Autism, Learn To Live With It.
NOTE: Seems like since Mrs. Wright's death last year, Autism Speaks has changed its mission from "It's time to listen," to "It's time to give up." What a sin. Let's live with autism. Cancer. Alzheimers. Diabetes. MD. Raise money and live with it. Disgusting in the extreme.
By Ginger Taylor, MS
Just saw a new Autism Speaks commercial. The message...
"Learn to live with it."
I kid you not.
(Let's just skip past the horrid imagery of a child with autism on a boat in the water with no supervision for the sake of time and trauma.)
For the few people who don't see a problem with this or understand why so many of us are so angry, please contrast compare two possible positions here. The first has been espoused by our community for more than a decade, the second is espoused by Autism Speaks.
1. Autism is preventable and medically treatable.
2. Autism, learn to live with it.
The first is accurate and appropriate, as there are medical treatments for people diagnosed with autism that will alleviate the symptoms of autism (some of which are life threatening... re: children in a boat in the water with no supervision). This will make their lives better without them having to spend hours and weeks and years combating a terribly debilitating condition. If there is medical treatment available for a debilitating condition, is ethical to tell people that there is medical treatment available for their debilitating condition.
This is made all the more important, as an autism diagnosis cuts life expectancy IN HALF.
The second is a sadistic, self-serving position, held by Autism Speaks and their funders, that leaves the burden on the child. Yes we could work to relieve the burden on the child via medical interventions based on 20 plus years of research and treatment, but have decided to withhold the information that his burden can be lifted, even in part, and simply make him work to "learn to live with it better."
While being fine with the fact that his life expectancy is now the age of 36.
I hold that the second position is evil.
And Autism Speaks used a child with autism to deliver this message, which is just slimy.
If this child was able to participate in informed consent, and was offered three years of ABA (to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars), or a treatment for brain inflammation (costing even as much as 25,000) that would take up about a month of his time, each having the likelihood that they would give him the same amount of "progress," in functioning in society, which do you think he would choose?
What other medical syndromes do we expect people to, "learn to live with," even though there are proven medical interventions for them and that result in the abatement of their symptoms?
"Sorry, Grandma, there are medical interventions that help people recover from stroke, and your broken leg that happened in your fall due to your stroke, but we feel the stroke was naturally occurring, and is now a part of your identity, so we are simply going to teach you how to learn to live with it better. So no meds, surgery or cast for you. Get yourself to physical therapy now. Because early intervention is crutial."
It has been widely circulated that since last year, Autism Speaks has ended their participation in the pursuit of treatment research. That the line item has been deleted from their mission, and they are now just another group that advocates for support services for autism (quite a lucrative business these days.) This commercial confirmed that for me.
Sorry, I could not even read this article past the first couple sentences because I am so disgusted my Autism Speaks.
Posted by: ldb | April 18, 2017 at 01:41 AM
Early intervention didn't help my son regain his speech and at age 15 yrs he is still non-verbal.
In Australia we have an Autism advocate known as AMAZE - the "Peak Body of Autism" as they promote themselves and they publish a number of articles from Autism Speaks. It is apparent they cannot independently write their own articles because the board members are either mum's with Asperger's children or their children have no Autism. They have a strong influence over politicians suggesting that it is all "ok" in the Autism world, that wonderful world of "quirky kids." Which is further from the truth!
AussieMum
Posted by: Elizabeth Gillespie | April 16, 2017 at 11:47 PM
Personally, I think the target audience for this is more the children without autism...trying to prepare them to live with it, and hopefully forestall their seeking true understanding of what is going on when they are old enough to possibly see there is more to the issue, with the reassurance there are all these ways to help.
This is aimed IMO at making sure society continues to "come together" every once in a while to make sure that type of "help," whatever it is, is provided, even if there's no evidence of value ever presented or evidence that affected families are asking for that help especially. They might donate to organizations like AS, show their children how to "give back," or they might trust that it's taken care of. They sometimes get jobs providing this help themselves, become incentivized to not look for things to change, at least not enough to really buck the system, and then any hints that there is causation deliberately not being addressed becomes all too often so super disturbing (because no one in trusted, educated, authoritative positions warned them of this, ever, for years... nothing of the sort came up, not in any reasonably believable way at least) which then often translates into something offensive, that just can't be true!
