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How to Make Homemade Baby Wipes

10/31/2013

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Baby wipes are expensive. And babies require a lot of diaper changes (some of which, take a half a dozen wet wipes to clean up after!) Most of the time, they're small so it takes several to get a job done. Sometimes they're too harsh for the face or even the bottom. A few ingredients and some good paper towel can help you make wipes that are customised for scent / skin sensitivity issues and can save you a lot of money as well. The wet wipes you can make from the directions in this hub are soft, smell great, save you money, and stay wet for a long time if left sealed.


Read on for a basic baby wipes recipe that you can customize and that you'll probably use until your baby is in kindergarten for wiping hands, faces, and bottoms.

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We Supply 100 % Bamboo Baby Wipes ... Click Here!

Baby Wipes Recipe
The ingredients you'll need for homemade wipes are:
  • Bounty Paper Towel
  • A container with a lid
  • A sharp knife
  • Hot water
  • Mixing bowl
  • Baby oil
  • Baby wash
  • Baby lotion
Prep the baby wipes
Use one measured cup of boiling (or very hot) water and add:
  • about an eighth of baby oil and the same amount of: 
  • your favourite baby lotion, 
  • and liquid baby soap/ baby wash
Mix well.
  1. Cut Bounty paper towel roll in 1/2 and remove cardboard roll from the centre.
  2. Insert paper towel roll into your container and pour the mixed liquid.
  3. Seal with a lid and leave about 24 hours (otherwise it's too oily and wipes will be too hot)
These baby wipes are great for frugal parenting. They're large and can be used on the face and hands and work great for cleaning your own hands after a diaper change.


 

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FAQ

8/11/2013

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Informing and educating our  Baby Shop customers is very important!  With the expansion of the green market and new products being advertised every day, we are bombarded with choices. We think you should know all the facts in order to make informed consumer decisions. If your question is not aswered below, please call us  email info@kindynews.com. 


You can also ask a question on our FACEBOOK wall and we will answer as soon as possible! 
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Questions:

Q: Is it really worth worrying about what ingredients are in your baby wipes and other baby products?

Q: What does “renewable and sustainable” mean?

Q: Is your packaging biodegradable and/or recyclable?

Q: Are your baby wipes flushable?

Q: Are your baby wipes and bathroom tissue a bio-based material?

Q: Are KindyNews Bamboo Wipes compostable?

Q: Are KindyNews Bamboo Liners and Wipes septic-safe?

Q: Do you test on animals?

Q: How do I find out where KindyNews' Bamboo products' trees are being planted?

Q: Will bamboo production put Panda bears at more risk?

Q: Why did you choose bamboo for your products?

Q: Why do you import your bathroom tissue from China?

Q: Do you have other ideas for bamboo products?

Q. What does KindyNews Eco Baby Shop do to be a “green business”?

Q: Does KindyNews want me to review the products?

Answers:


Q: Is it really worth worrying about what ingredients are in your baby wipes and other baby products?

A: Yes!. We support the reduction of harsh chemicals and preservatives in skin care. It is not only better for you and your family, but it is healthier for the earth. Whatever you put on skin is likely to be absorbed into the blood stream with the potential to cause damage over time. Whatever is thrown into the landfill or flushed down your toilet has the potential to accumulate and contaminate water supplies and oceans which can then become concentrated in the food chain.

Manufacturers have taken the easy way out for years by using cheap ingredients to turn a bigger profit and harsh preservatives to ensure a product’s shelf life throughout an increasingly growing supply chain. There is good news though: Consumers like you have been educating themselves and voting for safer and higher quality products with their dollars. The more consumers show their concern by buying safer and more natural products, the more common it will become to see ingredients lists with safer ingredients.

In our case, KindyNews Eco Baby Shop began after communicating with Moms who found a need in the market for safer baby products. When we set out to create them, we insisted that they be made with certain gentler ingredients.  We are fortunate to have found and work with suppliers that listened to our concerns and helped us create our vision.

Navigating the enormous terrain of chemical names is not easy for the average person.  Furthermore, just because you have trouble pronouncing an ingredient, does not mean it is dangerous. A Washington-based organization called Skin Deephas made it easy to calculate your risk of exposure to potentially harmful substances through the personal care products you use for yourself or your baby. Their rating system offers a means of quantifying the risks posed. KindyNews has voluntarily signed their Compact for Safe Cosmetics, and in doing so we have pledged to not only make our products safe, but to provide transparency to consumers. We also submitted laboratory testing results that show that our baby wipes do not contain dioxane 1, 4, formaldehyde, chlorine, or BPAs (bisphenol a). Check them out at: www.safecosmetics.org

Click here to read about some common ingredients you may see in skin care products that may be cause for concern. We recommend avoiding them and we choose never use them in our products, as we believe that there are many safe and natural alternatives. We also recommend that when we consider laboratory studies to always ask how a study was performed (did they use high quantities? Was it performed on an animal? In a petrie dish? Who was funding the study? How many studies have there been and what did they conclude?.

Q: What does “renewable and sustainable” mean?

A. Renewability refers to a plant that has a short regeneration period to full maturation, usually in stark contrast to the material they are replacing. Sustainability refers to resources being replenished at a fast enough rate at which they can be used for consumption. Bamboo is a quintessential renewable and sustainable plant due to the fact that it grows back so quickly and naturally. Furthermore, it is a regenerating plant, which means it does not have to be replanted. This saves on petrol-guzzling tractors.

