The Autistic Me

English: Temple Grandin at a book signing at Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester, Minnesota (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Autism support specialist Heather Conroy ( http://www.hconroyconsulting.com ) and I are working on several short "pocket guides" for young adults on the autism spectrum. Our first guide, which we hope to have to publishers later this year, deals with sexuality and relationship in a frank (blunt!) way. While I strongly disagree with some claims in this article, I have dealt with autistics (male and female ) with obsessive online habits (usually gaming, but often in other ways, too). Stories like the following are why our book and others are needed by autistics, families, and support providers: Autism and Child Pornography: A Toxic Combination - The Daily Beast Aug 5, 2013 4:45 AM EDT  It’s a disturbing trend we cannot ignore. Eustacia Cutler, mother of autism advocate Temple Grandin, on why autistic men are viewing child pornogr...

What if you aren't autistic anymore? The question was asked by a friend who had read the latest stories on the DSM-V and the criteria changes for autism spectrum disorders.  See this New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/health/research/new-autism-definition-would-exclude-many-study-suggests.html I've written a great deal about defining autism so you might assume I care a great deal, personally. But, as I have written several times, "autistic" to me is a description of some traits  but not the entire me. My doctoral thesis included a long section on definitions of autism and the challenges of labels. My Ph.D does include the word "rhetoric" and a part of me does ponder the nature of labels. But, caring intellectually is not the same as passionately identifying with a label. Autism is a definitional issue.  1980: DSM-III adds "autism" 1989: First criteria for Asperger's published 1991: IDEA adds autism categ...

An update from the National Conference of State Legislatures has been posted to their webpage on insurance mandates by various states. The last change to a state law was posted in May 2011, but several changes will be taking effect in approximately a dozen states in 2012 based on these laws and language in the federal Affordable Care Act: Autism and Insurance Coverage State Laws : A total of 33 states and the District of Columbia have laws related to autism and insurance coverage. At least 26 states—Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin—specifically require insurers to provide coverage for the treatment of autism. Other states may require limited coverage for autism under mental health coverage or other laws. Some states have passed laws with num...

Yesterday, I received the following e-mail "alert" from the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM): Representative King Banaian (HD 15B-St. Cloud) has introduced HF 1642, which eliminates numerous special education laws and rules that have served our children well in the State of Minnesota. Among those slated for elimination are the Minnesota Pupil Fair Dismissal Act (121A.43), requirements for assistive technology, and rules that create parent advisory councils (or Special Education Advisory Council). This is a bit misleading (big shock in politics). First, the Minnesota legislative website lists House Files only through 1633 -- there cannot be an official filing HF 1642. I explain this more below. Second, Dr. Banaian voted against the Republican budget (one of two GOP members to do so) because it cut education too much. According to MinnPost.com: Banaian was one of two Republicans who voted against the Republican cutting plan. "The higher-ed piece was the worst for me,...

The following is an outline I use when speaking to faculty, students, and parents about autism spectrum disorders and the legal rights of students within the university. My last post on university access and students with ASDs resulted in a conversation more about diagnoses than services, so I hope this helps clarify the nature of the university experience. I will expand and edit this post if necessary and as information changes. I would rather update this post than have "outdated" information online in the future. These are presentation notes, not an essay or academic article. Still, the information should be helpful. Scope of the Challenge There are many students entering our colleges and universities with appropriate documentation of autism spectrum disorders. Proper documentation legally qualifies a student to some supports from the school. Post-secondary students with disabilities represent 11 percent of enrollment (GAO, 2009).  High-functioning, college-capabl...

The Hannah Poling news reporting is analyzed at Left Brain / Right Brain. Specifically, LBRB looks at the coverage from CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson: Sharyl Attkisson blogs the Hannah Poling settlement. The reporting is misleading, but the issue is so complex I cannot fault CBS or the reporter entirely. The 2007 decision to settle the claim by the Poling family that vaccinations harmed their daughter was a reasonable choice -- the case would have been complex and likely to end in the same confusion regardless of any award. The Poling case was filed in 2002 and the decision to settle without a ruling was made in 2007. The reasons for settling the case were logical: Hannah Poling's underlying condition was exacerbated by a fever. Though we can never know if a vaccine was or was not the cause of the fever, the "tables" used in such cases assume a potential cause within certain timespans. In other words, if you get ill within X days of a vaccine, you do not need to prove the...

Probably the most difficult decision anyone with a developmental disorder can make is who to tell and how. I certainly do not have a good answer for either question, since I resist the labels experts have offered. There are benefits to disclosure, based on the experiences of others. First, you have "official" recognition, which includes various protections legally. If I have a problem related to my physical limitations, it helps to have some legal basis when seeking corrective measures. Second, the reality in my field (education) is that a disability can be an asset, increasing your value to a university. The obvious negatives to disclosure relate to the biases and even fears people have regarding neurological conditions. Most of us know that a palsy is not contagious. Tremors do not spread from me to my students or classmates. My long list of behavioral glitches are also not going to spread throughout the classroom. Yet there are those who cannot deal with difference. ...