The Autism Education Site

Mercury in H1N1 Vaccine Deemed “Safe” by Researchers

Melissa — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:37:58 +0000

The following is a press release from the Rochester General Health System. I try to present information on all sides of the mercury in vaccines/autism debate for informational purposes.

Study Examines Mercury in Vaccines

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The injectable, multi-dose H1N1 vaccine contains the mercury-based preservative thimerosol to reduce risks of bacterial contamination. The presence of thimerosol has once again raised concerns whether there are risks posed to children when the tiny amount of mercury contained in thimerosol is included in a vaccine. In a recent issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, however, a team of scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health reported findings that should alleviate those concerns. The researchers, led by author Michael E. Pichichero, MD, Director of the Rochester General Research Institute, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, NY evaluated levels of mercury in the blood of the smallest children — prematurely born and low birth weight infants after they received a dose of a childhood vaccine containing thimerosol. They found the levels of mercury were exceedingly low.

The issue of administering vaccines containing mercury has been controversial because at very high levels mercury is known to cause organ damage (brain/kidneys). Consequently in 2001, as a precaution, at the prompting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Food and Drug Administration, the use of thimerosol in childhood vaccines was reduced or eliminated. However, after examining the evidence the Institute of Medicine issued an opinion that an association between thimerosol exposure and autism was not supported by the evidence. Nevertheless the contention that mercury in vaccines causes autism continues to be debated. The newly released multi-dose, injectable H1N1 Influenza vaccines contain the preservative thimerosol and thimerosol is 50% ethyl mercury, which has sparked a renewed debate on the safety of administering this new influenza vaccine.

The purpose of the study was to find out how much mercury from a vaccine containing thimerosol stays in a child’s body,” said Dr. Pichichero. “What we found was that blood mercury levels before vaccination were often detectable, even at a level similar to many children after the vaccination. By just breathing the air, mothers were passing to their unborn infants some slight amounts of mercury. The mothers did not eat fish that contains mercury, so in the United States and other countries where fish is consumed by pregnant women the levels of mercury would be presumably even higher. After the babies were given vaccines containing thimerosol, their blood levels of mercury did rise to very low levels and then fell rapidly to baseline levels by day ten after the vaccination.”

Since thimerosol has been largely removed from vaccines in the US since 2001, this study of 72 newborn infants was conducted at the Hospital Durand in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In Argentina, like many countries of the world, vaccines are purchased through sources supported by the World Health Organization and the WHO has rejected the notion that thimerosol in vaccines is unsafe. This is the third and final study by Dr. Pichichero and his colleagues that tested mercury levels following the injection of vaccines containing thimerosol. Previous studies were conducted on term newborns, and on 2-and 6-month old infants. In those studies, the researchers also found the mercury levels in the vaccinated children were very low and quickly returned to pre-vaccine levels, usually within three to seven days. In 1999, when the first concerns about thimerosol in vaccines was raised, it was presumed that the ethyl mercury in thimerosol would behave in the same manner as methyl mercury in fish after ingested. The three NIH-supported studies clearly refuted that idea.

Dr. Pichichero and colleagues concluded that with this latest data, it is time to recognize that the risk of exposure to thimerosol in vaccines is minimal to non-existent. “The H1N1 vaccine is safe and should be given to those at risk as recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control,” Dr. Pichichero said.

Study Reveals Mercury Levels Similar in Autistic and Typical Children

Melissa — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:22:16 +0000

Without going into the mercury/vaccine/autism debate, or my feelings on the matter, I wanted to share a new article on the topic. The article, Mercury levels similar in autistic, normal kids, is a Reuters article that discusses the results of a study from researchers at the University of California, Davis.

The researchers at the University of California, Davis, initially found that children aged 2 to 5 with autism had mercury levels lower than other children because the autistic kids ate less fish, the biggest source of mercury that shows up in the blood.

But when the data were adjusted for lower fish consumption, blood-mercury concentrations among the autistic children were roughly similar to those developing typically. The children with autism had mercury levels in line with national norms.

The Autism Research Projects Managed by the US CDC

Melissa — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:00:52 +0000

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is responsible for the official autism prevalence rates here in the United States. Although recent studies have shown that autism is affecting 1% of children in the United States, the official CDC data still sits at 1 in 150. In order to understand how the CDC comes to these figures, it is important to learn about the autism research projects managed by the US CDC.

The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, the Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE), Network and the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) are three CDC autism research projects.

Autism Myths That Need to be Dispelled

Melissa — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:00:48 +0000

As parents of children with autism, autistic individuals, or professionals that work in the autism field, we have all undoubtedly heard of one or more of the following autism myths:

Refrigerator mothers
Autism = intellectual disability
Autistics can’t show empathy
Everyone with autism is nonverbal

Helping to dispel these myths is an important part of raising autism awareness.

As autism spectrum disorder prevalence has gone from 1 in 150 to 1 in 100 children in the United States, age-old myths about autism continue to prevail.

Book Review: The First Year, Autism Spectrum Disorders

Melissa — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:00:55 +0000

First Signs, Inc founder Nancy D. Wiseman’s newest book, The First Year: Autism Spectrum Disorders, is a comprehensive guide for parents in the year following their child’s autism spectrum diagnosis.

The book provides families with ways to cope those first seven days after diagnosis. Families can then reflect with first-week milestone activities. The book goes on to support parents as their journey passes the first month, half-year, and first-year milestones.

Coping With an Autism Diagnosis

Melissa — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:06:48 +0000

Here’s a new article on Suite101 about coping with an autism diagnosis.

Parents that have just heard the words “Your child has autism” can experience a wide range of emotions. From fear to relief and trepidation to panic, all of these fears are normal. Even parents who were expecting to hear those words are left wondering how to cope with an autism diagnosis.

Attachment Parenting and Your Child With Autism

Melissa — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:10:38 +0000

The following is an excerpt of a post, which appears on API Speaks, the Attachment Parenting International blog. As a mom who practices attachment parenting principles, and the mother of two children on the autism spectrum, this post really resonated with me and so I wanted to share it with you, the readers of The Autism Education Site.

Attachment Parenting and Autism

I didn’t choose AP as much as Daniel chose it for me. He was a relentless child, even in the womb, who moved, rolled, hiccupped constantly. I gave in 1/3 out of love, 2/3 out of sheer desperation and need for survival. He was only happy being held, so I held him. He would only sleep next to me, so I cuddled him. I breastfed at will and watched my son thrive. He weighed well over 11 lbs at only one month old!

Head on over to API Speaks to read the post, in its entirety.

Dr. Robert Melillo Publishes Results of New Autism Study

Melissa — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:36:55 +0000

Groundbreaking Study by Dr. Robert Melillo and Dr. Gerry Leisman, Offers New Hope for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD and Dyslexia For The First Time, Researchers Propose a Universal Theory Of Autism; May Eventually Lead To Cure

NEW YORK, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ — Earlier today, promising new research findings that may help scientists and doctors better understand and treat Autism Spectrum Disorders, were released from a new study by Dr. Robert Melillo, a world-renowned neurologist, professor and author (Disconnected Kids, Penguin Books).

This possible medical breakthrough, follows on the heels of Monday’s harrowing announcement that two new government studies, including one by the Centers for Disease Control, estimate that 1 in every 100 American children has an autism based disorder. The new estimate would mean that about 673,000 American children have autism.

In the recently published study, Autistic Spectrum Disorders as Functional Disconnection Syndrome [Reviews in the Neurosciences, 2009, Freund Publishing], Dr. Robert Melillo and Dr. Gerry Leisman, offer, for the first time ever, a universal theory for understanding and treating Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD and Dyslexia. In the study, Dr. Melillo asserts that a disconnection between the left and right sides of the developing brain may lead to these kinds of neurological disorders.

“The problem known as a functional disconnection is a communication breakdown between large cortical networks in the developing brain. This leads to fewer connections between areas of the brain especially the two hemispheres. This imbalance explains the unevenness of skills and all of the other combination of symptoms we see in autism,” said Dr. Melillo.

