tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post1560845961201212138..comments2024-02-13T21:31:57.980-04:00Comments on Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism SeverityAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05838571980003579163noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-2482842034863377282009-06-21T04:06:30.361-03:002009-06-21T04:06:30.361-03:00Most people with Asperger's or HFA have averag...Most people with Asperger's or HFA have average intelligence. Only 1% of autistics are savants, and about an equal percentage of non-autistics are also savants. So the idea that talent (ie, the violin) would disappear if a cure was found is ridiculousAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-76738931285229054862009-06-20T14:29:53.361-03:002009-06-20T14:29:53.361-03:00Socrates
I do not want to push this to an endless...Socrates<br /><br />I do not want to push this to an endless argument.<br /><br />My point is this: the Asperger's are one case, the HFAs are another and people with LFAs are another. Do not push forward that 80%/20% ratio of HFAs/LFAs.<br /><br />Ask yourself how many of those "80% HFAs" are capable of having an independent life, holding a job, having friends and not being socially isolated. Jonathan Mitchell is an HFA but cannot hold a job, Stephanie Lynn Keil is HFA (an Aspie now) but she cannot pay for her tuition in school and she is afraid of people on the street, and so on ...<br /><br />If you can prove that 95% of those HFAs that you boast about are performing at levels comparable with the neurotypicals of the same age, then I'll agree with you that autism is not much to make a big fuss about, I'll stop at once the exhausting therapy with my son (whose diagnosis is PDD-NOS but he's much like an Aspie/HFA now) and I'll say that promoting a better, "more balanced" view of autism is a worthy cause.<br /><br />I'd rather say the reality proves the opposite of such rosy picture.<br /><br />Therefore, as a natural consequence, autism sucks quite badly and it deserves no "balanced view" but a complete and permanent extinction.Marius Filiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11369035654997497568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-87987877474070421332009-06-20T12:28:47.238-03:002009-06-20T12:28:47.238-03:00Socrates
OK, so autism is like me not playing vio...Socrates<br /><br />OK, so autism is like me not playing violin a la Yehudi Menuhin. THIS is the kind of relativism that poisons the Neurodiversity ideology, my friend - that's why ND is so dangerous.<br /><br />You can try to drown everything in relativism as much as you wish, but you'll fail. For your information, people are not supposed to play violin a la Yehudi Menuhin, so I am nothing out of normalcy because I don't have that talent.<br /><br />Yet, normalcy includes things like:<br /> 1) be able to have fluent talk by age 4, which 40% of autistics cannot.<br /> 2) be able to have an IQ over 80 which 80% of autistics do not have.<br /> 3) be able to do exploratory play by age of 12 months, do pretend play by age of 18 months, do parallel play by age 2,5 years and do cooperative play by age of four. Most autistic kids don't do any or most that.<br /> 4) be able to comprehend ideas, some abstract thinking, figurative thinking, innuendos and jokes by the teen years. Even many Asperger's cannot do that or do it with reduced skill - let alone the LFAs.<br /> 5) be able to hold a job and earn their bread upon reaching their adulthood, or found a family if they wish - which most autistics cannot do.<br /><br />... and the list goes on and on and on, for any portion of the human development over 3 years of age. Do you have to be Yehudi Menuhin to do all those?<br /><br />You don't have to compare me with Menuhin. Compare me with the average, common person that populates this planet. And apply the same for the autistics and look carefully at what results from that comparison.<br /><br />And, as matter of fact, Menuhin himself was a genius only by comparison with regular people as well.<br /><br />Because, if most of the humans had been at his level, he would have stopped being a genius - he would have been quite a common guy.Marius Filiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11369035654997497568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-52512894655066646772009-06-20T11:32:20.556-03:002009-06-20T11:32:20.556-03:00"pretty much every aspect of autism that'..."pretty much every aspect of autism that's embarrassing to the "positive autism" agenda is either denied or labeled as co-morbidity"<br /><br />I see no denying of the problems, simply a choice to present a more rounded picture of the whole - to redress the balance of the propaganda of Aut Spks - who, may I add, are quite happy to post pictures of kids like yours, while lumping the 80% of haf/AS into the statistics and screaming "EPIDEMIC".