Martha Herbert ‏@marthaherbertmd Feb 20 2014
MT - Beyond Hopelessness: Autism as a complex, chronic, whole-body disorder (not a permanent, brain-based trait)

Retweeted by Autism Revolution
Healthy U NOW ‏@HUNFoundation May 15 2013
New detailed article on diet and autism in Journal of Child Neurology- by Drs. Martha Herbert and Julie Buckley! pic.twitter.com/2poXsb3TIJ

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http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/niom-sdt011413.php

Public release date: 15-Jan-2013
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Study documents that some children lose autism diagnosis
Small group with confirmed autism now on par with mainstream peers -- NIH-funded study

Some children who are accurately diagnosed in early childhood with autism lose the symptoms and the diagnosis as they grow older, a study supported by the National Institutes of Health has confirmed. The research team made the finding by carefully documenting a prior diagnosis of autism in a small group of school-age children and young adults with no current symptoms of the disorder.

The report is the first of a series that will probe more deeply into the nature of the change in these children's status. Having been diagnosed at one time with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), these young people now appear to be on par with typically developing peers. The study team is continuing to analyze data on changes in brain function in these children and whether they have subtle residual social deficits. The team is also reviewing records on the types of interventions the children received, and to what extent they may have played a role in the transition.

"Although the diagnosis of autism is not usually lost over time, the findings suggest that there is a very wide range of possible outcomes," said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. "For an individual child, the outcome may be knowable only with time and after some years of intervention. Subsequent reports from this study should tell us more about the nature of autism and the role of therapy and other factors in the long term outcome for these children."

The study, led by Deborah Fein, Ph.D., at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, recruited 34 optimal outcome children, who had received a diagnosis of autism in early life and were now reportedly functioning no differently than their mainstream peers. For comparison, the 34 children were matched by age, sex, and nonverbal IQ with 44 children with high-functioning autism, and 34 typically developing peers. Participants ranged in age from 8 to 21 years old.

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http://www.protect.org/hero



The H E R O Child Rescue Corps
Published on Dec 10, 2014

Official PROTECT

While America fights terrorists overseas, there is another kind of terrorist right here at home, targeting our children. U.S. law enforcement has identified hundreds of thousands of criminals in the U.S. participating in a global child sexual exploitation marketplace. Now, an elite corps of American military veterans is on a new battlefield, with a new enemy. Watch the video to learn about the crisis and the HERO Corps.

http://www.biotech-now.org/health/2013/09/new-phrma-report-nearly-300-vaccines-currently-in-development

TRACY COOLEY | 09/11/2013
New PhRMA Report: Nearly 300 Vaccines Currently in Development

Today, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America released a report, Medicines in Development: Vaccines – A Report on the Prevention and Treatment of Disease Through Vaccines. The report shows that U.S. biopharma companies are currently developing 271 vaccines to prevent and treat numerous conditions, including infectious diseases and various forms of cancer and neurological disorders.

Vaccines have successfully prevented devastating infectious diseases such as smallpox, measles and polio. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 10 infectious diseases have been at least 90 percent eradicated in the U.S. as a result of vaccines. These innovations and subsequent immunization efforts have protected millions of children and families.

“Biopharmaceutical research companies are working with partners across the ecosystem to apply new scientific approaches to the development of both preventative and therapeutic vaccines,” said PhRMA President and CEO John J. Castellani. “The nearly 300 vaccines in the pipeline provide great hope for protecting and improving public health in the United States and across the globe.”

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AMAZON

Inside Newark: Decline, Rebellion, and the Search for Transformation (Rivergate Regionals Collection) Hardcover
June 11, 2014
by Robert Curvin (Author)

For decades, leaders in Newark, New Jersey, have claimed their city is about to return to its vibrant past. How accurate is this prediction? Is Newark on the verge of revitalization? Robert Curvin, who was one of New Jersey’s outstanding civil rights leaders, examines the city, chronicling its history, politics, and culture. Throughout the pages of Inside Newark, Curvin approaches his story both as an insider who is rooting for Newark and as an objective social scientist illuminating the causes and effects of sweeping changes in the city

Based on historical records and revealing interviews with over one hundred residents and officials, Inside Newark traces Newark’s history from the 1950s, when the city was a thriving industrial center, to the era of Mayor Cory Booker. Along the way, Curvin covers the disturbances of July 1967, called a riot by the media and a rebellion by residents; the administration of Kenneth Gibson, the first black mayor of a large northeastern city; and the era of Sharpe James, who was found guilty of corruption. Curvin examines damaging housing and mortgage policies, the state takeover of the failing school system, the persistence of corruption and patronage, Newark’s shifting ethnic and racial composition, positive developments in housing and business complexes, and the reign of ambitious mayor Cory Booker.

Inside Newark reveals a central weakness that continues to plague Newark—that throughout this history, elected officials have not risen to the challenges they have faced. Curvin calls on those in positions of influence to work for the social and economic improvement of all groups and concludes with suggestions for change, focusing on education reform, civic participation, financial management, partnerships with agencies and business, improving Newark’s City Council, and limiting the term of the mayor. If Newark’s leadership can encompass these changes, Newark will have a chance at a true turnaround.

Watch a video with Robert Curvin:

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http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2008/01/barack-obama-on.html

January 14, 2008
Barack Obama on his favorite TV show

Sen. Barack Obama has previously said that HBO’s "The Wire" is his favorite show. But now Obama's revealed another tidbit. In a story from Monday's Las Vegas Sun, the presidential candidate said that the bold thief Omar is his favorite character on "The Wire."

“That’s not an endorsement. He’s not my favorite person, but he’s a fascinating character,” Obama said, who noted in an audio clip on the site that Omar, who is gay, is also “the toughest, baddest guy on the show.”

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Speaking of “The Wire,” there’s an excellent piece in the Columbia Journalism Review that gives more background on creator David Simon’s history at the Sun and how that has informed his worldview and his show, which, in its last season, is spending time on story lines set at a fictional version of the Baltimore Sun. Also, Simon himself writes vividly about his tenure at the Sun in this Esquire piece.

My own Season 5 "Wire" piece is here.

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2008/01/david-simon-tal.html

January 10, 2008
David Simon talks about his career in journalism and the final chapter of 'The Wire'

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But Simon’s indelible achievement is “The Wire,” an unflinchingly realistic portrait of life in Baltimore, from the magisterial chambers in which craven political decisions are made, to the threadbare classrooms in which the poorest kids attempt to learn, to the beat-up row houses that are home to the city’s flinty, resourceful inner-city residents.

The heart of the show, which debuted in 2002, is Baltimore’s Police Department — the street cops and detectives who attempt to keep some kind of order in the city, despite endless budget cutbacks and superiors who often spend their time fiddling with crime stats in order to win themselves promotions.

Over its four previous seasons, “The Wire” has shown how indifferent institutions and selfish individuals often stand in the way of those with intelligence and initiative. But the show’s great accomplishment is that it never preaches — it’s even quite funny at times, in a dry, roundabout way. Instead of rote lessons about urban decay, Simon’s conclusions arrive via meticulous character studies that rarely feel plotted or predictable. To watch the show is to be immersed in an interlocking series of utterly realistic worlds, from the street corner to the cop bar to the mayor’s office.

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http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-12984994

Sharon King's family and autism

6 April 2011

BBC VIDEO

Sharon King, from Wakefield, is the mother of three children who all have autistic disorders.

Her exceptional family, in particular her eldest daughter, were the inspiration for a children's book featuring a character with autism.

Mrs King shows how the condition affects each of them in different ways, and hopes it will help raise awareness.

BBC Look North's Shirley Henry reports.