The Puzzle Boy/Everyday Autism

Autistic Singing Boy!

Nancy Clayburn — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:01:00 -0500

This young boy named David has come to my attention.

I was smiling so much listening to him sing! He is absolutely adorable!

Please visit his site, listen to his perfect pitch, and explore the other pages, especially watch the video in the newscast area. He will sing the Star Spangled Banner for you.

He is autistic, with obvious talents that come out and bring him out of his shell through song.

Enjoy!

http://www.davidmilitello.com:80/

Nancy Lynne!

PS I will begin a new series real soon! Check back often!

Autism's way of Expressing

Nancy Clayburn — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:45:00 -0500

This spring has been a wild and crazy one. We just returned from TN visiting our daughter who was supposed to have a baby on Memorial Day! We stayed for a week, but nothing happened! She is still waiting! Arghh! I feel sorry for her!

We had lots of fun getting to know our granddaughter, "Rosy"! She is a go-go girl. "Nana, nana, nana!" "Meowmee, Puppy, baby!" This she happily repeated over and over again. "Brrrrm, Brrrm" She would immitate if she wanted to go in the families car to go somewhere. She inevitably wanted Nana to sit by her. I sure was feeling "Naniated!" I had to fill the spot in my heart. It is so hard to be far away. I made the most of every second I could stay awake. I actually found myself quite sleepy while there. I do not know if my body was letting down, or "Rosy" actually tired me out!

Seth just could not wait for the baby to "come out of Sarah's body" He just knew it should very, very soon! "When will the baby come out of your body, Sarah?" Poor Sarah, she did not relish that question....Before we left to go visit, Seth told everyone he met that we were going to see his sister and that a baby was going to come out of her. I just get a kick out of hearing him describe things.

Yesterday he asked a cute question. He actually had put a lot of thought into it. Just some background insight. We are going to go on vacation to hike Yosemite, Tahoe, and Sequoia. "Mom, how are we going to get to California?" "We are going to fly" I stated. Pause. "Where are we going to go when we get there?" "Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, and Sequoia National Park." I answered. Pause. "Well, we won't be able to travel anywhere." "Why, I asked?" "Because our car will be at the airport!"

"Very good, Seth!" I applauded. "We will rent a vehicle with our friends when we get there." "Oh, "Well, I was just thinking that in my heart, he said so innocently" That just touched me. Another day with a bright spot. He was thinking and pondering in his Heart!" I told him that the heart is your feelings and emotions, your mind is your thoughts. I don't know if he gets the difference, but at least he is expressing himself. That is one of autisms weakpoints, explaining what they are thinking. It can come out so impressive, or so tied up in knots!

While at our daughter's, we went out on the boat, of course, on the lake. It was a pretty decent day compared to the other rainy days. Seth wanted to wear his hat. Can you believe he forgot his sunglasses? Oh, when I told him I couldn't believe he actually forgot his sunnies, the look of surprise that came over his face was humorous! I was worried that the wind would blow his hat off and he would lose it in the lake. He hung onto his AZ hat pretty tight, even when we were stopped. I will post a pic.

"Rosy" had never gone out in the boat before. The wind caused her to shut her eyes and off to sleep she went! Well, she spent some time in wonderment and putting her feet in the water, first. I could not believe how much sun we got on us in a short time. I guess the lake reflects pretty good. Oh, you can be sure that I put a lifejacket on Seth. He sinks in the water. It is kind of a scary place to be.

I can't wait to post about our trip. Keep waiting and checking . I realize I got into a major slump with jotting. Sorry!

Until Next Time, don't forget your sunglasses, hang onto your hat in the wind, and enjoy the great outdoors,

Nancy Lynne!

PS, don't forget to check my book out at www.thepuzzleboy.com. I have a sale going on now for those of you that are hanging out waiting.

Another Autistic Tradgedy. Please Pray

Nancy Clayburn — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:03:00 -0500

May 19, 2008

Ashley Brock 2002-2008

Today is a day full of grief in our home, in our small town and in our biomed community. Ashley Brock, one of our own and one of Chandler’s classmates, passed away last night.

It is the story we read practically every month. An autistic child gets away from their family, drawn to the water that they love so much, and drowns.

Barry and Michele Brock invited over three friends to cook out on the back porch yesterday. The adults grilled while Ashley, her typical twin sister Alexis and two other children played in the grass.

And then came that moment that we have all experienced too many times.

“Where’s Ashley?”

Everyone scattered around the house calling her name, and immediately they looked over the fence at the neighbor’s back yard. Because the neighbors had filled up their pool the day before and Ashley had seen their children swimming.

And Ashley loved the water.

But when they looked, they didn’t see her and fanned out into the woods behind the house and into the street. A few more neighbors came out of their houses when they heard her name being called to help look for her.

That is when another neighbor checked the pool again... from another angle. He saw Ashley was at the bottom and dove in to pull her out.

Her mother performed CPR on her and a doctor who lived in the neighborhood was quickly called, the paramedics worked on her and the hospital staff continued to work on her for almost an hour and a half.

And they thought they were getting her back… but they didn’t.

Michele and Barry are devastated, and we are heart broken.

It is very hard for me to really believe that Ashley is gone. She was a child full of life and energy. She was always doing. Riding her bike or scooter or swinging. And not just any swing. Last week when the family was going to see their friends across the street, Ashley dug through the garage and brought her own swing over to use at their house.

She was a strong spirit. What she wanted, she wanted, and if you wanted to keep something from her, she made you work to keep it from her. Once Michele had begun teacher her ‘first_____, then _____’, Ashley turned it around on her and began to use it as a negotiating tactic.

“Ashley, time for supper.”

“Mommy, first supper, then cookie, then bike, ok”.

And if she thought you were mad at her, she would ask you for tickles. The girl was smart.

She knew all three names of every major composer. Her favorite was “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” and would sometimes play his music at 3 AM for everyone in the house to enjoy.

She loved books (wouldn't get on the school bus without one), and dogs, and did great animal impressions and carried her flashcards everywhere. And she loved bubbles and she loved to paint and she loved red and she loved stacking things.

And she was great at basketball. They bought her a full sized basketball hoop and she owned it.

And Ashley was loved.

Her parents changed their whole world around for her, giving up jobs and friends and family to come to a place that would be good for her. Barry was a loving, care giver dad and Michele was an autism mom like few others. Her advocacy for autistic child puts mine to shame, challenging school system bureaucrats head on when they weren’t working in interests of her child, but in the interests of their bottom line; searching out the doctors that could heal her child; and letting nothing get in her way.

And what she did for Ashley’s health… let’s just say I could only follow about two thirds of what Michele was saying when she talked about her daughter’s complicated medical picture. Again… her knowledge showed me how much more I had to learn.

