Dr Kartzinel,
You wrote in Jenny McCarthy's book...."Autism, as I see it, steals the soul from a child; then, if allowed, relentelessly sucks life's marrow out of the family members, one by one."
You, sir, owe each of these wonderful, amazing, gifted, talented, lovable, loving, soulful children an apology.
These children DO NOT realize there are people out in the world, such as yourself, who do not feel they are of any value....how sad for your own child that your own wife would state, "YOU BROKE HIM, now you fix him!"....
My children are not broken, they are whole, peaceful, non-violent, non-headbanging, non-meltdown children. These children with Autism can sit in a classroom and focus and maintain honor roll grade averages without the interventions you make so much money from.
I do not believe you or Ms. McCarthy understands the ramifications you have created with the injustices you speak about our Autistic children. Now, millions of people who were not sure of what Autism entails have a distorted view of Autism because of you and Ms. McCarthy's insensitive wording.
SHAME ON BOTH OF YOU !!!!
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36 comments:
Maybe your kids should not be called " autistic" except for the one who can't talk. Kartzinel's statement is proper and accurate. We need the truth about how horrible autism is to be known.
Hey John,
Nope, my kids are Autistic, and all that entails.
Dr. Kartzinel was irresponsible for his statements....
Jeanette
Thank you for this re-emphasis that stupid words like, "autism... steals the soul from the child," do real world damage.
I agree the behavior and words of Jenny McCarthy and Jerry Kartzinel are shameful.
Wow, did not hear about that Doc. What a doofus! Robin saw Jenny on Oprah and thought some of her statements to be confusing to many.
Our 3 oldest do great to fairly well in school and generally pretty good in public. Meltdowns are more of a hard thaw now days.
The 3 youngest? Well... not so much. Someday you'll have to give us a call so we can benefit from your blazed multi-ASD children trail. Our email again: autism_bites@yahoo.com
Well said mom! My children are also NOT broken or soulless. Our lives are full, and in no way horrible (John). Kartzinel's statement is neither proper nor accurate.
"Maybe your kids should not be called " autistic" except for the one who can't talk."
Dr. Fore Sam: Do you think the definition of autism should be changed such that lack of speech is a requirement? That would leave out some of your friends' kids, no doubt. It would certainly make "recovery" very common.
m26c: Well said.
Thanks Joseph,
And, if non-verbal is the issue...all but our child with Asperger's were severely delayed in their speech.
2 of these children did not speak until they were 4 years old. 1 was 9 years old and 1 is still non-verbal.
All got better without biomed.....shocking, but true.
Jeanette
Did your child speak at all before age 9? How did her speech start? In phrases and then conversational? I am curious because I know a 9 year old who speaks in requests and phrases but going onto conversation and longer length of utterance has proven difficult. I was wondering if there was more that could be done to bring on more speech.
Thank you.
Our daughter never spoke before the age of 9 years. Now, she speaks fluently, but only at her request. She is 16 now and her vocabulary is huge....
Jeanette
Did she speak fluently right away or did it take a few years to get to that level?
I am not sure if she had the ability to speak fluently, I believe she did...
She just started adding new words very quickly.
Before we knew it, the child we always thought would be non-verbal, was verbal....
That is why I have no worries about our 6 year old non-verbal son.
Jeanette
Well said!
I think Jenny McCarthy is fooling herself and those with new diagnosis will think she knows what she's talking about. I once asked my daughter's specialist what she thought about the diets for autistics. Her response was that if they actually worked she would prescribed them in a heart beat.
My daughter is doing great without crazy diets, etc. It has been a long, interesting road.
You know,
reading her book I have to tell you that at first (the beginning, the part about the seizures) I thought she was writing a book about my child. As the book got deeper, well, she means well but I don't thinks she truly understands the can of worms she is opening up.
My kid was different from day one. He was not vaccine damaged. Neither was my other son. Higher functioning but still autistic. My children have souls. They have light. They ARE light. They smile, they love, they have feelings. They aren't broken. And while we have had to do some funky diet stuff (due to one having a severe dairy allergy and the other having a severe wheat allergy) they are just fine the way they are, thankyouverymuch. Yes, I want their medical problems to go away. Yes, they need speech, OT, PT. And yes, it would be great if they would speak. But I ain't pumping thier little bodies full of stuff that some quack prescribes (which isn't approved by any agency) just to "see" if it will work. Sorry, ain't gonna do it.
