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.
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!
Posted by: Adelaide "Home Office Mommy" Zindler | September 10, 2010 at 08:49 AM
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.
Posted by: michael framson | September 09, 2010 at 10:40 PM
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---
Posted by: Autismisvaccineinjury | September 09, 2010 at 08:56 PM
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.
Posted by: Gatogorra | September 09, 2010 at 07:15 PM
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".
Posted by: patrons99 | September 09, 2010 at 06:40 PM
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.
Posted by: Heidi N | September 09, 2010 at 06:26 PM
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....
Posted by: JimK | September 09, 2010 at 04:14 PM
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.
Posted by: Cherry Sperlin Misra | September 09, 2010 at 03:35 PM
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 ..
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | September 09, 2010 at 03:22 PM
Mary, This is very interesting. Thanks for posting on this topic. Which state do you live in?
Posted by: Cherry Sperlin Misra | September 09, 2010 at 03:08 PM
The Grim Reaper - Thanks for the Rotateq stats from VAERS. What does ROTHB5 stand for? Is it related to Offit's disease - intussusception?
Here's a link to an article at kerbob's blogsite titled "Offit's Mouth Is Where His Money Is" on October 31, 2008.
http://kerboblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/leave-paul-offit-alone.html
Posted by: patrons99 | September 09, 2010 at 01:55 PM
I'm glad to see that parents of children with Autism are starting to see through Autism Speaks. However, as an Autistic Adult, before I worry about seats on Autism Speaks for parents, I wonder where the Autistics speaking? Not for them, in most cases - they've only managed to co-opt one and buy out another.
Let's be honest. The organizations for Down's Syndrome have people with Down's, most of whom have an intellectual disability, on their boards of directors and in decision-making capabilities. Autism Speaks has ONE man with Asperger's on their advisory council. That's it. No decision making authority, not a board that does anything, just a group of over twenty people who whisper into the ears of members of the board occasionally. We've discovered that 70% or MORE of people on the Autism Spectrum are not intellectually impaired, even though we have varying degrees of communication disorders. There are many of us with Bachelor's Degrees and above, some of whom are still incapable of speech and using Aug Com devices.
Autism Speaks can expect the protests against their fundraisers to continue until they stop treating all Autistics as if we are still developmentally 2-years-old and unable to communicate. In other words, they bloody well need to let AUTISTICS speak.
Posted by: Tara Marshall | September 09, 2010 at 01:44 PM
Katie... have you tried yet to get on Democracy Now with Amy Goodman
Posted by: polliwog | September 09, 2010 at 12:55 PM
For years Paul Offit has tried to create his own reality concerning vaccines
and the explosion in autism.
In Offit's world, everything is fine. Autism hasn't increased at all; doctors just used to
miss these kids. The disorder is genetic.
Hardy babies can withstand an ever-increasing barrage of vaccines and suffer
no side effects. Mercury should never have been taken out of vaccines according to Offit, because
it gives parents the wrong idea about vaccine safety. They might start to question what's being
injected into their babies.
Personally, I'm waiting for Offit to do the ultimate research: Show us a comparison study of
vaccinated and unvaccinated children. Show us that in both groups one percent of children have autism.
Unless he can do this, nothing he says is valid. All this guy really cares about it is selling vaccines.
Anne Dachel
Media
Posted by: Anne McElroy Dachel | September 09, 2010 at 12:27 PM
I didn't write this to bash AS. I just want AS science to do their homework and work WITH the community of families rather than those who undermine our childrens' interest.My main purpose is to make the community aware that many scientists spending our research money have such deeply entrenched biases that they cannot objectively review grant applications.
Clearly people like Dr. Geschwind should never be reviewing any research pertaining to vaccine injuries or related regression.
It was Geschwind's martyrization of Offit that was the last straw for me. All Offit endures...blah, blah....At no time in his review did Geschwind make any attempt to speak w/ a parent of a child like mine. Nor did he display any empathy or compassion for families living this nightmare. No it is Dr. Offit who is the victim. It is beyond belief.
