Autism Support

Fluoride – Do you know what this toxic substance is doing to your health?

2011-03-10T23:00:00.000-08:00

Fluoride – Do you know what this toxic substance is doing to your health?

I've been talking about fluoride concerns for a long time now, but after watching the video linked below, I felt the need to write a more current blog post on the topic. In December of 2010, I attended a medical training that just happened to cover some information on fluoride and the toxicity therein. What I learned was alarming at best, so I decided to do a little further research, to make sure what I was hearing was not simply one-sided conjecture! To my horror, it was not only factual, it was mild compared to what I would run across in the course of my research on this topic.

Consider that chlorine and many other additives to the water were considered simply for water safety. In other words, other water additives were deemed necessary to purify the drinking water and increase the safety of the consumer. Fluoride, on the other hand, does not meet that criteria. Fluoride is a chemical added not to treat the water we are ingesting to make it safe, but rather a medicine added to treat the individuals consuming it. Think about this, as with any chemical or medicine, every person responds differently depending on size, weight and other variables. In other words, the amount of any chemical you would give a 10 pound infant would significantly vary from what you would give a 200 pound individual. There is never a one-size-fits-all approach to medicine, unless you consider fluoridated water! What is considered to be an appropriate dosage? Who is monitoring this to determine if we are getting too much? The answer is NO ONE!

Most Americans are aware that our water is fluoridated and believe this is in our best interest. The American Dental Association and CDC have long praised the benefits of fluoride in our drinking water, espousing the necessity of decreasing tooth decay within our population. Yet, what does the science behind water fluoridation really say?

Most European countries have long since stopped adding fluoride to water, recognizing that the benefits are far outweighed by the risks of toxicity and physiological damage. Fluoride has shown some benefit as a TOPICAL substance ONLY, improving the enamel of teeth, yet ingesting fluoride is hazardous in a multitude of fashions. So why is it still being added to the water supply in most of the US? Simple, because there's no place to dispose of this substance in an environmentally safe way, so why not just add it to our water and dupe the population into thinking it's for their own benefit.

Any form of fluoride is neurotoxic, but some forms more so than others. If you ask a dentist today what is added to our water, they will tell you sodium fluoride NOT SO! Did you know most of what we are getting in our water is not sodium fluoride, it's hydrofluorosalicic acid, a waste product from the phosphate industry? These waste products were deemed far to toxic to be released through the stacks and were not allowed to be released into the streams or rivers because of toxicity, but it's ok if it's added to our drinking water. I'm sorry.... WHAT? This toxic substance is a mixture of whatever collects in the stack gases and it contains LOTS of contaminants, including heavy metals.

You can see additional information and studies about fluoride toxicity at http://www.flouridealert.org as well as an excellent article and video discussing these issues at http://wholefoodusa.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/dont-drink-the-fluoride/

How many of you have seen children with brown or white spots on their teeth? That's called Dental Fluorosis. It's causes by the ingestion of too much fluoride during the period of tooth development. It can not only affect the enamel of the teeth, but can also cause flaking, chipping and structural problems. Now let's take it a step further. Skeletal fluorosis is a bone disease caused by the ingestion of too much fluoride and causes significant bone degeneration and pain in those affected. It is often mistaken for arthritis, a disease which we know has been steadily on the rise in this country for many years and seems to be affecting its victims at a younger and younger age.

One of my larger concerns has to do with thyroid activity. In the studies and the informational sites listed above, there is a tremendous amount of information talking about the fact that fluoride causes significant thyroid impairment, usually seen as hypothyroidism. I'd like to detail this a bit more, as a full understanding of this issue is paramount for our health and well-being. Understanding WHY fluoride is a significant thyroid problem is important, if you want to learn how to prevent this issue and eliminate the consequences at hand.

Our pituitary gland controls the production of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). The thyroid gland then produces T4 (thyroid hormone). This is then converted into T3, which is the active form of thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone is made from a protein called tyrosine with 4 iodine bonds.

The training class I took in December went into great detail about the nature of fluoride and how it affects our thyroid function. In the periodic table, fluoride (fluorine) is listed in the halogens, along with chlorine, bromine, iodine and astatine. Florine is what is known as a “bully” halogen, because anytime fluorine is present, it will displace any other halogen. Case in point, thyroid! Fluoride (fluorine), when ingested, will replace the iodine in the thyroid hormone, causing it to become a tyrosine protein with 4 fluorine bonds, rather than iodine, which it has displaced. It actually creates what is a “fake” thyroid hormone that the body cannot utilize appropriately.

Blood testing for thyroid will NOT show this problem, as the current blood tests cannot distinguish the fluorine from the iodine in the thyroid hormone test. Testing will often come out completely normal, when in essence, your body has a fake thyroid hormone that cannot be used, leading you to a state of induced Type II Hypothyroidism.

These are just some of the many issues associated with water fluoridation and the toxicity associated. It is incumbent upon those partaking of the fluoridated water system to know the risks and side effects. Unfortunately, informed consent, as required when any other type of medical intervention is employed, doesn't seem to apply here. Drink at your own risk!

Graduating From The Clutches Of Autism

2010-12-14T11:56:00.000-08:00

Graduating From The Clutches Of Autism

Today is a very special day for me. A day worthy of celebration, a day I have waited on for a very long time.

My son, Chad, had his annual IEP meeting at school today. We were to determine whether he still meets criteria for special education, and if so, update his annual IEP.

Before I tell you the good news, I suppose I should share some of the background to make this more understood. Chad has autism. He was diagnosed at 15 months and was nonverbal until between 4-5 years old. Chad was pretty severe in his earlier days, but made significant progress with much biomedical, therapeutic, dietary and educational intervention.

Chad got to a place where he became indistinguishable from his peers, and somehow in the last 2 years, we started moving backwards, or maybe just standing still. Academics became more of a problem and he started falling behind. His ADHD/hyperactivity was ramping up a good bit and focus & attention were a struggle.

I had to change my bio, which once had said my son was recovered, to correctly reflect his current situation. Now, having said that, he would NEVER in a million years meet any criteria for an autism diagnosis at this juncture, but definitely an ADHD diagnosis. His gut related autism problems were gone, his language issues were gone, his social/emotional was very slightly behind, but he was in regular classes and was no longer pulled out for special education services.

I started getting worried, as to be honest with you all, I just flat shut down over the last 5 months and kind of let things fall through the cracks. I wasn't doing homework like I needed to with Chad. I was depressed, overwhelmed, and just going to bed when I came home from work. Not acceptable, I know, but it happens. Well, finally started addressing some of my health issues, am beginning to feel much better, and am starting to get back on the right track again.

I help Chad back in the 2nd grade because of emotional/social issues, thinking he needed that extra year to catch up, which I still maintain was the best decision I ever made. He's a year older than his peers in the 4th grade now, but it's still a good fit. So, with all of this in the back of my mind, I was STUNNED to hear what the IEP team shared with me today.

They looked at qualifications, and other than the fact he had an autism diagnosis on paper, he would not have qualified for ANY special education services. When looking at his testing scores academically, hew as at or above grade level in all areas other than math, and just a slight bit behind. Not even enough to qualify him for services, outside his diagnosis still being autism.

The next sentence STUNNED me. The team said that Chad has done so well socially, emotionally and academically, they think he needs to go to 6th grade next year, instead of 5th! WHAT? HOLY COW! I was expecting to get railed for him being behind because of my lack of involvement so far this school year, and to my surprise, he blew me away!

They said what made this all the more incredible, was that since I had not been helping him at home, he has done all of this on his own, without mom prodding and constantly poking to move forward. They also told me that Chad is reading at every opportunity he gets. That is work sometimes gets sloppy because he knows if he finishes early, he can go read and he can't wait to get his hands on the chapter books at school. Chad has never liked to read and this just astonished me!

All I can tell you is that today, I am one happy mommy! As a parent of 2 children with ASD's, we long to hear these things about our children from others besides ourselves and those in our immediate environment. We crave hearing good reports, in hopes of confirming what we wish for our children. Not everyone has that luxury and I am all too aware of that, which makes me that much more thankful for the news I received today.

I doubt I will allow him to go to 6th grade next year, as the whole public middle school thing is very hard on our kids and I still don't think he's read for that socially. However, just knowing that others do has me beaming from ear to ear right now!

Come celebrate with me! My Chad is graduating from the clutches of autism!

Now, let's help everyone else's kids do the same!

Laura :)

Tesla Energy Lights and Autism

2010-12-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

Tesla Energy Lights and Autism

Please check out Autism Solution Center's 6 Part Video filmed during a 1 week period using Tesla Energy Lights with individuals who have Autism Spectrum Disorders. MUCH research needs to be done to determine appropriate outcomes & supporting data, but what we saw within one week was very encouraging.

View the video series here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5jIiskpzTs

We now have the Tesla Energy Lights full-time at ASC, and are looking forward to much more exciting news to come as we collect more data. We will keep you posted as new information becomes available.

To go hand in hand with the new information we are learning about pH levels and cell voltage, we are recommending you read the following book, that explains in much more detail how increased cell voltage and subtle energy, such as Tesla Energy Lights, can affect change in your system.

http://tinyurl.com/VoltageBook

This is technology that has not been researched in the field of autism and holds great promise, as we learn more about what increased pH or cell voltage means to specific areas of the body and mind.

Happy learning!

Laura :)

pH = Cell Voltage!

2010-10-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

pH = Cell Voltage!

So in all the years I have been doing biomedical as it relates to autism, I have never heard things explained in the way I am going to lay out over the next few weeks. I ran across a medical theory this past week that has turned everything I currently think on its ear. Not that it makes any of the current info irrelevant or incorrect, it just changes its perspective and takes it one layer deeper to understand more of the etiology of what's going on and why we often can't get past a certain point in treatment.

We talk a lot about pH in autism, as most of us know that acidity is a problem when it comes to health. That's why we have so many people drinking alkaline water and incorporating different interventions to keep pH under control as best as they can.

pH (potential hydrogen) is really cell voltage, which makes sense, but cells require certain millivolts of power to regenerate and heal damaged areas. Take a look at this correlation between pH and cell voltage.

pH 0 7 14

Voltage +400 mV 0 mV -400 mV

A normal pH is said to be between 7.35 – 7.45, which is equivalent to -20 mV - -25 mV. So the normal operating cell voltage is between -20 mV - -25 mV, which is in the alkaline range. Any time there is damage, our voltage in that area automatically shifts to -50 mV, which is the voltage required to make new cells to replace the damaged ones. Anything from -1 mV - -400 mV is considered an electron donor. Anything from +1 mV - +400 mV is considered an electron stealer. Electron stealers are acidic, free radicals, have a positive pole, cause damage, and spin left atomically. Electron donors are alkaline, antioxidants, have a negative pole, cause regeneration and spin right atomically.

In order for a cell to work properly, you have to have the following requirements in the right ranges/amounts:

Glucose, temperature, blood pressure, pH/voltage and oxygen

If any one of these is abnormally low or high, you have problems. To break it down even further, you need the following for the cell to be healthy:

Alkaline water, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, oxygen, sunshine and pH/voltage.

The normal healing range for cells is -50 mV/pH 7.85 to -60 mV/pH 8.05. Viruses, bacteria, fungus and cancer cells die at -70 mV/pH 8.23 to -105 mV/pH 8.84. At +5 mV/pH 6.91 or higher + ranges, bacteria, viruses, fungus, decreased oxygen, pain, and damage to DNA happen. Cancer cells thrive at +30 mV/pH 6.48.

When cell voltage is low and oxygen decreases, we see an increase of anaerobic bacteria in the gut, which begins to thrive in the low oxygen environment. So, when voltage is low, not only do we see an increase in gut bugs, we also don't have the necessary voltage to regenerate the cells necessary that have been damaged.

So many of our kids have chronic gut issues. We see ongoing problems with yeast, parasites, C Diff, and many others requiring usage of Diflucan, Nystatin, Flagyl and so many other anti-fungal and antibiotic substances being used to keep the dysbiotic gut in check, along with the addition of super-potent pre and pro-biotics to attempt to balance the environment out and prevent future flare ups. Yet, we still have this subset of kids that after years and years of gut work, stability still balances on a microscopic fine line that is easily breached. Perhaps not just these methods, but a more accurate way to insure appropriate cell voltage and adequate oxygenation is a key ingredient missing. Again, not the only issue, but certainly something to think about in this mix that continues to keep so many of our kids negatively affected.

Tesla based technology was rebirthed by incorporating two Tesla coils and select noble gases in tubes which produced a “power” based apparatus in 1994 called the Bio-Electric Light Stimulator. This first version was a relic reproduction from those in experimentation in the 1800 and 1900's Tesla era.

In 1998, a subtle energy activation device was created capable of producing a much finer non-physical subtle energy field. By removing the copper wire column and replacing it with fine quartz crystal tubes applied to the unipolar AC and DC bias models, the raw electrical power was reduced while creating a transmission of plasma containing billions of fine ionic frequencies in a full spectrum of harmonics. Providing the solution with AC and DC bias complements was a far more balanced and elegant delivery system with major evolutionary break through propensities.

The Tesla Energy Lights we are now using incorporate the 2 tesla coils and select noble gases to donate electrons, or increase energy to move damaged areas into that -50 mV/pH 7.88 range necessary to begin the regeneration process. It's important to understand we can have all the right things going on with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, fats, etc., yet have the wrong cell voltage and not heal appropriately. In many cases, low enough voltage is not only preventing cell regeneration, it's causing cell deterioration and damage.

It's also important to point out that these levels of pH/cell voltage are for adults. Children normally operate at a cell voltage of -35 mV/pH 7.61, so appropriate adjustments have to be made.

It's highly important to me that I stop at this juncture and point out this is not a woo-woo, feel good, grasping at straws, hopeful theory! ALL OF THIS IS 100% PROVEABLE AND REPRODUCEABLE VIA SCIENTIFIC MEASUREMENTS! I have to admit, when I first heard about this (and please don't be offended if you fall into this category), my first reaction was here we go again. Another off-the-wall theory falling into that new-age, mysticism genre that has a tendency to be highly subjective in nature, with little scientific fact to support it. NOT SO! This is simple quantum physics, chemistry and voltage.

The cell voltage/pH issue we are discussing is only ONE piece of the puzzle! This is certainly not a fix-all and is not a stand alone solution by any means. Increasing the cell voltage works synergistically to help increase the efficacy of the interventions we are using, thus improving outcomes. It's a critical piece, but not solitary.

What excites me about this, is this is something we can measure! We plan to do studies on this to look at many different methods of measurement and improvement. Medically, we want to look at blood work, pH levels, nutrition levels, organic acids, stool and detox levels. We also want to incorporate the neurofeedback system we are using to do before and after brain mapping, to determine what changes in brain function are resulting from the cell energy shifts, being caused by the lights. EEG is EEG. We either see changes in brainwaves or we don't! No fuzzy science here!

There are several other topics I want to get into over the immediate near future, such as bonded oxygenation, iodine deficiency, hypothyroidism, and others, that play pivotal roles in restoring health. We'll talk more about them soon!

Laura Corby, Founder/CEO

Autism Solution Center, Inc.

To remain in compliance with the FDA, these statements are educational in purpose only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. For medical attention, please consult your licensed doctor or health care professional. This information has not been evaluated by the FDA. No medical claims are made or implied of any kind.

Improving Efficacy of Treatments in ASD's.

2010-10-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

Improving Efficacy of Treatments in ASD's.

