Anonymous wrote:Jeff, a big part of the problem that you don’t and shouldn’t have to frankly understand in the underlying ongoing issues between the “MERLD” parents and their seeming foes, usually parents of children with autism, is that there are longstanding and popular Facebook groups dedicated to avoiding an autism diagnosis and that autism is overdoagnosed. Many of these parents have sought specific labels other than autism. They are very restrictive in the views that are allowed to be presented in the Facebook groups. No mention can be made of ABA or suggestions that something may in fact be autism. Those groups are dedicated to the idea that children grow out of these MERLD issues and that autism is far more serious and debilitating.

Perhaps that may give you some insight as to how this plays out here. The real problem many of the MERLD parents have is with the DSM. They wouldn’t even agree that many of the kids who have been diagnosed with autism by professionals have autism. They dispute the legitimacy of the diagnosis other than in rare cases. This is the crux of the real dispute playing out here but it only gets represented in agenda driven posts like, see an slp rather than get a full neuropsychology, etc. it’s subtle - not to us, but to an outside observer - but it’s the pushing of an agenda and it’s often hugely and horribly inappropriate and unhelpful for individual parents because it’s a red herring. I understand you can’t regulate this but I’m sick of every post being dominated hey these posters who are frankly on a crusade, so I’m not going to use this forum anymore.

Anonymous wrote:I don't frequent this forum, and don't even know what MERLD means. I'm just bored at work and clicked on a long thread that started with a scold from Jeff.

But if you frequent posters, on both sides, don't see that your conduct *here* is demonstrating the point of Jeff's original post better than any example ever could, you're just not paying attention. Endlessly relitigating what should be acceptable and what shouldn't, when all that is required is accepting the clear and simple guidelines provided . . . sheesh.

If I were Jeff, there's about a dozen of you I'd just preemptively block based on this thread alone.

Anonymous wrote:I don't frequent this forum, and don't even know what MERLD means. I'm just bored at work and clicked on a long thread that started with a scold from Jeff.

But if you frequent posters, on both sides, don't see that your conduct *here* is demonstrating the point of Jeff's original post better than any example ever could, you're just not paying attention. Endlessly relitigating what should be acceptable and what shouldn't, when all that is required is accepting the clear and simple guidelines provided . . . sheesh.

If I were Jeff, there's about a dozen of you I'd just preemptively block based on this thread alone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeff, a big part of the problem that you don’t and shouldn’t have to frankly understand in the underlying ongoing issues between the “MERLD” parents and their seeming foes, usually parents of children with autism, is that there are longstanding and popular Facebook groups dedicated to avoiding an autism diagnosis and that autism is overdoagnosed. Many of these parents have sought specific labels other than autism. They are very restrictive in the views that are allowed to be presented in the Facebook groups. No mention can be made of ABA or suggestions that something may in fact be autism. Those groups are dedicated to the idea that children grow out of these MERLD issues and that autism is far more serious and debilitating.

Perhaps that may give you some insight as to how this plays out here. The real problem many of the MERLD parents have is with the DSM. They wouldn’t even agree that many of the kids who have been diagnosed with autism by professionals have autism. They dispute the legitimacy of the diagnosis other than in rare cases. This is the crux of the real dispute playing out here but it only gets represented in agenda driven posts like, see an slp rather than get a full neuropsychology, etc. it’s subtle - not to us, but to an outside observer - but it’s the pushing of an agenda and it’s often hugely and horribly inappropriate and unhelpful for individual parents because it’s a red herring. I understand you can’t regulate this but I’m sick of every post being dominated hey these posters who are frankly on a crusade, so I’m not going to use this forum anymore.

No, the problem is that some posters keep questioning the motives of other posters rather than respond directly with facts. I'm glad you are leaving because I am sick of having my motives questioned.

Yes, its much easier to hoodwink people if they don't understand where you are coming from.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeff, a big part of the problem that you don’t and shouldn’t have to frankly understand in the underlying ongoing issues between the “MERLD” parents and their seeming foes, usually parents of children with autism, is that there are longstanding and popular Facebook groups dedicated to avoiding an autism diagnosis and that autism is overdoagnosed. Many of these parents have sought specific labels other than autism. They are very restrictive in the views that are allowed to be presented in the Facebook groups. No mention can be made of ABA or suggestions that something may in fact be autism. Those groups are dedicated to the idea that children grow out of these MERLD issues and that autism is far more serious and debilitating.

Perhaps that may give you some insight as to how this plays out here. The real problem many of the MERLD parents have is with the DSM. They wouldn’t even agree that many of the kids who have been diagnosed with autism by professionals have autism. They dispute the legitimacy of the diagnosis other than in rare cases. This is the crux of the real dispute playing out here but it only gets represented in agenda driven posts like, see an slp rather than get a full neuropsychology, etc. it’s subtle - not to us, but to an outside observer - but it’s the pushing of an agenda and it’s often hugely and horribly inappropriate and unhelpful for individual parents because it’s a red herring. I understand you can’t regulate this but I’m sick of every post being dominated hey these posters who are frankly on a crusade, so I’m not going to use this forum anymore.

No, the problem is that some posters keep questioning the motives of other posters rather than respond directly with facts. I'm glad you are leaving because I am sick of having my motives questioned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeff, a big part of the problem that you don’t and shouldn’t have to frankly understand in the underlying ongoing issues between the “MERLD” parents and their seeming foes, usually parents of children with autism, is that there are longstanding and popular Facebook groups dedicated to avoiding an autism diagnosis and that autism is overdoagnosed. Many of these parents have sought specific labels other than autism. They are very restrictive in the views that are allowed to be presented in the Facebook groups. No mention can be made of ABA or suggestions that something may in fact be autism. Those groups are dedicated to the idea that children grow out of these MERLD issues and that autism is far more serious and debilitating.

