The Danger of the Polite Ableist

Journalism, Education, and Media for Children need to be held responsible for their ableism.

Angry Education Workers || It makes me sad and frightened that I live in Waterford, MI. One day on the way to Round One, an Arcade at Great Lakes Crossing, my Uncle Jeff remarked how many supporters of Trump there are in Waterford. Before I supported Tim Waltz after hearing the story of how his son was trolled for crying about his father becoming vice president and saying, “That’s my Dad!”. I even wrote to my hero Michel Moore about a pressing issue to discuss with him abolishing ABA therapy which has harmed so many people in the Autism community.

And then AP revealed that Trump had won the popular vote, and because AP said Trump won every news outlet including NPR had to speed up the news. My family has always been an NPR family. I love Science Friday, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, and many of the Weekend Programs. One person I respected was Diane Rehem, who interviewed Temple Grandin, a person I was told to respect and read as a girl with Autism.

When I was diagnosed doctors told my Mom and Dad not to expect much at five years old. SO, my Mom who was smart bought every DSM update did Vestibular Movement exercises with me, and got every book about Asperger’s, including Thinking in Pictures. She also was a part of the Autism Society of Michigan and worked with a lot of parents who were desperate people who heard nothing but doom, got screwed over by the school system, and were clueless about their own children’s strengths and weaknesses.

You see, I was born in 1991 which means I’m a Zoomer and as I grew I read every book and sign all over the place, I also have echolalia which is a benefit to have in animation and as a musician. Much of Struwwelpeter’s voice is inspired by my Grandma Lill who kept her German and was rebellious, honest, and tough but also kind and a good storyteller. At this age range, I did not know that Belle in Beauty and the Beast is a very coded Autistic character along with my forbidden heroine Matilda.

Yet through the song, she is aggressed by everyone, including the librarian! She is called funny and a puzzle of a girl when she just wants to sit and read! Children need fantasy and fiction not only to escape but to also navigate relationships and situations that are hard. A child might not know what a genocide is but give them a work like The Dark Crystal and they will have much to learn, appreciate, and identify with.

My Mom. on the other hand, was an overtly “realistic” parent who believed in natural consequences and consistency even if it was wrong and to her detriment. Polite Ableists are most likely to target the desperate parent’s woes and worries. This is where Temple Grandin steps in, not physically like Super Nanny, but mentally in ways that are destructive and hurt a lot of families including those who are undiagnosed like my Dad. In second grade I was pulled out and became a homeschooler but not for the reasons you think.

I have PDA which means your mind is constantly fighting against other people and things they want you to do even if they put you in terrible situations with horrid solutions. Color the Duck Yellow might seem simple to a neurotypical kid, but in the end, it hurts kids who crave creativity and want to color a duck turquoise. Play is important, but according to people like Alife Kohn and Heather Shumaker play is not a thing to be graded or assessed like a science experiment which for Autistic people happens more often, especially in an age of Mommy Bloggers with a wielding iPhone and tears over a child melting down or getting angry.

Yet before the iPhone, there was the Video Camera. I remember being filmed playing drums and doing Autistic play which was used as an analysis of intelligence and proof rather than, “This is my daughter having fun” which happens too much to many Autistic kids. Politeness is the hook of ABA therapy for the fishy parents who often do fishy things at the expense of making their child look successful when their success lies within. The problem with Fish Wishes is that there are always sharks that prey not on children but on parents as well.