• Meets: 2nd Saturday of each month
• More Info: (info in item #1 for meeting topics and details) CLICK HERE TO FIND A MEETING

http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_3162380

By Kevin Butler, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram 

LONG BEACH — Hundreds of people attending an autism conference on Friday heard from parents who say that various treatments greatly reduced, or eliminated, their autistic children's symptoms. The three-day "Defeat Autism Now!" conference, organized by a San Diego think tank, The Autism Research Institute, featured parents saying their autistic children dramatically improved, thanks to dietary regimens, behavioral therapy and various medications.

Not all researchers believe that all the touted remedies have been scientifically demonstrated.

About 10 children whose parents say have recovered from the condition were interviewed on-stage in front of a large audience at The Westin Long Beach.

Stan Kurtz said he and his wife were devastated when they learned their young son Ethan had autism.

"It's life-changing," he said. "You lose your child. … and you have to rebuild. You have to see what's really going on."

Ethan, now 4 years old, didn't speak and often just stared out the window, Kurtz said.

Now his son's symptoms have largely gone away, thanks to a combination of drugs and dietary changes, said Kurtz, a Tarzana resident.

Kurtz on Friday asked his son to describe his favorite book, " Charlotte's Web."

Speaking of the main character, a pig called Wilbur, Ethan Kurtz smiled and said, "He was a baby, and then he grew up."

Cindy Goldenberg said until her son started a drug treatment when he was 3 years old, he wouldn't speak, make eye contact or play appropriately.

At around age 3, her son Garrett, now 16 years old, started receiving infusions of a protein used to treat immune deficiencies, she said. She said his symptoms were gone by the time he was 5 years old.

"I feel like I not only got a miracle, but I got a second chance," said Goldenberg, a Laguna Niguel resident.

Goldenberg, like some other parents at the conference, subscribes to the controversial theory that her child's condition was linked to a vaccine used to ward off measles, mumps and rubella.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, has stated that "the weight of the evidence indicates that vaccines are not associated with autism."

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- As the flu season approaches and the Bush administration begins sharing details of their plan to prevent a possible avian flu pandemic, much emphasis is being placed on the idea that flu shots should be readily available and administered to large portions of the population. But lost in these numerous media reports is the danger posed by mercury found in a majority of annually administered flu vaccine preparations. "Consumers are not aware of the fact that flu shots still contain thimerosal, a mercury based preservative recently phased out of most childhood vaccines," said Lyn Redwood, president of SafeMinds, a non- profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and conducting research into mercury exposure. Most alarming to Redwood is the fact that pregnant mothers and infants are now targeted to receive the annual flu vaccine when they are exactly the populations known to be most vulnerable to exposure to mercury. "We know from study after study that mercury rapidly crosses the placenta, enters the fetal brain and interrupts critical stages of development," said Redwood. The CDC's recently recommended exposure to mercury from flu vaccine comes despite the fact that one in every six women of childbearing already has blood levels of mercury high enough to harm their unborn children from environmental exposures. An EPA announcement came on the heels of a report, which found that the fetus actually accumulates mercury and typically has blood levels 70 percent higher than those found in the mother at the time of birth. According to Mark Blaxill, director of SafeMinds, "Why on earth would the CDC on one hand recommend that pregnant mothers avoid environmental exposure to mercury from eating seafood, but on the other hand ignore the danger from mercury administered in vaccines when they know that an average flu vaccine exceeds EPA's safe level of daily mercury exposure in the average woman by four fold? By suggesting that a direct injection of ethyl mercury via a flu shot is harmless, and indeed by recommending that exposure, these policies defy not only sound medical practice but common sense." "If you choose to be immunized against regular flu, you should know what benefits you're actually getting," continued Blaxill. "American consumers should make informed decisions about their health. Amidst rising fears over a theoretical avian flu pandemic, numerous health officials have tied the avian flu risk to the regular annual flu shot, but most people don't realize that the annual flu shot won't protect you against avian flu. In addition, pregnant women also should know that recent scientific studies show little support or benefit to them or to their fetus from a flu shot." SafeMinds also expressed concern about the blanket protection from liability for vaccine manufacturers offered in Bush's flu pandemic plan. "Any kind of blanket immunity will only take away incentives for producing safe products and inevitably, will set our country up for a bad outcome," continued Redwood. "Immunity from legal liability for injury will result in vaccines that are less safe, which in turn will cause declining public confidence in vaccines." The claim that the threat of lawsuits has kept manufacturers from entering and staying in the vaccine business has long been touted as a reason for protecting the pharmaceutical industry. Language providing relief from liability for vaccine manufacturers has been introduced unsuccessfully over the past several years. Although supporters of these bills claimed that intervention is needed to address concerns over the vaccine supply, the past problems that occurred were a result of long overdue FDA enforcement actions concerning violations of good manufacturing practices and complacency on the part of the manufacturers for production and distribution of their products, not litigation. As the avian flu scare becomes increasingly political, SafeMinds is urging consumers to take a critical view of the rising media hype. SafeMinds encourages doctors to educate themselves and their patients about the risks of mercury exposure before administering the flu vaccine and to recommend only mercury free vaccine products for their patients.

More information about SafeMinds (including neurodevelopmental disorders, autism and mercury exposure) may be found at http://www.safeminds.org or by calling Stephanie Morris at 202-628-7772.

