Devoted Grafton mother pushes back the veil of autism
December 26, 2012 at 2:33 pm in Grand Forks Herald
When her son, Ethan, was diagnosed with autism at age 2 in fall 2005, Jalene Suda devoted herself completely to his recovery. She quit a good job to stay home and marshal every available resource to free her son from this complex, isolating brain disorder. Continue Reading
Does anyone know if the definition of autism has been changed since Bruno Bettelheim published his studies on the subject decades ago? It seems to be much more prevalent now, which implies more factors are involved. I remember when one of the central characteristics was refusal to make eye contact, which is clearly not present in this photo.
Like or Dislike:
6 
1
The definition of autistic disorder has changed with each new publishing of the DSM. The newest edition which will come out in May, actually eliminates many of the “related disorders” such as Asperger’s and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and if certain common symptoms exist, will all be classified as Autism. To meet criteria, you do not have to match the criteria to the “T”, but rather meet a certain number of criteria in each subsection (communication, socialization and restricted and repetitive behaviors). Therefore, no two individuals who meet criteria or the same. Ethan has spent years doing intensive treatment to overcome some skills that were delayed or missing. It’s not fair to judge whether or not he is truly autistic by one snapshot shown here. Having worked with hundreds of individuals with the disorder, I can tell you that no two are the same.
Clover Anderson, M.Ed. and Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Like or Dislike:
4 
0
I forgot to mention that Bettleheim also believed that the cause of autism was due to mothers not emotionally attaching with their children, referred to as “Refrigerator Mothers”. Clearly not the case as proven over and over again.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Autism is not a disease, It is a condition which affects the way one thinks and senses.
One cannot suffer from autism, but from having to cope with a non-autism-friendly world.
Autism cannot be cured, but one who has it can be treated to make life less stressful.
Autism traits can be passed on from parent to child, the same as eye and skin color.
Autism is a spectrum, which means, if you’ve met one person with autism, then you’ve met one person with autism, so no person with autism experiences it in the same way.
Autism exchanges social skills with Intelligence, that ingelligence is usually in a very specific and technical subject.
The best way to find out about autism is to ask different people who have it.
Like or Dislike:
1 
1