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Tag: Autism

  • Christmas Cards Make One Autistic Child’s Christmas Dreams Come True

    Thousands of Christmas cards were sent to an autistic child whose Christmas wish was to receive cards from people from across the country help

    Sean Stewart, a 10-year-old autistic child from Louisiana, hoped to get 1,000 Christmas cards in the mail this year, but by the generosity of many, many more, Sean’s dream was realized, and then some.

    According to Time magazine, more than 3,500 people have thus far answered fourth grader Sean Stewart’s call. The response came after Sean’s mother sent out a heartfelt request on social media asking people to send him Christmas cards.

    “We’re trying to keep up with the mail. It’s definitely going to surpass 5,000 before it’s over,” his mom Jennifer Robertson told the magazine. “It’s just been overwhelming. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that we’d be able to meet the goal.”

    Diagnosed with autism five years ago, Sean’s family learned he was losing his hearing last year, according to Robertson, a 42-year-old Natchitoches, Louisiana teacher. At this time last year, Sean received 450 Christmas cards. That’s when his mother decided to top that number this year.

    The response to Sean’s request really took off after local television news stations in Louisiana shared Sean’s story.

    “We’ve had people [send them] from California, Texas, New Jersey, New York, Kentucky,” Robertson says, with one letter coming from an Air Force captain based in Qatar.

    “It just talks about how Sean’s so brave and an awesome young man, how he had been bullied when he was younger,” continued Robertson. “It’s extremely sweet. It’s just precious.”

    Sean has lovingly decided to give as well as receive. He wrote his own Christmas letter to Safyre Terry, who made a similar request after the 8-year-old New York girl was badly burned in an arson fire that killed her family. Safyre has received more than 430,000, according to the New York Times.

    “We want to share the love,” Robertson said. “He introduced himself and talks about how he hopes she gets better, how he’d like to be her friend.”

    “I just think it’s wonderful that complete strangers want to do something so sweet and selfless, especially at this time of the year when there’s so much sadness,” she adds. “That’s what Christmas is about.”

    For those who want to send a card to Sean, address them to:

    Sean Stewart,
    PO Box 359
    Natchitoches, LA
    71458

  • Jerry Seinfeld: ‘OK, OK. I Don’t Have Autism’

    Jerry Seinfeld: ‘OK, OK. I Don’t Have Autism’

    Jerry Seinfeld caught some flak over his comments that he thought he was on the autism spectrum “on a very drawn-out scale.” Now he’s walking those remarks back.

    When Access Hollywood recently interviewed Jerry Seinfeld, he acknowledged that his earlier remarks were off the mark.

    “I don’t have autism, I’m not on the spectrum,” Seinfeld said. “I just was watching this play about it and thought, ‘Why am I relating to this?’ I related to it on some level. That’s all I was saying.”

    Seinfeld doesn’t seem to think his remarks were that big a deal.

    “Comedians mess up all the time, you know,” he said, “that’s just part of that business.”

    In his original remarks to Brian Williams about the autism topic, Seinfeld had explained his reasoning behind his thinking.

    “Basic social engagement is really a struggle,” he told Williams. “I’m very literal, when people talk to me and they use expressions, sometimes I don’t know what they’re saying. But I don’t see it as dysfunctional. I just think of it as an alternate mindset.”

    He continued that line of logic with AH, without tying it to autism as the cause.

    “All the comedians that we’ve had on Comedians In Cars, usually at some point in the show I ask them, ‘Do you have trouble talking to just regular people?’ And they always say yes. They always say yes.”

    Some parents of children who legitimately suffer with autism felt that Seinfeld’s remarks framing it as “an alternate mindset” were way off base.

    Marie Myung-Ok Lee said in Salon, “What I fear is that these public faces of autism will allow society, and more important, policymakers, mentally off the hook. You can have autism and get a Ph.D.! It helps you write jokes! Your charming quirks and aggravating behaviors are now explainable.”

  • Jerry Seinfeld is “Not Helping” the Autism Fight

    Jerry Seinfeld is “Not Helping” the Autism Fight

    “How bad could autism be? Jerry Seinfeld has it.”

    Last week comedian Jerry Seinfeld sat down with NBC Nightly News host Brian Williams to talk about his current stand-up career and the second season of his web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. In the interview, Seinfeld mentioned that he believes he has autism.

    “I think, on a drawn out scale, I think I’m on the spectrum,” he told Williams. “I’m very literal, when people talk to me and they use expressions, sometimes I don’t know what they’re saying. But I don’t see it as dysfunctional, I just think of it as an alternate mindset.”

    While some praised him, like Amy Daniels of Autism Speaks who said that what he said “struck a chord with the autism community,” others found it to be unhelpful.

