Talk Show Host Savage:In 99% of Autism Cases, it's a Brat Who Hasn't Been Told to Cut The Act Out

I'm willing to bet that if I were in grammar school today that I would be diagnosed with either ADHD or autism. As a child I lacked fine motor skill and that was very frustrating. I could not sit still. I could read before I entered Kindergarten and already knew my times tables since I watched my older brother do those things. The things that we were supposed to sit still for and learn were therefore pretty boring and I could be disruptive since I didn't have to pay attention. I was also a nail biter and very shy.


But in reality, I was just a boy. I needed the frequent recesses they had back then to just run around with the other boys. We played tag and kickball. Games where there could be winners and losers.

I think that too often today, kids are diagnosed based more on their behavior by untrained teachers than actually diagnosed by doctors. I'm sure that had I been put on Ritalin that I would have been a better student but the reality is that I didn't need drugs. I needed classes that were faster paced and lots of time to run around between lessons.

As to autism, I think that there are a range of behaviors from mild to serious. So you have high functioning autistics all the way down to those who can't function.

I think that Savage was out of line but his entire business is built on controversy and he once again achieved his goal and most likely increased his number of listeners.

I don't think that you can compare Rush to Savage. They are way too different.

I think he means ADHD, That would make more sense. And I would agree that most with ADHD just needs more discipline. THis is coming from someone who has a brother who was so call ADHD. Not true he just didnt want to anything except play video games on the PC and he had patience to sit and play that. Autism is differant, I think if a kid is diagnosed with autism something really is wrong. THat is social skills.

His last name is actually "Weiner"... hehehehe. That explains a lot. No wonder he's a fireball. Look him up on wiki...

en.wikipedia.org...

There's just too much heat on this guy to take him seriously... he's a frickin shock-jockey for christ's sakes, a paid entertainer, it's his job to say asinine things to rile people up.

The guy is an idiot......,


...a right wing bigot,

...and his real name is Weiner.


Strike three.

Maybe he had mistaken Autism with ADHD?? Replace the word in his statement and it's plausible.

Sorry for not reading your posts first

muzzleflash
isa75
Wildbob77


[edit on 18/7/2008 by spitefulgod]

Here is a link to an article in Pediatrics that talks about the incidence of Autism.

Autism

Basically it states that where there is an increase in the diagnosis of autism there is a decrease in the diagnosis of mental retardation.

Interesting.

[edit on 18-7-2008 by Wildbob77]

I'm a pharmacist

Quite often I see Ritalin etc prescribed for kids who are just naughty. I have to agree that in some cases (not 90% or whatever was claimed) the fact is simply that the child is naughty and has been allowed to get away with it for too long. Usually the parents don't care and see the ritalin as an easy way of controlling the childs behaviour as opposed to making an effort with them.

reply to post by 281011


Thanks for weighing in with your experience. I want to ask you a question as well, do you feel, giving your profession that kids and adults are medicated too heavily nowadays?

As I stated before I think Savage was ranting more about Ritalin and ADHD drugs then Autism.

I think those of us with any common sense, who are in our 40's can look back and pick out maybe one or two "troubled" or "trouble-maker" children in each of our grade school classes....and they were certainly not medicated back then.

Now it's seriously 50% or more of some classes...even worse in rural areas of certain states because schools get special grants and monies if they have a certain number of "special ed" or "special needs" kids.

It's an outrage. And it's free speech at it's best with Savage. If you don't like him or his views, turn the radio dial

I don't believe that Michael Savage has said anything wrong. I think he's saying that 99% of cases of autism are brats because I think he means that a lot of people that are diagnosed with autism are diagnosed with autism not because they have autism but because they are being brats. That makes perfect sense to me. But, he is talking about autism, not high-functioning autism, or anything else like that of the sort. I would like to know where he got his facts from. I think he was making those numbers out of his a$$ (IMO). But I do believe he could be onto something, like, how autism is being overly diagnosed, and, how many of the people diagnosed with it, might not actually have it.

