Autistic kids being recruited for drone operators?

[VoluntaryAmerican]

I think this is the point of the research:

Report: High Levels Of 'Burnout' In U.S. Drone Pilots

Around 1,100 Air Force pilots fly remotely piloted aircraft, or drones. These planes soar over Iraq or Afghanistan, but the pilots sit at military bases back in the United States.

A new Pentagon study shows that almost 30 percent of drone pilots surveyed suffer from what the military calls "burnout." It's the first time the military has tried to measure the psychological impact of waging a "remote-controlled war."

The report, commissioned by the U.S. Air Force, shows that 29 percent of the drone pilots surveyed said they were burned out and suffered from high levels of fatigue. The Air Force doesn't consider this a dangerous level of stress.

However, 17 percent of active duty drone pilots surveyed are thought to be "clinically distressed." The Air Force says this means the pilots' stress level has crossed a threshold where it's now affecting the pilots' work and family. A large majority of the pilots said they're not getting any counseling for their stress.


http://www.npr.org/2011/12/19/143926857/report-high-levels-of-burnout-in-u-s-drone-pilots

Boys With Autism Or ADHD More Prone To Overuse Video Games

Boys with autism spectrum disorders or with ADHD are both prone to problematic use of video games, according to a study.

The researchers asked the parents of boys ages 8 to 18 to report on their child's video game use, including hours of use and the types of games they play.

The boys with autism spectrum disorders spent twice as much time playing video games as did the typical boys, two hours a day compared to one. The boys with ADHD played 1.7 hours a day on average. That means that the boys with autism or ADHD were reaching the maximum two hours a day for screen time set by the American Academy of Pediatrics, before adding in TV or other screen use.

Earlier studies of children with ADHD or autism also have found increased use of video games, but this is the first study to compare the two with typically developing children.

The boys with ADHD or autism also scored higher on a test intended to measure dependence on video games. The more inattentive symptoms they had, the more likely they were to score higher for problematic video game use. The study authors speculate that because children with autism often have restricted interests and preoccupations, they may be more likely to become overly dependent on video games.

And boys with ADHD or autism were far more likely to have video game systems in their rooms. About 43 percent of them had systems in their rooms, compared to 12 percent of typical boys. (No word on how iPods and other mobile devices factor in.)

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/201...ism-or-adhd-more-prone-to-overuse-video-games

 

[heavenlyboy34]

I do not like your Brave New World, Uncle Sam
I do not like green eggs and spam
nope nope nope.

 

[coastie]

Sheesh, some are getting a little bent out of shape here...so let me clarify.

1. This is NOT my account, it is hers. Word for word. I was so horrified/shocked/enraged/saddened, that I was literally at a loss for words, and never asked about it again. I was merely reminded of it today by the link I posted in the OP.

2. As stated in OP, I've known this kid for a decade. "No empathy" may have been a bit "harsh" to some - but I'm going off personal experiences with this particular child. He is not the only one in my circle of life with this condition, but is, however, the only one I know that does show a sharp lack of empathy, and his own mother described his condition to me in this way. This may as well be side effects of the Log Island cocktails of BigPharma meds he takes(she's on them as well). I apologize if I offended anyone.

3. She never went into the room, and I'm assuming this was some sort of simulator, and not a real drone, get real people.

4. I have no idea if they contacted her again.They never went back, I do remember her saying that.


The whole point was that this is even happening in the first place, not the correct spectrum of autism, or whether or not he was flying a real drone, I mean - really?

 

[donnay]

Kind of reminds me of this movie:

 

[MelissaWV]

Sheesh, some are getting a little bent out of shape here...so let me clarify.

1. This is NOT my account, it is hers. Word for word. I was so horrified/shocked/enraged/saddened, that I was literally at a loss for words, and never asked about it again. I was merely reminded of it today by the link I posted in the OP.

2. As stated in OP, I've known this kid for a decade. "No empathy" may have been a bit "harsh" to some - but I'm going off personal experiences with this particular child. He is not the only one in my circle of life with this condition, but is, however, the only one I know that does show a sharp lack of empathy, and his own mother described his condition to me in this way. This may as well be side effects of the Log Island cocktails of BigPharma meds he takes(she's on them as well). I apologize if I offended anyone.

3. She never went into the room, and I'm assuming this was some sort of simulator, and not a real drone, get real people.

4. I have no idea if they contacted her again.They never went back, I do remember her saying that.


The whole point was that this is even happening in the first place, not the correct spectrum of autism, or whether or not he was flying a real drone, I mean - really?

Some time had passed when it dawned on her what they really had him flying.

My apologies for misreading your own post regarding the horrors of what they really had him flying. I did not realize it took time for it to dawn on her that he was flying a simulation. I'm glad you cleared that up.

It sounds like she was gung-ho about it every step of the way anyhow. If she didn't take him there and let him into a room without her supervision, perhaps there wouldn't be such a mystery to it. Instead, she saw uniforms and thought they could help. To me, THAT is the point.

 

[Christian Liberty]

I apologize if I offended anyone.

No worries.

 

[Anti Federalist]

Try again?

Ow, ya got me, Pilgrim.

 

[Anti Federalist]

Yes, this is what I meant.

Sheesh, some are getting a little bent out of shape here...so let me clarify.

1. This is NOT my account, it is hers. Word for word. I was so horrified/shocked/enraged/saddened, that I was literally at a loss for words, and never asked about it again. I was merely reminded of it today by the link I posted in the OP.

2. As stated in OP, I've known this kid for a decade. "No empathy" may have been a bit "harsh" to some - but I'm going off personal experiences with this particular child. He is not the only one in my circle of life with this condition, but is, however, the only one I know that does show a sharp lack of empathy, and his own mother described his condition to me in this way. This may as well be side effects of the Log Island cocktails of BigPharma meds he takes(she's on them as well). I apologize if I offended anyone.

3. She never went into the room, and I'm assuming this was some sort of simulator, and not a real drone, get real people.

4. I have no idea if they contacted her again.They never went back, I do remember her saying that.


The whole point was that this is even happening in the first place, not the correct spectrum of autism, or whether or not he was flying a real drone, I mean - really?

 

[Anti Federalist]

If it wasn't the point then the OP shouldn't have made it the basis of his conclusion on why they were supposedly targeting these kids for military purposes.

I see the OP has clarified his thoughts on this.

 

[Henry Rogue]

It definitively isn't real.

You don't know that for sure, unless you have flown these drones yourself. You can get a private pilots license at 16. They wouldn't let him take off or land, but maybe a shallow turn or ask him to keep it in level flight at a particular altitude doesn't seem to risky. The system probably has safeguards that prevent stalls and terrain avoidance. On the other hand it is probably closer to flying IFR than VFR and that takes a heck of a lot more training than a demo flight. That being said, it was probably a simulator.