    “The danger with announcements like Seinfeld’s,” wrote Marie Myung-Ok Lee on Salon, “or fictional portrayals of the Everyman autistic like Ray Romano’s Hank character on Parenthood, who self-diagnoses his autism after reading a book about Asperger’s syndrome, is that autism, a neurological condition, becomes almost fashionable. Who wouldn’t want some odd quirkiness to make you memorable?”

    Lee says that the takeaway could become like “politicians and corporate interests spin climate change with visions of bananas growing in Minnesota while ignoring the devastation it will also bring.”

    However, although high-functioning autistics like Temple Grandin, food animal handling systems designer and author, and Satoshi Tajiri, Pokemon game designer, live and flourish despite autism, that isn’t the case with everyone.

    “What I fear is that these public faces of autism will allow society, and more important, policymakers, mentally off the hook,” Lee wrote. “You can have autism and get a Ph.D.! It helps you write jokes! Your charming quirks and aggravating behaviors are now explainable.”

    The same week that Seinfeld was making his announcement, Jillian McCabe, a mother in Oregon, threw her autistic 6-year-old son, London, off of a bridge.

    “She took him for a walk and did what she did,” said London’s uncle.

    Lee addressed this as well. “The sporadic – but steady – news of overwhelmed parents killing their own children warns of a crisis building in our own homes.”

    In Lee’s home city, another mother is on trial for killing her autistic son via drug overdose.

    “It’s only a matter of time before another child is killed, and we won’t even remember their names. We need to call autism what it is: a public health emergency, no less deadly and devastating than Ebola.”

    Lee suggests that, while she does admire Seinfeld for striving for autism acceptance, there needs to be a separation between the high-functioning spectrum and the other side of it. Lee also urges society not to gloss over factors like the environment which could, in fact, be playing a part in “robbing these children of their potential and sometimes their lives.”

    Other autism advocates, like TannersDad Tim, seem to be in agreement with Lee.

    What are your thoughts? Do you agree with Lee?

  • Jerry Seinfeld: Is He Slightly Autistic?

    Jerry Seinfeld: Is He Slightly Autistic?

    On November 6, comedian Jerry Seinfeld was interviewed by Brian Williams for the NBC Nightly News. The observational comic was there to promote his comedy web-series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. The 60-year-old also revealed during the course of the interview that he believes that he’s slightly autistic. “I think on a very drawn-out scale, I’m on the spectrum,” he said in the interview.

    “Basic social engagement is really a struggle. I’m very literal,” Seinfeld added. “When people talk to me and they use expressions, sometimes I don’t know what they’re saying. I don’t see it as dysfunctional; I see it as an alternate mindset.”

    — NBC News (@NBCNews) November 7, 2014

    Autism advocates have applauded Seinfeld for talking about the matter on national TV. “Think about what this does for a closeted autistic person who goes into the workplace knowing that their co-workers have just seen somebody they know, respect, and have a positive opinion of, like Jerry Seinfeld, identify in this way — it’s a valuable and important step in building a greater tolerance for autism,” said Ari Ne’eman, president of the Autistic Advocacy Network.

    However, Wendy Fournier, who is a founding member and president of the National Autistic Association, revealed her concerns over Seinfeld’s statements. “What many people don’t understand is that on that lower-functioning end of the spectrum, we have individuals who are suffering and whose lives are at risk. Autism is not a designer diagnosis,” Fournier said.

    Dr. Michael Rosenthal, a pediatric neuropsychologist at the Child Mind Institute, has expressed his doubts on whether or not Seinfeld actually belongs in the autism spectrum. According to Rosenthal, the symptoms that Seinfeld has talked about “are things that exist in a lot of people who don’t necessarily have an autism spectrum disorder.”

    He added, “Autism is a spectrum and human behavior is a spectrum as well.”

    What is Autism?

  • Jerry Seinfeld and Autism: Why the Comedian Believes He Falls in the Spectrum

    On Thursday evening, comedian Jerry Seinfeld sat down with NBC Nightly News host Brian Williams to talk about his current stand-up career and the second season of his web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

    “I wanted to see if I could capture it and show people, ‘Look at this group of people. Aren’t they unusual?’” Seinfeld said about his online series. “And isn’t it unusual about how all these different people who do this thing are all kind of the same?”

    Over the years the 60-year-old has also learned a lot about himself, especially with more information available now about the autism spectrum.

    “I think, on a drawn out scale, I think I’m on the spectrum,” he told Williams.

    The markers, he said, were that you are “never paying attention to the right things” and that basic social engagement is “really a struggle.”

