“If you meet somebody with Asperger’s,” he said, “you’ve only met one person with Asperger’s.”
A wonderful and important point made by a young man with Asperger's syndrome during a
discussion with his father regarding press reports that the Connecticut shooter was a "nerd" with Asperger's syndrome.
Tyler's point is worth us all noting: Don’t overgeneralize. Don’t stigmatize in a rush to explain inexplicable evil. Autism didn't cause this tragedy: Asperger’s is a blip on the far-reaching autism spectrum and no two cases are the same. Just as no “typical” person deserves to be tar-brushed with the evil acts of another, Aspies don’t deserve the bad press they’re getting.
Tyler’s form of autism makes it difficult for him to relate to people – to read social cues and easily express empathy. He is not prone to violence nor is he “missing something in the brain,” as so-called autism experts are claiming in the wake of the Connecticut tragedy. He is a gentle, loving 15-year-old who, like millions of others on the spectrum, is destined for a happy, successful life: college, marriage, a career and kids – whatever he wants.
I worried all weekend that the Lanza coverage would bother Tyler, too. “No problem, Dad,” he said after setting down the iPad and looking me square in the eyes (no small achievement for an Aspie). Relax, he said, “We both know this isn’t a problem.”
And this point from the via at
The Dish:
Emily Willingham, also a parent of an Aspie, points out that missing social cues is nowhere near the same thing as being a sociopath, and that "autistic people are far more likely to have violence done against them than to do violence to others."
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