Skip to main content

tv   Sino Tv Early Evening News  PBS  January 19, 2011 6:00pm-7:00pm PST

6:00 pm
>> this is "the journal". >> the u.s. and china pledged to overcome their differences. protests continue over the inclusion of ministers from the former regime in the transitional ever in. >> the german government said the economy is firing on all cylinders. >> as president hu jintao's as it continues, president barack obama has raised some sensitive topics in killing -- including
6:01 pm
currency and human rights. obama said china's currency is undervalued and should be dictated more by market forces. >>he pressed on the human rights record of china, reaffirming the u.s.'s commitment to supporting hihuman rights. the chinese president admitted his country has a lot to do in that area. the visit has been anticipated as the most significant meeting in recent times. that was reflected by events of the white house on the first full day of his visit. >> hu received a carefully choreographed welcoming ceremony after writing the previous evening. the 21 gun salute and fanfare reserved for state visit. images likely to go down well in beijing. it is a meeting of titans. u.s. president barack obama representing what is the world's
6:02 pm
most powerful country despite its faltering economy. chinese -- and the chinese premier hu jintao, leading of the emerging superpower that is the motor of the global economy. obama chose to underline the importance of ties with beijing and address the concerns of many americans who are wary of china's growing influence. commercial ties are taking center stage at the talks. another sign of china's soaring economic confidence and clout. beijing has so far taken its line on crucial issues such as global trade imbalances and measures to combat climate change. the outcome of this state visit will have a big impact on the future course of the world's two most powerful nations. >> max joins us from washington. can you tell us about what the leaders had to say during a press conference? >> it was not easy to understand at the beginning because there
6:03 pm
were some technical issues, some transition issues. there was no simultaneous tren anslation. president obama managed to touch upon basically every topic that is important in u.s.-turner relationships. foreign policy issues that the americans are for a nuclear-free korean peninsula in accordance with the chinese. he tristani currency issue say that the -- touched on the currency issues and saying that the rmb is undervalued. while the u.s. acknowledges that is part of china, he encouraged discussion. president hu was more general and stressed the importance of cooperation with the exchange, especially among the young people of china and the u.s. he said all this could take place in the corporation -- and
6:04 pm
the corporation could take place between these countries if there was non-interference and mutual trust. what this means is between the lines that china does not want the u.s. to interfere in topics like human rights in order to conduct business with them. >> speaking of business, that aspect seems to be going smoothly. >> it does. there were great export deals, a great deal of export deals signed during the visit. one including 200 aircraft by boeing being sold to the chinese. that has a volume of $19 billion. this is a huge deal and all the deals combined have a volume of $45 billion. even if there are some touchy issues, the chinese are not hesitating to spend money. >> speaking of touchy issues, let's talk human rights. how did he respond to reporter'' questions on that issue? >> it seems president hu did not
6:05 pm
want to answer but that was probably due to the general problems. he was very general in his answers, saying it was important to the chinese that every person was taken care of in china and they were trying to improve the situation. he asked for understanding and said china was a developing country and the conditions in china were different from the conditions of people in the u.s. there was no surprise in what he said. he did say it was important. >> to daysha's interim president has promised to deliver a complete break with the past. both political parties will be separated. his comments come as the opposition party decides not to return to the government well members of the cabinet remain in office. the interim government has been
6:06 pm
crippled by resignations but it appears it has been able to meet some of the protesters' demands including freeing all political prisoners and legalizing banned political parties. protesters say it is not enough. >> demonstrators are not backing down. they were back on the streets, demanding that former regime members big kick out of the interim government. for these people, the old ruling party is dead and buried. >> the party will be gone. we will not tolerate it. >> they might have their wish. tunisian prosecutors have opened a wide-ranging investigation into the financial dealings of the ousted president and his extended family. >> you want a government that will save the country and take
6:07 pm
into account the opinion of the tunisian people. the swiss government has frozen the assets of the former president. a sign that the tunisian people are being heard at home and abroad. >> hungary's prime minister has been outlining goals for the eu presidency. it was overshadowed over controversy about the media laws. critics said it amounts to state censorship. eu politicians have called for the laws abolition. >> green is the color of hope, and it is the color hungary chose to promote the presidency. it was a green party that-any hopes that sidestepping the controversy -- that dashed hopes
6:08 pm
about sidestepping the controversy. >> this law allows power to check the media. a democracy cannot allow this and that is why we as europeans are so concerned. >> the hungarian president countered this with his own warning. >> you may have your own views about politics in hungary, but do not confuse internal matters with the eu presidency. if you do, i am prepared to fight. >> alban has been promoting the presidency. >> yee-haw for the german economy. >> i thought it would be start talking about the eurozone debt crisis for the rest of the week. the economics ministry is out with its latest forecast and it is bullish.
