Travolta's denial of his son's autism- Page 3

[nealb1]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 6:38pm

Oh, jeezz....isn't that the whole point of this board...to be able to express our thoughts and opinions? That's exactly what I did....just like do did. We're both in the same boat.

[DAME]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 6:39pm

ALLRIGHT.......................... ALLRIGHT!

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 6:41pm

Abba, again, this is an age old debate. I have always been nice to you and even looked out for you to an extent because I know what you deal with. You wouldn't choose to change, but you can function. The kids I work with can't. They can't tell you that what they are experiencing is a migraine, a toothache, a stomach ache, a bee sting and they certainly aren't able to treat pain on their own. They don't understand puberty or what is happening to their bodies. They don't understand appropriate behavior. One of the parents came to me crying because at a family function her son hugged his aunt, got an erection, pulled his pants down and began to masterbate in the middle of the room. This is the kind of kid that needs help. It's a completely different situation. If your friend can't speak when he is upset, that's something he can work on. A child that puts his head through a wall because he has a migraine and can't tell anyone is something else. You are arguing apples and oranges.

[Craww]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 6:52pm

Autism is not a mental illness, is it?

The point isn't whether it is a mental illness, it's whether the Scientologists consider it to be. They do, so it's denied legitimacy and treatment.

The most typically-behaved people with autism that I have seen (I've seen a lot), are those that were allowed to be autistic.

If the autism is being denied then it's not being properly allowed. You can argue that a Scientologist denying their son treatment isn't necessarily causing the harm some say it is, but you can't argue that denying it altogether would most likely cause harm.

Is it anyone's business? NO!

It's obvious that we can't make 100% judgments on the man without the 100% proof, but the concept of what Travolta is being accused of is worth discussing.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 7:03pm

If the autism is being denied then it's not being properly allowed. You can argue that a Scientologist denying their son treatment isn't necessarily causing the harm some say it is, but you can't argue that denying it altogether would most likely cause harm.

I most certainly agree with that. When I use the term "typically-behaved", I mean what most people call "normal".