 
Friends, I would like to quickly bring you up to speed on this morning’s major announcements by the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard.
The announcement was made at the MS Australia’s headquarters, ‘The Nerve Centre’, in Blackburn today.
Below you will find brief extracts, but click on the links to read the documents in full.
Be sure to let me know your thoughts and feedback – if you would like to send me an email, my email address is bill.shorten.mp@aph.gov.au.
Regards,
Bill.
Â
Children with disability given a better start in life
The Gillard Labor Government will provide new access to early intervention services to help give more children with disability a better start in life.
Under Federal Labor’s new program, more children with disability will be entitled to the same benefits as under the Helping Children with Autism Package. This package represents a total investment of $122 million over four years.
Â
More supported accommodation for people with disability
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will establish a new capital fund to build innovative, community-based supported accommodation places for people with disability.
A total of $60 million will be provided over the next four years for this initiative, on top of the more than $6 billion provided to the States and Territories over five years from 2007 through the National Disability Agreement.
Â
National Disability Strategy
The Gillard Labor Government has released its draft National Disability Strategy which outlines a 10-year national plan to improve the lives of people with disability, promote participation, and create a more inclusive society.
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will take the National Disability Strategy to the Council of Australian Governments early next term.
 
By Catherine Faherty
Call Quote: We have far to go in understanding the unique challenges that women with autism or Asperger’s face.
BIO
Since 1990, Catherine has worked as a psychoeducational specialist at the Asheville TEACCH Center, one of the regional centers with the TEACCH Program through the University of North Carolina. She participates in weekly diagnostic evaluations for children and adults with autism, is a parent consultant and child therapist, consults to school programs, trains teachers and other professionals locally, nationally and internationally, and runs social groups for adults with autism. Catherine is the author of Asperger’s: What Does it Mean to Me? (2000, Future Horizons) and is a frequent presenter at conferences across the U.S.
A young woman who has participated for several years in a social group for adults with high functioning autism and Aspergers sponsored at our TEACCH Center in Asheville, recently remarked, “There aren’t a heck of a lot of women who have Aspergers or autism. The majority are males, and although we get along with the guys, there are some issues that they are never going to understand. I wish there was more information specifically for women who have autism.†Her comment prompted the initiation of the first women’s group at the Asheville TEACCH Center. While talking with this woman, who is in her 20’s, I was reminded of my own early adulthood. I remember the strong comradery and support of “women’s consciousness-raising groups†that sprouted up on college campuses and in living rooms in the 60’s and 70’s. While struggling for and demanding equality between the sexes in the society at large, we discovered that there were important distinctions that needed to be honored. Together we explored and defined what “being a woman†was about, in the company of other young women searching for self-awareness. Being a member of a women’s “CR†(Consciousness-Raising) group was educational, exciting, exhilarating, emotional, relevant…and never boring.
According to Tony Attwood and other professionals in the field, women with high functioning autism and Aspergers may be an underdiagnosed population. If this is true, some of the reasons may be attributed to gender differences.
Are there behaviors that are seen in girls with Aspergers, but not in boys, that we haven’t yet identified as part of the profile… or certain gender-related behavior that might fool us into ruling out the diagnosis? What about the “pretend play†that has been observed in many young girls at our center, which on the surface appears to be quite creative and imaginative? There seem to be many girls (on the spectrum) who are enamored with princesses, fantasy kingdoms, unicorns, and animalsÂÂ. How many diagnosticians observe these interests and skills as imagination, and rule out a diagnosis based on these behaviors? Might this interest in imaginary kingdoms and talking animals be more common among girls than boys, yet still exist alongside other autistic/AS traits?
And what about one typical response to confusion or frustration–hitting or other such outward expressions of frustration? Does this type of acting out occur more often in boys with autism than in girls? Is confusion or frustration simply easier to identify in boys than girls because we already look for it? Among the general population, it is commonly thought that boys do “act out†more than girls. (You sometimes hear teachers complain there are too many boys in his or her class, and its impact on the class’ personality!) Is it easier to identify boys as having autism because these behaviors are more obvious, than girls who may experience inward or passive signs of aggression?
Professionals whose task it is to diagnose individuals with autism or Asperger’s need to learn more about the full range of qualities and personality differences unique to girls and women on the spectrum.
Read in Full:Â http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/Aspergers_in_Women.htm
By Catherine Faherty
Call Quote: We have far to go in understanding the unique challenges that women with autism or Asperger’s face.
BIO
Since 1990, Catherine has worked as a psychoeducational specialist at the Asheville TEACCH Center, one of the regional centers with the TEACCH Program through the University of North Carolina. She participates in weekly diagnostic evaluations for children and adults with autism, is a parent consultant and child therapist, consults to school programs, trains teachers and other professionals locally, nationally and internationally, and runs social groups for adults with autism. Catherine is the author of Asperger’s: What Does it Mean to Me? (2000, Future Horizons) and is a frequent presenter at conferences across the U.S.
A young woman who has participated for several years in a social group for adults with high functioning autism and Aspergers sponsored at our TEACCH Center in Asheville, recently remarked, “There aren’t a heck of a lot of women who have Aspergers or autism. The majority are males, and although we get along with the guys, there are some issues that they are never going to understand. I wish there was more information specifically for women who have autism.†Her comment prompted the initiation of the first women’s group at the Asheville TEACCH Center. While talking with this woman, who is in her 20’s, I was reminded of my own early adulthood. I remember the strong comradery and support of “women’s consciousness-raising groups†that sprouted up on college campuses and in living rooms in the 60’s and 70’s. While struggling for and demanding equality between the sexes in the society at large, we discovered that there were important distinctions that needed to be honored. Together we explored and defined what “being a woman†was about, in the company of other young women searching for self-awareness. Being a member of a women’s “CR†(Consciousness-Raising) group was educational, exciting, exhilarating, emotional, relevant…and never boring.
According to Tony Attwood and other professionals in the field, women with high functioning autism and Aspergers may be an underdiagnosed population. If this is true, some of the reasons may be attributed to gender differences.
Are there behaviors that are seen in girls with Aspergers, but not in boys, that we haven’t yet identified as part of the profile… or certain gender-related behavior that might fool us into ruling out the diagnosis? What about the “pretend play†that has been observed in many young girls at our center, which on the surface appears to be quite creative and imaginative? There seem to be many girls (on the spectrum) who are enamored with princesses, fantasy kingdoms, unicorns, and animalsÂÂ. How many diagnosticians observe these interests and skills as imagination, and rule out a diagnosis based on these behaviors? Might this interest in imaginary kingdoms and talking animals be more common among girls than boys, yet still exist alongside other autistic/AS traits?
And what about one typical response to confusion or frustration–hitting or other such outward expressions of frustration? Does this type of acting out occur more often in boys with autism than in girls? Is confusion or frustration simply easier to identify in boys than girls because we already look for it? Among the general population, it is commonly thought that boys do “act out†more than girls. (You sometimes hear teachers complain there are too many boys in his or her class, and its impact on the class’ personality!) Is it easier to identify boys as having autism because these behaviors are more obvious, than girls who may experience inward or passive signs of aggression?
Professionals whose task it is to diagnose individuals with autism or Asperger’s need to learn more about the full range of qualities and personality differences unique to girls and women on the spectrum.
Read in Full:Â http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/Aspergers_in_Women.htm
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 28, 2010Â
People with bipolar disorder whose symptoms began in childhood have a worse prognosis as adults.
The earlier in life an individual’s bipolar symptoms appear, and the longer the illness goes undiagnosed and untreated, the more severe the illness seems to be throughout life.
According to Dr. Robert M. Post, from the Bipolar Collaborative Network in Bethesda, Md., “Both childhood onset and treatment delay were associated with a persistently more adverse course of illness rated prospectively in adults.â€
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a mental disorder that is characterized by alternating periods of maniaBipolar disorder in children often presents differently than in adults and can be difficult to diagnose. (elevated or agitated mood) and depression. Bipolar disorder affects more than 5 million American adults according to the National Institute of Mental Health.  Although the average age of onset is 25 years, there is an increasing awareness of the disease in children.Â
Post and his colleagues followed 529 adult outpatients with bipolar disorder over a period of four years. The average age of the patients was 42. The participants were rated daily using the National Institute of Mental Health-Life Chart Method. The study participants also completed questionnaires regarding the history of their symptoms and illness.
15 percent of the participants had symptoms before the age of 13 and 35 percent between the ages of 13-18. During the first year of followup, compared to the patients whose symptoms developed as an adult, those with childhood onset had more manic and depressive episodes, more severe episodes of mania and depression, more days depressed, more rapid cycling, and fewer days of normal mood.
After following the participants for four years, those with onset during childhood, compared to those with adult onset, continued to have on average longer and more severe periods of depression, and fewer days of normal mood.
