Jenny McCarthy, Autism Activist, Signs Deal with Oprah - What Are Your Thoughts?

What are your thoughts Lisa Jo? If this becomes a soapbox for what we all know is bad information (anti-freeze in vaccines??) how can this be good for autism?

My thoughts, let me see… how difficult would it be to uproot my family and find a place to live where nobody has heard about autism from Jenny?! Kind of kidding, kind of not.

Kev- I’ve started another blog at Examiner.com where I can be a bit more personal about my opinions and my experiences. As you know, About.com’s autism site is an HonCode health site (and fairly tightly managed) which means I have to be a bit more reticent than in my ideal world. Curious? Here’s where to find me: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2007-Autism–Parenting-Examiner~y2009m5d5-Jenny-McCarthy-Signs-Deal-with-Oprah–Will-This-Shake-the-Foundations-of-the-Autism-World.

Lisa

the link doesn’t work for me…

Reticent about the facts? That’s not journalism – it’s stenography.

I’ve always kind of liked Oprah, don’t watch her too much these days and now I won’t watch her at all. With all of the wonderful parents of kids with autism out there and all of the available, world reknowned experts, she gives a forum to Jenny McCarthy. Oprah is on her way out.

I also like Oprah, and have always thought her to be intelligent and a voice for those who aren’t heard….but she is blowing it here big time. The question needs to be asked. Why Jenny? Why now? and whats in it for Oprah? She obviously doesn’t need the $$, so why? Has Oprah ever had other thoughts about autism presented on her show? (I wouldn’t know as I don’t watch it). Does she know that Jenny has said she has spent at least $500,000/year on her kids “therapies”?

What makes Jenny an expert on autism; because her son “had” it??? Well my son, “has” it and it doesn’t make me an expert. Personally, I don’t read or listen to what she says. I would rather go to the Autism Speaks website and learn there. They also have a wider range of information for parents and don’t just focus on vaccines. They are there to help the family and child step by step, right from the beginning of receiving a diagnosis. As far as I’m concerned, Oprah is a great person but got sucked into this one.

I really am not influenced by or follow Oprah’s initiatives. But to me, how could anyone with half an brain give Jenny McCarthy credit for curing her autistic son while the rest of us with autistic kids know there is no cure! If there was a cure, would Ms. McCarthy be the only one finding it??? Hipocrisy or stupidity need not be rewarded. Most people do not know enough about autism to form the opinion that a cure is upon us, and what else is Jenny McCarthy known for??
Oprah also backed Dr. Phil and he is not worth watching. I can figure out the answers to his guests problems and I’m not a shrink!!!

I think many of us fear that Oprah’s platform for Ms. McCarthy will be soley about autism…
I’m hoping that is not the case, and trust that Ms. Winfrey has a bit more sense than to allow that.

Sad, sad, sad, that Oprah doesn’t see Jenny the way other parents do. When I first heard she was to advocate for autism on Larry King, I was thrilled. After hearing her talk I felt betrayed in that all she wanted was for the public to buy her materials so she could “pay off her mortgage”. What about donating proceeds to the cause? Only thing she does is make noise, not so sure its good noise.

I never comment of boards and blogs, but I just had to, and I’m dumbfounded. I don’t dismiss the things Jenny M has to say, but she isn’t the face, attitude or reflection of reality that I live in when it comes to autism. The lady has money, I’m a regular person, I can’t afford to make a bubble for my children and frankly, the way she holds herself as an every-autism-mom just creeps me out because it is apparent she has never attended a support group with regular working people and no cameras. Oprah could have chosen better, for the shows on autism and now with Jenny. There are so many “balanced” advocates for our children that it really makes me feel like I’m left out of this special club… I just can’t relate. Sorry.

Thank-you Oprah for putting Jenny she is loud and smart…. I don’t know why some people dont think its a great idea but i do we need as much information as possible you dont have to agree or do it but its best to be inform for both sides concering autism… She is the only one really talking about it and standing up for our children. I with her and Oprah…

Jenny McCarthy’s child was cured of autism ? The other article on your blog today goes into detail about the physiological changes to the brains of autistic children. Did Ms. McCarthy’s child’s brain return to normal ? Did the amygdala return to it’s normal size? Did all the other physiological changes of the brain return to normal ? When I hear that someone was cured of autism, I can’t but wonder if the that person was ever really autistic.

