John Travolta's brother Joey thought Jett had autism

According to the London Mirror, there have been many Travolta family arguments caused by Jett Travolta's illness.

The source, a close friend of John's brother, Joey Travolta, told the Mirror that Joey and John often argued about what was wrong with John's son Jett.

John didn’t believe his condition was autism, a condition not recognized by Scientology. Brother Joey believed Jett suffered from autism.

Ironically, John’s brother Joey had learned a lot about the disorder when he interviewed 65 autistic youngsters for a documentary called “Normal People Scare Me.” He even co-wrote the theme song, "Locked Inside of Me."

The award-winning documentary taught people about autism, which can cause violent seizures. Joey also formed the group Actors for Autism, which helps autism sufferers make films about their lives and experiences. 

According to Hollywood Elsewhere, John and his wife Kelly Preston did not attend a 2006 autism event, Cure Autism Now, at which his Joey's documentary was screened.

The friend told the Mirror: “Joey could see Jett in every one of those 65 kids he spoke to (for the film.) It was so obvious Jett was autistic just from spending five minutes with him, but the cruel fact of their religion meant his parents simply did not accept it.”

Click here to see a video of Jett with his family, shot in Paris just a few weeks ago.

John and Kelly have long denied suggestions that Jett had autism, saying instead that he suffered from seizures brought on by Kawasaki Syndrome.

According to the Telegraph, some health experts say there is no link between Kawasaki and seizures. However, it’s reportedly common for sufferers of autism to have seizures if they are left untreated.

Autism is often associated with epilepsy. Nearly half of autistic children in the U.S. are prescribed anti-convulsion drugs. About a third develop epilepsy. Many suffer from seizures that can begin in adolescence.

And, according to many experts, there are dozens of drugs designed to help, beyond the one Jett was reportedly forced to discontinue because it stopped working.

This is getting more and more confusing. What do you make of all this?

Keep reading to see a video of Joey at the Travolta Film Camp for Autistic kids and Joey at a reading on World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, 2008.

Photo: Joey Travolta in 2004. WireImage

Related posts:

Who is Jett Travolta's male nanny, Jeff Kathrein?

Family lawyers: Jett's anti-seizure meds stopped working

John Travolta's public statement about Jett

Scientology critics cite 2007 blog about Jett's impending death

Family lawyers say Jett's death caused by head trauma

John Travolta's son, Jett, 16, dies in the Bahamas

Comments

[katja]

First, I think the lawyers are talking way too much. I understand clearing up the timeline, but it seems there are new comments by the lawyers several times a day. Very weird.

Second, it seems they are saying the medication hurt Jett and stopped working, so they discontinued it. Why would they have not tried something else when their son had such horriffic seizures from their own accounts. Whenever you are on medication long term you have to do the blood work to make sure there are no serious side effects. If there were in this case there were other options as far as medication is concerner. Why would you just allow the seizures?

Sad for them, but don't understand the logic.

[Dr. Terrie Modesto]

The death of a child is so heartbreaking no matter the circumstances. It seems even more tragic when it is unexpected. Unfortunately the Travolta and Preston family will now experience a generation of grief where once there was joy.
Dr. Terrie Modesto
www.drteriemodeto.com

[retrogaming]

If everything that has been said is true, this is not getting "more and more confusing", this is on the contrary getting clearer and clearer with all the facts falling into place.

What is difficult to accept is that they could overlook their son's health and well-being simply because of the inept religious teachings from strangers. Where has common sense gone?

[anonymous]

"However, it’s reportedly common for sufferers of autism to have seizures if they are left untreated."

It is very important to understand that there is NO known or proven medical treatment for autism itself. If seizures (or any other treatable medical condition such as anxiety or ocd) are present in autistic persons they are treated for those 'co-morbid' conditions. You aren't treating 'the autism', you're treating the co-morbid condition.

Seizures are more common in the autistic population than average, but you don't 'get seizures' by 'not treating autism'.

It's a very important distinction.

[anonynous]

It's doubtful, that Joey Travolta would argue about this, they are a close nit (large family) and they stick together. Reports from the Star-Banner here in Ocala Florida, show that Jett Travolta endured many visits, to Marion County Hospital, where he was diagnosed by specialist with having Kawasaki Syndrome. The press is merely playing up an angle, when they should just leave the Travolta family alone particularly in they're time of grief.

[Not your blog]

For those who will say this shouldn't be discussed:

1) They are not 'just like any couple'. They are celebrities with a great deal of money and power, and they use that power to aggressively promote a wacky 'religion' invented by a SciFi author.

