Hi sarah! Just wanted to extend my welcome to the board. I think the others above covered your question
Amber Sarah, Hi...I just wanted to say welcome to the board! I have a 3 year old son with autism. Looking forward to learning more about you and your family. Take care, Karrie I don't know of a DAN doctor in NC. But some people from are area in Florida are traveling to NC to see a DR. Buttar. He may actually be considered a DAN doctor, I'm not sure on that one. He is the one parents are seeing for transdermal DMPS. Try researching him on the web and see what comes up. If that doesn't work try the site www.CPOAC.org, one of the email address's on that site may beable to direct you straight to him. Best of Luck Hi Sarah Welcome to the board. Heres a link to a site I found regarding DAN doctors... The doctors listed below were recommended by Amy Holmes and are not in any particular order of preference. Those she knew personally are notated by a red asterisk [ * ]. Dr. Holmes noted about this list: "There may be some on the DAN! Practitioner list on the ARI web site who are also very good, but I just don't know anything about them."
Following Dr. Amy Holme's list below is the Complete List of DAN! Doctors and Practititoners from the Autism Research Institute's webite who have indicated that they offer mercury and other heavy metal detoxification services.
Since its establishment in 1967, the Autism Research Institute has had as a major priority the tracking of promising treatments for autism. To accelerate the development and dissemination of information that will be helpful to many families of autistic children, the Autism Research Institute convened the first Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) conference in Dallas in January, 1995. Follow-up DAN! conferences have been held each Spring and Fall to further advance the treatment of autism. The conferences have produced a base of physicians who wish to employ rational, scientifically sound approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of autism, and who regard psychoactive drugs as their last choice, not their first.
Previously, some parents had reported to the Autism Research Institute that certain DAN!-listed practitioners they contacted were in fact not truly sympathetic to the DAN! approach, despite their having requested to be on ARI's DAN! referral list. In response to this problem, in July 2002 ARI requested all those on the DAN! practitioners list to sign a statement asserting that they subscribe to the DAN! philosophy, and conduct their practice in accordance with the DAN! philosophy. (Click here to read the DAN! philosophy statement.) They were also asked to indicate which DAN!-related interventions they offer.
The following is a list of physicians and other health practitioners who utilize the DAN Protocol in their practices and have indicated that they specifically offer interventiond for mercury and other heavy metal detoxification. While it is a current as possible, there may be changes and additions which have not been included. If you have information on other physicians who use this protocol or who no longer are in practice, please email the Webmaster of this site. We will update this list, as a service to you, on a regular basis. This list is as accurate as possible, however no claim is made that it is completely accurate. To find out for sure if a physician or practitioner on this list is using the DAN Protocol, contact their office for information. Also, note that some health care practitioners listed below are not physicians, and therefore are not able to provide many of the DAN! diagnostic and treatment options. However, many of these practitioners do provide extremely helpful treatments and advice, and may be able to suggest helpful local physicians who are not yet on the DAN! list.
You may also be interested in emailing Nancy Cale about this... she is VP of Unlocking Autism and has alot of knowledge on this her email is Nancale@aol.com Hope this helps Thank You! That is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the welcome too! Sarah Hello. I am the mother of a beautiful 17 month old dd that we suspect may be on the spectrum somewhere. I have read thru the newbie info (wow, great links!) and maybe I passed over it, but could someone direct me to a site that lists the Dan! drs. We have a ped appt next week, a hearing test the following, and a "offical" neuro appt in Oct (the first one available). We started the GF/CF diet, and man what a difference! I just can not sit back and wait when I could be helping her. From what I have researched and read, the earlier it is diagnosed the better. I would like to find a Dan! dr in NC if anyone could recommend one. Thanks, Sarah DD meet all of her milestones on time and even had words, great eye contact, waved hello and goodbye appropraitely without being prompted... Signs that have us worried it could be autism... 1. Toe-walking- increased a lot in the last 3 months 2. Lost the 5-7 words she knew. Exchanged babbling with screeches and grunts. 3. Never pointed- quit waving goodbye 4. Doesn't respond to her name alot anymore (Sometimes she does) 5. Doesn't seem to understand simple commands ie Bring Mommy your shoes, give Mommy the ball etc- Once in a great while she does 6. Likes other kids but not adults at all with the exception of me, her dad, and her grandmother. She has always been shy. Will close her eyes if a stranger tries to talk to her. On a bad day, she does this to me...
