BBBAUTISM SUPPORT NETWORK/AUTISM SOCIETY YORK REGION

Present
E-NEWS

ONE CHILD’S STORY – A LIFE TIME OF LOVE AND INTERVENTIONS

Volume 2; Issue 5
November 15, 2001

We are so proud of this latest issue of the E-News!  We have taken the story of one child with ASD, as written by his mother, and reproduced it here for you to read.  Within, you will find not only a moving account of this family’s struggles, but also the joys and triumphs they’ve found when something ‘clicks’.  This issue talks about interventions including changes in diet and chelation, a subject which I’m sure you will find fascinating.

I first met Jason in September of 2001. He was a terrific child, obviously hindered by his autism spectrum disorder but with emerging language.  I visited Jason and his family again last month and was astounded at the changes!  He sat at the table with us and ate dinner, but the most amazing thing I saw was Jason voluntarily sitting down to make a craft. He coloured and cut out a pumpkin, then cut out a smile. He held the smile up to the pumpkin, turned it upside-down and said: “Pumpkin SAD”!  There have been similar gains since that meeting and his mother has generously offered to share an account here, exclusively for us.

I hope you enjoy this issue, it gives us all the hope that there are things out there, administered by trusted professionals that can help our children.  Please remember, neither BBB Autism or the Autism Society York Region endorse any particular therapy…but we DO endorse your right to know about them!

Liz

Our Journey

When Jason was born, I thought everything was so perfect.  A wonderful husband, a daughter who could melt your heart, and now my beautiful baby boy.    We were truly blessed.  My daughter Amanda was bright and cheerful.  No “terrible twos” for her.  Jason was a good baby.  He reached his milestones on time.  He loved people and they would comment on how sociable he was.  Jason was quick to give his big grin and enjoyed all the attention he would get back.

I remember when Jason was 18 months old and one morning I went to get him out of the crib.  I started to play a little game with him.   This particular morning, however, he wouldn’t look at me.  He kept turning his head.   I remember thinking how odd, for an 18 month old to be “rebellious”.   Later that day, my parents came over.  Jason ran away from them and went to his bedroom, closing the door and hid in the closet.  I wondered if the terrible twos were starting early.

During that same day, I noticed Jason couldn’t point and he wasn’t using the few words that he had, such as juice.  In fact, he showed no interest in juice, or his toys, or us.  He was more interested in flipping through the telephone book at high speed.  It also seemed like he couldn’t hear us talking. 

Our family doctor felt we should get Jason’s hearing checked out.  We went to several hearing clinics.  It was confirmed that Jason’s hearing was fine.  We ended up at a pediatric specialist, who gave us the diagnosis of PDD-NOS.

As soon as I came home, I went to the library looking up PDD.  I spent the next week wondering why nothing is written on this topic.  Then I read some information that was titled Autism/PDD.  Slowly I came to realize the full implication of the diagnosis.  We spent another year going to appointments to the pediatric specialist, who did not have any suggestions for us.  He felt there was nothing to recommend except for speech therapy.

It was a dark and horrible time.  To realize there weren’t the services out there for your neurologically damaged child, and no hope, no advice.  Some waiting lists we were able to get Jason’s name onto.  But by the time his name would come up in 2 or 3 years time, he wouldn’t be eligible because of his age by then.  Other waiting lists were closed because they were too full.

I tried to learn all I could.  I read, talked with other parents of ASD children, attended workshops, and then I had a turning point.  I attended a lecture given by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, in 1998.  It was about the MMR vaccine, the immune system and how it relates to autism.

Something Dr. Wakefield said struck a chord with me.  An audience member asked, “Why doesn’t an adult develop autism?”  Dr. Wakefield replied, “They do.  It’s called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”.   He went on to explain why.  I didn’t take any notes, so I can’t write down exactly what he said, but basically he explained how a person with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has an immune system that functions very much like that of a child with autism.

So I thought why not treat Jason like he has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  I started reading about it, questioning two people I knew who suffered with it and asked our doctor about how this could relate to Jason.  The doctor certainly didn’t know what I was talking about, and I’m sure he thought I had oversimplified and was feeling desperate.

