Posted on 07/26/2008 12:06:03 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Last week, radio talk-show host Michael Savage talked about autism:
I’ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don’t have a father around to tell them, `Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot.” I’m not an impartial observer here. My six-year-old son has high-functioning autism. He is exactly the kind of kid that Savage attacked.
Savage’s comments were wrong and harmful. Some autistic kids do learn to read and speak, which is why misinformed people may think that they are not “genuinely handicapped.” Yes, they are. Autism is a brain disorder that affects everything from social communication to physical coordination. Autistic people have multiple problems that make it hard for them to do things that the rest of us take for granted. It may take them years to learn how to toss a ball or nod their head.
And even when they can talk, they often have odd speech patterns that instantly mark them as autistic. Other kids taunt them with the very words that Savage used. If they respond verbally, their speech problems will draw even more taunting. If they respond with their fists, they run the risk that authorities will label them as “violent.”
Once in a while, parents take the approach that Savage recommends. It never works. Screaming insults at a handicapped kid is not child-rearing. It’s child abuse.
Conservatives need to speak out against Savage. Many news stories label him as “conservative” or “right-wing,” which may prompt some people to think that we agree with him. Savage has a long history of disgusting comments, which has led David Klinghoffer to speculate that his act is a giant liberal put-on, a “lefty’s cartoon mental picture of a ranting right-wing caveman.”
The liberal website Media Matters has spearheaded the backlash against Savage’s autism comments. Understandably, conservatives might be uneasy about siding with such an outfit. Savage has tried to exploit such feelings by casting his critics as PC leftists. But just because the folks at Media Matters oppose child abuse, it doesn’t follow that we conservatives should accept it just for the sake of disagreeing with them.
Besides, liberals do not have a corner on concern for autism. California’s 1969 Lanterman Act was a landmark in serving people with autism and other disabilities. Its sponsor was a Republican, as was the governor who signed it: Ronald Reagan. In 2006, President Bush signed the Combating Autism Act. Its author was Senator Rick Santorum (R., PA).
Savage has cited respectable commentators who suggest that many kids with the autistic label are merely late talkers. His defense fails on two counts. First, these commentators don’t speak in the hateful language that he has used. Second, although they make their argument in good faith, they get things backward.
When you first notice that your child has a speech delay — around his second birthday — autism is the last thing that you want to think about. Autism is devastating and frightening. It’s more comforting to think that your kid is just starting late and will catch up soon. Clutching the “late talker” security blanket, some parents wait months or years before admitting the possibility of autism.
At that point, they may indeed conclude that a formal diagnosis could be important in getting help. States and school districts often pay for the assessment. Every autism diagnosis means thousands of dollars for services that the federal government mandates but does not fully subsidize. With tight budgets, the authorities have no incentive to encourage overdiagnosis. Once in a while, a child may incorrectly get the autism label, but underdiagnosis is probably a much bigger problem.
We need more study of the causes and prevalence of autism. At the moment, though, the issue is Michael Savage’s attack. He has since claimed that he is a nice guy who wants help to go to those who truly need it. Nonsense. If he cared about autistic kids, he wouldn’t have spewed words such as “moron” and “idiot.”
And he shouldn’t claim to be a conservative. He has cheapened political discourse and hurt defenseless children. There’s nothing conservative about that.
—- John J. Pitney Jr. is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College.
The same people who are diagnosing who is and what is autism are the same people who tell us that the homosexual condition is normal. Think about it..................
I've listened to Savage for at least 12 years. I fully appreciate what he has done -- stand up to America's leftist enemies and give it back in kind. Also he's suing CAIR and mediasmatters (that's my description) is his next target. Few if any have the guts to do that.
I can see the day I stop listening if he does not quit calling Laura Ingraham "that trans gender with a cross."
I guess talk like that passes for "street smarts" I don't know. Maligning his competitors has become worse and worse but he did not malign autistic children. I've heard him discuss the over-drugged and misdiagnosed/fake childhood diseases several times over the years. He knows the difference.
Thank you. I think that you get it. I bet that there is not one FReeper who in any way intended to malign any autistic child or any child that has a problem which competent medical personnel can agree upon -- and neither did Savage.
My wife's brother didn't say a word until he was four years old. Now he is a top salesman for IBM. Had he been a kid today, assclown "doctors" would have long since f**cked him up with meds.
