Bloggers Beware!!

Just released today and blowing up all over the Autistic community is this article published in the Huffington Post.  If you have the chance to read it you really should! It is extremely interesting as well as promising for the Autism community.  The article is not what this post is about though.  It is about the comments below the article that have me almost to the point of shaking I am so frustrated.

Take for example this comment..."It's immunizations...that 's why the dramatic increase in recent years."  I have a few questions for you there: What are you basing your opinion off of? Where did you get this information? Did you even read this article? Or this nice fellow..."I think it is chemicals and pollutants also."  I would like to pose the questions above to you as well. 



Case in point...blogging has not only created a community for the intelligent to share ideas and collaborate instantly, but also opened the door for the idiots, the morons, the uneducated, and the stupid to grace us with their input on serious issues.  So please remember...be careful of what you post and be smart about it.  Take others opinions into consideration.  And make sure the community you are creating by posting is constructive rather than the opposite. 

Asperger's...So Intriguing

As a teacher going into special education and hopefully pursuing a Masters in Autism I found the Skype conversation particularly interesting.  Since Asperger's usually affects the social and emotional portion of the brain, I really expected him to struggle with this type of communication.  He really impressed me! The conversation showed just how much of spectrum Autism in general can cover.

One of the most amazing encounters I have had in researching Asperger's occurred through none other than ESPN (sarcasm).  Clay Marzo is a world class surfer with Asperger's who struggles to interact with the public scene surfing usually embraces.  When interviewed about his condition and what it feels like to be around a large group of people and socialize, he says his cup overflows.  He looks at it as if he has a cup for socializing and everyone has a big bucket.  When this cup overflows he just has to get away from it all.  As a future educator for students with special needs, I need to always be aware and accepting of the different issues my students could be having and so my best to really get in and understand what's going on inside that head of theirs.

The top image shows the brain imaging of a person with Asperger’s when they see an emotion of love.  The bottom shows the same brain activity for a person without Asperger’s.