Age of Autism Weekly Wrap: Don’t Be Cruel …
By Dan Olmsted
We always enjoy hearing from readers. Here’s an e-mail I received this week from someone going by the pen name Potato Part:
“I will preface this with the fact that I am autistic.
“I accidentally ran across Age of Autism. Age of Autism is the type of stuff that actually hurts autistic people. This type of thing makes it seem like the parents are suffering when their kids are autistic. That's complete bullshit.
“Those parents are the ones trying to kill us in an attempt to ‘cure’ us. It is definitely very nice to see that we are hated. I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for helping the content that hurts autistic people. Thank you for putting out content that gets autistic people killed. Thank you for actively harming autistic people. Thank you for reminding us that we are thought of as burdens.
“Thank you for making it harder for autistic people to live. Thank you for the content that makes autistic people suicidal. Thank you for making our life harder. Thank you for making our life worse.”
--
Another commenter this week wrote the following:
“We have 16 yr old severe autistic child with violent behavior. We cant leave such a beautiful girl in this world alone after us. So we decided to live till we can bear. When we reach a point beyond which we can't pull any more, we will end our roles in this world along with her. People may call us escapists, but after taking this decision, we started enjoying life. We are sure nobody else can take care of such children other than parents.
"Doctors/scientists/bureaucrats/politicians - Put some more efforts/grant enough funds to research more to find solution ASAP to save families suffering from this problem.”
Those two comments just about cover the waterfront, I’d say.
Obviously, premeditated murder-suicide out of despair for the future of one’s child, as this parent is promising, is not OK. Autistic people like Potato Part feeling suicidal, or at least that his or her life is made harder and that they are hated after reading sites like ours, is not OK.
It’s not my place to offer a glib counterargument to either, although in my opinion death just postpones your karma, so you might as well work it out in this life and ask for -- demand -- all the help you need to do so. The degree of suffering in both these comments is awful and deserves empathy though not encouragement or consent, a difference those of us in happier circumstances have an obligation to convey.
People high-functioning enough to write a note like Potato Part’s might fairly be asked to drop the nihilistic sarcasm and say plainly what they might, or we should, do to make life better not just for themselves but for autistic individuals so incapacitated that their parents believe it would be an act of love to kill them. Parents who think their kids will be better off dead than without them might want to consider Potato Part’s perspective, as well as resources like TACA, before settling on such a dire strategy. I wrote a few weeks ago about a hundred flowers blooming in terms of ideas for group living and other remedies for institutions and social isolation. A lot of families are in this boat. Don't jump ship. Reach out.
--
Another comment this week from a regular reader about a conference Mark Blaxill and I were attending left me a little perplexed: It began: “Dan, you do amazing work but I probably won't watch because the conference looked too slick and commercial, which to me means they will probably downplay the role of vaccines in the health crisis.”
Well, first, thank you, and second, you are seriously harshing my buzz, dude. The Real Truth About Health Conference in Orlando did anything but “downplay” the role of vaccines in the health crisis. I’ll say more about it later when I have some video and transcripts to share, but this falls in the category of not wanting to join the kind of club that would have us as members, doesn’t it? Or something like that.
--
I picked up a Time magazine at the airport on the way to the Orlando conference. Mistake.
“We shouldn’t dismiss people who deny facts,” wrote Sara E. Gorman and Jack M. Gorman in a short Viewpoint. “It’s easy to dismiss people who believe things that are factually incorrect – that vaccines cause autism, for example, or that climate change isn’t real.” The article attempted to “empathize” with us poor benighted souls. Since no one knows what causes autism – speak for yourselves, Sara E. and Jack M. – “we tend to fill in the gaps ourselves” and respond more to stories than statistics.
“That’s precisely what makes it more natural for antivaxxers to ‘imagine’ the risk of their children dying from a vaccine than it is for them to comprehend statistics that say otherwise.” The article, dripping with condescension masquerading as wuv, sweet wuv, concluded, “changing minds requires compassion and understanding, not disdain.” As J.B. Handley put it on The Doctors a few years back, “I don’t need your sympathy.”
The idea that we are so pitiably illogical comes in the midst of a rather illogical argument, doesn’t it? Many who saw their child descend into autism after a shot were not (duh!) and are not “anti-vaxxers,” nor are they relying on “stories” about children dying. They are sharing what they saw. The Gormans might try listening.
--
The Russians apparently hacked the records of some of our Olympians, and the media is reporting on Simone Biles’ ADHD. That’s a terrible invasion, but nothing for her to be ashamed of. It does reinforce a point I made a few weeks back about all the health challenges this year’s Olympians faced – including Michael Phelps, who has spoken openly about his own ADHD. We’re going to start needing a para-para-Olympics for our only “slightly” disabled athletes. Otherwise I’m not sure they’ll be able to put together a men's water polo team in 2020.
--
Did you see how the sugar interests paid Harvard researchers decades ago to blame fat, not sugar, for ill health and obesity several decades ago? That’s a big deal as it skewed us away from what has since become obvious – that there wasn’t that much wrong with our grandparents’ diets (and theirs, and theirs) until sugar and preservatives came pouring into just about everything we eat.
I’ve been writing about the role of sugar in the 1916 polio epidemic, and although this has nothing directly to do with it, it shows what comes first, and it's not the consumer.