And the Brock’s home security is much better than our own. Ashley was an escape artist who climbed out her second story window on the first day they moved into their house. So her windows didn’t open after that.

Which is why Ashley’s death doesn’t just grieve me, it scares me. The Brocks were so much more on top of things that Scott and I are, so if they can loose Ashley in just five minutes when she was only 50 feet away from them…. well…

Last fall I was sitting at my desk paying bills and Scott was upstairs in his office working when the police came to our door with Chandler who had been found three blocks away by a Verizon employee driving by. While we thought he was in the playroom, he left the house apparently to look for his brother who was at school. We never even knew he was gone.

Chandler knows his name and his phone number and his address, but all the police could get out of him was “Webster”. So we have upped our security, and bought a bracelet and even have a tracking system now.

But Ashley was only 50 feet away from them and they didn’t know she was in trouble.

There is not a family among us that doesn’t know in their bones that this could have been any of us. And still could.

This morning Michele all but begged me to get swimming lessons for Chandler. They had just signed Ashley up for them. Again… to my shame… I have not made this a priority, but I will correct that. She is urging us all to make it a priority for our children.

A small correction to what has been in the local coverage. It was reported that the police are investigating Ashley’s death. That does not seem to be accurate.

Last night the police were very respectful and kind to the Brocks and when they left the home they said that they had everything they needed, so even if there is still any formal inquiry going on, or paper work ‘open’, it is probably a formality.

The Brocks are getting good support from their friends and family, and from the community, and many people are asking what they can do to help. But they don’t really know yet. They are still reeling right now.

Michele did say that if any one would like to do something that she would like it if they would make a donation to the National Autism Association’s Helping Hands program that pays for biomedical treatment for struggling families, or to 4 Paws for Ability, who trains autism service dogs for our kids and never turns down a request from an autism family.

For those of you who were on the lists with Michele, she has signed off of all of them. I am sure you could imagine how painful it would be to see those emails coming in. If you want to leave messages for her and Barry here, please feel free.

UPDATE: The Ashley Brock Memorial Fund

A fund has been established to assist the Brock family during this difficult time.

Donations can be made to any Bank of America branch across the country in the name of Ashley Brock Memorial or mailed to
Marina Curtis
5 Balsam Ave
Brunswick, Maine 04011

or via pay pal to ashley@adventuresinautism.com

UPDATE:

Ashley's Obituary with information on funeral services and memorial fund:

Brackett Funeral Home
29 Federal Street
Brunswick, Maine 04011
207 725-5511

Brunswick, ME—Ashley Elaine Brock, age 6, died Sunday, May 18, 2008 as a result of a drowning accident.

Ashley, a daughter of Barry Edward and Michele Sporkman Brock, was born in Lexington, KY on February 7, 2002. She was in Kindergarten at Jordan Acres School in Brunswick, ME.

Ashley was a free spirit in every sense of the word and had an umlimited supply of energy. She enjoyed playing outdoors, the beach, swinging, jump roping, riding her bike or scooter, and shooting basketball on her regulation hoop. She loved bubbles, books, balloons, music, umbrellas, red wagons and painting. She regularly woke her parents in the night with the sounds of reading her dictionary or playing her Mozart cd. Ashley was never without her wildlife flash cards or a favorite book and loved all animals, especially dogs. She was a precious gift from God and the world is a better place because she was in it.

Ashley is survived by her parents, Barry and Michele Brock of Brunswick; her twin sister, Alexis Brock of Brunswick; her grandparents, Glenn and Mabel Brock of Berea, KY, Donald and Elaine Sporkman of West Point, IA; two uncles, Robert Brock and his wife Patricia of Berea, KY, Mike Sporkman and his wife Brenda of West Point, IA; an aunt, Sandra Hammonds of Berea, KY; and several cousins.

Friends and family may visit from 5:30-8 PM on Friday, May 23, 2008 at the Brackett Funeral Home, 29 Federal Street, Brunswick. A Mass of the Angels will be held 10 AM Saturday at St. Charles Borromeo Church, McKeen Street, Brunswick. Memorial contributions can be made to the National Autism Association, Helping Hands Program, 1330 W. Schatz Lane, Nixa, MO 65714, 4 Paws For Ability, Inc. 253 Dayton Ave. Xenia, Ohio 45385, or the Ashley Brock Memorial Fund at the Bank of America.

Of May, Autism, Birds and Gardens!

Nancy Clayburn — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:44:00 -0500

"Happy May the first! Happy the month to plant gardens!" Seth's voice came muffled from behind his closed bedroom door at 6:15am then became clear and louder as the door opened and he popped into our room with a big grin on his face. "Did you like what I just said" he queried? "When can I put shorts on? Can I wear a T-shirt today?" We all know that it is spring and "supposed" to be warm out. Unfortunately, spring has been taking its time here in Missouri. The wind is blowing away full speed. It has not been consistently warm.

"No, not yet. I know what the calender says, but it is not that warm out. Come here and let's blow your nose!" The pollens are heavy. Pollens seem to make me drag! I feel as if a weight is upon me. I wake up feeling old and decrepit as I work out my sore joints. This is not normal for me except when something like pollens are attacking.

Seth used to have a runny nose and a cold of some kind continually as a baby/toddler. When the seizures hit, that all seemed to go away. I see them coming back now and perhaps the seizures being not as many. I hope it is a sign that things are reversing! Always hoping, always looking for a brighter future for my son.

We are on a new protocol with him. We did the blood and saliva testing. Most everything is in excellent condition. His cholesterol, heart, blood, lungs and such are in fantastic shape. Doc said he will never die of a heart attack! His problems have showed up mainly in pancreas and some liver and then the adrenals. Makes sense. Hopefully as we turn those around, things will improve even more for Seth. He has improved tremendously since he was young. Even as far as allergies go, he has only a few problems, such as eggs, soy and most of the gluten grains, but not all. Then there are the bean stragglers including pinto, navy and kidney. I am thankful that there are so many different kinds of beans such as black, cranberry and white beans that we can still enjoy!

I believe he is doing way much better this pollen season than he has ever done before. I am grateful!

Back to May day. We already have lettuce, beets and spinach growing along with potatoes. We extended the size of our garden. I think that is a good thing to do with the precarious food and gas prices, don't you? At least have a potted tomatoe plant on your patio. It will produce till frost for you. Greenbeans are another good thing to have that proliferates quite well and is easy to grow along with cucumbers. You can grow them in a pot and have a trellis for them to climb. I hope I have inspired you!

Right now I am smelling Cranberry beans cooking in my crockpot. Mmmmm! Smells so good. Seth can't have eggs or wheat, or white flour, so I have had to make up a way to make cornbread. I grind or blend barley into flour and it works just as good as white flour with the cornmeal. I put some ground flax in to replace the eggs. It kind of acts as a binder. Tastes fine!

