American Morning
Autism: A journey of recovery
Editor's Note: New cutting-edge research is helping to unlock the mysteries of the child's brain and could give autistic children a whole different future. Watch part three of our special series, Inside the Child's Mind, tomorrow on American Morning.
By Kiran Chetry, CNN
As a baby, Jake Exkorn was everything his parents hoped for – happy and healthy.
“He hit all of the developmental milestones. He walked, he talked, he played,” says Jake’s mother Karen Exkorn.
But at 17 months, Karen says the light began to fade from Jake's face.
“At first he stopped responding to his name. And then he stopped playing. And then by his second birthday, he stopped speaking entirely.”
Karen worried it may be a hearing problem, or a speech delay.
“I never expected to hear the words, your child has autism. … It was completely devastating. It meant that there was no hope for my son. And yet I was determined to help my son in any way that I could. I knew that I wanted treatment for Jake that had science behind it. And a lot of treatments don't. But the one that had the most science behind it was a treatment called ABA.”
ABA – applied behavior analysis – is an intensive approach that uses repetition and rewards to teach autistic children the things that come naturally to most kids.
“We wanted to teach Jake to respond to his name. So we'd say, ‘Jake,’ and we'd take an M&M and we'd hold it up just between our eyes.”
Day after day, 40 hours a week, they plugged away – hoping to help Jake relearn what autism had taken away.
“Going into this there were no guarantees. Nobody ever mentioned the word recovery to us so that wasn't our goal ever.”
And there continue to be no guarantees, but for the first time a new study shows that early intervention therapy can improve language skills and behavior, and raise IQ – giving hope to parents of children with autism.
“What we know is that if children receive early intensive behavioral intervention, some of the children do lose their diagnosis,” says Geraldine Dawson.
Dawson is the chief scientist for the advocacy group "Autism Speaks." She helped design the study and says symptoms of autism may appear as early as eight months.
“So the most important thing is to be alert for those symptoms and then get into intervention right away.”
After a year of ABA therapy, Jake showed progress. Then, at age four – a turning point. When Karen took him for ice cream, without prompting, Jake told the man what flavor he wanted: “Nilla.”
“The man had no idea that this was this defining moment in my life, but this was huge. This was huge. And this marked the beginning of spontaneous language for Jake.”
What soon followed was an even bigger milestone. At Jake's 4 year check-up, Karen was told her son no longer had symptoms of autism. The doctor said Jake had recovered.
“Hearing her say that blew me away in the same way as when I heard her say the diagnosis.”
Today Jake is a thriving 13-year-old. He plays basketball and football, and is every bit the typical teenage boy.
“I like to hang out with my friends. … I don't love to study even though sometimes I have to. … I would describe myself as outgoing, athletic and nice,” says Jake.
A dramatic transformation for a family who once thought they lost their little boy to autism.
“I don't think about it too much but when I do it is kinda crazy. But, my mom and dad put in a lot of effort into it and so did I and it paid off.”
A payoff that, with more research, may be within reach for more children with autism. Researchers still don't know why some children recover so fully like Jake, and others don't. But most agree that early intervention is the best hope for a more positive outcome.
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Did they measure how much time passed between his vaccines and the onset of autism? I guess not. The USA absolutely defies logic.
I wish there would be more research into the metabolic issues within autism, such as mitochondrial disorders or dysfunction. Great that there are ABA programs, but we really must pin down the cause.
wow this is an amazing story. im very happy for jake and his famlies hard work.
" What soon followed was an even bigger milestone. At Jake's 4 year check-up, Karen was told her son no longer had symptoms of autism. The doctor said Jake had recovered. "
Is this a joke?
How can you be diagnosed and treated in less than two years?
Are we to believe that ABA is a cure?
Please do not sell false hope to the real people suffering from this, we do not need another story, we need a real solution.
I am a father of an autistic boy and do not think the drama being published here is helping the real cause. Over the last five years I sadly watched the school board cutting benefits to special education, and heard enough from the school administration and teachers complaining about an autistic child that do no respond to directions!!!!
Everyone seems to be enjoying the success stories "Holywood style" of another "cured" child who was not autistic in the begining.
Sombody please work on finding a treatment for this. We are not going to be able to hide this problem anymore. One in every 150 is not somthing you can hide.
Sad to say, but could this be a case of misdiagnosis at that early age? Something else could have accounted for the early issues?
ABA is the absolute best therapy for most children with autism.
Unfortunately there is no one child that is the same, no easy answers.
Children like those listed under the genetic chromosome disorder – http://www.idic15.org need lots of therapy, help, short-term and long.
People use the word autism to describe every aspect of this disorder; that's too easy. Look at every child and every need.
Any government or private support for this work should be first priority for this country.
