Missouri teen with Down syndrome proves he can drive the ball to the basket on varsity HS team

From KFVS-TV:

STEELE, Mo. -- Tyler Farmer from South Pemiscot High School in Steele might be different from the rest of his teammates, but he's not treated any differently.

In fact, he is becoming quite the super star everywhere he goes.

"We love having him," said South Pemiscot Head Coach James Carlisle.

It's the second year on the team for 17-year-old Tyler Farmer.

"He loves to play basketball," said Terry Haynes-Tyler's Dad.

It's been a good season for the JV, but the varsity has struggled. Instead of broken spirits, it is quite the opposite. It's all thanks to number 33.

"When Tyler's on the floor the other guys on the team play even harder," said Coach Carlisle.

"I can't explain it, it's awesome," said Terry Haynes.

Tyler's coach gives him a lot of playing time.

On a Friday, Feb. 18 against Saxony Lutheran High School, Tyler played in every quarter of the JV, even with the game on the line.

"We're going to let him play as long as he is here," said Coach Carlisle.

Word spread about Tyler after an early February match up against the Bulldogs, and the Caruthersville Tigers.

"I think that was a night where everyone found different meaning," said Caruthersville Head Coach David Heeb.

In the second half, Caruthersville had a big lead.

"It was like 100 and something to 30 something," said Lisa Haynes, Tyler's mom.

In came number 33 (pictured).

"I told the boys before the game to let him shoot," said Coach Heeb.

That's exactly what he did. Tyler scored 24 points.

"I'm getting goose bumps standing up all over me," said Terry Haynes.

Opposing player Darrell Monroe was one of many Caruthersville players helping, and coaching Tyler during the game.

"We just laid off, and let him score," said Darrell Monroe.

"When he shot the ball he made it," said Coach Heeb.

"It was something I'll never forget," said Monroe.

Tyler Farmer quickly became a local celebrity.

"The crowd just goes wild," said Lisa Haynes, Tyler's mom.

During the game against Saxony Lutheran, Tyler hit the court and missed his mark.

Before long though, he hit a two-pointer.

"He's a three point shooter too," said Terry Haynes.

His dad was right. He nailed his first three.

"You leave him open and he'll bust right through," said Terry Haynes.

He hit another, and another.

"The crowd goes crazy and it changes the outlook on the game," said Head Coach Carlisle.

Tyler's teammates love it.

"The fact that he can go out there, and put on a show makes it more fun," said Seth Harris.

Before the final buzzer Tyler sank his fifth three-pointer of the night.

It was a loss on the scoreboard, but a win in the memory book.

"I'm very proud," said Coach Carlisle. "We love having Tyler shoot the ball."

It was a dream come true for mom and dad.

"That's my boy, 100 percent," said Terry Haynes.

Coach Carlisle says #33 definitely has a spot on the team next year.

Inaccessibility of Missouri town's dinner train violates ADA, advocates say

From KOMU in Missouri:

CENTRALIA, Mo. - Columbia city leaders responded Friday to complaints that the new Columbia dinner train was supported with taxpayer money, even though the train is not handicapped accessible.

Disabilities advocates have said the train is breaking federal law by not complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Now, city officials say the tax money spent will more than be repaid by increased commerce surrounding the train.

Columbia assistant city manager Tony St. Romaine said the train is exempt from federal accessibility laws because it is a vintage train.

"Admittedly, there have been some retrofits just to bring that train into modern day standards, but in terms of the actual dining car, I think the whole purpose of the dinner train is to get an experience of what it was like to travel on that type of car when it was made decades ago, and to make it accessible would basically ruin that experience," said Romaine.

Homer Page, chair for the Disabilities Commission in Columbia, said the issue is deeper than just making the cars accessible.

"The issue for the disabilities community is not 'Is it illegal?' the question is should the city have invested public money supporting an inaccessible service for the community."

Page said the city has taken a very strong position on the city being fully accessible, but has now spent taxpayer money supporting something that goes against those values.

Romaine said that while taxpayer money was invested, the city will get it back in tourism revenue from the people who come to use the train.

Canadian father Robert Latimer defends his decision to kill his daughter with CP

From CBC in Canada:

Saskatchewan farmer Robert Latimer stands by his decision to end the life of his severely disabled daughter almost 20 years ago, in his first interview since being released on full parole in December.

