the country repeatedly saying their child's name today in an attempt to get that all important response...I just hope the baby's don't start tuning them out due to the pure repetitiveness of it!  I don't know...I don't think I would place too much importance on this.  Baby's can differ from day to day and unless its something that you notice happening all the time I wouldn't be alarmed...even while very youngs, they get good at ignoring and tuning out when they choose to do so.

My youngest daughter absolutely loved Mozart as an enfant...I could put her in her swing, turn on Mozart and manage to do an hour or so's work.

really makes me kind of sad.  I missed it myself; my kid preceded it.  (Not autism -- just the high-level fear about it.)  I wonder what it's like for parents of young ones today, with the constant barrage of news articles about it.  I talk with so many parents who are convinced their child is autistic because she walks on her toes sometimes, or is shy at parties, or likes to play with the water in the bathtub.  I know for some parents it has taken a lot of the innocent joy out of simply enjoying their child, and replaced it with a worried vigilance for "symptoms."  I'm not sure all these public announcements are helping anyone.

Autism is very serious, and early intervention is a very good thing if a child has it.  But it's also pretty different from "typical".  Parents have been petrified into thinking they might "miss the signs."  That can happen when denial is in play.  But for parents who are open to the possibility, it's pretty easy to see.

Pediatricians are trained to look for it and are often the ones who refer parents for additional assessment.  In my experience, the peds are over-identifying -- to be on the safe side. That is a great balance to the denial.  All in all, I think the identification system is working pretty well, WITHOUT terrifying parents into analyzing their baby's every move.

The hallmarks are not using language for communication (not talking meaningfully, and not understanding / responding to what is said to you); being uninterested in reciprocal social interactions; and engaging in repetitive or ritualistic behaviors.  ALL kids ignore from time to time, as tjb mentioned, and ALL kids get repetitive in their play -- it's part of exploring/learning.  Autistic repetition is different in the degree of difficulty in redirecting the child to something fun and different.  

Autism is a whole different level of social disconnection.  Especially for parents who have had a typical first child, autism is noticeable.

Do you find yourself worrying?  What is it like for you?  

was verbal early on, and when you'd say his name, he'd respond, "Whu." Like "What. What do you want now. I can't be bothered." It was very amusing.

Have to admire the marketing scam though.  One thing I will say though, having your children grow up listening to music in the house is probably a good thing.  My dd has been taking piano for 10 years and her teacher has recommended over the years we play certain pieces so she can internalize the rhythms...jazz in particular and even some romantic period classical pieces.

it will come as no suprise I always thought these tapes were a bucnh of hoo hah that made someone very rich and made a lot of mothers anxious.  My kid's NOT a genius. There I said it.  The sky didn't fall.  And frankly I could care less

they just market these tapes for what they were?  "Hey, moms... you can take a shower or cook a meal!"  It's babysitting, plain and simple.

I used to laugh at the end of some of the tapes showing these parents interacting w/their kids who were trying to watch the TV.  If they would have filmed that in my house, I would have been in the kitchen cooking and my kid would have been in the exersaucer watching the video LOL.

I'm thinking my kid may get just as much out of watching Keith Olbermann (or "Uncle Keith" as he's known in our house) as dancing puppets.  He does listen to classical music because I do...and jazz & showtunes & 80s & blues & anything else I get interested in.

I heard the autism news too, and even though DS usually turns when we say his name, I wonder if he isn't just responding to the fact that we're speaking.  DH is convinced he knows his name though.  I also heard that autistic children tend not to engage in simple social behaviors like feeding you, a favorite activity when my nephew was around 1.  DS doesn't even feed himself yet, but he likes to stick his fingers in my mouth.  I've also noticed that he always looks at me when he's pooping (which I can tell because he always makes the same noise).  Does that mean anything??

or any other TV, for that matter.  Someone gave me a bunch of those videos, but they don't interest him in the least.  What is that a sign of?  What I wouldn't give for him to sit in front of the Tv for 20 minutes so I could take a shower!

Einstein didn't watch those videos, and look how he turned out.

I too found it odd to honor her at the SOTU. I guess she's a rich lady and she must donate political money.

I don't think that Parents as Teachers should really be lumped together with sending CDs or DVDs home from the hospital.  

We utilize the Missouri Parents as Teachers program and I've found it very helpful.  I think it is even more important for those parents that need a little bit of extra help from the State.  In fact, our parent educator was by last night and now I know that my daughter is doing great developmentally and that while her strong suit is gross motor skills, she needs to work a little more on her fine motor skills.

I'm not sure how I feel about Blunt agreeing to spend $2 million on that as opposed to other programs in  the State, but it isn't really meant to make babies "smarter".  It is supposed to make sure that babies are getting the support and care  they need.