So here are my issues - environment, republicans, and autism. Strange combination, I know.
I have several friends whose children are autistic and I can tell you, it is hell. Those kids are sweet, well raised boys with severe social disorder. It is so painful to see a 5 year old baby boy cry and telling his mom he wants to die because he is worthless. A preschool teacher told a mother I know that her son will grow up to be a mass murderer. I know the moms, this really happened. Sadly, I am surprised at least twice a month by the indifference showed by the teachers toward these boys. We are talking good private and public schools. Yet autism is apparently dealt with as being a bad boy, not as a medical condition. It is so frustrating that these educated people who should be nurturing those little kids terrorize them to the point of thinking about suicide.
One of my friends hired a shadow person - a helper designated solely to looking after the boy at school. The other one turned the boy's diet upside down, eliminating daily, wheat, gluten, colors, and bunch of other things. It seems to be helping.
Now this is where my obsession with environment and interest in autism comes together. If the kid improved a lot after getting all of this stuff out of his diet, what kind of environment do we live in? Autism is on rise and it seem that in many cases these kids are allergic to almost everything they eat. Same with the vaccination. It just seems to me that the pollution of our environment is finally catching up with us - it makes our kids autistic. Is this the next century? What do we do when most people are autistic?
Anyway, this is what caused my erratic thought:
My friend lost his 4 year old autistic son last month to an undiagnosed cerebral aneurysm...I never even got to meet the adorable child (they live in Chicago). And little one passed right before the big Walk Now for Autism event up there. He wasn't very verbal, and from what he could indicate and what the doc surmised - they thought he was just coming down w/the flu. It's terrible...and you are right, Hana, there are so many more children and now young adults out there w/autism - and not much publicly is being done to mitigate or work with the 'disorder' (?). Our environmental dis-ease and misuse is indeed coming home to roost - even for those of us that have been trying to do the right thing. There were/are just so many more doing the wrong thing...KNOWINGLY. Why can't these corporations and corporate heads try to do the right thing for the big picture, not for big profit which comes at a cost none of us will be able to pay.
Peace out, and thanks for posting this.
Elspeth
Posted by: Elspeth Ravenwind | 05 June 2008 at 08:46 PM
They can do something about it they just won't. As far as the teachers who refuse to deal with these children, and treat them as human beings. It is because in america if you are different there is no place for you in this society that shits red,white, and blue. They represent the group of people that I refer to as the ugly americans.
Posted by: barbawit | 06 June 2008 at 07:28 AM
Would you be surprised to learn that you also have a frequent commenter who has autism? I believe I mentioned this some months ago when the topic came up, but I don't know how often you were reading the blog then. I also have a Yale degree, and unlike Bush's, mine is cum laude.
I understand that some children have shown improvement on the GFCF (and now soy-free) diet. As someone who used to work in the field (I did data analysis for the field trial that put Asperger's into DSM-IV), I suspect that these children have one of several subtypes of autism. That is, cutting out those items probably wouldn't turn me into a "neurotypical", being of a different subtype. (I'll be 44 in August, so the environmental stuff may not apply as much to me.)
I'll tell you what else: I've been all over the map in my adult life, including SF, NYC, and now Hawai'i. I can categorically state that New Orleans is the only place where being a person with autism does not automatically make you the most unusual person on your block!
Oh yes, if there is any interest down there in creating an educational environment in which children with autism are not compared to mass murderers (Seung Cho was never diagnosed with autism, by the way; it was briefly suspected but ruled out), perhaps as part of the burgeoning charter school movement, you now know where to find an expert (who once ran a multimedia lab at a school serving children with autism in NYC). Same place Nagin found his recovery expert: the Pacific Rim. Except that I actually have a clue.
Posted by: KamaAina | 06 June 2008 at 02:07 PM
Mental health issues in this country continue to be shrouded in shame and "neurotypical" is considered "right" with all else somehow being "wrong". My oldest, while not diagnosed autistic had great difficulty when he was very young and many thought he'd be in jail by now. After reading his 29 page diagnosis at the end of his first grade year, his school's headmaster said to me, "These kids don't go to college." To give him credit, he was very happy when hearing about The Oldest's dual degree and excellent job. He's 26 now. He still has a "different" personality but now they call it "driven" or "charismatic". Growing up he was considered "behavior disordered". It's about the schools. They're built to serve great numbers so aim at the middle of the broad spectrum of what people are. That, and no one can make me think vaccines don't have something to do with it.
Posted by: Sophmom | 06 June 2008 at 03:21 PM
Much more about autism, and the nascent autism rights movement, here:
http://nymag.com/news/features/47225
Warning: Fire up the daiquiri machine before proceeding to the comments, in which autism rights activists are compared to "drunks in the gutter" and accused of having "impaired mental function"!
Posted by: KamaAina | 06 June 2008 at 05:41 PM
You know that this is a subject close to my heart. I've never really questioned how or why Sophia is wired differently. I just deal with and advocate for her needs. It's a big struggle sometimes and at other times it is like being given a peek into the most fascinating of dimensions. I also always acknowlege that I am lucky she's verbal and emotionally pretty stable. Still, I do find myself once in awhile (like after finding that she has decorated the bathroom with a whole tube of toothpaste) question why she is the way she is. Mostly though - I'm just grateful to have such an amazingly unique child. Great subject Hana. You gave us a lot to think about. :)
Posted by: Carrie Guevara | 07 June 2008 at 04:41 PM
My nephew has Asperger's Syndrome which is on the high end of the autism spectrum. So far he has been kicked out of kindergarten and was suspended for part of 2nd grade.
He is in a new school now and doing beautifully. His mom has made his diet gluten free and he takes more pills than the average elderly person.
I really fear for his adolescent years when kids can be so damn mean.
Posted by: bopbamboom | 16 June 2008 at 03:04 PM
the fresh Affordable Guidance subsequently goes on to fight highly regarding neighborhood discussion especially on Belstaff Tasche pricing matters in difficult moments.
Posted by: Mulberry Bags | 21 October 2011 at 09:47 PM
Well it was a pleasure to read such a wonderful story.I must say Great story and epic journey.
Posted by: North Face Sale | 19 November 2011 at 06:42 AM