What Parents of Special Needs Kids Worry About

We all hear the stories of sexual abuse, and unfortunately, it happens too often. Parents of autistic children in particular worry about this because the child, if he or she is non-verbal, can't express what happened. So this story (via John Hawkins) is particularly egregious:

Leduc's weird tale began on May 30, when she dropped young Victoria off for class at Terry Fox Elementary and headed in to work, only to receive a frantic phone call from the school telling her it was urgent she come back right away.

The frightened mother rushed back to the campus and was stunned by what she heard - the principal, vice-principal and her daughter's teacher were all waiting for her in the office, telling her they'd received allegations that Victoria had been the victim of sexual abuse - and that the CAS had been notified.

How did they come by such startling knowledge? Leduc was incredulous as they poured out their story.

"The teacher looked and me and said: 'We have to tell you something. The educational assistant who works with Victoria went to see a psychic last night, and the psychic asked the educational assistant at that particular time if she works with a little girl by the name of "V." And she said 'yes, I do.' And she said, 'well, you need to know that that child is being sexually abused by a man between the ages of 23 and 26.'"

Victoria, who is non-verbal, had also been exhibiting sexualized behaviour in class, actions which are known to be typical of autistic behavior. (See other typical actions here) That lead authorities to suspect she had a bladder infection that may have somehow been related to the 'attack.'

Leduc was shaken by the idea. "It's actually your worst nightmare your child being violated," she admits. "So for them to even suggest that, and that be my worst nightmare, it was horrific."

So, then, the mother is investigated by CPS, but thankfully she had proof to back herself up. She bought a GPS system that records, non-stop, all sounds around the child because the school had "lost" her child a couple times.

A psychic? You'd be surprised, right, but you've dealt with the public school system or heard the stories, so nothing is shocking. The teacher won't be fired. The assistant teacher won't be fired. The principal won't be fired. The school district won't pay for the education the child needs.

The school district will dedicate its resources to defend against this woman's lawsuit when the same amount of money, or less, could help her child. You see, the policy is to deny, deny, deny, because if they help one child, they'd have to help them all. So no children will get adequately helped, or will get the bare minimum of assistance and it will be couched in ARDs as the "least restrictive environment" which is code for--we don't want to pay. And parents have no choice. They're stuck. Private schools are under no obligation to take on a special needs child. And the private schools that specialize in helping these kids are expensive.

John says, "If we had a voucher system, Colleen Leduc could simply send her kid to a private school that isn't run by complete morons." Well, the money would be a start. Public schools are woefully deficient at dealing with these children. It's a problem nationally. There simply just isn't the training or desire to be trained to deal with children outside the mean.

I've been to continuing ed seminars for teachers dealing with autism. The level of apathy among the teachers was appalling. The parents in attendance, took it all in. In fact, while the teachers ignored the speaker (who happened to be one of the brightest thinkers and a leader in autism education), I was learning and went home and taught my son how to speak that week. The information was good, but you can't teach someone who thinks she knows everything or who just doesn't care.

And out there, there are amazing teachers, wonderful teachers who are underpaid, overworked and unappreciated. That's the problem with public education. A teacher can phone it in or can work and care, she gets paid the same. She can be dull-witted and show zero judgment and still get paid. It's almost impossible for her to get fired.

What a mess. On the word of a stupid assistant teacher's psychic, a woman and her child can be completely traumatized, meanwhile, there's the little problem of the child not being educated.

Voted Out Of Kindergarten: The Solution Is Vouchers

A five year old, probably with Asperger's Syndrome but as yet undiagnosed, boy stays home after being voted out of his class by his classmates at the behest of his unapologetic teacher. Like the case of the woman harassing her daughter's depressive friend via MySpace, this case is unfathomable. In fact, when I read about this last night, I didn't blog about it. I just didn't know how to respond to an example of such callous disregard and stupidity.

My son has Asperger's Syndrome and he is indeed a challenge in the classroom--not because he's a behavior problem but because he just requires extra help to stay on task, understand the assignment and decide what to do next. For a young child with Asperger's Syndrome, the classroom is an overload of stimuli. So, depending on the school's philosophy, the child might end up in Special Education with the mentally retarded and behavior problem children. The only problem is that the children with Asperger's Syndrome have normal I.Q.s. and are often underestimated.

Teachers are frustrated because they have other children in the classroom that need to be taught. A lazy or immature or stupid teacher takes it out on the child when the problem can only be resolved with the school administration and parents. A good teacher manages and some dedicated teachers give extra time and view the special child as a challenge to be helped.

Parents are frustrated. If they get their child diagnosed, it often means medication and lowered academic expectations causing the child to fall behind. The average Asperger's child graduates High School with a second grade education. In fact, around sixth grade, many of these children fall irreparably behind but not for lack of intelligence. This is a towering educational failure with life-long implications for the child.

What many of these children need, but rarely get, is one-on-one intensive intervention in the early educational years gradually phasing it out as the child grows. This is expensive, true. But it is far cheaper than having a child on life-long disability because he hasn't been taught the skills to work and get through the day.

The Barton's, like many families, didn't get their child diagnosed until the child is in school and they're still working on it. The infant and toddler and pre-school development of the child is uneven but normal enough to not raise flags with parents and pediatricians. Stick the child in an over-stimulating environment where constant demands are made and suddenly, everyone knows something is wrong. This is a traumatic time for parents. It is an upsetting one for teachers. No one likes to bear this news.

