Date:	Thursday, January 27, 2005
	Topic:	Tomatis Sound Listening Therapy
	Presented by: Dr. Deb Swain Swain Center / www.swaincenter.com
	Time:	6:30-8:30 pm
	Fee:	Free no RSVP required
	Place:	VINEYARD NEWPORT CHURCH - 102 East Baker Avenue - Costa Mesa
		(Please do not contact the church for meeting details. They have graciously offered use of their facility, but are not affiliated with TACA.) And remember, we are still a non-faith based group!
	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.

TACA Has 7 Southern California Meeting Locations:
1.	Costa Mesa:	2nd Saturday of each month (info in item #1 for meeting topics and details)
2.	West Hills:	(the Valley, man) 1st Sunday of every month, 7-9 p.m. Location: Jumping Genius – 22750 Roscoe Blvd., West Hills (the corner of Roscoe Blvd. & Fallbrook Ave.) Info: Contact us
3.	San Diego:	4th Tuesday evening 6:30- 8:00 p.m. Info: Contact us - January 25 th Chantal Sicile-Kira - “Advocating for Your Child Now And Preparing for the Tween Years”
4.	Corona:	3rd Saturday Time: 1:30?4:30 p.m. For more info: Contact us Note: no meeting in January please stay tuned for February schedule
5.	Torrance:	3rd Monday of each month at Whole Foods Market on PCH in Torrance Time: 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. For more info: Contact us
6.	Visalia:	3rd Wednesday of month Time: 6 p.m. "Happy Hour" with GFCF snacks and coffee 6:30-8:30 p.m. Speaker Location: Kaweah Delta Multi-Service Center Auditorium, 402 W. Acequia, Visalia. Information: Please contact Lynne Arnold February 16, Tim Adams, Esq., of Huntington Beach , special education attorney - IDEA re-authorization March 16, Speaker to be announced April 20, Mitchell Perlman, PhD, of San Diego , clinical forensic psychologist - Independent neuropsychological evaluations May 18, Monique Bekashus, MS, of Fresno , program director and behaviorist at Behavior Intervention Association - Behavior intervention
7.	Santa Rosa:	(typically) 2nd Tuesday of each month at Swain Center 795 Farmers Lane, Suite 27, Santa Rosa 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. For more info: Contact us

Article A: Lying, obstruction cited in sanctions for law firm

Front page (below the fold) article in Tuesday, January 18, Fresno Bee:
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/v-printerfriendly/story/9788946p-10651357c.html

Lying, obstruction cited in sanctions for law firm
Fresno's Lozano Smith, attorney ordered to train in ethics.

By Erin Kennedy / The Fresno Bee

Fresno law firm Lozano Smith and its attorney Elaine Yama have been sanctioned by a federal judge for lying, misrepresenting law and facts, and intentionally dragging out a case involving a school district and a special education student.

U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger fined the law firm, Yama and Bret Harte Union High School District in Calaveras County $5,000 each. He also ordered Yama to take 20 hours of ethics courses and Lozano Smith to conduct ethics training for all of its attorneys and shareholders.

Lozano Smith is one of the largest education law firms in the state and the main legal representation for Fresno Unified, Clovis Unified and many other local school districts.

Mike Smith, the firm's founding partner, could not be reached Monday, and Yama declined to comment when reached at home.

Former State Bar Association President Anthony P. Capozzi of Fresno said the sanctions were "very unusual." Normally, it is the Bar Association, not a federal judge, that would ask an attorney in such circumstances to take ethics courses, he said.

Wanger's 83-page decision, dated Wednesday, has been circulating by e-mail among special education advocates and parents.

"I got it 23 times in my e-mail inbox over the weekend," said Deborah Johnson, president of Fresno Unified's PTA and its Community Advisory Committee on special education.

Johnson said the sanctions might help members of Fresno Unified's special education advisory committee, which was disbanded this summer by district trustees on the advice of a Lozano Smith attorney. Parents in the group have filed a state complaint calling the action illegal under state education codes.

