Tag Archives: ASD

College/University Talk

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AS I promised in a post in June, I was going to write and report about how colleges are not always the best fit for people with various disorders, in this case for autism related disorders relevant to the United States.
You are better off flipping burgers at the local McDonalds and work up the ladder to a VP of the company in a few years making more than someone with a 6 year liberal arts study that won’t be applied into a few, if any serious career down the road.
For disabilities: first off, the colleges are protected only under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act  or IDEA only applies to the local school systems for students over the age of 3 and under 21 in 40 out of the 50 states. The IDEA (which mostly is federal funds) can make a student’s education vary lenient. However in the mean and and tough world of adulthood, the colleges are not protected by IDEA.
Their reasoning is: college is not a right or a need. Well the black and white sense, it is right, but in the abstract sense, the government’s agenda over the course of the last century has essentially indoctrinated that its a need to to go to college. Regardless whether its legally or philosophically right, can be debated forever. Providing intense services colleges aren’t required by law to provide such services.  Another issue is college is much like getting a job, you don’t have the right to get that specific job; same with college.
So colleges or universities aren’t not required to change the curricula, they are not required to change the content, they are not required to change the testing times, and also they  can only change things for “reasonable accommodations” so if you aren’t physically disabled, you can’t get a wheelchair, (if that has ever been done at the local school district under IDEA.)
Applying to a college doesn’t mean you will get into that place. It’s all about if you are the right candidate for that degree you are applying for. That goes out of the window in some cases if you have a rich daddy who has a Rolodex card who can sweet talk the school to get you in there, another negatives of “networking.”
So to make it short, getting a K-12  education is required by law, you need 12 year education, and if you have a special need, you need special education to get through those classes, confirming that college is allegedly a choice.
Another annoyance, is how states like Massachusetts that have approved laws to enable illegal aliens (citizens who are from outside this country, that have no Green card, no legal non-citizen paperwork) to get free (yes free) college education. So you can come to the States with no immigration paperwork and theoretically  make up a high school diploma here on a piece of a napkin (if you came from a “third world country”), go to UMASS Boston and ask to take the most expensive degree and not expect a bill from there, meanwhile the working families from New Hampshire, that pays extra because of the out of state tuition are getting screwed! And what about the legal “ailens” the ones who have autism like disorders? They get put well into the bottom of the queue!
Colleges and universities can really push their students to be as independent as possible. They do help students with “time management” skills,”self-advocacy” skills, and assistance for tutors in case the student’s are unable to study on their own. Lots of these things are done because the colleges are simply ignorant in providing “user friendly” (so to speak) programs for special needs, most importantly the developmentally disabled.
Not only that, the mentally ill is the most at risk, worse than people with autism or other developmental disorders. Colleges insist that their students act like adults, and in that case, if some seem to have issues, they expect given they are legal adults, to fend for themselves. There has been several tragedies in the last few years by young people in their early twenties and in these cases – mental illness actually gets caught then and not earlier. The most recent issue was in the Denver area movie theatre shooting, where apparently red flags started to show just weeks before the gunman shot there.
Another issue is colleges (both faculty and students) have traditionally accepted minorities, racial minorities, sexual orientations, various political and philosophical views, as well as people with physical disabilities. Sadly, if you have a conservative view, or you have a mental disorder or developmental disorder, or you are a white folk, colleges have not been accepting to such groups, which is disappointing.
I remember reading the local newspaper and when UNH started a minority group,  they interviewed some black (or could’ve been an Indian)  girl was so scared going into her first class because of the prejudice of her classmates. While I am loosely quoting that article, but what about the autistic groups? There are individuals that I wouldn’t be surprised to know they had similar experiences. From people I have talked to who work for that Institution, they have crafted some programs, but that includes that dirty word known as “self advocacy”
Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the unions, the extreme leftie moonbats are still controlling the college systems, and meanwhile the most vulernable citizens of society, the working class, the ones with special needs are getting screwed by the elitists. The real “adults” are the people that are most vulnerable; meanwhile the normal peers and the union preachers are the ones that whine and bitch about how this country sucks, etc. and not willing to teach students they think are “disruptive” – well maybe we need some DISRUPTION of the same ol’ same ol’! While they preach on change, they are the last groups to adapt to change.

I’ve made the decision to stop looking into the college thing last year and never looked back.

