Rebuttal: Why the Neurodiversity Movement is Harmful

The Autistic Dark Web is all over. What are they? They are essentially the Anti – Neurodiversity movement. Their stance is wanting people to be accepted is extreme. They have another article out and we will take it apart paragraph by paragraph. As per usual, exact words in the article will be italicized. I will put in my own thoughts after each paragraph. The link to said article will be at the end.

I apologize for the complex response. Here’s a simplified version:

I met Thomas Clements, a 30-year-old with autism, for the first time. I was unsure how to interact with him, but our meeting went well. We had lunch in the West End and visited his favorite place, Chinatown.

Please let me know if there’s anything else I can assist you with.

Tom Clements has incredible talents and is deeply fascinated by China, Japan, and arthouse cinema. He is also knowledgeable about American, British, and Chinese hip hop. Despite his remarkable abilities, Tom does not consider autism a gift and finds it challenging in daily life.

[Jack] can utter single words and basic phrases, but his ability to construct spontaneous sentences is limited … [He] will never be able to live the life of an ordinary adult. He will require fulltime care for the rest of his life, which will necessitate someone keeping his bottom clean. We all love him dearly, but at the same time we are forced to swallow the bitter pill that he will never have a career, a house, a car or a family like the rest of us. This is a tough thing to come to terms with.

They start to say that his brother Jack is non verbal. Non verbal is not non communicating. This does not mean they will not live a fulfilling life. For example: I have a very good friend who requires support staff, is non verbal but is a pharmacologist. One has nothing to do with the other. They (non binary) uses an ipad for communication. Knows everything about every single medication there is out there.

Then he goes on how his brother will need help with ADL (activities of daily living). Again nothing wrong with that. They do not need to feel sorry for him. He can still live a happy life. Jack’s disability is not about everyone else. It is about Jack. Stop being a martyr.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition, or range of conditions, characterised by difficulty with social interactions and communication, restricted interests, repetitive behaviours, and sensory sensitivity, symptoms that ‘hurt the person’s ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life’, as the US National Institute of Mental Health puts it. The fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (2013), or DSM-5, lists three severity levels for ASD, based on the extent of social communication impairment and restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour. 

They go on to explain what autism is accroding to the DSM V. Instead of functioning labels now there are three levels. The levels are just used to determine what services the individual needs.

The diagnostic criteria for Level 1 autism include ‘difficulty initiating social interactions’, ‘atypical or unsuccessful responses to social overtures of others’, ‘[odd and typically unsuccessful] attempts to make friends’ and ‘problems of organisation and planning [that] hamper independence’. Level 2 includes ‘marked deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills’, ‘limited initiation of social interactions’, ‘markedly odd nonverbal communication’, as well as ‘inflexibility of behaviour’, ‘difficulty coping with change’ and ‘distress and/or difficulty changing focus or action’. Level 3 includes ‘severe deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills [which] cause severe impairments in functioning’, ‘very limited initiation of social interactions, and minimal response to social overtures from others’, ‘extreme difficulty coping with change’, ‘restricted/repetitive behaviours [that] markedly interfere with functioning in all spheres’, and ‘great distress/difficulty changing focus or action’.

This paragraph just describes the difference between the different levels. I do not like levels so recently I tell people I am level Dungeon Master. Makes people smile.

People diagnosed with Level 3 autism tend to have great difficulty interacting with others, and can appear to lack social skills altogether. For example, the DSM-5 describes ‘a person with few words of intelligible speech who rarely initiates interaction and, when he or she does, makes unusual approaches to meet needs only, and responds to only very direct social approaches’, adding that such individuals require ‘very substantial support’ in their daily lives. By contrast, people with Level 1 autism can function independently with some support. (Level 3 corresponds closely to the 11 cases reported by the Austrian-American psychiatrist Leo Kanner in his classic paper from 1943, while Level 1 corresponds to the mild form of autism described by the Austrian paediatrician Hans Asperger in the 1930s.)