Fresno Unified board President Luisa Medina said she intended to review Wanger's decision with other trustees and the superintendent. "It troubles me. … It is the judge's statements about 'misstatements of the law and bad faith' that are bothersome."

Wanger wrote that Yama's behavior in court "cannot be interpreted as anything other than a bad-faith attempt to mislead the court, obscure the real facts of the case, to obstruct and/or harass the plaintiff … either to wear down the plaintiff or to win a victory that was clearly unjustified by either the facts or the law."

The judge elaborated on Yama's actions: "Her presentation was carefully constructed to omit or minimize adverse facts. Portions of transcripts were cited out of context to support made-up facts. … She was reckless. She systematically distorted the record and repeatedly ignored plaintiff's objections and warnings that she was doing so."

He pointed out that Yama had been practicing for seven years — three of them in special education law at a firm that billed itself as a specialist in that area.

Wanger found that Yama was not the only one to blame, since three attorneys had signed "misleading pleadings" in the case and had actively worked on it, including Mike Smith, main counsel to Fresno Unified.

Wanger wrote, "While isolated errors or misstatements might be excused, given the size of the record, the sheer volume of misstatements … [the] only reasonable inference that can be drawn is that Ms. Yama and her law firm intended to obstruct at every step and stand education law on its head."

Wanger noted that Lozano Smith characterizes itself "as a recognized leader" and "major firm" in education law and conducts training for attorneys and school administrators on special education legal issues.

"It can only be hoped," Wanger wrote, "that these practices are not the standard mode of operation for Lozano Smith attorneys due to their potential to materially harm other special education plaintiffs."

Maureen Graves, the Orange County attorney who fought Lozano Smith in court, estimated that the Bret Harte school district, east of Stockton , spent nearly $500,000 on a case that she once had been willing to settle for $8,000.

Graves , who works alone out of her garage, took the case of special education student Robert Moser for no fee because she thought it would be easily won or settled. She was shocked that it ended up in federal court and took more than seven years of legal wrangling.

Moser and his parents requested a hearing in 1997 because they felt Bret Harte district ignored the high school student's medical condition and failed to properly assess his learning difficulties. The case was lost at an administrative hearing and appealed to federal court.

The now 23-year-old graduate has won tutoring services and vocational assessments and counseling from his old school district.

The reporter can be reached at ekennedy@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6197

(Note from the TACA Editor: GREAT JOB, MAUREEN GRAVES!)

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Article B: The Today Show & CNBC Series on Autism:

The Today Show and CNBC Will Be Reporting the Autism Epidemic

      The Today Show and CNBC will both air series on autism the week of
February 21. The Today Show series will be 11 parts, airing at 8:15 and 9:15
each day, with a "bonus" third piece on Friday.  The CNBC series will be 5
parts (for a total of 16 total pieces).
      Bob Wright, Chairman of NBC, has a 3 year old grandson that has been
diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. He has sent an e-mail out to all
NBC/Universal employees to tell them about his grandson and to let them know
that Autism is a hidden epidemic that takes an enormous toll on tens of
thousands of families across the country. He also said that his goal is to
bring the best and latest information to as wide as possible an audience on
the subject of Autism.

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Article C: From the National Autism Association –
A SAFETY IDEA FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

ionKids Are Now Available

The tragic death of Logan Mitcheltree was a heartbreaking and frightening reality check for all of us who are parents of children with autism.  Logan stepped out of his house unnoticed and wandered off into the frigid cold.  After a massive search, he was found days later in a wooded area 1 1/2 miles from his home.

This tragedy is a horrifying wake-up call to those of us who have "runners."  We can take every precaution, and still these things happen.  It is impossible to have our eyes on our children every minute of every day.

There are satellite and radio tracking systems that can help find missing persons.  Most require expensive equipment and monthly fees.  But we now have an affordable option available to us.  It is called the ionKids monitoring system.  ionKids is a safe, easy-to-use system that enables parents and guardians to monitor and locate their children when they're at a neighborhood park, theme park, mall, airport or even just playing in the backyard. 

