The best quotes are “These studies aren’t so much a breakthrough, because we knew this was coming” and “This is a great beginning, and I’m impressed with the work, but we don’t know the cause of these rare mutations, or even their levels in the general population… I’m not saying it’s not worth it to follow up these findings, but I am saying it’s going to be a hard slog.”

I’m not a psychic, and I’m not a total moron (just partially).

But isn’t that GREAT? Don’t we need people who will discuss the nature of consciousness sometimes? This is why I have such mixed feelings about diagnosis. It’s great if it opens up avenues for being helpful. But it’s still a diagnosis, and we don’t diagnose things that are healthy, right?

An article I read yesterday suggested that increased diagnosis reflects an “appreciation of neurodiversity.” However, I’m concerned that it more reflects a pathologization of neurodiversity, a sorting into okay and not-okay. No longer can someone be quirky or eccentric. They have a syndrome. They have a disorder. This troubles me.

Now, I guess I’m not a trained neuropsychologist, but I would think that deducing the underlying intricacies of a human brain, ascertaining their cause, and predicting best practices and outcomes after a few hours in an unfamiliar clinical setting is probably a bit more complicated than knowing something is a puppy. I don’t know that there will ever be clear biological markers, but let’s be honest — it’s a subjective categorization, so much so that, in the case of AS, the Powers That Be are about to rule that it doesn’t even exist anymore. I believe in diagnosis and intervention, but I wish there could be more acknowledgement and discussion around this point before we just say, “1 in 88! Because someone said so!”

I suspect a lot of those able to hold jobs in the past found themselves in basement archives and similar. Now much of that is automated with the switch to computers.

And thanks to those who pointed out there’s not as much money going towards supporting folks on the spectrum once they reach adulthood.  I’ll make sure my donations go towards programs that do that.

I have worked in education for years, and one of the greatest challenges I have had with students who are in the higher-functioning autism spectrum is that few of them (2 out of 10) had this dangerous habit of responding to out students with downright mean comments. These comments could be following polite small talk (think: The first scene from Napoleon Dynamite. Kid:  “What are you going to do today, Napoleon?” Napoleon: “Whatever I feel like. GOSH!”) or an extreme response to a difficulty understanding (IE: Student: I don’t understand F.O.I.L.  Autistic Student: It isn’t my fault you are a stupid n-word.”) which lead to the students being somewhat outcasts. Is it that kind of thing that you are talking about?

Oh, my kid doesn’t have Down’s.

In any case, Leilani Marietta Muir (and about 700 or so others) sued the pants off of the Queen, and won. It’s only a matter of time before someone does the same thing to the French government. I’ll be waiting with popcorn… the show will be very enjoyable.

Oh, but don’t take it from me. Humans obviously aren’t complete psychopaths, and I’m just making all of this up on the fly. LULZ.

I wonder if she reads Nietzsche? ;) I’m kidding, obviously she’s a total moron who has no idea what she’s talking about! Thanks for pointing out the flaws in my logic, all. You’ve saved me so much public humiliation. How can I ever pay you back? LULZ.

“The first time I went to see a doctor when my (autistic) son Gael was three and we thought there was a problem, the psychiatrist asked me if I had wanted him – if it had been a wanted pregnancy!” says Candy Lepenuizic, a British woman married to a Frenchman.  “Then she asked what sort of dreams I had had while I was pregnant with him. And suggested the whole family have a course of psychotherapy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17583123

Frankly, I suspect that only someone who hasn’t spent a lot of time around autistic people would say that. I’m a highly skeptical person, and particularly skeptical about trendy diagnoses.  But everyone I’ve met with a clinical autism diagnosis (and most, but not all, of the self-diagnosed folks) seemed like they really did have autism to me. Of course, I’m not a clinician, so that’s purely subjective and anecdotal. Just sayin’ — autistic is quite distinct from “funny-looking,” to say the least (and there are plenty of gorgeous autistic people, for the record.)