Q: Is your packaging biodegradable and/or recyclable?

A: Unfortunately the packaging for the baby wipes is not currently biodegradable. In an effort to be as environmentally responsible as possible.

Q: Are your baby wipes flushable?

A: Most people are not aware, but there are currently no federal regulations regarding this marketing claim.  In the US, the INDA, the Association for Non Woven Fabrics Industry offers guidelines to determine flushability, but it seems that even the experts are conflicted as to whether any company should be advertising wet wipes as flushable. We have a strong opinion about flushability – We do not encourage anyone to flush anything that doesn’t start to break down like toilet paper in the bowl. Read our detailed opinion and research by clicking the link below.

More Flushability Info: Click Here

Q: Are your baby wipes and bathroom tissue a bio-based material?

A. Yes, these products are made from bio-based bamboo material. So far, we have certified our bamboo baby wipes in the USDA Bioprefered program. We will eventually complete the certification process for our bathroom tissue, as well. The USDA defines bio-based products as those whose main ingredients are from renewable plant, animal, marine, or forestry materials.  Get more info at  www.biopreferred.gov

Q: Are KindyNews Bamboo Wipes compostable?

A: Composting turns degradable materials into useable compost-humus-like material that enriches the soil and returns nutrients to the earth. KindyNews Bamboo Wipes have early on been deemed as compostable in industrial or municipal facilities as opposed to home composting units that do not generate high enough temperature to safely break down human waste. These claims were based on our independent results and by our customers who use well managed facilities with high temperatures.  However, the FTC recently set requirements for compostability certification testing that is a financial burden for many small business like ours. We will keep you updated on our progress with our certification tests. In the meantime, we cannot make claims that they are compostable at industrial or municipal facilities.


Q: Do you test on animals?

A: We have never, nor will we ever test on animals. Furthermore, all of our suppliers must provide documentation stating to the same.  We are certified by Leaping Bunny which is a program providing the best assurance that no new animal testing is used in any phase of product development by the company, its laboratories, or suppliers.

Q: How do I find out where KindyNews Bamboo products trees are being planted?

A: Currently KindyNews plants trees for each individual package of baby wipes, each individual diaper rash ointment, and for every 4 rolls of bathroom tissue sold. Our trees are being planted annually in a variety of locations where deforestation has had a major impact. We feel that regions that have suffered tremendous losses due to deforestation are the best place to start. To date we have planted over 47,000 trees in Brazil, Ghana, Burundi and Haiti. We have chosen to plant in these countries for two reasons: rainforest depletion is as high as 90% due to things like widespread logging in the past and overgrazing. And in Burundi, where 57% of children under 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition, we are planting Moringa, “the miracle tree” which boasts twice the calcium as milk and four times as much Vitamin A as in carrots.

If you would like to plant trees in other regions around the globe, please visit Trees for the Future to learn about their many programs.

Q: Will bamboo production put Panda bears at more risk?

A: NO. The species’ of plant used for processing fiber is a different variety than the ones Pandas consume. Its Latin name is Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens, but is commonly known as Moso bamboo. Deforestation, agricultural encroachment and road-building remain the biggest threats to Panda habitat.

Q: Why did you choose bamboo for your products?

A: Because it’s the best, environmentally-preferable solution for disposable products! We invite you to read our Bamboo page for detailed information about bamboo. Below are the highlights of why we chose it for our products:

  • Regenerated cellulose fiber made from bamboo is a bio-based material;
  • Bamboo is the fastest growing grass on the planet and can shoot up a yard or more a day making it an endurable natural resource. Bamboo is ready for harvesting in 2-4 years (as opposed to 30+ years for trees);
  • Bamboo does not require replanting after harvesting because of its vast root network;
  • Bamboo crops do not require significant amounts of water, in fact, rain water is usually sufficient for growth;
  • Bamboo generates 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees;
  • Replacing disposables with bamboo material can have a major effect on the rate of deforestation of hardwood forests;
  • Regenerated-cellulose fiber from bamboo is very soft.



Q: Why do you import your bathroom tissue from China?


A: When we launched the KindyNews EcoBaby Shop, with our first product (bamboo baby liners) there were no Australian suppliers actually willing to supply us with the low quantity we were able to purchase, so we started in China. It is our goal to eventually have our liners manufactured in the Australia. Until then, our products are supplied by a highly reputable manufacturer that complies with environmental standards and fair labour practices in China. 

Q: Do you have other ideas for bamboo products?

A: Yes, we do!  We are constantly researching the possibilities of additional products. Since our goal is to only make the very best, most natural products, we will  continue to develop our product line conscientiously. To learn about upcoming products, sign up for our email newsletter.

Q: Are the baby wipes and liners quality-controlled?

A: Our baby wipes and liners are made at FDA certified facilities where quality control is strictly maintained.  We have also had our baby wipes and bathroom tissue tested at an independent laboratory to demonstrate the absence of formaldehyde, dioxane 1, 4, chlorine, and Bisphenol A’s.

Q: What does KindyNews do to be a “green business”?

