This is horrible.Sensible mind shouldn't read it.

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http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_plag.html

This kind of people still believe they are in 1950.It's this kind of persons who makes use disabled and are responsible for our suffering,not autism!

It is completely revolting...

I don't think they even read all of what was written. They seem to have made their decisition as to our abilities (or lack thereof) as people on the Spectrum, the lady who wrote the letter showed intellect and ability they think none of us posess.

It seems the only way to get such people to listen sometimes is to go for their bank balances.

This kind of thing worries me especially since current knowledge make us much easier to spot. A mental health professional I recently met while on business knew right away that I'm autistic. If we are thought of as a plague and new detection techniques make us easier to spot, how easy will it be for us to be singled out and eliminated? Don't think this is impossible in modern society especially if large amounts of money is spent on dealing with us. Hitler himself referred to people different than the statistical norm as "useless eaters."

I can't believe people still think this way.

His use of the word "plague" was completely uncalled for. I have heard the word "epidemic" used in relation to autism. Just as bad, and just as false, but for some reason sounds less inflammatory (at least to me).

Still, I wonder if he even realized how insulting his words were. Is he just one of those overzealous doctors who thinks that there has to be a "cure" for EVERYTHING?

Not that I'm condoning what he said, mind you. People who don't understand autism read stuff like this and are completely misinformed as a result. Like we don't have enough prejudice to deal with already.

Will speak about that to my special educator next time I see her, I live in Quebec so I admit this really concern me.

But I would like to bring a few correction that are mistake in the letter. "Fléau" traduction in english is not plague but calamity, still very bad thing to classify us with, but just want to bring the accurate wording. And by the way "peste" is the french word for plague.

Let's have some calamity/fleau T-shirts!

(Actually, let's just plain have some T-shirts that enlighten people.)

You know something? I see this discussion quite a lot among high functioning Autistics, and the reactions are understandable and predictable.

About a year ago though, I had a series of email exchanges with a friend whose daughter has classic Autism.

Take a guess at what his position on matters like this are. He is actually frequently frustrated and angered at HF's who complain about Autism being portrayed this way. See, for him, and his daughter, it IS a plague.

Maybe we ought to think about that now and then before getting all "high and mighty" over the connotations of a single word. Let's not forget too, that it was because of the discovery and defining of classic Autism that eventually led to understanding we who are high functioning. Not all who have Autism are quite as lucky as we.

It's easy for those of us who feel we don't need a cure to stomp all over those seeking one, but when we do, we are forgetting about the thousands who suffer far more than we do, and would most definitely benefit from a cure. Autism may be acceptable to US, but would we feel the same if we were so disabled we couldn't even form a sentence? Tie our shoes? Tell anyone how we feel? Answer simple questions?

Let's not forget about those less fortunate than ourselves! We don't like it when the NT world does it to us, do we?

^ Correct.....and MrXxx brought up an important point.

When I read "plague" then I know that's factually incorrect as a plague is defined as a communicable disease that's infectious, caused by a microorganism. Of course, Autism, regardless of which form, never fits this formal definition.

For Aspies, we do have selective advantages although it can be very hard as well. But for those who are more classically Autistic or low-functioning......different story. I do feel much compassion for anyone who has a debilitating condition with no cure; those who are confined to a degraded lifestyle as a result. Caveat: Certainly not all classically Autistic or low-functioning Autistics are unhappy, but you get the gist.

At risk of being too revealing: My paternal uncle was severely Autistic, entirely mute, and spent his whole life confined to an institution. I'll never forget meeting him. I had so much wanted to give him crayons/markers so he could have at least a chance. I believe he could have been taught. When he and I went for a walk on the grounds, he displayed his extraordinary observational skills (that which I pride myself on, in the sciences) - he would spot any movement, even far off in the distance, and point. I've never yet met a NT who has this acute sense. I think those who are low-functioning have potential. Look at our savants! Wish my uncle could have had a way out of his own mind but his Autism was confining.

To state Autism is a plague insinuates our minds are unwanted, as if our minds are somehow a threat to others. This hurts and I give without end and pursue what I must with genuine eagerness. To be teased or taunted by anyone is hurtful and can even be crippling - no ASD individual deserves mistreatment. That's why erroneous opinions, as in the article, can propogate rifts between the Autistic mind and outsiders who simply do not know differently.

I do see many Aspies who struggle (self included here) but mostly due to being misinterpreted and hurt in a world not designed for our kind. That's really the essence of the disorder.

Now, I'll provide the link for this compelling article....The Beautiful Otherness of the Autistic Mind (Happe and Frith, 2009):

http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/ ... /1345.full

I read the exchange of mail in the original post and I thought "Oh Dear !" (Which is woodpecker's swear word of choice used to express his disgust in forums).

The problem I see is that this MD is making public statements which promote bigotry against a group.

People with autism are in a minority in this world, so are people who like flower arranging, 1950s dancing or woodwork. But at this point it is important to understand that a great difference exists.

We have had no choice as to the membership of this group, we did not sign up to join it and we can not leave it. So I think that we are in a minority and should be afforded protection. I saw an another thread that the question of will autistic/aspie rights be as strong an effect in society as the "gay rights movement". I doubt if it will, the reason is that the percentage of the population who are gay is likely to be much higher than the percentage of population who have a ASD.

But there is something which can be done.

We need to lobby any professional body which this doctor is a member of, we also need as a group to pick our way through any ethical code which the doctor has signed up to. If we can find a violation of the code then maybe we can use it to discredit the man in the eyes of his professional body or create an embrassement to the professional body.

My best first suggestion is to go down the road of exploring the "do no harm"

The text of the original hippocratic oath has in the second paragraph the injunction to "do no harm", my understanding of it is that the doctor has a duty to do not harm (to at the least to make all reasonable efforts to avoid harming) to any person he meets during his professional life. A friend of mine is a doctor of medicine, he told me that the definition of harm is very wide. It includes more than physical harm, as the WHO idea of perfect health is the "state of total physical, mental and social wellbeing" then it can be argued that a doctor who uses his professional quailfication to encoruage bigotry towards a group has failed to objey the oath.

Also check to see if he has a medical license.

My reasoning is that even if the doctor does not charge you money, if he offers any professional service (for instance if he binds up the cut on the child next door after they fall over, or if his wife asks him for medical advice about their child) then he is working as a doctor.

Also giving a public statement on a medical matter after stating that you are a medical doctor is offering medical advice (a professional service).

_________________
Health is a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity I am not a jigsaw, I am a free man !

Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.

what are these moronic imbeciles, nazis?! because that is exactly what those god-danmed nazis called the people in the concentration camps javascript:emoticon(':evil:')

What an utter charlatan.

I found her website ("No Autistics Allowed"), where the documents that were posted at first on this thread. She sounds like an interesting person. I think it's good to look at the positive side of things rather than constantly dwelling on the negative. She also seems really smart from her letters that she wrote. There's also a book that was just released in June (I'm a quarter of the way through it) called "Neurodiversity" by Thomas Armstrong. It describes the positive things to a variety of different disorders and talks about people having neurological diversity as compared to a "disorder". The guy has a PhD so I guess he automatically knows what he's talking about lol. But seriously, it's a good read, and the guy sounds like he knows what he's talking about. Alex should try to schedule an interview with Michelle Dawson on his Autism Talk TV. I'm serious; I would watch it. Anyone else?

No Autistics Allowed