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The Autistic Self Advocacy Network with the help of the Mitsubishi Electric American Foundation is launching a new program for Autistic college students. In August 2012, ASAN will be inviting 13-18 Autistic students to participate in the Autism Campus Inclusion leadership training.


Drawing from the powerful Navigating College handbook and the Empowering Autistic Leaders booklet scheduled for release in early 2012, participants will learn valuable skills to effect systems change in their individual campuses and increase their own skills in self-advocacy and self-help.


This is an exciting move forward for ASAN and we hope it can be an exciting move forward for you. If you are a current college undergraduate student who identifies on the Autism Spectrum, including Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, with a strong interest in the Disability Rights and Autistic Rights movements, we invite you to apply for this leadership training. Applicants must be currently enrolled in a higher education institute or college in the United States (including the District of Columbia), with at least one year left after completion of the leadership training.


If you have any more questions or comments, please direct them to Melody Latimer at mlatimer@autisticadvocacy.org


We look forward to hearing from you.


Thank you for your advocacy,


The Autistic Self Advocacy Network

 

Apply Now!
With special thanks to…

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) is a non-profit organization run by and for Autistic people, fighting for disability rights in the world of autism. Working in fields such as public policy, media representation, research and systems change, ASAN hopes to empower Autistic people across the world to take control of their own lives and the future of our common community.




ScienceDaily (Jan. 19, 2012) — Although the genetic basis of autism is now well established, a growing body of research also suggests that environmental factors may play a role in this serious developmental disorder affecting nearly one in 100 children. Using a unique study design, a new study suggests that low birth weight is an important environmental factor contributing to the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).


“Our study of discordant twins — twin pairs in which only one twin was affected by ASD — found birth weight to be a very strong predictor of autism spectrum disorder,” said Northwestern University researcher Molly Losh. Losh, who teaches and conducts research in Northwestern’s School of Communication, is lead author of the study that will be published in the journal Psychological Medicine and is now available online.


Prior twin studies have shown that when one identical twin had ASD, the other twin was much more likely to have ASD than not. “Because identical twins share virtually 100 percent of their genes, this is strong evidence for the role of genetics in autism,” said Losh. “Yet it is not 100 percent the case that ASD affects both identical twins in a twin pair.”


“That only one twin is affected by ASD in some identical twin pairs suggests that environmental factors may play a role either independently or in interaction with autism risk genes,” she added. “And because autism is a developmental disorder impacting brain development early on, it suggests that prenatal and perinatal environmental factors may be of particular importance.”


The researchers found that lower birth weight more than tripled the risk for autism spectrum disorder in identical twin pairs in which one twin had ASD and the other did not.


Read in Full:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143334.htm




Photographs of Buffalo’s landmarks and architectural detail are the main attraction of Summit’s 2012 calendar which is now available for $10 at Tops Markets in Erie County. Featured landmarks include Our Lady of Victory Basilica, the Ellicott Square Building, the Guaranty Building, and Delaware Park among others.


Students from Summit Academy, ages 5-18 and diagnosed with autism, took the photographs with little or no help from their teachers and aides. They were given brief instruction on how to use a camera and asked to photograph whatever they wanted. The results are compiled in a beautiful, four-color calendar. Proceeds from the sale will benefit Summit Educational Resources.

 

Order 2012 Summit Calendar


Source:

http://www.summited.org/through-their-eyes-2012.html

 

Related Article


Amazing Calendar From Autistic Individuals(Includes Video):

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/149741/1/Amazing-Calendar-From-Individuals-With-Autism

 




Posted On: January 10, 2012 – 5:31am


These days, we hear a lot about the disorder of autism, but researchers at the University of Utah have created a program that helps kids with autism focus on building their skills and utilizing an aptitude for visual-spatial thinking, computers and other electronic media.


One of the program participants is 12-year-old Christopher Charles, who was diagnosed with what’s now known as high-functioning autism when he was 18 months old. His parents started him in therapies early on, but hadn’t found something that seemed to hold Christopher’s interest or accommodate his behaviors.


Chris has participated for the past year and a half in workshops at the University of Utah to teach 3D modeling software by Google called SketchUp. Cheryl Wright, associate professor of family and consumer studies, coordinated the workshops in partnership with Google’s Project Spectrum, an initiative to teach job skills to kids with autism. Steve Gross, a certified SketchUp instructor and designer for Universal Creative theme parks, leads the workshops.


Wright and her team soon found far greater benefits to these workshops than acquiring a skill set for potential employment, however. The sessions facilitated social engagement among the students and their peers, parents, siblings and even grandparents.

