Sunday, June 17, 2007
What is Mike's Behavior Like?
What is Mike's behavior like? He is very impulsive and lives in the moment. He has extreme difficulty with amusing himself, and wants attention all the time. He argues with authority more than his peers. This would be typical behavior for a very young child, not a 14-year-old. His real diagnosis is PDD-NOS, for pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified.
There is a theory that a hallmark of autism is lack of mirror cells in the brain. These mirror cells allow the individual to understand what someone else is thinking and might do next. Mike is unusual in that he does seem to have mirror cells. He can predict what I will do next, if he can focus on that. He can see emotion on my face and mirror it. For example, at his eighth grade graduation recently, I was looking at him with misty eyes from across the room, and he teared up too. This is something his sister Shannon would not do. Her diagnosis is Asperger's. She is 19. Of course, if this protocol is of value for Mike, we will try it on her too, if she is willing.
There is a theory that a hallmark of autism is lack of mirror cells in the brain. These mirror cells allow the individual to understand what someone else is thinking and might do next. Mike is unusual in that he does seem to have mirror cells. He can predict what I will do next, if he can focus on that. He can see emotion on my face and mirror it. For example, at his eighth grade graduation recently, I was looking at him with misty eyes from across the room, and he teared up too. This is something his sister Shannon would not do. Her diagnosis is Asperger's. She is 19. Of course, if this protocol is of value for Mike, we will try it on her too, if she is willing.
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This blog describes how we started out on the protocol by Dr. Amy Yasko, who many say has cured or improved children with autism using a genetic-based nutrition therapy.