I've started reading The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon.
It's science fiction, taking place approximately 30 years from now. It's an update of Flowers for Algernon, but with an autistic protaganist who is offered a procedure to make him "normal." Will he undergo the procedure?
It's a wonderful description of an ASD life, by a non-ASD writer (as far as we know). The Description near the beginning of Lou, the main character, on his way to work and at work struck so closely to my own feelings and sensations.
I'd like to hear from any other ASDs who have read the book.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Causes of Autism
A lot of people crusade on the idea that autism is an epidemic caused by pollution of some type, whether from the air, ground, water, vaccines, medicines, etc. It's a thought many parents seem to cling to. Why? Because they think of their beautiful children as defective.
Guess what? They're not defective. You are. You're the one that gave them the genes that made them more sensitive to the pollution you created.
I wish I could find the reference, but a man (who, with his son, is ASD) said that ASDs are society's "canaries in the coalmine." He was speaking of the health issues ASDs suffer from at a higher level than NTs. And it's true. And the studies that have shown higher diagnosed occurences of ASD in areas with greater pollution levels, give me a small basis for a personal theory.
ASD is genetic. It's there, lurking in the chromosomes of many people. A lot of people have grown up and led decently successful lives with no diagnosis (of course, part of this is because there would not have been an overwhelming reason to test them, but also because they wouldn't have met the earlier criteria anyway) of ASD.
There is no epidemic, but there is better diagnosis. There is no epidemic, but there are more noticeable symptoms. What's my personal theory? The number of ASDs has not grown, but pollution and other outside factors are causing an increase in obvious symptoms, making an appearance of an increase in ASD individuals.
All those people throughout history who were reclusives (including the religious who lived in silent meditation), hermits, non-social geniuses, and such were the more obvious ASDs. The social introverts, non-partiers, putterers, quiet individuals were the non-obvious ASDs. Now, the non-obvious are becoming more obvious, partially due to paranoid parents who worry over everything, but also because some are displaying more obvious behaviors due to outside pollutants.
Additionally, the modern world, especially our computer-supported society and the Internet, have allowed people who would previously have been social outcasts, to build lives and relationships. These people are now more likely to get married and have children, children who are more likely to be ASD themselves.
Maybe we're the future. We probably should be.
Guess what? They're not defective. You are. You're the one that gave them the genes that made them more sensitive to the pollution you created.
I wish I could find the reference, but a man (who, with his son, is ASD) said that ASDs are society's "canaries in the coalmine." He was speaking of the health issues ASDs suffer from at a higher level than NTs. And it's true. And the studies that have shown higher diagnosed occurences of ASD in areas with greater pollution levels, give me a small basis for a personal theory.
ASD is genetic. It's there, lurking in the chromosomes of many people. A lot of people have grown up and led decently successful lives with no diagnosis (of course, part of this is because there would not have been an overwhelming reason to test them, but also because they wouldn't have met the earlier criteria anyway) of ASD.
There is no epidemic, but there is better diagnosis. There is no epidemic, but there are more noticeable symptoms. What's my personal theory? The number of ASDs has not grown, but pollution and other outside factors are causing an increase in obvious symptoms, making an appearance of an increase in ASD individuals.
All those people throughout history who were reclusives (including the religious who lived in silent meditation), hermits, non-social geniuses, and such were the more obvious ASDs. The social introverts, non-partiers, putterers, quiet individuals were the non-obvious ASDs. Now, the non-obvious are becoming more obvious, partially due to paranoid parents who worry over everything, but also because some are displaying more obvious behaviors due to outside pollutants.
Additionally, the modern world, especially our computer-supported society and the Internet, have allowed people who would previously have been social outcasts, to build lives and relationships. These people are now more likely to get married and have children, children who are more likely to be ASD themselves.
Maybe we're the future. We probably should be.
From News of the Weird
Barney Vincelette and his wife outside their home.
This little snippet is courtesy of News of the Weird:
Lead Story
* Barney Vincelette, who says his autism renders loud noises
sickening to him, has been feuding for several years with neighbors
in Houston, Del., over their rock music. At first, he invented his
own sound-jammer, according to an April profile in the
Wilmington News Journal, but a judge curtailed its use.