    “I’m very literal, when people talk to me and they use expressions, sometimes I don’t know what they’re saying,” Seinfeld said. “But I don’t see it as dysfunctional, I just think of it as an alternate mindset.”

    The realization first came to him when he saw a play entitled The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and saw much of himself in the main character, who has autism.

    “In the play, the kid talks about the expression ‘the apple of your eye’…there are no apples in your eye. Why are you saying that? It’s over-literalizing.”

    However, some feel that too many people, including Seinfeld, are too quick to self-diagnose.

    Gardner Umbarger, a top commenter on Huffington Post, wrote, “Just stop it, people. No, you aren’t ‘on the spectrum’, you are a person who doesn’t always want to be around large groups of people. Being shy doesn’t mean you have autism. And no, you don’t have adult ADHD, either. You are just a person.”

    But there are others who hope that Seinfeld’s words will help fight the autism stigma.

    “What he said really struck a chord with the autism community,” said Amy Daniels of Autism Speaks. “I think as awareness grows in the community, stigma about autism decreases and I think more people feel comfortable talking about their own experiences.”

    Currently in America, approximately 1 in 68 children are on the autism spectrum.

  • Jerry Seinfeld Believes He Is On The Autism Spectrum

    Jerry Seinfeld Believes He Is On The Autism Spectrum

    On Thursday, November 6, during an interview with the NBC Nightly News, actor and comedian Jerry Seinfeld made a shocking revelation.

    Seinfeld, who is married with three children, explained that he feels that he is somewhere on the autism spectrum. He said that as he has gotten older, he has noticed more signs that he may have the disorder including- “never paying attention to the right things” and having trouble with social interaction.

    “I think on a very drawn-out scale, I think I’m on the [autism] spectrum. You know, never paying attention to the right things. Basic social engagement is really a struggle,” Seinfeld told news anchor Brian Williams. “I’m very literal, when people talk to me and they use expressions, sometimes I don’t know what they’re saying. But I don’t see it as dysfunctional. I just think of it as an alternate mindset.”

    Seinfeld is best known for playing his self-titled role in the ’90s comedy sitcom Seinfeld.

    Seinfeld was speaking to NBC News about his web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. “They’re the only kind of people that I feel completely relaxed around,” he said of his fellow comedians. “It’s kind of an interesting sub-breed of humanity. I wanted to see if I could capture it and show people, ‘Look at this group of people. Aren’t they unusual?’”

    According to Autismspeaks.org, autism and autism spectrum disorder are disorders “characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors.”

  • Florida Man Charged with Beating Autistic Kid at Party After Video Winds Up on Facebook

    An 18-year-old Okeechobee Florida resident has been arrested and charged with child abuse “without bodily harm” after police identified him in a disturbing video posted on his Facebook page.

    Andrew Wheeler can be seen repeatedly punching, kneeing, and dragging an unnamed 16-year-old boy in the midst of what appears to be a house party. According to police, the video was tagged with Wheeler’s name and when they watched it, they were able to identify him as the attacker. The victim in the video is reported to have autism.

    Be warned, the video is hard to watch.

    WPTV in West Palm beach has some more details about what happened that night.

    The victim told detectives he was invited to a party on SW 9th Street in Okeechobee last Friday where he drank alcohol and was then told to go outside and fight someone.

    The teen said when he refused 18-year-old Andrew Wheeler was called.

    After Wheeler arrived, the victim says Andrew began beating the teen. In the incident report he claims Wheeler followed him outside, choked him until he lost consciousness and struck him in the face.

    The boy was found in the middle of the road and taken to a local hospital. He apparently suffered a concussion, multiple contusions, and a sprained neck.

    Though admitting to police that he “lost control of his temper,” Wheeler maintains that he was called to the house to make a drunk guy leave. He claims that he was told the boy was assaulting others, and that he even tried to take a swipe at Wheeler when he was told to leave.

    Kids – don’t beat the shit out of helpless people. Don’t record each other beating the shit out of people. And for the love of all that is sane, don’t post videos of you beating the shit out of people on Facebook.

    You know what, let’s just stick with don’t beat the shit out of helpless people. Police might want to reconsider the “without bodily harm” designation after they watch the video a few more times.

    Image via YouTube screenshot

  • Mother Unaware Son Died Until Smell Set In

    The mother of a severely disabled 8-year-old Harrisburg, Pennsylvania boy didn’t realize he died on the third floor of their home until she began to smell his decomposing body.

    Kimberly Tutko summoned police to her house on Friday, where they found the body. Tutko told authorities that her husband Jarrod Tutko was the primary caretaker of their mentally disabled son, and waited several days to tell her the boy had died.

    Jarrod Tutko, 38, was charged with child endangerment, concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse. His bail was set at $500,000. He has yet to contact an attorney.

    Harrisburg police revealed that Tutko told his wife about Jarrod Tutko Jr.’s passing “when the odor of decomposition became too strong.” The cause of death is presently unknown, and an autopsy is set for next week. The couple’s five other children were placed into protective custody.

    Kimberly Tutko said her husband informed her of Jarrod Jr.’s death on Tuesday. Tutko commented, “I said to him ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’ … He said he was too afraid to say anything because of other kids in the house.”

    Mrs. Tutko explained that Jarrod Jr. was severely mentally disabled and was difficult to control. He was confined to the upstairs floor of the house, where he tore up the flooring, smeared feces over the walls and refused to wear a diaper. Tutko went on to reveal that Jarrod Jr. was diagnosed with autism, failure to thrive and Fragile X Syndrome.

    Here is a CDC clip concerning Fragile X Syndrome:

    Tutko added that the couple also has a daughter that requires extensive care. The girl also suffers from autism and is in a vegetative state, and is confined to a hospital bed on the second floor of the home.

    “My daughter relies on me,” Tutko said. “I take care of her and my husband takes care of Jarrod Jr.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Jenny McCarthy Clarifies Her Stance on Vaccinations

    After publicly stating her opposition to vaccinating children, Jenny McCarthy is changing her tune a bit.

    “Everyone should ask questions, but I’m certainly not against them,” McCarthy said during an appearance on Good Morning America Wednesday.

    McCarthy began her crusade against vaccinations after her son Evan was diagnosed with autism in 2005. She came to believe there is a link between vaccinations and the behavioral disorder.

    The View star recently wrote an op-ed piece for the Chicago Sun Times in which she insisted she was “wrongly branded as ‘anti-vaccine.’”

    McCarthy told GMA host Lara Spencer that people need to read the op-ed piece in its entirety to fully understand her stance on the controversial issue.

    “I think people should read exactly what I have said instead of reading headlines, and that’s why I wanted to write that piece,” McCarthy said. “Everything that I have said and everything that I believe in is in that piece, so I hope people will go and refer to that so they know exactly what I’ve been saying.

    “This is not a change in my stance nor is it a new position I have recently adopted,” she wrote. “I’ve never told anyone to not vaccinate.”

    “My beautiful son, Evan, inspired this mother to question the ‘one size fits all’ philosophy of the recommended vaccine schedule,” she continued. “I embarked on this quest not only for myself and my family, but for countless parents who shared my desire for knowledge that could lead to options and alternate schedules, but never to eliminate the vaccines.”

    McCarthy questioned vaccinations during a 2008 interview with Larry King.

    “Isn’t it ironic, in 1983 there were 10 shots and now there’s 36 and the rise of autism happened at the same time?” she asked. “We need to get rid of the toxins, the mercury—which I am so tired of everyone saying it’s been removed. It has not been removed from the shots.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Nick Lachey Talks About Younger Brother’s Autism

    April is Autism Awareness Month and Nick Lachey has recently revealed a personal reason for supporting autism awareness.

    The TV personality and former lead singer of 98 Degrees opened up to CBS News about his 19-year-old brother Zac who has been diagnosed with autism.

    Zac was diagnosed with autism when he was seven-years-old, but Lachey waited until now to talk about it because he wanted to make sure Zac would be okay with it. Lachey “wanted him to be comfortable with that happening.”

    When Lachey and his brother Drew left home in the late 90s to start 98 Degrees, their mom adopted Zac and another child. Lachey said his mother knew from an early age that Zac wasn’t learning in “the typical way.” The family first thought Zac had attention deficit disorder (ADD), but then doctors diagnosed him with a form of autism, Asperger syndrome, at age seven.

    “He’s referred to as high-functioning autistic. So he’s verbal and able to go to a fairly typical school. He’s socially different than what we perceive as normal for kids. He gets anxious and he’s very focused. He hones in one on thing and he can’t be taken out of it…He’s a good kid, a sweet kid…He just learns differently than most people and reacts to situations differently,” said Lachey.

    Because autism hits so close to home for Lachey, he launched the fifth Lindt Gold Bunny Celebrity Auction to help raise awareness for autism. Lachey is one of 100 celebrities who signed Gold Bunny figurines for the April 4 – 14 auction. All proceeds from the auction were matched by Lindt this year and will go to the research and advocacy organization Autism Speaks.

    “There’s just so many questions and very few answers. It’s just something we have to do more research on and we have to get the answers that these families so desperately seek. Mine included,” said Lachey.

    According to a new report released in March by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in every 68 U.S. children has autism.

