Gov. Sarah Palin was in town this past weekend for the Autism Speaks walk in New York. I’m not pleased she participated even though her nephew is on the spectrum. I’m afraid I can’t separate my politics and feelings about Palin from her supportive appearance in an organization I believe in. Her record of public service has been so clouded with dishonesty and mistrust that she doesn’t seem able to make the simplest gesture without a clownish response from the public.

Huffington Post weighed in on her speech with a query about her toe nails. Youtube is down so I can’t put in a link to her speech - if you search it comes up right away. I hope to listen to it later.

well.... what IS painted on them?

Even without the toenails and the Letterman jokes (why couldn’t she just ignore those?), it’s impossible for me to see her involvement as anything but a calculated campaign move. Palin concerned about families affected by autism? Please. Palin concerned about 2012.

*   *   *

He’s no Madoff — it’s only about $6 milion — but Matthew Weitzman has been helping himself to clients’ funds. I was particularly disturbed the elderly couple with diminished mental capacity — and the thought that there must be other clients with developmental issues.

A constant theme in 2008 was the rebranding of autism, as Orac at Respectful Insolence referred to how the likes of David Kirby have been constantly saying that “autism isn’t autism”—-it’s “mercury poisoning,” “vaccine-aggravated mitochondrial disorder,” “mercury-induced neurological disorder,” etc., etc.

(April being Autism Awareness Month—-does your child know about this—let’s not get into what such “rebranding” would do to the month…….)

The notorious Judge Rotenburg Center in Canton, Massachusetts uses electroshock “treatment” on some its residents, some of whom are autistic. In April, one of its staff was charged with rape, assault, and battery of another staff member—-more about the very, very questionable practices at the JRC is noted here.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield can be said to be the figure who set in motion the claims of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. He is currently being charged with alleged violations of medical ethics by the General Medical Council in the UK. At a hearing in April, Dr. Wakefield noted that he is “‘perfectly willing to accept [his] understanding was wrong.’”—- Also on the legal front: 2008 saw a version of “vaccine litigation subpoenagate,” with Neurodiversity blogger Kathleen Seidel successfully quashing a subpoena issued to her by vaccine litigation lawyer Clifford Shoemaker, and Dr. Marie McCormick also issued a subpoena.

More about the presidential candidates’ views on autism became apparent, especially those of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and, yes, on vaccines—-and as to why vaccines, and topics like the so-called “autism epidemic,” continue to be discussed, seems to be a sign of at least a little paranoia and politicking……….

Discussion continues about autism legislation, and is going to continue here in the US under a new administration. One piece of federal autism legislation that has been passed here is the 2006 Combating Autism Act (CAA), under which the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) was charged to create a Strategic Plan for research in autism spectrum disorders. (Regarding how the CAA was voted on and passed, and on its unfortunate name, go here.)

Over the past year-plus, the IACC has been developing a draft of the Strategic Plan. This draft was reviewed at the IACC’s November 21st meeting and, as review of the plan was not completed, the IACC met again on December 12th to continue review of the draft Strategic Plan and, per the agenda, to discuss cost estimates.

The IACC will be meeting next on January 14th (and go here for how to listen in virtually, via the web or conference call). This meeting will be to continue the review of the draft Strategic Plan, and to make budget recommendations and finalize the plan.  There’s a report about the December 12th meeting on the Autism Speaks website which notes that 38 research initiatives were approved, and that the budget for these will exceed the amounts authorized by the CAA in a certain period of years. The IACC Strategic Plan recommends that more than $1 billion be spent on research objectives.

I was able to listen to some but not to all of the December 12th meeting. Autism Speaks lists 10 of the 38 research objectives, which include (with my commentary on some initiatives and some emphases in italics)

Develop at least one new diagnostic instrument (briefer, less time intensive); [Interesting I think, recalling the two-day-plus process---ordeal---of having Charlie evaluated by a diagnostic team in Minneapolis; might something get missed, though, if the process is hurried up too much?]

Validate a panel of biomarkers that separately, or in combination of behavioral measures, accurately identify, one or more subtypes of children at risk for developing ASD; [At the November 21st and December 12th meetings, some members of the IACC brought up the need for such "biomarkers" repeatedly, as well as the notion of "subtypes" of children who be "at risk" or susceptible to being diagnosed with autism.]

