TACA E-News November 2006 #1

3D"TACA

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Talk About Cur= ing Autism Newsletter

Families Helpi= ng Families with Autism

November 2006 = #1

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n Upcoming TACA Costa Mesa Meeting Schedule

n TACA Annouces the 2nd An= nual Holiday Adopt-A-Family Campaign=

n Vaccines & Autism: Is There a Connection? A Thoughtful Debate

n Family Ideas for the Holidays

n TACA Printed Newsletter on Its Way to Homes

n A Personal Note

Greet= ings TACA Members!

Here = is your update on the TACA (TALK ABOUT CURING AUTISM) Group for November 2006 #2. As always, email your thoughts and/or questions. . THIS IS AN ABBREVI= ATED EDITION OF THE TACA ENEWS!

I wan= t to make this e-newsletter informative for you. Let me know your thoughts on = how I can improve it.

IF th= is email is NEW to you and you don't recognize the name... WELCOME! These em= ails happen two to four times a month for the California autism education and supp= ort group called TACA.

We fo= cus on parent information and support, parent mentoring, dietary intervention, t= he latest in medical research, special education law, reviews of the latest treatments, and many other topics relating to Autism. Our main goal is to build our community so we can connect, share and support each other.

Talk = About Curing Autism (TACA) provides general information of interest to the auti= sm 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.

IF YO= U DO NOT WANT TO RECEIVE THESE EMAILS, just respond and I will be happy to rem= ove you from the list. EMAIL ADDRESS IS: tacanow@cox.net. TACA has an official web site at www.tacanow.org.

Upcoming TACA Costa Mesa<= /st1:place> Meeting Schedule

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Next TACA Cost= a Mesa Meeting will be held on December 9, 2006 from 1-4 p.m. at Vineyard Newport<= /st1:PlaceName> Church. This meet= ing will be TACA's 4th Annual School District Roundtable Meeting.

RSVP are required for this meeting. Please RSVP to tacanow@cox.net with y= our name, child’s age & school district name – ENTRANCE TO THIS MEETING IS NOT ALLOWED WITHOUT YOUR RSVP. ONLY TACA PARENTS CAN ATTE= ND THIS MEETING.

There= will be no JANUARY 2007 MEETING at TACA Costa Mesa. We are all going to the Au= tism and Vaccine Debate and hope you can join us.

TACA = has 7 meeting locations around Ca= lifornia. For contact information and meeting dates and times, please click here.

TACA Annouces the 2nd Annual Holiday Adopt-A-Family Campaign

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3Dgifts Talk About Cur= ing Autism (TACA) is pleased to announce its 2nd annual Adopt-A-Family Holiday Campaign! The holiday season is a happy time filled with warmth, love, generosity and hope – and it is through the special holiday generos= ity of the Northrop Grumman Corporation and other generous donors that we are able to launch and continue this much needed program. <= /p>

TACA = will be adopting approximately 20-30 families of all faiths to help provide the things that will make this holiday special. For the families that are adopted, we will provide holiday gifts for their children which might also include assistance with special needs such as diapers, groceries, vitamin supplements, etc., and the delivery of a special holiday dinner. Holiday giving will be valued at approximately $2= 00 in total and will be based on family need and family size.

Ne= ed Help? Apply to be Adopted – Deadline December 10, 2006

If yo= u are a family in need, we will do our best to make 2006 a special holiday seas= on for your family. To qualify, you must:

Be a= TACA member
Have= at least one child with autism
Live= in California
Be recommended by a TACA coordinator

Please contact your local TACA coordinator to receive a recommendation and then = fill out the application and mail to TACA, P.O. Box 12409, Newport B= each, CA 92658-= 2409. You must have a recommendation from a TACA coordination to be considered. Family applications will only be accepted by mail. Click here to download an application.