6:09 pm
domestic demand is set to move up one gear. the economy is forecast to grow by 2.3%. a lot more than predicted. as companies boost hiring, unemployment is expected to fall to 7%. >> the crisis is over and the recovery in full swing. the german economic plan described the current state. >> we an the other -- and many other hard-working people can be proud. we can afford to be happy about the fact we have weathered the economic crisis better than any other western industrialized nation. >> they said the growth was based on consumer spending and exports. there is good news for the labor market. >> this year, the unemployment will stay below an average of 2
6:10 pm
million and fall below the next year. where on the fast track to unemployment. -- to full employment. >> he said the time was ran for tax cuts. a longstanding bone of contention between his party and the cdu. germany's generous subsidies to the solar power industries will be scaled back faster than expected as the cost of supporting the industry explodes. reports that the government is planning a 50% cut in july on top 9% cut planned for the end of the year. according to the most recent statistics, homeowners to generate their own solar power get 43 cents for every kilowatt hour of electricity they fade into the grid. if the government goes ahead with its plans, that figure could drop by almost half by the end of 2011. the main proposal was to put a cap on the total amount of subsidies paid.
6:11 pm
that means the more solar plants that are built, the less in subsidies there will be to go round. this is paid for by energy consumers in the form of a surcharge on their electricity bills. consumers of renewable energy are exempt. reports say the government wants to change that. >> it was not all bad news this wednesday. we have this report on trading at the frankfurt stock exchange. >> not all solar energy companies were losers. for some, especially providers of solar energy technology, the cut the subsidies might even bring to push of new orders. many will try to benefit at the last minute from the subsidies and installs solar energy technology before the subsidies are being cut. the stock market in general this
6:12 pm
wednesday in frankfurt, not really inspiring. the euro as on -- was on the rise. it is connected to the speculation that interest rates in the eurozone may be heading upward again. >> thank you. let's look at the numbers. starting in frankfurt were the blue chip dax index has fallen to 7082. it is down 0.75 of 1% on wall street. we have got stocks sliding, the dow jones down by 0.25 of 1%. the euro is at two months high against one u.s. dollar. -- $1.74 u.s. the barge carrying sulfuric acid has tipped over and is not salvage. authorities have had to close the ryhnie.
6:13 pm
-- rhine. it is a disaster and the ripples are spreading. one of europe's busiest waterways normally. it is unusually quiet right now. not even the local ferias running. there is a tale of 250 transport barges. some of them manage to offload their freight but not anymore. there are no more that tore belgian trucks anymore. there is the capacity and the barges have no way of reaching the ports of the north sea. real transport is also not an option. the capacity is limited and there are too many containers back debt. every day spent waiting costs the skipper's money. they have no choice other than to sit it out and wait till the capsized taker is salvaged and the river can be reopened.
6:14 pm
lufthansa has results and -- resolved a 10 months' pay dispute. both sides aren't accepting a proposal prepared by the mediator in the dispute. -- both sides are accepting a proposal prepared by the mediator. there will be given improved working conditions and include more stable work schedules and better regulated breaks and rest periods. but attendance will receive a one-off payment of 1000 terrace. -- flight attendants will receive a one-off payment of 1000. >> aristide's return comes days after john pajean-claude duvalir
6:15 pm
returned. duvalier ridding supporters from his hotel in port-au- prince. he said he had come back to help the haitian people. less the 48 hours after his return, the 39-year-old was led away by police for questioning. -- 59-year-old was led away by police for corruption. he was charged with all theft and abuses of power. he was president in haiti between 1971 and 1986. he is accused of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars from his country during this time, lodging in the cash in swiss bank accounts. he came to power at 19. maintaining the brutal
6:16 pm
dictatorship of his father. his bullish them murdered and tortured thousands. despite this, some are nostalgic for his error, comparing it to the current turmoil. people were taken care of during the regime. >> in the country grappling with a political crisis, many have fears about his return. the believe the presence of a polarizing figure could prompt further unrest. >> you are watching "the journal". we will be looking at the plight of activists in belarus.