This is interesting, but I imagine the very substantial number of people who have fulfilling lives in spite of autism and autism spectrum disorders will be troubled by the phrase "thought they lost their little boy to autism."
Thank you for the article regarding Jake. My son was diagnosed this summer with autism. I ws very heartbroken to here the diagnosis, but I can see changes in him since we have started early intervention. So it was very encouraging to here Jake's story. Thank You
The study examined the Early Start Denver Model for the treatment of autism, not ABA. The CNN article does not clarify that. This is somewhat sloppy journalism.
What are the early signs of autism starting at 8 months old?where can I find out about them?Thanks for your help.
Very promising and uplifting.
Maureen & I are a big fan of this research.
Cole & Co. want to see more of this.
My autistic son is now 20 1/2 years old. He has a very good job with CSC (formally Computer Sciences Corp). Alexander drives to work every day in his own car. He has a savings, checking, and credit union account.
Check out our early intervention story at: http://kazau.brinkster.net/poetry/alexstory.htm
Our son went to Chantilly HS in Fairfax, VA and worked hard to earn a regular high school diploma. He even made the honor roll once. He received a school letter, an award for history achievement, and acted in numerous school plays. He then went to Woodrow Wilson Employment Center for about 18 months to study database management. Upon graduation, and after a great deal of searching, he now has a job with a promising future. All of this is due to early intervention, committed teachers, supportive parents that also served as his advocate, and a child that tried and worked harder than anyone can imagine.
There is hope. It just doesn't come easy.
This is a great story but as an occupational therapist who has worked with hundreds of young people diagnosed with Autism, it seems misleading. I have never seen anything that even comes close to a "recovery". Behaviors and communication can certainly be improved upon, but I hope that parents reading this article are not filled with false hopes. Maybe true 100% recovery occurs in some cases, but if it does it is very, very rare.
Autism is becoming more and more common and is a scary reality for parents today. I have to admit i teared up a little bit when i read this, finally a story that gives us hope!
In watching this video, I realize that what I did with my own son was not only prevent him from developing full blown autism but also help him recover from the mild signs that appeared. As a single mother without outside support, I left my lucrative high tech career and cared for my child full time, even providing his own private custom education through part of seventh grade. He always thrived in my care but did not do as well in some of the day care settings I had him in off and on early in life. I finally kept him completely out of day care and provided a full time custom education and upbringing that led over the years to a disappearance of any signs of autism except to the most knowledgeable and experienced professionals. My son is now a brilliant, popular, high achieving high school junior who has hobnobbed with Nobel Laureates but is equally comfortable with average and mentally disabled people. In doing all this, some people thought I walked on water and others thought I was crazy. I was rejected a great deal because of the poverty and distress that this created without outside support. But, my son thrived and developed beyond what the most gifted child in your average school normally would achieve. It is a shame that so many parents are directed to inadequate publicly funded programs or minimal intervention when a child like this needs full time, intense intervention. I felt that for my child I didn't want to waste a moment of his life and worked very hard to create a rich educational environment and a balanced social life. I learned to follow my own instincts, deflect the incessant criticism, and never give up. I gave up a lot and lost a lot that I didn't want to give up–financial security, supreme health, personal interests and pleasures, and much of my young and middle adult years that may have been spent furthering my own personal goals apart from my son, even remarriage to someone I could have more children with when it was clear to me that few men really would understand or fully support what I was doing with my son. But, it was all worth it. It has been the achievement of my life, and I am so grateful for how I've grown and the way it has matured and blessed me. For those parents who are told that little can be done except to keep their children safe and teach them to be minimally functional, I want you to know that this is sheer ignorance, a life sentence for your children. I can't speak about your individual children, but my sense of this is that most children diagnosed with autism can recover greatly and may even surpass their potential otherwise by means of the close instruction and encouragement. I would love to personally communicate with the mother in this article and hereby grant permission for CNN to give my email address to her or to the organization mentioned but not to mention my name at this point as I don't want my son's future to be affected as he applies to Ivy League colleges.
Jake's history and symptoms are very brief in this story, but what is indicated is not completely supportive of a diagnosis of autism. Perhaps there is more that is definitive, but without that, one can not ligitimately conclude that the good outcome is due to 40 hours a week of therapy.
ABA "raises IQ" is kind of inaccurate. I was an ABA therapist for 4 years and am currently a school psychologist. I am responsible for giving many IQ tests, including testing children with autism. What intensive intervention does is slowly develop neural connections that should be there but aren't. The speech center of the brain my be structurally fine, but the connection to the hearing and vision regions of the brain are not properly wired. That is why children who receive and respond to ABA therapy can seem to make giant leaps in intelligence. It might be more accurate to say that ABA improves performance on IQ tests because it reduces behaviors that interfere with performance, teaches the child how to learn, and access that innate intelligence that is otherwise locked behind the fence of faulty brain wiring.