This goes on to describe level 3. This is supposed to represent “severe autism.” Use Identity first language. We are not sick.

Estimates of the prevalence of autism vary widely, and appear to have increased dramatically in the past two decades. A press release issued in 2012 by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that the prevalence in eight-year-old children in the US was one in 88, representing a 78 per cent increase from the estimate in 2004; the latest CDC estimate stands at about one in 59. The World Health Organization estimates that one in 160 children worldwide has autism, noting that there are ‘many possible explanations’ for the apparent increase in prevalence, ‘including improved awareness, expansion of diagnostic criteria, better diagnostic tools and improved reporting’. It notes, however, that the rate of autism in low- and middle-income countries, especially in Africa and Latin America, is unknown.

This is starting to become just as long winded as Billy Mann’s non apology. Here come the scare tactics. Stating there is an increase of autism diagnosis. No kidding! Adults who have been autistic their entire lives are starting to be diagnosed! Its not rocket science. Autistic people have autistic kids. Of course there is a rise in diagnosis.

Despite lengthy research, I could find no figures regarding how many of those diagnosed with autism fall into each of the three severity levels but, according to the CDC, about 40 per cent of children with autism do not talk at all, and at least a quarter acquire basic language at 12-18 months of age, but then lose it. The results of a longitudinal study in Australia published in 2016 are somewhat consistent with this estimate: overall, it found that 26.3 per cent of the 246 autistic children sampled were using ‘fewer than five spontaneous and functional words’ by the end of the study, and 36.4 per cent exited the study not using ‘two-word phrases’; these figures were slightly higher according to different measures and the parents’ reports, which indicated that nearly 30 per cent were not ‘naming at least three objects’ consistently, and more than 43 per cent not using ‘phrases with a noun and verb’ consistently at the end.

Autism is a controversial subject with various ideas and theories. Some believe it is caused by different factors like infections or vaccinations, while others see it as a natural part of human diversity. The neurodiversity movement celebrates autism as a unique gift and advocates for acceptance and accommodation. However, there are also opposing views that argue for a focus on severe cases of autism and feel excluded by the movement. Neurodiversity compares to civil rights movements, and some see it as crucial for the human race, just as biodiversity is for life.

Neurodiversity has become more popular in recent years, thanks to books like Steve Silberman’s “NeuroTribes.” People are starting to recognize the hidden potential of individuals with autism and the benefits of including them in different areas, such as design and branding. This way of thinking has gained mainstream acceptance, influencing policies and manifestos. However, there are some negative aspects to the neurodiversity movement.

Autistic people are often misunderstood. Some say that we romanticize autism, but that’s not true. We just want to be accepted and treated with respect. There are also those who celebrate other conditions like depression and schizophrenia, but it’s important to remember that everyone’s experiences are unique. We should support and empower each other, not shame or stigmatize.

Autism is not simply a “variation of normal.” Scientific research shows that it originates from differences in brain development and genetics. It is not just a social issue caused by discrimination, as some argue. The understanding of autism has evolved, and the focus now is on understanding it better and developing treatments for those who need them. However, historical mistreatment of autistic individuals has led to a rejection of the medical model by some advocates. We must recognize and learn from this history while also advancing our understanding and support for individuals with autism.

Despite many important medical advances, there is still a lack of understanding of the causes of autism, which leaves many parents desperate, and makes them willing to try just about anything to help their children. Consequently, there is a huge market for ineffective or untested treatments and quack remedies – from craniosacral therapy and neurolinguistic programming to therapies that claim to enhance ‘upper chest “emotional breathing” to help us to learn through emotional charge on experience’ and wearable devices that use so-called Bilateral Alternating Stimulation-Tactile technology to transfer ‘alternating vibrations to alter the body’s fight, flight or freeze response to stress and anxiety’, which apparently restores ‘homeostatic nervous system functioning, allowing you to think clearly and experience calm’.

