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What Kind of World do you Want?

Directly quoted from the site:

whatkindofWORLDdoyouwant.com
is the first video community that gives back!

We are all connected to one another through our actions. Each person has the ability to make a difference. This is one of the messages of the Five For Fighting video "World".

Tell the world what kind of world you want and raise money for charity by making and uploading a video of yourself, your friends or your family answering the question, "What Kind Of World Do You Want".

Or, you can raise money for charities that John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting has personally selected. Watch the clips posted by others, support the sponsor and up to 49 cents will go to charity**.

**Revver is a viral video network that pays. The Revver system makes it possible to donate up to 68% of this site's advertising proceeds to the selected charities. So, just watch, click and earn money for a good cause.

When you go to the website there is a big link for "Watch The Videos". Each video notes which charity the proceeds go to. Autism Speaks is one of the charities. This is legitimate. If you have some time, please go watch some of the videos. That 49 cents per view adds up quickly, and Autism Speaks is an excellent charity doing very good work.

Jury: Teacher guilty of physical abuse

The trial started out with five counts. The most serious one was actually going to be tried in a separate trial, but it was thrown out on day one. That was the one where she was accused of pushing a boy's face into his desk hard enough to chip two teeth.

Of the remaining four counts, two were thrown out this morning by the judge.

The jury deliberated for a little more than two hours this evening, and came back an aquittal for one count and a conviction on the other. Kathleen Garrett will be doing jail time, but no more than five years. I would guess she will do substantially less than that. It all comes down to physical evidence (or a complete lack thereof), and that pretty much sucks. On the one hand, I am happy to see the justice system work properly and force prosecutors to do their jobs. On the other hand, as the parent of an autistic child I really wanted to see this woman do hard time and become some prison dyke's bitch. So obviously, I would have been a poor choice as a juror.

Honestly, I care less about this one woman and more about the school system that allowed this to happen. As I understand it, she had been receiving complaints for years and the problems were either ignored or minimized. At one point she was named Teacher of the Year for the state of Florida, but that was thirteen years ago. I think she just got burned out. Twenty six years doing a very hard job, and it just piled up on her. She probably honestly thinks she was still doing a good job. But she wasn't. And the school should have held her accountable long before it became a criminal matter.

Here's hoping the school district has learned from this, and made the necessary changes.

Source: http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20070112-025300-6792r

Ped Med: Autism tied to neural 'cracks'
By LIDIA WASOWICZ
UPI Senior Science Writer

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- In prying beneath the brain surface of autistic patients, researchers have discovered "cracks" in a system of nerve cells called mirror neurons, which under normal circumstances permit people to see a clear reflection of the actions of others and respond appropriately to them.

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Previous total: 1277

12/22/06: 4
Running total of the number of time Ben has ridden Snow White's Scary Adventures, as of 12/22/06:

1281

Last night the US Senate again passed unanimously the Combating Autism Act. The version passed last night is a compromise version, slightly different from the one also unanimously passed several months ago in the Senate. After months of stalling and preventing the bill from coming to a vote in the House, Rep. Joe Barton (R) finally agreed on a compromise version that actually authorizes slightly more spending but is less specific on when and where the money should be spent. The truth is that in one more month Barton would not have chaired the relevant committee and could no longer have prevented it at all, but a delay to the next session would have meant starting from scratch. I am obviously pleased that this legislation has finally passed, as are groups like Autism Speaks, Cure Autism Now, and the Autism Society of America.

Newsweek has the full story here.

Source: http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/nation/15995624.htm

House control shift aids autism study; research bill expected to pass under probable new head of committee
By Randy Lee Loftis
The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS - Democratic control of the House if Representatives changes the nation's environmental agenda and affects a related topic that has stirred strong feelings: research on autism.

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, won his race, but with his party out of power, he will lose the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
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The Age of Autism: Many, many more
By DAN OLMSTED
UPI Senior Editor

(source:  http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20061009-040233-4170r)

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- The debate over the cause or causes of autism has been hung up for years on a point that should have been settled by now: whether the rate is in fact increasing.

This column long ago concluded that, yes, the autism rate has risen dramatically over the past couple of decades. What's more, the disorder seemed to arise out of nowhere starting about 1930.

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source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=43418

Autistic Individuals Do Not Daydream Like Non-autistic People Do
Article Date: 13 May 2006 - 8:00am (PDT)

According to researchers at the Center for Autism Research at the Children's Hospital Research Center in La Jolla, California, autistic individuals do not daydream about themselves and other people whenever their minds have the opportunity to wander off.

