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| {{short description|American writer and blogger}} | |||
| {{COI|date=January 2016}} | |||
| {{Infobox writer <!--For more information, see ].--> | {{Infobox writer <!--For more information, see ].--> | ||
| | name = Jonathan Mitchell | | name = Jonathan Mitchell | ||
| | honorific_prefix = | |||
| | honorific_suffix = | |||
| | image = Jonathan Mitchell.jpg | | image = Jonathan Mitchell.jpg | ||
| ⚫ | | caption = Mitchell in 2015 | ||
| | image_size = 216 | |||
| ⚫ | | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|9|7}} <!-- {{birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | ||
| | alt = | |||
| ⚫ | | birth_place = Los Angeles, California, US | ||
| ⚫ | | caption = | ||
| | education = Psychology (])<ref name="AutismUpdated">{{cite book |last1=Casanova |first1=Manuel |title=Autism Updated: Symptoms, Treatments and Controversies: Empowering parents and autistic individuals through knowledge |date=8 July 2019 |isbn=9781079144109 |pages=697, 700}}</ref> | |||
| | native_name = | |||
| ⚫ | | alma_mater = UCLA | ||
| | native_name_lang = | |||
| | relatives = ] (sister)<ref name="Melanie">{{cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=Melanie |title=Complexity: A Guided Tour |date=1 September 2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0199798100 |pages=xvi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bbN-6aDFrrAC&q=jonathan+mitchell+norma+jack+melanie&pg=PR16|accessdate=6 November 2018}}</ref> | |||
| | pseudonym = | |||
| ⚫ | | years_active = 2003-present (writer) | ||
| | birth_name = | |||
| ⚫ | | website = {{URL|jonathans-stories.com}} | ||
| ⚫ | | birth_date = 1955 <!-- {{birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | ||
| ⚫ | | birth_place = Los Angeles, California | ||
| | death_date = <!-- {{death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | |||
| | death_place = | |||
| | resting_place = | |||
| | occupation = | |||
| | language = English | |||
| | nationality = American | |||
| | ethnicity = | |||
| | citizenship = United States | |||
| | education = Bachelor's Degree in Psychology | |||
| ⚫ | | alma_mater = | ||
| | period = | |||
| | genre = <!-- or: | genres = --> | |||
| | subject = <!-- or: | subjects = --> | |||
| | movement = Autism Activist | |||
| | notableworks = The School of Hard Knocks, The Mu Rhythm Bluff | |||
| | spouse = <!-- or: | spouses = --> | |||
| | partner = <!-- or: | partners = --> | |||
| | children = | |||
| | relatives = | |||
| | awards = | |||
| | signature = | |||
| | signature_alt = | |||
| ⚫ | | years_active = | ||
| | module = | |||
| ⚫ | | website = |
||
| | portaldisp = <!-- "on", "yes", "true", etc; or omit --> | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| {{Autism rights movement |expanded=criticism}} | |||
| '''Jonathan Mitchell''' (born September 7, 1955) is an American author and ] blogger who writes about autism including the ] of the disorder and ] movement. His novel ''The Mu Rhythm Bluff'' is about a 49-year-old autistic man who undergoes ].<ref name=Hayasaki2015>{{cite web|last1=Hayasaki|first1=Erika|title=The Debate Over an Autism Cure Turns Hostile|url=http://www.newsweek.com/2015/02/27/one-activists-search-cure-his-autism-drawing-violent-backlash-306998.html|website=Newsweek|date=18 February 2015|accessdate=10 May 2015}}{{Better source needed example|date=October 2024|reason=This article was after 2013. ]}}</ref><ref name=studio360>{{cite news|last1=Andersen|first1=Kurt|title=On the Spectrum|url=http://www.studio360.org/story/107634-on-the-spectrum/|accessdate=5 January 2016|agency=Public Radio International|publisher=Studio 360|date=28 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126053042/http://www.studio360.org/story/107634-on-the-spectrum/|archive-date=26 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| ==Biography== | |||
| '''Jonathan Mitchell''' is an American ] author and blogger who advocates for a cure for autism. He opposes the ] movement. He is one of the most controversial figures among autistic bloggers because of his hatred of autism, his view of autism as a disability, and his desire for a cure. He writes stories, blog posts and books as a hobby. Mitchell is also interested in the neuroscience of autism, having even participated in autism research.<ref name=Hayasaki2015>{{cite web|last1=Hayasaki|first1=Erika|title=The Debate Over an Autism Cure Turns Hostile|url=http://www.newsweek.com/2015/02/27/one-activists-search-cure-his-autism-drawing-violent-backlash-306998.html|website=Newsweek|accessdate=10 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Robison|first1=John|title=I have decided to take a more active advocacy role . . .|url=http://jerobison.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-have-decided-to-take-more-active.html|website=Look me in the Eye|accessdate=10 May 2015}}</ref><ref name=studio360/> | |||
