>Avoiding Scams, Haters and Bullies on Facebook

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A recent “war” on a common Facebook group prompted me to write my own PSA (public service announcement) based on my findings and experience. About five years ago, I was approached by a scam artist who claimed to be a powerful lobbyist and the father of an Autistic child. My contact happened due to a Yahoo group. That was just the beginning of much more to come.

Once Facebook came to be the popular media it is now, this scammer appeared under so many different fake profiles, I lost count. Today, he still continues this crime while preying on desperate families and their wallets.

There are at least a couple of “real” parents of Autistic children who on their real profiles, advocate. Yet, they too, have fake profiles where they stalk, bully and badmouth others. Why? I can only speculate – mental health issues themselves, anger at life in general? Who knows.

There’s another trend on Facebook. People with odd fetishes can be found faking their identity in order to find individuals who will play into their hands (aka fetish fantasies). Often these folks disguise themselves as being disabled or a big fan of something in order to infiltrate a group. They attempt to engage others in odd fantasy. Often, these folks appear to have personality disorders and like to stir up controversy. They choose very hardened sides and claim to be victims of the other side. This method works wonders at getting people to interact with them (I’m so sorry so-and-so is treating you this way. I’ll be your friend!). The victim thinks this person is really hurt and tries to help. What the victim doesn’t know is that he/she is playing right into the hands of a scam or fantasy seeking individual.

Then of course there are the real people, with real anger who thrive on controversy. These people spew hate speech and blame others for their own plight. They often libelously label real people. They slant truths and propagate lies. These are severely unhappy people.

Others are what I refer to as “the collective.” They are desperate to find answers, seek understanding and are easily sold snake oil. They throw away their past values and thinking and exchange it for the ideals of the group. The more the group discusses issues, a phenomenon called Groupthink happens. Groupthink is defined as a mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony overrides a realistic appraisal of the situation. This phenomenon is fed by overconfidence of group members, conformity, self-justification and polarization. When a member of the group questions the ideals of the group, they are usually ostracized from the group or punished in some social manner. To explain the toxic behavior of the previous innocent member, psychology also notes “the foot in the door phenomenon.” This is the tendency for people who have first agreed to small requests (i.e. do not associate with group x any longer) soon will comply with larger requests (i.e. badmouth group x members publicly). This phenomenon explains how seemingly typical parents can often become venomous when the ideals of their group (collective) are challenged.

What can you do to protect yourself from the above?

Fake Profiles

Be wary that fakes are out there. Do not blindly accept friend requests on Facebook. Do a little research first. You can often see the Facebook Walls of scammers – they rarely lock down their fake profiles. What’s on their wall? Most real persons will have conversations about more topics than just one. We often comment on the weather, the week we had, something exciting in our lives. We often have friends and family commenting on mutual subjects. What we do not have is narrowly focused posts on one topic.

Fakes often have a lot of friends making them seem legitimate. Even some mutual friends. Do not be fooled. These people put a lot of time into creating fake families with real photos. They often accumulate friends by playing Facebook games and of course, asking for friendships to anyone and everyone with a common interest (Autism, for example). When in doubt, do not “friend” someone. Better safe than sorry.

Once you find a fake – block them! Do not engage them. They are for sure, looking for any interaction, positive or negative. Remember, any public feedback whether negative or positive makes them appear so much more real.

Haters

Click – Account – Privacy Settings – Edit Block List. Add them. Enough said. You will not, cannot and certainly should not try to convert these people.

The Borg (aka Collective)

Just steer clear. There is little you can do here as well. They have found an “accepting” group who has promised to love them as long as they fulfill the group’s mission. If they become toxic, do not respond. Block them if necessary. Do not friend them or remove them if they are already on your friends list.

Conclusion

There are multitudes of scams, fakes and haters on Facebook. Responding to any of them, in any manner only helps their agenda. We can effectively stop Facebook bullying by ignoring it. Though they may be spewing misinformation, engaging them will only help them further their mission. Fight misinformation with real information. But do so in a way that does not engage the person who misinformed.

My mother always said “kill them with kindness.” I say, “kill them with apathy.”

