Okay, all I can figure out is that talk radio host Michael Savage is either the most ignorant person on the planet or he has just done a really, really stupid publicity stunt.

Who in their right mind would say that Autism is a fraud and that kids with Autism are brats and idiots???

Shame on Talk Radio Network for not firing him yet....

Here's where you can find the story: http://empowher.com/news/mental-health/2...

Talk show host Michael Savage, from the Talk Radio Network, stepped into hot water when he explained live on national radio his belief that 99 percent of children suffering with autism are "brats" and "morons".

Got a beef or completely back him? SHARE it on EmpowHer.com

To fill you in on this developing story, EmpowHer has prepared for you a digest with links to more information.

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CBS IN NEW YORK:

THURSDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- New research shows that some parents of autistic children appear to be "socially aloof," providing more evidence that some aspects of autism are hereditary.

Insurers in Illinois should be required to absorb the skyrocketing costs of diagnosing and treating autism, Gov. Rod Blagojevich proposed Sunday.

Under the proposal, insurance companies would be bound to pay up to $36,000 annually and cover an unlimited number of medical visits for autistic children until they turned age 21, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

THURSDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- Common underlying mechanisms that affect brain development may be shared by the many seemingly disparate gene mutations found in autistic people, a new report shows.

The findings, published in the July 11 issue of Science, include two large sections missing on chromosomes in autistic people that appear to be tied to inherited mutations in genes regulated by neuronal activity.

The director of U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, pressured by the anxious parents of children with autism, is advocating testing chelation therapy as a treatment for the little-understood neurological disorder, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Chelation therapy aims to purge the body of heavy metals. Its use in children with autism is based on the unproven notion that mercury in the vaccines is responsible for cases of the disorder, the AP reported. With the exception of certain flu shots, mercury hasn't been used in pediatric vaccines since 2001.

ABCNEWS

Ari Ne'eman and Kristina Chew say they are the faces and voices of autism's future.

They're part of a controversial group hoping to radically change the way others look at autism. Their message: Stop the search for a cure and begin celebrating autistic people for their differences. It's a message that has some parents of autistic children bewildered and angry.

Read full story

MONDAY, June 2 (HealthDay News) -- Children who are born underweight or early have more than double the risk of developing autism, new research shows.

The risk was especially pronounced among low-birth-weight girls, said the authors of the study, which was published in the June issue of Pediatrics.

The study, by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, helps tease out the mysterious underpinnings of this disorder but is unlikely to translate into benefits for patients anytime soon.

(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:

Autism

If your child is aged 5 to 17 and meets DSM-IV criteria for autistic disorder, he or she may qualify for this study. Children diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, Rett syndrome, or childhood disintegrative disorder are not eligible.

The research site is in Chapel Hill, N.C.

More information

Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studi....

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Migraine and Cluster Headaches

WASHINGTON - The Institute of Medicine said in 2004 there was no credible evidence to show that vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal led to autism in children. But thousands of families have a different take based on personal experience.

Some of them are going to court Monday as attorneys will attempt to show that the mercury-based preservative triggers symptoms of autism.

Read full story