| Mitchell was born in 1955 and at the age of 12, he was diagnosed with autism. He attended ] as a child.<ref name="AutismUpdated" /> He also attended mainstream and special education schools facing expulsion and being bullied. Mitchell has been employed in data entry jobs, but was fired many times for his behavior, which he implicitly blames on his autism.<ref name="Spectator">{{cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Jonathan |title=The dangers of 'neurodiversity': why do people want to stop a cure for autism being found? |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2019/01/the-dangers-of-neurodiversity-why-do-people-want-to-stop-a-cure-for-autism-being-found/ |accessdate=6 September 2024 |work=The Spectator |date=19 January 2019}}</ref> After retiring at 51 years old, he attempted to get ] but was not successful.<ref name="AutismUpdated" /> He lives in ] and is supported by his parents.<ref name=Hayasaki2015/> | |||
| Mitchell has volunteered in scientific research for autism and has served as an experimental subject to ].<ref name=NPR>{{cite web|last1=Hamilton|first1=Jon|title=Shortage of Brain Tissue Hinders Autism Research|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/02/04/170835708/shortage-of-brain-tissue-sets-autism-research-back|website=NPR|accessdate=10 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="Spectator" /> | |||
| ==Early life== | |||
| Mitchell claims that having autism has prevented him from having a girlfriend or making a living.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/02/04/170835708/shortage-of-brain-tissue-sets-autism-research-back|title = Shortage of Brain Tissue Hinders Autism Research|website = ]}}</ref> | |||
| Mitchell was born in 1955. As a toddler, he smeared feces and threw tantrums, in addition to having interests in watching his parents record player spin and lining blocks end to end. His parents took him to a psychoanalyst, who blamed his mother, Norma. Mitchell's parents then considered ], but eventually they decided against it. Mitchell was diagnosed with autism only at the age of 12 by a psychiatrist. He then attended mainstream and special education schools, where he faced expulsion for behavioral problems in certain instances, but was also bullied by other students.<ref name=Hayasaki2015/><ref name=lamag/> He has worked in the past doing jobs such as data entry, but was fired too many times for being too loud and making too many mistakes. Mitchell resides in Los Angeles and has a degree in psychology.<ref name=NPR/> He is supported by his parents, who give him $26,000 a year.<ref name=Hayasaki2015/> | |||
| ==Advocacy== | |||
| ==Views on autism and neurodiversity== | |||
| Mitchell has been described by '']'' as an extremely controversial voice in the autism ] for wanting a cure and discussing the need to consider the longer-term effects of autism.<ref name=Hayasaki2015/> | |||
| Mitchell has described autism as having "prevented me from making a living or ever having a girlfriend. It's given me bad fine motor coordination problems where I can hardly write. I have an impaired ability to relate to people. I can't concentrate or get things done."<ref name=NPR/> He has stated that compared to the experiences of other disadvantaged groups, his deficits are social in nature, and that he has attempted to join support groups but always ended up lonely.<ref name=Hayasaki2015/> | |||
| ⚫ | Mitchell has been criticized by other autism/autistic bloggers for his ]. In 2015, during a ''Newsweek'' profiling, the journalist was urged by Mitchell's critics to not write about him.<ref name=Hayasaki2015/> In a 2015 commentary in the '']'', ] and autism community supporter Neil Greenspan mentioned that Mitchell would be very unlikely to demand that others seek autism treatment, should it become widely available.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Greenspan|first1=Neil|title=Neurodiversity Proponents Strongly Object to Viewpoint Diversity|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-s-greenspan/neurodiversity-proponents_b_6964704.html|accessdate=6 January 2016|work=The Huffington Post|publisher=AOL Lifestyle|date=29 May 2015}}</ref> | ||
| Responding to Mitchell's commentary on neurodiversity in the magazine '']'',<ref name="Spectator"/> Nick Cohen agreed with his statement that many neurodiversity advocates can hold down careers and provide for families, and cannot speak on behalf of those that are more severely impacted, yet said nothing about Mitchell's own attempt to do so.<ref name="Standpoint">{{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=Nick |title=The road to hell for the mentally incapacitated |url=https://standpointmag.co.uk/issues/june-2019/the-road-to-hell-for-the-mentally-incapacitated/ |accessdate=31 May 2019 |work=Standpoint |date=30 May 2019 |archive-date=2 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802061611/https://standpointmag.co.uk/issues/june-2019/the-road-to-hell-for-the-mentally-incapacitated/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Mitchell |first1=Jonathan |title=Neurodiversity: Just Say No |url=http://jonathans-stories.com/non-fiction/neurodiv.html |accessdate=17 October 2024 |quote=Most persons with an autism spectrum disorder have never had a web page or have expressed their opinions in the comments section of someone's blog and never will. They don't have the intellectual inclination to do such a thing. I am not trying to speak for any person with autism other than myself.