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Kim Stagliano Asked in 2009: What if President's Child Had Autism

Apple store  Stag GirlsBy Kim Stagliano

In 2009, I wrote an article for Huffington Post (back when they would let autism-centric posts run) that asked, "What if the first child has autism?"  My hope was that President Obama would make a difference for us. Here, 8 years later, the Federal government has accomplished precious little in terms of making life better for families facing the unbelieveable challenges of autism. We had a safety and wandering code added to medical codes - a good thing. But overall, we were slammed on vaccine safety, glossed over by the adulation of neurodiversity and our medical rights were diminished in state after state as draconian vaccine laws were passed, the most egregious which was SB277 in California.

Katie Wright Tweeted that her late Mom, Suzanne Wright, asked First Lady Obama more than a dozen times to talk to her about autism. "Sorry disappointed @Flotus. My Mom tried 19x 2 interest her in ANYThing autism. Obesity easier I guess."  (See below)

Katie Tweet FLOTUS
President Trump is clearly willing to stomp on the third rail topics. His brash, eye popping leadership style (love it or hate it) makes him a wild card. Much of the nation is dead set against him as President. And yet, today, he becomes our President.  Will President Trump help our community? I know there has been speculation about his handsome son and the possibility of some sort of diagnosis. I'm not inclined to guess or armchair diagnose. Not my style. He's a boy. Not a poster boy.  Time will tell. 

Here's the HuffPo piece I wrote.

As a Mom, one of the highlights of the inauguration was watching the first children, Miss Malia and Miss Sasha Obama, revel in their father’s day. They were poised and yet still childlike. Eyes bright. Smiles wide.

Their mother, our elegant new First Lady, was able to fully share the day with her darling daughters. Did you notice the glances and grins they shared? I sure did.

And then I became sad.

As an autism Mom, I thought about how different the day would be if the First Lady had a child with autism. Here’s one scenario:

The First Lady is holding her child’s hand tightly as they walk toward their seats, her smile tempered by the interference from her autismometer, the scanning system she uses at all times to gauge her child’s mood, temperment, ability to manage the input and to anticipate a meltdown. In her other hand she holds a metal ring on which hang dozens of plastic cards with simple pictures and words. It’s an odd accessory.

The boy is wearing a pair of bulky, Bose noise canceling headphones to help him tune out the roar of the crowd. His eyes are cast down to the floorboards.

The lines laid out before him capture his attention. He stops. He sits down.

A brief look of panic crosses his mother’s face. She erases it. Then gently, lovingly signs, “stand up.”

He lies down.

She flips the pictures to the word “stand” and shows it to him.

He covers his eyes.

She starts to perspire despite the cold, turns to her Mom and nods. The older woman responds and reaches into the bag she is carrying. She hands the child a Thomas the Tank engine toy. He accepts it, clutching the toy, waving it in front of his face.

He stands.

His mother’s shoulders drop a few inches as they make their way to their seats.

She tries to watch her husband, to admire his handsome face and take note of his momentous day. This is his day. But autism is along for the ride. As always. When the speaker (who was it again?) finishes, her son’s voice rings out amid the cacophony of applause, “A clue! A clue! We need our handy dandy notebook!”

She breathes out — shows her son another small card. “Quiet.” He squirms. Her mother hands her a small surgical brush with which she strokes her son’s palms.

Her husband is about to take the oath. He looks at her with his, “Are we OK?” expression. She will not add to the gravity of the job he is about to accept. She will not cloud his day. She smiles and winks.

She takes her son’s hand and together they stand. Her mother wraps her arms around the boy, applying pressure to his torso.

The President takes his oath. “Elmo Loves You!” cries the boy. The crowd emits a nervous laugh. The President bends to his son, kisses his head. The new First Lady takes her child’s hand and fights back tears, praying her face reveals nothing but love and pride.

The First Family waves to the throng of supporters. To the world. The boy waggles his fingers in front of his eyes. His head nods to a song only he can hear. The First Lady kisses her husband, her hands cup his face for a moment.

In that second, the boy bolts up the aisle. There is a large, wet stain on his pants as he scrabbles toward an exit. The day is simply too much for him.

His grandmother is right behind him. Leaving her daughter and son-in-law, now the First Lady and President of the United States.

The next day, the President announces an initiative to study every possible cause of autism from genes to vaccines and to spend millions on treatment.

In four years, he plans to have his son speak at the inauguration for his second term.

###

Kim Stagliano is Managing Editor for Age of Autism.





Comments

Angus Files

The cousins are going to visit the White House -brilliant. I think if Donald visited them now he would have more staff than the population of the local village near Ness on Stornoway...

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15040802.Trump___s_Scottish_cousin_plans_a_visit_to_White_House/

MMR RIP

angusfiles@btopenworld.com

Aye John,it will be very well set out even for the super rich- the Lady is not in any rush for moving - putting it down to the schooling of Barron and a change of school if they moved - they have the money why not just move the school to the white house.

Yep! its not the person I am interested in just the fall of the CDC and all the vile people that support and live offit. Unlike philosopher Diogenes I am not aware of anybody having Donald over or in a barrel that's the problem unlike the previous inhabitant's of the White House where they were bought big time.


MMR RIP

John Stone

Angus

Not sure whether it is history or legend that when Alexander went to visit the cynic philosopher Diogenes, living in a barrel, Diogenes asked him to step out of his light. I think perhaps I wouldn't feel comfortable in either place (White House or Trump Tower) or to be honest in a barrel, but I would be grateful if Donald Trump finally exposes the CDC.

