AUTISM - Part 2

"I see a small group who are fully recovered from autism, a middle group who are improving and a small group show no response" said Dr Underwood. He said he cannot tell from the start whether a child will respond to bio medical intervention, but generally younger patients do better, especially if treatment starts between 21/2 and 31/2 years of age.

He said autistic children often have very high copper levels, multiple food allergies and yeast infestations of the gut that respond well to elimination diets and anti-fungal medications. If blood or hair tests reveal mineral deficiencies (zinc is usually low), they also show improvement when given mineral supplements.

Add omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and this is enough for some children to lose all signs of autistic behaviour, Underwood said. Sydney mother Gina Taylor claims her five-year old son Colin (not his real name) has overcome his autism using these interventions. Taylor says "the ages between two and four were "just appalling" for her family, as Colin's development was severely delayed.

Colin didn't respond to his name, was non-verbal, a fussy eater and felt no pain. He had also been on several courses of and was about to have grommets inserted in his ear to resolve persistent infections.

"Within about two months of his treatment starting, he never needed another course of antibiotics, his pain threshold was normal and he ate a wider diet like eggs, veggies and meat." While these improvements were welcome, Taylor said the big break-through happened a few months later.

She said she was in a shoe shop, carrying him as usual so he wouldn't run away when he leaned over and pointed to a row of shoes and named eight different colours,"

After two years of treatment, her son no longer needs speech or occupational therapy, speaks normally for his age and has just started at the local public school.

Brisbane GP Gary Deed also treats autistic patients bio medically. His Carina clinic sees about 250 autistic children and many adolescents. He says most show some improvement if given personalised programs.

He said we see a response to symptoms such as digestive symptoms quite quickly in many cases while has had success with behavioural changes such as stimming (repetitive movements such as flicking and rocking) and agitated self-harming behaviours as well as withdrawal."

Asked if any patient had fully recovered, Deed responded; "I have only truly seen one."

But he said that isn't the goal for most families. "Most parents accept that they are not looking for 100 per cent recovery, but better ability to self-manage and develop independent living skills.

"To get a child to speak might be as big a milestone for one as it is to finally get toilet-training complete in a seven to nine-year-old, if you know what I mean.

In fact, doctors who use this approach do not advocate its use without using other treatments such as speech and occupational therapies and learning programs such as applied behaviour analysis (ABA).

By James Charles

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