A great (sane) article on autism

Freedom of expression - Times Online

If only we'd see more stories like this!

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Because it's almost mandatory, me being Canadian and all

YouTube - 12 Days of Christmas Told by Bob and Doug Mackenzie

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That looks like it might be painful

peopleposts.com - Cool Human Jump Rope Act by Street Performers

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The Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Even with the best of motivations, sometimes organizations make mistakes. It sounds like The NYU Child Study Center had the very best of intentions with their new ad campaign, but it is unfortunate that it reinforces negative stereotypes of the very people that they are trying to help. Although we definitely have daily problems and worries associated with autism, and I wish that my kids didn't have to deal with it, they don't need "rescuing"...they need support and acceptance to make their lives better.



I find the idea of "ransom notes" particularly appalling...my children are autistic- they were not "kidnapped", and have not been taken hostage by this diagnosis...it is part of who they are. I would definitely prefer that they didn't have to struggle every day, but if they were not autistic they would NOT be the wonderful people that they are...they might be wonderful in a different way, but autism has not ruined their lives (or mine, for that matter). They are not a "detriment" to the people around them (check out the ADHD "ransom note")- in fact, I've been told many times by their workers and doctors that their lives are richer for having known them.

While I know that NYU is doing some great work, and I am sure that they had the best of intentions with this ad campaign, I find it incredibly frustrating that they are trying to make my children (and people who share a psychiatric diagnosis) objects of pity and fear. I have long ago come to some kind of acknowledgment within myself that they will never get all of the help and support that they deserve in order to help them live their lives to the fullest, but it is painful and appalling to me that the organizations who are most in a position to support them apparently still view them as objects of pity and scorn.

If you have a minute, please write a simple email to one of the addresses in the link. Changing social views of autistic people is a slow process, but it will make the world of difference to my kids, at least, and they deserve to be seen as the wonderful, talented, loving, and "useful" people that they are, and not just as people who have been taken "hostage" by a trick of birth.

Thanks.

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Flying Puppets / Wonder Bread -

Flying Puppets / Wonder Bread - Boing Boing TV

Fun stuff- neat flying machines. I like the "Jules Verne" made out of Saran Wrap and drinking straws.

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Apparently I'm the only one in the Western world who hasn't seen this, but it's pretty damned cool

YouTube - colour changing card trick

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Fever can temporarily unlock autism's grip

CTV.ca | Fever can temporarily unlock autism's grip

Interesting new study- I'd certainly never heard of this angle before. My kids definitely have improved behaviour when they have a fever, but I've always put it down to lethargy!

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Moose falls in love (lust?) with bison statue

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Moose Mounts Bison Statue

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Brilliant!

can you spot the library? � deputydog

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Starting off the day thinking about Mister Rogers is never a bad thing.

mental_floss Blog � 15 Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever

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Kmareka.com � A Connection between Cell Phone Use and Autism?

Kmareka.com � A Connection between Cell Phone Use and Autism?

My new favourite "cause" of autism (sarcasm heavily on). So far my all-time favourite "cause" was one that I found the night that I was told that all 3 of my triplets had autism. We got home from the doctor's office in pretty much a state of shock...being who I am, as soon as I got them to bed that night I went online to find out what I could about it, as prior to then my only experiences of autism had been "Rain Man", and a friend who worked as an aide and got bitten every day by the child that she was working with.

Google didn't even exist at that point...I think that I used Hotbot to search. And the very first site that I read was a "wonderful" website which posed the theory that autistic children were actually emissaries for the aliens who had been trying to contact us for the last 50 years (unfortunately I think that the site is gone now, but this was is 1997, which is officially the dark ages as far as the internet is concerned)...finally the aliens had given up on stealing trailer trash on their way home from the bars and anal-probing them, and decided to breed a new race of "super-communicators" instead, hence, autistic children were created.

I live in hope that at some point most of the human race might be able to use their critical thinking facilities and stop coming up with these ass-brained ideas.

Cell phone use? Aside from the fact that this idiot seemingly has no idea of autism incidence over the last 20 years (look at http://autismdiva.blogspot.com/ for information on incidence and the "epidemic"), does this guy actually think that autism can be boiled down to one specific cause, especially one as minor as this?

I weep for the future of our kids at times...if half of the energy that was spent looking for "cause" was as devoted to accepting our kids, and figuring out the most appropriate ways to help them function in society as much as they need to in order to be happy and productive citizens, I think that we'd all be a lot better off. My blood pressure level would be, at least.

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http://www.treesfortroops.org

http://www.treesfortroops.org

A nice idea if you're looking for a charity to donate to before Christmas. I know that one of my military triplet families benefited from this last year, and it was a great start to their Christmas season.

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YouTube - Nationl Anthem Fenway Park

YouTube - Nationl Anthem Fenway Park

So cool...Boston kicks ass!

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17 Ways to Get Free Books | Frugal Panda

17 Ways to Get Free Books | Frugal Panda

Free books are NEVER a bad thing...there are some great swapping sites out there, even for non-Americans!

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Father Slashes Autistic Son to Death

Father Slashes Autistic Son to Death

I can't even begin to understand this, and with my kids, I think that I've pretty much been to the brink of despair a few times.

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Pretty impressive what a bit of eccentricity can accomplish

Eighth wonder of the world? The stunning temples secretly carved out below ground by 'paranormal' eccentric | the Daily Mail

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The Travel Justly campaign

SuicideGirls > News > Culture > Tis the Season: "the Jewish Funds for Justice, the Progressive Jewish Alliance, and the Jewish Labor Committee [has] collaborated to launch the Travel Justly campaign. The effort is designed to call attention to -- and perhaps even improve -- the relatively crappy working conditions of many hotel housekeepers. Ninety percent of these workers are women."

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Denial

Denial - Psychology - Mental Health and Behavior - New York Times

Interesting article. I don't know whether I completely agree with it, but I do find that denial is helpful in a lot of situations. Sometimes refusing to think about something might be the only way that you can cope with it (cue thoughts of Dylan).

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Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. | Family Hack

Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. | Family Hack

Simple but brilliant...I wish I'd known about this years ago.

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Why is peer review important?

A good, simple article on why peer-reviewed research is important. VERY important if you have autistic children.

Why is peer review important?

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