Autism in the Media

I never watched the second show Unlocking Autism, but I did want to provide you with some additional information and perspectives from a parent of 3 children diagnosed with ASD and who has been treating them with biomedical and dietary interventions over the past 4 years.

First, Jenny and Jim never use the word "cure."  In the world of biomed interventions, we use the term "recover" from autism or related disorders.  At one time, she provided a great distinction between the two terms that she borrowed from another gentleman, Stan Kurtz I think.  The example is of a person who is hit by a bus.  The person spends years getting medical treatments and therapy to improve, but is never back to 100% where he was before the accident.  He can never be cured, but he can recover.  That is the same concept with biomedical and dietary interventions.

Many, many children on the spectrum (and not) suffer from underlying health issues that affect their development.  Discover Magazine reported on a fantastic article a couple years ago about the brain-gut connection:  http://discovermagazine.com/2007/apr/autism-it2019s-not-just-in-the-head    

Treating this underlying health issues to heal the individual with autism actually makes them much more receptive to the interventions the receive.  Biomed and traditional therapy go hand in hand in treating autism.  Your next question is Howdo we know if it was the ABA or the Speech that helped.  I can provide you a perfect example.  My eldest child, H, at the age of 2.5ish could label everything around her but couldn't use a word to communicate her needs.  For weeks...I mean WEEKS, the therapist worked with her to say "blow."  She just wasn't getting it.  We removed dairy from her diet because we noticed she had gastronintestinal distress, severe eczema, reflux, etc.  Within 24 hrs she said "blow" and with in a week she was speaking in 2 word phrases.  Her gut improved, severe eczema disappeared, as did the reflux and other related health issues.  So when she was eventually diagnosed at 3yrs and I heard about biomed, I was very open to trying it.

It has been the best decision my husband and I have ever made with regards to our children.  Our health insurance does not provide habilatiative therapy services for kids with developmental delays, but they do cover some of the biomed interventions since they are actual health issues that are being treated.  As a result, we have mostly done biomed and relied on what the school system offers.  My kids have done well.  My eldest who was diagnosed with classic autism is mainstreamed into first grade, has friends and is making great progress.  My middle son is finishing up ESE-pre k and will be mainstreamed into Kindergarten next year.  We are getting him reevaluated this summer and I know he will loose the classic autism diagnosis.  He will probably still be on the spectrum, but the very high high functioning end.  My youngest, 21 mos, regressed after his last vax as well as developed seizures and we have just started biomed.  We are still waiting for Early Intervention to kick in to get services, but he has made dramatic progress since we started biomed 3 mos ago.

So I believe that Jenny and Jim and all the other organizations sharing information about biomed and fighting for research for these interventions are offering HOPE, not false hope.  Every child that I know of who has done biomedical interventions correctly or under the care of a physician knowledgable in biomed interventions have improved.

With regards to the vaccines.  It is just one of many possible causes for autism and other chronic health issues that is occuring in the US.  For my family, I do think it is one of the primary causes since I witnessed my 2 younger kids regress.  The current research does not support or deny whether vaccines cause autism.  The media and certain governmental figures like to report on a study disproving the link, but look at the research and how it was constructed.  It really does not provide strong enough evidence.  The government still has not put forth the money to do a study on vaccinated and unvaccinated population.

Thank you very much for letting me share my views and story.

For more info about biomedical interventions:

www.autism.com

www.generationrescue.org

www.talkingaboutcuringautism.com

www.defeatautismnow.com

www.ageofautism.com

www.missionautism.com

www.nationautismassociation.org

With regards

I do think that Jenny McCarthy truly believes that her son is "cured" of autism, although I wonder too if this was an accurate diagnosis of him initially.  However, I believe it is highly unethical that she would spread this news that it can be cured with biomedical intervention.  This is for two reasons:  One, she is not a medical professional nor a researcher who clearly has not investigated or researched this thoroughly.  Two, I believe it gives parents of children with autism false hope.  I have seen this happen.  I worked with a family whose son was diagnosed with autism.  The mother read a lot of Jenny McCarthy's books and was trying biomedical intervention with him, and although subtle differences were made, I personally did not see huge changes in his behavior.   She  mentioned at an IEP meeting that when her son was older, she hoped he would no longer have that diagnosis, and I am sure it was because of what she read in these books.  I have yet to see one of my patients be "cured" of autism due to biomedical interventions.  I am not doubting that these parents truly believe that these interventions make a difference, and in some cases I think it does, and we do have  A LOT to learn about autism from the parents' perspective.  It's just unfortunate that a celebrity seems to be making herself a medical expert on the subject.

If we do not yet know the causes of autism, is it fair to say there is a "cure"?? I have not heard enough research supporting data about biomedical intervention to believe that it is a "cure". I currently work with several families of children diagnosed with some form of autism and we would gladly welcome a "cure", believe me! Some families have already tried changes in diet similar to Evan's and their child was not "cured". Perhaps Evan was misdiagnosed to begin with? I am thrilled that his autistic like behaviors have disappeared; however I believe it is misleading to other parents of children diagnosed with autism to say that there is a "cure".

Nicole, SLP, says that she believes very strongly that autism can not be cured.

How did she form this belief? It can not be based on knowledge of the causes of autism if we do not yet know what they are, or at least what all causes of autism might exist.  

There have been many epidemiological studies completed that have repeatedly answered the question that vaccines/thimersol do not cause autism. A great book that covers this topic is "Autism's False Prophets." There has also been a ruling in a case at the federal level which, after reviewing all the studies and evidence out there, states that vaccines are not the cause of autism. Characteristics of autism can often times manifest themselves at ages where children receive vaccines but does not mean that vaccines=autism.

I have seen Larry King Live with Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carey. I thought ASHA had an article out saying vaccinations were NOT the sole cause of autism? I do believe that if a child is predispositioned to autism (have certain genetic and/or environmental factors), that autistic-like behaviors can be "intensified" after receiving vaccinations; however I do not believe that vaccinations are the sole cause of autism. I also do not believe that austim can be cured. I feel very strongly about this. This statement gives many parents of children with autism false hope. Symptoms of autism come and go. Some months the child may appear to demonstrate age approriate skills, while other months they may show regression and demonstrate delayed skills for their age.