On “wasting precious money” on autism education
November 9, 2006 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
From an online forum at Neoseeker.com—this poster’s views on educating “mentally challenging children” require a response.
….if someone fails a class and makes no effort to regain good grades, that person is assuredly not going to contribute to society. It really would save a lot of money and time if those people were just simply expelled………. it’s a waste of money for us all, and morons like that tend to annoy me, anyways. And the same goes for mentally challenged children. Just let them die. We, in this world, cannot waste any more money educating these worthless brats. And I’m not talking about ADD or ADHD. Those things can be channeled by a person and used for their advantage. What I’m talking about are the more serious illness. Autism, for one. People with autism shouldn’t even be educated, and if I was a parent of an autistic child, I would really be ashamed. We don’t need to waste any more precious money educating people who won’t learn.
I hope the author of these comments finds her or his way here to see why “precious money” needs to be provided to educating those persons with autism, “the more serious illness.” The author of the above comments seems quite in need of some educating, too.
I feel really sad for the author. He seems to have no idea what we as parents go through when we discover that our child has Autism. I am a father of a 7 years old girl child with Autistic Traits. I work close to 14 hours every day just to ensure that I can affort therapies for my daughter.
I stongly feel that If I cannot put my hard earned money to any better use for my family, might as well no point earning.
I would like to say that I was shocked to read that link. However, that youthful person is at a youthful stage of life. I hope that their future life experiences don’t cause them to have to review their opinions. I wonder how else we might alter their opinions?
That person is simply a troll using up precious oxygen. Check out his login name; nice.
Not nice at all—-I hope he or she finds their way to this site.
I believe it is common to fear what we do not understand. I fear I might be the one who is afraid to have confirmed how widespread such opinions are. Perhaps they aren’t widespread?
“Wasting precious money” and national resources was the Nazi’s same argument for euthenizing the disabled and ill. Neoseeker could be a neoNazi…
I can’t believe this article…It also made me think of the Nazi’s argument.
When I struggled when I was in school.I bloomed once I got to college. Now I’m in college to become a Program Specialist ,Specialized in Autism.
I feel a sense of pride helping people help them selves.. Because in college there are people there to help me help myself..I feel its a chain that we can pass on to one another.This population with other diagnosed populations have a place in our community. We have work programs for Special Needs in my community.Those guys and gals work hard and contribute to our community as well as for themselves and their families. How are they being useless? And we need these guys and gals in our community. They enrich so many of our lives.
This person can become in what they see as a “usless” being with one bad head trauma.
We all have potential for greatness.
I wrote this guy asking him what made him so angry and uncomfortable with this population.
and reminding him one head trauma could change his own abilities.In conflict I believe in dialogue. I am in NO way defending this guys thoughts. I still disagree with a lot of it.
This is what he wrote… Its the second page of his blog..my screen name is wmdisalie.
Suicidal Insanity
The Process of Education (No, not a rant thread)
§-Ugh, I knew that would be contradictory. When I say ‘mentally disables’, ‘autistic’, ‘failing’, etc, I mean that they are in such a position that they really don’t have a chance, that they are so deeply afflicted that there isn’t any hope. I want to stress the point that I don’t want to issue a blanket statement with ‘autistic’, but more of a ‘autistic people who fail at school and won’t amount to anything’ statement.
No, No I’m not ‘angry’. I’m just a bit surprised that, really, our schooling system is so very imperfect, and really is degenerating to a point of no return. If I have children, I want them to succeed and be well educated, and with the current progress of the school system, that may be no more than a dream.
Yes, people who have mental illnesses or autism can contribute. But I’m talking about the ones who can’t. Some may and some may not, but if they simply can’t to the extreme, there’s no point in educating a person who won’t learn. the uselessness I am talking about is the sort of uselessness where you are literally unable to contribute to society, or even do anything at all in any way possible that might be useful.
Yes, people have potential for greatness. But the fact that you struggled and tried to get good grades makes you a person who has that potential. I’m talking about the people who don’t care about school, the people who despise it and simply don’t care about their future. And those people just waste our money, because they literally just don’t know anything. And I mean, by that, the people who don’t care what their future will be like, what their future profession will be, etc.
Thanks for attempting contact over the great divide.
Interesting that his reply only reinforces his committment to put economics over humanity.
I wonder how different his opinion might be if his future child were one of the “useless” ones?
I’m growing very fond of ‘useless’ and his/her many pals. It’s a pity more people don’t want to come over to our side of the universe and join our club, where everyone is welcome. http://whitterer-autism.blogspot.com
We’ll keep working to educate “the author of the Neoseeker post” and others who hold such opinions to investigate “our side of the universe.”
As for what I could say about what Charlie “contributes” to society…..
I’m not entirely sure if the person concerned is educable: I get the feeling that this person has no wish to alter that way of thinking, and would not be amenable to change.
Can’t reason someone out of a position they were intentionally stupid enough to put themselves into.
David, you are right though I think there’s other means besides reasons to educate, at least a bit.