>Save the Inhabitants of Planet Earth

>The year 2012 has all sorts of mystery surrounding it. Though it has apparently become “much ado about nothing” as far as scholars are concerned, the public has held fast to theories from Biblical end of days to a visitation by our alien ancestors. And really, who could blame us for anticipating a change of such grandeur? The world is a mess. So here is my proposal to change the outcome of 2012. Let’s quickly fix the mess we’re in and stop the end of the world or an alien revolution. We obviously can’t fix everything alone. But if each one of us takes on once small piece of responsibility, things will change.

This is my list of things (in no particular order) that I feel must change in order for us to coexist on this planet for longer than the impending nine months.

Treat People Like You Want to Be Treated

Sound familiar? It should. And no, the left-wing liberals did not create this saying. Though it is usually associated with he Christian Bible’s Book of Matthew, it has been around much longer. The history on this way of thinking goes back to ancient Babylon. Here’s the Wiki on it for you diehard historians. Bottom line is, if we all stopped to think for just one moment about treating each other decently, 99% of our world problems would cease to exist. Stop comparing your life and choices to others’. Everyone’s situation is different. Period. Stop looking at others as lazy or defunct just because they are different. Just stop. Focus on your own problems and deal with them.

Reality Television

These televisions shows glorify stupidity, human suffering, exploit children and cause our brains to shrink. These shows desensitize us to human suffering and make exploitation exciting. Some exploit the mentally ill. Others value people as no more than a casual prize. Criminally negligent parents parade their three years old’s in makeup and bathing suits to win pageants. “Can you say pedophile, Virginia?” And by all means, stop following Charlie Sheen! The man needs mental health help. It’s sad, I know. I’m not talking about documentaries, talent competitions and adventure or educational shows. I’m talking about the shows that exploit people. The ones who follow housewives, bachelors and tiara wearing toddlers. These shows vote people out in some sort of sick human competition or worse, simply follow dysfunction around to entertain us. Stop watching these shows. They are hard to resist. For some reason, watching others suffer in unrealistic existences can often help us forget our own problems. But there are other ways to find entertainment. Ah, but you say “that’s all that is on TV now!” There’s a catch. If we stop watching, the networks will stop airing. There’s no rocket science involved. Read a book, rent a movie, or heck..play a board game with the family. Not so hard.

The News Media

Everything we see is tainted. It tainted with opinion, speculation and formatted by whomever pays the media the most. Stop believing everything you hear. Think rationally. Think for yourself. Instead, read the newspapers and journals. Compare slants on stories and formulate your OWN opinion instead of taking on someone’s perspective. Yeah, it takes more time. But if you are living in a virtual reality, what’s the point of living?

Stop Worshiping Money

There’s just not a whole lot more I can say about this. Money is a necessity in life to a point. But we’ve lost sight of the real meaning of life. We don’t “need” HD televisions, digital TV, smart-phones, movie rental subscriptions, or luxury cars. We do need food, water, shelter, oxygen and sunlight. Choose your needs over your wants.

To sum it all up, I’m hoping humankind can redeem itself. I’m hoping that by 2012, we’ll have seen the light somehow. If not, then bring on the aliens. I’m ready for some earthly enlightenment.

>Overcoming the Stigma of Vaccination

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Public health organizations are doing a poor job of advocating for vaccination. Conversely, anti-vaccination groups are successfully spreading misinformation and discouraging vaccination. In Michael Willrich’s New York Times editorial, Why Parents Fear the Needle, he argues that health organizations are doing little to counter misinformation and reassure the public about safety.¹ It is possible that his argument is valid. Though a 2009 study showed immunization of U.S. infants remained at about ninety percent², in 2010, forty percent of U.S. families postponed or declined vaccines for their children.³ Fear is usually the driving force behind refusal to vaccinate and is mostly caused by ignorance. Lack of clear and accessible information about the real risks of vaccines increases suspicion and makes the public susceptible to deceitful practices. The absence of good information appears to cause families to depend on more readily available nonsense.

As Willrich points out, vaccines have always been a subject of public scrutiny. The smallpox vaccine, developed in the late 1800s, began a surge of fearful and angry anti-vaccination groups. The concept of injecting a living disease into a healthy person seemed a foolish way to fend off illness. Anger was largely due to government health organizations forcing vaccination on the public without assuring public safety.⁴ These organizations did not tell the public about benefits and risks, yet forced them to submit to vaccination. Adding to public fear, a handful of citizens contracted tetanus after receiving the diphtheria vaccine in 1901. This caused a nationwide panic and a halt to vaccination for some time. Later, it was found the infections were due to an exposure to tetanus at the injection wound site.⁵ Though found unrelated to the actual vaccine ingredients, the outbreak added to the public’s already damaged perception of vaccines.

