Last Words

Here is a post for final comments....

Closing March 10th

We will be closing the blog March 10th. The blog will still be here, but becomes inactive March 10th. I will also be stepping back from my gmail account.

Closing Blog

We will be closing the blog in about two weeks. I will let you know the date soon.

Try this

Our series site is down. Watch the special here

Special is Up!

The site is now working. You can watch the 7 part show here.
Tell us what you think here or send us a Your View

Site Crashed

Because of our high amount of hits... The video is not working correctly. I will post on the blog once the show is up

Special is Online

The show has aired and you can watch here.
Tell us what you think!
There are seven parts in our hour long special.
the website is going through updates today--So don't be alarmed if you see error messages. The video for the show is working... If you have issues-email me.

READY TO ROLL!

This week every night I ended up leaving the station around 5am. Thursday night, I came into the station around 5pm and didn't leave till 4pm on Friday...The team has worked countless hours for this show.

The Combating Autism From Within show, following the series, is ready for air.
The hour special will feature a look back at the families we featured along with updates. We will also look back into our investigation. Along with reading comments from the series, there is a story on our blog and behind the scenes from the crew that made this series possible.

Once the series is online, I will create a post with a link. We would love to hear from you. You can also send your comments to the station here

Anne Dachel: anti-vaccine activist???

This item was emailed to this blog--AR

I read the comment referring to me as an anti-vaccine activist: "You were introduced to autism last June when you interviewed Dr. Miles. After the story ran, you were deluged with messages from anti-vaccine activists, such as Anne Dachel at Age of Autism. The activists convinced you there was another side to the story that needed to be told, and that's what precipitated the Combating Autism series."

I've never thought of myself of being "anti-vaccine." I'm dedicated to publicizing the epidemic of autism affecting a generation of children, yet which is unrecognized by the medical community and the federal health agencies.

The reference was made to "another side to to the story that needed to be told." Isn't that what legitimate journalism is all about? Isn't the media obligated to investigate and fairly present issues like this? Ashley Reynolds gave us some of the most balanced coverage we've ever seen in the press.

Anne Dachel

Media Editor: AGE OF AUTISM

Member of the board of A-CHAMP

http://www.a-champ.org

Rumor Has It

Word has been buzzing and got to me... A few people have told me they have heard the series is tainted because someone in my family has autism.
This is not the case at all. There is no one in my family that has autism.
In my nine years of working in journalism... I knew very little about the disorder until I started working on the first story last June.
No one in my family has autism.
If anyone has any further questions, you can email me at
AReynolds.autism@gmail.com

In the meantime, I hope to post a video promo of the show in a week or so.

another blog comment on autism

This item was emailed to this blog--AR

I have to say, Fogarty, Haley, Ayoub and Engley are undoubtedly on to something. As a mom who loves and cherishes ALL FOUR of her children, I am very willing to listen to the facts and do what I can to TREAT and/or RECOVER my son.

I do hang on to hope...I have to. I admit, when my son was first diagnosed, and I heard some of the crazy ideas about NUTRITION and VACCINATIONS affecting these kids, I thought it was ludicrous. However, since truly looking AND listening, I have done a complete "180". The evidence is overwhelming and irrefutable. As a health professional - but more so as a parent - I won't close my eyes and refuse to believe what's right out in front of me just because the bureacracies in our country are in denial.

I accept and embrace my son AS IS, but what kind of a mother would I be if I wasn't ready to look at ALL TREATMENTS with an open mind?

Tricia Kiefer, RN BAN
Nurse Manager, Birthcenter One

Comment-Combating autism from within

This item was emailed to this blog--AR

I wanted to take a moment to comment on your blog...

I have a six-year-old son with autism. He was diagnosed almost 2 years ago to the day. I admit, when I first received the diagnosis, I was totally devastated. Since then, my outlook has changed...

Not only am I blessed (refer to my own personal blog: www.blessedwithautism.blogspot.com to have my son (and all 4 of my children!) in my life, but we are blessed with this condition we call autism. The amazing qualities that he possesses far surpass any unfavorable conditions that people tend to think of when hearing about autism.

There is a misconception that these kids lack affection and personality. On the contrary, my son (and ALL the other kids on the spectrum that I've come to know) is a loving, charismatic (and highly "quirky") individual. (And VERY intelligent - he reads many levels above his grade and consistently EXCEEDS the academic expectations in school!) He has helped me learn what it means to truly be patient. He has helped me appreciate life and everything in it. Since my son's diagnosis, I have not only learned to "accept" it, but I have embraced it. I wouldn't change a thing.



Tricia Kiefer, RN BAN
Nurse Manager, Birthcenter One

Hopeful Leadership in Treating Autism

This item was emailed to this blog--AR

http://anon.autismri.com.edgesuite.net/anon.autismri/RecoveredChildren/AutismIsTreatableVideo-highband.wmv

Despite the incredibly complex situation as relates to autism, there is hope-I strongly encourage parents and journalists visiting this site to watch the entire video above and pay attention to some of the academic credentials of some of the people involved here.

The function of children on the autistic spectrum can be improved, more and more children are showing such gains after leaving the treatment of establishment physicians. Some card-carrying members of the AAP (such as in my community) are starting to pay attention so that over time this situation will continue to improve despite the attacks on the brave clinicians who are taking on this uphill battle.

The continued improvements in increasingly larger numbers of kids is further evidence that we have neglected one of the most common pediatric problems. The neglect goes back decades to Bernard Rimland, PhD who first debunked the "bad mothering" theory from another PhD of my Alma Mater. This neglect really has huge impacts on our country's GDP down the line and state budgets RIGHT NOW.

The collective neurobehavioral functioning of this society's children needs to climb quickly so that the numerically heavy population needing their work productivity in the next 30 years will actually have a societal safety net. The baby boomers who are so set on denying this are the same people that will reap the rewards of their neglect of this issue, unfortunately a lot of lawyers, farmers, accountants, truck drivers, some teachers and others of that generation's cohorts really don't realize what the MDs of their generation are neglecting here.

Autism is treatable, and its not just behavioral interventions or by the use of a single pharmacologic approach; its complicated and its high time the real geniuses inside academic medicine started paying attention to the people on the video above.

Thanks again to KOMU and the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

There are likely few other Journalism Schools in this country (land of the free home of the brave) that would have the guts to face the wrath of academic medicine on their own university quadrangles as relates to the topics you have addressed here. Another sign of the the coercive nature of the health profession that screams across campus at those interested in finding the truth.

Seems rather unhealthy, doesn't it?

Edward F. Fogarty, MD

Chairman of Radiology

University of North Dakota School of Medicine

Still getting emails-update

Wow! The power of the internet blows my mind. I am still getting emails. I'm very behind but doing my best to get back to everyone that is emailing me. Thank you so much for the emails! I can't get over how many people are watching the series.

We are all very busy planning the show. We have about 20 people making this possible.

The team and a few professors are speaking at a seminar on campus about series...still not sure of the date.

If you would like a copy of the series you can contact me at AReynolds.autism@gmail.com There is a fee.

We are still not sure when we will make this blog inactive...but I will be sure to give a heads up before doing so.