AUTISM

[onlyhope]

Autism conference in Chattanooga


CHATTANOOGA — A conference on “Autism: Connecting the Pieces through the Lifespan” will be offered on Friday, Feb. 5, from 8 a.m. to 4:25 p.m. at the Sheraton Read House in Chattanooga. It is hosted by the Chattanooga Autism Center.

Up to seven continuing education units are available. Lunch, coffee and snack are included. Fee waivers are available for parents facing financial hardships.

Space is limited to 250.

E-mail [e-mail] or call [phone] to register.


The conference is for both professionals AND parents.

We'll be looking for input as to what new programs we can create for people with autism at various ages.

This conference is an opportunity to get great new information plus make connections with other parents and professionals who want to work towards common goals for new autism programs in our region.

Call 423-622-0500 to register or have a registration sent to you!

[LimitedRecourse]

This is a good thing. Chattanooga is way behind the curve in the information/treatment pipeline in regard to Autism.

[Police Moderator]

Have the scientists discovered what causes Autism and is there a cure in the works? As I understand it there are varying degrees of how the symptoms exhibit themselves.

It appears (While I was checking into Autism) that there are some strategies that may yield some sort of recovery.

I know very little about it, but I understand it is becoming much more common or it is being recognized better.

I remember my mother making me watch a movie about an autistic child, but all I can remember of it is the kid jumping on a trampoline in the back yard while the adults discussed his future. She had a point in making me watch it, but I can't remember that either.

[ScarlettP]

So many of us are in the dark about the condition. For the longest time, I thought Autistic children just sat in the corner spinning plates. Again, some odd depiction of the problem in a very old movie.

[LimitedRecourse]

Autism is a spectrum disorder. Simply put, that means there are varying degrees of disability: one can be VERY autistic AND VERY mentally challenged, one can be slightly autistic and a genius. Most are at a level of each issue somewhere in between the two/four extremes.

There are many theories about the cause of autism, but the most commonly held belief is that there is a genetic cmponent to autism. Many families with an autistic member also have members with dyslexia, ADD, & ADHD. Although there is a large number of people who believe it, there is NO (that is ZERO) proof that vaccinations cause autism.

There are two general types of autism, which is part of the issue. Infantile Autism is when a child is born autistic from the get-go. Early Childhood Onset Autism is when a child seemingly develops at a normal rate and then around age 2-3 years begins to regress and show signs of the disorder. The vaccination-belief group points to this as the "proof" as the MMR vaccine is generally given between 18 months and 24 months---about the same time that ECO autism begins to manifest. The most glaring hole in that theory is that the vaccination schedule has changed several times over the past 50 years (and, of course, throughout all of history there WERE NO VACCINATIONS) yet the onset time-frame for autism remains pretty much constant.

SOME children/adults with autism HAVE HAD miraculous recoveries....through diet change or some strange treatment their "autism" just turned off. I cerainly can't explain why some are so lucky, but the chance that autistic-like tendencies can be caused by chemicals is certainly the most likely answer. In that event, the people were not really "autistic" in the full sense of the term, but were manifesting autistic-like characteristics due to another malady.

The large growth in the numbers of autistic people stems from many reasons: better screening, more informed parents/doctors an sadly, more people with autistic-like tendencies thrown into the autism spectrum because it is the new mental retardation. (Not too long ago, if a child showed ANY problems learning at school, they were labeled mentally retarded and thrown into the handicapped class --- or denied access to school completely.)

For more (and much BETTER) information, check out this site:

www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer