San Diego T/U: Boys are "saddled" with an autism diagnosis; it's really a 'quirky personality'

Mar 15, 2018, San Diego Times Union: Faucette: Moving on from here http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/pomerado-news/opinion/editorial/because-i-said-so/sd-cm-pow-column-said-so-0315-htmlstory.html (Wendy Faucett is a wife, mom, retired teacher, Certified Parent Coach, and San Diego County CASA.) One of my responsibilities as a PTA president in 2001 was to write a column for the school’s monthly newsletter. When I sat to write the October 2001 column, I felt much like I feel now. I didn’t want to write about 9/11. I didn’t want to think about it, just as I don’t want to think or write about the horror of school shootings.... … common sense is uncommon, boys are diagnosed and medicated simply because they’re behaving like boys, and young children are saddled with a life-long autism spectrum disorder diagnosis when all they really have is a quirky personality. … This is when we can learn from history. Before the mid-1960s, children’s health was stable and good. For confirmation, just ask anyone you can find who graduated high school before 1965 or so. Ask whether they remember classmates who took prescribed psychotropic drugs, had other diagnosed behavioral disorders, committed suicide, were cutters or had eating disorders. Ask whether they remember any school shootings…. … One family at a time, we must return to a traditional model of raising children. We must return to places of worship, we must return to valuing humility, modesty, kindness and generosity above achievement of any kind. We must instill in our children the importance of the Golden Rule and the Ten Commandments as rules for life.