RE: McCarthy

[Guest guest]

I am tired of 'autism awareness' as it is portrayed by the media. Just talking about autism doesn't cut it anymore. McCarthy out of the blue decided to speak out about autism. I also suspect her motives. So what if she has a child in the spectrum. I'm sick and tired of people talking about treatments that 'work' (but somehow forget to talk about the staggeringly high costs, because of course SHE can afford it), when most of us can barely afford basic therapies, and the state keeps cutting funding from programs. Unless I see her speaking in Congress about getting decent healthcare coverage for kids with autism, or any relevant matter in the real world of thousands of families dealing with autism, I'm will not be impressed. When is someone going to speak out for the regular families struggling to make it and give our kids a quality of life? "We can't form our children on our own concepts. We must take them and love them as God gives them to us" ~Goethe ("\''/").___..--'''"-._ `9_ 9 ) `-. ( ).`-.__.`) (_Y_.)' ._ ) `._ `. ``-..-' ..`--'_..-_/ /--'_.' .' (il).-'' ((i).' ((!.-'Proud Penn Stater!!! Y:*``*:Y:*``*:Y:*``*:Y:*``*:Y:*``*:Y:*``*:Y:*``*:Y

Don't let your dream ride pass you by. Make it a reality with Yahoo! Autos.

[Guest guest]

I am tired of 'autism awareness' as it is portrayed by the media. Just talking about autism doesn't cut it anymore. McCarthy out of the blue decided to speak out about autism. I also suspect her motives. So what if she has a child in the spectrum. I'm sick and tired of people talking about treatments that 'work' (but somehow forget to talk about the staggeringly high costs, because of course SHE can afford it), when most of us can barely afford basic therapies, and the state keeps cutting funding from programs. Unless I see her speaking in Congress about getting decent healthcare coverage for kids with autism, or any relevant matter in the real world of thousands of families dealing with autism, I'm will not be impressed. When is someone going to speak out for the regular families struggling to make it and give our kids a quality of life? "We can't form our children on our own concepts. We must take them and love them as God gives them to us" ~Goethe ("\''/").___..--'''"-._ `9_ 9 ) `-. ( ).`-.__.`) (_Y_.)' ._ ) `._ `. ``-..-' ..`--'_..-_/ /--'_.' .' (il).-'' ((i).' ((!.-'Proud Penn Stater!!! Y:*``*:Y:*``*:Y:*``*:Y:*``*:Y:*``*:Y:*``*:Y:*``*:Y

Don't let your dream ride pass you by. Make it a reality with Yahoo! Autos.

[Guest guest]

She is in this week's PEOPLE's magazine. She is quoted as saying "There's a special place in heaven for mothers with autistic children". Whether you like her or not, or believe in heaven or not, one thing for sure is that ALL special needs moms are indeed special, rich or poor. Kudos to ALL OF US who work hard every single day to enrich the lives of our children and who sacrifice so much in the process. I hope she is right, as we ALL deserve that special place in heaven.... Janet Russo wrote: You took the words right out of my mouth. If it takes people in Hollywood to help spread the word about autism, then let them. We can use all the help we can get.autisticcrystalaol wrote: i'm not sure. but i'm happy when there's more attention to autism in the media than not. and i'de rather jenny mccarthy using her hollywood status to bring more attention to autism than celebrities like john travolta who hide the issues of his autistic son in a perpetual state of denial. the more attention autism gets the better. and anyone who is living with autism is living with autism regardless of whether they are simple folks, a stripper girl i know, hard working folks a celebrity who also had to deal with the reality

of autism striking home. i don't begrudge anyone who they are or what they can do in the position they are in, just like everyone else bringing more attention to a disorder and doing what they can to bring more awareness. if a mother who has an autistic son happens to be a celebrity and will use that to bring more awareness and do what she can, i don't see how anyone will have a problem with that. i mean if i was try to to get someones attention a simple dog groomer like me may not get much attention out, if i happened to be a celebrity heck i will use my celebrity status to the hilt to bring awareness. but no matter what someone does or doesn't do there will always be someone peeved so what does it matter. such is the mystery of humankind. i guess i've been a mental retard for most of mine life to find how people react to things still is so much a mystery. damned if one does and damned if one doesn't. if she wasn't open about living with autism someone will be