A: We try to make as many aspects of our company as environmentally-friendly as possible. Below are some of the ways that we have incorporated these ideals into our business model:

  • We plant trees with Trees for the Future for every individual item sold to help stop and reverse deforestation;
  • We offset 35 tons of carbon emissions annually by purchasing carbon credits through CarbonFund.org;
  • Two out of three of our manufacturing facilities are operating on 100% renewable energy;
  • We ship in recycled and/or reclaimed boxes whenever possible;
  • We reclaim paper and other office supplies to keep them out of the landfill;
  • We use environmentally-conscious office practices and supplies;
  • We maintain paper-free records as much as possible;
  • We carpool whenever possible;
  • We operate as much of the business as possible from home offices to reduce travel;
  • We make efforts to reclaim our packaging for alternative reuse;
  • We aim to educate consumers about environmentally-responsible options and choices;
  • Because of our efforts to protect the environment, we are very proud to have been certified as a B Corp. Please learn about B Corps  http://bcorporation.net/
          This is just a sample of some of our efforts. We are always open to new ideas on how we can improve.

Q: Does KindyNews EcoBaby Shop want me to review the products?

A: If you are interested in reviewing Bum Boosa® products on your blog or website or other venue, please complete the information form on the Contact Us tab. Unfortunately we are unable to honour all requests for product reviews. To improve the chances of approval, please show that you have a minimum of 1,000 active followers, are very active (and have a solid following) on social media sites, and are willing to link back to our site. Thank you for your interest in our products!


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Video Games May Help Dyslexic Kids: Study

3/5/2013

15 Comments

 
Playing action video games may improve reading in children with dyslexia, Italian researchers have found.

The small study, published online last week in Current Biology, involved two groups of 10 dyslexic children. One group played action video games for nine sessions of 80 minutes each, while the other followed the same routine with non-action games. The researchers bought the games in retail stores and have no financial interest in any video game company.

Age, I.Q., reading speed, error rates and phonological skills were similar in the two groups at the beginning of the study. The researchers measured the attention and reading skills of the children before and after the game sessions and then compared them.

Those trained on the action games scored significantly higher than those who played the nonaction games by various measures: combined speed and accuracy, recognizing pseudo-words made of random letters, and reaction time. The action game players also scored higher on tests that measured attention by inserting distractions as the children tried to accomplish various visual and auditory tasks.

“The correlation between attention improvement and reading improvement was very high,” said the co-first author of the study, Simone Gori, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Padua. “The change in attentional abilities translates into better reading ability.”

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A small study done in Italy is suggesting video games may help improve the reading skills of kids with dyslexia. What do you think?

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FIVE Good Reasons Why Sugary Drinks Should be BANNED!

2/7/2013

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Talk of a “sugar tax” in the US and New York's decision next month to ban sugary drinks in restaurants and theatres to young children has people  abuzz about whether it’s an American thing to financially punish people for drinking soda or not. I say go ahead and tax soda, and here are five good reasons why:

1. Soda is one more cause of the climate crisis. We have exported our carbon dioxide addiction all around the world. Just think of the costs in fuel to ship it—and the emissions produced. Maybe if we stop drinking so much of it, the appeal of American sodas will decline elsewhere. And at least in most other countries, the local soda is still made with real sugar!

2. Yeah, yeah, yeah…high-fructose corn syrup. HFCS is only cheaper than sugar because our government subsidizes the toxic, poisonous farming of corn in order to keep chemical companies (and maybe big tractor companies, too) in business. Plus, studies have shown that high-fructose corn syrup has mercury in it. So all those moms who think (incorrectly) that mercury in vaccines causes autism had better not be giving their kids soda!

3. Diet soda causes people to make poor decisions. According to a recent study, people who drink diet sodas think they are getting some energy, but their bodies still feel starved, so they kick into famine mode. Which basically means that the future doesn’t matter, all that matters is getting a next dose of fuel—hence, impulsive, short-term thinking. Amazing.

4. Soda isn’t really thirst quenching anyway. Did you ever really, really pay attention to how your mouth feels when you drink a soda? All that sugar kind of sucks out the liquids from your mouth and leaves a taste that is so icky you have to eat something to get rid of it. So not only are you getting empty calories from your drink, but you are urged to snack, too.


5. Fountain soda has fecal matter in it! It’s been a bad couple of weeks for soda in the news. Another study just this past week found that more than 40 percent of all fountain sodas have traces of fecal matter germs in them. It’s not in the ice, it’s in the soda itself. This was highly disappointing to me personally, since when I do have soda, I really like to have fountain soda with lots of ice in it to water it down and make it somewhat more thirst quenching. Now even that is off limits to me. I look at that cup of Coke with a lid and a straw and think, fecal matter? No thanks.

The only time I really bring soda into my house is when we are sick. There is nothing quite like a real coke or ginger ale to soothe an aching stomach. It’s medicine, really, and frankly, I think it should be treated as such. Think of all the plastic bottles, sugar, and toxic GMO corn we can keep out of the waste stream (and our bodies) if we stop drinking soda routinely.

Thirsty? Buy bottled water instead. YES, bottled water. It’s thirst quenching, has zero calories, and is damn good for you. Of course, you can fill your reusable water bottle with local tap water for free, instead of paying too much for water that’s been shipped and is probably municipal water anyway. And you should. But if you are at a gas station and need something to drink, pass over the soda and don’t feel guilty if a cold bottle of water hits the spot. (Just recycle that bottle.)

