Local News
Autism
Orphans’ Choir
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months behind the white autistic kids,
Landa reported in the Journal of Autism and
Developmental Disorders.
It was a small study, with 84 participants,
just 19 of whom were black, Asian or His-
panic. But the enrolled families all were
middle class, Landa said, meaning socioe-
conomics couldn’t explain the dif-
ference.
One of the study’s participants,
Marlo Lemon, ignored family and
friends who told her not to worry
that her son Matthew, then 14
months, wasn’t babbling. Boys are
slower to talk than girls, they said.
``I just knew something was
wrong,’’ recalls Lemon.
Her pediatrician listened and
knew to send the family to a gov-
complex. One of his own studies, for exam- ernment ``early intervention’’ program that,
ple, found that black children with autism like in most states, provides free testing and
were more likely than whites to get the treatment for young children’s developmen-
wrong diagnosis during their first visit with tal delays. Matthew was enrolled in devel-
opmental therapy by age 18 months, and
a specialist.
At Kennedy Krieger, Landa leads a well- was formally diagnosed with autism when
he turned 2 and Lemon
enrolled him in Kennedy
Krieger’s toddler program
as well. In many of his
therapy classes, Lemon
— Marlo Lemon, mom of an autistic child says, Matthew was the
only African-American.
Now 7, Matthew still
known toddler treatment program and doesn’t speak but Lemon says he is making
decided to look more closely at those huge strides, learning letters by tracing
youngsters to begin examining the racial them in shaving cream to tap his sensory
and ethnic disparity. She found something side, for example, and using a computer-
startling: Even when autism was detected like tablet that ``speaks’’ when he pushes
early, minority children had more severe the right buttons. But Lemon quit working
full-time so she could shuttle Matthew from
symptoms than their white counterparts.
By one measure of language develop- therapy to therapy every day.
``I want other minority families to get
ment, the minority patients lagged four
Cultural differences in how
parents view
developmental milestones,
and how they interact with
doctors, may play a role
‘I want other minority families to
get involved early, be relentless’
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
as a year and a half earlier than black and
other minority children, says University of
Pennsylvania autism expert David Mandell,
who led much of that work. Socioeconom-
ics can play a role, if minority families have
less access to health care or less education.
But Mandell says the full story is more
A member of the Ugandan Orphans Choir invites members of the
audience to dance with her Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Northwest African
American Museum. The Ugandan Orphans Choir brings a message of
hope to American audiences through the traditional rhythmic dances and
songs of Africa.
involved early, be relentless,’’ says Lemon,
who now works part-time counseling fami-
lies about how to find services early.
For a campaign called ``Why wait and
see?’’ Landa is developing videos that show
typical and atypical behaviors and plans to
ask Maryland pediatricians to show them to
parents. Among early warning signs:
— Not responding to their name by 12
months, or pointing to show interest by 14
months.
— Avoiding eye contact, wanting to play
alone, not smiling when smiled at.
— Saying few words. Landa says
between 18 and 26 months, kids should
make short phrases like ``my shoe’’ or
``where’s mommy,’’ and should be adding
to their vocabulary weekly.
— Not following simple multi-step com-
mands.
— Not playing pretend.
— Behavioral problems such as flapping
their hands or spinning in circles.
ly or recently at risk for suicide,
• Replacement of plumbing and fixtures
with more suicide-resistant models,
• Replacement of over 3500 mattresses to
improve infection control,
• Updates to jail health clinical guidelines,
and
review was rated as “Exemplary.”
• The County’s program for improving
clinical performance was said to be the
best that particular monitor had ever
observed.
• Jail Health’s quality improvement pro-
gram was described as one of the most
comprehensive in the country.
• A good working relationship and effec-
tive communication were observed
between Adult Detention and Public
Health staff.
Policies for the identification, referral,
and evaluation of suicidal inmates were
rated as “Very Good.”
The DOJ monitors concluded that they are
“confident the same attributes possessed by
both the King County Department of Adult
and Juvenile Detention and Jail Health
Services that resulted in the successful com-
pletion of this agreement will propel both
agencies to sustained exemplary practices”
in the areas they examined.
Police
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tle & King County.
In a letter, the Chief of the Special Litiga-
tion Section in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Divi-
sion, Jonathan M. Smith, said he was
“pleased to report that the County has now
fulfilled all outstanding obligations under
the MOA,” and that accordingly, “the
Department of Justice now considers this
matter closed.”
Under the terms of the MOA, independent
monitors selected jointly by the Department
of Justice and King County visited the jail
every four months. At each visit during
three-year monitoring period, they noted the
County made steady progress, culminating
with a grade of 100 percent in meeting the
standards set forth in the MOA in the areas
of protection from harm, suicide preven-
tion, medical care, environmental health,
and quality improvement.
Among the reforms and improvements to
services provided by the jail that King
County made or more fully implemented
during the three-year monitoring period
were:
• Updating the jail’s use of force policies,
and extensive internal review of use-of-
force incidents and how they are report-
ed,
• Discontinued use of the “hair hold” as a
Policies for the identification, referral, and
evaluation of suicidal inmates were rated as
‘Very Good’
routine use-of-force defensive tactic,
• Annual training for officers in defensive
tactics, and annual training for all jail
and jail health staff in suicide preven-
tion,
• More frequent and standardized clinical
assessments of inmates deemed current-
• Implementation of the quality improve-
ment program in the Department of
Adult and Juvenile Detention.
Federal monitors in their final report has
specific praise for the jail improvements.
Among the findings:
• Performance in all of the categories under
Metro
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across the board last year in King County
with bus, rail and water taxi ridership up a
combined 3.7 percent compared to 2010.
Service expansion is also helping to boost
ridership. Additional transit service across
the SR 520 Bridge in late 2010 and early
2011resulted in a 15 percent ridership
increase. Preliminary data indicates transit
ridership is up another 10 percent just since
tolling began.
And RapidRide continues to be popular
with riders. Metro estimates ridership on the
A Line between Federal Way and Tukwila
Ridership on the A Line between Federal Way
and Tukwila has grown about 40 percent since it
was launched in Oct. 2010
has grown about 40 percent since it was
launched in Oct. 2010. It’s estimated the B
Line, serving Bellevue and Redmond, saw a
10 percent jump in ridership during the first
three months of operation.
The arrival of the C and D lines serving
West Seattle, Ballard and downtown Seattle
will likely have similar success in attracting
riders with their all-day frequent service and
other amenities. Those lines will begin
operating this fall.
Commuters also teamed up to use alterna-
tive transit options in 2011. There were
more than 1,200 Metro commuter vans on
the roads last year – an increase of 14 per-
cent. In all, more than 3 million commuters
left their cars at home and shared a ride to
work, which helped keep congestion in-
check.
And finally, use of transit park-and-rides
was again on the rise in 2011 with demand
strongest among east King County com-
muters. More than half of all permanent
park-and-ride lots in the county are now
running at least 80 percent full.
February 29, 2012 The Seattle Skanner Page 3