I can’t thank you enough for writing about this. I hope you will subscribe to my personal blog called “Autistic insider”. I was recently diagnosed with autism at the age of 25 and I come from clinical background and it’s my duty to give autism a voice and make people realize there’s more to how we present ourselves superficially. Plus the world needs to see how an autistic individual view the world through their unique lens.
Siddharth, I subscribed to your Substack and hope you might subscribe to mine. I write about my own experiences as a late diagnosed person, with humor.
Your title for this post was, unfortunately, accurate.
When I was VPR at the University of Missouri around 2005,the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment was started from a lead gift from two donors. Mizzou had one of the leading researchers at the time regarding the lack of any link between vaccines and autism. Yet, the donors heard a great deal from parents re: their lived experience causing a lot of tension as the center was started since the belief that vaccines are a cause is so embedded. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I also want to echo your comments about those who take care of autistic people and understand the science. You mentioned the great work of physician-scientists. I recently started volunteering with my pet therapy dog at a school for 4-12 grade autistic students and joined the board. The school as an amazing faculty and staff that meet each student where they are with all their complexities of talents and challenges from processing the world differently. Their compensation is pitiful, especially given the profound understanding they have of how to work with autistic children. And, it really makes me angry at hearing simple and misguided statements about autism especially given what I have learned about my own autism and the experiences I have had the Lionheart Academy of the Triad.
I can’t thank you enough for writing about this. I hope you will subscribe to my personal blog called “Autistic insider”. I was recently diagnosed with autism at the age of 25 and I come from clinical background and it’s my duty to give autism a voice and make people realize there’s more to how we present ourselves superficially. Plus the world needs to see how an autistic individual view the world through their unique lens.
Siddharth, I subscribed to your Substack and hope you might subscribe to mine. I write about my own experiences as a late diagnosed person, with humor.
Great work my friend. You are so brave and brilliant as awalys and we need your voice. Thank you. You know my son is autisic as well and I spoke out about this as well in a Substack post I wrote back in April: https://timothymcbride.substack.com/p/my-sons-autism-was-not-preventable
I also spoke to a reporter today about my family's expereince with autism, and my brave, courageous and brilliant, loving son.
I loved that conversation in the NYT as well. Thank you for sharing your perspective.
Excellent column, Holden!
The NY Times conversation was truly excellent.
Your title for this post was, unfortunately, accurate.
When I was VPR at the University of Missouri around 2005,the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment was started from a lead gift from two donors. Mizzou had one of the leading researchers at the time regarding the lack of any link between vaccines and autism. Yet, the donors heard a great deal from parents re: their lived experience causing a lot of tension as the center was started since the belief that vaccines are a cause is so embedded. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I also want to echo your comments about those who take care of autistic people and understand the science. You mentioned the great work of physician-scientists. I recently started volunteering with my pet therapy dog at a school for 4-12 grade autistic students and joined the board. The school as an amazing faculty and staff that meet each student where they are with all their complexities of talents and challenges from processing the world differently. Their compensation is pitiful, especially given the profound understanding they have of how to work with autistic children. And, it really makes me angry at hearing simple and misguided statements about autism especially given what I have learned about my own autism and the experiences I have had the Lionheart Academy of the Triad.