Another thing to consider: many five year olds are emotionally immature or developmentally uneven. Some can read. Some can't. Some can count. Some can't. Some can sit still. Some can't. Kindergarten isn't about heavy duty academics, so how is this child "disrupting" the education of others as some have suggested?

Wendy Portillo, the child's teacher, put Alex Barton a five year old, in front of his classmates and asked each child to say something that annoyed them about the child. They then voted whether or not to keep him in the class. Only two out of the fourteen children voted to keep him in the room, but the children are five and hardly have an understanding of what they were being asked. Imagine, for a moment, a teacher doing this to your child. It is cruel beyond all comprehension.

Melissa Barton, Alex's mom, was just lucky that her son is verbal enough that he could tell her what happened. Many children with Asperger's and Autism, including my son, have great difficulty with expressive language. Something like this could happen to an Autistic child and his parents would never know.

The challenge of educating bright, but developmentally different children, is not going away. For whatever reason, the numbers of these children are still increasing. Parents, teachers and school districts need to stop living in denial.

I saw one teacher comment saying that parents should "take their own medicine" and be responsible for teaching their own child. Well, I did that this last year with my son. The modifications made for him here at home helped him learn, but I still had to pay my taxes so the "normal" kids can go to school. Implement vouchers. Now. I would gladly pull my child out of public school for the rest of his education, but the way it stands now, my only choice is to educate my son on my own dime while paying taxes so teachers can teach the "easy" kids. The teacher needs to decide whether she supports her own union. Vouchers and educational reform would be a solution to this. Choice. Parents could vote with their money. No doubt, schools and teachers that catered to special kids would pop up. Now, this is a way to put democracy in action, teachers. Voting is great when the person being voted on isn't the teacher. That's just a little too uncomfortable.

Bottom line, I hope Ms. Barton sues the teacher and the school. This outrage is just the most extreme version of a system that teaches to the mean and is inept at educating those who fall outside of a very narrow normal.

More at Joanne Jacobs via Instapundit. The comments are illuminating. As are the comments at the link above to the local newspaper.

Maybe Crazy Moms Do Create Autistic Children

So a friend sends me this research. You know, how to take this? I just don't know..... I'm trying to not take it personally. Kidding! Here's the gist:

"Earlier studies have shown a higher rate of psychiatric disorders in families of autistic children than in the general population," Daniels said.

The association between a child's autism and mental illness in the parent was strongest with schizophrenia, and was less powerful when the mother suffered from depression or personality disorders. There was little association between autism and parental addiction to alcohol or drugs or some other types of mental illness.

It was not clear if it was significant that having a mother, but not a father, with certain mental illnesses, raised the risk of autism.

Back in the day, there was the "refrigerator mother" theory (more here). But it's never been quite established which came first. When you have an autistic child, you find yourself changing your life to make it better for your child. In my own case, my son, even as a baby, could not handle changes in his routine. He would be messed up for days. So, what did I do? I kept him in a rigid routine. It just made life easier. To the outside world though, I looked like an inflexible mom. "Oh, she's just obsessive because it's her first child and he's premature", blah, blah, blah.

In addition, I had a child two years after my first son. My other children don't have autism. And I have seen completely normal moms have three autistic children who all favor their fathers. It seems to me that there are many factors that can contribute to autism. Here are some:

Father's age
Oh crap, there are too many. So here's a link to a website that lists some (and I by no means endorse or support any theories, treatments, etc.) Here's wikipedia on autism.

This research is an interesting addition to the body of autism theory. Like I've said before, I don't think there is any one cause. Autism is a complicated disorder with many contributing factors. All I do know, is that I hope the researchers press on. Autism impacts so many lives. Children and families struggle every day. We need a cure. Soon.

A Ray of Sunshine

Today is absolutely magnificent. The sun shines on grass made neon green by a week of spring rain. I'm watching the Memphis UCLA game and listening to Cecilia Bartoli and talking to friends after taking a walk in the breezy day. Perfection.

I was also musing this morning about President Bush. Follow me, people, I'm in a good mood and my mind is all over the place. So, the Prez is in Croatia. And yet again, he's receiving a hero's welcome. They love him there. His speech was incredible. Gateway Pundit is on it, as usual:

President Bush shared these words on liberty and freedom with the people of Croatia today from St. Marko's Square:

The people of this region know what the gift of liberty means. You know the death and destruction that can be caused by the followers of radical ideologies. You know that, in a long run, the only way to defeat a hateful ideology is to promote the hopeful alternative of human freedom. And that is what our nations are doing today in the Middle East. The lack of freedom and opportunity in that region has given aid and comfort to the lies and ambitions of violent extremists. Resentments that began on the streets of the Middle East have resulted in the killing innocent people across the world. A great danger clouds the future of all free men and women, and this danger sits at the doorstep of Europe.

Together the people of this region are helping to confront this danger. Today soldiers from Croatia, Albania, and Macedonia are serving bravely in Afghanistan -- helping the Afghan people defeat the terrorists and secure their future of liberty. Forces from Albania and Macedonia are serving in Iraq -- where they're helping the Iraqi people build a society that rejects terror and lives in freedom. It's only a matter of time before freedom takes root across that troubled region. And when it does, millions will remember the people of your nation stood with them in their hour of need. (Applause.)

Democracy President George W. Bush was among friends in Croatia today.

See, I believe these high-minded sentiments. I believe that every person born deserves a chance to live and to live free. One of the reasons my support for President Bush has not waned is because I believe he is right in principle and that being a force for freedom trumps some of his other ill-advised stances and his inability to adequately communicate his ideals. I've said it before and I'll say it again: We'll miss him when he's gone. History will be kind to this president.

