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NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — Police in Florida went above and beyond by surprising a boy at his eighth birthday party after no one responded to his invites. News outlets report Daniel Nicastro’s parents say this wasn’t the first time no one has called to say they were coming to their son’s party in North Port. The Nicastros say making friends is difficult for Daniel, who has autism. So his parents decided to invite the police officers, who Daniel considers “superheroes,” to the party. They were hoping a few officers would show up, but instead, an assembly of officers arrived,...

The following is the testimony of Rita Kaplan, mother of the deceased Jesse Kaplan who took his own life in 2000 after he was forcibly neutered and sterilized by the state of California after being classified as a social undesirable with severe Asperger's syndrome. His mother spoke with Me several months ago by an Email correspondence about Jesse and what happened to him. The Kaplans live in San Jose. Rita still lives there. Jesse is survived by An older brother who lives in Las Vegas and Younger sister who lives in Visalia. My Name is Rita Kaplan. I want to share with...

A new study suggests a connection between the two A new study finds a correlation between the aerial spraying of pesticides to kill mosquitoes and an increased risk of developmental delays and autism among kids. In the new findings, presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2016 meeting, researchers looked at the rates of autism and developmental delays from eight zip codes in a region of New York that is exposed to yearly airplane pesticide spraying to prevent mosquito-borne disease like eastern equine encephalitis virus. They compared those to the rates in 16 zip codes where the pesticide spraying doesn’t happen....

Folks, let's be clear: Autism is almost-certainly not caused by vaccines. Let's remember the first rule of observational studies, which incidentally I was surprised to find a few years ago in my daughter's High School intro-to-stats class: Observational studies can only show correlation and correlation cannot prove causation. However, the absence of correlation is damn near bomb-proof evidence that the alleged cause you believe exists is false. Measles vaccination in the US began in 1963 following approval in 1962. Within five years near-complete compliance was obtained within the US. MMR, the combined vaccine that people like to blame autism on,...

The Catalyst for the documentary film, Vaxxed In 2013, Dr. William Thompson, senior epidemiologist at the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) stepped forward and confessed that the pivotal CDC study published in the journal of the American Association of Pediatrics, Pediatrics (2004), entitled “Age at first measles-mumps-rubella vaccination in children with autism and school-matched control subjects: a population-based study in metropolitan Atlanta,” was manipulated, its claimed findings fraudulent. This study has been used repeatedly by the CDC, to assure doctors and the public that the study provides scientific evidence disproving any connection between the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine...

Apple early this morning shared a new pair of videos on its YouTube channel highlighting the effect that technology has on those with special needs. As this month is Autism Acceptance Month, the video, called “Dillan’s Voice,” features a teenager named Dillan and shows how he uses Apple products to express his thoughts. Dillan is autistic and nonverbal but yet has very complex and powerful thoughts that he is able to express using his iPad with an augmented and alternative communication app. Dillan has been using his iPad to help communicate for around three years and the product has quickly become an...

During July 2008, nationally syndicated talk show host Michael Savage ignited a firestorm with his comments about autism, calling it "a fraud, a racket." In follow-up statements, Savage explained his views as being "meant to boldly awaken parents and children to the medical community's attempt to label too many children or adults as 'autistic.'" While Savage's language was blunt, his concerns over the gross over-diagnosis of autism are valid. Of course, the U.K. banned Savage from entry, in no small part because of his controversial views on autism, proving -- yet again -- that British governments, both Labour and Conservative...

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Harvard University researchers found that autistic behavior is associated with a breakdown in the signaling pathway used by a major inhibitory neurotransmitter called GABA. "This is the first time, in humans, that a neurotransmitter in the brain has been linked to autistic behavior. This theory -- that the GABA signaling pathway plays a role in autism -- has been shown in animal models, but until now we never had evidence for it actually causing autistic differences in humans," study leader Caroline Robertson said in a university news release. Robertson's team used brain imaging plus a visual test known to trigger...

The gang from "Sesame Street" is welcoming a new member to the neighborhood — Julia, a girl who has bright orange hair and big green eyes. She also has autism. Julia is the latest creation from the Sesame Workshop, and she offers children a relatable character they can understand, whether they're living with autism or know someone who is. On Wednesday, "Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children" was launched online, and Julia is just part of that educational and awareness initiative. "Children with autism are five times more likely to get bullied," Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, the senior...