Savage is right. He backed off his "99%" figure (later said 75-80%) and this author is wrong not to mention that. I am exhausted from my prior comments on other threads regarding the disaster for schools that has resulted from the mis-diagnosis and over-diagnosis of "autism", "Asperger's", and "autistic spectrum disorder"--which follows on the heels of a similar scandalous explosion in ADD/AHDH "diagnoses". So I won't repeat it here.
There is no such thing as "high-functioning autism". It is something else. Call it something else. Don't feed the autistic fanaticism by embracing bullshit.
There is nothing conservaive about screaming "For the Children!" and embracing the fraud perpetrated by incompetent doctors and Big Pharma.
Americans are too stupid to think for themselves.
How many stupid Americans watched "Bowling for Columbine" and blamed the NRA, instead of blaming Pfizer, Merck and shitty parents for Columbine.
Behind every school gun massacre in this nation lies a kid on meds. And typically the meds overprescribed for the garbage diagnoses "ADHD" and "personality disorder"--Ritalin and Prozac.
Big Pharma LOVES the autism fanatics. "Thimerisol in vaccines is causing an epidemic of autism!!!" MASSIVE press and paranoia. Then a huge Harvard study shows the EXACT same number of "autistic" diagnoses without thimerisol as with. The press barely covers it. NO ONE even thinks--"Hey...maybe the doctors diagnosing 'autism' in record numbers are just full of shit".
Like I said, Americans are too stupid to think for themselves. And apparently so are some columnists and FReepers.
Morgana, may you have an autistic child. . .
Good luck. . .
Nonsense. My son's good friend was diagnosed with Asberger's and had to switch schools to one equipped to handle "autism spectrum disorders". Meds followed--of course. Turns out the diagnosis was total bullshit. With a new--patient--teacher he is thriving in class, and is the best reader. And a new doctor, who is much older, has told his relieved parents that there was nothing wrong with young Schuyler.
It is VERY "conservative" to support Savage on this, because the Nanny State is front and center in this scandal. Many of the nonsense phony diagnoses are brought on by lazy ass union teachers--the backbone of the Democrat party. In Schuyler's case, his teacher didn't like that he didn't act as well as the girls, and convinced the parents to see a doctor--a specific doctor who is turns out has quite the habit of diagnosing "autistic spectrum disorders" in town. For anyone who read Christina Hoff Summer's book "The War Against Boys" years ago, it is easy to spot how phony "autism" diagnoses are made 85% for boys, because they won't act like girls, which is the liberal state's preference.
I read lots of posts saying all the child needs is a good smacking or spanking or this or that.
I can tell them that physical punishment doesn't go very far with an Autistic child.
What is surprising is that in this local Hispanic public school 85% of which are EL’s (English Learners) all the kids know him and go out of their way to say hello.
It is sort of like a game with them as the kids try to be the first one to get a response.
There are about 15 girls in his 2nd grade class of 22 and they take turns walking him to recess, lunch and to the library.
As a California parent of an Autistic child I have found that Child Protective Service is not our friend and are to be avoided at all costs.
A parent always has to be on guard about any complaints about the child's teacher or aids.
I found out the hard way that government officials will falsify a report for statical purposes.
Two years ago I made a complaint to the principal about a kindergarten teacher's Aid who was excitedly yelling at a child in a wheel chair who had bumped another child and spilled juice on both of them.
That was a mistake because the Aid anonymously filed a complaint with California Child Protective Services and the Shiite hit the fan for me.
It did not matter to them that the complaint was false it was like a Dan Rather Fake but Accurate moment.
When the Child Protective Gestapo found out my wife was a doctor they even embellished the Aids report.
It took two attorneys and over $5,000 dollars worth of fees to finally get everything settled.
As my attorney said in the case of a child you are guilty until proved innocent beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Since moving out here into the desert we are doing much better with our son.
I would like to have back the many thousands of dollars we spent on professionals trying to show that he was not Autistic.
Any way I better quit and answer some of the curmudgeons who think Autism is a fake diagnosis to bilk Hairy Reid out of his gobermint check.
Even when Savage is wrong he is more right than the RINOs.
We even took him down to Mexico to an expert and to South America to some of our doctor friends.
I think we were in denial for at least two years saying someone that beautiful could not be so debilitated.
I spend a lot of time at school with special ed kids.
I have nothing but sheer admiration for a Special Ed teacher.
Did you listen to the original episode, or the couple of episodes he did, trying to fool his audience by re-iterpreting his own comments. Bet it was the latter
I think I understand that sentence.
