Petition Tag - autism

Camden Council is once again proposing to close Netherwood Day Centre for people with Alzheimer's and dementia. In January this year the council said the specialist purpose built-centre, which has been hailed by dementia and Alzheimer's experts from around the world, would close on 1 July. We led a campaign to keep it open, collected more than 4000 signatures and huge public support and in March the centre was saved.

Now the council is suggesting closing Netherwood, as well as four other centres for people with autism; mental health difficulties and learning difficulties and moving all of those who use the centres onto one site on an industrial estate in Kentish Town (Greenwood Place). The centres will be sold off to fund this.

Once again we will fight to save Netherwood Day Centre. A final decision will be made by the council in February 2012.

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Please help us save five centres that are threatened with closure by Camden council. Netherwood and Raglan day centres for people with Alzheimer's and dementia are under threat as are the Highgate day centre for people with mental health difficulties, New Shoots for people with autism and learning difficulties and Greenwood centre for people with learning difficulties.

Camden council wants to sell off all five centres and move the people who attend them to one large 'community resource centre' at Greenwood Place in north west London.

We believe this centralising of such care is a regressive step and will see yet again the vulnerable in our society attacked so that Camden council can balance the books. This is a cynical and damaging cost-cutting exercise.

We call on Camden council to withdraw this proposal to close all five centres and to abandon plans for the Greenwood Place site. We also call on Camden Council to safeguard the future of these five much-loved and vital centres.

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Many medical conditions are being misdiagnosed. These conditions are all caused by a Mitochondrial Disorder:

- Alzheimers
- Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Atherosclerosis
- Autism
- Blindness
- Cancers
- Cardio myopathies
- Deafness
- Diabetes type 1+2
- Epilepsy
- Heart disease
- Huntingtons
- Infertility
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Migraines
- Mental illnesses
- Muscular dystrophie
- Strokes
- Parkinson's Disease
- Normal muscle fatigue
And many more conditions.

After my girlfriend was diagnosed with this condition we were told.that there is no cure or treatment and that government funding is little.

This condition effects 1 in 20,000 people and most never know they have it as diagnoses is very difficult.

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The cuts being made to benefits and the proposed assessments that will be carried out are a huge cause of concern to us - we believe they are immoral and cruel. Reasonable adjustments are not being made and people with autism face much discrimination as a result.

Only 15 per cent of adults with autism are in full time paid employment (Reid, B. 2006 ‘Moving on up? Negotiating the transition to adulthood for young people with autism NAS) compared to 48 per cent of the whole population of people with disabilities (Labour Force survey, office for national statistics 2008)

Adults with autism often want to work and with the correct level of support it has been proven that they can. This suggests that the low employment figures cannot be attributed to a lack of desire to work. These statistics also clearly demonstrate that it is considerably more difficult for an adult with autism than an adult with another disability to secure full time employment.

There are a number of key challenges that prevent people with autism from accessing work. These range from a lack of appropriate skills due to problems in accessing education and training (including social skills and work skills training) to the failure of employers to understand and make reasonable adjustments (both during the recruitment process and in the workplace) and a lack of appropriate support for people with autism to find and sustain employment.

The new assessments for ESA (and PIP when it is implemented) do not make reasonable adjustments to take into consideration the social and communication impairments that people with autism face. ATOS assessors do not have adequate training in autism and the centres do not take into account the sensory needs of people with autism.

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Autism affects 1 in 100 people in the United States. When we compare autism to the following diseases or disorders below we see that autism is severely underfunded. This leaves families desperately searching for resources and services. This leaves adults with autism hanging with no resources or no hope for any type of a future and the government hasn't seemed to notice or care.

- Leukemia: Affects 1 in 1,200 / Funding: $277 million;

- Muscular Dystrophy: Affects 1 in 100,000 / Funding: $162 million;

- Pediatric AIDS: Affects 1 in 300 / Funding: $394 million;

- Juvenile Diabetes: Affects 1 in 500 / Funding: $156 million;

- Autism: Affects 1 in 110 / Funding: $79 million.

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Early cord clamping (ECC) is defined as any method by which the cord is manipulated to stop the flow of blood to the baby while it is still pulsating. This includes clamping, cutting, hand squeezing, tying or holding the baby too high or too low. An umbilical cord pulsates for between 7 mins for an unmedicated birth and up to 20 mins for a medicated birth.

