Autism in the News
By tc
09-20-08
The Lost Boys And Girls: How AMBER and SILVER Alert Systems Fail Autism
By Lori McIlwain. Article courtesy of
The Autism File Issue 29, Autumn 2008, www.autismfile.com
As the warmer months roll in, so do summer camps, open windows and flimsy screen doors. Longer recesses in the late school months. More outdoor gatherings. More chances for a child with autism to wander.
It’s only logical an increase of disappearances and deaths would happen in our community. With one in 150 children now diagnosed, and 92% of them prone to wandering according to an online survey conducted by the National Autism Association, children with autism are at more risk for wandering-related deaths than ever. But if you think the AMBER Alert system will help recover our missing children, don’t.
As we learned last year following the disappearance of Benjy Heil, the seven-year-old who wandered from his Michigan home, only abducted children qualify. I recall the update from a search team member: “Benjy was last seen by a neighbor on the road, the neighbor told him to get off the road or he'll get hit.”… “I asked the police why they didn't send out an AMBER Alert. They said he didn't meet criteria."
It’s a common assumption that AMBER Alerts are for all missing children. Named after nine-year-old Amber Hagerman who was abducted and murdered in 1996, AMBER is also an acronym for "America's Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Response." Whenever we see an AMBER Alert, we’re given a description of a missing child, along with any other relevant information. In 2006, there were 261 AMBER Alerts issued, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Children were recovered on the same day of the Alert in 106 of the cases, with the majority being found within the same city they were reported missing. Eleven of the 261 cases crossed state lines.
Could An Amber Alert System
Help Our Children?
One can’t help wondering if an AMBER Alert would have helped Benjy. Maybe the neighbor would have known to call 911. Benjy’s body was found a few days later in a creek.
According to a study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (Shavelle, et al, 2001), elevated death rates among those with autism were in large part attributed to drowning. Drownings typically happen after a child with autism has wandered. In the past four years alone, at least 14 children with autism under age 12 have died as a result of wandering.
A couple of months after Benjy’s death, my own child went missing. Same age, same diagnosis. He managed to escape a schoolyard – wandering close to an hour before a gentleman found him. “I almost didn’t stop,” the man told me. “He looked like he could’ve been old enough to walk alone, he was heading towards Davis Drive.” (Davis, one of the busiest four lane roads in our town.) In his thick Brooklyn accent, he explained he was going to buy stamps, and although he drove past Connor, he figured he’d turn the car around to “get a better look.” Once he realized Connor was missing, he called the local authorities.
That night I went from restlessly lying in bed, to sitting up. I wrapped my forearms around my knees, rocking, sobbing. Benjy Heil’s mother didn’t have what I had. Come dark, her child was still missing. Come three days, her child was dead.
Like any parents, my husband Christian and I fear the worst each time Connor leaves our home. He’s wandered a total of seven times, each time from the classroom or playground of three different schools. We’ve taken detailed measures to ensure his safety, including fighting for a one-on-one and enrolling him in the Project Lifesaver program, which provides a tracking transmitter that Connor now wears around his wrist. Most Sheriff offices do not participate in Project Lifesaver due to lack of funding, so it’s only available to a select few. Having an organized Alert system in place would help compensate for the lack of programs like Project Lifesaver.
I’ve thought about Benjy from time and time, and Logan Mitcheltree, who wandered from his Pennsylvania home in 2004. He was nine and died from prolonged exposure to the cold. I’ve kept a well-worn news photo of him at my desk as a reminder. Being a child advocate and part of the National Autism Association, it’s children like this that instill the desire to not give up.
A New Alert System Is Created,
But No Children Allowed
It was early May when I was reminded of the AMBER Alert. One had been issued in our area – the details crawled over our evening newscast. I must’ve let out a sigh since Christian asked what was wrong. I explained what happened to Benjy, and how an AMBER Alert could’ve made a difference. He walked to the computer, looked up the AMBER Alert and wrote down the lawmakers most involved with its enactment.
