Dateline (AU) Season 15 Episode 27

Reality TV Deep

Dateline (AU) Season 15 Episode 27 Dateline (AU) Season 15 Episode 27 #RealityTVDeep

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00:00Here in the US, autism diagnosis has exploded by around 500% in just a generation, and it sparked

00:12a furious debate over everything from what might cause autism to how autistic people are treated

00:17in society. If you go back 25 years ago, you had very little autism. Now you have it. It's pretty

00:23scary. Autism is not a disease. It's not something you catch and it's not something you cure. Autism

00:31destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which are our

00:36children. At the center of this debate is the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who says

00:42controversially that he's going to end what he's calling the autism epidemic. Well, I've come here

00:49to see what's driving the autism debate, and meet the families and people living it.

01:06Hello. Hello. Hi. Eileen. I'm Janice. Nice to finally meet you. Nice to meet you.

01:11This is Eileen Lam, and her two youngest kids, Jude and little Billy. Hello. Did you say dumpling?

01:18Yes, I did. Eileen's oldest son, Charlie, is also here, playing in the backyard.

01:28I have three children. Two of them are on the spectrum. My oldest son, Charlie, is 12. He has

01:38what's known as level three autism, severe. My son, Jude, is 10 now, and he has what's called

01:56a level one autism, which is the mildest. And then there's me. Ten years ago now, I was diagnosed

02:06with high-functioning autism. Autism looks different for everyone, and I think you'll see this looking

02:15at our life.

02:26I love seeing all the soccer cards. It's quite a collection.

02:31As I get to know Jude and his hobbies,

02:33Charlie wants my attention.

02:37Oh, yeah. A one of one.

02:41Sorry, Jude. Where are you taking me, Charlie?

02:45Autism is a disability.

02:48What do you want, Charlie?

02:50You know, it's almost 30% of people on the spectrum have profound autism, so they're like Charlie.

02:56You try and tell me what you want, Charlie.

03:05Oh, okay. You're going to use this.

03:08I want more chips.

03:08You want more chips?

03:11Okay.

03:14Chips would make you happy. Yeah?

03:18Obviously, Charlie's non-verbal, but he's communicating with me very clearly

03:23through touch and through his screen. It's pretty obvious what he wants.

03:29I want pizza.

03:31Okay. He wants pizza now, which is amazing.

03:34You've moved on from the chips, Charlie.

03:36You've changed your mind. Okay.

03:39I want pizza.

03:42Aha.

03:43I play.

03:45Charlie.

03:47Before his AAC device, he was screaming hundreds of times an hour because he had no way of

03:55communicating his needs.

03:57Open.

03:59It's so important. I mean, it's his voice.

04:01Charlie's communication device is a core component of his ABA therapy.

04:06I want water.

04:08Applied behavior analysis aims to teach essential life skills, social skills, and increase positive

04:16behavior. Critics say it forces people with autism to fit into a neurotypical world.

04:26Eileen says it's given Charlie something he's never had before, a voice.

04:31That is a mirror. You can see yourself.

04:36Okay. So this is Charlie's room and this is the biggest safety thing in our house.

04:41This is called a safety bed.

04:43And the way it works is that we basically just zip Charlie in at night like this.

04:50And he can't escape from the bed, which is great because I don't have to worry about him

04:57eating non-edible items. And I'm really thankful for it.

05:05There was a time he used to like peel off the drywall and he would eat the drywall.

05:11Charlie has a condition called pica, an urge to put non-edible things in his mouth.

05:18When Charlie's pica was at his worst, every 90 seconds he would put an item in his mouth,

05:24a non-edible item in his mouth. And so they, we did the endoscopy and colonoscopy,

05:31they found the screw. And there were also a bunch of rubber bands and other things in his stomach at

05:37the time. And yes. ABA therapy has also helped Charlie manage his pica.

05:45For Jude, who has level one or mild autism, his needs are quite different.

05:50This is my room. Chess medals.

05:54Oh! Two first.

05:57That's very impressive. Three silver first.

06:00What do you reckon? Should we have a game?

06:02Yeah. Okay. I don't have any chess medals, okay?

06:06Oh. Okay. Let's see. Let's go.

06:13I'm gonna tell you what I'm gonna do.

