Some people shouldn't do interviews

[WingZ]

I was reading the Jenny Mccarthy story and was really touching my heart ( yeah who knew I had one as it surprised me as well ) until these statements. Is it cold of me to think WTH would she say something like this

I just stared at the doctor while remembering all the signs that led up to this moment. I felt each membrane and vein in my heart shattering into a million pieces. Nothing prepared me for this. I couldn't breathe. I wanted it gone. I had been through so much with seizures and psychotic reactions to meds. I looked at the doctor with pleading, tearful eyes, "This can't be. He is very loving and sweet and not anything like 'Rain Man.' "

This

No, in my eyes he wasn't. This was not Evan. Evan was locked inside this label, and I didn't know if I would ever get to know who Evan really was. All the behaviors I had thought were personality traits were autism characteristics, and that's all I had. Where was my son, and how the hell do I get him back?

and finally this

I almost felt betrayed, like I didn't know this child standing in front of me. Everything I thought was cute was a sign of autism and I felt tricked. I guess the doctor sensed this from me because he turned my head back toward him and said, "He is still the same boy you came in here with."

Okay this made me laugh ( hey I admitted in the beginning I was a cold b*st*rd )

"

Yes, but don't all kids do that?"

"Nope, not all," he said. "And they all don't flap their arms like that either."

I looked at Evan and saw that he was "flapping his wings." I said, "Oh no, he just does that when he gets excited."

"That is called a stim," he said.

"A what?"

"A stim. Self-stimulatory behaviors. It's an autistic trait," he said.

Here's the article in it's entirety http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/24/jenny.autism/index.html

It is sad ,but she seems very loving so I'm sure they'll get through this. Also a couple of links at the bottom show this condition to be reversable so perhaps this will be a non issue for her son and others.

 

[robr]

I read the same story and actually tried to put myself in her place as I read it. It seems to be she's just trying to be honest rather than politically correct. If someone told me my kid wasn't doing some of the things he did because it's his personality, but rather because of an illness, I might feel the same way. One moment it's cute, the next you've had the rug pulled out from under you to find out it's not cute at all and has nothing to do with their personality. I really thought hard about it reading the part about lining up cars, my son loves to line up his cars, but thankfully he plays with them too.

 

[H-carWizKid]

I'm with robr on this one-

How would you expect a mother to react upon learning that her child will face a challenge that most children do not?

In telling how she felt I think she was just being honest. News like that has to be a punch in the gut until you figure out how to wrap your mind, and your heart around it.

From what I have read, it appears she has really thrown herself into not only trying to understand her son, but also the cause for all children with autism.

I applaud her efforts to publicize, and support the effort to treat children with this condition, and in that way I am glad she did do the interview.

P

 

[Synthesis]

i don't think what she said was said in the same train of thought as yours when you read it.

looks more like surprise, and a little bit of denial. she didn't know, and then she came to the realization.
that's what i gather...

 

[lrsudog]

It just may be that she is not all that sophisticated, for all her celebrity. I work with actors every day, and there is usually a reason why they hire PR people.

Most of the people I know would probably do worse in such a situation.