- by Kristina C.
- July 29, 2011
- 7:30 am
It was ten years ago that my now 14-year-old son Charlie was diagnosed with autism. While we received information from the child development center in Minneapolis that diagnosed him and from the St. Paul Public School District about treatments and therapies, we also — as does every parent I’ve met — struck out on our own to find ways to help our little guy. My husband Jim brought home stacks of books from what used to be The Hungry Mind bookstore on Grand Avenue in St. Paul and the libraries of two local colleges and we started reading everything we could find on the internet. We quickly found lots of information — almost too much — about alternative, experimental therapies (special diets, nutritional supplements, dolphins, prism lenses).
While we often found plenty of anecdotal reports, often from parents, about the wonders of some therapy or other, evidence-based scientific research to back up claims about multivitamins, anti-fungal therapy and the like was always — is still — in short supply. But no one , not even physicians, seemed willing to just say “those claims are over-rated†or “that just doesn’t work.†The recent medical investigation of one doctor who’s offered a highly controversial treatment involving autistic children gives parents a clearer idea of what treatments to avoid.
Many alternative treatments for autism involve giving a child various supplements and even drugs for experimental therapies. A highly controversial treatment called for giving children lupron, which is a drug prescribed to men with prostate cancer, women with fibroids and sex offenders. It can also be prescribed for children who have a rare condition, precocious puberty, but in these cases it has been called “chemical castration.†It is not a treatment for autism, though it has been used by a Maryland doctor, Mark Geier, both in that state and in clinics called ASD Centers that he operates in at least eight states.
Geier’s medical license was suspended by Maryland Board of Physicians in April; a month later, the state of Washington also suspended his medical license. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Illinois will also be conducting a hearing on August 22 on whether or not Geier should be allowed to practice medicine in that state. Geier currently operates a clinic in Springfield, Illinois; he also has one just over the river in St. Peters, Missouri. It’s not clear if he is being investigated in Missouri according to a spokesman for the Missouri healing arts board.
Read in Full:
http://www.care2.com/causes/investigation-of-controversial-autism-doctor-grows.html
Published July 27, 2011
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO –  Too many people were on board a sailboat that capsized and killed two passengers during an outing in San Diego Bay for people with special needs, police said Wednesday.
The San Diego Harbor Police found that overloading, the vessel’s condition and the absence of lifejackets contributed to the March 27 mishap.
Investigators said the sail was held together with duct tape and staples, and the vessel had wear and tear to be expected of a boat made in 1988.
When it capsized, there were 10 people aboard the 26-foot boat, which is designed to sleep six people, said Harbor Police Chief John Bolduc. Investigators also found the weight on board was unevenly distributed.
San Diego County prosecutors reviewed the findings and do not plan criminal charges.
“We just don’t’ feel like we have enough evidence to support a charge of criminal negligence,” Bolduc said. “We can’t re-create exactly what happened that evening, but we think there are some contributing factors, but certainly none that rise to the level of criminal charges.”
Police had strong words for Heart of Sailing Foundation founder George Saidah, who was piloting the boat and frequently took passengers on trips for the Bloomington, Ind.-based charity.
“We are not labeling him an experienced captain, he’s labeled himself as that,” Bolduc said at a news conference. “We don’t know what his specific experience was, but certainly every vessel operator needs to know the limitations of their vessel and they ultimately have to oversee the safety of their passengers.”
Saidah did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
John Shean, an attorney and Heart of Sailing’s board president, said he had not seen the police report and could not comment on its findings.
“They spent four months looking into this,” Shean said. “I’m sure they’ve done a thorough job.”
In March, Shean said a gust of wind caused the boat to tip. He said Wednesday that he still believed that was a factor. However, Bolduc said investigators found no evidence that weather contributed to the mishap.
Chao Chen, 73, and his son, Jun Chen, 48, of San Diego, died from drowning. They were the grandfather and uncle of an 11-year-old autistic boy on the boat. Bolduc said neither adult was wearing a life jacket, though there were “plenty” available on board.
All eight others aboard, including an adult with special needs, were dumped into 55-degree water.
Life jackets are required for children under 16 and recommended for adults.
Read in Full:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/27/police-sailboat-too-crowded-in-fatal-calif-mishap/
2:05pm Monday 1st August 2011
AN autistic teenager, known for suffering in silence, became severely ill during the days leading up to her death, an inquest heard last week.
The parents of Sophie Harmsworth were forced to call their doctor for a home visit after the 14-year-old suddenly started vomiting on February 8 this year.
Dr Mark Bevis, from the Highfield Surgery in St Albans, was allocated to visit Sophie at her New House Park home that afternoon.
At Hatfield Coroners Court on Friday, July 29, Dr Bevis was questioned by the family’s barrister Oliver Williamson about his home visit, and a subsequent one on February 10.
The court heard how Sophie was bringing up green vomit and was refusing to eat. In the parents’ statement, read out by assistant deputy coroner Frances Cranfield, they described her as looking poorly, with sunken eyes.
