New Report Says: Jenny McCarthy’s Son May Not Have Had Autism After All
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After years of speaking out about her son’s autism — and against childhood immunizations — Jenny McCarthy is reversing her position.
After years of speaking publicly about her belief that MMR shots (immunization for measles, mumps, and rubella) caused her son to suffer from autism, Jenny McCarthy now faces the reality that her 7-year-old son Evan — who no longer shows any signs of autism — may likely have lived with completely different illness.
A new article in Time magazine — which Jenny was interviewed for — suggests Evan suffers from Landau-Kleffner syndrome, “a rare childhood neurological disorder that can also result in speech impairment and possible long-term neurological damage.”
Many applaud Jenny, who has never stopped fighting to help her son since his autism diagnosis in 2005. Others, like the Center of Disease Control, say her claims about immunizations make her “a menace to public health.”
Jenny talks about her son’s progress saying, “Evan couldn’t talk — now he talks. Evan couldn’t make eye contact — now he makes eye contact. Evan was anti-social — now he makes friends. It was amazing to watch … when something didn’t work for Evan, I didn’t stop. I stopped that treatment, but I didn’t stop.”
And she is also reversing her initial position that the MMR shots caused Evan’s autism. Jenny now says she wants vaccinations better researched — rather than getting rid of them altogether, as she previously promoted. And though her son may never have had autism, Jenny insists, “I’ll continue to be the voice” of the disorder.
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cmegone
Posted at 12:46 AM on August 13, 2010
Will someone please tell this freak to take a hike. All she has done is hurt innocent people that were looking for anyway to help their child, and sadly some listened to this idiot. There is no excuse for what she has done and and she should be dealt with legally (jailed and sued). PLEASE dont let people like this speak for any cause you are passionate about because all they do is devalue the message.
Tina
Posted at 12:09 PM on August 30, 2010
You are the closed minded IDIOT here!
flor zumba
Posted at 12:06 AM on August 3, 2010
hola me alegra muchisimo saber q ud.Jenny no yse detuvo ante nada por seguir ayudando a su hijo y despues de tanta lucha y constancias vea los resultados de su esfuerzo .me imagino la felicidad q debe tener al disfrutar de su hijo dia a dia a pesar q nuestro amor por ellos no es menos cuando mas nos necesitan creo todo lo contrario los amamos mas tengo mi hijo Jhonatan de 22 meses q dejo de hablar cuando recien empezo no se si tiene q ver con todos los antibiticos q ha tomado no camina y no puede sostener cosas con sus manos tiene 5 terapias y los medicos no escuentran nada ya se puede imaginar como me siento pero me alegra saber q su hijo esta mejor espero Jehova me permita tener las fuerzas para seguir adelante con todas las dificultades mis mejores deseos para toda su familia.adios
Pender
Posted at 2:25 PM on July 21, 2010
Good going Jenny McSelfish. Just saying “oopsy daisy!” isn’t good enough since you’ve no doubt HURT a lot of people now in your bs crusade.
realist
Posted at 1:56 PM on July 21, 2010
Attractive women are always on the lookout for ways to make the world care about them that aren’t breast-related, so if Jenny wants to live in an imaginary world where she’s defeated the medical establishment with her rogue brand of healthcare, let her. However, being given a free pass to go on all kinds of daytime TV drivel shows and preach this nonsense has led to sickness and death for hundreds of children. Jenny McCarthy is directly responsible for children’s deaths, and so indirectly responsible are people like Oprah Winfrey who help her peddle this dangerous nonsense.
Tina
Posted at 12:12 PM on August 30, 2010
Your comments are ridiculous! She never once told anyone not to vaccinate their kids. She only wants the toxins removed from them and wants them to be given one at a time instead of as many as the doctor feels like giving on that particular day (since their is no limit). And you think what she is saying is killing kids? Are you nuts?!
RSG
Posted at 6:34 PM on June 26, 2010
‘Wonder if the parents of those children who died of pertussis, all under 3 months (meaning they were not able to get pertussis vaccine, even though many in California were eligible and REFUSED because of this woman) will sue Jenny McCarthy for misinformation to the public. If someone can get arrested for yelling “Fire!” in a movie theater, this is the modern day equivalent.
Jessica
Posted at 2:17 PM on August 18, 2010
CAN I SAY AMEN TO THIS!?!?!??! Jenny McCarthy IS a MENACE to society!
EllKay
Posted at 12:32 AM on May 25, 2010
And meanwhile Dr. Andrew Wakefield, the quack behind the claims that the MMR vaccine caused autism, has been stripped of his license to practice medicine for gross negligence, research fraud, and malpractice. The Lancet, which published his findings, has retracted his work. Please, Jenny, admit you were duped and that vaccines had NOTHING to do with your child’s problems, which weren’t even autism in the first place.
Tina
Posted at 12:19 PM on August 30, 2010
You all sound like a bunch of mindless robots. Blindly accepting EVERYTHING that mainstream medicine and pharmaceutical companies tell you is downright dangerous! Obviously none of you have had anyone in your families health damaged by being “good patients”.
Katie
Posted at 10:16 PM on May 24, 2010
I’m not surprised…..it’s known that you can’t be “cured” of autism, so if her son is, as she says, “cured” and normal then he never had the disease to begin with.
Or maybe she knew that all along….she seems like the kind of fame wh0re that would do this for attention.
Annoyed Autie
Posted at 11:57 AM on May 19, 2010
Seriously. The study that suggested that there was a correlation between autism and vaccines has been ROUNDLY DEBUNKED and people still listened to this woman. WHY? Now she’s admitting that her son never had autism, and she still wants to be the “voice” for autistics? I’m sorry, peaches, but we have our own voices, even if you don’t respect us enough to GRANT US THE SENTIENCE TO USE THEM.
Z
Posted at 12:29 AM on May 1, 2010
Well, Jo, do you honestly believe that a woman with NO medical training should consider herself “the voice of autism”? Funny, I thought people with autism had THEIR OWN voices.
whit
Posted at 9:58 AM on July 12, 2010
nit wit!! i take much affense to that statement about the their own voices because my son has autism and it is rare when he speaks. if u dont have anything nice to say, dont speak!!! you are clueless
Jo
Posted at 8:25 PM on April 23, 2010
Just wanted to know if anyone actually read the report. The doctor who “diagnosed” Evan with LK is NOT Evan’s doctor! This is bogus news from a hollywood gossip site, come on, use critical thinking. Do you actually believe that a doctor that has never examined the boy, should be giving him a diagnosis???
peg dash fab
Posted at 8:57 AM on June 25, 2010
dr. bill frist diagnosed terry schiavo from the senate floor, so i guess anything is possible.
