Autism Does Change Everything
Autism Changes Everything is the title of an article in next Sunday’s Parade magazine, in which Autism Speaks co-founder Suzanne Wright describes how her grandson, Christian, slipped into the “grip” of autism and how “[o]ur grief evolved into feelings of anger and, eventually, determination.” She notes that she and her husband, Bob Wright,
….simply could not fathom why so little was known about a disorder that was devastating thousands of families like ours. Where were the impassioned speeches on the floors of Congress? Why hadn’t anyone told us this could happen to our grandchild—to anyone’s child?
Curious. From these sentences, you’d think that no one who was anyone had heard about autism or knew what it was when Wright’s grandson was diagnosed in recent years. (If no one had told Wright that “this could happen to our grandchild,” is it possible that, if and when someone did, she was not listening?) Wright has previously said that she hopes to make autism “a word for the history books“; in her Parade magazine article, she talks about “stem[ming] the tide and ultimately eradicat[ing] autism for the sake of future generations.” Wright further notes that ” If we continue our current trajectory, we’ll get there in my [her] lifetime.” Her rhetoric is a little vague about the specifics of the “tide” to be stemmed and the “trajectory” meant, but can be divined from the numerous research studies funded by Autism Speaks.
I’m not sure if Wright chose the title of “Autism Changes Everything” for her Parade magazine article; I suppose the title can be seen as referring to the changes (loss of speech, behavior issues) that Wright saw happen in her grandson. There’s another way to understand the notion of “autism changing everything”: Unlike Wright, I don’t think that autism took my son in its “grip” and turned him into some wholly other child like the changeling stolen by trolls in a folk tale. Charlie has always been Charlie and autism has changed “everything” in that I’ve had to change myself, my job, where we live; had to let friendships and plans go, as Charlie’s needs always come first. Just today, I left work early to attend a school meeting about transition planning: Charlie is going to middle school next year; our school district is starting its first program for high school students and stepping up a lot on job training in the community. Sometimes I feel that the entire next 10 1/2 years—until Charlie turns 21—are all laid up for me, centered as my thoughts are on teaching Charlie the skills he’ll need for a successful life with as much independence as possible.
Wright does acknowledge the needs of autistic adults in a brief phrase (”adults with autism are failing to meet their potential”). Nonetheless, I find her statement about autism becoming “a word for the history books” an unfortunate turn of phrase, with potentially alarming ramifications. Wright notes her hope that autism be “eradicated” in “[her] lifetime”; if I may presume, my 10 1/12 year old will outlive her—–and my son is autistic for life. He has minimal speech, is very delayed in his academic and cognitive abilities, and is prone to tremendous behavior problems if the right supports and structures are not in place and there’s no magic supplement or pill or technique that is going to change his neurological wiring. “Eradicating” autism means the eradication of autistic persons. Wright, in her effort to make a strong statement about the “autism crisis,” may be saying some things she did not (I think?) intend to.
I’m sure that some will say that I am “reading too much” into Wright’s words and subverting her meaning into some sort of agenda. I have to say that, after raising my autistic son for the past 10-plus years, I have become extra-attentive to nuance and curious turns of phrase, to the extra meanings that get lodged in people’s words and communication, whether they know it or not. I hope that Wright might re-consider these statements about making a “a word for the history books“: Before we all know it, today’s autistic children will become tomorrow’s autistic adults and rather than plan for a world without them, we need to start changing this world to make it a better place for them to live and grow and be.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism spectrum disorder, children, fairy tale, Family, grandparents, pdd-nos, Psychology, RhetoricRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Autism Organizations, History, Rhetoric
45 opinions for Autism Does Change Everything
Emily
Jan 25, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Wow. It’s almost painful to read things like that, and it’s even more painful to know that it’s going to hit every newspaper-suscribing home in America in two days. Does anyone go around ranting so freely about “eradicating” other disorders? I would hope that in general, neurotypical folk in particular would have a greater awareness of the fact that people with these disorders CAN READ and will construe such statements to mean that they are somehow horrible, awful, changelings who replaced the original person and that they need to be ERADICATED. It makes me nauseated to read those quotes.