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Useful Websites for Mums and Dads

1/22/2013

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Here's a useful go-to list for your to help you navigate new parenthood! Please send us links to other interesting - and valuable - information sites which you would like to recommend to other parents. 
Nutrition Information - http://www.healthy-kids.com.au/nutrition

Boutique Baby and Children’s Markets - http://www.thebutterflytree.com.au/index.html

Behaviour Management Information - http://www.parentingideas.org/articles/discipline/101-tips-for-improving-childrens-behaviour/

National Childcare Accreditation Council - http://www.ncac.gov.au/

Safe Sleeping - http://www.sidsandkids.org/safe-sleeping/

Free Dental Services - http://www.health.qld.gov.au/oralhealth/services/school.asp

Gold Coast Immunisation Information - http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard2.aspx?PID=46

Kids Safe House - http://www.kidsafeqld.com.au/

Free Dental Health Services- http://www.health.qld.gov.au/oralhealth/services/school.asp

Dental Information - http://www.colgate.com/app/Kids-World/US/HomePage.cvsp

Staying Healthy In Childcare -http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/speced2/files/pages/chess/hsp/Pathways/Staying_healthy_in_child_c.pdf

Sun Safe Information -http://www.cancerqld.org.au/page/information_resources/resources_and_brochures/sunsmart_resources/

Sunshine Coast Parent Services -http://www.sunshinecoastcis.qld.gov.au/documents/Sunshine%20Families%202009.pdf

DEEWR For Early Childhood- http://www.deewr.gov.au/Earlychildhood/Pages/default.aspx

Office For Early Childhood Education And Care - http://education.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood/

My Child - http://www.mychild.gov.au/

Triple P - http://www1.triplep.net/

Karitane Parenting Services - http://www.karitane.com.au/

Social and Emotional Development Services - http://www.rainbowplanetconnection.com/

Parent Information - http://www.bubhub.com.au/index.php


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No Room for Babies at Childcare Centres!

1/22/2013

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CHILDCARE centres are scrapping places for babies, as working parents wait up to two years for day care.

Three in every four long-daycare centres in Australia's capital cities do not have vacancies for babies, a new survey has revealed.

And two-thirds do not have places left for toddlers.

In Perth, parents are having to wait up to two years for a place forcing them to quit their jobs, rely on grandparents, or hire expensive nannies or unqualified babysitters.

The Greens' survey of 231 private and community daycare centres nationally in the past week shows that vacancies for babies have fallen 10 per cent since 2010.

In Perth, 19 per cent of centres have a waiting list six to 12 months long. And in 13 per cent of the 23 centres surveyed, parents are waiting up to two years for a place.

"The Government needs to be doing far more to improve both the quality and availability of child care while also helping mums and dads cover the costs"

Perth parents are paying an average of $90 a day in childcare fees almost as much as in Melbourne ($96) and Sydney ($101).

The proportion of Perth centres with no vacancies for babies has jumped from half in 2010 to 61 per cent this year. And 58 per cent of Perth centres do not have vacancies for toddlers.

Australian Childcare Alliance president Gwynn Bridge said yesterday that parents were putting their unborn babies' names down on as many as 14 waiting lists at once.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said there was obviously a looming crisis in the sector.

"The Government needs to be doing far more to improve both the quality and availability of child care while also helping mums and dads cover the costs," she said.

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Australian Childcare Alliance president Gwynn Bridge said yesterday that parents were putting their unborn babies' names down on as many as 14 waiting lists at once.

"In Perth, parents are having to wait up to two years for a place forcing them to quit their jobs, rely on grandparents, or hire expensive nannies or unqualified babysitters"

This report by Channel Seven News: was published on Jun 3, 2012. Australian Unions called for a solution to Australia's child care crisis, with a new funding system to curb a sharp rise in fees.

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Real Time App Connects Kindies and Parents: And Cuts Down Paperwork! 

12/30/2012

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Daycare Communications has developed a smartphone App to keep you connected with your child, their teacher and your daycare centre managers.

All you need to do is to install DayCareComs on your smartphone and your child’s teacher will be able to push information to you in real time about sleep times, meal times, nappy changes and learning activities, as well as messages and photos. You can also post messages to your child’s teacher. After all, communication is at its most effective when it’s a two-way street.

DayCareComs has been developed to assist you in keeping compliant, competitive and communicating.

"Equipped with an iPad with DayCareComs installed, each teacher at your Kindy or Child Care Centre is able to record details of the daily activities undertaken by the children, pushing that information to your management team and parents in real time"

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It’s an innovative new App that does away with the need for time-consuming report writing. Equipped with an iPad with DayCareComs installed, each teacher in your Centre is able to record details of the daily activities undertaken by the children, pushing that information to your management team and parents in real time.

Parents with the DayCareComs App installed on their smartphone receive information about sleep times, meal times, nappy changes and learning activities as they happen, as well as messages, photos that reflect what is happening during their child’s day. It means no more communication books and will minimise the time your staff spend on end-of-day interactions with parents, leaving them to do what they do best, care for the children.

DayCareComs… it’s what parents want and it’s what you want too.
DayCareComs will be available for parents, kindies and childcare centres!

