Comments on: Guess What Happened to Me on the First Day of Autism Awareness Month?

By: PCFree

PCFree — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:28:15 +0000

I am an Aspie who is in his mid 50s. As I read your post, I realized that I have experienced all of the stated “symptoms.” I had the epiphany that I was Aspie while advocating for my daughter who has all the classic traits. I was attending an ISD meeting and while listening to teachers describe the boys in their class with aspergers, I realized the behaviors they described fit the things I did when I was in school.

I have come to understand that the main trait of Autism is that our “reality” is based more on what we imagine the world to be and less on the actual perceptions of the outside world, I had always imagined that I was successful. If you don’t recognize a problem, you can’t fix it. Once I realized I had a problem, I could start doing something about it.

The graphic above does list the difficulties that can happen if an Aspie is left to their own devices. While I know there is no “cure” for Autism as I realize 98% of it is genetic (I do feel some Autistic-like symptoms can be brought on by food allergies) I feel the best treatment is helping us develop coping mechanisms to overcome our difficulties.

I have studied Autism in college and also in trying to help my daughter. I have come to understand two things. One, the ends of the “spectrum” is how we perceive out reality. On one end, you have someone with no imagination and builds their reality based on all external input. The other end is someone who’s reality is based on imagination and gets no input from the outside world. This is caused by a neurological disorder that turns down the signals from the outside world like a volume control. The second thing I have come to understand it that there is a second spectrum that intersects the first like an “X-Y” axis and explains why Autistic symptoms are not the same across the board. This second spectrum is a left or right brain dominance. Left brain is black & white and doesn’t understand people’s emotions. The right side is a world of grays and while they don’t instinctively empathize, they can understand the concepts and all their various “shades.”

Okay, I am doing one of my Aspie traits…rambling on over a subject I find interesting.

By: Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg

Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:41:22 +0000

They haven’t asked me to take it down. And I wouldn’t even if they did. What happened, happened. It makes no sense to pretend otherwise.

By: Jules

Jules — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:07:56 +0000

I was wondering if they have asked you to take down this post. Though I’m glad that this offensive “poster” is no longer on FB, my gut says that they took it down to silence the discussion. As awful as the discussion was (“I just want my son to be normal!”) it was useful in exposing the ignorance of these so-called “thinking moms.”

By: Bonivard

Bonivard — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:28:10 +0000

Let’s have another helping of sweepingly prejudicial and stigmatizing quotes about Asperger’s, shall we? (Warning: Brace yourselves.) All people with Asperger’s are unable to understand other people and have a purely theoretical sense of empathy: they may understand intellectually that others suffer, but are unable to empathize emotionally the way those who “retain this ability” would do. They may go to a party and talk about this and that, doing business, etc. - but when it comes to a mutual give-and-take relationship, where you share and understand each other's feelings, they are unable to handle this. Therefore, they are unable to establish lasting relationships. They are fundamentally psychologically lonely, and could be said to exist in a psychological prison, something which they experience as being subjected to an unendurable injustice. Most ‘aspies’ will never complete a full degree. They will not be able to be in a permanent job over time, nor will they ever get married. They will not be able to develop friendships with peers who embody the common interests, activities and emotions. They have impaired or deviant response to other people's feelings. Eventually they will have a lack of spontaneously seeking contact with others to share enjoyable experiences and interests. Their way of experiencing the outside world causes a constant latent uncertainty. 90 percent of them will experience depression. (Gee, I wonder why?) Oh, one more thing: These claims aren’t taken from some fringe Facebook page. They’re taken from the expert testimony of a textbook-writing university professor of psychiatry, and were broadcast live on national radio and television as part of the most high-profile trial in Norwegian history. God help us all in the future!

By: Bonivard

Bonivard — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 07:26:16 +0000

Who's up for a rousing Tom Lehrer sing-along? National Brotherhood Week (Scathingly ironic. But you knew that already, of course.)

By: Lynette

Lynette — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 03:31:50 +0000

I am a mother of two children with autism.The oldest is a boy and I was appalled by the insinuation that he will never become a productive member of society or have a chance at love an become a father! It was only tonight when my husband was tucking in our son that he remarked that my son smelled like a man (because he had used his dad’s zest body wash in the bath).Our son replied”Can I grow up to be a man like you?” My son already has goals at age 7.And 4 years ago he did not speak at all now he is a little chatter box.He still gets pronouns mixed up sometimes but nothing huge.He has progressed so much since his diagnosis because of early intervention therapy.I know by the time he finished school He will go to college and he will have all he desires because he is able.Who ever Did this poster must have their train of thought stuck back in the 60′s when they thought we should institutionalize our kids and forget about them because the world said they were lost causes.Well this is 2013 and I will not be turning my back on my children and my children will achieve whatever their heart craves for because they have the determination,clarity of thought,and ability to do so if people would give them a chance and by then I have a feeling because of your blog and parents like myself who go mamabear over crap like this acceptance won’t be an issue because of our hard work.For the info of this group on vaccination i vaccinated one child and the other I did not yet both children have autism.
Adding “May”doesn’t take the sting out of it because the insinuation is still there and the negative incantation is not only offensive but is destructive when were trying to educate the world on the great possibilities and the realities that can happen if we work at it and believe it can happen.This group obviously don’t know the power of my God and they don’t know how awesome my son is.God help their son’s is all i have to say if they have given up thinking there is no hope!

By: Alet Rheeder

Alet Rheeder — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 03:12:41 +0000

I watched that thread with a deep sadness, and participated untill I, too, was banned. Because I refuse to see my son as a statistic. I refuse to silence his voice. I refuse to see him as a tragedy. I refuse to think he has no hope. I am therefor not a thinking mom, am I?

By: jillsmo

jillsmo — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 02:46:25 +0000

Now that’s some good thinking! Wait. No it’s not. DAMMIT.

By: GirlWithTheCane

GirlWithTheCane — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 02:03:06 +0000

Posting a link to this on my Facebook page, Rachel. I’m just…stunned.

And so, so sorry that you had to experience that.

By: Desiree Kameka

Desiree Kameka — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 01:30:41 +0000

Wow… I and a couple people from ASAN saw them at the Congressional Hearing on Autism last December. Their response to ‘Why are you here?’ left us with wide eyes- it was an epic moment when their hungry kids asked us if they can have some of our snacks, and then guess who was prepared and the first to help when they spilled OJ all over the floor… the empathy lacking, burden to society, unable to do anything for themselves autistics