Autistic kids savaged.

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Some local parents, teachers and child advocates were outraged over comments by national radio shock jock Michael Savage who recently attacked autistic kids as "spoiled brats" needing discipline.

Savage, whose show airs on 97.1, KFTK-FM, said "99 percent of cases" of autism are caused by permissive or poor parenting. He said in most every case, autism is about a child "who hasn't been told to cut the act out."

While Savage's talk show was taken off the air in some cities because of his remarks, that was not the case in St. Louis. John Beck, general manager of the Emmis-owned KFTK, said he didn't get many complaints. "I didn't do anything ... this did not rise to my desk. Some people will be offended" by remarks such as Savage's, Beck said. He said people on the air cannot be told to shut up because there are free speech issues involved.

Savage, whose real name is Michael Weiner, is 66. His show originates in San Francisco and is similar to conservative right-wing shows hosted by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. He has been controversial in recent years for negative remarks about gays, brown-skinned people and what he calls medical fraud.

A statement issued by Savage said in part: "My comments about autism were meant to boldly awaken parents and children to the medical community's attempt to label too many children or adults as 'autistic' ... Many children are being victimized by being diagnosed with an 'illness' which may not exist, in all cases.... Increasingly, our children are being used as profit centers by a greedy, corrupt medical/pharmaceutical establishment."

On his broadcast Savage said autism has no definitive medical diagnosis and usually involves children without fathers to tell them: "Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life."

Jeanne Andorff said she and her husband found Savage's remarks to be beneath contempt. The Webster Groves couple has two boys with autism and she said the condition involves brain functioning problems that have nothing to do with lax parenting or permissiveness.

"I understand Savage is a shock jock who has to be offensive, but it is disgusting that he is attacking kids who really can't defend themselves," said Andorff. "I don't understand why a St. Louis radio station feels a need to air this kind of nonsense."

"It's pretty pathetic," said Andorff. "He is perpetuating ignorance. And I am less concerned about Savage than his listeners who will take him seriously. Savage needs to spend an afternoon with my family and maybe he'd get a little knowledge of what autism is all about."

Rebecca Fehlig, executive director of the St. Louis chapter of Autism Speaks, said Savage's comments perpetuate the kind of ignorance that was prevalent decades ago. She said she hopes "his nonsense" will end up making people more aware of what autism is actually all about.

Gay Tompkins, a former Affton schools superintendent who now devotes a lot of her time to the cause of addressing autism issues, said the radio show comments display a pitiful lack of understanding for someone syndicated on more than 300 stations. "I don't have a reaction to it--it is just ignorance," said Tompkins. "Any family that has an autistic child knows the real anguish and the long journey that is required to cope with it. The condition taxes a family because of social issues and education issues, and it can be as basic as finding a way to communicate with a child who is found to be autistic."

Don Corrigan

St. Louis, MO