We're Pretty Good At Cleaning Up Poop...
It's the crap we can't handle..
So starts an alert from NAA that hit my mailbox this morning. Trying to get a linkie thingie, so you can read the alert in its entirety...
Here's two paragraphs that I want you all to read, read, read and read again...(emphasis added by moi)
"More crap: overly aggressive combination vaccination schedules that haven't been properly tested; American Academy of Pediatrics' sluggish response to biomedical treatments that are helping thousands of children on the spectrum; thousands of families unable to afford therapy and medical treatments; millions of dollars going to the wrong research. And on top of that, continually being told that autism is a gift.
Autism is not a gift. Our children are the gift. Autism is the inability to communicate, the inability to be comfortable, the inability to stay safe. Autism is stomach ache and insomnia and seizures and headbanging and dozens of other symptoms unworthy of a bow. But our children are human beings worthy of prevention, treatment, and hope for recovery."
Amen, Amen, AMEN!!!!!
posted by Petra @ 10:25 AM
5 Comments
5 Comments:
Hi Petra:
I think your blog is great.
What really gets me are the types such as Susan Senator who are out there conveying to people to just accept and "make peace" with their children's autism. What kind of message is this? What scares me the most are the new parents and completely cluless (sorry!) parents who would listen to this message and delay or fail to get any biomedical treatment for their children.
It's fine if she chooses to have this ignorant attitude, but it is very disturbing that she preaches it on her blog and in her book. I hope well informed parents see past this "just love your child and that will be plenty" attitude and seek the help that is out there for their kids.
Hey anonymous,
Thanks for dropping in. And thanks for the compliment.
Well, on the "making peace with autism" part, I think my stance on that is pretty clear. Never, ever!!! And to be brutally honest, I question whether people that proclaim again and again that they've "made peace", truly have. Personally, I think they just gave up on their child(ren) and took the easy way out. But that's obviously just MY opinion.
I will, until I take my very last breath, encourage parents, both of newly diagnosed kiddos and those that have been at this for a while, to explore any and all avenues available to get their kids to a better place. TREATING autism has NOTHING to do with not loving your child for who he or she is, or with 'being angry that you didn't get that perfect child you feel you are entitled to' (another "favorite" justification for why parents should just sit back and do nothing).
On the contrary, I think that helping your child overcome the, significant, limitations that autism has placed on them (regardless of what flavor of autism you are dealing with) shows how MUCH you love them.
Keep fighting the good fight..
I completely agree. It will forever baffle me why some parents do nothing. I guess it depends on where your priorities are. My entire life is focused on helping my child in any way I can. I think some just burn out and want to move on and many actually trust the very doctors (and people within these centers) who are completely clueless to the biomedical side of autism. I will never understand this ignorance.
What also baffles me are the parents who would listen to someone telling them to just "make peace" with autism. Senator has an older child (as she writes on her blog)who they are now considering for residential placement. She's never apparently supported or done any biomedical intervention and she claims on her blog that they are now considering this placement due to her son's severe behaviors.
I'm sorry, but this is the last person I would be taking advice from.
Well, as the mother of a child who goes through periods of intense and very aggressive "behaviors", all I can say is that my heart does go out to Sue. Having to make the decision in favor of residential placement must be heartbreaking (if I ever have to make that decision it would absolutely destroy me).
I haven't found the 'magic treatment' for the aggressive outbursts in my own child yet; all I can say is that significant progress has been made in that area over the last 6 months or so. And that I'll keep searching for the pieces that can help him best (and if those pieces include medication, so be it..)
On the flip side, I also know of people who have tried everything biomed under the sun and who, despite their very best efforts, are also faced with the residential placement decision. So sometimes residential placement IS the best option...
Anon, Susan is a friend of mine. And we agree to disagree on much about treating our kids.
However, she has been a trail blazer within the schools when her son was little and there was next to nothing available. She doesn't push her views onto others, except to share them. You won't find her neck deep in the much thrown about by others. Why does it bother you if she's made peace with autism? Her book is just her family's journey -she's not telling you that you have to follow. There are plenty of other ND's to pick on besides Susan.
I write about why I choose to treat my kids biomedically and work endlessly for them in my chapter in "Embracing Autism." Susan wrote the foreward. Did I dislike the title, oh yes! I don't embrace autism, I embrace PEOPLE with autism. There's a difference.
Just my thoughts.
As I said, Susan is a friend. And I've no qualms about stating that. Even if it befuddles some people.
KIM
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