Early intervention is key, and I am so happy for this family. But it also breaks my heart. We have done ABA therapy with my 15 year old daughter since she was 4 and we have seen some progress, but not the extent as this young man. We need further research to understand the causes of autism and how to best help individuals with this devastating disorder.
you have a miricale . i hope my son will recover my thoughtsand prayers are with you . good luck may your miricalehelp other ..
Awsome,Congrats,His parents would have faced mind upsets.My sister inlw to has a girl who has autism and she strugglesSo can u give me where can i get this therapy for her,Hope it will her also,Merry chirstmas
WOW!!!!
45 years ago, my twin sisters were born, one with high blood sugar. She suffered convulsions, and was considered a "vegatable" by the doctors. They told my mother to institutionalize her and there was "no hope". When she was born, she had no function below the chest. She crawled using her arms. At three she could not talk.
45 years later she is a vibrant functioning normal married woman with a job.
The difference? My parents refused to accept the doctor's negative prognosis. They NEVER gave up, and applied intense physical and mental therapy.
By the time she was 6 she started school, one year behind her sister.
There IS hope. NEVER give up.
For the first time a child recovered from autism? I don't think so. I urge you to find and read the book Son Rise by Barry Kaufman who developed the stimulation system for autistic children 30+ years ago when his son was diagnosed.
http://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/contents/about_son-rise/qa_session1-miracle_of_love.php
This could not have come at a better time. Today was a difficult day with my son. He is 2 and autistic. He had a major meltdown as we got into the car at the local drug store. A lady looked right at me and said, you know, maybe you should be nicer to your son. I was not being mean, I was simply attempting to calm him down and place him in his seat. To an outsider looking in Autism can be so confusing to them. They see a child screaming, they automatically thing the parents are being mean. I cant wait to look further into ABA.
I worked for a program that provided the same therapy for children with Autism; it was a shame when the City of Phoenix cut the funding for it. I agree it helped tremendously. Unfortunately our kids that no longer get their therapy will now have to collect disability when they get older because autism therapy does not work as well as when they are children.
These people obviously have a ton of $$$. Therapist at $125/hour for 40 hours a week is 125*40*52 = 260,000 per year after tax. Who pays for this?? Also maybe kid was going through a phase, was over diagnosed by gullible overbearing control freak parents!
Yes these special children deserve to be helped to overcome autism, being a parent of special child I know the challenges of joy of overcoming the hurdle and seeing the child cross another milestone.
It is rahter very shameful the insurance does not cover ABA for autism and our policy makers have to mandate the coverage.
Autisim is a serious issue for our country and to sooner we provide ABA the quicker they overcome the disorder, at this point parents have to pour massive resource, and policy makers are not providing favorable help
Researchers don't know why some children go through what seems to be a full recovery, and others don't – but as the parents of autistic children, we do. it is the same reason why there is such a large disparity among children with autism, the 'autistic spectrum' covers a tremendous amount of ground from very mild to very severe. There are kids diagnosed with Aspergers' Syndrome that barely seem to miss a beat, can be very academically advanced and high functioning with only the slightest of notice anything could be wrong. Then there are those kids who are very much – or very little, socially challenged, to those with stimulatory behaviors and issues, to those who tantrum and those that seem not even to notice if others are in the room. Brain chemistry as well as what the researchers are looking at as causes or similarities and differences among all of these individuals differs like fingerprints, no two cases are EXACTLY alike. For years desparate parents have grasped at or sought the magic bullet, the miracle cures and wondered why my kid doens't respond to so and so or such and such or is not showing the same signs of improvement. What works for one child may not for another. Although we can group behaviors into categories, we cannot say what causes the disorder to trigger, or respond to. Research at this time is still trying to figure out these questions and others. As parents, we already know these things because we are part of our childrens' lives on a daily basis. We have learned to check out and research things on a case by case basis, and not think the next great discovery or development will work like the polio vaccine. Secretin for one child may be just a stomach ache for another. Kids that start off with milder degrees tend to respond better and the most as opposed to more sever examples. One of the problems is that most people think that each child is either "Rain Man" or miraculously 'cured' and that is just false. We hope and pray the answers to such questions and the research will arrive in time to make a difference for our own particular child, but most of us are under no delusions either. The best we can say is we look forward to better and more answers to come.
Great story. Though I hate to be nitpicky, the phrase, "they thought they'd lost their little boy to autism" I found to be extremely melodramatic and a little bit offensive. Autism isn't a terminal disease, it's a developmental disorder. And while it can be and is very difficult for parents to cope with it, they ultimately do get to develop a certain connection to their child, albeit a very tenuous and difficult one. The child isn't "lost", they are still very much a child, just one with more significant difficulties than most.
