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by KevinLivsDad on 09.05.08 - public

Urgent - please make a phone call TODAY to save our kids with autism
To members of The Pilgrims: the journey to a new world for autism
Amanda Copel...

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Urgent - please make a phone call TODAY to save our kids with autism
To members of The Pilgrims: the journey to a new world for autism
 Amanda Copeland

Today at 10:47pm
Reply please call Governor Schwarznegger and URGE a passing of the California state budget immediately 916-445-2841. 9/10 all autism funding ceases.
All children with autism in the state of California lose their services (therapy, medical, respite and more)entirely if a state budget is not passed by 9/10. Families will go bankrupt. Jobs will be lost. Kids and babies will languish with no therapy or respite. In addition - hundreds of thousands of the state's poorest residents will lose their MediCal - meaning no medical treatment for the poor again.
Please call today and get anyone you know to call today urging a passing of even an interim budget to avoid this nightmare - which HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA until now.
This call will take 10-15 minutes of your time - talk with an assistant in the governor's office directly- they will answer the phone. It does not matter if you do not live in CA.
Thank you

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Family with disabled kids not allowed to fly Southwest

by KevinLivsDad on 07.07.08 - public

Here is a video to make your own conclusions on: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/07/dnt.family.off.plane.kiro

Southwest airlines has b...

Regressive Autism?

by KevinLivsDad on 07.07.08 - public

This 4th of July I was reminded of how different Liv has become since coming down with autism?

Last year she watched the fireworks with delight & a...

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This 4th of July I was reminded of how different Liv has become since coming down with autism?

Last year she watched the fireworks with delight & amazement.    Calling out the colors & asking to see another spider one...     This year we had to retreat to the car as Liv was screaming in terror due to the noise & whatever else Autism stole from her.   She was climbing up my back and fraying about as we walked to the car.   With the windows up & trapped in traffic there was no enjoying the fireworks this year.   It was as if we where torturing her.  So different than just a year ago.

Growing up did you ever hear of children suddenly loosing capabilities & morphing into totally different people.   I never heard of that & I am sure if it had happened in my community we would of heard of the horror.   Because it would have been perceived as just that, a horror.   I asked my mom...  Had this phenomena ever happen in your generation or do you remember anything that resembled regressive autism?   She said no....never

So, WTF is going on??  This is the stuff that Robin Cook novels are made of.    I can't think of anything  in real life that exhibits this science fiction horror we ARE EXCEPTING as a society.   This is the stuff that spooky nursery rhymes are made of who's allegories cloaked in children's play remind us of horror.   When is the spooky nursery rhyme about regressive autism going to come out?   When is the the troll that steals our children's souls going to be crushed???

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T-Shirt

by KevinLivsDad on 06.27.08 - public

I created a T-shirt. I do get royalties if you buy. Many sizes, colors & types available. All proceedes go to Liv

Advice, Help, help me

by KevinLivsDad on 06.16.08 - public

All I need your help..
Liv last couple of weeks has had pooping problems. She is on a laxitive that has cleaned her out. This Friday she had a fi...

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by KevinLivsDad on 06.03.08 - public

Hi - You guys have a lot of great information that I have found so helpful. However, when I go back to find them in Foggy Rock it is difficult. ...

Livs MRI

by KevinLivsDad on 05.18.08 - public

So the ever famous MIND institute as part of one of the studies gave Liv a full-on MRI. It was a process trying to keep her asleep, positioned & sc...

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I wonder about Breast Feeding

by KevinLivsDad on 05.14.08 - public

Ever since the 80's breast feeding has been on the rise, so has ASD. People are at the top of the food chain... Even above sharks. We are now supp...

My German Shepherd lost her will

by KevinLivsDad on 05.10.08 - public

So, my kid loves to run in circles. My German Shepherd Mix is bred to chase things & herd. My dog would chase Liv around in circles, head her off...

Makes me wonder

by KevinLivsDad on 05.08.08 - public

Below is an excerpt from a CNN article discussing the Foot & Mouth outbreak in China. What bothers me is the paradox which logically makes no sense...

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Curious what you think

by KevinLivsDad on 05.07.08 - public

I am curious what you guys think of this study. I do not know the credibility or validity of it. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18445737?ordina...

Today's Blessing

by KevinLivsDad on 04.22.08 - public

Today we had Liv's IEP.. I was scared. Liv did not go to bed until 1:30 last night & my anxiety did not let me sleep well anyway.
I have been ...

