ASA, Autism Groups send letter to Dr. Phil

[Guest guest]

ASA, Autism Groups Send Letter to Dr. Phil

Friday, February 3, 2006

Autism Organizations Believe Autism Negatively Portrayed

An Open Letter to CBS President and CEO Moonves; The Dr. Phil Show

Executive Producter Carla Pennington ; and Host Dr. Phil McGraw

January 31, 2006

Dear President Moonves, Ms. Pennington , and Dr. McGraw:

We are representatives of eight Autism organizations who watched the episode

of “Dr. Phil†that co-featured Asperger Syndrome (AS) as its topic. The

January 17 airing of this CBS daytime talk show shared subject material with

another diagnosis, Tourette’s Syndrome, that we are unqualified to judge. But

from both a medical and ethical view, we found the portrayal of AS to be

disturbing. Your show reaches a huge audience. We recognize that in the past,

the

non-threatening demeanor and natural charm of the host, Dr. Phil himself, has

allowed for much relevant change and information to reach an audience that

otherwise might not have been influenced. And it is within this context of the

show’s proven potential for good, that we are driven to write.

At one point in his remarks to the audience, Dr. Phil mentioned that it was

the exception, not the rule, for people diagnosed with AS to display violent

behavior. This is quite true. And yet everything else intimated by the show

contradictorily depicted otherwise. The episode opened with the tragic Los

Angeles incident in which a young man with AS killed two neighbors before

killing himself. Camera angles on the episode’s young man in question ()

were

implemented to suggest psychosis. And the parents’ fears for their safety

were

given great respect.

What was especially troubling was that at no time in the show was it

suggested that ’s violent potential might be heavily, even overbearingly

caused

by having two parents that constantly seemed to be yelling at him. Also,

's mother admitted to having said to her teenage son that she hated him.

Teenagers are bound to say they hate their parents every once in a while. Yet

parents that say that to their children must be held accountable for the damage

they have caused, and not get to blame the problems on their child's

diagnosis.

The parents’ needs were also unmet by Dr. Phil. In a situation where parents

have spun so out of control that they can become so abusive to their child,

usually the problem is that they are not getting the help they need. A

requisite step to this is admitting they need help themselves, and oddly

enough,

these parents seemed to be doing that. They seemed to be reaching out. But

instead of being steered towards the serious counseling and support they

clearly

need, all the blame was thrown their son’s way, for a diagnosis that he was

born with. And the son, , by contrast, seemed much more capable of

improvement.

The latter is true because AS does not have to be the curse that your show

portrayed it as. Not only are individuals with AS able to lead happy,

productive, and often amazing lives providing they have the right supports, but

also

because from a medical standpoint AS is not a “mental illness†or a

“diseaseâ€

as the show implied. Mental illness is different than a neurological

condition, and for something to be a disease it has to be something acquired,

not

something you’re born with. Most of the enlightened world knows that autism

is

at its root, genetic, and therefore by definition it is not something that

can be considered “curable†or a “disease.â€

We were also concerned with the highly questionable “Brain Matters, Inc.,â€

the company represented by Dr. Hixster that received airtime in the episode.

From our standpoint, these are most certainly not known people in the

autism/Asperger world. Now just being known to us obviously does not imply good

quality. But contrary to the show’s suggestions, educational and therapy-based

interventions are the best hope that people diagnosed on the autism spectrum

have for leading happy lives. The after-scan treatments that this company was

offering to the family were vaguely-presented, perhaps with good reason. Using

phrases like “Brain-based†and “we go directly to the brain,†Dr.

Hixster

suggested to that poor family that there was great hope for their outcome. We

know of no such therapy that is of any proven worth. Please understand that

you are dealing with a very vulnerable parent audience. You might consequently

deprive them of appropriate and effective interventions. Ones we can help

lead you to.

After the Los Angeles incident last year, there was a great and inspiring

effort amongst the world’s media to refrain from using the tragedy to demonize

people living with Asperger’s. To say from a journalism standpoint that the

aftermath was “responsible†would be an understatement. The burdens of

running

a daily television show are those we can only imagine, but the January 17

episode of “Dr. Phil†did much to nullify the good work attempted by the

majority of media giving airtime to AS and autism-related issues. In the

future,

we hope you will contact one or all of our signing organizations to help guide

you through what can be a very complicated world. We would be more than

happy to help as your show is indeed capable of enormous good.

Sincerely,

Carley

Executive Director

GRASP, the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership, Inc.

_http://www.grasp.org/_ (http://www.grasp.org/)

The largest organization in the world of adults diagnosed on the Autism

Spectrum.

Lee Grossman

President & CEO

Autism Society of America

_http://www.autism-society.org_ (http://www.autism-society.org/)

ASA is dedicated to increasing public awareness about autism and the

day-to-day issues faced by individuals with autism, their families and the

professionals with whom they interact.

Dania Jekel

Co-Founder and Executive Director

Asperger Association of New England

182 Main Street

Watertown, MA 02472

_http://www.aane.org/_ (http://www.aane.org/)

ing awareness, respect, acceptance and support of individuals with AS

and their families since 1995.

Paradiz, Ph.D.

Executive Director

The School for Autistic Strength Purpose and Independence in Education

(ASPIE)

_http://www.aspieschool.org/_ (http://www.aspieschool.org/)

A revolutionary school for kids diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum.

Pratt, Ph.D.

Chair of the Board

Autism Society of America

_http://www.autism-society.org_ (http://www.autism-society.org/)

ASA is dedicated to increasing public awareness about autism and the

day-to-day issues faced by individuals with autism, their families and the

professionals with whom they interact.

Lois Rosenwald

Co-Director

The Connecticut Autism Spectrum Resource Center

_http://www.ct-asrc.org/_ (http://www.ct-asrc.org/)

Connecticut’s largest parents and professionals organization.

Pat Schissel

President

AHA/AS/PDD (Advocates for Individuals with High Functioning Autism,

Asperger's Syndrome and other Pervasive Developmental Disorders)

_http://www.aha-as-pdd.org/_ (http://www.aha-as-pdd.org/)

A large Long Island based parent and professional organization providing

support and information for families, individuals and professionals affected by

Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Lori Shery

President and Co-Founder

ASPEN (Asperger Syndrome Education Network)

_http://www.aspennj.org/_ (http://www.aspennj.org/)

A parent and professional organization based in NJ providing information,

support and advocacy for individuals and families whose lives are affected by

autism spectrum disorders.

Liane Holliday Willey, Ed.D.

Founding Board Member

Asperger Society of Michigan

_http://www.Aspergermichigan.com/about.php_

(http://www.aspergermichigan.com/about.php)

A parents and professionals organization committed to expanding

opportunities and support for children and adults with Asperger Syndrome within

and

beyond the borders of Michigan.

Carol

Trishasmom

She isn't typical, She's Trisha!

If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you've always

gotten.