Another Senseless Tragedy...

People who prefer to find blame in vaccines, often look at us who embrace neurodiversity as being unrealistic. We even are accused of not having our children's best interests in mind. First and foremost, after years of studies continue to find no link between vaccines and autism, why is there still a debate? Why is anyone wasting their breath on this? All the money and media mention--for what?

Those who hold onto the hope of a cure for autism and support pouring millions into such research, also look at us in this same light. Let's be brutally honest here: there will never be a true "cure," not in the traditional sense of the word. What will come in the next several years, most likely, is a prenatal screening for well-documented "autism genes" or other markers for autism. Then, just like we've seen with Down Syndrome, pregnant women will be counseled to abort their fetus based on the positive autism test. A secondary "cure" would most likely be a combination of medications and supplements. There will never be a "magic pill" or procedure to "rid" someone of autism.

So, with all of that in mind, these same people continue to attack those on the ND side of things. We are called every name in the book. There is plenty of confusion as to what Neurodiversity means (as well as what Autism awareness should be), and what so many of us are fighting for. For me, and for most of the parents I know, we are fighting for better services for our children. We want programs created and funded now for teen and adult autistics. We demand better teacher training, employer seminars, first-responders' awareness on autism. We see a dire need for better options for autistics and their families: living arrangements, vocational and education programs, and so on. We also desire our children to be accepted by society, and at the very least tolerated in our communities. We want the world to embrace our child, and see all the gifts we see (for all our children, all over the spectrum).

Our concerns stem not only out of the love we have for our children, but from our fears that arise hearing about stories of abuse. Talk about intervention and treatments (that are respectful to autistics), yes. But how can any of us spend another minute blaming vaccines and promising cures, when our children are being abused, neglected, and killed?

Gabriel Poirier was nine years old when he was suffocated to death at his school. The details of his death are horrifying, and we yet to have all of the facts (like, why the teacher thought this was a viable option?). From The Gazette:

On April 17, Gabriel began to disturb his class with loud sounds. After being told repeatedly to calm down by a teacher, he was rolled in a weighted blanket. With his arms by his side, he was left on his stomach for over 20 minutes with only his toes exposed.

When the teacher went to check on him, he was "listless and blue in the face," the Coroner's report said. The teacher called 911 but the boy was already in a deep coma and passed away the next day in the Sainte-Justine hospital.

"He was a very gentle boy. Sometimes he was loud, but he was never aggressive or violent," Gilles Poirier, the boy's father, said today.

The parents' lawyer, Jean-Pierre Ménard, said vulnerable children like Gabriel need better protection.

"We're asking Minister Courchesne to implement a legal framework to regulate how these children are handled," Ménard said.

To think of how terrified Gabriel must have been as he gasped for breath, and the pain his parents are feeling--we cannot look the other way. My heart goes out to his family and friends. We must all learn from Gabriel's story, and not let his death be in vain. This is yet another wake-up call: our attitudes toward autism and autistics needs to change. What is it going to take to for all of us, autism parents and society, to come together and ensure such a tragedy never happens again?

In the words of Gabriel's father:

"Things, or action should be taken to prevent this, to never happen again."

For more information on how you can get involved, please visit these sites:

End Abuse of Children in Residential Programs: ACT TODAY!

APRAIS - The Alliance to Prevent Restraint, Aversive Interventions, and Seclusion

CAICA - Coalition Against Institutionalized Child Abuse

High Functioning? Then Shut Up!

That's the message sent loud and clear by nearly every autism organization (in the media spotlight: TACA, Autism Speaks, et al.) these days. They don't care what you were like as a child, what your struggles were, or the issues you face now. If you are able to speak to reporters or blog or live independently or hold down a job, they don't need you. Rather, they'd prefer you just shut up and go away.

Oh, but wait...but they do need you. Sometimes, at least.

A lot of the comments from the ABC piece were, as expected, the same regurgitated message we hear lately. The idea that those with Asperger's (or that are "high/er functioning" as they put it) can't possibly be on the same journey as those with classic autism. Don't listen to them. That's not the autism my child has! Those people have no right to speak for the autism community! And yet, it's amazing who they do want to represent the "autism moms" of the world. It's also interesting to see how these people determine what "high functioning" is and what it isn't. It's also curious to learn their criteria, if they have any, for "Autism Recovery."

This group (typically the anti-vaccine and pro-cure folks) presumes that an individual living with Asperger's has not faced any struggles. That they don't have sensory issues, meltdowns, social or communication issues. Basically, in their eyes, they have no business being on the autism spectrum (hello?!). They apparently have never been bullied, don't have problems at school, have no trouble living independently, and all can easily find jobs. Anyone who knows an Aspie or someone who is (as others would classify as being) "higher functioning," can attest, this is not the case. Not to mention, the now-Aspie adults who were previously diagnosed with classic autism as a child. Unless those individuals can be used to further sell their "cures" and you agree to be exploited, labeled "recovered," they don't want to hear from you.

They treat us parents who find joy in our autistic children in the same manner. We are crazy, foolish, and even sometimes seen as harming our children. Really--harming them by not injecting them and not forcing supplements down their throats. Harming them by not subjecting our children to needless and harmful chelation and a myriad of other "treatments." Harming our kids by letting them know we respect and love them? We parents who are not suffering, we are a major inconvenience for these organizations. The parents and autistics who believe in and promote neurodiversity, are even described as being "radical."

