Dear Noah:

something must have changed in your environment or level of stress as you have resorted to twirling your hair on the top of your head again to the point of knots and pulling it out or breaking it off. We have started school and I know this makes you a bit anxious but with it being HOMESCHOOL I did not think I would get this response from you.

In preschool years you pulled and twirled your hair so much that you resembled a monk ...having no hair on the top of your head at all....only around the front and sides. We started to find and make use of other things you could do with your hands in place of twisting/pulling your hair. We gave you all sorts of stretchy pully things...and finally found elastic headbands worked the best. You could twirl them and pull them and yank on them....etc. We called them your "twirlies".

You have not required them for a long time now...but I can see where I am going to have to go to the store and pick up some more. I did unpack all your sensory stuff yesterday that includes some stretchy squishy things.....but those do not have the same effect for you as the twirlies do.

So anyway......I want to nip this in the bud if I can.....I would not want things to progress ever to trichotillomania......though I suppose there may be some connection regardless? I hope it is simply hair pulling because of stress. Not that it changes the outcome any. You also went through a period where you bit your nails down to the quick! We finally got you off that too, again by inserting something ELSE for you to chew on or "fidget" with.

I will also need to continue to make our environment as stressfree as possible.

Last night you felt bad. You said your head really hurt.....you were dizzy.....could not stand up....I needed to carry you....you cried and cried. For you to complain about anything I KNOW it had to be bad. I gave you some medicine to take for SINUS issues as I felt it was probably like what I have been having lately. You laid down in your bed with a warm washcloth on your head. For you to even lie still I KNOW you did not feel well. You went to bed eagerly....

I do hope today is a better day for you and you slept well. I love you

mommy {{{{{{{HUGS AND KISSES}}}}}}}}}}

Dear Noah:

You must have been super tired this morning cause you slept in very late. Almost 9:30 a.m. I started to worry something had happened to you. I even walked into your room to see if you were "still breathing" like I used to when you were a baby. You looked so peaceful and content.

This of course got me to thinking about what if something happened to you. What I would do.......you are the biggest portion of my world. EVERYTHING I say and do revolves around you. I cannot imagine you not ever being here.

And this led to me contemplating what one would do in a national emergency/disaster of sorts. You know....the "lost on a deserted island" drill.

I cannot imagine what I would do about you for food. I mean while you certainly eat a few MORE foods now......you basically eat the same things over and over and most are processed.......or have to be prepped and fixed in SPECIFIC ways or you will NOT eat it. AND this is extreme.......I know it has to do with your autism but more with your sensory integration disorder issues. Would you slowly starve? Would there be a BK somewhere around a sandy corner?



How would you live without your:



WHAT would you eat? you do not eat fresh fruits or veggies now.....likely the only thing on an island to eat other than perhaps fish. Would you eventually get so hungry you would be willing to eat anything? EVERYONE says this is true now but I know it is not in your case. You would starve to death before you would eat certain foods you cannot tolerate. I know this does not make sense to anyone else but it does to me. I see it firsthand. I KNOW how you can be. BUT it is not like I could whip out a skillet and fry you up some Tyson chicken tenders and have an oven to put in your Ore-Ida golden crinkle fries!

AND what would you do without your M&Ms?



Or Pillsbury Super Deluxe chocolate chip and Hershey kiss cookies? Your Juicy Juice apple juice. Your pizza!!!!!

I imagine you would be strong......refusing all......growing weaker and weaker.....crying......and starve to death in front of me unless I could convince you to TRY a TASTE of something you did not want to. Like a REAL banana...something I still cannot get you to do here at home. THE ONLY bananas you will eat are Gerber Stage 3 banana baby food.

What does anyone with special needs do during times like that? What about people on life support or who require electricity to LIVE.. I guess they lose their life literally if the power goes out and they have no back up plan in place?

I realize how dependent we really are on certain things in our society.... and that is a bit scary for me...someone who does not like depending on anyone else or anything else much if I can keep from it.