To end, here is a fascinating YouTube clip. This autistic child didn't talk until he was five years old and now, he uses his photographic memory to draw cities. These children are amazing.

Autism and Vaccinations

Glenn Reynolds has been pounding away recently on the "junk science" associated with choosing to not vaccinate a child. He cited a recent measles outbreak in Europe and the fact that 240,000 children die a year from measles as evidence that vaccines are necessary.

In the other corner of the debate, you have parents of autistic children, like Jenny McCarthy, whose son went into cardiac arrest after his MMR vaccine and who is convinced that the vaccination caused her son's autism. She is not alone in her belief. I have met scores of parents who saw a causal link between the immunization and the onset of the disease. Are these parents imagining the loss of their child's self? As Jenny asks the doctor, "Are these children acceptable losses in the name of immunization?"

I am not autistic, but I myself went into anaphylactic shock when I was given the MMR vaccine as a child. It resulted in an emergency room visit and my parents were convinced I was going to die. They decided then and there to not immunize my siblings. We have all made it to adulthood, but we did suffer from chicken pox, mumps and the other childhood viri. I should note that I got mumps even with being fully immunized as did my husband and his brothers, all fully immunized. They were the unfortunate recipients of bad batches of vaccines that didn't work and endured mumps in their teen years which could have resulted in sterilization. Not good.

It is unusual, but not rare, for vaccinated people to get the illness anyway. It has been a subject of research and concern. It seems that immunity fades for measles into adulthood. This has serious ramifications as a pregnant mother with measles is a huge problem. However, for the common kid, it should also be noted that measles is not a big deal. There is a mild fever and rash and when complications do arise, it's often dehydration secondary to fever and emesis. In the Western world, it's unlikely to be fatal. In areas where good medical care can't be had, it's more dangerous.

My son, age 10, is autistic. He was born at 24 weeks gestation and had different surgeries for different issues typical to premature babies. Developmentally, he's struggled and it's a challenge figuring out what came from prematurity or the autism. He's been on more hard core medications in his short life than many people will have taken for the four score and twenty they live on the planet. That means the stabilizers and preservatives that are in most medications were pumped into his tiny body. Did they contribute to his autism? Perhaps.

He also demonstrated an inability to acclimate to his surroundings even at a pound. The other babies managed to handle the sounds of the NICU, my son never could. Even at five months, had trouble if his schedule was messed up. I became a robot in response to his needs. So my son would probably have trouble immunizations or not. For my child, I think there is a genetic component.

However, it has been documented that parents have not been lying about the regressions they're seeing. Finally, doctors will admit that much. Parents have been told that they're imagining what they've seen before their eyes. This is absolutely maddening and restricts the scope of research when doctors won't acknowledge the clinical evidence sitting in front of them. How will autism be cured if one potential vector of disease is ignored?

Vaccinations are the holy grail of medicine. They are sacrosanct and therefore untouchable. Parents who have seen their children turn off after being vaccinated are not imaging what they are seeing. That doesn't mean that the virus is causing it. It doesn't mean the stabilizers cause it. It doesn't mean the fever is causing it. It doesn't mean that the brain inflammation is causing it. But something is causing the change. And the denials by the medical community are just exacerbating the distrust and undermining their own credibility. It's not a good idea to imply your patients are liars. They tend to resent it.

More research is needed. Those who rapturously enthuse about vaccinations sound hard and uncaring to parents dealing with the daily trauma of a child who is unreachable but who once interacted with the world. Criminalizing people who worry about the effects of vaccinations is ridiculous. The medical community needs to reach out and listen and research. Families lives are being destroyed with this scourge. And the verdict is far from in on the cause of autism.

Autism & Genetic Mutation

I suspect that there are many causes for autism. To me, no possibilities should be dismissed, including the possibility that immunizations, or the mercury or preservative agents cause problems for children, too. Today, though, new research confirms genetic mutations, mutations that occur before fertilization which implies a genetic, inherited component for some children.

Go to an autism conference and look at the parents. This is not a stretch. There are probably as many mutations as there are groups of people.

On Secrets and Death and Life

Hi all, thought I'd share some interesting articles/blog posts I've read recently:

The Belmont Club has an excellent post about "open secrets"--the truth everyone knows but won't say. The "unspeakables" that afflict nearly every culture from family to corporation to country make for monumental problems eventually. That's how a tiger can jump a fence that has been known for years and years to be too low and maul and kill a boy amongst other examples.

Not just autistic children have trouble with executive functioning or deciding priorities and what to do next. Boys in general have this problem, children on the autistic spectrum have it in spades. Hans Asperger called the syndrome "extreme maleness". There's a solution. For guys like Einstein, marrying a cousin who took care of everything was the solution. In this modern world, where a man better be able to do his own filing and organization, here's the solution.

Want to know where I am politically? I'm right with my soul sister The Anchoress, that's where. She says this:

So, I’m going to focus on Fred and Rudy. Unless something interesting develops elsewhere, I believe I am currently intrigued most by “Freeman Fred,” who works to please no one and seems almost inconoclastic in his disdain for the excesses of the modern political process, and by “Rudy the Ready” who, as a New Yorker, I know, value and trust.

My thoughts exactly. For what it's worth, dear Anchoress, John Hawkins believes we're going to be disappointed. I still have a slim hope, though. And here's what's coming down the pipe from the Romney campaign. If true, he's done.

And then we turn to honor killings--in the United States. One, here in Texas. I'm speechless, but you should know this is happening. Alas.