Subsequently, he recorded super-annoying sounds of his own
(including a fog horn's) and had them written out as music
("Sonata for Calliope of Truck Horns About to Be Transcribed for
Locomotive Horns Opus No. 1"), at which point the judge decided
that permitting the neighbors' Bon Jovi but not Vincelette's Sonata
amounted to selective law enforcement, and the feuders settled
their differences. (Vincelette, by the way, lives in a house shaped
like a flying saucer.) [News Journal, 4-15-07]
Here's a link that gives a lot more background:
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070415/NEWS/704150338
Obviously, Barney has some problems. And obnoxious neighbors. My previous post refers to these types of people. Why do they need to force their musical choices on others. Are their egos and penises that small?
I look at my beautiful son, the one who wouldn't laugh at the girl that all the other kids at school made fun of, and then was kind to her. You, you extreme waste of oxygen, are going to tell me he shouldn't exist? If we didn't exist, neither would you. You would have destroyed human society by now, but we keep saving you. Maybe we're too kind. Maybe we should get together and buy an island where only ASDs are allowed to live and let you destroy yourselves. We'll save the best of civilization. The rest can rot.
I'm old and fed-up. I really don't care that much about people in general any more. You may have seen the stickers that read, "Mean People Suck." Personally, I want one that says, "Most People Suck."
Once Again, I was lost in space
Actually, it was delayed mourning for my grandmother. And a mystery illness we're still working on.
In the meantime, with April being Autism Awareness Month, there was lots of activity everywhere. The scaries came out of the woodwork, proclaiming their latest cures and preventions (almost all of them snake oil) for the "epidemic."
But, with the Internet and the verbalization of the non-oral auties, the real voices are starting to be heard. And we're not scary or drains on society or people who should never have been born. We're the people propelling the tech future. We're the people who say, "Why not?" We don't spend all our energy (a good chunk, but not all) trying to be part of the in crowd. We're happy with ourselves and those who want to be with us. We aren't Donald Trump or Paris Hilton or George W. Bush and the Bushettes.
We're the people who make your cars run again when no one else can figure it out, who keep the computers functioning, who create the next generation of computer, who create more and better appliances that use less energy and create less pollution, who make those incredible architectural designs reality, who design new medical equipment and new medical procedures that save lives, who are taking people back into space, and who are treated like crap by the very people we're trying to help.
Bitter, bitter, bitter. I'd love to tell all the NT losers (note, this does not refer to all NTs, I'm not NT-averse) who think that anyone not like them should not exist, to please move somewhere else. We don't want you, decent NTs don't want you, all those people with "disabilities" who live well and kindly don't want you. You don't contribute. You don't contribute to the good. You do contribute to pollution and crime and the death of our species. No one wants you. We don't need you. Too bad you're on this planet. Maybe that's why so many ASDs like the idea of traveling to space. You're not there.
In the meantime, with April being Autism Awareness Month, there was lots of activity everywhere. The scaries came out of the woodwork, proclaiming their latest cures and preventions (almost all of them snake oil) for the "epidemic."
But, with the Internet and the verbalization of the non-oral auties, the real voices are starting to be heard. And we're not scary or drains on society or people who should never have been born. We're the people propelling the tech future. We're the people who say, "Why not?" We don't spend all our energy (a good chunk, but not all) trying to be part of the in crowd. We're happy with ourselves and those who want to be with us. We aren't Donald Trump or Paris Hilton or George W. Bush and the Bushettes.
We're the people who make your cars run again when no one else can figure it out, who keep the computers functioning, who create the next generation of computer, who create more and better appliances that use less energy and create less pollution, who make those incredible architectural designs reality, who design new medical equipment and new medical procedures that save lives, who are taking people back into space, and who are treated like crap by the very people we're trying to help.
Bitter, bitter, bitter. I'd love to tell all the NT losers (note, this does not refer to all NTs, I'm not NT-averse) who think that anyone not like them should not exist, to please move somewhere else. We don't want you, decent NTs don't want you, all those people with "disabilities" who live well and kindly don't want you. You don't contribute. You don't contribute to the good. You do contribute to pollution and crime and the death of our species. No one wants you. We don't need you. Too bad you're on this planet. Maybe that's why so many ASDs like the idea of traveling to space. You're not there.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
The Faux Autism Epidemic
Wow, didn't realize how long it had been since the last post. A lot going on.
People and organizations screaming about the autism epidemic always throw in the "where are all the adults with autism?" remark.
I am happy to tell you where they are. I'm including everyone who is ASD, not "typical" autism, because that's the way it is, and people change, especially ASD people.
Here we go:
Good places to find a high proportion of ASDs are in engineering of all types, universities, law firms, departments of governments and corporations that handle research and/or development and/or analysis, IT departments, technical support, skilled trades such as machinists or custom furniture building, manufacturing jobs that require intense concentration and long processes, and all types of telephone service jobs that don't require interaction with other people except by telephone or computer messaging. That's just what I came up with in about two minutes. I'm sure there are many other fields with a high proportion of ASD employees.
