When I maxed out on trolling the internet, I decided to buy a few books. As fascinating as the firsthand accounts of other parents were, I realized that they weren't entirely reliable because they were, after all, just anecdotal stories. I decided I was ready for serious study and hard data.
Out of curiosity, I bought The Einstein Syndrome. Everyone knows some one who was a late talker. This can't be imagined phenomenon. But what distinguishes a late talker from a child on the spectrum at age 2? How can one make a differential diagnosis? The book answers neither of these questions. Instead, the book describes its subjects, late talkers such as the author's son, as brilliant, and disparages children with ASDs, refering to autistic savants and "idiot savants." The book is so steeped in elitism, it made me want to vomit. Gag-reflex aside, the author's elitism clouds his judgement. The book posits the theory that analytical skill, in lay terms, hogs a late talker's grey matter, thus leaving less grey matter to acquire speech. The basis for the theory is an overdeveloped lobe of Einstein's brain. (Who knew they autopsied that sucker for posterity?) But the author doesn't address that children with ASDs are smilarly regarded to have "extreme male brain," leaving me to conclude that his "research" is self-serving and biassed.
The other book I purchased was the Autism Sourcebook. Little did I know when I bought the book that the author is an ABA zealot. She goes as far as to recommend that toddlers forego nap in favor of more ABA hours. Lets consider this proposition for a moment. Sleep is essential to the development of the mind. So she advises that children with a pervasive development disorder forego that which essential to development?
Showing posts with label Backstory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Backstory. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Critique of a Triangle
Open Memo to the authors of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV):
My son's developmental pediatrist explained to me that autistic spectrum disorders are defined by reference to a triangle, with one point being impairment of communication, one point being impairment of social interaction, and the third point being "stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities."
Lets think about the analytical value of those diagnostic criteria, as applied to a two year old. The first two criteria can be applied with some degree of certainty.
But the third point - "stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities"? It's absurd to assign diagnostic value to this criteria - toddlers by nature cling to routine. I'd be worred about a toddler that didn't exhibit stereotyped patterns of behavior. "Does your son have trouble with transitions?" the diagnostician asked. Hello? Have you ever observed a normal or neurotypical toddler before??? ALL toddlers have difficulty with transitions. Another dumb question: "Does your son cling to nonfunctional routines?" Please.
I'm calling it. The triangle is so yesterday, when diagnosis wasn't made until grade school. In this day and age, with early detection, that sucker should be called a line. Two points. Got that, DSM-IV? It's a line.
My son's developmental pediatrist explained to me that autistic spectrum disorders are defined by reference to a triangle, with one point being impairment of communication, one point being impairment of social interaction, and the third point being "stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities."
Lets think about the analytical value of those diagnostic criteria, as applied to a two year old. The first two criteria can be applied with some degree of certainty.
But the third point - "stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities"? It's absurd to assign diagnostic value to this criteria - toddlers by nature cling to routine. I'd be worred about a toddler that didn't exhibit stereotyped patterns of behavior. "Does your son have trouble with transitions?" the diagnostician asked. Hello? Have you ever observed a normal or neurotypical toddler before??? ALL toddlers have difficulty with transitions. Another dumb question: "Does your son cling to nonfunctional routines?" Please.
I'm calling it. The triangle is so yesterday, when diagnosis wasn't made until grade school. In this day and age, with early detection, that sucker should be called a line. Two points. Got that, DSM-IV? It's a line.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Brad's Two Year Well-baby Appointment
February 8, 2008
My pediatrician informed me that there's an explosion in diagnoses at the "mild" end of the spectrum. He's treated (as a pediatrician) a few such cases, where the individual is "off the spectrum" in a year or two. He overtly cast skepticism on the treatment, ie services. Would they have grown out of it without services, he asks. We don't know, he says.
Parents of autistics complain that pediatricians are too dismissive of early parental reports of abnormality. Me? I cling to my pediatrician's skepticism like a life-raft.
My pediatrician informed me that there's an explosion in diagnoses at the "mild" end of the spectrum. He's treated (as a pediatrician) a few such cases, where the individual is "off the spectrum" in a year or two. He overtly cast skepticism on the treatment, ie services. Would they have grown out of it without services, he asks. We don't know, he says.
Parents of autistics complain that pediatricians are too dismissive of early parental reports of abnormality. Me? I cling to my pediatrician's skepticism like a life-raft.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Must conform.
