I personally know very little and have absolutely no experience working with it. That being said, a close friend of mine is very much involved and very good. Her name is Dr Karen Grant with OHSU (Oregon Health Science University) and here's a link to one of the programs she's involved with. She's very friendly, down-to-earth and really knows her stuff. Feel free to drop her an email Judi.
Has anyone got any experience of Autism ?
by judi8751 47 Replies latest social family
-
-
mrsjones5
Thanks for the link BW
-
judi8751
Thanks for the link Bigwilly, much appreciated
Thanks also mrsjones5 for reactivating the topic
-
bigwilly
You ladies are most welcome!
-
Lillith26
Thank you for sharing all this great information guys (excluding somes opinionated google *sigh*).
My 4 year old son begun displaying 'signs' of being autistic at age 2.
-
Leolaia
Great posts, mrsjones! Unfortunately autism attracts its share of pseudoscience and exaggerated claims about the validity of leading theories. The cause(s) are not known to any certainty and while there are some promising findings (particularly in relation to neurology), there is a long way to go before a comprehensive theory of causation is developed. I think scientists are only beginning to understand the natural range of human variation in cognition and communication and what is presently labeled (simplistically) as "autism" may turn out have disparate and complex neurological and genetic bases.
My personal opinion also is that autism per se is less a disorder and more of a normal and stable variation of human cognition that adds to the diversity and strength of our species. Autistics may (on an individual basis) pay attention to things others do not notice, process sensory stimuli differently which may bring advantages as well as disadvantages, have the attention span and narrow field of interest to excel in certain forms of study and research, have a beyond-average proficiency for certain kinds of memory, and overall autistics may bring a different point of view to things. It becomes more of a disorder in part because of the conformity demanded by society and the valuation of social expertise; similarly lefthandedness is a detriment mainly because it is a righthanded world. But also autism may co-occur and incorporate a range of other conditions and developmental deficits that impact functionality, with so-called low-functioning autistics representing one group of individuals who are disabled in many ways compared to high-funcitoning autistics. But again some LFAs may be very bright and intelligent in contrast to "Rainman" stereotypes and mere appearances (e.g. stimming may make someone appear abnormal and mentally retarded when in fact this may simply be a strategy of dealing with overwhelming sensory input or underwhelming input with no bearing on intelligence). And some autistics may also be constrained by social circumstances in terms of opportunities for self-improvement and social learning.If there is one point that ought to be made in this thread, it is that stereotypes are very misleading. In the 1960s and 1970s, autism diagnoses were mostly made in the case of profoundly affected individuals and those who neatly fit the criteria that were in place at the time. That led to the public perception of the idiot savant ("Rainman"), or the mute, as the "typical" autistic. As a result, when a greater effort was expended in the 1990s and 2000s to diagnose young children and broaden diagnostic criteria, the sudden rise in reported autism incidence led to much panic among parents that their children are caught up in an epidemic of low-functioning autism. But incidence is not prevalence and the true prevalence of autism in earlier decades was grossly underestimated; many high-functioning autistics grew up without being diagnosed as such. This means that many, if not a major portion, of the kids being diagnosed as autistic today may indeed be highly-functioning and eventually will "pass as normal" for a great part. I think what many parents are now discovering is that their kids are not growing up to be the "Rainmans" they feared. This doesn't mean that such children have been "cured" of their autism by whatever valid or dubious therapies have been applied; it means that they are growing into the highly-functioning autistics they have always had the capacity of being. I fear that parents like Jenny McCarthy who believe that their kids have been "cured" of autism will not recognize the challenges that they will face as they continue to successfully adapt to society but amid difficulty (as social interaction becomes more and more complex as the child grows older). Parents should rather think of autism as kind of cognitive approach that forms part of the person's personality and individuality much like sexual orientation, handedness, or temperment. Therapy and education should be aimed at improving the child's interfacing of social structures and broadening his or her mastery of communication skills, much teaching an immigrant foreigner to become "bilingual" and familiar with the way things are done in the new land. High-functioning autistics may become bilingual in "neurotypical" ways of thinking and expression but like any bilingual, one always feels more comfortable and relaxed in one's home language. In much the same way that I believe that those who speak minority languages should taught to be bilingual rather than waste their time "eradicating" their native tongue, so I think the effort with autistics is not to "cure" them of autism but nurture those with difficulties to acquire a greater mastery and repertoire of language, behavior, and social skills needed in different social settings. And society should do its part to meet them halfway.
