TACA E-News

2 General News

2. Article A: Autism battled in different ways - Grafton family’s autistic son recovers

Alternative therapy seen as cure

Sunday, June 18, 2006

By Jay Whearley TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
jwhearley@telegram.com

http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060618/NEWS/606180525/1116

GRAFTON— The coast-to-coast, nearly 3,000-mile move the Romaniecs made from Orange County, Calif., to this quiet Central Massachusetts community three years ago was a long, hard trip for a family with two elementary school-age children. It was nothing compared with the journey made by their son Daniel.

Most medical experts maintain that an autistic child writhing on the floor and banging his or her head against a wall will never make the journey to full recovery; that the child never will be healthy, attentive and energetic. The American Autism Society, for instance, offers parents hope by stressing various treatments and educational approaches that lessen the severity of autism, but makes it quite clear in its preamble that there is no cure.

Daniel’s mother, Mary Romaniec, begs to differ.

The boy, now 8, attends public school, communicates well, laughs, plays, studies, teases his mother and older sister, and isn’t at all shy about hamming it up for a photographer. He undergoes some speech therapy to help his articulation and adheres to a strict diet that his mother enforces more stringently than a radar cop enforces the speed limit in a cash-strapped backwater town.

“He has recovered from autism,” Mrs. Romaniec told an interviewer in the kitchen of her Grafton home. “I had refused to say that for a long time … always afraid that something would go wrong. But now I know that it’s true.”

While the best of the best-case scenarios has occurred for Daniel, his mother is convinced that it will continue only as long as he adheres to the lessons they have learned along the way to his recovery. Those lessons came through countless tears and hours on the Internet, on the telephone and meeting with anyone who would talk to her about autism.

That journey taught Mrs. Romaniec volumes about the subject, information that she now is glad to share with any parent of an autistic child or anyone else who may be able to help. Her lessons frequently fly in the face of the conventional wisdom expressed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as professional medical organizations such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, and major pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Included in that conventional wisdom is the insistence that the mercury used in childhood vaccines is safe. Pushed by parents of children with autism, a bill is before the state Legislature to ban the use of thimerosal, a preservative that contains ethylmercury, in vaccines given to children younger than 3 in Massachusetts.

Statements issued by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, Mrs. Romaniec notes, suggest that thimerasol no longer is used in childhood vaccines. As the authors of the bill in the Legislature point out, it still is used in flu vaccines and other shots routinely given to children in the state.

Mrs. Romaniec firmly believes that the mercury in the thimerosal contained in those vaccines was a factor in Daniel’s autism.

She remembers being given the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine not long after her daughter, Theresa, was born and at about the time Daniel was conceived, then taking a flu vaccine in the second trimester of her pregnancy with Daniel. The two children are 14 months apart in age.

The mother is adamant that at no point prior, during or after those vaccinations was she told of possible complications. Withheld from her, she said, were warnings about possible neurological damage if a child is conceived shortly after receiving the MMR vaccine, and that the mercury in the flu vaccine could cross the placenta.

“I was told the shots would protect my son, and I didn’t have any reason then to doubt that. These were my doctors. I trusted them.” Now, she points out, even doctors who advocate the vaccinations say they are shocked that she wasn’t told of possible side effects.

Therein, Mrs. Romaniec believes, is the crux of the problem. Parents often accept unconditionally what doctors and the medical community have to say, even when there’s other evidence suggesting that accepted thinking and treatments simply won’t work for many autistic children.

“You’ve done everything you were told to do to protect and care for your child,” she said. “Then that child is diagnosed and you immediately question yourself: ‘What did I do wrong? Is this my fault?’ ”

Beyond passing the proposed ban on thimerosal, Mrs. Romaniec and several other parents interviewed want a full, independent investigation into the effects of vaccines given to children, particularly the MMR shot routinely given to children. She cites research and several studies conducted by those who support her views, but she acknowledges that those who oppose those views cite other studies and research.

The MMR vaccine, she noted, does not contain thimerosal, but it is considered by many parents and some researchers to be a “trigger,” a catalyst that launches the downward spiral of once healthy children. The live MMR vaccine, in combination with the childhood vaccines that contain mercury, create a toxic overload in a genetically predisposed child’s immune system that can lead to autism or autism-related disorders.

“Please, I’m not anti-drug or anti-FDA or anti-CDC. But we’re experiencing an epidemic of autism and related problems in this country that keeps getting worse,” she argues. “It’s time to find out, independently and conclusively, why.”

Mercury, in particular, is labeled a severe health risk in practically everything but the vaccines, Mrs. Romaniec points out. “Is it any wonder why so many people are questioning its use here?” she said.

Asked why mercury would continue to be used in the vaccines if there were any hint of risk, she suggested that any such admission could lead to incalculable financial liability.

Mrs. Romaniec has started a local support group, Helping Our Children Achieve, for families of special needs children. HOCA meets monthly with a goal to provide families with a full list of therapy options, counseling, education concerns, and dietary and biomedical approaches.