Austism is not a diagnosis of NO HOPE. No child is LOST because they have autism. I find this article uninspiring and off-putting. And frankly, I think this child was either mis-diagnosed or someone is full of it. There is no cure for Autism, just management to ensure the child is as independent as possible. Stop flinging this diagnosis around people, it downplays the role of persons who have to really deal with signigicant problems every day.
One other thing I wanted to mention: Diagnoses like "Autism" and "Bipolar Disorder" and the like should best be conceptualized as collections of, and constellations of symptoms. Professionals (e.g., psychologists, social workers, etc) and the general public like to believe that there exists in nature something called "Autism", and that we can identifying it is more or less clear-cut and unproblematic. The truth is, our notions of these diagnoses are based upon a flawed system of behavioral observation and symptom checklists from the DSM. Thinking of mental disorders as constellations of symptoms helps broaden our thinking, leading to the realization that many disorders share common symptoms and manifestations of behavior (e.g., a child with a diagnosis of Autism and a child with a Developmental Learning Disorder may both exhibit similar play, language delays, and social isolation – although the underlying reasons for these behaviors are very different and are overlooked).
This is so encouraging as a father & advocate of a 5 year old autistic boy it is uplifting to see that there is hope. I have been fighting for quite some time now to get the services for my son.
He got diagnosed just before his 2nd birthday we waited almost 2 ears for his ABA/IBI program, as we waited myself and my wife decided to take all the courses we could on autism and apply it to our son. As all my research showed early intervention was crucial.
Joshua went from non verbal and not eating solid foods to now speaking and eating normally, by the time he got his turn in the program we had done a fair amount of the work.
So do whatever you can while you wait for services do just sit idle, thanks for posting this video it gives us hope for the future.
Rev. John Smith
I have 13 year old son with Autism and he received early ABA as well. My son is doing so much better however, he is still trying to overcome the obstacle of proper social speak. after reading this article and the findings that this boy has now been un-diagnosed makes me hopeful but I also wonder if he was truly Autistic to begin with.
Interesting. When my 28 year old son was young we knew he had problems but no one could identify it until we took him to a diagnostic psychologist whe discovered he had aspburgers syndrome, a mild form of autism. Had we known this 20 years earlier we could and would have treated him. Much of this is just being rediscovered.
People don't just recover from Autism. I really doubt the legitimacy of this boy's original diagnosis.
Diagnoses of autism and autism-spectrum disorders have skyrocketed over the past few years, partly with the emergence of Asperger's Syndrome (and similar to the roughly 200-300% rise in diagnoses of child bipolar disorder). The questions we should be asking ourselves are: Did this child have Autism to begin with? Why were other diagnoses, such as Developmental Language Disorders, ruled out (e.g., many people overlook the fact that language delays can influence social development and look very similar to symptoms commonly associated with ASD)? My inclination is that this child suffered from either an extremely mild case of Autism or, more likely, had a Learning Disorder (or combination thereof) that went undiagnosed. Parents often put their faith in so-called professional "diagnoses", but the variance in training and competencies of clinicians/assessment personnel make many diagnoses dubious, to say the least. Not to mention that external factors such as diet and environment are so often neglected from the equation (research shows that both have great potential to impact children and their behavior). I'm happy to see that this child was not adversely affected by his diagnosis like so many children are.
I have to wonder why this success story is receiving front page CNN coverage, while the recent death of Trudy Steuernagel at the hand of her 19 year old autistic son isn't being reported on.
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/12/kent_state_professor_trudy_ste.html
Our 13-year son was also diagnosed at age 18. By that time he had lost the three or four words he had been using and was refusing eye contact. We also used the ABA program, having therapists come work with him extensively, as well as my wife and I. The results are amazing. He no longer meets criteria for autism, is an active and social boy, is going to regular schools, and has the best possible outcome. ABA does work, but starting it at age 18months was the key. If you wait until the children are 3 or 4 years old it's too late to affect their learning styles. Any parent with a child showing symptoms of autism should investigate the ABA programs.
Absolutely heart warming!
Good for you and your family, sounds like with the love and patience and diligence miracles can happen. I have autistic twin boys and I believe that my children are well on their way to a recovery. My husband and I help them everyday by teaching them language and every day conversation. We first get their full attention which can be a challenge but once we do learning begins. Great job and I'm happy that you never gave up.
I have grave doubts about Dawson's conclusion, that people with autism can "lose their diagnosis." Where are the scientific studies that support such a claim? I'm glad Jake is living a more functional life, but you cannot assume autism is curable on the basis on one child. He might've improved regardless; autism isn't a monolithic condition that never changes.
