Autism-Vaccine Attorney Bill Tops $2 Million · 14 days ago

Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims Office of Special Masters released a decision in the first Omnibus Autism Proceeding “test case,” Cedillo v. HHS (Case 98-916V), regarding a request for interim fees and costs submitted by attorney Ronald Homer of the Boston vaccine-injury firm, Conway, Homer & Chin-Caplan.

Cedillo v. HHS alleges that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine caused the petitioners’ child to develop autism.

The Cedillo fee and cost request totals $2,180,885.29. $19,321.28 of that amount represents costs incurred by the Cedillo family for travel and housing during the lengthy hearing held in June 2007 in Washington D.C., and for a $1,200.00 retainer paid to expert witness Dr. Marcel Kinsbourne.

Counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services objected to the request for interim payments to the petitioners’ attorneys, but did not protest the request to compensate Mr. and Mrs. Cedillo for their out-of-pocket expenses. Special Master George Hastings agreed:

[T]he Cedillos have advanced considerable travel expenses to attend the trial, and have sacrificed beyond their normal means to be a “test case” in the Omnibus Autism Proceeding.

[T]o resolve the additional complex fees and costs issues will take time, and I do not wish to make the petitioners wait any longer to be reimbursed for the substantial costs that they have personally incurred.

Accordingly, I hereby award[…] a lump sum of $19,321.28, in the form of a check payable to the petitioners.

The fate of the disputed $2,161,564.01 in attorney compensation will be decided at a later date.

Holiday Shopping on Neurodiversity.com · 56 days ago

With the holiday gift-giving season in mind, I’ve recently updated this site’s Amazon.com book listings to include most English-language books in print on autism and Asperger Syndrome, as well as many other titles on related subjects. (Most titles include the publishers’ description.) I’ve created new pages with recommended titles and DVDs and videos, including documentaries, instructional materials and drama featuring characters on the autistic spectrum. You’ll also find some fun new gift items, including activity, building and learning toys, art and crafts supplies, puzzles, cars and trains, and things that whirl, shine and spin.

Recommended Books
Autism Videos
Holiday Gifts for Spectrum Kids
Popular Books on Autism
Professional Books on Autism
Autistic Autobiography
Autistic Adolescence
Autistic Adulthood
Books on Autism by Parents
Autism & Psychoanalysis
Clinical Psychology
Art & Music Therapy
Asperger Syndrome
Anxiety, Depression & OCD
Attention Deficit Disorder
Behavioral Issues
Biomedical Concerns
Bullying
Child Development
Children’s Books on Autism
Cognitive Psychology
Communication
Dyspraxia
Early Childhood Education
Education in the Classroom
Employment
Autism & the Family
Autism in Fiction
Health & Disease
History & Sociology
Law & Politics
Learning Disabilities
Neuropsychology & Neurobiology
Medications & Autism
Nonverbal Learning Disability
Sensory Integration
Social Skills Development
Tourette Syndrome

When you order merchandise through Neurodiversity.com, a small portion of your purchase (about 5%) will help to support the site.

Happy browsing, happy shopping, and happy holidays!

Congratulations & Caution · 60 days ago

Dear President-Elect Obama,

I am writing to offer my heartfelt congratulations on your victory in Tuesday’s election. I am one of the hundreds of citizens who attended your September 2007 rally in Peterborough, New Hampshire, and am overjoyed that the momentum created over the past year and a half has borne such remarkable fruit.

Two of the factors that most influenced my decision to support your candidacy were your commitment to promote the welfare of disabled citizens, and to uphold the highest standards of scientific integrity in federally-sponsored programs. I am therefore utterly dismayed to hear rumors that you are considering appointing Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

Back in May 2005, I wrote to Mr. Kennedy to express my concerns about his promotion of the unproven, litigation-driven hypothesis that autism is a consequence of vaccine injury. I reminded him that I and many other parents have no reason or evidence to support attributing our family members’ autistic spectrum conditions to vaccine injury. I expressed my offense at the aggressive efforts of vaccine injury plaintiffs and their advocates to convince the public that the majority of instances of autism are a result of “toxicity.” I pointed out that such an assertion requires dismissing copious amounts of research documenting the genetic basis of autism, creates an unnecessary burden of parental guilt, and is potentially stigmatizing to autistic citizens inappropriately deemed “contaminated.”

Mr. Kennedy never responded to my concerns. Rather, in a steady stream of histrionic articles, interviews and public appearances, he has accused policymakers, researchers and medical professionals of fraudulently and venally conspiring to conceal the supposed dangers of vaccines. He has made inaccurate, sensationalistic generalizations about autistic people, such as suggesting that the majority suffer from gastrointestinal disorders and self-injurious behavior. He has accused those who dispute unverified claims of the efficacy of treatments purported to alleviate “toxicity” of “attacking mothers,” when in fact many of those critics are parents like me who are concerned for the welfare of autistic children subjected to invasive, risky and medically unjustifiable procedures. Such conspiracy-mongering, grandstanding, emotional manipulation, and self-serving mischaracterization of other citizens’ concerns make it clear that Mr. Kennedy is not an appropriate choice to lead any federal agency, let alone one concerned with scientific matters.

I wish you all the best in the challenging days, months and years ahead.

Respectfully,

Kathleen Seidel
http://www.neurodiversity.com

November 7, 2008

Letters to President-Elect Obama can be sent from the contact page at http://change.gov.

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