To register your  interest email   info@daycarecoms.com.au or phone 0407 214 211/0448058924.
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  • Make it quick and easy to log daily reports and meet your mandatory reporting requirements
  • Reduce paperwork – everyone knows that ‘going green’ has many benefits including saving the environment and saving your money
  • Give your teachers more time to interact with the children
  • Keep your parents happy because the lines of communication are open
  • Keep you competitive – be one of the first Centre’s in your area to adopt DayCareComs and watch your waiting list grow.
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Is there an Autism Epidemic?

11/6/2012

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Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disorder in the world, with the prevalence of diagnosis having increased by 600 per cent over the last 20 years, says Frank Viti, chief executive officer, Autism Speaks Canada 

In 1975, the prevalence number was 1 in 5,000; in 2001 it was 250; in 2012, the prevalence number has jumped to 1 in 88. As Bob Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks, was quoted as saying, “We have an epidemic on our hands. The costs are staggering and will continue to rise as prevalence continues to increase.”

In the U.S., autism costs society $126 billion per year, which has more than tripled since 2006. With the new prevalence number of 1 in 88, this will jump to $137 billion.

Although there are some positive signs that show an increase in awareness of autism spectrum disorders as well as better detection and reporting of autism, these positive signs come with a need for programs and services to assist those affected by autism. There is also a greater need for access to treatment as the prevalence numbers increase. With this extra awareness, detection and reporting comes an increased need for funding.
Accessibility is also a problem. There are long wait times for diagnosis, and then it is a struggle to secure the appropriate educational services and therapies such as speech, behaviour and occupational therapies that are important to the development of someone on the spectrum. There is also a greater need to make ABA and IBI therapies more accessible. Canada’s Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology reported that in 2007, families were paying more than $60,000 a year on autism therapy.

We all must keep in mind that autism is not something you grow out of. There are thousands of adolescents and adults living with autism and there are not enough resources to help them find housing and employment so that they can lead meaningful and fulfilling lives with the same opportunities that their typically developing peers have. In 2007, the Standing Senate Committee reported that there were more than 144,000 Canadian adults on the spectrum and 48,000 Canadian children. As these young children with autism grow up, they will contribute to the increasing number of the already underfunded and under-resourced adult population on the spectrum. Much more attention needs to be paid to developing programs and services that will help those adults on the spectrum now and to prepare for those who will enter adulthood on the spectrum down the road.

Autism places a tremendous financial and emotional burden that families must confront on a daily basis as they battle this disorder. They need resources to help lessen the constraints that they face in accessing diagnosis, treatment, programs, services and therapies. Costs need to be reduced and access increased, and until there is more substantial evidence that this is happening, autism will be an epidemic in our society.

Jonathan Weiss, Canadian chair in autism research, York University professor:

What a lot of people are saying is there are many reasons why those rates are higher than they were before. One of the major things we are realizing . . . is the complexity around this and that it really is a spectrum of difficulties. Before, we were looking for one specific type of person or look. Now we are seeing things much more broadly. So I think that awareness, better ability to diagnose, better measurement and better ability to track exactly what’s happening might be a lot of the things that are related to the newer numbers relative to older numbers.

When it comes to the cause of this, I’m not the best person to answer that because I’m not looking at the genetics or the environmental influences on the genetics of a very complex disorder.

Awareness, more ability to diagnose and better-trained professionals across Canada and in the U.S. are recognizing many of the people who before weren’t being recognized.

Stephen Scherer, Director, University of Toronto McLaughlin Centre and The Centre for Applied Genomics, Hospital for Sick Children:

The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has surveyed the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among 8-year-olds from up to 14 U.S. centres every two years since 2000. The most recent analysis pertains to the 2008 cohort, estimating overall prevalence as 1 in 88 children — almost double that of the original, 2000 cohort. So I suppose this substantial observed increase would indeed support the possibility of an autism epidemic, with the caveat that these data cannot distinguish the proportion of the increase attributable to changes in case ascertainment, as opposed to a true increase in ASD prevalence.

Our colleagues in Montreal, Drs. (Mayada) Elsabbagh and (Éric) Fombonne, undertook a comprehensive survey of epidemiological reports to catalogue the global prevalence of ASD and found that it is often under-recognized, particularly in the developing world. Variation in prevalence estimates is largely accounted for by variability in ascertainment and measurement, but environmental exposures may also play a role.

All of these data and my own observations lead me to believe that ASD prevalence is rising incrementally, but that so far there has not been an outbreak, nor is it pandemic. We now know from both the genetic and clinical sense that ASD is highly heterogeneous, so there are many targets or paths that can trigger or lead, respectively, to a diagnosis of ASD. Add to this mix the many new selective pressures being imposed on our brain’s development by the information-based society we now live in, and these phenomena too may account for some of the increase we see in ASD prevalence.

Temple Grandin, one of the world’s most accomplished and well-known high-functioning autistic adults. She is an animal sciences professor at Colorado State University, author and livestock industry consultant on animal behaviour:

Mild autism or Asperger’s has always been here. I’ve worked in a technical industry for 40 years and . . . they’re everywhere. They just used to call these people nerds before . . .

One of the things that helped them (succeed) is that in the 1950s, they taught social rules. Kids were taught table manners, how to shake hands, how to say please and thank you. That was just taught to all children in the ’50s. So they were better able to cope in society.