Frequently discussed are her own experiences with Daniel. In his case, the mother maintains, recovery occurred because of special diets and intravenous immunoglobin therapy, which repaired Daniel’s immune system. The diets, often arrived at by trial and error, totally eliminated glutens, caseins and various metals from her son’s intake.

“Mary is more than mentor,” says a Blackstone Valley mother of twins who were diagnosed with autism a year ago. “She gives us more than hope; she provides knowledge.”

Is that knowledge working?

“The best way I can describe it,” the mother responded, “is something my father said to me a few days ago. I know my boys have made progress but I was feeling down, wondering if it was enough.”

“You know,” she said her father told her, “it wasn’t that long ago that I couldn’t go out for a walk with one of my grandsons in my arms. Now I’m out walking with both of them on their feet holding my hands.

“Yes, it is getting better.”

Contact Jay Whearley by e-mail at jwhearley@telegram.com.

Special hugs and thanks to the Romaniec family for continuing to share the message to help other families in need! Recovery for children who are sick and diagnosed with autism is possible. And GOOOO DANIEL!

2. Article B:

Guest Blog: 'I Am an Autism Mom'

www.washingtonpost.com/onbalance

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 06/13/2006
Welcome to the Tuesday guest blog. Every Tuesday, "On Balance" features the views of a guest writer. It could be your neighbor, your boss, your most loved or hated poster from the blog, or you! Send me your entry (300 words or fewer) for consideration. Obviously, the topic should be something related to balancing your life.

Everything Else Vanishes
By Christina Adams

Christina Adams is the author of A Real Boy: A True Story of Autism, Early Intervention and Recovery. Her work has appeared on NPR and in The Los Angeles Times Magazine and Brain, Child Magazine.

Life was normal for my son for a time, and then it wasn't. The bright, social 15-month-old who charmed his pediatrician with his curiosity and skills turned somber, spent his time alone and became obsessed with water and vacuum cleaners. I didn't know why, didn't know that at nearly three years old he'd be pronounced autistic. He wasn't one of those kids, the ones who eat only french fries and milk, won't sleep, scream when their shirt tag grazes the back of their neck. He was just a bright child who was a little "different," and then suddenly, he was hand-flapping and walking in circles. While I was still dreaming of his future, my lovely, talkative baby slipped away.

Then I found out why--and like every other parent, I was terribly afraid. I was swamped with medical terms and dismissive doctors. Other parents offered me the salvation of information, but then I faced a giant spinning Lazy Susan of diets, medications, supplements, and expensive therapies. Plus, most day-care providers kick out kids on the spectrum--mine got kicked out of two schools in two months---so I'd pretty much hit rock-bottom. I dropped the novel I'd just written, stopped my other work, and began the full-time job of rescuing my son.

Naturally, these circumstances make it hard for "autism moms" to work. " 'Parent of kid with autism' is their primary--and unpaid--job," says Peter Gerhardt, president of the Organization for Autism Research. "Nearly 60 percent of moms of kids with disabilities are unemployed; between 10-20 percent of fathers, too." When a mother becomes Autism Super Mommy to rehabilitate the child, she faces criticism from all sides. "The office says they understand, but they want you to work, while the therapists recommend that you quit," says L., a married senior executive who relies on caffeine, a cell phone and a nanny to run her life -- and who cannot quit because she makes the bigger salary.

You do what you can. Many moms, like I once did, even run 40-hour-per-week in-home therapy programs, cook food without dairy or wheat and see multiple doctors and clinics. Before the week even started, my assignments were overwhelming. Once I got so stressed from the paperwork and unrelenting schedule that I couldn't breathe and had to see a cardiologist for chest pain. Still, I was lucky my child got treated while I was married and could stay home---although I'm now single. Autism can tax your marriage, too.

Treating autism is about money and time--lots of it. Even if someone takes your child to therapy--after you find and schedule the therapies---he needs full-time help with speech and social skills. My son and I built his language word by word, from breakfast table to bedtime story, which helped him become the gifted conversationalist he is today. Truth is, if not for autism, I'd probably have two published novels and be a college professor, and I try not to think about my income and Social Security earnings. But any autism parent would shove their career away with both hands for the chance to talk with their child.

Still, autism - like motherhood -- can give you magic powers. I learned science, law, therapy and advocacy; I became fierce in the pursuit of justice. Last year, when my knees nearly buckled in the sedate hallway leading to my first divorce lawyer appointment, I whispered to myself, I can do this: I am an autism mom.

I have friends who handle full-time careers well; others have gone part-time, while some will never return to work. Most moms, after their children recover, hit a middle ground, or stay very disabled, eventually reclaim parts of their previous lives--and this can include work.

Still, for autism moms, our child is our life now. We watch the beautiful face that often hides a brilliant mind, the face of the boy or girl who loves us more than anyone, who gives us more pride and struggle and agony and reward than a paid job ever could. This is our work. Everything else vanishes.

2. Article C:

Newport-Mesa school district addresses its need to help children with disabilities.

