The Threat

Up to now, I've devoted this blog to my autistic brother in law, "Bil".  But, starting today, I may take this blog in a different direction.

Because "it" doesn't happen overnight.

 By "it", I mean tyranny.  Nazi Germany did not go from zero to mass murder of millions overnight.  And, in some scary ways, people enabled the tyrants by not speaking out before it was too late. One day, they no longer could.

I grew up knowing people whose families had been wiped out.  Now, that generation is almost completely gone.  In the next few years, they will be gone.

It is up to us to speak out. What happened Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia can happen anywhere in this country.

I have to wonder, if that car hadn't plowed into that crowd in Charlottesville, how many fewer people may not have woken up and take notice.  As it is, a 32 year old woman is dead and 19 others are injured.

History has much to teach us, dear readers, if we only pay attention.

And why should I do this on a blog devoted to someone with autism?

You may have heard of a condition called Asperger Syndrome, a " developmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests."  Some in Bil's life says he has this syndrome.

Have you ever wondered who it was named after?  Because it was named after someone.

Hans Asperger, who died in 1980, was an Austrian pediatrician.  Part of his life was lived during the Nazi era.  You may be interested in his history.

There is some evidence (not conclusive, I must add) that Asperger may have been sympathetic to the Nazis.  On the other hand, others claim he went along with a philosophy he found abhorrent to save the children he was treating.  Like so much in historical study, the story is complicated.

One thing that is not disputed that Nazis held periodic campaigns to eradicate people with disabilities. Bil would have been on his hit list.  

I wonder if those sympathetic to the alt right who have autistic family members  know about this part of the Nazi philosophy, and, if it would matter to them in the midst of their hatred.

If you have anyone in your family who is developmentally disabled, this fight against those who did these terrorist acts in Charlottesville is your fight.  You can not stand by and ignore what is happening in our country.

So, do I continue to write mild posts about my brother in law and his future?  Or do I take this blog in a new direction?

Newtown, Aspergers and the Mentally Ill

I am breaking my silence about autism and the Newtown shooting.

I want to go on record to declare my support for advocates of those with autism and Aspergers Syndrome.

There has been so much misinformation in the media about autism and Aspergers. 

This is a spectrum disorder. Let's talk about Bil for a minute.  Bil, my brother in law with autism, is not Adam Lanza.  He never could be Adam Lanza.  He never would have been Adam Lanza.  Period.

Being socially awkward is not the same as the type of mental illness that apparently Adam Lanza suffered from.

And, I want to go on record to declare that the way we treat mental illness in our country is an absolute disgrace.

It doesn't help anyone.  It doesn't help the sufferer, it doesn't help the families, and it doesn't help society.

It avoids an issue that must be discussed, and discussed NOW.

I have personal experience with someone with mental illness. I've seen first hand that supports were little more than lip service.  Even today, I know someone whose brother is mentally ill.  I know someone else whose spouse is mentally ill.  Both times, families have been left with no support, and few options.

That has to stop.

Guns aren't the issue.  Mental illness is.  And I say that as someone who supports bans on the types of assault weapons that have no purpose other than mass carnage.  But I also know we had a mass shooting near where I live several years ago, and the shooter used a weapon legally purchased in a sporting goods store. Almost all of us who bought guns in that store would have used them responsibly.  Mental illness pulled that trigger, orphaned two children, and killed 13 people.

 Mental illness was the problem.  Experts say we are going to see more carnage if we don't change the mental health system.  And now we in the United States are in the most vicious of circles, where we buy even more guns out of total fear.  How many guns does it now take to defend our families from the improperly treated mentally ill?

Calling for armed guards in schools will not help the mentally ill.   Columbine had an armed guard.

We must change the mental health system.

When I was growing up, we said "Support Mental Health or I'll Kill You."  It is no longer funny.

Autism and Aurora

Thank you blog Autism Policy and Politics, for alerting me to this.

I never thought I would be writing about the events in Aurora, CO.  If anything, if I had a genie, I would make a wish that the alleged shooter be made invisible, and that the media would never write another word about him.

So why am I writing about "he who caused Aurora" today and not about Bil?

