Rainbow- a song about Autism and ASD

via YouTube:
Rainbow" was composed, performed and produced by Matthew Lien for World Autism Day and ASD Care Network.

CALL FOR PHOTOS: This was originally produced for ASD Taiwan and the current video is temporary. We will soon create a final version AND WISH TO USE photos THAT you provide us, rather than the many stock images we relied on for this temp version.

I hope like this video can be universal and available to ALL who have been touched by autism. So please, if you have a photo you would like to contribute, please email to info@matthewlien.com. Thank you!

Watching Wheels

A parent of a child with autism offers some insight into what parents of kids with autism experience

I’m just writing to give you an insight into what us parents with kids with autism go through. So if you see a child at a park or where ever and they are doing something a little unusual, have an open mind and open heart. What they’re doing may be soothing to them if they have sensory issues, they might not have learned some social cues yet and they may still be working on some self help skills. What they’re doing isn’t bad or wrong or weird it’s just a bit different than what you’re used to. As parents we all want our children to be accepted and understood and this couldn’t be truer for parents of kids with autism. I think next time I see that mom I’ll say something so she knows that I know and that Tristan and I think watching wheels is the coolest thing in the world to do.

The Other Child

via YouTube:

This is a preview of an 11-minute documentary made by Jon Kent.

Stream and download of this film are available at: http://www.sproutflix.org/content/oth...

Through a series of short vignettes narrated by the sibling themselves and depicting life at home, "The Other Child" provides a moving portrait about how growing up with a brother or sister with autism can shape a person--and a family.

Parish coach excludes third grader with autism from cheerleading squad...

...but the good news is the little girl is still cheering despite the events swirling around her. Last weekend she earned her way onto an all star community cheerleading squad.

The mother of third grader Joanna Petosa says her daughter loves cheerleading and can do the cheers with precision. Nevertheless, she says that St. Christopher's cheerleading coach told her that her daughter is being removed from the squad because she would drag down the other kids.

Sally Petosa says the issue is her daughter's autism. According to her, last year the parents of the team members said they were concerned about Joanna keeping up, so Sally permitted her daughter to be placed on a younger squad and was told this year her daughter would rejoin the group of her own age. Sally gave them a $60 deposit, but was told by the coach that Joanna, who is an A student, could not be on the team this year because "they had come to the conclusion that she didn't have the mental capacity to do the stunts."

A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of New York denies that "the coach called out Joanna's diagnosis". Her explanation is that Joanna didn't make it onto a new competitive team, but could cheer at basketball games with five other girls who also didn't make the team.

However, Sally Petosa says that last weekend Joanna tried out for an all stars cheerleading team called Island Xplosion and made the squad. James DeFranco, the coach of Island Xplosion said that "[Joanna] got on the floor and stretched with the other girls and did all the tumbles, cartwheels and roundoffs. She even learned a whole routine and a jump sequence, while she was here. She did anything any other girl did. She was even quicker than some of them."

Parish officials are referring all questions to the Archdiocese. The director of Staten Island Catholic Charities says he "was angered that St. Christopher's wouldn't give Joanna a chance".

To read more, go here.

Autism bill signed into law in NJ

A new law amends NJ's existing discrimination law to recognize autism disorders, thanks to the efforts of lawmakers, including Senators Kean and Vitale, who were the prime co-sponsors.

Autistic residents will now receive the same protections as other disabled citizens from discrimination in access to housing, employment and public accommodations such as theaters, stores and restaurants,” Senator Kean said.

Court ruling on insurance company denial of treatment for autism

In a preliminary ruling, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant found that Kaiser Permanente's refusal to pay for a child's autism treatment because the provider was not licensed by the state runs counter to California's Mental Health Parity Act. That act requires insurers to cover care for mental and behavioral problems at the same levels they do for physical illnesses.

"A refusal to pay for . . . services based on the fact that the provider is not licensed is inconsistent with the intent of parity," Chalfant wrote in his Oct. 20 ruling.

