0 Superior Court Encourages Lawyers to Violate Rights of People with Developmental Disabilities

Thanks to a mom who's been through Hell and wanted to share her story to help others, I've been made aware of the unthinkable challenges that can happen around Conservatorships, especially in families where the parents are divorced.  When I first heard their story my automatic response was "This can't be, it's just too terrible. It must be an isolated case". When I began asking more people I learned many families were dealing with this, and it was not something I could afford to ignore. My son will be 18 soon enough, and his rights will kick in and I need to know the realities of raising an "adult" with autism and conservatorships. Below is a summary of the issue, and a link to a guide showing recent research findings, and it suggests ways our attorneys can challenge these guidelines when needed.

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The Disability and Abuse Project released a new report today that focuses on deficiencies in the performance of attorneys appointed to represent people with developmental disabilities in limited conservatorship proceedings in California.

The report was released in the form of a guidebook, designed to help court-appointed attorneys challenge judicial guidelines that encourage them to engage in practices that may violate ethical and constitutional requirements.

Here is a description of the guidebook, taken from the Project's website:

This guidebook releases research findings by the Disability and Abuse Project regarding the policies and practices of the Los Angeles Superior Court.  It reveals how court guidelines encourage attorneys to violate the rights of people with developmental disabilities in limited conservatorship cases.  The guidebook calls for systemic changes, but until they occur, it suggests ways that attorneys can challenge these guidelines by using advocacy methods consistent with the ethical and constitutional duties and that protect the right of clients to due process of law

The report was sent to 50 attorneys who regularly represent clients in limited conservatorship proceedings.  It was sent two weeks in advance of a mandatory training seminar they will be attending on September 13.  It was also sent to the panelists who will be making presentations on many of the topics covered in the report.  We hope that the receipt of the guidebook prior to the seminar will stimulate a lively discussion about the proper role of attorneys in such cases and what attorneys should do to comply with ethical and constitutional requirements.

It was also sent to all members of the Board of Trustees of the State Bar of California, with a request that the State Bar convene a Task Force on Limited Conservatorships to study the problems outlined in the report and to make recommendations to the State Bar about how to improve the performance of attorneys handling such cases.

For more information, including a link to the guidebook and links to the letters mentioned above, go to:   http://disabilityandabuse.org/pvp/index.htm

Detail: Superior Court Encourages Lawyers to Violate Rights of People with Developmental Disabilities

0 Whistleblower: CDC covered up vaccine’s autism effect in black boys

Whistleblower: CDC covered up vaccine’s autism effect in black boys

POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2014 BY STAFF IN AFRICAN AMERICAN HEALTH, CHILDREN,MEDICAL NEWS WITH 11 COMMENTS

A top research scientist working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) played a key role in helping Dr. Brian Hooker of the Focus Autism Foundation uncover data manipulation by the CDC that obscured a higher incidence of autism in African-American boys. The whistleblower came to the attention of Hooker, a PhD in biochemical engineering, after he had made a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for original data on theDeStefano et al MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and autism study.

Dr. Hooker’s study, published August 8 in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Translational Neurodegeneration, shows that African-American boys receiving their first MMR vaccine before 36 months of age are 3.4 times more likely to develop autism vs. after 36 months.

According to Dr. Hooker, the CDC whistleblower informant — who wishes to remain anonymous — guided him to evidence that a statistically significant relationship between the age the MMR vaccine was first given and autism incidence in African-American boys was hidden by CDC researchers. After data were gathered on 2,583 children living in Atlanta, Georgia who were born between 1986 and 1993, CDC researchers excluded children that did not have a valid State of Georgia birth certificate — reducing the sample size being studied by 41%. Hooker explains that by introducing this arbitrary criteria into the analysis, the cohort size was sharply reduced, eliminating the statistical power of the findings and negating the strong MMR-autism link in African American boys.

Dr. Hooker has worked closely with the CDC whistleblower, and he viewed highly sensitive documents related to the study via Congressional request from U.S. Representative Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

READ MORE via Vaccines: U.S. Centers for Disease Control Manipulated Data, Covered-Up Higher Incidence of Autism in African American Boys | Global Research.

Detail: Whistleblower: CDC covered up vaccine’s autism effect in black boys

0 Drowning Leading Cause of Death for Children With Autism

As a mom who lives in California, where there is seemingly a pool in every backyard, a key reason we purchased our home was it did not have a pool. I don't have a statistic on wandering compared to non-wandering related drowning’s, either way it’s clear we have to tackle both. My son is a wanderer, actually he's a seeker. He intentionally finds ways to escape our house in search of things he wants, and he has ZERO safety awareness. By zero I mean Nick has the safety awareness of a two year old. The difference is when we see a 2 year old alone we all stop and help. When people see my son alone they just stare.

The good news is I know this about him and I've put systems in place to protect him. My neighbors who have looked up to find Nick in their houseUNINVITED, know it too. Their awareness creates a safety net.

