In “The new definition of autism” CBC News provides detailed descriptions of autism as represented by the five pervasive developmental disorders in the DSM-IV and the Autism Spectrum Disorder in the now published DSM5. With one major exception the article is a good summary of autism disorders pre and post DSM5. On another positive note the article expressly references ABA/IEBI as the primary evidence based intervention for autism treatment. The major exception to this otherwise balanced, thorough article is the failure to mention, while describing conditions commonly associated with autism, the substantial numbers of persons with autism (Read more…)
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The DSM5 has been released and is now beginning to impact the world of autism. Most discussion of the DSM5′s New Autism Spectrum Disorder has ignored the effect of the language of mandatory criterion A which will act to exclude from autism diagnosis those with severe intellectual disability. Most of the discussion has focused on the potential exclusionary impact on those who would meet DSM-IV Asperger’s criteria. That being said the DSM5 autism team leaders have assured the high functioning end of the DSM-IV autism spectrum that those currently diagnosed with Asperger’s or high functioning autism will not lose their (Read more…) 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) 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 Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Jody Carr EECD/NBACL Event Focus on Inclusion: Walking in our shoes. Minister Carr spoke for 40 minutes, repeating the word inclusion 30 – 40 times but never mentioning evidence based accommodation of individual needs and challenges Premier David Alward’s government has transferred control over New Brunswick education policies and practices to the NB Association for Community Living. The NBACL is, beyond doubt, an organization of people with good intentions committed to improving the lives of those with intellectual challenges. I wish , as the father of a son with severe autism disorder and profound (Read more…) . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: New Brunswick’s Extreme Inclusion Fantasy Harms Some Children With Severe Autism Challenges A study presented at the IMFAR 2012 conference this spring in Toronto, Underdiagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilies, seems to provide evidence contradicting the widely propagated assertion that the DSM-IV era has seen autism incorrectly diagnosed as a substitute diagnosis in many cases of intellectual disability. Roeyrs and Thys actually conclude that autism is UNDER diagnosed in a large study of persons with intellectual disability. If the study results are confirmed it seems likely the harmful impact of the express, and intentional, targeting for exclusion of severe intellectually disabled from the DSM5 autism spectrum . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Symptoms in New Brunswick: UNDERdiagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities The video and clip below are from the Medicare for Autism Now web site and feature MFAN co-founder Jean Lewis, one of Canada’s foremost autism advocates, providing an articulate, personally informed summary of the struggle for autism treatment in Canada. Jean keeps the discussion on a non-partisan level and discusses the fight to end Canada’s inhumane and discriminatory exclusion of treatment for those with autism disorders in the context of other historic struggles for liberation from discrimination based on race and gender. A very important point to remember in Jean’s message is that such struggles are never overnight affairs. . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Symptoms in New Brunswick: Medicare’s Orphans: Jean Lewis On The Struggle for Autism Treatment In Canada The American Psychiatric Association’s passage of the DSM5 and its New Autism Spectrum Disorder was passed Saturday December 1, 2012 without any of the mainstream media taking noting of the real targets, the real victims of the new Autism de… . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: Congratulations "Dr." Catherine Lord! APA’s DSM5 Autism Targeted Exclusion of Intellectually Disabled Passed December 1, 2012. If you believe the DSM5 Neurodevelopmental committee responsible for expressly removing those with Intellectual Disability from the new, oversimplified Autism Spectrum Disorder when they claim that exclusion is based on current science you may wan… . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: DSM5 Autism Exclusion of ID? Study Finds Single Gene Mutation Known To Cause Intellectual Disability Increases Risk of Autism Disorders Four years ago, in Autism’s Outcasts, I wrote about the exclusion from public consciousness, and from autism research, of those with autism and intellectual disabilities. I am re-posting the research portion of Autism’s Outcasts below. The comment overall talks about the media tendency, as demonstrated at that time by CBC and CNN, to exclude the harsher realities of severe autism, including those with associated with intellectual disability, from their generally feel good portrayals of autism disorders. At the time I was unaware that the DSM5 autism “experts” would soon thereafter take steps to officially cast the intellectually . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: Autism Research Bias, Autism’s Outcasts And The DSM5 Autism Do-Over: Shame on the APA In Autism diagnosis change questioned by York University study Toronto Star Science & Technology Reporter Kate Allen interviews Dr. Adrienne Perry and York University undergraduate student, Azin Taheri, about a study designed by Taheri, with assistance from Dr. Perry, which had been intended to look at how the new DSM-5 criteria applied to kids already diagnosed with Autistic Disorder and PDD-NOS. No subjects with Asperger’s Disorder were included in the study. “The York study looked at case histories of 131 children aged 2 to 12. All had either autism or pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), two of the . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: York University Study Joins Ranks Of Those Raising Questions About The DSM5 Autism Do-Over Dr. Catherine Lord has attempted to sell her DSM5 New Autism Spectrum Disorder in a comment at the Huffington Post by telling the ignorant, unwashed public that we have nothing to fear from the DSM5 Autism changes. Dr. Lord is trying to paint those who disagree with the DSM5 Autism Do-Over as irrational and thereby deflecting legitimate criticism which she and her DSM5 colleagues have not been able to credibly answer. My criticism of the new DSM5 is two fold. 1. It expressly targets for exclusion the intellectually disabled who are also autistic and 2. It oversimplifies a complex disorder. . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: DSM5 Autism’s Targeted Exclusion Of Intellectually Disabled Is NOT Based on Research Evidence Conor Shows Off His New Shave and Haircut Nothing wrong with bribery if it helps us get Conor to sit still for a shave and haircut! That’s what happened this long weekend when I bribed Conor to accept a shave and haircut by indicating first shave and haircut then back to school, the school he loves so much. A school where he receives what the extreme, everybody in the mainstream classroom, ill informed inclusion ideologues deride as a segregated school. Conor accepted the shave and haircut. I handled the shave. Mom handled the haircut. Conor loves his so called . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: Bribery! First Shave & Haircut for Conor THEN Back to So Called "Segregated" School Emily Singer has published an article at SFARI, Proposed guidelines won’t miss autism cases, study says, which appears to suggest that persons who would meet DSM-IV PDD-NOS and Asperger’s will “only” be reduced by approximately 10% under DSM5 criteria. The focus, as always, is on the HF end of the spectrum with no mention made of the intellectually disabled who will be excluded under the wording of mandatory criterion A of the DSM5. ”We didn’t see any evidence that there would be dramatically lower diagnosis of people with Asperger’s or PDD-NOS,” says Lord.” Catherine Lord has . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: More Confirmation of Targeted Exclusion of Intellectually Disabled from DSM5 Autism Spectrum Disorder: But NO ONE CARES In Autism as an identity, not a disease Michigan Daily editor Jennifer Xu pushes the harmful Neurodiversity ideology that autism is not a disease or a disorder that should be cured but an identity that should be embraced and promoted. ideology furthers the harm it causes. “Autism as an identity, not a disease” features very high functioning university English professor Melanie Yergeau who serves on the board of directors of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, an organization composed of very high people on the autistic spectrum who promote Neurodiversity perspectives which present autism as a variation not . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: Michigan Daily Promotes Harmful, Irrational ASAN Anti-Cure Ideology This Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 12 pm AT (1 ET) I will be a guest on the CBC Radio show Maritime Noon. I will be discussing and advocating for a flexible model of inclusive education. Marlene Munn will also be interviewed on behalf of the NBACL which promotes a full, and in my opinion, extreme model of regular classroom inclusion for all students. I am not sure if persons outside Canada can access the show on the CBC web site but this is the link for Maritime Noon if you want to try and listen to the discussion at . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: Facing Autism Flexible Inclusion Versus NBACL Extreme Inclusion on CBC Maritime Noon Thursday September 20 Concerns have been raised in Australia over the DSM-5 Autism Do-Over, the new Autism Spectrum Disorder. The fears echo those held by many in North America where studies have suggested a loss of autism diagnoses under the new DSM-5 diagostic criteria for autism with a possible loss of funding for autism treatment and services. ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News reports the concerns expressed by Autism Awareness Australia: “Vicki Gibbs from Autism Spectrum Australia’s diagnostic service said Australian research has found a significant number of autistic children would fail to meet the new criteria. “What our study found was of the . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: DSM5 Autism Do-Over Raises Concerns Down Under, Yeah? A Nova Scotia mother with an autistic son is planning to “go out to Alberta” where ABA autism treatment services are not, as in Nova Scotia, limited to one year. Does Canada need Medicare for Autism NOW? No question about it. Nova Scotia, for those who don’t know, is also the province which became notorious for distributing ABA services for autism on a lottery basis. I was born in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley and return periodically to visit family. It is a beautiful province with some wonderful people but it’s government has not made proper treatment of . . . → Read More: Facing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: 1 Year Limit On ABA Treatment for Autism Forces Mother to Leave Nova Scotia for Alberta 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 Following are some significant excerpts, including court summaries of expert evidence in the proceeding, and findings of the US District Court in Florida K.G. v. Dudek, on the status of ABA as a medically necessary, proven effective treatment for Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder. The expert evidence as summarized, and the conclusions of the court, will of course have no effect on the views of anti-ABA activists like Michelle Dawson, Dr. Laurent Mottron and their followers. I hope though that Canadian public decision makers, particularly MP Mike Lake, who I have copied with this blog commentary and himself . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: K.G. v. Dudek (Florida Medicaid Injunction Order): ABA Proven Effective, Medically Necessary Treatment for Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder What do New Brunswick teachers really think about the full inclusion model which has been pushed relentlessly in NB schools by Gordon Porter and the New Brunswick Association for Community Living since the mid-1980′s? The truth is many teachers recognize that extreme, everyone in the regular classroom inclusion does not work. Teachers know this but they are afraid, for good reason, to speak up while they remain employed in New Brunswick schools. Speaking up and openly criticizing the Inclusion Illusion would be detrimental to their careers and livelihoods and they know it. Full inclusion, as defined by Gordon Porter, means . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: What Do NB Teachers Really Think About The Porter-NBACL Full Inclusion Model? Some of the people referenced in this post are affiliated with Autism Speaks. TPGA does not consider Autism Speaks an organization that benefits autistic people. -SR I am not sure what constitutes “Thinking” at the “Thinking” Persons Guide to Autism. The above quote from “SR”, Shannon Des Roches Rosa, precedes a blog comment by Carol Greenburg, a TGPA sponsored blogger at the recent IMFAR 2012 conference in Toronto. I attended IMFAR courtesy of Autism Speaks and found the conference to be an amazing experience. (Although attending courtesy of Autism Speaks my attendance still cost . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: "Thinking" Persons Guide to Autism Issues Proclamation Declaring Autism Speaks Does Not Benefit Autistic People 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 Edward Ritvo-Susan Swedo Shootout at the IMFAR Corral, Sheraton, Toronto Photo by Harold L Doherty, May 18, 2012 Dr. Susan Swedo of the DSM5 autism committee presented a defense of the proposed DSM5 Autism Spectrum Disorder twice yesterday at IMFAR in Toronto. After the second presentation I jumped up to the mike and asked about the exclusion of Intellectually Disabled under the exclusion wording “not otherwise accounted for by general developmental delays” in the wording for Mandatory Criterion A social communication categories. I was advised that some but not all ID would be excluded. A couple more questioners approached the . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Ritvo Swedo DSM5 Autism Shootout At The IMFAR Corral What exactly is Autism Awareness and what does it accomplish? Can anyone, Autism Speaks, or any other autism organization, say with a straight face that they are promoting autism awareness when the official criteria for determining what autism is, or is not, changes every 15-20 years? Can anyone say what autism is when the vast majority (CDC expert Dr. Marshalynn Yeargin-Allsopp) of those with autistic disorder, those with intellectual disabilities, are rendered a minority, albeit a large minority at 41-44% (CDC surveys) , with the publication of the DSM-IV and when that large minority are removed from the autism “spectrum” . . . → Read More: Facing Autism in New Brunswick: What Does Autism Awareness Mean As The Great DSM-5 Autism Do-Over Approaches? |
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