| The Schafer Autism Report | "Healing Autism: No Finer a Cause on the Planet" |
Thursday, July 10, 2003 Vol. 7 No. 144
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This morning I received the results of Ian's upper and lower gastrointestinal biopsies. It was not happy news, but it will help us towards taking action to help our son further. Since the news saddened me, I thought that I would write.
I want to share my feeling that educators and doctors who mislead parents about the real physiological issues facing children with autism, and who disrespect the parents' efforts to seek quality help in this direction, are doing a disservice to the children who are affected. For example, gastrointestinal issues are not to be nonchalantly regarded as "part and parcel" of autism. The "autism" is not some disembodied entity that brought with it, "lock, stock, and barrel," gastrointestinal issues. Educators and doctors need to look at how the condition and symptoms of autism -- too often primarily attributed to the psych realm -- are made manifest and/or exacerbated BY the gastrointestinal symptoms. Educators and doctors need to be aware that the gastrointestinal malfunctions were caused by something that went physiologically awry. And then the question needs to be asked, "What caused that?"
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The symptom of aggression cannot just be dismissed as aggression being a natural symptom of autism, and, hence, just be managed behaviorally or with restraints imposed upon the child; one must look at the possibility of aggression being a result of PAIN, and ask, "What is causing this child's pain?" Other issues that seem to affect many children who have autism also need to be addressed more than superficially. Are there illnesses and behaviors that may be contributed to by malabsorption of nutrients or toxins reaching the brain due to impaired gut flora or function? Are recurrent infections contributed to by immunological or structural issues? How can those be helped? Is the child banging his head? Is he doing that because his head hurts? Why does it hurt? Is there pressure inside? Why? Can we help him with this? Is the child "acting out" because he is in pain from constipation? Why is he constipated? Conveniently regarding these children as behaviorally naughty will not appropriately address behaviors caused by being medically needy.
These are our beloved children. They are not problems to be managed; they are humans to be helped.
The legislature and publicly-funded education system in our state has not come forward, after years of parents' trying, to help with resources for an intensive home educational rehabilitative program for my son and other children. Medicaid does not cover the good doctors and labs who specifically help our children.... Educators and mainstream doctors, pediatricians, and neurologists do not always respect parents as they ought. On the contrary, educators and doctors may scoff at parents for wanting their children to partake of interventions such as special diets. And the Federal government has a vested interest in sickening individuals and staunching the flow of human blood... but not blood money.
The pervasive physiological damage involved in what is labeled as "autism" affects many areas of functioning. It is saddening that, on top of concern for my son's conditions, I must be concerned about from where the resources will come to cover all of the educational, bio-medical, and other therapies. It is saddening that so many American parents are being deluded, and that those parents who would dearly like to inform the rest of the American public about the risks of vaccines simply do not have the money to do so. It is regrettable that those parents who would like to fund the researchers who know and who care about the devastation that is occurring lack the spare resources to send. Individuals, organizations, and agencies that have the means to help do not. Those who have the desire to help are financially challenged.
And so the corrupt -- who do have resources to advertise lies and to harass -- perpetuate the sickness and the silence. The delusions and denial trickle down to our educators and mainstream doctors, who then disrespect and delude parents to the detriment of the children.
Our children have real medical issues for which there are legitimate bio-medical approaches. Parents of children with autism must be respected in their efforts to help their children. Practitioners who truly help children with autism with their legitimate physiological issues must be respected and supported -- not harassed -- in their efforts that help children with autism.
- Teri Small
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