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Recent content by Ettina

  1. E

    Clothing issues for classes/Am I being unfair

    That's worse than the lab coat situation, imo. The lab coat could be a safety issue that they can't reasonably accommodate, but here, they're showing that they can accommodate your needs and choose not to. Flourescent lights are a very common accessibility issue, too - in addition to autism...
  2. E

    What's YOUR definition of disability?

    I use the social model. A disability is when you are unable or have difficulty doing something, and our society assumes that people are supposed to be able to do that thing, and the mismatch between your abilities and society's expectations causes problems in your life.
  3. E

    Are Aspergarians unloveable?

    You think they'd have fared worse than someone with quadriplegia? Because there was a Neolithic guy who lived for over a decade with a physical disability that rendered him completely and utterly dependent on caregivers for his every need. I'm sure it was way harder to keep him alive than even...
  4. E

    Cancer drugs treating autism?

    Even if they work, I seriously doubt they'd be worth using. Cancer drugs have awful side effect profiles, and the benefit only outweighs the harm if the alternative is death. They're literally poisonous, with a LD50 threshold similar to many snake venoms.
  5. E

    Did you already get the vaccine? What did you feel?

    I've had Pfizer and Moderna. Both caused the exact same side effect I get with every immunization - a sore, achey arm for 24-48 hours, which feels very similar to if I'd exercised one arm excessively. I got the regular flu shot more recently, and it's the first time I've actually felt sick and...
  6. E

    Autism rate skyrockets to 1 in 14 children, 1 in 8 boys in parts of New Jersey

    Twin studies have shown the exact opposite, actually. The correlation between autistic traits in one twin vs the other among monozygotic twins is .98, which is almost perfect, and in fact within the range of correlation you'd expect for retesting the same child multiple times.
  7. E

    What are the Funnest Ages to be Around a Kid?

    Every age can be fun in their own way, but my personal favorite age is around 4-5 years old. They're so curious and chatty, and they ask interesting questions about everything. I love explaining things to kids that age.
  8. E

    12 YO blaming me for stress

    He is the expert on what he is feeling, not you. You may not be intending to stress him out, but if he says you're stressing him out, safe to assume that you are. And responding to him expressing his emotions by verbally attacking him for how his emotions are making you feel is emotionally...
  9. E

    When should I tell my son he has autism?

    I think the best approach is to tell them early and often. Talk about it in terms they'll understand, and gradually expand on their understanding as they get older. And always talk about it as a difference that's both good and bad, rather than as something "wrong" with them.
  10. E

    A Little Validation for Homeschoolers

    No joke, a lot of those memes are exactly the worries I have that have convinced me to homeschool my child, once they're old enough for schooling.
  11. E

    Sensitive Topic Screening sperm donors for autism? As an autistic person, I know that’s the road to eugenics...

    Ha! I see what you did there!
  12. E

    Are we blind?

    To take the literacy example further... Imagine if for most people, reading was hard-wired. As soon as a baby's vision matured enough to actually see text clearly, they knew which letters went with which sounds. So they would learn to read at the exact same rate that they learnt to understand...
  13. E

    Sensitive Topic Screening sperm donors for autism? As an autistic person, I know that’s the road to eugenics...

    *Raises hand* Not that I wouldn't want an NT kid, but I'd prefer an autistic kid. If a sperm bank offered sperm from a guy labelled as having an autism diagnosis, I'd gladly accept it. (I'm asexual so sperm donation or adoption is my only People argue about 'producing a child with a...
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