If you have a pool I recommend a highly secured pool area, and I've asked my neighbors with pools to lock their gates.  

Articles like this are not new news to parents who have children with autism, it's just confirmation people are listening and getting the word out. 

Drowning Leading Cause of Death for Children With Autism

Researchers at the University of Sciences found that drowning is a major cause of death among children with autism.

Families with autistic children are most concerned about water safety. The study led by Varleisha Gibbs, occupational therapy professor at the University, found that autistic children get overstimulated in crowded areas and escape into unsafe environment.

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication and forms of repetitive or restricted behavior. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reveals that 1 in 68 children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is five times more common in boys and costs at least $17,000 more every year to care for a child with ASD.

"Among the plethora of concerns for families dealing with autism, includes addressing water safety practices as early as possible in a child's life," said Dr. Gibbs. "Although water safety is a concern for all parents, children with autism are especially at a higher risk for drowning because they may seek isolation by fleeing to unfamiliar territories."

According to the National Autism Association, accidental drowning led to 90 percent of the total U.S. deaths reported in children with autism of age 14 and younger in 2009-2011.  Also, 50 percent of the children with autism try to escape into safe environment which is nearly four times more than children without autism.

Some of the safety tips researchers suggest are: enrolling children in swimming and water safety lessons as early as possible, using video narratives to discuss water safety and if they respond well to visual cues then signs like STOP or DO NOT ENTER on the doors that open to outside must be used.

Following this will help parents to relax and enjoy the summer with their children who are diagnosed with autism.

"Swimming and aquatic therapy is actually a wonderful sport for children with autism because it can address many of their body's sensory and motor needs," said Dr. Gibbs. "By preparing and communicating with your child with autism, family, and friends, summer trips and activities can be much less stressful and more enjoyable."

Detail: Drowning Leading Cause of Death for Children With Autism

0 Puberty: Boundaries & Impulse Control; From Boy to Man...Seems the Greatest Challenges Lie Ahead

Baby things are
irresistible to Nick!

"After years of therapy and programs it comes down to this for Nick; boundaries and impulse control. These are the two most important things for him to master now, or everything else community goes off the table."


I was in Costco pushing my cart through check out when Nick walked away. I looked up to see where he was, and my eyes went right to a mom clutching her baby protectively to her chest. Her frightened eyes were fixed  on Nick saying "Who are you?! Don't touch my baby!" My first instinct was to protect my baby, and give that mom a piece of my mind and perform an on the spot sensitivity training. Topped off by letting her know what a small person she was for not understanding that Nick was my baby, a vulnerable harmless kid with a disability and not the threat she was envisioning!!

Then it hit me, I know that look. It's the protective mom look we all have that isn't' conscious, it is pure instinct. Every mom's had that look. In that instant my heart and mind shifted, and it only took seconds for me to look around and piece together what was "really" happening.  Her baby was dressed as one of Nicks favorite things, Winnie the Pooh. Nick no doubt had rushed up on her cart, excited to see Pooh, and the mom didn't see a special needs kid, she saw a grown man rushing up to her baby and she was truly frightened.  I related to the frightened look on mom's face. I'd seen it before on my own face so many times. I remember how protective of my babies I was (and still am) and there's nothing rational about it. We feel a threat and we react.

Seems I've mellowed or grown up a bit, because the feeling inside me to puff up my chest and go toe to toe with the mom subsided as quickly as it flared up. Gone was my desire to make her see my point of view, have her apologize for thinking my kid was a threat, and my need to make her out to be an ignorant person who was mean to a special boy evil eye wasn't totally gone, but it was brief.  I took a deep breath and saw her side. I understood. Her reaction was perfect. The challenge, the responsibility was mine, not hers.

The transformation of my son from being a boy, to being a man is so fast I can't keep up. I don't' know about anyone else, but no matter how prepared I try to be, I'm still being caught off guard. Nick may be my baby, but in the eyes of the world, standing at 5'7" 175 lbs he is a man. And today he was a man who just ran up on a baby, and that's frightening. As much as he's my child this is not the time to be naïve and being right is not going to be very useful. No matter my personal views I have to protect him by facing the facts; no matter how special, adorable, good, kindhearted he is, he is also a man who has not yet learned boundaries and impulse control and that can get him in terrible trouble.

After years of therapy and programs it comes down to this for Nick; boundaries and impulse control. I've been talking about it for a while as I've watched Nick's progress and growth. These are the two most important things for him to master now, or everything else community goes off the table. If I knew 10 years ago how long these skills took to teach, to generalize, I would have made it a priority sooner. But, then again we've always been focusing on what seemed to be the priority at the time.

So last night I prayed.....
God help us and protect him.
Keep Nick safe in a world where he doesn't understand the rules.
Help me to be the best mom I can be.
Help me to teach him all he needs to know.
Help others to have kind hearts.
Keep him safe, please.

Detail: Puberty: Boundaries & Impulse Control; From Boy to Man...Seems the Greatest Challenges Lie Ahead