AlterNet: two articles on autism
Alternet has published a pair of articles about autism that are good for those of us—like me—who don't really have any direct experience with autistic kids. It helped me grasp both the dimensions of the phenomenon of the rise of autism and what it is like to care for and educate an autistic child.
The first article Autism: the Art of Compassionate Living does a good job of raising awareness. Commenting about the making of a documentary on autism:
The first article Autism: the Art of Compassionate Living does a good job of raising awareness. Commenting about the making of a documentary on autism:
As Thierry and her husband, Jim, watched the raw footage, one thing became clear. "The commonalities are striking," Jim said. "These women seem to finish each other's sentences." Their stories blend together: having to quit careers, having to borrow insane amounts of money, having to let go of dreams for their children -- little league, trips, dating, having strangers demand they control their kids, having to quit friendships with people who don't understand. The film's opening chilling montage shows the children screaming and struggling to communicate.The article ends with a quote that sounds very much like a post a mother of a child with autism wrote to the sfschools list:
"I would like people to second guess themselves when they look at me and think: (a) I can't control my child or (b) I'm abusing him because he's screaming. Have a little bit more compassion and show that to your child as well."The second article also aims to raise awareness of the condition, with more of an emphasis on the educational needs of autistic kids: Autism: A Hidden Epidemic:
'The system is not prepared for these kids,' she says. 'But they are here.'As an outsider I have no idea how representative these case studies are, or if the schools that are mentioned, and the therapies highlighted in the article are in any way controversial or not. But the author does a good job of conveying the immense challenges of living with autism. Highly recommended.
The relationship between parents and their school districts can be complicated and sometimes hostile. Eric Burkholder, an autism educator who has worked for 11 years in California public and nonpublic schools, explains that children in California are guaranteed a 'free and appropriate education.'
2 Comments:
KC, thanks for highlighting this series on the blog. I think it is much easier now to have a child diagnosed with autism than it was even five years ago - there is more knowledge about effective treatments and therapies and there is much more support out there. But I feel for families of older children, who have had to continually be the "first wave" forging a path for the rest of us. Those families deserve a lot of credit for increasing awareness and for their efforts to increase tolerance.
One more thing: the always interesting Autism Diva blog has the latest in a series of critical posts about the film, "Autism Every Day." Not surprising, perhaps: Autism Diva is an adult with Asperger's syndrome who also has an adult child with severe autism. She does not take kindly to imagery of puzzle pieces, mercury conspiracy theories, or the whole idea that there could, or should, be a "cure" for autism. Check it out.
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