I’ve stepped and tiptoed around this for awhile, but I’m just going to say it straight out: People who make a profession out of blaming autism for the fact that their lives have changed and that life is tough are BIG WHINERS. Having children is a total crapshoot. Your child may be “normal” now, but that can change in the blink of an eye. Your child is your child, and you ought to man up or woman up and take whatever responsiblity that entails and deal with it. Anger? Grief? Those are the emotions of people who were unrealistic in the first place. We are almost all of us destined for some kind of grief and anger, regardless of our children’s condition. Dreams for our children are unavoidable but pointless, regardless of who our children are. But those of us who are prepared by knowing that we can never be prepared are also destined for some happiness, some cheer, some love, and some satisfaction, sometimes as surprises we didn’t anticipate. Far preferable to living in anger and grief, or even determination to change people who perhaps do not WANT to be changed.
There’s so much to be said for trying not to be bitter and angry. Sure, we can look for therapies, remedies, preventative, even cures, but do we have to be all pissed off and dramatic while we do it? People with autism are people, and they happen to be people with feelings. Must we trample all over these feelings in our need to rant and rave and be dramatic for the spotlight? Evidently, some of us must.
Autismville
Jan 25, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Autism did change many things for our family. After Jack was diagnosed I left my career so that I could manage his therapies. We moved to a different state so he could get better treatment. We had to learn the ins and outs of special education.
I think I’m probably a better person because of it. I think our immediatey family is much closer than we would be otherwise. I definitely have met so many incredible individuals on the spectrum, their teachers, their families … I feel a sense of connection and love for our crazy, dysfunctional community. I’ve had the pleasure of discovering other parents like you, who love their children and are determined to make the world better for them.
The bottom line for me personally is that the type of autism that my son has to deal with … the type that makes the smallest attempt at communication so incredibly difficult … the type that turns our life into one with a great deal of guesswork about the simplest wants and needs of our beautiful boy … the type where we constantly use the word “seems” … (He “seems” to be happy … He “seems” to be sad. He “seems” to be hungry. He “seems” to be sick …) Just being candid, but for me, there’s nothing warm and fuzzy thinking about what might become of him once his loving family is no longer here to care for him.
Perhaps some sorts of autism shouldn’t be made history …
It “seems” to me, Jack’s should.
Emily
Jan 25, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Autismville, I wish that people like this woman would bend their determination on developing programs that will be there for people like your son when you no longer are. We need that so much more than we need the drama. Think what things would be like if you knew there would be a place for him, designed especially for him, where he CAN reach his own, personal potential, whatever that is, in a safe environment. I wish resources were going more into these kinds of avenues, resources for EXISTING people with autism…and for those in the future.
Justthisguy
Jan 25, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Well, there are magic pills which will cure autism.
They’ll also cure thinking, and breathing, and otherwise being alive.
I have six of them loaded in my bedside revolver at this very moment.
Sorry, I ain’t taking those pills, and ain’t giving them to anyone else, at least not for just being autistic.
Kathy
Jan 25, 2008 at 6:39 pm
“Before we all know it, today’s autistic children will become tomorrow’s autistic adults and rather than plan for a world without them, we need to start changing this world to make it a better place for them to live and grow and be.”
HEAR! HEAR! Kristina!
If only more people had your insight…
*Sighs….
wskrz
Jan 25, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Emily, exactly. You can sit around and wallow around in a soup of pity and “why me?!” for the rest of your life when it comes to the fact that our kids are autistic but in the end, this is not going to help you and it certainly isn’t going to help your kid.
You grab the bull by the horns and you ride it through those wild and bumpy streets. Because you have to and no one else is going to do it for you.
I’m also getting sick and tired of hearing people who cry to the skies about how horrible their lives are and how their expectations have changed because of an autism diagnosis. Welcome to life - where your mileage may vary and your route is never set in stone. The trip is only bumpier when you cling to your expectations of what things should be like and aren’t willing to be flexible and learn to go with the flow.
