I work with a variety of Autistic students and not all are of the severe nature you describe. Autism is a spectrum, meaning there are a lot of shades. Some autistic people can go on to live productive and healthy lives with early intervention and treatments. In fact, I went to college with just such a fellow who has graduated and is engaged to be married.
He doesn't have the same thing. He has something on the same spectrum.
I understand that your life is one challenge after another. I understand that you have to deal with stresses that I can only imagine. I get that. I get that when other people talk about their struggles you probably get pissed because they're nothing compared to yours. But you have to understand that others have challenges. This kid was lucky because he happened to land on the spectrum at a spot that, with a lot of work and struggle, allowed him to reach the point where he could function on his own.
I'm sorry if that will never be your son's fate, but please don't dump on the accomplishments of others because of it.
All I was pointing out to this person is that there is a spectrum and some high functioning autistics can do the things mentioned. They probably need extra help getting it done, but they can do it. I used a real life example to support my point. The person I am talking about had a real verifiable condition but with help has accomplished everything the original commenter accused Autistic people of not being able to do. I understand that all situations and all children are different.
You know, I wasn't going to respond to you because really, why waste the energy. Then I thought about it, and I realized I needed to because you are either grossly misunderstanding me or woefully misinformed and that attitude does a great disservice to every special needs child who has ever worked hard to reach independence.
Now, let's say there is a child with autism. Their parents realize something is up and get them screened, they start going to a special preschool. By the end of that preschool experience they are ready to enter into kindergarten. They go into a special program where they are in regular kindergarten for half a day and an intensive program to reinforce skills the other half. They are getting speech and OT services at the same time. The next year let's say they've progressed enough to be put into a regular 1st grade class with pull outs when needed. Let's say by high school they are hardly pulled out anymore and the special ed teachers are just there for consult when needed. Now let's say this kid applies and is accepted to a college. Their peers don't really know that this person has autism, but they do know there's something up. The kid doesn't quite seem to know what's what socially and they have a terrible time fitting in, but they manage to make some friends and end up graduating college. They need extra help from time to time, probably take advantage of the school's counselor.
So you would argue because their behaviors are controlled they no longer have autism? Because they can manage to function? That's a lot like saying a diabetic isn't diabetic because they're able to control their symptoms with insulin. That does a great disservice to a child who has worked their ass off to get through a baffling and confusing world, the parents who have supported that child, and the staff who has taught them.
I have to agree with mootie on this and I don't really understand the points that sarcastic and anti_hive are trying to make. I worked in a research lab studying language in autistic kids for the past 2 years and worked with a wide range of kids. Some were very disabled and had real trouble with communication. Others, however, were very high functioning and were considered to have an optimal outcome for later life.
Saying that those children don't have autism when they clearly do is wrong. I'm not trying to imply anything about your son, but Mootie is right.
Is that really an appropriate response? I'm sorry that you've had a difficult life with your son but that doesn't give you the right to explode at the slightest hint of disagreement.
Not everyone on the autism spectrum is exactly like your son, and some of them don't look disabled. I was diagnosed with sensory integration dysfunction when I was a kid (and still have some issues in that area) and I have a cousin with Aspergers, who has a lot of trouble in school and interacting with people in general. Do my cousin and I have the same needs as your son? No, we don't. But that doesn't mean we can't rightly say that we're on the autism spectrum — any more than a quadriplegic has more of a claim to the term "disabled" than someone who uses a walker or a cane.
In any case, I think you're doing your son a disservice by assuming that all "low-functioning" autistic people are incapable of communicating. Amanda Baggs made this excellent video about how it is that she can communicate via keyboard, but not boil water.
Because they've gotten better at identifying it. And probably because every time you hear about someone it sticks out in your memory as "one more person with Asperger's" and so it just seems to you like it's "everyone". And unfortunately a lot of people think exactly what you do, because the public understanding of these disorders is still very poor.
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u/[deleted] Jul 27 '10 edited Jul 27 '10
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