Since medical science hasn't caught up to addressing the causes of pervasive developmental disorders just yet, many people with PDDs experiment with alternative medicine: herbal supplements, vitamins, chiropractic, homeopathy, acupuncture, and other nonmainstream interventions.

As with medical and therapeutic interventions, parents and patients need to exercise caution with these remedies. If a substance or treatment has actual effects on the patient (not all of them will, of course), its use should be taken as seriously as a pharmaceutical medication that produces a similar effect.

There is no absolute proof that any of these therapies or programs will help a specific child, but anecdotal evidence--and in a few cases, clinical trials--indicate that some individuals with PDDs may experience significant improvements.

At the age of ten months, my daughter was described by the psychologist as follows:

"This little girl has a very short, fleeting attention span. She gaze-averts, and makes only intermittent and relatively unmeaningful eye contact. She is a very hypotonic baby, intermittently unresponsive to sound, and is more responsive to inanimate than vocal input. She appears vacuous, and had many staring episodes which were suggestive of a possible underlying seizure disorder. She flaps her hands, shakes her head, and does some other self-stimulating behaviors in a repetitive manner."

Her BSID II mental age was four months; motor age, five months. On the Gesell, at 42 weeks old, she ranged from a high score of 24 weeks on fine motor to a low of 13 weeks on personal/social. Very erratic.

I only repeat all this because inevitably, there will be those who respond to our success with skepticism about her initial diagnosis. And since the CHAT [CHecklist for Autism in Toddlers] is the earliest diagnostic tool I know of, at 18 months of age, you have every right to do so. However, if Miranda was headed for a confirmed diagnosis of an autistic spectrum disorder at a later date, I truly believe that in her case we have stopped or mediated the metabolic problems that were causing her symptoms, and perhaps prevented irreversible CNS damage.

We started DMG and then Super Nu-Thera first, and got better sleep patterns, more eye contact, and increased babbling. With her history of ear infections, we decided to have Dr. Shaw's test done, and actually started the anti-yeast diet, probiotics, and MCT oil while awaiting the results. Eventually, we added Nystatin. After a two-week nightmare die-off period, the effects were like a fog had lifted from Miranda. Prolonged, meaningful, deep gazes into Mommy's eyes, dissolving into fits of giggles at funny faces, awareness of and interest in her environment, and finally, sitting unassisted.

The test came back with 18 levels high, some extremely so. Several were fungal metabolites, so we were vigilant about the diet, Nystatin, and supplements. We still see regression when Miranda has fruit, and had a terrible regression and actual fungal diaper rash when we tried rice milk (too much sugar). Miranda also had the gluten/casein peptides test done. She showed high IaG, an indicator of gut permeability, and gliadomorphin, but not casomorphine. At the time, she was still breastfed and I was avoiding dairy, so we opted to go both gluten-free and casein-free since the peptides are so similar.

Jump to the present. Miranda is 13 months old. Current interventions: gluten- and casein-free diet and anti-yeast diet, MCT oil, DMG, and Super Nu-Thera, choline/inosital, and just started MSM. She drinks DariFree spiked with EFAs and rice protein powder. She is also in Early Intervention, getting PT, OT, and sensory integration, and tons of intensive interaction and floor-time with a dash of ABA from Mom.

She's a clingy, cuddly, snuggly, affectionate child now. She imitates funny faces and sounds, claps when you say "Yaaaay!" She crawls around the house looking for me and calling "Mamamamamama," gets into all the cupboards, pulls up to stand on the furniture, drinks from a sippy cup. She passed the seven- to ten-month-old competencies in every area of her latest assessment (the IDA) and passed the eleven- to thirteen-month-old competencies for social/emotional development.

Believe me, we have a long way to go--I still worry about language development, her sensory issues, and when my little "doughgirl" will ever have enough muscle tone to actually walk, but she's here, in our world, instead of that foggy one she used to be lost in, and we continue to be amazed and delighted at her progress.