Originally posted by muzzleflash
i dont know maybe hes right

maybe all of you are brainwashed into believing in this autism crap?

None of you offered ANY proof or evidence to debunk his claims.
None of you.

And a few videos doesnt prove anything.

I love how you start with "I don't know", because that seems to sum up your entire position on the subject. How much research have you done on the subject? Surely enough to call those who have researched, or know autistic people, brainwashed.

So PROVE it !
Prove that autism is a real medical condition.

Hell, i bet its too "mysterious" for you to give any decent proof.

I would prove it, but from the looks of your posts it would be too mysterious for you to understand. Try actually speaking with a person who is diagnosed with autism, you know, in real life.

Anyways. Just prove it for me. Because if you guys cant prove it, im going to agree with this Savage guy.

Translation: If people on a message board I go to don't take their time to prove something to me, i'll just believe what I've heard otherwise.

In my personal opinion i assumed AUtism was a negative reaction from taking too many Dirty Vaccinations.

Where did you do your studies and research to assume that this is the only cause? Oh, you just heard something and went with that? Why am I not surprised...

But since ADHD is a definate hoax, than maybe this autism crap is a hoax too, lets find out.

PROVE IT. Prove that ADHD is a definite hoax. Go ahead, get some time with some neurological imaging equipment, complete a few studies, and then let me know how that goes for you. Of course people have been misdiagnosed, but to say that the condition itself does not exist is entirely false considering you have not shown any background, knowledge, or care for the topic.

Anyone care to prove autism is real beyond a shadow of a doubt?

And if your just gonna post alot of links, please at least explain what the links contain b4 you go spamming them, thanks.

Again, looking for someone else to do your legwork. How about you do some research for yourself? Heck, how about you read something presented to you instead of asking for the cliff notes. Or is it too difficult to concentrate for that long?

Now lets get to the bottom of this, is Autism real or a hoax?

Your right, lets get down to it. All these Ph.D's and scientists are not cutting it for the standards of ATS. Whatever they are doing is a waste of time so lets sit here and debate about it and just end this silly thing.

One point in favor of it being a Hoax, is that autism is a relatively new disorder right? It didnt exist 500years ago did it?

Do you also think cancer is new because it wasn't discovered or diagnosed until recently?


[edit on 18-7-2008 by Parabol]

First of all, I would like to say that I wasn't saying this guy was wrong but that he was just onto something but he was just saying something he didn't know much about. I have been diagnosed with ADHD when I was a child but I no longer have ADHD nor do I have ADD now as an adult.

And secondly, I can attest to all of you that such mental disorders like autism do exist, and that they do have a psychological impact on the person who has them. From my own personal experience I can tell you that mental disorders do have an impact on the person and it's not their own fault for their behaviors. It's something they can't control.

i am the parent of an autistic 17 year old boy. any one else here can say that? we thought he was going deaf when he was 2.5. we had to talk to him louder and louder each time. he also stopped developing the same way like the other kids in the neighbor hood. we took him to the naval hospital, Oakland, ca. ( i was in the navy at the time 1993). they tested his hearing and responses. three times. hearing was fine. they sent us to children's hospital in Oakland to there psych ward. by the way, they are one of the best. they observed him for two days and was diagnosed as autistic. his symptoms run the spectrum in that in some cases, he is very autistic, others, mild. none of you can know the pain on not even being able to have a normal conversation with your own child. or having to help him bathe and dress. knowing that he will never have a normal life, marry or have kids. we discipline him as much as we can a normal child. he does not act out or get away things. how dare this scum pass judgment on something that he has no f*****ng understanding on. and those of you who support him, are not much better!

Originally posted by LateApexer313
reply to post by 281011

 

Thanks for weighing in with your experience. I want to ask you a question as well, do you feel, giving your profession that kids and adults are medicated too heavily nowadays?

