Romanian parent Mihai Filip has posted on his blog
this riposte to Ari Ne'eman. I'll translate the Romanian
part, then copy the English letter to Newsweek.
http://mariusfilip.blogspot.com/2009/05/scrisoare-catre-newsweek.html
As I'm not such a great 'political' strategist, I'll let you
the more experienced ones continue the good argument...

Thank you for thinking about this,
Mircea Pauca, Bucuresti, Romania

--

A Letter to Newsweek

The on-line edition of the well-known US magazine *Newsweek* has
published an article http://www.newsweek.com/id/197813/page/1 about
*Ari Ne'eman*, president of *ASAN* (Autism Self-Advocacy Network)
and one of the promoters of the *Neurodiversity* philosophy. Following
the example of Jonathan Mitchell
<http://autismgadfly.blogspot.com/2009/05/asking-newsweek-magazine-for-equal-tim\
e.html>
I've decided to write myself to Newsweek a letter to request that
pro-prevention and pro-cure viewpoints be represented equally.

I consider there is a major interest in this problem for all parents that
desire prevention and/or cure for their children, including the parents
in Romania.

The *Neurodiversity* movement is a thought current inside some high
functioning autistics in a few developed countries that contains ideas like:
autism is _not_ a disease of the brain, but a natural variation of neural
connecting in humans; autism does _not_ have disastrous effects on the
individual touched by it; and the fact that autistics do not integrate in
society is _not_ produced by the grave effects of autism, but a result
of society's intolerance.

All these ideas are, of course, some peerless stupidities that can be
dismantled very easily by applying a test like *Portage* on an autistic
child to prove delays of 10-20-50% or even more in development -
including in the cognitive area, that is, thought. In another words, one
of the effects of autism, maybe the gravest, is the _mental retardation_,
with effects that do not need further mention. But even the case of
Stefanel
<http://www.jurnalul.ro/stire-copii-speciali-intr-o-romanie-autista/in-trei-dece\
nii-de-viata-abia-a-invatat-sa-se-imbrace-singur-507584.html>
, a 35-year-old autistic with a 3-year-old mind cannot
trouble the adepts of this disaxed ('smutty') ideology. They "prove"
with their own persons that autism "is not that bad" - and indeed, in
its easiest forms, autism is not _that_ incapacitating.

The problem with *Neurodiversity* adepts is that they begin, more
and more, to have _political_ influence. The above-named *Ari
Ne'eman*, for instance, pretends that he is a friend to one of
President *Obama* 's counselors. The same *Ari Ne'eman*
sustains that *ASAN* lobbies to grant more government funds
to sustain autistics etc. It isn't hard to deduce that this lobbying
will not reduce only to funding - it will extend soon so that the
*Neurodiversity* philosophy become a State policy.

The USA are the strongest country in the world politically,
economically, militarily, etc. Autism was discovered by
*Dr. Kanner* in the *USA*. *Dr. Skinner*, one of the parents
of behavioral sciences, worked in the *USA*. *Dr. Ivar Lovaas*
has developed *ABA* therapy in the *USA*. The renowned
*Sundberg, Partington and Greer* along many other blessed
researchers, true soldiers on the combat front against autism,
worked in the *USA*. The most funds for research on aetiology,
prevention and cure of autism are allocated in the *USA*. The
most *BCBA* accredited specialists are to be found in the *USA*.
And so on...
Almost all that was revolutionary in the matter of autism has taking
place and is taking place in the *USA*.

Let's pretend now that *Neurodiversity* philosophy will have gained
the cause in the *USA* - not by scientific ways (because they haven't
how) but by _political_ ways. A such victory of the *Neurodiversity*
movement would mean an _unimaginable tragedy_ for the millions of
children with autism present and future, as well as for their families.

Here is what a possible victory of the *Neurodiversity* philosophy
would bring: research funds for prevention and cure of autism would
be suspended, most likely *ABA* would be declared an abusive
practice and will be forbidden, the residential centers for adults with
autism will be disbanded and the cruel truth of autism would be
covered by the thick, ugly smelling layer of political correctness, in
which the simple mention of the negative effects of this disease will
be a crime, and mental retardation and the severe behavioral troubles
of gravely affected autistics will be painted as an alternative form of
existence of human conscience - along many other such aberrations.

It's not hard to forecast that, if *Neurodiversity* wins in the *USA*,
it will win everywhere in the world, in a true domino effect.

For all these considerations, I've considered necessary to join the
action of *Jonathan Mitchell*. My child's fate is not that strongly
affected, because it will be years until a possible victory of the
*Neurodiversity* movement to appear. But if nothing is done,
*Neurodiversity* _surely_ will win. And I consider necessary to
express my opinion, for the future children that would suffer from
the same brain development disorder as my son.

If you desire to join this action, you can write to Newsweek
magazine at: letters@... . To find out more about
*Neurodiversity*, you can start from www.autistics.org.

--
To Whom It May Concern

I have read in the electronic version of your magazine the article about Mr.
Ari Ne'eman, president of ASAN and a self-defined autism advocate, that
reflects the points of view of the Neurodiversity doctrine that Mr. Ne'eman
abides to.

I am writing this letter as the father of a 5 yo autistic boy and as a
person who, while not being an American citizen, is affected by the major
decisions taken in the country that did most in the field of autism. My
letter is a signal that what happens in America in the matter of autism has
far reaching consequences, all over the world.

The autism reality as presented by the Neurodiversity movement in general
and Mr. Ne'eman in particular is only a small fraction of what autism truly
is. While I do not deny that Mr. Ne'eman has not been impeded much by
autism, that in its mildest forms autism is neither a personal disaster nor
an incapacitating condition and that some children in the autism spectrum
have been teased, mocked and bullied in school or in public places, there
are many others to whom autism is both a personal disaster and a profoundly
incapacitating condition.

Those people fall into the low functioning side of the spectrum. They
cannot go to college like Mr. Ne'eman does, they cannot understand much but
the most simple ideas and some of them cannot even dress or wash themselves.
The problems of those people have been produced neither by bullying in
school nor by society's intolerance. The source of their suffering is
autism - a condition which, according to Mr. Ne'eman, does not destroy
futures and does not ruin lives.

Unfortunately, most people in the lower side of the spectrum are way too
crippled to be able to take a stance in this matter and to present the
destructive effects of autism in their lives. What remains is that people
like Mr. Ne'eman are pretty much the only ones who speak from within, giving
the impression that all autistics share the Neurodiversity philosophy. This
is utterly false.

There are some autistics, like Mr. Jonathan Mitchell, who speak honestly
about how hard it is to live with autism. Those people are profoundly
affected by autism, yet autism has not stolen their capacity to think and
judge, as it happened to so many others. Those people want both to defend
their dignity and to receive a cure, if possible. Those people are neither
proud nor ashamed of being autistic, they simply want an end to this
debilitating disorder of the brain. Those people, albeit in smaller number,
need their voice to be heard, too.

I am writing to you to ask that the Newsweek magazine gives equal space to
the other point of view, too. I am referring to the point of view of the
autistics who want to be cured, who want autism prevented and who
acknowledge the essentially bad effects that autism has upon their lives.

I also believe that the voice of the parents of autistic children and
severely affected adults ought to be heard as well. Those parents have,
unlike Mr. Ne'eman, both the legal and the moral right to speak in the name
of their offspring and to advocate for autism prevention, treatment and cure
if they wish to do so.

Respectfully,
Marius Filip, father of Eusebiu,
Bucharest, ROMANIA