7. Little eye contact... Another thing that I didn't even realize was a (autism) problem... Seems to have forgotten how to sleep thru the night. She use to sleep from 7:30 pm to the next morning but not anymore. She is such a happy baby, always laughing and playing. I don't think we have any sensory issues and she isn't self-injurious at this time. Personally, although I am no dr, I think it is a mild case... Guess we will see. Ali, did you teach him to point or learn it in therapy, or did he just up and start pointing one day. DD has just started extending her whole arm towards something she wants occassionally, like the DVD player in the car... Sarah My son never pointed or reached up to me for me to pick him up. He said bye bye and hi at 10 months and lost it later. Never said ma ma or da da as a baby or toddler. He toe walked he made eye contact but it was fleeting. He wouldn't look at us when we called his name a lot of the time. He is 3 1/2 years old and has autism. He points now...I taught him. He reaches up when wants a hug or to be held. His language is still behind but he is quite verbal now and can say sentences like, "hey mommy lets go play trains". He has come a long way so far with therapy. I have helped him improve on pretend play and as we speak he is sitting at his little tykes table and playing with his action figures appropriately. I get in the floor with him A LOT and do social pretend play. He gets speech and OT every week and will start pre-school next Monday 5 days a week full days. Karrie Hi Sarah! Sounds like it may be the case, of course I am no expert...just a mom of a little guy who has pdd/nos...he is mild, but its still challanging, and he had little eye contact, never had words, just tons of babble, and didn't like strangers just family or someone he got to know (not a bad thing if you think of it LOL)...TERRIBLE sleeper...just started sleeping through the night at like 2 1/2...he's 4 1/2 now...ugh...he didn't point he didn't respond when I called him everytime...many of these things are typical toddler things too, so its hard, best thing is an eval...it can't hurt and if it is anything you can start getting help for her... let me give you some good news, my son now points, is talking more and more, will smile when someone talks to him, sleeps through the night!!!, and looks at us when we are talking to him...usually unless he's really busy, but even then we get him to look ...so school and therapy are key, can you get her into EI...for playgroups, s/t and o/t...(toewalking etc.) it could really help especially since she is so young! early intervention is very important, I wish I new earlier, Nicholas was 29 mths before I got his eval...and he hit all his milestones too, w/ flying colors, except for the language. I'll be thinking of you and please keep us posted!!! Hugs!!! Ali Hi Sarah, Nicholas never pointed really, but then I bought these big real picture books and I would point to say the baby for example, and point at the baby's eyes, nose and mouth and say the words and then say BABY! and Nicholas would crack up laughing...one day I found him looking at the books and pointing to the baby and try to say the same thing I did and then he looked up at me and laughed and said really loud "BA-BEEEE!" and we both cracked up... After that we worked on pointing w/ his school and there they would make him or taught him how to point to different pecs (pictures) for his needs etc... He use to bring me to the fridge make me open it up and then put my hand on the milk carton...I now make him say "I want milk" because I know he can, but when he learned to point I would make him point and instead of putting my hand on it I would tell him, you show mommy what you want...and he would resist sometimes but eventually it was second nature just like the verbalizing is becoming. Biggest advise I have on that is that once you see she can do it, make her do it as much as you can, because the few times I let him slide the next time I asked him to do it I realized he had mixed signals from me and it was difficult for him. I think her motioning her arms to her wants is great! They have a way of getting us know what they want, and w/ therapy and school and your help she will do really well! Best of luck! Ali Hello I am a mother to a 4 year old boy who was diagnossed yesterday (yeah I am already here) with PDD/NOS I am so confused I know other children with Autism and I didnt think that this was what he was displaying. Does this vary that much he talks and things but he doesnt like other people unless he gets to know them very well. He will not play with other children unless they are his siblings. I am not sure what I am trying to learn Honestly I think I am vacationing in the state of denial I just really want to know what to expect with all the testing and evals. that we are now making appointments for. He was late in develpomental everything he didnt talk till last year and he didnt walk until he was 2. I thought that i knew all i would ever need to know about autism until yesterday I have 2 brother-inlaws that are high function ( I think anyway) and This is not how he behaves or doesnt behave. Can someone please direct me to where i might be able to find out how much this can vary and things like that.
Thank You Hi April Welcome to the board! YES autism Spectrum Disorders Vary ALOT! Even 2 kids same age same diagnosis wont be the same. One might be verbal and lack social skills while the other might be nonverbal but have social skills. One might be able to sit still and not hand flap and the other be all over the place. In the For Newbies to our Forums thread there is a part in the first post that says Wondering about the differance in ASD's? Here are links to help guide you.... and there are ALOT of links there. Remember there are MANY autistic characteristics some kids may display some and some may display all but the combination varies in each individual. And Sensory issues seem to be VERY common as well. I hope this helps. a place you may want to start is http://www.childbrain.com/pdd.shtml Dr. Grossmann has provided this PDD/Autism section of our website as a clear and practical resource for patients and their families who live with one of the various forms of PDD:
Please use the links below to access the various pages of the PDD guide written by Dr. Rami Grossmann.
