Posted on 07/20/2008 6:50:43 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Here’s the MSNBC article that Savage was referring to.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6947652/?fb_page_id=8524198486>1=6190
I guess you missed it that day. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out.
As a regular listener you should recognize Savage’s tendency to over speak.
I’m a big Savage fan and I do think he is partially right. I did hear him say that. I know myself, when I was young, I was slow in many things and I had many tests done. This was in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. There are times I wonder if I have Asperger’s, it would explain a lot of things with me. Still I think he is partially right where there could be disruption in schools and stuff but I do think with some work, like my mom did with me along with the school, you can minimize or eliminate the problem and push the kid in the right direction. So he is partially right and partially wrong on this one. He is dead wrong on the ones who are severely autistic where they cannot function in society without help. I can see where he is coming from though, there are many claims out there for welfare and the like that are false or at least a bit shady to the point to where one can still work and contribute to society but instead uses this as a crutch to live on the dole.
There’s a reason why I stopped listening to this raspy voiced blowhard. Now I know I’ll never listen to him again.
Agreed, one of my friend’s sons has never been diagnosed, but he can’t remember faces or meeting anybody other than his immediate family . He repeats himself often in a conversation , and does not not like direct eye contact. I believe he would be called a Functional Autistic . He recognizes me because I can engage him on car talk. He is obsessive about a few things and a poor student, and lacks many social skills that every else in his family has in spades.
However, in the past 5 years he has built a few websites and is making 60k a year in a home based business for “tuner” parts for his great obsession, Honda civics made between 1993 and 2001! He machines the parts in his garage, assembles them, has UPS pick them up at his door and bills his customers.
I think Savage should be given the liberal pass of “what I ment to say was”......A D D.
Although he does have a point in his references, not to diminish the truely afflicted autistic. The more people diagnosed with afflictions, the more dependents on government, including government administered healthcare.
The more excuses to pay disability claims.
Unfortunately, the severely afflicted are thrown in with the “manufactured excuses. And with the HIPA act on medical privacy, many instances are hard to challenge as legitimate.
It is relatively easy to get certain doctors to issue a declaration of disability.
My brother in-law’s son recieves NO government aid for his medical treatment for autism. Even a trip to the dentist is nothing routine. Private insurance pays nothing for all the experimental medications and treatments the boy has recieved.
The gluten free flours and products cost a fortune.
I don’t make excuses for Savage. He is a frequent foot in mouth personality. But don’t overlook his complete message just because a small portion of it offends some people.
2. I agree with him 100%. EVERY childhood behavior problem is now being lumped under the great “AUTISM” umbrella.
This is actually hurting those children who truly suffer from the acute/severe symptoms. Even what was called “mental retardation” in the 60’s is now part of the Autism family. On the other side of the spectrum is the “A.D.D” religion, which too many parents have been using as a crutch as an excuse for not disciplining their children, or accepting their child as different from the norm.
One of our nephews, who we dearly love, was born with a severe brain defect which rendered him completely frozen with the mind of 2 year old. He is termed “Autistic” by the neuro specialists who treat him. On the other end of the spectrum, a slightly socially awkward 16 year old son of a friend, who does not fit the “norm” is called “autistic” by his parents.
Past terms to describe “mental retardation” thru “eccentric” is now being lumped into the “Autism” family, mainly under the movement of political correctness.
Somewhere in between are the same % of kids who truly suffer from a unique set of symptoms that is not an issue of mental retardation or a bad case of nerdiness.
"Autism" now encompasses everything from normal kids who are a little obsessive/compulsive about one thing or other to people who can only sit in a corner and rock back and forth with drool coming down their mouths.
I believe it is the former group that Michael Weiner is referring to.
It is interesting that some Savage fans here say they heard him say this, while others say this is a hoax and that someone faked his voice.
First of all, this person writing does not want to acknowlege that Michael Savage actually holds a Ph.D. I guess that really would blow a fuse in their minds.
