First Published Wednesday, 15th October, 2008.
Actor DENIS LEARY has sparked outrage among activists for children with autism – insisting parents are just using the disorder to explain their kids’ academic “laziness”.
Leary talks about the brain development disorder in his new book Why We Suck: A Feel-Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid.
He writes: “There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumb-ass kids can’t compete academically, so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks… to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don’t (care) what these crackerjack whack jobs tell you – your kid is NOT autistic. He’s just stupid. Or lazy. Or both.”
But the actor’s comments have sparked outrage at The Autism Society of America.
A spokesperson for the group tells the New York Post: “For Mr. Leary to suggest that families or doctors conspire to falsely diagnose autism is ridiculous… (His) remarks reflect the same misconceptions of autism being caused by bad or unemotional parenting that were held over 50 years ago.”
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/leary%20angers%20autism%20activists_1083590
Leary Defends Autism Comments
LATEST: Actor-turned-author DENIS LEARY has blasted the press for its coverage of his new lifestyle book, insisting comments he made about children with autism have been taken out of context.
The Rescue Me star sparked outrage among activists for young autism sufferers when an excerpt from Why We Suck: A Feel-Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid was printed in a U.S. newspaper on Wednesday (15Oct08).
In the book, Leary claims parents are using the brain development disorder as an excuse to explain their children’s “laziness”.
According to the New York Post, in a chapter titled Autism Schmautism, he writes: “There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumb-ass kids can’t compete academically, so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks… to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don’t (care) what these crackerjack whack jobs tell you – yer (sic) kid is NOT autistic. He’s just stupid. Or lazy. Or both.”
But Leary has hit back at his detractors, insisting the journalist has failed to read his book in full because he actually supports those suffering from autism.
He says in a statement: “…If they have (read the book), they missed the sections I thought made my feelings about autism very clear: that I not only support the current rational approaches to the diagnoses and treatment of real autism but have witnessed it firsthand while watching very dear old friends raise a functioning autistic child.”
10/16/2008 12:16:58 PM
Source:
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/leary%20defends%20autism%20comments_1083702
A spelling-challenged advocacy group representing parents of children with autism is calling on Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other booksellers to banish a new book by comic actor Denis Leary from their stores. The group, Autism United, says it will protest outside a benefit comedy show in Boston on Nov. 15 where Leary is set to appear.
In his book Why We Suck, Leary writes that most children diagnosed with autism are simply “stupid. Or lazy. Or both.” He also asserts, “There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumb-ass kids can’t compete academically.”
Evelyn Ain, the president of Autism United, responded in a terribly copy-edited statement, saying, “If Dennis [sic] Leary feels by putting these shockley [sic] comments in book [sic] is going to create hype, were [sic] going to have autism families from coast to coast protesting his appearances, showing the joke is really on him.” (The statement also mistakenly refers to the book merely as We Suck.)
At last check, both Amazon and Barnes & Noble are still selling the book.
Earlier this year, shock-radio host Michael Savage brought the wrath of autism advocates down on his head by voicing similar sentiments, including a belief that the condition could be cured by a parent prepared to say “Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot.”
Source:Â http://biz.yahoo.com/portfolio/081017/tag_www_portfolio_com_2008_10_15014.html?.v=1
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