In June of 2002, I snapped a photo that changed our lives forever. We knew something was amiss with our sweet twins, but looking back it was more than just a feeling. Out pediatrician said it was too soon to tell, but I knew we needed to know more. A few months later, a family friend who worked as a special education teacher came by for a visit and spent a little time with the boys. He pulled me aside and told me he was certain they had autism. I’m not a doctor, but all the signs are there. They don’t look at you, they look through you, he said. And the toe-walking, and perseveration, and, on and on… Six and a half years later and the boys live with severe, profound autism. We have tried countless, unproven, unscientific, and untested remedies that have been promised to improve symptoms. GFCF, really expensive vitamins in huge doses, b12 injection, chelation, behavioral therapy, sensory integration, and the list goes on and on. And the money, enough to buy a house. People are making millions, no billions on a growing group of parents desperately trying to help their children. “Wouldn’t you do anything for your children?” Anything? NO! Beware of snake oil salesman. See Daniel Dage’s blog, The Life That Chose Me, and read his post, The Fleecing of the Autism Community.
5 Comments
Wow. That really is quite a picture and one that most parents who have dealt with this will recognize pretty readily.
Most folks autism products and services are only peddling guilt, or at least that’s all thats left after they empty your pockets.
thanks for the shout out!
D.
That is quite a picture. There’s something so beautiful and haunting about looking back at your kids’s pics before you ***really*** knew what was going on – of course, we parents always know.
I think what I don’t like is the promise (which I’ve personally never had made to me, but I know it is made sometimes) that EVERY intervention will help EVERY kid. All of our kids with autism are so vastly different, how can we expect one therapy or one vitamin or one whatever work for them all? For my son, GF/CF and B-12 shots have changed his life. Probiotics and prevacid combo have also done amazing things. I can tell when I forget a b-12 shot – poor kid just about pulls his hair out. But other supplements? Not so much. SI therapy? Not much either. Overall, for me, it’s about making my son healthy, NOT non-autistic. His body feels better, which for him, at least, seemed to make some things (like talking) possible. When he stopped complaining about stomach aches every day, I knew we were doing something right. I do think there are some real health issues for some of our kids; whether that’s the case for them all seems unlikely to me.
I agree that some of these interventions can help, and that many of our kids have serious health issues. I am glad you have found a way to help your son feel better. I wish that my boys, nearly 8, could tell us where it hurts. They cannot speak. For us, these types of interventions have not been successful. My point is that autism has become a cash cow for too many greedy folks pushing junk science, or unproven science as truth.
Oh, I completely agree. There are some definite quacks out there and untrained people who prey on others. It’s very sad that this happens.
And maybe your boys DON’T hurt. I don’t think they all do, quite frankly. I think it will be very interesting to see what happens with all of this stuff in the next 25 years.
Bless you in your journey with your boys.
Thank you, asdmommy, and all the best to you and your son. And yes, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for our children. I am hopeful there will be progress for all struggling with asd.