peeved about that as well. such is the insanity of people in the world. complaining is what everyone does best. and of course criticizing others. this is something most humans excell at. no matter what they don't have time for they will always make time to complain and to criticize others. life's to short for this retard and mine severely autistic daughter. i always strived to be more normal and to be more like normal folks. i think all i'de have to do is work on my stutter, and complain and criticize folks whenever i can. maybe then i'de fit right in. Crabtail and the dolphin, member of family of eight autistics and still loving life with all of it's ugliness. why even this uglyiness is beautiful in a way... In a message dated 9/25/2007 7:52:28 A.M. Central Daylight Time, phony_engineer writes: Excuse me for being a bit peeved. So really who is this McCarthy really in the universe of Autism? I will admit that I have not watched her Oprah program nor any of her other interviews. I'm too busy taking care of my ASD child. And how long has "her journey" through autism really been? Do we now consider her a spokesperson - appointed by whom? And it really ticks me off when some B-rated starlet gets so much media attention when there are so many other countless luminaries who have been striving for so long in anonymity to better our kids and are doing so much work without hogging the spotlight. And doesn't it surprise all of us ASD mommies that having a child with ASD she has the luxury of time to write a book and go on the media circus promoting it when we hardly have time to go to the

bathroom? Let's not lose sight of who the real celebrities of ASD are - all of us who are working hard, all of us who have pushed for awareness and changes, all of those who are making a real difference. Not some upstart little Hollywood starlet riding the coattails of those who have worked and continually to work so hard. To all of those real stars - Thank you eternally. See what's new at AOL.com and Make AOL Your Homepage. Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search that gives answers, not web links.

Check out the hottest 2008 models today at Yahoo! Autos.

[Guest guest]

She is in this week's PEOPLE's magazine. She is quoted as saying "There's a special place in heaven for mothers with autistic children". Whether you like her or not, or believe in heaven or not, one thing for sure is that ALL special needs moms are indeed special, rich or poor. Kudos to ALL OF US who work hard every single day to enrich the lives of our children and who sacrifice so much in the process. I hope she is right, as we ALL deserve that special place in heaven.... Janet Russo wrote: You took the words right out of my mouth. If it takes people in Hollywood to help spread the word about autism, then let them. We can use all the help we can get.autisticcrystalaol wrote: i'm not sure. but i'm happy when there's more attention to autism in the media than not. and i'de rather jenny mccarthy using her hollywood status to bring more attention to autism than celebrities like john travolta who hide the issues of his autistic son in a perpetual state of denial. the more attention autism gets the better. and anyone who is living with autism is living with autism regardless of whether they are simple folks, a stripper girl i know, hard working folks a celebrity who also had to deal with the reality

of autism striking home. i don't begrudge anyone who they are or what they can do in the position they are in, just like everyone else bringing more attention to a disorder and doing what they can to bring more awareness. if a mother who has an autistic son happens to be a celebrity and will use that to bring more awareness and do what she can, i don't see how anyone will have a problem with that. i mean if i was try to to get someones attention a simple dog groomer like me may not get much attention out, if i happened to be a celebrity heck i will use my celebrity status to the hilt to bring awareness. but no matter what someone does or doesn't do there will always be someone peeved so what does it matter. such is the mystery of humankind. i guess i've been a mental retard for most of mine life to find how people react to things still is so much a mystery. damned if one does and damned if one doesn't. if she wasn't open about living with autism someone will be

peeved about that as well. such is the insanity of people in the world. complaining is what everyone does best. and of course criticizing others. this is something most humans excell at. no matter what they don't have time for they will always make time to complain and to criticize others. life's to short for this retard and mine severely autistic daughter. i always strived to be more normal and to be more like normal folks. i think all i'de have to do is work on my stutter, and complain and criticize folks whenever i can. maybe then i'de fit right in. Crabtail and the dolphin, member of family of eight autistics and still loving life with all of it's ugliness. why even this uglyiness is beautiful in a way... In a message dated 9/25/2007 7:52:28 A.M. Central Daylight Time, phony_engineer writes: Excuse me for being a bit peeved. So really who is this McCarthy really in the universe of Autism? I will admit that I have not watched her Oprah program nor any of her other interviews. I'm too busy taking care of my ASD child. And how long has "her journey" through autism really been? Do we now consider her a spokesperson - appointed by whom? And it really ticks me off when some B-rated starlet gets so much media attention when there are so many other countless luminaries who have been striving for so long in anonymity to better our kids and are doing so much work without hogging the spotlight. And doesn't it surprise all of us ASD mommies that having a child with ASD she has the luxury of time to write a book and go on the media circus promoting it when we hardly have time to go to the

bathroom? Let's not lose sight of who the real celebrities of ASD are - all of us who are working hard, all of us who have pushed for awareness and changes, all of those who are making a real difference. Not some upstart little Hollywood starlet riding the coattails of those who have worked and continually to work so hard. To all of those real stars - Thank you eternally. See what's new at AOL.com and Make AOL Your Homepage. Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search that gives answers, not web links.