We need scientists on AS grants committees who have open minds, not those wedded to the self serving status quo.
We need AS science to be transparent and accessible to families.Yesterday's secret environmental science meeting is the perfect example of everything not to do. They included only one parent, no community orgs, no public question time, no seats even for families and kept the time and date secret until the last minute.
Time to start getting it right, we are out of patience.
Posted by: Katie Wright | September 09, 2010 at 11:03 AM
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little!! He is a champian like I'm a rocket scientist who is going to find the next Earth!!! Where do they get these people?!?
Shouldn't they be honoring those who actually DO SOMETHING for those on the spectrum? Who gets awarded for being snarky? The man doesn't even see paitents!!! All he did was write a book glorifying vaccines!!!
How does this make you a champion of autism?! Did he build schools, design programs, work hand and hand with parents and people with asds to improve or redesign services? NOPE!!!!
Autism insn't even his specialty!! WOW! Some people are DUMB!!!!
Posted by: Theodora Trudorn | September 09, 2010 at 10:54 AM
Paul Offit's Rotateq reported on VAERS
"Found 170 events where Vaccine is ROTHB5 and Patient Died"
http://tinyurl.com/3xstxj
Found 1549 events where Vaccine is ROTHB5 and Hospitalized
http://tinyurl.com/3ysn8g
Found 5917 events where Vaccine is ROTHB5
http://tinyurl.com/3a5n9t
Posted by: The Grim Reaper | September 09, 2010 at 10:46 AM
Katie, why don't your parents speak out against these people? Or, in your family, are ou alone in your knowledge of truth? I hear bad things about your parents... sometimes on this board. What is the truth? Do your parents support these idiots, and if they don't........ why don't they come out and publically say so? Please tell them we are all waiting for them to set the record striaght so the general public stops funding them. I'm so tired of going to stores, like Toys R Us, and being solicited for donation and I have to tell them that it is an evil organization that is not really helping children with autism.
Posted by: polliwog | September 09, 2010 at 10:41 AM
About "Parent Warriors" : have you all read a book written by a parent of Two young men on the Autism Spectrum by the name of " How Big is the Fly? Asking the Right Questions"- Bonnie Jean Smith. It is fabulous common sense...
Posted by: Jeanette Nevilles | September 09, 2010 at 10:25 AM
Sigh. Like we needed *another* reason to despise Autism Speaks, huh?
Posted by: BJ | September 09, 2010 at 10:22 AM
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2010/08/25/does-x-the-virus-that-is-mark-the-spot-in-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/
Pattrons99
Thankyou for reminding us of the pig viruses.
The FDA stopped one brand of Offit's vaccine (made by a British pharma) from being used because it was contaminated with one type of pig virus.
Then it was brought to light that the other brand of Offit's vaccine made by an American pharma company was contaminated with two types of pig viruses: YES TWO!!
Tereasa Conrick blogged about studies done: That suckling pigs did not come down with this pig wasting virus when it only had one - it took two.
Kent Heckenlively brought our attention that people with chronic fatigue syndrome, and Gulf War Vets might have a virus attached to our immune system.
Now it seems that they think maybe this same virus for chronic fatigue and Guld War might be two different viruses of the same family.
So Gaswind (well it is close to Daniel's last name and it fits) who is a genetics guy studying and environmental disease and sucking all the money he can out of the tax payer says that Paul Offit is a hero after all.
Yes, he could be right!
Paul Offit brought to us such a dirty vaccine that it made it possible for us slow, dense parents to catch on that the vaccine industry has not really advanced much beyond scrapping sores off of small pox victims and injecting them into our baby infants.
Posted by: Benedetta | September 09, 2010 at 10:00 AM
I don't expect an answer but I was wondering Katie if your parents ever feel like they helped create a monster in Autism Speaks?
When people like this bozo- Geshwind make such comments about the most despised man in this whole autism fiasco- on behalf of their organization how do they respond?
I do so admire you for speaking your mind and not backing away from criticizing Autism Speaks when necessary. Immense love for one's child is a powerful motivator to do what is right. Thank you.
Posted by: Autism speaks monster | September 09, 2010 at 09:58 AM
Great post, Katie!
The “good doctor” Paul “for profit” Offit – The Dark Lord of the vaccine industry! A “brave and articulate champion of truth”. This sure sounds like a classic pharma-endorsed campaign to “buff up” the good doctor’s somewhat tarnished image with the public. Who is the pharma-shill de jour? Geshwind? No way! Geshwind’s declaration was completely unsolicited, I’m sure.
Talk about creepy, frightening, and truly disgusting: notice who is on the governance for the “Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy”, none other than Paul Offit. The world is now taking ethics lessons from Paul Offit. You can’t make this stuff up! Reality has become much stranger than fiction.
http://centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.wordpress.com/about/
“A baby’s immune system can handle up to 100,000 pig viruses at the same time.” – David M.
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/05/now-a-pig-virus-dna-is-found-in-a-merck-vaccine/#comment-499143
How about trying to find out how PCV2 viruses ended up in the lymph glands and thymus of the lab mice?
"A mouse model to study infection against porcine circovirus type 2: viral distribution and lesions in mouse"
http://www.virologyj.com/content/7/1/158/abstract
Is there any PCV2 virus in the lymph glands of the 256 million children who have been vaccinated? Is there any risk of these children developing a multi-systemic wasting disease? Why isn't the Precautionary Principle being applied?
See the article titled, “Voting Himself Rich: CDC Vaccine Adviser Made $29 Million Or More After Using Role to Create Market” by Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill on February 16, 2009.
http://www.whale.to/vaccine/voting.html
http://www.whale.to/v/offit1.html
“Dr. Offit shares the patent on the Rotavirus vaccine in development by Merck and lists a $350,000 grant from Merck for Rotavirus vaccine development. Also, he lists that he is a consultant to Merck.”
Posted by: patrons99 | September 09, 2010 at 09:20 AM
Correction
“Propaganda should be popular, not intellectually pleasing. It is not the task of propaganda to discover intellectual truths.”
See http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Goebbels
Posted by: Jim Thompson | September 09, 2010 at 09:15 AM
Thank you Katie
Brave and articulate champion of the truth?!?
"... then each infant would have the theoretical capacity to respond to about 10,000 vaccines at any one time"
See http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/05/paul-offits-10000-vaccines-and-the-milgram-experiment.html .
“Then he upped the ante, saying it was probably ‘closer to 100,000.’”
See http://www.newsweek.com/2008/10/24/stomping-through-a-medical-minefield.html .
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
See http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Goebbels .
Posted by: Jim Thompson | September 09, 2010 at 08:26 AM
Another winner, Katie.
If you don't have a dog, maybe you could get Dan's dog to eat Dr. Geschwind.
Maurine
Posted by: Maurine Meleck | September 09, 2010 at 08:20 AM
Mary, my guess is that these missing kids have been removed by the parents to get them a proper education, one with out pain, one where children diagnosed with autism will be given proper help.
With so much of these ill informed conspiracists viewing our kids as victims of some Munchansens epidemic it is amazing you see any of them anywhere.
Thanks Autism Speaks, thanks for nothing.
Posted by: Ben's Mom | September 09, 2010 at 07:37 AM
This is all just a distraction. Nobody cares about him or even knows who he is.
And most never will.
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. Take a walk down the hall to the older class (ya know the kids born in the late 1990's and early 2000's) and you'll see severe autism in that class and lots of it. The autism epidemic seems to have waned in my neck of the woods.
Posted by: mary | September 09, 2010 at 06:04 AM