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Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) provides general information of interest to the autism community. The information comes from a variety of sources and TACA does not independently verify any of it. The views expressed herein are not necessarily TACA’s. TACA does not engage in lobbying or other political activities.

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September 2010 #2

Here is your update on TACA (Talk About Curing Autism). If you are new to our site... WELCOME! This newsletter is produced two to four times each month.

We are an autism education and support group. We want to make this e-newsletter informative for you. As always, contact us your thoughts and/or questions so we can improve it.

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

Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) provides general information of interest to the autism community. The information comes from a variety of sources and TACA does not independently verify any of it. The views expressed herein are not necessarily TACA’s.

1. Find a TACA Meeting

Come to a TACA Meeting!

TACA holds monthly meetings in many locations throughout the United States that feature educational speakers on important topics and allow family members to connect with one another and stay on top of the latest information in the autism world. Each TACA group maintains a resource library of the latest autism books, CDs and DVDs that can be checked out by members at no charge.

Check out our group listings: each contains information on TACA meetings and special events as well as a contact form.

Are you wondering what happens at a TACA meeting? Watch our video.

2. Join Us for Coffee Talk!

Come and receive some extra support or to

chat all topics related to autism and meet

other TACA families at these informal,

monthly get-togethers.

3. Autism Journey Seminars

Costa Mesa, CA

Saturday, September 25, 2010, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Greenwood, IN

Saturday, October 16, 2010, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

After receiving the diagnosis of autism for a beloved child (or children), parents typically struggle as they search through various resources to locate information needed to help their child the fastest. The goal of the one-day Autism Journey Seminar is to provide parents and caretakers the “jump start” they need at the beginning of their journey from parents who have “been there, done that.” In addition to sage advice, parents who attend will receive: an overview of beginning therapies and biomedical intervention, where to go for what information, and recommended first steps. The seminar will be given by experienced parents who volunteer their time in providing the education new parents need.

Who should attend?

Our one-day seminar is geared for parents and caretakers of children affected by autism. Content will be provided in an “overview” presentation with web and book resource information for additional details. This seminar is geared to parents and caretakers new to the autism journey (less than 18 months) who have not yet started a behavioral/educational program or biomedical testing and interventions.

Register Online

4. Thanks Jack!

Since 2006, Jack FM & TACA have partnered in five separate events including: Jack’s First Show, Jack’s Second Show, Jack’s Third Show, Jack’s Fourth Show and the Jack Open Golf Tournament. And they've done it again with Jack's Fifth Show!

The amazing band line up includesd: The Steve Miller Band, The Cult, The Fixx, Night Ranger, Skid Row, Modern English & Sweet.

The Jack Team got created several ways for raising funds and awareness for TACA Families! Efforts included:

• $1 from each ticket sold goes to TACA
• Autism awareness mixed in with concert announcement spots
• VIP Pit Tickets that directly benefited TACA
• A great show for over 16,000 music enthusiasts!

Together, we have touched over 48,000 people at these events with announcements about the TACA message and autism awareness. Countless others have heard the radio spots on Jack FM.

Each of these events has had the Jack FM signature of fun, while at the same time educating a large audience and helping to raise the necessary funds for TACA to continue to provide programs for families affected by autism at no cost to families.

This partnership has been incredibly successful for TACA and we are so grateful for the support! Thanks Jack! Read more

5. Daily Autism Updates for Families

All news related to autism: AgeofAutism.com

6. Autism & Vaccines: Hannah Poling On Good Morning America

Watch the Poling family interviewed on Good Morning America.

7. Settlement reached in autism-vaccine case

By Carrie Teegardin, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Georgia girl whose high-profile case established a connection between autism symptoms and vaccines has received an unprecedented damage award from a federal vaccine injury fund.

Federal health officials concluded in 2008 that childhood vaccines contributed to the development of autism symptoms of Hannah Poling of Athens. The decision did not establish a clear link between the immunizations and Poling's condition. Instead, it concluded that vaccines aggravated a rare, pre-existing condition that resulted in a disorder with autism-like symptoms.

The 2008 decision did not determine the amount of compensation, which was finalized only recently. The documents reporting the award from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims keep Poling's name confidential. But Poling's attorney confirmed that the case was that of Hannah Poling in an interview with CBS News.

Government officials still insist that vaccines don't cause autism. The Poling case represents the first claim that was compensated among thousands filed by families that allege that their child's autism was caused by vaccines.

The award is sizable: $1.5 million immediately to cover care during the first year after the judgments, lost future earnings and pain and suffering. The award includes another $140,00 to cover past expenses incurred by the family. The decision also orders an annuity contract that would cover at least $500,000 in annual expenses to care for and educate Poling during her lifetime.

"It’s critical to remember that the government has never compensated, nor has it ever been ordered to compensate, any case based on a determination that autism was actually caused by vaccines," said Martin Kramer, communications director for the Health Resources and Services Administration. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program is part of the administration. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims decides who will be paid damages for injuries that result from vaccines, under a 1988 law that created a program.

It's unclear whether the award will offer help to other families seeking payments, since the case did not establish a clear link between vaccines and autism. The compensation program received 5,632 autism-related petitions between 1999 and 2010, according to statistics posted on the program's website. The program has turned down all autism-related claims in about 700 cases adjudicated so far, except for the Poling case.

Dr. John Shoffner, a neurologist and national expert who has conducted research on autism and its causes, said researchers have found no link between vaccines and autism. And he said he strongly favors vaccination.

"The preponderance of data shows that vaccines are important and safe for children to prevent preventable and sometimes life-threatening infectious diseases," Shoffner said. "I certainly am in favor and support the CDC's as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation of vaccination."

Shoffner is a co-author of a journal article that describes Poling's case without naming her.

Autism is a complicated and varied condition that makes communication and social interaction difficult. Some children with autism exhibit repetitive behavoirs and intense interests. But children who share the same diagnosis are often completely different from one another.

In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2008, Poling's parents said their daughter was a normal, verbal toddler until she received several vaccines at around 19 months of age. Within 48 hours, she developed a high fever and was crying inconsolably. She later began exhibiting symptoms of autism. Poling's father is a neurologist and her mother is a lawyer and a nurse. They took Hannah for evaluations by leading experts in neurology.