Now I’ve gotta prepare for the onslaught of phone calls from family members that are going to read this article this weekend and are going to have a ton of questions for me. I went through this with Jenny’s PR tour and now I’ll have to do it again. It’s amazing how people who are supposed to be “getting the word out” about autism only end up making more work for me in the end. *sigh*
Emily
Jan 25, 2008 at 6:57 pm
In a fit of writer’s remorse, I have to say that I have immense sympathy and respect for people who struggle with the hardest aspects of autism–or any special needs–which I don’t have in my daily life with our oldest son, although our youngest son is proving to be more of a struggle. I feel so much for people who live with these issues, but again…these folks aren’t *whining* about it. They are just trying to live their lives, however they unfold. That’s probably really what I admire. I definitely don’t admire the public whining. Private whining and bouts of self pity, necessary grieving, helpless anger…I certainly get all of that. But when it comes to public faces, I’d like a lot more to see some USEFUL and positive public faces.
Club 166
Jan 25, 2008 at 7:21 pm
…Your child may be “normal” now, but that can change in the blink of an eye. Your child is your child, and you ought to man up or woman up and take whatever responsiblity that entails and deal with it. …
Thanks, Emily, for that.
I am on a local autism list in my neck of the woods where the vast majority of posts are people either “looking for cures” or whining about anything and everything. I get in trouble sometimes on that list when I suggest energy would be much better spent supporting autistics rather than trying to “fix” them. Someday before I get kicked off of there, I’ll post a rant that starts with the above statement. It might not change anyone, but it will make me feel better.
Joe
Regan
Jan 25, 2008 at 7:32 pm
I don’t disagree that Suzanne Wright may be relatively new to this, and that I might not agree with her language choices. I don’t even really know how she feels about the whole thing, since the face of fundraising and publicity may not always be the face at home. I might have also stated that “Our society is currently not supporting our autistic adults (and students) in seeking to live up to their true and best potential” or something thereabouts, rather than the way it was put, but there it is.
But you know what? Autism Speaks is currently throwing that juggernaut behind at least one real issue that I would have appreciated a little public attention on when Eleanor was little–insurance coverage, because we could have used some help there. And maybe later on, when it is clear that maybe even Christian or some of his autistic peers are going to grow up and need some supports, that the organization might be some help there. I know of at least 2 organizations hereabouts that are applying for those community grants to try and start up some pilots of those services that our state won’t fund and that the little nonprofits can’t fundraise enough for. Reminders to keep the vision on all stages of life might also help, and I have no doubt that folks will, and should, continue to forward such to that organization.
Anyone who says that their life, choices and financial status doesn’t change when a family member has a long-term disability and that they never have a moment of regret–whether child or adult, whether developmental, mental illness, chronic or life threatening illness, or accident I think has excellent adjustment skills (and full marks there), excellent resources and/or support system or is pulling someone’s leg. We don’t have to have a pity party and that in the long-haul is probably destructive, but to exhort everyone to “man up”, pronto, is not a lot different, IMO, than those handing out those one-size-fits-all exhortations and peer pressure to get yours to biomed lest you be a bad parent. It’s a journey for everyone. Some get there sooner than others. Even Suzanne Wright may make it there eventually.
Autismville
Jan 25, 2008 at 7:56 pm
I do agree that there needs to be greater support for those with autism now … Absolutely.
kyra
Jan 25, 2008 at 8:34 pm
“…today’s autistic children will become tomorrow’s autistic adults and rather than plan for a world without them, we need to start changing this world to make it a better place for them to live and grow and be.”
that’s it exactly. thank you for saying it so well.
Owl
Jan 25, 2008 at 9:16 pm
I knew I liked this blog. I’m ok with people accidentally making statements with inferences like that (that such people shouldn’t even exist), but some people seem to have an obsession of autistic like proportions on repeatedly saying such things in the face of healthy criticism. Her comments were very disrespectful of adults with autism. I think on this type of subject Jim Sinclair’s article “Don’t Mourn for Us” says it best.
http://web.syr.edu/~jisincla/dontmourn.htm
Harold L Doherty
Jan 25, 2008 at 9:22 pm
You worry about your nuances, Suzanne and Bob Wright are actually trying to help autistic children, adults and their families. Maybe when they have accomplished all that they will have time to read the AutismVox manual on how they should think, feel and talk about autism as it affects their loved ones. I am sure that is next on their lists.
mamoi
Jan 25, 2008 at 9:28 pm
I have never read this blog before and may not again… I too am a mother whose son slipped into autism seemingly overnight. I too dealt with anger and pain. I too wondered why I had never heard of this disorder. I too have becomed determined. Aren’t we all pretty much in the same boat? I am very involved with Autism Speaks and I can tell you that the Wrights are wonderful people who have and continue to do so much for us and our kids. They don’t just sit around and whine like so many of you have suggested… they have put there money where there mouth is and have founded a terrific organization. You all can’t be serious to think that they want to eradicate anyone with autism. Pah-leeze. If you know the organization, they are striving to put it in the history books like Polio or other diseases that affected millions… stop if from ever happening to others again. I salute that effort, support that effort and so should you. Wouldn’t you have wanted the cause discovered before your child was afflicted? Autism Speaks also funds research for therapies and other programs to help those who are already have autism so I humbly suggest you do some research into these wonderful folks and stop judging people you don’t know. To lump them in with the Jenny McCathy’s is unfair. Suzanne Wright is a crusader for us and for our wonderful children and I for one am very grateful. Take a deeper look, not just a couple of quotes from one article.
Justthisguy
Jan 25, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Dang, Harold, got a lulzy perseveration goin there, do ya?
I do think that you have a touch of the “A” yerself, sir.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 25, 2008 at 10:04 pm
There has been coverage on this blog about Autism Speaks since early in its creation, and fairly regular comments about the statements by the Wrights; Suzanne Wright has tended to repeat the same statements about autism throughout this time—she has noted, with regularity, that “autism knocked on the wrong door,” that her grandson was “kidnapped” by autism, and so forth.
It’ll be interesting to see how Autism Speaks writes up its own history over the span of my son’s life.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 25, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Thank you for the kind encouragement, Harold L. Doherty!
brstpathdoc
Jan 25, 2008 at 10:45 pm
//You worry about your nuances, Suzanne and Bob Wright are actually trying to help autistic children, adults and their families. Maybe when they have accomplished all that they will have time to read the AutismVox manual on how they should think, feel and talk about autism as it affects their loved ones. I am sure that is next on their lists.//
Ahh HAL 9000, quite charmer. Reminds me why I stopped reading and posting comments for 7 months.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_ych25TunTQ&feature=related
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 25, 2008 at 11:23 pm
@Emily,
“Having children is a total crapshoot. Your child may be “normal” now, but that can change in the blink of an eye. ”
Too true—-who knows what might happen with any child? I just hope I can always help and support Charlie as he needs these, and to keep on learning and growing.
@brstpathdoc,
How often have I reflected on the etymology of this word.
chrisd
Jan 25, 2008 at 11:31 pm
“Charlie has always been Charlie and autism has changed “everything” in that I’ve had to change myself, my job, where we live”
I think this is very insightful.
“I’m also getting sick and tired of hearing people who cry to the skies about how horrible their lives are and how their expectations have changed because of an autism diagnosis. ”
I can understand your frustration of hearing people whine. And I could see why you would not want people to whine publicly. Yes, it’s much better to suck it up and be positive, especially in a public setting such as Parade Magazine.
BUT they are legitimate feelings. I’m sorry. Not everyone is as strong as you or in the same emotional/mental place as you.
It took me a long time to come to terms with my son’s asperger’s. And it’s “only” asperger’s.
Because of this struggle, I am not that withholding support or compassion for a parent’s grief is in order. I also think that in this particular case, public whining is a great act of compassion. To know that there is another person struggling like you can be a powerful, healing thing.
Maddy
Jan 25, 2008 at 11:51 pm
May the ‘everything changes’ refers to parental and adult attitudes, or at least I would hope so.
Best wishes
brstpathdoc
Jan 25, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Indeed, the Latin/Greek etymology would certainly fall into your philological expertise. On a philosophical level, I, as I often do, find fulfillment in the works of Dostoevsky, and his work of the same name. However, no such situations should apply here, as this would read much too much an intellectual approach to pure, unadulterated and (relatively) good natured silliness. Weird Al would have none of this.
Kathy
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:11 am
brstpathdoc and Kristina!
You guys are TOO funny..