I don’t think Michael Savage would say this about someone with a real condition. The problem is that they keep changing the definition to include more and more people so it seems like a crisis. Brats and shy kids are thrown in with the truly autisitc. I was told that children with a large difference in Mathematical and Verbal skills have been labelled autistic by certain definitions. So there you throw in all the computer geeks and engineers who often don’t develop social and verbal skills as early as a matter of choice.
It is similar with ADHD. You throw in a bunch of out of control brats with a few that actually may have a real dysfunction.
Between this and global warming and zero population growth and peak oil, real science has been compromised by industries of doom.
They want to get people smart enough to believe what they say but not smart enough to think critically about these matters.
Michael Savage is depressing to listen to for more than short periods, as much of it is doom and gloom also.
I think some parents look to the diagnosis as a kind of out for their poor parenting skills. A few weeks ago, there was the case of the kid who was voted out of class by his fellow classmates because of his disruptive behavior. The kid’s mother claimed junior was “in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome”. Huh?
I have Asperger’s and there are physical differences that make life harder. It goes beyond being geeky. My worst symptoms are-
-Extreme discomfort/pain if I’m touched or have to touch someone- This creates huge problems if I want/need to touch/be touched.
-Obsessions similar to OCD- They are constantly changing and I can stay up all night working on one. If I can’t fulfill an obsession, it can turn to depression. However, obsessions can be good as I had a health-food one that made me lose 80lbs.
-Random physical differences that make me stand out- I can start doing random movements/ticks and not realize it until someone else notices. Eye contact is almost painful and forced. Certain materials and clothing are untouchable for me. Also studdering, insomnia and random periods of depression.
There are also good symptoms. People say I’m a great engineer and I can do lots of work in my head. I’ve also won a prize for every project that turned into an “obsession” for me.
IF he said it, it should be the end of him.
Good grief, what an idiot.
From the Thomas Sowell excerpt;
“Real autism may not get as much money as it needs if much of that money is dissipated on children who are not in fact autistic. But money is money to those who are running research projects - and a gullible media helps them get that money”
Pretty much sums up how overzealous researchers can initiate a following.just like the global warming bunch.
Follow the research money and see where the conclusion leads.
I have Asperger’s but wasn’t diagnosed as a kid. My parents and I didn’t realize it until college. The doctor said it is better to diagnose and work on the problems as a child. My condition was pretty much unchangeable at that point and my parents feel bad for not saying something earlier.
See my last post 52
I have not heard Savage say this either. He has said some things about ADD, ADHD. But, if some social worker’s diagnosis is anything, it is 99% ill-advised and fascistic.
Maybe his percentage is off, but otherwise I think he has a point
My autistic nephew is 8 and he has found he can communicate via a computer. His parents have given him his own computer. he mostly watches movies but has a way of showing things he likes and relates to with the computer. He will never function in society. But he will have a place somewhere, just like the kid you mentioned in your post.
If you find the window he is looking out, the opportunity opens for many things.
Maybe he will outgrow it. I have a relative in a similar situation - he was constantly carrying a video game player with him. I was worried that was all he would ever be interested in. But now he is older, doing well in school, and even reading adult-level books about computer programming and he knows a lot about configuring PCs.
I think video games reinforce addictive behavior and maybe this is a worse problem with people who have a high tolerance for repetitive activity. You score some points in a game, you are "rewarded" with playing on a higher level in the game, and so on. Some people get drawn into this and become addicted. I wonder if children who in previous times would build model airplanes, build electronic kits, work with chemistry sets, etc. instead nowadays get caught up in the adictive behavior of video games. Not to demonize games, but I d think too much of that is harmful.
Ohh yeah, I know a lot about the autism racket. Fortunately for me, I was DXed before the whole DX became en vogue for every quirky, weird kid(1996). I do believe there is a lot of government money to be made out of an “Autism” diagnosis, but at the same time, the DX truly exists just based on my experience alone with the DX. I’ve had to take care of an Autistic kid, most of my friends who are on the spectrum struggle interacting and I myself have to depend on my fiancee when I want to do business, because she knows how to read people’s non verbals. Savage is clearly wrong on his assessment.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.