Jenny McCarthy - Oh My.

Judging by the title, you can probably feel my hostility towards the "new" Jenny McCarthy. Yesterday, just like every other Friday, the latest edition of US Weekly arrived in the mail. Look, bottom line - I need my star gossip. Anyways, PLASTERED on the front cover is a picture of Jenny McCarthy with her son. With a huge headline "HOW I SAVED MY SON - Beating Autism". Point blank, I'm going to say it, what the fuck. She thinks she saved her son, great. She thinks she has "brought him back to life", fabulous. What about the THOUSANDS of kids that aren't saved. That aren't cured, that are autistic forever. What about them? How does that make parents feel, especially when you are a rich film/tv star that has $$$ to pay for any type of accomdation/service necessary for your son to receive the best possible education - you cure your son and they can't cure theirs.

She also choses to refer to disorder as an "injury". Like he fell off the curb and now he has autism. Oh, but wait, he's cured. Oh, wait again - last time she was on Oprah she told the world that he can't leave their house due to immune disorders. She has to teach him in their house in a sterile environment, he still suffers from constipation and from several other issues. He's still considered cured? I haven't met one parent that feels Jenny McCarthy is going to save the world. I haven't met one educator that feels she has saved the population. As far as I know, the smartest doctors and specialists in the world, are still looking for answers. How in the hell does a TV actress find the cure and they can't? Why are we still fundraising and walking or running for Autism if she has really found a cure?

One tactic she tried was what we call the "autism diet". One form of the diet removes dairy and wheat completely from the diet of autistic children. Due to digestion issues, the trend suggests autistic children suffer with wheat and dairy. However, I've worked with numerous kids who have tried the diet and it does nothing. She needs to admit that for some children, it works, and for others, it doesn't. You can't tell the world you cured your son with something that can't cure every one else. You can however chose to tell the world that you feel the diet is making a difference and that you are lucky it is working for you. Except, I look at it like Atkins. Can one who loses weight on Atkins REALLY go with eating only meat for the rest of their lives? Is that practical? I fail to see how avoiding dairy and wheat for the rest of your life is healthy.

All in all, the way she presents herself has made an impression on me. I still have a job, and most of my population still suffers from autism. For now, I know people are working hard to find a cure and correct the issue. I pray and hope to see a cure one day, but I sure as hell don't expect it to be from a TV star.

Disclaimer: Please don't think I feel its impossible for someone to help their child. There are several factors that go into helping a child with Autism. Gains are certainly able to be made and I've watched students progress into what appears to be typically functioning young adults and adults. However, it takes time, patience and the effort to try anything. Autism is a spectrum disorder that presents itself in thousands of ways, therefore I strongly believe there must also be thousands of ways to help mold the lives of these children so that they may function in a typical setting. I think it's possible to find a cure, we just need to keep going with what has been discovered so far. I think one will be found eventually, but I'm not so sure that I'll be reading about it in US Weekly when that day comes.