100%. We are all different and should embrace it with peace, love and understanding. There are way too many 2003 fanfics that treat Mikey like a clownish idiot that probably wouldn't treat Rise Leo like that. And maybe more importantly, what I might be able to do to assist. The MDA not only helped me find a place to stay for 5 weeks(for free and with supportive wonderful people. every year. It’s not fear of harm or pain or bad things and it’s not really the type of love you feel for other humans. ABA research design is flawed, with small sample sizes, absence of RCTs, detection bias and typically no assessment of risks or adverse events. Also with regards to AS, not everyone is aware of their dangerous attitude towards autistic individuals. ?hey,over here!i could use help! So I think acceptance is great verses awareness. That rejection toward my son, and often times the entire family, has been painful. You won't automatically gain points for being "correct." Instead, I push acceptance and education. Social activism is a small part that, on it’s own, doesn’t do much. Christianity as an institution is one of the biggest shelters for abusers out there and this shit right here is how they do it. Fae Cryptid. <3 Thank you for reading and commenting! The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is promoting Autism Acceptance Month, challenging people to take it a step further than awareness. An. That’s more than a different approach, in my opinion, it is wrong and harmful to the autistic community as a whole. He used the wrong word, “phonographic memory” - which was supposed to be a classic Mikey case of paraphasia, ie substituting a similar word (he said telepathetic instead of telepathic, for example). People believe what they believe, and even if you give a good argument and even show convincing evidence, people are still going to hold tight to their beliefs. In 2003, undiagnosed ADHD Autistic Mikey was the resident pop culture sponge, infodumping and hyperfixating on superheros, classic adventure films, actual references to Spider-Man, Captain America, Jaws, horror movie tropes, etc. a “fun run”. But I will definitely look into it now. Autism is NOT a disease. This is one way we can bring more than just “awareness”. :). I do not attach my blue light to autism speaks, I personally do not have anything to do with that particular organization, but I am all for education, understanding, and acceptance. I think social media can be a powerful tool if used correctly and not simply a regimented action for the day’s philanthropic venture. Had I not read your post I would’ve never known about Autism Speaks. Me, on Facebook: ANGRY: “Anyway, my suspicion that ABA is being used on kids with cerebral palsy has been confirmed and now I’m thinking murder. Of course, I reference these things all year in various posts, I do dedicate an entire post to it each year. ? Also, it’s like the March of Dimes wanting to end premature babies, primarily by aborting babies who may be born prematurely of with other physical or mental issues. Since I was also a victim of Emotional and mild Physical abuse from a narcissistic birthdad (adopted my his mother and stepdad), I was scared to look into anything else until now, and…you’ve been really encouraging. If, for example, people posted facts about Autism, ideas about truly raising money, awareness, and acceptance, and directed people, like me, to the proper places to learn more – I think you could change the hearts and minds of lots many who are otherwise ignorant. Not just activism.. But there is always at least one other person in the crowd looking at you and thinking, “I get it. ((hugs)) I know that this road isn’t easy and I wish there was some way I could help. | Navigating Life, Light It Up Red for World Autism Awareness/Acceptance Day - Learn From Autistics, 5 things you can do instead of Light it Up Blue for Autism Acceptance Day, https://autisticmama.com/instead-of-light-it-up-blue-autism-acceptance-day/, 5 Things I Learned About Autism in April 2019 that you should know. Only 4% of funds donated to Autism Speaks are reinvested in services and … But I do think that most people who choose to do it are people whose lives have been touched by someone with Autism. This makes absolutely no sense. I light it up because I love my son and god knows people like him deserve to be acknowledged. As a result, we the undersigned members of the disability community stand together in urging you to end your support of Autism Speaks and re-allocate your donations to a recipient who can better represent the needs and desires of autistic people and our families. Junky? What if her future husband does not feel the love for our son that she does? He is four years old and diagnosed almost 18 months ago. Also look on Facebook. Did you ever wonder why blue is the color of choice for the autism awareness day? Acceptance cant happen without awareness , anything that leads to acceptance has to be good, without past awareness campaigns it would be extremely difficult to have the general populace accept my son. I think acceptance and awareness go hand in hand. Me giving donations isn’t helping him feel more loved and accepted. I don’t believe in there being a cure but only solutions to help them become as independent as they can be. Some people may not participate correctly but I truly believe it starts conversations and intrigue. Thank you for your kind comment. (And we’ve dealt with aggression as well). I have Asperger’s and I also have many friends with Asperger’s too and we’re all different (like a jigsaw puzzle piece – every piece is different) – I have a friend who knows all about trains (he’s even built a few), I have siderodromaphobia (fear of trains), I have another friend who’s a pilot, I don’t do heights and I get claustrophobic and so I can’t even imagine myself getting on a plane. I’ll love my child no matter what! I thought this book is a g My Brother Charlie is written by Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete, along with illustrations by Shane W. Evans. I completely agree with