Act Early Against Autism Blog

Autism and recovery: Is it real?

Many people tell me "I'm lucky" my son recovered from autism. So few do.

I understand why others think that. I sometimes think that, given that such a small but growing number of children emerge from the enigma of being socially isolated, never able to find joy and compassion in life.

But you have no idea how autism reordered the dynamics of my life and my family's.  The experience left me broke, and my marriage failed.

When I learned of Leo's diagnosis, I jumped feet first into helping him as if trapped on the balcony of a burning building. I gave up my writing career, my income, my friends, my daily routine, just about everything to redirect my son's course of development. Understanding how to help him, learning what to do and then advocating for his rights was grueling, demanding and rigorous.

I'm deeply saddened that my family — my mother, father and brother — never called to say, "Jayne, how are you doing? What can I do to help?" Family supports are critical during times of crisis. My family never understood the graveity of the disorder like I did.

While I got my son back, it came at great sacrifice. I have no regrets, but I wouldn't want to do it again.  I crusade on behalf of early intervention, because it saves lives. In many ways, helping parents recover from the blow of the diagnosis and start immediate early intervention for their child is a rescue mission. I hope that you will join me in forwarding the link to my story, which appears in the Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008, edition of The Washington Post, to other families clinging to hope that their child will one day say, "I love you."

Savage and Leary: dumb and dumber

Michael Savage, a conservative radio talk show host, upset the autism community last July when he called children with autism "brats." Now actor Denis Leary has taken a swipe at the parents of children with autism. In his new book, Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid, Leary blames autism on "inattentive mothers and competitive dads."

I don't have to trash Leary for making such insensitive and inaccurate remarks. He does it himself. In the chapter, "Autism Shmautism," posted in its entirety on United Autism's website, Leary writes, "...it don't get much more white trash than me."

How true. Leary's research into autism amounted to what came off the top of his head. If he had bothered to research autism, he would have learned that the scientific community disproved the hypothesis that unloving moms caused autism in their child more than 50 years ago.

But let's not blame Leary for publishing this misinformation. What about Viking Adult, his publisher? And his editor, if he had one. From the quality of his writing, he needed several.

Moreover, he grossly misstates other facts, writing that a "truly autistic child may be able to reproduce music he or she hears with perfect pitch—entire classical pieces, the rock opera Tommy, the latest hit Broadway musical—over and over again." 

He bases this on his acquaintance of two autistic children. Unfortunately, children with autism who possess exceptional talents are the exception to the rule. Research shows that about half of children diagnosed with the disorder are mentally retarded and 40% or more never develop functional speech.

I confess, I didn't read the whole chapter because I didn't see the point other than to ignite an uproar to generate sales.  As a comedic effort, I didn't find his remarks funny or enlightening.

Leary has since apologized. But he should do more, such as support families in crisis by donating some of the profits of his book to autism nonprofits.