Willrich fails to mention two important issues affecting today’s vaccination rates. Complacency and boundless exposure to media opinion have contributed to the anti-vaccination movement. Most citizens no longer fear contracting deadly epidemics such as polio. Numerous serious diseases have ceased to exist thanks to vaccination. Immunity, however, has caused the public to become over-confident and forget.⁶ Complacency and media exposure create a perfect mix for conspiracy theorists. Many believe there is a conspiracy to poison citizens in the name of profit. Despite this seemingly new trend, however, celebrities and media have long been a source of anti-vaccination rhetoric. In the 1900s, George Bernard Shaw publicly declared vaccines a “filthy piece of witchcraft.” ⁷ After the premier of the smallpox vaccine, political satirist, James Gillray, published a cartoon depicting vaccinated people morphing into cow-like creatures.⁸ In more recent times, actress and former Playboy model, Jenny McCarthy faulted childhood vaccinations as the cause of her child’s Autism. McCarthy co-authored a book on the matter, entitled Healing and Preventing Autism.⁹ Though not completely new, misinformed celebrities and complacency have endorsed the anti-vaccination mentality.

Another aspect, Willrich seems to omit, is the power of the anti-vaccination groups. Such groups continue to perpetuate fear using arguments very similar to those of the 19th century’s groups.¹⁰ Today, however, these groups are highly visible thanks to the Internet. The multitude of deception on the Internet has increased public suspicion. Deceivingly harmless advocacy organizations, such as Age of Autism and the National Autism Society, have an expansive presence on the World Wide Web. These anti-vaccination groups thrive on misinformation and label scientific study, that does not support their mission, as tainted. Groups sometimes accuse families who vaccinate of being part of a large conspiracy. Groups such as these appear to prey on desperation, confusion and ignorance. In some cases, groups use deceit and fear for profit. Corrupt groups often promote alternative and sometimes dangerous treatments with hefty price tags. In most cases, treatments are not medically approved and hence, not covered by health insurance. Families frequently shell out thousands of dollars in a month to receive questionable treatments, unproven herbal drugs, and other alternative medicine. These families are led to believe they are healing vaccine injury.¹¹

Misinformed and corrupted science also adds to current fears. Fueling the fire for the anti-vaccination movement, in 1998 British researcher, Andrew Wakefield claimed to have found a clear link to the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and Autism. Though countless scientific studies around the globe could find no correlation, Wakefield declared to have proof. Since no other researcher could duplicate his results, Wakefield’s study was highly scrutinized. It was this intense examination that uncovered a falsified report. Soon after, Mr. Wakefield’s motives became apparent. He had been working on developing his own variety of the MMR vaccine. Add to this, he hand-picked his test subjects using anti-vaccination groups who not only financed the study, but had planned grandiose litigation once the study was complete.¹² Despite the very public exposure of Wakefield’s crime, one in five parents still believes that vaccines cause Autism.¹³ His crime left a legacy of misinformation and helped increase the public’s fear of vaccines.

It is clear that a good deal of information exists to help us understand the reason for public fear of vaccines. On the other hand, as Willrich notes, reputable and clear scientific information on vaccination risks and benefits is not as available. In the recent past, the heath organizations have mostly remained silent and relied on health care providers, such as pediatricians, to persuade their patients and families to vaccinate. While on the surface this appears a reasonable approach, a recent survey showed that though eighty-seven percent of doctors said they talked about vaccination with all their patients, forty-seven percent of patients claimed their doctor never mentioned vaccines.¹⁴ This leads us to wonder how confident even the doctors are in recommending vaccination to their patients. It is obvious, the health organizations need to take a firm step toward better education for all the public, including health care providers.

The health organizations need to use an accessible approach to teach the public about vaccine safety. Willrich affirms that they must use the power of the Internet. And though the health organizations may argue that they do, the current information on the World Wide Web is mostly incomprehensible to the average citizen. At the Center for Disease Control and World Health Organization websites, documentation reads much like a sophisticated medical journal. In order to foster a better understanding, the health organizations must use language that clearly and effectively gives citizens a chance to comprehend the benefits and risks of vaccination. These organizations must find ways to make information accessible for all walks of life. Until the health organizations prepare and widely distribute information that is accessible, the conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccination groups will continue to grow.