CRAIG WESTOVER
In 1988 the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. "AIDS in the Heartland" chronicled an AIDS patient from diagnosis to death. Setting the Pioneer Press apart was more than simply the passionate writing of reporter Jacqui Banaszynski. Great journalism has an attitude. Banaszynski wanted a focus that "would go a step beyond the informational coverage of AIDS, a story that would not only humanize the AIDS crisis but enlighten and, perhaps, nudge society towards a more compassionate understanding of this stigmatized killer." Yesterday's "AIDS in the Heartland" stands in sharp contrast to today's media coverage of another "stigmatized" cause — the battle of "zealot" parents to raise understanding of the plausible connection between thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative in some childhood vaccines, and autism. "The thimerosal question — scientifically, politically, and emotionally complex — is proving to be a test for journalism," writes Dan Schulman in the November issue of Columbia Journalism Review. Steeped in controversy and intrigue, the thimerosal debate has all the makings of a compelling news story, yet it has been cautiously approached by news media, and if covered at all, is generally not portrayed as a legitimate scientific debate. Locally, proposed legislation to limit the use of thimerosal in childhood vaccines prompted brief coverage on television news programs. The Minneapolis paper ran a single article that framed the controversy as parents versus experts. The Pioneer Press has not run more than a handful of stories on the topic on its news pages. In the mid-1980s, AIDS was no less scientifically, politically and emotionally complex, especially when pursued to provide understanding, not just air the issue. Many readers were not happy with the detail or depth of "AIDS in the Heartland." Some accused the Pioneer Press of glorifying homosexuality, trading on death, exploiting a family's private pain. Managing Editor Mark Nadler defended the series as lifting the shroud of ignorance from AIDS. "Ignorance breeds fear, and a search for culprits rather than cures," he wrote. "His (the patient's) is a story worth telling." A story worth telling? About the time "AIDS in the Heartland" was appearing in the Pioneer Press, the number of children diagnosed with autism was one in 10,000. Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pegs the number at one in 166. During that time, the number of immunizations on the childhood vaccination schedule more than doubled, raising the dosage of mercury, a known neurotoxin, far above federal safety standards. New York Times contributor David Kirby's book "Evidence of Harm," released in April, presented both sides of the thimerosal controversy in a documentary manner, allowing evidence (or absence of comment) to speak for itself. The resulting picture is that of knowledgeable parents and independent researchers challenging a stonewalled government and scientific establishment that relies on after-the-fact epidemiological studies, not before-the-fact safety data, to deny the autism link. However, it has been establishment sources, journalists' go-to guys, framing the debate, often portraying parents as crackpots, conspiracy theorists or zealots, and researchers as junk scientists and charlatans. That perception, notes Schulman, has seeped into the collective consciousness of the news media. There are as many reasons for news media not to cover the thimerosal controversy as there were for the Pioneer Press to back off the Pulitzer-worthy "AIDS in the Heartland" and go with a non-controversial and "balanced" story. The difference is attitude — a willingness to take a risk to find the truth. Beat reporters, notes Columbia Journalism Review, risk losing health sources by calling their judgment into question. A reporter told Schulman that covering the thimerosal controversy was nearly "career-ending." His superiors regarded treating the issue as a two-sided debate as legitimizing a crackpot theory and influencing parents to stop vaccinating their children or to seek out experimental treatments. Real career challenges, to be sure, but what of responsibility to readers? It took journalistic courage to face up to the AIDS epidemic and attack the story, to nudge society in the direction of understanding. Today, the autism epidemic could use a little less fear, a little more nudging and a little less fostering of ignorance. "Whether the thimerosal theory is proved right or wrong, there will be consequences," writes Schulman, "for the public health apparatus and vaccine manufacturers, for parents and their children, even for journalists. But with science left to be done and scientists eager to do it, it seems too soon for the press to shut the door on the debate." Amen. Westover is an Afton writer who blogs at www.craigwestover. blogspot.com. He sits on the board of the Minnesota Autism Center, which has not taken a position in the thimerosal controversy and does not provide biomedical autism treatment. E-mail him at westover4@yahoo.com. RELATED ARTICLE:

Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University

HIGHLIGHT:
Is a vaccine preservative linked to autism? Politically, scientifically, and emotionally complex, the thimerosal question challenges journalism. BODY:
On May 18, 2004, the Institute of Medicine, a branch of the prestigious National Academies, delivered its eighth and final report on vaccine safety, seeking to end a scientific controversy that had built to a slow boil over the previous five years: whether a mercury-containing vaccine preservative called thimerosal was to blame for an alarming spike in autism cases among a generation of children. After three years of reviewing this and other immunization safety questions on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the institute's fourteen-member panel rejected the thimerosal link, and, in a powerful policy statement, recommended that research funding in this area be shifted toward other, more promising lines of inquiry. Under headlines such as this one from The Washington Post, EXPERTS FIND NO VACCINE-AUTISM LINK; PANEL SAYS MORE RESEARCH ON POSSIBLE CONNECTION MAY NOT BE WORTHWHILE, the press dutifully reported the IOM's conclusions, perhaps as eager to lay the question to rest as the IOM panel itself. For a time it appeared the controversy over thimerosal would end there. It didn't. Over the past seven months, it has gained traction again, leaving journalists in an awkward position. The thimerosal question -- scientifically, politically, and emotionally complex -- is proving to be a test for journalism, and the successes and failures are evident in the coverage. David Kirby, a Brooklyn-based writer, jumpstarted the debate in April with the publication of his book, Evidence of Harm, which lays out a compelling case for a connection between thimerosal and autism. Then, in June, Robert Kennedy Jr. followed with a more pointed -- some say over-the-top -- article, co-published by Rolling Stone and Salon.com, that alleges what amounts to a government cover-up of the harmful properties of thimerosal in the interest of buffering vaccine manufacturers from a cascade of lawsuits and maintaining public confidence in the national immunization program. Still, the bulk of the scientific establishment denies the autism link, citing the conclusions of the IOM panel, and views believers as crackpots, conspiracy theorists, or zealots -- a perspective many medical experts barely conceal in conversations with reporters. In an interview with Myron Levin of the Los Angeles Times after the publication of the IOM report, Dr. Stephen Cochi, the head of the CDC's national immunization program, dismissed supporters of the thimerosal theory as "junk scientists and charlatans." If so, then such universities as Harvard and Columbia, among others, employ charlatans -- scientists who believe that a link between mercury exposure and autism is plausible. Even so, the perception that only distraught, activist parents and disreputable scientists back the thimerosal theory has seeped into the collective consciousness of the news media, which, in general, have been reluctant to cover the controversy. Both sides in the debate make convincing arguments to support their cases, and in the cacophony of competing claims each is guilty of using data selectively. What is known is this: Since the late 1980s the number of children diagnosed with autism has increased sixty-fold, from one in every 10,000 in 1987 to one in every 166 in 2003. Much of this spike overlaps with a period when, due to recommendations by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, the number of suggested immunizations on the childhood vaccination schedule more than doubled, raising the doses of mercury that some children received to levels that far surpassed federal standards for mercury exposure. (The standards were based on methylmercury, the type emitted by coal-burning power plants.

