Snarky Gossip

25 opinions for Jenny McCarthy’s son has been diagnosed with autism

• Vanessa
  Apr 27, 2007 at 13:12

  stop vaccinating your kids…

  end autism right away…and your kids won’t get SICK

  learn more at

  sheeporsleep.blogspot.com

• jessica stanford
  May 11, 2007 at 15:13

  Jenny im am so sorry to hear about your precious son.There is help out there to reverse the effects of the horrible reactions to vaccines,that are slowly hurting/sometimes killing our children.talk to a homeopath doctor.must reads:a shot in the dark
  how to raise a healthy child in spite of your doctor
  what your doctor may not tell you adout childhood vaccines.
  MY PRAYERS & THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU,
  JESSICA STANFORD wife of firefighter/paramedic Jamie Stanford

• Toba Woodruff
  May 14, 2007 at 12:37

  Jenny:

  I have read your first 2 books and am in the process of reading your 3rd “Life Laughs.” I am sorry to hear about Evan. You are a very dedicated Mother, and a strong person as well. I am sure your book will bring many people a lot of insite about autism. I worked with Autistic children while in the Philippines as a Peace Corp Volunteer. Yes, the behaviors, and excentricities can be a bit much… I believed then and believe now persistence, and love are keys to winning this “battle” For Gods sake get your feet into the education system, and don’t take no, or placating as answers. You have your work cut out for you. I believe you will make changes happen. Good Luck, You go girl… and God be with you..

• Celia
  May 16, 2007 at 10:29

  Jenny:

  I am also a mom 3 autistic childern and live in IL. I can honestly say I know what you’re going thourgh. I have this awesome resource guide, its called “Autism Treatment Guide”, by Elizabeth Kling Gerlach. Knowing you that you are a mover and shaker. I don’t mean it literally. You probably have this book all ready. I really love this book. It defines how to work with the school during thier IEP’s (Individual Education Programs) to help meet the childs needs not the school’s needs. It talks about Biomedical Intervention, Nutrition, Dietary Intervention, Sensory/Physical Therapy etc…..

  Awsome resources alos are Star.net. It’s an organization made up para-professionals, mom’s, dad’s & voluteer’s. They go out in the communities and advocate during IEP’s, training teacher on how to approach a child w/ autism, go into a class room and sit and observe a child w/ autism to find out what a teacher can do to better his education etc.

  What the general public doesn’t understand that autism is not only one condition it’s HUGE umbrela of cognative and social disorder. People assume autism is like the movie RAIN MAN, which thier are indiviuals as such as that character. But, you also have high function autistic individuals that might have Sensory Intergration Dsyfunction, Pervaseive Development Disorder, Asperger’s, Autism Spectrum Disorder etc. ….

  It’s boat load of stuff. Also they really don’t know if vaccines causes this disorder, but they due know it is gentically based and the enviorment has something to due with it.

  My hats off to you for letting the public know your challenge in your perssonal life w/ Evan. Keep the fight! Your ABSOULTLEY right Evan is a CRYSTAL ANGEL.

• Laura
  May 16, 2007 at 17:22

  Dear Jenny,
  My son was also recently diagnosed with an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder). I am lucky enough that he is only 2 and is currently receiving ABA therapy through Early Intervention. (this therapy is very expensive) His therapy started 3 weeks ago and already what a progress. It is no easy task as he has preschool 3 times a week and therapy 4 times a week. He will most definitly have to go to a special ed pre-school when he turns 3 and enters the school system but we are hoping by time he reaches kindergarden he will be just like the rest of the kids in regards to his deficits. All of this is an emotional roller coaster and denial is a scary dark place, however once it is digested and accepted is when you begin to help your child. I can’t wait to read your book- I read Belly Laughs and totally related to it and am looking forward to relating to this one as well. Good Luck with your son Evan- he is adorable. Another great resource book is “The Autism Sourcebook” by Karen Siff Exkorn. I was on a 2 month waiting list with Amazon but it was definitly worth the wait.

