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how come you never see on the news, what exactly is Autism?

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gwynfryn
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24 Jul 2008, 4:13 pm

Age1600 wrote:
I made this post on autismspeaks on another persons post but got no replies. So I'm going to post it again in autismspeaks and here, see both replies!


Alll I hear about in the news is vaccinations and autism, or how autism is genetic or how autism is the worst disorder Ever. How come we never hear about autism itself, and how each autistic individual is unique, how not all autistics are mentally ret*d, some are extremely smart. Allll I ever read is jenny mccartney, amanda peet, vaccinations, or how some celebs are now getting in on it, how each are trying to raise awareness and get money, But what about autism itself, what about how each child is affected differently or how people with autism do have emotions or how every individual with autism is not completely nonverbal? why isnt there more news on that? Maybe you wouldnt hear autistic kids getting kicked out of places, abused, or whatever, if the world knew more about "Autism" itself?

It bothers me though, because there are so many people that dont know what autism is, they've heard about it how it might be genetic or how it might be vaccinations, they've seen it in children and in adults, and thats a disability, but their age old question is "What Exactly Is Autism?" Now why isnt there more on the news about how autism is a spectrum, or how some kids with autism are even hyperlexic, or how some autistics dont even flap or rock and some actually give eye contact?

So my question is how come we only hear about whats going on, with celebs, vaccinations, raising awareness, about autistic kids drowning, how their dangerous or how they never give eye contact, or how their always in their own world :roll: ...And How come we never hear about the actual Autism, and what exactly is autism, and how it affects each person differently, and how autism can be mild, moderate, or severe, or how each person with autism stims differently, has different sensory problems, has different social problems or how big the spectrum is :?: :?


How come, pretty face, you never mention the historic meaning of the word "autism"? Or bother to e-mail me?



ghostgurl
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24 Jul 2008, 4:25 pm

1. Because they see autism as a disease. With that mentality all that matters is the negative aspects and the search for a cure. Now if they could break out of that mentality, then maybe we'd see more positive stories.

2. It's the news. All they ever show is negative stuff anyway. That's why I don't watch it.

3. Lack of awareness and education. If all they put out on the news is negative stuff, that's all people will know about, and thus nothing changes.


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VisualVox
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25 Jul 2008, 2:38 pm

I was just thinking about this as I was driving to work today. (... Gosh, if I'm employed full-time, that must mean I'm not autistic after all! ;) ...)

I think we've really gotten away from the *real* meaning of "autism" over the years because NT folks aren't nearly as literal as we are, and they are very quick to emotionalize subjects and jump to superficial conclusions based on limited information.

Somewhere along the line, the concept of Autism got hijacked by financial interests, and now, instead of it meaning "severely withdrawn", in the pervasive public mythology it means something more like "a rocking, violent freak who refuses to speak to piss off and humiliate his/her parents and frightens everyone around them".

The root of the word is "aut" -- I believe it's rooted in "self" or "individual-based" -- as in "autonomous" or "autonomic". But most NT folks just gloss over the semantics, as though it doesn't matter in the least. On the contrary, it matters a great deal. Therein lies the seed of the original meaning, which got lost in all the hullabaloo.

So, being all curious 'n' such, I looked up the word on dictionary.com, and it says:

Autism (American Heritage Dictionary)
n. A pervasive developmental disorder characterized by severe deficits in social interaction and communication, by an extremely limited range of activities and interests, and often by the presence of repetitive, stereotyped behaviors.

How frighteningly freakish is that? Not at all. But it won't sell papers. Or movies. Or t-shirts. Or bumper stickers.

I think we've gotten into a collective jam, because people are so invested in the idea that to be autistic, you have to be unreachable and so severely withdrawn that you cannot possibly function. That "definition" by its own nature precludes any chance of figuring out what autism is about, because it's predicated upon us being beyond reach... which means that nobody outside can *really* figure out what it's like to be autistic from the inside. So, in order to "study" it (and get funding), the scientists and doctors have to say they cannot *really* come up with a full understanding, 'cause we're all so danged unreachable.

If you're autistic, by popular definition, you're a lost cause. And if you're not a lost cause, you're not autistic.

There we have it. Classic Catch 22.

Parents feel stuck. Autistic kids who are being man-handled by ignoramuses *are* stuck. Until they figure things out for themselves.

And the cash registers keep ringing...