    Image via Nick Lachey, Twitter.

  • Jenny McCarthy Says She’s Pro-Vaccination

    Model and The View host Jenny McCarthy has claimed that she was misunderstood on her stance on vaccines, firing back with a column on the Chicago Sun-Times.

    Just last month, the “Playboy Playmate of the Year” was called out by fans saying she’s anti-vaccination. In recent years, McCarthy has voiced out that vaccines administered during childhood are tied to autism among children.

    In her column, McCarthy claimed that her opinion on the matter has not changed or altered, but that she is in the gray zone about the topic.

    Through the years, McCarthy has been linked to anti-vaccination ideologies, claiming that vaccines have toxins. However, doctors have said that vaccines contain little amounts of toxins for it to take effect the way McCarthy imagined it to be.

    Oddly, the host is also a supporter of botox, a procedure that contains botulinum, one of the most lethal toxins that exists. In an interview several years ago, she admitted she loves botox, calling it a savior.

    However, in her column for the Sun-Times, she clarified that she is pro-vaccine, she is just looking at alternative schedules for injections, without completely eliminating the vaccine.

    She continued to say that her son Evan, who has autism, encouraged her to look at options, questioning the ‘one size fits all’ practice of vaccination schedules.

    She questions whether a healthy, able-bodied child should receive the same number of shots and have a similar vaccination plan with a child who has a weaker immune system.

    McCarthy insists on her son getting one vaccination shot per visit instead of the current practice of multiple shots. She believes that parents should have the right to ask questions regarding their children’s vaccination.

    She added that she is not discouraging conversations about children’s healthcare. She closed her article by saying that one size does not fit all, and that gray should still be an option.

    Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism


    Image via YouTube

  • Jenny McCarthy Speaks Out on Vaccination Views

    Even though The View panelist Jenny McCarthy has long argued that vaccinations are linked to autism, which has earned her the “anti-vaxxer” label, the former Playboy model claimed that she is pro-vaccinations in a piece published in The Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday. McCarthy says she simply doesn’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to vaccinations.

    McCarthy has an 11-year-old son named Evan who was diagnosed as autistic back in 2005. Like many other parents in such situations, McCarthy suspected that vaccines were to blame for her son’s sudden behavioral changes. McCarthy has been very vocal about her beliefs and wrote the foreword for a book called Callous Disregard: Autism and Vaccines–The Truth Behind a Tragedy, which discusses the theory that a link between autism and vaccinations exists.

    Due to McCarthy’s views on autism and vaccinations, she has been labeled an “anti-vaxxer,” and the beliefs have led her to be criticized to no end. Despite the constant bashing on Twitter and in other media outlets, McCarthy claims in her article that she never said she was against vaccines–just the opposite, actually. Check out an excerpt from her piece below:

    I am not “anti-vaccine.” This is not a change in my stance nor is it a new position that I have recently adopted. For years, I have repeatedly stated that I am, in fact, “pro-vaccine” and for years I have been wrongly branded as “anti-vaccine.”

    My beautiful son, Evan, inspired this mother to question the “one size fits all” philosophy of the recommended vaccine schedule. I embarked on this quest not only for myself and my family, but for countless parents who shared my desire for knowledge that could lead to options and alternate schedules, but never to eliminate the vaccines…

    …This is what I believe:

    I believe in the importance of a vaccine program and I believe parents have the right to choose one poke per visit. I’ve never told anyone to not vaccinate. Should a child with the flu receive six vaccines in one doctor visit? Should a child with a compromised immune system be treated the same way as a robust, healthy child? Shouldn’t a child with a family history of vaccine reactions have a different plan? Or at least the right to ask questions?

    McCarthy’s mention of a staggered vaccination schedule stems something from pediatrician Dr. Robert Sears has been recommending to parents concerned about vaccines for years. Under an alternative schedule, vaccinations would be administered further apart, rather than a child receiving multiple vaccines during one visit.

    In addition to an alternative schedule, McCarthy also wants to see toxins removed from vaccinations. Some vaccinations include ingredients such as thimerosal (mercury) and formaldehyde.

    Now that Jenny McCarthy has cleared the air a bit on where she stands on vaccinations, she can focus on promoting her upcoming book called Stirring the Pot: My Recipe for Getting What You Want Out of Life. The book goes on sale on May 6 and will be McCarthy’s tenth book.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder Awareness

    Autism Spectrum Disorder Awareness

    April marks “National Autism Awareness Month.” It is a time for educating the public about autism and issues surrounding it. According to the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, autism has been identified in one of 68 children. The condition is said to be more commonly found in boys than girls.

