NAA NY Metro Chapter (Westchester) Parent Roundtable-AutismOne Conference Highlights

Tuesday, June 7, 2011, 7 to 9pm
Washington Engine Fire Company
130 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, NY
(across from blding #150)

Tricia Zarro and Lisa Rudley, Co-Leaders of the Westchester NAA NY Metro sub-chapter will moderate a parent roundtable to discuss AutismOne Conference Highlights. AutismOne Conference information: http://www.autismone.org/ This conference is being streamed "live" see AutismOne's website for details.

Tricia the mom to three children and a Special Needs Teacher in Westchester. Her youngest son has a diagnosis of ASD. She has been a facilitator of a local Westchester support group for the past five years. Tricia has a wealth of experience using special diets, biomedical treatment options and rehabilitative therapies.

Lisa is the mom of three children and a Special Needs Financial Planner. For the last five years, she has utilized a variety of healing modalities to help her son with ASD and many others in her community to improve the lives of children with autism and their families. Lisa has worked extensively with Homeopathy, Reiki, and various supportive therapies including Neurofeedback, HANDLE, NAET, Vision Therapy, Brain Gym and Tomatis. Lisa also moderated a local Westchester support group for the past four years.

Both Tricia and Lisa have combined efforts this January to form the Westchester sub-chapter of the NAA NY Metro Chapter. This Westchester sub-chapter holds 1 to 2 meetings monthly and alternates between the Tarrytown and Briarcliff Manor locations.

For more information, please visit our website http://www.naanyc.org/

Enter Contest To Win FREE Ticket to Autism/Asperger's Conference this Weekend

ENTER TO WIN CONTEST FOR FREE TICKET to 3rd Annual Autism/Asperger's Conference by leaving a comment with your email.

Hear Temple Grandin, Dr. Ken Bock and other terrific speakers! Leave a comment below between 9am today, Oct 20th, and 11:30pm tomorrow, Oct 21st and (include your email) and your name will be entered in a drawing to win a free pass to BOTH DAYS of the All Ages and Abilities 3rd Annual NYC Autism/Asperger's Conference happening this weekend in NYC.

Please share this opportunity with friends and family! The NAA NY Metro will announce the winner on this blog page Friday morning and will notify the winner via email.

To buy a ticket or learn more about the speakers, please visit "All Ages & Abilities" NYC Autism/Asperger's Conference page.

Good luck!

NAA Conference and the How Much Longer Campaign

by Peggy Becker

I was invited by the NAA leadership, along with all the conference attendees, to participate in the How Much Longer Campaign. We were asked to sit in front of a camera and finish the sentence "How much longer.....?"

With 4 of my autism friends, I went to the location. One friend said "How much longer until the federal government spends more on vaccine safety than they do on vaccine promotion?" Another said "How much longer until my son's words will be able to reflect his thoughts?" Another said "How much longer until we can quit banging our heads against the wall, knowing we've been heard, because we're right." My sentence was "How much longer until my 11 year-old son will be able to tell me what his favorite color is?" It was a surprisingly cathartic exercise. I'd love to hear how others would answer this question!

Dr. Jeff Bradstreet: Common Problems & Effective Treatments at the National Autism Conference

Dr. Jeff Bradstreet (second from left) with NAA-NY Metro's Peggy Becker, Sabeeha Rehman, Khalid Rehman and Kim Mac Rosenberg.


Kim has posted about Dr. Bradstreet's lecture on her blog Embracing Wellness. Go to Dr. Bradstreet: Common Problems & Effective Treatments to see her overview.

Sabeeha Rehman has included the lecture highlights below.

Lessons Learned from Jeff Bradstreet

"My child is getting better". Most of the time we mean, 'our child is getting better in relation to themselves'.
Don't fall into that trap. Your benchmark should be neurotypical kids.

'Six keys to success are 'persistence', 'persistence, persistence.......'

'Your most precious resource is TIME. We cannot wait for a ten year double blind, controlled study'.

'Inflammation is present in the gut of ASD children. And it is not being tested'. The only labs that perform the Calprotectin test (a noninvasive test that may be helpful in assessing GI inflammation)are Genova Diagnostics in the US and a Swedish lab.

'Quadruplets - wombmates. A mom adopted frozen embryos and all four had autism. All four have recovered and are neurotypical'.

Why does one intervention work for one child but not for the other? The influencing factor is the bacteria in your system.

Inflammation and oxidative stress, if present, have to be addressed at the same time.

In doing research, group little kids into a subgroup. They are more likely to be closer to the event. Do not group them with older children.

To assess, you need optimal biomarkers. Neopterin is a very viable biomarker. It indicates an overly active immune system. Porphyrin is another good biomarker for autism. They can be associated with mercury and lead, but do not have to be. These are biomarkers that give you a good target.