But I kept on reading.  I read about other immune system disorders, such as MS, Parkinson's, and chemical sensitivity, trying to find some common thread.  I read about environmental illness, which is an adverse reaction to toxic chemicals in our air, water, food and surroundings.  I read how for environmentally sensitive people, chronic exposure, even at low levels, can mark the start of a chain of events that can damage the immune system.  I learned about aspects of environmental and nutritional medicine.  I became interested in how chemicals and metals become stored in the body and how we should be breaking them down and eliminating them (called detoxification).

The common thread was that the disease seems to come about because of an overload that alters the body’s natural balance.  The accumulation of harmful substances that can’t be disposed of by the body eventually leads to degenerative diseases.  So how did I tie this in with autism?   I knew that autistic children have serious abnormalities with their immune system.  Dr. Walsh in Chicago says he has found in his study of autistic children that they are missing an enzyme (called metallothionein) that breaks down heavy metals.  Vaccines are under scrutiny because of the numerous active agents such as live viruses, bacterial agents, preservatives, formaldehyde and mercury.  Dr. Wakefield found MMR antigen, along with mercury, lodged in intestinal walls & the brains of autistic individuals.

My first step I felt was to reduce the toxic load on Jason’s body.  I removed obvious allergens.  I pulled up carpeting; my moldy shower curtains were thrown out and I changed my household cleaners to a natural product.  I kept the house fragrance-free, changing to unscented soap and shampoos and throwing out scented candles.

My next step was to look into Jason’s diet.  I felt the Feingold diet made sense, eliminating preservatives, additives, food colourings and artificial colourings.  All the things a body would have a hard time breaking down and eliminating.  I read about the gluten and casein free diet while I was reading up on MS.   I read how the wheat has so much pesticide and it is more refined now than ever.  I read about the hormones added to milk.  I decided to give the gluten and casein free diet a try.  It was later that I learned about the intestinal wall being permeable and leaking, resulting in an opioid (drug-like) effect when gluten and casein got into their system.  I also tried to keep as organic as possible.  I went to the butchers to buy our meat (even went so far as to ask the butcher what kind of feed the animals had eaten). 

I was lucky that it wasn’t too hard to change Jason’s diet.  He was only 3 years old, and didn’t know he had a choice with food.  I found some good recipes, and we kept with the gluten and casein-free diet for 2 years.

I knew nutrition was important too.  With autistic children there seems to be malabsorption problems and mineral ratios out of the ordinary.   I found out how valuable oils (Essential Fatty Acids) were, as well as looking at different testing we could do, such as testing for yeast in the intestines.

There was an overload of yeast in Jason’s intestines.  We treated the yeast with a prescription of anti-fungal medicine, started on vitamins, specifically Super-Nu-Thera, and oils, namely flaxseed oil, and a capsule called Efalex that contained a combination of oils (includes Evening Primrose Oil which you cannot use if one has seizures).  We could see Jason progressing in the right direction.  He was doing ABA (I set up a home-based program), speech therapy and OT.  We celebrated every success.

I really felt the oils helped Jason.  There was one test where we had to take him off the oils for a week.  I thought I noticed a difference; he didn’t seem to have the connection and eye contact as much.  When he went back on the oils, he perked up.  Essential Fatty Acids are essential because the body cannot make them and they are essential for the immune system.  There is Omega 6 fats and Omega 3 fats.  Most people get enough Omega 6 in their diets (from sunflower and corn oil).  However Omega 3 is generally deficient in our diets.  Also processed foods, preservatives, artificial colouring, and artificial flavouring inhibits the body from using Omega 3.  This Omega 3 is found in flax seed, flax seed oil, evening primrose oil (do not use if there are seizures), fish oils and black currant seed oil.

