Be Not Afraid: On parenting an autistic child
November 9, 2006 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
I’m a little terrified of my TV. I keep reading that it might cause autism, that it could provoke ADD, that it turns blossoming minds into pasty oatmeal and yet the allure of a little peace and quiet and the unfettered joy of the Backyardigan’s song is just too much to resist. I think. I’m not totally sure, because this study scares the pants off me, too.
This kind of panicked thinking in parents of young children like Kristin Scott of Blogging Baby is what happens as a result of irresponsible reporting of any information about autism, especially if it as provocative as something like “TV causes autism,” living in places where it rains more, infertility, agèd dads, etc… Such alarmist language—being “terrified” of one’s TV—implies that having to “deal” with autism, that being the parent of an autistic child, is itself awful (if not terrifying).
My daily life with my autistic son Charlie has plenty of challenges—-even more joys beyond anything I could have imagined. Parenting an autistic child is nothing to be afraid of.
Oh please! We are on the same page. Take a second, read ‘The dreaded telly’ http://whitterer-autism.blogspot.com
then tell me that we should turn off our computers because that is surely doing just as much damage. Cheers.
You are so right! I often help parents face the diagnosis in school. I can reassure them that it is not as “dreaded” as some think.
I’ve been very happy to discover Whitterer on Autism—-seems to be a connection, it seems, between going “back to nature” and autism treatment, so to speak—–Daisy, you took the words out of my mouth!