McCarthy’s, Er, “Autism” Pole
October 1, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
I really don’t know where to start with the various contradictions and more in this October 1st post about how Jenny McCarthy has interior-decorated her son Evan’s room, according to Contact Music:
Thrifty actress JENNY MCCARTHY installed a stripper pole in her Los Angeles home at the height of her son EVAN’s autism battle – because a real fireman’s pole was so expensive.
The actress/model opened the doors to her germ-free retreat, where her son is home schooled by teachers who understand his condition, to U.S. TV show Access Hollywood recently – and admitted there’s a naughty secret in his playroom.
As well as a climbing rope attached to the ceiling, there’s also a metal pole that MCCarthy revealed is not exactly what it seems.
She explains, “The fireman’s pole was, like, $2,000, and the strip-aerobics pole was $200.”
Meanwhile, MCCarthy has bought the property next to her home and plans to turn both into a centre for autistic children.
Little Evan is a recovered autistic child.
I think that’s ’nuff said.
Did you see what she said about Barbara Walters?
She forgives Barbara Walters for getting angry with her because Ms. Walters has/had a special needs sister.
SHE forgives Barbara Walters?
I am so offended.
While I sympathize with Ms. McCarthy and her struggle with her son’s autism, she does NOT represent me.
If he’s “recovered” why does she need to have special teachers that understand his “condition”? Not sure what he’s cured from? How does she know he’s cured? Is he “normal” now? She makes me angry and I think she’s doing more harm than good. She needs to stop.
In case you haven’t seen the video.
http://omg.yahoo.com/videos/barbara-walters-jenny-mccarthy-feud-resolved/5446?nc
I saw this last night while waiting to pick up a friend at her house, her SO was watching it. *twitch* What a SKEEZEY WOMAN. Just… ew.
Kiddo, on the other hand, did seem very cute, happy, and reasonably well-adjusted. I’m just not sure it’s attributable to Mommy’s weird interpretation of ‘living green’
So *many* things to contemplate…. I can certainly see the need to be frugal, since one never knows when that next $10 million movie or book deal is going to come through… and autism therapies are so expensive… but of course, her son is recovered, so he doesn’t need them anymore, right? Oh, except for the special teachers that ‘understand his condition’ that he supposedly has recovered from… right, got it.
How DOES one open one’s ‘germ free’ home to a camera crew? Swaddle them all in saran wrap?
Methinks McCarthy is in denial…I wonder how neurotypical Evan will seem when he is deep in the midst of puberty.
Her germ-free retreat, (and the reason he can’t go to school because it’s “too dangerous”) is because germs cause seizures.
Ok, as someone with a seizure disorder this is certainly news to me.
Is he recovered from Epilepsy? Does he take meds for epilepsy? This was his original and primary diagnosis after all. The ASD dx. was secondary. If his seizures are being controlled via medication the ‘autistic symptoms’ — which granted him a dx. via the Calif. Regional Center — may have abated due to the medication and/or alleviation of the seizure activity. Something tells me that we’ll never find out the whole story though — about the real medical matter of his case — from Ms McCarthy because there’s too much to be gained by her personally from the purveying of the woo.
Jenny speaks *FOR US* on CNN
“You ask any mother in the autism community, we’ll take the flu, the measles over autism any friggin’ day of the week”
groan…
I can’t wait for my boys to be recovered so I can get a stripper pole installed in their room. Maybe if I dangle that as incentive, they will just fix themselves right up…since I am told so often they could choose NOT to do most of the things attributed to their disabilities. *heavy sarcasm*
Apparently McCarthy is building a center for autistic students in the property next to her house so I guess if there’s a need to quarantine anyone (who’s caught those “friggin’ ” diseases) that space could be used.
She forgives Barbara Walters for getting angry with her because Ms. Walters has/had a special needs sister.
If that wasn’t the most passive-aggressive “forgiving” ever; publicly painting a picture of Barbara as a shouting harridan then piously “forgiving” Barbara because Barbara is…sorry that her sister was not cured, and was not calling JMc on facts, but “really” angry at Jenny for that reason. AoA is doing a lot of supposin’ about the guilt card pretty heavy right now.
Nice, real nice.
What condition do his teachers understand. She said he is recovered in one book and cured in another.
There is a yahoo group called autism for sale. Many parents sell the DVDs they buy from her site. Seems they watch them once and sell. Guess they are not worth keeping.
The story did not state what the pole is used for. Never read of any family or clinic using that before, swings yes, pole no.
So is Evan a Regional Center consumer? Must not be if he is cured. When was the last seizure, is it mentioned in book?
Thanks for commenting about the Barbara Walters blurb, that is unreal. The articl at that site calls her an actress.
Her name was familiar when first heard of her coming to TACA, but what movies or shows has she been in that get her that title? Not counting the guest appearance on Two and a half men.
Apparently Ms. McCarthy forgives Barbara Walters, but not actress Amanda Peet, who apologized for referring to parents who don’t vaccinate as “parasites”. So what’s the deal, are apologies compartmentalized to the most worthy, or the most influential?
ange, I love the pole incentive!
xR
I just saw her CNN interview. Haven’t seen the Barbara Walters controversy yet, mostly because I really try and avoid Ms. McCarthy in any way shape or form. I think what I find most annoying is that the media keep her in business and that her perspective of autism is many people’s first and only impression of the disease. I knew that he had epilepsy but hadn’t realized it was his primary diagnosis. So why doesn’t she get on the epilepsy advocacy band wagon and claim that vaccines cause epilepsy.
I’d really like to see a debate between Ms. McCarthy and a mother who has a completely opposite perspective on their autistic child, someone who can ask her point blank “If Evan is recovered, why does he continue to receive services?” I wonder if that’s a clause in her interview contracts, that no reporter can ask her that question?
Grrr. She just irritates me so much.
More harm than good please contact TACA and let them know that she DOES NOT speak for alot of us!!!!!!!
Four ways to contact us:
Mail – 3070 Bristol Street, Suite 340, Costa Mesa CA 92626
Call- 949-640-4401. Calls are returned during normal business hours.
Fax (949) 640-4424
Or check Website for e-mail options-
http://www.tacanow.com/contactus.htm
But isn’s she a spokesperson for TACA…….
I think Semantha brings up a good point. We have a responsibility to let organizations as well as our government officials know where we stand on various autism issues. Obviously, an organization like TACA will probably disagree with most of my opinions on autism but I still should make sure that they know that not all parents of autistic individuals feel as they do and that they should remind Ms. McCarthy or any other spokesperson that they do not speak for everyone, as Ms. McCarthy often claims.
On an interesting note, I did some research through google U. Apparently Ms. McCarthy claims that Evan “hasn’t ‘recovered’ but no longer qualifies as autistic for special services”.
“hasn’t ‘recovered’ but no longer qualifies as autistic for special services”.
Video clip from Sept. 2007 The View
Barbara Walters: “Your child is no longer autistic”
McCarthy: “Yes”.
Sept. 2008 to Diane Sawyer
McCarthy: “He is completely typical”.
(O-kay.)
Coincidentally, Sullivan over at LB/RB noted that Congressman Henry Waxman (CA) just sent out a “Dear Colleague” letter to members of Congress.
Good Information being spread on Capital Hill
This might be a better time than most to send a followup with your opinion to an elected representative.
Dumb as a stump.