}}</ref> Jonathan Rose, a history professor at ], agreed with this commentary (that neurodiversity is over-represented in the media and at the ]), since profoundly autistic individuals have difficulty advocating for themselves.<ref name="Rose">{{cite news |last1=Rose |first1=Jonathan |title=The Challenges of Writing Histories of Autism |url=http://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/172185 |accessdate=11 June 2019 |work=History News Network}}</ref> By contrast, author Jessie Hewitson described many of the difficulties associated with autism as challenges, but that his autism is "not an affliction".<ref name="Letters">{{cite news |title=Letters: my autism is a challenge, not an affliction |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2019/01/letters-my-autism-is-a-challenge-not-an-affliction/ |accessdate=27 January 2019 |work=The Spectator |date=26 January 2019}}</ref> | |||
| ] | |||
| He describes neurodiversity as a "tempting escape valve", claiming that “most persons with an autism-spectrum disorder have never expressed their opinions on someone’s blog and never will"<ref>{{cite web|last1=Solomon|first1=Andrew|title=The Autism Rights Movement|url=http://nymag.com/news/features/47225/index4.html|website=New York Magazine|accessdate=10 May 2015}}</ref> and states that ] has no solution for low-functioning autistics.<ref name=lamag/> In one of his essays, “Undiagnosing Gates, Jefferson and Einstein,” Mitchell claims that it is unlikely that ] has ] because of his successful social relationships and success in business.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Natcharian|first1=Lisa|title=Bill Gates, Asperger's Syndrome, and your gifted child|url=http://blog.masslive.com/real_learning/2010/08/bill_gates_aspergers_syndrome_and_your_gifted_child.html|website=MassLive|accessdate=5 January 2016}}</ref> He also states in this essay that parents’ expectation of savant abilities for their autistic children “provides fodder for the special educators, special education attorneys, ABA therapists etc., to legitimize their profits and to encourage the false hope . . . that so many parents of these children have.”<ref>{{cite book|last1=Baker|first1=Anthony|title=Autism and representation|date=29 November 2007|publisher=Routledge|location=New York|isbn=978-0415806275|page=236|edition=Reprint|accessdate=5 January 2016}}</ref> | |||
| ==Interests== | |||
| Mitchell has reviewed Neurotribes by ], a book about neurodiversity, on professor ]'s blog ''Cortical Chauvinism''. He criticized Silberman for posthumously diagnosing scientists with autism such as Henry Cavendish. Also, he criticized the view that accommodations, not a cure, are the best solution for an autistic person, describing his arguments as vague. As an example, Mitchell stated that Silberman has trivialized the problems of Mark Rimland, a severely autistic individual who can't take care of himself, by saying that acceptance, not a cure, is needed. Mitchell also pointed out that ], a special company for autistics, does not make sense as an employment venue for autistics because it is unable to generate revenue. He concluded his review by claiming that most of the people profiled in the book are on the milder end of the spectrum.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mitchell|first1=Jonathan|title=Jonathan Mitchell on NeuroTribes|url=http://corticalchauvinism.com/2015/09/16/jonathan-mitchell-on-neurotribes/|website=Cortical Chauvinism|accessdate=6 January 2016}}</ref> | |||
| Mitchell has written the novel ''The Mu Rhythm Bluff'', which is about a 49-year-old man who undergoes ] to treat his autism.<ref name="Hayasaki2015" /> Regarding the novel, neurobiology professor ] wrote that he was impressed with Mitchell's scientific knowledge.<ref name=Hayasaki2015/> Mitchell has been working on another novel titled ''The School of Hard Knocks'', which is about an abusive special education school.<ref name=studio360/><ref name="Osborne">{{cite book |last1=Osborne |first1=Lawrence |title=American Normal: The Hidden World of Asperger Syndrome |date=2007 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-0-387-21807-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5bPdBgAAQBAJ |accessdate=11 January 2020 |language=en}}</ref>{{rp|153}} He has also written twenty-five short stories.<ref name="Hayasaki2015" /> Mitchell's writing has been compared by the novelist ] to the work of ], a UK-based autistic poet and writer.<ref name=Osborne/>{{rp|161}} | |||
| ==Criticism and opposition== | |||
| Mitchell served as a subject for an ] study conducted by autism researcher ].<ref name=NPR/> He has been exchanging emails with neurologist Marco Iacoboni with questions about ] since 2010. Mitchell has also followed Casanova's work, which focuses on abnormalities within the brain's ].<ref name=Hayasaki2015/> | |||