I’d been down this road before. Calling legislators. Asking their receptionist for the right staffer. Getting voicemail and a callback born out of obligation more than compassion. All reasons to procrastinate. Then a few days later I noticed a different Alert on my TV screen. A Silver Alert. Although I’d never heard of it, I understood what it meant. A missing senior, likely with Alzheimer’s.
The Silver Alert became effective in my state of North Carolina in 2007. It’s a system that notifies the public about missing endangered adults who suffer from dementia or other cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer's disease. The only downside to the system? No children allowed.
It prompted me to call one of the names on my list – Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat who had helped our cause in the past. Once I got her Judiciary staffer on the phone, I figured it would be a no-brainer. “We need to expand the criteria of the AMBER Alert,” I told him. “Our children need the same recovery measures as seniors with Alzheimer’s, except under the AMBER Alert name. People know it’s for children."
It wasn’t that simple, he explained. AMBER Alert is part of a national communications system. It’s for abducted children that are likely to cross state lines. He added that if too many children were included in the Alert’s criteria, say, for local recovery measures, other groups would want their children added, too. Too many Alerts would result in a desensitized public.
But we’re talking about disabled children. Not teenage runaways. Not prom-goers that missed curfew. The staffer has since not returned my calls or emails. A faxing campaign to Feinstein’s office was initiated. Feinstein replied she would keep our “concerns and suggestions in mind as my staff and I continue to review legislative options on this matter."
Kay Bailey Hutchinson, the Republican Senator from Texas where the AMBER Alert legislation originated, was the second office I phoned. Her staffer was politely dismissive while pointing out several times that I was “the first person to call about this."
+ Read more: www.sarnet.org/lib/Lori_Lostboys.pdf
NOTE: Please see Action Alert in LETTERS, below. -ed.
By Lori McIlwain. Article courtesy of
The Autism File Issue 29, Autumn 2008, www.autismfile.com
As the warmer months roll in, so do summer camps, open windows and flimsy screen doors. Longer recesses in the late school months. More outdoor gatherings. More chances for a child with autism to wander.
It’s only logical an increase of disappearances and deaths would happen in our community. With one in 150 children now diagnosed, and 92% of them prone to wandering according to an online survey conducted by the National Autism Association, children with autism are at more risk for wandering-related deaths than ever. But if you think the AMBER Alert system will help recover our missing children, don’t.
As we learned last year following the disappearance of Benjy Heil, the seven-year-old who wandered from his Michigan home, only abducted children qualify. I recall the update from a search team member: “Benjy was last seen by a neighbor on the road, the neighbor told him to get off the road or he'll get hit.”… “I asked the police why they didn't send out an AMBER Alert. They said he didn't meet criteria."
It’s a common assumption that AMBER Alerts are for all missing children. Named after nine-year-old Amber Hagerman who was abducted and murdered in 1996, AMBER is also an acronym for "America's Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Response." Whenever we see an AMBER Alert, we’re given a description of a missing child, along with any other relevant information. In 2006, there were 261 AMBER Alerts issued, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Children were recovered on the same day of the Alert in 106 of the cases, with the majority being found within the same city they were reported missing. Eleven of the 261 cases crossed state lines.
Could An Amber Alert System
Help Our Children?
One can’t help wondering if an AMBER Alert would have helped Benjy. Maybe the neighbor would have known to call 911. Benjy’s body was found a few days later in a creek.
According to a study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (Shavelle, et al, 2001), elevated death rates among those with autism were in large part attributed to drowning. Drownings typically happen after a child with autism has wandered. In the past four years alone, at least 14 children with autism under age 12 have died as a result of wandering.
A couple of months after Benjy’s death, my own child went missing. Same age, same diagnosis. He managed to escape a schoolyard – wandering close to an hour before a gentleman found him. “I almost didn’t stop,” the man told me. “He looked like he could’ve been old enough to walk alone, he was heading towards Davis Drive.” (Davis, one of the busiest four lane roads in our town.) In his thick Brooklyn accent, he explained he was going to buy stamps, and although he drove past Connor, he figured he’d turn the car around to “get a better look.” Once he realized Connor was missing, he called the local authorities.
