Spotlight on Autism

davissally-"The man said he wants to help and yet he is still criticized! "

There is nothing in his record nor future proposed policies that suggest that to be true. That's the basis of the criticism. Who the hell said we're garnering for a morons support? We are a community of parents who support one another. McCain is a user and our children should not be used for political fodder.

McCain doesn't have a clue what he's talking about and nor does Palin. She has the worst record in the nation on disabilities. Maybe that will change if she has to live with her on decisions, but her son doesn't have Autism. Her baby has Down Syndrome which is very different in how to care for someone with Autism.

My son has Austim and I was deeply offended by McCain to try and play the sympathy card for a vote. His consistent policies contradict what he said in the debate. I think I will believe what he's been saying, "less government". That means " your on your own".

A heart-warming and realistic view of the difficulties faced. No Child Left Behind has done little to help the large numbers of children who are not succeeding in our schools right now. So there's a lot to be done at a time when budgets (Fed, State, School District, Family) are tight. Obama got it right when he said all parts of the budget must be scrutinized, so the goal is to spend wisely -.after setting goals and priorities.

Every time John McCain says he wants to help a certain segment of the population, he is criticized as looking for a sympathy vote. Yet, when Obama says he wants to help a certain group, he is praised for it. Talk about a double standard! Now I understand what Hillary was experiencing when she ran against Obama. Let's face it--this election is about the same thing every 4 years for both parties--trying to appease as many special interest groups (families with special needs children, college students, retirees, environmentalists, the self-employed, those without health insurance, farmers, you name it) as possible in order to get the most votes.

I have no idea why Obama is such a media darling. Just because someone is young, attractive, energetic and a good speaker does not mean they will be a good President. Kennedy was elected for the same reasons, and if my memory of history is correct, his short presidency had a number of major problems. Ever hear of the Bay of Pigs or the Cuban Missle Crisis?

And to those out there who say that Sarah Palin is unqualified to be President because she has no international experience, do the names Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton ring any bells? They were both governors before they were elected President, and I'd say they did OK.

And to the person who stole the McCain/Palin sign from my front yard, you are an IDIOT, because McCain is going to win in Texas anyway. Is this the kind of people that Obama has supporting him. . .?

I think that the celebrities who are drawing attention to autism, are those who have autistic children. They are entitled to speak up and be heard because they have intimate knowledge of having a child with autism. With that being said, I think it is somewhat shameful for John McCain to mention helping autistic and mentally disabled children because (using his running mate's child) it is clear to me that he is pandering for the vote of the parents. If it was a real concern of his, why didn't we hear him speak on this 18 months ago, even 6 months ago. Has he ever met with parents of special needs children before now? It is a question worth asking and having answered.

Autism and Down's Syndrome are entirely different. Since I haven't seen anyone say anything about Gov. Palin's dragging her special needs son in the spotlight, on her campaign stops, I would say she doesn't even understand what Down's is all about. Most Down's children are very susceptible to diseases and conditions just by itself. But here she is, exposing her child to all the germs in the environment and shaking people's hands. one would think, she shouldn't even be doing that for a 'normal' child. Yes, we all know she has a special needs child; she doesn't need to be exposing that child every opportunity she gets. She needs to be taking care of that child, as far as I am concerned, at home. He needs his mother to care for him. I probably would have been impressed if she (Palin) has declined the VP invite and say, her family is more important and they need her. Let's not forget, she has that teenager who is pregnant--just because the kids are having the baby and getting married does not make this right. I am with a lot of people, Palin is not the right candidate for vice-president, and certainly, not the president. And if McCain chose her to be his running mate, it only shows he lacks the decision-making ability one has to have as president.

I am curious. What did Sarah Palin do regarding children with autism while mayor and or Governor? I hope I am wrong as a parent myself, but it seem to me that she is using that baby, and that would be a shame. Since the baby is only 5-6 months old what was her views on autism 2 or 3 years ago? Please correct me if I am wrong.

While I can empathize with any parent of an autistic or or special needs child, Ms. Chew's cynicism in accusing John McCain of pandering is completely unwarranted, based as it is upon surmise and her own refusal to accept his statements as made. Her concerns are manufactured and disingenuous, particularly as compared to his opponent's who offers universal solutions by speaking vague platitudes about hope and change. Of course, it is not surprising that Newsweek would interview an Obamamanial college professor to work another angle against McCain, in the mainstream media's transparent effort to get Obama elected. For Ms. Chew to use her son's condition as a political tool to support her candidate is beyond despicable.

Personally, I'm outraged by McCain's suggestion that Palin understands children with special needs because she has a six month old baby with Downs. My two high functioning autistic boys, now 8 and 11, were angels at six months, like most babies. Difficulty doesn't start until the child needs to communicate and socialize. She has no idea what it is, and it is blatant pandering to use it as a selling point. I also take offense at the ease at which he conflated autism and Downs,as if these two disabilities are the same with the same fixes. Although I also agree that it's good to get any spotlight on this issue. What I would like to see the candidates pay more attention to, in both the issue of autism and insurance coverage, are the insurance companies' freedom with what they choose to cover. An annual neuropsychology bill they've always covered in the past, is suddenly rejected because the've arbitrarily decided it falls under mental health. These sort of things need to be watched more closely by the government.