Autism Isn’t Real: Michael Savage Is The Brat Who Continues To Act Out
July 22, 2008 / 10:39 am • By Dr. Melissa ClouthierHere is what quasi-crazy talk show host Michael Savage says about autism (via Cassy Fiano):
I remember when my intelligent three year old son started melting down. It was after three years of never crying. He would scrape his knees, be bleeding profusely and not feel it or not express how he felt. I was never sure. He didn’t cry when he was hungry. He didn’t ask to get out of his crib. He swayed. He got “lost” in music, specifically Sarah Brightman who he seemed to love. He was sweet and docile and satisfied to be entertained by sunlight sparkling on the carpet.
And then the fits came. His “fits” seemed like utter frustration and exhaustion. I later realized he was trying to learn to talk and simply could not say the words. Now, if Michael Savage, who has the biggest New York mouth on talk radio, was forced to be mute, he would be throwing a fit inside of five minutes. Hell, what’s his excuse now? He has all his abilities.
My son’s “symptoms” are myriad at age 11. It’s not readily apparent to look at him, but a teacher in a classroom figures it out within minutes.
To say that autism is overdiagnosed or just the trendy diagnosis like asthma for tax reasons is insanity. First, many parents resist the diagnosis because they don’t want the label. I can understand why. Once the child gets the diagnosis, the schools are off the hook about making sure the child receives an education. Second, Autism is not ADD. The ADD kids would, to a kid I’ve met, benefit from a couple things: more structure, more discipline, better diet, more physical activity and less TV and videogames. ADD will evaporate in these circumstances. ADD is a tenuous diagnosis, I’ll grant him that. American kids are overmedicated. That’s a given. Still, all these behavioral changes can be made for any child, including an autistic child, but for the autistic child, it won’t be enough. I know. I’ve tried.
A severely autistic child will “self-stim” non-stop. That means he’ll spin, or spin things, flick fingers, rock, bang his head, moan, all sorts of things to express excitement, frustration or just to feel better. Try it some time: if you’re feeling stressed, stand up, sway back and forth with your eyes closed. Better yet, sit in a rocking chair. The repetitive rocking motion is calming. But why is an autistic kid always stressed or overwhelmed with emotion in general and needs to be calmed? That’s the million dollar question.
Michael Savage demonstrates his ignorance on this issue. So, he’s not backing down. He’s not apologizing. Oh well. I don’t really give a flip what Michael Savage thinks, except to the extent that he is, for some reason, lumped in with the conservative movement. I’ll admit it. I listen to the guy sometimes and I take him for what he is: an entertainer in the Howard Stern mode of shock jock. I imagine his outrage at the Fairness Doctrine and being “muzzled”. Oh, he’d throw a fit alright, but he can’t seem to get a child who knows what’s happening but who cannot adequately express himself or comprehend emotions or lacks the coordination to ride a bike.
Michael Savage is a blowhard, narcissistic, manic-depressive if I had to diagnose. And on autism, he is wrong.
Cross-posted at Right Wing News
4 Responses to “Autism Isn’t Real: Michael Savage Is The Brat Who Continues To Act Out”
July 22 2008 / 10:14 pm
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I’m a little shocked that your reaction to someone discounting the reality of Autism would be to discount the reality of ADD. As a mom of an ADHD kid, who went undiagnosed for years due to my own belief that it was not a real disorder, it kind of irks me.
That said, I have a great book on ADD in which the author covers what he calls “attention differences,” including ADD, Tourette’s, and Bi-Polar. He talks briefly about why he leaves out Autism, since it is also an attention difference, as he defines that phrase. The reason was that an Autistic child does not benefit from the same behavioral modifications, as you said.
Still, it is false that real ADD will “evaporate” with lifestyle modifications. Improve? Yes. But ADD is a real disorder, with a range of symptoms that go far beyond not paying attention and not sitting still, or the classic: boys being boys. It is a daily struggle for ADD (ADHD) kids and their families to deal with the reality of the disorder and all of its symptoms.
Discounting that is not necessary to building support for your own struggle.
July 22 2008 / 11:08 pm
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My point was that Savage has a point about overmedication for American children in general. In addition, I think that typical boy behavior has been pathologized by the medical establishment.
To me, it’s a form of discrimination.
December 28 2008 / 8:28 pm
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let me say something about all this autistic hype. i live with a supposed “autistic” child. and let me tell ya, i cant speak for everyone but this kid needs his ass beat and he’d be just fine. im not concerned with being politically correct. lets face it… no matter what anyone says, it’s gonna offend someone so heres a kind word for all those i may offend… eat shit! you tree hugging, dolphin fuckers can piss off. im so tired of hearing your whiny asses complain because this person said something offensive or that person said something offensive. SHUTUP!! no1 cares ya whiny lil pussy’s. autism is entirely too applied to every kid with behavioral probs. it’s sickening in fact. this brings me to what dennis leary said not too long ago. he’s fuckin right. you either have an inteligent child or you dont. my children have a pretty good head on their shoulders. yeah, im proud of that. but if they werent, im not gonna look and look for a medical reason as to why they arent just to make myself feel less responsable. thats rediculous and prob explains why my kid would hypothetically be dumber than a box of rocks. we all had the one friend who wasnt as bright as the rest growing up. and we’ve all seen the one kid who’s a little off. ADD is a personality trait. ADHD is bullshit. have ya ever noticed this…. it’s ALWAYS the flakey mothers who have the flakey kids. FUCKIN ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!!! ive never seen a black mother say their kid has ADHD. and ya know why? cause they’ll beat that kids ass til he or she is so damn tired, it takes the “H” right out of ADHD. why is it this autism and ADD/ADHD crap is exploding right at the same time that we arent aloud to whoop a kids ass????? has this entered anyones head?? we are no longer aloud to whoop the shit out of a child because some whacko’s took it too far and now we’ve got an explosion of “autistic and ADHD” kids now. im sure im gonna get a reply from some white, middle class, FLAKEY, mother who’s child supposedly has autism or in reality, hasnt had his ass beat good, tellin me i have no idea what im talkin about. well…. i live it everyday. just a suggestion, punch that little shit in the mouth the next time he wants to throw a temper tantrum and i can guarantee it’ll stop him in his tracks. if it doesnt, he’s fuckin retarded, not autistic. j, out