Health organizations have begun fighting misinformation with more rhetoric as another ineffective way to promote vaccination. Willrich says it very clearly. “Why waste another breath vilifying the anti-vaccination minority when steps can be taken to expand the pro-vaccine majority?”¹⁵ Indeed it appears, that rather than ignoring the misguided messages of the anti-vaccination movement, the health organizations seem bent on fighting fire with fire. Opinion pieces do little to make the public feel safer. Better the health organizations should promote scientifically proven risks and benefits of vaccination. Another problem with this method is, by acknowledging the misinformation, they are also lending some validity to the argument. As Shakespeare’s Queen said, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”¹⁶

Michael Willrich sums up the argument, nicely. “Until officials realize that, and learn how to counter such deep-seated concerns, the paranoia – and the public-health risk it poses – will remain.”¹⁷ Lack of accessible information, complacency due to eradication of many deadly diseases and public suspicion will continue to keep some from vaccinating. Until the world health organizations change their methods to an educational approach, ignorance and misinformation will continue to reign.

1Michael Willrich, “Why Parents Fear the Needle,” New York Times, January 21, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/opinion/21willrich.html.

2“CDC Survey Finds Childhood Immunization Rates Remain High,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, September 16, 2010, http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2010/r100916.htm.

3Michael Willrich, “Why Parents Fear the Needle,” New York Times, January 21, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/opinion/21willrich.html.

4“Smallpox: Resistance to Vaccination,” U.S. National Library of Medicine, October 2002, www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/smallpox/sp_resistance.html.

5Joseph Mcfarland, M.D., “Tetanus and Vaccination.1- An Analytical Study of Ninety-Five Cases of this Rare Complication,” J Med Res. 7(4), (1902): 474–493.

6Senier, L. , “Risk Balanced by Trust: Parental Perception of Vaccine Risks”, 2005-08-12, http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p22083_index.html.

7“Smallpox: Resistance to Vaccination,” U.S. National Library of Medicine, October 2002, www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/smallpox/sp_resistance.html.

8Ibid.

9Jeffrey Kluger , “Jenny McCarthy on Autism and Vaccines,” Time Magazine, Apr. 01, 2009, http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1888718,00.html.

10Robert M Wolfe, “Anti-vaccinationists past and present,” BMJ., 325(7361), (2002): 430–432.

11Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, “On shaky ground with alternative treatments to autism,” http://www.bcbs.com/news/wellness/on-shaky-ground-with-alternative-treatments-to-autism.html.

12Brian Deer, “How the case against the MMR vaccine was fixed,” BMJ , (2011): 342:c5347.

13Michael Willrich, “Why Parents Fear the Needle,” New York Times, January 21, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/opinion/21willrich.html.

14Steven Reinberg, “CDC Report Finds Adult Vaccination Rates Still Lagging,” HealthDay , November 17, 2010, http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100266932.

15Michael Willrich, “Why Parents Fear the Needle,” New York Times, January 21, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/opinion/21willrich.html
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16Macrone, Michael. “The lady doth protest too much.” Brush Up Your Shakespeare. Cader Company, 1990. eNotes.com. 2007. 12 Feb, 2011 http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/lady-doth-protest-too-much-methinks.

17Michael Willrich, “Why Parents Fear the Needle,” New York Times, January 21, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/opinion/21willrich.html.

>Adventures in Psychology 100 and Human Development 129

>So, because this inferno infused mother didn’t have enough on her plate [insert sarcasm], she decided to go back to school this month. And of course, because I live in a house of psycho-babble, it was a natural choice to select Psychology as my focus.

What I’ve found in just a couple weeks of study is pretty interesting. First of all, we can pretty much write off all those surveys and correlation studies we see everyday. Correlation does not equal causation. What a simple concept that is so completely ignored by modern media. You might find it reassuring knowing that our children’s TV viewing habits likely did not “cause” ADHD and divorce probably does not cause our children to commit suicide. Correlation does not equal causation!

