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Autism Story Update

By Selwyn Duke

There are two more things I want to mention about Michael Savage’s comments on Autism and my subsequent commentary.  First, Savage has now addressed the matter at his website, and his explanation vindicates my interpretation of what he said.  But more on that in a moment.  Second, after talking to a friend who scoffed at the idea that Autism could be misdiagnosed, it occurred to me where a great source of confusion lies.

When many of you think of Autism, you imagine an individual with severe developmental problems.  This certainly is what Autism once described, but it’s no longer that simple.  The psychiatric community has created different categories of Autism, some of which involve symptoms that are relatively mild.  Consequently, diagnosing "Autism" is sometimes a dubious endeavor.  Not all cases where such a diagnosis is rendered involve the full-blown Autism you might envision; some are no doubt just behavior problems that are misdiagnosed as a milder form of Autism.

As for Savage’s explanation, you’ll notice that the tone is much different than that of his on-air comments.  This is because, as I pointed out in my first piece, radio is a unique medium.  From it you cannot expect the kind of measured commentary typical of the written form.  Radio is spontaneous; writing is deliberate.  You tune in to radio for informative, full-contact commentary.  If you want only dry information, you’ll have to read a medical journal. 

Here is the first paragraph of Savage’s explanation:

My comments about autism were meant to boldly awaken
parents and children to the medical community’s attempt to label too
many children or adults as "autistic."

Just
as some drug companies have overdiagnosed "ADD" and "ADHD" to peddle
dangerous speed-like drugs to children as young as 4 years of age, this
cartel of doctors and drug companies is now creating a national panic
by overdiagnosing "autism, for which there is no definitive medical
diagnosis!

Read the rest here.

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13 responses to “Autism Story Update”

  1. Brad Miller Avatar
    Brad Miller

    Your defense of Michael Savage is shameful.
    Mr. Savage did not say that “in some cases, autism is overdiagnosed”. Instead, he said that 99% of all autism is the kid acting like a brat. Its becauses they have no “father” to tell them to “stop acting like a putz”
    My son isn’t a brat. He has a father, and I don’t tell him to stop acting like a putz, because he isn’t acting like a putz.
    You see, my son has PDD, NOS (Pervasive Delay Disorder, not otherwise specified). That’s what you and Michael Savage would call a “fraud”. Where were you when my son wouldn’t eat? Where were you when my son was up all night, nearly every night, screaming? Where were you?
    I don’t recall you doing a damn thing to help those of us fighting the day to day battle with the “fraud” of autism.
    You have defended the indefensible and become complicit in spreading this ignorance.
    Some day you will look back in an shame and say, “what was I thinking”?

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  2. rsweetp Avatar
    rsweetp

    Micheal Savage, I’ve not heard of you until now and it’s obvious you know nothing about Autism. What’s your diagnosis? Stupidity? Your suggestion of punishment for these children is to beat them for being born with a developmental disorder. These children didn’t choose this problem. I hope you don’t have children because your behavior and comments indicate you are an abuser and you should never be left alone with any children! You devalue children obviously. They should be protected from you and your venomus attack on these little people should not be ignored and should be dealt with. I consider your comments abusive and you should voluntarilly resign your position and work in a cow stable.

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  3. Ryan Avatar
    Ryan

    May God bless Mr. Duke and Michael Savage. Savage is starting a national dialogue that will eventually expose this giant money-making scheme. We should help the children that truly need the help.

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  4. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    I have a friend who has twins that are handicapped with a form of autism. The twins do not possess the ability to stop what they are doing on command.
    Autism is real.
    I am a fan of Savage. You have to listen to the man for only a day or two to understand him.
    It’s obvious to me he is not insensitive to the mentally challenged. His mistake is speaking to his audience as he would friends at a BBq, like invited friends.
    He’s a bit too smart for radio….

