Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother's Story of Research & Recovery

by Karyn Seroussi

Book Overview

When their nineteen-month-old son, Miles, was diagnosed with autism, Karyn Seroussi, a writer, and her husband, a scientist, fought back with the only weapons at their disposal: love and research. Consulting medical papers, surfacing the Web, and networking with other parents, they traced the onset of their child's problems to an immune system breakdown that coincided with his vaccinations. As a result, his digestive system was unable to break down...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767907981
• ISBN13: 9780767907989
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Harmony/Rodale/Convergent
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

We've seen it with our own eyes

This book is one of 3 that changed our family's life. (Facing autism which made us know in our hearts the diagnosis was right & William shaw's book which details more of the science of this stuff are the other two.)I believe that there are many reasons children are on the autistic spectrum and that this book will only help some. Our son now 4 1/2 was diagnosed with PDD NOS within days of turning 3. We saw some familiarities with the medical issues in this book and thought it worth looking into. (relux, ear infections, persistently loose stools, Milk obsession, food intolerances affecting behaviour in a cousin, bad reaction to vaccin in a normal sibling).Wanting to be more scientific than 'try it and see' we had a number of tests done over the following 6 months. Sure enough the results were consistent with the theories: food sensitivities, enormous yeast & bacteria overgrowth, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, amino acid imbalances. I cried for a week when I realised the 'lifestyle change' the diet would mean (just coping with life seemed such hard work). But I can honestly say that it doesn't seem that onerous now and it wasn't nearly as difficult as I first feared. We made the changes progressively - Dietary eliminations. Vitamin & mineral supplementation. Probiotics, antifungals.We saw improvements in 'behaviour'and what convinced us that these were real and not just wishful thinking was that they were accompanied by other changes:*At 3 1/4 you could have called our son's name from 2 ft away, all day and unless you were touching him or in his face he didn't know it. After 3 days CFGF he suddenly responded to his name from 20 ft away from then on he would look up/around when his name was called. Having woken up 5 times a night EVERY night for months beforehand our son slept through and in the last 18 months he has woken up in the night on only 3 separate occaisions (wet bed/ fell out). I don't need to tell anyone going through this kind of sleep deprivation themselves what a difference that made.*When we treated the yeasts and bacteria we saw a change in attention span, eye contact and a spontaneous desire to talk to US. This coincided with his first(that I could remember) "beautifully" formed poops. I can't imagine how we'd have managed potty training without this change). Post treatment tests showed great improvement in results. We have had recently had confirmation of this when our suspicions of a problem this summer (poor attention span, weak eye contact, less complex speech) led us to test again and following alarming results we treated the yeasts again and Wow, what a difference.We think we have seen improvements from supplementation changes but the more gradual changes are possibly due to other reasons. We are great fans also of his wonderful ABA and AVB therapy he has received in the last year. We are still making changes but it certainly seems that the more normal his body chemistry is the more normal he seems. We believe the ch

Karyn Seroussi hits the nail on the head! A MUST READ

If you have a child with autism you owe it to them on checking out this "GFCF Diet" thing. I have a son with autism and it is hands down the best thing I have done for him (besides hours of ABA,VBA, Speech & OT and some biomed intervention) - the diet wins. Not only is the the healthiest thing you can do, it is the cheapest thing you can do and something you have complete control over. The diet is truly about proper nutrition for children that have wounded guts (whether you think your child has a wounded gut or not - it is something to truly try.)Doctors and others who say - a diet cannot help children with autism are 100% wrong. I have seen it with my own 2 eyes on my child and many others.After starting the GFCF Diet my son -- stopped self stim behavior- slept thru the night for the first time in 2 years- within 6 months had great stools for the first time in 2 years- began to be much more connected- all the other therapies were possible - there is a lot more I could write here - but you are going to have to believe what I am typing... it truly makes a difference.There is also alot of sound advice on other therapies and her journey. It has a happy ending to the story as well and that was worth it enough.My son is now totally connected with us, doing amazing things and is in kindergarten. What do you have to lose? It is just a book... it is just a diet. See what it can do for your child.Karyn Seroussi is a gem and this book is something you need to read.

A must-read if someone close to you has autism

My six year old daughter was recently diagnosed with "high-functioning autism." My wife had the good fortune to run into Karyn Seroussi's Feb 2000 article in Parenting magazine. We implemented some of the changes she recommends and have seen real improvements in our daughter's mood and behavior. I stayed up nights reading the book, and let me tell you, it was well worth the effort. Karyn gives all kinds of information, encouragement, and pointers for anyone trying to help an autistic child. Phone numbers, addresses, and website urls are all provided so you can do your own research. If you are the parent of an autistic child, do them and yourself a favor, buy this book and read it carefully! There is nothing to lose and potentially a great deal to gain.

WOW. Finally!

Maybe, like me, you have considered drugs for your autistic child, but have been understandably reluctant. Maybe you are overwhelmed by the vast amounts of information bombarding you daily concerning the causes of autism. Maybe your educational intervention progran hasn't quite worked as well as you hoped it would.If so, get this book. It deserves a place right next to Catherine Maurice's groundbreaking book on intervention through educational methods, LET ME HEAR YOUR VOICE. Actually, it deserves a place of honor right on your kitchen table, where you can refer to it everyday, easily. What Catherine Maurice did for education vis vis autistic children, this book does for dietary intervention.Karyn Seroussi has written a practical, clear, acessible book about how your child's diet can affect his/her whole way of living in our world. She posits that the health (particularly, a damaged immune system) of your child is one of the major reasons your child diplays autistic behaviors. She has incorporated her own child, Miles, and her own family, in a most compassionate and perceptive way to demonstrate this. I found that, in and of itself, a comfort. We are all in this together, aren't we? We need to help each other. This book is all about helping OUR CHILDREN get better.Parents of autistic children have it hard enough without having to sift through the incredible, time consuming theories and treatments that come our way daily. Karyn covers all of these and makes them understandable. She explains things. Then she gives you step by step directions to follow to actually improve the health of your own autistic child (or in my case, autistic children: I have two!) This book makes so much sense and is so exciting to read, I wrote this review as soon as I finished it. Even if my own children do not experience the same remarkable recovery that Karyn's son Miles did (she caught his autism really early), I know, from my other reading, that this book ultimately makes total sense... and that my sons will be immeasurably improved. For that, I am incredibly grateful. Thank you, Karyn Seroussi.

A "Must Read" for Parents of Children with Autism

Karyn Seroussi has written a fascinating account of her son's recovery from autism. Yes, we've all been told that autism is a lifelong disability for which recovery is not possible, but the rules are apparently being rewritten. Do not let the fact that your doctor is behind the times keep you from reading this wonderful book, and trying the interventions it describes. Viewing autism as a biological disorder for which a cure is possible is an idea whose time has come, and we owe Ms. Seroussi a great deal for presenting it in such a well-written, and heartfelt manner. I couldn't put this book down, and read it in a single sitting. This book presents an important intervention which I have been using for several years. My child did not "recover" but is much improved. I am thrilled that a book is lending legitimacy to this important approach to treating autism.