EBT Card Abuse, Arrogance, and Potential Crackdowns for the Legit Crowds

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This dateline is in my own back yard of my homestate of New Hampshire. Last week, elderly woman got fired from a convenience store. The fireble offense? A 20 year old man was attempting to use his Electronics Benefit Transfer or EBT card to pay for cigarettes. The use for EBT cards in New Hampshire is supposed to be prohibited for purchases of cigarettes, booze and other things that aren’t a need so to speak.
In her words, to the local press, Jackie Whiton told the Union Leader on June 28th:

“‘What happened was, a young man came in and wanted to buy cigarettes and I asked him for his ID and he handed me his EBT card. I told him he couldn’t them with the card and he said yes he could’ The following day, the foster mother of the man, who Whiton estimates to be about 20, came into the convenience store to complain. Whiton still refused to accept the EBT card for cigarettes so the woman went to her boss, she said”

She also said to the Union Leader this:

“The next day, I got a call from the home office and they said I have to sell to him and I said at 65 years old, I have do anything I don’t want to do. I said I would bow out gracefully and gave my two weeks’ notice. The next day, they fired me.”

However the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services told the same paper that EBT benefits can be used to purchase anything. Theoretically, these “benefits” is used for spending money since if others are receiving Social Security benefits. From what I know, the media has wrongfully made public benefits very glamorous, while many are in fixed incomes, with disabled people, and people with autism having a cap of $700 a month of revenue in order to receive benefits and for their adult services programs as well.
Now the man was kinda arrogant. The EBT card is not a valid ID. Now in the defense of the State, its their responsibility to say no or cancel purchases on ciggies or booze. Says Terry Smith, the head of the Division of Family Assistance: “if the state were to enact restrictions on how cash assistance is spent, DHHS would have to set up a costly infrastructure to monitor use, We’d need more staff and travel budgets”
Of course they have no budgets – just look at the whole Managed Care drama over the last year! Obviously various bureaucrats and pols have been on the attack of ANY public assistance.
Now for Ms. Whiton, her stance is questionable both on legal and just plain wrong as a customer service perceptive. Yes, the question for ID is right on, but to deny it because the EBT card prohibits that, when in fact the DHHS said it’s ok – thats wrong part. (I am just being fair and honest.) She said to the Union Leader “I am not against EBT grocery cards. I am not. But a woman cant even buy toilet paper or tampons with those.”
Now Jackie Whiton has applauded by the feel-me-good-tough-love-excessively emotional conservatives and has made appearences on the Howie Carr Show, a column from Carr on this story and she appeared on the Fox News Channel and other outlets as well.
But this story hitting close in my home state, when the next legislative session starts this winter, I won’t be surprised to see legislation to not only limit funding for an agency that has had the bone cut, but more zero-government approaches of our ignorant legislatures to the New Hampshire General Court and the bureaucrats of the State of New Hampshire.

(Ill)legal Drugs: GlaxoSmithKline gets thrown into the slammer

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The Government press charges against the company, but doesn’t press charges against anyone who was involved.

Glaxo was plead guilty in a criminal charges for misleading the government for various antidepressants. Now I find this funny, that they a) get criminally charged, b) they have to pay the Government about $1 billion for criminal fines, but yet no one goes into the slammer. Hey, Presidential Candidate Romney says “People are business”, does that ring true to Glaxo? Oh wait, they are a big business, Romney was referring to the small businesses!
In anyway, in Tuesday’s Marketplace section above the fold in The Wall Street Journal,  GlaxoSmithKline had severely mislead the government of the the legal use of the drugs. They were, according to the Journal:

  • Paxil
  • Wellbutrin
  • and the diabetes drug Avandia.

The Journal reports that the costliest health care fraud cases has been the biggest in many years. The U.S. Government had found the company guilty as “the company piling doctors with perks such as free spa treatments, Colorado ski trips, pheasant-hunting jaunts to Europe and Madonna concert tickets” that the Justice Department said
Quoting a paragraph from the Journal:

“At a news conference on Monday, and in documents posted online, the government said Glaxo spent six years – 1998 to 2003 [sic] – unlawfully promoting Paxil for patients under 18 when the drug wasn’t approved for non-adults. It said Glaxo helped prepare an article published in a medical journal in 2001 that falsely reported Paxil had proven effective at treating depression in children in a clinical trial when the trial showed no such thing.”

In reference to the other non-authorized purposes, the government accused that Glaxo had mis promoted Wellbutrin,  “approved to solely to treat depression – for number of other reasons” such as another Viagra! The Journal quoted the government said “Glaxo sales representatives sometimes referred to Wellbutrin as ‘the happy, horny, skinny pill’ as to remind doctors of the unapproved uses.”
GlaxoSmithKline, PLC had to pay another $2 billion US dollars to to cover civil penalties such as misleading Medicaid (a US Government agency and program, hence the fines) that had mistakenly misauthroized the uses of the drugs.  Additional fines included kickbacks to doctors to prescribe nine different drugs, according to the WSJ report.
In a side bar, the Journal quotes the “76-page complaint”.