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Today we had Liv's IEP..   I was scared.   Liv did not go to bed until 1:30 last night & my anxiety did not let me sleep well anyway.   
I have been so nervous about this IEP.   The school system was pushing their school based program.   Which might be great for some kids
but, I knew the program we found for Liv was so much better for her.   We had so many blessings along the way.   We where put in touch with a 
wonderful advocate that helped us navigate this.   We got with one of the best programs which typically had a waitlist of months & months that was a blessing in itself.  And, today I thought the IEP was going south & the district would hold it's position on their program.    Until the last 30 minutes & it all turned around.    Long story short we got what we needed for Liv.  Things finally happened & it all came together as if it where divine intervention.   Even our advocate half way through the meeting passed a note to me saying that she was going to dig in as it was not going well.   Thankfully, we where all quiet at the right time & it turned around.    I really do not know what happened.   And, I don't know what the heck happened off line, but something did. Whatever it was we are thankful.   It was a long and tedious wait with multiple evals & BS along the way.      Liv will get this facet of help that she needs & that is what I am thankful for.   I wish you all the same blessings in whatever you feel is best for your kid.  I thank all those who had a part in this outcome.

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I don't even know

by KevinLivsDad on 04.13.08 - public

I am realizing, as I over hear conversations & kind of nod out of other conversations of NT parents. I have no idea. I don't know what it is like to...

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I am realizing, as I over hear conversations & kind of nod out of other conversations of NT parents.  I have no idea.  I don't know what it is like to have an NT kid.  I only have one child, I only know one way.  I hear my x wife describe what she feels in this situation, I thought she was just dwelling on it.  I actually, took the time today as it was my non-parenting weekend & experienced it.  I now know what she really means.  I have no idea what it is like to be a NT parent.  It made me sad.  I ask my daughter how was school today.  I get a smile, which is what I am thankful for.  I get no reply.  I wonder what she did how she felt.  I have no idea.  I used to know her favorit color was blue, her fav. animal was a bobcat, bird was a blue bird. favorite fruit a mango.  Now I no longer know her favorites.   I assume they are the same but, I have no idea.  I wish I knew.    I wish I knew if she still loved me.   I wish I knew her her favorites have changed.  I just wish I knew, tongiht I am sad & lonely

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DVD

by KevinLivsDad on 04.11.08 - public

Hey I read this article in my local paper. A local ASD mom created these DVD's you can read about it here & it references their website to order. ...

Airline Travel ?'s

by KevinLivsDad on 04.08.08 - public

Do you know if there are special things you can do in working with TSA & the airlines?

For example, going through the security gates with my chil...

Please Review

by KevinLivsDad on 03.30.08 - public

Hi All - Below is a blog I am writing on my companies internal website & posting April 2nd. My company employees about 90K people world wide. P...

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Hi All -   Below is a blog I am writing on my companies internal website & posting April 2nd.   My company employees about 90K people world wide.    Please review it & provide feedback.   I will not be offended by any of your feedback....   Oh yeah, I am really bad at grammer & spelling so you can help me with that too...

For those of you who don’t know this is the first year where April 2nd & the month of April has been declared by the United Nations as Autism Awareness month.    1:150 children in the USA are diagnosed with the neurological disorder.   Boys are even higher in the ratio where I have seen numbers as low as 1:60.  Autism is graded on a spectrum ranging from the more mild scale Aspergers to severe Autism.  Some researchers & even other countries are reporting even higher ratios.   Some will argue that that the increase in children diagnosed with autism is due to the overall better understanding, awareness, & diagnostic attention that have lead to drive up these numbers.   However, when you speak to those in the trenches: teachers, therapists, pediatricians they will admit that in their decades of service they have never seen so many children that are truly impacted by this disorder.  They have seen nothing like it.  I remember when I was growing up I knew of only one autistic child in our community.   Now, I know of six parents who have a child(ren) on the Autistic Spectrum in my two story Folsom Intel building.   You have to ask yourself what the heck is going on with this generation of children.   It can not be denied any longer that something serious is impacting huge numbers of our children.

