OSWEGO, NY – the annual “Walk for Autism” drew about 500 people to Leighton Elementary School and the nearby Wilber Field on Saturday afternoon.

Besides acting as a fundraiser, the event, sponsored by the Oswego County Autism Taskforce, also focused attention on the plight of Autism victims in Oswego County, according to OCTAF president Theresa Familo.

As the walkers paraded around the track, they dropped jigsaw puzzle pieces into a bucket at the end of each lap.

The puzzle pieces are symbolic for Autism, explained Tammy Thompson, the director of programs for children with special needs for Oswego County (and vice president of the taskforce).

“It’s because Autism is such a puzzle right now. It’s not a specific thing – it’s the Autism spectrum. So, we’re counting laps with our puzzle pieces,” she said.

Several teams had pre-registered; even more signed in Saturday morning at Leighton Elementary School.

Familo and Thompson estimated close to 500 people turned out on the sunny, albeit chilly, day.

The number is comparable with the 2011 event, they added.

At any given time, hundreds of people were walking around the track with “another 100 or more inside the gym,” Thompson said.

Official sponsors of the walk included ARC of Oswego County, Little Lukes, Pemberton Associates and the Oswego County Health Department.

Vendors included: Oswego County Sheriff’s Department’s Child Safe Program, Arise, balloon art with Hayley Starr (The Balloon Lady), Air Hop Inflatables, and many others.

There were also representatives of county-wide providers of services for folks with developmental delays and disabilities.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.

People with ASDs handle information in their brain differently than other people.

“ASDs are ‘spectrum disorders.’ that means ASDs affect each person in different ways and can range from very mild to severe. People with ASDs share some similar symptoms, such as problems with social interaction. but there are differences in when the symptoms start, how severe they are and the exact nature of the symptoms,” Thompson explained.

Shannon Penrod, currently a resident of LA, hosts two shows on Autism. she was in the Port City on Saturday to visit some friends and check out the Autism event.

She hosts a radio program as well as a live web show.

The very first phone call she got on her show was from Karen Delaney of Oswego.

“She called in and said, ‘Well, I am listening to your show and I am from a part of the country you are familiar with, Oswego.’ she kind of had a negative comment … but we ended up on the show with my guest, making friends,” she said.

“By the time the show was over, the two of us were friends on Facebook and we have been talking back and forth the last three years,” Delaney noted.

Penrod sent her a note saying she was going to be at the college Friday for the drama fest and Delaney replied inviting her to come to the walk on Saturday.

“I was a student at (SUNY) Oswego and then I came back and taught there for a few years,”Penrod said, adding that she had been walking around the campus the previous day and recalled just how cool the weather can be here.

She moved to LA and had a child; and the child was diagnosed with Autism, “So, my whole world changed to the Autism world,” she told Oswego County Today.

“the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimates that 1 in 88 children will be diagnosed with Autism and almost 1 in 54 boys – and those numbers are three years old,” she said. “So, in all likelihood, the numbers are worse than that. It’s devastating.”

“Autism Live” is the name of her web show. “Everyday Autism Miracles” is her radio show.

“The web show is three hours live. It’s all information, we interview experts and people have the ability to call in or write in in live time and ask questions,” she explained. “We’re in all 50 states and 83 countries.”

The week before coming to Oswego, she had been at Walk Los Angeles for Autism. more than 35,000 people took part.

“But, to come here and see this; I cried, I cried because this is so amazing to see the exact same thing only on a smaller scale,” Penrod said. “It’s still parents and the kids trying to find the answer as to why (Autism) is happening and raise some money to help the cause.”

ASDs begin before the age of 3 and last throughout a person’s life, although symptoms may improve over time. Some children with an ASD show hints of future problems within the first few months of life. In others, symptoms might not show up until 24 months or later.

Medical professional say that well planned, structured teaching of specific skills is important. the different types of treatment can generally be broken down into the following:

Behavior and Communication ApproachesDietary ApproachesMedicationComplementary and Alternative Medicine

The key is early identification of ASD.

There are many services available to Oswego County residents.

For children from birth to 3 years of age, the Early Intervention Program can help a family through the process of diagnosis and treatment.

The Early Intervention Program offers a variety of services included, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Occupation Therapy, Special Instruction and other home and community based services that help both the child and family.

As a child approaches the age of 3, the Early Intervention Program will help the family through the transition to the preschool special education program that is available through your local school district.

The preschool special education program focus how the child’s developmental delay or disability affects them educationally and begins to prepare the child for school aged services.

The key to any effective program is communication between parents and the providers or educators. many providers of these services had tables at Saturday’s event and distributed information to the large crowd inside the gym.

The Task Force also presented its “Friend of Autism” award on Saturday.

“This year’s recipient is somebody who is one of the founding members of the Autism taskforce. she was there when it first started,” Familo said. “She doesn’t really like to take credit for too much – Julie Chetney!”

Chetney admitted to being surprised by the honor.

“There are a lot of more deserving people,” she said. “I started doing this because I have a child with autism. I just thought it’d be nice if we could do something to help the kids.”

Chetney added that she was humbled by the recognition.

“I have some pretty amazing people that I’ve been lucky to work side by side with over the years that deserve this same recognition,” she said.

In 2009, the inaugural “Friend of Autism” award was presented to Linda Stummer for all she has done to help families of children with autism. In 2010 it was presented to Sandy Silky and Laurie Doss of the Phoenix School District. the 2011 honoree was Vicki Affinati of Arise.

OCATF is a 15-member task force that seeks to enhance the lives of those touched by Autism Spectrum Disorders.

For more information about OCATF, go to oswegocountyautism.org or call 349-3510.

Published On: Apr 30 2012 10:39:01 AM EDT (CNN) –

Matthew Allen’s 10 brothers and sisters have grown up helping their parents take care of him.

Ranging in age from 2 to 27, they are his playmates, his protectors, his teachers and his advocates.

