Sunday, May 21, 2006

Dear Friends and Colleagues -

AUTISM NEWS
Autism Speaks screened a new film Autism Every Day at a fundraising event held May 9, 2006 in New York City. The film was also broadcast by Don Imus on MSNBC. Watch it here.

Case doesn't make sense is the title of the article, by Phil Luciano. The story is about Karen McCarron suffocating her 3-year-old daughter, Katherine, who suffered from autism.    
 
Exactly what about the case doesn’t make sense, Mr. Luciano? As a columnist I realize you are freer to share your personal opinions, than say, a reporter. Still, it is in good journalistic standing to understand the basic issue you are writing about. Start by watching the Autism Every Day film.

AUTISM ONE RADIO
Coverage of the Autism One 2006 Conference begins Friday, May 26, at 8:00 am CT, continuing through Sunday at 3:30 pm, and includes the entire 3-day Biomedical Treatments Track, with the exception of Friday, from 1:30 CT - 3:20, when we webcast Dan Olmsted and David Kirby.

In addition, to the live presentations don’t miss live interviews with (Central Time):
Friday, 9:55 am – Dr. Jeff Bradstreet & Dr. Manuel Casanova; 12:30 pm – David Kirby
Saturday, 9:55 am – Dr. Robert Nataf; 12:35 pm - Dr. Richard Deth; 12:55 pm - Dr. Steenblock
Sunday, 9:55 am – Dr. Mayer Eisenstein; 11:30 am – Mark Blaxill & Dr. Martha Herbert

For a complete listing of live presentations click here. Learn about all of the latest findings.  

AUTISM ONE CONFERENCE
Are you arriving Thursday afternoon with plans for the evening extending to unpacking your bags, then lying sprawled on your bed watching Jeopardy and reruns before falling asleep? Don’t!

THURSDAY NIGHT PREMIER
Why? Because Thursday at 7:00 pm the film “Normal People Scare Me” premiers at Autism One. The 90-minute film is followed by a question & answer period with Taylor Cross and Keri Bowers. Join us in the Executive Forum.  

LEGISLATORS
You want your state legislators to listen to you. You want positive legislative action. Then plan on attending the Roundtable Legislative & Media Action, Friday, May 26 from 9:00 am to 9:50 and continuing from 10:30 am - 11:20. State representatives and senators will be there, among them Patti Bellock, IL - Rep, Susan Garrett, IL - Sen, Kurt Granberg, IL - Rep, Don Harmon, IL - Sen and Karen May, IL – Rep. Make your voice heard!

COMMEMORATIVE SERVICE
Saturday evening, at 7:45 pm, before the start of the Hope and Dream dinner we will be holding a commemorative service for Liz Birt, Alan Clarke, Katherine McCarron, and all the other members of our community we have lost in our fight against autism.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON
If you have not decided on the last lecture to attend on Sunday afternoon you might want to consider attending Valerie Herskowitz’s Having It All presentation at 2:30 pm. A therapist for the past 28 years and a mother to Blake, her 15 year old son with autism, Valerie is the first to say that she embraces her job as Blake's mom. However, she wants it all: career, fulfilling relationship, travel. Ten years ago, she realized that she was in a rut. Taking a proactive role, she spent the next decade changing her life. Today, she is the owner of a successful therapy center, an international speaker, president of a non-profit for families with autism and is in a terrific marriage.

Valerie has been on the journey longer than many. Learn from her incredible story and go home knowing you have the same options. You can Have It All.

COMMENTARY  
Autism Every Day, mentioned above, is a 12-minute film, which attempts to capture the honesty of living with autism. It does. But more importantly it does not.

Despite almost universal praise for the film, I will withhold my accolades for any effort which does not, even modestly, talk about recovery.

It’s retro. This film should have been produced ten years ago. It’s a piece out of time presenting a sensibility of victim without the benefits accrued over the past decade.

The film reminds me of Autism: Nightmare Without End and The Siege on film. It chronicles our pain in another medium.  

We know the pain. Autism brands one with The Scarlet Letter “A” more deeply and profoundly than any other experience. It becomes the low- and high-water marks of life.

But I am getting ahead of myself. To understand the film’s intent one needs to understand who its intended audience is. Its intended audience is not parents of children with autism or the general public. Its intended audience is potential sponsors, organizations and individuals who will donate large amounts of money to fund autism research.

Research is wonderful and sorely needed but not at the expense of talking about children getting better. There is a profound price to pay with this sort of absolute message. The absolute message the film delivers is that autism is lifelong and forever.

Somewhere a young mother is at her wits end. Everywhere she turns she is told the same thing.  "There's really not much to we can do to help your child," states her pediatrician, school district, government agencies, various doctors, and family and friends.

Her child bangs his head on the floor, spins in circles, bites himself, cannot talk, is not potty trained and refuses to sleep. She has not had a full-night's sleep in three years. Chances are, 92%, she’s divorced. The bills keep getting bigger, but her son is not getting better. She is told to think about institutionalizing her son when he reaches puberty.

Undoubtedly, she will see this piece. That will be a tragedy for it will cement her believe in false ideas of lifelong and forever and her child and her dreams will be lost.    

The film hit the intended audience raising over two million dollars for “research.” But at what cost?

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or ideas. We’ll see you all later this week. Thank you.

My Best,
Ed Arranga
714.680.0792
http://AutismOne.org
earranga@...