About Me

I am the proud mother of 6 children. 5 of our children have autism. We do not feel our world has ended, but just begun. We do not chelate, intervene biochemically, give shots of any kind, practice ABA, etc. We treat them as we treat any humanbeing. We treat them with kindness and respect and expect the same from them. They are exceptional children.

Friday, March 19, 2010

THE IDIOCRACY OF JENNY MCCARTHY


Jenny McCarthy has an interview with Hollywood Life while attending Chelsea Handler's book
signing....
Ms. McCarthy states that her son has been "undiagnosed" with Autism...yet, and this is a HUGE
yet...he might get Autism back because Autism is toxic overload and you never know if he will be overloaded again...
Kind of hilarious coming from a woman who touts botox injections....(talk about hypocrisy)...!!!

Here is the excerpt:

Jenny McCarthy couldn’t be happier with her son’s marked improvement. Although recent reports suggested that her 7-year-old son, Evan, was wrongly diagnosed with autism in 2005, Jenny insists to us exclusively that her son DID have the disorder, but has since been cured thanks to advances in treatment.

“My son is completely better…You wouldn’t be able to tell!” Jenny, 37, raved to us at her friend Chelsea Handler’s Chelsea, Chelsea, Bang, Bang book launch party at the Beverly Hilton March 17. “I think autism is toxic overload … it might come back. But for now, he’s undiagnosed.”

Watch the video to hear Jenny discuss some side effects Evan is still experiencing, including ADD-like symptoms, as well as where she sees her son’s diagnosis in the future.

Now see...this is the type of statements made by Jenny and her crew that really gets my
blood boiling.

Autism is a diagnosis that has been so misused by people who are so desperate for a "cure"
that they actually think you can remove the label....

In the interview..Jenny states he is a bit ADD, but that is it....
Hey Jenny....!!!
ADD is a behavior with Autistic children...

And, if this is true, why is this young boy still being taught in a school for Autistic
children?

And Jenny....Autism does not come and go...that is just pure crap...

I just wish you would mind what you say before you open your uneducated, misinformed,
brain-washing mouth.
Parent's like myself, who are out there fighting every day for services for our children are
getting a bit ticked off because you make Autism seem so nonchalant....
Easy come...easy go !!!!

For all the parents out there that think Autism is "toxic overload" or "mercury poisoning"...
do me a favor...
Remove the autism diagnosis from your child now.....
that way more services will open up for our children who respond to the proven therapies
that work.
Autism is not a diagnosis to play with. We worked hard to try to get the diagnosis for our oldest daughter over 18 years ago. It was not an easy diagnosis to get from even a neurologist. But, the diagnosis meant the door opened wide for better services and more of them.
18 years later, I have to beg for these services. I have to sit and watch as my daughter's therapies were cut in half due to lack of funds.

If you watch the interview with Jenny...you see that she states Evan speaks, has eye contact and makes new friends....
WOW!!!
So do my autistic kids....
My kids relish hugs and kisses...they love to grab my face and look at me and others.
They love to maintain contact with us and those around them.
All but Kiernan are verbal...and believe me, we know what he wants when he wants it...

Don't get me wrong...I am thrilled Evan speaks and maintains eye contact....that is wonderful.
But, please...and I mean PLEASE....
Don't use the Autism label as a label that can be put on a child and taken off just because their
"toxins" are overloaded....
that is doing harm to parent's who are really trying hard to maintain services without disrupting our children's lives.
Autism is not like a bandage...you don't put the label on when it is deemed necessary and remove it when they are "better".

ARE YOU KIDDING ME ???

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am new to your blog, and this is my first time commenting, but I couldn't resist. Jenny has been such a voice for ASD. I think, without her and a few other big stars, we wouldn't have the public eyes looking at our children as seriously as they are. HOWEVER, now she needs to shut up.

I will never forget the first book of hers I read on the topic about when Evan first started down this journey. She went on and on and on about medications and how she wouldn't even let Evan have Ibuprofen anymore, as she's going on about popping Ativan and such because she couldn't handle the hard life raising him. (she was in the car the first time she said this in her book)

That's when the bells hit me that she makes no sense. Ibuprofen horrible, Ativan good? Uh, OK. Jenny, honey, meet reality. Most of us live life without pharmaceutical interventions to help us deal with our kids. Why? Because we have to actually deal with our kids. And we do read the hypocrisy in those two ideas you have about meds.

My son is so much better than he was. He has speech (not where it should be at all, but speech), he smiles, hugs, kisses, and says he loves us. He's not cured. He's been helped through therapy and medical intervention. I do think he would regress if we stopped everything (or, at least, not progress, which eventually would look the same). What kid with most disorders and diesases out there wouldn't? It doesn't mean he got Autism back, it means we stopped helping him develop appropriately and the Autism took over fully instead of the symptoms being fought against.

I don't know if that ramble makes any sense. I don't know if you even want to post such ramblings. Hehehe. I am tired from having two on the spectrum with sleep issues (which includes my younger son waking at 3:45am many mornings). But Jenny just irritates me. She could do so much good because of the fame she has aquired. I fear she will hurt the Autism community with the talk of curing and then getting it back.

Lyn said...

I don't totally understand why people listen to her. She doesn't seem very bright to me. She gets in the way of learning the facts about autism and people with it.

Sherry said...

Autism is NOT a diseae, but a disorder of the brain. The earlier you accept and treat autistic children, the more likely they can at least pretend they are "normal", whatever that is. Why don't people get this?

Sherry
Mother of an autistic daughter, now 27 years old, and highly functioning

Unknown said...

You consider it acceptable to call someone an "i---t"? Do you also condone calling someone a "r----d"?

Since you enjoy name calling so much here is another one to pin on your own lapel "hypocrite".

Mom26children said...

Autism Reality....
I NEVER called anyone an i---t...or the other word.
Nice try though !!

Peddle your propaganda on some one else's site, will ya?

If you want to follow Jenny, then be my guest....
But, please, keep her away from my kids !!!

And if you know her...please tell her that autism is not an "easy come, easy go" diagnosis...
Thanks.

Beth said...

I really wanted to like Jenny as an autistic spokesperson, i loved all her other lifestyle books. I am very disappointed. I think she is one of those people who belives everything they read- like people who follow fad diets or have a new trendy religion

Beth
Adult living with Asbergers
with 4 year old twin austistic Daughters
with 3 not so distant relatives with Asbergers

Lanie said...

Jenny is what she is - an ill-informed, attention-seeking, wannabe who is out there influencing some parents, although I can't imagine why anyone would consider her qualified as an authority on autism. She offers false hope when what is really needed are solid approaches to helping those with autism reach their maximum potential.

Lanie
Mother of an autistic son, now 27 years old, and highly functioning

Flutterby said...

When Jenny McCarthy first went public with "my son is autistic" parents of autistic children everywhere were overjoyed to have her bring attention to the disorder. Now she's veered off the savior path & most people want her to shut up. Talk when you are saying what we want you to say & shut up when we don't. No hypocracy there.

I don't believe by any means that autism & cancer are alike, but for lack of a better analogy I'm going to use cancer.

There are hundreds of thousands of people diagnosed with cancer every year, but we are smart enough after years of research & experience to know that no two people will have identical cases. There are as many causes as there are cases. Some people are cured, some people go into remission then relapse, & some are terminal. Many are diagnosed as terminal by 'think in the box' doctors & go on to live for years. The medical community treats similar cases exactly alike because 1) they have limited proven options 2) thinking outside their box has never been a strong point with most doctors 3) rightly, not many parents are going to let doctors experiment on their kids, especially with nicotine patches & things that make them vomit & run fever.

My cousin died from prostate cancer at age 31. My friends child was born with neuroblastoma. My sister got childhood leukemia at 29. It was still cancer even though there was no tumor to remove. All three had forms of cancer considered unusual. I know a doctor whose daughter was obviously autistic from birth. It is genetic in this case. There is no other explanation. I've met children who were fine until shortly after their two year immunizations & then it's like some flipped off the switch. To deny the very possible link between the two is in my mind akin to being Phillip Morris of the autistic world. (1946: Tests showed 3 out of 4 cases of smokers’ cough cleared on changing to Philip Morris.)

For Jenny McCarthy to imply all autism is due to toxic overload is like saying all cancer is due to air pollution. And it is just as irresponsible denying toxic overload as a cause. Everyone should be smart enough to know you can't take a celebrity's word as law, and people with an autistic child should learn quickly that no one, including an expert, has all the answers.
However, if Evan's autism was caused by an external factor that has been corrected, why can't his autism be "cured"? My sister's leukemia was considered cured five years after she went into remission. Her joint pain was a symptom of leukemia but now is a result of the steriods used to cure her deteriorating her bones. Not all ADD is a symtom of autism. Saying autism can't be cured should probably be changed to "there is no officially known cure at this time."
I'm sure no parent of an autistic child is an expert on how another parent should handle their child's condition. Neither are they experts at diagnosis. Each one learns by listening to others & by trial & error. What works for a child who became autisic because of "toxic overload" won't work for a child born autistic. What works for a child born moderately autistic won't work for one born severly autistic.
The point I am so long-windedly trying to make is that instead of getting mad & disputing each other because what they said isnt true for your child, parents need to contribute to each other. Your child was born with autism. Another child became autistic at age two. It's still autism & you might be able to learn and to help each other in the long run.

Anonymous said...

I purchased Jenny's book...after a friend suggested it. (I didn't even know who Jenny McCarthy was!) I wish I would have done more research on Jenny before buying her book.... I'm still reading it because I am trying to learn about ALL VIEWPOINTS when it comes to autism. I'm not one to buy-in to the pharma-solution readily. I'm also not one to dismiss anecdotal evidence. I'm glad I have found this site!

I am suspicious that my grandson has autism. His parents are wonderfully loving and attentive, and it's so refreshing to learn that love and attention DO matter.

Thanks for sharing....