Boston Globe's Cheap and Dirty Misrepresentation of Autism and Autism Issues

In "Lessons on living with autism" Boston Globe columnist Joanna Weiss has presented without any contrary view, critique or informed context the views of the founder of the College Internship Program and its founder Michael McManmon on a number of autism related issues. In Weiss World autism is high functioning autism and Aspergers.  In Weiss World autism is not a medical disabilty at all, it is a social disability. It is the "autism" of Mr. McManmon who, according to the article, "probably" has Asperger's:

"For McManmon, self-knowledge came years after he founded the program. It was his staff that pointed out that he probably had Asperger’s, which explained his vast energy, his entrepreneurial skills, his trouble managing personal relationships. It also explained his interest in 1984 — when kids with social disabilities were getting deinstitutionalized — in finding ways to ease their transition to independent life."

Joanna Weiss takes a cheap and dirty shot at parents and professionals who seek to find cures for autism without mentioning the differences in severity that make Autistic Disorder much more than social awkwardness for the majority of persons who suffer from the medical disorder:

"The question of how to help them isn’t flashy, controversial, or celebrity-studded. That may be why far more attention goes to the torrid debate over autism’s causes, the hunt for ways that the disorder can be “cured.’’

The staff at the College Internship Program chafes at the notion that autism is something to cure or defeat. A diagnosis is a piece of your identity, says the program’s founder, Michael McManmon. His philosophy centers on self-knowledge. “If you understand who you are and what makes you tick,’’ he said recently, “then you can alter it and you can fit into the world.’’

So there you have it. For Michael McManmon, who "probably" has Asperger's , and for Boston Globe columnist Joanna Weiss who offers his opinions without contrary perspective or context, "autism" is just a social thing.  Questions about cause and cure of autism are torrid and flashy bits of celebrity studded nonsense. They are not questions that agonize parents of children with actual Autistic Disorders  who live with their child's self injury, danger of being lost from ordinary life realities like automobile traffic, or the intellectual disability which characterizes the "vast majority".  In Weiss World those with "autism" do not  end up living in institutional care. For Joanna and Michael autism is just some social awkwardness that can be addressed with a journey of inner discovery.

From this article it seems that Micheal McManmon might or might not have Asperger's.

From this article it seems that Joanna Weiss might or might not be a fair and competent journalist.

Autism, the Rotenberg Center and Rational Criticism

Much of the criticism of the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center use of aversives to help prevent serious self injurious behavior by persons with autism and other disorders amounts to little more than pompous, holier than thou, name calling by individuals or groups who offer no real alternative to the use of mild aversive therapy in such dangerous situations. Instead they simply proclaim that the JREC is evil, their methods are evil, and that therefore the JREC must be stopped. They offer no real solution to help prevent the dangerous and deadly behavior by persons whose parents seek the help of the JREC.

An editorial from the Boston Globe on Boston.com offers a much more balanced and reasonable criticism. It acknowledges the testimony of concerned parents who support the JREC, and the need for aversive therapy in some serious instances such as eye gouging, head banging and self mutilation but it critiques the error prone history of the JREC and stresses the need for more oversight of staff. From the Boston Globe we have received some calm, cool headed reflection. A rarity in discussion of autism issues and treatments.


"Israel says the center has implemented a slew of new supervisory and monitoring practices for its 38 group homes. But the overnight shift still lacks direct supervision by a registered nurse or other licensed medical professional. That doesn't inspire confidence.

The decision to apply aversive techniques rests in the hands of parents and a probate court judge who vets each case with medical experts. The question isn't so much whether skin shocks are an acceptable form of treatment, but whether the Rotenberg Center is the right place to do it.

autism