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, January 21, 2011

BUSINESS AS USUAL...

With all of the HOOPLA going on this past 2 weeks about the fraud reported about the MMR vaccine and Autism...
we, the O'Donnell family...have gone about with life with Business
as Usual...

Our children...all 6 of them, 5 with Autism...have continued to thrive.
All while many changes have gone on...

This week, I decided to catch up on the old forums I used to visit....
I tried to contribute, but honestly, why bother ???
Diane is still bitching and moaning (but thank the Lord she has found SpellCheck), AIR is still sure she was not duped by the goings on of the Mercury Militia, and so on..
Nobody keeps insisting they are Somebody..but, frankly, they are still Nobody!

The good folks at AoA are still insisting that this whole fiasco is propaganda
started by the good ol' USA...and they should know about Propaganda!

Poor George Stephanopoulos decided to take on the doctor the Mercury Militia love so very much...he did not understand the backlash that they would bestow upon him..
George was accused of not even reading the Doctors book...how in the heck would these people know if he did or did not read a book...do you have spies that go that far into a person's life?
If you do, believe me, it would not surprise me at all !!

I received a Kindle for Christmas from my wonderful husband. My first purchase was
Kim Stagliano's book...I actually did not hate it..but,there was one comment she made that I must question..
She stated AoA was started and they would welcome comments...what she did not say was they would welcome comments ONLY if you agree with AoA...she also did not mention that they would hunt down the commenters that disagree with them ( I do not have to elaborate..they know what I mean)..the email witch hunts they do are brutal...
I also notice AoA has changed it's format..they went from looking like the blog they are to a more newspaper kind of format...I guess they think this will make people take them more seriously...
but, SERIOUSLY...they are still just a blog people !!

My second book I bought..The Panic Virus...by Seth Mnookin....thanks Seth, I really hope these desperate parents listen to you...better than that...I hope the doctors who have duped these parents listen more..
Seth dug deep into all the hysteria that surrounds the Mercury/Autism connection. He did this without having anything invested in Autism. He did not write this book to sell a vaccine. He is not riding on the coattails of parent's desperate for a cure or a recovery.

We have people who believe their Autistic children have been cured by listening to Jenny McCarthy and JB, even while their own children are still in Special Education receiving services....

I have a friend who is seeing a local doctor who scoped her child..you guess who the doctor is...she regrets getting involved with this center...but, has invested so much money and emotion..she has been resolved to think they would not lie to her...
she is far too invested...her son is still Autistic...she was told she started too late to help him....SHAME ON THEM !!!

I am so proud of my family.
We wake up every morning...the kids go to school (where they excel, BTW)...Patrick and I work full time...and we join together as a family every night...
All of the kids have extra-curricular activities, with the exception of Kiernan.
Caitlin won a gold medal in bowling at The Special Olympics, she was so proud, as were we of her.
We have family and friends over every weekend...
we carry on..
Business as Usual !!!

8 comments:

PoetCSW said...

There is no way to argue with individuals emotionally invested in a belief. They have faith in their leaders, and by corollary must vilify anyone challenging the great and wonderful crusaders.

I do fear some are exploited because their desire for explanations makes them vulnerable to promises of easy answers and cures. Everyone wants simple answers, which is why conspiracy theories thrive.

In the end, the debate will not fade. Ever. Like so many other debates in autism, this one is endless. The tribes have formed.

Tina said...

I always enjoy reading your blog. You have grace and humor, what a blessing you are my friend.

Queenbuv3 said...

I agree with everything you are saying : ) The only meds my son is on is for his Epilepsy. He is 12 years old, has a lot of issues and is severely Autistic but God made him the way he is for a reason. All children have issues, Autistic or not, and it is our job as parents to make sure they always feel loved even though they aren't perfect. What human being is perfect?!

I too just stear clear of the crazy forums because it is like getting in a pissing match with a skunk. It just stresses me out and my kids don't need me to be anymore stressed out than I already am with the usual life stuff. Thank you for being another voice of reason. There are too few of us these days : (

Unknown said...

You and your family just keep on keeping on, Jeannette! Just keep in mind that the Mercury Militia folks are nothing more than the autism community's analogue to the "birthers" who continue to insist that President Obama is a Muslim born in Kenya.

PS: Here's a chuckle: the CAPTCHA generated for this comment was "fulplati". A full plate of nonsense from the quacks and their followers, I guess.

Anonymous said...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4992738.html

You are fortunate that your kids have had good educators. So much of what goes on in Texas in terms of supposedly educating kids on the spectrum appropriately is one big, horrifying nightmare for some.

Unknown said...

Thank you for your blog.
Thank you that you are still a normal person, with thoughts and believes and that you have not turned celebrity and decided that you alone know the cure.
Years ago I watched the Extreme Makeover, and it was actually a fluke that I landed on this website today, but I was happy to see that you sound like the same person now as then.
Congrats on the accomplishments of your life, and the wonderful lives that you have helped your children crave out.
God Bless,
Michelle

Anonymous said...

It's so sad to see parents fight against each other about who has it right...At the end of the day ALL our children are still autistic, and the same question torments us: what will happen to them when we are no longer around?

Unknown said...

Hi: I need help. I have an 12 year old boy that has autism and me been the protective mother have always told him that he is just like any other boy, and I really believe that but now he is asking "mommy why did god made me different, why am I not normal like other kids, why can I think the same way as other kids". and many more. He been having issues at school and I met with his teachers and they tell me that I need to explain to him that he is different. How can I explain to him in words that he can understand? Does anybody know of any books that he can actually read?

Thank you

Diana