Autistic and Healthy

I can get really angry at just a few things, most of which have to do with autism.  Here is my angry autism list,–

1.       People on the fringes of the medical profession trying to sell parents a “cure” for autism.  Professionals who are clearly looking for financial gain and just don’t understand autism.  Medical professionals are leaping aboard the autism train, seeing it as a ride to a gold mine where 1 in now 100 kids in the US alone are being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

2.       Medical professionals who don’t want to diagnosis autism because caring for an autistic child and their family is too much work.  So they ignore the characteristics of PDD and don’t send the child for early intervention. Once again, it is about money and time and if you don’t want to take care of all kids, just “normal” kids, then don’t be a pediatric specialist. 

3.       Politicians, who want to gain popularity through endorsement of autism research funds, then don’t follow through.  I would also put on this list, people who start a charity to benefit autism, while increasing their own bank accounts at a greater rate than they are donating.

4.       Family members who just don’t understand autism, and attack your parenting skills.  I would also mention the family members who look for someone in the family to blame for this “bad” gene pool. 

5.       Finally, educators who can’t be bothered to educate autistic kids.  Also on this list is the educators who are in an administrative position that use the funds given them for an autistic child for something other than that child. 

Yesterday was a particularly bad autism list day—I started off my day listening to a recording that someone had sent me from “professionals” who took a spin on the DAN! Diet by selling it as a cure, and not as a part of the approach to treat autism, like ABA, S/T, O/T, etc.   And this recording was distributed nationwide to a group of sales professionals selling a supplement—AAAHHH tell me that isn’t about money.   Then I had a call with a Mom who didn’t get early help for their child because the pediatrician didn’t want to do all the paperwork required for the referrals and this Mom was concerned that she had lost valuable therapy time for her son.  So then let’s go on the 3, the Politicians I had a family member tell me that I don’t run Autistic and Healthy right because I should be rich with all the work I do like the autism charity that was featured in the local paper—This family member has never even bothered to listed to the podcasts, visit the website,  or anything and when I read the article on the charity it clearly wasn’t a charity, but rather a pass donations through for partial donation and big profit to the owners.  Then I got blasted by a family member about why I have kids with autism and theirs don’t—won’t be talking to them again soon.  And just to finish out my day, I talked to a Mom about what she should do about the principle who has decided to give her child’s aide away to another child who doesn’t receive special services for part of the day.  I wasn’t doing my happy happy joy joy dance. . . .

I usually have a couple of angry autism list issues each day, but rarely all of them in such magnitude.  Sure I was angry and frustrated, but I woke up this morning more committed to Autistic and Healthy, more committed to the vision I had years ago, and more committed to holding your hand as we walk this fight together, another hour, another day, and another sunrise.  God Bless you all–Ann