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 and tapes 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.

This extremely popular family event will be attended by Hawaii families
who have children with autism. This is TACA of Hawaii's first annual event!

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 New Parent Orientation 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?
This 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

For daily updates to all autism legislative issues: ChangeforAutism.org

According to a May 2009 government report on restraint and seclusion practices, an overwhelming amount of abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse is happening in schools throughout the country.

• THE REPORT FOUND NO FEDERAL LAWS IN PLACE THAT REGULATE RESTRAINT & SECLUSION 

• THE REPORT REVEALED THAT STATE REGULATIONS ARE “WIDELY DIVERGENT” AND THAT 19 STATES HAVE NOTHING THAT REGULATE RESTRAINT & SECLUSION IN SCHOOLS
• THE REPORT REVEALED TEN CASE STUDIES WHERE CHILDREN WITH VARYING DISABILITIES DIED AS A RESULT OF RESTRAINT AND SECLUSION, WERE SERIOUSLY HARMED, OR EMOTIONALLY TRAUMATIZED 
• BECAUSE THERE ARE NO LAWS, MANY OF THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ABUSE STILL WORK WITHIN THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS

Take these two steps immediately to raise your voice and help our children's safety become a government priority!

STEP 1 SEND A LETTER TO FEDERAL LAWMAKERS & CALL: every member on the Education and Labor Committee needs to hear from us IMMEDIATELY. CLICK HERE for a sample letter and list of committee members. We need to show them how big our voices are!

STEP 2 SEND A LETTER TO STATE LAWMAKERS & CALL: if you are in the following states, you have NO state regulations: Wisconsin, Wyoming, Vermont, South Carolina, South Dakota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Nebraska, Mississippi, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Indiana, Idaho, Florida, Georgia, Arizona.  CLICK HERE for a sample letter and a link to find your state reps. For people in the other states, most of your laws aren't being consistently followed.  PLEASE SEND LETTERS TO BOTH COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND STATE LAWMAKERS AND ALSO SEND A COPY TO KUTZG@GAO.GOV.

IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THEY HEAR US ON THIS IMMEDIATELY!!!

Signed, The National Autism Association
Autism Research Institute
Talk About Curing Autism
Unlocking Autism
Autism One
The Autism Human Rights and Discrimination Initiative
The Autism Trust
Autism Action Network
Schafer Autism Report
Parents in Action, PIA, Inc.
Concerned Parents in Florida of Children with ASD
Families Against Restraint and Seclusion
Autism Salutes

What you can also do right now to help protect your child:

Visit www.nationalautism.org or www.aprais.tash.org

Download a sample "no-consent" letter to provide to your child's teachers, principals or have placed in your child's IEP. For more information, visit:
http://familiesagainstrestraintandseclusion.blogspot.com

Take Action Today! Go to: nationalautismassociation.org/abuse.php

By ROBERT TOMSHO

Educators' use of restraint holds and other methods to subdue students they deem disruptive has been blamed for injury or death of many students in recent years. Now groups are pushing for a federal ban on certain tactics.

The Old Quiet Room, no longer in use, at Ashland Middle School in Ashland, Wis. Places such as this have been used to control students.
Properly done, restraint involves using precise holds, often with the hands or arms, to subdue and calm someone. Students in such circumstances -- many of which have learning disabilities such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- also are sometimes put in so-called seclusion rooms.

Although there are no nationwide data on the use of such measures, they have attracted greater attention in recent years as more students with behavioral disabilities are being educated in mainstream schools where there is greater public scrutiny and many educators have little related training. Although some situations have been the result of threatening behavior by such students in classrooms or hallways, researchers say many incidents don't appear to have involved children who were aggressive.

In a report last month, the Government Accountability Office said it found hundreds of allegations of school-related "death and abuse" since 1990, the vast majority involving children with disabilities. The cases included a Florida teacher's aide who gagged and duct-taped children as young as 6 for misbehaving and a 14-year-old in Texas who refused to stay seated in class and died after a 230-pound teacher tried to restrain him by lying on top of him on the floor. In Texas alone, the GAO said more than 4,200 students were restrained nearly 19,000 times during the 2007-08 school year.