WOW - my head is spinning with new information from this past week's treatment sessions and the conference information explaining the underlying medical/physiological issues with deteriorating health, including ASD's! Gonna write some notes and blog posts that will blow your mind in terms of treating not only ASD's, but most other issues as well. I AM FLOORED with what I have just learned and even more floored by the fact that I have been in the autism circuits for years and have never heard anything like this, yet it makes perfect sense from a medical stand point.

Not to mention the fact that now we will be able to do some research studies to provide the scientific data to PROVE what is going on here, rather than just hearing about "feel good subjective" responses to people who have been treated. THIS IS TOTALLY EXCITING AND COULD SERIOUSLY CHANGE MUCH OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING!

Stay tuned for more. I have a lot of information that I have to process to find a way to explain all this so it makes sense. I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY SEE IN TERMS OF IMPROVING EFFICACY OF THE INTERVENTIONS WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN DOING TO TREAT ASD'S!

Give me a few days to a week to start working on explanations and ways to convey this, and I'll start pumping out posts to share the wealth! :)

Laura :)

There Is Help Availble - Are You Willing To Accept It?

2010-10-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

There Is Help Available - Are You Willing To Accept It?

I just read an article by Lisa Jo Rudy, blogger at Autism Guide. Her article was entitled, "Can You Offer Help for Parents with Asperger's Syndrome?" What was being discussed was 2 particular individuals with Asperger's Syndrome who were experiencing some significant life set-backs because of their condition, yet once again, apparently the community at large is at a loss for providing any tangible assistance, as this blogger is taking the question to her readers. Why am I so surprised?

I am posting my response to this blogpost below, as I believe we have to start addressing this question NOW! This situation is NOT going to get any easier, as the diagnostic rates continue to rise faster than the waters of the mighty Mississippi during a monsoon!

Here's my response and I hope the autism community will begin to rise up against the ego's of the world, to shout out, "There is help available - Are you willing to accept it?"

Hello Lisa Jo!

I just finished reading your article titled, "Can You Offer Help for Parents of Adult Children with Asperger's Syndrome?"

As an individual with Asperger's Syndrome/ADHD, the mother of a child with Asperger's and another with autism/ADHD, along with founding an autism treatment center that deals with thousands of individuals with ASD's, I would love to weigh in on this with some thoughts!

Over the years I have changed my opinion to that of ASD's being a lacking of skills that needed to be learned, to understand that it's truly more of an overage of ability. What I mean by that is those with ASD's typically have an ADDITIONAL set of skills that those who are neurotypical do not have. They are overwhelmed by these additional skill sets and don't have many role models to teach them to weild these tools properly, as most do not have them, nor do most understand what we are experiencing on a daily basis and why, how we process information, and how we have to work through those issues to come to a resolution on the other end that results in life changes.

ASD's are medical problems, with neurological consequences and behavioral outcomes. Simply addressing behavior is NOT enough, hence the reason these families are getting no help for these out of control teens or adults with AS. I see it every single day and it's becoming a crisis in terms of the sheer volume of individuals being affected, yet what options are these families being given in terms of tangible help and assistance?

I see psychobabble and overmedication constantly being used as a means to "subdue" the situations and behaviors at hand, yet with unfortunate results in the realm of losing cognition and gifts in the process. Outside of what we have been doing at the Autism Solution Center, I have yet to see real change be affected in the lives of these incredible individuals with AS, bringing them closer to independence, which is what the struggle is all about.

We need to be heard by the medical and professional community. Just because we may not have a M.D. or Ph.D. behind our names does not mean we do not have incredible insight to offer in this field, that most professionals are failing miserably in. I am interested in changing and improving the quality of lives being led by those with ASD's. Opinions are just that, but at the end of the day, it comes down to doing what works, and frankly, most (not all) in the medical and professional community are at a loss in this area when it comes to AS. Let's hope they start listening and recognizing insight from within those with these disorders for what it is.......... incredibly useful!

Just my 2 cents!

Sincerely,

Laura Corby, Founder/CEO
Autism Solution Center, Inc.
9282 Cordova Park Road
Cordova, TN 38018
(901) 758-8288
info@autismsolutioncenter.com
http://www.autismsolutioncenter.org

Remember, the Ark was build by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals!

I'm Not Mad... Am I?

2010-09-16T16:39:00.000-07:00

I'm Not Mad... Am I?

I had a very interesting conversation this week with a fellow individual with Asperger's (AS) and we were talking about our inability to sometimes recognize the emotions we are projecting out towards others.

As I continue to work with individuals with ASD's, I see a very specific situation continuing to rise to my attention. We often are oblivious when it comes to recognizing that others rarely perceive what we are actually feeling. In other words, we are not good at "showing" accurate emotions to display what's going on inside. Our actions and body language often tell a tale that is not in sync with and often far from what we know to be true.

I recently watched a conversation, or rather a debate, take place between a group of individuals, one of whom was an individual with AS. As he tried to explain his position on the topic at hand to the others in the room, you could see his frustration and anger rise. They just weren't seeing his point of view, which he happened to be quite passionate about, and it seemed the more intently he tried to explain, the more heated the conversation got. His face turned red, the volume of his voice rose significantly, and he began to lean in towards the others, his body language signifying his intensity and intent on changing every mind there.

Interestingly enough, when I spoke with him afterwards about the situation, he said he was absolutely not defensive, heated or angry, yet every person present would have bet their life otherwise. This is a common occurance and the more I see it happen, the more confident I become that these individuals really do not know how they are coming across! When confronted with the scenario, they are usually dumbfounded and often even hurt that anyone could have taken what they were saying out of context to the point of assuming they were mad or defensive. It's kind of an interesting dynamic, as the very same people will then see the identical behavior in another and take great offense, feeling as though everything is targeted at them and as though they are being attacked.

This whole scenario once again goes back to my last post, and the often inability or limited ability to think outside ourselves. It's so critical for others to understand that the self-consumed and seemingly selfish nature of those with ASD's is not what it seems. It's not a matter of not caring, not having an emotional connection, or not having sympathy or empathy. It's also not a matter of being selfish because of ego or internal wants and needs. It's more a matter of being completely overwhelmed by our environment and so many issues within ourselves (anxiety, sensory, OCD, etc.), that we are consumed with what's happening within, let along bringing additional outside issues into the equation!

Haven't you ever had a day where you've had so many difficult things happen, that you feel as if you will completely shut down if you have one more set back? Days where you are so overwhelmed it's impossible for you to think about one more tiny task, as you're spent on what's currently on your plate and the thought of one more thing will just send you over the edge? Welcome to our world! That's often how many of us feel on a daily basis, but don't often have the means to appropriately articulate that to others. Something to consider as well, is that we often don't know we are in that state. Sounds kind of strange, but just follow me for a second.

If you are born blind, then that's all you have ever known. At the age of 15, how would I then try to teach the concept of the color green to you? It's impossible, because you have no frame of reference for colors. I could explain a leaf to you, as that's something tangible you could touch and feel to understand, but an abstract concept like color would be more than challenging. We have to take into consideration that many of us with ASD's have lived every single day of our lives, or at least as long as we can remember, with very heightened anxiety, OCD, paranoia, sensory integration dysfunction and many other issues. If that's all we have ever known, then that's "normal" to us. We don't identify ourselves as anxious if that's how we have always felt. That's our "normal". Only if our anxiety was heightened far beyond what we normally experience, which would be difficult, would we be aware that something is different with our system.

What's interesting here, is that the level of emotions and stimuli we typically experience on a daily basis, would be considered by most as high adrenaline, or "fight or flight" mode. In comparison, most would only experience that level of heightened anxiety and senses if their life was truly in danger.

Imagine if you will, being accosted by a thief at gunpoint. Your sensory system is on high alert, your heartbeat increases, your respiration slows, your bloodflow is more restricted in your extremeties and pushed to your core. WHY? Because your body senses your life is in danger and it's converting all your resources to either fighting or flight. Self preservation is the name of the game, and whether or not someone just loaded the dishwasher incorrectly is not even a consideration at such a time!

Haven't you ever heard the stories of a mother who has a child run over by a car, and somehow in their heightened adrenaline fight or flight mode, they manage to pick up the car to remove their child from under? It's AMAZING what our bodies are capable of in that state. The strength, the rage and influx of emotion can be absolutely incredible. Most rarely, if ever, experience that amount of adrenaline. Those of us with ASD's, on the other hand, live like that daily and have to find ways to temper that heightened state. It's a very difficult balancing act and often more than a full-time venture. If most or all of our time and energy is spent controlling our mood and sensory modulation, how reasonable is it to expect we can monitor the body language and mood modulation of others?

That's not to say we are off the hook and get away scott free with our issues, but it is to say that we have to be TAUGHT how to do this. It's not learned by osmosis! Interestingly enough, we are often only able to learn these things when we are NOT in fight or flight mode. Teaching someone geometry when they have just been robbed and are in fight or flight mode is not a great idea. Their ability to focus, concentrate and stabilize their mood is impossible at best. You wouldn't attempt to teach them until several days after, once the adrenaline had calmed down and they have had time to ramp down from the experience. Likewise, our loved ones with ASD's are very difficult to reach in fight or flight mode. We usually have to bring them down a few notches before they have the ability to truly listen, observe and learn what needs to be taught. Once we accomplish that, THEN we are able to teach mood modulation skills, de-escalation interventions, and many other sensory and self-help skills that enable them to both recognize and eliminate the reactive behaviors that a hyper adrenaline state produces. They then have the skills and ability to stand back and process through information before acting. Once they have a handle on their own system, then they are freed up to notice more about their environment and others that participate in it. It's then we can teach social and other relationship skills that often are underdeveloped.

There's so much more to discuss within this particular topic. We will explore this in more depth in the next post. Stay tuned!

Laura Corby :)

Excuse Me, I Speak Autism!

2010-09-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

Excuse Me, I Speak Autism!

I remember some time ago there was a line in the movie, "Airplane" where this old grandmother type says, "Excuse me, I speak jive!" Many other comments have since come from that funny snip, but one that flies around my office quite often is, "Ask Laura, she speaks Autism!" Though this is often said in jesting, there's also a good bit of truth to the statement. In my years of working with individuals with ASD's, I have found we do think quite differently than others and we do express ourselves differently. As I work with parents and their children, I notice there is a HUGE disconnect in understanding. It's as if they are speaking different languages and I am often acting as the interpreter. Though I seem to understand both sides of the conversation, the other two parties rarely understand one another and a good bit of explaining has to be done to get them on the same track.

I see this especially when it comes to relationships with adults, such as marriage or dating. Quite often those of us with Asperger's and HFA assume that others completely understand where we are coming from, as if they can do the Spock Mind Meld and see directly into our thoughts or beliefs. More often I find that others don't understand emotional things the way we seem to explain them, and our passion about things comes off as anger or indifference, which is rarely the case at all.

One of the most difficult journeys coming out of the frey of ASD is learning to think outside our self. What I mean by that is we will often do for others the things we would love to have done for us. That's our way to show love and affection, as it's all we know. Many would say, "What's wrong with that?" Well, there are several issues there. One of the biggest issues is that everyone is different and shows emotion and care in different ways. The things that might float our boat may not in fact be the things that are longed for by our significant others. Assuming that others know our wants and needs by osmosis is a very risky venture! And assuming others want the same things that are important to us is just as risky! Both parties end up feeling dejected, while both are adamant they are doing everything they know to do to make the other person happy. TRUE... BUT... if each person is doing what "THEY" want and not what is needed by their significant other, there are problems afoot! Talk to you partner, ask them what they need to feel loved and cared for. What are the things that you can do for them that make them feel significant? Don't assume you know what those are, or you may be in for quite a surprise! Likewise, make sure you are articulating your needs to them as well. In this realm, it always comes down to commuication, or lack thereof, that can make or break a relationship of any kind.

Learning to communicate specific wants and needs in a way others can clearly understand, and finding a way to learn and understand the wants and needs of others, so we are able to meet them, continues to be one of our greatest deficits. Social and emotional reciprocity is not always our strongest skill, but with practice comes great improvement. Another practical tip is to ask for examples. So often someone tells us what they would like us to do, but if we are speaking different languages, we may not be interpreting things the way it was intended. Whenever I give instructions to an individual with an ASD, I will then ask, "OK, now what did I just say?", followed by, "Now what does that mean? Give me some examples." We are very good at regurgitating information we have been given, but that doesn't always mean we understand what we have just been told. If there is any misunderstanding, using this tip will identify it quickly and give the opportunity to clarify.

I'm going to continue along this line of thinking in my next few posts, and spell out some of the thought processes that happen in the mind of those of us with Asperger's in particular, though other ASD's often share some of these characteristics. I'm hoping by giving some specific examples, you may see a light bulb come on regarding thought processes you may not have understood from a loved one with ASD in the past. Hopefully, we can be an interpretation tool to help get you all on the same page.

Laura Corby :)
Founder/CEO
Autism Solution Center, Inc.

Do You Have Your Special Needs Trust Set Up Yet?

2010-09-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

Do You Have Your Special Needs Trust Set Up Yet?

What? No you say? Well then, this blog post is not only timely, but necessary!

A friend of mind was injured on a camping trip this past weekend. Fortunately, he was there with some friends and family, so when he injured himself and fell to the ground, there were others there who were able to go after his daughter with autism, who was running away from the campfire! He made a comment that I hear far too often in my line of work. He said that his situation brought home the reality that he will not always be able to single-handedly care for his daughter, and he felt he had not appropriately planned?

I hated to hear that he had such an incident, yet I was relieved that he was realizing how important it is to plan for our special needs kids. There will come a day when we are no longer here or able to care for them, and the more planning we do in advance of that date, the better.

Most individuals in the U.S. do not realize that if someone with special needs has greater than $2,000 in assets, which is not much, it can affect their access to government funded assistance. So, as an example, a well meaning aunt can leave $2,500 in her will to a special needs child, and if that is not run through their special needs trust, that seemingly small donation can cut off access to medicaid/medicare and other long-term government assistance plans for those with disabilities later in life.

The best suggestion I can make is to talk to MetDESK - they are a division of MET Life that handles special needs trusts and they do the consults for FREE. Here's the website where you can get more information and schedule an appointment to talk to someone highly skilled in the laws regarding these trusts:

http://www.metlife.com/individual/investment-products/financial-planning/special-needs-planning.html#overview

There are also attorneys out there who do special needs trusts, but I have met more of them that don't understand the details than those who do. My suggestion to everyone is to educate yourself on the law and the facts, so you do not have to be 100% reliant on someone else. What if they are wrong? That's not something you want to find out about too late! There's some great information on this page explaining the trust and how it effects benefits, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supplemental_Needs_Trust

Definitely do your homework and talk to MetDESK, just to make sure you have your facts straight. They can help you to determine where to go from there and what the needs are in your specific case.

Hope you find this helpful!

Laura :)

Fact vs. Fiction: Who's Really Telling The Truth?

2010-08-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Fact vs. Fiction: Who's Really Telling The Truth?

I often wonder how many individuals believe what they are told without taking the time to consider both sides of the argument, the facts presented by each side, and truly weighing for themselves what seems reasonable based on the evidence at hand? I'm seeing more and more of this disturbing trend and as history has clearly shown time and time again, when we begin to follow leaders without questioning, we reap the distasteful rewards of that behavior. Far too often, those rewards come with devastating consequences that we should have seen coming. Why do we not question? In this age of internet and social media, now that we literally have the world at our fingertips, it's easier than ever to research information and make our own decisions. Why then do we silently follow the herd to slaughter?

