Quick question do you have Autism muddled with Attention deficit disorder (ADHD). From the way you're describing autism you have it all wrong. Autism can be very severe, to the point of mental retardation. My cousin is a severe sufferer, he cannot speak very well and has only learnt to talk to the average age of a 5 year old at 12 years old. He's like a toddler but all grown up. He's very sweet but lots of things can cause him to lose control such as loud noises and bright colours (when I say lose control I do not mean violently, he withdraws and often cries). He cannot read nor write, autism is a disability.

Well, in your other post you said that just because a doctor diagnosed autism, it doesn't mean they have it. I took that to mean that you believe autism is a genuine disorder, but that it is sometimes diagnosed on people who don't have this disorder.

If your argument is that autism isn't actually a disorder, I'll go about replying in a different way.

It's true that many of the symptoms of autism are similar to what you see in neglected or abused children, but that doesn't mean they have the same cause. According to this site, genetics appears to be important. That's hardly attributable to bad parenting:

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Autism is a physical condition linked to abnormal biology and chemistry in the brain. The exact causes of these abnormalities remain unknown, but this is a very active area of research. There are probably a combination of factors that lead to autism.

Genetic factors seem to be important. For example, identical twins are much more likely than fraternal twins or siblings to both have autism. Similarly, language abnormalities are more common in relatives of autistic children. Chromosomal abnormalities and other nervous system (neurological) problems are also more common in families with autism.

A number of other possible causes have been suspected, but not proven. They involve:

- Diet

- Digestive tract changes

- Mercury poisoning

- The body's inability to properly use vitamins and minerals

- Vaccine sensitivity

(from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002494/) )

Actually, there is a neurological problem in those with autism. Different parts of your brain have functions and if the mother did not take care of herself while her child was in utero, then the child may be born with certain problems. Attention and language and expression are problems these people will have. These are all brain dysfunctions...not just external or behavioral or however people making distant observations see this disorder. To say that this is just a behavioral thing brought on by bad parenting is to say that down syndrome is equally brought on so.

It's more like different wiring of the brain.

But if you are concerned with the misdiagnosis, then yes, this does happen. That does not necessarily mean that the child is simply not acting right. There are marked behavioral patterns that distinct these people from those that are simply just acting out.

There are a lot of people with terrible parents out there that still wound up okay, successful even. Bad parenting is no excuse for any child to act out or to become a socially and behaviorally malfunctioning adult. Those qualities tend to show up in those that turn out to be murders or rapists or something versus those that are autistic.

Have you taken a neurophysiology class or a basic psychology class before?

Anyway, whether or not it is an excuse, it's not us who must deal with it, it's the family of those with this disorder that do.

http://autism.lovetoknow.com/Autistic_Brain

http://autism.about.com/od/causesofautism/a/AutismBrain.htm

http://www.understandingautism.org/uaorg_0REALITY/UAORG_1brainbody.html