The ionKids system consists of two components: a comfortable, unobtrusive bracelet for the child to wear and a convenient base unit a parent can easily carry and operate. The base unit is used by the parent or guardian to monitor the location of the Wristag wearer. Parents can monitor up to four Wristags simultaneously and set the allowable distance between the child and the base unit.

Wristags are able to transmit a signal to the Base Unit from over 350 feet when outdoors and over 200 feet indoors.  Because it uses a point-to-point wireless communication system, the ionKids Wristag does not rely on cell towers or satellites to locate your child. Cloud cover or a building's roof will not prevent you from finding your loved ones and there are no monthly fees.

NAA has entered into a distribution agreement with Bluespan, LLC, the makers of ionKids.  They have generously offered us deeply discounted pricing on their product which will allow us to offer it at well below the suggested retail price of $219.95.  For a limited time, we will be offering the ionKids system in our store for only $145.00.  And as always, NAA members will receive an additional 10% discount.

Please visit our store for more information.
http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/products.php?id=34

If you would like to help the family of Logan Mitcheltree, donations can be sent to:
The Logan Mitcheltree Fund
M&T Bank
405 River Ave
Williamsport , PA 17701

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Article D: A Bittersweet Remembrance of Frank del Olmo

The following Op-Ed piece appeared in the December 26, 2004 , edition of the Opinion section of the Los Angeles Times. It was written by Magdalena Beltran-del Olmo, wife of the late Frank del Olmo, associate editor and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, who passed away unexpectedly on February 19, 2004 . The del Olmos have been supporters of CAN since its founding in 1995. Magdalena and Frank often credited CAN for offering a vision of hope and critical information to help their son, Francisco "Frankie" del Olmo, who was diagnosed with autism on January 5, 1995 . As a tribute to Frank, CAN named one of its grant awards in his memory. Magdalena will continue to volunteer her time with CAN to raise money and awareness about the need to help children overcome autism.

Frankie Finds the Tears for His Father; The loss had left his grief trapped inside -- until a breakthrough
Magdalena Beltran-del Olmo. Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles , Calif. : Dec 26, 2004 (Copyright (c) 2004 Los Angeles Times)

"Did Jesus steal my daddy?" my 12-year-old son, Frankie, asked me earlier this year as I prepared his breakfast. I was stunned, not just by the elegant simplicity of his question, but because it came from a young man battling autism, and who is still learning to grieve for his father 10 months after his death.

For nearly a decade, my husband, Frank del Olmo -- who died on Feb. 19 at age 55 -- wrote a Christmas column about our son on this page. Frank was a private man, but he was also a journalist, and he chose to go public in 1995 with our story, the pain, struggles and victories of helping Frankie overcome autism.

Frank hoped to raise awareness about the alarming increase in autism and what could be done about it, and to help remove the stigma some associate with the condition, a neurological abnormality that makes it difficult to differentiate among the many sensory stimuli like touch, light and sound. Exposure to such stimuli results in sensory overload that causes people with autism to shut the world out, withdrawing into themselves.

In the nine years since autism came into our lives, the "boy with a soft, sweet smile and big brown eyes" whom Frank introduced to his readers went from a nonverbal 3-year-old who made little eye contact, had trouble focusing and didn't understand the concept of pretend play to a vibrantly inquisitive boy with a keen intellect, greater social interaction skills, impressive imagination and improving physical coordination.

Now here was my Frankie asking me a profound question only months after saying goodbye to his daddy. I took a deep breath. I didn't want to make Jesus out to be the Bad Guy in our tragedy. I was aware of my anger at an unknown force for taking Frank from us. With help from my mother, I told Frankie that all people belong to God. When God takes one of us to heaven, he's not stealing, because we are already his, I said. Frankie nodded, sighed and said, "I just miss him so much, Mommy."

