Consent is a big deal. Written consent starts many important things such as:  Will you marry me?
 Will you have my child?  Will you co-sign on a loan?
 I  consent that my child  receive special education services.  Yes consent  is a big deal.  For many reasons.
However, when it comes to consent, San Andreas Regional Center fails the sniff test. And this is probably true for other  Regional Centers of which there are 21 in California.
 Exactly how San Andreas Regional Center  fails the sniff test is described below. First, some comments  why consent is so important. Think about consent in general and why  written consent  is important:
Most people understand that consent matters and is a big deal. For example,  everybody goes to the doctor. Everybody who goes to the doctor has to sign a consent for release of confidential information. Everybody knows that without written consent records cannot be sent electronically.  Thus most people have  some understanding that signed consents matter and are a big deal.
Another example:  Many children get Early Start services.  Early Start services are provided by California regional centers such as San Andreas Regional Center.  Parents  must sign written consent before assessment will start. No consent signed? Then no assessment and no services.
Many children who receive  Early Start services improve considerably. Some children, however, make little or very slow progress in their social skills and how well they manage change.
 Some of these slow developing children show substantial symptoms suggestive of autism.  Early Start is required by law to contact the local public school and set up what is called a “transition†meeting.
Some children with autistic symptoms  may be eligible for ongoing regional center services under the California  Lanterman Act
Given the above,  might think  that before any assessment occurs for Lanterman eligibility for  ongoing services  that someone legally responsible must  give written  consent. That would logically follow.  But, no.
 Guess what!  No written consent is  obtained by SARC  when children transition out of Early Start and may be eligible  for ongoing services.
This is when  CA Regional Center  fails  the sniff test.
 San Andreas Regional Center SARC  does not get written consent  prior to assessing  Early Start children who might be eligible for ongoing services.
 This CA Regional Center  only gets written consent one time — prior to assessment  Early Start services.
So what?  Does it matter that San Andreas Regional Center  does not get  written consent from Early Start children who might transition to ongoing services at age three?
Yes! No written consent translates into no current medical or school information will be obtained and thus  not  available forreview by  the psychologist  who assesses that child.
And,  as a result a less than minimum report may  be produced  by CA Regional Centers  based on limited  or out of date records.  Does this pass your sniff test?  Nope.
This kind of behavior — where CA Regional Centers  may meet the minimum requirements of the law but fails to implement best practice guide lines for the assessment of autism  –should stop.
 It is time that  all CA regional centers  meet the guidelines recommended by the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) for the assessment of autism in young children.  San Andreas Regional Cener  knows what those guidelines are.  It’s time that  this CA Regional Center  met those guidelines willingly.
It all starts with consent. Yes, consent is a big deal. And consent leads to obtaining and sharing current information about young children   some of whom have substantial autistic symptoms. And some of these children can and should be eligible under autism  for ongoing  regional center services  at the age of three.
Should the public   and parents require regional centers to get consent prior to assessing for autism?  Yes.  Consent if a big deal for many reasons. And then act on that consent.  Get up to date, current medical and school records after getting consent.  Yes, consent is big deal and matters.
What you can do: Â email your California representatives and say it’s high time that Regional Centers meet best practice guidelines for assessment of autism. Â Contact your local public schools and ask them to pressure the Regional Centers to get parent consent and use up to date standardized tests when testing children for autism and other developmental disabilities. And contact the California Department of Developmental Services to put pressure on specific regional centers such as San Andreas so that they will more fully meet best practice guidelines.
Did you know that the former boss of San Andreas Regional Center is now the top boss of the agency (DDS) that writes the best practice guidelines? Â He is Santi Rodgers and his email address is available on the DDS site. Â Let Mr. Rodgers know that you want best practices used when children are assessed for autism.
In Pope Francis’ historic “virtual town hall†last week, the Pope used blunt language.  He  described abortion as killing. And,  Time magazine has felt the need to tone the Pope’s language down by deleting the offensive expression.
Of course, Time magazine wasn’t alone.
