BigBlog

You know, I just wonder if Autism Speaks has an ear in the editorial staff of Time Magazine. After the Wrights got the number 27 spot in a list of the top 100 heroes in 2008 (a disgusting addition and I said so to Time back then), they've claimed a place in the top 10 medical breakthroughs in 2009.

Amongst some good breakthroughs - like the prostrate cancer screening and the changes to funding for stem cell research (which was number 3 and it should have been number one in my opinion), they've nominated the findings within chromosome 5 by the researchers who examined the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (an Autism Speaks initiative). This is a joke. These findings - whilst showing the highest percentage results so far - are still way off the mark. I mean, what's 15% for goodness sake? And these results came from just 2,000 families affected by the condition. It's highly presumptious, and likely doesn't include the higher end of the Spectrum. I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of that 2,000 is affected by low functioning Autism. So where's the representation for the whole of Autism, huh?

Just to prove the point - the admission was made that the differences they found were common in the entire human race. One in two of neurotypicals (or healthy people as the article put it, and that in itself is offensive writing by Time). On the contrary, that proves the existence of Neurodiversity - to the point that one could maybe argue that there's no such thing as neurotypical! Think about that one.

It just goes to show - you can make statistics prove anything you like. Just take the numbers and twist. There are of course some numbers that can not be twisted. That one in 100 for example for children on the Spectrum. People call it worrying. I call those people political grandstanders because instead of trying to understand the Autistic Spectrum they use it as an excuse to create a panic. Panic is the last thing we need because that inevitably leads to mistakes, and those mistakes inevitably harm those that the panic merchants claim they are trying to help and protect - when it does the opposite.

Let's understand the Autistic Spectrum, instead of fearing it. You don't have to love it. Just tolerate it a whole lot.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944376_1944404,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1945379,00.html (about half way down)