About a year ago I was invited to speak at a local autism/ADHD conference. I was nervous because it had been a while since I’d spoken in front of an audience, or even dressed up (make up! lipstick! hair blown out!) like a professional-ish adult. What I was really nervous about was telling our story and coming out . . . as the mom of a recovered kid.
Yeah, I said it. Recovered.
Recovered kids are not fairy tale creatures. I know of a few other recovered kids, and they’re all underground. Passing for normal. Correction: just being normal, typical, not-special-needs kids. They all switched schools, and no one in the new school knows. So why did I 
buck the status quo? Why do I insist on telling this story? I felt — feel! — it’s important for parents just starting out to know that kids can and do improve. Not false hope. Real hope. It’s hard work and expensive, but it’s real.
Formally assessed at age four, Code Name: Connor had a full 299.0 autism diagnosis. What speech he had was limited to echolalia, “all done” and “no.” He tested at the 2nd percentile for expressive language. He flapped his hands, toe-walked, lined things up, and ran in circles. He threw monster tantrums daily (think toddler Chernobyl). I want to be clear that we did all the speech therapy, OT, Floortime, special day class, etc., that was recommended PLUS a full immersion in biomed intervention. Gluten-free diet alone is NOT enough. These kids have what I’ve come to think of as NICF: neuro-immune clusterfrak. It’s complicated, and it takes time and effort to unwind.
The talk went well, but more than one mom challenged me that he wasn’t really recovered because he struggled with anxiety when he hit puberty, like they didn’t believe my story.
Sigh.
I concede that anxiety is a vestige of a larger brain-based issue that has been resolved. But it’s not autism. It’s not a mountain. It’s a molehill — and it’s a molehill that’s since been swept away.
If you met him, you’d just think he was a nice kid, kind of quiet, good looking in a swarthy, one-eyebrow-cocked way. He has friends, he was a junior counselor at his school camp, he loves movies and acting, and he’s on the yearbook staff. Girls think he’s cute. He’s funny as hell and has a heart for social justice.
I am honestly perplexed that more people don’t ask me how this happened. My son is walking around having successfully scaled a mountain, for heaven’s sake. Geesh, someone drops 10 pounds and they’re met with “How did you do it??” Someone drops an autism diagnosis and . . . crickets.
Back in June I had coffee with an acquaintance from pre-kid days. Her 10-year-old was recently diagnosed with ADHD and PPD-NOS, although we had started swapping emails about his issues six years ago. She wanted to hear the story of my son’s journey. So I tell her.
She fills me in on where they are — they are just this week trying the GFCF diet for their son, but it’s haaaard, and the improvements they see in mood regulation and eye contact can’t be real because it’s only been a week and besides, it’s summer. And will he ever be able to eat pizza again??
Oh, and by the way, that book I recommended six years ago, Children with Starving Brains? Her husband —who’s a lawyer and therefore . . . I don’t know . . . uber skeptical, intellectually mas macho, more right — said it was crap, and he needs proof.
Then she asks about my son, trying to be specific about the improvements we’ve seen. “Is he able to communicate?”
And that’s when the penny dropped.
She didn’t believe me.
She didn’t believe it was possible because the pediatrician at the big clinic said it couldn’t happen. She thought I was making it up. She thought my story was fiction, not history. And normal to her didn’t mean overcoming social deficits so he could have friends and meaningful connections with other people, or being able to live independently, or even reining in his poor impulse control so he wouldn’t push his sister’s stroller off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic.
Normal = pizza.
I was the delusional one, the one looking for unicorns and sniffing the fairy dust.
Again, sigh.
I spent the afternoon over-caffeinated and angry: angry I’d wasted my time; angry I’d been put into a defensive position; and angry that she didn’t believe me.
But then again, if she believed my story, if she sniffed the same fairy dust, she’d be launched into my world of questioning the dominant paradigm: alternative doctors, MB12 shots, acupuncture, cranial sacral therapy, supplements, pee tests, poop tests, conferences, Google searches, support groups, etc., etc.
I wish we had a way to keep track of every kid who improves — even if it’s just he sleeps better since you took him off milk, or he stopped biting himself when you added magnesium, or her stimming evaporated with an anti-fungal. We need to be loud and proud. No more going underground! We need to shift the burden of proof that this doesn’t work to the naysayers. We need all our numbers counted so they can’t ignore us. Let’s parade our lovely little unicorns (okay, mine’s a strapping 5’10” who trains with weights) and show the world that they are real, they are beautiful, and they are worth fighting tooth-and-nail to recover.
Going underground with our kids’ improvements is ultimately not in our collective best interest. If we allow ourselves to be put off and our kids’ improvements brushed aside, we make it that much harder for the next wave of parents and kids.
If we keep it a secret, we undermine our authority and credibility. Don’t let the speech therapists, OT therapists, and diagnosing psychologists get away with denying the biological plausibility that our kids have been damaged by a NICF. Fight skepticism with science. Tell your story and give updates; document any improvements you see that you can attribute directly to a biomedical intervention and drop them a nice little email. Be like water on a stone.
Here’s another story: Dr. Terry Wahls, clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City, Iowa, reversed her relapsing, remitting multiple sclerosis through a structured paleo diet and a specific therapeutic exercise regimen. It’s a remarkable story: Dr. Wahls went from getting around in a wheelchair to a riding a bike within a year.
Dr. Terry Wahl’s TEDx talk is in danger of being pulled from TEDx because it doesn’t meet the TEDx organization’s criteria of being scientific.
Dr. Wahls is a professor at a medical school and has published more than 60 papers, but her talk isn’t science; it’s story. Never mind that Dr Wahls used her experience to save her life and to shift her research to develop treatment for other people with progressive MS; that her TEDx talk gave her a platform to establish a foundation to fund her research and recruit participants; or that she’s about to publish the results of the study. Dietary intervention still gets brushed off as anecdote, or it’s mockingly called anecdata.
Our stories, our successes, our anecdotes are the first step in the scientific process. Ask a question, form a hypothesis, make a prediction, test the hypothesis through experimentation, analyze results. Where do you think the questions come from?
If we don’t talk this up, we don’t create a buzz of anecdotal experience that leads to a question that leads to a hypothesis that leads to testing that leads to scientific validation. The buzz of anecdote also reaches other parents, more now than ever before.
Doctors at UC Davis have been studying methylcobalamin. A Stanford doctor has been studying N-Acetyl Cysteine, a means to boost glutathione, in children with autism and has had positive results. They didn’t pull these ideas out of thin air.
You see, they’d heard about these unicorns . . .
So share your story, own your truth, and know that the Thinking Moms’ Revolution is behind you all the way.
And if you have a chance, check out Dr. Wahl’s TEDx talk. It’s a great story:
~ Zorro
Great post.
Thank God he recovered
My adult friend has done all of this. She is still autistic. She doesn’t have the extreme traits or symptoms of classic autism but lacks the ability to read between the lines pick up on unspoken social cues understand jokes read body language and all of the social awkwardness that goes along with autism. Why? Because she was born that way. Whilethere is an aggravation of sensory issues and traits with poor diet and guy issues the social difficulties prevail because the brain continues to have difficulty progressing information. Again my friend is a very healthy adult. Autism is not just the severe symptoms that can be seen it is the secret world of individuals who will struggle to naturally pick up on what non autistic individuals pick up. Your son probably still struggles with that and to minimize it causes self doubt and shame. While the sensory issues and hand flapping and other things can go away the way their brain processes information will not. Don’t make it difficult for your child to accept that difference by saying he is cured because yippy don’t see the “symptoms”. I’m glad that the awful symptoms are gone.
Your friend may indeed have been “born that way,” but why on earth would you assume the same is true for everyone? Why would you assume that your knowledge of your friend means that you understand this mother’s child better than she does?
There are MANY people who have recovered from autism who DON’T have difficulty processing information or picking up on social cues anymore. Why place arbitrary limits on what others are capable of?
I strongly believe this because I have seen it with my own eyes: an autistic child recovered after his mom started giving him some supplements.
I have a now 18 months old who was starting to show some concerning signs around the age 8 mo (hand flapping, motor skills delay, punching his head with his hands or banging his head on the wall, etc…). Unfortunately, our pediatrician was VERY unhelpful. She’s very strict on American Academy of Pediatrics’s guidelines, which is OK, but it could take a life time to change these guidelines and children’s brains are very plastic – there is a limited window of opportunity during which you can get the most results.
I gave him:
1) Probiotic first thing in the morning with juice – to flush out the day before’s digestions. He becomes constipated without it. I use Udo’s choice toddler. I am currently searching for a different brand because I suspect histamine intolerance.
2) Zinc – 1.5 mg/day in the morning after breakfast
I give him Infantum Zinc although I can’t vouch for this source (they are a rather small company). 1 dropper (1 ml).
3) Multivitamins after breakfast – Organic Mommy’s Bliss – 1 ml.
I have tried My Kind for kids – 1 gummy (1/4 of the dose) but he became incredibly hyper. Mommy’s bliss is not a full spectrum, it contains just some antioxidants, B1, B2 and B6. But it was great for him.
4) Magnesium 40mg/day just before bed – I used several brands but this one is the easiest to give:
Natural Calm Magnesium Gummies – Raspberry Lemon (120 Gummies) –
I give him half a gummy
5) Cod liver oil – I use Nordic Naturals and I will stick with this brand because it is very well tested for heavy metals
My son is now 18 months, talks A LOT!!, uses 3-4 words together, has an amazing memory, makes very good eye contact, shows a lot of affection towards me and my husband.
Unfortunately I can tell when I don’t give him his supplements – he walks and talks like he is drunk and he is very irritable. I see differences after just 2 days of skipping his zinc. He gets constipated very easily. He still has tantrums and allergies (eggs, chickpeas, lentils, etc…) and sleeps very poorly (he has nights when he wakes up every half an hour). He also has eczema.
I am waiting for his stool test – we did Genova Diagnostics (it is expensive as hell, not covered by insurance and not available at regular pediatric offices) to see if there is any yeast. Pedi said she doesn’t understand this yeast testing and why I want to do it because my kid is ‘fine’.
I would like to do a food intolerance panel (IGg) – we already tested for IGe, but they came back negative although he gets a reaction and we ended up in the ER with a prescription for epipen. Again, our pediatrician does not offer it/is not willing to help and even dismissed the idea that we should avoid foods for which he has high IGG. She said only IGE matters.
I live in Atlanta and I went to ‘The M center for functional medicine’ to get access to the Genova Diagnostic testing. They offer a lot of tests from Folate Receptor antibody test (FRAT) to Genova Diagnostics and AlleTess.
I have a lot of info to share, but my baby woke up. I wrote everything in a hurry, so sorry for all the mistakes.
I haven’t read all the comments yet but I hope you all will add uncooked/slightly heated (only to liquify or soften) organic, virgin, cold-pressed Coconut oil to your list of remedies! We gave this to an autistic 11 year old who clinched her fists and twitched. Within a few weeks she wasnt doing that anymore, and easily began reading books.
Her speach is still a struggle, but she is much calmer, and speaks more often, and she is more interactive.
We put raw coconut in everything. Throughout the day. We used it in smoothies and mixed it into about everything she ate in small amounts
She was getting between 1 & 2 Tbsps a day. We used it in
salad dressings on salads and dribbled it over cooked meat and veggies… We were amazed. They said it couldn’t be done. . . We hope this will help someone.
Thanks a lot. I tried those too. But with Mg my kid becomes very hypoactive. I tried bio Ray liver life, cytoflora and go naturals probiotics. My husband is the bread winner and he doesn’t offer money for taking these tests. I myself researched and glutothione deficiency is responsible for her sensory issues . When I stopped giving l glutamine her sensory issues started. The one who commented above must understand that understanding jokes also come under sensory processing. Please mail me@ [email protected] if you know more details to recover from autism or leave a reply here. My kid is minimal verbal and 4 yo.
Has a Niacin deficiency been determined?
Hi there
I have just came across your website. Are children definitely being cured?? My son is on the spectrum a word that I have learnt for his teacher last year. He will be 15 soon, he was a normal boy until few days after his MMR jab. I took him out of the bath as usual and noticed while carrying him in my arms to the bedroom that he stopped looking and smiling with me let alone grabbing my face as he usually would do. A stopped, kept turning his face and querying this but to no avail. I quickly dressed him and ran the GP. She assured me I was worrying for nothing as he’s my first. My son now looking back showed and ticked all the boxes.I knew something was wrong but didn’t know what. My son recently started looking at me at the age of 12.
Jackie
First of all I wish your child full recovery as it is the most painful thing to see your child in this state.
I have done a lot of research reading journals and talking to researchers and consultants. My opinion is Autism is symptom of an underlying cause and not the cause in itself. Tackling this is not a fight, it is a life long war.
First get your child’s Organic Acid test, Serum Amino Acid test and allergy profile done along with serum nutrients. Your next approach will be after you get all these results to narrow down the cause of autism symptoms.
Ask your consultant to do DNA profile to check any anomaly. If you change diet without narrowing the cause you may not be able to find the best way to manage his condition.
GFCF is good if cause is amino acids related if it is due to organic acids it will not be any good to your child.
As per the TED video giving 3 cups of Kale to some one with high oxalates will do more harm than good.
I hope you will be able to find the true cause.
Please note I am not a medical professional but I have read a lot journals and alternative theories to present these opinions.
Regards
G
Everyone PLEASE read the book “The Brain that Changes Itself” by Dr. Doidge and watch Barbara Arrowsmith’s Ted Talk and visit her school’s website The Arrowsmith School, which is in Toronto, Canada. Cognitive enhancement exercises paired with physical/occupational therapies and INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE (research that term or functional medicine) which will mean just a few but key supplements that are evidence based (Omega 3, Magnesium l- threonate, Phosphatidylcholine, and a high quality multivitamin with Vitamins A, C, D, Folate (frolinic acid), B6/12, Zinc, Selenium). Calcium is important for absorption. See Dr. Mark Hyman’s docuseries and website, etc. Good luck!
Beautiful. Thank you for putting words to my thoughts. I shared our story for the first time about a year ago. I was very nervous, but received a tremendous response from parents. Stephanie Seneff even shared it on her Facebook page. It might be something that resonates with your readers.
http://www.healourlittleones.com/?p=837
The testimonies out there are awesome, thank you so much.
My 5 year old has been on a gfdf diet for 1 1/2 year with many improvements thank God.
He takes vitamins, probiotics, omegas 3 and we reduced his sugar intake.
We also did homeopathy, osteopathy, cupping, speech therapy and we have an appointment next week with a chiropractor
I m so proud of my kid, his speech is so much better, he goes to a normal school, I didn’t tell his teacher about his autism diagnostic and I’m glad I didn’t because he’s blending in… I guess it’s not easy for the staff because of his probably add/adhd, but lots of boys his age in his class are pretty much the same (I mean with the hyperactivity). Anyway, his teacher has been working in the same class level for 27 years, he keeps telling me he has no major problem with my son in class. He learns so much stuff from all these other kiddos!!! Not only good stuff though
Today he played with a new neighbor’s kids, he kept asking them the same question all over again, repeating the same phrase maybe 20 times, and even though we answered him it’s like he had forgotten the answer already because 2 minutes later he would be asking the same one… He was riding his scooter, they had bikes, they played along well but my kid started to get close to them while riding (as a game), like touching their bike with his scooter and he would fall on the ground. He maybe fell like 20 times. Hard. And he didn’t complain that much, crying a little bit and in a second back on his scooter… His playing and habits were clearly different from theirs…
Today, I really felt his difference in his interactions with others… I tend to forget he’s autistic sometimes because he’s been doing so good lately and I’m so proud of him! He was so happy when he came home anyway!
So any tips to assess his add/adhd and repetitive habits will be welcomed!
(Sorry english is not my mother tongue)
Try NAC, alpha lipoic acid in very small doses (search andy cuttler chelation therapy), vitamin c, vitamin e, zinc, magnesium, mommy’s bliss multivitamin, probiotic with l acidophilus and l rhamnosus (culturelle), cod liver oil, olive leaf extract.
This article seems to be more about yourself than your child. I cannot derive what really helped cure him. It’s all you you you, and your all over the place. Just like me and that makes it incredibly hard to make something of the article.
It’s not helping its just a story about your journey. That’s fine, but it’s not fine not saying what helped. I’m clearly irritated that it’s so hard to read and is all over the place. Please do not use such a misleading title. And perhaps looking at the article you might have adhd symptoms yourself and be off with a tailored diet.
I’m sorry about this but these kind of articles flood the internet and make it harder for people to find what really helps. Good luck with your son and yourself.
With all due respect, there is nothing whatsoever misleading about the title. Nowhere does it say “and Here’s How I Did It.” This is a blog post about a specific topic, SPEAKING UP about recovery when it happens so that others will know that it happens, and it says it quite well.
I’m sorry you found this piece when you were obviously looking for something else, but that isn’t Zorro’s fault. If you want the details of her experience, she (and many others) discuss it in our books The Thinking Moms’ Revolution: Autism Beyond the Spectrum and TEAM TMR: Evolution of a Revolution as well as other blogs on this site. However, it’s extremely important to understand that there is no one treatment that works for everyone, and literally every treatment can be harmful to someone. You need to take your child’s specific symptoms and health history into account when making your treatment decisions. If you want a step-by-step game plan, we often recommend Patricia Lemer’s book Outsmarting Autism and Ken Siri and Tony Lyons’ book Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism for additional ideas.
hi
I enjoy reading this blog. you are a caring mother who fights for your child and not believe people who mainly have financial gain when it comes to ASD. I have done the GFCFSF and went well but now he has regressed and slowly loosing his speech and starting o flap his hands. he is also very loud and runs up and down like a wind. making animalistic noises. we live in Australia and don’t have much alternative doctors for autism. what can you recommend for us? my son will be 4 in july. thank you
Hi
While taking gfcfsf there will be some deficiencies in vitamins and minerals like zinc ,mg,iron,vitd,etc.
That is nor ok what you are doing. if you really recovered your kid you would already be sharing it in article. I think you are lying and just giving false hope to others. I can not think of any mom who managed to recover her kid and not sharing it. You are certainly FALSE advertising to get hit to your blog. You are despicable!