That night I went from restlessly lying in bed, to sitting up. I wrapped my forearms around my knees, rocking, sobbing. Benjy Heil’s mother didn’t have what I had. Come dark, her child was still missing. Come three days, her child was dead.
Like any parents, my husband Christian and I fear the worst each time Connor leaves our home. He’s wandered a total of seven times, each time from the classroom or playground of three different schools. We’ve taken detailed measures to ensure his safety, including fighting for a one-on-one and enrolling him in the Project Lifesaver program, which provides a tracking transmitter that Connor now wears around his wrist. Most Sheriff offices do not participate in Project Lifesaver due to lack of funding, so it’s only available to a select few. Having an organized Alert system in place would help compensate for the lack of programs like Project Lifesaver.
I’ve thought about Benjy from time and time, and Logan Mitcheltree, who wandered from his Pennsylvania home in 2004. He was nine and died from prolonged exposure to the cold. I’ve kept a well-worn news photo of him at my desk as a reminder. Being a child advocate and part of the National Autism Association, it’s children like this that instill the desire to not give up.
A New Alert System Is Created,
But No Children Allowed
It was early May when I was reminded of the AMBER Alert. One had been issued in our area – the details crawled over our evening newscast. I must’ve let out a sigh since Christian asked what was wrong. I explained what happened to Benjy, and how an AMBER Alert could’ve made a difference. He walked to the computer, looked up the AMBER Alert and wrote down the lawmakers most involved with its enactment.
I’d been down this road before. Calling legislators. Asking their receptionist for the right staffer. Getting voicemail and a callback born out of obligation more than compassion. All reasons to procrastinate. Then a few days later I noticed a different Alert on my TV screen. A Silver Alert. Although I’d never heard of it, I understood what it meant. A missing senior, likely with Alzheimer’s.
The Silver Alert became effective in my state of North Carolina in 2007. It’s a system that notifies the public about missing endangered adults who suffer from dementia or other cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer's disease. The only downside to the system? No children allowed.
It prompted me to call one of the names on my list – Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat who had helped our cause in the past. Once I got her Judiciary staffer on the phone, I figured it would be a no-brainer. “We need to expand the criteria of the AMBER Alert,” I told him. “Our children need the same recovery measures as seniors with Alzheimer’s, except under the AMBER Alert name. People know it’s for children."
It wasn’t that simple, he explained. AMBER Alert is part of a national communications system. It’s for abducted children that are likely to cross state lines. He added that if too many children were included in the Alert’s criteria, say, for local recovery measures, other groups would want their children added, too. Too many Alerts would result in a desensitized public.
But we’re talking about disabled children. Not teenage runaways. Not prom-goers that missed curfew. The staffer has since not returned my calls or emails. A faxing campaign to Feinstein’s office was initiated. Feinstein replied she would keep our “concerns and suggestions in mind as my staff and I continue to review legislative options on this matter."
Kay Bailey Hutchinson, the Republican Senator from Texas where the AMBER Alert legislation originated, was the second office I phoned. Her staffer was politely dismissive while pointing out several times that I was “the first person to call about this."
+ Read more: www.sarnet.org/lib/Lori_Lostboys.pdf
NOTE: Please see Action Alert in LETTERS, below. -ed.
Messages posted for this Topic
Charter School For Only Autistic
By tc
09-20-08
Charter School For Only Autistic
There's a new charter school in Minnesota dedicated solely to serving students with autism in grades six through 10, Amelia Santaniello reports tinyurl.com/4vs8aw .
There's a new charter school in Minnesota dedicated solely to serving students with autism in grades six through 10, Amelia Santaniello reports tinyurl.com/4vs8aw .
Young Boy Lost In Scheduling SNAFU
By tc
09-20-08
Young Boy Lost In Scheduling SNAFU
Child arrives to empty home
By Jennifer Emert. rurl.org/10h4
Albany, GA (WALB) - A six year old boy was found wandering Albany streets after being dropped off by a school bus driver.
