Articles
1. Premier Council - Interview with Karen Leigh Simmons
2. Inspiration: Autism- By Jennifer Kummins

Opinions
1. Poll- Is the Ring Finger Connected to Autism- Results

Creative
1. Story- Billy's Haircut- By Kathy Vigil
2. The Art of Daniel Muller

Conferences and Special Events
1. Conference- 2nd Annual Keys To The Treasure Chest Conference

Autism Q & A
1. Questions and Answers dealing with autism- Karen Leigh Simmons

Books, Videos and Other Resources
1. New Resources now available through Exceptional Resources

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Article 1. Premier's Council- Interview with Karen Simmons Sicoli

1) a. How did you get into all this...the company, the website, etc.?

Hi Cliff, I suppose I could write another book about how I got into this. It began in 1994 after my fourth child, Jonny, was diagnosed with autism. To make a long story short, I decided to write a book to help my son and others like him understand what is commonly known as "the invisible disability". "Little Rainman", written through Jonathan's eyes, has been sort of an "operations manual" to help teachers, siblings, peers and even Jonny along the way of his autism path by helping them recognize the early warning signs of autism. Published six months after completion, "Little Rainman" has sold over 10,000 copies worldwide. I have included my bio for further detail in answer to your question number six.

To see more of this interview, visit http://www.autismtoday.com/?01
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Article 2. Inspiration: Autism- By Jennifer Kummins
If somebody asked me to describe the landscape of Heaven, I couldn't, but I know it's beautiful. If anybody came to me and probed "Jennifer, how wide do an angel's wings span?" I'd shrug my shoulders, but I'd close my eyes to think about it. Many parents come to me with a question that is equally mysterious, one with no easy, tangible answer: "What is inside my autistic child's mind?" Of course, I couldn't possibly begin to answer their question without spending a good deal of personal time with their child. Each child is so very unique. Usually, instead of traveling that route, instead of talking about the mind of autism, the biology of autism, the mask that is autism, I talk to them about something that is much more tangible, more vivid, more real: the heart of autism. After all, one autistic child's heart is as heavenly as every angel combined, don't you agree?
To see the full article, visit http://www.autismtoday.com/?01
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Opinion Poll
According to an article published by Alanna Mitchell of the Globe & Mail on April 28, 2001, a research study conducted by J.T. Manning, a biologist at the University of Liverpool and the renowned autism specialist, Simon Baron-Cohen of the University of Cambridge, explored a potential link between the ring finger and autism, and found one.

"It turns out that the longer the ring finger is, compared with the index finger, the greater the likelihood of autism or Asperger's syndrome, a developmental disorder similar to autism but less severe.
The study is based on a small sample size of autistics in England, but the results are dramatic. Eventually, the authors say, the length of the ring finger may prove to be a marker for the disorders.
The testosterone link is this: The length of the fingers is determined early in gestation, certainly by the 14th week. During that time, testosterone is one of the major agents of change in the amniotic fluid, though not the only one".

According to our opinion poll posted on autism today, 95% of people who voted believe that there is no link between the ring finger and autism and 5% believe that there is a link.

To voice your opinion, please visit http://www.autismtoday.com/?01 and vote!