Check out the hottest 2008 models today at Yahoo! Autos.

[Guest guest]

She is in this week's PEOPLE's magazine. She is quoted as saying "There's a special place in heaven for mothers with autistic children". Whether you like her or not, or believe in heaven or not, one thing for sure is that ALL special needs moms are indeed special, rich or poor. Kudos to ALL OF US who work hard every single day to enrich the lives of our children and who sacrifice so much in the process. I hope she is right, as we ALL deserve that special place in heaven.... Janet Russo wrote: You took the words right out of my mouth. If it takes people in Hollywood to help spread the word about autism, then let them. We can use all the help we can get.autisticcrystalaol wrote: i'm not sure. but i'm happy when there's more attention to autism in the media than not. and i'de rather jenny mccarthy using her hollywood status to bring more attention to autism than celebrities like john travolta who hide the issues of his autistic son in a perpetual state of denial. the more attention autism gets the better. and anyone who is living with autism is living with autism regardless of whether they are simple folks, a stripper girl i know, hard working folks a celebrity who also had to deal with the reality

of autism striking home. i don't begrudge anyone who they are or what they can do in the position they are in, just like everyone else bringing more attention to a disorder and doing what they can to bring more awareness. if a mother who has an autistic son happens to be a celebrity and will use that to bring more awareness and do what she can, i don't see how anyone will have a problem with that. i mean if i was try to to get someones attention a simple dog groomer like me may not get much attention out, if i happened to be a celebrity heck i will use my celebrity status to the hilt to bring awareness. but no matter what someone does or doesn't do there will always be someone peeved so what does it matter. such is the mystery of humankind. i guess i've been a mental retard for most of mine life to find how people react to things still is so much a mystery. damned if one does and damned if one doesn't. if she wasn't open about living with autism someone will be

peeved about that as well. such is the insanity of people in the world. complaining is what everyone does best. and of course criticizing others. this is something most humans excell at. no matter what they don't have time for they will always make time to complain and to criticize others. life's to short for this retard and mine severely autistic daughter. i always strived to be more normal and to be more like normal folks. i think all i'de have to do is work on my stutter, and complain and criticize folks whenever i can. maybe then i'de fit right in. Crabtail and the dolphin, member of family of eight autistics and still loving life with all of it's ugliness. why even this uglyiness is beautiful in a way... In a message dated 9/25/2007 7:52:28 A.M. Central Daylight Time, phony_engineer writes: Excuse me for being a bit peeved. So really who is this McCarthy really in the universe of Autism? I will admit that I have not watched her Oprah program nor any of her other interviews. I'm too busy taking care of my ASD child. And how long has "her journey" through autism really been? Do we now consider her a spokesperson - appointed by whom? And it really ticks me off when some B-rated starlet gets so much media attention when there are so many other countless luminaries who have been striving for so long in anonymity to better our kids and are doing so much work without hogging the spotlight. And doesn't it surprise all of us ASD mommies that having a child with ASD she has the luxury of time to write a book and go on the media circus promoting it when we hardly have time to go to the

bathroom? Let's not lose sight of who the real celebrities of ASD are - all of us who are working hard, all of us who have pushed for awareness and changes, all of those who are making a real difference. Not some upstart little Hollywood starlet riding the coattails of those who have worked and continually to work so hard. To all of those real stars - Thank you eternally. See what's new at AOL.com and Make AOL Your Homepage. Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search that gives answers, not web links.

Check out the hottest 2008 models today at Yahoo! Autos.

[Guest guest]

um "Annonomous " has a right, like we all do, to privacy in dealing with her private journey with her child. Who has the focus to write a book while trying to recover a child? She is lucky she was so successful at it and can now step out and help. She has mentioned, DAN, gfcf, vaccines and more in only 1 week on mainstream television. It has taken others ages to be able to do so and without good results or as good as is doing. For that, I applaud her and I am so grateful. TV programs that focus on how well kids with autism play the piano and paint will not help our community. The kind of awareness puts out there will because it will get people asking the right questions. So what if she wrote a book? Don't buy it if you are so insulted but you cannot take away all the good she is doing for all of us right now.