I hope May brings many surprises for you. We have put out grape jam and are seeing lots of Baltimore Orioles and Orchard Orioles. Rosebreasted Grosebeaks, Indigo Buntings, Gold finches, Titmice and the such are gracing our bird feeders and rock area. Oh, and I can't forget the tiny hummingbirds! I try and get Seth interested at least in the colors. I think if I set him to counting how many of each, he would take a greater interest! Numbers are his "thing!" Yesterday morning we had 3 deer, 1 turkey, 1 possum and loads of birds. It was quite enjoyable!

Until Next Time, get some seeds, plant some food, and feed the birds. Remember to get grape jam for the Orioles!

Nancy Lynne!

A Gift Worth Giving!

Nancy Clayburn — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:50:00 -0500

On friday morning, Seth's faithful teacher came at 10:30. Right on the dot! Seth was outside on the porch anxiously waiting for him. He hadn't come for a couple of weeks. First time, Seth was just out of it from a few seizures. Second time, Mr. Wells had family visiting. This time, however, even though there was not school for the public sector, he came for Seth's sake. We really appreciate him coming. Seth feels so good to have that kind of one on one teacher attention! Even though Seth has turned 21 and there is no more reponsibility on the part of the school system, Mr. Wells could not just "leave" Seth. Seth was very happy to have him keep coming each week.

In due appreciation, Seth wrote a letter of thanks to Mr. Wells. He read it right away when he arrived. Seth made sure of that! On the table was a paper bag. On the bag, it said "To Mr. Wells" Mr. Wells picked up the bag. It was light. Not much to it. He opened it up and a face peered back at him. "Gasp!" "What in the world? I thought it was a cat!" He pulled out a coonskin cap! "I have always wanted one of these! Ever since I was a kid and lived in Kentucky and watched Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, I wanted one of these!" He roared, laughing the whole time.

"I am going to put this on my head! Look, Seth! It fits! I must look funny! Wait til my wife sees this! My daughter will laugh, my grandkids will love it! Thank you sooo much!"

I went to Seth's room and brought out his coonskin cap that Sylvia had given to him when we visited in Arkansas last month. She makes them for thousands of people! Renaissance, Boy Scouts, Coon clubs, you name it. She has quite a business making people happy! http://crockettcoonskincaps.tripod.com

Once they both were donned with hats, I proceeded to get some shots of them. Seth had a great time with it all, but he was ready to get back to work! "I have my workbooks out, Mr. Wells, let's do them!" suggested Seth. "Boy, I wish all my students liked school like you do, Seth! In 22 years of teaching, you are the first! " boasted Mr. Wells.

Until Next Time, see how you can make someones dreams come true! sign up and read the first 10 pages of The Puzzle Boy at www.thepuzzleboy.com! Live today like you had one month to live! Laugh!

Nancy Lynne!

The Puzzle Boy Story about Autism

Nancy Clayburn — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:23:00 -0500

I am soooo excited! The Puzzle Boy has finally made its debut via the website! www.thepuzzleboy.com . I invite you to check it out. I have a place where you can sign in and read the first 10 pages for free! It has been 21/2 years in the creating of my book. I hope it will be worth it and benefit many, many people that are struggling with the issue of Autism, or any other malady for that fact. It is our story. It is the nitty gritty of what we have been through to get where we are at today.

When you have a child, it is difficult enough to keep them going in the right direction. Throw in Autism Spectrum Disorders and it magnifies one hundred fold. You can be on your knees 24/7 just to make it through each day! Let me encourage you, it can get better. You need perseverance. You need strength beyond what you have.

Our Puzzle Boy has been a teacher to us. He does not know that. He still thinks we are his teacher. That is fine. That is how it needs to be, but yes, indeed, for those that want to learn, there are powerful lessons in character building that has to take place. (Evidentally, I needed lots and lots! Boy is it a painful thing to go through!)

Anyways, please let me know what you think. I value good, honest input.

Until Next Time, Happy reading!

Nancy Lynne

How an Autistic survives a Tornado Warning

Nancy Clayburn — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:15:00 -0500

"There is a tornado watch in the area. Circumstances are favorable. Go to your basement. If you have no shelter, lay face down in a ditch or a low area. Stay away from windows. The winds can be in excess of 70 mph....." On droned my weather radio. We sure have had our share of inclement weather warnings this year! I feel like I am in Florida dodging hurricanes or something.

"Seth, come on! Get your clothes. The storm is coming. We need to go downstairs!" He remains sitting on his bed reading his Bible chapter. He is reading a chapter a day. Nothing stops him. I take the Bible from him and hold it out like a carrot in front of his nose so he would follow. It worked. He was soon sitting at the bottom stair, still in his PJ's, reading once again. Totally oblivious.

Storm? Tornado? Hail? So what! I am in the middle of reading and here I sit. There is no thought. Just basic, childlike trust. No fear. I think he could be in the middle of a tornado, twirling around, land in a treetop and still keep reading! Really! Hence, our Autism friends really need us caretakers. They are precious, naive, trusting, secure. It reminds me of the story of Jesus on the boat. The storm is blasting all around. His followers are afraid for their very lives. Jesus is sleeping in the boat. Totally oblivious. His friends holler for him. Finally he wakes up in His own good time and is not at all fearful. He knows His Father in heaven is all powerful and will take care of them. He uses that power and says "Peace be still." The storm halts. All is calm.

The wind came blasting upon us, the trees tossed and turned, the birdfeeders swung and nearly flew off their hooks. The chimes are clanging and banging. Two of them lost their hook and landed. I found them later. I was not afraid, just cautious. Soon it all ended. The peace came. All was well. Seth took off up the stairs when he was done reading. "I think I would like to take a shower now" He announced. Ok, sure. Go ahead. Peace be still. Maybe he is all right after all! Maybe I am the one that needs the caretaking. I do. I need my Savior to protect me from myself! Arrgh!

I looked at Seth as we took an evening walk, in the sun, in the warmth and in the calm after a stormy day. Wow! He's a handsome dude! If he grew like normal and matured out like normal, he'd be a fantastic catch for some young lady! It struck me just yesterday, however, that after all these years of longing for him to be "normal," It just is not in the cards. Truly a miracle would have to take place. I just can't go there. I have to be so proud of who he is, of the good decisions he makes and appreciate how much he loves me. Too bad for the special young lady who missed out! We get to keep him!

Until Next Time, Start reading your Bible, a chapter a day. Food for the soul. Be thankful for the blessings you have. Don't dwell on what you don't have, it will only crush you.

Nancy Lynne!

PS, my webmaster says that The Puzzle Boy book is nearly ready for download. Keep watching!

Autism Does its Thing!

