Nathan's Glow in the Dark Dinosaur

     On Monday, Nathan and other students from his elementary school were rewarded with a field trip to the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman, OK. Nathan and the other students had met the Accelerated Reader (AR) Goal and earned a partial day away from the school, the chance to tour a great museum, enjoy a picnic lunch and play at a park! Don't forget about getting a round trip ride on the legendary yellow school bus that all of the kids enjoy. I was able to be a part of the excitement by accompanying Nathan, leading him and three other great students plus take some pictures of the outing. This picture below has Nathan's older brother already asking us to take the whole family! And he wants to be able to get something cool like the glow in the dark dinosaur like his brother, Nathan!!

     It has been four years since Nathan was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, one of the Autism Spectrum Disorders. This field trip wouldn't have been a success for Nathan if he had not received special education services through his school for the last four years. He used to not be able to go out in public without hitting himself and screaming at the top of his lungs. Now, Nathan can go anywhere, walk around like any other child and talk to most anyone without them knowing that he has Autism. We are so proud of what Nathan has been able to accomplish which is why I want to draw your attention to this important petition that I recently signed. The proposed changes to the DSM-V stand to rob autistic children of the therapies and services that they already receive. Please read, sign and share to advocate!


"Petition against changes to Autism Spectrum Diagnostic Criteria"
This petition is against the proposed changes to the DSM-V, which would eliminate high functioning ASD patients (PDD-NOS, Aspberger's and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder) from the Autism Spectrum. More than 3/4 of high-functioning autistics would no longer be considered autistic, placing their access to social and school services in jeopardy. Changing the name of their diagnosis from ASD to another name does not make them any less autistic. Basic formative differences exist in all autistic children's brains - including enlarged white matter growth in the first year of life leading to a large cranial size in infancy; reduced brain stem size and function, and confused neural connections, which lead to sensory and social difficulties. These formative differences exist in patients with PDD-NOS and Aspberger's as well. Changing a name will merely shift the tide, rather than stopping the epidemic, and it shifts focus from the real problem - and that is the root cause of autism, which must be addressed.

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UNTIL SUCH TIME AS CAUSALITY AND DIAGNOSTICS CAN BE MORE PRECISE, WE 
THE SIGNEES ASK YOU TO HOLD OFF ON MAKING CHANGES TO THE DSM-V. WHEN DIAGNOSTICS ARE MORE PRECISE, AND YOU CAN DEFINITIVELY DIAGNOSE AUTISM
AND RELATED DISORDERS, WE ASK FOR A GRACE PERIOD ON GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS AND INSURANCE POLICY OF NO LESS THAN 5 YEARS THAT WOULD 
ALLOW ASD PATIENTS TO CONTINUE GETTING THE THERAPIES THAT THEY NEED.


I really think this is an important cause, and I'd like to encourage you to add your signature, too. It's free and takes just a few seconds of your time. Please sign the petition below and be sure to share with everyone you know!