1) Devin:  Donate to: "Dollars 4 Devin"

...and help Fund a Voice for Devin again. Devin is an almost 5 year old boy with thick, dark brown hair and golden highlights. His rosey cheeks, large sparkling brown eyes and an intoxicating smile that would light a city and melt an iceberg with it's energy and warmth. The only difference between every other 5 year old and Devin, is that he has a diagnosis of severe Autism. Help us, help him through your generous Donation (see PayPal button ). We are continuously striving to creatively reach/ teach and guide Devin, his school, his home treatment program and all of the DAN practitioners and classic Practitioners (PCP, Gastroenterologists, and therapists) to work together. To merge their training with the various other people who touch and treat Devin's life. This takes a lot of resources, namely money, for treatments that at this time are not covered by insurances. Most families, including ours spent nearly $30,000.00 last year alone - out of pocket for our son's treatments, with many years ahead for Devin's treatments...we are asking for your help. Devin will continue to grow, and progress along his journey through life touched by Autism and it is our hope and dream for Devin to someday use his precious voice again. Since last I published this in September, Devin is now up to 65 ASL signs for communication,saying 5 Echoic sounds upon request and is progressing well with all of his daily skills. Thankyou all for your continued love and support. I will try to update the pictures and progress every 3 months. God Bless, Shannon

PLEASE DONATE TO "DOLLARS4DEVIN" to prolong Devin's Verbal Behavior  treatment program and Fund a Voice for Devin, by pushing the DONATE button. This is a PayPal protected route for your Donation. 

Thankyou for your support.

2) 1 in 150 children have Autism today! Cited by: "Autism Speaks Inc." at www.autismspeaks.org.

The Autism “Spectrum” Autism is one of five disorders that falls under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), a category of neurological disorders characterized by “severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development.”  Autism is the most common of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders, affecting an estimated 1 in 150 births (Centers for Disease Control Prevention, 2007). Roughly translated, this means that as many as 1.5 million Americans today are believed to have some form of autism. And this number is on the rise. The five disorders under PDD are: Autistic Disorder Asperger's Disorder Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) Rett's Disorder PDD-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) Each of these disorders has specific diagnostic criteria which been outlined in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR).

3)   Autism:
	According to the Autism Society of America, autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. One should keep in mind however, that autism is a spectrum disorder and it affects each individual differently and at varying degrees - this is why early diagnosis is so crucial. By learning the signs, a child can begin benefiting from one of the many specialized intervention programs. Based on statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and other governmental agencies, autism is growing at a startling rate of 10-17 percent per year. At this rate, the ASA estimates that the prevalence of autism could reach 4 million Americans in the next decade.  Autism knows no racial, ethnic, social boundaries, family income, lifestyle, or educational levels and can affect any family, and any child. And although the overall incidence of autism is consistent around the globe, it is four times more prevalent in boys than in girls.

4)

Treatment Options There is no single right or wrong treatment for all children with autism; however most respond best to highly structured educational programs, as well as diet and behavioral modifications.  According to the Autism Speaks organization, some of the most common interventions are applied behavior analysis (ABA), floor time therapy, gluten free and/or casein free diets, speech therapy, occupational therapy, PECS, SCERTS, sensory integration therapy, relationship development intervention, verbal behavior intervention, and the school-based TEAACH method.  Please ask your doctor about any (or all!) of these treatments for your child, and visit Autism Speaks’ website here for more information.

For further information of each refernced treatment above, please reference these web sites:

• ABA - www.lovaas.com/index.php
• VBA - www.drcarbone.net
• Sensory Integration - (Next line)http://autism.about.com/od/sensoryintegrationtherapy/Sensory_Integration_Therapy_and_Autism.htm
• DAN - www.autism.com/ari/
• RDI - www.rdiconnect.com/RDI
• Floor Time - www.floortime.org/

5) Theories of Origin: Information cited by the CDC (Center For Disease Control) at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism)

FAQ’s about Vaccines and ASDs
Several studies have looked at whether there is a relationship between vaccines and autism. The weight of the evidence indicates that vaccines are not associated with autism. But CDC knows that some parents and others may still have concerns about this issue. CDC is committed to protecting the health of children and to identifying the biological and environmental causes of autism and other developmental disabilities, so we will continue to study the role of vaccines.  Click here to view a chart of CDC’s studies about vaccines and ASDs.

Is there a relationship between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders?
CDC’s National Immunization Program website has many materials about vaccines and autism, including frequently asked questions about whether there is a relationship between autism and the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine or the preservative thimerosal. You can also get information on vaccines and vaccine safety by calling 1-800-CDC-INFO.

• 1) Genetics - as of now, most geneticists believe the answer lies in not 1 but several different genes. Thus explaining the variation of Autism between each boy or girl affected.
• 2) Environmental - Many theories are being examined and trial studies being performed by the DAN practitioners, as to the causes and treatments for Autism. Many of these theories look to a genetic predisposition in the child  and something within the child's environment that "triggers" the dormant gene. Thus leading to  the onset of Autism. Sometheoretical causes could be: MMR vaccination secondary to Mercury or Thimerisol. Not just the amount within the MMR vaccinations, but also the number of vaccinations all children are receiving in a small window of time. This is several times over the amount I (at 40 years old) received when I was a child. Other contributing factors they believe can be linked to triggering autism are: Dental amalgym fillings, toxic amounts of these minerals in the water we drink, the soil we grow our crops in and the products we place on and into our bodies.