Through all this, I watched Jason like a hawk.   I was hoping I was following the right path.  I was thrilled when his speech therapist asked us what is it we were doing at home.  She seemed to be quite taken aback with Jason’s progress.  He went from hardly being able to imitate a sound to speech (single words) within just a few months.   To our delight he soon crossed the line to becoming verbal, and able to get by without PECS.  Our ABA therapist told me she was having a hard time keeping up with his progress (even saying I should write a book on him).  We loved the compliments of course, and that kept us committed to our continuing efforts.

I was still curious about detoxification of heavy metals.  I had read a book called “Turning Lead Into Gold”, written by a mother living in Vancouver who felt her boys who were diagnosed with autism may have lead poisoning.  It was actually the first book I read after Jason’s diagnosis.  I had gone running to the doctor straight after reading it, wondering if perhaps Jason really had lead poisoning instead of his autism label.  The doctor said heavy metal poisoning doesn’t happen in today’s world.  I figured at the time, I was desperately trying to get the autism label off any way I could.

I did I know I would want to read that book again.  I became interested in how chelation was being used for autistic children.  Chelation is the method for removing toxic, (or heavy), metals such as aluminum, tin, lead, arsenic and mercury.  I read stories of improvements.  I felt there must be something to all this.  A year ago there was the DAN conference (a group of doctors and parents that started up in the States, calling themselves Defeat Autism Now!).  Chelation of mercury was the big topic.  The group of DAN doctors felt the bottom line is that the mercury is causing the harm in our autistic children.  That is what is responsible for everything, from heightened sensitivities, to intestinal problems, to fussiness with food.  Mercury is also blamed for interfering with an enzyme needed to break down gluten and casein.  They feel once the mercury is removed then the body just may be able to start to heal and that these problems may resolve themselves.

This is a huge controversial topic, and certainly not supported by traditional medicine.  In fact many doctors will say chelation is downright dangerous.  The fact that the mercury could come from the vaccines has the medical field divided, not to mention that there is mercury in our fillings and the vapor released from them, and the mercury ingested through food.

However, the more I read, the more I felt this was our next thing to look at.  The stats looked good, Dr. Cave announced them at the DAN conference this year, saying that this was the most improvement they had ever seen with any medical intervention. 

So we had heavy metal testing done for Jason.  Nothing showed up.  I felt I needed to see a DAN doctor to get more information and guidance.  I got my map out and starting looking to see where each one was located.  I found a doctor we could drive to (despite the temptation to find one in an exotic location!).  I did a bit of research and I managed to find some other parents of ASD children that took their child to this doctor, and I was able to get the feedback that I was looking for.

We packed the car and drove to see this DAN doctor for our appointment, with my long list of questions and some test results in hand.  After listening to our story, the doctor felt that Jason’s immune system probably couldn’t handle the MMR and that it was probably the DPT shot that was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”, resulting in encephalitis (a brain injury).  He also said it didn’t matter what the heavy metal test results were really.  The reason being because mercury doesn’t release itself in the body’s urine, feces or sweat.  It binds itself to the cells, and therefore does not show up in any tests.  If it did, then it would mean a recent exposure of 3 weeks.  After that, the mercury stays within the body.

The DAN doctors have put together a protocol for removing mercury.  It takes almost 2 years to do, and although simple and they claim it is safe to do, needs to be done under a doctor’s guidance.  There can be side effects if the child is not ready for chelation.  We have been “preparing” Jason for chelation for almost a year now.  The child should be in a good nutritional status (which is difficult when they are a picky eater, hence the supplements) and no yeast in the intestines (chelation will most likely cause yeast, which can have side effects like irritability, so you don’t want to start off with any yeast).  This chelation medicine (called DMSA) also removes some good minerals such as calcium from the body, so it needs to be supplemented. 

We haven’t started chelation yet, and hope to soon, we have a bit of yeast to address first.  When I read the stories from other parents of the progress they are seeing with chelation it gets me excited to say the least.  It is also a rocky road, lots of ups and downs while the mercury and other metals are coming out, and will no doubt be difficult at times.

I was curious as to how these doctors know that mercury is “lodged” in the system.  I knew that Dr. Wakefield had found this in his biopsies.  The proof is apparently when the urine is tested at intervals during chelation to see what heavy metals are coming out.  Sure enough the mercury is coming out (even though mercury wasn’t revealing itself in any preliminary tests).

