You are invited to join us First Friday April 2nd for ART ON THE SPECTRUM a night of great art and community education   Time: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm Location: The Gallery Underground Street: 109 Linden Street, Fort Collins   In honor of Autism Awareness month the Autism Society of Larimer County and the Gallery Underground presents Art on the Spectrum.   Art on the Spectrum will feature guest artists including local autistic professor Dr. Temple Grandin (recently documented in the HBO film with Claire Danes) as well as 15 local creative children who fall on the Autistic spectrum. We initially received over 50 entries and we had the tough job of choosing our favorites from these. Their art will be for sale on the guest wall and proceeds will be donated to the Autism Society of Larimer County. The show is designed primarily as an awareness event with hopes  of raising funds for to assist families and individuals with autism in Larimer County. Sponsored by our great friends at New Belgium Brewery We lock the doors at 10pm, be sure to be here by then!     Art on the Spectrum Featured Artists Kenzie Anderson Cameron Cotton Johnathan Evans Dr. Temple Grandin Tavian Gipson Besa H. Jiu Lee Nathan Molineaux Kaylee Noble Luke Scafidi Brody Stevens Max Timm Keith Tuttle   Matthew W.   Anthony Zimmerman       Coming Mid April All art submitted to the Art on the Spectrum will be on display at the  Front Range Village in Fort Collins. Stay posted for dates .

Court Says Thimerosal Did Not Cause Autism       By Randolph E. Schmid, AP. is.gd/aF3IM       The vaccine additive thimerosal is not to blame for autism, a special federal court ruled Friday in a long-running battle by parents convinced there is a connection.       While expressing sympathy for the parents involved in the emotionally charged cases, the court concluded they had failed to show a connection between the mercury-containing preservative and autism.       "Such families must cope every day with tremendous challenges in caring for their autistic children, and all are deserving of sympathy and admiration," special master George Hastings Jr. wrote.       But, he added, Congress designed the victim compensation program only for families whose injuries or deaths can be shown to be linked to a vaccine and that has not been done in this case.       The ruling came in the so-called vaccine court, a special branch of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims established to handle claims of injury from vaccines. It can be appealed in federal court.       The parents presented expert witnesses who argued mercury can have a variety of effects on the brain, but the ruling said none of them offered opinions on the cause of autism in the three specific cases argued. They testified that mercury can affect a number of biological processes, including abnormal metabolism in children.       Special master Denise K. Vowell noted that in order to succeed in their action, the parents would have to show "the exquisitely small amounts of mercury" that reach the brain from vaccines can produce devastating effects that far larger amounts ... from other sources do not. The ruling said the parents were arguing that the effects from mercury in vaccines differ from mercury's known effects on the brain. Vowell concluded that the parents had failed to establish that their child's condition was caused or aggravated by mercury from vaccines.       Friday's decision that autism is not caused by thimerosal alone follows a parallel ruling in 2009 that autism is not caused by the combination of vaccines with thimerosal and other vaccines.       The cases had been divided into three theories about a vaccine-autism relationship for the court to consider. The 2009 ruling rejected a theory that thimerasol can cause autism when combined with the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. After that, a theory that certain vaccines alone cause autism was dropped. Friday's decision covers the last of the three theories, that thimerosal-containing vaccines alone can cause autism.       The ruling doesn't necessarily mean an end to the dispute, however, with appeals to other courts available.       The new ruling was welcomed by Dr. Paul Offit of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who said the autism theory had "already had its day in science court and failed to hold up."       But the controversy has cast a pall over vaccines, causing some parents to avoid them, he noted, "it's very hard to unscare people after you have scared them."       On the other side of the issue, a group backing the parents' theory charged that the vaccine court was more interested in government policy than protecting children.       "The deck is stacked against families in vaccine court. Government attorneys defend a government program, using government-funded science, before government judges," Rebecca Estepp, of the Coalition for Vaccine Safety said in a statement.       SafeMinds, another group supporting the parents, expressed disappointment at the new ruling.       "The denial of reasonable compensation to families was based on inadequate vaccine safety science and poorly designed and highly controversial epidemiology," the goup said.       The advocacy group Autism Speaks said "the proven benefits of vaccinating a child to protect them against serious diseases far outweigh the hypothesized risk that vaccinations might cause autism. Thus, we strongly encourage parents to vaccinate their children to protect them from serious childhood diseases."       However, while research has found no overall connection between autism and vaccines, the group said it would back research to determine if some individuals might be at increased risk because of genetic or medical conditions.       Meanwhile, in reaction to the concerns of parents, thimerosal has been removed from most vaccines in the United States.       In Friday's action the court ruled in three different cases, each concluding that the preservative has no connection to autism.       The trio of rulings can offer reassurance to parents scared about vaccinating their babies because of a small but vocal anti-vaccine movement. Some vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, are on the rise.       The U.S. Court of Claims is different from many other courts: The families involved didn't have to prove the inoculations definitely caused the complex neurological disorder, just that they probably did.       More than 5,500 claims have been filed by families seeking compensation through the government's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, and the rulings dealt with test cases to settle which if any claims had merit.       Autism is best known for impairing a child's ability to communicate and interact. Recent data suggest a 10-fold increase in autism rates over the past decade, although it's unclear how much of the surge reflects better diagnosis.       Worry about a vaccine link first arose in 1998 when a British physician, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, published a medical journal article linking a particular type of autism and bowel disease to the measles vaccine. The study was later discredited.