• Nikki
  May 25, 2007 at 13:05

  Jenny,

  I just got done reading belly laughs. OMG was it funny. I am 33 a year behind you and i have a 10yr and a 3yr and one who will be here June 27th and i have had all c sections. I was reading it yesterday in the dentist office and i was reading the part about snail trail, and the O’s and the constipation there was a guy a dad of an older girl right across from me, and i was laughing so hard i was crying my daughter of coarse wanted to know what i was reading so i lied a little bit and used different words but he must of thought i was nuts or on some really good drugs. I am really sorry about Evan and i would love to share some of my stories with you so you can put them in a book, i am alot like you personality wise not looks or star status, I wish ha hahahahahah, but i have worked with Autism children and i love them they actually teach me sometimes , i will pray for you and your son and please do not worry, very easy for me to say but it always works out, and God will not give you something he knows you can’t handle so think of it as a stepping stone. Take care and i can’t wait to read the rest of the books. Love Always Nikki

• Monica
  May 29, 2007 at 10:50

  As a Mom of a boy diagnosed with PDD-NOS I have to say how angry it makes me when I hear people say how “sorry” they are with my child’s diagnose. Sorry seems so final….our kids are not dead!! We have beautiful kids that have many, many qualities. They may need extra work but they are still fabulous kids. I believe the worst thing you can say to a Mother is how “sorry you are for their child.” No,no, no!! tell them how its now time to work hard, get informed and help that child reach his or her potential no matter what that might be. Kids on the spectrum have the ability to learn, to love, to interact with people and so much more. My son never stops surprising me. So Mom’s don’t give up and fight for your child. He or she will teach YOU things you never knew.

• Candy Barcomb
  May 30, 2007 at 08:19

  Jenny, I have ran a daycare for about 9 years now and when I first got started a couple called me to see about watching thier son who had Autism Sprectum and PDD. I will tell you I was very scared a first, but after time he became one of my favorite children. Now people call from all over becasue I do so well with children that have these types of disorders. I have to say they truley are joy to be around and they really can teach us a thing or two when we take the time to look through their beatiful eyes. Thanks for the time . Candy

• Nathaniel's Mum
  May 31, 2007 at 10:29

  Jenny,
  Thank you so much for being your brave and honest self. There are days when I feel like I am loosing the battle (my 4 year old son is also autistic) and I feel somehow stronger knowing that you are in the trenches with me.
  I too believe my son is a gifted soul. I am so disheartened by the harsh treatments of the school system (our way or the highway) These children are living on such a higher realm of existance and until you have the honor to live with them day in and out…you will never understand.
  Here’s hoping and praying for the strength to make this world a better place for our children.
  With much gratitude and respect C

• Kristi
  Jun 27, 2007 at 23:25

  Please do not feel sorry for Children with Autism. They are beautiful people, only those who know and work with them are actually able to see this. I am a behavior analyst, meaning I work with children with autism. I love my job and call tell you that ABA is the way to go! Good for you taking him to UCLA-Lovaas has done a tremenduos amount of research in Autism and ABA is the only education therapy with scientific research!

  It will be a long journey with many people telling you how “sorry” they are for you, I can only hope that your respone will be “Do not be sorry for me, I love my son. Now, let’s do something to stop Autism!

• Connie Merkel
  Jul 24, 2007 at 11:04

  First of all I want to congratulate you on being a pro-active mom when it comes to autism..
  My 6 year old son was officially diagnosed yesterday with High Functioning Autism and PDD. I think you will be glad to know that his favorite actor is Jim Carrey. Not to mention I am totally jeallous of your relationship with him (in a good way). I adore Jim. I dont know if he has what my son has, but he reminds me so much of Jim, it’s uncanny. I adore both of them. You are lucky to have a wonderful fiance who cares so much about you and the kiddos.
  I’m proud of you! Now that my son has been diagnosed, I’m ready to do what it takes. I think the first step is acting classes and drama b/c he associates so well to movie roles and acting. He lives it and loves it.
  You go girl!

• Victoria
  Aug 7, 2007 at 19:02

  As a fellow southsider, I have followed you and your amazing journey throughout the years. When the news of your son and his diagnosis became public, a new sense of pride arose when I heard of the action you were taking. Thank you for giving Autism a face and bringing awareness to others. I am a proud mom of a daughter with Down Syndrome and know that educating others is the best weapon we have to fight for our children and their rights. Keep it up!