In this time the full volume of blood the newborn infant requires is still passed from the placenta until it stops pulsating or until it turns white. Currently mainstream procedure is to immediately (within 30 seconds) clamp and cut the babys functioning cord. Whenever a pulsating umbilical cord is clamped, 20-60% of the baby's total blood volume is trapped inside the placenta. It will take over 6 months for the baby to replenish the volume of blood lost by early cord clamping.

Short cord, maternal haemorrhage, c-section, respiratory distress are just a few of the worthless reasons to clamp a cord. Even a baby in distress can be revived with the cord intact. All of the restricted umbilical cord problems are usually the result of drugs given during labour, including oxytocin, Pitocin, iv fluids, and pain medications, not a result of leaving the cord intact. The only situations in which a cord should be early clamped is when the cord has torn or with a placenta previa. Babies born via c-section can be delivered with their cord and placenta intact.

Multiples can also be delivered without risk of restricted umbilical cord problems. ECC is also routinely being done in some countries to get stem cell blood for banking (effectively taking those cells away from your baby when it needs it and possibly using for them at a later stage but mostly for other people). Restricted umbilical cord problems associated with anaemia are Autism, heart perforations, thyroid disorders, brain tumours, leukaemia, SIDS, hormonal imbalances and liver/kidney disease. When a baby requires to be resuscitated which is not that uncommon (1 in 16), the full volume of blood is required to ensure they are receiving the maximum dose of oxygenated blood.

As the blood travels into the baby's expanding lungs, once they become filled, the baby will feel its own signal to breathe and will do so with fully expanded lungs but it is usually procedure during "resuscitation" also to cut the cord, take the baby to a warming tray to make access easier for the attending midwifes, OBs etc which is not a necessity and is counterproductive. Please sign this petition in the hope that we can educate all birth attendants that early cord clamping is doing more harm than good and the practice should be abolished completely.

The baby's umbilical cord should be left at the very minimum until the cord has stopped pulsating. Another 20mins in a birthing unit is not too much to ask. First DO NO HARM. Check out this link for further information http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/restricted-umbilical-cord-problems.html

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This petition has been created by members of Lanarkshire ACE who are worried that some proposals by the coalition government to review benefits levels may adversely impact on people with learning disabilities, autism and aspergers. These reviews includes changes to the Disability Living Allowance.

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My son is 9 and from the start of school there was no place
for him to "fit in" He has Aspergers, ADHD, Reactive
Attachment disorder, speech and language issues and
profound sensory processing issues. He however does not
have an intellectual disability so he is not eligible for Special
school.

He is a gorgeous boy, with so much potential to learn in
the right environment. The QLD school system has let him
down so badly he is now attending a private school, paid for
by his family and by donations, who needs the funding he
receives from main stream school (even though he only
attends there 4 hours a week, with me present) to be used
for a Teachers aide for him at his new school, where he
feels safe and is completing school work and attending
occupational therapy and speech therapy as well. My son
is extremely high needs and needs one on one, which this
school is unable to provide, BUT can provide the security
and safe environment for him to learn grow and prosper.

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My eldest son Jack is Autistic. I was advised last year that a pet would be good for Jack to help with his Autism and bring him out of himself and help teach him to care for somebody else, to help give him a sense of responsibility.

After a lot of research in October last year We got small Shih-tzu puppy for him. At the time we were living in a 2 bedroomed first floor flat owned by Notting Hill Housing Group, we recently moved to a 3 bedroom house with a garden owned by Notting Hill Housing Group. I

have just received a letter saying we must get rid of our puppy or face being evicted, Whilst living in the first floor flat we were allowed to have an Alsatian for 7 years who sadly passed away 4 years ago. Since getting our puppy(Gino) my son has completely changed and come out of himself, He is due to start a mainstream secondary school in September which is something I couldn't have predicted a year ago.

To take away Gino will cause him such heartbreak and trauma it could set him right back.Gino has changed Jacks life in so many ways for the positive, please help my family.

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We are calling for immediate equity in Autism education throughout Melbourne's metropolitan regions.

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They Count 2 is a campaign for the rights of Autistic Kids, we want more schools to help them, better jobs for them. Now not much people haven't got a clue of what Autism is and we want to get people aware of this situation.

