An 8 year old girl diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome was handcuffed and removed from her school campus last month when the child became agitated and combative when being restrained by the teaching staff. The parents are outraged as they feel the school went too far and did not handle the situation properly. They are considering legal action.

Oklahoma's Republican controlled legislature is again standing in the way of passing Nick's Law that would bring relief for thousands of families throughout the state. Republicans successfully blocked the bill last year, and for 2009 are impeding any bills that have a "negative impact" on the insurance industry

Many have speculated about the cause of autism. Amongst the causation theories many felt that our environment played a crucial role. Our daily exposure to neurodevelopmental toxins has the capacity to alter brain growth and could be an indicator that we need to look more closely at all aspects of our environment; pollutants, household chemicals, pesticides and the like.

With advancements in medicine being made every day, research now suggests that a prenatal screening test for autism isn't far down the road. There are many that feel this could be beneficial in getting services and therapy started much earlier in the child's development. Others however feel that prenatal testing for autism, could lead to abortion.

With the upcoming political changes around the corner, Dr. Julie Gerberding, at President-elect Barack Obama's request, has been asked to step down as the head of the federal governments public health agency

Autism Sunday, an International Day of Prayer will be observed on Sunday February 8th 2009. President Elect Barack Obama, having addressed autism and the need for change surrounding it many times during his recent presidential campaign has been requested by many to share his vision for the future.

Parents in some areas of the United States have been approached for their opinions on why they've thus far refused to vaccinate. Researchers on behalf of the government national vaccine program have been soliciting parents for their candid opinions. Many fear the suspected link between vaccines and autism. Others feel that vaccines are simply a money machine for big pharmaceutical companies.

An appalling story appearing on the front page of CNN.com today noting that many schools are still using or have recently used "seclusion" rooms as a means to isolate students with disabilities, inluding autism, when the need to calm them arises.

Annemie Ploeger, developmental psychologist, hypothesizes that Autism and Schizophrenia may both develop during the first month of pregnancy. There are physical traits that both may share at times, such as protruding ears or peculiar toes. She believes that her research reveals that the embryo is susceptible to disruptions between 20-40 days after fertilization.