Ted Carr MIT lecture on autism

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kkocTdn0iY[/youtube]

I found this video to be interesting.

20 minutes in, really enjoying this guy's perspective. Especially his take on psychiatry- "Giving risperidone is imbecilic...when you're sedated you don't give a crap if the environment is aversive...that's not a treatment, unless you want to teach the person to become addicted to drugs"

This is really interesting. I have only watched about 40 minutes so far (here and there when I get a chance) but what he says makes so much sense.
"People with autism are like everyone else, just more so" I thought this was great.

Holy s**t he's right. My shrink had me on risperidal once, it wasn't until about 6th grade that I actually developed a sense of self that I realized that I was walking around in a daze most days, and that if I didn't take it I was more lucid but would fly off the handle at the slightest provocation.

He switched me to Abilify because it was the same active ingredient minus the side effects. It had the same sedative feel but less so, in fact I didn't really notice until college. At that point the new shrink I was seeing in Wyoming said I was at an age where I should be mature enough to handle my anger without the antipsychotic. I think it was because I was having trouble staying focused and motivated at work, after I stopped taking it my work ethic improved drastically, and my managers were seriously impressed. They were about to fire me but they let me stay on for the time being, and the supervisor/employee relationship with them was a lot more comfortable for me.

Orr, thanks so much for posting this video. We have never used medication, but I like to stay on top of issues within the community. I know many parents who do use medication and I have to respect that. But, I also know therapist who won't give it to children. Go figure. Anyway, thanks for the video.