Ethylmercury, which makes up nearly half of thimerosal by weight, is a closely related compound. To date, ethylmercury has received far less study, and scientists disagree on whether it's as harmful as methylmercury, though both are considered neurotoxins.) Until the late 1990s, health officials were unaware of the total amount of mercury children were receiving in their vaccinations. It's not unreasonable to ask how this went unnoticed, and unreported, for so long. The answer is simple: no one had ever done the arithmetic. When scientists did, the U.S. Public Health Service recommended that vaccine manufacturers phase out thimerosal from children's vaccines in 1999 as a precaution. It was careful to note, however, that "there are no data or evidence of any harm." As it stands, the preservative, which allowed drug manufacturers to supply vaccines in multidose vials (the thimerosal-free, single-dose versions are costlier), has been eliminated from most immunizations, excluding some flu and tetanus shots. During 1999 and 2000, the thimerosal link was quietly under study by the CDC, and, as shown in internal memos and meeting minutes, health officials were deeply concerned about what they might find. Thimerosal activists point to this history: In June 2000, the CDC convened a closed meeting at the Simpsonwood Convention Center in Norcross, Georgia, to discuss, among other things, preliminary findings on thimerosal. In addition to the health officials, researchers, and vaccine experts in attendance were representatives from GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Wyeth, and Aventis Pasteur, the vaccine manufacturers who had the most to lose if an autism link were proven. During one session of the two-day meeting, the CDC epidemiologist Thomas Verstraeten presented the results of an analysis of the CDC's Vaccine Safety Datalink, a database that contains the vaccination histories of more than seven million Americans. His study, at least at that stage, appeared to support a connection between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders, showing what Verstraeten described as "statistically significant relationships between exposures and outcomes." The presentation caused one physician in attendance to remark, "the medical legal findings in this study, causal or not, are horrendous." Attendees were instructed that what they'd heard that day was to be considered "embargoed." Known as the Simpsonwood transcripts, the minutes of this meeting are widely available on the Internet thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request by the autism advocacy group SafeMinds. Some advocates of the thimerosal theory point to Simpsonwood as proof that the government buried evidence of an autism link. In the minds of some supporters of the theory, the perception of conspiracy was heightened when Verstraeten's study, published three years later, no longer indicated an association between thimerosal and neurological maladies, including autism. Adding to their suspicion is the fact that in the study, published in the journal Pediatrics, Verstraeten was listed as a CDC researcher, when in fact he had been hired away by GlaxoSmithKline two years earlier. (Nor did they find it any less suspicious when a midnight rider turned up in a 2002 bill creating the Department of Homeland Security that sought to protect vaccine manufactures from thimerosal-related lawsuits. The measure was eventually removed.) But Simpsonwood is not a smoking gun. Nor are other documents that purport to be, including the transcript of a private session of the Institute of Medicine's Immunization Safety Review Committee from 2001, in which the committee's chairwoman, Dr. Marie McCormick, referring to the vaccine-thimerosal issue, says that the CDC "wants us to declare, well, these things are pretty safe on a population basis." It is a statement that indicates to some that the IOM had already decided where it was going to come down on thimerosal. If transcripts of both meetings are not damning, the comments of some attendees are striking, particularly when they are quick to note the legal ramifications should a connection be established. As McCormick makes plain during the 2001 meeting, attendees were aware of the conclusion that the CDC wanted them to reach, but that isn't proof that the institute manipulated data to reach that end, as some allege. When the IOM panel released its final report in 2004, it had analyzed more than 200 studies and based its conclusions largely on five recent epidemiological papers that appeared to debunk the autism connection, including Verstraeten's and one from Denmark that shows autism cases rising after thimerosal was removed from that country's vaccine supply. Excluded was much of the biological research that supports a link, which the IOM deemed speculative. Those are the facts, though they are interpreted in radically different ways by each side. Even the question of whether the nation is currently experiencing an autism epidemic is subject to debate. Detractors posit that the increase in cases is a red herring, that the numbers reflect changes in how autism is diagnosed and reported. As for the IOM report -- the nail in the coffin for the autism link as far as many scientists are concerned -- believers hold that the studies that the panel relied on were flawed. For example, as David Kirby reports in Evidence of Harm, the researchers on the Danish study examined autism cases both before and after 1992, when thimerosal was removed, but used two different data sets in doing so, tallying inpatient cases through 1994 and adding outpatient cases to their count thereafter, a factor that could explain the increase they observed. According to Kirby, even the study's authors conceded, in their own words, that they "may have spuriously increased the apparent number of autism cases." Verstraeten, for his part, seemed to grow tired of how his findings were being interpreted by both sides. In an April 2004 letter to Pediatrics, he wrote that his study "does not state that we found evidence against an association, as a negative study would. It does state, on the contrary, that additional study is recommended, which is the conclusion to which a neutral study must come." He went on to call allegations of a potential conflict of interest an "insult," saying that he remained on the study only in an advisory capacity after he went to work for Glaxo. "Did the CDC water down the original results? It did not." Steeped in controversy and intrigue, the thimerosal debate has all the makings of a compelling news story, yet it has been approached with caution by the news media, which, more often than not, don't portray it as a legitimate scientific debate. "I'm putting my faith . . . in the Institute of Medicine," ABC's medical editor, Dr. Timothy Johnson, told viewers during a segment on thimerosal in July. At the conclusion of an NBC report on the debate last winter, the science correspondent Robert Bazell was careful to note that "if we stop vaccinating our children, we run the risk of having these horrible diseases come back . . . . And the evidence right now is that vaccines do not cause autism." There is a very real fear that taking the thimerosal theory seriously will prompt antivaccine blowback. Myron Levin, the Los Angeles Times reporter, said that some journalists have been cowed by the notion that "by the mere act of covering this, they will instill panic in the vaccination-getting public, or feed mindless phobias that cause people to refuse to let their kids get shots." That concern is reflected in the coverage and has implications for how deeply the story is reported. "I think many news organizations have held back and given the story short shrift," Levin said. On June 25, The New York Times addressed the thimerosal controversy in a front-page article, the product of five months of reporting by Gardiner Harris and Anahad O'Connor. Appearing less than two weeks after Robert Kennedy's piece, which would later have a list of corrections and clarifications appended to it, the Times article had been eagerly awaited by proponents of the thimerosal link, some of whom had been communicating regularly with the Times reporters over the previous months. Believing that the heft of the paper's reputation would help to propel their cause into the mainstream, they expected a proper airing of both sides of the question -- that, after all, was the impression O'Connor gave at least one of his sources, the mother of an autistic child and a member of an autism advocacy organization, when he approached her in late January. "I'm thinking of a 2,000-word story, essentially saying that an array of studies over the years (the Institute of Medicine report, I would think, being the most prominent) were intended to settle the issue of autism and vaccines once and for all," he wrote in an e-mail. "Yet it seems that the question is still very much open . . . and evidence for the case against vaccines has been mounting, despite many researchers' insistence that the issue is dead. I think, for now at least, I'd like to just present the evidence on both sides and let the readers decide." The result was much more one-sided. Headlined ON AUTISM'S CAUSE, IT'S PARENTS VS. RESEARCH, the story cast the thimerosal connection as a fringe theory, without scientific merit, held aloft by angry, desperate parents. The notion that supporters of the theory were disregarding irrefutable scientific findings was an underlying theme, drilled home several times. "It's really terrifying, the scientific illiteracy that supports these suspicions," Dr. Marie McCormick told the Times. Readers were left with little option but to believe that the case against thimerosal was scientifically unsound. The piece did note the work of Mark and David Geier, a father-son research team who believe that mercury exposure is linked to autism. The Geiers' research has been a lightning rod for criticism, and their methodology has been called into question by some in the scientific community. But before the reporters even discussed the Geiers’ science, they had already painted the researchers as eccentric outsiders: "He and his son live and work in a two-story house in suburban Maryland. Past the kitchen and down the stairs is a room with cast-off, unplugged laboratory equipment, wall-to-wall carpeting and faux wood paneling that Dr. Geier calls 'a world-class lab -- every bit as good as anything at N.I.H.'" Omitted from the story was the work of Dr. Mady Hornig, a Columbia University epidemiologist; Richard Deth, a Northeastern University pharmacologist; Jill James, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas; and others whose work suggests that thimerosal may cause neurodevelopmental disorders in a subset of susceptible children (those who are not able to eliminate mercury from the body in the ways that most people do). The story alluded to Boyd Haley, chairman of the department of chemistry at the University of Kentucky and an ally of thimerosal activists, in the same sentence as a Louisiana physician who believes "that God spoke to her through an 87-year-old priest and told her that vaccines caused autism" -- leaving Haley, it would seem, guilty by association of lunacy. Several reporters I spoke with who have covered the thimerosal controversy described the Times story as a smear. One called it a "hit piece." The Times' O'Connor told me he had looked at the research linking thimerosal with autism, including the work of Hornig, Deth, and James, but ultimately found the epidemiological studies cited by the IOM more persuasive. "The larger scientific community has rejected a link between thimerosal and autism," he said. "You do have some scientists who are convinced that there's a link, but then you have the American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization -- it's not a stretch to say that the scientific community has rejected this link." The article prompted a massive reader response. One organization, known as A-Champ (Advocates for Children's Health Affected by Mercury Poisoning),organized an e-mail campaign directed at top editors at the Times, as well as the public editor, Byron Calame. O'Connor personally received dozens of e-mails and letters. "There were a couple that were threatening. There were some that were pretty harsh and others saying that I was part of the conspiracy. A lot of people responded saying there must be some link between the Times and the pharmaceutical industry." Responding to the complaints of one group, Calame wrote: "I have carefully reviewed your e-mail and spent several hours with the editors and reporters who prepared the article . . . . This has left me convinced that the article isn't intellectually dishonest. Nor are the omissions staggering. Nor is there a pervasive editorial bias. I find the article fair and accurate." As it turned out, the story had angered members of the epidemiology department at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, including the department's chair, Dr. Ezra Susser. Since some of their work, including that of Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, a highly regarded neurologist, and Mady Hornig, explored the connection between environmental mercury exposure and autism, including exposure through thimerosal-carrying vaccines, they felt that they had been lumped into the category of scientific illiterates. Responding to the article in a June 28 letter to the Times (never published), signed by Susser, Lipkin, Hornig, and the epidemiologist Michaeline Bresnahan, the