After his father's death, Frankie didn't cry. When Frank's sister and I first told Frankie that his father had died, he was stunned. He stepped away from us and kept asking questions. But he did not cry. He didn't cry at the memorial service in Pasadena or at the burial in Monterey County . And he didn't want people to cry in his presence. Experts told me later that for people with autism, controlling their emotions is one way they can make order out of their chaos. For people without autism, the pain of losing a loved one is hell. For people with autism, that pain can be magnified in ways we can't imagine. It's the ultimate sensory overload. It explains why Frankie was more comfortable exploring death through his intellect. Asking questions was easier than crying and feeling the pain.

A month after Frank was gone, I opened a box of love letters written to me over 14 years of our courtship and marriage. I sobbed uncontrollably. Frankie disappeared into his room and begged me from afar to stop crying. Later, he approached me slowly -- he was afraid.

He took my arms and wrapped them around his body, compelling me to hug him and said: "Don't cry, Mommy. You have me." But still he did not cry.

In late spring Frankie took his classmates from Village Glen School in Sherman Oaks to tour "Daddy's newspaper." When we came to Frank's office, where he suffered the heart attack that killed him, Frankie asked again how his father had died. He wanted to know all the details about that day. Still no tears.

The breakthrough came in late summer. I took Frankie to a therapy based upon the French-developed Tomatis method, which retrains the brain's sound processing to minimize auditory sensory overload. Over five weeks, Frankie listened to music using a headset, as the frequency levels were gradually adjusted to minimize the distorted sounds he would often hear.

Soon it was time for him to hear recorded voices, so I lent mine, reading from a draft of a new book about my husband. Frankie exploded. He screamed and ran away from the therapist, a calm woman named Jeannie King. She asked why he didn't want to hear about his dad, and he finally broke down and cried. He missed his daddy, he said.

I comforted him, while Jeannie said it was good to cry and let all the bad feelings come out.

Since then Frankie has cried often for Frank. But he also smiles more when he talks about his daddy.

Right after Frank died, I felt fear over Frankie's future. I don't feel that anymore -- I am filled with the same hope that Frank and I felt when we first started to help our son. Frankie is becoming a man, just the way Frank predicted in his final column.

I told Frankie recently that he was the best present his daddy ever gave me. "Well then, hug your present," he said without missing a beat and giving me that broad Cheshire Cat smile he inherited from his dad. And so I did, knowing there would be more conversations like this one, and healthy tears too, as Frank's legacy blooms inside our son's special soul.

Magdalena Beltran-del Olmo is co-editor of "Frank del Olmo: Commentaries on His Times" (Los Angeles Times Books, 2004).

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Article E: Autism Epidemic Continues…

Rick Rollens is an autism parent and activist.  His email describes
California 's newest autism figures. For many years, California social
services staff have been very precise in using diagnostic criteria for
establishing a child's autism diagnosis. In other words, Calif 's autism
figures tend to be very accurate.  Following his email is an email I
posted into a list of autism researchers and autism-specialist
physicians. My email offers a rationale for why environmental pollutants
must be considered etiologically significant in the various neurologic
epidemics and in other epidemics as well, for we live amidst an
"epidemic of epidemics" - and western civilization's deeply ingrained
ideology and attitudes towards the biosphere and its inhabitants are an
ever more rapidly metastasizing cancer spewing forth toxins.  -Teresa Binstock

RRollens@ wrote:
According to the recently released report by the California Department
of Developmental Services (DDS), California's 36-year old developmental
services system has just experienced the largest number of new intakes
of children with professionally diagnosed full syndrome autism during a
Fourth Quarter reporting period in it's history.

During the Fourth Quarter of 2004 (October - December), California's
developmental services system added a record 807 new children with full
syndrome autism, not including any children with any other autism
spectrum disorder such as PDD, NOS, Asperger's, etc. The 807 new intakes
represents a record number of new cases for a Fourth Quarter reporting
period in the system's 36 year history. On average California added 9
new children every single day to it's system with full syndrome during
October, November, and December 2004. The 2004 Fourth Quarter numbers
represent a 16% increase over the 2003 Fourth Quarter (676) intakes.