Our brains need time-out to relax - children with ASD more so. Concentration uses more energy than flapping hands. When they flap their hands, they are calming their brain.

When comparing labs, check the control units. They vary amongst labs.

Language will take time to develop, even after the biological issues are addressed.

Take the time to take care of yourself, so that you can be PERSISTENT.

-Sabeeha Rehman

Live Posts from the National Autism Conference at Embracing Wellness

I am at the National Autism Conference in Weston, Florida this weekend and I am trying to post short overviews from as many speakers as I can on my blog at Embracing Wellness during or after lectures. Please visit my posts and share with others who might be interested. These are just short summaries of what are long presentations but I hope to convey the positive energy of the conference and give a general overview of what each speaker is sharing. The conference has been great so far.

Here are some highlights so far...
Omega 3's for ASD
Rapid Prompt Method with Soma Makhopadhyay at the NAC
Dr. Julie Buckley - Treating Autism as a Medical Disease
Dr. Dan Rossignol on Assessing and Prioritizing Treatments
Roy Leonardi & Phyllis Musumeci on De-Escalation Techniques to Avoid Restraint
Dr. Theoharis Theoharides on Autism as an Emerging Neuroimmune Disorder

Kim
Treasurer and acting Vice President
NAA-New York Metro Chapter
embracingwellness.blogspot.com

2nd Annual Autism/Asperger's Conference in New York City - Oct. 3-4, 2009

James Adams, Nancy O'Hara, and Sabeeha Rehman

They came from all boroughs of New York City, from Upstate New York and Downstate New York, from New Jersey, Connecticut and New Hampshire, from Louisiana and Colorado, and from Montreal. Exhibit space was sold out; an art exhibit displayed the work of artists on the spectrum; gift-bags with food samples for all, colorful booths including an indoor gym set, and parents, grandparents, teachers, therapists, and doctors, settled in for the two-day conference to listen to an array of superb speakers. This was Autism/Asperger’s conference 2009.

Some memorable quotes and take-home messages:

“Oreo!” The baby points and crows. He can’t talk yet, but already he knows what an Oreo is…and he knows that if he looks at his mother and points, she’ll give him one. This amazing process of ‘knowing’ is from his birth. An autistic child is missing this innate gift. He might know the name for an Oreo, but not what it’s for, and not how to ask for it”. Eustacia Cutler – 83 year-old mother of 62 year old Temple Grandin

“Early Intervention assessment should not just rely on data, but take into consideration informed clinical opinion i.e parent’s report, and the natural context.” Steven Blaustein, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

“To maximize your insurance reimbursement, demonstrate medical necessity and the diagnosis code to support it, and get the physician to sign-off on it.” Christina Peck, CPC

“Yoga has the potential to significantly improve fine & gross motor skills, muscular fitness, muscular strength, and balance.” Deborah Gruber, M.Ed., Ph.D.

“Our children should be on probiotics – the good germs; Our children are not getting enough Vitamin D – they need 20 minutes of sun exposure daily; first build up their mineral level, then get the lead out; rotate foods each week; give them protein for breakfast; avoid MSG – an excitotoxin; and if you first treat their medical problems, the neurologic problems will improve.” Nancy O’Hara, M.D.

“Vitamin/mineral supplement is well-absorbed, and improves nutritional status, porphyrins, possibly neurotransmitters, and possibly autism symptoms.” James Adams, Ph.D.

“There is no perception without attention. We see with our eyes and perceive with our brain. Our eyes view the landscape. Our right brain maps the geography. Our left brain interprets the information”. Melvin Kaplin, O.D.

“We do what we do because we want something, or we want to avoid something…child doesn’t want to stay in school – child cries – child is sent home. Identify what he is trying to avoid. Change the antecedent or the consequence, or both, and you modify behavior.” Doreen Granpeesheh, Ph.D., BCBA

“Top 10 Must Buy Organic Foods: Peaches, apples, pear, winter squash, green bean, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, spinach, and potatoes”. Geri Brewster, RD, MPH, CDN

“Family Services offered by Autism Speaks: Online Resource Guide, 100 Day Kit, Resource Library, School Community Tool Kit, Autism Safety Project, Family Services Community Grants, Autism Response Team Coordinators, Family Legal Appeal Project…” Peter Bell.

“Do not delay making your Will and appointing a guardian for your children. You must review your will periodically, as circumstances may change.” Stuart Flaum

And the most memorable moment, as a young lady sitting in the front seat, addressed the writer’s panel:
“I had autism…I have recovered…and I don’t want ever to go back again, it was too painful.” Liz

Sabeeha Rehman

Report on Age of Autism by Kim Mack Rosenberg

Photo Album

Presentation Handouts