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Creative
1. Visit our website at http://www.autismtoday.com/?01 to see the art of Daniel Muller.
2. Story- Billy's Haircut- By Kathy Vigil
Billy is autistic and he is my godson. He is a child I would never change to normal for anything in the world. As a family I think we have stopped looking for a cure and have come to accept Billy for who he is and we only search to understand him instead of fix him. When secretin first came out we were very excited as a family and looked in to it and what it might be able to do to help Billy. It was experimental at the time and would have cost a lot of money and wasn't something we were willing to try. We never really talked about it again. My sister has two children Brianna 11 and Billy 9 she is good mother but a busy one. I just graduated from college and have a lot of time on my hands and have been reading everything there is to read about autism because no one in our family has the time. Billy is already nine years old and I feel that time is slipping away from us. I am not searching to cure him I am only searching for ways to deal with him and his behavior. Billy is a pretty big boy and will probably grow to be maybe 6ft tall. He is only nine and he beats my sister or his sister up every once in awhile. She is able to control him to an extent. I am afraid for the day when she can't and he gets the best of her or me since he is close to me. He sometimes pinches or hits you when he gets upset. My sister has scars on her arms from his scratches. What I fear the most is the day that we can no longer control him. I have read a lot of notes from parents of autistic children who have said that the aggressiveness gets worse as they get in their teens and that they hope that it is just puberty and it will pass.
It recently took for 5 grown men to give Billy a buzz haircut. It was ultimate chaos that day. It was what he feared the most the clippers. There was about 10 of us one morning at my mothers house we told Billy he was going to get a hair cut. He yells "NO HAIRCUT" and then says "OK, OK CALM DOWN CALM DOWN". We got him to sit in the chair on his own but when the Buzzer started going he started to run. We held his legs, arms and head down. All While he was spitting, trying to kick them and he even used his toe nails to dig into the skin of those who were holding his legs down. I chose not to help because it was too painful to me to see him screaming and to see the tears stream down is red little face. I wanted to cry. At first I tried to help comfort him but he just looked at me like Auntie Kathy why aren't you helping me. It took about two hours to finish. They let him go once because he was to strong he had a Mohawk only half his head finished as he ran to put his hat on. We told him we had to finish all of us yelling at him to get back in the chair, and then the struggle began again. We did finish but that experience haunted me.
I got on the Internet and began to search as to why he was so scared of getting a haircut. When I came across an article written by Temple Grandin on the senses and how certain sounds for her were torture and how when her mother used to wash her hair and after her scalp would hurt her. I learned that many autistic children's senses are heightened perhaps even 5 times more than our own. Sight, touch and hearing. It all made sense to me I went into the bathroom and turned on the clippers and put them next to my ear to listen not a real pretty sound for my ears to hear. Perhaps Billy heard it differently than we did and the feeling against his scalp may have been overwhelming and even painful for him. That is why he does not like haircuts not because he was disobeying us or acting like a little spoiled brat by not wanting to do as he was told.
My older brother is a caring person and I know he loves Billy. But he tends to yell a lot and his voice is very harsh and mean sounding. After the haircut was finished everyone was yelling at Billy telling him to take a shower to rinse the hair off. He threw himself on the floor banging his head. I yelled at my brother and everyone else (and I never yell) to leave him alone for awhile that he has been traumatized enough. What it must have been like for him all ten of us yelling at him to do this and to do that. It was sensory overload for him he was angry frustrated and hurt. I printed the article out and made everyone of my family members read it. It touched them all and my Dad thought that we should even let him grow his hair long and wear a ponytail. My yelling older brother even agreed after reading the article who is often the one who says you can't let him get away with things he is spoiled and gets what he wants. That may be true sometimes but I want to tell him don't you see its not that he is "spoiled" he is autistic. I knew that his sensitivities might have been why he was acting the way he did but I never knew how much. I noticed other things that bother him. Like when the dogs bark he tells them to stop and makes them come in the house. Sometimes he likes to lick things, and he smells and touches my hair quite frequently.
The reason I wanted to share this story was because I wanted to encourage other families to educate themselves and other family members on autism. Because other people may act like they understand autism but they really don't all they see is a child misbehaving or a child who doesn't listen. They don't see or understand the world of autism any more than we do. The only people who know what it like to be autistic is autistic people themselves. People like Temple Grandin who can tell us now as adults what it was like as a child. They are able to tell us now because they have learned how to express themselves as adults or teenagers. I have learned the most about autism from people who are autistic. I am sorry Billy is autistic and will always be. No diet, medication or miracle therapy will ever change that. After that haircut was over I told him how handsome and nice he looked. He came over to me looked at me grabbed my arms still mad and scratched me and I said, "what did I do?" Of course he couldn't tell me. It was his way of telling me you didn't help me. Well I am going to try my best to help him now I will do my best to understand him and the world he lives in.

