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@realautism-blog
I have a recommendation for a manga that could be good for parents of children with autism. Its called With the Light: Raising an Austitic child. It doesn't disrespect autism and includes tips for parents with autistic children.
Oh thank you so much! I will definitely look into this and see what it offers.Â
-Nate
(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpeH6qaii78)
IMPORTANT PSA
The following movie is now in theaters:
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
Take this movie as fact
Let it scare you
Let it make you blieve that vaccines are dangerous
Let it change your opinion
The Anti-Vaxxers are going to be out in full force right now and we need to remind ourseves that they are LYING. VACCINATE. VACCINES SAVE LIVES
This has been a PSA
Stay vigilent friends!
This is a reminder to please vaccinate.
With the movie Vaxxed screening please keep in mind that vaccines do not nor have they ever caused Autism.
We will be reviewing the film when itâs finished screening and is available to a larger audience.
Okay, I just looked this up and this is such bullshit. The fucking study that âprovedâ the link between MMR jabs and Autism was ENTIRELY FALSIFIED, and the dickhead that published it lost his license for it, as he damn well should have.Â
I know you guys probably know this already, but UGH Iâm so pissed off about this right now.Â
Exactly, And Vaxxed has backers. It's important to spread awareness that proves otherwise when there are these bullshit claims being spread about.
With the movie Vaxxed screening please keep in mind that vaccines do not nor have they ever caused Autism.
We will be reviewing the film when itâs finished screening and is available to a larger audience.
Letter from an autistic autism reseacher
I am autistic.
But I am also an autism researcher. As a researcher, I feel I have a responsibility to the autistic community to collect empirical data in only the most straightforwardly honest and ethical way possible, and to interpret such data with the utmost caution.
Letâs be frank: the scientific community has a long history of wronging autistics. We have claimed to know much more than we really did. We have claimed and indeed promised to have found so-called âmiracle curesâ. We have belittled you, and we have lied to you.
The original sin of autism research began with Bruno Bettelheim, who characterized autism as an attachment disorder in his book âThe Empty Fortressâ (charming title, right?).
According to Bettelheim, autism was caused by one thing: mothers so cold and unloving that their children would give up seeking comfort from others and turn inward. He called these mothers ârefrigerator mothersâ, and he considered the damage done by them to their children to be irreparable. The only acceptable treatment was to remove the child from their family and institutionalize them for the rest of their lives. And this was done. On the basis of this theory, mothers were torn away from their children, some forcibly so by ugly lawsuits.
One problem: there was no evidence at all that mothers of autistic children were cold. And they werenât. Autism is not caused by bad parenting. This was the first lie we told you.
You would think that by the time people came to agree that this was wrong, that weâd have learned our lesson. That we would no longer make extraordinary claims without extraordinary evidence. But we did not. People continued to search for a magic bullet: a straightforward explanation of autismâs etiology that would provide for a âquick fixâ. Something that, in all likelihood, does not exist.
Here are just a few examples of the lies weâve told you since then.
 Myth: Mercury in vaccines causes autism.
Truth: Ethyl Mercury (used a preservative in vaccines) and Methyl Mercury (toxic) are two entirely different chemical compounds. Nonetheless, mercury was removed from vaccines. Autism continued to exist. As a result of removing mercury from vaccines, the price of immunizations rose 500%, substantially raising the profit margin to be made by pharmaceutical companies. In addition, vaccines can no longer be cheaply transported across the world, when they once could be â for example, to sub-Saharan Africa.
 Myth: The MMR vaccine causes colitis, which causes autism.
Truth: This claim is based on a study done by a man named Andrew Wakefield. He used to be a doctor, but has since lost his license to practice medicine. No other author of this paper still claims authorship of it, and it has since been retracted by the journal it was published in, in a statement which called it an âelaborate fraudâ. Indeed, there is substantial evidence that Wakefield altered his data in severely unethical ways: for example, retroactively changing the diagnoses (from âno autismâ to âautismâ, for example) and developmental history (claiming that they had no previous developmental concerns when, in fact, they did) of his participants. He claimed that his patients were âconsecutively referredâ, when they were cherry-picked from an anti-MMR campaign. In reality, the entire study was funded by planned litigation against pharmaceutical companies. He even took blood samples from kids at his sonâs birthday party. Iâm not joking. And Iâve barely scratched the surface of this hoax.
Can you say âvampireâ?
As a result of this hoax, there are now large pockets of the United States which have fallen below the level of immunization required for herd immunity (the barrier that prevents the rampant spread of disease) â but these children, who are largely from wealthy families, are not the ones who are most at risk. People who simply cannot be vaccinated (ie, babies too young to receive live vaccines, or people with cancer, or HIV/AIDS, or autoimmune diseases) are the ones who are most at risk to die of horrible yet completely preventable diseases. Why? Andrew Wakefield.
And so, you see, I must apologize on behalf of the scientific community. We have wronged you and we have wronged the world. And there are some of us who continue to wrong you â to seek false âcuresâ, when no such thing should even exist.