In an exclusive interview with Radio-Canada (the CBC's French service), Latimer is unrepentant about killing his daughter Tracy in 1993. He also speaks frankly about his deep anger towards Canada's justice system, and its failings.

"I know I was right," Latimer, 57, declares to journalist Anne-Marie Dussault, in the 40-minute interview.

Tracy, 12, had severe cerebral palsy, and suffered chronic pain from repeated surgeries. She couldn't walk, talk, or feed herself.

The decision to end her suffering was hard "but it was not sad," said Latimer, who has always insisted his "mercy killing" asphyxiation was motivated by his love and compassion for Tracy. (Both are pictured in an undated photo.)

"She'd had enough. That was it. We were done."

Latimer's act unleashed a stormy debate over the rights of the disabled and the ethics of euthanasia and mercy killing. It also tested Canada's judicial system like no other case before.

In 1994, he was convicted of second-degree murder, but the jury described his crime as a "mercy killing" and recommended a one-year sentence.

The judge at Latimer's trial, in an attempt to distinguish "compassionate homicide" from murder, granted him a constitutional exemption from any mandatory sentence. After several appeals, the exemption was thrown out, and Latimer was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

Religious groups and disabled rights activists supported his conviction, saying it upheld laws protecting minorites and disabled people.

But the soft-spoken farmer sees his case differently, and harbours deep anger towards the Canadian justice system, and against those who dare judge him.

"They're just a bunch of arrogant, self-righteous, religious-backed people. They don't care about Tracy," he said. "They're just a bunch of sadistic butchers, really. They have to come clean on that. What is the legal alternative that we were supposed to take by law?"

Judges and juries should have the right to recognize compassionate killing, Latimer believes.

"They have to have a judicial process to establish right from wrong. It's designed to do that, it did not do that in our situation."

"If it's the right thing, why shouldn't it be condoned? That's the very purpose of a jury trial."

Latimer said he feels branded, and often dreams of a new trial by jury, convinced that another judicial review of his case would perhaps produce a different verdict, and clear his name.

Georgia teacher who duct-taped autistic boy to chair gets 6 years probation, $2,000 in fines

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Cherokee County teacher who duct-taped an autistic boy to a chair and confined a blind girl under a desk pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and was sentenced to six years of probation and $2,000 in fines.

The Woodstock High School teacher, Laurie Peavy, 45, (pictured) and a paraprofessional at the school, Nancy Cheek, 51, were arrested in May 2009 after a Sheriff’s Office investigation discovered the abuses that took place in 2008.

Peavy was charged with two counts of false imprisonment and two counts of first-degree cruelty to children. Cheek was charged with one count of false imprisonment and one count of first-degree cruelty to children. Cheek struck a deal with prosecutors and testified against Peavy.

In her sentencing Monday before Superior Court Judge Frank C. Mills III, Peavy agreed to surrender her teaching certificate and not apply for another certificate anywhere else. She also agreed not to do volunteer work or seek employment where she would work with, teach or tutor children, according to the Cherokee County clerk’s office.

District Attorney Garry Moss could not be reached for comment Thursday morning, nor could Peavy’s attorney, J. Daran Burns. Neither Peavy nor Cheek could be reached for comment. Peavy has been on leave without pay from the Cherokee County school system since her arrest. Cheek resigned from the school system in August 2009.

Oprah gives Zach Anner, Texas filmmaker with CP, (and his competition) shows on her OWN network

Media dis&dat note: Oprah's decision was announced at 10:30 p.m. EST Feb. 25. The story below is from the morning of Feb. 25.

From LA TV Insider Examiner:

It seems like just yesterday Oprah Winfrey was announcing her top ten finalists all vying for their own show on her brand new network, but today we stand here on the verge of the green light decision with only two remaining. Tonight Zach Anner and Kristina Kuzmic go head-to-head for a chance at appearing on OWN in a six-episode guarantee. (Both are pictured)

But of course they won’t have to do it alone. In the season finale of Your Own Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star, old favorites return to help the two vying for the title along the way as they prep their pilot presentation. And the would-be hosts are responsible for everything in their pilot presentation; it is a very “roll up your sleeves and make your own dreams come true” scenario with them writing the script, lending a hand at set decoration, and of course, being the face of their concept.

While there really are no losers in this scenario, as every single one of the finalists gained by appearing on OWN and being mentored by some of the best in the business, one will eventually edge out the other.