They taught him to talk, but they speak for him when he doesn’t have the words.

And they all dread the possible phone call bearing the news that something awful has happened to him.

Matt’s a middle child; he’s 16, and he has autism.

Living with his parents in Woodbridge, Virginia, Matt has limited verbal skills and often wanders away from home and into dangerous situations. He has attempted to climb electric towers and expects cars to stop for him if he steps into the street.

“We are all always worrying about him when we are not at home,” said Matt’s oldest sister, 27-year-old Sarah Allen. “We also know that one day we will be responsible for him as guardians.”

For National Autism Awareness Month, CNN iReport asked families affected by the disorder to tell the world what life is like.

We heard from dozens of people with varying degrees of autism and Asperger’s syndrome. also, parents shared stories about raising children with the disorder. But few people have shared stories about the unique stresses and gifts that autism can bring to sibling relationships.

Matthew was diagnosed with less severe autism initially, but as a toddler and preschooler he presented “some of the most severe symptoms I’ve seen,” said Allen. now Matthew displays symptoms across a wide spectrum, from high functioning to “more challenged,” she said.

For example, Matthew can speak and he has an emotional interest in his family. He has adaptive skills, and he shows substantial cognitive understanding and can make simple logical connections. like many people with autism, Matthew desires routine and sameness. Matthew also requires moment-by-moment supervision, his sister said, because he sometimes suddenly leaves the house and walks into the street or into neighbors’ yards.

Some of these dynamics are portrayed in TV series like NBC’s “Parenthood” and films such as 1988′s “Rain Man,” where autism poses challenges for brothers and sisters.

Sarah Allen, now a special education teacher who works with children on the autism spectrum, recorded a video for iReport featuring Matt and his brothers and sisters. she said she’s used to seeing autism awareness stories about higher functioning individuals, but less attention is given to children with more severe behavior problems and limited communication skills.

She wanted to show how her brother has affected the entire family — and how involved his siblings are in his life.

While they love Matt deeply, having a sibling with severe autism, she said, has put an immense burden on the family. Although organizing family events would pose extra challenges for any family as big as the Allens, Matthew’s needs complicate things even more.

“It strains every relationship in the home,” Allen said. “Our vacations, weekends, family dinners — everything has to be structured to be something he can handle. There are many things we just can’t do as a family.”

Her sister Rebekah — also a special education teacher — added, “Things many people take for granted, like attending their child’s soccer games, graduations, going out to eat as a family, family vacations and free time on the weekends, are completely centered around Matthew’s needs. … We can count on our hands the number of times we have been able to do these activities.”

Sarah and her siblings worry about Matt’s options to achieve a secure and fulfilling lifestyle once he reaches adulthood.

As Matt — who stands well over 6 feet tall and is still prone to meltdowns — becomes harder to handle at home, the family hopes to find an arrangement “where he can maintain some form of work and leisure while being kept safe,” but they know “such situations are typically rare and immensely expensive,” said Allen.

How he will be cared for “has been a source of much discussion the past three years. It is very emotional for all of us.”

But Matthew, she says, has given his siblings the gifts of empathy, flexibility and patience.

“Matt is one of the most important people in my life,” said Allen. “Each of my siblings can say the same.”

ATLANTA – more than $1 billion has been spent over the past decade researching autism. in some ways, the search for its causes looks like a long-running fishing expedition, with a focus on everything from genetics to the age of the father, the weight of the mother, and how close a child lives to a freeway.

That perception may soon change. some in the field say they are seeing the beginning of a wave of scientific reports that should strengthen some theories, jettison others and perhaps even herald new drugs.

“I do think over the next three to five years we’ll be able to paint a much clearer picture of how genes and environmental factors combine” to cause autism, said Geraldine Dawson, a psychologist who is chief science officer for the advocacy group Autism Speaks.

The effort has been infused with new urgency by a recent federal report that found autism disorders are far more common than was previously understood, affecting 1 in 88 U.S. children. better diagnosis is largely responsible for the new estimate, but health officials said there may actually be more cases of autism, too.

If autism’s causes remain a mystery, “you’re not going to be able to stop this increase,” said Irva Hertz-Picciotto, a researcher at the University of California, Davis who is leading a closely watched study into what sparks autism disorders.

A spate of studies released during National Autism Awareness Month has offered tantalizing new information about potential causes. Research published in the journal Nature widened the understanding of the genetic roots of some cases and confirmed the elevated risks for children with older fathers. Another study, released online April 9 in Pediatrics, suggested maternal obesity may play a role.

To be sure, finding the causes of autism – an umbrella term for a variety of disorders that delay children socially or intellectually – remains daunting. The causes are believed to be complicated, and not necessarily the same for each child. some liken autism to cancer – a small word for a wide range of illnesses. in many cases, autism can be blamed on both genetic problems that load the gun and other factors that pull the trigger.

It has been a growing public concern for two decades, as studies have found it to be more and more prevalent. The U.S. government dramatically increased funding for autism research in the past decade, and now budgets about $170 million a year through the National Institutes of Health. That’s only about a quarter of what NIH will spend on breast cancer research and $50 million less than what it will spend on asthma.

But more than a half-dozen foundations and autism advocacy groups have been adding to the pot, putting annual research spending in recent years at more than $300 million. About a third of that has been devoted to finding autism’s causes.

The lion’s share of money for finding a cause has been spent on genetics, which so far experts believe can account for roughly 20 percent of cases. The earliest success was in the early 1990s and involved the discovery of the genetic underpinnings of Fragile X syndrome, a rare condition that accounts for just 2 percent to 4 percent of autism cases but is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability in boys.

The focus on genetics has been bolstered by dramatic improvements in gene mapping as well as the bioengineering of mice with autism symptoms. Dozens of risk genes have been identified, and a half-dozen drug companies are said to be working on developing new treatments.