"I had to know," Terry Poling, Hannah's mother, said in the 2008 interview. "My daughter didn't just suddenly develop autism for no reason."

The Polings could not be reached for comment on Friday.

Rebecca Estepp, a California mother of a 12-year-old son with autism who also has a compensation claim pending, said the award for the Polings is a step forward for other families.

"This is hugely important because there is a record now of a child who has autism that was compensated for vaccine damage," she said.

8. Vaccine-Autism Decision a 'Major Disappointment' Says Autism Advocacy Community

Cedillo vs. Secretary of Health and Human Services Highlights Failure of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy (EBCALA) is deeply disappointed in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's decision to affirm Cedillo v. Secretary of Health and Human Services. EBCALA submitted a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of 23 civil society organizations in January 2010 urging the Court of Appeals to reverse. In affirming the decision, the Court of Appeals failed to do justice by Michelle Cedillo and thousands of other petitioners in the Omnibus Autism Proceeding (OAP). This case, the first test case in the OAP, highlights the overall failure of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). As Rebecca Estepp, an OAP petitioner, said, "These are government lawyers, representing a government agency, presenting government-funded science to government judges, with no jury and no normal rules of evidence. Where's the justice in that?"

Michelle Cedillo, a 15-year-old girl, developed autism and many other severe medical problems in the immediate aftermath of her measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and other mercury-containing vaccines. Her lawyers advanced scientific and legal arguments that the combination of her mercury-containing and live virus vaccines substantially contributed to her life-threatening medical conditions. In EBCALA's view, Cedillo met the required standard of "more likely than not."

While the Court of Appeals criticized some of the Department of Justice's conduct as "troubling," it did not find that the government's conduct merited reversal. EBCALA has grave concerns regarding a legal process that permitted the admission of critical evidence by the government at the last minute, not only foreclosing Cedillo's opportunity to challenge it, but unfairly precluding any inquiry into how the Department of Justice obtained the critical piece of evidence in the first place. The court's failure to inquire into this area raises serious questions regarding the due process and fair play of the VICP. Adding to EBCALA's concern was the Special Master's insufficient analysis of Cedillo's scientific biopsy results. A recent study by leading United States researchers – that the Court of Federal Claims elected not to admit – found no basis to question the reliability of the laboratory results, contrary to the government's position and the OAP's finding.

The Court of Appeals disappointingly failed even to criticize the Special Master's injudicious tone in his opinion, where he characterized the case as "one-sided" and accused Michelle's doctors as being "guilty…of gross medical misjudgment." "Impartiality is the bedrock of any judicial system, and the VICP failed to exhibit it in the Omnibus Autism Proceeding," said Mary Holland, Executive Director of EBCALA.

EBCALA and amici are now focused on Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, scheduled to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on October 6, 2010, a case that will determine proper interpretation of the 1986 National Vaccine Injury Compensation Act which created the VICP. Bruesewitz v. Wyeth will decide whether families like the Cedillos may bring claims of vaccine design defect to regular civil courts after having first filed in the VICP.

For more information, contact Mary Holland, J.D., EBCALA Director at (917) 743-3868.

The following 23 civil society organizations filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Cedillo v. HHS:

• Age of Autism
• Autism Action Network
• Autism Human Rights and Discrimination Initiative
• AutismOne
• Autism File USA
• Autism Research Institute
• Autism Trust USA
• Coalition for Mercury-Free Medicine
• Developmental Delay Resources
• Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy
• Generation Rescue
• Life Health Choices
• Maryland Coalition for Vaccine Choice
• Medical Voices Vaccine Information Center
• National Autism Association
• National Vaccine Information Center
• New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice
• New York Alliance for Vaccination Choice (website in formation)
• The Coalition for Safe Minds
• Schafer Autism Report
• Talk About Curing Autism
• Unlocking Autism
• Wisconsin Vaccine Information Center

SOURCE Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy

9. Vaccines, Autism and Brain Damage: What's in a Name?

CBS News Investigates

Posted by Sharyl Attkisson

Vaccines have saved untold millions of lives, and the vast majority of people who get them suffer no major problems.

But there's a trade-off: occasionally, vaccines cause injury or death. Very rarely, patients are left with what's known as "encephalopathy", the medical term for brain damage.

In fact, CBS News has found nearly 1,300 cases in which vaccine-related brain damage has been compensated in court over the past 20 years.

The debate over any links between vaccines and autism - a behavior problem triggered by brain damage - couldn't be more contentious. The great majority of medical opinion holds that vaccines don't cause autism. However, many of the same experts don't dispute that vaccines can, in rare instances, cause brain damage.

Family to Receive $1.5 Million + in First-Ever Vaccine-Autism Court Award

Learning From a Previous Vaccine-Autism Case

Our examination of federal vaccine court decisions over the years reflects this. Children who end up with autistic symptoms or autism have won vaccine injury claims over the years-as long as they highlighted general, widely-accepted brain damage; not autism specifically. But when autism or autistic symptoms are alleged as the primary brain damage, the cases are lost.

That doesn't make sense to families who see autism as a specific form of encephalopathy. But it makes perfect sense to the University of Pennsylvania's Dr. Brian Strom, who has served on Institute of Medicine panels advising the government on vaccine safety. He says the prevailing medical opinion is that vaccines are scientifically linked to encephalopathy, but not scientifically linked to autism.

"The fact that a person suffers autism and encephalopathy does not mean that the vaccine caused both of them," says Dr. Strom. "Even if it caused the encephalopathy, that may or may not have been the cause of the autism--those are two different questions."

Still, some families who believe vaccines caused autism in a loved one are circulating these words of advice: use "encephalopathy" in vaccine court and you're more likely to win. Argue "autism" and you're sure to lose.

"I purposely avoided mentioning 'autism' in the claim," says the attorney for a child diagnosed with brain damage and autism after her DTaP vaccination at 18 months. The lawsuit alleged only encephalopathy. "Using (the child's) autism diagnosis would have dragged out the lawsuit for years. The point wasn't to try to win the autism debate, it was to get this family the compensation they need to take care of their injured child." They promptly won a significant award.

