I have a son with an autism spectrum disorder. (Meaning: it is on the same continuum as other autistic-like behaviors). I have, as a college teacher, taught students with autism and Asperger’s (another autism spectrum disorder). I fully agree with the article. This is not just about “rights,” it is about children learning to behave in a way that respects the rights and safety and all. The examples of autistic children causing harm to others are horrifying.
On Michael Savage: he is right that there is no single diagnosis for “autism”. It is not like, say, lung cancer, where a doctor can point out an x-ray and say, “see, there it is.” It is a mixture of activities and behaviors, which doctors have said, “let’s collect the behaviors that we think are connected, and we’ll give that collection of behaviors a name.” Now those behaviors may or may not be connected physically or neurologically; we simply do not have enough evidence. These syndromes are hypothetical constructions that scientists use to analyze and treat the behaviors.