The 807 new cases of full syndrome autism reported during the Fourth
Quarter of 2004 accounted for 52% of all the new intakes for all the
eligible disabilities for that reporting period. The other eligible
conditions are: mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and
conditions such as Fragile X and Downs Syndrome that have mental
retardation as a component of the condition. Full syndrome autism has
for some time now been and continues to be the number one disability
entering California 's developmental services system.

The magnitude of this ongoing tragic epidemic is truly mind boggling.
Ten years ago in January 1995, DDS reported that during the Fourth
Quarter of 1994 the system added 142 new cases of full syndrome autism.
Today, ten years later in January 2005, DDS reports that during the
Fourth Quarter of 2004 there were 807 new cases added to the system. Ten
years ago California 's developmental services system had a total of
5,775 cases of full syndrome autism in it's entire system. Ten years
later in January 2005, there are now 26,578 cases of full syndrome
autism in the system. In California 's developmental services system, 8
out of 10 persons with full syndrome autism are between the ages of 3
and 17 years old....7 out of 10 under the age of 14. The tsunami has
arrived.

Article F: AUTISM ONE starts a radio station just for Autism

If you have not had a chance to listen to autism's only radio
station – please do so! I go live January 28th!

For more info: http://AutismOne.org - earranga@autismone.org

Article A: How Mercury-Tainted Tuna Damages Fetal Brains

By Sandra Steingraber - http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/1787

Last spring, I received a tantalizing invitation from the editor of Childbirth Forum: write a story on mercury in fish and the resulting risks to pregnant women. This was a topic dear to my heart. During the four years I researched fetal toxicology at Cornell University, I had become alarmed about the breach between what the scientific community knows about the effects of prenatal mercury exposure (a lot) and what the general public knows (very little).

Pregnant myself during some of this time, I experienced this disconnect directly. I spent one Valentine's Day poring through the data that inform the Food and Drug Administration's ongoing recommendation that pregnant women avoid swordfish. Then I joined my husband for a meal in a nearby restaurant. I was hardly seated when the waiter suggested to me-so pregnant I couldn't pull my chair up to the table-the swordfish special.

Behind the bar was a sign warning pregnant women that alcohol can cause birth defects. No sign appeared in the menu warning pregnant women that mercury in certain fish can cause fetal brain damage.

The book I eventually wrote on environmental threats to pregnancy devotes two chapters to mercury. It was this book, Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey to Motherhood, that prompted Alice Berman, editor of Childbirth Forum, to solicit my article.

I said yes. Sponsored by Pampers diapers, the magazine has a print run of 20,000, and most of its readers are nurses who work as childbirth educators, an audience I had long wished to reach. So, with my own childbirth instructor in mind, I traced the flow of mercury through the human food chain, starting with its introduction into the atmosphere and ending with its presence in tuna fish sandwiches. I finished my story before the deadline. The editor liked it. It went out for external review. The reviewers liked it. The story was accepted for publication.

At about the time I started checking my mailbox for copies, I found out my article would not be published after all. In an apologetic e-mail, Berman forwarded me the following message, which she said she had received from the group that handles the publication's production: "Although the feature is relevant, well-researched, and well-written, it cannot be used for Childbirth Forum at this time based on a directive from the newsletter's sponsor, Procter & Gamble. . The information about mercury and fish must be written about in a larger context of diet during pregnancy, and is too 'controversial' to feature as it is."

I'm a biologist. I always thought that the food chain was our diet.

But maybe I'm missing something. You tell me. Here is the story, "Mercury in

Pregnancy: Eat Fish With Caution," that Procter & Gamble doesn't want the teachers of pregnant women to read: Fish is the last form of wildlife many Americans still eat. Those who seldom dine on stewed squirrel or venison may be very familiar with tuna salad.

And fish is good food. It is low in saturated fat and high in protein.

It is also a leading source of omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce blood pressure. These same nutrients help build healthy brains in our children.

During the second half of pregnancy, when the fetal brain undergoes a big growth spurt, omega-3 fatty acids are required for the proliferation of fetal neurons and blood vessels.