According to Daniel Kennedy, one of the researchers, our network of brain areas that facilitate daydreaming allow us to wander, and wonder about other people, to process our emotions and process familiar faces. Processing emotions, familiar faces and being aware of other people and how they are - are all functions that people with autism have difficulties with.

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Teacher of the Week | Laura Hiatt Maglio

Joseph Rassel | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 5, 2006

Age: 25

School: I have been at Thornebrooke Elementary for two years. I'm an exceptional student education teacher for students with autism.

Education and experience: I have a bachelor's degree in Collaboration in Special Education from Auburn University and a master's degree in Autism and Behavior Disorders from Auburn University.

Time teaching: Two years.

Reason for becoming a teacher: Teaching students with autism is a fulfilling and rewarding profession. My students are all unique with individual abilities and needs. Every day is a challenge and I am always learning something new. I am often asked, "Why would you want to teach students with disabilities?"

I tell them it is because of the feeling I get when I see a student use the bathroom independently for the first time, when I see a student use their communication device to ask for help, when my student makes eye contact with a peer.

It is the little but significant accomplishments that make my job worthwhile.

Greatest moment as a teacher: Every day I experience a moment that I could consider "the greatest."

However, one moment that comes to mind occurred at the end of last year during the annual fifth-grade ceremony.

While watching my fifth-grade students walk across the stage with their peers, all I could think of was how proud I was of them and their accomplishments.

Additionally, when I glanced into the audience, I saw their parents clapping and cheering with pride.

It was a moment that I will never forget!

Most embarrassing moment as a teacher: During my first year as a teacher, I was attempting to play a song during circle time. For some reason, my compact disc player wasn't working. Because my students thrive on routine, I had no choice but to improvise by singing a cappella.

Unfortunately, I was not blessed with a nice voice. One of my students let me know by yelling, "Ms. Maglio, your singing stinks." The paraprofessionals in my classroom could not help but laugh.

Trying not to laugh myself, I used this "teachable moment" to explain the importance of saying nice things.

Favorite aspects of being a teacher: First, I would have to express how much I love working with such an amazing group of children. Their love and enthusiasm make coming to work such a blessing. Seeing my students grow and progress throughout the year is another wonderful part of my job. Finally, I enjoy working with such a remarkable staff. It is a great feeling to work with people who share the same passion and love for teaching as I do. Thornebrooke Elementary is a magnificent school filled with professionals who support one another to make a difference in children's lives.

Least favorite part of teaching: Having to say goodbye to my students is one of the hardest things that I have to do as a teacher. Whether their family is relocating or they are graduating to the sixth grade, it isn't easy. Although I will continue to say goodbye to my students throughout my career, I do not believe I will ever get used to it. I just have to cherish the time I have with them and hope that I have given them the best education I can while they were in my class.

Favorite movies: Beaches, Rudy and Walk the Line.

Last book you read: Somebody Else's Kids by Torey Hayden.

Favorite hobbies: My favorite hobbies include working out at the gym, playing competitive sports such as basketball and volleyball, and reading (when I have time).

Family: Fiance, Samuel Haratine (I will be getting married on April 22), parents, Richard and Elizabeth Maglio, sister and brother-in-law, Amy and Brian Moore.

If you weren't a teacher, what would you be and why? This is a difficult question; I honestly couldn't imagine doing anything else. If I weren't a teacher I would still want to be in a profession where I could help children. I believe I would either be a social worker or school psychologist. Either profession would allow me to work with children who need help, guidance or support.

Person you most admire: The two people I admire the most are my parents. I admire them for their selflessness, kindness, intellect and hard work. They have taught me how to be a better person, how to love and respect others, how to work hard, and how to enjoy life.

Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-orteacher0506mar05,0,74999.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-orange

The Age of Autism: Pay no attention

By DAN OLMSTED
UPI Senior Editor

There's a Steely Dan album called Pretzel Logic that could be the theme song of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as it struggles with concerns over vaccines and autism.

At least in our view, it is a bit twisted -- logically speaking -- to simultaneously spend taxpayer money to keep studying whether a mercury preservative causes autism, yet recommend that pregnant women and children get vaccines containing that preservative. Especially so when alternatives are available that are free of the preservative, called thimerosal.

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source: http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20060302-111157-7494r