Autism Speaks's Dr. Daniel Geschwind Declares Paul Offit “A Brave and Articulate Champion of Truth!”

By Katie Wright

Recently I happened upon an advertisement for Paul Offit’s “Autism’s False Prophets.” Offit is a divisive extremist. Despite having no background in autism or clinical experience with autistic children, Offit feels qualified to publicly relate his “expertise” on  autism’s trajectory and causation factors. Offit’s bizarre proclamations include the theory that babies can safely receive 100,000 vaccines in one day. No problem! It is a convenient belief when one holds a number of vaccine patents. I could go on and on but we all know Offit’s story.

So imagine my surprise when I read a glowing endorsement from Dr. Daniel Geschwind, well know genetics researcher who serves on the NIMH Scientific Advisory Panel, is a member of  the six-person Autism Speaks scientific review panel and won the AS’ Scientific Service Award in 2008. Dr. Geschwind describes Paul Offit as a “brave and articulate champion of the truth” in Offit’s book advertisements. If Offit is the “champion of truth” does that mean that children who experienced severe adverse vaccine reactions and subsequent regressions are fakers or hypochondriacs? Do their parents have Munchansens by proxy?

Does Dr. Offit/ “champion of truth” have a child with autism, of course not. Does the “champion of truth” study children who have regressive autism, no way. Is “the champion of truth” taken seriously by 90% of autism researchers, another resounding no.  Does the “champion of truth” seek to negate the experience and concerns of hundreds of thousands of parents of children- pretty much.

The publisher’s quote was lifted from Dr. Geschwind’s review of “False Prophets” in “Nature Medicine” magazine. Geschwind’s review feeds into Offit’s classic talking points : how Dr. Offit has manly and heroically fought the many forces of evil conspiring against him. Geschwind writes that Dr. Offit has endured death threats (a staple of every Offit interview) from an army of crazed and demented Moms and Dads. All Offit interviews must refer to the hate mail he receives, the threats, the angry phone calls- oh did I mention the threats and the hate mail? How can just one man be asked to sacrifice so much?

Apparently it is Dr. Offit who is the true victim here, not children with autism.

Geschwind expounds on Offit’s bizarre theory that both the media and probably a million ASD parents have been brainwashed by and take their marching order from celebrities. I am still waiting for my celebrity brain washing! George Clooney where are you? My favorite Geschwind quote is: “It (the book) also chronicles, in compelling fashion, the advocacy groups, the public relations efforts (what? You mean bankrupt Moms at home? Their “public relations” efforts?), and legal efforts (the 1% of ASD parents who file in vaccine court?), that have often partnered, certainly in some cases, innocents with rogue scientist in this endeavor to link autism to vaccines.” Wow and they call us conspiracy theorists?

“Rogue scientists” sounds seriously scary, as if describing Iranian physicists covertly working on a nuclear bomb. Is Dr. Geschwind referring to “rouge” scientists like the first doctors who  treated ASD kids with GI disease after most doctors refused? This used to happen all the time until those horrid “rogues” put a stop to it. Or “rogues” like Dr. Pessah and Dr. Jill James (very shrewd, a female rogue!) who dare to research the effect heavy metals like Hg has on the brain? Or rogues like Dr. Mark Noble, a geneticist (we see through this clever cover!) who is researching adjuvants? Dr. Bernadette Healey, former director of the NIH, may be the biggest rogue scientist of them all! Healey has publicly advocated for independent vaccine schedule research. Are these “rouge” scientists part of  what Geschwind refers to as the “sordid scientific frauds that have been perpetrated in the attempt to keep this controversy alive.” I say yes and damn them all! We are on to you “rogues” and your sordid scientific frauds!

Naturally, Dr. Geschwind is perfectly entitled to be Dr. Offit’s biggest fan. Is this insulting and or offensive to hundreds of thousands of autism families- sure.  Is it grossly disappointing and disturbing that one of the most powerful scientific decision makers within the AS grant making body proudly professes such frightening, archaic and biased beliefs?

You bet.

Naturally we are all entitled to believe whatever we want. However, serving on a  family funded scientific review board is not a constitutional right, it is a privilege. Needless to say, I like Dr. Geschwind’s style! Let’s all be honest and forthcoming about our points of view, it is such a timesaver.  I will say that I believe Dr. Offit is completely wrong, that is my open and honest point of view, fair is fair! The public, who by and large, are funding autism research deserve to know more about the entrenched perspectives of scientists spending our money. Maybe this will help us all understand the stymied progress afflicting autism research over the past 20 years.

Katie Wright is Contributing Editor for Age of Autism. 