“We’ve made some very significant progress on the genetics end of this search,” said Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

Scientists have used autistic mice to test new drugs. among the most promising is a small, white, strawberry-flavored pill that is so experimental it doesn’t have a name. Developed by a Massachusetts company called Seaside Therapeutics inc., the drug is aimed at a problem area in the brains of autistic children, where neurons connect and conduct signals through the nervous system.

It’s a bit like the way tree-hopping ants might cross the twig ends of one tree branch to another. in Fragile X syndrome, scientists have noted the branches are thinner and the twigs too numerous. The experimental drug thins the twigs and strengthens the branches, allowing a more solid and centralized bridge.

The same problem hasn’t been as visible in other types of autism, but many believe the phenomenon is somewhat similar.

The drug was deemed successful in mice and is now being tested in children and adults. in small, early studies, the drug made a striking difference in small groups of Fragile X children, causing hermit-like youngsters to start hanging out in the kitchen to chat with their mothers, said Dr. Paul Wang, Seaside’s vice president of clinical development.

Now it is being tried in a preliminary study of about 150 children with a range of other autism disorders, including Asperger’s. The results are expected to be presented at a scientific conference in the next year.

“It’s going to be an exciting time, we hope,” when those results come in, said Dawson, from Autism Speaks.

But even genetics enthusiasts acknowledge that genes are only part of the answer. Studies of identical twins have shown that autism can occur in one and not the other, meaning something outside a child’s DNA is triggering the disorder in many cases. some cases may be entirely due to other causes, Dawson said.

That broad “other” category means “environmental” influences – not necessarily chemicals, but a grab bag of outside factors that include things like the age of the father at conception and illnesses and medications the mother had while pregnant.

For years, the best-known environmental theory involved childhood vaccines, prompted by a flawed 1998 British study that has been thoroughly discredited. Dozens of later studies have found no link between vaccines and autism.

But there are other possible candidates. in all cases, these are “association” studies – they don’t prove cause and effect. They merely find connections between certain factors and autism. and sometimes these conclusions can be skewed by other things researchers failed to account for.

As study findings are reported, researchers are hoping to see repetition – confirmation, that is – that certain factors are playing significant roles.

Even so, scientists are still casting nets.

Said Coleen Boyle, a CDC official overseeing research into children’s developmental disabilities: “We’re at the infancy of just understanding how these factors relate to autism.”

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Seaside Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted US patent No: 8,143,311, titled “Methods of Treating Fragile X Syndrome and Autism,” which covers the use of the Company’s lead product, STX209, for the improvement of social and communication functions in autism. Seaside’s lead clinical candidate, STX209, is an oral selective gamma-aminobutyric acid-B (GABA-B) receptor agonist and is currently being studied in a Phase 2b study in autism spectrum disorders and two Phase 3 studies in fragile X syndrome.

“we continue to make excellent progress advancing the STX209 clinical program and securing this key piece of intellectual property is an important achievement as we drive these late stage clinical trials to completion.”

“We believe STX209 has the potential to improve social function, which represents a new paradigm in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders and fragile X syndrome, and are truly excited about the prospect of helping patients and their families achieve an improved quality of life,” said Randy Carpenter, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Seaside Therapeutics. “We continue to make excellent progress advancing the STX209 clinical program and securing this key piece of intellectual property is an important achievement as we drive these late stage clinical trials to completion.”

Seaside Therapeutics was the first to identify GABA-B as an important drug target in treating autism and fragile X syndrome. recent studies in the literature have demonstrated that there is deficient inhibitory neurotransmission in autism and fragile X syndrome, and that STX209, a GABA-B agonist, has the potential to normalize this deficiency. In September of 2010, Seaside announced results from an open-label Phase 2a study of STX209 in autism spectrum disorders that demonstrated statistically significant improvements across a number of global and specific neurobehavioral outcomes, including significant improvements in social impairment—a core symptom of autism spectrum disorders. Social impairment includes symptoms such as preference to be alone, being withdrawn or isolated and lack of social reactivity. In July of 2010, Seaside announced results from a randomized, blinded, placebo controlled trial of STX209 program in fragile X syndrome. Clinically meaningful improvements on global and specific neurobehavioral outcomes were observed in the general study population and these improvements were statistically significant in pediatric patients with more severe impairments in sociability. Additionally, in both studies STX209 was found to be well-tolerated. the most common adverse events were sedation and headache, which were generally mild and resolved spontaneously.

the claims of the US Patent No: 8,143,311 relate to methods to improve social and communication functions in autistic patients by administering a GABA agonist. This patent is currently set to expire in 2028. In addition, STX209 received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008 and from the European Medicines Agency in 2011 for the treatment of fragile X syndrome.

About STX209:

STX209 is an oral selective gamma-amino butyric acid type B (GABA-B) receptor agonist. Pathologies observed in certain neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders and fragile X syndrome are believed to be caused by excessive activation of glutamate receptors and abnormally high ratios of excitatory to inhibitory neurotransmission in the brain. GABA-B receptors play an important role in modulating the release of glutamate and optimizing the ratio of excitatory to inhibitory neurotransmission. STX209 has demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models, suggesting that it may improve function in individuals with autism spectrum disorders and fragile X syndrome. With STX209, Seaside has successfully completed the largest, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial (Phase 2) in patients with fragile X syndrome and an open-label Phase 2a exploratory trial in patients with autism spectrum disorders. A Phase 3 study in adolescents and adults (ages 12 to 50) and children (ages 5 to 11) with fragile X syndrome and a Phase 2b study in children, adolescents and adults (ages 5 to 21) with autism spectrum disorders are currently ongoing and open to enrollment.

About Autism Spectrum Disorders:

Autism Spectrum Disorders are characterized by three hallmark symptoms that can range from mild to disabling, including difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. Experts estimate that as many as 1 in 110 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, with boys being four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with the disorder. There is no cure for autism and there are currently no FDA approved therapeutics to treat the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders.