<br /><br />"it is induced the idea - more or less openly - that autism is not a brain disorder and a terrible mental illness"<br /><br />It isn't a mental illness - it's a mental disability.<br /><br />"but a different wiring of the brain, with its own strength and weaknesses but nevertheless equally valid with the rest."<br /><br />Ca Plane Pour Moi :-)<br /><br />|"And to complete this infamous picture, people like Ari Ne'eman & friends dare to say they are in the civil rights movement. I consider this an insult to the memory of people like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and many other luminous figures of humanity who fought for basic justice and the triumph of the human spirit."<br /><br />As opposed to the T4 option advocated by Aut Squeeks?<br /><br />"Why? Because you cannot base a fight for justice on the wicked foundation of a lie."<br /><br />Nor on half understood facts.<br /><br /><br />"Because Neurodiversity IS a lie. Why? Because it denies something that every person with some shred of common sense can see with open eyes."<br /><br />Well, clearly a tour around the interwebs will tell you that "every person with some shred of common sense" does not agree with you - including Prof. Baron-Cohen.<br /><br />If Ari Ne'eman ans his friends acknowledged the devastating effects of autism and fought the good fight for the cause of their fellow autistics, I am sure that people like Harold Doherty would rally with them at once.<br /><br />But, unfortunately, neither Ne'eman nor other people of his ilk chose that path of honesty. On the contrary - to the ultimate disservice of the whole autistic population, I dare to say.Socrateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12525104555859213125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-77869408841757669502009-06-20T11:32:14.805-03:002009-06-20T11:32:14.805-03:00Marius,
Firstly, my father has two low functionin...Marius,<br /><br />Firstly, my father has two low functioning cousins - so I've seen the reality of lfa across the lifespan. Furthermore I used to run a playscheme for special needs children, about 60% of whom were lfa.<br /><br />"The fact that Aspergerians do not have problems with mental retardation doesn't mean that it's not a problem for the spectrum."<br /><br />This is not in dispute by me, and I pretty sure by Ari.<br /><br />"In fact, I can tell you as a parent of a child with autism, this is the MOST dreadful thing about this disorder - and not the rigid mannerisms, the repetitive behavior or whatever "co-morbidity" of the condition (at least to me)"<br /><br />Well, dreadful is not an adjective I would ever use to describe my personal experience of lfa. But admittedly, I'm not a parent up at 2am with a screaming child. <br /><br />"The autistics understand less, express less and can participate less fully in the world that surrounds them."<br /><br />This is not in dispute either.<br /><br />"And this is true even for Aspergerians (the real ones, not the self-diagnosed weirdos who have nothing else better to do than pretending on the i-net to have a brain disorder) who are not impaired cognitively but have a lot of problems in other areas that I don't have to mention here."<br /><br />I can assure you I participate very fully in the world around me, and always have done. You have problems in as much as G-d didn't grant you the talent to play the Violin like Yehudi Menuhin. As such you are not able to participate in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. You have my deepest sympathy. <br /><br />"Now, all these realities don't seem to surface on the agenda of Mr. Ne'eman and friends."<br /><br />If you take sometime to read Ari's words you'll see this simply isn't true.<br /><br />"On the contrary: recovery from autism through behavioral intervention is constantly mocked (i.e. the whole bunch of professionals and parents involved in this don't even know how to perceive reality)"<br /><br />I'm not up to speed on ABA, but Ari hasn't junked the idea of ABA as possibly being of some use. Much to the shargrin of Michell Dawson - whose position on this, is that autistic deserve the protection of the law and medical ethics and science - and as yet she maintains, the evidence isn't clear cut as to the efficacy of ABA.<br /><br /><br />"to oppose a cure is the default policy of the group, no real distinction based on autism severity is really acknowledged"<br /><br />And like is the Pope Jewish?Socrateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12525104555859213125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-26898498473308316142009-06-20T10:26:49.531-03:002009-06-20T10:26:49.531-03:00Socrates