Dr Bevis told the court that he was aware of Sophie’s autism as he had seen her before, but not for some time.
When examining Sophie, knowing she did not like to be touched, he saw no signs of stomach pain or reflexes in the stomach muscles which would indicate she had appendicitis.
Speaking about the diagnosis he made after an examination he said: “I couldn’t find any evidence of appendicitis at this stage, I thought it was like she was suffering from acute gastroenteritis and said Spohie’s condition would improve in the next two to three days.”
He told the family they could call back if they had any further concerns and Dr Bevis was scheduled for a second home visit on February 11, following a call to the surgery by Sophie’s parents.
Mr Williamson questioned Dr Bevis about his diagnosis compared to the post mortem results which revealed Sophie died of acute peritonitis and acute gangrenous appendicitis.
He asked: “Did you not feel that vomiting and a temperature warranted a hospital visit?†To which Dr Bevis answered: “Both are symptoms of gastroenteritis.”
Dr Bevis added: “I made my decision on the information I was given and the examination. I felt that putting them together this was the most likely diagnosis.
“It would be unusual even for someone like Sophie who hides pain to not feel discomfort from appendicitis.”
Mr Williamson cross-examined Dr Bevis for more than four hours, asking why he did not record certain results of the examinations during the home visits, and why he felt gastroenteritis was the most likely diagnosis.
On the morning of February 12 Sophie was taken by ambulance to Watford General Hospital after her condition deteriorated.
On the journey her limbs started to become cold and her finger tips and lips were going blue. Soon after arriving Sophie was pronounced dead.
The inquest into Sophie Harmsworth’s death was adjourned and will be resumed in September for other witnesses to give evidence, following which the coroner will record a cause of death.
Source:
http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/9171133.Inquest_begins_into_autistic_teen_s_death/
Humiliated: the Apollo Victoria has apologised to Gregor and Glyn Morris
4 Aug 2011
A West End theatre has been accused of “outrageous discrimination” after an autistic boy was forced to leave for making too much noise.
During a performance of hit musical Wicked, staff repeatedly moved Gregor Morris, 12, around the Apollo Victoria theatre following concerns raised by a “precious sound engineer”.
A manager initially asked Gregor’s father to move his family behind a glass screen at the back of the stalls.
The manager then told the Morrises to sit on some steps away from other people. Father Glyn, 41, was so upset at the treatment that he felt he had no option but to remove his son from the theatre.
Mr Morris told the Standard: “Gregor was not flapping or shouting. All I can think of is that he laughed too loudly but it was never at inappropriate moments. I asked to see the manager, queried the complaint and was told ‘it was our precious sound engineer’.
I asked if any of the audience had complained and was told, ‘No’. One member of the audience even stood up to fight our corner.
“I will never forget the look of shock in the faces of people nearby as we were asked to leave, and for the humiliation caused to Gregor.”
Gregor, who lives near Inverness, suffers from neuronal migration disorder and epilepsy. It was his first visit to London since he was a baby.
The family visited Hyde Park, the Eye, Legoland and Buckingham Palace during a three-day break before spending £270 to see Wicked, the story of a witch called Elphaba who struggles to overcome victimisation.
Read in Full:
The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network is looking for an intern in the DC area for the Fall 2011 semester. The intern would assist with administrative and other tasks, such as research, to support ASAN’s important work. Requirements include good organizational and time management skills, proficiency with Microsoft Office, and professional communication skills. This is an unpaid internship, but ASAN is happy to work with interns to arrange course credit. This is a great opportunity for someone eager to work in the disability rights community and gain valuable skills. Being a self-starter and having excellent computer skills is a must, as this position will occur primarily via telecommuting.
We are looking for someone who is able to adapt to and tackle fast-paced work, including frequent short-notice assignments and deadlines. The ability to manage multiple responsibilities is a must. A few key duties include: research on questions relating to policy and human service practice, processing reimbursements, drafting announcements, data entry, maintaining the schedule of the President, developing short publications, summarizing policy and research articles and assisting other staff in administrative responsibilities on an as needed basis. The position is split between clerical/administrative work and substantive research and communications activities, varying on an as needed basis.
If you are interested, please contact Melody Latimer at mlatimer@autisticadvocacy.org with a résumé and why you are interested in the position. Applicants with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
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.
Emotions, such as anxiety, have evolved to help us focus our attention on the most important information in the environment around us. If we’re anxious, we must in some way be threatened, so we pay attention to potential threats around us. If you were anxious about walking alone along a dark city street, paying attention to potential threats can keep you safe.
However, when this attention to threat is exaggerated, your anxiety levels and symptoms of anxiety increase and are present even when you are not in danger. In one study, people trained to attend to threats, experienced anxiety in response to stressors, while people trained to avoid paying attention to threats had reduced symptoms over time (MacLeod & Bridle, 2009).