Go to original link to watch a heartwarming video -- how one brother has stepped up to help autistic young adults find dignity. The Rising Tide Car Wash in Parkland, Florida, has a very unique set of employees that will provide you with a clean car you’ll feel great about. It is wonderful to see individuals with life long challenges find a meaningful way to participate in the everyday activities of life and get paid for it. If I had a car wash like this in my area I would definitely make it my go-to place for a clean car....

A blind austic 14-year-old singer with autism delivered the national anthem before the Cleveland Indians-Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park in Boston and received a roaring ovation from those in attendance.

In the past several weeks, a number of controversial natural health doctors have died under mysterious circumstances. Some of them have even had recent encounters with federal agents and bureaucracies.Two weeks ago, the string of mysterious deaths began when Dr. Jeff Bradstreet MD was found in a river with a gunshot wound to his chest. The police claim that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted and that the death was a suicide, however, Bradstreet’s family suspects foul play.Last week, members of the family set up a donation page “To find the answers to the many questions leading up to the death...

Originally posted on Coach is Right in April of 2010, the information contained in this piece is at least as chilling today. The St. Patrick’s Day festivities meant something much different for the couple in their 80s from Minneapolis than for the other revelers at the local American Legion Post on Florida’s Treasure Coast. Within days the couple would be returning home to a Minnesota suburb now changed forever by the huge influx of Somali immigrants whose behavior had forced them to move from their familiar neighborhood. “They are taught how to flush,” Marie (not her real name) said. She...

CHIMNEY ROCK, N.C. — Authorities say Dr. Jeff Bradstreet, who published research based on the medically disproved claim that vaccines cause autism, has been found dead in an apparent suicide in North Carolina. The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release issued this week that Bradstreet died of what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. Bradstreet, who was from Braselton, Georgia, was found in the Rocky Broad River in Chimney Rock on June 19. His body was found by a fisherman. The sheriff’s department said Tuesday that a handgun was also pulled from the...

When a doctor told Susan Levin her 4-year-old son, Ben, was autistic, she was shocked. It was October 2007, and autism wasn’t mentioned in the media nearly as much as it is today. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God. What are we going to do?’ ” Levin recalls. “Everyone knew autism was a lifelong disorder and couldn’t be cured.” Except that in Ben’s case, it could be. And it was.

In March, the federal government removed the latest vaccine injury court statistics—more than a year’s worth of data—from one of its publicly reported charts. It was an abrupt departure from the normal practice of updating the figures monthly. Wiping the latest data means the “adjudication” chart on a government website no longer reflects the recent, sharp rise in court victories for plaintiffs who claimed their children were seriously injured or killed by one or more vaccines. Since January of 2014, twice as many victims have won court decisions than the previous eight years combined.

In an interview... former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney contended that vaccines give children autism. Not only that, but she believes that it is knowingly being given to black children by the government despite the fact, she says, that they are more susceptible to getting it. "It’s reminiscent of eugenics," she explained. ...Citing a "whistleblower," Ms. McKinney explained, "The omitted data suggested," she said, "that African American males who received the MMR (that’s mumps, measles and rubella) vaccine before age 36 months were at increased risk for autism. Now, the risk was like 300 percent, I mean it was like, as he...

(CBSNews) — An Oregon family traveling with a 15-year old autistic girl was kicked off a flight this week for what the airline calls a “disruptive” situation. The family calls it an outrage. Video shot by a fellow passenger and posted to YouTube showed Salt Lake City airport police removing the family from a United Airlines flight last Tuesday, after the pilot made an emergency landing. The girl’s mother, Donna Beegle, was shocked when officers explained why. “He said, ‘Well, the captain doesn’t feel comfortable flying to Portland with your daughter on his flight,” Beegle told CBS News. The trouble...

FULL TITLE: 'It's fear of autism': Fellow passenger says she SUPPORTS plane decision to kick off little girl and family as United refuse to apologize and mother calls for action A controversial decision by a United Airlines pilot to make an emergency landing to remove a family because their autistic daughter was being 'disruptive' has received support from at least one passenger onboard. The airline has so far refused to apologise over the May 5 incident which saw Dr Donna Beegle, her husband, son and their 15-year-old daughter Juliette removed during an emergency stop in Salt Lake City as they...