But eating fish is also the leading route of exposure to methylmercury. Women who eat fish more than twice a week have blood mercury levels that are seven times higher than women who eat no fish. And mercury, like lead, is a terrible saboteur of fetal brain growth. The U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently estimated that as many as 630,000 infants, or roughly one in every six U.S. babies, are born each year with unsafe levels of methylmercury in their blood. These revelations have ignited a fiery debate both about fish consumption during pregnancy and about how best to get mercury out of the environment in the first place.

[Author's update: The EPA has taken pains not to adopt the 630,000 figure as its official position. Calculated by EPA scientist Kathryn Mahaffey, this estimate was published in Environmental Health Perspectives, April 2004.]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/1787

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Article B: Mercury's use in vaccines causes concerns

http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/county_news/article/0,1375,VCS_226_3475367,00.html

By Terri Thomas

Over the past several years, there has been a growing debate over the use of mercury-containing thimerosal in vaccines.

Thimerosal is sometimes added to vaccines during manufacturing as a guarantee against production-related contamination. Its greatest value, however, is in the field, where it acts as a fail-safe against imperfect handling. It is especially valuable for multidose vaccine vials, in which the re-entry of needles greatly increases the risk of bacterial introduction.

Thimerosal's only competitor, 2-phenoxyethanol, is less effective in suppressing potential contaminants like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, e. coli and Staphylococcus aureus, according to data presented by Dr. Stanley Plotkin at an August workshop on thimerosal safety held by the National Institutes of Health.

The problem with thimerosal is that it contains 49.6 percent mercury by weight. At high exposure levels, mercury causes neurotoxicity in humans, especially in fetuses and small infants, whose brains are still developing. But because of thimerosal's long track record as a defender against vaccine contamination disasters, discarding it is not easy.

Some groups claim the amount of thimerosal in vaccines is too low to cause any harm and that it has been used safely for years.

Other groups believe it is responsible for increased rates of autism. Their researchers argue that the cumulative effects of mercury impair brain development and damage the child's immune system and gastrointestinal tract, resulting in hypersensitivity to toxic environmental substances. This buildup could lead to autism or a form of mercury poisoning whose symptoms are similar.

In addition, researchers believe, the MMR triple vaccine, usually given at 18 months to 2 years of age, could trigger autism because the damaged immune system cannot cope with three live viruses at once.

They further claim that only some children exposed to mercury will develop symptoms. Researchers believe this indicates that there may be a genetic predisposition to the illnesses. This theory was reinforced by a study published recently that showed that in 99 percent of autistic children, a family of proteins essential for disposing of mercury and other heavy metals is missing or disabled.

It has been reported that some vaccines are now being packaged as "preservative-free" but still contain thimerosal, which the labels state is a "stabilizer."

Legislation introduced last year by U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., sought to amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to reduce human exposure to mercury through vaccines.

The bill would have phased out the use of mercury in vaccines over the next three years, paying particular attention to eliminating mercury from childhood vaccines on an expedited schedule.

It also would have ensured that those responsible for vaccine-safety research were free from all conflicts of interest and focused solely on determining adverse reactions from vaccines, understanding why some individuals have such reactions, and preventing them.

The bill died in committee, but aides for Weldon, a doctor, said Friday that he intends to introduce similar legislation this year.

This article was provided by Terri Thomas, an environmental resource analyst for Ventura County . Government or nonprofit agencies that would like to submit an article on an environmental topic for this column can contact Thomas at 289-3117 or terri.thomas@ mail.co.ventura.ca.us.

6. TACA Survey Update

Only 80 surveys have been collected since August 2004 at the TACA meetings. We would like to hear from you regarding WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR, what is important to you and your family.

Below is a summary grouped by topic and highest priority of the surveys collected to date. Please be sure to let us know what you want to hear about in 2005. To request your free survey form, please email us

7. Vendor Announcements

The Speech & Language Connection, Inc. (SLC) has a new, expanded Orange County clinic with current openings for treatment services.