It would seem that a morning TV talk show person made a statement.speculating about the mental condition of this shooter.  He said:

"As soon as I hear about this shooting, I knew who it was. I knew it was a young, white male, probably from an affluent neighborhood, disconnected from society -- it happens time and time again. Most of it has to do with mental health; you have these people that are somewhere, I believe, on the autism scale" and "I don't know if that's the case here, but it happens more often than not. People that can walk around in society, they can function on college campuses -- they can even excel on college campuses -- but are socially disconnected."

Well, some of this is true.

But diagnosing someone with autism, or Aspergers, not as a mental health professional but as a journalist?  What is his proof?  What is gained by this?

I know sometimes I play at "does this person have autism?" based on my knowledge of Bil, and other young people with autism. But never would I make my speculation public.  And, on top of this, autism is a spectrum disorder.  It manifests in so many different ways.

I know a young man with Aspergers who will smile at you, and even crack jokes.

I don't feel Bil could intentionally be violent.  (this is not to say a person with autism might react to a stressful situation, especially if they were being bombarded by sensory stimuli- but it is situation specific, and not a personal lashing out.)  And Bil craves company, but in his own way, and on his own terms.

This journalist, who has a child with Aspergers, has just tarred the name of Aspergers.

And one more thought - if it turns out that the allleged shooter has Aspergers - it does not mean all mentally ill people have autism.

If he doesn't retract this, we are back to the era where people with autism were mentally ill - and confined to institutions.

Autism - Hiding in Plain Sight

As scary as Bil's future could be, at least one thing happened to him that didn't happen to many other people in their 50's, 60's, and 70's and beyond.

He was diagnosed. And, thanks to a family friend, he was diagnosed as an adult but before the age of 21.

If he hadn't been, the services he could have received in his native New York State would have been limited.

What about all the adults who were never diagnosed properly? It is a scary story, now being told by the LA Times.

They are adults with autism - hiding in plain sight.

Some have lived their entire adult lives in institutions, diagnosed as mentally ill. Schizophrenia is a favorite.  Also popular (the article uses this term) was the diagnosis of mental retardation.

Some are on the streets, homeless.

Some can function only thanks to friends - guardian angels as you will.

Some are finally diagnosed, after relatives are diagnosed.

It's hard to believe, in this day and age of the "autism epidemic" how these men and women fell through the cracks of our society but their world, and the world of Bil's childhood, was a very different place than the world of today.

The link above is to a harrowing story.

It should be a must read.  Read it, and be horrified.

I read it, and was thankful Bil did not suffer this fate.

Local Artist with Asperger Syndrome and the "Geek" Stereotype

Several years ago, I met a young teen in the Oak Tree program (BOCES) who had a talent for art.  This person isn't her, but there is a reason I am blogging about this artist with Asperger syndrome.

There is a stereotype of the person with Asperger syndrome.  They are "geeks", interested in science, nerdy, that kind of thing, or so the stereotype goes.  There is some truth to that (like many stereotypes, this has a degree of truth in it - and Bil, who has classic autism, has a special interest in the weather) but people would be surprised how many people with Asperger syndrome and autism have artistic talent.  Bil has never shown an interest in art, but who knows, was he ever really introduced to it?


Locally, we have something called the Magic Paintbrush Project.  This started here in the Binghamton area, and spread.  It serves all disabled populations, not just those with autism.  It welcomes adults, and if Bil had wanted this experience I would have been more than happy to introduce him to it.

Maybe one day I will, anyway.

Asperger syndrome isn't just for geeks anymore.  In fact, it never was.

James Durbin Eliminated - So Now What?

James Durbin, the very talented American Idol contestant who happens to have Aspergers Syndrome (and Tourette Syndrome), has been eliminated.

I've only been watching the competition on and off, but a lot of people I know who have been following the competition were shocked.

I guess the main consolation is that you don't have to finish first in order to be a star  Sometimes it seems it's better not to finish first.  Let's see....Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson, just for starters.  No, we haven't seen the last of James Durbin.

Has having Aspergers won James Durbin more fans?  I suspect it may have.

Bil?  I don't think he watches American Idol.  His "thing" is more science, especially weather...and, of all things, horror.

So this really doesn't have a lot to do with Bil, but.....without my association with Bil, would I have cared?

I suspect not.