Thanks everyone for the kind words on the picnic. I truly appreciate it!

I wish I had more time to be cordial, hang out and talk. For next year: I have learned so very, very much on what to do and WHAT NOT TO DO next time. Thanks for allowing me to learn. I felt like a piece of salt water taffy being pulled in a gazillion directions. Next year, I will do better. This year was a learning experience.

We will land somewhere near $30,000 in funds raised. Thanks for all your support -- it is appreciated. The $30,000 will greatly offset TACA’s annual budget of $80,000 to support families. (FYI: No one makes a salary at TACA.) Anyone interested regarding the budget and what we do, please email me or see the website.

THE OC REGISTER article was AMAZING. I loved the photos!! (Thanks to the Thompson family and the Bdaiwi families!!! And the Landon family for the amazing quote.)

Raising the funds was wonderful – the article to raise awareness makes it a dream come true.
Here is some of it:

Dina Bdaiwi, 9, whose brother was diagnosed with Asperger’s, a disorder related to autism, chases bubbles during the TACA fund-raiser. Leonard Ortiz, The Orange County Register MORE PHOTOS MULTIMEDIA For more information about autism and for details on support groups in Orange County, click here. QUOTE "We are not bad parents, and we do not have bad kids. This is the hardest thing I've had to go through." – Julie Landon, whose son, Noah, 6, is autistic Monday, September 27, 2004 Awareness bubbles Group holds its first fund-raiser to increase the public's understanding of autism. It was a day to play, eat, laugh - and not worry about what other people thought about your child. About 375 parents and children picnicked Sunday at Irvine Regional Park in Orange to help raise awareness about autism, a disorder that impairs one's ability to communicate or otherwise interact with the world. That inability, in turn, often prompts disapproval from parents and others who don't understand the condition. To help with that, the nonprofit group that co-sponsored the picnic, Talk About Curing Autism, distributed cards that read: "My child's behavior may be disturbing to you. It's not that my child is misbehaving or spoiled. My child has autism." Through 15 corporate sponsors, the group raised $30,000 at Sunday's inaugural picnic. – Diana McCabe, The Orange County Register Link: http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/09/27/sections/local/local/article_255251.php THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED AND SPONSORED!! SORRY TO ALL WHO WERE TURNED AWAY. NEXT YEAR WE WILL HAVE A BIGGER VENUE. I AM SADDENED THAT OVER 150 PEOPLE WERE TURNED AWAY. It was a wonderful day for me. I appreciate it. The TACA web site has photos, thank you’s for our sponsors, donations-in-kind and volunteers! Check it out right on the front page at www.tacanow.org

California Governor Schwarzenegger this past week signed into law AB 2943 (Pavley), the bill that will ban the use of mercury containing vaccines in California by 2006.

On behalf of California's children and the parents of those children who have suffered the effects of vaccine induced autism, I congratulate and honor the courageous and compassionate decision today by Governor Schwarzenegger to sign this landmark legislation. With his action today, the Governor has sent a strong message that vaccines that contain mercury have no place in the veins of California's pregnant women and young children.

Once again this Governor has demonstrated the uncompromising ability to listen to common sense and logic while at the same time rejecting special interest pressures when deciding the fate of an important public policy issue. Young California children and pregnant women will now be spared the unnecessary exposure to one of the many potent neurotoxins and poisons that are found in our vaccines.

The entire California autism community is eternally grateful for the Governor's historic and precedent setting action, and especially those of us who live daily with children who suffer from the effects of vaccine induced autism. We in California can only hope that all other states as well as the federal government follows California's lead on this important public health issue.

Special thanks to all involved including the wonderful Rick Rollens!
For more info: http://www.joinarnold.com/en/

(Date Corrected!!)

Attention Fathers, Grandfathers and MALE caregivers of T.A.C.A. families...

Come one and all to a “MENS NIGHT OUT.”