Sharyl Attkisson's 2007 Report on Michelle Cedillo

The case of Michelle Cedillo, now 16, couldn't have turned out more differently. Her autism claim was a "test case" in federal vaccine court. If she'd won, it could have opened the floodgate for thousands more vaccine-autism claims to be paid. Michelle's attorney argued that an MMR shot on Dec. 20, 1995 directly caused her severe autism. But the federal vaccine court couldn't have been firmer in smacking down the claim last year, saying there was no credible proof that vaccines caused her autism. Michelle is also diagnosed with severe encephalopathy. Her mother, Theresa Cedillo, feels they could have won if they had simply based their case on encephalopathy. Mrs. Cedillo doesn't regret her daughter being a landmark autism case, even though they lost. But for future families, she says: "if you want to be compensated, I would say stay away from the 'autism' word."

Since the late 1980's, more than 2,100 families have received compensation for vaccine injuries under the federal program designed to help in rare instances of severe vaccine side effects. And more than half of those awards are for brain injuries.

Total Number of Brain Injury Cases Compensated in Federal Vaccine Court

(as of May 2010 and including the newly-released settlement of the Hannah Poling autism case)

Encephalitis/Encephalopathy: 639

Seizure Disorders: 656

Autism 1*

Total: 1,296

Source: HHS-HRSA (Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration)

*In this case (involving Hannah Polling), though the government conceded before trial, it took the position that vaccines didn't "cause" autism, but rather that the vaccines aggravated an unknown and previously undiagnosed mitochondrial disorder the child had which "resulted" in autism. It's unknown how many other children have similar undiagnosed mitochondrial disorder.

Neither the court nor the government is tracking how many vaccine-brain damage cases involve children who also ended up with autism or autistic-like behavior. When we asked for the statistics, vaccine compensation officials told us: "The government has never compensated, nor has it ever been ordered to compensate, any case based on a determination that autism was actually caused by vaccines. We have compensated cases in which children exhibited an encephalopathy, or general brain disease. Encephalopathy may be accompanied by a medical progression of an array of symptoms including autistic behavior, autism, or seizures."

When we asked why government officials aren't looking for the rate of autism among the brain damage victims who have been given compensation, vaccine compensation officials told us: "Anticipating large numbers of claims, the Court allowed the filing of 'shortform' petitions, but without medical records. As a result, a very small number of the pending 5,000 claims have medical records, making it impossible for us to review and compare commonalities, patterns, or any general trends among all of the petitioners. Over time, we may learn more about patterns of pre-existing conditions and the role vaccines play, if any, in their progression. As we have done in the past, the VICP medical staff will look at the court findings and any new scientific information, and may publish scientific articles as appropriate."

Dr. Brian Strom adds that unless an association between vaccines and autism is scientifically proven, it simply doesn't exist, as far as scientists are concerned. "One can always hypothesize that an exposure is linked to an outcome. The question for science is to prove whether or not that truly occurs more often than one would expect by chance. Absent that, a scientist assumes there is no association. It is analogous to a courtroom, where you are innocent until proven guilty. In science, there is no link, unless or until there are data proving a link."

More information

Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System

Special Federal Vaccine Court

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP)

Vaccine Table of Injuries

10. Mother wins MMR payout after 18 years

A mother whose son suffered severe brain damage after being given the MMR vaccine as a baby has been awarded £90,000 compensation.

By Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent

Jackie Fletcher has campaigned for compensation for her son Robert – now 18 – because she believed his severe epilepsy was triggered by the jab.

Now a tribunal has ordered that the payment be made, after concluding that it could be "no coincidence" that he suffered his first seizure 10 days after being vaccinated.

All injections carry the risk of extreme reactions, and in rare cases, children have been left brain-damaged by them.

The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme does not examine the safety of particular jabs, but the likelihood that the process caused a reaction.

However, the payout for damage following a MMR jab the first to be known about since a major public scare about its safety, following research in 1998 that suggested the vaccine caused autism. The study, now discredited, provoked widespread public concerns about the safety of the vaccine.

The payment agreed by the Government compensation scheme is likely to reignite the debate over the safety of common childhood vaccines.

Robert Fletcher, from Warrington, in Cheshire, is unable to talk, stand unaided or feed himself. He suffered the effects after being given the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine when he was 13 months old.

In a six-page judgment, the panel which examined the case said: 'Robert was a more or less fit boy who, within the period usually considered relevant to immunisation, developed a severe convulsion ... and he then went on to be epileptic and severely retarded. The seizure occurred ten days after the vaccination. In our view, this cannot be put down to coincidence."

The panel said the reaction only happened because the child had a genetic predisposition to epilepsy, but said that "on the balance of probabilities" the vaccination triggered the onset of the condition.

Mrs Fletcher said she believed the compensation award was the first to a surviving MMR-damaged person since controversy erupted in 1998 when the now discredited Dr Andrew Wakefield raised concerns about a possible link between the combined MMR injection and autism.

Mrs Fletcher runs pressure group JABS – Justice, Awareness and Basic Support. Around 2,000 families seeking compensation for their vaccine-damaged children are registered with the group, which provides advice and support.

'My husband John and I have battled for 18 years for the cause of Robert's disability to be officially recognised,' she said.

'We were told the vaccine was perfectly safe. Like most people, we trusted what the doctors and nurses were putting to us.

'Robert is nearly 19 but mentally he is like a 14-month-old toddler. He can't stand unaided and he is doubly incontinent.

'He can't speak except to say "Hi, Mum" or "Hi, Daddy".

Her first application for compensation was rejected in 1997 on the grounds that it was impossible to prove beyond reasonable doubt what had caused Robert's illness.

But Mrs Fletcher appealed and in a ruling delivered last week, a new panel of experts came to a different conclusion.

The one-day hearing last week was chaired by a barrister sitting with two doctors. While one said the child would have developed epilepsy regardless of whether he had been given the vaccine, he was overruled by his two colleagues.

The panel said that the judgement was specific to the particular case and should not be seen as a precedent. It underlined in particular that the ruling had no relevance to the question of a link between MMR vaccine and autism.

Dr Michael Fitzpatrick, a London GP whose own son is autistic, said: 'It is a very important principle that parents should be compensated in cases of this kind.

'But although a causal link has been established in law in this instance, exhaustive scientific research has failed to establish any link between MMR and brain damage.

This case should not make parents feel any different about the safety of the vaccine".'

