August 2006 Weddings
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Q re: debate
McCain mentioned at least twice that Palin had particular understanding of the need to address the increase in diagnoses of autism. I know that Palin's youngest has Down's Syndrome, but I was uncertain as to her experience with autism.
I realize that autism is the fear du jour amonst new parents (including this one) and therefore a hot topic to mention, but what is the connection? Did she champion research into autism as Governor or Mayor? Does she have a family member with autism?
Thanks for any insight.
Re: Q re: debate
I think it was discussed somewhere else, but there are a lot of posts here.
Some said they thought he was trying to appeal to young mothers with whom autism is a huge concern. Some thought maybe he confused DS with autism. Someone asked the question, "Don't kids with DS have a higher chance of also having autism?" But i don't think it was answered.
"As of page 2 this might be the most boring argument ever. It's making me long for Rape Day." - Mouse
These were my initial thoughts as well.
Autism definitely is more prevalent among those with Down's Syndrome, but Palin's child wouldn't be diagnosed with autism yet. Generally such a diagnosis simply can't be made until a child is at least 18 months old, and usually at least 2 years old. So I couldn't understand why Palin would have particular understanding or insight on a personal level, hence my presumption that it must have been related to her work as Mayor or Governor.
Autism and down syndrome are definitely not the same. I don't think McCain got confused about the two - at least I would hope not. I think he was just trying to group it under the umbrella of special needs and use that to show that because Palin has a special needs child, she'd understand the needs of other special needs children even if they don't suffer from the same disorder. In terms of services, etc, families with special needs children typically start at the same place and often receive the same services.
When I was a caseworker working for the WV waiver program, my caseload included both kids with autism and with Downs. BIG difference between the two kids so their service plans had to be done according to their abilities BUT the funding was the same.
Palin's nephew is autistic.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-disabled8-2008sep08,0,5707481.story?
Deductive reasoning isn't a conservative or liberal attribute. ~epphd
Fortunately, lip service is free.
LMAO!
I found this whole bit very confusing as well. It really did come off as though McCain was confusing the two. There's just no way she "understands autism better than anyone else in this country" as he said at least twice. It was just strange.
Here's Dahlia Lithwick's take on it.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/xxfactor/archive/2008/10/15/whole-new-ways-to-not-get-it.aspx
Whole New Ways To Not Get It ...
Color me baffled. In response to a question about Sarah Palin?s qualification to be president, John McCain talked first about her credentials as a reformer and then moved swiftly to explain that Palin ?understands special-needs families. She understands that autism is on the rise, that we've got to find out what's causing it, and we've got to reach out to these families and help them, and give them the help they need as they raise these very special-needs children. She understands that better than almost any American that I know. I'm proud of her.? Later on, he added?again regarding autism?that ?Sarah Palin knows about that better than most.? Now, we know Palin has a special-needs child: Her infant son, Trig, has Down Syndrome. So it?s fair to suggest that she understands special-needs families and that?even though it?s not clear what she?s ever done or even proposed doing for them?she might one day be an advocate for them. But I can?t figure out why McCain was coupling Palin with autism, rather than Down Syndrome. Yes, his comment started as a testimonial to her concern for those with special needs, but it came off sounding like he just didn?t know that autism and Down Syndrome are very different. A quick Web search reveals that the main connection between Palin and autism appears to be that, like McCain, parents of autistic kids are blogging hopefully that she will have some special sensitivity to their situation. (Also, it seems Palin has an autistic nephew.)
As panders go, I am finding this autism gambit baffling. Did McCain just get confused about the fact that Trig has Down Syndrome? Or was he trying for some kind of broad-brush special-needs appeal, only to end up awkwardly implying that all special-needs families are the same? So much so that you can swap out diagnoses and nobody will notice? That same broad brush was slapping around later when, in discussing abortion, he started sneering about the trickiness of allowing exceptions for the mother's health. No nuance here. Just the bold implication that all health exceptions represent some kind of female trickery. Last time I checked, women thought their health was sort of important. Toss in his eye-crossing claim that anyone who supports abortion rights is, by necessity, not going to be qualified to sit on the Supreme Court, and it was time to kiss women voters goodbye. How can a man who can see all the complexity and subtlety in foreign policy and health care reform talk to and about women and families in terms that persistently read like cave drawings?
McCain really proved tonight that his brand of feminism is frozen in 1960?an artless pander to the mommies tacked onto the claim that he is ?proud? of his vice president. It's all reminiscent of the ad men on Mad Men, chivalrous but wrong.
This annoyed me as well. My son is developmentally delayed and I would never lump his condition in with any other condition or health issue that isn't precisely the same. One thing I've learned in my journey with my son is that every condition is unique and generalizations can be tough to make.