Can Autism be cured?

[KirstenB]

I'm so sorry that you are in that position. I know that my sister gets so excited when her little friend does something as simple as grabbing her hand to show her what he wants to do. It breaks my heart. I feel like these kids are in there and we just can't get to them. It must be heartbreaking.

My oldest has some health issues and I can relate with how frustrating it is to need answers that aren't there. I know how hard it is to accept that there isn't something that can be done for a child who is in pain, physically or emotionally.

Hey it's cool. Zoe and most all kids with autism are swimming forward. Our older dd is on swim team, and I sometimes view autism in that way....keep swimming forward, keep going. You understand better than most how HUGE these small strokes forward are. Thanks for your kind words.

 

[perla75]

Hey it's cool. Zoe and most all kids with autism are swimming forward. Our older dd is on swim team, and I sometimes view autism in that way....keep swimming forward, keep going. You understand better than most how HUGE these small strokes forward are. Thanks for your kind words.

I love your attitude KirstenB!

 

[gaelic grace]

They really are. That is where I think the vaccine debate comes in. Older vaccines were preserved with thimerisol. While I would not want to put that in my child at all, it has been said that children who are autistic have a fragile immune system. The combination of multiple vax and/or the preservatives in them are what set off the autisim symptoms. Sort of like having a loaded gun and that pulls the trigger if you will. The genetic component is the fragile immune system. At least this is how I have come to understand it. It is not the actual vaccine per say but all the additives in it as well as the combo disease vaxes. I don't think that parents of autistic children (well not all) are so opposed to vaccinating but would like to see our vaccines become green. Stop putting additives in them. Stop doing 5 diseases in one. That type of thing.

Thanks for posting this. I think lots of people really latch onto the vaccination issue without fully understanding what people are saying. McCarthy herself is not anti-vaccine. She says this is what a community of mothers are saying happened to their children after they were vaccinated- help us figure out what is different about them that may have caused this. I can't argue or explain away what a mother in her heart feels about her children. I don't think we can wholly disregard parental instinct. As to treatments my sister is a special ed teacher who specializes in autism. She likes to say " You've seen one autistic child, you've seen one autistic child" She has had great success working with parents through early intervention, immersion diet, combinations of the above and just plain instinct and determination. She has children who now exhibit very few if any tendencies and some who are the same as the day they walked in her door. I think it's unfair to judge someone who is trying to bring light to an issue that badly needs some understanding. She showed videos on Oprah during her first visit several year ago and there is clearly a difference in the before and after. I don't think it is fair of anyone here to argue about a child they themselves have never seen or observed.

 

[rie'smom]

My friend's son is 7 and autistic.
As soon as he was diagnosed, she began working with him. When I visited the other day, his vocabulary wowed me. He came right up to me and sat on my lap and hugged me. I'm tearing up because he has come such a long,long way from not speaking at all or having physical contact to what I've described.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Cure is indeed in the eyes of the beholder at times, it means different things to different people. I am so sorry. I will make sure not to comment on things I simply do not understand. I hope after I graduate I can recieve your high level of training and treat those still learning as irresponsible and ignorant as well- it is very encouraging.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean the post to come across the way it did. I didn't think about it til after I left the computer that it might be snarky. EIBI is a really wonderful program and I can't say enough good things about it- I'm glad that you are so positive on it. Unfortunately, with high expectations come broken hearts. Like every other treatment out there, it does not work for everybody, and when we use the word "cure", it gives parents false expectations of what it can accomplish and is not considered the appropriate term by the researchers who are engaging in this. So please accept my apologies, I did not mean for the post to come across the way it did.

 

[shortbun]

I've seen two pretty amazing turnarounds when intervention was immediate and intense. My nephew responded really well to a non wheat diet as well although his intervention was years after his onset so it definitely was no cure. I'd say it's possible and I certainly hope so. The possibility will be controlled by the depth of autism and the expertise and perserverance of all involved.

