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Questionable Bumper Sticker. Thoughts?

LovedSparrow

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Hi all,
I recently saw a bumper sticker on a minivan that said, "I recovered my son from autism." Unless I took this the wrong way, I was angry at what it said. Autism is not something you 'recover' from, and no cure. I guess if I was that son, one day I would somehow be offended, like is she accepting who I am? Is she trying to cure me or change me?

It reminds me of the organization Autism Speaks, who is spending massive amounts of money trying to "cure" autism rather than help people who have it. The CEOs make millions a year. :doh:

I personally have come to terms with my Asperger's, I realize it's who I am, and I just have a different 'processing system' than NT's. I have my good and bad days, but I wouldn't change who I am for the world. We all have our superpowers.

Did I just read this wrong? Did it mean that I'm 'helping my son?' What do you all think?

:confused:
 

GarfieldJL

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I would want to talk to the woman driving the car as to what she meant by that.

Some kids on the spectrum do withdraw from interacting with others, and that could be what the bumper sticker means.

If she believes it to be a disease, you need to explain that it isn't a disease and that there are some positives with being on the spectrum, though it is often hard to spot.

If she gets all upset, you need to bring up that you are also on the spectrum (assuming you are on the spectrum, or if you have a kid on the spectrum you need to indicate that).

Don't try to tail her or anything, just if you happen to bump into her again, talk to her about it.

Least that would be my recommendation.
 
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Sabertooth

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We, on the spectrum, are as vulnerable to sickness as NTs are, perhaps more so. While I would agree that simply being on the spectrum is not a disease, the recent, unprecedented increase in cognitive deficits among our children is quite worrisome and worthy of some critical analysis.

Even though thimerosal has been ruled out as the culprit, other components of some vaccines are still considered possible sources of [cognitive] injury to those of us who were already on the spectrum. It appears that a family history of Aspergers --itself not a disease-- has made us [read: our children] particularly susceptible to such injuries.

For the sake of our children, we need to take that threat seriously.

PS: I have AS and two adult children with low-functioning autism. I would see regular Aspergers (for them) as an improvement, but I love them right where they are. If those additional injuries can't be repaired, I think it is worthwhile to identify their cause, so to prevent said injury to later children. That is not the eradication of Aspergers, but taking extra precautions with an observed Aspie vulnerability, improving Aspie healthcare.
 
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dayhiker

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I of course don't know what the driver had on her mind. I do know that so many people want to fix everything to be the way they want the world to be. I also know I don't have much desire to be who someone else wants me to be. God created me and I'm happy being who He created me to be. That being said, Jesus healed a whole lot of people. If someone feels something is apart of their body and/or their spirit that isn't part of them, then I'm all for healing.
 
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GarfieldJL

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We, on the spectrum, are as vulnerable to sickness as NTs are, perhaps more so. While I would agree that simply being on the spectrum is not a disease, the recent, unprecedented increase in cognitive deficits among our children is quite worrisome and worthy of some critical analysis.

That may be due to other genetics though, some children are actually born NT even though both parents are on the spectrum. I don't think Autism is actually linked to cognitive impairment.

A side note, my parents and sister are NTs, and I'm actually the least prone to getting sick out of my immediate family.

Even though thimerosal has been ruled out as the culprit, other components of some vaccines are still considered possible sources of [cognitive] injury to those of us who were already on the spectrum. It appears that a family history of Aspergers --itself not a disease-- has made us [read: our children] particularly susceptible to such injuries.

For the sake of our children, we need to take that threat seriously.

Yeah, we actually should watch for reactions to vaccines, I actually had a bad reaction to an additive in the polio vaccine when I was little, and actually suffered from temporary partial paralysis. My family does have history of being sensitive to medications.

PS: I have AS and two adult children with low-functioning autism. I would see regular Aspergers (for them) as an improvement, but I love them right where they are. If those additional injuries can't be repaired, I think it is worthwhile to identify their cause, so to prevent said injury to later children. That is not the eradication of Aspergers, but taking extra precautions with an observed Aspie vulnerability, improving Aspie healthcare.

I actually ran across some information while doing a report concerning the sensory differences between people on the spectrum and Neurotypicals as people on the Spectrum like to call those not on the spectrum. I wonder if our unusual sensory issues (like being hypersensitive or hyposensitive to some things) could actually have affected a lot of children on the spectrum's early development.

Additionally, there have even been identical twins on the Autistic Spectrum, where one twin is at the upper end of the spectrum, while the other is on the lower end. The article I read pointed out that the one on the lower end had suffered a serious health complication after birth (so there may be the culprit), but the one on the lower end was starting to make a lot of progress towards when the article had been written.

Considering I had a parent that was a speech pathologist, I kinda got some of the early intervention, even though my parent didn't realize I was on the spectrum. It is very hard for people to realize that I'm on the spectrum unless I say something, so that leads me to wonder if we could be looking at developmental issues stemming from the sensory issues.
 
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GarfieldJL

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Is it clear that there's an increase, rather than changes in diagnosis?


Hard to say. There were a lot of things that are not longer being associated with Autism, because they were in fact other things. It is also harder to diagnosis that someone is on the spectrum when they are at the upper end of the spectrum.

So it could be an increase, but it could just as easily be changes in diagnosis.
 
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Sabertooth

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Is it clear that there's an increase, rather than changes in diagnosis?
If you throw out Aspergers and other ASDs lacking cognitive deficits, there is still, definitely, an unprecedented increase. One expert that I consulted, Dr. Theresa Deisher, says that those numbers are 1 in 200-250, up from a historically stable 1 in 1000.

Even if they weren't diagnosed with autism, children like my 25yo son (mental age 6-10yo) and 18yo daughter (mental age 18mos.) would have been diagnosed with something, and that is unprecedented in my family history until this generation (including a nephew).

I do accept neuro-diversity, but it doesn't account for this level of dysfunction, nor its current epidemic-level prevalence.
 
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LovedSparrow

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I would want to talk to the woman driving the car as to what she meant by that.
Least that would be my recommendation.

I agree. I haven't seen her car in the parking lot at work again but I was tempted to write her a note... not being mean or anything. I'm extremely curious what it means.

Good thoughts everyone. Thanks for the imput.
 
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beakybird

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I wouldn't take it too personally. A good parent loves their children. They want the best for them. It doesn't mean they are saying there is anything "wrong" with it, but I would think that if my child were paralyzed lets say, I'd love them regardless, but would be thrilled if I could take that pain from them. I have a cousin who is in a home due to being almost non-functional with autism. I don't think his parents would hesitate for a second if they knew some way to help him be more functional. And I don't think there would be anything wrong with that.
 
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