Yesterday, I read a great blog post called: Taking Umbrage with Dr. Nancy Snyderman - AGE OF AUTISM. Here's the link if you would like to read the awesome post!

http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/08/taking-umbrage-with-dr-nancy-snyderman.html

I posted a link to this great article on my facebook page and received several responses. I find myself in pretty heated debate from time to time on my page. Not that I enjoy conflict, quite to the contrary! Yet I find myself continually amazed by the number of individuals who spit out scripted responses, as if they were reading talking points from the American Medical Association, CDC, pharmaceutical representatives and the like.

I have decided to post my response to some of these, as we have got to start getting people educated on the issues at the heart of autism spectrum disorders. I mean no disrespect, but I'm speaking to more and more people who have no idea what all is involved and make assumptions based upon what they have been taught in school or in practice. Just because we are taught something, that does not make it true.

Hopefully this will at least open some doors that will lead to further appropriate research, education and conversations about the true etiological basis for the virtual plethora of immune-based, bio-neurological disorders that are rising up at frightening levels, one of which is regressive autism.

Here is my response, in two parts:

Part I:
Autism is very much an epidemic. Rates have risen faster than any other childhood developmental disorder EVER! It's not simply a matter of better diagnostics or expanding the spectrum. If that was the case, then where are all the adults who would now be identified with classic non-verbal autism? They're just not there and they aren't hiding in closets either!

We have to look at what has changed to increase these numbers. Yes, diagnostics have improved and that accounts for a small increase in the number, however, environmental toxins, inadequate food sources, genetic predisposition, increased vaccination schedules and much, much more have all combined to create somewhat of a "perfect storm" or a perfect environment for autism to thrive in the numbers we see today. We also know this is quite different as we don't see as much increase in "classic" autism from 40 years ago. Those numbers remain quite the same. What we do see an epidemic increase in is "REGRESSIVE AUTISM" or children who develop perfectly normal for the first 12 - 36 months, then either stop progressing or start losing skills and regressing. This was not the classic autism of 40 years ago.

Health in general has declined in the last few decades with the introduction of pesticides, genetically modified foods, low nutrition value foods, antibiotics/steroids used in meat sources, and the list goes on. All these issues play havoc on our immune systems and neurological functioning. Each new generation is more affected than the last and consequently, the numbers are rising to show that. There is much more to this debate than just better diagnostics.

Also important to look at the treatability of those affected. Many of those with what we would consider regressive autism are responding beautifully to treatment and becoming indistinguishable from their peers with appropriate, intensive and early interventions. We have to take a tough look as a society at what we are doing to our own people. We have made so many new innovations to increase production and meet demand, yet so often, there are consequences to those changes that are not adequately researched BEFORE they are doled out to the public. We find out years later that these things caused problems, and unfortunately, that's too late for many.

If you would like some material or additional sources to research this further, I have enough information to keep you busy for years! The data is there and the outcomes are crystal clear. The question becomes are we willing to lose some profitability for the benefit of our future generations?

Laura :)

Part II:
We treat these kids every single day and time and time again we are seeing the same things. If it were just simply genetics, then these kids would not be getting better with treatment. Part of what you have to look at is the metabolic dysfunction involved. So many of these kids have significant issues with methylation and with sulfation. Inadequate sulfur chemistry would keep them from detoxifying any heavy metals or neurotoxins that most average people have the ability to rid themselves of naturally. That in and of itself is a problem. Add to that the additional toxic load from vaccines, pesticides used at home, toxic cleaning products, and problematic food and we have some issues. The reason we don't see this across the board is that many people have the healthy suflation to detoxify themselves and move these neurotoxins out. Our kids just don't have that luxury.

As far as the family environment and behavior, there is no question this plays some role, but we have children from all walks of life and all family styles, good and not so good, showing the same exact symptoms and responding to treatment the same way. Again, this can't possibly just be genetics, far too much going on.

A huge part of the difficulty among the scientific community is several fold:

1) They are treating symptoms and not getting to the etiology of the problem. If they would continue to dig deeper, they would find the same issues we have been seeing for many years.

2) It's just flat not profitable to use preventative health care. At the end of the day, most in the medical community would prefer to treat a symptom with a medication, than to get to the root of the problem, treat it effectively, and eliminate the issue completely.

When dietary interventions and supplementation are used to address these ills, and quite often VERY effectively, it is pooh-poohed and looked down upon. Why? Because if people are well, then they do not need doctors or pharmaceuticals. The medical community prefers to treat illness, as opposed to eliminating and preventing it. Pharmaceutical companies make sure that is the case.

3) Simple bloodwork and organic acid profiles, among other tests, will show the excesses and deficiencies that plague these kids. It's not rocket science, and simple testing can often identify the problems. The other issue we have is that even if testing is done, most pediatricians are not skilled enough in biochemistry and metabolics to interpret the testing results. Quite frightening, yet entirely true. Most are not familiar with the pathways enough to follow them to deeper levels to identify the root of the problems.

4) Mark my words, in 10-15 years, when the truth finally comes out, and it will, this is going to be the perfect storm that I outlined above, combined with genetic predisposition, immune system dysregulation, and chronic inflammatory responses throughout the system. The inflammation/mucous production creates gastrointestinal problems, which affect absorption and nutrient deficiency, which affect everything else. Obviously there are many other issues as well, but this is where it starts and once that ball starts rolling down hill, it's very difficult to stop.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, yet have seen thousands of kids with many of the same exact issues over and over and over. At some point, we have to stop looking at flawed studies disputing this information and start considering the outcomes of the children who are responding beautifully to treatment. If we were wrong, then why are thousands of children getting better when the correct interventions are done in a timely fashion? If the mainstream medical community is correct, then why are the children they are treating not becoming indistinguishable from their peers as ours are?

At the end of the day, we can make a study say anything we want, depending on who funds it. Studies are not without fault and frankly, our children do not have 10 years to wait for science to catch up with what we already know is working. I have to question at some point why the scientific community is so unwilling to even appropriately investigate and consider approaches that are clearly working with an enormous percentage of the population affected by regressive autism.

In closing, I return to my belief that there is not any one trigger across the board. This is a combination of factors affecting the environment, food sources, vaccinations and more, combined with ill functioning immune systems of those predisposed genetically and have significant underlying medical issues that continue to go unaddressed, which in turn create the perfect environment for this epidemic to continue multiplying throughout our world. Again, if you enjoy research, I have TONS of materials to reinforce what I am saying and would be thrilled to point you in that direction. We really need people to start reading COMPLETE studies, and not just the outcome headlines that are passed down by CDC and AMA. It's truly amazing how misleading a headline for a study can be, when once you read the entire study, you realize that's not exactly what the outcome shows. We need researchers to do the homework themselves, instead of buying lock, stock and barrell whatever the powers at be say. We need to start thinking independently and weighing evidence ourselves, following the money trails, following the medical/metabolic trails for those bodily systems not working correctly, and not ostracize those trying to correctly assist these children, when no one else seems to be listening. Our communities need to be educated and the general public needs to understand what is at stake. Though many believe it does not affect them, in the very near future they will find it's going to affect everyone, as the "system" will be picking up the tab for the long-term care of these individuals who are not adequately treated.

Laura :)

The Autism Solution Documentary

2010-07-28T04:01:00.000-07:00

The Autism Solution Documentary

We are very excited to announce we have reached an agreement with a fabulous production company that is going to be filming our autism documentary they have tentatively called, "The Autism Solution".

We're very excited as our intention for the documentary is to educate the general public globally about the regressive autism epidemic we are seeing and "the perfect storm" or combination of circumstances being created that is inducing this epidemic, as well as many other immune based, bio-neurological disorders that seem to be appearing and increasing at an alarming rate.

What's changed in the last 50 years and how have those changes and supposed improvements to society affected our environment, our bodies, and the coping mechanisms within that drive our every day lives?

We intend to include issues such as genetic predisposition, immune system problems, gastrointestinal issues, metabolic issues, food source problems (processed foods, pesticides, hormones, MSG, anitbiotics, artificial sweeteners, genetically modified foods and much more), environmental toxins (pesticides, water flouridation, chemical run-off, industrial pollutants, etc.), pharmaceuticals, vaccinations, and many other involved components that brew the perfect environment for immune-based, bio-neurological disorders, and predominately the regressive autism epidemic we are living now.

We're also pleased to be able to educate the communities abroad on methods of prevention, and treatment for those who have already been affected by regressive autism, and many other similar disorders. This is a necessary and long overdue film that will strip away the politics, the hearsay, and get to the heart and truth of the matter.

We hope you will support our endeavor as we work to film this over the next 6-12 months. We hope to take this far beyond the walls of the autism community, and into the mainstream public on an international level. It's time the entire world knows the WHOLE story on regressive autism, how to prevent this in the future, and how to help those amazing individuals who need help NOW, and don't have 15-20 years to wait for the scientific community to catch up.

Expect to see more updates and our blog, which will be posted shortly, so you can follow our progress and journey into the waking up of a toxic nation!

Sincerely,

Laura Lum Corby, Founder/CEO
Autism Solution Center, Inc.

RSVP MAGAZINE ARTICLE FOR APRIL'S AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

2010-03-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

RSVP MAGAZINE ARTICLE FOR
APRIL'S AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

Q&A with Laura Corby

Being that April is Autism Awareness Month, it seemed more than appropriate for RSVP editor Leah Fitzpatrick to meet up with the founder and CEO of the Autism Solution Center, Inc., Laura Corby. This facility helps children and adults with autism and autism spectrum disorders, like ADHD, ADD, Asperger's Syndrome and bipolar disorder, and was the first of its kind to offer services across all domains and at no cost. Though the center’s staff continues to treat patients in-house and online, times have been tough for the nonprofit, forcing Corby to make a decision to start charging patients a small fee last month. She’s saddened to not be able to help everyone that needs treatment and is on a mission to educate the general public about the necessity of this center. Corby also plans to open an Autism Solution Center in all 50 states and hopes to make her current Cordova facility into a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art treatment center in the near future.

RSVP: What initially motivated you to start the Autism Solution Center?

Corby: I have two kids with autism spectrum disorders, and I have Asperger's Syndrome, which is a high functioning form of autism. My daughter and I were actually incorrectly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I got diagnosed at 16 with bipolar disorder, and they put me on all of these psychotropic meds for 20-something years that made me very nonfunctional. I even quit school in 10th grade. My daughter was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD at age 7. They put her on psychotropic meds, which made her psychotic. Then, my son, who about that time was 1, got very ill. He ended up going to the hospital, and he came home and was unresponsive. He quit talking, he lost all of his language, he stopped eating, he had chronic diarrhea. People don’t realize a lot of the signs and symptoms with some of these kids because it’s not just about talking and socialization. This is a medical problem that causes neurological consequences that has behavorial outcomes. When you just treat the behavior end, it’s like spanking a kid with cerebral palsy and expecting him or her to get better. We have to look at the etiology of this disorder and look at what the underlying issues are that are causing all these problems.

RSVP: What are your thoughts about the causes behind autism?

Corby: Before I even go there, I want you to know I’m not anti-vaccine at all, but I’m absolutely, positively one million percent convinced they play a role. I don’t think they’re causal, and I say that because if they were a cause, everybody that had shots would have autism. What we do know is that there is a subset of our children that have a genetic predisposition, and that genetic predisposition is setting the stage. Genetics load the gun, environment pulls the trigger. It’s not just the shot in general, but there are a lot of different things. The mercury for some kids is a trigger, the live viruses in vaccines for some kids are a trigger (such as the MMR), the combination can be a trigger and sometimes kids can get a bad bout of the flu that’s a trigger. It can be environmental stuff, and you know that too because you look at places like New Jersey, where they have a lot of coal burning facilities, and you have pockets around those industrial areas where the rates of autism are thousands of times higher than they are any place else, and it’s because coal burning emits mercury. There’s a lot to look at, and there’s really no one answer. We are not telling families not to vaccinate, just to be educated about their choices and vaccinate safely. Thimerosal-free, single dose vaccines and spreading them out when there is a family history. What harm is there in being safe if there's any question?

RSVP: What’s the difference in people who shows signs of autism at birth versus those who show signs at a later age?

Corby: Well, I’m guessing that about 85 percent of the kids we see now have regressive autism, where they develop normally and somewhere between ages 1 and 3, something goes wrong. Even with those groups, you find parents saying, “Even early on, I noticed some of the symptoms but never put it together.” You have to recognize that even in the regressive kids, there’s still a genetic predisposition that is there from birth, which can still give them a lot of these characteristics, it’s whether or not they’re pushed over the edge. What I think is interesting too is if you look at the rates of at-birth kids 10-15 years ago, which were one in 10,000 kids, you see those rates are close to still intact today. That I think is fascinating because that shows us that those rates have remained pretty stable, but we now have this whole new plethora of kids that have this new regressive form, and it’s often recoverable. In at-birth kids, you don’t see a lot of recovery, improvement yes, but not often recovery, but these regressive kids are getting better when they’re treated. So, if autism is truly genetic only, you don’t get better from genetic disorders. That tells me that there’s a tremendous amount of environmental factors involved that are sending a whole group of kids over the edge. This is not just a genetic disorder.

RSVP: What are the national rates for autism?

Corby: We’re talking one out of 90 children. We have an entire generation of children’s lives who are at stake right now and are not going to be functional. Think about that. That’s crazy. And there's all this money going into genetic research, but who's helping these kids NOW that have already been affected?

RSVP: How have doctors received your efforts to help those with autism?

Corby: I speak all over the country at conferences and training/teaching workshops. The bottom line is you can tell me all you want to about how what I’m saying isn’t scientifically valid because there’s no CDC placebo-controlled studies to prove it; well, yeah, nobody will fund them because they don’t want to know the answers. And interestingly enough, there are plenty of studies out there supporting this, that have been dismissed. At the end of the day, you can make studies say whatever you want to—depends on who’s funding them. I don’t give a darn what studies say anyway because what I really want to know is, “Are the kids you’re treating getting better or not, because ours are?” If they’re not, isn’t it time we start doing something different? It's all about outcomes, and should be. So, families love us, but many in the therapeutic and medical community think we're absolutely insane. Really though, at the end of the day, doing something that works and is getting kids better does not seem like the insane option to me.

RSVP: What’s some advice you give to parents if they suspect their child is showing signs of autism?

Corby: One thing I tell parents now is, “You have that instinct and that intuition for a reason, don’t you ever ignore it. It’s never wrong.” I never heard a mom come in here and tell me, “Oh well, I thought something was wrong, but it really wasn’t.” But, what I hear every day is, “I just feel sick because I knew something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t pinpoint it and no one would listen to me.” Doctors need to learn to listen to that. There are autism checklists on our website that parents can complete if there’s a concern. Better safe than sorry. http://www.autismsolutioncenter.com.

RSVP: Do public schools offer any programming for kids with autism?

Corby: Good question. I had to learn the law and learn what, on a federal mandate level, are these early intervention systems in schools required to do for these children with special needs. We pay taxes for all these services, but my child, for instance, wasn’t getting them. I actually went in to my son’s school and said he needs this and this, and when I asked the school if they had those services, they said, “Oh, we don’t have that here.” I told them that’s not what the law says, and I think they were floored I knew the law because I don’t think anyone had challenged them before. My son ended up getting everything he needed. He got 35 hours of ABA in the home environment, which is a behavior modification technique, which is how our children learn and is what our kids need desperately. He also got five hours a week of speech therapy, three hours a week of occupational therapy and an hour a week of music therapy, and we were the first family through early intervention here that had ever gotten that. All of a sudden, he started making these huge gains. Then all these other families are saying, “Will you help me?” It was really empowering because the more I learned, the more I realized that I was driving this bus. About that time, I opened the center. I worked out of my house for two years, and then in 2003, we applied for nonprofit status after I leased a space just for the center. Then, we got the land donated for our current location, and we put up these temporary buildings thinking we’d just raise funds for a building. How naïve was I? Here we are, still in these temporary buildings five years later.