researchers wrote that "scientists pursuing research on mercury and autism are caricaturized as immune to the 'correct' interpretation of existing studies. Researchers rejecting a link are depicted as the sole voices of reason . . . . Whether mercury in any form (or any of several factors recently introduced to our environment) has anything to do with autism can and should be resolved with rigorous studies and respectful discourse, not moral indictments and denunciations." Journalists agree that the thimerosal story is one of the most explosive they've ever encountered. In addition to the vitriolic response Anahad O'Connor drew from readers, he also said he received a number of e-mails praising him and Harris from fellow reporters who had been interested in covering the thimerosal controversy, but had "gotten scared away from really tackling the subject . . . they were afraid of getting hate mail." Some reporters who have portrayed this as an ongoing scientific controversy have been discouraged by colleagues and their superiors from pursuing the story. A reporter for a major media outlet, who did not want to be identified for fear of retribution, told me that covering the thimerosal controversy had been nearly "career-ending" and described butting heads with superiors who believed that the reporter's coverage -- in treating the issue as a two-sided debate -- legitimized a crackpot theory and risked influencing parents to stop vaccinating their children or to seek out experimental treatments for their autistic sons and daughters. The reporter has decided against pursuing stories on thimerosal, at least for the time being. "For some reason giving any sort of credence to the side that says there's a legitimate question here -- I don't know how it becomes this untouchable story, I mean that's what we do, so I don't understand why this story is more touchy than any story I've ever done." Pursuing this story is unattractive for other reasons, too. The issue is exceedingly complex and easily oversimplified. "It took me two and a half years and four hundred pages to tell this story, and I'm sure I made some mistakes," David Kirby told me, adding that the complexity convinced him to write a book. The fact that the bulk of the public health establishment dismisses the thimerosal theory is also daunting, particularly for science reporters who rely on the same pool of medical experts and health officials regularly. "They depend on these people in this symbiotic relationship that they have," said Steve Wilson, an investigative reporter for the local ABC affiliate in Detroit, WXYZ, whose three-part series on thimerosal won an Emmy. "They've come to trust them and respect them and to believe when they tell them, 'Look, you're barking up the wrong tree here; these parents are just looking for somebody to blame.'" Some of the most enterprising journalistic contributions to the thimerosal debate have come from the once prestigious, now flagging news wire United Press International, which is owned, along with the Washington Times, by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church. On my desk, UPI senior editor Dan Olmsted's "Age of Autism" series, which he began late last winter, occupies a file that at this writing is more than an inch thick and growing. He averages two columns a week on the topic. Aside from the Washington Times, though, not a single U.S. paper that Olmsted knows of has run any part of the series. It has, however, been widely disseminated on the Internet. Olmsted, a former assistant national editor at USA Today, found his way into thimerosal through another medical side-effect story. It involved an antimalarial drug called Lariam, which was prescribed to Peace Corps volunteers, travelers to third-world countries, and more recently to U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. As Olmsted and his UPI colleague Mark Benjamin (now a national correspondent at Salon.com) detailed in an investigation that spanned more than two years, starting in 2002, Lariam, which had been approved by the FDA and recommended by the CDC, also appeared strongly linked to psychosis, including homicidal and suicidal behavior. Partly because of their reporting, the effects of Lariam are now under study by the Pentagon. "If it hadn't been for Lariam, I don't think I would have ever thought twice about autism," Olmsted told me. "With Lariam, CDC officials said many times that there's absolutely no problem with side effects from this drug, it's extraordinarily safe. That's just not true." Instead of wading directly into the thimerosal controversy, Olmsted approached it, as he puts it, "sideways." By this he means that after reading what had been written on autism and noticing a relative dearth of material about its origins, he set out to write a natural history of the disorder. Eventually, Olmsted began thinking of ways to test the thimerosal theory. He wondered whether researchers had ever examined the prevalence of autism in an unvaccinated population, such as the Amish. That, it would seem, would be the most likely way to determine whether the vaccine link held water. If the number of autism cases among the unvaccinated mirrored the national average, then it would seem that thimerosal played no role. Olmsted found that though researchers had discussed such a study, none had ever been done. "That's an expensive study," he said, "but for a journalist all you have to do is get on the phone and start asking." After spending weeks searching for cases among the Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, he managed to find three children with autism, two of whom had been vaccinated, a rarity in that community. "The cases among the Amish that I've identified over the past several weeks appear to have at least one link -- a link made of mercury," Olmsted wrote in a column on May 20, referring to the vaccinated children. "That's not something I expected to encounter." Looking at other large Amish populations in the Midwest, such as those in Middlefield, Ohio, and Goshen, Indiana, Olmsted found similarly low autism rates. He admits that his findings are not scientific. "I could be getting a completely wrong impression from what I'm finding, but it's interesting," Olmsted told me. Interesting enough to get the attention of members of Congress, including Representative Dave Weldon of Florida and Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut; officials at the Department of Health and Human Services; and researchers, including Mady Hornig, the Columbia epidemiologist, who now hopes to devise a study looking at the Amish. Privately, two reporters told me that, while intriguing, Olmsted's reporting on the Amish is misguided, since it may simply reflect genetic differences among an isolated gene pool (Hornig, however, said that a study on the Amish may still be valuable should the prevalence of autism in that community indeed be low, allowing researchers to study the genetics of people who are not susceptible to the disorder). Both reporters believed that Olmsted has made up his mind on the question and is reporting the facts that support his conclusions. "I've just tried to find a way to get into this that adds something to the debate and is original," Olmsted said. Among major newspapers, the Los Angeles Times' coverage of thimerosal stands out. It has taken the story seriously and devoted significant coverage to it, partly because through the summer and fall of 2004 a bill to ban thimerosal from all vaccines given to infants and pregnant women was making its way through the California legislature. Strongly opposed by the vaccine manufacturer Aventis Pasteur and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the measure was signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in late September of that year. The reporter Myron Levin entered the fray in April 2004 with a piece that revealed that while the CDC would add flu shots to its list of suggested vaccines for children, it would not recommend that parents seek the available thimerosal-free version. He followed in August with a long feature on the attempts of parents who believed their children's autism was caused by mercury-containing shots to win compensation through a little known branch of federal claims court for the exorbitant costs of caring for their kids. (This "vaccine court," which pays out claims from a federal trust funded by revenue from a vaccine surcharge, was established during the mid-1980s as a means to protect drug companies from civil suits.) It was while covering this story, in which Levin captured both sides of the debate, as well as the devastating realities of raising a child with autism, that the CDC's Stephen Cochi referred to supporters of the thimerosal link as "junk scientists and charlatans." Cochi's lack of diplomacy stunned Levin. "When government officials talk to reporters, they are usually beyond cautious and it can be really hard getting them to opine on anything," he told me. "To attack opponents in those terms shows the raw emotion that has infused this whole issue." From his introduction to the thimerosal issue toward the end of 2003, Levin found it striking that a neurotoxin had ever been put into vaccines given to infants, even newborns. He wondered how health officials had failed for so long to consider the repercussions of injecting children with mercury-carrying vaccines. As Levin reported last winter, the question of whether children were receiving too much mercury from their inoculations had been considered by Merck in the early 1990s. The front-page story -- which reverberated through autism circles but drew little attention from the rest of the press -- reported the contents of a leaked memo written by Dr. Maurice Hilleman, then the president of Merck's vaccine division. While public health officials had yet to recognize the total mercury load infants would receive from all of their suggested immunizations, Hilleman had done the math. "When viewed in this way, the mercury load appears rather large," he wrote in the 1991 memo, suggesting that thimerosal should probably be removed from vaccines administered to young children when possible. Levin kept the heat on Merck, reporting in March that the company had likely misled the public when it assured consumers in 1999 that its "infant vaccine line . . . is free of all preservatives." Merck had in fact continued supplying vaccines containing thimerosal until the fall of 2001. Interestingly, this scoop had first been offered to The New York Times in February by a source who provided evidence to back up the claim. Gardiner Harris, then working on the story that turned out to be dismissive of the thimerosal debate that would run in June, blew off the tip, signing off his e-mailed response to the source, "I'll let Myron bite this apple." Levin's reporting has drawn the ire of some in the pharmaceutical industry. Wyeth officials met with Levin and his editor in late July. "They have said there are problems with the tone, and that we seem to take too seriously an idea that they say is absurd and has been disproved by the IOM," Levin told me. (Douglas Petkus, a Wyeth spokesman who attended the meeting along with two lawyers who represent the firm, declined to discuss the particulars of the conversation.) In late August, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the death of a five-year-old boy whose heart seized while he underwent an unproven autism treatment known as "chelation." Used for purging the body of heavy metals, particularly in cases of acute lead poisoning, it can prove damaging to internal organs by leeching certain necessary elements, such as calcium, from the system. While chelation has been embraced by some supporters of the thimerosal theory, who report that their children's conditions have improved as mercury was drawn from their bodies, the medical establishment has cautioned against it as a means of treating autism. To journalists, for whom the perils of covering thimerosal have been purely theoretical, this incident could only underscore the potential dangers of lending any credibility to the autism link. The day the boy's death was reported, Craig Westover, a columnist at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, who writes frequently about thimerosal, received acid comments from readers on his blog. One reader, writing under the name Credenza, wrote, "They finally did it Mr. Westover, they killed a little boy trying to get that satanic mercury out of his little body. You have some blood on your hands. Like it or not you do. There has been no autism epidemic and thimerosal doesn't cause autism . . . . I hope the parents of this boy point the finger at you and scream murder." "I really do try to walk a middle line on this," Westover told me that day, as he mulled his response to the reader. "You have to go out and investigate this and be able to come to some sort of conclusion. Not definitely that thimerosal does or does not cause autism, but you have to come to the question of whether this theory is plausible or not. Otherwise, I think you're doing a disservice to your reader." The evidence has led Westover to believe that a connection is possible. He realizes, moreover, that what he writes may influence others to believe the same. To the reader who blamed him for the boy's death, Westover ultimately wrote, "That is the risk of a sin of commission, and one I considered long and hard before I wrote my first article on this topic . . . . I will stand on what I believe and accept the risk and the consequences if I am wrong."

