Autism Spectrum Disorder

In the 1990s Autism had a rate of 1 in 1400 kids. When I taught school (2003-2006) 1 in every 150 kids had autism. Do you know what it is now? Three years later it is now 1 in 91! The CDC has said the rising rate in autism is because pediatricians, psychologists, etc are able to detect it earlier. So, that's it. Autism is on the rise because it is easier to diagnose.



Why then in 2002 did MERK take out mercury from vaccines after their own researchers in 1991 found that mercury caused neurological damage? And why isn't there any research on aluminum in vaccines? And why is it that chelation can help children with autism?



These are the questions that race through my mind as I debate what shots to give my daughter. Is the risk of pertussis (1 in 50,000) greater than autism (1 in 91)?



Kendra had what I call an autistic regression. I only worked with school aged children who had autism so I wasn't aware of the regression that can take place between 12 and 15 months. I don't know if Kendra truly had autism - I never had her tested and I refused to do so. I didn't want a child with autism. I was taught that autism was a life sentence - there is no cure. It was also the most difficult disorder for me to work with because of the severe behavior.



At 14 months Kendra stopped sleeping, cried all the time, became incredibly irritable, lost her language ability (according to our journal she stopped saying words she previously could say), and became exhausting to me. Her behavior was so outlandish I didn't know what to do. At her 18 month check up her pediatrician suggested she be tested for autism. She acted like a frantic caged monkey. I had already decided that she had sensory processing disorder and decided to go that route first. Each day became a sensory experience for her. Although it was a nightmare, I challenged her constantly - I had to pull her out. Each day we went to new places with new people and new experiences, she hated this, but it had to be done. I did behavior modification with her which broke my heart. It's so much easier to do on someone who isn't your own kid! Four months later her improvement was remarkable. She finally had her evaluation with an occupational therapist - I didn't think she'd qualify but she did. Her therapist was amazing and I watched and replicated everything she did. Four months after therapy began she was a different kid. Everyone could see it.

I found this on a website - I didn't know that sensory integration was one of the basic therapies that could help reverse autism.

The facts are:

√ Children showing remarkable improvements on the gluten and casein free diet.

√ Children show incrediable improvements with chelation (the process of removing heavy metals from the body.)

√ Children are greatly helped by sensory intergration.

√ Children are greatly helped by auditory intergation.

√ Children make good progress in leaving autism behind by doing intensive behavior modification.

Here is a video (it's 30 minutes, but very good) about children who are recovering from autism.

http://www.autismyesterday.com/trailer.html

THE MOST WONDERFUL SOUND

The most wonderful sound to me is listening to Kendra after she is put to bed. She sings, talks, plays with her stuffed animals, and has a great time. I love it. I love listening to her over the monitor. Why is this the most wonderful sound to me? Between 14 and 19 months roughly, Kendra completely wore me out. After being put to bed she would cry and vomit within 10 seconds of crying. It became so awful that Mark and I took turns laying on the floor in her room until she would fall asleep. Then we would sneak out. Looking back I'm not sure how we made it. Kendra is such a delight now - it's wonderful.