The fact that Aspergerians do not have p...Socrates<br /><br />The fact that Aspergerians do not have problems with mental retardation doesn't mean that it's not a problem for the spectrum.<br /><br />In fact, I can tell you as a parent of a child with autism, this is the MOST dreadful thing about this disorder - and not the rigid mannerisms, the repetitive behavior or whatever "co-morbidity" of the condition (at least to me).<br /><br />The autistics understand less, express less and can participate less fully in the world that surrounds them.<br /><br />And this is true even for Aspergerians (the real ones, not the self-diagnosed weirdos who have nothing else better to do than pretending on the i-net to have a brain disorder) who are not impaired cognitively but have a lot of problems in other areas that I don't have to mention here. <br /><br />Now, all these realities don't seem to surface on the agenda of Mr. Ne'eman and friends.<br /><br />On the contrary: recovery from autism through behavioral intervention is constantly mocked (i.e. the whole bunch of professionals and parents involved in this don't even know how to perceive reality), to oppose a cure is the default policy of the group, no real distinction based on autism severity is really acknowledged, pretty much every aspect of autism that's embarrassing to the "positive autism" agenda is either denied or labeled as co-morbidity and, the last but not the least, it is induced the idea - more or less openly - that autism is not a brain disorder and a terrible mental illness but a different wiring of the brain, with its own strength and weaknesses but nevertheless equally valid with the rest.<br /><br />And to complete this infamous picture, people like Ari Ne'eman & friends dare to say they are in the civil rights movement. I consider this an insult to the memory of people like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and many other luminous figures of humanity who fought for basic justice and the triumph of the human spirit.<br /><br />Why? Because you cannot base a fight for justice on the wicked foundation of a lie. Because Neurodiversity IS a lie. Why? Because it denies something that every person with some shred of common sense can see with open eyes.<br /><br />If Ari Ne'eman ans his friends acknowledged the devastating effects of autism and fought the good fight for the cause of their fellow autistics, I am sure that people like Harold Doherty would rally with them at once.<br /><br />But, unfortunately, neither Ne'eman nor other people of his ilk chose that path of honesty. On the contrary - to the ultimate disservice of the whole autistic population, I dare to say.Marius Filiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11369035654997497568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-19828777313803066642009-06-20T07:50:08.668-03:002009-06-20T07:50:08.668-03:00Socrates the ICD-10 reference is to Autistic Disor...Socrates the ICD-10 reference is to Autistic Disorder and excludes Aspergers. <br /><br />As you know the definition of Aspergers even in the DSM expressly excludes persons with cognitive delays. <br /><br />Ironically your argument confirms the point of my original post. The grouping of Aspergers with Autistic Disorders, AND the efforts of Neurodiversity advocates to speak on behalf of all "autistics", obscures the realities, the challenges, of those with lower functioning Autistic Disorder.<br /><br />Katie Miller, Ari Ne'eman and Alex Plank have Aspergers Disorder. They do not share the same challenges faced by persons with Autistic Disorder and they should not pretend that they do. Nor should they pretend that their condition gives them the right to speak on behalf of persons with Autistic Disorder.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05838571980003579163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-31525160985734912322009-06-20T07:30:13.663-03:002009-06-20T07:30:13.663-03:00Seriously Harold, the ICD-10 is right out of the S...Seriously Harold, the ICD-10 is right out of the Stone Age. And it says nothing about prevalance. 3/4 of Kanner's Autistics have some degree of MR - the others are HFA:<br /><br />Baird G, Simonoff E, Pickles A, Chandler S, Loucas T, Meldrum D, Charman T.<br /><br />Newcomen Centre, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. <br /><br />gillian.baird@gstt.nhs.uk<br /><br />BACKGROUND: Recent reports have suggested that the prevalence of autism and related spectrum disorders (ASDs) is substantially higher than previously recognised. <br /><br />We sought to quantify prevalence of ASDs in children in South Thames, UK.<br /><br />METHODS: Within a total population cohort of 56 946 children aged 9-10 years, we screened all those with a current clinical diagnosis of ASD (n=255) or those judged to be at risk for being an undetected case (n=1515).