Radio Host Michael Savage Says Autistic Kids Aren't Sick..."Just Brats"

AutismSpeaks.org ^ | July 18, 2008 | Steve and Ryan Young

[Old Professer]

My kid’s needs are more special than yours...

[Tamar1973]

The thing is that someone with undiagnosed hearing loss can have some of the same symptoms as autism-—unconversational, wanting to do solitary activities, frustration with inability to communicate your needs.

When you’re hard of hearing, social situations w/ more than 5-6 people are really, really draining. When I go to big parties, sometimes I stick myself in a corner and just read a magazine or a book because it’s really mentally taxing to listen to and keep track of multiple conversations. Hearing aids just amplify everything so have a limited usefullness as well.

[raptor29]

Again, showing you know absolutely nothing about Savage.

[whatisthetruth]

Give it a rest petronski, you and media matters are kissin’ cousins when it comes to Savage, you never heard a slam from them you didn’t like whenever it involves Savage. You would almost wonder if you have a permanent case of autism yourself.

[SoCalPol]

Weiner Alert

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048356/posts

Radio Host Michael Savage Says Autistic Kids Aren’t Sick...”Just Brats”

Link to audio of Weiner ranting: What a PUTZ
http://blatherwatch.blogs.com/talk_radio/2008/07/michael-savage.html

[SeekAndFind]

My point and Savage's point is that not all children diagnosed with autism are autistic. It's sometimes easy to explain misbehavior with a “disorder”.

While there are many kids who are overdiagnosed as autistic who are not, I question the exageration that Savage makes when he says that 99% of those diagnosed are not autistic, just brats.

Where is he getting that 99% figure ? I don't believe that psychological experts would be mistaken by that much.

I believe that MOST of those who are diagnosed as autistic are correctly diagnosed, not Savage's exagerated attempt to portray 99% misdiagnosis.

A cursory visit to special ed schools and observing the autistic class will attest to this.

Look folks, Savage might hold a lot of conservative opinions, but let us not side with him when he's wrong. A lot of parents of autistic kids are already coping hard with this disability. We don't need more misunderstanding from the public ( e.g. calling real autistic kids "brats"), not from someone who has not taken the time to observe these kids or their parents coping with this tragedy.

[CatherinePPP]

If he really said this, it was a horrid thing to say. One of my best friends has an autistic son. He is not badly behaved except in the way that any seriously retarded child might be because he isn’t capable of knowing any better. He will need help to take care of him all his life. It is a serious disability.

Hopefully he didn’t really say that or if he did, this is one of those times when an apology is in order. Disabled children need the love and support of conservatives. Liberals would like to just abort most of them. Who will stand up for them if we do not?

[SeekAndFind]

If he really said this, it was a horrid thing to say.

Well, his supporters should not be in denial here.

Many would like to give him the benefit of the doubt by saying that Media Matters manipulated the audio but I don't think this liberal group is so stupid as to do such a thing ( i.e. lose whatever credibility they have left ). They are opportunistic -- quick to grab anything stupid a conservative says.

Unfortunately, Savage hurt himself on this one and he can't escape his own words, which are now all over the internet and even in YouTube.

I personally believe that his intent is not to insult real autistic kids, but to showcase a lot of misdiagnosis that waste tax payer money. However his exageration ( i.e. 99% of those labeled autistic are simply "brats" ) is WAYYY off base and insensitive. Parents with kids who are really autistic and who meet similar parents everyday in school will take offense to this. I have myself visited a lot of autistic classes and I can tell you for a fact that Savage's observations are OPPOSITE of reality --- MOST OF THOSE IN AUTISTIC CLASSES ARE REALLY AUTISTIC, having at their core -- relational and social deficits !!

It stretches the imagination to believe that our country's psychological experts are so incompetent that they are right only 1% of the time.

Parents of autistic kids already have enough problems already facing people who don't understand this problem who call them bad parents for not teaching their kids to function in a socially appropriate way. They don't need guys like Savage adding to the burden they face daily by contributing to more misunderstanding through his nationally syndicated show.

Savage can be an embarassment to conservatives. The more we listen to him with discernment, the better.

I believe that Savage needs to apologize here and give a more thorough explanation of why he made these insensitive remarks.

[muawiyah]

Two things ~ when you were a kid they didn't use he word. As you well know there were kids who had it anyway, eh. Otherwise who would you have had a chance to kick around on the playground? (Bwahahahaha!!)