This is an opportunity for the MEN of T.A.C.A. to get together with our kids and share company. Please feel free to bring your kids (And give the ladies a few hours of well deserved rest).

The first get-together to be held at:

Skosh Monnihan's
2000 Newport Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Phone (949) 548-0099

DATE & TIME: Saturday, October 23rd at 4:00 p.m.

Skosh's has a menu of GF/CF foods that our kids can enjoy while the men enjoy a game (or at very least catch up on the scores) on the big-screen. (Did I mention that they have excellent steaks and a full bar?)

For further info:
Bryan Barboza
(Joey's Dad)

714-396-4417
dad2joey@adelphia.net

Note: TACA is extremely grateful for Joey’s dad to offer and coordinate these much needed efforts! THANKS BRYAN!

7. DAN! Conference Follow UP & Notes

As reported by parent LYNNE ARNOLD! (THANKS LYNNE FOR THE NICE RE-CAP)

This was my third DAN! conference, so in my case, it was more that I now better understand some of the mechanisms rather than discovering new information.

However here's some thoughts from my notes:

--Dr. Andrew Levinson mentioned DMSA suppositories. I had never heard of this type of application. Thought it would be helpful for parents who have problems with yeast during chelation. He talked about how some supplements that cannot be tolerated via the gut could be compounded for transdermal application.

--Dr. Sidney Baker wants to hear from parents whose child has had urine that smells like maple syrup and also from those with ASD twins who have NOT had any bio-med intervention. His email is sidneymb@aol.com.]

--Dr. Anju Usman reviewed a case study of a 14.5 year old child who finally made major progress after 11 years of intervention. A wonderful hit run for this family. I thought this was so incredibly inspiring for parents who are discouraged and possibly thinking of quitting.

--At AutismOne, I went to Tamara Jo Mariea's session on FIR Sauna Therapy. Been thinking about it ever since. She was invited to have a booth at the DAN! conference, so I got a chance to speak with her again and I think this is something that I would like to pursue because I think pesticides and other chemical exposures may be a problem for my child and my children I know in our farming community.
At the parent round table session, I asked Dr. Kenneth Bock about his thoughts about pesticides, sauna therapy and the DAN! protocol. He said that he believes that pesticides/chemicals are probably a problem for lots of our kids and there isn't much in the DAN! protocol specifically addressing this. Bock said that for pesticides the glutathione axis and sauna therapy would be good methods. Says he knows some kids who are doing sauna therapy. This is definitely something I want to pursue.

--Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was only briefly mentioned. Dr. McCandless said that she wants to check into it for Chelsey. At a TACA meeting last month featuring parents of recovered kids, a parent said that hyperbaric had been key for her child. They went to Canada to do it because it was less expensive than in the US. Another therapy I would like to try.

--Everybody was talking about TD-DMPS, but it wasn't really part of the conference. Buttar had a session across the street that lots of people attended. Dr. McCandless seemed to be the only one who spent any time talking about his protocol; perhaps because she is doing it in her practice and with her granddaughter. We have the stuff and will be starting on it as soon as we finish phasing in higher levels of minerals for my son.

--It was awesome to see the recovered kids that Lou Diamond Phillips interviewed on the stage. They were so darned cute and funny. It was great when one kid was telling Lou about how kids from the opposing team had to play on his soccer team because some kids on his team weren't there. He kept asking Lou, "Do you get it?" This kid was a charmer.

--As Lisa Lewis suggested, I immediately signed up for the ANDI Parent Support System so that I can provide dietary support to parents in my area.

--Dr. Jeff Bradstreet made us say repeatedly, out loud in unison, so that we will never, ever forget it: Glutathione is Essential!

