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Boy in a bubble
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Posted by sylvia on Monday, August 03, 2009 (23:34:04)
Scotland on Sunday By Catherine Deveney
IMAGINE an unfamiliar world in which little is recognisable and you feel constantly frightened.
Faces are impenetrable masks, the expressions on them both threatening yet devoid of specific meaning. You do not understand your position in this place you find yourself. You are a square peg in a round hole, constantly crammed into someone else's space that simply doesn't fit. The faces talk to you but their language is alien and you are frightened of misinterpreting their words. In fact, fear defines your world. You take comfort in ritual and repetition and scream when it is interrupted. Often you simply withdraw inside yourself to an internal world that contains only you.
This was Dale Gardner's world. As a child he was severely autistic. He is 20 now and it is fascinating to sit in his house in Gourock listening to him describe a world he finally emerged from. Autism is a complex condition that affects roughly one in 110 people in Scotland – that's 45,000 – and causes sufferers to have difficulty with social and linguistic interaction. The symptoms and severity of the condition vary; some autistic people will never learn to speak, others will function relatively normally. But it is very rare for someone like Dale, who at one time couldn't talk to his parents or empathise with others, to be able to unzip the autistic brain, show you what's inside, then zip it up again. His descriptions are often very simple and to the point. "I would say," he says, "that autism is a disability that makes people scared at the wrong times."
Two things prompted Dale's remarkable progress: the determination of his parents, Nuala and Jamie; and the help of a rather special dog called Henry. The story of how Henry helped bridge the gap between Dale's world and his parents' was first made into a film, After Thomas, starring Keeley Hawes, Ben Miles and Sheila Hancock, and Nuala later went on to tell the full story in her book, A Friend Like Henry. Now, she has taken things further. Dogs have long been used to help blind people and epilepsy sufferers. But she is working with Dogs for the Disabled to develop a full training course to reach autistic children. Results have been encouraging and she is now looking at the possibility of sourcing gun dogs.
Research Autism is also carrying out its own systematic evaluation of dog programmes and Richard Mills, the charity's director, says there has been an improvement in the quality of life for both the children involved and their families. "We're not building up hopes that this is a cure for autism but we really think there's something worth looking at. And while some interventions for autism are extremely expensive, this isn't."
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Autism – An Evolutionary Consequence
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Posted by sylvia on Monday, August 03, 2009 (18:20:21)
RK MD
My classmates and I were discussing something earlier this year in molecular biology regarding the future of medicine. Having the potential to customize and tweak our genomes such that future generations will possess characteristics we have naturally (and artificially) sculpted is a power that is arguably rewriting Genesis chapter 1. But I asked them, and now you, to consider something which many people already support – the theory of evolution. Yes, the “E’ word is one which routinely stirs up controversy, especially amongst religiously inclined groups.
Personally, I support the theory (from my Hindu/agnostic outlook) for the evidence is relevant and substantial, so keep my biased perspective in mind as you read on. Also, realize that there is no evidence for this random musing, so interpret it as that and not a proposed case study or medical truth.
So what’s the point of this entry? Well, let me consider one special example which is relatively common in society – autism. This “disorder” is estimated to have an occurrence of 1/166 children, though this statistic may be drastically inflated with many parents labeling their children as “autistic” at the first signs of academic difficulty, abnormal behavior, etc. Given that over the last 10,000 years, mankind’s brain has seemed to evolve far more than any other bodily structure, how do we know that what we currently label as autism is not simply a consequence of the brain taking the next step towards advancement?
Crudely stated, there may be some glitches here and there in the new wiring plan, but over time, it might get worked out. We have documented cases of savants like Kim Peek and Daniel Tammet who possess extraordinary mental skills, but lack other skills which most “normal” humans feel anyone is capable of carrying out (dressing oneself, etc.) To me, it just seems like too much of a coincidence that we hear about autistic kids performing amazing feats but being labeled as children with a “disorder” in the same sentence. For example, Jason McElwain (some of you might know him as the “autistic basketball kid who shot six three pointers in four minutes”) was an inspiration to his peers when he was given a single chance to showcase his talent.
Perhaps it was just a coincidence and a few grains of luck that aided him, but truth be told, if autism were really a mental disorder, I doubt that we’d hear so many stories like Peek’s, Tammet’s, or McElwain’s in a condition which occurs in well less than 1% of the population. I feel that if neurological conditions like autism truly reflect a biological attempt to advance, only time will tell if mankind will conquer the next plateau of mental ability.
So what am I saying? If I had a child with autism, would I consider myself blessed? Unfortunately, this is where society far exceeds the control of evolution. The fundamental concepts of natural selection and evolution seem to fade away for mankind in light of our insatiable pursuit of wealth and power while simultaneously label the “weaknesses” of others.
The unfortunate truth is that autistic children are different, and therefore forever labeled by society as such. Assimilation becomes a very difficult task, and without that, it becomes virtually impossible to thrive in a world which is ever so cruel to change. So for the sake of my child’s well-being in this world, I hope he/she would be “normal” (according to society’s definition). The sad truth is… this might conflict with nature’s attempt to progress.
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Tooele boy with autism helps save mom in labor
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Posted by lightfoot on Friday, May 16, 2008 (18:12:05)
by: Erika Edberg
TOOELE, Utah (ABC 4 News) - An 11-year-old boy in Tooele will have an amazing story to tell his new baby sister when she gets a little older. Last week, he came to his mother's aid when she unexpectedly went into labor, and he may have saved baby Rachel's life.
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Autistic 12-year-old qualifies for third national karate championship
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Posted by lightfoot on Tuesday, May 06, 2008 (14:15:49)
By: Casey Phillips
When he first started studying karate four years ago, 12-year-old Brandon Earnshaw couldn’t stand on one foot without losing his balance and falling. In July, he’ll compete in his third consecutive USA National Karate-Do Federation national championship.
His achievement is all the more exceptional because Brandon, who is autistic, struggles to accomplish some things normally developing students do without thinking, said Corey Green, Brandon’s sensei (teacher).
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Finding humor in challenging life
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Posted by lightfoot on Sunday, May 04, 2008 (22:59:32)
BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN
BUCKTOWN | 1-woman show views her success raising autistic boys
She walks into the room, staring at the strangers. Sometimes, the tears slide down her cheeks when she conjures up the painful details of her past.
They are tears of a successful single mother of eight. They are tears of a fighter. They are tears of gratitude.
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