Within Autism NI's website is a booklet entitled 'Waking up to Autism Spectrum Disorder - An Issue for Mental Health Services. here . It's dated January 2012.
Autism NI claims this booklet will help to inform mental health professionals about ASD and provide information on treatment options.
Did I miss something? Are the staff at Autism NI fully qualified medical professionals as well as professional fundraisers?
Is Arlene Cassidy, the CEO of Autism NI qualified to provide psychiatric prescriptive advice to anyone much less Department of Health employees and officials? Two whole pages of this 11 page document refer to various and sundry drugs including Lithium, 'neuroleptics', SSRI's and stimulants. These drugs are referred to in this hastily copied and pasted together mishmash of a document, as 'treatment' for autistic spectrum conditions. The title of the document 'Waking Up' to Autistic Spectrum Disorder, is a misnomer. All this document wants is for adults with autism to be drugged and asleep!
Apart from the laughable content of this document, no attempt was made to provide one reference to what it purports as 'fact'. There is, however, a suggested reading list with books that stem from the 1980s to the mid 1990's.
Autism NI does not appear to be concerned with citations or references. Looking through their other 'information leaflets' and so called 'research' papers, references are scarce, researchers are often not researchers, but rather "friends" with Autism NI.
This document is wholly and utterly irresponsible and I strongly urge readers to contact Autism NI and demand that it is withdrawn from their website. I also suggest you contact Dr Michael McBride, Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland and advise him that Autism NI is providing dangerous information regarding autism.
If you are a person who has autism and you read this document please do NOT believe that the drugs listed in this document are a 'treatment' for autism. Can we all please remember the tragic story from last year that resulted in the drug overdose of a man who had autism. here
Autism NI allege on the final page of this document, that it was printed in partnership with the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. I find this very hard to believe and will be forwarding a copy to the Department to find out the names of who, if any, were involved (probably none) I think what really has happened is that Autism NI printed and uploaded the document hoping no one would actually question it.
You can contact the DHSSPSNI yourself via this link: here and ask them yourself if they participated in this 'information' leaflet.
Autism NI will continue to produce this kind of non-referenced fallacious rubbish until people demand that they stop.
Shame on you Autism NI. Please remove this offending document from your website immediately. For that matter, you could do us all a favour and remove most of what is on your website. It's fatuous, gratuitous and very often just plain wrong. Please enter the 21st century.
Autism NI has received accolades (and tens of thousands of pounds) from pharmaceutical giant Glaxo-Smithkline. Alarm bells should ring in any person's brain when autism charities receive lovely lolly from big pharma.
"What did you do at work today Daddy", said little Jimmy, His father, Big Mo replied, "I administered electric shocks to non-verbal autistic children son".
Jimmy asked, "why do you do that Daddy?"
"Because they don't do as they are told son".
"Would you do that to me Daddy?" Big Mo had to think a while and finally replied, "no son, you don't have autism silly."
This shocking new video shows how an autistic teenage boy was tied up and given 31 electric shocks over seven hours by his laughing teachers and ended up in a coma.
The disturbing video (above) was released 11 April 2012. All the autism awareness campaigns in the world don't seem to be changing the hearts and minds of many of those who work with people who have autism. This video shows the kind of torture administered by the Judge Rotenberg Centre in Massachusetts USA, over the past three decades, to children and young people who have autism and who are in their 'care'.
The video shows a 2002 incident in which 18-year-old Andre McCollins was restrained, face-down, on the floor of a classroom, and then given 31 shocks—all because he had refused to take off his coat. The torture he received took place at the infamous Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts, USA.
The young man is currently suing Rotenberg. His mother, Cheryl, testified in court yesterday and said, "I never signed up for him to be tortured, terrorized, and abused. I had no idea—no idea—that they tortured the children in the school." More footage is expected to be shown in court today.
Why am I bringing your attention to this you may ask? After all, this blog is supposed to be about autism in Northern Ireland.
First off, I want our friends in the USA, whose children have been betrayed and tortured at this centre,to know that we in Northern Ireland are appalled and angry at the pain they and you went through. Well, at least this blogger is appalled.
