Apparently many big advertisers are distancing themselves from Savage’s rants about autism.
IMO he damages conservatism.
btt
Myt tendency is to agree with Savage - although it might get me flamed. Although it treats lots of illnesses which would not be paid for in the US, the health care system in Germany does not recognize the condition of “high-functioning autism”. Because, if you think about it, the description of the symptons basically sounds like a description of what Germans are like in general.
Dr. Savage wasn’t talking about YOUR child. He doesn’t deny that autism disorder exists. He is simply saying — as even professionals in the field know — that autism has become the “catch all” diagnosis for all developmental delays in children, INCLUDING certain behaviors that might not fit into “normal” range, but have no business being labeled as austism.
I have friends who work for Regional Centers here in California,and even THEY admit that diagnosing autism in children can be very subjective. I don’t know that I would use the same language as Dr. Savage did on the radio to describe the problem of over-diagnosis in children, but I fully agree with his assessment.
I have a child who was “special ed” in public schools and was considered on the spectrum for autism in several areas. They got more $$$$ for her in public schools because of that label, but more importantly, they abandoned their duty to provide her an adequate education based on her individual capabilities. She was placed with me for adoption at 10 years old, completely illiterate, and I was told she would never learn to read or write in any qualitative way. Two years later (after pulling all four children out of public schools and homeschooling them), my “special ed, borderline-autistic” daughter can read at a 6th grade level, knows all her states and capitals, is doing pre-Algebra math, and has become a little social butterfly, making everyone around her very happy all the time.
So much for the autism scale. Thank God I knew about the overdiagnosis problem, and didn’t freak out when they patted me on the hand to say that “this is her brain” and there is nothing you can do for her, so you need to “lower your expectations” for her in general. I finally told her what all the psychologists / teachers told me just recently, since I think she can handle hearing it now. She laughed, and said, “Mommy, I’m doing great! They were wrong about me!”
You go, girl! Phooey on all the labels!
Good grief. Another alleged “conservative” moron weighs in.
There’s no shortage of “medical experts” who can come up with handy excuses for lazy parents who need to explain to themselves and others why their children are undisciplined failures. And, of course, pharmaceutical companies gotta absolutely adore lazy moms.
“Autism” has simply become the latest catch-all “disability”. “Medical experts” have been continually expanding the definition of autism as they find “new, previously undiagnosed” forms of this “disability”. (Hang onto your wallets.)
I guess those other recently discovered bogus excuses, ADD and ADHD, have grown stale.
As “autism” gets over-hyped, it too will eventually elicit only bored yawns. And then something new will take it’s place - - another string of capital letters, perhaps. Meanwhile, taxpayers’ wallets will continue to get fleeced.
Michael Savage is right about the San Francisco Bay Area and the misdiagnoses/application of "autism". I have no problems comprehending Mr. Pitney's story is true; but I do think his article is lending far more credence to portraying America as "culturally insensitive" to the outside world, as well as within in.
Here, in the South, children are being branded overwhelmingly with the label "depression"; some are being morphed into the "autism" category as I write this.
The labelling of children is being done differently per area of the country.
What one poster sees as a "brat" and not autistic may be entirely true for the area that poster lives in. What another poster sees as Michael's verbal "assault" on truly autistic children, may make perfect and reasonable sense to the poster in living in that area.
The same strategy during a Presidential election year was employed by the Clintons in 1992, and then again in 1996: Divide and conquer.
Obama did his excellent tour; not for the US, and certainly not on behalf of the US. Chavez'/Iran/China plans are currently halted by Bush Admin policies; but yet Africa, and the anti-American countries are still bullish on getting the US labeled "racist" and "lacking cultural sensitivity".
The Conference at Durban, So Africa was an attempt to have America, England, and Israel branded "racist" nations in order that the non-G-8 and some might be prohibited from doing business with said "racist" countries. Those "culturally insensitive countries".
I'm hoping Freepers, and others, are aware of this, and as we go through to November; please keep this in mind.
We are indeed being and going to perpetually be set up against each other.
Walk softly, carry a big stick.
Sure, Michael Savage could have been more "artful" in his description of what I also know to be true about so-called "autistic" children around the SF Bay Area. But, he's not lying. It is true for the SF Bay Area.
And I've no doubts, Media Matters knows all this too.
Hillary may have on surface failed with her "health care plan"; but her minions have been quite busy with "the plan" nonetheless. Ipso, statistics, ipso, knowing precisely how to drive the shaft.
Sure, fault Michael Savage for being culturally "insensitive" to those living in areas of the US where the label "autism" is being properly applied; but please also realize, we stand together, or we don't.
Just imagine all of us uniting under the UN as run by Obama, and the Iran/Venezuela leadership.
If only these people would address what Dr. Savage REALLY siad, not what they want to have us belive that he said.
Weiner screams alot.
He must be autistic...
Ooops, I mean he had bad parents.
What you subsidize you get more of, and autism diagnoses have been subsidized thru SSI. Your child is now disabled if he or she is on the “spectrum”
Are there any FReepers who fail to understand how much of an embarrassment to the cause is the personage of Michael “Savage?”