TACA coordinators can be reached by e-mail based on your location at:
Orange County Lisa Ackerman
tacanow@cox.net
Greater Los Angeles Area Debbie Gonzalez
luerus@hotmail.com
San Fernando Valley Moira Giammetteo
moira@netzero.com
San Diego County Becky Estepp
restepp@sbcglobal.net
Inland Empire Tami Duncan
TACAInlandEmpire@aol.com
Central California Lynne Arnold
lynne@autisminterventioncentralca.org
Northern California Cathy Ferrence
Cathy.Ference@KJMAIL.COM

Jo= in TACA in Making This Holiday Season One= to Remember:

Your help will allow us to reach more than the 20-30 families. To help you can:

Sign= up to be a delivery person, shop for the family, and experience the joy of helping others in your area.
Enjo= y your holiday even more by knowing you have made a difference through adop= ting a family yourself
Dona= te cash or in kind items to the TACA Adopt- A-Family Campaign. You can = do this via mail (see address below) or via online at http://www.tacanow.com/shop.htm.

To help please contact Lisa Ackerman at (949) 640-4401 or e-mail tacanow@cox.net. <= /o:p>

Wa= nt to Help? Adopt-A-Family Call TACA or email tacanow@cox.net and let us know = that you have dropped off gifts to your family and share the story of giving during this holiday season.

Call= (949) 640-4401 or email tacanow@cox.net to register
Purc= hase gifts for each child. You are not obligated to spend more than $25 f= or each gift
Purc= hase a gift certificate from a grocery store chain. The dollar amount shoul= d be at least $15 for each family member regardless of age.
Make= plans to prepare or purchase a holiday dinner for your family.<= /span>
Call= your family no later than December 20 and make arrangements to drop off y= our gifts.
Call= TACA or email tacanow@cox.net and let us know that you have dropped off g= ifts to your family and share the story of giving during this holiday sea= son.

Speci= al note: if funds received exceed number of qualified families we will conti= nue this program throughout the year to TACA’s current program Families= in Crisis.

Speci= al thanks to Debbie Gonzalez and Northrop Grumman Corporation for their assistance in making this happen! We truly appreciate the support and the desire to help TACA families in need. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! <= /p>

Vaccines & Autism: Is There a Connection? A Thoughtful Debate

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Please join us= for a debate between David Kirby, author of Evidence of Harm and Arthur Allen, author of Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine’s Greatest Lifesaver

Date: January 13, 2007
Lecture & Debate: 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Book Signing & Reception: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Location: UC San Diego, Price Center, 9500 Gilman Dr. La Jolla Ca 92093
Cost: Click here to register. The debate is free if your R.S.V.P. is received onl= ine by January 9, 2007, or $10 for on-site sign up or RSVP January 10, 2007 or later. Reception & Book Signing : $5 (on-site)

This = event is sponsored by Generation Rescue, Safe Minds, Talk About Curing Autism a= nd The Cognitive Science Department of the Univer= sity of California, San Diego.

Da= vid Kirby's Bio: David Kirby has been a professional journalist for over 15 years, and wrote for The New York Times for more than eight years. Kirby = was a contracted writer with the weekly City Section at The Times, where he covered public health, local politics, art and culture, film and theater, architecture, zoning and land use, among many other subjects. He has also contributed to The Magazine, Arts & Leisure, Personal Health, MenR= 17;s Health, Science Times, Escapes, Travel, Weekend and other sections of the paper. Kirby has also written for a number of national magazines, includi= ng Glamour, Redbook, Marie Claire, Mademoiselle, Self, Art News, and others.= In addition, Kirby was a foreign correspondent in Mexico and Central America from 1986-1990, where he covered the wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua, a= nd covered politics, corruption and natural disasters in Mexico. From Latin America, he reported for UPI, the San Franc= isco Examiner, Newsday, The Arizona Republic, Houston Chronicle and the NBC Ra= dio Network.

