14 Dec
With Friends Like These….
Editor Mom alerts us to this advertising campaign gone very, very wrong.
Good Idea: Make parents aware that ADHD, autism-spectrum disorders, depression, OCD, and related problems can be serious, and can be treated.
Atrocious Idea: Anthropomorphize these conditions as violent kidnappers. Play on the fear and guilt of parents who, if their children are having problems, are already overwhelmed. (And, in the process, reinforce gender stereotypes about what types of conditions affect what sex.)
Back to the drawing board, New York University Child Study Center. And here’s a wild idea. Why not ask the children living with these disabilities what they wish the adults in their life understood?
