April 2, 2010 

Dear Developmental Spectrums, 

We are so pleased and actually amazed at the cognitive and social gains that Ken has made in just the three months since we began biomedical treatments at the clinic.  Although Ken was diagnosed with classic autism (10 out of the 12 criteria for diagnosis) and offered very little hope for recovery initially by the "experts," Ken is now displaying very few autistic traits. He had been dismissed from several preschools for being unable to function, communicate, transition and follow any directions.  He was anxious, fearful, aggressive and would tantrum and cry daily. He rarely communicated verbally, except for screaming or grunting at anyone who spoke to him. He had 4-6 bouts of diarrhea per day and was self-starving. He appeared not to recognize most members of our extended family and hid under the table at any social gatherings, including his own birthday party, and even this past Christmas. The change has been dramatic, and I am filled with joy at the new relationship that we have with our son - and more importantly the relationship that he is able to have with his world now. These changes occurred without any therapy of any kind other than the biomedical treatments offered at the clinic. Within weeks of beginning the nutritional/supplementation part of the program, we were able to start Ken in school. He is now in a special day class for communication disorders and he is thriving there. I had very low expectations for his first few months of school, based on his initial evaluation at the school and their warning that it may take Ken three or four months to become "compliant.”  We implemented the biomedical protocol advised by Dr. Mielke, including the recommended supplements and nutrition program. So, I was delighted to discover that even the first day and the first week, the teachers reported that Ken was not a problem at all for them.  He sits in circle time, and just last week it was his day to be the helper, and he did very well with it. He loves to ride the bus to and from school and waves to the other children when he gets off. He sits behind the bus driver and asks her questions. He has friends at the school and even has a special girlfriend that he admires. The teacher said they are extremely proud of Ken and his ability to handle transitions. 

Recently, I took him to McDonald’s and the play place was temporarily closed.  Two months ago he would have had a massive melt down and we would have had to drag him kicking and screaming from the restaurant. This time he smiled at me and said "we have to wait.”  He also said this to another child and we waited 45 minutes for them to open the play place and we had a great time. I am not afraid to take him grocery shopping anymore. When people say hello to him in the store, he smiles and says "hi" back.  

One of the big changes is that Ken now loves to sit on my lap and read books. He enjoys looking at books alone as well. This week we read seven short books in a row together. He climbed down each time and rummaged through the books and picked one out and brought it back. He will put his toys away when it is time to clean up.  We can also watch family movies together and Ken stays on the couch with us all and watches the film, and comments on it. We hung our Easter flag outside and Ken exclaimed "It's Easter!"  He recently was searching in the yard for four-leaf clovers and building a leprechaun trap as well. He will also hide things around the house and pretend that he is a mischievous leprechaun.  Before starting the biomedical treatments, Ken never pretended anything, could not play properly with toys (he just mouthed them) and broke up all his crayons. Now he gets out paper and crayons and makes real pictures and brings them to us. He hugs us and tells us that he loves us. We can sing and play instruments as a family without him covering his ears and running from the room.  Instead he dances and sings and laughs with us. He is eating at least four times the amount of food that he was eating and we are able to sit down together and have meals as a family. He is no longer afraid of food, or trying new foods, which is truly amazing. All who know Ken have commented that he is a different boy.  And this is true.  Ken is happy and joyful and aware. Our family life is harmonious and "typical" now, and we can go to the zoo and the library and many other things that were too stressful to even contemplate three months ago. Our older daughter has benefited greatly from this ability to have more family fun. I am grateful that such a place as Developmental Spectrums exists, where there is an understanding that physical health can and does affect emotional and mental health. My reason for writing this is to express my gratitude and excitement for the many positive changes we have been able to see with Ken. Our family has seen with our own eyes that autism is treatable, and children can recover, and we are so happy that we took the necessary steps with Dr. Mielke and Developmental Spectrums to get Ken the help that he needed.