06:14Check. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.

06:19Uh-oh. Yes. What do you mean? Check. Oh, no.

06:27Jude, can you tell me about your autism? How do people know you have it?

06:34They don't. I have to tell them. I tell them it doesn't really affect me at all.

06:40Sometimes it makes me better at things. How is your autism different to Charlie's?

06:47Uh, I can play soccer. I can talk. But Charlie has to, like, get ABA therapy and he needs help

07:01with most of the things. So Charlie's your big brother?

07:05Big brother, yeah. Yeah. Well, I'm his big brother.

07:09You feel like the roles are reversed?

07:11Uh-huh. Kind of, yeah.

07:15If there was just one magic pill that would make autism disappear, who do you think should take it?

07:22Charlie. Uh-huh. Not me.

07:25You say that autism is a disability. You've given it that label. Others disagree.

07:39They're really offended by that label. Well, first of all, they can be offended all they want.

07:44Autism is a disability. But people will say that autism is only a disability because of

07:51society. And the way I see this is that Charlie, even in the most accepting society, you know,

08:00if everything was meant for autistic people around him, he would still swallow screws. He would still

08:07run in front of cars. There is no making society safe for Charlie.

08:14Eileen's documented her life as the mother of two autistic children on social media and a blog.

08:24I try to keep it balanced because, you know, as hard as this life is, I also want people to know that

08:31there is hope and there is still beauty to be found in those difficult moments. But it doesn't mean that

08:37it's easy. And, you know, I think it's really important that people realize how hard it can be.

08:46What sort of price have you paid for being honest?

08:50The price of death threats and social media harassment, I will say.

08:54Death threats?

08:55Oh, yeah.

08:57These are some of the comments Eileen has received after sharing her story online.

09:02Yeah, it's pretty nasty out there and it's not a one-off. It's, uh, it's common.

09:10I'm not going to stop fighting against APA therapy as an autistic person. Do you know why?

09:14Because it's abuse.

09:15Please don't light it up.

09:16Oh lordy.

09:18This is what's come to be known as the autism walls.

09:21A major lack of autism.

09:22Like, you are born autistic and you're autistic your whole life and you die autistic. That's how it works.

09:29What's not controversial would be an easier question.

09:33Everything is controversial in the autism community.

09:38From symbols and terminology to what organizations to support, what therapy to have for your child.

09:46And then you have a controversy around the cause of autism.

09:51You know, some people believe it's vaccines and some people believe science which says that it's genetic.

10:02Claims that vaccines cause autism are back in the spotlight.

10:06Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has hired noted vaccine skeptic David Geyer to head a study into a

10:13fringe theory that environmental toxins including vaccines are underpinning the rise in autism diagnoses.

10:22Vaccines do not cause autism.

10:27Do you agree with that?

10:29As I said, I'm not going to go into HHS with any pre-ordained.

10:33I ask you a simple question, Bobby.

10:36Studies all over the world say it does not.

10:38What do you think?

10:39Senator, if you show me those studies, I will absolutely, as I promised to Chairman Cassidy,

10:45I will apologize.

10:46That is a very troubling response because the studies are there.

10:51Last week, President Trump said the use of Tylenol, a medication also known as paracetamol,

10:57during pregnancy, increases the risk of autism.

11:00I want to say it like it is.

11:02Don't take Tylenol.

11:03Don't take it.

11:05You shouldn't take it, and you shouldn't take it during the entire pregnancy.

11:09Global medicine regulators refute these claims, saying they're not backed by scientific evidence.

11:17But Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement, known as MAHA, is on a mission to tackle chronic

11:24disease. He's already dismantling established public health policies and slashing critical research

11:31funding.

11:35On the front lines of this battle is an army of supporters who see RFK Jr. as their white knight.

11:44Hi.

11:45Hi Tracy, I'm Janice.

11:46Nice to meet you.

11:47Nice to meet you.

11:49Make America Healthy Again is about the people.

11:51Really diving in to live a healthier lifestyle, exposing what's going on.

11:57So I want parents to stop being lied to. I want people in general, across the board,

12:03in the whole world, to stop being lied to.

12:05So over here we have red light therapy.

12:09Tracy has a deep distrust of centralized authority in medicine, especially big pharma and big food

12:17industries.