Second, don't believe that this kind of abuse is isolated to torture centers like the Judge Rotenberg centre. We have lots of instances of 'torture' here in Northern Ireland, where adults who have autism still languish in 'mental' hospitals, where ill-informed medical staff drug and silence children with drugs both at home and at school and where children are removed from their families because an 'expert' believes the child exhibits signs of abuse as opposed to autism. See here to learn about the heartbreaking treatment inflicted upon Antrim teenager Katie Ryder.
The 'Light it up Blue' charade may have filled the coffers of charities, but it didn't do anything for autism 'awareness'.
Changing the hearts and minds of people regarding an issue does not happen by making charities richer. Some staff at the Rotenberg Center are probably uncomfortable with what they do and in fact some have left the center and told their experiences on the internet. As for those who stay, well, there are plenty of sociopaths and psychopaths in this world and they can justify their actions for a myriad of reasons. They absolve themselves of responsibility because someone else says it is ok or simply because they are getting away with it. Tomes have been written on this kind of human behaviour. The Judge Rotenberg Center Lights Kids Up Electric Blue.
Derry City Council in their recent news letter here . refer to the real meaning of 'Light It Up Blue'. Alderman Devenney said, “By lighting up the Council’s Civic Offices on the Strand Road blue for the month of April we are sending out a clear message that we are supportive of the work being done on the ground to offer help and support to families in the city and across Northern Ireland dealing with this disability. We hope that this gesture will create better awareness and understanding of the issue and raise much needed funds for the charity,” he commented.
What charity is that you say? Autism NI of course, who else. Much needed funds? Why? What do they do? Remind me?
By the way, for those of you who don't know, the 'Light It Up Blue' campaign for Autism Awareness Month was concocted by Autism Speaks in the USA, and had nothing to do with Autism NI, though I am sure the campaign was a nice earner for any organisation that supported it. With so many staff to pay and with so many cuts to their funding, autism charity employees are all struggling to pay their mortgages and save for those holidays!.
We have enough autism awareness now. Who doesn't know about autism? What we don't have is understanding and respect for persons who have autism. We don't have the voice of those individuals influencing changes where changes need to be made. Who is it that makes decisions regarding autism in Northern Ireland? Do any of those people have autism themselves? Does Arlene Cassidy of Autism NI have autism? Does Edwin Poots, our Health Minister have autism? Who do they consult when making decisions? Is there a formal process? I would sure like to know about it. Phoning a friend doesn't count.
Throwing money at charities and organisations does absolutely nothing for people who have autism. Yet, in Northern Ireland that's what you do - you give and give and you don't ask questions. You just assume all that lovely money is going to good use for those poor little autistic kids. (Like autism ends when adulthood begins)
When bad things happen, charities are the last to say anything about it unless it serves their interests. I have absolutely no doubt that atrocities similar to what happened and continue to happen at the Judge Rotenberg Center do happen here as well. You and I just don't hear about them. See here: http://niscc.info/HearingsbyDate-339.aspx#0103 to learn about why care worker Edith McGaughey was struck off as a Social Worker in March this year for abusing her autistic clients at an Autism Initiatives home in Bangor. She's not the first.
As for charities, they tend not to poke their noses into affairs outside of the UK unless it suits them. Ok, Arlene Cassidy provided a free junket to Washington DC a few years back. About 12 politicos went I think. This made her and her charity look good. She also 'testified' at the Committee for Foreign Affairs last year. see here. When it suits, Autism NI gets 'international'. We will see if they internationally condemn the Judge Rotenberg Center. I somehow doubt it, they seem too busy trying convince local councils of the 'work' they do and of course, of the money they "need".
Didn't Northern Ireland have plans to use children as guinea pigs at the Middletown Centre for Autism? Not one child has gone through the doors of Middletown. For that, I think, we can be grateful. Let it continue to be a white elephant, and a waste of money, as long as they keep their hands off of our children. When so-called 'experts' from Northern Ireland take control of your children, God knows what could happen.
I am praying for all the 'inmates' currently imprisoned at the Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton Massachusetts. It's 2012 but if you have autism it might as well be 1812.
