Enough Really Is Enough but Will You Listen?

I am all for stopping gun violence - all violence, really. But what will your Universal Background checks actually do to prevent gun violence? What are you screening for?

Past violent criminal history (such as domestic violence)?

This is fine, but isn't it a bit late for us to be doing something? Doesn't this infer the person has already been violent, perhaps with a gun? I suppose it's better than nothing. Cannot we do better than wait for the first infraction?

Someone's likelihood to become violent?

We currently cannot screen people based on their likelihood to become violent. It's not possible and it's not ethical. And what criteria would you even use?

How about someone's use of a legal drug - alcohol?

This is one of the few areas where there is research to support that a person may become violent. I'm pretty sure most of the United States would balk at this option.

So I suppose you are going down the mental illness path, aren't you? I am so tired of this conversation. I feel like a broken record.

"Epidemiologic studies show that the large majority of people with serious mental illnesses are never violent" (Swanson et al, 2014).

People who commit these terrible shootings are not doing so because of a mental health diagnosis any more than they are doing so because they are human. I see the media armchair diagnosing because of stigma. I see Facebook friends use words like "sick" and "crazy" and "psychopath" to describe these villains. But these anecdotes don't make it true. And I'm tired of arguing and trying to educate you. All you are doing is demonizing people who are already struggling in the society you have made nearly impossible for them to survive.

• You are creating stigma and witch hunts for people who have real medical issues. 
• You are demonizing people who have insurmountable challenges - disabilities- which you have created for them by making society inaccessible and now dangerous to their well-being.
• You are blaming the disabled for the monsters that have been created by hate and political bigotry.
• You are blaming the less powerful for the demons that you have summoned by your indifference to violence as a means to settle scores between enemies. 
• You are the problem - not those with mental health issues.

Go screen that. 

And while your at it, get rid of your killing machines to which you so desperately cling to protect yourself from the villains that you have created.

I've had enough rhetoric.

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Mental illness and reduction of gun violence and suicide: bringing epidemiologic research to policy
Swanson, Jeffrey W. et al.
Annals of Epidemiology , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , 366 - 376

Parenting is Hard

Things that make parenting an autistic child hard:

1. Professionals who refer your child to harmful therapies and services when you don’t know any better.
• Therapies such as ABA have been known to cause serious problems including trauma in the autistic population.
• https://sociallyanxiousadvocate.wordpress.com/2015/05/22/why-i-left-aba/
• https://autismwomensnetwork.org/my-thoughts-on-aba/
• http://unstrangemind.com/aba/
2. Professionals who shame you and your child due to their inability to perform the tasks the professionals predetermined are important, even when they are not.
• Telling you that your child needs more socialization – what if I told you that your child’s socialization will work itself out? That they do social differently? Do we socialize our neurotypical children? No, we do not. And thus this is just another “your child is acting not like the others so fix them” tactic.
• Telling you that your child must “use their words.” This is unnecessary. Children can be taught to communicate with technology and other means. Forcing language via spoken word is abuse when a child is not ready to do this yet. Autistic neurological wiring is different.
• Telling you that your child must make eye contact. This is flat out BS. More so it’s just a cultural preference. There is no need for it. It is painful for autistic people. Do not let them force your child in this way anymore than you would let them force your child into bending over backwards, literally.
3. Schools that refuse to accommodate your child’s differences or recognize your child’s strengths.
• This might be the #1 reason most families struggle – the schools systems who routinely abuse autistic children because they do not accommodate or even recognize needs. They punish and force children into terrible predicaments that are almost always detrimental to their well being.
4. Communities that refuse to include your child unless they can pass for “not disabled.”
• How many times have you neglected to go to that movie because it’s too loud and there are no other options?
• How many times have you been left off the birthday invite list because of ignorance?
• How many times have you been given looks six ways 'til Sunday because of ignorance?
5. All of the terrible misinformation that lives on the internet about autism and its causes.
• From deadly miracle cures to fraudulent causes, the snake oil salespeople are out to take your money and your soul along with it.
6. Organizations that profit from fear campaigns that exploit your child’s struggles due to all the above.
• Autism$peaks is among one of the biggest problems that autistic people face. Several other large organizations are not far behind.
• The adult autism population all but goes into hiding April 1 every year because it is the month where Awareness campaigns come out to label them as broken.

All of these things are due to others who exploit the disabled or refuse to educate themselves about autism. None of these things are due to autism. None of these things are due to your child. Keep the blame where it belongs.