--The clinical information on methylcobalamin b12 keeps getting better. Dr. Jim Neubrander says that now 9 out of 10 kids are responders. Isn't that amazing? He's doing an open clinical trial. His parent report form asks parents to rate the kids on 136 areas of improvement. The top three areas that 90% of the kids see progress:

1. Greater executive function
2. Speech and language
3. Emotion and socialization

Neubrander said that now he is finding that some kids may need to be on MB12 for 6-12 weeks before the parents will see improvement. With these kids the methylation cycle is so deficient that they need a LOT before improvement will surface.

Neubrander also said that some kids experience hyperactivity on MB12 and initially some parents were quitting because of it. He says you really have to look at the type of hyperactivity to determine how to proceed. For some kids, it's the Rip Van Winkle effect: it's like they have been asleep for nearly all of their lives and now that MB12 has brought them to awareness, they can't get enough of everything in their life. This is what he referred to as "purposeful hyperactivity." If the parent says the hyperactivity is purposeful and lots of other good things are happening, he recommends staying the course. Another side effect initially is often mouthing objects (but sorry can't remember what he said to do about this).

The DAN! Think Tank chose MB12 as the modality they want the MIND Institute at UC Davis to study. This is very, very exciting because this means that potentially many more children will experience the benefit of this
intervention.

--Dr. McCandless reminded us all to hang tough with our kids and not to spoil them. It was a good reminder that our kids need to do chores around the house and take on responsibilities within the family. Of course, she gave lots of good bio-med info, but since she's my son's doctor, I didn't write much down. (See related article in this E-news in section 8 on this VERY topic!!)

--Of course, the speakers touched on GFCF and SCD quite a bit. I heard from lots of parents who were doing all types of variations on diets. As always, nothing seems to work for everyone. Only one consensus: Get rid of the refined sugar!!

Okay, that's it. I'm not much of a note-taker (plus much info is contained in the proceedings so that you don't have to write everything down), so this is all I have from 3+ days of listening to speakers. I'd love to hear from anyone who has any other information. It's always so interesting to hear what someone else took from listening to the same speaker. It was a three-hour drive home for me and my friend (she's new to DAN!)--all the way home I quizzed her on what she thought she might do now and debated many points.

Wish you all could have been there! It was great and really inspiring to hear directly from so many fabulous doctors and researchers (and of course, accosting them in the hallways to ask questions about my kid!). HOWEVER, as always, one of the best parts of the conference is meeting other parents and asking them what they are doing and how it is helping their child. Nothing beats parent-to-parent advice.

It was wonderful meeting so many of you at the conference who I have met online. I really appreciated those of you who came up to introduce yourselves. Hope to see you at the next conference!

Thanks,
Lynne

LISA’s DAN! COMMENTS:

Sorry, I could not leave out my comments! This was my fifth DAN! and I am glad I went. It is always the best conference each year of all the conferences I go to. But then again – I love the biomedical aspects of this conference as this area continues to offer so much promise for all our kids.
The best part of the conference? Here is what I liked:

1. 1) The recovered children: They did an amazing presentation of 8 or so kids on the stage with their parents. I was in the “prep” room before the presentation and I have to say – as skeptical as I was of this presentation – it was truly amazing. I could not spot an autistic trait among the children. In talking with their parents, I was awestruck by how far these kids have come. It provided so much hope for the entire audience and not a dry eye in the house was found. In addition – the exchange between Lou Diamond Phillips (Hollywood actor) and the children was so beautiful!!! You could NOT have staged anything better in Hollywood with millions of dollars in budget. It was priceless and demonstrated a bunch of typical kids on stage. It was the best part of the conference.
2. Lou Diamond Phillips’ connection to autism? He is a nice guy who happens to be playing a person on the spectrum in an upcoming movie. It was truly heartwarming to see him there and his charisma and joy about the children was amazing and heartwarming.
3. The number of TACA families: There had to be over 30 of us there. I loved seeing all my friends.
4. The number of new families with children young and old: the audience was made up of over 1,200 attendees and at least for 1,000 – this was their FIRST DAN! conference. The interesting part: They were of children YOUNG AND OLD. I was inspired to see such a diverse age group represented and the desire to learn about the biomedical aspects of autism.
5. Governor Arnold APPROVED AB 2943 TO PROHIBIT MERCURY VACCINES in 2006! Attendees all got a chance to applaud and thank him for these efforts. The video is being mailed to the Governor’s office. These are truly landmark efforts!
6. Thanks to Dana Gorman for setting up the free conference Friday night featuring Dr Buttar. I heard it was inspirational and wonderful! Great job DANA!
   

