Posts Tagged ‘autism’
Posted by Lynn Norusis / Friday, October 7th, 2011
Loudoun sheriff candidate does not deny sending lewd photos to woman
Father sues county over assault of autistic son by bus driver
Baby found unresponsive in Reston
Loudoun named one of the top wine destinations by Budget Travel
Metro closing five stations this weekend
ZipCar gets competition in D.C.
PW teacher, and former ‘American Idol’ contestant, debuts song/video on the dangers of texting and driving
Posted by Lynn Norusis / Wednesday, July 6th, 2011
Burglar found in closet with blow-up doll
Study links anti-depressants during pregnancy to autism risk in children
Traffic deaths doubled during Fourth of July weekend
Great Falls man charged in father’s death
PWC mother charged for death of infant due to leaving 2-year-old in car all day
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
One puzzle tab at a time, Autism Society of America’s Kymberly Deloatche looks to lock down the mystery epidemic and the solutions to its controversies.
By Renee Sklarew / Photography by Seth Freeman
Toys donated from RightStart Toys and The Help Group to give to children with autism in our area.
Returning from a field trip at the Baltimore Aquarium with 120 families dealing with autism, Kymberly Deloatche is tired. In the six months since she became executive director of the Northern Virginia chapter of the Autism Society of America (ASA-NV), Deloatche, 45, has experienced baptism by fire. Formerly a youth minister in the Catholic church, she now manages the overwhelming needs of children and adults who fall into the autism spectrum. The epidemic inspires her to seek long-term solutions. What causes this puzzling condition? How can ASA-NV meet the challenges these families face every day and in the future? Deloatche understands better than most. This mother of two from Fairfax is also raising her own child with disabilities.
Why is autism such a controversial topic, and why is there so much fear about it?
People will either know somebody or have somebody in their family who has autism, because it’s growing so rapidly. The [Center for Disease Control and Prevention] reports that currently it’s one child in 150. Interestingly, there are more boys than girls. But in the military, the preliminary numbers—no one is admitting anything yet—[are] one in 88. In Fairfax, we are one in 90; in New Jersey it’s one in 97. I believe Fairfax is because people come here for our school system. New Jersey is that way, because in my opinion, it’s a very toxic environment. All the dumping grounds—I think that that’s a huge factor. It’s a complex integration of different things. From genetics, to medical, to vaccinations with the mercury, to heavy metals in our water, in our air, in our food! When I was born in 1964, we had six vaccinations, between the ages of birth to 20. Now they have 64. Just imagine the body trying to deal with that.
Why do you think there’s such a hesitation to publish these possible links?
There’s a huge spectrum. Every individual on the spectrum is different, and they manifest it differently. It’s difficult to get consensus. Actually, that’s a factor of the brilliance of the human body. I believe it is combination of the genetic and environmental. It crosses over into medical and neurological differences. For the vaccines, some people say it’s never the vaccinations. Others say it’s the vaccinations, because my child had one, and the next day he never spoke again. How can you ignore that?
Research is starting to show there is a genetic tag, the level of the toxicity in the body at that time in that individual. [The body] gets the shots, sometimes three at a time and says, “I can’t deal with that.” Particularly because it’s in the period of 12 to 24 months where there is enormous growth of brain matter. So somehow with the compilation of the vaccine with heavy metal toxins in the water, it just clicks. Or starts to fight it off. However, the body deals with it. That’s the reason it’s hard to say what causes it, because it’s too varied. There’s no way to codify that in the scientific research yet.
So you believe that vaccines have contributed to autism?
It’s very clear that vaccinations are a cause. It’s clear that our food and our water are toxic to our children. I think the military thing [supports that]. They live in environments that nobody else lives in, like New Jersey inside a toxic waste dump. Because that’s where [the government] got land. They also go to toxic countries. Military parents get tons of vaccines to go to these places. Then they have children who get the normal vaccinations. Those kids are getting the triple dose, if you will. So I think it’s no coincidence that the military population is higher.
We’ve had autism around for a long time, and it just hadn’t been diagnosed. … A lot of adults now are being diagnosed in their 20s.
It’s a struggle to get the medical community to openly discuss the subject. Are you in a position to answer these questions?
I read like everybody else reads. My position as executive director gives me access to research. And I’m talking to families, getting their stories. Any person can see there’s a real problem out there. And it must be related to these things. Otherwise, why are clear water and supplements not found in food helping these people?