Educational victories

By Michael Miller, Daily Pilot

KENT TREPTOW

Natalie Gregnano, 6, celebrates after being told by instructional aide Mike Juric that she has successfully completed an assignment at Harbor View Elementary School on Thursday. Natalie, along with fellow student Antonio Silva, 6, and aide Elizabeth Gannon, in background, are participating in a Primary Pride class, which teaches students who have had difficulties in other classes due to behavioral challenges.

His parents had noticed the warning signs. The boy had trouble balancing and reading basic words. He often paced back and forth. He could recite facts about animals and sea creatures, but only at his own prompting. When asked questions, he could rarely articulate an answer.

This year, James and Lisa Eddy discovered the truth: Their son Lex, a third-grader at Paularino Elementary School, was diagnosed as autistic. As a result, he would need to be in a classroom better suited to his needs. In the past, the family had paid a speech therapist to work with Lex. Now, they were prepared to look into private schools.

"I would have been desperate enough to pay anything to find a school," Lisa Eddy said. "I wouldn't have sued the district. I just would have done without."

Then, two things happened. At the start of the school year, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District hired a batch of new therapists to work with special-education students -- and, in doing so, provided Lex with a speech therapist at no extra cost. Meanwhile, the district implemented a new autism program at Killybrooke Elementary, where Lex plans to go after leaving Paularino.

With services now available in-house, the Eddys can give their checkbook a bit of a rest. Their story is not unusual here. A year after the district was hit with 73 legal cases regarding its special-education services -- the third-highest of any district in the state -- Newport-Mesa has set out to bolster its programs for special-needs children, hiring new faculty, installing classes and offering more training for teachers.

Whether its special-education programs are better than a year ago, Newport-Mesa is prospering on the numbers page. This year, the district has:

* Budgeted a record $38 million for special education and stayed on budget -- compared with 2004-05, when it exceeded its original plan by nearly $3 million.

* Reduced by half the amount of money spent to send children to nonpublic schools and outside agencies.

* Decreased the amount paid to parents through reimbursements and settlement agreements, both major money-losers a year ago.

"We're in the process," said school board member Dana Black, who works closely with Newport-Mesa's special-education department. "We haven't arrived yet, but we're in the process of hiring those people. It's not that we've taken it more seriously. We've just been able to get our arms around it ourselves."

DOING ITS OWN WORK

Self-sufficiency, or lack thereof, was a major issue for Newport-Mesa last year. During 2004-05, the district enlisted more than 50 outside agencies to provide therapy or assistance to students, with some groups -- including Speech Pathology Associates and Cornerstone Therapies -- receiving dozens of contracts.

Those outside hirings ran Newport-Mesa's bills up by more than $5.6 million. Starting this year, the district went on a push to offer more services itself.

Killybrooke and Harper Preschool both added autism classes last fall, just as the district began a three-year contract with Autism Partnership to train classroom aides. Costa Mesa High and Harbor View Elementary have started classes for students with emotional problems. The district, which had a shortage of specialists last year, has hired five speech therapists and two occupational therapists -- and opened clinics to go with them.

"These kids are coming back in and getting their services internally," said Denise Knutsen, Newport-Mesa's operations director for special education. "It allows us to monitor their progress more closely."

Newport-Mesa still has plenty of students getting services elsewhere this year, but the number is dropping. According to Laura Rydell, the district's nonpublic schools coordinator, 16 fewer students are in outside schools now than a year ago, and six more are in the process of returning to district schools.

In addition to bringing students back into the district, Newport-Mesa is pushing to get them back in classrooms where special-needs students can work alongside their peers who don't have disabilities.

NO SIMPLE SOLUTION

The question remains whether Newport-Mesa's legal woes have abated this year. The state Office of Administrative Hearings, which took over litigation from the Special Education Hearing Office in July, does not keep records of the number of cases per district. Newport-Mesa could not provide a list of its own, although Diana Hernandez, the district's special-education director, estimated that there were around 55 cases by May -- slightly behind last year's pace.

Financially, the district's numbers are solid on the whole, but every special-education case is different -- and there may never be a blanket solution. Lisa Ackerman, who heads the nonprofit group Talk About Curing Autism, said she still hears complaints from the 90 or so Newport-Mesa families that she supports.

"It's great that they're hiring more speech therapists, more occupational therapists, taking more initiative behind an epidemic, but we won't know their report card until these kids are 18," she said. "Did they graduate from high school? Are they going to be taxpayers? It's all subjective right now."

Even with Newport-Mesa's special-education expenses going down, the district hasn't stopped expanding. Next year, Knutsen said, another six therapists will join the staff, and new medical equipment for special-needs students may follow. Killybrooke, which launched a class this year for autistic children, plans to add a second in the fall, with Paularino looking to add one as well.

For the moment, the district's expanded programs have lessened some of the burden from a year ago. Sandi Ames, chairwoman of Newport-Mesa's support group for parents of special-education students, said having services in-house makes communication easier.

"You have intimate knowledge of each other," she said.

3	Vaccine News

3. Article A:

Ministers agree to MMR autism inquiry

By Beezy Marsh, Health Correspondent
(Filed: 18/06/2006)

An inquiry into whether the MMR jab has caused autism and bowel disorders in children is to be launched by the Department of Health.

