My new book, What Today Withholds: Autism and Human Rights in America is now available on Amazon. Phone: none Address: My writings about autism and human rights may be found at:
An autistic meltdown, which involves an instinctive "fight or flight" reaction, must be distingui... more An autistic meltdown, which involves an instinctive "fight or flight" reaction, must be distinguished from temper tantrums, which are engaged in consciously and are manipulative in nature. Children who melt down in school are not manipulative--they are terrified and in pain. Educators must understand this if they are to deal effectively with meltdowns.
Many educators and members of the public are afraid of autistic children, assuming that they are ... more Many educators and members of the public are afraid of autistic children, assuming that they are potentially explosive and dangerous, especially when they have been bullied. In reality, however, many autistic children do not automatically react violently to bullying. Many simply take the abuse, either out of a keen sense of morality or perhaps because they are unable to react fast enough. Others choose to fight back. The saddest cases, however, are those who remain non-violent until the cumulative impact of the abuse completely overwhelms them.
Autistic students who suffer meltdowns in school are seldom treated compassionately. Instead, th... more Autistic students who suffer meltdowns in school are seldom treated compassionately. Instead, they are often physically restrained and secluded in "crisis rooms." These practices are not only counterproductive, in that they do not lessen the probability of meltdowns, but also deeply traumatic to the children restrained and secluded.
An autistic meltdown, which involves an instinctive "fight or flight" reaction, must be distingui... more An autistic meltdown, which involves an instinctive "fight or flight" reaction, must be distinguished from temper tantrums, which are engaged in consciously and are manipulative in nature. Children who melt down in school are not manipulative--they are terrified and in pain. Educators must understand this if they are to deal effectively with meltdowns.
Many educators and members of the public are afraid of autistic children, assuming that they are ... more Many educators and members of the public are afraid of autistic children, assuming that they are potentially explosive and dangerous, especially when they have been bullied. In reality, however, many autistic children do not automatically react violently to bullying. Many simply take the abuse, either out of a keen sense of morality or perhaps because they are unable to react fast enough. Others choose to fight back. The saddest cases, however, are those who remain non-violent until the cumulative impact of the abuse completely overwhelms them.
Autistic students who suffer meltdowns in school are seldom treated compassionately. Instead, th... more Autistic students who suffer meltdowns in school are seldom treated compassionately. Instead, they are often physically restrained and secluded in "crisis rooms." These practices are not only counterproductive, in that they do not lessen the probability of meltdowns, but also deeply traumatic to the children restrained and secluded.
The eleventh and early twelfth centuries were a period of intense debate over ecclesiastical refo... more The eleventh and early twelfth centuries were a period of intense debate over ecclesiastical reform in western Europe. This book examines the debates from a new perspective, exploring the ways in which contemporary political writers conveyed messages about 'public' life through textual and sometimes visual images of the 'private' life of the Church. It argues that the images they used - of bishops as husbands of their sees, of the laity as the sons of Mother Church, and of the pope as father of bishops - were shaped not only by intellectual and ritual traditions, but also by contemporary ideas about sexuality and gender. Megan McLaughlin reveals that the boundaries between the 'public' and the 'private' were extremely fluid in the central middle ages – because of both the realities of political life in that period and the changing nature of life within European households.
In this book Megan McLaughlin explores the social and cultural significance of prayer for the dea... more In this book Megan McLaughlin explores the social and cultural significance of prayer for the dead in the West Frankish realm from the late eighth century through the end of the eleventh century. She argues that the primary function of funerary and commemorative rituals in the early middle ages was to sustain the dead as members of the Christian community on earth, and to link them symbolically with the community of saints in heaven. Prayer reflected a network of relationships that bound together the intercessor, the dead, and the divine.
That the sexual misconduct of a king had political ramifications is clear from a large number of ... more That the sexual misconduct of a king had political ramifications is clear from a large number of texts from throughout the entire Middle Ages. At no point, however, was royal sexuality more salient in political writing than in the second half of the eleventh century. This was not simply a reflection of contemporary efforts to reform sexual morality. Neither can charges of sexual immorality be dismissed as mere rhetorical devices, intended to blacken a king's character (although they certainly did that). On the contrary, sex was doing important ideological work in political texts from this period. This article focuses on the particularly savage set of sexual accusations made against King (after 1084, Emperor) Henry IV of Germany (1056–1106). It argues that the long-standing association between sexual desire and privacy, shame and disorder worked powerfully in the eleventh century to justify rebellion, and to separate the king, as libidinous individual, from the ‘majesty’ of the office he held.
... On Feminism and Medievalism: Musings from a Prone Position. Megan McLaughlin. Recommended Cit... more ... On Feminism and Medievalism: Musings from a Prone Position. Megan McLaughlin. Recommended Citation. McLaughlin, Megan (1995) "On Feminism and Medievalism: Musings from a Prone Position," Medieval Feminist Forum: Vol. 19, Article 14, p. 21-23. ...
On the differences between women's and men's uses of female imagery in ... more On the differences between women's and men's uses of female imagery in medieval religious writings, see Caroline Walker Bynum,'. And Woman His Humanity: Female Imagery in the Religious Writing of the Later Middle Ages,' in Gender and Religion: On the Complexity of Symbols, ...
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