If You Happen to Be Near a TV from 7-9am Tomorrow…..
June 8, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Media, Parenting
I got this email from my dad on Saturday morning (it was written at 2.40am EST; he’s in California, so it was 11.40pm):
I was just on the computer and had channel 7 on for news and half-watching……heard a teaser for a coming program on autism and a voice asking someone a question concerning a “Charlie”. I turned around to see it and saw YOU.
While it’s possible my dad was referring to seeing a framed photo of me at various stages of my life (though the majority of the photos in my parents’ house are now of a certain boy, their only grandson), my dad did indeed mean that he’d seen me on tv.
So if you happen to be near one from 7-9am tomorrow, Monday, June 9th, and you happen to be watching Good Morning America, you may well see me. I was interviewed last Monday, along with Ari Ne’eman—president of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN)—about autism and no, it’s not about vaccines.





































I’m programming my TiVo right now!
That is so cool Kristina! I’m going to spread the word at Mental Health Notes
I was told on Thursday by Michelle Major (ABC) that “It should be airing by the way on Tuesday, June 10 between 8:30 and 9am est.”
Lummy! Where’s the TIVO remote!
So this is the news you hinted at in another post. I will watch before taking Matt and when I get back, hopefully will not miss it. I imagine it will be available later online?
Glad to see Ari will be interviewed. I hope they spend more time with Ari. Nothing against you Kristina, but all too often the autistic gets relegated to tokenism.
Awesome. I will get it recorded.
“Glad to see Ari will be interviewed. I hope they spend more time with Ari. Nothing against you Kristina, but all too often the autistic gets relegated to tokenism.”
Indeed, though I think Ari is actually kind of hard to use as token for the message he espouses, which, like most autistics, is not mainstream in the ways people will want it to be in order to be token. I’m actually kind of waiting for that token individual to appear, actually. Amazingly, even groups like Autism Speaks hasn’t really even tried to use tokenism to promote their ideas (it works because they can say that “genuine” autistics are, by definition, unable to communicate).
Cliff
“Ari is actually kind of hard to use as token for the message he espouses, which, like most autistics, is not mainstream in the ways people will want it to be in order to be token.”
Excellent point Cliff. What I mean is that I hope most of the airtime is devoted to what he has to say and doesn’t end up on the editing floor.
“Excellent point Cliff. What I mean is that I hope most of the airtime is devoted to what he has to say and doesn’t end up on the editing floor.”
Hope so as well!
Cliff
Ari was interviewed extensively before I was; there was also some footage shot of my son, and I’m hopeful that some of this is shown.
Congrats! I can’t wait to ’see’ all of you on TV!
Most excellent Kristina!
Thanks for the heads up Kristina! I’ll tune in.
I had seen an email from someone at GMA that this was to be shown on Tuesday… I mention it just in case. For now I’ll assume that it will be tomorrow.
(I wasn’t interviewed but was sort of tangetially associated with helping GMA out with a task regarding this segment, that’s how I ended up seeing that email.)
I’m thrilled that Ari will be interviewed. Parents get interviewed all the time, and have been getting the interviews spots for the last 10 years or so, autistic adults are very rarely interviewed, so while I’m happy that Kristina will be on GMA I’m about 10 times happier that Ari will be.
That’s really wonderful! I’ll try to catch it if I can negotiate my little one away from Disney for a while. Looking forward to hearing what Ari has to say as well. Thanks for the heads up!
There was a request to send in photos for a photo montage. I’m not sure if the montage will be part of this particular show, but I sent mine in. I’m the “church lady” in the black and white choir robe with a stained glass window behind my head.
I hope Ari gets most of the time, followed by Kristina, with only a little teeny bit of time left over for the autism experts.
This is awesome! No staying up ’til 5:am for me tonight (must sleep..be alert…)
The producer had mentioned about the montage to me so I think it will (I hope) be part of the show.
Oh, I hope there’s some way to see it online after! I’m very glad for you and feel your blog deserves a lot of traffic although I do disagree slightly on the vaccine thing. :]
Don’t think we’ll ever all be able to all agree on anything—which is what diversity is about, no? I’ve got my tech-savvy family in California taping…..
I posted yesterday that I was told Tuesday but my post never showed up (and I didn’t see anything on today)
The segment was not shown today; hopefully tomorow, Tuesday (am checking on this).
I just saw the blurb (or whatever you call it) I nearly screamed outloud with excitement to hear that news would talk about a movement away from cure (seems that’s how they put it) Then when they asked… if there was a cure for Charlie, …? and then, Kristina! I am just so pumped to see this side of the autism picture i missed when it would air… i thought I heard Evening news. yay!
I watched the first hour of GMA and then had errands so glad I did not miss anything. Tomorrow is the laundromat and I will ask them to put on ABC.
that’s cool news.
I don’t have basic cable, I do Netflix but that news almost makes me wish I had basic cable.
I hope it goes well.
Last time I watched GMA on autism it was Alison Singer and Lauren Thierry about “Autism Every Day.” Then I heard Thierry had a falling out with Autism Speaks. Now I see Singer & Thierry TOGETHER are both presenting “AED” at a film center in Westchester. Last month Thierry and Autism Speaks teamed up for Autism Day at Shea. There’s a photo of AS Mark Rothmayer hugging Thierry at Shea. Did they all kiss and make up?