Autism is 100% in my immediate family.   My little girl less than a month after her third birthday was diagnosed with autism.   Up until that point she was exceeding or was meeting all developmental milestones for her age.   Literally within a month we saw our little girl transform into a whole different person.    This metamorphosis is controversially labeled regressive autism & impacts  a subset of children with autism.   Some children show the tell tale signs very early in development others are impacted just like my daughter.  We watched our little girl who loved to pretend plan, reciprocate communication in 3-5 word sentences, new all her shapes, colors, ABC’s, & numbers to 10 loose all these capabilities.   Her personality drastically changed, her concentration level drastically reduced.   Stimulant & repetition behaviors became ever present.

The causes, treatments, & how it individually impacts each child still remains an enigma.   Some will say it is purely genetics, others will say it is environment & genetics, some will say vaccines, etc. etc.     My personal belief I will keep that mostly to myself, however, I do believe in most cases it is a genetic common predisposition that combined with  environmental catalyst(s). The condition is life long for these children & there is NO cure to date.    Our neurologist loosely told us 33% of the children regress even further,  33% stay the same, & 33% improve.    These children require very special educational & therapeutic services to provide them a shot at a functional life.   These services are becoming choked as the landslide of children hits the community.   Waiting lists for behavior therapies are exceeding 6 to 12 months in our community.   Insurance companies offer very limited coverage to help these children & are adding new caveats to what they will cover each year.   With more children being impacted & fewer services to help these children the problem for all of us is only going to compound.

Below is a link to some of the characteristics that label autism & various resources.    Let me tell you as a parent of a child on the Autistic Spectrum, that this criteria really is just the tip of the iceberg as to how these children are impacted.   Also, I have pasted a link to several video resources that give you a glimpse to better understand.

I HOPE YOU ALL WILL JOIN MY CRUSADE IN SOME WAY TO BATTLE THIS TRUE EPIDEMIC.

Signs of Autism in a child:   http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/autism/DS00348/DSECTION=2

This video although a bit focusing on the negative, it is a glimpse of what parents deal with.   It is a 13 minute video:  http://www.autismspeaks.org/media/d_200603_EveryDay16x9_512k.wmv

This is a link to an orginization that helps promote awareness they also have some videos on their site that may help you understand & identify if your child is having problems:

http://www.autismspeaks.org/index.php?intro=1
Videos:  http://www.autismspeaks.org/video/glossary.php

This link is called Autism University it is simply the google search with the keyword autism:  Sadly, when our child was first diagnosed it was the only resource readily available to help us navigate this scary world.    We litterally where given a diagnosis by a neurlogist & cast out the door crying to figure it all out ourselves.
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2006-24,GGLG:en&q=Autism

This is a great resource to help parents navigate the world of autism. They are a community of parents that help other parents navigate the gautlet & provide the best for their children.
http://www.feat.org/

CNN autism link:  http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/news/autism/

Social Network for those impacted by autism (parents, caregivers, relatives, etc) : 
http://www.foggyrock.com/

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The Force

by KevinLivsDad on 03.27.08 - public

I don't know about you guys & I might be nutzo... But, have you ever experienced the ASD force. It is an odd perception of ASD. For example, som...

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I don't know about you guys & I might be nutzo...  But, have you ever experienced the ASD force.    It is an odd perception of ASD.   For example, some times I feel that an ASD parent is nearby this can be at a park, restaurant, store, whatever.    One time I was at a park with Liv we where swinging on the swings.   A lady with her little girl where playing nearby.   Liv was just smiling & enjoying the swing.    The lady said, "She sure likes to swing" she then tried to talk to Liv & interact.   I told the lady that she is autistic & she loves to swing as she finds it soothing..  She said,  ahh I have an autistic son, he is over there playing with his aide.  This sort of thing has happened to many times.   Several weeks ago I was at a store I felt a compelling need to go several aisles over & I saw a dad & adolescent daughter shopping from afar I could not tell his daughter was ASD'd.   When I got closer I could so tell.   I looked at his daughter & looked at him.   I gave him the warm smile that so many of us ASD parents exchange when we spot each other in the wild.  Over Christmas break I visited one of my parents neighbors who have a 2 y/o boy, all I could notice was the extremely subtle ASD characteristics that his parents where not aware of.

Finally, here is the real spooky thing.   Way before I even had Liv I was very much aware of autism..  I was extremely curious about it.  And, I felt a passion to better understand it.. Mostly, I wanted the enigma to be resolved.   I wanted to understand why it was becoming so common.   I actually googled the heck out of it.   I remember multiple conversations I had had with one of my co-workers who was planning to have a family soon & expressed my concerns with the growing prevalence of autism.   Autism was actually a hugely weird fear I had..  Later, just after we found out about Liv he confessed at how extremely weird it was my interest in autism was so many years before.  I was so thankful every day when Liv was exceeding her milestones.   I was so careful with her.. We ate organically, minimized all chemicals, questioned the docs about vaccinations, etc etc.

