I am so angry I could scream!

[coff33pot]

Ok so I go down to my shop and deliver papers as normal. Hey ho I open our local paper and inside the front page is this...........ASPERGER'S SUFFERER VIEWED CHILD PORN IN PUBLIC LIBRARY. It starts off with A MAN with Asperger's syndrome who downloaded "revolting" pornographic pictures" of children at library. Then goes on to say what he got etc and how he was getting better but started again and didnt know why also the fact that the programme he was due to go on last year had only just started and he was doing well. Then the next two and a half columns are on about the libraries security filters as a whole. THAT is what the report was about.

I went cold when reading this. I thought great I have only just told my parents that my DS is ticking nearly every box for aspergers and they have got to come to terms with it yet themselves. My parents are fine and even said they had googled it and can see some signs in our own family traits anyway. My inlaws have gone from totally not bothering with him since a baby to now pitying him which to be honest I detest more and rather they just ignored him as usual.

Now both parents are reading this this morning. The school already think there is something psychotic with him due to his obsession with guns and ben 10, ninjas, cowboys. In the fact he calls his games killing games. He is just being literal. Guns kill so its a killing game. You play cowboys and many a child says bang your dead hmmm? he uses the term killing game then says "right I am ben 10 and you are.......... But NOW I am going to have them on my back more because HEY HO thanks to this horrible unfeeling title the NT and nieve ppl of this world are going to tar all aspergers sufferers to the same brush.

Now if it was a NT male it would read MAN VIEWED.........blah blah wouldnt it. It was totally unessessary to put AS in its title whatsoever. I have rang the paper and the chief reporter couldnt be assed to return my call. I got him on the phone just now and they said they had a meet up there and some of them thought it was unecessary to put it in but the majority cant see it as a problem! That he was sorry I was upset but thinks overall it was a good report.

I have now been in floods of tears as not just my son but other children have such a hard time of it already in fitting in to regular day life and friendships and already get stared at as freaks. I am so disgusted at this paper, so much so I havent undone the rest of the ties to sell it as I dont condone what they have done.

He said there was not a lot he could do about it now for gods sake! I have yelled I would put this on mumsnet and let the whole bloody world see how unfeeling you are and how you view disablity by slandering and tagging vulnerable ppl and I slammed phone down. Dont really know what to do but I am so pissed off to put it bluntly.

by the way the bit........."revolting" pornographic pictures"

is how they actually printed it in quotes like its their view grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

:(

You have to write a letter to the editor which they should publish...

But apart from that. Yep, you're right. It sux.

However, I do think most people know that this is all just sensationalist stuff....

If it helps, the national statistic is that 1 in every 250 non-autistic people is a paedophile of some sort.
There are a million people on the autism spectrum. A tiny handful have ever been accused of something like this.
Logically it makes us far safer than non-autistic people, on that basis.
But, as you say, the media love to use something completely irrelevant e.g. autism to make a story exciting.

It annoys me to. Aspergers has nothing whatsoever to do with what the man was doing and just reinforces the whole "different is scary" thing. GRRRR

Tried to ring editor but voice mail says away till monday maybe this is why such crap went through the net! You are right I will write a strong letter even if it falls on deaf ears and nothing is done about it. Dont get me wrong I dont agree with what the man has done and dont like that sort of thing for one minute! but the system also failed him and his illness and it says he had other problems too. Its just the fact that it is a local paper not a national newspaper. It was badly written and badly headlined in a way that was totally unecessary. There is already enough of the "AS = wierdo" senario due to total undeducation and the not knowing. Because my ds runs away and roars the teachers are scared of him. Its pathetic. And any SN children around here dont need anymore bad vibes. I guess I am well sensitive at the mo as still coming to terms with all of this. I want my DS helped and looked after but at the same time I didnt want AS for my son as I no doubt is the same feeling for all mothers really. I love him and want to protect him life is cruel enough thanks without total thoughtlessness in papers.

Presumably the newspaper will now be printing stories like:

"Diabetic man robbed local bank"

"Asthmatic man shot security guard"

and

"Acne teen caught shoplifting"

I would name and shame the newspaper.

this does all of us no favours at all id write and complain and ask they put something in appologising for the angst they have caused (bit late after the horse has bolted) but id like to pick up on what you said your DS and killing games he says it as he thinks it as do most as/ asd dcs ive a simular problem with my ds he picks up on the volcabulary rather than the true meaning and tells the other children at school about blood and gore and the school reported they were worried about it i think after weeks of explaining they realise finally that its not an obsession its just how he discribes things he plays the same games as other 10 yo but is more discriptive whensaying what happened in ben 10 say he will hang on the more violent aspect of it , they thought from his discriotions hed watched a 18 rating fil or played an 18 game but nooo it was just ben10 and pokemon but yes he will say not bang bang your dead hed say things like ill blow your head off sounds worse to the school i guess, but ds is scared still if anyone cuts or grazes or gets a nosebleed

smileANDwave you have just discribed my DS there. Its his literal thinking. He also copys sentences that he has remembered ie. I give him child scissors ok? he picked up mine from kitchen and I said "no you cant have these they will cut you" because he is awkward when using them.

He goes to school and after doing some work was in overload and didnt want to do anymore so ran for it. Found some scissors in a classroom and picked them up and said to the teach following him "they will cut you" and put them down again. NOW as far as teach is concerned she was threatened by him with scissors. ME I know he is merely reciting what I have said in echolalia. But because he is so descriptive in like you said blood and guts etc and disapearing into his wonderland with guns they think he has a problem.

coff33

Just read some of the article in This Is Cornwall. I completely understand why you feel it was pointless to state that this man had aspergers syndrome. It doesn't add anything to the story other than showing their prejudice and being down right insulting.

