Autism Times six.. on discovery health

Cc81

Has anybody seen the ads on the discovery health channel for the show autism times 6? They have 6 children and apparently all 6 of the children have autism. I was doing some reading about this family.. its very sad. I cant help but wonder why they would continue having children after realizing that the older children of the bunch had autism. The oldest child is 14, the youngest being 3. I do not mean to sound ignorant or mean. They must be amazing parents to do what they do everyday. I have a lot of experience with children who have autism having worked as a nanny for special needs children for about 10 years. Its one of the hardest things to deal with. Its a very sad thing.. i just dont think i would have continued having children after realizing all of the older children were special needs.. Any thoughts on this?

LDH

Any thoughts on this?

Yes.

I don't feel sorry for them at all. That's what they wanted. They clearly don't believe in genetic testing or abortion. I'm not going to cheerlead for them.

reneeisorym

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7899821/

Would you allow Bill Gates to be born?

Gates is widely reported to display many personality traits characteristic of a condition known as Asperger’s syndrome. Asperger’s is a mild version of autism, a more serious condition that renders many children unable to talk, be touched, communicate or socialize. While I certainly do not know if Gates has Asperger’s, his difficulties in social settings are nearly as legendary as his genius, so it's possible.
The perils of genetic testingThat said, if you had been Gates' potential mom or dad 50 years ago, what would you have done if you knew about his abilities and flaws before he was born? Would you have wanted a child that would go on to do great things but would have a hyper-nerdy personality? What if the decision about whether to have a child like him also carried a risk that he might be born with far more serious disabilities? Would you have decided to carry the baby to term?

Cc81

Renee, that is very interesting. I personally do not believe in abortion so i would carry a baby to term regardless of what condition they had. I just found it sad that all 6 of these children have autism. And like i said.. after giving birth to 2 or 3 children who had autism you would think there plates would be completely full as it is. I think at that point i would want to prevent pregnancy so i could focus on the ones i had.

AnneB

If you knew a woman who had 7 kids already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis, would you think she should stop having children?

Her 8th child was Beethoven.

Live and let live.

Nowman

CC81,

I think the same way you do, if it were me, and had 3 children and all had autism, I would not have more (try to not have more by prevention) because they would need my attention. I know it would be difficult. In fact, if I had 2 in a row that were autistic, I would have made the decision to stop having more children by prevention.

If there was an accident while trying to prevent having more babies, I would have my child, those would be the cards I was dealt with.

Interesting thread, interesting comments.

Nikki

SixofNine

I think the parents are mentally ill.

rebel8

I know there are anecdotes about disabled people achieving great things. This makes me wonder 2 things:

1. Why do we not hear anecdotes about the overall quality of life, happiness, etc. of these individuals?
2. What percentage of seriously disabled people achieve unusually great things for the human race such as those mentioned here?

I have very serious health issues and my parents knew I'd probably have one of them. I do not feel it was ethical for them to intentionally conceive. I have achieved some big stuff in my life, had a lot of happiness, made lemonade out of lemons, but my life always has been fraught with struggles. My achievements do not mitigate my parents' giving priority to their own desires.

I hear parents of disabled people say often, "I asked him when he got older, and he wasn't sorry he was born." /80

rebel8

"Again, there is no measurement. What constitutes "seriously disabled"? What are "unusually great things"? Who is qualified to make these determinations? Again, perspective."

So some anecdotes are ok but others are not?

"Everybody struggles, including all the so-called "healthy" people. Every body is less than perfect."

And this is news?

"You're here. You have health issues. Deal with it."

Go to Hell.

"Your parents don't owe you or anyone else an explanation of why they live their lives as they do."

I didn't ask them for an explanation, so what's your point?

"Your ethics are just that, yours. Applying them to other people, expecting others to conform to your standards, is the road to dissatisfaction and regret."

I didn't apply my ethics to anyone else. Reading comprehension.

AnneB

Go to Hell.

You've already taken up all the space and you're wallowing in it.

Get a life.

Autism Times six.. on discovery health

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