These people aren't bad or scary, they just have problems which we can stop or control by giving them schools and jobs. Now sign up!

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Giving a Premature Birth child an immunization of Hep C is not necessary on the day they are born. Paediatrician should follow the recommended schedule of immunization recommended by Dr. Stephanie Cave.

Giving a child with a poor oxidative stress level 6 immunizations at one time clearly causes damage to the child's neurological system.

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In most of metropolitan Melbourne, autism specialist education is available into secondary school years. Melbourne's west is the exception, with only 4 years of autism specialist enrolment available at Western Autistic School.

Specialist schools work - this has been demonstrated overseas and interstate, and is allowed for in most of Melbourne, but only in Melbourne's west is an arbitrary limit of 4 years applied, and described as 'best practice'.

Depending on where you live, your autistic child might receive 6 years or 8, or (soon) up to year 12 of autism specialist school. Here in the west of Melbourne, a maximum of 4 years is available. There is no rational basis for this disparity.

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It's time for change.... Stand up for autism awareness in the UK: Campaign with Kevin Healey.

Three political leaders need to take more action for autism, and put autism on top of the political agenda.

Autism affects over 500,000 people in the UK. The recent autism ACT has only got over half a million and this is for professional training, more needs to be done urgently.

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I am a parent of a five year old child diagnosed with High Functioning Autism (HFA).

Since my son was diagnosed with his condition mid last year, I have learnt that increasing numbers of children are being diagnosed with HFA and Aspergers Syndrome and these kids struggle to survive in mainstream education as they get older. This is because their different learning style, social isolation, acute anxiety and various sensory sensitivities leads to many not being able to reach their full academic potential in the mainstream setting and this is a real shame because these kids are extremely intelligent.

I have been disturbed by the amount of parents I am meeting with HFA & Aspergers primary school kids of various ages, who are saying that mainstream high school will not be an option for their kids and that they plan to home school for high school.

I have also been shocked to hear from parents of HFA and Aspergers kids who have already finished high school, say how traumatised their kids are after finishing school, having withstood years and years of relentless bullying and now they struggle to function in the adult world. I think that we need to get small high schools set up in Australia specifically for students with HFA or Aspergers. At the moment in Australia there seems to be no other social schooling options other than mainstream for the kids at the higher end of the autism spectrum.

Now that there is hard evidence that these kids brains are wired differently and they have a different learning style to their neurotypical peers, educators need to consider this option. I also think it is unfair that these kids have to put up with high school bullying (as the statistics are that 90% of kids with ASD's get bullied at mainstream high schools). I know that many high schools have special ed units in them but other than learning difficulties, the playground is where the main problems are and these kids are being permanently mentally damaged by being made to withstand our system and ‘fit the mould’.

I am of the view that having a few small high schools with a modified curriculum tailoring to Aspergers and HFA in each state, could really benefit these kids and if large ASD friendly companies (such as banks, engineering, IT type firms) got on board with sponsoring kids for on the job work experience programs as part of the curriculum, it could lead to them having a real chance at succeeding at life and being less traumatised by not having to put up with neurotypical bullies.

Other countries such as the US and UK already have these types of high schools available as an option.
I find it incredible that this has not occurred here yet.
If you agree please sign this petition and it will be delivered to the Australian Federal Government.

UPDATE - 9/4/10 - For people in NSW, I have been informed that there is currently a Parliamentary Inquiry being held into the education of students with disabilities and special needs and they will still accept submissions from the public. I will be making a submission and encourage everyone else to do so as well as this will be another great way for people in NSW to get your concerns heard. The link to the inquiry details is -
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/committee.nsf/0/47F51A782AEABBABCA25767A000FABEC

Also - If there is anyone who has a child with Aspergers / HFA currently struggling through mainstream high school and you are prepared to talk to the media please contact me via the petition link below as there has been some interest.

UPDATE 2/8/10 - The link to this petition has been forwarded on to all state education departments and federal ministers. I have received some correspondence back, generally saying that they have taken note of our concerns and will keep it in mind when formatting future policies. The petition will be closed down shortly after the federal election. Thanks to all for taking the time to sign it and I hope that we do see change in the not too distant future for all our kids sakes.

