CNN is all autism- and it's actually fairly balanced

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Looking at CNN, I see their site is being devoted mostly to autism (probably jsut for the next couple days). I also saw that they seem actually to show both sides of the issue- there's an interview of an autistic woman who says we don't need to be fixed, and an article from an Aspie that contains similar calls for understanding rather than cure. I'm glad to see CNN is at least starting to move away from the alarmism and pessimism about autism that had characterized news coverage in the past. We may be seeing some positive changes in the way we are viewed by society in the next few years.

They've actually been running a whole series for about a week now. I've been sort of waiting for someone else to start a thread about it.

Did anyone else see the story about the mom/lawyer who got her state to cover autism services via health insurance, or somesuch?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditio ... index.html

Discuss!

Besides having Alex on this evening, CNN has a few programs about autism today. There's one on at 11:00 AM CST called "We Have Autism" ,and Larry King is talking about autism tonight, too. (though I think it's mostly about the vaccine debate)

Just figured I'd share what I found using my search option on my DVR. I have all those programs set to record, because I'm so busy today. I hope they're good, and if they are maybe we could send a nice e-mail to CNN letting them know that we appreciate their positive programming on autism.

They also have a special this evening with Amanda Baggs, "Finding Amanda" at 9:00 MST I believe. I'm hoping to watch that.

I think they did a good job on the "We have autism" show.

Their Jenny McCarthy article is disappointing. I don't know why they let that fruitcake write an article.

Oh crap, I just read the Jenny McCarthy article. I take back my original post, CNN is not presented a balanced view. For one, they have a slew of stories of vaccines. Vaccine-Autism isn't even a point of discussion in the scientific community today; it was refuted a long time ago. This is a complete load of bull, and just helping to fuel more hysteria.

The article about the mom battling for insurance points out one of the problems I see with the current ideas on how autistic children need to be handled: parents are panicking if they cannot provide these things, feeling they are letting their children down, that they are missing out on the golden rainbow, when no one is sure just how much difference any of them makes. Miracles have happened with parents do no more than, simply, tuning in to their kids.

I honestly cannot imagine my high functioning Aspie son coping with 40 hours a week of therapy, of even the most harmless kind. He hates that level of "must do." It totally stresses him out. Has anyone checked out if the treatments end up battling their own ability at progress, by shear volume?

Most of the ones that were undergoing therapy seemed to be the low functioning ones at least from what little of the
bits on TV I got to see today. and I don't think one could argue that someone with a low functioning ASD shouldn't have some serious services provided to help them.

I still think we aspies are misrepresented in the MSM.

CNN did a good job. Jenny's a fighter and like her or not, people are really taking notice of the whole vaccine schedule. You don't have to be into the mercury debate to conclude that maybe some babies, mainly those who are failing to thrive, should wait for vaccines. I liked what everyone on the programs yesterday had to say, different viewpoints. I did not see Alex. I must have timed that wrong.