Homo Autistic

Spam, spam, spam

2010-05-06T17:56:00.003-05:00

Comments are turned off due to spam. :|

Spring cleaning - part two

2010-04-07T12:09:00.001-05:00

For a while I've been receiving accusations (mostly indirectly, based on context) that I'm simply a 'minion' of another autistic's work. Never mind that our work in the Autism Project, Ontario (now defunct), predates by five years the public work of the person I'm supposedly minion to. Never mind that TAP called for the same thing: equal respresentation by autistics at the board level of any autism-related organization.

Without enumerating the details (those who are interested know the details or can find them; those who are not interested consider the details unnecssary and irrelevant): speaking up causes trouble and silence causes trouble too. Apparently I've caused a lot of trouble by speaking up and I've caused a lot of trouble by staying silent.

I could try to claim some absolute at this point ('I'm closing the blog' or whatever). Or I could wait and see what comes next. The second one most resembles real life so I'll take it.

Spring cleaning - part one

2010-04-04T22:56:00.032-05:00

At first I couldn't decide which is more important, spring cleaning my home or spring cleaning my blog. Obviously this blog is neither popular nor influential... The recent uproar in the autistic community helped me decide. This is more important.

While I'm writing - there goes the cat after another centipede; through the dust bunnies and under the stove. Looks like she's having fun.

I've never taken blogging seriously. At times I've tried to tighten my focus. That translated into tighter focus on the arts, then an exploration of the relationship between language and art (see previous posts). Generally this blog was simply an effort to be 'out there', visible. Other people are better writers than I am. I can stand up, at least.

The blog cleaning started with a bit of trash. Trash that I wrote. Eventually I decided the content of that post was "too trashy" and removed it. Shortly afterward the person who was the subject of the now deleted post made a brief visit here. They left a one-word comment of their own (attached to a copy of my original post) and disappeared.

I think the main effect of this action (other than to illustrate my own ability to generate trash) was potential traffic for the blog mentioned in the post (and the views of its author). The minimal effort in a one word contribution would earn at least some kind of return. Very reminiscent of Harold Doherty's "boilerplate" comments, only one of which appears in this blog (happily).

Whatever the case, that post is now a draft again (invisible). Progress! Onward...

"A sign of weakness"

2010-04-04T18:31:00.012-05:00

While considering what I know about politics (very little) I recalled this bit: "Never apologize and never explain".

I didn't know what the original context was for this quote or its original source. A less-than-exhaustive Google search returns no definite source, just popular attribution to John Wayne:

"Never apologize and never explain - it's a sign of weakness."
http://www.worldofquotes.com/topic/apology/index.html

This might explain a lingering 'strong silence' from a certain autistic self-advocacy organization.

First-person autism debate

2010-04-04T13:25:00.008-05:00

Shortly I'll remove from the sidebar all links to autism-specific sites and pages whose authors don't use their real name (except for reason of age, of course). I encourage others to do the same.

I think the autism debate should get real. Others might disagree.

Blog import: HA/Arts

2010-04-03T13:16:00.004-05:00

Now that I've sorted, to some degree, the relationship between art and language (the main fuction of this blog for a long time, at least for me), I've imported all posts from http://haarts.blogspot.com/. Will leave the original in place for a while...

"An Open Letter to ASAN..."

2010-04-01T17:28:00.008-05:00

Via TMoB:
An Open Letter to ASAN Regarding Its Honesty and Integrity, by Alan Griswold
http://autisticaphorisms.blogspot.com/2010/03/open-letter-to-asan-regarding-its.html

Includes some interesting comments about focusing on the actual issues...

Language as art

2010-04-01T13:39:00.008-05:00

Another mixed metaphor?

After chatting with Tony for a bit (Tony, who might actually blog here some day) I've been wondering about the throw-away language used by some autistics in the current "debate". How much is serious language and how much is 'language art'?

How much is about sound rather than meaning? How much is based mostly on raw affect, satire, colour, shape, etc, and how much is interpreted seriously when it's actually something else? How many of us are aware of the importance of using the right tool (the right kind of language) for the right job?

Mixed metaphor?

2010-03-25T22:28:00.008-05:00

Earlier in this blog I tried separating words from drawings (Homo Autistic / Arts is here). This is an example of why.

source

When I see an image such as this one, above, often I spend more than ten seconds (sometimes a lot more) working out its meaning. I could scroll down to the text version "clearing this evening" but the overlap of meanings in the image is arresting, or something...

An arrow pointing left or right suggests sentence structure - until I realize it's not about sentence structure but about the cloud icon leaving the picture. If the message were solely about one icon moving away from another (or group of others), the moving icon could move up or down too - or at any angle if the graphic were 3D.

Don't think I've done a very good job explaining this. I still wonder why I'm puzzled so often and therefore stop. Forcing myself to continue, or others forcing me to continue, is not a solution.

Thoughts on metaphor

2010-03-20T19:35:00.019-05:00

As a teenager I heard an interview with Pierre Berton where he said, "unless we understand the metaphor..." (wish I could remember the whole sentence/quote). I thought this was key to understanding what people were doing, saying.

In the autism debate I notice many (or some) autistics use metaphor (including me), or try using it. That's how I learned that metaphor can also generate confusion and lack of clarity. One possible example is here.

Maybe it's ironic that while attempting to understand and navigate non-autistic society we choose devices that work against us, especially against establishing clarity in the current debate (where our human rights are at stake).

Beer study

2010-03-20T17:30:00.005-05:00

Actually a 'colour study'. The idea is to reproduce colours/values exactly as you see them, minimal attention to detail - got carried away.

"Masculist Perspectives"

2010-03-19T18:15:00.010-05:00

Just discovered this blog. I thought it must be satire... until I saw the subtitle:

"We are leaving the bleak era of selfish feminist progressivism and entering a world of light and love that only men can lead us to."
http://masculistperspectives.blogspot.com/

[speechless]

Shadow study

2010-03-19T08:03:00.005-05:00

icosahedron...

Housekeeping

2010-03-19T00:26:00.006-05:00

We'll be in disarray for a bit, due to me bungling the switchover (from one ID to another). ...Twitter feed doesn't work (separate reason)...

Sent an SOS to Tony, who's at large somewhere down under... ;)

A curious silence

2010-02-14T07:57:00.024-05:00

This post is just me connecting-the-dots - as it usually goes: years after the fact.

I remember several conversations, with this or that person, where mentioning "one community", one that includes all autistics, triggered what seemed to be an awkward silence. At the time I didn't know what that silence meant. Now I think I do. The silence meant 'does not compute' or something similar...

