Four weeks ago, Syracuse University hosted its first regional Neurodiversity Sypmosium, with Ari Ne’eman as the keynote speaker. Mr. Ne’eman is President and co-founder of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, as well as a presidential appointee to the National Council on Disability. He spoke both fiercely and wittily about both neurodiversity and self-advocacy in the past, present, and future. TPGA is publishing a series of excerpts from Mr. Ne’eman’s talk. This is part three. Part one was published two weeks ago, and focuses on the history of the disability rights movement. Part two centers on power and perception, about how “…in the autism world, what autism is — and what we should do about it — is very much under conflict.” In part three, Mr. Ne’eman talks about the divorce of the autism conversation from the larger developmental disability conversation, the tyranny of “normal” expectations for Autistics, and the shared hopes…
Tag: autistic
Three weeks ago, Syracuse University hosted its first regional Neurodiversity Sypmosium, with Ari Ne’eman as the keynote speaker. Mr. Ne’eman is President and co-founder of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, as well as a presidential appointee to the National Council on Disability. He spoke both fiercely and wittily about both neurodiversity and self-advocacy in the past, present, and future. TPGA is publishing a series of excerpts from Mr. Ne’eman’s talk. This is part two. Part one was published one week ago, and focuses on the history of the disability rights movement. Part two centers on power and perception, about how “…in the autism world, what autism is — and what we should do about it — is very much under conflict.” TPGA was given an audio copy of Mr. Ne’eman’s talk by journalist Steve Silberman, who is currently researching a book about neurodiversity. Thank you, Steve. A couple of years ago,…
Emily Willingham daisymayfattypants.blogspot.com biologyfiles.fieldofscience.com TH and I were walking today. We walk together a lot, and by “together,” I mean that he is linked to me like my barnacle, hooked to my arm with his arm, adding about 30 extra pounds of downward pull to whichever of my sides he’s on. In fact, I have him switch sides so that I don’t end up listing permanently, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, from all the weight. Today, we were on just such a walk when somehow — gee, can’t imagine how — we got on the subject of autism. The context was the difference in ability to use speech among autistic people. TH is aware that he is unlike some other autistic people in that he can talk. A lot. Sometimes with much sense and sudden insight, and other times with what seems like very little of either. He’s also…
Kristen Kristen is eighteen years old and currently in her third year of high school. A statement I have always found confounding is, “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.” Let me explain: I find this confusing because what if “it” could be beneficial or insightful for the whole of society? What if perspectives widen because of “it”? Who am I? I am an unknown Aspergian. I was diagnosed at the age of three, but with no follow up afterward. My childhood consisted largely of unwanted (probably neurologist) doctor visits where doctors would run test after test, and force me to look them in the eyes. I grew up with a degrading “you’re not normal” mentality. Needless to say, my childhood, like me, wasn’t “normal.” The doctors finally concluded that I had ADD and gave me Ritalin, which was useless. If that wasn’t cruel enough, in second grade I finally realized…
Zoe illusionofcompetence.blogspot.com WARNING: this post discusses child abuse We are two weeks into Autism Awareness Month and I count three casualties so far. Two stories in the news this week, of three autistic children murdered or abused by their parents and caretakers. In Washington, two autistic boys (ages 5 and 7) were discovered locked in a cage, where their father and his fiancee kept them every day, in unsanitary conditions. They weren’t allowed to walk around the house or to go to school. I don’t know their names. Their father, John Eckhart, told police, “What am I supposed to do? Let them run around the house? They’re autistic.” In Massachusetts, Kristin LaBrie was found guilty of “attempted murder, assault and battery on a disabled person and a child, and child endangerment,” after she withheld chemotherapy drugs from her 9-year-old autistic son, Jeremy Fraser. This actually happened years ago, but was…
Corina Lynn Becker nostereotypeshere.blogspot.com April is an emotionally charged month for me, April 1st especially. Up to grade six, it was because I dreaded April Fool’s Day, a day dedicated to pulling pranks I did not enjoy. However, in grade seven, I was given more reason to not like the day. On his 77th birthday, my Grandpa had a massive stroke. The damage was severe enough that any operation would just leave him in a vegetative state. It was decided that Grandpa, a man dedicated to his work as a minister, would not be happy in such a state. So we just sat there for three days, waiting for him to die. On April 1st, at 8:30 AM, Grandpa passed away. It was the first time I experienced the loss of close relative. To me, it was losing a huge chunk of my foundational support. I had always assumed he…
Zoe illusionofcompetence.blogspot.com I used to go everywhere with a rubber bouncy ball in each hand. The weight and pressure of these in my palm, and the position of my hand as I curled my fingers around them, became second nature. Probably they provided reassuring proprioceptive feedback — not that I knew or cared about this. My rubber bouncy balls comforted me. But when I stopped being a toddler and started being a child, there were so many things I had to do with my hands. I had to learn to make letters and tie knots. I couldn’t hold onto a rubber ball while doing that. And there were more and more places where it was really not “appropriate” for someone my age to carry a set of bouncy balls around. So I stopped carrying the bouncy balls. I used to flap my hands and arms. Sometimes I would jump up…
Though it seemed like business as usual here at The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism on Monday, November 1, our editors were participating in The Coffee Klatch’s Communicate to Educate 24 hour tweetchat instead of the same-day “Shut Down” autism fundraising campaign. We’ll let some of our favorite activists and advocates explain why we spoke out instead of shutting down: Steve Silberman at NeuroTribes: The idea that going virtually mute is an appropriate way to honor autistic people — for whom the Net has opened new avenues of communication and community building — does not sit well with some autistic self-advocates. TPGA Contributor Corina Becker: I was recently asked by a person on Twitter to participate, and I responded that there wasn’t much of a point, since I am Autistic, and do not require to learn about difficulties that I myself face in communicating. I pointed out to this person…
When it comes to Halloween and autistic kids, parents need to be clear-headed, creative, and flexible, and prioritize our kids’ needs and stamina. So, if you’re in the market for Halloweening advice, let me dump some on your head, courtesy of personal experience, friends’ adventures, and the Internet.
Jean Winegardner www.stimeyland.com When I write my column Autism Unexpected for Washington Times Communities, I use the words “person with autism” and “autistic person” pretty interchangeably. Every once in a while, I get a comment telling me I should use “person first” language, meaning I shouldn’t use the word “autistic” to describe a person. Because I’ve heard this criticism more than once, I feel it necessary to tell you that I not only use the word “autistic” intentionally, but thoughtfully and with purpose. The theory behind person-first language (“person with autism”) is that it recognizes the person before the disability and stresses that there is more to a person than just autism. I asked my blog readers and my Twitter followers which they preferred, and the majority, mostly parents of children with autism, reported that they prefer the person-first terminology. Person-first language is an easy philosophy to accept. It makes…