Autism Reality in Nova Scotia: Jim Young Delivers Autism Truth, Straight Up, With No Joy of Autism Sweetener

I met Jim Young a couple of years ago, May 26, 2007 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, at the FEAT-BC Goes Coastal kick off of the national autism strategy campaign. Jim and I had a chance to talk briefly. He got straight to the point in discussing autism and the state of autism advocacy in Nova Scotia. In a guest column in the Halifax Chronicle Herald Jim once again delivers hard hitting autism reality without any sugar coated joy of autism nonsense.

Jim offers the perspective of a father of an autistic child who fights hard to make life as good as he can for his child. He has done his homework on a number of contentious autism issues and he has been an active autism advocate. In this article Jim addresses many of the contentious autism issues that hinder the ability of parents to help their autistic children. He offers his views on autism cures and treatment favoring an evidence based professional treatment that stands out above all others at this time - Applied Behavior Analysis - ABA.

Jim expresses his admiration for high functioning autistic persons who do well in the world but pulls no punches about the leaders of the Neurodiversity ideological movement and the threat they pose to the health of our autistic children:

The neurodiversity proponents do not represent the realities faced by the majority of families. My view is that they represent a real threat to the health of our children. Not only do they imply that it is fine to have autism but they urge us to "celebrate" our children’s disorder. Nonsense. Should we "celebrate" juvenile diabetes, leukemia, pediatric aids, fetal alcohol syndrome?

I can testify that there is very little about autism to celebrate. I love both of my children and could not love my daughter, who is deeply affected, any more if she woke up tomorrow without autism. But I will continue to advocate and provide treatment opportunities for her forever, despite what these people say.

Autism is a serious health issue requiring aggressive treatment. It is not a learning disorder, lifestyle choice or expression of individuality. The risks of claiming that it is, for the rest of us, are that it provides government just the excuse they need to withhold funding – the community is divided and the disorder is not an alarming epidemic. These people need to shut up. They do not represent the children with autism that I see. They represent themselves, which is fine, but no one else.

Jim Young also takes the Nova Scotia government to task for its immoral, shabby treatment of autistic children. (Nova Scotia actually has a lottery system to determine which children receive autism treatment). Jim Young is a dad who has actually been fighting to help his autistic daughter and other autistic children in Nova Scotia. He has been fighting an uphill battle but he soldiers on.

I encourage anyone interested in autism, particularly parents of children newly diagnosed with an autism disorder to read Jim's column in the Chronicle Herald. It offers a healthy dose of autism reality, straight up, with no joy of autism, neurodiversity nonsense, to divert you from helping your autistic child.

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