School Struggles To Come To Grips With ny's Death * Woman Pleads Guilty In Daughter's 'Rebirthing' Therapy Death * CALENDAR OF EVENTS - October Supplement

[Guest guest]

FEAT DAILY NEWSLETTER Sacramento, California http://www.feat.org

" Healing Autism: No Finer a Cause on the Planet "

______________________________________________________

October 12, 2001 News Morgue Search www.feat.org/search/news.asp

CARE

(Warning: Next 2 News Items May Be Disturbing.)

* School Struggles To Come To Grips With ny's Death

* Woman Pleads Guilty In Daughter's 'Rebirthing' Therapy Death

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October Supplement

School Struggles To Come To Grips With ny's Death

Mom accused of strangling autistic son

[by Bill Dunphy, Cheryl Stepan in The Hamilton Spectator, Ontario,

Canada. Thanks again to Zwack.]

http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/news/481185.html

They dragged ny Churchi's desk out into the hallway at St. Luke's

school yesterday and decorated it with a rosary and a Bible. In ny's

place, they hung his school picture. His seat remained empty, while his

classmates' eyes overflowed with tears. They, like so many others, were

struggling to cope with news of the 13-year-old's death and the arrest of

his mother. And adults were struggling to find some way to explain it.

But how do you explain the killing of a 13-year-old autistic boy

described as " a gentle giant " by the parish priest?

And how could a mother, by many accounts a loving, protective parent,

be charged with his murder?

Police say an autopsy revealed that ny had been strangled and

asphyxiated.

Jadwiga Miskiewicz, ny's mom, appeared briefly in a downtown court

yesterday morning, charged with first-degree murder in his death.

The 43-year-old Hamilton woman was groomed and well dressed but had

dark circles under her eyes. At times she clutched her yellow hooded jacket

tightly around her as she stood before a justice of the peace at the

Sopinka Courthouse.

Speaking through a Polish interpreter, Miskiewicz trembled briefly and

wiped at her eyes when she told the court she had not yet contacted a

lawyer.

She was ordered held in custody until her next court appearance on

Monday.

The single mother has been in custody since Wednesday, when she walked

into the Stoney Creek police station. Her son's body was found shortly after

12:30 p.m. when police went to the family's eighth-floor apartment on

Congress Crescent.

Police say Miskiewicz has since given a videotaped statement.

Detective Dave Beech said she appeared distraught during the

statement, but it was too early in the investigation to say whether she was

suffering from depression.

" Talking to friends, neighbours and family, there doesn't seem to be a

real problem, " Beech said.

" She seemed like a nice lady, very upbeat, a loving mother, " he said,

but they are continuing to explore her mental state.

They are also looking into what role, if any, ny's autism played

in his death.

" We have to look at his disability and see what kind of (role) that

might play, " Beech said yesterday.

They have sought search warrants to obtain ny's medical records.

His illness has raised questions in the community, concerns that he

was killed out of some form of despair, an inability to cope perhaps.

" My heart goes out to his mother, who was by all account a loving

mother, " said Father Dan Hinsperger of St. Luke's Catholic Church.

Hinsperger described ny, a tall bespectacled boy, as " a gentle

giant, so gentle ... so docile and friendly. "

" You just don't go out and do this kind of thing, " he said. " Something

has to have happened. "

ny's classmates, too, are struggling to understand what that might

have been.

Holly Burke, 13, has been friends with ny since preschool.

Out the window of her classroom each afternoon, she could see ny's

mother waiting to meet her son -- always arriving 10 minutes early to be

sure she didn't miss him, Holly said.

Looking at ny and his mother together, " you could just tell that

he was her world. "

He occupied a special place in the school, too.

When ny was in the younger grades, teachers used to remind

students to play with ny to make sure he was never left out. But as he

got older, they realized they had nothing to worry about.

" In school at recesses, all of the kids would be playing with him.

Nobody cared about his disability, " Holly said.

" He was just such a great kid. If he was here today, I would tell him

that. "

The littlest things would make him happy.

At recess, he used to twirl around in circles on the asphalt and got

really excited when one of his friends would join him.

