It seems I have been on my soapbox a lot this week. And shunning sugar in any form is, well, completely uncharacteristic of me.

But this just got my head spinning: http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/AutismNews/Story?id=6325522&page=3

Oh jeez. Reading that made me cry. Luke has gotten more and more interested in peers in the past year (he's 8). Should be encouraging, right? All I can see is how he can't start a conversation and hops up and down flapping his hands, which makes the other kids he's trying to befriend turn away. I go home and cry pretty much every time we go on an outing now, because it happens more and more often.

The fact that this was an organized group, and one FOR kids with disabilities, physical or otherwise, makes me nauseated.

Ruth, I feel the same way. Both my boys are involved in scouts, and I really believe that you have to find the right "fit" in a pack/troop-- and that's any kid. But that's exactly what this family did. They had a good start in girl scouting, but the local troop got too big. So they went to the troop especially designed for girls with disabilities. Only, she didn't have the "right" disability.

I hope that troop leader gets disciplined somehow - clearly, the higher ups in GS are more open-minded.

Okay, I'm cynical. I think the council is doing damage control and not inclusion strategy.

god, that makes my heart hurt. people can be so crappy.

I'd raise ten kinds of hell.

I'd love the boys to get into something like Boy Scouts (who have a really good disabilities policy) but I can't get past the no-gays policy. So is there like...uh, gay boy scouts? Anyone?

Ruth - Alex sort of stands there and smiles, and occasionally claps his hands. I was shocked to see him actually interact with MNM's Little Miss because normally he just watches the other kids play. He really does like other kids, but he's content to sort of fade into the background. Sometimes if kids talk to him, he smiles, but won't respond. Kids don't understand that he's not being rude...he gets kind of shy and retreats.

That's awful. And I'm really surprised about it as well, because normally the Girl Scouts are a really good organization about that sort of stuff. I really do hope that troop leader gets someone raising holy hell on her.

And Ellie, I won't let the boys join the Boy Scouts either, for exactly the same reason. And there really isn't any other group of that sort around here, so they're just out of luck.

I won't let 1st kid join Boy Scouts because of their exclusionary practices.

I'd hoped to get him into the local Spiral Scouts group but they aren't currently active.