RSVP: What’s your biggest challenge currently at the center?

Corby: We’ve been doing this seven-and-a-half years now, and until last week, it was a no cost center. We did everything at no cost for families because what I found is when you go to these DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctors, who are a group of specially trained medical doctors who have expertise in metabolic issues and gastro and immune issues that are common in kids with autism, you can easily drop $2,000 or more in one day, like I did when I had to take my kid to a DAN doctor in Louisiana. If I didn’t have a credit card and they hadn’t been willing to work with me on a few things, I couldn’t have done that. What do people do that don’t have an open credit card? The answer is their kids don’t get helped. That’s why I decided to incorporate the no cost policy at the center, and we hired a DAN doctor and started bringing him in to see patients. I was doing biomedical counseling, dietary counseling, teaching functional communication, behavior modification and pretty much doing everything, and he was coming in once a month to see patients. We did that probably for four years off and on, and then he moved. I hired another doctor for about a year, and he finally came back. Unfortunately, I’m at the point that I’m having trouble just paying the bills, so we are charging what were suggested donation rates now for services. Also, our donations have dropped almost 50 percent in the last year. We need help. We need board members, volunteers and help fund-raising. It makes me sick because I know if we go away, there’s no one else doing what we do. This is so desperately needed, and people don’t realize what an epidemic autism is.

RSVP: How many autistic people have you helped at the center?

Corby: I can’t give you an exact number because I don’t know off-hand, but I can tell you from my database that we’ve helped close to 1,800 people in the last five years. That’s not even counting how much I do online. I have on a continual basis thousands of e-mails constantly in my inbox and our phones ring off the hook. I can’t keep up with it!

RSVP: Where do patients at the center come from?

Corby: We have one family now coming to us from Iraq. We have others from Canada, Australia and all over the place. You know, we were the first organization worldwide that did everything under one roof and did it at no cost. Of course, we can’t say anymore that we do it at no cost, but maybe again soon.

RSVP: What is your ultimate goal with the people you and your staff treat?

Corby: My goal is to get people with autism living independently. I don’t want these parents when they die to have to worry about who’s going to take care of their kids.

The "Benefits" of Autism Spectrum Disorders

2009-09-24T05:38:00.000-07:00

I don't normally repost other people's articles, but in this case, I thought it was worth repeating! I will say on the front end that I don't agree with everything said here. Understand that while reading, I am very aware of the current autism epidemic and the dramatic increase in numbers over the last few years that this author seems to dismiss. However, I am posting this because for a rare moment in time, there's an article that actually discusses the "benefits" of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), if you will.

This is very much the category I find myself within, as my ASD is what gives me the focus and never ending drive that make me very good at what I do, as is the case with many others. As I have said in the past, I have always felt it was important to treat medical and neurological issues that impair quality of life, but there are many of my quirks within ASD that I choose to leave untreated, as they are what give me my edge.

At any rate, hope you find the value in this piece, as I did. Enjoy!

Laura :)

The Chronical Review

July 13, 2009

Autism as Academic Paradigm

Thinking back on history, maybe you've wondered how it was that American colleges and universities could ever have contributed to racist discourse. But Princeton and many other institutions kept out Jews, and "academic" defenses of slavery, segregation, and eugenics were commonplace until broader social changes rendered such views unacceptable.

The sad truth is that dehumanizing ideologies are still with us in the modern university, although they take very different forms. Prime examples include the unacceptable ways we sometimes talk and think about the autism spectrum.

A few years ago, Michael L. Ganz, who teaches at the Harvard School of Public Health, published an essay titled "Costs of Autism in the United States." Nowhere in the essay does he consider whether autistic people have brought benefits to the human race. Can you imagine a comparable essay titled: "Costs of Native Americans"? Ganz might think that autism is strictly a disease, but he never mentions or rebuts the fact that a great number of autistics reject this view and find it insulting.

David Bainbridge is a veterinary anatomist at the University of Cambridge. In 2008 he published a book with Harvard University Press, Beyond the Zonules of Zinn: A Fantastic Journey Through Your Brain. In the book he claimed that autistics were lacking in the quality of human alertness, and he compared their cognitive faculties unfavorably with those of brain-damaged monkeys. Deborah R. Barnbaum, a philosopher at Kent State University, wrote a book (ironically titled The Ethics of Autism, Indiana University Press, 2008) pondering the philosophical implications of the supposed fact that autistics cannot understand the mental lives of other people; yet this result has not held up in experiments and it also could be refuted by a few simple conversations with autistic people.

The point is not to focus blame on these particular individuals, as they have soaked up common ideas, attitudes, and presuppositions from a broader setting. It's quite possible that these writers are all "nice people" in the usual sense, but still they have not developed any sense of revulsion or hesitancy at such portraits of other human beings. The sorry truth is that until we are made very consciously aware of the implications of our words, it is all too easy to slip into bad habits and harmful rhetoric, even in politically correct 2009.

I've cited some of the more obvious examples, but the underlying biases are much more deeply rooted. A lot of people at colleges are aware of dealing with autism (and Asperger's syndrome; I will refer generally to the autism spectrum) in their "special needs" programs. The more complex reality is that there is a lot more autism in higher education than most of us realize. It's not just "special needs" students but also our valedictorians, our faculty members, and yes —sometimes —our administrators.

That last sentence is not some kind of cheap laugh line about the many dysfunctional features of higher education. Autism is often described as a disease or a plague, but when it comes to the American college or university, autism is often a competitive advantage rather than a problem to be solved. One reason American academe is so strong is because it mobilizes the strengths and talents of people on the autistic spectrum so effectively. In spite of some of the harmful rhetoric, the on-the-ground reality is that autistics have been very good for colleges, and colleges have been very good for autistics.

The economist and Nobel laureate Vernon L. Smith, a former colleague of mine, is one of the best-known examples of a high achiever on the autism spectrum. Vernon, in Discovery: A Memoir, attributes his extreme focus, his attention to detail, and his scholarly persistence to his connections to the autism spectrum. Richard Borcherds, winner of the 1998 Fields Medal in mathematics, has been diagnosed as having Asperger's. Temple Grandin, who teaches animal science at Colorado State University, is a brilliant autistic woman whose ideas have revolutionized how American slaughterhouses treat animals. There are very likely many more examples, albeit unrecognized ones. Simon Baron-Cohen, a leading autism researcher at the University of Cambridge, argues that autistic high achievers are far more common than most people realize, most of all in mathematics and engineering. He stresses systematizing behavior as an important cognitive strength of autistics.

In spite of some of the common rhetoric, each year specialists are teaching us more about the cognitive strengths of the autism spectrum. In the 1960s, it was a common view that, except for a few savants, most autistic people were intellectually disabled ("mentally retarded" was the less than felicitous term), and to some extent this stereotype persists today. But a growing body of work pinpoints areas where autistics outperform nonautistics.

A partial list notes that autistics have, on average, superior pitch perception and other musical abilities, they are better at noticing details in patterns, they have better visual acuity, they are less likely to be fooled by optical illusions, they are more likely to fit some canons of economic rationality, they solve many puzzles at a much faster rate, and they are less likely to have false memories of particular kinds. Autistics also have, to varying degrees, strong or even extreme abilities to memorize, perform operations with codes and ciphers, perform calculations in their head, or excel in many other specialized cognitive tasks. The savants, while they are outliers, also reflect cognitive strengths found in autistics more generally. A recent investigation found, with conservative methods, that about one-third of autistics may have exceptional skills or savantlike abilities.

Autistic people usually have a superior desire and talent for assembling and ordering information. Especially when they are given appropriate access to opportunities and materials, autistics live the ideal of self-education, often to an extreme. In my new book, Create Your Own Economy, I refer to autistics as the "infovores" of modern society and I argue that along many dimensions we as a society are working hard to mimic their abilities at ordering and processing information. Autism is a topic that anyone interested in education should be reading and thinking about.

It turns out that the American university is an environment especially conducive to autistics. Many autistics are disadvantaged or overwhelmed by processing particular stimuli from the outside world and thus are subject to perceptual overload as a result. For some autistics, that is debilitating, but for many others it is either manageable or a problem they can work around. The result is that many autistics prefer stable environments, the ability to choose their own hours and work at home, and the ability to work on focused projects for long periods of time.

Does that sound familiar? The modern college or university is often ideal or at least relatively good at providing those kinds of environments. While there is plenty of discrimination against autistics, most people in American universities are so blind to the notion of high-achieving autistics that one prejudice cancels out the other, to the benefit of many of the autistics in universities.

Autistics also tend to be extremely good at a subset of cognitive tasks and markedly poor or impaired at others; they are the ultimate beneficiaries from Adam Smith's notion of the division of labor. Academic specialization makes it easier for such people to win fame.

I don't want to push you too much in the direction of stereotypes such as "the absent-minded professor." Some people fitting that profile may well be on the autism spectrum, but the spectrum also includes beautiful women with charming smiles, enthusiastic extroverts, people who cannot produce meaningful speech, and people who make very clear and effective public speeches from memory alone. Tony Attwood, an Australian psychologist with extensive diagnostic experience, believes that acting is a profession well-represented on the autistic spectrum. The point is not to convince you of any single profile of autistics or to replace your old stereotypes with new ones. Rather, we keep on learning that the diversity of autistics is greater than we used to think.

There is no doubt that many autistic people have very troubled lives and are unable to move into positions of high achievement or even contend for them. Problems, such as very obvious social atypicalities, acquired social anxiety, or various perceptual hypersensitivities —found among many but by no means all autistics —may hamper their ability to obtain ordinary jobs or rise in social status.

Current prejudices are based on at least two mistakes. First, too often autism is defined as a series of impairments or life failures, thereby ruling out high achievers. It is more scientific and also more ethical to have a broader definition of autism, based on differing and atypical methods for processing information and other cognitive and biologically defined markers. That way we do not label autistics as necessary failures, but rather we recognize a great diversity of outcomes including successes.

Second, diagnosed autistics are very often those people who encounter major problems in life. Most higher-status autistics don't ever show up for diagnosis or intervention, and many of them have no great need for it or no real awareness of it, or, even if they are having difficulties, they fear the stigma of a diagnosis. Common samples of autistics, as you find studied in a typical research paper, show many more problems, and many fewer successes, than is most likely the case in a true population sample of autistics. In other words, there is enormous selection bias. Research on autism is only starting to confront that problem.

We're also learning that a lot of the stereotypes about autistics are false or at least misleading. It's been suggested, for instance, that autistics don't care much about other people, or that autistics lack genuine emotions or are incapable of empathy. The more likely truth is that autistics and nonautistics do not always understand each other very well. It's odd that the people who make this charge so often, in the very act of doing so, fail to show much empathy for autistics or to recognize their rich emotional lives. Even when the cognitive capabilities of autistics are recognized —most commonly in the cases of savants —it is too often accompanied by a clichéd and inaccurate picture of a cold, robotic, or less than human personality.

The relevance of the autism spectrum for higher education isn't just about particular individuals on the autistic spectrum. The very nature of higher education shows how much we, often without knowing it, hold up autistic cognitive profiles as a partial educational ideal. In "special needs" education, there is plenty of effort to teach the skills of the nonautistic to the autistic, but in the regular classroom we are often doing the opposite. I view higher (and lower) education as teaching people to be more autistic in many of their basic cognitive skills. Again, some key cognitive features of autism are the ability, and desire, to process lots of information across widely different scales, from tiny details to overarching structures; focus and the mental ordering of that information; a relatively high degree of scientific objectivity; and the presence of some highly specialized cognitive strengths, even if they are accompanied by some areas of poor performance. To an educator a lot of that list ought to sound pretty good.

Another way of putting it is to note that all students are special-needs students requiring lots of help. The nonautistic students do not represent some ideal point that everyone is striving to attain, but rather both autistic and nonautistic students are trying to learn the specialized skills of the other group, as well as perfecting their own skills.

When it comes to public and academic discourse, it's not just our understanding of autism that is up for grabs. Human beings experience a variety of neurodevelopmental paths, with ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) as another prominent example. We need to be careful about what we label as a disorder. When it comes to ADHD, for instance, there is growing evidence that ADHD individuals achieve very good outcomes by normal social standards. The popular-culture stereotype is of an ADHD (often "ADD") person superficially clicking from one channel or Web site to the next. An alternative vision is that many ADHD individuals adapt and end up using their cognitive profile to propel themselves from learning one piece of information to the next, and in fact end up better educated and maybe better situated to deal with the social world as well. Similarly, one study found that dyslexic people made better entrepreneurs on average, because they are used to the idea of having to delegate some tasks rather than trying to micromanage everything.

In many areas of human neurodiversity, including autism, we still don't know the answers to many basic questions. There is still not even agreement on the basic definitions of autism, Asperger's, and related concepts. In the meantime we are applying lots of stereotypes and negative descriptions to autistics that we would not dream of using to describe racial or ethnic groups. It's high time that colleges and universities got out in the lead to fight these common prejudices. The rhetoric coming out of higher education needs to match up to the reality of higher education as a common avocation for autistic people.

We are still searching for appropriate metaphors and language to describe and explain human neurodiversity. For instance, we've moved beyond viewing autism as the result of "refrigerator mothers" —cold, distant —as was most visibly suggested by Bruno Bettelheim in the 1960s. We're just starting to move beyond defining it as a "series of impairments." If we call autism a "disorder," is that being humane and offering sympathy and aid, or is it judgmental in a way that stereotypes, lowers expectations, and ignores variation in outcomes?

But if it is not correct to speak of a disorder, what exactly is the sensible language and what are the accompanying conceptual frames? The commonly heard distinction between "high functioning" and "low functioning" ignores extreme variations in the skills of the autistic individual, and it also seems to classify a group of human beings as somehow unfit. When it comes to discourse on the autism spectrum, we should be humane, respect human difference and individuality, respect the need for possible assistance, and recognize the diversity within the spectrum, and all that without assuming that nonautistic ways of viewing the world are always the right ones.

The common public perception is that autism is about sick or diseased children, and it is up to the academic community to help correct that picture. If we look at the data, it seems easy to find lots of autistic children yet relatively hard, at least by the standards of common public perception, to find a commensurate number of autistic adults. For instance a typical figure suggests that the United States has about 500,000 autistic children, for a prevalence in the range of 1 in 150. That would mean that the United States also has 1.5 million autistic adults. (Those numbers are very rough approximations and still being debated.)

My belief is that the United States does in fact have more than one million autistic adults. But if there are so many autistic adults, the obvious question is: Where are they? Who are they? Are they all locked up in institutions? It is sometimes suggested that there must be a very recent "epidemic" of autism. But the epidemiological measurements of autism prevalence —if we acknowledge deliberate changes in diagnostic criteria, awareness, service availability, case-finding methods, and so on over time —do not indicate large unexplained increases. You could argue for a gradual increase in the rate of autism, as existing evidence cannot rule out all changes (I think the rate is more likely constant over time), but still the growth would be so incremental that, again, a sensible estimate would be more than a million autistic adults in the United States.

