Spectrum Publications

For Kelly Preston

When I hear that a disabled kid has died, I don't think about the differences between myself and that kid's parents. What I think instead is that, yes, I have imagined my son Dan running into a traffic-laden street or carried off by an ocean current. I remind myself that we have given him any number of experimental, off-label (or just plain off) medications, supplements and potions, hoping for a cure for his disability.

I remind myself about his seizures.

A few years ago, when he was a teenager, he had two. One of them occurred when we were out of town. I still wonder what they thought when they heard that in the emergency room. I wonder if any of the doctors really heard Dan's caretaker say that we were at his younge...

Did Scientology Factor In Jett Travolta's Death?

      Let’s just say for a minute that John Travolta’s son Jett did have autism. I say this because over the four days all we’ve received have been emails and calls about how something should be done about his death. For those of you that don’t know, Jett, 16, died tragically of a seizure on Friday, January 2.  

     For years Jett was rumored to have symptoms of autism and whether or not he was diagnosed we don’t know. “I’ve been around autism for a long time,” said one Hollywood producer who asked to remain anonymous. “I’ve known the Travoltas for just as long. In my experience I can say with confidence that the child was on the spectrum.”  

     John Travolta has come under fire for ...

The Autism Holiday Gift Conundrum

 It may be the kindest question any relative or friend has ever asked me about my son Dan.

"What kind of present could I get him?"

As in: What would he like?

My answer is usually quite articulate: Along the lines of "ummm?"

Think about it. As autism parents we go nuts when the rest of the world stares at our kids, or worse, dismisses them. Or when they act as if it's our fault. But when people ask something nice, we freeze.  And sometimes when we freeze, instead of thinking about what is being offered, we remember the worst.

I can remember being at Burger King in Orange County, California where we lived in 1995 when Dan was eight. I was in a state of dazed hope. Danny -he was always Danny then -- was playing nearly appro...

Holly Robinson-Peete

The actress and wife of a former NFL quarterback inspired the anti-vaccine movement, after her son was vaccinated against her wishes. Today she wears a new role as she tries to bring the two sides together: peacekeeper.

When Jenny McCarthy’s son Evan received the diagnosis of autism, it was Holly Robinson-Peete who picked her up when she was down. The two hadn’t previously known each other and didn’t have a reason to, but one phone call ignited McCarthy to pick up the pieces of her life and push forward. The first night they spoke, the conversation lasted into the wee morning hours. The rest was history.
“Whatever I did to help inspire her to become so vocal and to advocate, I’m very happy to have played a p...

Ten to Remember

A look back at '08

10. RFK is Back
Two years after his article “Deadly Immunity” was published in Rolling Stone, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is back. Gracing the cover in Spectrum’s April/May issue, RFK Jr. says he has been working with the autism community behind the scenes, and proclaimed that he will fight alongside any parent who meets with their Senators.
“With each new study showing thimerosal’s devastating effects, I am more resolute than ever that these children get the justice they deserve. I won’t stop bringing it up until they do,” Kennedy said.
In June, Kennedy joined actors Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey on the lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., to advocate for fewer vaccines and the ...