My liberal friends, so trusting of the government are they, that they'd like socialized medicine. Would they like this? I think not. And phone companies suck, too.

It's important to note the beautiful beginnings in life and a blog friend of mine is in the middle of a beautiful beginning. I bet he isn't getting much sleep! To bring in 2008, his wife brought in a baby. Congratulations, Brendan! Welcome to more joy than you thought possible! (He has some good advice for new parents, btw. Hint! Hint! Bro, any day now!)

Brendan brings up an important point. Is there love at first sight? Yes. Ask any parent. 

Dyslexia: Deficits Form Foundation For Success

A new study shows that 39% of American entrepeneurs suffered with dyslexia. It's an amazing number really, when contrasted with the 1% of people in the business world with the disability. Why would people with this problem turn into successful business people?

One reason that dyslexics are drawn to entrepreneurship, Professor Logan said, is that strategies they have used since childhood to offset their weaknesses in written communication and organizational ability — identifying trustworthy people and handing over major responsibilities to them — can be applied to businesses.

“The willingness to delegate authority gives them a significant advantage over nondyslexic entrepreneurs, who tend to view their business as their baby and like to be in total control,” she said.

I've mentioned Temple Grandin before, the autistic woman who has revolutionized American slaughter houses. It seems that these deficits can be channeled and should be. Every autistic person I've ever met sees the world in some unique way and has something to give that is special. There needs to be as much focus on using those special traits as finding a cure.

People shouldn't languish away from the world, when they have something the world needs. In the case of autism though, the world has to go to the autistic person, and that's the challenge.

Asperger's in Life

Interesting article about Asperger's today in the New York Times. I had no idea that one of the girls on America's Top Model has the condition and that the ramifications are being played out before a national audience. Here's a tidbit:

A gifted art student from Valparaiso, Ind., she has a lean and angular look well suited to the fashion industry. But her beauty doesn’t mask the challenges of Asperger’s. The show requires her to live in a house with 12 other would-be models, and cattiness and backbiting ensue. Early in the show, she appears socially isolated, the girls whisper about her within earshot, and viewers see her crying on the phone to her mother.

One girl is frustrated when Heather, concentrating on packing a bag, doesn’t hear a request to move out of the way. At one point, the others laugh when they stake out their beds and Heather has no place to sleep.

“I wish I could get the joke,” Heather laments.

More programs like this are inevitable with 1 out of 150 people suffering somewhere along the Autsim spectrum. And it's not just those with the Autsim. Often they miss what they're missing, but their family sees it. The emotional and financial toll Autism takes on a family is monumental.

Maybe, some day, there will be a pill this girl could take, so she wouldn't just be a contender, but a winner. But then I wonder, take the Asperger's away, do you take the haunted look that makes her so compelling visually, too?

Pathology Vs. Cure

At left, Houston Texans Ability Camp.


Do our infirmities define us? Ann Althouse is reading Oliver Sack's latest book (I have yet to read it, I read his first two) and says:

What do you think about this notion of illness as part of one's character? Normally, we see illness as an alien invader to be fought off or, if that is not possible, endured.

Can it be both?

My autistic son has moments of such purity of soul that a "neurotypical" person just doesn't have even at moments of perfect centeredness. And then, he will be so obtuse and self-involved that I want to scream and yank him out of the disease--the disease that is robbing him of interpersonal interaction, the disease that is robbing me of closer relationship with my son. My son gives me a glimpse of God and the next minute all I see is pathology.

There is little that's pretty about pathology. It looks ugly on slide and it looks ugly in life. I've had patients talk about "my diabetes" or "my cancer" or "my manic-depression", like it's a pet they proudly nurture and care for. Far be it for anyone, including a doctor, to intrude and suggest that the disease doesn't define them, that it is a hurdle to overcome. Oh no, the disease becomes the raison d'etre. It becomes existence. The disease becomes an excuse, the crutch to not build character. And that narcissistic passivity eventually defines them.

Even without an enabling victim, disease is a burden. Autism might be interesting and even sweet things are a by-product, I still want it gone. It is an enemy to me and to my son. The world is a mystifying place for him when he's not locked in his own orbit. He will grow up. I will grow old and I worry.

That's disease. It robs a person of experiences and potential. It may bestow some gifts but it takes away others. It renders a person helpless and dependent. How is that good? These hardships can develop character for both the sufferer and the care-giver, but it's just so much mumbo jumbo to say that physical or mental maladies are lovely. Althouse continues:

Sacks writes so beautifully and tells such interesting stories that it's hard to resist his point of view. He is thoroughly excited and fascinated by the brain abnormalities of the individuals he studies, and he expresses this emotion through the romanticization of disease and the perception of the disease as part of the integrated whole of the person. As I reader, I catch his excitement, but I worry sometimes that it's wrong to look at other people this way.

Oliver Sacks is a kind, gentle scientist and observer of human behavior. He doesn't reduce a child or adult struggling with some neurological disorder to their disease. He sees a complex and interesting organism. He also sees potential. That openness was a breath of fresh air for a new generation. It has only been the last fifteen to twenty years when parents are no longer being blamed for "making" a child autistic. Parents and families were likewise blamed for schizophrenia and other neurobiologic diseases. So Dr. Sacks has worked, thankfully, in a non-judgmental way to bring formerly stigmatized diagnoses into the mainstream.

Still, Ms. Althouse has hit upon the truth. Let's not romanticize these infirmities. Let's find cures.