Our latest venture was to start on a protocol set up by Dr. Megson.  She found that using Cod Liver Oil was very beneficial.  We replaced flaxseed oil with cod liver oil (there’s a lemon-lime flavoured one from Kirkman’s!), and then followed up with a prescription of medicine called Bethanecol.  It stimulates the pancreas (similar to the way secretin does).  It apparently doesn’t work on very many autistic children, but we lucked out.  The very first day, we noticed several exciting improvements, including more awareness, less spaciness, and speaking clearer.  The second day, there were more improvements, some sentence structure, and better co-ordination, (suddenly playing hop-scotch, I didn’t even know he could hop on one foot!).  He has been on this for 3 weeks now and the benefits seem to have leveled off now, however Jason has retained his improvements.  This further proved to me that there is indeed a gut-brain connection with autism.

This is our journey so far.  It’s not over, but with the research that is going on, we are encouraged and feel confident that there are indeed answers out there.  I know this is based on my personal viewpoint, but I wanted to share my story and help explain the detoxification concepts and consider all the angles.  Thinking about it, perhaps much of science depends on personal viewpoints!

Progress is being made.  There are interventions that can help and effective treatments are available.  But they work differently for each child, so it is our job to investigate them thoroughly so you can make the best decision for your child.  Not an easy task by any means, as parents are put in a difficult position of trying to determine what is best and having to research the different opinions from the medical field.   As we all know, our children are our most precious resource and my wish is that our children will benefit to some degree with our interventions, to have a better life and to live to their full potential.

  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

HELPFUL INFORMATION

 Research Information

Subscribe to FEAT (Families for Early Autism Treatment).  It is free and excellent for the latest news on research and autism topics.

SAFEMINDS is an organization that stands for Sensible Action for Ending Mercury-Induced Neurological Disorders.

Autism Research Institute headed by Bernard Rimland

Chelation Information

Healing Arts gives information about chelation of mercury, written by Dr. Amy Holmes (one of the DAN doctors involved with writing the mercury detoxification protocol).

This link includes an excellent slide presentation about heavy metals in autism.  A must-see!

Part of the Autism Research Institute website, this shows a chart of symptoms of mercury poisoning and next to it a chart of autistic symptoms.  Very interesting.

Again from the Autism Research Institute, this is the Mercury Detoxification Paper detailing the detoxification regime.

This discusses the link between mercury and autism.

I mentioned Dr. Cave announcing chelation results at the DAN conference this year.  She is highlighted in this newspaper article.

 I mentioned this website above, further down on this website page, there is the Bethanecol protocol written by Dr. McGinnis.

This is the website of Dr. Megson who researched the cod liver oil, vitamin A connection to autism.

Miscellaneous Websites

Kirkman Labs; Good for reading about and/or ordering supplements especially formulated for autistic children.

 This is excellent, written by Paul Shattock, about Dietary Interventions for the Treatment of Autism.

This gives a bit of information of Dr. Walsh’s findings about the enzyme metallothionein and autism.

This is about Omega 3 fats, it’s technical.  It is Dr. Andrew Stoll’s DAN 2001 Atlanta Presentation.

In 1995, thirty doctors joined together and had their first DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) meeting and agreed to treat autism under the DAN approach.  Since then the number of DAN doctors have grown and a list has been put together with the Autism Research Institute.  You can find the list in their website.

To be a DAN doctor, he/she must have attended at least one of the DAN conferences that take place yearly (and now twice yearly).  Most of these doctors tend to be alternative.  Be sure to do your research and feel comfortable with the Doctor you are working with  .Try to locate and talk to other parents whom have done specific treatments and therapies.  Find out who they see and get some feedback.  There are excellent DAN doctors out there and most of them have a long wait until you can get an appointment (probably a good sign!).  While you are waiting, you can do your research and be learning more.  Then when it is time for your appointment, you’ll be well informed and able to tell the doctor what it is he/she can do for your child.