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "This decision reflects the opinion of a tribunal on the specific facts of the case and they were clear that it should not be seen as a precedent for any other case. The safety of MMR has been endorsed through numerous studies in many countries. Thankfully, more parents are having their children vaccinated with MMR and consider it as safe as other childhood vaccines.

A spokesman for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which collects data on adverse reactions to drugs and vaccines, said although the vaccine could, on rare occasions, cause a temporary fever fit, there remained no confirmed evidence that these caused long-term brain injury.

He added: "The benefits of MMR vaccine in preventing serious and life threatening infections far outweigh any known side effects of the vaccine".

11. Child Autism Epidemic Firmly Linked to Environment

Stephen Barrie on the Huffington Post

Autism among U.S. children has reached epidemic proportion. And it's getting worse by the year.

Since the '70's, there has been a 60-fold increase in American children with autism. The latest CDC data shows that currently 1 in every 100 U.S. children, and 1 in every 58 boys, are being diagnosed with autism. According to statistics from the most recent (2007) National Survey of Children (from HRSA of HHS), the the odds of a child in the U.S. receiving an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis are 1 in 63, and go up to 1 in 38 for boys. That's over 2.6 percent of all male children in America. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) includes Autism (classic), Asperger syndrome and Pervasive Development Disorder.

The number of autistic children expected to reach adulthood in the next 10 years along with their caregivers will exceed the population of Rhode Island and cost an estimated $27 billion in additional care beyond the almost $60 billion being spent on current autism-related costs. (1,2)

Under the specter of an autism epidemic sweeping America, Senator Barbara Boxer (CA) convened hearings last week on the "State of Research on Potential Environmental Health Factors with Autism." (3)

The result?

Experts agree that the primary explanation for the dramatic increase in autism is toxic environmental exposure and gene-environment interactions. New research shows that even low-dose, multiple toxic and infectious exposures may be a key factor to the onset of autism.

One expert, Dr. Linda Birnbaum, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health, testified that "Research supported by NIEH has clearly shown that it is not just genetics that causes neuro-developmental disorders such as autism but rather the interplay of both genes and the environment".

Dr. Birnbaum also stated that NIEH has uncovered information on the role that early environmental exposures play in the development of a broad spectrum of childhood disorders, including not only autism but also ADHD, and other learning disorders.

Another expert, Dr. Paul Anastas, the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency's assistant administrator, told the subcommittee that children are especially susceptible to the effects of chemicals in the environment because they eat, drink and breathe in more for their body weight than adults. They absorb a greater proportion of many chemicals in the environment than adults, and due to hand to mouth behaviors, young children tend to have higher exposures to contaminants, such as pollutants in the surrounding air and dust, deposited from lead paint, tobacco smoke, cleaning products, pesticides and other chemicals. (4,5)

We already know that prenatal and early childhood exposures to chemicals such as methyl mercury (commonly found in fish) ethyl-mercury (previously found in many childhood vaccines as part of a preservative, Thimerosla and currently contained in many flu vaccines although there are thimerosal free ones available), lead (in paints), PCBs (in plastics such as baby bottles and food storage containers) and arsenic (in the air) can affect development of the nervous system and lead to developmental disability. (6,7,8)

Also, the developing brain and nervous system can be disrupted by much lower levels of environmental exposures than would affect adults. (9,10,11) You can read about the current levels of exposure in the just released CDC's National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, a frightening document.

Dr. Isaac Pessah, Director of the UC Davis Center for Children's Environmental Health, testified that many of the molecular and cellular systems associated with autism are the same ones that are the target of environmental chemicals currently of concern to human health because of their widespread use. He spoke of a critical need to identify which chemicals in the environment influence the same biological pathways that are effected in autism. Dr. Pessah said that limiting exposure to these chemicals is the only way to mitigate or prevent autism in susceptible individuals.

Increasingly, evidence links even chronic, low-level exposure to industrial pollutants to many of the most prevalent and disabling learning and behavioral problems in children.

Professor Bruce Lanphear Ph.D, of the Child & Family Research Institute, Simon Fraser University, reported that some of the most widely dispersed environmental toxicants, even at very low levels are risk factors for the "new morbidities" of childhood -- both intellectual and behavioral impairments such as autism. Indeed, there is often no apparent threshold -- in some cases the effects appear to be greater at the lowest levels of exposure. (12) Emerging evidence shows that a whole host of new environmental chemicals such as Bisphenol A, (the protective inner lining in tin cans and baby bottles) PBDEs, pesticides, phthalates and airborne pollutants are all associated with intellectual deficits or behavioral problems in children. (13,14,15)

Just prior to the Senate hearing, several important research papers were published that further documented the relationship between environmental toxins and autism:

• A study in India correlated the increased body burdens of lead and mercury with the severity of children's autism -- the more severe the autism, the higher concentrations of heavy metals were found in their bodies. (16)

• An exhaustive scientific literature search just completed in August shows that the link between autism and toxic exposures in infants is supported by current published research. (17)

My own recent study of a large autistic clinical database shows that children with autism had elevated levels in their bodies of several chemicals known to be neurotoxic. The children have genetic variations, which interfere with the proper detoxification of those chemicals. With over 2,000 patients in the database, my paper is one of the largest studies to show that environmental factors interacting with associated genetic components may be contributing to the causation of autism.

Development of the human nervous system begins in the womb and extends throughout childhood. During these periods of rapid development, the brain is vulnerable to some environmental exposures, which may have the potential to disrupt the chemical signals that organize development. Even small changes can have potentially major consequences for brain structure and function. Thus, even brief adverse exposure at these vulnerable stages can have lasting effects on brain function throughout life.

My report showed on average the amount of lead and mercury in the children's blood was 50 percent higher than normal. Their genetic changes (SNPs) were related to what is called Phase I and Phase II detoxification -- specifically the CYP and GST family of genes. This defect reduced the children's ability to remove excess toxins from their bodies.

These autistic children also had a several fold higher level of bad gut bacteria and reduced levels of beneficial gut bacteria. Bad gut bacteria can produce neurotoxic amines and cause a "leaky gut" which allows toxic substances to more easily enter the circulatory system (see my previous Huffington Post entry "The Keys to Maintaining a Healthy Gut").