(Or I wonder if this mental conflict sometimes translates into ... vaccines MUST be so very, VERY, VERY important, diseases MUST be so very, VERY BAD, since the consensus seems to be we don't want to know and/or let others know there might be something we're not being told...we can't risk changing ANYTHING! That's how IMPORTANT they are...!
IOW I wonder if the autism epidemic, in absence of good authoritative explanation matching common sense observation, is the reason measles is now equated with high risk of death in the minds of so many who haven't exactly been presented with data or had experience indicating that would be anything like reality?
The trade-off for societal "acceptance" and learning to "live with autism" MUST be something pretty substantial, mustn't it? And the rather terrorized view of measles, etc. might reflect how much many with capital-A Autism really feel impacted, too...even if their preferred approach is solely gaining widespread understanding for how things are for them, not how things came to be this way, which I can sometimes relate to ...)
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | April 16, 2017 at 02:05 PM
Indeed John, you might have a point that there is not much subtlety to their scheming. Indeed it is an obvious 'mish-mash', a contradiction, between seeking acceptance if it means avoiding talk of prevention, and betraying acceptance by still wanting to 'intervene' and treat autism. Still, it would appear that the contradiction succeeded in its intent, escaping many here. AS is then let off the hook, not held to account and forced to clarify what its talk of acceptance really means to seeking to prevent autism, and treating or curing it.
Posted by: Greg | April 16, 2017 at 08:03 AM
Now AS has their hand out at Dollar General. "Would you like to give a dollar?"
Um, NO.
I had a developmental pediatrician tell me my son (then a preschooler) treated people like furniture, then she said we'd want to look at medication down the road. I said "I'm not going down that road."
I found ways of detoxing him. He was potty-trained at 3, thankfully--he just decided one day he was going to do it himself. Never wet the bed as a child, either. His language is improving. He seems to show empathy. And I refuse to medicate him for behavior.
Posted by: Alexandra | April 16, 2017 at 07:37 AM
Greg
I am not sure I see it as being particularly subtle. It is some kind of mish-mash between whatever their policy has become and whatever can be dreamed up by the publicity guys - the all sit round a table congratulating each other on a concept which drops in the ocean in a few seconds after firing.
Posted by: John Stone | April 16, 2017 at 05:19 AM
My son was severely vaccine injured. I am certain I watched him have a stroke after four vaccines in March of 2001. His vaccines contained thimerosal, even though I had demanded "thimerosal-free." What a wake-up call. I realized that DOCTORS ARE LIARS, and they do not respect parents or their wishes.
He was originally diagnosed as moderate-severe/non-verbal. His vaccine reaction was immediate with the sudden loss of all speech and affect. what followed was a nine year nightmare of constant sickness: chronic repeat infections including otitis media, burst ear drums, bronchitis, strep, staph, cellulitis, Scarlet Fever, whooping cough, Scarlitina, strange rashes, pneumonia and meningitis. Every two weeks he had one or more of these and always had a fever. That is how he spent his childhood, thanks to vaccines.
Before he was diagnosed with "autism" - that "let's play a game of semantics to dupe the public" term ascribed to this iatrogenic disorder, he was diagnosed with "Heavy Metal Intoxication" due to the mercury poisoning from his vaccines, a non-specified metabolic disorder as it was found he could not regulate copper in his body and his copper levels were way too high (but not Wilson's Disease and not genetic in origin), a non-specified inflammatory bowel disorder with debilitating constipation and horrendous gut pain. He began to have daily absence seizures and episodes of tremors with nystagmus several times a day; triggered by the sound of any running water. Add to that all the seemingly similar symptoms ascribed to "autism" such as OCD, sound and light sensitivity, need for sameness, anxiety/panic disorder, sleep disorder, melt downs, high pitched screaming that could go on for hours on end, feeding problems, hypersensitivity and allergies to food and the environment and a propensity to anaphylaxis. He was diagnosed with severe "asthma" and for years on numerous asthma meds that never worked well at controlling it, but they made him gain a lot of weight and affected his behavior.
The doctors we saw ignored his medical problems for the most part, blowing them off to the "behaviors. It's a great rug to sweep this holocaust under. They can't allow the public at large to know how seriously sick and destructive - even deadly to many (far too many) vaccines make children, so they are desperate to NORMALIZE IT. It is NOT normal.