The rest of the article can be found here.

Grants for families living with autism

ACT Today is now accepting grant applications for families living with autism.

Gov. Corzine signs bill expanding coverage for autism, developmental disability therapies

N.J. Governor Jon Corzine signed a bill "requiring insurance companies to cover the screening and therapeutic treatment for children up to age 21 who are diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities."

"There is no justification, no rationalization, that makes it possible to turn our backs on people who have so much love in their hearts for their children,'' Corzine told a packed room of teary-eyed families, lawmakers and hospitals officials at the PSE&G Children's Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick. via nj.com

The bill also makes financial sense, says Joseph Roberts (D-Camden) since many toddlers are able to "bypass some special education programs" with such services.

Photos, old, new and those to come

Among the photos my mom recently gave me is a picture from my law school graduation.

I am standing in front of the Renaissance Building in Detroit in a black gown, looking ready to take on the world, my cap askew, my feet askance, my face adorned with a wide grin.

There are other photos. My Holy Communion day in a frilly white dress that I didn't want to wear, that covered bandaids from falling on roller skates. (I did like the white patent leather shoes, however.) My eighth grade graduation picture in a gold gown, standing with my grandmother. Baby pictures and a picture of me as a toddler in a plaid jumper suit holding my teddy bear.

"What was its name?" Meredith asked.

"Bear," I said. "Original, huh?"

"That's okay, mine was named Panda."

"Clearly we're both creative geniuses," I said.

We laughed. Then Meredith looked at me and said 'I've never seen pictures of you standing before."

There was silence for a moment. I realized that I don't think about standing - at least not literally- anymore. In older photos I am standing and now I sit in a wheelchair. It just reflects the way I move in the world - or moved in the world at that time.

Moving in the world is the important thing, as far as I'm concerned. And I have a great story about a shaker and a mover today.

Ben Berlin , a high school junior, is the first person on the autism spectrum to serve as a Congressional Page. He's also a member of JROTC and is an ambassador for People to People this summer, traveling through Europe.

He plans to attend college and possibly major in engineering. I look forward to seeing his graduation pictures.

[image description: 17 year old Ben is shown,dressed in a plaid jacket and a white T shirt, standing in front of the Shaker Heights Naval JROTC emblem, which is a gold eagle over a ship with the words encircling the image.}

Gina's Got Talent

"As for the Orlando Magic, it seems they are 4-0 now in games where Gina sings the national anthem"

Via the Hoop Doctors.com

"Gina Marie was diagnosed with autism just before the age of 2. She could not even speak until she was 3 years old and now at age 7 she is singing National Anthems at professional sports games and concerts across the country. Her parents sent her to a school for kids with special needs as she had trouble forming words when attempting to speak. But her teachers at the school used music to help her with her language skills. I bet they had no idea what gift Gina had in store for them. "

Increased spending on disability issues in President's budget proposal

Disability Scoop announces that increased expenditures have been proposed in the following areas of President Obama's budget: $11.5 billion for special education; $211 million for autism research and other amounts for autism awareness and early diagnosis; increase of $10 million for Office of Disability Employment Policy at US Dept of Labor; $125 million for child/teen mental health; $11.6 billion to decrease backlog of claims at Social Security Administration; $145 million to increase attorneys handling civil rights cases at US Dept of Justice; $8 million for Centers for Independent Living and other programs.

Catholic parishes hold programs for children with disabilities

USA Today reports that St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in Warwick, Rhode Island has begun a program of religious education for children with autism, the first in Rhode Island. The bimonthly program also helps children prepare for the sacraments.

The article explains how a parishioner at St. Peter's coordinated the program when she realized the need to include children with disabilities, by consulting with experts and recruiting volunteers.


Dioceses in at least 31 states offer specialized religious instruction for students suffering from conditions including autism, mental retardation, emotional and learning disabilities and brain injuries, according to a 2007-2008 survey by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Court rules vaccine not to blame for autism

Judges in the cases found the claims to be "speculative and unpersuasive"".