Now, how do speakers get chosen for DAN? I spent some time talking to organizer Dr. Bernard Rimland and others there. They have a DAN! Think Tank prior to the DAN! Conference and many are asked to submit abstracts for presentation. These abstracts are reviewed by the DAN! Think Tank (which is comprised of 20+ doctors and professionals) for validity and applicability for DAN presentations. It is always interesting to me as to who gets on the agenda and, more importantly, who does not. I am not sure about the politics or the response to call for papers for the Think Tank but it is an interesting process that always nets out amazing presentations each year. I will go again next year. Dr Rimland is the ultimate rock star in my book.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
For upcoming DAN! Conference schedules and presentations: http://www.danconference.com/
If you missed out, you can order the audio (CD or tape) or DVD’s at http://www.instatapes.com/

8. Are you Babying Your Special Needs Child! (BABY!)

Are you babying your special needs baby (child)?

By Lisa Ackerman – August 2004

This article is hard for me to write. As I outlined the items below, I found myself guilty of many of the items identified with my own child. But at the same time, writing this article gives me the strength to address more of my child's needs in a proactive fashion and move him forward - because that is my job as a parent. My goal is that some day, Jeff won’t need me anymore.

First, I need to acknowledge that we all have thoughts and dreams for our child -- whose color eyes will my baby have, what will his personality be like, what is she going to be when grown up, and hundreds of other questions and curiosities. No parent plans on having a special needs child. I have found that once a child is diagnosed with a disability, many parents, myself included, resort to babying that child out of extreme love, sadness regarding the disability, and continued hope for that child. In addition, many disabilities are so unique and complex that moving a child along developmentally to help them graduate to self-reliance is not always possible. This article is geared to those families with a child who can developmentally move along and has no physical or other limitations in doing so. We, the parents, need to take that first important step, acknowledging that we need to move our child forward in ALL SKILLS, including self-help skills, just as we would for a typical child.

The chronic condition many parents suffer from with a child with high functioning autism, Asperger Syndrome or other learning disabilities is that we seem to fall into routines and ruts which our child relies upon, and sometimes that can be part of their disability.

These routines and ruts can include some of the following:

• Nighttime rituals including using a baby bottle well beyond the age of 2.
• Skipping toilet training for either urination or bowel movements or both beyond the age of 4.
• Allowing children to play with toys or watch movies that many younger children would enjoy when the child’s age is well beyond what is chronologically appropriate.
• Speaking to a special needs child in a baby voice versus a natural voice well beyond the baby years.
• Allowing the special needs child to receive requests with minimal communication efforts (i.e., a child who speaks and is capable of additional speech asking for a cookie with the single word "cookie." Or a child using PECS - allowing them to communicate without pictures but just with gestures, or the parent guessing the need before oral communication is attempted).
• Pacifiers used beyond the age of 2 or 3.
• Hundreds of toys micro-managed and the loss of one toy results in a major tantrum.
• Excluding food allergy issues - allowing the child to pick and choose baby foods or the same foods without expanding the food repertoire beyond the age of 4.
• “Owning” the television or computer and not developing healthy sharing habits with other family members or close relatives.
• Sleeping with the parents and refusing to sleep in their own bed or room.
• Completely dressing your child when they are 4 or older.
• Catering to the child’s needs by tying their shoes, or getting their snacks and drinks when the child is capable of serving himself.
• Interfering with therapy time (i.e., staying in the room or interrupting professionals).
• Allowing the special needs child to run your family life.
• Letting the diagnosis be the excuse for all bad behaviors.
• Fill in your favorite issue here…

As a parent of an autistic boy, these are all issues I have tackled and continue to keep in check every day. These issues can be complex, exceedingly difficult to manage or change, and often I hear other parents letting me know they “pick their battles wisely." Besides picking the battles, many parents - of typical or special needs children - are exhausted just keeping their heads above water, day in and day out.