6:17 pm
6:18 pm
>> your patience with elaris appears to be running out. the invitation to the unit security conference has been rescinded. angela merkel has threatened the country with sanctions. there has been international outrage at the president's latest crackdown on political opponents. this after more than 700 demonstrators were arrested during protests against december's election. which is widely to havconsidereo have been raped. there is no room for operation in his belarus. >> daniel is 3 years old. his grandmother says he is usually a cheerful, happy go lucky kid. he has not seen his parents for over a month. they have been in prison since
6:19 pm
the presidential elections. >> the little fellow keep asking -- keeps asking, where is mama, where is public. i said there on a journey. he asks me less often. he gives me a hug and tells me how much he loves me. >> this is the kgb headquarters in minsk where it is thought daniel's parents are being held. that's not been allowed to see their son or their lawyer. -- they have not been allowed to see their son or their lawyers. he was among the opposition candidates with the best chances. even back then, he was afraid the elections would be rigged. after the election, he and his wife took part in demonstrations in central minsk along with thousands of other people. the authorities crack down harder on the protests and he was injured. he and his wife were arrested.
6:20 pm
since then, lucina has been looking after the boy. the women are afraid the authorities will put dannell in an orphanage. ? i was really scared. i know the regime could put pressure on his mother. the nose with the people in power will come up with next? ? we're worried about our son and daughter. the prospect of daniel being taken away is the worst of all. >> after the elections, the regime tried to crack down on
6:21 pm
journalists with raids and arrests treated one example was the popular radio station. it has been banned from broadcasting. the regime accused the editor in chief and his team of extremism. >> we know the reason. theythey broadcast the commerics for the candidates. >> elaris appeared to be opening up to work on -- belarus appeared to be opening up for your. artists spoke of more civil
6:22 pm
liberties in belarus. the situation suddenly changed after election night. he cannot explain why. >> my friends and i rejected. what is happening here is real but no one expected it. no one thought the powers that be with lose their nerve like that. >> the european union has threatened consequences if the regime does not soften its stance. the german government's human rights commissioner traveled to minsk in the hope of mediating. but, his calls fell on deaf ears. >> of violence against demonstrators, injured people being taken to jail without treatment. people prevented from contacting
6:23 pm
their relatives. police searches and ngo offices, and independent journalists offices, and other forms of persecution. i expressed our art rage and demanded the release the political -- our outrage and demanded the release the political prisoners. the europeans are calling us to respect the rule of law. they expect us to ignore our own laws when it suits the west. that is not right. >> dannell is too young to understand all that. he realizes more visitors are coming to see him. he is getting lots of presents. his grandmother's need all the support they can get to protect their grandson from the regime. >> she is a courageous woman. her daughter is in jail and her son-in-law is in jail. she is looking after the boy.
6:24 pm
sheikh deserves our support. >> for markets, what is important fo-- marcus, what is important is to keep up the pressure. there will decide whether daniel can stay with his grandmother. his parents are to go on trial and face up to 15 years in jail. >> we spoke to maria beck who has been to belarus and is active in demanding more human rights. we asked her how she believed the u.s. should react to the oppressive regime. >> deftly there has to be a strong answer because we should not for that in 1999 and 2000, there has been people who disappeared and many signs were sent the regime had part in this disappearance. it came back and the eu came
6:25 pm
back trying to reach out the hand to the regime, especially for the benefit of the regime. he has been violating all international laws and human- rights, so there cannot be a just going on in business as usual. >> are economic sanctions an option? >> i think sanctions will more be visa sanctions. all those people who are part of the repressive regime and the injustice will not be able to travel into the european union anymore. i hope that their bank cards -- big accounts will be there will be a shift to the european programs which have to
6:26 pm
come to the benefit of a civil society but not come to the benefit of the regime. >> what is the outlook for belarus if he stays in power? >> i think at the moment, you must expect he is trying to mesh any opposition there is. -- smash any opposition there is. it is difficult for young people and academics, those who won an open society, who want to live to the west. if he will put the country into this dark stage, it will be very sad for our friends and people of belarus. rex thank you very much. -- >> thank you. >> that is "in depth".
