Comments on: Last night’s major Emmy winner on Paulie’s radio show tonight

By: Linda Anselmi

Linda Anselmi — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:23:28 +0000

Missed the Emmys. But glad Grandin got attention.

Her Animals in Translation - is an interesting read. If you can deal with a detail discussion of slaughter houses. She helped design a more humane process for animal slaughter. Not a good read for vegans. But might convert some meat eaters. Very enlightening on how Autistics perceive, think and react and it’s similarities to animal perceptions, reactions etc… Not that they are alike in intelligence, but having heighten awareness to sights, sounds and touch.

A very enlightening and engaging fictional book about a young autistic boy
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

By: Linda Anselmi

Linda Anselmi — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:20:54 +0000

Missed the Emmys. But glad Grandin got attention.

Her Animals in Translation - is an interesting read. If you can deal with a detail discussion of slaughter houses. She helped design a more humane process for animal slaughter. Not a good read for vegans. But might convert some meat eaters. Very enlightening on how Autistics perceive, think and react and it’s similarities to animal perceptions, reactions etc… Not that they are alike in intelligence, but having heighten awareness to sights, sounds and touch.

A very enlightening and engaging fictional book about a young autistic boy -
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

By: jbjd

jbjd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:12:49 +0000

wodiej wrote, “I don’t know why in the world anyone would assume that most people think autistic people are stupid or lazy.” Because of empirical evidence, that’s why. I am the mother of a child who to all outward appearances is “normal” and not developmentally disabled. People unfamiliar with the symptoms of autism would not know he is autistic. As a result, when he acts in a way that is contrary to expectations; it has been my experience, MOST PEOPLE THINK HE IS STUPID OR LAZY. Even current teachers, unaware he is on an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), first assume any deficits between achievement and perceived ability are attributable to these factors and not an anomaly of the brain. (He has no Aide.) (Either that or, they are stereotyping him because he is black. Pick your poison.)

By: jbjd

jbjd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:10:19 +0000

wodiej wrote, “I don’t know why in the world anyone would assume that most people think autistic people are stupid or lazy.” Because I am the mother of a child who to all outward appearances is “normal” and not developmentally disabled. As a result, when he acts in a way that is contrary to expectations; it has been my experience, MOST PEOPLE THINK HE IS STUPID OR LAZY. Even current teachers, unaware he is on an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), first assume any deficits between achievement and perceived ability are attributable to these factors and not an anomaly of the brain. (He has no Aide.) Either that or, they are stereotyping him because he is black. Pick your poison.

By: jbjd

jbjd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:07:58 +0000

wodiej wrote, “I don’t know why in the world anyone would assume that most people think autistic people are stupid or lazy.” Because I am the mother of a child who to all outward appearances is “normal” and so, when he acts in a way that is contrary to expectations and, based on empirical evidence, it has been my experience, MOST PEOPLE THINK HE IS STUPID OR LAZY. Even current teachers, unaware he is on an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), first assume any deficits between achievement and perceived ability are attributable to these factors and not an anomaly of the brain. Either that or, they are stereotyping him because he is black. Pick your poison.

By: arabella trefoil

arabella trefoil — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:03:10 +0000

That is my brother’s situation as well. He needs medication and constant supervision. He needs a lot of structure. Many autists do not like change. Back in the bad old days, when Freud ruled, austism was supposedly caused by “refrigerator mothers” that is cold rejecting mothers. My poor mother suffered greatly having to undergo psychotherapy. My parent both had to undergo counseling, not to help them deal with their son, but to find out how and why they produced a “defective” child.

Thank goodness my parents were smart and tough. They looked at alternatives. They defied the experts and found their own ways of dealing with my brother, and with all of his siblings. Many marriages and siblings suffered tremendously because of lack of understanding of what autism is.

When my brother grew too old, large, and strong for my mother to manage at home, we were lucky to find a wonderful day program for him and a group home in the same town as my mother. Now a days there are many medications that can help profoundly autistic people. Sometimes autists have behaviour problems that are tough to manage. A combination of behaviour modification and the right meds work wonders.

My mom sometimes asks if they can “medicate my brother more” because when he visits her he gets into mischief. Ironically, overmedicating a patient (any patient) is illegal. It’s a form of physical restraint. So they give my brother the minimum medication necessary.

My sibs and I laugh about this because we had to really pressure my Mom (who had just undergone major surgery) to put my brother in a group home. My mom claimed “They’ll drug him up! He’ll be a zombie!” We find it funny that now she thinks a little more medication would be a good thing, at least when he visits her.

