Savage Stands by Autistic Remarks

NEW YORK TIMES ^ | July 21 08 | JAQUES STEINBERG

[camerakid400]

Michael Savage, the incendiary radio host who last week characterized nearly every autistic child as “a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out,” said in a telephone interview Monday morning that he stood by his remarks and had no intention of apologizing to those advocates and parents who have called for his firing over the matter.

“My main point remains true,” Mr. Savage, whose radio audience ranks in size behind only those of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, said in an interview on Monday. “It is an overdiagnosed medical condition. In my readings, there is no definitive medical diagnosis for autism.”

On his program lastWednesday, Mr. Savage suggested that “99 percent of the cases” of autism were a result of lax parenting. He told his audience: “They don’t have a father around to tell them, ‘Don’t act like a moron. You’ll get nowhere in life.“ He added, “Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot.’ ”

Asked Monday if he actually believed that 99 out every 100 cases of autism was misdiagnosed, Mr. Savage conceded that figure was “a little high.” “It was hyperbole,” he said.

But he said he was proud to have prodded discussion on the subject, and planned to give over his entire show on Monday — broadcast live from northern California from 3 to 6 p.m. Pacific time — to parents and other callers who wished to disagree with him, and to educate him.

[romanesq]

Well can I be morally offended and file a class action suit for damages?
Just kidding.

Let letters to him and the market prevail.

[thefactor]

just got back from lunch. there is a small protest going on outside an office building down here with "Fire Savage" signs and other such signs.

was wondering what he said but i did see some signs with some messages concerning autism so i figured.

oh, this was in downtown manhattan by wall street. i guess it is the building that houses his employer or local affiliate?

[donna]

Responsibility for raising your children will soon be somebody else’s problem.

Assuming they even allow them to get born!

[Finalapproach29er]

This guy is a real dumb@ss.

His 15 minutes are up.

[camerakid400]

Its the WOR 710 station, his local affiliate.

[commonguymd]

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/autism/a/05_autism_rx_4.htm

The above link talks about some of the drugs being pushed:

For example:

(Prozac) has been approved by the FDA for both OCD and depression in children age 7 and older.

Hadol, Valium, you name it.

The behavior is being treated, because the illness isn’t there! All these behaviors such as:

Anxiety and depression
Behavioral problems
Inattention and hyperactivity

Come on now folks, work backwards. This is a boon for the pharmaceutical industry and for schools getting extra money!!!! And in the meanwhile, child are being medicated under these auspices as Autism while bad parents wear the badge of fashion!

[dead]

My daughter was just having an episode. I told her to “knock it off” but she just flapped & hummed & jumped away...

That's really what I was getting at, but I want to phrase it delicately.

The autistic kids I've known move in a wide spectrum. Many don't have any idea what you're saying and don't even care what you're saying. They don't even know they don't care!

There are others, less afflicted, who can process what you say to them and respond in a positive way to your input, but they are not analyzing or comprehending your intentions, they are reacting to stimulus as taught.

It is such a very strange affliction, because they can be so remarkably intelligent or creative. They just don't hook into the world in the same manner we do. They are wired for something else.

Savage's statement on this is just so out of touch it's laughable.

[Wuli]

I think that Savage went savagely beyond hyperbole but I think he is partially right that not all cases represent irretrievable defects needing a pharmacological “cure”.

“The mind” is still very much “in development” went “autism” is diagnosed. And, that extremely immature mind is very susceptible to external stimulation, including behavioral stimulation.

The most successful cases I have personally known about (three) were disagnosed early and the kids were "mainstreamed" early; suggesting that with prodding, the autistic child can be helped to choose non-autistic behaviors, with nothing other than behavioral stimulation as the primary impetus to their "change of mind".

It suggests, to me, that in its essentials, its basics, Savage is somewhat right.

Now then, how (methodologies) that corrective behavioral direction is applied - compassionately, consistent as opposed to "aggressively", and through many more "carrots" than "sticks" may be where savage and I would part company more greatly.