Whether the thimerosal theory is proved right or wrong, there will be consequences -- for the public health apparatus and vaccine manufacturers, for parents and their children, even for journalists. But with science left to be done and scientists eager to do it, it seems too soon for the press to shut the door on the debate.

(KUTV) Some parents believe vaccines are to blame for the rising rate of autism, while many health officials insist there is no connection. In our Healthy Living report the debate over a new book that raises questions about a link.

Michaela Blaxill's parents say she was a normal baby, until...

Sometime between her first and second year of life she slipped away sort of quietly. She lost the speech she had begun to acquire, she started disconnection socially.

Michaela was diagnosed with autism.

Mark Blaxill says a form of mercury used as a preservative in childhood vaccines may be to blame.

“I think the mercury in the vaccines could trigger autism,” said Mark Blaxill, Michaela's Father.

The preservative is called Thimerosal. Critics say when the government required more childhood shots in the nineties and kids received unsafe levels of mercury...at the same time the number of autism cases skyrocketed.

By 2001 mercury was taken out of childhood vaccines except for some flu shots. Despite that, the debate recently took on a renewed intensity.

A new book raises questions about Thimerosal and a controversial article by Robert Kennedy Jr. charged the medical establishment with covering up the effects of mercury in vaccines.

The science connecting brain damage to Thimerosal is absolutely overwhelming. Many doctors and scientists say that charge is nonsense.

“I don't believe there is any relationship between autism and Thimerosal in vaccines...period,” said Dr. Edward Bailey, pediatrician. “There is no scientific basis to come to the conclusion and say that vaccines are anything other than a miracle.

The medical community believes fears of vaccines could result in parents not immunizing their children.

“For those people who have never seen meningitis or for those for whom Polio is a strange disease out of the past, they could all come back,” said Dr. Bailey.

There's one thing both sides in this controversy agree on...if the mercury preservative is responsible for triggering autism, we should see a dramatic drop in new cases over the next few years since Thimerosal is now out of almost all childhood vaccines.

Click here to read what the FDA has to say about Thimerosal.