 

[Geoff_M]

http://www.autism-watch.org/about/bio2.shtml

This is an interesting article from a doctor who was at first sold on the diets:

Thanks for posting that link. This, I think, is a key section:

A year or so after my son was diagnosed with autism, with no hope for cure in sight, I was feeling desperate for anything that might help him. My wife attended a conference about “biological treatments for autism.” She came back extremely excited, having heard story after story about “hopeless” cases of autism “cured” by a variety of simple treatments. I was initially skeptical, but my desperation soon got the better of me. We started out with the simple therapies—vitamins and minerals—but soon moved on to the “hard stuff": the gluten- and casein-free diet, secretin, and chelation. Some of it seemed to work—for a while—and that just spurred us to try the next therapy on the horizon. I was “hooked” on hope, which is more addictive and dangerous than any “street” drug. Meanwhile, my second son developed an autism-like disability at the age of 18 months.

For a period of time, we thought one of our kids was borderline autistic and I can understand some of the emotions felt by the author. Our child was very speech delayed, among other things, but was eventually diagnosed with Apraxia. After several years of speech therapy, he was "caught up" verbally and hasn't looked back since. However, I understand that many parents that aren't as lucky as us are desperate to find a "cause" as well as a "cure". Unfortunately, there's a growing industry that preys on such desperation. Many are quick to point to the profit motives of "traditional medicine" and the pharmaceutical industry as reason to treat them with suspicion, but they don't seem to see that the practitioners offering such "alternative" or "biomedical" treatments usually also have the same financial interests in play. I've said this before, and it's worth saying again... There's no such thing as "alternative medicine", either it's "medicine" or it's not. Medicine is anything that can scientifically be validated repeatedly as beneficial to the patient. It doesn't matter if we're talking about synthesized active pharmaceutical ingredients or Chinese herbs. "Alternative" medicine doesn't get to play by special rules... #1 being "Proof by Anecdote". Holding something up and saying "Hey, this 'cured' this person or that person... It works! It may work on you too!" is zero proof for, or against, a treatment.

Adding to the problem is all too often an assumption or misunderstanding of causation. Even the Doctor in the link fell victim to it. He and his wife merely assumed that the reason that their sons appeared to improve was due to the diet. They accepted it initially on "faith" alone. This is the mother's milk of "quack" medicine.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Thanks for posting that link. This, I think, is a key section:For a period of time, we thought one of our kids was borderline autistic and I can understand some of the emotions felt by the author. Our child was very speech delayed, among other things, but was eventually diagnosed with Apraxia. After several years of speech therapy, he was "caught up" verbally and hasn't looked back since. However, I understand that many parents that aren't as lucky as us are desperate to find a "cause" as well as a "cure". Unfortunately, there's a growing industry that preys on such desperation. Many are quick to point to the profit motives of "traditional medicine" and the pharmaceutical industry as reason to treat them with suspicion, but they don't seem to see that the practitioners offering such "alternative" or "biomedical" treatments usually also have the same financial interests in play. I've said this before, and it's worth saying again... There's no such thing as "alternative medicine", either it's "medicine" or it's not. Medicine is anything that can scientifically be validated repeatedly as beneficial to the patient. It doesn't matter if we're talking about synthesized active pharmaceutical ingredients or Chinese herbs. "Alternative" medicine doesn't get to play by special rules... #1 being "Proof by Anecdote". Holding something up and saying "Hey, this 'cured' this person or that person... It works! It may work on you too!" is zero proof for, or against, a treatment.

Adding to the problem is all too often an assumption or misunderstanding of causation. Even the Doctor in the link fell victim to it. He and his wife merely assumed that the reason that their sons appeared to improve was due to the diet. They accepted it initially on "faith" alone. This is the mother's milk of "quack" medicine.

There is proof that it works. There are many studies. Does it work for everyone? No. Does chemo work for every cancer patient? No. It still doesn't mean that it won't work for many.

 

[VirtuallyMe]

No, Autism can't be "cured". However, with early intervention and consistent, intensive therapy, those on the milder end of the spectrum can be indistinguishable from neuro-typical children. The younger, the better. The brain can be taught things using different neural pathways when children are younger. So, while they will always be autistic, their autistic behaviors could change or disappear. I haven't read her book, but I really hope that this is what Jenny McCarthy is referring to when she says she "cured" her son.