About Fragile X Syndrome:

Fragile X syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social function, cognition and speech, as well as attention deficits and low functional independence. it is the most common inherited form of intellectual disability and affects roughly 100,000 individuals in the U.S. it is also the largest known cause of autism. Fragile X syndrome is caused by a mutation of a single gene, the Fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene, on the X chromosome. the FMR1 gene produces a protein needed for normal brain development. Individuals with fragile X syndrome lack this protein and, as a result, the majority of affected individuals will have significant intellectual disabilities and require life-time care. to date, there are no approved treatments for this disorder. the FDA and EMA have designated fragile X syndrome as an orphan disease.

About Seaside Therapeutics:

Seaside Therapeutics, Inc. is creating novel drug treatments to correct or improve the course of autism, fragile X syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders. the Company is dedicated to translating breakthrough discoveries in neurobiology into therapeutics that improve the lives of patients and their families. For more information please visit seasidetherapeutics.com.

March 6, 2012  |     Photo Credit: Shutterstock     LIKE THIS ARTICLE ? Join our mailing list: Sign up to stay up to date on the latest Personal Health headlines via email.        

Is gluten killing us or not?

A $2 billion gluten-free food industry says yes. Science obligingly bolsters this boom with a raft of recent studies linking gluten consumption with health woes far worse than the cramps and diarrhea with which it is usually linked.

Not that cramps and diarrhea are a walk in the park. Who could be grateful for having only those? but recent studies connect the consumption of gluten — a protein found in wheat, barley and rye — with autism, schizophrenia, lymphoma, lupus, multiple sclerosis, infertility, chronic numbness, severe balance problems and more. so even if you think you’re not gluten-sensitive or that you don’t have celiac disease, the best-known gluten-triggered disorder, gluten might still be ravaging your brain.

A 2002 study affiliated with the UK’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital linked gluten consumption with the loss of brain cells in the white matter of the cerebellum.

A 2009 Duke University study followed the case of a schizophrenic woman who for decades had been assailed by hallucinatory skeletons and daily voices in her head. She had survived five suicide attempts. for this woman, the study reads, "a typical day’s diet consisted of the following: egg and cheese sandwich, diet soda, water, pimento cheese, barbequed pork, chicken salad, hamburger helper, macaroni and cheese, and potatoes."

In hopes that going gluten-free might help her, "she was instructed how to follow a dietary regimen consisting of unlimited meats and eggs, 4 ounces of hard cheese, 2 cups of salad vegetables, and 1 cup of low-carbohydrate vegetables per day" — but no grains.

Within a week, "she was feeling well, and noted an increase in energy." three weeks hence, "she was no longer hearing voices or seeing skeletons. … She had had no change in medication. the only change had been in her dietary intake."

Sans gluten, "the abrupt resolution of longstanding schizophrenic symptoms was observed."

Past studies cited decreased hospital admissions for schizophrenia in areas where bread consumption was reduced during World War II, as well as the rarity of schizophrenia on South Pacific islands where grains are scarce.

A Penn State study published just last week in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience found that diets free of both gluten and the milk protein casein improved behavioral, social and physiological symptoms among children on the autism spectrum. Citing improvements in language production, eye contact, social responsiveness, request making and attention span, the study suggests strong links between autism and the gastrointestinal tract.

But in a randomized, double-blinded 2010 University of Rochester study, autistic children on a gluten- and casein-free diet showed no improvements whatsoever.

As with most health issues, it’s impossible to find 100 percent consensus here. meanwhile, some in the media — including myself — have hailed gluten, aka seitan, aka textured vegetable protein, as God’s gift to vegetarians and vegans: a chewy, tasty, versatile, nutritious faux meat that you can make at home for pennies. Is gluten’s cheap deliciousness — and also that of most breads, cakes, cereals, pasta and crackers — worth the risk, when researchers can’t agree what that risk is, or to whom?

Wheat allergies exist, but in fewer than 1 percent of children, according to a University of Maryland study published just last month — "and most outgrow it by age five."

Celiac disease, the autoimmune disorder in which gluten-triggered antibodies flatten structures lining the intestines, leading to diarrhea, malnutrition and other potentially lethal conditions, can be diagnosed only after extensive tests entailing biopsies. Affecting one in every 133 Americans, CD has increased fourfold in the last 50 years, according to the Maryland study, and is now "being diagnosed in people as old as 70 who have eaten gluten safely all their lives."

Taking care of autistic children is hard enough, but caring for them when they grow up can test a parent’s resolve like nothing else.

When a Sunnyvale woman fatally shot her 22-year-old autistic son and then herself this week, empathetic parents of autistic children, young or old, spilled out their frustration, anguish and opinions on the Internet and in interviews with reporters.

Trudy Gable, a director at Parents Helping Parents in San Jose, knows the agony firsthand — her 27-year-old daughter is autistic. when she “aged out” of a state system for the autistic that caters to young patients, Gable said she felt a pit in her stomach each time she checked out an adult group home.

“There would be old people there, or their disabilities were different,” Gable said. “I just kept thinking, ‘My child doesn’t belong here.’ And then you’d go through this grief process all over again.”

Autism is a developmental disorder that has a wide range of symptoms, from mild to severe problems with behavior, communication and socialization.

School districts are required to provide education and other services to autistic children until they reach age 22. Parents and experts say after that it becomes much more challenging to find them adequate care, which can be expensive and increasingly scarce due to budget cuts.

Elizabeth Hodgins was somewhere in that process when she picked up a handgun Tuesday and fatally shot her 22-year-old son, George, in his bedroom. Neighbors told this newspaper she was overwhelmed and discouraged by the difficulty of finding a program for him. how hard she tried and why she couldn’t find another program remain unclear.

One of the Hodgins’ neighbors said George Hodgins was low functioning and high maintenance, unable to speak and easily agitated.