I could go on and on. Is all this worrying and wondering normal? I have done this since you were a baby. Will it ever end? I know the answer to that already. No...highly unlikely. You do surprise me from time to time....

I can only hope and pray nothing like that will ever happen. I do try to travel with extra snacks you like now in case we get stuck somewhere. I know that time we got stuck in a bad snowstorm in a hotel.....we thankfully had a kitchen and some food I had brought to cook for you. WHAT would we have done for you for FOOD if we did not? The vending machine was limited and the supply was going quickly as no one could get in or out! How long can you live on M&Ms alone?

okay....now my head hurts and I have bawled thinking about you not being here. When you finally DID get up this morning I was soooooo happy you were okay and still alive and my little boy ready to have a great day! I am so thankful for you. I will love you till the end of time...and knowing me......I will still find a way to keep on loving you even after that!

mommy :X

Dear Noah: spooning

we were lying on your new bed....and you were telling me how much you loved me lying in bed beside you. You then assumed the "spooning" position and said "we're spooning".

Then you asked about "knifing". I said maybe knifing was when two people would lie on their backs straight side by side.

SO you turned to me then and asked "what about forking?" and I lost it....hahaha

out of the mouths of babes.

i love you my little man :X

Dear Noah: supper

So......you decided you wanted Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for your supper. You will ONLY eat KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese. I did have some so I made you some. However...the consistency of the pasta has to be just so-so perfect each time or you will not eat it. It cannot be too over-cooked...it cannot be under-cooked....it cannot be made with different margarine........it cannot be too hot....

You do NOT chew it so I do not understand what difference it makes if the noodles are a bit shredded and split apart after stirring them around...but to you IT DOES!

Tonight for some reason the pasta noodles split apart some when I stirred in the cheese......

you were horrified. You somehow convinced yourself that you would GAG on these if you ate them......and they would make you puke. Well...perhaps you did not really convince yourself of this. I am sure it has a lot to do with your sensory integration disorder. I KNOW full well different textures bother you. I was upset though. I get tired of trying to be perfect with cooking the same old stuff for you that is not the best choices of things for you to eat to begin with.. only for you to not eat it...and want something else. It is exhausting.

SO I made you sit and eat it.....to continue to try to. Something I do not normally do. I did inform you that if you did not eat your supper to not ask for a snack or dessert cause you would NOT get any. You were crying...gagging at each small mouthful. I even tried feeding the stuff to you....only picking out the big whole noodles. You only had maybe 5-6 bites. You were done. I said to go wash up......and I began packing up the entire box of mac and cheese you did not eat.

MOST times you would eat the ENTIRE BOX at ONE sitting. NOW I KNOW what will happen. YOU WILL REFUSE to eat mac and cheese now for a long time. It will be one of the many foods you inform me that you "no longer eat" or "I will eat that when I am 30".

stressed.........exhausted...and my left kidney hurts......but I love you :X

Dear Noah:

So I should have known. We finally got some furniture!!! YEAH for that. However...I had my queen-sized sleigh bed headboard still propped on the hallway wall till I set it up....but this was apparently partially blocking the nightlight in the hall. WHICH normally shines into your room partway which you like as your room is very dark and even though you have a dimmer nightlight in there...it is difficult to see enough I guess during the night to make you feel secure and comfortable. SO I had gone to bed and was talking to someone on the phone and I realized my bedroom door was now open and I knew I had closed it 45 minutes prior. I asked if you were in the room. I heard a faint "yes". You had apparently been standing outside my door......for some reason again not wanting to come over and say anything to me. Tap me on the arm...or just even announce you needed something.

This has been an ongoing problem for you. When you need something trying to get you to VERBALIZE you need something, especially in the early morning if I am still asleep or like last night......when I am in bed but talking on the phone. You will get up...but you never let anyone know you ARE up or that you need something. You have never been one to wake me up during the night if needed. I remember walking into my mom and dad's bedroom at night if I needed something and tapping my mom's arm.....and calling out "mom". You don't do that. You come into my room......and beside me in the bed...but you just stand there. Eventually I guess something in the environment for me changes and I wake up and there you stand. We are working on this.....trying to make you realize you have to OPEN up your mouth and TELL someone you are there and need something.

