Jim Taylor's Columns - 'Soft Edges' and 'Sharp Edges'

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29

Jan

2022

The plight of those who’ll never be the best

Author: Jim Taylor

Sunday January 30, 2022

 

A group of men, all over 70, meet by Zoom every Monday to solve the problems of the world. We call ourselves the Golden Guys. 

            Last week, we realized that we have more in common than age. Of the six Golden Guys present, every one of us had at least one child, grandchild, or close family relative with some kind of intellectual, physical, or emotional challenge.

            Some of our young ones have been officially diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Some are in excellent physical shape, but have emotional handicaps. Some will never be able to read or do math above a Grade 4 level. Some have physical malfunctions. 

            I’m deliberately being vague, because this column is not, and should not be, about them. 

            It’s about us. 

            And about the Olympic Games, now less than a week away.


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24

Oct

2021

Autism study shakes preconceptions

Author: Jim Taylor

Sunday October 24, 2021

 

Jill Sanghvi wrote her thesis in India, for Vrije Universiteit in Brussels, Belgium.

            Sanghvi recognized that most studies treated autism as a “deficit.” That is, it rendered the person less than normal. Handicapped. Victim of a disability. 

            The words themselves have negative connotations. 

            So if that’s what you’re looking for, that’s what you will find. 

            These studies were all by non-autistic adults. Writing ABOUT, or FOR, people with autism. 

            Sanghvi resolved to do something different. Young people themselves would tell their stories. And she would not ask them about the “deficits” they experienced as objects of ridicule, bullying, or pity. She would ask about their “wonderfulness.”


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Categories: Sharp Edges

Tags: autism, India, Sanghvi

22

May

2016

Beware of leaping to conclusions

Author: Jim Taylor
The incidence of autism has risen spectacularly in recent years. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimates that 1 in 68 children has autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty years ago, it was about 1 in 10,000. California’s autism rate increased by five times over a single decade. I recognize that the ASD umbrella covers a huge range of capabilities and disabilities. For simplicity, I’ll use “autism” as a general term. But this column is not really about autism. Because autism is not the only affliction whose incidence has soared. So have allergies. Asthma. Diabetes. Obesity. High blood pressure. Dementia. The list goes on and on. And so we look for causes. And when we find one, we sink our teeth into it and refuse to let it go.
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