• Pam
  Sep 18, 2007 at 15:14

  I saw you on Oprah today and was thrilled to hear what you had to say. I worked with children with autism when I first became a teacher of children with varying exceptionalities. I have tried to educate the school system to diet and nutrition for all children and the difference it would make in all their lives. I cured my son of asthma and allergies 34 years ago and today he eats organic and works hard to maintain his health. I am currently working to help my husband overcome Type 2 diabetes with nutrition and exercise. Thank you for speaking out and helping others learn the truth about what you can do with proper nutrition. I truly believe you are right in what you said - although many experts in the field have told me I am wrong, I believe they are in denial.

• Karrine
  Sep 18, 2007 at 22:27

  Hi Jenny:
  I saw you on Oprah today and I have been endlessly trying to send a message to you on the discussion board, but I think there are a great number of people trying to do the same. The network is really tied up. I love what you and Holly are doing and thanks for doing it. Maybe more people will start listening.
  My youngest of 4 boys, 5 year old Jason, has autism. He has made some improvement, but desperately needs speech and behavioral therapy. He is in a pre-school class geared for kids with autism, but his class is only 2 1/2 hours a day. He receives one hour of therapy a week from the school, surely not enough from what I see. Every time I see other kids with autism speaking well, it makes me feel like I haven’t done enough for my son. I’ve asked the professionals at the school and the neurologist who gave the diagnosis if my son needs to have more therapy and at the time they said “no, let’s wait and see how he does.” Two years later the school’s speech therapist and Jason’s teacher is advising that Jason gets more therapy outside of the school (and all I can think of is… I’ve wasted precious time). Unfortunately, our health insurance doesn’t cover any therapy what-so-ever. My husband and I try to help Jason whenever we can with our own attempt at therapy. I’ve tried the very few agencies I know of for help, but there are not enough funds or spaces. Why is this going on when our nation is in such an epidemic? Why can’t all the states provide help for our kids when it is so detrimental? Now we will just have to scrape together what we can to do what it takes to get therapy for Jason, and yet I feel guilty for not doing it sooner. How many hours of speech therapy a week do you think a 5 yr old can handle?
  Also, I would like to try the wheat and gluten free diet, but Jason is a picky eater and absolutely loves bread and his dairy (yogurt, and chocolate milk). What are the alternatives and where can I find them?

• Cathy
  Sep 24, 2007 at 16:51

  Hi Jenny:

  I’m really happy to learn of your total dedication to your beautiful little boy! I truly believe that special children are a blessing from God.

  Twenty-one years ago, my son was diagnosed with mental retardation and developemental delays with autistic tendancies. To date, that’s the best diagnosis anyone has been able to come up with. There are no support groups for this particular diagnosis because he doesn’t fall into any specific catagories. But, he is a wonderful young man and I would not trade him for anything in the world.

  You have a lot of wonderfully delightful years ahead of you. Keep up the good work for all of the special people out there.

• emma
  Sep 27, 2007 at 03:46

  hi i came across this webpage whilst yet again looking for help for my son.iam a single mum of three. iam in college working towards a better future for my children however, my son has has autism hes seven years old, i feel my son has been let down he receives no help in school, hes struggling and gets shunned by his peers. my son has been let down by the system and theirs no help for him i waited for three years for a diagnosis for an answer ? everyone stories are so positive and its made me more determined to keep fighting to get my son the help and support he needs.

• Claire Thayer
  Sep 27, 2007 at 03:47

  I think we should be looking at reflux and the medications that are being given to babies for it. The last 5 years more kids are put on Tagamet etc. for GERD. my nursing handbook says not to give these drugs to nursing mothers, & children under 16yrs. This is the new ADD of our time drug every child. Every new mom I talk to there child has acid reflux. WHY not investigate it. Claire

• Kristina Chew
  Sep 29, 2007 at 07:49

  I’m all right with my own being autistic—-I do appreciate you closing sentiment!