As the number of measles cases reaches a 20-year high because of loss of confidence in MMR, ministers have agreed that tests should be carried out on children whose families claim they were damaged by the vaccine.

Andrew Wakefield faces an investigation into claims of professional misconduct

Fears of a link between MMR, regressive autism and a rare bowel disorder have fuelled concern over the triple jab - for measles, mumps and rubella - despite the insistence of government experts and all the Royal Colleges that it is safe.

For almost a decade, parents have campaigned for the National Health Service and the Department of Health to investigate what happened to their children.

More than 2,000 families say that their youngsters suffered a regressive form of autism - and, in some cases, severe bowel problems - after having the jab.

Tests on half a dozen British children with severe bowel disorders, autism and, in one case, severe epilepsy - carried out in preparation for potential legal action against jab manufacturers - found traces of the MMR strain of measles in their guts, spinal fluid and in one child's brain.

Most of the cases have been dropped after the withdrawal of legal aid, but the findings have continued to cause concern among parents.

It is hoped that the inquiry will allow government scientists to explain what the vaccine virus is doing in the children's bodies and whether it may be responsible for their poor health or their autism.

It is understood that David Salisbury, the Head of Immunisation and a passionate defender of MMR, gave the green light to the Department of Health to launch the study.

The Department has not altered its stance that MMR is safe and a better option than single jabs, but it has agreed that the parents' claims will be investigated by leading specialists.

A spokesman said: "The department would be very happy to consider the information from the families, and would welcome appropriate samples being analysed by acknowledged international experts in the field."

She said that families should write to Prof Salisbury to invite the department to examine their child, adding: "We are not aware that these parents have ever made us such an offer before."

However, the parents insist that they have made repeated offers since the late 1990s - including at a meeting with the then health minister, Tessa Jowell, in 1997 - but the Department of Health never took them up.

In 2001, as concerns about the safety of MMR raged, Tony Blair was criticised for refusing to say whether his youngest son, Leo, had received the triple jab. The Prime Minister insisted that he would not discuss the health of his children in public.

The offer comes after a new study that found measles virus in the guts of 85 per cent of children with a regressive form of autism.

Early analysis by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina has found the measles strain is identical to the one used in MMR.

The findings back previous research by the gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield. He has been branded a "maverick" by the medical community and now faces an investigation by the General Medical Council into claims of professional misconduct.

The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that, in addition to Dr Wakefield, the GMC is also investigating his former colleague, Simon Murch - both used to work at the Royal Free Hospital in north London - now a professor of child health at Warwick University, and Prof John Walker-Smith, the former head of gastroenterology at the Royal Free, who retired in 2000.

Prof Murch could not be contacted last night and Prof Walker-Smith declined to comment on the GMC investigation.

Families who have campaigned for an inquiry yesterday welcomed the announcement.

Wendy Pickering, from Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, whose son Lewis, 17, became epileptic after having the MMR jab as an infant, said: "All I have ever wanted was someone from the NHS or the Government to explain to me what the measles virus from the vaccine is doing in his brain.

"If it does turn out that MMR is behind it, it should not be given to other children.

"Until now, we have been stonewalled by the Government."

Publishers wishing to reproduce photographs on this page should phone 44 (0) 207 538 7505 or e-mail syndication@telegraph.co.uk

Special note to Dr Andrew Wakefield: Thank you for your hard work and personal sacrifices. You are a true hero to hundreds of thousands of families. It is with great sadness to see this attack on science continue. You will prevail because the truth is the truth.

More support for Dr Wakefield:

WAKEFIELD , NEEDLEMAN; PUTTING SOUND SCIENCE ON TRIAL

IS HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF? UNFOUNDED ‘SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT’ CHARGES AGAINST WAKEFIELD AREN’T A FIRST FOR COMPROMISED SCIENCE

Nixa , MO – It’s difficult not to notice the similarities between now and 30 years ago. A researcher, vigilant in finding answers, becomes the subject of a big-industry no-no: questioning the safety and efficacy of a popular product.

Back in the 70’s, lead-based gasoline and paint were two of those products. That is until one researcher, Dr. Herbert Needleman, studied the lapse of children’s IQs in direct correlation with lead exposure. In response, the lead industry hired “neutral” scientists to bring Needleman up on charges of ‘scientific misconduct.’ One of these researchers later confessed to being paid by the lead industry. Needleman’s sound research is why we no longer have lead in gasoline and paint.

Is Dr. Andrew Wakefield the subject of a similar witch-hunt three decades later? Wakefield is being investigated by the General Medical Council for scientific misconduct, specifically, carrying out ‘inadequately founded’ research when his findings concluded that vaccine-strain measles were present in children with autism as the result of the MMR vaccine. Wakefield encouraged the use of single-dose vaccines as an alternative to help alleviate this problem. Just last week, preliminary study results were released that replicates Wakefield’s research.