The ruling, which was anxiously awaited by health authorities, was a blow to families who have filed more than 5,000 claims with the U.S. Court of Claims alleging that vaccines caused autism and other neurological problems in their children. via msnbc.com

Although the court found that the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine was not to blame, it has yet to rule on "separate claims from other families who contend that rather than a single vaccine, the culprit could be a mercury-containing preservative called thimerosal that once was common in children's inoculations."

8 year old girl handcuffed at school

I was reading last night about Evelyn Towry and see that FRIDA has written a post about "the handcuffing and subsequent detention of eight-year-old Evelyn Towry, a third grader at Kootenai Elemenary who has Asperger's Syndrome after she was told she couldn't wear a cow costume to a Christmas party".

After teachers tried to restrain her, Evelyn said "Well, I kicked because I was upset they were holding me down and I got thumb bruises on me." The police were then called and she was charged with battery, which was later dropped. Apparently no battery charges were filed against the staff, although Evelyn indicates she was bruised. I find this interesting, having been assaulted by aides myself . So maybe I am more likely to question exactly what kind of force was used before the child began to kick . Maybe we need cameras in the schools?

The school indicated there were ongoing problems with Evelyn and a police lieutenant stated "Teachers and the principal wished to pursue charges because they felt there were ongoing problems and this was the only way to resolve it." That, in and of itself, speaks volumes about how far schools have to go in developing effective ways to work toward resolution of issues adult to adult, rather than resorting to the arrest of a child likely to be traumatized by that.

FRIDA had this cite to a post with comments from members of the autistic community as well as teachers over at Autism-Change.org. A very interesting discussion going on over there that you might want to check out.

I'll be updating this with other links as I see them or feel free to leave them in the comments.


WrongPlanet.net

PatriciaEBauer

The Coalition for Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports

Media dis&dat

DisabilityIntel

Lawsuit alleges autistic students cuffed

Disability Rights North Carolina has filed a federal lawsuit against the Wake County Board of Education and the senior director of special education services, claiming that several autistic students were cuffed and "encouraged to wrestle one another" and bruising resulted which was not properly reported or documented. The incidents occurred at Carroll Middle School in Raleigh, N.C., where it is alleged there was a "WWF" room - a term referring to a vacant room where students were allegedly encouraged to release aggression by wrestling. One student reported to his mother that he saw a teacher wrestle a student to the floor.

The group has also asked for the right to monitor the classroom and student-teacher interactions. To date, the school board has not given student information to the DRNC so they can investigate the claims.

Rittelmeyer believes that part of the reason the school board will not give the requested information is because DRNC is a fairly new agency -- it was instituted by the federal government 15 months ago under a law that exempts such agencies when it comes to privacy laws.

Majestic said that the schools simply want to be certain that they are in compliance with the law.

The likelihood of embarrassment should the alleged abuse be proved, said Rittelmeyer, is another reason he believes the school board is not cooperating.

"I'm not sure they're hiding something -- I think we probably know most of the events that are going on in that classroom -- but to confirm them would be an embarrassment to the school system," said Rittelmeyer.

via abcnews.go.com

The court complaint may be viewed here. It alleges that the wrestling was done with the classroom teacher's knowledge and teaching assistants were directly involved in wrestling with students.

Savage rant on autism

Parents of children with autism, among others, are calling for the firing of conservative radio show host Michael Savage after his rant about autism on air. An online petition has been started. You can see a video about his remarks here. He has defended what he said on at least one TV show shown in the video, saying his comments needed to be considered in context.

In an article discussing the remarks that aired last Wednesday on the show Savage Nation, it states:

In remarks he later characterized as directed at the large number of diagnosed children who he feels are not truly autistic, he called autism "a fraud, a racket. ... I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. ... What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. ... Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.'"

