| NEWS |
2012 MID WEEK Loveland Academy Students-Fund Raiser Projects
Posted on February 15, 2012 by Christina O’Connor
http://www.midweek.com/loveland-academy-students/
Once a week, Rachel, Kylie, Margaret, Jessica and Pili, a group of students at Loveland Academy in Makiki meet as
a part of a girls’ group at the school. Loveland Academy is a mental health day treatment facility that provides
services including speech, occupational and mental health therapy, and academic classes for students with special
needs. These five girls range in age from 14 to 20, and the group works on problem-solving, social interaction and
communication. Recently, though, they have been focusing on helping others by organizing fundraisers for various
organizations. The idea came a couple of months ago after the girls had raised money for their group’s activities.
FOR STORY CLICK HERE
Posted on February 15, 2012 by Christina O’Connor
http://www.midweek.com/loveland-academy-students/
Once a week, Rachel, Kylie, Margaret, Jessica and Pili, a group of students at Loveland Academy in Makiki meet as
a part of a girls’ group at the school. Loveland Academy is a mental health day treatment facility that provides
services including speech, occupational and mental health therapy, and academic classes for students with special
needs. These five girls range in age from 14 to 20, and the group works on problem-solving, social interaction and
communication. Recently, though, they have been focusing on helping others by organizing fundraisers for various
organizations. The idea came a couple of months ago after the girls had raised money for their group’s activities.
FOR STORY CLICK HERE
New York Times , 19 January 2012, by Benedict Carey
New Definition of Autism Will Exclude Many, Study Suggest
New York Times , 19 January 2012, by Benedict Carey
Proposed changes in the definition of autism would sharply reduce the skyrocketing rate at which the disorder is diagnosed and
might make it harder for many people who would no longer meet the criteria to get health, educational and social services, a new
analysis suggests.
New Definition of Autism Will Exclude Many, Study Suggest New York Times , 19 January 2012, by Benedict Carey
This morning's *New York Times* includes an article: "New Definition of Autism Will Exclude Many, Study Suggests" by Benedict
Carey.
Here are some excerpts:
Proposed changes in the definition of autism would sharply reduce the skyrocketing rate at which the disorder is diagnosed and
might make it harder for many people who would no longer meet the criteria to get health, educational and social services, a new
analysis suggests.
The definition is now being reassessed by an expert panel appointed by the American Psychiatric Association, which is completing
work on the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the first major revision in 17 years.
The results of the new analysis are preliminary, but they offer the most drastic estimate of how tightening the criteria for autism
could affect the rate of diagnosis.
The psychiatrists' association is wrestling with one of the most agonizing questions in mental health -- where to draw the line
between unusual and abnormal -- and its decisions are sure to be wrenching for some families.
At a time when school budgets for special education are stretched, the new diagnosis could herald more pitched battles.
Tens of thousands of people receive state-backed services to help offset the disorders' disabling effects, which include
sometimes severe learning and social problems, and the diagnosis is in many ways central to their lives.
Close networks of parents have bonded over common experiences with children; and the children, too, may grow to find a sense of
their own identity in their struggle with the disorder.
The proposed changes would probably exclude people with a diagnosis who were higher functioning.
"I'm very concerned about the change in diagnosis, because I wonder if my daughter would even qualify," said Mary Meyer of
Ramsey, N.J. A diagnosis of Asperger syndrome was crucial to helping her daughter, who is 37, gain access to services that have
helped tremendously.
"She's on disability, which is partly based on the Asperger's; and I'm hoping to get her into supportive housing, which also depends
on her diagnosis."
The new analysis, presented Thursday at a meeting of the Icelandic Medical Association, opens a debate about just how many
people the proposed diagnosis would affect.
The changes would narrow the diagnosis so much that it could effectively end the autism surge, said Dr. Fred R. Volkmar, director
of the Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine and an author of the new analysis of the proposal.
"We would nip it in the bud."
Experts working for the Psychiatric Association on the manual's new definition -- a group from which Dr. Volkmar resigned early
on -- strongly disagree about the proposed changes' impact.
Disagreement about the effect of the new definition will almost certainly increase scrutiny of the finer points of the psychiatric
association's changes to the manual.
The revisions are about 90 percent complete and will be final by December, according to Dr. David J. Kupfer, a professor of
psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and chairman of the task force making the revisions.