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Over the past decade the Manitoba Provincial Departments of Education, Health and Family Services have partnered with MFEAT ( Manitoba Families for Effective Autism Treatment) and St Amant to create a Pre-school and School age ABA program.

Many families have benefited from the success of these programs. Many of the these same families will lose critical ABA support services in Aug 2010. This complete cut off of ABA therapy will leave families and schools lost, struggling with a regression of learning and an increase in inappropriate behavior. Also family units will crumble unable to maintain the therapy that had provided much needed structure and positive tools to manage the many struggles of autism.

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As of today, the government is allowing approximately 90 billion dollars towards research funding for Autism.

There needs to be more money that goes towards this because when everything is accounted for (i.e. research, educational spending, medications, more health insurance coverage, etc.) 90 billion dollars is not near enough.

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The mother of computer hacker Gary McKinnon made an impassioned appeal to US president Barack Obama today after her son failed in his latest High Court bid to avoid extradition to America.

The 43-year-old, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome (AS), is wanted for trial on charges of hacking into US military networks.

His mother, Janis Sharp, has expressed fears that he could face a 60-year sentence in a tough US jail and would be at real risk of suicide because of his medical condition. She also fears she would never see him again.

But today Lord Justice Stanley Burnton and Mr Justice Wilkie, sitting in London, dismissed his claim for judicial review.

The Daily Mail has led a high-profile campaign to prevent Mr McKinnon's extradition which has received widespread backing from politicians, celebrities and civil liberties campaigners.

Mr McKinnon, from Wood Green, North London, asked the court to overturn decisions of successive Home Secretaries allowing his extradition to go ahead.

He also challenged a refusal by Keir Starmer QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), to put him on trial in the UK on charges of computer misuse. UK trial would allow him to avoid extradition.

Lord Justice Burnton said: 'For the reasons set out in the judgment the claims against the secretary of state and DPP are dismissed.' In a 41-page ruling, the judges said extradition was 'a lawful and proportionate response to his offending'.

Whether or not Mr McKinnon can appeal further will be decided at a later date.

Lord Justice Burnton said it was a matter that should be dealt with 'as expeditiously as possible', probably in September.

Mr McKinnon was not in court today to hear the judgment.
Gary McKinnon

Gary McKinnon, 43, today lost his appeal against extradition to the U.S.

Ms Sharp, said outside court: 'We are heartbroken. If the law says it's fair to destroy someone's life in this way then it's a bad law.'

She added: 'Our hope still lies with the Government. What more evidence do Gordon Brown and Alan Johnson need to understand what extraditing Gary would do to him, let alone us?

'Gary would not survive and I would never see my son again. All to oblige the Americans?

'If Gary's was such a dreadful crime, he should have been prosecuted and sentenced here years ago.

'Instead he's been left tortured by fear for seven years. Compassion can and must now prevail.'

She made an impassioned appeal to Barack Obama to halt attempts to extradite her son.

His lawyers today sent a letter to the U.S. President signed by 40 British MPs asking him to step in and 'bring this shameful episode to an end'.

She said: 'Stand by us and make this world a better place, a more compassionate place.
An affront to justice

'Obama wouldn't have this. He doesn't want the first guy extradited for computer misuse to be a guy with Asperger's, a UFO guy. He wouldn't want this.

'I'm just praying, please hear us, Obama, because I know you would do the right thing.

'I know you would have the strength to stand up and not have this.'

Lawyers for Mr McKinnon, who was told the decision yesterday, described him as an 'UFO eccentric' who had been searching for evidence of extra-terrestrial life, and described the idea that he was a danger to U.S. national security as 'a complete fantasy'.

Karen Todner, Mr McKinnon's solicitor, said: 'This ruling is hugely disappointing. But we shall not stop here.

'Alan Johnson still has the power to act. We have 28 days to review the judgment and will continue to explore every legal avenue until we achieve a just and proper result.

'The Government promised "ample protection" of individuals' rights, but we have yet to see this in practice.

'Extradition without effective safeguards is a denial of justice for every UK citizen.'

If sent to the U.S., Mr McKinnon is likely to receive a substantial prison sentence of up to 12 years, possibly served in a Supermax prison used for high risk inmates, and is unlikely to be repatriated to serve his sentence.