High functioning autism is hard to diagnose and indeed there are probably kids who are mildly on the spectrum who are diaagnosed more severely just so they qualify for state aid. I am against that, because very high functioning kids do not profit from expensive treatments. However, we should "first, do no harm," and it does harm to families to have the public assume that because an autistic child is inflexible and prone to tantrums, that some kind of punishment that works on neurotypical children would function with that child as well. We need understanding and kindness, not approbriation from our society.
“You did the same thing to my post and then accuse me of cherry picking.”
If you feel I have misrepresented your statements, let me know where I erred so we can understand each other better.
It was my impression you were claiming I thought the boy might be autistic only because he scored well on tests.
If I really thought that - then I would have to think all smart people are autistic - which I don’t.
“I din’t realize you were a doctor and could make this diagnosis by “red flags” I know alot of people who don’t make eye contact with people, but I am not ready to prescribe medication for it. the diagnosis of autism is totally and I mean totally subjective. “
I never claimed to be a doctor, and I never made a diagnosis.
I said “I’ll bet” he had it - which is an opinion based on what I’ve learned, but certainly not a diagnosis.
Maybe I could have been more clear and stated “he exhibited many characteristics associated with the disorder”
I have received information, however, from medical doctors, and from observing the testing my son went through.
And what I learned is that they do not make diagnosis based on only one or two signs - there are quite a number behaviors and characteristics they are looking for before they make that leap.
Any doctor willing to quickly make the assumption based only on a quick exam should be treated with healthy skepticism while a 2nd opinion is sought.
It appears to me you are concerned that a child will be incorrectly labeled based only on a few quirks.
Maybe that does happen, but from my personal experience - I haven’t seen that happening.
“I think if we had a better understanding on how the fascinating organ we call the brain works, then we can actually make some headway on this issue.”
Absolutely! And I think any parent with an autistic child would wholeheartedly agree with that statement.
“I am just wondering why they consider not making eye contact is a “red flag”. My take on it is that so many people do communicate with out making eye contact. So the more people that don’t make eye contact are being classified as autistic which= more money in the pockets of people who really don’t have your child’s welfare in mind. I have heard through ut my life another reason that people can’t maintain eye contact when communicating is that they might be “lying” also. People who are dishonest don’t look at peoples eyes.”
It is only one thing they are looking for. One thing among many other things.
I don’t know why they don’t make eye contact.
They also tend to refrain from close physical contact (not very cuddly). They have difficulty understanding or interpreting emotions in others.
Some cannot speak - but those that do speak often show difficulty with engaging in a 2 way social conversation.
Their responses may not seem pertinent or connected to the context of the conversation.
These are only a few things I learned while my son was being tested.
One reason they decided my son was not autistic or had asperger’s was due to his ability to maintain eye contact during his testing. While his conversation can be awkward at times, he was attempting to give appropriate responses to questions asked.
He is also very cuddly, and when they requested him to draw pictures of an “angry boy” and a “happy boy” or a “bored boy” - he did that very well showing he understood what those emotions meant.
“And when I was in highschool we called those people nerds not autistic.”
Yes we did - but we really didn’t know what autism was then.
Do a google search on asperger’s and on brainman.
I recently read an article that many accomplished mathematicians and computer scientists exhibit those type of characteristics.
“Part of the problem is assuming that if your child is “different” then he has an illness and needs therapy.”
I guess it depends on what he/she is doing to make the parent think they’re “different”.
Speech delay may not be a problem - or it could be.
That’s why it’s good to take them to a doctor for evaluation.
So - what type of behavior is making the parents wonder, and how severe is it?
I don’t believe most parents “want” their child to be diagnosed with anything.
We didn’t take our son for testing for a long time because I assumed that he (like his older brother) would start speaking when he was darn ready.
But when he did start - it was incoherent.
There were quirky behaviors too that, like you say, were “different”.
For awhile there was flapping of the hands - very common with autism. He couldn’t handle noisy situations - drove him bonkers. Some behavior was ritualistic.
So - because some of the behaviors can be commonly associated with autism, our doctor ordered the testing.
We were pleasantly surprised when the testing pointed to something else.
Isn’t that what parents are supposed to do?
Try to help their children?
Too often label are put on children that are there for the convenience of those who just don't want to put up with them. It's easier than disciplining them.
These were probably the nicest things my Dad ever said about me. I'm sure that many other FReepers had that similar upbringing.
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