New Autism Theory

It's as good as any. What it seems to ignore is the cause of the genetic anomalies. To me, the cause must be environmental because the numbers have grown exponentially which is not exclusively attributed to higher reportage. Just ask long-term teachers. They'll tell ya.

Autism: No Such Thing As A Big Tent Approach

Autism is a money pit. No treatments are really proven. The best medical treatments out there include applied behavioral analysis and it's only effective in 50% of the children therapized. And it is expensive.

Parents desperately try one treatment after another hopeful that something, anything, will help. Sometimes certain treatments do help. It is not surprising then, that one of the biggest autism charities is crumbling within along family lines because of vastly different philosophies.

Autism & Vaccinations: A Test Case

Many parents are convinced that the MMR vaccine caused their child's autism. This case has huge implications for drug companies, government policy, and care for the afflicted.

If there is a sacred cow in medicine, it's vaccinations. While the science has thus far failed to find a link between the vaccine and autism, parents are equally convinced by their own experience. For years, doctors and scientists believed parents were exaggerating their child's normal development up until 15 to 24 months, or flat-out misreporting it. Recent research vindicates parents, however. (More here.)

Clearly, there is some environmental contributor to autism. I do not ascribe to the theory that children are being diagnosed in greater numbers due to changes in diagnostic criteria. Do you remember a typically autistic child in school when you were a kid? I don't either. Something has changed. I don't know if this legal case will help families find the truth, or at least financial help, but the case is important.

Virginia Tech Killer's Alleged Autism

I know. I know. Why? Why give this crazy guy more press? Because I can't take comments like these from Huffington Post resident Autism expert Blake Fleetwood (full disclosure: I have an eight year old son who was diagnosed autistic at age two):

The first and most obvious of Cho's symptoms - from early on in his life - was that he was suffering from characteristics of Autistic Spectrum Disorder - difficulties with: social skills, communication, obsessive tendencies, adaptability and speech articulation, amongst other possible symptoms.

A high functioning autism to be sure, perhaps Asperger's, but certainly in the spectrum.

Call me pedantic, but I would like proof of this diagnosis. The word of a relative in South Korea seems like hearsay to me and not exactly iron-clad. Not to mention, Cho didn't come to America until he was eight years old. He wasn't diagnosed in South Korea? A shy, socially awkward child who gets language late and interacts oddly doesn't guarantee an Autism diagnosis. My next door neighbor had six boys who fit that description and all matured in college, half are married and they each are contributing members of society.

What Fleetwood seeks in the V-Tech massacre is a platform to discuss bullying and mental health disorders in young people. He wants compassion for victims, like Cho, who strike out (no doubt, the suicide bombers in Iraq are victims, too). But most of all, he wants government intervention. Once the autism premise is accepted as fact the next step is simple: more government intervention for children with all forms of mental health issues. He is joined by other journalists who speculate and end with this hope:

We seem to disregard history and this is one major mistake. It has been mentioned that by doing something repeatedly and gaining the same bad results is a sign of mental illness. Let us take this tragedy and learn just what caused it. Make the necessary changes and at the very least try to avoid another Virginia Tech.

From what little is known so far, though, Cho presents as a socially awkward, language-challenged kid who was picked on for being different as a teenager. While he may have been traumatized as a teen, his college acquaintances seemed more than kind to him and he didn't respond or responded weirdly. Not only did he have trouble with friend relationships, he had trouble with women, too. And a real expert says this:

Robert Ressler, the retired FBI profiler who is credited with coining the term "serial killer," said he thinks Cho had an inadequate-personality disorder with psychopathic overtones.

"Oftentimes there are sexual underpinnings to inadequacy," he said, noting authorities say Cho stalked two Virginia Tech students in 2005, leading to two encounters with police. High school classmates say they never saw him interact with girls.

Ressler added that Cho seemed "so mission-oriented. That would go against schizophrenia and more toward psychopathy."

Muscari said Cho's apparent level of organization, as evidenced by the multimedia manifesto he mailed to NBC between Monday's shootings, could be evidence of psychopathy.

He's not the only one skeptical of the autism connection:

James Kauffman, a retired University of Virginia education behaviorist, dismissed any possible link between Cho's violence and autism.

"I don't see any connection to autism at all, even if he was diagnosed," Kauffman said. "It doesn't wash."

Clint Van Zandt, another retired FBI profiler, said he could not call to mind any serial killer who was autistic. "None," he said.

As I've noted before, though, the killer did receive intervention in the medical and educational community, and, even more significantly, in the judicial system. This was not a young man who didn't receive intervention.

Even still, all this speculation matters little. For every unbalanced person who snaps, there are scores who bumble through life, self-medicate, get medicated, or live borderline lives. And a great number of people are content with their neurosis or psychosis, thank you, and resist intervention. And while some journalists pine for more mental health intervention and portray a false dichotomy--locking down campuses on the one hand or serious mental health intervention on the other--the truth is that save locking this kid up (and would he and his family submit to this and is society at large comfortable with this) this kind of thing will happen again and not because of undiagnosed mental illness, but because people snap at weird times for weird reasons.

As a parent of an autistic kid, I've been around lots of autistic people--children and adults. Some parents have children who grow up big and strong but have the emotional responsiveness of a young child. Invariably these people are institutionalized to some degree. But they are childlike in all their emotions--not just anger. Note that I acknowledge that autistic people can get angry, even violently so. Still, I have never seen an autistic person being methodically violent such as displayed at Virginia Tech. It just doesn't fit.