It's a little tricky to talk or write about the autistics who may work in your institution. If you work at a college or university, there is a good chance you are interacting with people on the autism spectrum on a very regular basis. Maybe the reaction of the reader is to draw up a mental list of people in the workplace and start applying various stereotypes to them. Maybe you'll be on the lookout at the next dean's meeting for people who exhibit "autistic traits" and then gossip about those perceptions to your friends.

That's human nature, but I'm suggesting an alternative tack. Embrace individualism. Question your stereotypes. Maybe even look in the mirror. When you're done, it's likely that you'll see far more talent, in far more unorthodox varieties, than you expected.

Tyler Cowen is a professor of economics at George Mason University who blogs at http://www.marginalrevolution.com and writes for The New York Times, Money, and other publications. This essay is adapted from his new book from Dutton, Create Your Own Economy: The Path to Prosperity in a Disordered World.

Autism, Asperger's, Neurodiversity, and the skewed perspectives in each of the camps!

2009-08-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

I know this is somewhat off topic for the series I have started on Asperger's, but this just needs to be said! Had a friend forward me some articles regarding the back and forth between the autism and neurodiversity camps, and I just could not contain myself any longer! Autism, Asperger's, Neurodiversity and the skewed perspectives in each of the camps is my title that I think says it all! Yep, I know I am going to get some hate mail, but I only ask one thing first, please read the entire blog post before you comment! I think if each side is honest, you will have to admit there is a tremendous amount of truth to these words and at the end of the day, all of this is boiling down to OPINIONS and PERSPECTIVES.

This all started day before yesterday, when a dear friend forwarded me the following articles:

1. The New Wave of Autism Rights Activists -- New York Magazine

2. Controversial New Movement: Autistic and Proud - ABC News

I have long been involved in the autism community, as an individual with an autism spectrum disorder, as the parent of two children who have autism spectrum disorders, and as the Founder/CEO of an autism treatment center that works with and treats thousands of individuals and their families struggling with the same, I was disturbed to say the least.

One of the most bewildering issues I have experienced while in this field is the flat out dissension between the ranks and what seems to be the inability of the ASD community to agree to disagree on some things, yet pull together on the majority of issues we could more than likely agree upon. What I have seen instead is the division of the autism community into camps, and the dangerously polarizing view that in order to walk in a particular camp, you must agree 100% with their views and agendas. THIS IS NUTS! No wonder we're not getting anything done as a community.

Taking this a step further, both sides are right AND both sides are wrong! There is no cut and dry answer here across the board on all issues. Welcome to the spectrum! I am all too familiar with both camps. Funny thing is, I find myself somewhere in between the two. The head of the neurodiversity group is completely offended by the assertion that autism could be the result of something toxic or that something is "wrong" and is furious that others are trying to shove their viewpoints down people's throats, yet she is doing the very same thing by demanding they stop trying to "fix" these individuals and celebrate them the way they are!

It's interesting, as I am not treating many aspects of my Asperger's, as some of my quirks, as some might call them, are also the very things that make me excellent at what I do and incredibly artistic. When those things are treated, I lose my edge. I made the decision to keep my uniqueness, with the price tag being some significant struggles with anxiety, OCD, sensory integration dysfunction, and severe depression when things get too overwhelming. I have learned to modulate many of those issues myself through a tremendous amount of work, though it's still not always totally under control. So although I understand her point to some degree, I also look at my son, who is now capable of independence because of the interventions that were provided. He was sick and very miserable, as was my daughter and I, prior to some of the interventions that seriously improved the quality of our lives. It is not the right of ANYONE to vilify another for pursuing the assistance needed to improve the life of a loved one who is struggling. What is right for you is fine, do not assume it's OK to impose that upon someone else.

I find this quite disturbing, to be honest. As an individual with an ASD who was suicidal for many years and quite dysfunctional, I can tell you first hand, I WAS MISERABLE. I am grateful beyond measure that I have learned what I have about this disorder, providing me with the tools to improve the portions of my life that were unbearable. One of the comments made in the article was, "Chew now believes that autism treatments and so-called cures are a waste of time. She said she'd rather see Charlie, now 11, benefit from better support services and education. My son is who he is. He's not going to change; he's always going to be Charlie. And at the same time, I loved him just for what he was," Chew said." WOW! Good thing I didn't say that about my 9-year-old son Chad, who was severe and nonverbal, yet now indistinguishable from his peers. Can't imagine where he'd be now had I taken that stance. Again, that's a personal choice, but don't force it as a rule of thumb on all involved.

Chad had some SIGNIFICANT underlying medical problems that caused a tremendous amount of pain and contributed incredibly to his inability to navigate this world we live in. He will always have autism. He will always be unique. I love that about him! But he is no longer in pain, he is functional, and as a parent I no longer worry about what will happen to my son when I am no longer here to care for him, as he can care for himself and live independently. THAT IS MY GOAL. Not to change who these individuals are, not to rob them of their identities or uniqueness, rather to provide every opportunity available to insure they have access to the care needed to eliminate any physical illness that is causing pain and dysfunction, assist them educationally and therapeutically to insure they can function to the best of their ability, and to celebrate their uniqueness in every other aspect. It's a package deal! They are who they are, but let's help them to be the best they can be. I just don't understand the fault in that. My son would agree, as would many others!

I agree that these kids are remarkable gifts from God, but even with neurotypical kids (and I use that word VERY loosely, as what is normal anyway, right?), as parents we ought to seek to provide opportunities for our children to reach their fullest potential, WHATEVER THAT IS. Accept them as they are, yet strive to help them be their best. What sane person in this world can say that there is any single individual who could not stand SOME improvement? AND..... to take that a step further, you may dig in a big way, accept and celebrate the individuality of your child with severe autism, however, are you insuring that you have someone else lined up to dig and celebrate them as intensely as you do when you are dead and gone? I sure hope so, because as much as you might like to think it's the responsibility of this universe to learn to accept and accomodate your child, that will NEVER happen universally, so plans have to be made for long-term care if you are making the choice to "accept them as they are" and not pursue improvements of any kind.

Sorry, know that's kind of blunt, but really, let's wake up and smell the coffee here. I TOTALLY celebrate the uniqueness of EVERY individual, ASD's or otherwise. However, I ALWAYS believe in striving to better ourselves whenever possible. I also know for sure we will all die at some time, and it's in EVERYONE'S best interest to insure our children have, to the best of their ability, the skills necessary to navigate this harsh world independently, or they will not be in a pleasant situation once we are no longer here to care for them and love them, as in many cases and with few exceptions, only a parent can truly do. Celebrate them all you choose to, but you better have a plan B if you get hit by a bus!

ASD's are not curable, yet there are so many aspects that can be addressed to improve quality of life and address painful medical issues that are often underlying the diagnosis. We want health, happiness and the ability to live independently, not necessarily only a "cure". And truthfully, and as I have already said several times, what is normal anyway? I mean really! So, all that to say, two very forceful opinions between the sides, and frankly, both are wrong in some aspects, and both are right in some aspects. It should be left to the families to decide how they choose to handle the lives of their loved ones. Our job should be to educate and make sure everyone has the knowledge and information on the topics at hand to make an educated decision, not force our opinions upon others. I believe if you are correct in your stance and a good educator, you should be able to sway opinions without force and rhetoric, but rather simply with the sharpest of all tools, information. If shifting public opinion requires you to beat others over the head and threaten with God knows what, how strong can your point really be? Yet I see both sides resorting to name calling, passionate slandering, and full on hatred of anyone who does not embrace their particular stand. It's absolutely deplorable on the part of all those involved and it needs to stop NOW. For goodness sake, get over yourselves and let's think about the kids first for a change. At some point I would think the need to truly address these issues should begin to outweigh one's need to be right.

Now on the flip side, it is also incorrect to assume that everything autism is caused by heavy metals and environmental toxins. Every one of these kids is as individual as their finger print and there are a multitude of underlying issues that contribute to the onset of these disorders. Don't get me wrong, I know that these play a role in a large percentage of individuals with ASD's, however, not in all of them and in varying degrees. There is no one thing that causes or cures ASD's. Not at this point anyway, and I seriously doubt that will change in the near future as there are just too many factors involved to boil it down to one thing. There are so many cumulative factors playing a role in these disorders that there is no way to identify a one and only smoking gun. Yes, thimerosal is a HUGE problem, live virus vaccines and combination vaccines are a problem in children with dysregulated immune systems, environmental toxins are a problem, and the list goes on. I could continue for days listing the many things that we, our society, are imposing upon individuals, many of whom have a genetic predisposition to begin with, that is increasing the onset of these neurological problems. Common sense would dictate either elimination of or significant changes to those things we know statistically have played a role in the lives of many being altered. Having said that, just because there is no one-size-fits-all cause or cure, does not mean these issues are not a serious problem and likely trigger for many individuals, just not for all!

I can remember early on in this journey, one of the most frustrating issues as a new parent of a child with autism was trying to navigate the plethora of information and opinions out there. I could ask 50 people what I should be doing and be told 50 different things, with each absolutely convinced theirs was the ONLY correct solution. As a parent trying to identify the right course of action, this is enough to shut anyone down in their tracks. Just because something may have been effective for Johnny does NOT mean it will be effective for Jane, and trying to force your existing beliefs on what the issues were with your child, does not in fact insure that will be an appropriate intervention for anyone else, who has an entirely different system and set of circumstances, even though there may be some similarities.

Using common denominators and past experience to identify a starting point in treatment with many of these individuals is well within reason, however, individualized testing to identify their specific issues and much tweaking is absolutely critical. Even though many of these individuals have some similarities, there are equally as many differences, all of which have to be taken into account and weighed in the treatment process. As said earlier, there is no one-size-fits-all treatment protocol, as everyone is unique and has their own specific issues that must be addressed.

I have run across entirely too many parents and treatment providers who fall into the dangerous rut of believing their way is the only answer. I have seen parents go from practitioner to practitioner, each having a different view regarding what the problem was. After spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on treatments, often none of which were effective because that was NOT their specific issue, they are now broke and don't have the funds to pursue what could actually be the real underlying problem. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure those treatments were effective for many, but not for everyone! One of the things I tell parents when I teach conferences is that anytime you run across someone who says "Here's what we do to treat autism," RUN! There is no here's what we do. It has to be catered to the specifics of each individual.

So I hear many in this camp calling those in the neurodiverse ranks all kinds of interesting names, yet I see very little compassion and recognition that although they may not agree with all of what is said, there are some valid points as well. I hope if nothing else that perhaps this post will cause us all to take pause and consider the fact that none of us have all the answers. We all have some good info and some not so good info! We all have a tremendous amount to learn and should be recognizing that the more we learn, the more we know we do not know anything! There's nothing wrong with sharing opinions, but there is a great deal wrong with force feeding them to others, regardless of what camp you reside in!

I guess I could only wish that all that time and energy being used to tear one another to shreds could be better funneled into working synergistically to accomplish for the masses what we will never get done if we continue to splinter off begrudgingly. Such a waste and it accomplishes nothing beyond fueling the ongoing fued and increasing the distance between the very parties that should be able to work in a common bond on behalf of these incredibly wonderful children.

A Timely Introduction To Dr. Ian Brooks

2009-08-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

I want to take this opportunity to give you a timely introduction to Dr. Ian Brooks, who will be a frequent guest blogger on our site. Dr. Brooks serves on Autism Solution Center's board of directors, but also has a significant interest in autism spectrum disorders, research, and furthering the communication relationships between the scientific community and the general public. I have listed his bio below for your review and as you get to know him better, I am convinced you will be thrilled with the dialog he opens in this venue. He is very down to earth, open to new ideas, and willing to investigate and research the tough topics most will shy away from. I hope you will join me in welcoming him to our blog staff! I am looking forward to working with Dr. Brooks and opening some new doors to autism research and information that have illuded the scene for far too long!

Laura :)

Ian Brooks is a Project Manager for the Biomedical informatics Unit, part of the Clinical & Translational Science Institute at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He has a PhD in Neuroscience (sub-specialty molecular genetics), and has been an academic researcher for 11 years. In Grad School he successfully applied for Predoctoral Fellowships from the American heart Association, with his second grant being ranked in the top 2% of the applicant pool. He has published several peer-reviewed scientific articles & has submitted approximately one million dollars worth of grant applications to the National institutes of Health this year.

Ian is also a Science Communicator, a “job” he takes very seriously; the lack of clear, two-way communication between science and the general public is at fault for many of the very serious problems facing society and the world today. Since 2006 he has been Commissioning Editor for the science magazine Lablit, and he has a lay-writing portfolio of over almost 30 science-communication articles. He maintains a blog on the award winning “Nature Network” that is consistently one of the “Featured Blogs” on Nature’s main site, with his blog ranked in the top 5 blogs on the Network. Ian is an Associate Editor for the National Postdoc Association magazine, “The Postdocket”.

In Graduate School Ian was a member of the Dean’s Working-Climate Committee, was past-President of the UT Postdoc Association, an elected Member of the Board of Directors of The National Postdoc Association (NPA), and chair of the NPA Oversight & Elections Committee. Under his leadership the UT Postdoc Association was awarded “Most Outstanding New PDA” at the NPA 2008 Annual Meeting.

The Vicious Cycle Within Asperger's

2009-08-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

When talking to family members of those who have Asperger's (AS), one point I try to make perfectly clear is the vicious cycle within Asperger's of anxiety and sensory integration dysfunction (SID). They drive just about everything we experience, to a degree most do not understand. Anxiety and SID feed on one another and contribute significantly to other symptoms such as OCD, paranoia and rage. I want to give you some examples, to see if this makes any more sense and helps you to understand our functioning any better.

First let me say that I believe there are 2 very different subsets of AS. DSM-IV identifies only one of these as stated here.

Diagnostic Criteria for 299.80 Asperger's Disorder

Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
1. marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction
2. failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
3. a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
4. lack of social or emotional reciprocity
Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
1. encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity of focus
2. apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
3. stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
4. persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years).
There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood.
Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia.

I have found there is a much broader subset, which accounts for the majority of AS, that is quite different from the textbook DSM-IV criteria listed above. These fit a descriptive pattern I like to call, "The bull in the china shop." You will see why very soon! Many of the same impairments are evident in both subsets such as eye-to eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction, failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level, lack of social or emotional reciprocity, restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal either in intensity of focus, apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals, clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

What we also see consistently is Sensory Integration Dysfunction, clinically significant anxiety, OCD, paranoia, anger and/or rage, low muscle tone, clumsiness, very low self esteem, preoccupation with the perception others have of them, a strong drive and need to be excepted at any cost, over compensation for lacking social skills and acceptance often misinterpreted as abrasive, rude, or insensitive behavior. We also see chronic lying when perception by others is endangered, bossy and controlling behavior when engaging others, perfectionism and what I call the "I Suck Filter," which I will explain in detail in a later post!

These are the individuals that so desperately want to have relationships and be accepted, but they are painfully lacking the skills to secure them. In their attempts to over compensate for their perceived inadequacy, they drive away the very individuals they are desperately longing to engage. They are drawn to much older or much younger individuals, but struggle with same aged peers. They are absolutely brilliant and often have the best of the psychs snowed, as their ability to mask and pretend to be just fine is highly developed, yet they struggle with the simplest of decisions, rarely considering outcomes and negative consequences. Attention span in non-preferred activities is a continual struggle, and conversations are typically revolving around their limited topic(s) of interest. If a topic shift happens, they are quick to revert to the previous topic, where their expertise on the subject leaves them in a rare feeling of control and confidence. It is often commented that they are like talking to an encyclopedia, with incredible knowledge on specific topics and often the source of untold volumes of sometimes meaningless data. They often experience difficulty concluding conversations and don't know effectively when to dismiss themselves. And I am just exposing the tip of the iceberg. There is much more hidden beneath this surface that rarely sees the light of day. We will continue to discuss many more characteristics causing difficulty in coming posts.