Another source of information to find out about a doctor (DAN or otherwise) is to go the Unlocking Autism website.  Find your State Representative and they should be able to help you.  They can also help you find other parents that have tried the treatment you are asking about.

One day I hope Autism will be recognized as a disorder that needs to be a totally no-cost situation.  In the meantime, here’s the reality.  I’ve listed our approximate costs so far to give you an idea.

 (Different doctors will have different fees; this is the one we went to.  Plus some others don’t have appointments as regular, maybe only twice or once a year, depending on treatment)

DAN doctor – consultation (first visit) - $550 US

-         2^nd appointment - $230 US

-         Further appointments become cheaper ($100 - $150 US)

-         Appointments are every 3 months (4x a year)

Tests we’ve done so far:

Hair Analysis for Heavy Metals - $70 US

Blood Test for Heavy Metals (Doctors Data Lab) - $136 US

Fecal Test for Heavy Metals (Doctors Data Lab)  – (can’t find cost sorry)

Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis (test for yeast) (Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab) – $230 US approx

Amino Acid Analysis, Urine (Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab) - $240 US

Fatty Acid Test (MetraMetrix Clinical Lab)

Organic Acid Test (Great Plains Lab)

Allergy Test (blood) $230.00 US

Supplements add up.  None are expensive individually but each month there is a definite cost, approx. $40/month.

We haven’t started chelation, but I know the cost is not too bad.  It’s something like $1.00 a capsule and you take 3 capsules a day for 3 days every two weeks (adds up to $20/month approx).  (The capsules can be taken apart and contents dissolved in juice, there’s also suppositories available).

NOTE: Canadian residents, be sure to save all receipts pertaining to out-of-town trips to medical practitioners.  These amounts can be deducted from your income tax under medical expenses.  You may also try claiming supplements prescribed in conjunction with a DAN protocol.  Expenses for the following licensed practitioners may be deducted: Naturopath, Physical Therapist, Christian Scientist, Psychologist, SLP, OT, and Chiropractor.  For more information, check out the Parent Empowerment section of our website.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN CHOOSING THE RIGHT DOCTOR FOR YOUR ASD CHILD

 by members of BBB Autism Support Network

What I Look For in a Doctor by Becca

 .... besides basic credentials are warmth, compassion, eye contact, and strong listening skills. Its good if they write down what they are listening to as well. Hearing...really hearing what I am saying is a must have skill in any doctor I seek out for my family.

Becca Lynn

I look for a doctor who is able to give advice and let me make my decision, then support me in whatever choice I make.
Khris

 If looking for a general practitioner or a pediatrician, I am not necessarily looking for an expert on autism (it’s doubtful I’ll find one, anyway, lol).  I am looking for a doctor who’s willing to read a few articles, perhaps a book on the subject and most of all (as mentioned above) willing to listen.  I like a doctor who has the attitude that I am his/her partner and that the insights I have may be worthwhile.  My sister-in-law is a G.P. and she told me that they spent such little time on ASD in medical school; it’s not even funny.

I like a doctor who will see my son more often than once per year for a checkup. Due to communication issues, J. can’t tell us if he is sick, so we go 3 times a year, and have a slightly better chance of nipping illness in the bud.

I went to a DAN doctor once who’s attitude was questionable (in my opinion), so I want to say that just because s/he is a DAN doctor, it doesn’t make him/her any better and it doesn’t make them more of an expert on your child than you are.  Be careful. If your doctor is reluctant to answer your reasonable questions about treatment, is prescribing hundreds of dollars worth of supplements per month without telling you what they are or ever tells you s/he can CURE your child, look somewhere else!

OUR FAVORITE ARTICLE

Make the most of your time with your doctor

From About Pediatrics

In medical school, doctors learn how to 'present' their patients as they tell more senior doctors what is wrong with the patient. This usually begins with a chief complaint, or the main reason that you came to the doctor, such as my 'child has a fever ' or 'he has a bad cough.' The chief complaint is followed by the 'history of present illness,' which includes what other symptoms he has, when they began, and what makes the symptoms better or worse.