Nancy Clayburn — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:46:00 -0500

The second day of our Adventurating with Autism via The Puzzle Boy began in a good way. The sun peered just over the horizon creating a golden backdrop for the sillouette of 5 deer grazing along the green hillside just above our cabin. Sylvia got some pretty nice shots of it. I would call her our in-house photographer! She finds the sights and is quick to take advantage of it!

After a hearty breakfast, singing some beautiful praise songs to God for the beauty that surrounded us and donning on our beloved hiking boots, we gathered our lunch and camelbak water packs full of 3 liters of fresh spring water and loaded up the vehicles once again. It was still a bit brisk out that cool spring morning, but by the time we arrived at the trailhead, we were shedding our coats as the sun was promising to warm us up. I am really glad we did that as it warmed up pretty good. I still had a sweatshirt and my pack to put that in if I needed to.

The trail started out pretty flat and scenic. With the leaves still off the trees, it was easy to see the lay of the land and the greater hills beyond. If the trees were in fact laden with their green clothing, that is all we would see! Trees! Soon the trail headed down. Down and rocky. Seth was bearing the lead. This was his usual position. He has a great stride! I was in the back, making sure that everyone was taken care of. (Hmmmm!) My short legs and sore ankles were keeping me there, I think! Anyways, conversations amongst us all was good! Because of this, we became, at least I became oblivious to the trail we just took. This hindered me in the return visit! It was a loooot farther than I remembered. Over all, it was an 8 hour hike on the trails this day!

We soon came to a fork in the trail where everyone so kindly waited for me! haha! So nice of them. We took off to the right. Before we did so, we were warned that the trail from then on became quite dangerous. Seth would have to be seriously watched out for and he could not take the lead. This was a bit of a challenge. "Seth, you need to stay near us!" We tried to hold his hand, but he felt that was not needed. (Independence Day has arrived!) We hung onto his backpack, but then we could not see where we were going. The path soon narrowed. We could see far below us. We must have been 1500 feet to a straight down shot of the Buffalo River! It was gorgeous as it weaved and meandered in its turquoise path contrasted with the gray of the trees!

Seth is pretty sure-footed and focused, yet it was easy to be uneasy! We do not live in his head! That is impossible. We can guess what is going on, but we don't know everyting. Autism thinks a little bit differently. I don't know if he was concentrating on the trail, or concentrating on getting up front and wanting to be first. Mark really worked with him on the narrowest of trails. I think he understood the possible danger. It was rewarding to see Seth look at the scenery and point to the canoes far below with wonder. Even the birds were flying below us. The trees were below us. At one point, there was a hole in the rocks where you could climb through. Seth was pretty intriqued by that hole. I think he wanted to climb through it. His pack would not allow for that. However, Mr. V. took off his pack and climbed through rather than around to humor Seth. Oh, Seth was humored! He really liked that! I got a picture of it!

It was pleasant eating our lunch under the trees overlooking the 3-D scenery. Reality struck once again as we had to travel back across the narrow, rocky Goat Trail to the fork in the path. This time we turned down the other rocky trail. Down, down, down we obliviously hiked. We found Grandma's deserted cabin at the bottom. It was fun daydreaming about what it must have felt like living there far from anywhere in the 1920's. On the wall was tacked all kinds of wallpaper, cardboard and newspapers from the Roaring 20's. I even found a piece of feedsack fabric stuck to the walls.

Why do we take all these adventures? What is the purpose? Well, it keeps us alive and young and the adrenalin pumping, of course! Not only that, but it is soooo good for Autism. It keeps the neurokenetic flow going between the mind and body. It develops skills. It develops the relationship between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. It developes small muscle tone. It gives variety so he does not become stale. Seth needs to be with other people to keep developing social skills. I really do feel sorry for new people as they get initiated, however. When he finds a new listening ear, they have to hear when everyones birthday is, how old they are or will be and then when everyones half-birthday is. He has it all down. Numbers are his "thing." Birthdays and dates on the calendar for holidays are his "thing." Just like you like to talk about and inform everyone about your thing, Autistics love to tell about their thing!

Actually, when you hike along with others with an autistic child, you can learn a lot about them, also!

Until The Next Day's Adventure,

Have a super day, night, afternoon, wherever you are, and Praise God for it!

Nancy Lynne!

Help with Autism!

Nancy Clayburn — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:45:00 -0500

It's now Friday morning. I still hear the wind howling through the white pines out our window. It sounds cold. Are we ready for what lies ahead? The great unknown! Not ever explored by the Clayburn Family! After lazily taking our time getting up and around as we thought the others were still sleeping, we finally made our debut only to find out all the others had been up and ate breakfast already!

Breakfast was quite hardy with homemade waffles, granola, fresh cream and fruit. We were ready to go! First off we checked out the M's location. They had a mile and a half trail surrounding their property. They had planted hundreds of white pines as they do not normally grow in these parts. It reminded me of growing up in New York state! I loved those sappy trees!

After our warm up trek, we made the final bathroom breaks and made sure all was loaded and ready to go as we were headed to a rental cabin for the next 2 nights. We would have only traveled about 16 miles to our next hiking destination, but due to the torrential rain and ensuing flood waters, the road was avalanched in with mudslides and busted off. So, we had to travel over an hour of scenic road to our destiny. Yep, it was waaaay out there! The first trail we hiked down was not even a blazed or marked trail, so I guess I can't even call it a trail. Sylvia and her boys led the way while we filed blindly on....

Through to woods, down, down, down the steep incline. We heard the roar of the falls. On we walked a bit more. I was concerned about Seth, The Puzzle Boy getting down safely. Mark and Sylvia worked him on down without a problem. Once we got down to where we could oversee the gorgeous falls, it was suggested that we go down an even steeper rocky incline right next to the falls. It was a nicer, flatter place to eat our lunch. I was a bit worried about getting Seth down there and back up again. He was so hungry, I was hoping he would have enough energy to get there. You know how when you are hungry, you can't focus as well and don't have as much strength. My mommy instincts are still steel strong! I needn't worry again. With Mark and Sylvia's strong 6'6" boys along, no problemo! These boys are used to hard work and hiking and working out! They proved that to me!

So, we all made it safely down to our resting spot. We had a wonderful lunch sitting there watching the falls roar down their well developed pathway. The sun was shining, it was warm, and you would never know it was windy and cool up on top!

After we ate, took numerous pictures, and rested a bit, us ladies wanted to trek on down the river to see another falls. The men went back up the mountain. Sylvia's one son came with us three ladies for protection. The men spent a couple hours whittling walking sticks for us and shooting the breeze while us ladies and one young man tripped over rocky outcroppings and balanced over a fallen log at least 15 feet above the swirling waters below! It was farther than we thought, but we made it. The falls were 150 feet across. A couple of kayakers were there doing their stuff. So cool to watch them fall down the falls! Their kayaks were so short and cute. Never seen them so small. Much easier to handle on the rapids.