The U.S. authorities said Mr McKinnon was responsible for the 'biggest military hack of all time' that had been highly damaging and involved 97 government computers belonging to organisations including the U.S. Navy and Nasa.

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We would like to propose that Michelle Obama meet with Shannon Des Roches Rosa and Jennifer Byde Myers, two parents representing two different autism families' perspectives, and Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg and Lindsey Nebeker, two adults on the autism spectrum, to discuss creating an Autism Corps so as to address one of the most pressing needs of autism families and adult autistics: one-to-one in-home support.

While autism shouldn't be demonized, we need to be frank: having a child with autism is more stress than some families can handle, and being an autistic adult can be extremely difficult without in-home support. There often aren't enough trained professionals providing autism services -- and in areas where autism professionals are abundant, many families can't afford them. Those autism families and adult autistics have needs that take precedence over panels and promises and research; they need help getting through the day, and they need it now.

Michelle and Barack Obama have spearheaded a campaign to encourage service. Millions of energetic and idealistic young adults want work but can't find jobs. Our president has said that he "...believes we must work to guarantee that Americans with ASD [autism spectrum disorder] can live independent and fully productive lives and to assure that their families understand and are able to support a loved one with ASD."

We would like to discuss taking those three factors and combining them into a nationwide organization dedicated to training volunteers to aid kids and adults with autism: an Autism Corps based on the Teach For America urgent action model, with the goal of providing autism families as well as adult autistics in need with between four and fourteen hours of weekly care.

Autism Corps workers could be trained to help individuals with autism gain skills and independence, and have recreation opportunities. They could give their families some sorely-needed respite. They could give adult autistics critically needed help with in-home tasks and provide a link to the larger community. They could make a real difference for families approaching a breaking point. And, like Teach for America alumni, Autism Corps volunteers could gain a permanent interest and investment in autism rights and issues, thereby continuing to raise awareness of autism needs in general.

We believe that an Autism Corps model is the best way to support all families affected by autism. If you agree, and you think Michelle Obama should meet with Shannon Des Roches Rosa, Jennifer Byde Myers, Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg and Lindsey Nebeker to discuss the matter, then please sign our petition. Thank you.

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Approximately 4 million Americans have developmental disabilities. Some children with high needs, and others at age 21 move into the special needs and adult services category and should receive services through "Home and Community-based Waivers."  In almost all states waivers are not fully funded. This results in waitlists and lack of portability of services from one state to another and one county to another. 

The waitlist time periods can be anywhere from five to thirty years long (or more), depending upon the state and the type of service needed, such as job services, a community-based program, intensive medical needs, or a secure home in which to live.

Hundreds of thousands of individuals are on waitlists for Waiver services.  Few families can afford to pay out-of-pocket for these services (an average of $35,000 - $75,000) per year for host or group home placements because parents have had to leave careers to care for their children and pay for large medical bills. 

This petition is designed to get the attention and action by National Leaders and the President to resolve this problem.

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1 out of 150 children are diagnosed with Autism.

We want Missouri to become the 11th state to pass this legislation into LAW so that children in our state will no longer experience discrimination at the hands of insurance companies and receive appropriate access to the treatments and therapies they need and deserve!

State Senate Bill-SB167
State House Bill- HB 357

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School Districts often are not providing an appropriate educational setting for children with special needs. Parents have the right to voice their concerns without school district harassment. Please tell your stories to your state legislators and attorney general and others of interest.
thank you.

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About 1 in 150 children has been diagnosed with autism, based on a 2002 study done by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This can be rephrased as being a rate of 6.6 per 1,000 children. This outdated census is based on results conducted in only 14 out of the 50 states in the United States of America. Nor does this study include the most populous states such as California, Texas or Florida. Clearly the study is limited and the numbers reflect only the tip of a monumental and critical iceberg. There is little interest or regard for a problem that needs to be solved.

One problem is that children are being diagnosed too late, a good amount of time after they have already started school. Autism is hard to detect in its early stages, and its symptoms are not obvious until its victims have reached school-age. That is when there is a distinguishable difference between the child and its companions as well as the rate of learning and progress. Many studies prove that autism can be diagnosed by age 1. That is true. However, that is if parents take their children to doctors and specialists for evaluation. If there are no symptoms and no ways to look for early signs, about three-fourths of children will begin to appear to have the condition at age 9 years. This is according to a report in the June issue of archives of General Psychiatry. This means that before the child reaches the age of nine, he/she will be shuffled through his/her early years of school and then fall far behind other students upon diagnosis.

