The following commentary is from the blog Muslimah Next Door written by Dishad Ali. It addresses an issue that I have raised several times – the lack of real autism awareness created by autism awareness events. The author’s comments at Muslimah Next Door under the title When an Autism Awareness Event is Anything But are followed by a letter from Harshita Mahajan the mother of a teenage autistic son addressed to Autism Speaks. I sincerely hope that Autism Speaks takes the mother’s concerns, and the contents of her letter, seriously and begins to provide during autism awareness events awareness of . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Mother Of An Autistic Son Asks Autism Speaks for Some Actual Autism Awareness
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The pictures above were initially posted on this site on May 26, 2012, several months before Conor’s 1st known Grand Mal Seizure in November. As I posted then, external conditions were perfect and Conor was enjoying a favorite activity in a favorite location when he suddenly began hitting himself in the head. I don’t know what caused it, Conor lacks the communication skills to explain, but it was definitely internal. Together with many similar circumstances including sudden closing of his eyes and looking blankly into the distance I reported them to his pediatrician as possible seizure activities. The pediatrician did (Read more…) . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism and Seizures: Conor’s Second Grand Mal Seizure (That We Know Of) CNN’s Portrayal of Autism In the Days Surrounding WAAD 2013 Middle – Jack and John Elder Robison – High Functioning Aspergers Bottom -Trevor Pacelli High Functioning PDD-NOS (Holli Dunn Photography) To no big surprise successful, very high functioning Asperger’s businsessman, author and family man John Elder Robison’s new book Bringing Up Cubby has benefited from two high profile interview promotions on CNN. A promotional appearance with his son on Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s Sunday show was followed with a gushing interview on the CNN morning show Early Start. CNN, and its in house neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta, have long delighted in (Read more…) . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: CNN’s Very High Functioning Autism Awareness Efforts Misrepresent Autism Disorders Intellectual Disability remains the Elephant in the Autism Living Room;no one wants to admit it’s there or to talk about it It is politically incorrect in today’s autism world to acknowledge the existence of the invisible autistics, the one’s unlike Ari Ne’eman, John Elder Robison, Alex Plank and Michelle Dawson all of who whom have enjoyed great success and demonstrate considerable intelligence and most of whom have never met a television camera or gathering of journalists that offends them. Some of the extremely high functioning superstars of autism “self” advocacy have literally built careers telling the world (Read more…) If past is prologue very little awareness of the harsher realities of autism symptoms will be generated on this WAAD, April 2, 2013. Next year, in 2014, and for years thereafter, the streamlined DSM5 autism will also eliminate many on the very high functioning and low functioning ends of the autism spectrum. It is unfortunate that in the DSM5 Autism Spectrum Disorder definition the American Psychiatric Association is revising the medical definition of autism spectrum disorder in ways that are expected to change its diagnostic characteristics. There is no good reason to wreck havoc on autism research and diagnosis . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Symptoms in New Brunswick: World Autism Awareness Day 2014 On November 1, 2012 Canada passed An Act respecting World Autism Awareness Day an Act with a great preamble which provides for absolutely no action to ensure that effective evidence based early intervention for autism would be provided to all Canadian families affected by autism spectrum disorders. Talk, and rhetoric, is cheap. Intervention is not. Failure to provide intervention and services is not cheap. The human and financial costs of failing to take effective autism action continue to rise across Canada. 60-61 ELIZABETH II —————— CHAPTER 21 An Act respecting World Autism Awareness Day [Assented to . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Symptoms in New Brunswick: Canada’s World Autism Awareness Day Act: Great Preamble, Zero Action CBSLA photo as Shown on the NY Daily News Shows Horrifying Abuse of Man with Severe Autism KCBS-TV Los Angeles ”Mom Sickened” and the New York Daily News “Tantamount to Torture” report a story of horrific, torturous abuse by professional caregivers of a 31 year old autistic man with the reported mental age of a 3 year old. The incredible abuse was discovered after the man’s mother noted bruising on his body and installed cameras which recorded the abuse. The CBS video report follows but as CBS cautions this is disturbing especially if you are the parent, as I am, (Read more…) April 2, 2013 will feature another World Autism Awareness Day around the world. Many blue lights will shine, politicians will pose and take credit for helping advance the cause of autistic persons and their families, countless media reports will talk about the gifts of autism and television series and movies alike will feature gifted individuals and autism, once again, will be portrayed for public consumption as the domain of brilliant if socially quirky personalities. Little if anything will be said about the vast majority of those with autistic disorder who are limited by intellectual disability, or about those who suffer (Read more…) Resigchouche Regional Hospital Centre As an Autism Society New Brunswick representative I attended a meeting held at the Restigouche Regional Hospital Centre a few years ago to participate in a meeting to review the operations of the RRHC and to vote on its future, specifically whether to continue to operate or to close. I voted to continue to operate the RRHC. There were autistic adults who had been living there for many years. No alternative in New . