April 18, 2012
By Sammy Mack – Gov. Rick Scott signed Florida’s budget Tuesday – and more than three dozen health-related programs across the state were casualties of the governor’s veto pen. Health programs represented more than a quarter of Scott’s $142 million in line-item vetoes to the $70 billion state budget. Among the cuts: medical school projects, rape crisis centers, devices for people with epilepsy and childhood vaccination programs.
April 10, 2012
[VIDEO] By Dalia Colón – About one in 110 children has autism, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But childhood is only the beginning of the story. HealthyState.org follows a few young adults with Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder that impairs communication and social skills, to learn how they’re coping as they enter adulthood.
[VIDEO] By Dalia Colón – Inside the Mercedes-Benz of Tampa dealership, there’s an art-themed coffee shop that brews drinks with names like The Picasso and The Rembrandt. But that’s not the only thing unique about Artistas Cafe. All of the baristas – make that artistas – have autism. HealthyState.org visits this unique cafe to take a look at how special a place this is.
By Dalia Colón – The What to Expect books hadn’t prepared her for this. Johanna O’Toole’s son, Kevin, was 18 months old when a pediatrician first said the word: Autism. The diagnosis came on top of an already overwhelming set of circumstances for O’Toole: her family’s relocation from another state, her husband’s unemployment and the birth of another child. HealthyState.org investigates the lifeline of help out there: other parents.
By Dalia Colón – Growing up, Paul McAuliffe says he “felt like a Martian.” He was always saying the wrong thing or overreacting, but he didn’t know why. Then several years ago for his job as a case manager, the Panama City resident started reading online about the symptoms of autism. “And I said, ‘My god,’” recalls McAuliffe, now 57. “‘That’s me.’” HealthyState.org talks to McAuliffe about his advice to parents of children with autism.
December 27, 2011
By Dalia Colón – Health care isn’t the sexiest topic. It’s easy to get bogged down in data, forgetting that health issues affect real people. It’s their stories–not statistics and jargon–that bring health topics to life and make them relevant. So as 2011 draws to a close, we thought we’d check in with some of the Floridians who kept you talking throughout the year.
December 20, 2011
[VIDEO] By Dalia Colón – Inside the Mercedes-Benz of Tampa dealership, there’s an art-themed coffee shop that brews drinks with names like The Picasso and The Rembrandt. But that’s not the only thing unique about Artistas Cafe. All of the baristas – make that artistas – have autism.
November 15, 2011
By Dalia Colón – Approximately 1 in 110 U.S. children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. And unlike in the past, they’re not all confined to institutions and special-education classrooms. To keep up with the demand for qualified teachers, the University of South Florida has created the Master of Arts degree in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Severe Intellectual Disabilities. The fully online program targets certified special- and general-education teachers. Autism is hard enough to understand in person, but program creator Phyllis Jones believes the online curriculum prepares teachers for real life.
August 23, 2011
By Dalia Colón - Reno Williams was 7 when he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, which the National Institutes of Health website describes as “characterized by a greater or lesser degree of impairment in language and communication skills.” The jargon that accompanied the diagnosis - neurobiological disorder – was over Reno’s head. So his mom encouraged the boy to do his own research. By the time Reno was 10, he had enough information to write a book. So he did.
By Dalia Colón – The What to Expect books hadn’t prepared her for this. Johanna O’Toole’s son, Kevin, was 18 months old when a pediatrician first said the word: Autism. The diagnosis came on top of an already overwhelming set of circumstances for O’Toole: her family’s relocation from another state, her husband’s unemployment and the birth of another child. But there was a lifeline of help out there: other parents.
August 10, 2011
By Dalia Colón – Growing up, Paul McAuliffe says he “felt like a Martian.” He was always saying the wrong thing or overreacting, but he didn’t know why. Then several years ago for his job as a case manager, the Panama City resident started reading online about the symptoms of autism. “And I said, ‘My god,’” recalls McAuliffe, now 57. “‘That’s me.’”
August 3, 2011
By Dalia Colón – Tales of sour interactions between police and people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) appear to be trending. Last month in Tampa Bay, an autistic teen was killed by police who were called to his home on a domestic disturbance call. Earlier this year, an autistic teen in Virginia was found guilty for assaulting a police officer. As to why these incidents are increasing, autism advocate Dennis Debbaudt has two theories:
July 13, 2011
[VIDEO] By Dalia Colón – About 1 in 110 children has autism, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But childhood is only the beginning of the story. Adults with Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder that impairs communication and social skills, often struggle to prove themselves in relationships and in the workplace.
July 12, 2011
By Sammy Mack – Last week, 10-year-old Benjamin Mathe was abandoned at Broward General Medical Center. The child’s mother, Amanda Mathe, said she was “overwhelmed” by caring for the boy, who has autism. Advocates view Mathe’s situation as an occasion to look critically at the limited resources available to parents who feel overwhelmed by or incapable of caring for children with autism in Florida.
June 28, 2011
By Dalia Colón – Call it a sign of the times. Corn masa – that’s the flour used for making tortillas and other Latin American dishes – may soon get an added ingredient: folic acid. The March of Dimes wants every bag of masa to come fortified with the B vitamin, which is found in prenatal supplements to help prevent certain birth defects.
May 26, 2011
By Dalia Colón – While the causes of autism remain a mystery, a new study finds that women who reported not taking prenatal vitamins were twice as likely to give birth to a child with autism. Women with a high-risk gene were seven times more likely to have a child with the disorder, the Los Angeles Times reported.
May 25, 2011
[VIDEO] By Dalia Colón – Last week, I called upon HealthyState.org viewers to submit questions for my interview with autism researcher Robert Melillo at the Tampa Bay branch of his Brain Balance learning centers. The New York-based chiropractic neurologist is in Florida this week for a series of book signings and lectures outlining his controversial stance on neurological disorders. Melillo says autism, Asperger’s syndrome and other disorders are caused by an imbalance between the left and right sides of the brain.
May 19, 2011
By Dalia Colón – Next week, autism researcher Dr. Robert Melillo will be in Tampa Bay for a series of talks and book signings. The New York-based author of Disconnected Kids and Reconnected Kids co-founded Brain Balance Achievement Centers - nationwide programs claiming to “measure and improve your child’s brain and body function on numerous dimensions.”
May 16, 2011
By Dalia Colón – Autism is no laughing matter. So when parents and advocates got word that MTV had created a series in which actors make fun of people with autism, they started an online campaign to have the show canceled: Petition to REMOVE MTV’s “House of Autism” show. Could this be true? Would MTV – albeit, the network that gave us such cultural gems as Beavis and Butt-Head and Jersey Shore – make a series spoofing a disorder that affects an estimated 1 in 38 children? I called MTV headquarters for some answers.
May 9, 2011
By Kimberly Vlach – In Monday’s rounds, autism rates may be higher than suspected; the welfare drug-testing bill is ready for Gov. Scott’s signature; the state Senate passes its own version of the pill mill bill; and the GOP’s proposed Medicare overhaul will quiet down during national debt negotiations.