http://mujc.org/

How is your daughter doing?

Prior to the mid 1990’s a social security check was mailed to anybody who had a disability not matter what their age was. Of course the economists added up all those checks and a social security check is now mailed when you are 18 or 21. Why do you think social security is going belly up? Have you ever looked at how social security monetaries are distributed? Have you ever thought that social security when elderely is based on how much you contributed over the years in your employment history? Have you ever thought about the autistics who will never be employed living on a monthly check of $500-$600 or so a month because they never paid into the system. I know, I know the autism hub likes to focus on chelation and lupron and let the big things go over their heads….

But I digress, if you have a legitmate dxes of autistic and you have the records to prove you attended special education you are going to get benefits, whether this comes in a monthly check or supports/services to live independently or in a group home etc etc. Many get benefits because they have this paperwork.

And a moment of truth is needed in the autism community. There are NOT 1,000,000 autistic adults online.

The middle of the spectrum is not online. The 80%. The 80% that was considered to be MR because you can’t test them with standard testing!

And yes this 80% can be found in communities across America getting services and supports…

Always gotta balance the Internet with In Real Life.

Statistics pretty much agree that there are 1.5 million people dxed “autistic”. So hypothetically lets say there are 1 million adults. Are all 1 million dxed autistic adults online? All all 1 million adults aware they are autistic and that there is a ongoing decade old battle online for person with autism or autistic person? No!

If there are 1 million adults dxed autistic and say 10% are considered to be high functioning that means equally that 10% of the autistic population is considered to be low functioning?

So where does that leave the 80% of autistics? We know they are in communities across America. Some have jobs (part time with coaches or no coach or full time jobs). Some live independently with supports, some live with parents, some have roommates, some live in 24 hour supervised living areas. Some are verbal but can’t read and will never be on the internet. Some use adaptive communication. But they are in communities across America. They are getting services and supports and social security.

How many autistic people are online vs how many autistic people are there in real life? How many autistic people even know about an organization like autistic speaks?

Yes advocate for autistics. But don’t make the battle be about Bob Wrights organization!

There are 1,000,000 autistic adults getting supports/services etc. That we know! Can the services and supports in all 50 states be better? Absolutely.

But if you want people to take you seriously so that legislation is effective, take the organization Autism Speaks out of your vocabulary. Political agenda’s don’t get services and after awhile people get turned off and stop listening! And who is helped then?

Clifton/Lodi/Wayne school districts etc etc had Stephen Shore in as a speaker to talk about the pilot program in the Bloomington School district which was attended by teachers, school administrators, parents etc etc.

Sean Barron, Temple Grandin and many, many local autistic citzenry have been in the school, in auditorium venues, at conferences etc etc etc.

The voters every year get out and vote for increasing school revenues which means the property tax goes up! NJ pays the highest property incrome tax in the nation!! NJ also pays in the top five the highest state income tax! More and more of the schools are having family members and associates from DDD (Dept of Developmental Disabilities) with the case worker from the school to fill the necessary paperwork to register the child with services/supports/$$$ outside the school day setting and in the home and community.

At my daughters school, past students have come back and talked to faculty, parents etc. Not just at her school either…other schools in Bergen, Passaic, Hunterdon, Warren, Sussex, Union etc etc counties.

There are other organizations besides COSAC and ASA (Southern Jersey) like Aspen etc.

HUD (Housing and Urban Developmental) is offering towns tax incentives when building luxury homes in NJ towns to make housing units for NJ’s disability community. Isn’t that the goal of education~~to teach children to live independently or with as much independence as possible? Isn’t that why NJ schools offer many different teaching methodologies i.e, TEACH, ABA, RDI and why so much money comes from local school budgets for adaptive communication i.e, dynavox or alphasmart?

Who cares about someone’s personal agenda with Autism Speaks? Not me!