Australian Program criticized for “undignified” portrayal

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THE family at the centre of a recent 60 Minutes segment has spoken out about the backlash the show received after being aired on Sunday night.
Victorian parents, Liz and Sean Whelan, have responded to claims that the Channel 9 program was “undignified” and “demeaning” towards their 12-year-old son Max.

Max has severe non-verbal autism as well as an undiagnosed intellectual disability, which often makes him prone to unexpected and violent meltdowns.
He lives at Mt Martha on the Mornington Peninsula with his parents and three siblings, who have all been targets of his destructive outbursts.

To demonstrate how severe these meltdowns can be, several videos of past incidents were aired during the program. The camera crew also captured their own footage of Max acting violently towards his mum..

As if to underscore just how difficult things have become, our cameras are rolling when Max suddenly goes into meltdown,” presenter Liz Hayes said as footage played of Max crying and hitting his mum.

“It’s disturbing to witness, and it’s clear that something has to give.”
Peak autism organisation, Amaze, criticised the segment in a post on its Facebook page, saying the way Max was portrayed was not only harmful to him but other autistic people.

“From the limited footage we have seen, Amaze is concerned that autism will be reported in a negative light, demeaning language will be used and that the autistic child concerned will not be represented in a dignified manner,” the organisation wrote.

“The media need to have greater respect for autistic people’s dignity when reporting about autism, and also not perpetuate common myths about autism.”
Liz and Sean have since responded to these comments, saying their decision to go public with the story was to raise awareness and help other families 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,” a statement on Liz’s Facebook read.
“We wouldn’t ever have agreed to sharing our story publicly if we thought for a moment that Max would be negatively impacted.”

Fiona Sharkie, CEO of Amaze, told news.com.au that though they support families sharing their stories, they were disappointed by the way 60 Minutes chose to portray Max.

“Amaze strongly believes we need to see and 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, but it must be done in a dignified manner,” Ms Sharkie said.

“Often when these stories are shown it can be upsetting for autistic people and others in the autism community — and we have a responsibility to let them know in advance.”

Max was diagnosed with autism at 20 months old, and since then he has been through almost every treatment possible.

Countless therapies, specific diets, oxygen chambers, medication and homoeopathy are just some of the many treatments the family has tried.
With no facilities or government options available to cater to Max’s specific needs, Liz and Sean have come up with their own plan to help their son get the care he needs.

Sean’s sisters set up a GoFundMe page to help them convert their family home in a care facility for Max.