...no reasonable expectation
exists that the costs of developing and distributing a
drug can be recovered from the sale of the drug in the
United States.
A common trait of autism is
toxic levels of heavy metals in the body. Chelation
therapy targets 20 common heavy metals and removes them
from the body.
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Parents of these children and sympathetic healthcare workers
believed otherwise and reached out to each other. These small
pockets of loving caring people made small strides on behalf of
the children in spite of the scarce sup-port. They opened the
door on autism and let the sun begin to shine on these children.
Their efforts reaped rewards from our government as well. This
same Orphan Drug Act of 1983 mentioned earlier, created tax
incentives on clinical trials and offered marketing exclusivity
for drugs developed to treat and prevent rare or orphan
conditions. Autism is now adoptable. An additional boost was
received with the Children’s Health Act of 2000. Provisions
included “intensifying and expanding autism research and
surveillance activi-ties”. Children with autism are covered by
the Individuals with Educational Disabilities Act and are
eligible for an education from our public schools. More
government funding is directed to autism re-search, but private
dollars are the driving force behind the progress that has been
made.
Public Health
Crisis in the making….
Money, awareness and
public concern have been a long time coming and as a result
services and the number of trained providers have not kept pace
with the number of children diagnosed. This presents many
hurdles to the parents and children coping with autism. For
instance, although the law states a public education is the
right of ALL children, neighborhood schools are not prepared to
meet the environmental and specialize teaching methods required
for autistic children. Finding a school properly equipped may
mean traveling across town. This is just one of the obstacles
facing these families. And the number of families is rapidly
increasing. According to Centers for Disease Control statistics,
autism now affects one in every 166 children born in the United
States acknowledging autism as the fastest-growing developmental
disability in the nation. Concern is so great the CDC launched a
campaign on February 21 this year to make doctors and parents
aware of the need for early diagnosis. They are working to fill
doctor offices around the country with poster and checklists to
help identify children at risk. Early intervention can have a
positive impact on a child’s future development. It is important
we prepare to our world for these children.
Danny Boy’s success
in school is enhanced by weekly Applied Behavior Analysis. ABA
is not a philosophy but a true science. The point of ABA is to
teach the prerequisites to make it possible for a child to learn
'naturally.'
Daily Dietary
Supplements play a major role in Danny’s developmental journey
as well. Autistic children have been found to have elevated
levels of some hormones and body chemicals and reduced levels of
others. These hormones and chemicals play a role in regulating
sleep, moods, stimulation, control eating habits and regulation
of pain as well as effecting the immune system. Supplements aid
in adjusting his body chemistry to healthier levels.
Danny also
experienced good results with Chelation Therapy. A common trait
of autism is toxic levels of heavy metals the body. Chelation
therapy targets 20 common heavy metals, such as lead and mercury
and removes them from the body. This may play a role in fighting
autism symptoms and clear the path for more progressive
development. Danny had to discontinue therapy when medicines he
was prescribed for illness created an adverse interaction. He
will recommence therapy as soon as possible.
Danny attends Barbara
Vick Early Childhood & Family Center located on the Southwest
Side of Chicago. Working with a one on one aide, he is learning
basic social skills, with a focus on tolerance. Danny finds it
difficult  to be
around others, sit still, comply with rules and interact with
other children. Danny is now saying a few words, thanks in part
to the 100 minutes of speech therapy the school provides and the
additional 60 minutes offered by St. Xavier University. The
school also provides 100 minutes of occupational therapy each
month and an autism intern to monitor his progress. The Center
is a collaborative effort between Saint Xavier University and
the Chicago Public Schools. The concept of the Center grew out
of a community need to serve young children with disabilities
and their families. The Center receives both educational and
political support from the community. The Center utilizes an
inclusive model of education, provides multidisciplinary
intervention and support, conducts screenings that involve a
community-wide child find effort, and provides intervention
services for 3-5 year old children and their families.
Type Autism in your
favorite search engine and you will find a number of websites
with information. Everything from personal experiences to white
papers and statistics to support forums. Karen favorite
websites include:
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