The reason his words do damage? Well, just this week alone I have gotten about twenty calls from well-meaning friends and families giving me their opinion on which cure I should be trying. They now think that I hate the way my child is. They now feel sorry for me. They are no longer accepting my Bugaboo for who he is. They want to cure and change him. They hate autism. I feel sad for them.
Hi Goddess,
If this "doctor" has the right to call my child soul-less, than it would make no difference if I called him a "quack" and Jenny a "bimbo"....those words hurt just as bad.
Dr. Kartzinel needs to look into my 13 year old daughter's eyes and explain why he thinks she has no soul...she read what he wrote and is quite hurt by it.....
She is not the only one...
Jeanette
I'm hurt, too.
But I mostly feel sorry for Jenny that her life was so awful. I am happy her son is doing better but really sad that she feels the need to go on tv and tell everyone that he is "cured". Yet she admits he still stims, still tantrums, etc, etc.
Souless. That word makes me shudder. I wonder if he realizes how awful it sounds?
my son has a soul too! I think what they mean is that autism steals our ability to understand their deep and meaningful thoughts.
Wow the more and more I read about Jenny's book the more I am shocked at the rush for selling books and using professionals in the field as merchandisers. Very sad indeed.
And how about McCarthy claiming her friend's son regressed after receiving the hepatitis C vaccine? (which she wrote in the book) There is no hep. C vaccine. So can Jenny just make things up to sell a book? That inaccuracy and others, as well as her filthy mouth and immature humor made for a pathic book in my opinion. Glad I got this from the library and didn't spend money on this piece of junk.
I loved Jenny's book & I am glad to finally hear someone talk about autism in a real light. I have two children with autism who are recovering, thanks to DAN doctors & ABA therapy. I do not feel that Dr. Kartzinel was irresponsible for his statements. ANyone who has an autistic child at some point, has felt totally overwhelmed and saddened, despair. It may not be the case once yo uwork your way through the mourning process. And in the beginning, autism does steal your child's soul and that is how you realize that something isn't right. You then spend everything you have in you to get that soul back. Thankfully, due to biomedical care, I am getting the light back in my babies eyes. Who are we to judge another person's autism journey. Just like autism itself, every parents walk is different.
I loved Jenny's book & I am glad to finally hear someone talk about autism in a real light. I have two children with autism who are recovering, thanks to DAN doctors & ABA therapy. I do not feel that Dr. Kartzinel was irresponsible for his statements. ANyone who has an autistic child at some point, has felt totally overwhelmed and saddened, despair. It may not be the case once yo uwork your way through the mourning process. And in the beginning, autism does steal your child's soul and that is how you realize that something isn't right. You then spend everything you have in you to get that soul back. Thankfully, due to biomedical care, I am getting the light back in my babies eyes. Who are we to judge another person's autism journey. Just like autism itself, every parents walk is different.
kasey rae,
With all due respect, my children were NEVER left void of a soul.
I do not judge this person's autism "journey" at all. I judge the way they lumped all of my children under a definition they do not fit.
Dr. Kartzinel made a great disservice in my eyes by making that statement. He sent Autism back 40 years.
Jeanette
Most of you are all acting completely foolishly.
I do not speak for Dr. Kartzinel (Please note: I DO NOT SPEAK FOR DR. KARTZINEL!). I do, however, know him both by reputation, and personally, and he would NEVER say that a child is "soulless." Those are YOUR words. NOT his. And before you go off on some sort of idiotic irrational tangent, you should read the book ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
The point of the "soul-stealing" bit is CLEARLY that it can SEEM hopeless. I do not wish to divulge details of the Kartzinels' religious lives, but I can assure you from personal knowledge that they do NOT believe in any such thing as "soulless children". Have NONE of you EVER heard of METAPHOR?
Clearly (as any high school English student could tell you), he means the "spirit" of the child, in the sense that people talk about "Team Spirit," or "That music has Soul in it."
