Boy with autism barred from mass

This is just sad. So much for the concept of "The Good Shepherd". I'm going to post the article from the Star Tribune as well. It goes a bit more into the behaviors at issue and how they can be misinterpreted by people who do not understand autism. Please read the Star Tribune article, because the WCCO-TV pieces leave out any discussion of what the mother's response to the church's concerns.

WCCO-TV:
Article, Video

Star Tribune:
Article

My favorite quote from the mother is "I can't discipline him out of his autism, and I think that's what our priest is expecting." The church points out offensive behaviors--but the parents also point out how such behaviors can be misinterpreted. Speaking from experience, behaviors can be blown out of proportion by people who know very little about autism.

I'm really curious to see how this turns out. My own experience has been that a church does not like for it to be told that it is wrong. From what I've read so far, I think this case clearly violates the hospitality that Jesus Christ calls all of us to practice.

Review: A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines

Review: A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines

This book is most unusual.

Its storytelling is quite minimal as it paints in fast brush strokes the story of two geniuses of the 20^th century: Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing. Both men never truly fit into their world. Both men ended up committing suicide. Gödel suffered from paranoia and spent time in a sanatorium. Turing was gay and also would have probably been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome today.

They each asked a great question of the 20^th. Gödel asked if we can ever truly know for sure if something is truly true? (His answer was ‘no’.) Turing asked if humans were anything more than just complicated machines? (His answer was also ‘no’.)

This book explores the implications of such questions and answers in regards to God and faith. What I enjoyed most about this book was that it did not offer answers. The older I get the less interested I am in finding the “right” answers. I find myself much more interested in asking the “right” questions. I would recommend this book to anyone who shares a similar point of view.

The judgment of Eli Stone.

"And let’s hope that in future episodes, Eli Stone and ABC show better judgment in picking causes."--NY Times editorial, 2/2/08

Yesterday the NY Times ran an editorial condemning the show "Eli Stone" for its first episode. The episode dealt with autism and vaccines.

The studies say there is no link. The show pointed that out. As the father with two sons on the Autism Spectrum I honestly don't spend much time thinking about this--I have other more immediate issues that need to be dealt with.

However, I do want to point out that in years past the scientific community knew with certainty that the mother's actions were to blame for a child's autism. Although this theory of the "Refrigerator Mother" is largely dismissed in the United States, the "latest" theory regarding "Therapy Moms" seems to be a thinly veiled rehash of this garbage.

The scientific studies to date show no connection between vaccines and autism. That is different from saying there is definitely no connection. And given the "scientific community's" track record I'm going to keep an open mind about possible linkage.

Funny how scientists get flustered when someone questions them. It is almost like a religious war breaking out. Who says science and religion don't have things in common?

Rainy Sunday

It's a rainy Sunday here in Minnesota. We have 2 friends of the boys over today for a play date. They are all upstairs celebrating "Neurodiversity". I really haven't written much about the fact that both boys have autism.

All fours boys in our house today are part of the autism program at their school. Today is one of those days where I'm really thankful that we live in Minneapolis. Minneapolis Public Schools has a well developed autism program. All four of the boys started in the program before they were in Kindergarten. It's really great for the boys and parents to know other people and families for whom autism is a part of their lives.