http://bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2012/11/05/james-perrin-president-elect-american-academy-pediatrics/6yZDSLCyBBWHuIaQSsxy9O/story.html

Pediatrics leader talks about biggest issues facing kids
By Karen Weintraub | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER 05, 2012

http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/11/aap-calls-autism-an-epidemic.html

AAP Calls Autism an Epidemic

November 05, 2012
By Anne Dachel


The new head of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. James Perrin, calls autism an epidemic. He really does. Perrin was the focus in an interview just out from the Boston Globe: Pediatrics leader talks about biggest issues facing kids.

Link: http://bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2012/11/05/james-perrin-president-elect-american-academy-pediatrics/6yZDSLCyBBWHuIaQSsxy9O/story.html

“Perrin is particularly interested in addressing chronic childhood illness during his three years of leadership at the academy.”

Perrin had this to say about “chronic childhood illness.”

“Childhood obesity and other chronic health conditions: the continuing growth in childhood asthma, and the tremendous growth in mental health conditions and developmental conditions like autism. We’ve got three or four major epidemics really growing among children and adolescents in America.”

I couldn’t believe he talked like this because in the past the AAP has been leading the way calling autism a mysterious disorder with no known cause or cure. I have never seen anyone connected to the AAP ever sound worried or use the word crisis in the same sentence with the word autism, let alone epidemic. Most of the time, the AAP is right there in the news declaring solemnly that, regardless of the latest rate increase, they’re still not sure how much is real and how much is more better diagnosing. When the rate went to one in every 88 children, one in every 54 boys, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Thomas Frieden, still wasn’t sure if more children really have autism. In the same story, Dr. Susan Hyman, chairperson of the Autism Subcommittee of the AAP, could only say that early intervention helps a lot.

Still, no one at the AAP has even been alarmed about the numbers continually climbing with no end in sight—until now.

1995 1:500, 2001 1:250, 2004 1:166, 2007 1:150, 2009 1:110, 2012 1:88.
FYI prior to 1960 1:10,000.
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http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/Supplement_2/S160.extract?cited-by=yes&legid=pediatrics;130/Supplement_2/S160

SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE - Gastrointestinal Conditions in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Developing a Research Agenda

http://tacanowblog.com/2012/11/08/gut-brain-connection-leaky-guy-no-longer-crazy-talk-says-aap/

Gut-Brain Connection? Leaky Gut? No longer “Crazy Talk” says AAP

November 8, 2012
by Dr. Bob Sears

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has just taken a giant leap toward recognizing the association between gastrointestinal problems and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD.) The November 2012 issue of their journal, Pediatrics, has a 200-page supplement entitled Improving Health Care for Children and Youth With Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Note: this guide was not currently available online.) As I perused the various articles to see what the AAP was up to, one particular gem caught my eye: Gastrointestinal (GI) Conditions in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Developing a Research Agenda. Curiously optimistic, I decided to pause the Saturday-afternoon college football game and read the article. After a mere three sentences, my jaw dropped. “Many individuals with ASDs have symptoms of associated medical conditions, including seizures, sleep problems, metabolic conditions, and gastrointestinal disorders (the italics are mine), which have significant health, developmental, social, and educational impacts.” A few lines later I found there is a “lack of recognition by clinicians that certain behavioral manifestations in children with ASDs are indicators of GI problems (eg, pain, discomfort, or nausea).”

My first thought was that someone from ARI or MAPS had snuck into the AAP and switched a few words in the article before it went to press, and no one had noticed. But as I read the entire piece, I was shocked to see other crazy ideas such as:

“Clinical practice and research to date indicate the important role of GI conditions in ASDs and their impact on children as well as their parents and clinicians.”
“Gut-brain connection, immune function, and genome-microbiome interaction.” Yes, it actually said gut-brain connection!
“Increasingly, evidence supports a combination of changes in gut microflora, intestinal permeability (intestinal what?), inappropriate immune response, activation of specific metabolic pathways, and behavioral changes.”
“Endoscopic analyses of children with ASD and GI symptoms have revealed the presence of a subtle, diffuse inflammation of the intestinal tract.”
“Autoimmune responses in children with ASDs and a familial history of autoimmunity have been reported.”
“Autoantibodies could indicate the presence of inflammatory processes and/or an autoimmune component that could affect the integrity of the mucosal barrier and contribute to decreased mucosal barrier integrity.”
“Leaky gut.” Yes! It actually used those two foreign words that have been scoffed at for so long, and explains the research supporting this theory so that we general pediatricians can understand and begin to believe it.
“Nutritional status and nutrient intake are inextricably related in children with autism.”

