#Sybil Rutter

[mightydragoon]

*cracks knuckles like this hasn’t been my dissertation* 

I really reccomend Bonnie Evans: The Metamorphosis of Autism in Britain and Steve Silverman’s Neurotribes book (specifically the later chapters).

Also shhhh don’t tell anyone I got Evans entire book here.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK436841/

Prepare to hear me ramble for a tiny bit. I wish I can go on but no one wants to see that. I should write my own post on this one day.  

The modern understanding of what we still recognise as autism (as in i.e as a spectrum) is probably at most around forty years old.

Warning period typical language to describe autistic people below.

The way Leo Kanner diangosed autism originally in the 1940s was also incredibly narrow and specific as well. So one would only get the most “extreme” cases leaving others to be ignored or diagnosed with something else. And even then they were probably diagnosed under “subnormal”, “pyschotic”, etc anyway.  That’s not even accounting half the shit they did with ECT and LSD to try and treat autistic kids. I digress.  It wasn’t until the 1960s & 1970s he started to retract his theories once the rest of his patinets grew up. Because not all turned out like Donald Trippett.

The joys of mental institutions and subnormal hospitals.  You can guess what happens next. It wasn’t pleasant.

Let’s look at Britian real quick because suprisngly a good amount of work there helped advance our understanding of autism.

They were only moving past the whole “childhood schziophrenia” thing in the 60s and in Britian it took the works of the then National Society for Autistic Children (National Autistic Society now) founded in 1962 by groups of parents with autistic kids who were essentially fed up with the lack of support from the government.   Also because autistic kids during this period were often deemed “subnormal” and “uneducable” (The mental health Act 1959 had still excluded autistics until 1970)  and the parents from those groups fought for the right for their kids to have an education and understand more about autism itself. And plus you know they didn’t want their kids in institutions. Even building specialist schools (*see Sybil Elgar) and later in the 1970s residential homes like Somerset Court.

*See Michael Edge story here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/nov/13/autism-first-child-growing-up

 The fact the word “autism” itself was used compared to childhood sczhiophrenia, mental retardation or pyschotic was also more specifc and neutral term and was a more attractive word that didn’t have the baggage the other words had.

Also fun fact. Would you also believe it was a fucking Tory (Willaim Compton Carr) who first brought up autism in the 1960 in Parliament?  

https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1960/may/18/mentally-handicapped-children

Plus passing laws in the 1970s which targeted disabled people in general but was a step foward in granting provisions and resources for autistic people. Panaroma even did a bit on highlighting autism to the public and the troubles these specialist schools had with lack of resources and fears about the future for many autistic kids who would probably end up in instituions rendering their work with them obselete. 

 Panorama - 1974 - Autism Provision  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRSs_WDmsV0&t=1620s

This along with tireless work from pyscholgists like Mildred Creak , Michael Rutter, Victor Lotter, Beate Hermelin, Neil O’Conner, Uta Frith, Lorna and John Wing.  And so much more who were often involved with autistic schools and the like.

*Note Uta Frith is also still alive.

There was also up and during the 1960s still a belief of “refrigerator mothers” too, that it was mothers cold parenting that caused their child to be distant. Like holy shit the stuff Kanner and Bruno Bettleheim said. Bettleheim fucking compared autism to being like a prisoner in a concentration camp. For additionaly points Bettlehim was also a Holocaust Survivor. Take that as you will.

Enter Lorna Wing who was a mother of an autistic child and along with her husband John who knew German and translated Hans Asperger’s work. Lorna basically helped formed the modern understanding of autism with the idea of an autistic spectrum during the late 1970 and 80s.

THE FUCKING 80S!

Concidentally a certain film involving a Rain Man was also made in 1988. There is also a scene where the nurse doesn’t know what autism is. Rain Man has its own problems but it did present autism to the best of their ability of the standard of its time. Raymond Babbit himself whose character inspirated came from savant Kim Peek  and Bill Sackter (a close friend of Barry Morrow) didn’t originate from autism. That was an additional thing worked into the film.

