Hero Bus Driver Catches Autistic Girl in 3-Story Brooklyn Plunge

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By Katy Tur.

An MTA city bus driver says he was thinking of his own young daughter when he rushed to catch a 7-year-old girl plunging three stories from a Brooklyn building Monday.

"Please let me catch her, please let me catch her," Stephen St. Bernard, 52, recalled thinking. "That's all I could say. Let me catch the little baby."

"I think about my daughter, and you know, she's a little kid," he said.  

St. Bernard, an MTA bus driver of 10 years, was returning home to Coney Island from his job at about 2 p.m. when he heard screams coming from a building courtyard. 

He rushed toward the commotion and saw a girl standing on top of a third-floor window air conditioning unit. He immediately ran underneath the window.

"She just stood up there teetering, teetering," he said. 

Amateur video shows St. Bernard shouting up to the girl, trying to talk the girl into going back into her apartment. Suddenly, the girl falls, eliciting horrified screams from neighbors.

But St. Bernard catches her in his arms, stumbling slightly forward to the ground with the girl still firmly in his grasp.

"I picked her up and carried her, and I was holding her, rubbing her, and she just more or less kept looking around," he told NBC 4 New York. "She never closed her eyes, she didn't lose consciousness."

The girl was not wearing pants, and St. Bernard wrapped her in his MTA uniform shirt as he waited for paramedics to arrive.

She was taken to Coney Island Hospital with very minor injuries. 

"He's my hero," said the girl's aunt, Monique Harding. "He definitely did our family a favor today."

Police sources said the girl has autism. Her mother was inside the apartment watching her other child and did not see the girl standing outside on the A/C, the sources said.

St. Bernard sustained a torn tendon in his shoulder but he is expected to be OK. 

His daughter, who is also 7, called her father a hero.

"The child was like almost like my age, so like he always carries me, so I guess he'd probably be able to catch her," said Tahaani St. Bernard. 

The girl's mother did not want to speak with reporters Monday.

Source: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Hero-MTA-Bus-Driver-Catches-Girl-Falling-Three-Stories-Brooklyn-Building-Coney-Island-162666676.html

Tenafly teen on front lines of autism clinical trial

Rebecca Singer, 16, is taking injections of a promising growth factor hormone that was shown to reverse in mice some of the deficits associated with autism.The Record (Hackensack N.J.) | Posted: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 12:00 am

By Barbara Williams

HACKENSACK, N.J. - She lives in a world no one else can enter, unable to speak or interact with others. But 16-year-old Rebecca Singer may be playing an important role in science.

Rebecca has become the first patient in a clinical trial testing a drug that researchers hope could pull her out of her reality and eventually lead to a groundbreaking autism treatment.

In the study led by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and assisted by a research team from Rutgers University, the Tenafly, N.J., girl is taking a growth factor hormone that was shown to reverse in mice some of the deficits associated with autism.

Researchers aren't expecting a cure but are hopeful for a "disease modifying" outcome, said Dr. Alex Kolevzon, one of the physicians working on the study and the pediatrics clinical director at the Seaver Autism Center at Mount Sinai.

"We know that humans don't always respond the way mice do, but there's the potential for significant benefit," Kolevzon said.

Such words are remarkable to parents of children with autism.

"I'm trying not to get my hopes up that this could be the miracle we've been waiting for," Rebecca's father, Jon Singer said. "But there is the possibility that it could be and even if this hormone only helps in a small way, it's a start."

Autism rates are rising at a startling pace. One in 88 children nationwide now has the disorder. New Jersey's rates are even higher - one in every 49 children, including one in every 29 boys - according to a report released in March by the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention.

Rebecca and two other children in the 7-month blind study are being injected twice a day for three months with growth factor IGF-1 or a placebo, separated by a four-week resting period. The insulin-like hormone is typically used for children not growing appropriately for their age.