As I stated before I think Savage was ranting more about Ritalin and ADHD drugs then Autism.

I think those of us with any common sense, who are in our 40's can look back and pick out maybe one or two "troubled" or "trouble-maker" children in each of our grade school classes....and they were certainly not medicated back then.

Now it's seriously 50% or more of some classes...even worse in rural areas of certain states because schools get special grants and monies if they have a certain number of "special ed" or "special needs" kids.

It's an outrage. And it's free speech at it's best with Savage. If you don't like him or his views, turn the radio dial

I totally agree that people are medicated too heavily these days. There are some annoying kids who I am relieved to see put on medication because it makes my life easier, but I often wonder whether they might have benefited from better parenting. It is also not unusual to see a family with 3 kids all on ritalin which surely reinforces the fact that it is not a freak illness.

Even adults want a "tablet that will cure everything". This especially applies to antidepressants - they have money problems/financial worries etc then they get themselves fluoxetine. I remember a GP once saying to me that he cannot solve peoples money woes etc, but these days it is a lot easier to give people a tablet and send them on their way.

People become less reliant on themselves to sort out their own mess and instead rely on pharmaceuticals to solve their problems

I have to agree, although not totally, with the claim.

If I was a child in todays world, I would have been diagnosed with high functioning autism, treated different the rest of my life, and due to that alone it would hinder my development as a normal little boy. I was born with spina bifidia mylomeningocele, diddnt even start walking until I was three years old, and was extremely reclusive until middle school. Now, I enjoy my wild turkey, head to the bar with the guys, come home with the gals, enjoy full contact kickboxing, played baseball, football, and live the life that any other normal twenty four year old male would enjoy. I thank god that they diddnt stick me with the autism brand.

Too many high functioning "autistic" children are really just kids being kids. Other times, its the parents fault and lack of discipline, which leads to autistic-like behavior. Now, this is very different from mild to severe autism which is clinically provable and not just a label due to exibiting a few traits that fall within the autistic spectrum.

Think of a normal little boy, who due to a few things he may do is labeled a high functioning autistic. Now, the parents and doctors both flip his world around in everything from how they teach him, to how they intereact with him. This actually creates an autistic child out of a normal one, in my opinion. The lack of social skills, inability to interact with others, all could stem from this sheltered, over protective, "special" upbringing.

I do think that the comment in the OP would fit much better with ADHD though, which is completely overdiagnosed and a compelte farce if you ask me. Its a way to feed young children pharmaceuticals and keep them complacent instead of acting like children, instead zombies.

Although, autism is overdiagnosed as well, mainly due to the lack of understanding. No one really knows what causes it, and since autistic traits are so broad, its actually hard to be a kid that doesn't exibit some of these qualities. Its only apparent and conclusive when the child is so autistic that it is impossibly unnoticeable.

High functioning autism in my opinion is just another excuse to medicate, and while it may exisit, it is surely nowhere near as common as it has been made out to be.

[edit on 18-7-2008 by deadline527]

[edit on 18-7-2008 by deadline527]

Wasn't it Voltaire or someone I may not agree with what you have to say but I will defend your right to say it? Here's an example where people say that Michael Savage is just exercising his right to free speech but I can chose whether I can believe him or disbelieve him. I chose to think that he's wrong. But that's because Michael Savage is just saying this without probably having dealt with any kids or any person with autism to know that such a mental disorder does exist. And he's probably said the same thing about ADHD because he hasn't probably seen any kid or person with ADHD.

Mental disorders are serious and they do affect people. You have to know the difference from when someone is just telling you the truth and when they're being a bigot. Here Michael Savage thinks he's really exposing some scandal in some issue that he knows nothing about. I'd like him to talk to people with autism. See how they feel, and then, rethink what he said. I don't think he misspoke either. He's probably fallen under the stereotype that people with mental disorders are stupid and retarted and can't do anything. He really should talk to people with autism and he'd probably learn a lot more than just reading reports about autism that really don't say anything about what the kids with autism are like.

