When my son was diagnosed with autism at age 3, I assumed one of his doctors or therapists would explain the standard treatment protocol to me. I was far from a millionaire, but my wife and I had insurance and we would get my son the therapies required to fix him.
As we set out to learn more about the road we were about to travel, we were overwhelmed by an information and layperson opinion overload.
Here is some of what we were told:
“If you want to save your son, you need to give him hours of daily speech and language therapy.”
“If you want to save your son, you need to take him to an acupuncturist.”
“If you want to save your son, you need to pray to Padre Pio for several consecutive Sundays.”
“You need to move out of this school district.” . . . “You need to stay in this school district.”
“You need to buy him a dog.”
The phenomenon was not just limited to friends and family. For example, Jenny McCarthy, a former Playboy Playmate of the Year, wrote a book in which she described her son as being “cured” of autism by taking him for chelation therapy, which removes heavy metals and/or minerals from the body.
There is no scientifically accepted proof that autism is curable, chelation therapy is effective, or McCarthy is a doctor.
I have been navigating the world of autism for 24 years. I can say with certainty that I do not know enough about what does or does not cause autism. I would never insist that another parent do anything because I “rescued” my son from autism.
Parents are terrified that they could miss out on an opportunity to save their children and are susceptible to almost any suggestion. Harm happens when we hear something that does not sound right while fearing that not doing it will cause us to miss the one and only chance to “rescue” our children. When McCarthy spoke authoritatively about curing her son, how could I refuse?
More “authoritative” people than McCarthy floated these now debunked “cures” years ago and stoked the fear of missing out in parents like me. Shame on them for resurrecting them today, causing pain for a new generation of parents.
— Edward J. Nitkewicz, Melville