 


They have published a study about these findings in the December issue of Family & Consumer Sciences Research Journal. The study focuses on the effects of the workshops on individual students involved as well as on multiple generations within their families—an uncommon opportunity in the research on social interactions of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).


After just weeks in the workshops, Christopher Charles’ parents noticed a big difference. “Christopher spends hours on his design projects,” says his father Nik. “There are few activities that have been able to hold Christopher’s attention like SketchUp.” In fact, Christopher once noted that he wouldn’t miss the SketchUp sessions “even if aliens invaded the Earth.”


Read in Full:

http://www.sciencecodex.com/read/university_of_utah_google_seek_answers_for_autism-84088

 

Related Articles


Project Spectrum- Strengths of Autism Shine Through In 3D:

https://www.aspie-editorial.com/2011/01/22/project-spectrum-strengths-of-autism-shine-through-in-3d/


Sketch-A-Space Competition: Design The Perfect Room For An Autistic Person:

https://www.aspie-editorial.com/2011/01/22/sketch-a-space-competition-design-the-perfect-room-for-an-autistic-person/



Gary McKinnon

Gary McKinnon


Martin Bentham,

Home Affairs Editor

 

16 January, 2012.


Theresa May is preparing to abandon efforts to rewrite the Government’s extradition treaty with the US despite claims that it is unfair to British citizens.


The Home Secretary is understood to have concluded that altering the way that the law is written would have little practical effect.


Insiders say that she also accepts that the treaty, which was introduced in 2003, is not unbalanced and that critics’ accusations about flaws in the legislation are largely misplaced.


Mrs May’s decision follows the publication last year of a government-commissioned report on extradition law by the former Court of Appeal judge Sir Scott Baker.


It found that the “widespread perception” that arrangements with the US were unfair was “not justified” by the facts.


Despite the conclusions, a series of high-profile cases, including that of London computer hacker Gary McKinnon, have continued to prompt calls for reform.


The Home Secretary, whose party joined criticism of the legislation before the election, has concluded, however, that Sir Scott’s findings have shown that the law does not need significant changes.


Sources say that ministers acknowledge that they will have to “take a few hits” politically because of the decision, but that they feel bound to accept the former judge’s verdict because of the detailed way in which he conducted his analysis of the law.


The most crucial finding in Sir Scott’s report was that although different language is used in the legal tests applied by British and American courts, the hurdle that prosecutors must clear to secure extradition is equally high in both countries.


Read in Full:

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24028163-mays-u-turn-on-us-extradition-treaty.do


Previous Updates


Gary McKinnon Update: David Cameron and Barack Obama’s Press Conference: The Main Points:

https://www.aspie-editorial.com/2011/05/26/gary-mckinnon-update-david-cameron-and-barack-obamas-press-conference-the-main-points/




January 18, 2012


Bullies at the Malverne middle school have kicked, taunted, chased and harassed autistic eighth-grader Joel Luna Menjivar, according to his mother, Ana, who called the Herald in a desperate attempt to get help.

School administrators have given Luna Menjivar plenty of lip service, but taken little to no corrective action, said the Guatemala native, who is not a fluent English speaker. She said the problem has persisted throughout her son’s time in the middle school, but in recent months it has escalated. Two incidents in particular, both occurring in the Howard T. Herber Middle School cafeteria, stand out for her because they resulted in either physical injuries or trauma. In one case, she said, a student struck Joel in the face with a glass bottle and in another, a student tried to pull down his pants.

“He did not take it off … because Joel run away,” Luna Menjivar said, “but I don’t know where is the one-to-one [aide], where is the security, where is everybody, where is the teachers? For 20 or 25 minutes he [was] very scared.”

Joel speaks English well and can communicate at a relatively high level despite his autism, but he is still a special-needs student who has trouble socializing, his mother said, adding, “He is a good boy, he listens, he is respectful.” She praised the Malverne school district, its special education program and its teachers, who have helped her son achieve high grades. Joel is particularly gifted in math and takes an honors class. Luna Menjivar’s daughters, Angie, 11, and Giovanna, 8, also do well in school. But while the classrooms are safe places, Joel is subject to bullying in the hallways, the cafeteria, outside and after school, she said.



Caullum, pictured with his mother Lynne and a defibrillator, which gives the heart an electric shock in cases of cardiac arrest

Caullum, pictured with his mother Lynne and a defibrillator, which gives the heart an electric shock in cases of cardiac arrest


  • *Callum Massey stopped breathing after fight
  • *Doctors detected life-threatening heart condition and fitted him with pacemaker


By Sadie Whitelocks

Last updated at 5:19 PM on 18th January 2012


A schoolboy has revealed how a playground fight that left him unconscious, helped to unearth a life-threatening heart condition.