Bullying is another issue. I'm so worried about the bullying that does come to those on the Autism Spectrum that I'm considering home schooling once he reaches middle school age. We had our first incident of aggression on the bus last week. We intervened and it stopped. We have concerned neighbor kids and an ever watchful sister to alert us to potential problems. When my son gets frustrated because he has to work so much harder to "get it" (socially and academically), I tell him that life is tough. Everyone has difficulties. Some things are easier for him (and some things are) and some things are tougher. And while bullying is unacceptable to me and the teachers that look the other way are complicit in abuse, bullies are wily creatures. I got bullied in middle school and the most dangerous times no teacher was in sight.

Bullying is wrong. Unsupported at-risk children is wrong. A lot of wrong happens, and none of it excuses guys like Cho. Really, none of it explains guys like Cho. When considering that 83% of middle schoolers report bullying it's hard to make the connection that his background somehow caused the violence.

I know it's uncomfortable acknowledging that some people snap in horrible ways for their own reasons. Every criminal in the blames someone for their nefarious ways. Members of the media using autism as the hook to explain the killer's behavior is worse than ignorant. People need to get okay with the fact that some people are evil, some deranged, some filled with hate. And some kill. And one did. And no one is to blame but him.

Autism: I'm Stalling

I'm stalling. In a few minutes I have to talk with the principal about my son and I'm stalling. These meetings bring back my school anxiety, my new kid anxiety, my people pleasing anxiety, and my ever-present nervous mother anxiety. I'm anxious and I'm stalling.

The topic du jour? What to do about fill-in-the-blank. Remember the song from the Sound of Music? The nuns wondered what to do with Maria. I wonder what to do for my son. What's the best choice? What helps him to his ultimate goal of being a contributing member of society? I always feel like I'm pushing, probably because I'm always pushing and during moments like these, I wonder if it makes a difference. I wonder if I shouldn't lay off and let time sort things out.

Parents of Autistic children are notoriously willing to try anything, ANYTHING, to help their kid. From strange diets, to special sleeping arrangements, to paint colors, to supplements, to medication, to every kind of therapy, parents of autistic kids try and do everything and a lot of it seems to help for a week or two and then the effect wears off. At least that's how it feels to me.

Okay, I'm really stalling. See ya later. Time for me to be a grown up.

Everyone is "Special"

Direct quote: If you set the bar low enough, your pet canary can meet these goals.

What I was talking about was the goals for my son's learning in the special education program. Too often, the goals are set so low, that it is no real accomplishment for the kid to reach them. The goals are met. 100% achievement! A+ student.

This is where the self-esteem movement gets us: Under-achievement and over-self value. It is a disastrous place individually and societally.

ShrinkWrapped has one of the best blog posts I've ever read applying this notion to the Islamic world. He writes of a young boy, a patient with budding narcissism. This child was unable to ask for help, because he believed himself to be so smart which resulted in learning problems, because, guess what? He didn't know everything and needed help at times. Here is how this case study applies to the Honor-Shame societies that are dominated by Islam:

The aggregate of Narcissism known as Honor-Shame leads to a people who cannot learn from others or from experience, cannot ask for assistance, and react with rage to anything that even hints at criticism, all the while being extraordinarily insensitive, even vicious, to those who threaten their comfortable grandiose delusions.

That's narcissism in a nutshell. It is extremely destructive. The world's existence is only to serve the narcissist's needs and expectations. When there is even an implication of inadequacy--watch out!

Bringing this back down to the individual: We must all learn that we have strengths and weaknesses. I warned last week, that in order to be successful, we must be self-aware, humble, even in order to not be undone by our weaknesses. Too often, people find it too painful to confront those areas and get help. Those who see themselves, really have clear vision, will seek help for their deficiencies. Weaknesses can be turned into strengths.

I have hope that as Iraq comes together, gets a taste of freedom, sees the benefits of treating people with dignity, and feel the positive economic results, that their country will be an example to the rest of the Islamic world. The surrounding societies watch, of course, and wait. Their leaders fear just such a society--it would mean power loss for themselves. Iraq is a worthy endeavor nonetheless. If they slowly, but surely, see reality and more importantly, see the benefits of being real, it will encourage continued growth.

Rather than the ephemeral self-esteem, real, hard-won self-worth will result.

Aspergers in Prison

Over at Boing Boing, I was reacquainted with the case of the three students who torched a bunch of SUVs in an act of California eco-terrorism. When I first heard about it,I didn't think much. So, whacked out kids went crazy in Cali. What's new? I figured they'd get a misdemeanor slap on the wrist and thought nothing more of it.

Well, it turns out that the two worst offenders ran away and are still at large, while the kid holding the gas can has Asperger's Syndrome and like many of these people, annoyed everyone in the process, including the judge, and got slapped with a guilty sentence and a longer prison term than many murderers. I feel this young man belongs in the same category of other white collar criminals: namely, that their imprisonment for long, harsh terms actually harms society, in the long run. This insane judicial treatment of first-time, white-collar offenders must stop.

I am deeply distressed about this case. While there is no doubt, the young man in question, Billy Cottrell, did a bad thing, there is also no doubt that the judicial process completely misfired by not allowing information about Asperger's to be admitted into evidence. He clearly did not understand the ramifications of his actions and was lead into an extremely poor decision because of his naivité and literalness.

Here is the LA Weekly article that reveals how he is being harassed in prison by prison guards and how the description of eco-terrorist, "terrorist", does not describe this guy accurately. Here is his experience:

In prison, he was regarded as downright freakish. His mother believes that prison guards took an early dislike to him because he wasn’t able to play their games. “He can’t play the subordinate,” she says. “He’d die first.” Cottrell himself thinks the guards were jealous of his intelligence. Whatever the truth, Cottrell has been hardly more popular with the prison guards than he was with the jury.