Establish an international network of brain and other tissue acquisition sites with standardized protocols;

Complete a large-scale, multi-disciplinary, collaborative project that longitudinally and comprehensively examines how the biological, clinical and developmental profiles of children, youths and adults with ASD change over time compared to typically developing individuals by 2020;

Coordinate and implement the inclusion of approximately 20,000 subjects for genome-wide association studies, as well as a sample of 1,200 sequencing studies to examine more than 50 candidate genes by 2011;

Study the effect of vaccines, vaccine components and multiple vaccine administration in autism causation and severity through a variety of approaches including cell and animal studies and understand whether and how certain subpopulations in humans may be more susceptible to adverse effects of vaccines; [Again, the mention of "subtypes" of individuals with certain susceptibilities, such as the so-to-speak "subpopulation of mitochondrial autism."]

Determine design and feasibility of addressing different health outcomes in vaccinated, unvaccinated and alternatively-vaccinated groups; [Yes, another mention of vaccines; this study being the long-called for study of various "health outcomes" in vaccinated vs. unvaccinated, and not "alternatively-vaccinated groups"---those vaccinated under an "alternate schedule"?]

Conduct a multi-site study of the subsequent pregnancies of 1000 women with a child with ASD to assess the impact of environmental factors by 2014; [Sounds like the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute MARBLES study.]

Standardize and validate at least 20 robust model systems (cellular and/or animal) that replicate features of ASD and will allow identification of specific molecular targets or neural circuits amenable to existing or new interventions; [But are "features of ASD" as seen in an animal (such as a mouse) model equivalent to features of ASD in human?]

Test the efficacy of 11 evidence-based services for people with ASD in community settings by 2015.[Would like to know about the what and where of these.]

And if the full $1 billion worth of research initiatives are not funded, what studies might be the first to be tabled…………….

Arne Duncan, the superintendent of the Chicago school system, has been chosen as the new Secretary of Education by President-Elect Barack Obama, as noted yesterday in EdWeek and on the New York Times’ The Caucus blog. From EdWeek:

As Chicago schools CEO, Duncan tapped a panel to craft curriculum-based assessments to guide teaching, bolstered spending on anti-violence prevention measures, and tested out a program allowing teachers to evaluate one another.

Duncan supports the basic framework of the No Child Left Behind Act. In testimony before a congressional committee in 2006, he called on lawmakers to “maintain the law’s high expectations and accountability” but to amend the law “to give schools, districts, and states the maximum amount of flexibility possible.”

Any thoughts about the new Secretary’s position on, and knowledge about, special education in general, and autism in particular?

Here’s what readers have been saying in a very busy week in which we learned, or learned again, that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism:

Norah on whether the term “mild autism” is still in use and Larry on the “pop psychology typical of wired [magazine].”

Ongoing discussion about stem cell therapy as an autism treatment, and about the death of Shirley Meade at a camp after being given the wrong medication.

Jaz on what it’s been like in Illinois on a 49-year-old younger brother who was “on a waiting list for a home for 20 years after contacting an advocate he got one of the two places that 52 people were waiting for.”

Regan adds to a discussion on the MMR controversy and notes an interview with Ben Goldacre.

Bonnie Sayers on school security issues.

Readers looks at reports on special education funding in Alaska and Governor Palin.

And keep in mind the deadlines for submitting comments to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee that are coming up very soon:

NOT-MH-08-021:Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Draft Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Research is Available for Comment; deadline in 25 days/Sept 30

NOT-MH-08-016: Priorities for the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Services Subcommittee for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD); deadline in 14 days/Sept 19

And here’s the poem from a book I’ve had on my desk and have been turning to when in need of a moment away from the fray. The book is Line Dance by Barbara Crooker and this poem captures how I feel on many a day and night.

Climbing the Jade Mountain

(filling out my son’s SSI forms)

The Chinese poets tell us
that to start an impossible journey,
you must begin with small steps,
one foot in front of the other
on the rock-hard road. There are
no maps. The mountain gleams
in the afternoon sun. We
are tired, we are thirsty,
and we want to know
how many dusty miles remain?
The mountain is silent.
All the guidebooks are written
in an ancient language
we don’t understand.
When night overtakes us,
we lie down in a dry
river bed, with a stone
for a pillow. Morning
draws her curtains.
We start again.

Forgive me for writing another post about Governor Sarah Palin and her family. Her selection as Senator John McCain’s running mate, and the recent reporting of her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol Palin, being pregnant, have cast her thoroughly into the public eye and, one suspects, in more than unexpected ways. What first piqued my interest about Sarah Palin was that she’s the mother of a (very young) special needs child and, too, a working mother.

The September 1st New York Times describes the uproar over Palin as “Mommy Wars: Special Campaign Edition”:

With five children, including an infant with Down syndrome and, as the country learned Monday, a pregnant 17-year-old, Ms. Palin has set off a fierce argument among women about whether there are enough hours in the day for her to take on the vice presidency, and whether she is right to try.

It’s the Mommy Wars: Special Campaign Edition. But this time the battle lines are drawn inside out, with social conservatives, usually staunch advocates for stay-at-home motherhood, mostly defending her, while some others, including plenty of working mothers, worry that she is taking on too much.

“How is this really going to work?” said Karen Shopoff Rooff, an independent voter, personal trainer and mother of two in Austin, Tex. “I don’t care whether she’s the mother or the father; it’s a lot to handle,” she said, adding that Ms. Palin’s lack of national experience would only make her road more difficult.

“When I first heard about Palin, I was impressed,” said Pamela Moore, a mother of two from Birmingham, Ala. But upon reading that Ms. Palin’s special-needs child was three days old when she went back to work, Ms. Moore began questioning the governor’s judgment. Partly as a result, she plans to vote for Senator Barack Obama.

Other mothers are cheering Palin on for her pro-life stance. In the words of “conservative organizer” Phyllis Schafly, who has six children and ran for Congress:

“People who don’t have children or who have only one or two are kind of overwhelmed at the notion of five children…….I think a hard-working, well-organized C.E.O. type can handle it very well.”

I guess it could also be pointed out that people get overwhelmed at the thought of raising a special needs child. As the New York Times notes, “Infants with Down syndrome often need special care in the first years of life: extra tests, physical therapy, even surgery.” (Michael Bérubé’s Life As We Know It: A Father, a Family, and an Exceptional Child contains a harrowing account of the medical needs of the infant Jamie, who has Down Syndrome, and who required round-the-clock care.)

Charlie still requires 1:1 teaching at school with highly trained staff; I can’t just ask a neighbor to watch him. Much of Charlie’s early childhood involved one appointment after another, and hours of mental energy and attention devoted to learning about autism, learning about and accessing treatments, studying ABA and verbal behavior and oral-motor therapy, making up picture schedules and flashcards (and going through at least two laminators). I was working full-time when Charlie was diagnosed at the age of 2; we were able to do a full year of intensive ABA at home for Charlie because Jim was on sabbatical and was home all the time. I soon resigned from my job when Jim’s sabbatical ended and worked part-time for awhile, then (after we came back to New Jersey) full-time, as a writing instructor at a largish northern New Jersey university. This job involved reading and grading piles of papers every week; I think I spent almost every night for four years surrounded by papers.

In 2005, I started my current job as a professor of Classics at a small Jesuit college in Jersey City. Almost immediately, I was given administrative and academic advising duties. These (along with my enrollments—a good thing) have grown steadily. And then, I also started blogging in June of 2005 and, after about a year, was writing regularly here on Autism Vox.

Am I, as Schafly says, a “hard-working, well-organized C.E.O. type”? Certainly, I’ve some advantages with my job as I set my own teaching schedule and can take some work home, plus my college has always been very understanding about Charlie. Jim has been constantly involved, putting Charlie on the bus, coming home early for bike rides, taking Charlie on adventures on the bikes and in the black car on the weekends. I’m not as organized, though, as I could wish; once upon a time writing things in a notebook seemed to work but then I have to remember to check the notebook…. As for being a “C.E.O. type”: I like doing academic administrative work—helping students figure out how they can double-major in Economics and Mathematics and minor in History and keeping my eyes open to academic politicking, such as it is—-but am not for being an executive type.