To suggest that autism is curable is not only going to give parents and people with autism false hope, it also assumes that autism is a disease. The evidence simply isn't there to support that assumption.
This success story touched my heart! I also have a 13 year son and only hope that I have half the fortitude the Exkorn's do in raising there son. He is poised and well spoken for a boy his age. I wish them continued success and am inspired by the courage they have to share there story. What an inspiration for others.
That is phenomenal!
Karen, I am so proud of you that you didnot give up on this issue. We need more parents like you. Jake, You are an awesome boy. I am glad you know who were there for you when you needed the most.
Yeah. now I watched the video and am even more disgusted. LOST thier boy to autism? No hope?
It gives misinformation and fear and false HOPE, instead of helping parents accept and best help thier child. I know people who have wasted their lives away just searching to make thier special child "whole", instead of just helping them grow to be thier personal best.
Shame on you, Kiran. You've lost a fan for sure
I have an autistic grandchild and am somewhat familiar with this type of treatment. I also work at a clinic that sees autistic children. Imagine my disappointment, when I went to EMAIL this article to some folks that will be interested and did not find an email link. Come on folks, not everyone the face of this earth is on facebook, my space etc.
boohoo!
For us early intervention was not possible because we live in the state of WEST Virginia, the paper work you have to go through, and waiting on approvels to get some type of help takes years in itself. We are into our third year at this time. We do what we can but we need more help.
We are on waiting lists and receive some help ,but the school system is not ready to deal with the problems at hand, you have to fight at every turn. We are grandparents and should be getting ready to retire but that has been taken. This will consume the rest of our lifes if only in the hope that someday our grandson will be able to function, and lead a productive life. Any help will be appreciated.
This is a wonderful story and testimony that early intervention and follow-through love and patience can make a world of difference to a child who otherwise will be left out in the cold.
Our son Truman also shares a similar story.
Truman was diagnosed much later at 4 years old because there just weren't any major indications other than a liking to lining things up and slower speech. Over the years, Truman is 14 now and finishing up middle school in a full-inclusion environment, the combination of ABA and supportive teachers and care-givers have helped him turn the corner. We cuurently have Truman enrolled in a social thinking program which we feel will help him make another leap – toward the social cognitive realm.
My grandson is 3 years old. He was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. For the last year he's been in therapy twice a week and attends a special needs class thru the public school system every day. My question is, he doesn't talk. He plays good, interacts with other kids well, and seems to follow directions without too much guidance. He waves his arms and jumps around when he's over stimulated. Please do you have any ideas that will help us in trying to get him to talk. He knows what he wants, he just can't seem to say the words. Thanks from a loving Memaw.
Recovered? RECOVERED? I resent this article. My son is autistic, and it is not a "disease" and he is not a statistic. He has been getting ABA since he was three as well. and is a happy, healthy, but delayed in many ways, 16 yr old. and he is perfect the WAY HE IS.
I hate articles that insist autistic children must be "cured"; it is simply another level of "differently-abled". Think about that.
As a father of two autistic children, I find these types of CNN stories almost worthless. It is obviously important to get treatment as soon as possible, but what did these parents do? Just put M&M's on their foreheads? Did they change the diet, did they try risky chelation tratments to remove the metals the vaccines caused?
Did the parents come to the conclusion that after the aggresive vaccination schedule their child "changed suddenly".
Where is the stories on what caused the autism?
Do you know that thimerosal is still in childrens influenza shots!!
Come on CNN, do I have to turn this over to Nancy Grace. She at least appears to be worried about child abuse.
I had a similar story back in the 50's. I was diagnosed with autism. When I was four and half, I finallly said "Down Mommy." I have not quieted down since and I am now an estate planning attorney in Los Angeles. When I went for testing at 8, the tester,said that if he did not know me, he would have thought my mom brought in a ringer.
I had therapy at the NPI at UCLA. I remember doing finger painting and other stuff.
I have had a frustrating experience that no one wants to research my experience. I have volunteered for autism studies, and no one has even responded to me.
Scott
Our 17 year old was diagnosed at 10 with Aspergar's Syndrome. She's gone to therapy for years, we have to be vigilant about keeping her on task, but she's going to be a success story. Kudos for sharing your story. For all the people that have the resources to do this, it is life changing for your child, but then you have to remember all the children that won't get this opportunity and that is the saddest of all.
Or maybe it wasn't autism? Psychiatry is a joke science...more damge than good has been done by this supposed field of medicine.
Look, there's no way to know for sure from this article, but the misDXing autism is an art form.
More $$$ into research?? How about more money into teaching proper differential DXing?
