I think part of the problem that you’re talking about is that some of the adults we meet online used to be those “lower functioning” autistic children. They still have struggles, and some of them are much the same as those they faced as children. I think we can forget about that because (in my experience) they don’t often talk about the struggles they face, and they are often very good at communicating via the written word.

I do, however, think that Amanda is a very good example of someone who is an incredible communicator but who qualifies as one of those “low functioning” autistic people. I know that it takes a lot of effort for her to make these blog posts, and that she expends the effort because she thinks it is important to give out the information. That’s why she did the CNN piece. I’ve known her for a number of years (online) and have always been impressed by her honesty about her own situation.

I myself have ADHD. I don’t consider it to be a disorder; it’s part of who I am and how I am – how I relate to the world, and how I think. Some people have more difficulties in their lives because of ADHD; others have less. I suspect I’m somewhere in the middle. But we can all relate to each other in some way, because we all face the same kinds of difficulties in life – they just might be more severe for some than for others.

I think that is likely very true for autistic people, as well. I suspect that “low functioning” autistic people and “high functioning” autistic people both face the same kinds of difficulties – the only difference is the severity of those difficulties.

http://autisminnb.blogspot.com/2007/02/is-neurodiversity-movement-ashamed-of.html

I also like to think my group is unbiased ( that’s one of the reasons I created it ) so happily included this BLOG link to the group.

In principle and based on my own experience of some with AS via internet lists they do tend to almost disregard lower functioning members of the autism spectrum and their parents / carers. This may not be done, in many cases, with any malice, but it would appear Mr Doherty MAY be guilty of the very thing he accuses others of being.

I say One Autism / One Voice ! It is the only way politicians, agencies and those that hold the purse strings will ever listen to the needs of ALL those affected by Autism.

It is so unfair that a person’s worth as a being is calculated upon what comes out of their mouth. That old phrase, “keep quiet and be thought a fool or open your mouth and remove all doubt” is one that my mother used to say to us when we were kids.

My son Charlie is very smart, talented, funny, I know this, but in expressive language he is very limited, receptive language is better, but still we are not sure how much he is able to process. Does that make him less of a person, less of a child? Less deserving of being a part of the community? Less in need of love? Send him away to an institution? Over my dead body and then some!

My child can not communicate as well as a lot of kids and for a long time we felt he would never speak at all. Now he can ask for things that are needs-based, wanting food, wanting to do something, but the deeper things that he wants to get across to us are told to us in his eyes, in the way he presses himself into us for comfort. He leads us along and we follow him and try to understand his language. Because he does have a language all his own.

He uses physical body cues to show pleasure or displeasure, or even indifference. He uses sounds and some degree of pantomime to show us what he wants. The fact that he has learned our language is so incredible. He truly is bilingual and it’s us that can’t learn HIS language, but we are trying.

There are things that I wish I knew, what are his dreams like at night? I know he dreams, but what are they like. When he is thinking, what is going through his head? Will we ever know? I wish I was telepathic sometimes.

But he’s a person with thoughts, feeling, intelligence and love. Even if we never have a “real” conversation at all (as defined in minutia by psychologists and speech therapists), I know that when we are laying together at night and snuggling, or when we play tickle or chase games without using any words there is so much going on that words could never express.

He did approve a short comment I made correcting a factual error. That’s when he posted the “you’re unable to acknowledge…” comment. My response to that was not approved.

Mr. Doherty selectively approves comments in a way that appears dishonest to me.