Sarah Palin is just a few years older than me—-I’ll be 40 in a few months. As a special needs mom, I very often feel that all eyes are watching Charlie and me, and judging, and I tend to often (I suspect) convey an air of “I can handle it all, just watch.” In practice this is not true. Sure I can carry the bags and make sure Charlie carries his share and walk him out to the parking lot; sure I can teach several courses and teach Charlie cello and piano (until we get new teachers!). One thing I’ve been reminding myself (especially after a very hectic summer) is that it’s not possible to do it all. You can want to, but something has to give, and the many hours Charlie and I have spent together in playgrounds, the aisles of Target, doctors’ waiting rooms, and the pool have resulted in us having a solid relationship. We’re friends and of course he relies on me; more and more, I’m relying on Charlie.

So I’ll be watching Sarah Palin’s story unfold with extra interest. It’s about (as another mother recently blogged) letting go. It’s not necessarily about having it all. Indeed bieing a mother, a working mother, a special needs mother, has taught me that there’s different ways of “having it all,” of working, and of mothering, too.

There’s discussion all over about Senator John McCain’s choice of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. There’s the highly speculative rumor via Daily Kos that Palin is not the mother of Trig Paxson Van Palin (born in April), who has Down Syndrome, but that her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol Palin, is. And it was recently reported in the New York Times that, to rebut rumors, Palin has announced that Bristol Palin is indeed  five months pregnant and is planning to have the child and marry her or his father.

Moving beyond the rumors, one thing that is clear is that the Palin family is going to have not one, but two young children in it soon; due to the attention newly directed to Sarah Palin, it’s likely that these young children will be under more than a bit of public scrutiny, for worse or for better. The Age of Autism website, which belives that vaccines or something in vaccines is linked to autism, is already asking about whether or not Sarah Palin plans to vaccinate Trig for fear that he may “get” autism from a vaccine. No doubt the same question will arise when Bristol Palin’s child is born.

As the mother of a special needs son, it’s not what choices about vaccines that Sarah Palin and her husband make that is my main concern, but how to make sure that Trig gets the right, and the very best, therapies and services for his medical and educational needs. What kinds of special education options are available for him in Alaska? What might be offered for him in Washington D.C.? I work full-time now but part-time and not at all when Charlie was a baby and a toddler, and he needed a lot of time; campaigning in a presidential election would make it difficult for any mother to be with her children as much as she might wish, and what about for a child with special needs?

With very best wishes to the Palin family and especially Trig and Bristol, who has a lot ahead of her.

Both Senators Barack Obama and John McCain have statements on their websites about autism. Obama’s is in a section on healthcare and is entitled Support Americans with Autism; he also has a plan on Autism Spectrum Disorders in his section on disabilities. McCain’s statement is also in a section on health care, with a statement about Combating Autism in America on a separate webpage.

Back in November, Senator Hillary Clinton’s website was the comprehensive about autism issues. Obama’s current two-paragraph statement on autism is the same as it was in November, as was his plan to empower Americans with disabilities. McCain’s website did not yet contain a section on autism. McCain made his entrance into autism politics with a February reference to thimerosal and the rise in the incidence of autism. In April, Obama was quoted at a Pennsylvania rally as saying that evidence linking vaccines and autism was “inconclusive” and that further research is needed.

And now it’s the end of August. Obama’s given his acceptance speech and McCain has chosen the Governor of Alaska and the mother of a young son with Down Syndrome, Sarah Palin, as his running mate. Here’s a closer look at what each candidate’s position on autism is.

On McCain’s website is a statement entitled, again, Combating Autism in America; the statement highlights the Senator’s concerns about finding out why the incidence of autism has risen in recent years. (Emphases in italics are mind.)

Combating Autism in America

John McCain is very concerned about the rising incidence of autism among America’s children and has continually supported research into its causes and treatment. He has heard countless stories about families’ hardships obtaining a diagnosis for their children’s autism and accessing quality medical treatment. He believes that federal research efforts should support broad approaches to understanding the factors that may play a role in the incidence of autism, including factors in our environment, for both prevention and treatment purposes.