Anner is the twenty-six year old comedian with cerebral palsy who became a YouTube sensation, catching the attention of even some celebrity fans like John Mayer when he submitted to be on the show. His proposed pilot is a travel show that would inspire people to live their best possible life and realize that disabilities do not define a person, nor do they have to hinder dreams.

Kuzmic is the thirty-one year old mother, chef, and creator of the website StickyCook.com who hopes to showcase the fun in cooking, rather than the chore of it. She is extremely passionate about what she does and hopes that her honest interest in the topic will inspire others to do what they are passionate about, as well.

Anner's innate humor has made him stand out in the competition, winning over (and at times surprising) everyone from his fellow contestants to the weekly guest mentors and judges. Kuzmic, on the other hand, excelled at keeping her cool under pressure, even when drama arose with another finalist. They both have star quality and look and feel extremely natural on camera and in challenges. They both bring something new and different to the television landscape. They both truly love their topics and therefore have an enthusiasm that radiates off the screen. They both embody Winfrey's message of "inspiring and uplifting." And since neither one of them seem like they'll show any cracks in their armor any time soon, it look to be a really tight race to the finish line.

We wouldn't have expected any less!

So who do you think will walk away with their own show? Or do you think Winfrey will cave and let them both have a shot? After all, she has built her new network on the motto of inspiring, uplifting, and changing lives. And what better way to put her money where her mouth is than to give both worthy contestants a chance to prove there are experts in their chosen fields?

As mental health cuts grow, people with psychiatric diagnoses fill jails

From The Texas Tribune:

Dressed in an orange Harris County Jail-issued jumpsuit, Sterling Shepherd sat at a metal picnic table and described what got him into this situation — again.

“I’m extremely mentally ill and extremely intelligent,” said Mr. Shepherd, a 43-year-old with intense brown eyes and a big grin. During a 12-minute interview on Feb. 15, Mr. Shepherd veered in and out of reality, talking at times lucidly about taking medication for his severe bipolar disorder and at others describing how Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke to him through the television and explaining that Pope Benedict XVI is his grandfather.

It was Mr. Shepherd’s eighth stay at the Harris County Jail, a Houston facility the size of two football fields that houses more than 10,000 inmates. He is one of about 2,400 inmates taking psychotropic medications. The jail is the largest mental institution in the state. It has a special unit with 108 beds for the severely mentally ill, where guards wear less-intimidating uniforms, nurses are on duty 24 hours a day and inmates undergo intensive psychiatric treatment.

“We’ve done everything we can do to make it therapeutic,” said Sgt. Bernard Kelly, a supervisor in the jail’s mental health unit.

Some inmates say it is the best mental health care available to them in Houston, and it costs the county about $27 million a year. Harris County officials have seen the number of mentally ill inmates explode since 2003, the last time Texas had a budget crisis and made major cuts. Then, there were fewer than three full-time psychiatrists at the jail. Now, there are more than 15. Often they see the same mentally ill inmates repeatedly.

“It just becomes a chronic cycle,” said Sylvia Muzquiz-Drummond, medical director of the mental health division of the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County.

As lawmakers consider deeper cuts this year to deal with a budget shortfall estimated at $15 billion to $27 billion, jail officials across Texas are deeply concerned that proposed reductions in community-based mental health treatment will worsen the problem. Without resources in the community, more mentally ill Texans are likely to end up on the streets, in emergency rooms and behind bars, and it will cost local taxpayers even more to care for them.

“We can’t not respond,” said Dr. Michael Seale, executive director of health services at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. “We can’t not put people in jail.”

Although he disdains the idea of further cutting mental health funding, Representative Garnet Coleman, Democrat of Houston, said lawmakers who are determined to close the budget gap without raising taxes have few other options when it comes to reducing health care expenditures.

“Unfortunately for mental health, at this moment, there isn’t an alternative,” Mr. Coleman said.

State lawmakers are considering proposals that would reduce community-based health care services for adults and children and for community mental hospitals by about $152 million in 2012 and 2013. It is roughly a 20 percent reduction in financing from the previous two-year budget. For community mental hospitals, financing would fall about 3 percent, but the money would be split among five facilities instead of three.

By 2006, Texas already ranked 50th among the states in per capita spending on mental health care, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. The strained budget allows the Harris County mental health agency to serve only about 25 percent of the adults in need and about 18 percent of the children, said Betsy Schwartz, president and chief executive of Mental Health America of Greater Houston.