Now, you might be saying to yourself that many people have these characteristics, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have AS. That's correct. However, there is usually a family history of spectrum disorder and these characteristics impede long-term, independent living, ability to maintain employment, and often lead to chronic depression and suicidal ideation as continual social and emotional failures mount. Now that is not just your typical, run of the mill quirky dude!

So you are likely wondering why there is no diagnostic criteria for this other subset I am referring to, and I'd like to address that thought. I can tell you first hand that growing up, I never told others what I was actually thinking, as I feared they would think I was crazy and lock me up! I also feared the worst, which I considered to be rejection of any kind, if I was noted to be different or strange. For the majority of my life, I thought I was the only person experiencing what I lived. As I got better and began working with individuals with ASD's, I realized there were astounding numbers of individuals who thought exactly as I did, but they didn't tell anyone either, least of all their psychs! Yet as I began to share my thoughts and experiences with others, they would come forward telling me of their parallel lives, and the inability for others (lay people and professionals alike) to understand and assist them. That's when I began to realize there was more to this and I had better start paying attention to the details being shared by myself and others, to draw comparisons and hopefully identify some semblance of reason and understanding for the otherwise unwelcome behaviors we manage to consistently engage in.

What I am hoping to do is share some stories and examples that might help the outsider put themselves in our shoes or frame of reference. Perhaps then, it will be easier to not only understand, but hopefully foresee and help prevent future difficulties. So, back to the original topic at hand, let's take a look at anxiety and SID, and the role they play in AS.

Imagine yourself in downtown Memphis. It's 3:00am and the streets are dark and empty. You're walking alone and there are no others on the streets within view. Suddenly, a large man appears and starts rushing towards you with a gun. What happens to your anxiety level? It goes through the roof as your adrenaline begins to course through your veins. Your sensory system becomes heightened and you are more acutely aware of your environment. You hear every pin drop, you notice every movement in your periphery. Your heart races and your breathing becomes quick and more shallow as you abruptly make your fight or flight decision.

Whether you chose to run or fight, there's no question you would not be making the best decisions right about this time. This also would not be the best time to start teaching you a new skill such as calculus! To top it all off, when you finally arrive home, with your mind still reeling from the event and adrenaline not yet calmed, you are greeted at the door by an angry spouse who says heatedly, "I can't believe you didn't clean up the kitchen before you left." Now I don't think I need to explain that there's a good possibility your spouse got slammed in response to that greeting! Even though your spouse had no idea what you had just experienced, your nerves were already over the edge and it took little to nothing to send you the rest of the way over the cliff! When looking at the whole situation in context, understandably so.

What I think many do not realized is that most of us with AS stay in fight or flight mode most, if not all the time! It doesn't take a dangerous situation for our adrenaline to course. Our sensory systems are usually hyper aware, and as our anxiety rises, our sensory issues increase, which in turn causes our anxiety to rise, and so on, and so on. The vicious cycle continues and as we reach the proverbial edge of our emotional cliff, other issues such as OCD, paranoia, anger and rage rise commensurately, even though there may be no external reason for such.

These continual, emotional and physiological influences have dramatic affects on our ability to make decisions, learn, effectively communicate, build relationships and maintain stable emotional self regulation. Add to the concoction the fact that we are often driven by acceptance and the perceptions others have of us, and we are headed toward disaster. Any of these issues in their own right can be debilitating. Couple all of these with the stress caused by wearing a mask, having the need to maintain the false front that we have it all together and all is well, and meltdown is emanant.

Behavioral manifestations of fight-or-flight response in Wikipedia state, "In prehistoric times when the fight or flight response evolved, fight was manifested in aggressive, combative behavior and flight was manifested by fleeing potentially threatening situations, such as being confronted by a predator. In current times, these responses persist, but fight and flight responses have assumed a wider range of behaviors. For example, the fight response may be manifested in angry, argumentative behavior, and the flight response may be manifested through social withdrawal, substance abuse, and even television viewing (Friedman & Silver 2007)."

What we often see in those with AS appears to be irresponsible and somewhat "bratty" behavior, sometimes inappropriately perceived as purposeful or defiant. Often argumentative and seemingly egotistical, know-it-all type attitudes prevail, characterized by defensiveness, anger, or rage when challenged or exposed. Marked lack of control with emotional regulation, impulsivity and inability to de-escalate when overwhelmed.

I like to compare those with AS to a pressure cooker. Let's say you put a pot roast into a pressure cooker and go to work, leaving it for 8-10 hours building pressure. When you come home and remove the lid, it will explode and you'll have pot roast on the ceiling! If done correctly, you put a pot roast in and ever few hours, you let off a little steam. The pot roast still cooks all day under pressure, but relieving the pressure every few hours will keep the cooker from exploding and getting pot roast on your ceiling.

Those with AS are similar. Our SID and anxiety are the pressure cooker, which keep us in fight or flight mode. As the day wears, we continue to build steam and pressure and once we reach the edge of the cliff, it takes very little, if anything, to push us over. To the unknowing bystander or intercepter of our wrath, we appear to blow for absolutely no reason and be highly volatile emotionally. We appear to have 2 moods, everything is great, and OMG you are so dead! What is generally not realized is that sensory overload, heightened anxiety, OCD and paranoia have been steadily increasing pressure, leading up the the eventual eruption. Just as with the pressure cooker, those with AS can also relieve the pressure by engaging in sensory activities every few hours throughout the day. This is letting off the steam, so to speak, preventing a potential future blow. Unfortunately, most of us do not realize we are in the explosive danger zone emotionally, until it's too late and there's no turning back. The goal is to prevent the explosions, not deal with the aftermath.

From the outside looking in, it's important to realize that we are very much like that pressure cooker, and at any given time, we can have varying amounts of pressure building. You might just be the lucky one who arrives on the scene, just in time for us to explode! It's not personal! It has nothing to do with you, though we often like to blame everyone else for our difficulties. That's part of AS too, being the victim and not taking responsibility for our own actions and involvement.

So, before you jump the case of someone who has AS and has exploded, try to consider how you would have felt having been just accosted with adrenaline raging. How easy would it be for you to maintain a calm, cool, and collected responses? Remember, this is not something typically within their control. This is a medical issue, that has neurological consequences and behavioral outcomes. The behaviors we often exhibit are consequences of the neurological and central nervous system problems we are experiencing, and contrary to popular belief, NOT within our control. We have to be taught how to de-escalate, process emotions, and recognize when we are escalating to begin with. It's a very long and difficult process to learn and overcome, but it's possible. Try to have patience with us in the process!

Next post we will look at the "I Suck Filter" and the damaging role it plays in our lives.
Look forward to sharing more with you soon!

Laura :)

Determined To Make A Difference

2009-07-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Learning and teaching about autism is my passion! There are very few things I can do that bring me as much satisfaction. The more I learn about this topic, the more I am driven to seek out additional information to fill in the multitude of deficiencies I know I have in my knowledge bank. It's a never ending saga! The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know anything, and just when I'm excited about some new skill I've acquired, it changes. UGH!! For someone with OCD, like me, this is a rather frustrating cycle! Yet I'm determined to make a difference in the field of autism spectrum disorders (ASD's), especially in Asperger's Syndrome (AS), as it seems to be more complicated and misunderstood that the rest.

I have spent a great deal of time reading about and researching ASD's, but what I have started becoming much better at is listening. A very difficult skill for me, yet an incredibly necessary one that I am determined to conquer! Listening to parents, teachers, doctors, therapists, and the individuals themselves with autism spectrum disorder's. I have always said for years that I don't think like others do. I have always been very "off" in the way I looked at things, but I am now finding this to my advantage when it comes to helping those with ASD's. What I have always thought was common sense, doesn't necessarily seem to be common sense to others. Apparently, I have a rather different view of many things, that seems quite second nature to me, but arriving at those same conclusions isn't always such a snap for everyone!

I've decided to test some of my thoughts and theories, and interestingly enough, they seem to be working quite well! No, I don't have the Ph.D. or M.D. behind my name and I don't have the clout of being a well respected, published author on the subject at hand, at least not yet anyway! What I do have though are many of the very same issues we are trying desperately to treat in these kids. I was misdiagnosed as Bi-Polar in my teens with a later diagnosis of ADHD to accompany that. After years of psychotropic medications that not only didn't usually work, but often made me worse, I had to wonder about the accuracy of the diagnosis. Interestingly enough, my young daughter was diagnosed with exactly the same thing, and placed on medications at seven-years-old, before I knew any better! Shortly afterwards, my son was diagnosed with full-blown, nonverbal autism and our lives were never the same.

After doing quite a bit of research to help my son, and realizing this was much more than just a behavioral disorder, a parent asked me to help her child with Asperger's Syndrome. I had no idea what that was, but she told me it was an ASD, so I was intrigued and decided to do a little digging. The more I researched, the more I began to realize that my daughter and I did NOT have Bi-Polar, rather we had a co morbid condition of Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD. Now this made sense! The more I read, the more I was absolutely convinced of this and when I finally approached my psychiatrist about the question at hand, he fully agreed. WOW! For the first time in our lives, we were actually beginning to understand WHY we a bit different and recognizing that was OK!

Looking back over the span of my life up until this time, so many things that had never made sense before, made absolute sense now. The sensory issues, impulsivity, suicidal fixation, anxiety, depression, OCD, paranoia, I lied constantly, hated confrontation, was over articulate but had great difficulty finding my words when in stressful situations, had low muscle tone, poor coordination, was extremely literal, had racing thoughts, obsession with how others perceived me, and difficulty processing information unless it was presented in a visual AND auditory fashion, not easily picking up on things the way others seemed to, and much more. I had difficulty keeping jobs. I was the annoying person who had to know everything about whatever it was I was doing, so I constantly asked questions about details that most didn't even notice. I had to be the best at what I did, was bossy, didn't always understand what should have been easy instructions, I always thought I had a better way of doing things, and of course, rules applied to everyone, but not me! I was special! UGH! These were just the tip of the iceberg, but very clear and present symptoms that most would not necessarily see, unless they were around for extended periods of time and knew me very well, as I was a great pretender and could hold it together for fairly reasonable periods of time, only to fall apart once I got into my safe environment. I looked good to the average passer by, but never made it through school, couldn't maintain relationships, changed jobs as often as I changed my underwear, was perfectionistic to a fault, and had self esteem that was in the toilet and continuing to go down rapidly! I was a mess.

Having children desperately in need of my help forced me to make some decisions that were WAY outside of my comfort zone, and in the process of helping them, I was helping myself unaware! I continues to amaze me when I consider what we are able to accomplish when the lives of our kids are at stake. The rules all change and what was once unthought of, had to be scaled and conquered. It was just not optional. As I became healthier, I began to notice things in the lives of others with ASD's that I realized I used to do, but no longer did. This is when learning to listen became a skill I knew I had to acquire! It's kind of interesting, as I never noticed any of these issues while I was in the midst of the throws of AS and ADHD, but now that I seemed to be on the other side of some of this, it stood out like a sore thumb. I found myself constantly saying, "Oh wow, I used to do that." I never realized what it looked like from the other side and that it was so obviously dysfunctional. I had always thought I had everyone fooled. NOT!

As I started working with more and more individuals with AS, I realized I was seeing things in a perspective most other professionals were not catching. Many of these higher functioning individuals with AS could TOTALLY SNOW the psychiatrists and psychologists, yet they couldn't get things past my radar. You know the old saying, "You can't BS a BSer!" and that's where I found myself a large percentage of the time when dealing with AS issues. The kids and adults I was working with loved me and hated me! They loved me and often told me I was the first and only person who ever truly understood them. I began to realize even some of the best counselors and psych's just didn't think like we did, and now matter how much they "understood" about AS, they would truly never understand why we did some of the things we did, as they didn't live it everyday. For that matter, most of the parents who lived in that environment 24/7 still couldn't understand how we ticked. They were befriended for the first time by someone who truly understood why they did what they did and what drove those behaviors. In the same breath, they hated the accountability I held them to, as they could no longer snow the counselor! What they could normally pull off in the form of excuses or quasi-logical reasoning didn't fly with me for one second, and I called them on it every time. Hence the love/hate relationship. Funny though, they kept coming back for more!

Then there were the outsiders, who looked at me now and said there was no possible way I was ever AS! We all have these symptoms at one time or another, they would say. YES, that is correct, but the difference is in intensity and frequency, and do they interfere with your ability to live a productive and independent life? They obviously were not familiar with my childhood, teen, and early adult years, that I would not wish on my worst enemy! Yet I suppose it is hard to understand this kind of progress from the outside looking in, as it really is quite uncommon. I was way too high functioning and my articulation was outstanding, which was rare even for someone with AS who had recovered. Now, why in the world I would want to claim that diagnosis if I didn't have to is beyond me, but I decided to ignore the naysayers and keep moving forward, as I began to impact so many lives that mainstream medical and psychiatric had never seemed to be able to touch. I'm so glad I did! My fight with AS became doing everything I could to insure NO ONE would ever have to live through what I had in my earlier years. Not if I had anything to say or do about it anyway!

Call me crazy, and believe me you won't be the first, but I can honestly say I truly believe God allowed me to experience so much of what I did in my early life, so I could get well and help others experiencing the same things find health for themselves. It's been an incredibly difficult journey for me on the road to health, but the things I have learned along the way have molded me into a completely different being. Thank goodness! It's a passion for me, as I said earlier. Now I want to help others with AS set out on this journey to health. I realize now there are very few who have the patience, understanding and ability to teach those with AS in an effective manner, and let's face it, it's all about outcomes, isn't it? All the greatest teaching in the world doesn't amount to a hill of beans if it can't be effectively implemented by those who are being taught!

What I hope to do over the next few posts is start to explore the AS mindset and some of the issues that commonly drive us, whether for better or worse! It's not personal and our issues and behaviors are not our purposeful attempts at driving anyone to the edge of a cliff, contrary to popular belief! ASD's are medical conditions that cause neurological problems that result in behavioral outcomes. Understanding these disorders in perspective, from the medical, neurological, behavioral, and emotional standpoints in absolutely critical. It requires a global view, that often goes unseen. Pieces of dysfunction and individual characteristics or symptoms are often noted, yet who is drawing all these things together to look at the global view? It's something we have to start looking at if we are to make progress with individuals who have AS. My hope is that I can let you inside my brain, though a scary prospect, to see things the way we perceive things. Perhaps if you better understand how we think and why we respond the way we do to stimuli, it will help you to change the way you respond, or even better, have you proactively engaging these issues so that you don't have to respond! Prevention is the name of the game in ASD's, and if you understand how we process and think, you can be a few steps ahead of us to help avert what could otherwise be a major problem. And while we are calm, cool and collected, rather than raging, you can learn to appropriately teach us the skills to be successful in future environments we could not navigate before. Prevention, preparation, appropriate training and implementation of those learned skills are how we learn best. I hope in the coming posts, as we start to investigate specific issues, you will see that and understand the why's, so we can move on to the place we need to be to start learning how to overcome AS! I'm looking forward to it!

