MathGirl
Phoenix
![]()
Joined: Apr 12, 2009
Age: 19
Posts: 1698
Location: Toronto, ON
|
 Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 3:57 pm Post subject: McCarthy's Son May Not Have Had Autism After All |
 |
|
After having written a book about her son and after supporting the MMR myth, McCarthy's son actually does NOT have autism???
http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2010/02/26/jenny-mccarthy-says-her-son-evan-never-had-autism/
| Quote: | After years of speaking out about her son’s autism — and against childhood immunizations — Jenny McCarthy is reversing her position.
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.
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.”
Many applaud Jenny, who has never stopped fighting to help her son since his autism diagnosis in 2005. Others, like the Center of Disease Control, say her claims about immunizations make her “a menace to public health.”
Jenny talks about her son’s progress saying, “Evan couldn’t talk — now he talks. Evan couldn’t make eye contact — now he makes eye contact. Evan was anti-social — now he makes friends. It was amazing to watch … when something didn’t work for Evan, I didn’t stop. I stopped that treatment, but I didn’t stop.”
And she is also reversing her initial position that the MMR shots caused Evan’s autism. Jenny now says she wants vaccinations better researched — rather than getting rid of them altogether, as she previously promoted. And though her son may never have had autism, Jenny insists, “I’ll continue to be the voice” of the disorder. |
Unsurprisingly, I'm not so surprised. Something one could easily expect from a mass media celebrity. They always screw up something, and get even more publicity after that.
_________________
Life is a game. Play responsibly. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Danielismyname
Keep making noises... .
Joined: Apr 03, 2007
Posts: 9599
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 4:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
It's one of the differential diagnoses.
I'm wondering what's actually "wrong" with the "negative" parts of this statement:
| Quote: | | “Evan couldn’t talk — now he talks. Evan couldn’t make eye contact — now he makes eye contact. Evan was anti-social — now he makes friends. It was amazing to watch … when something didn’t work for Evan, I didn’t stop. I stopped that treatment, but I didn’t stop.” |
She means asocial. She's describing most people with a diagnosis of an ASD (barring the speech problems), and from what I've seen, people with an ASD can be just as happy as their brethren without one. |
|
| Back to top |
|
MathGirl
Phoenix
![]()
Joined: Apr 12, 2009
Age: 19
Posts: 1698
Location: Toronto, ON
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 4:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Danielismyname wrote: | | She means asocial. She's describing most people with a diagnosis of an ASD (barring the speech problems), and from what I've seen, people with an ASD can be just as happy as their brethren without one. |
It's impossible to suddenly be able to make eye contact and make lots of friends if you've had trouble doing that before (if you're on the spectrum). Even if an autistic kid could do it eventually, they would have to learn it step by step, or be taught by their parents, in social skills groups, etc. It wouldn't be a natural process, like it is for neurotypicals.
_________________
Life is a game. Play responsibly. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Willard
Deadpan Walking
Joined: Mar 24, 2008
Posts: 3407
Location: Confederate States of America
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 4:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| MathGirl wrote: | | It's impossible to suddenly be able to make eye contact and make lots of friends if you've had trouble doing that before (if you're on the spectrum). Even if an autistic kid could do it eventually, they would have to learn it step by step, or be taught by their parents, in social skills groups, etc. It wouldn't be a natural process, like it is for neurotypicals. |
Well, I think that's why she's admitting that her son never was on the Autistic Spectrum after all.
I'm just glad she's not claiming that she 'CURED' him with her quack treatments. In fact, I'm quite shocked that she's not claiming that.
_________________
"I don't mean to sound bitter, cynical or cruel - but I am, so that's how it comes out."
- Bill Hicks |
|
| Back to top |
|
Danielismyname
Keep making noises... .
Joined: Apr 03, 2007
Posts: 9599
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 4:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
MathGirl,
I meant that she's saying that the symptoms of an ASD are somehow "bad", and he stopped displaying them and went to "good".
asocial - social
no eye contact - eye contact
prefers solitude - makes friends
Neither side above is better than the other. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Willard
Deadpan Walking
Joined: Mar 24, 2008
Posts: 3407
Location: Confederate States of America
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 5:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Danielismyname wrote: | MathGirl,
I meant that she's saying that the symptoms of an ASD are somehow "bad", and he stopped displaying them and went to "good".
asocial - social
no eye contact - eye contact
prefers solitude - makes friends
Neither side above is better than the other. |
Agreed, but McCarthy has always been of the opinion that Autistic = bad. That's why she eats up the attention when the media praises her for her "bravery" in publicly discussing her son's condition, which according to Autism Speaks is supposed to be humiliating to families of the Autistic.
