Aspies For Freedom

Of course all children are sometimes, I could take the same sort of footage of NT children if I really wanted to, and I could also probably get footage of similar comments from most parents of NT children if I really wanted to create such a video to suit predefined prejudice.

I work with preschoolers every day, and have had both NT (majority) and kids on the Autistic Spectrum.  As you say, ALL kids can be difficult some of the time, but the ones who consistently gave trouble tend to be NT.  They are the ones who learn early how to be manipulative, how to get what they want when they want it from both adults and other children, and who they can pick on (ie those who won't fight back, typically the AS kids.)  These super-egos in miniature can be total pains in the rear, you can tell the sort of NT they will become when they grow up.  Speaking as a parent as well, I would rather have an AS child than any NT child, particularly some of the NT horrors I've worked with.  Luckily I've got my wish - my teenage daughter is also Aspie.  I wouldn't have her any other way.
Alison

I watched the video in full, even though it was very sad and painful to watch.  That woman isn't fit to be a mother!   :evil: If the authorities saw the video and heard what she said, then I wouldn't be surprised if the children were taken into care!

I watched this video too, and it pretty much sucks. But the worst bit for me is that some parts of it... ring true.

I HAVE had to give up on a career, education etc because i had a child with additional needs... I am broke (not because I pay for therapy though, lol, just because of said career...) etc etc. I used to feel frustrated about all that, and that was unpleasant for me. I accept that.

I think at some point we have to say though... so? The world doesnt owe me because my kid is autistic for heavens sake... the world doesnt owe me because my life isnt exactly as I had planned it... who is to say I'm not a nicer, kinder, gentler person because I've had a child with very different needs? Yeah, I've had to delay my career. So what? Yeah, we're somewhat lacking in funds, but these things arent fundamental.

The more people present these things as the end of the world, the more people will believe it, and it really isn't true. I think I'm in a far better position now to go into my chosen profession (teaching- start degree soooooon argh!) now having raised an autistic, and working as a teaching assistant for several years has given me loads of extra experience i wouldnt otherwise have had, that's not to mention the fact that I was a right wreck before Alex, not knowing why I had all these social difficulties, trying not to do 'weird stuff' (stim) and ending up self injurious as a result... nah... the good stuff is always there if you are open to it, the problem is these guys have been stuck in foot stomping 'It's not FAIR!' victim mode for so many years they will never move on.

Briana,

Well, I saw that this was your first post, so welcome! I understand how you might feel that way about the video. However, the problem is that it only shows one side of autism. People who see it will that all autistic children are like that, which is simply not the case. The video is inaccurate, and it is simply a propaganda tool. A more effective way to raise awareness of autism, in my opinion, is to show it accuratly, as a spectrum.

Also, Autism Speaks does not fund many, if any, programs that acutally help families like the ones featured in the video. They do not fund special education, family support groups, or educational programs.

I hope you'll continue to visit the forum. Welcome again!

Welcome to AFF then, hope you like the place

That is of course the idea, eliminate any who posses any one of the autism genes currently identified and those identified in the future so of course this means elimination of anything on the Autistic Spectrum.

Of course the way society seams to be going with slowly eliminating all whom are a little different, this will likly be the case when genetic engineering is better, prohibit natural conception and genetically design every single new child to be born.

Pretty much sums up the types of poor parents that are attracted to be filmed in this and other Hate Speech or Properganda videos, their blaming of the child for all that is wrong in their lives gives a perfect although pathelogical negative emotion towards the child which of course in these videos is replaced with the label insead of reperesting the fact the child is a person, which effects the viewer in such a way to derive emotions such as sympathy and other negative emotions which spur donations.

Although of course making a video which essentially creates a false perspecitve just to make money is not only damaging to those they CLAIM they want to help, but is really if thought about in a logical fashion a form of fraud.

