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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brave attempt to make a difference but bound to be highly controversial, November 2, 2009
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People are going to be royally ticked off by this book. There is no question about it. The people who are already convinced that Autism is an incurable condition are going to find this book infuriating for being a 'quack cure' and for giving false hope to desperate parents. Is this book a cure all? No. Does every child on the spectrum have all the symptoms described? no Is it easy or cheap to follow the recommendation for treatment? NO However, I've found that talking to people about a biomedical treatment for autism is seriously dangerous since they either believe in it passionately and try to convert you instantly or they think the whole thing is a load of bunkum and think you are an idiot for even wanting to learn about it. At least this book is an intelligent explanation of what biomedical treatment is and what it hopes to do. The author's basic premise is this : Autism is a condition caused by a physical imbalance/disorder that is caused by environmental factors and that CAN be reversed with biomedical treatment. Dr Buckley has divided up the book into six chapters describing six visits to the doctor and what would occur at each step in the treatment. Months of work would have to take place between visits but the goals and steps are laid out clearly. What I especially liked about this book was that it lists the tests that can be done to detect whether a physical problem does or does not exist. You don't need an Autism specialist to perform the testing - you just need an open minded and willing doctor. If issues do pop up on the blood tests (Vitamin D3 levels, SED rates, Lipid panel, Thyroid stimulating hormone levels, Red blood counts, etc) wouldn't any doctor -autism specialist or otherwise- want to treat it? How many pediatricians order thorough blood tests on children who they may think are physically healthy and suffering only from a psychological diorder? Armed with the knowledge in just this chapter you can politely request the tests and then deal with the evil glare of the poor nurse who has to draw blood from your screaming kid :) In my mind, it is a small price to pay to rule out the possibility of a physical problem. At the very least, running the blood tests and getting positive results may give some peace of mind to parents who may wonder if they are shortchanging their child by not using or believing in the biomedical method. The steps for treatment are difficult to be sure. A gluten free casein free diet would make me weep!! But if one has a child who might possibly have these issues and if the diet actually causes a change for the better, I doubt any parent would hesitate to plunge in and restock their pantry with these foods. The supplements are expensive but if the blood tests show that a need for physical intervention exists, and if the supplements show improvements, then I doubt that most parents are going to balk at the cost. And I doubt that insurance companies will refuse to cover the cost of medications if they are doctor prescribed for a nutritional deficiency. Some of the supplements are fairly uncomplicated - specific combinations of multivitamins that avoid copper and increase zinc, Aloe vera Juice, Milk thistle, minerals, Probiotics, Vitamins B, D, C, Cod liver oil, etc. Then come the more expensive and more complicated ones that are probably not on the non prescription shelf of your local CVS. The section I balk at is the shots and infusions. However the author explains simply and clearly how the process works. If the parents have seen progress until this point and want to proceed to this step then the explanations of what to expect are presented well. If you are looking for medical research to back all of this up then the author has included abstracts of published articles as well. These are not mumbo jumbo journals that are being cited. They include the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Neurology, Neurochemical research, Journal of Neuroimmunology and many others. In sum, I think this is an excellent book. It is well written in a manner that makes the information easily accessible to anyone and the medical plan is backed up by research. If you are one half of a couple that wants to try the treatment for your child, then this book may help convince your partner. If you are parents who are trying to help an autistic child in a community where biomedical treatment is not accessible, this book at least gives you a starting point and information to share with your doctor.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Material is presented well, but author's attitude undermines., October 9, 2009
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I am the father of a child on the Autism Spectrum. I am also a scientist. The author presents material from the perspective of the "Defeat Autism Now" (DAN) physicians: Autism is medical in nature (not psychological) and can be treated, like most other ailments. The structure of the book is nice, and the material is well-presented. It's structured after the manner of a series of office visits: the first few chapters cover what she'd tell a child's parents in their first visit, the next chapters cover the second visit, etc. In each chapter is a reasonably clear explanation of background material, and then an explanation of an aspect of treatment. She explains what is going on, what needs to be done to treat it, and why it works. I think most people will probably understand it. Be aware that this is not a "how-to" book. That is to say, this isn't a book that you'd use to treat your child yourself, should you choose this course of treatment. Rather, it is a guide to use with your care provider to treat your child. As the treatments presented in the book are generally considered to be on the fringes of accepted treatments for Autism, be aware that your insurance may not cover them. If you choose this route for treatment it may get expensive--be prepared. Before starting on any course of therapy or treatment presented in a book, there are several questions you should ask yourself. One of those should be "why should I listen to or believe this author"? Any presentation of a proposed medical treatment needs to be backed up by a solid explanation and foundation of supporting research, preferably published in a reputable source where it has been reviewed. The author presents a fairly long list of references to the medical literature. Do your due diligence: read some of the references presented, and also look at some of the research journals centering on Autism. You can likely get access to them at a college or university library. The author herself is apparently only a practitioner, and not a researcher. Unfortunately, the author's attitude undermines the book. She's way too assertive and sure of herself. This may turn off readers. Let me illustrate with a quote: "I am going to tell you enough about the chemistry involved so that when you hand this book to your to your physician and tell him, 'Read this. This is the way we're going to help my kid,' you can point him to the appropriate scientific research that backs it up." I ask you: just how productive is your meeting with someone going to be when you walk in and tell them how to do their job? Am I saying that what the author presents is false science, quackery, or some such thing? Absolutely not--I believe that what the author presents will help some (perhaps many) Autistic kids. My wife and I will likely try some of this with our daughter. But I do not believe that enough is known about Autism to say in essence "this is what causes it, and this is how you need to treat it, and if your physician doesn't want to do it this way, get another". But this is what the author asserts. This review is based on a pre-release copy, so the final published copy may differ from the copy I used.