--
Speaking of which, Bayer bought up Monsanto this week for $66 billion. Monsanto developed glyphosate. Bayer and DuPont created the ethylmercury seed disinfectant Ceresan that led to early cases of autism. DuPont and Dow recently merged. Dow and Monsanto supplied the government with Agent Orange. Coleen Boyle of the CDC helped minimize the role of Agent Orange in harming U.S. troops; she hid the cause of the autism epidemic, including the MMR cover-up described by William Thompson, and the dangers of ethylmercury-containing vaccines like the flu shot, DPT, HIB and Hep B. Thimerosal (Merthiolate) was invented for Eli Lilly by the same guy, Morris Kharasch, who invented Ceresan for DuPont and Bayer. Bayer bought up Monsanto ...
It’s a small, toxic world that spins round and round. And real people are really suffering because of it.
--
Dan Olmsted is Editor of Age of Autism.
This is really important blog. thanks for sharing
Posted by: iMessage | October 30, 2021 at 12:45 AM
Why are America’s school students so disabled and violent?
Is it the vaccines?
Posted by: anonymous | October 29, 2021 at 08:34 PM
This is the AUTISM I know :
http://www.healthnutnews.com/autism-researchers-concerned-tragedy-autistic-girl-louisiana-may-glimpse-second-crisis-care-coming/
Newsweek ran an article in 2012 entitled, “An epidemic of special needs kids heads for a crisis of care”. In the story, author Michelle Cottle described that we currently have a crisis of care, particularly for those with autism, as kids age out of the school system. As the population continues to grow, with no end in sight, our health-care, education, and social services systems have a heavy burden and strain put on them that we are NOT prepared for.
But that was in 2012 and the second crisis in care is just starting to reveal itself; what will happen to autistic kids when their caregiver parents die. This crisis may potentially be even worse than the first.
Recently, a 22-year-old girl with autism in Louisiana ended up living with distant relatives when her mother died. And the article reports, “Sadly, these distant relatives kept her locked in a cage outside for as long as nine months. She was abused and lost about 60 pounds during her ordeal, which ended June 30, 2016, when sheriff’s deputies freed her from her captors. After being evaluated at a local hospital, she was placed in the care of the Louisiana Health Department.”
Posted by: Hans Litten | September 23, 2016 at 04:42 AM
@ Benedetta,
I have worked as an occupational therapist at a separate public school. Most of the our children have autism - with a range of abilities to communicate - pre-verbal to holding a conversation with you - as well as children with severe learning disabilities, adhd, intellectual disabilities and mild physical disabilities. They all have severe communication disabilities and/or behavior problems. ALL staff that works with a child have to receive an initial 8 hours of non-violent crisis intervention training, pass as test and receive certification from the Crisis Prevention Institute, with bi-yearly refresher courses, before school starts or before you can work with any children. That doesn't even include the crisis team members, who have to meet monthly to update their strategies. If a child has to be secluded (behaviors are a danger to themselves or others), they are NEVER left alone, a nurse or health tech has to observe them, incidences are documented and parents are called. If people have not been in a school in the last ten years, you have no idea how much vaccine-induced brain damage has affected the behaviors of school children.
Posted by: Jeanne J | September 21, 2016 at 06:33 PM
Ciaparker, your examples are interesting. I am now having great difficulty word-finding as I get older and my Aspergers merges onto Alzeimers. Strokes can be major, severe strokes, or mild, mini-strokes, and they can effect people in several different ways, but they are still strokes!
Any moderately intelligent police officer ought to be able to spot if someone is completely unable to speak, and realize they have a disability. But if an Aspie misunderstands a question (and let's face it, the police set out to trip people up), or if they say the wrong thing, it can land them in serious trouble. I've been told by someone working in the autism field that there are many autistic people in prison who are innocent. I still think these are the same condition.
Posted by: Grace Green | September 21, 2016 at 01:01 PM
Grace Green,
I didn't say that Asperger's was only a social disorder: I know that it is vaccine brain damage as well as autism. What I said is that it should be defined as being in its own category, separate from classic Kanner's autism, which is much more disabling. Those who can't tell a policeman or anyone else anything about anything are much more disabled than those who have idiosyncratic ways of using language. I have Asperger's myself, as do my brother and nephew. My daughter and a cousin's daughter have classic Kanner's autism. All of us have these conditions from vaccine reactions. However, those of us with Asperger's all have college degrees and can fend for ourselves. My cousin's daughter is institutionalized, and my daughter has a very hard time putting even simple, short, single-clause sentences together. The other day I asked her where she had found something (and she wouldn't have been able to answer at all before our ESL work) and she said On the (long pause for maybe thirty seconds) the DRESSER. Like other stroke-victims, she has slow recall even of familiar words. In some cases, those with autism can improve to the point where they are categorized as having Asperger's rather than autism. I hope that my daughter may reach that point, and pray that she may eventually be able to fend for herself as well as most Asperger's people can.
Posted by: ciaparker | September 21, 2016 at 12:27 PM
Patience, and Ciaparker. I'm sorry but Asperger's is not a social disorder, and those of us with it do not use language very well, or "normally". We use language very idiosyncratically which leads to no end of misunderstandings both ways. When it's said that we can't do social language, it doesn't just mean for socializing but for any situation where one has to interact with another person in anything other than a situation involving technical "jargon", for example, science, engineering, architecture, music etc. This would include interactions with officials, police, salespersons, neighbours, doctors and any other service providers. This is not an emotional problem, but a different way of understanding verbal meaning. It could also be one of the reasons why "lower-functioning " people can't understand requests, and can become so frustrated.
Posted by: Grace Green | September 21, 2016 at 11:37 AM
Nonnymouse;
Getting this link you shared to be on topic can easily be done.
; What other problems exist beside communication disorders in autism: (that the new DSM Manuel will be pulling away from the PDD-NOS types of autism to get the upward graphs to level out and the heat be taken off of the medical federal agencies)
That would be mood.