On the way back, a poisonous snake lay curled up on the narrowest part of the trail. Excellent, we had Daniel along to push him out of the way! Now where did that ugly snake come from???? Crossing over the tall log on the way back was scarier for me. I panicked! I felt like crying. My resources were wearing down, I did not have enough water with me and all I could see was the swirling water beneath. Sylvia saw the problem and came up behind me. She put her hands on either side of my shoulders to give me a positive and secure attitude again. She said she was fine. I walked on without a hitch. Amazing what a little bit of guidance will do. A firm grip, a secure and solid landing!

Becky followed behind and just zipped on across! Bravo, ladies! I am glad that The Puzzle Boy was not along as my heart would wear thin! I was already concerned about him making it all the way back up to the top! Why???? Again, a Mother's Heart!

Climbing back up the steep slope was no easy task. It was at least a 45 degree incline. Up, up, up. The sun was beating down on us. Thirst. My liter of water was not enough. I thought the hike down and back was going to be quick and easy. We went farther than I thought, and did not bring more. The others were getting thirsty also. Water really gives you the energy to keep going. Kind of like gasoline in your car. You fatigue easier without it. I have accustomed myself to plenty of water each day without hiking, so with that, I needed more! Once at the top of this particular incline, Sylvia and Daniel remembered a creek. On and on we went. Finally, with no trail to travel on, these 2 found the creek, filled the water bottles and put in water purification. MMMMM, good as gold! Yes! We finally made our way back to the men who were just about on their way for a search!

It was much farther than I thought coming back. It is so easy coming down as you talk and visit, you forget how far it is.

Now, you are wondering why in the world do we put ourselves and our Puzzle Boy through such things!

Good question. First of all, we like adventure and exploring. Second of all, if you quit using it, you lose it! We have found that so true for our Autistic son. If we allow him to sit around, or allow ourselves to sit around, we "stove up" as they call it in these parts. You weaken, you lose your balance and now you become handicapped! I will share more on our next adventure as to WHY! There is more to come. This was just the beginning!

For now, it is evening. It has been a long day, and our hour drive to the cabin turns into two hours. It is long past dark when we arrive. The Puzzle Boy is starving and exhausted. After he eats, he immediately falls into a deep, deep slumber.....

Until Next Time, happy dreaming!

Nancy Lynne!

Autism Steps out of Routine!

Nancy Clayburn — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:52:00 -0500

Thursday, March 20, 2008. We woke up as usual on that morning. We ate breakfast, as usual. Mark went to work, as usual. From thereafter, it was unusual. I started packing up our duffle bags and pulling hiking boots out and filling up our Camelbak water packs.

This is when Seth decided things were not going to be normal. We don't tell him too far in advance when we are going somewhere because we don't want to stress him out. "Where are we going?" Came the inevitable question. "We are going to go hiking with our friends down in Arkansas for the weekend." I told him. "Why?" "For how long?" "Where will we sleep?" "How will we eat?" Then as we travel. - "When will we be there?"

I can imagine that in his mind, unless I showed him everything on the map and gave him exact moments when we would arrive somewhere, it is just plain nebulus to him. At home he has exact moments of time all laid out. When to eat, when to sleep, when to brush teeth, when dad is coming home....

"Soon we will be there, Seth. I know it seems like a long way." It truly did seem far. It ended up being 5 hours to our friends -friends home. They lived way, way, way far out in the boonies! And you thought I live far out! Oh, Hoooooe. Nope! These people did, though! We drove down, down down, then up, up, up over mountains that I did not know even existed in the state of AR! It was beautiful! Way, way, way back down the lanes, over the Buffalo River which was recently quite swelled by the incessant coming down of rain we recently had. We finally made it to their home after dark settled in.

The M's were quite hospitable to us all! Food was prepared and waiting for us at their generous table. I think Seth was quite relieved when he saw that the place where we were actually had food for him to eat. Now he could really settle in! We were quite tired by now as the day had droned on for quite some time. It was 10pm. The M's brought us out to their guest apartment. The V's slept downstairs and we climbed the ladder to the upstairs room. It was all quite nice. Seth conked out pronto once his teeth were brushed and his pj's were on and the bed made up.

The wind howled through the night. "OooooooOOOooooo!" it sounded through the windows and across the screens and around the cracks and in the pines! We slept well and awoke to the peace and serenity that surrounded the countryside.

What would happen today? Find out next writing!

Until Then, Find a peaceful corner, stop, pray, and Thank Your Heavenly Father for the freedoms you have and for the people that are special to you!'

Nancy Lynne!

How Might an Autistic Child Relate to Death

Nancy Clayburn — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:14:00 -0500

Years ago, when Seth was about 5 years old, my dad had a cat and we had a dog. My dad's cat was a beautiful calico with long hair. We had her since I was a young child. It was surely a cat with 9 lives. Tiffany, our dog, which was a poodle had been around since before we had children. Back in B.C. (before children).

One day the cat died. Seth wanted to see her get buried. All we had out in the woods was loads of rocks and boulders. So, the cat got a big rock marker. Back Seth treked after the sad deed was done. Nary a word. Then one very sad day, at 12 years of age, our beloved Tiffany died. She was a wonderful black poodle with much personality. She gave a lot to us. Actually, she was quite sick with congestive heart failure. We made an appointment to put her down. It crushed my spirits. I loved her soooo much. She followed me around the day before and just kept staring at me. The day of the vet appointment, she sat on the arm of the couch and never got up.

Seth wanted to go with dad to see this thing take place. I thought that was kind of warped but chalked it off to being a bit young to understand. When the boys arrived back home, Seth said he thought it was very neat to watch Tiffany die. However, he thought that she was going to go flat when she died. He eagerly went out to the back woods where the cat was buried and grinned all the way home. Again, "Neat!"

I was a bit disturbed by this behavior. Two weeks later Seth asked me, "Mom, when is Tiffany and the cat going to come alive again?" I replied that they would not come alive again. They died.

"Oh, that is so very sad!" He lammented. Over the ensuing weeks he kept saying how sad it was that Tiffany would not come alive again. I felt better.

This past week, my dad died at the young age of 65. It was a fast, sudden happening. It took an active, energetic man down within 2 short months. It was a very difficult thing to go through emotionally and otherwise for me. Especially since he was very far away in North Idaho. I am in the southern part of Missouri. I could only talk to him over the phone and heard him get weaker and weaker till he could hardly speak.

I told Seth that Papa was very sick. "Oh, that's so very sad." I had him write a letter to papa. "Dear Papa, I am so very sad that you are so sick. When are you going to come and see me? I think you should pack up your bags and come and see me." This is the same one-sided conversation that he has had with him for years. "Please come and see me." It has not happened in over 10 years. The letters went back and forth monthly for a long, long time.