The New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times, and USA Today didn’t bother reporting on the Pope’s references to abortion at all.  A strong pro-life message doesn’t fit within their narrative of what they want this Pope to be. But at least they didn’t resort to actually fudging Francis’ words.
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 Firenze Sage:  The pope said,Global warming will kill us in 50 years, but abortion(deleted)…
 There are slightly more than three trillion trees in the world, a figure that dwarfs previous estimates, according to the most comprehensive census yet of global forestation.
Using satellite imagery as well as ground-based measurements from around the world, a team led by researchers at Yale University created the first globally comprehensive map of tree density. Their findings were published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.
A previous study that drew on satellite imagery estimated that the total number of trees was about 400 billion. The new estimate of 3.04 trillion is multiple times that number, bringing the ratio of trees per person to 422 to 1.
422 trees to 1 human world wideÂ
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Firenze Sage: Â More settled science destroyed. Off by 3.5 trillion? A rounding error no doubt by Obama.
Senior Ministry  Workshops,  Resurrection Catholic Community, Aptos, CA
Senior Ministry Workshops, Resurrection Catholic Community, Aptos, CA
Resurrection Catholic Community in Aptos, CA Â offers “pop-up” workshops and events throughout the year.
Three upcoming events for October and November, 2015:
Aging with Grace, Gratitude and Grit, Â Friday, October 9 form 9:30 to 11:30 AM. Â A special morning for men and women to explore journaling, discussion and balance in our spiritual lives. More details to follow.
A Day of Spiritual Renewal for Caregivers, Saturday, October 24 from 9:30 to 3:30 PM, Resurrection Parish Youth Center. Â $28 per person includes hospitality and lunch. Â For men and women caregivers.
Healthy Eating Workshop and Harvest Luncheon, Friday, November 13 from 10:00 AM to 12 noon, Â Markey Hall. Â Chef Adriennne Meier. Donation.
The Pastor of Resurrection Catholic Community is Rev. Ron Shirley. Â Pastoral Associate is Deacon Patrick Conway
Rev. Ron Shirley
Deacon Patrick
For more information  concerning Senior Ministry workshops, if you have a need or are called to serve in this ministry,  contact Helena at 688-4300 # 17 or email hhfox@att.net.  Helena is available Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 8:30  AM to 2:30 PM.
Helena thanks all who have attended a focus group, offered support or suggestions via email, US mail, phone call or have dropped by to share a visit. Â Some themes that have emerged are the importance of socialization and connection, and the value of being knowledgeable about accessing resources or having a well-informed “go-go” person to call.
Look before you leap: jobs with San Andreas Regional Center
Look before you  leap is good advice for all job seekers – including  licensed Ph.D.  clinical  psychologists considering a job  with   San Andreas Regional Center located in northern California.
There are openings with San Andreas Regional Center: Two psychologist jobs  are open as of  Labor Day, 2015.  One in Salinas and one in Watsonville, CA.
Back to basics:  Are you a licensed California  Ph.D. psychologist?  Are you looking for a job?
Before you “leap” and take  job as psychologist with San Andres Regional Center,  consider the following:
 Get in writing from your employer  Executive Director  Javier Zaldivar  that  staff (not you) will obtain current, up to date medical and educational records concerning prospective clients.
To do your work, which  largely consists of  writing psychological assessments of prospective clients applying  under autism or intellectual disability,  you need current up to date medical and school records.  Having current records  available for review assists you when testing clients and  doing your psychological assessments.
 Why does this matter?
DAY TO DAY RESPONSIBILITIES:   If you don’t  ahead of time get it in writing that San Andreas Regional Center  staff and not you will get up to date medical and educational records   —  you may be asked to write assessment  reports based  strictly on  the records available  in the file. And those records can be quite old.  And that can be a drag.
What does that mean?
If you went to any MD you’d expect them to make a diagnosis based on the most current, up to date information, correct? You want the most accurate diagnosis, right?  Well, you as a licensed Ph.D.  psychologist  need current,  up to date  medical and school records on which to base your diagnosis and your  recommendation whether the applicant is eligible for regional center services.