2) That 'religion' is associated with a lot of scary things and a number of deaths, many of them due to cult members not receiving medical treatment.

3) The controversy about the kid's incorrect diagnosis has been ongoing for some time. This is not new.

If you can't see past the 'what if it were your kid!??' thing, just realize that this goes way deeper than people jumping on the tragedy like vultures--there is an actual background to this one. Getting the facts matters, even if only for other austistic children of scientologists.

[Gracie]

It is a tragedy that Jett passed away. But it is a greater tragedy that his parents let their religious beliefs keep them from provideing proper treatment and care for their precious child. I hope that someone will look into this and stop this kind of thing from happening again.

[Moonbeam]

I think it's none of my business nor yours. Travolta's brother is not a doctor nor a trained diagnostician; in fact, were he not a Travolta, no one would his opinion the time of day. The boy was under a doctor's care and seizures happen even when people are on meds for them; the idea that religion caused the boy's death is being fostered by people who don't like the religion, not by people with any real information or understanding about or of the boy himself. Travolta has always been gracious to the press and his fans ... he doesn't deserve revolting, gossipy articles like this one.

[Carolyn Weissberg]

Hi, interesting article. This is not as confusing as you may think. Kawasaki's Disease , whatever that is, and Autism Spectrum Disorders, whatever those are, have many overlaps. It is quite possible that both are caused by the intersection of genetic inability to process toxins (low glutathione just for starters) but that it depends at what stage of pretnatal development or infancy the insult to the body happened, and which enviornmental insult it was. For example, the HepB shot, given at birth or shortly thereafter, contains 250 micrograms of aluminum when 20 micrograms are known to be toxic. . Yet, 99% of infants can apparently tolerate this. But if an infant is a preemie or on antibiotics (which limits your bodies ability to process toxins) or taking Tylenol (which reduces glutathione) or just has an immune issue or a mitochondiral dysfunction or a fever, taking that shot may cause brain or body damage. . . The Travoltas and others believed metallic toxins in carpet cleaners harmed Jett. The point is, they may be right. He was diagnosed as Kawasaki's. But he may have also or instead had autism. And because "autism" has only very recently been offically recognized as being a MEDICAL condition not a psychological one, treatable by biomedical interventions AND psychologocial interventions, it is very possible they made an honest mistake that any doctor would have made. I.E. Jett had BOTH Kawasaki and AUTISM because they are BOTH different names of versions of the same condition. . .

My heart goes out to them. I disagree with how they treated Jett's condition but I have to say that traditional medical science at this point may not have had much else to offer them than Scientology. If this upsets you, consider donating to www.generationrescue.com which focuses on research to prevent and treat chidhood conditions like autism caused by toxins. Thank you for reading this. Expert on autism due to my son, who is WAY better because we did biomedical intervetions that are cutting edge and not yet traditional--but will be . . .

[jojoman]

Blinders. . .blinders. Love often blinds us to facts. I have an autistic grandchild who is doing marvelously thanks to his wonderful parents who recognized early on that something was wrong. They took him to a team of 7 specialists in the field, and from the age of 29 mionths, he recieved oodles of care in occupational, physical, and behavior therapies as well as a gluten and diary free diet, which he is still on. He is now 5 years old and started kindergarten right on scedule this year in a regular classroom -- and he is doing great with it. I won't judge the Travolta's, but any "religion" that denies a well-known medical condition recognized all over the civilized world, is a diabolic institution, not God centered or child centered. It amazes me how intelligent people can be so fooled by the bunk -junk of a science fiction (key word here is FICTION)writer who just decided to create a religion and had nothing else going on for him.

[Mary Brackett]

I believe that Jett had Autism. I have a son, Joel who is almost 17 and who is autistic. The video clearly shows Jett being escorted with his family and a male aid into the car where he is buckled in. He has many similar characteristics to my son who also suffers from seizures (they started when he was 9 years old but he showed signs of them at 2). He is on the right dose of meds now which keeps them in check most of the time but there are some breakthrough seizures that we always have to be on the alert for. When he is taking a shower, I check on him every minute, when he is in a pool, I watch him constantly. He is never left alone except for when he is sleeping. If the Travolta's beliefs in Scientology excluded Jett from receiving the medication and treatment he needed then shame on them.