Last night the fact that your room was too dark bothered you. I should have known to just FIX that to begin with cause you were on your perpetual cycle of anxiety about it.....and could not get past it to fall asleep. I got up and moved the headboard out of the way......and you were happy again and soon fell asleep.

MOST people do not understand how obssessed you can become over things....let alone when something is NOT right in your environment or around you. They would all just be better off realizing that you are more sensitive to things than they are....and to just MAKE it right and you will be fine. No amount of convincing you the light is fine.....your room is fine....it is not too dark...etc. will change how you feel. You will still obssess about it till it is rectified.

For some reason I temporarily forgot that last night. I guess cause sometimes now I CAN successfully get you to accept some things as being "OKAY" when to you in the past they would never have been considered acceptable.

We are a work in progress.

i love you

mommy :X

Dear Noah: what if I am dead and cannot see my traffic lights or my body?

Yep..that is the question you asked me today. You were playing with your legos making them into traffic lights...and came running into the office with a worried look on your face asking "mommy....what if I am dead and cannot see my traffic lights anymore or my body...what would I do?"

I promptly told you "well maybe you would be too busy seeing other things you want to see...like Jesus or angels or other things...or who knows...maybe you COULD see your traffic lights and your body....traffic lights mean so much to you and that would be your perfect heaven now." I told you that nobody really knows for sure what happens to you after you die......and that you really did not need to worry about it as you were only 7 years old. BUT you would go on.

You asked me "but what if I get too old and cannot live anymore and die?" "what will I do then?" Again I said you did not really need to worry about it all that much right now as you were after all only 7 (thinking to myself I pray nothing ever happens to you before you do get old). I told you that you would live to be very very old and for a long time and you had a LONG way to go before ever having to worry about such things. You got a bit teary eyed......but seemed to calm down a bit.

The things you come up with to worry about. ALL ties in with your autism and sensory integration but even MORE so your generalized anxiety disorder...which to be honest I did not give much thought before. However, recently I have seen an increase in the number of things you truly WORRY about....are anxious about.....OVER the top anxious.

So.....we are working on calming techniques every day. Ways you can calm yourself down and CHILL out when you are stressing about things. This is actually a good thing for both of us!

i love you my little man......here's to a VERY LONG and prosperous BIG life you will have!

mommy :X

teeth

well I am still very concerned about your teeth. ALL your permanent teeth to date have come in before any of your baby teeth fell out. Right now both top teeth are trying to come in over the tops of the other front top teeth. The old baby teeth look horrible...are moving DOWNWARD farther each day and I KNOW are loose.....but not loose enough to come out. Meanwhile your new teeth are almost like buck teeth.......and I know that cannot be good. I keep on you to push those loose teeth more with your fingers....so we can get them out....so your new permanent teeth will come down and have more room to fall into their proper positions. I HOPE they do that. I worry too much time will have gone by. The bottom front teeth did the same thing but came in BEHIND the bottom front teeth. EVENTUALLY your baby teeth did come out and the new teeth moved up into their proper positions. Now you have a side tooth on the bottom also coming in behind the baby teeth.

Needless to say this makes your mouth extremely tender and sore. VERY difficult to brush those front teeth....so they are really full of crud! I know we can scrub the stuff off...but trying to get you to hold still so I can help scrub them when you have sore gums and bleeding areas and loose teeth is almost impossible. I have tried using a Q-tip with some toothpaste on it. I want to try dipping some in hydrogen peroxide and washing the teeth with that hoping and praying this will BUBBLE some of that crud off.

I wish it were as simple as making an appointment and you go to the dentist and no fears,...no sensitivities...no funny smells and sounds to bother you....no weird tastes or textures.....

I know if I make an appointment it will have to be someone who has worked with these issues before. This will likely mean a trip to the Children's Medical Center's Dentistry Department if possible. I imagine they will have to knock you out to work in your mouth.......ALL traumatic for you....all exhausting for us both. It causes huge anxiety for me just to even think about it.