If you learn to 'present' your child to your Pediatrician at the beginning of the visit, then that will leave more time for your doctor to ask some follow up questions, examine your child, and then discuss what is wrong and what the treatment should be.

COMMUNICATION MADE EASY ©

For more information, contact Dawn Sheldrick

PHONE: 1-613-220-1672
EMAIL: c_madeeasy@hotmail.com

NEW SERVICE!!!

BBB PARENT GUIDES

CONTAINS PRACTICAL INFORMATION BY PARENTS FOR PARENTS

Available on request, e-mail mailto:liz@deaknet.com and ask for:

1. Halloween
2. Epsom Salts
3. Pros and Cons of telling your ASD child his/her diagnosis
4. How we advocate for our children

AS ALWAYS, WE LOVE TO HEAR YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND INPUT!

Past Issues

To request, email liz@deaknet.com and indicate which volume/issue(s) you prefer. You can order in HTML, MSWORD or PDF. Newsletter Archives are also available on our website at http://www.bbbautism.com. 

Volume 1; Issue 1 WELCOME ISSUE!
Volume 1; Issue 2 SUMMER CRISIS ISSUE
Volume 1; Issue 3 SPOUSAL CONCERNS ISSUE
Volume 1; Issue 4 SENSORY INTEGRATION
Volume 1; Issue 5 CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS
Volume 1; Issue 6 BACK TO SCHOOL
Volume 2; Issue 1 IEP
Volume 2; Issue 2 KEEPING YOUR COOL - WHEN YOUR EMOTIONS ARE ON FIRE
Volume 2; Issue 3 DEALING WITH STRESS
Volume 2; Issue 4 GIFTS FOR THE CHILD WITH ASD

UPCOMING CHATS:

HOW TO SET UP A HOME PROGRAM - Guest hosted by Kathy Lear, creator of Help Us Learn; A Self Paced Training Program for ABA. Date and time to be announced...

SOCIAL SKILLS FOR THE ASD CHILD WHEN RELATING TO A SIBLING, SOCIAL SKILLS IN GENERAL AND KEEPING YOUR COOL...BEHAVIORAL CHATS

Guest hosted by Deanna Pietramala of Leaps and Bounds (Specialized Programming Service in Ontario) http://www.leapsandboundsservices.com/


Tuesday, November 27 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm est
Tuesday, December 11 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm est

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A CHAT ON CHELATION.  DATE AND TIME TO BE ANNOUNCED!

Convert to your time zone here.

PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS FROM APRAXIA, CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS, EVERYDAY SENSORY STRATEGIES AND AUTISM, DEANNA PIETRAMALA (CHAT #1) AND ENZYMES CHATS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST liz@deaknet.com

coming soon:  "Autism and Essential Fatty Acids", "Central Auditory Processing Disorders", "Siblings of Children with ASD", "ADHD/ADD and ASD", "Autism and Nutrition", "Acceptance and Denial".

Regular chats take place Mondays at 1pm and 9 pm. Please join our hosts Lynn, Tina and myself.  Specialty guest-hosted chats will be announced.

Hi! Adelle Vance Tilton of About.Com’s autism/pdd community has generously invited us to borrow their wonderful chat room to use for our chats.  The following is a detailed description of how to access this room.

1. Copy/Paste this URL into your browser: http://autism.about.com/index.htm?rnk=c1&terms=autism

2. On the grey bar (under Adelle's picture) click on "CHAT".

3. Click on "Log on to Chat".

4. On this page: (a) Under "nickname", delete "guest" and type in a name for yourself. (b) Choose your preferred "font size".

5. Click on "Connect" and after a very short time, your chat screen will come up.

6. Move your screen by clicking the icon at the top left hand side of the window. Then drag the window to centre of your screen.

 For chat questions, please email  liz@deaknet.com

NOW AVAILABLE: "BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO AUTISM IN PRESCHOOLERS IN YORK REGION" - A step-by-step approach. You've got a diagnosis, NOW what do you do?  Also includes resources, links, recommended reading and guidelines for funding forms.

