Guy named Hawkings comes to mind..//////. affects everything from social communication to physical coordination.
Actually Hawkings communicates very well. He's written numerous journal articles and books. He regularly does lectures and TV appearances. He needs assistance in vocalizing his speech, but his communication skills are probably above average.
I have an autistic son. He has a neurological disorder which prevents him from conducting a normal conversation. He is now 5 years and 8 months and has never asked a “why” question. He cannot recount events. He is only now developing any interest in other children. On the other hand, as frequently happens with autistic children, his ability to sound out words and spell is more than two years ahead of other children.
Savage is very wrong. My son does not have a behavior problem (he is well behaved), but a physical disability. Yelling at him to talk will no more make him talk than yelling at someone with a broken leg will make him walk. I wish it were as simple as Savage suggests.
This problem is costing my wife and me $20,000 to $30,000 per year in therapy. These funds are not reimbursed by insurance. We want our son to be able to function normally in the world. We do not want him on Social Security. This problem is a financial drain on us. There is no benefit whatsoever. Further, I have learned that a diagnosis of autism is detrimental to insurance reimbursement because there is no cure for it. Consequently, many providers give another diagnosis, such as “dyspraxia.”
For my entire life, the idiots on the left have caricatured conservatives as “mean spirited” because they reject the concept of individual responsibility and want to demonize those who promote a society based on that concept.
Your comments have, in my view, given the left more ammunition to promote this lie. Please do some reading on this disorder. No one characterizes it as a behavior problem. These children do not know how to formulate speech. They are not brats who are simply acting out. Nothing could be further from the truth.