In January, a report by the National Disability Rights Network, a system of federally mandated legal-advocacy organizations, detailed dozens of similar cases. Such groups have been in the forefront of the debate because children with disabilities are so often involved.

Some want a federal ban on tactics such as restraints of prone students that can imperil breathing. "We think they have to be tightly controlled at the federal level," said Barbara Trader, executive director of Tash, an advocacy group for people with disabilities.

But Bruce Hunter, associate executive director of the American Association of School Administrators, said it is sometimes an educator's duty to try to restrain a student. "You can't sit and call the cops and watch," he said.

The federal government already regulates the use of restraint and seclusion in hospitals and other facilities that it helps to fund. In psychiatric hospitals, for instance, only licensed medical personnel can order that a patient be restrained or put into a locked room.

But there are no related federal laws covering schools, and state regulations -- where they exist -- vary widely. According to the GAO, seven states restrict the use of restraints but not seclusion; 19 states have no restraint or seclusion laws. "The one place where our kids spend the most time is the place where they have the least protection," says Rocky Nichols, executive director of the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, a legal-advocacy group.

In Washington, the effort to limit the use of such techniques is being championed by Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor. In January, the California Democrat called for the GAO review, and last month his committee held hearings. What was discovered, he said in an interview, is a system "in which children are unnecessarily dying and being harmed."

In testimony before Congress in May, Education Secretary Arne Duncan called such findings "disturbing" and said he is instructing chief school officers in all 50 states to detail their plans for keeping students safe. Several dozen advocacy groups subsequently discussed the issue in a meeting with White House staff.

Phyllis Musumeci, founder of a group called Florida Families Against Restraint and Seclusion, said federal oversight is critical. "These are children, not apples and oranges," said Ms. Musumeci, who says her son was restrained 89 times during a 14-month period in middle school. "We need to all be working off the same law."

The scope of any possible federal law is still uncertain. Mr. Miller and others involved in the discussions say they would like it to be crafted so that states are primarily responsible for developing and enforcing policies. One possible model is a bill Mr. Miller sponsored last year that was focused on preventing child abuse at residential treatment facilities. It would require states to develop such policies involving those settings and establish a federal system for evaluating reports of abuse. The House has passed the bill but it has yet to be taken up in the Senate.

Write to Robert Tomsho at rob.tomsho@wsj.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has ruled that parents of special education students who opt for private school instead of trying the public system cannot be barred from seeking public reimbursement for their tuition costs.
The court ruled 6-3 Monday in favor of a teenage boy from Oregon whose parents sought to force their local public school district to pay the $5,200 a month it cost to send their son to a private school.

Federal law calls for school districts to reimburse students or their families for education costs when public schools do not have services that address or fulfill the students' needs. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the nation's special education students are entitled to a "free and appropriate public education."
Schools have argued that the law says parents of special education students must give public special education programs a chance before seeking reimbursement for private school tuition.

But advocacy groups and parents of some special education students contend that forcing them to try public schools first could force children, especially poor ones, to spend time in an undesirable situation before getting the help they need.

Justice John Paul Stevens said in his majority opinion that the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires a school district to pay for private special ed services if the public school doesn't have appropriate services.

"We conclude that IDEA authorizes reimbursement for the cost of special education services when a school district fails to provide a FAPE and the private-school placement is appropriate, regardless of whether the child previously received special education or related services through the public school," Stevens said.

In the case before the Supreme Court, the family of a teenage Oregon boy diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — who was identified only as T.A. — sued the school district, saying the school did not properly address the student's learning problems. The family is seeking reimbursement for the student's tuition, which cost $5,200 a month. The family paid a total of $65,000 in private tuition.

