Autistic kids
All praise to the Chronicle for making the plight of autistic children front page news on April 19 ("Serenity in store"). I hope Countdown supermarkets, now that they've started their "quiet hour" in Marton, introduce similar quiet hours nationwide.
I am a high-functioning autistic. It's a lifelong condition, incurable but can be managed.
The main difference of maturity (I'm 72) is that we learn by rote — logic — over (socially) painful years, how to avert out-of-control "meltdowns" typical of our young selves' hypersensitivities. We've learned the calming effects of routine, and the need for greater amounts of alone time, although we don't necessarily equate that with feeling lonely.
Perhaps of greater value to Hunter, the boy featured in the Chronicle article, would be the knowledge that we autistics often have special "gifts" that neurotypicals ("ordinary" people) can only dream of.
Most definitely we are not all locked into being Rain Man people (from the movie).
I'm pretty sure that Hunter, whom I've never met, will — at his own pace (very important, never rush him) — eventually learn that he has one, probably not more, intense interest. When he finds it, watch him leap ahead. He will be unstoppable in that interest which — to outsiders — may seem to consume him.
I advise, let him be. Don't kill his passion, once discovered. Instead, watch him grow into a respected leader in his field. He may easily become an international expert. Hunter's parents can verify these claims by talking with anybody in NZ Autism.
Yes, he will take much longer than average to learn social skills (I remember well my own embarrassing decades, learning what neurotypicals seemed to learn in their teenage years). Socially, he will be "an innocent abroad" (as I termed myself for decades).
He won't understand banter or irony; he will take things literally, so the parents may need to "translate" many typical figures of speech for him, to sidestep misunderstandings between him and his peers.
All the best, Hunter. Good on you, Countdown.
STAN HOOD
Aramoho
Fluoride choice
The letters recently published — one "It's bad for you" and one "It's good for you" — miss the whole point.
Whatever it is, I want the choice to accept it or not. Adding it to our water supplies gives me no choice; I have to accept it whether I want to or not.
If people feel so strongly that they must have it, then they have many choices of how they take it, either fluoride toothpaste, tablets or any other means.
Putting it in my water denies me any right I have to not accept it. A basic right of living my life without interference with any rights I have.
MERV SMITH
Bulls
Who's right?
Fletcher Tabuteau Deputy Leader of NZ First says while visiting Whanganui:
"Taranaki people were upset about Government's decision to end new oil and gas exploration, he said. They didn't realise existing permits for exploration and drilling would provide enough gas for decades."
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment state in their paper Energy in NZ 2017:
"At current levels of gas use, remaining natural gas reserves would be exhausted in 11 years. A total of 196 PJ of gas was used across energy transformation, non-energy use, and consumption in the 2016 year. If gas used was held at this amount each year remaining recoverable reserves of natural gas would be exhausted in 11 years."
Who do you believe?
The Chronicle needs to do a bit of fact checking before they splash headlines in our local paper based on off-the-cuff political statements that are not based on facts.
JIM WHITE
Castlecliff
Fellow students
I am delighted to learn that Tom Pittams and Graham Juden are, like me, fellow students in the the Christian life — and they are both ordained. It might be better for us to continue any debate away from the glare of the letters column of the daily newspaper!
I am also delighted to see that your newspaper's Thought for today continues to improve with the Rev Sue Paterson of Trinity Methodist Church. Clearly she reads books in the "progressive" Christian vein. I hope to meet her one day.
RICHARD PEIRCE
Marton
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