Inspectrum

Reports from the world of severe autism.
Amy S. F. Lutz
Shocking Pseudoscience

Shocking Pseudoscience

In their quest to ban ECT, protesters ignore thousands of studies that support the safety and efficacy of this treatment to ameliorate the symptoms of debilitating and intractable psychiatric illnesses.
Asked and Answered

Asked and Answered

Hundreds of individuals with developmental disabilities, families, providers and advocates came out yesterday to oppose New Jersey's plan to force all waiver recipients into integrated settings -- whether or not full community inclusion is safe, appropriate, or even desired -- with speakers calling the restrictions "violations of the ADA."
Seinfeld Recants Autism Diagnosis

Seinfeld Recants Autism Diagnosis

Although Jerry Seinfeld recanted his autism diagnosis last week, the use of autism and other disorders as slang for various personality traits is ongoing and has a significant impact on those who truly suffer from these conditions. If we can't get society to change, maybe it's time to change the names?
Why has Kelli Stapleton Polarized the Autism Community?

Why has Kelli Stapleton Polarized the Autism Community?

The case of Kelli Stapleton, sentenced this week to 10-22 years after attempting to kill herself and her autistic daughter, Issy, has divided the autism community. Is it possible to raise awareness of the profound challenges faced by those with severe autism and intellectual disability and their families without excusing attempted murder?

Autism Apocalypse by 2025?

MIT scientist Stephanie Seneff recently blamed increasing autism rates on exposure to the herbicide glyphosate and predicted that by 2025 half of all babies born in the U.S. would be autistic, a development that would "risk the demise of the human race and a mass extinction unparalleled by previous events." How would we as a society respond?

Some Kids Really Do Beat Autism, and That's Good News

The recent New York Times article about kids who recovered from autism has generated much debate, from neurodiversity activists who think autism doesn't need to be cured to the parents of severely autistic children who know their children never will be cured. Yet we should all celebrate these findings and their implications for the entire autism community.

To Cage or Not to Cage? That Is Not the Question

As the public has vacillated between condemning the California parents arrested for keeping their autistic son in a cage and sympathizing with their lack of support, we have yet again missed the opportunity to openly discuss the medical treatments available to treat aggressive and self-injurious behaviors in autistic individuals.