Kelly Preston

[kateln]

Where's Jett?

[Door]

Locked up in a closet somewhere, probably. Free Jett!

[madrugada]

The poor "imperfect" child. That makes me hate the Clams more than anything...that they won't acknowledge and treat a condition like autism.

My son has Asperger's, a form of autism, and therapy and medication have helped him enormously. There is still a long way to go, but we are thankful for the progress he has made.

Poor Jett is probably left in the equivalent of a luxury closet, given niacin and audits.

Eff you, Clams.

[Deleted]

My son has Asperger's, a form of autism, and therapy and medication have helped him enormously. There is still a long way to go, but we are thankful for the progress he has made.

That is what makes me hate her the most. If their "religion" wasn't so STUPID, who knows how the poor kid would be today. I am sure Jett could have benefited from therapy and medication.

I HATE people who don't use common sense and their children pay for it.

;D

[quickychick]

I love that the last couple of shots in that set are of him kissing that guy on his airplane's stairs.

[ernestine]

I have both a child with Aspergers and a severely autistic child and my aspie is not disabled, while my autistic son IS. There are lots of places that I don't take my autistic son, and I don't fault the Travoltas for it either. My son has been in therapy since he was 9 months old and he's STILL terribly disabled. Nothing we have tried have made a dent in his autism. Therapy does not always work, and each family must figure out their own way.

That said, it does bother me that they obviously can't mention or acknowledge his autism because of their scientology. I'm sure they acknowledge it in private to each other, and every picture I've ever seen of them in public shows them to be very loving and protective of Jett. They are never going to talk about his disabilities in public no matter how many interviewers try to catch them on it by asking them about Jett, and it seems like they have decided that Jett is private and they will discourage questions at all costs.

My heart goes out to them. I believe they are between a rock and a hard place. They don't put Jett in an institution, and I'm sure he is loved. I don't think either one of them sees a way out of the scientology bind, so this is their solution. Not ideal, but I'm not walking in their shoes either.

Just remember, most people don't take all of their children everwhere they go. I often go out with just one or two of mine, and my autistic son gets left home WAY more often than any of my other kids. This benefits both of us. He can't handle it, and it's easier if I don't have to be on constant alert.

[divasahm]

Chiming in to say that my mildly autistic daughter has trouble in situations with too much light (bright sunshine), too much noise (loud music, amplified sound) and too many people; for that reason, we try to avoid taking her to school carnivals or local festivals unless there are two adults along--one to stay with the older kids and one to take my daughter home when she's had enough. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Travoltas avoid putting Jett in similar situations--sensory overload does not bring out the best in some kids.

That said, it's a shame that the Scientology organization is perpetuating the stigma attached to autism by denying its existence and keeping its members from openly seeking help for their children and talking about their experiences. The Travoltas may have other reasons for keeping Jett out of the spotlight, but one has to wonder whether the biggest reason is fear of the clams--and whether they would speak out without that connection to the organization.

[margojata]

I don't fault them at all for not taking Jett out. But it's the weirdness that ensues when someone asks about him that bugs me. They quickly turn the subject back to Princess Ella - and then spend the rest of eternity talking about how gorgeous and talented she is, and how she's going to be a great actress. Maybe they want privacy about whatever is wrong with Jett, and they certainly deserve it. But they really need to lay off of making this girl the anointed one. Even to the point where John said they wanted another baby, a boy - because he already had the perfect girl.

[Deleted]

It's not that they don't take the poor kid out-it's that they deny his condition, and don't seem to be willing to get him real help. THAT sickens me.

[ivy]

ernestine said:

That said, it does bother me that they obviously can't mention or acknowledge his autism because of their scientology. I'm sure they acknowledge it in private to each other

See, I really doubt they do. At least, not Kelly. She is totally nuts and I would be very surprised if she ever admitted Jett is autistic, even in private. If the clams doesn't believe in something, she doesn't either. She's fallen for this "religion" hook, line, and sinker. Scientology just ROCKS!!!!

I could see John admitting Jett has autism, but he doesn't win points for me if that's as far as he'll go with it.