However, I think severe autism — where children remain non-verbal into adulthood — has increased. I don’t think the total increase would be just the previously undiagnosed Asperger’s. That would probably only be half of it.

Environmental contaminants could be one (explanation). Older parents could also be a factor. One of the problems that a male has is that when he gets older, his sperm has to be copied every two weeks. He makes a copy of a copy of a copy. So as he ages, you get copying mistakes. Women have all their eggs from birth. They are not copied constantly . . .

Kids (today) don’t get enough exercise, they don’t have enough omega 3 in their diets . . . In the ’50s we ate a lot more wild fish. Also, there is more mercury and solvents in the environment.

The other thing is there are a lot more psychiatric and other types of drugs taken during pregnancy. Epilepsy drugs, anti-depressant drugs, a lot of these drugs weren’t taken during the ’50s.

Mike Lake, whose now 17-year-old son, Jaden, has autism, is Conservative MP for Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont:

I’ll leave that question for the scientists to answer. But when you are looking at those numbers I would certainly say that there is a combination. We are doing a better job of recognizing it. So there’s a better job of diagnosis. So that certainly plays into those numbers. But I do believe — and I think if you talk to most families that live with someone with autism — that we would recognize more of it in society as well. So I think you are seeing a combination of the two.

We need to continue with the momentum that we are building. Right now for example in Canada we have some of the best researchers in the world. Talking to Jonathan (Weiss), I have no reason to believe he won’t be another one of those researchers. There is some phenomenal research going on right now. You see Stephen Scherer in Toronto on the Autism Genome Project, really taking a leadership role worldwide with that. Someone like Lonnie Zwaigenbaum and Susan Brison. That list is long and it’s getting longer all the time . . .

Then there is the treatment side of things. And of course most of the treatment in this country falls to the provincial level, so a big part of the equation is getting out to the provincial elected officials and first of all educating them on what autism is because I still don’t think everybody understands exactly what it is and what the challenges are . . . (Then) they can make the right decisions in terms of funding for not only treatment for kids, which tends to be a big focus, but recognizing that autism is a lifespan issue. People with autism live just as long as you or I . . . so there are transitions into school, out of school into the work environment. And then housing challenges and what happens with these kids that become adults that become seniors when we’re gone as parents. That’s a question that all parents grapple with.

Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, child neurologist, clinician scientist, Bloorview Research Institute; assistant professor, department of pediatrics, University of Toronto:

There is no doubt that the rate of diagnosing autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been increasing . . .

The question remains whether the increase in the diagnosis is due to a true increase in the incidence of autism spectrum disorder (the true risk of developing ASD) or whether other methodological factors account for this increase.

Possible culprits include changes in the diagnostic criteria, making the diagnosis earlier and earlier so that younger kids are included in the numbers, diagnostic substitution (we diagnose more ASD now than global developmental delay or language disorders compared to one to two decades ago), and increased awareness of the diagnosis, so that teachers, parents and front-line clinicians are more likely to look for signs and symptoms of ASD. All of these would have been predicted to increase the number of children diagnosed, and have been shown to do such in various studies.

The question still remains, after all of this is accounted for, is is there a true increase in the incidence of the disorder?

We do not know the answer to that yet, but that does not mean that we should not be investigating this possibility. Specifically, although we know that ASDs have a strong genetic component, and we absolutely need to understand that more fully so that we can understand the biological paths that may be potentially targets for treatment, there are factors within and out of the human body that influence the degree of gene expression.

In other words, although children with autism carry genetic variations that either cause ASD or increase the risk of ASD, there may be interactions with the environment, whether this is the environment around conception (e.g., recent data related to paternal age), fetal environment or the environment outside of the body that may influence how these genes ultimately affect the function of brain and other biological networks.

As such, studies of the epidemiology of ASD, as well as our genome and gene-by-environment relationships, are still critical to fully answer this question.

Catherine Lord, director of the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain (a collaborative program between New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University, in partnership with the New York Center for Autism):

The number of children identified as having autism spectrum disorders has clearly been increasing for the last 30 years, with the steepest increases in the last 15 years. Some of this increase is accounted for by diagnostic substitution. That is, children who once received diagnoses of mild intellectual disability or receptive-expressive language disorder are now recognized as having autism spectrum disorder.

However, this shifting only accounts for a small proportion of the increase in numbers. Some of the increase is accounted for by increased awareness and access to services. We can see this in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control numbers, because parents who are not native English speakers, parents who have less education and families in regions with fewer services all have significantly fewer children with ASD in studies, something that seems very unlikely in reality.

We also know that from (the 1987) DSM III-R on, with broader references to difficulties in social reciprocity, as opposed to references to much more severe “lack of social awareness,” that the concept of autism has broadened. However, all of these factors do not necessarily add up to the very large numbers of children being identified now.

A recent study in the U.K., using similar standardized diagnostic methods to those in many other studies in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, found that 1 in 100 adults met diagnostic criteria for ASD, most of whom had never received an ASD diagnosis, though most of them were receiving some kind of psychiatric or social support, and many were not employed or living independently.

If 1 in 100 adults has ASD, then this would not suggest that the numbers of young children are not increasing as much as that, with careful searches, we are doing a better job of finding people with ASD — both children and adults (in that particular study, not necessarily in other circumstances).

