Adults with Autism on CNN Tonight
Tuesday November 20, 2007
Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta, who have addressed the issue of autism before on their show "360," will be taking a look at adults with autism on tonight's show. Their featured guest will be Amanda Baggs, a non-verbal adult with autism who has gained some fame through her unique videos and other artistic expressions.
Here's a bit from their program description:
Scientifically, so little is known about autism. We don't know the precise cause. There is no cure or proven prevention. On a human level, there is so much knowledge to be learned. Tonight, you'll meet Amanda Baggs and people like her in Dr. Sanjay Gupta's special report "Finding Amanda." She will be your guide into the world of living an autistic life to the fullest.If you do watch CNN tonight, let us know what you thought. Does it make good sense to feature individuals like Amanda, whose disabilities are such that she cannot function effectively in the "neurotypical" world? Or would it be more helpful to parents, employers and others to feature adults on the higher-functioning end of the spectrum - with whom they'd be more likely to interact?
Share your thoughts!
Comments
I missed the show, had another commitment. However, I did watch the video online and was very moved. I too have a child with autism, non-verbal, talks with a computer synthesized voice. He is not as articulate with it yet as Amanda is, but he’s getting there. I watched the video again with him last night, and it felt like he was going to melt right into me. The unspoken message that came from him was “Finally, somene’s got it right.”
After watching the video, we had the most interactive few hours that I have ever spent with him in his 11 years. For my son anyways, Amanda hit the nail right on the head.
Cheers
Caroline
I really enjoyed the show, Amanda is amazing. I have a three year old autistic son who is non-verbal. We need to see more realistic potrayals of autism, whether high or low functioning. It would be a disservice to show only what some would consider “high functioning”. There is so much in the media about “curing, and recovering” ( thanks jenny mccarthy:( ) that it gives people a false hope that if the do the right things their child will be “normal”. Acceptance is what we need to advocate for. Accept who your child is, and how their brain functions. You can still get them the support they need to succeed, but they do not need to be fixed to fit in our world. Our world needs to support and cherish neurodiversity!
Maybe it’s just a personal muse, but I would like to hear from some of those who were in the “recovered” group from the original Lovaas study and hear their perspectives of going through that process and how it is going now. I’ve seen video of those kids at about 13, but I often wonder how they are doing now, with the additional complications of adulthood.
While I think it is valuable to hear messages of respect and reflection of values for all differenced people rather than alarm, at this time I feel like I either hear adults from the spectrum speaking of acceptance or parents of young children talking about recovery, and sometimes their personal version of what it takes for that. I just wondered if there were other points of view that have not yet been considered. None of this is meant in a derogatory way.
I was at that conference, and Im interested to see the longer portion. They talked to some really interesting people (the young man who sang, Jordan, is really a great “kid”. He’s my honorary brother!). Amanda and I shared the “first girly bathroom stereotype” experience too.
It was so funny watching though, because it was like…”i know her, and her, and him, and him, and hey theres the president of autcom, and ooh I know him too…” and then seeing me a couple times was odd too.
It was nice to see autistic adults for once, just as we are. The good, the not so pretty, the funny. I hope the long version is good.
And (to finish my novel) my dad is so called recovered by Lovaas. He doesn’t pass worth beans anymore and has wicked PTSD. He CAN pass better than I can but not much, and it takes a lot out of him. I feel bad for the rest of the adults who feel like they have to pass still.
Here, Here! (or is it “hear, hear?”), Diana!!!
I watched the program with Amanda, and I agree that she is amazing and very brave to go to that conference. I am a special ed teacher with a student who is diagnosed as having autism. As everything appears now, he will need a caregiver for the rest of his life. There are many things that he has trouble with, including, of course, communication—but he is improving:-) He is a delightful, very loving person who puts a spark in my days at school. My life has been made richer by having the experience of knowing him. I am retiring from full time classroom teaching after this year, and I will miss him the most…
I missed the show but strongly believe that the more exposure and attention autisme gets, the better for those with autism. I am a mother of a high-functioning autistic six year old and hopefully these types of programs will help people understand the autism spectrum and be more compasionate with those who have the disability.
Does anyone know of an adult with autism who has recieved intensive therapy to cure them of autism as a child who would like to talk now? What a refreshing addition that would be for some parents…to get a perspective from someone who has gone through all the therapies and what they feel about it all now.
The only clear message we seem to get from our son is that he wants and needs to be accepted for who he is (don’t we all) and to help him do the things that are expected of anyone his age. The two messages can be very conflicting at times, as the help he needs at times needs a therapeutic approach. I sometimes feel that therapy’s definition is “to change” and yet this kid wants to be accepted for who he is. A very broad gray area, if only it were as black and white as his perspective on life sometimes is.
Cheers
Caroline