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2009 Defeat Autism Now! Conferences
Registration is Open!
Spring Defeat Autism Now! Conference
Atlanta, GA
Level I Clinician Seminar at Autism One
May 21 - 22, 2009
Chicago
Defeat Autism Now! Regional Conference
June 13 - 14, 2009
Oklahoma City, OK
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SAVE THE DATE:Defeat Autism Now! Regional Conference
Sep. 12 - 13, 2009 St Paul, MN Fall Defeat Autism Now! ConferenceOct 8 - 11, Dallas, TX
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR ATLANTA
We want to see you at Defeat Autism Now! next week. To make this possible for as many parents as possible, the Defeat Autism Now! team offers a number of discounted registrations in exchange for time at the conference on a first-come, first-served basis.
To register as a volunteer in Atlanta click the Volunteer Rate Discount Button on the Parent Registration Page. Your total will automatically calculate at the reduced rate. Volunteer Registration |
Atlanta Update: Conference Broadcasts on Channel 4
Catch up on lectures in your conference hotel room
Sessions begin bright and early at 8 a.m. and we'll provide complimentary hot coffee starting at 7 a.m. to help you get there. But if you happen to run a little late or are juggling childcare, good news: you'll have exclusive access to watch sessions on channel 4 in your own hotel room at the Renaissance Waverly.
We're pleased to make this innovative service available to guests staying at the conference hotel. |
Join our Million Dollar Puzzle Piece Campaign
Now's the perfect time to order your free Puzzle Piece kits and launch an autism awareness campaign in your community. When we raise the funding necessary, ARI will see that important research is done, including the large-scale, independent study of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated children
Update from Organizer Lynda Huggins:
"We have distributed 3,426 packets (171,300 puzzle pieces) to 48 states (446 cities) and have already forwarded over $60,000 to the Autism Research Institute. We are not yet in Montana or North Dakota. We have a l-o-n-g way to go to reach our goal of a Million Dollars for Autism Research but our grassroots efforts WILL make it happen. We need everyone who cares about someone with an Autism Spectrum Disorder to donate a buck to get us there. Our efforts honor the life and legacy of Dr. Rimland, keeping his dream alive to Defeat Autism Now!"
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| Our Partners |
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The Autism Research Institute is also collaborating with the following international autism groups:
Defeat Autism Now! - Europe
(headquartered in Bologna, Italy)
Canada
 France
Mexico
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About the ARI E-Newsletter:
This newsletter is compiled, written, and edited by ARI parents, and we welcome your input. If you have questions you would like answered, a story you would like to submit, or an idea for something you would like to see discussed or explained, please contact us.
Contributing Editor:
Technical Support:
Denise Fulton
Additional Assistance: ARI maintains a toll-free line with information, contacts, and access to resources available through the Autism Research Institute. Call: 866.366.3361 | |
 The upcoming Defeat Autism Now! conference is almost here, and we hope you'll join us in Atlanta. If you are unfamiliar with Defeat Autism Now!, I highly recommend that you watch an excellent overview presented by Jon Pangborn, Ph.D. - one of the founders of ARI's Defeat Autism Now! program. This free video from last fall's Defeat Autism Now! Conference provides a perfect introduction to the science behind the biomedical approach.
In addition to the updates you receive each month in this monthly e-newsletter, you can also follow ARI's initiatives and projects in each issue of the quarterly magazine The Autism File. Coming up: Dr. Ted Carr and I are co-authoring an article on integrating the biomedical and behavioral sciences that will appear in the next issue.
For almost two years, ARI has been developing a new video technology that will help us produce many high quality video presentations and interviews worldwide in a relatively short time period. Last week we pilot-tested this new video technology at a conference in Yerevan, Armenia, and everything went very well. We hope to begin utilizing this technology on a regular basis within a few months.
And finally, we recently began restructuring ARI in order to better meet the needs of individuals on the autism spectrum and their families. I plan to share the new ARI model with the autism community once everything is in place. Best Regards,
Steve Edelson, Ph.D.
Director, Autism Research Institute |
Back to Basics: It's not too late to Register for Atlanta!