All the mainstream doctors we saw said he cold never improve, that he would never talk again, that he would never be potty trained or learn to interact or be able to learn. At three, I was told to institutionalize him and "Walk away. Just get on with your life." What monsters the mainstream has become! They said our only other choice was to psychotropic dope him, "to make your life easier."
We rejected the mainstream monsters. We treated his vaccine injuries MEDICALLY.
Though vaccines did some permanent brain injury, today, or son is high functioning and very verbal. He is highly intelligent and will one day go to college. He will most likely go on a math scholarship. He is becoming very independent. He loves to cook. He is learning to drive. He wants to get married one day. Without medical intervention, he would still be non-verbal and chronically sick. This is not a disease you "learn to live with." It is a disease just as others in which you fight - and you fight it fiercely as it should have never happened. It was caused by the cognitive dissonance of the medical mainstream.
The last sixteen months have been the best. NO infections. He has needed his rescue inhaler only one time in the last sixteen months. He's needed no other prescription meds either. The absence seizures, tremors and nystagmus dissipated after a little over three years. The OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, inability to cope,and "asthma" ceased after addressing his adrenal issues. That was after nine years in, as no mainstream doctor ever considered his adrenal function.
We never once put him on a psychotropic. Diet, nutrition, lowering his environmental toxic load, detoxification, adrenal support, and no more vaccines (he earned his lifetime immunity during those years of constant infections).
This is not 'autism" and it never was. It is an iatrogenic, SYSTEMIC disease caused by vaccines. When treated medically, up to 75% of these children can have the quality of their lives vastly improved. Vaccines adversely affect the function of every organ in the body. They wreak havoc on human biochemistry.
Posted by: HAVEN DELAY | April 16, 2017 at 04:39 AM
Guys, I think there is an important sublety in AS's acceptance message that you are missing. I will also add that it is deliberate, and indeed meant to confuse. First, consider AS's mission statement in which they're calling for not just acceptance but, 'better interventions for autism spectrum disorder and related conditions.' Second, consider that the cartoon-boy is said to learn to speak through the benefit of early intervention. But wait! -if we are 'intervening' aren't we trying to fix autism, changing the autistic person? Does this not mean we're not accepting autism?
Of course it does, and we must indeed realize that AS is well aware of how ridiculous it would be to ask or expect families to accept autism, especially challenging autism. AS is still advocating such things as speech therapy and behavioural intervention for autism. In this regard, they still want to see autism cured.
So if autism is to be treated or cured, what is the acceptance that AS is pushing? The acceptance is not seeking to prevent autism. It's a matter of not stopping autism from being born, but being open to curing it once it has arrived.
I mentioned the sublety is deliberate. Indeed AS know what a firestorm they would cause by coming out and saying that they're no longer interested in seeking to prevent autism, and proving once and for all what a complete sell-out they are. Hiding under the PR umbrage of seeking autism acceptance is their shrewd way of avoiding this.
The confusing language is also beneficial in another way. Of course the vast majority of autistic kids will not learn to speak or behave even with early intervention, or any therapy for that matter. What then does AS do when frustrated parents lash out and call for prevention, warning other parents to avoid their predicament? Here again AS can skirt the issue of prevention by recommending the traditional meaning of acceptance, we live with autism and accept autism for what it is.
It's really quite a devious game. Bob Moffit's words are fitting: Indeed, 'The band plays on.'
Posted by: Greg | April 15, 2017 at 11:46 PM
@ASDJ, perhaps here's some common ground, I hope:
Vaccine mandates and restrictions on individualized approaches to them are in the works throughout the nation.
Hundreds of new vaccines are in the pipeline, probably none of which will ever be tested on individuals with autism (or with several conditions in my family) for safety (they screen out certain conditions), but they will still recommend them for unstudied groups.
You may want to retain your right to say yes or no to one or more of these vaccines as well as any "cures" or "treatments" for autism and/or co-morbid conditions that might affect you in a way you would not find worth the purported benefits or possible risks.