And, just to be much more serious for a moment, it's a rather comprehensive term that ropes in a broad range of symptoms. Not all the kids with "autism" are off in a corner vegetating, and not all of them are screaming their heads off all the time.

[muawiyah]

There are probably worse situations to be in but to have Celiac and to be autistic is right up there at the top.

Celiac is caused by any one of 9 different genes with variant alleles.

It can, if left untreated, result in holes being torn into the walls of the small intestine. Undigested food can get into the blood stream as a consequence and cause all sorts of problems.

The treatment is total avoidance of gluten containing substances such as wheat, barley and rye.

No beer for you! And be very careful with those salad dressings and barbeque sauces made from malted barley (Jack Daniels for example).

Celiac, however, does not cause autism ~ rather, it causes misery if untreated, and less misery if treated. There's not even a good statistial relationship between the two situations, but I've heard from folks with such a child that his behavior was dramatically improved after gluten was removed from the diet.

[muawiyah]

My kids have been working with an autistic neighbor boy for the last quarter century.

When they first met him he could hardly speak. Now he holds lengthy conversations with folks on a wide variety of topics.

He didn't learn to count until he was a teenager. Today he can make change and handle his bank account.

His has been a story of gradual improvement over a long period of time.

Now that he's nearly 30 years old I'd bet he could pass regular highschool rather than just the special program he was in.

Still, we know his limits,but at the same time we know how lucky he was to run into my kids.

This is a kind of family tradition. My grandfather sat next to the retarded kid from gradeschool through highschool. My brother took care of the retarded kid next door.

Sometimes folks don't need the formal diagnosis to know what to do.

[Tamar1973]

I believe that MOST of those who are diagnosed as autistic are correctly diagnosed, not Savage's exagerated attempt to portray 99% misdiagnosis.

I believe the opposite. I think most are misdiagnosed on purpose to put them on a lifetime of psychiatric drugs, special needs programs, etc. so everyone can make a $$$ off them.

[Liberty2007]

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.

well when they say BOMB THROWER I knew this article would be bs, plus it is media matters.

[Liberty2007]

IF he said it, it should be the end of him. Good grief, what an idiot.

Why? Do you not like the truth? Sure he exagerated but autism and Adhd are overdiagnosed, that fact does not change. My best friend's son has austim legitimately savage's comments did not bother me.

[Chickensoup]

There is a LOOOOT of money in special interests in all forms of MR and autism. Mony for teachers. Heck, money in this state goes to theraputic riding programs that are paid for by the state for mr and autistic.

[Petronski]

Sure he exagerated...

Ya think?!?

[kruss3]

I had nad not heard about the missing brain stem. Obviously, different severities of the underlying conditions would be expected. I would have hoped that vitamin d could reverse some of the symptoms of young children. In many cases that would seem to not be possible. God help the parents of autistic children and those who believe autistic kids are brats. Thanks for your contribution.

[Liberty2007]

look 99% is exaggerated why do you 2 take offense if you KNOW children that are, Heck I know one child is , his statement DOES NOT PISS ME OFF. ANd I do agree it is over diagnosed.

[CatherinePPP]

I find that hard to believe. Most autistic kids are pretty severely disabled. It’s not just “being annoying” it’s “being seriously cognitively impaired.” You can’t just ‘misdiagnose’ a normal child as retarded and have everybody accept that. It would be like saying a child has Down’s Syndrome when they do not! If something would get misdiagnosed on purpose I think it would be something like ADHD or depression because normal kids get hyper or sad sometimes so the diagnosis could be believable. But normal kids don’t just up and act retarded, so I don’t think anyone would believe their child had autism unless they really did.

[CatherinePPP]

Because, that kind of exaggeration is cruel to the parents who are lovingly raising their children through adversity. He just said that 99% of them are just bad fathers who have raised whiny brats. Now, knowing an autistic child, and having seen many badly behaved children from disfunctional families in my church’s family outreach program, I can say for sure that they don’t have anything in common at all. There is no way that the majority of the parents of severely retarded children are just bad parents who should have taught their children not to be retarded. And no way that the disfunctional kids would ever get diagnosed as autistic. I can’t see any way the two groups could ever be getting confused in real life.

I’m sorry, but I think it’s pretty low to be picking on Special Olympics kids and their parents. I really hope he thinks about it a little and apologizes. I consider valuing children with disabilities and honoring their parents as an important part of being pro-life.