointments because California already pays among the lowest rates in the nation for physicians who treat Medi-Cal patients, doctors warned.
Steve Polansky, a Sacramento physician who treats Medi-Cal patients, said he had to take a specialist to dinner to convince him to perform surgery on a patient with a complicated illness. "There is a tremendous doctor shortage," he said. "If we have an additional 10 percent cut, Medi-Cal is dead."
Physicians also testified that capping California Children's Services wouldn't work because chronically ill children need help right away.
Others argued that the governor's proposal to eliminate respite care would cost the state more money because so many families wouldn't be able to care for their autistic children at home and would be forced to send them to an institution.
The program provides relief to parents, allowing them to leave the home or just get some rest.
Sandra Coronilla, a San Diego mother of two autistic children, said that without assistance the disabled would wind up in more expensive care facilities.
Parents, she said, need respite care "to refuel and re-energize" so they can provide loving and supportive homes for the disabled.
"This is the real world. He can't put on a facade like in his movies," she said.
Advocates for the disabled also are surprised that Schwarzenegger, who promoted himself as a child advocate during the campaign, would make such cuts, especially given his association with Special Olympics, a program founded by his mother-in-law, Eunice Shriver.
At a rally Monday, one advocate carried a sign, saying "Eunice, Help Us."
"We're shocked and really appalled," said Rick Rollens, a lobbyist and former top official with the state Senate, whose son is autistic. "He's got a big track record of being a friend to the disabled. These are the most vulnerable, the most fragile people in our society."
Copley News Service correspondent Michael Gardner contributed to this article.
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4) VACCINE NEWS – THE FLU!
CORRECTION FROM DEC #1 TACA ENEWS
I made a
mistake in the last TACA e-news (this is based on resources provided to me - it
was NOT intentional.)
The two flu VACCINES do contain thimerosal. The FLUMIST (nasal mist) DOES NOT
contain thimerosal - but it is live virus.
Please consult with your doctors and package inserts on details on whether or
not you should take the vaccine.
Sorry for the mistake. Thanks to Vicki for helping uncover the correct info.
More from Vicki –
Here is an information page on the flu vaccine (shot and FluMist) from the National Vaccine Information Center. Scroll down to the bottom, then see the third paragraph up from the bottom.
http://www.909shot.com/Diseases/influenzafacts.htm
Also see the prescribing information from Wyeth; page 2, third paragraph:
http://www.wyeth.com/content/Showfile.asp?id=296
CDC Study Raises Level of Suspicion
Posted Dec. 8, 2003
|
Canned tuna or canned poison? That
was the teaser for a CBS 2 News "HealthWatch" Report of Nov. 22 that
focused on high levels of mercury found in tuna and the possible health risks
associated with them.
CBS 2 News reporter Paul Moniz quoted a number of
physicians, who observed of the toxic substance that, "Once it gets into
our bodies, a substantial part of it will end up in our nervous system, in our
brains, and it's there that it causes a variety of symptoms." A pediatrician
is quoted as saying, "We know that high levels of mercury can impair the
cognitive development as well as the growth and development of a young
child." What the report appears to be revealing is that while overweight
Americans may flee to fish to lose unwanted pounds, too much of that tasty tuna
could reduce the IQ more than the waistline.
What the critics of mercury in vaccines find
provocative about this report is the acknowledgement by physicians that the
high levels of mercury ingested from canned tuna can cause severe health risks.
One such critic, the mother of an autistic child, wonders "why everyone
gets up in arms over ingesting small amounts of mercury from fish or from
breaking a thermometer but finds it acceptable to inject an even more toxic
form of mercury directly into the bloodstream of infants. The evidence is
overwhelming that hundreds of thousands of children were damaged by gross
overexposure to mercury through vaccines [containing thimerosal] and millions
more were and continue to be put at risk, yet network news has not addressed
this in any significant way. The public needs and deserves to know the truth -
not only about the biggest medical bungling in our history, but also about the
extraordinary efforts of both the pharmaceutical industry and government
agencies to cover it up."