That's a guess, prompted by these two articles:
Angry Aspies, Please Go Away [via Twitter]
Aspificating snobbery over the DSM all over again

The pattern of silence (across several years) outlined an array of subjects that were avoided (such as association with certain other autistics) - like a stencil where the subject is the part that's missing...

Addition: Prompted by Clay's post, I went looking for the One Community Pledge and found this cached version.

TMoB/UK/Goldacre/MMR

2009-02-10T22:57:00.009-05:00

In case you don't read TMoB dicussion board (if not, please explain why) - I'm glad I took the time to read the latest from Ben Goldacre on the UK/MMR scare... The article also includes many familiar themes (familiar to me) such as lawyers, obfuscation - and Billy Bragg.

Temple detail

2009-02-10T01:42:00.011-05:00

The temple-googling (previous post) was a search for general details, then reference for this:

"Eating Bark"

2009-02-07T23:44:00.004-05:00

That's the name of a blog I found while googling Ryoan-ji temple (more photos here). The author (who might be an architect) seems to be a very good writer (how would I know?) and seems to have great respect for balance.

More about scientists

2009-01-05T03:51:00.004-05:00

Starting with an article by Professor Jim Al-Khalili, The 'first true scientist':
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7810846.stm

Isaac Newton is, as most will agree, the greatest physicist of all time. [...] At the very least, he is the undisputed father of modern optics, or so we are told at school[...] Newton himself stood on the shoulders of a giant who lived 700 years earlier.

That "giant" was Ibn al-Haytham - who I've never heard of before. Here's the Wikipedia article for Alhazen (as he was known in Europe):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_al-Haytham

Ibn al-Haytham's scientific method was very similar to the modern scientific method and consisted of the following procedures:

1. Observation
2. Statement of problem
3. Formulation of hypothesis
4. Testing of hypothesis using experimentation
5. Analysis of experimental results
6. Interpretation of data and formulation of conclusion
7. Publication of findings

More about "detox"

2009-01-05T02:14:00.004-05:00

From the BBC article "Scientists dismiss 'detox myth'":
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7808348.stm

There is no evidence that products widely promoted to help the body "detox" work, scientists warn. [...]

The investigation, done by research members of the Voice of Young Science network, was kicked off by a campaign to unpick "dodgy" science claims - where companies use phrases that sound scientific but do not actually mean anything. [...]

Alice Tuff, from Sense About Science, added: "It is ridiculous that we're seeing a return to mystical properties being claimed for products in the 21st Century and I'm really pleased that young scientists are sharing their concerns about this with the public."

Three autistic photographers

2009-01-03T01:50:00.002-05:00

One photo in particular inspired this post. This one, by jypsy. One of many in peirunman's photostream (2005 to present).

Also I've been admiring Tony's article Navigating the Red Centre, yet again (it has a topographical map [wistful sigh]). While taking another look at Tony's pioneering home page (he was the first out gay/autistic on the web, far as I know) I discovered Freestone Wilson's photostream.

Until now I've known Freestone Wilson only for his "miner's canary" metaphor. Nice surprise finding his photographic work (2005 to present). And this quote:

"I might be the only old person, who lives here, that plays computer and console games like Morrowind and final fantasy! Imagination seems to be SO rare, not only in the older residents here, but in most people!"

Happy new year

2009-01-02T18:00:00.006-05:00

By one calendar, at least. See Wikipedia's New Year entry for a complete list. Nava Varsha, for example, isn't due until March or April.

Taking back the blog

2009-01-01T14:38:00.005-05:00

I could spend a lot of time explaining (or trying to explain). Instead, I'll hoist a jolly roger, of sorts.

"The Birdman", 1931-2008

2008-06-21T17:14:00.001-05:00

One of "Grampa"'s favourite sayings: "A feather on a stump is no sign of a duck's nest." And one of his many illustrations:

In a nutshell: autism and authority

2008-06-21T14:38:00.002-05:00

The comments in The epidemiology of Autism Speaks very helpfully led me to this post at One Dad's Opinion, to a comment by Joseph:

"Of course, Harold's reply to that consists of invoking authority."

Thank you, Joseph.

Autistic Annie: does diva

2008-06-20T01:23:00.001-05:00

"Autistic Annie"?

2008-06-19T15:59:00.001-05:00

Where have I heard that before? Actually it was a cartoon concept, formerly parked at "autisticannie.blogspot.com". For the record:

And:

More on this later - or not.

Monographs: reprise (part three)

2008-05-21T06:08:00.001-05:00

Excerpts from "080511" (series)

Monographs: reprise (part two)

2008-05-20T03:36:00.001-05:00

Excerpts from "080511" (NB "Ooops... Wrong Planet! Syndrome")

Monographs: reprise (part one)

2008-05-19T02:46:00.001-05:00

"Monograph" (monotype), acrylic on card, 1998:

Excerpts from the series "080511", digital, 080511:

Plural: dreams

2008-05-12T03:56:00.001-05:00

[Inspired by Jonathan Howard's "Run the Dream" (singular).]

Excerpts from "080511" (series)

My front yard

2008-04-30T02:23:00.001-05:00

080416_0204

Our front yard. April 16 was the first day here that really felt like spring (the last of the snow is hidden in the parking lot, in the back). This is the only yard on the street that's enclosed by a hedge, which is maybe why it attracts many animals: squirrels, rabbits, skunks, raccoons, ducks, neighbourhood cats, an occasional opossum and always birds galore. Posties use the archway in the hedge, at left (below).

080416_0207

Test 0804

2008-04-29T22:35:00.001-05:00

Same old web cam, new drivers (doubled its resolution), new lights (the "twister" kind: 'true' (daylight) colours after dark)...

080416_12

080417_03

080429_03

"Quashed!"

2008-04-21T23:58:00.003-05:00

Thanks to jypsy (at TMoB) for the great news that Kathleen's motion to quash was successful. Read Kathleen's update here:
http://neurodiversity.com/weblog/article/152

Kathleen Seidel: "Subpoenaed"

2008-04-05T01:23:00.033-05:00

Homo Autistic is one of the blogs named in the subpoena against Kathleen Seidel. Please read Kathleen's full article here. I'm hoping to blog about this without making things worse (hyperlexia and legal issues seem like a dangerous mix). The running refrain "I am Kathleen" (in the article/comments) is a useful reminder that the effort to intimidate is aimed at all of us.

At the end of the list of blogs (in the subpoena) I noticed this line: "This is to include the names of persons helping, paying or facilitating in any fashion these endeavors". I don't know if the transcript of legal cases such as "Sykes v. Bayer" are public domain but the intention (or part of it) seems to be to *out* everyone, including or maybe especially those who use nicks or pseudonyms. I use my real name (thanks to experience in the gay community) so I don't know how much more intimidating the threat of exposure must feel to others.

