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Monday, January 28
Autistic Girl Video
by
Nancy Clayburn
on Mon 28 Jan 2008 05:51 PM CST
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4181242 more »
Thursday, January 24
A Sense of Place for Autism
by
Nancy Clayburn
on Thu 24 Jan 2008 09:37 PM CST
"Jibber, Jabber, what's the matter!" razzled Mark to our son, Seth. This particular day, Seth was on a roll with his tongue and vocal chords. I think he woke up that way. Words just blended one into the other and weaved in and then back out of my ears. Off to church we went. Seth looking spiffy in his new shirt, tie and sweater. He gets pretty proud of his ties and is gaining a small collection. At church he points out all the "pretty" ties and the "neat" ones the men wear. He also points out all the "beautiful" dresses the ladies wear and notices the bright colors. They are getting used to him coming up and pointing to their dresses and/or ties or pointing from across the room. At first it was a bit disconcerting, I am sure. It is something we are working on. "Don't point, Seth! You will make people nervous!" This particular day, after church and after potluck, a person gave Seth a puzzle. I saw him walking all around the room with it and asked him where it came from. His short term memory is a bit weak, so he started hollering all around, "Who is the person that gave me this puzzle. Who is the person that gave me this puzzle?" I was sitting next to my friend named, Nancy and asked her who gave him the puzzle. It happened to be her. I told her that Seth was looking for her so she raised her hand and waved at him and said "I gave you the puzzle, Seth." Seth came over to her and she sat him down on a chair beside her and began asking him questions. Well, this was her day! Remember? Seth was on a vocal roll. Off he went. He was invited and he let 'er rip! He went through all of our birthdays and how old we were. He went through grandma and grandpas birthdays and revealed their age. (I have long ago given up trying to hide my age, so I just try and look younger so the age and person don't match up!) Seth's sister, her husband and their baby also had birthdays and ages. Then he had to find out each ones birthday that was sitting in earshot. After he did the age and birthday thing, next he had to tell about all of his puzzles. The Puzzle Boy strikes again! After Nancy was so patient, smiling, nodding, and being so very polite to him, he took off to someone else that paid him some attention and Jeanie got the run-down. This went on for quite some time until I decided I would rescue my poor, wonderful friends! I took Seth aside with much effort and explained to him that it was not his turn to talk anymore. He needed to give it a break. Others needed a turn. "Oh, but I just have one more thing to say....." Blah, blah, blah. It was beginning to all run together monotone like and shot easily between the ears. He did get the picture and did try and sit still while the ladies talked. He did take his turn. I hope the lesson sticks. I am so proud of my church friends. They really proved themselves! Bravo! Typically, Seth just sits and grins and listens, but he really got on a talking roll this time and occasionally that will happen. I don't know what creates it. Sometimes it precipitates seizures. One thing I will say, is that it is wonderful to have a Sense of Place. A place to go where I do not have to explain what is going on. A place where Seth is accepted for who he is. A place where we as parents are not scrutinized. A place of love. This is a tribute to those who take the time to care for us as parents. I think that perhaps the generosities are more for us than for our kids, sometimes. I appreciate that. Perhaps it is just because someone wants to step out of their comfort zone, and learn about what makes autism tick, but nevertheless, or for whatever reason, Seth appreciates being recognized as a human being. We love having a Sense of Place that we can go to each week other than just our home. This place happens to be our church family. I hope that you will find a Sense of Place for yourself. A place of acceptance. A place where you can be you. A place where you are loved! Until Next Time, Find that place! Develop that place. It takes time! Time is the crucial ingredient. If we flit from one place to the next, no one can really get to know you and you can't get to know them. Nancy Lynne Wednesday, January 16
The Guilt Factor
by
Nancy Clayburn
on Wed 16 Jan 2008 09:12 AM CST
2. Organizations 3. Relationships On asking adults with autism "What's the single piece of advice Friday, January 11
Does Mercury Cause Autism or What???