A table on “Biomarkers as potential outcome measures” includes testing for: intestinal permeability to assess leaky gut, calprotectin for intestinal inflammation, celiac disease serology tests to assess gluten sensitivity, food allergy panels (not sure what for . . . maybe food allergies play some sort of role in all this?), organic acid testing for B12 or folate deficiency, and analysis of gut microbiota.

The article ends with a discussion on the lack of accepted treatments for GI problems specific to children with ASD and outlines six key research objectives:

1.Determine the pathology of GI conditions in ASD.
2.Increase animal research in this area.
3.Identify biomarkers to guide treatment.
4.Better evaluate nutritional status.
5.Identify behavioral phenotypes related to poor nutritional status.
6.Develop evidence-based algorithms to help guide clinicians in the evaluation and treatment of GI problems in ASD.

By the time I finished reading, the cynical frame of mind with which I usually read mainstream articles about autism treatment was replaced with optimism. Finally, mainstream research is planning to look at the gastrointestinal and nutritional aspects of biomedical treatment for autism. For twenty years or more, biomedical physicians have been treating GI problems in autism without much support from thorough mainstream research, and we’ve endured much criticism for doing so. Even worse, parents of children with autism have been begging pediatricians for help, with little acknowledgement that there is any possibility of a gut-brain connection in autism. The tide began to turn in January 2010 with Dr. Tim Buie’s consensus report on GI problems in autism (Pediatrics. 2010;125(suppl 1):S1-S18). And now the tide is actually surging in our favor.

This article doesn’t actually support any particular treatments for GI problems in autism, and we are many years away from mainstream medical research coming to fruition in this area. But it is nice to know that mainstream help is on the way, and that if any doctor tries to ridicule parents for asking for help with their child’s GI problems, you now have the AAP on your side. You can waive this article in the doctor’s face. We pediatricians love that. But seriously, the full text of this article will likely become available online soon. You can view the first part of it here: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/Supplement_2/S160.extract?cited-by=yes&legid=pediatrics;130/Supplement_2/S160 . If you have an open-minded pediatrician, and need help, hand he or she this article, and you may be able to get your doctor to test and treat some of your child’s GI problems.

As a side note, this same edition of the journal has an article on the importance of evaluating and treating constipation in ASDs. Definitely a good read for your pediatrician if your child struggles with this, and it even suggests testing such kids for thyroid disease, lead overload, and, get this . . . celiac disease! Here’s a link: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/Supplement_2/S98.abstract

Thank you AAP!!!

Dr. Bob Sears

http://www.c-span.org/Events/Lawmakers-Look-into-Federal-Response-to-Rising-Rates-of-Autism/10737436113-1/

Lawmakers Look into Federal Response to Rising Rates of Autism

VIDEO (~ 4 hours, 2 panels)

Washington, DC
Thursday, November 29, 2012

House lawmakers have called on officials from domestic and advocacy groups to testify Thursday about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Among the topics they discuss are efforts to increase awareness and understanding of the disease, limited public health resources and public health policy.

According to studies, autism in children appears to be on the rise. "About 0.74 percent of kids had received in autism diagnosis in 2006-2008, up from 0.19 percent in 1997-1999," said Coleen Boyle, director of the U.S. National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. The goal, she said, "is raising awareness of the importance of this as a health problem and one we need to address."

Other witnesses that testify before the House Oversight Committee include Alan Guttmacher, Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Bob Wright, Co-Founder of Autism Speaks; Scott Badesch, President of the Autism Society; Bradley McGarry, Coordinator of the Asperger Initiative at Mercyhurst University; Ari Ne'eman, President of Autistic Self Advocacy Network; and other health professionals.

http://protect.org/tools/articles/8-articles/1575-emergency-talking-points

Talking Points and Frequently Asked Questions for Organizers and Public Speakers

Child Rescue Emergency Campaign
“Not One More Child”

November 2011

What’s Happening Now

• A national coalition of groups, the Not One More Child Coalition ( http://www.notonemorechild.org/ ), has launched a national campaign for child rescue, kicked off by the release of a new public service ad.


http://vimeo.com/31974447


• The ad features child abduction survivors Elizabeth Smart and Alicia Kozakiewicz [pronounced: Ko-zuh-kev-itch] and was produced by a team led by Len Fink, creator of the Coca Cola polar bears.