 But what is also important is how signficant that fucking film was in sheading light on something not many people had heard of until then for better or now. but it also unfortunatly set the standard and image of what Autism was in Hollywood even decades after its release.

LOOKING AT YOU SIA’S MUSIC!

Either way that paired with the conept of a spectrum and growing concepts of neurodiversity and people like Temple Grandin (also still very much alive) who are finally being able to tell their stories personally, you start to get increased numbers of people getting diagnosed especially during the 1990s.

And that’s not even getting into the whole Andrew Wakefield (sadly also still alive) shenaginery. Hbomberguy already said enough that speaks volumes on the man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BIcAZxFfrc

[imagine-all-the-fand0ms]

James Reed X OC Ch.01 /?

Hey this is my first fanfiction, So only nice comment Please

Sybil Rutter came with her sister to Jamestown to marry a man she's never met. Will it be love at first sight or a cruel twist of fate??

Prologue

Sibyl

July 1620

Sibyl’s stomach Rolled again as more waves crashed into the ship, her head leaning over the side of the ship. Hoping the cool spray of the ocean would help soothe her sickness a little. Beside her Alice, a girl her sister Verity had befriended whilst aboard the ship, patting her back. “It’s okay, it will pass soon,” reassured Alice as Sibyl stood up and Straighten her dress. Her legs struggling with what little weight her body held. At the start of the voyage, she’d been fine, but the further out to sea, they drifted the rougher became the sea had become and harder for her to keep anything in her stomach. “Aye pass, then return at supper with a vengeance,” replied Sibyl. Alice met her pessimism with a gentle smile before shifting her attention back to the sea. Alice was one of the few girls aboard the ship who has kept her optimistic views on their current Predicament of being taken to a new land to marry the men that travelled over here 12 years before build the colony. Maids to make wives as people called them, Women the men had paid to be brought over to said colony for them to wed. Her and Verity would be one of the first groups of girls to do this. Verity had joked, often joked that she felt more akin to a cow being sold than a woman being wooed by a suitor.  Although she’d say this with her usual boldness, Sibyl knew her sister and to Verity, marriage was no better than being shackled and locked away. Sibyl still herself was unsure of where she stood; It excited her to be traveling to the illustrious Virginia Colonies, Jamestown and see the new World. But another part of her a larger part of her feared this obscure place. 

This place was to be her home, a home she’d share with a man, a stranger she’d soon call husband. A man who she knew nothing about. Not his age or profession, not even a name. Will he be kind to her and allow her time to adjust to this new role to him? Or will he be cold and cruel man behind closed doors demanding she fulfils her wifely duties as soon as they’re wed regardless of whether she wanted too? These questions swirled around her head seeming to multiply, causing her sickness to rear its head again. A hand being placed on her shoulder pulled her attention from these thoughts and signalled someone new joined them.  It was Verity. “Let me guess, you’re both dreaming of your princes and their pot bellies?” She teased as she turned to lean against the ship. Sibyl sneered at her jab whilst Alice sighed and turned to Verity. “Aren’t you glad Verity? Aren’t you grateful we’re the ones to come to this new world?” Sibyl looked to Verity as her hand drifted to Sibyl’s opposite shoulder bringing her in close. “Hell’s teeth no” Grinned Verity before she let out a laugh one that neither Sibyl nor Alice could resist joining. Alice opened her mouth to counter when a ringing bell from above caught their attention. “Land!, Land!” Sibyl felt Verity’s arm tighten around her shoulder as a rush of girls hurried over to glimpse their new home on the horizon. There it was Virginia it looked like a dark grey smudge marking the end of the ocean and the beginning of the sky. As she gazed out at the distant land, she felt a cold tingled run down her spine, this was no turning back now. 