Sarah, I think you should reread a number of things here. I don’t have a child with autism at all, recovered or otherwise. Zorro, the author of this blog and others, as well as a chapter in the TEAM TMR book I mentioned, DOES. She DID “share it in the article,” so I don’t know what you’re talking about. Again, there is NOTHING misleading about this post. If you wish to know more about recovery, read our books and the others that discuss it in detail. There are MANY recovery stories easily available on the Internet; Zorro’s is just one of them. But you NEED to understand that even if Zorro told you step by step exactly how she did it, that does NOT mean that it would do the same for your child. There are at least six different overlapping phenotypes in autism, and they each respond to different kinds of treatments. I advise finding a group on Facebook that is working toward recovery and compare notes.
I wish you well in your endeavors.
I agree. I’m looking for things to try that have worked… and she says nothing about how she got her child where he is.
I completely agree, I went over the article a few times because there was nothing of substance
My son is also recovered. We did either, speech therapy beginning at 18 months and preschool at 2. We used the PLAY Project parent implemented model by Dr. Richard Solomon. Please see http://www.playproject.org or his book Autism: The Potential Within. Play worked for us. My son didn’t need a special diet he addresses those as well.
Hi Meg,
I would like to know if I could contact you privately about the PLAY project? We are supposed to be starting next month and would like some more information. Thanks so much. I hope to hear from you soon.
Hi please advise me what i can do for my 2 years old son.
due to suspicions last year my son who is three years now was diagnosed with autism after an exxtensive research by his physchatrist .i am completely dumbstruck and i dont know what i should actually do. he looks at the wheels of his toy cars while playi g he runs in circles and hits himself he doesnt respond to our calls he has a baby sister and loves cuddling with her he doesnt talk to us but when he needs something he hollds my hand and directs me to the kitchen i still do have hope my son would recover but i need some guidance because all what my doctor said was he is going to grow up that way i need to change it for once and all please help me
Start with Patricia Lemer’s book “Outsmarting Autism.” In those pages, you will get a really good sense of which things are issues for your child and which are not. Then seek out groups of parents who are using the same treatments or doctors or have kids with the same issues. Facebook is FILLED with such groups, many of which can be extremely helpful. Keep in mind that there are many routes to autism, and not all treatments are equally applicable for all children. Make sure that you weigh the pros and cons of each treatment carefully.
Please check out Dr. Richard Solomon. He addresses stimming. Autistic children want to keep the world the same they love repetition it’s a comfort zone. He must draw children out of the comfort zone into social interactions
Hi dear,
How old is ur kid?
My son also behaves same like as u said..And now by Gods grace with proper diet he is improving..
Hi Asna, what kind of diet dis you do? Thanks
For my kid ,i followed gfcf,scd,lod diets.and include ghee,coconutoil,algae omega, and multivitamins. Pls note that each kid differs.u have to research ur own for what suits for ur kid.thank you
Thank you so much Asna for your reply, my son doing biomed right now. What kind of snack do you usually give him?
Hi Asna, how old is your kid and what diet are you following? Can you also please brief the improvements you have seen since you put him on the diet.
Hi,
The first u should realise that ur kid is not mentally retarded .they show these symptoms only due to their vit/mineral imbalance and environmental toxins.each kid differs and so their diet also varies. For me,took 2-3yrs to get his right diet.
U may refer healthfreedomidaho.org.
look at the cutler protocol and the gaps diet
Hi please use a camel milk its best for your child.
Thank you. My son is 3 and was diagnosed with ASD. i just always believed that there’s information out there to help him despite what doctors say. I started him on GFCF and we don’t have sugar anyways. Your blog is just empowering and i want to thank you for taking the power from the people who claim to be experts and giving it to the people! Thanking you all the way from Australia. Been reading your article and questions and answers for hours. How you answer each question with such detail shows how much you care and your passion. Your son is blessed to have a rock star mom like you!! I am not American but i will go ahead and say it!!! You should be the President by 2020!
Please check out Dr. Richard Solomon and the play project. http://www.playproject.org that alone saved my son who is also recovered
So many great informations here! Thanks for all the contributions
My 4year old son has mild autism and has been on gfdf diet for 8 months, Omega 3/dmg/probiotics suppléments, he has made a lot of progress with his speech and behavior but still has repetitive issues and gets angry fast
Eczema on his arms came 4 months ago out of nowhere, but he’s had his hand in his pants itching his butt for quite a while… we cut dairy and eggs off when he was 6months old due to allergies
We just had a new baby boy, almost 2 months now, we’re a little bit scared he might have autism too, so we decided to wait to vaccinate. He was delivered by csection like his brother but this time we uses impregnated gauze to simulate vaginal birth
Lately, his nose (and mine) has been runny, i’ve been cleaning with see water, but this morning i found a LIVING WORM in his nasal aspirator…
Pediatrician wants me to put everyone but the baby on Vermox
I have been living in morocco for 3 years now but we will be moving back to France in a year or so and none of these countries have come up with treatments or anything for autistic kids, in Paris the diagnostic doctors i saw thought i was crazy to make my child follow the gfcf diet (i did it while pregnant aswell)
Thanks for your help, advice, anything please
How did you help your son with speech I have a 3 year old non verbal and not potty trained pls help.
Hi Ali, my son is now 3yrs 7 months. He is completely potty trained. It took us a long 8 months but it all paid off. What we did was
No diapers during the day
Take him to toilet every 30 mins
Give him lot of water
Use the word toilet and potty everytime he uses the toilet and even when there is an accident.
Reinforce him with lot of praise and his favorite thing immediately after he uses a toilet.
One other thing we did was removing all MSG containing foods from his diet. I cook everything from scratch for him. We were already doing Gfcfsf and all organic diet.
My son almost immediately became much more aware of his body and started to tell us that he needs to use toilet and after about a week he started using toilet all by himself. Even when he is in middle of his favorite activity he would take a break to use the toilet. Its amazing!
Hope it would work for you son too!
I am so sorry to hear of your families issues! I did not even need to get to the park about the worm to know there was a parasite issue, the itchy butt (especially around the full moon when the eggs hatch) and eczema are major red flags! Natural anti-parasite/anti-fungal supplements like wild Oregano oil, coconut oil, papaya, garlic, thyme and pumpkin seeds can often address parasite, worms and fungus like candida yeast quickly and without the side effects of meds. Look on Amazon if you don’t have a store close by as they may shit to Morocco. Hope this helps!
Hello, do you allow guest posting on thinkingmomsrevolution.com ? Let me know on my e-mail 🙂
It depends on what you mean by “guest posting.” We do post blogs that are written by people who are not affiliated with TMR, but they all come through me. Are you interested in writing one?
I have an article I would love to submit as a guest to be posted on your blog. Can I email it to you to consider?
Abby Lewis
Hey Abby! You certainly can! PM me at our Facebook page and attach your article. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. (My kids are graduating their respective schools this week.) — Prof
Can anyone help me having a little question.
A split year before, I was diagnosed with a candida
I wish to test a few diet against Candida fungus.
In the Internet, a lot of information about problem.
Although opinions generally diverge. And I didn’t find the correct conclusion for me personally.
Possibly the forum members may propose a proven diet or maybe a few quality recipes against candida?
I’ll be extremely many thanks for any assist
Thanks!
Candida yeast like to feast on dairy and grains. If you cut down on them, you will not be feeding them as well and they will start to die. Beware though, that a lot of people feel worse before they feel better due to the effect known as “die-off.” There are a number of supplements that may kill the yeast as well, including caprylic acid and pau d’arco.
Hi,
Can someone help me with a food diet that works? What should be avoided? What should you give him daily? Thank you
Hi Manuela, the main diet our kids follow is gluten free, casein free, soy free diet. (GFCFSF) Gluten is most grains and casein is dairy products. You will have to read ingredients carefully and do some research but besides that you probably want to avoid most processed, packaged foods and stick to whole, organic foods. My son has yeast issues so recently we have been lowering his amount of starches/sugar/carbs. Since then he has been saying his letters, colors, numbers (he is 28 mos) and responding more to praise. Right now he is on an antifungal as prescribed by his integrative physician and I’m pretty sure he is going through die- off so there shold be much more to come. I also want to give the Specific Carbohydrate Diet a try (SCD), I just ordered the book. It’s not easy to follow these diets but I rather see my son as healthy and alert as possible than not to follow the diet.
Hi,
My son is slightly over 3ys. He has recently started speaking many words( almost any word I want him to say) has improved a lot in last one month,I have been doing ABA at home and he is picking things quickly. We are also doing Homeopathy and biomedical intervention. My problem is that although my son is speaking, all he would speak is too fast to be understood by other people.When he started speaking, a couple weeks back all his speech was very clear.Can someone suggest something plz.
Hi. Have you had him checked for gut yeast or bad gut bacteria? My son is 3 1/2 and when he first started talking he would speak too fast until he had yeast treated. Now that he speaks in age appropriate sentences, he starts stuttering the first word when yeast is acting up. Omega 3 may also help. Your son seems to have a lot of hope like mine. I highly recommend finding a top MAPS dr. B12 shot were a speech miracle. MAPS has really improved my son drastically. It did what months of various therapies couldn’t do.
Hi Andrea
Can I just ask after how many b12 shots did you really see a difference?
Well he got all his missing vowels suddenly after about 3-5 wks. We had been working with a wonderful slp 3 hrs a wk with no luck prior. She was delighted. We do every other night. But the day after his 2nd b12 i noticed he controlled himself much better. A kid grabbed a favorite library toy from him and he calmly grabbed another toy. He typically would scream and throw his body back before b12. The angle is very important too
My son is non verbal at 3 and you say you do aba at home? Can you share some skills of yours pls.
Hi Ali, yes ABA really helps. My son has made great progress in last few months with ABA, diet of course is big but right training too cannot be ignored. All you would need is a quiet room where you could give one on one time to your child. There are many great videos available on YouTube. Search with the keyword,ABA techniques.
Hope this would help!
Thanks for saying “Gluten-free diet alone is NOT enough”!! It’s so true. And a gluten-free diet of packaged foods is NOT going GF. These kids need true gut healing from the damage. We’ve been on the GAPS diet for 15 months with incredible results. I wake each day wondering what new thing my 5 year old will do. This week, she colored an entire page in her color by number coloring book. She couldn’t even hold a pencil 4 months ago. I look forward to sharing my story soon.
hi
Good to know, i just started GAPS diet. i have been on GFCF and it worked for a bit but now, no more improvements. can i ask which probiotic brand you are using?
Hi, my son was diagnosed with autism at 16 months. I just wanted to say I’ve had results with GCFCSF diet, the omega6 oil, magcal, b12 shots and eating mostly whole foods, nystatin for yeast, and low phenol diet. His eye contact is pretty good after pretty much avoiding eye contact especially with me, his mom and his dad. His eczema dissapeared after only 2 wks on the diet. He is 2 yrs old, he has been able to sing entire songs and say many single words with meaning but not consistent yet. He finally showed me a toy the other day. Woohoo!! After 3 weeks on the antifungal, nystatin, after the die off he became very affectionate and this has continued for months after which is incredible. If he’s off the b12, he starts being more awkward in his movements and his eye contact decreases so it’s very important for him. I try to do the low phenol but it’s hard for us but I’m going to try to embark on it again because I think he seems more sober on it. Nine months into the diet his poop is looking better. I have another appointment with his doctor, Dr. Kenneth Bock, on April 5th so I am looking forward to much more. He is also much more responsive to his name, stimulation and we are increasingly having more real family moments in which he is engaged or participating in some fashion.
So in response to the writer, yes, many improvements!!! Although he is not recovered I can see this stuff definitely works and I thank God for it so please do try it, its worth it.
Also,when we started he was 16 months and didn’t walk and he started walking almost immediately and stopped pressing his stomach against the couch shortly after.
Hi
My 3 yr old son has mild autism. I m currently giving him biomedical treatment and gfcf diet for past 3 months . There are few improvements seen, but he seems to be little more irritable and scream more after treatment. Is this normal in the beginning and these symptoms will fade away I coming months. Please advise
Tina
Try one thing at a time to evaluate. I don’t give anything for whole month if its making my child worse. I would do a week at most, sometimes only a few days. Then move on to the next one. You don’t want them suffering or backsliding. The diet though is more long term.
Hi Tina,
Are you also doing soy free and brown rice free? This was a must for my son. He can’t eat the pre-made “gluten free” foods. Also I recommend and igg food allergy test if you haven’t already. alletess has a fingerprick one you order online $50 then have a dr order and pay $100-200. My son was positive to 40+ of 190 items tested. Cutting them out helped a lot. I also recommend looking into yeast and bad bacteria with biomed stool samples. Yeast, bad bacteria and b12 injections were the biggest game changers for us.
To anyone interested, I recently spoke at Dr. Corbier’s Town Hall meeting entitled Autism and Hope Oct. 1st, about Autism Recovery, YouTube link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0bKYxpcEns
There is a great deal of hope on the horizon, and great doctors working for our cause.
Thanks Fred! Hey if you come across any new research on children with immune issues, please do share, since you seem to be well connected. My child’s issues have a lot to do with immune system dysfunction. She is seeing a biomed doctor and is very high functioning and her friends at school don’t even know of her diagnosis. Still have some work to do though, and she seems to regress a little when getting sick, her autism symptoms that were gone before come back during that time. Its cold an flu season right now, so she is getting more OCD! Just a few weeks ago she was making even more improvements but then she either got a cold or reacted badly to her new allergy treatments. She is seven and I wrote about her previously on this page. She gets an asthmatic cough but any of the asthma meds made her autism worse so we don’t take them. We try and manage with saline washes and the whatever natural things we can try along with the immunotherapy drops. If you hear of anything in this area, please do share. 🙂
OCD is often a clue that there is a PANS/PANDAS issue. You might want to check that out. Many kids who have had autism are susceptible.
I agree on the OCD and PANDAS. My son’s ocd symptoms completely go away when PANDAS is under control.
If your child’s autism is autoimmune in nature, they can go backsliding at any time. It’s all about controlling the inflammation. In order for a parent to devote all their time to recovering their child, the other parent has to be supportive of that. Kids with autism and two working parents are out of luck, in my opinion. My son with Autism is almost 13. We missed almost the entire window of early intervention from 0-5 because his father and family were in denial he had issues and I didn’t know how to get him help. I was young and overwhelmed and lived far away from my family and my parents were ashamed I had to work full time. I had no support system and didn’t know what to do. It’s too late for him to recover, but we do biomedical and I hope one day he can overcome his social deficits and other issues enough to have some sort of normal life. It’s a sad situation. There was no one there to point us in the right direction, I was forced to work full time and he couldn’t get the help he needed. Maybe if family had stopped brow-beating me so much and tried to find out what we needed to do to help a child with multiple delays our story would have ended better. I regret so much. I wish I would have been stronger back then. I failed him.
It is true that the early intervention makes all the difference in the world. However, you can’t keep beating yourself up and must just move forward. I was lucky to stay home and work on the recovery full-time, but most people cannot.
It’s not too late….
Dear RM, it is never “too late” for recovery. I suggest you read a book called “Healing the Symptoms Known as Autusm”, by Kerry Riverra. I’m using a method described in this book with my daughter, and having a great success. Read the book first, and then decide whether it’s something you wish to try with your son. I know other parents who had great success with their older children using the method described in that book. Feel free to refer with questions.
Best of luck,
Nataly.
It’s never too late. The other day I read about a mom starting andy cutler chelation for her 23 yo. Go for it. It’s never too late to help our kids reach their caability
It’s not too late.. look up Andy cutler chelation. My son has gone from non verbal to over 200 words in 3 months
Learned his alphabet within 3 rounds, over 20 animal names with in four rounds and now sings to nursery rhymes
How old is ur son ?
My 3 YO boy is not on the spectrum but has severe Apraxia and has been in agressive ST since 7 mos old. We live in NYC. We have been on Kelly Dorfmans “best dyspraxia program ever ” the last month or so ….I’ve seen some results but nothing earth shattering…
My 9 YO girl has mild Autism …and severe Apraxia. Talked at 5.5. Has mood swings. Very hyper. Major perseverating. Academics are very hard for her.
Can u tell me more about this Andy Cutler program and Biomed protocol ? Thanks
Hi Bushra, Can you tell me a little more about your chelation story? I’m seriously thinking about it. My son is 3 and half and even after a year of ABA and preschool isn’t saying anything.
Ms. Bushra,
Good day , hope you are fine with your child, can you give me some details guideline.
hello bushra,
my son is having major ASD ,non verbal and lot of issues yeast and sensory,what supplements should I use for speech and dev??its too late I have begun the journey of treatment
You should try Amy yasko’s protocol . It is not too late for your son to recover from autism.
Not saying it isn’t possible, but be careful! This woman thought her child was cured too: http://www.salon.com/2009/03/26/bauer_autism/
I have high hopes for the treatment and even cure for Autism, but I also understand there are no easy answers to such a complex problem. What works for one child may not work for them all.
We always say that each child is an individual and there is NO treatment that is right for every child with autism.
I have a unicorn too! Thanks for sharing your story. I would love to connect with people like you. I have a daughter who has been on the road to recovery. Ever so closer to symptom elimination. We are in a private school with no IEP. Biomed is so much work but worth it! People look at me strangely when I tell them her story and I can’t seem to persuade others that I know to do biomed. I get very frustrated seeing kids struggle. I want to save them all. I would love to be a speaker like you.
Hey Jen
Would you share more details pls? Like how long your journey has been and how long did it take for you guys to reach here, the key thing that worked for you… you mums who have had success with biomed healing don’t know how much hope you bring to ones like us who have just started treading on this tough, tough path.
xx
Please tell me what to do to recover my son
Start gfcf diet…digestive enzymes…then find naturopath doc trained in Defeat Autism Now DAN.
We’ve also had really great sucess. Still active treatment and in regular gRade one. ..have IEP but seeing that soon fading away where he won’t need it soon.
Find a Naturopathic doctor trained in Defeat Autism Now DAN. stick with treatment. ..follow diet. If one supplement doesn’t have desired effect don’t give up….these kids are overloaded with toxins and have compromised methylation process…Google it all …undestanding the science I found really motivating for me….but each kid is unique while some respond greatly to b12 injections others better response to glutathione. ..some have sensitivities to food additives colouring. . others it sulfates…some both.
Know any Drs who specialize in this in NYC??
