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Donna Stevenson
Granger, IN
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Donna signed the petition | -
Donna signed the petition | -
Donna signed the petition | -
Donna commented on the article |I had read somewhere that if something could be solved with common sense then you don't need science. Something that seems to be common sense is easy to explain and lots of people easily embrace it. Science isn't as easy to explain.
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Donna commented on the article |No matter how we define the word empathy, I think that the common knowledge that people with autism lack empathy is obscuring us from seeing that many people with autism, maybe all of them, are good at sensing the emotions of others. Temple Grandin is even celebrated for her ability to sense the emotions of cows - leading to her designing better slaughtering equipment - but no one seems to see this as a contradiction in how we view people with autism.
My practical concern is that if people with autism are good at sensing the feelings of others, and have no way to realize that others aren't as sensitive to this, then some of them may inhabit a hellish world where others are giving off waves of anger, pity, etc. They may have no idea why other people are bombarding them with feelings. Kind people may not have any clue that while they are trying to behave kindly, they are unknowingly communicating frustration or sadness.
My interest is partially a personal one. I'm a very kind person (and modest too!) but I cannot sense the emotions of other people. My sympathy for animals has led me to become a vegetarian, but I do kind things for others by logically thinking out what they might like done for them, or doing what they tell me they want me to do.
I can easily accept that people with autism are good at sensing emotions because of how I view autism. A slight variant of others thinking, I think that people with autism strongly use their right neocortex and left limbic system, with weak use of their left neocortex and right limbic system. I believe that I have evidence that I have strong use of my left neocortex and right limbic system, and weak use of the other two parts. The slight difference from some other theories is that I think we can have split dominance in the brain.
Anyway, I seem to be getting off topic. What I mean to say is that as long as people have a paradigm of autism as only deficits, I don't think they will see the proof of superior abilities which are obvious if you are looking for them. -
Donna commented on the article |
To say that empathy is a "regard for the welfare and rights of others" is, I think, to use it differently than how it is defined, but I do think many people commonly use it that way. Another word to throw in is sympathy. I like the description of empathy and sympathy by Carol Wren in Hanging by a Twig:
"Empathy is the “feeling for” another person, knowing how someone feels based on what we pick up, glean, or intuit. It is to be distinguished from sympathy, which is estimating how someone might be feeling based on what one has observed of his or her circumstances. Empathy is primarily a perceptual and intuitive process, while sympathy is mainly a logical one." (p. 171)
I don't think that empathy has to do with being kind, though maybe the word is headed in that direction. Then we would need another word that means that you intuitively understand what others are feeling. If you know what others are feeling, you can choose to use that information for good or bad. -
Donna commented on the article |
My understanding is that empathy is an intuitive understanding of what other people feel, which would be a completely internal process. My impression is the same as Diana's observation of her son, I think people with autism are often much more empathic than other people, but they may not act on that knowledge the same way as other people.
Since I'm interested in this topic, I've been noting examples in biographies that I've read about autistic people. Sorry for the length of this, but I am putting some of them below.
"Rafael and I became more and more agitated. When Nic senses that, it’s like throwing gasoline on the fire. I always think about how they say horses can sense when they have an inexperienced rider. I’d like to know what kind of wave transmits this data to horses and to kids like Nic." (An Unexpected Joy: The Gift of Parenting a Challenging Child, Sharp, 2003, p.59)
"I also observed from the first day that Sara was aware of what pushed Bob’s buttons. The things that annoyed him the most were behaviors she reserved for visits to our house." (The Power of Exile: Autism, A Journey to Recovery, Desorgher, 2002, p. 26)
"Sometimes when we were out he would roll his head about with his mouth open, looking completely idiotic. He would watch me out of the corner of his eye while he did this, no doubt noting with glee my acute discomfort and repressed fury. His development may have been retarded but he certainly knew how to manipulate people, often without them even realizing it." (Little Lost Boy, Hocking, 1990, pp. 132-133)
"“It’s far out,” Laura added. “He’s a mirror. He hears what you really say. You know, like when you tell someone ‘oh no, I’m not angry’ when you are. Robertito knows; he hears the real part and he reflects where you’re really at. If you don’t mean it, he’ll know that, too.”" (A Miracle to Believe In, Kaufman, 1981, p. 288)
"Raun would know [about their nonjudgmental attitude]. He seemed almost telepathic in his ability to detect the discomforts and moods of those around him. He moved away from people who appeared distressed by his actions." (Son-Rise: the Miracle Continues, Kaufman, 1994, p. 81)
"Personally and practically, I found it very hard to feel happy at the time. I could pretend to be happy because I adored Alexander. He could spot from a mile away when I was pretending." (Autism - The Eighth Colour of the Rainbow, Stone, 2004, p. 19)
"To Mother, Jules was simply a sensitive child with his own quirks and oddities that he was entitled to, picking up negative and positive vibrations around him like most children, only in his case more so." (My Sad is All Gone: A Family's Triumph Over Violent Autism, Wheatley, 2005, p. 30) -
Donna commented on the article |Does anyone know if there are studies that look at an autism-vaccine link from the other direction? If vaccines don't cause autism, then is a bad reaction to vaccines a common symptom of autism? Their reaction to vaccine-preventable diseases might be much worse, so it may be more important for them to get vaccines, but as a symptom it could help explain why parents are so convinced. I know, I know, probably no link whatsoever, but I am curious.
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Donna signed the petition | -
Donna commented on the article |
I wish I could find someone who has addressed the issue of increasing autism incidence because more people with autism are surviving - then those who are higher functioning going on to have children, compounding the effect. People with autism are more likely to have poor birth outcomes, and the huge drop in infant/fetal mortality should create some true increase in the numbers of people with autism.
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