Dr. Stephen Walker, of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, studied children with regressive autism and bowel disease. "Of the handful of results we have in so far, all are vaccine strain," he said of the type of measles present in the intestines of 87% of the autistic children studied.

As it stands:

- The General Medical Council has not thoroughly reviewed the Wake Forest research.

- The General Medical Council has not made any formal allegations against Wakefield, despite a two-and-a-half-year investigation.

- All allegations have been made by a journalist. None have been filed by a patient or parent.

The National Autism Association (NAA) fully supports Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s research. Wendy Fournier, parent and president of NAA, feels proper review of all the findings related to MMR should be the priority of the General Medical Council.

“In understanding that the court of public opinion sits in the driver’s seat, entities such as the General Medical Council discredit sound research in the name of a supposedly well-perceived vaccination program. Yet, this is a compromise. Compromise has no place in science, even science surrounding vaccinations. Dr. Wakefield is one of the few that conducted research in truth, and yet the leaders in medical authority continue to compromise the health of subsets of the population that have negative reactions to shots like the MMR. Are we supposed to view these children as acceptable losses?” asks Fournier. “Dr. Wakefield’s willingness to find answers for these subsets is a testament to his scientific integrity.”

Vaccinations have been the center of highly emotional debate. Unlike gasoline and paint, the majority of scientists are less likely to speak out against the health risks of vaccines in certain children. “We are for safe vaccinations, as is Dr. Wakefield,” says Rita Shreffler of NAA. “Never before have we seen the amount of compromised science than with vaccinations. Instead of embracing the problem and finding a solution, medical authority has regrettably turned a blind eye to its most basic tenet, ‘first, do no harm.’”

For more information about autism, visit www.nationalautism.org.

3. Article B:

Forum focuses on links between vaccine, autism

By Mary Jane Hanron/ Correspondent
Friday, June 16, 2006

Devastation, determination, bewilderment and faith were evident on the faces of attendees at a seminar held recently at St. Anthony's Parish Hall. The event's purpose of spreading awareness about a possible link between childhood illnesses and vaccines was bringing a community together in a common cause.

Approximately 200 concerned citizens were present at the forum Sponsored by the Parent Advisory Council Network,(PAC) to learn about the importance of safe vaccines for children. The seminar addressed the possible relationship between the mercury-based preservative "thimerosal" contained in some children's vaccines and the escalation of autism and other neurological disorders.

A panel of experts spoke to the audience about the many aspects of the problem, its ramifications and possible steps toward solutions.

Trish Seksay, event organizer whose nephew, Cameron soon will turn three was diagnosed recently with autism following a vaccine. The family knew immediately there had been a change in his behavior. Devastated by this news, Seksay and her father, Dr. Robert V. Dandrow, retired chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Milton Hospital, Founding Fellow of the American College of Ob/ Gyn and Associate Professor at Tufts Medical School, devoted their waking hours to finding help for Cameron. Cameron's parents, Trish's brother Phil and sister-in-law Tricia cared for the child's immediate needs around the clock..

"It really is a family effort," said Seksay. "We are fortunate to have my father who is from a medical background and can meet with people in the system. We have been researching this and the information is endless. When we realized how widespread it was, we knew we had to get information to more people."

In her research, Seksay discovered that Dan Burton, U.S. Congressman from Indiana, is the grandfather of two children with autism and involved with legislation and actions that will improve the situation. His office recommended that to communicate with larger groups about these topics, Seksay work through "systems," thus the PAC agreed to sponsor the program with the approval of Denise Walsh, superintendent of Cohasset schools.

The panel assembled provided a wealth of information. Mark Blaxill, vice president of SafeMinds, gave a presentation based on numerous studies and research that indicated a correlation between the increases in neurological disorders and vaccines given to children. Among the facts considered were the content of the vaccines and the number of vaccines given during particular time periods.

SafeMinds is an organization whose mission is "to serve proactively in science, legal and public awareness arenas and in an educational capacity to regulatory and legislative bodies." Blaxill indicated that though this "hypothesis is denied in print... the explosion rates are recently discovered." As parents and medical professionals he said people should ask the right questions. "We should ask, 'why are so many children sick?'" he said.

Dr. Richard Deth, a molecular neuropharmacologist and professor at Northeastern University, explained the science and chemistry of vaccines and how thimerosal travels through the body. His comments indicated in a great number of cases where neurological disorders develop there is also a lower level of "glutathione," which carries the metallic substances through the body to be eliminated. The combination of a low level of this natural genetic agent and the thimerosal are present when these disorders appear.

Also attending the forum was state Rep. Garrett Bradley, D-Hingham, sponsor of House Bill (H4703) . "Like so many people," Bradley said, "my interest grew when someone close to my family was diagnosed with autism. At the same time, I was hearing from other parents and from teachers that there were more and more kids that were sick..

" In 1999 the FDA and the CDC suggested that thimerosal be removed from all vaccines. Seven years later, they haven't done it."

Bradley is joined by representatives Barbara L'Italien-R and Bradford Hill-D as bipartisan sponsors to make Massachusetts one of 32 states attempting to pass legislation(H4703) banning mercury preservatives in children's vaccines.

