Ads anger parents of autistic children

NEW YORK, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- An ad campaign in New York aimed at drawing attention to children with mental illness has angered many who say it stigmatizes those children.

The campaign, planned by the New York University Child Study Center, features mock ransom notes. One reads: "We have your son. We will make sure he will no longer be able to care for himself or interact socially as long as he lives." It is signed "Autism."

Kristina Chew -- the mother of an autistic child and founder of a blog, Autism Vox -- told The New York Times the campaign has united people who normally do not agree about much.

"To say that autism or bulimia has kidnapped a child suggests that these conditions are part of a criminal element," she said.

Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz, director of the center, said the ads were developed after conversations with parents who said they felt that their children had been stolen by disorders like autism and depression. He has no plans to change the campaign and says the ads will run in other cities if they do well in New York.

The ads were created pro bono by the ad agency BBDO.