Key study findings include:

— A possible treatment solution exists that has the potential of
correcting Autism, ADHD and Dyslexia permanently.
— How Functional Disconnection with reduced activity and coherence in
the right hemisphere would explain all of the symptoms of autistic
spectrum disorder as well as the observed increases in sympathetic
activation.
— Best way to address the symptoms of these disorders: improving brain
coordination through increasing right hemisphere activity to the level
that it becomes temporally coherent with the left hemisphere.
— The physical, immune, digestive, and biochemical issues, or the
sensory and motor issues, that previous papers do not address.

— An explanation of the neurological, cognitive, psychological, as well
as both the sensory and motor issues.

Hope abounds throughout the scientific community that this new theory might prove to be a significant breakthrough in understanding and treating one of the biggest social and medical issues of our time. President Barack Obama has identified autism as a national health priority and has earmarked Federal stimulus money for autism research, screening and treatment.

“For years, researchers have recognized that autism is a multimodal problem that affects multiple areas of the brain and multiple systems in the body. Although autistic children can vary in their combination of symptoms, there has also been the recognition that there seems to be a single unifying problem that may relate to other disorders like ADHD and Dyslexia,” said Dr. Melillo.

For the past 4 years Dr. Robert Melillo has served as an adjunct professor of functional neuroanatomy in a graduate doctoral program in neuropsychology at Touro College and Leeds Metropolitan University. He is also an associate professor of clinical neurology and childhood behavioral disorders with The Carrick Institute. Dr. Melillo is the executive director of the FR Carrick Research Institute, a University based research lab that focuses on translational research and development in the areas of neuroscience, brain development, ergonomics and rehabilitation. He is also the president of the Foundation for Cognitive Neuroscience.

NIMH Awards Stimulus Grant to Sequence Genome for Autism Research

Melissa — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:00:35 +0000

Children’s Hospital Boston, with the Broad Institute and Harvard Medical School, has been awarded a Grand Opportunity grant from the National Institute of Mental Health as part of the federal stimulus package, to pursue “whole-genome” sequencing of patients with autism, using new technologies for rapid DNA sequencing to better understand autism’s causes. The roughly $4.5 million grant, part of the federal stimulus package, officially starts September 30. All genetic sequence data will be made publicly available.

Autism frequently runs in families, and is the most highly genetic of neuropsychiatric disorders. About a dozen specific genes and mutations have been discovered, including several by researchers at Children’s. Yet these genes still leave unexplained the vast majority of autism cases — about 85 percent, says Christopher A. Walsh, MD, PhD, chief of genetics at Children’s Hospital Boston, who is leading the new initiative with co-investigators Michael Greenberg, PhD, head of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, and a team at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, led by Stacey Gabriel, PhD, and David Altshuler, MD, PhD.

The project will first focus on 85 Middle Eastern patients, previously studied in Walsh’s lab, whose parents share common ancestry and who have recessive forms of autism. These patients make good initial subjects for study because linkage analyses of their extended families have already narrowed the field of candidate mutations down to just 1 percent of their genome. Because autism is extremely variable genetically, rare large families with multiple affected individuals provide a good opportunity for mapping disease-causing genes, many of which also occur in autism patients generally.

As techniques are refined, Walsh and colleagues will begin to perform and interpret genetic sequence information from other groups of autism patients, including American families. “Within a year or two, we hope to develop technology and informatics techniques that should help to understand many kids with autism,” Walsh says.

The team will begin by analyzing the “exome” – the 2 percent of the genome that directly codes for proteins. For patients whose genetic cause remains a mystery, a second phase of the study will sequence and analyze the entire genome’s 3.2 billion base pairs (combinations of A, C, T and G) that make up our full complement of 20,000 to 25,000 genes. In this way, the researchers hope to discover noncoding portions of the genome — sometimes called “junk” DNA — that don’t make proteins but may contain critical switches that control gene activity.

The informatics part of the project, led by Timothy Yu, MD, PhD, in the Walsh Lab, will be the most important and challenging. With new machines, DNA sequencing has become relatively easy and cheap; what’s hard is interpreting the flood of information. The researchers will compare sequence information from their autism patients with that from normal controls, using data from the international “1000 Genomes Project,” allowing them to distinguish normal person-to-person genetic variations from variations that cause autism. “These new data should give us enormous power to interpret the findings in our autism patients, and figure out what’s the signal and what’s noise,” Walsh says. “Three million letters in the DNA sequence may differ between you and me — we need to figure out which changes are causing the disease.”