Legislation would require proof of willful misconduct var clickExpire = "12/16/2005";

injured by a vaccine against bird flu or anthrax would have to prove willful misconduct to bring a claim for damages against drug manufacturers or distributors, according to legislation being drafted behind the scenes by Republicans. A 10-page draft of the legislation obtained by The Associated Press says it would be up to the Health and Human Services secretary to declare that such misconduct occurred. If that declaration is made, the case must be heard in federal court. The measure, which would be included in a spending bill, would bar any punitive damages and limit awards for physical and emotional pain and suffering and other non-economic damages to a maximum of $250,000.  The draft legislation was provided to the AP separately by two parties opposed to its provisions, who did not want to be identified.  An aide to Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, confirmed the majority leader was looking to add the liability protections to a spending bill.  Amy Call said the legislation is important because "it would be a pity to appropriate $7.1 billion to purchase vaccines and antivirals but have no capacity to produce them."  She said Frist is seeking clearly defined standards for an industry that is already heavily regulated.  "We would only provide liability protection in a serious situation and for a set period of time and for a specific purpose," Call said. "The protection would only go into effect if the secretary makes a declaration that we are grave danger and the public is advised to take the product."  President Bush's plan for dealing with a flu pandemic called on Congress to give drug manufacturers sweeping immunity against lawsuits. "In the past three decades, the number of vaccine manufacturers in America has plummeted, as the industry has been flooded with lawsuits," Bush said last month. "Today, there is only one manufacturer in the United States that can produce influenza vaccine." Lawmakers from both political parties also have cited a need to grant the industry some protections. However, the protections described in the draft are quite broad, and some say they would make it extremely difficult for those harmed by a medicine to get any financial compensation.  "The Republican leadership in Congress is trying to do another special favor for the drug companies by slipping a provision into a massive spending bill to absolve the pharmaceutical industry of any responsibility to patients injured by dangerous drugs or vaccines, with no compensation for those who are harmed," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, said in a statement. He called for an open debate on the issue.  Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming, chairman of the Senate's health committee, favors liability protections for drug manufacturers, but not as part of an appropriations bill, according to spokesman Craig Orfield. "He does not want to address biodefense in a piecemeal fashion," Orfield said.  Trial lawyers said they oppose having to prove "willful misconduct" to get financial compensation from an injury. "Basically, as an average person, I would have to prove some scientist at Merck or some CEO somewhere had made a determination to hurt me," said Chris Mather, a spokeswoman for the Association of Trial Lawyers for America.  Willful misconduct, according to the draft legislation, would occur if manufacturers or distributors of a particular product knew that it presented "a significant or unreasonable risk to human health" and there was a "conscious failure to act" to avoid that risk.  If the HHS secretary rules against the petition, then those claiming to be harmed could seek judicial review from the U.S. Court of Appeals.  Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Florida, a doctor who said he is involved peripherally in the talks, said he doesn't want protections so broad that people might be unwilling to take medicine in the event of a flu pandemic. "The way it's being discussed is lacking," Weldon said.  Meanwhile, House GOP leaders have delayed until December any action on President Bush's $7.1 billion request to prepare for a potential bird flu pandemic. The development came as negotiators on a huge spending bill covering health care and education programs met Monday night.

 The House rejected an almost $8 billion Senate plan to fight the flu, saying it will revisit the issue next month as it also turns to Bush's request to direct emergency funds already enacted for victims of Hurricane Katrina to new purposes such as rebuilding highways, levees and federal facilities damaged by the storm.

1) The Pulitzer Prize – CATEGORY - Non-Fiction book other than biography 2) PEN/Martha Albrand Awards - Honoring First published works of general nonfiction and memoirs. ELIGIBILITY: Original first works of nonfiction or memoir, published in the United States in the 2005 calendar year by American citizens or permanent residents. CATEGORIES: General Nonfiction; Memoir 3) Investigative Reporters and Editors – 2005 Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism. They wrote to ask us to submit the book, and said “it’s just the sort of work our judges look for each year.” 4) The New York Public Library Helen Benstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism
ELIGIBILITY: Full-length, non-fiction books written by an author whose primary profession is print, broadcast or electronic journalism, scheduled for original publication between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2005. DETERMINING FACTORS: Significance of subject, book's influence, quality of reporting and writing. 5) Ron Ridenhour Award: - These awards seek to discover and recognize those who persevere in acts of truth-telling the protect the public interest advance or promote social justice and illuminate a more just vision of society. 6) The Lucas Prize Project - H onors the best in book-length narrative nonfiction writing. CATEGORIES: Narrative History; Narrative Nonfiction on an American topic of political or social concern

Special words of congratulations to David Kirby for his amazing book on our story! Thank you!! For more information about Evidence of Harm and the book coming out in paper back in April 2006, please see www.evidenceofharm.com

For the TACA members who have asked – it is the United Way season and TACA is a charity listed. Here is some more information.

The United Way of America is used by many large and small companies across the country to manage their employee-giving campaigns.  We are pleased to announce that donations to most United Way Campaigns can be directed to TACA. Most workplace campaigns take pledges in the last quarter of each year and offer variable payment methods for your gift in the following year. Campaigns often allow you to take out small amounts of money from your paycheck each month to fulfill your pledge. For example, writing a single check for $300 may be a strain on your budget. But that same contribution, spread out over twelve months as a monthly $25 payroll deduction, may not be as difficult. Remember that even if your employer does not actively pursue an office-wide campaign, often they will have set up charitable giving options that you can use. Don't be afraid to ask what the company policies are. Whether you are a seasoned contributor at your workplace or planning a first-time gift, please consider choosing or "writing-in" TACA as a recipient of your generosity. The detailed information below may help you make informed decisions about your contributions. CANNOT AFFORD THE UNITED WAY DEDUCTION? THERE IS ANOTHER WAY! Many TACA Families are encouraging their co-workers to donate to TACA as well. Often the designation of charity is left blank. Tell your co-workers about TACA and ask for their support. United Way of America United Way of America has a network of 1300 local affiliates throughout the country. Most of these affiliates will allow you to designate TACA as your charity of choice. Most United Ways do not encourage giving to non-member organizations and your workplace coordinator may not know this option exists - but it does! You can write TACA in under the donor option section as follows: Talk About Curing Autism
P.O. Box 12409
Newport Beach, CA 92658
Tax ID # 27-0048002 For United Way designation use: Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) #TAC100

As always, thank you so much for your support!

Hello TACA members! Have you had a TACA library book, CD or video for over 2 months? Please remember – it is time to turn it back in! We need to be able to share all the resources with all families so we can keep offering this service for free (no late fees!) Other families need access to the information and we need your help!!! Please get those items back to the TACA library in December! It would help greatly. If you cannot make the meeting to return the TACA library items, MAIL IT to TACA, P.O. Box 12409, Newport Beach CA 92658-2409. REMEMBER to include your name and the TACA location with the book!

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US!

FRANK’S LO CARB MARKET – has re-opened as LOS ALAMITOS NUTRITION
I'm very excited to let you know I've reopened the store at a new location. We are located in Los Alamitos on the border of Seal Beach. This store carries many of the gluten free, casein free items our kids need.

Store info:
Los Alamitos Nutrition
4292 Katella Ave.
Los Alamitos Ca 90720
(562)493-4105

Adapted Kung Fu

Shozuya Kung Fu holds an adapted Kung Fu class on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 6:55 for children with Autism.  They currently have a couple of  openings.  If you are interested, you can contact them at 310-808-0778.  Their address is 2140 Artesia Blvd., Unit A, Torrance, CA  90504. 