In its appeal, the Forest Grove School District said students should be forced to at least give public special education programs a try before seeking reimbursement for private tuition. If not, parents would bypass public schools and go directly to private school — and then ask for reimbursement from school systems already burdened by ever-increasing costs.

The court's decision does not require reimbursement, but Stevens said school officials "must consider all relevant factors, including the notice provided by parents and the school district's opportunities for evaluating the child, in determining whether reimbursement for some or all of the cost of the child's private school education is warranted."

Justice David Souter, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas dissented.

"Given the burden of private school placement, it makes good sense to require parents to try to devise a satisfactory alternative within the public schools," Souter said in the dissent.

This is the court's second attempt at resolving this issue. The high court split 4-4 on a similar case from New York City two years ago. Justice Anthony Kennedy recused himself in the New York case but was among those who ruled on the Oregon case.

Nationwide, the number of special education students placed in private schools at public expense has not changed significantly over the last two decades, Justice Department lawyers said, citing statistics from the U.S. Department of Education. Just under 67,000 pupils were in private placements in 2007 — just 1.1 percent of the country's nearly 6 million special education students.

The case is Forest Grove School District v. T.A., 08-305.

Vitamin D also appears to have a role in combating attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and autism. More than 4.4 million children have been diagnosed with ADHD. Health officials believe the incidence of autism is 1 in 150. The incidence among boys is even higher: 1 in 94.

Vitamin D’s role in the development of the brain begins when the human brain undergoes its most rapid and complex formation between the last trimester of pregnancy and the first two years of life. In studies of the development of rat brains, which are very similar to humans in terms of vitamin D-3 (the most effective form of vitamin D), vitamin D-3 deficiencies have their most devastating effects during the last trimester of pregnancy.

Studies on rats showed that feeding pregnant rats a diet deficient in vitamin D-3 led to behavioral problems when the offspring grew up. This manifested mainly as high excitability, something we see in ADHD and autism.

Vitamin D-3 deficiency in pregnant animals also has been shown to negatively impact the brain in the offspring in the following ways:

Shrinking of the brain was observed
Abnormal levels of brain growth factors occurred
Formation of abnormal neurons occurred
One effect of vitamin D-3 deficiency during pregnancy is the appearance of an excess number of brain cells, which is characteristic of autistic brains.

Further connections to autism include a state of hypersensitivity that causes the brains of babies whose mothers are deficient in vitamin D-3 to be oversensitive to the harmful effects of multiple vaccinations and infections.

Under today’s vaccine recommendations, children receive 36 vaccines by age 2, a period when the brain is most sensitive to such injury. A vitamin D-3 deficiency makes their brains even more susceptible to damage.

The brain’s immune cell, which is called the microglia contains a number of vitamin D-3 receptors. Newer studies indicate that these receptors play an important role in reducing the damaging reactions vaccines trigger, as well as other toxins such as mercury.

Vitamin D-3 has been shown to significantly soothe activated, angry microglial cells, thus calming the brain’s hypersensitivity.

Recent studies have found widespread, prolonged microglial activation in the brains of autistic individuals lasting from age 3 to 45. This means that their brains are inflamed for very long periods, even decades. Vaccines can produce this reaction, especially in the face of vitamin D-3 deficiency.

It would be interesting to know the incidence of vitamin D-3 deficiencies during pregnancy in mothers of autistic children.

One study found that vaccination impaired the functioning of vitamin D-3. Interestingly, autism is more common in blacks than whites. Dark-skinned people are especially prone to vitamin D-3 deficiency because they cannot absorb as much sunlight.

In essence, it may be that a maternal vitamin D-3 deficiency sets the stage for autism. When combined with the right genetic propensity, which is linked to a high risk of autoimmune disorders, activating an immune reaction in the brain may trigger the effects on brain development associated with autism.

Food additives also have been linked to ADHD and autism. For information, go here to read my special report “Food Additives: What You Eat Can Kill You.”

Dr. Tim Brown, D.C.