So what has all this got to do with life satisfaction? In a recent study in Emotion, Sarah Cavanagh and colleagues asked the question: if increased attention to threats leads to anxiety, then does increased attention to positive information lead to greater life satisfaction (2011)? Previous studies had found that when you feel happy, you tend to notice more positive things around you, such as rewarding words and positive images. Cavanagh and her colleagues explored whether this increased attention to positive things in your environment lead to positive changes in life satisfaction over time.
Read in Full:
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=43869&cn=1
Jodie Foster once commented about Russell Crowe, “He’s a very light, funny guy. He has a little leprechaun side to him.†But, she added, “He has that glacier intensity. He is truly intense.”
Intensity is one of the reasons we enjoy the performances of acclaimed actors, and it is a key personality quality of many gifted and talented, creative people.
In her post Tips for Working With Emotional Intensity (she notes it is her contribution to SENG’s Blog Tour celebrating their National Parenting Gifted Children week), Christine Fonseca provides a summary:
“Intensity comes in the form of cognitive intensity – those aspects of thinking and processing information that all gifted individuals use to problem solve. It relates to the attributes of focus, sustained attention, creative problem solving, and advanced reasoning skills. Most people think of cognitive intensity as intellect, or ‘being smart’ – all good things.”
She continues, “But a gifted child’s intensity does not stop there. The emotional aspects of a gifted individual are also intense. Emotional intensity refers to the passion gifted people feel daily. It also refers to the extreme highs and lows many gifted people experience throughout their lifetime, causing them to question their own mental stability from time to time.”
She adds, “This type of intensity is a natural aspect of giftedness. However, in my experience, it is also one of the most misunderstood attributes – and it is the reason gifted kids sometimes struggle.”
She is author of Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope With Explosive Feelings.
Gifted kids grow up – and we may still experience intensity and its challenges as adults.
Read in Full:
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 18, 2011
The relationship between stress and alcohol is complex and a subject of detailed investigation. For example, acute stress is thought to lead to alcohol consumption, yet the ways that acute stress can increase drinking are unclear.
A new study investigated whether an acute stressor can alter the subjective effects of alcohol.
“Anecdotal reports suggest that alcohol dampens the physiological or negative emotional effects of stress, but this has been hard to demonstrate in the lab,†said Emma Childs, Ph.D., research associate at the University of Chicago.
“Another way that stress could increase drinking is by altering alcohol’s effects. For example, if stress reduces the intoxicating effects of alcohol, individuals may drink more alcohol to produce the same effect.”
Childs explained that the body’s reaction to stress involves separate physiological and emotional consequences that occur at different times after the stress.
“For example,†she said, “the increase in heart rate and blood pressure, the release of cortisol, and also the increased feelings of tension and negative mood each reach a climax and dissipate at a different rate. Therefore, drinking more alcohol might have different effects, depending on how long after the stress a person drinks.”
Results of the study are available at Early View of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Read in Full:
http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/07/18/stress-influences-response-to-alcohol/27824.html
Not surprisingly, people who suffer from depression often have difficult romantic relationships — when they have them at all. They tend to take out their depression more on their partner than they would a stranger or friend.
In a relationship where one person is depressed, depressed individuals have a “higher tendency than non-depressed individuals to repeatedly ask for reassurance, demand support in a hostile manner, and display negative behaviors, such as a reduced tendency to smile. Consequently, depressed individuals often burden or alienate their partners.”
People in romantic relationships can typically infer and understand their partners’ thoughts and feelings with a fair amount of accuracy. Even in complex social interactions, couples often know what each other is thinking about the situation. A new study suggests that depression can alter this empathic accuracy in women, but not in men.
Researchers tested their hypothesis in a laboratory experiment that depression might impact our ability to accurately infer our partner’s thoughts and feelings by examining 51 couples who had been living together for a minimum of 6 months.
Read in Full:
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/07/19/depression-and-empathy-in-couples/
Jul
22
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 20, 2011
For veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new therapy may offer help from an unexpected avenue — surfing.
For the last few years, Britain and the United States have done quiet experiments with a new form of therapy for veterans suffering from combat stress, using a resource neither nation lacks along their coasts: surf.
“Ocean therapy,†or surf therapy, will surprise long-time surfers mainly because of the official-sounding name; the idea that an ocean and a surfboard can be good for the body and mind is otherwise not very new. But recent studies have tried to quantify just what happens in the water.
The United Kingdom’s National Health Service is still conducting trials in Cornwall, where waves wash in from the Atlantic, to determine whether “surf therapy†deserves taxpayer support. The idea caused outrage at the Daily Mail, where outrage is something of a business model.
“It’s important that the NHS uses its funds for medicine and equipment rather than watersports,†a British taxpayers’ advocate, Fiona McEvoy, told the Mail late last year. National Health defended the trials on the grounds that they were cheap — £250, or about $400 per person — and aimed at saving money on demand for antidepressants and other drug therapies.
Read in Full:
http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/07/20/surf-therapy-for-ptsd/27933.html