Wow, winter must really affect me - this time last year I was in the middle of a similar hibernation period, blog-wise. Going 'off the radar', so to speak, has not been planned but has been very much needed and enjoyed.
I have a blog makeover in the works and I'm hoping to fire up the creative juices once that goes live, but here's a post I did about this time last year. Read it, then come back, because I have some thoughts.
Blogging, Subscriptions and Ethics...Oh My
It's interesting that this post should be about a year old now, because I did eventually return to reading the 'soon to be unsubscribed from' blog it references. The allure of one of her two main posting themes drew me back in, although this time, I could no longer find an RSS feed and when questioned, she denied knowing how all that stuff worked (despite a background in computers, hmmm). I left it at that and just visited the site directly every few days, gleaned what I needed, and then ignored all the bits I didn't agree with.
This woman definitely has Bloggityville divided. The other main topic she posts about - and perhaps the one she is most, uh, notorious for - was the main reason I unsubscribed the first time around. Such is her passion for this subject, her thoughts on which are often misguided, that there are actual whole rebuttal sites directed at her blog (yes, I've been to those sites and while I agree with their sentiment, I couldn't personally refute someone else in that same manner). It was on one of those sites that I heard quite a disturbing account of her behaviour online.
For the record, the exchange has been well documented. Slanted, perhaps, in that I heard it first on one of the rebuttal sites, but the whole exchange (several emails worth) was posted in its entirety and I believe it to be true enough.
Ms Blogger, in an effort to explain her online dealings (she is fond of getting into email 'discussions' but rarely lets an opposing view into her comments section, preferring to mass-block anyone who doesn't one-hundred percent agree with her), said that she had self-diagnosed Asperger's Syndrome. It was said in such a way as to back-pedal out of a situation, but slam dunk, I promptly deleted the link to her blog and will not be returning.
I'm sick of hearing about stories like this!!!
Asperger's (and autism) can only be diagnosed by recognised, trained individuals. If you're relying on the internet to diagnose yourself or your children (for anything!) - YOU ARE NOT GETTING THE FULL PICTURE and will most likely end up with an INCORRECT DIAGNOSIS.
Case in point? A commenter a week or so ago mentioned a well-known celebrity autism advocate and asked if I'd read her book. I hadn't, but I followed the link to the website and eventually found myself doing the partial (there's your first clue!) assessment questionnaire.
Something became apparent very quickly. Based on this very narrow set of questions and his current behaviour, my son isn't autistic. He doesn't even 'qualify' for Asperger's! Let me let you in on a little secret - the constant daily struggles we are going through right now tell me otherwise! We're currently fighting battles I wouldn't wish on anyone. Don't be in a hurry to self-diagnose. PLEASE!
When we had Jay's first autism assessment, way back in October 2001, it was a whole-day affair conducted by a highly-specialised child assessment team run out of a city hospital. We answered more questions than there are hairs on our heads, and all of those answers were melded together to provide the information that eventually led to his diagnosis. I just wouldn't trust a general practitioner, or a counsellor, or a pastor (sorry!) and definitely not your neighbour's sister's friend. Nor would I trust what I see on TV or read in the paper when it comes to Autism Spectrum Disorders in general. Not when it comes to finding a diagnosis for something that will, let's be honest, be there forever. BE SURE. We had two assessments 6mo apart. I would advocate the same, if it's at all possible (and I understand waiting lists might prevent this) - but at the very least, a specialist should do the signing on the dotted line, not a ridiculous internet questionnaire.
Can you tell I'm fired up about this? You betcha!
Back to Ms Blogger. She is often held up as the epitome of what it means to be a homemaker, and is 'followed' by many. You either love her or you hate her. I was prepared to at least like some of her, because her homemaking information was interesting and unique. I could even look past her narrow-minded religious beliefs - I do have my own 'speck', after all, and nobody's perfect. But this Asperger's thing? I just can't do it anymore. Asperger's isn't an excuse! Stop using it as one! It's not the diagnosis du jour!
If you believe you, or someone you love, might be on the spectrum, please visit your GP for a referral to a specialist. And then pray that your concerns are unwarranted.
Sigh.
6 comments:
"If you're relying on the internet to diagnose yourself or your children (for anything!) - YOU ARE NOT GETTING THE FULL PICTURE and will most likely end up with an INCORRECT DIAGNOSIS."
It is a shame that needs to be said, but it does.
The Internet is a dangerous place where you're more likely to come across disinformation than information. I personally am very selective re the blogs and sites I read, and even then I find myself exhausted by the volume of falacies, faulty logic and general immaturity exhibited by both teens and 'adults' alike.
I'm not good at filtering... often chucking the baby out with the bathwater when I come across something I disagree with or shows an evident lack of brain utilisation.
i think i already told you that according to the website my own critter should be diagnosed. because a 4 year old who doesnt pay attention and repeats nonsense is SOOOOOOOOOO out of the ordinary.
teh interwebs is not always right.
Loved going back and reading an older post of yours, especially since it was from before the days when I subscribed to you... I have about 50 blogs I follow in my reader. And yes, I do unsubscribe if someone posts something that really doesn't sit right with me.
Hi there! Wow! What a post to first visit your blog on!!! :)
Thanks for visiting my aust2china blog - I'm such a slacker with that blog these days. I've got a digi scrap blog that I prefer to post on... more pics, less chat!
www.scrappy-bug.blogspot.com
Forgot to say, my son was diagnosed (professionally!) to not have one particular syndrome, but traits from several. They box it up and call it "global developmental delay".
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