Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Clinic Notes: Let's Just Bury our Heads in the Ground and Autism Will Go Away

Well here's a cheap and quick way to cure autism--just say it is not a medical disorder or disability but a "socially created disability," whatever that is. Apparently, that's what President Obama's nominee Ari Ne'eman to a national disability council is saying. Mr. Ne'emans, who has very mild Asperger's, is against investing money in anti-cure autism research. Well, that's going to thrill parents who bring their children with autism to my clinic. I glad that Mr. Ne'emans has overcome his disorder and is in a position to be nominated, but I don't think he would be any parent of a child with autism first choice. I doubt that he has seen children with autism banging their heads or biting themselves. Or children with autism who have developmental delays in all areas including language. I don't know how this was socially created. Perhaps the next time a mother brings her child with autism to my clinic complaining that throwing feces is a problem at home and school I will just say, "That's just a socially created disability."