Michael Savage's Autism Remarks

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Mark Whittington
Published July 21, 2008 by:
Mark Whittington
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More:Michael SavageAutism in Children

More Controversy from the Savage Talk Show Host

Another media figure has gotten himself into trouble over something he said on the air. Only this time it was not about race. Fiery radio talk show host Michael Savage has
 apparently insulted children with autism as well as their parents.

Michael Savage has labeled children with autism "brats" as well as "idiots" and "morons." Michael Savage went on to suggest the autism was a racket designed to get public assistance.

Children's advocates are outraged at Michael Savage's remarks. There have been calls for Michael Savage to apologize and retract his remarks. There have been calls to boycott stations that carry The Savage Nation show and calls for Michael Savage's firing.

The Autism Society of America released the following statement in response to Savage's remarks, "We are dismayed that these grossly inaccurate remarks would be aired in any platform, much less on a nationally syndicated show. We will continue to work with families, people with autism and the broader public to raise awareness of autism spectrum disorders."

The Autism Society of America defines autism as, "a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person's ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a "spectrum disorder" that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism..."

The Autism Society goes on to point out the following signs of autism in children which, if caught early, can be treated:

"Lack of or delay in spoken language

"Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects)

"Little or no eye contact

"Lack of interest in peer relationships

"Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play

"Persistent fixation on parts of objects"

There is no known cause of autism, but researchers agree that children with autism have an abnormality of brain structure and function. There also seems to be a genetic component to autism as well as possible environmental triggers. Autism affects 1 in 150 children in the United States.

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My son had Aspergers. We had a bitter feud with the school system in the 90s over his treatment, but he was a fine boy and is now a fine, honest and conscientious young man. I put up a web site describing years of harassment from school personnel related to that, drug racketeering and medical fraud. I happened to read about Michael Savage's vicious remarks about autism (http://mediamatters .org/items/ 200807170005) and wrote a letter to Kmart to protest sponsoring his show. A few weeks ago, I saw Kmart accessing the website (OneTrack does identify the visitor in most cases). It was a coincidence that my son worked for Kmart at the time. He was treated well and enjoyed the job. After Kmart visited the web site, he was harassed and finally driven off the job. There is no doubt in my mind that this was deliberate. Below is the letter he just gave for his resignation. .. To Kevin and whomever else it concerns: I've worked at K-Mart for 6 months, and the way I've been treated as an emp
Jenny McCarthy had a response to Savage's remarks: Jenny, alongside the many others who have had their lives impacted by autism, was appalled by the statement. What would she like to happen? “I think a great way for an apology is to be sat down and educated about it,” Jenny said. “I'd love to just quietly [sit down with him and] educate him on the facts. It was clear he doesn't know anything about autism” Read more on Causecast.org: http://www.causecast.org/news_items/4463
ok so I found some more info about what Savage said and watched a video where he explained himself. Have to admit, I am really amazed, he has lost his mind. This was an incredibly horrible thing he said and I can't believe anyone could be so ignorant. As a special educator, I find myself amazed that anyone could have this view regarding autism. wow.
Savage's own brother was mentally retarded and died in an institution, Savage is very sensitive to these issue and I find it terribly hard to believe this wasn't taken out of context. I would need to hear it before I believe this. He has actually cried (tears) on the show about the horrible conditions children and adults lived in during the 50's in mental institutions. Not sure about the truth of this article...
It would be nice if www.michaelsavage.com were included in your sources, you know - just to show that you didn't hear the statements out of context.
http://www.savageonautism.com/ Listen before judging,would you kill a man if someone had simply said he killed someone? No. You need proof and you need truth, without backing it up with either, then you are simply crying wolf.
Ok for the man who wrote this, you are a complete idiot. I was listening to his show that day, the media have taken his words out of context and once again strung up yet another conservative for doing nothing wrong. Grow up you left wing punks.
every article that is ever written about "michael savage" should at least have the journalistic integrity to point out that his REAL NAME is Michael WIENER. it's true -- look it up. if you ever want to understand why he's so quick to bully the defenseless, so full of anger and hatred and lies, just picture all the other kids in his first grade class surrounding him and chanting "WEINER! WIENER! WIENER!" -- it will all make perfect sense.
its completely watch watchable,but i feel it not enough good.i found a great site called http://www.tvokay.com has thousands of movies for you stream and download.
... more conservative decay.
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