WI: advocate for special needs children in Nixon administration (highest realistic)?

Thank you for being brave and sharing.

I'm probably Asperger's myself, or at the very least Spectrum-lite or Spectrum-friendly. I'm 53 years old, and people my age are going to tend to not be diagnosed.

Thanks:)
Well, I'm 16 and was diagnosed pretty early. These days, my tendency to being overwhelmed through sound are much less prevalent, but I find social interactions kinda awkward until they touch on something I'm interested in.
 
Learning about the Spectrum has opened up whole new vistas for me. For example, neurotypical persons aren't always as shallow and small as sometimes appear. They just play to strength in different ways. And I definitely have some skills to bring to the table, which will sometimes be appreciated and sometimes not, and that's okay.

Kind of like, I have met the extraterrestrial. And the extraterrestrial is me!

And, there's no such thing as 'normal' anyway, and how boring a place the world would be if there were <| :- )

Plus, I've learned to try diagonally, rather than just harder.

I do envy the better world young people find these days (although still far from perfect!)
 
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Now, it's generally said that social change usually or best comes from the bottom up.

Well, this might be a case in which leadership starts at the top!

And Nixon might skillfully under-lead in a sense. For example at a press conference, he might say, 'Several doctors have told Pat and I that Carol is moderate to severe on the spectrum. And that's the first thing I've had to learn, that autism is a spectrum . . . '

And Nixon matter-of-factly says he'll be happy to occasionally answer one or two questions about autism, but he's not going to make a big deal about it.

And again, 'Carol Nixon' is an imagined third daughter who Pat and Dick never had.
 

Wallet

Banned
Nixon was going to do the CHIP healthcare plan, a universal healthcare plan. But watergate stopped that.

Maybe when he does that it includes mental retardation coverage


Actually here's an idea....

One of JFK kids are riding with him in Dallas. He's still killed, and his child injured and becomes mentally handicapped.

Of course this saddens the nation and not a single person has a dry face. More attention is given to handicapped and autistic research. LBJ tries to pass a bill, but kills it for Civil Rights and Vietnam prevents him later on.

Humohrey makes it a campaign issue and Nixon comes up with his on promposal. Nixon win
 
In a separate timeline, yes, I'm all in favor of it. In fact, I rather like one thread having multiple timelines kind of like a really neat movie.

But for my own timeline, I think it's enough that Pat and Dick have a fictitious third child who is special needs. And maybe the forming of the National Autistic Society in the UK in 1962 is enough of a 'discovered' POD. Meaning, it really happened but it's not that well known.

And by meeting and talking with other practical-minded parents, the Nixons are able to avoid the crappy practitioners and find what works for their daughter.
 
Congrats on your upcoming PhD. :)

I think we should endeavor to build an open society, whether a person is a wheelchair user or not, of course we should!

And I'm glad we've made some progress in this direction, although I suspect still some ways yet to go.
Your right my friend. I have always found the spectrum fasinating
 
I find it pretty interesting, too. :)

You know, similar to the LGBTQ community arguing and making the case that a number of famous, historical persons were most probably actually lesbian or gay (and most activists making the conscious choice not to 'out' persons currently living), and then saying you shouldn't have to be famous in order to be treated with respect,

Autism Rights activists might be taking largely the same approach, as one thread of activism.
 
Here's a film a couple of years back about a middle-aged guy on the spectrum


Chris Murray works a couple of jobs, lives in his own apartment, is a very unique artist.

His family comes from money. His Dad sounds like a big rage-aholic. If anything, Chris is one of the more well-adjusted people in the family!

With this domineering and abusive a father, if there's a case for a psychological cause for autism, it's probably this. But still, it's almost certain that the vast majority of cases of autism have a biological cause. And/or often just a human variant. As Temple Grandin has argued, we need technical persons. In the hunter-gatherer days, we needed people interested in making better bows and arrows and better fish nets, and not just highly sociable people yakking around the campfire. Maybe in most of severe cases, things have gone too far in the autistic direction to be fully functional?

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http://inheavenmovie.com/

Movie was made by Chris's older brother Tom. several years ago

It got it's title, the family had money and were acquainted with Dick Nixon. At one point, Chris mentions meeting Nixon. And Nixon said, Good, Chris, Good. (and so, in his at times awkward way, Richard Nixon was trying to be encouraging)
 
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