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  5. VIRGINIA Avatar
    VIRGINIA

    I cannot understand a person who will rant about something he knows nothing about. I have an autistic grandson. He has received some awesome help through his school in CA, and is now mainstreaming into third grade. What happened to the happy, growing little boy with a smile waiting to be picked up from his crib in the morning, who would sweetly say one of his favorite words as a request “milk”? Six months later, he was unable to speak, would not look at anyone in the eye, was lost in his little dreamworld of Thomas the Train, regressed back to diapers and slept little and screamed in the dark. Was that misbehavior that was due to lack of parenting? Hardly, his parents were and are exceptional people who love and respect their children. Six years down the road with much therapy, home teaching, patience, tears and loving hearts, that little boy still has moments of complete meltdown. He does not “act out”, throw tantrums, or have disruptive behavior, he quietly withdraws, and is locked inside himself. He has learned to work through his inability to handle crowds, loud noises, his inability to understand jokes, sarcasm, and multiple conversations at once. He has learned to re-adjust his focus, and not internalize everything, to ask questions–something that is remarkable, to all of us—he is occasionally curious, and that is thrilling to watch. Don’t tell me about autism, Mr. Savage, I’ve had the priviledge of learning firsthand. Yes, I understand you have experiences in your life that have shaped your perceptions. I would not presume to know about the mental illnesses of others, but I do recognize the need for research, and funding for getting help to those who need it. I am not too worried about the “vague” diagnosis or overdiagnosis of autism, but I do worry that ranting talk radio hosts who haven’t researched that facts will slow down or stop the progress that has been made in the last few years regarding autism. Ask parents of autistic kids if they feel like they need censure by a radio host, or the help of people with the means to get the word out that this is often a treatable condition, and there is so much progress..just look at my grandson. Thirty years ago, he would have been sent to a “home” for impaired children….now there is a future. You owe his family and him an apology. As for me, I won’t ever listen to your radio show again, but I will research your sponsors and do everything I can to not purchase or participate in those products.

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  6. Drew Avatar
    Drew

    It is absolutely mind boggling this Autism trend that is going on in this country. All these bleeding heart liberals who act like they are all caring and the saviors of all mankind sure do come out in great numbers and show there true face of hate when someone like Michael Savage speaks the truth. Its a popular trend these days to have a family member with a disease even if it is a fabricated one, it makes for a great conversation topic when they go to the coffee shop or walk their dog. These are the same worthless parents you see on shows like “Supernanny”, I think it would be fair to say that all those kids on that show have Autism. No wait a minute they just have completely worthless parents! A monkey could feed a child and watch it get older, but only a real parent that disciplines there children when they deserve it teaching them right and wrong is truly raising there child. There are rules and boundaries in our society and you can label these kids Autistic all day long, the fact of the matter is that the law or someone else will take care of them when they become adults.

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  7. jon Avatar
    jon

    I have a son that was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. His twin sister is typically developing. They both are blessings. My wife and I have done are very best to help him and have worked with many professionals to get him the help he needs. I really don’t care what Michael Savage says, or some of these other comments by people who don’t know what they are talking about. We are living each
    day one at a time, doing our best one day at a time. My son has taught us many things that I would not have learned if he did not have autism. Call it what you may, it is a label. Through my readings and experiences, for every child that has autism, there is a different kind of autism. That is why it is a “spectrum disorder”. One may not have any language, but can eat all different things, he/she may “stim” as a form of regulation to different degrees. I could go on and on, but the reason I am writing this , is for the uninformed to get informed. Do your research before you rant and rave about something you don’t know. Here is what autism is like. You can filter the “noise” of day to day
    happenings, the hum of lights , squeeky wheels, crying chidren, the smells of food and other things, the bright lights, …the child with autism can not. You can say I don’t like that…the child with autism sometimes can’t speak, or it takes a while to process. It is very frustrating for them to live in our world, that is why you see the “stimming” and the bad behavior or tantrums. Have empathy, don’t attack them or the parent. I’ve just touched on this.I could talk for hours about this. I pray for all children with autism and their family. Oh by the way I used to listen to your show, I am a conservative…Stick it in the shade!

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  8. Becky Avatar
    Becky

    “this cartel of doctors and drug companies is now creating a national panic by overdiagnosing “autism, for which there is no definitive medical diagnosis!”
    Okay that’s just not true. I think someone needs to check the DSM-IV and also needs to learn the diagnoses that fall in the autism spectrum. Autism, Asperger, etc. are definitive diagnoses.
    Also, Mr. Savage has failed to address that it is impossible to calculate an accurate figure on what percentage of autism diagnoses are inaccurate. It is very likely that Savage’s stated figure, 99%, is far too high.
    I do agree with Mr. Savage though that drugs should not be pushed on children who do not need them. Furthermore, such neurological (notice I did not say mental here?) disorders should not be diagnosed lightly.