Well, it’s funny to us. Maybe you guys don’t think it’s funny. You have to keep a sense of humor to deal with the stuff life throws at you.

By: wodiej cracker dawg

wodiej cracker dawg — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:43:44 +0000

I have an autistic nephew but he cannot function independently and certainly not without meds. His Mom has him in special classes and he does pretty well but he will never be able to live on his own.

Further, I don’t know why in the world anyone would assume that most people think autistic people are stupid or lazy. I think the overwhelming majority of people can discern the difference between that and someone who is developmentally disabled.

By: jbjd

jbjd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:37:23 +0000

Until my son’s diagnosis – I knew something was amiss – I would not let him fall behind. I talked to him ALL THE TIME; read to him; and kept him by my side. (I put him in a backset with his books when he was little and carried him from room to room with me.) I taught him math by pretending the sidewalk was a number line; and the geography of Africa by turning his body parts into countries. (His chest was Chad.) But the more I ‘caught him up,’ the harder was the diagnosis! Finally, I made the ‘experts’ listen; and once they did, the diagnosis became so clear. Now that his challenge had a name, everything else suddenly fit, and could be accommodated.

at writes, “I’m so grateful that I know and love my brother. He is dear to me in ways I cannot describe.” I think I know how you feel. Do report back after hearing Dr. Grandin speak.

By: jbjd

jbjd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:35:59 +0000

Until my son’s diagnosis – I knew something was amiss – I would not let him fall behind. I talked to him ALL THE TIME; read to him; and kept him by my side. (I put him in a backset with his books when he was little and carried him from room to room with me,) I taught him math by pretending the sidewalk was a number line; and the geography of Africa by turning his body parts into countries. (His chest was Chad). But the more I ‘caught him up,’ the harder was the diagnosis! Finally, I made the ‘experts’ listen; and once they did, the diagnosis became so clear. Now that his challenge had a name, everything else suddenly fit, and could be accommodated.

at writes, “I’m so grateful that I know and love my brother. He is dear to me in ways I cannot describe.” I think I know how you feel. Do report back after hearing Dr. Grandin speak.

By: arabella trefoil

arabella trefoil — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:18:19 +0000

I have a severely autistic brother. He lives in a wonderful group home. Every Saturday I take him to visit my mother. I spend all day with my brother and my Mom. My brother can communicate in a limited way, but he has a wicked sense of humor. He loves to tease me. He is very, very, intelligent. It’s a shame that he is so autistic that he can’t function in “normal society.” Still, he has a great life. The State of New York takes excellent care of him. He goes to Day Hab. He participates in music, art and horseback riding. He is an excellent bowler and has lots of trophies!

Temple Grandin’s books are wonderful. She provides important insights into how autists see the world. I think she has written at least four books.

It so happens that Temple Grandin is speaking at my university next week for Convocation! I am excited about hearing her speak.

I have not yet read Grandin’s mother’s book, but Grandin’s mother was creative and persistent in her efforts to raise a daughter she was told to institutionalize. My parents were told to institutionalize my brother (this was back in the 1960′s.) They chose to keep him at home while attending special education classes until he became too hard to manage. (We were nine siblings in all, so what a household it was!)

I’m so grateful that I know and love my brother. He is dear to me in ways I cannot describe.

I am so happy that Grandin is getting the recognition she deserves. A bit of sunshine in world that lately seems so dark.

Never underestimate anyone.

By: jbjd

jbjd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:00:18 +0000

For selfish reasons, I urge all of you to follow these links to learn more about Dr. Grandin, and to listen to the radio interview. My beloved son is autistic, also high functioning. And the more people who ‘get’ that being autistic does not mean, he is stupid, or lazy, or incapable of strong emotional attachments, the better and more fulfilled will his life become. (I must say, he is also extremely good looking and good natured, so that he attracts people and is perhaps more sociable than otherwise we would expect. His friends have come to accept his pecxadilloes and help him to conform his behavior to situational expectations.)

By: jbjd

jbjd — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:58:54 +0000

By: Bronwyn

Bronwyn — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:26:01 +0000

I am very excited about hearing Paulie’s show tonight after watching part of the Emmys last night and seeing that very fit, very large woman lumber up those steps to the stage to share in the Emmys that the movie on her life won.

Have any of you seen the movie, or read her book?