Comments on: Autism and genetic “accidents”

By: Julia

Julia — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 21:06:42 +0000

Gah, David, you’ve reminded me of my friend’s way of not calling an asshole an asshole — he used WPS, for “winking pink sphincter”. And he used it well.

By: My Biotech Life » Gene Genie #12 aka The Dozen

My Biotech Life » Gene Genie #12 aka The Dozen — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 00:36:16 +0000

[...] Bioephemera has a great post on the subject of autism that starts off with an amusing comic strip (quite funny!). AutismVox also has a quick look into genetic “accidents” and autism. [...]

By: David N. Andrews M. Ed. (Distinction)

David N. Andrews M. Ed. (Distinction) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:23:07 +0000

“Has a Neurodiversity Political Correctness Manual been published yet? Maybe autism researchers should hold off on providing the results of their studies until they have been proofed by the Autism Hub.”

Harold, stop being an anus. It might suit you perfectly, but we don’t want to be faced with one that often.

By: Regan

Regan — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:22:25 +0000

“Freak” is an unfortunate choice because of the sideshow implications. I guess I took it in the other possible meaning of “an occurence that is highly unusual or irregular”, or more correctly in this context–spontaneous mutation…also not to be confused with the derogatory term “mutant”. (ay-ay-ay).

I haven’t seen the PNAS paper to see if the actual term “freak” is used in there. The press has a way of seeking a sensational grabber to pull you into a complicated (and possibly boring to the average person in the original) story.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:14:16 +0000

Terms like “freak” are not scientific terms. It’s not a matter of holding off on scientific findings, but the way things are communicated matters. The way findings are prematurely interpreted sometimes also matters.

Are we supposed to magically stop being offended because the phrase “political correctness” is thrown around?

Imagine a scientific study about black people where they used the term “negroes” or something, or a scientific study about gay people where they referred to them as “fags” or “freak hormonal accidents”. Would it matter or not?

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:28:34 +0000

I was indeed thinking of the “freak” word, in the “freak show” context.

By: Eleanor

Eleanor — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 21:25:43 +0000

While I abstain from the neurodiversity political correctness debate (I could care less whether “person with autism” is a better choice of words than “autistic person”) I do think that the use of the word “freak” in conjunction with a discussion of autism or any disability is a bit offputting, because that word (although proper in a sense in this context) also has an unfortunate connotation of “circus sideshow freak,” a situation in which persons with physical disabilities or unusual savant skills were routinely exploited.

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 21:03:51 +0000

I’ve learned to appreciate detours, while disliking the extra time taken for some and, too, the stress at finding oneself a bit lost. I’ve made some good discoveries, though sometimes ones does find oneself in unknown (to me) neightborhoods, as in the time a semi pulled in front of me as I was trying to get onto Highway 78.

By: livsparents

livsparents — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 20:38:37 +0000

As that painting guy on PBS used to say “there are no mistakes just happy accidents”.

I’ve recently had trouble tripping over my words to talk through how mutations may cause autistic symptoms and then ‘corrected’ myself to say traits. I know that the phrase “Hate the disorder, love the child” is looked at with distain within the community. But isn’t it still possible to enjoy the road you are on while still being angered at the detour that caused you to get there?

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 20:21:16 +0000

Thank you for the information.