That’s right. We’re ‘dishing’ right here in 500 words or less! I apologize in advance to Facebook pals or list mates who may have clicked on the link expecting some really good trash. Don’t you love reading about someone else making a mess?
My title is unfair. This title is misleading. Okay, it’s a lie. So are many ideas about autism.
Here’s a shortlist of The Myths and Partial Myths of Autism. I’m asking for contributions in the comments section. Play carefully; we don’t want The Great and Powerful Oz to bust in, break it up, and tell us to ‘move it along, now’ to the Discussion Boards:
High-Functioning autism
How high-functioning is someone who can’t make friends, keep a job, or remember how to tie shoes?
Families just want their children diagnosed with autism to receive money and free services.
Because there’s so much money and many services available to families, of course.
Each person with autism has a special talent.
Is it special if you know all the lines from only “Spongebob” episodes?
Life is horrible for all who have autism.
Insert your comment here.
Autism is a gift.
Ditto.
Autism is genetic.
One more time.
Bad parenting creates milder forms of autism.
There are a heck of a lot of bad parents out there.
On Education: well enough is good enough.
What is “is”?
Autism is not treatable.
They are all doomed for institutions. Oh wait, there are no more institutions now, right?
Autism and ‘Brat-ism’ are synonymous.
It must be in the water. Oops, back to the bad parents again.
Children with autism are unearthly, ethereal, angelic…
Don’t start with me. I’m one pooped mom and, trust me, they are not always angels.
He/She just needs to sit there and do his/her work.
Oh, I get it! Autism is laziness.
People with autism can never tell a lie.
I’ve got three at home who are developing this skill nicely. Talk about Exiting Nirvana…
There is no real increase in autism, rather, better detection.
Let’s keep scratching our heads. Maybe the dandruff will go away. And now, as I say to my youngest, “YOUR turn!”.
Tags: Alison Davis, autism, autism myths, Autism Society of North Carolina, momof3au Go back
Those are all good ones. Here are some additional ones:
\”There is ALL of this money going to autism research\”
\”Autism is the diagnosis du jour.\”
And kind of along the lines of yours about getting a dx for FREE services…lol….
\”There is so much money being given to autistic kids for services, what about the other disabilities and diseases?\”
\”The vaccines are the ONE thing that we have looked at and ruled out….\”
bahahaha
This blog desperately needs some balance. It\’s funny (sometimes) and well-written (pretty much all the time). The problem is that whether we like it or not, it represents ASNC and I would hope that there are other opinions to be had out there amongst our many members. I like to think that we are a community of caring people affected by autism but often we are more like congress, hopelessly divided on what we believe about the causes and treatments for autism. I have decided to stop reading these entries all together because I don\’t like that I get upset almost every time I open this blog. I don\’t like that because it comes through the asncoc yahoo group, if I remove myself from that group, I will miss getting other information that may be important to me.
We spend enough time advocating for our children, fighting for services, helping them navigate delicate social situations and even trying to help other parents in their efforts to support their kids. I don\’t need to feel upset here.
I agree with 2nd. parragraph! However, I must admit no one has ever reacted nor said anything negative towards the \”A\” word (@ least not straight to my face) but I\’m sure there\’re still lots of misconceptions out there in ref. to what the spectrum\’s & does for real!!
Thx for ur comments, b.
Balance? This blog is a document of the life experiences of a mother with three, count them three children on the spectrum. I\’ve got my own ability to discern what applies to me or not and I will balance this or any other blog, news report, man on the street comments against my own thoughts and ideas and experiences. The balance comes in the ability to express our own opinions and comments.
Hopefully ASNC is made up of a diverse community, one that understands that autism hits each of us all differently and because of that we all come away with a sense of solidarity, able to bend and accept one another. It is this hope of inclusion and acceptance that has allowed me to find a home here.
\”God has given you a child with autism for a reason\”
\”Just take control, jerk a knot in him\”
\”Kids start talking later now, they sit in front of the tv and no one talks, just turn off the tv and the autism will go away.\”
\”I\’ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it\’s a brat who hasn\’t been told to cut the act out. That\’s what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they\’re silent? They don\’t have a father around to tell them, \’Don\’t… act like a moron. You\’ll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don\’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot\’.\”–Michael Savage (July 17, 2008)
\”There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumb-a** kids can\’t compete academically, so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks… to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don\’t (care) what these crackerjack whack jobs tell you — your kid is not autistic. He\’s just stupid. Or lazy. Or both.\” Denis Leary – from his 2008 book Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid
I agree with Darragh. I wonder how the high functioning autistic staff members of the ASNC and TEACCH feel about reading that they are \”myths?\” Nice.
Perhaps you have misread. Perhaps not. My point of this post is that people are not myths, myths are just that…sometimes partially true, but not enveloping all that an individual is. And certainly, with autism, it is a broad spectrum of strengths and challenges. My children are not myths, they are real people. And their autism is also very real.
\”Families just want their children diagnosed with autism to receive money and free services.\”
Do you want your children having autism? I don\’t but we don\’t have a choice if they are…