Notes & April 5, 2009 Autism Discussion (via my facebook profile) Me:Jenny McCarthy is offensive and downright wrong. Autism is not a disease, and therefore does not have or need a "cure." She is spreading misinformation like a quack, and does not speak for everyone. http://www.stopjenny.com Dustin:Interesting Daniel:I totally agree. I always thought she was egotistical and HOLIER THAN THOU about autism. Every autistic child is unique, and will respond to different approached differently. Everything I ever needed to learn about JOY, and SMILING and LAUGHTER and HAPPINESS, I learned from my autistic son. Jill Christine:I'm incensed when I see other parents claiming it can be "cured" because it puts an unnecessary burden on parents. I WENT THROUGH IT. The vast majority of kids will remain in the spectrum their entire lives. Parents need a road to acceptance, not false hopes. Thanks, Sara- this topic got me back on Facebook earlier than planned. I'm writing about it in my book ;) Maggie:She's not just offensive. She's factually inaccurate and is spreading a irrational and unscientific fear of vaccines that's going to end up getting people killed. Worse, when people ask her about it, she talks like those people will just be collateral damage. Absolves herself of all blame and says she hopes those deaths will make the government force in safe vaccines. Except, you know. We have those already. Check out http://www.jennymccarthybodycount.com/Jenny_McCarthy_Body_Count/Home.html Beth:I didn't go check out the site, but I thought she had an autistic child...? Maggie:She claims vaccines caused her son's autism (a theory that's been completely dis-proven at this point) and that she cured her son's autism with a special diet and detox regimen ("cures" that have absolutely no data backing them up). Honestly, I have no idea what to make of that. It's possible the kid was just high-functioning to begin with. It's also possible she's just deluding herself. I've never seen him on TV and certainly not seen any before/after filmed behavior. Jill Christine:She does have a son w/ Autism. Just because some approaches have really worked with him she's assuming they'll cure everyone's child (at least that's how she comes off). The statistics say it all, and she gets parents thinking they have the power to "heal" their kids. She's forgetting about the numbers, or just ignoring them. Beth:I do really hate the vaccine debate, I just had no idea Jenny McCarthy had anything to do with it. :) I agree that vaccines aren't what cause autism and my kid gets all her shots. :) Jill Christine:I have thought the same thing. I'd like to actually see before & after footage of her child. Even then, any child that improves significantly is in the extreme minority. I know a boy who was autistic at age 3-4, and now at age 14 his mom claims he's completely "healed"...but he's really VERY Asperger's (a more mild, but very real form of autism). Denial is HUGE in the autism community. People are either on a tirade about "curing", denying the child has it at all, or in debilitating guilt & grief...I had to drop out of support groups in order to gain any sanity and reach acceptance. Nothing has helped my son more than that. Me:Jenny McCarthy has also been quoted as saying that there just aren't any autistic adults because Autism is a "right now" kind of thing, implying that before the vaccine schedules changed in 1992, autism wasn't an issue. I beg to differ! My older brother will turn 30 this year. I'm pretty sure he's been an "adult" for the past 12 years. We don't hear about adults and autism because the focus is all on children and "cures" and early intervention. I think early intervention is great, but we can't expect that children with autism will "recover" from it, or that they will remain children forever. In her son's case, she had a very hard time getting an autism diagnosis, and I can't help but wonder if that was because either he really wasn't autistic, and was having a reaction to an environmental toxin or an allergy, or if he was very high functioning (which means that he still is high-functioning, and remains on the spectrum, even though she claims he is completely "recovered."). Me:Also, I haven't seen any significant before and after footage of her son, and I am very curious to see how he progresses as he gets older. I think he's about seven years old now. Maggie:"she had a very hard time getting an autism diagnosis" If multiple doctors say your kid doesn't have autism, maybe it's time to start looking at other possibilities...rather than, you know, claiming doctors lie. Me:That's what I can't get past. I mean, she was looking for answers around 2004, not 1984. Doctors, psychologists and educators know what to look for today, and she talks about going from doctor to doctor seeking a diagnosis. It just doesn't add up for me. But she goes around with her celebrity status and her books and wild and broad generalizations, spreading false hope to so many parents. It's scary and I feel very sad for children who are given "treatments" to cure them, rather than their parents just accepting them as the people they are. I am convinced that autism is not a disorder of the mind, just a different order. There is plenty of evidence to support that notion. Jill Christine:I found the quote where Jenny says Autism is a "rigt now" thing and there are no adults. I was dumbfounded because I used to work with developmentally disabled adults in group homes. The autistic clients ranged from 25-60 years old, and there were many! The only thing that is "Now" oriented are the higher numbers of diagnoses. She needs to say things more intelligently, otherwise she sounds like a complete flake head. I really, really feel for the parents who think they can "cure" their kids because of her claims. I love your spin on autism as a "Different Order" instead of a "Disorder"...that's great and so true! Me:Thanks! Thanks to everyone, I'm glad that we could get a good discussion going, and I appreciate everyone's insights.