That is almost exactly what I was going to post... so just ditto-ing here.

I think they can learn to work around their problems- my 20yo son has Aspergers- currently you'd be hard pressed to know he has anything wrong with him at all- I do see some symptoms myself- but really to the average person you'd hardly notice...

When he was younger- as recently as middle school and early high school we actually thought he may be institutionalized - he just stopped having a lot of his more severe behaviors- not sure if it was medication/diet/or just his determination- but it worked

No cure- but there can be great improvements in condition of even the most severe cases.

 

[beckmrk04]

Thanks for posting this. I think lots of people really latch onto the vaccination issue without fully understanding what people are saying. McCarthy herself is not anti-vaccine. She says this is what a community of mothers are saying happened to their children after they were vaccinated- help us figure out what is different about them that may have caused this. I can't argue or explain away what a mother in her heart feels about her children. I don't think we can wholly disregard parental instinct. As to treatments my sister is a special ed teacher who specializes in autism. She likes to say " You've seen one autistic child, you've seen one autistic child" She has had great success working with parents through early intervention, immersion diet, combinations of the above and just plain instinct and determination. She has children who now exhibit very few if any tendencies and some who are the same as the day they walked in her door. I think it's unfair to judge someone who is trying to bring light to an issue that badly needs some understanding. She showed videos on Oprah during her first visit several year ago and there is clearly a difference in the before and after. I don't think it is fair of anyone here to argue about a child they themselves have never seen or observed.

 

[Geoff_M]

There is proof that it works. There are many studies. Does it work for everyone? No. Does chemo work for every cancer patient? No. It still doesn't mean that it won't work for many.

There is also significant evidence that it doesn't work. You can't just cherry pick this study or that study as evidence that something works. What does the body of evidence suggest? Chemo doesn't work on all patients, but it works on a statistically significant portion of the patients consistently to be considered a successful treatment beyond placebo.... but even a placebo will be perceived to "work" in a certain number of cases.

I found a good summary of recent ASD research, including many "biomedical" treatments, that includes peer-reviewed research and studies conducted under standard guidelines: Summaries of Scientific Research on Interventions on Autism As you can see, the latest "biomedical" treatments such as Chelation Therapy, special diets, Secretin, vitamins, etc. haven't fared well.

I found this interesting article re-printed on the Assoc. for Science in Autism Treatment website:

Science, Pseudoscience and Antiscience

-Gina Green, Ph.D. and Lora Perry, M.S.

“Your child has autism”…..with those words, a parent’s world comes crashing down. What to do? Choosing a treatment is one of the most important decisions the parents of a person with autism will ever have to make. How do parents find truly effective treatment for their child? In an ideal world, the person who dropped the autism diagnosis on a family would provide the answer. But the unfortunate fact is that many who make this diagnosis are not well informed about the wide array of autism treatments, and the degree to which these treatments have proven effective (or not). So until the day comes when parents can count on data based professional guidance, they will need to become very discerning about the various treatments, therapies, and programs that are claimed to be effective for autism. The same applies to those who are concerned with helping families get effective services. There is a need to do a lot of homework, and to do it quickly. Why the urgency? Because the stakes are high, and every moment is precious.

Children and adults with autism can learn, and there are effective methods for helping them develop useful skills and lead happy, productive lives. At the same time, research has shown that many currently available interventions for autism are ineffective, even harmful, while others have simply not been tested adequately. Every moment spent on one of those therapies instead of effective intervention is a moment lost forever. Besides, common sense suggests that it is wise for parents and professionals alike to invest in interventions that can be reasonably calculated to produce lasting, meaningful benefits for people with autism—that is, interventions that have withstood scientific testing.

As parents and professionals seek information about autism treatments, they discover a long and perplexing list of “options,” many of them promoted by sincere, well-meaning, persuasive people. Everyone claims that their favorite treatment works, and parents and practitioners are often encouraged to try a little bit of everything. This can be very appealing to people who are seeking anything that might help. How does one choose wisely? To quote the late Carl Sagan, “The issue comes down to the quality of the evidence.” So the first step is to find out exactly what evidence is available to support claims about autism treatments. But all evidence is not created equal. How does one sort pure hype from solid proof, wishful thinking from rigorous testing?

