Put the bus add back up and don't forget no two cases are the same.

 http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Seattle-Children-s-Hospital-pulls-autism-bus-ads-4654573.php


   Lately I have felt pulling back from the blog was a good idea and I have done that. Also disconnecting a bit from the online world because real life needs more connecting and I intend to do just that but this morning I heard about the story above on the radio returning home from dropping my son off at the autism center. I have to tell you it really bothered me.

   Here is why, advocates were angry about the add on the Seattle bus putting autism in a disease category and had the add pulled with an apology to boot. What a ridiculous thing to do is all that entered my mind and the reason is we cannot deny that thousands of families face extreme troubles on a daily basis. We cannot deny that thousands of kids are inflicted with numerous health problems, seizures, and total lack of being able to take in the world around them. We also cannot deny some kids are coming out of autism or rather making amazing progress and what we could say is healing over time.

   Disability or disease? How can we as advocates decide what autism is for some families? How can an advocate deny the fact that autism needs attention in the worst way from the medical community and science? Maybe the add could have been written differently, wipe out probably wasn't the best choice of words. Solve would have been ideal and maybe that would have calmed some people down a bit but in this world, maybe not.

   Here is a an example of a person these advocates didn't consider in there quest to remove autism from the bus. A young mother with an autistic child. She isn't sure if he was born that way or if something triggered it but she knows he was fine up until a certain age. All of sudden her child has numerous allergies, the child nearly cannot have a bowel movement but once a week, the child can not longer control tantrums or outbursts, the child no longer sleeps but two or three hours a night, will not eat but a selection of three foods. None of which are healthy and no matter what she tries nothing works. Her child cannot speak and because of that she cannot leave her child with anyone. Her days are spent trying to figure out the ups and downs of autism. She sees food plays a big role and yet doctors have not one answer for her. She is told genetic with a possible environmental trigger and we can say cancer or diabetes follows that same pattern to a point.

  Autism is up 74% in the ten years and the medical community has not one answer for families who need it. It is a bit disturbing to me a group of advocates would ignore the reality that autism needs more medical attention and would be offended by an add on a bus. My son is autistic and not only would I be glad to see that add but also feel a little relief the cause is being pushed medically to be solved. Different wording so not to offend would be wise but to have it removed all together is to have the attention pulled back from what so desperately needs it. There is acceptance and then there is lack of site into lives so greatly effected. We cannot disconnect ourselves from children and adults that are truly suffering or advocating for autism doesn't any good in the first place. It doesn't matter if a person believes it is flat out genetic or something caused it, either way if no one knows for sure so who gets to decide what autism really is?

   I personally don't see my son as disabled or diseased. He is a boy fighting to be understood. You can be damn sure I would like to go into a doctors office and not feel as though I was just the educator on autism when I walk out. I would like to be able to take my son in for a doctors appointment and have some kind of resolve to a challenge when we walk out instead of medical providers being just as, if not more confused than I am. Then again I can barely get my son into the building let alone a doctors appointment because the touch of strangers frightens him. I say put the bus add back up with the words "Solve cancer, diabetes, and autism" and let it role.