speak softly….

There’s a new ad campaign hitting the streets of NYC this month, orchestrated by BBDO, a high end ad agency, at the bequest of the NYU Child Study Center. The campaign, called “Ransom Notes” is a public service campaign geared to educate the public about childhood public health epidemics of the “psychiatric disorder” type. Included in the mix? Autism, ADHD, anorexia, bulimia, anorexia, depression and OCD. According to the “Ransom Notes” press release:

The idea behind the “Ransom Notes” is that, all too often, untreated psychiatric disorders are holding our children hostage. These disorders rob children of the ability to learn, make and keep friends and enjoy life.

But many people in a child’s life, such as family members, professionals, friends and other caring adults, have a chance to intervene and help a child who is suffering needlessly. Learn the signs, symptoms and treatments of the disorders featured in the campaign, and visit our A-Z Disorder Guide for more information on common psychiatric problems.

Ahem. Where do we begin here? With the notion that a parent needs to have his or her child’s psychiatric disorder “pointed out” to him by professionals? That otherwise we’d simply not know or see that our child had differences? That we need these differences pointed out to us via the medium of a “hostage letter” from our own child? Here is an example of one image:

If your child has autism, how do you explain this to him, or her? “Oh, honey, they wanted to let other mommies know that it’s important for you not to get worse, you know, reach a point where you can’t do anything for yourself and, you know, become a drain on society, a burden, a vegetable. Isn’t it great that they’re warning mommies and daddies this way?”

So. That’s the first point of insult: how professionals feel the need to cast this discussion about disability within the context of a disorder, one that needs pointing out, and, ahem, fixing. Just the fact that autism is put next to a psychiatric disorder like depression. Or that anorexia is, you know, the “same” as Asperger’s. It’s hard to believe that these are actual child development professionals.

Second. Where are the people in this? Who is being held hostage, exactly? Where are the images of kids or their parents? The anonymity of these letters, images and language is in direct opposition to the people first language the disability movement has worked so hard to put forward. These are PEOPLE, not DISORDERS. Autism isn’t a psychiatric disorder, it’s a collection of symptoms that make it difficult for a child, or an adult, to function in a society that is loud, harsh, and unwelcoming. A society that would, frankly, put up these ads in the first place.

The arrogance of this campaign is mind-boggling. The NYU Child Study Center has already come under criticism, and their response has been, “if people are outraged, that means it’s working.”

Kristina Chew makes the point, so eloquently, that how we talk about this informs how we think about this, and what we do about this.

How we talk about autism—how we talk about autistic persons—directly impacts on how the public, how people, think about autism, and how they perceive and act towards autistic persons. Implying that an autistic child is like a child who has been kidnapped—-is a child who has been kidnapped—recalls older stereotypes of autistic children as “caught” and “imprisoned” in an “autistic shell,” and their real (normal) self “trapped” inside.

She also includes contact information on where to send letters, and what to say. Yesterday I wrote I thought I had seen it all, now I know I haven’t.

We need to do better than this. We must do better.