More Autism Thoughts...

http://janne.cc/blog/2008/04/07/autism-awareness

Janne's Jabberwocky is a blog I've happened across during our April Autism month. I'm so grateful to read about parents whose children are on the spectrum from about every walk of life and belief system imaginable. Janne seems to place the blame for her children's autism on the vaccines they received as children. I'm sure mercury derivatives are a BAD thing (let that be clear!), but unlike her I have not been fully convinced that they're the sole culprit. I'm sure between genetics and all the other crummy stuff in our environment and our bodies there's enough blame to go around!!

But I just had to share this quote from the post I linked above:


Our children look like your children, but they have neurological impairments. They aren’t bad kids. If they looked different, would you be more understanding? I mean, after all, if they were in a wheelchair would you get angry with them for not walking? If they were obviously blind, would you blame their parents if they tripped over something? And just because a disorder manifests itself as a certain set of undesired behaviors doesn’t mean that there is a problem with our parenting. If an elderly family member of yours was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and began “acting out”, how would you feel if it was suggested that this disorder was your fault? That if you were spiritually right, or you disciplined Grandma more, she would be just fine? What’s the difference?


Can you imagine!?? The idea of linking Grandma's Alzheimer's and an autistic child's "antics" wouldn't have occurred to me. Instead of playing the dozens, next time we're sneered at in the grocery store or church we can just say, "Your Gramma!"