Hi Cindy, I see Dr.Kenneth Bock in Red Hook, NY which is not that far from NYC. So far we have seen many Improvements.
what type of gluthanione did you use, my son has very low levels and high heavy metal levels. I am someway down the same road as you and your story is insperational.
Hi Mish and Renee:
Sure I can share some information. I have shared information on various web-sites, however, I never know if anyone actually follows up on trying any of the same things and I wish there was a more effective way to disseminate information to larger groups of people who are determined as I am. Even better would be if I could make a living somehow helping others.
My daughter is considered at the milder end of the spectrum. She is seven now, and in a private school with no interventions.
We had her diagnosed around 3, with PDD-NOS, SPD, and sleep disorder. Two different doctors diagnosed her so that we could be sure. PDD-NOS was an old diagnosis term.
It took us a long time to figure out how to help her. The Pediatricians are absolutely useless. Every one of them seemed to know nothing about autism. I have had four. I ended up seeking out an Occupational Therapist after reading about Sensory Processing Disorder online. That was where we started to get some help with her over sensitivities. She was so afraid of many things. Clothing was difficult. Little hurts were a very big deal. She toe walked. I was even sent to see a Podiatrist at one time for the toewalking. Ridiculous. My child rarely slept from the day she was born. This was a major part of her issues. Then we noticed that she was unusually smart at 18 months and could memorize the globe. Physically a bit delayed, but became very advanced with language. We later found out that her social skills as they related to language were not typical. Her gut hurt as a baby, and of course the doctor said that was normal. When breastmilk was slowing down and we had to switch to formula it was a disaster. She refused it and got so much worse. The doctor insisted that it wasnt allergies. He was very wrong. Then there was the OCD and repetition, including echolalia. OCD has come to be her biggest challenge to get over.
I could go on and on with these frustrations, but let me get to what has worked for us. Please keep in mind that every child with autism is different. They are like a biochemical puzzle that needs to be solved.
1. Diet control is number one. We first saw the milk allergy. And huge reactions to sugar, which she never had much of anyway. If a daycare gave a candy by accident, she was on the floor screaming. If I had been a typical parent giving candy to her all of the time, she would have been autistic forever. Do not give sugar. I repeat, do not give sugar nor any artificial food or dyes!!!!!!! She currently is gluten and milk free as well as a list of other foods she was tested for.
2. Early intervention and hit it hard before the age of 5. I learned this from a lady who gives speeches for Lovaas, an ABA company. We got in to ABA for 1 year at home. It was essential to managing behavior. We did OT for a couple of years for the sensory stuff. Then there were the myriad of social skills classes that have paid off in spades. PT and braces for the toewalking.
3. Connect with TACA to find a biomed doctor. We see Dr. Jessica Tran in Irvine. We drive to California once a year. Its expensive, but worth it. Dr. Tran has honed in on her allergy and gut issues. We are taking allergy drops and treating candida.
4. OATS test for everyone. OATS identified a severe serotonin deficiency. We have been taking Mindsoothe Jr. which has been a godsend. Serotonin is produced in the gut, it is an important neurotransmitter.
5. I delved in to Amy Yasko and sent in a blood sample. I couldnt make heads or tails of most of it, but I did understand that she had CBS gene issue and that pointed out 2 supplements that she could take. They helped her out immensely, huge gains from Vitamin K and ornithine.
6. I discovered phytoplankton by Oceans Alive and saw gains. She takes this daily.
I am currently not working and devote everything to making my daughter the best she can be. She is thriving socially and many people don’t believe her diagnosis. It takes a strong commitment to keep working at it and most give up very quickly and only want to do what is easy or the least required. That approach does not recover a child. Please let me know if anyone would like to learn more 🙂
Hi would love to talk.
Hi Jennifer! My name’s Cindy. I random found your forum. It is a big helpful for me. May you share some information about treatment for your daughter. My son recently is diagnosed asd. He is 3,7 now. Because his symptom similar your daughter. Get really bad allergy,afraid of many things, and has difficult to sleep. I have no one to ask for help. Would you please tell me more about Dr. Jessica Tran in Irvine. I have appointment with her next week. Thank you so much Jennifer!
Hi Jennifer!
May you please share some information about treatment with Dr. Jessica Tran in Irvine. My son symptom similar your daughter. He got really bad allergy, afraid of many things, and difficult to sleep. He is 3,5 now. Thank you so much!
May I ask you references about Dr. Jessica T ?
Hello Jennifer
I like your concern.. im so Overwelmed. I want to to boimed, problem I live in Jordan. Please could u save me and my 3 years old son from this nightmare. Could u give me some guidelines. I have been reading alot of books .
Please..
Hi Fathiya. Did you read my details that I had posted above? Are you able to try any of those things to start?
Hi Fathiya!
I think you are at an advantage because you are in Jordan. You can get raw camel milk. Google up “Camel milk Israeli study”. It’s a small sample study about 10 kids with different conditions such as severe allergies, autism, failure to thrive and all recovered after having raw camel milk (and nothing else) for about a month. Then they went back to typical foods except for the baby (he needed to continue supplementing with camel milk). Give your son camel colostrum. Liquid gold!
Fruits, veggies, fish, eggs, meat, only cook with clarified butter, pickled veggies that people from Sham are famous for, lots of raw milk, no artificial colours or flavours, NO flour or grain.
Hi,
My son who is 2 yrs and 7 months shows signs of autism. Hand flapping,making strange noise, almost has lost all of his speech,hitting himself,eye stims,sometimes walking on toes, always want to hold something in hand, poor eye contact,love to see his reflection,limited play,no social interaction.I am a working mom who cannot quit job.
Waiting for a diagnosis which is going to take some time. Don’t want to wait for anything but help my son as soon as possible. Any suggestions please, I am extremely worried as he is my only son. He was a very bright child before getting into this, meeting all his milestones on time. I cud hardly breast feed him(once a day that too only for two months) feeding was always a problem. Struggled to but every bit of food in his mouth for almost a year and half. Now he eats well but hasn’t gained any weight in a year. Is on 4th centile on weight chart. Never had constipation. Poops 2-3 times daily.(He eats good enough to poop 2 or 3 times)
I really need help plzzz.
Divya
Divya, pick up the book Outsmarting Autism by Patricia Lemer RIGHT NOW, and follow her steps. There is a lot you can do without a diagnosis. Also, depending upon where you are, given your son’s very slow growth, you should try to get in to see a MAPS doctor or a functional medicine practitioner as soon as possible. Chances are very, very good that your son’s digestion is very, very off and that should be your first concern. In the meantime, you might want to start with digestive enzymes (as described in the book Enzymes for Autism and Other Neurological Disorders), probiotics, and a diet change. Given your son’s size issues, you might want to look specifically at the Gut & Psychology Book by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. And possibly most importantly, find yourself a group either locally or on Facebook where you can share progress and support. Good luck!
Thank you very much for your quick reply.I am trying to follow what you have suggested. Will order the books asap(I watched Patricia Lemer’s videos on YouTube today and each and every word of what she said make sense to me) and trying to finds a good nutritionist in my city(I live in Cork, Ireland) The only biggest obstacle I am facing is my husband who still is in a denial mode and not ready to take a step further untill diagnosis is done(which is on the 17th oct) I am trying to convince him in every possible way I can to set a plan and start our own home based bio-med intervention. He thinks I am extremely negative and have concluded that our son is autistic. 🙁
I have lost the peace of my mind,cannot concentrate on anything else except that I want my boy back. I am determined to bring him back….!!
Have started giving him vitamin C, multivitamin and omega 3. Wanted to know if I need to give him a higher dose of these or just what’s mentioned on the bottles??
Can you please suggest me the tests that should be done to know Gut issues and presence of heavy metals in the body?
It doesn’t matter whether the diagnosis is autism or not. Your child’s functioning is impaired, and the treatments are the same whether a full-on autism diagnosis is involved or not. I hope your husband can see that. After all, you both want your child to have as many choices are your child is capable of, right?
Digestive enzymes, magnesium bygliscinate, and probiotics are a great start too…start gfcf diet…find naturopath doc trained in Defeat Autism Now DAN.
Hi
My name is Geraldine. We are doing biomeds with our son Dylan. We seen a difference and just started in July. Did you find someone to do your biomeds tests . I’m from Galwat
Hi everyone,
I have 4 sons. My youngest son was diagnosed with Autism in March. He is 4 years old. In 2008 I had a very bad systemic candida infection after taking antibiotics. I was so sick no one knew what was wrong with me until I went to an ENT who put a scope up through my nose and down my throat and said your covered in yeast. This was left untreated for months. Finally, I was prescribed Nystatin and the main symptoms went away. I thought I was cured. To make a long story short I got pregnant with my 4th son in 2011 – normal pregnancy. He looked like a big 9lb 2oz healthy baby boy. My first C-section. He was kept in NICU for 5 days due to fluid in lungs. I noticed right away he was very jumpy. The slightest sound would startle him. As a mother of now 4 boys – I knew there was something wrong. He had many “yeasty” things happening, he was prescribed Nystatin for thrush at 2 years old, nystatin cream for rashes. I passed him my candida infection that was still in my body. His weight has also been a big issue. He is 100 pounds at 4 years old! He does not eat enough to be as big as he is. His weight has been a steady gain since his first doctor visit. We’ve been to the best genetics doctors, nutritionist, NO ONE can tell me why my boy is so big. We started the gfcf diet in March – no corn, soybean, sugar. I’ve seen more language but it stopped progressing. He’s been on DHA (Fish oil) since a year old along with magnesium, probiotic, multi vitamin. We started to see Dr. Sidney Baker (DAN Doc) who started him on anti-fungal meds. We are on anti-fungal #3. I did see changes with diluflican (fluconazole). Symptoms (hand flapping, eyelash pulling) seem to worsen but Dr. Baker said it was die-off and to give Activated Charcoal to absorb the toxins. Next we will be starting EDTA-DMSA chelation therapy. I was wondering if anyone has used hyperbaric oxygen therapy – if so have you seen any progress? He has been receiving OT, PT and speech since 3 years old also a behavior therapist. We are now also having ABA therapist come to the house. I’m am so glad I found this forum. I have been doing this myself since March and am determined to heal my boy. I need to join a support group. Please excuse any typos – I typed this fast.
How do I email this person on this article ? Who is the person telling this story ? What is the recovery steps & process ? What products do I buy ? Please help
It’s not my story but I have similar results- find naturopath trained in biomedical treatment for autism.
If you can then there is lots of info out there. ..gfcf diet, gaps diet, scd diet (all of these have good results)…adding in vitamins is important but each child’s deficiency or “inability to utilize certain vitamins ” is unique to that child. Good for all:
Digestive enzymes
Probiotics
Fish oil
Multi b
Magnesium
Glutithione
Vitamin c
Methylcobolm b12
Read and learn about “forms of vitamins “…Google : “best form of b12” for example
Adding in vitamins should be done one at time…add one for 2 weeks watch results. .then add another…take notes.
Read and learn about “candida yeast/autism and candida yeast die offs”
Read and learn about “clostridia bacteria and autism”
The effort is worth it. This isn’t a cure it’s a specific type of treatment for children who’s gut flora are compromised and who’s bodies are riddled with food sensitivities, inflammation and toxins they can’t flush….it’s all connected to the brain.
Read and learn about “gut brain connection and autism”
Get allergy tests through MD. Get IGG blood allergy tests through naturopath.
It’s hard work. ..harding than dealing with an autistic meltdown everyday…but it’s positive and it’s helping your child so it’s rewarding and each improvement in symptoms is a sign of healing…and each improvement makes the next step easier…keep trying.
Hi,
When you say Digestive enzymes, can you recommend what is the best. My son just turned 2 and has ASD. He is currently receiving biomedical treatment. So far he is taking
Glutathione
Cal/Mag
Omega 3
Probiotics
Soon going to be B12 shots
Ive been reading about Digestive enzymes, and how much the children are improving w them. However, I wanted to know what brand is the best out there.
Two of the brands that a lot of people have found very helpful are Houston Enzymes and Enzymedica. They both have enzymes specifically designed to break down the proteins from gluten and casein that so many children find problematic. The enzymes are not a replacement for a good diet, but they can be VERY helpful. You can call either of them for help on the best way to introduce them, but it would be a good idea to read Enzymes for Autism and Other Neurological Conditions by Karen DeFelice.
hi:
did you do chelation at any point with your child. I am thinking of detoxifying my son he is eleven years old. but cannt decide whether to do ACC or homeopathy.
was lucky to notice ASD in my son and to read about glutton dairy and sugar free diet to bring back my boy.
Symptoms noticed @2.5 years old
1) not responding to name 9 out of 10 times
2)no eye contact
3) only two word doggy n daddy
4) absorbed in a toy , oblivious to surrounding
5)not social
6)hand flapping, walking on toes, drunk behaviour, moving head in repetitive motion
7)looking from the corner of eyes while walking/running
8) tummy soar -gas- wind
9) pulling through finger to get his needs met
10) flickering light switches
11)obsession with lights, stairs
12)no pretend play
13) grunting and funny sounds
14)gnashing teeth
15) biting fingers when agitated
16)laid back and very independent
17) only nursery rhymes and counting but no real words appropriate to situation
18) fussy eater
19)scared from water
20)unhappy in the park,scarf from social situations
21) scratching inner elbows and under knees
22)choked nose runny nose most of time
24)laughing unnessarily,in the middle of night or watching wheels
25)movement or circles ,washing machine,top etc getting excited
My son was going to full time nursery since aged 18 months and I spoke to nursery but they did not help him socialise rather I felt he regressed what he had learnt by age 18 months.
The changes I had to make to turn around the negative situation.
1) full time home stay
2) gfcf and sugar free diet
3)enriched diet and activities
Son was able to concentrate and I could see the fog lifted within a week.
Now to develop from where he left 18months I introduced changes
3) removed all musical and blocks toys except cycles
4) introduced trampoline, tent,doll house and painting and writing board,
5)involving him into everything I do, cooking, cleaning etc and playing doll games despite he keeps dropping dolls
6)taking him to the park, giving olive oil massage and bath everyday- gentle massage on back and head .
7)stimulating through taking him to shops,child groups and story times
8)never leaving him alone to do anything he likes (repetitive play)
9)always following his lead and joining in as if I am a sibling
10) giving lots of eye contact and pointing out to the things to show him ( role modelling )
11) rewarding with cookie if he shows good behaviour
12) repeating everything he says and adding words to it
13) tickle time to make him laugh through stimulations
14) playing blink eye or imitation games, such as hang togue etc,imitating him,showing him in the mirror
15) lots of praise on every word used in a new situation
16) telling that mummy is angry, or u r angry, or happy, and actually being angry on repetitive behaviour and telling him it’s bad habit and unacceptable. He gets the vibes and learning, we are the gardeners and we can’t let child grow like a bush (freely) got partner on board and set the boundaries.
17) set examples of me and my partner speaking in looking into eyes and I speaking to other children looking into eyes
18) every eye contact rewarded by a smile- a hug- or a complement that I love u when u see me like this.
Results yield:
1) first week of cfdf and sugar free (limited sugar) (I also eliminate mushroom ,Apple ,grapes and apricot, yeast free diet) yeast free because of child was scratching ,son came out of fog and started enjoying bath and park except one occasion when I thought to give up because son was foggy and disinterested and only after analysing his food cupboard found out a cookie was gluten free but not a dairy free.
2) I gained hopes and followed strict diet,made putties of spinach add to his favourite pastas and fed him live bio almond yogurt to help his gut. This worked as a miracle .
3) prayed to Lord Jesus to help me and my son and that led me enlightened to add brain developing food
( cabbage , avocado, vitamin d drops, carrots) as well as lentils, home made wraps of amaranth , corn flour. There was no gas and child ate well , mangos ,berries banana, almond and coconut milk, rice all kind of meat and vegetable with grains beans and lentils, in a texture he likes (pates) and mix with something the child liked. Added ginger,termeric, kalongi (onion seeds) garlic, coriander, mint ( in almost every meal). Turmeric helps with brain memory and garlic ginger onion mint are good for gut cleaning and increasing antibodies and killing viruses
(Assumption was if he had got ASD due to MMR vaccination)
4) child started sleeping well – that helped to grow his brain
5) son started to give more eye contact , talk more, repeat things and all the symptoms of ASD disappeared as they were never there.
6) since this fog has delayed his development got a SALT once a week to help and also increased physical activity time from 1 hour to 2 hours park,cycling etc that resulted him reaching the age appropriate milestone for gross motor skills and language skills- kept body warm in cold. Having no runny and choked nose made his brain function well.
Now with gods blessings and the online community and parents help who wrote their experiences on blogs, our son is fully normal with no show of any signs from 1-24. He is no more into his own world mainly because I changed his diet as well as environment. I never allow him to sit and play alone( build walls around him to stimulate himself) unfortunately nurseries can’t give your child what u can. And the tip of getting your child back is good cfgf sugar and yeast free ,rich diet, dose of oxytocin and oxygen by taking child to open places,let him run and breath fresh air,massage his body, never ever leave child play alone or play repetitively ( if each effort is not about refining skills it’s building a wall between him and boring environment
.always engage, and keep stimulating ,follow the lead and enjoy. I hope this will help your child to realise too that world is not a lonely place and they r wanted and someone can bring them back to real world ,you.
Our ASD son wanted him not to be left among toys or nursery ,I sacrificed my six figures salary to bring back my priceless son and I give him what I failed to give him in early years, a gfcf diet n lots of attention .now he is in a mainstream school and absolutely normal.its very hard to keep toddler engaged with you but it’s better to suffer short term than to let child and yourself suffer through the life.
The key is cfgf yfsf diet ( home cooked lentils chicken, wraps ) never leave child alone with a toy n lots of physical activities. Wish all the parents good luck . I m superstitious as well , I thought evil eye was causing this,so I pray to God everyday to keep my son safe from all evils. This kept me positive that my son will be fine and thanks be to lord now he is)
That’s great Livi. Would you be okay if I email you for some tips and about the details of what I’m doing with my son?
Yes my email is [email protected]
Is this your story ? Please how do I recovery my son ? He’s 5 I’m in desperate need of your help .. Ty soooo much
Hi
I have3.3 yr old son. Although they are refraining from giving him any diagnosis now, I know he is on spectrum.
I tried dairy free diet for a month without any difference. I tried gluten free fir almost 10 days but no results. Rather going gluten free made him very sad n irritable as wheat is our staple diet. Do u think I tried enough?
