The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

This course will allow the attendee to see the process of recovery unfold through the lives of children who were at one time labeled with autism spectrum disorders. In each case, the label has been removed and in its place is a restored child. The process involved carefully diagnosing the underlying biomedical conditions and using biomedical and behavioral interventions. The laboratory methods and therapies will be mapped out with applications to other cases beyond those presented. The view that autism spectrum disorders represent conditions from which children can fully recover is not widely held by most experts in the field. Our combined clinical experiences have shown us otherwise. We will present a series of highly documented cases where several independent observes noted both the diagnosis of autism and the impressive recovery from it once biomedical conditions were addressed and appropriate behavioral and other therapies were applied. We recognize that not all children respond to these methodologies, yet the fact that many do is striking given the nature of what autism is thought to represent at the brain level. Further, the underlying pathophysiological (disease or symptom generating) mechanisms of each child will be explored through the documented biomedical conditions and histories of these cases. To highlight each case, video clips will demonstrate the severity of the cases prior to treatment and the rate and degree of recovery during and after therapies were initiated. From these cases, general plans for interventions and methodologies will be discussed as they may apply to a broader patient population of affected persons.

Learning Objectives: