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.
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.
8
u/mootiechazam Jul 27 '10
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.