I don’t agree with everything Jenny McCarthy has to say, but I think the attention she’s brought to autism is extremely valuable. Awareness is key for funding research and for making more services available to families, both of which are sorely in need in our community.

Personally I think the debate over the causes of autism is critically important… Let us not forget that no matter what our stand on vaccinations, we still do not know what causes autism, so isn’t it important to keep an open mind, stir the public debate and insist on research and funding for research?

So much of Jenny’s evidence is anecdotal and I’m fearful that she will be viewed as an expert. If she has cured her son, why aren’t the parents who are following her recommended treatments experiencing cures in their Autistic children as well? As for Oprah, I no longer watch her show because I feel she has lost all semblance of objectivity. The two of them together would definitely get a “no thanks” vote from me.

Shame on Opera for letting her greed for money outweigh her responsibility to use her wealth and fame for good…. oh, there is no moral responsibility?

Look at Quackcast #30 for an indepth look at the claims of anti vaccine people and the actual substance of vaccines. A good history of vaccines and the progress made to date. He is well spoken, and actually against “big Pharma”. So it is easy to listen to if you are on the fence, as it were.

Opera: Being ‘fair’ means to look at both sides with equal criticism. Jenny’s motherly intuition and stacks of anecdotal evidence is nothing against quality meta analysis of dozens of studies involving thousands of children over decades; combined with present day outbreaks where children are not vacinned… come on Opera. And you want to fuel the flame? As if we were back at the witch trials, where evidence meant nothing and your intuition meant everything.

McCarthy’s son is cured? Is the kid that went to Mongolia cured? Or is there lots of money garnered from the Oprah usage? We all know books, movies and Oprah backing leads to big dollars. If these kids are cured why is there not a medical round table telling all people with autism we can cure you and here is what we will do. Also, the media of today will do anything, and I mean anything, to garner more viewers. We need act as intelligent human beings both with what is heard on TV as well as what is read on the internet.

It honestly feels like a betrayal if she gets on this soapbox about autism. Autism is not CURED, the person affected could learn to adjust to things but it is never CURED. I think spreading this theory around hurts the people that have trouble adapting. Next thing you know people will be saying your kids are making up everything. As far as vaccines go, if this was the cause why did my son show definite signs of autism right after birth (well before he started with vaccinations).

I do not believe Jenny McCarthy’s theory (and others) that vaccines “cause” autism. I could go on forever about that – just don’t believe it! When Oprah get involved in anything, it always get’s big. If she can do anything to help our autistic children, all the better. However, we need to find better ways to help our children as opposed to constantly trying to “blame” somebody or something for what has happened. NOBODY is to blame. If we can get that through to Oprah, so much the better. But, just having her on board to help the cause will not do much good because she (Oprah) has lost her objectivity. She doesn’t understand autism, but tries to pretend she does by parroting McCarthy’s book. Autism is NOT CURABLE. For Jenny McCarthy to claim she has “cured her son” makes me ill! She has falsely given hope to many parents who now think their child can be “cured.” For Oprah to buy into this nonsense can only hurt her image as well as children with autism. Those of us who don’t have millions of dollars need to rely on public school systems and ‘reality’ to help our children grow up to adulthood. If some of Oprah’s money could be directed toward programs for the children who need them, then we might be going in the right direction. But shame on Oprah for getting sucked into the media frenzy and greed of Ms. McCarthy. There is NO WAY I will ever watch Oprah Winfrey’s show again – unless and until she starts using her head wisely!

My father-in-law sends us books Jenny writes as though they are gospel. Every parent of an autistic child knows how hard it is to keep up with therapies and everyday life. This will just complicate it more. Everyone has an opinion and they all seem to be different. Everyone has advice, sometimes conflicting with other advice. Jenny makes it sound like every child can be cured and it makes the parents who don’t take her advice look like they are not doing the right thing to cure their children. Just what we need, more stress. Now more people will watch and think she is right and more pressure will come from people who buy into anything. Every parent of an autistic child will be under more pressure and stress thanks to this. But, she will continue to make money and not care what parents of real autistic children are going through. Shame on Jenny and Oprah!

