On World Autism Awareness Day respect the parents of autistic children and remember the role they play in helping their children realize their fullest potential in life.
From the days of Bruno Bettelheim when mothers of autistic children, based on one man's musings, were blamed for causing their children's autism disorders by being cold and lacking affection for their children, to the present, parents of autistic children have been vilified. Today anti-cure ideologues attack parents of autistic children for trying to treat and cure their own children.
Parents who speak openly about the negative realities of their children's autism disorders are condemned by the ideologues who praise autism disorders as a natural variation. Parents of autistic children concerned about the safety of what is injected into their children are mocked and ridiculed, behavior condoned and joined in by vaccine patent holders and ill informed journalists alike. Parents of autistic children who tantrum publicly are scorned as bad parents by ill informed strangers in shopping malls. Parents of autistic children are perhaps the only set of parents who have ever been so vilified by so many for trying to fulfill their responsibilities as parents and care for their children. Today the attacks continue albeit disguised under other labels "anti-vaxxers", "autism advocates", "behaviourists" etc.
Parents who speak openly about the negative realities of their children's autism disorders are condemned by the ideologues who praise autism disorders as a natural variation. Parents of autistic children concerned about the safety of what is injected into their children are mocked and ridiculed, behavior condoned and joined in by vaccine patent holders and ill informed journalists alike. Parents of autistic children who tantrum publicly are scorned as bad parents by ill informed strangers in shopping malls. Parents of autistic children are perhaps the only set of parents who have ever been so vilified by so many for trying to fulfill their responsibilities as parents and care for their children. Today the attacks continue albeit disguised under other labels "anti-vaxxers", "autism advocates", "behaviourists" etc.
Why whine about attacks on parents of autistic children instead of focusing on the children themselves in this post? Because, it is parents, with some exceptions, who protect and advance the interests of autistic children. Not advocates on behalf of abstraction, on behalf of a medical disorder generally.
When Ari Ne'eman says "we don't want to be cured" of our autism who is he representing? He is not representing my son with autistic disorder. I do that. Ari Ne'eman, Michelle Dawson, Amanda Baggs, Jim Sinclair, none of these people represent my son. None of them cleaned his butt as a baby, went to work each day to provide for him, took him to the hospital to have his fractured arm taken care of or to have dental filling work done. None of them got out of bed when he screamed at night or take him to school every day. They do not laugh with him every day, walk the trails with him in Fredericton, New Brunswick, or rise with him every day to hug him and watch the 7:10 sun.
It is parents who represent our children, protect them and advocate for their best interests. We are not advocating for an abstraction, we are not advocating on behalf of "autistics", whatever is meant by that expression when used by people who claim to be autistic but claim that autistic disorder is not really a medical disorder. Attacks on parents advocating for their children with autism disorders are attacks on autistic children by attacking those who protect and advance their children's interests.
The UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1959, stated:
Principle 7
The child is entitled to receive education, which shall be free and compulsory, at least in the elementary stages. He shall be given an education which will promote his general culture and enable him, on a basis of equal opportunity, to develop his abilities, his individual judgement, and his sense of moral and social responsibility, and to become a useful member of society.
The best interests of the child shall be the guiding principle of those responsible for his education and guidance; that responsibility lies in the first place with his parents.
The child shall have full opportunity for play and recreation, which should be directed to the same purposes as education; society and the public authorities shall endeavour to promote the enjoyment of this right.
The responsibility for the best interests of autistic children lies in the first place with his or her parents. Attacking parents of autistic children, in most cases, will be nothing more than an attack on the autistic children for whom they are responsible.
On World Autism Awareness Day I ask that you respect the role and responsibility of parents in representing their autistic children's best interests.
autism
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