Posted on 12/29/2002 7:53:16 PM PST by Incorrigible
I'm actually surprised that the reporter came across two girls for this story since Autism is so much more prevalent in boys.
As the father of one of the 4,000 children in NJ diagnosed with Autism, we tried some of the medical/gastro-intestinal solutions. The DAN protocol was the basis of his diet for a while. He's still dairy free and mostly casein-free but we're slowly integrating a more varied diet. I attribute any success he's had more to his therapist teachers than to his diet. Unfortunately his vocabulary is still very limited and it strains him to say even those few words. I highly recommend the PECS system which is his primary method of communication.
I recently read a story on Dan Marino's kid. Completely cured.
I had an autistic friend in highschool. He would run down the hallway with his arms outstrectched. He really believed he was an airplane. He was obsessed with the weather and watched the weather channel all day if able. He actually flew airplanes with supervision too. I don't believe he was ever able to work, but he did drive.
I wonder if someone like him had access to today's treatments, could he have progressed like Dan Marinos son.
I didn't know about Dan Marino's son. I did a search an came across this article:
This Marino miracle is a victory over autism
I was aware of Doug Flutie (http://www.dougflutiejrfoundation.org/)and his son who unfortunately, is still profoundly Autistic.
You'd think, from reading this article, that nobody trumpeted a "breakthrough" before, but I remember about 5 or 6 years ago there was a lot of buzz about "facilitated communication" - involving a parent or a therapists "helping" the kid pick out letters on a keyboard. Carefully devised tests proved that it was the parents who were really doing all the communicating.
There are still several different theories about what causes autism, and it is possible that several or all of them may be right, in the sense that several different causes can lead to apparently similar diagnoses. But it is possible that autisms from different causes require different treatments.
The article really doesn't go into detail on which therapies, diets, etc., helped Dan Marino's son. At least that is my opinion such as it is. I would very much like to be put on your list please as I have a 12 year old autistic child. Thank you..:)
It is more rare in girls however I know of at least two.
My nephew is Autistic and my sister works, shadowing two boys, 3 days a week. She was also working with a girl but it didn't work out. My wife is also friends with woman a who has an autistic niece.
It is just heartbreaking to watch my grandchild. He is about 8 now and larger than his older brother, yet functions at a level less than his 3 year old brother in many ways. He does have some language, although most of it is just repetitive. On this visit, I did hear him say a few things unprompted.
We brought our Golden Retriever for the visit, and my autistic grandchild interacted with the dog a little bit, although he was also frightened of the dog. We couldn't get him to address Max (the dog) except once when the dog put his cold, wet nose on his tummy. Then he said "Max!" -- not Max-the-dog. That was a break through.
My daughter and grandchildren took Max on a hike in Ramapo State Park, and my autistic grandchild did enjoy sitting and playing with Max's tail when they were resting at the end of the trail, watching his fur cascade when my grandchild held the tail aloft. This was also a major breakthrough because many autistic children are reluctant to touch new things.
Before our visit was over, my grandchild had learned to ask me for help with the DVD player. He's very good with mechanical and electronic things -- has them all figured out. But the DVD is new and requires a complicated procedudre to program, and he has NOT been shown how to do this for a good reason -- he'd be doing it all the time.
I have to say that not all autism education in NJ is as positive as this story implies. Many school districts are reluctant to provide the mandated education for their charges and funnel the kids off to other districts where they have no rights.
How I wish that my affected grandchild lived close enough to Princeton to benefit from the work that is being done at Edens.
Where? My 8 year old autistic grandchild LOVES music. His main form of entertainment these days is his boom box. He enjoys listening to CDs of Satchmo singing Disney songs. He plays them over and over. He also enjoys his DVDs (the VCR had to be retired because he wrecked too many tapes by playing them over and over.) He likes the colors and movement, but I'm convinced that the music is also an equal attraction. I would get him a keyboard if I thought that he could learn to use it.
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