When it comes to autism treatments, beware of Christmas "magic"
Friday December 26, 2008
At this time of year, magic is in the air. So many of our most popular holidays shows and movies are all about the amazing power of love, perseverance, and just plain Christmas magic. It's tempting to believe that just the right combination of this, that, and the other thing could simply cure autism.
In fact, though, if a child is truly autistic (and not misdiagnosed and actually suffering from food allergies or other disorders which may cause "autism-like" symptoms), there is no magic that will simply cure him. Of course, there are treatments that may be effective - and almost every child, no matter how profound his disabilities, will grow and change over time.
If there's no "magic" cure for autism, then, how do you know whether or how a child is progressing, and which treatments are working? Here are a few resources to help:
Comments
Sure. You can believe there is no magic (in Christmas or any time of the year). You can also believe (like the CDC and AAP) that there is no autism. You can believe that ASD cannot be cured or recovered. You can believe anything you want. The sad thing is that not believing in anything will not help your child. I, for once, choose to believe that autism can be cured (not just recovered). I will work towards that goal for as long as it takes to cure my daughter. For she is my greatest joy and I will never give up on making her live better than it currently is.
Lisa, it takes a brave soul to say it. People will continue to hear “acceptance” as “giving up.” My family members who saw my son for the holidays after not seeing him for months or a year were AMAZED at his gains. He’s calmer, his speech is much more interactive, and he comes up with original thoughts. What did we do different this past year? We did NOTHING, except to take him off the anti-anxiety and mood-stabilizing medications. He was taken off for reasons having to do with coordinating and agreeing with my ex-spouse and his household, but I suspected the meds were not helping, anyway. The appointments and the side effects were sure a major source of stress, though.
Anyway, at one time I was convinced his being on the meds was making a difference. If I’d had him on GFCF I would have probably been convinced THAT was a miracle. (We’ve tried it and saw nada results). If we’d been doing hyperbaric I might right now be extolling the virtues of that. And so on.
I know parents who throw everything but the kitchen sink at their kid and tell parents of newly diagnosed kids that if they aren’t doing the same, they’re bad parents. They use heroic phrases like “never give up!” and “do all you can!” They think of themselves as heroes - okay, I’ll say it, they call themselves WARRIOR MOMS.
I wonder, WHO REALLY is all that for? It’s the autism version of stage mothers.
This post is excellent, and it is the truth, no matter how unpalatable it may be to some people. There is sometimes a fine line between hope and delusion.
Shows and movies are not real life nor are they often based on real- life occurrences. I suppose maaaaaybe it would be nice to live “It’s A wonderful Life” and see what might had been had I never been born…..
magic is in the eye of the believer, and what they see and visualize as Magic. Some people simply do not believe in such things and that every thing has a logical reason. Magic for me is being at my in-laws and reminiscing about Christmases Past of how my son spent most of his time under their coffee table or my shirt. The Magic was how that was the Past, last night was the Present. My son was verbal, all over the place and ate at the table, not under it. That’s how I tell if he is progressing and if what I chose for him is working.
Some times Magic doesn’t happen as it does on TV, or over night, and certainly not without a lot of on going work and preparing the child for the event.
In my case, the true Magic was not an intervention, not a treatment choice, certainly not the CDC or a diet.
The true Magic and Miracle is my child, and it all get’s credited to him. He is that Shining Star in this mommy’s eye.
Nancy and Julie - I’ve had precisely the same experiences, which have taught me to trust my child and my basic parenting ability. Tried many therapies including biomedical, thought I saw improvement, then quit and saw precisely the SAME type of improvement continue! That doesn’t mean that biomedical can’t be helpful - but I think it does argue for careful evaluation to be sure that the treatment is truly the key to success!
Lisa (autism guide)
Wow! Yes, after 22 years of trying everything under the sun, I can agree totally with this article! Thanks for putting it out there. I may want to put it on my blog at http://blog.thepuzzleboy.com. Everyday Autism. My son made the most strides, not from my constant studies and taking him all over the country, but from finally, after 16 years, accepting him for who he is and loving him without trying to “fix” him. He was so difficult as a boy, but as a young man, I could not ask for anything better! He is so loving and accepts everyone else with no stipulations. We have not given up on gaining more for him, but we appreciate the blessings autism has brought to us, the things we have learned about life along the way. I have written a book of this experience called “The Puzzle Boy” found at www.thepuzzleboy.com. I thought that this book would never be very popular because it does not speak of a “cure.” It is just my real guts and things story of how we got to where we are.
Yes, we continue to search for things that will aid his immune system and lessen his seizures even more, but I am not obsessed as I was.
Yeah, Julie’s words “People will continue to hear “acceptance” as “giving up.”” say it all.
If only I had a dollar for every chance encounter where I was fiercely told “He’ll get better if you only believe.” I’d be able to pay for an indoor endless pool for my son, which I believe would add immeasurably to his happiness and well-being. Maybe I should ask for monetary donations along with the unasked for advice? ;->
While my husband kept searching for a silver bullet cure, I read, researched & studied. My son was tested for food sensitivities & put on a restrictive diet (made him sick). They then suggested mineral supplements. When I told the DAN doctor that it didn’t seem to be working, she suggested that I “wasn’t trying hard enough” (at which point I’d had enough). We tried Seretonin, FastForWord, Auditory Integration Therapy & a host of others before I decided to simply work with my son. At 17, he’s finally wearing pants with a fly (& knows how to use it!). Yet, I wound up leaving our parent support group after it became overun with parents of the (younger)newly diagnosed who tsk-tsked us old-timers because we hadn’t bought into the latest & greatest fad. It’s hard to get excited over a ‘cure’ when we don’t even know what causes autism so pardon my cynicism while I patch the holes in my son’s bedroom wall & keep reminding him to use that fly.
I’m glad you ditched DAN!. 1 in 10 DAN! MDs and DOs have been disciplined by their state boards, or are currently being disciplined. One DAN! doc, Roy Kerry, killed a kid. He wasn’t DAN! at the time, but was admitted to the club after he killed the boy. That should tell you something.