Posted on 07/26/2008 12:06:03 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Last week, radio talk-show host Michael Savage talked about autism:
Ill tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, its a brat who hasnt been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They dont 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. Dont sit there crying and screaming, idiot. Im not an impartial observer here. My six-year-old son has high-functioning autism. He is exactly the kind of kid that Savage attacked.
Savages 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. Its 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 leftys cartoon mental picture of a ranting right-wing caveman.
The liberal website Media Matters has spearheaded the backlash against Savages 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 doesnt 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. Californias 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 dont 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. Its 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 Savages 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 wouldnt have spewed words such as moron and idiot.
And he shouldnt claim to be a conservative. He has cheapened political discourse and hurt defenseless children. Theres nothing conservative about that.
- John J. Pitney Jr. is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College.
I don't listen to Beck's radio show, but I watch his TV show. Glenn is the future if you ask me...
I will try to explain what I think is the basis of the argument. We are not talking about in any way shape or form "an autistic child." A truly autistic child, No. No way.
I tried to compare these threads to the ILLEGAL alien debate where in no way were we talking about legal immigrants and legal residents. Though a few did feel that even legal immigration should maybe be suspended for a time.
You said, "I am against that." It is the "that" that virtually everyone is talking about IMO plus the outright fraud -- I truly believe that most know that fraud exists and have not attempted to include proof -- and it is the fraud which IMO most argue needs to be "treated" with a little old-fashion discipline.
Thanks again.
My motto is follow the money. Money never lies.
bullheaded: stubborn; headstrong
Kinda like contumacy, one of my favorite words and it traces all the way to Latin -- gee, I wonder what that means. Maybe the "problem" has been around for awhile?
Maybe without that "problem" we would all still be slaves of the very, very few and still be confined to mud huts between 16-hour shifts in the fields, mines, . . . .
But today the few want to brand the "trouble" makers .. go figure.
As someone was nearly diagnosed as autistic, his comment that the scholastic authorities are “reluctant” to diagnose people as such is a load of hogwash.
It was the first label they wanted to push on me. Fortunately a hearing test saved me from that.
Savage is a “know-it-all” and a shock jock.
I stopped listening to him a long time ago.
The liberal establishment would like as many of us as possible to be label as deficient in same way so they can usurp the right to rule over us.
The definition of autism has been stretched to the point that it doesn’t mean much anymore and easily catches the “spastic geek” into the definition.
Maybe you should Thank Dr Savage, look at how much publicity he is giving autism. Instead of calling for his resignation. I learned a little more about autism I never did believe the 99% remark but it could be higher than you think. Many childrens behavior problems are parental related.
I have an autistic son. He has a neurological disorder which prevents him from conducting a normal conversation. He is now 5 years and 8 months and has never asked a “why” question. He cannot recount events. He is only now developing any interest in other children. On the other hand, as frequently happens with autistic children, his ability to sound out words and spell is more than two years ahead of other children.
Savage is very wrong. My son does not have a behavior problem (he is well behaved), but a physical disability. Yelling at him to talk will no more make him talk than yelling at someone with a broken leg will make him walk. I wish it were as simple as Savage suggests.
This problem is costing my wife and me $20,000 to $30,000 per year in therapy. These funds are not reimbursed by insurance. We want our son to be able to function normally in the world. We do not want him on Social Security. This problem is a financial drain on us. There is no benefit whatsoever. Further, I have learned that a diagnosis of autism is detrimental to insurance reimbursement because there is no cure for it. Consequently, many providers give another diagnosis, such as “dyspraxia.”
For my entire life, the idiots on the left have caricatured conservatives as “mean spirited” because they reject the concept of individual responsibility and want to demonize those who promote a society based on that concept.
Your comments have, in my view, given the left more ammunition to promote this lie. Please do some reading on this disorder. No one characterizes it as a behavior problem. These children do not know how to formulate speech. They are not brats who are simply acting out. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“The definition of autism has been stretched to the point that it doesnt mean much anymore and easily catches the spastic geek into the definition.”
And you’ve seen this happen?
Can you give specific examples - that you’ve observed - where a child was diagnosed and should not have been?