Laura :)

Well On Her Way To Healthy

2009-07-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

This is a blog post from Heather Liston, one of our patients at the Autism Solution Center. Her daughter, Tatum, is WELL ON HER WAY TO HEALTHY, has made remarkable progress and she wanted to share her story as an encouragement to others who are struggling along in this journey to recovery with autism.

I meet so many families each and every week who are just beginning to navigate this incredibly difficult journey, and can only sigh in exasperation when they consider the work ahead of them. Hopefully, this will serve as an encouragement, showing once again that with the right interventions and assistance, AUTISM IS TREATABLE and incredible progress is not only possible, but often attained!

Good Friday 2009

I just put Tatum, my 8 year old daughter to bed. I'm sad to see her drift off to sleep. This is quite a change from 6 months ago when I would drop into bed exhausted, only to spend most of the night pseudo-sleeping but mostly watching the video monitor (purchased from a local baby store) that was attached to the camera in Tatum's room.

It has been an especially Good Friday this year and not for just the religious reasons. I'm getting to know my daughter Tatum in whole new ways. It's an amazing journey filled with simple, everyday moments.

Tatum is autistic. She is highly intelligent. She is near constant motion. Like others on the spectrum, she came with very little need for sleep. I have had an interesting journey as an adult. Nothing has been as challenging as being Tatum's mother.

I made the decision to homeschool Tatum for the 2008-2009 school year. I saw the intense agitation and anxiety melt away, but every day life was still challenging and full of melt-downs.

In November I pursued biomedical treatment for Tatum through the local Autism Solution Center. Blood draws, allergy testing, colon cleansing, stool samples, and major dietary changes have become part of our journey. What I have learned is that there is a reason that Tatum has a hard time making it through any given day-her body is not working well. A lot of stuff is out of sync. But we have a plan now. I have hope that our life will not be tied to neurology visits, EEGs, and increasing amounts of medications.

January 1, 2009, we started the major dietary changes and supplements. I saw my daughter's food cravings disappear (she was the typcial GFCF kid looking for her next fix...shoving fistfuls of shredded cheese in her mouth faster than I could get the refrigerator door shut). She began to eat a wider variety of foods, including meat and veggies. She still misses pizza, but she has an amazingly sweet disposition about all of this change.

This past week, I have seen dramatic changes in her fine motor skills. I have also watched my daughter climb, run, and navigate a playground with no fear or anxiety (a major feat for a kiddo with sensory integration issues-in the above picture, she and Kelly are walking across a broken bridge-this previously would have led to such a high level of anxiety that our hike would have been over, but now it's hardly noticed by her). Her hair texture is changing. Her body is relaxing-she isn't walking around in fight or flight mode anymore.

Sitting at dinner last night with a good friend, I searched for the words to describe a recent outing to my older daughter's drama performance. My friend found the perfect word to describe it: "normal." This incredible experience was made so extraordinary by being completely ordinary...parents all around me were experiencing the same thing, but I was probably the only one celebrating it.

Tatum did not argue with leaving home to attend the performance. We talked in the car on the way to the performance. She did not have any difficulty sitting through the performance. She watched the play and laughed at appropriate times. When it was over, she clapped and ran off to find her sister. I collected both of them and climbed in our car and drove home. Once home, we re-engaged our day's activities without an issue. Normal. Just completely ordinary.

Throughout the whole drama performance, I never once was on high alert for things that might set Tatum off. I did not have to entertain her to try and keep her engaged. I did not have to find ways to work off all of her extra energy. I did not have to have a death grip on her hand in the parking lot to keep her safe. I was able to fully enjoy my daughter Kelly's play.

I am watching her tease and joke with me, her sister, and friends. I am seeing so many circles of communication between her and others that I'm amazed. She's seeking out hugs and touch. She likes to climb up in my lap (which is becoming more difficult as she is growing like a weed).

But it's deceptive. Having done the "normal" route with my easy going Kelly, Tatum's improvements almost sneak by me. Then I will realize how easy a transition was compared to the on the floor meltdowns. I'll observe Tatum upset that no one will play a game with her and remember the girl that only wanted to spend hours in her closet lining up her Little People or Magnetix pieces.

So our bedtime is simple. She has a bath. She puts on her pajamas. She brushes her teeth. She fills her cup of water. We read a story together. I tuck her in. Hugs and kisses. And then she drifts off to sleep. The video monitor has been put up on a shelf. I sleep.

Nothing unique about it. In Tatum's short life, we should have had nearly 3,000 of the same, ordinary bedtimes. We're up to 30, and I'm loving every minute of our normal life.

Heather Liston
(Better known as “Tatum’s Mom”)

Autism's Financial Frustrations

2009-07-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

I spent a good amount of time this morning talking to a parent who is beyond stressed with autism's financial frustrations. She has 5 children, 3 of whom have non-verbal autism. I can't even begin to imagine what she goes through on a given day, as most families I know dealing with one child on the spectrum are overwhelmed, financially and otherwise! As we talked, it became more and more clear to me that there is going to have to be some different kind of major grass roots movement to change this myopic autism culture we live in.

This parent is EXHAUSTED! Not that most are not, but she is the perfect example of what is happening to families struggling with autism, who just fall through the cracks because of the lack of funding available to cover the interventions her children so desperately need.

She started out with biomedical and dietary intervention with all 3 of her children. The progress they have made in a very short time has been remarkable, yet they still have a long way to go. She pooled funds, begged family and friends to help, participated in fundraising drives, all in an effort to access funds to help her children, yet with the economy in the toilet, it just has not quite been enough to meet those ongoing monthly needs. Here's where it gets difficult. Now, she is more determined than ever to insure her children have access to the very things that she sees are effectively reaching them, yet the funding is not there to consistently continue those protocols.

As a parent, this has to be one of the most frustrating things to live through. Knowing what to do to help your child get better, seeing those very things available and within reach, yet having those doors slammed shut in your face because you are not wealthy enough to access them. My God, what is wrong with this picture?

Insurance is typically not covering the necessary testing to identify the underlying etiological issues, that once treated, often yield incredible improvements and/or recovery. Insurance is also not usually covering the visits to the medical doctors who are treating these children, or the necessary, daily supplements and treatments, even when scientific testing shows the deficiencies and medical needs for such.

So just like the elderly who find themselves in the quandary of trying to determine whether to eat or afford their necessary medications, families dealing with autism also wrestle with like decisions. Often, those decisions are the hinge that dictates whether or not these children will live an independent life and be contributors to our economy, or will be required to live long-term in the care of others at an enormous, yet unnecessary, expense of $4+ million per individual over their life span. Guess who will be paying that bill? Not to mention the quality of life issues that hangs in the balance as well.

I can't help but question at what point our society will cry out and demand something different be done about this epidemic issue that is quite frankly about to bite our economy in the butt in a way never seen before. Yet there remains only a rising rumble, that's all too often hushed at the hands of the mighty green dollar and the profit potential forecasted.

I have personally spoken to State and US Representatives who have flat out told me they 100% agree with everything we are saying about the current autism dilemma, the need for legislative mandates, autism insurance reform, changes in the school system tactics, accessibility to appropriate interventions, biomedical research, and more. Yet the cry is met with responses such as, "Although I understand the weight of the situation, I'm up for re-election this term and there are other issues I have to address if I am to get re-elected."

Myopic was the word I used earlier, and oh how appropriate that word is! We are currently trading in the lives of a significant generation of children who desperately need help, and can often recover when that help is available, in order to save face with the very constituents who don't currently realize they will be paying heavily in the long run for these faulty decision.

Someone please do the math here and spread the word throughout our communities! 1 in 150 individuals being diagnosed with full blown autism. THIS IS CRAZY! Yes, a few hundred thousand per child will have to be spent on the front end for some children to help them become indistinguishable from their peers, but in comparison to $4+ million per individual which WILL have to be spent, Hmmmm... wonder which way we should go? Make no mistake, this WILL bankrupt our economy if something is not changed, and soon!

Yes, I know I sound a little angry, but quite honestly I am! If this were any other disorder other than the politically charged, red-headed step child autism, we would not even be having this conversation.

Wake up America! The principle of sowing and reaping lives strong. The harvesters in this country (Yep - that's us, the average American citizens!) are being lulled into a sound slumber. Only we won't know the full consequences of our sleep, until we awaken hungry with the realization we forgot to sow our crops and there is no food.

I can only hope and pray that something changes, and soon, for these children who are brilliant beyond imagination and should be full of hope. I for one am committed to joining forces with anyone who wants to help get this grass roots movement off the ground and running at an unstoppable, full speed. Though it's been started many times before, the efforts often fizzle with the splintering of our autism community. Come on gang, we agree on much more than we disagree, and after all, it's not about us and our beliefs, it's about the kids! Right?

Who's on board?

Common Denominators In Autism Recovery

2009-06-23T15:18:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Every time I teach workshops, conferences, or individuals parent trainings, I always make a point to bring to the forefront what I feel is one of the most overlooked issues in autism treatment. What are the common denominators in autism recovery? With the epidemic of autism soaring out of control, as shown on the chart to the right, we have to start focusing more on what's working and why, to insure positive outcomes for children being affected.

I recently taught a workshop where several families, service providers, and advocates were present. We covered all the topics such as biomedical intervention, dietary intervention, functional communication, behavior modification, and IDEA law & navigating IEP meetings. Most of those in attendance were on the same page, yet there were some who no matter what was said, had a reason they would not be able to do what was being suggested. No matter what objections that were thrown out, I could always come up with a feasible solution to eliminate the problem, until that is, the next one was thrown out, to start all over again. In the end, and for many differing reasons, they had convinced themselves they did not have what it takes to help their kids and could only be dependent on what could be provided.

After years of working with families struggling with autism, there are a few things that have become very identifiable trends. I've decided to start hitting these head on, as someone needs to be truthful with families, even when it's not the popular thing to do or say! Let me very clearly say, before we go any further, this is NOT meant to berate parents, incite guilt, or try to make anyone feel inadequate in any way. Most families dealing with ASD are struggling enough without us adding to that! This is also NOT a blanket statement that applies to everyone, as I can see the hair on the back of some necks starting to stand up, even as I type! What this post is intended to do is create awareness and education about a trend we see happening that is very frustrating and sad, in hopes that we can effectively address it for families in need. This post is also intended to encourage parents or caregivers to seek out the needed training to help their children and that most of you DO have what it takes to help your child make significant progress! There is NO COST training, education, and help available to take you as deep as you want to go into the education and treatment of your loved one with autism, as well as the support to help you traverse the difficult parts of the journey.

So what are the common denominators in the recovery of autism? Well, there are a few we will cover throughout the next few blogs, but by far, the most important of them all is parents who become the experts and have a can-do attitude. These are the parents who take the stance that they will do whatever it takes to insure their child has access to what is needed. They are willing to study until their eyes can no longer read, turn over every rock in the path, beg on the street corners for funding, and take on the big fish when it comes for fighting and advocating for their child. They often know much more than the physicians and professionals, and become the driving force behind the interventions for their children and the correct implementation of such.

This is especially important in rural areas, where service provision is extremely limited. Families often find themselves holding the bag when it comes to intervention, or lack thereof, yet need to be encouraged that no matter how dim the journey appears, there is help available to educate and train them to do many of these services themselves, insuring access to what is needed.

Go to an autism conference such as Autism One or DAN? and you will find hundreds, if not thousands of these families, which is why they are usually there, to dig up more useful information to help their child. Outside the autism circles though, that dynamic changes, and sadly, a small percentage of the families on the street are meeting this critical criteria.

I had a reporter ask me some time ago what our recovery rate was. I told him I was not really able to tell him the way he wanted to know. He was looking at statistics only. How many families have you served total and how many recovered kids do you have? Only it's not that simple. If we say we served 100 individuals (just grabbing easy round numbers here) with autism, 10 have made significant progress, and 4 have recovered, that would not look so good. Yet it has to be realized that those numbers are not quite as cut and dry as that. Out of those 100 individuals, typically only 10 or 11 of them actually did even a part of what was suggested. So needless to say, 4 out of 100 would not really be a fair statistic.

What we have found is that an enormous percentage of families fail in recovering their children because they get overwhelmed and don't follow through. Now before I get any angry letters from those of you who have busted your butts and your child has still not progressed the way you would like, let me say there are definitely exceptions to this rule, so this is not a blanket statement. However, from what I have seen first hand, the majority of the children I have worked with could be doing significantly better if the parents were driving the bus, rather than traveling as passengers. In all fairness, many times the parents are spectrum themselves, and already overwhelmed and in shut down mode. That's not their fault, yet it often impacts the ability to provide appropriate and consistent interventions as needed and stay the course. Far too often we see families give up just short of what would be a breakthrough, if they had just continued. Then the interventions themselves, such as biomedical, dietary, or behavioral interventions, get the bad wrap for not working, when in essence they were not utilized as directed and often stopped! In contrast, those who did follow through see remarkable results in most cases.

So where does this leave us? In a rather uncomfortable position, I'm afraid. In the workshop I referred to above, I decided to take the pro-active approach to hitting the problem head on. After numerous attempts at overcoming objections, I finally closed the conversation by saying the following:

"Here's the bottom line. Kids are recovering from autism every single day. We know every child is different and every child needs a specific protocol designed to meet the particular and individuals needs. But we also know that for every time we hear reasons why something can't be done, we also meet some parent with the same situations doing it very successfully. Yes, it's very difficult. No, it's not a walk in the park. Often 3-6 years of intensive intervention, or more, can be required to get these children where they need to go and that's devastating emotionally, physically, and financially. Yet, it's also very temporary and if it yields incredible improvement or recovery in the end, is that not worth it? We can do anything we choose to if we set our minds to it, make the decision to just do it, and we realize it's not forever, no matter how uncomfortable it is. What I still have difficulty understanding though, is that many will not commit to even 6 months of hard work to improve a child, yet by default, they are committing to a lifetime of work and dependency if these children are not treated appropriately. I am not trying to place blame or cause guilt, yet it has to be pointed out that this is a choice, and by not making it, in essence, you have chosen."

Yeah, I know. Kind of a hard line, but here's how I am looking at it. Someone has to tell the truth! Doing nothing yields nothing. PERIOD! These kids don't get better by osmosis, it takes a tremendous amount of time and hard work and there are no shortcuts, at least not yet! Though many get very angry with me when I tell them what they don't want to hear, eventually, many of them will come to terms with what has to be done and move forward. Sometimes in days, sometimes in weeks, and sometimes it's years. The hard part for me is knowing time is of the essence and these remarkable children don't have time, which is why I have become more direct and to the point. Hopefully, in hindsight, most will realize I'm trying to do them, and their children, a favor that could have significant impact! If it saves just one child, it's worth the risk of making someone mad!

There is also the issue of finances, that were brought to my attention today by a reader. I honestly don't think most realize that they have access to the tools, education, and training needed to provide many of the sought after services themselves, and often more effectively! This also alleviates the long-standing problem of bankrupted parents, mortgaging everything they have to provide for their child.

Many seek services through school systems and/or private insurance, yet when they have difficulty accessing the services in the amounts needed, they feel discouraged, defeated, and often give up, not knowing what else to do. Our intention is to encourage those of you finding yourselves in these circumstances that there is HOPE! Though it's not uncommon to think we don't have the skills or expertise to make a difference working with our children, the truth is that many parents have dramatically improved and/or even recovered their children by taking charge of the treatment and interventions, and gaining the education necessary to do much of this work themselves. The process is often quite wobbly in the beginning, yet with time and progress, with positive visible outcomes and increased amounts of education, parents rise to feeling empowered, understanding what has to be done, and figuring out how to do it!