As licensed Ph.D.  psychologists are mandated to meet American Psychological Association ethical standards (code 9.0),  it’s important that regional center staff  obtain current,  up to date school and medical  records  which will allow you to meet your legal and ethical duties.
WILL  THIS JOB CHALLENGE YOU TO GROW?  See separate  posts  on whether a job as psychologist with San Andreas Regional Center will allow you to build your skills.  During the interview, be sure to ask about career paths and how psychologists assist the agency  in general  ways.
For example, how to psychologists contribute to the goals and objectives of the agency as set by  the  Executive Team for San Andreas Regional Center?  The Director in charge of  the Executive Team is Javier Zaldivar.  He  has offices at Campbell 408 341 3476 and  Gilroy 408 8462028.
San Andreas Regional Center describes itself as a community based, private non-profit corporation funded by the state of Calfornia.  It is  one of 24 organizations in California which provide services to persons with disabilities  including those with  autism, intellectual disability and those  who  require treatment/ services similar to persons with intellectual disability.
Cat poop parasite linked to weeks of flu-like symptoms and mental disorders including schizophrenia.
 Coming into close contact with cats can spread a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) – also dubbed the “cat poop parasite†– which are linked to schizophrenia and other mental disorders that affect humans.
The cat-carried parasite is the most common in developed countries and can infect any warm-blooded species, according to the Schizophrenia Bulletin. Although most humans don’t suffer any symptoms from the widespread parasite, it can cause the illness T. gondii, which is linked to weeks of flu-like symptoms, blindness and even death, CBS News reports.
Two new studies have now linked the T. gondii parasite to increased rates of mental illness in cat owners who may have had increased exposure to parasitic infection.
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Batty people
Firenze Sage: Â Or it could be that batty people attract cats.
 A mother whose child was so badly behaved  she convinced herself that  he was autistic.  Then  the mother  found  out the real reason for the child’s behaviors:   the family dog.
Three-year-old Billy was prone to violent temper tantrums.  He  even hurled a bike at his mother Robyn on one occasion.
 Checking things out, sleep expert Debs Sugden observed video  footage which showed the family dog and cat kicking Billy out of his own bed.
 The sleep expert  explained that  Billy’s  broken sleep had led to him suffering from ‘delayed sleep phase syndrome’ . This is a  medical disorder where sleep is delayed two or more hours past the conventional bedtime.
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 Firenze Sage:  Well the smart little bugger sure fooled them this time.
Doctors are  not seeing patients. Some doctors do not see patients  because of fraudulent billing ,i.e., the  recent sneaker scheme of Eric Vainer in New York.  Others don’t  because ObamaCare regulations  put computers between doctors and their patients.
The Kings County District Attorney’s Office says two clinics operating at 721 and 741 Flatbush Ave. were the main targets of the investigation. Staff arrested include podiatrists, vascular surgeons, office managers and administrators.
According to prosecutors, an eavesdropping warrant allowed them to obtain hundreds of calls about claims being submitted to Medicaid and Medicare without actually seeing patients. The clinics are also accused of billing for unnecessary medical equipment.
The accused mastermind has been identified as Eric Vainer. Authorities say he operated a clinic and also had a medical equipment company. He allegedly had doctors prescribe specific equipment for patients so that his company could profit.
Doctors frequently don’t see patients now when they spend their time gazing at computer monitors in compliance with the rules that prohibit not seeing patients.
Do so with careful evaluation of side effects and medical consultation.
Multiple sclerosis is characterized by disrupted communication between the brain and the body, resulting in symptoms ranging from blurred vision to muscle weakness and pain. There is no cure for the condition, and therapies have proven difficult, as many have serious side effects. But now, relief may come in the form of a medical marijuana pill.
This is according to a new guideline released from the American Academy of Neurology and published in its journal Neurology.
The guideline investigated complementary or alternative medicine therapies (CAM) for multiple sclerosis (MS). These are unconventional therapies used alongside or instead of doctor-recommended therapies.