also Common Characteristics.... http://autism.about.com/cs/whatisautism/l/blcharac.htm
http://www.healing-arts.org/children/amyholmes.htmPractitioners who Offer Heavy Metal Detoxification Services Recommended by Dr. Amy Holmes
1002 East McDowell Road, Suite A
Phoenix, AZ 85006
tel: 602-340-8717
fax: 602-340-8720
P.O. Box 238536
830 South Coast Hwy. 101, Suite B2
Encinitas, CA 92024
tel: 760-434-5655
fax: 760-720-7437
2698 Pacific Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94115
tel: 415-346-2500
fax: 415-346-4991
1304 North Academy Blvd, #209
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
tel: 719-596-1118
fax: 719-573-9774
40 Hillside Road North
Weston, CT 06883
tel: 203-227-8444
fax: 203-227 8443
International Autism Research Center
1663 Georgie Street NE, Suite 700
Palm Bay, FL 32907
tel: 800-328-4001, 321-953-0278
fax: 321-953-0279
International Autism Research Center
1663 Georgia Street NE, Suite 700
Palm Bay, FL 32907
tel: 800-328-4001, 321-953-0278
fax: 321-953-0279
Vitality Health & Wellness
2999 NE 191st Street, #905
Aventura, FL 33180
tel: 305-466-1100
fax: 305-466-1160
2400 Herodian Way, Stuite 150
Smyrna, GA 30080
tel: 770-850-8588
fax: 770-850-8789
15 Commerce Drive, Suite 108
Grays Lake, IL 60030
tel: 847-548-0777
fax: 847-548-8899
HRI - Pfeiffer Treatment Center
1804 Centre Point Circle, Suite 102
Naperville, IL 60563
tel: 630-505-0300
fax: 630-505-1907
Department of Pediatrics
Tulane Medical Center
1430 Tulane Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70112
tel: 504-588-5800
fax: 504-584-3619
901 Dulaney Valley Road
Dulaney Center II, Suite 602
Towson, MD 21204
tel: 410-337-2707
fax: 410-337-2841
Hardy Healthcare Associates
62 Derby Street
Hingham, MA 02043
tel: 781-740-8300
fax: 781-740-8242
83 Princeton Avenue, Suite 2D
Hopewell, NJ 08525
tel: 609-466-4291
fax: 609-466-4223
15 South Main Street, Suite 6
Edison, NJ 08837
tel: 732-634-3666
fax: 732-634-8008
108 Montgomery Street
Rhinebeck, NY 12572
tel: 914-876-7082
fax: 914-876-4615
13550 Falling Water Road, #202
Strongsville, OH 44136
tel: 440-572-1136
fax: 440-572-2195
1227 Augusta West Parkway, Suite 14
Augusta, GA 30909
tel: 706-627-1301
1675 North Freedom Boulevard, #11-E
Provo, UT 84604
tel: 801-373-8500
fax: 801-373-3426
Pediatric & Adolescent Ability Center
Richmond, VA 23226
tel: 804-673-9128
fax: 804-673-9195
Children's Biomedical Center of Utah
880 East 9400 South, Suite 115
Sandy, UT 84094
tel: 801-541-5708 Index of DAN! Practitioners (by State) who Offer Mercury Detoxification and/or Other Heavy Metal Detoxification Services
Index of Practitioners By State
A Clear Practical Approach for the Parents.
Speech Issues
no speech; non-speech sounds; delayed speech; echolalia (mimicing words without any understanding of meaning); pronoun confusion; frustration with lack of speech common
Interaction Issues
lack of peer interaction; lack of eye contact; seemingly unaware of other people; treating people as objects; parallel play rather than interactive; lack of imaginative play
Behavioral Issues
not interested in being picked up/cuddled; preoccupied by hand movement; flapping hands (especially when excited or over stimulated); spinning; balancing; tiptoe walking; aggressiveness towards others; lack of interest in "normal" toys (often preferring kitchen tools); obsessive toward patterns; repetition in behavior (performing the same act over and over again, such as rewinding one section of a movie on the VCR to watch many times); lining things up; self injury; needing to live with a routine that does not change
Sensory Issues
dislike of certain sounds, textures and/or tastes; dislike of being touched; very passive or very active behavior; nervousness; unaware of various physical stimuli such as pain; covering ears at loud noises; "blanking out" in active environments; often seem to be uncomfortable in extreme temperatures
Splinter Skills
drawing; musical; math; calendars; memory; computers; mechanical ability such as complex video/audio equipment
Biological Markers
MRI scans sometimes abnormal; serotonin levels may be raised; bowel problems; some children afflicted with seizures; sleep disturbances (not requiring as much as other children of the same age); often unusually attractive children with large eyes
Hi,
I think the diet is great, our son is now 7.5 years old and doing wonderfully. Mainstreamed without support in 2d grade next year. For him, the key was diet PLUS aba intervention. He started at 2.5 years old. We never quite were able to do 40hours per week until he started preschool. Our consultant came from a wonderful organization in MD called CSAAC (301) 762-1650. They do early intervention and also work with school age children and adults.