You may read the full clinical study here: http://personalizedmedicine.posterous.com/environmental-factors-contributing-to-the-ons#

We as a society have a toxic chemical addiction, which we need to kick now. We need to be better informed consumers -- choosing chemically free foods, products and environments, affecting change with our wallets.

Here are some Toxic Exposure Avoidance Tips for All of Us -- And Especially For Pregnant Women. Start taking them, right now:

Avoid eating foods that may contain high levels of toxic chemicals
While fish are a good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, some contain high levels of mercury. Tuna (especially white or albacore), Cod and Mahi Mahi are ones to avoid. Wild salmon is a good healthy choice. See americanpregnancy.org for an excellent chart showing levels of mercury in the most commonly ingested fish.
Consume organic foods and drinks as much as possible.
Use glass containers instead of plastic to store left over foods and drinks.
Reduce our purchase of foods in cans as the can lining contains high levels of Bisphenol A (an endocrine disrupter linked to increased rates of cancer and abnormal behavior in children).
Limit exposure to toxic household chemicals, pesticides and cleaning supplies. Look for natural alternatives.
Install HEPA and carbon filter air purifiers in bedrooms to insure a healthy toxin free nights rest.
Exposure to toxic chemicals by pregnant women, fetuses and children has a high probability of causing autism and other neuro-developmental disorders and learning disabilities in those whose genetic profile expresses in a reduced ability to detoxify these chemicals. This is not "fringe" science; it's fact.

The time for action is now. We must reduce our exposure to toxic chemicals for ourselves, for our children's sake and for future generations.

We have a responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves. We cannot afford to be incurious, indifferent or uninformed when the price of inattention is disability and heartache -- an overwhelming emotional and financial burden to families and society.

Ask for help: Tell your government that we must lessen our exposure to these chemicals. For the future of all Americans. Email or call your own representatives. Senator Boxer can be reached at: senator@boxer.senate.gov.

Please share your thoughts by adding a comment below.

In good health,

Stephen

References

(1) Autism Society of America (ASA). 2003. Facts and statistics. Available: www.autism-society.org/

(2) Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfate. 2005 PA Autism Census Project: Final Report; Oct 2009

(3) US Senate Subcommittee on Environment and Public Works. Aug 2010

(4) National Research Council. 1993. Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children. National Academy of Sciences Press, Washington, DC.

(5) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2005 Guidance on selecting age groups for monitoring and assessing childhood exposures to environmental contaminants. National Center for Environmental Assessment, Washington, DC; EPA/630/P-03/003F

(6) Wasserman GA, Liu X, Parvez F, Ahsan H, Factor-Litvak P, Kline J, van Geen A, Slavkovich V, Loiacono NJ, Levy D, Cheng Z, Graziano JH. 2007. Water arsenic exposure and intellectual function in 6-year-old children in Araihazar, Bangladesh. Environ Health Perspect. 115(2):285-9

(7) Landrigan PJ, Whitworth RH, Baloh RW, Barthel WF, Staehling NW, Rosenblum BF. 1975. Neuropsychological dysfunction in children with chronic low-level lead absorption. Lancet 1:708-712

(8) Rogan WJ, Ware JH. 2003. Exposure to lead in children - how low is low enough? N Engl J Med. 348:1515-1516

(9)(ATSDR). 2007. Toxicological profile for Lead. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp13-c3.pdf

(10) Grandjean P, and Landrigan PJ. 2006. Developmental neurotoxicity of industrial chemicals. Lancet.;368(9553):2167-78.

(11) Jett DA, Kuhlmann AC, Farmer SJ, Guilarte TR.1997. Age-dependent effects of developmental lead exposure on performance in the Morris water maze. Pharmacol Biochem Behav.57(1-2):271-9

(12) Canfield RL, Henderson CR, Cory-Slechta DA, Cox C, Jusko TA, Lanphear BP. Intellectual impairment in children with blood lead concentrations below 10 micrograms per deciliter. N Engl J Med 2003;348:1517-1526

(13) Eskenazi B, Marks AR, Bradman A, et al. Organophosphate pesticide exposure and neurodevelopment in young Mexican-American children. Environ Health Perspect 2007;115:792-798

(14) Herbstman JB, Sjödin A, Kurzon M, et al. Prenatal exposure to PBDEs and neuro-development. Environ Health Perspect 2010;118:712-719

(15) Braun JM, Froehlich TE, Daniels JL, et al. Association of environmental toxicants and conduct disorder in U.S. children: NHANES 2001-2004. Environ Health Perspect 2008;116:956-962

(16) Priya MD. Level of Trace Elements (Copper, Zinc, Magnesium
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DOI 10.1007/s12011-010-8766-2

(17) DeSoto MC. Sorting out the spinning of autism: heavy metals and the
question of incidence. Acta Neurobiol Exp 2010, 70: 165-176

12. Mercury: Why Don't Pregnant Women Know More?

Julie Obradovic on the Age of Autism

When I started eating a lot of tuna while breastfeeding my daughter, I had no idea that I was possibly poisoning her. At that time, there was no mention of mercury toxicity and certainly no alarm bell being rung over how very dangerous this particular food was. Crazy enough, I don't even like tuna (adding tremendous insult to injury), but I was getting ready to be in a wedding and wanted to get my pre-pregnancy body back a little faster than normal. Not wanting to hurt myself or my baby knowing I was breastfeeding though, I tried to pick the most nutritious foods I could find. Over and over and over again, tuna showed up as a healthy choice, a responsible high-protein alternative to chicken. And so I ate it, even though I hated it, several times a week for many weeks.

It absolutely floors me that I took every precaution known at that time to protect my baby during and after pregnancy, and yet one of the most dangerous things I could do was completely unknown to me. I didn't start working out until she was 2 months old, well after the 6 week mark they make you wait for. I didn't smoke or stay around people who did. I didn't drink, and even when I had a glass of wine at the wedding, I tossed the milk out for days. I had the house baby-proofed with locks and outlet covers. There were gates on all of the stairs. My stroller had the safest reputation. My car seat was top of the line. I bought a mini-van with a 5 star safety rating. I washed all of the clothes in the gentlest detergent. I never missed a doctor's appointment; if she needed to be there at 2 months of age, we were there on the exact 2 month date. I read to her and talked to her all day long. The list goes on. You name it. I did it. Anything for the safety and healthy development of my child.

