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Biological father's age may be factor TOR K: I am a 34- year-old woman married to a man more than 20 years my senior. Our first child, a son born four years ago, is autis- tic. I have heard that older fathers are more likely to have autistic chil- dren. Is this true? DEAR DOC- Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. DEAR READER: When I was in medical school, I spent a summer working with autistic children and will never forget the experience. The children seemed so dis- tant from everyone — others their own age, the health professionals around them and, of course, their parents. They were in worlds of their own. They often appeared happy in those worlds. But in failing to connect with people around them, from my perspective they were missing one of the most important parts of being alive — in particular, the ability to receive love. What was even more distressing was that theo- ries about autism placed a lot of blame on the par- ents. How the parents interacted with the child was thought to have caused the autism. As a result, parents often had a layer of guilt placed on top of the unimaginable suffering of feeling that their child was lost to them. In contrast, it seemed to me that these children were probably born differ- ent, and how their parents treated them had nothing to do with it. an autistic child as a man age 20. father rises. One study found that the risk was smallest for chil- dren of fathers younger than 20 and greatest for children of fathers older than 50. A man in his 40s, for example, was almost six times as likely to have boys were more likely to develop autism than girls. But the risk for girls also increased as fathers got older. In this autism study, High rolling uncle spending recklessly FEATURES year-old uncle, a widower, spends several days a week at casinos. This is no penny-ante stuff. He gam- bled away everything he ever owned and had to move into subsidized hous- ing. Dear Annie: My 85- Why would this be? One theory is that the genetic material in the sperm of older fathers has somehow become altered in harmful ways by muta- tions. Mutations change the shape of a gene — and of the protein the gene makes. A newer theory doesn't focus on the shape of genes. Instead, it specu- lates that the genes in the sperm of older fathers are shaped normally, but are inappropriately turned on or off. I am not an expert on autism. I have learned what I know from experts here at Harvard Medical School. No one knows the causes of autism, but today the apparent con- sensus is that they are bio- logical — something a child is born with. Don't misunderstand: The great majority of chil- dren born to older fathers are not autistic, or unhealthy in other ways. Nevertheless, since you already have one autistic child, you and your hus- band should discuss your concerns about another pregnancy with your doc- tor and a genetic counselor. There are many things you can do to make your son's life as happy and healthy as possible. One of my colleagues at Har- vard Medical School, Martha Herbert, M.D., has written a wonderful new book, "The Autism Revo- lution," about whole-body strategies for helping those with autism. You can find out more about it at my website, www.AskDoctorK.com. As to your question, I'm told that some research has shown that a child's risk of developing autism does rise as the age of the child's biological Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. Go to his website to send questions and get additional information. enjoy no-host wine tast- ing while previewing the many raffle and auction items that will be avail- able for purchase or bid. The dinner menu will Vineyard, a fundraiser for the Cottonwood Community Library, is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sat- urday, May 5 at Burnsini Winery in Cottonwood. Ticket holders will Community Clip? e-mail: clerk@red- bluffdailynews.com or Fax: 527-9251 be prepared by Vic Woolery and his crew and include tri-tip and side dishes, with a nod to Cinco de Mayo. Coffee and dessert will be served during the live auction, featuring Bradd McDannold as the guest He is somewhat fatalistic at this point, figuring he won't live much longer and so he wants to have fun. While we recognize his right to spend his money as he pleases, bank statements indicate he is now using credit cards at the casinos. He has run up debt on at least three cards, making only the minimum payments to keep them active. He has no ''estate'' left to hold responsible for debts after his death and figures everything will be written off. He sees nothing ethical- ly wrong with this. Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar obviously doesn't want to be rescued from his addiction. Credit card companies are in the business of extending credit, and casinos are in the business of getting people to gamble. They aren't going to be of assistance. You can contact Gam- Anon (gam-anon.org) for support, but understand that this becomes your problem only if your uncle gambles himself into destitution ear- lier than expected and you end up taking care of him. There's no point to being angry and frustrat- ed. You don't have to admire your uncle, but you can learn to accept him as he is. So, who will get stuck paying for the $20,000 in credit card debt when he dies? Who pays for the selfishness of his addiction? Why do credit card companies continue to raise credit limits for people his age, and how do they