98% of children aren't autistic - but according to this guy, we should be hoping for more autistic kids

[Guest guest]

According to this piece of tripe in the Wall Street Journal, autism isn't a problem - it's just another way of looking at the world and autistic people are far better at separating numbers from images on a screen so obviously, the will be better suited to dealing with the world, life in general and be more successful than their neurotypical compatriots. Therefore, it's not that we should be scared to have the autism figures shooting up so precipitously every year - instead, we should be urging them on until we reach the point where we can proudly say that we are ALL autistic!I wonder if the author of this rubbish has an autistic family member or ever knew anyone with autism?All the best,MerylWSJAsiaFacebookTwitterChinaChinaJapanJapanAll Things DigitalAll Things DigitalMarket WatchMarket WatchBarron'sBarron'sMore SEARCHHEAD CASEAsia Edition Home↓ MoreToday's PaperVideoBlogsJournal CommunityMobileSubscribeLog InWorld» MoreAsia» MoreHong Kong» MoreChina» MoreIndia» MoreJapan» MoreSE Asia» MoreBusiness» MoreMarkets» MoreTech» MoreLife & Style» MoreReal Estate» MoreJobs» MoreOpinion» MoreTOP STORIES INLife & Culture1 of 12A Little Bromance2 of 12A Homegrown Fashion Mogul3 of 12The Wee House That Changed the World4 of 12Ted Danson and Addis5 of 12L.A.'s New Stars6 of 12PLAYWhich Luxury Listing Will Take 'House of the Week'7 of 12The Jayhawks' Secret Weapon8 of 12Rock, Chalk, Underdog9 of 12PLAYLots of Perks at the Parks10 of 12The Joy of Making the Semifinals11 of 12Rediscovering Neil Simon12 of 12PLAYFormer Hepburn Compound On Sale for $30MprevnextHEAD CASEMarch 30, 2012, 4:20 p.m. ETThe Upside of AutismNew data show autistics' superiority at some cognitive tasksBy JONAH LEHRERArticleCommentsMORE IN LIFE & CULTURE »EmailPrintSave↓ More smallerLargerWhen it comes to disorders of the mind, our society has a tendency to seek out the safety of clear-cut categories. We want there to be a bright line separating normal from abnormal, health from sickness.Alas, the human brain is a category buster, an organ so complicated that it continues to surprise and confound.Consider autism. In recent years, autism has received an increasing amount of attention, largely because of a dramatic increase in its incidence. According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control, about 1 in 88 children is now diagnosed with autism-spectrum disorders, which include "classic" autism as well as Asperger syndrome.These diagnoses are often based on observed deficits in social interaction, such as a lack of eye contact or verbal conversation. Temple Grandin, a noted autistic doctor, describes the experience of spending time with nonautistics as akin to being "an anthropologist on Mars."Because of these obvious shortcomings—humans are supposed to be social animals, after all—most people regard autism as a disease, a straightforward example of an impaired mind. But there's compelling evidence that autism is not merely a list of deficits. Rather, it represents an alternate way of making sense of the world, a cognitive difference that, in many instances, comes with unexpected benefits.That's the lesson, at least, of a new study from the lab of Nilli Lavie at University College London. A few dozen adults, both with and without autism, were given a difficult perceptual task, in which they had to keep track of letters quickly flashed on a computer screen. At the same time, they also had to watch out for a small gray shape that occasionally appeared on the edge of the monitor.When only a few letters appeared on the screen, both autistic and normal subjects could handle the task. However, when the number of letters was increased, subjects without autism—so-called neurotypicals—could no longer keep up. They were overwhelmed by the surplus of information.Those adults with autism didn't have this problem. Even when the task became maddeningly difficult, their performance never flagged.What explains this result? According to the scientists, autism confers a perceptual edge, allowing people with the disorder to process more information in a short amount of time. While scientists have long assumed that autistics are more vulnerable to distraction—an errant sound or conversation can steal their attention—that's not the case. As Prof. Lavie notes, "Our research suggests autism does not involve a distractibility deficit but rather an information-processing advantage."These perceptual perks have real-world benefits. The scientists argue, for instance, that the ability to process vast amounts of data helps to explain the prevalence of savant-like talents among autistic subjects. Some savants perform difficult mathematical calculations in their head, others draw exquisitely detailed pictures at a young age. These skills have long remained a mystery, but they appear to be rooted in a distinct cognitive style shared by all autistics. Because they can process details that elude the rest of us, they can perform tasks that seem impossible, at least for the normal mind.The same logic applies to many supposed mental disabilities. In recent years, scientists have demonstrated that people with attention-deficit disorders typically demonstrate higher levels of creative achievement in the real world, such as publishing fiction or winning prizes at science fairs.Those with dyslexia, meanwhile, are often better at peripheral perception and quickly grasping the gist of a scene, showing superior performance on a variety of visual tasks. This might explain the high number