Acetaminophen (paracetamol) use, measles-mumps-rubella vaccination, and autistic disorder: The results of a parent survey.
Schultz ST, Klonoff-Cohen HS, Wingard DL, Akshoomoff NA, Macera CA, Ming Ji .
University of California San Diego, and San Diego State University, USA. Stephen.schultz@med.navy.mil.
The present study was performed to determine whether acetaminophen (paracetamol) use after the measles-mumps-rubella vaccination could be associated with autistic disorder. This case-control study used the results of an online parental survey conducted from 16 July 2005 to 30 January 2006, consisting of 83 children with autistic disorder and 80 control children.
| Acetaminophen use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was associated with autistic disorder. |
Acetaminophen use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was significantly associated with autistic disorder when considering children 5 years of age or less (OR 6.11, 95% CI 1.42-26.3), after limiting cases to children with regression in development (OR 3.97, 95% CI 1.11-14.3), and when considering only children who had post-vaccination sequelae (OR 8.23, 95% CI 1.56-43.3), adjusting for age, gender, mother's ethnicity, and the presence of illness concurrent with measles-mumps-rubella vaccination. Ibuprofen use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was not associated with autistic disorder. This preliminary study found that acetaminophen use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was associated with autistic disorder.
PMID: 18445737 [PubMed - in process
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Green Our Vaccines Rally
June 4th, Washington, DC
[from TACA website] Please join Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey for the most historical event of 2008, the Green Our Vaccines Rally. Jenny and Jim are working hard to eliminate all toxins from our children's vaccines and have our national health agencies reassess the mandatory vaccine schedule, as our children are receiving TOO MANY, TOO SOON. While Jenny and Jim support the vaccine program, like many, they feel vaccines are too toxic. This country has the ability to provide a safer vaccine supply and schedule to our children and they ask you to join them to demand this for our country's greatest asset, our children.
"This rally is a historic effort to have Jim Carrey & Jenny McCarthy leading the charge to help make our vaccines GREEN," said Lisa Ackerman, founder of Talk About Curing Autism (TACA). Like helping our environment we need to help and protect our children and help our government officials to understand GREEN IS THE BEST WAY TO GO.
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National Teacher Day
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Great Teachers Make Great Public Schools
On National Teacher Day, thousands of communities will take time out to honor their local educators and acknowledge the contributions they make to our lives. [National Education Association] Teacher Day annual theme has been replaced with a standing tagline, "Great Teachers Make Great Public Schools," and draws attention to the crucial role teachers play in making sure every child receives a quality public education and conveys the hard work they do each day to make public schools great for every child.
| Acknowledge the contributions [teachers] make to our lives. |
The origins of National Teacher Day are murky. Around 1944 Arkansas teacher Mattye Whyte Woodridge began corresponding with political and education leaders about the need for a national day to honor teachers. Woodbridge wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt, who in 1953 persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day.
NEA, along with its Kansas and Indiana state affiliates and the Dodge City (Kan.) Local, lobbied Congress to create a national day celebrating teachers. Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day for that year only.
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Google sketches up creativity
Project Spectrum designed to help people with autism
By Alicia Wallace
 At Google Inc.'s Boulder [Colorado] office -- upstairs from the working Googlers, the climbing wall, "Guitar Hero" and ping pong table -- quietly sits an area of pride for the Web giant's local employees.
A handful of framed pictures boast creative designs from SketchUp, the 3-D design software created by Boulder-based and Google-acquired @Last Software.
| SketchUp served as a means to build [Rachel's] self-esteem, create a closer bond with her sister and branch out to other design programs. |
Translucent teal water-walls wrap around an aquarium dream home. Spotlights surround a gold JPS Films Inc. sign. An electric-pink "Maximum Rock 'n' Roll Room" is outfitted with a microphone, camera and large speakers.
On the Project Spectrum Wall of Fame, the pictures are some examples of work created by young people with autism, a developmental disability that affects the ability to communicate, reason and interact with others.
| "It's opened doors to her," says Theresa Wrangham, [USAAA's Director of Educational Development]. |
Project Spectrum was developed as a way for people on the autism spectrum to use SketchUp -- 3-D design software utilized by architects -- as a way for their visual and spatial talents to flourish, says Tom Wyman, business development manager for Google's SketchUp team.
"This is a really important tool that offers something that isn't generally available" to the autism community, Wyman says.
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An ongoing journey: Hiker Jesse Saperstein talks candidly about Asperger's Syndrome
BY JESSE SAPERSTEIN • FOR THE POUGHKEEPSIE JOURNAL
My father has lectured me on countless occasions: "People do not appreciate when you impose yourself on their lives, Jesse!" But on the afternoon of Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005, I did not care.
| My advice for other individuals with high-functioning autism is both optimistic and realistic. People do judge a book by its cover, and first impressions will always be the most important. |
On the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine -the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail - I took a few moments to admire the billowy, cumulus clouds hugging its jagged peaks. I then ran my fingers over the plaque's crenelated letters.
| It is easy to remember the six months when a group of my high school peers tormented me on the Internet. |
Believe me, social graces were the last thing on my mind as a disposable camera was shoved toward weary hikers. A sardonic, red-haired doppelganger named Kathy Griffin finally snapped: "What do you want now? Oh. You want me to hold the banner?! Fine!"
| Trying to win over everyone is as effective as using a wine glass to bail out the Titanic. |
With very limited hiking/camping experience, I conquered what is arguably the most treacherous footpath in the world. My journey had lasted seven months and more than 2,000 miles as I walked from Georgia to Maine. Most people - including some close family members - were oblivious to why I could not stop my relentless "walk in the woods."
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Dealing with the problems of autism and Asperger's Syndrome in a creative manner
Author wrote a children's book designed to teach tolerance and interaction
By: Paul Aranda Jr.
A former Cal State Fullerton President's Scholar is set to release a new children's book this summer allowing readers to gain a better understanding and appreciation for children with autism. Joanna Keating-Velasco will be releasing her second book, titled "In His Shoes - A Short Journey Through Autism" this summer.
| Keating-Velasco's first book on children with autism was released last year. "A is for Autism, F is for Friend," has been nominated for the 2008 Autism Society of America Outstanding Literary Work of the Year. |
This children's book is set apart from other books because the main character has autism. The book provides an inside into the thoughts of the main character as he transitions from elementary school into middle school. This is often a climatic change for any child. By reading this book, children will be more comfortable around other children who happen to be autistic, Keating-Velasco said.
| We all have such behavioral patterns that have been accepted by society, such as tapping our feet or biting our fingernails, Keating-Velasaco said. |
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Click here for a video summary of the the book A is for Autism, F is for Friend - A Kid's Book.
Click here for a summary of the book A is for Autism, F is for Friend - A Kid's Book.
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