SPECTRUM CONNECTION

By Toni Lapp

There have been times that I couldn’t picture my teen-age son Ryan maturing into a responsible adult. When he entered high school he would converse about communism and the Bolshevik revolution to strangers, he had few friends, and he was frequently the target of his peers’ jokes. Seldom did a week go by that I didn’t get the dreaded Parent@School notice apprising me of missed assignments.
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By Toni Lapp

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is calling the bipartisan passage of House bill 1311 “a major step forward for children with autism.”

On Thursday, representatives voted 135-18 in support of the bill, which would mandate insurance coverage of behavioral therapy for children with autism.
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By Jeanne Holverstott, M.S.
Q: I frequently find myself explaining to new acquaintances what Asperger’s Syndrome is. Sometimes the reaction I get is, “I know an adult who is just like that,” or “that could be my sister.” Recently a woman told me that her adult daughter (a twenty-something) has struggled to bond with people all her life, and has narrow fields of interest. She said she’d only heard of Asperger’s Syndrome recently, and learning about it “explained so many things.”
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By Toni Lapp

Anyone who has a child with autism has at least a passing interest in research of the disorder, so I assume we are all now familiar with the 1998 study published in The Lancet medical journal by British researcher Andrew Wakefield. His work purportedly linked the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine — or MMRV — to autism and bowel disorders.

The Lancet now says it was remiss in publishing the study, and many of the co-authors have withdrawn their names from it in wake of criticism that Wakefield had a conflict of interest; he enrolled kids attending a birthday party for the study (not exactly a randomly selected population researchers would strive for); and the parents of some of the 12 autistic children in the study were recruited by a lawyer suing vaccine manufacturers.

So where does that leave those of us who yearn for clear answers in solving the puzzle of autism?

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By Toni Lapp

Kate Duffy

When “Temple Grandin” aired on HBO recently, one Kansas Citian watching with keen interest was Kate Duffy, who teamed with Grandin to write “Developing Talents,” published in 2004 by Shawnee-based Autism Asperger Publishing Company. Duffy, mother of two sons on the autism spectrum, had written How to be Happily Employed in Kansas City and a careers column for six years for The Kansas City Star.

When Duffy’s editor, Kirsten McBride, met Temple Grandin at a conference, Grandin complained about the number of people on the spectrum who were unemployed or underemployed. McBride suggested Grandin collaborate with Duffy on a how-to book about career planning for those on the spectrum, and Developing Talents, now in its second edition, was born.
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FEB. 22. One of 8 meetings across Kansas hosted by the state Department of Health and Environment as part of a grant to help Kansas youth with special health care needs. The purpose is to gather feedback on the health care challenges of special-needs children, their families and professionals who work in the field. Roeland Park Community Center, 4850 Rosewood Dr. For more information, go to www.kdheks.gov.

FEB. 20. Bowling at Pin-Up Bowl and dinner at Legends Village West. $20. Buses depart Paul Henson YMCA, 4200 W. 79th St., Prairie Village, and Platte County Community Center South YMCA in Parkville. For more information, contact Raegan Schurr at raeganschurr@kansascityymca.org or by calling 913-642-6800. Participants can also register for other Challenger Programs at their local YMCA or online at www.kansascityymca.org/adaptive.

FEB 20. Meeting moderated by Jeanne Holverstott, M.S., is for parents of children, adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders. The focus of each group will be decided by the parents present at the meeting. This group hopes to discuss and provide advice from both a professional perspective and parent-to-parent perspective on topics pertinent to your lives. 10:30 a.m. to noon, Responsive Centers for Psychology and Learning, 7501 College Boulevard, Suite 250, Overland Park. For more information, email jeanneh@responsivecenters.com.

FEB. 6. Starring Claire Daines, “Temple Grandin” paints a picture of a young woman’s perseverance and determination while struggling with the challenges of autism while it was still relatively unknown. Click here for more information. To order Grandin’s book “Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism” visit publisher AAPC.