I often ponder was it self fulfilling prophecy, is it instinct, is it something subtle in my DNA, or is it something even weirder?   So, my fear became our reality.   Oh well, I put myself on the Xfiles spectrum now..   But, I am curious if others know what I am talking about.

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Positive Experience

by KevinLivsDad on 03.26.08 - public

I would like to share this with you all as it is something I found so encouraging.

Before Liv (caught autism)* in late August of 2007 we had her en...

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I would like to share this with you all as it is something I found so encouraging.

Before Liv (caught autism)* in late August of 2007 we had her enrolled in a regular pre-school program.
We where so excited about the opportunity Liv would get & this seemed like such a great preschool.

About 1 week prior to Liv's first day of school is when the milestone regression happened.   At the time we where
concerned & thought it was acute, due to some environmental changes in Liv's life.   However, we did immediately 
take her to get checked out.    We where very nervous & kept the school out of the loop in our suspicions.  I was afraid
that they would not except Liv or willing or be too scared to work with her.   I was so wrong & glad I was wrong.

About a month into Liv's preschool the director wanted to speak to us.   We knew what it was about...
In a very polite way the director conveyed her concerns about Liv.   That is when we communicated that we where
having Liv thoroughly checked out & awaiting the results & findings.    The tension in the air was immediately cleared. 
I expressed my fear that they would not except Liv, otherwise, I would have told them earlier I apologized for my misjudgment.
They where so cool & so supportive of myself, Liv, & Liv's mom.   It was a relief.

Since that discussion the school has responded in remarkable ways.  All the teachers truly love Liv for who she is.  Their caring commitment & understanding is so genuine.  They make every effort to keep Liv as engaged & looked after as possible & adjust their ways while balancing the
natural desire to over enable Liv.

Even all of the children seem to have a compassion & understanding for Liv.   Many of the little kids have formed a special bond with Liv.   The school
even encourages some of these kids to help with Liv & do a bit of modeling for her.   It really is beautiful to watch.   When I pick up Liv a
couple of the kids always give Liv a little touch on the shoulder & say good bye.   I watch some of the little kids unprompted help Liv when she needs soothed or steer her away from a doorway when hurried parents are passing through it.  Some of them even attempt to land a non-reciprocated 
hug on Liv.   Liv will do her thing and give her hallmark lean in arms to the side hug like gesture.

To top it off we met with the director & owner the other day as we where in a predicament we needed 1 day of coverage for the ABA vendor.  I will be
working 2 day from home & Liv's mom the other two days...   The school had no problem serving as a venue for the other day of ABA we where struggling to accommodate.   So, hats off to the positive environment, compassion, & tolerance this little preschool & its people are promoting.

I thought this was worth writing as it seemed like we have had so much negative resistance lately...   No help from Dr's, insurance Co, & school system feuding.   This is just a positive example of goodness in the ASD world.

* I know that Liv did not catch autism & it is not meant to offend anybody.  I am not ignorant.   It is just easier to say that than Liv had a mysterious regression on Aug 22nd & profoundly exhibited the signs of autism :)

Sorry, I wrote this on my break at work & it was rushed so lots of mispellings & such.

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Video

by KevinLivsDad on 03.25.08 - public

This video is really the closest ones to illustrating to some degree what is like to parent an ASD child. I used this video to communicate to my bos...

ASD Paraphernalia?

by KevinLivsDad on 03.20.08 - public

Does anybody know of a place where I can get autism shirts, bumper stickers, etc? Would love to do it up for ASD April...

Foggy Rock

by KevinLivsDad on 03.19.08 - public

I am curious how successful is Foggy Rock? Anybody know how many logins a day? How many new joins a day? How many members? How many posts a day - ...

Generation Autism

by KevinLivsDad on 03.13.08 - public

I remember a ped. that has been practicing over 20 years. When ever they came across an Autistic Child it was a novelty that they would parade to inte...

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pee pee

by KevinLivsDad on 03.11.08 - public

Liv has finally figured out how to use the potty & is doing it all the time. I don't know what happened but it clicked. Now all of a sudden she wil...

Larry King Tonight

by KevinLivsDad on 03.06.08 - public

Larry King on CNN is having a show on vaccinations & autism: Do childhood vaccinations cause autism? Hear from a child and her parents behind a case ...

Night Willies

by KevinLivsDad on 02.25.08 - public

Aggh, last night was trying. It took forever to get Liv to bed last night. Not to mention at 4a.m. she got up & self talked the rest of the night....

Fish DVD

by KevinLivsDad on 02.23.08 - public

At Linens & Things or maybe it was Bed Bath & Beyond. They have these cheesy DVD's that run continuous footage. One is a fireplace scene the other...

Shoes

by KevinLivsDad on 02.22.08 - public

It is funny Autism can make a child think differently. A little girl may retreat from social situations. Not care about how her hair, clothes, etc l...

America's Favorite Mom

by KevinLivsDad on 02.09.08 - public

Give this mom your vote: Read her profile at the below link

http://www.americasfavoritemom.com/mothers-day-2008/mom/Donna-A-648

GAINESVILLE - A...

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Give this mom your vote:  Read her profile at the below link

http://www.americasfavoritemom.com/mothers-day-2008/mom/Donna-A-648

GAINESVILLE - A Gainesville woman is leading all contenders in an online campaign, sponsored by NBC-TV, to find America's Favorite Mom.

Donna Aldridge - who has a 3-year-old son with autism and a 19-month-old daughter with developmental delays, was nominated by her husband, Keith.

According to the Web site for the program, a nominee can participate in three contests, all with cash prizes. The one with the most votes in each contest wins.

The three categories are:

Most Humorous Mom - $5,000 
Most Inspiring Mom - $5,000 
Most Popular Mom - $25,000

Voting in online only, and you can vote as many times as you wish.

The winners will be announced during a special program on NBC-TV on Mother's Day, May 11.

On the Net: America's Favorite Mom. http://www.americasfavoritemom.com

...........................................................................................................

TEXT OF KEITH ALDRIDGE'S NOMINATING LETTER:

Text of Keith Aldridge's nominating letter:

I am nominating my wife Donna to be America's Favorite Mom. We have two children, a 3-year old son with autism and a 19-month old daughter with developmental delays.

My wife gets up every morning at 4am to prepare us breakfast and get the household "organized" for the day.

She is the eternal optimist, trying to see the good in everyone and everything. Her dad died of a heart attack when she was just 10 years old, & her mom died of a brain aneurysm when she was just 27. She often says that "if you want more of something in your life, give it away first." She has created her own family from a network of friends & co-workers.

Donna's favorite saying is that a "stranger is just a friend you just haven't met yet" and she embraces everyone as if they were family. Motherhood for her is not about how much one can give, but rather how much one can inspire others to action. She consistently leads by example & is passionate about embracing others caring for children with special needs while managing a full-time therapy schedule for our own children.

She is a tireless volunteer at our kids' preschool, Challenged Child and Friends (CCAF) and in the community. For the past two years, she has served as the Helping Hands Coordinator for the local MOMS Club (Mothers Offering Mothers Support) where she coordinates volunteers to deliver meals to other families during the birth of a baby, illness, hospitalization, death, or other family crisis.

If you ever ask her what she would do if she won the lottery, she'd say, without blinking, "create a nation-wide network of schools for children with disabilities." In fact, when she found out about this nomination, she only agreed to do it so long as any and all money she won would go straight to CCAF, with the goal of expanding its programming both locally and nationally.

"The preschool has been my saving grace," she says. "As autism diagnoses reach epidemic proportions, we as a nation need more schools like CCAF to empower these special children and their families as they attempt to find quality education in settings specifically designed to meet their unique needs. CCAF has created a one-of-a-kind program that offers a network of on-site nurses, therapists, counselors and credentialed, skilled educators.

These gifted professionals give children and their families increased levels of confidence, skills, and hope for the future while providing the community with a strengthened group of citizens. Typical kids learn along side children with special needs in an integrated setting. The typical kids raise the bar and encourage the children with special needs to reach for the stars while the special needs children teach everyone about love, unconditional acceptance, and toleration of differences."

Raising awareness for autism and sharing the magic of CCAF is her dream and passion and I would like you to vote for her to make that dream of hers come true.

Sincerely, Keith Aldridge, Gainesville, Georgia.

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Tricycle

by KevinLivsDad on 02.07.08 - public

Liv finally rode a tricycle today in PT. I am so proud of her...

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