My suggestion to the parents who have children aging chronologically but not developmentally in life skills and stuck in habits or rituals is to break out of that mold and push their child to reach their true capabilities. Ask yourself: "How will I know if this child is not capable if I don't try?" Know this - you can break the mold and set your child and your family up for success.

Here are some suggestions and step-by-step instructions on identifying common behavior-based problems.

Step One:
A simple place to start is to keep a daily journal and look for those routines and habits that should be changed. It is important to identify them all accurately and honestly in a list. You can use your friends, therapists and family members to help identify these items based on experiences of typical children.

Step Two:
The next step would be to review them with your spouse or partner to identify the habits that are the most blatantly "too young" for your child. Then prioritize which ones you would like to see your child eliminate or graduate to the next step. (Yes, this could be the hardest step!)

Step Three:
Finally, review and set goals with your service providers. Have them work with you on a plan during therapy and the critical at-home-with-parent hours in graduating your child to the next step or eliminating a routine. An important note, I find that many service providers have children with whom they have worked and can offer a variety of strategies. As a parent, it may be extremely annoying to receive advice on childrearing (especially from an expert who does not have a child or live with yours), but any advice can help to unlock and solve that issue. Be open to hearing the advice and utilizing suggestions that can help your child graduate.

Now that you have your list and are ready to move your child forward, here are some samples of graduating your child to next steps. I provide these as solid examples of changing routines and habits because I have done these with my special needs child.

Some examples:

1) Moving a child from a bottle to a sippy cup, then from a sippy cup to a cup.

Steps:

Bottle to Sippy Cup:
• First purchase bottles, sippy cups and regular cups that have a similar color and style.
• Go “cold turkey” and throw out all old bottles and start with the newly purchased items and bottles.
• Once the child is used to the new bottles, change the nipples and make the hole so large the liquid pours out too quickly and makes a mess. (Note: Parents must be willing to make a big mess in this step. Changing the child’s clothes because they frequently get wet is good during this step. It may solve another issue as well!)
• Then move to the sippy cups. Start first by modifying the sippy cup by drilling a hole that is just large enough to fit the straw thru the sippy part of the cup. Gently poke the straw through the cup to be out only 1 millimeter. Reward the child often for drinking out of the cup.
• Move the straw out one millimeter at a time. Over 1-2 weeks, the straw should be completely out.
• Move completely towards a regular straw out of a regular sippy cup.

Sippy cup to typical cup:
• Cut the sippy cup straws to be very difficult in getting the liquid out through the straw.
• Give your child their favorite drinks in the bath tub or out in the back yard naked on a hot day. This way, they won't be angry about the liquid making them wet. (Often it is a sensory issue of feeling the liquid on their clothes, or them spilling once that limits their desire to try again.)
• Reward often for drinking from cups.
• Remove the sippy cup lid and use only a regular straw.
• Remove the sippy cup lid and use no straw.

2) Getting your already sleeping through the night child into their own bed

Where to start:

• First, move the child’s bed into your bedroom immediately next to your bed. Tell yourself this is going to take a month and loss of sleep during that time will occur. Set up their bed to have the same type of pillows, sheets and similar comforter and colors as your bed.
• You sleep in the child’s bed next to them sleeping in your bed for 1-3 nights.
• Move your child into their bed and you sleep with them in their bed for one night.
• The next night, you sleep in your bed and the child sleeps in their bed next to you. Use your hand to reassure the child that you are there.
• After they can sleep in their bed next to your bed for several nights, move their bed 1 foot away from your bed.
• Over a period of 1-2 weeks, move their bed further and further away from your bed down into the hallway and out into their room. Important -- if the child awakes at night, reassure them that you are there and love them. It is OK for them to sleep on their own.