On average, the earlier the age at which symptoms appeared, the longer it took for the patients to be diagnosed. In addition, the longer the delay in diagnosis, the more time patients spent depressed, the more episodes of depression they had, the worse the episodes were, and the more rapid the cycling of episodes.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/07/28/age-of-onset-influences-prognosis-in-bipolar/16102.html
Â
Â
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 28, 2010Â
People with bipolar disorder whose symptoms began in childhood have a worse prognosis as adults.
The earlier in life an individual’s bipolar symptoms appear, and the longer the illness goes undiagnosed and untreated, the more severe the illness seems to be throughout life.
According to Dr. Robert M. Post, from the Bipolar Collaborative Network in Bethesda, Md., “Both childhood onset and treatment delay were associated with a persistently more adverse course of illness rated prospectively in adults.â€
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a mental disorder that is characterized by alternating periods of maniaBipolar disorder in children often presents differently than in adults and can be difficult to diagnose. (elevated or agitated mood) and depression. Bipolar disorder affects more than 5 million American adults according to the National Institute of Mental Health.  Although the average age of onset is 25 years, there is an increasing awareness of the disease in children.Â
Post and his colleagues followed 529 adult outpatients with bipolar disorder over a period of four years. The average age of the patients was 42. The participants were rated daily using the National Institute of Mental Health-Life Chart Method. The study participants also completed questionnaires regarding the history of their symptoms and illness.
15 percent of the participants had symptoms before the age of 13 and 35 percent between the ages of 13-18. During the first year of followup, compared to the patients whose symptoms developed as an adult, those with childhood onset had more manic and depressive episodes, more severe episodes of mania and depression, more days depressed, more rapid cycling, and fewer days of normal mood.
After following the participants for four years, those with onset during childhood, compared to those with adult onset, continued to have on average longer and more severe periods of depression, and fewer days of normal mood.
On average, the earlier the age at which symptoms appeared, the longer it took for the patients to be diagnosed. In addition, the longer the delay in diagnosis, the more time patients spent depressed, the more episodes of depression they had, the worse the episodes were, and the more rapid the cycling of episodes.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/07/28/age-of-onset-influences-prognosis-in-bipolar/16102.html
Â
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 28, 2010
Teenagers diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at more risk of dropping out of school or having a delayed high school graduation than students with other mental disorders.
The new study determines teens with ADHD — the most common childhood psychiatric condition in the United States — have a higher attrition or a delayed graduation than students with other mental health disorders that often are considered more serious.
Researchers at the University of California at Davis School of Medicine found that nearly one third of students with ADHD, twice the proportion as students with no psychiatric disorder, either drop out or delay high school graduation.
The study also examined the effects of substance use and abuse on high school graduation and found that among students who engage in substance use, including alcohol and other drugs, teens who smoke cigarettes are at greatest risk of dropping out.
There are three types of ADHD: the hyperactive type, the inattentive type and the combined type. Symptoms include not being able to pay attention, daydreaming, being easily distracted and being in constant motion or unable to remain seated.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/07/28/teen-adhd-linked-to-delayed-high-school-graduation/16108.html
Â
Â
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 28, 2010
Teenagers diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at more risk of dropping out of school or having a delayed high school graduation than students with other mental disorders.
The new study determines teens with ADHD — the most common childhood psychiatric condition in the United States — have a higher attrition or a delayed graduation than students with other mental health disorders that often are considered more serious.
Researchers at the University of California at Davis School of Medicine found that nearly one third of students with ADHD, twice the proportion as students with no psychiatric disorder, either drop out or delay high school graduation.
The study also examined the effects of substance use and abuse on high school graduation and found that among students who engage in substance use, including alcohol and other drugs, teens who smoke cigarettes are at greatest risk of dropping out.
There are three types of ADHD: the hyperactive type, the inattentive type and the combined type. Symptoms include not being able to pay attention, daydreaming, being easily distracted and being in constant motion or unable to remain seated.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/07/28/teen-adhd-linked-to-delayed-high-school-graduation/16108.html
Â
 
You’ve been diagnosed with a mental disorder and have been in treatment now for years. You’ve done both psychotherapy and psychiatric medications, and now it’s time to try to live life drug-free. You’ve successfully ended your psychotherapy treatment, but now you’re looking for advice and information about how to end your psychiatric medications.