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46 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
So very hard to review, but I felt I had to, October 10, 2009
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This book is extremely tough for me to review. I am crying tears of frustration after reading it, and I want to try hard not to let my emotions get the better of me. So I will set myself a few guidelines. I won't presume to question the science or medicine here. I am not a doctor, and not equipped to do so. I won't ever, ever, ever criticize parents who choose to treat their child's autism as a medical condition. I don't criticize parents of autistic children for much of anything. I am one of them. I have a daughter, the most wonderful daughter in the world, who is 5 and autistic. I have a son, a remarkable son, who is 15 and was originally diagnosed as autistic, later as having Aspergers Syndrome, and, for the past 4 years, as having nothing at all. I also have a son, age 12, who has no signs of being on the spectrum. So I have a bit of experience with the autism world. This book sets down, quite clearly, a plan for dealing with autism in a medical way. I credit it for spelling out very plainly the first 6 visits you might encounter when taking your child to a doctor who believe autism is a medical disorder, caused by a variety of factors but most especially dietary issues and heavy metal poisoning, and how that doctor will try to help your child get better. There are three things that bother me about this book the most. The first is the assumptions made about autistic children. The book lists, as do many, the medical issues my children are assumed to have. High on the list is always consistent diarrhea. My children have never had diarrhea in their life. They have rarely been constipated. They have iron stomachs--I don't recall EITHER of them really EVER having a stomach bug. In contrast, my "typical" son often does. I am told my children are prone to constant infections, especially ear infections. Neither of them has EVER had an ear infection. Again, my typical son often does. My pediatrician often remarks the two spectrum kids are some of the healthiest he's ever seen. They don't have bright red ears, skin problems or picky diets. They both eat most anything. So I start out thinking "why would I be treating my children for symptoms they are assumed to have, which they have never had?" The second issue is the assumption that one would have the money to carry out the treatments told about here. There is brief mention that parts of the treatment might be covered by insurance. Vast parts of it would not be. Just the list of supplements needed would wipe out our budget badly. I don't mean going without a vacation. I mean not eating wiped out. Like most parents, I would do ANYTHING for my children. But I will start with the basics--providing them with shelter and food. And providing their typical brother with the asthma medication he quite literally needs to stay alive. I am not going to be able to afford an oxygen chamber, not now, probably not ever. The third issue---the assumptions that ALL cases of autism have the same cause. I think autism has MANY causes. I am sure there ARE cases caused by some of the factors discussed here. I am sure those cases are helped by these treatments. But I think there are many, many, many other causes. In my children, I am quite certain my extremely difficult pregnancies and births with the two of them caused the minimal brain damage that shows itself as autism in them. My pregnancy with my typical son, by some miracle, was completely normal. I think also there is a genetic factor at work in my family---for generations back on either side, there are people that probably would be diagnosed as being on the spectrum. I always look for a case mentioned in books like this where the treatment DIDN'T work. Since these are supposedly scientific treatments, and I don't think there is ANY medical treatment that is effective for 100% of people, there must be cases like that. We aren't told about them. I don't want to put down the author of this book. I respect anyone who is raising an autistic child, and I respect doctors. I just can't be comfortable with a book that makes so many assumptions about my children and my finances. Label this treatment regiment an option, not a plan for ALL families affected by autism to follow.
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