| Several other autism bloggers criticize or even insult Mitchell based on his pro-cure stance on autism. When ] announced that they would profile Jonathan Mitchell, critics of him emailed the article journalist urging her not to write about him, saying among other things “He is a hater. He hates himself.” and that "he blames being autistic rather than blaming a world that is not set up for autistic people." Another autism blogger also wrote that Mitchell is bitter because his mother tried to cure him instead of helping him to adjust. Mitchell has also claimed to face outright hostility from other members of the neurodiversity movement, writing insulting songs about him or comparing him to a "Jew that sympathized with Nazis" among other perceived insults. His father, Jack, has described him as going overboard when he responds to hostility but says he can't blame him for wanting a cure.<ref name=Hayasaki2015/> | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ==Hobbies== | |||
| ] | |||
| Mitchell writes as a hobby, having written three novels, 25 short stories, and runs a blog called ''Autism's Gadfly'' with several hundred blog posts. He is one of the most controversial voices in the autism blogosphere for wanting a cure, discussing the need to consider the long-term effects of autism.<ref name=lamag>{{cite web|last1=Mitchell|first1=Jonathan|title=Autism: Still Waiting|url=http://www.lamag.com/longform/autism-still-waiting/|website=Los Angeles Magazine|accessdate=10 May 2015}}</ref> He was interviewed on Studio 360 on one of his novels, ''The School of Hard Knocks'',<ref name=studio360>{{cite news|last1=Andersen|first1=Kurt|title=On the Spectrum|url=http://www.studio360.org/story/107634-on-the-spectrum/|accessdate=5 January 2016|agency=Public Radio International|publisher=Studio 360|date=28 March 2008}}</ref> and another novel of his is ''The Mu Rhythm Bluff'', about an autistic man that undergoes ].<ref name=Hayasaki2015/> | |||
| Mitchell is also interested in the neuroscience of autism. He seeks to understand how his brain works, having taken neuroscience classes in the past and has also volunteered for MRI research studies. To help with future research for a treatment or a cure, he has volunteered to donate his brain to science.<ref name=NPR>{{cite web|last1=Hamilton|first1=Jon|title=Shortage of Brain Tissue Hinders Autism Research|url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/02/04/170835708/shortage-of-brain-tissue-sets-autism-research-back|website=NPR|accessdate=10 May 2015}}</ref> He has exchanged emails with neurologist Marco Iacoboni with questions about mirror neurons. Additionally, Mitchell is interested in the work of Manuel Casanova, a University of Louisville neurobiology professor. Mitchell is often one of the first to read Casanova's research studies, and Casanova has in turn described Mitchell's critiques as more thorough compared to his own colleagues. Casanova also wrote in an Amazon review of ''The Mu Rhythm Bluff'' that he was impressed by Mitchell's scientific knowledge and how he managed to include discussion of mu rhythms, mirror neurons, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the book.<ref name=Hayasaki2015/> | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
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| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| {{Wikiquote|Jonathan Mitchell}} | |||
| ⚫ | * | ||
| {{commons category-inline|Jonathan Mitchell}} | |||
| *{{Official website|http://jonathans-stories.com/}} | |||
| ⚫ | *, Mitchell's blog | ||
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Jonathan}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Jonathan}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 06:59, 22 November 2024
American writer and blogger| Jonathan Mitchell | |
|---|---|
 Mitchell in 2015 | |
| Born | (1955-09-07) September 7, 1955 (age 69) Los Angeles, California, US |
| Education | Psychology (BS) |
| Alma mater | UCLA |
| Years active | 2003-present (writer) |
| Relatives | Melanie Mitchell (sister) |
| Website | |
| jonathans-stories | |
Jonathan Mitchell (born September 7, 1955) is an American author and autistic blogger who writes about autism including the neuroscience of the disorder and neurodiversity movement. His novel The Mu Rhythm Bluff is about a 49-year-old autistic man who undergoes transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Biography
Mitchell was born in 1955 and at the age of 12, he was diagnosed with autism. He attended psychoanalytic therapy as a child. He also attended mainstream and special education schools facing expulsion and being bullied. Mitchell has been employed in data entry jobs, but was fired many times for his behavior, which he implicitly blames on his autism. After retiring at 51 years old, he attempted to get SSDI but was not successful. He lives in Los Angeles and is supported by his parents.