-
mrsjones5
" Parents should rather think of autism as kind of cognitive approach that forms part of the person's personality and individuality much like sexual orientation, handedness, or temperment."
I totally agree. I happened to mention my son being autistic to a good friend (I had never mentioned it to this person before) and he felt slighted and thought I should have said something about it before. I told him I hadn't because I don't think of my child as my "autistic boy" but only as Joshua. Joshua's autism isn't something seperate from who he is, it's part of him, it's part of what makes Joshua Joshua. I don't want him to be made normal, he is normal (to me and to him) but he simply has a different way of looking at things and responding to things.
I like this part:
"Therapy and education should be aimed at improving the child's interfacing of social structures and broadening his or her mastery of communication skills, much teaching an immigrant foreigner to become "bilingual" and familiar with the way things are done here. High-functioning autistics may become bilingual in "neurotypical" ways of thinking and expression but like any bilingual, one always feels more comfortable and relaxed in one's home language. In much the same way that I believe that those who speak minority languages should taught to be bilingual rather than waste their time "eradicating" their native tongue, so I think the effort with autistics is not to "cure" them of autism but nurture those with difficulties to acquire a greater mastery and repertoire of language, behavior, and social skills needed in different social settings. And society should do its part to meet them halfway."
That's what I want and am getting for Joshua.
-
Leolaia
Leolalai......nice to meet you, really dont know where to start , so much info about, but more questions than answers. Do you know any mutes who are now verbal?
Around what age are you thinking of? There are many cases I know of in which mute children who have issues with auditory input but who become expressive and verbal via a visual modality (signing). This was true in my case as well....I was mostly nonverbal when I was 1 to 4 years old (I had only four words I used during that phase), and was quiet and non-expressive in most situations (I even rarely cried as a baby), but my mom and I improvised our own system of communication via picture drawing. And when I went to school at a center for disabled children, we were mainly taught with visual signs. I started speaking at age 4 and it took about two years before I was able to get a good grasp on the language. But in general I think that it is harder to become verbal the older one remains non-verbal, but this in no sense implies what would be the case with any given individual.
My 4 year old son begun displaying 'signs' of being autistic at age 2.
That is very common.
I happened to mention my son being autistic to a good friend (I had never mentioned it to this person before) and he felt slighted and thought I should have said something about it before. I told him I hadn't because I don't think of my child as my "autistic boy" but only as Joshua. Joshua's autism isn't something seperate from who he is, it's part of him, it's part of what makes Joshua Joshua.
Well said....and the phrase "autistic boy" really does conjure up those limiting and totalizing stereotypes.
-
aSphereisnotaCircle
I use to know an elder that would blurt out the most inapropriate things, he had zero tact, he seemed to have no empathy or understanding of other peoples emotions.
I know, I know, he sounds like the typical elder, but this guy was different, it didn't matter what the situation was he never seemed to "get" what was going on around him and therefore he would behave in socially unacceptible ways. I was good friends with his wife and he would constantly blurt out details of their sex lives, etc.
He also was a history buff and knew every minute detail of his particular field. He also knew, and could recall, the birthday of every person he ever met. Also the birthdays of every historical person in his field and the birthdays of every one of their family members.
I knew him from his late twenties till his late thirties, he was an only child.
Does this man sound like he is on the autistic spectrum?
-
jwfacts
I started speaking at age 4 and it took about two years before I was able to get a good grasp on the language.
Leo, after meeting you and hearing how eloquently you speak I would never have guessed you did not speak till 4. My son is 20 months and very observant but only just starting to say a few words. I was a bit worried because the child care nurse made out he was slow to start speaking, but I feel more at ease now that it probably is nothing to worry about.
I found out this weekend that a friend of mine has two children, both with Aspergers and there is a history on her husbands side. Is it hereditary?