John McCain was proud to lend his support to the Combating Autism Act of 2006, which he cosponsored, and worked to ensure its enactment. This law is helping to increase public awareness and screening of autism spectrum disorder, promote the use of evidence-based interventions, and create autism Centers of Excellence for Autism Spectrum Disorder Research and Epidemiology. John McCain understands that despite the federal and scientific research efforts to date, the exact causes of autism are not yet known and greater research is needed to understand this disorder. That is why in November 2007, he joined with Senator Lieberman in requesting the leadership of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal research into autism, to hold a hearing on federal research efforts regarding factors affecting incidence and treatment in order to help determine where research efforts can best be directed. As President, John McCain will work to advance federal research into autism, promote early screening, and identify better treatment options, while providing support for children with autism so that they may reach their full potential.

Early screening, better options for treatment, and doing what can be done to enable autistic children to “reach their full potential; important and essential. McCain’s autism webpage does not specifically refer to services or education (and special education, IDEA, and autism are not mentioned on his page on education issues).

Again, Obama’s plan on Autism Spectrum Disorders is in his section on disabilities. Here’s the plan in full (again with some points highlighted in italics by me):

BARACK OBAMA: SUPPORTING AMERICANS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

More than one million Americans have Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), a complex condition that impacts communication, socialization, and behavior. And more cases of ASD are being recognized across the country at an alarming pace. Barack Obama believes that we must do more to help support Americans with ASD, their families, and their communities. Throughout his career, Barack Obama has worked with families affected by ASD to raise awareness and to provide support to parents and families living with ASD. As president, Obama will build on these many years of advocacy and ensure that his administration prioritizes ASD research, public awareness, and lifelong support services. Obama will seek to increase federal ASD funding for research, treatment, screenings, public awareness, and support services to $1 billion annually by the end of his first term in office. Obama will also continue to work with parents, physicians, providers, researchers, and schools to create opportunities and effective solutions for people with ASD.

Record of Leadership on ASD Research and Care: As an Illinois state senator, Barack Obama sponsored legislation that became law to create an ASD diagnosis education program, an initiative designed to promote the implementation of evidence-based practices. The goal of the project is to offer educational opportunities at all levels of care, including physicians, early intervention (EI) specialists, psychologists, teachers, day care providers, parents, respite workers, and speech and language therapists. Obama has personally worked side-by-side with Illinois families affected by ASD to support efforts to build the Therapeutic School and Center for Autism Research. This school and research center will bring together education, academic research, early intervention programs, and training to prepare its students for independent living.

In the U.S. Senate, Obama is a cosponsor of a measure that would expand federal funding for life-long services for people with ASD, authorizing approximately $350 million in new federal funding for key programs related to treatments, interventions and services for both children and adults with ASD.

Appoint Federal ASD Coordinator to Oversee All Federal ASD Efforts: Barack Obama will ensure all federal ASD activities occur in an efficient manner that prioritizes both research and supports for families affected by ASD. Obama will appoint a Federal ASD Coordinator to oversee federal ASD research and federal efforts to improve awareness of ASD and improve the training of medical professionals to identify and treat ASD. By establishing one top-level point person to coordinate ASD efforts in the White House, Obama will ensure that ASD receives the recognition and priority it deserves in the federal government. The Federal ASD Coordinator will also be tasked with eliminating bureaucratic obstacles that may be delaying implementation of important ASD measures and ensuring that all federal ASD dollars are being spent in a manner that prioritizes results. The Coordinator will work with state task forces on ASD to ensure effective communication and collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies.

Fully Fund the Combating Autism Act and Federal Autism Research Initiatives: Barack Obama supported the Combating Autism Act of 2006, which was signed into law in December 2006. The Combating Autism Act authorizes increased federal funding for ASD research and efforts to boost public awareness and early diagnosis of ASD. Since the bill has been enacted, however, federal funding for ASD has not increased to the levels authorized by the Combating Autism Act. As a U.S. Senator, Obama has worked to fully fund the Combating Autism Act and as president, he will ensure that his administration addresses the growing impact of ASD and other special needs on American families. President Obama will fully fund the Combating Autism Act, which provides nearly $1 billion in autism-related funding over 5 years, and work with Congress, parents and ASD experts to determine how to further improve federal and state programs.

Support Special Needs Education for Children with ASD: Barack Obama understands that children with special needs – students with visual, hearing, physical, sensory, and mental impairments – require meaningful resources to succeed both inside and outside the classroom. Obama is a strong supporter of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and supports full federal funding of the law to truly ensure that no child is left behind. The current underfunding of IDEA causes school districts throughout the country to deny necessary services to students with ASD and other special needs. Obama will also work to change IDEA’s definition of “autism” to Autism Spectrum Disorders to ensure that all children diagnosed with ASD disorders receive the
support they need.