Pls tell me about massage techniques?
I have also decided to quit my job to give him more time but he doesn’t really involve in house chores. He wd play for 5-10 min n then wd just leave. He has speech h delay n doesn’t like me helping him with anything. He wd hit and simply not listen.not interested in kida Any suggestions?
Rigid diet is the key. We give probiotic yogurt (alpro cfgf gluten free) and banana to son to compensate calcium. Formal diagnosis takes long time that’s why I quit my job and fully involved with my son.
1) speech delay : salt suggested to take a lead from child. If he is interested in washing machine , that’s the opportunity to interact with him and say it’s round and let’s put cloths in etc etc.
2) speak simple language and label names by pointing out and repeat .
ie; while walking in park. “Point / say word/ branch/ touch it, break it / give him a branch and say this is a branch.
3)label – label -label/ point – point- point
4) break down concepts use in different scenarios.
Car – point- go- car go— zoom
Our son was itchy inside of elbows and under knees. That’s caused by yeast – as DAN expert believe. So we cut down yeast and child condition disappeared.
Always remember CFGF and sugar free diet- I. Asian countries like Japan China India etc is the common diet. Replacement are
Rice-
Lentils
Yam, lentil,juwar flour to make pan cakes.
Fruits
Meat
Wish you good luck I hope your son get cured with gods blessings.
Massage:
Grapeseed/ olive oil massage after bath. My son cried as he did not like it initially but got used to it later.
On the back gentle massage avoiding spine. Then Legs and arms for a circulation. Head massage after hair are dry running through fingers gently without oil. It does not have to be exact as long as it’s gently done for blood circulation. You can see YouTube massage technique for toddlers.
Hi Living
I’ve emailed you a few days ago.
Are you on FB ? Also can you please tell me what to use on my 5 year old son he’s severe & im trying to recover him ty so much , do you have a book or direct link to you and your advice , I need to know what to order & how much to give , ty
Hi livi how long you follow that diet and training?
It is intense training and rigid diet. Did not leave my son in nursery even for 2 hours as SALT suggested .
Doing it since 3 months and he is still lagging behind but not autistic and catching up with milestones. Today he initiated – simple Simon says game. Still doing lots of play dates.
Other Things included
Praising ,I love you when you look into my eyes ( to increase eye contact)
Playing interactive game – my hand, husband hand -sons hand over it.
Showing him more interaction outside his world ( I am not a robot to fulfil his needs – he needs training to know how people interact) making him sit on me while I talk to friends and husband.
Removing any toy he gets used to too much in the day time( softy) toys only come out when I want to play.
Setting an example :pushing car to my friend/ husband and he push back towards me. Then son gets the car While I Pushing car towards him and encouraging to push back.
I read somewhere for autistic child self stimulate so much they block any outside learning opportunity ( passive learning) – so if I want to teach him Something I do it with my friend/husband ,laugh, play and make him watch me, until he himself ready to get involved.
It’s diet as well as changing his habits of self stimulations.
hi livi,
what is your milk substitute for your son? im starting to take away her dairy. i used coconut milk, she doesnt like. is rice milk okay?
Thank you.
Coconut milk – very little to use in cereals
Calcium needs are supported by banana and alpro (cfgf) yogurt.
Key is never leave child alone ( locking himself out- self soothing)
My son used to wriggles fingers or laughs to sooth himself- now we sing and tap( outside of his own world stimulations ) brought him back to our bed mostly.
Sorry I meant to say rice milk is fine as well as almond milk/ coconut milk/ some soya milk. Buy unsweetened version and it still does not work the. Tip is add honey to make it bit sweet if u have to.
I forgot to mention
I gently massage his body (not touching the spine but around the spine) and head once a day.idea is this provides Skin to skin contact as well helps blood circulation and it is said the ASD children have lack of neuro transmission- this might help his small body to get the electones in his brain functioning well. My husband was involved in programming brain scanner. The imbalance in the body chemicals can produce brain map functioning. So limit any preservative rich food and massaging helps natural detoxification. Gentle massage – check children massage on YouTube – to do it right.
Hi livi, This is very inspirational! I am just wondering if you made any therapy aside from diet? I am planning to leave my job as well for my Son who is for sure will be diagnose, I have seen a lot of signs and very hopeful to get the same outcome as yours.
Notes: copy of mail to others in similar situation.
We did not do anything except change of diet and play routines
1) our son also did grinding teeth etc and had no digestion issues at all never
We thought biomedical treatment is not for us we did only and only diet with lots of Outside Stimulation.
The autism is a combination of diet, brain and habit of child Self Stimulation to a point they become prisoner to their own world and learn only limited skills from outside. It can be saved. Brain is 60% fat , introduce brain developing diet , seeds, avocado, cabbage, liver, vitamin d etc
Sometimes children seek lots of stimulation and they don’t get from home and nursery environment then they close up and self stimulate to a point they become prisoner in their own body / world and don’t learn passively since they are too active in their on world.
Well, saying so
Your son has autism( curable ) he will improve . Before age 3 any child can improve. Our son started coming out of fog and became normal in intensive 3 months and we still kept him on diet , any time we change it or let him be booted he starts showing mild symptom again.
So we will wait till 6 when his gut is presumably repaired to reintroduce gluton,
Remember a stitch in time saves 9.
So be ready for this battle against autism and you will have a normal child. It’s hard, it’s extremely hard but it’s rewarding.
Our child was regressed n saying 2 words daddy n doggy – within 3 months of extensive help physical, mental, psychological and emotional – he started speaking in 3 word sentences. And is a normal child again.. It’s possible n u can save your child.
Additional info copied from mail:gave egg to the son everyday ( almost) egg white is calcium and yolk is protein it has omega 3 as well.
Some dietician might have said no due to religious reason . But I doubt if it’s health issue.
Secondly – you can give sauerkraut for probiotic and also make almond yoghurt in home ( google)
Orange – peal and remove the white parts – give I. Small juicy chunks ( one orange a day ) until his stomach gets better.
Remember we need to avoids the tablets ( and try to replace them with fruit and veg)
If you can make maiz pan cake. ( mix paste of spinach etc)
Banana is calcium and 1 a day is perfect . Corn is perfectly fine to give as well.
I honestly will say you got to change your dietician as
Corn and banana are casin /gluton free.
I am just telling you from my own experience that the variety of fruits and veg and specially banana and eggs ( means dairy is replaced)
You might be able to get sugar free corn flakes- and banana has natural sugar that does not make a child hyperactive anyway.
ADHD and hyperactive is caused by refined sugary drinks and food .
My son had autism only and was not hyperactive but we give limited refined sugar stuff.
If you are religious then with gfdf diet and enhancing child’s experiences ( taking him to library museum beach etc) speaking to him on his eye level- arranging play dates etc etc you can pray and remove evil eye( call me superstitious) I did everything and anything I thought might make a difference.
I .
Seeds/nuts that you can make paste
3-4 pcs a day any nut
Walnut
Almond
Cashew nut
Pistachio
Flaxseed
Pumpkin seed
Tomato ( without seed )
Avocado
Cabbage
Sweet potato
All these food make brain work better and give protein that builds brain.
hope your child gets well soon. And there is a hope and yes prayer and food works.
Xx love
Useful info for fussy eater, copied mail
Dear Xyz
The good news is your son has a particular choice ( mashed ) my son liked pates.
The things really worked for us putting right kinda nutrients in him was
1) healthy food ( meat, pulses, beans, veggies )
In a shape he liked .
We made a ( hidden vegetable sauce that goes with pasta etc)
2) try to spoon feed your child ( once he is grown , it won’t matter weather he ate or you spoon fed)
3) we try to feed and when he is in interested we put his favourite cartoon and feed . He complies.
4)mixing new food with his favourite food ( beans + mince)
Peanut butter toast ( strawberry paste)
Try little quantity of new food in the start and keep increasing the quantity as he keeps accepting it to a level he can accept.
5) over the counter vitamin d oil drops ( 4 drops a day on his favourite spoonful meal)
6) if you r Christian pray then pray to God and in jesus name ask the ignorance and mental illness evils to leave childs body and never come back. Words are so powerful that negativity will leave the body and your son will be healed inside out.
7) one big tip: mix mix mix new things to his favourite meals. Make it fun- appreciate applaud
8) food that enhance brain
Day 1:Walnut ( make a powder and mix with his purees )
Day2: pistachio paste
Pumpkin seed paste
Cashew nuts paste
Almond paste
Try to give maximum 4-5 pcs a day ( dry fruit have warm effect and can cause problem if given regularly in large quantity)
Balance is moto
Oil ( brain is 65% made of fats)
Olive oil
Organic coconut oil
Grapeseed oil
( slightly frid bread ( looks like toast)
Don’t over feed artificial things ( fake butter etc)
Pancake ( soft pancake with amaranth : juwar/ yam etc etc glutin free flour – one egg- some salt .
Salt / honey : it makes food tasty for children
Tomato / liver/ sweet potato/ cabbage are brain strengthening food. Try to make and give in small quantity mixed to his favourite food.
Cfgf can take bit effort – but remember a little effort now saves you and your son a lot of effort later. Try to make large quantity and save in fridge so u always have something to feed.
When children don’t like a food and don’t eat – this shrinks their stomach and next day they don’t want to eat just because stomach is shrunk.
In order to get a healthy hungry child ( feed him – no matter what at regular times and also before dinner and lunch take him for walk or make him jump on trampolin ( we got small 2×2 feet trampolin in our living room )
Regular meal times are the key to keep child’s hunger eat cycle going . No snack in between. No sugary drink with food- child will taste contrast and won’t like food .
9am breakfast
10:30 snack
12:00 lunch
3:00 snack
5:30/6:00 dinner
Before sleep supper
I hope your child gets better soon . May god bless you and Living God will show his miracle to cure your child and bring him back and by giving him wisdom .
X
Lots of love
Thank you Livi,you are awesome. May God bless you
Stimulation how to give what little bud wants…copy of mail
Dear xyz
Yes I arrange play dates and no baby sitter. During healing .i asked almost any parent in the park- library etc I saw of similar age child to come over for tea. ( did not told why- just said my son is shy or tired when he did not looked or respond)
Now considering to have nanny for few hours. I however took home help( cooking cleaning)
I took son out to the library- story time museum etc twice a week. This helped creating new Neuron connection- hubby worked on brain scanner and told that brain has waves ( I also started co sleeping so the child feels safe and my – superstition – skin to skin helps in early days so might be it will help him while he is still younger- don’t know I went crazy and did every and anything I thought might help as well as gfdf diet. . The more outside stimulation ( new experiences ) the quicker and better is the recovery.
Act out loud. For example say Oh sweet you need help. And going to the child’s level so he has not to raise head all the time when you speak to him .
SALT mentioned to take child’s lead in teaching new experiences .
Just an update : I felt comfortable thinking his gut might have healed I tried ice cream ( dairy ) last week and son was chocked nose as well as spinning and not really himself . So don’t know how long he has to go gfdf. 2 days after that ice cream cleared out of his system and he was normal again. That explain something that doctors don’t agree. Only parent can witness and claim- how important the diet is.
Joint attention – how to encourage.. Info Copy from sent email
Hi ya
The things we did to get joint attention is
1) nursery rhymes on the iPad / phone – he comes to see and sits on the lap then we keep pointing out to the things like – teddy bear – that’s light etc etc
We exaggerate laugh and also point out angry or happy emotions
Pretend play :
Doll house : feeding dolls, feeding dig, feeding teddy
SALT ( speech and language therapist
Henan organisation ( Google for tips)
Speech tethers post told us to koi whatever he is interested in and we just join him and start labelling objects
Keep him involved: make him laugh ( I say where is your belly button and tickle him)
Children need to laugh if they don’t then will laugh like mad ( my son was laughing in the middle of night or staring at roof without any reason and smiling)
You got to take that thing out of him.( outside stimulation to make him laugh) outside stimulation to make him sleep
Never ever letting him feel bored( or at least try to)
Fingers movement staring is because he is not getting attention ( buy finger paint / involve his hands on messy play) involve in household tasks , putting plates away , running washing machine etc.
Keep him busy. World is outside his mind ( only if he has opportunity to explore and interact)
Don’t try to push him what you want to do rather join him what he is doing and play turn games.
Give him happy stable environment and model it.
Joint attention while watching things
Invite him to show things ( that might be interesting for him too)
you son is on the way and will recover fully – you are doing the right things keep feeding him brain enhancing food .
Xx
Love
Signs of self stimulation – discussed on email copy.
Dear xyz
I can understand how hard it is , since I m still on it… Every day it start with struggle and ends with constant struggle. My son is not showing signs any more but he starts showing if I leave him dwell into toys.
So I aim to keep going until he is fully out of this Self soothing things.It’s extremely hard. The best is arrange play dates with other kids and let them entertain your sonfor a bit, that will take off burden from your shoulder. I am loosing every day money which is not great, I can’t work from home ( business ) since every moment I am busy doing my things he goes to do his things …
I spoke to the dr she said
Spinning
Involuntary laughing
Tip toes
Squirming fingers near eyes
Repitative movements
Flickering light switches
Etc etc ( all were present In My son)
These all are self stimulations – so I try to give outside stimulation all the time ( or bring new toys so he could play with me)
It’s heck of a tiring job but only if I could teach him to be receptive. Which he is learning but he still got a long time to unlearn self stimulation .
I read somewhere – blog- that all children start the same but some children for some reason learn to self stimulate and when left alone/ un attentive they dwell into this . This makes their active intelligence higher but passive intelligence low.
For short time it works better but in the long run they can only evolve as much I their head.
It’s through passive intelligence ( learning from environment by passively taking in ) that the children learn social skills , language and act like other people when they are older.
But active inside makes them shut down to passive learning so they don’t learn much and end up social incapable.
Saying so- you know where is the door and what’s they key.
I read a research paper said that ASD children showed improvement when given social stimulations.
Doctors don’t believe in gfdf diet since no research pharmaceutical companies have spent millions of pounds to get the evidence collected. Since their is no benefit for the pharma companies to do such research . So doctors can’t suggest you cfgf diet since their is no proven ( researched ) evidence.
But their had been so many parents who got their children back by reversing the wheel.
1) good news early diagnosis by parents is best – doctors take ages .
2) if he takes only milk
Replace it with soya / almond/ coconut milk
Children like sweetness so buy unsweetened milk and add honey to it
3) flaxseed , avocado,fish oil, fish ,pumpkin seed, tomato, cabbage, carrot sweet potato all these are brain developing food – a child brain grows up till 3 very fast then slows down. So everyday is important.
4) make smoothies-
5) find out if child like puréed then make purees.
Whatever he likes add these supper food to it.
My son likes ham I put a paste of avocado in ham and hid it so he eats.
He likes bread- I buy glutinfree or make at home and wrap around cabbage .
So you got to be creative .
Whole day stimulation
1) I take child out for story- circus- zoo- shops- pay money through his hands
2) hold in my arms while I invite friends and I talk he is listening – if he runs away I make sure I am in the same room so he passively listens to while I talk to my friends ( I started inviting more )
3) I take him to the park- if I see similar age child I go to the parent introduce myself and my son and ask the parent where they live and their child name. After few minutes ask their phone number for a play date.
4) there are council toddler groups I take them to that places
Booking him for the swimming
1) I bought a kitchen , doll house, trampoline, shop and tent, play dough, board and pens, colours and papers. Everyday I do one activity from the above .i keep other things hidden otherwise he loses interest .
2) initially he was not participating so I started playing myself he observed – eventually he started playing as well.
3) still on strict diet
4) still stimulating all the time through play / talk/ chores
5) pretty normal now – hitting all milestones but still goes back to self stimulation repetitive mode when left unattended . So now working on and will keep doing it until he forgets to self stimulation .
6) I put a tin he can’t open and then when he can’t open I come and say I will help you. And helped him. Same way I try to be present in any situation so he gradually learnt to look for me when in doubt.
7) food is what is going to built their brain brains .60% is fat. So include olive oils – nuts ( cashew , pistachio, fish , avocado ) paste and mix in whatever he likes .make sure to do in a balanced way.
8) build his habit for looking outside stimulation by providing it all the time, bring a toy and play with him, when you won’t , he will come to play with you.
I hope it helps
Xx prays and love
Update : No SALT, no signs of autism or any odd behaviour except when we I give him gluton/ his nose gets chocked and behaviour not his happy himself. Alone time reintroduced in a balance of 2 hours a chunk in morning and 2 hours in afternoon.
Can be left alone – plays pretend play like making lamps with stick and pen cap. Holding a bowl on head as a helmet. Jumping on trampolin , cooking, making a tent etc
Learned example were given by going to creative art – messy play sessions . Lots of pretend play with son . Example. Putting a cup on spoon calling it ” like a lamp” putting a bowl on lidle calling it ” like a lamp” pointing to it. He never responded but he took it in.
I never knew he was learning.
If left alone for longer period 3-4 hours a chunk
*can go spinning wheel when caught, he says” spinning wheel is a bad habit” and leaves it.
On balanced alone time 2 hours (aprox) he gets bored
•brings a book to share interest
•Asks to put a teddy bear song or postman pat
•pretend play- break things try to fix and sometime successfully fix it.
Only tv shows allowed ( post man pat/ raggy dolls before sleeping or nursery rhymes at time of eating ( if fuss)
So my overtime hard work period ended.
Now creative self exploration pretended games are replaced by his repetitive self stimulating behaviour. ASD symptoms was a nightmare a nightmare that can be ended as if it was never there .
Hi Livi, Garima and everyone else,
How are your kids doing? We are doing a little better at behaviours but still no speech at all. Also, we have managed to potty train so it’s a big plus. Touchwood.
Hi livi,
M also following gfcfsy diet ..but most of d time i need to thnk what shud i give? Is that ok for u to share some recipe names?nd other therapies than speech ,ot?
Hi ya,
We only have SALT one hour in 2 weeks time. That’s gearing for social games now, since son has caught up with language etc.
