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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, October 31, 2012 · 6 Opinion & Letters The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 905-845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 -- 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award Neil Oliver Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The OakvilleBeaver is a division of David Harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager There is so much work to do and so many answers to find. October is Autism Awareness Month and The Oakville Beaver began a four-part series on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Navigating Through the Fog. The second part of the series will appear in tomorrow's (Thursday) edition. The third and fourth parts will appear in the Nov. 8 and Nov. 15 editions, respectively. The statistics are alarming. Dr. Peter Szatmari, McMaster University's expert on spectrum disorders, and director of the Offord Centre for Child Studies, estimates one in 100 Canadian children has ASD. It is now considered an epidemic. Statistics indicate up to one per cent of the population is on the spectrum. The cause of the disorder remains unknown, but researchers believe the answer is in the genes. In Navigating Through the Fog, the Beaver hopes to raise awareness of ASD, bring attention to the struggles of families who are affected by the disorder and, ultimately, piece together what the series has dubbed the puzzle of autism. The series speaks to a lack of services available to those with ASD as well as difficulties in diagnosing it. While great gains have been made in better recognition of ASD and diagnostic criteria, there's still so much work to do. So many questions remain unanswered in relation to this complex disorder that comes with wideranging symptoms. ASD is a neuro-developmental spectrum disorder that impedes a person's ability to communicate and make friends. Families affected by the disorder have turned to a variety of therapies that have proven successful in alleviating its wide-ranging symptoms. However, accessing help is easier said than done. What is clear is that more funding needs to be devoted to ASD research and better services need to be available to provide treatment and help families cope. With no cure for autism and ASD cases occurring in epidemic proportions, one in 100 children is counting on it. One of them could be yours. For another view, see letter this page. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Much work must be done Letter to the editor Woman isn't a puzzle piece Re: Trying to piece together the autism puzzle, The Oakville Beaver, Oct. 24, 2102 The four-part series on autism currently being run in the Metroland newspapers can be interpreted as extremely narrow-minded and offensive, especially when many of the people in the town (and, therefore, likely in your audience) actually have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Imagine my horror when I saw Friday evening's paper sitting on the dining room table. It had the nerve to use the oh-so-inhuman symbol of the puzzle piece labelling my so-called disorder. I am becoming increasingly frustrated by authors who have never had to deal directly with autism or other diagnoses in the spectrum trying to actively represent the life of someone with an ASD, talking of familial strife, social integration failure, and developmental delays, without ever asking a single "sufferer" of an ASD how they happen to feel See Autism page 10 Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Board should demand uniform delivery Editor's Note: This letter directed to all members of the Halton District School Board (HDSB) was also filed with The Oakville Beaver. I am a parent of two school-aged children in the Halton area -- one at James W. Hill (JWH) and the other at Oakville Trafalgar (OT) High School. As at least some of you should be aware, since the beginning of the school year, the teachers at JWH have suspended their involvement in all extra-curricular activities at JWH -- resulting in no sports activities, clubs or even school band at the school. I understand that the teachers at two other elementary schools in Halton Region have also taken similar action. To date, no similar action has been taken by the teachers at other schools in Halton that I am aware of. Whether that will now change as a result of further job action announced by Ken Coran, Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) president, on Oct. 26, is unclear. What is clear to me, however, is that some 1,200-1,500 elementary school students within the HDSB boundaries are now without access to extra-curricular activities. And, to date, no steps appear to have been taken by anyone at the HDSB to attempt to alleviate this problem -- such as the modification of the supervision policies for such activities to permit greater parent involvement (which has been done by other school boards in the province). It seems that these students are "acceptable casualties" in the view of the HDSB if it will serve to keep the peace with teachers at all other schools, such that they continue to be involved in extra-curricular activities. This is, in my view, a misguided and `inequitable' approach, which offends section 169.1(1) of the Education Act, which states that the primary duty of each school board is "to promote student achievement and well-being." I have had a series of very unsatisfactory e-mail communications with David Euale, the director of education for the HDSB. I would like this issue added to the agenda of the next meeting of the HDSB, which I understand is on Nov. 7. Gerry George, The Georges, Oakville