And what is a “spastic geek” anyway? in your opinion?
No, this is not an 11 year old who can play music but who is socially inept. These are two separate people.
The autistic musician is well into his 30s, does not speak, eat or move without assistance or direction. He can however hear a new 30 minute composition after hearing it one time. This is a seriously mentally handicapped adult.
The 11 year old was simply an unsupervised, un-parented who got away with anything he wanted to under the diagnosis ADD.
I think in a few hundred years we will look at these braindoctors like we look at barbers from 300 years ago, where bloodletting was treatment for everything.
I was nearly diagnosed with it myself. Narrowly escaped it.
ok. so how did you escape it?
And - did you wind up being diagnosed with something else?
catch ya later - turning in for the night.
I’m glad you were not misdiagnosed.
For awhile it was heading that way with my son, but testing steered us in another direction.
I was actually very impressed with how detailed the testing was and how extensive it was.
A respectful,logical and sane reply in the wilderness of this thread!
Hearing test when I was 3 years old. They discovered I was deaf in my right ear. I had many of the “symptoms” of autism: late/minimal talker, preferred solitary pursuits like puzzles, occasional vocal outbursts (due to frustration of lack of ability to communicate), not wanting to share/communicate with other children (probably because I couldn’t hear their soft delicate voices and it was too much work to try).
The real problem was since I couldn’t hear well and communicate well, I simply retreated. Once they realized the real problem, everyone around me made more of an effort to speak clearly and a bit louder. I also had some speech therapy thrown in and caught up very quickly so by the time I was in kindergarten, I was in classes with regular children and by second grade (and losing my 2 front teeth) were over, my speech was fine, too.
Do I still have issues? Sure. I still hate social situations with large crowds of people. Trying to concentrate on conversing with tons of background noise is tiring and I just prefer to avoid such situations. Lipreading only takes you so far and is mentally draining.
So....by the standard of some of these “autism spectrum” experts, I’m still “autistic” because social situations exhaust me mentally because it’s takes a lot out of me mentally to make sure I hear the conversation.
One guy I knew was hung up on TV Commercials and shows like Laugh in. I can't think of even one who was said to be Autistic that wasn't. To those screaming this is all made up stuff I say to them I saw it long before the Pharmaceutical companies as such got involved. I saw it all there even a few kids that were Schizophrenic.
That school the two years I went helped me to adapt to some sensory issues that made it possible for me to pass two Armed Forces Physicals. Another student about my age went on to become a State Trooper. I can't remember what his problem was though. The teachers were tops. These weren't union teachers or American Education Association shills as most had gotten their certifications before those unions had major influence. They were there because the had the ability to help these kids. One teacher the shop teacher had a son severely retarded I remember his son had died while I was there. Later a few years back the teacher died of M.S. He was the one who on very rare occasion dispensed corporal punishment. He was also one of the most highly thought of.
The center was closed due to mainstreaming laws which was a real shame. Kids were getting Physical and Occupational therapy there as well. Now as such they get nothing. The school gave me a different perspective on persons with disabilities. I learned to except them as persons. It impacted my life so much it prepared me for an event to come my way about 15 years later.
Food for thought. A 27 year old's girlfriend when on a date becomes a quadriplegic for life. The doctors say it's this, then they say it's that. The fact remains was the quadriplegia. I think I made a wise choice I picked a winner :>} Yes well intended KOOKS have ridiculed her. Try this one for example. "You remain in a wheelchair because you lack faith". It's a cruel thing to say not based on reality or even fact as even the Apostle Paul as strong as his faith was is believed to have been almost blind. 24 years into this and the doctors still have no concrete medical reason for her quadriplegia. It does not make her problems any less real though. The same with Autism as well. Don't let them get to ya.
Signed a former yellow short bus passenger and thankful for it. :>}
You wouldn’t believe how many foster children are given those exact diagnoses. I thought it was very strange how ALL of the foster children I had in my home had most of those you mention. Most of it, in my opinion was lack of discipline and mollycoddling on the part of social workers assigned to the kids. I got out of foster care for that reason. Real parenting and real discipline were not acceptable.
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