S ince 1967, the Autism Research Institute has been collecting parent ratings of the usefulness of the many interventions tried on their ASD children. During that time we've received more than 26,000 responses; if you look at the data for the gluten- and casein-free diet, of the 2,561 responses, 66 percent reported that their children improved, 31 percent saw no effect, and 3 percent felt their children got worse. Sixty-six percent is pretty impressive, particularly when you consider that some of the 2,500+ responders were likely to not implement the diet correctly.
Some would have given themselves permission to cheat on "special" occasions, some would have given illegal foods because they didn't know better, and some would have been technically gluten- and casein-free, but very low on nutrients (the Frito and French fry diet). The numbers for other diets and food eliminations are comparable (GF/CF often isn't the entire answer)--in short, nutrition is easily one of the most powerful weapons in our arsenal, and its importance is all too often skipped over in the rush to more glamorous treatments.
For this reason, we have two additions to our program in Atlanta - a Nutrition Seminar for professionals (we're proud to announce that it's been approved for continuing education credit by the American Dietetic Association, the National Association of Nutrition Professionals, and the American College of Nutrition) and our Friday afternoon nutrition program for parents and caregivers.
Nutrition is a great place to start if you've never been to a conference before and you're just starting treatment, but it's equally beneficial for those who've been pursuing treatment for a while but haven't seen as much progress as they'd wished. It's never too late to go back and reexamine the basics. Dr. Sidney Baker refers to the "law of the thumbtacks"; if you have three thumbtacks in your heel and you pull two out, you're still going to limp. For many of our kids, soy, for example, is a thumbtack.
In order to provide support, the ARI parent network has compiled a document called "Solutions for Common GF/CF Pitfalls."
At the conference, we'll be giving out free copies of our popular pamphlet "Why my Child is on a Special Diet" (also available as a printable pdf on our website for those not able to join us). And our new listserv (below) is an online Yahoo health support group for parents--a great place to exchange recipes and tips for feeding picky eaters. Implementing dietary treatment can be challenging-most of our children are extremely averse to new textures and flavors. We created the Nutrition Seminar to provide support to professionals (and parents, by extension), and the Friday program to best inform families. (Note that consults with a nutritionist tend to be less expensive than doctor visits, and are usually covered by insurance.)
Join us April 16-19, and ensure that the foundation upon which you build all future treatment is rock-solid. |
 New ARI/Defeat Autism Now! Listserv Online Now
Join the Discussion Online
ARI has started a parent-support listserv, intended as a forum where parents can compare notes, laugh, cry, or share recipes and resources--for anybody interested in or committed to the Defeat Autism Now! approach to treatment for autism spectrum disorders. For m ore information, click here.
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Workshop Added: Legal Q&A for Clinicians Using A Biomed Approach
Free Thursday night workshop at the spring conference set to address questions about integrative practice
We've added a new free Thursday night workshop for clinicians attending the spring conference in Atlanta - Attorney Alan Dumoff will present A View From the Trenches: The Law and Safe Integrative Practice. This presentation focuses on the legal issues that pertain to clinicians treating people on the autism spectrum and will be followed by a question/answer session.
 Alan Dumoff J. D., M.S.W. has practiced law near Washington, D.C since 1988, with a special focus on the legal needs of integrative physicians and complementary and alternative (CAM) practitioners. A former acting director of the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists, Mr. Dumoff's consulting practice includes management, business, and clinical aspects of integrative/CAM practice, comprising a wide range of issues that have included the treatment of autism as well as cancer and Lyme disease. He was acknowledged by the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy for contributions to the Commission's Final Report. Mr. Dumoff successfully lobbied for changes that protect alternative medicine in federal legislation and worked on legislation establishing the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health; he has also drafted state licensing legislation. An author of numerous articles and book chapters, Mr. Dumoff's publications address a variety of legal and policy issues regarding integrative/ CAM practice. |
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Bidders Vie for Great Items Saturday Night at Defeat Autism Now! in Atlanta
Silent Bidders to Help Fund Research that Makes a Difference
 Attendees at the Saturday Night Dinner Buffet at the Defeat Autism Now! Conference can bid to win exciting items at a charity auction to benefit the Autism Collaboration.
Our exhibitors have made generous donations to support this special event - great items up for grabs to the highest bidders include:
- A one-week scholarship to attend Extreme Fitness Sports Camp (for children with autism) in Aspen, Colorado. A $1,700 value.