Last Thursday I told The Puzzle Boy that his papa had died. "Oh, that's so sad." Then life just went on for him. No emotion. The night before when we told him that papa may not live, Seth had 6 seizures! We wondered what in the world was going on. He had not done that in years!

I think that perhaps it was his way of processing the emotion. He has not shown any emotion hardly at all except for happiness, of which we are greatful. Life just goes on....I find it very interesting. I can't remember the last time Seth cried. The other night when I tucked him in bed, I asked him if he was sad about anything. "No, nothing." Was his honest reply.

Until Next Time, if you have grandchildren, go and see them. Make a wonderful impact on their lives. Talk to them on the phone. If you have an autistic grandchild, keep a consistent relationship going also. Don't give up. Even if you think that it does not matter, it really does. Relationships are very, very important. Please, above all else, tell your kids, grandkids and whomever, that you are PROUD of them!

Nancy Lynne!

Autism Everywhere

Nancy Clayburn — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:25:00 -0500

Mysteries and Complications

Autism is everywhere-once again.

Separating fact from fear as the courts and Hollywood wade in.

Claudia Kalb

NEWSWEEK

You wonder what he thinks. The little boy who flaps his arms and bangs his head. Who bristles at the touch of wool and covers his ears when balloons go "pop!" The boy who doesn't respond to his name and will never say "I love you." What does he think of the world outside? The busy world of childhood vaccines, celebrity fund-raising and genetic research. The cauldron of medicine, media, politics and the law. What does he think of autism?

For that matter, what are we to think? Passions about autism are running higher than ever, and for good reason. Autism spectrum disorders affect one in 150 kids from all walks of life, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a tenfold jump in just the past decade. As the numbers grow, public awareness increases and the fervor surrounding each new development intensifies.

Earlier this month, after the federal government said vaccines aggravated an underlying disorder that led to autism-like symptoms in 9-year-old Hannah Poling, the longstanding controversy over the role of childhood vaccines flared anew on network newscasts, the Internet and talk radio. The culture of autism is hitting prime time, too. Next week HBO will air "Autism: The Musical," a documentary about five children with autism who perform in their own show. A week later, Sundance Channel will broadcast "Autism Every Day," a film laying out the challenges faced by families. April 2 marks the first World Autism Awareness Day, a global effort voted into existence by the U.N. General

Assembly. Less than two weeks after that, Jon Stewart will host an autism fund-raiser at New York's Beacon Theater, to be aired live on Comedy Central. Among the glittery lineup: Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert and Conan O'Brien.

Despite its high profile, however, autism is one of the most complicated neurological disorders known. Some of the people on "the spectrum" attend college; others never speak an intelligible word. Its complexity, in fact, is what has fueled the ongoing vaccine debate and caused divisions within the "autism community." Unlike most conditions that attract popular and celebrity support-breast cancer, AIDS-autism is almost a complete mystery, with no known cause. The vacuum created by

this lack of knowledge has been filled with the theories, worries and frustrations of desperate parents. It's hard not to want something, or somebody, to blame. But now, as the spotlight glares again, it's time to separate fact from fear, to strive for perspective and clarity over emotion, to define the true scope of the disorder.

For decades, researchers have been trying to pinpoint a cause for autism. In the 1950s, clinicians blamed "refrigerator mothers" and their cold, uncaring parenting. More recently, the furor has swirled largely around childhood vaccines. In 1998, a controversial British study, later retracted by most of its authors, suggested a possible link between autism and the MMR vaccine, which then contained thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative. Starting in 2001, thimerosal was removed from almost every childhood inoculation (some flu shots still contain it), and the weight of scientific evidence has found no connection between autism and the preservative. Today, scientists believe that

genes (the disorder runs in families) and environmental factors, which could be anything from pesticides to antibodies in a mother's womb, both play a role. But some parents continue to believe their children were injured by modern medicine. Sen. John McCain lent his voice to their cause recently when he said "there's strong evidence" that autism is connected to "a preservative in vaccines." That, and this month's ruling in the Poling case-which was one of thousands yet to be decided by a federal "vaccine court"-have given new fodder to the debate. In a CNN

"quick vote" conducted after the news broke, 58 percent of respondents said they believe there's a connection between childhood vaccines and autism.

But the court case wasn't that simple. It turned out that Hannah had a rare mitochondrial disorder. Rather than support the thimerosal hypothesis, the decision endorses a whole other field of research into the causes of autism. It's possible, scientists say, that a challenge to the immune system-be it an infection, a vaccine or some other trigger-could stress already fragile cells and exacerbate the problem. Scientists want to know how many children with autism have mitochondrial disorders. And would it be possible to identify those who might be vulnerable to vaccines? "This case is a call to action to continue to understand this very complex disorder," says Geraldine Dawson of the

advocacy group Autism Speaks.

To appreciate the complexity of the condition, all you have to do is look at the extraordinary range of people who fall under the umbrella diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. At one end are kids like Charlie Fisher. At 10, he's unable to read and can speak only short sentences. For two years, he head-banged several times a day, says his mother, Kristina Chew, who writes a blog called autismvox.com. Chew believes that vaccines had nothing to do with her son's condition and she worries that all the vaccine attention detracts from the more-urgent needs of people with autism, who require intensive behavioral interventions and social services-the kind of help her son has received. Today, Charlie is

doing much better, even learning to surf, but he is still "profoundly different" from other children, says Chew. "There are some things that maybe he can change and other things I hope people can come to accept."

On the other end: Ari Ne'eman, president of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Net work and a 20-year-old university student. Ne'eman was diagnosed at 12 with Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning subgroup of the spectrum. Exceedingly articulate, Ne'eman says he has never struggled with speech, but he has always had difficulty understanding nonverbal forms of communication, like sarcasm. He also flaps his hands occasionally and he can't stand the feel of certain fabrics, especially

velvet.

With the vast range in abilities comes a striking diversity in thinking, too. Over the years, the autism community has divided into camps, often with conflicting ideas about how to view and treat the disorder. Elizabeth Horn, president of the Autism Recovery Consortium, believes vaccines may play a role. Kids "slip away after getting these shots," she says. Horn, whose daughter, Sophia, has autism, believes children on the spectrum are sick, but can recover with help. Sophia, 12, is on a

special diet, avoiding artificial colors and chemicals, and she takes supplements like magnesium and vitamin D. Ne'eman, on the other hand, believes in neurodiversity, the idea that differences in human behavior should be celebrated, not fixed. People with autism should be called "autistic people," he says, not "people with autism," the language favored by mainstream advocacy groups. "Our feeling is that the autism spectrum is an intrinsic part of our personality that cannot be separated," says Ne'eman. And he worries about research that might one day locate genes and other markers that could help doctors test for autism. Researchers say such knowledge would allow them to intervene

early, during a critical window of development in the first year of life. Ne'eman's fear? That autism will become like Down syndrome-essentially selected out of the population.