As far as surveys are concerned, it is clear that wording can lead the participant to select a premeditated answer. For instance, a question such as “Did your child experience any Autistic symptoms after receiving the MMR vaccine?” could lead a lot of parents to answer “yes” despite showing any correlation. The question didn’t ask if parents noticed those Autistic symptoms before the MMR vaccine and doesn’t note how long after they noticed. The end result might show 100% of parents noticed their child was Autistic after the MMR vaccine. Yet, perhaps 95% noticed symptoms before or only years later. Surveys are easily manipulated using wording strategies.

So, I’m thinking that 5th dentist may have really been onto something. I mean 4 out of 5 chose Trident for their patients who chew gum. But what about those who don’t chew gum? And what was the other choice? Ju-Ju Fruits? Sugar Cubes? Broccoli? I can only imagine that dentist #5 may have thought that chewing gum with saccharine(as it was back then) was worse for your body than the other choices. Who knows?

But more intriguing to me is how infantile the study of human development and psychology is. Psychological theories are changing every few years. Even more fascinating, is how some of the antiquated theories are still in practice today.

Behaviorism and Psychoanalytic theories are old school. We now know that a persons personality has multidimensional influences such as biological, cognitive, social, and cultural. But today we still see behaviorism in practice in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). While behaviorism does gives us some insight to purposeful behavior, it nowhere comes close to understanding the cognitive, environmental, social and cultural aspects of behavior. Nor does it take into account actual neurobiological differences in cognition. For this reason, it’s no longer a current theory. But it still being used on Autistic’s everyday.

Psychoanalytic is mostly associated with Freud. You know, “Tell me about your mother”. But even more so, it’s about looking backward to figure out the beginning. Freud’s theory was based on Adults he studied. Yet the theory was that these adults were “ruined” by their parents during infancy and preschool years just by how the parents reacted to the young child’s sexuality. Yeah, you read that right. Infantile sexuality. Moving on.

Yet today, we do hear some claim Autism is a form of an attachment disorder – Mom didn’t hold the baby enough, Dad wasn’t responsive to baby’s needs…blah blah blah. While attachment disorders do exist and some symptoms overlap, most people with Autism do not have this disorder. Attachment disorders are primarily found in children who were orphaned during infancy. Most children who are adopted at birth, attach to the adopted parent.

So why are we so backward? Why is science moving forward, yet the common implementation is years, sometimes decades behind? I can only speculate that “old habits die hard.” I, for one, plan to use my newfound knowledge of what is considered scientifically useful, for good.

Special Education Services in U.S. Public Schools, Part 1

United States public schools are those which are funded by the federal government, the state and often your local taxes. These schools are all held to the Federal Legislation called IDEA or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In addition to IDEA, public schools are also held to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This Act was established to ensure that individuals with disabilities cannot be discriminated against in the United States.

What this really means
All children with known or suspected disabilities qualify for special education testing in United States Public schools. This qualification stands regardless of a students grades or academic achievement. Furthermore, IDEA also includes a component called “Child Find” which requires states to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities, aged birth to 21, who are in need of early intervention or special education services. This means that schools “should” be requesting parental permission to do testing without prompting. However, many times, this is not the case.

Special Education Services Verses Special Education Classrooms/Schools
Special education is not defined as a special classroom or school. In fact, the law states that school districts are required to educate students with disabilities in regular classrooms with their nondisabled peers, in the school they would attend if not disabled, to the maximum extent appropriate. What this means is, the district must provide necessary supports, accommodations and supplemental aides and services to make this happen. The only exception to this rule is if after using all the above accommodations and supports, the student would not benefit educationally, other settings can be entertained. However, it is always up to the IEP team, which includes the parents of the student to determine placement. This is not a unilateral school district decision.

My Child Has a Disability. Now What?
Schools are required to perform multi-disciplinary educational testing upon request from a parent or legal guardian of a child with a disability. However, while some schools may acknowledge a verbal request, it is recommended that the parent or legal guardian place this request in writing.

What’s a Multi-Disciplinary Educational Evaluation?
Multi-Disciplinary is defined as: composed of or combining several usually separate branches of learning or fields of expertise

What this means specifically to each child is different. For an example, a student with a cognitive, neurological or developmental disability might require testing in the following disciplines: Speech and Language, Social and Emotional Reciprocity, Fine and Gross Motor skills, Academic Achievement (Reading and Analytical skills), Intelligence Quotient Testing, etc. Each student might have specific weaknesses and/or strengths that need measured. Parents should also be given an opportunity to add data to the report, either from outside evaluations or standard checklists provided by the school.