Of course these same interventions won't help everyone, but I encourage you all to continue to be dedicated detectives. Find out the "why?" behind each treatment option, and look at your child's history to see if [he or she] might benefit. Sift, study, analyze, ask, try, compare, and never give up! --Maria, mother of one-year-old Miranda (tentatively diagnosed as autistic at ten months old)

We had problems, and small improvement. [We tried] zinc and a host of other minerals, such as calcium--no real help at all. Immunological testing showed nothing. Allergy testing showed environmental allergies to grass, leaf molds, and ragweed. No food allergies. --Kim, mother of seven-year-old Brad (diagnosed Landau-Kleffner syndrome)

General holistic/alternative treatment systems

Acupuncture

You don't have to believe in the chi concept to enjoy the benefits of acupuncture. Even the alternative medicine skeptics at the National Institutes of Health have been forced to admit that it does seem to have benefits for some conditions, including chronic pain, and as an adjunct to other methods in the treatment of drug addiction (in fact, NIH is currently funding several studies on acupuncture). Western doctors think that the needles influence the body's production of natural opioid chemicals and neurotransmitters.

For people with PDDs, the areas of most interest regarding acupuncture are its potential effects on the GI tract and the nervous system. Reputable research indicates that properly applied acupuncture treatments may help heal nerve damage and that they can help regulate gastrointestinal functions. If you can find a good acupuncturist, it might be a worthwhile adjunct to other types of medical care.

Chiropractic

Some parents have reported that their chiropractors have offered to treat their children with autism or other developmental disabilities at low or no cost. Results have been very variable--some children cannot tolerate the sensory experience of being "adjusted," others seem to enjoy it.

Naturopathy

For parents and patients who prefer herbal remedies and nutritional interventions, a properly trained naturopath can be a good choice. Be careful whom you choose. In the US, some people calling themselves naturopaths have not completed an accredited program. Properly licensed naturopaths receive medical training roughly comparable to traditional medical school, although with a different emphasis.

For information about finding a licensed naturopath in the US or Canada, contact the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians: http://www.naturopathic.org/ or the Canadian Naturopathic Association: http://www.naturopathic.org/canada/Canada.Assoc.List.html.

Homeopathy

In the US and Canada, homeopathic physicians are not licensed to practice medicine. However, some MDs and NDs do recommend homeopathic treatments, and a few homeopaths are fully licensed practitioners. For information about homeopaths in North America (or, interestingly, India), see the National Center for Homeopathy: http://www.homeopathic.org/.

For autism, the homeopathic remedies mentioned most often by parents who prefer this approach--Bufo, Bufo rana, Bufo cinereus, Bufo vulgaris, and Rana bufo--contain small amounts of the toxin made by the bufo toad. Oddly enough, one presentation at the 1998 DAN! conference noted that a substance very much like this toxin had been isolated from the blood of some autistic children (not children who were taking these remedies, it should be noted).

Orthomolecular medicine

Some MDs are firm believers in orthomolecular medicine, and Pauling's principles underlie many of the megadose vitamin concoctions in health-food stores. Since large doses of vitamins can have side effects as well as potential benefits, be sure to discuss what you should expect with your doctor if he wants to try an orthomolecular approach. You shouldn't do megadose vitamin therapy without consulting a physician or a competent nutritionist.

Osteopathy

One area of osteopathy-related treatment, craniosacral therapy, is often recommended for children with neurological challenges, including autistic spectrum disorders. Although it was developed by osteopath John Upledger, craniosacral therapy is practiced by trained members of other professions, including some occupational therapists and physical therapists. Upledger includes some accounts of beneficial use of this therapy for people with autism in his book Your Inner Physician and You: Craniosacral Therapy and Somatoemotional Release (North Atlantic Books, 1997).

Ayurvedic and other traditional medicine

Ayurvedic practitioners will give you an exam and then tell you which "type" you are in their diagnostic system. Then they'll suggest an appropriate diet, lifestyle adjustments, and probably therapeutic meditation. They may also have various suggestions about cleaning out your digestive tract.

Chinese traditional practitioners take a very similar approach, although their dietary recommendations tend to be less strict than a typical Ayurvedic plan.

There is a vast array of Ayurvedic and Chinese herbal remedies available, most of which have not been tested by Western researchers. Some of these concoctions are probably quite effective, while others could be dangerous to your health. If possible, try to find out exactly which herbs are in a remedy and check out their effects. For example, the popular Chinese herb Ma Huang is a common ingredient in traditional "nerve tonics." It is also a powerful central nervous system stimulant and should be taken with caution.