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SPECIAL
HOW ONE WOMAN HEALED HER SON’S BRAIN
Reversing
autism
arenThomasdidn’texpecttobecome stronger consequences.” It was ridiculous, says Karen.
anautismrecoveryexpert.Shewas “They just basically told us that we were bad parents.”
aholistichealthprofessional,a When Jacob was almost 10 years old, a doctor finally
massageandcraniosacraltherapist, made a tentative diagnosis of Asperger syndrome and
happilymarriedandmothertoa autism. “I’d studied the brain, and I’d heard of autism,”
Khappy-go-lucky,vibranttwo-year- says Karen, “but that was back in early 2005, and I
oldson.Thencamethechange. really didn’t know anything about it and neither did
“Thiswasin1998,andthehepatitisB the doctor.”
shotwasarelativelynewthing,”saysKaren. In her quest to find He told her there wasn’t anything he
“Therewasn’talotofresearchoutthere,and could do and that she was going to have to
Ididn’tknowanythingaboutit.Iwasstill solutions to her own research autism on her own. But none of
uncertainbutsaid,‘Goahead.’Itwaspretty the bookstores where she lived in San Luis
quicklyafterwardsthatJacobchanged.” son’s symptoms, Obispo, CA, had books on the subject.
Heregressedandbecameveryintroverted, Finally, she visited a store in Berkeley.
quietandhyperfocusedtothepointwhere Karen Thomas Coincidentally the owner’s son had Asperger’s
PHOTOGRAPHY: Lacey Moranville; www.laceymoranville.com
peoplewouldbetalkingtohimandevensay and autism, and she carried some books
hisnameandhewouldn’thearorrespond. developed a four-step on autism. “I picked up a book and started
Simultaneouslyhebecameextremely reading it right there in the store, and it was
oppositionalandexperiencedprofound program for like I was reading about Jacob,” says Karen.
anxiety,headachesandstomachachesthat “I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is him!’ It
wouldwakehimupscreamingat3a.m. autism recovery makes me cry even now thinking about it.”
Desperatetounderstandwhatwasgoing Eventually a psychiatrist specialising in
onwithherfirstborn,overthenextfiveyearsKaren autism spectrum disorder (ASD) confirmed that
tookJacobtomultiplephysicalandpsychological Jacob had Asperger syndrome and was fairly high
therapistswhosaidthingslike,“You’rejustnotbeing functioning, but with the worst case of oppositional
firmenoughwithyourdiscipline.Youneedtogivehim defiant disorder she had ever seen in her career.
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