Even at 1 in 166 people being autistic, this equates to only .6% of the population of the U.S. That's 1.8 million people. Compare this to the 10% of the population believed to be gay. There are a few people proclaiming a "gay epidemic," but most of the proclaimers are viewed, except by their followers, as biased and denying reality. If 10% of the population can remain mostly hidden for centuries, except where they are accepted culturally (certain tribals groups, including some American Indian tribes), don't you think .6% of the population could be hidden away, if not by themselves, then by their families?
We now know that many people labeled "mentally retarded" were actually autistic, and were institutionalized on the recommendation of doctors and under pressure from family and society.
We all knew the odd kids in school who didn't fit in, who got into things (depending on when you attended school) like science fiction, rocket building, D&D, computers, staying within their selected societal group, and avoiding contact with the "typical" kids.
.6% in a school of 500 kids is 30, 1000 kids = 60, 2000 kids = 120. Not a lot.
And I'm sure the faulty belief that boys are more likely to be ASD than girls is because girls can hide ASD better. We're more aural, we're pushed to conform, to be compliant, we learn to read the body language and clues of other people to survive.
So we're here, we're ASD, get used to it!
People and organizations screaming about the autism epidemic always throw in the "where are all the adults with autism?" remark.
I am happy to tell you where they are. I'm including everyone who is ASD, not "typical" autism, because that's the way it is, and people change, especially ASD people.
Here we go:
Good places to find a high proportion of ASDs are in engineering of all types, universities, law firms, departments of governments and corporations that handle research and/or development and/or analysis, IT departments, technical support, skilled trades such as machinists or custom furniture building, manufacturing jobs that require intense concentration and long processes, and all types of telephone service jobs that don't require interaction with other people except by telephone or computer messaging. That's just what I came up with in about two minutes. I'm sure there are many other fields with a high proportion of ASD employees.
Even at 1 in 166 people being autistic, this equates to only .6% of the population of the U.S. That's 1.8 million people. Compare this to the 10% of the population believed to be gay. There are a few people proclaiming a "gay epidemic," but most of the proclaimers are viewed, except by their followers, as biased and denying reality. If 10% of the population can remain mostly hidden for centuries, except where they are accepted culturally (certain tribals groups, including some American Indian tribes), don't you think .6% of the population could be hidden away, if not by themselves, then by their families?
We now know that many people labeled "mentally retarded" were actually autistic, and were institutionalized on the recommendation of doctors and under pressure from family and society.
We all knew the odd kids in school who didn't fit in, who got into things (depending on when you attended school) like science fiction, rocket building, D&D, computers, staying within their selected societal group, and avoiding contact with the "typical" kids.
.6% in a school of 500 kids is 30, 1000 kids = 60, 2000 kids = 120. Not a lot.
And I'm sure the faulty belief that boys are more likely to be ASD than girls is because girls can hide ASD better. We're more aural, we're pushed to conform, to be compliant, we learn to read the body language and clues of other people to survive.
So we're here, we're ASD, get used to it!
Monday, January 15, 2007
My Kids Are the Coolest
The weather around here has been abnormally cold, so we've spent a lot of time indoors. I took the boys to the McDonald's Playplace so they could climb and run around a bit without risking hypothermia.
While we were there, both boys played with all the children, and had a great time. My ASD son was extra special. He played with a little girl who couldn't seem to get anyone to play with her. He had a LEGO creature with him and he would take it apart and reassemble it in odd ways then act like the creature. He managed to make her laugh, and even got a couple of the other kids to come over and play with them both.
Sometimes they overwhelm me with the goodness in their hearts.
While we were there, both boys played with all the children, and had a great time. My ASD son was extra special. He played with a little girl who couldn't seem to get anyone to play with her. He had a LEGO creature with him and he would take it apart and reassemble it in odd ways then act like the creature. He managed to make her laugh, and even got a couple of the other kids to come over and play with them both.
Sometimes they overwhelm me with the goodness in their hearts.
Friday, January 12, 2007
A Bad Memory
Today's post at NTs are Weird blog brought back a very painful memory for me. It was certainly not as severe, but it was an extremely painful life lesson, a scar that threatens to rip open at times.
Late in 5th grade, we moved from a suburb of a fairly large city to a small town. A very small, nearly non-existent town. It was beautiful, and I got the one thing I had wanted for years: a horse.
