Our goal was always to recover our son, and my definition of "recovery" is that he would no longer qualify for an autism diagnosis. We have achieved that goal. Now what?!
He still has areas that need work. Just because he is considered 'neurotypical', that is, he doesn't meet criteria for an ASD diagnosis, it doesn't mean that he has no barriers to learning, attention and focus. They remain problem areas. It may even be that he qualifies for some sort of ADHD diagnosis, although, I will probably ask his psychologist to hold off on applying any form of diagnosis until we have completed some neurofeedback, as recommended, as well as finishing his scheduled vision therapy.
It's been an interesting few weeks. I am having to be very careful in what I read, and what I respond to, because, I am elated as to our result in this autism experience. I know that, for our son at least, recovery was possible. If I had listened to our diagnosing developmental pediatrician all those years ago, it wouldn't have happened.
Does that mean that recovery is possible for all children? No. I don't think it is. I don't want to be a wet blanket, but, I think that kids who present with symptoms that can result in an autism diagnosis are all so different, and those differences have led me to the conclusion that there are probably multiple conditions that can lead to the diagnosis.
Are some genetic?
Yes - probably. You see families with multiple children with autism in them, especially where there are multiple generations of Aspergers. There is also fragile x to consider. A new study was recently published detailing some of the contributing genetic markers to autism, or what they think are.
Are some from vaccination injuries?
Yes - probably. Courts have ruled this around the world, and with more data being published all the time as to the immune response and social interaction, frankly, unless you were utterly unaware of what a vaccine is designed to do, then this is the most obvious probably in the world. If a vaccine can stimulate the immune system and can damage the brain in some children, and the immune system can affect the brain, which then can affect social interaction then it's a very big YES. For some children.
Can infections and viruses cause regression into autism?
Yes - probably. See above. If a vaccine can do it, so an any other insult to the immune system.
Is recovery really possible?
Yes. We are proof of it.
But - is it possible for all?
No. Why not? Because, in some cases, like ours, it's possible to reverse the biological conditions that set up our son's brain to mis-wire. We normalized his biology as much as we were able, calmed the immune and mitochondrial storm that was happening, then used various therapies to re-wire neural connections and rebuild the developmental skills he missed whilst opening and closing doors for hours on end.
Some kids are really sick and it's not always easy to heal their bodies past the point of damage. Sometimes they may have seizures, which continue to damage the brain, and thus wreck havoc on progress being achieved through therapies. Some children constantly gain skills and lose them.
Does this mean that trying to recover a child is not worth the effort? Absolutely not.
You may just have one like ours - that it can be done. And if you don't? You still have a child that is yours - and more precious than anything in the world. If our son hadn't have lost his diagnosis, it would've changed nothing for us - he is still the most amazing child to us - loved, valued and has a ton to contribute to the world.
I get sad when I read comments about recovery from other parents saying that they don't believe it, or their doctor told them it's not possible. Always shoot for the stars, because, even if you don't get there, you may reach the moon.