A pharmaceutical and government cover-up? It is a
familiar enough accusation, and this time the fuse was lit by yet another study
from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this one
titled Safety of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: A Two-Phased Study of
Computerized Health Maintenance Organization Databases. The report concluded
that "no consistent significant associations were found between TCVs
[thimerosal-containing vaccines] and neurodevelopment outcomes." Critics
scoff at such a conclusion. "Sure," laughs one, "they say you
can't eat tuna because the level of mercury you ingest isn't good for you, but
there's no health risk associated with injecting high levels of mercury directly
into a newborn baby?"
The CDC study, released in the November 2003 issue
of Pediatrics, seemed to puzzle news media, with most who took note of it
making at least a mention of the fact that the lead author, Thomas Verstraeten,
was an employee of GlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceutical giant and vaccine
manufacturer, when he submitted the study for publication.
The first part of the two-phase study to determine
whether there is a connection between thimerosal-containing vaccines and
neurodevelopment disorders began in 1999 and involved the review of data from Seattle's Group
Health Cooperative and Northern California Kaiser, both large
health-maintenance organizations (HMOs). The data used in this first phase
actually revealed a significant association between TCVs administered to
infants and later developmental abnormalities such as speech and language
delays and neurodevelopment problems in general, such as tics and the alleged
hyperactivity symptoms of attention-deficit disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder.
However, this conclusion was not included in the
final draft; it was only made public afterward when Verstraeten's notes were
revealed in another forum, according to specialists. The notes, not published
with the CDC study, showed that the "relative risk" for autism was
2.48 times higher for children who received 62.5 micrograms or more of mercury
from TCVs by 3 months of age.
The second phase of the study in June 2000, however,
involved the Harvard Pilgrim HMO in Massachusetts - an
unlikely choice, critics say. Among the problems with using Harvard Pilgrim's
database was that the HMO was in bankruptcy and had been taken over by the commonwealth of Massachusetts. The
medical records not only were incomplete, but the data were stored with a
diagnostic coding system completely unlike that used in the first phase of the
study using data from the two West Coast HMOs. Furthermore, the Harvard Pilgrim
data, say the expert analysts, had incomplete data on autism and did not even
address the issue.
Thus medical reviewers of the CDC study charge that
it is rife with data manipulation. Since it relied on incompatible diagnostic
coding to validate whether there were adverse effects from exposure to TCVs,
the effect was to sabotage the result. So, they say, it was not surprising that
the CDC study's analysis of the Harvard Pilgrim data found no consistent
association between vaccines containing thimerosal and the mercury-related
neurological disorders found previously in the first phase based on the two
West Coast HMOs.
One of the few physicians in Congress, Rep. Dave
Weldon (R-Fla.), immediately saw the problems associated with the CDC study and
notified CDC Director Julie Gerberding. Weldon wrote, "I have serious
reservations about the four-year evolution and conclusions of this study. A
review of these documents leaves me very concerned that rather than seeking to
understand whether or not some children were exposed to harmful levels of
mercury in childhood vaccines in the 1990s, there may have been a selective use
of the data to make the associations in the earliest study disappear."
Weldon's letter to Gerberding goes on to observe
that "the first version of the study, produced in February 2000, found a
significant association between exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines and
autism and neurological developmental delays. A June 2000 version of the study
applied various data manipulations to reduce the autism association to 1.69,
and the authors went outside the VSD [Vaccine Safety Datalink] database to
secure data from a Massachusetts HMO [Harvard Pilgrim] in order to counter the
association found between TCVs and speech delays." Clear enough.
The Florida
lawmaker, who is a staunch supporter of immunization, tells Insight, "I
don't know what's going on. It's a pretty lame study to begin with. The way
they've done it is they got some findings and started adding more numbers to
the denominator - it's kind of a strange protocol they followed. Then there are
all these quotes from the researchers from other documents about how you can
add numbers and stratify things and get any outcome you want. Then you consider
that the lead author is working for a drug company, didn't disclose this fact
and also that it is one of the drug companies being sued over this mercury
issue. I'm just very concerned that we're not going to get answers as long as
there are careers at stake. You know there are people at the CDC who have been
involved in the vaccine program who didn't recognize the amount of mercury they
were giving kids, and now they're in the process of investigating themselves.
