Jenny McCarthy’s Son May Not Have Had Autism After All

Jenny McCarthy changes her mind about vaccinations and autism.

"After years of speaking publicly about her belief that MMR shots (immunization for measles, mumps, and rubella) caused her son to suffer from autism, Jenny McCarthy now faces the reality that her 7-year-old son Evan — who no longer shows any signs of autism — may likely have lived with completely different illness."

www.hollywoodlife.com...

It's too bad this airhead convinced so many not to have their children protected.

Good for her for stepping out and admitting her fault. Shows her being far from an "airhead"

I tend to take these celebrity causes with a grain of salt, because half the time it is just to make them look good, but I think she had genuine care to change things she thought were wrong.

Yes, it turns out she may have been wrong, but so were a couple of other people.

Gee, you mean a fading starlet is willing to do anything, including potentially causing a public health risk, in order to get a little bit of the limelight back (as well as a book deal and speaker's fees)?

Shocking!

reply to post by VneZonyDostupa


Gee when a mother with a child that has an ailment takes up a cause that's just terrible.

She took up a cause full force.

It turns out she was probably wrong. Admits so and gets off her soap box about it.

Besides, she has that Jim Carey money, she doesn't NEED a book deal and speaker fees and limelight.

Originally posted by VneZonyDostupa
Gee, you mean a fading starlet is willing to do anything, including potentially causing a public health risk, in order to get a little bit of the limelight back (as well as a book deal and speaker's fees)?

Shocking!

Gee - - and here I thought she was a Mother concerned for the health and welfare of her child.

My bad.

Pretty sure it was the DOCTOR who came up with the diagnosis. So what else was she supposed to think?

I don't get it - doctors made the mistake, not her. Are people accusing McCarthy of making the wrong diagnosis?

reply to post by harrytuttle


It's either that, or it's the "dumb celebrity bimbo" stance.

We all know celebrities are just kept in a warehouse and are carted out when they are needed.

Or in this case she escaped and took up a rogue cause to cause a public health problem

Originally posted by harrytuttleou
Pretty sure it was the DOCTOR who came up with the diagnosis. So what else was she supposed to think?

I don't get it - doctors made the mistake, not her. Are people accusing McCarthy of making the wrong diagnosis?

Exactly! It was a doctor who made the claim. A doctor who recently admitted he was wrong.

Acting is a job. Just like other people have jobs.

Is a concerned mother supposed to keep her mouth shut because some think her job has no validity?

Why should a "celebrity" keep their mouth shut to appease others?

They are tax paying citizens just like everyone else. OH! And they are also concerned parents.

Well, I bet it was probably Jim Carey that helped her figure it out.Being a good Canuck that he is,he finally told her if she gave the kid a good swat on the behind when he threw a tantrum he would straighten out.

Looks like it worked.

I just want to say to the people who think actors are some sort of plastic phoney,self centered robots i take offense.I have 2 neices who are what you would call "movie stars" and very well known.They are the sweetest most carring ,giving people that anyone could ask for.Both take their jobs as actresses very seriousely and are always going to schools to master their craf and become better.Now i am sure their are actors who are like that but come on.These are someones kids,children aunts and uncles and they are living their life the best way they know how just like the rest of us.

Originally posted by pteridine
Jenny McCarthy changes her mind about vaccinations and autism.

"After years of speaking publicly about her belief that MMR shots (immunization for measles, mumps, and rubella) caused her son to suffer from autism, Jenny McCarthy now faces the reality that her 7-year-old son Evan — who no longer shows any signs of autism — may likely have lived with completely different illness."

www.hollywoodlife.com...

It's too bad this airhead convinced so many not to have their children protected.

from the same source:

A new article in Time magazine — which Jenny was interviewed for — suggests Evan suffers from Landau-Kleffner syndrome, “a rare childhood neurological disorder that can also result in speech impairment and possible long-term neurological damage.”

The fact is autism spectrum disorder is and always has been just a set of symptoms so it does not mean he never had it and there are no "rules" that say someone can't recover from autism.. and the disease she mentioned:

www.autism.com...
One common characteristic of Landau-Kleffner Syndrome, which is often diagnosed in conjunction with autism, is the failure to respond to sounds. Thus, parents may suspect their child of hearing loss. Autistic characteristics seen in Landau-Kleffner Syndrome individuals include pain insensitivity, aggression, poor eye contact, insistence on sameness, and sleep problems.

The cause of Landau-Kleffner Syndrome is not known. Some suggested causes have been a dysfunctional immune system, exposure to a virus, and brain trauma.

That disease only validates the vaccine/autism theory and I think it's a shame it went right over her head.

Perhaps it's not so rare and alot of children diagnosed with autism actually have Landau-Kleffner Syndrome triggered by a compromised immunity and exposure to viruses and neurotoxins (vaccines). Alot of parents report the same "change" her own child experienced so perhaps it is still the same thing.

She's been campaigning to green vaccines for years and her kid ends up with something that could be logically linked to them and.. she misses it completely. :shk:

[edit on 27-2-2010 by riley]

I find it simply astounding that so many people think McCarthy's response to her son's diagnosis was reasonable and sound.

Let me get this straight...her son is diagnosed with "an autism disorder" (according to the UCLA neuropsych who examined her son). That seems reasonable, given his symptoms.

Then, she takes that diagnosis, sprinkled with some fearmongering online and lack of any scientific evidence, and decides to go on a crusade against vaccines, garnering a book deal, speaker's fees, and television appearances.

If she is truly just a "concerned mother", why doesn't she donate all of the money from her book deal and speaker's fees to a lab willing to research the autism vaccine link (here's a hint, it HAS been researched and was shown to be without merit). Why doesn't she donate all that money to a care or therapy center for autistic children?