(Loved that music clip, b)
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:28 am
nothing like a good laugh!
mamoi
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:29 am
I found the link to this blog on another more kinder-gentler blog where folks encourage and support each other and where real ideas are shared and people say what’s on their mind without getting slammed. This blog is wack… one guy shares an opinion and gets ridiculed and the guy with the loaded revolver in his bedstand gets a pass. What? So what if Mrs. Wright used the word “kidnapped by autism”. It’s very easy to anonymously sit behind your computer and point fingers and another to really DO something. Suggestion… contact your local chapter of Autism Speaks and get involved with their advocacy groups and their current push in legislating insurance reform to cover therapies and support for those with autism, both children and ADULTS. That is real help for all of us!! These are the actions that go beyond the “drama” and the silly word games. How do I get off this blog???
Justthisguy
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:41 am
The guy with the loaded revolver beside his bed is exercising his most important human right, the right of self-defense.
It is specifically allowed, nay, encouraged, in the Old Testament, when it comes to people breaking into one’s house in the night-time.
Mr. or Miss Mamoi is perfectly safe from my revolver as long as he/she refrains from breaking and entering into my dwelling.
Autism Speaks is a fraud and a scam, which encourages people to murder their autistic offspring.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:43 am
@Mamoi,
It’s really great to hear your views and hope your family is very well; thanks for reading and busy here working on NJ legislation. Best regards and take care.
mamoi
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:52 am
Glad to know that legislation is going forward in NJ as well. Most comments directed to your readers/bloggers, btw. Thanks for the regards…
justthisguy… yikes
Justthisguy
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:58 am
Triple yikes right back atcha, mamoi!
Who let you into this country?
OK, I’ll stop now, and let my head cool, a bit.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:59 am
Very much so here in NJ—a number of autism bills have been proposed. I’ve been especially glad to meet parents of older autistic persons and autistic adults (some of whom have been commenting on this post…..)—-I have too much to learn to help my son—-who, more than any other person, has taught me how much words matter. Certainly Charlie’s words come slowly and not at all clearly, and I just try to listen. Best wishes again—
brstpathdoc
Jan 26, 2008 at 1:02 am
My goodness, mamoi, you really must not read this blog too often.
***”.. get involved …and… push in legislating insurance reform to cover therapies and support for those with autism, both children and ADULTS. That is real help for all of us!!”**
These are the issues Kristina advocates more than any other blogger I’ve read. Now, if you’re sticking up for poor Hal, you really are new to this blog. But, by your request, I’m happy to provide you a deus ex machina to escape these “silly word games”:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/koolaid/ka_main.html
Kassiane
Jan 26, 2008 at 1:09 am
Oh yes, suing autistic teenagers is excellent advocacy. Well DONE.
They do not have autistic people on their board.
They will not talk to autistic people (and Harold Doherty’s definition of autism is too strict for Kanner himself, look it up).
They have not done a THING to help autistic adults or children, apart from That Damn Video in which Jodie Singer was made aware of exactly how much her mother hates her. Now she knows to watch her back.
I don’t need to answer for what I’ve done, face to face. I’ve been doing “facetime” with autistic people since high school in addition to being myself for more than 20 years. Giving money to a corporation that wants to eliminate people based on who they are? Uh yep. Reeks of selfish to me.
abfh
Jan 26, 2008 at 1:21 am
Autism awareness changes everything, all right. It sure as heck cured my naive belief that I was living in a civilized, enlightened society where I could never possibly be a part of a minority group whose eradication was demanded in national magazines.
grrr… I went to the PARADE website and told them what I thought of their story.
Emily
Jan 26, 2008 at 2:02 am
@mamoi: I’m personally not even remotely anonymous, and most folks on here aren’t. But thanks for those tips about how to *really* help. Never would’ve thought of that on my own.
“So what if Mrs. Wright used the word “kidnapped by autism”.”
That’s a very informative thing for you to say. I learned so much about you from those few words.
Club 166
Jan 26, 2008 at 2:57 am
…Autism Speaks also funds research for therapies and other programs to help those who are already have autism so I humbly suggest you do some research into these wonderful folks and stop judging people you don’t know. …
From looking at their 2006 annual report, AS indeed spends about $565K on “community pilot programs” to actually assist people in the community. Which sounds nice, until you see that they took in over $33M dollars that year.
So essentially they spent 1.7% on community outreach. They spent $1.2M on advertising during that time. Hardly seems like community service is a high priority for them.