Meanwhile a lot of these investigators bounce to and from the drug companies. I
think it all is very, very murky and very suspicious."
Weldon summarizes: "The CDC produced an article
by Dr. Verstraeten, published on Nov. 3 in Pediatrics. Dr. Verstraeten is a
former CDC employee. Since 2001 he has worked for GlaxoSmithKline - a vaccine
manufacturer. While working for the CDC in 2000, the first version of Dr.
Verstraeten's unpublished study found an association between higher thimerosal
exposures and neurodevelopment disorders, including autism. Between 2000 and
2003, Dr. Verstraeten and coauthors manipulated and stratified the data so much
that each of these associations magically disappeared. I don't know if it was
deliberate, but that is nonetheless what happened. This study has done nothing
in my mind to put these concerns to rest, but only serves to raise
suspicions."
This veteran member of Congress puts it plainly:
"We're not going to get answers to these questions until Congress or some
outside group starts poring through this information. But it's very
coincidental that they added the hepatitis vaccine, the HiB vaccine and the
chicken-pox vaccine - they added all these additional childhood vaccines around
the time when the autism rate started to skyrocket. Then when you actually sit
down and do the calculations, according to the Environmental Protection Agency
[EPA], they were giving these kids very toxic levels of mercury. I mean as a
150- to 200-pound adult the EPA says you're not supposed to take in more than
one microgram per day. They were taking little seven- and 10-pound babies and
pumping 50 and 75 micrograms of mercury into them in one shot. That's like
giving an adult 1,000 micrograms. And, on top of that, the World Health
Organization says mercury is 10 times more toxic in children than it is in
adults. It's horrifying."
While Weldon and others cite huge and undeniable
flaws, a spokesman for the CDC, Von Roebuck, tells Insight that "the CDC
stands by the study." As he explains it, "We pretty much looked into
that [manipulation of data] in the sense of how the information was presented,
and we do stand behind it. The CDC knew that Dr. Verstraeten worked for GlaxoSmithKline,
and the one thing that we would want to happen differently is that would have
been known before, but the work that Dr. Verstraeten did was for the CDC at the
time the work was produced - the work that he did for the study was done when
he worked for the CDC."
Mark Geier, M.D., Ph.D., is president of the Genetic
Centers of America. He and his son, David Geier,
president of Medcon Inc., are consultants on vaccine cases. David Geier tells
Insight, "What happened here is Dr. Verstraeten goes to the Institute of
Medicine [IOM] and says that he looked at it in one California HMO and it was
statistical and he saw the effect, and then he did it in another California HMO
and it was statistical and he saw the effect, then he went to Harvard Pilgrim
HMO and he didn't see the effect. The IOM said it's biologically plausible, but
the epidemiology is mixed and therefore we're not sure."
"In my opinion," explains Mark Geier,
"if they had seen clear epidemiology they would have recommended the
immediate removal of thimerosal and hundreds of children would have been saved.
But Verstraeten went to the one state in the country where the percentage of
autism was the lowest. According to the U.S. Department of Education the
average increase in autism was 400 percent, and every state in the union had at
least a 100 percent increase. But Harvard Pilgrim had just a 10 percent
increase."
"We went to Atlanta,"
he continues, "to the CDC, and looked at the VSD data. There is
thimerosal-containing DTaP [diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine] and
thimerosal-free DTaP, so we asked a question: Among children that got a minimum
of either three consecutive thimerosal-containing DTaPs or three consecutive
thimerosal-free DTaPs, was there a difference in the number of autism cases in
the two groups? We found mega differences. More than 20 times higher. The rate
of autism in the children that got more than three doses of
thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccines was much, much higher. Almost all the
children that have autism in that group were the ones that got the
thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccine. The more thimerosal the greater the cases
of autism."
