low functioning video

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He has good days too:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Kqyi510RI&feature=related[/youtube]

As for that other video where she was undiagnosing all autistic people more functioning than her son, I believe she's taken it down. I checked all over and it's not there anymore. I expect it was just a moment of despair when she made that.

Edit: Just gone back on Youtube, it turns out she's got two accounts and still believes that people with AS are not autistic because we are not like her son. How simple minded of her

I dunno - there's only so much they can do, really. I think they are trying their best with Jamie.

I have been watching this thread closely but have failed to add anything until now.

I agree she is doing everything she can and the system really has failed her and Jamey in many ways! I also talk to her on YouTube and she is a very nice person who loves her. Son more then anything. She faulk never institutionalize hhim like some parents will. She does know her has a souls personality and opinions as well you can see it in her video. She is very procreative of her son as she needs to be and she is an amazing advocate! her opinions on AS hAve changed since she made this videos. Remember she only sees that most severe end of it so when she sees high functioning end it is kinda hard to see the connection.

As for the second account that belongs soley to her husban? Or maybe that is a shared account either way on is just her and the other is mostly used by her husband.

Yes I concider them a friend. She also in another video retracted some statements she made especially on temple. That said watch somme of her other videos.

I've seen a few of her other videos, specifically one about his abuse while in the hospital.

He reacts to people. He is happy to see his family - he nearly jumps into his mothers arms when she comes to visit him after he's been restrained and his seizures have been ignored. He reacts poorly to then urses who did it to him. that suggests more than 'robot' to me.

This woman makes it very very clear - services for the very low functioning suck. If you want them to be treated as any more than a vegetable, you need to be independantly wealthy and do it yourself. The state is only willing to provide the barest minimum in care. This is shockingly callous and not what I'd expect from a 'first world' nation. We treat inmates better than this - probably becasue inmates can advocate for themselves...

I'm with you guys on this - I think Jamie is in there but noone has explored enough options in helping him voice himself. His self injurious behavior at times seems to be involuntary - at other times intentional. This family just seems to need some interventive stability before any sort of positive forward motion could possibly be made - they are in constant panic mode. They can't drop their guard for a second becasue their supportive care is so shockingly bad. And, his care and intervention up to this point seem to have been extensive - this family seems like they have tried every reasonable therapy, treatment and intervention available.

This family seems to be relatively well off compared to much of the country. It just terrifies me to think what would happen to a child from a low income family - institutionalization is the only option.

Kg some videos that show how well she knows/ and protective of her son is she is a great mom and does love him

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQXUezJtDmo&feature=youtube_gdata_player [/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_WOSoduYGI&feature=youtube_gdata_player [/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKe8YhIkMtg&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXa3-3VsGDY&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/youtube]

I am pretty sure it would be easier to find people to agree with you than it is to find people to agree with me - not necessarily that you came to the same conclusion in the same way others might, just that I think many NTs wouldn't even bother to stop and wonder if he has a mind to have a theory about.

I am glad to hear that, although I am curious if she retracted her repetition of gossip about an autistic woman who only attracted such attention and gossip because she was on CNN?

Thanks for the other information. Like I have been trying to say, I'm not trying to make her look evil. I just find it hard to sympathize with someone who says those things.

No. Sorry. She may love him. We all have our own ways of showing it, but she is NOT a great mom when she uses YouTube to complain about her son's disability and to demonstrate how he is affecting her life negatively. I have a severely handicapped sister who requires just as much supervision and work as her son (if not more) and my mother has never once publically vented, whined, wept, or complained about her 24/7 job with her daughter and my mother has been doing it almost twice as long as the blonde in thr bra has. When my mother has expressed understandable moments of desperation and hopelessness, it has tastefully and NOT in the presence of my sister, been shared with close friends and family... or even a healthcare worker if necessary.

Also, Jamie has several disabilities in addition to autism (like my sister), so Foakley's rants against high-functioning people is inexcusable; it's not just the autism causng him difficulties. I happen to be thankful that I have been as fortunate as I have been. I don't b***h about having Asperger's. I think it's a gift that permits me to do things and feel things I would not otherswise. It is difficult at times and has caused me (and sometimes others) a lot of grief, but it gives my life a unique meaning and and given me experiences that I want to share and it has caused me to want to help others.