Joe
Owl
Jan 26, 2008 at 3:04 am
I’m fine with research on autism and even with research on treatments. And I’m okay with probably most of their program. Just someone who claims to speak for me as a diagnosed individual (albeit on the mild side of the spectrum) ought to be concerned with the fact that almost all aspies or auties (or whatever) go through life being told they are defective human beings who deserve to be rejected by society and peers. If the focus is on how parents feel and prevention to keep the burden from spreading they should be called “traumatized autism parents speak.” Not that there isn’t legitimate trauma or that parents don’t need to be heard, but it is parent trauma, not mine. As an individual on the spectrum I’m much more concerned about the way myself and others like me are viewed because that changes how I’m treated. The way autism speaks talks, I’m a human scourge that shouldn’t have happened. They probably don’t precisely mean it that way, but rhetoric has a way of being influential and should be retoned to be more respectful of the trauma of those for whom they claim to speak.
Cliff
Jan 26, 2008 at 10:47 am
abfh said, “Autism awareness changes everything, all right. It sure as heck cured my naive belief that I was living in a civilized, enlightened society where I could never possibly be a part of a minority group whose eradication was demanded in national magazines.”
Ha! Of course, if it was only national magazines…
I’ll mention something for you, Mamoi, if you’re still reading. I would note that putting autism “into the world of history books” is, in the minds of many autistics, eradication, because it holds particular importance to personal identity and is valued. In fact, many consider it to not even justify the term disorder, but a condition that comes with positives and negatives, much like anything in life. So the effect of some of the statements which have drawn some, well, harsh criticism would sound vaguely like “I don’t want to put happy people into the history textbooks, I just want to put happiness into history textbooks like polio. Wouldn’t you want to know if you were going to have a happy child, so you could promptly eliminate that happiness?” For that reason, there’s a lot of charged reaction, because the feeling about autism are extremely different.
However, I’d also note that many of us are indeed interested in treatments (I’d be careful here; many people here are interested in terms of education, others in terms of treatment. The viewpoints here are varied). But the focus tends to stay away from biologically “fixing” autistics isn’t common among the regular posters (there are exceptions, like Harold, but Harold is, um, known for being in stark contrast with many here, which I’ve enjoyed).
I think, most simply, that people here have simply a different frame of reference. And while I share those views, I’d be more than happy to discuss those assumptions and consider them.
Cliff
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 26, 2008 at 11:06 am
What will be interesting to see in the future is if Autism Speaks keeps the same rhetoric of putting autism “into the history books” even while making changes to where it allocates funds—-1.7% on community outreach? A provider of group homes here in NJ has to raise $2 million a year to help pay for the staff (there are almost 100 adults that staff are needed for).
Autismville
Jan 26, 2008 at 11:22 am
If you go to the AS web site you’ll see so much more than the family service grant program you refer to.
They are funding the expansion of the Autism Treatment Network. The are responsibile for the creation and continued push for support of the EPIAA. Autisms Votes is a new initiative they are coming out with that looks at the various plans presidential candidates have espoused. They were on capital hill this past week advocating for Medicaid support. They started a program this last year of Autism Response Coordinators, individuals in various geographic locations that are prepared to help those who need assistance. Insurance reform is a huge priority for AS. They funded the video library that was released this last year to help improve the possibility of early diagnosis. Their FLAP (Federal Legal Appeals Project) is working to make sure that IDEA is properly enforced in all parts of the US, not just in the northeast and California…
And that’s just the start…
Moi ;)
Jan 26, 2008 at 1:58 pm
How can you expect anything more from an idiot who would condone ads like the ones Autism Speaks puts out????
Consider the source.
Kassiane
Jan 26, 2008 at 3:43 pm
So is this “Autism Votes” really “Autism Parents Vote”, or is it telling autistics 18 and over to vote for the candidate who wants to eradicate them? Because giving actual autistics ACTUAL information? HA.
Autismville
Jan 26, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Autism Votes is all about information for anyone and everyone. It won’t endorse a candidate. It will just provide you, the voter, information about what the individual candidates think about autism. (There will be a web site coming in the next few months I believe.)
As an autistic person, hopefully this will be a resource that will clarify which candidate would best represent you in the office of the presidency based on your individual priorities and beliefs.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 26, 2008 at 6:07 pm
More information on that on this post; Edwards recently put up an autism platform, too.
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