Emily ([info]pahsophist) wrote,
@ 2008-07-26 10:37:00
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Entry tags:autism, autism advocacy, michael savage, talk radio network

Rick Rollens
I have since briefly talked with Rick Rollens. He had this to say:

"Savage . . . was responding to media coverage of the [California] Report I had sent to numerous media outlets that reported on the Report."
So it seems as though Savage had earlier mentioned said Report on his show, though as yet I have been unable to find mention of it on the internet (but then that was before Savage's untoward comments of July 16th). So... Savage was the first to mention the Report, Rollens sent more info to him on the Report following this mention, Savage went off on the Report even more, Rollens sent the email requesting people to call-in as well as sending an email to Savage himself, Savage stews for about a month and a half, then finally blows up with his July 16th comments. Chaos ensues, titty boom.

I don't know... I've lost count of the number of reports having reportedly been reported about this Report.

***eyes going crossed***

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Q
[info]sphericalsurreality.blogspot.com
2008-08-06 10:59 pm UTC (link)
In the world of Biblical scholarship there is a mythical document called Q from which the four gospels are said to have derived a good deal of their material. Your post sounds a tad like a report of another Q. It's good that the quote you give is sufficiently ambiguous so that the guy who originally said it can find a quick report from around that time and point to it :)

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Re: Q
[info]pahsophist
2008-08-06 11:19 pm UTC (link)
Not being familiar with Q, is that a good thing or a bad thing? hehe

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Re: Q
[info]sphericalsurreality.blogspot.com
2008-08-06 11:56 pm UTC (link)
Well I just thought it was interesting. I don't know that it makes the report that prompted Savage's outburst a good thing though if that's what you meant.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: Q
[info]pahsophist
2008-08-07 01:18 pm UTC (link)
Ah I see what you mean. I haven't personally gone over the report. I would imagine it gave even higher numbers for autism spectrum diagnoses plus averages for spending on treatment? One of those "this is how much of a financial burden autism is" reports.

Personally, I think such financial reports should be made relative. Yes, a lot of money is spent on autism treatments, that's not in doubt. But considering ABA therapy just for a 2 year-old can cost upwards of $5,000 a month, I'd say the prices of treatment are SERIOUSLY inflated. So I'd be surprised, with such inflation, that treatment WOULDN'T be expensive.

***shrugs shoulders***

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: Q
(Anonymous)
2008-08-08 12:59 am UTC (link)
Which reminds me, do you think some kind of environmental agent might be responsible for the increase in autism cases? I am reluctant to believe that all cases of diagnosed autism are the result of some kind of genetic mutation simply because if they were they would represent a dangerous mutation for a species of primate living in the wild. Of course for a species of primate living in urban and civilized settings where thought and contemplation are more normative I suppose it might not be such a bad thing.

I'm not suggesting mercury poisoning as the culprit but I'm not siding with someone like William Stillman and his outlandish ideas about autism and a connection with God either.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: Q
[info]pahsophist
2008-08-09 05:29 pm UTC (link)
I think that environment, in all cases, plays a role-- as it does in most everything, since organisms don't live in vacuums.

Autism Spectrum Conditions are a group of conditions which occur not only on a spectrum within the range of what is considered "disordered" but also into lighter undiagnosable variants. Therefore, I consider autism to be on the extreme end of a normal human continuum.

Therefore I don't think environment ever makes the difference between "autism" and "not autism"; whatever roles it does play, I feel it would affect the severity of the expression of those human traits associated with autism.

Then the question becomes "What in the environment increases or decreases gene expression which affects behavioral traits associated with autism?" And the answer to that I would imagine is that there may be innumerable variables at play. The uterine environment, foods, vaccines/viruses/bacteria, the psychological environment (high-stress can increase types of gene expression), illness, other affects on the immune and endocrine systems... many many many possibilities. And it's different from person to person.

When it comes to personality, our personalities (all personalities, not just autism) are decided by gene expression. That gene expression is affected by the demands of the environment, because wouldn't it be anti-adaptation otherwise if an organism was incapable of altering gene expression according to the demands and changes in the environment? Autism is no different; and given its prevalence-- despite that we are a minority-- I would say it has adaptive value, otherwise it would have been culled from the gene pool. Whether that adaptive value lies in the extreme expressions themselves or in lesser variants and the procreation of lesser variants ensures that more extreme variants will continue to pop up, who knows.

I think the genetic basis for autism is always there, and aspects will be apparent no matter the environment. But the environment then takes her culinary whisk and decides how thick the sauce should be.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
problems on Gestalt
(Anonymous)
2008-09-03 04:09 pm UTC (link)
Hi Sophie,

I couldn't find any email adress of yours, so I post something here.

Listen, there is something wrong for me at the Gestalt site.
I can't leave any postings on the topics any longer, cause time and time again I am asked for loging in. When I do that, I read than later in the right corner of the page Logout, which means I am logged in. But that within a second pops up again as 'login', which means I am not logged in. I went through it 10 times in 2 days and it does not let me log in and also not leave me put a message on a topic.

Can you fix it??

thanks

Lobo Rojo

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: problems on Gestalt
[info]pahsophist
2008-09-03 08:05 pm UTC (link)
Hmm, lemme try and find out what's going on. It sounds like it's something on your end, possibly a problem with cookies or something. I'll email you back at the address you provided during registration; I'm gonna recopy your message to the other admins and see if they have any suggestions.

Unfortunately, when it comes to that sort of thing I'm not much of a techie, so I'll have to find somebody to ask.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

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