Toronto Councillor Doug Ford Confirms His Fear of Children With Autism

Dear Toronto City Councillor Doug Ford, as the father of a son with severe autism disorder, my son Conor pictured above, I want to reassure you that you needn't be so afraid of autistic kids. If you actually get to know any you may find they can even bring a smile to your day.

Doug Ford has stood by his comments that a group home for children and youth with autism is ruining his community.  While his statement, as I said yesterday, is contemptible, and makes no sense,  maybe  inside that big, thug like appearance is just a scared little boy, little Doug Ford, terrified by autistic kids.  As the father of a severely autistic son, I want to assure Doug that there is nothing to be scared of, those autistic kids, like my autistic son, will not hurt him.  Don't be afraid Doug, don't be afraid.

After IMFAR Some Green Therapy

My 4 days at IMFAR 2012 in Toronto were an incredible experience. After 4 days spent largely inside a hotel though I was in need of some "therapy". Yesterday I hit the trails for some outdoor Conor time.  Felt great.  

Today more time outdoors enjoying the green city  of Fredericton and its surroundings.  Green therapy works every time.  I should have asked Ilanit Gordon Ph.D. of oxytocin fame to do some fMRI scans to get my baseline measurements at the end of the IMFAR conference and then do some more today after a couple of good outings on the North Riverfront Trail and around Killarney Lake. Oxytocin? Not for me thanks.  Green therapy, absolutely!

A Significant New Blog - Life With A Severely Disabled Kid

This comment is a shout out for a promising new disability blog, one that doesn't subscribe to the feel good ideology that dominates internet blogs and mainstream media features about disabilities. In Canada it is so bad that the CBC outrageously included on one of its recent "autism is beautiful" productions the Toronto mother of an autistic child, art gallery curator, and blogger whose blog "the Joy of Autism" actually promotes the notion that parents should celebrate their autistic children's neurological disorders. Talking about treating or curing autism disorders just doesn't cut it in Toronto's, or the CBC's, trendier social circles. Life With A Severely Disabled Kid promises not to follow this trendy, but misguided, ideology , focusing instead on the realities faced by severely disabled children and their carers.

Claire is the owner of the Life With A Severely Disabled Kid and her Blogger profile makes her perspective crystal clear:

Claire

Gender: Female

Industry: Education

Occupation: always at home

Location: smallish town : Ontario : Canada

About Me I have a B.A. and M.A. in Religious Studies and a Montessori Diploma (0-6 years)My interest in "blogging" comes from a growing frustration with the invisibility of caregivers of and people with severe disabilities. Of particular interest: inclusion in schools...a very bad trend for the severely disabled.

Welcome to the blogosphere Claire!

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Autism Reality In Australia and New Brunswick But Not On The CBC

If you follow the CBC's irresponsible promotion of the joy of autism ideology (Rethinking Autism, Positively Autistic) you wouldn't know that autism disorders are actually mental disorders that mean very difficult lives for those with low functioning autistic disorder. In Australia an all too common example of autism reality is reported by Michelle Hoctor in Autism sufferer dealt a double blow.

Ms Hoctor describes the autism reality of Kate Southern, 35, who lost her mother and primary carer to brain cancer earlier this week. Now she is due to be relocated to a group home in a location some distance from her remaining family members. After visiting and viewing the group home Ms Southern has begun tearing her hair out in clumps.

The challenges faced by Kate Southern are not uncommon to severely autistic persons. They occur here in New Brunswick Canada where an inadequate residential care system for autistic adults results in adults living on hospital wards, shipped out of the country or living in group homes with untrained staff, one of which recently closed on 24 hours notice.

The realities of autism aren't discussed much by the Toronto art gallery crowd at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that like to promote the autism is beautiful ideology of a few persons with Aspergers and High Functioning Autism.

Maybe someday the CBC "journalists" will Stumble Upon stories of lower functioning autistic persons like Kate Southern in Australia or Tiffany Pinckney in Toronto.

Maybe they will get away from their desks and examine all aspects of the autism spectrum of mental disorders.

Maybe the CBC "journalists" will discover the autistic persons who don't appear several times a year in media interviews because they live in residential and institutional care and can't communicate or understand the ideology that says that Autistic Disorder is not really a disorder after all.

Maybe, but I won't hold my breath waiting.

I will thank Michelle Hoctor and IllawarraMercury.com for some real autism reporting.

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Facing Autism Goes To Toronto

Yesterday I headed to Toronto for some autism advocacy as part of the
Medicare for Autism Now! team

An early start to the day

Some interesting landscape heading toward Montreal

Approaching Montreal for the connecting flight to Toronto

Approaching Toronto

The CN Tower, I am definitely in Toronto

On to the Delta Chelsea Hotel on Gerrard St W