" I just feel like a part of me is missing. It's like that saying, you

don't know how good something is until it's gone. "

While ny seemed happy at school and at play, nobody knows what

struggles Miskiewicz faced in raising him alone.

ny was born in Canada, although his mother came from Poland and

his father from Romania.

Detective Beech said ny's father played a limited role in the

boy's life.

" It's my understanding she had friends in town, but other than her

ex-husband there's no other family, " he said.

" He seemed to have a limited involvement. He'd see his son from time

to time, but not a lot of involvement. "

ny's father was described by police as " very distraught " over his

son's death.

Attempts by The Spectator to contact the father were unsuccessful.

Reports of ny's death and his illness have led local advocacy

groups and support networks to warn against jumping to the conclusion that

ny was murdered because of his disability.

Simms-Obidi, president of the Hamilton chapter of the Autism

Society of Ontario, said it's extremely harmful to equate a disability with

a burden.

" It's not really fair, " she said. " It's harmful to families because it

makes them feel they are being unfairly targeted. It's also unfair to people

with the disability. "

Jan Burke-Gaffney, co-director of the Hamilton Family Network, also

urged the public not to jump to any conclusions.

" The disability might not have had anything to do with it, " she said.

* * *

Woman Pleads Guilty In Daughter's 'Rebirthing' Therapy Death

[by Colleen Slevin, Associated Press. Copyright Aponline.]

http://www.nandotimes.com/healthscience/story/130770p-1360754c.html

Avoiding a possible prison sentence, a woman pleaded guilty Thursday

to child abuse in the death last year of her adoptive daughter during a

" rebirthing " therapy session.

Jeane Newmaker, 48, calmly answered the judge's questions during a

sentencing hearing in Jefferson County District Court. She made no

statement.

District Judge Jane Tidball ordered Newmaker, who lives in Durham,

N.C., to be supervised by North Carolina authorities for four years. She

must also complete 400 hours of community service and undergo grief

counseling.

If she remains out of trouble for four years, the conviction will be

erased from her record. If she violates her probation, she faces up to 16

years in prison. She had faced up to six years.

The attorneys continued to debate whether Newmaker, a pediatric nurse

practitioner at Duke Medical Center, will be allowed to continue working

with children. She has been assigned administrative duties since her

10-year-old daughter's death.

Newmaker adopted Candace in 1996. The girl had trouble adjusting to

her new home, and Newmaker said she explored several treatments, including

help for depression and attention deficit disorder.

She took the girl to two Evergreen therapists in April 2000 for

treatment of attachment disorder, in which children resist forming loving

relationships and are violent and unmanageable.

The girl was covered in blankets and pillows meant to simulate the

womb and was encouraged to push her way out. Therapists hoped she would

emerge " reborn " to bond with her adoptive mother. The girl died a day later

of asphyxiation.

Therapists Connell Watkins, 53, and Ponder, 41, were convicted

in April 2001 of child abuse and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Two

assistants, Brita St. Clair and Jack Mc, pleaded guilty in August to

child abuse and were sentenced to 10 years' probation.

Colorado has since outlawed the New Age form of therapy.

>>> PROFESSORS, TEACHERS, TRAINERS <<<

Autism Continuing Education for

Students Now Available

ADVISE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE

FEAT Daily Newsletter, NO FEE.

http://www.feat.org/FEATNews

* * *

October (plus) Calendar Supplement

Additions and Corrections

(November Calendar deadline is October 31st.)

CALIFORNIA

Parent Training in the Structured Teaching Model of TEACCH

For parent's of children/young adults with Autism,

Asperger's, PDD/NOS

October 22-26, 2001

San , CA

ILLINOIS

Beyond Labels - Treating Disorders at their Roots

Introduces ways to recognize neurodevelopmental causes of

functional & behavioral problems, and how to address them.

Judith Bluestone, The HANDLE Institute

October 16, 2001 Roselle, IL

October 17, 2001 River Forest, IL

KENTUCKY

Auditory Integration Training Groups

Somerset Kentucky AIT:

October 22-31, 2001

Nashville, Kentucky AIT:

November 10-19, 2001

giantsteps@...

