Autism: Why we should ask why.
I have been following the 'Tylenol' (paracetamol in the UK) furore with interest.
I work with SEN (Special Educational Needs) children, mostly non-verbal with what is medically termed the 'co-morbidity' of global developmental delay in addition to an autism diagnosis. These children are unlikely to ever live independently.
Autism is complex and co-morbidities, that's additional conditions commonly associated, add to that complexity. So, on the one hand, you have my half-brother, diagnosed as autistic in adulthood, who has a better paid job than I will ever have, is a great pianist, has his own home and a girlfriend. On the other hand, you have the people I work with and the people my husband works with as adults, who still wear diapers, who can't talk, and can't complete the most basic tasks.
Many autistic people without the co-morbidities leading to the most severe levels of difficulty can be found in high level STEM careers. When my husband worked for a company involved with the scientific community working with the military, many of the now commonly understood traits were recognisable among the individuals in high level research posts. Tendencies for higher than average intelligence cannot be ignored when discussing whether there is even a need to find a 'root cause' if there is one beyond genetic predisposition.
But we can't ignore the increase, not entirely explain it away with better diagnosis/understanding, or, in the UK at least, the depletion of specialist facilities, meaning more children with severe SEND are attending mainstream schools rather than being 'hidden away' in dedicated facilities.
I work in schools on a supply basis, which means I am not only seeing the impact on one school. In total I have worked in 6 different state Primary (elementary) schools over the past 2 years. Every single one has more than one child with severe SEND, the majority with a primary diagnosis of autism. My colleagues who have worked in education for over 20 years have all noticed a sharp increase in the last ten, which doesn't coincide with the closure of facilities in the 80s and 90s.
If we saw a similar increase in children with limbs missing, but otherwise healthy and with every chance at leading a productive life, we'd still be asking the questions, wouldn't we? And nobody, not even the individuals affected, would think we were wrong to do so.
The issue for me around the Tylenol debate isn't the argument over whether a painkiller that has been widely used for many decades could possibly be the cause. It's the continued shutting down of any thought that the question of external 'cause' should even be raised, in the teeth of criticism of 'ableism' and a view that Autism is not a disease for which we need a cure.
I don't disagree entirely with my last sentence, but I still think there is validity in understanding 'why'. Is there an environmental factor? Is modern life causing those on the spectrum who might have, in previous years, simply have found daily life easier to manage in the past?
The problem is how we ask those questions without making those with a diagnosis feel as though they have a condition which society finds unacceptable. The Tylenol furore unfortunately has been a demonstration of how NOT to achieve that, making it even harder for further conversation around this.
So I do think there needs to be a conversation about this.
RE: Autism: Why we should ask why.
Ah yes, I wrote
a song a song about this recently.
RE: Autism: Why we should ask why.
Nature AND nurture.
Autism...is complicated.
RE: Autism: Why we should ask why.
Yes, it certainly is.
RE: Autism: Why we should ask why.
I believe 'everyone' is autistic to some degree and in some manner/form, as 'no one' is genetically mentally perfect.
And yes, this includes Jesus (if he was real, human and was born) and Einstein.
Relative to others, for some/many, their autism is well hidden/suppressed/curtailed/managed, and thus they are called/labelled the 'normal' ones.
These can function--intellectually, technically, socially--more smoothly than others.
But, their mental capability/ability is still not perfect and flawed in some way.
They 'know' this, but keep it hidden.
If you're human and were born, then, in some manner and to some extent, you're autistic.
