The Autistic Me

My wife and I like to take walks along the main street (actually, Third Street) of the nearby township. It is something out of a movie — even the park gazebo was donated to the community after a film wrapped. My wife said last night that the village across the way looks like something built for a model railroad layout. We live in Middle America, Hollywood-version. And so, walking past the large, sky-blue puzzle pieces taped to store windows, the blue ribbons, the flyers, all these signs of "Autism Awareness" neither surprises nor pleases me. If anything, it annoys me to have "Autism" plastered all over cars, stores, and various products. I want to shout, "Stop it!" (Want to know more about the autism puzzle and the perspective of autistic adults? See:  http://theautisticme.blogspot.com/2011/01/more-on-autism-puzzle-piece-logos.html ) Personally, I hate stickers and magnets on cars. Bumper stickers? How can you put a sticker on a huge investment, r...

Two of the many good articles online today are regarding a "study" claiming that legal settlements prove an autism-vaccine link. Of course, having been involved in court cases and settlements in business, I can attest that the law has nothing to do with facts -- and often you settle because that's cheaper than paying lawyers. Settlements are not admissions of anything, though I admit I was tired of lawyers on those occasions when I had to deal them. Another swing for the fences and a miss by the anti-vaccine movement : Respectful Insolence Now that the report, written by anti-vaccine stalwarts Mary Holland, Louis Conte, anti-vaccine lawyer Robert Krakow, and Lisa Colin and entitled Unanswered Questions from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: A Review of Compensated Cases of Vaccine-Induced Brain Injury , has been published, I sort of wish I hadn't promised to blog about it, because now that I've actually read the damned thing I can't believe it. It's...

I have written about Dr. Mark Geier and his son, David, in the past. I refused to recommend a book that referenced the Geiers' "research" because I was so upset anyone would take these men seriously. (See previous posts .) The following article is not surprising to me. It is sad. Lessons from the shaming of chemically castrating doc who “endangers autistic children and exploits their parents” By Seth Mnookin Posted: May 4, 2011 According to this ruling (see original article for PDF download) by the Maryland State Board of Physicians, which was issued last week, Mark Geier has had his license to practice medicine suspended in the state in which he is based. (As far as I can tell, this doesn’t affect Geier’s ability to practice in the other states in which he’s licensed, including California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey, Virginia, and Washington.) That this move comes years too late for scores of children does not mean it is not...

I am somehow on a "Generation Rescue" mailing list. I have no idea how this happened, but it means I am learning just want the snake oil industry is pitching to parents: Children's Liver Restorative Kit The foundation for any detox program is the body's hardest working organ - the liver. The Kid's Liver Restorative Kit opens detox pathways. Benefits include a decrease in aggressive, explosive anger and more appropriate social interactions. 2 month supply for average child. $99 with Discount for Generation Rescue parents (Savings of $28) Wow, you save $28 on a magical cure for aggressive behavior. Improved social interaction, too! What a deal! I'm receiving offers like this once or twice a week, now. One offered a hyperbaric chamber for only $5000. Another great bargain. Sorry, but for half that price I can get the hot tub I've always wanted. Yes, I find this all quite disturbing. Then again, I do like nice heavy comforters in the winter and Genera...