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  9. curtis Avatar
    curtis

    thank you Mr Savage
    i think its about time somebody brought this to peoples attention!
    i strongly agree with everything this man said
    i think the “autism spectrum” is a complete crock. i mean i can understand that children and adults with severe autism do indeed have a disability and need help. but diagnosing completely normal children who just have a few “difficult” behaviors such as being obsessive, disobedient, or shy (not speach disabilities, just regularly shy of strangers) is just plain cruel and stigmatises these people. people who could live a perfectly normal life without any diagnosis of any disability because they are normal! but no! because of hypercondriac parents and irresponsible doctors too eager to slap on a diagnosis, they have to live their life with a stigma. lumping them into a catagory with obviously disabled people. its insane! why give a diagnosis to a person who could live a normal life without treatment or assistance? if they dont need help then why put a lable on them. damaging their future and limiting their opportunities in life. its a tragedy.
    i speak from personal experience. my mother got me diagnosed with “mild autism” when i was a young child. becuase i was disobedient and shy around strangers. i never had a speach inpediment, and infact started talking in sentences at a very young age and was always extremely talkative around people i knew. it was only strangers that i became shy around. but that just meant i was a shy child! not autistic!
    as an adult i am perfectly normal, am no longer even the slightest bit shy, and dont have any odd or “autistic” behaviors. but my life has been permanently damaged because of my mothers mistake. i recently found out that she had been claiming disability benefit money for me when i was a child. which has led me to believe that maybe she did it for the money, since we were not economically well off. and i cannot stress enough the anger i feel. i feel cheated out of a normal life. my opportunities have been limited because certain careers are closed to people with a diagnosis of a nuerological or psychological disorder. so despite the fact that i strongly beleive i do not have any disabilty, i am treated as if i do, even though i have no symptoms, i am still treated as if i do because of the diagnosis from my childhood.
    i ask parents out there who are thinking of getting their children evaluated for psychological problems, if your children could live their life without treatment then for gods sake let them live a normal life. dont stigmatise your children and limit their potential in life
    diagnoses can ruin otherwise promising lives

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  10. Matthew Witthaus Avatar
    Matthew Witthaus

    You cannot defend the statements of an ignorant fool who has no idea what he is talking about. The statement that autism “does not exist in most cases” is an outright lie. This colossal idiot is trying to backtrack from sticking his foot in his mouth, because to admit he was wrong would cause his head to spontaneously combust. No large tragedy there. Michael Savage is an idiot. His voice is about as useful a pile of discarded trash.

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  11. Tegan Avatar
    Tegan

    It’s a shame that people tend to react first with emotions, rather than wait and ponder things that are being presented. My heart goes out to the families who have someone with Autism. I myself had a brother with Down’s Syndrome. I currently work with children (and more often teenagers) of varying degrees of retardation. I have also listened to the full broadcast of Michael Savage’s show, in which he went on about Autism.
    When he says “99% of the cases of Autism,” it’s apparent that it was a spur-of-the-moment/off the cuff remark. Some of the reactions to that remark appear to be emotional reactions. Now before I get any grief, let me again state that I work with children with special needs, as well as having had a brother with a disability. One of the children I work with in particular has Autism. Many years ago, I had to attend conferences about Autism. At that time, the “Autism Spectrum” wasn’t as spread out as it is today. At the lower end was “Infantile Autism,” or Autism in which a person needs constant supervision and help with many everyday life skills. At the farther end, “Savant Autism,” or (as it was explained at the conference) a person who has some problems with life skills, but through teaching and practice, can adapt well in society – somewhat like Dustin Hoffman’s character in the movie, “Rainman.” Asberger’s (forgive my spelling) at that particular time wasn’t considered in the spectrum, but the possibilities of using the same techniques to help people afflicted to cope with their frustration, much like was being done with people with Autism, were discussed.
    One child I work with in particular, is Autistic. Using the spectrum as I learned it, the child would fall somewhere between the “Infantile Autism” and the middle of the entire spectrum. It has taken years of work, patience, bruises and tears, but there is HUGE progress. It is in these similar type of cases that I highly doubt Mr. Savage was ranting.

