Die Zeitgeist! Es brennt!

Welcome to Die Zeitgeist! Es brennt! edition of the That Was The Week That Was In Autism dedicated to the Incorrect Pleasures of Lily Marlene. TWTWTWIA (as we call it) is a sister publication to TWIM, the long running review of the week in Mentalists, currently hosted at the psychedelically inspired twim-blog.org.

Autismoincazziamoci (Autism Rants) highlights the psychologically-based autism treatment in its post "Packing - A Psychodynamic Crime Against Humanity"

Does this make you feel just a little ikky?

"Do you know about the existence of "Packing", a psychodynamic treatment used in prestigious French autism centres?... A useless torture I denounce with all my strenght..."

psychoanalysed by some cunt in a beret

Wet sheets are refrigerated until they reach about 5 degrees centigrade, then the naked child is swaddled and placed on the floor. At this point, the by now usually screaming child, is forcibly psychoanalysed by some cunt in a beret.

“Me dire au sujet des problèmes avec la relation avec votre Mummy”

There's some interesting and damning background by Karina Fares on the treatment of autism and autistics in France, in French here and in English here:

a land of unspeakable abuse

"France! Fifth largest economy in the world. Land of culture and freedom, revolution, justice, equality, human rights. But it is also a land of unspeakable abuse, shameful and disgraceful to children and adults affected by autism"

Julian Assange's rectum

For those of you who do Science, I've dropped a couple of choice Papers supporting the French method of drugging and torturing kids on my new (supposedly) bullet-proof server located in Julian Assange's rectum.

Effectiveness of Wet Sheet Packs in Children and Adolescents with Severe Auto/Hetero Aggressive Behaviors: An Exploratory Approach - English pdf 

Investigating the Use of Packing Therapy in Adolescents with Catatonia: a Retrospective Study -  English pdf

formerly untouchable Professor

Lily Marlene continues her forensic dissection of the formerly untouchable Professor Simon Baron-Cohen with her post Is this guy for real?

Pic: Fuck Yeah Privilge Denying Simon Baron Cohen

"Is this guy for real? Baron-Cohen's latest book is a real urban legend! Having already identified one prominently-placed story in Professor Baron-Cohen’s new book as an urban legend that is almost certainly not true, but which is presented as true by the professor..."


I think something is seriously wrong here


I expect a professor to be able to tell the difference between fiction and reality. Maybe I’m being a bit naive about professors, but I think something is seriously wrong here..."

There are growing concerns about the previously unimpeachable boffin cropping up all over teh interwebs, here, here, here and here, erm..., and here and here and of course here. *blush* Oh, and here and here. And here.

uncritical adoration heaped on Baron-Cohen

It's interesting to contrast the uncritical adoration heaped on Baron-Cohen in the Guardian articles with the consequent comments from people at the sharp end of his Do-gooding.

the dangers psychopaths

The somewhat archly learned and "Neurodiverse" Shift Journal has published a series of posts about the dangers psychopaths pose to the vulnerable. From their Spotting Psychopaths in the Workplace post

a time-bomb that goes off

"Psychopaths, sociopaths, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), whatever you want to call it, people like that can do well in the workplace...  ...In reality they weave a series of lies and collateral damage into a time-bomb that goes off after they leave."

Shift's Conflict in the Workplace and Protecting Yourself posts are also Must Reads for all.

I am a happy man today

Mike, a multiply disabled, non-verbal autistic man continues documenting his life's journey on his blog In My Voice, with his post The Bridge To Doing

"Only sometimes it is the smallest thing that makes a huge difference in learning to do something seemingly impossible for me. What was impossible is delayed not never for me now. I am a happy man today."

I need simple answers

Titan

Titan Ara is also another non-verbal autistic with many of life's challenges exquisitely documented on his blog Titan's World and in this post entitled "Communicating".

"Sometimes I feel like I am arguing with Nate, he says we aren't arguing but I feel we are, maybe we have different ideas about what arguing means...

We tend to often misunderstand each other, I misunderstand a lot and sometimes we clash with things, I need simple answers I can understand..."

superb new website

Rachael Cohen-Rotenberg has launched her superb new website Autism and Empathy - Dispelling Myths and Breaking Stereotypes.

the Borat-Cohen confabulation

In this post, Possessing But Not Expressing - Miranda of the From Inside The Heart blog has some choice words that hopefully will reach the ears of the Borat-Cohen confabulation

"I think that not knowing how to express empathy is the main reason why people on the spectrum don’t appear to be empathetic.  It’s not that they don’t have empathy; it’s just that they don’t know how to show it."

better able than the mad professor

So it appears we have a teenage autistic girl and a non-academic author who seems better able, than the mad professor, to offer to the world a more realist picture of the empatic failings of the autistic psychopath in childhood.

expressing hateful opinions

Jen, Mother of Shrek, speaks out about the reality of life with a severely autistic, adult son in her post Every time we go out

"I did not realise that people calling C names or expressing hateful opinions about C is verbal abuse – and is a Hate Crime...

Over the years I have accepted the staring, muttering, making comments as part of C’s life... It is part of our lives that I have had to get used to so it doesn’t get to me..."

The New Republic will be dealing with the issue of Hate Crime in our forthcoming post "Fear and Loathing In Baxter Close: A retrospective Study of the Effectiveness of Twating Bullies"

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