Thomas Sowell's column on Autism

I think mauch of what is written on this subject comes from two viewpoints- those who have to live it and from those who do not understand it. I do note that nobody makes hay over the massive resources put in motion to combat childhood cancers. These articles have had a lot of comments that basically blame the parents for bad parenting and the social workers for creating a new cottage industry. Several posters even insinuated that the kids were just ill-behaved brats. Look, the ASD in two of three of my kids (can't tell with the baby yet) doesn't come from nowhere. Much like yourself, I never understood human interaction and always felt like an outsider; being intelligent didn't help either. It did enable me, though, once I cared to notice, to learn how to act normal and blend in. It's not hard to fake it if you are smart enough. My kids are getting therapy aimed at helping them blend in and be able to behave properly. Will they ever eliminate the seven-year-olds huge stubborn streak? No. It will benefit him later in life. Will it help him to manage his emotions to function in a classroom setting? Yes, it is working. Thanks for the concern.

As the father of an 11-year-old autistic boy, I find Thomas Sowell’s article to be poorly researched, biased and insulting. I am afraid that Sowell’s analysis is too simplistic and biased based on his personal experience with his late-talking son, as described on his book “Late Talking Children.”
Most pediatricians and family doctors are not prepared to even recognize autism, and tend to ignore a worried parent’s observations when presented with a child with developmental delays. This practice has resulted in thousands of autistic children not being diagnosed in a timely manner, losing an opportunity to get early intervention services when they are most needed – before they are four years old. Autism, as in most developmental conditions, is a condition in which only the persons closest to the affected toddler can paint a clear picture of his behavior -mother knows best.