Final Course Reflection

For my final course reflection I thought I would discuss something that has irritated me since beginning to work with children on the spectrum. Within the Autism community there is a subculture of people who believe autism can be cured. Two of the most popular of these organizations are Cure Autism Now and Defeat Autism Now. While I certainly understand parents' with children on the spectrum need to "fix" their children, it is not a disease. DSM-IV-TR defines Autism and Asperger's as a qualitative impairment. A disease is a sickness. Cancer is a disease. Obviously, there are many people who would disagree with me. I understand that there are differences in brain scans and other "medical" differences in children with Autism. I understand the need for proper diagnosis and treatment. Simon Baron-Cohen takes it once step further and says that Asperger's should not even be considered a disability. It should be considered a difference. (Baron-Cohen, 2002)

We have all met someone who was a little "socially off". I recently went to an asthma specialist that never looked me in the eye once during the twenty minutes he was in the exam room. Richard G. of Great Britain stated on his website, "Only a person's close friends or relatives, or doctors, are likely to be able to judge whether he or she can be diagnosed with autism or Asperger's syndrome. But it is illuminating to learn of people with similar characteristics to ourselves, especially when those people are successful or well-known." (Richard G, 2002) Do you think that we should have "cured" Einstein, Beethoven or Alexander Graham Bell? What are the implications for literature if Jane Austin, Emily Dickinson, and Franz Kafka had "recovered"? People with Autism and Asperger's have made significant improvements and contributions to the world. Certainly, you would not have considered Thomas Jefferson and Henry Ford to have had a disease.

Can you imagine the emotional fallout in saying that Autism is a disease? According to recent studies, as many as 1 in 166 children could be diagnosed with Autism. Are you going to be responsible for telling those children they have a "disease" that causes them to have deficits in the way their brain processes information? I am not. We all have deficits. Yes, every single one of us. Some have more than others. President Bush, I am talking to you. In a country where a C average student with an obvious deficit in communication can grow up to be president based solely on his family's financial success and political influence, you would think people would be more tolerant of other people's idiosyncrasies.

Children with Autism are children first. Why should we condemn them to a lifetime of feeling inferior just because they do not fit into the "norm" of what we think people should act like. Why should we consider it a deficit to not have a drive to be social? There are many of us that would rather be by ourselves than with others. My idea of a perfect afternoon would be gardening for hours on end without being disturbed by man or beast. Why should it be considered a disability to have narrow interests? I heard a friend say that children with autism are masters of nothing important. Who makes the decision about what is important and what is not? My brother hunts, a lot. Ideally, he would hunt everyday during every season. Does he hunt out of necessity? No, he is a statistician executive for a major pharmaceutical company. Does his obsession with hunting make him weird? A little bit. Does it mean he has a disability? Decidedly not. Should there be a committee to decide what is important to the human race? If you are thinking "yes, that is a GREAT idea" please take this opportunity to leave my blog. What ever happened to allowing people to be individuals?

What children on the spectrum need, instead of doomsday predictions and focusing on what they can't do, is support of what they can do. You can use that to build their skills. "Any focus on intervention must begin with a acknowledgement of the strengths, potential, and significant contributions already made by people with Asperger's Syndrome. (Baker & Welkowitz, 2005) An Asperger's diagnosis is not a death sentence. Might it make life more difficult? Of course. With the right interventions, the quality of life for these children as they grow into adults can be just like everyone else's. Will their lives be perfect? Not a chance. But then again, is your life perfect?


See you next time,
Sara

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, D.C.: Author.

Baker, L. & Welkowitz, L.A. (eds.) Asperger's Syndrome: Intervening in Clinics, Schools, and Communities (Erlbaum Assoc, 2005), p.2.

Baron-Cohen, S. (2002). Is asperger's syndrome necessarily viewed as a disability? Focus on Autism and Other developmental Disabilities, 17 (3), 186-191.

G, Richard, (2002). Famous People with Autistic Traits. Retrieved January 7, 2007, from Richard G. Web site: http://www.geocities.com/richardg_uk/famousac.html