April is Autism Awareness Month in the US.
Here, in Canada October is officially Autism Awareness Month but living next door to the US media giant many Canadians receive more media coverage during April than October. Given the state funded CBC's obsession in the past few years with promoting the Neurodiversity, "WE don't want a cure", ideology of some persons with HFA and Aspergers Disorder that is not necessarily a bad thing.
But whether the coverage arises from Canada, the US or the UK, it is very difficult to find news or features about persons on the severely autistic end of "the spectrum", those whose diagnoses are not in doubt, and who are doomed to lives of dependency, some in high security community residences and some in full scale institutional care. Contrary to some of the loopy rhetoric out there severely autistic persons do not reside in institutional care and then become autistic. They are there because their autistic deficits are so severe that they can not live safely in the community. There are some autistic adults who require institutional care for their own safety, security and well being.
If I missed a recent news article discussing the plight of the severely autistic, particularly severely autistic adults, amongst the thousands of Autism Awareness Month features, please feel free to forward to me a link.
Here, in Canada October is officially Autism Awareness Month but living next door to the US media giant many Canadians receive more media coverage during April than October. Given the state funded CBC's obsession in the past few years with promoting the Neurodiversity, "WE don't want a cure", ideology of some persons with HFA and Aspergers Disorder that is not necessarily a bad thing.
But whether the coverage arises from Canada, the US or the UK, it is very difficult to find news or features about persons on the severely autistic end of "the spectrum", those whose diagnoses are not in doubt, and who are doomed to lives of dependency, some in high security community residences and some in full scale institutional care. Contrary to some of the loopy rhetoric out there severely autistic persons do not reside in institutional care and then become autistic. They are there because their autistic deficits are so severe that they can not live safely in the community. There are some autistic adults who require institutional care for their own safety, security and well being.
If I missed a recent news article discussing the plight of the severely autistic, particularly severely autistic adults, amongst the thousands of Autism Awareness Month features, please feel free to forward to me a link.
autism
2 comments:
I jumped off my fence....
Monday that "jump" is being printed/bound and sent to the Fed gov't - all 4 parties.
I'm not advocating anything except equal treatment under the law when it comes to funding. From Floortime, to ABA, to speech, to OT... whatever your family wishes or whatever mine wishes.
28pgs... and the story... is barely started... but I had to quit somewhere... All I did was write it as if you were explaining what was out there (internet, books, services, funding etc) to a new family with autism. Q is?? Do I have enough nerve to send it to a publisher and make it longer??
Answer... not today. I'm still wondering if I was crazy to write it in the first place. It was Estee's Autism is a culture that gave me a shove off the fence, Bill C-360 that made me type faster, and the lastest PSA (autism is a difference not a disability) out there... that made up my mind that I had to atleast have my say.
If you don't speak up.. sooner or later you have to stop complaining about it.
S.
I have severe autism but a high IQ, so if I *ever* get treatment I may actually have a shot a living a good, happy life (in a supervised apartment because I could never live alone).
But, I could also very well end up in an institution because my autism can be quite severe at times. I spent my youth in institutions so it won't surprise me if I have to go back as an adult at some point.
Post a Comment