Autism Awarness Month

Hello All;

My wife wrote this letter to send out to family and friends - thought I would share it with you.
(don't worry, we aren't trying to sling anything - just using the power of the underground to raise awareness)

Peace




Hello everyone!

Here we are again. It's April which is Autism Awareness Month. I try to send out an email every year to help raise awareness and to update everyone on Jordan's progress. I hope this email finds you all happy and healthy! :o)

Jordan is close to the end of fourth grade and is doing very well! As most of you know, he is in a typical school, in a typical classroom with typical peers. He does have a one-to-one aide and has a modified curriculum but I'm happy to report that he received excellent grades, mostly A's and B's and nothing lower than a C+! The most exciting grade for us was the A he received in social skills! This is an area that is most difficult for a person with autism! He will tell you that he likes going to school and spending time with his friends. There are a great group of kids in Jordan's class this year and they really take an interest in him and work hard to include him in whatever they are doing. They cheer him on and assist him whenever he needs it. It's really very heartwarming to see!

Jordan is also making great strides in several areas such as eye contact, two-way conversation, and overcoming his anxiety more quickly in public situations. He has been to three concerts in the last year, gone to see the Lipizzaner Stallions, had a ride on an elephant and another on a camel. He went on a field trip last month with his class to Old Sturbridge Village which required a LONG bus ride and he did great with it (By the way, I didn't go on this one!! BIG step for me!) He also did a water skills field trip at the YMCA and loved it! Oh, and one more thing...he did his first oral presentation in school this year! How incredible is that for a child with autism?

As you can see, Jordan is making great strides and we will continue to do whatever we can to encourage that. He has expressed an interest in horseback riding as well as learning to play the guitar. He also enjoys being out on the soccer field where Mikayla plays and kicking the ball around. Speaking of Mikayla, Jordan also shows some typical big brother behavior when he torments his little sister but, he is still her hero!

Below are some facts about autism and a couple of links to find out more information. Thank you all for reading and please watch for another email that I will be sending out. It is one I have sent in previous years but I think it's an excellent story which really gets the point across of what it's like to live with autism and deserves to be repeated.

Thank you again and I hope you all have a wonderful summer!!

Be well,
Cathy, Glen, Jordan & Mikayla



Did you know…

* 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism
* 1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum
* 67 children are diagnosed per day
* A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
* More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
* Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
* Autism costs the nation over $90 billion per year, a figure expected to double in the next decade
* Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
* Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
* There is no medical detection or cure for autism


Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. The result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, autism and its associated behaviors have been estimated to occur in as many as 1 in 150 individuals.

Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than girls and knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries. Family income, lifestyle, and educational levels do not affect the chance of autism's occurrence.

People with autism may have difficulties with social interaction and communication, as well as sensitivities in the areas of sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. They also may show repeated body movements such as rocking or spinning, poor eye contact, and resistance to changes in routines.




LINKS TO AUTISM INFORMATION

http://www.autism-society.org

http://www.autism-society-nh.org/

http://autismspeaks.org

http://www.nationalautismassociation.org

http://www.unlockingautism.org

http://www.icare4autism.org/

Crisis? What Crisis?

Crisis? What Crisis? -

..also the title of a Supertramp album from 1975 - has a picture of a guy on the cover relaxing in the sun , with a big parasol blocking the sun from him. In the background there is a landscape of factories and refineries spewing toxic clouds of smoke into the air.


This is why I am writing this letter - the health care companies are the guy under the parasol and the general public lives amongst all of the factories and refineries.

So, how so you ask? Well, it is like this.

In the USA, it is almost a necessity to have health insurance. Well, it is a necessity if you need regular care. That would make up about 100% of the population. Especially if you have kids, or you are elderly. For my mother in law , who is 76 and a 4 time cancer survivor , it is either that she pays her premiums or she dies. Plain and simple. For my son and I , we pay the premiums (well, I do ), or I get fired (AGAIN!) and he cannot function. We both need medication just to function. He is mildly autistic , and had some ADHD so we treat him for that. I am probably autistic as well ( never been OFFICIALLY) tested and I do have a severe case of adult ADHD. It makes me cranky, short fused, lose patience easily, foul-mouthed and edgy. I take medicine, and I can control it MOST of the time. ( my wife may say otherwise).

