(No, I don’t mean the doll!) Today I "met" amazing Amanda Baggs, a 26-year-old woman with severe autism (considered low functioning) who has filmed and edited the You Tube video you see here.

I suspect that if you spend a little time with Amanda, as I did this morning, watching her video and the CNN newscast about her, as well as reading her writing, you will not only be amazed by Amanda, but amazed by how Amanda gives you hope and raises doubt in your mind at the same time.

For... more

I personally know foster and adoptive parents who have worked long and hard to get some type of legal action against mothers who regularly consume drugs and alcohol during pregnancy. With all the publicity around I don’t believe there could be a woman of child bearing age alive today that doesn’t know how harmful drugs and alcohol are to an unborn child. I do think that it’s real progress for it to make it to have made it to the House of Representatives and I’m sure the issue will not die forever.

The article states that these... more

A horrendous news story out of Albany, NY yesterday: A 13-year-old severely autistic boy died while being transported from his state-run developmental center. The same boy was the subject of an abuse investigation at another state-run school facility in 2004. Jonathan Carey died after being improperly restrained by two workers in a van Thursday night.

Here’s the tragic part:

The two men drove around for 1 1/2 hours after the boy stopped breathing said Colonie Police Chief Steven Heider in an afternoon press conference. They went to a Hess... more

U.S. Autism Rate about 1 in 150

Three different people sent me links to this story, so obviously, it’s blog material. The CDC announced yesterday that there are more people with autism than they originally believed. In fact, one out of every 150 American children have autism, making it a urgent public health concern.

These numbers are based on five-year-old data (2002), and frankly, are no surprise to most families raising autistic children.

"This data today shows we're going to need more early intervention services and more therapists, and we're going to... more

My local networks are all abuzz with speculation about the bill coming before the Georgia legislature in just a few short days. SB 10 would provide scholarships, funded by the state, for children with disabilities to transfer to another public or a private school if their needs aren’t being met at their current school.

There are lots of reasons to be skeptical…and believe me, I am skeptical when it comes to anything the school districts are doing, or the state DOE at this point, as well.

But, Georgia’s not alone in our thinking.... more

Calling all Georgia parents, advocates, teachers and activists! There is a hearing on this bill at 2:00 pm tomorrow, January 25, at the Georgia Capitol Building in Atlanta. Click here for more information on this legislation or to comment.

Senator Johnson has proposed Senate Bill 10, which would provide scholarships for public school students with disabilities to attend private schools. It’s an enticing concept…and in theory a possibly good idea. Fashioned after the McKay Scholarship in Florida,... more