Catriona Johnson

Recent Activity

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  Catriona signed the petition | about 1 year ago

  Tell Etsy to Remove Rape Congratulations Cards from Website
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  Catriona commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  Ruling on Vaccine Court Cases Today: Après ça, le déluge

  Here, here Alyson! The energy and resources wasted on debating vaccines could change the service systems for children, families, and adults.  If we could capture all of that anger and turn it towards positive change, the world for people with autism would be one of welcome. 

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  Catriona commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  Kennedy & Kirby, History and Howl

  I have a friend on the IACC who just told me they are hiring added security for the upcoming meeting because of threats from the vaccine-autism groups.  All this in a week that another study has come out showing no connection.  The "vaccine causes autism" line is not mainstream.  It is a small but very vocal group of conspiracy theorists who are dominating the debate at the expense of more promising research on therapies, services, and supports, etc.  In doing so they denigrate people living with autism and pull resources from families seeking support so their children can live in meaningful lives in their communities.  Should the anti-vaccine line ever become mainstream, we will have lost our way. 

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  Catriona commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  Once Upon a Time, I Tried to Recover My Son From Autism

  Great blog -- I too have walked the journey and dislike the focus on a cure or recovery.  The DD Act states that "Disability is a natural part of the human condition."  If that is true why are we trying to cure people with disabilities.  Some years ago I had an epiphany about why parents of children with autism are so tied up with the cure and causality.  They get this short window of time when they think things are "normal" and then they have to make a huge readjustment in the context of a disability-negative society.  Think about our culture -- we want everyone to be cured at the end of the movie.  For parents that think vaccines caused their chilld's autism, they can't subscribe to the idea that disability (and autism) is a natural part of the human condition.  It is "caused" by something, so they can't come to acceptance and seek the "cure" and blame the vaccine industry, the environment, etc.  The assumption about autism is just so different and is antithetical to a civil rights view of autism in which celebrates diversity and difference and where the focus is rights, inclusion, and services and supports.

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  Catriona commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  10 Autism Controversies

  Congratulations on a well-written blog regarding the controversies -- and the posted responses show exactly how ugly these controversies are.  A professional friend always told me that in parents of children with autism, anger was grief turned sideways.  There is a lot of anger here and a lot of blame.  The primary focus of an autism agenda has to be on services, supports, best practices, inclusion, employment, housing, etc.  The focus on cures and vaccines is a throw back to a medical model and will undermine efforts to build communities in which everyone is accepted.  Having a focus on supportive communities does not preclude, but actually supports, good interventions, including more alternative interventions.  I worry about families where parents' anger defines them and their child.  Whatever one's beliefs about causality, imagine what could be done if everyone's focus turned to services and supports? 

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  Catriona commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  Top 10 Videos

  Thanks for picking so many videos that characterize autism in such a positive light.  Parents who see autism as a civil rights issue -- focused on how society can support people on the spectrum and how society must change to provide acceptance and support -- are concerned that the "autism agenda" has been taken over by those focused on a cure, vaccines, etc, all of which harken back to a medical model.  My hope is that the Obama administration sees the harm in this to people with autism and all people with disabilities and promotes a stength-based agenda focused on services, supports, best practises and quality of life.