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On the hyping of autism research "news"

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Mona Pereth
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12 Nov 2018, 6:30 pm

The most recent e-newsletter of the local New York based Aspergers and High Functioning Autism Association contains a link to the following article in Scientific American:

Hyping Autism Research "News" Is a Disservice to People with Autism
It’s also harmful to serious science
By Alycia Halladay
on November 2, 2018

This article begins:

Quote:
Click-worthy health and science headlines are an essential currency in today’s media world. When they pertain to autism, they might include phrases like “groundbreaking trial,” “offer hope” or “game-changer.” But for people with autism and their families, these headlines and the research news stories they highlight often bring false hope, confusion -- or worse.


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ASPartOfMe
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13 Nov 2018, 3:18 am

These so called breakthroughs are often studies of a dozen or so people or mice.

They plethora of these stories do serve a purpose. It shows that despite all the talk of acceptence and all of the more positive media stories of autistics and more positive fictional autistic charactors there is such desperation to cure us that a lot of people are willing to throw out any scientific standards.


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Richard_the_ Dogged
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14 Nov 2018, 5:06 pm

Every time you or I endorse the concepts of Autism, Asperger's, or Neurological Difference, we are further marginalizing ourselves, and we are encouraging child abuse.

Right now, there are parents driving their child to the doctor, simply because they find the child to be an embarrassment. And these are children whom the parents did not need to have, they merely did so hoping that they would be able to give themselves an unstigmatized adult identity.

So I no longer talk about Autism-Asperger's, or Neurological Difference.

Richard


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Autism-Aspergers is just a concept invented to legitimate the abuse of children and adults. Neuro-Diversity is just a way of pleading for pity. Everytime we endorse these concepts, we are further maginalizing ourselves, and encouraging child abuse. Autism-Asperger's could never even exist without Nazi Social Darwinism and Eugenics. So I no longer talk about these, I talk about lived experience, often the experience of being othered and then persecuted. I call this experience of having intelligence, insight, intuition, and mystical abilities, the Shamanic Experience. And those of us who live it need to start banding together and protecting ourselves, each other, and the children of today. Beautiful Planet, just a rotten economic and political system.


IstominFan
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17 Nov 2018, 10:48 am

I saw a news article about some presumably "breakthrough" research on autism. I wondered, "Exactly how are these findings going to be used?" It didn't sound remotely helpful to those with autism.