Recipes Google
1) steak/ fish /chicken ( meat) with mashed potatoes + green veg
2) gluton free pasta
3) risotto rice celery/ courgette
4) soups ( bone marrow + lentil)
5) gluton free wrap
6)pan cakes ( gluton free flour) + sesame seed ( I mix it)
7)cabbage and potato ( favourite)
8)tomato and pepper soup
9) bio coconut yogurt banana dessert
10) gluton free custard n Apple( limited amount)
11) cashew nuts, raisins,
12) gluton free oat / coconut milk porridge with – flaxseed, walnut powder, honey
9) gluton free cheese / ham – gluton free pizza base
10)fish cake
11) Spanish omelette ( change ingredient )
13) gluton free rice crispies/ corn flakes with strawberries, pealed peaches, mango etc
14) avocado ham wrap
15) meatballs ( I mix spinach paste)
16) spaghetti meat bolognies
17) lentil carrot soup
18)rice noodles with prawns
19) sausage ( check if wheat free) casserole
20) gluton free macroni cheese with chips
21) liver bacon dish with rice
Mixing various seeds/ turmeric powder in food on daily basis .
Going out is simple as well
We have mainly sugar free diet but sometimes rules can be broken
21) some specialists shops do gluton free /dairy free cakes
22) dairy free ice creams ( la favourita/ nandos)
23) we don’t give yeast ( bread ) to son- he eats home made pan cakes , super market rice cakes etc
Our son used to eat pates n pastes , initially I made things in that forms
Gradually started introducing new food by mixing or giving alongside his favourite . Now he eats the food we eat ( gluton free dairy free in normal shape)
He knows how to eat by using fork but he picks up his favourites so I spoon feed him when I m introducing something new or when I feel he will leave out portions of food for example lettuce .
I know for sure nurseries won’t have time to feed him this way that only family can .
It’s hard work but in the long term worth time and effort putting into. I hope this help n wish speedy recovery.
Hello levi, I admire your faith I also believe in God. I am having some behavioural issues with my son, I am ready to sacrifice my job to bring him back. Please is there a way I can reach you? Perhaps through email. Will be more than grateful if you reply me. Thanks God bless
Please note: [email protected]
Update after few good years
My son was diagnosed ASD at age 4 but now dr think he may have misdiagnosed and might have only slight language delay.
He is in school( mainstream )and is performing very well in academics has a good behaviour in class and still a lot to catch up with social skills.
He stared cycling without balance wheels 4.5 age, is level 4 skiing and doing ok in gymnastics and music. Reads simple stories writes his name and letters .. was assessed by an education psychologist who said he was above average in literacy and numeracy – his behaviour in the class is cheerful , happy and complying with instructions.
Just turned 5.
Still I think I have to keep him really busy so he does not fall in the loop of ( ASD ) behaviour.
Sometimes if I am too busy or tired and he is seeking stimulation he can go self stimulation repetitive behaviour ( playing music, or play dough or blender non stop)
This happens 10% of time. Other times he pretend plays , makes cakes bring it to me to eat, ask me to play hide and seek with him, draws , or brings his school work and shows me to help him with. At home speaks fully , sings songs etc but outside is too shy or reserved and does not speak.
We are encouraging him to buy things and ask him to talk to others …he can ask for things of his need , so we r not worried.
No SALT.
In his spare time we have to keep him stimulated to take him out of the shell…. and fill his day with something outside of his own zone and body.
Monday – yoga
Tuesday – lego
Wednesday – park or soft play
Thursday – park or softplay
Friday – craft
Sat – music
Sunday – skiing
These classes or activities are only 45 min each day. Apart from music which is 2.5 hrs – just to give him enough of stimulation…
Rest of the time school , home and play..
So there is hope of recovery if u start early… keep him physically and mentally stimulated.
And don’t leave him alone to self stimulate.. nurseries are pretty awful to do that… s haze it’s easy.
Massage his feet – few nights in a week ( tip toe – there is a reason in feet ), Nicola tesla – famous inventor used to move his toes up and down and he thought it was connected with brain functioning – I heard my Asian friend was getting her speech delayed son reflexology so I started massaging my son’s feet recently.
OT at home playing circling right 1 min rest and then left, hanging upside down – dad plays rough house ( inner ear problem causes children seeking physical stimulation , looking from corner of eye etc)
Mainly gluten free- eats everything – dairy is introduced by following dairy ladder as dietician advised us.
Thanks for sharing your story. It is really encouraging. I am really in a desperate situation now. Can I get a one on one chat with you through email.
Thx for writing this article. I can see the signs that I fit somewhere onto that autism spectrum, and I think that my being born premature and having not the right positive germies in my body has the part of the cause in itself.
I’m excited that the things called ‘Modifilan’ and ‘Spirulina’ and ‘Moringa’ and ‘Bio-kult’ stand a chance to help me to become very much more healthy and happy.
I’m not that bothered anymore by the fact that I didn’t learn a lot of social skills growing up. Instead I spent that time reflecting on the truth, reflecting on duty, and reflecting on self-responsibility. Those to me are gigantically valueable, even more so than being able to walk into any place and make instant jokes that give my existence a false sense of validation from others’ approval.
Still, it’d be really awesome to get my whole personality on the total up-and-up. Thx again. It’s going to be hard work, but I know that it’s going to be worth it.
Good luck, Tyler! We at TMR wish you well!
My son is six. He regressed just before two. Totally tuned out for an entire year and was given autism diagnosis. He went to autism preschool and I worked and worked with him by entering his world. My mom says I brought him out. He is now a typical, stellar kindergarten student. My younger son is now four. He is non-verbal. He recently received diagnosis as well. This kid is following his brother’s path (it’s eerie the similarities). I am going to recover him as well. I’ve got nay-sayers all over the place telling me my older son did not have autism to begin with. He most certainly did. And my younger one most certainly does…RIGHT NOW.
Hi Kellie
I love it when you say you entered his world and brought him out. How do I do that? My son is 2 years 7 months and non verbal. He relies on me so much for emotional support that I truly believe if anyone can bring him out of his dark world, it’s me.
Hoping to hear from you.
xx
Read “Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues” http://www.amazon.com/Son-Rise-Barry-Neil-Kaufman/dp/0915811618
and check into the Autism Treatment Center of America. The child that the book was about is all grown up now and running the treatment center.
Thanks. I live on the other side of the planet in dubai and have no way of attending the Son Rise programme in the US. We are lucky to have found a doc in india who believes in bio meds and have started our son on gfcf diet, super nu thera, dmg, reduced l gluthathione. We are about to begin a course of probiotics and antifungal soon. We are also doing ABA therapy but it costs an arm and a leg and ‘intensive’ still just means 8 hrs a week.
I am searching for every little piece of advice on the net so that i can join his world. Having seen videos on YouTube I have been playing with my son, following his lead. As a mother, I beg anyone and everyone to share anything they find useful that can help me recover my child.
Hi,
Please share some tips also. My daughter has autism too. I’m wondering what happened to her right now, she doesn’t eat anymore. She play with food I give her.
mish i m from dubai as well .if u would like tk write for me pricob_raluca@ yahoo.com
Can you please give me the details of the dr in India
Hi Kellie..many blessings to you..please share the method in which you are using to help your children..i would love to follow your story..i believe from readings that my grandson may have autism..he’s non verbal and Im seeing concerning behaviors..i look forward in hearing from you and being a big cheerleader!!
@Mish, your comment touched my heart. My son is on the road to recovery. He regressed at 2 and became severely autistic on the day he had his vaccine when he was 3. It was a nightmare. This happened when Me n hubby were unemployed and in a very poor financial situation. After researching, we found out ways to help him but all requires money. It was hard to do the GFDF diet as we could only afford little cheap food and he would only eat cakes and cream crackers at that time. After a while, I took a leap of faith to just book an appointment with a local practitioner not knowing how to pay yet. I chose to engage him out of instinct plus I have been a believer in energy healing and energy medicine. He came to our place as our son was so severe we could not bring him out. After about three sessions n taking about 3 different homeopathic medicines, my son is now very mildly autistic. He went from severe and non verbal to mild and very verbal. We take him out so often and in public places people wouldn’t know he’s autistic until we tell them. He didn’t speak until he was 5. Now he can hold a conversation. Hasn’t had any meltdowns anymore for the past 2 years. He is 7 now and have no more leaky gut issue or eating problem. He gladly let us cut his hair. The practitioner said we don’t need anymore sessions. I was so excited I wanted to help other parents but just like this article says, most people are always skeptical and thought we are crazy. I stopped sharing because of that. I realized not everybody believe or understand about energy healing. But when I read Mish’s comment I felt touched and almost teared as I’ve been there. I’d like to recommend you to contact this Singaporean practitioner. I believe he can do distant healing for people who are abroad. He has helped a number of children recover from severe autism. You can contact him through his website: autismsingapore.com > Singapore autism solution. Read his articles and follow your heart. Mother’s instinct is the best to follow. <3 <3
Hi, what is energy healing? I’m interested.
Hey have so many questions for you can I email you directly
Thank you
Thank you for publishing this article. It’s so wonderful that your son recovered. I won’t say I recovered from autism but I reecovered from some NICF ( is that the term?) that caused symptoms of both autism and schizophrenia. I started taking methylated folate and the world literally changed. Other people’s faces became fascinating. My coordination improved within the week and I became mostly ambidextrous. I’m working on starting my own business. That being said, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. I truly feel that this something most doctors and parents don’t understand. My life was a clusterfuck before and it still is. I have 32 yrs of developmental delay and I’m never going to catch up. Catch up is a fallacy we should be aware of. I’ll never be normal and I doubt any recovered person will be. Passing aa normal is not the same thing. Sorry if this is offensive.
You point up one of the very real issues in dealing with recovery, the lost time and development. Don’t give up. You may be surprised at the kind of functioning you can achieve. Look into reflex integration, specifically with Svetlana Masgutova of MNRI. Your neural circuits have literally missed important stages of development. Her techniques can bring you back to those missed stages and improve the function of those circuits so that you can recover the missed development. You may not get there all the way, but you may be shocked at what can be achieved. Good luck!
I have to agree. My 9 year old ADHD son who has Reflex Integration Disorder and learning disabilities including Dyslexia, started Masgutova therapy about a month ago and if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d have forever been a skeptic. But WOW, it has literally been life altering. He is off all medications and is learning and processing information and the world around him really. We still have a long way to go but the changes since beginning are truly remarkable.
Thank you for sharing your story. It is wonderful to hear from people like you who never give up. You are an inspiration.
Thanks to all the parents giving us hope. we have been struggling with our 19 year old son …tried all the therapies …ABA, Biomedical , Probiotics , counselling ….even medication which made him worst. He is high functioning …attending college …but the biggest issue is his violent aggression ….the whole family is topsy turvy ……
Would be glad if someone on the forum guides us !
Okay, just checked with some folks and this is what they had to say about helping with violent aggression:
Check for overgrowth of clostridia, a bacteria that is frequently out of balance in people with autism. Getting it back in balance can help.
Test for pyroluria. It’s a urine test. If your son has it, chances are very good that he is low in B6 and zinc (and a few other things, but mainly B6 and zinc) and that can help his mood, which will lower aggression.
Other things that can help: medical marijuana, nutritional lithium (helps protect neurons), amino acids/neurotransmitters GABA, glycine, taurine, minerals, particular magnesium and selenium, or high-dose niacin.
Another thing to consider is homeopathic treatment. Many people have had successful treatment of violent tendencies with homeopathy.
Good luck!
Edited to add: was just reminded of the brain excitotoxic properties of MSG and glutamate and glutamic acid in general. They can be causing aggression as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk7SehmLZeo
Hi there, Have you tried vit b6, zinc, magnesium, and high dose fish oil?
Try Masgutavo therapy. It is amazing. Please try it, it can be life altering.
It’s Masgutova. 🙂 Svetlana Masgutova and MNRI.
Dear Zorro,
Our third son turned 10 this year. He was diagnosed when he was three, but we’ve been doing therapy (OT and ABA at first) since he was one and a half. Now, he’ll be entering third grade in a mainstream class in a small school. He has a shadow teacher who’s also in charge of modifying his lessons. They have one more hour at home for ABA unless he therapy with his speech. OT has been discontinued only this year.
He’s considered high functioning. He’s changed so much throughout the years. He is able to communicate about the things that interest him (“Look Mommy, I found my watch!” or “I want to go Muppets Studio in Universal Studio.”) but we still have difficulty getting answers to such as “Where did you hurt your arm?” He can add and subtract. He can copy letters and write his name. But his exams are almost always made multiple choice for him. His disposition as a toddler was always, ALWAYS happy. Now, he expresses other emotions more freely; it’s more difficult for the people around us (when he’s frustrated, when he says he’s not happy, when he’s disappointed) but I welcome it.
Years ago, when I asked our pediatrician point blank whether we should invest in the diet or testing or alternatives out there, he said he didn’t believe in them. So, trusting in that, we did not pursue. On our own, we did cut out milk early and sugars, but did nothing much else beyond that.
This is the first time I’ve read any of your articles. Please, please, where do we start? What books should be I reading? What tests should I be asking for? We do not live in the States; we’re in the Philippines. I think there are a handful (may not an exaggeration, they may be less than 5) of pediatricians who support diet-based treatment here.
I hope your schedule allows you to write back. Thank you very much for all your words.
Find a good naturopath trained in DAN protocol start with IGG blood test and Urine analysis…
or if u can’t afford one research SCD diet…take a week off from everything and take out gluten. Also research leaky gut syndrome.
Then start researching vitamin therapies.
My son almost fully recovered after 2 years..started at 3 years old he had regressed to almost no speech. Now he’s on regular kindergarten with no specific support (although there is EA in class bit not his one on one)
He is fully gluten and dairy free. IGG showed almonds and garlic and white potatoes should be very limited. Chronic explosive diarrhea stopped with 3 days of diet, eye contact improved immediately(Grandma cried) and speech started coming back.
Vitamins for “him” (each child has unique needs although many similar )
Digestive enzymes
Fish oil
Good probiotic (bio k)
Multi B
Acetly-l carnitine
L tyrosine
Magnesium bygliscinate
L glutithione
Riboflavin 5 phosphate
B6
Vitamin c (blueberry liquid)
I crush all together add dash of stevie then dish oil…stir…then vitamin c…then bio k…he gets it in a syringe.
He still occasionally needs nystatin rounds for yeast overgrowth and we are started b12 injections after this round.
Hard work-COMPLETELY WORTH IT!
Hi,
I just went through your post with regards to DAN, and your success. Am looking sometching for my son. He is 5yr old with mild PDD-NOS. Has behaviour issues, repetitive talks, and speech problem. I recently took him ton a chiropractor who attended DAN conference and he checked my son and said first I need to check my son’s gut for toxic, and recommended for a stool test. He said he wanted to see bacteria growth something. Do you think its all worth givung a try. Please share your opinion about the same. I have also taken him to OT for sensory issues but no results though and we are vegetarians. And he eats potato eveeryday, and also he takes milk everyday. Can you suggest diet also .
Please email me. Am desperately..looking for help. Kindly send email to my id..
Thanks
Vidhya
The majority of children that have developmental delays that put them on the autism spectrum (as PDD-NOS does) have significant gut issues. The test may be worthwhile, but you can start treating those issues right away with supplements like Restore, digestive enzymes, and/or probiotics. If you see changes in behavior quickly, you’ll know you’re on the right track. I would recommend getting a copy of Patty Lemer’s book Outsmarting Autism. She provides a step-by-step plan to follow that will save you from a lot of floundering and wasted time and energy.
Thanks a ton for responding to my email sir. Tomorrow am taking him to see the same chiropractor to collect the kit for stool test. I hope this helps and puts a end to all of my child’s problem. Besides my child is also taking homeopathic medicines from india. I would like to suggest more about getting chiropractic adjustments. Is that worth getting done for my kid, and also of the stool test results if at all turns out to be negative without any problem what do I do to treat his problem. He has sensory, behaviour, OCD, and repetitive behaviour, and learning focus hyper difficulties. Please share ur ideas.
Thanks
Vidya
I’m not a “sir”; I’m a woman, a mom like almost everyone in the Thinking Moms’ Revolution. Chiropractic adjustments have been very helpful for some children, but it tends to be more unusual chiropractic that helps the most. I would ask around and see if you hear of anyone getting good results in your area. It seems to be VERY practitioner-dependent.
Hi,
Thanks! Do you think kids with ASD have problem in guts and once treated will there be any tremendous change in them.
Thanks
Vidya
It happens, but not all the time. Real gut repair usually takes on the order of two years, so it’s usually not an overnight thing. However, using enzymes and probiotics in the short-term can make the gut SEEM like it’s in better shape than it is and that will give you an idea of what you can expect to see with real healing. Many people find that soon after starting one of the many available diets intended to heal the gut that their children start talking if they have not done so previously.
Ok!! Actually once we took our son to a gastrointestinal specialist when he was 4yr old coz he was not potty trained and hold for 2 or 3 days without going potty. And then doctor lay him lie on his stomach and took out stools that were all sticky and said there are many inside the intestine that has not come out. And now he is 6yr old and just become potty trained few months ago. And also if he eats sugary food, cakes pizza, and wheat the rest of the day for us will be a night mare. Doctor also gave us some powder, and we had to mix it in water and give him and so he will go motion freely. His problem he will hold it and doesnt want to go sitting in bathroom, rather demand for diaper , and go half in ithe and looks like remaining stays inside.
Thanks
Vidya
Bingo! It’s going to make a BIG difference for your son.
Hi,
And finally now I got my son’s comprehensive stool test report. The report says that he has more bad bacteria and yeast overgrowth in his gut (candida albicans ) docotor recommended caprylic acid, and grape fruit seed extract for getting rid of it. He said medicine to be taken for 3weeks. And then said would give supplements. Guys please tell me after correcting this will i see changes in his behaviour and also with focus and sensory issues.
Awaiting for all your valuable response!
Thanks
Vid
I know grape seed extract works as a type of antibacterial. We used nystatin and flagyl but same principles I believe. Research yeast die offs. If this treatment doesn’t work maybe try nystatin ect. We went to a Naturopathic doctor. Yes it lifts the “fog” and you see new cool behaviors and language ect. Each child’s needs are different so it’s not exactly same. Different ways to kill yeast/bacteria as well as different supplements. Just don’t give up-there will be some “interventions” that are huge improvements and others that do nothing.
Hi,
Please tell me when is the negative behaviour expected to start before the die off. And how long does it last. And from when we can see improvements with it. I.was recommended to give medication for 4weeks. What is fog
Google can be very helpful!
