Punishment

"And how are we, the stewards of the autistic, doing? When Seth was a teenager, a soon-to-be senile, nationally prominent psychologist said, 'You've tried everything else to get him to speak. Why don't you try punishment?' If one question could make the universe weep, that one would be a contender. A decade later, it continues to resonate inside me. Because that impulse exists in the world, I feel horror, pain, fear and sorrow for all the autistic children and their families and for everyone who cannot defend themselves." 

 This is a quote from the book, An Unexpected Life, I had posted about earlier. 


Seth's mother's response to such a suggestion pretty much encapsulates my feelings right now -- how many autistic children, much less people, have been abused in such a way? It seems naive of me to think that the world is just dandy. And I've learned of abuse afflicted upon people with disabilities, but to realize punishment was a medical therapy to promote communication in autistic children honestly sickens me. 


To hear a supposed "nationally prominent psychologist" suggest to attack a defenseless child is vomit-inducing and tear-jerking. 


Perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh consider this was, as written, ten years ago, before much knowledge was known about autism and people did not know what it was or how to deal with the disorder. 


However, a resentful, terrifying, and once again, seemingly naive question which dwells in my mind is that, how much talent and curiosity has been suppressed due to ignorance?