Autism 101 by Ryan’s Mom

I wrote I Know You’re In There, Winning Our War Against Autism to help you understand this frightening thing we call “autism.” This article has some of what you need to know to make it off Autism Island.

I was once where you are now. Devastated by this diagnosis and scared out of my mind for my child’s future. In the beginning I was in denial, and hoped the doctors misdiagnosed my son. At that time, even I didn’t believe Ryan could recover or have any sort of life.

The “experts” said my son would need to be institutionalized. But they were wrong. Ryan is now an engineer at a major aerospace company. His recovery was not miraculous, but the result of receiving proper medical care.

Although it has been over twenty years since Ryan was diagnosed, it is still not common knowledge that autism is medical and treatable. And finding a physician to help us isn’t easy. But with the help of the right doctor, an “autism” diagnosis no longer has to mean “game over” and parents don’t have to helplessly watch as their children slip away. If a child’s health can be restored by treating hidden viruses and infections, recovery becomes possible. This is the message I want to share and the one I have spoken about at autism conferences across the United States.

Although my son is now a very typical young adult, getting there took more than a decade filled with mistakes, guilt, wrong turns, and frustration as we tried to make sense of autism. Recovery wasn’t easy, and it took a never-give-up attitude. When your child is first diagnosed, it is overwhelming. There is too much information out there and not many people agree on anything. So learn to trust your gut, because you know your kid best. I wasted too much time crying and in the “denial” phase of autism. You can’t feel sorry for yourself or your child for too long, there’s too much work to do.

When we first got the diagnosis, I was paralyzed with fear for my son’s future. I used to believe autism wasn’t fixable because of the experts who told me there was no hope, no cure, and no recovery. But I was as wrong as the “experts” who said there is nothing I could do. Once I stopped looking for someone to do this for me, things started to improve. It took time for me to realize that although there are professionals to help us, we are the ones ultimately responsible to help our kids, and no one wants our job.

Please don’t stop reading yet, because this article is the cliff notes for my book and will help you understand what autism really is…

Ryan’s recovery proves this is a changeable medical condition. Ryan only began to make significant progress after we abandoned the idea that autism was a developmental disorder and embraced the idea of medically treating his dysfunctional immune system. The real truth about autism is that it is simply a collection of symptoms that look different in every kid. It results from an immune system that is not functioning right. Doctors don’t use the term “messed-up immune system”, but in reality – that’s what it is. When that becomes common knowledge, more treatments will be developed and more kids will be helped.

If the multiple causes of the immune problems can be remedied, our children can learn what they couldn’t before. That’s when your kid has a chance at recovery like Ryan did. However, I must warn you, this is the hardest thing I have ever done. Autism is complicated and isn’t just one thing. It is caused by multiple layers of immune issues. Unfortunately, some kids have immune systems that are seriously broken and can’t be completely fixed. But, you will never know if your kid is one of the ones who can fully recover unless you try. However, it is important to note that equal effort doesn’t guarantee equal outcome. I know many families that worked as hard as I did without the same results.

Once I helped my son medically, he was able to learn all the things he missed when his immune system was seriously broken. This is the point when some parents chime in and say, “But my kid is never sick.” Some kids never mount the appropriate immune responses like effective fevers, so we think they aren’t sick. But their systems aren’t functioning properly and these children carry many stealth infections. While others have immune systems that appear highly reactive and seem to be allergic to everything. The best term to use is a dysfunctional immune system which means in “mom talk,” sometimes the immune system doesn’t work enough, but other times is working overtime.

Medical treatment alone is not enough. That only makes learning possible. ABA, RDI, Son-Rise, Pivotal Response Training or whatever flavor of rehabilitation you decide to use also is needed. These rehab programs help you catch your children up on all they missed when they were unable to learn. They all work if you stick with them. We used our own version of ABA with a little RDI and Son-rise thrown in.

Our kids won’t come out of this by themselves; you have to go in there and get them. This part is really hard. I was angry when I couldn’t understand why I had to teach my kid everything others just knew. If you think about all the pieces you have to coordinate to make kids better, it becomes more understandable why more kids don’t fully recover. Parents must have perseverance to beat autism or maybe just be more stubborn than their kids. Motivation is also key to success. We used what Ryan loved as teaching tools. In other words, elevators, cars, computers, technology, sharks, electric plugs, or light switches were part of every lesson with Ryan.

The good news is autism is treatable. The bad news is that there are no instant fixes. Trust me I looked everywhere for that “cure.” Unfortunately, our dedicated doctors never got “Autism 101” in medical school. It is very difficult to find a doctor who knows what to do. Your pediatrician may not know what you are talking about when you ask for his help. They actually want to help you, but just don’t know about the treatments that are out there. And it must be noted that each child is an individual and will respond to treatment and rehab programs differently.

So read my book to find out what we did. I wrote it to help you and share what it took me years to learn. All proceeds go back into spreading the message that “autism is treatable.” I don’t make a dime on any of the desperation, fear, or misery this diagnosis brings, I just want all kids to have the kind of life my son now has. And when your kid is better, I expect all of you to help me get the message out to the rest of the world.

When the rest of the world realizes autism is treatable, more research and the answers will come to help more kids. When you preview my book on Amazon or on www.autism-and-treatment.com don’t miss the “Foreword” written by my son. You are no longer alone on Autism Island. You can do this! And I will be here to help you! Remember new treatments are being developed all the time. And if you think you have exhausted all possibilities, you haven’t!

Check out this video called, Changing the Face of Autism. It will inspire you to keep going and shows kids in various stages of recovery! Look for the picture of Ryan graduating from college and surfing!

 

 

 

Marcia Hinds wrote ‘I Know You’re In There: winning our war against autism’. This inspirational book is the story of her son’s recovery. Ryan is now an engineer at a major aerospace company. Marcia has degrees in sociology and psychology from UCLA and is a credentialed teacher. But Marcia’s most impressive credential for writing this book is that she is Ryan’s mother and their family survived the autism diagnosis.

Preview the book on Amazon or on her website.

All profits from Marcia’s book go to spread the word that AUTISM IS TREATABLE.

Marcia is available for speaking engagements, media appearances, and interviews.

Phone: 805 497-8202

Mobile: 805 796-8213   

Email: marcia@autismandtreatment.com

Media Kit: http://www.autism-and-treatment.com/media-kit/