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  12. Tegan Avatar
    Tegan

    (Sorry…I have a lot to say…)
    He has gone on to say that his ranting (aside from it being a part of a larger “we’re medicating our children too much” tirade) was meant to show that by labeling someone with Autism has dire affects, should it be a mis-diagnosis. Early is critical for those who truly have Autism. For those that don’t, it has the potential of sticking them with a label that will follow them for the rest of their lives, hindering their chances of attempting things. (I personally like to set the bar pretty high for all of my students, regardless of their ability, and praise any and all progress made – even if
    they don’t quite reach the bar. There have been times that I’ve been told that a bar I set had been too high and that it couldn’t be done, only to have the student surprise themselves and everyone else by surpassing it.)
    I have also had the chance to work with students who use their disability/diagnosis as an excuse. Be it ADD/ADHD to Asperger’s to Down’s Syndrome, their label hindered their growth, because those around them had allowed it to be an excuse for bad behavior. (This is extremely difficult to work on in high school, given the short amount of time we have to work with them, compared with elementary and middle schools.) Some behavior is genuine, and Mr. Savage realizes that, but fails to show this to people – especially those who hear a clip of his show on the news/second hand. From what was said that particular show, and subsequent shows, I believe that Mr. Savage was trying to reference the dramatically high rates of Autism being diagnosed, and the number of those being mis-diagnosed in order to fund various programs of research towards medications (rather than therapies). The more people diagnosed with Autism doesn’t always mean that there will be more money allocated towards a cure or better therapies. More people with the diagnosis of Autism put a strain on resources. A severe strain on resources. In the school district I work in now, budgets are being cut, and almost always end up getting cut the most in special education. The resources would be better utilized for those with proper/close to proper diagnosis (whatever they may be, and in some cases a definitive diagnosis is elusive, but can be treated with methods used for other, similar disabilities) rather than used to placate a child who has been allowed to get whatever they want because of their disability. (Which happens to be a disability to any child regardless of need/special need…and I have had parents tell me “Snookums/child’s name can’t do insert activity/request/naughty behavior (swearing/hitting/stealing/cheating/lying) here because he/she has insert disablity” My co-workers and myself bend ourselves backwards trying to support all of the students and their families, and yet that particular attitude is the hardest in which to deal. Fight for correct a diagnosis. Fight for proper care/treatment and early intervention. Every person deserves that much, but for the love of God, don’t make use the disability as an excuse.
    (I realize that this is easier said than done. I have worked in public with my share of meltdowns/tantrums, only to have bystanders “Tsk-Tsk” at me or make rude comments. At times I’ve ignored it and other times I’ve used it to educate. In the instance of the student with Autism, rather than tell someone, “He/She has Autism.” I explain that the student has a disability, and that while it looks like a tantrum and I’m giving in (using a calm voice rather than yelling), I’m actually trying to help the student learn how to cope with frustrations in life and that appearances aren’t at all what they seem to be at first. (I’m not always in a position to get all of that out, but some variation usually escapes me to get the point across.)
    Lastly, a mother (of the student with Autism) heard the comments. Her reaction? “I agree with every damned point he made. The school is always trying to get me to pump more medication into my child – I don’t want my kid to be a zombie like a few of the other kids! I know the medications do a number on the organs…I don’t want to kill my kid – I’m happy the way he/she is! Besides, the more people have their kids diagnosed with Autism – and they’re really not, it takes away from my kid – and others like him/her who need it! I wish more people had the gall to say stuff like that.”
    Strictly speaking as a person working with special needs students in school and in the community, parents like her – who fight for what she knows is needed and refuses to let bad/”naughty” behavior slide because of a disability are the most wonderful asset a child can have. Speaking as a sibling of a person with a disability, that kind of parent is the best thing any child can have. To this day, my other brother and I can’t remember a time in which our brother was allowed to “get away with” anything that would get ourselves punished had it been us doing it. (Mom says that there were times (like slightly shorter time-outs, etc., but they were so slight that we never caught it.)

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  13. The Savage Weiner Avatar
    The Savage Weiner

    Nobody would care what Eddie Murphy would say about autism. Why does anyone care what Michael Weiner (that name “Savage”…kind of sounds like a contestant in a “Leatherman” contest); Who cares what Mr. Weiner has to say about it? Whenever Weiner opens his mouth, what comes out is a bigger joke than any Eddie Murphy material anyway. This discussion, so to speak, “honors the unworthy.”

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