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A Mother's Autism Campaign Article By: Kent Erdahl Article Date: 01/24/2008 Hi! I'm Lin Wessels. I felt it important to share with you my most recent efforts and more importantly, the results of of those efforts, on behalf of those living with autism and their loved ones. I hope you are able to access the links. I sincerely hope you enjoy this and it gives you new found hope... http://www.ksfy.com/results?keywords=Autism+the+Epidemic%3F&searchType=vid A Mother's Autism Campaign Autism is now the fastest growing childhood impairment in the country, affecting 1 in 150 children. Last month KSFY told you about a mother in Iowa who is determined to find out why. And now, after a trip to Washington D.C., she says she's a little bit closer to an answer. By Kent Erdahl Story Created: Dec 16, 2007 at 9:24 PM CST Story Updated: Dec 16, 2007 at 11:37 PM CST Multimedia Watch The Video Lin Wessels' campaign to find a cause for autism began when her son, Sam, was diagnosed three and half years ago, but it intersected with Senator John McCain's campaign for president on October 26th. "Would you commit to meeting with a special task force of parents such as myself? Anywhere, any time, you name the place, we'll be there," asked Wessels. Sen. McCain said, "Yes Ma'am and I will do it at your convenience either here or Washington D.C. or some other geographic location that is most convenient for the people that you want me to meet with." In November that meeting took place in Washington, where Lin says McCain acted more like a Senior Senator than a candidate. "When I walked into his Senate office, right in front of him on the table was the research I had given him at the town hall meeting here in town. The folder was tattered and bent and well used." Wessels has been pushing for more research into a link between autism and vaccines that contain a mercury based preservative, ever since she found that Sam suffers from mercury poisoning, but after she and the other parents shared their concerns with Senator McCain, "then he said, well this is what I think needs to happen. I think we need to request hearings in the Senate on behalf of your kids. And we were totally in awe," she said. Last week Lin received a copy of a letter formally requesting Senate hearings to examine potential causes of autism. It's signed by McCain and Senator Joe Lieberman. The request still has to clear some political hurdles before hearings become a reality, but Lin says she's hopeful her campaign will continue. "You have to. You have to keep marching on, keep speaking out, and hope that this may be the time for things to start to change." Senator McCain and Lieberman's request is now in the hands of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. It will decide if and when the autism hearings take place. December 10, 2007 A-CHAMP Parent-Advocates Meet With Senator McCain (11/20/2007) Senators McCain and Lieberman Request Senate HELP Committee to Conduct Hearing on Autism Research and Causation, including an inquiry into the role of thimerosal (mercury) in vaccines and other environmental factors. See McCain/Lieberman Letter and Photos of the A-CHAMP/Sen. McCain Meeting Here See A-CHAMP's Press Release covering the McCain-Lieberman Letter Here Best to all, Lin Wessels Sam's MAMA (Mom on A Mission for Autism) Parents of vaccine-injured children and many lawmakers on Capitol Hill believe VICA is long overdue for review and adjustment but passage of the Frist bill with all of its pro-drug company/anti-child regulations is not the solution. Jeff Sell, vice-president of the Autism Society of America, an attorney and father of autistic twins said, "It is unconscionable to slam the door on any relief for perhaps 500,000 families-who may face millions of dollars in expenses for lifetime care for a seriously injured child-without providing for an alternative and effective remedy." This isn't the first time Frist has been accused of catering to the pharmaceutical companies-many think in response to large campaign contributions. Last year, a $10,000 campaign contribution was reportedly given to Frist from a drug industry lobbying group the day after he submitted S. 2053 that contained similar language to S. 15 and what was quietly slipped into the Homeland Security Bill in the 11th hour. The corrupt rider was later repealed in response to media backlash and at the request of moderate Republicans. If the Frist Vaccine Injury Compensation Bill does pass, drug companies will not be required to pay for lifelong care of children damaged by Thimerosal, but taxpayers will. "U.S. taxpayers had no part in destroying my child's immune system, his health and his chance of a normal life ... why should they pay for it?" asked Loretta McMahon, mother of a child whose diagnosis recently switched from autism to mercury toxicity. Parents of children with mercury-induced autism say they look to the Burton/Waxman/Weldon Bill in the House as a viable alternative plan because of its due process to pursue civil litigation and for its look-back provision to incorporate thousands of families who presently do not fit into the VICA. They plan a rally at Upper Senate Park, Wednesday, March 19th from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Researchers will be in attendance to talk about the mercury/thimerosal and autism connection. In 1990, the rate of autism was 1 in 10,000. Today that number stands at 1 in 150 according to Centers for Disease Control. This dramatic rise in autism rates correlates with the increase in mercury-exposure through vaccines given to children in the late 1980s and through the 1990s.