not notice that his charges are almost exclusively coming from gambling institutions? The casinos are no help getting him to stop. They send buses to pick him up. Is there anything I can do? — Wish He Knew When To Fold 'Em Dear Wish: If your uncle has no assets at the time of his death, the debt would likely be written off. He could arrange to have himself barred from entering casinos, but he WILLOWS– Snow pack measurements taken at Anthony Peak on the Mendocino National For- est at the end of March show that snow depth and water content in the For- est have significantly improved compared to two months earlier. The average snow pack measured at the end of the month was 69.1 inches, with water con- tent measuring 24.5 inch- es. These measurements are 104 percent of aver- age snow pack and 85 percent of average water content. This compares to values at the end of Janu- ary of 30 percent average snow pack and 27 percent average water content. For reference, 1991 was the record low with 4.1 inches of snow pack. The record high was in 1969 with 148.8 inches of Fundraiser for the Cottonwood Library Springtime in the auctioneer. Tickets are $40 per person, and can be pur- chased at the Cotton- wood Community Library during normal business hours, or by calling the library at 347-4818. 2012 Thur - Fri, April 19th - 20th Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber Of Commerce CATTLEMEN'S Thur, April 19th Your tax experts 32 Years Plus Experience "Enrolled to practice before the IRS" Open Year-Round New Clients Welcome www.lassentax.com Enrolled Agents: Rose Hablitzel, EA Rex Cerro, EA (530) 527-8225 208 Elm St., Red Bluff All major Credit Cards accepted ROUND-UP MIXER 5:30pm @ Reynolds Ranch & Farm Supply 501 Madison St. Must be 21 or older to attend! Round-up/Chamber Downtown FAMILY CARNIVAL Starts today thru Sunday ROUND-UP, FAMILY DAY 7 pm Fri, April 20th 91st Annual 60%off Retail While supplies last THIS IS THE SALE YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! Savings up to Dear Annie: My 2-year-old daughter still sleeps with my hus- band and me in our bed, and this obviously is putting a damper on our sex life. We have placed a ''big girl bed'' in our bedroom, but she won't use it. So we let her fall asleep in our bed and then transfer her to her own. However, most of the time, it's so late that we fall asleep without moving her. Or, she wakes up in the middle of the night, and my hus- band puts her back in our bed. Any suggestions? — Want My Privacy Dear Want: Your daughter has learned that she is entitled to sleep with Mommy and Daddy. If you want a different result, you will need to work at it. You cannot sim- ply fall asleep because you're tired, or let her sleep with you because it's easier than training her to sleep in her own bed (preferably in her own room). cation. You will need to place her in her bed repeatedly. She's going to cry repeatedly. Be firm and insis- tent, but not angry. It will take a long time to get her to change her sleep habits, and every time you give in, you'll be starting over from scratch. Talk to your pediatrician about it, and make sure your hus- band is on board. Dear Annie: ''Frazzled'' said her husband had an affair 30 years ago and now has a 17-year-old daughter from that union. Forget the morality of it. The scientific aspect is amazing! The fact that his sperm laid dormant for nearly 13 years is what's really important. Find out how he did that, and you will be able to replace cryogenics and make a fortune. — Curious Dave This is simple behavior modifi- Thursday, April 19, 2012 – Daily News 5A Dear Dave: Very funny. For the math obsessed, ''Frazzled'' said her husband had a ''long-term affair'' with a 16-year-old girl that began 30 years ago. If the affair lasted 13 years and he broke things off when she became pregnant, the daughter could easily be 17 now. Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Anthony Peak snow survey results released snow pack. Forest employees Con- roy Coleman and Tony Kanownik took the snow measurements this month. They hiked from the junction of Forest Highway 7 and Road M4 to the survey point due to powder snow condi- tions. Mendocino National Runoff from the Men- docino National Forest is critical in providing sur- face water and ground water for the surrounding communities. Snow pack and water content moni- toring is an important tool in determining the com- ing year's water supply. The data is used by hydrologists, hydroelec- tric power companies, the recreation industry and other organizations. More than 50 agencies and util- ities, in coordination with the California Depart- ment of Water Resources, visit hundreds of snow measurement courses in California's mountains as part of the Cooperative Snow Surveys Program. For more information on California snow surveys, please visit www.cdec.water.ca.gov/s now. Snow reports are issued monthly by the Mendocino National For- est to local contacts. FINAL DAY- SATURDAY! EVERYTHING MUST GO COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES All makes and models. We perform dealer Smog Check starting at$ Pass or FREE retest 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. (most cars and pick-ups) 2595 ST + cert. For tickets call 530.527.1000 2550 Sister Mary Columba Drive www.redbluff.mercy.org Red Bluff, CA 96080 530.529.8000 632 MAIN ST., RED BLUFF • (530) 527-5837 Hours: Monday thru Friday 9 am - 5:30 pm • Saturday 9 am - 5 pm • Closed Sunday MATTRESS NORTH VALLEY 91