    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or autism for short, is a range of neurodevelopmental disorders that cover a range of conditions, such as Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, and Asperger syndrome. There are different patterns of autism with each child. In some cases, the symptoms of autism are evident since birth, while other children who have autism develop normally and then suddenly lose their language or social skills later on.

    Although each case of autism is different, some symptoms are generally associated with children who have the condition. Some of them include little or no eye contact, difficulty reading facial expressions, and resistance to being touched. The three areas that are typically affected are social interaction, communication, and behaviors and interests.

    Social Interaction

    Children diagnosed with autism need to learn how to interact with other people, which is something that comes naturally for other children. The key to keeping children with autism interested in interacting with others is making social interaction fun and enjoyable for them. Experts suggest doing an activity that is already enjoyable for the child, such as playing with blocks or playing on a swing. If children with autism start enjoying social interaction with people at home, it will be easier for them to socialize with other children at school.

    Communication

    Most children who have ASD have difficulty communicating verbally. A lot of them know how to communicate when they need something, but oftentimes, communicating for social purposes is difficult. It is important to establish a bridge of communication without using speech, since this will be easier for the child. For most children with autism, using gestures or pictures is an effective means of communication.

    Behaviors and Interests

    There are also certain behaviors that are associated with ASD. These include inflexible routine activities, resistance to change, and routine body movements. These repetitive activities are ways for coping, as children with autism tend to see the world as a confusing and stressful environment. Children with autism typically have a great passion for their interests, and often excel in what they love doing. However, activities that they often do must be supervised, as it can turn into an obsession that can be harmful to them.

    Although there is no cure for ASD, therapy and behavioral treatments can remedy the symptoms and improve a child’s condition. These therapies are designed to fit the individual needs of an autistic child. Experts say that the earlier these treatments are done, the better the outcome will be. For parents who have a child with autism, it is important to seek professional advice in order to make life more manageable for the child.

    What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

    Image via ClipArtBest.com

  • Autism Linked to Abnormal Neurons Formed in the Womb

    Though it has been confirmed that autism is not caused by vaccines, health researchers are still unclear on exactly what does cause the condition. Research is continuing on the topic and this week a new study has shown that the origins of autism may actually start in the womb.

    The study, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that patches of abnormal neurons seen in the brains of autistic people can be traced all the way back to early brain development in the womb. Extra neurons in the prefrontal cortex have been linked to autism in children.

    The study looked at children with autism between the ages of two and 15. By analyzing the genes associated with the brain’s cortical layers and those associated with autism, researchers found that genetic markers for some layers of the prefrontal cortex were missing in 91% of autistic children. The same markers were missing from only 9% of children not diagnosed with autism.

    “While autism is generally considered a developmental brain disorder, research has not identified a consistent or causative lesion,” said Dr. Thomas Insel, director of National Institutes of Mental Health, which partially funded the study. “If this new report of disorganized architecture in the brains of some children with autism is replicated, we can presume this reflects a process occurring long before birth. This reinforces the importance of early identification and intervention.”

    The disorganized neurons in the brains of autistic children were found in patches throughout the frontal and temporal lobes of the cortex. The patches are five to seven millimeters in length and go through multiple layers of the cortex. These regions of the brain are associated with social, emotional, communication, and language functions, suggesting that the patches could be associated with common autism symptoms.

    The nature of the patches could also help explain why early interventions in children with autism can help mitigate symptoms of the disorder. The study’s authors hypothesize that children’s brains, which are still developing, could lean to bypass the patches with healthier neurons in other areas of the brain.

    Image via NIH

  • Jenny McCarthy Responds To Twitter Bashing Over Views On Vaccination

    Jenny McCarthy has definitely rubbed a substantial number of Twitter users the wrong way over the past few days. A number of users have even taken the time to express their disdain.

    It all started on Thursday, Mar. 13 when McCarthy tweeted a harmless question for her 1.13 million Twitter followers. She asked, “What is the most important personality trait you look for in a mate?”

    The tweet also instructed everyone to reply using the hashtag #AskJenny. It’s definitely safe to say some of the answers weren’t very nice. Her question actually prompted a barrage of responses in reference to her thoughts on vaccines.

    “Somebody who gets that refusing vaccines because of ‘toxins’ and then shilling for e-cigs makes you a pathetic hypocrite,” one user tweeted. Another person told McCarthy, “Someone who doesn’t spread false info causing disease.” One person even went so far as to blame her opinion for the resurgence of the measles in New York City.

    According to E! News, McCarthy whose son was diagnosed with autism back in May 2005, has often argued the theory of vaccines being associated with autism in children.

    However, the View co-host has since offered some clarity in regards to her perspective. The publication reports that while she and the autism community are “not anti-vaccine per se,” they are undoubtedly “anti-toxin and anti-schedule.”