At least a million children and adults have a diagnosis of autism or a related disorder, like Asperger syndrome or "pervasive
developmental disorder, not otherwise specified," also known as P.D.D.-N.O.S.
People with Asperger's or P.D.D.-N.O.S. endure some of the same social struggles as those with autism but do not meet the
definition for the full-blown version. The proposed change would consolidate all three diagnoses under one category, autism
spectrum disorder, eliminating Asperger syndrome and P.D.D.-N.O.S. from the manual.
Under the current criteria, a person can qualify for the diagnosis by exhibiting 6 or more of 12 behaviors; under the proposed
definition, the person would have to exhibit 3 deficits in social interaction and communication and at least 2 repetitive behaviors, a
much narrower menu.
"Our fear is that we are going to take a big step backward," said Lori Shery, president of the Asperger Syndrome Education
Network. "If clinicians say, 'These kids don't fit the criteria for an autism spectrum diagnosis,' they are not going to get the
supports and services they need, and they're going to experience failure."
In the new analysis, Dr. Volkmar, along with Brian Reichow and James McPartland, both at Yale, used data from a large 1993 study
that served as the basis for the current criteria.
They focused on 372 children and adults who were among the highest functioning and found that overall, only 45 percent of them
would qualify for the proposed autism spectrum diagnosis now under review.
The focus on a high-functioning group may have slightly exaggerated that percentage, the authors acknowledge.
The likelihood of being left out under the new definition depended on the original diagnosis: about a quarter of those identified with
classic autism in 1993 would not be so identified under the proposed criteria; about three-quarters of those with Asperger
syndrome would not qualify; and 85 percent of those with P.D.D.-N.O.S. would not.
Dr. Volkmar presented the preliminary findings on Thursday.
The researchers will publish a broader analysis, based on a larger and more representative sample of 1,000 cases, later this year.
Dr. Volkmar said that although the proposed diagnosis would be for disorders on a spectrum and implies a broader net, it focuses
tightly on "classically autistic" children on the more severe end of the scale.
"The major impact here is on the more cognitively able," he said.
New Definition of Autism Will Exclude Many, Study Suggest
New York Times , 19 January 2012, by Benedict Carey
Proposed changes in the definition of autism would sharply reduce the skyrocketing rate at which the disorder is diagnosed and
might make it harder for many people who would no longer meet the criteria to get health, educational and social services, a new
analysis suggests.
New Definition of Autism Will Exclude Many, Study Suggest New York Times , 19 January 2012, by Benedict Carey
This morning's *New York Times* includes an article: "New Definition of Autism Will Exclude Many, Study Suggests" by Benedict
Carey.
Here are some excerpts:
Proposed changes in the definition of autism would sharply reduce the skyrocketing rate at which the disorder is diagnosed and
might make it harder for many people who would no longer meet the criteria to get health, educational and social services, a new
analysis suggests.
The definition is now being reassessed by an expert panel appointed by the American Psychiatric Association, which is completing
work on the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the first major revision in 17 years.
The results of the new analysis are preliminary, but they offer the most drastic estimate of how tightening the criteria for autism
could affect the rate of diagnosis.
The psychiatrists' association is wrestling with one of the most agonizing questions in mental health -- where to draw the line
between unusual and abnormal -- and its decisions are sure to be wrenching for some families.
At a time when school budgets for special education are stretched, the new diagnosis could herald more pitched battles.
Tens of thousands of people receive state-backed services to help offset the disorders' disabling effects, which include
sometimes severe learning and social problems, and the diagnosis is in many ways central to their lives.
Close networks of parents have bonded over common experiences with children; and the children, too, may grow to find a sense of
their own identity in their struggle with the disorder.
The proposed changes would probably exclude people with a diagnosis who were higher functioning.
"I'm very concerned about the change in diagnosis, because I wonder if my daughter would even qualify," said Mary Meyer of
Ramsey, N.J. A diagnosis of Asperger syndrome was crucial to helping her daughter, who is 37, gain access to services that have
helped tremendously.
"She's on disability, which is partly based on the Asperger's; and I'm hoping to get her into supportive housing, which also depends
on her diagnosis."