of artists and designers with the condition.The larger lesson is that, according to the latest research, these "deficits" are actually trade-offs. What seems, at first glance, like a straightforward liability turns out to be a complex mixture of blessings and burdens.For too long, we've assumed that there is a single template for human nature, which is why we diagnose most deviations as disorders. But the reality is that there are many different kinds of minds. And that's a very good thing.JOIN THE DISCUSSIONBe the first to commentMORE INLife & Culture »EmailPrintOrder Reprints JOURNAL COMMUNITYAdd a CommentCommunity rulesTo add a comment pleaseLog inCreate an AccountYour real name is requiredfor commenting.Track replies to my commentCLEARPOSTLogin with Facebook OFFERSAdvertisementWSJ SelectSponsored By Gilt Winston’s Champagne Bar50% Off Cocktails and Dessert for TwoVIEW OFFER » Minki Kim Structural IntegrationUp to 51% Off Structural Integration SessionsVIEW OFFER » mastihashop NY$30 for $60 Worth of Skin Care Products, Sweets, Gifts and MoreVIEW OFFER »New York Other Cities:ChicagoLAMore »WSJ Select is operated independently of The Wall Street Journal news department.Available to asia.WSJ.comsubscribers Google Heightens Rivalry With iPad BlackBerry Maker in Turmoil Foreign Firms Find India RiskyMUFG Executive: Brokerage Venture With Stanley Needs WorkA Japanese brokerage joint venture between Mitsubishi UFJ Financial and Stanley has yet to live up to expectations, the chief of the Japanese lender's banking unit said.Recent ColumnsThe Upside of AutismThe Web's Confused CupidsFound: The Achilles' Heel of OvereatersAbout Jonah LehrerJonah Lehrer writes about neuroscience and popular culture.Head Case RSS FeedMost Popular on Facebook Most Popular Video Former Hepburn Compound On Sale for $30M2:01 High Schools Crack Down on Revealing Prom Dresses1:23 Inside a Russian Billionaire's $300 Million Yacht3:55More in Life & CultureMasculine, DefinedRock of LambThere's No Turning Back-aroonHam and Pickled Ramp TartinesVodka Goes VintageMost Popular In AsiaReadEmailedVideoCommented1.The Family Behind Hong Kong's Skyline2.Google Heightens Rivalry With iPad3.Tycoons Arrested in Graft Probe4.BlackBerry Maker in Turmoil5.Tokyo Sees Threat in Pyongyang Nuclear PolicyMost Read Articles FeedLatest HeadlinesWisconsin Recall Fervor Could Hurt SantorumFDA Rejects Call to Ban Chemical BPAEvidence Withheld in Afghan Shootings, Lawyer SaysU.S. Approves New Nuclear Reactors in South CarolinaDartmouth Fraternity Members ClearedCorn, Soybean Prices SurgeFine Overturned in Virginia Tech ShootingCities See Murder Slide EndObama's Fed Picks Fail to Win Senate ApprovalU.S. Blames Senior Afghan in DeathsMore Headlines Editors' PicksObama Shifts View of Executive PowerAutism Diagnoses Up SharplyAll Aboard for MongoliaOne World Trade Center Hits 100 Stories, Helped by Funny MathBACK TO TOP Customer Center:My AccountMy SubscriptionsCreate an Account:Register for Limited AccessSubscribe to WSJ.comSign up for WSJ ProfessionalSubscribe to WSJ Weekend - Print EditionHelp & Information Center:HelpCustomer ServiceContact UsGlobal SupportNew on WSJ.comPrint Subscriber ServicesAbout:Content PartnershipsReprintsAdvertisingClassifiedsConferencesAbout Dow Privacy Policy - UPDATED 10/18/2011Your Ad ChoicesSubscriber Agreement & Terms of Use - UpdatedCopyright PolicyJobs at WSJ.comAcademic Partnership ProgramFuture Leadership ProgramAsia 200 AwardsChina Financial Markets ConferenceUpcoming Events in AsiaWSJ.com:Site MapHomeWorldU.S.BusinessMarketsMarket DataTechPersonal FinanceLife & StyleOpinionAutosCareersReal EstateSmall BusinessCorrectionsSafeHouse - Send Us InformationTools & FormatsToday's PaperVideo CenterGraphicsColumnsBlogsTopicsGuidesAlertsNewslettersMobileWSJ SocialTablet EditionPodcastsRSS FeedsJournal CommunityWSJ on TwitterWSJ on FacebookWSJ on FoursquareMy JournalPortfolioWSJ Digital DownloadsDigital NetworkWSJ.comMarketwatch.comBarrons.comSmartMoney.comAllThingsD.comFINS: Finance, IT jobs, Sales jobsBigCharts.comVirtual Stock ExchangeWSJ RadioWSJ U.S. EditionWSJ Asia EditionWSJ Europe EditionWSJ India PageForeign Language Editions:WSJ ChineseWSJ JapaneseWSJ PortugueseWSJ SpanishWSJ DeutschlandACAP EnabledCopyright ©2012 Dow & Company, Inc.

Meryl Dorey,SpokespersonThe Australian Vaccination Network, Inc.Investigate before you vaccinateEditor,Living Wisdom MagazineFamily, Health, EnvironmentPO Box 177BANGALOW NSW 2479AUSTRALIAhttp://www.avn.org.auhttp://www.living-wisdom.comPhone: 02 6687 1699 FAX 02 6687 2032skype: ivmmagFreedom is not merely the opportunity to do as one pleases; neither is it merely the opportunity to choose between set alternatives. Freedom is, first of all, the chance to formulate the available choices, to argue over them -- and then, the opportunity to choose. - C. MillsThe authority of any governing institution must stop at its citizen's skin. - Gloria SteinemWe rely on the help and support of our members and subscribers to continue offering our services freely and without prejudice.Please consider helping us by subscribing to Living Wisdom and renewing your membership promptly if you are already an AVN member. Go to http://www.avn.org.au to subscribe or renew.We also sell books, videos and DVDs on vaccination and other health issues. Go to http://shop.avn.org.au/ for more details.PS - all of our subscriptions are currently on sale until December 24th. Our digital (online delivery) subscription is 50% off. Please check out the information at http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs082/1101800214009/archive/1108706073097.html