Autism, ADD Team up for Huge Night

So I was killing time on the Internet when I ran across this article about the rising numbers of babies born within the ever-expanding spectrum of Autism.   Some people say it's environmental; populations near certain factories have experienced a spike in autistic children; some say it's diet, some say it's the MMR vaccination and still other's insinuate that some mild 'cases' are conjured by hysterical parents.  But I got this notion that maybe it's part of evolution, that autism--sometimes producing functional adults who can memorize Pi to the 14,000th digit and write a book about it--is the mutation that will lead to a more advanced human (if you read 'mutant' as a negative term than you watch to much TV.)  I know this is weird and totally not a speculation typically found in a space called a "Playhouse," but I got giddy about my postulation and did some Googling (Not the apex of academic research but I bet even Stephen Hawking vanity Googles.)  I get to Kottke.org and find this video.  Beware, the first three minutes will test your tolerance and alarm the neighbors, but the annoying beginning is necessary to prove a point...the rest of us might be the "idiots".  

Comments

[Zippy]

we must be the tards because I don't know many autistic people who get up and go to work everyday

[Sherry Ewy(coincidence? hmm)]

one day i awoke
without a voice.
or perhaps
i never had one,
the doctors aren't sure
except to say
"that's a problem".
i would reply
"yes it's a problem
for me too" if only
i had the voice
to do so.
but my ears
work quite well,
and my eyes do too,
and i can see
my mothers tears,
right before my eyes shy away
because her pain
is too great
or maybe my shoulders
are too small
to hold such weight.
but i allow her
to hold me close
for one moment
as i try to
melt inside her
away from the noise
and chaos.
then when we go to walmart
she declares in
a cheerful voice
"look both ways for safety!"
just as she has
every trip since
the beginning of time.
and i would reply that
"i see the cars,
i just don't care.
they can't hurt me
in here anyway".
if only i had the voice
to do so......

[sherry ewy]

by the way zippy, your typical working Joe doesn't use the word "tard" in an everyday sentence, but there are people all around you working just fine who are on the Autism spectrum. The Autism Spectrum Covers all different kinds of conditions from quite severe to very mild. Someone with mild Asperger's syndrome may just appear slightly odd in a social setting, but otherwise quite typical. They may not have even been diagnosed. Lots of people out there have Not been diagnosed.