Regardless, it is wise to have all children with known disabilities tested for special education services in order to determine if there are unmet needs to address with specially designed instruction.

According to law, testing must be completed within 60 days. Unless otherwise specified, this is generally calendar days and not school days. Check with your state for more information on interpretation.

Once the evaluation process is complete, a report should be available to review prior to any meetings with the school. In the report will be scores for standardized testing and observational data by qualified evaluators. The final summary of the report might indicate a recommended placement or may indicate that there is no need for specially designed instruction. Either way, a meeting is held to discuss the findings.

The Post Evaluation Meeting
At the meeting the report will be discussed by those who participated in the process. This includes the parents. At the meeting the entire team decides whether or not special education services are appropriate, what type of services if any, and where those services will take place. If the team is in agreement that special education services are appropriate, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be written as a team. If the team decides special education services are not appropriate, the team should then consider creating a 504 Plan which allows for modifications and accommodations for the student. It does not, however, allow for specially designed instruction.

What is Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)
1“Specially designed instruction means adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child under this part, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique needs of the child that result from the child’s disability; and to ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that he or she can meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to all children.”

In other words, SDI means adapting anything and everything necessary so that the child can be a successful student. This can include, but is not limited to the following:

• Social Skills Instruction
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Specialized Math and Reading programs
• Occupational Therapy

In addition to SDI, the IEP allows for unlimited accommodations for the student such as:

• Extended time for tests
• No timed tests
• Fewer problems/questions on a test
• Minimized distractions in the classroom
• Assistive Technology such as word processing, speech to text, calculators, communication systems, etc.
• Preferential seating in classrooms
• Minimize or eliminate homework
• Daily visual schedules

The list can go on and on. There is nothing that cannot be “considered” by the IEP team. While the team may not agree on all suggestions, the team must “consider” any suggestions brought forth.

1 IDEA 2004 Regulations §300.39 A

Published with Permission from DANMC

Toxic Midnight Bloggers Who Spew Hate

One of the most fabulous things about the USA is our freedom of speech. I love that I can come here and write whatever is on my mind. Unfortunately, this can also stir up a lot of controversy. If opinions differ, it indeed can be difficult. Tempers and nostrils may flare. However, the intelligent reader knows they can simply look away, stop reading or chose not to visit my blog at all.

But what about those “burning the midnight oil” toxic bloggers who constantly scour the Web looking for a “story?” These toxic bloggers distort and manipulate truth in order to have something to talk about. In the process, toxic bloggers defame and slander those who veer anywhere near their path.

Toxic bloggers pick targets, most often innocent victims, and spin webs of deception and deceit. They handpick victims who have differing opinions than themselves over politics and social issues. Much like the Tabloids who distort half truths in order to make juicier gossip about celebrities, the toxic blogger continually posts falsehoods and colorful lies. However, once in a while the toxic blogger finds a golden nugget – a real story. And when they do, look out! The toxic blogger takes that nugget of truth, polishes it up into a juicy tabloid and dangles every past victim from it. It is as if all past prevarications are somehow connected to the real story – six degrees of separation, and then some!

Behavior analysts have learned through intensive research that unfavorable behavior is the end result of unmet needs. So what are the toxic bloggers needs? What does this toxic blogger get from spewing such hatred? It is something in which we can only speculate.

For example, the blogger-parent of a differently-abled child can feel empty when the parent has been unable to adjust to the child’s differences. Because modern society has not evolved to fully accept or tolerate differences, it can be very difficult for the parents. When life hands you a different card than what your compadrés hold, life can be distressing. Add to this hardship a lacking support system and parents can often feel isolated and bitter.

We can speculate that the venom builds over time and then just bursts into a siege on those who seem to be handling it all in stride. Perhaps we can only see darkness while turning a blind eye to the light from within. Or maybe the toxic blogger is just evil. I’d like to hope that no one is beyond salvation. 

One thing is for sure. The toxic blogger has freedom of speech and we have the choice to ignore them.

It’s Eleven O’Clock in New York and Midnight in Chicago

Which brings up a great question. What does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Or more importantly, what’s this got to do with an advocacy blog?

Your guess is as good as mine. In fact, advocacy is far from the word that comes to mind. It does present a dilemma though. Who are the real advocates and who are those who would pose as such to take your hard earned money? And how can you tell the difference?

