Product Description

When their nineteen-month-old son, Miles, was diagnosed with autism, Karyn Seroussi, a writer, and her husband, a scientist, fought back with the only weapons at their disposal: love and research. Consulting medical papers, surfacing the Web, and networking with other parents, they traced the onset of their child's problems to an immune system breakdown that coincided with his vaccinations. As a result, his digestive system was unable to break down certain proteins, which in turn led to abnormal brain development. So Karyn and her husband got to work -- Karyn implementing their program at home while her husband tested his theories at the scientific lab where he worked.

Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder is an inspiring and suspenseful chronicle of how one couple empowered themselves to challenge the medical establishment that promised no hope -- and found a cure for their child.

Here are the explanations and treatments they so carefully researched and discovered, a wealth of crucial tools and hands-on information that can help other parents reverse the effects of autism and PDD, including step-by-step instructions for the removal of dairy and gluten from the diet, special recipes, and an explanation of the roles of the key players in autism research.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #156886 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-08
• Released on: 2002-01-08
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 8.00" h x .73" w x 5.16" l, .56 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
What can be more devastating for parents than to learn that their child is autistic? The severely debilitating neurological disorder, which affects social and language development, can be difficult to treat. When her son was diagnosed with autism at 19 months, Seroussi, a small-business owner and wife of a research chemist, determined to do everything in her power to help her child achieve normal functioning. In addition to pursuing recommended speech and behavior modification therapies for her son, Seroussi devoted her considerable energies--often against medical advice--to researching alternative approaches. Her own experience and a growing body of scientific evidence pointed to connections between autism and diet. And though the theory has not yet been proven, Seroussi says, research now suggests that autism may be an autoimmune disorder triggered in rare cases by an infant's measles-mumps-rubella immunizations. Convinced that the inability to digest certain proteins was contributing to her son's condition and that his autism was related to his reaction to MMR vaccines, Seroussi eliminated suspect foods from his diet; he made such dramatic improvement that, by age four, he was functioning normally. Now a crusader for dietary intervention, Seroussi has written a book that will give hope to many families--though she cautions that not every autistic child responds to such treatment. She includes a FAQ section, gluten- and casein-free recipes and resources, and a list of organizations and readings. Agent, Kathi Paton. (Feb.) FYI: Seroussi is co-founder of ANDI (the Autism Network for Dietary Intervention) and co-editor of the ANDI News.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Jeff Bradstreet, M.D. Director, Autism Research Center, Palm Bay, Florida, and the father of a five-year-old recovering from autism Karyn Seroussi offers us a researcher's insight, with a mother's touch, into what may be the greatest issue for America's children -- the reasons for the recent epidemic of autism. The book reads as much like a detective novel, a personal diary, and an Internet chat room as it does a fine, critical assessment of this complex disorder.

About the Author
Karyn Seroussi, a freelance writer, is the cofounder of the Autism Network for Dietary Intervention (ANDI) and coeditor of ANDI News, a quarterly publication for parents of children with autism using biological intervention.