Applegate Farms recently changed ingredients in their hot dogs , they eliminated honey and replaced it with sugar and they added lactic acid.  For my son, who has been on a strict SCD diet, this resulted in a severe stomach ache and projectile vomiting. 

 When I finally called Applegate Farms and complained, they said I was the first person who had called about this.  After some research, they called me back to notify me that they would be removing all sweeteners. 

Unfortunately, they added the lactic acid to prolong the shelf life (basically as a preservative).  Lactic Acid is a high allergen food and a lot of people have problems digesting it.  I spoke with the meat department at Whole Foods in Redondo and they were not aware of the change in ingredients.  They also told me they don't have a problem with shelf life because they move the product so fast (so the lactic acid is unnecessary). I was able to get the sugar removed with one simple phone call.  If we all band together, I believe we can get the lactic acid removed.  There isn't enough gf/cf and SCD foods available for our children as it is, let's not lose another one.  Please call Diane at Applegate Farms (540)740-4121 as soon as possible and let her know we don't want the lactic acid in their hot dogs. Together we can make a difference.

Thanks for your support,
Beth

RECOVERY FROM AUTISM IS POSSIBLE! Want to watch some uplifting video online?

For those of you that live outside of Los Angeles, Baxter's TV spots are now posted online at the following link: http://www.autismmedia.org/media11.htmlJust scroll down that page until you see Baxter's two spots and click on the button on the right to play it.  Part 1 is KNBC and part 2 is KCAL 9.  Both these local stations aired our story on the same day!  This is a big coup for us getting our story out there.  Please check it out!Thanks to Erik at Autism Media!!!!!

The Parent Side on-line store
It's a campaign for inclusion and against exclusion!

Parents and professionals promoting inclusive practice are raving about the designs and products available at http://www.theparentside.com The store was created by Colleen Tomko, the parent of a child with disabilities, who started drawing cartoons to illustrate the common experiences families go through when attempting to get their children appropriately included. The cartoons first appeared on the award winning Kids Together website at http://www.kidstogether.org (TASH Image award 2003 and many others!). Kids Together is an unfunded all-volunteer non profit 501(c)3 that promotes "inclusive communities where all people belong". An overwhelming number of parents and professionals responded asking for more cartoons to use in trainings, newsletters etc., as well as many many requests to have them available on t-shirts, mugs or other products. In response to the demand, the on-line store "The Parent Side" was created, which offers many designs on a great variety of products. Colleen has received various awards and recognition for her years of volunteer work and dedication to improving the overall quality of life for people with disabilities at the local, state and federal levels.

Shoppers will find many designs to promote acceptance of diversity, inclusion, least restrictive environment as well as statements against exclusion, along with humor. This gives everyone an easy means to promote inclusion What are you waiting for? Join the campaign and get your inclusion gear now!

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 3, 2005  

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!!!

OCME plans to have Santa Claus on their December dates.  What fun!

FREE TRAIN RIDES - third full weekend of every month.  
The OCME Train Rides for the remainder of the year are:

Saturday and Sunday: 12/17 and 12/18

Run 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM (Santa will be there until 2:00 PM )

Their track is located in Fairview Park on Placentia Ave.
between Adams on the north and Wilson on the south.
For Information, call (949) 54-TRAIN.

NO NEED TO RSVP!  JUST COME AND PLAY!!

CCCKids ( Community Coaching Center), a Community Participation and Social Coaching Program, has a few spaces available in our new CCCKids Friends group.  This group is a "social club" for teens (pre-teens) ages 12-16 (approx.), with high functioning autism or AS. 

The CCCKids Friends group typically meets the "even" (second and fourth) Saturdays of each month from 10 - 3.  

This year, the CCCKids Friends are participating in activities such as:  Sea World, bowling, ice skating, a ferry ride, the zoo, the Birch Aquarium, swimming, beach picnics and so much more!!!

Please see our website for more information about our program:  www.ccckids.net

If you are interested in the CCCKids Friends group or would like more information on CCCKids please call:   858-603-9835 or email info@ccckids.net

The Autism Society of Orange County

Proudly Presents

A Social Support Group for Teens and Young Adults
with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

The goal of this volunteer project is to help Autism Spectrum Transitional Age Youth to form friendship bonds with peers whom they understand and who share their unique experiences.

Development of friendship bonds promotes emotional growth. Isolation and feeling different brings about depression and learned helplessness. The experience of belonging will increase motivation and facilitate a smoother transition into adulthood.

The young adult support groups will be held once a week, either on Saturday 10 am-11 am, or weekday evenings as the group members prefer, at the same location each time. Somewhere in Orange County, CA.

Please contact Sandy Rogers at

(714) 974-6141

or e-mail me at: rci42@adelphia.net

FEAT BIOMEDICAL CONFERENCE 2006

FEAT’s Capital Autism Conference Series is excited to present its first BIOMEDICAL CONFERENCE, as follows:

• Date: January 14, 2006
• Place: Sacramento State University
• Time: 8:30am - 4:30pm
• Speakers :
  • David Kirby, Author “Evidence of Harm – Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic – A Medical Controversy”
    Did mercury in vaccines cause an epidemic of autism, ADD, ADHD, speech delay and other childhood disorders? It is a disturbing, important book that examines both sides of this brewing controversy.
  • Dr. Jerry Kartzinel (DAN! Doctor and Pediatrician, Thoughtful House, Austin, Texas)
    Dr. Kartzinel will give an introduction to, and present the potential benefits of, various biomedical interventions and diet for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (as well as ADD & ADHD)

Questions? Contact either:
- Tara K. Buran (Conference Chairperson) at 916-791-0542 or tkburan@comcast.net, or Bruce Kaminski (FEAT Bd. of Directors) at 916-372-4752 or bruce.kaminski@feat.org

(Conference schedule & ticket information to follow. Vendors and exhibitors will be on hand to provide biomedical products, services, and information.)

PLEASE SAVE the date!!!! Please invite your pediatrician or DAN! Doctor to attend!

ROK (Recover Our Kids Biomedical, a non-profit group) is pleased to announce Dr. Klinghardt will be presenting in Phoenix, AZ Jan 21 - 22, 2006 on Autism.  What a great opportunity to hear him speak on his treatments he is using for the kids with Autism.  He normally charges $500 per person and we happy to announce he is doing this for $50!! 

Attached is the conference flyer.  Please note early registration deadline due to limited seating.  This is filling up fast!

Please  visit http://vsan.org/rok-az/ to register or contact Cynthia McCluskie at (480) 585-9312.

Klinghardt has decided he will add an additional day.  The 2nd day is Family Constellation and The Five Levels Of Healing.  He is stating that through a demonstration, the entire family will be treated effectively.  He is vague and I'm sure on Saturday's seminar he will explain more.  There is a $50 fee for the ENTIRE FAMILY for Sunday's presentation.  People can register at the door for Sunday's conference since we are still pretty vague to exactly what it is he is doing (he is in Europe for the next 6 weeks and cannot be reached).  I do know Sunday's seminar will be at:  Resurrection Church  S. Evergreen, Tempe from 9:30 - 4:00pm.