Currently, about 2,000 people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and serious clinical depression are on the agency’s waiting list. “We’re already talking about a system that was hemorrhaging,” Ms. Schwartz said, adding that in Houston alone, the proposed cuts would mean up to 2,000 of the 8,500 adults who now receive community-based services would be turned away.

Cutting those services would take a devastating human toll, Ms. Schwartz said, and at an enormous financial cost. When people with untreated mental health problems fall into crisis, it is much more expensive to provide care in an emergency room, jail or crisis center.

The Harris County Neuropsychiatric Center saw a 45 percent increase in crisis patients entering the center from 2008 to 2010, she said. Every time a patient walks into the center in crisis, it costs $800 to perform an initial exam, Ms. Schwartz said. By comparison, it costs about $12 a day for community-based mental health care services.

“It’s not like people are going to disappear and the needs are going to go away,” she said. “It may shift the burden from state dollars to county dollars.”

Patty Wood knows that she would probably be back in jail without the community-based services that help her stay on medication.

“I’ve been incarcerated a lot, because it’s illegal to self-medicate,” said Ms. Wood, 48, who has bipolar and schizoaffective disorders. As of last week, though, Ms. Wood had been clean for about seven months with the help of mental health agency. She is hopeful she can get a job and end the incarceration cycle. “I’m just a person trying to make it,” she said.

Mr. Shepherd, who landed back in jail on Super Bowl Sunday after he attacked a staff member at the Harris County Psychiatric Center, said he hoped that this stint behind bars would be his last. The jail psychiatrist, he said, is adamant that he take his medication. And the jail staff said last week that Mr. Shepherd was more stable than when they had seen him in the past. If he can get help and keep taking his medications on the outside, Mr. Shepherd said, he thinks he can stay stable.

“I’m praying to the Lord Jesus Christ not to come back,” he said.

Jail officials and mental health providers are praying, too, that all the work they have done to help people like Mr. Shepherd and Ms. Wood is not undone by state lawmakers’ budget decisions. If community-based services are not around to help, said Sergeant Kelly, who has worked in the Harris County Jail for more than a decade, he knows he will see them again.

“We let them out the door only to crash and burn,” he said. “We’re setting them up for disaster.”

Illinois promises fewer cuts; social service agencies still bracing for the worst

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Many social service agencies that depend on state money to assist the disabled, the poor and people struggling with substance abuse took little comfort in the news Thursday that the cash-strapped Illinois Department of Human Services may have found a way to avoid $100 million in cuts this year.

Last week, Human Services secretary Michelle Saddler told social service agencies that the cuts would be closer to $200 million, which would have — among other things — eliminated almost all state funding for substance abuse programs.

On Thursday, Saddler and Gov. Quinn’s budget office said additional federal funding, along with leaving some vacant state jobs unfilled, would reduce the cuts.

But many social service advocates — some of whom protested outside the Thompson Center on Thursday — said uncertainty about specific cuts, expected to be announced in March, has already had a devastating effect by forcing agencies to cut staff and turn away clients.

“The problem is, treatment providers [working with] Human Services have been living with this year after year after year — we’re an easy target,” said Ray Soucek, president of the Chicago-based Haymarket Center. At any given time, it has about 1,000 clients in various substance-abuse treatment programs. Legislators “will always claim they have to fund education and safety. But substance abuse affects education and public safety.”

About 45 percent of Haymarket’s budget comes from the state, he said.

Quinn told reporters he’s facing a very difficult balancing act.

Washington state bill would narrow definition of service animals

From The Associated Press:

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington's restaurants, bars and grocery stores could refuse access to nearly all nontraditional service animals, under a bill moving through the Legislature.

A bill placed on the House floor calendar Feb. 24 would require food establishments to accommodate only trained dogs and miniature horses assisting disabled customers.

The measure would bring the state in line with the latest federal regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Current state law defines a service animal as any animal trained to aid a disabled person.

Supporters of the bill say it would provide much-needed clarity to employees and patrons of the state's food establishments, while also addressing food safety concerns.

Others say tales of people trying to pass off snakes, full-size horses and ferrets as service animals are mostly myths.

Utah works to make state’s scenic wonders more accessible to people with disabilities

From The Salt Lake Tribune:

The Utah Office of Tourism is trying to make the state’s scenic wonders more accessible to people with disabilities.