MASSACHUSETTS

" Do-Watch-Listen-Say " Social & Communication

Intervention for Children with PDD/Autism

Kathleen A. Quill, Ed.D

November 2-3, 2001

Seekonk, MA & Wales Inn

MINNESOTA

Increasing Social Understanding

Responding to Teasing & Bullying

Featuring Carol Gray

October 22-23, 2001

Minnetonka, MN Sheraton Minneapolis West

MISSISSIPPI

Bio-Medical Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Unlocking Autism Mississippi presents Dr. Amy Holmes,

and Dr. Cave - review the latest treatments and

updates to the DAN Protocol and Cave's new

book, " What your doctor may not tell you about

Children's Vaccinations. "

November 3, 2001

, MS Jim Buck Ross Agricultural Museum

maranie@... or anagramy@...

www.UnlockingAutism.org

NEW JERSEY

2001 ASPEN Fall Conference

Dr. Myles speaking on developing successful

school programs for elementary, middle, and high school

students with Asperger Syndrome, PDD-NOS, and

High Functioning Autism

October 26, 2001

North Brunswick, NJ Ramada Inn & Conference Center

http://www.aspennj.org

NEW MEXICO

An Autism Journey with Hart

November 3, 2001

Albuquerque, NM -Brasher Hall

www.nmautismsociety.com

NEW YORK

AHA/AS/PDD of Long Island

Sheila Wagner, M.Ed - Including the High

Functioning Child with HFA/AS/PDD

Dave Makowski, PhD - Classroom Strategies &

Socialization

Barry NcNamara, PhD - Bully-proofing school-age children

Dunn, PhD - Neuropsychological Approaches to

Language Intervention in Children

October 15-16, 2001

www.aha-as-pdd.org

ASAT - The Association for Science in Autism Treatment

ABA: Changing lives through effective intervention

Maurice PhD, Bridget Psy.D, Mulick PhD,

Celiberti PhD BCBA, Foxx PhD BCBA

October 22, 2001

New York City, NY The Rockefeller University

ASAT@...

Addressing the Challenges of Autism

D. , PhD, Director of Training, Division TEACCH

Blending Teaching Methodologies, Integrating Technology

into the Curriculum, Effective Early Intervention Practices,

Practical Solutions for Families.

November 1, 2001

Manhattan, NY At the Lighthouse

x226 autism@...

A Seminar with Tony Hollander, PhD, OTR/L

November 3, 2001

New York, NY The Center

The Center, 176 No. Village Ave,

2H Rockville Centre, NY 11570

FACTS (Family and Friends of Autistic Children Together in Suffolk

Support/Advocacy group of families & professionals.

November 10, 2001

Hauppauge, NY Calvary Lutheran Church

RosieUrdahl@...

http://hometown.aol.com/rosieurdahl/myhomepagefacts.html

TEXAS

FEAT North Texas Parents Coffee Chat

October 21, 2001

Dallas, TX 8531 San Leandro

Carlab315@...

VIRGINIA

Behavioral Interventions in the Home:

Visual & Practical approaches for Young Children with Autism

Featuring Dr. Robin , Behavior Specialist

October 27, 2001 1-6pm

Vienna, VA McLean Bible Church

stepseminars@...

ICDL 5th International Conference

Autism and Disorders of Relating and Communicating

" Breaking New Ground in Clinical Care "

Topics: Assessment & Intervention, New Approaches,

Advances in Neuroscience and BioMedical Approaches,

Early Detection & Intervention, Education Interventions

November 9-11, 2001

Tysons Corner, VA Hilton McLean

MULTI-LOCATIONS

Get a HANDLE on Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Comprehensive hands-on workshop.

Judith Bluestone, The HANDLE Institute

October 13-14, 2001 Chicago, IL

October 27-28, 2001 Austin, TX

November 3-4, 2001 SanDiego, CA

November 17-18, 2001 Seattle

www.handle.org

>> DO SOMETHING ABOUT AUTISM NOW <<

Subscribe, Read, then Forward the FEAT Daily Newsletter.

To Subscribe go to www.feat.org/FEATnews No Cost!

_______________________________________________________

Lenny Schafer, Editor PhD Ron Sleith Kay Stammers

Editor@... Decelie CALENDAR: Guppy events@...

Unsubscribe: FEATNews-signoff-request@...