Did you actually ask the reporter what he felt mentioning that he was an aspergers sufferer was bringing to the story? He can't just say that most people he spoke to didn't think there was a problem with the title of the story. Yeah, well "most people" might not have a clue what they're talking about.

Looking at it in a different way, do you think they were just using his condition to get peoples attention. I suppose the word aspergers would. Not so sure myself. It would still be incredibly insulting, but not as sinister. I don't think that they were actually trying to suggest that if a man has this condition then they are more likely to view child porn. On the other hand though, it is still utterly tactless. And good on you for giving him a peice of your mind. I'm sure you spoke for a lot of people, myself included.

Yup, it seems tactless, and inappropriate, and indeed just leads people to the wrong conclusions. It's a bit like saying "In next week's breaking news Man with Blue Eyes turns out to be mad axe murderer", (therefore maybe all people with blue eyes are highly dangerous?)

It's the implication that the disability had something to do with the crime.

And, then there is my 4yr old asd ds who has been logged for an interpreted racial incident that he couldn't possibly have understood and his social communication difficulty is given NO mention.

Grrrrrrrrrr

www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/crime/Asperger-s-sufferer-viewed-child-porn-public-library/article-3417423-detail/article.html

Thanks floopy when I went on there this had disapeared and I couldnt trace it.
this is what I read if ppl are interested. Regretably I cannot seem to find a comment button....................now thats a thing hmmmmmm

I think in your letter it might be a good point to mention that from now on you expect them to headline ALL their similar articles with (as mentioned previously) "diabetic man robs bank" and "asthmatic man commits burglary" and so forth ... in the spirit of fairness. When they say that it's a medical condition and really not relevant to the story, then you can say... EXACTLY RIGHT!! and wait for the penny to drop....

"He goes to school and after doing some work was in overload and didnt want to do anymore so ran for it. Found some scissors in a classroom and picked them up and said to the teach following him "they will cut you" and put them down again. NOW as far as teach is concerned she was threatened by him with scissors"
Seriously? Because if I had heard your ds saying that I would have presumed he was just stating a fact. Scissors can cut you. He did not say "I will cut you", did he? So she must be making a leap to assume he was threatening her.
In terms of violence, I have a very vivid imagination and love writing stories and since the age of 7 or 8 every single one of them, bar one or two (and that's being literal) has featured violent death in some form. I am extremely placid and peaceloving in real life.
As for the article, no, there was no need to include the man's AS.

Thanks for that bullet I appreciate the reply. You can see it and I can see it but I think the teach is paranoid really well all of them are. We have just been to camhs and have been told AS is 99% likely and that was only the first assessment. I phone school to inform them of what was said and the next steps ie schools form filling etc. But all the Head/senco said was ok so are they coming to see him and what did they suggest about his obsession with guns? They seem to think you can just vanish it all away. There have been full on meltdowns at school and I repeatedly ask them to call me. Eventually they did and after just 30 mins calming him and using visual drawings and ticks for happy and crosses for not he was fine. Told them that he loves lists and checking off and earning "happy ticks" for good behaviour (trying to help him understand feelings in him and others) They did this for two weeks and apart from mild hic ups he was doing great and the ticks came home listed with good comments........................now because he was doing well they have lapsed with the ticks and he is not doing them and so he has fell apart again. They are so wrapped up in the guns/violence thing that they are forgeting what is working. He does say I will blow your head off or chop it off and swings round things by himself in the air but he is not physically hitting or chopping ppl! But when cornered in meltdown then yes he will try to ram through ppl to run away but I would if I was frustrated and felt they were ganging up on me too to be honest. dont get it at home if he wants to hide I let him (usually under a blanket) and he comes out when ready calmer.

Anyhow on a lighter note he had his very first day at beavers (with me in tow volounteering) I was a bit aprehensive about it but it was marvelous to see him with other children! and joining in! Took his list with him and checked timings with me for everything but charged around like everyone else and finished a whole easter chicken. I was all choked up lol

Definately writing a letter during the day tomorrow to this newspaper tho and sending it registered so I know they get it. Got to say my piece about the article and they will have a big surprise when 75% of their papers get sent back from my shop (did all deliveries before I read it!) dont give a damn about losing profit the principal is far more important!

I've just read this about Simon Baron-Cohen's new book.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/why-a-lack-of-empathy-is-the-root-of-all-evil-2262371.html

"At zero degrees of empathy are two distinct groups. Baron-Cohen calls them zero-negative and zero-positive. Zero-positives include people with autism or Asperger's syndrome. They have zero empathy but their "systemising" nature means they are drawn to patterns, regularity and consistency. As a result, they are likely to follow rules and regulations ? the patterns of civic life.

Zero-negatives are the pathological group. These are people with borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder. They are capable of inflicting physical and psychological harm on others and are unmoved by the plight of those they hurt. Baron-Cohen says people with these conditions all have one thing in common: zero empathy."

So I assume he's trying to say that people with ASD etc, aren't psycopaths and aren't likely to behave really anti-socially, even though they have little empathy, unlike his 'zero-negatives.'

Well, wait for the press to get the wrong end of the stick over that one!

I'm not keen on Baron-Cohens assumptions about asd and empathy - I think they find it hard to SHOW empathy, not that people with asd don't care at all. I think he's confusing the communication difficulties of asd with the phenomena known as "blunt effect" seen in some scizophrenics and ex-soldiers (post combat).