• Alicia, Elizabeth and the Coalition are calling upon President Obama and all 50 Governors to declare a state of emergency (or disaster) to rescue children from of hundreds of thousands of child pornography traffickers known to law enforcement.

Background: The Crisis

• Law enforcement has identified hundreds of thousands of suspects in the U.S., trafficking in video and images of young children being raped, tortured and sexually abused. These images are often called “child pornography,” but they are actually crime scene photos and child rape videos.

• The U.S. Department of Justice testified before Congress that there are “hundreds of thousands” of criminals in the U.S. engaged in child pornography crimes. The FBI testified these individuals have “hundreds of thousands” of child victims (not all victims are victims of child pornography; many are sexual assault victims of individuals who happen to also have child abuse images). Video of testimony:


http://vimeo.com/31828582


• These suspects have not only been identified and logged in government databases, their locations have even been plotted on satellite maps. These maps are the subject of the Not One More Child ad campaign.

• Very conservative estimates indicate at least 1 in 3 of these known suspects is a hands-on offender, sexually assaulting children in his community. (Compare UNH Study: http://www.nsvrc.org/publications/reports/child-pornography-possessors-arrested-internet-related-crimes-findings-national , Butner Study: http://protect.org/resources/1482-the-butner-study-redux-a-report-of-the-incidence-of-hands-on-child-victimization-by-child-pornography-offenders )

• By analyzing their ocean of leads, law enforcement can zero in on those suspects who are most likely to have local victims, with a high degree of accuracy. That means for the first time in history, we have the means to detect, locate and stop child predators on a massive scale… and find and help their victims.

Our Government’s Refusal to Provide First Responders

• Yet, while authorities now know where these child predators are—and in many cases have evidence leading to the doorstep of their victims—less than 2% are even being investigated, due to lack of resources.

• As a direct result of this failure to protect, thousands of children are being raped, tortured and sexually abused every night in entirely predictable and preventable attacks.

• Important Note: Who are these children? Some, like Alicia, are victims of child pornographers or abductors. Most are victims of abuse in their own families and by trusted adults. The important thing is that they can be found if their abusers uploaded, downloaded or shared child abuse images on the Internet.

• Even those suspects who are not “contact offenders” are committing terrible human rights crimes against children, turning them into sexual commodities and creating a crushing market demand for more children to be raped and abused to supply their child pornography “product.”

Why Declare a State of Emergency?

• Because it IS an emergency, and action cannot wait. Thousands of children are being raped, tortured and sexually exploited right now, and law enforcement knows where they are but is not rescuing them. They need search and rescue underway, immediately!

• Because Congress has refused to act. And members of Congress have proven they WILL not act, even when presented with maps showing child rape victims in their own districts. The same can be said of state legislatures. Executive branch action is needed.

• Because “emergency powers” are absolutely required to cope with the scale of this emergency. When the President or a Governor declare an emergency, two things happen. First, they can waive regulations and red tape that prevent swift action. Second, they can use all of the financial resources of government.

• Without an emergency declaration, no single agency of government has the resources to cope with the emergency. There is not time to hire and train large numbers of new cops for ICAC task forces, for example, nor will that happen. An emergency gives the President or Governor the authority to pull police in from many agencies and mount a coordinated response.

• Because every day we fail to act, more children will be assaulted.

But isn’t calling for a state of emergency a little extreme or naive?

• Absolutely not. What is naive is believing that Congress or state legislatures will fund law enforcement properly and in time to secure the rescue of hundreds of thousands of children who are being tortured and abused right now.

• Governors have declared states of emergency to respond to gray wolves, bad fishing seasons, price gouging at the gas pumps and crime along the Mexico border. Presidents have invoked emergency powers on behalf of the human rights of people in Serbia, the Congo and Syria. (see White Paper)

• In California, nine counties have called upon the Governor to declare a state of emergency over quaggas, an invasive species of mussel.