“We want travelers of all ability levels to have the best planning information available to them,” said Tourism Office Managing Director Leigh von der Esch of the publication “Accessible Utah One-Sheet Guide.” This is the 19th “one sheeter” created by the office to highlight things that might appeal to potential tourists, from dinosaur and Olympic legacy sites to destination spas and renewable energy projects.

The one sheeters are available at state and local welcome centers and on the Tourism Office’s website, http://travel.utah.gov/publications.

The accessibility one sheeter includes information about services such as car rental, the location of campsites and trails compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and accessibility options at state and national parks. It also identifies Utah nonprofit organizations that provide adaptive recreation adventures, including skiing programs, for people with disabilities.

“Our national parks are some of the most accessible in the nation,” said von der Esch. “Combine that with world-class facilities like the National Ability Center [in Park City], the state’s wonderful outfitters and nonprofit organizations, and you see how interest in adaptive recreation and sports has been building since the 2002 Winter Paralympics.”

The effort is appreciated, said John Librett, executive director of Splore, a nonprofit that has provided outdoor recreation opportunities for the disabled since 1977.

“Our goal is to establish Utah as a recognized world-class recreation destination,” he said in a news release. “Partnering with the Utah Office of Tourism, to recognize dozens of tour operators and recreation venues available to serve the global adaptive recreation community, is a major step to achieving this goal.”

Massachusetts blind man starts advocacy website for consumer complaints

From Wicked Local Canton:

CANTON, Mass. — Canton resident Jonathan Gale (pictured) may be completely blind, but he still has a vision.

About four years ago, Gale, now 56, retired from his job at a state agency, but found himself with a dilemma: he still wanted to work. So he turned his hobby, consumer advocacy, into a way to help people.

Gale is the founder of DirectComplaint.com, a website on which people can file formal complaints about restaurants, hotels, government agencies and other businesses. Customers just fill out a brief form about their grievance, and DirectComplaint makes sure it reaches the people who can help resolve the problem.

“Most people don’t know how, or who, to complain to if they have a problem,” Gale said. “They don’t know how to get the results they want. I’m able to take that skill that I use for myself and help other people.”

Gale, who has been completely blind for the past 22 years, said he had to learn how to advocate for himself in the workforce, as well as in other aspects of his life, due to his disability.

“I had to become a resource person for my own needs,” he said. “I also learned a long time ago how to do that for other people. We are a society full of complainers, like it or not.”

To develop his website, which includes recall lists and links to credit bureaus, Gale attended eight weeks of classes at the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton to re-learn technology.

“I had to learn it all with speech,” he said. “When you’re doing it blind, it’s much more labor-intensive. You don’t use a mouse, and you have to basically learn a whole new language. The training was invaluable, and I really can’t stress that enough.”

Gale said he wants the website to be fully accessible for all people, including those with disabilities, like blindness.

Gale said the website is undergoing changes and will be officially finished in about 30 to 45 days. The new site will be completely free for customers, and Gale said he hopes for it to someday become a large non-profit organization, with at least 50 percent of employees to be disabled.

“It is much more difficult for someone with a recognized, meaning obvious, disability to get a job,” Gale said. “Seventy percent of people with noticeable disabilities are unemployed, not because they are incapable, but because employers are scared to hire them.”

Gale said most companies don’t want to invest in the technology necessary to get people with noticeable disabilities works stations, with devices such as voice recognition software or wheelchair accessibility.

“The interesting thing is that these people are usually more dedicated, but the numbers of them that are unemployed are staggering,” he said.

Gale volunteers at Work Without Limits, an organization dedicated to advancing opportunities for people with disabilities in Massachusetts by providing resources for disabled people and by teaching employers about disabilities.

“We all know people in our personal lives who have disabilities, and people always say how remarkable it is that they can get around, or how they do this or do that, but as soon as you say ‘hey, do you have an opening in your company?,’ the walls go up,” Gale said.

Gale also works in a Work Without Limits subcommittee, the Greater Boston Employment Collaborative (GBEC), a group from different professional backgrounds interested in increasing job opportunities for the disabled.

Gale also is doing a workshop at the end of March about disclosure and how people with concealed disabilities, like epilepsy, should tell their employers.

“People should be able to tell their employers about their disabilities,” Gale said.

College of New Jersey uses federal grant to encourage students with intellectual disabilities to attend college

From The Philadelphia Inquirer:

The College of New Jersey, backed by a $1.28 million federal grant, is working with state high schools to spread a hopeful message to students with intellectual disabilities: College is possible.

