Previously Blamed on Mom, Now Dad Takes a 'Savage' Hit for 'Causing' Autism

Once upon a time, it was believed that 'refrigerator mothers' (cold women who didn't give enough affection to their kids) were responsible for 'causing' autism. This was commonly accepted by many in the mental health field as its major proponent, a child psychologist named Bruno Bettelheim, was considered an expert on autism.

Since then, Bettelheim's work has been disproved. A biological basis for autism has been established, and we know better now. At least some of us do.

But conservative talk show host Michael Savage, following in the footsteps of Bettelheim, last week blamed the lack of he-man dads for 'causing' autism.

As you can imagine, parents of autistic children are incredulous - and mad. My colleague Lisa Jo Rudy, About.com's Autism Guide, quotes Savage and also describes how a couple of angry moms are rallying parents to protest the controversial host.