Professional Ignorance - Doctors Refuse Belief in AS

In my travels around the so-called professional world, i have encountered a staggering amount of ignorance. Most shocking is how much of it is willful. Like the classic cliche of the ostrich sticking its head in the sand to hide from what it does not want to deal with, there is a rather large percentage of people calling themselves doctors and PhDs who "choose not to believe" in something they know nothing about.  Instead of giving you my own personal example, here's one from a friend who initiated contact with me via my original flickr account... because of my openness about my AS.

This is in the form of personal emails which i've been given permission to share, edited:

Dear friends and family,

... First, let me say how touched I was ... many of you responded with words of encouragement and love. It means so much to me that you would take the time to write back and share your observations and comments. Pretty much across the board the response was the same from all of
you. A certain amount of incredulity that [my daughter], who is a bright and
interesting child, could have a "problem" like AS. Several of you commented that you know other children with AS and that their behavior is more markedly unusual than [my daughter's]. Understand that this is a mixed blessing. Because her AS is more subtle, people will expect more from her because her difficulties are more masked. As a person who has been shunned my entire life because of my own AS traits, I can assure you that people's attitudes toward people who are not neurotypical can damage a person's self esteem, self image and potential for success tremendously. It is my goal to give [my daughter] the advantages I never had. Isn't that the goal of every parent?

... It has been determined that she will receive weekly, 30 minutes each of counseling with the school psychologist, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. [She] had already been receiving speech services for her speech impediment. Now effective communication and social skills will be incorporated into her curriculum with the speech pathologist. For the most part we have opted for minimal intervention in the regular classroom to avoid stigmatizing [her]. I am not 100% satisfied with the lack of detail in her educational plan, but I think overall we are on the right track. Her regular classroom teacher is very receptive (although I'm not convinced she thinks there's a really a problem since [my daughter] hasn't had a meltdown in class yet. The same thing happened last year and the teacher blew me off and was stunned when [my daughter] had an uncontrolled episode lasting over an hour.) [She] has made a lot of progress over the past few months and has greatly improved her coping skills in social settings. She frequently is waiting to freak out until she gets home and is in her safe zone, which is a big step forward. The more she can learn to redirect her frustration and anxiety, the more likely she is to be accepted by her peers, which she has expressed is extremely important to her.

I should also mention that [my daughter] was honored yesterday at an award ceremony at her school with not one, but two trophies for academic achievement. It was a big boost to her self confidence.  Naturally we are very proud.

Thank you once again for your encouragement and prayers.

This message received a reply from one of my friend's family members:

Dear [name] - ... In your note you said one of your hurdles is that your husband doesn't buy the diagnosis. Get used to the fact that a lot of people won't buy it. When [your daughter] was first diagnosed, I approached one of the Child Psychiatrists that I worked with in Smithville. I told her I needed some information, but that I didn't want to just do a "Say Doc" in the hallway. I said I wanted to schedule an appointment and speak with her in the office. She asked me what was the nature of the discussion. Bear in mind that this is someone I liked and respected up to this point. I told her that my granddaughter had been diagnosed with Asperger's autism and she replied, "There is no such a thing. I don't believe in it. If you want that kind of information contact the OASIS support group." I was stunned, initially, at the insensitivity of her attitude. I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it must be for you. ... [signature]

My friend had a response to send to that "i don't believe in" doctor, which i fully support and find 100% appropriate to the situation of that doctor's unprofessional and arrogant ignorance:

tell her, from me, i told her she can go [screw] herself. and that it's okay, because in my humble opinion, most psychiatrists are a just self-righteous [jerks] who become involved in mental health because they have a host of issues themselves.

Funny, that... i've been noticing, and citing, that very fact about psychiatrists myself for a very long time. i even had a friend tell me, years ago, that she got into her psych major at university and lost interest in it once she worked out her own problems. She hadn't realized it, but her interest in taking that major was mostly driven by a desire to find a way out of her own emotional, psychiatric, personal issues. i was proud of this friend for being so honest and up front about it, as i am proud of my friend (above) who had an equally dismissive response for the so-called professional that blew off something that is scientifically proven to exist and is in huge percentages of the population.

Something to note as a public service: The letter from my friend's family member refers to Smithville. To give you useful details, the ignorant doctor works (or did at the time) at Saint Luke's Hospital in the Kansas City, Missouri area. It is surely unfair to blame an entire organization for the acts of "one bad apple" so i hope that it was just that one doctor who is that far off base.

Also worth noting, and interestingly ironic, is that there is a hospital system in my own area (PA) called "St. Luke's Hospital." Note the subtle difference in naming. My mind wonders about the lawsuits going on behind the scenes... but as i have mentioned them before, i will state again: my personal experiences with St. Luke's main campus in Bethlehem PA, my mother's personal experiences with them, and a former nurse's experience with them (someone who also has a child with AS, who had to fight like hell to get it acknowledged, and who's husband also refused to accept the truth) ... well, it seems to me that, like Flickr, the "bad apple" IS the organization. Let's hope that the hospital organization in Smithville is VERY different indeed.

There is a lot of institutionalized thinking going on in the places where it is most dangerous and harmful, such as centers for healthcare and educational institutions. A friend pointed out to me that most "professionals" don't really have an academic interest in the study of their field; they simply jump through the hoops and go to work just like you and i ... actually, i DO have academic interest in my line of work. That's why i felt i did such a good job. Hmm... The faculty at my former university had examples of both: academically interested and "punching the clock."

Imagine if everyone behaved with this mentality of horse blinders and ultimate knowledge without actually humbling themselves enough to say "i'm sorry, i don't know much about that. i would be interested to learn with you and help you if i can, or i can try to help you locate someone who is a specialist in that area."

The world is round. Air is there, even though you can't see it. The electromagnetic spectrum exists (if you're autistic, you might be able to feel it). Gravity is real and disbelieving in it wont save you from falling to the bottom of the cliff after you overshoot the road runner you're trying to catch.

AS is real.

i end with this:

Carl Sagan, a hero of mine, wrote a book titled "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark." That's my recommendation for further reading on the ignorance that is always ready to take over otherwise seemingly rational, trained minds.