Thus; Dan can expect to get letters of anger, not deserved. Parents can expect to get some anger not deserved.
Thus need for restraints at times, in the school systems just might be a coming and already there.
My daughter that worked in a behavioral hospital was given extreme training when constraining a patient. . There are suppose to be so many of them each taking care of the head, the feet - the rest of the body - monitoring. Can the school do this training that a hospital does? They have to have an actual RN at their head in a hospital .
Birgit Calhoun, You made a great observation of that program of what experience does some people have in writing a DSM Manuel
Betty -- You and I agree - a vaccine injury and the brain is trainable and there is plasticity when it comes to the brain.
Posted by: Benedetta | September 21, 2016 at 09:56 AM
This topic may not be exactly on point for this topic, but many people read all of the topics and all of the comments. So here's the information:
There is an organization called ProPublica; they are investigative journalists. There is a request for stories related to mistreatment of a child by way of restraints.
They say,
"Do you know a child who has been forcibly restrained or secluded at school? Help us investigate by sharing your story.
https://www.propublica.org/investigations/
Posted by: Nonnymouse | September 20, 2016 at 06:56 PM
We're spending a lot of time on the exact definition of autism and who fits that definition when it wasn't too long ago that we wanted to "stop calling it autism" and call it "vaccine induced brain injury" or something that fit the actual medical condition. My son has vaccine induced brain injury. He fit the definition for "autism" at some point, but probably not now. I remember celebrating the first time I caught my son lying. I thought I had made such great strides with treatments because I knew lying was unusual for autistic kids. I thought we were on track for recovery. Now I wish I could stop the lying. He has changed over the years, partly from all the biomedical treatments, but he is still medically ill with probable brain and gut inflammation. I always thought it would be black or white; he would either continue to have autism or he would be cured, but his life is still affected in so many ways. Like I said, he probably doesn't fit the strict definition of autism anymore, and he is actually a very talented writer when he wants to write, but the impact of his vaccine injury is still a crying shame and a waste of his potential to enjoy life. Expounding on what Benedetta said, I would say vaccine induced brain injury is still vaccine induced brain injury. And I really want to know whether I believe Jake Crosby or Grace Green. I think both. My son needs to drop the idea that it is cool, in his neurodiverse way, to lack manners and speak his mind no matter who it hurts. But he is also very vulnerable. It's a tough world for all of us!
Posted by: Betty Bona | September 20, 2016 at 06:14 PM
I once listened to a program that described how the DSM gets to what it is. A bunch of psychiatrists and psychologists get together and they talk things over. I was really surprised that, at least by what I heard, there was no input from parents of autistic people as to definition. The club is made up of an illustrious group of people who, in general, have no day-to-day (24-7) experience.
The DSM should reflect how different one autistic person is from another. Aspergers should be treated as part of the spectrum, and yes, it should be thought of as a high-functioning variety. But to distinguish one from the other nobody should ever say one form of autism is preferable to another. The type of anguish going with autism can only be perceived by the parents and siblings who are wondering from day to day what comes next.
It is always good to step back and wonder how we would look at a situation if we had never heard of autism and how we would perceive that situation if it required us to look from the outside in.
Posted by: Birgit Calhoun | September 20, 2016 at 05:07 PM
The new DSM is putting a lot of the PDD-NOS into communication disorders.
They can and do pull all this stuff apart , thread by thread.
In the end, there will be a whole lot more wrong than just language.
Posted by: Benedetta | September 20, 2016 at 03:56 PM
It is interesting that there are so many commenters believing that the Potato Part is a troll or not a real autistic person. Where does this certainty come from, that makes one person autistic and the other one not? You cannot tell one autistic person from another unless you have gone through a certain amount of experience. I know my version. And my comments come from what I know. Most times you wouldn't even be able to tell whether a person is autistic when you walk past them in the street. Just looking around to see what you can see, simply isn't good enough. But when anyone claims to know autism, that person has to include the whole spectrum. It includes vile language and it even includes violence.
Posted by: Birgit Calhoun | September 20, 2016 at 03:55 PM
From my viewpoint, it is good to include Potato Part and Parent's comment, at least once in a while. The thoughts those two commenters go through are not new concepts. They are real opinions and they are needing to be heard.
If only the completely docile commenting gets a voice then Potato Part is absolutely right. In my opinion he is not a troll and his feelings are those of a person who feels completely sidelined. His is not an unusual opinion in my experience. Maybe many of you parents do not know the vileness that comes out of mercury-poisoned people's mouths but who minutes later have completely forgotten what they have said. Some of these kids have a Jekyll and Hyde personality.
If it is not known how these people think, the rest of the naïve population will never know the nature of some forms of autism. Being in denial about violent thoughts, be it murder or suicide denies that the whole spectrum exists. That's what the general population needs to be made aware of and needs to feel as something worth dealing with and having compassion with. That may be a way towards the "Tipping Point."
It's essential for people to know the torment people go through who have an autistic person. They might then imagine how it would be if their grandchild were to become like that and what might have caused that.
Posted by: Birgit Calhoun | September 20, 2016 at 03:07 PM
Benedetta,
I guess they should divide the PDD-NOS into those who can use language fairly well and put them in with the Asperger's people, and those who can't and put them with the autistic. I think the ability to use language is the extremely important factor which separates the differently-abled from the disabled. If you can't use language to communicate, you're not going to be able to live comfortably, safely, or happily in society. And it would prevent Aspie's from whining about how THEY'RE an extraordinarily important segment of the autistic population, even though they can use language to communicate in speech and in writing fairly well.
