Autism, Self Injury and Aggression

"I had no patience with good and decent colleagues who told me how busy they were. Busy? Try spending an evening sitting in a closet with your back to the door trying to hold it shut while your child kicks it in."


"Sky, as he always does, showed me the way. Even on the worst of days, Sky would find something to enjoy, even if it lasted less than 30 seconds ... So I started to look for my joy."


- Gertrude "Trudy" Steuernagel

The above quotes are from an AP article on the death of Professor Gertrude "Trudy" Steuernagel, who died a week after a severe beating and whose autistic son is now charged with attempted murder. Professor Steuernagel, according to the AP and other reports, was devoted to her son and found great joy in him. But she wrote openly about the challenges of caring for an autistic child; challenges which can include serious self injury and aggression towards others, including loved ones.

It is possible that Neurodiversity ideologues Ari Ne'eman, Estee Klar and Kristina Chew have never experienced the darker side of autism realities. Ari, a person with Aspergers, does not seem very prone to aggression, judging by his media interviews and internet videos. Estee and Kristina may not have experienced these harsher autism realities in their autistic children. But for many they are real.

My son Conor brings me great joy but sometimes he injures himself. And sometimes he is aggressive to others including family members. I do not believe he intends to cause harm. At times he is just overwhelmed and grabs hair or pinches faces. These are realities that it does no good to ignore.

The QSAC Clinical Blog (Quality Services for the Autism Community) has a blog feature on the Challenge of Changing Self-Injurious Behaviors in Autism. I encourage everyone, including Ari, Estee and Kristina, to read this article by Dr. Francisco Monegro. Dr. Monegro provides an objective, professional review of the studies which have examined the self injurious behaviors and the treatment options available to address them.

Ignoring these challenges serves no useful purpose. Those of us who are parents of autistic children should discuss these issues openly .... because we love them.

autism