Dr Phil show about Asperger's, 17th Jan 2006

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I was half joking but I understand where you're coming from. I have shared with a couple people that I'm close with but I intend on being very selective. Frankly it's none of anyone's business. Our close friends are have always been sensitive to my son's quirks and find them as endearing as we do.

RC

Yep, I too had "bothered" to watch Dr. Phil Tuesday afternoon (he airs at 3pm here in central NC, NBC channel 12). I generally try to shy away from talk shows in general (much the opposite of how I was pre-millennium, maybe I've "matured" LOL?), but I read somewhere online that Tuesday's show would focus on Asperger's. What the hell, I'd tune in. Sure enough, as several of you peeps seem to point out, he would "have" to focus on some more "extreme" case of a person with said "disease." (Sad, esp. considering many people haven't even heard of it, and seeing such an "extreme" case of AS portrayed on TV may only do more to damage how we're viewed, and promote more misunderstanding..meh) At least maybe there will be more viewers that are aware of said "condition", and maybe will rely upon their own research (like getting online LOL) to find out more about AS, and not just depend on whatever that blowhard "doc" does with it! I really don't think he is all about trying to help people, and get to understand people so much as he is just simply doing what many other talk shows these days are doing...trying to get paid by exploiting others' real-life problems and difficulties on TV. Heck, Dr. Phil better be glad Oprah gave him a job in the first place (his show is produced by "HARPO" productions, guess whose name that is backwards?)....hopefully, he'll find another line of work before too long?

I guess he has not met you yet.

Ignorance is bliss - no wonder Dr. Phil is always smiling, he must be very happy and blissful.


This was talked about some on another forum, and i have at least 4 posts about it there myself. http://www.wrongplanet.net/asperger.htm ... 192#172192

Fabulous to have you here! I am an adult with AS and I feel better knowing I"m "supposed to be this way" too.

I hope the Dr. Phil Show can do some good for Us and this and other Asperger's Sites too.

I didn't see the show, but I wonder if any of you who did would like to make comments on Dr. Phil's message board. I think some representatives from WP would make a nice addition to the posts that are currently on the message board.

I had never heard anything about AS being identifiable in a brain scan either. I've heard Autistic brains are different though, but never heard this about AS brains. I wonder about this company they've referred the family to. I wonder if they're going to suggest some sort of boot camp or something like that for him, where he's put through more abuse.

At least Dr. Phil didn't do what I thought he'd do, say it was all nonsense and tell his parents to strip his room to a mattress and a few changes of clothes and make him earn it back. That seems to be one of his favorite things to suggest for "problem" children.

I have not been diagnosed with AS, my 12 year old son has. Either I have it or I have several issues combined that mimic AS, or I'm just a wierdo. Whatever the case may be, the only thing that has helped me grow is the "school of hard knocks", much introspection, talking honestly and openly to others, copious amounts of reading, and learning how God wants me to feel and behave towards others. My son is pretty much the same way. He has to experience things and go through failures and talk about them. That is how we learn best. I don't hold much with drug therapy unless your life is severely out of control and you can't even function. I get angry and I always correct people when they call AS or any other PPD a "disease". Disease connotates illness and progressive sickness. PPDs are more like a condition; really a mindset. I explained it to my son that God makes us all different with different gifts and challenges; no exceptions. And AS is a set of characteristics that some people have in common that may make it difficult for them to comprehend most people, but easier to ------(then I listed the things he's talented at). Another thing I'm interested in is Applied Bahaviour Analysis. I've heard pro and cons. Was this mentioned on the show? (I missed it).

I read a study where the aspergic brain was different on a brain scan when reading words to that of an NT Brain.

First of all, Dr. Phil repeatedly referred to AS as a "disease."

Wow, that's incredibly ignorant to say!

Like I said earlier, Dr. Phil is a terrible show exploiting others problems and not doing a dam thing about it through the show. Everything haves to do with money. Why can't their be a host in a show who is firm talking not so judgmental and most importanely truly understanding of the guests and their problems. Instead of giving advices which only works from his experience, he should also become open minded and find a real soulution for his guests. These two elements should be a factor in his advices he make. Like I previously stated earlier in this post, he truly lacks understanding and being an understandable person when it comes to other people's problems.

Once a person can truly understand and use his knowledgable experience about the problem, then he can incorporate and come up with a reasonable and positive-affecting advice;which he seems to be lacking.

I missed the show.

I think what he does is basically try to peddle easy answers to problems when most problems do not have easy answers. He also in my opinion, thinks "one size fits all," which is also not the case. He for the most part, repeats the same thing over and over again and oversimplifies everything. I didn't think much of him to begin with but after seeing the "Get Real Challenge" he did on Oprah a few years back, where he basically locked a bunch of people in a room for a week and screamed at them and hurled put downs at them, he really scared me. To me, what was going on looked more like some kind of indoctrination or brain washing session than it did "help."

I think Montel Williams handles topics much better. He has a variety of different experts from different fields(such as psychologists, attorneys, etc.) on his programs when dealing with a topic, and in my opinion, gives a more balanced view.

His show also has its After Care program, in which his staff will arrange for services for those on the show after their appearance, such as free counseling or connecting them with an organization in their hometowns which helps people with whatever their difficulty is. Problems can't be solved in on a TV show, but the healing process can start. My only complaint about him is those shows with Sylvia Brown. I don't believe in psychics, but that's just me.

Check him out at http://www.montelshow.com

Here's a link to the brain scan company from the show. I didn't find anything about the AS scan they showed on the show.

http://www.brainmattersinc.com/

Is it possible to get a copy of this for us in Britain, this is one programme I would like to watch.