Goal For The Green

The first ever national survey on attitudes toward autism, was recently conducted for the Florida Institute of Technology.  Of the 1,000 randomly selected adults, results revealed that nearly 24% , or one in four, believe the disease is caused by childhood vaccines.  This group feels that because vaccines may cause autism, it is safer to not have children vaccinated at all.  Still, another 19% were unsure how they feel about the ongoing controversy.

The Centers for Disease Control, currently reports that the odds of autism affects one in every 150 children born in the United States.  The public concern about vaccines arose from a controversial British study conducted in 1998, that linked autism to the MMR vaccine, which then contained the preservative known as thimerosal.  The authors of that study, later retracted their findings, and thimerosal was removed from all vaccines in 2001.  However, the results of this just completed survey in Florida, suggests that in general, the public is still confused.

The survey commissioned by the Florida Institute of Technology, specifically asked its participants about the preservative and autism.  The results were as follows: 19% agreed with the statement “Autism is caused by a preservative once found in vaccines.”  Another 43% were not sure of this statement, meaning that fewer than half (38%), felt that no link exists between the vaccine and autism.

Part of the confusion may stem from the fact, that there still is no known cause for autism, and people are searching for answers.   Scientist still say that there is no evidence that links vaccines and autism.  Still, there is a lingering fear and unsureness that is leading to fewer parents having their children vaccinated.   The result , according to an August article in The New York Times , states that in the first seven months of 2008, measles cases grew at the fastest rate in a decade.  Cases in Britain, Israel, Italy, and Switzerland are said to be soaring as well.   Fear and anxiety over the ever increasing incidence of the disease, may be leading people to make their own decisions whether to vaccinate or not.

In Other News

The only scientifically proven treatment for autism in young children (ages 3-5), is ABA (Advanced Behavioral Analysis) or 1:1 treatment.  It teaches how to learn.  The use of repetitive skill building techniques, helps children with autism, create a foundation of neural pathways, needed for learning in the general education system.

Some preschools may have fallen behind the curve in offering ABA.  Preschools that have this program in place, save the Department of Education, money in the long run for these children in the 3-5 age group.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, recommends 25-30 hours per week of intense ABA therapy for young autistic children in this age group.  The Department of Education, wastes large amounts of money fighting parents, who insist on proper education for their autistic children.  The DOE, could instead put those funds to better use by implementing ABA in all preschools.

It is afterall, a parents right that effective education for autistic children be readily available to all- not just those who have a fat wallet, or can afford a high priced lawyer.

With the expert help of child-health nurses that identify crucial developmental delays, the age in which children are first assessed for autism has been significantly reduced.  Thanks to a study that has been conducted in Melbourne, Australia, children are now being diagnosed before their second birthday.  The breakthrough, has shown promise of saving large amounts of money (for treatment) and family heartache.

Cheryl Dissanayake, is the leader of the study and heads the Olga Tennison Autism Research Center at La Trobe University.  She stated that through routine infant check-ups given by maternal and child- health nurses, their program was a relatively cheap and effective way of assessing autistic behavior. The children were checked at eight, 12, 18 and 24 months, by  the nurses at 184 centers.  They looked for symptoms including lack of eye contact or response to their names, and failure to point, wave or clap.

“These kinds of behaviours … are evident from very early in development,” Dr Dissanayake said. “They are focusing on children before they develop language and traditionally it’s the failure to develop language that led children into the referral process.”

There were 105 children referred for further testing by La Trobe University experts over the two-year study.  Out of those 105 children, 80 per cent had autism spectrum disorder and the remainder had language or developmental delays. Only one extremely shy toddler was incorrectly referred to the program.

Up until now, autism is not usually diagnosed until children are at least three. This earlier detection, allows parents to enter special intervention programs, one whole year earlier, before the disorder becomes more severe and secondary symptoms, such as aggressive behavior develop. By the time a child is three, these types of behaviors are often times already in place.

Dr. Dissanayake states, “We are over the moon – it’s beyond our wildest dreams,” about the success rate. But the program’s funding, through a Telstra community development grant, runs out next month. “What we would like to do in the first instance is have the Victorian Government extend this across the state, and then I would like to see it spread much more across the nation.”

“Social stories” and picture sequence therapy using photographs of children engaged in daily activities, such as eating, shopping, playing, using the toilet,  and washing your hands among others, have been proven to be effective tools and learning aids. This form of therapy, helps to pre-program children with what is “supposed to happen” in their day.  There should be no reason not to enact earlier diagnosis ( such as in this study) and intervention for autistic children here in the USA.

It’s always nice to feel like you’ve found a place to call home on the internet.  We search for a common ground or tie that binds, somewhere to create a trust and friendships that creates a strong bond.  No matter what the group is, the more specific the ties and offerings are, the stronger the friendships and bonds between people often become.

Commonalities are the main focus for many social networking and news sites.  They attract millions of users by having a common thread, that makes us feel as if we “belong”.

Disaboom.com was launched almost a year ago.  The results have created a real sense of community.  The common bond is that it is a community for people who are impacted or living with functional limitations or disabilities.  They also acquired their own dating site calledLovebyrd.com for their targeted group.  They offer legal help, chat rooms, blogs and job postings.  They have acquired an impressive partners list that includes Ford, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, RE/MAX and Avis to name a few.

Web Tribes, is another young site (founded in 2006).  They offer a community that supports those who suffer from depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, addiction, and HIV and AIDS.  Visitors are inspired to join a tribe that focuses on each specific condition.  The user then finds a commonality with others who have the same affliction.  The help is found in the inspirational messages the users send to each other.  They realize that they are not “alone” in what they are dealing with.

The Root, is a news site targeting the black community.  The site includes video interviews, blogs and genealogical information.  They pride themselves in being a departure from traditional American journalism.  They have been doing a fine job of raising the profile of black voices in the media, and fostering interest in black culture around the world.  Theses three sites have really grown in the last year and found their common thread in the world wide sea of the web.

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