A Reaction To Newtown

Recently, one of our members at the iCan House wrote an interesting piece in response to some of the information coming out from the Sandy Hook tragedy. His article can be found here: Notes On Newtown: An Aspergers Insider.

Perhaps one of the greatest points made in the article is the danger of putting a label "on the label." Rather than doing the research required to determine what troubled the young man who did the horrible act at Sandy Hook, many news outlets were fine with reporting "he had autism." This does little to improve the lives of those on the spectrum, and in many cases serves to greater confuse the public.

To this day, when asked about autism and Asperger's syndrome, many people still recollect the character in the popular movie The Rain Man. The idea that all people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are autistic savants is nothing more than a stereotype. It's with this in mind that the word "awareness" holds great strength. Miles, the member who wrote the aforementioned article, is building awareness when he writes such an article. His voice is valued because it sheds light on what autism and Asperger's Syndrome truly is.