TCNJ's Career and Community Studies (CCS) program, which offers a four-year certificate for students with a range of intellectual disabilities, including autism, Williams syndrome, and Down syndrome, has partnered with the Haddonfield and Hopewell Valley Regional School Districts to encourage such students and their families to consider a college education.

"Students with intellectual disabilities have never had that put before them," said Rebecca Daley, director of CCS. "College is something your siblings might do, but it was never an option."

TCNJ plans to invite about 100 families from across the state to an April 2 conference on higher-education options for students with intellectual disabilities, according to Richard Blumberg, a co-founder of the program.

The gathering is intended to help families and educators learn about college programs, and aid them in developing a vision and plan for kindergarten through 12th grade with post-graduation education as a goal.

"I see this as a brave new frontier of special education, and I think we'll see a lot of two-year, four-year programs develop over the next few years," Blumberg said.

The CCS program, developed in 2005 with aid from the National Down Syndrome Society, supports the learning and adaptive needs of students ages 18 to 25, in part through peer mentoring, pre-teaching, and classroom learning aids. Its inaugural class of six students graduated last spring. The class size has since increased to nine.

Students in the CCS program take courses as varied as marketing, health and exercise science, and women's and gender studies.

"What we're finding is that the students, when they're given support, they do well," Daley said. "Maybe not competitively well, but they're walking away from that class with the big ideas and concepts, a new understanding of the topic."

Bonni Rubin-Sugarman, director of special education for Haddonfield schools, said the prospect of students with intellectual disabilities having many of the same opportunities as other students their age is a major step forward.

"If we can do this now in the same place, the same environment where typical 18- to 22-year-olds are spending their time doing this next chunk of life," she said, "that's a home run."

EEG of infants brains may predict risk of autism, study says

From WebMD Health News:

Combining a standard noninvasive test that measures electrical activity in the brain with a high-tech computer analysis may help determine the risk of autism spectrum disorder in infants, according to a new study.

In the study, a computer program that assists in evaluating brainwave data from an electroencephalogram (EEG) was used to determine the way nerve cells communicate with one another in infants. Using the data generated, researchers were able to predict which 9-month-old infants have a high risk of autism with 80% accuracy.

“Electrical activity produced by the brain has a lot more information than we realized,” says researcher William Bosl, PhD, of Children's Hospital Boston, in a news release. “Computer algorithms can pick out patterns in those squiggly lines that the eye can’t see.”

These results are only preliminary, but researchers say the technique could lead to less invasive and much earlier determination of autism risk by picking up subtle differences in brain organization and activity.

Autism is typically diagnosed through extensive behavioral testing at 2-3 years of age.

In the study, published in BMC Medicine, researchers compared EEGs from 79 infants aged 6 to 24 months. Forty-six of the infants were considered at high risk for autism because they had an older sibling with the behavioral disorder.

The babies wore helmet-like caps studded with electrodes on their scalps to measure electrical activity while they watched a research assistant blowing bubbles. The tests were repeated, when possible, at 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months of age.

The EEGs were then interpreted using modified multiscale entropy (mMSE), which measures the randomness of a signal.

The results showed that the greatest difference in brain activity patterns between the high-risk group and the comparison group of infants was at 9 months of age.

But there was a gender difference that researchers say they can't yet explain. The method's accuracy at picking out babies at risk for autism was greatest for girls at 6 months and for boys at 12 and 18 months.

Researchers say patterns in brain electrical activity can give many clues about how the brain is wired and how the connections between neurons in each part of the brain are functioning and organized.

“Many neuroscientists believe that autism reflects a ‘disconnection syndrome,’ by which distributed populations of neurons fail to communicate efficiently with one another,” says researcher Charles A. Nelson, PhD, research director of the Developmental Medicine Center at Children's Hospital Boston, in the release. “The current paper supports this hypothesis by suggesting that the brains of infants at high risk for developing autism exhibit different patterns of neural connectivity.”

More schools taking preventative steps to deal with teen suicides

From the Chicago Tribune:

The paper handed to each freshman at Oak Lawn Community High School recently was filled with blunt and uncomfortable questions. Had they lost interest in everything? Did they feel they weren't as smart or good-looking as most other people? Were they thinking about killing themselves?

A squad of counselors stood by to interview those who, based on their answers, might have been struggling with depression or contemplating suicide. By the end of the day, more than 50 teenagers had come to see them.