Posted by: ciaparker | September 20, 2016 at 02:36 PM
CIA Parker
Then where does PDD-NOS fit in?
Where does kids that improve fit in?
The DSM new manual plans on getting rid of most of the PDD-NOS - boot them right out of the autism diagnosis.
A brain injury is a brain injury. The mistake that those at corrupt CDC did not get right the first time was putting a whole lot under the autism spectrum so we could say - hey -- where is the alarm on the upward graph lines for autism.
Oh, did I say spectrum- I did didn't I.
Posted by: Benedetta | September 19, 2016 at 09:30 PM
Dan, Thank you for becoming involved with the tragedy of autism, and working with a parent, Mark Blaxill. Tracking down and following Kanner's original patients is a most valuable contribution.
Jenny Allan, Thank you for your comments on the language disorder of autistic children, especially from your vantage point as a teacher.
We all hoped for a cure, then realized most of our children continue to need help after special education ends. My son just turned 54, and he still needs help. The asylums have been shuttered, but "community" group homes are the new snake pits. I am old now, living in a retirement community, but still I am scorned for putting my son away in a group home. He would not be appropriate for the retirement community where we live. I have now suffered 50+ years of blame, shame, and disdain. My response is raging anger. Sorry.
Language disability is the most serious problem for children diagnosed with autism. Aspergers, or whatever later "social disorder" is something different. Neurodiversity does not include children who had difficulties learning to speak. Research is needed to identify the brain damage caused by asphyxia at birth, prenatal exposure to valproic acid, or encephalopathy caused by vaccines.
Posted by: Patience (Eileen Nicole) Simon | September 19, 2016 at 09:24 PM
I think it would be helpful to bring back the distinction between Asperger's and autism. It may be that the first is on the spectrum, but just higher-functioning, but Asperger's people are able to use language very well, and for autistic people it's difficult or impossible to use language normally. And the conceptual grasp goes along with ability to use language, which in itself is conceptual.
Posted by: ciaparker | September 19, 2016 at 05:14 PM
thanks jenny for the thoughtful comments. just to add that publishing the parent's comment certainly doesn't suggest we condone it and i tried to say that explicitly. you might know that callous disregard opens with a mother taking her child to the top of a bridge abutment and holding his hand while they jumped to their deaths. we have since had several graphic examples of this happening. so to acknowledge the reality of how some parents feel is part of the conversation. but no, murder-suicide is very bad karma or whatever your tradition would choose to call it. it is not a way out, i firmly believe. kim has written eloquently on this ... we need to affirm that no one has our ok to make a choice like that -- as much as we empathize with the difficulty they face. they need to reach out and get help. -- dan
Posted by: Dan Olmsted | September 19, 2016 at 01:56 PM
Please remember, Dan included Potato Part's and the other published comment, in order to stimulate discussion. These comments would normally be refused by the moderators, in Potato Part's case because the comment is vile and hateful, regardless of whether or not the author is autistic. Being autistic is no excuse for attempting to peddle lies and hate against parents of autistic children. AoA mothers nurture their children and write about them with love and pride. Publishing the other comment, could be interpreted by some as condoning murder/suicide, although we all want and campaign for better services and support for parents of autistic children.
My views are my own, based on my own experiences, and they haven't changed. I have no problem about persons expressing opposing views on autism. Discussion is healthy, but if Potato Part is actually a troll, he/she will be feeling pleased to have caused so much dissent in the ranks.
Posted by: Jenny Allan | September 19, 2016 at 01:36 PM
Dan:
a person that is not a parent of a kid with autism and still sees this issue as clear as you do - is a genius.
I promise you that I was so stupid that I watched a lot of vaccine reactions and could not put all these incidences in the one basket of vaccine injuries where they belong.
The rest needs to take deep breaths here - because what you all are mad about is hardly worth a - well it is worth nothing.
I hate to use Jake as an example - but he is a fine writer.
I was cleaning my son's room a month ago - and ran into - some of his writings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH, gosh - he is more than capable of writing complex, complete stuff. I did not know. The human mind is a complex thing. And more the shame if it gets injured by a bunch of money hungry, changing data CDC - and the rest of the ilk involved in profitable medicine and federal agencies.
Save your anger and direct it to the right source.
Posted by: Benedetta | September 19, 2016 at 12:17 PM
Hans Litten, I love your outspoken comments, but I can't understand rejecting the support of someone just because they are not the parent of an autistic person. Surely we need everyone who is willing to join the cause. As an autistic person I need to hear both sides of an argument, otherwise I just accept the first one! So please make it up with Dan O.
I'm getting inclined to agree with Jenny Allen about this particular correspondent - Mr Potato Man. The most able of us couldn't do all that sarcasm. But I think John Stone makes a good point in general.
Posted by: Grace Green | September 19, 2016 at 11:54 AM
thanks hans. i have a clearer picture now of where you're coming from. it's true i'm not a parent of an autistic child, and if that's a disqualifier to the majority of our readers i would be happy to bow out and leave the battle to you. best, dan
Posted by: Dan Olmsted | September 19, 2016 at 10:16 AM
Dan Olmsted | September 19, 2016 at 08:30 AM
Does that go for Barry too ?
And the other angry parents ? Dan (you aren't even a parent)
Don't worry about that Dan -
I will start another honest website , entirely dedicated to ending this madness .
And targeting every bit of misinformation and nonsense you & Blaxman perpetuate .