6:27 pm
thanks for watching. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--
6:28 pm
6:29 pm
6:30 pm
the autism epidemic. a wave of childhood autism is sweeping the developed world. autism is rapidly becoming one of the most commonly diagnosed developmental disorders second only to add. attention deficit disorder. but the diagnosis of autism is no longer as dire as it was only a few decades ago. new therapies and early interventions spell hope for those afflicted with autism. but why are there so many new cases of autism and what are autm's early warning signs? we'll ask u.s. congressman, chris smith, co-chairman of the congressional coalition for autism research and
6:31 pm
education and lee glues man, president and ceo of the autism society of america. if. for such a small if i live to a hundred. if social security isn't enough. if my heart gets broken. if she says yes. we believe if should never hold you back. if should be managed with a plan that builds on what you already have. together we can create a personal safety net, a launching pad, for all those brilliant ifs in the middle of life. you can call on our expertise and get guarantees for the if in life.
6:32 pm
after all, we're metlife. chairman smith and lee grossman, welcome. >> thank you. >> what are the early warning signs of an autistic child? lee grows man? >> there is numerous early warning signs. primarily one of the things a parent will first notice is the child doesn't seem to be responding to them. there will be lck of eye contact. they may have some speech developing as an infant and lose it as they grow older. it doesn't seem as though they are relating well with their peers. may have a high threshold to pain. it seems as though they somehow become deattached in many ways. >> in the literature there is some variation in the listing of the signs.
6:33 pm
for example, the autistic child is not supposed to be a cuddeling child. your child is now 18 years old. >> correct. >> when he was growing up, he was -- was he a cudler? >> extremely loveable. he was a great child. a lot of people described him as being like a puppy dog. that is one of the misconceptions about autism is that children don't appreciate love and care. many of them, i think most of them do. >> what did you -- at what age was that when you detected that there was something awry? >> when he was actually diagnosed somewhat late. this is in the early 90s when the awareness and appreciation of autism wasn't as great. he was such a nice kid and most professionals at that time were saying that's not indicative of autism. and he was speech delayed. having some of the other characteristics? >> what age was he then? >> 3,4? >> i'd say about 3 years
6:34 pm
old. >> are the professionals saying he'll out grow it and develop speech. we heard a myriad -- >> did he repeat words or phrases in. >> he has a trace of -- healed grab my hadn't and point in a direction or i would say something to him and healed repeat that back. >> did he have tantrums? >> not what you consider normal tantrums. many of these children might just shut down. and healed lay on the ground and -- he would lay on the ground and be immobile when he was having a hard time he avoided eye contact? >> yes. >> what about his designation of inappropriate attachment to balls or jacks or a tennis racketed or something. >> it seems as though they will lock on to something that is of extreme interest. many children have an interest in books. my son, for example, had the
6:35 pm
full collection of every doctor sues book there was and he used to carry them around. he was 3 years, 4 years old, in his backpack t weighed more than he did. but healed drag it around and whenever we got to a new place healed lathan out in a certain order. -- he would. >> he used gestures instead of words. language was slower. that's probably the first respond sner. >> yes and the eye contact is something that parents always talk about. it's so suspect. when you're talking to a child and when they are not responding or looking at you it generally will create or red flags. >> how about social relationships to his two brothers? >> he loved his brothers. >> there was a normal social relationship? >> i would say so. it was -- it was to a certain degree. as he was developing or getting older, his ability to respond at an age appropriate level with
6:36 pm
peers, with his brothers, seemed to be more interested in being by himself and doing his own thing and it was almost impossible to bring him back in and engage him in what would be considered normal group activities. >> congressman, you spend quite a bit of time in this sector. have you learned anything from the scientists or the parents about the cause of autism? >> we're not sure what the triggers are but there is a lot of speculation that mercury could be one which is used in the mm andrmpt other vaccinations now that has been taken out of most. >> what is mmr? >> the measels, mumps and rue bella. and our children now get a battery of vaccinations which obviously have a very laudible aim to prevent childhood diseases but there were serious concerns and it was backed with data that immediately after getting the shot, some kids began to