It's a provocative idea. But the ultimate goal of the researchers, and the many families who support their work, is to solve the mystery of autism. Clarity is what we need, and science is the way we'll get there.

Mom of Autistic 21 year old Boy Flies Apart!

Nancy Clayburn — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:42:00 -0600

The Mom, (me), took a short break all by her little ole self. She went on an airplane and flew to Florida. Can you believe it??? I guess she thought she needed a change of pace and scenery and weather. She was right!

The Dad went to work as usual, but kindly took The Puzzle Boy with him. Yes, he did! The Mom (me) was only gone from friday until the following monday, but it was still an extraordinary feat for The Dad, especially since he had a birthday the day after The Mom got back!

How did the Mom (me) do? Oh, she did swell! She had 3 whole seats to herself on the airplane and it wasn't because she was of great size, just happened to be an unfilled flight. She thinks that God was pretty good to her. She got to stretch out and sleep for the 2 hours of flight. She had been pretty exhausted for many weeks. Burned out so to speak. She finished writing and getting her book "The Puzzle Boy" to her web designer. She is waiting for it to be ready for you to get and read!

Who did she go and see in Florida? Oh, that was the fun part! Her daughter, Sarah her granddaughter Hannah and her son in law, Mike were there. She had a ball playing with Hannah! Hannah is now 16 months old. A picture will be soon posted of her, so keep a looky out! You will be so surprised at how much she has grown. The Mom (me) also was treated many times. She was taken to the Botanical Gardens. She was taken to Siesta Beach. She walked the pier at Venice and got to hold a Puffer Fish in her hands. Just as Sarah, the daughter was getting ready to take a picture, the Puffer Fish deflated and The Mom screamed and dropped the poor thing. It scared her! Poor, poor fishy! He was ok, though. Everyone said I must have been very relaxed and friendly for the fish to do that because they stay puffed up when afraid or feel threatened. I should have told them that the fisy knew that I was a vegetarian!!!! haha. She saw her mother and we took a 4 generation picture. That was so nice!

The Mom (me) was also treated out to a little restaurant for breakfast called "Peaches" What a wonderful little diner that was! Such a wonderful menu. We could hardly decide what to get. It was great. The weather was great. Sarah looked great in her second pregnancy. The flight back was great. The landing was great. But.....Oh, oh, oh, the return weather was lousy! I went from 83* to 29* in 2 hours flat! Snow, ice, freezing rain for all the drive home. The next day, snow blizzard. Today, sunny and bright. I just went for a lovely walk in the snow with The Puzzle Boy (Seth). I made pretend that I was at Siesta Beach. The sand is pure white like snow.

How did The Puzzle Boy do? He did great. He survived. He ate, he slept, he went to church, he went to grandma Clayburn's house. He talked up a storm, and he gave me the biggest smile and hug when I walked in the door. He was soooo happy to see me again and soooo happy we were all together now!

How did The Dad do??? Actually, he did fine. He did not complain. He ate, he slept, he went to church and went to his mothers house for lunch. He made lunch for the 2 of them to take to work and he was just perfect when I came home. Big hugs and kisses and was soooo happy we were all together safely! March 4 was his birthday. He finally caught up to me in age! We will celebrate his birthday this weekend when a good friend of ours has kindly obliged to take on "The Puzzle Boy!" He will just stay over one night. They were our hiking buddies to Havasu Falls and will be our hiking buddies again as we persue Yosemite!

I think that This Mom (me) has come home energized and feels great. Her mind had a nice break. She feels more able to write blogs again. Moms, somehow, take a break. Dads, please help the Moms out. Usually they carry so much of the load. You will be so happy to see how happy she is after the break. You will both be soooo happy! This is a together kind of a thing. It takes at least 2 commited adults plus a grandparent or a good solid friend.

Until Next Time, hold a Puffer Fish, or at least go on the web or to a book and see what they look like.

Nancy Lynne!

Vaccine Commentary

Nancy Clayburn — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:08:00 -0600

In January of 2008, researchers at the California Department of Public Health published a paper in the Archives of General Psychiatry that was widely reported to show that vaccines play no role in autism. Noted researcher Boyd Haley has graciously given ARRI permission to publish his response to this study.

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RESPONSE TO 2008 R. SCHECHTER AND J. GRETHER PUBLCIATION “CONTINUING INCREASES IN AUTISM REPORTED TO CALIFORNIA'S DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES SYSTEM” WHICH ADDRESSES CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DATA ON EVALUATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THIMEROSAL AND AUTISM

8 January 2008

by Boyd Haley, Professor of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

We should all consider that there are two top priorities in the vaccine/autism issue every American should be concerned with. We need to develop a safe vaccination program, and we need to find the cause of autism and eliminate it if possible. I have been a strong proponent of investigating thimerosal as the casual agent for autism spectrum disorders based on the biological science that shows thimerosal to be incredibly toxic, especially to infants. I know of nothing remotely as toxic as thimerosal that numerous infants would be exposed to before 3 to 4 years of age. Below I present several comments regarding this issue and the 2008 Schechter-Grether study that I think are relevant. Mainly, while the Schechter-Grether study appears to be a well done study it suffers from the fatal flaw of assuming that thimerosal was removed to safe levels in vaccines by 2002. They also cut a fine edge as to time when a significant drop in autism rates would be expected. Further, no study exists that proves our vaccine schedule alone is safe, let alone the current one that still exposes infants to thimerosal, a concern they do not address. The alarming concern is that these authors seem more involved at providing material saying thimerosal is safe than they are concerned with the obvious fact, openly presented in their own data on autism rates, which strongly indicated that increased rates of autism started with the CDC mandated vaccine program. References to support the comments are readily available in many recent publications.

1.         Autism was not a known, described illness until about 1941-3, 8 to 10 years after the introduction of thimerosal and similar organic thiol-mercury compounds in biological mixtures used in medicine and other areas. This argues against autism being a genetic illness.

2.         In 1977, 10 of 13 infants treated in a single hospital by topical application of thimerosal for umbilical cord infections died of mercury toxicity. This same topical was used on adolescents without obvious ill effects which strongly supports the concept that infants are very susceptible to thimerosal toxicity.

3.         The recent increase (starting about 1990) of autism spectrum disorders correlated well with the advent of the CDC mandated vaccine program which increased thimerosal exposures with increased vaccinations. Due to its toxicity, thimerosal would have to be suspect for causing autism.

4.         As expected by science, extensive searching for a genetic cause of autism has not turned up a significant find that would explain the recent increased rate in autism. The latest genetic find, at best, might explain 0.5% of autism causation. Most agree that a genetic predisposition is likely (like those that lead to low glutathione levels), but that a toxic exposure is absolutely needed. Consider also, that this increased toxic exposure would have had to occur in all 50 states at about the same time as all states have reported similar increases in autism rates. Only something like the government recommended vaccine program fits this need for a time dependent, uniform exposure of a toxin throughout all the states.

