Autism Is Like the New Blonde!

So I thought I would have a really nice run to write about today, but instead, I'll have to rant a little about an Autism discussion I had with my good friend C.

We met up at the Rosebowl in Pasadena for a run and it started out pretty good. After a few minutes she mentioned that she had read an article that says 1 in 3 kids has autism. I said that I thought that number seemed pretty high, but I had also read more and more kids who would previously have been labelled with some other sort of learning disability were no being labelled as autistic.

Then my friend went on to add that she was certain a friend of my child's is autistic, stating that this child has all the tell-tale physical and social characteristics including deep-set eyes (or something like that). Now, I got pretty defensive about this because I adore the kid in question and find the child to be perfectly intelligent and "normal" (and for God's sake that is not meant to imply that autistic kids are not normal; I think kids are perfect just the way they are.) It's just that this kid talks, walks, interacts, knows their ABCs... So I tell her that I think the kid is just fine, but she would not relent on the topic.

So we get into this whole discussion about there being different levels of autism and how many people with it are highly functioning. So I make the point that if a child is learning at a normal level, functioning just fine and going to have a perfectly normal life, why label the kid as having autism and freak out the parents.

To make a long story short, I say that if 1 in 3 kids is autistic that's pretty sad, to which she counters: "well, what's sad is people who think that autism is a negative label." Hmmm... I feel like she's calling me sad, so I say, "So I should be proud if I have an autistic child?" And she says, "well, it's the same thing as having a blonde child or a brunette child." WHAT? I DON'T THINK SO!

Now let me be really clear here, I don't think of autism as a "negative" label and I think we all know of autistic kids who are just amazing and excel at specific things... so I am not saying that. But, are there any parents of autistic kids out there who would compare having an autistic child to having a blonde child? And if 1 in 3 kids is labelled as autistic because they learn differently, isn't that a little bit alarmist? I mean we all learn differently, and let's face it, we're all a little different. Now if there are any parents of autistic children out there who want to comment on this, please I would love to hear from you.

To extricate myself from the discussion, which was starting to upset me, I finally had to pointedly change the topic. We are good enough friends that the conversation flowed smoothly in a new direction.

Now, all that said, I figured I certainly better inform myself on the topic better, lest it come up in conversation again. So here are some facts that I gathered from Autism Speaks:

"Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined."

I read about the "red flags," but none of them applied to the child in question. I was unable to find anything referring to physical characteristics on this site, so I really can't speak to this. I did find this elsewhere: "Interestingly, there are a some autistic individuals whose vermal lobules VI and VII are larger than normal." I have no idea what that means.

After the somewhat tense first 3-mile lap, I went on to run the second lap on my own and sank into some music. It was just what I needed, I had a solid run and felt mellowed by the end. Oh, and I ran it a couple of minutes faster than usual too. Mama's rock!

Today's playlist included:

1. Plain White T's, Hey There Delilah (I actually listened to this twice because it mellowed me out so much.)
2. Gwen Stefani, Hey Baby
3. Black Eyed Peas, Let's Get Retarded
4. Sean Paul Featuring Busta Rhymes, Gimme The Light Remix
5. Tom Jones, Hooked on a Feeling (remember the dancing baby???)
6. Lenny Kravitz, Fly (I always feel like I could lift off during this song.)
7. Lil Bow Wow, Puppy Love (don't judge, don't be a hater)
8. The Killers, Mr. Brightside
9. Jamiroquai, Virtual Insanity
10. See #1

I just spent the last two hours wrapping presents from Santa, up next is my husband's company's holiday party... Which means I get to wear make-up, a dress AND impractical shoes!