On Thursday, police disclosed that Elizabeth Hodgins used her own gun in the murder-suicide. Lester Hodgins, Elizabeth’s husband and George’s father, has not spoken publicly about the tragedy.

While they don’t condone or excuse what Elizabeth Hodgins did, parents interviewed by this newspaper said they understood what would drive a parent of an autistic child to commit such a senseless act.

Parents and teachers of autistic children also said Hodgins’ plight may have been worsened by the deep funding cuts to autism care in California.

Joanna Jaeger, of Milpitas, has an autistic 19-year-old son. she served as a “stakeholder” on a state committee asked to cut $200 million from the state Department of Developmental Services, which runs autism programs.

“There are cuts, cuts and more cuts,” said Jaeger, who also serves on the board of Parents Helping Parents, a nonprofit support group. she said many parents don’t have long-term plans for their autistic children beyond trying to outlive them. only a few families have enough help and money to afford adult services.

“A lot of people, they get pretty desperate,” she said. “We don’t know what caused this mother to do this. But every mother I know who has a child with special needs has a moment just like that. I am heartbroken.”

Brian Darby, who teaches adults with autism and other disabilities at the Independence Network in Santa Clara, gave the state high marks for treating autistic children but less credit for adult care. He said the school, which enrolls about 64 disabled adults, gets $60 per student per day from the state, a reduction from previous years.

“The notion is, OK, they’re ready for work, ready to live on their own, because of all the money being spent on them when they’re kids,” Darby said. But when they are not, he added, “They are isolated,” and their parents quickly become overwhelmed.

According to a 2002 survey by Developmental Services, there were about 20,400 autistic children and adults in state-funded programs, 70 percent of them younger than 15.

Parents and autism experts are worried the problem will only grow worse, as hundreds of thousands of autistic children nationwide become adults over the next decade as states cut more social and medical services.

Anna Wang, of Fremont, a co-founder of the Friends of Children with Special Needs, said 165 autistic people attend the center’s adult day care program, and she has a waiting list of 55. the center opened with 10 families in 1996, she said, precisely because there was nothing around to help her autistic son, Lawrence.

“This is why we parents are always going to Sacramento,” Wang said. “We go to fight for funding.”

Thirty autistic adults now live in apartments on the center’s Peralta Boulevard property and three more in San Jose.

Lawrence is now 22, and Wang was able to figure out a way to have him live at home, work three part-time jobs and play saxophone — all things that make her luckier than parents whose children can’t function as well as her son can.

Elizabeth Hodgins had been wired into the autistic community. her son attended the Morgan Autism Center in San Jose, which he left in December. Executive Director Jennifer Sullivan said Hodgins wanted to find something more appropriate and community-oriented for her son.

It’s unclear what help she may have asked for or received at the San Andreas Regional Center, the state’s go-to operation for local families with special-needs children, including autistic adult children. Managers of the center did not return phone calls Thursday.

Gable, of Parents Helping Parents, said Elizabeth Hodgins was first a volunteer and then a short-time staffer with the group. she even wrote a letter to the Mercury News in 1995 on how the support group had become her “angels,” helping her with the “fear, grief, pain, anger, guilt and anxiety over my son’s condition — and my ability to cope with it.” Hodgins left the group as her son grew older.

Using all her knowledge and resources, Gable figured out how to care for her autistic adult daughter by pooling state and federal money together to pay for a care worker several days a week. But she said not every parent has the energy or know-how.

“She may not have found the right program,” Gable said. “I wish we could have helped.”

Jason Shapiro, 46, who lives in El Dorado County, said he was denied the services he needed for his severely autistic son, Richard Wilson, 23. Shapiro filed two lawsuits demanding financial reimbursement for a care worker and a group home for “supported living” services.

Shapiro said he feels like he is at wits’ end, just like Hodgins must have felt. He and his wife divorced, and he is now unemployed from the financial industry and takes care of his son full time.

“This poor lady,” Shapiro said. “I was denied all these services that my tax dollars go to support. And then you just become a prisoner. you can’t ever leave the person in your care.”

Staff writer Sandy Kleffman contributed to this report. Contact Lisa Fernandez at 408-920-5002. Follow her at Twitter.com/ljfernandez.

In recent weeks, Apple has hosted face-to-face meetings with several prominent media executives to share plans for future iPods and a new television platform, presumably called “iTV.” The company has explained how it plans to integrate all of its devices such as the iPhone and iPad via “Smart” Bluetooth 4.0, but the brain that will power all of these devices is none other than Siri, Apple’s virtual personal assistant found on the iPhone 4S.

With Siri, Apple has proved that it can make virtual assistants both useful and friendly. The technology, which helps users call, text, e-mail, schedule meetings, surf the Web and find answers to complicated context-sensitive questions, was born out of a $150 million project from DARPA and SRI Ventures, the largest artificial intelligence project in U.S. history to date. The unique feature has driven sales of the iPhone 4S to make the new smartphone one of the most successful product launches in the company’s history.

With the iPhone 4S launch in the rear view mirror, Apple is looking ahead, searching for new and innovative ways to integrate its powerful voice-activated technology into its other consumer-friendly iOS products, such as the iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. here are the various ways Apple plans to make Siri into a flagship tool on all its devices.

iPod and Siri

A New York Times report discovered one quiet Apple project where Siri would power an iPod that would wrap around one’s wrist like a watch.

“Over the last year, Apple and Google have secretly begun working on projects that will become wearable computers. their main goal: to sell more smartphones,” wrote Nick Bilton. “A person with knowledge of the company’s plans told me that a “very small group of Apple employees” had been conceptualizing and even prototyping some wearable devices. one idea being discussed is a curved-glass iPod that would wrap around the wrist; people could communicate with the device using Siri, the company’s artificial intelligence software.”