Note: An important element to sleep and night wakening can be a medical issue. It is important to remember that if your child sleeps the night with you, it is possible for them to sleep on their own. If your child awakes at night crying or screaming, seek the advice of a good doctor willing to listen and solve the problem.

3) Getting rid of an a non-age appropriate toy or series of toys.

Does Barney or similar character live in your house, is a beloved toy and your child is over the age of 5? It is time for Barney or similar character to retire!

• If the child has an inordinate amount of Barney toys and videos, start by removing one toy a week to a box in the garage. (It is important to have this box stored in a place where the child cannot reach or climb, and to not let them see you put the items in that box. If they see you, it is time for a new hiding place.)
• When the child starts looking for those particular toys, distract them with a new age-appropriate toy (i.e. from Barney to Sponge Bob). Remember - it is important to move up in age -- don't go laterally as in from Barney to Blue's Clues.
• In week 3, start removing four Barney toys a week. Be sure to introduce new age-appropriate toys as you take some away.
• In week 5, accelerate the loss of toys as fast as possible.

Important Notes:

a) You must avoid Barney (or other designated character) at all cost during this process in stores, friend’s houses, and with siblings!
b) While introducing a new series of toys that move up one, two or more years, you must be willing do the same exit strategy with that series of toys. With my son, removing the next group of toys was much simpler and more easily accepted. And finally, the last thing any parent wants is Barney the dinosaur in their 20-year-old’s hands - let alone that dinosaur in their house after age of 3!!!

Some Thoughts on Reinforcing:

I have found proper reinforcement can tackle almost any issue. This, combined with the strong will of both parents / partners to be successful in this transition process, can be extremely effective and rewarding. Tackle each item methodically, consistently and one at a time can be an easier, less overwhelming way to be successful and less stressful on everyone.

Some reinforcement suggestions include:

• Immediate reward of a favorite toy, food, TV program, or play activity.
• Be sure to sample various rewards – make sure the rewards are what the child wants and are not “tired” or overused.
• Be sure to reward each phase or step. Your child has to see the “forest through the trees” and know rewards will happen frequently. These frequent rewards will motivate each step and help your child be successful.
• Use motivating friends or relatives AND therapists to help the process by knowing your plans and reinforcing your child the same way you do.

Parent to parent, I encourage you to address any self-help or routine issues as early as possible. Please know it can be done.

Early on, Jeff’s life skills and play skills only graduated as I pushed him along. What I see today is that now Jeff is noticing his friends and is understanding socially what is acceptable and what is not. With the consistent efforts of our family, Jeff is moving forward on his own with new likes, dislikes, toys and habits every day! All the hard work of the tantrums and breaking out of the mold and old ruts are disappearing. More importantly, new ruts are not being established.

Related article:
- Getting Picky Kids to Eat!

Book sources:

• Toilet Training for Individuals with Autism and Related Disorders
  by Maria Wheeler
• A Treasure Chest of Behavioral Strategies for Individuals With Autism
  by Beth Fouse, Maria Wheeler
• The Out-Of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping With Sensory Integration Dysfunction
  by Carol Stock Kranowitz,
• The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids With Sensory Integration Dysfunction by Carol Stock Kranowitz

1. Parents of Special Needs Children Support Group
   
   We welcome you to attend our group, which will provide education, support, and counseling. This will be a small group setting with opportunity to share your experiences with other parents.