"We need constituents to call and support this bill and ask that it be brought to the floor of the House," Bradley said. " California and New York have passed similar legislation. As California and New York go, so go the business markets for the rest of the country. We are not against vaccines. We simply want the assurance of safe ones."

Bradley explained safeguards have been added to the language of the bill to assist the medical community in the event of a catastrophic illness, natural disaster or pandemic. The law would be scheduled to go into effect in 2007, but has ways to be extended to 2010 if necessary. "We can work with the medical community in the event of an epidemic or unexpected public health emergency," he clarified.

Closing the evening's program was Mary Romaniec, a counselor and mother of a son who recovered from autism. She spoke of her struggle and perseverance as she sought answers for her child. "The answers were not in my physician's hands," she said. "I thought, 'Parents are desperate.' We want information. When we don't know what to do, that's when parents lose hope."

"I didn't stop," she continued." I found a diet that helped him. It may not have helped him....It may have been something else. I may never know. I kept looking. He lost his diagnosis at age four."

Her final words of advice: for those just beginning the battle were, "Immerse yourself in information. Ask questions. If someone tells you there is no such thing as a recovered kid, they are wrong."

Suzanne Messina, founder of REACH (Research, Education, and Action for Autism Spectrum Children) and mother of three children on the autism spectrum, ended the forum with words of inspiration. She outlined the story of her children and the frightening moments of the unknown she had experienced. In a voice strong with purpose she said, "We have the power to fix it."

"This is what we can do: We can follow Representative Bradley's leadership, join organizations like SafeMinds, REACH and National Autism. Know that there are variations from textbook disorders. Trust your gut instinct. Recover your child."

http://www2.townonline.com/cohasset/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=518916&format=text

3. Article C:

Dan Olmsted – New Entries

All of Dan ’ s Age of Autism work can be found at this link http://www.theageofautism.com

3. Article D:

Anti-Mercury AD by Autism Parents in Monday's
Atlanta Journal Constitution

This Anti-Mercury AD by Autism Parents will appear in Monday's Atlanta Journal Constitution on The Weather Map page which is a half page, full color. The rate for such an ad is $4800, prepaid. See note below.

3. Article E:

Researcher studies connection between autism, vaccines

http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20060612194829258

By Scott Hilyard Monday, June 12 2006, 07:48 PM

CHILDREN AND AUTISM

Dr. David Ayoub, the self-taught expert on vaccines, mercury and the autism epidemic, stood in the back of the room on the second floor of First United Methodist Church in Normal, Ill., recently on the verge of a lecture.

He faced the backs of his audience. They all faced a portable tripod screen that would soon display a dizzying torrent of Power Point charts, graphs, facts and statistics for the consumption of the standing-room crowd of Illinois State University college students, instructors and people whose connection to the misery, mayhem and melancholy of autism were more personal, confounding and intense.

He began: "You might wonder that a radiologist who doesn't have a child with autism might come across as being a little bit on the fringe (on this topic)," Ayoub said, the light touch of self-deprecation, depending on a person's point of view, either cementing his credibility or undermining it. "I just want to know the truth like I'm sure you just want to know the truth."

Ayoub then tore into his short-form two-hour lecture (he said he has eight hours of material), preaching to the choir, firing up his base, trolling for converts.

AUTISM IN A SYRINGE?

"You might as well not take notes," said Ayoub, a Peoria native and high school track superstar, who now lives in Springfield, Ill. "You won't keep up."

ELUSIVE THEORY GAINS MOMENTUM

The absolute truth about autism and mercury is as slippery and hard to grab as a bead of quicksilver on a clean glass surface. It's no longer dismissed as a wild-eyed theory clung to by desperate-for-answers family members of children with autism. The debate over whether mercury-laced vaccines administered to infants and toddlers in increasing amounts in the 1990s sparked an autism epidemic has entered the realm of more mainstream science. And appears not yet ready to fade away.

The lines, however, are still sharply drawn and both sides are dug in deep. Public health agencies, both the American Medical Association and American Pediatric Society, and the makers of the vaccines - powerful and influential institutions all - maintain the unified front that the vaccines and vaccine schedules are now, and have always been, safe.

That there might, might, be a connection between mercury and autism is an idea that has gathered momentum in recent years. More and more medical professionals and researchers, like Ayoub, politicians and the burgeoning population of autism families have been absorbing the voluminous amount of literature and data and coming up believers. A book that laid out the case for the mercury and autism connection, "Evidence of Harm" written by David Kirby, was a New York Times best seller last year and landed the author on "Meet the Press" where he debated the topic with Harvey Feinberg, the director of the Institute of Medicine.

STARTLING NUMBERS

Here's what drives the controversy:

Mercury is among the most toxic agents on earth and is a known neurotoxin. Autism, once thought to be the result of bad parenting, is now designated as a neurological disorder.

