Sunday, June 12, 2011

media face of autism

Earlier this month I wrote an entry on the media face of Multiple Sclerosis and its impact on living with MS.

I found a similar concern written by Anne Dachel of Age of Autism, Autistic: Different vs. Disabled and Media Portrayal

... “I came across the story, "Being different: The marvels of the autistic world," … I thought immediately about the countless parents I know in the autism community.  Autism has destroyed their dreams, bankrupted their savings, and shattered their lives.  Who would dare to trivialize their suffering with a title like that? “ ...

  … There is a concerted effort by medical organizations and health officials to make all the sick kids the NEW NORMAL. … We're making autism into something acceptable, just a part of childhood ...

 ... What I see happening is one huge distortion of the term AUTISM.  Clearly, if we label enough people AUTISTIC, the word will lose all meaning ...

 ... The public is being led to believe that autism is something much different from what it really is.  Hidden from sight are the hundreds of thousands kids out there who are struggling with severe autism.  These are the children we never see in the news reports on autism awareness ...

 ... I've noticed over the years that the TV networks along with their big affiliates and major papers don't like to talk about approaching tidal wave of adult autism ...
   
Both Multiple Sclerosis and Autism have recently completed awareness campaigns, yet I would bet money that most Americans could tell you more about a US Congressman tweeting pictures of his body parts than what it is like to live with either diagnosis. 
Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer 
web site: caregivinglyyours.com  
videos: www.youtube.com/daddyleer
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1 comment:

  1. kateFriday, June 17, 2011 at 10:53:00 AM EDT

    It is sad how peoples attentions are so short and there is definitely an out of site out of mind collective of thought out there that genuinely makes me sad! However I am not one of those people and think this blog is a lovely example of someone showing how hard they work to deal with this situation. Keep it up! You have more support than you know!

    I found your blog when searching for similar blogs to my aunties and thought you might be interested in taking a look as it has information and lifestyle tips about MS and the new CCSVI treatment available


    She lives in Norwich, England and suffers from Primary Progressive MS. She has had it for a good few years now but as a child i didnt really notice, it is only as i have got older that i realised she was suffering - she always seems to have a smile on her face, which humbled me with her braveness! You reminded me of her! She is currently waiting for the treatment CCSVI in Poland - apparently it is not available in the UK yet but if tests are positive they may roll it out here.

    As she says, this could be the beginning of a cure for this disease.

    We have every finger and toe crossed for improvement! She is having the operation in August and she is uploading a lot of videos to show her condition before and after the op. She is rather technically impaired hence why I am contacting you, but she would love to hear from you and your experiences and if you would like to know more about CCSVI please please get in contact.

    Kind regards and best wishes

    Kate

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