It's not an infection, and there isn't a cure. Autism is a neurological disorder.
From autism.com :
Many autistic infants are different from birth.
In the first few years of life, some autistic toddlers reach developmental milestones, such as talking, crawling, and walking, much earlier than the average child; whereas others are considerably delayed.
Approximately one-half of autistic children develop normally until somewhere between 1 1/2 to 3 years of age; then autistic symptoms begin to emerge. These individuals are often referred to as having 'regressive' autism. Some people in the field believe that candida albicans, vaccinations, exposure to a virus, or the onset of seizures may be responsible for this regression.
I tell you all this, because I watched Oprah yesterday. And again was disappointed.
I must admit that Jenny McCarthy did a better job in 20 minutes showing what life with an autistic child is like, than the Autism Speaks people did in an hour. Jenny's attitude was positive, she was smiling, and she clearly loves her son. The same did not come across from the others, who were on Oprah's stage last season.
McCarthy actually educated people on therapy options, and showed America the smiling face of a child with autism. Yes, folks! It actually does happen! And it is a beautiful thing.
Yet my disappointment is in the "facts" that keep getting presented. The story that goes, "My child was developing, hitting the milestones, talking, looking in my eyes, and then after they got their MMR they went away. They were gone. There was nothing."
McCarthy even presented pictures of her son before & after the age of 16 months, to show how his "soul was gone from his eyes". Say wha?!
I am a mother, and I know that no one knows our babies better than we do. So I am willing to accept that these parents have, in fact, experienced things in the way that they say.
But where are the parents of the other half of the autistic children? The children like Little3, that never spoke a single word until well after their second birthday, and several speech therapy and occupational therapy sessions? Where are the parents that accept that their child was born, is beautiful, is struggling, and needs to be understood, not cured? Am I really the only one? ------------------------------------------------------
ETA: Some better articulation here, although my beliefs are far less extremist than this. I just hope that the information in that article may help a little, in offering another view. And that of autistic people themselves, not just outraged parents of autistic children.
Oooh! Here's another fascinating article, from the New York Times.
You can find me in the gray area. I just want to let my son be who he is, and do what I can to help him be comfortable. We did feeding therapy to try to help him tolerate soft foods, so that he could have a healthier diet. No avail, but we tried. Our main focus is on a happy, healthy Little3. We are starting to worry about the "normal" classroom, as Kindergarten looms in his future. But the thought turns my stomach, so I dare not consider it more just now.