Presumably, Siri on an iPod would perform like it does on the iPhone 4S: Users could hold down the home button to activate Siri, and then users can ask her to play a song, artist or playlist, as well as pause or skip a song. There’s a good chance that Apple will expand Siri’s capabilities by the time one of these devices emerges. In the future, Siri might be able to play specific albums, or even be able to create “smart playlists” based off genres, number of plays and the mood of the music.

iPhone and Siri

Siri is already on the iPhone 4S, and Apple has no plans to remove the personal assistant from any future iterations of the popular smartphone. Siri is still in beta on the 4S, but by the time that beta sticker is removed, we hope to see a number of smart features added to the platform.

The original Siri app for iPhone could actually integrate with other applications such as OpenTable or RottenTomatoes; now that Siri is a key feature for the iPhone, expect the technology to grow even smarter.

The only way Siri can get smarter is for its programmers to literally expand the system’s knowledge base. Apple would be smart to tap the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization behind Wikipedia, as well as WebMD to add their libraries of useful encyclopedic data to Siri.

This could have unlimited potential in the several industries, but the medical field would enjoy the biggest boost. If Siri could ask a list of questions and respond to each answer uniquely, even furthering the conversation with the patient with qualifications and clarifications, doctors and nurses could literally save thousands of hours of asking patients the same laundry list of prying medical history questions. Doctors could attend to more important matters while Siri stays with the patient and collects data. There aren’t enough doctors to do the work that needs to be done, but Siri could potentially change that. IBM’s supercomputer “Watson” has this technology but it’s not available for consumer use.

See more tech news on the FOX Business Technology page.

iPad and Siri

While iPhones cast a broad appeal, people specifically approach iPads for business, education, and productivity purposes. given that Siri can read messages aloud and accommodate back-and-forth interact with its user, the voice technology has incredible potential on the iPad.

“iPads in schools are helping kids learn in amazing new ways,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook at the iPhone 4S unveiling. “iPads can change the way teachers teach and kids learn. almost 1,000 K-12 schools have a 1-to-1 program so a kid can enjoy the iPad for the entire day. And it’s not just happening in K-12; higher ed is also doing this. About 1,000 universities across the U.S., including schools like Stanford, Notre Dame, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Chicago, all have iPad programs.”

More importantly, Siri on the iPad could aid people and children with learning disabilities like never before. since the device first debuted in April 2010, educators have praised the iPad for its ability to attract children and keep them interested while also expediting their cognitive development. The iPad has hundreds of available apps that aid in fine-tuning social skills, motor skills, sensory skills, and communication and language skills. Therapists, autism experts, and parents call the iPad “a near-miracle device.”

Beyond the classroom, Siri for the iPad can be an assistant for professional settings, too.

“In the cockpit, pilots are using [iPads],” Cook said. “They’re replacing 40-pound flight bags full of paper manuals and log books and navigation charts and checklists, making the pilot more efficient and making the plane more fuel efficient. [iPads] are also showing up in hospitals, where medical professionals are using them to access patient records, review medical images, to administer bedside care.”

The iPad is already the most popular and best-selling tablet on the market, but with more applications, functions, and a bigger screen that appeals to audiences on the younger and older side of the age spectrum, Siri help launch the iPad into another stratosphere.

Apple TV and Siri

The next Apple TV device, as well as the “integrated television” project dreamed up by the late Apple founder Steve Jobs, will both reportedly showcase Siri in new ways. Jobs wanted to reduce the amount of clutter in the TV watching experience, namely in the number of remotes needed to control cable channels and peripherals like DVD players and video game consoles.

“I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,” Jobs told his biographer Walter Isaacson. “It would be seamlessly synched with all of your devices and with iCloud. It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.”

Since Jobs’ death, his statements about the iTV have spurred development for the new product, which will also reportedly feature “Smart” Bluetooth 4.0, a quad-core A6 processor, and come in three sizes. In addition, future iPhones and iPads will reportedly become remote controls for this new Apple-made television, and it’s all made possible thanks to Bluetooth 4.0.

Manufactured by Broadcom, Bluetooth 4.0 prides itself on its “coexistence algorithms” and ability to connect with a greater number of wireless devices faster and more reliably. Assuming Apple plans to port Siri to its future devices, it’s entirely likely Siri could help users control and navigate the Apple iTV interface, especially for searching and discovering content in the same way as on the iPhone 4S.

“In the recent meetings with media companies, the Apple executives, including Senior Vice President Eddy Cue, have outlined new ways Apple’s technology could recognize users across phones, tablets and TVs,” said one Wall Street Journal report. “In at least one meeting, Apple described future television technology that would respond to users’ voices and movements, one of the people said. such technology, which Apple indicated may take longer than some of its other ideas, might allow users to use their voices to search for a show or change channels.

Bluetooth 4.0, which also creates an instantaneous connection without the need for Wi-Fi or 3G, could also leverage the gyroscopes and accelerometers within the iOS devices to make each Apple handheld into a motion-sensitive game controller. for instance, if you’re playing a driving game, you hold your iPhone or iPad like a wheel and the car on the screen could mirror your turning motions. If Apple can achieve this kind of connection, Apple may finally be able to translate mobile gaming to “console” gaming and finally face down Microsoft and the Xbox360.

What’s next for Siri?

With its ability to connect to other applications, tools and services, Siri has near-unlimited potential. Wolfram Alpha’s extensive knowledge base helped launch Siri, but the feature has a far more useful component if it can be used correctly: Memory.

Siri is an incredibly useful tool on the iPhone 4S, but human personal assistants still one-up Siri in their ability to remember what you told them. Sure, Siri can set up alarms and meetings and remind you of them ahead of time, but there’s no way to look up past conversations with Siri, and everything Siri does for you is immediately lost if you resume normal activities on the 4S.

Thanks to iCloud, Apple devices can instantly upload and share important phone data wirelessly, which allows users to store documents, contacts, e-mail and even music in the cloud. If Siri can leverage Apple’s free cloud service, Siri could store information about its user, including what routine activities they perform with voice-activation, and remember it for future recall.

