The teacher of a friend of mine's kid suggested that the child could be autistic. Her reasoning? He didn't like to be hugged. Gee, a four year old boy who doesn't like a bunch of strangers touching him? Who woulda thunk it.

Chalk another one up to the criminalization of being a boy in today's schools. And then they wonder why boys don't go to college anymore.

This subject is too heart breaking for casual discussion. I have no trouble with parents trying to help their troubled kids in any way they can. If the autism label gets them help, let it be so. Helping needy kids like these are why we pay taxes gladly.

While I am sympathetic to erp's sentiments I have to disagree with the over-diagnoses of ADD and ADHD. You know what improved my attention span when I was in grade school? My father's belt that's what.

Bartman:

Uh, oh. Look out for incoming from erp shortly about corporal punishment. (I agree with you, though.)

I agree with you about ADD and ADHD being ploys to emasculate little boys, but autistic kids are quite a different matter . . . and I seriously doubt that Bartman père used his belt for anything more than to hold up his pants. All this stuff about being beaten as children is a bunch of macho nonsense and all you guys would cut off your arm before you'd beat a child.

And since you all remember my sermon (a little religious lingo here) against corporal punishment, I needn't repeat it.

erp:

No, they aren't. In both cases there are a few genuinely ill kids and many diagnosed that way for social reasons.

I can't relate to any of this.

define beaten.

I'm one of those kids who almost got labeled. If my mom (an elementary teacher of several years before she brought me into the world) had listened to the prevailing "wisdom" of the doctors I would've been on drugs since I was 5. Instead, my mom listened to a child nutritionist who said to try pulling sugar, milk, or wheat from my diet. We took out sugar, and almost overnight all my "ADHD symptoms" vanished. Turns out I have a dietary issue with my blood sugar level, not ADHD. So here I am, 21, Dean's list in college every semester, and a 34 on my ACT. I look at what I could have been, had I been "diagnosed" ADHD, and I feel lucky and blessed to be were I am.

And yes, Dad's belt gracing my backside did wonders to drive out such undesired behavior as lying and fighting with The Brothers Younger.

Jay:

we posted a personality test here one time in which near everyone scored as having Asperberger's with a few full autistics thrown in. I'd have been classified when I was a kid too.

What do you mean, when you were a kid?

erp: My father was a wonderful man. BUT he would not put up with certain types of behavior from the 6 siblings. Lying, cheating, stealing, poor grades, and the big kahuna...disobeying mom. I had my fair share of whippings. Truly!

I thought autism was the diagnosis for boys who were insufficiently rambunctious.