1943 Kanner the original 12 all the time ! fed up with the pair of you
Posted by: Hans Litten | September 19, 2016 at 09:43 AM
Hello John - You are missing my point. I am well aware autistic persons can be capable, even talented authors of 'complex issues' , as long as those issues are tangible subjects. My Grandson is studying accountancy at University and is doing well, including written reports and assignments. He is as talented as the 'Rainman' on numerical skills, but we won't talk about my abortive attempts to help him with algebra when he was at school.
I could say a lot more about Potato Pert's comment, which is chock full of 'subliminal' messages, aimed to subvert:-
"AoA hurts autistic people"
"AoA makes it seem like the parents are suffering when their kids are autistic. That's complete bullshit."
“Those parents are the ones trying to kill us in an attempt to ‘cure’ us. It is definitely very nice to see that we are hated. "
Etc Etc Etc -This is the 'stuff'; of spin doctors, trolls and shills. My Grandson doesn't do 'subliminal' and is perplexed by sarcasm and innuendo. I can only repeat the mantra of Joseph Goebbals.
TAKE CARE
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
Posted by: Jenny Allan | September 19, 2016 at 08:39 AM
hans, why don't you find a site that suits your views rather than gnash your teeth over our small blog and its humble editor? or start your own -- dan
Posted by: Dan Olmsted | September 19, 2016 at 08:30 AM
Jenny
Again, I don't entirely agree. I think there is a range of impairment and cases are very different. We even have people writing here may have ASD (certainly claim to) who write complex things.
Posted by: John Stone | September 19, 2016 at 07:51 AM
Hans Litten- I chose the example of Patience (Eileen Nicole) Simon's son because she makes it clear, her son's autism was clearly caused by damage at birth, NOT vaccine damage. This is important because it gives the lie to those persons who insist autism is always genetic. I have always believed my Grandson's autism resulted from post birth environmental brain damage.
I don't want to bore everyone rigid with autistic speech and language markers. You can look it up on the internet. The best example I was given by a child psychologist, was genuine autistics have great difficulty 'processing and re-applying abstract concepts'. This makes it very difficult for autistic persons to understand another person's feelings or point of view.
Taking apart Potato Part's comment. Firstly it's far too general and 'jingoistic' e.g. ' Age of Autism is the type of stuff that actually hurts autistic people'. A genuine autistic would have concentrated on particular examples of what actually hurt him or her. Also, 'This type of thing makes it seem like the parents are suffering when their kids are autistic" is exactly the kind of abstract extrapolation which real autistics find difficult. As for, "I accidentally ran across Age of Autism". As we say in Scotland 'Nae Chance!'
Posted by: Jenny Allan | September 19, 2016 at 07:19 AM
Hans, Barry
I completely disagree. I have met many verbal autistic people and this is well within range of some. I supppose like all sorts of messages we receive it may or may not be truthful but there is no good reason to presume bad faith on this occasion. We used to get lots and lots of mail from people, for example, who claimed to have autistic children despite being non-vaccinators - it wasn't so much that the claim was impossible but they never explained why they were non-vaccinators, or what their interest was. But actually I haven't seen one of those for a couple of years so I assume the troll fraternity have stopped trying to push that one. I guess it may have been me who decided not to post one of Barry's comments - I wasn't sure whether it was fair. If you are going to call someone a liar (even someone who is not identified) you perhaps ought to have reasonable grounds.
Posted by: John Stone | September 19, 2016 at 07:05 AM
I agree with Barry (as always) Dan - you have been "had" .
If any of our children could write four consecutive, error free paragraphs like these.... none of us parents would even be here.
Why are you even repeating this nonsense? Any parent here will tell you that it was not written by someone who received an autism diagnosis.
Dan do you have any idea what autism actually is ?
You and MarkBlaxman both say you are pro-vaccine - just they need a little tweaking on the safety front . It is hard to stomach those opinions politely . (source TheTruthAboutHealth in florida).
Vaccines are a lie from start to finish .They can never be made safe and they are being used as weapons of war against the masses by people like Hillary Rotten Clinton .
Posted by: Hans Litten | September 19, 2016 at 06:09 AM
Barry and Dan, I've posted here before and describe my 25 year old as high functioning. He would have been perfectly capable of composing a rant like the one from potato part. When he is angry he can fixate on something and go on and on. In complete sentences and with punctuation. I truly hate to complain about our difficulties compared to those of you with more severely affected children. But my son's struggles are painful for him because he desperately wants and tries to fit in.
**************
Not sure if Dan is going to censor this post, like he did my last one.
But sorry, still not buying that Potato Part has an autism diagnosis.
And to be honest, not believing that you are who you say are either.
Posted by: Barry | September 18, 2016 at 10:07 PM
Also ZS Associates. Fantastic article, Dan!
Posted by: Reader | September 18, 2016 at 08:39 PM
Jenny Allan, I would concur with your view that we are being played here. Groups like CZ Associates have more than enough PR pharmaceutical money to put out this kind of faux outrage stuff. It's odd (never mind convenient) that they (neurodiverse and or shill movement) has chosen to vilify environmental damage. I mean is it really so much preferable for someone who has autism to state that one has genetic problems? Look at the nature vs nurture debate and see how people try to mitigate against this (headstart etc.). Also, there is little debate that some health interventions (gut improvements) seem to help some autistic symptoms. All this faux horror at being environmentally damaged is simply crafting with no real substance to it.
Posted by: Reader | September 18, 2016 at 06:04 PM
Barry and Dan, I've posted here before and describe my 25 year old as high functioning. He would have been perfectly capable of composing a rant like the one from potato part. When he is angry he can fixate on something and go on and on. In complete sentences and with punctuation. I truly hate to complain about our difficulties compared to those of you with more severely affected children. But my son's struggles are painful for him because he desperately wants and tries to fit in.