Dougherty County students got out of class early Wednesday, and when the special needs student was dropped off at home, his parents weren't there.
The parents say the bus driver didn't follow procedure for ensuring the child was left in someone's care.
This story has a happy ending, but John and Nakelya August worry if there is a next time, the outcome may be different. That's why they've asked the school system to have their bus drivers be more cautious, especially with special needs students.
John August got a ride home from Live Oak Elementary school from his mother. After Wednesday's adventure she wouldn't chance another early dismissal.
"My child had been wandering five blocks over the neighborhood. He got out at 12:30, we found out at three o'clock," said His mother, Nakelya August.
The Augusts didn't realize Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are early dismissal days for parent teacher conferences. The school sent home a notice, but they apparently didn't see it.
"There are multiple ways we inform parents about a change in school schedule and one of them is a letter that went home last week about the parent teacher conferences," said DCSS Public Information Director R. D. Harter.
The bus driver dropped off John in front of his home and the driver looked to see if the family's door was cracked, a mutually agreed sign that someone was there. The bus drove off, but six-year-old John was locked out. He began walking, his parents think toward Westgate where his grandmother lives.
"He could have been hit by a car, bitten by a dog, someone could have taken him and we wouldn't have known anything," said his mom.
Unable to communicate because of Autistic traits, he finally knocked on a stranger's door. "He walked up to someone's house and knocked on the door and I guess they saw that he's a special child so they took precautions and called police. Thank God for that because if he would of knocked on the wrong person's door I would never know what happened to my baby," his mother says.
+ Read more: rurl.org/10h4
Child arrives to empty home
By Jennifer Emert. rurl.org/10h4
Albany, GA (WALB) - A six year old boy was found wandering Albany streets after being dropped off by a school bus driver.
Dougherty County students got out of class early Wednesday, and when the special needs student was dropped off at home, his parents weren't there.
The parents say the bus driver didn't follow procedure for ensuring the child was left in someone's care.
This story has a happy ending, but John and Nakelya August worry if there is a next time, the outcome may be different. That's why they've asked the school system to have their bus drivers be more cautious, especially with special needs students.
John August got a ride home from Live Oak Elementary school from his mother. After Wednesday's adventure she wouldn't chance another early dismissal.
"My child had been wandering five blocks over the neighborhood. He got out at 12:30, we found out at three o'clock," said His mother, Nakelya August.
The Augusts didn't realize Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are early dismissal days for parent teacher conferences. The school sent home a notice, but they apparently didn't see it.
"There are multiple ways we inform parents about a change in school schedule and one of them is a letter that went home last week about the parent teacher conferences," said DCSS Public Information Director R. D. Harter.
The bus driver dropped off John in front of his home and the driver looked to see if the family's door was cracked, a mutually agreed sign that someone was there. The bus drove off, but six-year-old John was locked out. He began walking, his parents think toward Westgate where his grandmother lives.
"He could have been hit by a car, bitten by a dog, someone could have taken him and we wouldn't have known anything," said his mom.
Unable to communicate because of Autistic traits, he finally knocked on a stranger's door. "He walked up to someone's house and knocked on the door and I guess they saw that he's a special child so they took precautions and called police. Thank God for that because if he would of knocked on the wrong person's door I would never know what happened to my baby," his mother says.
+ Read more: rurl.org/10h4
Autistic Man Accused Of Stabbing Mom
By tc
09-20-08
Autistic Man Accused Of Stabbing Mom
Is Moved
By Adam H. Beasley. tiny.pl/8l2w
The 20-year-old autistic man who authorities say stabbed mother outside of their Weston home has been moved to a jail that houses inmates with special needs.
As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, Kevin Brinegar was held in the North Broward Bureau jail, a minimum-security facility for the mentally ill and medically infirm, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office website.
Bond has been set at $50,000 for the aggravated battery charge.