<br /><br />A stratified subsample (n=255) received a comprehensive diagnostic assessment, including standardised clinical observation, and parent interview assessments of autistic symptoms, language, and intelligence quotient (IQ).<br /><br />Clinical consensus diagnoses of childhood autism and other ASDs were derived. We used a sample weighting procedure to estimate prevalence.<br /><br />FINDINGS: The prevalence of childhood autism was 38.9 per 10,000 (95% CI 29.9-47.8<br /><br />and that of other ASDs was 77.2 per 10,000 (52.1-102.3),<br /><br />making the total prevalence of all ASDs 116.1 per 10,000 (90.4-141.8).<br /><br /> A narrower definition of childhood autism, which combined clinical consensus with instrument criteria for past and current presentation, provided a prevalence of 24.8 per 10,000 (17.6-32.0).<br /><br />The rate of previous local identification was lowest for children of less educated parents.<br /><br /> INTERPRETATION: Prevalence of autism and related ASDs is substantially greater than previously recognised.<br /><br />Whether the increase is due to better ascertainment, broadening diagnostic criteria, or increased incidence is unclear.<br /><br />Services in health, education, and social care will need to recognise the needs of children with some form of ASD, who constitute 1% of the child population.Socrateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12525104555859213125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-4596152182845715542009-06-20T07:26:53.850-03:002009-06-20T07:26:53.850-03:00From the ICD-10:
Autistic Disorder
...
In addit...From the ICD-10:<br /><br />Autistic Disorder<br /><br />...<br /><br />In addition to these specific diagnostic features, it is frequent for children with autism to show a range of other nonspecific problems such as fear/phobias, sleeping and eating disturbances, temper tantrums, and aggression. Self-injury (e.g. by wrist-biting) is fairly common, especially when there is associated severe mental retardation. Most individuals with autism lack spontaneity, initiative, and creativity in the organization of their leisure time and have difficulty applying conceptualizations in decision-making in work (even when the tasks themselves are well within their capacity). The specific manifestation of deficits characteristic of autism change as the children grow older, but the deficits continue into and through adult life with a broadly similar pattern of problems in socialization, communication, and interest patterns. Developmental abnormalities must have been present in the first 3 years for the diagnosis to be made, but the syndrome can be diagnosed in all age groups.<br /><br />All levels of IQ can occur in association with autism, but there is significant mental retardation in some three-quarters of cases.<br /><br />Includes:<br />* autistic disorder<br />* infantile autism<br />* infantile psychosisAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05838571980003579163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-83683976767182285182009-06-20T06:24:12.905-03:002009-06-20T06:24:12.905-03:00"They come up with studies supporting the ide..."They come up with studies supporting the idea of 80% of autistics being HFA"<br /><br />This figure is not in dispute. It's as close to solid fact as science will get.<br /><br />"Yet, they ignore the high incidence of mental retardation which this great and fortunate condition named autism brings with it."<br /><br />Que?Socrateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12525104555859213125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-52745959500075018952009-06-20T01:12:18.670-03:002009-06-20T01:12:18.670-03:00I would like to observe in the fragment cited by S...I would like to observe in the fragment cited by Steve: "It is important to keep in mind that any educational intervention should be aimed at the acquisition of skills, not trying to enforce an arbitrary standard of normalcy."<br /><br />Right ... being normal is the worst case scenario for a person with autism. THAT has to be avoided at all costs.<br /><br />What Ne'eman and friends ignore is that the decision whether a skill values a dime or not is based on its usefulness to society.<br /><br />Yeah, that society filled with neurotypicals falling in the "arbitrary normalcy" range that Ne'eman and friends seem to loathe so much.<br /><br />I find typical for our ND friends how they put severity between quotes (as if autism severity were a piece of cake) and how they try to divert from the issue by bringing in discussion topics like suicide which is a major issue for things like depression and not for autism.<br /><br />They come up with studies supporting the idea of 80% of autistics being HFA.<br /><br />Yet, they ignore the high incidence of mental retardation which this great and fortunate condition named autism brings with it.Marius Filiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11369035654997497568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-44257930346787997992009-06-19T20:21:57.413-03:002009-06-19T20:21:57.413-03:00Steve D