Also, for me, about the only plus to learning more about vaccination and disease issues, the way I was initially introduced to my ignorance about them anyway, has been that I've learned we are not walking around continually fragilely vulnerable to microbes if not for this magical thin safety net of essentially one hundred percent vaccinated babies. Actually the majority of us adults are big holes in the net according to what disease prevention authorities claim, and in some circumstances, it appears the vaccinated are increasing some of their disease risks. That's not meant to be scary. It's just that greater understand gives you more ability to optimize your health. There are various things you can do to maintain healthy immune responses.
There is a disturbing aspect in finding out how little the complexities of vaccination effects and their limitations are not communicated by authorities as they should be for informed consent. I think for many who won't hear us, this is why. One has to then process evidence that we are being manipulated through what we are told.
My overall view is that respect for diversity includes respect for diversity in medical choices and respect for observed differences in medical outcomes.
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | April 15, 2017 at 11:43 PM
ASDjournalist,
So glad that you can use English well enough to write such a long comment. Too bad you are unable to empathize with the millions much more severely affected than you are, nearly all of whom, including you, reacted to vaccines. Too bad you haven't kept up with the news about vaccine encephalitis, which can be caused by any vaccine, and can do extremely severe damage to the language and social centers of the brain. Who writes autism with a capital A unless it's part of a name, a proper noun? Do we say that so-and-so has Cancer? She has Diabetes?
If you want friends, go talk to people and show interest in what they think and do. And that's it. You'll have friends. Getting a girlfriend is harder, as you'd have to act appealing in a nonchalant way. But talking to a girl and showing interest in what she thinks and does would be a start, and there are a lot of lonely girls out there that would probably give you a chance. But please don't whine to people whose children are in extremely bad straits and expect sympathy. You think our negative attitude about autism is keeping people from having children, or preventing young people from becoming autism teachers or therapists? You don't have a single --- clue, which I guess was only to be expected.
Posted by: ciaparker | April 15, 2017 at 10:54 PM
I find the people here amusing but also disturbed at the same time. Instead of complaining about Autism Speaks, or getting frustrated over "neurodiversity" why are you just learning to accept the facts that the Autism Spectrum Disorder is NOT A MEDICAL condition NOR is it a disease. This anti-vax stuff scares the hell out of me. It's done more good, and PERHAPS some bad, however there isn't enough facts to claim "vaccine injury" (whatever that means) causes a generic developmental disability, notice how you call it "autism" with a lower-case-a?
***********
WE didn't call it autism.
That name was invented by the people who poisoned our children with vaccines.
Posted by: Barry | April 15, 2017 at 10:19 PM
They've been saying since at least my daughter was little that early intervention promises an early cure, as they said in this video, but it has very rarely proven to be true. Even spending big bucks on treating the brain inflammation is not going to do much. It's a good thing to do to prevent further damage and to prevent the many other health problems caused by brain and gut inflammation, but autism is brain damage. Once the vaccine encephalitis has done the damage, then it's done. Neural circuits destroyed. ABA therapy to drill simple skill sets like waving bye-bye and ESL methods for language instruction can create new neural circuits in the brain to facilitate both standard behaviors and language production will help, but the vast majority of the vaccine-damaged are going to continue to be very disabled no matter what you do. Although it might be that intensive ESL language instruction from the youngest age might permit development which is much more normal: it is the lack of what should have been the inborn language structures which is the major obstacle to normal development. You can't think about what you see and experience, can't remember it and store it for future use and consideration, and can't gradually progress to higher and more sophisticated levels of conceptual thought, if your vaccine encephalitis has completely shorted out your language switchboards.
Posted by: ciaparker | April 15, 2017 at 07:29 PM
I find the people here amusing but also disturbed at the same time. Instead of complaining about Autism Speaks, or getting frustrated over "neurodiversity" why are you just learning to accept the facts that the Autism Spectrum Disorder is NOT A MEDICAL condition NOR is it a disease. This anti-vax stuff scares the hell out of me. It's done more good, and PERHAPS some bad, however there isn't enough facts to claim "vaccine injury" (whatever that means) causes a generic developmental disability, notice how you call it "autism" with a lower-case-a?