Posted by: Anna Quandt | September 18, 2016 at 01:03 PM
I've been reading AoA for a few years now and I have always been struck by the affection and respect the parents who post here display for their autistic children. And I'm aware that I often don't feel such warmth and respect for my own child, even though she is, well, sort of perfect. It's the "sort of" part that's the problem: she should be perfect because she has no reason not to be, especially given all the close monitoring and good advice that I'm providing minute by minute. I don't think that I'm an unusual parent for these times. I think I'm pretty usual.
A couple of weeks ago I decided that my mantra would be that my kid is a good kid, she's doing her best and that being 15, she has a 15yo brain. Resentment and anger evaporated because, of course, I had been trying to cure her of being fifteen and that wasn't going well.
But I didn't pick up my parenting style from AoA. The parents here accept and appreciate their children in a way that awes and humbles me.
Posted by: Carol | September 18, 2016 at 10:26 AM
Jake Crosby, I love what you write most of the time, but I have to disagree with your last comment. As an adult, female, with undiagnosed Asperger's, I have spent sixty years trying to adapt to society around me, and it hasn't worked. Indeed, an autistic female is very likely to be at serious risk of being taken advantage of if she has that attitude. I don't think autistic people should try to be like others, in some ways I think we have a better nature eg. plain speaking, or honesty. The important thing is for both sides to try to understand the other.
I'm also not happy about people here deciding who has or hasn't got ASD. Ok some people might be not genuine, but some have ASD and don't show it in the same way. To those who think there are two kinds of autism, I do believe it would be worth considering the fact that the DSM call us all autistic, because it may point to them knowing more than they are letting on about the cause. Brain damage can take many forms and exist to widely differing degrees.
Posted by: Grace Green | September 18, 2016 at 06:56 AM
From Potato Part:-"“I accidentally ran across Age of Autism. Age of Autism is the type of stuff that actually hurts autistic people. This type of thing makes it seem like the parents are suffering when their kids are autistic. That's complete bullshit."
I have quite a bit of professional experience teaching 'special needs' youngsters, including autistic teenagers, but mostly I taught children who are neurologically typical. ASD covers a very wide spectrum. So called 'high functioning' persons with autism get labelled 'Aspergers', although as far as I can ascertain there is no hard and fast definition of 'Asperger's Syndrome.
Patience (Eileen Nicole) Simon, described her autistic son's speech and writing style, very similar to my own Grandson's, a clever lad in his twenties, but still autistic. There's no question in my mind, when reading the piece by Potato Part, this was written by a neurologically typical person.
Posted by: Jenny Allan | September 18, 2016 at 02:14 AM
“'We shouldn’t dismiss people who deny facts,' wrote Sara E. Gorman and Jack M. Gorman in a short Viewpoint. 'It’s easy to dismiss people who believe things that are factually incorrect – that vaccines cause autism, for example, or that climate change isn’t real.'”
Sounds a bit like a rallying cry (or maybe more like some pathos-laced cheerleading) to keep covering one's eyes and plugging one's ears a little more tightly and hang onto the corporate-molded consensus with a not-so-assured assurance that one is fulfilling some moral obligation to keep the faith and keep those around you with you all nodding in agreement (nicely of course, don't want to inspire anyone to ask questions, particularly oneself).
"Speaking of which, Bayer bought up Monsanto this week for $66 billion. Monsanto developed glyphosate. Bayer and DuPont created the ethylmercury seed disinfectant Ceresan that led to early cases of autism. DuPont and Dow recently merged. Dow and Monsanto supplied the government with Agent Orange. Coleen Boyle of the CDC helped minimize the role of Agent Orange in harming U.S. troops; she hid the cause of the autism epidemic, including the MMR cover-up described by William Thompson, and the dangers of ethylmercury-containing vaccines like the flu shot, DPT, HIB and Hep B. Thimerosal (Merthiolate) was invented for Eli Lilly by the same guy, Morris Kharasch, who invented Ceresan for DuPont and Bayer. Bayer bought up Monsanto ..."
How do you keep all the above straight?
Monsanto became rather a bargain, I've heard, because of consumer activism. With the internet spreading an albeit sometimes threadbare awareness (at least that's all my mind can reliably hold on to and keep straight) of past deeds/connections that wouldn't have been often sung (I think in the past and certainly today) over the old TV/radio airwaves and with Bayer's history (or IG Farben ancestry), I'm speculating we might see a toxic baggage synergy here, hopefully as a warning to any corporations that haven't so far sullied their brand via their deeds.
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | September 17, 2016 at 08:33 PM
Are family residences being considered for places like the Autism Trust? Maybe some peace of mind could be found if parents were able to reside with the community of people that will care for their loved one after they are gone? Maybe the way we as a culture of people could revolutionize the way we care for our elderly and our injured?
Posted by: annie | September 17, 2016 at 06:57 PM
Barry! I am convinced this person has at least some aspects of autism. He is not low-functioning. Also, exactly where does neuro-typical lie? One thing I am pretty close to 100% convinced is that he was mercury-poisoned. Many people agree that mercury-poisoning and autism are very difficult to distinguish.
Posted by: Birgit Calhoun | September 17, 2016 at 06:45 PM
Two kinds of autism must be distinguished from each other: (1) autism diagnosed in children who are not learning to speak normally and (2) autism diagnosed in children or young adults who have problems interacting with other people.
My son is high functioning, but he was almost 6 years old before he learned to speak. He still speaks like a foreigner, and he writes like a foreigner. He has co-authored two memoirs with me (available on amazon.com, Autism and the Inferior Colliculus, Books 3 and 6). His writing is not anything like that of Potato Part.