Give her time. She only started a short time ago. For the last 5 years I have been telling my husband that unfortunately it will take someone from Hollywood to "come out" and push our issue. IT's the way our society works. When this happened , I said "aha!" there you go. "If I was new to autismthere are plenty of organizations and websites that out there, evenchat rooms to speak with people who are and have been dealing withautism alot longer then McCarthy" Not everyone knows about these things. Her focus, besides alerting other parents, is to change the way the mainstream medical community thinks and trains pediatricians. She is telling parents that there is more out there than aba, st, pt and ot. At my son's school NOT ONE of the kids in my son's class knew about DAN and even less gfcf diet. Will it work for everyone? no. But do parents have a right to know about it all? yes. And please, don't get me started on Autism Speaks and their protocol. Autism doesn't speak, does.

Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows.Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.

[Guest guest]

um "Annonomous " has a right, like we all do, to privacy in dealing with her private journey with her child. Who has the focus to write a book while trying to recover a child? She is lucky she was so successful at it and can now step out and help. She has mentioned, DAN, gfcf, vaccines and more in only 1 week on mainstream television. It has taken others ages to be able to do so and without good results or as good as is doing. For that, I applaud her and I am so grateful. TV programs that focus on how well kids with autism play the piano and paint will not help our community. The kind of awareness puts out there will because it will get people asking the right questions. So what if she wrote a book? Don't buy it if you are so insulted but you cannot take away all the good she is doing for all of us right now.

Give her time. She only started a short time ago. For the last 5 years I have been telling my husband that unfortunately it will take someone from Hollywood to "come out" and push our issue. IT's the way our society works. When this happened , I said "aha!" there you go. "If I was new to autismthere are plenty of organizations and websites that out there, evenchat rooms to speak with people who are and have been dealing withautism alot longer then McCarthy" Not everyone knows about these things. Her focus, besides alerting other parents, is to change the way the mainstream medical community thinks and trains pediatricians. She is telling parents that there is more out there than aba, st, pt and ot. At my son's school NOT ONE of the kids in my son's class knew about DAN and even less gfcf diet. Will it work for everyone? no. But do parents have a right to know about it all? yes. And please, don't get me started on Autism Speaks and their protocol. Autism doesn't speak, does.

Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows.Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.

[Guest guest]

thank you!

Completely agree.

B

>

> Beautifully written Marielle. I agree, the parents are the heroes

but every

> parent - famous or not should be heard. And if can speak for

the

> community, then more power to her. I have never been a fan of hers

(if

> anything, I have always found her to be rude and obnoxious) but I

do know

> that it is not easy for everyone to come to terms with having a

child with

> this diagnosis and for someone famous to go public, that might have

been

> very difficult. I feel more that she might want to use her own

experience

> to help others rather than get publicity. But moreover, I believe

that it

> is only through awareness that we will get understanding,

acceptance and

> progress in making changes. If she helps create that awareness

then I

> admire her for making a stand.

>

>

>

>

>

> From: sList

[mailto:sList ] On

> Behalf Of mariellemellet@...

> Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 12:58 PM

> To: sList ; sList

> Cc: & Jazel zell

> Subject: Re: McCarthy

>

>

>

> I am also a parent of a child with autism. I don't know who

Mc Carthy

> is either. I will watch her on Wednesday on TV. I think you should

not be so

> harsh towards these famous people helping us to spread our voice.

>

>

>

> In my country, France, the medical research about autism is 20

years late

> compared to the United States. No special school, no support

groups, no

> therapies. ABA is only experimental in a few places. If children

are not

> able to follow the mainstream with an aide, the only solutions for

them are

> the psychiatric hospital or to stay at home (57% of autistic

children do not

> attend school in France!). No other alternatives.

>

> Consequences : 22 000 children are waiting for a special school.

They stay

> at home with mommies forced to leave their job, with no training to

teach

> academically their children, to help them in daily life. It's a

shame in a

> civilized country ! Many associations do exist and do their best

but when

> there is no budget for the medical research, no " awareness " from the

> government itself about autism and no awareness from society

neither, what

> can we do ???

>

>

>

> Fortunately, 2 actresses start to speak through the media to move

things.

> One of them, Sandrine Bonnaire made a movie on her sister

called " Elle

> s'appelle Sabine " ( " Her name is Sabine " ). It was shown last week

on TV in

> France.

