Why this Parents' Board is different

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I just read this post and thought to myself that this illustrates EXACTLY why this board is my main resource. I thought I would share:

http://autismnow.org/blog/what-reading- ... logs-does/

This site talks in circles and leaves me saying "huh?" way too much!... it almost feels like a very elaborate joke. If I was doing research I would pass this site by thinking they had zero credibility in spite their dramatic "about us" page...

I found it hard to look at because of the orange italic headlines.

The tone is certainly strange--it's as though the author imagines an audience consisting only of one kind of person, inferentially negating the existence of others.

I can see where on this board, there may be an assumption that there is a wide audience of parents consuming information on autism.

Unfortunately, from what I've seen outside of this space, there are many, many parents who get stuck in the "cure" idea or the "broken" idea and who forget that such a thing as autistic adults even exist. I think this article is a very good explanation for parents who don't get it.

(I do admit - I haven't looked at the rest of the site, so I can't speak to it.)

I agree, momsparky.

The writer does say it pretty clearly at the end of the first paragraph:

The intended audience is identified exactly as parents who might not see the value of reading self-advocacy blogs. What follows does make a good argument for that group.

I have found this forum extremely useful, its a great source of info from real people who have been through it. Drs have been useless and can only really quote books, not personal experience.

Online I have been lucky enough to find parents who support neurodiversity and share a view similar to mine.

I will be honest and say that IRL, I haven't found anyone...only people who I met online first. My experience IRL is that parents view autism in a very negative way. I have been shunned and basically "told off" by parents IRL because I am not "doing everything in my power to cure my children of this horrible affliction."

Yeah...bite me.

I've got no time for that, though I do secretly like watching the looks on their faces when they see how well my kids are doing even though I didn't do "anything and everything under the sun."

I mostly come here when I need a forum - I have found some places that make me queasy (and doesn't it seem like those are the places one's family always seems to find and send to you via email?) In the more NT parenting boards, the consensus seems to be "cure" and quackery.

I am very, very lucky in that locally, parents seem to lean more towards the neurodiversity movement. While I have been given the stinkeye for holding the school accountable (until parents hear the story from me, at least) in general I've found good support locally - but that being said, we moved here because it "felt" right to me as someone who is not exactly NT myself. Can't imagine how isolated I would feel if I still lived where I grew up.

This is the only place of have found with reasonable people. Where I live it is all about disciplining "poor behaviors." It makes me sad sometimes, so I end up on here a lot.

From my experience, I am beginning to understand that people are going to believe what they believe. I have no control over their thoughts. No matter what logic I use a person who is adamant in their beliefs will not be persuaded to my thinking.

This is true for many, but not all, people.

After all, I was once ignorant about autism. I initially thought that my daughter would spend her life rocking in a corner and that she would be incapable of experiencing happiness or love. Clearly I was mistaken, though at one point I thought I was right.

The hard part is trying to determine the line between those who can be convinced if the argument is strong enough, vs those who will never be convinced.

You, yourself, are willing to change your beliefs, Cubedemon, provided someone gives you ample evidence to do so. I think even if you adamantly believed something you would change your mind if a convincing argument was laid in front of you.