Aspies For Freedom

Can I rant?

Science can prove EVERYTHING

... or at least that is how it looks like when I read the debate around DAN!. There are actually studies that indicates that autistic people excrete less mercury than others, these studies are however often claimed to have little credibility by people who are sceptic towards chelation.

Also, there is a study that shows that the autism diagnosis rate in Denmark has not decreased since Denmark removed thimerosal from their vaccines, this is also under criticism, big time.

Apparently there are alot more people of those who believe in chelation today, who do not believe in the vaccine theory as it has lost most of it's credibility. So there has been a change lately. These people believe that autism can be triggered by mercury exposure not necessarily from vaccines, but pretty much from everywhere.

Also, autism are to them divided into multiple medical conditions where some might be treated with chelation and others don't, it all has to do with what caused the person's autism which can be many different things. They also promote different DAN! treatments as a treatment for all the different "autisms". That way they can explain why chelation didn't seem to work for some, and that a completely different treatment seemed to work for another - While people at Autism Hub gives another possible explanation.

In the meantime some parents call their autistic children their "medical sciences". A prejudice I seem to hold in my mind is that many of these parents have it all set in their minds from the very beginning that autism should be possible to treat medically, and I totally absorb such ideas like the one I found in the Action for Autism blog lately that parents like these might actually see actual improvement in their children because they are possibly less stressed in their behavior around them when they have expectations from the treatment.

I think such judgemental ideas can raise anger against those on the other side of the fence of the debate. It's like when people in the earliest wars claimed that the enemies were cannibals. When I read an "anti-neurodiversity" blog or whatever it can be called it actually suggests that all of us neurods are fully against every form of ABA. I for one is not, I just find it sad when the goal is more to make them "indistinguisable from their peers" with eye-contact, no stimming and other more "cosmetic" wishes from certain parents than to learn important things like brushing teeth and eating properly to those who actually need ABA therapy to learn these things.

I think the history of chelation is interesting, could parents figure out how dubious they are by looking at the timeline?

Jim Sinclair tells at http://www.autism-watch.com that the whole idea that mercury caused autism possibly began somewhere in the 80's in a period where everyone talked about how mercury might affect the environment.

It seems like chelation was claimed to be an effective treatment of autism before 1990.

I believe chelation got especially popular when Andrew Wakefield published his controversial paper, also that promoters had the possibility of participating in the Autism Research Intitute's (from which DAN! was later established) conferences were many alternative doctor was allowed to promote their treatments to parents at the conference. Bernard Rimland who lead the Institute had the idea that parents should be able to try out treatments even before tests could be either falsified or verified through time-taking and expensive double-blind tests.

Stories from parents have probably been the most effective advertisement tool for promoters. One form of given chelation is detoxifying baths with DMSA in it. DMSA is however water-soluble and should not be able to get through the skin, so actual chelation can't be done that way. Still, there are alot of stories from parents who has tried this form of treatment and reported dramatic improvements. The history of secretin as a treatment of autism is a good example of a treatment that had loads of anecdotal evidence but was however proven to have no benefit through double-blind tests. All of the autistic children had developed, but no group developed differently from the other.

Oh this was just fresh from something I had just read, it really is the DMPS chelating agent that is used in the baths. Or was it really baths? Might have been some form of cream rather...

Evil Zakkie I like your thread idea. On this subject. I am not overly self-reflective in many ways. I kind of know myself and explain myself to people only as an aid o them rather than me. I think "I yam what I yam" (as Popeye used to say)
I do not understand social conventions or cues and how people seem to glide through life oblivious of these difficulties is something I am both admirable and envious of.
At the end of the day though we are what we are. Life is full of much to learn. The trick as always is to know what is helpful, relevant, insightful or useful and what is "just what it is".

I just noticed this rant and it does tie itself intrinsically with other current threads.
Before anyone starts to set their moral barometers in the fight for autistic rights, acceptance or duty as autistics I would like to point say my bit.
I am autistic. I am diagnosed. I deal with the every day effects of autism as an autistic. I live in a world that is populated almost exclusively with non-autistics.
What is my consideration or duty as an autistic?
My duty to me first and foremost is to manage and cope in my everyday life. Some aspects of my life will be more difficult than others around me but I do not believe this is to be considered, nor should be considered by others.
Life is difficult as is meant to be. I think anyone who says differently is misrepresenting life.

