Big Blue Wave's Comments
His Dad was a doctor, but he sure isn't!
It's hard to imagine what advantage he supposes to obtain by mouthing off on this. Perhaps he was mixing up autism with hyperactivity or ADHD? Some things are over 'diagnosed', especially in the school system. Sounds like he's a bit muddled. (But why is he speaking on this? Its not like he's in the gov't anywhere...and if he WAS, its hardly the stand you'd expect from a Liberal MP!)
Listen, I have ADHD. I am 50 years old, and I keep my symptoms under control with drugs. Is ADHD a fake disease for people who are just undisciplined and looking for excuses? I wish it was, because if it was, I, like Suzanne's child, would have fit in with society a long time ago.
Frankly I think the people who claim these conditions are fake, and the result of lack of discipline, are really hate mongers and sadists. They just don't want to be called upon to have compassion or understanding for those who function differently. Worse, they want to set up a situation where people are punished for things they can't help. This will set up a situation of never ending punishment that the sadists will really enjoy.
If they can get the rest of society to believe that the condition is fake, then they can whip up hostility towards the victims and increase the persecution and pain for those who are different. It's just hate mongers trying to make their hatefulness and cruelty socially acceptable and supported in the society.
I know this because I grew up with these kind of people. They are bitter, hateful people who are never happy, unless they are hurting someone. If you try be "socially acceptable," they get even more uptight. If you act "nice," it sometimes freaks them out even more than if you are cranky. These people want to destroy, not to improve things or do conflict resolution.
They are hate mongers, pure and simple. The people who say that different conditions are fake are trying to put the brakes on society's understanding, and get their cruelty to be the accepted social way to respond to differences in people.
I don't think he's a hate-monger. I just think he's a noob. Maybe he did mix up autism with ADHD-- boy that's a charitable perspective on things.
Great post, great subject, I agree with you 100 percent, Savage is a Idiot
Screaming don't make a talk show host any better
Of course what's genuinely frightening is that the opinions expressed by Michael Savage are VERY close to what many members of the business community feel. They make decisions every day that affect thousands or even millions of people, and UNLIKE Michael Savage, they keep their views quite hidden from public view.
Somehow I doubt that most business people think autism is a fraud. If anything, people make money from selling autism cures and items to help alleviate and treat symptoms.
*Shakes head*
That guy is seriously misinformed and underqualified to make such a statement. I do agree that he may be confusing autism with conduct disorders or contraversial disorders such as AD/HD. However, autism is a physiological disease (and I hesitate to use that term) which originates in the brain and is very real to the parents and the direct care staff (such as my husband and myself) who care for these children, the autism specialists (read: degreed mental health professionals), and the occupational therapists who treat these children. That guy needs to educate himself and get a clue!
Rachael C.
http://rsnider.livejournal.com
Those of you that have never listed to his show or know his background are poorly informed. Savage routinely lampoons that which is sorely wrong with most parents; my kid has ADD, PTSD, asthma, fibromyalgia, autism, transgender issues....most of this current epidemic of illness is simply a matter of pharma companies in cohoots with weak minded MDs all looking to give frustrated parents an easy out. I don't remember a single autistic kid growing up; shy kids, kids with ticks, you bet. Guess what, they all became "normal" adults.
An autistic kid is not a "shy" kid. He's not a kid with a tick. You have to have way more than that to be considered autistic. I can barely have a conversation with my daughter. She has poor muscle tone. She lacks all kinds of social skills.
She is not an autism "fraud". Believe me, I believe in tough love. She must live up to minimal behavioural expectations in spite of her issues. There is no "pass" to misbehave in my house.
But she has speech, social, information processing and motor skills issues.
And yeah, I do remember at least one autistic kid in a small school of 2-300 kids.
It's one thing to argue whether there is an epidemic.
It's quite another to say that NINETY-NINE percent of cases of autism are a fraud.
That's just ridiculous. It does a huge disservice to kids with autism to spread that kind of misinformation.
It *could* be that psychologists and doctors tell parents to exaggerate their kids' symptoms, or they give kids labels for funding purposes.
But to say that it's fraud on a scale that widespread?
I'm not one to oppose debate on reasonable propositions-- and heck, I'm a fairly conservative gal (at least by Canadian standards). But this is a ridiculous statement. He's being a doufus.
Hmm, maybe Michael Savage is right. After all, he must know better than the parents of the kids and all those medical and psychological associations. *end sarcasm*
Rachael C.
http://rsnider.livejournal.com
"...most of this current epidemic of illness is simply a matter of pharma companies in cohoots with weak minded MDs all looking to give frustrated parents an easy out."
Have you ever experienced autism on a personal level or directly worked with children with autism???
"I don't remember a single autistic kid growing up; shy kids, kids with ticks, you bet. Guess what, they all became "normal" adults."
I guess the answer to my previous question is "no". I am direct care staff at a residential facility for individuals with developmental, communication, and behavioral challenges and on work a daily basis with male and female adolescents with autism.
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that affects how people communicate and relate to others. There is no cause or cure for Autism, but early intervention, structered education, support, and [life skills/behavior] training are empirically validated ways of providing support for individuals with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) to assist them in participation and sucessful integration into society.
DAMAR Services, Inc.
