Patty Lemer is the former Executive Director and co-founder of the non-profit Developmental Delay Resources (which merged with Epidemic Answers in 2013), the former chairman of Epidemic Answers, and she has been working with these kinds of kids for over 40 years. She’s seen it all; she knows what works.
The way she wants the book to be read is to the last chapter first: “Prioritizing Therapies for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders”. Her subsequent book, Outsmarting Autism, expands on this chapter, but here’s the short version:
- Immediately eliminate ALL possible toxic exposures by eating organic foods, eliminating furniture that off-gasses formaldehyde and flame retardants, buying only natural fibers for anything that touches the skin, buying green cleaning products and art supplies, eliminating tobacco smoke, reducing exposure to EMFs and boosting the immune system.
- Address structural problems with a chiropractor, cranioscacral therapist or osteopath. Many of these children had a traumatic birth experience (such as long labor, C-section, use of forceps, etc.) that in turn cause blockages and imbalances of organs, fluids and energy.
- Implement a biomedical intervention that corrects nutritional deficiencies and includes a special diet such as the Body Ecology Diet, Specific Carbohydrate Diet or Feingold diet.
- Detoxify the body after the gut has been stabilized in the previous step under strict supervision.
- Add in sensory therapies.
- Focus on academic programs and social skills last. It’s like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: you can’t get to self-actualization until you’ve taken care of the basic survival needs.
Patty begins the book by explaining what these disorders are and what caused them. She explains that it’s toxicity from the mother as well as a combination of other assaults on the body such as traumatic birth, a mother with history of hypothyroidism, fatigue or autoimmunity during pregnancy as well as a whole host of other risk factors.
The book next explores biomedical a biomedical approach to treatment with a chapter on dietary modification, nutritional supplementation and detoxification by Kelly Dorfman, author of Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments and columnist for The Huffington Post. Ms. Dorfman was also a co-founder of Developmental Delay Resources.
The biomedical approach is expanded upon in a chapter on Defeat Autism Now!, or DAN!, practitioners by the renowned autism advocates and practitioners Bernard Rimland (who passed away in 2006), Jon Pangborn and Sidney MacDonald Baker. The DAN! acronym had already been trademarked by Divers Alert Network, so those practitioners are now listed under Autism Research. These three men are also co-authors of the book, Autism: Effective Biomedical Treatments (Have We Done Everything We Can For This Child? Individuality In An Epidemic).
Another acronym, MAPS, which stands for Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs, was developed by practitioners that felt the DAN! requirements were a little too loosy-goosy. MAPS is the “ONLY comprehensive teaching and fellowship for the biomedical treatment of autism spectrum disorders”.
In later chapters, Patty and others look at occupational therapy, vision therapy, sound-based therapies, communication and social-emotional therapies, neurofeedback, Applied Behavioral Analysis, and even animal-based therapies like hippotherapy.
The piece de resistance of the book is the chapter by Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD: “The Autism Protocol of Dietrich Klinghardt”.
Dr. Klinghardt states unequivocally that autism has one cause: mercury toxicity. If you’ve ever looked at the symptoms for mercury toxicity, you’d know that the symptoms are virtually identical.
Dr. Klinghardt’s protocol contains five steps:
- Relief of symptoms
- Treating the areas of stress
- Metal detoxification
- Treating the infections like Lyme, mold, viruses and bacterial infections
- Restoration of damaged organ systems
Dr. Klinghardt’s approach is unique because he is truly integrative when treating a patient. His Vertical Healing System covers the Five Levels of Healing: physical, electrical regulation, mental, intuitive and soul. It’s refreshing to see a medical doctor that looks at healing the soul and spirit, not just the body.
About Patricia S. Lemer LPC MEd
Patricia S. Lemer is a licensed professional counselor, holding a Masters of Education in counseling and learning disabilities from Boston College and a Masters in Business from Johns Hopkins University. She practiced as an educational diagnostician for over 40 years.
She was a co-founder and served as Executive Director of the international non-profit organization Developmental Delay Resources (DDR). After DDR merged with Epidemic Answers, she became Chairman of the Board. When she retired from the board, she became an emeritus board member.
She is the author of three books, the most recent of which is Outsmarting Autism, Updated and Expanded: Build Healthy Foundations for Communication, Socialization, and Behavior at All Ages (North Atlantic Books, 2019).
Lemer wrote over 50 editorials for "New Developments," the quarterly newsletter of Developmental Delay Resources (DDR), from 1995 - 2009. When DDR wound down, she wrote an online blog, "After the Diagnosis, Then What?" from 2009-2017. Her articles and blogs have been updated and archived on the Epidemic Answers website.
Since 2019, Patricia Lemer has recorded a bimonthly podcast, "The Autism Detective." In these hour-long shows, she interviews parents and professionals about their experiences in maximizing the potential of individuals on the autism spectrum. Over 100 episodes are available on Spotify and other online platforms. To learn more, go to PatriciaLemer.com and OutsmartingAutism.com
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