Candida yeast die off symptoms
Brain fog associated with yeast overgrowth
Sounds like a stool test makes sense then. I’d research chiropractors aproach to “DAN” see what parents are saying.
As for” tremendous change” it is worth a try. I’ve only ever heard 2 parents say it didn’t help and that was referring to the diet. Who’s to say if they implemented it fully or tried treating gut as well? I can only speak for my experience and another family members that it is yes worth it!
Thanks for all your hope. Tomorrow am going to collect the kit for stool test.Am jut praying to God that please give us a solution atleast with it and put a end to tis problem that our child is facing. There is no sanity at home. One or the other problem coz of kid,can’t invite people, can’t go out ,coz we don’t know how he would behave and react in front of others. And now my husband wants to go for a 2nd child, and am all stressed and don’t knw wat to decide. My son is now 6 and my husband says we should have a sibling for him and that is good.please share your opinion about the same. And please pray for my child.
Thanks
Vidya
I’d wait to have him on diet ect for at least a year before deciding anything. It may not fix everything ut should help…buy stop worrying about what other people think..you’ve got to love him for him and avoid crazy busy places but still take him out – it’s good for him.
Whenever I give him food made of wheat flour, pizza, juices , cakes etc..after few hours he is all wired up..hyper active to the core, hitting pushing throwing kicking etc. Hits me harder until he calms himself. After doing it for an hour he will sweat and then rest. If I don’t give him such food then no traces of these incident.and also while sleeping in night does lot of teeth grinding . Anyone please give me your inputs about the same. Am much worried.
Teeth grinding can be linked to intestinal parasites. Request a stool test from doctor.
Already got the kit from doctor, trying hard to get the sample. He is not being coperative. I don’t want to give him diaper for potty, as he just came out of it few months ago, and so again I don’t want him to use it. Also tried potty chair but he doesn’t want to sit on it. Is there any reason for that aggression behaviour after eating wheat flour made food, pizzas etc. Wat could trigger him do it. Am very tired dealing with all this. Much upset.
Inflammation….either his body sees wheat and/or gluten as a foreign invader and his immune system reacts – or it sees the pesticides the wheat is sprayed with as such? Wheat is sprayed right before harvest with a known neurotoxin.
Hi Vidya, personally I went to a Naturopathic DAN doctor…we did a urine test which showed my son had Clostridia bacteria overgrowth and candida overgrowth.She prescribed metrozonadol(forgive my spelling) aka Flagyl for clostridia for a 3-4 week course. Then nystatin liquid which we’ve done three times over past 2.5 years. The bloodtest we did was an IGG testament it was soooo helpful! I haven’t researched or personally done a stool test nor have I took him to a chiropractor. Sorry if this isn’t helpful to you but my experience with the Naturopath was amazing!
Thanks so much for the information. Is your child fully recovered now? Are you in the US .how old is the kid. And also did you also do anything other therapies apart from the blood work etc . The chiropractor the one which am talking treats kids with special needs and he is the one who suggested me for gut test.
I’m in Canada, he’s in regular kindergarten almost 6 years old. Only issue we still have is he struggles with transition from one activity to another…a little resistance. All in all he doesn’t stim, has friends and potty trained …happy and affectionate with great eye contact – most people have no idea . He regressed at around 2 years old to where no eye contact and no ritualistical play and almost no language.
Good that he is recovered and normal now. My kid is also in kindergarten 6yrs old now. He has trouble focusing in a large group, listens well in a small group setting. Also receives speech ,OT at school. But then speaks our native language at home, English is also good, but has repetitive behaviour, tantrums ,etc. Is that your only kid or does he have a sibling
He has a older sister with no ASD symptoms. But she has many food sensitivities.
Hi for the food sensitivity test, should I request my pediatrician for blood test . Or wat should I do.
Id do a scratch “IGE” test at pediatrician as it should be covered by msp.
As well do a “IGG” bloodtest through a Naturopathic doctor.
Hi, I have 3 year old toddler. I have suspect that she has autism. I am so depress. I’m a new immigrant in Canada. Alone in the apartment. It’s tough. I thank my Lord for leading.me to this forum. I have hopes now.
Don’t worry God is there to help all of us. Believe in God and stay strong. Am based out in US. Please share with us what does your 3year old do and what makes u doubt.
Hi Vidya,
She has words I fact she loves singing nursery rhymes but she don’t know how to communicate. Sometimes she can like asking milk and eat but often times she uses gestures. She can point to picture sometimes when she is in the mood. She doesn’t know how to play with other kids. Repetitive, and poor eye contact. We went to a family doctor so we can get a referral for a pedia. We will see….
I started casein free diet for her yesterday but I think she is allergic to either rice milk or coconut yogurt. After drinking and eating I saw some red maps in her face. I could not switch to almond and soya coz she is allergic to them also. She is already in a gluten free diet since last week.
I’d give a two week gap in between each new change…it gives time to observe changes and make adjustments as needed.
Other ideas for language (to try down the road)
Fish oil (we use raspberry lemonade sealicious brand)
Methlated b12 (iinjections, nasal spray or sublingual I listed in order of best first)
Magnesium bygliscinate
Acetly-l carnitine
L tyrosine
Hey @me
I read all this statement I have a son who’s dealing with same life obstacles and you MENTIONED Canada ? Where abouts I reside in Edmonton I have so many questions for you can you be contacted further by email ??
Hi,
The urine test ,can I request my pediatrician to check for bacteria overgrowth. And also after the medication your son improved? And the IGG blood work not done by pediatrician? How did u pay for both the test. Urine and blood test?
Yes I paid for both IGG blood test aprox. $130 CANADIAN and an ORGANIC ACID URINE PANEL aprox. $400 canadian both through naturopath trained in DAN protocol. The vitamins all helped:
After the diet he started talking, answering to name and made better eye contact.
After 2 weeks of Acetly-l-carnatine he knew his colours (before everything was “green”).
Digestive enzymes and diet stopped odd hand gestures …noticed within about a month.
Ecolala (repeat speech) took longer to go away bit has all but gone..unless he eats something he shouldn’t it comes back for a day or two.
It’s no guarantee. ..each child is different and I wouldn’t want to give you false hope…but I would do it all over again in a second.
Hi, I hope I can talk to you. I need someone I can talk to.
Hi Christie, I can help you at my best . I just got my sons comprehensive stool test done . And the results was candida albians yeast over growth and lots of bad bacteria. My doctor suggested to give him grape fruit seed extract 3drops diluted in water and half spoon of caprylic acid which is basically coconut MCT..oil..2 times a day. My son is 6yr old. So dosage specified accordingly. I started giving him medicine today . Feb 26 2016. Hope it to helps him with all reducing his aggression , hyper, getting focus and come out of autistic traits. and am also gonna get his blood work done for IGG and IGE and urine test for heavy metals. Docotor said he would
.give supplements and enzymes after this yeast die off. Hope this info helps you a bit. Please email me if u have any questions. My email [email protected]
Thanks
Vidhya
Sure, what can I help u with?
Hi, who is your DAN doctor in Toronto?
I’m on vancouver island not toronto. But dr.sonja Doherty in Toronto looks to be on the ball.
and yes the flagyl for bacteria helped as did nystatin for “candida yeast overgrowth”. Both prescription from naturopathic doctor. But one important thing to note is the behavior actually gets worse for a time then better. It’s like an alcoholic having withdrawal. A term for you to research should you go this route is “candida yeast die off”.
Please can you share the naturopath Dr name.
Do IGG ALLERGY test especially if you are vegetarian…it’s much easier to avoid foods if you have a test confirming it.
All these information are so helpful. Thanks to the author.
My son is 3 1/2 year old and is attending special ed for autism. I have 2 doubts if somebody can help me with it,
1. Allergy test we took shows no sign of allergy for milk or wheat or egg, so is there a need for me to try gfcf diet?
2. To get my son to mainstream school at appropriate age what improvements should he show? At present he uses single word for needs and feelings. Doing OT speech therapy and aba.
Please share your thoughts.
Sashi,
1) Allergy tests ONLY looks for specific kinds of antibodies. That’s one way that a person can be sensitive to a particular food, but there are other ways that are equally important. One of the sensitivities that is very common in children with autism is due to the fact that most do not have intact gut linings due to an imbalance in gut bacteria (can be caused by antibiotics, by a caesarean birth, and/or a number of other things). This is called leaky gut. When someone has leaky gut, large undigested molecules can get into the bloodstream which then act as foreign invaders (causing traditional allergies in many people), but also causing other kinds of effects. The proteins that end up in the bloodstream from gluten and casein can actually act like opiates, strongly affecting the brains of the children who have this issues. If you suspect any gastrointestinal issues at all in your child, try GFCF.
2) This question is a LOT more complicated. There are SO many variables that affect a child’s ability to function in a mainstream classroom. If you can get your child evaluated by by the school system now to see where he is on the kinds of skills he will need. If you are in the United States, you should be able to get a free evaluation from a local agency.
Thanks for your response. Yes my son does have constipation and only Miralax is helping us for almost 2 years I stop it then it makes our lives complex , so no other way but to depend on Miralax.
May be I should try gfcf diet.
And yes we live in the U.S.
There are other ways, but it’s likely that you’d have to get a GOOD gastroenterologist to take you seriously. And, unfortunately, that’s not easy or cheap. No child should require Miralax for two years. Obviously, there is a deep and fundamental medical issue going on.
I also got allergy test done for gluten and it came out negative but my daughter is still allergic to it. I know that Coz as soon as I give her gluten her behaviour would change. She gets hyperactive, hitting and bitting everyone, screaming at night and lot more. She is allergic to milk as she was never able to keep milk down after drinking it. I breastfed her for one year but everytime I would breastfeed her she would vomit half of it out, same happened with bottle milk or milk u get from supermarket. So u need to be the judge of it or u hv to get the gut checked. Most of the times nothing will come in the blood.
Thanks for your response
A food allergy testing using a scratch test is different than a delayed immune response allergy/sensitivity test: IGG test for example giving through naturopath.
I’ll try to get the igg test thanks.
Hi, I am based in Canada. Who is your DAN Doctor here? I have a suspect that my daughter has autism.
Where in canada?
HI All,
I have a question and need suggestion from all. My son who has mild PDD-NOS goes ton kindergarten regular mainstream and inbetween goes to resource room for small group setting learn English and math
Apart from that he is all in the regular class room with a paraprofessional. My concern is that next academic he has to go 1st grade and looks like there won’t be any para professional in the classroom for help. And my son is far behind when compared to other kids in class. He hasn’t started reading yet. Does simple counting but can’t add 2numberes etc. So wat am thinking is put him in a self contained autism class room where there will be less number of kids, and also a paraprofessional to help him and with less number of student he would benifit more. In that case i can move him to 1stop grade. And to interact with other peers who are not disabled he may join the regular stream for art. Music ,lunch bteak etc. But my only concern is will he learn negative behaviour from children in self contained autism class room. Because my son tends to copy a lot both good and bad. I request all to share your thoughts and opinion about the same.
Thanks
Vidya
I have twin two year old boys that started regressing around 18 months. They had their first initial meeting with a doctor and they are falling on what she called the “mild” end of the spectrum. We are having to wait 7 months to get a full evaluation which has been very frustrating. We have started a GFCF Diet and we saw immediate results within two days with joint attention and their speech. We are wanting to do everything we can but having a hard time finding a doctor that “believes” in it and I am a little scared to administer things without enough knowledge. My question is about your probiotic. You said you use Bio K so I am looking into it and I see it has part skim milk powder. Would that contain Casein – and are the benefits of the probiotic out way this?? Thanks so much for all your information!
If you can go to Singapore, there is a DAN doctor here who can help your child. My son has been under his care and we have progressed so much. I’m also from the Philippines.
Hi Mira, Im from the Philippines also. Can I pm you to give some advise. Thanks.
It’s so nice to read an article that you can relate to 100%! I’m not going to go into every detail of how I recovered my son from his PDD-NOS diagnosis… Just want to let you know that I did recover him with diet, therapy, supplements, toxic detox, chiropractic adjustments and HARD WORK and DETERMINATION! It is sad that it is a hush hush topic. I too feel nervous to tell people abut my story because people think you’re the crazy one! But recently I’ve started telling people and have already helped impact the life of one family who is following in my footsteps.. And it feels AMAZING to help others the way that someone helped me and my family. I too would love to share my story by blogging… You’ve inspired me to do so! Thank you for being a STRONG mom!
I would love to get some help from you for my two year old son.
Thanks.
Can you provide details
Re: recovery, thank you for your help
My son is now 13 years old and he is now fully recovered from autism. He was diagnosed as severely! Autistic at the age of 5 and last year at the age of 13 he lost his diagnosis autism.
He was born a healthy baby.
He was fully breastfed but had problems keeping the milk down and we were told it was just a reflux and will soon go away on its own. But it never did until after almost 1 year of vomiting everything, we found a homeopath and her remedy magically made it all go away for good. Our son was growing and eating healthily and was never really ill, breastfed until 14 months old.
In general, he was a happy baby boy. This all changed in a matter of days just after he received MMR vaccine.
He started to cry more than usual, had spasms, he did not respond to us calling his name, he never really looked in our eyes anymore and often ran in circles, screaming, panicking and turning literally purple. This really concerned us. There was hardly any eye contact, hardly any physical or other interest in us as his parents, no language, his previous baby babbling disappeared, he had no interest in toys or world around him and in comparison with his peers, he was mentally not at their level at all. More behavioural problems, panicking, screaming, sensitivities to everything, fussy eating, frequent diarrhoea, eczema, ear infections, asthma and many, many more problems started appearing out of the blue and nothing helped.
By the age of 2-3 he was fully in autism and by 5 he was diagnosed with severe Autism.
At that time, we stared to look for possible treatments. We found a Dutch homeopath, Dr. Smits, who treated autism with homeopathy. We decided to try anything. Dr. Smits used CEASE to treat autism with homeopathy and first started to detox all vaccines our son had. After this treatment was done we continued with our current homeopath, who lives much closer and also treats autistic people with the same therapy system. She is now treating our son for almost 6 years. Looking back, we’ve done so many treatments for our son over the last 9 years that I can write a whole book about it but no treatment was as successful as homeopathy. We’ve done 2 treatments of homeopathy remedies, it takes 8-10 years to completely treat from autism providing you also treat their medical problems and these are relating to gastrointestinal dysfunction.
It is already proven that autism is NOT a mental condition or disability! It starts already when baby is conceived and shows itself in different forms at different times either straight from birth but mostly within the first 2 years when child is depending on its own metabolism rather than the mother’s. Autism is a metabolic condition and can be therefore treated! We stared with casein free diet for 3 months if you see results, good, try find out what it is in dairy that They are sensitive to.
Then started straight away with gluten free diet for at least 6-8 months.then we saw the difference. Later after all gluten is out, treated his damaged gut by omega 3 – Mor-Epa strawberry and probiotics Bio-Kult, give two of each twice a day to maintain but with Bio-Kult you need to build it up from two capsules a day up to 6 a day and do that for 6 weeks, then back to just two a day to maintain. The six per day for six weeks is very important because that is the phase when you completely heal the damaged gut!
Then later to be able to eat gluten we gave him digestive enzymes to break it down.
Bio-Kult treats the dysfunctioning gut lining that leaks all toxins into their brain to make him autistic. Omega 3 cures the damaged brains, returns their intelligence and helps probiotics to repair their damaged small and large intestine, so very important, do not underestimate. Then to detox their whole bodies from all the metals by EDTA.
We also did saunas to get toxins out of his body. Did Epsom salts baths, L-glutamine supplements, brewers yeast, Zinc, trace minerals, b-complex, Vit . C, magnesium and loads more depending on the tests from the DAN nutritionist on what he needed.
In the US they can already test on unborn babies if they are expecting autistic.
Sorted out all the medical gut and digestive problems that were in the way and that kept his autism there. Did another treatment of homeopathy again and continued with everything else above plus all the supplements and at the same time did NAET treatment to eliminate anything else left in his body including allergens and this will at the same time reset his brain not to respond autistic to anything anymore. This is important to get rid of anymore future occurrences of his body trying to reset back to faulty metabolism, which could bring back old autistic traits again.
Then you do regularly still heavy metal detox, the best one to use twice a year is EDTA.
You can get most of the stuff online.
Then we did the last final phase of homeopathy and in America you can get a remedy that treats autism called Bio-Fibrin. It is only available to deliver to the U.S. when you buy it. Probably depending on the level of autism still left in him, he may need more than three months of the remedy. My son was three months on it and three months later, all of his autism leftovers were completely gone.
All of the above are natural things and nothing chemical! You don’t need to worry that you turn him into a guinea pig either. It all takes about 8 years but the earlier it’s started, the quicker he will recover from autism.
I know it’s not easy, but in my eyes definitely worth it. I’ve got a healthy kid who lost his diagnosis last year, now goes to a mainstream school and will have future, job, etc.
Our son is now completely treated and every conclusion that autism is not treatable is wrong because it’s understood as a mental disability rather than metabolic dysfunction!
So therefore you CAN treat it!
Homeopathy really does work and can treat autism, it needs a lot of patience, determination and dedication because it takes time to work but the end result is amazing.
Thanks to homeopathy our son is now completely free from autism. He lost his diagnosis last year and he now has a bright future in front of him, getting good grades and preparing for GCSEs because he plans to go to university and study ICT. We are extremely grateful for homeopathy, CEASE and all the other treatments because we have our son back! Amazing!!!
Misha you don’t know what this message means to me. I have a severely autistic daughter and I lose hope very soon but then I always and I really mean it “I always” come back to this comment of yours. It is like a hope for me that even she will recover one day. It’s 12:13am in UK right now and I was so depressed and finally I read your whole message and I am feeling so much better. Please I request you to contact me through my email address if u ever read this comment of mine. My email address is [email protected] I would love to hear from you. Thank u so much for posting this here. I wish you and your family good luck for future and hope to be write my daughter recovery story someday.