Medical News Today recently wrote a spotlight feature focusing on symptoms and treatments for the condition to coincide with National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month in March.
In that feature, Arney Rosenblat, associate vice president of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, told us that though there are currently 10 disease-modifying therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for MS, “there is deep unmet need for additional therapies, especially to treat progressive forms of disease for which there are few treatment options.”
Marijuana treatment eases spasticity and pain
Researchers from the current study, led by Dr. Vijayshree Yadav of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, focused on what impacts certain CAM therapies have on MS, including oral cannabis, medical marijuana pills, oral medical marijuana spray, ginkgo biloba, magnetic therapy, bee sting therapy, omega-3 fatty acids and reflexology.
Medical marijuana taken in pill or oral spray form may ease symptoms of spasticity, pain and frequent urination in patients with MS, according to the new guideline.
Regarding prevalence of CAM therapy use, Dr. Yadav says:
“Using different CAM therapies is common in 33-80% of people with MS, particularly those who are female, have higher education levels and report poorer health. People with MS should let their doctors know what types of these therapies they are taking, or thinking about taking.”
The researchers note that for most of these CAM therapies, safety is not known, as there is not enough information to show whether they interact with prescription drugs for MS.
However, while the latest guidelines show little evidence most CAM therapies can treat symptoms, medical marijuana pills and oral medical marijuana spray may alleviate symptoms of spasticity, pain and frequent urination in MS patients.
But before patients with the condition rush to medical marijuana dispensaries, the researchers say there is not enough evidence to show whether actually smoking marijuana helps treat symptoms.
Additionally, this therapy may not reduce tremor, and the team cautions that long-term safety of using medical marijuana in pill or oral spray form is unknown.
Side effects of marijuana treatment ‘should be considered’
As with most treatments or therapies, the researchers say marijuana in a pill or spray could cause certain side effects. The more serious ones include seizures, dizziness, thinking and memory problems, and psychological problems, such as depression.
Fast facts about MS
Most people experience first MS symptoms between the ages of 20 and 40.
Initial symptoms are often blurred or double vision, red-green color distortion or blindness in one eye.
Most MS patients have muscle weakness and difficulty with balance and coordination.
The last side effect raises concerns, as some people with MS have an increased risk for depression or suicide. As such, the team says both patients and doctors should consider the possible side effects that marijuana treatment can carry with it.
Other CAM therapies that showed some promise were ginkgo biloba – which might help reducetiredness but not thinking or memory problems – and magnetic therapy – which may reduce tiredness but not depression.
Reflexology may ease tingling, numbness and other skin sensations, while bee sting therapy and a low-fat diet with fish oil do not appear to help MS symptoms of disability, depression or tiredness. Plus, the team cautions that bee stings can cause life-threatening allergic reactions.
When they investigated benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, the researchers found they do not reduce relapses, disability, tiredness or MRI brain scan lesions, and they conclude that they do not improve overall quality of life in MS patients.
Eric Valor fights Lou Gehrig’s with innovative research tactics
Valor battles Lou Gehrig’s disease with innovative  tactics.
What he is doing deserves your help.
He asks you to take a video showing ice water poured over your head — which Valor has done to himself — and then post your video on Facebook or on  other social media.
Also, he asks for donations of  $100 to speed up groundbreaking research to combat this disease.
 Send donations to SciOpen Research Group, 930 Wallace Ave. Suite #2, Aptos, CA 95003  The website states that it is a 401c3
Valor has battled the disease himself for more than 10 years.
Though Valor  cannot walk, speak or eat without help he has forged a new model for testing possible cures for ALS.
Using his right eye to operate his computer he has raised money to do a different kind of research which large pharmaceutical companies do not do.
 Using  “the cloud” he connects with labs for hire. He calls his research techniques  guerrilla research as  is it is fast moving  and relies on collaboration via “the cloud” with other researchers. The above is based on an article by Lisa Krieger 650 4924098 that appeared in the San Jose Mercury.