This article does say how parents are very desperate to try anything. They fail to mention that the neurodiversity movement aims to save children from abuse treatment such as MMS, cheletion, GcMaf, etc.  Follow the MMS link to find out how harmful ingesting industrial bleach is. If you read my blog regularly, you will know exactly what it is and how dangerous it is. Parents are willing to try anything which is why the tragedy narrative is extremely dangerous.

Neurodiversity advocates believe that seeking a cure or treatment for autism is harmful and akin to eugenics. They fight for their rights, against dehumanization, and against systems that contribute to poverty and suicide. On the other hand, some advocates have become militant and bully those who portray autism negatively or desire treatment. They criticize Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) as cruel and unethical.

Furthermore, they are trying to legitimise self-diagnosis of autism. ‘Neurotypicals continue to dominate the conversation and speak over autistic voices, which ultimately reinforces a pathologising viewpoint about us, and centres around the idea that somehow we fundamentally cannot speak for ourselves,’ wrote Solveig Standal on the Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism blog this April. Standal continues:

Yes, ultimately some of us will come to realise that they are not really autistic, but the exploration still helps them find answers about themselves, and no one is harmed in the process. However, when we deny someone’s autistic identity, we shut them out of the whole process, deny them access to the tools they need to better access the healthcare system, and potentially deny them their formal diagnosis altogether.

Sure! Access to healthcare is limited, especially in the United States. Self-diagnosis is a necessity when proper diagnostics are not available. However, self-diagnosis should not be dismissed as invalid. It often leads to a clinical diagnosis. Sometimes doctors make mistakes, and individuals may only discover their true diagnosis later in life. It’s important to acknowledge that neurotypicals can sometimes speak over autistic individuals and exclude them from conversations. While some autism researchers are aware of these issues, few are willing to speak up due to various concerns. Nonetheless, more parents and carers are beginning to share their own experiences that may differ from the portrayal of autism by the neurodiversity movement.

Parents and carers do not experience autism. Autistic people experience it. They can speak for themselves. LET THEM. Nothing about us without us!

Children with severe autism and intellectual disabilities may exhibit challenging behaviors. Understanding the underlying reasons for these behaviors is important to help address them effectively. It’s crucial to remember that these behaviors are a form of communication, and by identifying and resolving the root causes, the behaviors can be minimized.l

Hall and his wife Valerie published a book called Immersed: Our Experience with Autism (2016), describing in detail daily life with their children:

In public, the boys may throw a fit at any moment – we can’t predict it, and we can’t be certain of the cause. It could be because of the lights, or the sounds, or the number of people around. It could be because they don’t feel well or because they’re just tired. It could be a combination of these things, or none of them.

Even typical kid-friendly entertainments do not ensure that the boys will react positively. Their understanding of situations is limited, as is their tolerance … what normal kids consider fun, autistic kids may consider baffling and terrifying.

These martyr parents wrote a book about their experience raising autistic twins. They are not “throwing a fit,” they are having a hard time with their surroundings. If they were proactive, they could see it coming. I have three autistic children and I can see when they are getting uncomfortabl early on. They show signs, if you know how to look for them. Sensory stimuli can be very painful. Stop trying to expect autistic children to behave typically. Not every child is the same. If the child finds a surrounding terrifying, remove them or change it. Not the child.

Neurodiversity is about accepting that we all think differently and embracing the diversity of the autism community. It’s important to include and support autistics who have more severe needs. However, there are some who believe that the neurodiversity movement overlooks these individuals and monopolizes the conversation on autism. It’s crucial to have open and respectful discussions about autism, including all perspectives.

The article claims that the neurodiversity movement is harmful and excludes autistic individuals with more support needs. However, the writer believes in including everyone and asks parents to support their autistic children without using abusive therapies. The article seems to spread fear and portrays independent autistic individuals as enemies. It could be seen as another harmful piece from the autistic dark web.

Original article