Duck....Duck.....CANCER!

Everyone has heard that Autism is on the rise. They say it has reached epidemic proportions. I sat back and took all the new stuff in for days while it was coming out. I didn't jump on the OH MY GOSH! train. It has now been a few weeks, and here is my take on the situation.

First off. It bugs me that this is monitored by the CDC. Really? Disease Control? Shouldn't they be tracking harmful contagious diseases? Autism? A Neurological Disorder? I just find it odd and confusing. I think there is money that could be better spent.

My next problem is the scare tactic. So instead of informing the public about what Autism really is, lets scare the bajeebus out of them and tell them that the dreadful Autism is now an epidemic! Because after all, most of the people I know only know what they see in movies, and you all know how well educated Hollywood is. So now there are undoubtedly people thinking Zombie Apocalypse, but with Autistic kids. Thanks Hollywood and the people bringing us the CDC verdict!

The next problem is the why's. Autism is on the rise! Once upon a time there was only one Autism. The very very severe kind. You know, the kind you see in movies. Then they began to see that Autism was a Spectrum disorder. There were people talking, but yet they were clearly Autistic. Some people exhibited this behavior but then not another behavior. Or they did a particular thing one way, but then another did the same thing but in the exact opposite way. So over the years more and more awareness leads to more and more being diagnosed. Yet, still, I see stories all the time about even severely Autistic people not being diagnosed at first, because they didn't exhibit certain behaviors that their doctors thought were required to be Autistic.

Lastly, what bothers me about all of this....is Cancer. Cancer kills you. Everyone knows (sooner or later) many people who will get cancer, has cancer, lives through it, or dies. As a child, my grandmother battled breast cancer. She won though it did cost her her breast. She then later died of other cancers. As a teen my sister dated a kid who died of bone cancer. Where are the CANCER IS ON THE RISE! stories? Way back when people died all the time for unknown reasons. They died young. Our medical knowledge has grown tremendously. Is Cancer an epidemic? Are there cures for all types of Cancer? Can we make the treatments we have for Cancer safer? This is where some good money could be being spent.

So since Autism is now an Epidemic...watch out! You may catch a case of it and die. o.O

(As I am aware that many people with Autism suffer from additional diseases that can lead to health problems, Autism itself is not a disease and you cannot die from being Autistic.)

What's eating Sarah's grapes?!

      
     Here lately there has been a fair amount of talk about Meltdowns. Rightfully so. Meltdowns affect so many throughout the spectrum. They can be devastating, shocking, exhausting, scary... and that's just for the person watching! Tyler recently added a video to his page about how he personally feels going through a Meltdown. You can find it here. 


     If you follow Tyler on Facebook then you know we recently moved. Moving brings changes. No matter how small you think they are... The impact is HUGE! On top of the move Tyler himself has changed some this year. He gets teased a lot at school, and now he no longer accepts any kind of "playful" teasing from friends or family. To him ALL teasing is bad teasing. Tyler has had a rash of Meltdowns since the move. Mostly small and manageable. Only one escalated to hitting and kicking. 

     To make hard situations harder, you have to factor in other people. You've been there. The judging stranger, friend or family member who thinks you clearly aren't doing something right. Sometimes they say it to your face and other times they feel the need to tell others about it (been reading about some of that going around lately).


     What I don't get is...What is so hard to understand about a Neurological Disorder? Let's examine the word Neurological. This word encompasses the brain. The brain itself, it's wiring, everything! Any Autism Spectrum Disorder means that the brain does not function the way a "typical" brain functions. They do not learn what and when you think they should or how they should. They learn in their own ways, on their own time, and typically at a slower pace than others.

     There is no amount of: "They have to learn", "Society won't accept that behavior", "If they want to get by in this world they'll have to..." that will ever change who they are right now. All there is, is hope that some day it will just "click". I have hopes that Tyler won't turn into a 20 year old man kicking people, because he's emotionally overwhelmed and they invaded his space. 


     You cannot just dismiss an Autistic person's.... Autisticness. You can't treat them as if they are "normal" and think that, that will somehow change the way their brain is physically wired. You have to accept them as they are, and like it or not, teach them in the way they show you they need to be taught.