February 2, 2008
How far apart is the DAN ("defeat autism now") crowd from the Nazis? Really. They both advocate extermination of sorts.
How far apart is the DAN ("defeat autism now") crowd from the Nazis? Really. They both advocate extermination of sorts.
Eye Infection
February 1, 2008
In the wake of all the crying, I've managed to infect my eye. (Each time my contact would slip out, and I'd just pop it back in without washing my hand.) It looks like conjunctivitis. Now my physical being matches my mental being. I'm a mess, inside and out.
In the wake of all the crying, I've managed to infect my eye. (Each time my contact would slip out, and I'd just pop it back in without washing my hand.) It looks like conjunctivitis. Now my physical being matches my mental being. I'm a mess, inside and out.
Google PhD, Part II
January 31, 2008
What's the deal with the biomed community? And why do people hate Jenny McCarthy so much? Oh, and high-functional autistics rock.
What's the deal with the biomed community? And why do people hate Jenny McCarthy so much? Oh, and high-functional autistics rock.
Google PhD, Part I
January 30, 2008
I'm well on my way to becoming a google pHd, endlessly trolling the internet to gain any morsel of understanding. But the more I research PDD-NOS, the more confused I become. Whoever coined the adage "if you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person" can suck it. As though there is no generalization one can make about autism. No development trajectory. I'm calling bullshit on the adage. That's right. There IS a development trajectory for individuals on each end of the spectrum. There must be. So why can't anyone tell me what it is???
So in the absence of any meaningful information about development (or the lack thereof) I cling to every subjective anecdote as though it were the key to enlightenment.
I'm well on my way to becoming a google pHd, endlessly trolling the internet to gain any morsel of understanding. But the more I research PDD-NOS, the more confused I become. Whoever coined the adage "if you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person" can suck it. As though there is no generalization one can make about autism. No development trajectory. I'm calling bullshit on the adage. That's right. There IS a development trajectory for individuals on each end of the spectrum. There must be. So why can't anyone tell me what it is???
So in the absence of any meaningful information about development (or the lack thereof) I cling to every subjective anecdote as though it were the key to enlightenment.
Evening of Diagnosis
January 28, 2008
Emotional devestation. Finally fall asleep, only to wake up, have it hit me, and sob.
This happens to other people. Not me. I always thought to myself - I'd rather have a Downs baby than an autistic. A Downs baby would be affectionate and would love me. Autistic children don't say "I love you." What do you do with that? To feel that planet of love for a child and never have that feeling returned to you? What could be more cruel?
Emotional devestation. Finally fall asleep, only to wake up, have it hit me, and sob.
This happens to other people. Not me. I always thought to myself - I'd rather have a Downs baby than an autistic. A Downs baby would be affectionate and would love me. Autistic children don't say "I love you." What do you do with that? To feel that planet of love for a child and never have that feeling returned to you? What could be more cruel?
The Day of Brad's Diagnosis
January 28, 2008
Backstory: I got an appointment with the developmental specialist doctor before I could get an appointment with a pediatric audiologist. I still haven't gotten Brad's hearing checked. That appointment is next week.
The doctor examined Brad for one hour. And that's all it took for her to put Brad on the autistic spectrum. One hour to diagnose an illness that lasts a lifetime.
Backstory: I got an appointment with the developmental specialist doctor before I could get an appointment with a pediatric audiologist. I still haven't gotten Brad's hearing checked. That appointment is next week.
The doctor examined Brad for one hour. And that's all it took for her to put Brad on the autistic spectrum. One hour to diagnose an illness that lasts a lifetime.
"Early intervention sucks"
No, I don't really think that early intervention sucks. On the contrary.
The heading of this post - my inaugural post - was the first thing I googled when Early Intervention flagged my son for autism. Self-serving quacks, I thought. There must be a gripe site dedicated to them.
And that's how my journey began. Denial and anger. That was January 25, 2008, just 13 days ago.
Even Google knew the error of my ways. My search prompted it to ask: "Did you mean to search for early intervention success?"
The heading of this post - my inaugural post - was the first thing I googled when Early Intervention flagged my son for autism. Self-serving quacks, I thought. There must be a gripe site dedicated to them.
And that's how my journey began. Denial and anger. That was January 25, 2008, just 13 days ago.
Even Google knew the error of my ways. My search prompted it to ask: "Did you mean to search for early intervention success?"
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