Callum Massey, 13, stopped breathing when he was punched by a fellow pupil and paramedics rushed to his rescue.


Unable to revive him fully for two days, doctors discovered he had an irregular heartbeat and he was fitted with a pacemaker-style device.


After a three month recovery Callum is now well enough to return to lessons although his illness has yet to be diagnosed.


His school has been given a mobile defibrillator by the British Heart Foundation, which can be used to give the heart an electric shock in during cardiac arrest.


His mother Lynne, 35, from Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, said: ‘The playground fight was what helped us find out that Callum had this condition in a strange kind of way.


‘It was a nightmare when it happened. It shows how fragile life can be.


‘I had a phone call saying there had been an accident. When we got to the school gates it was so terrifying.’


After the incident Callum was rushed to King’s Mill Hospital, and then transferred to Glenfield Hospital, in Leicester, where he spent more than three weeks being treated.


During that time doctors found Asperger’s Syndrome sufferer Callum had a potentially fatal heart condition which had previously been undetected.


He was fitted with an internal defibrillator to shock his heart if anything should happen again and prescribed with a daily dose of beta-blocker drugs, which are used to treat irregular heart conditions.


Hospital check-ups are also required every three months and his family have been warned it is a life-long condition.


Mother-of-three Mrs Massey, said she and her husband, Andrew, 35, were thankful for the actions of school staff.


The school’s caretaker and teaching assistant were among those who came to Callum’s aid.

 

Read in Full:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2088372/Saved-punch-Boy-13-given-life-preserving-treatment-playground-knockout-led-discovery-undiagnosed-heart-condition.html




Posted: January 18, 2012 – 11:04am


PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The parents of a 3-year-old New Jersey girl say she’s being denied a kidney transplant because of her mental disabilities, but experts caution the situation may be much more complex.


The girl’s mother, Chrissy Rivera, last week posted a blog entry that described an encounter she claimed happened at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She said she was there to discuss treatment for her daughter, Amelia, who was born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare genetic defect that can cause physical and mental disabilities.


Rivera wrote that a doctor, whom she did not name, told her and her husband, Joe Rivera, that Amelia wouldn’t be eligible for a transplant because of her quality of life and her mental condition.


“I put my hand up. ‘Stop talking for a minute. Did you just say that Amelia shouldn’t have the transplant done because she is mentally retarded. I am confused. Did you really just say that?'” she wrote. “I begin to shake. My whole body trembles and he begins to tell me how she will never be able to get on the waiting list because she is mentally retarded.”


Rivera’s story was seen by Sunday Stilwell, the mother of two severely autistic boys, and she began an online petition last Friday, demanding that the hospital give a transplant to the girl. By Wednesday morning, nearly 25,600 people had signed it.


“I read Chrissy’s original blog post, and I just cried. I couldn’t believe it,” said Stilwell, whose boys are 6 and 9. “I shared it on Twitter with all my followers and on Facebook.”


Children’s Hospital said in a statement that it “does not disqualify potential transplant candidates on the basis of intellectual abilities.”


“We have transplanted many children with a wide range of disabilities, including physical and intellectual disabilities,” it said, adding that it is “deeply committed” to providing the best possible medical care for all children, including those with disabilities.


The hospital did not comment further, citing patient confidentiality laws, but noted the debate on its Facebook page.


“We’re listening. We hear your concerns and take seriously your posts, emails and phone calls,” it wrote, adding, “Please know that you have been heard and that your feedback is appreciated.”


Read in Full:

http://amarillo.com/news/national-news/2012-01-18/disabled-girl-denied-life-saving-transplant#.Txl7oCM0FJh




Unlike most modern countries, the Autism Spectrum in France is viewed as a disease that can and should be cured. The dark-ages culture of neglect and abuse remains extremely strong. The documentary The Wall or Psychoanalysis Put to the Test for Autism reveals how outdated theories haunt Autism there.

David Heurtevent is a 32 year-old autistic self-advocate from France. He has travelled extensively and even got a degree from Georgetown. We invited him to share his views on the issue of autism in France and to explain how you too can help.



Blue Sun


By Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.
Associate Editor


“Depression is an illness that requires a good deal of self-care,” writes psychologist Deborah Serani, PsyD, in her excellent book Living with Depression: Why Biology and Biography Matter along the Path to Hope and Healing.


But this might seem easier said than done, because when you have depression, the idea of taking care of anything feels like adding another boulder to your already heavy load. Serani understands firsthand the pain and exhaustion of depression. In addition to helping clients manage their depression, Serani works to manage her own, and shares her experiences in Living with Depression.


