Asperger's, Tourette's, autism make the daytime scene

Special needs hit daytime TV this week, with Asperger syndrome and Tourette syndrome turning up on "Dr. Phil" today under the title of "Extreme Disorders," and Autism Speaks co-founder Suzanne Wright visiting "The View" tomorrow. I'll admit that the description of the Dr. Phil segment sounds alarmingly alarmist to me, using unusually extreme cases to ensure maximum parental panic. From the introduction to the show on Dr. Phil's message boards:

Dr. Phil sheds light on a pair of widely misunderstood extreme neurological disorders. First, he looks at Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism which can cause a person to lack control over his or her emotions, including anger. Rich and Karen's 15-year-old son, Alex, was diagnosed with Asperger's at age 6. His sudden fits of rage and erratic behavior have put a strain on his whole family. Should his parents be afraid of Alex, or is there something they can do to bring his behavior under control? Plus, Craig, 37, can't control his physical tics, nor can he keep from constantly uttering obscenities, literally hundreds of times a day. Craig suffers from Tourette syndrome, an affliction that's gotten so bad, he won't go into grocery stores, movie theatres or any public place for fear he'll be kicked out. What will the disorder mean for his plans to start a family?

It wouldn't be the first time TV used sensation over good sense to milk maximum drama out of families of children with special needs; but maybe any acknowledgement of how hard such parenting can be is worth celebrating. If you watch these programs, drop a post in the Parenting Special Needs forum and tell us what you thought about them.