5.         In the Schechter-Grether study it is implied or assumed that all thimerosal containing vaccines were gone by the end of 2002 due to their expiration dates. I don't think this is a valid assumption. I have talked to mothers who asked to see the vaccine inserts as late as 2004 and found thimerosal present as a preservative in infant vaccines being used in certain clinics. Also, in 2004 the influenza vaccine was recommended by the CDC for infants 6 months of age and older. It would appear as if a thimerosal free vaccine time-frame would be very hard to identify, if one ever existed. I have read that the average age of autism diagnosis is near 44 months of age. Therefore, while it does seem reasonable to expect a decrease in autism after 4 to 5 years of complete thimerosal removal, assuming a consistent diagnostic protocol was used, it appears this has not been accomplished. This means the Schechter-Grether study is likely somewhat premature in reaching the conclusions reported in that enough time has not passed for the expected decrease to occur and that they were quite optimistic in identifying the dates of thimerosal reduction and underestimate exposures occurring between 2002-4.

6.         If, indeed, the complete removal of thimerosal from vaccines was not followed in an appropriate time by a decrease in autism then this would be solid proof that thimerosal was not causal for autism. However, thimerosal has not been completely removed from vaccines and thimerosal used at the original levels in the manufacturing of these vaccines with “trace” amounts left in the vaccines when bottled. I don't know what level “trace” is since it is not a term used in science to describe an actual amount. Some called the 12.5 micrograms mercury in the older vaccines a “trace” amount. Bottom line, the infants are still getting some level of thimerosal, a “trace” amount that is free and an amount of ethylmercury that is bound to the proteins that induce the immune response. If vaccines are causing autism and it appears this is a strong possibility based on the California data and, if removing thimerosal added as a preservative really does not reduce the autism rate then the causation is much more complex.

Consider the possibilities that:

A. Autism may be caused by a thimerosal modified protein that sets off an immune response or causes some other biological reaction that can cascade with injurious effects. Since the vaccines are manufactured with thimerosal present in abundance it is quite likely that any cysteine containing proteins would be modified with ethylmercury. Removal of most of the free thimerosal (or just not adding it) would not decrease the level of any toxic modified protein produced during the vaccines production that might be causal. Removing the thimerosal added as a preservative would not decrease the amount of this ethylmercury modified protein in those vaccines with “trace” thimerosal levels.

B. That autism could be caused in susceptible individuals by very low thimerosal or ethylmercury modified protein exposures due to their genetic susceptibility or other factors (general health, gender). In this scenario the higher thimerosal exposures are not required and the induction of autism is not thimerosal concentration dependent at the old and new thimerosal vaccine levels, but just requires a significant exposure level that is met by the vaccines containing the lower “trace” amounts of thimerosal and past thimerosal levels in vaccine production processes. Bottom line, if genetic susceptibility is involved then causation of autism may not increase linearly with increased thimerosal exposure. Causation may only require low thimerosal exposure or exposure to modified proteins. It is possible that the reduction of thimerosal as in the “trace” was just not enough to produce a safe vaccine.

Not all toxins work like alcohol and the old “dose makes the toxin” is not always correct. As long as they are used, the mere use of “trace” thimerosal in vaccines along with higher levels in the flu vaccine will always prevent a conclusive answer to thimerosal's involvement in autism causation. What should be studied is the “no exposure” versus the “exposed” populations with regard to autism rates.

7.         If indeed autism is rare among the non-vaccinated Amish populations, as reported by Dan Olmstead, I find it an amazingly oversight that the CDC and others responsible for infant health do not fund a study in this area. This study could go both ways, if the Amish have autism rates identical with the rest of the population the argument would be over---neither vaccines nor thimerosal would be causal for autism, and I personally would argue in this direction. If, however, the autism rates in the Amish are exceptionally low then vaccines would have to be considered as a prime suspect in causation with the presence of the highly toxic thimerosal the main suspect.

If the results in the 2008 Schechter-Grether study hold up with time, and complete removal of thimerosal does not cause a drop in autism rates and the autism rates in non-vaccinated populations are low then something else in the vaccines would have to be considered the major causation factor for autism. However, without doing the non-vaccinated population studies there cannot be a conclusive statement either way about either vaccines or thimerosal as being causal for autism. The steadfast refusal of the CDC and others to support such studies being done is part of the reason that many parents, scientists and physicians have severe doubts about the sincerity of their efforts to resolve this issue. This is how I think, when I review a paper submitted for publication I always ask why an obvious experiment wasn't done. The study of non-vaccinated populations is a very obvious experiment that the CDC and its supporters appear to refuse to consider. This makes me suspicious that this knowledge exists and is being suppressed because knowledge of the rate among the non-vaccinated population would answer many questions.

Finally, the Schechter-Grether study may be good news to the vaccine manufacturers and those who recommended and use the mandated vaccine program as it serves as manufactured uncertainty about the thimerosal involvement in autism causation. However, it presents a major concern to the parents and families of infants since it implies that our vaccines, even with most of the free thimerosal removed, may not be safe and that our CDC does not have a clue about what to do make them safe. Common sense would lead most to attack finding the cause of autism instead of trying to prove something besides thimerosal is causal. The major question is “are our vaccines causing autism”---only comparing the non-vaccinated to the vaccinated will answer this question. Common sense would have lead to this comparison being done first and being done 10-15 years ago. In the recent past I have recommended that parents vaccinate their children with thimerosal free vaccines as I considered them safe. If Schechter-Grether are correct, and vaccines, but not thimerosal, correlate with increased autism rates, then I am in error assuming vaccines are now safer with regards to autism risk than they were 2000.

Are Vaccines Safe?

Nancy Clayburn — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:22:00 -0600

If you have not seen this video before, I encourage you to take the time to watch it. This is very, very informative and will change the way you view immunizations forever!

It is quite lengthy. I spent several different sessions watching it.

The first part of it is a little choppy, but it levels out when she begins lecturing.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6351515212287981735&hl=en

The Puzzle Boy/Everyday Autism

Autistic Singing Boy!

Autism's way of Expressing

Another Autistic Tradgedy. Please Pray

Adventures in Autism

May 19, 2008

Ashley Brock 2002-2008

Of May, Autism, Birds and Gardens!

A Gift Worth Giving!

The Puzzle Boy Story about Autism

How an Autistic survives a Tornado Warning

Autism Does its Thing!

Help with Autism!

Autism Steps out of Routine!

How Might an Autistic Child Relate to Death

Autism Everywhere

Mom of Autistic 21 year old Boy Flies Apart!

Vaccine Commentary

Are Vaccines Safe?