Light it up blue, have a cake sale, run a marathon, fly some balloons - Yippeee - it's 2 April 2012 and it's the fifth World Autism Day.
Seeing as we can't 'cure' it, we can celebrate it instead right? Give up, give in and just have a party and make sure you give lots and lots of money to charities - this day is for them to raise funds, more than it could ever be for you or your child.
And remember for all the folks who live in Northern Ireland, we now have the Autism Act - what an exciting Autism Day 2012 it is. Let's see how long it will take for it to ever be invoked - I suspect maybe 2025?
For those of you who want to make your views known about the Autism Act, you now have a chance, ( until Friday 20th April 2012 ) Just open the link below. Your comments in the form must not exceed 1000 characters, so be succinct)
Be mindful that this ACT may well force society to despise us and our children. I would urge parents whose children have other disabilities to fill in the questionnaire too and ask that an Act is created to help your own child.
Let's see if anyone in Northern Ireland today talks about more research funding, (is there ANY research coming out of Northern Ireland except the Roy McConkey/Arlene Cassidy fluff from UU, or the Rosie Burrows piece funded by Autism NI about how we parents are traumatised and need more sympathy? ) Sorry, can't bring myself to offer you links to these pieces of fatuous and gratuitous bunkum.
How and when will our children receive co-ordinated services, evidence based practices in schools and the help they need to continue their education and to find employment and to eventually have a full and joyful adult life?
So, go ahead and plaster your child's face all over an autism charity's poster, use your child's image to make them some more money. Meanwhile, when was the last time you were employed? Did you give up work altogether to care for your autistic child(ren)?
Tomorrow is 3 April 2012. Charities today might be 'lighting it up blue' for autism, but thousands of families tomorrow, will still feel 'black' and blue, cut and bruised from fighting for their children's future. Their children know about black and blue as well seeing as over half of them continue to be bullied see here and here.
Be sure to ask your local charity to use the money they received today wisely - you know, the money they obtained off the back of your child's diagnosis? Alternatively, fly your balloons, eat your cakes, run your marathons and continue to give give give to others who pretend to speak for you and your children.
p.s. Does World Autism Day apply to France? Sign the petition in the link below to stop the abuse of autistic children there. stop the torture
Do you have a child/loved one who has a diagnosis of autism? Do you have autism yourself? If you go to Autism NI (Northern Ireland's Autism Charity) you will find a very interesting 'fact' sheet which you should read before it's too late!
For everyone else, I suggest you upgrade your home security, set evening curfews for your children, and install 'autistics' detection devices throughout your home and in your children's school bags to avoid the very scary prospect of bumping into one of these pornography loving, weapon obsessed pyromaniacs. If your children go to school with children who have even a whiff of autism, beware and never ever let your own child be in their company alone (unless of course your child wishes to join the military and already has interests in the above noted activities.) Keep autistic and non-autistic siblings apart and refrain from leaving your children who have autism alone with your elderly relatives.
I don't want to worry you, but if this 'fact' sheet is correct, and your child has a diagnosis of autism s/he is a potential: sexual predator, murderer, arsonist. (and any other scary descriptive noun you can think of)
Perhaps MI5 and the CIA should be included as part of the multi-disciplinary team during the diagnostic process. This is just too SCARY!
What is holding up the gene research on autism? The sooner we find a test to detect autism in the womb, the sooner we can rid this world of these monsters via abortion!
See below for Autism NI's frightening array of what could be in store for you and/or your child with autism:
(emphasis mine - the grammar mistakes are those of AutismNI)
Negative aspects of obsessive /ritualistic behaviour
"Parents/carers may have to try and reduce the inexhaustible compulsion to fuel the interest. This could be achieved by limiting the time spent by setting a clock, time timer or schedule.
The special interest can be expensive to maintain and the individual can feel compelled to spend money on it or steal to satisfy the compulsion.
If the individual’s special interest is potentially harmful to themselves or others then steps have to be taken to stop or modify the interest.
