Comments on: Race, Diagnosis, and Identity http://www.blisstree.com/articles/race-diagnosis-and-identity/ Family, Health, Home and Lifestyles Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:30:43 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Does Your Child Know She or He is Autistic? http://www.blisstree.com/articles/race-diagnosis-and-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-545168 Does Your Child Know She or He is Autistic? Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:53:22 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/race-diagnosis-and-identity/#comment-545168 [...] haven’t yet had any kind of formal talk with Charlie about “what he is” or “what he has” or “what he’s diagnosed with.” Certainly the [...] [...] haven’t yet had any kind of formal talk with Charlie about “what he is” or “what he has” or “what he’s diagnosed with.” Certainly the [...]

]]> By: Regan http://www.blisstree.com/articles/race-diagnosis-and-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-547577 Regan Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:20:40 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/race-diagnosis-and-identity/#comment-547577 Sidebar. I don't fill out those little boxes, usually because it says "optional" (although when you don't, you find out how really "optional" it is), or else check "other" which is unappealing because I am "Hapa" and both ethnicities are meaningful to me. I'd prefer no little boxes, actually, since that might indicate that they are no longer needed. Where race is an issue is in the distribution of services...I think the Autism Diva in a past post pointed out the inequities of diagnostic availability and access to services depending on race and demographics, and I think it was done on this blog as well, so while some might argue that the autistic culture considerations trump those, I might suggest that race does matter as a variable. We are not quite as enlightened/color-blind as we could be (or so I read in the papers and so those little boxes seem to indicate). Sidebar.
I don’t fill out those little boxes, usually because it says “optional” (although when you don’t, you find out how really “optional” it is), or else check “other” which is unappealing because I am “Hapa” and both ethnicities are meaningful to me. I’d prefer no little boxes, actually, since that might indicate that they are no longer needed.

Where race is an issue is in the distribution of services…I think the Autism Diva in a past post pointed out the inequities of diagnostic availability and access to services depending on race and demographics, and I think it was done on this blog as well, so while some might argue that the autistic culture considerations trump those, I might suggest that race does matter as a variable. We are not quite as enlightened/color-blind as we could be (or so I read in the papers and so those little boxes seem to indicate).

]]> By: Kristina Chew, PhD http://www.blisstree.com/articles/race-diagnosis-and-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-550046 Kristina Chew, PhD Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:11:37 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/race-diagnosis-and-identity/#comment-550046 And here is <a href="http://crimsonthought.blogspot.com/2008/03/playacting-and-identity.html">Cliff's post</a> on <a href="http://crimsonthought.blogspot.com/2008/03/playacting-and-identity.html">Playacting and Identity</a>. And here is Cliff’s post on Playacting and Identity.

]]> By: Kristina Chew, PhD http://www.blisstree.com/articles/race-diagnosis-and-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-550044 Kristina Chew, PhD Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:05:45 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/race-diagnosis-and-identity/#comment-550044 Thanks Marla and Club166----Marla, this line really struck me: 'I remember when we went through our adoption counseling to wait for a black child we were told black and bi racial children were considered special needs." I had to read that twice to digest it. Thanks Marla and Club166—-Marla, this line really struck me:

‘I remember when we went through our adoption counseling to wait for a black child we were told black and bi racial children were considered special needs.”

I had to read that twice to digest it.

]]> By: Marla http://www.blisstree.com/articles/race-diagnosis-and-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-544578 Marla Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:13:15 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/race-diagnosis-and-identity/#comment-544578 I just got done reading and commenting on Joe's post Club 166. You both are raising an important topic. M is Hispanic. I must say that her health issues have been our first and foremost concern. But, adoption and race are also something we want her to have some insight into. We talk about both with her, especially when we tell her about her birth story. I really hope there are more posts on this topic. I would like to think race is becoming less of an issue but I don't see that as the case. I do think there is more discrimination against children with disabilities as well, not less. I wrote more about that on Club 166. I remember when we went through our adoption counseling to wait for a black child we were told black and bi racial children were considered special needs. Now, I see that very differently since we have a special needs child. I certainly don't see our friends that have adopted bi racial going through anything close to the struggles and discrimination that we have experienced. Possibly this will become more difficult as their children reach the teenage years? Very good post Kristina. Your posts always get me thinking and I appreciate that. I just got done reading and commenting on Joe’s post Club 166. You both are raising an important topic. M is Hispanic. I must say that her health issues have been our first and foremost concern. But, adoption and race are also something we want her to have some insight into. We talk about both with her, especially when we tell her about her birth story.

I really hope there are more posts on this topic.

I would like to think race is becoming less of an issue but I don’t see that as the case. I do think there is more discrimination against children with disabilities as well, not less. I wrote more about that on Club 166. I remember when we went through our adoption counseling to wait for a black child we were told black and bi racial children were considered special needs. Now, I see that very differently since we have a special needs child. I certainly don’t see our friends that have adopted bi racial going through anything close to the struggles and discrimination that we have experienced. Possibly this will become more difficult as their children reach the teenage years?

Very good post Kristina. Your posts always get me thinking and I appreciate that.