Autism Toolbox: What is Autism
http://www.damar.org/autismtoolb...what_is_autism/
Autism is a complex disorder. A comprehensive evaluation requires a multidisciplinary team including a psychologist, neurologist, psychiatrist, speech therapist, and other professionals who diagnose children with ASDs. The team members will conduct a thorough neurological assessment and in-depth cognitive and language testing. Because hearing problems can cause behaviors that could be mistaken for autism, children with delayed speech development should also have their hearing tested. After a thorough evaluation, the team usually meets with parents to explain the results of the evaluation and present the diagnosis.
Scientists aren’t certain what causes autism, but it’s likely that both genetics and environment play a role. Researchers have identified a number of genes associated with the disorder. Studies of people with autism have found irregularities in several regions of the brain. Other studies suggest that people with autism have abnormal levels of serotonin or other neurotransmitters in the brain. These abnormalities suggest that autism could result from the disruption of normal brain development early in fetal development caused by defects in genes that control brain growth and that regulate how neurons communicate with each other. While these findings are intriguing, they are preliminary and require further study. The theory that parental practices are responsible for autism has now been disproved.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Autism Fact Sheet
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
disorde...tail_autism.htm
Arg, that's not my name, but it's me posting. Someone else has posted on this computer with Haloscan prior and it's automatically saved.
Rachael C.
http://rsnider.livejournal.com
first and foremost, who in the world is michael savage? before his ignorant comment, i had never even heard of this guy. i think that his stupidity and obvious lack of knowledge on autism is proof enough that he should stick to subjects he knows a little something about, whatever that may be. shame on him for being so insensitive, i'm sure his outlook would be different if he had any firsthand experience with a child or family dealing with autism.
actually I think Mike Savage has it half right. One needs to differentiate between autism and ASD. I think ASD is a load of crap. Mildly autistic?thats a load of crap. right now a zillion parents are pulling their hair out needlessly turning their kids over to the state, overpaid early intervention teachers (who are paid through our insurance and taxes, this is why health insurance is bankrupt) theres scissor therapy, feeding therapy, walking therapy you name it. and its free, mandated through health insurance. and are we smarter? better eaters? more motor? what a fraud. scam! It used to be autism was diagnosed as severe emotional withdrawal and obsessive behavior. now everyone has autism "spectrum disorder." and moms are not vaccinating their kids, mainly bc they have a low chance of catching disease because most people still do it (this is really fair) Mike Savage is a big mouth who doesnt know what is really going on but ASD is mostly a scam. ANd the teachers and bueracrats involved in it are living high off the hog, the FEAR INDUSTRY.
he is confusing with ADD but he gets one point right. parents wont tolerate raising kids anymore. everything is wrong with them. especially if they aren't baby geniuses. parents drop their kids in zoo like day care and wonder why they are rotten. no one has kids early so they haven't the energy to handle it!
actually I think Mike Savage has it half right. One needs to differentiate between autism and ASD. I think ASD is a load of crap. Mildly autistic?thats a load of crap. right now a zillion parents are pulling their hair out needlessly turning their kids over to the state, overpaid early intervention teachers (who are paid through our insurance and taxes, this is why health insurance is bankrupt) theres scissor therapy, feeding therapy, walking therapy you name it. and its free, mandated through health insurance. and are we smarter? better eaters? more motor? what a fraud. scam! It used to be autism was diagnosed as severe emotional withdrawal and obsessive behavior. now everyone has autism "spectrum disorder." and moms are not vaccinating their kids, mainly bc they have a low chance of catching disease because most people still do it (this is really fair) Mike Savage is a big mouth who doesnt know what is really going on but ASD is mostly a scam. ANd the teachers and bueracrats involved in it are living high off the hog, the FEAR INDUSTRY.
I'd have to say that Asperger's is VERY real.
To speak of the case I'm most familiar with, no, it doesn't stop you from speaking, it maybe doesn't even stop you from driving.
But it can stop you from taking most jobs because you may be able to speak but you can't comprehend in the slightest the most basic social cues.
It can also leave you with every bit the temper of someone with autism.
Now, as to whether or not autism and Asperger's are as linked as some think is subject to question, but I think there is something to be said for the fact that Dr. Asperger didn't have any Kanner-level autistic patients to work with because Hitler had executed them all.
Michael Savage does have some insights, although his 84 second rant is easily read as being off base and his comments are inflammatory. He did grow up with a younger brother that had severe problems, he does have a PHD in epidemioloy, he has written many books on nutrition and alternative health care. If you genuinely care to look at Mr Savage's views and many more insights, check out http://www.savageonautism.com/ and listen to comments by some of the people he has interviewed. OR you can believe Media Matters who tells "part" of the story so they can crow about doing damage to someone they perceive as a conservative talk show host. I suspect they care less about autistic people than they care about doing damage to Dr. Savage.
My husband and I have adopted two sons from the foster care system, both of whom were subjected to early childhood (birth through age three) neglect and abuse. Unsurprisingly, they have a variety of emotional and neurological 'issues', which in both cases are being handled through attentive parenting, weekly sessions with a pediatric psychologist, and yes, medication.
Asking my older son to get through the day without medication would be like asking me to work all day without my eyeglasses - I could do it, but my effectiveness would be sharply reduced and my irritability would be greatly enhanced. Somehow, if Savage argued that eyeglass-wearing people just needed to suck it up and focus better, the gross and unseemly ignorance would be easier for people to see.
Fortunately, most people are able to see his comments for the fetid balloon juice they are.
As you say if only it was that easy!
Commenting by HaloScan