I am autistic but this is not the be all and end all of my self-identification. I am autistic. I am a man. I am middle-aged. I am divorced. I am a father. I am a Canberrian. I am a flatmate. I am a call centre operator. I am an ex-Western Australian. I am different things to different people. Grumpy, honest, tough, friendly, shy, funny, odd, dedicated and other traits. These things equally define me as different.

I do worry when I see us and them mentality. I do worry when I hear autism elitism. I worry when I see "I love my autism" statements. I worry when I see non-autistics pushed out of autistic subjects. I worry too when I see a weight of expectation that "we" have a "duty" to expose our autism to the world.
I say don't be the best autistic you can be but the best person you can be. Don't tell people you don't want to tell.

As much as we like to imagine that everyone in the world knows enough about autism to be either useful or dangerous to us, the fact is at 1 in 166, the impact of less than 1% of the population on the other 99% is not likely to be that great and MOST people would not have the slightest idea what autism is.

So....Our collective duty may be that if we protect, support, nature and educate each other we will be stronger and more self-confident in a world that can really test us and our ineptitudes. It might mean that collectively we can attack misinformation and negative propaganda.

Some of us can even further autistic causes through education through formal talks and academic research and setting up forums like this. I think this ought not be considered as a right of passage though.

I like to think that my day to day behaviour and interactions coupled with coming out to a select minority will have far  more implications than the talks I have done or the academic interviews I have had. Why? Because at different times in their life those people I have told who were ignorant of autism will no doubt have opportunity to mention about a bloke they know or used to know called Rossco and the things they will say will be positive. It will have a roll on effect.

It doesn't sound that pro-active, but tell me what would be being risked by doing otherwise? Become militant - you get denounced. Scream "Poor me" - you get pitied and devalued. Expose yourself to all and sundry - you get further isolated. Segregate yourself and you lose societal benefits.
If you can fit in best can and don't ask for any quarter, If you are prepared to struggle through life regardless, If you can be accepting and supporting of others, then people are likely to respect you regardless of your condition and this will positively influence their personal view of what autism means to them.

Anyhow this is my opinion for what it is worth.

Yup I have always found this so. I am always here for those that need comfort and support and I have a lot of genuine friendship towards many of you here. Just don't go around telling anyone I am a bit of a softie at heart. Would do nothing for my grumpy, arrogant, opinionated, hostile and cantankerous image.

No idea Bella. At what point a person become a good friend, best friend, lifelong mate, or girlfriend or whatever. No-one rings a bell to announce these passages and no-one tells us what the level of familiarity now allows.
Mind you I met Annemarie (my ex) through a friend. We all used to go out together sometimes. The mutual friend left to go to live in QLD. I ask for her number and told her I did not want to not see her anymore.
Mind you apart from proposing to her she basically helped me through every transition of things.
And why not. I am completely out of my depth on these matters. Partners do support each other

Photos necessary....definitely need photos...Lol

I bont time to see and cuddle my children and be a Dad again.

Eight month goal soon to be realised mate. Court in Early December
Then let the healing begin.

Thanks mate. I do appreciate it. They are pretty good kids and have a lot of love so my bonting will heal the rift with them in time. I am a pretty good Dad.

Damn there are some smart people here. This is one thing I love about this place

Shit how did that happen? Please ignore top quote it has no context here.

Thanks EZ this is probably very helpful. I do very badly a body language but have 37 years of experience of dealing with people to not be so obvious at being terrible. I fake it basically. I think I need encyclopedia, instructional dvds and a course in it it to become proficient.
I don't think I am particularly subtle (I think most people here would agree - good or bad) but I do admire tact and diplomacy and mate I think you for one have it in bags.

Batman I will say this in my usual way and I hope you take it in the way it is meant.
We really like you here. I don't give a stuff what difference you have or whether some boffin diagnoses you with (correctly or incorrectly) with anything.
You have differences that you recognise in yourself. That is OK. Accept it and grow with it.
If you want ways to deal with these differences we will do our bes to help.