Article written by Bernard Rimland, Ph.D.
The Autism Research Institute has begun mailing out the long-awaited consensus report of the Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) conference held last year in Dallas. As readers of the Autism Research Review International (ARRI) know, the DAN! conference brought together many of the outstanding researchers and physicians in the autism world, from the U.S. and Europe, to share their findings and ideas on the best way to identify and treat the various biomedical problems which are among the causes of autism.
Input from the Dallas conference attendees was compiled and edited by two widely experienced and highly respected individuals, Sidney M. Baker, M.D., and Jon Pangborn, Ph.D. The 40-page manual ("Clinical Assessment Options for Children with Autism and Related Disorders") is a state-of-the-art compendium of the most appropriate biomedical laboratory tests, the procedures for submitting samples to the laboratories, the preferred labs for each test, flow charts for helping decide on the best diagnostic and therapeutic strategy, and much more.
The protocol represents a giant step forward in identifying and treating the root causes of many cases of autism.
This is a very exciting time. Decades ago we left behind the theory that bad mothering causes autism. That was a bad idea, and I'm pleased that my 1964 book, Infantile Autism, is widely credited as a major reason for its abandonment. Now we are leaving behind another bad and non-productive idea: the notion that drugs developed for other problems-depression, schizophrenia, weight loss, hyperactivity, etc.-are the treatments of choice for autism. Not so!
PROTOCOLS AVAILABLE. To order a copy of the DAN! protocol, send $25.00 (California residents add $1.75 tax) to: Autism Research Institute, 4182 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116, U.S.A.
CHICAGO DAN! MEETING. A tutorial seminar for health care practitioners, based on the DAN! protocol, has been scheduled at a site near Chicago's O'Hare Airport for June 15 and 16, 1996. The instructors will include Drs. Baker and Pangborn and renowned immunologist Sudhir Gupta, M.D., Ph.D., whose pioneering research on IGIV treatment of autism has gained world-wide attention. Representatives of the various laboratories will be present to explain procedures and interpret findings. Since there will be limited space, preference will be given to physicians and other practitioners who wish to use the protocol in their practice. Non-practitioners will be admitted on a space- available basis. For an application form, write the Autism Research Institute, 4182 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116, or fax ARI at (619) 563-6840.
This article appeared in the Autism Research Review International,
1996, Volume 10, No. 1. To obtain a sample copy of this
quarterly newsletter, write to the Autism Research Institute.