Children with Autism: Can it be Cured?

Nina Ltief is one mother who believes her sons’ autism was cures. Nina had two twin boys who at an early age were diagnosed with autism shortly after contracting a virus that eventually spread to their intestines. Soon after, they started to display the symptoms synonymous with autism lack of, eye contact, interaction with their environment, and communication. As the years went by, with no improvement and two boys who seemed further and further from reach, permanent hospice or home seemed to be the solution. That was, until she uncovered a form of treatment, bio medical detoxify, that according to her, after  two months seemed to cure both sons of any symptoms of autism [2].
 
Elizabeth Scott, is another woman whose son at 18 months was diagnosed with autism but by the time he was four he no longer placed on the spectrum. After the initial diagnosis and watching her child slip away, she took drastic measures in treatment, which included quitting her job and intense around the clock study program with her son [3].
 
These mothers are not alone, according to one study 38% of children who were once placed on the autism spectrum are no longer classified as autistic. Why is that? Is it misdiagnosis? Are there cures?  Is there something that is being over looked?  In each case the miracle cure was two different forms; one a biological response to the autism symptoms and, the other a corrective educational therapy. How can two extreme forms of autism therapy be the key or can they [4]?
 
According to some, there are two different types of autism. One that is created since birth and the other is autism that is brought on by environmental factors and the child is usually placed on the autism spectrum around the two year age mark. Nina Ltief and other supporters of this theory believe that by combating the environmental factors they can basically “cure” their child of autism. Like Jenny Mccarthy, whose son was too once diagnosed with autism, but after this detoxification therapy now seems to display no symptoms, diet and exposure to medication is taken considerably into heavy consideration [2].
 
Another answer may be as simple as the misdiagnosis or the over diagnosis of autism. As more and more parents are being urged to test their children at younger ages, difficulties arise in trying to diagnose a child at 18 months than at 6 years of ages.  Delay in speaking, one of the major symptoms of speaking, can be attributed to anything from mental retardation, autism, hearing impairment, second language, amongst other things [5]. Another theory on over diagnosis and misdiagnosis can be attributed to medical expenditure. It is believed that some parents are encouraged to early or misdiagnosis of autism to get the needed therapy, rehabilitation for their child. Speech therapy class is more easily provided to a child diagnosed with autism than a child whose condition may remain unknown [6].
 
Unfortunately, for a parent of an autistic child, navigating can be minefield. Studies seem to contradict each other, most doctors will state there is no cure.  Yet, there remain a handful of parents who believe that their children no longer place on the autism spectrum. Perhaps with a condition, so transitory and shifting in nature, there is no one solution, what may work for one child may not work with another.  If the causes are a mixture of the biological and the environmental; maybe the cure for autism lies somewhere in between. Or maybe after years of study, we are not even closer to knowing what autism is?  If we can’t agree on the proper diagnosis, attributions of this condition, how can we even begin to attempt to find a cure for Autism?