My son's language problems are the result of an auditory processing problem. As he puts it, "I can't understand people who speak a mile a minute."
Tomorrow is my son's 54th birthday, and, yes, my life for 50+ years has been a matter of grieving. His autism was from head injury and asphyxia at birth. No one can make me be more graciously accepting of what happened to him.
Autism has many causes; all injure brain systems in the same way. I think it is brainstem systems, especially the auditory pathway.
Posted by: Patience (Eileen Nicole) Simon | September 17, 2016 at 06:41 PM
Very well said! -- I think I know the alter-ego to Potato Part. He has lived in my house. No, his name is not potato part. -- It's very hard to refute what he says even though one would love to do something drastic about it. I hope anyone reading this takes note. Environmental toxins do damage, but it is so hard to prove what damage. It is an insidious problem, and there is nothing to do other than to wait and hope for improvement. I had always hoped that my son's situation would at least be used as something that could later be evaluated and studied to get researchers interested. That didn't happen. During no time of my son's life of 40 years did any doctor care to try to find out what caused the problem. It eventually did not matter. For me it mattered because I found out about many things that without Erik I would have never learned. They are in essence helping me live a better and longer life. I don't want to be maudlin. But we are all dealt different cards, and we have to play them as they are dealt.
It is really important to raise the interest level in the children's plight, and the greatest damage is done when nobody is really interested.
Posted by: Birgit Calhoun | September 17, 2016 at 06:14 PM
It's not Age of Autism making Potato Part unhappy, it's neurodiversity telling guys like him that society is "oppressing" them and that any personal responsibility to adapt to the society around them is accepting defeat.
Posted by: Jake Crosby | September 17, 2016 at 05:35 PM
Thanks Dan always thought provoking.
The strange thing about both these comments is that firstly,the potato comment I have never met anyone in real life, who has felt in this manner, and only found them trolling the internet.
Secondly the suicide pact comment, I have only ever met parents like this in real life and never openly on the internet.
Strange that they both appear together as I have never experienced this in real life.
Apart from that ,"you do what you can do", is my golden rule when thinking about myself,or other parents with disabled kids and no two cases are the same.
Bless them all.
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | September 17, 2016 at 05:30 PM
Barry I am not so sure this person wound not have an autism diagnosis.
**********
There's nothing that will convince me that he does.
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree
Posted by: Barry | September 17, 2016 at 05:12 PM
Barry I am not so sure this person wound not have an autism diagnosis.
Posted by: Dan Olmsted | September 17, 2016 at 05:10 PM
Like so many autistic and Asperger people I am abused in different ways on a daily basis. I have to report that I have considerable evidence that many of my abusers are themselves autistic, and have been set up to their actions by those who are seeking to discredit me, and my father - a whistleblower. We must remember that one of the symptoms of autism is the inability to understand that we are being lied to and lead astray, and even the high-functioning are highly vulnerable to being used in this way.
Posted by: Grace Green | September 17, 2016 at 03:47 PM
Yes, a toxic world, with some toxic thinking, and always, these days, the duopoly discourse; the obligatory for or against, without explicit understanding of what is supported or decried, and commonly a refusal to identify problems and search and implement solutions.
Sometimes the human spirit can rise above it to change course, and that is the hope I hang my hat on.
Posted by: greyone | September 17, 2016 at 01:48 PM
Thank you, Dan, for a great weekly wrap-up. Each item is a reflection of the dire straits in which humanity now finds itself.
Posted by: Laura Hayes | September 17, 2016 at 12:29 PM
Dan- Yes I agree. We have to treat comments as coming from 'bona fide' persons or sources unless certain they are from false personnas. This is a difficult task for moderators, but most forums have check lists for what is and isn't permitted.
Campaigning internet sites and forums inevitably get a few commenters who seek to bring the sites and/or the managers and contributors into disrepute. Mostly they use a 'Trojan Horse' approach, pretending to be sympathetic to the causes, but post controversial and sometimes extreme opinions and suggested actions designed to provoke criticisms and outrage.
On this side of the ‘pond’, There has been a small recent ‘victory’ achieved against one of these ‘self appointed autism advocates’ called Fiona O’Leary, operating from the Republic of Ireland, but writing defamatory blogs on Facebook and elsewhere . This woman claimed to be on the autistic spectrum. Her ‘targets’ were virtually everyone involved with autism campaigning and awareness, in particular IAA, Ireland’s biggest Autism Charity. Somehow the Irish Press and Media provided a ‘platform’ for this woman to spout her venom. The charities and person’s slandered fought back with lawsuits and I signed a petition against ‘false advocates’. Anyone can set themselves up as an ‘autism advocate’ for good or evil. O’Leary has much in common with Reiss, Deer and the rest. I suspect the news outlets got some ‘inducements’ to publish her venomous rubbish.
http://www.emmadalmayne.co.uk/mms/fiona-oleary-fighting-for-a-brighter-tomorrow/
https://www.change.org/p/donald-macintosh-stop-unqualified-advocates-in-ireland-0942bc88-7772-4295-9887-ef02bc25439f/u/17870687?tk=HHS0HuwCcUF6AJ3av6yGYc8JCuFMZvKaIswL5n2NqFI&utm_source=petition_update&utm_medium=email
From Above:-
“Since O'Leary came on the Autism scene just over 2 years ago, professionals, parents and charities serving the Autism community have suffered ill-informed articles in the Irish and wider press, hate campaigns and defamation which has affected service provision for Irish Autistic Adults and Children greatly. O'Leary has alienated and abused the very community she purported to serve with her self-serving publicity stunts and antics, which are gradually coming to an end as the media suffer the backlash of High Court Injunctions, Legal actions and public complaints on the back of fraudulent tips and information passed to them under the guise of O'Leary's 'Autism organisation' ART (revealed as no more than a Tumblr page)”
Posted by: Jenny Allan | September 17, 2016 at 11:29 AM
I guess Potato Part doesn't realize that all children give their parents grey hairs. I occasionally find my neurotypical teenager a conundrum and a burden. Every parent I know wishes his kid was different in some way. Donna Reed was never the reality; it's always been more like Roseanne.