BUT I cannot let it go much longer. It has been months since the teeth started like this. While they are moving down and becoming more loose....they are in the way.

sigh.................

i love you noah......forever i will.

mommy :X

Dear Noah:

You informed me today that you were going to build yourself a 3-story house....in Toledo, Ohio.......so you could be closer to ALL SORTS of traffic lights...you could easily cross the border to Michigan and see their traffic lights...stay in Ohio and see those traffic lights....and cross on into Canada and see those.

yeah...still all about traffic lights with you.

love you so...

mommy

Dear Noah: you love my butt and boobies

yep. You can't seem to keep your hands off either. I am working on teaching you about PRIVATE parts and how you cannot just go around touching and jiggling other people's private parts!

When I asked you what exactly you loved about my boobies you said because they were all squishy and jiggly and I guess you liked to make them jiggle even more. Not sure why you love my butt too I was not going to even go there!

You have been caught doing the same jiggling of boobies with your grandma C and your aunties.

I found a good book at the library that will hopefully help you realize what is and is not appropriate touching.

Dear Noah:

The other night you asked me how you were supposed to go to sleep when all you could do was think about traffic lights! Yes...that is one of your newest obsessions. ALL kinds of traffic lights. You want Santa to bring you traffic lights for Christmas. You want an entire "collection" of traffic lights you said to turn on and off and put in the yard. You want to make a traffic light "garden". EVERYTHING you see and do is connected back to traffic lights. You draw them...study them online.....observe them when we go out. You are the only person (child or adult) I know of who KNOWS all about traffic lights not only around the area we live but in other countries all over the entire world! You have studied and learned so much. You can tell me who has what type of traffic light. You know the history of the traffic light. It is mind blowing what you know!

You can do the same thing with major highways and interstates and roadways. YOU LOVE them. You love your Atlas. Well..you have MANY! You love them all. I can ask you "is there an interstate 77?" and you can tell me exactly WHERE the interstate is and where it goes to and from. You know about the interstates in Canada and the United States. Now you are studying the interstates in the UK. You cannot get enough. You draw roadways. You draw interstates. You draw ROAD SIGNS...ANOTHER favorite thing. You love it all. You know all the states...you know the capitals....you know the continents and oceans and cities and states in other countries. You are simply amazing. You cannot get enough. Your brain rarely seems to "rest". You have a hard time "turning any of this off". You were a bit disturbed by the fact that you could NOT get any of these things out of your mind to go to sleep. You felt you had to keep looking at the traffic lights online.....you never want to stop.

SO I said "well you have to find a way to let it all go for the night so you can sleep". I suggested you just say "goodnite" to the traffic lights each night online and say you will see them tomorrow. You can let them have a rest, the computer have a rest and YOU can rest. You can go to sleep knowing they are still there but resting...and you have given yourself permission to sleep and take a break. You can say to yourself "I will think about them tomorrow but for now I am going to think about nothing"....and fall asleep.

I heard you later that night...telling the traffic lights "goodnite"......"see you tomorrow". I asked you the next day if you were able to get the traffic lights out of your mind long enough to "not think" about anything and get some sleep. You said "yes mommy".

when I asked what you wanted to do right after you woke up you said "oh I think I will look at some traffic lights" .....

I guess your little mind stays busy all the time. It is probably overheating constantly. No wonder other things can bother you so easily.

I love you my little man. Mommy will have to have a talk with Santa about those traffic lights!

Vaccines for kids now mercury-free in California

Vaccines For Kids Now Mercury-Free in California

One encephalitis strain is only exception as new law takes effect.

By Dorsey Griffith for the Sacramento Bee

Vaccines containing a mercury-based preservative are now largely off-limits to children under 3 and pregnant women in California.

The only exception to the new state law, which took effect on Saturday, is the vaccine against Japanese encephalitis virus, a deadly mosquito-borne illness endemic to certain parts of Asia.