Mark Geier says, "Believe us, there is no
scientific issue here. This is fraud. The CDC and the FDA [Food and Drug
Administration] know what is happening. They just can't admit it because it is
one of the worst things ever to have happened to this United
States. If a terrorist had done this, we wouldn't attack them,
we'd nuke them. We're talking about one in eight children in the U.S. that
currently are in special education, and that number is going to change to about
one in five. What percentage of our young population can we destroy before we
realize how serious this is?"
Lyn Redwood, a registered nurse, mother of an
autistic child and president and cofounder of www.SafeMinds.org (Sensible Action for
Ending Mercury-Induced Neurological Disorders), a nonprofit organization
dedicated to ending devastation caused by the needless use of mercury in medicines,
tells Insight that "there are so many problems with the study, but over
time you can see how all the manipulations of the data slowly bring down the
signals for neurological disorders. I think they were trying to get lower
numbers. It must be very hard to admit that a program that was designed to
eradicate infectious disease has resulted in an epidemic of a whole new kind of
disease. But to think that we weren't given a choice when the regulators and
manufacturers knew these products contained mercury is inconceivable."
Redwood says with a sigh, "On a scale of one to
10, I give the CDC study a big fat zero. I think it started out good, but when
they saw the early numbers it scared the hell out of them. I don't have any
faith in the CDC doing a decent study of this matter. It's like having the
tobacco industry monitor cigarettes for safety. From a parent's perspective and
from a health-care professional's perspective it's maddening that we can't get
products that are safe, and yet we're forced by law to use them. They need to
just get the thimerosal out. It's barbaric."
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5)
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION ABOUT DECEMBER 13th
TACA COSTA MESA – SCHOOL DISTRICT
ROUND TABLE MEETING
Important note: YOU MUST RSVP to attend! (To also organize districts and similar geographic areas!) To RSVP send a note to tacanow@cox.net
Meeting Goals
School districts vary greatly in the services they provide and approaches to helping special education children meet their annual goals. This is often the case for children where cases vary drastically even WITHIN THE SAME DISTRICT.
The goal of the TACA December meeting is to connect with community, freely discuss district high points and possible issues, and use the time to share important information about our children. These discussions will be set up by school district wherever possible and then by city and close geographic proximity.
To help facilitate the meeting:
To help facilitate the meeting we have asked the help of local special education attorneys, advocates and experienced parents to participate in the meeting and discussions.
What we need
1) For TACA’s most popular districts – a district parent volunteer to facilitate the meeting.
2) A note taker for important elements learned.
3) And a sign-in sheet should the round table participants wish to keep in contact for future issues and discussions.
Rules:
1) Everyone must do one thing at the meeting:
· Introduce themselves, specify relationship to the child, provide the child’s AGE and what district they reside in. It would be best but optional if they could say if they have an in-home program or school site program and services.
· NOTE: Parents are NOT required to share any information, sign in for future meetings and correspondence. The rest of the meeting is optional.
2)
If you learn something from a new
friend at this meeting, you are NOT TO SAY NAMES OF PEOPLE RECEIVING
SERVICES TO YOUR DISTRICT. A good way to discuss with the district at
a meeting is:
”I have acquaintances in this district who receive such services for their
child with similar issues. I am not going to share names, that is not what is
important here. What is important is a disparity of services. How are you
suggesting we move forward here?”
WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT? Retribution to the family who shared
important information is possible. And it is not required you share
confidential information shared in confidence by parents in the same district
with the district.
3) If you have a confidential settlement with your district, you may NOT discuss this settlement with anyone else. Please contact your special education attorney for details.
4) TACA cannot guarantee all people will follow these rules or that a district person is not present at this meeting. If a piece of information is truly confidential and you are concerned about confidentiality and protection, please do not share this information!
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6) Need more support? MORE COFFEE TALK !
Coffee talk is going to be your hour (or so) once the kids are away at school to chat with other families affected by Autism. This is an unstructured, casual meeting environment to chat and talk about what you want to talk about.
Date: Tuesday,
December 16th
Time: 9:00 a.m. –
10:30 a.m.
