New York DJ: 99 percent of autism cases result of lax parenting

RAGE.

On the July 16 installment of his program, which is broadcast every weekday, Mr. Savage suggested that “99 percent of the cases” of autism were a result of lax parenting. He told his audience: “They don’t have a father around to tell them, ‘Don’t act like a moron. You’ll get nowhere in life.’ ” Among the other admonitions he felt children with autism should be hearing, he said, were: “ ‘Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot.’ ”

Asked Monday if he actually believed that 99 out of every 100 cases of autism were misdiagnosed, Mr. Savage conceded that figure was “a little high.” He added, “It was hyperbole.”

Mr. Savage's email link on the WOR website has -- surprise, surprise -- been disabled. Please take a moment to email WOR and urge them to insist that Savage be required to work with autistic children, since he clearly has never done that. I sent my email to John Gambling, who is the DJ currently on the air, and to Paul Siebold, who is in charge of media relations.

( Below the cut is the email I sent Mr. Gambling: )

I'm sure I won't get a response, but I couldn't sit by and say nothing.

Idiot.

Edit: Via captainsblog, please go sign the petition.