And so it is with the heaviest of hearts that I try to reconcile what happened. How did this happen? How could this have happened? How is it possible I wasn't warned and educated about mercury by anyone, including my doctors? Because truth be told, I'm not so sure someone telling me mercury was in fish (or my vaccines or my teeth or my air) would have meant anything to me anyway 10 years ago without a significant explanation why. For starters, I never ate fish prior to that time. I hate fish, I really do, which only makes the whole thing more painful. Furthermore, Acrodynia was before my time. No one played with mercury thermometers in my day. I knew lead was bad, but that was only because I had to answer a survey at the pediatrician's office about how old my house was. Had anyone told me I was eating lead or injecting my baby with it, that would have meant something to me. Mercury? Not so much.

After reading Dan and Mark's devastating account of how we all ended up here (See The Age of Autism Mercury Medicine and a Manmade Epidemic HERE), I experienced a downward spiral of guilt and despair over the way my daughter became so sick, with the true devastation I brought to her health sitting square on my chest. This happens to me every so often after certain triggers, and honestly I wasn't prepared for it. Every time I think I'm over the pain, I find out I'm not. For a few days I cried unconsolably and couldn't sleep without the images of her suffering flashing through my mind. All of the would haves, could haves and should haves came rushing back with a vengeance. It was dreadful. It's not only the pain of the stupidity of it happening, it's also how preventable and treatable it would have been had I known. At every turn that this poison should have been stopped from causing harm, it wasn't. I'm not sure I'll ever understand.

To try and make peace with the tragedy, I tore through my old journals, boxes, and books packed away in the basement from that time 9 years ago. I wrote down everything I ate during that time that I was trying to get in shape, primarily to keep track of my calorie intake and make sure I was eating enough for my baby. I had to know…just how much tuna did I actually eat? Just how toxic was she when I held her down to be injected with more, or conversely, how much had she been injected with already when I added more to her diet? Frantic, I ripped open boxes looking desperately to find it. I needed the evidence to condemn myself to permanent mommy prison, but fortunately or not, I couldn't find it. That spiral notebook is gone.

A few things weren't though. I have kept my library of new-mommy- new-baby books neatly on a little shelf for easy access for years. There on the top row were my bibles of good child rearing. The American Academy of Pediatrics Authoritative Guide on Child Development, Birth to Age 5, a 700 page brick. What to Expect the First Year. The Woman's Guide to Pregnancy and Birth. A Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding. Could it be that they knew? Was the information actually available to me and I missed it? Is the situation even worse than I thought? After that thought occurred to me, I actually couldn't open them up for a few minutes. I held one in my hand shaking, wondering if indeed they had warned me about mercury and I simply wasn't paying attention.

The AAP book was a gift to me from a good friend going through medical school at the time. The copyright is 1994, and I received it in 1998. Not only is there no mention of mercury, there is no mention of Autism. In 1994, Autism as a potential developmental problem facing your child up to 5 years of age was so rare, so unlikely, that the American Academy of Pediatrics didn't even mention it as a possibility in the 700 page "authoritative guide" they penned. The fact both mercury and Autism are absent from the book in the mid 90's speaks volumes.

I find this fact alone so significant, so telling, I have to say it again. In 1994 the American Academy of Pediatrics didn't even mention Autism or mercury exposure as potential developmental problems in a 700 page book they wrote as the authoritative guide on all things developmental in children.

But the other 3 books were different. They did mention mercury, albeit barely and buried in the back. In one book, there are a few sentences on a page in the 500's. Unless having read the entire book cover to cover (instead of using it as a reference like I did), or having a specific reason to ever think about mercury, there would be no reason to see it. And it simply states in summary that eating large fish is a bad idea because of methyl mercury exposure. It doesn't say what methyl mercury does, or why it's bad, or how it manifests, or how to test for it, or what to tell your doctor. Nothing. It just says, take caution eating fish when pregnant or breastfeeding, as if that translates as anything meaningful anyway.

Likewise the other two books have something similar. Neither mentions mercury prominently, and neither gives more than a few sentences to the topic buried in the back again. They do not explain why mercury is dangerous to you or your child, how it manifests, what to do if you suspect mercury toxicity or potential mercury toxicity or possible susceptibility factors. In fact, both state a few cans of tuna a week "should be fine", really only warning against swordfish and shark consumption. I can state very assuredly that eating shark or swordfish has never been an issue. Even if I had read this, and who knows if I did, this would haven't applied to me. I wouldn't have thought twice about it.

Our lack of respect for and understanding of the significant, vast, variable, and life-altering dangers of mercury in all forms has arguably led to the unbelievably tragic poisoning of humanity for the last 500 years, as Mark and Dan's book will clearly show in a few weeks when it is released. If nothing else comes of this disaster, I hope and pray it will finally be the end of The Age of Mercury. But, that can only start if we educate ourselves and our physicians about what it can actually do and how. What that can of tuna, vaccine information sheets, and books should have said on the label or first page was this:

CAUTION! MERCURY IS POISONOUS AND NEUROTOXIC AND IS ESPECIALLY HARMFUL TO BABIES! DO NOT EAT TUNA OR FISH WHILE PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING! DO NOT RECEIVE MERCURY CONTAINING VACCINES WHILE PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING! DO NOT GIVE INFANTS MERCURY CONTAINING VACCINES! 1 IN 6 WOMEN IS MERCURY TOXIC! GET SCREENED AND GET YOUR BABY SCREENED FOR POTENTIAL PROBLEMS!

*If you suspect your intake of mercury or your baby's has been high, seek medical help immediately! Mercury can have a cumulative effect and may take months to appear as negative health symptoms. It may not be recognizable to you as causal if you wait! Symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning vary depending on the source of mercury, the amount, the method of exposure, the age, and the genetic makeup of the person.

Mercury may do many different things in different people of different ages, but common manifestations in children include: Asthma, Respiratory Illnesses, Speech Delay, Loss of Speech, Apraxia, Allergies, Seizures, Failing to Thrive, Failing Immune Systems, Loss of Sucking Reflex and/or ability to Swallow, Feeding Problems, Hair Loss or Change in Texture, Constipation, Diarrhea, Weak Joints and Ligaments, Loss of IQ, Loss of Eye Contact, Constriction of Visual Fields, Impaired Attention Spans, Impaired Social Skills, Sensitivity to Sound, Light, and Touch, Loss of Balance or Vestibular Sense, Lack of Sensitivity to Pain, Rocking, Violent Outbursts, Excessive Tantrums, Eczema, Excessive Salivation, Hypotonia, Sleep Disorders, Depression, Changes in Personality, and More! Acute poisoning can cause kidney damage or failure, and even death!