However this may prove to be particularly difficult and the individual, parent or carer may requireprofessional support. (**This is classic! Problem creation and problem solution! see below)
If an obsession is potentially dangerous, observe the individual to see if it is the whole activity or only an aspect of it that is compulsive. e.g. a child obsessed with lighters may not need to keep lighting them but may like the noise, sensations and spark rather than the flame that goes with flicking the lighter. Therefore empty lighters may be safer. If behaviour is potentially harmful always seek professional advice.
(sound advice if I ever heard it!)
Parents and carers need to be aware and alert to morbid or macabre interests. (weapons, pornography, fire etc.)
There needs to be further investigated and an explanation of legislation to the individual as they will be unaware of the dangers they face. Professional help should be sought as the intensity and dominance of the obsession will be hard to control."
Never forget, it's depressing having a child who has a diagnosis of autism and potentially the life ahead of you with this child could be hell. You can't do this on your own, you need 'support' from 'professionals' and organisations like Autism NI. It's highly likely that you will not be able to change things like 'ritualistic' behaviours and all you can do is just go with the flow and refrain from keeping guns and lighters in the house. No, we don't provide help, we are just telling you in our own impersonal way, what we think your child's future might look like so we can scare the pants off of you and encourage you to join one of our support groups where you will receive unending tea and sympathy.
We don't need to provide evidence for what we say (we usually don't) and we certainly do not need to worry about being politically correct. The parents who join our organisation have other things to worry about, and we have done our best, for the last 20 years, to ensure their time is spent raising funds for us so they don't have to worry about their children.
See here for our official Facebook page where you will find all you need to know about opportunities to raise funds for us. We have scores of staff wages to pay every month and we need YOUR help to ensure their mortgages are paid. If you want links to research or support or services in Northern Ireland for you and your family, well, we suggest you go elsewhere. What do you think we are, a charity?
To Autism NI: Does cramming parents into drafty halls, and repeating the same mantra over and over about having passed a redundant autism bill count as obsessive or ritualistic behaviour?
**There is a pill for that! Autism NI has developed a relationship with one of the biggest 'pill' makers Glaxo Smithkline. In 2008, Autism NI was awarded £30,000 for the IMPACT Award from Glaxo Smithkline in partnership with the King's Fund. see here .
More recently, in their 'What People Say about Us' page, here , Katie Pinnock, GSK Director of Corporate UK Contributions says, "This charity has done an amazing job of supporting families of those with Autism, and informing health professionals about treatment. It is to be commended for its work in helping to reduce the isolation and stress that is often caused as the result of the condition. "
"We all know that autism has had a huge impact on the psychopharm industry", so the name of the award was fitting. "Sales of atypical antipsychotics went from $0 to $16 billion a year since the start of the (autism) epidemic." see here .
(By the way Katie, isolation is not caused by autism, the isolation is a social construct created largely by the kind of ignorance displayed in the content of Autism NI's fact sheet above.) Further, it is very worrying if Autism NI has, as you say, been informing health professionals about treatment. Based on the the content noted above in this blog entry, and together with Autism NI's relationship with your company, I infer that professionals are being informed that people who have autism are sociopaths and ultimately, with the help of 'professionals' become fodder for drug testing. Some treatment!
Let's remember that Glaxo Smithkline is the producer of many drugs including Paxil (Seroxat) prescribed for OCD and depression. Glaxo is/was embroiled in multi million dollar lawsuits regarding this drug and others and its failure to divulge the damaging impact of the drug on children . Children don't have to physically take this drug or others to be affected. Their pregnant mothers who have been prescribed SSRIs like Seroxat can pass on the negative effects to their foetus. Use of Paxil/Seroxat and other anti-depressant use during pregnancy has been linked to higher rates of autism. See here .
Why would an Autism Charity link itself or accept commendations from a large pharmaceutical company, particularly Glaxo Smithkline, the producer of SSRI's, vaccinations, etc that are of such contention within the worldwide autism community. Over to you parents.
The SHSCT referred to in this blog entry has been amended. SHSCT has removed the link to Autism NI and replaced it with http://www.familysupportni.gov.uk/
On perusing the SHSCT (Southern Health and Social Care Trust) website, I came across their 'autism specialist intervention service' page. It all looked interesting. I read the whole page but when I came to the end of the page, I noticed that this Trust provides only one external weblink regarding autism. That link is to the organisation 'AutismNI'.
