Michael Savage on Autism

I'm way late on the take here, but this is worth some thought. This
is a good synopsis of Savage's comments on autism and the aftermath from
abc.com:

Savage, who in the past, has taken aim at the legitimacy of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other behavioral disorders, called autism a "fraud" and a "racket" during his July 16 broadcast, adding that "[i]n 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out." In light of strong public reaction to his statements, Savage issued a statement, further explaining his comments.
"My comments about autism were meant to boldly awaken parents and children to the medical community's attempt to label too many children or adults as 'autistic'," the statement read.
"Just as some drug companies have overdiagnosed 'ADD' and 'ADHD' to peddle dangerous speed-like drugs to children as young as 4 years of age, this cartel of doctors and drug companies is now creating a national panic by overdiagnosing 'autism,' for which there is no definitive medical diagnosis!"
In a response to ABC News' request for comment, Mark Masters, the CEO of Talk Radio Network, sent the same statement that had been posted on Savage's Web site.

So what do you think? Honestly, I've listened to Savage on occasion
before. He's got some strong opinions, some of which I agree with, others
I don't. Was this comment out of line? Absolutely, living with
autism everyday, I can tell you that I would be so very happy if I could just
tell Jax to , "cut the act". Sadly, it's not that simple.

Should Savage be fired for his comments? Sponsors are dropping like flies. Definately, he crossed the line and should apologize. He has (see here for more: http://www.savageonautism.com/ ).

I'm not a supporter or a regular listener; however, I am troubled that Savage
is being harassed by many people that haven't ever listened to any of his show
and are crucifying him based on these comments. I don't take the comments
lightly, but I've listened to enough of Savage to know to take them with a grain
of salt, so to speak...

So, what do you think of these comments?

Take me out to the ballgame!

Dan & I are playing on a coed softball team this summer. We are really having a good time and it's nice that Jackson (and Cal) are able to be semi-independent in the park while we're playing. The first week we played, after the game we got pizza. So guess what we have every Sunday night now?

Today, Jackson kept asking for pizza and wanted to "go play t-ball" or "go to the park". Of course, I had to get out the calendar and show him when Sunday would be here...

Uncle Dave

Dan took the boys to Uncle Dave's apartment yesterday. The kids both love it there! Jackson has decided that every time they go to Dave-O's they get pizza. So they had fun hanging out playing Nintendo 64 and eating pizza with Uncle Dave. :D

Vacation!

What a week! I guess the photos are coming up first...(L to R: Jax hugs Bert during a private meet and greet before the parade, Cal on Big Bird Little Rapids, Jax and Bert during our breakfast with the characters.)

I think we're just getting settled into being at home.

Last Wednesday we drove to an Ohio state park south of Columbus to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday (a month early) with all 4 of my sisters and their families. We all had a great time. It was so much fun to just all be together hanging out--I'm so glad we all made the effort to be there. (I'll get those photos up next time...)

Jackson knew that we were going to Sesame "Street" for vacation. So at first, the "stop" in Hocking Hills was more than he could take. But, once he could get into the pool and learned to manipulate his way to Wal-Mart for a toy, he settled in OK. The area is absolutely gorgeous and you could probably spend weeks there hiking if you wanted. Jackson even got into the hiking, with the proper motivator. I was quite proud of his hiking ability. He also made a cool connection in "Ash Cave" noticing it looked like, "Aladar is here". I was impressed with his "schema" and the ability to transfer that...the cave definitely looked like a set from the Dinosaur movie.

Of course, once we got to Sesame Place, he was totally in his element. He was all about Bert. He gave him the biggest hug ever. We bribed him into riding the Grover roller coaster, but once was enough (though I think Cal rode it 10 times!). We enjoyed the parade and managed to get a private meet and greet before the parade on Tuesday. Jackson really had a great time and of course, the rest of the family did too!

I'm posting a couple of photos....

Fireworks

Life has been very hectic lately, I cannot believe I haven't made this entry sooner.

Most years on the 4th of July we head up to Michigan to spend the weekend with Dan's sister Lauralee. Both boys love visiting her house and for our kids it's like a luxury hotel--there's a heated pool and boat rides. You get the picture.

This year, Uncle Fred didn't take the boat out until it was time for the fireworks display. The fireworks display is something Jackson usually skips, it's way too loud and overwhelming to him. This year, we knew Callahan would want to go out to watch the fireworks and just made plans for Dan to stay back with Jackson. Evidently, this year, Jackson had different plans. He really wanted to go on that boat ride because he was all about going even if it involved fireworks. We cautiously took him, with our fingers crossed and hoping he wouldn't freak out too much. We were shocked that he actually enjoyed the fireworks. The loud booms were hard for him to get used to and he kept his ears covered (he even asked for his earphones!). We are fortunate to have a few great photos that illustrate his joy.

Once again, we got something back. A piece of family time and treasured memories. I'm so very proud of my son!

Dad's Entry

Here is an e-mail I got from Dan this morning; thought it was worth sharing:

Jackson had 2 of those individual pizzas in the oven when I got into the
kitchen. He actually had the oven on, had each pizza on a pan on separate
shelves and had put extra cheese on each pizza. I turned up the oven
to 425 from 350 and hopped in the shower. When I got out, there was a pan
on the stove top and Jack was starting to cut the pizza. He must have used
a towel or one of the rubber things. How cool is that?

Grandpa's Diet Mountain Dew

My dad was over tonight, leaving off some fireworks for the boys--who are both crazy about them! Dad had his usual drink, a diet Mountain Dew; Jackson did his usual trick of sneaking his drink away and draining it. It's like a ritual for him, when he sees grandpa, he'll look for his diet mountain dew. Most times, he commandeers the drink and all bets are off; even when dad is drinking the "green pop" from a glass of ice, Jackson has a way of finding it and finishing it before Dad has the chance to get another drink. :) Here's to you Grandpa!