    In 2008, McCarthy posed a question in reference the topic during an interview with Larry King. She asked, “Isn’t it ironic, in 1983 there were 10 shots and now there’s 36 and the rise of autism happened at the same time?”

    “We need to get rid of the toxins, the mercury—which I am so tired of everyone saying it’s been removed. It has not been removed from the shots.” However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a contrasting conclusion, which revealed that “in the 2012-2013 season, 90 percent of children who died from the flu had not been vaccinated.”

    McCarthy waited until the dust settled before she responded to the bashing tweets. “Thank you to all the haters who tweet my name. You make my Q SCORE higher and higher,” she tweeted. “It’s because of you I continue to work. Thank you!”

    Image via Jenny McCarthy, Facebook

  • Kristen Cavallari Will Not Vaccinate Sons

    Kristen Cavallari Will Not Vaccinate Sons

    Most people believe that vaccinations are a good thing and ensure that their children are vaccinated within a timely manner. Vaccinations were designed to introduce the human body to a weakened or dead strain of a virus so the body can fight it and the vaccinated child or person will not become ill with the virus again.

    While vaccinations do offer protection from dangerous childhood illnesses, many people also believe that they have horrible side effects and can even cause autism. There have been many studies that link vaccinations to autism, but doctors have not been able to confirm that vaccinations do cause autism.

    Kristen Cavallari is expecting a baby boy with her husband Jay Cutler and says that she does not plan to vaccinate him. The couple also have a 1 year old son named Camden who they have never vaccinated.

    Although Kristen was not comfortable discussing her decision to not vaccinate, she did explain it in a recent interview saying,

    “You know what, I’ve read too many books about autism. There is a pediatric group called Homestead or, shoot, Homestead or Home First — now I have pregnancy brain, I got them confused — but they’ve never vaccinated any of their children and they’ve never had one case of autism. And now, one in 88 boys is autistic, which is a really scary statistic.”

    She continued, “But, you know, listen, to each their own. I understand both sides of it. I’ve read too many books about autism and there’s some scary statistics out there. It’s our personal choice, you know, and if you’re really concerned about your kid, then get them vaccinated and it shouldn’t be a problem.”

    Kristen is known for speaking her mind and standing up for what she believes in and it looks like she hasn’t changed. She admitted that not all of her friends and family members agree with her choices but said that it is okay and she knows what is best for her children.

    Do you think vaccinations are really linked to autism?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Jenny McCarthy Twitter Slammed Over Anti-Vaccine Beliefs

    Jenny McCarthy was slammed hard on Twitter because of her strong crusade against childhood vaccines. The cohost of The View has an 11-year-old son named Evan who she believes developed autism as a result of having his childhood vaccines. This past Thursday she took to Twitter in hopes of gaining positive feedback but instead received lots of unkind remarks.

    McCarthy asked her Twitter followers what they would look for in a mate. She didn’t expect to be the target of a backlash of people slamming her anti-vaccination beliefs.

    That’s what she received, however, and the following includes Jenny’s tweet as well as a small sampling of the remarks Twitter users posted.

    See if you think it was fair of Twitter users to answer her question in such off-track ways.

    Of course some of those who replied to Jenny McCarthy’s question were a bid rude, too.

    It’s pretty plain to see that Jenny McCarthy’s crusade against childhood vaccines is so firmly attached to her name that she can’t even ask a simple question without it being thrown back in her face.

    Do you think she deserves this sort of Twitter backlash? Do you think people are uneducated about the perils of childhood vaccines? Is it possible that Jenny McCarthy hasn’t done enough research on the topic she is so vocal about?

    Image via YouTube

  • John Travolta Reveals Grief Over Son’s Death

    In a recent interview with Barry Norman of BBC, John Travolta revealed the devastating grief he felt over the death of his son, Jett, who died in 2009. The 60-year-old actor said that it was the worst thing that has ever happened to him and he didn’t know if he was ever going to get through it.

    Travolta’s son, then 16 years old, died when he hit his head on a bathtub after a seizure. The accident happened while the family was vacationing in the Bahamas. It was only after their son’s death that Travolta and wife Kelly Preston revealed that Jett had autism, since the Church of Scientology does not accept that the condition exists. Travolta has been a member of the church since the 1970s.

    In the interview, Travolta also mentioned that he was so overcome with grief that it took him all the strength he had to get better. He also showed his appreciation for his friends in Scientology who supported him daily for two years in order to help him manage his pain and loss.

    A couple of years after Jett’s death, Travolta and Preston welcomed another member to the family with the birth of their youngest son, Benjamin, who is now 3 years old. They also have a 13-year-old daughter named Ella.

