I see that one of my favorite autism authors, John Elder Robison is at it again
John Robison speaks about the neurodiversity course he teaches at William and Mary, and a lecture he apparently gave about lobbyists in government.
He alleges that Autism Speaks only speaks for parents and grandparents of autistic persons and not for autistics themselves. According to him, only organizations represented by autistics have credibility, and not those who he believes speak for parents.
He extols the autistic self-advocacy network as an exemplary organization that has effected change in government and other areas. He feels the parents and grandparents who run the show at autism speaks are wrong to speak for autistics who don't like autism speaks.
Yet he feels fine with an organization consisting predominantly of extremely high-functioning women, including a college professor and a Harvard law graduate who is married, despite the fact there is purportedly a 6:1 ratio or more of high functioning male autistics to females speaking for the bottom 99% of autistics, myself included.
This is not to mention the fact that ASAN has encouraged self diagnosis in their members, so we don't even know if a good number of them are genuine autistic persons or not.
They reserve the right to use "the royal we" for autistic people by saying "we" don't want to be cured "we" don't like autism speaks, and "we" believe in neurodiversity.
ASAN also purports to speak for the lower functioning children and not even give the parents a voice as far as their own child is concerned.
It's interesting that autism speaks also has two autistics on their board of directors. Both of them oppose a cure, both of them are or have been married, one never attended a special ed school as I did for eight years, I doubt the other one did. One has stated that autism is a superpower. The other stated that autism isn't a disability but a strength. One was not diagnosed until they were 40 years old years after their own son was diagnosed and years after they offered their services as an autism consultant for hire. Interesting someone expert enough to charge money as an autism consultant would miss the possibility of autism in themselves for years.
I'm still waiting for ASAN to put a male pro-cure, anti-neurodiversity autistic on their board of directors as well as a pro-cure parent or two.
The double standards of John Robison never cease to amaze me.
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