Just try and follow this thought: Just as no right-minded person would think that music HAS an immortal soul, NO ONE should think there is such a thing as a child WITHOUT a soul! And of ALL the things Dr. Kartzinel may or may not believe, it is not that his child, or ANY autistic child, has NO SOUL.
And yes, there is actually a distinction. A child with no spirit, or "soul," (in the sense of liveliness, or other common-sense criteria) could, i think, very easily exasperate and frustrate other family members.
May I further assure you of something, ESPECIALLY YOU TWO, "dadof6autistickids," and "domesticgoddess":
Dr. Kartzinel, whatever else he is, is NONE of the following:
1) A lunatic,
2) A "quack,"
3) A "doofus,"
4) An intentional liar.
For pity's sake, NONE OF YOU, unless you are medical doctors who also have experience with alternative medicine, have ANY right to dispute with him at ALL.
FURTHERMORE:
While I totally agree that accepting a person for who they are is good idea, SINCE WHEN did autism become part of "who someone is"??? If I was born DEAF, and there was a way to cure me (which, by the way, there now IS), would it not be good to HEAR? As a musician, I certainly think so!
If I was born with (or vaccinated *into*) a condition that caused me to smear poo all over walls, as severe autism does, would it not be better for my parents to try and change this by any reasonable means necessary, rather than "accept the cute little poo-smearing kid as he is"??!?
FURTHERMORE:
The more I read of the blog itself, the more I think this:
Dear writer whose name i have not found on this blog yet,
Do you really think that you are not supposed to influence the way your children grow up?
I started playing piano at age 3. Violin at age 5. Horn at age 14 (stopped at 16 from braces), and organ at age 15. WHY did I do these things? Did I really have a burning desire to do anything at all when I was three?
No.
I had no IDEA what I should do, how I should behave (mostly badly, truth be told), what I should eat, when I should sleep - None of it. The total sum of my knowledge when I was three was how to talk, and how to throw a tantrum.
I did not have any ideas at all about consciously *wiling* to do anything.
I suspect that most children are like me: As a parent, then YOU control your kid's interests by molding them at a young age. YOU control their nutrition. And if they have a condition that is not normal (notice, I do not say "bad", just out of the ordinary) then YOU control their medication, if any.
Yet WHO ARE YOU to decide for a, child, ANY child, whether or not he or she should be able to relate to people more easily?
What if you tried the alternative treatments, even some proposed by a quack, and they worked? From an objective standpoint, your children become more responsive, easier to talk with, and better communicators. They grow in new areas. What have you lost? Have you gained anything?
What if you were to try alternative treatments and they did not work?
Your kids would be the same. And even if you haven't gained anything, what have you lost?
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On a different tack,
For pity's sake, even medical journals have to turn a profit, and drug/vaccine companies do all the advertising. Do you really think that those same medical journals would be able to print an article calling their advertisers liars? To print an article that says "vaccines cause autism" would be sudden death to any major medical publication!
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I don't really expect to change your opinion... Most people believe they know best for their kids, even when they might not. And most parents are never willing to listen to others, even when it might save their kids a lot of trouble... I suspect that you already consider my opinion valueless and groundless. I wish you wouldn't, though...
Arron,
I DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT take back anything I wrote in MY blog. I read Jenny's book twice...found it angry and bitter. She called mothers who, according to her, do nothing (as if a mother would "do nothing") "woe is me" mothers. I also take offense to that.
Dr. Kartzinel wrote the forward to Jenny's book. He wrote that "autism steals the soul from a child"...HE IS WRONG.
He still owes my children an apology.
And, the writer, as you call me has a name...Jeanette. I am the mother to 6 children, 5 with autism. I KNOW autism, inside and out. I also work with children and adults with Autism. I DO NOT sit back in a pity mode with my children. My children are not allowed to misbehave because they have Autism....there autism is not an excuse for them to fail.
Jeanette
As a mother of a wonderful boy who has autism i know how life is and was before he got autism and cant help but wonder who if they were sick would want to stay like that. Respect every ones choices i choice to help my son recover from autism. I truly believe that autism takes so much away from the child!
i respectfully have to call all of you out(except for keisha). i think you are all missing the point. i am pretty sure the intentions by doctor kartzinel and jenny mccarthy are all coming from a good place. if it was not worded to your liking, then that is your ego that is being hurt. all these guys are trying to do is to provide some hope through the successes that they have had, seen, and experienced. if there is hope to provide some sort of 'normalcy' or hope of providing less stress and financial expenses for families, then isn't it worth listening to? especially nowadays. isn't it worth your time to at least be open to hearing it. you don't have to agree with it. but to crucify people who have sincere good intentions and say, 'shame on them'...i don't know?? im not saying anybody's wrong in protecting their child...but i don't think that it's wrong to also let people know that, hey, there might be an alternative out there that could alleviate some stress in our lives. most everyone on this blog is operating from an angry perspective (and understandably...autism in our kids is a tough process to undertake) and i would suggest that it blinds us to what the real deal is. it's about our kids getting the best in life. i think you can all agree that if we look deep enough, that's what it is really about for all of us and where everyone is trying to operate from. if you want your voice to be heard, then you have to listen twice as hard to others. if you want a healthy discussion about it, take your ego out of it. hear each other by listening, not screaming at each other. in the end, we all just want to get there and see our kids achieve the best...
respectfully,
an advocate for the youth of today
My son has autism and I LOVE him so much the way he is. But, has anyone considered the physical pain that goes along with autism? What about the pain caused by digestive issues, dental issues, sensory issues, etc.? I am so grateful for anyone who offers me the possiblity of making life a little easier and less painful for my son. What kind of parent would I be if I didn't feel that way? Also, Jenny NEVER said that she "cured" her son. Jenny and Dr. Jerry have been so often misquoted. Finally, please make the right decision for your own children and don't judge others. If your children are happy, then let them be the way they are. If you think you can make their quality of life better, try something. Someone said that we went back 40 years because of Dr. Jerry. The people who are fighting against people like Dr. Jerry are preventing autism research. Please don't prevent me from trying to take away some pain from my son. I hear him teeth grinding right now. His happiness keeps getting interrupted by pain. Please help me help him.
I know both autism and Jenny and Dr Jerry and I feel most people have misunderstood their though. Both respect and work for the children living with autism and I doubt they have less than respect and care for them. We need to save the energy spent on dispute to gather the knowledge about autism and take what is positive in every one who is working at helping the children. I promote a treatment avoiding stress, pain, tedious repetition, pleasure, tender care. I still look around to learn about all what can add to the treatment I run. Blessings to all, Claudie Gordon-Pomares
These histrionic, defaming, slandering comments about Dr. Kartzinel are ridiculous, and obviously motivated by denial and insecurity. There is such a thing as context, and if you can't figure out that autism can be a horrific burden at some times and for some people then you're nothing but a childish whiner.
Dear last ANONYMOUS,
Childish is posting on someone's blog Anonymously.
Dr. Kartzinel wrote "Autism, as I see it, steals the soul from a child, then, if allowed, relentlessly sucks life's marrow out of the family members, one by one."
I did not write this...I am quoting this out of Jenny's book.
I do not whine in my blog. I do not cry because my children have autism. I do not see them as hollow carcasses or broken beings.
Go on back over to the other side...the side that wants to be angry and depressed. The side that is mean and hateful to all of those who don't agree with them...enjoy your pity party...!!
I like it over here...where my children know they have worth and do not need to be "fixed"...
ok well lets all grow up here. I don't believe for one second that jenny mccarthy or dr. Kartzinel meant any harm. As with autism or any other condition, some tratments work and sadly some don't. When I look into my childs eyes I feel that he "isnt there" does that mean he is soul less. No! Does that mean I don't love him?? NOOO! It means I am human and I'm doing the best I can. It means that I have my days that are better than others while some days we aren't on the same page; my baby and I. Lets stop attacking each other! If there is a treatment that works for you PLEASE BLOG ABOUT IT... When researching I don't want to come across this kind of negativity- we are all in the same boat here! LETS TURN THIS BLOG INTO SOMETHING POSITIVE instead of dwelling on he said she said crap..and if you know ur child will be affected by something, well...KEEP EM AWAY FROM THE BOOK OR EXPLAIN TO THEM THAT THINGS CAN BE TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT. GOD BLESS US ALL!
hi all.