I had been a hopeless autistic for a few years, actually even longer without putting a verb together; falling for the "facts" on sites such as these and tried to get a genetics doctor and other experts and I got nowhere. My primary care physician believed I wasn't going to go much places by getting what would be considered a "hardware test". What I got instead was a psychotherapist and has strongly believed that autism is mostly a "difference" in how the brain works. (He's the best one in my state for dare I say "developmentally disabled" people. Autism can be strongly argued to be a "software issue" i.e. difference in the brain's code. And also what really is "normal" anyways?
Many of you (both the writers here and the commenters) are almost as bad as an autistic "obsessing" and "stuck" on narratives against higher functioning people who speak for autism, the MSM, "Big Pharma" and from reading the date and time stamps it seems like you spend more time obsessing how your child is not "normal" that that's less time trying to make your lives less painful. Autism does not effect ones walking. And why are 20 to 30 year old severely autistics still in diapers? I have been in multiple SPED and Medicaid Waiver day programs, and even the most severe aren't in diapers.
Many of the ASAN circles are leftie/SJW types, and they are also hurting the message. But why should people like me with PDDNOS have no right to speak? Why is OK for say the Down's to have their voice, or even the deaf and blind?
This is a civil rights issue and a political monopoly. Where's the DOJ to break up this monopoly?
This community's continued reckless comments, based on emotion and anger is possibly making the reason why Millenials don't want children; people who may want to work in special education refuse to work (because there is already a short retention for work in that field). And what about adults? There is high demand for direct support professionals and there is such a shortage for QUALITY (meaning people who are patient and won't treat clients like they are babies.) Or even an S.O. because she saw some blog and freaked out that only autism is for childlike people and they are not capable for any romantic relationship AT ALL.
And yet every April I get so depressed because I want a quality of life. I am tired of being stereotyped and I still feel hopeless that people in the masses won't understand and *accept* me for all I can do. ASD is not a magical go-away thing. Some cases may go down in severity, but for all, there is still some need of quality assistance.
I do no advocate anymore. I had been treated by high ranking officials in my locale as a wallflower. I have seen my own peers (more on the lower functioning) making s--- be treated better than themselves. And every time I tried to lend them a voice via "translation" so to speak, I was thrown under the bus.
The problem is the morbid messaging amongst your community. The higher functioning is no angels, I do not like the "special snowflakes" mixed with SJW politics with autism. ASAN spends more time on social media talking everything BUT autism.
I know many of you probably are strongly against my views, so I'll just leave my reply at that. Excuse me while I cry as well...
~ASDJ
Posted by: ASDjournalist | April 15, 2017 at 07:27 PM
It's how I felt watching Julia on Sesame Street here... https://www.facebook.com/ABCNews/videos/10155619034528812/
Who was running after her to make sure she didn't wander into traffic or a pond? And she wouldn't be saying "play, play" over and over. If our kids wanted to play all the time, then they wouldn't have so many social deficits. It's tone deaf, even though they have the advice of an autism mom for Julia. It's missing every mark. These organizations have been co-opted. It's just another way to keep the public from becoming alarmed. Look - Zika and Ebola...
Posted by: EI | April 15, 2017 at 06:12 PM
Ma Dear Ginger, dont let it cause a bad atsmophere in your own kitchen --Sign a Makaton Salute
Post it on the next cool breeze, with a wind chill factor, of your own personal choosing .
Whoop Whoop ! Rock on Team Vaxxed and Robert Kennedy Jr .
Because if play dough IF,caricicatures of a label of autism is portayring real children and people then we really do have to sit up, wake up. buccle up. and wisen up, with regards to as how far down the river we are potentially sold down the same river .
Make sure the commercilsed ranks get the message loud and clear " Not Now Not Ever " will we ever accept mandated medical procedures of any sort and certainly not vaccinations with no safety studies available for public viewing
Posted by: morag | April 15, 2017 at 06:03 PM
Young lad with autism arrested - learn to live with it AS, we do others dont.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/watch-shocking-moment-10-year-10233275
Pharma for Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: angusfiles | April 15, 2017 at 05:07 PM
(1) Part of the "live with it" derives from the nonstop efforts of the neurodiversity movement to portray autism as a "difference" not a disability, and to imply that parents don't love their children with autism if they want to cure them. The current rallying cry from ND is "Autism Acceptance" not "Autism Awareness."
The neurodiversity movement has been successful in getting the media - news and entertainement and education channels (Sesame Street, e.g. ), and many autism organizations such as the Autism Research Institute and the Autism Society of America to espouse this point of view. Autism Speaks has come later to this perspective, but seems to be headed in the same direction.
(2) Politicians seem to be cowed by either Pharma or NDers or both. It's clear that Democratic politicians buy into this acceptance meme. Hillary Clinton's autism plan was primarily about supports and services - not about prevention, treatment, or cure. The Obama administration was co-opted by the neurodiversity movement (e.g. name change from Combating Autism Act to Autism Cares Act, appointment of Ari Ne'eman to a seat on the disability council, Michelle Obama's unwillingness to discuss the seriousness of the autism epidemic ).
On the other side of the aisle, Republican politicians have ignored the autism epidemic - Bill Posey's office dropped the ball with the William Thompson documents. The Government Oversight Committee in the House (chaired and dominated by Republicans) has been unwilling to hold hearings. Finally, despite his rhetoric, Trump hasn't done anything substantive (HHS Director Tom Price disavowed any connection between autism and vaccines in his confirmation hearings) and no new CDC director has been appointed. So much for clearing the swamp. Whether Trump actually intends to do anything about autism, one can at least say it's not a priority of his administration. Given the number of kids affected currently, the number being diagnosed every day, shouldn't it be a priority?
We are living with autism, whether we want to or not.
Posted by: Aimee Doyle | April 15, 2017 at 04:50 PM
They should tell that to this Mom - I am sure A.S. put those asinine statements up for some twisted psychological reason which totally escapes me.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/distraught-mum-fears-autistic-9-10233092
Pharma for Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: angusfiles | April 15, 2017 at 03:51 PM
Preventable and treatable.
10 years ago our developmental pediatrician informed me that the cause of autism(s) were largely unknown. He went to explain that I would likely have to institutionalize my 2 year old. His treatment plan was limited to vitamins and fish oil.
He lied.
Posted by: Kws | April 15, 2017 at 03:21 PM
Yeah, a serpent like creature leaps out of some rather metallic looking stuff making a big wave that almost overturns the boy's boat and redirects his life towards a darker and swampier place where he has to resort to learning to deal with his likely somehow ACQUIRED (but we don't talk about that) sensory overload (and probably other discomforts that they don't go into) through imagination modified retreats that don't really help much until "one day I found out I had something called 'autism'..." "Help" equated to all the ways one can live with "autism" better, yup! "Early intervention can make a lifetime of DIFFERENCE..." In what way do they actually mean "lifetime of difference?" What are they trying to change, what does EI mean, what does it prevent?
Here in California, SB 18 could make EI essentially mandatory and also possibly preempt anything else for autism, making a life expectancy of 36 (and maybe dropping as they mandate more and more medical "aid") mandatory too (if it doesn't ultimately mandate turning our children over to Google-like corps. intent on making them into wonderful technological drones). Cutting ones life expectancy in half...that's a pretty big "difference" for a lifetime!
Maybe along the lines of what Dr. Thomas said, this is really the pharma medical paradigm in so many ways involving chronic illness, "live" with it, pharmaceutical maintenance is your "choice" (but sometimes we also are happy to relieve you of burdensome body parts) until you die (preferably with all your resources transferred into the hands of the "greater good?"). Recognizing the polluters responsible isn't allowed (in case we all are responsible? or do we just don't want to not offend those most responsible because of the power they have?)!
Ironically, with this condition, autism, I think it has been harder to paint pharmaceuticals as sufficient "solutions" (but they do their best to include them), and maybe our children have in a sense been sent to wake us up to the assault we are under, to huge mistakes we are making? I fear avoiding "getting the message" as a society and facilitating rather than correcting our course could justify some pretty significant condemnation.
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | April 15, 2017 at 12:40 PM
I'd like to coin the phrase "charitable capture" if it hasn't been already. Having said that I hadn't known until recently that the Wrights solicited the previous administrations many times to address this issues of cause and prevention. I am grateful the the Wrights never stopped seeking justice for their grandson and strived to help the millions of his fellow victims.
Posted by: annie | April 15, 2017 at 11:33 AM
Sorry about my two typos....that's what I get for rushing around this morning.
Posted by: Tom Petrie | April 15, 2017 at 10:57 AM
Ginger, you're written an excellent article--once again.
