Regarding the study on the spontaneously recovered child: I don't have the full text in front of me now, but I read it yesterday. The child in question seems to have recovered eye contact and some kind of social-ness. However, at age 9, he was not likely to be mainstreamed in public school, since he had only short two-word spoken phrases, and was only partially potty trained. So, the authors are not using the Lovaas definition of recovery.

Google Earth Alphabet:

Upper Case: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasdebruin/3830425866/
Lower Case: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasdebruin/3829628239/
Numbers & Punctuation: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasdebruin/3830425338/

Hi Michelle,

I am glad that your presentation at the University of Toronto went well.

How cool is this?!

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-isl...playground-584.html

Edited by author 11-04-2009 09:44 PM
Catching up...

1. I disagree with all of /m9889 in one way or another or many ways, but the ASAN thing means I can't say much.

LBRB (which does not run the Hub, but is its founding and main blog) setting an example by banning polite, factual comments by autistics is one thing.

ASAN's blanket exclusion of an autistic from any venue where ASAN is present (this means, e.g., I can't have any say in decisions about the Hub, unlike all other Hub bloggers), and their use of denigration and extreme false accusations, is of a much greater magnitude.

My errors were a.) to politely and accurately (with sources) report ASAN's public positions and statements; and b.) to politely and factually question these, e.g., by asking what evidence they are based on.

ASAN considers this ample reason to denigrate and exclude an autistic researcher, in an amazing variety of ways, and very thoroughly and permanently. And ASAN has widespread support for doing this.

2. Re /m9890 , the URL I provided for the paper in /m9885 doesn't work, sorry. The paper seems to be a moving target. If you want to read it, I suggest using the non-working URL to get access to the journal's current-issue table of contents, where you'll find the paper under "case reports."

The claim of recovery in this paper is primarily based on the plummeting CARS score, over the span of 13 days. The authors were solely concerned with the presence or absence of autistic traits and abilities as identified and quantified via the CARS. The authors express skepticism (as I wrote) about Lovaas' findings on the grounds that Lovaas used no measure or instrument specific to autistic traits and abilities.

This is all keeping in mind that the CARS should be considered a screening instrument, at best...

3. Re /m9892 , wow, and nobody's going to say this is weak central coherence--I hope....

4. Re /m9893 , I wish I was there. Yet another reason to move to PEI.

In case anyone missed it, this:

"France: 'Autistic Tories have castrated UK in Europe'"

is the current headline of the current lead story in the Guardian. Here's the story http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/no...tories-castrated-uk

A quote from France's Europe minister, Pierre Lellouche:

"They have one line and they just repeat one line. It is a very bizarre sense of autism."

Mr Lellouche is described as "[a]bandoning all diplomatic niceties."

There's a Nov 6 symposium about "The Role of Interveners in Public Interest Litigation" at the U of Toronto http://www.aspercentre.ca/events/calendar/interventions.htm You can get the program and links to a few papers from this page, in case anyone's interested.

One organization (ARCH) and two individuals (Joe Arvay, Mary Eberts) who have been involved in ABA litigation are part of this symposium.

One of the symposium papers reports that between 2000 and 2008, only a tiny proportion of interveners granted leave at the Supreme Court of Canada (less than 3%) has been individual interveners. Individual interventions have also been more likely to be denied by the Court than interventions of any other kind.

It seems the government has passed the Social Inclusion Act to replace the Disability Act. It is suppose to address the funding and support needs of adult autistics. The Min of Com and Soc Serv is giving a presentation regarding funding on Nov 18 here in Ottawa.
Do you know anything more about this Michelle?
thanks

I would enjoy a grown-ups playground despite this:
http://tinyurl.com/yk3uba9

Edited by author 11-06-2009 04:14 AM
Re /m9895, here is the response by the National Autistic Society (NAS) to the use of the terms autism and autistic: http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=2074&a=20871.

"To use the terms 'autism' and 'autistic' in a derogatory or flippant manner can cause deep distress and hurt to people affected by the condition. [....] To use the terms as a criticism, for dramatic effect or to try and gain political advantage, only perpetuates the confusion and misunderstanding which people with autism have to cope with everyday. This is simply unacceptable and must stop."

I'm at a conference (yesterday and today), will try to catch up later.

rofl.... thanks Anne!

Patrick Sadoun of Sésame Autisme has also responded to Mr Lellouche's comments:

"The British were right to be shocked, and I congratulate a country that reacts in that way. I'm shocked at the way French politicians use this expression at the first opportunity"

I don't think the British can be too self-congratulatory. Our Conservative (opposition) shadow chancellor suggested our Prime Minister Gordon Brown was autistic, clearly intended as an insult, not very long ago.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article658404.ece



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Gordon Brown has a good record on autism and disability in general, introducing the disability discrimination act and improving benefits.
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Clever fools: Why a high IQ doesn't mean you're smart
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2042...an-youre-smart.html