There’s some confusion over the formal name of the organization and its mission.
The Autism Society of America [ASA] is a national organization that’s 40 years old. It’s dedicated to advocacy and improving the lives of people with autism. There are four local chapters in Virginia. It’s the biggest grass-roots effort for autism. Autism Speaks is different. ASA is reorganizing to give us a more unified voice, trying to make life better for families and teach people we’re not crazy moms who can’t handle our children in the grocery store. Our children have issues that are medical and neurological.
ASA National just got Congress to pass that autism is a medical condition. This is huge for our families, because it allows insurance to pay for it. Early intervention makes an enormous difference.
Is ASA responsible for the puzzle piece logo?
ASA came up with the puzzle piece to capture the mystery of it, that is we’re all in it together. We don’t know what autism is. We don’t know what causes it. We don’t know why these children are this way.
There have been legislative breakthroughs, but are there breakthroughs that improve the quality of life for people with autism?
The biggest is … applied behavioral analysis [ABA] therapies. We have an organization called Parents of Autistic Children that trains people and parents to do ABA therapy. People with autism are very ritualistic. They need routine, so they use [routines] to teach life skills. For example, to watch your video you have to: be in a room with others, or sit still, or put your clothes on in the morning. The therapist goes into the home to work with the family and the individual. Fairfax uses ABA in the classroom now.
What are your goals for ASA-NV?
Lifespan issues. The weird thing about autism is there are so many different levels of functioning. One of our board members has a son named Ian, who is beautiful. He will sit in a chair and spin thread all day long. His dad says he’s perfectly happy doing so and couldn’t care less about you, or his family. He just spins thread. He does go to school, and they use ABA therapy to get him to go through the paces in a classroom with other people with autism at his level of functioning. Ian doesn’t talk, but he has an assistive device. He can’t really communicate except for his needs to his family. But that’s what he does, and probably what he’ll always do.
But there are others that are higher functioning. Once they graduate from school in Virginia, there’s nothing available. No supports. They love working, because imagine: They graduate to the couch to watch TV. Some adults are capable of coming in here. I had a young man working on our database. He put 300 names in with one mistake. But he can’t sit longer than 10 minutes at the computer. So we told him to work for 10 minutes, and then get up to get a snack or whatever. He also had a problem seeing people in the office, so we changed the seats to face the wall. Everybody else loved it, too. The funny thing is, what’s good for people with autism in the workplace, is often great for everybody. He took our database from 60 members to 1,600 in six weeks. With accommodations in the workplace, it is possible.
How do families deal with the challenge of raising a child with autism?
Companion care services are available, although most are not trained to deal with autism. Most aren’t paid well. Siblings pay a large price. Because siblings are familiar with that child, they are often left to care for him. Parents don’t get much time together. Families feel isolated, and they’re afraid all the time. Many families have more than one child with autism.
With increased awareness, has the incidence of autism slowed down?
There’s nothing quantifiable, but the one in 150 is leveling off. Early intervention is making a difference. But I believe it’s related to the changes in vaccinations. They stopped putting thimerasol [mercury] in vaccines, although it’s still in some flu vaccinations. Parents think they can fix this, find the right treatments. But it’s mostly false hope. There is no definable cure yet. … Many are savants masked by this behavioral dysfunction. Though imagine if we could tap into parts of the brain, into what’s going on there. What could it offer us as a species?
(April 2009)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, February 26th, 2009
Let’s face it. Especially in these tough economic times, nothing feels better than helping those with bigger hurdles than our own. That’s why, shoppers, I couldn’t wait to tell you about the Second Annual Eat Shop Give program, which supports Autism Speaks of the National Capital Area, the leading autism advocacy organization in America.
For making a 100 percent tax-deductible $50 donation to Autism Speaks at eatshopgive.org, you’ll receive a discount shopping card good for receiving 20 percent off at over 175 merchants in the D.C. Metro area, including dozens of shops and restaurants in NoVA, March 12 through March 20 as well as on April 2 (World Autism Day).
What a great way to support an incredible cause while helping out your own wallet — not to mention the local economy! The program is a win-win if I’ve ever seen one. I urge you to make a donation today!
Have questions? Call Shawnie Keenan at 202-955-3111.