This is the goal of such organisations, serves their primary perpose which is to dehmanise autistics, the comparisions with fatal desease are allowed to run rife as it suits the end game of these organisations which after all want to MAKE autism a fatal desease by using it as the justification for murder, although of course it would not be the neurological difference that was fatal but murder by human hands, not that they would ever be so truthful to state that fact.

I think I should move there seams you have a country which posses a population of inteligent and thoughtful human beings, I was begining to think that very concept was a contradiction in terms these days.

Somehow this video reminded me of the health and sex education class where they make you carry an egg around and you're supposed to pretend it is a baby.  It is supposed to show teenagers that babies are evil and having a baby will ruin their lives because an egg is fragile, can be broken and requires 24 hr babysitting.  

So why did one family complain so much that they had to spend so much money building a "classroom" and filling it will so much stuff?  (had to borrow money from their sister - no money to fix ceiling)?  

Also why did some of these people think that they had to just socialize with other "autism" families and that they could not go to restaurants?  Honestly, I have seen the worst NT families at restaurants.  I would not mind being in a restaurant with autistic children.  

I also could not understand one mother saying that she felt her son was in so much pain.  He was the one little boy that was not screaming.  He seemed calm and quiet and happy.  The mother seemed upset that he did not speak.  He just make noises but other than saying "Hi, Hi" she did not talk to him on the video.  He reminded me of one of my brothers.  He did not really speak until he was 4.  My parents and us three siblings taught him to talk.  Now he is mostly normal or if he has autism, he hasn't mentioned it to me.  

Why would the parents complain that the kids just would not stay in their beds?  The one parent who said her child did not sleep for weeks was exaggerating - no one can live without sleep for that long.  Most kids will try to get out of bed time and want to sleep with parents if they can get away with it.  

Something not in the video that puzzles me.  Why is it that so many kids these days are wearing diapers right up to 4 years old and even older kids wearing diapers at night?  If you look back 30 years ago or more, no one would keep their kids in diapers much past 2 yrs old.  Why are parents so pathetic at toilet training?  I am not talking about just autistic children, just any children.

well Al is day trained, but he just cant manage nights. i refuse to put pressure on him with bells and buzzers and interrupting his sleep- he finds it hard enough to fall asleep as it is- he'll get there when his body is ready, but before it is...

I wet the bed occasionally well into my teens although i was theoretically trained at four or whatever (yeah right!!) i found it all very stressful. Al has the option of leaving his nappy off and ALWAYS wakes with a soaking bed

it also took a long time to train him for daytimes, and even now he frequently has accidents, he doesnt seem to know he needs to 'go' until he is virtually going, and how does one teach that?

But then i think... sheesh... its only nappies (diapers) So some kids/ adults need continence aids? so what??

yes, it would be very unpleasant for him, and I dont think it would actually help much with the wetting, thats a question of physical maturity, i think.

Four year olds wearing diapers, I was not talking about just autistic people or people with a physical problem.  These are just any children.  Parents just seem to think that four years old can wear diapers just because they would rather go in diapers than use the toilet or 8 yr olds wearing diapers at night is normal because they might occasionally wet the bed.  What in 40 yrs will it be normal for adults to go work in diapers so employers can cut down the time they leave their work cubicles - give them a camel back hydrator - so they do not have to get up for coffee.  

My mother claims that diapers are too absorbant.  40 years ago, we were put into training pants.  They felt really bad when they were wet and it ran down our legs.  We learned much faster.  More mess for parents to clean up after an accident but more effective in the tactile method - starting to feel wet and the prelude feeling before that.  (sorry for lack of descriptive words)  Also some parents make it a habit to make sure kids have a bathroom break every 1 1/2 or 2 hours, no drinks 1 hr before bedtime, regular bedtimes and habit of using the toilet in the nighttime routine.  