Considering the number of parent support groups and self-help books for parents, I would say that this is a universal experience.
Posted by: Carol | September 17, 2016 at 11:27 AM
Neurodiversity is cancer that kills autistic people by encouraging them to act "different" instead of fit in, ultimately driving them to suicide by keeping them from making friends.
Posted by: Jake Crosby | September 17, 2016 at 10:24 AM
“I will preface this with the fact that I am autistic.
“I accidentally ran across Age of Autism. Age of Autism is the type of stuff that actually hurts autistic people. This type of thing makes it seem like the parents are suffering when their kids are autistic. That's complete bullshit.
“Those parents are the ones trying to kill us in an attempt to ‘cure’ us. It is definitely very nice to see that we are hated. I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for helping the content that hurts autistic people. Thank you for putting out content that gets autistic people killed. Thank you for actively harming autistic people. Thank you for reminding us that we are thought of as burdens.
“Thank you for making it harder for autistic people to live. Thank you for the content that makes autistic people suicidal. Thank you for making our life harder. Thank you for making our life worse.”
***************
If any of our children could write four consecutive, error free paragraphs like these.... none of us parents would even be here.
Why are you even repeating this nonsense? Any parent here will tell you that it was not written by someone who received an autism diagnosis.
Posted by: Barry | September 17, 2016 at 09:12 AM
Margaret :
By the grace of God; my children are mild. But I can't imagine either one writing or feeling the way Potato Head - the spud - did.
I don't know if it should be intertwined or not. I think a lot of it is diagnosed when they enter school and a lot of things improve as they get older.
Brain injuries by vaccines are brain injuries. Spud is the least of our problems that is going to inundate our society, or rather already present.
What does the future hold for even high functioning Mr. Spud:
Some of you if you get time should go look up the tons of cartoon pictures done on the Appalachians. Typical picture was on some toothless bunch, dressed in rags with out even shoes sitting on the front porch of a run down -- and I mean run down - shack. The front door off the hinges, broken windows, siding of the house not painted, junk all piled up around them. --- and all holding onto a jug of moonshine.
NO DAN: I had not heard the news that the sugar industry had bought their own science like the tobacco industry did. There is a big lesson in there some where that we should have gotten a clue on with the tobacco science.
I am beginning to think that there is no science that is not bought?
Posted by: Benedetta | September 17, 2016 at 09:07 AM
hi jenny, it's always possible we're being played but it would be hard to respond to anything without giving them the benefit of the doubt. i certainly am familiar with real people who take both those positions ... dan
Posted by: Dan Olmsted | September 17, 2016 at 08:11 AM
Autism and Asperger's should never have been combined. I've met my share of individuals with mild Asperger's who really can't see beyond their own lives but being narcissistic have no problem dictating how anyone should feel and act about autism. I just heard about someone with autism and some kind of co-morbid condition who chewed off three fingers. Somehow things like that don't make the news. Mustn't derail all the happy news about autism. The problem is that happy news and those with mild Asperger's dictate the public's view on autism and cut down on funding. Often enough, there's no one and nothing to reach out to. That's why parents start thinking that suicide/murder is not such a bad option. So what are people doing with mild Asperger's to help those with serious problems? Generally nothing. Whining about your feelings is all the rage in some quarters. But if you're not doing anything to solve the problem, just shut up and go away so that those of us who are trying to make a difference.
Posted by: Margaret | September 17, 2016 at 07:57 AM
From above:-
"Obviously, premeditated murder-suicide out of despair for the future of one’s child, as this parent is promising, is not OK. Autistic people like Potato Part feeling suicidal, or at least that his or her life is made harder and that they are hated after reading sites like ours, is not OK."
Assuming of course, these persons are REAL people, and not masquerading as hard pressed parents, or depressed, potentially suicidal autistics, in order to make Dan and the rest of us feel bad. I once responded to a 15 year old 'autistic girl 'on a social media site. She was denigrating Andrew Wakefield for the usual stuff, and like Potato Pert, promoting autism as a positive special thing, I was very gentle with her, whilst pointing out her comments regarding Dr Wakefield were slanderous untruths. I found out later these comments had been posted by a 45 year old woman, who regularly 'trolled' using a variety of names.
My message to Potato Pert is simple. If you are real, then you are in dire need of professional help and emotional support. Please seek the help you need. Age of Autism is just one of many internet sites dealing with autism issues; the main objectives are those of support, to parents and their children. Comments which are 'hateful' are invariably moderated out, as yours would have been, if Dan had not used it as an example.
The parents stating their intending to kill themselves and their autistic child sound like another example of 'trolling' by impersonation. Again no chance of escaping moderation. Yes some parents HAVE committed suicide and taken their child with them. Root cause analyses usually uncover failures in social and medical care help and support, which have driven such parents to these depths of despair. I cannot condone such actions, but do not feel inclined to harshly judge these parents either.
Posted by: Jenny Allan | September 17, 2016 at 07:13 AM
LIKE. Looking forward to news from Orlando.
Posted by: Dan Burns | September 17, 2016 at 06:13 AM