Autism Support Network and Hagar International Partner for Autism Awareness in Cambodia

FAIRFIELD, Conn., Nov. 9, 2009 — Autism Support Network and Hagar International today announced a partnership to help elevate awareness and provide services to children with autism in Cambodia. As part of this effort, Autism Support Network will promote Hagar’s educational programs to its global members and other emerging markets.

Typically, children with disabilities are one of the most at-risk groups in Cambodia. They are also one of the most marginalized. In many cases, children with disabilities are hidden away in their homes, without education, therapy, or friends. Hagar began serving this population in 2000, in “House of Smiles” facilities. Along with educational support, physical and occupational therapies, cooperative programs also provide for mainstreaming opportunities of these children.

“Hagar’s efforts to help children with special needs such as autism in Cambodia - and their programs across the world helping those disenfranchised and ‘at risk’ in developing nations - are a remarkable tribute to the power of humanitarianism,” said Brian Field, co-founder of Autism Support Network. “Their devotion in helping identify, support and work to mainstream children in these communities, aspiring to have them become self-sufficient and realizing their full potential, is not only laudable, but demonstrates how positive change can be brought to any community - large or small, rich or poor.”

“We are grateful to the Autism Support Network for their enthusiastic help in raising the profile of Hagar’s efforts in Cambodia and abroad,” stated Jane Tafel, Executive Director, Hagar USA. “We constantly seek organizations and individuals who recognize the need to support children with special needs across the world. Autism Support Network’s global reach will help direct those seeking help to us locally, and also foster awareness that programs such as ours can take root, grow and flourish.”

About Autism Support Network

Autism Support Network (http://www.AutismSupportNetwork.com) is a free global online community - with members from over 180 countries - connecting families and individuals touched by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with each other, providing support and insight, and serving as a resource guide for treatments, strategies and therapies.

About Hagar International

The mission of Hagar International (http://www.hagarinternational.org) is to restore abused, exploited, and abandoned women and children to life in all its fullness, through holistic healing, community reintegration, and social entrepreneurship. Hagar USA is a 501(c)(3) organization that exists to support the work of Hagar International, in Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Vietnam.

Autism - Toddlers Brains are Different by Age 2

by Bethany Sanders, Parent Dish

(May 11, 2009) -- Here's a little Brain 101: The amygdala is the part of your brain helps you identify and "read" faces, something known as joint attention. "When you see a face, you scan it, identify if it's friend or foe and make a decision about whether to move forward or avoid it," neurologist Dr. Barry Kosofsky recently told CNN.

That small part of the brain might help researchers make big gains in autism intervention. Joint attention is an important characteristic of autism, and a recent study found that by age two, the amygdala is up to 13 percent larger in children with autism.

"Many studies have observed the brain grows too big in kids with autism, but this study finds that by age 2, the amygdala is already bigger and stops growing," says Kosofsky. "So it tells us the critical difference has already developed. It now poses the question: Are children born with autism or does it develop in the first two years of life?"

It's an exciting time, says Autism Support Network co-founder Brian Field. Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability, but researchers haven't been able to determine the exactly when and how autism starts. "Being able to assess infant and toddler brain development through MRI scans could one day become and expected diagnostic test for all children, and could help parents jump-start therapeutic services at an even earlier age," says Field. Early intervention services are crucial to children with autism.

Neurologist Dr. Robert Melillo, author of the book "Disconnected Kids," says that it's unlikely autism is related to just one area of the brain. But he thinks this study makes an important point. "What this does show is that the brain is not damaged or degenerated in any way, but certain areas are not maturing in the proper way. The amygdala seems to be an important area that is not maturing properly."

While this finding doesn't solve the mystery of autism, researchers feel like they've found an important piece of the puzzle.

Autism Support Network & Aid for Autistic Children Foundation, Inc. Create Alliance to Help Families Affected by Autism

(Fairfield, CT / Macon, GA) April 21, 2009 – Autism Support Network (www.AutismSupportNetwork.com) and Aid for Autistic Children Foundation, Inc. (www.aacfinc.org) today announced a partnership to provide information, support and help reduce the financial burden experienced by families coping with autism so they can focus attention seeking the necessary assistance for their autistic loved ones. As part of the relationship, Autism Support Network will help promote the grass-roots efforts of AACF, Inc. to its thousands of members worldwide.

Aid for Autistic Children Foundation, Inc. was founded by musician/songwriter, performer and platinum-record producer Michael Buckholtz, who is a diagnosed Asperger with OCD. He and his family experienced the financial disaster of coping with autism. Michael Buckholtz's desire to ensure that families coping with autism get a level playing field financially comes largely as a result of seeing his own family struggle to make ends meet. He knew that other families were experiencing the same thing and spearheaded the creation of AACF, Inc.

“Michael and the AACF, Inc. are embarking on an effort that is truly needed today,” said Brian Field, co-founder of the Autism Support Network, “While there are organizations focusing on new therapies, treatments, and on early-childhood intervention, families who are uninsured or underinsured often find themselves in financial distress as they try to provide the best for their children with autism. It can be ruinous to the stability of the family. We are proud to support the philanthropic thrust of AACF, Inc. and Michael’s passion behind it.”

