Was the Backlash Justified? 60 Minutes Portrayal of Max Whelan, a 12-Year-Old Boy with Severe Non-Verbal Autism
Advocates for individuals with autism have raised concerns that the Whelan’s story depicted Max in a “negative light”
12-year-old Max Whelan has severe non-verbal autism and an undiagnosed intellectual disability, which makes him prone to unpredictable violent behavior and destructive meltdowns. “He is unpredictable. One minute he will be aggressive, hitting and punching anything he can reach, and the next he will be like a cuddly two-year-old” said his mother, Liz Whelan. Now, his family has become desperate to protect themselves against a condition which none of them can control.
A family home turned into a war zone
Max lives with his parents, Liz and Sean Whelan, and his three siblings – Thomas (13), Harrison (9), and Georgia (7) – in Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula. As he transitions through puberty, he has developed a rather inexplicable strength that he expresses through frequent and violent outbursts. Often times, Max needs to be physically restrained so that he does not hurt himself or another member of the family. “Our whole family lives on lockdown. We have locks on every window and door in the house. He will try to escape whenever he can” said Liz.
His mother said that she has learned to avoid certain words, such as ‘no’, which tend to trigger her son’s violent behavior. “Usually I am the one getting hit, but he has figured out now that if he hits the dog or his little sister then we all react. And he likes getting a reaction” she said. While Liz and her husband desperately love their son, Max’s outbursts have the rest of the family living in constant fear. His siblings described him as “scary” and “crazy”. They all have locks on their bedroom doors so that they have a safe place to go and hide.
Max’s father, Sean, explained that their home often feels like a war zone, when it should be a safe place. “It’s gotten to a point that’s just ridiculous. We just can’t continue like this” he said.
Taking control of a life being torn apart
The family’s story made the headlines when Sean’s sister, Nicky Whelan, and his other sister, Katie Brannaghan, decided to start a GoFundMe page in an attempt to help the family avoid the unthinkable – giving up Max in order to keep the rest of the family from harm’s way. The campaign aims to raise $80,000 to aid the young boy in getting the help he needs.
“Where we’ve arrived - at the point that we are - it makes it so difficult because we all love Max so unconditionally. We love him, there’s no conditions on our love for him. But there’s conditions on our safety” said Liz. She knows that it is only a matter of time before Max seriously hurts himself or someone else.
Liz and her husband have tried every treatment possible to care for their son – specific diets, medication, oxygen chambers, and homoeopathy – to name a few. However, with no facilities or government options to tend to his needs on a permanent basis, they have had to resort to an alternative plan. Liz and Sean aim to transform their family home into a personal care facility that will be able to meet Max’s specific needs.
Funds from the campaign will go towards hiring specialist caretakers for Max and allowing the rest of the family to move into a small rental home nearby so that the other children can have a safe and peaceful home. It will allow the home to be fit with necessary equipment, such as security fences and non-slip surfaces, to ensure Max’s safety. Liz and Sean plan to have regular contact with their son and to oversee his care.
So far, the campaign has raised over $94,000, exceeding the main goal of $80,000. Sean plans to oversee the beginnings of the home modifications that will specifically meet his son’s complex needs. His sister, Katie, expressed how the entire situation has weighed heavily on the family’s hearts. “Neither Liz nor Sean want to have to separate their family, they feel they are forced to do so though in order to protect their other children, to keep them safe from harm and provide them with a better quality of life” she said. Now, the family is waiting to see if they will receive funding from the NDIS for the 24/7 specialized care that Max desperately needs.
Criticized for breaking up the family in the hope of keeping it together
12-year-old Max Whelan has severe non-verbal autism and an undiagnosed intellectual disability, which makes him prone to unpredictable violent behavior and destructive meltdowns. “He is unpredictable. One minute he will be aggressive, hitting and punching anything he can reach, and the next he will be like a cuddly two-year-old” said his mother, Liz Whelan. Now, his family has become desperate to protect themselves against a condition which none of them can control.
A family home turned into a war zone
Max lives with his parents, Liz and Sean Whelan, and his three siblings – Thomas (13), Harrison (9), and Georgia (7) – in Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula. As he transitions through puberty, he has developed a rather inexplicable strength that he expresses through frequent and violent outbursts. Often times, Max needs to be physically restrained so that he does not hurt himself or another member of the family. “Our whole family lives on lockdown. We have locks on every window and door in the house. He will try to escape whenever he can” said Liz.
His mother said that she has learned to avoid certain words, such as ‘no’, which tend to trigger her son’s violent behavior. “Usually I am the one getting hit, but he has figured out now that if he hits the dog or his little sister then we all react. And he likes getting a reaction” she said. While Liz and her husband desperately love their son, Max’s outbursts have the rest of the family living in constant fear. His siblings described him as “scary” and “crazy”. They all have locks on their bedroom doors so that they have a safe place to go and hide.
Max’s father, Sean, explained that their home often feels like a war zone, when it should be a safe place. “It’s gotten to a point that’s just ridiculous. We just can’t continue like this” he said.
