SchaferAutismReport: Special-Education Idea Raises Legal Issues

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SAR "Healing Autism:Schafer Autism Report No Finer a Cause on the Planet"________________________________________________________________Friday, September 15, 2006 Vol. 10 No. 163>> PROMOTE YOUR FALL EVENTS NOW - FREE <<Conferences * Presentations * Parent MeetingsDEADLINE FOR OCTOBER SAR AUTISM CALENDAR ISSEPTEMBER 25!Submit listing here:http://www.sarnet.org/frm/cal-frm.htmEDUCATION* Special-Education Idea Raises Legal Issues RESEARCH* Cure Autism Now Announces 2006 Treatment GrantsADVOCACY* Model Autism Commission Meeting Available OnlineCARE* Youth Coach Guilty In Beaning * No Brats Allowed!PUBLIC HEALTH* Expanded FDA Review Sought into Safety of Mercury/Silver DentalCOMMENTARY* Autism and Vaccines:

Making A ConnectionLETTERS* Autism Increase Is National CrisisEDUCATIONSpecial-Education Idea Raises Legal Issues Proposal OKs public money for private schoolsBy Deborah Yetter for The Courier-Journal http://tinyurl.com/h5l6mNote: some other states already provide this critically important"non-public school" option to parents of disabled children. - ed.Betsy Gibbs said the skills her autistic daughter learned inprivate school and through therapy began to disappear after only a few weeksin a public elementary school."It fell apart so fast," said Gibbs, of Louisville, KY who said shenow teaches , 13, at home after battling unsuccessfully with schoolofficials for better services.So yesterday Gibbs joined about 12 other parents to endorse proposedlegislation that would let them choose another school -- public or private-- if they are unhappy with special education

at their public school. Thestate would pay the tuition with money from the former school.Potentially the measure could affect about 110,000 children inKentucky public schools who have a learning disability, which the stateEducation Department says is up 25,000 from 10 years ago.Rep. Stan Lee, R-Lexington, said he's hearing from an increasingnumber of parents frustrated with services in their local schools and unableto find solutions."This gives the education choice back to the parents where we believeit belongs," said Lee, who plans to sponsor the measure in the 2007legislative session with Rep. Floyd, R-Bardstown.The proposal drew immediate questions from some lawmakers and theKentucky Education Association, who criticized the use of public money forprivate schools.An organization supporting the bill, Bluegrass Institute, anonpartisan Kentucky advocacy group, said Florida, Ohio, Utah and, mostrecently,

Arizona have enacted legislation similar to Lee's.But the amount of support for such a bill in Kentucky was unclear."That's probably unconstitutional and bad public policy," said stateRep. Lou Marzian, D-Louisville and a member of the House EducationCommittee. "Surely the House will see that it's a misuse of public funds."Senate President , R-Burkesville, said through aspokeswoman only that he is "not familiar with the bill."Lee said some members of the Senate pledged their support but hedeclined to identify them.State Rep. Reggie Meeks, D-Louisville, and on the House EducationCommittee, said he would oppose taking money out of public schools at theexpense of those who remain -- including the many minority, immigrant andpoor students also in need of extra services."Obviously there's a danger here," he said.Lee acknowledged the measure will face stiff opposition and that pastmeasures for school

vouchers have failed in the legislature. But he said hebelieves parents dissatisfied with their children's special education won'tlet the matter die.Constitutional question Ann Blankenship, executive director of the KEA, said the teachersorganization has not seen Lee's proposal but would oppose it."We think that all of us who care about kids in Kentucky should bespending our energy making sure every public school is a great publicschool," Blankenship said.Blankenship defended public schools and teachers."Schools have an obligation to give students an appropriate educationand I think they generally do a good job," she said.The state Education Department has no position on the bill, saidspokeswoman Gross, but pointed out a potential problem."The Constitution of Kentucky effectively prohibits spending publicmoney on private schools," she said. "I don't know how this is going to meshwith that."But Jim

