http://www.wired.com/services/press/2008/march
The New Autism
Traditional science holds that people with severe autism are prisoners in their own minds, severely disabled, and probably mentally retarded. Don't tell that to Amanda Baggs, an autistic woman who achieved viral fame with her YouTube video "In My Language," which has so far received more than 350,000 hits. Wired contributor David Wolman gets inside the life that Baggs has created for herself, which includes blogging, hanging out in Second Life, corresponding with her friends, and a "constant conversation" with the world around her. Wolman's conclusion: Much of past research about autism and intelligence is catastrophically flawed:
http://www.wired.com/images/press/pdf/autism.pdf
Confusing title on thread (used before)
but... AWESOME ARTICLE!!!
Read it all, think it may have failed to mention that most of the ND movement isn't against help, and that ND's doesn't say that autistics can't be disabled in any way.
Going to post it on the norwegian forum in hopes that someone else manage to read it too.
It was quite a good article, especially those who are uninitiated to the autistic rights discussions. It did strike me as odd in a few places, such as the false dichotomy they appeared to set up (that because autistics are more intelligent than was previously assumed, and because non-speaking autists can often communicate through typing, that it means that we're not disabled).
I also didn't care for how they simplified Asperger diagnosis as being just eccentric, socially awkward people. It seemed too narrow a generalization. Some other minor things.
Overall, however, it is really a great, moreover accurate piece. Certainly a far cry from the "pity these poor pathetic half-people who are trapped inside that horrible prison of autism" type stuff we usually see.
It's nice to see someone listening to us, and then NOT horribly distorting our words to the ends of what they think makes a "sensational" story.
Thanks that was a great article! My son liked watching the video on it.
"There's no money in the field for looking at differences" in the autistic brain. "But if you talk about trying to fix a problem — then the funding comes."
That pretty much nails it.
Wired magazine never ceases to impress me. Next time I'm in a bookstore, I'll be sure to have a look at the print version of that article.
Excellent article. Thanks for sharing it.
*bump*
This be good article.
Traditional science holds that people with severe autism are prisoners in their own minds, severely disabled, and probably mentally retarded
Value judgements such as these are outside the realm of science - they're subjective opinions for the most part and not empirical phenemona. What is the objective definition (one which can be measured empirically) for being a prisoner in your own mind?
That was how my old norwegian lexicon described "autistic children". It didn't have an article for autism as a condition and neither autistic adults.
I bet it has something to do with Bernard Rimland.
Traditional science holds that people with severe autism are prisoners in their own minds, severely disabled, and probably mentally retarded
Value judgements such as these are outside the realm of science - they're subjective opinions for the most part and not empirical phenemona. What is the objective definition (one which can be measured empirically) for being a prisoner in your own mind?
This is not a value judgement. It might be a subjective judgement, but it's not a value judgement.
As for prisoner in your own mind, I believe they're simply referring to a wish to communicate coupled with an inability to do it. No real research bandies about terms like "trapped in their own mind", and hasn't done so in past autism research as far as I'm aware of, either.