Ar= thur Allen's Bio: Arthur Allen was born in Cincinnati<= /st1:City> and educated at the University= of California, Berkeley where he received an undergraduate degree in Development Studies. He was a foreign correspondent for the Associate Press in El Salvador during the war in that country, and later = was based in Mexico City, Paris, and Bonn, Germany. Since 1995, he has= been a freelance magazine writer in Washington, D.C., specializing in biomedical affairs. Allen is particularly interested in how society respo= nds to changes in technology. His book (to be released in January 2007) chronicles the rough and tumble history of vaccines as well as the social= and cultural response to vaccination programs, from Cotton Mather’s Bos= ton in the early 18th Century, to present-day conflicts over vaccine safety a= nd supply. Allen lives in Washi= ngton, D.C., with his wife, the = writer Margaret Talbot, and his two children.

Family Ideas for the Holidays

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Before autism,= my family gave to a small select number of charities each year. Now that aut= ism 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 1,200 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 i= s in need? How do you ask for help?

I wan= ted to share some ideas for your family in preparation for the holiday/ end of y= ear gift-giving season.

FA= MILY GIFT IDEAS TO HELP YOUR CHILD:

Often gift receiving for some autistic children can be difficult. The iss= ues 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 worr= y, it will!)
- Your child receives more gifts at holiday time than he can ever play wi= th 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, Toys R Us Differ= ent Enabled toys catalog, Home Depot for home safety items, and for Costco 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 ch= eck with your tax advisor on issues for receiving such gifts.)

3) Babysitting coupons – redeemable any time!

FA= MILY GIFT IDEAS TO HELP AUTISM-RELATED CHARITIES LIKE TACA:

Because I am from such a big family - 6 brothers and sisters 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.

Pleas= e, 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 effo= rt - 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 alterna= te happily between doing toys and donations for different holidays and birth= days for Jeff. The gift giver/donator also gets a tax write-off which they enj= oy, 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. <= o:p>

Pleas= e have them consider TACA. Here are some fundraising ideas for TACA: =

Writ= e a letter to family and friends about autism and list your preferred charities. If you would like a sample, please drop me a note at tacanow@cox.net
TACA= is listed with the Uni= ted Way for payroll deductions. These payroll deductions are available in monthly, quarterly or annual deductions.
Gift= s to TACA in lieu of holiday gifts to the special needs child or as a hos= tess gift for family parties.
Host= a holiday gathering or dinner in honor of TACA and ask friends to dona= te to your favorite charity. Show the TACA information video - 4 minutes long and now available off www.tacanow.org .
Or s= imple online donations to TACA using PAYPAL off the TACA web site at http://www.tacanow.com/donate.htrm
Anot= her 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 10, 2006 to ensure holiday arrival. And as always – s= hipping is free.
Anot= her thought would be to ask your family and friends for understanding. H= ow about buying your friends the paperback book EVIDENCE OF HARM by Dav= id Kirby and ask them to read it.

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.

In Ja= nuary, I will do a look back on what TACA accomplished in 2006 and provide you a look at our next steps, what your involvement in TACA means and how you c= an help. Thanks for being part of TACA.

We hope this information makes your holiday season brighter. <= /span>

TACA Printed Newsletter on Its Way to Homes

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TACA 2nd PRINT= ED NEWSLETTER is due in your mailbox in the next couple of weeks.

DO WE= HAVE YOUR ADDRESS? Have you received one earlier this year? =

PLEAS= E SEND YOUR DATABASE UPDATES to tacanow@cox.net

Pleas= e be sure to include: Your name, address, city, state, ZIP Code and school district name

A Personal Note

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3Dphoto A note of hear= t felt thanks for everyone on their condolences, love, prayers, and good thoughts for my mom who passed away on November 21, 2006. Pat Ottman Brown was an amazing lady who above all focused on her children and loving her family.= She was a great inspiration to me on so many levels that my personal note to = you would be a mile long to share all that I could say about her – which she deserves.