The new law, by Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, was aimed at reducing the risk of neurodevelopmental problems such as autism, which many parents believe can be traced to exposure to thimerosal, long used as a preservative in many vaccines.

Several large federal studies have shown no link between childhood vaccines and autism, but additional research is continuing.

The U.S. Public Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1999 began to advocate the elimination of thimerosal from vaccines because some infants who received them were exposed to mercury at levels that exceeded Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.

Except for trace amounts, which are allowable under the new law, thimerosal has been removed from childhood vaccines.

The flu vaccine had been an exception. But concerns about its safety re-emerged in 2004, after the federal government recommended that babies between 6 months and 2 years be added to the list of those who should get annual flu shots.

Aventis Pasteur, the company that manufactures the lion's share of flu vaccine, has increased the supplies of its thimerosal-free version in response to demand.

"Based on what we know, we anticipate there will be an adequate supply of thimerosal-free flu vaccine for pregnant women and children under 3,"
said Department of Health Services spokesman Ken August.

The state has ordered 684,480 doses of flu vaccine to be distributed to counties for the upcoming season. The total includes 50,000 doses of thimerosal-free vaccine for children ages 1-3 and 15,000 doses for pregnant women. In addition, the state ordered 10,000 doses of FluMist, also thimerosal-free, for use in healthy people ages 5-49.

Aventis had opposed the Pavley bill, citing in a statement concerns that the ban could "undermine public confidence in immunization and ultimately deprive children of access to needed influenza vaccine."

In response to industry worries and related concerns cited by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the legislation ultimately was amended to give the industry more time to stock up on thimerosal-free flu vaccine.

The new law also allows for exceptions when no other alternatives are available or during public health emergencies.

August said Kim Belshé, health and human services secretary, issued an exception for the Japanese encephalitis virus vaccine: "Given the absence of a mercury-free vaccine against Japanese encephalitis virus and because the risks of fatal disease or brain injury far exceed any risk of mercury in the vaccine, the secretary is exercising her authority and temporarily exempting the vaccine from the provision of the law for a 12-month period."

About 50,000 cases of the disease are reported annually in Asia. There is no cure, and up to 25 percent of those infected die from the disease.

August said that California distributes about 32,000 doses of the three-dose vaccine annually. Last year, 19,000 went to the military and the rest to people traveling to certain parts of Asia. It is unknown how many of those doses went to very young children or pregnant women.

Different genes may cause autism in Boys and girls

Different Genes May Cause Autism In Boys And Girls

"Other genes may play a role in the early onset form of the developmental disorder and in the recently verified regression, or late onset, type of autism."

By the University of Washington

Cause of Autism Like detectives trying to solve a murder case, researchers searching for the biological cause of autism have come up with some surprising suspects.

They have found that different genes may be responsible for causing autism in boys than in girls.

In addition, the researchers also have discovered that other genes may play a role in the early onset form of the developmental disorder and in the recently verified regression, or late onset, type of autism, according to a new study published today in the online edition of the journal Molecular Genetics.

The study also provides new evidence for the idea that multiple genes contribute to autism, said lead author Gerard Schellenberg, a researcher at the Puget Sound Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a research professor of medicine at the University of Washington. The research team was headed by Schellenberg, Ellen Wijsman, a UW research professor of medical genetics and Geraldine Dawson, director of the UW's Autism Center.

"It is highly unlikely that there is only one gene responsible for autism," said Schellenberg. "There may be four to six major genes and 20 to 30 others that might contribute to autism to a lesser degree.

"If an individual only gets three high-risk variants of these genes, it could mean a less-severe form of autism. And because autism is rarer in females, it may take more risk genes for a female to have autism. There also is the possibility that there might be a biological difference in autism for females versus males," he said.
"What is meaningful is that we have found evidence for two genetic subtypes of autism, male versus female and early versus late onset," added Geraldine Dawson, a professor of psychology. "This is a critical piece of information. With Alzheimer's disease research, one big breakthrough was segregating the late and early onset forms of the disease, and this led to important genetic discoveries."