I'll continue reading and digesting all that's out there. As above, I think I saw mention that court transcripts are publicly available (eventually) but there's enough legal advice and counter-advice out there already, I won't repeat it here. One of the best roundups I've seen is by Joseph (Natural Variation - Autism Blog) (coarse language).

Thanks to everyone who is determined to do the right thing and to see the right outcome. Thanks yet again to Kathleen, for being Kathleen.

NB: Liz Ditz/I Speak of Dreams keeps a running list of articles, here.

"Why we don't support Run the Dream"

2008-04-02T10:28:00.003-05:00

I've been avoiding blogging about Jonathan Howard's "Run the Dream". Thankfully jypsy has posted a very appropriate response: Running FOR Autism, not AGAINST it. Why we don't support Run The Dream

Thank you jypsy!

3D Rubber Ducky

2008-03-26T02:09:00.001-05:00

Google Sketchup (free version)

H2SO4: sulfuric acid

2008-03-23T08:44:00.001-05:00

Science (thanks to Chemistry 112 and Wikipedia: Sulfuric acid):

Not science:

More about trolls

2007-12-11T17:59:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Orac (Respectful Insolence) for pointing to Flame Warriors/Troller, one in a series of (very dialup-friendly) cartoons. You won't be disappointed.

"Autism Reconsidered"

2007-12-01T23:32:00.002-05:00

That's the title of an article in today's Ottawa Citizen. See Michelle's comments here (including a link to the OC site/article), and a large image of the article at rogercollier.com.

One half of one thing I can't resist

2007-11-29T08:57:00.001-05:00

Prometheus has blogged The Alternate RNA Universe and I have a chance (and inspiration from a great post) to tackle a section of DNA (which I've been meaning to do since, oh, '79):

"Canadian Centre for Diversity"

2007-11-26T21:19:00.001-05:00

So I don't bury my own (previous) post, see this post.

"Canadian Centre for Diversity"

2007-11-26T21:12:00.001-05:00

Speaking of radio, on a local station I heard (yesterday) what I think is a very good advertisement. Paraphrasing:

"You can hear my voice but you don't know if my skin is white, black, or brown. You don't know if I'm reading this in text or Braille."

No mention of autistics (that I've found so far) in the web site, so I'll be cautious. The site is not quite autistic-friendly (there are animations, scrolling text) and the download is borderline dialup-friendly (at 56k; a marathon at 28.8k).

The splash page (with Flash animation) is here: http://www.centrefordiversity.ca/

"Skip intro" lands here: http://www.centrefordiversity.ca/index2.html.

Autism fundamentals and autism fundamentalists

2007-11-26T19:34:00.001-05:00

Now that a certain autism "heavy" has tipped his hand (prematurely, I think) I get to claim that I was right ("claim", mind you). The evidence is in private emails, behind the scenes. Like a few other autistics, at a certain point I doubted my contribution, I thought it might be damaging rather than useful or effective. Hence the stilted efforts to adjust to a more 'effective' approach.

About that Queen of Diamonds that I glimpsed, here's an edited version of today's email:

Now I'm thinking I should have spoken my mind more often, starting a while back in the first big flap at B's blog. At the time I was tempted to say, just ignore him, you're just giving him free publicity. I didn't say it, but then someone else did (I'm quite sure it was AD). There was a brief pause (or so I thought), then the sniping, etc. continued, and escalated.

Some 'autism fundamentalists' (those who list the fundamentals, as Andrew Kavchak does in the hate site) understand that "any publicity is good publicity". Q reminded me of this back in '98, when we were still using paper correspondence.

Like radio personalities, you just have to be visible (or audible) to be effective. Work the formula (the fundamentals) and you'll succeed.

Then there's Carmen Lahaie's unabashedly fundamentalist recommendation (Spring '06): "humbly follow those seeking the truth".

So we've got the same problem in autism as the LGBTQI community still has today: fundamentalists. Same mind set, same formula, different subject.

Game-of-cards is likely the most vulgar comparison, but it's in the same vein. Some people are willing to gamble on their autistic child's future, and will encourage others to do likewise.

Basic chemistry and the "Lupron Protocol"

2007-11-23T15:34:00.001-05:00

Real scientists reference peer reviewed scientific papers, not the breakfast broadsheet. This seems like an important thing to remember.

I understand from... a credible source that the UK organization "Treating Autism" lists "Lupron" as a "New and promising treatment". I've now checked Treating Autism's web site and I see that's true, the page is here. So I wonder how many people have read the following, which is about "testosterone sheets" (integral to the "Lupron Protocol" idea) and the very real absence of "minimal hot benzene" in autistics:

For those not facile with chemistry-speak, the authors took equal numbers of molecules of testosterone and mercuric chloride and dissolved the mixture in the minimal amount of hot benzene that it took to dissolve the mixture.

This is not a condition even remotely similar to anything found in living tissue - of any vertebrate species. In other words, it isn't likely to happen in autistic children unless you dissolve them in hot benzene.

The full article is here. I think of this whenever I hear "Lupron" mentioned. Also Kathleen Seidel's series "Significant Misrepresentations: Mark Geier, David Geier & the Evolution of the Lupron Protocol", now part sixteen.

I agree we should value peer reviewed science above the less-than-thorough kind. Also I gather there are 'junk science' journals just as there are 'tabloids' in the newspaper market. From high school chemistry (which I failed) I recall not only that burnt sulfur smells the way it does (previous post), but also that true science involves rigor. This seems like the thing to watch for in autism research, or in autism researchers.

Back to the Grinning Zone

2007-11-22T07:27:00.001-05:00

Added a list of links to pages and projects that got set aside (or forgotten), for one reason or another. Now that some sites offer free remote-link image hosting (such as Photobucket) it's possible to restore pages that previously strained my local web space. Such as The Great Canadian Grinning Zone (just replaced the hit counter, which had stopped working, apparently due to successive changes in ownership).

"Burnt sulfur should smell like roses!"

2007-11-21T00:10:00.003-05:00

But it doesn't. It smells like rotten eggs. This is a useful summary (for me) about what's wrong with arguments-of-denial in autism. Put another way: "There's the way it oughta be, and there's the way it is."