Director of Product Innovation,
Design and Development
drbrowndesigns.com

Best,
 
Jay Gordon, MD FAAP

Friday, June 12, 2009
AMAZING DAY! A MIRACLE HAS HAPPENED!

JULIA WON HER LAWSUIT WITH THE VACCINE INJURY COMPENSATION PROGRAM! THE GOVERNMENT CONCEDED! This means that they agreed that the MMR vaccine caused her encephalitis and resultant brain damage (I mean Marvelous Mind - right Howard!!). This is such a huge, huge, huge help for Julia and my family. The government will reimburse all of her past medical expenses (to her, not to us, which I find a little odd, but OK!) and will pay for all future medical expenses that she incurs from her vaccine injury. I will update as I find out more. Her attorney (Ron Homer and/or Kevin Conway) will be flying out here this summer to evaluate her and her needs with a "life planner" to try to determine what her needs will be. This is HUGE! HUGE! The VICP rarely concedes.....almost never......but they did for her! AMAZING!

Saturday, June 13, 2009
Interesting article...I had been thinking many of these exact things after Julia's last neuro appointment when her dr said she had signs of autism. I didn't want that "word" in her records until Julia's case was decided.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and David Kirby - Vaccine Court: Autism Debate Continues
 
But last week, the parents of yet another child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were awarded a lump sum of more than $810,000 (plus an estimated $30-40,000 per year for autism services and care) in compensation by the Court, which ruled that the measels-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine had caused acute brain damage that led to his autism spectrum disorder.

The family of 10-year-old Bailey Banks won their case quietly and without fanfare in June of 2007, but the ruling has only now come to public attention. In the remarkably clear and eloquent decision, Special Master Richard Abell ruled that the Banks had successfully demonstrated that "the MMR vaccine at issue actually caused the conditions from which Bailey suffered and continues to suffer."

Bailey's diagnosis is Pervasive Developmental Disorder -- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) which has been recognized as an autism spectrum disorder by CDC, HRSA and the other federal health agencies since at least the 1990s.

In his conclusion, Special Master Abell ruled that Petitioners had proven that the MMR had directly caused a brain inflammation illness called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) which, in turn, had caused the autism spectrum disorder PDD-NOS in the child. Read more.

Sincerely, Thomas Hoffman
(Minneapolis, MN, seizures and AS dxed)

(CBS) The National Law Journal recently reported on a DPT (diphtheria, whole-cell pertussis, tetanus) vaccine case that was reversed on appeal, reports CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

The Federal Circuit Court decided that a boy vaccinated at 8 weeks is entitled to compensation, after all.

According to the claim, the vaccination caused a seizure disorder that led to the child, Enrique Andreu, developing a low IQ and language and developmental delays. The Appeals Court (Federal Circuit Court) decided the Special Master (Judge) in the original decision “erroneously… determined that the testimony of Petitioner's physicians was insufficient to establish ‘a logical sequence of cause and effect’ leading to Petitioner's vaccine-related injury; and (erroneously) imposed upon Petitioner an elevated evidentiary burden, requiring conclusive proof in the medical literature linking Petitioner's symptoms to the vaccine at issue.”

In plain language, the Appeals Court sent a message to the Special Masters in Vaccine Court: that they are (at times) interpreting the evidence too harshly against the Plaintiff. In the words of the Plaintiff’s attorney: the Special Masters “require a burden of proof that’s just too high.” The government which defended the case has not made comment. It’s not the first time the Appeals Court has sent such a message to the Vaccine Court. Yet sources say the Appeals Court has not given blanket guidance to the Vaccine Court to help it come into synch with the Appeals Court interpretations and philosophy. If the Vaccine Court’s burden of proof is too high, then what should it be? Where is the bar set?

With those questions yet unanswered, some observers believe reversals such as in the Andreu case could have implications in the autism test cases currently on appeal. The plaintiffs lost three autism test cases soundly in Vaccine Court and all are under appeal. The same law firm that handled the Andreu DPT case is also handling two of the test cases.

Here’s the full article by the National Law Journal.