People on ATS are so quick to screech "follow the money" when it comes to doctors or researchers, but when it's someone they happen to agree with, suddenly the money doesn't seem to matter. Absolutely, one-hundred and ten percent SICKENING.

reply to post by VneZonyDostupa


Are you up on your Autism?

Jenny is hardly the first or only frightened and concerned parent.

The information she is using came from a Licensed Certified Doctor.

She is not the only concerned parent who tried to get this news out to other parents.

How said and ridiculously childish - - - that she should be attacked because of her profession.

Originally posted by VneZonyDostupa


If she is truly just a "concerned mother", why doesn't she donate all of the money from her book deal and speaker's fees to a lab willing to research the autism

And you know how - - that she hasn't donated to Autism research?

You are attacking her because of her profession.

What does that say about you?

I'm not attacking her because of her profession, I'm attacking her for abusing what little fame she had to push lies. Current science shows no link between any vaccine and autism. However, she (and the man from Generation Rescue) continue to spew the same line that vaccines "haven't been researched".

Why is no one calling her out on her lies? Why does no one here every actually go to the ACTUAL research from around the world that shows no connection between vaccines and autism?

It seems like many here have their cognitive blinders on.

Originally posted by riley


Perhaps it's not so rare and alot of children diagnosed with autism actually have Landau-Kleffner Syndrome triggered by a compromised immunity and exposure to viruses and neurotoxins (vaccines). Alot of parents report the same "change" her own child experienced so perhaps it is still the same thing.

Autism is a spectrum disorder.

The autism spectrum, also called autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or autism spectrum conditions (ASC), with the word autistic sometimes replacing autism, is a spectrum of psychological conditions characterized by widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, as well as severely restricted interests and highly repetitive behavior.

Its like a "group name" incorporating many other possible diagnosis.

Originally posted by VneZonyDostupa
I'm not attacking her because of her profession, I'm attacking her for abusing what little fame she had to push lies. Current science shows no link between any vaccine and autism. However, she (and the man from Generation Rescue) continue to spew the same line that vaccines "haven't been researched".

Why is no one calling her out on her lies? Why does no one here every actually go to the ACTUAL research from around the world that shows no connection between vaccines and autism?

It seems like many here have their cognitive blinders on.

No - - you are attacking her because of her profession.

She has a profession that allows her a platform. It could be something other then celebrity. But in this instance - - her profession gives her celebrity status.

She is not the first or only concerned mother to promote this issue. But because she is a celebrity - - you know her name and status.

You are attacking her because of it.

Nope, I'm attacking her for using a position that garners her some widespread attention as a platform for fearmongering. I would react the same if she were a politician, singer, musician, athlete, or anyone who will get some level of press.

If you look at my post history, I've been involved in more than a few discussions on autism and vaccines, and have provided evidence (actual evidence, not dot coms or emotional anecdotes). I've yet to see any from the other side, actress or otherwise.



[edit on 2/28/2010 by VneZonyDostupa]

reply to post by VneZonyDostupa


I would like to ask you Vne, are you a parent? (or anyone else attacking her for this)

I'm thinking you are not a parent, because if you were you would understand why she felt the need to do what she did. If you have a child, you would try to move Heaven and Earth and everything in between for a cure. You will do countless hours of research to try to understand, and how to prevent further damage. And try to seek some kind of understanding of what is going on, or what could have caused the ailment.

Unless you are a parent, or even a pet parent, you simply cannot understand.

I give her huge kudos for admitting she was wrong. She could have simply kept this quiet and nobody would have known. But she didn't take the route, she "manned up". It takes big brass ones to do that.

Originally posted by pteridine
Jenny McCarthy changes her mind about vaccinations and autism.

"After years of speaking publicly about her belief that MMR shots (immunization for measles, mumps, and rubella) caused her son to suffer from autism, Jenny McCarthy now faces the reality that her 7-year-old son Evan — who no longer shows any signs of autism — may likely have lived with completely different illness."

www.hollywoodlife.com...

It's too bad this airhead convinced so many not to have their children protected.

In the interest of denying ignorance;

I read this article.. and I have now read the original only to find that the one you posted is blatently false and misleading. No-where does she actually say her son never had autism.. and I doubt she ever promoted getting rid of all vaccines.

She believes she did fix her boy. A psychological evaluation from UCLA's neuropsychiatric hospital, dated May 10, 2005, was "conclusive for a diagnosis of Autistic Disorder," and yet here, running toward us on a warm California afternoon, is Evan, shouting out, "Are you here to play with me? When are we going to play?" McCarthy's boy is a vivacious, articulate and communicative child who seems to have beaten the condition. He is an inspiration, the fact of him as incontrovertible as any study done in any laboratory in the world. (See pictures of a school for autistic children.)

Or is this the truth? There are dark murmurings from scientists and doctors asking, Was her son ever really autistic? Evan's symptoms — heavy seizures, followed by marked improvement once the seizures were brought under control — are similar to those of Landau-Kleffner syndrome, a rare childhood neurological disorder that can also result in speech impairment and possible long-term neurological damage. Or, as other pediatricians have suggested, perhaps the miracle I have beheld is the quotidian miracle of childhood development: a delayed 2-year-old catching up by the time he is 7, a commonplace, routine occurrence, nothing more surprising than a short boy growing tall. It is enraging to the mother to hear that nothing was wrong with her boy — she held him during his seizures, saw his eyes roll up after he received his vaccines — and how can you say that she doesn't know what she knows?

Read more: www.time.com...

[edit on 28-2-2010 by riley]