You are not being snide, you are just bei...Steve D<br /><br />You are not being snide, you are just being silly. <br /><br />It is not necessary for Ari Ne'eman to pretend to the world that all autistic persons, including other people's children, do not want to be cured in order to tell the world that HE does not want to be cured.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05838571980003579163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-5558928858502735872009-06-19T17:45:07.643-03:002009-06-19T17:45:07.643-03:00Harold -
Do you have a recommendation as to how h...Harold - <br />Do you have a recommendation as to how he should instead refer to himself and others who support things such as educational inclusion to the least restrictive setting, and support for autistics throughout their lifespan? <br />I'm not being snide, I am asking an honest question. <br />Do you think it would be more appropriate if he parsed out his "we" to include only those who agree with him? Or should he parse his "we" to include only those of a specific 'severity' level?<br />Should he say "autistics who share my worldview want societal support without the need to 'cure' us?" or say "Those autistics who are capable of complex cognitive functioning may have better quality of life in appropriate community-based settings as opposed to institutional residence."<br />How does one best avoid the royal "we" when earnestly trying to improve quality of life for such a diverse group of people?Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10831843534657098189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-76084903934362080372009-06-19T17:35:40.167-03:002009-06-19T17:35:40.167-03:00I suppose I remain uncomfortable with a few quotes...I suppose I remain uncomfortable with a few quotes taken out of the general context of the neurodiversity agenda...and similarly from the rigid social disability agenda...which has a clear and repeated tendency to ignore the realities of those severely affected by autism (and disability more generally.)Clairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13070297384173508509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-80940966146827398922009-06-19T17:10:02.074-03:002009-06-19T17:10:02.074-03:00Seriously Harold, you can do better than that.
Se...Seriously Harold, you can do better than that.<br /><br />See Baird et al. SNAP studies.<br /><br />LFA c20%, HFA/AS c80%.Socrateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12525104555859213125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-17328055254242077552009-06-19T17:07:04.518-03:002009-06-19T17:07:04.518-03:00Socrates
Removing HGA/Aspergers from the autism s...Socrates<br /><br />Removing HGA/Aspergers from the autism spectrum of disorders would reduce the incidence of ASD's substantially. By how much though is unknown, by you or anyone else at this time.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05838571980003579163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-25284007633460853502009-06-19T16:46:29.496-03:002009-06-19T16:46:29.496-03:00Futher to Steve D, these points have relevance to ...Futher to Steve D, these points have relevance to the wider disability community and society as a whole.<br /><br />It is fundamentally about Human Rights for all.<br /><br />And further to TannersDad's opening comment, removing Aspergers/HFA from the spectrum would immediately cut the 'autism epidemic' around 80%.Socrateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12525104555859213125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-6886341473737044322009-06-19T16:35:50.819-03:002009-06-19T16:35:50.819-03:00Steve D
When Ari Ne'eman uses the Royal WE an...Steve D<br /><br />When Ari Ne'eman uses the Royal WE and says WE don't want to be cured and purports to speak on behalf of other people's autistic children he is most definitely over reaching.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05838571980003579163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-73845891259042552312009-06-19T15:49:51.829-03:002009-06-19T15:49:51.829-03:00Claire -