Neurodiversity is about real civil (and human) rights. People all along the spectrum are being abused, discriminated against, and are not given equal protection. Many have to fight (and sometimes lose) in order to get the right to an education, to work, and even to participate in our culture--and that is the entire spectrum.

It's interesting to me--those who are seeking a cure (and are disgusted by acceptance or "neurodiversity"), are very quick to use the "1 in 150" stats, and employ them to make a case that there is indeed an "autism epidemic." Yet, they continually discredit adult autistics. When autistics speak, they are the first people to dispute what is being said.

The "1 in 150" includes the entire spectrum. You can't pick and choose how you interpret that number (the one that points to an "epidemic"). You can't use a certain subset of autistics only when they, as a number or statistic, suit your needs.



I had drafted this last week just following the Neurodiversity segment on TV. I read Joy of Autism last night, where this myth along with others are brought to our attention:

4. Biomed autism advocates like Jenny McCarthy's TACA group need and use "higher-functioning" autistic people in their statistics to try to prove there is an "epidemic" on the one hand, while stating on the other that they are not "severe" enough to speak for autistic people.

These myths really need to be addressed by all of us, and especially by groups like TACA, Autism Speaks, and so forth.

"Evidence of Mitochondrial Dysfunction In Autism and Implications for Treatment"

That caught your eye, huh? Please read this publication: www.scipub.org/fulltext/ajbb/ajbb42208-217.pdf

Sounds rather startling at first. But then, when you dig a bit further, the reality of it all gets much clearer.

First of all, having mitochondrial dysfunction is NOT the same as having mitochondrial disease. It is not surprising that people with various neurological disorders would have abnormal lab results for these various markers. But it is a big leap to take those irregularities to mean someone has a mitochondrial disease. Or, to make an ever bigger leap to assume that those "cases," are those in which toxins played a role. This article wants you to assume that your child is not born with autism.

Then you come to the part where the "treatment" for these autistic children with "mitochondrial dysfunction" is, guess what? The DAN! Protocol, followed by supposed evidence of the benefits of HBOT. OH BOY! So, I do a few checks, and the two authors of this "piece" (it's not a study, merely a 4 3/4 page article, with 5 pages of references) are, no shock here, DAN! doctors. They have a facility in Melbourne, FL. They encourage IV chelation, HBOT, etc. to "treat" autism. They have now put a big fancy new label of "MtD" on autism, perhaps to convince more parents to "treat" their child?

The label and use of "MtD" instead of autism suggests that autism is in fact a physical disease, an illness, which requires treatment or a cure. This is precisely what TACA, DAN!, and others who view and depict autistics as less than human, that is what they would like you to believe. That also inflates their already fat pockets. This is all a disgusting ploy to get more money. And, we've all seen how parents struggling to "cure" their autistic child instead of love and accept them, we've seen the damage that can result in. I now see exactly where Mr. Kirby was going with his article. I'm fairly certain I have tracked down all of these so-called studies he is referring to and where his "fuzzy" statistics (depicted as fact, backed by scientific evidence & studies) came from.

I think I am more appalled then ever. I see now why this frenzy was started, and the vaccine lawsuits are the tip of the iceberg. It goes way beyond those court cases. I realize now that it is indeed all about money for the DAN! doctors and treatment centers and spreading their hurtful message. This furthers their agenda, that we should not accept autism or autistics.

And It Begins...

Someone warned me this wasn't going to go away, and that I'd surely be writing about it again. They were right. By the end of this, I'm not sure if I'll have any hair left to pull out. I figured it was only a matter of time before some of the big groups ran with this. However, I really hoped that at the very least, organizations would read the facts of the case and realize it has nothing to do with their "cause."

The National Autism Association (by the way, isn't this a sports league?) has announced that the ruling in the now infamous case (you know, the one that is really about mito and vaccines, not autism and vaccines, that one) confirms what all those parents have known all along: Vaccines cause autism. And now, they delight, the government is finally admitting it.

You know, it's one thing for a handful of people to skim through the case documents and conclude something like that. It's quite another to have person upon person, and now organization, to declare some sort of warped victory in all of this. It's really upsetting to me how many people will simply take someone else's word. It's the Operator Game theory--some of the case papers are released, a couple of anti-vaxers write on it (in their opinion), and next thing you know, the headline reads: "Government Finally Admits Vaccines Are Bad," or "Government Finally Comes Clean, They've Been Giving Autism To Generations," and so on!

The National Autism Association (NAA) sees the ruling as confirmation of what so many parents have been saying for years. "This case echoes the stories of thousands of children across the country. With almost 5,000 similar cases pending in vaccine court, we are confident that this is just the first of many that will confirm what we have believed for so long, vaccines can and do cause children to regress into autism," says Wendy Fournier, parent and president of NAA. "We call on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to acknowledge that the current vaccine schedule is not safe for every child and as with the administration of any medicine, individual risks and susceptibilities must be considered for each patient."

This may come as a shock to some...but I am actually speechless after that!