• Julie LaBerge
  Sep 29, 2007 at 17:53

  Hi Jenny,

  I have identical twin boys with autism. I want to commend you for getting the message out there about your son and your experiences with autism. Our boys went from “classic autistic disorder” at age three to independent young boys at age 10. They are doing great because of the interventions that have been done with them. The following interventions have been successful with our boys:
  - Applied Behavioral Analysis using lots of visual structure
  -Sensory Integration Therapy (oral, auditory-using Somonas music approach, tactile)
  - Auditory Integration Therapy (Berard Method) – AMAZINGLY SUCCESSFUL!!! Repeated 3 times… great growth each time
  -Tae Kwon Do – Our boys are now Green Belts and doing great in TKD. They have made tremendous progress through Martial Arts
  -Chiropractic Care – Very helpful to align their systems
  -Reflex Inhibition Program – Our boys had retained all of their primitive reflexes from birth. At age 7 we began a program to inhibit such reflexes…great results!!!
  -Vision Therapy – This helped to address their eye movements…they didn’t work together. It made a great difference in reading. Our boys read at 266 words per minute — they essentially take pictures of the paragraphs with their minds when they read. They are amazing!

  There are more interventions that we have done, but I am not sure that you are even going to get this e-mail so I won’t go on. If you do, I hope it helps you. Contact me if you ever want to talk. We have a great success story that I am sure you would love to hear.

  By the way…maybe we can get together before we get to heaven for that drink that you mention in People!!! We certainly deserve it, don’t we???

  Best of luck to you in your journey!

  Julie LaBerge

• Megan
  Oct 1, 2007 at 04:50

  Jenny McCarthy’s son doesn’t seem autistic to me. As a mother a severely autistic child, I’m growing weary of doctors labeling children with this disorder when they don’t have the disorder. McCarthy is no exception, thought I feel for her struggle to deal with a child with developmenal challeges. However, her world and the world of true autism are worlds apart.

• shannon boruch
  Oct 9, 2007 at 08:56

  Hi jenny..my name is shannon im 20 and 8 weeks till im due with my first son and i heard a lot of things that you tried to do before you knew he had it…now i was wonderin if you think the polio shot can really make a child have autism? i tried googlin it and everything even asking my doctors but they all seem to say i dont know what im talking about. So maybe you could email me back and let me know because im really scared and nervous. thank you shann

• Elizabeth
  Oct 18, 2007 at 19:49

  Hi Jenny! I read your book last night about your son Evan, I was prompted to buy it after I read the story of your situation in people magazine. I am a mother of a very beautiful two year old boy named Mounir! I could not put your book down I finished the book in about 4 hours. I cried thew almost the whole thing. Everything sounded soooooo familiar. I have seen little signs for a while with my son but have not wanted to admit to myself that it could be autism. I have made an appointment at Children’s Hospital in Boston with a great neurologist for about a month from now ( first available appointment ). I’m scared to here the words I’m sorry but your son has autism.
  I know that early detection is so important, and I only want to do what is best for my precious boy , and give him all I can. I’m currently six months pregnant with our second son and am seriously considering no vaccinations. Your book really gave me a lot of insight. We are currently changing Mounir’s diet to the exact same gluten
  free, casein free diet, my husband and I feel it’s
  worth the try. Our son also suffers from bowel problems, I was giving him mineral oil which has been making his life easier. I love that you did everything you could think of for your son, and I think your a wonderful mother!! Best of luck to you and your beautiful boy, and wish me some too I think I’ll be needing it. God Bless

• Samantha
  Oct 29, 2007 at 20:55

  I have a four year old boy who is going through a long assessment process. His pediatrician initially felt that he may have a mild form of autism but the developmental pediatrician at this point says simply that she does not know how to diagnose him. My son suffers from severe anxiety at times when he is in public places. He will put his hands over his ears if there is a lot of noise and will tell people to talk quietly when they speak to him. Sometimes he will break down and cry and or scream until he is removed from the situation. It usually takes him about twenty minutes to calm himself down. He will thereafter insist on returning to the place in which he was experiencing anxiety but this is not always possible and sometimes the anxiety returns. Sometimes when he is very anxious he wants everything to stop. He wants everyone to stop talking, he does not want music to be played and he wants all movement to stop. For example if we are in a mall he will position himself in front of strangers’ carts to try to stop them from moving.

  He does not always experience anxiety to this extreme. His anxiety levels seem to fluctuate and he can tell me before we leave the house if he is up to going out or not but I try to get him out frequently and I take him everywhere so that he is able to experience everything other children do. I am usually able to monitor his anxiety level so that we leave events on a positive note but sometimes changes in routine can send him over the edge. We have to do most things in an exact order; he has an incredible memory.