Not long ago, some educators say, teen suicide was enveloped in silence, a subject too perilous to discuss. But candor has begun to gain strength in area high schools, where a new state law is promoting prevention training for teachers and staff. Some are going further, screening their students for signs of trouble or bringing in consultants for specialized instruction.

"It's like CPR," said Stephanie Weber of Batavia-based Suicide Prevention Services. "You don't take it hoping to save a life. You take it just in case you're faced with the opportunity."

While it's not clear that these initiatives affect suicide rates, some experts say they fight the negative feelings that can lead the vulnerable to desperate acts.

"Most of those who suffer from serious suicidal (thoughts) do not seek help from mental health professionals, and one of the major reasons is stigma," said Philip Rodgers, who evaluates programs for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. "By decreasing that stigma, we feel that those who are at risk might be more likely to seek help."

For all the community trauma a teen suicide can produce, it is an exceedingly uncommon act. In Illinois, state figures show that about 1 in 17,000 teens of high school age takes his or her own life, a rate that has remained constant over the last decade.

The rarity of completed suicides makes it difficult to figure out how to stop them, Rodgers said. But about 1 in 16 high school students in 2009 reported that they had made an attempt, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and some approaches have been shown to reduce the risk factors leading to that step.

Winnetka-based Erika's Lighthouse, formed in memory of a girl who took her life at 14, focuses on teen depression, a mental illness closely tied to suicide. The group has offered a program at 54 middle schools from Antioch to Chicago that aims to help students spot and respond to signs of the illness.

"The number of kids who are going to take their lives is so tiny compared to the number of kids who are struggling with depression," said Executive Director Peggy Kubert. "This helps them realize this (should not be) part of normal teenage development. It gives them a vocabulary to talk about depression, and to know where to go for help or to get help for others."

The group offers instruction to school officials, too, a service that is seeing new demand. Last year, Illinois passed a law encouraging teachers and school staff to update their training on suicide prevention when they are recertified.

One key is making them aware that depression and suicidal thoughts are far more common than people believe, said Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, who co-sponsored the measure after a publicized cluster of suicides captured his attention.

Some schools touched by suicide in recent years have responded with a barrage of programs. Barrington High School, which over the last three years endured the self-inflicted deaths of five students and two staffers, started a community group focused on mental health, updated its health curriculum with the help of Johns Hopkins University and engaged medical researchers to evaluate its efforts.

At St. Charles School District 303, which suffered its own spate of suicides, officials put hotline numbers on the back of student IDs and started a Facebook page for mental health awareness. The district also advocated an open discussion of suicide.

"There were some people who felt that if you talk about it, you might motivate students or put the thought in students' minds," said John Knewitz, the district's assistant superintendent for student services. "The more we studied it, we came to the realization that that was not the case. It was something that needed to be talked about openly."

A sabbatical, not a student's suicide, prompted Oak Lawn Community High School's expansive program. Social worker Carol Gustafson used the break to research the delivery of mental health services, hoping to have help at the ready when a crisis emerged.

Three years ago, the school took it a step further, screening all freshmen for signs of depression or suicidal thinking. In late January, 270 students filled out a short questionnaire in their health classes, and a fifth of them were referred to counselors for follow-up interviews.

About half of those teens were offered free in-school therapy or referrals to outside counselors, Gustafson said. She added that the screenings almost always result in at least one student being hospitalized for a psychiatric emergency.

Parents are kept informed throughout, she said, and although they can excuse their children from the screening, only a handful do.

"I think it's an absolutely wonderful idea," said parent Maria Vanderwarren, who has one child at Oak Lawn and another about to enter. "You're showing the child that you care. If they can write (their problems) down, they know that there's someone there that can help them."

A day after the evaluation, Ariel Mindel of Mental Health America of Illinois, a Chicago-based advocacy group, gave the teens a presentation to help them recognize the hallmarks of a coming suicide attempt, from social withdrawal to a burst of inexplicable happiness.

The students listened attentively, but later some said the program had been unsettling, particularly the screening form. One boy said its questions were intrusive and "not really anyone's business."

Others saw it differently.

"If you don't ask," said 15-year-old Ashley Leidecker, "you're not going to get an answer."

Federal judge orders disaster plan for Los Angeles disabled people

From The Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES — The city of Los Angeles discriminates against disabled people because it lacks specific plans to meet their needs in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency, a federal court ruled Feb. 11, the first such decision in the country.