Naive or no, I am unaware of any example...Claire - <br />Naive or no, I am unaware of any examples of any self-advocate violating a law or otherwise overreaching their rights (rights common to most western societies) to further their agendas. <br />And in the case of Ari Ne'eman, many of his organization's goals are almost universally agreed upon. As a matter of fact, some even run parallel to some recently-mentioned concerns on this very blog. Here are some excerpt's from Ari's speech delivered to the Florida Autism Taskforce on World Autism Day in April 2008:<br />"There remains a shocking lack of awareness for the needs ... of autistic adults."<br />or<br />"Many adults on the autism spectrum continue to suffer in institutions, despite the Supreme Court decision of Olmstead v. L.C., promising community living options for adults with disabilities"<br />or<br />"Autism training for law enforcement (as well as other emergency personnel) remains a key issue. Many of us possess significant difficulties with communication, particularly in high-stress and anxiety-provoking situations."<br />or<br />"In a broader sense, educational needs for students on the spectrum must be given additional focus. There has already been a productive discussion on the issue of early childhood educational methodologies. It is important to keep in mind that any educational intervention should be aimed at the acquisition of skills, not trying to enforce an arbitrary standard of normalcy."<br />These are just a few examples of advocacy that can be beneficial to individuals of all 'severity'. Should Ari remain silent on these issues? Is it naive to believe that many such goals are good goals, regardless of any potential increase or decrease in cost of service?Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10831843534657098189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-59687097868718285752009-06-19T15:07:34.496-03:002009-06-19T15:07:34.496-03:00"As far as whether they 'have any right w..."As far as whether they 'have any right whatsoever to oppose efforts by parents to treat and cure their own children's autism disorders?',<br />I would disagree that they have the power to actually oppose this from happening. If their efforts eventually lead to a policy decision or other enforceable result, then that simply means their efforts brought about that result through legitimate system-based means that all of us have access to and can impact in the same way."<br /><br />This is nice on paper, Steve D., but is a bit naive. Money talks and if what you say will save governments and school boards money, that is what they will listen to and subsequently implement. Full inclusion is cheaper, no treatment is cheaper...hence we have full inclusion and no treatment. Period.Clairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13070297384173508509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-72080147564946181842009-06-19T08:42:33.711-03:002009-06-19T08:42:33.711-03:00I recently recieved an AS diagnosis, Harold. No o...I recently recieved an AS diagnosis, Harold. No one would help me with the autism label, I kept getting thrown into the hopeless pile. Now that I have the AS label I am finally getting help. Maybe that is the secret: you have to be high-functioning enough to even get real help.<br /><br />Since I now have the AS label I can now speak for people with AS and I can tell you that it still sucks.Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540927559726674184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-59068106781831929372009-06-19T02:22:21.971-03:002009-06-19T02:22:21.971-03:00Socrates
Before advocating for services, Ari Ne&#...Socrates<br /><br />Before advocating for services, Ari Ne'eman should acknowledge publicly that autism is a brain disorder, it is something bad for the individual and for the society and, as a consequence, it is something that deserves to be eradicated.<br /><br />That "strengths and challenges" is an empty formula that tries to shove the realities of autism under the rug of "not disabled, just different".<br /><br />Correctly if I'm wrong, but neither Michelle Dawson, nor Ari Ne'eman, nor others have publicly stated that, by its nature, autism is a profoundly disabilitating condition, essentially bad for the individual and for the society.<br /><br />Only after that he can talk about services. Advocating for services while rejecting the biggest service that the society can bring to autistics, that is, a cure, is both illogical and immoral.<br /><br />An unemployed person who rejects three job offers from the Work Agency loses his unemployment paycheck (that's how it is here in my country, perhaps in the US and Canada very similar).<br /><br />My question is: why would the society spend the taxpayer's money on a bunch of people who don't want to get rid of their disability (assuming there is a way to do it)? Why would the taxpayer agree to paying a person who wants to be paid in order to stay disabled?<br /><br /><i>This</i> I don't understand.<br /><br />Regarding the right of Ari Ne'eman to represent all autistics, there is one thing you overlook: lots of people whom Ari includes in the royal "we" are not able to decide for themselves.<br /><br />Hence, their silence over the matter does not count as tacit acceptance of his views despite the fact that they share with Ne'eman the same spectrum.Marius Filiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11369035654997497568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-56505881264688404342009-06-19T01:59:15.143-03:002009-06-19T01:59:15.143-03:00Harold