SLC provides an intensive, comprehensive treatment program ( ABA , Speech and Occupational therapies combined onto one interdisciplinary treatment team). Areas served for in-home treatment are Irvine, Newport Beach, Newport Coast, Corona Del Mar, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, and Fountain Valley. Additional openings are available for clinic-based individual speech and occupational therapies, for all Orange County families.

For more information about our programs, or if you would like to arrange a tour, please contact our office at 714.965.2324 or email us at slc8@verizon.net . Ask for Melanie Foshee or Kimberly Eissing.

====

Beacon Day School is looking at expansion:

Beacon Day school will be opening a second classroom this spring for children 8 to 12 years old

For more information: Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D. email mjlang@adelphia.net

9. Upcoming Fee-based Conferences & Seminars
in Southern California

Parents of Special Needs Children Support Group
We welcome you to attend our group, which wi ll provide education, support, and counseling. This wi ll be a sma ll group setting with opportunity to share your experiences with other parents.

Contact group leaders:
Susan Gonzales, LCSW (310) 770-5009
Karen Cladis, MFT (714) 490-3780
New Group Beginning SOON! – Call for details
Fee: $50.00 per meeting
Time: Mondays 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Place: 19732 MacArthur Blvd, Suite 130 Irvine, Ca. 92612

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TASK (Team of Advocates for Special Kids) has some great workshops on a variety
of different topics in different locations.
Check them out at all South County TASK Workshops are held at:
South O.C. Family Resource Center
28191 Marguerite Parkway, Suite 19, Mission Viejo.
Workshops are free!
Reservations are required - Call (714) 533-8275 to reserve your spot!

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February 19, 2005 : The Four Points Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport Hotel
Workshop "Start-Ups for TD-DMPS and RNA/DNA Protocol" with Dr. Buttar   -325 Seats Only!

At The California Ballroom. Registration starts at 7AM , Workshop 9AM to 5PM , and Dinner with speakers at 7PM
$80 before January 18th, 2005 ; $100 after January 19th, 2005 ; NO REFUNDS after January 18th, 2005 . Ribbon-Cut for CASD/CCID BioMed Research Lab and Clinic at City of Angeles Hospital in Los Angeles , CA

Private Sessions are available by Workshop Speakers (please see below speakers) from $300 to $400 per hour - contact 512-694-4077 for appointment.

Speakers

• Rashid Buttar, D.O.-TD-DMPS Protocol (22 children recovered out of 31 with Dr. Buttar's protocol)
• W. John Martin, M.D., Ph.D.-Viruses Authority, Director and Founder of Center for Complex Inflectional Diseases (CCID)
• John L. Kucera, M.D. -RNA Therapy and Anti-Fungal Treatments
• Alexander Orlov, D.O. -RNA/DNA, Oxygen Therapies and Allergies
• David Steenblock, D.O. –Stem Cell Therapy
• Paddy Jim Baggot, M.D. -Medical Director at CASD/CCID City of Angeles Medical Clinic in Los Angeles, CA (For appointment with Dr. Baggot, M.D., call 512-694-4077, Dr. Baggot will follow 100% Dr. Buttar and Dr. Amy Yasko's protocols).

Fund-Raising Dinner with Speakers at 7PM : two reasons for the fundraising; #1-CASD is opening the clinic for people with autism (starting January 6th, 2005 ) at the City of Angeles Medical Center Hospital; #2 -TD-DMPS Protocol Research Funds for Dr. Buttar.

Fundraising Dinner Tickets; $60 (regular ticket), $150 (supporter ticket), $500 (clinic sponsor ticket), $1000 (TD-DMPS study sponsor ticket), and $2000 (Dr. Buttar's table).

**If you like to receive this workshop flyer by postal mail, e-mail kazuko@austin.rr.com  

***Sponsors and Exhibitors, contact Kazuko Curtin at 512-694-4077 or 512-306-1920.

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FOURTH ANNUAL CASA COLINA TRENDS IN AUTISM CONFERENCE
SAT. & SUN., MARCH 5 & 6, 2005
This conference will bring together researchers, clinicians and parent leaders who are breaking new ground in the diagnosis, treatment and understanding of autism spectrum disorders.  They will make presentations geared to cover three essential areas: the medical issues and the physiology of the brain relative to autism, effective treatment being practiced today, and prospects for the future for young people with autism.  Physicians, educators, therapists and parents will find valuable information and insights to assist them in working with individuals with an autism spectrum disorder.

