{"id":136,"date":"2010-01-11T21:23:00","date_gmt":"2010-01-11T21:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jimgworld.com\/blog1\/2010\/01\/11\/136\/"},"modified":"2010-04-19T19:33:01","modified_gmt":"2010-04-20T00:33:01","slug":"136","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimgworld.com\/blog1\/?p=136","title":{"rendered":"Autism Bickering"},"content":{"rendered":"

AB&C: Autism Bickering & Confusion.<\/span> As someone with Aspergers Syndrome in my life (but not controlling my life), I have taken an interest in the various discussions going on in newspapers, magazines, books and on the web regarding this condition’s relationship to autism. As a whole, the field of psychology now classifies Aspergers as an \u201cAutism Spectrum Disorder\u201d<\/a>. Researchers seem to feel that Aspies substantially share the same set of environmental and genetic circumstances that cause what some call \u201cclassic autism\u201d<\/a>, i.e. where the person cannot function independently and experiences severe learning and behavioral disabilities along with social deficits. According to the psychology \u201cmainstream\u201d view, the difference between an Aspie who is the president of a successful computer software company and an institutionalized adult with an IQ of 60 who can hardly speak, wears diapers and bangs his head at the wall, is mostly a matter of degree along this spectrum.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, I am not qualified to give an authoritative answer on this. I don’t know anyone with classic autism, although a woman at work who sits a few cubicles away from me has an institutionalized 35 year old son with autism. I overhear many of the details of her relationship with him. I have read that the psychologists and neuroscientists are not unanimous about the \u201cspectral view\u201d; some see significant differences in the brain structures and environmental patterns of Aspies versus \u201cclassic autistics\u201d. I do know from surfing the web that putting Aspergers in the \u201cautism ship\u201d has caused disagreements and bickering between parents with autistic children, advocates for research and therapy, and people who themselves claim to have either Aspergers or high-functioning autism. (Obviously, people who are \u201clower\u201d on the spectrum cannot voice their thoughts on this).<\/p>\n

If I’m getting it right, there are several camps. First, there are the Aspies who embrace the autistic categorization and call for what is called \u201cneurodiversity\u201d<\/a>. This viewpoint in effect asserts that the world needs to give autistic people a break, i.e. be more open minded to their quirks and differences. It’s another variant of a civil rights movement. It says that autistics should not be looked at using a \u201cpathological\u201d model. <\/p>\n

Next, there are the autistic advocates who argue against neurodiversity<\/a>. It’s not that they don’t want Aspies to be welcomed and better understood by the public; it’s just that they feel that the Aspie crowd is stealing the political spotlight<\/a> from them and their own needs. The Aspie crowd are the new kids on the block; whereas the relatives of classic autistics have lived in the proverbial neighborhood for a long time. They want more public funding for research and treatment for those suffering significant impairment from autism. They want a cure, not public sympathy. They realize that neurodiversity can happen on the cheap; genetic therapy for autistic infants cannot. One of the most noted proponents of this view is Len Schafer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Oh, there are also the \u201cmercury people\u201d, mostly parents of autistic children who want to believe, despite many scientific studies to the contrary<\/a>, that autism is caused by mercury preservatives in vaccines. I won’t touch that one, since I don’t have children at all and certainly know nothing of what it would be like to have an autistic child.)<\/p>\n

In response to Schafer and his like, some Aspie-neurodiversity people (e.g. Michael John Carley<\/a>) have expressed sympathy (but not agreement) with those who want a cure for autism. The \u201cold time autism\u201d advocates nonetheless remain wary, convinced that all of the neurodiversity people are dead set against a cure<\/a> for autism. The old-timers also seem to wonder whether Aspies would still care<\/a> about low-functioning autistics once they receive their tokens of public recognition and acceptance.<\/p>\n

