Photos from The Frenzy Stamper (taken by Debbie)-Thanks Debbie!!







Mom left today (she's home safe and sound now). I zonked out this afternoon after picking Tristan up from school...had to come home and nap. I tried reading Somerset but was soooooo tired (The new issue is REALLY good-love Keri Smith's stuff and a lot more in it). I'm REALLY on pins and needles looking forward to the latest Cloth Paper Scissors... I'm so silly ;)

I am up to my eyebrows in emails so if I haven't answered you yet, I"m not ignoring you-sorry! I will hopefully get to all of them tomorrow.

Tristan is missing his Grandma so I am off to play with him.

In the meantime, some food for thought...an article on autism. It's one of the few things I had a chance to read today and the quote from so called "Doctor" Offit (TOTALLY APPROPRIATE name) had me livid. It is a *must* read.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Dr. Offit's comments are not new to me. Why does this physician's comment make you so livid? The nerdy/geeky folks you mention are often labeled as having a milder form of autism (Asperger's), and the label has helped some of these individuals access expensive services they may not otherwise be able to afford.
Kelly Kilmer said…
The quote is:

On ABC,s 20/20 on February 23rd, Dr Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, explained that the increase in autism is due to the fact that "people that we once called quirky or geeky or nerdy are now called autistic."

He further stated that with a label of autism, it would "allow that child then to qualify for services which otherwise they wouldn't be qualified to get."

End Quote.

I *never* Mentioned Nerdy/Geeky People has being autistic (I consider myself a nerd/geek)...it's in the quote from Dr Offit.

What bothers me is the quote itself "people that we once called quirky or geeky or nerdy are now called autistic." I see something extremely wrong with that statement.

How come there aren't any autistic adults? How come I never met an autistic person (child) until my son went to school (and now we know several autistic children)?

How come I never had HEARD of autism until AFTER my son was given his vaccination shots and well into kindergarten?

Nerdy/Geeky people are not "autistic". Nor should Autistic people be labeled as such.

Everything I have ever read on autism points to the cause as being vaccinations that contained mercury in them. Drug companies that are, again, putting profits before human lives.

Austitic children are new. They haven't "always been around" and they aren't and shouldn't be LABELED as nerdy/geeky individuals.
They need to put the blame where it stands-the pharmaceutical companies. They need to stop labeling these people and find a cure that will help them. They need to make the drug companies accountable-now.
Anonymous said…
Thank you for your thoughts on this physician. Your position makes a lot more sense to me now. I agree with you about the duplicity of drug companies. Stigmatizing children who don't meet conventional standards of beauty and behavior is also unconscionable. It is sad that not only physicians, but school systems propagate impossible standards for children who don't meet their narcissistic and perfectionistic standards. You are right to be outraged by the article. I am as well, now that I have re-read it, and thought about the specific points you
discussed.
Kelly Kilmer said…
Counterpunch and
wsws.org/ are two of my favorite places to get my fix of daily "news". Though I don't agree 100% with everything that they say, their news comes pretty damn close to what I want for "real" news.

I loved the article on Autism for it is a point of view you don't hear. The writer should be commended for having the balls to speak out.

It's just like the cancer epidemic. The "fix it all solution" to the copmanies is more drugs. Yeah, Let's get the pharmaceutical companies richer instead of solving the problem-disgusting!!

Any ways, I do agree with Anne McElroy Dachel's position.

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