A FEARLESS VOICE
Kim Stagliano is rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers. It’s not just because we agree on a lot of things, although I do. And it’s more than a good, crisp, and clear writing style. I think it’s mainly because she manages to tell so much of the story every time she posts to her blog or to the Huffington Post, where she’s a frequent contributor to the “Fearless Voices” series.
She doesn’t just talk about the problems associated with an autistic child; she captures the whole world ⎯ the pain, anger and the frustration to be sure, but also the humor and the joy.
When she takes on the issues, she makes sense. Take a look at her latest post on the HoffPo: The Expanding Vocabulary of the Autism Mom, wherein she dares to use the word that the media seems to go to great length to avoid: “cause.”
Of course, if you’re the sort that wishes to ignore the obvious and blissfully proclaim that there has been no change in the incidence of diagnosable autism, then Ms. Stagliano is probably not for you. But then, it’s awfully hard to read when your head is buried in sand.
She doesn’t just talk about the problems associated with an autistic child; she captures the whole world ⎯ the pain, anger and the frustration to be sure, but also the humor and the joy.
When she takes on the issues, she makes sense. Take a look at her latest post on the HoffPo: The Expanding Vocabulary of the Autism Mom, wherein she dares to use the word that the media seems to go to great length to avoid: “cause.”
Of course, if you’re the sort that wishes to ignore the obvious and blissfully proclaim that there has been no change in the incidence of diagnosable autism, then Ms. Stagliano is probably not for you. But then, it’s awfully hard to read when your head is buried in sand.
posted by Wade Rankin at 2/16/2007 07:40:00 PM
2 Comments:
I try to read the Mrs Stagliano posts. And also, the comments left by her readears are a picture of the situation.
From the autistic adults who disagree with her up to some parents of autistic children that agree with her wholeheartly- and others don´t-I have the sensation that many times some readers read with the mental preconcept about what they think they are going to find and they react in consequence to never written words- but supposedly intended.
Once and again I read the same question, from autistic adults
"Can't you love us for who we are?"
Why the word Cause has this strong impact to imply that some connotation of "amelioration of symptoms" is considered lack of love/acceptation is simply an aspect I can not understand.
With the lack of knowledge at the individual level that people posting in internet have about the clinical data of the autistic children they are talking about
Why it seems so easy to jump to conclussions of this kind?
Having a child with a lot LOT of concomitant medical problems whose treatment has brought a strong reduction in many behavioral conditions assigned to autism
this situation is not only unfair, it is unethical to our rights as parents and advocates for our autistic children and for their rights to be properly medically treated- beyond drugs to control behavior-for the concomitant medical problems they can have to the diagnosis of autism.
I love my son but I do not accept that the healable medical conditions he has- beyond the diagnosis of autism - are part of him, because simply they are not.
When she says
"I don't claim to have the answer. I just want someone who can do some research that the general scientific community will embrace to ask this third rail of a question.
"WHAT IS THE CAUSE?" My voice doesn't mean squat"
and I would complete "Why many diagnosed autistic children have also so many concomitant detectable medical problems (if you know what to search for)?"
And here
"Where is the person who will speak up for my kids?"
In my experience with the overall embracement and approach I pretend to give, the wide and complete picture I want to take into account (including educational and other external needed support besides biomedical approach) and the respect and consideration to my son that for me must be for granted
ONLY ME and MY FAMILY speak and will speak for my son for now and whereas he can not do. I hope he will speak for himself in the future.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with asking about 'cause', and expecting science to work diligently towards finding an answer. And I certainly don't see anything wrong with the way Stagliano discussed it in her post.
Post a Comment
<< Home