Local Lawmaker Fires Back at Radio Host

Talk show host Michael Savage

By: Mobile Press-Register | Alabama's13.com
Published: July 23, 2008

"Ignorant."
That's the one-word reaction from state Rep. Cam Ward , R-Alabaster, to comments by right-wing talk show host Michael Savage.

Savage last week aired a rant about children with autism, suggesting the illness was a fraud and that the real problem was poor parenting.

Nearly every child diagnosed with autism, Savage said, is "a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out." He said most cases could be cured if parents would only use a tougher tone, suggesting that autistic kids be told: "Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot."
Ward, who has a daughter with autism, said he was appalled by the remarks and disappointed by Savage's subsequent refusal to back away from them.

"The last thing any parent with an autistic child wants to hear is that it's their fault somehow," Ward said Tuesday. "It's difficult enough without having to worry that you're constantly being judged. What this guy said is the worst kind of ignorance, because it's so hurtful."

Savage, who argued that 99 out of 100 cases of autism are misdiagnosed, perpetuated one of the biggest myths about the disorder, Ward said.
"It's the misconception that they're just bad kids — there's nothing really wrong with them," Ward said. "Our goal is to eradicate that kind of thinking, because autism is a very real condition that cuts across all racial and economic lines."

Autism is an escalating problem in Alabama, which has seen a dramatic increase in diagnoses over the past decade. The illness, which impairs communications and social skills, affects about one in 150 children nationally, according to Ward.

During the Legislature's most recent session, Ward and Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom formed a bipartisan task force to help parents deal with the challenges of raising autistic children. The goal, Folsom said, is to improve state services to such families.

"Alabama is falling desperately behind in comparison to other states," Folsom said, adding that Ward "has shown unsurpassed compassion, conviction and resolve in bringing Alabama to the forefront of this issue."

Savage said in a statement posted on his Web site Tuesday that his comments "were meant to boldly awaken parents and children to the medical community's attempt to label too many children or adults as 'autistic.'"

Savage's radio show, The Savage Nation, reaches about 8 million listeners weekly, ranking third nationally behind Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity .