Monday, February 23, 2009

Conor Visits Nanny ... Briefly





Autistic Disorder is a disorder. In the pictures above Conor, who has Autistic Disorder, exhibits some of the behavior which, in the real world, if not in the ideological world of Neurodiversity and ASAN advocates, is a deficit. Conor has throughout his life enjoyed visits with Grammy and Grampy in Nova Scotia, and with his Nanny in nearby Douglas, New Brunswick. In the past couple of years though Conor, while asking to visit Grammy and Grampy and Nanny, usually has great difficulty once he arrives. He gets overexcited and withdraws; closing his eyes and plugging his ears.

In the sometimes topsy turvy world of autism discussions debates rage on over such inane issues as whether autism is in fact a medical disorder or a socially created construct of an intolerant society. As the parent of a 13 year old boy with Autistic Disorder I think the social model of autism is pure, unadulterated nonsense.

In the pictures above Conor, who loves his Nanny, covers his ears and curls up with Dad for comfort during a visit to Nanny's this past weekened. The occasion was a visit by his uncle Bill and cousin Ben from Nova Scotia. Conor's Mom stayed for several hours but I took Conor home after 15 minutes because of his discomfort. Conor's autistic disorder prevented him from spending time with family members whose company he has enjoyed in the past.

For me, and for Conor, autistic disorder is a real disorder not a social construct.
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