MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'The Joy of Autism' source. Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:52:39 +0100 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/12/bullying-is-not-acceptable.html Adam is six years old and doing well in school. Yes, he does things differently, he uses a computer, and he doesn't talk English fluently. As many of you know, I am newly separated. Adam's father and I are helping Adam to transition and adjust to a new life. So far so good, I must say. Yet, I think about the future as any parent would, does, with or without divorce in the picture. I worry about how he thinks of himself. All parents want their children to thrive and be happy. Adam deserves no less as he brings joy to so many of us. This video, and the stories I keep hearing, of bullying disabled kids in schools needs to keep reaching others. Even in "inclusive schools," I am hearing some horror stories where school staff do nothing about cyber and You Tube bullying of the disabled members o... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2027176 Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:15:00 +0100 2027176 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/11/naked.html David Sedaris is coming to Toronto. I thought it was a good time to pick up Naked and read his wry take on humanity. Particularly entertaining was his story Chipped Beef:“We give unspeakable amounts to charity, but you’ll never hear us talk about it. We give anonymously because the sackfuls of thank-you letters break our hearts with their clumsy handwriting and hopeless phonetic spelling. Word gets out that we’re generous and good-looking, and before you know it our front gate will become a campsite for fashion editors and crippled children, who tend to ruin the grass with the pointy shanks of their crutches…They’re hungry for something they know nothing about, but we, we know all too well that the price of fame is the loss of privacy. Public displays of happiness only encourage ... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1999133 Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:58:00 +0100 1999133 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/11/quote-of-month.html Hi folks. We are still building the new site, and it's coming along nicely and you will be able to re-access old blog posts.In the meantime, I thought you'd enjoy this quote -- applicable to women, to autistic people -- to all of us who possess our own set of unique differences to the proverbial "white man" or "normal" person."You may drive out nature with a pitchfork, yet she will still hurry back."---- Horace. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975204 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:24:00 +0100 1975204 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/11/first-project-of-inclusion-initiative.html As part of our goal to give the tools for inclusion, Patrick Schwarz will be coming to Toronto this weekend. Please see the dates and locations below.Also, we're still improving this site. Stay tuned for archived posts from The Joy of Autism and things that are new!1. Date: Sunday Nov. 9 at 7pmLocation: Zareinu Educational Centre:7026 Bathurst Street, ThornhillPh: 905 738-5542Topic: COLLABORATION: TEAM BUILDING, ACTIVE LISTENING AND PROBLEM-SOLVINGCollaborative schools utilize processes to promote successfulinstructional teams with all members actively involved. Tools forsuccess include team building, active listening and problem-solving. Inthis dynamic workshop, participants will learn about each of theseprocesses and interactive application exercises will illustrate howthey can be applie... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939202 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:45:00 +0100 1939202 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/10/positively-autistic.html Tonight on CBC or visit website by clicking here to view.This website should be up and running (with all old blog posts) in 4 weeks. Sorry it wasn't ready in time for viewers to CBC. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1911384 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:04:00 +0100 1911384 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/10/positively-autistic-on-cbc-this-monday.html Adam and I were interviewed after my surgeries earlier this year for this program. You can catch it on CBC The National this Monday evening:s things stand now, "Postively Autistic" will air on the "The National" this coming Monday October 27 after the newscast portion of the program. "The National" broadcasts twice, first on Newsworld (cable channel 26) beginning at 9:00 pm; and then across the CBC network main channel (the precise channel number varies across the country according to whether people receive on cable or satellite and whether or not they watch on HD) beginning at 10:00 pm. (The newscast portion of "The National" usually lasts approximately 25 minutes; the documentary will run immediately following the newscast).People who live in the United States are sometimes able to recei... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901606 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:15:00 +0100 1901606 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/10/thanks-for-love.html Thanks to ABFH for this new blog award. I've received the Thoughtful Blog Award, The Thinking Blog award. I tell ya, I can use the love right now! (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1895048 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:13:00 +0100 1895048 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/10/this-blog-is-coming-back.html I know many of you are emailing me about my blog which discusses autism, disability in a critical context, and of course, how Adam and I experience many aspects of disability and society on a real-life level.We are reconstructing a better, prettier site...so don't give up on checking in regularly, although this may take a few weeks. All the material from that former site will be in the new site.Thanks for your patience and understanding.If you need to reach me, email esteewolfond@mac.com. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1865534 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:14:00 +0100 1865534 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/10/this-blog.html Is temporarily down. Stay tuned as it becomes redesigned. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1862824 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:31:00 +0100 1862824 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/10/day-turning-into-night.html who are you, little i (five or six years old) peering from some high window; at the gold of November sunset (and feeling that if day has to become night this is a beautiful way)-ee cummingsFinding the joy in life with autism. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1856118 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:25:00 +0100 1856118 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/10/joy-of-autism-michelle-dawson-wins-her.html The Joy of Autism: Michelle Dawson Wins Her CaseFinding the joy in life with autism. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1853651 Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:38:00 +0100 1853651 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/10/michelle-dawson-wins-her-case.html Read the PDF Long Version Here.:[242] Be this as it may, the Tribunal finds it disturbing for the future of autistic people that they be seen because of their condition to pose a threat to the safety of others and some form of nuisance in the workplace. An employer has a duty to ensure not only that all employees work in a safe environment but also that ill perceptions about an employee’s condition due to poor or inadequate information about his disability lead other employees to have negative and ill-founded perceptions about him.[243] An autistic person should expect that his workplace be free of any misperception or misconception about his condition. It goes to the right of autistic individuals to be treated equally, with dignity and respect, free of any discrimination or harassment r... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1853652 Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:46:00 +0100 1853652 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/10/more-thoughts-on-inclusion.html Untitled from CS on Vimeo.This video raises some very important points. Once in a while, those who have expressed interest in inclusion have asked for my ideas. In this post, I am not representing anyone, although I might express myself as having shared some stories and experiences with other families and friends of mine with disabled children. This post is a sort of life as WE know it version of why "inclusion" is really important to our family. What do we mean by it?Just this week, I had been told another story by a mother of a 16 year son with autism that his public "inclusive" school (which name I cannot divulge) continues to do the following (please notice "inclusion" is therefore represented in quotation marks for a reason):- continues to bus disabled kids in and out before anyone ca... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1851050 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:24:00 +0100 1851050 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/09/poverty-disability-and-exclusion.html From inclusion-international.orgFinding the joy in life with autism. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1833265 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:45:00 +0100 1833265 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/09/questions-for-candidates-regarding.html Go to www.endexclusion.ca for more information.Finding the joy in life with autism. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1825820 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:22:00 +0100 1825820 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/09/webby-talents.html It is an Invitation for disabled people and those who wishesto share informations, events, arts, testimonies and even fun across the world.WebbyTalents, a new video site networking for disabled people launched … is going international.WebbyTalents is a Free video hosting designed to break down barriers for the world's disabled.WebbyTalents is a site of talent and entertainment.It is also the space for exchange, and sharing for people with disabilities.Disabled people, Artists, Performers,We want you to share your abilities moments. Filmmakers, Organizations or Associations, from anywhere in the world, are also invitedto upload for FREE their videos or trailers on www.webbytalents.com. Many thanks for your contents and participation.team@webbytalents.comwww.webbytalents.com Finding the j... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1825821 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:31:00 +0100 1825821 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/09/society-as-human-product.html We can say something important about someone with frightening economy. Like a swift brushstroke, a word or a label can define a person quickly in our society. Educators, therapists, clinicians and the medical community do this all the time in the name of educating, placing and servicing individuals with special needs “appropriately.” Appropriateness, of course, is a construction. What does it mean to act or behave appropriately in order to fit in, and who is making those decisions? More importantly, who is excluded from participating in many facets of society if one cannot participate within the confines of “social appropriateness?" In other words, who is making up the terms, the methods and the definitions? Who has the power? Who lacks the agency?In the essays by Harlan Lane, Constr... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1825822 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:37:00 +0100 1825822 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/09/disability-and-its-prevalence-in-art.html In an excellent article by Tobin Siebers titled Disability Aesthetics, Siebers notes that "The human body is both the subject and the object of aesthetic production: the body creates other bodies prized for their ability to change the emotions of their maker and endowed with a semblance of vitality usually ascribed only to human beings. But all bodies are not created equal when it comes to aesthetic response." (Siebers, T. (2006) Disability Aesthetics. Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory, 7 (2): 63-72.)As Siebers points out, and I agree, the most profound and "beautiful" art is that which is not hiding reality, but exposes it. "That is, good art incorporates disability," he says. The Venus de Milo, cited often as "beautiful" has missing arms. Renee Magritte recreates her and at her a... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1815379 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:15:00 +0100 1815379 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-response-to-harold-doherty-on.html Instead of leaving a comment in my comments section of yesterday's post on Hierarchies Within Communities, I thought it would be useful (not to put Harold Doherty in the spotlight in a negative way) to illustrate what divides many of us in the topic of disability. More importantly, I truly believe that despite these divisive areas, there are also common areas we MUST build upon, and it serves us all to find them:Autism Reality NB said regarding my post yesterday on Hierarchies:Unlike Ed I completely disagree.There are not hierarchies they are distinctions used to indicate different realities and deficits faced by people on the autism SPECTRUM of disorders.It is good that there are non verbal autistic persons in your class. Do you visit the autistic persons living in hospital wards and inst... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1809828 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:13:00 +0100 1809828 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/09/hierarchies-within-communities.html We've all heard it if you are a parent of a disabled child. Be it Downs syndrome or autism or whatever else you hear this: "well, your child is high-functioning but my child is more severely disabled." Or, "my child is autistic but he is very high-functioning." What I am concerned with is perception of who is "better off" or "better able," or worthy of value within any community. Perhaps Barak Obama is black but not "too black." Maybe Gweneth Paltrow is part Jewish but doesn't "look Jewish." Maybe Adam is down right autistic, but he doesn't "look autistic." What does this say of how far we've really come?I was reminded of this yesterday when I read an article from the September 8th edition of Businessweek, Paralympians Break Ad Barrier. During the course of the Olympics, which I did not wa... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1802763 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:24:00 +0100 1802763 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/09/prosthetic-politics-and-palins-promise.html Not all "special needs families" are alike. All one has to do is to look deeply into autism politics to understand that "advocacy" doesn't mean the same thing to all people. There are the parents, who advocate for their rights and proclaim the difficulties of raising special needs children, often at odds against the disability rights movement -- people with disabilities -- advocating for their right to be heard, respected, and to be at the helm of directing the movement toward the change of attitude and the accommodations they need. While one parent may bemoan the existence of a special needs child in their family, using their love to fight for their child's cure, there is another family that wants their children to be loved and accepted for who they are, and thus allowed to contribute and... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1782706 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:03:00 +0100 1782706 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/09/insideoutside.html I have begun my graduate work in Critical Disability Studies and must say am quite overwhelmed adapting to a new schedule with a small boy and still needing to attend to his needs. It is life, I say. Many of us have to work multiple shifts to make ends meet; some of us are single moms or dads. At the end of the day, life happens and we learn to manage the best we can. The key phrase is “life happens.” All the things that happen to us make up the sum of our lives. In this view, most tragedies might be seen as a state of mind.As I sat in my first class on Disability in a Cultural Context, and discussed Humbaba from Gilgamesh (his intestines were displayed on his face – on the exterior as seen in the illustration above), I thought of our insides and how they repulse us and how we even f... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1779297 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:43:00 +0100 1779297 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/09/back-at-it.html After enjoying a summer with Adam, we are both back at school. Adam has started grade one and I grad school in Critical Disability Studies at York University. We are both busy and happy and man, our plates are deliciously full. I find it hard to complain about being too busy after being in the hospital for ANY length of time!Henry announced today at a UJA function that I am working on an inclusion initiative with some other very active people in our disability community. I know I keep mentioning it, but I will provide you the first ad next week, I hope.Finding the joy in life with autism. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1763979 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:54:00 +0100 1763979 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-do-we-think-we-know.html Okay, you are at your computer now. Read this first, then without looking, go away. I mean it -- don't look after you read this:It's a qwerty board question. What symbol comes after L? What symbol comes after U?If you are like me, you can't answer the question. You can't SEE the symbols in your head (did you know the typewriter was invented first for blind people?). But I can type without looking. My fingers, taught how to type in grade eleven, learned where to go quickly without having to look. Yet, when my mother asked me the question recently, I was stumped. I couldn't answer without typing and especially without looking. How is it that my fingers know while neither my brain nor my mouth can respond with the right answer?? Okay, when I learned to type, I had to learn deliberately. Yet f... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1739242 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:26:00 +0100 1739242 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/08/friendship-and-phone-calls.html I kid you not that I write this immediately after the event itself.Today was the last day at camp for Adam. I was told, no exaggeration, (like my post earlier this week) that Adam was declared the most popular kid at camp. Okay, I bet most of you are thinking, yeah, sure... a non verbal kid (for the most part as Adam can barely speak but can on rare occasions say a phrase or a word) making friends, eh? I bet you are thinking that Adam's assistant fostered that, or that maybe it was just the kids feeling sorry for Adam that they spent time with him.Apparently not. (Please read previous post to this one)Adam was on his own in fostering his own friendships. Today, all the counselors came and lined up at the bus -- JUST TO SAY GOODBYE TO ADAM. He had, as I've been told, created so much connect... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1726409 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:16:00 +0100 1726409 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/08/bottle-that.html School is on the horizon -- for Adam and myself. Adam is beginning Grade One and I am starting Graduate School in Critical Disability Studies. Some people have written that they miss my blog and hearing about Adam, but I must admit, it's been nice to get busy with some other things that needed attention. Most importantly, a good dose of summer fun after months of health issues. Since Adam was diagnosed with autism at 19 months of age, I had grappled with how much one-to-one "therapy" he needed. I thought, in the beginning, that perhaps our summers would be full of work, trying to "get Adam up to speed," whatever that means. I thought that for Adam's sake, maybe we would have to give up many programs and vacations in order that he wouldn't miss out on needed "therapy." I became familiar wit... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1723502 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:59:00 +0100 1723502 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/07/bi-racial-disabled-blended-acceptance.html Diversity training has begun on the popular airwaves. CNN's Black in America, with Soledad O'Brian, aims to express the many sides of living as a black or bi-racial person in North America. Watching it, I see a similar theme that may be helpful for parents with autistic children. It is the comparison of being black and having a white child or vica versa. It is the experience of a parent without any disability or experience of it, who has a disabled child. If our children are "not like us," then who are they? To which community do they belong?I believe it is one of the major sources of tension out there -- why the "recovery" movement is so strong, why acceptance is so difficult. While not accepting the status quo is great in terms of pushing for acceptance and inclusion of disabled individu... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1658168 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:02:00 +0100 1658168 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/07/note-about-crying-to-michael-savage.html I was very disturbed and concerned last week, as most of our community was, when I heard of Michael Savage's remarks on radio. As you can read in yesterday's post below, he suggested that autistic people are faking it, that the kids are crying as a bad behaviour instead of recongizing what that behaviour might be communicating.Today, I have an example of something Adam has written and how I must try and understand what he is trying to tell me. I can do so by watching him and I usually think I can understand, but also, because he can, we practice his typing. Of course, when autistic people are distressed, communication is more difficult. Nevertheless, I gently prod Adam to try and tell me what he means. For weeks now in the summer he has been typing "red jar." Because he's been using it ove... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1657217 Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:57:00 +0100 1657217 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/07/beyond-surviving-savage-hurricane.html It feels like we are in the eye of the storm. While I might say I hit a personal one with cancer earlier this year, at least that part is over and Adam and family are having the best summer on record. But we are really too close for comfort. As you can see from the images above that I took from Florida, tornados and hurricanes are close at hand.Michael Savages out there or not, there is something about sustaining advocacy, and being able to rise above despicable remarks. It's like any other prejudice out there be it racism, anti-semitism and that continues to oppress others and segregate -- we know ignorant people will exist, that they do exist. We know someone has always wanted to get rid of Jewish people and we know facism still marches to its own drum long after Hitler's "reign" of terr... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1655525 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:23:00 +0100 1655525 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/07/its-up-and-running-again.html The Autism Acceptance Project website is back up and running.Finding the joy in life with autism. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1652384 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:53:00 +0100 1652384 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/07/autism-acceptance-project-website.html Hi everyone,Aside from working on a major project which will be announced, Adam and I have been having too much summer fun to write. However, I do wish to advise that our TAAProject website (www.taaproject.com) is temporarily and accidentally down. We don't know if we will be able to fix it quickly. Please be patient. We may have to rebuild it.Finding the joy in life with autism. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1649082 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:46:00 +0100 1649082 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/07/fits-and-starts.html Yes, that's how I feel my recuperation has been. After a wonderful week in San Diego with Dad of Cameron, Autism Diva, One Dad's Opinion and Asperger Square 8, and the folks at University of San Diego, I came home, picked up Adam and we headed to a hot and sticky Florida to be awestruck by the possibility of Bertha hitting Miami. Then, we left. Adam has been having a terrific time at camp. He is the best swimmer of his class, and he is the favorite friend. So I hereby state that it's totally possible that kids can be "social" even without language!! I am loving watching Adam get on the school bus, or strut back off after his first long days at camp (they used to be half days but now they go 9-5). He is totally happy. His friends also think that he's "very smart." Fancy that for a kid who c... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1622222 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:10:00 +0100 1622222 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/07/despicable.html To whomever wrote to Adam on his blog, you are the reason why I chose to privatize it. I thought that so far, everyone has been so kind to him, but I was waiting for the day that someone like you would show up...sad but true.How dare you call my son's words "gibberish" and if I ever find out who you are, I will hunt you down. And yet, cowardice hides behind the veil of anonymity -- so should I waste my effort or shine a spotlight on you -- no better than the dirty, scurrying cockroach? As such, you are a coward to pick on a little boy's words.Such comments from adults to children are NOT acceptable, and it such doubt of autistic individuals that confront them every day. It is not fair to children like Adam who work so incredibly hard to communicate.If you have something to say to me, I am ... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1593893 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:23:00 +0100 1593893 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/06/laughter-at-airport.html I am sitting in the San Diego airport waiting to go home and see my family that I miss. As I take a look at what happened over the past week, I stumble over San Diego Fox News, where I burst out laughing at what I see -- photo of me in my worst possible state after major surgery in the hospital with Adam this past May. I can't wait to tell you more when I return home about the fabulous Autism Hub bloggers I met down here and the wonderful folks in San Diego.At least I'm laughing and happy. I caught my cancer early, I will survive, I made it to the conference, and I have a happy and healthy son. Ah, the laughter... the joy.Finding the joy in life with autism. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1546739 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:17:00 +0100 1546739 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/06/san-diego.html I'm in San Diego -- the Work With Me, Not On Me -- and I must say that I'm really enjoying meeting many other Autism Hub Bloggers here: Autism Diva, Asperger Square 8, One Dad's Opinion and Dad of Cameron.We've all been busy presenting, and Steve and Bev have been on the radio which you can here hear by clicking on this link.Today, Adam graduated Senior Kindergarten (Pomp and Circumstance and all), and my family has been sending me so many photos. I hated to miss it, but while I'm here, I know I'm also speaking for Adam's future. I delivered my Mismeasure of Autism: The Current Basis of Autism "Advocacy"presentation which is being published this July in Wendy Lawson's Concepts of Normalcy: The Autistic And Typical Spectrum. The audience has been really interested, asking great questions an... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1543359 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:09:00 +0100 1543359 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/06/he-did-it.html "We Jews, we dance," said Elie Wiesel in a speech he gave in Toronto just over a year ago now. I had the honour and privilege of meeting him in person. He was talking about how exactly BECAUSE of tough times, is reason to celebrate good ones. This is a philosophy I don't take for granted. Adam has just graduated from Senior Kindergarten and will be going into Grade One in September. "It has been a tremendous joy to work with Adam this term, and to be a part of his progress. Adam has exploded into independence...the greatest achievements Adam has seen in language this term have been in the area of self-expression. The work he is doing in and out of the classroom with his device has built his confidence and allowed him a very important and impactful release," says his report card. Adam goes ... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1531363 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:54:00 +0100 1531363 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/06/proud-mom.html School is almost over and camp is soon to begin. In closing the school year, Adam did a timeline of his life which you can view on Adam's own blog here.I am swelling with pride for all the hard work he has done and I am that he's had a wonderful year at a truly inclusive school. Every day Adam always looked forward to seeing his friends there and started initiating "peer interaction." (I don't like using over-used terms, as they come to reflect what is otherwise known as "appropriate peer interaction" as opposed to simply peer interaction that may appear atypical -- or of peer interest that may appear atypical to onlookers).I also verified this year that Adam's verbal communication cannot reflect what he thinks and how sophisticated he is. For instance, if I have a family albumn, he may sa... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1526314 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:40:00 +0100 1526314 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/06/on-assumption-of-labels-and-social.html What can we learn from Jerry's Kids? A lot, I'd say. How often do we hear relentlessly over and over and over again that so-called "high functioning" people do not have a right to talk for all autistic people as if they are "taking away services" rather than adding to better the quality of life for everyone? Here are some myths that need dispelling yet again:1. A non verbal person can often read. These are people often called "low-functioning," but they can often learn to communicate via augmentative communication methods. Very often, these possibilities are not tapped because behavioural interventions are sought first -- the typical response is sought instead of enabling the autistic response;2. Some parents call their children low functioning when they are higher functioning than my son ... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1516579 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:58:00 +0100 1516579 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/06/to-diane-sawyer-equality-paradox.html Some Reflections After Viewing Diane Sawyer on Social Justice and AutismDespite all of our efforts (and it is quite an uphill climb), reporters don't listen to autistic people. I am continually surprised that an African-American woman reporter, who might remember a time when the Black Civil Rights Movement was considered extreme, would call autistic people "ill" even though she interviewed them. I was equally surprised when Diane Sawyer of ABC, asked rhetorically, "isn't it [acceptance] a beautiful way of expressing heartbreak?"Well, no. I can't say that I am heartbroken in the least as a mother of a truly, classically autistic child -- a child who struggles with sensory issues and anxiety, but who is otherwise fully capable of learning. If I were heartbroken, our lives would truly be mise... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1508521 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:57:00 +0100 1508521 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/05/concepts-of-normality.html I am so proud to participate in Wendy Lawson's soon to be released book: Concepts of Normality:The Autistic and Typical Spectrum, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Click here to order a copy. Finding the joy in life with autism. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1478036 Fri, 30 May 2008 01:52:00 +0100 1478036 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/05/autistic-rigthts-movement-ny-magazine.html A photo of Ari Ne'eman, of The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network from the magazine.An interesting article on The Autism Rights Movement here in New York Magazine. The only trouble is how the writer generalizes that the "movement" does not see autism as disability.As I'm not feeling too well, I can't write much but Kristina did write about the piece in her blog Autism Vox.Finding the joy in life with autism. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1467896 Mon, 26 May 2008 12:59:00 +0100 1467896 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/05/autistic-kindergarten-student-gets.html PORT ST. LUCIE — Melissa Barton said she is considering legal action after her son's kindergarten teacher led his classmates to vote him out of class.After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn't like about Barton's 5-year-old son, Alex, his Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.By a 14 to 2 margin, the students voted Alex — who is in the process of being diagnosed with autism — out of the class. To view full article click here.When I read this I became outraged. The Autism Acceptance Project is working towards an Inclusion Initiative here in Toronto to ensure that this does not happen, and that aides, and services be included IN the schools, instead of taking autistic children out of them. This initiative should be ... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1466112 Sat, 24 May 2008 14:46:00 +0100 1466112 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-feel-therefore-i-am.html I do not wish to suggest that having all one's senses in tact makes one a better human. No. Humans have a remarkable ability to adapt and all humans indeed FEEL.I wish I knew how to make movies.I don't have good tools and am in the midst of imagining what I could do for Adam in terms of effects. Tools are everything.Finding the joy in life with autism. (Source: The Joy of Autism) The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1463855 Thu, 22 May 2008 21:33:00 +0100 1463855 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/05/images-of-disability-whose-making-them.html In a presentation given by student Dylan Walters, MA Candidate of Critical Disability Studies at York University, he focuses on the images of disability from the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. I have many times announced how happy I am that Adam has a unique tool -- technology -- through which he is now able to communicate, and soon, make friends and accomplish many things. The rise of online communities is known to us all -- some one million YouTube videos are uploaded every day from around the world. The average YouTube user is twenty-six-years-old. As Dylan noted, "in a mere three years, YouTube has become a fixture in politics, business, education and entertainment." CNN debates and politics are a common feature and Amanda Bagg's video In My Language has reached hundreds of thousands of pe... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1458599 Tue, 20 May 2008 19:43:00 +0100 1458599 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-am-love.html Lately, Adam is really interested in collecting objects, touching them, looking at them closely, adding them to his collection -- rocks, teddy bears (which he talks to and names), dolls, pretty things, trophies belonging to the older children of our house. So of course, I'm at a stage where like any other parent, I have to teach Adam that he can't have everything he sees -- that some things do not belong to him but to other people. Other things have to be paid for and we can't have everything we want. Also, some things are just so plain delicate, that you can't touch them, but look at them only. Of course, this has begun when I feel that I can parent him less than I want as I am recuperating in bed. As other family members seem to struggle in watching him or enabling him with his device (I... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1450320 Sun, 18 May 2008 14:40:00 +0100 1450320 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/05/ignored.html "If I participate, knowingly or otherwise, in my sister's oppression and she calls me on it, to answer her anger with my own only blankets the substance of our exchange with reaction. It wastes energy. And yes, it is very difficult to stand still and to listen to another woman's voice delineate an agony I do not share, or one to which I myself have contributed." (Audre Lorde, The Uses of Anger: Women and Racism)It does not sound like progress is being made at IMFAR in London, UK, from the comments from my post made on autism research yesterday (see yesterday's post below). Non autistic researchers, profiting from parental fear --societal fear, even -- about autism does not wish to hear the autistic person -- be it aspie or non verbal autistic typing out a sentence. I wish I was at IMFAR be... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1450321 Sat, 17 May 2008 16:53:00 +0100 1450321 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/05/does-autism-research-support-humanity.html Does Autism Research Support Humanity or Human Deviance for Profit?McMaster University is doing autism research. Autism Speaks raises a lot of money and some of that goes to our researchers based in Toronto and in Hamilton. Much of the money goes towards research to detect autism early or towards preventing or curing autism. The purpose of early detection is for early intervention. The concept of early intervention is derived from a medical model where the earlier diseases like cancer are detected, the better the chances of living. As a person recently diagnosed with early ovarian cancer, I can attest that in the case of mortality, I am thankful for early detection. However, in autism, the premise of early intervention isn’t that much different than the cancer model – children begin to... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1446152 Fri, 16 May 2008 13:02:00 +0100 1446152 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/05/emboldened-by-many-silences.html I had my second surgery a little sooner than expected due to a lot of pain. Here I am last mother's day in the hospital. I am at home, tired now. Groggy as I write.Audre Lorde said, "what I most regretted was my silences." She wrote about feminism and her breast cancer, and I too believe that staying silent is NOT useful when we have so much we have to learn and share with one another. "What are the words you do not yet have? What do you need to say? What are the tyrannies that swallow you day by day and attempt to make your own, until you sicken and die of them, still in silence?"I try to test my silence and put it on the loud speaker.Today I write:The leaves of spring begin to glitterthe warm sun across my face I try to heal under itmy womanhood takenfear forsakenI am more a woman todayt... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1446153 Thu, 15 May 2008 19:43:00 +0100 1446153 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/05/in-wake-of.html doubt, fear, criticism, I become stronger. I need to write and verbalize in order to move through experience, find joy, and learn.Today, I borrow the words of Audre Lorde, for she speaks for me right now. Some people have explained that to be silent through their experience or their fear -- be it having an autistic child or a cancer, should be kept private. But this doesn't work for me. I have spent time considering this, and if I am wrong to make public what is so private for others. But what are we if we the village do not share, because we can make each other strong.In "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action," Lorde writes:"I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it br... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1423278 Tue, 06 May 2008 13:53:00 +0100 1423278 http://joyofautism.blogspot.com/2008/05/brief-thoughts-on-body.html Lorde gives voice to her "feelings and thoughts about the travesty of prosthesis, the pain of amputation, the function of cancer in a profit economy, confrontation with mortality, the strength of women loving, and the power and rewards of self-conscious living." Lorde powerfully weaves together the three literary forms, allowing her to leap from raw expressions of pain to her inimitably astute social observations.Guess what I'm reading? Sure, I'm a little scarred, but like Lordes, and after attending some of lectures today for the graduate program I am beginning in Critical Disability Studies, I do believe that cancer is just as much an industry as autism (moreso, actually) and the way we conceptualize the body as "doing and being done to." I'm not saying that industries and economies are ... The Joy of Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1419102 Sun, 04 May 2008 00:59:00 +0100 1419102