Comments

[Adelaide "Home Office Mommy" Zindler]

Hey Katie,

You've got my blood boiling too dear lady! I've had enough to the point that I'm starting to speak out. Unlike this Dr. I have worked one-on-one with a prominent child psychiatrist in San Diego, have interviews that will put this argument to bed for good, and have coached these families of nearly 18 years. And if that's not enough my 5year old would be labeled and heavily medicated if in a mainstream preschool. Obviously I could go on and on. Thanks for speaking out! Now it's time for parents to rise up and take a stand for our children's sake!

[michael framson]

If you need someone to endorse garbage, you get a garbage man. Dr. Geschwind knows his place and expertise. [No offense intended towards those who collect garbage.]

Autism Speaks? Autism Speaks what? They haven't even attempted to find the truth. Garbage Geschwind on the scientific advisory panel, defines Autism Speaks; so little, so late, so immaterial.

[Autismisvaccineinjury]

I agree with Polliwog--
Katie, your son was the inspiration for the start of Autism Speaks.
Why are your parents not sick of these people and their idiocy?
Surely, they must realize that so many parents out there blame vaccines for their
child's Autism.
Don't they believe that a vaccine or combination of vaccines caused their grandson's Autism?
Or have they bought into the lies?
Why are your parents not having any input into the direction of the research or speaking out about what is wrong with Autism Speaks?
I can't help but keep scratching my head over this---so many of us are wondering where they stand in all of this--
Please address these questions, so all of us can understand---

[Gatogorra]

Autism Speaks has become the NAMI (pharma front group) of autism unfortunately. NAMI also started out its nonprofit life as a consumer/parent group: http://psychrights.org/index.htm

It's a process of coopting that industry has engaged in countless times, starting with medical "unions" and ending with government regulatory agencies, even the DOJ in certain respects. If an organization is not dead against industry association from the start, it's inevitable.

[patrons99]

Cherry Sperlin Misra - "We now need a PR organisation to counter the attempts to confuse and mislead the public."

Very true! The problem is that we couldn't match their budget. We couldn't even come close to pharma's marketing and lobbying budget.

"Were those the delicate tentacles of Pharma/Public Health speaking through Autism Speaks?"

Probably! Pharma makes routine use of easily-bought academic medicine shills and orchestrated disinformation campaigns.

You can actually see pharma's preemptive and reactionary maneuvers in real-time at many of the so-called "CME" sites. It is really no wonder that so many newly-trained doctors start their profession completely brain-washed by pharma's conventional "wisdom".

[Heidi N]

Sometimes I think if there were no government-backed research, we would have much more honesty and ethics. I am angered at how tax money is spent on dead-end research. I even feel it's purposely dead end to ensure that research will always be needed. After all, don't they keep claiming to have great break-throughs with all the bells and whitles, yet we continue with these same diseases and they continue to rise, even epidemically. So, what good are the results doing us? I would rather have my tax money.

[JimK]

I think Autism Speaks is really a stealth Big Pharma autism advocacy group, much like the jokers from leftwing groups are who "join" the Tea Party and put up stupid signs to discredit them....

[Cherry Sperlin Misra]

We now need a PR organisation to counter the attempts to confuse and mislead the public. I witnessed a very large conference with the supposed intention of training armies of therapists for India. Autism Speaks was one of the organisations behind this conference. Their glossy,impressive pamphlet had two statements on the first page noting that autism is "Highly heritable" I do not believe that the author of that page of writing , would have made those statements on her own and certainly not twice. Were those the delicate tentacles of Pharma/Public Health speaking through Autism Speaks?These are the evil entities that have made it impossible for so many families to have another normal child - Even after hearing about vaccines causing autism, they are terrified to have another child. What more do these parents of today have to endure? First their child's brain is snatched away thanks to Pharma, WHO and "Modern Medicine" and then their chance for a happy family is jettisoned by the evil propaganda. I hope Dan and Mark's book can come to their rescue before it is too late.

[Bob Moffitt]

Mary posted:

"The good news is that I peeked into the younger autism class at my son's elementary school. The class has 3 mildly autistic children and 3 physically disabled children without autism. They couldn't find any autistic kids younger than 7 to fill the seats .. the autism epidemic seems to have waned in my neck of the woods."

Yes .. this would be terrificly "good news" .. autism in decline.

If it is so .. we can expect public health officials to claim the declining rate of autism is due to "better diagnosing by pediatricians .. thereby allowing earlier intervention".

The evidence that autism declined AFTER thimerosal was removed from most childhood vaccines will be FORGOTTEN IMMEDIATELY .. the "correlation" being deliberately obscured .. LOST .. because .. the CDC successfully created a "three year monitoring lag" that now allows them to claim removal of thimerosal was not responsible for any delcine in autism rates.

There I go again .. suspicions, suspicions, suspicions ..

[Cherry Sperlin Misra]

Mary, This is very interesting. Thanks for posting on this topic. Which state do you live in?