“I was struggling to find a voice through the usual online social networks when Brian came across AACF, Inc. and introduced me to the Autism Support Network,” said AACF, Inc. founder Michael Buckholtz. “As someone coping with autism every day, I now feel I have a comfortable place to discuss and share my grassroots humanitarian mission tailor-made for assisting families coping with autism. For me, Autism Support Network is the MySpace for the Autism Community."

Today 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism, with a new case diagnosed every 20 minutes and is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States. More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined. Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or limited activities and interests. Other ASDs include Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS). Males are four times more likely to have autism than females.

According to a Harvard School of Public Health study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in the spring of 2007, the typical American spends about $317,000 over his or her lifetime in direct medical costs, incurring 60% of those costs after age 65 years. In contrast, people with autism incur about $306,000 in additional direct medical costs, implying that people with autism spend twice as much as the typical American over their lifetimes and spend 60% of those incremental direct medical costs after age 21 years. The societal costs to support a single person with autism is $3.2 million over his or her lifetime, and as a group, upwards of $35 billion each year in direct (both medical and non-medical) and indirect costs to care for all individuals diagnosed with ASD.

About Autism Support Network
Autism Support Network (www.AutismSupportNetwork.com) is a free global online community – rapidly growing with thousands of members around the world – connecting families and individuals touched by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with each other, providing support and insight, and serving as a resource guide for treatments, strategies and therapies.

About Aid for Autistic Children Foundation, Inc (AACF, Inc.)
Aid for Autistic Children Foundation, Inc. (www.aacfinc.org) is an early-stage grass-roots program created with the singular mission to reduce the financial burden on families coping with autism so they can focus attention seeking the necessary assistance for their autistic loved ones.

Mystery of the Mind: Autism Today

While autism continues to mystify, new studies and treatments keep parents and children moving forward.

by Lisa Tabachnick Hotta, TVOParents

(April 17, 2009) -- April marks Autism Awareness Month. Defined as a neurological disorder which causes developmental delay, autism – also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects approximately one out of every 165 children born in Canada today. For parents who have initial questions about this widely-discussed topic, the TVOParents.com article Is it Autism? is a useful place to begin.

A vast amount of information is available on the subject of ASD and, perhaps because of this, parents may not know where to start. While the term "autism" is now almost universally known, misconceptions still exist. Brian Field is Co-Founder of Autism Support Network, a free online support community for those touched by ASD. He suggests that "The number one misconception about people with autism is that they are either savants, or completely incapable of any independent living – forced to a life of institutionalization." He explains further, "While there are those that exist on both ends of that spectrum, the vast majority of those with ASD live between those points and many have learned coping strategies that make their autism fairly invisible to the outside observer."

For those touched by ASD there exists both strong conviction and some confusion about ways in which the disorder should be treated. "The number one thing parents can do to help their children with autism is to seek professional early intervention," states Field. "The diagnosis can and should be procured by a licensed psychologist whose specialty is in ASD. This professional diagnosis can be used as a starting point in building individual therapeutic programs that are tailored to that child's needs." While early intervention and treatment is widely accepted as paramount for success, others feel strongly that autism should not take over. "I think that parents need to take a step back and make sure that their child’s happiness and well-being are recognized," says Lisa Rudy, a writer and parent to a child with "high-functioning autism." She adds, "[Let these children] explore the world, enjoy their lives, and enjoy some down time."

Support and happiness is critical for all human beings. This is especially so for children living with ASD. Besides seeking out the best medical or holistic treatments and keeping the family unit as a whole in mind, what else can parents do to best support a child with autism? "Help them any way [you] can. Support them with their problems and stand by them if they are frustrated with something," says Adam Thayer, a young adult with Asperger Syndrome who lives in Colorado. Thayer adds, "Parents can always help the child by talking to a counsellor…there is always help available." When it comes to success in the classroom, Thayer advises that, "Parents can also talk to teachers about their specific child and what their limits and needs are such as needing extra help, time, making friends or socializing. I felt like an outsider…but after a long period of time, I learned to make friends easier."

So, whether early intervention is sought or a diagnosis is made later in a child’s life, where do parents of children with ASD stand today? "Parents are largely in two camps; one is seeking a "cure" for their child, while the other is seeking strategies to help empower their kids," says Field. "While this seems like a fine line, psychologically, it’s really fairly significant." One holistic approach involving both strategy and cure is diet. New studies show a link between gluten or casein intolerance and symptoms of autism. Autism Society Canada’s web site includes a summary on these findings:

"Many parents and an increasing number of doctors are reporting improvement in children with autism with the use of various nutritional supplements and changes in diet. Over the past decade, there have been suggestions that adding essential vitamins such as B6 and B12 and removing gluten and casein from a child's diet may improve digestion, speech production, allergies and behaviour. Experts and researchers disagree about whether these dietary therapies really work or if they are scientifically valid."

Whatever treatment or approach is chosen – pharmaceutical drugs, holistic treatments, diet changes, cognitive therapy or a combination – the world of ASD continues to mystify. But one thing is clear - children, parents and teachers who are touched by autism will benefit from finding experts and other parents with whom they can share the latest information and find support.