I've been thinking about the failed 'conversion' (to prevailing autism advocacy standards) at "The Crux of the Matter" blog. The author, "Sandy", falls in with the wrong company (a prominent autism advocacy spindoctor) and suddenly there's room for only one side to the story. A well known and very polite autistic person, jypsy, is barred from commenting - and the whole thing comes crashing down (the post and comments are removed). Those who are interested can find more details in this post by Steve D ("One Dad's Opinion" blog) and another of the deleted comments here

Since that episode I've been admiring Skeptico's Bingo Night! post - and have now linked (at right) to those skepticism blogs that I've noticed only in passing (while being overwhelmed by everything else). Likewise autisitcs.org's Curbie Bingo. Considering the now predictable contributions of people like Fredericton, New Brunswick lawyer Harold L. Doherty, I would add a square: "newspaper science".

More to say but I'll leave that for another post. The comments here have been turned off for a while (I wouldn't have been able to deal with them), now they're back on.

Another poster

2007-11-14T05:25:00.001-05:00

Australian landscapes

2007-09-28T07:55:00.001-05:00

This is one in a series of high resolution photos in Tony Langdon's (orienteering) article Navigating the Red Centre.

The beauty of science

2007-09-27T14:08:00.002-05:00

Science and non-science in autism make me appreciate every story I read where a true scientist states the obvious. Now here's another example, the continuing debate over whether or not Pluto should stay a planet or be demoted to "dwarf planet" (as has happened, apparently). Below are excerpts from the BBC article "Pluto vote 'hijacked' in revolt". The article contains a reminder that Pluto's elliptical orbit overlaps with Neptune's.

One of the three criteria for planethood states that a planet must have "cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit" [which Pluto has not].
...

But Dr [Alan] Stern pointed out that Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune have also not fully cleared their orbital zones. Earth orbits with 10,000 near-Earth asteroids. Jupiter, meanwhile, is accompanied by 100,000 Trojan asteroids on its orbital path.
...

"If Neptune had cleared its zone, Pluto wouldn't be there."

Read the full article here. So how would "autism advocacy" non-scientists handle this? Maybe they would simply deny that Pluto crosses Neptune's orbit ("It does not!"). They might construct a mouse model and conclude there's no such thing as a mouse (planet) that crosses Neptune's orbit.

I'm not sure what they would do but something just occurred to me. The term "autism adovcacy" seems to plead for more autism in the world. This would be the inverse of what "autism advocates" are demanding. If that's an error in language I'm not surprised I didn't pick it out sooner. Why experts and professionals in the "autism community" are still using it, I have no idea.

I woudn't have noticed this if not for a certain scientist who's been using "autism advocates" in quotation marks for a long while now. Again, that's what real scientists often do, they point out the obvious. Some of us still fail to see it. Until one day it dawns.

TRICAPD update

2007-09-26T10:40:00.001-05:00

New dance photos at Autstic Pride Day - Tri Cities: London 2007 dance photos. Also neurodiversity.com hosts an Autistic Arts & Poetry page (which I've just rediscovered).

More dance (ballet)

2007-09-20T03:36:00.001-05:00

A BBC Audio slideshow: Morphoses. Slides/audio in a stand-alone player (doesn't say it needs any particular software installed, though there is a glitch, the show stops at 3:24, near the end).

Bilingualism (and dance) reduces risk of dementia

2007-09-18T05:36:00.001-05:00

An excerpt from the BBC article Being bilingual 'protects brain':

Researchers from York University in Canada carried out tests on 104 people between the ages of 30 and 88.

...

Writing in the journal of Psychology and Ageing, they said being bilingual may protect against mental decline in old age.

Previous studies have shown that keeping the brain active can protect against senile dementia.

So do "visual thinkers" qualify as bilingual? And another BBC article Dancing 'wards off dementia'.

Researchers in the United States have found that dancing, playing musical instruments, reading and playing board games can all reduce the risks of developing [senile dementia].

...

"Maintaining physical activity has been linked to better general health as people get older, preventing cardiovascular disease and falls and this research should not be taken as an recommendation to concentrate on cerebral exercise only."

"The Physics of Dance"

2007-09-15T01:41:00.001-05:00

Here's a page on "Physics and Dance" by George Gollin who is a "Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign". I'd like to see a physics class that's taught via dance (black holes and all). They could start with this page. Thank you Dr Gollin.

YouTube: La La La Human Steps

2007-09-13T21:45:00.001-05:00

Source
Went looking for La La La Human Steps (wiki), here's a shortened list of several different versions and duplicates:

Amelia La La La Human Steps (5:08)
Amelia: a film by Edouard Lock (Opus Arte) (1:00)
Choreographer Edouard Locke on Using Imagery (2:43)
La La La Human Steps/Infante C'est Destroy (4:32)
La La La Human Steps - Salt (2:57)
West India Company/La La La Human Steps (6:11)

"The Wind"

2007-09-12T06:01:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Blair for sending this one:

Shakespeare School welcomes autistic student

2007-09-12T01:11:00.001-05:00

See: http://tricapd.blogspot.com/2007/09/stratford-festival-welcomes-student.html

"Autistic Pride Dancers"

2007-09-09T15:21:00.001-05:00

Faith and Nathaniel's dance videos are now on YouTube:

Autistic Pride Dancers - L.O.V.E.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgIcr3Jhk9E

Autistic Pride Dancers - Razzle Dazzle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDPgIWFayQU

Back to school

2007-09-03T23:20:00.001-05:00

I first met "Sarah" (age 12) last fall when her family moved into the building down the street. This summer we continued our acquaintance and found that we "click" (said her mom). I've since discovered Estee's comment: I agree that a mentor is not something you "get" artificially. I'm not Sarah's mentor in a formal sense, though this is something her family mentioned and we discussed.

In the rush to function in the "adult" world often I forget about the kids. Not because we don't get along (we always have) and not because kids aren't everywhere in the autism arena, but because I have no current connection in the real world. That's now been corrected. I learned there are a lot of kids in the building at the end of the street. By now the toys I bought (because none of them had any) are well used, including a dozen or so jet balls that disappeared, one by one, into the ether.

The adults joined in (frisbee, soccer) and I discovered that developmental disabilities are not uncommon, at least in this spontaneous assembly of neighbours. Unfortunately the majority in this group routinely use racist, homophobic, etc., comments, comments the kids repeat. I challenged the hateful remarks ("Did you just use the 'N' word?") but realized I'm only one within a local, self-reinforcing culture.

Sarah coined her own words, "bouncy baw" (jet ball), "freefree" (freezie), which were also contagious even among the adults, the same adults who before had mocked Sarah's language and 'stupidity'. When not beaten down and hanging her head, Sarah isn't stupid. She showed this many times, using 'adult' combinations of short sentences and head gestures - gestures more sophisticated than many I'd seen among the adults.

