From Singled Out to Oprah

I remember when I first saw Jenny McCarthy on Oprah ... I was so excited that a celebrity (a funny one to boot) was clanging pots and pans for autism awareness.  Often when I tell people what I do, I'm met with a reference to Rainman. With the CDC reporting that ASD affects anywhere from 1 to 100 or 150 kids in this country, you would think that people would have more familiarity with the spectrum.  But they don't.   And I've said before that I knew NOTHING before I took this position.  So when Jenny McCarthy was on tv (not hooking up single co-eds) I was elated...

Then the "cringe" moment set in.  The moment where Jenny started mentioning words like "cause" and "cure" ... two "c" words that in the autism community can come across stronger than any 4 letter words you could throw out. I remember thinking Talk more about ABA!! (knowing that her son was receiving services). However, Jenny kept referring to diets and vaccines ... and I cringed.  That is until I started taking in information on my own and thinking for myself.

I am not in ANY way, saying that I know vaccines cause autism.  Many doctors claim that kids on the spectrum have lower immune systems - and this I can believe, but I'm still not sure if I see the low level of tolerance as an effect or a cause.  What I do know, though, is that we need to open our minds.  We need to develop our own opinions about vaccines, diets, theories, etc.  I once heard a doctor say "We don't know what autism is, we only know how it presents itself" ... how true that is!

Often, people outside of the field will ask me what I think about certain controversial topics ... but I don't really believe my opinion is that pertinent, but what I do think is important is that people LEARN and develop opinions on their OWN!!  People need to stop accepting everything they read as fact and do RESEARCH!  

After I stopped cringing and opened my mind to what Jenny had to say, I found her books helpful. As a professional, I sometimes need parents to remind me how they feel and what they're thinking.  It's easy for us to come in to your home and "work" rather than help.  Jenny's books remind me not to do that.

As I've said, I'm not sure if I agree/disagree with Jenny but I do think her books are helpful for both parents and professionals if only to help us understand. I look at her site often for links and news.

http://www.generationrescue.org/