Dear IACC,
I love hand-me-downs. My friends and acquaintances buy the best stuff for their kids. Our problem is we constantly need to re-shuffle by tossing clothes into the Give Away, Put Away, or Throw Away bags. They overflow. Action must be taken. Much maintenance is needed because the children have the nerve to keep changing and growing. Like it or not, I can’t place a brick on their heads to keep them from getting taller.
What I’m not loving, however, is the autism hand-me-downs coming out of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. Admittedly, it’s a huge undertaking to clean up the autism mess. The issues are lying everywhere all over this country.
From one housekeeper to another: how about getting some bigger, stronger, newer bags? And please don’t hand down your old rags, like the Efficacy of Applied Behavioral Analysis Anoraks or Early Intervention is Crucial Shmates. Most families have no place to wear them and they’re still naked. We could use some sturdy supports and services, in addition to wearable treatments to heal chronic conditions, traditionally accepted as just part of the thin and scratchy blanket of autism.
I don’t want you to think we’re not grateful for the environmental outerwear, either. But the ABV (Anything But Vaccines) Vests are really not quite what Congress told you to give.
Also, it’s just good manners to ask more people to whom you are giving the hand-me-downs, to be directly involved in the sorting and decision making in what to throw out and what to hang for immediate use.
We have no time in this epidemic to educate those who are supposed to be directing our research and putting a national plan into place for our loved ones. We need more direct autism community involvement. The children swept up by autism are growing older and so are we who currently care for them. More and more children are being identified as affected by this all-pervasive condition. As I realize you know all this, may I suggest a Makeover.
Thank you,
momof3au
Readers, here’s some information about a meeting tomorrow:
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) will be holding a Full Committee Meeting on Friday, December 11, 2009 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET. The meeting will be conducted via telephone conference call and webinar only.
The purpose of the IACC meeting is to continue discussing recommendations for the annual update of the IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research.
The meeting will be conducted and available to the public via a telephone conference call phone number and a webinar conducted using a web presentation tool on the Internet. Registration is not required. Members of the public who participate using the conference call phone number will be able to listen to the meeting, but will not be heard.
To access the conference call:
USA/Canada Phone Number: 888-455-2920
Access code: 9984461
To view the webinar:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/906979171
Individuals who participate using this service and who need special assistance, such as captioning of the conference call or other reasonable accommodations, should submit a request to the contact person listed above at least seven days prior to the meeting. If you experience any technical problems with the web presentation tool or conference call, please-mailIACCTechSupport@acclaroresearch.com.
The latest information about the meeting can be found at: http://www.iacc.hhs.gov/events/2009/full-committee-mtg-announcement-December11.shtml
You received this announcement because you attended a previous meeting of the IACC or joined the IACC mailing list. We apologize for duplicate notices. For more information on this meeting, or the IACC, please visit http://iacc.hhs.gov/
The IACC also can now be found on Twitter (www.twitter.com/IACC_Autism).
Tags: Alison Davis, Combating Autism Act of 2006, IACC, Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, momof3au Go back
It\’s a harsh and cold world and some children, about 1 in 91, have no shoes, some have never known anything but bare feet, and some have lost their shoes due to one reason or another. Parents will look down at these bare feet and beg, borrow and steal, some will fight heavyweights, taking a sure beating, risking their own well being for the slim chance at an opportunity to slip their child\’s (children\’s) feet into footing that makes their walk less eventful and more typical of the other 99 kids surrounding us.
I never thought of hand-me-downs until now. As a parent, a father of a shoeless child I have wanted nothing more than my son to have comfortably fitted shoes that protect him and encourage him to walk along the rocky roads all of us from time to time have to travel. The idea that shoes are limited to a particular style, say high heels, or size, may work for some but not all. I know if something doesn\’t fit just right my son will kick it off immediately and will be hesitant to try again.
I appreciate you encouraging us all to reject the old southern traditional upbringing that discourages us from looking a gift horse in the mouth. My son needs shoes, his feet are cut and swollen, calloused and cold, shoes too big or too small will not help, in fact may even cause more harm than good. And the idea that there isn\’t money, that one size fits all, causes our kids to be left behind, they can\’t keep up without the shoes, it\’s not possible. Sure, we can try, we can make do with what we have but we can also point to models and alternative ways to keep our kids on path with the rest of the world.
It\’s possible to put shoes on all of our children, new shoes, shoes that fit, shoes that will encourage them to do more, to walk, to keep up….. to run!
TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what there\’re all about. Isn\’t it what we\’re all about, or supposed to be?
http://www.tomsshoes.com/Our-Movement
Rock it out Fly Lady! The reality that the future is coming makes budget cuts…even deeper than most realize.
Amen sistah! Here\’s my letter to the IACC:
Dear IACC,
Resign and let someone who cares about \”Combating Autism\” take your place on your sham committee. I want solutions- prevention, treatment, and the dreaded c-word CURE. You had your shot at your ad-nauseum genetic research funding your good ole boys. It\’s not helping my kid, or my kids\’ kids for that matter. Our children are SICK and dying (see boy in Canada this week) while you continue to have meetings about having more meetings.
Tired of it in NC,
Kristine