Hi Misha,
Which country are you in. I am looking for a CEASE homeopath but we are in Toronto Canada. My son is 20 and we tried all kind of treatment but nothing much improvement. If you find time please contact me ar [email protected]
Julie
Thax sharing ur story. Can u tell me about centre name, from where u treat ur son. Tbax
Great piece. My son if fully recovered from a PDD-NOS diagnosis via ABA and dietary intervention, (GAPS diet). He is 10 now and I’m struggling to find the right balance between washing his record of his autism diagnosis, (so that it wont keep him from becoming an astronaut or the president) and telling everyone I meet everyday that we’ve recovered him, (because I’m proud of what we’ve done and I feel obligated to get the info out there). Our info and story is on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/OffTheSpectrum and also published in Dr. McBrides GAPS recovery stories book. The responses that I get to our story from other parents, teachers, families at the grocery store, and of course doctors never fail to surprise me. I never know who will listen, ask questions, understand, believe, or pass on the information. I can talk to someone for an hour and when I leave they roll their eyes at me. And I can just drop the slightest information to someone that I don’t even know is really interested and they go home and look up more info online and pass the story on and becoming by biggest cheerleader. I try to have patience with everyone. Lord knows that I might not believe it, if I hadn’t lived through it myself.
Recovery is possible.
Scream it from the rooftops.
Excellent post! So nice to know others out there have also found their paths to recovery using dietary and supplementary therapies and methods.
We’ve never had any official diagnosis of anything specific with our son, but when at 18 months our very normally interacting boy began regressing to that place we couldn’t reach (generally lying down, rolling a toy car back and forth – sometimes for hours) we almost immediately (on the advice of a friend) removed the gluten and a few months later, also dairy, on the advice of an enlightened paediatrician (and with guidance from a dietician). We now also restrict most soy products as well as propionate-based preservatives in bread products.
Not only did our son quickly return to previously normal levels of social interaction, but his highly fussy eating habits were immediately reversed and he actually began to gain weight – which he had struggled to do for some time.
Of course it didn’t all end there – because there were still a range of undefined learning difficulties (sensory based) that emerged when he began school – so we have since done rounds of OT, reflex integration therapy, as well as researching and carefully adding good quality probiotics and supplements to his diet.
I’m proud to say my 8-year-old son is now generally a normal, happy boy with a gang of friends, slightly below average academic ability but with quite satisfactory class room behaviour. But this victory has been hard won – and I am completely aware that three weeks of bad eating can (and does) undo so much of this hard work.
On those occasions we have lapsed on his diet because we have been away on holiday and found it hard to maintain our regime, our son fairly swiftly reverts back to mild, but repetitive self-stimming behaviours, and his social skills and ability to handle class room activities appear to vanish. We have learned our lesson too many times and now maintain strict standards at all times, in spite of the huge effort this sometimes requires.
But of course because my son is relatively normal when we are sticking with the program, non-believing relatives and friends tend to assume I am some kind of delusional, control nut, and are hence constantly probing my motives about why we have our slightly-small-for-his age child “on a diet”. I understand it is well-meaning – but it comes across as very insulting to me as a parent.
Even when they have witnessed first hand his behaviour after a week or two of dietary assault (like the time we went to his grandparents and he lay on the lawn for 30 minutes not wanting to move – or the camping trip we attended where he kept flapping his hands in his friends’ faces – alienating them all), they still seem largely unconvinced.
So to read this post is a breath of fresh air. It means a lot to know there are others of you out there with some common experiences!
Hello everyone.
I have a 6 1/2 year autistic son. We have been giving him homeopathy medicine for 4 years now and lots of play therapy at home. We have also tried omega 3 for a few months but nothing seems to be working.
We are based in the uk and any help or suggestions on bringing my son back from autism would greatly help us. He is quite clever so any form of intervention that actually works would benefit him.
Hanish, the problem is that EVERYTHING “works,” it just doesn’t work for everyone. And even the people it DOES work for, it will not work the same way or to the same degree. The difficulty is to find exactly what works for YOUR child. And to find out why the things that don’t work, don’t work (that usually gives you a lot of information). I would suggest reading some books with various approaches to healing, such as Cutting Edge Therapies for Autism, Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Enzymes for Autism and Other Neurological Conditions. While you are reading, you will get excited about some things and those are likely to be the things that your intuition says apply to your child. Test them out. See what you can learn from it and work from there.
I strongly believe that good nutrition is the best medicine. Healing the digestive tract is so important for ASD kids.
Definitely read Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell-McBride. I also enjoyed reading Dr Kenneth Bock’s “Healing the New Childhood Epidemics”.
Good luck
1. Stop the Milk/soy/wheat/potato/eggplant/corn (any form of this allergen) and read active/inactive ingredients. Most of the product hidden milk or soya or wheat in it. Even in the medication/toothpaste/soap etc… Try for at least a month or so.
2. Do a complete allergy test (skin/blood/IgE/IgG) – remove those allergens forever until he or she recovers.. Monitor IgE level every 3 months.
3. Run complete stool tests and endoscopy/colonoscopy (biopsy too) – Check for yeast/lyme/parasites/h.pylori/giradia/stomach allergens – Remove them with medication (make sure allergen free medication and check with
compounding pharmist).
4. Good allergen free probiotic (jarrow-formula allergen-free). It works wonder for us so far.
I am pretty sure you will see the results within couple months…
autism = people born with weak immune system … period.
You won’t see any indication immunue system proble in the immune panel.
Good luck and god bless you!
-dd
I started gc/fc with my son when he was 2 and we saw dramatic improvements immediately with his eye contact. I moved on to supplements (based on my own research) and eventually occupational therapy. At 3 years old, he now has many words, but still cannot put two words together, or express any desire or feeling. He is also not very social.
I have finally found a pediatrician that is helping me and she has referred me to an osteopath. I guess I am hesitating because I don’t know what good he can do for my son. Do you have any information on how this works or anecdotes from people who have tried it?
I think I can recover my son but not knowing makes me sick with worry. He has come a long way in the last year but seeing him lagging so behind his peers makes me so sad. I guess I’m looking for some sort of time line to tell me how things will evolve, even though I know it doesn’t exist.
Thank you for your inspiring story. Stories like yours keep me hopeful and optimistic!
I stopped vaccinating him after his 1st MMR shot at 11 months, after which he started to regress. I feel so guilty about not researching vaccines before doing them. My biggest regret is giving him the hepatitis B shots, now that I know how toxic it is. That and following the vaccine schedule.
With my younger son, we have opted to start vaccinating after 2 years old and only doing the mandatory ones for school. I hope that this will be the right choice.
Hi Irene,
I’m not sure which specific supplements you give your sweet boy, but is he on omegas and vitamin E? I know our son got his words back ASAP after we did GF/CF, but still wasn’t forming any sentences. We put him on a high dosage of Omegas + Vitamin E and soon after we got sentences and expression! We were given a supplement called “Speak”, but after the trial package was over, I just copied the amounts and gave him omegas & E on my own. It helped us a ton. I hope this can help you!
I had him on NutraSea Omegas and I think they really helped. Unfortunately, we discovered that he is allergic to fish so I stopped that (scratching and eczema). Having said that, he is still scratching regardless so maybe I will go back to it.
I also had him on Vitamin E but I ran out and I didn’t get more (my bad). You have just reminded me to do that-Thanks!
I decided to go ahead with the osteopath and he has and appt tomorrow. I figure it might not help but it can’t do harm either (other than to the wallet). I just want to know how to help him more.
Hi try researching “acetyl-l- carnatine” and l-tyrosine for language. Also methlated b12 (injected best, nasal second best, but if no other option sublingual)
Hi, my son is 3 years old, going on to4 in August. I have had concerns regarding his development at the age of 2. He looks up when called, does what you teen him to, but doesn’t respond with ” yes” or “no” to questions when asked , or to the calling of his name. He can’t carry a conversation and tends to repeat allot of what is said to him. I have started the gf/cf diet shortly ( 2 weeks now) and I did notice some change in his behavior. I also give him cod liver on a daily basis. I think he also has parasites and yeast overgrowth, due to the fact that I noticed teeth grinding in his sleep. We live in Suriname, and I don’t think we have the resources which are available in the US and other countries to parents who are fighting autism. So I do everything trough info on the Internet. With all of that has being said, can you please help me with advise on the use of supplements, dosage and when to start with which supplement. Am I using the omega 3 correctly or am I too early? I also started calcium supplement 3 days ago. Is this too early? Please advise me. Thank you in advance. Sincerely Yos.
Fish oils are an important supplement for many children with neurological issues. We at TMR cannot give dosage advice because that would be giving medical advice, but I would strongly suggest that you get the book Outsmarting Autism. It lays out a game plan that can help your child get healthier no matter what the actual diagnosis (the “spectrum” being even broader than most people realize). Most children are in need of magnesium more than calcium. Do some research on the ratios that make sense for your child. Good luck, Yos!
I’m not a doctor just a mom…
I made a list out in past comments..I’d suggest starting with one supplement for two weeks at a time only adding new when you have confirmed any good/bad/no results from last. Look up safe doses per weight as well as best easily absorbed form of each supplement.
Hi,
I want to gfcf diet, but my toddler doesn’t eat veggie, rice and meat. She only eats when she wants to. Do you know a formula milk that is casein free? If I will go for casein free, I’m afraid my toddler wont getting g enough nutrients
Hi, I forgot to say that I have also noticed my son regressing after the MMR vaccine. If only I knew then what I know now.
Zorro,
I get Age of Autism emails and one article led me to this organization. The first thing I read was this and I wept–for the first time–in a long time. But not a sad cry, a triumphant elated cry! Because we have a 5 1/2 yr old son who’s recovered and that put us in a place of, I guess, belonging nowhere. We don’t fit in with parents of children with autism (it’s awkward to speak of his recovery when they still struggle) we don’t belong with neurotypical parents — our son has a big behavioral issue on occasion that has them giving us “the look”…
People who meet our son say there’s no way he has autism. Then he’s running around and suddenly starts to flap his hands after years of not. Or defies us verbally in a shocking manner… Just little things… But enough that we know it’s not 100% over with.
The supplement juice “cocktail” that he gets every morning since he was 2 1/2 is giant. The biomedical doc opened our eyes to much, then there were therapies (we never did ABA) and for us, of course, prayer.
All that tossed into an “autism recovery gift basket” made a HUGE impact!
You will certainly see me dancing around this website often! I have found “my place”! Thanks so much and you gave me fresh determination to be louder & prouder of who our son is!!!
By the way, we also have a 3yr old amazing daughter. Both kids no longer get vaccines (we stopped him at 2yrs and her at 1yr). I haven’t seen a pediatrician since 2011!!!!!!! Yup, never sick except for the occasional sniffle!
Welcome! Welcome! You will definitely find kindred spirits with the Thinking Moms. And finding that community will help YOU heal.
My 17-year-old daughter is “recovered” from autism as well. We did not do any biomed interventions, no ABA, nothing. Something just changed with her around the onset of puberty and she slowly emerged from her cocoon.
I know parents who have done biomed w/ years of ABA and their children show minimal to no improvement. Others, like my family, did very minimal interventions (it’s a long, complex story…) and have a normally functioning, thriving child who lost the ASD diagnosis. It may have something to do with the specific type of injury that caused the autism or other factors specific to that individual (neuroplasticity in some brains may be different and some may be more/less able to rewire connections regardless of interventions), but not all ASD children respond the same to the same treatments. Similarly, there are variations in the outcome of cancer patients who may receive the same treatment at the same stage of cancer.
Hopefully as we understand more about ASD we will have a better idea how to safely treat each individual for the best possible outcome. Right now it is a guessing game and lots of trial and error.
Glad to hear your daughter is doing so well. I have definitely heard this before, where the onset of puberty has resolved ASD in girls. I believe it has something to do with the neuro protective qualities of estrogen. You pretty much won the lottery!
For many kids, including mine, puberty can be a minefield.
Every kid is different. Every trigger is different. Every path is different. It’s important we share our stories and give each other information and options. No one else is going to.
Zorro,
I had not heard that before regarding estrogen and puberty in ASD girls. That’s very interesting. I’m sorry puberty has been such a struggle for you guys…as you said, every child and trigger is completely different.
I have 5 kids, including a 5-year-old son who is also ASD. He is entirely different from his 17-year-old sister and no doubt the journey will be different, too. We have tried various biomes interventions with him and it’s truly a crap shoot as he had a horrific reaction a couple months back and this was under the guidance of a Naturopathic Doctor. It was truly the worst month of my life. I really appreciate reading what has and has not worked for other parents/children. Right now we are back to a simplified regimen of DMG “Behavior Balance”, a multivitamin, Omega 3’s, and probiotics and I’m fairly terrified to try anything else experimental.
My youngest is 10 weeks old (he was quite the surprise, lol) but thanks to reading stories from all of my fellow online Warrior Mamas and finally having the bravery to listen to my own intuition, we are taking a new route with #5 and he will not be vaccinated like his siblings were. We have become as holistic as much as is humanly possible. I want to thank each and every mom and dad for opening your hearts and sharing your stories.
One topic I’m not sure if anybody has addressed is the spiritual connection to autism. ASD individuals are very advanced/experienced spiritual beings. This is something that is true for my family, anyway. We struggled for 2 years trying to get my son to potty train until one day he asked for “chakra” and he sat on the potty watching a youtube chakra meditation on my iPhone. It relaxed him enough that he went potty for the first time in 2 years and was mostly trained in 2 weeks. Visual meditations have been really helpful for my son in reducing anxiety in general. Here is a video worth watching as it’s summed up better than I can articulate through my “mommy fog/newborn” brain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McsUc8ydzoM
xx
It’s hard to come by educated people for this subject, but you seem like you know
what you’re talking about! Thanks
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Wonderful article! And I like your reference to a James Brown song in the title.
These recoveries deserve so much more attention from our govt agencies and mainstream medicine. It’s just crazy, the denialism, ignoring, dismissal without study.
The MS video is very interesting, too.
Thank you for speaking out, and congratulations to all who have recovered their children from autism!
Although actually on another topic, it’s got that feeling…
Say it Loud
My son, now 20, recovered. Is there a place we can send photos?
I haven’t been able to spend the time replying to these questions that I would like. I have a blog where I document what we’re doing, gluten- free eats, etc. http://www.RecoveryRd.wordpress.com
Here’s a list from an early post.
What we did:
Diet!!
Antifungals, antibiotics
Probiotics
Digestive enzymes (I tried 8 different ones!)
Antioxidants, including IV glutathione
Methyl B12 injections with folinic acid
Detoxification and chelation
Secretin IVs
Cranial-sacral therapy
Nasal oxytocin spray
Traditional osteopathy
Acupuncture
Classical homeopathy
Combination homeopathy
Energy healing/BodyTalk
BioSET
Herbs, vitamins, minerals (especially magnesium!!)
Epsom salt baths
Prayer in any and all forms!
What didn’t work so well:
Specific Carbohydrate Diet – too many allergens
Cod Liver Oil
Amphotericin B
Miralax
B6 – it took 5 years of biomed intervention before I was able to introduce it successfully
…no wonder I’m tired.
https://recoveryrd.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/briefly-what-we-did/
Zorro,
I’m curious about what you said about introducing B6. Why did it take so long to introduce it successfully? I’m asking because of our own experiences with B6.
Thanks.
Wow- your story is our story. We’ve tried so hard to help parents successfully treat their children, and they don’t want to hear that our son recovered- as in, done with autism. He used to have it and now he doesn’t.
But it took lots of money. And it took one parent putting a career on hold so she (of course, she) could transport our son back and forth to the speech therapies and being at home when the autism therapists were there- in home autism therapy because 1) our son was comfortable at home and 2) my wife could see what they were doing so we- both of us- could continue with the therapy when the therapists left. 24/7
And, most of all, it took us, the parents, making it our responsibility for improving our child’s life- and, ultimately, recovering him. We knew from the beginning that we were going to make improvements in his life. As he improved, we kept setting our sights higher until recovery became the goal. And we reached it. And now, when other parents tell us they don’t think autism recovery is possible for their child, it makes us sad, because we know they’re right.
Incredible Article. I got tons of inspiration from it! It gives hope and strength to so many of us! Thank you for sharing!!!! Please write more about it!
Yay! and Thanks!
I have a “very nearly there” boy. And I am worn out but making my way back to a normal life.
I have feelings of embarrassment because we have come so far/done so well, when so many others have not managed it for one reason or another. I imagine a very rich person in a staving community might have that uncomfortable feeling. I feel it is so tasteless to boast of what we have. But then I want those losing hope to be reminded each and everyday of their fight, that while we are not 100% normal, we are much much closer and it’s been worth every bit of it.
We are all (everyone in the family) much much better off now. Fight and hope and keep doing it! We did Biomed, RDI, OT, Speech, Cranial S., Chiropractor, music therapy, Vision therapy, Hyperbarics…and there was probably more. Nothing that isn’t in the books. Nothing original, we just kept at it, full throttle. Worked full time at it for 5 years and practically bankrupted 4 families…but he is nearly there and it IS worth it! I am not boasting but cheering on….Fight on!
P.S. for Moms…I eat pretty much exactly what I give my kids to eat (from the beginning) and I would highly recommend it for your health and for the solidarity of being able to say “we don’t eat that” instead of “you can’t eat that”.
Terrific article! Inspiring message! Heroic effort!
Congratulations!
Thank you. Early into my son’s recovery, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! I wanted all those coming up behind us to read and hear our story to give them hope and encouragement. Then, I felt like the naysayers were coming on too strong. Either they did not believe my son was ever diagnosed or didn’t believe in the treatments. Look, it was expensive, many trials and errors, still healing taking place; but he is recovered from autism. His school is unaware of the dx. He makes straight A’s, get exceptional behavior reports, has many friends. No one has ever questioned him or what I occasionally see as quirky. They see smart, cute, and funny. I did begin to go underground although our story is published in my blog. It became stressful to feel constantly judged. I was only trying to help others who were at a place I remembered. It was the online community, bloggers and support groups, that totally led our way. I’m so grateful to them; therefore, I try to give back. I continue to journal although not nearly as much. Why should we hang our heads low? These kids are HEALING. that’s what it’s about -healing. My son is healthier now. And if what I have to say helps one child… Well, you know…it’s all worth it! http://www.drewsautismrecovery.com
Hi Drew’s Mom,
I love your blog. I have read it in and out and have several pages bookmarked. My daughter is recently diagnosed so I went back to the bookmarked pages today and the blog is now private. Can I please be invited so that I can continue to get information there? I need it, you have been so helpful. Thanks.