you. LITERALLY some of you don’t fucking know what “disposable income is” like i cannot stress ENOUGH that someone who was able to get animal crossing on day 1 of launch or a ps5 preorder that is still only working minimum wage job and/or cannot pay their rent on a monthly basis is NOT your enemy bruv they are NOT “the rich” like PLEASE cement that in your head. That’s so interesting, Sandy. My son was just diagnosed at age 22. This is the best scene in “Dan Vs”2. I will show my support for Autism, as I always do…every single day of every single year!! For me, that’s all it is, raising awareness so that there’s more understanding. In 2012, there was an almost throwaway moment where Mikey had to clean up Don’s lab and knew visually where everything went. ^This is part of where my polytheist pantheism comes from. But our family is strong and full of love. I definitely don’t think people with autism should be forced to take a vaccine or it but I do believe the option should be available. My child get punished because his parents did everything right, got education and work hard. Thank you. People should be able to light it up blue if they want because they believe in Autism Awareness not because they believed in an organization like Autism Speaks or that turning your profile picture to a blue square is going to actually do something to change a person with autism is life. I think Light it up Blue is a good effort to expand peoples’s awareness, and it came along well after we knew that there are a high number of girls who have been identified. Autism Speaks is useless organization doing nothing for our children. A lot of the information is on programs, services, and summer/day camps for special needs children in general. Im determined for my child to be more than a Wal-Mart greeter. That can only be a positive thing. It seems like every cause has a huge organization that is crazy popular but doesn’t really help. You have to be AWARE to ACCEPT something. you are supposed to have enough money for toys and games and vacations. That’s something to be praised and admired. We light up blue for the entire month. But nowadays not only does nearly everyone know what autism is, they’re typically connected to someone with autism in some way shape or form. Lifelong TMNT Fan. This is exactly right! I have known since he was very young, however he is very high functioning so I never pushed for a diagnosis. If 2003 Mikey could have only been treated as beautifully and fully cherished overall as Rise Leo is treated. Have a wonderful day <3. Autistic. Cat Lover. Praying for you and your family. If I want to have a blue porchlight in my support for autism, I can…. No one cares, they all love Frankie for him and have all found their unique ways to communicate with him. Plus I have an 8 year old grandson and a 3 year old grandson with Autism. For myself, things like social anxiety, executive dysfunction, limited energy, and communication difficulties often prevent me from participating in activism outside of the internet. I’m sorry. I think showing some compassion and support is a good thing… at least people can do that much. And although you say, people know autism on social media, they don’t…honestly WE still don’t, even as moms of autistic children. Again, very happy that your family member was reached by this message before something terrible could have happened. So I don’t have an issue with spreading awareness, the amount of dirty looks from fully grown adults and confused kids because he may be having a meltdown in public over a small thing or silent when they say hello and they don’t understand what autism looks like and why jordan is the way he is. I post because i once was all this plus more. here’s a convenient list of things not to say to a disabled person when they tell you they can’t do something because of their disability (100% of which have been said to me): I know I should stop thinking about it so much, but considering my Fremdschamen when 2003 first aired and how I spent over a decade after still thinking about it, I can't help it. Y’all need to sit down, stop talking and listen. In the 80s? I am a fellow homeschool, work at home mama with special needs kids… I always knew there was something I didn’t like about Light it up Blue.. Now I see why. I can’t wait to see what we uncover in the next hundred years. I totally agree with this article. I can see some of the points that you are making but I disagree with a lot of it. They have transition to adulthood resources. We’re all aware of, and patting ourselves on the back because we wore pink or changed a profile picture doesn’t help anyone. Zu is newly sober and finding her way in the world when she receives news that she is to become the sole guardian of her half-sister named Music, a young girl on the autism spectrum. I had no idea (not having family with autism) so generally I would think its great to do the April 2nd light blue idea. And I am unapologetic for wearing blue or pink or red. It’s not, despite having had many chances to become that voice. The whole world turns pink in October, but very little is actually done to support breast cancer from certain organizations. I tell them its a rough road but its able to be traveled, they have to learn their childs every move and thoughts and teach them in a way that they understand not the way other ppl children understand. “exactly!”). It took me a while to see how tiny fleeting pieces of Mikey showed he really was intelligent in multiple ways throughout the franchise. If even just one person sees a blue profile picture or anything else related to LIUB and it causes them to think for a moment isn’t that worth it? I attend a program for autistic adults in their late teens and early to mid twenties. But more than that, they have changed their mission. Me: I - wait - that - yeah, okay, thank you. I cant believe that I have never looked researched what they are all about!! Mediterranean Eastern Europe Central Asia Jewish. Cerebral Palsy. It’s agreed. She resents the “light it up blue” theme of Autism Speaks because she does not