A simple blood test may help determine current levels of mercury toxicity, but results are not always reliable as mercury may go to organs quickly including the brain! In the event you believe you or your child could be at risk for poisoning, seek medical care immediately! Risk Factors for Children Developing Mercury Toxicity may include: A mother's diet high in mercury; A parent's occupational exposure to mercury or mercury containing products; Dental care with mercury exposure; Prenatal and infant vaccines containing mercury; Proximity to mercury pollution; Proximity to wood treated with mercury preservatives; Skin lightening creams that use mercury; Genetic susceptibility to poor detoxification. (This list is incomplete and should be considered so.)

It is my firmest belief that we must focus our efforts now not only on the dangers of mercury in vaccines, which at this point in time is beyond inexcusable, but on the dangers of mercury in general. SafeMinds has provided a wonderful start. People just don't know, and people just don't get how very, very dangerous this metal is. Furthermore, we cannot simply isolate one source of exposure and then subsequently rule out the cumulative exposure possibility as being problematic in the onslaught of health problems our children face.

As I have said many times in conversation, I will never know what put my baby over the edge. Was it the tuna? My amalgams, one of which needed a root canal? Was it the coal burning plant only 5.2 miles away? Was it the HepB shot at birth? Was it all of the other thimerosal containing vaccines over the next two years? I have no idea, and in this lifetime, I won't get to know. But that's not the point. ALL of that mercury hurt my baby badly. And because of our profound ignorance of just how sophisticatedly poisonous it is, she suffered for years before getting the proper treatment.

I call for an all out Mercury Education Campaign, and I am self-proclaiming September "Mercury Education Month". Given Dan and Mark's book drops this month, I think it's only appropriate. Every day on my Facebook page I will post one fact about mercury that the public should know or something we should be doing to prevent this disaster from perpetuating. I'm opening a twitter account and ask you to follow me for the same reason. I urge you to do the same. Educate yourself and those you love.

I plead that just as we screen babies for lead exposure, we do the same for mercury. I argue that all mothers should have their breast milk tested for toxicity. I request that all doctors be required to take a toxicology course on chronic and acute poisoning in children, with a specific focus on mercury. I ask that all children who present with the above mentioned symptoms be properly screened for heavy metal toxicity first, before simply being written a script. I beg that research dollars go towards newer and more promising treatments for mercury and heavy metal poisoning.

And of course, I beg the authorities to stop, stop, STOP injecting babies and their mother's with this poison. It's so irresponsible and negligent that it's criminal. It is not the dose that makes this a poison. It IS a poison. Always. It's not safe at 0.3mcg and dangerous at 25mcg. It's always dangerous. There is no safe amount, and there is no way right now to know just what amount from just what source will be enough to break the threshold of good health for a certain child. The precautionary principle must prevail.

Finally, we have to open our eyes once and for all to properly assess the damage of what our mercury-laden lifestyles have done to our children and loved ones. We have to stop this madness so that we can stop (and hopefully reverse) the suffering. The question is no longer whether or not mercury is connected to Autism and the downward spiral of our collective health, but rather, how could it not be? Our food, our soil, our water, our air, our homes, our medicine, our teeth, our breast milk, our wombs. All of it is tainted, and all of our world's children are paying the price. The time has come to not only end the Age of Autism, but with it, the Age of Mercury.

If my baby's suffering can help do that, then maybe one day I will finally understand.

Julie Obradovic is a Contributing Editor for Age of Autism

13. Back To School = Back To Bullies

Shelley Hendrix Reynolds on the Huffington Post

Back to school for some children means back to being bullied despite a school's anti-bullying, no tolerance policy. Kids are masters at getting in mean digs and shoves hoping to get a rise out of their fellow classmates when adults aren't looking. Children with exceptionalities, including autism, are more vulnerable to abusers.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said:

"When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers."

Last year, my son, Liam, who has autism, was a victim of bullying much like this scene from "Parenthood." In this scene, Max, who has Asperger's syndrome, is frustrated working on an art project at school. The other children are giggling at him, fueling his frustration until someone finally calls him a "freak," which causes him to lash out. In turn, the bully becomes the "victim" because the teacher wasn't able to catch the behavior that caused Max to act out.

In Liam's case, a small group of boys realized that when they repeatedly whispered "Bad Guy" or "Loser," that it would set Liam off. Crying and yelling at them made him look crazy to the rest of the kids, feeding the cycle of abuse. Liam, in turn, got in trouble for disrupting class. After approaching the school, counselors and teachers tried to work with Liam to teach him how to ignore these children but to no avail. None of his peers came to his rescue, fearing the bullies themselves. Liam's self esteem plummeted and he did not want to go to school to face them alone.

Liam is a sweet, peaceful boy. Aware of his autism, he tries very hard to fit in with the rest of the student population. He clearly expresses the same wants and desires as his peers -- good buddies, a girlfriend, pizza for school lunch, more time for video games. He is learning more about social boundaries and appropriate interaction. Because his whole life has centered on rote learning and rule following, it is difficult to explain to him why other children are not following the rules. Even harder to explain how they are getting away with it.

As this school year approached, his anxiety rose. Almost hourly he would say, "Mom, what do I do if they call me bad guy again?" I would reply "Ignore them honey. Remember how we practiced that?" We ran through several drills to reinforce this coping mechanism -- how to ignore them, how to inform his guidance counselor if he encountered harassment, how to tell a teacher by writing her a note or whispering quietly in her ear after class that he needed help.

It took all of three days. He came home crying. They were at it again. My heart sank.

We notified the school. They were aware of the situation and agreed to be more aggressive in addressing it this year, especially since it was the beginning of school.

Last week, Liam finally came home with a huge smile on his face. Running in to the kitchen to greet me with his arms in the air, he exclaimed, "They are going to stop calling me bad guy, Mom! A police lady came today and told them that if they are bullies they are breaking the law! Everyone said they would stop calling me a bad guy!"