>

> This actress filmed her sister from the teenage to the adult life.

Now her

> sister is 40 years-old. She had to spend 5 years in a psychiatric

hospital.

> The film shows her completely changed, physically and mentally by

> over-medication. She is lost.

>

> Sandrine Bonnaire asked the President of France to watch her movie.

He will

> meet her within a few weeks. This film will help the governement to

realize

> in which distress thousands of families in France are. It will

demonstrate

> that psychiatric hospitals are not the solution for most autistic

people.

>

> We hope that things will change, therapists, teachers will be

trained. This

> film has been shown at the Cannes film festival. He received an

award for

> its production. Millions of French people already watched this

movie last

> week on TV, a real success ! Thanks to Sandrine Bonnaire.

>

>

>

> Nevertheless, it does not take off the merit of parents,

professionals who

> fight with and for our children every day. You are right, they are

the real

> stars but, please, be positive, if we need famous people to be

heard by

> public opinion, it's okay ! " Autism awareness " is the most

important thing

> for our cause, all over the world and whatever who helps the most.

>

>

>

> Marielle

>

>

>

> -------------- Original message --------------

>

>

> Excuse me for being a bit peeved. So really who is this

McCarthy

> really in the universe of Autism? I will admit that I have not

watched

> her Oprah program nor any of her other interviews. I'm too busy

taking care

> of my ASD child. And how long has " her journey " through autism

really been?

> Do we now consider her a spokesperson - appointed by whom? And it

really

> ticks me off when some B-rated starlet gets so much media attention

when

> there are so many other countless luminaries who have been striving

for so

> long in anonymity to better our kids and are doing so much work

without

> hogging the spotlight. And doesn't it surprise all of us ASD

mommies that

> having a child with ASD she has the luxury of time to write a book

and go on

> the media circus promoting it when we hardly have time to go to the

> bathroom? Let's not lose sight of who the real celebrities of ASD

are - all

> of us who are working ha rd, all of us who have pushed for

awareness and

> changes, all of those who are making a real difference. Not some

upstart

> little Hollywood starlet riding the coattails of those who have

worked and

> continually to work so hard. To all of those real stars - Thank you

> eternally.

>

>

>

> _____

>

> Tonight's top picks. What will you watch tonight? Preview

>

<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/tv/mail/tagline/tonightspicks/evt=48220/*http:

/tv.ya

> hoo.com/> the hottest shows on Yahoo! TV.

>

[Guest guest]

thank you!

Completely agree.

B

>

> Beautifully written Marielle. I agree, the parents are the heroes

but every

> parent - famous or not should be heard. And if can speak for

the

> community, then more power to her. I have never been a fan of hers

(if

> anything, I have always found her to be rude and obnoxious) but I

do know

> that it is not easy for everyone to come to terms with having a

child with

> this diagnosis and for someone famous to go public, that might have

been

> very difficult. I feel more that she might want to use her own

experience

> to help others rather than get publicity. But moreover, I believe

that it

> is only through awareness that we will get understanding,

acceptance and

> progress in making changes. If she helps create that awareness

then I

> admire her for making a stand.

>

>

>

>

>

> From: sList

[mailto:sList ] On

> Behalf Of mariellemellet@...

> Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 12:58 PM

> To: sList ; sList

> Cc: & Jazel zell

> Subject: Re: McCarthy

>

>

>

> I am also a parent of a child with autism. I don't know who

Mc Carthy

> is either. I will watch her on Wednesday on TV. I think you should

not be so

> harsh towards these famous people helping us to spread our voice.

>

>

>

> In my country, France, the medical research about autism is 20

years late

> compared to the United States. No special school, no support

groups, no

> therapies. ABA is only experimental in a few places. If children

are not

> able to follow the mainstream with an aide, the only solutions for

them are

> the psychiatric hospital or to stay at home (57% of autistic

children do not

> attend school in France!). No other alternatives.

>

> Consequences : 22 000 children are waiting for a special school.

They stay

> at home with mommies forced to leave their job, with no training to

teach

> academically their children, to help them in daily life. It's a

shame in a

> civilized country ! Many associations do exist and do their best

but when

> there is no budget for the medical research, no " awareness " from the

> government itself about autism and no awareness from society

neither, what

> can we do ???

>

>

>

> Fortunately, 2 actresses start to speak through the media to move

things.

> One of them, Sandrine Bonnaire made a movie on her sister

called " Elle

> s'appelle Sabine " ( " Her name is Sabine " ). It was shown last week

on TV in

> France.