feel her autism is in need of a cure! I differ with Autism Speaks POV in that their party line is vaccines are safe and they refuses to see the many eyewitness parent accounts of regressive autism as vaccine injury. I guess negativity can be found in anything if one wants to put it there. Nicole, welcome to the autism family. Wow – really interesting information you shared about this organization. It can be very overwhelming starting out after the initial diagnosis. Sharing your post. Autism speaks organization exists in a parallel world from us, we hear from them ones a year on the “ blue” day. Posting on social media about “awareness” does absolutely nothing to help anyone. My son who is seven happens to be excited about wearing blue tomorrow. I wish you and your family well, and I pray that your son gets a chance to benefit from those of us who love and include without a second thought. I don’t give them money or even associate them with autism. The anti-vaccine sentiments of Autism Speaks’ founders have been well documented in the mainstream media. I have a son who is Autistic. I’ve marked those which are (in my opinion) the best ones to get a full overview of why ABA is – in all its forms – abhorrent. Here is my problem with your post. What are your beliefs about being politically correct? Autism Speaks advertisements have cited inaccurate statistics on elevated divorce rates for parents of autistic children and many other falsehoods designed to present the lives of autistic children and adults as little more than tragedies. Introverted. We did raise money for them the first year my son was officially diagnosed. And raising awaness to other people might people understand and be able to help. Usually for me it was encounteting other people’s ignorance. Just sayin’. Here’s the thing. Our family have learned and grew with him his whole life about autism. Shared it on my FB page: http://www.facebook.com/authorbrandiewiley. Neurodivergent. I will be wearing blue this Saturday to support my niece, my students, past and present, with autism, and my amazing 17 year old son. As a mother of 2 Autistic adults, I love it! I am a mother of a autistic child who lights it up blue in April and also all year. He can’t be left alone for ONE HOUR, much less his lifetime. of them feverish, sick, triggering seizures and night terrors and regression in speech and cognition–all in an attempt to avoid viruses like Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Chicken Pox, the flu (5childhood illnesses that I actually had and then was just fine…with a far more robust immune system than children have today. And no, I don’t think you had to say what you said nicely. I certainly know what war is, and not only do I understand Disney movies, I have a favorite. Required fields are marked *. I pray daily for those God has called to walk those shoes & be that child’s angel & helper. May I also ask where you got your information for ‘Autism Speaks,’? I believe every life is worth keeping, whether autistic, Down syndrome or other congenital conditions. Autism speaks can kiss my autistic ass :D, I agree with most of your article. …..it probably won’t ever be diagnosed. How can you reach out and help them connect? I did not mean this to be seen as yelling or ranting, but more pleading. Now my rant is over….. I did wear blue; because I work with children and families in their home, school, and community setting and I do make a difference in their lives as well as the community. My exposure to autism has been on the periphery. So you can rant but as a newly diagnosed mother I had no clue what to do or how to prescreen or what steps to take or without the help of Autism Speaks so please know that good is done. I’m so sorry that you have to deal with this craziness on top of taking care of your precious little man! I completely agree. I grew up undiagnosed, so I was treated as normal as you can imagine a mexican kid in the US to grow up. I didn’t read all the comments, but the one about breast cancer caught my eye. maybe we’re in your house. I though blue signifies calmness, not gender… I’m I totally agree about breast cancer awareness, but I had NO IDEA about the March of Dimes!!! Helping parents out, giving them a break, helping in supporting them? Nobel goals, poor implementation. :) <3 So glad that you found my little corner of the internet. Of course not all of us can. x. Oh I’m so sorry. The Association for Autistic Community We also have non-verbal violent ASD kids in our family. I go above and beyond promoting awareness for autism all the time, and this is just one more way I can do that. I think we agree on many points! However lighting It Up Blue is a way to start the conversation and bring more awareness to autism. I do wish them best of luck with their son because it is a constant struggle taking care of a child with Autism. Simple fact of autism prevalence. I feel the same way about lighting it up blue, social media activism and Autism Speaks. All I can say is GREAT JOB in explaining what Autism Awareness really is ? I plan on lighting it up blue for my son .I do it because I feel even though people have heard of autism they really don’t know what it is or the struggle . And I understand both sides. He actually sat for almost a whole minute before he gave me an answer……it was NO, there’s nothing wrong with me! Debra recently posted…Asian-Inspired Turkey Meatballs with Carrot Rice, Thank you for your comment. Being apart of the community you should know that every person with autism is different. there are too many instances of things going wrong just for the lack of understanding. Once we hit the teenage years his whole life turned upside down and inside out. I was otherwise educated by everything else. We absolutely need more acceptance and understanding. I wish life was easier for her, but I would never change my child! But cure a severly disabled kid with a life expectancy of 36 /56 depending if low or high functioning they throw their arms in the air in horror. Thanks for sharing. 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