Sure enough, a policewoman in uniform addressed the whole seventh grade regarding the school's no bullying policy at the request of school staff. Students were required to sign pledges that they understood that policy. This past week, the teachers explained to the class what autism is and how it might affect Liam or the other children with autism in the school. Once educated on the challenges that Liam faces, the students changed their attitudes.

The next day Liam came home with a dozen apology notes. Some were haughty and forced but the majority of them demonstrated true remorse for either participating in the name calling or for not standing up for Liam to stop it.

I asked Liam to read them all to me then pick his two favorite letters so we could hang them on the fridge.

Liam, I apologize for the others that tease you and taunt you. I am not one of them but I have still laughed at your reaction and I am so sorry. Truly sorry. I encourage you to stay strong and tell the teacher if you need extra help. I believe you can be better and wiser even with your condition. I believe that you can succeed. So don't give up because people like me do care about you. Plus, those who do tease you, they gonna be pregnant in two years anyways or at McDonalds getting your order for you. So keep going Liam and please don't let them get to you. -- Your friend, MT

Liam! Yeah, I think he's cool and he's also my Dawg. So yeah ... he's a cool kid. But I won't be mean to him. I'm not mean to my Dawgs. So Liam ... that's my dawg ... it's a'ight man. It's cool. Be cool. -- Your dawg too! RF

For now, our fingers crossed, breath held, we hope a bit of education and aggressively addressing this issue will end the bullying.

Liam happily hopped out of the car this morning. He knows who his friends are now. He knows that the boys who bothered him were punished for their bad behavior. He knows the school won't tolerate it. Most importantly, he felt safe again.

If your child is bullied, especially if they have special needs, stay on the school. Find creative ways to address the problem. Teresa Foden and Dr. Connie Anderson with the Kennedy Krieger Institute recently published an excellent article on dealing with bullying issues if your child has autism. Ensure an ongoing educational process for both school personnel and the children.

I don't expect this to stop abuse forever in Liam's life. Bullies like to intimidate and keep other children from helping your child. However, once those children are educated, they feel empowered to take a stand.

Way to rip the beard off 'em, Liam and start taking on the world!

14. A mother of a child with autism speaks out

Brandon Guppy, who suffers from autism, goes sailing with his family.

By SATARA WILLIAMS, The Sun

It’s a Tuesday morning and drops of rain are just beginning to sprinkle the ground. Michelle Guppy has already agreed to an interview for 10 a.m. but she knows only minutes prior that she will not be able to meet her obligation.

She knows she won’t stay true to her commitment because by 9:32 a.m., her son has suffered a seizure. By the time her rescheduled appointment rolls around, her child has endured two more.

“My hand was on 911. It was like the first time and I got this helpless feeling,” she said. “It never gets easier.”

Guppy’s 16-year-old son, Brandon Guppy, was diagnosed with autism at the age of two. The resident of Cypress, who gave birth just two years before, said her pregnancy went as smoothly as the first.

However, as time progressed, she began to notice the change in her toddler’s behavior. Her anxiety lessened when her pediatrician identified her son’s developmental delays, Guppy said.

“We just wanted a name for it and for the regression and the change in personality,” she said. “We were relieved because we had a name for it because then we could look it up.”

Guppy and her husband’s moment of joy was short lived as they realized the lack of information on autism in the early nineties.

“A year later, that was the hard time. There was so little out there as far as treatments. Doctors were just saying things and they didn’t really know anything,” she said.

The source of autism is still a topic of debate today. Some believe that vaccinations cause autism while others believe there is no link between the two.

Guppy disagrees with the latter and said her son’s conditions stems from the amount of vaccines he received.

“Vaccines are not as safe as we’re told and are not without serious risks. I’m not anti-vaccine but I’m pro-be informed,” she said. “If I were to be a mother again, I do things differently. I wouldn’t be as naïve or as trusting.”

Guppy’s 18-year-old son, Matt Guppy, does not suffer from autism. In fact, he is enrolled in gifted and talented courses. The mother of two said it’s difficult parenting children who are on such different ends of the spectrum.

“It brings in unique aspects and challenges. How do you nurture one and still have time for the other? How do you decide between college for one child or one child’s long-term care?” she said. “It brings so many challenges that typical families don’t have. Their chaos is our normal.”

One of the biggest misconceptions is that autistic children can’t learn, a notion that could not be further from the truth, according to Guppy.

She said there needs to be a change in the education field as instructors aren’t equipped with the proper techniques for teaching children with autism.

In regards to her son’s schooling past high school, she is already out of options, Guppy said.

“My personal prayer is that the Lord returns before then. I can’t die before my son. There’s so little out there,” she said.

Despite the financial struggles, marital strains and everyday challenges, Guppy said she would not trade her life with her autistic son for any other in this lifetime.

“It’s an opportunity to be closer to God and to appreciate the little things,” she said. “He may not be able to read, write, talk or hit a home run at little league, but if he learns how to do something to help himself be as independent as he can at therapy, then that's just as big a success.”

15. Read The Age of Autism

The Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine, and a Manmade Epidemic is available at book stores and available on line—and we need your help.

Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill's groundbreaking book, The Age of Autism, traces the autism epidemic by examining the first diagnosed cases of autism. Dan and Mark's detailed research is impeccable and their conclusions are stunning. Their book will revolutionize the way people think about autism and children's health.

We need this book to make a big splash with the American public and you can help. Here is what we need you to do:

• Buy the book (if you haven't already)

• Have your friends and relatives buy the book. Book purchases will drive up the book's ratings, create media interest and educate people on what happened to our children.

• TACA will be hosting The Age of Autism authors at many of TACA’s chapters (more locations at danolmsted.com):
  • San Diego, CA - October 12
  • Woodland Hills, CA - October 17
  • Visalia, CA - October 18
  • Chicago, Il - October 23
  • Atlanta, GA - October 31
  • Philadelphia, PA November 5

• • Lawrenceville, NJ - November 6

• Sign up for Age of Autism action alerts  at:  http://safeminds.org/support-safeminds/join-mailing-list.html

We must create change for all suffering with autism. Spread the word and join The Age of Autism revolution. Please help this book become a national best seller by forwarding to the media as well as family and friends.