Aspie Dad

Sheesh, do they know what they’re asking? Granted I wrote a thesis and a fistful of peer-reviewed articles and a stack of environmental compliance reports that could be administered with great benefit to the insomniacs of the world.

Still, a book about what is like to be a ‘high-functioning’ autistic adult viewing my (and now his) life through the window of my son’s autism? Talk about a foot in each world, both looking out and looking in…

It keeps coming up (”you should write a book!”) when I speak to local groups and educators, I suppose I should address it one way or another. Not that what has appeared here is any indication of what few writing skills I have (had?). I used to be a passable writer, hopefully the pursuit of graduate degrees has not pounded it out of me.

I think even considering this would spike my anxiety through the roof were it not for all those SSRIs coursing through my system…

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Some of you may be wondering how the 12 flavors of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans® stack up. Wait no further, my friend. Our crack research team consisting of a 5½ year old boy and his Mum, through exhaustive trials, tests and re-tests mind you, have come up with definitive rankings. Our bag had a total of 20 different flavors, but only 12 were Bertie Bott’s.

Here they are, from Ugh! to Yum!

1. Rotten Egg (gagging and running to the wastebasket was involved) DRAMA!
2. Sardine (vocal protests and unintelligible noises)
3. Vomit (bugged eyes)
4. Soap (leaving the table lab area and running around flapping arms) more DRAMA!
5. Pickle (lots of “Yuck!” noises)
6. Black Pepper (major faces without much noise)
7. Sausage (slightly lesser faces)
8. Dirt (grimacing)
9. Grass
10. Earthworm
11. Booger (not so bad)
12. Ear Wax
13. Cinnamon (the first non-Bertie Bott)
14. Tutti Fruitti (”That was terrible, do it again!” he cried, laughing.)
15. Cherry
16. Blueberry
17. Grape Jelly
18. Buttered Popcorn
19. Toasted Marshmallow
20. Lemon Drop

Note: flavors > 12 (Cinnamon) are Jelly Bellies™, not Bertie Bott’s®. Thus, the last seven or so are pretty good, but towards the top of the list — not so much… I guess that makes the Bertie Bott’s, well, disgusting. Of course, your mileage may vary.

The local autie/aspie support group is currently very active with three bills currently in the State Legislature. One is the Autism Scholarship Act, another “enacts various provisions relating to autism,” while the third “makes various changes concerning autism screening, diagnosis, treatment and research.”

NEW UNLV STUDY SUGGESTS AUTISM ON THE RISE IN NEVADA SCHOOLS

AUTISM PREVALENCE INCREASES NEARLY TENFOLD DURING PAST DECADE

The administrative prevalence of autism in Nevada schools increased from an average of one in 3,750 students in 1995 to one in 422 in 2004, according to new research conducted by UNLV’s Department of Political Science and School of Public Health. It is the first comprehensive study of its kind in Nevada.

The UNLV study defines administrative prevalence as the number of children ages 6-17 (as a share of total enrolled student population in grades 1-12) who were diagnosed by school authorities as having autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and who receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The data was collected from all 17 school districts in Nevada for years 1995-2005. UNLV researchers found that the administrative prevalence increased in 15 of those 17 school districts, with only the Esmeralda School District–which enrolls fewer than 80 students–reporting no prevalence during the study period.

John Tuman, UNLV political science professor and lead investigator of the project, says that although his research shows autism prevalence has increased significantly, funding for autism and ASD has not. In fact, for fiscal year 2007-08, the federal funding for all special education programs in Nevada has been cut.

Tuman hopes his research will not only provide greater understanding about ASD disorders but also help correct the discrepancy between the increasing prevalence and public policy. (…)

I got my Master’s UNLV and Aspie Mom is currently a Ph.D. student there. As you can see, this is more about trying to get the State Legislature to step up to the increased need in our public schools. Good luck on that.