In a trial last year, IGF-1 was shown to reverse nerve cell communication damage in mice. People with autism seem to have the same type of deficits.

All the trial participants have a mutated or missing gene on chromosome 22, which causes Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, a rare genetic disease that causes severe disabilities and, often, autism. Chromosome 22 is involved in processes crucial for learning and memory.

People with Phelan, estimated at fewer than 700 worldwide, typically have profound intellectual disabilities, chewing and swallowing problems, no formal language, and autism.

"Rebecca seems to understand certain things and can use a fork and drink from a cup, something we didn't think would ever happen," Jon Singer said. "She turns the pages of a book when we're reading to her, but we're not sure how much of it she understands."

Though Rebecca doesn't speak, her family understands her rudimentary method of communicating, like when she stops what she is doing to sit on a kitchen chair - meaning she's hungry. When she wants to go to her favorite place - anywhere outdoors - she stands in front of the door. Her father, her mother, Michey, and 12-year-old brother, Sam, can interpret the sounds she makes to know whether she's agitated or happy. And anyone can see her face-wide grin when she's in a pool or riding her bike.

"She's a real trouper - she's been poked and prodded so much, and she doesn't really cry or give us a hard time," her mother said. "I'm cautiously hopeful this trial will be groundbreaking and even if it doesn't help Rebecca, it will help someone else down the road."

Now that Rebecca is in the study, her loved ones are watching carefully for any improvements - better eye contact or more fluid movements - though no one knows whether she's taking IGF-1 or the placebo.

"Sometimes I think she's doing better with her fine motor skills but I have to remind myself how powerful suggestion can be," her father said. "Her teachers will tell us they believe she's making longer eye contact, but we have to keep all this in perspective. Even though everyone is trying to be objective, sometimes you see what you want to see."