The new analysis, presented Thursday at a meeting of the Icelandic Medical Association, opens a debate about just how many
people the proposed diagnosis would affect.
The changes would narrow the diagnosis so much that it could effectively end the autism surge, said Dr. Fred R. Volkmar, director
of the Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine and an author of the new analysis of the proposal.
"We would nip it in the bud."
Experts working for the Psychiatric Association on the manual's new definition -- a group from which Dr. Volkmar resigned early
on -- strongly disagree about the proposed changes' impact.
Disagreement about the effect of the new definition will almost certainly increase scrutiny of the finer points of the psychiatric
association's changes to the manual.
The revisions are about 90 percent complete and will be final by December, according to Dr. David J. Kupfer, a professor of
psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and chairman of the task force making the revisions.
At least a million children and adults have a diagnosis of autism or a related disorder, like Asperger syndrome or "pervasive
developmental disorder, not otherwise specified," also known as P.D.D.-N.O.S.
People with Asperger's or P.D.D.-N.O.S. endure some of the same social struggles as those with autism but do not meet the
definition for the full-blown version. The proposed change would consolidate all three diagnoses under one category, autism
spectrum disorder, eliminating Asperger syndrome and P.D.D.-N.O.S. from the manual.
Under the current criteria, a person can qualify for the diagnosis by exhibiting 6 or more of 12 behaviors; under the proposed
definition, the person would have to exhibit 3 deficits in social interaction and communication and at least 2 repetitive behaviors, a
much narrower menu.
"Our fear is that we are going to take a big step backward," said Lori Shery, president of the Asperger Syndrome Education
Network. "If clinicians say, 'These kids don't fit the criteria for an autism spectrum diagnosis,' they are not going to get the
supports and services they need, and they're going to experience failure."
In the new analysis, Dr. Volkmar, along with Brian Reichow and James McPartland, both at Yale, used data from a large 1993 study
that served as the basis for the current criteria.
They focused on 372 children and adults who were among the highest functioning and found that overall, only 45 percent of them
would qualify for the proposed autism spectrum diagnosis now under review.
The focus on a high-functioning group may have slightly exaggerated that percentage, the authors acknowledge.
The likelihood of being left out under the new definition depended on the original diagnosis: about a quarter of those identified with
classic autism in 1993 would not be so identified under the proposed criteria; about three-quarters of those with Asperger
syndrome would not qualify; and 85 percent of those with P.D.D.-N.O.S. would not.
Dr. Volkmar presented the preliminary findings on Thursday.
The researchers will publish a broader analysis, based on a larger and more representative sample of 1,000 cases, later this year.
Dr. Volkmar said that although the proposed diagnosis would be for disorders on a spectrum and implies a broader net, it focuses
tightly on "classically autistic" children on the more severe end of the scale.
"The major impact here is on the more cognitively able," he said.
AP Associated Press (29 March 2012, By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer)
Here is the most recent study from the Center for Disease Prevention and Control out of Atlanta. It confirms that
autism is more prevalent than previously thought. Better screening and more widespread studies show that
the incidence of autism is actually 1 in 88. This is up from their last figure of 1 on 110 in 2006.
Autism Speaks (29 March 2012) 1 in 88: We Need a Strategy
The following remarks were delivered by Mark Roithmayr, president of Autism Speaks, at the Centers for Disease
Control in Atlanta on March 29, 2011. You can follow him on Twitter @markroithmayr.
Merriam-Webster defines the word epidemic as "Excessively prevalent. Affecting a disproportionately large
number of individuals within a population, community or region at the same time."
The following remarks were delivered by Mark Roithmayr, president of Autism Speaks, at the Centers for Disease
Control in Atlanta on March 29, 2011. You can follow him on Twitter @markroithmayr.
Merriam-Webster defines the word epidemic as "Excessively prevalent. Affecting a disproportionately large
number of individuals within a population, community or region at the same time."
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Pricey special-needs lesson for state
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 31, 2012 StarAdvertiser.com
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 31, 2012 StarAdvertiser.com
Preliminary Resource List to Discuss Death with Children on the Autism Spectrum.
By Jessica Wong-Sumida, Executive Director, Autism Society of Hawaii, Saturday December 15, 2012
By Jessica Wong-Sumida, Executive Director, Autism Society of Hawaii, Saturday December 15, 2012
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