Promoted Wellbutrion SR as an antidepressant, to treat obesity or sexual disorders. Example: Hired a PR firm and paid [TV’s] Dr. Drew Pinsky to ‘build buzz’ for off-label uses”
Marketed Paxil, an antidepressant, as safe for children, despite trials that raised concerns about suicide. Example: Give free samples to child psychiatrists”

I added the boldface
Glaxo had agreed to go into a Five Step Program, seriously they need to do a “five year ‘corporate integrity agreement’ in which it pledges to specific behavior”  to change various policies such as compensation plans and show their financial statements post-charges and show where the money is going.
Takeaway
What drives me nuts, is why can’t the US Government not criminally prosecute “people” instead of just the company? Why did no one blow the whistle or get “cooperating witnesses” or get “bagmen” to ambush them. (Being from Boston, I know about mobs inside and out – as an outsider of course!)  Why didn’t the government go after the doctors who were involved in favors and didn’t get them prosecuted? This is really a sick problem, and the free market has been abused, and I really wished this was taken even to a higher level of criminal prosecution, really in the sense of throwing people into federal prison for life! People had actually died because of the suicide (a lawsuit occurred with another company I can’t remember the details.)
This is what we call “corporate prostitution” – pay someone to suck up another in order to lure what the doctor wants. What’s worse is how a doctor’s office is whored with those tissue boxes, pens and oh I can’t say any more, because that’s going to be another post alone!
In all seriousness, this is a huge issue. Paxil was given to many children, and many with PDD, HFA, Asperger’s in the late 90s and they became very unstable, more unstable than not being on Paxil. I can disclose that I am currently on Welburtrion, but the first drug I had been on was Paxil. I’ll tell you that I had countless suicide attempts, and many aggressive episodes, that I suffered with hyperventilation, especially during restraints (the ignorant/arrogant staff thought because I was fighting with them during the restraint holds, was the cause. ) Not only those cause issues, but the worst case was that I had no eyebrows or eyelashes as I had plucked them out -for a crazy reason, this medicine gave me some weird side-effects.
Part of my middle school years were tainted because I was on drugs that now were – actually illegal to take. I also was dealing with a neurologist who didn’t understand PDD type of children, but yet I went through various doctors, and my psychologist (who is a prominent voice of autism, but doesn’t posses a M.D. background) was actually giving my mother and I recommendations for various medicines, that she shouldn’t been suggesting to use period given her PhD background.
Medicine isn’t the total solution, and I will explain more later, but this is a good starting point to discuss the drug industry, the “doctors” and the smartasses of the autism community.
If you interested in this story, this appeared in Tuesday’s Marketplace section of The Wall Street Journal. I quoted directly from the print edition with my dictating skills which is good to do with reading and typing skills.

NEWS ALERT: Autism rates are now 1 in 88 children!

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Where’s my breaking news bell?
No this should not be any news alert whatsoever. In fact its hideous. Its insane. It should be challenged. Or better yet, ASD should be renamed as the Autism Spectrum Disease as it has been refereed as an “epidemic.”
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control had formally announced that the cases for ASD is now in 1 and 88 children. Their answer is that there are better ways to diagnose children than back 20 years ago and there are better ways now to effectively tackle the problems.
Well we can say the same thing with the Millennial Generation. I bet 1 and 88 adults born after 1977 have a synthetic autism where they are non verbal, and their social skills are problematic where they drink and have excessive sex, degrade their elders, treat people like crap and communicate on assistive technologies (ATECH) like their iPhone, or Android or BlackBerry devices with an app called text messaging. They also use Facebook to socially network, but if you have true case of ASD, its often frowned upon indirectly. If they say something inappropriately, thats ok, but if you have a true case of ASD and you were raised to be accepted as a creep, than you would get blocked and people defriending you.
I am not bullshitting the real cases of ASD (where i still believe in the 1 in 150, not this BS coming from the Obama administration) What I am BSing, is the numbers. Just like in other industries where problems are created to create job security, i think in special education this is the same problem.
People will use man-made to describe something, but for this subject it would offend females, so I have to say that some of the autism numbers or cases may have been woman-made thanks to women (meaning someone with female reproductive parts) in leadership in the local special ed departments, the local agencies for post-21 (or older) adults, or executives in human services. And those same ones are of age that they are post-menopausal, and they have the empty-nest syndrome. So of course, that might have to do with the numbers being what it is…that can’t be a conspiracy theory, right?
Am I advocating a “cure” for autism? No. Do I believe there is a “cure”? No I do not at the moment? Do I believe the “inclusion” of special ed kids in the mainstream classrooms caused the normal students to become more “special” than their counterpart? Partially yes. Do I believe the same practice caused society to be closed minded to the ASD population? As perverted as it is – yes.
The other problem lies in between PhDs vs the Psychiatrists with an M.D. background and their clashes to combat the disorder (the PhD’s perspective) vs. the disease (the M.D.’s perspective.) The DSM 5 is supposed to come out this year, and it may get pushed back a few years later thanks to distraction disorders like “shyness” or a “broken heart” or whatever bullshit comes from the over-educated, rest of the world mindset and the anti-Christan types that are making up “labels” to rip off the insurance companies (and if Obamacare is legal, then we will be ripped off.)
Because there are so many distractions to the DSM, the politics of ASD are still up in the air, meanwhile people like yours truly has been defined by the disorder, and he cannot define himself.
They aren’t kidding when liberalism is a mental disorder. I would love to see that in the DSM, but thats way too politically incorrect to put that in there.