Schellenberg said the study came up with "strong support" for an autism gene on chromosome 7 and "less, but still compelling evidence" for genes on chromosomes 3, 4 and 11. These results confirm some data from previous studies, particularly involving chromosome 7.

The search for autism genes is part of a long-term Autism Center effort to uncover the genetic and neurobiological causes of autism. To find regions of the human genome that contain autism genes, the researchers scanned the DNA of 169 families that had at least two siblings who met the strict criteria for autism. They also scanned the DNA of another 54 families that, in addition to having individuals with strictly defined autism, also included members who had less severe forms of the disorder, such as Asperger syndrome.

"We have been working almost 10 years to get to this point," said Schellenberg. "If we can find and confirm that a particular gene is involved in autism the field will explode. We have to find a gene so that molecular biology can be defined and we can understand what's inside autism. Until that happens, we are dancing on the outside."

Dawson said the researchers are looking for autism susceptibility genes, ones that heighten the risk of an individual getting autism, just as there are genes that raise the chances of getting breast cancer.

"Once we discover these susceptibility genes, we can immediately screen infants to identify those at risk early in life. Early identification can lead to early intervention, which could have a much more dramatic effect.

"Also, when a gene is discovered, you discover the underlying biology of autism at the molecular level. Once you understand the biology you can develop a prevention strategy including medical approaches. Genetic research is a good strategy for eventually designing effective medical treatments for autism," she said.

Epidemic of Autism - just some facts

The Epidemic of Autism

The epidemic of autism, Aspergers, PDD-NOS, ADHD, ADD, learning disabilities, food allergies, juvenile onset diabetes, and asthma exactly parallels the increase in ethlymercury administered through Thimerosal-containing vaccines beginning in 1990 and 1991. Between 1992-2002, the Department of Education estimates that there has been a 714% increase in the number of autistic children. In the 1970s, autism was estimated to occur in 1 in 25,000 children. Between 1970 and 1990, that number increased to about 1 in 2,500. Today, the CDC acknowledges the number is about 1 in 166, even Eli Lilly says it's 1 in 150, and many believe it is closer to 1 in 125. 1 in 68 families in the United States now has an autistic child. The epidemic appears to have begun right around the time of the 246% increase in the amount of Thimerosal children received through vaccines.

Asperger's, PDD-NOS, ADHD, ADD, and many learning disabilities have all exploded in numbers as well and all exactly during this same time period. Here is a quote from Dr. Mark Geier, a world-renowned geneticist:

"This is from the Department of Education Data. In the middle 1970s the estimate of autism rate was 1 in 25,000. In the 80s it was 1 in 2,500. In the 90s it was about 1 in 250. Currently the estimate in the United States is about 1 in 150 and incidentally, that estimate is by Eli Lilly who makes thimerosal. This is an enormous rise. It's a meteoric rise, but worse than that, it's not limited to autism. Reading disorders are up 30 fold. Speech disorders are up - currently 1 in 8 children in the United States are in special education. You have to be six years old to be in special education so, we're all shaking to see what the next figure will be for the next 6 years and we already have some early indicators. It's going to come out between 1 in 6 and 1 in 5."

Autism study finds father's age a factor

Autism study finds father's age a factor
No similar effect seen with mother

By Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times | September 5, 2006

LOS ANGELES -- Men over 40 are nearly six times as likely to father an autistic child as those under the age of 30, according to a new study that provides support for the role of genetics in the development of the disabling mental disorder.

At least two previous small studies have hinted at such a link, said epidemiologist Abraham Reichenberg of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, who led the new study.

His team examined records of more than 318,000 Israelis born in the 1980s and provides ``the first convincing evidence" that advancing paternal age is an important risk factor for development of the disorder, he said.

In a surprising discovery, the team also found that the gender ratio of the afflicted changes as the father ages. Typically, about six times as many boys as girls develop the disorder. When the fathers are over 40, however, the ratio is 1 to 1.

``That might suggest that there are different mechanisms contributing to autism in males than in females, or that the mechanism changes for older fathers," Reichenberg said.