One visitor, a superintendent (with a wife and kids), described his continuing impulse control issues. An hour or so later he was unloading on Sarah for her impulsive behaviour. I thought he could have used their common difficulty to connect with Sarah, to say it's okay I struggle with that too and look, I grew up and I'm doing okay... he didn't. I explained to Sarah that he has the same issue and she immediately stopped crying and got a kind of "ohhhhh" look on her face.

The adults deny and the kids carry the burden.

Now they're going back to school and I wonder what my next step will be. Here are three things the kids (both disabled and not) refreshed for me:

1. All children should have a childhood.
2. Successful completion of a project is less important than the child's self-concept.
3. Parents (and mentors, educators, professionals) are important for two reasons (among many others): the good they can do, and the damage they can do.

"Autism - We are born this way"

2007-09-03T06:52:00.001-05:00

Christschool's Neurotypicalism Everyday - Movie Trailer (thanks TMoB) led to another excellent video, Autism - We are born this way:

Haystacks...

2007-08-05T21:36:00.001-05:00

Van Gogh (wiki)

At the Bain place (with photos). And Alex runs a personal best (more photos), which is also totally awesome.

[Edit: fixed Bain link]

Heads up from TMoB

Grey intersection

2007-08-04T22:42:00.001-05:00

I noticed Kev's "A rainbow of many grey's", then got tagged by Chaz (hence this post), and today got a heads up from the mad tech about a new album by Tangerine Dream (album cover above):

Tangerine Dream will celebrate their 40th Anniversary in 2007 with the release of their latest album, Madcap’s Flaming Duty. To be released April 2nd, the album is dedicated to former Pink Floyd guitarist Syd Barrett, who died in July 2006.

Had to wiki Syd Barrett (obviously I'm not a fan) - the coincidence re grey (previous post) was, uh, validating?

SiteMeter

2007-07-26T07:17:00.001-05:00

Found this (April '07) post while troubleshooting a SiteMeter issue:
http://michaelsync.net/2007/04/11/things-
you-should-know-before-using-sitemeter/

It’s so sad for me to hear that SiteMeter, a well-known web stats provider, is pushing specificclick tracking and advertising cookies on to visitors of sites using their service.

New discussion group: Autistic Daily Living

2007-07-18T04:50:00.002-05:00

Copied from this TMoB post:

"A shameless plug for a new group:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AutisticDailyLiving/join

Autistic Daily Living is a new group to discuss challenges (and hopefully some solutions) for daily living. Amanda is helping me [Dinah] co-moderate this group.

The full description of the group:

This group will focus on issues relating to daily living needs for autistic adults, in an environment that is positive towards autism. Many of us have significant and real trouble with things like housing, eating, obtaining services, communication, cleanliness, work, access to medical care, finances, transportation, and other "basic" parts of life that are taken for granted by most of the neurotypical world. The group will be a safe place for autistic people to discuss troubles in these areas, without fear of being judged as "lazy" (as a result, people who think autistic people just need to "try harder" probably should find a different list). It will also focus on solutions to these problems that don't involve loss of basic freedoms - solutions discussed might include: how might someone in New York state obtain help cleaning their house, for instance? Or what can be done for an autistic person in Germany who has not eaten in 2 weeks since his mother has died? What might someone do to prepare for a job interview? How can someone get rid of an abusive personal aide? What options are there other than institutions for me? Additionally focus will also include discussion of things that may not currently be possible, but might be able to come into being - how might we get governments and insurance to fund communication systems for people who only need them some of the time? What might an autistic "intentional community" look like? How might an employer create an environment that favors autistic people?

All are welcome to participate in this group, regardless of diagnosis (or lack of). Non-autistic people are welcome to give helpful suggestions and otherwise participate. Note however that this is not a support group for parents of autistic children and that most of us, despite having trouble with daily living, do not view autism as a negative thing.

So feel free to head over and join the new group, whether you need help or you think you might be able to help others figure things out. The group won't focus exclusively on either people who receive support services or those who don't - it is intended to be a place for a wide chunk of the autistic population.

To join, visit:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AutisticDailyLiving/join

Feel free to repost this elsewhere or send this message to people you feel may be interested."

I wish I'd said that

2007-06-06T01:49:00.002-05:00

About the recent neurodiversity discussion at Left Brain/Right Brain, I'm grateful to people like Kevin Leitch and Kathleen Seidel for their vigilance and research, for their painstaking efforts in critical thinking and writing. Not being a writer, I can at least point to one or another part of their work and say "I agree". It doesn't matter to me who does the reporting if the result is accurate and carries the movement a step farther.

[obscure reference removed 070612]

On adopting an autistic child

2007-05-27T21:13:00.001-05:00

Thanks to TMoB for this excellent article about a couple who adopt an autistic child: You're adopting who?

Pride 2007

2007-05-26T10:30:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the side bar in Kev's blog just noticed this new video, Gay Pride/Autistic Pride: Celebrate Difference.

Otherwise, continuing from the previous post:

IMFAR 2007 poster

2007-05-11T05:04:00.002-05:00

Now online:

Dawson, M., & Mottron, L. (2007, May). How many hours is forty hours? Range of treatment intensity in Lovaas (1987). Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research. Seattle, WA.

Autism Ontario[...]

2007-04-22T23:11:00.002-05:00

Edit [080619]: I've edited the title of this post because it's very close to Autism Society Canada's "Proactive Approach"

Recently I received an email from [N] who is a member of Autism Ontario. Here is the original email and the exchange that followed:
----------------------------

April 17, 2007
[N:] Hello to both of you,

I have a meeting shortly with the Adult Working Group of Autism Ontario. I would appreciate your input ahead of time.

I am aware of much dissatisfaction with Autism Ontario (AO) when it comes to adult initiatives. Please answer these three questions for me:

1.. What is AO doing right?
2.. What is AO doing wrong?
3.. What are your top three priorities for adults with ASD?

Please let me know your thoughts by this Friday, April 20.

Thanks so much,

[N]
----------------------------

April 17, 2007
Hello [N]

Unfortunately Autism Ontario has a long history of patronizing autistics, including asking to be spoon fed information that is freely and publicly available. The following is an article that illustrates this practice and that also mentions segregation of autistics, a practice that Autism Ontario also employs:
http://www.sentex.net/%7Enexus23/naa_ascd.html

If there's any question about the quality of Michelle Dawson's work please see this article by APS president Morton Ann Gernsbacher:
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=2147

If Autism Ontario or any of its members were serious about the questions you ask they would already have the answers (which are freely and publicly available). Instead individually we're offered a gamut (as in chess) and asked to play along.

The most constructive thing that I can do is point everyone to the highest standards of science and ethics. See above. I can also refuse to play along, especially in a game that was exposed more than two years ago.

