Michael Savage Calls Autistic Children "Brats"

[AIT]

Radio host calls autistic children ‘brats’ - Radio - MSNBC.com

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...


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.”’

This man (and I use the term loosely) has no clue what he's talking about.

[AirWalke]

What a moron. It doesn't sound like a "bold" move at all, he's just setting back our society's understanding of autism by perpetuating myths.

[kberyldial]

Maybe he should try raising a child with special needs. Ignorant people that have an audience are beyond disappointing. There are unruly children everywhere and there are kids that need help. Autism is not a new concept it's something that is newly appreciated. Autistic kids, many of them brilliant but understood, were simply seen as beyond norms years ago and put in special ed. It's like saying all Alzheimers patients are senile. Idiots everywhere.

[joefrog]

To be fair, it seems to me that there are way to many children being diagnosed with autism. They really broadened the spectrum on who has it. As a close friend to 2 different parents of truly autistic children, I understand where he is coming from. This misdiagnosis hurts the children that really are autistic. Don't make me out to be heartless either, I routinely do the Walk far for NAAR event, and do care for autistic children.

I just think this is a gotcha moment to try and tar and feather somebody. If he is wrong on this, all his other opinions must be wrong also right?

[nj829]

I think it was a ploy to get ratings. When was the last time you heard the name Michael Savage?

[AirWalke]

Originally Posted by nj829

I think it was a ploy to get ratings. When was the last time you heard the name Michael Savage?

2003.

[AIT]

Originally Posted by joefrog

I just think this is a gotcha moment to try and tar and feather somebody. If he is wrong on this, all his other opinions must be wrong also right?

“In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out,”

That's not a wrong opinion. That's a wrong fact. I don't care about the rest of his opinions if that's the kind of "information" he's basing them off of.

I understand what you're saying about a lot of children being diagnosed as autistic, but I wouldn't say there's "way too many." Certainly some children are being misdiagnosed as autistic, but the autistic diagnosis has broadened so much in recent years it's almost a catch-all diagnosis for any type of social deficiency. A speech therapist told me an autistic diagnosis is almost meaningless to her now; it could refer to a child who's slightly shier than normal, or it could refer to a child with severe social delays.

[ISUChippewa]

Micheal Savage is a piece of crap, and that is putting it kindly.

Check him out under Wikipedia.org, and you can see what other kind of stuff this alleged "human being" has gotten in trouble for.

Both he and his fellow piece of crap John Gibson are kind of guys that deserve to be beaten with a lead pipe.

[StormnClone58]

Anybody else think he's confusing ADD or ADHD with autism? ... Just a thought because I kno many people who get them confused just because they both start with 'A'

[AIT]

Originally Posted by StormnClone58

Anybody else think he's confusing ADD or ADHD with autism? ... Just a thought because I kno many people who get them confused just because they both start with 'A'

He said something about them being silent, so I don't think it's as simple as him saying autism when he meant ADD. That does sound like the kind of ignorant rant you'd expect against ADD, though. I wouldn't be surprised if he thinks they're the same disease, and he just lumps all of their effects together.

[ISUboi12]

Originally Posted by kberyldial

Maybe he should try raising a child with special needs. Ignorant people that have an audience are beyond disappointing. There are unruly children everywhere and there are kids that need help. Autism is not a new concept it's something that is newly appreciated. Autistic kids, many of them brilliant but understood, were simply seen as beyond norms years ago and put in special ed. It's like saying all Alzheimers patients are senile. Idiots everywhere.

There actually aren't many autistic people who are brilliant... In rare instances you might find someone with higher skill sets in certain areas, but many times they just memorize data sets the same way a non-autistic person would... Repetition... Which comes easier to them because it is a defining characteristic.

These people really struggle to make any contribution to society. IMO it is too broadly defined and overly diagnosed, and it does, indeed, hurt those who are affected by it most.

[StormnClone58]

Originally Posted by AIT

He said something about them being silent, so I don't think it's as simple as him saying autism when he meant ADD. That does sound like the kind of ignorant rant you'd expect against ADD, though. I wouldn't be surprised if he thinks they're the same disease, and he just lumps all of their effects together.

I was kinda thinking the same thing as well (lumping them all together) ... Either way its Very sad though ... What they ever do to him?

[Cyclonepride]

I heard some radio ads for his show in the days leading up to this, and he was advocating a ban on building mosques in the United States. So yes, he is a moron.

On this particular topic, he has tried to clarify afterwards that the "brats" he referred to were the misdiagnosed kids, not kids with autism in general. That could be him just trying to get out of hot water though.

I tend to agree that autism and ADD are probably frequently misdiagnosed. I've known parents that will only stop to notice their children when it's time to yell at them for something, and rather than take responsibility for their own lack of care for their kids, they cling to any other reason for their kid's lack of self control or other deficiencies. Doctors have to rely a lot on input from parents to fill in the blanks when analyzing the child's behaviour. Parents who can't be bothered to be a parent to their child aren't likely to offer up themselves as a reason for it.

That doesn't mean that autism or ADD aren't real medical afflictions, or that the majority of kids are misdiagnosed. And if they are, the blame falls upon the parents, and not the child. Savage deserves the criticism he gets from this, even if he is telling the truth about the context in which he said it.

[Phaedrus]

This is simply what Michael Savage does. He starts with a reasonable assumption, and then pushes it to its outlandish logical conclusion, all to try to shock the listener.

I wouldn't get too worked up about it.