Original Post: May 27, 2006

This Mother's Day weekend of this month took two people's breaths away, and it was not the mothers who were given gifts in appreciation.

This month, there were two major stories of the murders of autistics, both on Mother's day weekend. One was of a little girl named Katie McCarron, smothered to death after her mother placed a plastic bag over her head. The other was a 19-year-old named Christopher DeGroot whose parents locked him in their apartment and set it on fire. Both were "severely affected" individuals. Two more people who had to die because they were born different from those who are in power over the organization that are SUPPOSE to help them, but only in name.
These people were in charge of an organization named "Autism Speaks", which is partnered up with the NAAR and aim to spread "awareness" of autism. They made up a video called "Autism Everyday" that featured parents naming their various experiences with autism. At one point, a mother stated that she seriously contemplated taking her autistic daughter and driving off the George Washington Bridge with her. This video was released on May 9 earlier the same week that these two murders occured. Coincidence? OMG, I think perhaps not.

These things should not happen. These parents should not kill their children anymore than William Freund should have killed those other people. Murder is wrong, and that's that. However, such poisonous attitudes towards autism contribute to such acrimony between parents and children, and autistic adults and neurotypicals everywhere. No matter how strong the mens rea and the actus reus are evident in the liability of the individuals who commit these acts, societal attitudes still played a factor.

When organizations like "Autism Speaks" market such venom that show such a slanted view of autism, they contribute only to further societal hostility towards individuals on the spectrum. The video mentioned earlier started out with so many tantrums, nevermind that these children may have sensory sensitivities and are often upset where there are too many people around (the camerapeople). The video's key moment of the mother saying she wanted to kill her child juxtaposed to the autistic child's sister saying "I wish my sister didn't have autism" is pure exploitation of duress for the sake of a money shot. No one showed what these children liked to do or how they learn. It is all about negativity.

Not me. I use to be all about negativity, but I want to be realistic right now. I want to be a physician because I want to help those on the autistic spectrum and have the aspie/autie mindset to comprehend them. If I were given a chance to introduce autism, I would say:

"Mr. and Mrs. ... I have news for you. After working with your child, I have diagnosed him/her with autism. I understand that the word brings fear to your mind, but I want you to hear me through.... First, I want you to forget everything you think you know about autism. Ok? Listen carefully now to what I have to say. Autism is a neurological condition that results in different brain wiring. However, your autistic child should never be viewed as defective or not capable of developing. Otherwise, you'll never have the time to be just parents for you'll just be searching for a way to get rid of the condition. Your child will have difficulties in social situations and speech development, but I can help you work around these developmental barriers. He/she may have cognitive difficulties, and I will help you advocate for proper educational services. He/she will have many repetitive interests, and I will lend guidance as how to use them constructively. I understand that you may be upset, but much of it stems from lost expectations rather than the autism per se.... Grieving is a natural part of the process, but you need to keep the actual grieving away from the fact of the child. Slowly learn to let go, and turn back to your child. Realize that this is another human being who deserves to be loved and respected, not a set of problems you need to fix. Autism is not a disease, but a lifelong difference that is central to being. And however we need to get on that road to helping your child's development the best way to do it is together."

If only more doctors stopped telling parents about the horrible prospects, perhaps funding can be more efficiently spent on learning how autistic people are rather than eliminating them. They may seek to cure autistics, but autistics ARE the cure to many things: assumptions, ignorance, and prejudice against neurological minorities. The more voices speak this message to better. Then perhaps incidents like the ones involving the murder of autistic children will not happen. Maybe people like William Freund won't driven to kill others.* Maybe we can completely avoid this acrimony altogether.

*Note: Although I talk about societal tension, I realize that it is ultimately an individual's own choice to commit actions, for better or worse.

How much more of this can happen? And how can we assure it will not happen on a grand scale? We let people know the facts of the situation through a blog like this and through active vocalization, so that they may know the hints of a greater evil to come. I will end with a very relavent quote for the new X-men movie:

"No one ever talks about extermination. They just do it. And you go on with your lives, ignoring the signs around you. And then one day, when the air is still and the night is fallen, they come for you. Only then do you realize that while you're talking about organizing and committees, the extermination has already begun.... There is only one question you must answer: Who will you stand with?"
-Erik Lensherr/Magneto