Waters, with the Bluegrass Institute, said he believes a U.S.Supreme Court ruling allowing school vouchers in Cleveland would permit theproposed "scholarship" program in Kentucky.He said his organization, linked to similar groups in other statesthrough the State Policy Network, will work to get the bill passed inKentucky."I want to call on all parents of children, particularly those withspecial needs, to support this legislation," he said.How it would workCalling it a scholarship rather than a voucher program, Lee said thebill he plans to file would allow the state to shift money from the formerschool to the new school of choice.Lee's proposal would work by redirecting state funds that pay the costof each child's education in public school.Currently the state spends an average of about $3,500 per student ayear -- but payments increase for students with learning disabilities. Forthose students, the state pays

schools from about $4,000 to $12,000 per yeardepending on the severity of the disability.Students now, in general, must attend their local schools unless theycan work out a specific agreement with a principal of another school theywish to attend.Lee's plan would allow parents dissatisfied with special educationservices to apply to the Education Department for scholarships of up to$12,000 a year to use at the school of their choice.Several parents who attended the announcement yesterday said they needto be allowed to have more choices than public schools can provide."This is a very big issue for me," said Theresa Fritz Camoriano, aLouisville lawyer who said she placed her daughter, , in a privateschool after she got tired of battling the public school bureaucracy forbetter services. Camoriano, 22, graduated from the high school and said she'snow doing well at the University of Louisville.

Albicocco of Louisville said he doesn't mind paying publicschool taxes even after he moved his son, 13, to a private school for betterservices. But the $12,000 a year tuition is a strain for him and his wife,, he said."There are many nights when my wife and I are wondering how we'regoing to pay the bills," he said. "All we want is a chance."-- > DO SOMETHING ABOUT AUTISM NOW < --SUBSCRIBE. . . !. . .Read, then Forward the Schafer Autism Report.To Subscribe http://www.SARnet.org/ $35 for 1 year - 200 issues, or No Cost Review Sub.!. . .RESEARCHCure Autism Now Announces 2006 Treatment Grants By Liz Bell, from the CAN latest newsletter http://tinyurl.com/l3p8eAs the basic science of autism reveals increasing clues to the natureof this disorder, the broader research community is showing greater interestand ingenuity with respect to treatment

options and translational research(applying laboratory findings and biomedical knowledge to clinicalapplications). With this growing interest as the backdrop, Cure Autism Now(CAN) held its annual treatment grant review meeting in Spring 2006. The CANTreatment Advisory Board reviewed and discussed 31 proposed autism treatmentgrants, up from only 11 grants submitted last year. "The most exciting partof the meeting was the progress in the overall level of the scientificstudies proposed," commented Treatment Advisory Board member EvdokiaAnagnostou, M.D., who treats individuals with autism at the Seaver Centerfor Autism at Mt. Sinai Medical School in New York City.As a parent-driven organization, Cure Autism Now views the translationof research into programs and interventions that have the possibility ofchanging the course of our children's futures as a high priority. CANsupports a diverse body of scientific initiatives for

the benefit ofproviding insights and practical outcomes to improve the lives and learningof individuals living with autism. These include: . Treatment Grants, announced below. A Clinical Trials Network, designed to standardize and speed upclinical trials, which is kicking off with a trial of memantine HCl (brandname Namenda). The Autism Treatment Network, which is laying the groundwork forcollaborative clinical research in medical issues related to autism. The Innovative Technology for Autism InitiativeCure Autism Now is pleased to announce the following projects,selected from the submitted proposals on the basis of scientific merit andresearch design, as CAN's 2006 Treatment Grants.While great effort usually goes into teaching spoken language tochildren with autism, relatively little effort is directed towards teachingthe other form of language that is central to human communication, namely,written

language. Agnes H. Whitaker, M.D., of Columbia University notes thatthis is particularly true for non-verbal children with autism, who are oftenassumed to be so impaired that any effort to teach language would be futile.Highlighting a few case reports of extensive written language abilities insome non-speaking individuals, Dr. Whitaker believes that teachingnon-verbal children written language would provide them access to theinvaluable skills of language and communication. This study will utilize A Light on Literacy, a program developed byDr. n Blank, to develop a mode for expressive language and writingability (both handwriting and keyboarding) in non-verbal children withautism. At the completion of the program, it is believed that the childrenwill recognize and write words, as well as exhibit comprehension, answerquestions and produce sentences about past, present and future events,resulting in a life-altering set

