Jenny McCarthy's Son was Never Autistic?

[Odin2005]

http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-jenny-mccarthy-s-son-was-never-autistic

The article claims her son Asher has Landau-Kleffner Syndrome.

[Warpy]

1. If it started with seizures the way she says it did, then it's a possibility

It's often misdiagnosed since a lot of the seizures only appear on an EEG and many of those only when the child is asleep.

She needs to stop trying to practice medicine without a license and get that kid to a competent neurologist.

[trotsky]

2. Yes, I believe there was some doubt from the beginning...

since, as that article notes, her son had *seizures*. That is not typically a symptom of autism.

[LeftishBrit]

3. It is actually quite common for autistic individuals to develop seizures in adolescence...

but as I understand it, it is rare for autism to *start* with seizures.

The whole description of the case does sound quite compatible with papers that I've read on Landau-Kleffner, though of course there are always big dangers in diagnosing on the Internet - and even more so when diagnosing on the basis of a 'media' story from an unreliable source. Jenny McCarthy's son really needs a doctor's opinion -which he may not get.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

4. He needs a *good* doctor's opinion.

[LeftishBrit]

5. Good point,

[Orrex]

6. So, when does her tireless exploitation of the boy qualify as abuse?

If she keeps trotting him out before the spotlight at this rate, she'll qualify to run as the GOP's VP candidate in 2008.