Perhaps that may give you some insight as to how this plays out here. The real problem many of the MERLD parents have is with the DSM. They wouldn’t even agree that many of the kids who have been diagnosed with autism by professionals have autism. They dispute the legitimacy of the diagnosis other than in rare cases. This is the crux of the real dispute playing out here but it only gets represented in agenda driven posts like, see an slp rather than get a full neuropsychology, etc. it’s subtle - not to us, but to an outside observer - but it’s the pushing of an agenda and it’s often hugely and horribly inappropriate and unhelpful for individual parents because it’s a red herring. I understand you can’t regulate this but I’m sick of every post being dominated hey these posters who are frankly on a crusade, so I’m not going to use this forum anymore.

This isn't the problem at all. i'm not sure why you're focusing on the MERLD vs ASD issue. The problem is that some posters (now i'm thinking it is just one poster?) are obsessed with looking at every kid from the lens of ASD -- even when those kids have very clear diagnoses that aren't ASD *or* MERLD. I am not an ASD denier nor a MERLD pusher (I don't even know what MERLD is). I rarely see anyone on this forum denying ASD. I *do* see posters suggest ASD and neuropsych evaluations all the time -- to the point where it is comical.

Please - if you are the poster that is having to defend themselves to Jeff on this thread -- please know that YOU are the problem. No one else on this forum. It is YOU. We are asking YOU to dial it down. If you STILL feel the need to defend this position to Jeff and me and others on this thread, despite EVERYTHING we've told you in this thread, then that is a very clear sign: Please leave this forum. You are far, far, far more hurtful than you are helpful. I'm not sure why you are fighting this so much and not getting it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^This is exactly the problem. ^

Can you be more specific?

Anonymous wrote:Jeff, a big part of the problem that you don’t and shouldn’t have to frankly understand in the underlying ongoing issues between the “MERLD” parents and their seeming foes, usually parents of children with autism, is that there are longstanding and popular Facebook groups dedicated to avoiding an autism diagnosis and that autism is overdoagnosed. Many of these parents have sought specific labels other than autism. They are very restrictive in the views that are allowed to be presented in the Facebook groups. No mention can be made of ABA or suggestions that something may in fact be autism. Those groups are dedicated to the idea that children grow out of these MERLD issues and that autism is far more serious and debilitating.

Perhaps that may give you some insight as to how this plays out here. The real problem many of the MERLD parents have is with the DSM. They wouldn’t even agree that many of the kids who have been diagnosed with autism by professionals have autism. They dispute the legitimacy of the diagnosis other than in rare cases. This is the crux of the real dispute playing out here but it only gets represented in agenda driven posts like, see an slp rather than get a full neuropsychology, etc. it’s subtle - not to us, but to an outside observer - but it’s the pushing of an agenda and it’s often hugely and horribly inappropriate and unhelpful for individual parents because it’s a red herring. I understand you can’t regulate this but I’m sick of every post being dominated hey these posters who are frankly on a crusade, so I’m not going to use this forum anymore.

Anonymous wrote:Jeff, a big part of the problem that you don’t and shouldn’t have to frankly understand in the underlying ongoing issues between the “MERLD” parents and their seeming foes, usually parents of children with autism, is that there are longstanding and popular Facebook groups dedicated to avoiding an autism diagnosis and that autism is overdoagnosed. Many of these parents have sought specific labels other than autism. They are very restrictive in the views that are allowed to be presented in the Facebook groups. No mention can be made of ABA or suggestions that something may in fact be autism. Those groups are dedicated to the idea that children grow out of these MERLD issues and that autism is far more serious and debilitating.

Perhaps that may give you some insight as to how this plays out here. The real problem many of the MERLD parents have is with the DSM. They wouldn’t even agree that many of the kids who have been diagnosed with autism by professionals have autism. They dispute the legitimacy of the diagnosis other than in rare cases. This is the crux of the real dispute playing out here but it only gets represented in agenda driven posts like, see an slp rather than get a full neuropsychology, etc. it’s subtle - not to us, but to an outside observer - but it’s the pushing of an agenda and it’s often hugely and horribly inappropriate and unhelpful for individual parents because it’s a red herring. I understand you can’t regulate this but I’m sick of every post being dominated hey these posters who are frankly on a crusade, so I’m not going to use this forum anymore.

Anonymous wrote:Jeff, a big part of the problem that you don’t and shouldn’t have to frankly understand in the underlying ongoing issues between the “MERLD” parents and their seeming foes, usually parents of children with autism, is that there are longstanding and popular Facebook groups dedicated to avoiding an autism diagnosis and that autism is overdoagnosed. Many of these parents have sought specific labels other than autism. They are very restrictive in the views that are allowed to be presented in the Facebook groups. No mention can be made of ABA or suggestions that something may in fact be autism. Those groups are dedicated to the idea that children grow out of these MERLD issues and that autism is far more serious and debilitating.

Perhaps that may give you some insight as to how this plays out here. The real problem many of the MERLD parents have is with the DSM. They wouldn’t even agree that many of the kids who have been diagnosed with autism by professionals have autism. They dispute the legitimacy of the diagnosis other than in rare cases. This is the crux of the real dispute playing out here but it only gets represented in agenda driven posts like, see an slp rather than get a full neuropsychology, etc. it’s subtle - not to us, but to an outside observer - but it’s the pushing of an agenda and it’s often hugely and horribly inappropriate and unhelpful for individual parents because it’s a red herring. I understand you can’t regulate this but I’m sick of every post being dominated hey these posters who are frankly on a crusade, so I’m not going to use this forum anymore.

Anonymous wrote:^This is exactly the problem. ^