by
Nancy Clayburn
on Fri 11 Jan 2008 05:44 PM CST
Study “Disproving” Mercury-Autism Link Published in Journal with Financial Ties to Vaccine ManufacturersWednesday, January 09, 2008 by: Mike Adams From the outset, the fact that this study appears in a pro-drug, pro-psychiatry journal should bring pause to any scientific-minded person. There is obviously a serious conflict of interest here, especially if this study is to be taken as “fact” and applied to public health policy. There also need to be a close look at any financial links between the researchers involved in this study and various vaccine manufacturers, as virtually all pro-drug “science” (if you can call it that) being published these days is influenced by Big Pharma money. The only truly honest, independent, peer-reviewed medical journal operating today is PLoS Medicine, an open-source journal that takes no money from drug companies. Notice that the autism/mercury link study did not appear in PLoS Medicine? No, it had to be published with a home field advantage in a pro-drug publication that maintains a strong bias in favor of pharmaceuticals and chemicals. Yes, vaccines used to contain mercury. And yes, all those little kids were injected with mercury. And yes, autism rates skyrocketed. But then when the mercury was taken out of the vaccines, the autism rates didn’t come back down. Therefore, the logic goes, vaccines are safe! This is such sloppy cause/effect logic that it makes the idiot CNN Health editors who published a story about “junk foods being good for your waist” look like sheer geniuses! What’s wrong with the logic? Consider the use of mercury in the vaccines: It was used as a preservative chemical to prevent vaccine spoilage. When the mercury was removed, it was replaced with other preservative chemicals that are also toxic to the human nervous system. Thus, the continuing increase in autism rates following vaccination may be due to the toxic chemicals that replaced thimerosal. While mercury injections probably initiated the increase in autism, the toxic substance has been replaced with other dangerous chemicals that are continuing to increase the risk of autism. Here’s an example to explain this a bit more: We all know that sodium nitrite in processed meat causes cancer, right? Well, let’s say that for ten years, somebody feeds all the kids sodium nitrite and cancer rates skyrocket. Then, they take all the sodium nitrite out of the food and replace it with a different cancer-causing chemical that they keep feeding the kids. Guess what? The cancer rates don’t come down. Therefore, the logic goes, sodium nitrite didn’t cause cancer in the first place! Notice that when mercury was removed from vaccines (which is not entirely true, by the way, bringing into question yet more details about this study), the rates of autism did not drop? This means the vaccines remain dangerous to children. Autism continued to climb right alongside vaccination rates, indicating the possibility that something in the vaccines (or a combination of various chemicals) may very well be responsible for the increase. Based on the fact that thimerosal was replaced with other toxic chemicals in the vaccines, there is absolutely no scientific way to clear thimerosal of any harmful effects. There are too many variables operating now, and no study can isolate one variable (thimerosal) out of many and prove it to be harmless. The truth is that scientists have no idea what’s causing autism. They acknowledge the alarming increase in the rates of autism now being observed in the population, but with this new study, they claim, “Mercury is safe!” Let me add this study to the enormous stack of other B.S. studies from modern medical researchers. Let’s see, I have a study here that declares aspartame to be safe. A second study in my database says that Vioxx is safe. Another study says Teflon is safe. And yet another study claims that cigarette smoke doesn’t cause lung cancer or heart disease! In fact, for virtually every toxic chemical created by industry, there’s a B.S. study proclaiming its safety! The history of science is full of such nonsense, all funded or influenced by the corporations that manufacture and sell these toxic chemicals or drugs. The fact that industry has managed to create yet another study declaring a toxic substance (thimerosal) to be safe when injected into children is certainly not surprising. This is an industry that is not bound by the rules of logic, ethics or common scientific sense. It simply finds ways to influence researchers, cherry pick studies and distort science to get whatever results it wants. That’s how we’re now hearing things like, “Mercury is safe to inject into children!” — an idea that’s utterly absurd at any dose. The only reasonable, scientifically-minded conclusion we can draw from the study is that removing mercury from vaccines does not reduce autism in children. If removing thimerosal from vaccines made them safer, we should have seen autism rates go down, but we did not! Autism rates continued to climb in direct correlation to vaccination rates, indicating that mercury is not the only toxic substance causing neurological problems in children. Notice, carefully, that this is nothing close to what’s being reported in the mainstream media, where headlines are blaring junk science nonsense like, “Vaccines pose no risk for autism” (San Jose Mercury News) and “Thimerosal Does Not Cause Autism” (Slashdot, which should know better). Even WIRED News got it wrong with: “California Study Finds No Link Between Vaccines, Autism.” The correct headline should be, “Removal of Mercury From Vaccines Fails to Halt Rise in Autism.” Or, “Removing Mercury From Vaccines Does Not Make Them Safer.” Nobody reported that. Apparently, telling the truth about research involving vaccines is not a popular option in the mainstream media (MSM). Businessweek, publishing