My son, Parker, was diagnosed with "moderately severe" autism in 2000. He appeared to be developing normally until the age of 18 months. He had some problems with ear infections and was treated with antibiotics, as well as some cold and flu as an infant, possibly indicating a slight immune system dysfunction. But he learned to walk, use a fork and spoon, speak some words, and was learning to dress himself all pretty much on schedule. Had his MMR vaccine at 18 months and he ran a 105 degree temperature for four or five days, screaming all night. Doctor said there was nothing to worry about. Within a few months he had lost all words, lost every skill except walking, and had no eye contact. A year later he was wildly uncontrollable, not sleeping at all, screaming or laughing hysterically all night, toe-walking, spinning like a top, and not interacting with any other human being. We had him diagnosed at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland Oregon, where they told us his condition was untreatable and incurable and that he would have to be put in an instituion before he was in his teens. They said, "The only thing we are interrested in is that you, as his parents, accept this diagnosis and let go of him." They pretended to know nothing about special diets or alternative treatments and told us they didn't recommend trying any of that. Of course, we tried everything. Some things helped him and some things didn't.
Parker is now 12 years old and lives with me, my wife of 30 years, and his 14 year old neurotypical brother (who is also his best friend). He still doesn't speak much at all, but has almost 100% comprehension of other people's speech, he sleeps 8 hours a night, he now looks people in the eye and interacts with them, and he's very happy, affectionate, and charming.
Parker sees and DAN doctor and has tried many diets, supplements, and "alternative" treatments and therapies. We believe that "autism" is an unfortunate catch-all diagnosis and that all of our kids are individual and unique, and each require individual and unique sets of treatments. We have tried almost everything and we see no miracle cures, but we have proved the medical professionals at OHSU wrong; we have reversed Parker's severe stomach problems, brought back his eye contact and comprehension, and seen him go from a very sick, tortured child to a very sweet, happy, and smart kid.
Along the way, we have been ruined financially by insurance companies denying payment for treatments that are clearly working and making our son better.
I am a professional film maker and I have been working on a documentary about Parker for several years, but I keep changing my mind about exactly what I want to say. Autismspot seems like the perfect place to share some of my video work and our story about our family's experience of doing what they told us couldn't be done.