Approaches to answering fundamental questions about how the world works can be grouped into three broad categories: science, pseudoscience, and antiscience. Science uses specific, time-honored tools to put hunches or hypotheses to logical and empirical tests. Some of those tools include operational definitions of the phenomena of interest; direct, accurate, reliable, and objective measurement; controlled experiments; reliance on objective data for drawing conclusions and making predictions; and independent verification of effects.

Science does not take assertions or observations at face value, but seeks proof. Good scientists differentiate opinions, beliefs, and speculations from demonstrated facts; they don’t make claims without supporting objective data.

In contrast, pseudoscience tries to lend credibility to beliefs, speculations, and untested assumptions by making them appear scientific — for example, by using scientific jargon, endorsements from individuals with “scientific” credentials, perhaps even some numbers or graphs. But instead of objective measurements from well-controlled experiments, pseudoscientists offer testimonials, anecdotes, and unverified personal reports to back up their claims. Antiscience is the outright rejection of the time-tested methods of science as a means of producing valid and useful knowledge. The extreme antiscientific view is that there are no objective facts; all knowledge is made up of personal interpretations of phenomena.

Pseudoscientific and antiscientific treatments and approaches for various conditions, including autism, abound. They are promoted enthusiastically, not in peer-reviewed scientific journals, but in materials published by their promoters, such as newsletters, videotapes, books, advertisements, and the Internet. These treatments have several distinguishing features (see side-bar). Some may seem benign at first glance, but that can be misleading. Over the years, many such treatments have proven to have very harmful physical and emotional side effects. They also exact a great societal toll by diverting precious resources from effective treatments and sound research, raising false hopes, and perpetuating illusions (for some examples, see the September 1998 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, and the book Crazy Therapies, listed below).

Parents and professionals can protect people with autism from the harms of bogus and ineffective treatments by exercising healthy skepticism, and asking several questions of everyone who claims to have an effective intervention for autism: What is the intervention, precisely? Exactly what is it supposed to do? Have its effects been tested in controlled experiments using direct, objective measures? If so, were those studies published in peer- reviewed scientific journals? What did studies show about positive effects and negative side effects? Did the effects carry over beyond the immediate treatment setting? Is there another scientifically validated treatment that is similarly effective but has fewer negative side effects? Who will administer this treatment, and how can I be sure they are qualified to do so? How will its effects on this individual be evaluated, and by whom? What will happen if we do nothing? Listen to the answers, but don’t take them at face value. Seek out published research on the treatment, and, if necessary, someone with expertise in scientific research methodology to help you evaluate it. Also take note when no answers—and no solid supporting studies — are provided. What is not known or said matters, too.

When families seek treatment for a child diagnosed with cancer or diabetes, they aren’t simply given a long list of interventions that someone somewhere believes to be effective, and told to choose from that list on their own; they can usually expect to be informed about treatments that are based on sound scientific research. Why settle for anything less when the diagnosis is autism?

 

[daughtersrus]

There is proof that it works. There are many studies. Does it work for everyone? No. Does chemo work for every cancer patient? No. It still doesn't mean that it won't work for many.

The situation that I'm familiar with is a child whose parents denied that there were any issues until he was close to 3 yo so he didn't get the EI services at a young age. They have been doing a GF/CF diet for a few years while at the same time doing round the clock supplements as part of chelation, hyperbaric oxygen chamber dives daily as well as the Sonrise program (he no longer attends school or therapy). All the while, they are going into debt beyond belief because none of this is covered by insurance. It's been a few years now and I have not seen any improvement. That's not to say that there hasn't been small progress but with everything that they are doing, how would they know if it's the diet? the chelation? the HBO dives? the Sonrise program? or just a natural change?

I really don't mean any disrespect but to me, it seems like they've been sucked in financially with no end in site.

 

[clgwli]

My thought is those who are "cured" were misdiagnosed in the first place.

 

[perla75]

There is also significant evidence that it doesn't work. You can't just cherry pick this study or that study as evidence that something works. What does the body of evidence suggest? Chemo doesn't work on all patients, but it works on a statistically significant portion of the patients consistently to be considered a successful treatment beyond placebo.... but even a placebo will be perceived to "work" in a certain number of cases.