When I think of Jenny McCarthy, 3 words come to mind. DANGEROUS because she is “celebrity” enough to garner attention when she talks. DAMAGING because all that she is touting is subjective rhetoric. DESTRUCTIVE because her views are being taken as gospel by an uneducated media. Come on people, get educated…..THERE’S NO CURE!!! At least NOT YET! And when the cure comes, we won’t be learning about it from Oprah or Jenny McCarthy.

I am deeply disappointed in Oprah for giving Jenny McCarthy a soapbox with a bigger audience. I think Jenny McCarthy has always been a total nutcase just looking for someone to blame, and I have absolutely no reason to regard her as an “authority” despite her claims.

My two sons have autism, and I am deeply offended at the suggestion that they need “curing.” Yes, I know there are aspects of life that are difficult with autistic kids, but I also know that having neurotypical kids does not give you a perfect life, and I know plenty of neurotypical kids who cause much more trouble than my supposedly “abnormal” boys do.

My kids were never given a single mercury-preserved vaccine, so if vaccines cause autism, what’s Jenny’s excuse for their diagnosis? Jenny McCarthy’s full of hot air.

I read this and think….if only!!! I have a daughter who is on the spectrum and who will be turning 18. We have faced many challenges over the years but none so daunting as “what’s next” as she graduates from Grade 12. There are so many individuals out there fighting their daily battles on their own without the benefit of Oprah and company. Our struggles are many and aren’t going to end anytime soon.

I find it atrocious that Jenny McCarthy has the brass to say that she has “cured” her son and that one day he was perfectly fine and the next he was having seizures. Perhaps her son was misdiagnosed, either way, I wish someone would get her to be quiet because due to her being so highly visible and vocal people who don’t understand only mention the immunizations and the environmental and it could adversly effect the true research that is currently being done.

I’m so relieved to find that I am not the only one who thinks that Jenny McCarthy should not touted as some sort of autism expert. I wrote to Oprah’s show years before Jenny McCarthy showed up because I wanted to share the story of the wonderful progress our son has made despite his autism diagnosis. I never heard a word back from her producers. I guess if I were dating Jim Carrey that would make me an expert! I really hope that she has average people who’ve done more traditional therapies (speech, OT, behavioral,educational) on her show to balance out the picture. I believe some children can be “cured” to the extent that they can lead productive, satisfying lives but it is a long journey not a process where you can wave a magic wand and make it all better. Hopefully the thousands of parents, doctors and specialists who work to get people with autism to reach their full potential will have their voices heard also.

Someone needs to butt heads with Pharma and Oprah is the person for the job. She has the power and money to raise awareness that vaccines are destroying children and adults. The United States has the highest vaccines rates and the highest number of “sick” children. I had ten vaccines in my lifetime and so did all my friends. We all lived healthy with no allergies or disorders. But 38 vaccines smells like money. If parents knew most vaccines contained MILK, Aborted Fetus Tissue, Mercury, Soy, Animal organs, they would not have to wonder why their bodies immune system rejected these components from such large doses and created more problems than they were designed to prevent. There is proof vaccines cause autoimmune reactions or attacks on the brain and other organs. It’s out there! My husband at age 38, suffered organ damage when a tdap contained MILK (he’s allergic to milk). The FDA does not find it necessary to label this top 8 allergen, as per written email. Again, money! Maybe Oprah can spark safer vaccines!!

I can’t believe the amount of descent on this discussion. You all sound jealous of Jenny M. Our son is recovering as well. You all should educate yourself on what Jenny M. has done for her son, there’s no shame in giving him everything she can. Why does it hurt to listen, it sure wouldn’t hurt the AAP.

It sounds from the comments above that many of the moms leaving them are as closed minded as the doctors and friends and family I have encountered during my ordeal with my child. As a doctor myself I would have had a difficult time believing Jenny, but when my child began with neurologic symptoms when she began a diet of dairy and wheat. She had been diagnosed as PDD by the mayo clinic. somebody told me they had just watched Oprah and it sounded very similiar to what was happening with my child. It took a while to convince me but once I put my child on a GF/CF diet she came back to me. I thank Oprah and Jenny for saving my daughter from full blown autism.

I don’t know much about Jenny Mc-whoever and I NEVER watch Oprah but I had read “The Ultramind Solution” and this is a Doctor– not a celebrity– saying that he has healed many children with Autism through diet. I put my son on a gluten free diet and guess what??? Within one week of being GF he can sit through church no problem and is speaking full sentences and whole conversation and keeping eye contact with me!