]]> By: Cliff http://www.blisstree.com/articles/race-diagnosis-and-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-552993 Cliff Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:05:26 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/race-diagnosis-and-identity/#comment-552993 Interesting point. Honestly, I don't know why anyone would try to be "autistic" outside of a material motivation, but then again the ultimate motivation for that kind of behavior would be tough. Now, how that would have to happen and what it means for the larger autistic identity is interesting, and will (in the next hour, at least) turn into a post on my site. Basically, though, it'll be too tough to do but for the best, thanks to autism being related not to direct specific behaviors (as is often categorized) but to an entire mindset. Cliff Interesting point. Honestly, I don’t know why anyone would try to be “autistic” outside of a material motivation, but then again the ultimate motivation for that kind of behavior would be tough. Now, how that would have to happen and what it means for the larger autistic identity is interesting, and will (in the next hour, at least) turn into a post on my site. Basically, though, it’ll be too tough to do but for the best, thanks to autism being related not to direct specific behaviors (as is often categorized) but to an entire mindset.

Cliff

]]> By: Club 166 http://www.blisstree.com/articles/race-diagnosis-and-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-544555 Club 166 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:20:50 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/race-diagnosis-and-identity/#comment-544555 For us (for now, anyways) autism trumps issues of race or adoption for Buddy Boy. Dealing with a system that is inadequate to accommodate him involves much more energy than anything else in our lives. I wrote a post about it <a href="http://club166.blogspot.com/2008/03/trump-card.html">here.</a> Joe For us (for now, anyways) autism trumps issues of race or adoption for Buddy Boy. Dealing with a system that is inadequate to accommodate him involves much more energy than anything else in our lives. I wrote a post about it here.

Joe

]]> By: Kristina Chew, PhD http://www.blisstree.com/articles/race-diagnosis-and-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-547459 Kristina Chew, PhD Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:17:32 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/race-diagnosis-and-identity/#comment-547459 Just a thought experiment: What if things got to the point where people tried to "pass" as autistic....... Just a thought experiment: What if things got to the point where people tried to “pass” as autistic…….

]]> By: Cliff http://www.blisstree.com/articles/race-diagnosis-and-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-549807 Cliff Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:57:17 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/race-diagnosis-and-identity/#comment-549807 I'm actually referring to both, in their own way. I mean, a lot of how people define themselves within certain structures (race, gender) depends highly on the social circumstances with are largely inseparable from those microcosms. So, in other words, it's hard to separate "gay" from the larger cultural perspective of gays, and it implies some of the so-called infra politics in which these micro cultures exist. So, to some degree, the personal identity kind of gets wrapped up in the whole picture, and so while it is quite distinct and independent of the two, it influences and is influenced by it. So while an autistic culture doesn't "take over" as an identity, so long as it has an acknowledged existence that the relation of the person to that culture does have a difference, at least in so far as it is hard to escape the general assumptions of the culture. Now, as Regan points out, does that mean wholesale denial? No. But it can, which creates certain other kinds of constructions and contradictions that come in its place. But it can also be a simply recognition of disagreement, which implies you have invested your identity in something as distinct from the construction held by that culture in general, creating the distinction and relationship on which an identity is created. I would argue, interestingly, that not only should autistic be a trait, but that it should be a more flexible one based on individual tendencies rather than as prescriptive of individuals in general. I know some people aren't going to agree with that, and I would love to put it into more context, but I have to be somewhere in five minutes and, as fast as I'm typing, I'd be late if I went through all of that. Also have other things I didn't get to, but I'll get to that when I get back... Cliff I’m actually referring to both, in their own way. I mean, a lot of how people define themselves within certain structures (race, gender) depends highly on the social circumstances with are largely inseparable from those microcosms. So, in other words, it’s hard to separate “gay” from the larger cultural perspective of gays, and it implies some of the so-called infra politics in which these micro cultures exist. So, to some degree, the personal identity kind of gets wrapped up in the whole picture, and so while it is quite distinct and independent of the two, it influences and is influenced by it. So while an autistic culture doesn’t “take over” as an identity, so long as it has an acknowledged existence that the relation of the person to that culture does have a difference, at least in so far as it is hard to escape the general assumptions of the culture.

Now, as Regan points out, does that mean wholesale denial? No. But it can, which creates certain other kinds of constructions and contradictions that come in its place. But it can also be a simply recognition of disagreement, which implies you have invested your identity in something as distinct from the construction held by that culture in general, creating the distinction and relationship on which an identity is created.

I would argue, interestingly, that not only should autistic be a trait, but that it should be a more flexible one based on individual tendencies rather than as prescriptive of individuals in general. I know some people aren’t going to agree with that, and I would love to put it into more context, but I have to be somewhere in five minutes and, as fast as I’m typing, I’d be late if I went through all of that. Also have other things I didn’t get to, but I’ll get to that when I get back…

Cliff

]]> By: abfh http://www.blisstree.com/articles/race-diagnosis-and-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-547440 abfh Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:35:20 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/race-diagnosis-and-identity/#comment-547440 Yes, I was referring to a subculture of autistic people and the people close to them. And I agree with your point that autism might also be seen as a trait, as there would be some autistics who did not choose to identify with the autistic culture, or who did not identify strongly with it. Yes, I was referring to a subculture of autistic people and the people close to them. And I agree with your point that autism might also be seen as a trait, as there would be some autistics who did not choose to identify with the autistic culture, or who did not identify strongly with it.

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