12:18Is it like any tingling or anything?

12:20No. My head feels warm.

12:23When her son Noah was diagnosed with autism in 2006, she embraced alternative medicine.

12:30Gosh, it's like a chemistry lab in here.

12:32I know.

12:35And over here I have my supplement cabinet.

12:38I probably wouldn't have this cabinet in my kitchen if it wasn't for Noah.

12:42Tracy has written a book called Warrior Mom, a mother's journey in healing her son with autism.

12:48Her focus for this journey has been alternative treatments.

12:52Hyperbarics was big.

12:54Supplementation, because he needed it.

12:56From that, he started to get some color back in his face.

13:00You know, we did no gluten, no dairy, no soy, no yeast, and no sugar for at least over a year.

13:09We took him to Ukraine for stem cell therapy when he was seven years old.

13:14You can do a nasal insufflation.

13:16You can do a rectal insufflation.

13:18So to be really clear, this goes inside people.

13:25Yeah, so there's different attachments.

13:28Tracy's autistic son Noah is now an adult, but she continues to work with other parents seeking

13:34alternative therapies, like Jess, who has four children with autism.

13:39In regards to, you know, what their issues are, what their underlying conditions are.

13:44They've written up a plan for you.

13:45Thatcher! This way, Thatcher!

13:49Today, they're visiting a functional medical practitioner.

13:53Let's go see Ms. Dawn!

13:55Want to go see Ms. Dawn?

13:56Well, hello!

13:56Hello!

13:57Hello!

13:58Hello!

13:58Hi, Thatcher, Emma, hello!

14:03Here we go, a little cold.

14:05Good girl.

14:13So just explain to me how it's working.

14:16It's using acoustic sound waves.

14:18Good girl, good girl.

14:20And just like with a submarine, they pulse out the sounds and then when it hits an obstruction

14:26or when this hits inflammation, it breaks it down and sends a message back to the submarine.

14:32So basically what it's doing is it's getting rid of inflammation.

14:35And how does this help children with autism?

14:38Autism, I believe, is a lot of the symptoms that the children are having.

14:45They all, a lot of them have constipation.

14:48They have the inability to stay focused.

14:51I think a lot of that is in relation to the inflammation.

14:56So the treatments that Dawn has helped me facilitate are recommending that they get,

15:01I get them out in the sun as much as possible because of the links with vitamin D.

15:06You put your autistic kid in the sun and...

15:10Yes, vitamin D all day, started reversing it.

15:14Gentle detoxes, parasite cleanse, heavy metal detox and then this machine.

15:20I will have to say that the heavy metal detox and this machine have been astronomical in my results.

15:28I'm starting to get their personalities.

15:31It's made him more agreeable, like you can rationalise with him.

15:43Doctors warn these types of treatments are unproven and can be dangerous.

15:48But Tracey's faith in them is unwavering.

15:52So why did you seek out those sorts of alternative treatments rather than go down a more conventional path?

15:59Because to me, I know deep down that God didn't make a mistake.

16:06So what do you think caused autism in Noah?

16:10I honestly don't believe that children in general are born with autism.

16:15I believe that they're born with pre-genetic dispositions that can expose them

16:20to environmental toxins causing a reaction or a regression.

16:26So unfortunately, the pre-genetics, I believe, are the loaded gun and the vaccines pull the trigger.

16:35You'd be well aware that the established medical community says that this is a heritable illness.

16:42It's something that you're born with.

16:44So if that's the case, how come when I was a child nobody had autism?

16:48That autism was one in 10,000.

16:50Medical practitioners would say that the diagnosis has changed and some of the symptoms

16:58that they may have dismissed or missed in the past are now included.

17:03They're saying the numbers are actually around about the same.

17:05That's not true.

17:06A lot of medical professionals will say there's little or no evidence that some of the alternative

17:13therapies that you're promoting and have used work in terms of autism.

17:18And they label this stuff snake oil.

17:22How do you respond to that?

17:24Well, that's because they don't know anything about it.

17:27And that's because they're bought and paid for by big pharma.

17:30Tracy's view is at direct odds with what established science tells us about autism.

17:39But, along with husband Steve, she's winning praise from the most powerful public health

17:44official in the US.