  Transitions are very difficult for him but I have learned to give him sufficient notification before any changes are to be made which seems to lessen his anxiety. Still little things like when his little brother changed his mind about which movie he wanted to rent sent my four year old into a break-down in which he will obsessed over the change that had been made.

  When my four year old becomes excited or agitated he flaps his hands. Sometimes you can communicate with him when he does this but other times he does not respond and will even walk into people and objects when he flaps his hands. This motion is usually accompanied by some inaudible vocalizations and when he is very anxious he will stomp his feet too. He tends to do this a lot when we go for walks; he gets distracted and seems to phase out and I will have to call him back into focus every few minutes.

  His language is very concrete and much of it is memorized though he is just recently learning to use spontaneous forms of speech. He likes to watch movies until he has memorized them word for word and then will use these memorized words and phrases in everyday conversations but they are not always contextually relevant. He is not able to respond to any questions that are formed using the past tense.

  He is very social with familiar adults and has excellent eye contact but with children he is socially awkward. He rarely makes any attempt to speak with them and makes little eye contact with them and his play is usually inappropriate and sometimes aggressive; he tends to use physical contact to communicate though he is learning not to use hands and will engage in some forms of play like tag but only for short periods and this normally will end with him crying. He is however beginning to engage in imaginative play with his three year old brother and for the first time has begun to play with toys though this is generally limited to Lego figurines.

  He has some trouble with fine motor skills for example he cannot cut with scissors and has difficulty doing 10 piece puzzles. He can however, ride a bike. He has very good computer skills and can complete video game levels that I cannot. He does sleep through the night and he is very affectionate with me and sometimes with other family members. There are times however when he refuses to speak to other family members and will retreat to his room; this is typical of holidays. He is also very aware of facial expressions, tone and body language and can read people and situations well. He is a very intuitive child. He does not like certain textures but is drawn to others. He finds comfort in lying down on the floor and does this persistently in public places. He is doing well with Occupational Therapy but all interactions cause him anxiety and after these sessions he will cry and want to go home.

  Formula as a baby made him very ill until we switched him to a soya based brand. He still drinks soya milk. He also had a low immune system as a young child and had a number of ear infections. He also suffered from thrush a couple of times. I mention these because I have heard that diet, digestive difficulties and yeast are associated with autism.

  Any suggestions or information you could provide me would be greatly appreciated. As it is right now most of his difficulties are being labeled as behavioral but I believe that simple behavioral management techniques are not sufficient to help my son through some of his difficulties.

• Patty & Mary Ann
  Nov 10, 2007 at 17:14

  We are happy for Jenny and her son but it is very sad to see that unless you are financially set, it is hard to get the proper treatment for a child with autism. My grandson has had autism since he was 2 and he is now 5. We have tried and tried to get some financial help for him but we always hear he is not an emergency risk - that he is not going to hurt himself. These people who make these “life saving” decisions have only spent approximately one hour observing our baby and have not seen the child we have who has jumped off the top of dressers, climbed out windows, having no fear of the harm he could cause himself. My son is raising thischild alone with his brother - working a full time job - doing volunteer work at the school where his child attends trying to get someone to help - but for the second time - his request was declined. The goverment is suppose to have all this money to help people - but when it comes down to it- where is it? where is the help? If anyone out there can give us some suggestions or guidance, please respond.
  We are helpless in Columbus.

• Bobbi Miller-Moro
  Oct 22, 2008 at 08:37

  What a bitter article. Thankfully as we go into the future, people around the world are waking up to new possibilities. Trying out new things, exploring, inventing, creating new ways to learn. Education, environmental issues, health, we are getting away from the old school mentality of yesteryear, and forging ahead. Sadly, people like the author of this article will be left behind. Like people who couldn’t accept cell phones, or computers. There is an ‘enlightenment’ of this planet, where we are being thrust into a new era of understanding how to be more effective as a human race. This author can’t hear or see it, because it does not fit into his/her ‘box’. So. McCarthy-keep up the excellent work, glad the people commenting here are wanting to learn and explore how to embrace, live, and manage with Autism.

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