Clinic Notes: Bad Autism "News"

Last night, after working all day with children with autism in my clinic, I was scanning the autism news, looking for something to blog about. I found the usual scientific studies on genetics, brain function, therapies -- all of great interest, and countless stories about all of the good things that were being done to help children with autism. But what really caught my attention was what a bad day it had been for some children with autism. A substitute teacher was accused of biting a child with autism, a babysitter poured scalding water on a child with autism because of a toileting accident, a student was charged for bullying a child with autism, and a school in Scotland built a cage for a child with autism to "play" in at recess. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.