Special Guests:
Dr. Bruce Shelton
Dana Gorman from www.DefeatAutismYesterday.com

Who Is Dr. Klinghardt Anyway?

I saw this on Mercola's site and thought I would forward.  Check out how much they were charging for his conference in 2000!  I still can't believe we can get him for $50 per person for an all day conference.  The guy is brilliant and you will walk away from this empowered with clarity for your child's healing journey.  Over a year ago, I was fortunate enough to watch video clips of Klinghardt during a seminar he had done and an office visit  with a child with Autism, and found what he was saying VERY INTERESTING.  I am more then eager to hear him speak!

I have no financial gains for this conference.  I merely want to see this Brilliant Doctor here in Phoenix to help guide not only my son's treatments, but to help others.  There are too few brilliant Doctors in the Autism world and too long of wait lists. (I personally am still waiting to see Dr. Yasko and it has been 2 years on her wait list and I still haven't gotten in!)  At least, with Klinghardt coming, you can have your child's Physician at the conference and Klinghardt states he will be describing how to treat the kids as he is doing it.

http://www.mercola.com/2000/oct/1/klinghardt.htm

SAVE THE DATE!!
March 25, 2006

Involved Exceptional Parents’ Day

Keynote Speaker:
Mary Shea Ph.D.
Founder, Kids Included Together

Join us at the beautiful Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley for a day of fun and learning. Enjoy the largest resource fair in San Diego County!

For more information visit our website at:

www.iepday.org

Or call 858-576-2966

From the two autism events TACA recently attended, I am still inputting the TACA sign-in sheets from the Defeat Autism Now!conference and Cure Autism Now walk. (Yes, I do data entry, answer calls, organize meetings, and do these newsletters. My job is never a dull moment!) I am not even halfway done with this data entry and we have more than 2,100 people now involved with TACA.

What does that mean? That means just over 1,800 families in California are TACA members. Due to our fundraising efforts and support from amazing donors, TACA does not charge membership for our efforts to the families we support or to the professionals listed on our website. Our focus as an organization is building community, education, and support for families affected by autism. As we fundraise more and become a recognized group in California, we hope to do more for the families we serve.

Because time is short due to this busy time of year, I wanted to share again what was written in the TACA enews from last year during this holiday season:

Before autism, my family gave to a small select number of charities each year. Now that autism is part of my life with Jeff - my family and family members now give to autism-related charities. It is hard to believe there are well over 1,000 autism-related charities in the online service www.guidestar.com. With so many charities, who can and should you give to? And what if your family is in need? How do you ask for help?

I wanted to share some ideas for your family in preparation for the holiday/ end of year gift-giving season.

FAMILY GIFT IDEAS TO HELP YOUR CHILD:
Often gift receiving for some autistic children can be difficult. The issues include:
- the noise of unwrapping gifts is too hard on the child
- the process of the gift opening has not yet been discovered (don't worry, it will!)
- Your child receives more gifts at holiday time than he can ever play with for years
- Family and friends don't exactly know what to give your child that they will enjoy.

Some options to help your family and friends and assist your family at the same time - consider these:
1) Gift certificates for Lakeshore for therapy supplies www.lakeshorelearning.com or Toys R Us with detailed lists of toys/tools needed, Home Depot www.homedepot.com for home safety items, and for Costco www.costco.com for the "trampoline" or similar fund.
2) Give to the “therapy fund” or “hire an attorney fund” to help your child receive the services they need. (Please check with your tax advisor on issues for receiving such gifts.)
3) Babysitting coupons – redeemable any time!

FAMILY GIFT IDEAS TO HELP AUTISM-RELATED CHARITIES LIKE TACA: Because I am from such a big family - 6 bros and sis for me and 3 sisters for my husband - and to top that Jeff is a favorite child of the family - I respectfully ask that people can choose a small gift for Jeff to open or opt to donate in his honor. I give them choices of:
A) A research organization for the cause and cure of autism (and I will provide them a list with phone, fax, address and web site.)
B) Parent support organizations and I list those as well. Please, if you are so inclined, mention TACA - we can use the help. Many family and friends ask how they can help with Jeff and do what provides maximum effort - I let them choose if they go toy or donate. Since Jeff gets so many gifts each year, he is not thinking "Gee, Aunt Jamie really gypped me this year! Where is the gift?" He is very happy with what he receives and I am not raking up toys off the living room floor. And my relatives alternate happily between doing toys and donations for different holidays and birthdays for Jeff. The gift giver/donator also gets a tax write-off which they enjoy, too!

Some families are fortunate enough to have enough toys, therapy supplies and other items for their special needs child and look to raise funds for other causes. Please have them consider TACA. Here are some fundraising ideas for TACA:

• Write a letter to family and friends about autism and list your preferred charities. If you would like a sample, please contact us
  - TACA is listed with the United Way for payroll deductions. These payroll deductions are available in monthly, quarterly or annual deductions.
  - Gifts to TACA in lieu of holiday gifts to the special needs child or as a hostess gift for family parties.
  - Host a holiday gathering or dinner in honor of TACA and ask friends to donate to your favorite charity. Show the TACA information video - 4 minutes long and now available off www.tacanow.org .
  - Or simple online donations to TACA using PAYPAL off the TACA web site at http://www.tacanow.com/donate.htrm
• Another way to help TACA is to do some of your holiday shopping off the SHOP TACA part of the site for autism awareness related gifts for family, friends, therapist, etc. These items such as: key chains, bumper magnets, awareness pins, bracelets and blue bands. Please order by December 12, 2005 to ensure holiday arrival. And as always – shipping is free.

These ideas may spark a new way of gift receiving in your special needs child’s honor. I hope they help your family and your child feel the holiday spirit and help the many causes, including TACA, which need the help.

Another thought (new in 2005) would be to ask your family and friends for understanding. How about buying your friends the book EVIDENCE OF HARM by David Kirby and ask them to read it.

I know many of you have been asking about a Jeff update. He continues to do well in his typical 2 nd grade placement and is achieving his academic goals. His last report card looks a lot like his typical sister’s report card when she was in 2 nd grade. The differences: Jeff has an aide and thousands of hours of therapy to get there.

We continue to work with Jeff on his communication and social skills. Issues involving his auditory processing and apraxia still cause him some significant trouble and delays. But with each day we see new things happening with Jeff. He continues to improve. Some of his improvements from a biomedical perspective definitely can be attributed to the hyperbaric oxygen therapy and methyl-B12 additions over the last year. I will try to write more about that soon.

In January, I will do a look back on what TACA accomplished in 2005 and provide you a look at our next steps, what your involvement in TACA means and how you can help. Thanks for being part of TACA.

Hugs, thanks, BE SAFE AND HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!!,
Lisa A Jeff's mom

And Editor: Kim Palmer (thanks Kim!)

Web Page for TACA Group: www.tacanow.com
check it out and let us know your thoughts

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 sent to 2,100 people!
(This number represents families – 95%, and the rest are professionals.)