Autism was first described in medical literature in 11 case studies written by Dr. Leo Kanner in 1943, 14 years after thimerasol, a mercury-based preservative used to keep vaccines from contamination, was developed by the drug company Eli Lilly. Unheard of before Kanner's case studies, autism remained consistently rare until the 1970s. In the United States the incidence of autism in that period was between 1 and 3 per 10,000 children; it rose to 20 to 40 children per 10,000 births in 1998. Today the rate is one in 166 births.

The startling increases coincide with an increase in the number of vaccinations infants and toddlers receive in the natural course of their pediatric care as new shots were added to the schedule. Even though each shot contained only traces of thimerosal, the cumulative amount raised concerns to some. The Los Angeles Times cited an internal drug company memo from 1991 it had obtained that said that "6-month-old children who received their shots on schedule would get a mercury dose up to 87 times higher than guidelines for the maximum daily consumption of mercury in fish."

Public health officials say there is no evidence of a link between mercury, vaccines and autism. Better diagnostic skills and an expanded definition of what sort of behaviors fit on the autism spectrum explain most of the increase in rates.

Still, in July 1999 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that thimerosal be removed from most vaccines as a precaution. Here is its explanation:

"A review conducted by the Food and Drug Administration concluded that the use of thimerosal as a preservative in vaccines might result in the intake of mercury during the first six months of life that exceeds the Environmental Protection Agency, but not the FDA, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry or the World Health Organization guidelines for methylmercury intake.

Thimerosal contains ethylmercury. Methylmercury is a related compound and has been more thoroughly researched than ethylmercury. Thus, federal safety standards are based on information we have about methylmercury.

FDA's review found no evidence of harm caused by doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor local reactions."

Ayoub is mistrustful of the CDC's claim.

"It just kind of sounds funny," he said at his Illinois State University lecture. "They're saying (thimerasol) causes no harm, but get it out (of vaccines) as soon as possible."

SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

Ayoub is well-known in certain circles in Peoria for reasons that have nothing to do with autism. The Peoria High School graduate is in the Peoria Sports Hall of Fame mostly for his state championship race in the half-mile that was the fastest nationally at the time and remains one of the fastest ever and the fastest in Illinois almost 30 years later.

He went on to run track at the University of Illinois. Then he went to medical school. He is a part-time radiologist and works out of Springfield's Memorial Medical Center, an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and the unpaid medical director of the Prairie Collaborative, an immunization watchdog group.

It might not surprise those who lost track of Ayoub when he left Peoria that he would emerge in the public eye a passionate activist for an underdog of an idea. Though knee surgery ended, for now, his running days, Ayoub maintains his championship runner's doggedness, focus and intensity. Fluent in science-speak, the words burst forth with rapid-fire assuredness that falls on this side of benign zealotry.

Actually it was the knee surgery three years ago that led to his interest in mercury, vaccines and autism, a medical debate far removed from his radiology background. Laid up, Ayoub exercised his mind by poring through medical journals and studies and came by accident upon the autism controversy.

"The more I read, the more I was drawn into the issue," said Ayoub, in a recent interview in his cramped office at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. "The material is compelling."

FINDING TRUTH IN MEDICAL STUDIES

Since his self-education, Ayoub has traveled the country to Defeat Autism Now conferences and others and has testified before two state legislatures, Illinois and Massachusetts. The opposite of a paid position, he figures he has spent about $30,000 of his own money. He lectures for free.

His technique is to critically study the available literature, look for conflicts of interest and results that may have been spun.

"You can do so much with studies to make them say anything you want them to," he said. "I try to get behind the numbers and statistics to find what a study is truly saying."

For instance, a study in Denmark is often cited as counter-argument of the autism-mercury link, by showing that reported new cases of autism did not decline after thimerasol was removed from all vaccinations in 1992. Ayoub shows that the authors of the study didn't sample a consistent population of patients, thus the results are skewed. He believes it is proof of nothing.

Ayoub believes there are innumerable paths to the autism spectrum. There are people with autism who had no exposure to thimerasol, and not everybody who received vaccinations with thimerasol has autism. There might be genetic and environmental causes and either one might work in concert with the introduction of even small amounts of mercury into a child's system and create a recipe for autism.

"The point is to keep looking until answers are found," Ayoub said.

SIDEBAR

For many parents of children with autism, theory makes sense

Copley News Service

While scientists, doctors, public health officials and researchers debate whether a link exists between autism and trace amounts of mercury once found in childhood vaccines, there is one place in the United States where the argument was settled long ago:

Inside a lot of homes of families with children with autism.

Prevailing medical opinion be damned, many parents are true believers.

"I completely believe my son's autism came from the end of a vaccination needle," said Paula Sessing of Peoria, Ill., who joined a lawsuit with hundreds of other plaintiffs filed in Texas against the federal government seeking compensation. "He was born typically normal and at the 9-month mark he went in and received several vaccinations in one trip and the bizarre behavior started almost immediately."

That's called "anecdotal" evidence of a link, and in the eyes of medical researchers, one story, no matter how compelling, doesn't prove anything. Sessing moderates an Internet autism group that has more than 3,500 subscribers.