As a parent with a child diagnosed with autism I can also tell you that hearing "autism" as an explanation for your child's behavior, or lack thereof, is devastating. Early intervention can make a huge difference towards recovery, but only if the child gets diagnosed in time (before year 3) for that to have an impact. For most of us our diagnosis comes later due to inept medical professionals, or denial, and recovery is much, much slower. Bottom line is get diagnosed early, take advantage of the resources available as early as possible, and never lose hope. Check out organizations like Autism Speaks, and TACA for support and help.
Oh and my son? 10 years old and just lost the diagnosis, it's not over yet, but we've come a long way!
The problem with stories such as this is the insinuation that if parents just try hard enough, their child will be "cured".
This story gives some hope to people like me who need it for their own Austistic struck children.
I'm so glad to hear this story, thank you for sharing
Remarkable story. I am in the process of becoming an early childhood educator. Additionally, I am a mom of two small children who were almost diagnosed with autism due to their symptoms They have both received Early intervention and the results have been Amazing; not even on PDD spectrum...
Thanks for sharing your story with the world. Definitely encouraging and touches home!
How did his Autism start ? Was it after vaccines ??
I'm so happy to have read a wonderful story like this! It truely gives hope to parents. Keep focused, always teaching your child & you will give your child the best chance. Good job Exkorn's!!
Incredible story! This really shows the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of autism.
Early intervention is KEY. Parents cannot do ENOUGH to move their children along! My little sister has Down Syndrome and let me tell you she is a spit fire – she does things that no one would have ever expected. Reads, writes, surfs the internet.
Great story! 40 hrs a week of ABA at a cost of how much per hour?????? For two years straight. $70.00 per hour for treatments. The one factor they did not discuss. The cost.
I have never heard of 'recovery' and 'autisim' used together. I have also never heard a story like this – and knowing many autistic children who did have early intervention, I'm skeptical at best.
Great he's well functioning. If this has been the case from 4 to 13, why just hearing about a revelation like this now?
Sounds to me like the original diagnosis was incorrect.
Autism is a myth...autism gets mixed in with children who are mentally handicapped, which is a sham. Why all of a sudden in the last decade has autism seen off the chart findings and millions upon millions of kids are being diagnosed yearly with this myth. Maybe parents should be given applied behavior analysis studies..
My daughter was diagnosed at 3 1/2. We already had a son with Down Syndrome, so her delays just didn't seem like that big of a deal. She immediately entered an early intervention program in our school system. After 3 years in the program she was mainstreamed into kindergarten with the warning that about 70% of the time the mainstreaming failed. Our daughter had an incredible year in kindergarten. Her autistic tendancies began to fade. We were warned once again that kids like our daughter often hit speed bumps in the 3rd grade and once again she thrived. Today, she is a healthy, happy 17 year old who excels in both academics and athletics. She should be our school system's poster child for early intervention.
I hope that the genetic failures in this story never have, or have any more, kids.....the only way to eliminate diseases like this from the gene pool.
When will you report on the more disabled youth.
It is admirable that the CNN spends so much time on the success stories of Autism. However there are many members of our society with severe needs. Autism consumes vast amounts of intellectual and monetary resources while those with other disabilities such as severe Cerbral Palsy get very little play. These families suffer greatly because the children need help with every aspect of life. they cannot dress themselves, toilet themselves or even express themselves yet all the CNN time is used on Autism. Because of that the monetary resources of our country are diverted to autism. Yes I believe there are many with autism that need a tremendous amount of caring, but those with other severe disabilities are losing their resources because of it. These children with other severe disabilities can be just as heartwarming stories.
It's a shame health insurance policies doesn't cover this type of treatment. In the long run it is a lot cheaper than the kind of life-long care people with autism usually need. Most parents could never afford to pay for this type of therapy out of pocket.
Stories like these give false hope to parents of children with more "extreme" diagnoses of autism. Autism covers a "spectrum" of disorders, the vast minority of which are similar to Jake's. While I am very happy for Jake and his parents, the author should do a much more thorough job of researching the topic and presenting more typical cases. There is no cure or "recovery" from autism – only coping mechanisms that help the child fit in the norms of society.
Do they know what caused Jake's sudden on-set of autism?
I find "the child's mind" part of your segment insulting, autism is not a disease of the young, but it is what you choose to focus on. This segment does not do justice to the millions of adults and their families living with autism. CNN continues to portray autism as something that happens only to children. they also focus heavily on mild forms of autism like aspergers, which are treatable. I have a sister who is 26 years old with severe, nonverbal, untreatable autism. but I guess "the plight of young parents with socially backward kids finding success with new treatments" does not make good copy compared to frightening, often dangerous autistic adults and their helpless aging parents. where is the help for them? where is their special segment.
wow. this could give so many people the hope of a normal life. kudos to the doctors and parents.
