Educate Autistic Children Now
February 15, 2007 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
A letter by David Safir, M.D., a pediatrician who has been in private practice for more than thirty years, regarding the February 9th USA Today article on Autism estimates increase sharply argues that the “new definition” of “autism spectrum disorder” is “the cause of the apparent increase in numbers.” More from Dr. Safir’s letter:
The truth is that experts frequently can’t agree on these children’s diagnoses. Autism spectrum disorder has conveniently lumped them under one large umbrella — fueling what I see as a near-hysteria that there is some sort of epidemic of autism. ………….
…..while I am utterly sympathetic to the families and children who have these complex disorders, it is not helpful to artificially create an “epidemic” by changing definitions.
All pediatric illnesses are worthy of research and funding as best as can be done, but none is more deserving than another. Autistic and other developmentally delayed children are part of the natural world. There’s no evidence it is caused by anything we are doing. These children deserve the best help and treatment we can provide. I hope that autism doesn’t continue to become a media circus.
Along with Dr. Sapir, I think that there is no epidemic of autism. From my reading of his letter, it seems that it is the phenomenon of the “changing definitions” of autism itself that he suggests is the reason, indeed the cause, of what appears to be an “artificially” constructed “epidemic” of autism. Whoever is changing the definition of autism would then be responsible for what seems like an “epidemic” of autism.
Do we then blame whoever oversees the changes to the DSM-IV—psychiatrists? The American Psychiatric Assocation?
It seems to me that, rather than finding someone or something else to blame—vaccines, mercury from various sources, air pollution, ultrasounds, some people’s poor parenting skills—we need to stop “blaming” anyone or anything for autism. A great deal of energy, ink, and digital discussion on the internet is put into searching for the causes of autism and, while finding these is certainly worthy of study and research funding, it very often seems that the “search for a cause” completely overshadows the realities of what needs to be done and what can be done to help autistic children and persons learn best and lead their lives in the best way. “Educate Autistic Children Now” does not, it is true, have the ring of “curing,” “defeating,” or “combating” autism now (and the resulting acronym—-EACN?—does not have the zing of CAN or DAN, either). So often it seems, though, that “autism advocacy” means feisty pronouncements regarding treatment and research, rather than the long slow work of daily advocacy that every parent of an autistic child, wherever she or he may be on the autism spectrum, performs every day.
I thank Dr. Safir again for his candor in his letter. If—as seems the case—the “media circus” surrounding autism continues, I hope that the e-word—-”education”—-can move from being a sideshow and into the center ring.
As we say at the Autism Society of Connecticut – Help Now. Hope for the Future. Kudos to you Kristina for keeping the focus where it needs to be, on the families and their loved ones with an ASD.
Thanks, Kristina, for spotlighting this most important topic.
This should be an area that all parents of autistic children can unite behind. I think that the internal fights within the autism community are really self defeating.
Perhaps we just need a “catchy” acronym. All I can come up with from the top of my head right now is ACNE (Autistic Children Need Education). Not exactly an acronym to stir the hearts of editorial readers. Perhaps we should just call it the ACE (Autistic Children’s Education) program. I’ll have to think about it.
ACNE might not do it… let me know what you come up with it! Sara, I more than like your phrase, help right now and hope for the future—-always.
It seems that the ‘divide and rule’ attitude is unhelpful to everyone. Lets work on that acronym!
Best wishes
I’m with you here, Kristina. You too, mcewen. I couldn’t care a rat’s backside whether my son’s autism is caused by mercury, vaccines, the environment, genes, the tooth fairy, or refrigerator mothers/fathers. What all of us really care about is getting our children the tools they need to become contributing and independent members of our community. So far the science/conventional wisdom/prevailing wisdom says that education is the answer.
Imagine how different life in Autismland would be if only educating children with autism generated as much heat as mercury/epidemic/vaccine/etc. For a fraction of the money spent developing drugs, tracking plumes, or mapping genes, I bet we could find a way to teach kids to speak and socialize. (just a crazy thought)
Not so crazy in my book!