I would like to say to the other 9 or more voluntaries and charities in Northern Ireland that work with autism related issues, please contact the Southern Trust and advise them of their oversight. You are not receiving equitable publicity.
Why are children and families in the Southern Area being formally advised via an official Health Trust website, to go to just ONE charity. Out of all the links in the world, why is AutismNI the only external link on the page?
If you live in the following areas, you are in the Southern Area Trust:
Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon, Dungannon, Newry & Mourne.
AutismNI is a company. Its sells many of its services, it requires that 'members' pay a membership fee, it also has a need to feed itself and this is done via membership fees, fundraising by families, etc. How much money would AutismNI receive from the hundreds of potential families being fed to it via this website? Who made the decision in the Southern Trust to give preferential treatment to this organisation? AutismNI had £400,000 (approx) in its coffers last year. Why were they selected by the Southern Trust as the only voluntary organisation to have its link on their website regarding autism? Was it because they are the 'richest' and by implication, the best? (AutismNI touts its 20 year history as something to celebrate.
20 years of ineptitude, incalcitrance, mediocrity? )
The real question is what is AutismNI offering anyone in the Southern Area Trust? If you refer to AutismNI's own website they have minimal if any training going on, none of which is in the Southern area. Most of their 'training' you have to pay for and it looks like Trusts in general, are no longer funding the organisation, preferring their own in-house trainers and services. A cursory look at the AutismNI website indicates not much is happening with this organisation at all except fundraising and hiring more fundraisers!
It's all smoke and mirrors. If you live in the Southern Trust area and you have a newly diagnosed child where do you turn for help then? What information and support do you need?
SEN and Statementing help
DLA/carer's assessments advice
Access to the latest autism intervention strategies
Advice on schools
Diet/Nutrition/Health advice
Socialisation/Play/Communication opportunities?
Parent training in advocacy, understanding the Health and Education Systems?
Understanding the Implication of the SEN (Special Educational Needs) Review and what to do about it?
If you are a family requiring help with the above list, there are organisations all over Northern Ireland working in different areas providing help in these matters. Some of them are :
PEAT (Parent Educators as Autism Therapists)
ANNI (Autism Network NI)
NAS (National Autistic Society)
PRAXIS
Autism Initiatives
MENCAP
Barnardos (Forward Steps Programs)
Contact a Family
SENAC
Children's Law Centre
If you organise a charity, working with persons who have autism in the Southern Trust, you will now know why families, new to the diagnosis of autism, are not contacting you, they are potentially contacting only AutismNI because that is the only organisation that is being given publicity by the Trust's autism service. Shocking and totally unethical.
Nice cosy relationship between the Trust and Autism NI? Quid pro quo relationship? What benefits are being enjoyed by each party in this twosome?
(by the way, Southern Trust, the webpage in question does not divulge the name or contact details of the Autism Coordinator for the area) These details should be on the website. I also note, that typing in 'autism' into the search facility of the main website page comes up with nothing. So, all in all, at least in my opinion, I find the 'autism specialist invervention service' page wanting and needing a complete overhaul.
For anyone who lives in the Southern Trust area, your Autism Coordinator is:
Contact Lesley if you, as a parent/carer are not happy with the service or provision your child is receiving from the Health Trust (eg. waiting times, SLT/OT/Carer's Assessments, Social Workers, etc)
Lesley Waugh is the overall co-ordinator for autism services and provision in this area and is there to iron out your problems.
"There is no early intervention out there... they could paper the walls of Stormont with their policies, stategies and autism task reports - but you try bringing that into a home where a mother is on her two knees trying to toilet train her child. The services are letting our children down, failing our families. In England parents have choices, there are independent schools, private schools, NAS schools. What is it with Ireland? The children are 4 or 5 before they acknowledge the child has autism....Someone coming into your house once a fortnight for 20 minutes is not early intervention. (Aileen McCallan, Author, speaking on Radio Foyle 27 March 2009)
