An Open Letter To The Chicago Tribune’s Julie Deardorff
July 7, 2008 by Do'C 
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From the Chicago Tribune Web Edition, blogger Julie Deardorff writes:
Originally posted: July 3, 2008
The AAP responds to ‘vaccine dissenters’Below, I’ve posted the response by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to my recent blog item The AAP gets tough on vaccine dissenters.
In the piece, I pointed out that some parents are unnerved by the sheer number of shots that are currently recommended and in many cases, mandated. The new combo vaccines are sure to raise more questions and concerns, especially since parents are currently trying to unbundle the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) shot.
In the rebuttal, which will appear Wednesday in the Chicago Tribune’s Voice of the People section, AAP president Renee Jenkins emphasized the safety of vaccines, even though I never directly addressed the issue. She added: “The number of vaccines has increased because new vaccines have been developed to prevent more diseases. That is a good thing.”
Some USD Conference Notes
June 25, 2008 by Do'C Printer-Friendly Version
Last night I got to have dinner with some of my favorite Autsim Hub bloggers - an evening I’ll not soon forget.
Today was every bit as rewarding.
I had an excellent opportunity to hear the thoughts of several young people and adults with autism spectrum diagnoses, and I was fortunate to have an opportunity to speak with several attendees at the University of San Diego’s Autism Institute Summer Conference (School of Leadership and Education Sciences) this morning and this afternoon.
The good folks at USD even handed me the microphone for about 15 minutes (Steve D must have paid them dearly). With no intention of wasting that 15 minutes, I wanted to gather some feedback from the public (an awesome audience of professionals, teachers, and parents), so I asked two questions.
By a show of hands, how many people here have ever heard autism referred to as an “epidemic,” in the media, on the internet, etc.
Either just about everyone was raising a hand, or half of the audience was raising both of their hands.
By a show of hands, how many people here believe there is an autism “epidemic”?
No one raised a hand that I could see.
The Support I Need
June 23, 2008 by Do'C Printer-Friendly Version
At the suggestion of Steve D (One Dad’s Opinion), a great blogger/Dad, and someone I consider a friend, I’m re-posting the following article, because it concludes with perhaps one of my most compelling personal reasons for blogging. It also happens to fit right in line with the theme of the University of San Diego’s Summer Autism Conference.
Originally posted: August 4th, 2007.
The Support I Need
I used to participate in local online “support” groups. I recently got booted from the last one (I left the other three of my own accord). This occurred after I criticized the forum administrator for posting yet more epidemic rhetoric from Rick Rollens without so much as a single comment - pure cut-and-paste regurge of scientifically meaningless garbage that I don’t think will benefit one autistic person one iota. As one might expect, other forum members were supportive of the forum administrator’s posting of the nonsense from Rollens (a man who, in the past, seemed to have popularized the referring to autistic people as “train wrecks” in certain circles).
For what it’s worth to any local parents who might read this, I support the forum administrator’s decision to boot me 100%. It’s his/her forum - his/her rules apply. In fact, I appreciate the fact that this forum administrator had actually invited me back in the past (after several months of previous non-participation).
A Few Autism-Related Blogs Everyone Should Read
June 19, 2008 by Do'C Printer-Friendly Version
I have to admit, I haven’t spent near as much of the time writing lately as I would have liked to. It kind of reminds me of the fact that I never spent quite as much time in the water as a I would have liked to when I lived in southern California.
A little planned vacation, a persistently full inbox at work, and the rising summer temperatures meaning much more time at the pool with the kids, have moved blogging to the back burner temporarily. In fact, I’m planning on taking the month of June off from blogging altogether for the most part.
I’ll be back though, and rest assured, I stil find plenty of time to read. On that note, let me take this opportunity to recommend just a few (there are acutally many more) of the blogs that I enjoy reading on a pretty regular basis.
Rossignol’s Contradiction
May 28, 2008 by Do'C Printer-Friendly Version
For serveral reasons, I don’t attend many autism conferences, however, I do read an occasional presentation to see what’s new (or not so new). This month I chose to read a power point presentation by Dr. Dan Rossignol, MD. It’s from the DAN! Spring 2008 conference.
Granted, a power-point presentation is not peer-reviewed research, but sometimes I find them interesting. Sometimes they cite research I was not previously aware of, which can lead to more interesting reading. Of course, sometimes they simply raise more questions (which can be a good thing).
The presentation from Dr. Dan Rossignol definitely raises a couple of questions for me. Perhaps the good doctor will be kind enough to consider putting together an answer to one, for Autism Street readers. I’ll note that I have communicated with Dr. Rossignol via e-mail in the past, and he has always been courteous and prompt in response, with answers to the actual questions I posed.
Mark Blaxill’s 100 Billion
May 26, 2008 by Do'C Printer-Friendly Version
Heard at the recent Autism One conference during a portion of one panel discussion.
Audience member 1: I want to know what the number is that makes an epidemic. Seriously, I mean 1 in 10,000 when my son was first diagnosed was 1 in 10,000. Okay now its, then it went to 1 in 500.
Audience member 2: But [redacted], they’re not talking about, they’re not, they’re talking about incidence versus prevalence.
Audience member 1: I just want to know what number equates to epidemic? What number equates to pandemic? Tell me what number, where, when do we reach epidemic proportions? The CDC says its 1 in 150. So?
Audience member 2: What they’re saying is, they’re saying, they go back to the DSM manual, and they’re saying that, that, that, they’ve just, they’ve broadened the criteria for diagnosing it. They’ve, and that’s what, that’s what all the autism experts are saying, that they’ve just broadened the criteria. And you know Mark can…
Mark Blaxill: It’s not true.
Lasting Impressions
May 25, 2008 by Do'C Printer-Friendly Version
I will never forget a former next-door neighbor of mine.
Before we moved to our present home, I had a neighbor, Theodore, whose son William had a rare medical condition that produced a significant (and probably quite diverse) set of disabilities. At first, I remember reflecting that the situation faced by Theodore and his wife Danielle must be extremely difficult. But one day, Theodore communicated an attitude to me that has stuck with me.
I was chatting with him out in the front yard while William crawled around him, clinging to him, happily. Our conversation went something like this:
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