If you’re feeling better, you might ditch certain self-care habits, too. Maybe you skip a few therapy sessions, miss your medication or shirk other treatment tools. According to Serani, as some people improve, they get relaxed about their treatment plan, and before they know it are blinded to the warning signs and suffer a relapse.


Because skimping on self-care is a slippery slope to relapse, Serani provides readers with effective tips in her book. As a whole, the best things you can do to stave off relapse are to stick to your treatment plan and create a healthy environment. I’ve summarized her valuable suggestions below.


1. Attend your therapy sessions. As you’re feeling better, you might be tempted to skip a session or two or five. Instead, attend all sessions, and discuss your reluctance with your therapist. If changes are warranted, Serani says, you and your therapist can make the necessary adjustments.


Either way, discussing your reluctance can bring about important insights. As Serani writes:

Personally, the times I skipped sessions with my therapist showed me that I was avoiding profound subjects — or that I was reacting defensively to something in my life. Talking instead of walking showed me how self-defeating patterns were operating and that I needed to address these tendencies.


2. Take your meds as prescribed. Missing a dose can interfere with your medication’s effectiveness, and your symptoms might return. Alcohol and drugs also can mess with your meds. Stopping medication altogether might trigger discontinuation syndrome. If you’d like to stop taking your medication, don’t do it on your own. Talk with your prescribing physician so you can get off your medication slowly and properly.


Serani is diligent about taking her antidepressant medication and talks with her pharmacist frequently to make sure that over-the-counter medicines don’t interfere. With the help of her doctor, Serani was able to stop taking her medication. But her depression eventually returned. She writes:

…At first, it was upsetting to think that my neurobiology required ongoing repair and that I’d be one of the 20 percent of individuals who need medication for the rest of their lives. Over time, I came to view my depression as a chronic condition — one that required me to take medication much like a child with diabetes takes insulin, an adult with epilepsy takes antiseizure medication, or someone with poor eyesight wears glasses…


3. Get enough sleep.  Sleep has a big impact on mood disorders. As Serani explains, too little sleep exacerbates mania and too much sleep worsens depression. So it’s important to keep a consistent sleep and wake cycle along with maintaining healthy sleeping habits.


Sometimes adjusting your medication can help with sleep. Your doctor might prescribe a different dose or have you take your medication at a different time. For instance, when Serani started taking Prozac, one of the side effects was insomnia. Her doctor suggested taking the medication in the morning, and her sleeping problems dissipated.


For Serani, catnaps help with her fatigue. But she caps her naps at 30 minutes. She also doesn’t tackle potentially stressful tasks before bed, such as paying bills or making big decisions.


(If you’re struggling with insomnia, here’s an effective solution, which doesn’t have the side effects of sleep aids.)


4. Get moving. Depression’s debilitating and depleting effects make it difficult to get up and get moving. Serani can relate to these effects. She writes:

The lethargy of depression can make exercise seem like impossibility. I know, I grew roots and collected dust when I was anchored to my depression. I can still recall how getting out of bed was a feat in and of itself. I could barely fight gravity to sit up. My body was so heavy and everything hurt.


But moving helps decrease depression. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, start small with gentle movements like stretching, deep breathing, taking a shower or doing household chores. When you can, add more active activities such as walking, yoga or playing with your kids or whatever it is you enjoy.


It might help to get support, too. For instance, Serani scheduled walking dates with her neighbors. She also prefers to run errands and do household chores every day so she’s moving regularly.


5. Eat well. We know that nourishing our bodies with vitamins and minerals is key to our health. The same is true for depression. Poor nutrition can actually exacerbate exhaustion and impact cognition and mood.


Still, you might be too exhausted to shop for groceries or make meals. Serani suggests checking out online shopping options. Some local markets and stores will offer delivery services. Or you can ask your loved ones to cook a few meals for you. Another option is Meals-on-Wheels, which some religious and community organizations offer.


6. Know your triggers. In order to prevent relapse, it’s important to know what pushes your buttons and worsens your functioning. For instance, Serani is selective with the people she lets into her life, makes sure to keep a balanced calendar, doesn’t watch violent or abuse-laden films (the movie “Sophie’s Choice” sidelined her for weeks) and has a tough time tolerating loud or excessively stimulating environments.


Once you pinpoint your triggers, express them to others so your boundaries are honored.


7. Avoid people who are toxic. Toxic individuals are like emotional vampires, who “suck the life out of you,” according to Serani. They may be envious, judgmental and competitive. If you can’t stop seeing these people in general, limit your exposure and try having healthier individuals around when you’re hanging out with the toxic ones.


Read in Full:

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/01/18/9-ways-to-take-care-of-yourself-when-you-have-depression/