I thought this new study was interesting because it reveals that the instruments (“tests”) used to evaluate individuals for autism differ in quality. Some work reasonably well, while others should either be revised or abandoned. The instruments tested were those administered by caregivers, not researchers or clinicians. That means these…
Month: June 2010
Increasingly, I am aware of the “communities” to which I don’t belong. An overused word in the humanities, “community” is more than a group of people with some minor similarities. A community has to have some manner of unified sense of purpose. I belong to several organizations without any desire…
Summer is conference season. I honestly don’t follow the “autism community” and did not know there was an autism conference for individuals with ASDs. The “Autreat” is currently underway, but I thought I’d mention it so people could learn more about the sponsor and consider future events. Autism Network InternationalAutreat…
Anosognosia is the state of denying a serious disability. In the most serious cases, it is a mental health disorder, causing the deaf to insist they can hear or the blind to insist they can see. Obviously, not a good thing and potentially dangerous. I have received e-mails critical of…
[2026 Note: I was proved wrong when the supporters of Donald Trump embraced anti-vax nonsense.] The following mixes and matches several quite different groups, confounding people that represent various political views — not a monolithic anti-government movement, but general skepticism: The Very Angry Tea Party By J.M. BERNSTEIN http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/the-very-angry-tea-party/ …
As I read articles on, interviews of, and blogs by the family members of people with special needs, I keep encountering apologies and guilt. This is particularly true of parents and spouses who feel guilty for wanting personal time. The sense of being trapped by a routine is a regular…
I spent the last two days working on two versions of my résumé: techie me and teacher me. I feel “incomplete” when I read one or the other, as if I’m not being honest about who I am. The technology résumé is modeled on samples I found online at two…
The Autism Hub is the best guide to autism blogs on the Internet. However, it is primarily a way to track the latest posting and topics on blogs. It is not really meant to discuss the nature of blogging or the technology challenges. To help autism bloggers keep in touch…
I officially completed my Ph.D in May, meaning I’m far from joining the “long-term unemployed” statistically. The problem is that I have been unemployed off and on since leaving my undergraduate program at the end of 1990. Writing is an on-going project, certainly, but actual jobs have come and gone.…
After so many stories about autism and genetics in the news media, a parent asked me “that question” yet again: Would I want to be cured? What if my “autistic traits” could have been prevented? I have answered this multiple times, on this site and elsewhere. First, my life is…