Mitchell has volunteered in scientific research for autism and has served as an experimental subject to Eric Courchesne.
Mitchell claims that having autism has prevented him from having a girlfriend or making a living.
Advocacy
Mitchell has been described by Newsweek as an extremely controversial voice in the autism blogosphere for wanting a cure and discussing the need to consider the longer-term effects of autism. Mitchell has been criticized by other autism/autistic bloggers for his pro-cure stance. In 2015, during a Newsweek profiling, the journalist was urged by Mitchell's critics to not write about him. In a 2015 commentary in the Huffington Post, immunologist and autism community supporter Neil Greenspan mentioned that Mitchell would be very unlikely to demand that others seek autism treatment, should it become widely available.
Responding to Mitchell's commentary on neurodiversity in the magazine The Spectator, Nick Cohen agreed with his statement that many neurodiversity advocates can hold down careers and provide for families, and cannot speak on behalf of those that are more severely impacted, yet said nothing about Mitchell's own attempt to do so. Jonathan Rose, a history professor at Drew University, agreed with this commentary (that neurodiversity is over-represented in the media and at the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee), since profoundly autistic individuals have difficulty advocating for themselves. By contrast, author Jessie Hewitson described many of the difficulties associated with autism as challenges, but that his autism is "not an affliction".
Interests
Mitchell has written the novel The Mu Rhythm Bluff, which is about a 49-year-old man who undergoes transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat his autism. Regarding the novel, neurobiology professor Manuel Casanova wrote that he was impressed with Mitchell's scientific knowledge. Mitchell has been working on another novel titled The School of Hard Knocks, which is about an abusive special education school. He has also written twenty-five short stories. Mitchell's writing has been compared by the novelist Lawrence Osborne to the work of David Miedzianik, a UK-based autistic poet and writer.
Mitchell served as a subject for an MRI study conducted by autism researcher Eric Courchesne. He has been exchanging emails with neurologist Marco Iacoboni with questions about mirror neurons since 2010. Mitchell has also followed Casanova's work, which focuses on abnormalities within the brain's minicolumns.
References
- ^ Casanova, Manuel (8 July 2019). Autism Updated: Symptoms, Treatments and Controversies: Empowering parents and autistic individuals through knowledge. pp. 697, 700. ISBN 9781079144109.
- Mitchell, Melanie (1 September 2011). Complexity: A Guided Tour. Oxford University Press. pp. xvi. ISBN 978-0199798100. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ Hayasaki, Erika (18 February 2015). "The Debate Over an Autism Cure Turns Hostile". Newsweek. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ Andersen, Kurt (28 March 2008). "On the Spectrum". Studio 360. Public Radio International. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (19 January 2019). "The dangers of 'neurodiversity': why do people want to stop a cure for autism being found?". The Spectator. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ^ Hamilton, Jon. "Shortage of Brain Tissue Hinders Autism Research". NPR. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- "Shortage of Brain Tissue Hinders Autism Research". NPR.
- Greenspan, Neil (29 May 2015). "Neurodiversity Proponents Strongly Object to Viewpoint Diversity". The Huffington Post. AOL Lifestyle. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- Cohen, Nick (30 May 2019). "The road to hell for the mentally incapacitated". Standpoint. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- Mitchell, Jonathan. "Neurodiversity: Just Say No". Retrieved 17 October 2024.
Most persons with an autism spectrum disorder have never had a web page or have expressed their opinions in the comments section of someone's blog and never will. They don't have the intellectual inclination to do such a thing. I am not trying to speak for any person with autism other than myself.
- Rose, Jonathan. "The Challenges of Writing Histories of Autism". History News Network. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- "Letters: my autism is a challenge, not an affliction". The Spectator. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ Osborne, Lawrence (2007). American Normal: The Hidden World of Asperger Syndrome. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-0-387-21807-6. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
External links
Media related to Jonathan Mitchell at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- Autism's Gadfly, Mitchell's blog