>

> This actress filmed her sister from the teenage to the adult life.

Now her

> sister is 40 years-old. She had to spend 5 years in a psychiatric

hospital.

> The film shows her completely changed, physically and mentally by

> over-medication. She is lost.

>

> Sandrine Bonnaire asked the President of France to watch her movie.

He will

> meet her within a few weeks. This film will help the governement to

realize

> in which distress thousands of families in France are. It will

demonstrate

> that psychiatric hospitals are not the solution for most autistic

people.

>

> We hope that things will change, therapists, teachers will be

trained. This

> film has been shown at the Cannes film festival. He received an

award for

> its production. Millions of French people already watched this

movie last

> week on TV, a real success ! Thanks to Sandrine Bonnaire.

>

>

>

> Nevertheless, it does not take off the merit of parents,

professionals who

> fight with and for our children every day. You are right, they are

the real

> stars but, please, be positive, if we need famous people to be

heard by

> public opinion, it's okay ! " Autism awareness " is the most

important thing

> for our cause, all over the world and whatever who helps the most.

>

>

>

> Marielle

>

>

>

> -------------- Original message --------------

>

>

> Excuse me for being a bit peeved. So really who is this

McCarthy

> really in the universe of Autism? I will admit that I have not

watched

> her Oprah program nor any of her other interviews. I'm too busy

taking care

> of my ASD child. And how long has " her journey " through autism

really been?

> Do we now consider her a spokesperson - appointed by whom? And it

really

> ticks me off when some B-rated starlet gets so much media attention

when

> there are so many other countless luminaries who have been striving

for so

> long in anonymity to better our kids and are doing so much work

without

> hogging the spotlight. And doesn't it surprise all of us ASD

mommies that

> having a child with ASD she has the luxury of time to write a book

and go on

> the media circus promoting it when we hardly have time to go to the

> bathroom? Let's not lose sight of who the real celebrities of ASD

are - all

> of us who are working ha rd, all of us who have pushed for

awareness and

> changes, all of those who are making a real difference. Not some

upstart

> little Hollywood starlet riding the coattails of those who have

worked and

> continually to work so hard. To all of those real stars - Thank you

> eternally.

>

>

>

> _____

>

> Tonight's top picks. What will you watch tonight? Preview

>

<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/tv/mail/tagline/tonightspicks/evt=48220/*http:

/tv.ya

> hoo.com/> the hottest shows on Yahoo! TV.

>

[Guest guest]

thank you!

Completely agree.

B

>

> Beautifully written Marielle. I agree, the parents are the heroes

but every

> parent - famous or not should be heard. And if can speak for

the

> community, then more power to her. I have never been a fan of hers

(if

> anything, I have always found her to be rude and obnoxious) but I

do know

> that it is not easy for everyone to come to terms with having a

child with

> this diagnosis and for someone famous to go public, that might have

been

> very difficult. I feel more that she might want to use her own

experience

> to help others rather than get publicity. But moreover, I believe

that it

> is only through awareness that we will get understanding,

acceptance and

> progress in making changes. If she helps create that awareness

then I

> admire her for making a stand.

>

>

>

>

>

> From: sList

[mailto:sList ] On

> Behalf Of mariellemellet@...

> Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 12:58 PM

> To: sList ; sList

> Cc: & Jazel zell

> Subject: Re: McCarthy

>

>

>

> I am also a parent of a child with autism. I don't know who

Mc Carthy

> is either. I will watch her on Wednesday on TV. I think you should

not be so

> harsh towards these famous people helping us to spread our voice.

>

>

>

> In my country, France, the medical research about autism is 20

years late

> compared to the United States. No special school, no support

groups, no

> therapies. ABA is only experimental in a few places. If children

are not

> able to follow the mainstream with an aide, the only solutions for

them are

> the psychiatric hospital or to stay at home (57% of autistic

children do not

> attend school in France!). No other alternatives.

>

> Consequences : 22 000 children are waiting for a special school.

They stay

> at home with mommies forced to leave their job, with no training to

teach

> academically their children, to help them in daily life. It's a

shame in a

> civilized country ! Many associations do exist and do their best

but when

> there is no budget for the medical research, no " awareness " from the

> government itself about autism and no awareness from society

neither, what

> can we do ???

>

>

>

> Fortunately, 2 actresses start to speak through the media to move

things.