As for abuse - I do find it abusive if a child, who can talk, screams because she does not want to go in a swing, is forced into a swing.   Is the purpose of the video supposed to be that these parents need help - better if they paid for some good respite care instead of buying their kids rooms full of "therapeutic toys".    - then they might not want to talk about driving their kids off a bridge on video (which was edited out).

Well I decided to see the video that has been spurring so much talk on these boards.

First off, I will say yes the video does seem propagandic.

However, I think instead of looking at how the video makes the kids look, lets talk about how the video makes the parents look.

"Oh I can't have my social time anymore with my girlfriends!" "Oh, I'm so dissapointed I can't have my life anymore!" Is it just me or did those parents sound INCREDIBLY superficial? You know, maybe if the video at least helps those parents realize a Aspie or Autie kid might not be for them, it might be in the kids best interest.

I mean, how frusterating would it be to have parents who are obsessed with socialization. Or always talk around us like, we're such a burden on their precious little socialite world. Hey, maybe someone should have told these moms they were having a human being, not a pet dog.

Frankly, even though the video is anti-autistic, it's also anti-bad parenting. Or parenting while making your child feel like a burden to you. That's just as bad, if not worse, than what people think about Autism.

I thought that little girl was adorable in the video, the boys too, but I didn't grow up with any brothers so I think that's why I might be more empathatic towards girls. The mom is talking about considering drowning herself and her child before letting her child go to a special school.

Oh lord, I can hear it now "Well I-I-I didn't want my friends to think something was wrong with my child!" Talk about someone who's shallower than a kiddy pool!

Sure you can say this tape is advocating against having Aspie/Autie kids. However, it's also advocating against parents who wouldn't be able to handle having a child who isn't a perfect little Barbie doll. Frankly, the world would be better off if shallow parents didn't have kids, only to contribute to more people in this world who need to bully and think only of themselves.

Well I see another possable interpretation from the parent angle.  The video could be encouraging bad parenting and be pro-bad parenting which is not good either.  Encouraging parents to make excuses for themself rather then take a real good look at themself and say "I must be doing something wrong, maybe I should take a good look at myself and change my attitude, change the way I'm doing things".

I know there are people who say a prenatal test would be good because it would prevent autistic people being raised by people who didnt want them,  but I have another take on it. if there has been a prenatal test about when Alex was conceived, and I had known i was carrying an autistic kid- and a 'severe' one at that, which was hat his original dx was... there's no WAY I would have continued with the pregnancy!

1) I would have felt it was socially irresponsible
2) I knew little about autism, I would have believed the most profoundly affected to be the norm for an autistic and I would have equated that with the living hell stereotype
3) I would have not considered it 'fair' on the child
4) I would have considered myself unfit to raise such a challenging child (bearing in mind I was 18, with many quirks of my own, single and most unexpectedly pregnant- I simply wouldnt have believed myself capable)

Yes, all of that would have been down to ignorance (mine and society's) but NONE of these reasons would have been related to me wanting a 'barbie doll' kid... that's a very harsh judgement... I would have simply believed the hype and believed I was unfit for the job.

I am SO glad that option wasnt open to me, and for that reason alone I am opposed to prenatal testing- I know what I would have thought and done aged 18 and with all those confusing pregnancy hormones swirling about, and it would have been a massive and hideous mistake.

Perhaps, but people who actually care for someone other than themselves, will see through it. I think if they really wanted to get their point across, they would've had loving parents who acted like they're victims. Not in the way these parents did, but in a sort of "I just can't control him what can I do!" "He won't stop screaming!" Like, you know..I guess how they make catchphrases for monsters in B-movies. Not that I'm saying Auties/Aspies are monsters. I'm just playing devil's advocate.

This article makes some good points. It also links to a website where you can send comments to Autism Speaks about the movie. Has anyone done this and have you receive a response? I apologize if this has already been posted.

http://www. autismspeaks.org/sponsoredevents/autism_every_day_react.php

Here's the e-mail address: editors@ autismspeaks.org?subject=Autism Every Day