Finally, maybe the reason that doctors give her a "thirty-second," "drive-by analysis" is because they're disgusted with her bitching as well. Medical investigation is NOT the only way to know what is going on... Maybe it would help if she listened to those horrible high-functionling people, who just happen to have insight and very often understand!

hey everyone, thanks for some incredibly insightful comments.

personally i am very glad this mother is posting these videos; it lets me gain some insight into her world. she's posting it raw and i'd prefer it that way; this isn't some disney filtered version, she's sharing her experience with her son.

it seems pretty clear to me that jamie really is in there cognitively. if you watch this video below, he loves his niece and lets her feed him in a relaxed way -- apparently this doesn't happen with anyone else. i think the level of self injury is happening because he knows he's deeply locked down inside and can't get out and connect with people properly. i'm guessing he has the same feelings and desires as anyone else -- he would like to marry, have a family, run a business, etc. but instead he's non verbal autistic.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSuh5298dow&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Well, you know, she's got a right to vent. Everybody's got problems, and if we had to stay quiet about them and never complain about them, we'd probably just get all sour and start hating our lives. It's perfectly reasonable for her to complain sometimes. Everybody does that. If I were her I'd probably be ranting repeatedly about how little support there is for autistic adults and their families.

But... there's venting and there's venting. There's a difference between getting whiny and saying, "My life sucks, here's this annoying thing and that annoying thing and sometimes I just want to punch a hole in the wall," which is perfectly normal and maybe even cathartic for some people, and saying, "My life sucks because of my son, here's all his non-normal behavior, look at how horribly disabled he is, look at how horrible my life is because of him." That second one is just not cool. If you want to b***h about your circumstances, go ahead; I do it all the time. If you want to b***h about some event or some condition in your life or in your relationship to others that you're annoyed about, fine. But I think we should draw the line at enumerating all your problems and blaming them on another person, especially a person who doesn't talk enough to defend himself from those accusations.

I do see a difference. There is a distinct difference between blaming and hating autism for ruining your family's life, and blaming the child with autism.

This mom hates autism for what it has done to her son, her family and all of their lives. I in no way get the feeling that this woman blames, or takes out her frustrations on her son. I only hear love and devotion to a son she loves very much.

None of us have walked in this womans shoes. We have no clue how hard and draining it is to care for an adult this severely impaired. This is not Jamie's fault and I get no feeling whatsoever that this woman blames him in any way. She does blame his autism - and she is correct. His disorder is responsible for his condition. The health of the caregiver is just as important as the health of the impaired. if she needs to vent, make videos, and generally advocate in order to keep her sanity, more power to her. Jamie has a loving family trying to raise awareness and hopefully help others in their same situation. Many others aren't so lucky.

If you think this is horrible, I invite you to volunteer at your local sanitarium, state home or mental institution. Go see for yourself the alternatives many people on the low functioning end of the spectrum are stuck with. Before you throw stones - live their lives for just one day.

Yeah, I have (please read what I wrote), but not just one day... for many years...and it was not volunteer, because volunteers can stop anytime they like.

My sister has to be fed, bathed, put to bed. She does very little on her own.

I was able to grow up and leave the house and have a life of my own. My parents (and now just my mom, as my dad died two weeks ago) has my sister for the rest of her life.

And given this experience, I stand by everything I wrote.

Edit: And I did say that she probably loves Jamie... I am sure she must. However, What if his cognition is actually normal or at least near normal? What if he is highly aware, but just cannot express it? How would you feel if you were him?

Yes, venting is understandable, but she needs to keep the venting to her own time and show Jamie a lot for of the loving on his time.

Last edited by dyingofpoetry on 26 Jun 2011, 5:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thank you for that clarification but I wasn't respond to you personally... I'm sorry if it came across that way.

Everything is fine.

I don't know her, I don't know her son, but I feel very much like she loves the son she would have if he weren't autistic--loves this hypothetical person who would exist "if only it weren't for the autism". But the autism is part of the real son she has...

Being a handsome young man with nowhere to go girlswise, (and he may be somewhat sexual)but often have your sexy mum hugging you all over, might exacerbate things, or you might just meltdown to get those motherly hugs

I believe a strong brew of certain herbs could help with his anxiety. I wonder if his condition changes when away from his home.

I agree with everyone in that he feels trapped, and those around him love him dearly, but being human as we all are, may make errors on his behalf