Autism NY Times FRONT PAGE HEADLINE 6/25

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BeeBee:

I totally agree with your third reason too...I'm a business major in college, and almost every book I have read for class has said in some way or another "[insert subject here] used to be based simply on rote task performance. Now it's based on interpersonal relationships and communication." Definately a real issue.

Techstepgener8tion:

I also ask the same question as you...if anything, I've always seemed to notice that women tend to go for guys who show *higher* than normal social aptitude.

Don't judge all of us by a few. I'm not like that. And most of the NT females I know would go for an aspie-type if they could find one

To me it seems like women largely date up and only date up, as unrealistic as it may be in respect to wiring I think social skills are another thing that has to be at least equal if not greater in a guy - otherwise he's a loser (then again if he's a good person and not a screw-up at life they'll never say it, they'll be nice to him and then give him "hey, remember your place" cues if he does start flirting with em).

The whole Mercury theory is a sham propgated by overstressed and frustrated parents looking for some one or something to blame and cannot accept the fact that they carry the ASD traits themselves. Autism was around before vaccines or production of Mercury- bearing consumable goods, and will continue to be around even if people are no longer exposed to Mercury. Then, these parents or subsequent generations of like-minded parents will rush off to blame someone or something else.

Sophist, do you have sources available for any of your posts in this thread?

What about the fact that the home envroment most kids are eing raised in aren't as good as in ties past and that maybe more girls aren't getting an opportunity to see what marriage is supposed to be like, susequenty get treated like crap by most of their ex-boyfriends, and are happy to find a guy that happens to have AS or shadow traits that doesn't take them for granted?
Also, your theory doesn't take into account AS guys looking for AS girls, though the competition among guys is likely to be fierce.

Exactly. IMO its real scary to see that ends people will go to just trying to duck reality.

hehehehe!

Sheesh! And what's so "horrible" about AS? I like me! I love my son! Every one of my kids is a gift: AS, NT, ADD, MS, or whatever. Yeah, yeah, even my husband is a gift (haven't figured out what to label him, even after 23 years. )

Maybe these mercury-freaked parents should get counseling for themselves and examine their own relationships with their kids...

AS only became an official dx in what, 1994? Of course there will more dx's from that point forward! Those of us who were previously just considered "weird/gifted" are now helping to swell the statistics. Instead of being tolerated with a chuckle, we are now labeled and seen with suspicion.

May I also remind people that the figures are based on the WIDEST definition possible(they may even be including non-Autistic PDDs like Rett's, Fragile-X, Landau-Kleffner, etc).

One study about the figures was so skewed it said that there were only six Autistics diagnosed in the whole of Pennsylvania.

Is that one of yours Cindy?

No.
We are still "officially undx'd" aspies (myself and my 11yo son). I like it better that way. Less difficulties with the local school district (we homeschool) who may think they have to get their tentacles involved. Less harassment by ignorant NT neighbors/kids. My reference to "we" in my previous post meant aspies in general, not myself and my son in particular.

Imagine the numbers explosion if everyone who was undx'd would suddenly go for a confirmed dx!! ! See? Years ago, there just wasn't an appropriate dx, so no one had one.

Unfortunately, that line of reasoning disproportionately applies to school-age children. For the most part, adults who grew up "weird/gifted" are still mostly missing from the statistics, either because we've learned to compensate for our difficulties and don't care or because we are afraid to get a diagnosis out of paranoia about who might find out. This gives ammunition to the people who claim there's an epidemic under way because the mean age of the diagnosed autistic population is falling rapidly.

Essestailly, that means that we are SOL as far as convincing anyone.

If the number of cases really are spiking to what would be classifiable as an "epidemic", then I think that is an important fact and needs to be acknowledged, but the term "epidemic" needs to be ditched because it's used to in refrence to infectious diseases to be feared. However, I think that the continued rise in ASDs despite the discontinuation of the use of Thermisol will eventually help discredit the CAN types.

If anyone wants a good place to see holes poked in the epidemic myth, know that the Diva sees all!

http://autismdiva.blogspot.com/2005/06/ ... -just.html