Alright – so if you read or follow national autism news or blogs then you have heard of Dr. Paul Offit. Or as I like to call him the profit doctor and a menace to so many autism parents.
Honestly, I just don’t see what CDC sees in him. I personally like and respect CDC autism leadership and just can’t understand their relationship with Offit. The things that come out of his mouth are truly cruel and disturbing. He tells parents that have done alternative and biomedical autism treatments – we are quacks. He has written more books than I care to list here. From false hope to looking for a delusional cure for autism. In fact, at IACC’s last meeting, a sub-group to look into alternative and biomedical autism treatment so that more research is done on this was formed. Dr. Offit can learn a thing or two from Dr. Insel who I like to refer to as the calm and reasonable doctor who regardless of how frustrated autism parents get with him seems to find a calm and reasonable way to address their concerns.
My least favorite Dr. Offit book is do you believe in magic. My answer to Dr. Offit – You damn skippy I believe in magic for my son with autism. What parent whose child has a medical condition does not believe in magic, a cure and a recovery even if it does not exist at the time? To have faith is to believe in magic and good health.
Seriously, think about that. Any parent that takes their child for any medical condition to a doctor and autism is no different believes in the magic of medical science. The difference is most parents get the hope that their child will get better if they do 1,2,3 steps and take 1.2,3 medicine or therapy. For autism, we are told – yes autism is a medical condition, but we don’t have a cause, a cure, not sure which therapy will work for sure – have a nice day. Imagine that for a minute. Oh, and if you are a minority – try ABA therapy – but long wait list, immature discharge and crappy therapist await you – but really have a nice day.
This is our reality as autism parents and as you know worse for minority autism families.
Then comes Dr. Proffit – sorry meant Offit and he writes book after book after book telling us to not believe in magic, hope, autism is a born medical condition (oh please) if that was the case -where are the adult nonverbal Somalis born with autism in Somalia. Never mind your child was talking, eating regular foods, crossing the street safely, sleeping and all of that lost magically, but don’t you dare believe in magic. This guy drives me nuts.
Personally – I have no respect for anyone whose children are healthy who takes a cheap shot at struggling autism parents who probably have not slept eight hours straight for more than two nights including me for years. Really the audacity of him to insult and belittle those whose shoes he never walked on is beyond belief.
Therefore, I support Autism Action Network’s latest post in asking the following;
To call Offit’s bosses and ask them to tell Offit to stop making things up and being stupid. (ok I added the stupid part).
Amy Gutman, President – University of Pennsylvania, 215-898-7221
Steven M. Altschuler, MD, CEO, Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania 267-426-6143
Please share this with friends and family – it is time for Dr. Offit to have some compassion for autism families and stop speaking out of horse’s you know what. If research does not exist for alternative treatments, then let’s do some and not ridicule desperate autism parents. It is the medical professional’s responsibility to find answers and not dismiss families.
As usual, above words do not represent any agency, candidate or committee.
Thanks!
Idil – Somali Autism Mom & Minority Advocate