Return-Path: <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id iBN11HT08397; Wed, 22 Dec 2004 20:01:17 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 20:01:17 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <DC59DD324318E44AA0C054AC1D7806BE04134732@ca1ex1.air.org> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Jacobson, Erik" <EJacobson@air.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-LD:4563] RE: Fwd: NYTimes.com Article: How About Not 'Curing' Us, Some Auti... X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; What I find to be the most disturbing thing in this article is the statement: "Ms. Weintraub's son, Nicholas, has benefited greatly from A.B.A., she said, and she is unapologetic about wanting to remove his remaining quirks, like his stilted manner of speaking and his wanting to be Mickey Mouse for Halloween when other 8-year-olds want to be Frodo from "The Lord of the Rings." "I worry about when he gets into high school, somebody doesn't want to date him or be his friend," she said. "It's no fun being different." While I am no huge fan of the Disney empire, pointing to a desire to be Mickey Mouse versus Frodo as evidence that her son needs ABA is beyond me. I assume she thinks that Mickey Mouse is not age appropriate for an 8 year old, but is Frodo? This does not sound like it is about developmental or neurological based behavioral issues, but simply about trying to be mainstream in a cultural sense. Yet the mainstream shifts, and I would suggest does not provide any objective guidelines about a child's developmental capabilities. Before the Lord of the Rings movies came out, the only kids into Frodo were playing Dungeons and Dragons and THEY were ostracized for being different. I would have to hear more about Ms. Weintraub's son's stilted speaking style to know how to interpret that. However, because they focus on "quirks," rather than behavioral issues that could negatively impact her son's ability to learn, Ms. Weintraub's statements work to support the autism activists quoted in the article. She might have other reasons and evidence, but she comes across in the article as someone who just wants her son to be popular. On the other hand, I think it is dangerous to make a case against working on mitigating some of the potential negative effects of autism by pointing to "uncanny expertise" some autistic individuals might have. Not everybody with autism is a human atlas or chess master. And the behaviors of some people with autism can indeed put themselves or other people at risk. I think the goal is to try and reach a balance between allowing for individuality and providing proper support for changing dangerous behaviors. Pretty much the goal of any good teaching, regardless of who the students might be. A few years ago I taught an ESOL class for adults that had 12 "typical" adults and 6 with "special needs", including one with autism. Some of his unique characteristics were accepted unquestioningly (like his habit of tending to move around the room quite a bit). Others were not, like his strong desire to get behind the wheel of cars and attempt to drive them. While of course he did not do this in classroom, we tried to work on the issue there, because his family was afraid for him and for others he might run over. He had managed to start cars in the past, so this was a real concern. There was no way he could ever drive a car safely. Would the autism activists suggest we let him? There was also no way he was going to sit down in class and stay in his seat the whole time. Would those who support ABA suggest we make that a priority? Erik Jacobson
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