I think autism is grossly overdiagnosed in the US and causes tremendous anxiety to parents. I had multiple issues as a child and so did lot of people I know but we were born and raised in India. Most of us today are thrving professionals with strong family connections and relationships. I think therapy is great and helps the child but I wonder if the result would be the same without all the therapy and fuss. No offense to the therapists, they do a great job but the anxiety they cause parents with their well meaning observations and deductions needs to looked at. Treating something that is going to work out anyway is the best way to look good.
This is a fantastic story, but it makes me wonder if Jake was misdiagnosed early on.
It is actually good to see that people like Jake are getting the help their need instead of his parents just throwing him a pill or two and never investing in the treatment but only a means to cover up the symptons. It is disturbing however to him say that he is concentrating more on his image than his actual schoolwork that will pave the way for his future.
My son Ryan showed sign of autism @ 12 months. As a physician, I knew that regardless of the cause he needed early intervention. Not much was available in 1991 since back then the chances of getting autism was 1:200,000. Ryan, now 20 years old, having received early and countless hours of behavioral Therapy, is nearly independed in his own home, rides the bus to work and school, swims with a masters swim program and helps athletes in the training room at Long Beach State. All the hard does pay off and I look at Ryan as being better off then most kids his age.
I am very happy for Jake. I am the father of a 14 year old with Aspergers.
He has seen therapists since he was 4. And each one misdiagnosed him until he was 12. ADHD was all the rage for therapists in the last decade, and thanks to there ineptitude and lack of effort, my son missed his "window of opportunity". I would like to hear success stories for kids his age...is there any hope for the kids that were the victims of lazy doctors?
As a parent of a child with Autism it is always excellent to read and hear of a child's recovery from this dark and lonely world a child is placed in mentally.
More need to be done to help children with Autism! It is unfortunate that so many parents out there have to fight "Tooth and Nail" just to receive what I call the most min of services! Budget cuts, layoffs, spending caps in the wrong direction inhibit and limit parents ability to help their child!
I never dreamed we as parents would have to go through so much with IEP's! We have done a lot of homework, read studies and educated ourselves about Autism along with speaking to groups and Adovacates just to stand toe to toe with the school district!
It is a constant battle every year in our IEP and though we have had success on many levels, the school would be the first along with regional to take away services just to save a buck!
I as a parent do not feel this process is right, especially when it comes to our children! Every time I go into an IEP meeting I feel like I am dealing with a car salesman trying to get the best deal possible! This should not be the case and I am frankly disappointed with the system and the people behind it with their mentally of "Oh the child is fine now". Parents have the most valid say in their child's development! We knew our child had a problem but the Doctor said it was a speech delay and it would go away, or this is normal for their age! This was not the case!
Another thing is shots! I truly believe there is a relation of shots to autism! With our second child, we are carefully administering the shots less frequently and some we will not give at all! So far there is no reaction unlike our oldest child with autism!
Don't be fooled or intimidated by professionals. Go with what you feel is right and be educated about it, ask questions! If a Doctor doesn't agree with you, find another Doctor and get a second opinion. Open yourself up to other opportunities and explanations. Never agree with the IEP unless you feel it is what's most approiate for your child and get input from an advocate and other experts in the Autism field!
Our daughter was diagnosed with autism.
She was prescribed applied behavior analysis therapy.
Kaiser Permanente refused to cover the treatment.
This is an amazing story. Our son has autism also and is on his way to being healed. Good luck to the family.
This article is totally false. Some children who supposedly are "recovered" by ABA were never truly autistic in the first place. Children like Jake are always featured in articles like this. But, for every Jake there are a thousand autistic children for whom ABA proved to be nothing but professionally administered child abuse. My son suffered through years of this abuse before we, the desperate parents realized that we were being victimized by charlatans. Don't be fooled by false stories like this one. If your child is going to be typical and have language, it will develop on its own. Nobody can "rewire the brain". ABA is total snake oil. Don't believe it.
wow! What a miracle and blessing it would be if this could happen for more children and parents!
I also wanted to add that I saw symptoms of autism in my son from birth,he never lost language.. he just never spoke.
This is great news! ABA does work on some children. But what is sad is not everystate mandated that insurences help cover for therapy. I live in Va and in order for me to provide that type of service for my son is @65K a year out of pocket. So it is great news, but some people are just helpless in certain states. So i am up against a time line and time is not on our side!
Hey Karen.. Wonderful news.. We too have a similar story. Our youngest was also diagnosed as severely autistic at the age of 3. He too received 40 hrs/week of ABA therapy and today, at age 15, He received Principle's honors with his last report card (Grade 9), works at McDonalds and is enjoying a happy and healthy life. We prayed so hard.. He is our miracle. We are so happy to hear your story. I hope that our testimonies will be encouraging and will bring hope to other parents.