But I want to bring hope.Â
By and large, autism researchers today are good people, aware of the mistakes of the past and not wanting to repeat them. Not all â but most. Though we must remain vigilant for the shadows in sheepâs clothing, there is still much work to be done and I think the best way to assure it is being done correctly is simple:Â
Have a voice. Be involved. Be heard. And be loud.
And, as an autistic autism researcher, Iâm doing just that.
Elliot
Hello! Iâm Elliot, 20 years old, hailing from New York. I work as a researcher studying autism spectrum disorder, and I also have autism (plus a host of comorbidity*). I was diagnosed when I was seven years old with Aspergerâs Disorder, now known as autism spectrum disorder. At that time psychopathology became a special interest of mine, and now itâs my career; call me a narcissist, I suppose.
My research focuses on comorbidity seen within the autism spectrum. What predicts comorbid depression, anxiety, or other conditions? How does being autistic change the symptom presentation of a comorbid disorder, or conversely, how do comorbid disorders affect autism? Are two or more disorders present in the same individual equivalent merely to the sum of their parts, as if existing independently, or are they so intertwined that they become another thing altogether? These are the questions that interest me most. My approach is one of trans-diagnostically comparative psychopathology: how are distinctly different disorders (for example, autism and schizophrenia) the same, and how are they different, and what can we learn both neurobiologically and phenotypically from their comparison? At the moment I am a research assistant and honors student in my lab, doing research funded by a grant from the Autism Science Foundation. Next year, Iâll be going to a PhD program.
Iâm also an active autistic self-advocate; I recently spoke on a panel at an autism symposium in New York City. Aside from that, I love cats, creative writing in all its forms, and board games. Iâm writing a memoir which is currently over 100 pages and about 35,000 words long. Iâm a little eccentric (lately Iâve been wearing flower crowns and calling myself the forest prince) and very persistent or stubborn, depending on how you look at it.
Nice to meet you!
* ADHD-Inattentive type, Bipolar 1, Borderline Personality Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder, Developmental Coordination Disorder/Dyspraxia.
Hello All!
Since Iâve added a second admin to the blog let me introduce myself, since there will now be two people writing on here on a regular basis.
Iâm Nate. 24. Canadian . I created the blog Real Autism as a way to bust the countless myths about autism that are floating around there, and to give autistic issues an autistic voice. I do not claim to be an expert on the subject, nor should I be taken as one. My thoughts on this site are at the end of the day, opinion based.
So a little bit about me! Iâm diagnosed with Aspergerâs Pervasive Developmental Disorder with co-morbid ADHD. (I have a host of other mental illnesses but you can read about those on the âAdminsâ page). Iâm generally sarcastic and I swear a lot. I like to read, write and paint. Iâm studying history and I love to do research in my spare time.
It is my hope that real autism can bring awareness to autistic issues, without the misunderstandings that seem to constantly surround it.
-Nate
Hello All! I have exciing news, I have added a second admin.writer to this blog. Please welcome psychonautie to the blog!
Hey, I'm only talking anonymously because in my blog I am not me and I'm one of those strange people that likes to stay in character. But I need to say something. I love what you are doing. Having two brothers with Autism it always frustrated me when they were picked on because they different. I honestly don't know what to say because I am speechess. Thank you for just being you and don't ever stop.
Hey There!This is such a sweet message! Thank you so much for sending it. Iâm glad that I have impacted you in such a way.Â
Best, Nate
In honor of Autism Awareness Month, what about shutting up, sitting the fuck down and listening to what autistic people have to say about autism?
1. Autism is a fundamental part of who we are and how we experience the world and it cannot be separated from who we are as people. Autism isnât something that is happening to us, itâs something we are. Do not tell us that autism is something that we have or something that weâre suffering from, that we only have value if we can separate our identities and our personalities from autism. For the vast majority of autistic people, autism is a part of our identity which means that despite common belief most of us prefer to be called âautisticâ as opposed to âpeople with autism.â
2. The vast majority of autistic people do not want a cure, we want acceptance and accommodations. Do not put your time and money into researching how to cure autism and how to prevent it, put time and money into accommodating and accepting autistic people. We do not wish to become neurotypical, we wish to change society so that we can be accommodated, accepted and included as autistic people. Our goal isnât to become as close to neurotypical as possible, it is to get the opportunity to live happy, fulfilling lives as autistic people. It is society that needs to chance, not us.
3. We do not support Autism Speaks or their campaign #LightItUpBlue and neither should you. If you want to support autistic people, check out ASAN or Autism Womenâs Network instead. If you want to know why Autism Speaks isnât supported by autistic people, this post contains links to a lot of resources on the topic.
4. Functioning labels are inaccurate and harmful and they do not give a nuanced description of what kind of support an autistic person needs. Instead of calling an autistic person âhigh functioningâ or âlow-functioningâ name the specific issues or strengths youâre referring to. Are they non-verbal? Say that. Are they able to manage a job? Say that. Are they unable to drive? Say that. Do not attempt to force us into two boxes, one of which are used to invalidate or struggles and ignore our deficits and the other one being used to ignore our assets and deny our humanity.