McClatchy-Tribune

McClatchy-Tribune

A Curtain Rises, Gently, on Autism-Friendly Shows on Broadway

By Robert Simonson  July 1, 2012 The Theatre Development Fund establishes a new program introducing Broadway theatre to autistic children and their families. Read about the adjustments that shows are making for these new theatregoers — and how kids and parents are impacted. For more than 30 years, the Theatre Development Fund has been working on increasing stage show accessibility. Its unflagging efforts have made a trip to the theatre more appealing to a wide variety of people with physical disabilities. TDF Accessibility Programs (TAP) have created open-captioned and American Sign Language-interpreted performances on Broadway and off, shows for theatregoers with mild to profound hearing loss, and audio-described performances for people who are partially sighted or blind. Now TDF has found a way to include yet another underserved constituency hungry for live entertainment. In the fall of 2011 the Fund launched the Autism Theatre Initiative with a performance of The Lion King specially catering to the needs of autistic kids and their families. The event was such a success that a second outing, to Mary Poppins in April, was organized. And the initiative will return to The Lion King on Sept. 30 (it went on sale at 12:01 AM Monday, June 25 and was sold out by 8 PM). Families attending these shows arrive confident they will find a friendly and accommodating environment. TDF buys out the entire house, then resells the tickets only to moms and dads with children on the autism spectrum, including Asperger's syndrome. One of the restrooms is converted into a family bathroom, where adults may enter with kids. A safe area is set up in the lobby or lounge area where families can take a break from the show. And the auditorium is peopled not only with ushers, but with educators and service providers who are schooled in the care of autistic kids. "With kids on the spectrum, you can't just go to a performance," says Steven Chaikelson, the father of three boys, including twins Jamie and Daniel, who are autistic. "So it's wonderful to go to a show where, if Jamie begins singing 'The Muffin Man,' it's kinda OK. And if I have to leave with Daniel because he can't handle it and we have to wait outside for a bit, that's OK, too." Chaikelson is a general manager who has worked on many Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, including The Lion King. Years ago Chaikelson would take his sons to the occasional theatre show. "The problem was that Jamie would vocalize during the performance and Daniel was really terrified of the environment. For many years, we hadn't gone to see anything." Everything changed with the special initiative performance of The Lion King. "Daniel made it through the whole performance. He didn't have to get up. Daniel cried at the end because he didn't want it to end." Kids in the audience at an autism-friendly performance of Mary Poppins  photo by Anita & Steve Shevett The initiative was born with the suggestion of a TDF patron. "One of the impetuses was a teacher who was bringing kids to our performances for hearing loss," said Victoria Bailey, TDF's executive director. "She said, 'There's another population of kids at our school who are on the autism spectrum. Is there anything you can do for them?'" TDF began an 18-month effort to make that suggestion a reality. Lisa Carling, TDF's director of accessibility programs, asked for help from theatre pros like Chaikelson with children on the spectrum and elicited professional advice from Dr. Jamie Bleiweiss, co-founder of Autism Friendly Spaces and an assistant professor at Hunter College specializing in autism spectrum disorder. The paramount concern was making the occasion comfortable for families. TDF found a willing partner in Disney, the producer of both The Lion King and Mary Poppins. "What's important about Disney is, because they are a large corporation, they are sensitive to access and disability issues," explains Bailey. Once they settled on The Lion King as the first initiative show, Dr. Bleiweiss and her associates attended a show. They returned with a series of notes and recommendations on how to make the musical more palatable for its coming audience. "What you're looking for is loud noises," says Bailey. "Strobe lights are really bad. We ended up with seven or eight cues that got toned down, and adjusting the lights so there's a little more ambient light." For Mary Poppins, strobe lights were eliminated, the tap sounds on the number "Step in Time" were softened, and the actors playing Mary Poppins and the Banks children all lowered the volume of their voices in certain songs. The Lion King sold out within hours. Still, Bailey didn't know what to expect when she attended the show. "At the performance, one family had to leave after a half hour," she remembers. "I felt dreadful and went to talk to the mom. But she was elated. Her child had sat still for half an hour, which was twice as long as they had before." Audience members at Mary Poppins had similar experiences. "He's sitting down and watching the show," said Helen Yohannes of her son Caleb. It was their first Broadway show together. In preparation, they had been listening to the cast recording for a month. "I'm very impressed. I'm so proud of him." "It gives the child an opportunity to see theatre, but also as a parent or grandparent you don't have to worry," says Fran Linker, whose grandson Max has gone to bothThe Lion King and Mary Poppins. "You can just relax." The performers, too, get something out of it: a good audience. "These kids don't get to the theatre very much," says Bailey, "so they really embrace the experience. I talked to some of the actors at The Lion King afterward, and they said the energy and excitement from the kids was significantly different from what they're used to." To learn more about TDF's Autism Theatre Initiative and about future performances, visit tdf.org/autism. (This feature appears in the July 2012 issue of Playbill magazine.) http://www.playbill.com/features/article/print/167643.html

Press Release Anna Burdette and Anu Academy Fundraiser !

Press Release:

Autismradio would like to send out a Huge Thank You To Anu Academy, Anna Burdette and Neale Hoerle who is the Owner of Anu Academy . I would like to personally thank each and every one of you that supported Anna and her amazing work to raise money for Autism Radio/Hope Saves the Day. In addition to the donation pictured here several people donated through the Autism Radio website pushing the total contribution to approx $1200!! Thank you all!

New York Mets propose 'quiet' seating section in stadium... for autistic kids

Citi FieldFor some New York Mets fans, a designated quiet area without loud music or cheering in their home stadium of Citi Field would be nothing short of blasphemy.

But in an email to their fans Wednesday, the baseball team introduced the proposal, before revealing the section's motive: to accommodate autistic children.

'The Mets are considering adding a designated "quiet" seating section with lower volume PA announcements and no music or cheerleading. How likely would you be to purchase tickets in that section?' the email obtained by the New York Post asked.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2159611/Mets-open-quiet-area-stadium--autistic-kids.html#ixzz1xsBDoTwN