a HealthDay report by Randy Dotinga, invokes particularly bad logic with this opening statement, “Adding to a growing body of evidence that rejects the idea that immunizations boost autism rates, a new study finds no proof that incidences of the disorder dropped after makers of most childhood vaccines stopped using a mercury-based preservative in their products.” Huh? How does a study focused only on mercury “reject the idea that immunizations boost autism rates?” Did the author of that report not notice that autism rates continue to increase as vaccination rates go up? Eliminating one chemical from the causative factors does not in any way clear the safety of all the other chemicals or ingredients used in vaccines. The mainstream media, which repeatedly demonstrates astonishing ignorance on issues of nutrition and health, also seems to have very little ability to interpret scientific studies and reach reasoned conclusions about what those studies do or do not prove. And let’s face it: Big Pharma will always produce science that protects its profits. Gee, Big Tobacco came up with all sorts of research that said tobacco smoke wasn’t harmful and nicotine wasn’t addictive. Some of that research appeared in peer-reviewed medical journals, too. Does that mean the research was scientifically accurate and “conclusive?” Of course not. It was just plain old junk science, hijacked by a powerful corporation with a clear profit motive. If all that sounds familiar, it’s because drug companies are playing the same game with science today that Big Tobacco played decades ago: Influence the science, bury the bad news and propagandize the good news. It’s the oldest play in the spin book, and Big Pharma has patterned it perfectly from Big Tobacco. You see, the relevant question in this discussion is not simply whether mercury-containing vaccines cause autism. The question at hand is whether we can even trust the “science” being conducted on this subject. Do the researchers who conducted this study have any financial ties to the manufacturers of those vaccines? Have they received any speaking fees? Do they own stock in those companies? If so, this completely discredits their research due to obvious conflicts of interest. Now, I don’t have any direct evidence that the researchers in this particular mercury vaccine study were corrupted or influenced by Big Pharma, but as an honest, independent think who knows the truth about drug companies, the mainstream media and the profit motive behind much of the science appearing in the press today, I maintain a default position of skepticism when it comes to reading these studies. By default, I distrust the drug companies and any so-called “research” that claims injecting mercury into the bodies of children is harmless. That should be the default position held by any rational person who understands basic human biochemistry. Toxic chemicals and heavy metals must be distrusted from the outset. The drug and chemical industries, notably, take precisely the opposite approach. To them, all chemicals and drugs are safe until proven dangerous. This is how dangerous drugs get released into the marketplace and only recalled after tens of millions of prescriptions have been written and many thousands of people have died. The drug companies routinely treat the population as drug testing guinea pigs, and the used of vaccines on children is no different. I find it interesting that genuine scientific skepticism seems to vanish when the topic shifts to pharmaceuticals. Sure, all the skeptics and quack critics will go to town on topics like acupuncture, mind-body medicine or even the efficacy of botanical medicines, but when the discussion turns to things like mercury in vaccines or amphetamine drugs for kids with ADHD, all such skepticism immediately vanishes. They accept the safety and efficacy of such treatments without question. Rational thought is rapidly discarded. Vaccines simply must be safe. Why? Because everybody else in the medical industry says so! This is the new standard of “conclusive” science in medicine today? Give me a break. The only thing that can be conclusively derived from observing all this is that mainstream media journalists continue to function at a very low level of scientific literacy, lacking any skills of mental reason by which scientific studies might be assessed. There is no thought that has gone into the media’s reporting of this story; only bandwagon parroting of each other’s bad conclusions of a study that, in reality, proves nothing. It’s yet another hilarious mainstream media circle jerk, and the fact that so many people keep buying this dim-witted reporting just proves that this nation remains woefully deficient in basic science education. One point worth mentioning here is that there is absolutely no requirement to have any real understanding of science, medicine, chemistry or physics to graduate from a top-notch journalism school. And when journalists have no idea what they’re talking about, they go the default route and simply rewrite whatever was e-mailed to them in the corporate press release! Thus, modern skills of journalism do not require any independent thought whatsoever. They only require the ability to rephrase something already told to them by the spinmeisters at Corporation X. Correct me if I’m wrong: Is there a single mainstream reporter — even one? — that reported the correct conclusion from this vaccine research? I challenge you to find one. I’ve looked. There isn’t one. The dumbing down of the mainstream media is now complete. I can’t wait to see what headlines will come next: Friday, January 4
Autism's What If's
by
Nancy Clayburn
on Fri 04 Jan 2008 05:16 PM CST
This was an article that I read and thought was worth posting on my blog. It sure sounds like something I had gone through! Maybe you too? You can apply it to anything you are going through.