Like earlier studies, the new one, reported yesterday in the Archives of General Psychiatry, found no significant effect associated with increasing maternal age.

Autism is a severe developmental disorder in which children seem isolated from the world around them. There is a broad spectrum of symptoms, marked by poor language skills and an inability to handle social relations. No cure exists, but many problems can be alleviated with intensive behavioral therapy.

A recent government study found that the disorder now strikes about 1 in every 175 children, up substantially from the incidence of about 1 in 1,000 observed two decades ago. Although some of the increase is due to better diagnosis of autism, researchers are at a loss to explain the bulk of the increase.

Many researchers now believe that genetics plays a role in the onset of autism, said Dr. Fred Volkmar of Yale University, who was not involved in the study. So far, however, it has not been possible to implicate specific genes. Reichenberg's results could provide useful clues, he noted.

A growing number of congenital disorders have already been linked to older fathers, including Apert syndrome, syndactyly, cleft lip, and decreased intellectual capacity. Reichenberg's group also recently identified a higher risk of schizophrenia among offspring of older men.

The team studied all children born in Israel during six consecutive years in the 1980s. They linked birth records to those of the Israeli draft board, which assesses mental and physical health of most Israelis at age 17. The primary exception is orthodox Jewish women -- about 25 percent of the Israeli total -- who are exempt from the draft.

The data contained the ages of the mother and father at the time of conception for 132,271 teens and data on only the father's age for an additional 186,235. Similar results were found with both groups.

Those whose fathers were between ages 30 and 39 at birth were 64 percent more likely to be autistic than those whose fathers were 29 or younger.

Those whose fathers were 40 to 49 were 5.65 times as likely to be autistic.

Those whose fathers were over the age of 50 were 9.39 times as likely to be autistic, but that figure was not statistically significant because there was only one case of autism among the 190 teens.

The team considered several possible explanations for the findings, including spontaneous mutations in sperm-producing cells and alterations in genetic ``imprinting," which controls the genes that are activated during development.

Reichenberg said the team is now beginning trials to look for such gene changes in older men and their offspring.

They are also replicating the study in other populations. He did not expect to find different results, however, because a recent Israeli study showed that the incidence of autism in that country is the same as in the United States.

Dear Noah

so cute...you came in yesterday morning.....woke me up saying......"mommy...I have great news....this tooth is about ready to fall out!"

I am so thankful. Right now your front teeth look a mess! Your bottom front teeth came in before the baby teeth fell out. FINALLY those fell out and the bottom front new teeth moved into their proper positions. Then you lost a bottom side tooth by the bottom front teeth. Then your front top teeth started coming in also again before your baby teeth fell out. Right now the old teeth are working their way down and out and becoming loose because those new front teeth need the space. I have been asking you to sit and WIGGLE them with your fingers when you are sitting around. SOMETHING...anything. They have to come out as right now your new front teeth are almost like bucked teeth.....not in the proper position at all!

PLUS this makes keeping those front teeth clean extremely difficult...as they are tender...your gums are tender and sore.....so it bothers you to brush around those loose teeth...and the old teeth and the new bottom teeth look pretty cruddy!

I am hoping and praying all the loose ones come out soon so we can start cleaning and brushing properly again!

Beautiful weather the past few days. We went to visit your grandma C. on Saturday night and your aunt Angela, uncle Gary and cousin Alex last night. She fixed a good meal for us all and we had a great visit. Always do there.

Today is Labor day and even though it is a holiday you did so some school work with daddy online. SO that is good. You did accomplish some speech therapy and social studies. AND some spelling. Reading you have done today. I want to start a giant review of last year this week to see what all you have remembered from last year before we go forward.

We have a hummingbird feeder outside the back kitchen window. What a treat to see the little guy fly up several times a day to drink the sweet nectar.

Well......I have so much to do. I love you....you are SOOOOOOO into traffic lights and pedestrian lights right now. You said you wanted Santa to bring you an ENTIRE COLLECTION of traffic lights for Christmas.

later gator!

:X