Will Anything Earth-shattering Happen at this IACC Meeting?

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee is meeting today. According to the agenda, in the morning there will be a presentation on supports and services for individuals on the autism spectrum by Ellen W. Blackwell, MSW, Center for Medicaid & State Operations, and by Ann Clemency Kohler, Director of Health Services, National Association of State Medicaid Directors, American Public Human Services Association. In the afternoon, there will be a presentation on vaccine study considerations by Lyn Redwood, R.N., M.S.N., C.N.R.P., of Safe Minds and Mark Noble, Ph.D., University of Rochester Medical Center. Bruce Gellin, M.D., M.P.H., will speak about the Vaccine Policy Office, DHHS. And, there will also be further discussion of the IACC's Strategic Plan for research on ASDs.

Given the curious incident that happened happened prior to the previous IACC meeting in December----the resignation of IACC member Alison Tepper Singer from her position as Executive Vice President of Autism Speaks---and given that any discussion on vaccines and autism seems a surefire way to get a volatile exchange going----seems like there might be some fireworks (hey, it is Chinese New Year). But will anything truly earth-shattering arise?

You can listen in to the meeting via a webinar or via a conference call (instructions are here): Will research about vaccines be included in the Strategic Plan and will further research enable us to let go and move on?

I rather suspect not. There seems to be an insatiable need to have totally 110-plus positive proof about various things regarding vaccines, and no study can provide the yearned-for certainty. Maybe the most earth-shattering thing of all would be the quiet acknowledgement that there is plenty enough----shortages of housing and employment for individuals with disabilities; shortages, too, of understanding; no shortage of discrimination and insufficient, inadequate accommodations in schools and in the community---plenty plus to devote our energies to, to empower individuals with disabilities rather than to be so focused on one possible, hypothetical cause.

So here's two somewhat less potentially earth-shattering, but still notable, things that happened on Tuesday here in the Garden State.

A real earthquake (3.0 on the Richter scale).

And, after a snowy ride----Jim had taken Charlie into Jersey City to meet me at my office, after which Jim was off to the Bronx and Charlie and I drove back west and stopped for groceries---Charlie and I pulled into the parking lot outside our condo and started unloading the car. I had all my work stuff and Charlie had brought an old backpack and a few other items with him, and all of that had to be carried in. There were still three big canvas bags of groceries in the trunk. I was starting some things for dinner and opening the door for the dryer when I heard Charlie clomp-clomping down the stairs to the car.

He reappeared with a heavy bag of groceries over one shoulder. I went down the stairs and found the other two canvas bags on the first-floor landing, neatly placed against each other. I went to shut the trunk of the black car and when I turned around, Charlie had come back down the stairs and hoisted both bags one over each shoulder and was heading back inside. After taking off his shoes and coat, he went into the kitchen and put everything away.

Nothing earth-shattering exactly.

Well, depends, perhaps, on what the priorities are.

Photo by dweekly.