Here = is the cliff notes version: She leaves behind a husband, 6 children, 4 step-kids= and 17 grandchildren. She will always known as Grandma Pat and was the happie= st holding her babies and grandkids. She loved Scarlett O’Hara and anything to do with Gone with the Wind or Phantom of the Opera, debating = and discussing current issues, an amazing sense of humor, avid book reader on= a variety of topics, cooking and watching people eat the food she prepared = (she was personally offended to anyone who did not have second helpings,) babysitting grandchildren, and was a native from Los Angeles and proud of= it. Her home for the past 40 years was in Huntington Beach – where I grew up.

My fa= vorite mom story was when I called her about Jeff. He was 5 years old and just learning to speak (for the second time.) I was worried and crying about my beloved son and his struggles that his report said he was in the 2nd percentile for speech. My mom told me “Oh honey, so he speaks like = an 18 month old. That won’t matter when he is 40. Jeff is perfect to me and we know how to speak to each other. He can say I love you. That is all that matters.” This was my mom through and through.

Peopl= e have told me it is a hard time of year to loose a family member and for me = 211; anytime would be a terrible time to loose my mom. I miss not being able to pick up the phone and hear her voice. It was incredibly strange to cook a Thanksgiving meal (my job I love for the past 10 years) and not call my m= om to calculate the cooking time for the moist turkey and go over the stuffi= ng ingredients again. And make fun of her tomato aspice dish and ask her if = she was going to make it and no, not even on a dare, would I eat some (this i= s a horrific dish of tomatos, gelatin, celery and some secret ingredients kno= wn as her family traditional dish.) Even though I knew the answers to all my questions it was great comfort to have her there to remind and encourage = me. This year I made the turkey with my dad. He showed up unannounced and it = made it so much easier.

Novem= ber 21st will go down in history as my least favorite day on record. We also = lost a true hero to the autism community: Dr. Bernard Rimland. He crushed the = long running clinical explaination of autism to “refrigerator moms”= ; to change the paradigm and the way people think about autism - forever. His other amazing accomplishments lead to the DAN (Defeat Autism Now) movement and providing a road map for children with autism and some their recovery= . He also brought to light many controversey’s about autism you read abo= ut frequently in this newsletters such as the connection of vaccines to auti= sm, supplementation, and the importance of treating the medical issues unique= to the childs needs.

I kne= w Dr Rimland as Uncle Bernie. He guided me in so many ways in making TACA beco= me more effective and helpful to families. I would call his office for advice but more importantly to hear his voice. He was the long lost Uncle I wish= I had. I admired this man beyond words and am so saddened by his passing. My deepest heart felt love to his family and to his friends at ARI.

Cl= ick here to leave a note for his family and the world to see on how this amazing man who changed our world – for the better. We will miss his guidance in this world.

I lea= rned about Bernies passing on the way home from my shift at the hospital by mo= ms side. 20 minutes later I got the call about my mom. My goal is to continue whatever efforts I can – especially the uncomfortable ones where I = have to grow – so they will be proud.

This = next paragraph will sound so trite as we have often heard it in the past and I know I have rolled my eyes to folks who have said this advice or when I h= ave read it. I miss these two people so much, they have affected me so profou= ndly that I found myself telling everyone who is important to me how much I lo= ve them. My advice to you is to tell those people that have made a differenc= e to your life that you love them while you can. In addition – enjoy your time on this planet. Make your mark. This time is not forever. While I realize the autism journey is a tough journey and not for the faint of he= art – there are glimpses of amazing beauty along the way. Treasure that beauty – celebrate it. And don’t walk by it no matter how sma= ll.

Happy Holidays to you and your family,
Lisa A Jeff’s mom
Number of families: approaching 2,200
Number of folks who get this enewletter: 2,700

Contact Information

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email: tacanow@cox.net

web: http://www.tac= anow.org

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