Another problem is that after these children have been diagnosed, they are placed in cramped environments labeled “Special Education”. Overcrowded classrooms and scarce teachers for the growing population of autistic students is one obvious aspect. These classes consist of teachers who work with a wide variety of disabled students from learning disabilities to speech or language impairments, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, multiple disabilities, hearing impairments, orthopedic impairments, visual impairments, autism, combined deafness and blindness, and traumatic brain injury. These classes are not much better in providing aid, the only difference is that the students with disabilities are removed from “normal” society and grouped together where teachers will attempt to educate the wide variety of disabilities similarly. According to executive director Kim Sweet of Advocates for Children of New York, only “a small number of special education teachers work with students with severe cases of mental retardation or autism, primarily teaching them life skills and basic literacy.”

A fourth problem is pointed out in an article by Thurlow, Sinclair and Johnson. Published in the Publication of National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, it states that “the dropout rate for students with disabilities is approximately twice that of general education students (Blackorby & Wagner, 1996)… and have been identified as being among the lowest performing students on current high-stakes tests… These scores have consequences for schools and often for students. Increasingly, high-stakes tests have significant consequences for students—they determine whether they are promoted from one grade to the next, or graduate from high school with a standard diploma (Thurlow & Johnson, 2000). Students who experience failure or who see little chance of passing these tests may decide not to stay in school—because either they will not be promoted or they will not graduate with a standard diploma… Accountability without the necessary opportunities and support for youth with disabilities to achieve high standards may increase the rate at which they drop out of school and fail to successfully complete school.”

In today’s state, helping students develop emotionally, feel comfortable in social situations, and be aware of socially acceptable behavior is not enough “general education” to equip them for the real world. The effects of general certifications versus advanced certifications to teach in private schools for autism are vastly different. The difference is that private schools receive enough funding (from parents) to effectively train students while public schools only have enough to get by. One example of an effective private school is the McCarton School. By the end of 2007, five of the 23 children in the school will be mainstreamed back into their districts into regular classes. Private schools use many tools that public schools can’t afford to use which include: intensive speech therapy, occupational therapy, sensory integration, etc. to “teach the children to function in their community and in their homes—in the places they actually live”, according to Feldman who is an instructor at the McCarton School holding a PhD. in psychology. The key is that their teachers have specialized training- something that many schools lack.

Does it make any sense at all that in a society where the rate of autism is steadily rising year after year, our school budgets continue to be cut more and more year after year? That is like withdrawing from a deposit in the bank while obliviously expecting to never run out even without making more deposits and at the same being shocked that the interest rate of return in our savings is decreasing. The more you put in, the greater the interest rate of return that our society will have. Children are the future. To take money from the future, is to set the nation up for doom. What kind of nation will it be in 20 years from today or even 30 years, when high school drop-outs are our voters and politicians while special needs adults join the growing number of homeless people? It will be a nation void of stable citizens producing stable incomes to support the social security system. Eventually, the system will crumble from the burden.

If governments need further proof that this crisis is real, let them look no further. Let them observe the increasing rate at which private schools are opening to make up for the obvious lack and inefficiency in public schools. Dr. Cecilia McCarton, Professor of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine founded the McCarton Center for Developmental Pediatrics in 1998. She founded the McCarton School based on the increasing number of parents searching hopelessly for a cure, for treatment, for improvement, a sign or anything to relieve. “The numbers of autistic children we began to see in our Center suddenly became an avalanche. We would be giving therapy to these children and there would be no schools for them, no places for them to go to after age five. Autism overtook us,” she writes.

Let governments observe the flooding of public schools with autism and the inability of small private schools to keep up with demand. Additional solutions for inadequate education involve the increase of funding so that the range of influence and therapy can expand and provide more benefit from the use of IEP’s rather than requiring the use of such plans and not providing tools to carry them out. Public schools can be slowly turned into similar replicas of private school systems.

A small but growing number of districts are modeled after private schools with their personalized environments and highly qualified teachers. Health coverage is often brought up as an alternative to private schools, except health coverage does everything but that…cover. The responsibility is left to the schools.

