Why I Chose Autism REALITY As My Social Media Name

The picture above, for those visiting my blog for the first time, is my son Conor now 17+ years old.  I love him dearly and he brings great joy into my life every day.  He is also severely autistic with severe cognitive challenges (intellectual disability) and like many with those characteristics he also suffers from epileptic seizures.  As great a joy as he is he also engages in acts of self aggression and suffers from sensory challenges, meltdowns and obsessively repetitive behaviors that are very disruptive in themselves.  

For Conor his autism is not a joy, a blessing, a superior ability or a different way of thinking.  It is a serious disability, a disorder,  and his intellectual disability and epileptic seizures are not "co-incidences" or "co-morbidities". They are part  of his reality, a unified part of his reality, together they limit his life expectancy. Those are all facts that I have been determined to face throughout his life so that I do not do him a disservice.

I will never run from Conor's reality because to do so, as it would for an obvious, physical disability, could be harmful to him.  I have chosen long ago not to embrace the non evidence based belief that if I only pretend that autism is a blessing that somehow that belief will magically transform reality. 

I have helped Conor by being part of his life and enjoying his company every single day and will do so as long as I live. I have tried to help my son, and others in my province and country who suffer as he does, through determined advocacy, by  facing reality head on. And I will continue to do so as long as I live.  Others can choose political correctness and feel good cliches. I will continue to deal with autism ... reality ... and love my son as I do.

Autism Twitter Day Should Include Severe, Low Functioning, Autistic Disorder Realities

December 16, 2008 will be Autism Twitter Day, an excellent idea from Bonnie Sayers/autism family.

I hope though that Autism Twitter Day, in an effort to be positive, does not exclude the severely autistic - those persons with Autistic Disorder who are low functioning and cognitively impaired.


On Autism Twitter Day let us not forget those persons with Autistic Disorder who live their adult lives dependent on the care of others, some in full institutional care. Let us not forget those autistic persons who do not appear regularly in the mainstream media to espouse grand agendas. Let us not forget those persons with autistic disorder who bite or otherwise injure themselves or wander away from their homes, some found safely some not. Let us not forget those autistic persons whose families can no longer help them and care for them and are left with no choice but to give them up to the care of the state.

On Autism Twitter Day let us not forget those for whom the "autism" spectrum is named.

Let us include those with severe Autistic Disorder on Autism Twitter Day,

autism

Inclusion Dogma Seductive but Harmful for Some Autistic Students

UK MP Lee Scott has criticized the UK government for placing politically correct inclusion dogma ahead of the needs of autistic school children. While inclusion sounds good it hasn't always helped some autistic school children or their classmates.

"Autism needs debated at Westminster

By Sam Adams

A REDBRIDGE MP has criticised the Government for putting political correctness' before the needs of autistic children.

Lee Scott, MP for Ilford North, secured a special parliamentary debate at Westminster last week, calling for the creation of more special schools, three of which currently exist in Redbridge.

The MP believes the Government's focus on educational inclusiveness' has left many youngsters with the condition struggling in mainstream schools when they would develop more effectively in special schools.

He said: "The dogmatic approach of placing all pupils with special needs in mainstream schools has frequently benefited neither them or the children whom they are educated alongside.

"Many of us have at some time been seduced by the theory of inclusion which seems so nice and reasonable and politically correct, but there is clear evidence that it does not work for every autistic child."

The MP criticised the Government for closing down some special schools, and claimed many mainstream schools are unable to provide the learning support needed by autistic youngsters.

He said: "We have seen seven per cent of special schools closed down since 1997 and in a recent report 44 per cent of teachers in local comprehensives admitted they weren't confident in teaching kids with autism."

The MP praised the work of the borough's current special schools, Hatton School in Clayhall, Newbridge School in Ilford and New Rush Hall School, Hainault, but said provision needed to be expanded further.

Replying for the Government, the Minister for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning Bill Rammell said: "I genuinely welcome this debate and the efforts that the hon. Member for Ilford North has made to bring these important issues to the public's attention."

http://tinyurl.com/2zpyse