Ralph
----------------------------

April 17, 2007
[N:] Thanks, Ralph.

What is the most important thing we can do to change the position of ASC? Even though this is an Autism Ontario project (ASC has no part in it), we can still work toward change.

[N]
----------------------------

April 23, 2007
[N:] Thanks, [J].

Be assured that I will bring the responses from both you and Ralph to the discussion table.

Naturally, I will honour your confidentiality and all personal information will be removed.

Keep your fingers crossed!

[N]
----------------------------

April 23, 2007
Ms [N]

I do not appreciate your effort to coax autistics into participating in Autism Ontario. Please be clear: I want no part in Autism Ontario or any of its "groups", either officially or unofficially.

You do not represent me, Ms [N], and you are not welcome to present my views, anonymously or not, in my absence. I am sorry that you continue to insist that I am wrong in saying this.

Please do not contact me again.

Thank you

Ralph Smith

Inappropriate observations

2007-04-07T11:23:00.001-05:00

From the archive:

"There are two sides to every puzzle", 031201

And for those who "inappropriately" collect garbage: 'Trashballs' turn rubbish to art. Chris Goodwin's blog is here.

See also Junk architect recycles Ghana's waste and The e-waste man mountain

Transparency

2007-03-30T20:03:00.001-05:00

Heads up from TMoB: Kathleen Seidel (neurodiversity weblog) receives her due from Brian Deer, Simon Baron-Cohen, and others in Several Mentions & Many Thanks. Dr. Baron-Cohen writes:

I’m very impressed by the scholarship in the neurodiversity.com website. I welcome the debate being widened now that science is transparent on the Internet.

Chocolate Christ

2007-03-30T18:05:00.001-05:00

See the BBC's Storm in US over chocolate Jesus, a scuplture by Cosimo Cavallaro:

This isn't quite so surprising/scandalous if you Google "Chocolate Jesus". See also George Heslop's "Jesus on the Cross" (in chocolate) and Michelangelo's naked Christ, "Crucifix", 1494.

"Homophobic people"

2007-03-22T12:03:00.001-05:00

Thanks to jypsy for pointing the way to the UPEI Cadre article Revolution: PEI. If you don't want to register to view the Facebook site mentioned in the article (I didn't), here's a review by Postmodern Homosexual.

It's just the way I was raised

I'm glad to see talk of a "revolution" in the maritimes. I'm not so glad that one is needed. Apparently not much has changed in the twenty years I've been away. What needs addressing is not lack of potential in the current generation but what is being taught by the previous generation. Like homophobia: "it's just the way I was raised".

------------------------

The above is a post I wrote yesterday, then realized I have no place to post it. Rather than start another blog, I decided to wedge it in here.

This blog started in response to Michelle's article about autism advocates who trivialize autism. Being a dumb artist I don't trust myself not to trivialize anything or to notice when someone else is. Hence the move. Also, as you can see, I've tried to minimize this 'other language' here. Abandoning it altogether would be good but that's not gonna happen.

Art is my "native language", as Amanda puts it. My "native tongue", as I've been saying over and over for several years while trying to distance myself from this 'other language', the one I can't be trusted (and don't trust myself) to interpret correctly.

Back to the above post: lately I've taken a closer look at what's happening in the maritimes, for autistics and for all people who are different. Obviously intolerance is still an issue... and I've come to realize, at least, that the works of people like Harold Doherty (New Brunswick) and Stephen Pate (Prince Edward Island) illustrate an imaginative (artistic?) approach to real life problems.

I'll get back to this (or not) when my ability to orchestrate the various ideas returns. Oh, just came to me: "artists", of whatever kind, should stick to what they know.

Dump 001

2007-03-22T10:44:00.001-05:00

Not getting much done lately so here's a first "art dump" (as they say in Sijun forums; second, really) of older stuff. Date is YY/MM/DD. Also the gifs were loading sluggishly (that's a Google thing) so they've all been changed to jpgs and all images enlarged.

070311

070312

Guess I haven't explained here (yes, I know explanations about drawing are offensive to some people) that these are done in MSPaint, with a mouse (rather than a tablet), no references. With my off hand but that's not by choice. Each starts with a wild scribble and develops when the suggestion of a form appears.

Completing the "dump", here's the originals (below; all Jan. '06) where I realized I can do half the work by using a very coarse 'spray can'. Unless perfectionism intervenes...

Runman - the movie

2007-03-18T05:11:00.001-05:00

Alex Bain's production of his cross-PEI Autistic Celebration Run is now available on YouTube/Posautive. See jypsy's introduction which includes links to the three part video (21 minutes total).

Diva

2007-03-17T21:55:00.001-05:00

070317

Strawman

2007-03-14T06:47:00.001-05:00

070314

Chair - and a touch of Cyrillic

2007-03-13T07:44:00.001-05:00

070313

Thanks to Michelle @ TMoB for heads up re "Autism Diva goes Cyrillic". Ah, Cyrillic. [sigh]

Chair, skeleton, mouse

2007-03-11T16:59:00.001-05:00

070311

Stragglers:

070303

070228

Minotaur

2007-03-07T23:32:00.001-05:00

[removed 070930]

Variations on a cherub

2007-03-06T07:39:00.001-05:00

070306

070228

Friday night detail

2007-03-02T22:50:00.001-05:00

070302

Bitmaps

2007-02-28T00:31:00.001-05:00

070225

070227

070227

Where do we draw the line?

2007-02-23T06:10:00.001-05:00

A couple excerpts:

A line does not in reality exist to mark the boundaries of an object against its surroundings or against other objects. Tone, colour, three-dimensional vision and movement tell us where the edges of objects are in real life. The linear outline is a translation, an invented language, or rather the first phrases of a language with which we have learned to represent the visual world. - John Raynes

fig·u·ra·tive \'fi-g(y)ə-rə-tiv\ adj (14c) 1 a: representing by a figure or resemblance : EMBLEMATIC b : of or relating to representation of form in art <~ sculpture> 2 a: expressing one thing in terms usually denoting another with which it may be regarded as analogous : METAPHORICAL <~ language> b : characterized by figures of speech — fig·u·ra·tive·ly adv — fig·u·ra·tive·ness n - Merriam Webster's

CNN

2007-02-22T04:37:00.001-05:00

Amanda Baggs on CNN. [heads up from jypsy]

See also this well crafted article by Autism Diva.

Here there be spiders

2007-02-19T16:34:00.002-05:00

Apparently many autism advocates hope our attention will stick to certain pages and articles on the web and that all others will be ignored. This would be a "web spider" approach?

