36th Annual Autism Society of America Conference in Nashville, Tennessee as experienced by the author
A four-part series
Let me first state that my feelings of excitement in anticipation of a conference on autism are the equivalent of a pending trip to Disney Land for a child with a Mickey Mouse obsession. Maybe even greater.
Why? In surveying the edges of this enthusiasm, I have come to the following three conclusions.
1.) My mother is exceptionally content putting together puzzles, patiently figuring out geometry problems, learning to program the video player, and other non-human related problem solving exploits. My father took pleasure in solving everyone else’s problems, whilst living his own multiple lives (a glaringly unresolved problem existing conveniently in his blind spot). I have a genealogical history of a need to figure things out- all in a thinly disguised effort to be closer to self, to understand self- for self IS intrinsically connected to all of this problem solving. Autism happens to be one of those ‘things’.
2.) If the autism experience truly is comparable to tripping on psychedelics due to the possibility that milk and wheat proteins turn into opiates with out the appropriate enzymes, (possibly) also entering the blood-brain barrier where they could overwhelm the bodies natural enzyme system that break down natural opiates or endorphins, creating in response, a reaction through disrupting the neurotransmission in all main systems, and consequently affecting perceptions of all the senses- I may be able to relate. (Note: this is an extremely simplified way of explaining this process- for more in depth information on enzymes, digestion and autism, see Dr. Kalle Reichelt’s ‘Opiod Excess’ Theory. Paul Shattock at the University of Sunderland is also a leader in research on biochemical interactions in people with autism. Bernard Rimland of DAN and ARI is also a leader.)
As a child I had an innate propensity toward hallucinating and experiencing the world in hyper-sensual, stereo-Technicolor, or HSST. (This is also a jarring sound that some men make to get a young woman’s attention.)
As a young adult I had a propensity for exploring and regulating my environment through psychedelics.
3.) I generally like people with autism, as I like cats, artists, philosophers and scientists (who may or may not also be autistic). I feel comfortable around them, and they make sense to me. In many respects I feel that uncovering the mysteries of autism is a metaphor for other conflicts we all face at one time or another- pain, doubt, fear, ecstasy and anxiety. I don’t believe a conventional life (however one chooses to define ‘conventional’) is a measure of happiness and achievement, or success in the realm of human existence. I think there is much that doesn’t even enter into our consciousness as possibilities for personal contentment in life. Illustration: Less than 2 decades ago it was inconceivable that millions of pieces of information could be stored in a metal chip the size of a fingernail. Today we walk around with I-Pods that hold thousands of digital songs in the palm of our hand. We organize our hectic lives with multitasking hand held digital personal organizers. Yesterday it was hard to accept the mechanics of electronics that were not analog, today we are asking what comes after digital, what is smaller than digital? Our conceptions grow when we are faced with the drive to progress (pro-GRESS).
My interest in autism is magnified by the diversity of viewpoints regarding the autistic individual. At one time it was easy: The refrigerator mother causes Autism.
Now it seems we all have an opinion on what autism is, what it isn’t, how it should be treated, and even How it should be conceptualized- for it is the conceptualization of the state as “disease, gift, difference, beast, exceptionality, disability” to use a few widely publicized words, that fix the image of autism in our minds, and inform our ideas for treatment. The dominant viewpoint of autism based on books written in the United States by parents of autistic individuals and the professionals that they work in conjunction with, seem to be one of ‘saving the child’ from the ‘clutches’ of autism. My favorite example of this viewpoint currently is Karyn Seroussi: In her book Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, she says:
…Will I fight this thing; beat it down until it exists no more to torture innocent families? This goal will become part of my life, my daily purpose, my reason for living. I have no choice. I will be driven in a way that I never dreamed I could, and I will not rest until the beast has been slain.
She seems to see ‘autism’ as an intruder a “thief” as she refers to it else where in the book. It reminds me of the stories of a ‘child snatcher’ who would come in the night and steal unsuspecting children from their beds. In the United States this entity was also known as the ‘Boogey-man’.
Bernard Rimland, (a brilliant man for whom I have a great deal of respect for) coined his organization on autism research, ‘DAN’, an acronym for “Defeat Autism Now”. Observation: There is violent imagery in approaching the autism difference, as though it were a loathsome criminal, a beast with no heart, George Bush Jr…
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