Conor is still recovering from Rhabdomyolysis, an adverse reaction to anti-seizure medication, Lamotrogine and needs phsyiotherapy to rebuild his damaged muscles, balance and co-ordination. Just being home is a huge help for Conor, back home with Mom, Dad, his brother and his familiar routines. One of those routines has been to
Continue readingTag: autistic disorder
Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Conor Is Safe Now But We Almost Lost Our Buddy: THANK YOU To ALL Who Saved Him!
In mid-April, pursuant to a neurologist’s advice, we started Conor on Lamotrogine, an anti-eleptic drug which is reputed to have benefited many people suffering from seizure activity. Hours after receiving his third dosage Conor suffered his second Grand Mal seizure, that we know of, since his first in November 2012.
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism and Seizures: Conor’s Second Grand Mal Seizure (That We Know Of)
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
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Severity: Verbal Communication Doesn’t Count? Crows Say Otherwise!
Photos by Harold L Doherty One of the more irrational features in some autism discussions is the claim that being non verbal is not a significant indicator of autism severity. Anyone who thinks that verbal communication is not a significant factor in daily functioning is fooling themselves. Communication is
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: World Autism Awareness Day 2013 Should Include Some Autism Reality
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
Continue readingFacing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: Autism Research Bias, Autism’s Outcasts And The DSM5 Autism Do-Over: Shame on the APA
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,
Continue readingFacing Autism Disorders in New Brunswick: Autism and Education: Conor Votes For FLEXIBLE Inclusion
Conor got up at 6 am today, as he has for the last 2+ months to mark down the number of days to school. He started doing this with 65 days to go and today he was very happy to mark 0 days to school! He also placed his packed
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Invisible Real Autistics Suffer While Self Promoters Peddle False View of Autism Disorder As An Alternative, Superior Way of Thinking
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
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism, Killarney Lake and The Conor Gift
Last night there were no pictures taken but Mom and Dad were walking the trail around Killarney Lake on either side of Conor when he put his arms through each of ours and walked along looking back and forth at Mom and Dad with a huge smile, even a bit
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Researcher Bias and the Targeted Exclusion of Intellectually Disabled in the DSM-5 Autism Do-Over
Autism researcher bias exists and its effect, when the DSM-5 takes effect in 2013, will further the redefinition of autism as social awkwardness and the exclusion from the autism spectrum of persons with severe intellectual disabilities. David Kupfer, M.D., chair of the DSM-5 Task Force, has stated that “the proposed
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Conor Enjoys Canada Day Weekend Despite Autism
We have had perfect Canada Day weekend weather here in Fredericton and Conor has been outside enjoying it …. for the most part. Some may not see autism as a disorder. Conor though is severely affected by his autistic disorder including his sensitivity to sounds. Walking across the bridge with
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: "Thinking" Persons Guide to Autism Issues Proclamation Declaring Autism Speaks Does Not Benefit Autistic People
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
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Conor’s Autism Reality: From Joy To Self Injurious Behavior In A Flash
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
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: DSM5 Autism Day At IMFAR 2012: Swedo Confirms Some Intellectually Disabled Will Be Excluded from DSM5 Autism Spectrum Disorder
Today was DSM5 Autism Do-Over Day at IMFAR 2012. Dr. Susan Swedo, head of the DSM5 committee that drafted the DSM5 Autism Spectrum Disorder, spoke twice today, once at a stakeholder’s luncheon and afterwards at an oral presentation in the Grand Ballroom. Dr. Swedo replied to my questions after the
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Reality NB at IMFAR 2012 in Toronto, Canada
I am off tomorrow morning, very early tomorrow morning, for the IMFAR 2012 convention in Toronto. I am very excited to be attending and blogging courtesy of Autism Speaks, Autism Speaks Canada, Dana Marnane and Suzanne Lanthier. It was a tough day today though. Conor knows Dad won’t be home
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: No Nature-Deficit Disorder For Conor In Fredericton,The Green City
Conor enjoying some time at the Saint John River All photos were taken within a short walking distance from our home in Fredericton, New Brunswick The Green City My younger son Conor, 16, suffers from severe Autistic Disorder. He does not, however, suffer from Nature-Deficit Disorder in part because of
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: DSM5’s Most Fundamental Flaw? Combining The Autism Disorders Into One Disorder
Autism Advocate Ari Ne’eman Speaking At the National Press Club My son’s severe Autistic Disorder is not the same autism disorder as Mr. Ne’eman’s. The DSM5 autism do-over, the New Autism Spectrum Disorder, will come into effect in 2013. There is a further opportunity to offer public comment about the
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: CBC: Autism advocate questions ‘extreme’ inclusion model
The caption below the picture of me and Conor is from the CBC web site article Autism advocate questions ‘extreme’ inclusion model. “A high-profile autism advocate in New Brunswick is questioning the merits of what he calls the Department of Education’s extreme inclusion model. “I believe that the kind of
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism and Extreme Inclusion: I Challenge You Gordon Porter To A Public Debate Of Your Extreme Inclusion Beliefs
Evidence Extreme Inclusion Advocates Ignore Dr. Gordon Porter was one of the members of NB Premier David Alward’s post election transition team of special advisers. Unfortunately for many NB students with severe autism deficits he has continued to act as a special adviser to both Premier Alward and Education and
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: OOLAID: Conor’s Autism Challenges, Sense of Humor and Progress
I was doing some work at home the other day and was looking for a notebook to record some information. I found the one pictured above with the word OOLAID in Conor’s hand printed on the back cover. OOLAID is a sign of some of the challenges Conor faces by
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