Medicine and the neurosciences have come a long way in further understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders from the days when Autism Spectrum Disorders were viewed as a form of childhood schizophrenia, or mistakenly seen as due to poor parenting. Neuroimaging studies have enabled physicians to better understand a neurophysiologic basis for the symptoms of Autism.
Sometimes, medical advances or breakthroughs occur as a result of “serendipity”. Such was the case 12 years ago at the Drake Institute of Behavioral Medicine in Los Angeles in the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders.
It all began one day when a family brought their 6 year old son , diagnosed with Autism, to the Drake Institute to seek help through their treatment program using neurofeedback (EEG biofeedback). Up until that time, the Drake Institute had focused its efforts on helping ADHD or ADD utilizing neurofeedback with considerable success. The Institute had not been treating children with Autism. In interviewing the parents of this Autistic boy, it was discovered that the child also suffered from all of the combined symptoms of ADHD in addition to his core symptoms of Autism. This is not unusual in Autistic children. This child only spoke in 2-word phrases.
Since the Drake Institute at that time had no experience in treating Autism Spectrum Disorder patients, the Drake Institute recommended only treatment for the ADHD symptoms to see if the child would respond favorably to at least an improvement in the ADHD symptoms. Only 20 neurofeedback treatments were recommended initially, rather than the usual 40.
