Denis Leary Autism controversy

Ok, so Denis Leary recently wrote a "humor" book, whose title I don't want to print here, because I already feel like I am giving it too much publicity to discuss it at all. He includes a chapter devoted to parents who seek to inaccurately have their children diagnosed with autism on purpose because this somehow allows them not to take responsibility for their children's negative behavior. Apparently he believes this is a frequent occurence. This has created quite an uproar in the autism community, people who are understandably offended by the notion that they would deliberately wish this diagnosis on their children just so they can say "I'm not a bad parent, my child has autism." Some people have asked me what I think about this as a mother of two children with autism. Well I think a lot, but Denis Leary is so utterly wrong that there's nothing there to debate. I just see that it's one more example of the enormous lack of autism awareness in our society, and what harm it causes.

I read the whole autism chapter by Denis Leary on another autism blog, and I have to say, his defense that his comments were “taken out of context” is full of crap. The idea that the reason there is such a “huge boom” in autism rates is because parents are purposely seeking low level diagnoses is SO far off the mark, it couldn’t possibly be funny in any context whatsoever. The last thing the autism community needs to be marginalized yet again, as if the epidemic isn’t REALLY happening, so no one has to take any responsibility to try to stop it or contain it. We parents just need to stop complaining since we’re too inattentive to parent our lazy, dumb kids. The way he keeps trying to excuse himself is sickening, instead of just stepping up and admitting he doesn’t know that much about autism. That if you know one kid with autism, you DON’T know them all. If he had done that, it would have maybe helped spread awareness about autism, but it really doesn’t seem like there’s any way to redeem this situation. Once again attributing autism (or “fake” autism) to bad parenting or parents’ recreational drug use takes us right back to Bruno Bettelheim blaming “refrigerator” moms for their child’s diagnoses of autism in the fifties.

I think his commentary also marginalizes all children with learning disabilities whose numbers are also rapidly increasing. If we don’t acknowledge soon how our toxic environment is causing problems for everyone, we will soon have a financial crisis in this country that far outstrips our current corporate/industry national economic disaster. There won’t be any amount of bailout that will compensate.

I also was offended by his insult to John Elder Robison, who has not only made a very significant contribution to society with the work that he’s done career wise, but has also made an ENORMOUS contribution to society by writing “Look Me In the Eye” so that the rest of us can understand a little better what someone with Asperger’s feels and thinks. Just one person, mind you, but something a lot of people can relate to.

I was a Denis Leary fan too.