A day can make a big difference in my son’s world of severe autism disorder, intellectual disability and epileptic seizures. Yesterday as I pulled up to his school to pick him up at the end of the day I could hear his voice inside the school and I kn…
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Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism, Seizures, Meltdown, Recovery:What a Difference a Day Makes
A day can make a big difference in my son’s world of severe autism disorder, intellectual disability and epileptic seizures. Yesterday as I pulled up to his school to pick him up at the end of the day I could hear his voice inside the school and I knew things
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism, Seizures, Meltdown, Recovery:What a Difference a Day Makes
A day can make a big difference in my son’s world of severe autism disorder, intellectual disability and epileptic seizures. Yesterday as I pulled up to his school to pick him up at the end of the day I could hear his voice inside the school and I knew things
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism, Intellectual Disability and Seizures, When Together, Constitute ONE DISORDER
In the picture above, taken 3 years ago my son erupted in sudden self injurious behavior smashing himself violently in the head a split second after he had been on the swing at his old grade school, Nashwaaksis Memorial School; a split second after he had been very smiling and
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Severe Autism With Intellectual Disability And Epilepsy Can Be Tough But It’s Still a Wonderful World
My Son Conor Wore The Blue on World Autism Awareness Day I understand some of the criticisms of the day and of thinking that wearing a color in itself creates autism awareness but as long as people raise real autism awareness of the challenges of autism disorders and the related
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Disorders and the 1st International Epilepsy Day, February 9, 2015
Monday, February 9, 2015 is the first International Epilepsy Day, a joint initiative created by the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) scheduled to occur annually hereafter on the second Monday in February to promote epilepsy awareness around the world. Epileptic seizures are
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Society Canada Misrepresents Autism On Its Web Site Makeover By Hiding The Many with Autism AND Intellectual Disability
The Autism Society Canada web site was down briefly and I had hoped, notwithstanding past experience, that the ASC would have started presenting an accurate picture of autism disorders to the Canadian public and families with autism disorders. My hopes, faint as they might have been, were dashed again. ASC,
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: So Called Autism Brain Study Excluded 50% of the Autism Spectrum, Those With Intellectual Disability
Credit (or Discredit) Carnegie Mellon University What’s Wrong With This Picture? It Omits 50% of The Autism Spectrum, Those with Intellectual Disability The picture above, credit (or discredit) to Carnegie Mellon University, is from a Science Daily review article Brain representations of social thoughts accurately predict autism diagnosis which reviews an
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Joy of Conor 2014
I will not pretend, I will never pretend, that autism is just a different way of thinking. Heather and I love our son too much to lie to the world about the nature of his autism realities, his severe autism, intellectual disability and epileptic seizures. Like many parents of autistic
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: DSM5 ASD Criterion D: No Clinically Signifcant Impairment in Current Functioning = No Autism
The DSM5 is certainly open to criticism; particularly in its combining of the pervasive developmental disorders into one Autism Spectrum Disorder ignoring the very large numbers of persons with DSM-IV Autistic Disorder who also suffer from Intellectual Disability. One point which did make sense in the Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnostic
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: JAMA Study: $2.4 Milliion (US) Lifetime Cost of Care for Person with Autism and Intellectual Disability
JAMA study points out US lifetime costs of care for a person with autism disorder and intellectual disability will approximate $2.4 million US (ASD W/Out ID #1.4 million). For children special education and parental productivity loss were largest cost components. For adults residential care, supportive living accommodation individual productivity loss
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Conor’s 3rd Tonic Clonic (Grand Mal) Seizure
Two and a half hours ago Conor suffered his 3rd Tonic Clonic or Grand Mal seizure. (He also suffered an episode of rhabdomyolisis, a serious adverse reaction to his previous seizure medication). On the previous 2 seizures Conor was in a room by himself when they started, this time he
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: For CNN and Francesca Happé Adult Autism Is A Bouquet of Pretty Pink Flowers
CNN which loves to portray high functioning autism and Aspergers as autism has done it again with a feature called “Autism Is Growing Up” which … of course … features only adult persons with High Functioning Autism and Aspergers. In fact CNN and its accomplice Francesca HappĂ© present 7 full stories of
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: IDEA Disorder, Intellectual Disability-Epilepsy-Autism Disorder, On World Autism Awareness Day
Conor a year ago at the local ICU where he stayed for 6 days while the ICU professionals worked to save his life and return him to us in good health after a serious adverse reaction to his seizure medications. Other parents of children with severe autism disorders and intellectual
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Stanford Study Provides False Hope For Many Parents, Misrepresents Autism Disorders By Excluding Subjects With Intellectual Disability
A Stanford study which excluded autistic subjects with intellectual disability is being used to spread the false notion that autism is not a disability … just a difference. This misrepresentation of autism disorders appears in the August 16, 2013 San Jose Mercury News (I added the underlining, HLD): “Autistic kids
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: SFARI, Once Again, Continues Misrepresenting High Functioning Autism/Aspergers Only Research As "Autism" Research
SFARI blog article depiction of a resting “Autism” brain accompanying review of study employing only Aspergers subjects as representing “autism” for comparison with non autistic resting brains SFARI continues its agenda of misrepresenting high functioning autism/aspergers only studies as representing “autism”. It has published, on its blog page, several study
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: A Humble Father’s Simple Autism, Intellectual Disability and Epilepsy Research Questions
I have been trying to read, and understand, literature about autism disorders since my son was diagnosed with an autism disorder almost 16 years ago. (Many would undoubtedly suggest I have far to go in development of that understanding). In the last few years I have begun to try and
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: SFARI Continues Misrepresenting High Functioning Autism Only Research As "Autism" Research
The Simon Foundation Autism Research Initiative, SFARI, continues to represent studies involving only high functioning autistic participants to the public as “autism” studies. In the Children with autism have trouble recalling memories article posted January 3, 2014 SFARI reports as an “autism” study a study which excluded as participants the
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Emily Willingham Uses SFARI Pulpit To Misrepresent Severe Autism Disorder And Intellectual Disability
Emily Willingham argues that persons like my son, with severe autism disorder and intellectual disability, should remain invisible with the focus on those with “pure” autism and no intellectual disability SFARI has done Emily Willingham a favor, allowing her to use their site as a platform to further her efforts
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Great Autism News: 15 Year Old Boy With Autism And Intellectual Disability Found Safe
As the father of a 17 year old young man with severe autism, intellectual disability and epileptic seizures I am very happy to read that 15 year old autistic boy Louis Martin was found safe in Montreal after being reported missing by his father (who also tweeted his son’s disappearance).
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