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Conferences and Special Events
Exceptional Resources Inc. will be holding their 2nd Annual conference on Autism and Aspergers Syndrome called Keys To The Treasure Chest- X Marks the Spot. The conference will be held in Edmonton, Alberta Canada and will feature Catherine Faherty and Paul MCGaffey as Keynote speakers.

To find out more, visit http://www.autismconferences.com/featuredconf.shtml/?01

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Autism Q & A
Questions and Answers dealing with autism- Karen Leigh Simmons, Author of "Little Rainman"
1. Subject: Problems of a 3 year old
Question - Hello, I have a 3 year old son who is autistic. Whenever he goes out of the house, he looks very uncomfortable and there is a blank expression on his face, he becomes stiff and refuses to even turn his head. He doesn't smile or talk outside the house. Of late he keeps his mouth slightly open with his face muscles (especially near the mouth) very stiff. Any amount of my trying to put his lips together doesn't help. He looks lifeless and passively follows our instructions without any resistance. It looks as if he wants to shut off from the world around him. Is he frightened of the outside world? But the moment he steps into the house he becomes alright.
For the past 15 days he is speaking in whispers (even within the house). He rarely speaks or sings in his normal voice. The above two aspects are worrying me a lot. Can I do something to help him come out of this problem? Please suggest.
Thanks and regards
Vasanthi

Answer - Hi Vasanthi, Sounds like a sensory condition to me, especially with your comment about whispering. Perhaps he thinks he IS talking in a normal tone! As you are probably aware, most people with autism experience some type of sensory stimulation issues such as being either hypo or hyper sensitive to stimulation. This can be through sight, sound, touch, or taste. Maybe he is so overwhelmed with all the sounds (this is common) of the world and environment around him. Imagine him being a little mini-superman. If he could hear through all of the walls in all the buildings around him, just imagine all the overwhelming sounds he would hear in between. You could try earplugs and see how it goes.
Hope this helps.
2. Subject: Aspergers syndrome
Question - I have 3 children ages 4,3, &21mths. my son aged 4 has Aspergers syndrome. We are only new to researching jamies problem, however 1 particular question that mainly my husband is concerned about is the chance of probability that our next child if born a boy, would likely have this problem or similar. Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Tracy
Answer - There is concern that it is linked genetically but the chances are very slim. There is a Doctor (Dr. Peter Tsastmari) that is actually doing a study pertaining to families that have more than one child with autism who would probably be a better candidate to ask what the actual probability is. You may be able to find him through a search engine.
Hope this helps.
To see more Q & A, visit http://www.autismtoday.com/?01
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Books, Videos and Other Resources- New Resources now available through Exceptional Resources
A Place Within the Sphere - By Tanis Morran
" Images swirled by- horses, mirrors, stars, guitars, chocolate bars, water, bicycles, tigers, visitors from afar." What did Esmeralda really see when she gazed into the crystal sphere, to its absolute centrepoint? Was this what Savannah, the delightfully mysterious girl who has autism, saw when she seemed hypnotized by the glass ornaments on her tree? It all begins as young Esmeralda Mrky of Cowichan Lake finds herself concerned about how she compares to others and how she can avoid being lonely. She wants answers as time goes by.
$ 20.95 Canadian (appx $ 13.50 U.S.) Item: 3724-0039
Asperger's Syndrome and Adolescence- By Brenda Smith Myles
The middle school years, and particularly the transition to middle and high school, pose challenges for all students. But for students with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) the transition can be traumatic, leading to a downward emotional spiral and depression. In this comprehensive and thorough book, the authors start with an overview of those characteristics of AS that make adolescence particularly challenging and difficult. The centerpiece of the book is a detailed discussion of strategies and supports necessary to ensure a successful school experience for students with AS at the middle and secondary levels. What sets this book apart is the way it ties all the recommended strategies together in a real-life case study of Michael, a youth with AS. This touch of real life continues in the closing chapter, which consists of statements by parents and adolescents with Aspergers Syndrome about the transition years. This book is critical reading for everybody who lives or works with an adolescent with Asperger's Syndrome.
$ 39.95 Canadian (appx $ 23.95 U.S) Item: 3523-5138
To purchase any of these books visit http://www.exceptionalresources.com/?01