Since allegedly stabbing his mother Karen, 50, on Monday night, Brinegar had been kept at the main jail, which houses inmates considered escape risks, violent or dangerous, or by the nature of their charges require maximum-security housing.
Police say Kevin and Karen Brinegar began arguing about 9 p.m. at their home in the 3700 block of Heron Ridge Lane in The Ridges subdivision. Kevin Brinegar grabbed a 12-inch stainless-steel kitchen knife and lunged at his mother as she fled the house, BSO said.
He then tackled her to the ground, held her down, stabbed her in the back twice, "causing deep stab wounds which resulted in a large amount of blood loss," according to the BSO report.
Karen Brinegar was rushed to Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where she remained in fair condition Wednesday, hospital officials said.
Monday night's arrest was Brinegar's first in Florida, according to a criminal background check. Calls to the Brinegars' home were not returned Tuesday.
Is Moved
By Adam H. Beasley. tiny.pl/8l2w
The 20-year-old autistic man who authorities say stabbed mother outside of their Weston home has been moved to a jail that houses inmates with special needs.
As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, Kevin Brinegar was held in the North Broward Bureau jail, a minimum-security facility for the mentally ill and medically infirm, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office website.
Bond has been set at $50,000 for the aggravated battery charge.
Since allegedly stabbing his mother Karen, 50, on Monday night, Brinegar had been kept at the main jail, which houses inmates considered escape risks, violent or dangerous, or by the nature of their charges require maximum-security housing.
Police say Kevin and Karen Brinegar began arguing about 9 p.m. at their home in the 3700 block of Heron Ridge Lane in The Ridges subdivision. Kevin Brinegar grabbed a 12-inch stainless-steel kitchen knife and lunged at his mother as she fled the house, BSO said.
He then tackled her to the ground, held her down, stabbed her in the back twice, "causing deep stab wounds which resulted in a large amount of blood loss," according to the BSO report.
Karen Brinegar was rushed to Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where she remained in fair condition Wednesday, hospital officials said.
Monday night's arrest was Brinegar's first in Florida, according to a criminal background check. Calls to the Brinegars' home were not returned Tuesday.
Tucson Mom Found Guilty In Son's Death
By tc
09-20-08
Tucson Mom Found Guilty In Son's Death
Gets 10 Years
By Jonathan Saupe. tinyurl.com/4rcp94
A Tucson mother is sentenced to 10 years in prison for the death of her son Brandon Williams. A jury found Diane Marsh guilty of child abuse and negligent homicide back in August.
Brandon died from a fractured skull, and had large amounts of sleeping pills in his system. Marsh said that her roommate, Flower Tompson, told her satanic cults were after her, and she trusted the roommate to handle Brandon. The jury still found Marsh guilty for Brandon's suffering.
Flower Tompson cut a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to child abuse. She has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Gets 10 Years
By Jonathan Saupe. tinyurl.com/4rcp94
A Tucson mother is sentenced to 10 years in prison for the death of her son Brandon Williams. A jury found Diane Marsh guilty of child abuse and negligent homicide back in August.
Brandon died from a fractured skull, and had large amounts of sleeping pills in his system. Marsh said that her roommate, Flower Tompson, told her satanic cults were after her, and she trusted the roommate to handle Brandon. The jury still found Marsh guilty for Brandon's suffering.
Flower Tompson cut a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to child abuse. She has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Autism Speaks Announces $3.6 Million in Grants Focusing on Environmental Factors
By tc
09-20-08
Autism Speaks Announces $3.6 Million in Grants Focusing on Environmental Factors
and Autism
New Grants will Fund Studies in the Areas of Toxicology, Immunology and Epigenetics
From an Autism Speaks announcement. tiny.pl/84tf
Autism Speaks today announced that it has committed more than $3.6 million to investigate environmental risk factors for autism. Sixty applications were received, including pilot study proposals to test new hypotheses and gather preliminary data, and augmentation study proposals that will expand current large scale studies to include a new focus on the role of the environment. "These innovative studies will help us better understand how environmental factors influence risk for autism. We are particularly interested in the interaction between genetic susceptibility and exposure to specific environmental factors. We were very pleased by the high quality of the applications we received on this important topic," noted Geri Dawson, Chief Science Officer at Autism Speaks.
