Wednesday, February 27, 2008

perception is relative



The Truth About Autism: Scientists Reconsider What They Think They Know

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

amazing. for some additional insight on autism, check out autistic author Temple Grandin's amazing book, Animals in Translation.
or this interesting clip on her from the BBC.

Anonymous said...

I saw an "interview" with Baggs a while ago and, following your link, last night I read the Wired article. As the mother of a "learning disabled" child, I was told when he was seven that "these kids don't go to college." He now has two undergrad degrees, writes beautifully and has a great job that he loves. It didn't take me long to figure out that most of what were called learning disabilities were actually teaching disabilities. Now, full end-of-the-spectrum autism is quite different, but the philosophy is essentially the same: if we were made in all shapes and sizes and colors and forms, why would we have been made with only one kind of brain functioning?

Anonymous said...

Would it surprise you to learn that (at least) one member of the Cult of the Zombie (me) is a person with autism? I even co-presented with Dr. Grandin at a conference in Conn. years ago.

I've lived all over the U.S. over the years, literally from coast to coast to coast! I'm here to tell you that there is exactly one place where being a person with autism did not automatically make me the most unusual person on my block. That place, of course, is New Orleans. My offer to contribute my unique perceptual abilities to the rebuilding process, if suitably compensated, still stands...

As to "these kids don't go to college", I made cum laude at Yale, and George W. Bush '68 (obviously) did not. Boo yah! Oh yes, sophmom, I'm plagiarizing "teaching disabilities", too, thank you very much!