Several dozen parents and protesters stood before WOR's office on lower Broadway in Manhattan, holding signs like "Fire Savage." John Gilmore, executive director of Hicksville-based Autism United, a coalition of advocacy and service groups, said, "If someone wanted to pick the most vulnerable group in the country, you'd be hard pressed to find one easier than autistic children."

via www.newsday.com

The news conference and protest was held yesterday.

A statement released by the Autism Society of American states: "We are dismayed that these grossly inaccurate remarks would be aired in any platform, much less on a nationally syndicated show. We will continue to work with families, people with autism and the broader public to raise awareness of autism spectrum disorders."

Over at P.L.A., a parent describes the journey he has taken with his son with autism and decries this kind of mocking of autism as that of a ten year old bully - a post well worth reading- and interesting since it's dated in May 2003, indicating that Savage has done this before.

UPDATE: Response by Rep. Mike Doyle of PA

Court upholds restraining order in Race case

A judge upheld the restraining order in the case of the autistic boy banned from church.

"Is this the kind of road and precedents we want to set our kids on with special needs in the future?" said Brad Trahan, founder of the RT Autism Foundation in Rochester and the father of an 8-year-old autistic boy.

"I totally understand that the church environment in this case has to be safe.

"But the bottom line is one out of 150 births includes an autistic child and as a society we have to deal with it. We have to be able to go out to church and restaurants and events as one family.

"There are no winners in this situation. The church doesn't win. The family doesn't win, and Adam doesn't win."

via startribune.com

Carol Race, the boy's mother, who represented herself at the hearing for the restraining order, has indicated that she will hire an attorney. Autism Vox posted about the boy's ban from St. Joseph's earlier and commentors over there noted, as I've written, that there appears to be a lot of vagueness in reporting about attempts to mediate this situation.

Hearing on restraining order held : the Race case

I found this interesting post about Carol Race, the mother of the boy with autism who is fighting the church's restraining order, which contains a letter from a priest who knows her. She was in court yesterday, but no decision was rendered. The court reminded those present that the scope of inquiry was whether harassment occurred, now that the situation has been taken to a court of law under a restraining order.

Autism: The Musical

Not many movies make me cry. This one did.

Autism: The Musical is about The Miracle Project, begun by the mother of a boy with autism, who wanted to use theater and music to provide children with autism and their siblings with a place they could have friendship, community and joy. The film features a number of children and their families, showing how they live day to day, juxtaposed with scenes from rehearsals, dramas within the drama of putting on a show in six months.

This short video doesn't do the film justice, nor does this short post, but this is one movie I urge everyone to take ninety minutes out of their lives to watch. Why? Because these children, and others like them, are the reason I write this blog. I know in my heart that institutionalization and exclusion are not the answer to their futures. But it will take a deeper understanding on the part of all of us, a recognition that we are one family, to achieve inclusion that works when it matters - when the road is more difficult and the path harder to see.

And prayers. Yes, it will take prayers too.

News story

A Philadelphia mom is angered over the way her autistic son was treated when his class went on a trip.

While his classmates went on the trip, Jimmy was supposed to enjoy a day of learning, but that was not the case.

Dawn said her son was left in a classroom with only his bus assistant who is not trained to teach autistic children.

"I cried, I cried first and I just had it," Dawn said. "I thought you had a choice, you could just sit there and take it or you do something about it."

In addition to a bus assistant, Jimmy is supposed to have a special education teacher and a therapeutic support worker.

Dawn said support workers or TSS are in short supply.

"We have TSS's that come and go, it's a revolving door and I am done, I am at my breaking point," Dawn said.

Dawn said her problem lies with the school district and not the staff at the Stephen Decatur school. She said the district is failing special needs students.

"It's all broken promises and I don't think I can handle one more broken promise," Dawn said. via cbs3.com

As we all know,these programs only work if they are staffed. Some of these positions pay such a small amount of money that there is a lot of turnover and, as a result, the services don't get to the students . Until we make filling these service positions a priority so people and children with disabilities can get the services they need, it's just not going to happen because it will take a concerted effort - recruiting, raising wages and training are three things that automatically come to my mind.