MSM Stories on Autism….

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I have been awake for over two and a half hours, and I was watching the early morning news programs in between watching FNC’s “Red Eye”. I was caught offguard of a news flash about autism.   It’s basically a fill in story on what appears to be a slow newsday, I am not surprised, but at least there is traction for a change as we lead into April’s Autism Awareness Month.
I’ll post video later this morning, but here’s a few blurbs from a CBS wire story,

” One out of 88 children in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder, according to the latest estimate by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Previously the CDC estimated autism’s prevalence at about an average of 1 in 110 U.S. children. The new estimate suggests autism is more common than previously thought – about 25 percent more common – and may affect more than one million children and teens in the U.S.
“One thing the data tells us with certainty – there are many children and families who need help,” CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said in a written statement. “We must continue to track autism spectrum disorders because this is the information communities need to guide improvements in services to help children.”
For the CDC’s study, researchers looked at autism prevalence estimates from 14 areas in the country. Since every state is not included, the CDC warned the rate “should not be generalized to the United States as a whole.” But the data do show that autism diagnoses continue to increase. It’s published in the March 29 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Boys are still about five times more likely to be diagnosed with autism in the U.S. than girls, according to the CDC report. It estimated one in 54 boys have autism, while one in 252 girls do. The number of children identified with ASDs ranged from 1 in 210 children in Alabama to 1 in 47 children in Utah. The largest increases were among Hispanic and black children.
Some of this increase may be due to the way children are identified, diagnosed and served in their communities, although exactly how much is due to these factors is unknown, the CDC said.
Study results from the 2008 surveillance year show more than 11 out of 1,000 8-year-old kids have been identified as having an ASD, about a 23 percent increase since the last CDC report in 2009. Some of this increase is due to the way children are identified, diagnosed and served in their communities, although exactly how much is due to these factors is unknown. “

CBSNEWS.com
In the middle of a paragraph, I love how many of the MSM is playing the gender card, by focusing on the higher number in boys. As I have previously reported the MSM loves to focus on that because it’s reversed-sexism by indirectly referring to boys as stupid, etc.

You know when you are in love…

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when its not “meant to be”.

My hopes for ANY romantic relationships have been severely downgraded to likely to hopefully to hopeful to desperate to severely desperate to to hopeless. It doesn’t help when they all fall into the same damn theme known as crushes or infatuations. It doesn’t help when they are girls that are taken and it also doesn’t help that twentysomething bitches still act like they began puberty a decade before.

It also doesn’t help when ones mother “can feel” for one, when she has the power to act like a leader and try to date for a change. Oh wait, she don’t like change ether.
If you wonder why I have such low self of esteem or standards, it goes back to the grownups in my previous life not acting like real grownups. There has been NO strong leadership in my life in the recent years which makes things not so promising.

