Last fall I met Dr. Julie Buckley at the National Autism Association annual conference, but I was already familiar with her work. Her book, Healing Our Autistic Children: A Medical Plan for Restoring Your Child's Health, is one of my favorite books for parents who work tirelessly to navigate the challenging waters of raising children with ASD. In her book, Dr. Buckley shares very personal experiences (as a mother and Pediatrician) about how and why autism is a treatable medical disease. It is well-written, easy to read and filled with tremendous information which helped equip me to be a better mother and caregiver to Ethan. Also, the two times I’ve heard Dr. Buckley speak at NAA, I was greatly impacted. See my most recent post about Caring for the Caregiver HERE. I hope you’ll enjoy Part 1 of our interview series. Let us know what you think!
LAW: Dr. Buckley, Please tell us a little about yourself and your personal and professional “interests” in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
JB: My professional interest in Autism developed as a direct result of my personal interest in Autism. My personal interest in Autism developed involuntarily and very abruptly when my daughter regressed profoundly at the age of four.

This guest blog is written by a woman who has a brain extremely well-suited to talk science! Everytime we talk about treatments for ASD - she blows me away. She reads widely, attends conferences, asks hard-hitting but well-reasoned questions and as a retains an astounding amount of pertinent information regarding current research and treatments for children and young adults with autism. Please help me welcome Nicole Wallace; her first guest post for us shares interesting details about stem cell treatments for children with ASD.
STEM CELL TREATMENT FOR AUTISM
By Nicole Wallace
Stem cell treatment for autism has been a hot topic for a few years now. It is often thought of as a last resort when many other more common treatments have already been tried.

Over the past several days I have been learning and connecting with other parents and professionals at the National Autism Conference in Florida. I was blessed to attend this tremendous conference last year as well and have walked away both years feeling better informed and rejuvenated.
Hearing Dr. Julie Buckley speak about Caring for the Caregiver both years has proven to be one of the highlights of the event in my eyes two years running. Dr. Buckley is not only a physician who works for our children. She is also the mother of a smart, funny daughter with ASD and Dr. Buckely is a cancer survivor. I appreciate Dr. Buckley's unique perspective.

Today I am excited to post Part 1 of a new series of posts written by my smart and funny friend, Jen Dodson. Jen’s precious son, "M," is a professional actor who also happens to live with Asperger’s Syndrome and is only 8-years-old. When I put out a call for new contributors several weeks ago, Jen reached out to me because she wondered if other families might be interested in how drama and acting have significantly improved her son's life. I know you’ll be inspired and encouraged after reading this guest series. Please help me welcome Jen to AutismSpot today for Part 1 in this fascinating series of posts!
Professional Acting with Asperger’s Syndrome: Part 1
By Jennifer Dodson
My eight year old son was diagnosed at the age of four with an Autism Spectrum Disorder called Asperger Syndrome. When my husband and I read that Asperger’s is often called the “Little Professor” Syndrome we had our big “ah ha” moment. Our son was already able to read at four years old and he had the vocabulary of a third grader. He was very bright and extremely articulate.

If you take some time to scroll back through my blog posts over time, or if you’ve been a follower of my blog from the beginning, you’ll note that I am highly concerned about the dangerous toxins and chemicals that have become an increasingly common part of our environment. I’m passionate about finding ways to limit our exposures where we can, especially when it comes to young children, infants and pregnant women. Our most susceptible population deserves a healthy, less-toxic future.
Around this time every year the flu shot is one concern that flares on my radar because all of the pharmacies are pushing it…right alongside many doctors, pediatricians, grocery store chains and even friends and family members. Just this weekend a well-meaning extended family member asked me (after I told her that I was battling a cold) if we had gotten our flu shots. We’ve had this discussion before. In fact, we’ve had this discussion several years in a row (every fall); she just doesn’t seem to remember.

This is Adina Rich’s second guest blog for AutismSpot. Adina is a mother of three and is the Chief Education Officer at Rich Educational Consulting. You can read her first guest post HERE. We welcome your comments below. Also, we welcome your comments and thoughts on Facebook and Twitter.
HOW TO ENSUSRE THE NEEDS OF YOUR CHILD BE MET IN THE SCHOOL SETTING
By Adina Rich
“…People say believe half of what you see,
Son, and none of what you hear.
I can't help bein' confused
If it's true please tell me dear?... Cuz I heard it through the grapevine.”
These are the lines of a popular song from the 60’s sung by the late Marvin Gaye, but could just as easily have been written today about programming for kids with ASD. School districts often have difficulty recognizing what an individual child with ASD needs based upon their observations and parent feedback - not on what they’ve “heard” works with kids with ASD.

UPDATE 11/7/11: I JUST LEARNED THAT THE FREE VIEWING HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH TOMORROW, NOVEMBER 8TH!
Enjoy, ~Leigh
Did you know that this week is Vaccine Awareness Week? Dr. Mercola and the National Vaccine Information Center have teamed up to offer free viewing of a particularly powerful film on the subject of vaccines through November 5th. THE GREATER GOOD is a film I strongly recommend to any person who chooses to be informed about vaccines, whether for yourself or for your child.
My husband and I saw the film together last spring at the Dallas International Film Festival. I feel the film makers did a marvelous job of carefully examining both “sides” of this controversial topic by speaking to experts in the field and interviewing individuals and families who have personally witnessed adverse vaccine reactions. It is a MUST SEE in my opinion.

For over a week I've been meaning to share the link to the 60 Minutes segment that recently ran on CBS about communication utilizing iPads with children who live with Autism...but I've been distracted and sidetracked numerous times. However, since I'm a firm believer in late being better than never, here it is - I hope you enjoy it! You can watch the segment HERE or read the transcript HERE.
Additionally, I encourage you to check out this interview from February with Michelle Beck of Pumpkin Littles about the iPad Communication Therapy she and other therapists are using with children in their educational and therapy center in North Dallas. When I interviewed Michelle earlier this year and asked about including preverbal kids in social skills classes/groups, she had this to say, "While they may not speak or may have difficulty communicating, they have a lot to share and they want to be social. The Apple iPad, special software, pioneering therapists and this amazing class now gives those children a voice.

Did you know that the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) is negotiating a “legally binding instrument to reduce mercury exposure” worldwide? The third meeting for the Global Mercury Partnership is scheduled next month in Nairobi. Historically speaking, this is monumental. This group containing government, non-government, public and private entities from 140 countries has chosen to come together to address mercury – one of the most dangerous toxins on earth.
Since Ethan was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and I started to question anything in his environment that could impact his health and wellbeing, I’ve found myself very interested in learning more about mercury and mercury exposure. Many people suffer from the ill effects of mercury exposure, which is (in my opinion) all-too-common these days. People like Ethan may have compounded ill-effects due to impaired detoxification systems. For Ethan’s benefit I try to follow the most recent science and news regarding mercury and I feel compelled to share this news with our AutismSpot readers!

This guest piece is written by a man passionate about his vision. David Berkowitz lives in Las Vegas, is an honorably discharged veteran and spent the last 20 years in sales and marketing. David lives with Asperger’s Syndrome and is raising three kids also on the spectrum. Looking to improve the lives of individuals with autism through technology and the arts, David wants to share a bit about his vision with AutismSpot readers. Please help me welcome, David.
AUTISM ADVOCACY AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS ZONE
By David Joseph Berkowitz
As an individual with high functioning Asperger’s and the father of 3 kids who are also on the spectrum, I have always felt a need to give back to the world and community, to truly do something exceptional, and make a difference for the people with autism.