I find the royal "we" disturbing...Harold<br /><br />I find the royal "we" disturbing because of things non-related to the issue of representation. I believe the royal "we" is much worse than that.<br /><br />I'll take the example of play (I mention it because of my son's therapy these days).<br /><br />It is well known that autistic children do not play or play in restricted, repetitive and non-imaginative manner. This is a play behavior directly affected by autism.<br /><br />Now, Michelle Dawson, in her infamous "The Misbehavior of Behaviorists" (I guess) emits the formula "the way WE play" (emphasis mine). What WE? Is there an "autistic" way to play?<br /><br />This royal "we" goes beyond the right of Ari Ne'eman to represent all autistics or not. By this "we" they try to introduce the concept of two kinds of people: the neurotypical non-autistics and the autistics.<br /><br />So, we're not one species anymore. We're basically two human species, the non-autistics and the autistics looking similar on the outside but having a completely different - but equally valid - internal reality.<br /><br />This is one more shameless way to assert that autism is not an illness but an alternative way of brain wiring, of way of life, etc. Michelle Dawson even speaks about "autistic intelligence" (?????).<br /><br />I reject the ideas of "autistic way" of playing, "autistic way" of communicating, "autistic way" of thinking, "autistic intelligence" and "autistic way" of life.<br /><br />Autism <i>is</i> a brain disorder, a grave and profoundly debilitating brain disorder.<br /><br />There's no such thing as autistic intelligence. We only have <i>human</i> intelligence, with enormous variability. This intelligence may be impaired more or less by many illnesses, including autism.<br /><br />And if people like Ari Ne'eman, Michelle Dawson or others achieved anything in life, they can be rightfully commended for their achievements.<br /><br />But these merits do not transfer to the illness itself, which is not a mere "different way of life" but a hindrance to the ones affected by it.Marius Filiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11369035654997497568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-64012616371457674672009-06-18T22:47:12.068-03:002009-06-18T22:47:12.068-03:00well, lets face it, if we all get jenny Mccarthy ...well, lets face it, if we all get jenny Mccarthy to raise our kids, then they wouldn't even have autism anymore. <br /><br />I must be such a bad bad parent as my child will never be like katie smith or Ari Ne'emans. <br /><br />socrates,<br /><br />as a person with autism, how did you even learn to type like you do and write a sentence? was it your diet? I have tried everything with my 13 yr old son, and yet he still has to miss recess everyday and eat by himself because the school he is currently in cannot handle him.<br /><br />we finally got him approved to go to a private school, but whats odd, is that the schools that cater to kids with Aspergers wouldnt take him. Which is really odd, because if aspergers is autism, then why wouldnt they take my son with autism.<br /><br />They are very very different and I personally think they shouldnt even be treated as the same. Its like saying a child with ADHD is like a child with MR.<br /><br />apples and oranges and never will the two be like each other.<br /><br />but what do I know, I'm an awful parent who couldnt cure my child like jenny mccarthy.johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08659671063386445985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-84350390157333470862009-06-18T22:15:23.298-03:002009-06-18T22:15:23.298-03:00Harold,
Do you know the history of Frank Klein and...Harold,<br />Do you know the history of Frank Klein and how he trained all of these people to present this propaganda that is designed to prevent anyone from curing autism?<br /><br />Frank did a wonderful job training these agents to present these deranged arguments as though they actually believe them. That's the key here, understanding that all of this nonsense is by design.John Besthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03133970669787632440noreply@blogger.com