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Radio Host Angers Parents of Autistic Kids

By DAVID BAUDER
,
AP
posted: 38 DAYS 2 HOURS AGO
comments: 1085
filed under: Health News
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NEW YORK (July 21) - Radio talk show host Michael Savage, who described 99 percent of children with autism as brats, said Monday he was trying to "boldly awaken" parents to his view that many people are being wrongly diagnosed.
Some parents of autistic children have called for Savage's firing after he described autism as a racket last week. "In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out," Savage said on his radio program last Wednesday.

Savage offered no apology in a message posted Monday on his Web site. He said greedy doctors and drug companies were creating a "national panic" by overdiagnosing autism, a mental disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate.
On his radio show last week, he said: "What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, `Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, you idiot.'"
The government estimates about 1 in 150 children have some form of autism. But many experts believe these unsociable behaviors were just about as common 30 or 40 years ago and that the increase is mostly caused by a surge in special education services and a corresponding shift in diagnoses.
Wendy Fournier of the National Autism Association, a parents' advocacy group, said she was invited to speak Monday on Savage's three-hour program by Savage's boss, Mark Masters of Talk Radio Network, which syndicates the show across the country. A spokeswoman from Talk Radio Network did not immediately return a call for comment.
Fournier called Savage's comments "way, way, way over the line and cruel."
"I'm hoping to make him see the reality of what these kids are facing," she said. "You can't fix it by telling a kid to shut up. It's like telling a kid with cancer to stop being sick."
Evelyn Ain, whose 8-year-old son has been diagnosed with autism, said she had never heard of Savage and couldn't believe what she had heard when she first listened to the remarks. She organized a demonstration Monday outside New York's WOR-AM, which broadcasts Savage.
"That isn't just freedom of speech, it is hateful speech when you say 99 percent of children with autism are brats," she said. "I'll tell you, I wish I had a brat."
Savage, with more than 8 million listeners a week, is talk radio's third most popular personality behind Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, according to Talkers magazine. He's made a living off bold, outrageous statements: His brief MSNBC show was canceled after he told a caller he should "get AIDS and die, you pig."
Peter Bell, executive vice president of national advocacy group Autism Speaks, said he isn't aware of any big controversy about overdiagnosis of autism. He said Savage's remarks, effectively blaming parents, reflect an outdated point of view.
"He's an entertainer, he does these things for attention," Bell said. "I think we should, to the best we can, ignore it."
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-07-22 11:11:40
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MKGW824

08:53 AMAug 10 2008

Don't believe everything you read!

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REDnMORA

11:47 PMAug 05 2008

I THINK HE SHOULD BE FIRED RIGHT NOW!!!! I HAVE A FORM OF AUTISM WHICH I APPARENTLY INHERITED FROM MY DAD AND I FIND HIS COMMENTS ABUSIVE AND HURTFUL. THAT RADIO STATION SHOULD FIRE HIM AND MAKE HIM PAY A HUGE FINE FOR HIS HURTFUL WORDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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SpzzGurl

08:40 PMAug 02 2008

ok how could he say something like that??? Even though kids with autism may be socially challenged, but they have special abilities that makes them unique from everybody else! I happen to have a mild type of autism... and I know a kid my age who's autistic severely and deaf and he's the best artist I've ever seen! Autistic kids aren't brats, they're just different! Why can't he just accept that instead of making that cruel comment????

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Askrobarczyk2

10:33 PMJul 29 2008

Autism is an observed behavior diagnosis. It isn't chemical, it isn't electrical. Meaning that a positive diagnosis is unprovable. Any anti-social behavior can be construed as Autism. Stubborness and strength of resolve when displayed by adults is considered a virtue. But when encountered in a child will almost universally be diagnosed as Autism. Before we as a society declare all children that don't meet social dictates mentally defective we should consider the impact on that childs future. The current strategy of using drugs can cause irreversible changes in brain chemistry. I.E. Dylan and Klebold, Andrea Yates.

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PDeroo1

08:39 AMJul 27 2008

Honestly, I don't know why people even to listen to talk show hosts -- they're all about their "opinions" and why do we need to always hear someone else's opinion??? Form your own dammit! I don't give them the time of day, myself! But I also know if I'm going to put my opinion out there, then I'm responsible for what comes out of my mouth. People claim Freedom of Speech. That's great, but with FREEDOM comes RESPONSIBILITY. It's not WHAT people say, it's HOW they say it. It doesn't have to be derogatory!

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ZH016

12:16 AMJul 26 2008

JennaR777, This will be my last entry. I'm leaving town for 2 weeks. I do understand your point and I, along with everyone ells that listen to Michael and read his books, have to admit that he has quite an ego and sometimes a temper. But in all honesty that's why I like him. He says what others will not. I too was misdiagnosed but in the 90's for ADD. My mother never gave me the prescription and I seem to have turned out just fine; I'm 18 now, at the time I was 7. It turns out I was just bored, apparently I was too intelligent for my grade. Well, I'm sorry you feel that way about Michael. lol, As for your son, I'm sure he is amazing! He and I share something in common, we both are artists =). I wish you and your family the best, take care.zach

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JennaR777

10:18 PMJul 26 2008

a moron!! The same doctor tried the same thing on my brother and he never took the prescription either. He is also fine right now and never needed it! But now, because of the words he did choose, he made me hate him and think him to be a low, vile, repulsive excuse for a human being. My son is amazing. He is sweet, handsome, and a very talented artist!!

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JennaR777

10:13 PMJul 26 2008

In all honesty, I was confused about the pary line thing, too. LOL. But anyway, I know what you mean. I'm just saying, the reality of today is that there are people out there who would go to that extreme if they get hurt enough. There is nothing to do to prevent that, other than choose your words carefuly. Like I said, if he were to phrase it correctly and actually direct it at the doctors (not the children) like you say he was referring to, he could have avoided all this drama and even experienced the total opposite, where he had an army of people behind him. Because the truth is that my husband and myself both have said in the past that we have to choose our doctors carefully for fear that they just want to profit off of us, not contribute to our health. I have gone to the doctor when I was younger and had him try to prescribe antidepressents to me when I was completely fine. I did not take the prescription, never did, and I am so completely fine ritght now. I think he was a m...

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JennaR777

10:09 PMJul 26 2008

In all honesty, I was confused about the pary line thing, too. LOL. But anyway, I know what you mean. I'm just saying, the reality of today is that there are people out there who would go to that extreme if they get hurt enough. There is nothing to do to prevent that, other than choose your words carefuly. Like I said, if he were to phrase it correctly and actually direct it at the doctors (not the children) like you say he was referring to, he could have avoided all this drama and even experienced the total opposite, where he had an army of people behind him. Because the truth is that my husband and myself both have said in the past that we have to choose our doctors carefully for fear that they just want to profit off of us, not contribute to our health. I have gone to the doctor when I was younger and had him try to prescribe antidepressents to me when I was completely fine. I did not take the prescription, never did, and I am so completely fine ritght now. I think he was a m...

AVG RATING:
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ZH016

09:44 PMJul 26 2008

RIVERPORTMATT, what are you talking about? This has nothing to do with the party's. You are the only person that's stated anything about the party's. "Interesting how this falls on party lines. It's a heart issue, and the republicans lack of." (This person is a prime example of, as I said before, one of Michael's enemies that look for any excuse to cut him down. He/She is taking advantage of Michael's situation to lay claim that the republicans have no heart.) Pathetic; your feeble attempts to insult Michael and the republicans is absolutely pathetic. Congratulations though, you have managed to create your own oxymoron.

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