Too hot a topic for David Kirby
The View is airing a special one-hour show on autism today, January 29th. If you (like me, because I am teaching a Latin class) are unable to watch the show, you can read (right now, even) David Kirby’s Huffington Post blogpost about how, even though he was invited to the show, he was not asked to speak and about how what he refers to as “the autism question of the century” (= causation) was not even brought up—-and how, in a post-show chat with Rosie O’Donnell, Kirby found out that she has read his book and that she thinks that “‘mercury may have something to do with it.’”
It appears, Kirby writes, that some truth is being squelched, or at least not being given proper airtime.
Kirby thus concludes that “the cause of autism is a topic too hot for ‘The View’ to have a view.” (And this despite the numerous mumblings among parents in the audience, one of whom told Kirby “”I am so tired of “coping with autism.” How about stopping it? We don’t need more sob-fests. We need answers.’”) “Autism and controversy are practically siblings,” says Kirby, disappointed that The View’s autism segment did not have the “same feisty, fearless, take-no-prisoners aplomb as usual.” Autism awareness without a little wrassling—without the various sides trying to be contendahs in the name of “cause” and “cure”—-and maybe even slinging some mud (mercury?) just does not seem right.
“I do know it was a bit surreal to sit through an entire show dedicated to autism without anyone asking why kids develop it,” writes Kirby. I am not sure if he reads this blog but I do wonder, if he does, if he might find it something of a “surreal” experience. While I do not shy away from referring to various theories of what causes autism (involving genes in particular), “asking why kids develop it” is not my main focus. While I am as interested as anyone in finding out what causes autism, I (being an autism mother) am even more interested in finding out ways to help my kid develop, learn, and grow up.
Indeed, I find it rather surreal, if not simply irresponsible, when such questions are not addressed in discussions about autism or, if they are addressed, it is with such a heavy dose of “feisty, fearless, take-no-prisoners aplomb” that no real solutions are discussed or addressed.
But maybe “teaching kids with autism” and “adults with autism” are topics too hot for some to handle.
11 opinions for Too hot a topic for David Kirby
reuben
Jan 29, 2007 at 2:48 pm
As a parent, you (like me) don’t need to know the causes. You just need to know what happens next.
Theoretically it’s interesting. But that’s all.
Leila
Jan 29, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Rosie O’ Donnell gave him a lesson on television, but he is too self-absorbed to notice. The producers decided to focus on the families’ daily challenges, on the kids’ lives. They were not talking about science, research, causes. That would be for a different show, it’s as simple as that. I’m glad Rosie put him in his place when he tried to redirect the discussion to turn the focus from the kids to himself. How vain.
On a personal note, when I found out my son had autism, the CAUSE didn’t matter that much to me. He is autistic and nothing can change that; now I want to know where to go FROM there. Of course I’m hoping that someday scientists will find a cause and, IF there are environmental issues, they should be eliminated if possible. But at this point I don’t want to dwell on that because it won’t make any difference to my child and all the other ones that are already autistic. I want to know what to do to give him/them the best quality of life under the given circumstances.
Donna
Jan 29, 2007 at 3:59 pm
I only saw the last 20 minutes which was an interview with Temple Grandin and an interviw with parents of a 17 year old girl where the topic was what services/education are available after turning 21, legal guardianship etc. Briefly the young lady/their daughter came on stage and gave a gift to Rosie. Thought that segment with family and daughter briefly was good cause they are issues that many are facing and will face.
Anybody see all the show and want to share?
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 29, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I’d appreciate knowing what else anyone thought who saw the show—always good to hear about families’ stories.
For mysef, dwelling on “the cause” has not proved the most productive way of helping my son.
Cherrone Davis
Jan 29, 2007 at 7:10 pm
I had two of my friends call me to tell me that the show was on, which is a good thing, because most of my friends do not understand the disorder and say things like “he’ll outgrow it” without truly understanding how painful it is for me to hear that. I missed the majority of the show, but I did see Toni Braxton trying to convey her story, at which time, she began crying, and I saw myself, at a time in which I did not think I could get over my son’s diagnosis. When my daughter came along, as was diagnosed with PDD/NOS, I really felt like I was not going to recover from my grief. However, early intervention has been key, and now I no longer cry (uncontrollably, anyway!) when talking about my kids.
ashley
Jan 30, 2007 at 11:15 am
Hi Kristina. I was really happy with The View’s coverage (thank god for tivo). For years I’ve waited for mass media to put together a show that discusses the spectrum of those on the spectrum. And finally they did it.
It appeared that ABC tried their best to find ASD adults, families, and children that have varied “parking spots” on the spectrum. One can tell that ABC tried their best to stress just a few points (simplify) that say the same thing - Autism is treatable, early intervention is key, what the signs are, and that Autism is also a gift, not a death sentence.
All good news! I also blogged about it after watching it last nite.