We live in a time that unfortunately is putting the bulk of the responsibility (both time and resources) on the backs of the families, who are already strained beyond belief. If we can identify the characterists that are common among those who have recovered children with autism, then perhaps we have somewhat of a map, to encourage parents to gain these skills, that they might do the same!

So, in closing, what are the main characteristics of the parents who succeed in this challenge?

1) Positive attitude and determination that they will do WHATEVER it takes to help their child and they will NEVER give up!

2) Becoming the expert and a research maniac! Reading everything you can get your hands on and becoming more of an expert that those who are treating your child! Let's face it, no one knows your child as well as you and if you don't know what good speech therapy looks like for a child with autism, how do you know if it's being done correctly?

3) Driving the treatment bus! Be in control of your child's treatment program, in all areas. Know enough about all your child's programs to be able to train the professionals and tweak programs that are not quite right. If you are depending on the school system, the physicians, or the professional service providers to recover your child, you are in BIG TROUBLE! Even the most skilled providers are being led by YOU! It's also critical to point out that continuity across all settings is paramount. Though I advocate for an excellent school program and interventions, at the end of the day, I treat it like glorified daycare and make sure that I am doing everything that needs to be done at home, just in case!

4) Involve yourself with other like-minded parents, who are also the experts and driving their child's treatment bus! I can say without any doubt that I have learned more from parents along this journey than from the professionals, and more often than not, I ended up training the professionals to work appropriately with my children!

We will look at some of the other common denominators to recovery in autism in our next blog post. This is an evolving blog, and will cover the most pressing issues we see within our practice of treating children at the Autism Solution Center, Inc. If you have suggestions for a topic or questions you would like to have answered, please email them to encourmin@yahoo.com.

April Is Autism Awareness Month

2009-06-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

April Is Autism Awareness Month

With April being right around the corner, and also being Autism Awareness Month, we thought this might be a good time to consider ways we can educate the community on autism spectrum disorders.

It seems as though most of the nonprofit organizations I deal with on a daily basis, including ourselves, are constantly in fundraising mode, and burning out quickly from both over marketing and lack of fresh new ideas. While there are more autism organizations than ever seeking support, there still seems to be a lack in community education on anything other than the basics, such as early diagnosis and intervention. We often have to stay so tied up in fundraising mode, that we lack the necessary time and manpower to get out there and appropriately educate the community on critical autism issues.

Most people today are familiar with the word autism because of the media attention it has been getting lately with individuals like Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey driving the awareness train. Yet, as I talk to people within the community, I'm not noticing an increase in education, other than the fact that the rates are epidemic and there is rumor of a link to vaccines and mercury. Very few are still aware that AUTISM IS TREATABLE, can be diagnosed as early as 12 months, and requires an intensive, one-on-one, multi-modal approach to intervention, and the earlier, the better.

I find myself in a rather constant state of frustration, as I work with families who deal with uneducated teachers and school officials who still maintain "these behaviors could be eliminated if those horrible parents would just appropriately discipline their kids"! So, they continue to discipline children for bio-neurologically-based issues, and the behaviors continue on without change. I can't help but wonder if at some point they will remember that doing the same thing, that has proven to be ineffective, will not eventually produce a different result!

I also stand in awe as I consider the medical community as a whole, who for the most part, continue to report in an unwavering fashion that these crazy diets, biomedical interventions, and other "unproven" interventions are both "last ditch efforts for desperate parents," as well as potentially dangerous for the individuals being treated. Talk about a lack of scientific evidence to support what you espouse. Geez!

My only response is HOGWASH! I'm a bottom line kind of gal, and the bottom line here is that KIDS ARE RECOVERING FROM AUTISM ON A DAILY BASIS EMPLOYING MANY OF THESE SO-CALLED "UNFOUNDED" INTERVENTIONS!

Yes, there is no question many more studies need to be done, yet they also have to be funded and I don't currently see CDC, NIH, or the AMA chomping at the bit to do so. It's much safer for the big boys to simply look at genetics. I mean really, what would happen when us "crazy parents" are actually able prove what we preach? Well, a whole lot of back peddling and some serious damage control at a minimum!

Here's my take on the whole situation. In my time working within this field, I have found that you can literally make studies say ANYTHING you want them to! There are no unflawed studies! Again, let's get to the bottom line. Bottom line is this: Is what the medical community currently doing for autism working? The answer to that question is an overwhelming NO, as we are not seeing recovered children come from these confines. Yet, this is the very community that cries foul when a simple dietary intervention is put into place that has proven effective in thousands of children, many of whom have recovered. Can someone please tell me the harm in trying a diet that removes casein and gluten, as long as the nutrients that would be missed in the dairy products are being appropriately replaced? Yet, some of the brightest physicians I work with will blatantly tell parents not to try this diet, with equally lacking proof that their stance is correct! Yet, the diet is yielding significant anecdotal evidence of tremendous efficacy, which is why more and more parents are leaning in this direction after making little to no progress through their regular doctors.

All this to say, THIS IS TRULY NUTS! We are losing a large part of this generation to a disorder, that for the most part, is not only preventable, but also very treatable, in most cases. What I'm beginning to see is the wall of education, logic and analytical thinking boxing in the very people it was meant to expand. Don't get me wrong, education is vastly important, as that gives us the tools to move forward into unexplored areas. Yet, the very tool that propels us forward, can also be the very tool that can shackle us into bondage when wielded incorrectly. Learning the rules within a given box is very important. However, equally important is never forgetting that there are MANY things that exist outside the box, and therefore we CANNOT limit our focus to only those things within.

Here are a couple of the comments I feel compelled to say to anyone arguing these points:

1) I like to draw a circle on a piece of paper with a dot in the very center. This circle represents ALL of the possible knowledge that exists in the entire universe, both known, and unknown.

If I were to ask you to start at that dot in the center and draw a pie piece that represents the amount of knowledge you think you have amassed in your lifetime, how large of a pie piece would that be?

So let's say they are extremely over confident and they draw a pie piece that represents 25%, which would be ridiculous, yet it happens!

My question becomes, "Then how do you know that what I am talking about doesn't exist over here in the areas you do not yet know?"

2) At what point did you realize that you knew everything, and therefore had nothing else you needed to learn?

Bottom line, both of these questions expose only one thing called EGO! Gang, the day we wake up and think we are smarter than everyone else and we have nothing else to learn, is the day we need to stay home and never come back! EGO and politics are the two forces driving these debates within the autism community, and it's fine time the truth started coming out in BOLD PRINT for all to clearly see.

So, you say, "Aren't you stepping on some toes with comments like that? To which I answer, "Absolutely, and it's about time!" Listen, not rocking the boat and tiptoeing around has only increased this preventable epidemic we currently know as autism spectrum disorder. There are many incredibly flawed studies out there that are heralded as undeniable truth, yet what do we find when we dig deeper? Wait....... what was that? You're saying you take the synopsis of these studies at face value and you have not done the due diligence to dig and make sure those facts were credible? FOR SHAME! That's like hearing a dirty rumor about a trusted friend and continuing to spread it to everyone you know, even arguing the point, when you have no evidence to support your side of the story, other than hearsay.

Case in point. Consider the paraphrased announcement by CDC that stated a study had been completed that once and for all proved there was no tie between vaccinations and autism. Well, I suppose that comment COULD be said based on the study done, however, we're not really getting the whole truth. Did anyone ever bother to disclose that the study was conducted in Denmark, not within the US? OK, so let me make sure I understand. The study was conducted in another country, on a different population of people, who have different dietary standards, different environmental exposure, and are not charged with the same vaccine schedule our children are exposed to here in the US? WOW - can someone please tell me what's wrong with that statement? Ummm..... there might be a little bit of a problem with the population and control in that study, you think?

Unfortunately, most are more willing to spread unsubstantiated information than they are to do the homework necessary to make an educated decision on whether or not the information is actually fact. And don't get me wrong, I have been guilty of the same many times. Yet, the difference here is that when confronted, I'm willing to back down and say I blew it and didn't do my homework, rather than stick to my guns at any cost. Especially when that cost is not mine, but the cost of a child who is losing their potential to live an independent, joyful live. We are ALL wrong at some time or another. Yep, I said it! To err is human, but to be perfect often requires a doctorate!

I hope that at some point in the very near future, we are all willing to admit that the more we know, the more we know we don't know a darned thing and have a great deal to yet learn. If you can't say that, STAY HOME! You're likely doing as much harm as good.

The one thing I have learned while on this journey is that EVERY SINGLE CHILD IS AS DIFFERENT AS THEIR FINGERPRINT! There are no two children the same, therefore there is NO one-sized-fits-all answer to autism. Though many believe they have found that "silver bullet," so to speak, and though it may work for some, there will always be those that do not respond to any one given intervention. This leaves us recognizing we had better be willing to look outside our circle of knowledge, if we have tried everything we know, and yet it has not yielded results for a particular subset of children.

One of the main reasons I opened the center was to provide EVERYTHING under one roof, and at NO COST to families in need. Why? Specifically for the reasons stated above. There are literally thousands of different interventions out there, some proven, some not. By the time families have been through several of these with individual practitioners, and are now financially devastated, and they no longer have the means to pursue what else is available that could provide answers they are looking for. So how do you choose? Eeny, meeny, miney mo? Heaven forbid! Though I see that far too often as well.

Educating families and teaching them to become the experts is the key. These families know their children better than any professional in the field. By educating the families about ALL the different modalities of treatment, and giving them the tools to make EDUCATED DECISIONS about what interventions might be best for their children's specific needs, we are empowering families to take part and responsibility in their own child's recovery process. Do a little homework and look at the children who are being called recovered, or indistinguishable from their neuro-typical peers. What are the few BLATANT common denominators?

1) Educated parents, and I don't necessarily mean college education. These were ALL families that took it upon themselves to research, study, and keep digging until THEY found what worked for their kids. They became a vital part of the "treatment team," providing the critical, educated input necessary to drive the treatment process. The physicians and professionals were a critical part of the team as well, providing the necessary guidance, and acting as the medically educated rudder, steering a boat sailing on some very rough seas. Yet, without the other team members on board identifying potential rocks, sand bars, and other obstacles in the water's path, that rudder doesn't do much good. IT TAKES A TEAM EFFORT. If all it took was a rudder, there would be no need for sails, or other instruments, that all play EQUALLY IMPORTANT parts in driving the process.

2) A multi-modal approach. Looking at the children who have recovered, one things you quickly find is that many of them implemented a lot of different interventions, yet there were also MANY common denominators, including: biomedical intervention, dietary intervention, speech therapy, occupational therapy, sensory integration therapy, applied behavior analysis (ABA), and several others.

We know there are safe, common denominators that work for many children that provide a great place of beginning, yet every individual journey must be "tweaked" to meet the needs of each specific child in question.

Here's a strong suggestion I would make for your future journey through autism spectrum disorders. When dealing with ANYONE, whether a lay person or a professional, ask yourself, and them, the following questions:

1) Where did you learn what you know about ASD's? Was it from an article in a medical journal, in school from an instructor who was espousing opinions, based on information from CDC or AMA? Was it simply opinion, or fact? Have you read, in their entirety, the studies in question, not just abstracts and the final conclusions from what could be biased parties?

2) Can you please explain to me why you are advising me for or against implementation of any particular intervention? How many patients have you specifically guided through this particular journey to see first hand results?

Let me expand on this one. They should be able to explain to you the benefits, potential drawbacks, and expectations of the intervention they are for or against, in enough detail that you are satisfied they are skilled in their assessment. But wait, we're not finished yet. THEN....... your responsibility as a parent is to then go RESEARCH that information to insure they are correct. Why? Bottom line, I would hate to put all my eggs into any one basket only to find out, often too late, that my basket was extremely flawed.

I tell EVERY parent that I work with that my job is to expose them to new information and educate them based on what I have seen over the years. Don't take my word for it, DO YOUR HOMEWORK! My job is not to scare them, convince them, or anything else. If fear is the main motivation being used by someone to move you in a particular direction, you had better start researching. That usually means they do not have enough information to support their end of the argument with facts.

The bottom line here is that one of the greatest objections I hear from within the professional community is that there are lacking "peer-reviewed, scientific studies and evidence" to support many of the interventions being implemented, and I wholly agree! There is no question that studies are lacking, so how about putting your money where your mouth is and funding some studies on the areas in question? Problem is, studies take years to complete, and OUR CHILDREN DO NOT HAVE THAT KIND OF TIME TO WASTE! They need help now! There are many studies out there supporting these interventions, yet they are picked apart. To be completely honest, ANY study can be flawed and picked apart. We can make studies say pretty much anything we want them to. At the end of the day, we MUST ask this question. Study or no study, IS WHAT WE ARE DOING WORKING AND ARE THE CHILDREN GETTING BETTER? If not, I don't care what your studies say, it's time to change directions. Anecdotal evidence can be very powerful and is the first step in any long-term study.

Conclusion: DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Don't trust your child's future to the opinions of ANYONE without first doing your own research to insure they are correct. After all, what if they are wrong? Are you willing to risk your child's outcome on that? I certainly hope not!

Autism Support

2009-03-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Laura Corby and I'm the Founder/CEO of Autism Solution Center Foundation, Inc. Over the last seven years working in the field of autism spectrum disorders as both a parent, professional, and an individual with a spectrum disorder myself, I have seen many lacking areas of autism support for families seeking answers and assistance globally.

My hope is to provide a vehicle to educate, encourage, and strengthen the autism community, in an attempt to draw us all together in one loud, strong voice! Sure, there are many differences in opinion on treatments, methodologies, and therapies, yet I firmly believe there is more we agree on than not! Let's agree to disagree in areas of differing opinions, yet remain a solid, cohesive community that moves autism treatment, education, and research to the forefront.

I am also seeking guest bloggers and regular contributors to assist in our new blog and help keep content fresh and up-do-date. If you interested or have resources you would like to add to our blog, please feel free to contact me. It's my belief that the more autism resources available to our community, the better.

I look forward to engaging you all in numerous areas of autism support and education.

Let me also share with you the mission and vision of Autism Solution Center Foundation, Inc. and our Public Service Announcement below, that hopefully will give you a better idea of what's to come! We are excited about the plans to provide autism support to families in need globally, regardless of their ability to pay! Let's all help make this a reality!

Sincerely,

Laura Lum Corby, Founder/CEO
Autism Solution Center Foundation, Inc.

Public Service Announcement

Our Mission
To meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of individuals with Autism, and their loved ones at No Cost, and share the hope available in Jesus Christ. To help individuals achieve their fullest potential, enabling them to lead productive and fulfilling lives, enjoy personal relationships, and to work and live effectively in the community. These objectives will be met by providing:

Individualized programs based on specific needs
Services for individuals with autism and loved ones
Access to physicians and other medical professionals specializing in autism spectrum disorders
Providing research based therapies, services and education
Education about available alternative medical approaches
Encouraging and teaching individuals to pursue their personal goals and dreams and to overcome obstacles they may encounter
Building community relationships through volunteer work, public awareness campaigns, and community activities that foster involvement

Our Vision
Since ASC's inception in 2002, our long term vision has encompassed a multi-million dollar facility that is multi-functional in purpose, providing all aspects of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) related services and assistance under one roof and at no charge to families. Our one-stop-shop will provide; education, services, assistance, support, and the camaraderie necessary to navigate the journey through and beyond autism and related disorders.

ASD's are treatable! ASC is here to make sure every family has access to the assistance they need and each individual has the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. Join us as we strive to turn Autism into AWE-tism!