The twelve approved applications ranged in approach and scope, but included areas of toxicology, immunology, epigenetics and animal models. Dr. Yong-hui Jiang at Baylor College of Medicine will be studying how folic acid supplementation, which has increased significantly over the last decade, affects epigenetic modulation of SHANK3 protein expression. This is of importance since mutations of the SHANK3 gene have been reported to be altered in individuals with autism. Epigenetics (alterations in gene function without changes in DNA structure) has received recent attention in autism spectrum disorders and may be influenced by environmental factors. A study by Dr. Robert Plomin at the Institute of Psychiatry in London will be using an existing twin registry to examine differences in epigenetic markers between identical twins who do not share a diagnosis of autism. Dr. Emile Rissman from the University of Virginia will be targeting a widely used chemical called Bisphenol A, an ingredient in some plastics, to determine if exposure induces epigenetic modifications.
Another environmental factor that will be investigated is Vitamin D. Dr. Bruce Hammock at the University of California at Davis will be utilizing the CHARGE study, which has collected blood from over 500 families affected by autism, to examine whether and why children with autism show differences in Vitamin D levels. Recently, the lack of Vitamin D in mothers and children has been reported as a potential health concern that could influence brain development and function.
The role of the immune system was another predominant topic of environmental sciences applications. Altered immune function could be a target of environmental toxicant exposure. The immune status of the fetus during development constitutes an important environmental factor in brain function. Dr. Nicholas Ponzio from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey will be examining how T cells and cytokines function in the brain and the placenta, as well as how they affect the developing fetus. Also, Dr. Judy Van de Water at the University of California at Davis is partnering with Vanderbilt University researchers to study how changes in the expression of the MET gene, shown to be associated with autism, regulate maternal autoantibody production. Of importance, this study will also examine how environmental toxicant exposure, including ethylmercury (the major component of thimerosal) as well as a common environmental toxicant BDE-47, influences cytokine production. While the Van de Water study will examine how autoantibodies are produced, the effects on brain development of maternal autoantibodies in the prenatal environment will be studied by Dr. Betty Diamond at the Feinstein Institute.
Three projects will focus on the potential role of vaccines, specifically the role of ethylmercury or other vaccine components. These include a project by Dr. Flavio Keller at the University Bio-Medica in Rome, who will study the behavioral and pathological effects of ethyl and methyl mercury on a strain of mice that possess a certain mutation in order to examine gene and environment interactions. Dr. Mark Noble from the University of Rochester will use a genetically modified cell line to study the effects of ethylmercury and aluminum hydroxide on oxidative potential. Finally, Dr. David Baskin from Methodist Hospital in Houston will study cell proliferation in response to thimerosal exposure.
+ To view a complete list of grants please visit www.autismspeaks.org/environmental_grants
and Autism
New Grants will Fund Studies in the Areas of Toxicology, Immunology and Epigenetics
From an Autism Speaks announcement. tiny.pl/84tf
Autism Speaks today announced that it has committed more than $3.6 million to investigate environmental risk factors for autism. Sixty applications were received, including pilot study proposals to test new hypotheses and gather preliminary data, and augmentation study proposals that will expand current large scale studies to include a new focus on the role of the environment. "These innovative studies will help us better understand how environmental factors influence risk for autism. We are particularly interested in the interaction between genetic susceptibility and exposure to specific environmental factors. We were very pleased by the high quality of the applications we received on this important topic," noted Geri Dawson, Chief Science Officer at Autism Speaks.