Hi i would love to read your blog as im recovering my son Noah from ASD but it says i need to be invited. Would it be ok to invite me ? Thanks Jess
Hi ,
I would like to have access to your blogs as I am working with my 4 years old kid who has been diagnosed recently ,
Would love to see what you have done to put your kid on recovery path
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Thank you for the wonderful feedback. I’m hoping to have a chance later today to sit down and answer questions. Got railroaded by sick kids and sick babysitter today!
Zorro, can you email me please. I would be interested in hearing more about this recovery . If i ask questions i normally get told to love my son and accept him but i am asking from a place of love. Regards
Zorro!!! Amazing blog today!! Look at all of the love in these comments, sharing stories of recovery!! You are an inspiration to me and so many more!!
Way to go!
–Guardian
Thank you for all the wonderful feedback! I’m hoping to be able to jump on later and answer your questions in more detail. I got railroaded today by sick kids, a teacher work day and a sick babysitter.
This post really resonates with me for I believe that many ASD kiddos can recover from their diagnosis. We’ve tried all the high e d conventional paths, but have had the most progress from biomed and holistic treatments. Diet was our first step and I still seek ways to improve this, although the picky eating and SPD make this a big challenge. Next, was the addition of supplements. There were also therapies specific to autism-the OT, Speech, ABA, PLAY, social stories, you name it, we did it. When my son was only 18 months old, we had about 50 hours of center/in-home therapies and medical appointments each week. It was only after things settled a bit that we started exploring holistic treatments.
For us, NAET has been miraculous. My hubby thought I’d really jumped on the crazy train with that whole idea, but I couldn’t put it to rest. I found a review on amazon.com from a mother who wanted to share her son’s story. She included her email so I contacted her. She called me and had a long heart to heart. I had to try it. I found an M.D. that was trained in NAET and holistic medicine. I talked to 3 other Mom’s with amazing stories to share and then booked our first appointment. It is working! We have overcome health mysteries that have troubled him for years…leg pain and neuro-muscular problems in his legs, poor motor coordination, strength, and fine motor. Difficulty with bi-lateral coordination-using both arms/legs to complete tasks. Bad seasonal allergies. Allergic to eucalyptus, egg, feathers, etc. Strange rashes and bumps-there was one under his eyelid for years. we were likely facing surgery to remove it and after our first 4 treatments it disappeared in just a week. He sleeps better too, and we use far less melatonin.
We’ve had other great improvements too. My son’s ability to learn through imitation, conversation skills, comprehension skills, fine motor skills, imaginary play, social understanding, anxiety (we no longer need a visual schedule because we can simply talk through the day’s events). Better eye contact, improved language, noticing more facial social cues… I could go on and on.
It is hard for others to believe such amazing things. And, my son is not fully recovered, but he is on his way. Some become upset that we are working so hard to “change” our children. Why can’t we just accept them as they are?! I don’t think they understand that I do accept him fully, with or without autism. But how can I not continue to complete treatments that improve his challenge areas and overall health? Is it not good to resolve underlying, recoverable medical issues? I only wish we made a bigger income and could do more NAET treatments and other biomed interventions. Somehow we manage to do enough to make a positive impact despite financial struggles.
My sweet boy has journeyed through life with debilitating and painful G.I. Conditions: food allergies, C. Diff infections, yeast overgrowth, intestinal bleeding. He coped with bad seasonal allergies that required an inhaler, Claritin, etc. when he was two, lab results revealed high toxicity to mercury, aluminum, and more. he had adverse reactions to a number of milk protein-containing vaccines. He was even hospitalized on a few of these occasions, but his doctors felt any indication of reaction to vaccine coincidental. He has had a weakened immune system catching every little cold, getting double ear infections, throat infections, and more recently had a horrible mouth infection-Thrush+Herpes Simplex. I’ve got the whole history on a spreadsheet that shows how he met developmental milestones despite failing health. Then we lost him after MMR and that was the last vaccine he ever had. (He had screaming and staring fits for days, severe GI problems, forgot his words, forgot how to stand up from sitting, and went off to his own world. Clearly there are underlying health issue and I really don’t care if our recent test results indicate there are no food allergies, metabolic issues, or immune system problems. I see the results firsthand. If he eats anything with milk proteins he will have a severe GI reaction with intestinal bleeding. Gluten results in attention and focus fog. Food dyes cause extreme behaviors, loss of impulse control, and increase his anxiety. I don’t need lab results to prove the cause-and-effect of different factors. We have fought hard and each battle has opened the door to our son…we will continue this path. It is recoverable for a great many children and sharing our stories is the only way we will expose the truth. Health insurance should cover biomed treatments for autism, as well as holistic/homeopathic treatments for everyone. I’m sorry to go on so long. I was truly swept away by Zorro’s post and decided to share some of our success with you. I’m grateful for all the thinking moms out there-for your courage and dedication.
I love this!! Thank you!
I found a site that allows you to save the Ted Talk, or any other videos from YouTube that might go poof when the pharmaceutical industry puts enough pressure on whoever is in charge.
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001002.htm There are probably other sites as well.
We should all save every video that can be used against the pharmaceutical industry, as I’m sure they will do everything in their power to censor such information.
Fabulous to hear of another who has recovered! My son, too, has officially recovered. His case was very complicated, with vaccine reaction AND other triggers involved. He, too, was spinning, flapping, banging his head, lining things up, and had lost eye contact and almost all speech at age 2.
We did (and still do) gfcf diet, supplements, and we got a lot of help–speech therapy, OT, and aides who worked with him on social skills, both at school and at home. We did NOT do ABA. We also came up with our own “behavioral therapies” that put him in extra-curricular with neurotypical kids, rather than surrounding him with kids who were even more autistic than he was.
After 3 years of OT, we signed him up for tap and ballet instead, and then moved on to Tae Kwon Do. It took him 2 years to earn his first belt–but he stuck with it until he was a third degree junior black belt!
After 3 years of speech therapy, we signed him up for theatre classes. They taught the same skills as speech therapy, but he was surrounded by neurotypical kids (whom he imitated), and he came out of it with skills that he could use in a peer group. He came out of it WITH a peer group–the theatre kids, who accepted him as one of their own without a second thought.
We didn’t even try auditory processing therapy; Suzuki violin lessons and group classes taught EXACTLY the same thing, but he came out of it with many skills–the ability to play violin (obviously), but also the ability to play in sync with others, the ability to follow a conductor. In addition to skills, he developed the love of music, and became part of a social group. He will be able to join community music groups anywhere, and both use his skills and love of music to make connections with other people.
We made sure he got enough sleep. We discovered that if he stayed up past a certain window of time, he could not sleep at all. He also could not fall asleep without a warm body next to him. We didn’t follow the “medical” advice of the pediatrician to schedule him according to our convenience. We lay down with him at bedtime until he could sleep. Sometimes we slept all night in his bed. Usually he came into ours in the middle of the night, and we told him that this was fine, as long as he didn’t wake us up.
We scheduled a good hour of outdoor exercise every day. When it rained, we had umbrella parades, or, if it was warm enough, we went puddle stomping. He now says that if he doesn’t get outside every day, he doesn’t feel right.
There are so many things I have learned on this journey.
Early on, I learned that I could not trust the medical professionals who believed that vaccines could do no harm, and who believed that autism could not be cured.
But I also learned that some medical professionals do listen to parents, and that there is a time and place for medical intervention.
Autism is not one of them. Neither is preventing a usually-benign disease by inoculating a healthy infant. Also, medical professionals are not the ones to ask for parenting advice.
I am thankful that I did NOT listen to the pediatrician who said, “oh, if you can’t breastfeed, that’s fine, he’ll be perfectly healthy on formula.” I am thankful I didn’t listen to the other pediatrician who said, “your4-month-old is pulling away from the breast because you don’t have enough milk, you need to give him formula,” completely ignoring the fact that he had 2 teeth that had just erupted, and the fact that I actually had more milk than I knew what to do with. I am thankful that, when my son started cow’s milk and got his 12-month vaccines the same week (including MMR), I didn’t listen when the pediatrician said, “toddlers get diarrhea, don’t worry, it’s not the milk.” I immediately switched him to soy milk–and kept nursing as well. I think that one of the reasons my child was able to do so well is that he was nursed for 3 years, AND we connected intestinal problems with the foods he was getting.
I hope that the next area of biomedical intervention includes a look at breastmilk. Even Andrew Wakefield has said that the studies are clear–breastfed babies have a much lower incidence of developing profound autism. The fact that vaccine manufacturers are starting to talk about having nursing mothers skip a feeding on the day of vaccination because breastmilk interferes with the vaccine’s effect on the immune system should be a wake-up call: babies given formula are far more at risk for vaccine reaction!!!!
I think we need to look at the possibility of breastmilk banks for autistic children. Certainly mothers who are breastfeeding the younger sibling of an autistic child can pump some extra for the autistic child. As this is not a medical intervention, we don’t need to wait someone to sponsor corrupt research on this.
hear! hear!
Thanks for sharing this — you have outlined treatments that are truly thought provoking. I am going to use some of them.
Thanks,
Ari.
I totally believe you, my daughter is 15 yrs old and was diagnosed with Autism when she was 7. I have worked since she was around 3 to figure things out for her and when they finally diagnosed her it was like a breakthrough in itself. Over these last few years I have worked with her one on one and we have seen leaps and bounds and she is at a place where she lives like a happy “normal” 15 yr old girl who loves to sew, craft, sing and hang out with the girls from our church and her youth group. She is still the shyer one in the group but there are many kids who are less bold then others. Many people challenge me that “She doesn’t have Autism because she can talk and doesn’t act Autistic”, which get’s my dander up.
I use to public speak with a Literacy group when we lived in another province and now would like to get back into it. Not to put her on display but to inspire parents and to give hope to those who truly would listen. There will always be naysayers but they are not convincable no matter what anyone would say. Keep up the good work.
Yes! Yes! Yes! Best article EVAR! My favorite line: “Normal = Pizza”. Keep telling your story! We all have to!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would love to talk to this woman and find out exactly how she helped her son!! Is there anyway to talk with her?
Hello, I just read your excellent blog about your formerly Autistic child’s recovery. I’m a naturopathic doctor currently researching Autism treatment for an MD who has an Autistic son. This is not my area of specialty but she trusts me to do good research and I’m grateful for the opportunity. So far, I am thinking that Dr. Amy Yasko’s approach seems the most thorough, based on what I know, of any that I have found so far. Did you use her approach, or something similar? I would LOVE to know what you used!!!!
Thanks,
Tevna
Tevna Tayler, NMD
[email protected]
http://www.wildhorsehealing.com
520-312-4220 (Cell)
Thank you for sharing your story. It helps to know I’m not alone. Well, I knew I wasn’t alone. It’s just nice to read it on TMR. You have many followers and that gives me hope. I will mention that my daughter has also recovered. But I won’t share how. I stepped out once, and I regret it. It hurt too much to be called a lier and “Oh you poor thing. You are living in a dream world”. Even had a couple of autistic adults be offended that I would have the audacity to preach that they needed recovery. I never said THEY needed recovery mind you, but it’s how they took her story. Now, I’m having to recover from the experience. I’m just too sensitive I guess. Sensitivity is great if you want to be a massage therapist, not so great if you want to share your recovery story. Maybe it was because I used the word “cured” instead of “recovered” but it doesen’t seem like you had better luck then I did. Thank you for sharing. Please keep doing it. Overly sensitive “Fluttershy’s” like me need people like you who can take the heat without having a breakdown over it. (Hoping the My Little Pony reference wasn’t lost on everyone.) I will say this “RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE!!!!! IT’S NOT A DELUSION!!!!!” Ok, I’m going to dive in my hole now.
Could you help me. I am a mom and open for suggestions. . Please I live in jordan I cant afford it to come to the states. Im so lost in this and my son still have hope. Please give me some guidelines. My personal email. [email protected]
Do you have suggestions for talking about biomed and progress without making the non-biomed parent feel bad about not doing enough? I’ve mentioned my son’s progress to several parents and they’ve all become defensive. I’ve told our story, gave specific examples of progress (removed dairy and my son came out of a fog), referred to TACA, to ARI, biomed books, etc. Maybe I am just not a good advocate but it breaks my heart that their kids don’t have a chance.
thank you for sharing your story its encouraging to know that they are some parents out there who have conquered Autisim . My son is 5 and his yet to go for a full diagnosis but as a parent I have done my own research and I know his in the autism spectrum. I am trying to put him on a gluten free diet and see how it goes I am really hopping it will help with his sleeping disorders.
also with regards to MS which is often if not always late stage lyme or perhaps due to another insect borne disease check out the interview with Dr. Fry here, he may just have discovered something ground breaking
http://www.fibromyalgiaforums.org/forum/general-discussions-about-fibromyalgia/18062-protomyxozoa-rheumatica.html
This is fascinating. I wonder what can treat this? I’m not clear on that point after reading the article. It goes against things we’re currently doing in GAPS with high animal fats. Hmmm….
Hello,
I just read your article. HOORAY ! ! That IS INDEED AWESOME NEWS.
My lovely & I have a son with Autism. Take note that I said, “son with Autism”, NOT an autistic son. It’s always been our opinion, the person comes first, then the condition. Our son was diagnosed at age 4 & totally non-verbal. He is 11 now, answers questions & asks for the things he wants. He is currently trying to be “conversational”. We’ve had one therapist after the next & Dr. after specialist proclaim, “If he’s not talking by age 7, he never will”. Yeah . . . . . . .
Unlike many children with Autism, our son has ALWAYS been extremely affectionate. Has an AMAZING sense of humor. We have never medicated him beyond the occasional Ibuprofin for a head-ache. We probably never will. Our son has been from coast to coast. He LOVES to travel. He hope to have a passport for him soon. Does well in grocery stores, restaurants . . . . . . Many of the parents we know, wouldn’t do ANY of the above with their child. Recently, we have been teaching our son to ROLLER SKATE. He LOVES, LOVES, LOVES it ! ! !
Anyway, I’m getting carried away & far from why I wrote. Sorry, I’m not a proud doting dad, AT ALL. : )
CONGRATS to you & your family on your accomplishment. I think ALL things are possible, ALWAYS. Does that mean it ill be EASY? NO. Does that mean it won’t be FRUSTRATING? NO ! Does that mean that your child won’t or hasn’t melted down in a grocery store or restaurant? NO ! ! Is it worth ALL those things & SO MUCH more to have/see the slightest advancement? A B S O L U T E L Y ! !
My hat is off to you. My personal email is [email protected] , please feel free to contact us & share more on your amazing accomplishment & son.
Thank you
What a fantastic article. Made sure I shared it on Facebook. Crickets is right when it comes to bio-med. Just curious though if your son might be suffering from lyme disease or PANDAS/PANS syndrome which is often due to lyme – anxiety is a big red flag. There is an awful lot of overlap between autism, this syndrome, and pediatric lyme. Check out Dr. Corson’s presentation here http://www.lymepa.org/CorsonPediatricLymeTalk.pdf as well as the information at http://www.pandasnetwork.org Bravo to you for all you have accomplished!
Zorro,
I am in love with you.. Lol just kidding but I absolutely LOVE your message.
Why is it so hard for people to believe what is right in front of them??
Thank you for this wonderful post!!
Shouting from the rooftops with you Zorro! You are ansolutely right- our stories ARE the first step of The scientific process and many parents are yelling EUREKA every day with successes from their own experimental process: removing an offending food= better eye contact, a new supplement=improved language, energy management of activities= less tantrums from fatigue… It is all science no matter where your MD or PhD came from: medical doctor or mother determined! Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of phrustration and action! 😉
Hahaha That’s right, I am an MD- Mother Determined!!! When I first started this career, I was a Doctor of PHRUSTATION (love it). After dedicating 5.5yrs to the working in that field, now I am a Doctor of RECOVERY!!!
This is our story too. Recovered. And the ensuing doubt comes from fellow autism parents, even more so than total strangers.
It’s a sad testament that the myths surrounding autism are still believed. Our kids are improving, our kids are recovering. That is why I write about my son and speak to anyone about his recovery. The test of time of this decision will be how he is viewed when he goes to get his first job. Google his name and he’s there as “recovered from autism”. In then years will that be looked at with skepticism or with awe that he was a pioneer in understanding that kids could indeed recover. I hope for the latter.
Wow. You have really got me thinking. Maybe it’s because I too have witnessed miracles doing things the doctors still think is hocus pocus but wow. I had severe PE and HELLP syndrome in 1999. I was near death and my preemie died after 3 hard fought weeks to live. While I am no scientist I was directed to the right people who showed me that if I ate very differently…more protein and calories…during pregnancy that I could have a healthy baby and not almost die trying. I talked on the phone with the late Dr. Tom Brewer and to other women who had history similar to mine, including a woman who reversed PE in her second pregnancy with the help of a midwife. I have two living healthy children today thanks in no small part to Dr. Brewer yet Tom died still frustrated that the medical community never gave him the respect he very much deserved. I don’t argue that there us something different about the body of women like me and I had a heck of a time keeping my serum albumin levels in the normal range, all I can say is that for 99% of women who do it right, the Brewer diet works splendidly….so why not for other things too? I a lucky that my son rides the adhd/aspie line and is mainstreamed, but he still has very few friends and a lot of anxiety. Thanks for inspiring me to dig deeper.
Thank you for sharing your story. I love reading these. Keeps me hopeful. I do not for the life of me understand how some parents don’t want hope for recovery. They must be too scared to even try, or maybe brainwashed…. that’s why I love TMR! think for yourself, keep an open mind and who knows what’s possible. One day I hope I can spread the word of recovery too. Congratulations on your son’s recovery!!!
I meant to say ‘in an otherwise pretty bleak picture’!
I loved this article.
Although your son found his way out of autism differently to the methods I use with kids, I have absolutely no doubt about his recovery! I am baffled that anyone wants to snuff out the specks of light, in an otherwise pretty picture. I am in no doubt whatsoever that autism need not be permanent, or incurable. You are certainly not alone in your story.
I use homeopathy and also supplements to uncluster the clusterfrak! I find the biggest problem I have, is getting parents on board in the first place to give something ‘unscientific’ a try. But science seems to have left them out in the cold with no clothes on, so it’s hard to fathom why they’re so loyal….
Anyway, loved your article. Well done for getting out there and being a voice of hope!
….still my question…. how did you do it?
Beautifully articulated
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I loved hearing that your child recovered!!