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
Wasn't it Voltaire or someone I may not agree with what you have to say but I will defend your right to say it? Here's an example where people say that Michael Savage is just exercising his right to free speech but I can chose whether I can believe him or disbelieve him. I chose to think that he's wrong. But that's because Michael Savage is just saying this without probably having dealt with any kids or any person with autism to know that such a mental disorder does exist. And he's probably said the same thing about ADHD because he hasn't probably seen any kid or person with ADHD.

Mental disorders are serious and they do affect people. You have to know the difference from when someone is just telling you the truth and when they're being a bigot. Here Michael Savage thinks he's really exposing some scandal in some issue that he knows nothing about. I'd like him to talk to people with autism. See how they feel, and then, rethink what he said. I don't think he misspoke either. He's probably fallen under the stereotype that people with mental disorders are stupid and retarted and can't do anything. He really should talk to people with autism and he'd probably learn a lot more than just reading reports about autism that really don't say anything about what the kids with autism are like.

I 100% agree with you, but my take is that while serious and should not be taken lightly, they are diagnosed quite a bit when there is a very good possibility that its just a kid being a kid, or lack of parenting. I have seen real autism. A lady I work with has a seven year old child who is severely autistic, and there is no way any doctor could not notice it. Who still wets the bed and who you can obviously see the frustration and despair that he has no control over what is happening - the rocking, the banging of his head, the inability to interact like a normal seven year old, and it definitely is real. Sadly, lets say a normal three year old just happens to be uncooperative and uncontrollable due to bad parenting, is brought to the doctor and they attach the autism and ADHD tag in order to drug the children into a more compliant, desensitized person, or the mother wants a easier child to deal with. I am sure this happens quite a bit these days.

I say let the kids be kids, let them grow up at their own pace without sticking them with a disease in the first few years of their lives. Treat them with love, and without the notion that they are slow, different, or any other trait that may severely lower a child's social self confidence during such important years. In my humble opinion that is.

[edit on 18-7-2008 by deadline527]

reply to post by LateApexer313


Meh, he is a fool. I have autism, i dont really enjoy being called a faker. My case is slight, it doesn't really bother me, but the reason the kids scream and cry is because they are in pain, their physical senses are either too delicate, or extremely numb, or a mix.

He is a fool because if he was mistaking autism for adhd it shows he does not know what he is talking about, and to get so riled up over something that he is mistaken on shows he is a fool.

reply to post by St Udio


GOOD FOR YOU St Udio.

I applaude you!!

Originally posted by Wildbob77
Here is a link to an article in Pediatrics that talks about the incidence of Autism.

Autism

Basically it states that where there is an increase in the diagnosis of autism there is a decrease in the diagnosis of mental retardation.

Interesting.

I think it's more than interesting and in fact 'autism' covers much of what was formerly classed as mental retardation. Since i think mental retardation/autism ( or whatever you want to call it) to be mostly due to environmental toxins it would make sense that such 'disseases' grew as more and more people were becoming 'inocculated' with a ever growing list of vaccinations some of which contains known neuro-toxins.

Since i have spent a little bit of time in the presence ( all family friends) of two autistic children i don't have much sympathy with anyone who can readily confuse autism with ADD or any of the other supposed 'illnesses' that are making big pharma billions of dollars. Since i don't know anything about Savage i would expect a apology/clarification and if such can't be found there isn't in my opinion much left to be said for his credibility when he can't make this obvious distinction; autism wont be 'cured' by more discipline or suddenly becoming better parents.

Stellar

[edit on 19-7-2008 by StellarX]

Also I probably would not put ADHD and Autism under the same umbrella. Autism strikes me as a genuine illness/syndrome whereas ADHD I think could benefit from better parenting, change in diet, activity etc which in my opinion would reduce the likelihood of pharmaceutical intervention.