Another research finding that suggests caution is that there is very large variation in how many children are identified with ASD in the U.S. in the CDC studies, and even in the baby sibling research projects, where methods are similar and researchers are all well-trained. My bias, as a clinician who works with families with family members with autism, is that most of the variation is accounted for by underestimates — that is, in some areas of the U.S. we are still missing many children, particularly children who are not in the famous “1 per cent” of affluence, with ASD or misdiagnosing them as having other disorders. However, I know that I am biased.

With adults and with the baby sibling studies, it is harder to know what is going on. Our clinic does see some self-referred adults hoping to get diagnoses of ASD that they can use to account for life problems such as marital problems or job losses or problems with the law, when ASD is not appropriate. In contrast, we also regularly see adults whom we do diagnose with ASD who have never received an autism diagnosis before but have clearly struggled with the difficulties associated with autism since early childhood, and just never had a good assessment. For children, my experience is that far fewer families seek diagnoses of ASD when they are not appropriate.

Putting this information together, I do not believe that we can rule out the possibility that the numbers of children with autism are increasing beyond diagnostic substitution and increased awareness, but we need to be very careful how we study these changes.

As a former Edmontonian and proud wife and mother of Canadians, I can proudly say that the Canadian health and social systems are much more uniformly accessible within provinces than these services in the U.S. and offer an opportunity to figure out what the true nature of these changes in numbers mean.

I avoid the use of the word “epidemic” because it has connotations of contagion and fear, which I do not think are helpful for families. But I think we need to understand what is happening.
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"One in 88 children are now diagnosed with autism"

Is There an Autism Epidemic?
by Dr. Steven Novella

There is no question that the rates of autism diagnosis have been increasing in the US and the Western world. The latest Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates indicate that 1 in 88 children have been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum (1/54 boys and 1/252 girls). This is up from just two years ago when the estimate was 1/100 children, and much higher that the 1990s when estimates were around 1/250.  

It certainly looks like we are in the middle of an autism epidemic, but experts are not so sure, and for good reason.  

As a general rule in any scientific discipline when a measured quantity is changing over time you have to consider the possibility that the method of measurement is changing, rather than the thing being measured itself. In medicine this often relates to the method of diagnosis. To be precise we often say the rate of diagnosis is increasing (or decreasing), rather than the rate of the disease - unless all diagnostic artifacts have been reasonably ruled out.  

Autism is particularly susceptible to diagnostic artifacts. Various factors have been identified that could, and probably are, affecting the rate at which the autism diagnosis is made.  

The first is an expansion in the diagnosis itself. In fact autism is part of what is now called autism spectrum disorder, because we recognize that it exists along a fairly broad spectrum. If you cast a wider net, you're going to catch more fish - that doesn't mean there are more fish.  

Related to this issue is the fact that autism is a clinical diagnosis - it's based on recognizing a set of signs and symptoms. At present there are no biological markers that can be used to reliably diagnose autism. There is therefore no laboratory confirmation or objective result that can be used to compare prevalence over time. Clinical judgment is required, and that judgment can drift over time.  

Awareness and familiarity with autism can therefore also lead to more diagnoses. Teachers may be more likely to consider the diagnosis and raise the issue with parents, and doctors may be more likely to make the diagnosis.  

Yet another related issue is so-called diagnostic substitution. There are several related diagnoses the may be more likely to be diagnosed as autism today. Two or three decades ago, however, the same children might have been diagnosed with a non-specific developmental disorder, or a language disorder.  

Surveillance is another issue - the effort being made by school systems and others to identify children who have special needs because they fit on the autism spectrum.

The scientific evidence strongly supports a major role for all these various factors in explaining the increase in autism diagnosis. Studies have shown that there is diagnostic substitution (as autism diagnosis goes up, other related diagnoses go down), there is increased surveillance, and there is wider recognition of autism. The chance of having a child diagnosed with autism strongly corresponds to living near other families with a child on the spectrum, and being in the same school system. Therefore social contact with others with the diagnosis increases the chance of being diagnosed.  

Several studies have shown that when the same methods are used to compare different cohorts of children born at different times, the autism prevalence is the same. Further, the prevalence of autism in different age groups (when the same surveillance and diagnostic methods are used) appears to be the same. If the true incidence of autism were increasing then younger age groups would have a higher prevalence.  

It is possible, therefore, from these various factors that the apparent rise in autism is entirely an artifact of diagnosis and surveillance. It is difficult to prove this, however, and so there is always a certain amount of uncertainty. It is also possible that there is a real increase in the incidence of autism over time, but there is no data that establishes that there is a real increase beyond the factors described above.  

Of course there are some groups that are invested in the notion that autism is truly increasing and represents an epidemic. Most notable is the anti-vaccine movement, who over the last decade have been blaming the increase in autism on vaccines. Initially they blamed autism on the MMR vaccine, but the scientific data did not support that claim, and the credibility of the originator of this fear, Andrew Wakefield, has since crashed and burned.  

After the MMR hypothesis failed they next turned to mercury in the form of thimerosal in some vaccines. They confused correlation with causation by arguing that autism rates were increasing as the vaccine schedule also increased. By the end of 2002, however, thimerosal was removed from the routine vaccine schedule in the US, and therefore the amount of exposure to thimerosal plummeted. Advocates of the thimerosal hypothesis (such as David Kirby) predicted that autism rates would also plummet.  

