Edited by author 12-15-2003 02:27 AM
hysteria confirms the stereotypes.

reality check:
. there are some autistic people who will need ongoing support and intervention all their lives.
. there are some autistic people who do not learn from their environments, but with intervention can learn.

instead of writing rabid, inflamatory screeds, autistics who can communicate in forms understood by nt people can and should be proactive. there is a good way to do that. do what you can to demonstrate how consideration and meeting us half way improves our quality of life, reduces anxiety and depression and therefore diminishes the drain on the public purse. people understand money. people only change if the change has a perceived benefit to them. that is true for nt people and true for autistics too. if we could demonstrate the ways in which environmental modifications that suit us are good for all people (and many of them are) then we have some chance of getting appropriate support. agonized shrieks have their place. that is within a support forum. advocacy requires calm, considered dialogue (even if we choose the forum for that to suit us) with facts, figures and potential solutions. we have to do it, because nobody else can. they do not understand the depth of the issues and they can only provide autism support from a perspective they understand - damaged babies. i think we also have to consider that nt parents have learned to parent nt children. they do not know how to deal with cuckoos, and all too often, they get inappropriate advice and bugger all support. i had one nt child and she was HARD work. the autistic and brindle were easier because there was a deep connection. the issues are similar from nt perspective. we cannot build bridges and provide credible information if we make enemies.