Court Will Hear Case About Vaccine Side Effects   Russell and Robalee Bruesewitz sit with their 18-year-old daughter Hannah, center, at their home on Lebanon Avenue in Mt. Lebanon on Monday. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case brought by the Bruesewitzs on Hannah's behalf. The Supreme Court will decide whether drug makers can be sued by parents who claim their children suffered serious health problems from vaccines. The justices on Monday agreed to hear an appeal from parents in Pittsburgh who want to sue Wyeth over the serious side effects their daughter, six months old at the time, allegedly suffered as a result of the company's diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled against Robalee and Russell Bruesewitz, saying a 1986 federal law bars their claims. That law set up a special vaccine court to handle disputes as part of its aim of insuring a stable vaccine supply by shielding companies from most lawsuits. Wyeth, now owned by Pfizer, Inc., prevailed at the appeals court but also joined in asking the court to hear the case, saying it presents an important and recurring legal issue that should be resolved. The Obama administration joined the parties in calling for high court review, although the government takes the side of the manufacturers. Only one state appeals court, the Georgia Supreme Court, has ruled that families can sue in a vaccine case. The vaccine industry has fiercely opposed the Georgia ruling in the case of Marcelo and Carolyn Ferrari. They claim their son suffered neurological damage after receiving vaccine booster shots made by pharmaceutical companies Wyeth and GlaxoSmithKline that contained the preservative thimerosal. The family has since withdrawn its lawsuit, possibly in an effort to avoid an unfavorable Supreme Court ruling, although the Georgia court's opinion allowing similar lawsuits remains in force. The court did not act on the companies' appeal Monday, but the decision in the other case almost certainly will apply to the Georgia case. According to the lawsuit, Hannah Bruesewitz was a healthy infant until she received the vaccine in April 1992. Within hours of getting the DPT shot, the third in a series of five, the baby suffered a series of debilitating seizures. Now a teenager, Hannah suffers from residual seizure disorder, the suit says. The vaccine court earlier rejected the family's claims. Wyeth lost another high court fight last year over whether federal law barred lawsuits against drug makers. That case, involving a botched injection, asked whether federal law included an implicit prohibition on the lawsuits. The court said it did not. In this appeal, however, Congress clearly laid out how claims over vaccines were to be made, and the court has repeatedly ruled against plaintiffs when Congress has explicitly sought to bar lawsuits. Other than the Georgia court, state and federal courts have uniformly invoked a provision of the 1986 federal law, which seems to bar most lawsuits against vaccine makers. The idea behind the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act was to ensure a stable supply of childhood vaccines by shielding drug makers from most lawsuits, and setting up a federal vaccine court to handle disputes. The law would serve to block state laws that otherwise would give families the ability to sue the manufacturers. In recent years, the legal fight has frequently come from families of autistic children claiming that mercury-based thimerosal is linked to autism. Numerous studies have addressed vaccines and autism and found no link, including with the preservative. Thimerosal has been removed in recent years from standard childhood vaccines, except flu vaccines that are not packaged in single doses. Last year, special masters appointed by the vaccine court concluded that vaccines aren't to blame for autism, disappointing thousands of families hoping to win compensation and others who remain convinced of a connection. But the vaccine court still must rule on additional cases that argue that vaccines with thimerosal are to blame, if the mercury reached and damaged brain cells. The case, to be argued in the fall, is Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, 09-152.