autism does steal everything away from the family.some siblings who dont have autism cant go for birthdays or go to the store to shop randomely with thier parents because the autistic sibling will most likely have a meltdown in public!if you are fortunate enough to have an autistic child who doesnt head bang,spear poop,scream all night.bite and hit himself and other people,pick his nose and eat it the snort and a host of other thing,good for you.that cant be my son!yes autism stole him away and let me have you believe that with the GAPS diet,low oxalate diet,good probiotics and anti parasitic and anti fungal natural remedies he has gotten much better.he is goin to be four next year and i bnelieve that he will be recovered very soon!yes it is unkind and cruel of you not to help your chilld be independent of you....in my country,we dont have homes where you can leave your child after you are gone so when i die,what will be of him?who will take care of him if i dont help him learn to be independent!dr jerry is a wondrefull man though i dont know him personally.he owes no apology to your children,you owe them an apology for condoning autism and thinking that is who they are!
My son has Autism. I think his statement is completely accurate. If Autism is treatable, it is something that needs to be fixed! I think you misinterpreted his message and overreacted. He's saying "Let's fix this" not "Your kid is worthless". My son is 2 1/2and I'm still waiting to hear his first word. It is something that other parents take for granted, and something I will cherish when the day comes. The day WILL come, thanks to Dr. Kartzinel and his research and with the help of our DAN! doctor.
I have mild autism & Dr. Jerry K. has helped me immensely. There is a lot of physical discomfort that comes along with autism that does get in the way of allowing my soul to shine. Dr. Kartzinel has provided relief from those discomforts. Never once has he made me feel like less than human or soulless. In fact, he seems to have a deep appreciation for the gifts of autism. There is a beauty with autism that not everyone can see, and I truly think he does.
Biomed is not for everybody. It won't even work for everybody. But it worked for me. And for the record, chelaton, injections and all the other horrors that urban legend speaks of never even came up once in my appts. We modified my diet & I took some nutritional supplements. That's all.
Thank You,
Casey RAE, and Aaron, for saying something to these people who obviously haven't read the book. Don't take words out of context, please. Dr. Jerry Kartzinel who has dedicated his life to children with autism, and knew he was the one who made his own son autistic,(what a heart breaking wake up call , to be the doctor administering the shot to his son that made him autistic)And God bless Jenny for stepping up and doing something that, "Hollywood" is not going to approve of.There is a connection with the shots. My son is allergic to almost everything, 9 years old, ASD/ ADHD . I know with how sensitive my son is to just red dye 40, that if I would of given him shots he would be full blown Autistic. Some children can die from a peanut, if your child is this kind of sensitive......
I am not sure what to say, BUT shed a tear after reading your post...i also have a son who is autistic.
i remember how playful he used to be and i remember every steps of him slipping away from himself...
no one can comment on any ones life thats all i want to say. Every children is different. if you have kids with no head banging no tantrums, no nothing then you are a blessed mom definitely, thank god or who ever you believe in for that...
And same time remember not every one is as blessed as you....
DO NOT categorize others kids and say all autistic kids are soulful just as yours, open your eyes see every other kids who suffers from Autism, ADHD , sensory processing issues, behavioural issues, who cant sit in normal class just like yours and last but not least kids who needs to be institutionalized for safety of society ..... where your kids are living a normal heartful life... Dont just point fingers at people dear mother.... WHEN YOU DO!!!! REMEMBER , REST 4 of your fingers IS POINTING BACK AT YOU.... Dr Jerry or Jenny or matter of fact who ever is advocating a cure or improvement for this painful life of many other kids who has Autism/ ADHD, just dont blame them without knowing or experiencing yourself how they are helping many....
i am taking my Son back from where ever he has slipped in to and i am very adamant on that... i see my Son slowly coming back now and i cannot be more thankful to all those moms and jenny especially who is helping to heal our kids, to give us hope to live one more day ... HOPE MOTHER OF 6 HOPE .... THATS WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO GIVE NOT DISRESPECT....
When you speak , speak for 100000s of people millions and millions of kids.... not just for yours... thats what society calls as "BEING SELFISH"
I AM GLAD FINALLY FOR YOUR SOULFUL KIDS... But i still wonder what makes them autistic if they dont show autistic behaviors. This is so surreal
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