Michael's Recovery

Nationally, the current rate of autism is estimated to be about one in 110 children, according to the Autism Society of America, a national not-for-profit organization. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has deemed Autism a public health emergency.

Michael is an 11-year-old from Long Island, N.Y., who at the age of two-and-a-half was diagnosed with mild to moderate form of Autism and as a child suffered limited speech, had trouble with directions, and was low to middle functioning, according to his mother Christine Heeren.

"At two-and-a-half he was diagnosed with autism at the time it was pretty obvious," said Heeren, a homemaker. Her husband is in the Navy and stationed in Japan.

At the time of his diagnosis, his mother Christine said it was pretty obvious that he had developmental problems. She said from two to three-years-old that it was a disaster and a very stressful time. A problem that is very common amongst families with an Autistic child, according to Kerry Ann Clock, an early education specialist at Just Kids Early Childhood Learning Center, in North Lindenhurst N.Y.

“The social struggles associated with autism can break a parent's heart,” Clock said. “They just want them to be like the other kids in as many ways as possible.  It's kind of ironic how parents of typically developing children want nothing more than for their children to be leaders and not follow the crowd.  For parents of a child with autism, it's exactly the opposite.  They want nothing more than for them to follow the lead of their peers.”

Clock also believes one of the biggest issues for children with autism are language and communication.

“Communication is one of the core deficits of autism, Clock said. “Some children have difficulty expressing themselves, but can understand verbal language very well.  Others can express themselves quite well while tasks like answering questions or following verbal commands are very difficult.  Most children with autism have difficulty with both receptive and expressive language.”

One month before Michael’s seventh birthday, his mother and physician decided to try Chelation therapy—a process of removing heavy metals from the body by administration of chelating agents. According to Heeren, As a result, of chelation and a diet Michael has made dramatic improvements. Michael received ivies of DPMS, EDTA, glutathione, and other amino acids.

“We decided to do a treatment called chelation,” Heeren said. “ And basically he did ivies once a week and we got rid of the heavy metals out his body and we added an amino acid called glutathione. I really feel like the glutathione did a lot for him.  I just know when he did these treatment they worked. He started showing improvement in all areas.”

According to the CDC, there is currently no cure for ASDs the most common form of autism. The CDC website states that early intervention treatment services can greatly improve the development of a child. The early intervention services help children from birth to Three-years-old learn important skills. These services may include therapy for speech, walking, and social interactions with others.  The site suggest that it is important to talk to your child’s doctor as soon as possible if the early signs of autism are detectable in a child.

David Kirby, a former journalist for the New York Times and author of the 2005 book “Evidence of Harm,” says although he believes in vaccination he also believes that a subpopulation may be susceptible to certain injuries due to vaccines.

“I believe strongly in vaccinations – they prevent disease and save lives, Kirby said. “ If I were a parent, I would definitely vaccinate my child, especially against the most dangerous diseases whatever I did, I would decide very carefully in conjunction with a pediatrician. I believe that a small subpopulation of children may be susceptible to certain types of injuries from vaccinations, which could result in symptoms of autism and a diagnosis of ASD.”

There are many contributing factors to autism and vaccines are not the only cause of autism, according to Kirby.

“I believe there are many contributing factors to autism (susceptible genes, vitamin D deficiency, pollution, pesticides, metals, etc) and more kids today are at risk of ASD regression from many triggers,” Kirby said. “For some kids, I believe that vaccines play a role in setting off that trigger, but not that vaccines cause autism by themselves, nor that vaccines are implicated in all ASD cases.”

Michael’s mother doesn’t blame vaccine as the sole contributor to her son’s autism.

“Heavy metals are in so many things in the environment from computer cables to switches,” Heeren said. “I can’t tell you 100% that vaccines caused his autism.  But I know that they have caused autism in other children and they definitely contributed to a lot of his medical problems."

According to the Center for Disease and Control, there are likely many causes for multiple types of autism, which include environmental, biologic and genetic factors. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is now considered as one of the most prevalent developmental disorders, according to the Center for Disease and Control.

David Kirby believes the issue still needs more research.

“The government should conduct a retrospective study (looking backward in time) of vaccinated versus unvaccinated children to see if there are any differences in health outcomes.” Kirby said. “The government should remove all mercury from all vaccines, and study the role of aluminum used in vaccines as a possible trigger of autoimmunity and metal toxicity."

Kirby believes the government should look closely at fetal DNA.

“They should also look more closely at human fetal DNA sequences found in the MMR and chicken pox vaccines to make sure there are no autoimmune or long-term effects of this.” Kirby said. “Most vaccines are already safe for most children – the important thing is to find out which children are most susceptible, and figure out a way to vaccinate them differently.”