Just three days back, I was speaking with a couple with one of those "Autism Awareness" bumper stickers (on their car). I engaged them in a conversation on this topic and they appeared to not know much about the dangers of vaccines!
Like so many AoA readers and writers, we're SICK of this nonsense of "xyz health problem awareness" nonsense! We want awareness of things we can do to HELP! And by help, we mean help with TREATMENT and help with PREVENTION! This is as true for cancer, auto-immune disorders, heart disease and diabetes as it is true for Autism and other health challenges of childhood.
The reason we have gotten "comfortable" with one in four women and one in three men dying of cancer in this country, is because it progressively got worse and worse and worse over about a century but we didn't pay attention to toxins and other factors in our environment causing the worsening of this disease in the general population. In addition, the medical profession and the media failed miserably in educating the public on how prevention of cancer works and what non-toxic interventions could be most useful The same track is now being followed with the epidemic of Autism and it's so very sad.
The Hidden Truth about Vaccines is now being aired and I hope everyone is watching Ty Bollinger's awesome expose on this topic, now on day four.
Posted by: Tom Petrie | April 15, 2017 at 10:46 AM
Bob
I think perhaps the Wrights began with good intentions but the money came from Bernie Marcus, the Atlanta based "philanthropist" in several ways entangled with the CDC and the CDC Foundation. It was inevitable unless the Wrights absolutely put their feet down (and then what?) that it would just become an extension of the government pharma bureaucracy.
http://www.ageofautism.com/2014/10/autism-speaks-business-and-the-cdc.html
Posted by: John Stone | April 15, 2017 at 09:46 AM
History has taught us that many .. indeed most .. such as .. Autism Speaks .. begin as a much needed charity .. having the best intentions of individuals pursuing an honest effort to address, confront or seek to cure .. are then captured by pharmaceutical companies .. eager to provide individual "perks" .. such as .. personal recognition, access to media and celebrities, high salaries, fluid expense accounts, on and on ..
unfortunately .. when the individuals involved begin relying on the charity for employment .. at the moment those lucrative "perks" become more valuable than pursuing the original goal of Autism Speaks .. the charity has now become a business .. eventually abandoning their original goal to address, confront or seek to cure .. into what can reasonably be labelled the "scam" of "learning to live with it".
Charity, business, scam ...
Happens all the time .. human nature being what it is.
Posted by: Bob Moffit | April 15, 2017 at 09:04 AM
For the longest time, even as a pediatridian who cares for a lot of children with autism, I had not been aware that Autism Speaks had completely sold out to special interests and that they were opposed to finding the cause or adequately treating those who suffer with ASD.
This would be like allowing smokers to keep smoking, then asking them to accept their lung cancer. We must indeed expose Autism Speaks for what they are. I know there are good people, parents with autistic kids who volunteer and work hard for Autism Speaks. I wouldn't want anyone working hard to better the lives of our children to feel that they were not appreciated.
It is however important that the research money go toward identifying the causes of all the chronic diseases our children are now suffering from. It is not just Autism, though these are our children often most harmed.
We simply must do lots and lots of studies comparing vaccinated to unvaccinated. We must stop to insanity of vaccinating pregnant women when there are so many studies on Maternal Immune Activation and increased autism risk, and aluminum and immune activation.
Thanks Ginger for speaking out.
Posted by: Paul Thomas | April 15, 2017 at 08:55 AM
Ginger
I suppose what it does do is signal that it distances itself from the era of Dawson, Ring and Wang and the search for phamaceutical interventions in collaboration with a "pre-competitive consortium...including Lilly, Roche, Novartis, Janssen". To that extent it might have reduced the predatory nature of its engagement in the field. That said, their advertisement is truly remarkable in demonstrating they have absolutely no idea - an autistic child playing alone, unsupervised in kayak is neither a suitable or representative image. Of course, they have to use a puppet, and the real little boy you see at the end (who may be the one you hear) has evident motor-control problems which would militate against him being a skillful oarsman or swimmer.
It is no doubt important to see this quasi-criminal, manipulative junk to understand how government agencies want to frame autism at the present juncture for those who still do not know its reality.
Posted by: John Stone | April 15, 2017 at 08:46 AM