I don’t think any of us believes radio talk show host Michael Savage’s claim that he was being a watchdog for the many parents of autistic children when he went on his senseless rant last week. Blaming parents and labeling 99 percent of autistic children as “fatherless brats” is hateful.

The worst part, if there is a single worst part, is that Savage has turned back the clock. Parents and advocates are now being put on the defensive, asked to defend autism’s existence when their energies were focused previously on raising awareness, promoting research, bettering lives and finding a cure.

The devoted mothers and fathers of autistic children bend over backward trying to care for their children in a society that doesn’t understand autism.  Too often someone like Savage looks at a child, calls him or her a “brat” and points a finger at the parents.

Savage was right on one count only: Autism is on the rise.  Autism is one in a group of developmental disorders called autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) that range from mild to severe.  In Boston, our public schools now serve four times as many children with an ASD than our schools did 10 years ago.  This increase mirrors national trends.  The rise in ASDs may be due, in part, to better diagnosis.  However, while Savage chooses to blame parents for the rise, we learn more every day about the links to environmental triggers.

We live in a world where we eat, breathe and touch a slew of chemicals on a daily basis and don’t realize it.  Only now are we beginning to understand the impact of environmental triggers on fetal, infant and childhood development and the links to the rise in ASDs and other developmental disorders.

While political leaders at the state and federal level have been debating environmental triggers and increasing occurrences of autism, local leaders have a role to play as well.  In Boston, our City Council will examine the needs of autistic children and their families.  We must prevent gaps in available services and promote programs for persons with autism.  We need to create a supportive environment for the families that spend their lives doing what any parent would do: loving their child by finding what’s best for him or her.

Savage’s kind of talk is cheap and easy.  It’s time to do the hard work.