- Packages to attend the Autism One Conference in Chicago, IL May 22-24
- Admission to the fall 2009 Defeat Autism Now! Conference in Dallas TX Oct. 8-12 (does not include hotel or airfare)
- Framed and signed art work from renowned artist Mark Rimland
- Numerous compounding pharmacy gift certificates, supplements and biomedical testing kits
- And much more...
All proceeds will fund the Autism Collaboration research initiative aimed at ensuring parents have a voice in autism research. Reserve your seat when you book your conference registration - we look forward to seeing you there.
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To learn more about the Autism Collaboration visit
www.autism.org or call toll free at: 866.366.3361.
Have an item to donate? Email Us
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Events in the Community ...
 Shedding Light on Autism - Sidney MacDonald Baker, MDMay 15-17, 2009
Big Sur California
Spend a weekend at Esalen with Dr. Baker, former Director of the Gesell Institute of Human Development, co-founder of Defeat Autism Now! and co-author of Autism: Effective Biomedical Treatment.
Treating the Unique Child: Private Options, Public Policy and the Autism Spectrum will be an intelligent conversation leading to the ultimate question faced by parents, teachers, physicians, therapists: "Have we done everything we can for this child?"
This is a question Dr. Baker learned to ask in Nepal in 1959 when he apprenticed with Dr. Edgar Miller during a year off from his Yale undergraduate education. This question should concern those entrusted with public policy, where the one-size-fits-all approach is in direct conflict with the fundamental law of Nature: that each living organism is unique. Individuality has practical clinical implications, and demands a tailored approach for the individual, not a standard protocol.
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Autism One 2009 - Change Has Come
Wednesday, May 20-Sunday, May 24 at the Westin O'Hare Hotel (Chicago area)  Actress Jenny McCarthy to deliver keynote address at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 23
A diagnosis of or suspicion that your child has autism is devastating. After months or years of denial it cannot be denied any longer. You are faced with the greatest question of your life - how to best help your child.
The difficult step toward finding answers is a courageous one that can be as frightening as the initial suspicion or confirming diagnosis. It means recognizing and rejecting that labyrinth of Jabberwocky, gobbledygook, circular reasoning, and non-answers parents most often hear.
It means educating yourself. It means trusting yourself. It means believing your child can get better.
 Autism One 2009 features the Defeat Autism Now! Clinician Seminar, Thursday-Friday May 21-22Defeat Autism Now! is delighted to team up with Autism One to provide a two-day Level 1 Clinician Seminar, beginning during the Autism One pre-conference. Clinicians attending will each be provided two five-day complimentary passes (Wednesday, May 20 - Sunday, May 24) to the Autism One 2009 Conference. The purpose of the Clinician Seminar is to teach practitioners the nuts and bolts of caring for the medical problems of children with autism.
Clinician Seminar at Autism One - Info and Registration
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Regional Defeat Autism Now! Conference June 13-14, Oklahoma City
Join us this June to network with parents and clinicians using the Defeat Autism Now! approach in Oklahoma this June. Licensed medical providers can earn CME credits attending our Clinician Workshop while exploring the latest research and treatment findings. Caregivers will also experience hands-on support for taking a biomedical approach home.
Speakers include:
- Elizabeth Mumper, M.D., FAAP
- Bryan Jepson, M.D.
- Dan Rossignol, M.D., FAAFP
- Doreen Granpeesheh, Ph.D.
- Julie Matthews, CNC
- Paul Lucas Ramirez, FNP-C
Special Room Rates offered exclusively to Defeat Autism Now! conference attendees - join us at the Embassy Suites Norman Hotel & Conference Center for just $109 per night.
Register Online
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Make a Monthly Pledge to Support Research
It's Autism Awareness Month and giving to ARI has never been easier
ARI's safe, secure online donation form is a convenient way for you to support our research - and now you can pledge any amount and make payments in installments for as long as you please.
For example: you could pledge $120 for the year, and pay just $10 a month.
Pledge to pay monthly with your credit card or by automatic withdrawal from your bank account, and we'll take care of it for you through our secure merchant account.
Autism Research Institute uses industry-leading Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to keep your personal information as secure as possible. We help to protect your information by working with partners that provide a secure and safe environment for credit card donations. ARI respects and protects your privacy and will never sell, trade, or rent your personal information to other individuals or companies. The information that you provide is used only to complete your donation. | |
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