We all have our morning routines. for some, it’s checking mail, Facebook, or Twitter. for others, it’s all about reading news articles or the weather forecast. how nice would it be if every morning, you could turn on your iPhone and see exactly what you wanted to see? since Siri is so smart and so customizable, this would be a nice feature to give the user everything desired without any extra work.

Life is made simpler with a virtual assistant, but one with perfect memory could be incredibly useful. If WebMD’s library of knowledge were integrated with Siri, the system could remember past symptoms and cross reference current symptoms to create a well-informed plan-of action. should Siri get ported to the Apple TV or iTV, the AI assistant could also remember a user’s favorite TV shows, channels and games.

If Siri really wants to be a viable personal assistant, it must find a way to retain information. Until then, it’s just a tool, albeit a flashy and funny one.

John Harris doesn’t mind public speaking. yes, he admits to being a little nervous at first each time he does it, but he feels he has a duty to do it. in fact, he considers it “a goodwill mission.”

John Harris and mom Karen spoke to Rajesh Kana’s Autism: Brian and Cognition psychology class recently about their experience with Asperger’s syndrome. John was diagnosed with Asperger’s at age 9. He has lived on his own for the past six years, is a college graduate and a certified scuba diver.

Harris also doesn’t like sitting in the classroom for the first 20 minutes listening to his mom Karen Harris tell their life story — how Asperger’s syndrome has affected every moment of their life since he came into the world 28 years ago. so he sits outside the classroom of Rajesh Kana, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and waits for her to finish.

The Harrises were invited by Kana to speak to his Autism: Brain and Cognition (PY354) class — an undergraduate psychology course that gives students a comprehensive overview of autism from cognitive, behavioral and neuroscience perspectives. Kana’s students are listening to a parent and child talk about Asperger’s, a syndrome on the autism spectrum disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. Classmate Andrew Rozsa and his father had spoken to them the week prior about the UAB senior’s life-long battle with Asperger’s. 

This is the third year the Harrises have spoken to Kana’s class; Karen first did it as a student in 2009.

“I think it’s important for people to see what a family has to go through,” Harris says of her reason for speaking. “Maybe seeing it from the parent’s point of view the students will be more patient when they are in the clinical setting or maybe it will trigger something for them later in a research setting.”

This part of the class is the highlight for Kana. His students have spent the previous weeks learning about autism, its characteristics and behaviors. They’ve examined cognitive levels, ways in which behaviors are triggered by thought processes and the brain mechanisms driving them.

But Kana says the visits from parents and their children bring the lessons to life.

“By now, the students know the nuts and bolts of autism conceptually, and they have a good understanding of the theories and brain functions that may drive certain symptoms,” Kana says. “But for the last part of the class, I want them to meet a person with autism and listen to their experience and a parent’s perspective. Ultimately, this should make them think about ways they can help this person as a clinician or researcher.”

When John Harris takes the podium to speak, he is just as his mother promised he would be. He is nervous and talks quickly at first before settling down. He is funny — although often you are not sure if he is trying to be. He is opinionated, especially when it comes to religion and politics.

And when he talks about his childhood and the bullying he was subjected to daily in middle school, the pace of his speech quickens again — and his agitation becomes clear.

“He still has nightmares about middle school,” Harris says of her son. He refers to his middle-school days often during a 40-minute question-and-answer session with Kana’s class, many times unprompted.

“I made a lot of good grades in school,” Harris says answering a question about his school years. “I had a lot of good friends, especially the smart and nicer people. but I was singled out by all the the bullies, jerks and dumb jocks. and middle school was three years of straight-up torture and unending misery because of those creeps. and the teachers never seemed to notice or the baddies would always do it when the teachers weren’t looking. and they never really got in any trouble for it.”

His mom, sitting to the side of the class and away from John, reminded the students about a key autism characteristic that explains the reason her son threw tantrums in school when it seemed he was unprovoked.

“You might not think because a person has Asperger’s or autism that they’re really singled out and bullied, but they make easy targets,” Harris says. “So when they get mad and throw a tantrum, this might be why. An hour ago they might have been picked on or bullied, and they’ve spent that past hour focusing on it before it finally comes out in the form of anger and frustration.”

The story was eye-opening for the students. they were intrigued by the difficulty Karen Harris had obtaining a diagnosis for John: they went through eight doctors before they were finally told he had Asperger’s at age 9. At one point prior to that, they were told he was retarded.

“This was at age 5, and he was reading encyclopedias,” Harris says. “At 2 he could say the ABCs and count to 100. I didn’t know what was wrong, but I didn’t believe anything they said.”

The students in Kana’s class also were surprised to learn John has lived on his own for the past six years, and he is a college graduate with a bachelor’s of science degree in biology, a certified scuba diver and an intern with the Birmingham Zoo doing what he loves best — being around animals. He hopes that the internship will lead to a job with the zoo.

Rozsa found Harris’ story to be fascinating and different in many ways from his own despite their same diagnosis.

“It just shows there are many, many different levels on the autism spectrum,” says Rozsa, a senior majoring in psychology. “It’s not on a line. It’s more 4-D, because the spectrum is constantly changing. how you treat someone really depends on the person. you can’t look at it as a cookie-cutter. what is done for one individual wouldn’t necessarily work for another. Obviously certain things worked for John that wouldn’t have worked for me, and things that worked for me probably wouldn’t have worked for John.”

Kana says it is important for his students to see that even though Rozsa and Harris have the same diagnosis, their behaviors aren’t the same.

“The mechanism driving them internally may be the same, but the way it manifests and as a disorder, the symptoms are different,” Kana says. “I hope the lesson the students take from this is that you cannot plan help for an autistic child without meeting the child first. you can’t use a cookie-cutter approach. you have to see the person, spend time with them, discover their preferences, problems and sensitivities and then devise a plan that fits that individual. when you move to the next person, it’s completely different.”