Today, under P.L.102-119, all schools must offer special educational services and, unfortunately, the government ensures that only the bare minimum is done.Public education is not broken, we just spend too little on our schools and waste too much on less important issues.

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The prevalence rate of 1 of every 150 makes autism one of the most common developmental disabilities, affecting more children than childhood cancer, Down Syndrome and juvenile diabetes, combined.

Autism manifests differently in every individual on the spectrum. However we all have three commonalities, we socialize intellectually, which effectively means we are genetically different than the general population. The second thing is that we are by definition an invisible class of people, third we don't lie (theory of mind).

Another misconception about us is that autism is more severe for some individuals than others, how can any researcher make this deduction when they have not worn our skin? I have High Functioning Aspergers, my language abilities are amazing, this being said I am rendered silent in social situations due to my anxiety, inability to trust, and how much I truly will bore my listener.

You can't begin to fathom the frustration, being ostracized, of knowing that for all of time I will never be able to communicate verbally to others. The anxiety, depression and isolation is overwhelming, when considering this idea. Do I really have the ability to speak? No only via typed words, the fear of not being able to figure out where people are coming from is debilitating. It is safe at home, I know that there are hundreds of thousands of parents who battle every day with the public school system.

You are not alone my child suffers every day he goes to school, his FAPE is violated, he is physically abused, misunderstood by professionals who carry titles that say they specialize in helping him. I have come to one conclusion, I can't hide anymore I will not tolerate another child being misunderstood by the public school systems in this country.

I will not see these children's unique gifts squandered away because they don't think like the rest of this world! Join me in signing this petition to demand that our Congress change the educational laws and system for education our very special children, and remove the glass that all autistic individuals stand behind.

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New research is bringing the possibility of screening for autistic embryos closer. This would mean that a woman could choose to abort an otherwise healthy embryo on the grounds of autism. This is just plain wrong.

Many people do not understand the basic facts about autism. Allow me to explain them. Autistics do not function well in social situations, preferring to be alone or only with close friends once in a while. They often interpret things literally and do not "get" jokes. They can be of average or above average intelligence, as opposed to the false view that they are in any way retarded. They can talk at length about the things that interest them.

Neurotypicals (so-called "normal people") see autistic people as "weird" because they don't understand autism.

As an autistic person myself, I think it is shocking that we are seen as somehow unhuman. Who says we have less right to life than anyone else? This "research" is in violation of our human rights.

What if they wanted to abort homosexuals or something? There'd be outrage, of course. Both are merely different ways of thinking.

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Frequently, autistics have been historically treated as non-persons, and many non-speaking autistics have been erroneously regarded as intellectually disabled.

The autistic self-advocacy movement promotes the position of "nothing about us without us." Many of us, individually and collectively, are now asserting our human rights, including to self-determination.

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Asperger Syndrome is a form of autism, a lifelong developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates and relates to others.

As with autism, people with Asperger Syndrome experience difficulties in:

• Social interaction
• Social Communication
• Social imagination

However people with Asperger Syndrome usually have fewer problems with language than those with autism, often speaking fluently though their words can sometimes sound formal or stilted.

People with Asperger Syndrome are often of average or above average intelligence.

Because their disability is less obvious than that of someone with autism, a person with Asperger Syndrome is, in a sense, more vulnerable.

As they get older they may realize that they are different from other people and feel isolated and depressed. People with Asperger Syndrome often want to be sociable and are upset by the fact that they find it hard to make friends.

Bearing all this in mind it seems incredible that although there will be over 2000 individuals in Leeds with Asperger Syndrome there is very little help or support for them.

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Ban Pampers Products.
Pampers/Proctor & Gamble has started a controversial ad campaign promoting tetanus shots through Unicef. They are donating .05 cents from the sale of their diapers and wipes, with a *Target* of giving 45 millions neonatal tetanus shots to pregnant women, mostly in poor, underdeveloped countries.