Rest in Peace Mark Haines, part three

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I don’t often talk (or gloat) about my blog’s statistics, hits or views, because to me – its private information. I do want to mention at about 8:00pm Eastern, that I have received 150 views today. This is beyond an intraday record, since this blog often traffics on average of 20 views a day.
Every view today was linking the first two posts of the former CNBC Squawk Box anchor. The most interesting part most of the search terms outside of the generics, was specifically, autism, Autism Speaks, if “mark haines was autistic” and search phrases of his kids with autism in different terms.
I can’t confirm of how Mark Haines has a connection to the disorder, other than other CNBC talent have supported the questionable organization founded by ex NBC Universal president Bob Wright. I’m not sure if his one of his kids has the disorder, or a family member or was close to Bob & Suzanne Wright. I didn’t see the donations in lieu of flowers for Autism Speaks till I went on his memorial page on markhaines.cnbc.com this morning, and throughout the CNBC business day, they did mention the donations.
It through me off guard. The original post was just a few blurbs of someone that has autism who followed Wall Street and the markets mostly in stocks since I was about 12 or 13, with specific memories of the Squawk Box.  The snappy graphics, the theme package they used during the late 90s (it had the pre-game feel too) and the goofiness between the gang and Maria Bartiromo’s more humbler days of her walking up and down the NYSE trading floor getting the most up to date news before the bell.
In anyway, I wanted to post some of what traffic that came onto this blog and how surprised what results I was going to get other than a business newsman passed, not to know that people were searching for ASD along with the former newsman.
*
P.S. I finally spelled Squawk Box right for the first time after all these years that the show was named after the speakerphone adjunct that the traders would dial in and hear the morning’s calls of what hot stocks to buy and the ones that weren’t so hot. That’s where the name came from 🙂

I can never be happy

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Even when I get told to do whatever makes me happy. It goes back to the f****d up school system in a border community in Southern NH and a fucked up school program in MA, when those retards told me I had to be flexible and think of others and “work with” them. Hell in fact one case manager had to instruct me to “kiss up” to the director who of which was violating laws protecting my rights! You heard that right, but I never (or ever) going to sue them because I always take the higher road.
Autism is just a goddamned fraud, do you know who works in this sector? A bunch of post menopausal HAGS!  Those creepy, motherly types. Those people that want those “young adults” to really be children. You never see a twentysomething tramp working in special needs for her rest of her life… because one they don’t know what the f*** is autism and second they are bunch of sluts that are drunk from vodka 99% of the time.
I don’t know if I can say this because its not P.C. but can the jooish smartasses just think about simplifying the disorder, instead of breaking it up into a bunch of pieces to the point its waaaayyy beyond the understanding?
But no, because it would degrade their $200 piece of paper from their Ivy League university with their obscene degeree with their obscene college loans and their obcscene salaries, etc. etc.
I like to see massive cuts in special education, cuts in administrative costs, DEREGULATE special education (yup that one is for you – MASSholes!) and so when these individuals turn 21, they won’t have that creepy feeling in themselves thanks to the moronic women teachers that make them that in the classroom.
Autism IS A FRAUD!

Commentary: Autism is NOT Aspergers

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Asperger Syndrome is NOT autism! Autism is autism. Autism is a spectrum of severity of the disorder and a melting pot of disorders including developmental, neurological, mental and emotional disorders.
Why should Asperger’s be classifed as autism when they are functioning themselves? They can take care of themselves. They can drive, go to college and get a girl without any assistance.
These politics make autism a vague (read: alleged) and growing skeptism of the disorder when it keeps evolving, to use the phrase of the antichrist psychologist community.

Why I *hate* the University of New Hampshire

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In light of the union hackerama brohaha at the University of New Hampshire, thats getting some hyperlocal media play, I thought I’d write a blurb or two about why UNH not only screws the taxpayers, but the most vulnerable people in this state.
First off, its only funded by the state for less than 2%. Why? Because in New Hampshire, we are known to spend the way of being frugal,  for the kids to get aid, the state puts a minimal amount to their budget. So the rest of the 98% is for other revenues, tuition, alumni, and other crap.
Another problem is the college’s way of not teaching practical skills for some of their practical studies. Most of the UNH kids major in partying than majoring in real subjects. And most of their programs do not apply to their state, i.e. Global Warming, and their globalization agenda – on the taxpayers dime! Also, many come here not from New Hampshire and the native graduates often  never come back to this state. And most of these bastards are from the rich families (i.e. snobs) and they often have an IQ bordering on room temperature regardless what education they previously had.
Oh and did I mention that their Institute on Disability that is a resource to the college for disabilities like autism, that is being taken advantage by the people who are really disabled? That department is for resource for the teaching studies, “professional development” but the resource is never used for the ones who can talk and attempt to learn in a college level.
As I tried to get results with one of the hack from UNH back last May in Bretton Woods, at the Family Support Conference, I told the hack that many people with ASD are turning 21 to find out they will be in limbo because there isn’t anything for them. I should told that guy also that UNH was asleep at the switch for not warning of the tsunami of the autistics turning 21 in the last and the next few years.  They could had done something, but they didn’t.
I hate UNH to death, and I have met only two decent people who went there and didn’t get their minds filled of goo.  One is a far rightie and one is leftist, so theres some true diveristy you don’t often hear at the Institution in Durham.
To partially steal the phrase from Michael Dell, if I ran UNH, I would give the money back to the taxpayers.