Support Universal Screening: While roughly 90 percent of infants in the United States are currently screened for various potentially disabling or life-threatening conditions, fewer than half the states screen all infants for the full recommended panel of 29 disorders. Many of these conditions, if caught early, can be treated before they result in permanent impairments or even death. Barack Obama believes we should screen all infants, and also that we must set a national goal to provide re-screening for all two-year-olds, the age at which some conditions, including ASD, begin to appear. These screenings will be safe and secure, and available for every American that wants them. Part of Obama’s early childhood intervention plan will be directed at coordinating fragmented community programs to help provide all children access to screening for disabilities as infants and again as two-year olds. Achieving universal screening is essential so that disabilities can be identified early enough for those children and families to get the special supports and resources they need.

Work Together: As part of his commitment to open the doors of our government to the American people, Barack Obama is committed to facilitating open dialogue among Americans with special needs and their families, federal and state agencies, regional centers, resource centers, research institutions, school districts, first responders, and community members.

Special education and universal screening for autism in young children are specifically mentioned in Obama’s plan, as well as support for lifelong services. There’s an understanding of autism as an “autism spectrum,” and that individuals at different ends of the autism spectrumm and their families, all alike require—in varying ways—-supports and services.

Over at Primary Source in an August 1st post, Sharyl Attkisson discusses the case of Hannah Poling and says that “it’s the first time we know of that the government has ‘conceded’ an autism case in vaccine court.” Attkisson then writes:

But CBS News has learned the government has previously been court-ordered to pay on other vaccine injury cases in which a child ended up with damage including autism or autistic symptoms [my emphasis]. In one case from 1986, the child had a pre-existing condition that the court decided was aggravated by his vaccinations. Here, the pre-existing condition was “tuberous sclerosis” or TS. According to court testimony, many children with TS will suffer seizures and brain damage. However, the longer they can go before having their first seizures, the better off they are. In this case, the court listened to scientific evidence on both sides and determined that the child’s DPT shot* probably triggered his seizures, perhaps earlier than they would’ve otherwise occurred. At first, the government agreed to pay for the child’s seizure medication but refused to compensate for his autism and mental retardation saying they were caused by the TS rather than vaccines. However, not unlike the government’s concession in Hannah Poling’s case, the court found that vaccines aggravated the child’s pre-existing condition, and were therefore responsible for his mental retardation and autism.

CBS News is, it seems, catching up to what’s already been reported on the internet and specifically the autism blog community. Earlier this year, on March 11, Kathleen Seidel reported on the Neurodiversity weblog that there have been at least nine instances in which compensation for a vaccine injury has been provided for under the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).  The case that Attkisson refers to seems to be this case, as noted by Seidel:

Suel v. HHS (Case 90-935V, 1997 U.S. Claims LEXIS 210, September 22, 1997)

DPT vaccine administered in the 1980’s.

Aggravation of tuberous sclerosis in a child diagnosed with autism.

Richard Gage, counsel for petitioner; Laura Millman, Special Master

As Seidel writes, “the autism diagnosis followed the development or aggravation of profoundly disabling physical conditions.” She briefly lists the eight other cases in which families were awarded compensation. Hannah Poling receiving compensation is, as Seidel states, “in fact, not news at all.”

Good to know that others are catching up on the “not-so-hidden history” of the VICP.

A positive (I think?) but somewhat puzzling use of the word “autism” in today’s News Track India, in an article about the use of violence and damage to public property by protesters.

A number of peaceful ways-silent procession, pickets, demonstration, flag march protest, candlelight protest, hunger strike, signature campaign-can be adopted by a person/community for his voice to be heard by the concerned authority.

“Protestors” along with the “brain child” of protest indulged in violent means need to practice autism. They need to look into their conscience. Pause before doing or manoeuvring any such practice! Think about your family!

Autism seems to be equated here with peacefulness—with non-violence. Perhaps it’s a bit of a stereotypical use, but after the past two weeks of “savage language about autism,” equating “autism” with positive action and a positive state of mind is a message that’s good to hear.