Mr. Cosby and Autism

I saw the Larry King show on autistics and the initiative to help autistic children and to correct autism. It's excellent that Mr. Cosby, a teacher who has knowingly and unknowingly through his comedy, his cartoons, his television shows, his books taught many autistic children (and adults).

I mention adults because it is necessary to involve autistic adults in this effort for autistic children.

There are many autistic adults that only learned about their autism when they became adults. Some autistic adults don't even know they are autistic. However, this initiative is helping many to discover that they are autistic and are in the autistic spectrum and/or have autistic sensibilities.

Because of the internet many autistic people are organizing themselves such as autistic.org. Many are writing and expressing their thoughts on autism and many other subjects.

These autistic adults who are able to speak and/or write should be involved in this effort on behalf of autistic children.

It is important for the parents of autistics such as Toni Braxton and Gary Cole to know that their children are autistic. It is important for educators to know this also. It is important for other children who communicate with or try to communicate with autistic children to know that these children are autistic. Many autistics who people don't know are autistics are often ridiculed and thought stupid. Of course we ridicule everybody, but many of these children are highly intelligent children, they just have problems communicating with the spoken word, the written word, and/or problems in normal social communications. Many of these children and adults know that something is wrong, but they are not sure. Their parents are not sure. Their teachers are not sure.

Many have learned in normal classrooms with normal children--I shall call them normal. Many teachers have taught them very well, even not knowing that they are autistics. Many autistics can have extraordinary gifts--autistics can become actors, writers, teachers, musicians, mathematicians just like others. Many autistics for generations who have not known this nor their teachers have learned just like others. Many autistics throughout the generations have been "destroyed" also, because people did not recognize them as autistics. Some have been wrongfully treated and even wrongfully institutionalized. Some have tried to get along with "ordinary people" and often find that impossible to understand them, likewise the impossibility to understand these autistics. Many misread them, and likewise. Many ethnic autistics because of the problem of stereotyping in general, are misread and misinterpretated and miseducated. Many in the ethnic communities do not even know they are autistic either. Autistics, parents and educators of these ethnic communities might consider writing booklets especially addressed to their communities in helping with these problem and written in association with experts. Some ethnic communities simply accept autistics as different and educate them with everybody else.

There are many things that Larry King and Bill Cosby and these parents concerned about their children need to discuss not with their children but with autistic adults who can also communicate with these children. Sometimes these children need to talk to people who are adults but who also know what the autistic world is like themselves. Autistics who have credibility with the public world should be allowed into this discussion. Autistics are just like anybody else and some of us are not the appropriate types of be on television, nevertheless Larry King and Bill Cosby, Toni Braxton and Gary Cole should try to contact some of these autistic adults and talk to them privately. If they think that any of these adults are credible publically, then they can accompany these people are talk publically. Some of us know how to speak, and some of us can write things down for people. Many of us are now online talking to many people.

They should contact autistics through their online organizations like autistic.org and talk to the spokespeople. Many of us are not necessarily however interested in correcting autism and people who want to correct autistic must understand autistic so that they correct the problems of autism without necessarily destroying the gifts and talents and abilities that autistics have.

There are autistic adults who would like to talk to Bill Cosby, Toni Braxton, Gary Cole and Larry King. Contact their organizations and talk to these autistics. Many of us are like others witnessing people speaking for us all the time. This is excellent for the children, but there are also autistic who can speak for themselves also, even if just writing things down.

Autistics can learn how to write, speak, and think just like anybody else. Many are shy or appear to be. Many learn from Bill Cosby and Larry King, and listen to Toni Braxton and Gary Cole. Many have parents, teachers, friends, and others who don't even know they are autistic.

I'm not sure they always need to know. But this is excellent for public discuss and should be in the public forum, since they are saying that so many people are now autistic.

Personally I just think that now autistic is a popular subject and people have the means of discovering it. Not sure that there are truly more autistics. But perhaps the experts are correct.

Adult autistics who are able to speak should certainly contact Larry King and/or Bill Cosby if possible. They can write to them c/o the television station and/or their representatives.

Bill Cosby can be contacted c/o:

Bill Cosby

P.O. Box 4049

Santa Monica, CA 90411

USA

or

Bill Cosby

c/o The Brokaw Company

9255 Sunset Blvd, Suite #804

Los Angeles, CA 90069

USA

To post a comment to Larry King go here.

In addition to Larry King, Oprah has had a show talking about autism. Oprah should also talk to adult autistics and hear about autism from their point of view. Oprah has a message board at her official website.