[gem]

Posted by: jbad5 | January 5, 2009 12:30 AM

Mr and Mrs. Travolta must be suffering in agonizing pain knowing their denial of mental illness(autism) and treatment thereof as a result of their scientology rules and regulations contributed to their poor sons death. Maybe now he will open up his eyes and give up that fairy tale and cult

[Donna]

How very sad this is. It is obvious that the Travoltas loved Jett and always felt that what they were doing was the "right thing". It is already every parents' nightmare to think of losing their child and there is always the question of whether or not we could have prevented it. No matter the situation...suicide, siezures, terminal illness. Whatever the case may be, we always believe we are doing the best to give our children the best. When these now "traditional" medicines first appeared, people though those that used them were crazy...have we come full circle? I don't agree with denying any possibility of diagnoses or treatment for anyone. But, that is ME and just perhaps the Travoltas had good reason. None of us have been there these past 16 years. All we know is what we read. In no way does that make any of us experts on this situation. The bottom line is that this is a devastating loss for the Travoltas and anyone that their lives touched. I send them my deepest sympathies and prayers for healing through this painful time.

[lisamonteff]

John and Kelly had every right to treat their son the way they saw fit. Who's to say that the way Autism is being treated is right? What we're doing is not working. This was a terrible accident-but it usually turns out that the conventional way of treating illnesses is usually wrong.

[GG]

Flash to my son's preschool years. A child's violent behavior toward others comes under scrutiny as parents complain to the director about keeping their children safe from assaults. Parents are told, "It's because of Kawasaki Disease." This parent says, "Wait a minute. I had rheumatic fever as a child (the precursor scarlet fever resembles KD so closely in many cases, that some experts question whether KD is really an atypical presentation of ARF at a younger age). I did not behave this way."

Turns out the child really had Asperger's Syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum. This was diagnosed only after parents complained to social services officials when the assaults escalated and the preschool refused to take action. SS officials observed the behavior and intervened.

Hmmm.

[pam cromer]

my daughter has several different learning disorders and absence epilepsy.
medication works and we swear by it!
Maybe his death will finally set matters straight
with the Ttavolta and Cruz families
meds/ health/children first
regilion second
sorry for their loss

[Sarita Freedman, PhD]

please note that autism does NOT cause seizures. rather, there is a 25% higher incidence of seizure disorder in autism.

[Mike Chatelain]

What a horrible article. No time for a little kindness or sympathy is there Liz.

The Church of Scientology has no position regarding autism. Why should it? I've been a Scientologist for 34 years and never read or heard anything about autism within the Church. Give me a break.

So, now why would a gossip columnist like Elizabeth Snead invent such a fact? To get some blog action going maybe? Stir you all up?

If your child ever dies, don't ask Liz for sympathy or she'll try to turn it into a religious controversy.

[DKqwerty]

"A close friend of John's brother".

What is this, the Kevin Bacon game? Haven't you people ever heard of hearsay?

[SD]

This is a tragedy for all involved, but especially for Jett, who probably was autistic. That his parents were in such denial of the condition because of their following of a false prophet only compounds the tragedy. This could have been avoided with proper medical care and monitoring of their son, but they undoubtedly found a scientologist doctor to back up their wild claims. So sad.

[NANCY]

yes, its clear jett travolta was autistic. very autistic. from pictures to videos of him, he had autism. i have two children with autism. as most of us parents with children on the autistic spectrum, we too are experts in spotting it in others. so sorry his famous parents didnt treat it like most of us are so ready to do.

[Lauren]

I think that if this article is true and because of their personal beliefs, this horrible tragedy could have been prevented. When your child becomes of age, then they can pick what they want to believe in until then it is the parents responsibility to make sure your children are safe

[NANCY]

I COULD NOT ENDURE THEIR LOSS, I JUST COULD NOT. IT IS THE ULTIMATE LOSS OF HUMAN KIND. BUT AS A MOTHER OF KIDS WITH CLASSIC AUTISM, HOW COULD THEY EVEN JUST A LITTLE, DENY HIS DISORDER? HE ABSOULTY MIMICS MY TWO CHILDREN. AUTISM IS KNOWN WORLD WIDE. IT DOES EXIST, IN EVERY COUNTRY, RELIGION, RACE, ETC. THAT IS LIKE SOMEONE TELLING ME MY KIDS DO NOT NEED MEDICAL ATTENTION!

[Marcia]

It does not matter now does it? Blaming them will only make this worse.You can see the love John had for his son and the love his son had for him. I can not believe they did it with nothing but the best intention regarding their son. Their loss is something that can not be put into words. I just wish them to put their faith in GOD for He is the only way. The only confort can came from Him.

[mary]

it does't matter what any of us think our dear LORD needed another angel i have a 9yr old autistic nephew who has brought my family closer together especially when he hugs us may God be with this family during this trying time