TOPICS WILL INCLUDE:
Neurology of autism, information processing, early identification, MRI & imaging, video modeling, direct therapy approaches, behavior management, parents as advocates and making a life for a person with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum.

SPEAKERS WILL INCLUDE:
Margaret Bauman, MD; Blythe Corbett, Ph.D.; Eric Courchesne, Ph.D.; Margaret Dunkle; Temple Grandin , Ph.D.; Nancy Minshew, MD; Suzanne Reyes, Ph.D.; Michael Weiss, Ph.D.; and Rosemary White, OT.

Conference site: Claremont McKenna College Claremont, California
Sponsorship opportunities available Call (909) 596 7733 Ext. 2209 for more information or go to www.casacolina.org
Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation 255 East Bonita Avenue Pomona, CA 91769-6001
rehab@casacolina.org Speakers and program subject to change

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Great Plains Labs – Latest in Autism Treatments
Anaheim , CA on June 18-19, 2005 . For more info: www.greatplainslaboratory.com

It has been another busy month, following another close to a busy holiday season. In the midst of all the shuffling something amazing happened to me. Below is the announcement on a great honor from OAR (Organization for Autism Research.)

http://www.researchautism.org/newsletter_view2.asp?ID=64

First Jae Davis Award Goes to TACA Founder Lisa Ackerman

In this month's issue of The OARacle, we salute Lisa Ackerman, the co-recipient of the Jae Davis Memorial Award for Community Service. A bi-monthly feature, the Salute recognizes an individual or organization that has gone above and beyond for OAR and the autism community.

Lisa Ackerman with her son Jeff

Like many moms of children with autism, Lisa Ackerman will do just about anything to help families new to the autism community. Having gone through the experience of dealing with her child's autism diagnosis with few resources to turn to, she single-handedly created an organization parents could go to for help. Now over four years later, her organization, Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) boasts a huge database of resources for a growing number of southern California families.

“She has a kind of passion I can't describe,” said Mary Romaniec, Ackerman's friend. “Lisa will always take a backseat in recognition… but she'll go to bat to help families not have to go through what we went through.” Romaniec, along with three other mothers, nominated Ackerman for the Jae Davis Memorial Award for Community Service. At a surprise presentation arranged by the parents who nominated her, Ackerman received the award at a TACA meeting on Dec. 11.

Originally comprised of 10 families, TACA now has 1600 families on its membership rolls. The organization hosts monthly meetings in seven locations in southern California , matches new parents with mentors, trains local doctors about autism and provides information binders to new families. Ackerman, who has a 7-year-old son who has autism named Jeff, said approximately 10 to 40 families — both parents new to autism and those who are new to TACA — join each month to find out the latest information about biomedical and alternative therapies.

 

But the best part about TACA, said Romaniec, is that it is free. Other than a small fee for a 7-hour seminar for new parents, TACA is fueled by private and corporate donations. “Parents thank Lisa for referrals and for getting educated,” Romaniec said. “She saves them time and energy.”

Ackerman's selflessness is much like the namesake of the award, the late Jae Davis, who also mentored parents new to the autism community. “It's a tremendous honor to receive the award because of what Jae did,” Ackerman said. “She was such an inspiration to me.”

Special thanks to Mary Romaniec, Christina Anthony, Diane Gallant and Christy Crider for completely embarrassing me. (And I am sure it won't be the last time this happens! Lets just pick a good ol' high school way to embarrass me next time!) In all honesty, it is quite an honor and I am thankful for the kind recognition from some amazing moms.

Since I took the spotlight this time – more on Jeff in the next week.

Hugs, thanks, and be SAFE,
Lisa A Jeff's mom

And Editor: Kim Palmer (thanks Kim!)