(Washington Post)
December 17, 2012
NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT– [Excerpt provided by Inclusion Daily Express] Like every other parent, I was heartbroken and very nearly physically ill as I watched the news unfold in Newtown, Conn., on Friday. I spent most of the afternoon fighting the urge to flee my desk and get to my two children — who were at school, safely and happily ignorant of the news — to hug them and smell the tops of their heads.
Then I saw a news report from ABC saying that Ryan Lanza had told authorities that his brother Adam, the alleged gunman in Friday’s massacre, had an autism spectrum disorder.
No. Oh, no no no no no.
My brain was screaming: Please, please, please don’t make this about autism. People with autism are no more likely to commit this kind of senseless act of violence than anyone else, and mentioning autism in this context can create inaccurate associations in people’s minds.
As the parent of a child with developmental disabilities, I hoped it was a fleeting rumor and that it would disappear, but it has since been reported by most media outlets, including The Post. Many journalists have pointed out in recent days that there is no link between autism and violent behavior, but autism advocates worry that it might not matter at this point.
Entire article:
Newtown shootings: Media coverage creates dangerous stereotypes of people with autism
http://tinyurl.com/ide1217121a
Related:
Expert: Asperger’s Unfairly Scapegoated For Newtown School Massacre (CBS News)
http://tinyurl.com/ide1217121b
Experts: No link between Asperger’s, violence (USA Today)
http://tinyurl.com/ide1217121c
Autism, Empathy, and Violence: Asperger’s Does Not Explain Connecticut Shooting (Slate)
http://tinyurl.com/ide1217121d
They’re Saying the Shooter Had Asperger’s (Daily Kos)
http://tinyurl.com/ide1217121e
nameless things dismantle (Autistic Hoya)
http://www.autistichoya.com/2012/12/nameless-things-dismantle.html
Unspeakable (Reinventing Mommy)
http://reinventingmommy.blogspot.com/2012/12/unspeakable.html
Planet of the Blind 