The goal of Kana’s course is to introduce students to autism and hopefully generate a genuine interest in them becoming a clinician or engaging in research on developmental disorders. Rozsa plans to be a clinical therapist focusing on behavioral analysis for developmental disorders. Sophomore Kayla Recchio of Millbrook also has decided she will work with autistic children in some capacity.

“I knew I wanted to be a psychology major, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do with that,” Recchio says. “I took this class because I thought it would be interesting, and it has been eye-opening to see people with autism and Asperger’s and the way they deal with things in their daily lives that we take for granted. It’s been a great learning process, and I feel pretty certain that I want to have a career in autism.”

The WSJ detailed a small portion of the medical research revealing one of the reasons for the “dumbing down” of America is, of all things, air pollution. The article read like something the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment would have written, using phrases like, “at every stage of life, traffic fumes exact a measurable toll on mental capacity, intelligence and emotional stability,” and “the emissions may also heighten the risk of Alzheimer’s and accelerate Parkinson’s disease,”

It also said that “air pollution might be a risk factor for autism,” and “by age 3 children exposed prenatally to high exhaust levels were developing mental capacities more slowly … by age 5, their IQ scores averaged four points lower on intelligence tests … by age 7, the children were more likely to show symptoms of anxiety, depression and attention problems.”

Some of these studies tried to quantify the impact: 5-9 IQ points. That’s a game changer, a career changer, a serious limitation to one’s quality of life and earning capability.

The WSJ — part of the Fox News empire, ally of industry and business, home of Karl Rove editorials, microphone for corporate America and congressional Republicans, who are all presently collaborating in a relentless campaign to strangle the EPA — is reporting significant impairment of human intelligence by air pollution.

Occupy protests illustrate what recent polls have documented: a wide gap between the attitudes of Americans on many issues, including pollution, our fossil fuel addiction and the corporate coddling agendas of both political parties. The overwhelming majority of Democrats, Republicans and even 56 percent of tea partyers want America to make the investments needed to be the world’s clean energy leader and think America’s oil, coal and natural gas companies have excessive influence on Congress and the White House.

The Wall Street Journal says air pollution makes our kids stupid and alters their chromosomes, and Forbes magazine ranked Salt Lake City as the ninth most toxic American city (Feb. 2011). this could be the makings of a perfect storm finally clearing our air pollution.

Fighting this perfect storm, in defiance of public opinion, are virtually all Utah’s politicians — Gov. Gary Herbert, Sen. Orrin Hatch, Sen. Mike Lee, Rep. Rob Bishop, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Rep. Jim Matheson and many state legislators — who behave like Utah’s real glory is fossil fuels. But the Occupy movement offers hope that even Utahns have had enough of politicians tethered to the corporate umbilical cord.

When our kids can no longer get into college because of the air they breathe, maybe we’ll see torches and pitchforks descending on Capitol Hill. I’m cautiously holding my breath.

Brian Moench is the president of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.

KINGSTON — Families affected by autism will, over the next two days, have the opportunity to learn from experts and access resources to assist their loved ones with the condition, during 'Autism Splash'.

the event, which got underway yesterday at Emancipation Park in Kingston, is hosted by the Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation, through donation of $1,137,810 (CDN$13,386) from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.

it seeks to raise awareness of the disorder by offering free information and diagnosis, and to begin to create a database of autistic persons in Jamaica that can be used to lobby the government for greater intervention.

Canadian High Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency Stephen Hallihan, said Autism Splash represents the launch of a campaign aimed at providing assistance for those Jamaicans that are affected by autism and their families “because we know a lot about the condition, but there is much more we don’t know."

High Commissioner Hallihan likened the condition to a "riddle wrapped in a puzzle," which is "a tremendously hard one for families and individuals that are touched by this condition."

"That's why we are so happy to support this programme, which is going to help parents with their diagnosis. it is going to give them access to support and resources and most importantly, it’s going to give them some hope and a support network that they can draw on for the future,” he said.

the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is one of the sponsors of Autism Splash, and Chief Executive Officer, Al Powel, said the agency is willing to support the cause by offering to anyone with autism, an opportunity for a better livelihood through its Home Economic Social Services Unit.

"those persons who are affected, we can always visit their house, we can put in place programmes that can help them,” he stated.

Mr. Powell said the Autism Splash is important in highlighting “a very serious (condition),” which affects one in every 166 children in the United States and continues to grow.

he noted, however, that the diagnosis of autism is not a reason for despair, as many “great minds, great innovators, great people like (Albert) Einstein, who revolutionised the whole concept of physics; Thomas Edison, a great inventor; composer (Ludwig van)Beethoven and several others had symptoms (of autism) and they came out to lead the world in the vocation that they chose to pursue."

"So, someone having symptoms, we are supposed to give them support, we are not to stay away from them, we are to empower them,” he added.

Managing Director of the Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation, Maia Chung-Smith, expressed her gratitude to the individuals and organisations that have provided support for the event, noting that  it would make a difference, “if we can intervene in the thousands of cases (of autism) that are here undocumented” and unearth brilliant minds.

She noted that it was through receiving proper intervention that her autistic son will be sitting the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) next year. “it is our job, in every area and sector of this nation to do what we can for whom we can,” she stated.

Throughout the two-day event, a team of specialists, including an autism expert, a psychiatrist and special educator, will be on hand to provide free diagnosis to families dealing with autism.

Information will also be disseminated through various small group discussions, free therapy will be provided for coping and living with autism, and free resource material on the condition will be provided by organisations and agencies.

the Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation was established in April 2008 to work with families, who are directly or indirectly affected by autism. the aim is to offer an avenue by which persons can access information and resources and develop strategies of care for persons living with the condition.

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterised by impaired social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviour. these signs all begin before a child is three years old.

By Alecia Smith-Edwards, JIS Reporter