Around the Web…

Some stories to start the week with:

• No more nuggets! Fun ways to deal with picky eaters — Health.com
• What to do when your kids don’t sleep — lilSugar
• Are this year’s hottest holiday items — Zhu Zhu Pets — unsafe? — CNN
• Autism vs. Asperger Syndrome: Signs your child might have either — Breezy Mama
• What to buy for the pregnant women in your life this season — INO Mommy

Comments

Lauren on December 7th, 2009

Thanks for the link to the Asperger’s vs. Autism article. I know two young women who are very bright academically-one is in the top 10% of her grade in college-yet they are completely unable to read the emotions of others and empathize with other peoples’ feelings. They have no sense of how their words and actions offend other people, and their social skills in general are severely handicapped. I’m convinced they have varying degrees of Asperger’s, but until they get help themselves-which I don’t see happening anytime soon-there’s little I can do. I also agree with the author’s outlook on Jenny McCarthy and vaccines. She has done such a continuous disservice to the autism community that harsh as Amanda Peet’s opinion last summer may have sounded, more people like her are needed to combat McCarthy’s widespread ridiculousness.

More Lies on December 7th, 2009

Actually, there aren’t great studies on ALL vaccines and whether or not they cause or contribute to autism. They have only studied the MMR. Does that mean I think vaccines cause autism? They have not proven it either way, and frankly, I doubt they will ever study it. Only the drug companies have the money to do such studies, and they are certainly not motivated to lose those profits.

“While prescription drug sales are forecast to rise by a third in five years, vaccine sales should double, from $19 billion last year to $39 billion in 2013, according to market research firm Kalorama Information. That’s five times the $8 billion in vaccine sales in 2004.”

marfmom on December 7th, 2009

It’s not really Aspergers vs autism…Aspergers is on the autism spectrum; it’s a form of autism. And Lauren, not sure I really understand your comment about your coworkers. Why do you feel that they need to change anything? My husband has Aspergers and a lot of people with Aspergers don’t think they need “fixed” at all.