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Symptoms in New Brunswick: No Meaningful Inclusion, No Community Living for NB Youth and Adults With Severe Autism Challenges If you believe IACC Neurodiversity advocates present and past, Ari Ne’eman and Matthew Carey, autism is not something that should be cured. You won’t see much about the harsher aspects of life with autism disorders if you read their writings. In their view autism is nothing more than a different way of thinking, not a … disorder … or group of challenging symptoms for which cures are needed. No, the enlightened Neurodiversity thinkers who are selected to represent the mythical “autism community” at the IACC see autism in the image of the members of the ASAN Board of Directors, . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Symptoms in New Brunswick: The Harsh Reality End of the Autism Spectrum Autism Specifics Press Release, April 1, 2020: Autism Specifics President “Aristotle” Newman and ASAN President Dr. Jerry Dobson will be jointly reflecting today on important events in the autism world during the past year. 1. First anniversary of DSM5.13 This year marked the first year since the DSM5 that a revised edition of the DSM5 has endured an entire year without being modified. Changes introduced by the classic, original DSM5 were revolutionary, particularly with the steps taken to exclude the intellectually disabled from the autism spectrum, but revisions were introduced periodically to deal with oversights in the classic . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: Autism Awareness Day April 1, 2020 Autism Speaks, commenting on and citing an article from the Boston Globe, reports that American Academy of Pediatrics President Elect James Perrin, M.D., F.A.A.P., has called autism an epidemic: “James Perrin, M.D., F.A.A.P., president… . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: Autism Is An Epidemic: Time To Stop Pretending Otherwise The mainstream media, the blogosphere and Twitter are full of dreamy commentaries telling the world that autism is not really a disorder, it is a beautiful culture, a different way of thinking that is helping make the world a better place. Meanwhile parents of severely autistic children around the world know better as illustrated by this Australian family’s story in the Fraser Coast Chronicle’s The harsh reality of autism: Christian’s autism means he will probably never experience the beauty of friendships, will never feel the bonding love of a partner. His autism is so severe it keeps him from . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: Australian Familiy’s Harsh Autism Reality Some self promoting, self proclaimed “geeks” are pushing a distorted view of autism disorders as being the domain of different, even superior, thinkers. Historical geniuses long dead are often cited as examples of “suspected” autistic thinkers. Of course, the self promoting ideologues do not go so far as to embrace possible evil “autistic thinkers”. Joe Scarborough was rightly criticized very recently for suggesting that an alleged mass murderer, whose name will not appear on this site, might be a person “on the autism scale”. Neurodiverisity autism “self advocates” were vehement in their criticism. Yet the same self promoting “autistics” will . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Invisible Real Autistics Suffer While Self Promoters Peddle False View of Autism Disorder As An Alternative, Superior Way of Thinking I love and accept my son unconditionally. I do not embrace the autism disorder that restricts his life. I will speak honestly about autism disorders. Ariane Zurcher is a jeweler, author and mother of a child with autism. Zurcher though is tired of people talking about autism as though it were a disorder or group of disorders. In the AOL Huffington Post opinion piece The Depiction of Autism and Why It Matters Zurcher says she is tired of negative depictions of autism. She criticizes those who do talk about the realities of autism disorders because … well because . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: AOL Huffington Post Blogger Zurcher Promotes Autism Disorder Denial I have never accepted, and have in fact been openly contemptuous of, the view that autism is a joy, an alternative, even superior way of thinking. My son’s autistic disorder diagnosis accurately describes autism as it really is … a disorder, one that impairs the lives of those, like my son Conor, who suffer from that disorder. In my view those who promote autism as anything other than what is, who portray autism as a feel good alternative way of thinking delude themselves and ill informed members of the public. In societies where the public participates in a democratic process . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Conor’s Autism Reality: From Joy To Self Injurious Behavior In A Flash Just a tiny bit of the joy that Conor brought to his Mom and Dad every day in 2011. . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Joy of Conor 2011 FOX News has published a report, Some Experts Worried Over Revised Autism Guidelines, in which two autism experts, Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist and Fox News contributor, and Dr. Thomas Frazier, who treats children with autism at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, express their concerns about the possible impact of the DSM-5`s new Autism Spectrum Disorder category on high functioning autistic children. They are concerned that some high functioning autistic children might lose their diagnoses, and access to autism specific education services, although the FOX report does not provide much detail on the basis for their concerns: “These . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: FOX News Autism Experts Worry About DSM5 Impact on High Functioning Autistic Children, No Concern for Low Functioning Autistic Children Amy Harmon and the New York Times like their autism fluffy and lite, none of that yucky severe autistic disorder stuff You wouldn’t know it from reading NY Times columnist Amy Harmon, or from reading the NYT generally, but 70% of persons with Autistic Disorder suffer from intellectual disability. Approximately 30% of persons with Autistic disorder also suffer from epilepsy. There are regular reports, in non NYT papers anyways, about autistic children and adults going missing, sometimes never to safely return. Self injury is a serious problem for many. For many others lives spent in institutional care is the reality . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Fluffy and Lite With Amy Harmon and The New York Times Conor Doherty, one of Autism’s Vast Majority of Invisible Autistics, brings joy to Mom and Dad in the Christmas season and throughout the Year. My 2011 Christmas wish is that Autism’s vast majority, the 70-80% with autistic disorder and intellectual disabilities, will lose their status as autism’s invisible autistics. It is a wish that will grow farther from fulfillment as the American Psychiatric Association stands poised to obliterate the original autistics and replace them in the DSM5 with its Aspergers Spectrum Disorder hidden under the label Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is a big wish and one which will not . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Reality NB’s 2011 Christmas Wish for Autism’s Vast Majority Dr.Everett Chalmers Hospital, Fredericton, New Brunswick One of the many controversies that mark discussions of autism disorders is the question of functioning levels. Some high functioning persons with autism and Aspergers object to the notions of low and high functioning autism. Those who claim that a reference to low functioning autism is not founded in “science” do not provide any credible scientific authority for their beliefs. Nor do they usually make reference to daily real life situations of the kind experienced this week by my severely autistic, low functioning son Conor. Conor had to undergo dental procedures at the . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Real World Autism Functioning Levels and Conor’s Hospital Adventure Please visit the top space on the sidebar and vote for your favorite work(s) of autism fiction in the Autism Fiction Award 2011 poll. The nominees, as objectively selected by AutismRealityNB, are: a. LA Times Autism Series, Alan Zaremba b. Nature Journal Changing Perceptions: Power of Autism, Laurent Mottron c. ASAN Claim to Represent People With Autism In Ethics Debates d. DSM5′s New Autism Spectrum Disorder (Formerly Known as Asperger’s Syndrome) The photos that follow show my walk from my home to my office in beautiful Fredericton, New Brunswick a place I am happy to call home, a place that allows me to take the time I need and want for me and my children. The weather this morning was beautiful and very pleasant for mid December. With snow coming soon I could not resist the urge to get outdoors, to take the time to walk to my office instead of driving, to take the time for myself. My office is only a few minutes drive, literally 3-5 minutes from where . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Parents: Take the Time, Make the Time In Colorado the prosecution has announced that it will not pursue charges against a woman who killed her child because she feared that her child was autistic. Unfortunately some in the ever controversial world of “autism awareness”, including Shannon Des Roches Rosa aka Squid Rosenberg of the ironically named Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism have chosen to use this tragedy to promote their particular ideology and viciously attack those with whom they disagree. A defense psychiatrist and a prosecution psychiatrist in Colorado each found the woman to be insane. The hospital in which she is detained refuse to release . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: We Don’t Need Anymore Autism Ideological Extremism Dr. Ivy Chong, Florida Institute of Technology It seems to be impossible for anyone connected with the Mainstream Media, the MSM, to speak honestly and accurately about the natue of autism disorders. Even Dr. Ivy Chong of the Florida Institute of Technology whose cite lists her impressive autism resume feels compelled to paint a pretty picture of autism disorders and ignore the harsher realities as show in the following excerpts from her interview by Matt Reed at the NYT: To learn more about the mysterious disorder, I interviewed Dr. Ivy Chong, director of behavioral services at the Scott Center for . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism? Florida IT Autism Prof Says: Hakuna Matata! |
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