Written by
Eileen,
I am so glad you posted this.
There is tremendous mis-information about Autism out there and with the numbers of cases increasing, it's important that we have a better understanding of this condition.
Back in the old days when I was going through my training, little was known about Autism. Instead, such folks were diagnosed as schizophrenic. Let's hope that the research being done today will improve the lives of people with Autism in the near future.
Thanks again,
Terry
Hi, as the mom of a child with Autism and ADHD together, it would be great to see more information on the co-existence of these disorders in one person. Also, while I am sure that many doctors say that mental retardation often accompanies Autism, my experience with others who have children with autism is that this is NOT the case. It of course can happen, but many doctors, and I have met some, automatically attribute or consider autism to be one in the same as a form of mental retardation. That could not be further from the truth. My little guy is very bright and many teachers tell me there is no way he has mental retardation. There are many kids that I am afraid get labelled by overly zealous doctors and this diagnosis or opinion my keep some parents from really trying to get their children as much help as possible, feeling like there would be no purpose.
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Hey Eileen,
Asperger's is a fascinating disorder and sometimes accompanies ADD. I know two young men and one woman with this condition. The woman worked as a professional musician for many years. She plays the flute and recently retired.
A really fun, interesting website for young people with asperger's is http://www.wrongplanet.net/. They refer to us as NT's (neurologically typical) which I think is so creative and funny!
A not to be missed movie about Asperger's is Mozart and the Whale:
"A dramatic, romantic comedy, "Mozart and the Whale" is inspired by the lives of two people with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, whose emotional dysfunctions threaten to sabotage their budding romance. Donald (Josh Hartnett) is a good-natured but hapless taxi driver with a love of birds and a superhuman knack for numbers. Like many AS sufferers, he likes patterns and routines. But when the beautiful but complicated Isabelle (Radha Mitchell) joins the autism support group he leads, his life-and his heart-are turned upside down." - http://www.rottentomatoes.com/
Released in 2006, it is available on DVD. My husband and I rented it to watch last year.
Grandma Lise