"You'd be amazed at the number of stories just like mine," Sessing said.

Susan Grimm of Groveland, Ill., has two autistic sons and a nephew with Asperger's, a milder form of the disorder often characterized by hyper-intelligence instead of the withdrawn isolation of autism. Her sons were immunized within the timeframe of the autism epidemic, and she was at risk in other ways. She received eight dental amalgam fillings that contain small amounts of mercury and received shots in the military she suspects contained thimerasol.

"I believe there is a genetic predisposition for autism that thimerasol might trigger in some people and not in others," Grimm said. "Just like if you had lung cancer in your family it would be stupid to smoke, if you're genetically susceptible to heavy metals you might want to avoid shots with mercury in them."

Like Sessing's son, Grimm's son was developing at a normal pace when he received a vaccination shot at 18 months.

"He had a local reaction that was bigger than a quarter around the site of the shot, and he came home and just collapsed and slept and slept and slept," she said. "It was very concerning."

Soon thereafter he stopped singing his ABCs. Then he stopped talking. Grimm has had some success with chelation, a treatment program that removes heavy metals from the body. Now both of her sons are fully verbal.

Lauri Hislope of Peoria, the current president of a local autism support group and information clearinghouse, says her son Kyle was "assaulted by vaccine." After developing normally up until 16 months, his turnaround was dramatic and fast. In 2004 at 13, Kyle was too disruptive, violent, unpredictable and such a drain on the family's emotional state that he moved to the residential Hope School in Springfield.

"He's doing much better in that environment," Hislope said. "And we're not giving up, but it has been very, very difficult."

All of the mothers said they support the public health vaccination effort. Studies are clear; when vaccination rates decline, childhood illness increase. Reports of a mumps outbreak in Iowa highlight how necessary and important is continued vigilance against disease.

And though thimerasol has been removed from childhood vaccines, it remains in many flu shots. Children ages 2 to 5 are now recommended recipients of annual flu shots and they are routinely given to pregnant women. Thimerasol-free flu shots should be readily available upon request.

- Scott Hilyard

UPCOMING TACA ACTIVITIES!

April 1 Kickoff

TACA’s 2nd Annual Friends and Family Campaign kicks off on April 1

F&F Logo Last year TACA families raised $35,000! TACA has grown to serve over 2,000 families and provides 95% of our services at no cost —
WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Fundraising Kicks Off in April

Since TACA was started, dozens of TACA families have asked me “How can I help?” Last year we launched the Friends and Family campaign. We asked you to help by reaching out to your extended community to raise awareness about autism and funds to help TACA continue to fulfill its mission of educating and supporting families and building community. You came when we called and raised an amazing $35,000!!

This year we’re asking you to do it again. And to stretch yourself a little farther outside your comfort zone, into your more extended circle of family and friends. If you do that, together, I know we can raise $50,000 this year!

Request Your Picture of Hope Fundraising Kit

Picture of Hope Fundraising kits include: Complete instructions and suggestions on approaching family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and the company where you work, five magnets, and five sets of TACA brochures and information. You only need to supply the picture of your child!

For more information please contact us to order your kit or pick up your kit at a monthly TACA meeting.

TACA Friends & Family Efforts - SUPER STARS!
Nigro family	$ 10,000.00
Taylor family	$ 1,500.00
Monahan & Skosh Monahan’s	$ 1,500.00
Busse Family	$ 1,240.00
Yencso family	$ 1,000.00
Chin family	$ 936.00
Brodie family	$ 540.00
Tang Family	$ 500.00
Marroquin Family	$ 425.00
Wu/Chiang Family	$ 370.00
Rose Family	$ 310.00
Yang Family	$ 300.00
Lions Club Costa Mesa	$ 300.00
Ackerman Family	$ 300.00
Estepp Family	$ 250.00
Ancich Family	$ 200.00
Romero family	$ 175.00
Barboza family	$ 100.00
Lowey family	$ 100.00
Smith family	$ 50.00

TOTAL IN:	$ 20,096.00

GOAL TO GO:	$ 29,904.00

Help TACA get there by June 30, 2006!

Sept. 17, 2006:

3rd Annual Picnic is NOW scheduled for September 17, 2006

At Camp James/Hidden Valley in Irvine, CA
Registration IS NOW OPEN! SHOP TACA!
Exhibit & Sponsorship opportunities available!

Oct.-Nov. 2006:

Join TACA & Cure Autism Now for these two walks

50% of the proceeds (if you select TACA in your referral box at sign up
or the links below) will go to TACA & 50% will go to CAN!

Orange County Walk:
Camp James/Hidden Valley – October 14, 2006
Click Here: http://www.walknow.org/faf/home/default.asp?
ievent=144278&msource=06TACAOC

San Diego walk :
(to be scheduled September 2006)
Click Here: http://www.walknow.org/faf/home/default.asp?
ievent=144271&msource=06TACASD

Exhibit & Sponsorship opportunities available!

Monthly Fun:

Just for FUN – once a month

Come Join your TACA friends at PUMP IT UP in Huntington Beach for some good ol’ family fun!