"Because of the city's failure to address their unique needs, individuals with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to harm in the event of an emergency or disaster," U.S. District Court Judge Consuelo Marshall said.

Marshall ordered the city to meet with the plaintiffs, Audrey Harthorn, a Los Angeles resident who uses a wheelchair, and Communities Actively Living Independent and Free, a Los Angeles nonprofit independent living center, in the next three weeks to come up with a disaster plan for disabled people.

City attorney's office spokeswoman Cindy Shin said the office has not had a chance to fully review the decision and had no immediate comment.

The class-action lawsuit was filed in 2009, spurred by events during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in New Orleans, when many disabled people were abandoned and left stranded during evacuations because of a lack of disability planning.

Advocates for disabled people said they hoped the ruling in Los Angeles would cause other cities to examine disaster preparedness policies.

"This is society's moral duty to people with disabilities," said Lilibeth Navarro, executive director of Communities Actively Living Independent and Free.

The lawsuit noted that Los Angeles is particularly vulnerable to disasters, including earthquakes, wildfires and possibly terrorist attacks. The city has some 800,000 disabled residents out of a population of about 4 million, according to the Disability Rights Legal Center in Los Angeles.

A disability disaster plan would include provisions for transportation and evacuation assistance, and wheelchair-accessible emergency shelters equipped with electricity for people on life-saving machines, refrigeration for medicines, and commonly used medications, said Shawna L. Parks, director of the disability rights center.

"These will be life and death issues for thousands of people with disabilities in the event of a major disaster," she said.

At National Theatre of Scotland, new production "Girl X" tackles ethics of Ashley X disability case

Kirstin Innes of The List talks to Robert Softley, one half of the team behind the National Theatre of Scotland’s hard-hitting new play "Girl X":

About four years ago, performer and disability rights activist Robert Softley came to the National Theatre of Scotland with an unusual proposition. He’d been following the case of Ashley X, a pre-pubescent disabled girl in the US whose parents filed an injunction to halt her puberty, removing her womb and breasts and effectively preserving her in a child-like state. Softley had also been participating in intense online debates surrounding the case, and knew he wanted to develop the ideas somehow. However, he had concerns.

‘It’s funny, because I actually thought it would make a very, very bad play,’ he says. ‘It’s such an emotive subject: it could easily become weepy and overblown as a piece of theatre. So I went to the National Theatre of Scotland and said, look, I’ve got this idea, but I’m really worried that it could go horribly wrong. And that’s why I’m thankful that they teamed me up with Pol.’

Pol is of course Belgian director Pol Heyvaert, best known to Scottish audiences as the man behind 2007’s brutal, unflinching Aalst, in which the testimonies of a couple accused of murdering their children were put forth for public scrutiny. Softley and Heyvaert have been involved in an NTS-supported collaboration almost since that production finished. The resulting piece, Girl X, an innovative, confrontational and entirely un-weepy interaction with those issues, begins a Scottish tour this month.

‘Aalst was also about a potentially emotive subject, and I really responded to the way Pol veered right away from anything hysterical,’ says Softley. ‘He pared it right back to debate, deliberately didn’t go for the big sob story. With Girl X, we’ve gone some very interesting places. My original idea was to focus tightly on the issues, but Pol was interested in the whole idea of political correctness and how that can stifle debate. He’s not scared to do things that I don’t know we’d ever think of in the UK. He questions more.’

In its final form, Girl X will feature Softley onstage with a ‘choir’ of 16 other perfomers representing society and society’s views. However, audience members expecting to sit back and relax should probably prepare themselves.

‘The choir and the audience basically become one: the audience will be very involved in the discussion,’ Softley says. ‘On the surface, we’ve made a play about a young disabled girl, but really, this is about society.’ The sort of society which, very recently, ruled that a 41 year old disabled man known only as ‘Alan’ should be banned from having gay sex? ‘Yes. Ashley X was a catalyst, but I hope we’ve made something that could apply to Alan’s case; to any number of cases. That ruling was made because he didn’t ‘properly understand the consequences’ -- well, that could apply to about 80% of everyone’s actions at any given time, couldn’t it? There’s this expectation that, when it comes to disabled people, they have to be protected. From themselves. And I hope Girl X is asking these questions. It’s actually about looking at what we as a western society have become, and asking ourselves - are we alright with that?’