Nancy
From Lisa Jo Rudy
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Steven Gans, MD
What If... How Blame and Worry Can Undermine Your Life: From the moment my son was diagnosed as PDD-NOS, I started with the what ifs. For me, the questions were all about treatments. What if I was missing the ONE treatment that would make the difference? What if I were doing things wrong? I'm not alone. Parents feel tremendous pressure to "fix" their childrens problems -- and often, the pressure can be overwhelming. But the truth is, worry and blame are almost never productive. So how can you avoid it? Here are some ideas!
What If My Child's Autism Comes from My Side of the Family?: Since autism is a highly heritable disorder, it's likely that SOMEone's family has a history of autism. That same side of the family may be responsible for your child's hair color, artistic talents or math skills. There's nothing anyone can do to change their genetics, so there's really no blame to place. And the up side of having autism in the family is -- other family members may have extra empathy for you and your child!
What If Something I Did Caused My Child's Autism?: The media is filled with stories suggesting that parental actions may be responsible for children's autism. Was it the tuna mom ate? The ultrasounds the doctor ordered? The childhood vaccines? To date, no one has come up with a definitive answer. And since eating tuna, getting ultrasounds and providing your child with preventive health care are all responsible actions, you have done absolutely nothing wrong!
What If I'm Using the Wrong Therapies?: Some parents swear by applied behavioral analysis. Others love floortime, RDI, or Son-Rise. Some families are gung-ho for special diets. Others go for fast food. Not one has been proved right or wrong. The question to ask is -- is your child progressing? If so, you're doing just fine.
What If I Missed the One Therapy That Could Have Cured My Child?: It is theoretically possible that SOMEthing out there could make all the difference for any given child. But think about it this way. If you tried every available therapy on your child, your child would probably collapse from sheer exhaustion. And so would you. As you explore options, you'll find approaches that work for your family. And until there's an "ultimate" answer, you can't do better than that!
What If My Child's Educational Setting Is All Wrong?: Some schools offer inclusion. Others are into specialized classes. Some do a terrific job, and others are rotten. To some degree, you have control over your child's educational setting. If there's a real problem, you can advocate. You can even take legal action. But if your child is progressing and happy, he's probably just fine.
What If I'm Short-Changing My Spouse Or Other Children?: For some people, having a child with autism is all-encompassing. It can draw you away from friends and family, and become a world unto itself. If you think this may be an issue, communicate your concerns. If you can make positive changes, go for it! But if everyone else seems content with family life, you may not need to change at all.
What If We Run Out of Money?: The million and one autism treatments, schools and therapists available can easily drain a family's finances dry. That's why it's make sense to find the programs that work -- and then stop. While it's critically important to treat your child's autism, it's equally important to stay financially solvent, pay off your mortgage, and have something left for retirement!
What If My Child Never...(Fill In the Blank): Marriage...job...personal independence...they're all part of a parent's dream for their child. But whether your child is autistic or absolutely typical, there are no guarantees. Your child will undoubtedly grow and change in many ways over the years, and you'll provide all the love and support you can. If trouble arises, you'll face it. But until then -- why spend too much time worrying?
What If I Can't Handle the Stress of Being a Special Needs Parent?: So much of the stress you're likely to feel comes from the inside out, and not the other way around. Perhaps you're trying to keep up with other parents, respond to extended family, or just meet your own too-high expectations.
