Firestormm
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Not the title of the blogpost from LBRB but from one of the reaction pieces to the subject matter. What has shocked me most (other than of course the sheer idiocy displayed by this 'Dr') is that my last thread on Autism was about physical evidence for brain abnormalities in young children.
Now I read this and all right he might have been generalising, he might only have meant in relation to the study he was talking about with assumed authority; but even so there are parents who are engineers and mathematicians, scientists (even), and did he really think they would not be offended? Is this man clueless or what?
Tony Humphreys digs a deeper hole
'Theres an old saying: the first step to getting out of the hole you dug is to stop digging. Tony Humphreys could do well to take that advice.
On February 6th, Tony Humphreys published an article in the Irish Examiner. The article can be found here on facebook. Here is an excerpt:
In studies in 1997 and 2001 it was found that the children and grandchildren of engineers were more likely to be autistic and that mathematicians had higher rates of autism than other professions. What is shocking is that Dr Baron-Cohen and the team of researchers are one: assuming that autism is a scientific fact and, two: missing the glaringly obvious fact that if the adults they researched live predominanently in their heads and possess few or no heart qualities, their children will need to find some way of defending themselves against the absence of expressed love and affection and emotional receptivity.
After all, the deepest need of every child is to be unconditionally loved and the absence of it results in children shutting down emotionally themselves because to continue to spontaneously reach out for love would be far too painful.
Childrens well being mostly depends on emotional security a daily diet of nurture, love, affection, patience, warmth, tenderness, kindness and calm responses to their expressed welfare and emergency feelings. To say that these children have a genetic and/or neurobiological disorder called autism or ASD (autistic spectrum disorder) only adds further to their misery and condemns them to a relationship history where their every thought and action is interpreted as arising from their autism.
Id be interested to hear how people interpret that. I know how Liz Ditz reacted (the title gives you some idea): Why What a Gormless Irish Self-Help Guru Wrote About Autism Matters.
Tony Humphreys is back in the news. This time in an interview on TV3 and an article in The Journal, Autism is a theory Tony Humphreys defends controversial article
From The Journal:
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST TONY Humphreys has defended remarks he made in a controversial article about autism, saying that the disorder is a theory.
Humphreys said his suggestion that autism is caused by environmental factors is substantiated by current research.
When you use the word autism youre suggesting its a fact. Autism is a theory. It is not a fact, he said on TV3?s Ireland AM this morning.
I never in all my life have blamed parents. Ive been absolutely saddened by the response [to the article]. It was not the response in any way which I expected, he said.
Well, being called out for making insulting and unfounded remarks is probably not what he expected. Then again, a person who makes these remarks probably isnt well qualified to predict how they will be received.
Why is this man given publicity (even bad publicity)? Heres another paragraph from The Journal:
When asked about why he wouldnt discuss the article with the parent of an autistic child on air Humphreys said: I didnt want to get into an argument with a parent who must feel so hurt that suddenly research suggests that there is no such thing as autism.
Does he not understand why parents are annoyed with him or is he just trying to deflect the flack he is getting. Parents arent annoyed that he made ignorant statements that there is no such thing as autism. Had he just said that he would have been quickly forgotten as an ignorant man making ignorant statements. Happens a lot. No, parents are annoyed (or at least I am) by statements like missing the glaringly obvious fact that if the adults they researched live predominanently in their heads and possess few or no heart qualities, their children will need to find some way of defending themselves against the absence of expressed love and affection and emotional receptivity.
Tony Humphreys exposed himself as being completely ignorant about autism on many fronts. He bills himself as a consultant clinical psychologist, author and national and international speaker.
Hes not-apologized. Hes damaged his own reputation by exposing himself as ignorant in the area he claims as expertise. I hope the Irish press does the right thing and just ignores him from here on out.'
Small consolation but at least the Irish Government are not in agreement with this pilchard:
Minister for Health James Reilly said last week that Humphreys claim that there was a link between parenting and autism was utterly outrageous.
Now I read this and all right he might have been generalising, he might only have meant in relation to the study he was talking about with assumed authority; but even so there are parents who are engineers and mathematicians, scientists (even), and did he really think they would not be offended? Is this man clueless or what?
Tony Humphreys digs a deeper hole
'Theres an old saying: the first step to getting out of the hole you dug is to stop digging. Tony Humphreys could do well to take that advice.
On February 6th, Tony Humphreys published an article in the Irish Examiner. The article can be found here on facebook. Here is an excerpt:
In studies in 1997 and 2001 it was found that the children and grandchildren of engineers were more likely to be autistic and that mathematicians had higher rates of autism than other professions. What is shocking is that Dr Baron-Cohen and the team of researchers are one: assuming that autism is a scientific fact and, two: missing the glaringly obvious fact that if the adults they researched live predominanently in their heads and possess few or no heart qualities, their children will need to find some way of defending themselves against the absence of expressed love and affection and emotional receptivity.
After all, the deepest need of every child is to be unconditionally loved and the absence of it results in children shutting down emotionally themselves because to continue to spontaneously reach out for love would be far too painful.
Childrens well being mostly depends on emotional security a daily diet of nurture, love, affection, patience, warmth, tenderness, kindness and calm responses to their expressed welfare and emergency feelings. To say that these children have a genetic and/or neurobiological disorder called autism or ASD (autistic spectrum disorder) only adds further to their misery and condemns them to a relationship history where their every thought and action is interpreted as arising from their autism.
Id be interested to hear how people interpret that. I know how Liz Ditz reacted (the title gives you some idea): Why What a Gormless Irish Self-Help Guru Wrote About Autism Matters.
Tony Humphreys is back in the news. This time in an interview on TV3 and an article in The Journal, Autism is a theory Tony Humphreys defends controversial article
From The Journal:
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST TONY Humphreys has defended remarks he made in a controversial article about autism, saying that the disorder is a theory.
Humphreys said his suggestion that autism is caused by environmental factors is substantiated by current research.
When you use the word autism youre suggesting its a fact. Autism is a theory. It is not a fact, he said on TV3?s Ireland AM this morning.
I never in all my life have blamed parents. Ive been absolutely saddened by the response [to the article]. It was not the response in any way which I expected, he said.
Well, being called out for making insulting and unfounded remarks is probably not what he expected. Then again, a person who makes these remarks probably isnt well qualified to predict how they will be received.
Why is this man given publicity (even bad publicity)? Heres another paragraph from The Journal:
When asked about why he wouldnt discuss the article with the parent of an autistic child on air Humphreys said: I didnt want to get into an argument with a parent who must feel so hurt that suddenly research suggests that there is no such thing as autism.
Does he not understand why parents are annoyed with him or is he just trying to deflect the flack he is getting. Parents arent annoyed that he made ignorant statements that there is no such thing as autism. Had he just said that he would have been quickly forgotten as an ignorant man making ignorant statements. Happens a lot. No, parents are annoyed (or at least I am) by statements like missing the glaringly obvious fact that if the adults they researched live predominanently in their heads and possess few or no heart qualities, their children will need to find some way of defending themselves against the absence of expressed love and affection and emotional receptivity.
Tony Humphreys exposed himself as being completely ignorant about autism on many fronts. He bills himself as a consultant clinical psychologist, author and national and international speaker.
Hes not-apologized. Hes damaged his own reputation by exposing himself as ignorant in the area he claims as expertise. I hope the Irish press does the right thing and just ignores him from here on out.'
Small consolation but at least the Irish Government are not in agreement with this pilchard:
Minister for Health James Reilly said last week that Humphreys claim that there was a link between parenting and autism was utterly outrageous.