A Look at Sensory Integration: When Kids Are Out of Sync With Their Surroundings A therapy created to help children process what they see, hear or feel has its proponents. But others want to see the proof. One child swings on a tire and tosses balls through a hoop; another sits in a sandbox filled with beans. The play may seem ordinary enough, but in the jargon of occupational therapists, these activities are known as sensory integration therapy. "It's almost like a gymnastics class," says Page Heenan, whose daughter, Isabel, underwent a year of sensory integration treatment as a toddler because of a cluster of unexplainable symptoms and behaviors she was experiencing. "She was having night terrors and day terrors," Heenan recalls. "Sometimes she'd just flip out for no reason." Therapists who use these techniques say they are beneficial for treating sensory processing disorders - nervous system problems that impair the way children process sensations such as sights, sounds and smells. They say that up to 5% of children are affected by these types of disorders which, they add, can lead to behavioral problems and learning disabilities. To some, they've made a convincing argument. Children with problems as varied as autism and simple clumsiness are being referred for this type of treatment. Some health insurers now pay for it, and certain school districts provide it free-of-charge to their students. But not everyone is sold on the therapy. Some suggest it is little more than supervised play, pointing out that there is no credible evidence that the therapy works. It's true that some children do seem to respond abnormally to sensory stimulation. In some cases, they seem overly sensitive to touch, movement, sights or sounds. "I couldn't take Isabel out into a crowd or to a party," Heenan says. "She would get overstimulated and just fall apart." Other children may be very insensitive to these same situations. Some children also have difficulty identifying certain sensations. A child might reach into a pocket and not be able to recognize what it contains. Others might have difficulty visually differentiating the letter P from the letter B, or trouble hearing the difference between the words "cat" and "cap." Advocates of sensory integration therapy say these types of problems can lead children to avoid certain experiences because they are unpleasant. "Normally, children seek out sensory challenges on their own - typical kids do this all the time," says Diane Parham, an associate professor in the department of occupational science and occupational therapy at USC. "Sensory integration therapy confronts the child who has avoided certain stimuli." During therapy, controlled sensory stimulation is used to help children learn to manage these experiences and gradually tolerate more difficult challenges. Therapy varies from one child to the next. For a child who has difficulty tolerating loud noise, treatment may involve swinging on a swing while blowing a whistle. A child who doesn't like to be touched might be rolled in a soft blanket. Medical professionals who are critical of this type of therapy point to a lack of proof that children who go through it fare any better afterward than comparable children who are simply left alone. The popularity of the therapy, they say, relies nearly exclusively on anecdotal reports from therapists and testimonials from parents who say their children were helped by it. Some health professionals reject the basic premise underlying sensory integration therapy. They say that sensory processing disorders have not been proven to exist and, even if they do, there is no reliable method to diagnose them. Some proponents of the therapy acknowledge that the results of research studies have been inconclusive. "For people to take it seriously, the research has to be there," says Lucy Miller, director of a sensory integration therapy research center at the Children's Hospital of Denver. The lack of rigorous science showing the safety and effectiveness of these treatments raises questions about whether parents should be offered the therapy and whether health plans and school systems should be paying for them. Still, it's understandable why a parent would want to try sensory integration when there are no other good options available to them. That was Heenan's attitude, particularly after learning that her insurance would cover most of the costs of the treatment. "It wasn't hurting Isabel, she liked it, and it was free." Although her daughter showed some improvement during the course of the therapy, Heenan isn't entirely convinced that the treatments are the reason why. "Was it just maturation?" she asks. Four years later, at age 7, Isabel still exhibits some of the behaviors that led to sensory integration therapy. "I've decided that's just who she is," Heenan says. "We're all different." Dr. Valerie Ulene is a board-certified specialist in preventive medicine practicing in Los Angeles.

A just-published report in the Journal of the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons, conducted by Dr. Mark Geier and David Geier, analyzed mercury doses children received from Thimerosal in childhood vaccines in comparison to Federal Safety Guidelines. The doctors concluded that mercury from Thimerosal did exceed Federal Safety Guidelines and that the study provides "strong epidemiological evidence" for a link between increasing mercury from Thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism which has reached epidemic proportions. The authors stated, "A causal relationship between Thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders appears to be confirmed." The new legislation, sponsored by Senator Judd Gregg, comes on the heels of the new revealations. The Geier research confirms the findings of an unreleased CDC study, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, which found a relative risk of 2.48 between thimerosal exposures and autism. Courts of law have generally held that a relative risk of 2.0 or higher is sufficient to substantiate that a given exposure causes disease. Much like the Homeland Security Bill provision, the legislation is attached to a larger bill that most likely will pass swiftly through the Senate due to its anti-terrorism measures. The bill combines three interrelated issues: Bioterrorism-"BioShield", creating a Smallpox Compensation Program and reforming the Vaccine Injury Compensation Act (VICA). Parents of vaccine-injured children and many lawmakers on Capitol Hill believe VICA is long overdue for review and adjustment but passage of the Frist bill with all of its pro-drug company/anti-child regulations is not the solution. Jeff Sell, vice-president of the Autism Society of America, an attorney and father of autistic twins said, "It is unconscionable to slam the door on any relief for perhaps 500,000 families-who may face millions of dollars in expenses for lifetime care for a seriously injured child-without providing for an alternative and effective remedy." This isn't the first time Frist has been accused of catering to the pharmaceutical companies-many think in response to large campaign contributions. Last year, a $10,000 campaign contribution was reportedly given to Frist from a drug industry lobbying group the day after he submitted S. 2053 that contained similar language to S. 15 and what was quietly slipped into the Homeland Security Bill in the 11th hour. The corrupt rider was later repealed in response to media backlash and at the request of moderate Republicans. If the Frist Vaccine Injury Compensation Bill does pass, drug companies will not be required to pay for lifelong care of children damaged by Thimerosal, but taxpayers will. "U.S. taxpayers had no part in destroying my child's immune system, his health and his chance of a normal life ... why should they pay for it?" asked Loretta McMahon, mother of a child whose diagnosis recently switched from autism to mercury toxicity. Parents of children with mercury-induced autism say they look to the Burton/Waxman/Weldon Bill in the House as a viable alternative plan because of its due process to pursue civil litigation and for its look-back provision to incorporate thousands of families who presently do not fit into the VICA. They plan a rally at Upper Senate Park, Wednesday, March 19th from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Researchers will be in attendance to talk about the mercury/thimerosal and autism connection. In 1990, the rate of autism was 1 in 10,000. Today that number stands at 1 in 150 according to Centers for Disease Control. This dramatic rise in autism rates correlates with the increase in mercury-exposure through vaccines given to children in the late 1980s and through the 1990s.