Response to Harold Doherty's most recent effort to fix our attention can be found in Ballastexistenz, Left Brain/Right Brain, The Autism Crisis and elsewhere. If anyone wants to look.

Something similar could be said of me since I'm not extremely well read in autism news and research. I absorb the most obvious information and can only admire those who manage a larger part of all there is to know. At least I know that many of Mr Doherty's claims in his recent article are untrue. One example:

"The sirens will not talk about such realities as lack of communication, self injurious behavior, or lack of awareness of potentially life threatening dangers posed by automobiles or broken glass."

Searching my local copy of TMoB, a public discussion forum, "communication" appears in 82 of 527 digests, "self-injury" in 7. Googling "autistic" and "self-injury" returns 79,600 entries, the Autism Information Library (autistics.org) top of the list.

Obviously Mr Doherty's claim that autistics will not discuss this or that is untrue. So what is he doing?

Hit counter as popup trojan?

2007-02-17T10:40:00.002-05:00

Charles mentioned seeing popups in his blog shortly after installing the same kind of counter I use here. This might explain why my popup blocker doesn't seem to work consistently and why other people are seeing popups in pages where there shouldn't be any at all (pages hosted in private accounts).

Some kinds of hit counters are 'popup trojans'? Will investigate.

Edit: absence of popups in pages hosted in private accounts assumes everyone is running anti-spyware programs regularly. All of us are, aren't we?

"Humming"

2007-02-16T10:28:00.002-05:00

Just read Gee this is familiar (Ballastexistenz). Often I'm incredulous when I read something like this, when anyone suggests that personal limitations should be respected. Likely because I grew up in a society where personal limits must be overpowered, regardless.

I've often noticed a "physical sensation" in my brain (that's the term I used). This may or may not be the same "humming" described in the article but I know it's a result of forcing myself to think and function no matter what. At times the feeling is so strong I wonder if I might be damaging my brain somehow. This sensation hasn't faded with time or 'adjusted' or 'rewired' itself, in spite of me wishing it would. Pushing beyond limits and hoping the resistance will somehow 'burn out' doesn't always work.

I think if I were smarter I might have figured this out sooner. Then I realize that I did figure it out before, shortly after diagnosis. Like so many other things that I should know about myself, I dismissed it as fantasy. The 'do-or-die' conditioning doesn't disappear overnight. At the time I still believed that social "reality" was the ultimate goal, no matter what the personal cost might be.

"Bay of Fundy Blog"

2007-02-14T16:48:00.002-05:00

Not many blogs make my pulse quicken. Terri McCulloch's Bay of Fundy Blog definitely made my heart jump (you'll recall it's somewhere in New Brunswick), first because of the concept drawings here and here in her series of posts on "tidal energy".

Not much I can write that Terri hasn't mentioned already. Such as: it's a bit tricky to get your head around exactly what 100 billion tonnes of seawater looks like filling and emptying the bay twice a day. Add the concept of turbines poised within that environment... no wonder so many autistics are engineers. [sigh]

Autistic contributions to world culture

2007-02-12T06:30:00.003-05:00

Here's something I've been meaning to mention for a while, a reference to autistic contributions to world culture:

"We are people who have a culture: a large published literature, art, music, architecture, design, technology, science, and engineering."

This is a quote from Michelle Dawson's Is autism a plague?. As above, I'm always glad when our past contributions are recognized and our potential in present and future is respected.

Unfortunately this quote is used in the "hate site" [see link] to support the strategic translation "autism is a culture". This is an example of the formula used by autism advocates in converting one reality to another, the formula being: "x is y". Or "dog is cat".

Note: the "hate site" is not currently available ("the connection has timed out"). Maybe it's finally been removed?

Update

2007-02-06T20:15:00.002-05:00

I've been meaning to mention this post by Ballastexistenz, What does “Kanner” actually mean, historically? And again, always, the Web Style Guide, 2nd Edition.

When the Web Style Guide was the "Yale Style Manual" I read that dialup is still more common than high speed. Can't find that reference in the new version. This was maybe three years ago and this is one reason I've stayed with dialup: I'm reminded every day what others experience in downloading web pages. Apparently download speed is still an issue. One reason for this, a reason I think should be obvious now that I've read it, is mentioned in the Monash University Web Style Guide, Version 3:

Despite the availability of faster download speeds there are still many users with slower connections. For example, off-campus students in rural areas may only have access to dialup modems.

Whether or not the "majority" are still using dialup, in the recent explosion of YouTube (etc.) postings and the (brief) vogue for embedding videos in web pages many of us webcrawlers saw and felt the change immediately. A blog that has many posts displayed in the same page and at least one video embedded in every post is the worst example. A number of people have illustrated or hinted at helpful solutions, including using grayscale images instead of colour. I'm not sure if video encoding works the same way but converting image files to grayscale cuts the file size dramatically. I think grayscale is also a neat way to protect copyright: if people want a colour version of your image they have to ask for it.

Finally, I've started using "WIP" again, "work in progress", for posts that I suspect are not quite finished. Long story short, and something I've mentioned many times before, writing is my 'off hand'. Near as I can figure I write by "sound" rather than by rule, discussions about "rules" of sentence structure amaze me. If I don't write something chances are I won't write anything, so I put it out there regardless. This goes back to an earlier list discussion and conclusion that autistics should at least "make a noise". Visibility, in other words. In attempting those things we can only approximate, some of us are more willing to humiliate ourselves than others. It's an acquired taste.

A perfect freehand circle

2007-01-31T08:26:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately freehand circle drawing doesn't get near as much press as I think it should. While watching a Posautive video I noticed another video, World Freehand Circle Drawing Champion. Mr Overwijk's drawing was disappointing because it's not a perfect circle, though I admire him for at least being conscious that this is possible and for making the effort. Searching the web for the real life event, for a truly perfect freehand circle, brought me to this article in the Ottawa Citizen, Glebe math teacher circles the web.

Maybe there's a metaphor here about the quest to fulfill a "grand design", to create an ideal society. Maybe not. But anyone who's willing to exchange their compass for the "feat" of drawing a freehand circle is a-okay with me.

Edit: thought I better double-check my 'certainty':

Canadian autism standards unearthed in Indonesia?

2007-01-28T11:14:00.002-05:00

Speaking of hominids, or hominins, I noticed the following quote while reading about Homo floresiensis in the BBC's Hobbit cave digs set to restart:

Excavations at Liang Bua were reportedly blocked because Indonesian government officials would not issue exploration permits for projects that might prove Professor Jacob wrong.