They were correct in that, if thimerosal were a significant contributor to autism then the rates should drop considerably once thimerosal was largely removed from childhood vaccines (it was still present in some flu vaccines). Since 2002, however, autism diagnosis rates have continued to increase at the same rate. We are now 10 years later, and there is simply no justification for clinging to the thimerosal hypothesis any further (of course this hasn't stopped antivaccinationists).  

Ironically the antivaxers are now using the continued increase in autism diagnosis to argue that vaccines cause autism, even though that increase contradicts their prior predictions.  

The data clearly shows that much, if not all, of the increase in autism is due to expanded diagnosis and surveillance. It is still possible that there is a real increase, but more research would be needed to establish that.  

However, regardless of cause, we now know that autism is very common. It therefore deserves a proper level of attention and resources, both for research and services for those on the spectrum.

Steven Novella, M.D. is the JREF's Senior Fellow and Director of the JREF’s Science-Based Medicine project.

Dr. Novella is an academic clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine. He is the president and co-founder of the New England Skeptical Society and the host and producer of the popular weekly science show, The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe. He also authors the NeuroLogica Blog.
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C&K Plans to Return the Child to the Wild

10/23/2012

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Grass, birds, creeks and abundant shady trees all make for beautiful natural learning and play spaces for children. Exploring neighbourhoods, playing in open spaces, being outside from dawn until dusk, these were the daily experiences of many adults during their childhood. It really wasn’t that long ago.

In today’s society more focus on indoor play, no time to explore, take risks or be a child makes for risk
adverse and less adaptable adults in future years.
That’s why C&K says yes to nature based learning and play which means more risk for children in early childhood. The future C&K Centre for Excellence in Ashgrove, Brisbane includes the natural bush and creek and will be fundamental in teaching children, families and of course all educators about risk.
On Saturday 27 October, C&K will host a special invitation only event on the green at the future C&K Centre for Excellence. Special guest from the United Kingdom, Mr Tim Gill an expert in risk and childhood, will share ideas and discuss the benefit of risk taking with families and educators.
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More than 120 families that have applied for a place in the yet to be opened, C&K Centre for Excellence early childhood training centre, are invited to the event. The outdoor play space is set over almost 1 hectare of inner city bush with Ithaca Creek weaving around the site.
This is an exciting opportunity for the future C&K Centre for Excellence families and our educators to hear from Tim and Barrie Elvish, C&K Chief Executive Officer why risk, nature, learning and play are all entwined and necessary for children and society.
Barrie said “this is a great day for interested families, educators and community members to enjoy the wonderful environment that will be the site of Australia’s first nature based early childhood centre and hear Tim explain why children need risky play.”
Tim Gill, a world leader in advocating for more risk in childhood, Tim’s book “No Fear: Growing up in a risk adverse society” published in 2007 continues to be a top seller for early childhood professionals and policy makers.

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Tim Gill is one of the UK's leading thinkers on childhood... He is guest speaker at C&K's special event at the future centre for excellence. He will discuss the benefit of risk taking with families and educators.


"The future C&K Centre for Excellence will be fundamental in teaching kids, families and educators about risk"

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"Risk, nature, learning and play are all entwined and necessary for children and society"

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Call to Give Kids with disabilities their Say

10/9/2012

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A Survey is calling for families of children with a disability to have their say on World Mental Health Day.
Australia’s first ever survey of the mental health and wellbeing of families with children with a disability was released today, World Mental Health Day.

Professionals who work with these families will also be surveyed, as part of a five-year $5 million project funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
The Stepping Stones Triple P (SSTP) Project will evaluate the effectiveness of Triple P’s Stepping Stones programme in reducing behavioural and emotional problems in
children with a disability across a population. The project brings together researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ), The University of Sydney and Monash
University
. It will start in Queensland first, followed by Victoria and New South Wales.
As part of the project, from early next year almost 20,000 Queensland families who havea child with a disability between the age of two and twelve will have free access to Triple P’s evidence-based parenting program Stepping Stones.
Stepping Stones is a multi-level program designed to meet the needs of parents and caregivers of children with a disability. It provides practical parenting strategies to help them better manage their children’s emotions and behaviour, and reduces stress levels by increasing parenting confidence, competence and resilience.
Founder of the acclaimed parenting program Triple P and head of the project team for UQ, Professor Matt Sanders said today data from the two surveys will help establish how to make Stepping Stones widely accessible to families impacted by a child’s disability.

Find out More about Triple P Stepping Stones

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Australia’s first ever survey of the mental health and wellbeing of families with children with a disability was released today, World Mental Health Day

“Parenting is already a challenging job, but parenting a child with a disability can take family stress to a whole new level. This project gives us the chance to support families across three states and will make an enormous difference to people’s day-to-day lives.”

Hundreds of professionals such as psychologists, counsellors, teachers, speech therapists, child health nurses and family support workers will be offered free Stepping Stones training to make it convenient for families to attend the free parenting sessions.
Professor Sanders said young people with disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cerebral Palsy and Down Syndrome experience three to four times the rate of emotional and behavioural problems compared to typically developing children.
“Parenting is already a challenging job, but parenting a child with a disability can take family stress to a whole new level. This project gives us the chance to support families across three states and will make an enormous difference to people’s day-to-day lives.”

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