"GENERAL BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO AUTISM" Includes a dictionary, short guide to communication, sensory integrations, autism and diet, ABA/IBI and a list of other therapies, recommended reading, links and more. Designed as a companion to the York Region Guide, it is also a stand-alone and can be used for any area.

New on the BBB website (http://www.bbbautism.com/)

Newsletter Archives
Parent Empowerment Resources
Look for new sections every time a workshop is presented!
Now available: Communication as Behavior
Effective Advocacy
Wills, Trusts and Tax Concerns
Writing Effective Needs Statements

Work in progress: Seizure Disorders. Starts here
We also have a new section on notes from a member who attended the recent DAN! Karen has provided us with 20 “chapters” and they start here

Updated Sections Include: Conferences, Vaccines.

Check us out, we’ve changed! I’ve removed all the frames from the website making it easier to find exactly what you are looking for. Each section now has it’s own ‘address’, making it even easier to navigate.  Major housekeeping going on, making information seeking simpler than ever! Updates happen almost every day at BBB Autism!

UPCOMING PARENT EMPOWERMENT WORKSHOPS

Sensory Integration Make ‘n Take Workshop Instructor Shirley Sutton, Occupational Therapist

Saturday, November 17^th Room B 13   9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Shirley’s specialty training areas include early intervention and sensory integration. She brings more than 20 years’ extensive clinical experience from a wide variety of settings, including consulting work with Geneva Centre, two private therapy centres, several community living associations and early intervention programs. Shirley co-authored the book ‘Building Bridges Through Sensory Integration’ and the workbook ‘Learn to Print and Draw: A Tactile-Kinesthetic Approach’.

P.E.C.S. Picture Exchange Communication System

Tuesday November 20^th, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm, 2^nd Floor Boardroom

Shana Elman, Speech & Language Pathologist with Bloorview MacMillan Centre. Visual communication materials to aid and facilitate learning and leisure by ‘Graduate Beginnings’ will be available for sale, and custom orders can be taken.

Dental Care and Autism with Dr. David Isen AT HIS OFFICE – 4800 LESLIE STREET SUITE 111, NORTH YORK

Tuesday December 11^th, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

...Proudly Presented by Autism Society Ontario ~ York Region Chapter and BBB Autism Support Network

Registration Required, Limited Enrollment. Email asoyork@axxent.ca Location: 11181 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

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BBB PARENT GUIDES

CONTAINS PRACTICAL INFORMATION BY PARENTS FOR PARENTS Available on request, e-mail liz@deaknet.com and ask for: (now available in PDF format)  

1.      Halloween

2.      Epsom Salts (long version)

3.      Epsom Salts (condensed)

4.      Pros and Cons of telling your ASD child his/her diagnosis

5.      How we advocate for our children

6.      Guide to holidays and large family gatherings

A notice to our readers...

The founders of this newsletter and the BBB Autism support club are not physicians.

This newsletter references books and other web sites that may be of interest to the reader.  The editor makes no presentation or warranty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained on any of these web sites or in the books, and specifically disclaims any liability for any information contained on, or omissions from, these books or web sites.  Reference to these web sites or books herein shall not be construed to be an endorsement of these web sites or books or of the information contained thereon, by the editor.

The editor reserves the right to make decisions as to whether contributions are appropriate with respect to content, length, etc.  We will not publish offensive material using foul language, or contributions that are inflammatory or disrespectful to decisions by other parents (i.e. therapies). We do not generally accept contributions if they are ads for private service agencies/clinics. We are also unable to accept contributions after an issue has been completed. We reserve the right to edit content, but will inform you in advance if we are going to do this. J

(c) BBB Autism –  2001

This E-News is the intellectual property of BBB Autism Support Network.

Permission to reproduce and hand out is granted, provided the document is displayed in its entirety.  Other permissions may be requested by email: liz@deaknet.com.  The purpose of this copyright is to protect your right to make free copies of this paper for your friends and colleagues, to prevent publishers from using it for commercial advantage, and to prevent ill-meaning people from altering the meaning of the document by changing or removing a few paragraphs.