Tetanus shots are dangerous, and the adjuvants in them are known to cross the placenta and brain barriers. It is my intention for P&G to stop this damaging campaign that may contribute to harming pregnant women, with these controversial shots, as well as the potential to harm their unborn babies, with birth defects, spontaneous abortions, and possible stealth ingredients to sterilize, hidden in these tetanus shots. That has happened in the past and is well documented!
NOTE: More men than women contract tetanus. And if consenting adults want to get a normal tetanus shot, at least let the pregnant women give birth before offering these free vaccines. Free is a shoddy way to Mandate global vaccinations!. Uninformed is not truthful consent.
Give them the opportunity to know and understand the Full Information/insert label warnings, cautions, side effects etc., in order for them to make that "Informed" Choice and decision

Proctor & Gamble does not apprear to be overly concerned about popular opinion with this current and controversial vaccine ad campaign, as per their nebulous response to me that they feel they are doing a good thing. Their timing with this campaign is not good, giving the growing concern about vaccine dangers, efficacy, injuries, autism and deaths. In their continued progression of this campaign, with what they say is their interest in saving women and babies, they may well be doing their part in contributing to harming and killing 45 million pregnant women and/or their unborn children.
Unicef's other various vaccine programs, may contribute to harming millions more.

It is the feeling of this petitioner that P&G could be spending those donations in a more positive, purposeful light. That being: donations to research for autism spectrum, vaccine dangers/injury awareness, and information about rights NOT to vaccinate. Or to give these pregnant women, food, vitamens, better water sources and sanitation, as well as prenatal care.
At the very least, give THEM diapers and wipes, NOT Vaccines!
Vaccines are an iffy science, with little proof that they protect against any disease. With vaccines components given unnaturally thru vaccines, the studies are poor in understanding damages that can occur. and the adjuvants in them that can cause adverse reactions, especially in infants, such as encephalitis, seizures, serious site infections and other life-long neurological and autoimmune diseases, not to mention the high incidents of vaccine-induced infant mortality.

The tetanus vaccine is no more effective than any of the others. It also is counterproductive. It will INCREASE, Not Decrease the risk of tetanus, and many people actually get tetanus from the vaccines. Read Link.
http://www.whale.to/vaccines/hancock4.html

Tetus Shot adjuvant: What is in a Tetanus vaccine?
Read Link.
http://www.vran.org/vaccines/dpt/taylor-tetanus.htm

What Unicef is giving is called Neonatal tetanus vaccines. They are not even the standard tetanus shot one gets after stepping on a rusty nail. More info on these.
http://www.vaccinetruth.org/page_8.htm

*So SIGN this petition Today, to help stop this horrific Pampers promotion, and by Banning Pamper's sale of diapers and wipes, and other products.
Below is the link to Protor & Gamble's currant Ad promo running in the media. It offers a Thermometer that tells how these sales are growing, per million.
Tell everyone you know to stop buying Pampers as well. Pass this petition along to any interested Groups you link with. Would like for this to become a very Big anti-promotion campaign.
Proctor & Gamble needs to hear from all of us. Leave your comments if you care to. We need to make a difference NOW, before these 45 million tetanus shots start to be dispersed. Thank YOU!
http://www.pampers.com/en_US/unicef_homepage.do

NOTE: this is not a Debate about vaccines or anything else. If you agree with this petition, Sign IT.
If not, Dont sign and leave negative comments.

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This petition is inspired by a recent case of a non-verbal child with autism who wandered off. Since there was no evidence of an abduction, this disappearance did not qualify for the issue of an Amber alert. Wandering (which is different than a child who runs away from home) is typical of developmentally disabled children and adults, alike!

Individuals with autism and related disorders have no fear; they are mysteriously attracted to bodies of water and to strangers. Mentally challenged adults and those suffering with Alzheimer’s also wander and are not easily found! All too often these loved ones end up permanently missing or sadly, found dead!

We are aware that “tracking” devices were created to help in these situations, however there are some major concerns:

The feasibility for struggling families who can barely afford $1 medical co-pays.
The elderly have sensitive, delicate skin.
Autistic children, by disorder, are VERY sensitive to the “feel” of objects.
Individuals with Alzheimer’s will have difficulty “remembering” to wear the wristband consistently.

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There is too many special needs children on waiting lists for early intervention. The sooner these children can go to early intervention the more chance they have of going to a main stream school and leading a normal life.

Unfortunately there is not enough special schools out there to cater for the children who so desperatly need it.
The government is just not listening.
If these children don't get the intervention they need.

I would hate to see how many will turn into young adults and need to go on a pension because they can not function in this society simply because they did'nt get the help they needed when they were first diagnosed.

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