I agree with the last post- PEOPLE don’t be so closed minded or you may cheat your child out of just what he/she needs. I am not saying all children with these problems will be fixed by getting off gluten but MANY of them can be healed through diets. Don’t be so set on there not being a cure! Do you understand how many kids are being diagnosed with these so called neurological disorders? New discoveries are made all the time in medicine and guess what the effects of diet on autism are discoveries in the works… it can help!

I have just read the book on healing and preventing autism. I did not read anywhere in the book that they talked about a “cure” for Autism. I don’ t know much about Jenny McCarthy’s personal life or her media life. What I do know that there has not been a honest debate about vaccines, their efficacy, side effects and the safety of their ingredients.

I appreciate her and Dr Kartinzel for writing this book, it has information that is very helpful to me. It will join the other books in my library. I agree with Dr Kartinzel that works for one child may be disasterious for another. To me that is sound medical advice.

Personally. I hope Jenny keeps shaking up the world, we need shakers on this issue!

I would like to know how many people have tried the gluten free/corn free diet plan? I don’t know about Jenny’s book or thoughts but I do know that gluten free/corn free living has amazing health benefits. It is not just for autism but a wide range of health problems. No one should be eating grains. What would it hurt if you tried a nutritional approach to autism?

Jenny McCarthy is a total nutcake and anyone else who wasn’t a “celebrity” would be laughed out of the publishing and TV talk shows..but of course these imbeciles in media don’t care about truth or reality only if they can sell something…..the reality is mccathy does NOT have an autistic son..God bless the kid…he obviously had something go wrong in the form of seizures..but Jenny, who runs IndigoMoms.com, is of the belief that Evan is a ‘crystal child,’ and she herself is an ‘adult indigo.’ This belief suggests that ‘indigo/crystal phenomenon is the next step in our evolution as a human species.’ Proponents also suggest that many indigo and crystal children are wrongly diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, and autism. Starchild has more information, for those interested.

Jenny says that, ‘Evan is sensitive to air and water, he’s that hypersensitive,’ so she’s had to adjust her parenting. You can read an essay on the indigo/crystal belief that she wrote in 2006 for Children of The New Earth magazine

I never write on blogs but reading these cynical comments irritated me. Because of reading one of Jenny’s books, I obtained information that has changed my son’s life. No. he is not cured but has drastically improved. Following the protocol she introduces in the book has made more positive changes than any therapy or medication ever has. I know I am not alone in my gratitude. Perhaps if some of you had the same experience you wouldn’t be so negative and bitter.

Shame on you people. Have you READ any of her books? You think maybe her son never had autism in the first place? What a hurtful and malignant thing to say. You have no idea of the ordeal she went through. He was DIAGNOSED with autism and clearly went through the very severe symptoms of it, and after her tireless research and efforts, now leads a very normal, healthy life. Walk a mile in her shoes before you discount her as a bimbo. You will be surprised. Vaccines DO damage children. Just because most people don’t want to believe it or do not see the proof of it in their immediate environment or in their children doesn’t make it untrue.

I have not watched Oprah since she signed with the farting bunny/pseudoscientist/self-proclaimed “indigo mother”.

I am disgusted that Oprah is giving this attention seeking loon a platform…AND GIVING HER A CHANCE TO FURTHER HINDER ADVANCEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF AUTISM!!!!! The day they both go way will be a great day.

I work with children with autism, and so know first hand their quirks. Life is very difficult for them. One of the children I have worked with, his parents have likewise put him on the same diet (long before Jenny McCarthy did, I might add), and although he is a high-fuctioning boy with autism, his autism is every bit as present. What Jenny McCarthy is deluding herself into seeing, is that autism just means that these people’s brains are hardwired completely differently than our own. This cannot be cured, nor recovered from, as she claims. It can be MANAGED, but that is all. Her son’s autism will never go away, and his autistic tendencies and anxiety will dramatically increase as he gets older. This is just the way of autism. I have no doubt that her heart is in the right place, and that she truly believes what she thinks she has done, but she has simply made her son more manageable, allowing him to calm his anxiety, and ready his mind to learn. This is no cure.

Sue–

Here’s anoter kind of “sue”:

http://autisticbfh.blogspot.com/2008/01/autism-speaks-silences-autistic-child.html