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Dennis Leary should brace himself for hate mail from the parents of kids diagnosed with autism.
In his new book, "Why We Suck: A Feel-Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid," the joke-slinging "Rescue Me" star writes about the brain disorder:
"There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumb-ass kids can't compete academically, so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks . . . to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don't give a what these crackerjack whack jobs tell you - yer kid is NOT autistic. He's just stupid. Or lazy. Or both."
The Autism Society of America responded: "For Mr. Leary to suggest that families or doctors conspire to falsely diagnose autism is ridiculous . . . remarks reflect the same misconceptions of autism being caused by bad or unemotional parenting that were held over 50 years ago."
It aalways makes me angry when I read about so- called celebrities slamming autistic children . As the parent of a SEVERELY LOW FUNCTIONING autistic girl I take offense because her Dad and I would give anything if we could just disclepline it out of her like Michael Savage thinks we should or cure it by spending more time with her.
My daughter spent years in a special ed classroom with mostly younger higher functioning kids and could not read a single word or do simple math. She began homeschooling about a year and a half ago and is doing both now. Granted she can only read at about a first grade level and is still on simple addition, but we are going at HER pace and she is learning. I guess her public school though she was just uneducable. Wouldn't they be surprised to hear her read her primer books now?
It aalways makes me angry when I read about so- called celebrities slamming autistic children . As the parent of a SEVERELY LOW FUNCTIONING autistic girl I take offense because her Dad and I would give anything if we could just disclepline it out of her like Michael Savage thinks we should or cure it by spending more time with her.
My daughter spent years in a special ed classroom with mostly younger higher functioning kids and could not read a single word or do simple math. She began homeschooling about a year and a half ago and is doing both now. Granted she can only read at about a first grade level and is still on simple addition, but we are going at HER pace and she is learning. I guess her public school though she was just uneducable. Wouldn't they be surprised to hear her read her primer books now?
Bravo. You should be very proud of yourself and your daughter. I'm sure it took a lot of patience and hard work. I don't think her needs could have been met in a public school. The one on one training did the trick.
I am sure he would have plenty to say if someone was making fun of/ putting down disabled firefighters or their families....
When he didn't have a "cause"- firefighters- I didn't mind his A hole humor, but if he wants people to give their hard earned money and respect to his causes he should shut up about things he knows nothing about.
It is hard enough to get insurance, doctors and the ignorant masses to be supportive of the stuggles that familes with Autism go through, we don't need this "public figure/entertainer" spouting off cause he wants to put money in his pocket.
It pisses me off that he is putting us back decades by saying this is bad parenting. I am embarassed for him and his lack of education.
Location: Pelion, South Carolina/orig. from Cape May, NJ
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I have an daughter with autism, and I am very disappointed in Mr. Leary, because I like him a lot as an actor and enjoy "Rescue Me". I wish celebrities would stop spouting-off about issues of which they have no personal knowledge and just stick to acting.
I don't think he should have ever made such a statement, but at the same time I can see that the media is really causing a frenzy by taking a few lines out of context and that people are responding without reading the whole of what he was trying to say. A bad line, no doubt, but I don't neccesarily disagree with what he was saying... That many parents of kids that are not behaving in acceptable ways ARE looking for specialists to tell them that something is *wrong* with the child instead of admitting that they are failing to properly parent their kids and that failure is showing up as behavioral issues. Which is not neccesarily saying that kids with autism are misdiagnosed or that autism is the result of bad parenting.
Quote:
While the chapter caught many media outlets and autism groups off guard, Leary released a statement on Thursday stating his words had been taken out of context.
"I thought I made my feelings about autism very clear: that I not only support the current rational approaches to the diagnoses and treatment of real autism but have witnessed it firsthand while watching very dear old friends raise a functioning autistic child.... The point of the chapter is not that autism doesn't exist -- it obviously does -- and I have nothing but admiration and respect for parents dealing with the issue, including the ones I know. The bulk of the chapter deals with grown men who are either self-diagnosing themselves with low-level offshoots of the disease or wishing they could as a way to explain their failed careers and troublesome progeny," Leary said.
Location: Pelion, South Carolina/orig. from Cape May, NJ
1,113 posts, read 3,483,080 times
Reputation: 1176
Quote:
Originally Posted by deerislesmile
I don't think he should have ever made such a statement, but at the same time I can see that the media is really causing a frenzy by taking a few lines out of context and that people are responding without reading the whole of what he was trying to say. A bad line, no doubt, but I don't neccesarily disagree with what he was saying... That many parents of kids that are not behaving in acceptable ways ARE looking for specialists to tell them that something is *wrong* with the child instead of admitting that they are failing to properly parent their kids and that failure is showing up as behavioral issues. Which is not neccesarily saying that kids with autism are misdiagnosed or that autism is the result of bad parenting.
I think this happens with ADHD/ADD kids-a lot of them are probably just acting out of need for something-attention, love, etc. and their parents and doctors are just assuming they've got ADHD or ADD.
A bad line, no doubt, but I don't neccesarily disagree with what he was saying... That many parents of kids that are not behaving in acceptable ways ARE looking for specialists to tell them that something is *wrong* with the child instead of admitting that they are failing to properly parent their kids and that failure is showing up as behavioral issues. Which is not neccesarily saying that kids with autism are misdiagnosed or that autism is the result of bad parenting.
I think it's funny. He's 100% on the mark. Kids are misdiagnosed and the diagnoses criteria is constantly expanding to include those who aren't even remotely autistic. Pretty soon the majority of people will be "autistic."
I've had to endure the onslaught of the ADD thing and now the onslaught of the autism thing is working it's way up the ladder. I just can't imagine helicopter parents with "autistic" kids running around campus.
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