Don't Miss this FREE Behavior Presentation

Does your child or student display any of these behaviors?  Are they sometime inconsistant or random in occurance?  Are they are times almost impossible to understand or cope with? Take a look at the list of below.    hitting pushing, yelling fighting with peers, difficulty changing from one activity to another sleeping problems, excessive energy levels, being unable to sit still and focus, refusal to partake in normal childhood experiences or play picky eaters, frequent tantrums, extreme sensitivities and excessive fears grinding teeth,rocking back and forth lunging head banging, scratching or biting self spinning or mouthing objects constant humming or making noises finger flicking jumping or shaking extremities spinning self or excessive smelling and sniffing If you find yourself answering yes to several of these there is Good news!  Your frustration and confusion maybe is almost over! Finally!... A thorough explanation and a name for the behaviors and developmental concerns that exist -   Join Eileen Getches, MEd, OTR and Catherine Bladow, MS.CCC-SLP, BCBA as they present ways for parents, teachers and therapist to take a closer look at sensory processing issues and managing behaviors.  Participants will learn how to proactively plan environments and activities to support behaviors.  Details:                                            Date: March 1, 2010 Time:  6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Location: Respite Care Inc., 6203 S. Lemay Avenue, Fort Collins. Phone: 970-377-9640 FREE

January 28, 2010 Wakefield's Science Proven Valid Again In New Study That Replicates Findings Read the full study, Clinical presentation and Histologic Findings at Ileocolonoscopy in Children with Autistic spectrum Disorder and Chronic Gastrointestinal symptoms at Autism Insights . View a .pdf HERE. Arthur Krigsman 1, Marvin Boris 2, Alan Goldblatt 3 and Carol Stott 4 Abstract Background: Children with developmental disorders experience chronic gastrointestinal symptoms. Aims:To examine the nature of these gastrointestinal symptoms and histologic findings in children with autism spectrum/developmental disorders and ileocolonic disease. Methods: Chart review. 143 autism spectrum/developmental disorder patients, with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, undergoing diagnostic ileocolonoscopy. Results: Diarrhea was present in 78%, abdominal pain in 59% and constipation in 36%. Ileal and/or colonic lymphonodular hyperplasia (LNH), defined as the presence of an increased number of enlarged lymphoid follicles, often with hyperactive germinal centers, was present in 73.2%. Terminal ileum LNH presented visually in 67% and histologically in 73%. Colonic LNH was multifocal and presented histologically in 32%. Ileal and/or colonic inflammation presented in 74%, consisting primarily of active or chronic colitis (69%). Ileal inflammation presented in 35%. Presence of LNH significantly predicted mucosal inflammation. Patients with ileal and/or colonic LNH had lower mean/median age than those without; patients with ileal and/or colonic inflammation had lower mean/median age than those without. There was a significant association between ileo and/or colonic inflammation or LNH, and onset of developmental disorder; plateaued or regressive onset conferred greater risk than early onset. Conclusions: Patients with autism or related disorders exhibiting chronic gastrointestinal symptoms demonstrate ileal or colonic inflammation upon light microscopic examination of biopsy tissue. Further work is needed to determine whether resolution of histopathology with appropriate therapy is accompanied by GI symptomatic and cognitive/behavioral improvement. Keywords:ASD ileitis, colitis, lymphonodular hyperplasia 1 Assistant professor of pediatrics, New York University school of Medicine Director of Gastroenterology services, Thoughtful House Center for Children, 3001 Bee Caves Rd, Austin, Texas, 78746, UsA. 2 Associate Clinical professor of pediatrics, New York University school of Medicine, 550 1st Ave., New York, NY 10016, UsA. 3 Adjunct professor Touro College, 27-33 West 23rd st, New York, NY 10010, UsA. 4Thoughtful House Center for Children, 3001 Bee Caves Rd, Austin, Texas, 78746, UsA.