> One of them, Sandrine Bonnaire made a movie on her sister

called " Elle

> s'appelle Sabine " ( " Her name is Sabine " ). It was shown last week

on TV in

> France.

>

> This actress filmed her sister from the teenage to the adult life.

Now her

> sister is 40 years-old. She had to spend 5 years in a psychiatric

hospital.

> The film shows her completely changed, physically and mentally by

> over-medication. She is lost.

>

> Sandrine Bonnaire asked the President of France to watch her movie.

He will

> meet her within a few weeks. This film will help the governement to

realize

> in which distress thousands of families in France are. It will

demonstrate

> that psychiatric hospitals are not the solution for most autistic

people.

>

> We hope that things will change, therapists, teachers will be

trained. This

> film has been shown at the Cannes film festival. He received an

award for

> its production. Millions of French people already watched this

movie last

> week on TV, a real success ! Thanks to Sandrine Bonnaire.

>

>

>

> Nevertheless, it does not take off the merit of parents,

professionals who

> fight with and for our children every day. You are right, they are

the real

> stars but, please, be positive, if we need famous people to be

heard by

> public opinion, it's okay ! " Autism awareness " is the most

important thing

> for our cause, all over the world and whatever who helps the most.

>

>

>

> Marielle

>

>

>

> -------------- Original message --------------

>

>

> Excuse me for being a bit peeved. So really who is this

McCarthy

> really in the universe of Autism? I will admit that I have not

watched

> her Oprah program nor any of her other interviews. I'm too busy

taking care

> of my ASD child. And how long has " her journey " through autism

really been?

> Do we now consider her a spokesperson - appointed by whom? And it

really

> ticks me off when some B-rated starlet gets so much media attention

when

> there are so many other countless luminaries who have been striving

for so

> long in anonymity to better our kids and are doing so much work

without

> hogging the spotlight. And doesn't it surprise all of us ASD

mommies that

> having a child with ASD she has the luxury of time to write a book

and go on

> the media circus promoting it when we hardly have time to go to the

> bathroom? Let's not lose sight of who the real celebrities of ASD

are - all

> of us who are working ha rd, all of us who have pushed for

awareness and

> changes, all of those who are making a real difference. Not some

upstart

> little Hollywood starlet riding the coattails of those who have

worked and

> continually to work so hard. To all of those real stars - Thank you

> eternally.

>

>

>

> _____

>

> Tonight's top picks. What will you watch tonight? Preview

>

<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/tv/mail/tagline/tonightspicks/evt=48220/*http:

/tv.ya

> hoo.com/> the hottest shows on Yahoo! TV.

>

[Guest guest]

it is. A portion of it is going to some organization. I would look it

up but my book keeps getting passed from teacher to teacher to parent

to parent and has not been at home since I bought it.

>

> I heard she is the new spokesperson for TACA, Talk About Curing

Autism???

>

>

> RE: McCarthy

>

>

> >> Excuse me for being a bit peeved. So really who is this

> >> McCarthy really in the universe of Autism?

>

> <Laughs> I totally understand and share your annoyance though

partly.

> Because in all things there is good and bad.

>

> Now about McCarthy and Holly Peete's appearance on

Oprah and

> McCarthy's subsequent appearances on other shows and magazine

articles.

>

> THE GOOD

> First those shows are basically awareness shows for the

layperson. I don't

> think they are mainly targeted to us, already on the autism

battlefield

> (without the resources McCarthy and the likes have, I should

add). In fact

> those on the battlefield rarely learn anything from those shows.

And yes the

> hoopla may be annoying but our cause does need all the publicity

it can get.

> What I think would be ideal to see is a show listing ALL

celebrities (big or

> small) with autism in their families whether a child or relative.

A simple

> quiet list like the ones they put with names of soldiers that

fell on the

> field. A sort of autism war victim list. Today's societies are so

totally

> star craved. People unfamiliar with autism would see the number of

> celebrities affected (I think this list may be longer than some

may think)

> and think about all the regular folks not on the list and perhaps

truly

> start realizing this is a pandemic. Of course, such a list is

wishful

> thinking as every one is entitled to fight autism in private

(like Holly

> Peete did at the beginning I think). Plus not every one

may have an

> official diagnosis. But wouldn't that be better than the

occasional bomb

> shell celebrity making rounds for a 15-minute autism rally?

<smile>

>

> THE BAD

> Seeing McCarthy every where and knowing that once her fad

is passed

> the general public will forget all about autism...Again. And on

another

> vein, I would like to know if any proceeds from her book will go

to support

> autism research. I don't recall her mentioning that. And since I

have not

> bought the book, I don't know if this is mentioned in it.