17:47And I especially want to thank Tracy and Steve Slevesvik, whom I consider dear friends,

17:52who have given their lives in service to the autistic and their families.

17:57Their son, Noah, who has autism, has been at the center of their activism for alternative

18:05therapies his whole life.

18:06Whoa, it's like a Muppet palace in here.

18:12Yeah, I would call it like a hyper fixation.

18:14But he very much has his own take on it.

18:18I love my mom, but like, I do wish that sometimes she wouldn't like

18:23kind of just at least acknowledge that I don't agree with everything she stands for,

18:33especially when she teams up with, at least from my own perspective,

18:38really shitty people who have caused a lot of harm to the autistic community,

18:44especially with a lot of misinformation being spread.

18:46I see. What do you think is motivating that?

18:50She's basically in this, like, echo chamber of, you know, a bunch of, like, right-wing

18:56people, you know, like, talking, you know, like, about, like,

19:00oh, we need to stop the vaccines and all this stuff.

19:02It's like, like, it really makes me sick to my stomach, especially when, like,

19:07she, like, teams up with people like RFK, who I, like, I intensely dislike.

19:11Were you aware of his recent comments that got a lot of traction where he said

19:17that autism is destroying families?

19:19Autism destroys families.

19:23More importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which are our children.

19:27These are kids who will never pay taxes.

19:31They'll never hold a job.

19:33They'll never play baseball.

19:36They'll never write a poem.

19:38They'll never go out on a date.

19:40Yeah, no, no, that's, that's bullshit.

19:43I'm sorry.

19:44Actually, no, I'm not sorry.

19:45That is just bullshit, because imagine, like, you're an autistic, like, child hearing this,

19:52saying that your existence is destroying, like, your family.

19:57Mesh all that, it feels.

20:00And, you know, like, I, I have a boyfriend, so, but if you're knowing RFK,

20:05he's probably just gonna, you know, if it were in fact he knew my mom, he'd probably just look at me

20:11and just, just think of a slur, so, yeah.

20:14So, Noah, he can believe what he wants.

20:20That's his right.

20:21I, I absolutely love him.

20:23Tracy, do you ever wonder and worry, like your son does, that some of the stuff you're

20:29promoting is giving autistic people and their families false hope?

20:33No, I don't, I think it's giving them hope, and if they choose to take it as false hope,

20:40that's their choice, and what Noah chooses to do with his life, he's a choice, and I pray for him.

20:50At the front lines of mainstream autism research,

20:53there are concerns about the rise of pseudoscientific practices.

20:57Dr. Dan Geschwind runs his namesake lab at UCLA and is at the cutting edge of uncovering the causes

21:12of autism in order to find treatments for it. So, Dr. Geschwind, tell me, what causes autism?

21:19What we know is that autism is about 80% heritable, and so that leaves 20% that's not heritable.

21:28In that 20%, three quarters of that is due to rare mutations that occur in the sperm or the egg.

21:36So, around 95% is encompassed by various genetic forms.

21:43Well, some of these parents of kids with autism say they had a healthy baby,

21:47but that child regressed after getting a vaccine. How do you respond to that?

21:52So, the first question is, is there an association between getting a vaccine and the risk of autism?

21:59And the answer has been, that question has been asked dozens of times in many different study

22:06designs in many different countries, and there is no association. It's been asked and answered.

22:12It's extremely clear.

22:13Well, it's a big focus, isn't it, for RFK Junior, hiring noted vaccine skeptic David Guyer to look

22:20into the cause of autism. What do you make of that?

22:24Yeah, I don't understand it. It really doesn't fit with where modern biomedicine is. It would make me

22:31much more comfortable if there was somebody who Kennedy attacked who had a history that was credible.

22:41Some parents are turning to alternative therapies to improve their child's autism. Have you heard

22:48about those sorts of therapies, and what do you think about it?

22:51Yes, I mean, but that's happened throughout history. There are charlatans out there trying to sell

22:57dangerous alternative therapies, or things that have some risk associated with them, like hyperbaric oxygen,

23:04or worse, chelation therapy, or other infusions. It's not benign. It can cause harm,

23:11and parents need to be aware of that.