   Contact group leaders:
   Susan Gonzales, LCSW (310) 770-5009
   Karen Cladis, MFT (714) 490-3780
   New Group Beginning SOON! – Call for details
   Fee: $50.00 per meeting
   Time: Mondays 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
   Place: 19732 MacArthur Blvd, Suite 130 Irvine, Ca. 92612

   ---

2. Oct 14-16 Learning Disabilities Association @ Ontario Airport Marriott Hotel
   Louise Fundenberg, 949-673-5981 www.ldaca.org

   ---

3. Soma and Tito Mukhopadhyay and the Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) Save the Dates! Sept 18 and Oct 14-16 Full-day conference featuring Soma and Tito Mukhopadhyay and the Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) will take place on Sept 18 in San Diego (open to all). Individual RPM workshop sessions with Soma will still take place Oct 14 - 16 with the possibility for a limited number of participants and observers. These events are sponsored by The San Diego Chapter of the ASA, and HALO. More information and details will be posted by the end of Jun. Oct 14 - 16 San Diego Chantal Sicile-Kira csicilek@pacbell.net

   ---

4. Autism Conference - Educating Children with Autism: Services Needed & How to Obtain Them
   Speakers: B.J. Freeman, Ph.D., Kathleen L. Jernigan, J.D.
   Nov. 2 - 8am - 4 pm, $125
   NW Auditorium, UCLA Campus
   B.J. Freeman, Ph.D. or Kathleen L. Jernigan, J.D.
   bjfoo7ca@aol.com or jfisher@rcf.usc.edu 310-440-8543 or 310-670-6071

   ---

5. TASK (Team of Advocates for Special Kids) has some great workshops on a variety of different topics in different locations. Check them out at
   

   • Transition to Public School Saturday, October 9th - 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
     Covers the transition to public school from, an infant program to a pre-school program. Included is information on the assessment process, placement and services decisions, IEP preparations, and communication skills.
   • Tips and Pointers Wednesday, October 13th - 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
     Tried and true tips on how to positively advocate for your child by strengthening relationships and ensuring that your child is viewed as an individual.
   • Managing the Medical Maze Wednesday, November 17th - 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
     Parents and professionals will be provided an overview of various medical programs and supports available to support children with special needs. Included will be information on MediCal, In-Home Support Services and legislation that supports insurance coverage for children with autism and other medical conditions.
   • Toys Tips – Ideas and Options for Children with Special Needs Saturday, November 20th - 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
     Learn how to adapt a wide variety of toys, including books, puzzles or battery operated toys. When signing up for this workshop, please specify the type of toy that will be brought to class to adapt to ensure adequate supplies on hand.

   All South County TASK Workshops are held at:
   South O.C. Family Resource Center
   28191 Marguerite Parkway, Suite 19, Mission Viejo.
   Workshops are free!

   Reservations are required - Call (714) 533-8275 to reserve your spot!

   ---

6. Evaluation and Treatment of Autistic Spectrum Disorders Ricki Robinson, MD, MPH
   Saturday, November 13, 2004, Registration at 8:00 a.m. Conference Time: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
   Location: The Neighborhood House 5660 Copley Drive, San Diego, CA 92111
   

   Dr. Robinson is Co-Director of the Descanso Medical Center for Development and Learning in La Canada, California. She is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine at USC and Senior Attending Physician at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Dr. Robinson has been in private practice for 25 years and limits her practice to children on the autistic spectrum. Dr, Robinson, a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of autistic spectrum disorders, has also been a founding board member of Cure Autism Now Foundation and the Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning.