More Than Words – The Hanen Program For Parents of Young Children with ASD ® This program helps children communicate by providing intensive and innovative training programs for the most important people in a child's life - their parents or caregivers. Parents/caregivers spend the greatest amount of time with their children, and have the greatest opportunity to help their children communicate. Given information and strategies, parents/caregivers have many more opportunities to improve their children's social communication skills than are possible through weekly therapy appointments. Specifically, More Than Words®:  Gives parents/caregivers the strategies they need to help their child interact, communicate, and improve understanding of language:  Combines the benefit of shared interactive group learning with individual guidance and consultation through videotaping and feedback  Is led by a speech-language pathologists who is Hanen trained and certified  Is supported by excellent print and video resources Participation in this program requires a commitment to attend an orientation and 8 class sessions for parents/caregivers conducted by a Hanen trained and certified speech-language pathologist. In addition to these sessions each family will receive an initial home visit and each child and parent/caregiver will be scheduled for 4 individual sessions, 3 with video feedback. Families are also contacted for a follow-up meeting 3 months after the program has ended. A commitment to attend all sessions is essential. We believe that parents/caregivers and children with identified communication needs benefit greatly. The More Than Words Program is felt to be an effective intervention approach to address specific social communication needs. More Than Words Program was developed 10 years ago through the Hanen Centre. It translates the most current research on language acquisition and early language intervention into a practical, hands-on approach that is respectful of parents'/caregivers' and children's individual differences. The cost of the More Than Words Program: Very few insurance companies fund intervention programs that focus on parent/caregiver training, or services that do not involve the child directly in the sessions. However, Children's Speech & Reading Center has received a Daniels Fund grant that will cover the vast majority of the cost for each family. The cost of the program covers 20 hours of parent/caregiver group instruction and 4-6 hours of individual home visits, with video-feedback therapy time. Funding/family's contribution depends on individual family needs/income level, but will not exceed $300 for the entire program. The next More Than Words® program will begin in February 2010 and will conclude on June 9. Sessions will be held at Respite Care on Wednesdays from 12:30- 2:30. Please contact Elise Tobler at 419-0486 for more information about registration and funding. The program will focus on children, ages 2-5 years, who have little or no verbal language, are beginning to use words, do not yet intentionally communicate, are beginning to communicate intentionally, and who interact with parents briefly or in familiar situations, but rarely or never with other children. This program is not appropriate for parents of children who are using verbal language to consistently communicate or are interacting with peers on their own or with minimal support. Determination of the appropriateness of program participation for each family will be determined by the Hanen® Speech-Language Pathologist. Please call Elise Tobler at 419-0486 to discuss eligibility.

Art on the Spectrum   To kick off Autism Awareness Month the Autism Society of Larimer County and Summit Studios will present Art on the Spectrum on April 2nd during the First Friday Art Walk.  This will be a great opportunity to show hundreds of art enthusiast autism across the spectrum.    The spectrum will be displayed ranging from a single scratch of marker or paint on the page to finishing with a mechanical drawing by Dr. Temple Grandin.  This will be a visual display of diversity and talent found on the autism spectrum.  In order to make this work we need your art work!   3 ways to participate: 1.  Join us on February 15th for a free art shop directed by  Donna Dudon, Art Instructor/Expressive Therapist. The Boys and Girls club donated the entire club for our exclusive use for the day.  The whole day will be open only to families and individuals on the autism spectrum!  The participates can work on an art submission and then play in the open areas of the club.  It is a great way to spend President's day too. You can email a attendance confirmation to aslc@autismlarimer.org   Date:  Feb 15, 2010 Time: 2pm - 6pm Open House Style Location: Boys & Girls Club  1608 Lancer Dr. FC For more questions please call:  joeldecatur@hotmail.com or 970-377-9640               2.  Send us your finished art work completed at home or school.  Art work details: Paper Size: 12x18 and 9x11 Materials:  Any type you like Subject: Open Dead line for submissions: March 20th Send art work to: ASLC 921 Province Rd. Fort Collins, CO 80525   3.  School support project.  If you are a Spec Ed. class room teacher, art teacher or art therapist make this an exciting opportuniyt for your student to see their work in an art exhibit. This as a fun assignment!  Art work details: Paper Size: 12x18 and 9x11 Materials:  Any type you like Subject: Open Dead line for submissions: March 20th Send art work to: ASLC 921 Province Rd. Fort Collins, CO 80525   What we will do with the art: Several pieces will go into the Art on the Spectrum exhibition at Summit Studios All pieces will become part of a traveling art exhibit starting at Front Range Village for autism awareness month. All pieces will be placed on a website where loved ones can view it and order prints and products with your child's art work on it.