• Many government and political insiders will scoff at the idea of a state of emergency, implying it is naive and totally impractical. Remember that the vast majority of these people will have little or no experience with the issue at all. They really just don’t know what they’re talking about. The handful of government employees who have dealt with emergency declarations will know full well they are routinely declared for far less important crises.

• Some critics will say that—while terrible—child exploitation is not a true emergency, like a hurricane that strikes with little notice. But in 2005, the Governors of Arizona and New Mexico declared states of emergency to deal with long-simmering crime problems along the Mexico border.

Other Talking Points:

• This is a fiscally conservative argument. This campaign is not asking for increased funds (although funds absolutely should be). We are asking for states and the federal government to use EXISTING resources.

• Some people might have difficulty believing there are really “hundreds of thousands” of criminals at large who are trafficking in child abuse images. Here’s a frame of reference that might help: There are over 700,000 “registered sex offenders” in the U.S., and the majority had child victims. These sex offenders who are “tagged and released” are clearly just the tip of the iceberg. So “hundreds of thousands” of criminals trafficking in child rape video should not surprise anyone. The U.S. Justice Department has confirmed this (see link above).

• Some people might have difficulty believing there are really “hundreds of thousands” of child victims. Here’s a frame of reference for that: If there are 300,000 individuals producing, distributing or possessing child abuse images (a very conservative estimate), and 1 in 3 is a hands-on offender (a very conservative estimate), then these individuals would have 100,000 victims if they only had an average of 1 victim each. All research indicates these predators have many more victims than that.

• Remember, you don’t have to be an expert on any of this. Just a citizen who demands immediate action to rescue children in peril.

2011 Crimes Against Children Conference Keynote Elizabeth Smart

http://vimeo.com/28367371

http://protect.org/


VICTORY! Yesterday our Child Protection Act of 2012 passed Congress. Today it's on its way to President Obama's desk for signing. This was a major bipartisan victory, and a direct result of your support for PROTECT! We especially thank Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)...


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More: http://bit.ly/TsrHyt

The new law includes several measures that our allies have been trying unsuccessfully to pass for years. Here are the highlights:

• Reauthorizes our PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008 ( http://protect.org/component/content/article/702 ), approving double today's child rescue funding for America's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces. These task forces rescue thousands of children every year

• Tough new penalties for threatening or harassing a child witness in child abuse and exploitation cases (this was vigorously opposed by some)

• New fast-track administrative subpoenas for U.S. Marshals searching for fugitive sex offenders

• Increased penalties of up to 20 years for distribution or receipt of child abuse images, when the victim is under 12

Many Americans just assume that passing laws like this is easy. After all, who's not against child abuse?

But PROTECT members know better...

http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/11/27/paula-broadwell-whistleblower/

November 27, 2012

It's More Than a Sex Scandal

Paula Broadwell, Whistleblower

by FRED GARDNER

In Men in Black Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith make use of a device that erases memory as they save the USA and the whole collateral world. In real life the memory-erasing function is performed by the corporate media and the incessantly twittering culture. “The United States of Amnesia” is what Gore Vidal called us.

Who recalls that Martha Mitchell, the wife of Attorney General John Mitchell, broke the news of Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate break-in when she told a sympathetic female reporter (Helen Thomas) that her husband should not take the rap for The White House? John Mitchell, loyal to Nixon, called his wife a drunken loud-mouthed dame and had her hauled off to a locked facility. Months later Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein reported that Nixon knew about the break-in in advance, and to this day they’re credited with breaking the story.

Martha Mitchell’s blunt revelation and the way it got ignored comes to mind as we await the follow-up to Paula Broadwell’s assertion that two prisoners were being held at the CIA “annex” near the consulate in Benghazi at the time of the assault that left Ambassador Christopher Stephens and three other Americans dead.

Broadwell was speaking on October 26 at the University of Denver alumni symposium, promoting All In, her biography of Gen. David Petraeus. Proceeds were going to a program that helps wounded veterans hone their physical fitness. In addition to almost 7,000 deaths, some 45,000 Americans have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan —”amputees, multiple amputees,” Broadwell reminded the Denver alums— and 450,000 troopers have returned with post-traumatic stress, brain damage, and other disorders not readily apparent.

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