| A Biomedical Autism Doctor Explains The | | | | This is a dilemma many states are facing with the |
| Biomedical Intervention Timeline | | | | ever-increasing costs of health care and the |
| A question that I am frequently asked is "how | | | | special services individuals on the spectrum will |
| long will my child have to do biomedical therapies." | | | | need in years to come. Other children the |
| This question usually arises in response to dietary | | | | implementation of dietary changes or nutritional |
| changes such as the gluten-free or casein-free | | | | supplement support may last just a few years. |
| diet, or other biomedical therapies for | | | | At that point, they are either weaned off the |
| autism-spectrum disorders such as Methyl-B12, | | | | dietary programs or resort to a more generalized |
| nutritional supplements, antifungal therapy (with | | | | program of biomedical support. |
| the use of Nystatin), detoxification support and | | | | Each child is unique in their response to therapy, |
| others. In short, the best answer I can give is 'as | | | | and the time frame for taking these treatments |
| long as the therapies are working you will want to | | | | are very individualized. In many cases, it is not |
| continue treating.' | | | | unexpected for children to be taking biomedical |
| At this time (2009 at the time of this article) we | | | | therapies such as Methyl-B12, supplement support |
| do not have 25 to 30+ years of clinical | | | | or even gluten and casein-free products for 2 to |
| experience in treating children on the | | | | 3 years. |
| autism-spectrum with biomedical intervention. We | | | | As with any medical treatment that involves diet, |
| are currently in the middle of this tragic situation | | | | nutritional supplements, etc. there will come a time |
| of ever increasing amounts of children being | | | | for many families when they will want to cut |
| adversely affected with autism. For many kids | | | | back on therapy. In essence, to test the waters |
| we simply do not know for sure how long | | | | to see how their child responds without biomedical |
| biomedical treatments will need to last. Some | | | | support. This is a reasonable thing to consider, but |
| children, or even teenagers or young adults on | | | | usually in most kids is not recommended until at |
| the autism spectrum, may need continual | | | | least 1-1/2 to 2 years of therapy time has been |
| treatment support for their entire lives. | | | | implemented. |