6:37 pm
manifest symptoms of developmental disorder called autism. there is also a very provocative stud they came out of texas that coal burning plants which spew out mercury latent pollution, if you did an overlay of where the plants and were where the prevalence or a spike in autism occurred, it was in proximity to those plants. it's provocative. it's suggestive, not conclusive but it raises the bar that there may be or red flags, a number of triggers. and mercury at predisposition, a gene problem, unborn children may have some early indicators that they are going to be autistic. so we need to be looking earlier with the hopes of mitigating the early onset or the manifest station of this developmental disorder and earliest prevention, vigorous early prevention using best practiceos teaching can help get that
6:38 pm
child to a higher functioning level and there is a tremendous amount of research going to there now. i have a bill that would focus more resources so that more parents could get their children to a higher functioning level quicker through early intervention. >> so that early intervention can stall or it can decrease the impact of the onset of autism itself? >> and you know, one way autism was described to me years ago, because i have been working on it for 26 years but more profoundly sings we thought we had a spike of prevalence, in new jersey, when i found out we started with 1-ten thousand children who had autism. >> that was 13 years ago? >> 1980. and now we believe it's 1-166 and $hat's a cdc number. >> 1-104 boys?
6:39 pm
so you're pushing one out of 100. 1-400 girls. so it ax flicts boys more than girls. born in the u.s. are autistic. 1.7 million autistic people in the united states. 1.7 million. and the cost of care today is estimated at 90 billion dollars per year and you don't die of autism. you go old and need care and in some instances 24-7. >> exactly. this is a lifelong condition. when you're born with it, for the most part, vast majority of those people that have autism will have it throughout their life. >> and insurance? >> nothing is covering autism. a very, very small minority that may have medical coverage but for the most part, no. there isn't any and when these children leave the comfort and the entittlement
6:40 pm
that are provided throughout their school age years and they enter the adult secr, their service pot increased tremendously mainly because there is such a lack of services. a lack of appropriate care, that the only -- the ones that can receive it is at a tremendous cost and it's a tremendous price. and 90% of the cost of treatment and intervention and services for this community are in the adult sector. typically, the adult sector without question, at this point, is inadequate and inappropriate for serving its current population of adults with autism. and we have this what i call tsunami effect about to occur where there are so many new cases that are being dgnosed over the next 5-10 years they are going to be enchlt entering this sector which is as i said,il prepared to hand the current sector, it is going
6:41 pm
to in undate and overwhelm our social system in the next few years. >> as the congressman pointed out. 1-ten thousand was the incident of autism in 1980. that remained more or less constant until the end of the 80s. >> part of it was lack of looking for it. the cdc was doing next to nothing to find out who had it. >> today it's be difficul with regard to an autistic adult, the iq of the standardized literature view of the separation point of an autistic versus a nonautistic child is around 50, below 50. sometimes even those below 50 will have an extraordinariy talent like the piano. correct? you seen that? >> i guess one of the points we are trying to make at the
6:42 pm
autism society of america is that we believe that autism is treatable and that virtually everyone with autism has the strength that can be developed that could have them function into fairly typical way in the conventional population. it's a matter of finding what those strengths are and developing them and working with the child to educate and through behavioral modifications so you can use that to raise the water so to speak, on their other abilities. >> this is why early detection is so important because you can stall or retard the onset of the full-blown autistic melody. human functions such as understanding, speech, reading and thinking or moving the arm or coordinating touch, smell, hearing and seeing have been trades to low calls in the brain.
