Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism by Peter J. Hotez

Author:Peter J. Hotez
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 2018-11-22T16:00:00+00:00

Houston Community College

Rachel was 21 years old when she finally left Lamar to attend an innovative and very thoughtful special needs program that was organized jointly by the Houston Independent School District and Houston Community College (HCC). It was called the “transition program,” and many of the young adults who completed the transition program could then go to the VAST Academy continuing education program. Ann and I felt this offered the best opportunity for Rachel to transition to her new working life as an adult. Unfortunately, she quickly bounced out of the program, owing to her lack of compliance and disruptive behavior. It was around this time that a new obsessive-compulsive behavior—namely, an incessant asking of questions, usually the same question over and over again—began taking over a part of her personality. To ask her questions, Rachel would interrupt the teacher continuously, to the point where it became impossible for the teacher to continue. In one case, it included a teacher who previously knew Rachel at Lamar and liked her, but even she could not manage this new postgraduate Rachel. In addition, the oppositional behavior would continue, and she would use profanity, or try to leave the classroom and spend time in the women’s bathroom. Rachel would not do the homework assignments and simply showed no interest in the academic activities required at HCC.

Rachel’s refusal or inability to navigate the transition program forced its staff to bounce her back to Lamar High School to complete the year. All of Rachel’s teachers were deeply disappointed that Rachel had gone backward. As you can imagine, this setback was devastating for Ann, because it proved that this was the end of the road for Rachel’s educational advancement. It meant she would never attend the VAST Academy, which was superb in that it gave students opportunities to transition to internships and then jobs.

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