A separate part of the project, led by Greenberg, will look at gene activity in human neurons, focusing on genes that lie in chunks of DNA that were previously found to be deleted in the Middle Eastern families with autism. In 2008, Greenberg and Walsh reported that some autism mutations may affect “promoter” or “enhancer” sequences, bits of DNA that act as “on/off” switches controlling gene activity. Now, Greenberg’s lab will study living, active neurons to create a systematic map of these critical switches in the human genome, while the Children’s hospital team searches for the relationship between these switches and autism.

Because Grand Opportunity funding requires that the grant money be spent within 18 months, the project will move rapidly. The project’s ultimate goal is to relate different forms of clinical autism to variations in both DNA and gene activity, and to make this information available to all autism researchers.

The Nancy Lurie Marks Foundation, as well as the Simons Foundation, provided the initial seed money for Walsh’s team to research autism in the Middle Eastern families. Walsh is also supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Charles R. Cono Center for Research & Life Planning Ground Breaking in California

Melissa — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:17:28 +0000

Marking a new chapter in the realization of life quality for those with autism and other developmental disabilities, the Training, Education & Research Institute (TERI, Inc.) today officially broke ground on construction for the Charles R. Cono Center for Research & Life Planning. Set on 20 acres in North San Diego County, the $50 million campus will directly address the crisis of a growing and aging population with autism and other developmental disabilities by providing a comprehensive array of services and support programs covering their entire lifespan in a dynamic location.

“We believe this university-like campus will be an internationally recognized resource for research, education, training and life quality – something that simply doesn’t exist today,” said Cheryl Kilmer CEO & Founder of TERI. “This is a new model for delivering the services we’ve developed over the past 30 years, and incorporating the ever-evolving programs we develop to meet the needs of our clients and their families as they age.”

The campus includes an exciting variety of state-of-the-art facilities; fitness, arts and education, life quality planning, applied research, childhood development, equestrian therapy, horticulture, culinary arts, extensive vocational training opportunities and aquatics. Through onsite and online training and vocational programs, it will serve children and adults internationally along with their families.

The first phase of construction, launched with a traditional ‘Barn Raising’ celebration featuring clients, staff, community leaders and partners, includes development of The Harriet E. Pfleger Therapeutic Equestrian Center. The Center will include six stalls, a pony parlor washroom, veterinary center, riding arena and walking trails, and picnic patio.

All aspects of the center emphasize sustainability – from its design and construction to horticultural programs and vocational training in green careers for clients. Design incorporates sensory gardens displaying original artwork, sculpture, and unique water features, and hiking trails through lush orchards. Nearly 80 percent of the grounds will be reserved for natural open spaces, providing a relaxed, therapeutic setting.

Services and programs include:

Education: Specialized schools and vocational training.
Caregiver and Family Education and Services: Through the International Association for Life Quality, the campus will provide life quality coach certification programs and life quality planning for families.
Health & Fitness: A two-story, 23,000 square foot Fitness Center with stadium seating, a full gym and conditioning weight room, a dance studio, indoor sport court and indoor two-lane track. Also a 6,000 sq. ft aquatic center offering therapeutic activities in three pools, a yoga studio, sensory therapy room, spa facilities, chiropractic treatment center and juice bar.
Culinary Education: Culinary school including a commercial kitchen, organic herb and vegetable garden and cafe which will supply healthy and nutritious meals for students, staff, and visitors.
Arts & Adult Education: Combining music, art, fitness and recreation and vocational opportunities to reinforce basic life skills and enhance independent living skills for individuals aged 22 through retirement.
Vocational Training: All elements of the campus will provide job training opportunities in a wide array of occupations including food service, horticulture, and administration.

The campus is named in honor of the late Charles R. Cono, a San Diego entrepreneur and philanthropist who contributed $5 million toward the center’s construction. An additional $42 million is currently being fundraised for the next five phases.

Since its inception in 1980, TERI has been implementing its programs in a variety of locations based throughout North County San Diego, serving individuals throughout San Diego County.

Source: TERI, Inc.