My personal tips are these:

• If an organization refuses to share their Federal or State Tax Identification, you can bet they are not legitimate.
• If an organization is selling something and not divulging exactly how the profits are spent, back away slowly.
• Check with a local trustworthy organization if in doubt (Better Business Bureau, etc.)

And speaking of scams…

Notorious scam artist Michael E. Robinson, Sr. (aka Mike Robinson, Micheal Robinson, Jr) is on the move again. While he’s buried his tracks from his past fraudulent organizations “Getafape.org” and “The Office of Autism Advocacy”, he’s created a new venture on Facebook called “The International Voice of Autism”. He identifies himself there as “Mike Robinson”. We’re asked to believe that he is working with other parents on his “new” mission-This time, en Français as well as English.

Mike, as he’s known by at this time, ventures around preying on families affected by Autism and Epilepsy. He posts numerous articles, makes comments under multiple identities and then attempts to take credit for helping on nationally known advocacy issues.

At face value, he’s a pretty believable guy. He seems very knowledgeable about Autism, especially. He claims to be a parent of an Autistic child. But when you dig further, things become less plausible.

His claims range from being a “Registered United States Lobbyist”, working for the US Department of Defense and a retired NASCAR driver. He claims to have helped hundreds of families win special education due process hearings. Wow! He’s done an awful lot.

The problem is, none of the claims are verifiable. A Freedom of Information Act request was put through to the US Lobbyist Registrar. Mike is not and has never been a Lobbyist. Interestingly enough, there is a Michael E. Robinson in Washington DC who is a high powered Civil Rights attorney.

Mike must not have been a very noteworthy NASCAR driver. Because again, there’s no record of him anywhere. Further he claims to have had a serious accident during a NASCAR race – yet another claim that cannot be substantiated. At one time, he was touting his familial relationship to legitimate NASCAR racer Shawna Robinson, claiming to be cousins. When approached, Shawna Robinson refuted this claim.

Mr. Robinson is also a very “traveled” man. One week he claimed to be residing in California. The next week, he lived in Hawaii. And during the time of his international moves, he’s been photographed in New York City (if we are to believe his outlandish claims) and Paris, France.

And if this wasn’t enough to get your warning bells a-chimin, Mike was once in business with known scam artist and now felon, Raymond G. Parenteau of Arizona. In fact, Mike and Raymond together created the GetaFape.org organization. I even had the esteemed pleasure of being “behind the scenes” of some of the initial work as Mike emailed me and asked me to be a part (prior to knowing that either man was a scam artist).

Meet Ray.…we shall be in touch as we get this all coordinated.. we’re still in that ‘set up’ zone and getting ready to pull in corp sponsors and grants will be much after that.. so at this time we do have a 75.00 an hr. charge.. however.. cases are comp’d down to only 20 percent.. or 15.00 an hour if they parents don’t qualify.  go to the site and check out the intake process for new parents.. I think you will be impressed by the intensity of the work Ray has done there… he is the Dir. of Advocacy .. so you would be working with both of us and alot with him.. pelase make contact w/each other.     Michael 

Thankfully by the time I received this, I had realized Mike was not legitimate. However, another parent  has come forth as the person who sign on to work in the above mentioned capacity. Mike used her as a “case manager” who was assigned the task of finding clients (aka desperate families). She, herself, paid GetaFape and exorbitant amount of money to help on her child’s case.

This mother worked day and night to promote the organization. She found clients who were willing to pay. However, as she would find out personally, Mike failed to provide anything to those families regardless of how much they paid him. In fact, he didn’t show to meetings he was scheduled for sighting “more important” matters at a National level. It wasn’t long after this mom also broke ties. But that wasn’t to be the end of her contact with Mike. Mike stalked her online sending threats.

Go ahead and post all over, if you degrade my name any further I will come forward in a way you will not like 

He even went as far to send her PayPal bills for more money.

Money Request Details
Amount: $100.00 USD
Note: Since your husband is not going to pay and you have shown no want to pay your balance at all, would you mind terribly going on a payment plan ? I’m putting all those that have getafape contracts and balances due to OSEA on payment plans if they can’t pay their balance. Thank you

Mike’s been laying a bit low since Advocates Against Fraud in Advocacy investigated him. He was asked to state his side of the story and provide credentials, should they actually exist. However,he refused to provide any proof. Additionally, instead of attempting to clear his name, he went on a smearing campaign against the reporter who broke the story.