So, what is the crisis you ask? Well, why do my health insurance premiums keep increasing, and my my coverage stay the same or actually decrease? See below:

NB: the below information is taken from http://www.nasdaq.com - 10 minutes of research and a little knowledge of finance, and voila! Look how much money they make! (oh the 'm' stands for millions , by the way!)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Aetna

Totals 2007 2006 2005
Revenue $27,599(m) $25,145(m) $22,491(m)
EPS 3.47 2.99 2.7
Dividends 0.08 0.08 0.04

Net Income Applicable to
Common Shareholders
2007 2006 2005
$1,831,000,000 $1,701,700,000 $1,634,500,000

Cigna

Totals 2007 2006 2005
Revenue $17,623(m) $16,547(m) $16,684(m)
EPS 3.87 3.427 4.173
Dividends 0.038 0.033 0.033

Net Income Applicable to
Common Shareholders
2007 2006 2005
$1,115,000,000 $1,155,000,000 $1,625,000,000



EPS serves as an indicator of a company's profitability.

A distribution of a portion of a company's earnings, decided by the board of directors,
to a class of its shareholders.
The dividend is most often quoted in terms of the dollar amount each share receives (dividends per share).
It can also be quoted in terms of a percent of the current market price, referred to as dividend yield.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay, so if you look carefully, Cigna ( big health care company) has decreased in income and Aetna has increased. I wanted to see a profit and loss statement ( basically shows how much profit a company has) but , hey, I couldn't get one. (Not available from this site - please contact company directly.) Gee. I would have had to go directly to the company for one. So, I can't expose their evil so easily ....

Some incomplete data here. Sorry!

However, if you look at the numbers, you can see that the company is generating a shit-load of capital. Cinga in 2007 $1.115 BILLION!! . Aetna in 2007 $1.831 BILLION!! Not bad for a company that's only real expense is paying doctors and hospitals.

So, we keep hearing on the news that there is a "..health care crisis in the USA..." Really? Maybe for you and I , since we have to dig a little deeper but not for the Cignas and Aetnas. So, wouldn't you think that if you pay more for something that you will get a better product? I would think so.

I guess we just have to think about all those poor, poor CIOs, CTOs, CFOs, and CEOs that only got a $1.5 million bonus last Christmas instead of the $2.0 million one that they got the previous year. Think about that next time you pick up your prescription at Walmart and your co-pay is now $10 instead of $5 for generic drugs. Just consider yourself lucky.

Peace

Autism and The Modern Day Routine

Hello All;

I wanted to talk a little about my son , Jordan:

Jordan was born on January 7, 1998 with some autistic tendencies. He is very high functioning but has trouble with decision making, some social skills and 'getting the point across'. Jordan is also 'mainstreamed' into the public school system with a full-time aide. He has many friends which meet him every morning when I drop him at school - girls and boys alike. All of them tell me about things that he does, and they all seem to adore him. So, enough of the like...onto my point:

A few weeks ago , his special ed teacher called me and wanted to know if he was going on the class field trip to Old Sturbridge Village (http://www.osv.org) . She wanted to know how he would do on a 1.5 hour bus ride. I told her that he loves to ride in the car as long as there is something to do.

I was all for it - my wife, was panicked. She was concerned that a child molester would attack him in the bathroom , so we were going to go. This would mean uprooting all of us and following the bus to Sturbridge MA. I want my son to learn some independence but I still baby him a little. I guess since I struggled so much as a kid, I tend to cushion him all the time. He wound up going with his class, like a typical kid, and he loved it!

Today he went to the 'Y' with his class for activity swimming - again we were concerned that Jordan would wander into danger. Not a chance! He loved being there with his friends and they all had a ball with him.

Oh, my wife just sent me an SMS message the he was the top earner for the school's Read-A-Thon ! Cool - he collected $300.00 (of course, we asked for him but he still did all the reading!)

So, now I am getting all verklempt! Talk amongst yourselves. "The radical reconstruction of the South after the Civil War was neither radical nor a reconstruction. Discuss."

Okay - I'm better now...so, I guess I need to stop treating Jordan like a baby and like a 10 year old boy. I think I finally realise that.

Peace.

Glen