My first day of school I walked into class after registration to find my new teacher disciplining her class by making them copy pages out of the dictionary. I came in well after the incident had occurred, and I'm sure most of the students had no part in it, but I, along with everyone else, was forced to participate in this punishment. I knew then that things were going to be very different.
Previously, due to my good behavior and excellent grades, I had gotten on well with many of my teachers, and had been the pet of my previous 5th grade teacher. Yes, I had a few social difficulties, but I had done nothing too weird, and I was always willing to help.
It was a small school, and there was only one class for each grade. She was the only 5th grade teacher. I believe it was the next year (I am not positive) she became one of the teachers for the junior high / middle school students. We had different teachers for our subjects, and shared the same school with the elementary students. I don't remember which class she was teaching, but she seemed to develop an intense dislike for me that year.
If a student was not doing well, the teachers would send home notices to the parents and have a parent-teacher conference. That year (remember, I had never gotten into trouble for anything and had always carried an A average) I was called to the front of the class and handed one of these notices. She filled it out and announced the contents to everyone in the class. She gave me C minuses straight across (achievement, behavior and effort).
I took it home in shock. Half the class found it hysterically funny as I certainly was not a problem student and the other half seemed to be in shock with me.
Then came the conference. The teacher, in front of my mother, lied about me, belittled me, screamed at me, and my mother did nothing. Nothing. In fact, she turned on me, questioning me, the daughter who had never knowingly lied to her. I sat there sobbing, denying everything, asked the teacher to show my mother my work to show that it was good (the teacher refused, having destroyed it to prevent me from proving the lies), and my mother did not help me. She did not question a thing the teacher said, and she did nothing about the fact that I was being abused in front of her. I went home miserable, and my mother began to think that everything I had ever told her was a lie. Our relationship was never the same.
Now, certainly, this is nothing compared to the horrifying physical, mental and emotional abuse and neglect suffered by millions of children. But it doesn't change the fact that it left a huge scar on my soul, and caused the development of the extreme cynicism and lack of trust that are a large part of my personality.
It's impossible to forget something like that. And while I may have let it go enough for it to be considered forgiven, I lost my faith in my parents forever.
Late in 5th grade, we moved from a suburb of a fairly large city to a small town. A very small, nearly non-existent town. It was beautiful, and I got the one thing I had wanted for years: a horse.
My first day of school I walked into class after registration to find my new teacher disciplining her class by making them copy pages out of the dictionary. I came in well after the incident had occurred, and I'm sure most of the students had no part in it, but I, along with everyone else, was forced to participate in this punishment. I knew then that things were going to be very different.
Previously, due to my good behavior and excellent grades, I had gotten on well with many of my teachers, and had been the pet of my previous 5th grade teacher. Yes, I had a few social difficulties, but I had done nothing too weird, and I was always willing to help.
It was a small school, and there was only one class for each grade. She was the only 5th grade teacher. I believe it was the next year (I am not positive) she became one of the teachers for the junior high / middle school students. We had different teachers for our subjects, and shared the same school with the elementary students. I don't remember which class she was teaching, but she seemed to develop an intense dislike for me that year.
If a student was not doing well, the teachers would send home notices to the parents and have a parent-teacher conference. That year (remember, I had never gotten into trouble for anything and had always carried an A average) I was called to the front of the class and handed one of these notices. She filled it out and announced the contents to everyone in the class. She gave me C minuses straight across (achievement, behavior and effort).
I took it home in shock. Half the class found it hysterically funny as I certainly was not a problem student and the other half seemed to be in shock with me.
Then came the conference. The teacher, in front of my mother, lied about me, belittled me, screamed at me, and my mother did nothing. Nothing. In fact, she turned on me, questioning me, the daughter who had never knowingly lied to her. I sat there sobbing, denying everything, asked the teacher to show my mother my work to show that it was good (the teacher refused, having destroyed it to prevent me from proving the lies), and my mother did not help me. She did not question a thing the teacher said, and she did nothing about the fact that I was being abused in front of her. I went home miserable, and my mother began to think that everything I had ever told her was a lie. Our relationship was never the same.
Now, certainly, this is nothing compared to the horrifying physical, mental and emotional abuse and neglect suffered by millions of children. But it doesn't change the fact that it left a huge scar on my soul, and caused the development of the extreme cynicism and lack of trust that are a large part of my personality.
It's impossible to forget something like that. And while I may have let it go enough for it to be considered forgiven, I lost my faith in my parents forever.
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