I bring this up again because though the authorities have been alerted, he is still in action. Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo and Google groups can all be wonderful places for advocates to meet up. Just remember that it’s really easy to fake credentials and talk the proverbial talk.

Go with your gut and be warned. No matter what time it is in Chicago, it ain’t got nothing to do with advocacy!

Pinned down: Palm Beach County schoolchildren subdued with risky restraint

Pinned down: Palm Beach County schoolchildren subdued with risky restraint

Prone Restraint

Joshua, who also has autism and cerebral palsy, had refused to go to art class and would not move from the school courtyard.

Joshua was subjected to an especially harsh form of prone restraint, a maneuver in which the child is held face down until he stops struggling.

So risky that six states have banned it outright in schools, prone restraint remains legal in Florida: Palm Beach County schools have used it on disabled students more than 1,500 times since 2007, according to a Palm Beach Post analysis. Most were elementary schoolchildren. Some were in pre- kindergarten.

Read More Here:  http://bit.ly/dwUxSe

HELP FAMILIES OUT OF POVERTY AND ENABLE THEM TO BE SELF SUSTAINED!

Pepsi Refresh Project

Mercer County PA advocate Olivia Lazor has been able to secure a spot in the Pepsi Refresh Project contest for Circles of Mercer County. You may be familiar with the contest after the Conneaut Lake Park Blue Streak received a $25,000 grant based on votes by community members like yourself.

Currently, Olivia volunteers much of her time to this extremely worthy cause. The program has become so popular that they find themselves in need of expansion. This grant will help them do, just that.

It takes very little of your time to vote. Those who have Facebook accounts, can vote simply by logging in with the Facebook Account. For those who do not, it’s a very simple form. Pepsi is not spamming those who sign up and vote.

In order to secure the grant, Circles of Mercer County and Community Action Partnership must place within the top 10 of ideas. There are hundreds of competitors for the funding. For this reason, they need your daily votes! You can vote every day, including weekends. The more votes, the higher up the place.

Please consider taking a minute of your time each day to vote. It’s a really wonderful cause that benefits everyone in Mercer County and beyond.

Please consider using one of your Pepsi Refresh Votes to help this wonderful cause!

Amy Gould Caraballo’s True Colours

Amy Gould Caraballo is a mother and advocate to a son with Asperger’s Syndrome. After dealing with the local school district’s inability to educate her son, Amy has become a devoted advocate to all children with special needs.  She is her son’s educational coach for his Cyber School program through the Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School, a public charter.


Since November 2009, Amy Caraballo has been writing for the Examiner.com as the Pittsburgh Special Education Examiner where she reports on Special Education issues as they pertain to the Western Pennsylvania region. Recently, she has started the Disability Advocacy Network of Mercer County (DANMC).


DANMC is a registered business in Pennsylvania working on Not for Profit status. DANMC provides free services to those in and around Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Currenlty, Amy Gould Caraballo is seeking advocates and board members who wish to volunteer their time to work with DANMC. If you are interested, visit www.disabilityadvocacy.org for more information.


In the past, Amy Gould Caraballo has worked with the following advocacy groups:

• The Autistic Women’s Network (AWN)
• Advocates Against Fraud in Advocacy (AAFA)
• ARC of Pennsylvania Systems and Governmental Affairs
• Early Childhood and Education subcommittee member
• Pennsylvania Gaskin Settlement Agreement Overall Implementation Committee
• PA Right to Education Local Task Force
• Green Grannies and Friends for Clean Air
• Healthy Kids committee
• Mothers of Asthmatics Member (AANMA)
• American Lung Association Parent Outreach
• Pennsylvania Families Together for Autism
• Autism Society of America Member
• Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)
• Families Against Restraint and Seclusion (national)

In her spare time she enjoys singing with the Shenango Valley Chorale and participates in community theatre.


Amy Gould Caraballo, Amy Caraballo, Amy C. AWN, Autism Women’s Network, AAFA, Advocates against fraud in advocacy, ASAN, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Advocacy, aspergers, autism, amy-caraballo, amy-gould-caraballo, philanthropy, When good advocates go bad, ravingmotherfromhell, raving mother from hell, caraballo, amy