Professor Teuku Jacob is Indonesia's "king of palaeoanthropology". I'm not sure we have a 'king of autism' in Canada but the complimentary arrangement between Canadian government officials and "autism adovcates" and "autism experts" is a remarkable resemblance.

In Canada it's common practice for "autism advocates" to cover their ears and shout "ABA" nonstop when anyone mentions rigorous and objective (scientific) study of autism. Apparently something similar happens in other countries too when the 'wrong kind of human' is in danger of being exposed.

Hominid update

2007-01-25T02:18:00.004-05:00

One of my favourite sites is Kennis & Kennis where I just noticed their newest addition: Complete Neanderthals. I've been hoping for years that these guys would do this.

I have a longstanding interest in all hominids, including us moderns. I gather this interest in physical characteristics and differences is called morphology. The Diva is interested in morphology too so I know I'm not kooky or anything.

Above is a half finished model of A. afarensis, dubbed "Alphie". Alphie didn't survive the most recent 'sculpture purge'. I think her terracotta remains are resting in a Michigan landfill. Her replacement is more than half finished, this time in Plastillina, a rubbery professional sculpting clay. Visible in the background is this model (below), which a few people have also seen before (sorry, it's a slow process).

Autism Vogue

2007-01-22T14:32:00.004-05:00

Forgot to mention the Diva and Kev as sources for the NIH petition. Also here's an addition to the previous excerpt, from Oliver Sacks: "Autism, clearly, is a condition that has always existed, affecting occasional individuals in every time and culture."

Now I'm going to get all metaphorical again and mention Amédée Ozenfant's book Foundations of Modern Art [1952]. If I recall correctly, "fashion only changes" and is fairly useless. The things that are steady and useful he calls "constants". And the aim of art is "elevation" in the viewer (just thought I should complete the equation).

Apart from autistics existing throughout history I'm not sure about other "constants" in the autism arena (xenophobia might be one). Maybe someone can make a list. After reading Arthur Allen's A Story With Legs (again thanks to Diva and Kev) I'm thinking autism "fashion" is bound to be a catalogue. Maybe Autism Vogue?

Oh. There's another constant. Too many Madonnabes. You know: "If not for our autistic child we could have a jaccuzi by now."

Finally, belated congratulations to Michelle on her first paper as lead author: Autistic Intelligence.

Reading...

2007-01-18T07:06:00.001-05:00

For the strings-of-letters challenged among us Vern Nicholson helpfully illustrates Rules of Writing. From Kevin Leitch: David Kirby/Arthur Allen Debate Part I - and this find by Ms Clark: The Autism Numbers - Why There's No Epidemic. Excerpt:

Children with behaviors that would be called autistic today are scattered through the literature of past centuries. William of Newburgh in 12th-century England described "green children" who could not communicate or follow social customs. Sixteenth-century Russia had "blessed fools," seizure-plagued mutes preoccupied with repetitive behaviors. In 1887 England, Dr. Landon Down—after whom the chromosomal condition Down syndrome was named—coined the phrase "idiot savants" to describe some of the autistic children he saw. [...]

For a glimpse of how autistic savants are treated today (over 100 years later), see this TMoB post.

NIH petition

2007-01-09T15:10:00.001-05:00

Here's a petition requesting the NIH (National Institutes of Health, US) orient its autism research to autistic strengths rather than weaknesses. Signatures are welcome from anyone in any country (you don't have to live in the US) so please read and sign the petition if you agree.

Adding to the sexuality references in the petition page, here's an excerpt from the American Psychological Association:

Homosexuality was once thought to be a mental illness because mental health professionals and society had biased information. In the past the studies of gay, lesbian and bisexual people involved only those in therapy, thus biasing the resulting conclusions. When researchers examined data about these people who were not in therapy, the idea that homosexuality was a mental illness was quickly found to be untrue.
http://www.apa.org/topics/orientation.html

Fragments

2007-01-07T20:17:00.004-05:00

A Moncton (New Brunswick) publisher once showed me that a section of drawing can be rendered much more interesting (and useful) when isolated from its surroundings (he used two sections of card to block the top and bottom of an image). Amongst other things (some of them relevant to autism advocacy), this helps illustrate why most of my writing stays in my "Drafts" folder. A fragment:

[December 30, 2006] The Senate report got me reading Senator Munson's biography. Here I found what is to me a true gem (I'm not being sarcastic - yet), a typo in the final sentence that illustrates the inseparable nature of New Brunswick and Nouveau-Brunswick: "New-Brunswick". Perfect.

Like Senator Munson I live in Ontario but "my heart is in New Brunswick". Likewise I was born in NB. Since leaving I've been looking for reasons to return, specifically I've been watching for signs of change. What I've read over the past few months (from family, acquaintances and politicians) is not encouraging. From my family: "Do you think the neighbours would see us differently if they knew you were gay? You bet they would." Bad sign for homosexuals. But I knew already that gays and lesbians are still mostly closeted in New Brunswick. I hear this directly from those who live there.

The news for autistics is not good either. Andy Scott's motion seems a dangerous thing in the current climate of autism "prevention" [thank you Ms Redman]. I worry that Mr Scott doesn't understand the implications of his [motion], I worry he's continuing an NB tradition that I've always hoped would fade into history: 'We don't know what it is but we should fix it immediately'. That's very New Brunswick. Or at least "New Brunswick" as I recall it. Remember, I'm still looking for signs that things have changed.

Again I'll draw from Michelle's blog, this time her revealing exchange with Fredericton, New Brunswick lawyer Harold Doherty. I'm sure Mr Doherty didn't mean for it to show but apparently he didn't bother reading Michelle's work, [thorough] and precise as it is, before attempting to ram through a solution. That's very New Brunswick. Maybe Mr Scott and Mr Doherty are acquainted.

Revisiting 'sensory issues'

2007-01-06T14:53:00.001-05:00

Short answer to a recent question (yesterday) about seeking testing and treatment for 'auditory issues' in an autistic child:

Quackwatch:
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/sid.html

PubMed:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=
pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11098877

-------------------------

Got coffee? Declare a coffee break and go read mcewen's blog. Glad I did. I might start using numbers again.

Erasure of Autistics

2007-01-02T06:31:00.003-05:00

Did someone say "Chimera"? See Michelle's post re today's Toronto opening of the theatre production "Chimera".

This isn't the first time Toronto (or "the world") has seen Chimera and autism mentioned in the same breath. The Chimera was once the mascot of The Autism Project, Ontario, beginning 1999. The original graphic:

This reminds me of Autism Ontario's former "Cycle for Autism" logo, which is a clear example of how autistics who produce anything useful are promptly removed from the equation, are given no credit whatsoever. The original concept/graphic (mine):