23:14The thing that really is really bothering me now, I look at the people in my laboratory,

23:20I think about all of the science that goes on here, not just biomedical science, stuff in cancer,

23:26and brain diseases and stuff. All of that's been cut dramatically. It just makes me feel kind of sad

23:34that the world has come to a place where credible science is being disregarded.

23:40In the United States, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is attempting to reframe autism as an

23:47epidemic rather than natural neurodiversity. Eileen fears his approach will make life harder

23:56for her son Charlie.

23:59I want Miss Katie. I want Miss Katie. I want Park.

24:04Finding someone willing to work with Charlie at the price the state is willing to pay, which is

24:10$21 right now, is really difficult. It's only one person that's working with Charlie

24:16right now. Miss Katie. And Charlie absolutely loves her.

24:21You see Miss Katie's car? She's the person who comes to the house a few times a week and like

24:30gives us a break.

24:31Want to get in there?

24:33I'm afraid of losing services for Charlie. I mean there have been some talks about cuts to funding.

24:53And you know Charlie relies on again that waiver that we work so hard on to get respite care.

25:01Without that, I mean you can't afford to hire someone so if there are more cuts then

25:11Charlie doesn't have Miss Katie anymore.

25:17Your Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that there's an autism epidemic

25:23and he would like to find the cause of autism in a few months. How do you feel about all of that?

25:28I mean I'm a little concerned especially because I am a special needs teacher and I work with life

25:34skills students, so students like Charlie, in my free time as well. And it concerns me for their future

25:42and the things that they will, the resources that they will be able to get when they are adults and are older.

25:50I think it's really difficult for parents to accept that their child may be disabled and not know why.

25:59You know people want answers, like I understand that. I wish I had an answer but there is no cure for autism.

26:08If you had the chance, would you change Charlie's autism if you could?

26:13Yes, I would. I think I would because he's not happy. I mean I don't think he's living his best life,

26:21not only that, but he's at risk of doing something life-threatening every second.

26:26And I think any parent who would say, well I wouldn't do it, is lying to themselves,

26:32like who wouldn't want their child to be able to keep themselves safe?

26:41If Charlie could speak, what do you think he'd say?

26:44I want chips. We heard that a few times today.

26:49What I wish he could tell me, I'm happy, I'm sad, I need a hug, my favourite colour is blue.

26:59You know, these are the things that I don't have insight, I don't have that insight in his mind.

27:05And I wish I know, I know it's so like superficial, but you know not knowing your child's favourite colour.

27:14It really got me.

27:22Well I'm glad it's resonating with you.

27:29I'm getting emotional because they're things that I've heard from my kids.

27:38And they are special, they are special moments.

27:41And I can see the love that you have for your beautiful family.

27:48And yeah.

27:50I appreciate that.

27:52You know, and I think once you have that perspective, you know, and you go back home,

27:56it makes you appreciate the little things that you might not have noticed in your own children.

28:00Yeah.

28:01A little more things that we take for granted every day, you know.

28:08Every parent wants what's best for their children.

28:12But those wants and needs vary, depending on where you are on the spectrum.

28:17If I ever just get a plushie, sometimes I put it there, sometimes just like, you know, I'll just place it into the pile.

28:25For Noah, what's most important is cutting through the politics and the division and just being himself.

28:34Sure, I have difficulties here and there, but I'm like, you know, my own person.

28:41Like my own hobbies, my own ideals, my own values.

28:46Again, like my own weird little autism whatnots, but it's just our lives.

28:54And I feel like people are trying to think autism is like a monster has to be quelled.

29:00And like, it's not, it's just part of us.

29:02And if someone presented me with a curiosity which, you know, can't exist, I still wouldn't, like, do it because it makes me who I am.

29:32Like my own way that I'm thinking not being able to be a kid.

29:38Like my own mother, I'll talk to myself.

29:40Hello.

29:41Welcome home, my brother.

29:44Here's the story about this.

29:46Here's what I'm talking about.

29:47I'm telling you about this.

29:48I don't know that.

29:49This is just a funny kind of a fun thing.

29:51I'm telling you about this.

29:52That's a funny story.

29:55I'm telling you about it.

29:57And I'm telling you about it.

30:00And I'm trying to think a little bit about it.

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