If she genuinely loved her son, she would have been advocating all along for acceptance and telling the world that Autistic people are different, not diseased.
But she's never done that. Not once. Only exploited her son's condition for personal attention.
_________________
"I don't mean to sound bitter, cynical or cruel - but I am, so that's how it comes out."
- Bill Hicks |
|
| Back to top |
|
League_Girl
This used to be my playground
Joined: Feb 05, 2010
Posts: 2538
Location: My apartment
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 5:47 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Well if the doctors say he doesn't have autism, then he probably doesn't have it. Now she is admitting she was wrong. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Heliobacter20
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: Feb 19, 2010
Age: 29
Posts: 66
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 7:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Why the hell were people listening to her in the first place? She's an ACTRESS! When will we stop listening to these people? They don't live in the real world, yet we listen to them when they tell us how to vote and make medical decisions. I'll take science over celebrity any day. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Moony
Toucan
Joined: Dec 17, 2009
Posts: 287
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 8:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I figured. Autism doesn't magically get cured.
I set no store by celebrities whatsoever. They're all much more screwed up than I am.
_________________
I prefer to believe that the universe is fundamentally absurd, and if I ignore it, it might go away.
Never assume everyone's better off than you, that's unfounded optimism.
15 and diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome |
|
| Back to top |
|
Willard
Deadpan Walking
Joined: Mar 24, 2008
Posts: 3407
Location: Confederate States of America
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 9:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | Jenny insists, “I’ll continue to be the voice” of the disorder. |
 Please, Jenny, don't do us any favors...hit the showers kid, you've done enough damage...
_________________
"I don't mean to sound bitter, cynical or cruel - but I am, so that's how it comes out."
- Bill Hicks |
|
| Back to top |
|
Moony
Toucan
Joined: Dec 17, 2009
Posts: 287
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Willard wrote: | | Quote: | | Jenny insists, “I’ll continue to be the voice” of the disorder. |
Please, Jenny, don't do us any favors...hit the showers kid, you've done enough damage... |
+1
_________________
I prefer to believe that the universe is fundamentally absurd, and if I ignore it, it might go away.
Never assume everyone's better off than you, that's unfounded optimism.
15 and diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome |
|
| Back to top |
|
Aurore
Dingo Lycanthrope
Joined: Dec 07, 2007
Age: 19
Posts: 1516
Location: Virginia Tech
|
| Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 1:02 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Willard wrote: | | Quote: | | Jenny insists, “I’ll continue to be the voice” of the disorder. |
Please, Jenny, don't do us any favors...hit the showers kid, you've done enough damage... |
_________________
“Evil? No. Cursed?! No. COATED IN CHOCOLATE?! Perhaps. At one time. But NO LONGER.” |
|
| Back to top |
|
MONKEY
Peformance, feedback, revision
Joined: Jan 04, 2009
Age: 17
Posts: 4123
Location: Stoke, England
|
| Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
_________________
““Whoever is led to believe that species are mutable will do good service by conscientiously expressing his conviction. For only thus can the load of prejudice by which this subject is overwhelmed be removed.””
-Charles Darwin |
|
| Back to top |
|
pandd
Phoenix
Joined: Jul 16, 2006
Posts: 2582
|
| Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I do not believe that Ms McCarthy has concluded that her son never had Autism.
Note the article above does not claim that she has. I have read the interview with Time and she makes no such statement. I cannot find any evidence whatsoever that McCarthy now believes her son had something other than Autism. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Parentingasdkid
Emu Egg
Joined: Feb 15, 2010
Posts: 8
Location: Melbourne, Australia
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 1:42 am Post subject: McCarthy, really |
|
|
| Quote: | | “Evan couldn’t talk — now he talks. Evan couldn’t make eye contact — now he makes eye contact" |
This phrase intrigues me . Why is Evan never heard or seen in public. If my child had a miraculus improvement from his ASD and I was the 'unofficial spokes person for an ASD cure' with books and a charity, i'd have my son as the evidence. Rather than the book tours and verbal sparring in a public arena, namely chat shows. I have a sad feeling she is front and centre not her childs needs. Harsh, maybe?
I raise awareness in my own way in my own community, by daily life of meeting people and introducing my 5yr old ASD son. He's a happy little kid who gets on with life his way, enjoys meeting people and attempts talk and eye contact after prompting/coaching. The main point we are both learning, understanding and accepting ASD.
Best wishes to all |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