6:43 pm
-- localities -- and autism probably has a place in the brain. it's neurological. why is it that if these points can be treated separately, it would seem, making it possible for example in standard language deefficient autistic children children, why can't that part of the brain that controls the formation of language be treated independently and those sectors multiplied to include all of the behavioral signs that can be corrected individually and thus relief the situation? that's an involved question but it does occur to me as something that i haven't seen any description of what the answer is. we'll put that question to our guests but first here are the distinguished profiles. >> born pittsburgh, wife nen a3 children. 15 years of age. university of pennsylvania, 3 years.
6:44 pm
a specific university bs administration. grossman associate, honolulu marketing distribution consulting firm for medical manufacturers. owner 25 years. autism society of hawaii president 3 years. autism society of america president and ceo 1 1/2 years and currently. lee grossman. born new jersey, wife, marie. 4 children. 53 years of age. republican. trenton state college va business. u.s. house of representatives new jersey fourth district including parts of ocean counties 26 elected at 26 years of age. coalition for autism research and education. cochair with congress man mike doyle of pennsylvania. author of legislative acts autism statistics,
6:45 pm
surveillance, research and epidemiology. honors, several including autism society of america congressional hero award. christopher smith. >> before we leave the subject on whether or not vaccines cause autism, which is a commonly held view, there is a division particularly on the drug the mare sol. and it should be noted that in the november december issue of of the columbia journalism review, a very lengthy article addresses the journalistic responsibilities are of how this is presented to the public and the conclusion is whether this ther setrue, right or wrong, there will be consequences for the public health apparatus and vaccine manufacturers. both parents and their children, and for journalists, but with science left to be
6:46 pm
done and scientists eager to do it, it seems too soon for the press to shut the door on the debate. because there have been articles that have dismissed the ther mersolor vaccine and there is congressman wells of call -- of florida who is a doctor and he says he believes in vaccines. he always have been a beliefer and i think his conviction is that the scare is an unjustified scare. but he says it should still be examined. science should still do its work, correct? >> that's absolutely correct. this issue about mercury and its environmental effect as related to autism is not a dead issue and it must be kept alive because we don't have the answers. ther mersolis a mercury additive -- >> who makes it. is that a generic term?
6:47 pm
>> i believe so. it's made by a number of the manufacturers of these vaccines and it's many people believe that it's that additive, that mercury that was used is what created the brain damage. now representative weldon's legislation called for the removal of ther mersol. >> well don. >> weld on from florida. and he called for the removal of mercury and ther mersolprimarily from all vaccines and that's something that to me makes so much sense. why would you want to put a known neurotoxin into somebody? >> he is careful to speak positively about vaccines for small pox and the other associated diseases. >> no doubt vaccinations -- >> caroline maloney is also another congresswoman from new york. shoo is also on the vaccine concern. i dala scare because the
6:48 pm
other vaccines have done so much for our population. do you take it -- you don't take a position -- >> my sense is and i support dave weld on's bill, let's act on the signed of -- side of prudence. there are so many times when somebody asks for shots and their kids begin to show signs and symptoms. >> it could be sheer coincidence. >> it could be but there is so much of it and as lee said, mercury is a devastating neurotoxin. it's very dangerous. and there are alternatives for preservetives. the only thing that mercury did in the mmr or any other vaccines is to act as a preserveative. use an alternative that doesn't carey with let's talk about the brain. the brain functions mysterious and runedderous. from the brain come all thoughts, memories, brarfs and movements. the brain is the site of thinking and the control center for the rest of the
6:49 pm
body. the brain coordinates the ability to move,g8oo=g8oc8c8cf the human brain. it is really an unbelievable miracle. isn't it? >> of course. of course. and because autism is a genetically based neurogical condition which affects all that is best -- as best we can tell, all regions of the brain, that's why it's so absolutely complex. >> is the conclusion of this that somehow the structure of that brain didn't quite make it in some regard?