of skills that have been considered beyondthe reach of this population. This research also has significant potentialto change the view of the language and cognitive abilities that are present,but challenging to access, in children on the autism spectrum.+ Read more: http://tinyurl.com/l3p8e. . .ADVOCACYModel Autism Commission Meeting Available OnlineA new California Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism met forthe first time Wednesday in Sacramento. The purpose of the 16 memberCommission is to study issues including, but not limited to, the earlyidentification and intervention of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). TheCommission will also identify gaps in programs, services and funding relatedto the early identification, education and treatment of ASD and providerecommendations to close the identified gaps. The members serve at thepleasure of the California Assembly Speaker.The day-long

Commission meeting can be viewed online:http://tinyurl.com/gfke6. . .CAREYouth Coach Guilty In Beaning Offered $25 to hit autistic teammatehttp://tinyurl.com/kl8nvA youth baseball coach accused of offering an 8-year-old money to beanan autistic teammate so he couldn't play was convicted yesterday of twolesser charges against him, and evaded more serious charges in Uniontown,Pa.A jury convicted 29-year-old Mark R. Downs Jr. of corruption of minorsand criminal solicitation to commit simple assault, Fayette Countyauthorities said.Downs was acquitted of criminal solicitation to commit aggravatedassault, and jurors said they were deadlocked on a charge of recklessendangerment. The judge declared a mistrial on the endangerment charge.Authorities said Downs offered to pay one of his players $25 (U.S.) tohit a 9-year-old autistic teammate with a ball while warming up before aJune 2005

playoff game.Earlier, defence lawyer Shaffer told jurors that Downs wastelling the truth when he denied offering to pay Reese Jr. to hurtHarry Bowers, a mildly autistic and mildly mentally disabled boy.But Reese had testified about Downs' offer, saying he purposely threwa ball that hit Bowers in the groin then threw another ball that hit him inthe ear on Downs' instructions.Reese's father, Sr., testified that Downs acknowledged after thegame that he did something "ignorant" and confessed to the deed.. . .No Brats Allowed! Is American society increasingly intolerant of tots?By Clayton for MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14136994/Note: the technical term for aversion to children is misopedia, asubset of misanthropy. Although misopedia runs deep in American culture, theword only appears in fatter dictionaries. This reflects how it is practiced,yet is unspoken.

Misopedia hits children with disabilities like autismespecially hard, although this aspect is not addressed in this article. -ed.For Nooney's 3-year-old twin boys, playing with the theTrain set at their local bookstore in Southern California is a major thrill.Jack and Sam push , Arthur and friends down the track, they run aroundthe table, jump up and down - and, of course, they squeeeaal.Nooney expects as much in the children's section of the store. But ona recent afternoon, she was surprised by an employee who confronted her,calling her darling Jack a tyrant."He was a little loud but this is a children's section," says Nooney."They run a noisy, cavernous bookstore but they don't want kids to make anynoise? It just seems ridiculous and leads me to believe that they don't wantkids, they want silent kids."The bookstore is not the only place that likes quiet, controlledchildren - and isn't afraid

to say so. Across the nation, there are signs ofa low-burning uprising against children supposedly behaving badly in public.Eateries from California to Massachusetts have posted signs on doorsand menus saying "We love children, especially when they are tucked inchairs and well behaved" or "Kids must use indoor voices." In North Carolinaan online petition was started last year to establish child-free restaurants- the petition loosely compared dining with children to dining withcigarette smoke.In response to an MSNBC.com story about the controversy over pets inpublic places, some readers wrote in to say they'd much rather see a dog atdinner, the movies or the mall than little "cretins." Dogs are betterbehaved, they smell better and they're much cuter, wrote one reader.phine Charlton, a public relations consultant in West Hollywood,Calif., says she loves children but feels they are becoming public