[thefactor]

there were about 5 news cameras there. didn't see who was talking. behind the talker there were about 5 people i white shirts with red lettering holding signs with the same color scheme.

autism does exist, IMHO. i have listened to savage and usually agree with him but why would you alienate a lot of your audience with info that is seemingly off the wall? this ain't politics. this is people's kids. there is zero upside to beginning this dialogue. except maybe ratings?

[commonguymd]

The problem is that you may know or have a child truly autistic, but that is not what is being diagnosed as Autism now. Those afflicted are being pushed aside by children that don’t want to pay attention or have no parents. They used to be diagnosed as ADD or ADHD when that fad was going on. That fad is over.

Even the CDC can’t answer why there is an exponential increase in the diagnosis:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/faq_prevalence.htm

.5 per 1000 suddenly turned into 6 per 1000 and growing very fast as more people get turned on to the new fad.

Note: Yes. Between 1994 and 2006, the number of 6 to 17-year-old children classified as having an ASD in public special education programs increased from 22,664 to 211,610

10 TIMES!

[Alia]

Alan Stock used to be a talk radio conservative serving the Napa/Santa Rosa area (he's now on in Las Vegas area). Liberal protests at the station; bilious letters to the editor, etc. He royally peeved the liberal establishment and "peeps". Conservatives were frightened, and called me to call Alan. I did. He was loving every moment of it! His ratings went UP not down. And the thing is, it wasn't that Alan was trying to shock jock anyone in the area. He wasn't trying to leverage his ratings. He was just calling it like he saw it.

And, he got press all over the area. Folks who didn't know about Alan before, now knew about Alan and his show.

[thefactor]

yes but that scenario was most likely political so conservatives would support him.

THIS would offend ANYONE who has an autistic kid. no matter where they fall on the political spectrum.

[JewishRighter]

I like Michael Savage on a lot of issues, for his bravado style, his wordplay (not always) and the way he flames liberals. But every once in a while, I’m intellectually honest enough to say, he said something stupid. So, here goes:

He said something stupid.

It doesn’t qualify him for the firing squad or burning at the stake or censorship. It qualifies him to stand the test of public opinion and the marketplace of ideas. If people start to feel he’s a nutcase who doesn’t have enough credibility left to listen to, he will pay the ultimate price: his show may be cancelled.

Now, that is unlikely to happen and I hope it doesn’t happen because we still need voices who are calling the public to rage against the madness that is overwhelming our culture, our sovereignty and our greatness. He’d do better if he didn’t say these kind of stupid things.

I suppose there are some cases of autism that can be written off as malingering or some kind of misdiagnosis. But to say 99% is just stupid. I’ve seen some of these kids in real life, know some of the parents of others: its an extremely difficult situation that goes way beyond brattiness. G-d bless these children and their families and help them heal and live in peace and happiness.

[DeLaine]

Hmmm. you know, that IS a thought. but i’d have to join you and sue myself and I don’t think that’s possible...so regretfully i have to deny you. sigh

[tommythev]

My autistic children are very well behaved, but only people ignorant of the spectrum of autistic disorders would say what Savage said. He's an idiot. The parents with autistic children that I know work WAY harder to socialize their children than any parent with “normal” kids. A large portion of the autistic population is intelligent, yet impaired. Autism is characterized by developmental differences in the area of the brain that handles social function. This section of the brain aids in socialization by helping to translate things like facial expression, body language and tone of voice to help in processing language. A physical disability (ie. the underdevelopment of one portion of the brain) leads to social blindness. In the most severe cases of autism, the person doesn't connect the verbalizations of another with any meaning and therefore language is never developed. In many cases, the functions of the underdeveloped area of the brain can be taught. In these cases, the person never gains the instinctive social intuition that most of us have. But they do learn how to parse social situations well enough to get by in society. I liken it to a computer with or without a graphics processor. It is possible to code all the graphics functions to be processed by the CPU, but it takes a lot of the processing power that would normally be available.

