Normal Peer Models for Autistic Children I found an interesting article published on PubMed Central that I can relate to, and I thought I’d share it with you all. The article titled, “Normal peer models and autistic children’s learning” talks about a study regarding enrolling autistic children into normal classrooms. They discovered that when normal peers modeled the correct way of performing tasks, the autistic children’s response in performing the task correctly…

Proposed Federal Rules Could Disrupt IHSS Proposed federal home care rules that would require overtime pay for certain caregivers could disrupt California’s In-Home Supportive Services Program, according to stakeholders and state officials, the Los Angeles Times reports. IHSS provides services for the elderly and people who are blind or have disabilities, including children with Autism Unions are lobbying for proposed federal rules — proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor — that…

Governor Brown’s Proposed IHSS Budget for 2013-14 Below is an excerpt from the summery of Governor Brown’s Proposed Budget for 2013-14 Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program provides domestic services such as housework, transportation, and personal care services to eligible low income aged, blind, and disabled persons. These services are provided to assist individuals to remain safely in their homes and prevent institutionalization. The Budget includes $1.8 billion General Fund for the…

Governor Brown Cuts IHSS Hours by 8% Starting July 1, 2013 Governor Brown signs SB 67 IHSS Court Settlement Bill making official temporary 8% across-the-board cut in hours for all IHSS recipients beginning July 1st, 2013, followed by 7% cut next year SACRAMENTO, CA (CDCAN) [Last updated 05/30/2013 05:30 PM] – Governor Jerry Brown, as expected, signed today SB 67 which contains provisions to implement the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS)…

Proposed Regulations Attempt to Define Full Time Employment For the first time IHSS is attempting to define full time employment. For years, caseworkers have been wrongly reducing or denying IHSS hours because two parents were present in the home. Current statute allows for parents meeting specific criteria to be paid parent-providers, with no restrictions for two-parent households. Current regulations, however, deduct time from the parent-provider’s IHSS hours when the non-provider…

New Federal Rules Require Overtime Pay for Caregivers Nationwide On Tuesday September 17, 2013, the US Department of Labor announced new regulations that will require overtime pay for the estimated 2 million IHSS workers nationwide. This includes the nearly 360,000 caregivers in California’s taxpayer-funded In-Home Supportive Services program. The new regulations won’t take affect until January 1, 2015, which gives California time to prepare for the hike. Gov. Jerry Brown’s…

Home Care Worker Sues County In the Case Guerrero vs. Superior Court, the state Supreme Court has left intact a ruling allowing a caretaker to sue Sonoma County after her disabled client failed to pay her. The state of California, statewide organizations of county governments, and Sonoma where unanimously denied review by the court. Like thousands of in-home care takers, Adelina Guerrero was cheated out of her wages. Alejandra Buenrostro,…

In Vitro Fertilization Raises Autism Risk Research shows that intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a particular type of in vitro fertilization, is associated with a higher risk of autism and mental disability in children. ICSI is a common procedure for male infertility that involves the technique of injecting a single sperm directly into an egg, rather than fertilization happening in a dish, as in standard IVF. The findings show that babies…

Air Pollution May be Linked to Autism TIME.COM reports that researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have found that early-life exposure to pollutants like diesel particulates, mercury and lead, may contribute to a higher risk of autism. It has been known that pollutants in the air affect brain development, but the first national study of in utero exposure and autism rates raises new concerns. After collecting data from…

Serotonin & Bacteria in the Bowels Linked to Behavior Problems Research is showing that serotonin and bacteria in the bowels may be linked to behavioral problems with autistic children. Constipation is a common cause of autistic children acting out because they often stop sleeping and eating well. They may become aggressive and frustrated because they have no other way of saying that their stomachs hurt. Approximately one in 88 children…