Research Suggests Children Can Recover from Autism

Associated Press ^ | May 8, 2009 | Lindsey Tanner

[BlessedBeGod]

Leo Lytel was diagnosed with autism as a toddler. But by age 9 he had overcome the disorder. His progress is part of a growing body of research that suggests at least 10 percent of children with autism can "recover" from it — most of them after undergoing years of intensive behavioral therapy.

Skeptics question the phenomenon, but University of Connecticut psychology professor Deborah Fein is among those convinced it's real.

She presented research this week at an autism conference in Chicago that included 20 children who, according to rigorous analysis, got a correct diagnosis but years later were no longer considered autistic.

[netmilsmom]

This would be wonderful, but one must look at the quote from the article

“Many also have above-average IQs and had been diagnosed with relatively mild cases of autism. At age 2, many were within the normal range for motor development, able to walk, climb and hold a pencil.”

Maybe they were misdiagnosed from the start.

[Feline_AIDS]

“Autism” covers a wiiiiiide range of issues, and really should be better defined, imo.

[PAR35]

“Autism” covers a wiiiiiide range of issues, and really should be better defined

Amen. The fact that it is a current fad diagnosis distracts from the real cases.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

I agree with you.

[YellowRoseofTx]

“Autism” covers a wiiiiiide range of issues, and really should be better defined, imo.

I totally agree, and I believe many are mis-diagnosed also. My oldest grandson was diagnosed as falling in the "autism spectrum". Speech is his main issue, although at about 2 he began withdrawing from the world other than his parents. Now at barely 5 his has made huge strides. He rides the school bus, is in a regular class setting with non-autistic kids, plays with his little brother, sings his ABCs, etc. He has come a very long way.

[blindsangamon]

Interesting. ‘Recovery’ from Autism is heralded as a breakthrough. But ‘recovery’ from Homosexuality is attacked as a civil rights issue. Don’t the Autistic have a right to be autistic?

[edcoil]

“Maybe they were misdiagnosed from the start.”

Agreed.

[JRochelle]

There was a study done by Cornell a few years ago which showed the increase in autism came with the increase in TV viewing by children.

When young kids’ brains are making connections, it doesn't help to be overstimulated. And boys especially.

While that study was the only one, the media didn't report it. What TV network wants televisions turned off?

[Lizavetta]

Autism is an industry now.

All those who profit from the existence of autism....

Therapists
Behaviorists
School psychologists, and
Special Ed lawyers

....will denounce anything that threatens to make autism a thing of the past.

[Larry381]

On a slightly different topic I remember having a long talk with my now deceased doctor who told me about a study he had read in the 80’s that seemed to suggest that many nonfunctional, vegetative state coma patients were clearly aware of there surroundings and their higher brain functions seemed to be intact. He called the study frightening if it was even half true.

[tbw2]

I cannot remember the name of the author, but he basically found that many children with “Einstein syndrome”, delayed speech and inward focus but are actually very high IQ, are misdiagnosed with autism.

[tiki]

I’m sure my youngest son would have been diagnosed with something if he was growing up now. He was almost 6 when he started kindergarten and he still wouldn’t speak in public. Most people thought he didn’t know how to, they would just give me that “Yeah, right” look when I told them he could, LOL. He would have also been diagnosed with ADHD, we just dealt with it and didn’t waste our time and money on Drs.

He’s 35 and very successful, he didn’t talk because he didn’t want to, and that hyperactivity has added to his success.

[businessprofessor]

Although I have empathy for autistic children and affected families, I do not have much sympathy for the demands of the autism industry and autism special interest groups. The autism lobby is demanding insurance coverage for very expensive behavioral treatment. The demands range from $25,000 to $100,000+ behavioral therapy per year. I believe that a number of states have passed insurance mandates including Colorado.

The behavioral therapy is special education. The autism lobby insists that autism therapy is no different than cancer therapy. Placing that burden on medical insurance will cause many to lose coverage. The autism lobby will not accept no for answer. When taxpayers reject initiatives to fund autism therapy, the lobby attacks the insurance industry.

If autism therapy is supported, it should not be through medical insurance. The legislature should make tradeoffs between supporting autism therapy versus many other leftist causes. Some reasonable means testing should also be imposed. The autism lobby wants nothing to do with means testing or tradeoffs. They just want as much therapy as parents can demand.

[Feline_AIDS]

Cornell study:

http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/faculty/profiles/Waldman/AUTISM-WALDMAN-NICHOLSON-ADILOV.pdf

[mountainbunny]

I agree completely.

There is so much that isn’t know about autism. There doesn’t seem to be consensus on why it occurs, so how can they cure it?

I know two people who have been diagnosed with (and absolutely fit the criteria for) Aspergers, which is a Autism Spectral Disorder. One, with extreme effort, has managed to overcome many of the worst aspects of it.

Of the two, he was more affected than the other person, yet he’s made the greatest strides away from Aspergers and into normal everyday life.

Is he cured, or has he simply learned to mask his illness?

I’m not sure even he could answer that.

[netmilsmom]

I can believe that.