Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Linkin' Thinkin'

Quotables Of The NOW:

When invited to go to a Roman Catholic church service, sexpot Maye West is remarked to have said to a priest passing with a decanter, "honey, I love your dress, but your purse is on fire."

Observation Of The NOW:

Katie Holmes is apparently trying to teach Suri Cruise about Scientology with a baby doll. Let's watch!







Oh, but she is a cute little devil-spawn, isn't she?

Linkage Of The NOW:


Okay, what color-blind, arthritic Navajo woman dresses the Gossip Girl cast? I've already dug into Chuck Bass' ascot phase (it looked better on Freddy from Scooby-Doo), but I have to tell you, Chuck, orange and pink don't match! (Just Jared)

Personally, I think Pete Wentz is picking-up the bill for the prenatal messages for Asslee to take the heat of him getting his own... ehmm... "massages." (Popcrunch)

Is Michael Phelps a douchebag? See, I'm not the only one who can be critical. At least now I'm not getting bashed by soccer moms with developing drinking problems. (Best Week Ever)

Gawker delivers another shitty (literally) story about an NBC intern. (Gawker)

Jennie Garth
says it's not that bad working with Shannen Doherty -she could be working with the Red Chinese, or North Korea. When will Kim Jong-Il get his own series? (Celebitchy)

American Apparel makes "Afrikan" clothing for urban hipsters. It's okay to look black in LA, as long as you aren't actually black. (Jossip)

Forlorn Phelps phan wonders, 'is it still gay if I do it with the greatest Olympian of all time?' (PopSugar)

The Yeti look is all the rage, just ask Alanis Morissette. She oughta know! (Gravy and Biscuits)

Rant Of The NOW:

I don't bring it up much, folks, but I'm autistic. There are very few resources to help adults with autism. The overall impression of most Americans is that mental disabilities are grown out of by the end of childhood and this couldn't be further from the truth. In actuality, autism is basically a difference in the brain's neural structure - this is why people without autism are referred to as neurotypical - and one can never grow out of it. There are both those that suffer from high-functioning and low-functioning autism. Low-functioning autistics typically have IQs less than 70. High-functioning autistics and those with disorders in the autistic spectrum (i.e., Asperger's - which is the syndrome with which I was diagnosed) can go years, even their entire lifetimes either being misdiagnosed, or just considered odd outsiders. It can be difficult for a high-functioning autistic or Aspie to hold a job, form social relationships, or even live on their own. I guess the point I am getting at is that our society needs to be more understanding and offer more services to those with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).

2 comments:

Liz Ditz said...

Hi, sorry, this is a bit of a topic hi-jack, but I thought you'd like to know.

Please publicize to autism parents: government agency seeking public input

Please feel free to forward this to any person you think would be interested.

More information at

http://neurodiversity.com/weblog/article/171/

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On September 15, 2008, members of the Services Subcommittee will meet to review all public comments submitted to date, and will present these comments at the next meeting of the full Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, which is scheduled for November 21, 2008. Members of the public are invited to participate in the September 15 Services Subcommittee meeting by conference call; for more information, please consult the public notice posted on the U.S. Government Printing Office website.

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Request for Information: Priorities for the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Services Subcommittee for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Notice Number: NOT-MH-08-016
Key Dates:

Release Date: August 11, 2008
Response Date: September 19, 2008
Issued by: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Description

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to seek input from Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) stakeholders including individuals with ASD and their families, autism advocates, State officials, scientists, health professionals, therapists, educators, and the public at large about what they consider to be high-priority issues and concerns surrounding services and supports for children, youth, and adults with ASD.
Background

The Combating Autism Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-416) re-established the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) and, among other duties, requires that the IACC develop a strategic plan for ASD research. The IACC includes both members who are active in the area of ASD research funding, services, or advocacy, including several members who have family members with ASD, and one member with ASD. In March of 2008 the IACC established the Services Subcommittee, to assess and improve services and supports for people with ASD and their families. A previous IACC developed an ASD Services Roadmap, which is available on the IACC Website above. This RFI is a next step to obtain updated information about present and future services and supports to individuals with ASD, and their families across the lifespan.
Information Requested

The IACC is interested in receiving your input and ideas about high-priority questions and issues surrounding services and supports to people with ASD of all ages, and specific research initiatives on ASD services and supports. For example, information is sought in the following areas that impact services and supports across the lifespan: education services, health and medical services (including dental), housing, transitions, employment, community inclusion, safety, older adults, finances, guardianship, and estate planning.
Responses

Please send responses to iaccservices@mail.nih.gov no later than September 19, 2008. Please limit your response to one page and mark with this RFI identifier, NOT-MH-08-016, in the subject line. The responses received through this RFI will be collated, summarized, and provided to the IACC Services Subcommittee and the public. Any proprietary information should be so marked. The collected information will be analyzed and may appear in reports. Although the IACC Services Subcommittee will try to protect against the release of identifying information there is no guarantee of confidentiality.

A summary of the results obtained from the responses to this RFI will be available to the public on the IACC Website.
Inquiries

Inquiries regarding this notice may be directed to:

Azik Schwechter, Ph.D.
Office of Autism Research Coordination
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8203, MSC 9669
Bethesda, MD 20892-9669
Telephone: (301) 443-7613
FAX: (301) 480-4415
Email: schwechtera@mailnih.gov

Liz Ditz said...

Sorry, I pasted too soon without proofreading. I should have said: "please publicize to the other people with autism you know".

Most of the blogs dealing with autism are written by parents of young children with autism.

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Services Subcommittee for Autism Spectrum Disorders really needs to hear from people with autism.

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