07-13-2006, 04:10 AM
After reading the things you all have had to say on these boards, it seemed time I checked out that organization myself. I agree with your concerns; there seems to be an element of missunderstanding, of unwillingness to accept, that bothers me. I am glad I've been here first; there is so much that should be understood from an Autistic's perspective before you try to figure out what should be done to help someone with the condition. My perspective and opinions don't mirror all of yours exactly, of course, since I'm a parent and not an Aspie. But, still, I didn't see much acceptance at that site of the good things, and understanding of the environmental issues, in the parts of the site I did read. I posted on a few threads and will probably try to post on more in the future. I think parents should be going to the communities where autistics and aspies hang out, like this one, and trying to understand what their children think and why. It has helped me a lot, and it is absolutely amazing that this resource exists for us to tap into, that autistics are speaking out via the internet. I also think parents should spend more time trying to conform the environment around the child to the child's needs, rather than trying to conform the child to the environment. The focus of Autism Speaks parents seemed to be mostly on the later, which is a huge mistake. I knew THAT before I came here! And so forth. Parent to parent, I think I can take mini steps towards some of your goals by reinforcing these concepts at that site. I hope.
Keep doing all the things you are doing. You deserve to be heard.
Keep doing all the things you are doing. You deserve to be heard.