Autism Summer Conference Day One

I am going free form here, because my mind is reeling from today. I learned so much, had many assumptions challenged and myths shattered. I knew within the first twenty minutes that this conference was going to be life changing. It's going to take me a long time to process and absorb the information I heard today, but I wanted to record my first impressions.

The first presenter was Anne Donnellan, who has worked in the field of autism for 40 years. She started the first preschool for kids with autism in North America. Her presentation was based on the fact that we know very little about autism, so we supplement that lack of knowledge with fabrications or assumptions. She mentioned the oft-cited statistic that 80% of people with autism have "mental retardation" and how there is no evidence to support that assertation. I got to meet her at the evening reception and thanked her for her work.

The second presenter was Martha Leary, an SLP, who spoke about sensory and movement difference in people with autism. She connected behaviors to movement differences and referred to her paper, which compared movement disorders in acquired neurological conditions (such as Parkinson's disease) and autism. Symptoms in other neurological conditions are considered "behaviors" in autism. One of the specific behaviors she mentioned was scratching. When kids with autism scratched someone, it was possible they were craving proprioceptive input. When pressure was applied to their fingertips, hands, and wrists, the behavior stopped. When Liam was doing this, I was told by a behaviorist that he was "taking delight in hurting others" and it "scared" her. Maybe she was right, maybe she wasn't, but I know that when I held his hands tightly (to stop him) the behavior ceased.

Session three was Nan Negri and Kate McGinnity, a behaviorist and special ed teacher who do sensory activities that mimic the autistic experience. I know some ability awareness experts who frown on these types of activities, on the basis that they promote pity for the person with the disability, but I honestly found it enlightening and think it would be helpful for Liam's classmates, teachers and peers in the community.

Estee Klar-Wolfond was the final speaker of the day. Her speech was a bit dry in the delivery (she read the entire thing) but very inspirational and controversial. She is a disability rights activist who partners with adults with autism to challenge the "fix what's broken" mentality of the medical and educational systems.

I will probably have trouble sleeping tonight with all of this new information, but when I came home, my little boy greeted me at the door with all kinds of questions. He was happy and excited to tell me about his first day at music camp. I am prouder than ever to be his mom.