About the school massacre...

[conuly]

People were wondering when the label of autism would appear, and it seems it has.

Sometime in his life, he was diagnosed officially or not as autistic, according to recent articles.

You know and I know that this doesn't mean all autistics will shoot up a school anymore than you can expect this to reflect badly on all asians or all immigrants. But to some people, it will do so.

Comments

[davidkevin.livejournal.com]

You'll notice that his both-middle-school-and-college classmate still doesn't get it that teasing him was wrong.

Most autistic persons aren't explosions waiting to happen as he was (if he was in fact autistic), as most have parents who make efforts to try to get through the barriers, and most nowadays get therapy to draw them out as least somewhat, as well as medication where appropriate. He got none of that, apparently ever. His parents had the stereotypical Korean immigrant work ethic, and it's my understanding that mental disability has an much greater stigma in Korean culture than it does in mainstream U. S. culture -- and despite the wear-your-mental-handicap-on-your-sleeve LiveJournal subculture, out in mundane America, believe me, there still is a stigma -- making it unlikely he would have received treatment even if he had parents who had only forty-hour/five-day work weeks.

And so the bottled-up anger, with no amelioration in any way, built and built, simmering into rage, and finally into murderous violence.

Children don't grow up to suddenly become Mansons, or Specks, or Stalins, or Dahmers, or Chos. It takes years and years of neglect and/or abuse to cause this. And it looks like he got just that, years and years of neglect.

[atdelphi.livejournal.com]

So the public is supposed to be shocked by stats of how common autism is - but at the same time they're supposed to view it as rare enough to suggest causation when a handful of that population turns out to be disturbed? Does not compute.

[lizziey.livejournal.com]

Somehow, i knew you'd post about this. :D

Oh, hey, guess what!? I had a sono yesterday...and Cornflake does not have any boy parts that were seen. Which means...YAY a girl FINALLY.

And yes, we are still thinking Keladry. But we're now also considering Annika Rose...

[cumaeansibyl.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'm wondering if he was diagnosed as autistic because he was a child at the time, and it's easier to imagine a child with autism than it is to imagine a child with a personality disorder.

[conuly]

I had that thought as well, though it wouldn't solve the problem of sillies - obviously not every child with a personality disorder will grow up and kill people, and to give a child a bad diagnosis because of stigma or whatever seems fairly irresponsible if it doesn't help them get help if they need it.

[sporks5000.livejournal.com]

Dear Connie,

I haven't heard from you for more than two days in a row and it has me worried. I hope that you're okay.

-Austin

[conuly]

I hadn't been getting enough sleep. I'm now well-rested, but I might *still* not be able to update today - Elise is freaking out over a bug bite and convinced she needs emergency room attention, and I might end up actually going to the hospital with her.

[sporks5000.livejournal.com]

I just had a friend pass away, someone I only knew over the internet, and if it weren't for the fact that I was flying in to visit her, I probably wouldn't have known for weeks.

So you'll forgive me for worrying.

[conuly]

Nothing to forgive :)

I'm a little embarrassed about it (shows how much I post, doesn't it!), but I'd rather people care than not.

[(Anonymous)]

what's there to be embarrassed about? I've had people do the same thing with me when hadn't posted fora while.

And you are cared about. considder yourself blessed.

-Austin (sporks5000)

[davidkevin.livejournal.com]

You'll notice that his both-middle-school-and-college classmate still doesn't get it that teasing him was wrong.

Most autistic persons aren't explosions waiting to happen as he was (if he was in fact autistic), as most have parents who make efforts to try to get through the barriers, and most nowadays get therapy to draw them out as least somewhat, as well as medication where appropriate. He got none of that, apparently ever. His parents had the stereotypical Korean immigrant work ethic, and it's my understanding that mental disability has an much greater stigma in Korean culture than it does in mainstream U. S. culture -- and despite the wear-your-mental-handicap-on-your-sleeve LiveJournal subculture, out in mundane America, believe me, there still is a stigma -- making it unlikely he would have received treatment even if he had parents who had only forty-hour/five-day work weeks.

And so the bottled-up anger, with no amelioration in any way, built and built, simmering into rage, and finally into murderous violence.

Children don't grow up to suddenly become Mansons, or Specks, or Stalins, or Dahmers, or Chos. It takes years and years of neglect and/or abuse to cause this. And it looks like he got just that, years and years of neglect.

[atdelphi.livejournal.com]

So the public is supposed to be shocked by stats of how common autism is - but at the same time they're supposed to view it as rare enough to suggest causation when a handful of that population turns out to be disturbed? Does not compute.

[lizziey.livejournal.com]

Somehow, i knew you'd post about this. :D

Oh, hey, guess what!? I had a sono yesterday...and Cornflake does not have any boy parts that were seen. Which means...YAY a girl FINALLY.

And yes, we are still thinking Keladry. But we're now also considering Annika Rose...

[cumaeansibyl.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'm wondering if he was diagnosed as autistic because he was a child at the time, and it's easier to imagine a child with autism than it is to imagine a child with a personality disorder.

[conuly]

I had that thought as well, though it wouldn't solve the problem of sillies - obviously not every child with a personality disorder will grow up and kill people, and to give a child a bad diagnosis because of stigma or whatever seems fairly irresponsible if it doesn't help them get help if they need it.

[sporks5000.livejournal.com]

Dear Connie,

I haven't heard from you for more than two days in a row and it has me worried. I hope that you're okay.

-Austin

[conuly]

I hadn't been getting enough sleep. I'm now well-rested, but I might *still* not be able to update today - Elise is freaking out over a bug bite and convinced she needs emergency room attention, and I might end up actually going to the hospital with her.

[sporks5000.livejournal.com]

I just had a friend pass away, someone I only knew over the internet, and if it weren't for the fact that I was flying in to visit her, I probably wouldn't have known for weeks.

So you'll forgive me for worrying.

[conuly]

Nothing to forgive :)

I'm a little embarrassed about it (shows how much I post, doesn't it!), but I'd rather people care than not.

[(Anonymous)]

what's there to be embarrassed about? I've had people do the same thing with me when hadn't posted fora while.

And you are cared about. considder yourself blessed.

-Austin (sporks5000)