4 ms·

I know it's the huffingtonpost but this article speaks to that pretty well. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bonnie-zampino/is-autism-the-real-public_b_8191918.htm

by hoopism 11y ago

I know it's the huffingtonpost but this article speaks to that pretty well. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bonnie-zampino/is-autism-the-real-public_b_8191918.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bonnie-zampino/is-autism-the-r...

MattSteelblade 11y ago
Part 2: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bonnie-zampino/my-son-has-the-kind-of-autism-no-one-talks-about----part-2_b_8230544.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bonnie-zampino/my-son-has-the-...
fecak 11y ago
That article and a recent social media debate prompted the comment. The debate was with a well-educated adult woman saying she'd "rather have autism than $CURABLEDISEASE", and she referenced the adorable children of her friends that had an autism diagnosis that were delightful to be around. She recounted a recent conversation via communication device where a little girl expressed how she felt (and liked) her own autism and being different. I explained that autism didn't look like that in all cases, and if she wanted autism she'd have to take the autism of my child who at 11 isn't capable of these types of interactions and generally has a rough go of it. I think most people now realize how different the ends of the spectrum can be, but the high-functioning end of the spectrum sometimes engage with those advocating for the low-functioning end. If you like your autism, keep it - but those of us impacted by the "other" autism will keep advocating for our children. Separate diagnoses would help this tremendously.
- hoopism 11y ago
  "she referenced the adorable children of her friends that had an autism diagnosis that were delightful to be around" We've gotten better at understanding where people are coming from with statements like this... the first statement ("rather have autism") is just bizarre. It's pretty common that when someone learns our daughter has autism they say "She's so beautiful, she won't have any trouble". I'm still not sure what that means.
  - fecak 11y ago
    >It's pretty common that when someone learns our daughter has autism they say "She's so beautiful, she won't have any trouble". I'm still not sure what that means. We get the "she's beautiful" thing often as well. If I had to guess, I think it's a reference to the fact that her disability may be harder to recognize than some others (Downs Syndrome or a prominent physical disability come to mind) and she'll be able to blend in when she's not exhibiting more noticeable and negative autistic behaviors (stimming, vocal stimming, self-injurious behavior, aggression). She has a friend with Downs and I like to watch how other children and adults react to the them when we're in public together. The other thought I get when I hear "beautiful" is, in basic terms,"her looks are a good quality that helps balance the less attractive aspects of her behavior". We're very conscious of keeping up her appearance (hygiene, clothes) primarily for the purposes of the school and others who take care of her. Since she doesn't speak, keeping her looking cared for at least lets caretakers know that she is loved and we expect her to be treated as a human being. I imagine parents of typical children might have that same philosophy, but I can only speak to my experience.

by hoopism 11y ago

MattSteelblade 11y ago

Part 2: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bonnie-zampino/my-son-has-the-kind-of-autism-no-one-talks-about----part-2_b_8230544.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bonnie-zampino/my-son-has-the-...

fecak 11y ago

That article and a recent social media debate prompted the comment. The debate was with a well-educated adult woman saying she'd "rather have autism than $CURABLEDISEASE", and she referenced the adorable children of her friends that had an autism diagnosis that were delightful to be around. She recounted a recent conversation via communication device where a little girl expressed how she felt (and liked) her own autism and being different. I explained that autism didn't look like that in all cases, and if she wanted autism she'd have to take the autism of my child who at 11 isn't capable of these types of interactions and generally has a rough go of it. I think most people now realize how different the ends of the spectrum can be, but the high-functioning end of the spectrum sometimes engage with those advocating for the low-functioning end. If you like your autism, keep it - but those of us impacted by the "other" autism will keep advocating for our children. Separate diagnoses would help this tremendously.

hoopism 11y ago
"she referenced the adorable children of her friends that had an autism diagnosis that were delightful to be around" We've gotten better at understanding where people are coming from with statements like this... the first statement ("rather have autism") is just bizarre. It's pretty common that when someone learns our daughter has autism they say "She's so beautiful, she won't have any trouble". I'm still not sure what that means.
- fecak 11y ago
  >It's pretty common that when someone learns our daughter has autism they say "She's so beautiful, she won't have any trouble". I'm still not sure what that means. We get the "she's beautiful" thing often as well. If I had to guess, I think it's a reference to the fact that her disability may be harder to recognize than some others (Downs Syndrome or a prominent physical disability come to mind) and she'll be able to blend in when she's not exhibiting more noticeable and negative autistic behaviors (stimming, vocal stimming, self-injurious behavior, aggression). She has a friend with Downs and I like to watch how other children and adults react to the them when we're in public together. The other thought I get when I hear "beautiful" is, in basic terms,"her looks are a good quality that helps balance the less attractive aspects of her behavior". We're very conscious of keeping up her appearance (hygiene, clothes) primarily for the purposes of the school and others who take care of her. Since she doesn't speak, keeping her looking cared for at least lets caretakers know that she is loved and we expect her to be treated as a human being. I imagine parents of typical children might have that same philosophy, but I can only speak to my experience.