nuisancesnonetheless. Her local Whole Foods has been overrun by "breeders" with anoversized sense of entitlement, she says, museums are now inappropriatelyclogged with strollers, and even first-class travel has morphed into "RomperRoom" in the air."You can't work on planes anymore because of kids running around,"says Charlton. She recalls a recent flight when parents allowed theirtoddler son to run up and down the aisle in first-class. "My friend said,'Hey, would you mind watching your child?' You would've thought he wanted tonail the kid to a cross!"Charlton, who doesn't have children but describes herself as anadoring godmother of two, says too many parents act as if the earth revolvesaround their children, and the general public should treat them as such. Yetkids are more out of control than ever, she says.Is it true? Are children these days allowed to run amok like neverbefore? Has public etiquette gone to

hell in a hand basket or - er - a DoraThe Explorer backpack? Or is society simply becoming more intolerant oflittle tikes?Etiquette maven Post Senning argues it's the latter. "Almostevery generation will try to say that the current generation is worse thanever," says Senning, director of the Post Institute, an organizationfounded in 1946 by our nation's first grand dame of good manners, Post, Senning's great-grandmother. "I don't think children are any worsethan they've ever been."Good parenting equals quiet kids? Diane M. Hoffman, an associateprofessor of education at the University of Virginia who studies how cultureinfluences parenting, agrees that society is becoming more child-unfriendly."We have a lot of pro-family, pro-child rhetoric out there but there'slittle action behind the words," she says. "We continually marginalizechildren."Hoffman notes that even experts and parenting resources

that aresupposedly child-centered can be blamed. Widely accepted standards of"good" American parenting such as giving children time-outs and namingemotions (e.g. "You don't hate your brother, you're just frustrated!") havehelped foster the notion that children are pint-sized puzzles for adults tofigure out and master rather than real human beings, she says.The "parenting industry" that has sprung up over the last few decades,she contends, promotes a style of parenting that leads both parents andonlookers alike to believe good (read: quiet) children are a reflection ofmastering proper parenting.+ Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14136994/OVER A HUNDRED NEW AUTISM RELATED EVENTS HAVEBEEN ADDED TO THE SAR CALENDAR IN THE LAST 2 WEEKS!CHECK IT OUT! http://www.sarnet.org/events. . .PUBLIC HEALTHExpanded FDA Review Sought into Safety of Mercury/Silver Dental Fillings

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=72425U.S. Newswire - In response to last week's groundbreaking vote by twoU.S. Food and Drug Administration panels to reject a staff white paper onthe safety of mercury-laden "silver" dental fillings, the dentists,physicians and scientists of the International Academy of Oral Medicine andToxicology have made a formal request to the FDA for an expanded review ofcurrent science on dental mercury amalgams; a definitive date for such ahearing; and a format that will assure that the full breadth of healtheffects is assessed.The Academy's request follows votes Sept. 7, by two FDA- selectedcommittee panels (Joint Panel), which by a 13-7 margin, rejected the FDA'sown report as insufficiently representative of current science on the healthrisks of what most consumers are told are silver fillings. Actually they areapproximately half mercury.Health risks identified by

scientists and health professionals thatappeared to be persuasive to the joint panels include: -- Harm to unbornbabies -- Mercury exposure from chewing and drinking beverages --Interaction with other metals and dental materials that increases risk ofharm -- Mercury's links to neurological diseases like Alzheimer's diseaseand autism -- Vulnerability of exceptionally sensitive people such aspregnant women and young children -- Lack of patient informed consent "Weapplaud the joint committee's courage to resist pressures to rubber-stampsupport for the safety of fillings that are still being used in many dentaloffices when the science shows that the claims of safety are unsupportable,"said Dr. Janet Stopka of Downers Grove, Ill., president of the Academy.Dr. Terry Messerman of Beachwood, Ohio, immediate past president ofthe Academy, added: "This one step of resisting business-as-usual and denialof pertinent science is a

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