My first suggestion to you would be to talk to your doctor or psychiatrist. Nobody should go off of any medication without first getting their doctor’s consent and, hopefully, cooperation (or, if not their consent, at least their grudging acceptance that it’s your body and you can do with it what you want). Ideally, you’re seeing a psychiatrist for your psychiatric medications and not just your family doctor. If you are just seeing your family doctor, you may need a little more help than someone seeing a psychiatrist, because psychiatrists have much greater familiarity with helping people get off of the medications they previously prescribed to them. (In my experience, I’ve found many family doctors simply have little clue about the idiosyncrasies of discontinuing psychiatric medications, because of their unique tapering properties.)
Read More:Â http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/07/28/withdrawing-from-psychiatric-medications/
Â
You’ve been diagnosed with a mental disorder and have been in treatment now for years. You’ve done both psychotherapy and psychiatric medications, and now it’s time to try to live life drug-free. You’ve successfully ended your psychotherapy treatment, but now you’re looking for advice and information about how to end your psychiatric medications.
My first suggestion to you would be to talk to your doctor or psychiatrist. Nobody should go off of any medication without first getting their doctor’s consent and, hopefully, cooperation (or, if not their consent, at least their grudging acceptance that it’s your body and you can do with it what you want). Ideally, you’re seeing a psychiatrist for your psychiatric medications and not just your family doctor. If you are just seeing your family doctor, you may need a little more help than someone seeing a psychiatrist, because psychiatrists have much greater familiarity with helping people get off of the medications they previously prescribed to them. (In my experience, I’ve found many family doctors simply have little clue about the idiosyncrasies of discontinuing psychiatric medications, because of their unique tapering properties.)
Read More:Â http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/07/28/withdrawing-from-psychiatric-medications/
Article Date: 28 Jul 2010 – 0:00 PDT
About 1 in 10 people have the potential to develop schizophrenia, but only 1 in 100 actually end up with this devastating illness. The challenge is in knowing why some do and some don’t.
Drawing from over 25 years of laboratory study, Mark F. Lenzenweger, a distinguished professor of clinical science, neuroscience and cognitive psychology at Binghamton University, thinks that not only does he have the makings of a good response to this troubling question but also how to go about finding those answers.
In his latest book, Schizotypy and Schizophrenia: The View from Experimental Psychopathology, Lenzenweger explores lessons he has learned in the psychological science laboratory while probing the broader questions of how to think about and conduct psychopathology research.
“The liability for schizophrenia is relatively prevalent and common in our population,” said Lenzenweger. “Therefore, understanding why someone goes on to develop the illness is a high priority research question. I firmly believe that those who harbor this liability but do not develop the full-blown illness of schizophrenia may hold the key to this puzzle. Since this is an ongoing challenge for our society, training the next generation in how to think about and conduct psychopathology research is just as vital. So what I’ve tried to do is combine both of those elements in a way that I hope will appeal to both the experienced research and those just starting out.”
The book traces Lenzenweger’s intense efforts to find answers using laboratory and statistical procedures by examining a host of related conceptual issues, data analytic strategies and methodical viewpoints that he has found helpful over the years. Using clinical anecdotes and research recollection, Lenzenweger hopes that readers will develop an appreciation for those substantive issues that have and are currently pressing (and interesting) on the causes of schizophrenia and related disorders.
“Schizophrenia is perhaps the costliest form of mental illness,” said Lenzenweger. “In addition, it has a strong genetic component; about 80 percent of what determines schizophrenia is related to genetic influences. All people with schizophrenia share a personality organization known as schizotypy. And the person who carries shizotypy is known as a schizotype. Yet not all schizotypes are schizophrenic. In fact, the vast majority of schizotypes do not go on to develop the illness. So it stands to reason that the study of schizotypic individuals offers a unique perspective on what might cause the illness.”
According to Lenzenweger, the way forward in understanding the causes and development of schizophrenia will be complex and difficult terrain.
“There will be no simple solution or discovery the remedies the entire problem,” said Lenzenweger. “But I hope that my book will chart the course for the field as it stands currently and show the way forward for the generation to come.”
Schizotypy and Schizophrenia: The View from Experimental Psychopathology was released this month by Guilford Press. For more information, click here.
Source:
Gail Glover
Binghamton University
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/195993.php
 To Pre-Order/Purchase a Copy:
Schizotypy and Schizophrenia: The View from Experimental Psychopathology
 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Schizotypy-Schizophrenia-View-Experimental-Psychopathology/dp/1606238655