Robbie's parents are finding answers for autism

After serving on a tour of duty in the Gulf War, Rusty Presson returned to the base, where he and his wife, Janet, started their family. Janet is a registered nurse and had also been an officer in the Air Force. Like other military personnel, both had received many inoculations and they would later wonder if these shots contributed to their child's sensitivities.

Robbie was a normal, healthy baby, developing well, despite his allergic reactions to most baby formulas, multiple ear infections and many doses of antibiotics. But this progress abruptly stopped following his MMR and Hib shots at 15 months of age. The Presson's story is familiar to anyone reading about the onset of autism in hundreds of thousands of children. Language development stopped and Robbie began to lose other abilities. He could sit for hours, looking at his books or watching television, and stopped making eye contact with Janet.

He was always loving, but would often become extremely hyperactive, running back and forth in the house, and would take off running if Janet let go of his hand outside. Robbie also had unusual physical problems. He would push and push at his cheeks so hard he caused bruises. The muscles of his legs were stiff and "as hard as a rock." Like many children with autistic symptoms, he walked on his toes, and sometimes flapped his hands.

The Pressons took their son to many specialists, seeking answers. One prominent physician at Duke University offered them liquid Prozac, but Janet knew her child needed much more than a drug. She is grateful for the suggestion she heard at a conference on autism. One of the participants explained how brain function is directly affected by allergies.

When she took away milk, Janet was amazed at the improvements she saw in Robbie; now it was clear to her that diet and behavior were linked.

Her years of training in medicine did not include the information she needed to help her son. The many professionals she consulted never mentioned the things she would later learn on her own. Janet learned of the Feingold Program and read Why Can't My Child Behave? When she removed the synthetic additives and natural salicylates, the behavioral change in Robbie was profound.

Today, even after having been on the Feingold Program for several years, he still has dramatic reactions if there is a dietary slip. The behavior changes in 20 to 30 minutes and lasts for about three days. As distressing as these rare episodes are, they have served a good purpose. The teachers, neighbors and relatives go to great pains to be sure they do not trigger such a reaction!

As Janet found books by doctors Rapp, Braley, Crook and, later, Dr. Shaw, she gained more and more knowledge about the ways to help Robbie. The Pressons have used many natural nutritional and behavioral interventions, and some of them have been very helpful, but they know that the results vary greatly among children.

Janet's advice to parents who are not getting support from their doctors is simple, "Fire your current doctor and find one who will support you." Contact the Autism Research Institute for names of qualified practitioners; the suggestions of other parents are also very helpful.

Robbie still has many allergies, so he is on a gluten-free, casein-free diet. Janet has found he does well with a lot of protein, and a limited amount of carbohydrates. She orders many things from mail order catalogs that cater to special diets. To compensate for the dietary limitations, Janet works with Kelly Dorfman, to provide needed supplements. At 8 years old, Robbie is "the picture of health." He is a little taller than his peers, and rarely even gets a cold.

He is very intelligent, but continues to have difficulty with spoken language. However, Robbie finds many ways to get his message across to others. He has assistance in school and therapy at home to address this.

Janet believes the mercury, aluminum, and other toxins in his vaccinations may be the major cause of Robbie's delays, and they are working with doctors to chelate these metals out of his system.

Although Robbie's food choices are limited, Janet finds it isn't that hard to work around them, and the family travels and eats out often.

Janet's schedule is very full. She is the president of A Small Miracle, Inc., a service that provides trained personnel to families of children with autism and other developmental problems. The state of North Carolina will cover the cost for Medicaid recipients to get this specialized help, generally with a therapist coming to their home.

Janet works personally with every new family as she begins the process of arranging for therapy, and she tells every one of them that they need to consider the role of diet.