The twelve approved applications ranged in approach and scope, but included areas of toxicology, immunology, epigenetics and animal models. Dr. Yong-hui Jiang at Baylor College of Medicine will be studying how folic acid supplementation, which has increased significantly over the last decade, affects epigenetic modulation of SHANK3 protein expression. This is of importance since mutations of the SHANK3 gene have been reported to be altered in individuals with autism. Epigenetics (alterations in gene function without changes in DNA structure) has received recent attention in autism spectrum disorders and may be influenced by environmental factors. A study by Dr. Robert Plomin at the Institute of Psychiatry in London will be using an existing twin registry to examine differences in epigenetic markers between identical twins who do not share a diagnosis of autism. Dr. Emile Rissman from the University of Virginia will be targeting a widely used chemical called Bisphenol A, an ingredient in some plastics, to determine if exposure induces epigenetic modifications.
Another environmental factor that will be investigated is Vitamin D. Dr. Bruce Hammock at the University of California at Davis will be utilizing the CHARGE study, which has collected blood from over 500 families affected by autism, to examine whether and why children with autism show differences in Vitamin D levels. Recently, the lack of Vitamin D in mothers and children has been reported as a potential health concern that could influence brain development and function.
The role of the immune system was another predominant topic of environmental sciences applications. Altered immune function could be a target of environmental toxicant exposure. The immune status of the fetus during development constitutes an important environmental factor in brain function. Dr. Nicholas Ponzio from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey will be examining how T cells and cytokines function in the brain and the placenta, as well as how they affect the developing fetus. Also, Dr. Judy Van de Water at the University of California at Davis is partnering with Vanderbilt University researchers to study how changes in the expression of the MET gene, shown to be associated with autism, regulate maternal autoantibody production. Of importance, this study will also examine how environmental toxicant exposure, including ethylmercury (the major component of thimerosal) as well as a common environmental toxicant BDE-47, influences cytokine production. While the Van de Water study will examine how autoantibodies are produced, the effects on brain development of maternal autoantibodies in the prenatal environment will be studied by Dr. Betty Diamond at the Feinstein Institute.
Three projects will focus on the potential role of vaccines, specifically the role of ethylmercury or other vaccine components. These include a project by Dr. Flavio Keller at the University Bio-Medica in Rome, who will study the behavioral and pathological effects of ethyl and methyl mercury on a strain of mice that possess a certain mutation in order to examine gene and environment interactions. Dr. Mark Noble from the University of Rochester will use a genetically modified cell line to study the effects of ethylmercury and aluminum hydroxide on oxidative potential. Finally, Dr. David Baskin from Methodist Hospital in Houston will study cell proliferation in response to thimerosal exposure.
+ To view a complete list of grants please visit www.autismspeaks.org/environmental_grants
Autistic Kids Allegedly Cuffed, Told to Fight
By tc
09-20-08
Autistic Kids Allegedly Cuffed, Told to Fight
A North Carolina Advocacy Group Alleges Special Needs Students Suffered Abuse
By Emily Friedman. tiny.pl/8l2c
A disability rights group in North Carolina is investigating claims that several autistic students at a Raleigh middle school were restrained with handcuffs and encouraged to wrestle one another, according to legal documents obtained by ABCNews.com.
Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC) filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday against the Wake County Board of Education and Robert Sturey, the senior director of special education services.
The group says both have refused to hand over the names of the families who have children in the class at Carroll Middle School in Raleigh, N.C., where the alleged abuse occurred.
DRNC is also suing for the right to enter the classroom in question and monitor student-teacher interactions during school hours -- a request that it says has been rebuffed by school officials.
According to the complaint, one parent of a child attending the school reported that her son had allegedly been handcuffed around his ankles to prevent him from kicking during a temper tantrum, said John Rittelmeyer, a lawyer who represents the DRNC, and another parent claimed his son had bruised arms from teachers grabbing him.
One parent said the school had a "WWF room" -- a reference to the former World Wrestling Federation -- in which students were encouraged to wrestle with one another, according to the claim.
"Specifically, these allegations include claims that the wrestling was done with the classroom teacher's knowledge and that the classroom teaching assistants were directly involved in wrestling with the students," the complaint states.
Mom Alleges Son With Autism was Traumitized
Betsy Johnson, whose son Stone was 12 when he attended Carroll Middle School, told ABC News that she believes her son was so traumatized by what he saw teachers do to his classmates that his autism became more pronounced.