   Dr. Robinson will present two sessions:
   • A Biomedical Approach to the Evaluation of Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Development of Multi-Disciplinary Treatment Protocols
   • Demystifying Medication Management of Children with ASD

   Registration $120.00 (Continental breakfast provided; Lunch on your own)
   No refunds after November 1st, 2004.
   Registrations refunded before November 1 will be charged a $20 fee.
   This conference has been approved for 6.5 CME/CPD/MCEP credits for physicians, nurses, psychologists, speech pathologists, and audiologists for an additional fee of $20.
   For more information, please call Bonnie Corbin at the Children's Autism Intervention Center (858) 966-7453

   ---

7. The ADHD-Autism Connection Tour
   Author Diane M. Kennedy offers real help for parents, professionals & individuals facing social, communication & behavioral conditions such as ADHD, ODD, Autism, Asperger's Syndrome & related conditions.
   Dec 1 Los Angeles 8am-4pm. $135 professionals (3 or more $125 each); $100 parents & students
   Marriott LA Airport
   Deb Newton adhdautismconnection.com webmaster@adhdautismconnection.com 502-243-9110

   ---

8. FUNDRAISER:
   Great Autism Fundraiser and FUN with Autism Society of America:
   Web Site: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=easyride
   WHEN: 9:00 a.m. Registration, Ride begins at 10:00 am, Sunday October 10, 2004.

   WHERE: Ride begins at Bartel's Harley-Davidson, 4141 Lincoln Blvd., Marina Del Rey, and concludes at Newport Dunes Resort, 1131 Back Bay Dr., Newport Beach, WITH A CONCERT!

   WHY: To raise funds for the Autism Society of America's programs for children of Autism, autism research and to bring greater public awareness to the present epidemic state of autism.

   CONTACT: For more information or to pre-register for the "Easy Ride For Autism" event, please contact: Tiffany Gill at (800) 328-8476 X 124 or tgill@autism-society.or

Innovative school in Huntington Beach for pre-adolescent and adolescent students now open for enrollment.

The mission of Beacon Autism School (BAS) is to enhance the student’s sense of independence, strength, motivation, and determination. Through their experience at BAS, students move toward a greater level of contribution to family and community.

Beacon Autism School is unique in that it:

•works from a strong theoretical developmental base (Piaget)
•employs a transdisciplinary team of therapeutic and educational specialists to assist each student in reaching their
academic and social-emotional goals
•individualizes a dynamic, creative curriculum using one-on-one and small group instruction
•integrates vocational, social, and positive community interaction training throughout the curriculum
•applies ongoing assessments and closely monitors student progress
•understands the importance of frequent and meaningful communication with parents, referring schools, and the SELPA.

Minimum staff to student ratio is 1:3 with a maximum of 6 students per classroom.

BAS is dedicated to helping children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder achieve the best possible quality of life.

Please call Dr. Mary Lang at (949) 477-2144 or e-mail beaconautismschool@yahoo.com for more information.

I am happy to report that our Governor Arnold (we are on a first-name basis because I am so happy!) APPROVED AB 2943 TO PROHIBIT MERCURY VACCINES in 2006! This is wonderful news and sends a message to the rest of the US – mercury does not belong in vaccines! I want to thank everyone who sent a letter or fax to our governor to tell him what we wanted to happen – because it HAPPENED!! YEA!

I love getting emails with new foods and ideas for kids on special needs diets. Special thanks to Heather Koenig about a “CHEERIOS” like cereal that is OK for the GFCF Diet. It is made by Nu-world Amaranth and called Amaranth O's. I HAD TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU!!
Here is a link: http://www.nuworldamaranth.com/cart/products.asp?grouping_id=2

Jeff is very happy and thankful for a new treat that he missed dearly.

The DAN! Conference was incredible this past weekend. Be sure to read the conference wrap-up and info in this newsletter in Section 7. So many good things happened and it was worth the time and money to be there. The bottom line for many of us is that there is more we can do for our kids, both with traditional therapies (speech, occupational therapies, behavioral-based therapies) and bio-medically. This conference always demonstrates something new to consider, and we gain insight from doctors and researchers on the cutting edge who are working to help our children. Bottom line for you: NEVER give up hope. There is always something to consider and move on.

Hugs, thanks, and be SAFE,
Lisa A Jeff's mom