Some days, I feel like I am in the middle ages, or the middle of the 20th century with backa– agendas against any or all autistics.
Because I understand the spectrum of the autism spectrum disorder, its diversity and complexity, I’ve always kept a netural tone. I’ve been a strong advocate towards inclusion of all members of the ASD world; and steal a page out of the playbook from the worlds of Down’s and the deaf and blind. They don’t want a cure. They want better treatment and better QOL standards. By no means, have I ever endorsed the “hip” nature to be autistic. I always kept a sensitivity to the “lower functioning”. But I’ve never spoke for them, and I don’t expect anyone should speak for me. In fact no one should speak for me – PERIOD. I can speak for myself.
I can speak for how being told about my autism destroyed my entire life. I’m a talking and functioning guy saying how being told my autism destroyed my life.
So without too much anger or emotions against sites like the Age of Autism whom are written by apparent hatrid, vitriol parents of severely autistic children – whom have been very rigid that the US Government had covered up the vaccines linking to autistic cases. (Oh wait, I can’t use “autistic” because we don’t call a child with cancer “cancerous” – oh wait that should be used instead to describe the condition and not have the condition define the child!)
So on Saturday, one of their “contributing editors” is apparently jealous that Speechless on ABC is so successful and with a positive reaction, that they want to get-even with a disturbing narrative focusing on the severely autistic. I’ll quote their wimpy, comeback:
I’m writing a TV sitcom series, “Saving Zero,” based on my experience as a co-founder and fundraiser for a group home in Austin, Texas. In my sitcom, Josh — father of Benjy, a 25-year-old son with autism — intends to establish an archipelago of group homes, ranches, and villages where teens and young adults with autism can find or create jobs. But Zero, a new arrival at Hope Ranch, has no intention of working. He intends to sabotage the ranch and pursue his destiny.
Maybe you’ve seen “Speechless,” comedy series about a mom on a mission who will do anything for JJ, her eldest son with cerebral palsy. Like Speechless, my series focuses on the struggles facing staff and ASD residents at the Ranch. I’m writing the episodes with some friends on spec, which means I’m looking for a producer.
For one thing, why are they in a facility? There is A LOT OF ABUSE that has occurred in facilities. This would be a violation to the Medicaid Waiver’s Community Based Support funding if Texas is funding such facility. This is exactly what occurred in my state over a century ago that went down the crapper, with the latter years of TV monitors gated, people being showered outside fully clothed, and even cases of sexual abuse.
They must be on some substance. Why? Because some of their frequented commenters claim that the MSM focuses too much on the high functioning types, the ones who run the ASAN.
WTF? I used to watch news 2, 3, 4 times a day watching the cable networks, talk radio, the all news radio, and the network newscasts. They never gave anyone who could speak a voice, if anything it’s the standard, runaway autistics, and any narrative that involved someone who is underage and is a boy. These people live in a really alternative world. The media is so biased, that I now watch any MSM 2, 3, 4 times a month, and get headlines here and there, knowing we are all going to hell, it’s just a manner of when.
What’s very disturbing is how they are so insistent that the vaccines caused their kids autism that they still live on a vendetta. I’m going to be blunt, I’d really question if these parents who run AOA have actually thought of killing themselves or their children. They don’t seem to love their kids at all, and yet they claim to be spreading a very negative side, I mean this narrative looks very morbid. Will anyone take any morbid narratives seriously? It’ll make the viewers turn away. Even in Speechless the show is not all rosey. The purpose of that series is how J.J. becomes successful after 14 years of “experts” telling Mrs. DeMaeo J.J. can’t do anything; and how she’s has to deal with acceptance he can function in some capacity.
What’s more disturbing is the possibility of how the parents are suppressing their kid’s ability. Is the parents exploiting their children for their own narcissstic “social capital”? Are the parents also treating them less if they are a “normal” child because they know their kids is “disabled”? Do they really thing nothing is going in there?
There is ways to make some cases of autism a way to hit the nerve. However they have gone so sensational, borderline tabloid journalism to get the message. And it hasn’t helped their cause only to hold them even backwards. “autism” to them is something where they are childlike, mute and dumb. Something they haven’t learned in the blind and deaf community a century ago.
Sometimes living with autism is extremely painful giving my day to day life being “high functioning” and the ingorance of the parents claiming they can “speak” for their (adult) kids.