>

> Marie-

> http://www.paperfollies.com

>

[Guest guest]

it is. A portion of it is going to some organization. I would look it

up but my book keeps getting passed from teacher to teacher to parent

to parent and has not been at home since I bought it.

>

> I heard she is the new spokesperson for TACA, Talk About Curing

Autism???

>

>

> RE: McCarthy

>

>

> >> Excuse me for being a bit peeved. So really who is this

> >> McCarthy really in the universe of Autism?

>

> <Laughs> I totally understand and share your annoyance though

partly.

> Because in all things there is good and bad.

>

> Now about McCarthy and Holly Peete's appearance on

Oprah and

> McCarthy's subsequent appearances on other shows and magazine

articles.

>

> THE GOOD

> First those shows are basically awareness shows for the

layperson. I don't

> think they are mainly targeted to us, already on the autism

battlefield

> (without the resources McCarthy and the likes have, I should

add). In fact

> those on the battlefield rarely learn anything from those shows.

And yes the

> hoopla may be annoying but our cause does need all the publicity

it can get.

> What I think would be ideal to see is a show listing ALL

celebrities (big or

> small) with autism in their families whether a child or relative.

A simple

> quiet list like the ones they put with names of soldiers that

fell on the

> field. A sort of autism war victim list. Today's societies are so

totally

> star craved. People unfamiliar with autism would see the number of

> celebrities affected (I think this list may be longer than some

may think)

> and think about all the regular folks not on the list and perhaps

truly

> start realizing this is a pandemic. Of course, such a list is

wishful

> thinking as every one is entitled to fight autism in private

(like Holly

> Peete did at the beginning I think). Plus not every one

may have an

> official diagnosis. But wouldn't that be better than the

occasional bomb

> shell celebrity making rounds for a 15-minute autism rally?

<smile>

>

> THE BAD

> Seeing McCarthy every where and knowing that once her fad

is passed

> the general public will forget all about autism...Again. And on

another

> vein, I would like to know if any proceeds from her book will go

to support

> autism research. I don't recall her mentioning that. And since I

have not

> bought the book, I don't know if this is mentioned in it.

>

> Marie-

> http://www.paperfollies.com

>

[Guest guest]

it is. A portion of it is going to some organization. I would look it

up but my book keeps getting passed from teacher to teacher to parent

to parent and has not been at home since I bought it.

>

> I heard she is the new spokesperson for TACA, Talk About Curing

Autism???

>

>

> RE: McCarthy

>

>

> >> Excuse me for being a bit peeved. So really who is this

> >> McCarthy really in the universe of Autism?

>

> <Laughs> I totally understand and share your annoyance though

partly.

> Because in all things there is good and bad.

>

> Now about McCarthy and Holly Peete's appearance on

Oprah and

> McCarthy's subsequent appearances on other shows and magazine

articles.

>

> THE GOOD

> First those shows are basically awareness shows for the

layperson. I don't

> think they are mainly targeted to us, already on the autism

battlefield

> (without the resources McCarthy and the likes have, I should

add). In fact

> those on the battlefield rarely learn anything from those shows.

And yes the

> hoopla may be annoying but our cause does need all the publicity

it can get.

> What I think would be ideal to see is a show listing ALL

celebrities (big or

> small) with autism in their families whether a child or relative.

A simple

> quiet list like the ones they put with names of soldiers that

fell on the

> field. A sort of autism war victim list. Today's societies are so

totally

> star craved. People unfamiliar with autism would see the number of

> celebrities affected (I think this list may be longer than some

may think)

> and think about all the regular folks not on the list and perhaps

truly

> start realizing this is a pandemic. Of course, such a list is

wishful

> thinking as every one is entitled to fight autism in private

(like Holly

> Peete did at the beginning I think). Plus not every one

may have an

> official diagnosis. But wouldn't that be better than the

occasional bomb

> shell celebrity making rounds for a 15-minute autism rally?

<smile>

>

> THE BAD

> Seeing McCarthy every where and knowing that once her fad

is passed

> the general public will forget all about autism...Again. And on

another

> vein, I would like to know if any proceeds from her book will go

to support

> autism research. I don't recall her mentioning that. And since I

have not

> bought the book, I don't know if this is mentioned in it.

>

> Marie-

> http://www.paperfollies.com

>