Taking control of a life being torn apart
The family’s story made the headlines when Sean’s sister, Nicky Whelan, and his other sister, Katie Brannaghan, decided to start a GoFundMe page in an attempt to help the family avoid the unthinkable – giving up Max in order to keep the rest of the family from harm’s way. The campaign aims to raise $80,000 to aid the young boy in getting the help he needs.
“Where we’ve arrived - at the point that we are - it makes it so difficult because we all love Max so unconditionally. We love him, there’s no conditions on our love for him. But there’s conditions on our safety” said Liz. She knows that it is only a matter of time before Max seriously hurts himself or someone else.
Liz and her husband have tried every treatment possible to care for their son – specific diets, medication, oxygen chambers, and homoeopathy – to name a few. However, with no facilities or government options to tend to his needs on a permanent basis, they have had to resort to an alternative plan. Liz and Sean aim to transform their family home into a personal care facility that will be able to meet Max’s specific needs.
Funds from the campaign will go towards hiring specialist care takers for Max and allowing the rest of the family to move into a small rental home nearby so that the other children can have a safe and peaceful home. It will allow the home to be fit with necessary equipment, such as security fences and non-slip surfaces, to ensure Max’s safety. Liz and Sean plan to have regular contact with their son and to oversee his care.
So far, the campaign has raised over $94,000, exceeding the main goal of $80,000. Sean plans to oversee the beginnings of the home modifications that will specifically meet his son’s complex needs. His sister, Katie, expressed how the entire situation has weighed heavily on the family’s hearts. “Neither Liz nor Sean want to have to separate their family, they feel they are forced to do so though in order to protect their other children, to keep them safe from harm and provide them with a better quality of life” she said. Now, the family is waiting to see if they will receive funding from the NDIS for the 24/7 specialized care that Max desperately needs.
Criticized for breaking up the family in the hope of keeping it together
Advocates for individuals with autism have raised concerns that the Whelan’s story depicted Max in a “negative light” on the Channel 9 program. To demonstrate the severity of Max’s violent outbursts, several videos of incidents from the past were aired during the program. “We strongly believe that we need to hear the stories of autistic people with high and complex support needs, so that we can advocate strongly to ensure that they are getting the services and supports they need. However, this should not be done by showing the autistic person in an undignified manner” wrote the autism organization, Amaze, on their Facebook page. They also stated that the media needs to have greater respect for the dignity of individuals with autism when conducting reports on the condition.
Concerns regarding the story were also shared by Asperger Services Australia, the country’s largest Asperger support group. “We concur with Amaze’s concerns, and Asperger Services Australia will always advocate for people on the autism spectrum and their families and support them to achieve their potential” they stated.
Amaze’s statement led to a heated discussion on Facebook, with some members of the autism community arguing that the program highlighted the real struggles and lack of support services available to families in similar situations. What’s more, they argued that severe autism needs to be represented more on a regular basis. “They don’t want to relinquish their son but are trapped between their love and support for him and their other children’s mental health and safety” wrote one woman.
Others, however, expressed their concerns for Max, stating that the young boy does not have the ability to consent to being shown in his most vulnerable moments. One woman in particular posted that her own daughter has had violent outbursts but as a parent, she has respected her child’s right to privacy. “As parents we should not flaunt our children’s difficulties without full educated agreement from them” she wrote.
Speaking out – “We’ll keep fighting for Max”
Since receiving the backlash, the Whelan family have responded to claims that the Channel 9 program was “undignified” and “demeaning” towards their son. They stated that their decision to go public with the story was to raise awareness and to help other families who are going through similar situations. “This story wasn’t an easy watch for everyone, including our family, and we would like to reassure you that Max did not watch the program, nor was any money exchanged for it. We wouldn’t ever have agreed to sharing our story publicly if we thought for a moment that Max would be negatively impacted” said Liz.
Max’s parents said that although some of the footage may have been difficult to watch, it is their reality and they are dedicated to standing by Max and getting him the help he needs. “We’ll take it as far as we need to take it and we’ll keep fighting for Max” said his father, Sean.
References:
- news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/family-opens-up-on-60-minutes-about-how-sons-autism-is-tearing-them-apart/news-story/942cd04481767592e433ce44dcfc1555
- kidspot.com.au/parenting/real-life/in-the-news/sons-violent-outbursts-leave-family-scared-in-their-own-home/news-story/258b0e1456d1d4c173d25295e2f50156
- msn.com/en-au/news/australia/60-minutes-criticised-for-undignified-story-about-12-year-old-with-autism/ar-AAA89uw?li=AA4Znz&%2525253Bocid=spartanntp
- smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/60-minutes-taken-to-task-for-undignified-autism-segment-20180715-p4zro3.html
- news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/family-responds-to-backlash-following-60-minutes-segment-on-autistic-son/news-story/1706a3e2c64d74f8de08b911e3d0091e