PS I suspect that the White House is quite well appointed even for the super-rich. I suppose one might also think of Dickens's Mr Dorrit, trapped in a grand Venetian hotel nearly two centuries ago, without anyone to make him a cup of tea.

Angus Files

Now where would you rather stay Trump Tower or the White House? I could be wrong(again) and who am I to know what ladies think, but was Melania`s face not a picture when she walked into that institution AKA The White House which looks more like a psychiatric institution than a home. Mind you bearing the fruit -loops that have stayed in it its probably the right building -"two plates short of a picnic".

If Donalds mother hadn't got on that boat to America whilst the Scottish were being cleared of their lands- he would have still been on the croft - make your own choice on that one.

Donald Trump's Scottish cousins toast inauguration on Lewis as he becomes US president
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/donald-trumps-scottish-cousins-toast-9662800

MMR RIP

kapoore

My one hope is that the CDC frauds are exposed, and the families of the vaccine injured are vindicated. It seems to be pretty high on Trumps agenda. Go Trump!

Denise Anderstrom Douglass

You have written a wonderful, and true post, Kim -- bless you. I was pretty much a lifelong Democrat, and I was thrilled to vote for our first black president. I was especially thrilled when he won, because he said he was going to be the autism president. To me this was critical. Black, white, or pink polka-dotted, I will never accept the idea that most Americans are racist and full of hate. They just aren't. I'm pushing 68 years old, and if I believe anything, it's that the average Joe on the street in America is not full of hate and racism.

Yes, voted for Mr. Obama twice. I figured being the president was an overwhelming job, and if he hadn't done much about autism in four years, well, give the man a break. I don't know anybody who doesn't like Mrs. Obama or wish her well. But enough is enough!

For those of us who have eyes to see, no, we would NEVER "out" somebody about anything that is personal.. It is sometimes enough to see a beautiful family. I believe I would like to ask everybody in our community to take a moment to consciously think, pray, visualize -- whatever faith or non-faith you may follow (which is one of our great American rights) -- please hold best wishes and good hope for our new president and his family, and for our country itself.

Joy B

Real talk. I watched the Nikki Haley(future UN Amb.) confirmation hearing the other day and her son was sitting behind her eye-stimming for hours. Poor kid. At one point they asked her if she wanted to take a break but she kept on.

For years now, the odds that at least one cabinet member or member of the first family will have a child touched by autism are pretty high.

Linda

This brought tears to my eyes. Autism in the White House, I can't see it happening, at least not the autism that lived in our house. There is simply too much judgment of the parents who do all we know to do for our children, for one of us to be elected president. We are far too busy anyway.

Bob Moffit

"My hope was that President Obama would make a difference for us."

AS I have often observed on AoA .. it really hasn't mattered who sits in the Oval Office .. because BOTH parties have the same cavalier attitude regarding vaccines .. which is .. the sky is blue .. the earth is round .. and .. the science in .. vaccines are "modern medical miracles" .. that must be protected and defended at all times .. against all criticisms ..

Consider former President George W. Bush .. who supposedly included himself .. as Commander In Chief .. ordered that half a million members of the armed forces, including those most likely to be included in any war with Iraq, be immunized against smallpox immediately. President Bush also authorized a voluntary program to inoculate as many as 439,000 doctors, nurses and emergency workers who would be the first to respond if terrorist obtain the smallpox virus and introduce it into the United States.

http://thinktwice.com/gulfwar.htm

(Curious to know how many participated in the "voluntary program to inoculate as many as 439,000 doctors, nurses and emergency workers"? How many adverse reactions reported as I haven't heard anyone demanding smallpox vaccinations today?)

Consider .. it has also since been reported .. a highly suspected contributing factor of Gulf War Syndrome suffered by members of the armed services who served in the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991) or Gulf War 1 .. were the large numbers of vaccines they received .. at least 17 different vaccines .. including live vaccines (polio and yellow fever as well as experimental vaccines that had not been approved .. (anthrax, botulinum toxoid) that were of doubtful efficacy.

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/VGWS.php

(Do our brave volunteers still receive so many vaccines .. including anthrax and botulinum toxoid .. when the deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan today?)

In any event .. it should surprise no one that Michelle did not want to address the political controversies regarding vaccines.

However .. we can only HOPE that President Trump will continue his effort to create a commission to study vaccine safety and scientific inquiry .. as he would be the ONLY President in our nation's history that actually sought to "prove" by irrefutable .. independent .. scientific research .. that vaccines are as "safe and effective" as "science and public health officials insist they are".

I sympathize with those unfortunate sufferers of Gulf War Syndrome .. because .. their voices have been ignored .. as are the thousands of us who have witnessed first-hand the adverse reactions our innocent children have suffered.

DRAIN THE SWAMP

angus files

I suppose if the Pharma bubble was complete the future presidents of the world would have been hand picked from the elite who wouldn't have had any contact with Autism .The makers and shakers of the vaccine world don't vaccinate. Of course the pushers of the vaccine world claim differently -despite what the Dorit`s et-al of the world claim (check her FB)- When kiddy, photos say differently and show balanced normal eye contact looking at cameras directly, no signs of teeth- face, misalignment etc etc - we all know what to look for. but as you say Kim we would never diagnose it, or even if we did have a good idea, we would never say anything... unless its a sure case full on Autistic meltdown and the poor embarrassed parents are not coping with it- at that point you say"is your son autistic" or can I give you a hand oh my daughters autistic as well don't worry... Sadly the autistic brotherhood is all around us lets prey for Trump and Kennedy.

Go Trump drain the swamp and the toxic sludge and vermin that live offit.

MMR RIP

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