5. Non-verbal autistic people can and do learn to communicate using other communication forms than verbal speech and theyâre all individuals with their own thoughts, feelings, wants and opinions. You do not get to speak on behalf of non-verbal autistic people. You do not get to assume that you know exactly what they think, want and feel, especially not when you have never made any effort to communicate with any of them. Instead of assuming that you know what non-verbal autistic people think and feel, try listening to what they have to say by reading the words of some non-verbal autistic people such as @lysikan or Amy Sequenzia or Emma Zurcher-Long.
6. ABA is harmful and abusive. The goal of ABA isnât to help autistic people develop coping methods and helpful strategies, it is to train and force them into hiding their autistic traits by all means possible. If you do not see why this is a problem or if you want to learn more about why it is such a big problem, this masterpost by @neurowonderful contains a lot of resources on why ABA is harmful.
7. If you want to learn more about autism, listen to autistic people - not our parents, our siblings, our therapists our or caregivers. Autistic people are the ones who know the most about being autistic, so if you want to learn about autism weâre the ones you should ask. If you want to learn more about the different aspects of autism, @neurowonderfulâs youtube series âAsk An Autisticâ is a good place to start. You can also send any questions you might have about autism to @askanautistic where autistic people are ready to answer them for you.
Please reblog this post to spread the word even if you do not plan to share anything else in connection with Autism Awareness Month.
Good day, I have lived my whole life in a country where little to none information is given about autism, in here no one knows about this issue, so I'm wondering if you could explain it to me in order to spread your knowledge about it and raise awareness in those places where only the people experiencing it actually know this exists. Thank you so much.
Hello There!
Sorry for the extreme delay in responding to this. I run this blog alone and I have been ill so Iâve not been able to get to your ask.
So Iâve been mulling over this for sometime and I think I will break down Autism for you based on what science knows about it and my own personal knowledge. However please note that I will be putting a ** beside âpersonal knowledgeâ because I am not an expert and I should not be taken as such. These are just things Iâve learned over the years of being an Autistic person.
Also please keep in mind that this is intended as an overview. There are thousands of books and resources out there that can be read in addition to this. I can only provide so much information ^_^.
So! Shall we begin?
Part I-What is Autism?
The dictionary and scientific definition of Autism comes to us as follows:
a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts.
However, this is just a surface definition and it should be taken as such. Autism is far more complex than can be defined in a dictionary definition. Autism is a complicated neurological disorder that presents itself in many ways. Autism is measured in a âscaleâ (this can be debated however) and presents itself in several types.
The types of Autism are as follows:
Aspergerâs Syndrome
Pervasive Developmental Disorder
Autistic Disorder
Rhettâs Syndrome
I have whatâs called âAspergers PDD (Aspergers Pervasive Developmental Disorder). A lot of people with Autism will have co-morbid disorders as well.** (For example I have one of the most common; Aspergerâs PDD with co-morbid ADHD).
Symptoms of Autism Include (But are not limited too)
Inability to make eye-contact
Failure to establish friendships
Lack of interest in sharing enjoyments
Obsession with certain things (such as patterns, arranging things in a pattern, or order, etc)
Need for routine
Frequent âmeltdownsâ or âshutdownsâ in public places.
Delay in learning to talk
Lack of communication skills that are appropriate for oneâs age
Difficulty in understanding perspective
Repeated language
A need for sameness
Particular focus on just one subject/object/thing
Autism is treatable but not curable. There is no know cure or cause of Autism. Itâs known to be a neurological disorder but what causes it is unknown.
Part II: What Autism Isnât
Autism is surrounded by myths that are largely untrue. Here is an incomplete list of things Autism is not:
Caused by vaccines
A disease
An illness
There is an incredibly misleading belief out there that Autism is caused by vaccines. The Coleâs Noteâs version of this is that Andrew Wakefield published an unsupported study claiming vaccines caused Autism. His study has been proven as false and fake by many sources out there but there are still those that believe Autism is caused by vaccines.
Nor is Autism a disease or an illness. Nor should it be treated as such.
Autism is not something someone should be afraid of. Itâs just a neurological disorder that develops while the baby is still gestational in the motherâs womb.  There is plenty  more information on it but I hope this has provided you with a bit of an overview.
-Nate
As Autism Awareness Month is in full swing, remember to wear Red instead. Autism Speaks does not Speak for Me.
my school is having a âwear blue for autism awarenessâ day tomorrow so, I wrote this on the whiteboard in my choir room.
Iâm gonna wear red and carry around flyers and red ribbon tomorrow to combat this ableist bs.
I would like to consider myself as an ally and supporter. Having just learned (from your blog) about Autism Speaks, I'm glad to be more educated about the organization. Thanks for sharing the info. While I'm here, I have a question. I've heard that it is better to say "person with autism" because to say "autistic person" defines the person by their autism. However, now I'm hearing that the former is preferred. Which would be best to say?
Hello There!
What is better to say depends on the person Iâm afraid. Some people prefer to be called âPerson with autismâ Whereas others prefer âAutistic personâ I prefer the latter myself but itâs a personal preference. The best thing to do  I think is to ask ahead of time or just use either or depending on the situation. Chances are if someone doesnât like it they will correct you.
But both are I think, acceptable.
-Nate
