Your viewing articles about; autism

UK baby considered ‘a walking miracle’ by mum

Lucy Young of East Sussex was resigned to the fact that her premature baby probably wasn’t going to make it. Her baby son, Stirling, was born 16 weeks early and weighed only 1.1 pounds when born. Additionally, the doctors found that Stirling had a hole in one of his heart valves, two empty spaces in his brain, and problems with his lungs.

But each day would pass, and little Stirling would still be alive.

“He made that night and the next and the next,” Lucy told People. “He was read his last rites over and over. Every day there was a new problem.”

“It was an emotional rollercoaster for two years. They said he might be blind and deaf, that he would never walk. Then they feared he might have autism.”

But Stirling continued to fight, and things started healing. The hole in his heart valve miraculously closed up. The empty spaces in Stirling’s brain tissue didn’t seem to be affecting his cognitive ability. The meningitis he had seemed to disappear.

Now Stirling is four years old and is considered “a walking miracle” by Lucy.

“I never thought we would see this day. It was such an emotional moment for me to dress him in his uniform and walk him to the gates but he couldn’t wait,” she said.

“He has been through so much in his short life. Doctors can not understand how he has hurdled so many obstacles.”

Stirling is now attending Goldstone primary school and excelling at math. He still gets regular checkups with doctors, but everything appears to be fine for the young lad.

Lucy has also started a charity called Stirling’s Donation. The charity raises money for the Trevor Mann baby unit at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, the place where baby Stirling staid the first four months of his life.

         

Welcome back! If you love Baby Chums, please subscribe to our RSS feed.
Thanks for dropping by and enjoy!

---

Texas school fines 10-year old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome

Parents and teachers around the world are adding their opinion to the story from El Paso, Texas, concerning Charity Walka’s 10-year-old son.

News of the story spread when TV stations started polling viewers for opinions as to whether the Texas school had gone too far.  The Travis Elementary School student was issued a Class C misdemeanor and fined $260 when he kept falling asleep in class.  After his removal from the classroom, the young boy began making noise in the hallway, dropped to the floor and refused to get up.

While teachers tend to support the school’s position, many parents are siding with Charita Walka saying the school went too far in this instance.  Under the Texas Education Code and other school authorities throughout the country, students may be issued tickets and fines for inappropriate behavior.

According to KFOXTV of El Paso, Charity Walka is a single mom whose son suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome.  She does not believe her son understood what he was doing.  The boy had been placed in a regular classroom after a problem at the school with his paperwork.  He has now been transferred to another school which handles his needs.  Ms. Walka opposed the fine, and the ticket was eventually dismissed.

Asperger’s Syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder.  Its patients have difficulty with social interaction as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.  Physical clumsiness and atypical use of language are frequently reported.  The exact cause is unknown, but research suggests that it could be a genetic issue.  Many individuals improve over time with the intervention of behavioral therapies, but some continue to have problems into adult life.

Ms. Walka takes her son to several doctors a month, but she is having difficulty finding a doctor who will accept her insurance so that he receives proper treatment.

To read opinions expressed and register your own opinion concerning whether the school went too far, visit ‘The Rant’ Public Forum.

         

Experts Call Gwyneth Paltrow “Loopy” About Her Claims Of Shampoo Causing Cancer & ADHD in Kids

Gwyneth Paltrow makes claims that chemicals in children’s shampoos can cause cancer and development disorders like ADHD.

Scientists are calling actress Gwyneth Paltrow “loopy” after she warns others that products like shampoos are causing cancer and development disorders in babies and children. She recently said she was “seized with fear” after doing research on “environmental toxins”, which are products that are used for everyday use.

Her claim was that babies and young children are unable to break down the chemicals and toxins, which can cause them to get cancer.

Professor Hugh Pennington, who is a leading bacteriologist, says that her claims are “rubbish” and “loopy.” The Cancer Research UK also added that the number of children with cancer has not changed in past ten years even though Paltrow said numbers were growing “exponentially.”

Paltrow, who raises her two children on alternative lifestyles, putting them on macrobiotic diets and not using any chemicals in the house, made her claims on her new website goop.com.

She had this to say on her website, “A couple of years ago I was asked to give a quote for a book concerning environmental toxins and their effects on our children. While reading up on the subject, I was seized with fear about what the research said.”

She added, “The research is troubling; the incidence of diseases in children such as asthma, cancer and autism have shot up exponentially and many children we all know and love have been diagnosed with developmental issues like ADHD [Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder].”

But according to Professor Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at Aberdeen University, “It’s a load of nonsense. Shampoo is perfectly safe, unless you drink it in large quantities.’ He went on to say, “It does annoy me when celebrities use their position to spout nonsense. They have a perfect right to their views, even if they are loopy, but they do hold a position of influence. You may as well ask someone on the Underground.”