Next, Cottrell told friends and family on the outside, the guards assigned him a new cellmate, an especially tough bad actor known around prison for starting fights. In the summer of 2005, that man at first tried to tear apart Cottrell’s books, then tried to poke his eyes out with a broom, according to Cottrell. Cottrell fought him off and, he says, got blamed for the fight.

He ended up in the "hole" without his physics books, Chinese lessons and other work.

Cottrell went into the Hole on November 3 and stayed there until early January. It was cold. When Kates visited him, he found the temperature in Cottrell’s cell was at a chilly 68 degrees, and Cottrell was wearing only a T-shirt.

Now, without keeping his mind busy, Cottrell is getting more radicalized in prison. A letter from him includes this paragraph, which I will deconstruct a bit because it has so many classic Asperger themes:

“In regards to the social-protocol in prison, yes, indeed, I’ve had some problems. I suppose that this could be attributed to ‘Asperger’s Syndrome,’ although I have absolutely no interest in this matter (1). I told the jury the truth (2), I answered the psychologist’s questions. That’s it. That’s where my responsibility ends. Everything else is up to my attorneys. In prison, as on the streets, I treat everyone the same. (3) I basically find myself incapable of acting with the kind of humble subordination which some guards require. (4) Acting with honesty and integrity is my first and foremost concern. . . . This obviously creates many problems in a place where scandal and back-stabbing is rewarded. (5) ”

I will compare and contrast a "neuro-typical" with an Asperger's mind:

1. A normal person would be very curious about a mental diagnosis that might confer a change in a prison sentence. In addition, most mental conditions make the person detached from reality and sometimes they can be brought back to reality with medication. In a sense, those with Aspergers are overly attached to reality and they are further misunderstood because they look normal. Spend any time with them, however, and their uniqueness becomes quickly apparent. He doesn't care about the Aspergers diagnosis because he doesn't have the self-awareness to see how it is affecting him. It is a paradox and it harms him. Where narcissists and sociopaths are fully aware of the social construct and exploit it, the Asperger Syndrome person is unaware and will ignore the construct if he deems it unfair or wrong.
2. A normal person lies. A normal person will shade the truth especially if the truth is damning. So, if your two buddies torched all the cars, and you torched one, a normal person might say, "No I didn't torch any cars." A normal person will recognize that the jury probably doesn't want to punish you severely for being associated with bad people and need a reason to view you sympathetically. Not so, with Aspergers. The "truth" (or their perspective, which they often view as the truth even when it isn't) will be told no matter the harm done. A classic case of this is in a classroom where the teacher will ask, "Who threw that paper airplane?!" Only the Aspergers kid will tell, the other kids understand the social construct, and the Aspergers kid will be hated from then on.
   
3. A normal person discriminates. Right or wrong, a normal person (black or white) will cross the street if a group of black young people come toward him. This is discrimination based on evidence. A person with Aspergers will not discriminate. He will not see the potential danger and if someone tried to explain it to him would be offended at the unfairness. A person with Aspergers truly sees the parts of the whole and not the whole. A past event also will not correlate to the current situation. It is called stimulus generalization. A person with Aspergers, like a computer, doesn't generalize the data obtained from each discreet act. So, a parent might warn a child about a fast car, but he will not generalize that warning to all parking lots and all cars. Therefore, he is in extreme danger almost all the time and doesn't know it. (This actually was a problem for my son.)
4. A normal person will change their behavior in order to survive. If that means kissing the prison guard's ass, a person will do it. If that means not making eye-contact and talking softly, the person will do it. Not an Asperger's person. He will plead his case, stick to the righteousness of his cause and stubbornly refuse to submit even in the face of harsh punishment. He simply does not understand the social rules. On the receiving end, those in his life must work around his inflexibility. In prison, the prisoner must work around the guards. A person with Asperger's is incapable of doing this.
5. A normal person will play by repugnant rules in order to achieve a desired end. So, if a person can inform on bad guys, make up stories, or fulfill a guards ego needs (or other needs) in order to get out earlier or otherwise succeed in a hateful environment he will do it. An Asperger's person simply won't. First, the game is mystifying. Second, the rules change and he can't abide that. Third, the purpose and results are unfair and unjust. He can't do it.
   

People with Asperger's Syndrome can be absolutely maddening to deal with. They test the patience of those who love them under the best of circumstances. Literal and stubborn, they will hang on to a wrong-point-of-view 'til their death. They often don't see how their actions and words hurt or annoy others and they figure the others will just put up with it.

My concern for this theoretical physics genius is that he will leave prison psychologically harmed and physically assaulted. I can see how his inability to discriminate might protect him in a sense. The prisoners will realize, quickly, that he would not treat anyone differently. They are all his friend or enemy. More likely, they are all discreet human individuals, to him. But to the guards, this lack of deference in attitude will be insufferable and enraging.

This guy belongs somewhere solving problems. The prison should allow him to teach others and apply his formidable mind to something constructive. In the drive for justice, the legal system is producing some unintended consequences. I believe that this case demonstrates a big one.

Autism & Siblings

The New York Times Karen Olsson has an excellent piece today about the impact autism has on siblings. While I worry about my autistic son--his future, what his life will be like, will he ever get married, what if he does, who will care for him, will he need care, I worry equally as much about my non-affected son and daughter. Part of the reason I had another child and may have more is so that should my autistic son need help in adulthood, the burden won't fall to only his sister.

