"Cutting Edge Therapies for Autism"

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For my son with classic autism, two thereapies were the most helpful: 1) speech therapy (mainly done by me--see my speech and vocabulary site and reading and grammar sites on youtube [user vids4autkids3 and user vids4autistickids] for examples of the types of things I used. Also, there are several great DVD series Babybumblebee.com, Standard Deviants ESL series, Special Kids series, and Teach2Talk) and 2) Prozac, which did wonders for his anxiety and comorbid selective mutism (after making him completely hyper for the first two weeks--lock your doors after you put your kid on it!)

We have always combined reading with the speech therapy and used visual aids, of note.

OT (done both by an OT and private ABA therapist) has practically cured his dysgraphia (poor handwriting due to inability to correctly grip and control a pencil) over the course of a year.

ABA therapy has made my almost 7 year old more sociable and polite.

Video modeling, manners videos, and books such as the Social Story Picture Book have also helped teach him appropriate behavior.

I haven't had time to do alternative therapies and haven't bothered with diets. My son spends most of the time in the regular classroom, talks, reads, does math, and behaves well at school. He will probably continue to need academic help and to stay on meds for anxiety and sleep issues, but he's doing unusually well, considering that he started off performing in the bottom 1% on his first speech test in November 2007.

Hmmmm. There are parents who have seen great improvements in their child's functioning after visiting biomedical doctors and finding out their child is deficient in something and then they can take suppliments to help. I don't know much about Chelation. If the child has heavy metal poisoning then how did they get it? I don't think vaccines are bad but I do think that some children cannot get rid of the some of the things in the vaccine and it builds up in their body = poisoning = neurological issues = autism.

I find it odd that people are against parent's trying to help their children function better.

I totally agree with you My2crazy girls. I have not gone the biomedical route at all. I have not changed my son's diet. However, I have met MANY kids on the spectrum, that after their child worked with a DAN doctor, seemed to be functioning so much better. Maybe it is a coincedence, I don't know. My son is improving greatly with just occupational and speech therapy, so I will stick with that. I wouldn't go as far as promoting chelation, but I would also keep an open mind to what a parent that had worked with a biomedical doctor had to say. I would not write them off as a "dummy" or a bad parent.

I think there is a BIG difference between putting kids on a special diet and chelation or vaccine avoidance. The latter two practices have KILLED PEOPLE including innocent young children who died needlessly. Those are very risky things. I would not consider a GFCF diet in the same risk category as chelation or a whooping cough epidemic. I'm against people who write books that promote incredibly risky practices and don't specifically identify the risks involved. People need to be provided the information about the pros and CONS of a potential treatment so they can weigh those options before deciding to try it.

How old is that book in the OP? Does anyone know? Most current literature stays far from chelation since the deaths.

Especially with autism - check the edition date in the front of the book. The most useful books have been reprinted and updated with current research. This field is changing rapidly - and print editions don't really seem to keep up very well.

Anyone telling you your child can be cured with X,Y or Z - run far far away. Or, better yet, laugh in their face. Chelation - unless you work in a mine, its highly unlikely anyone in your family has been exposed to enough heavy metals to warrent this extreme treatment. Gluten, casein, soy, sugar free diets - unless you child has a specific sensitivity to htese items - you can try them but it is a toss up if they work. Some people swear by them. Maybe their kids were undiagnosed Celiac's cases... or allergic to milk proteins. And allergist can rule out food allergies and I don't think a doctor in the world would be against a low sugar diet for any kid. If someone is trying to tell you only their specific special diet will work and here is our $250 program... against, laugh out loud. All you ever wanted to know about these diets can be had from your doctor (becasue some nutritional supplementation may be necessary) and recipes, support groups, blogs and more are free available on line.

I'm a big believer in herbs. If you go this route, find a professional herbalist familiar with autism and consult your doctor as well, Some herbs can interact with medications. Herbs generally provide gentle action to alleviate symptoms - they do not cure, except for maybe colds and skin wounds and such. They are not usually used for accute conditions and they are not 'benign' substances. Treat them with all the respect of traditional medications.

It's like the wild frontier out there! Be prepared, be wary and most of all don't trust snake oil salesmen!

I'm pretty sure it's quite a recent book, my library just bought it.

Very new; I actually got the title wrong in my initial post, as it's subtitle is "2011-2012". What I named and linked to is last year's edition.

It is a VERY recent book. I like the Medical Marijuana, Chiropratic, and Sacro-cranial therapy sections (in a sickening way of course).

The funny part is, the section on Chelation Therapy is completely the same as the Defeat Autism Now! topic website. I wonder how much that book took from that dreadful site.

As a side note, does it still say the proceeds go to Autism One? You know, the gathering where any pro-vaccine person or state health department official gets removed from the premises by armed security guards? It did have a Personal Rights Rally with Andrew Wakefield as the keynote speaker. The LUPRON Protocol creators were scheduled to speak despite the Maryland Health Board basically taking away their right to perform this treatment.