BAC Rutland

A smattering of the world’s most iconic buildings — including the Empire State Building and the former Sears Tower — will be lit blue April 2 in honor of World Autism Awareness Day.
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On December 18, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 62/139, tabled by the State of Qatar, which declares April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) in perpetuity. Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, Consort of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, supported the campaign for a World Autism Awareness Day through the current 62nd UN General Assembly Session, garnering consensus support from all United Nations Member States.
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Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services–Special Demonstration Programs–Model Demonstration Projects To Improve Outcomes for Individuals Receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Served by State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies
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When President Obama nominated Ari Ne’eman to the National Council on Disability, many families touched by autism took it as a positive sign. Mr. Ne’eman would be the first person with the disorder to serve on the council.

But he has since become the focus of criticism from other advocates who disagree with his view that society ought to concentrate on accepting autistic people, not curing them.
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Legislative Committee schedule
Week of Monday March 15, to Friday, March 19, 2010

Link to committee schedule page:
The Vermont Legislature

Download a PDF of the VCDR Schedule

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BALTIMORE—Some infants headed for a diagnosis of autism, or autism spectrum disorder as it’s officially known, can be reliably identified at 14 months old based on the presence of five key behavior problems, according to an ongoing long-term study described March 11 at the International Conference on Infant Studies.
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In a further blow to the antivaccine movement, three judges ruled Friday in three separate cases that thimerosal, a preservative containing mercury, does not cause autism.

The three rulings are the second step in the Omnibus Autism Proceeding begun in 2002 in the United States Court of Federal Claims. The proceeding combines the cases of 5,000 families with autistic children seeking compensation from the federal vaccine injury fund, which comes from a 75-cent tax on every dose of vaccine.
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As the author of numerous best-sellers, including “Handle With Care” and “My Sister’s Keeper,” Jodi Picoult has a way of connecting with her readers.  It’s not that Picoult’s works will ever be considered classics. What makes this author stand out is her stories and the characters who bring them to life.

And Picoult continues that tradition in her latest book, “House Rules,” a story of family and the rules that bind them.

Eighteen-year-old Jacob Hunt is brilliant. He’s smarter than most people. And he has an incredible memory for fact and figures.
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Education Secretary Arne Duncan plans to announce Monday that his agency is ramping up enforcement of civil rights laws in schools and colleges, a move that seeks to draw a contrast with the policies of his Republican predecessors.
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In an attempt to tackle the social exclusion of adults with autism in England, they are all set to get the same access to jobs, education and good health care as everybody else following a pledge from Government in its first autism strategy for England.

The state has been accused of ignoring adults with the condition, as just 15% are in employment and half live at home.

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