Holly Riley

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  Holly commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  Once Upon a Time, I Tried to Recover My Son From Autism

  My son is near to full recovery. Based on scientific evidence and medical tests we have chosen to treat all of his medical needs and provide him with an extensive early intervention program including ABA, OT, ST, inclusive schooling and social skills training.
  
  We have been so fortunate that he has responded to most all of the treatments including mild HBOT, mB12 injections, antifungal therapy and chelation therapy along with a long list of supplements and highly individualized gf/cf diet. He is healthier than ever, but still has many medical issues that require ongoing treatment.
  
  So our experience is similar to what Dr. Chew describes, but the outcome is different. At the age of 5 1/2 my son is now telling me about how he felt when he couldn't talk or communicate. He remembers and it makes him sad when he thinks about that time. There is no guarantee that every child will recover, but with the proper medical attention, every child can get significantly better. I am confident, Dr. Chew, that your son benefited from the early interventions that you did with him because you continued for three years. No parent would put themselves or their child through what we do every day if we didn't get some positive results. While you seem to regret focusing on recovery so much during those early years, I sincerely hope that you haven't lost sight of what motivated you to try all of those things.
  
  Hope is power. Recovery has not been my goal. Recovery is possible and real for many children, but you never know if your child will achieve it until you have finished the monumental tasks that bring recovery. What I have always focused on is my child's health. If, after all of our efforts to heal his body, we were left with a healthy child/adult with autism, I was fine with that. But knowing that there were so very many medical problems that my son had, how could I not try to heal his body? As his body heals, his autism fades away.  He is now indistinguishable from his peers and succeeding in a full day kindergarten class (with no aide) in a private Catholic school.
  
  I offer my perspective so that others who are considering taking this path know that, while there are no guarantees, many children do achieve recovery.
  
  Dr. Chew teaches us all a great lesson. Regardless of where you are in your journey, it is always important to live in the moment and enjoy your child for who they are. But, I believe, that doesn't mean you have to give up your dreams for who they may become.  
  
  Best regards to all,
  Holly Riley, mom of Quinn, age 5, recovering from autism