I found a good summary of recent ASD research, including many "biomedical" treatments, that includes peer-reviewed research and studies conducted under standard guidelines: Summaries of Scientific Research on Interventions on Autism As you can see, the latest "biomedical" treatments such as Chelation Therapy, special diets, Secretin, vitamins, etc. haven't fared well.

I found this interesting article re-printed on the Assoc. for Science in Autism Treatment website:

I am a big fan of Gina Greene! Heard her speak several times and she is one wise woman!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Chelation has been proven as a treatment for lead poisoning. It has been proven that most autistic children have a problem processing heavy metals. They usually have a very high level in their bodies. Chelation would seem to be a natural treatment to eliminate these heavy metals and help the body to learn to chelate on their own.

 

[TomLovesBecky]

I am a behavior analyst (ABA) and I have been working with children with autism for almost 10 years.

The term "cured" in our field means that the child progresses to a point where he/she reaches age appropriate developmental level abilities in all domains, as evidenced by norm-referenced tests. Children who have been "cured" (and I have colleagues who have worked with children that met this criteria) still need to receive maintenance therapy to ensure that they continue to meet grade level educational goals and developmentally appropriate social skills.

I'm not sure "cured" is the best way to word this-maybe "caught up to a point where they are no longer behind" might be better wording, but it is a phenomenon that occurs.

With regards to ABA therapy, the earlier they get started on ABA, the better the outcome.

I do not know much about Jenny Mccarthy's cause-but I think she focuses on the immunization cause theory. I *believe* her son was using supplements through DAN doctors, but I'm not sure....or did he go through chelation? In my field we are less focused on the cause, and more focused on what we can do to increase their skills. Regardless of this, I really like Jenny I think she's got spunk and I appreciate her using her celebrity status to draw awareness to an important cause.

What is your take on DAN doctors, are they worth seeing as opposed to a regular pediatrician? I've had people ask me about this in the past but don't know a lot about it.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

What is your take on DAN doctors, are they worth seeing as opposed to a regular pediatrician? I've had people ask me about this in the past but don't know a lot about it.

I know you didn't ask me this question but I wanted to say that I do think DAN doctors can be great. You just have to find a reputable one. Like all doctors (or really any profession)- not every one is good at what they do. A DAN doctor can give a lot of information that a regular ped is just not up to date on or has had the time to study. It can't hurt to see one and see what they have to say and then decide if you think it makes sense to you.

 

[perla75]

What is your take on DAN doctors, are they worth seeing as opposed to a regular pediatrician? I've had people ask me about this in the past but don't know a lot about it.

You will find some people in my field are against DAN doctors-they need to see the research. I'm a little more open-minded, as opposed to many behavior analysts. I have had several clients regularly visit DAN Doctors & they have all said positive results. I see nothing wrong with going to one & trying out their recommendations. I have never seen a client get ill from using these supplements, & I do think there is something to the supplements & diets they are on.

Get referrals from other people in your area before you decide on a specific one, just like seeing a regular doctor, you want to choose one who has positive reviews from others.

I'm actually planning to attend the next DAN conference!

 

[Disney Doll]

I think that autism cannot be "cured", but I do think that it can be managed, by diet and various other therapies, to where it has a minimal impact on someone's life.

 

[jodifla]

I know you didn't ask me this question but I wanted to say that I do think DAN doctors can be great. You just have to find a reputable one. Like all doctors (or really any profession)- not every one is good at what they do. A DAN doctor can give a lot of information that a regular ped is just not up to date on or has had the time to study. It can't hurt to see one and see what they have to say and then decide if you think it makes sense to you.

Problem is, most DAN doctors aren't covered by insurance. And for many kids, the diets make no difference.


I was on a plane on Monday with a mom of an autistic daughter who had tried it for a year with no change, and her doctors told her to give up on it, that it just made do difference in many cases.

And to your earlier question on my sons' class, it was at least one parent who said the diet wasn't making much difference. They'd also tried the hyperbaric chamber treatment....very expensive, no real difference.