"My son came home one day and told me about a child being wrestled to the floor by a teacher," said Johnson, who has since moved out of Wake County and enrolled her son in a different public school. "That really scared my son because the child was squirming and couldn't communicate verbally."
Ann Majestic, the lawyer representing the Wake County public school system, declined to comment on the specific allegations.
"I can't speak about individual student situations," said Majestic, adding that no school employees have been suspended since the alleged incidents were first reported in late August.
The investigation is being hindered, according to the complaint, by the school board's refusal to provide the DRNC with the names of the parents of children who were in the classroom where the alleged incidents occurred.
"We want the names and contact information for all the children in the class," said Rittelmeyer. "We would like to obtain releases so we can view the educational records for all the children in the class." He said about eight children are in the special needs class.
According to a spokesman from the Wake County public school system, there are 1,481 students with autism in the school district; 13 of which attend Carroll.
The county school board is refusing to give the student information to DRNC, citing portions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act that it says prevents it from releasing student and personnel information.
"[DRNC] is operating under a statute that gives them some investigation authority and we're acting under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, which protects student records," said Majestic.
North Carolina Rights Group Wants Access to Class for Children with Autism
+ Read more: tiny.pl/8l2c
A North Carolina Advocacy Group Alleges Special Needs Students Suffered Abuse
By Emily Friedman. tiny.pl/8l2c
A disability rights group in North Carolina is investigating claims that several autistic students at a Raleigh middle school were restrained with handcuffs and encouraged to wrestle one another, according to legal documents obtained by ABCNews.com.
Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC) filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday against the Wake County Board of Education and Robert Sturey, the senior director of special education services.
The group says both have refused to hand over the names of the families who have children in the class at Carroll Middle School in Raleigh, N.C., where the alleged abuse occurred.
DRNC is also suing for the right to enter the classroom in question and monitor student-teacher interactions during school hours -- a request that it says has been rebuffed by school officials.
According to the complaint, one parent of a child attending the school reported that her son had allegedly been handcuffed around his ankles to prevent him from kicking during a temper tantrum, said John Rittelmeyer, a lawyer who represents the DRNC, and another parent claimed his son had bruised arms from teachers grabbing him.
One parent said the school had a "WWF room" -- a reference to the former World Wrestling Federation -- in which students were encouraged to wrestle with one another, according to the claim.
"Specifically, these allegations include claims that the wrestling was done with the classroom teacher's knowledge and that the classroom teaching assistants were directly involved in wrestling with the students," the complaint states.
Mom Alleges Son With Autism was Traumitized
Betsy Johnson, whose son Stone was 12 when he attended Carroll Middle School, told ABC News that she believes her son was so traumatized by what he saw teachers do to his classmates that his autism became more pronounced.
"My son came home one day and told me about a child being wrestled to the floor by a teacher," said Johnson, who has since moved out of Wake County and enrolled her son in a different public school. "That really scared my son because the child was squirming and couldn't communicate verbally."
Ann Majestic, the lawyer representing the Wake County public school system, declined to comment on the specific allegations.
"I can't speak about individual student situations," said Majestic, adding that no school employees have been suspended since the alleged incidents were first reported in late August.
The investigation is being hindered, according to the complaint, by the school board's refusal to provide the DRNC with the names of the parents of children who were in the classroom where the alleged incidents occurred.
"We want the names and contact information for all the children in the class," said Rittelmeyer. "We would like to obtain releases so we can view the educational records for all the children in the class." He said about eight children are in the special needs class.
According to a spokesman from the Wake County public school system, there are 1,481 students with autism in the school district; 13 of which attend Carroll.
The county school board is refusing to give the student information to DRNC, citing portions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act that it says prevents it from releasing student and personnel information.
"[DRNC] is operating under a statute that gives them some investigation authority and we're acting under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, which protects student records," said Majestic.
North Carolina Rights Group Wants Access to Class for Children with Autism
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