Without a doubt, my son's progress pushed forward with each additional family member. His brother and sister don't know that he is "autistic". They just know that he does strange things, strange ways sometimes. His sister won't brook nonsense and she has adopted that teacher sing-songy over-enthusiastic positive-reinforcement voice I use when praising him. Her teachers at school say she encourages everyone that way. If someone conquers a challenge, she offers full-throated praise. It can be disconcerting having a mini-adult in the classroom. Her teachers have had to remind her on occasion who the teacher really is. "I think she could very effectively run this classroom," I was told by them during her parent-teacher conference. I don't doubt it. She's been trying to run her brother's life almost from birth.

Both my neuro-typical children innately know he needs extra help. At 23 months, my other son will go retrieve his seven years older brother and bring him into the "group". There's not much I can do about their intervention. We have entered a phase where "fairness" matters. So my autistic son's proclivity to sit on his butt and let everyone else put away the clothes, toys, take out the trash, or do any servile labor is now greeted with cries of protest. Good. Part of the autistic problem is an inward-focus (not to be confused with narcissism, though there are times it gets tough to discern the difference). My son's siblings don't indulge him his fancies and yet they display angelic patience in the face of his labored efforts. He gets mad but he's also grateful to be a part of things.

Like the family in the story, the social differences concern me and the children. My daughter makes friends and socializes easier. My son desires friendships, but he doesn't get invited to birthday parties. He doesn't socially interact well when friends do come over. He tires easily under the stress of being social. This is all not such a big deal. In adulthood, he can be a hermit if he wants to--he won't be all that different from his daddy or mama, for that matter.

"A mother's work is worrying", I read somewhere. Well, in a family with an autistic child, everyone's work is worrying. It worries me that my young children alternately worry and resent at times the attention paid to their "special" brother. They are more sensitive, kinder, gentler and more empathetic than most other children. They also carry burdens that I wish they wouldn't have to.... Maybe this life is good training for the future. I just hope they don't seek "fixer uppers" in adulthood because that's what they are used to now.

For all the concern, a sweetness born of my autistic son pervades our life. We can get full of ourselves. We can get petty. We can complain. But then, we see a boy of courage, pushing through obstacles while never being purposefully mean-spirited. An upside to social-unawareness is being nearly incapable of willfully hurting someone emotionally. His harmless, dove-like quality sets our motives and methods in start contrast. We can all seem petty and spiteful in comparison. He's a kindness compass. We are all better for that.

Health Topics To Watch

Readers who come to my blog for politics grumble when I cover health topics, "I could live without the information on digestion," said one man. Readers who come to my blog for health topics wonder what the heck I'm doing talking about politics, "I really don't care what happens in Washington," a friend wrote.

Well, here comes a health post where I'm giving all the health medicine for the weekend in one dose.

90% of those afflicted with the bird flu are under age 40. The researchers wonder if age confers immunity. Call me crazy, but I have another theory. Since most workers with chickens are under 40, they're the ones getting sick. Since most health workers are under 40, they're the ones getting it, too. You just don't have too many 75 year olds cleaning chicken coops. That's my theory, anyway. Not to mention, younger people aren't as interested in hand-washing, haven't been around as long immunity-wise. What if the body acquires immunity from getting the flu?

The death rate was highest among cases aged 10 to 19; 76 per cent of cases in that group died. Cases aged 50 and over had the lowest death rate (40 per cent) followed by children under age five (44 per cent) and children aged five to nine (49 per cent).

The total case fatality rate was 60 per cent.

Astronauts don't like psychologists. Men don't like psychologist and doctors, in general, either. They tend to view it like this, too:

But Santy, author of the definitive book on this issue, Choosing the Right Stuff: Psychological Selection of Astronauts and Cosmonauts, said astronauts are high achieving individuals who tend to believe they can cope with any problem and see psychological issues as signs of weakness.

"This is a group of individuals who are hardly motivated to voice psychological problems because of the consequences of doing so," she told TIME in response to an email query. "They hate doctors in general and psychiatrists/psychologists in particular because they cannot win in any interaction with them — at best they can only 'break even'."

As an aside, Dr. Pat Santy runs the blog Dr. Sanity that I reference quite a bit. She is fantastic and a very nice person, too. Plus, she's from Michigan (bonus points). I feel that it's quite a nice thing for a prominent blogger to be cited in Time this way.

Washington Post has a puff piece about HPV vaccine. It's good for you!

Gene therapy for Autism? This new research with Rett's Syndrome is very promising. Here's my question, though: What is triggering these genes to turn off? Genes are very, very responsive to the environment. Are children eating, contacting, something specific at around 18 months to 2 years that turn off the gene for socializing? Or are many genes being affected? Since my kids weren't immunized (for scientific reasons I've cited before, don't hassle me), and my one son did develop Autism, and he did seem to regress psychologically at around 18 months (no longer identifying himself or others in pictures), I wonder about this. I stopped nursing him at 18 months, did that offer some protection? Did he eat something--is there some subtle form of gluten intolerance that affects the nervous system? Did he miss some essential element that is in breast milk but not in enough quantities in table food? Like Lorenzo's Oil, or something? This is how parents of autistic children grasp at straws trying to find the cause.

Autism Rates

The official number of autism cases: 1 per 150 children. That seems about right to me.

Extrapolating from the number of cases it found, the study suggested that some 560,000 Americans age 18 or under struggled with such disorders.

That's a lot of families, a lot of expense. That's a lot of anguish. It is something all Americans should worry about.