Jez Rourke
Feb 1, 2007 at 4:22 am
I absolutely despise Rosie O’Donnell; I find her need to express her opinion far exceeds her intellect and ability to do so without sounding ignorant 99.9% of the time. Or perhaps the main reason I despise her is her complete disregard for her tone deafness and releasing CD after CD of her godawful voice. Oh yeah, her complete lack of talent makes her “celebrity” even more puzzling than autism.
I digress. I saw the show and obviously The View is not an appropriate venue to even talk about autism. It’s a show where a bunch of everday women supposedly get together every day a shoot the breeze. The forum itself was innappropriate. The things that the hosts were obviously coached on (those obvious things about autism they needed to know to have a conversation) were really basic and so the show never scratched the surface which I’m sure it was never meant to.
Interestingly, Toni Braxton talked about Suzanne Wright being so nice and calling her on the phone when she heard her son was diagnosed and offered anything, everything she needed. What’s funny is Toni Braxton and Bill Cosby are doing a benefit for Autism Speaks in Las Vegas, so how Suzanne Wright help her is questionable. It looks like the tables got turned there somehow.
Seeing Temple Grandin is always a pleasure and she was kind of funny as well. There were some issues that were touched on that obviously promoted or perpetrated some theories that may or may not be true but that was never said except by the pediatrician mother of two autistic boys. In fact Rosie said to Temple, so like all these brilliant guys in the Silicon Valley are probably autistic. Temple said yes and to paraphrase you wouldn’t have this studio or lights if there weren’t austic people which was really funny. But still I thought that Rosie set her up. There is no proof that people that are good with computers and code are autistic, so to me, responsibility would dictate that it be phrased as “there’s one of many theories that says high tech computer programmers may be somewhere on the autistic spectrum.”
What I came away with was a daydream essentially of how I wished I could have been on the show with my daughter and all the things I would have said she would have said and done. So to me, the opportunity for autism information to be disseminated on national television is not an opportunity to be squandered the way it was trivialized on The View.
But it’s The View, I didn’t expect rocket science. I also know how difficult it is, how autism has become such a loaded word, subject. And I fully understand it. I come from a place where my child at 4 does fairly well. She is verbal and gifted, hyperlexic, superfast learner, yet she most definitely “thinks different.” If she was a computer she’d be a Mac. Her future, like all autistic children, is uncertain. Will she ever answer a question like “how was school today?” I don’t know. My point is some would consider her to be quote unquote high functioning which is not a term I use.
While she may be representative of an autistic child, I then think about those children who have much more severe behavior issues. And I’m not sure I want to speak about how treatable and what a gift autism can be. I feel like it is so for me and my daughter, but I’m not so sure what a gift it is for those kids who can’t speak, can’t sit still for a minute, bang their heads all day and really suffer in ways I’m not sure I can comprehend every day of their lives.
So, for me “autism” becomes something I’m afraid to talk about because the spectrum is so big, anything I say or you say, or anyone says is bound to offend someone because it doesn’t apply. One thing I’ve learned: autism is relentless in many ways not the least of which being that it does not bend to generalizations.
All in all, I think The View should stick to what the do best. Nothing.
Laura Santos
Feb 11, 2007 at 1:14 pm
As I was looking for something else, I found this page and even though it’s been a couple of weeks since the show aired, I felt compelled to add my two cents worth.
Since 2001, my family has struggled with the face of autism in our own home via the diagnosis of our son. I was not willing to accept the phrase, “there’s nothing we can do but add in behavior treatment and behavior modification drugs,” so I kept on.
Yes, my friends, there is a cause. Yes, there are biomedical treatments available. The problems are so many that I fear to even go into them all. There is no set of rules to treatment and recover which applies to all patients, which sends the medical community in flight. Who wants a medical practice based on theories and “unproven” treatments? In this day of malpractice suits? I think not!
What I believe we must do is keep a level head, look at all the angles, YES, do a story on biomedical causes and treatment therapies (or maybe a month long show), stop arguing and get to work.
As for my family, we decided to ignore conventional medicine, stay out of the controverys, go the “alternative” biomedical intervention route, doing extreme gluten free/casein free diet, nutritional therapy, chelation and methylcobolamin therapy for our son’s autism. We have been doing this since 2002. It is NOT an overnight process. It takes discipline, a willingness to make mistakes, a willingness to fail, and a strong determination to keep on keeping on the face of little to no results.
But . . . the biomedical treatments worked for us and we have our son back. How about we do a story on that?
Kristina Chew, PhD
Feb 11, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Thanks, Laura. There is indeed a cause or, indeed, causes. We have tried many biomedical treatments for Charlie, especially in his younger years and he is currently still on a strict gf/cf diet (he has celiac disease, too). Education has had the longest-lasting effects for him.
Autism Vox » Autism in TV Land
Mar 27, 2007 at 11:54 pm
[…] time that autism made an appearance on Oprah’s show: So far this year autism was featured on The View; on MTV; on Extreme Home Makeover; and, last Sunday, on Larry King. And, back in April 2005, Daniel […]
nemoforone
Apr 3, 2007 at 4:20 pm
What about the possibility of pulling out of Iraq, letting Iran invade and lose resources fighting their own kind,
and then come in and mop up the dregs?
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