6:50 pm
>> it could and there could be an environmental trigger even in those early ages. we know unborn children are very well functioning individual persons but they are also very susceptible in the early weeks and months to outside stim la >> this is the fastest growing of all developmental diseases in the united states for children. correct? fastest growing. >> fastest growing developmental disabilitiy. and over taking add like over taking a number that the rate of growth, correct? >> i'm not really sure how it relates to add specifically but there is a number of other conditions out there that combined autism is much greater than. >> we have a group in town called -- or a group in atlanta called the cdc and
6:51 pm
they have not very much money and i don't want to give you the status here but i do have them but i'd rather give you statistics for the national statutes of health. they have a 30 billion dollar total budget. here we are talking about disease and experiencing that developmental upsurge of enormous proportions. 1-104 boys and 1-400 girls. and the autism budget for the nih is 3/10 of 1% -- now you are going to do something about that aren't you? >> we have been. you have to go to 1995 the centers for disease control spent 287,000 dollars and they straight lined that amount of money until 1998. i offered legislation that bumped it up. created centers for disease control, called centers of excellence it's now at 15
6:52 pm
million dollars. we went from 10 million dollars at the national statutes of health for nih, to what it is now over 100 million dollars. and that's still not enough. but it's a 10 fold increase. but cdc and nih were not looking that the issue at all. they had crumbs falling off on to the table of their budget for so many years and now we have mobilized. we think it must go to the next level which is significantly more funding and lee and his organization have been have been very powerful. >> i think anybody knows this is a terrible indictment of our value system in this country that the nih doesn't get more money. i mean medical research is extremely expense and i have you're broke too. the autism society of america according to my literature is you're broke and if you're broke that means your influence is weaker? >> i would say we're not broke, we are doing okay. it's just that we need more money so we can do more for the community. the community right now is
6:53 pm
tremendously under served. and what our -- what we do is advocate and support. educate the public and as well as trying to services in the improvement and research. that takes money. our emphasis is going to the government and asking them and showing them the statistics and demanding from them that this is a condition that's reached epidemic proportions in the u.s. and this country has a marvelous history of responding to ep demics and crisis in the past. and this is one that is of no less value and has become a national health crisis and the government needs to respond to it. >> most parents of autistic kids are exhausted. because it's a 24-7 requirement. and the fact that they have to see so much -- their love for their children, they have to see how they could
6:54 pm
be but they are not is painful for them. so we ought to do something about that and give it the kind of providence is deserves. and some who are connected to means of communication are able to eist the services of the ad council and it declaredarticles that hae 5 major concerns and it's all over the airwaves this week, radio and television and it's in the newspapers. and it's great to see and the organization that brought it about is autism speaks. it has 61 full-time employees and it's raised 27 million dollars this year. so, i would manage thane you're going to be able to match something like that becae you're organization is quite prestige us and been in existence a longer period of time. >> we worked with them in developing the message for the add council program. it's interesting how autism is presented in the public
6:55 pm
as well as on the hill. we talk in these vast numbers and the lack of funding. really what is most important are the families and the individuals and how they are impacted. the emotional and social costs of this condition are devastating on the family. it is so much more of a difficult issue to address than just throwing money a it. there has to be an awareness. there has to be concern from the general public to understand and to appreciate what these families are going through on a daily basis. what the individuals of autism are experiencing throughout their lifetime and i think once we have that greater understanding and what the add council is doing is raising that awareness which is tremendous, we'll be able to develop the critical mass to effect change. >> why can't individual localities in the brain be treated for individual disorders? and why can't correctively that help to relief the
6:56 pm
disease? >> lee could probably answer this better. frankly that's what the research at nih in part is focusing on. this is largely a disability of connect activity or the lack of it where the message can't traverse the brain to tell the other parts of the brain and make one big whole. so you get, that's why you get some autistic children who are great playing the piano but they can't do other more mundane tasks because -- >> a lot of this is interlocking and it would be difficult to disengage the individual locality because it's so per vase sniff. >> it is very pervasive. there are no easy answers. >> yet your son is 18 years of age and has reached a level of adjustment has he not? >> he has. he has improved greatly and it's through primarily education and behavioral programing. there is much more that needs to be done that can be done on the biomedical side and that seems that we are very much closely associated
6:57 pm
with and working towards now. and that's where the breakthrough will come. >> chairman smith, a
6:58 pm
6:59 pm

201 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on