Although they had reached port before the sun completely set, they’d have to wait until morning disembarking due to an unforeseen problem much to the other girl’s dismay. Sibyl was grateful for this. Since they had seen land all the other girls had disappeared below deck to pack up their belongings and themselves presentable for the morning leaving the top deck empty except her. Verity and Alice disappear below deck not long ago. Alice went to help the other girls whilst she suspected Verity had gone to make sure no one ‘accidentally’ packed their belongings in their bags.  There were so many stars in this new world and quiet so quiet she could hear her own heartbeat in her chest. It seemed to echo in her ears. Back in London, Sybil was lucky to hear her own voice sometimes the crowd was so loud. This place would be different, she thought. No more working endlessly in her uncle’s shop to pay off her ‘debt’. Maybe her sister could find some peace here and settle a little but knowing her sister she’d be able to find mischief standing still.

Sibyl's mind drifted to her sister, Verity hadn’t been shy about her resentment towards the situation, but It was Jamestown or jail and for Verity, there was only one choice. When they were younger, Verity used to tell that even though they were the 2 sides of the same coin. Different but the same she’d say. It was true her and Verity looked more akin to cousins that siblings. A smile formed on her face; It was true although Sibyl’s dark auburn locks were curled it was no where near as wild as Verity’s fiery locks. It was the same with their eye to where Verity’s a bright blue, Sibyl’s bore a dark honey colour. A cough from behind her startled Sibyl out of the memory. She jumped to her feet pulling the shawl tighter around herself as if it was a shield and turned, stood at the top of the stairs, was a woman holding a lantern.  From what patience could see the woman older, dressed in a fine dark dress. It was the Governor’s wife, Mrs Yeardley. She was nice enough a little too god-fearing for Sibyl’s taste but nice all the same. Sibyl quickly bowed her head and addressed her “Ma’am”, Mrs Yeardley looked at her with an unreadable expression. “I thought everyone had retired. Why are you still awake, child?” questioned Mrs Yeardley as she descended the steps Sibyl was just sitting.  “I couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t want to disturb the other, so I came up here,” which was the vague truth sibyl thought. She hadn’t been able to sleep, not with all the excitable chat of the other girls and had quietly snuck away. Mrs Yeardley stared at Sibyl moment before smiling, accepting Sibyl’s answer.

“It is understandable, but it is late and it would be best for you to return to the sleeping quarters. You’ll want to be at your best when you meet your intended.” There was something in the older tone that hinted to Sibyl that this wasn’t the light-hearted suggestion it seemed. Mrs Yeardley placed a hand on Sibyl’s arm. “To Bed with you dear, The Lord has seen fit to bless you with a prosperous new home and husband. Don't repay his kindness with Impertinence.” Sibyl gripped her shawl tighter and bowed her head “yes ma’am”. Sibyl turned and biting her tongue as she walked towards the stairs that lead to the sleeping quarters.” blessed..” thought Sibyl, "… easy to say when your husband is the governor of Jamestown. Not to mention that you probably knew his name at least” She’d wanted to turn and scream this at the woman. But the rational side of her mind Knew better. Making an enemy of the governor's wife wouldn't be a wise move for her or for Verity’s future. She’d calmed down a little as she entered the sleeping quarter, most of the other girls had already turned in for the night, their lanterns blown out. Other were just finishing their prayers, Sibyl moved as quietly as she could to her bunk without disturbing them. S She reached into her bunk and pulled out her bag of belonging. Sibyl double-checked its content, unlike most of the other girl here she didn’t a lot to travel with. Happy that everything was as she left it that morning, Sibyl placed her shawl on inside before placing it back in her bunk to act as her pillow. She sat on her bed and looked for her sister, her eyes found sat with Alice and a blonde woman. Alice told her that the woman's name was Jocelyn Woodbryg after she’d seen them talking during a storm recently. According to Alice, she was just a lonely soul.  Feeling her weariness making its presence known,  Sibyl climbed into her bunk silently praying once last time before closing her eyes. “Please let him be kind.”