Consider the possibility that enough is enough. You've done your homework. You've found good treatments and solid educational settings. You've spent as much money as you can afford, and you've gotten the right diagnoses. Your child with autism is on the right track. But what if there's more to be done, better programs to find, possibilities left unexplored? The truth is, you'll never exhaust all the possibilities. So look inside yourself. When you think about more therapies -- or perhaps consider changing schools or even homeschooling -- do you feel energized or overwhelmed? Excited or depressed? If the idea of one more straw on your load feels overwhelming, it probably is. And your child is unlikely to benefit from a parent who is overwhelmed, exhausted, and emotionally drained. So ... what if you put your feet up? What if you had a bubble bath or an evening out? What if... you got to be just you for a few hours? What if you had... fun?!
Thursday, January 3
A Couple Days After New Years and Still Autism!
by
Nancy Clayburn
on Thu 03 Jan 2008 05:10 PM CST
Ahhhh! Life begins again. 2008. A new year and a new beginning! At least it feels that way to me. There is something about starting and actually finishing something that feels good to me. It feels as if you can erase the past, clean house and start all over again. Actually, that is what I am in the process of doing. Throwing away all the nuisance junkmail and tiny papers that I wrote notes on and saved all year, never to be used again. Have you ever looked at tiny pieces of paper with writing all over it and not have a clue what it was about? You feel like calling up the phone numbers you wrote down just to find out what it was all about! I went through The Puzzle Boys room with a fine tooth comb (well, almost) and put things in their proper perspective.....order. So many puzzles, so little time. According to who? Me. Not to Seth. He has all the time in the world to put them together. Such beautiful peices of artwork. I could not bring myself to getting rid of any puzzles, so I just stacked them better, more organized looking. He also had a myriad of papers stacked all about as he loves to write and copy things. Oh, he copies and copies and copies. I try and tell him that it is already written down and all he has to do is go look at it in the book, but for some reason he wants to rewrite everything. After Christmas was my birthday. Seth overheard us talking about seeing if Mark's sis would take care of him so he could take me on a get away. His hearing is something else. He has invisible antennae that pick up on things I would not dream of. Next thing we hear him asking "So, when am I going to go to Aunt Terry's?" "I don't want her to come here, I want to go there. I want to eat their food and sleep at their house." We are so informed! OK. That means I have to pack up for him also. He was all grins when I packed a lunch box for him. He thought he was pretty important. He could not wait to go to church with grandma and grandpa and aunt Terry. He wanted to be sure he got in a prayer request about us. We were not together and he wanted to pray that we were all safe. The night before we were to arrive home, Seth wanted to get a shower so he was all ready to go when we got there. He thought we were going to show up in the morning. Ha! He had his bags all packed and by the door first thing. We did not show up until evening. He had a long anticipatory wait. Autism kids need to have times. They need to know exactly when you are going to show up. It is better to give a later time just incase you do not show up at the appointed time. I think that Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Terry learned that! Oh, by the way, Mark and I had a wonderful time in Branson. We went to a B&B where our daughter got married and thoroughly enjoyed it. Saturday night we froze at Silver Dollar City. The lights were incredibly beautiful! The next day we went shopping. It was a very nice birthday. No speeding tickets like I got last year! I wish at the beginning of the year I could erase at least Seth's seizures. I really don't like to claim them as "his", but I really don't know where they come from except inside of him. I would give them back to whoever they belong to, or whatever they belong to, or wherever they belong to, but I have not been able to figure that out yet! Any clues? Autism I have gotten used to, it is who he is. Yes, oh yes, I wish it was all different for all of our sakes, but the siezures are the greatest menace at this point. They knock him through a loop and set him back for days. I wish we could at least upgrade the autism to a higher level to where he could care for himself because I can catch myself worrying about his future without me someday. But, we don't go there...We pray for a miracle! New Years. New Year. New thoughts, new activities, new horizons, perhaps another backpack trip to Yosemite, this time? Goals. Changes. Hope. Throw in a whole bunch of Love and Forgiveness, Giving. First I must catch up on my rest! Until Next Time, Enjoy your New Goals for the year! I hope you set some. At least one. Get organized! Don't let papers cover you up! Get a file cabinet! Love, Nancy Lynne! |
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