There’s an interesting and related side effect from the increased attention that Aspergers Syndrome has drawn over the past few years. A lot of people have produced books, articles, web sites and videos proclaiming themselves to be Aspies and telling of their great relief now that they know \u201cwhat’s wrong with them\u201d, i.e. why they never seem to fit in with the world around them. Some of them have not been professionally diagnosed by a shrink. (Hey, I guess that includes me!). \u201cSelf DX-ing\u201d is fairly common and generally accepted in the \u201cAspie community\u201d. But there is a reaction brewing amidst the more cynical members of the public, i.e. that many self DX-ers (and even those with a shrink’s opinion) are often \u201cslackers\u201d and \u201cwhiners\u201d. They’re just people looking for an excuse, just looking to justify their own failings. They just don’t want to do the work needed to be successful in this world. They’re almost as bad as the proverbial \u201cwelfare queens\u201d of the inner city.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, some of this reaction comes from those who clearly do suffer from \u201cclassical\u201d autistic deficits or from those who take care of such people (e.g., parents). They send e-mails saying \u201cyou don’t have autism or Aspergers\u201d. And in response, those accused of \u201cslacking\u201d publish their justifications, listing their autistic \u201ccredentials\u201d and explaining how they’ve \u201cpaid their dues\u201d. One interesting example is from a woman named Rudy Simone<\/a>, a self-DX’d author of various books on AS. Ms. Simone recently put out a YouTube video<\/a> presenting her own such ‘apologia’. Quite interesting.<\/p>\n

As for me, here’s where I stand. I may well have Aspergers in my life, but Aspergers does not RUN my life. It could explain some things about me, but it doesn’t remove any of the responsibility that I will take for what has happened and for what is yet to happen in my life. I’m still at the wheel; I’ll take all of the blame and any of the praise (if there is any to be had from this skeptical world!). If anything, knowing about Aspergers and how it influenced my life gives me increased opportunity to use the rest of my life in a positive fashion. And it doesn’t take away any responsibility for what has already occurred. I can’t say that learning about Aspergers was a total surprise to me. My second grade teacher, Mrs. LaGreca, told both me and my parents that I was \u201cdifferent\u201d (but not different enough to be put in special ed). Some older guys that I knew on the railroad back when I was 16 said just about the same thing. But they said that I had a \u201cgood difference\u201d, i.e. I was more responsible and intelligent than most kids, if a bit weirder. <\/p>\n

I am discussing Aspergers on my blog now, but I’m not asking for pity. I’m just putting out some thoughts that others might find interesting, and hopefully useful. <\/p>\n

Next, as to whether I think that I myself should be considered \u201con the autistic spectrum\u201d. Again, I’m not qualified to talk as a professional researcher or therapist. BUT, something about it doesn’t feel right to me. Perhaps there are genetic and environmental similaritie
\ns between me and my co-worker’s institutionalized son, which are of interest to the taxonomists within the psychological field. But in daily life, in the world of politics and laws and customs and social rituals \u2013 I think it’s a bad fit. Allison Singer<\/a> also seems to have her doubts.<\/p>\n

Perhaps this makes me a renegade from political correctness. If so, then so be it. I am not trying to throw shadows on those like my co-worker’s son. But given what my co-worker has gone through in her life, given all the angst she suffers regarding her son, I would love to see a cure for him. I am not afraid that the availability of such a cure would have hypothetically altered my life and my personality (especially since there probably will never be a true cure for a complex genetic condition like autism, just a number of ways to mitigate its more debilitating aspects; i.e., severe autistics might be made more like Aspies). <\/p>\n

As to \u201cneurodiversity rights\u201d for those who have good minds but don’t have such good social sense; perhaps greater public awareness and acceptance would help. I realize that there are many Aspies who are living messed-up lives, people who can’t hold a job and can’t make friends or fall in love. I believe that our society should try to be kinder and gentler to everyone; I think there should be more understanding and compassion. BUT, I will admit that skepticism can also be healthy; people do get lazy and whiny sometimes, and need a little \u201ccruel to be kind\u201d. We do need standards. As with everything else in this world, it’s a question of finding the right balance. The whole Aspergers thing is a relatively new item on the public agenda, and it will indeed take a while to strike that balance.<\/p>\n

But I think that balance will best be struck if Aspergers and neurodiversity is uncoupled from classic autism, and the \u201cspectrum\u201d is sent back to the ivory towers of psychological academia, from whence it sprung.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AB&C: Autism Bickering & Confusion. As someone with Aspergers Syndrome in my life (but not controlling my life), I have taken an interest in the various discussions going on in newspapers, magazines, books and on the web regarding this condition’s relationship to autism. As a whole, the field of psychology now classifies Aspergers as an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimgworld.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimgworld.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimgworld.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimgworld.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimgworld.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=136"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/jimgworld.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1936,"href":"https:\/\/jimgworld.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136\/revisions\/1936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimgworld.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimgworld.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimgworld.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}