October 12th, 2008
If you haven’t already read Measles not worth the risk, an October 6th op-ed by epidemiologist John Laurence Kiely, go here. Kiely recalls having the measles and then pneumonia, and being hospitalized, and under an oxygen tent, and his mother’s distraught face. But, as he notes:
Most Americans don’t remember those days. Why? Because four years […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 4 comments
October 11th, 2008
No, we don’t “got milk” here; my small family all got sick this week; we’ve always got hope.
Got Autism? (asks PETA)
PETA puts up a billboard in Newark NJ and takes it down.
Is That a Tattoo With……Your Mom’s Cell Number?
Of Safety Tats and other ways to keep a child safe.
McCarthy’s, Er, “Autism” Pole
Jenny […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 1 comment
October 10th, 2008
Disability historian Paul Longmore writes about Sarah Palin as “talking about special needs children” and Obama as having substantive plans for all people with disabilities” in the October 3rd Huffington Post:
Even though 90% of the 54 Americans with disabilities are adults, Palin, John McCain, and the news media have talked almost exclusively about children. […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 3 comments
October 9th, 2008
This post references an article from back in May in the Herald Tribune, but the topic is as timely as ever: Have you ever visited your child’s classroom and noted that the aide your child most liked is long gone, and that there’s at least one new aide, if not two?
The Herald Tribune notes that […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 8 comments
October 8th, 2008
Disney characters and penguins are 15-year-old Pamela Williamson’s favorite subjects to draw, and Microsoft’s Paint software is her preferred medium. According to today’s Saanich News, Williamson was diagnosed with autism at the age of 5:
While normally Pamela draws from her photographic memory, today she references a picture of herself at Disneyland to guide her drawing. […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 1 comment
October 8th, 2008
Three more days to go of the Science Blogs Book Club. Much talk of framing vaccines, framing autism, and more responses from Dr. Offit about his book. And today, I talk about myth, religion, and Jenny McCarthy as a, and perhaps the, false prophet of autism.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Books, disabilities blog, disability, […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 0 comments
October 8th, 2008
That’s the request that showed up Tuesday night in my email inbox from Stan Kurtz, president of Generation Rescue. Photos of “kids who have improved from biomedical interventions (they do not have to be recovered, just improved)” are sought—–so “recovery” is not the thing, but rather “improvement”?
If that’s the case, then it shouldn’t be too […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 8 comments
October 7th, 2008
The brain seeks patterns even when none exist, according to an October 3rd Scientific American podcast:
When we feel like we don’t have command of our own fate, our brains often invent patterns that offer a sense of self-control. Some folks knock on wood or step over cracks in the sidewalk. Scientists call this illusory pattern […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 5 comments
October 7th, 2008
The PETA “Got Autism? billboard has been taken down by the advertising company that was hosting it. PETA’s blog nonetheless noted that the billboard garnered tons of feedback,” with “support from parents of autistic children who have seen noticeable improvements after removing dairy from their child’s diet” specifically noted but not more, ahem, “sour” responses.
Tags: […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 5 comments
October 7th, 2008
So after a sunny Sunday topped up with exuberant bike riding and one of his all-time favorite meals at his all-time favorite Jersey hamburger stand, Charlie woke up on Monday morning with heavy-duty sniffles, a gurgly cough, and a hot forehead. Jim had gone out to wait for the bus while I got Charlie ready […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 9 comments
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