I agree that ABA therapy helps along with an early diagnosis. Although, my twins were fortunate to have ABA therapy in the pioneering days (15 years ago) there was not much support in the schools and with medical doctors for this treatment. I hope that folks are listening now.
ABA is a God-send for parents of some autistic children (each case of autism is unique and responds to therapy uniquely). ABA was a life-changing, life-saving technique for our son also. Now if studies like this would help the school systems realize that it is better to pay for this therapy while the child is young and turn that child into a functioning member of society.
My son was diagnosed by Dr Dawson at age 2.5 yrs old. We asked her point blank what could we do now as far as treatment goes. Her answer was ABA therapy and as much as you can afford. Within a week a diagnosis he was put into 40 hours of ABA therapy a week, and today my nine year old son would probably test off the spectrum. ABA therapy is expensive, but we thought of it as his college education fund kicking in at age 3 instead of 18. At the time of his diagnosis we didnt think he would be in a classroom with his peers. ABA WORKS. If you want to blame vaccines go for it if it makes you feel better. If you want to change your childs diet do so if it makes you feel better. Just make sure you put some ABA therapy into your daily life if you want to see results. The key is EARLY diagnosis and if you feel like something is off with your child and your pediatrician poo-poo's your feeling get home and do some research.
Good story. I would have liked to see the point that basic services such as ABA, Speech, and Occupational that are recommended by experts in the field are not covered by insurance companies unless required to by state law. This touching story offers yet more evidence that the insurance companies are wrong and that intense early intervention works. As a single Dad of a child with autism I have witnessed first hand how families have to make a decision that literally wipes out their life savings to treat autism as well as the benefits of early intervention and ABA Therapy.
Think about more discussion and debates centered around this and using less of Jenny McCarthy an ex playboy bunny as the spokesman. I can say she doesn't speak for me and hearing her promote fringe therapies that don't work and only bankrupt families is irresponsible.
amazing.
my son Ben also has Autism and like the above child began to decline around age 17 months. It took us years to get someone to listen to us & test him for Autism. We were told everything from mild retardation to hearing issues & finally it took a retired 3rd grade teacher to point out ways for us to prove that our son had autism.We had to video tape his behavior at home & at school & let his school phycologist and his Doctor watch it before they agreed he was indeed Autistic. After about 3 months of intense speech therapy he got out of bed one night walked up to me & looked me in the eye & told me momma i love you in a broken speech manner that to this day is still the most beautiful words I have ever heard. Yes i agree more research is needed but i also believe that doctors should not be afraid to diagnose a child with Autism. The earlier a parent starts therapy the better off that child is going to be. Ben still struggles & still has many of the Autism quirks but he is getting better & learning to handle himself & situations. I just wish we could have gotten a quicker jump on it.
As a medical professional and the parent of a child with Autism I find these stories of early intervention Garbage. There is no reversing this disorder (I wish there was). There are strategies for helping children cope with autism and manage behaviors. However, they must learn to live in our world. This may seem cruel to some but it is reality. My son has done extremely well in this environment. i think CNN has joined the wacked out Jenny McCarthy bandwagon. A true nutcase!
i don't understand recovery. My 4 year old talks,can request things he wants,but is plaqued w/ sensory and behavioral issues. He has made amazing progress since early intervention ,but still struggles with socialization,eye contact and a host of other issues. I'm not trying to be pessimistic,but hearing recovered makes me cringe and I wonder if something else is going on with children who are deemed autistic,but yet are cured . with these cases i hear all about language and nothing about behavior,sensory ; what about potty training issues? 100 % of kids with autism have some type of gastrointestinal issue – are they cured of that too?
It is interesting to note that they said Jake lost his diagnosis of autism after treatment and was not "cured". The current understanding to my knowledge of autism is that a person IS autistic, he or she doesn't "have" autism and this article would contradict that paradigm.
What a great story. My son who was has autism is also thriving because of the early intervention and ABA provided by his tutor. I can not wait until my son is Jake's age and is involve with sports.
Thanks for putting a smile on my face.
DM
My son was diagnosed with Asperger's earlier this year. We are using a similar approach, and he is responding beautifully. If you think your child has issues, please do them and yourselves a favor and talk with a qualified child psychologist or psychiatrist. Early intervention is key to helping these kids find their full potential.
Way to go Jake & family!!! So great to hear an Autism success story!!!
This is a bulloney story, one of maybe 5000. Get real and report the facts. Autism is not curable and stories like this just feed the big old green machine.
Definition of what a true mother is