    The 90-minute interview also tackled his career, including his hitman role in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film, Pulp Fiction. The role gave Travolta his second Oscar nomination, following his 1978 nomination for Saturday Night Fever.

    The actor has an upcoming biopic in 2015 wherein he plays the role of John Gotti Sr., who was a mobster in New York City. Travolta also mentioned his interest to act in the next James Bond film as the villain, and has already had a casual meeting with the film’s producer, Barbara Broccoli.

    http://youtu.be/pAqdunooUk0

    Image via YouTube

  • Jenny McCarthy Slams Rumors About Son

    Jenny McCarthy Slams Rumors About Son

    Jenny McCarthy is slamming rumors regarding her 11-year-old son Evan who was diagnosed with Autism in 2005. In a recent article on Radar Online, which has since been removed, McCarthy was quoted as saying that Evan had been misdiagnosed with the disease.

    Radar Online was claiming that McCarthy had made the statement during a recent Time interview. The interview actually took place in 2010, and never included McCarthy doubting her son’s diagnosis. After reading the article, McCarthy took to Twitter to set the record straight. She also revealed that she will take whatever legal measures that are necessary to clear these lies up.

    “Stories circulating online, claiming that I said my son Evan may not have autism after all, are blatantly inaccurate and completely ridiculous,” McCarthy tweeted. “Evan was diagnosed with autism by the Autism Evaluation Clinic at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital and was confirmed by the State of California (through their Regional Center).”

    “The implication that I have changed my position, that my child was not initially diagnosed with autism (and instead may suffer from Landau-Kleffner Syndrome), is both irresponsible and inaccurate,” she continued. “These stories cite a “new” Time Magazine interview with me, which was actually published in 2010, that never contained any such statements by me. Continued misrepresentations, such as these, only serve to open wounds of the many families who are courageously dealing with this disorder. Please know that I am taking every legal measure necessary to set this straight. ”

    Image via Twitter

  • Jenny McCarthy Sets Record Straight About Son’s Autism

    Jenny McCarthy spoke out recently against rumors that she said her son Evan doesn’t suffer from autism after all, saying she is taking “every legal measure” she can against those who started the lies.

    The actress and model says the rumors cite quotes from an old Time Magazine interview, but the quotes aren’t actually there. In fact, she says, the entire thing is made up and she wants it to stop.

    “Stories circulating online, claiming that I said my son Evan may not have autism after all, are blatantly inaccurate and completely ridiculous,” she wrote on Twitter. “Evan was diagnosed with autism by the Autism Evaluation Clinic at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital and was confirmed by the State of California (through their Regional Center). The implication that I have changed my position, that my child was not initially diagnosed with autism (and instead may suffer from Landau-Kleffner Syndrome), is both irresponsible and inaccurate. These stories cite a “new” Time Magazine interview with me, which was actually published in 2010, that never contained any such statements by me. Continued misrepresentations, such as these, only serve to open wounds of the many families who are courageously dealing with this disorder. Please know that I am taking every legal measure necessary to set this straight.”

    McCarthy has famously backed the theory that autism is linked to vaccines and has spoken out and even written about the supposed dangers of getting children vaccinated against preventable diseases. Her support of anti-vaccines even threatened her gig at “The View” after many opposed the idea of McCarthy filling a seat on a show that has such a large audience.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons

  • New Autism Checklist More Accurate, Says NIH

    When it comes to autism, diagnostic speed is key. Treatments for the condition rely on early intervention therapies and the sooner in the life of a child with autism they begin, the better.

    This week a new study published in the journal Pediatrics has shown that a revised Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers is now more accurate that previous versions. The checklist is a screening tool used to diagnose autism in children as young as 16 months old. The test evaluates children and ranks them in three risk categories, with the highest category meaning follow-up evaluations for autism.

    “Earlier tools cast a wider net, but these refinements will allow health care providers to focus energy where it is needed most and will reduce the number of families who go through additional testing but which ultimately do not need treatment interventions,” said Deborah Fein, senior author of the study and a researcher at the University of Connecticut.

    The study found that the revised checklist caught more cases of autism than older versions of the test. At the same time, the new checklist classified fewer children in the medium or high risk categories, meaning that the newer test is more accurate than previous versions.

    “This checklist can more accurately identify children likely to have autism so they can get the treatment and support they need,” said Alice Kau, a researcjer at tje National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “Given that the typical autism diagnosis occurs at age four, it also offers the possibility of detecting autism much earlier – during regular doctor’s visits when a child is 18 months or two years old. And earlier intervention has been shown to improve outcomes for children with autism.”