My 18-yo son, who is entering art school in the fall, has mastered enough social skills to be nearly indistinguishable from his peers (maybe a good bit more standoffish or shy), but no sensible person wouldn't have realized that there was something going on when he was three. Something that went way beyond any parenting mistakes that we might have made (and that all parents make).

[I still care]

Mrs Obama is free to say anything she wants.

Go for it, lady. Frankly, I think they should put her out front more. Nobody’s shutting her up... except her own husband’s campaign.

[DeLaine]

yes yes to all you say, most everyone I know personally is like you, works hard, good results, except for little J, who eventually had to be institutionalized, no results there.
But he wasn’t talking about that kind of parent. Sure, it’s not 99 out of 100, but many parents claim their children are damaged and need “special understanding” “he’s autistic”
snort!! uh NO, he’s just in need of some direction and firmness.
I’ve heard it. It happens, and claiming that because it’s not you that he’s not right about his target topic is just silly.
And you may join Romanesq in a suit against me for offensive beliefs. :D Heehee

[Alia]

Dead, it really can be quite a tough call. My son was a "hummer". He loved to hum. That's one of the things which concerned the experts. The kid loved to hum. He's still a hummer many years later. I call him my crooner! lol. And he'd rock. Sometimes he'd hear me and sometimes not. But he was 2-1/2.

Just this past weekend at a store, my grands, out of their usual home routine, were being wild in a department store. They are usually good kids, the youngest is 2. My grand decided to go for the "getting loud" tactic of obtaining ownership rights to a Little Dora backpack. I got into her face with a circular finger around my mouth saying "NO". Her eyes glossed over like she hadn't heard me. I now, made physical contact by laying my hand on her arm. And repeated NO. She connected, it was just a glimmer, nonetheless, I honed in right quick and said:

I've survived worse than your behavior; I shall prevail again. "NO". She wasn't happy about it; and too bad. Some might assume, that should I just use the "word" thing that liberals are so inclined to promote, that the child would just get it.

But you see, my adorable youngest granddaughter somehow kinda remembers the time she acted like this in a public place, and her granny found a nice not-so-public place to give her a swat. Suddenly, that memory, just a glimmer, surfaced in her growing mind.

I saw it, and she knew I saw it.

She was in excellent form thereafter.

After she'd let go of her behavior, and was in my arms, sobbing, I looked over and saw an employee, and obvious Granny, who (my daughter tells me) had been smiling so huge and big while I'd been "conversing" with my granddaughter.

The point is this: YES, I've seen truly autistic children. They are so OBVIOUSLY autistic, there's no comparison to other children. There's no wiggle room.

Then there's those who seem on the "edge"; the borderline cases. They require extra attention from their parents; as so super brainiac children -- both require EXTRA WORK from and by the parents.

It's a tough call, as a parent. I suggest tough-love first, experts after all at home remedies have been thoroughly researched by the parents, and exhausted.

If you've an autistic child, you've got my personal support, Dead.

My grand, above, is at the age of taunt. She says "No", and you are supposed to argue with her on her level. I never do. I'm swift. I give a couple of response lines, if their behavior persists, it's time for something physical -- and that can include a time-out, a nap, a run in the yard, or yes, a nice little swat. I'm speak "non-verbally" too. ;> And in this regard, the toddler understands perfectly.

My late-talking abilities occurs AFTER the toddler is perfectly aware that I see what they do not. Then we talk. Perfectly, and with lots of love.

[commonguymd]

How does one explain a 10 fold increase within a mere few years? Either 9 in 10 are false diagnosis lining pockets, or we have a brand new epidemic on our hands, or 9 in 10 diagnosis were missed. I tend to believe they have broadened the definitions to open up new markets. Whenever they lower ages for drugs like Prozac, Haldol and Valium they need a conduit to distribute to new uncharted territories.

[purpleraine]

Don't forget my category. I can't stand to listen to him more than 10 minutes in a row or until he starts talking about his restaurant du jour, whichever comes first.

Whatever came of his law suit against CAIR?