My life has been SO busy these last few weeks. I guess all of us have been mesmerized by the TV, concerned about the effects of those horrible hurricanes. I have family all over the South, and by now have their cities memorized in my mind. Last year, I went to FL with my mother and darling nephew. [He has truly been the delight of all our lives. A more loved and perfect child never existed. But, I say that about my grandchildren, also.] Anyhow, a week after we left FL, a hurricane swept up through FL, with a path that barely missed family. We were most concerned about my ailing aunt and uncle in Homestead, who probably couldn't physically and emotionally handle any more destruction. My cousin in Key West has weathered several storms, and now just moves all her animals upstairs, and waits it out.
With this last hurricane, my son, daughter-in-law, and critters fled Houston and chilled in Austin. I was in daily contact with them. They arrived back home Monday, with no damage to home or autos. My family in Beaumont (one aunt, and four cousins and their families) were not as lucky. I phoned all of them, home phones and cells. No answer, no response. I searched through the Evacuees data bank...nothing. Finally, yesterday, I was able to reach one cousin. She has a severely mentally retarded daughter, who cannot handle the slightest change. They do not take her out of the home, as she just freaks out. She can not handle visitors in her home...nothing!!! When the hurricane hit, my family were lying on the floor of their church...for 12 hours. She said to me, "If you can just imagine our Lindsey, enduring all that.... for 12 hours...no letup. We thought that any minute we were dead. Then, the storm passed. No electricity, in one hundred degree heat, no plumbing, no sewage treatment. We fled to Houston and checked into a Marriott Residence Inn. Because we are evacuees, we were only allowed to stay there three days, then we had to move again." Luckily for them, a friend of another cousin, knew a family who allowed them to move into their ranch house. Another cousin, was caught in the hurricane, and ended up sleeping on the street. She found a shelter under/on a church step, and spent the night there. She made her way to her sister's home, where she still is. God bless her!!! She is taking care of their home, while she arranges for repairs on her, their, and her mother's home. Again, there is no electricity, no sewage treatment. She sleeps on the kitchen tile floor, as that is the coolest place in the house. And her with recent back surgery. My other two cousins are OK. One is in Houston, with a former mother in law. Another is with his family and mother on the outskirts of Beaumont. They also have no electricity, no sewage treatment, and are just eating out of cans. They have been through such trauma, but are so positive and grateful that it was not worse. I am just glad that they are safe and sound. Hopefully, they will all recover in time.
The drama in my life is centered around my family and the youth I work with. My mother suffered a torn rotator cuff and was in such pain, she was placed on narcotics. We had to provide round the clock care for her. My sisters and I took time off from work to care for her, and finally moved her into the home of one sister. She is going to have to have surgery. My little niece, who has two babies, was just diagnosed with a serious liver disease, and will eventually need a liver transplant. She is being treated by City of Hope and Loma Linda. She and husband are selling their home in order to move closer to her treatment centers. My aunt has Alzheimers, and has had a stroke. We don't anticipate her living a whole lot longer. I've had two kids at work make serious suicide attempts. One hung himself, and would have died if not for the quick actions of staff. She cut him down with an emergency knife, and thank goodness that youth is still alive. Another of my kids sliced his wrist. That was another close call. Another, this week, reported command hallucinations telling him to kill himself and others. And yet another kid, was released and within a month was killed in a shootout with police. What is this world coming to???
Through all this, we (I) have had to look at what is going right in our lives. For one thing, our whole family got together at a renewal of vows for my nephew who just returned from the Gulf. We are grateful that he is with us still. His carrier was the one where the two jets crashed. His job is to work on the flight deck. His father had been estranged from our family, probably a direct result of his incredibly crazy wife. Anyhow, he is now in the throes of divorcing this woman, and he has rejoined the family. He comes over from CA about every weekend to visit, and this has greatly pleased not only my mother, but the rest of us as well. It is amazing how things work out. He is looking at moving here and starting a business, but who knows. He was able to go dove hunting with our "war hero" for a few days, and we now have about eighty dove to cook with our Thanksgiving feast. We (I) will probably visit him in CA and do Disneyland in the near future. So, even though life has some horrible twists and turns, there is "a shining lining to those dark clouds". Maybe this is just what life is about...weathering the storms!

2005© NAAR NEWS. Complex Gene Interactions Account for Autism Risk Chromosome 15/GABA Receptor Genes Discovery. 8 September 2005. In a study published in the September issue of American Journal of Medical Genetics, Duke University Medical Center researchers report some of the first evidence that complex genetic interactions account for autism risk. Autism is known to have a strong genetic component that likely involves multiple interacting genes. By using a novel analytical method that allow the researchers to rigorously test for the role of such gene combinations in autism for the first time, the team led by Dr. Margaret Pericak-Vance demonstrates that variants in one of the GABA receptor genes, GABRA4, is associated with autism. They also found that GABRA4 appears to increase autism risk through its interaction with a second GABA gene, GABRB1. Since GABA neurotransmitter helps nerve cells to "slow down", the receptors serve as protein "off switches" that keep the brain from being overwhelmed.Impairment of the GABA system could therefore lead to sensory over-stimulation and other symptoms associated with autism. In addition, with existing medications already targeting the GABA system, as researchers learn more about the role it plays in autism, new therapies could be advanced. These studies was partially funded with a NAAR research award to Dr. Pericak-Vance, who have contributed significantly over the past decade to knowledge surrounding the role of chromosome 15 in autism. In addition, Dr. Pericak-Vance is a principle investigator of the Autism Genome Project, funded by NAAR.To read the article from the Washingston Times, click here.

From the Jane Pauley Show. AUTISM. Thursday, Sep. 1, 2005. The number of children diagnosed with autism is exploding. One in 166 children are diagnosed with the neurological disorder each year. A new case is diagnosed nearly every 20 minutes. In most cases, a child progresses normally, and then begins to regress. Most withdraw into a world of their own. But there's new hope. Today, researchers believe that signs of autism can be detected as early as six months of age. We'll learn what difference early intervention can make, meet a woman who has lived a full life and become a best-selling author in spite of her struggle with autism and actor Anthony Edwards shows us all how we can make a difference in finding a cure for Autism.
Animal Insight. At the time Temple Grandin, professor, international lecturer and author, was born, autism was frequently misdiagnosed as "infant schizophrenia." Doctors, in those days, blamed the mother and their recommendation was to institutionalize the child. However, Temple was not put away. Instead, she and her mother, Eustacia Cutler, learned to overcome the obstacles that autism presented. Today, Temple is one of the world's leading experts on animal behavior, an international lecturer and author.
Early Intervention. Seven years ago at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, a project began to see how early - early intervention could begin. Dr. Rebecca Landa has discovered that it's a lot earlier than previously thought. Today, she talks about what you should look for as a parent.
ER Doc Anthony Edwards. A doctor from TV's ER is on the case, raising awareness and funding. Anthony Edwards has got a real-life medical passion. He's on the board of the "Cure Autism Now Foundation," the largest private funder of biological research in autism.
For More Information:Temple Grandin's Books: Thinking in Pictures; Animals in Translation. Eustacia Cutler's Book:A Thorn in My Pocket. Center for Autism and Related Disorders -http://www.centerforautism.com. Cure Autism Now Foundation -http://www.cureautismnow.org. Rafael Pelayo, MD is the Assistant Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He has been working on groundbreaking research that shows that kids who are being identified as ADD actually have sleep disorders instead. Also the gene for nacolepsy was discovered at his institute. Click for Bio