With a circulation of 32 million, Parade magazine casts a long shadow. And so when Parade does a cover story on autism, it’s worth taking a look.

Today’s piece by Dr. Ranit Mishori urges calm, telling parents of kids with autism that they “should not despair … Indeed, the road ahead for people with autism depends on the attitudes of the rest of us and our willingness to create opportunities for jobs, for education and for inclusion.” Mishori also counsels caution about alternative treatments like chelation therapy, pointing out that there is little solid scientific evidence to support them.

What’s noteworthy here, though, isn’t the main story. It’s the prominent play given to a sidebar by Suzanne Wright, who co-founded Autism Speaks with her husband Robert Wright, former chairman of NBC Universal. Once again, Suzanne Wright (above, with grandson Christian) talks about her desire to “eradicate autism for the sake of future generations.” That’s the kind of language that has previously stirred criticism from adults with autism, who say they need to be accepted and valued — not cured.

Here’s a post about advocacy by adults with autism.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 27th, 2008 at 4:23 pm and is filed under autism, media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post