Location: Diedrich Coffee – Costa Mesa
1170 Baker Street (off the 405 freeway and Fairview Street)
NO need to RSVP, just join us for a little coffee, a little talk, no big whoop!
7) SOCIAL EVENTS
SPECIAL HOLIDAY NEWS! SANTA FOR TACA FAMILIES AT SOUTH COAST PLAZA!!!
South Coast Plaza has generously offered to have Santa and their photo crew start early just for TACA families:
Date: Saturday, December 20, 2003
Time: 8:30am - 9:30am (before the mall officially opens to the public)
Place: South Coast Plaza - Costa Mesa
Park & Enter BY Z-TEJAS RESTAURANT, NEAR SEARS
FREE CAROUSEL RIDES WILL BE OFFERED DURING THIS HOUR!!!
This incredible opportunity will allow our children to see Santa, have their picture taken IF YOU CHOOSE (There are several photo packages available for purchase, but you are not obligated to have a photo taken. You may just opt to have your child visit Santa.) Regardless of whether or not you purchase photos, this will allow TACA families to see Santa without the holiday lines and crowds. WHAT A WAY TO SEE SANTA! Typical siblings are welcome, of course! WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE!
THANKS TO DIANE GALLANT FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN!!!
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From our very own Diane Gallant:
OCME plans to have Santa Claus on their December dates. What fun! (I know
who they'll be using, too....we were there yesterday, and one of the workers looks exactly like Santa....and his full beard is REAL!)
FREE TRAIN RIDES - third full weekend of every month. The OCME Train Rides for the remainder of the year are:
Saturday and Sunday: 12/20 and 12/21
Run 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Their track is located in Fairview Park on Placentia Ave. between Adams on the north and Wilson on the south.
For Information, call (714) 54-TRAIN.
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8) CONFERENCES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:
Dramautism – Studio City
Drama
therapy for HFA/Aspie kids (ages 4 to 7). Taught by Debra Clark,
producer-writer and mother of two autistic sons; and Patsy Keating, a special
education teacher for LAUSD.
Now until Dec. 28, Studio City - 4pm to 5pm, $30/session - CBS
Television Studios
Debra Clark, dclark0704@yahoo.com
or 818-360-7125
=====
|
JANUARY 7, 2004 - SPECIAL EDUCATION & THE LAW WORKSHOP Presented by East County Children’s Disability Council and Team of Advocates for Special Kids. Due to limited space, the Workshop is $10.00 to professionals and $2.00 to parents of children with disabilities, with scholarships available. Please send your check to reserve your place at the table to: Location: East County Children’s Disability Council - 1068 Broadway, Suite 221 - El Cajon, CA 92021For more information, contact Janet Light 619-465-2288 or e-mail: secsess@cox.net. Time is 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. ***Come as early as 9:00 am for a tour of our Library and see what books are available for check out. Question and Answer period after presentation. ===== Asperger Syndrome - Clinical Features, Assessment, and
Intervention Guidelines -Fred Volkmar, M.D. ===== Solving the Relationship Puzzle: Opening Doors to Friendship
for People on the Autistic Spectrum – Los Angeles |
|
===== Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) 2-Day Workshop –
San Diego |
=====
MAJOR Autism Conference announced for Southern California by CASD.
Location: Santa Monica – April 23-24, 2004
Watch web site for speaker list: http://www.casdweb.org/index.htm
If you have questions or would like more information, please email the director at kazuko@grandecom.net.
______________________________________________________________________
9) Personal Note:
Just to clarify – Jeff has been on the Gluten Free/Casein Free (GFCF) diet since January 2000. In the last TACA e-news I was mentioning resources on the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate diet). We have not tried that diet yet!.
Hugs, thanks, and be SAFE,
Lisa A Jeff's mom
Web Page for the TACA GROUP: www.tacanow.com - check it out/let me know your thoughts at contact us !
Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) provides general information of interest to the autism community. The information comes from a variety of sources and TACA does not independently verify any of it. The views expressed herein are not necessarily TACA’s.
TACA does not engage in lobbying or other political activities.
P.S. TACA e-news is now at 1,008 families