Atlanta conference tackles autism from many angles

For years, the Autism Research Institute has been considered the hub of a worldwide network of parents and professionals seeking the cause and cure for autism and those affected by it.

Cheryl and Charles Phillips know that, and so they intend to be in the mix at this week’s Defeat Autism Now! conference that began Thursday.

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So will an estimated 1,200 other parents and professionals, organizers say.

“We’re always willing to learn more and am constantly finding out new things,” said Cheryl Phillips of Brooks, southeast of Peachtree City.

The conference is one of two autism-related events planned here. The 2009 Georgia Walk Now for Autism will be May 3 in Atlantic Station.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 138 children in Georgia have an autism spectrum disorder, higher than the national average of 1 in 150.

Autism was believed to be an incurable genetic disorder, but new research is challenging that notion, said Elizabeth Mumper, medical director of the Autism Research Institute, a nonprofit which runs research and disseminates information about medical problems of children with autism.

Mumper said that research shows that those with autism frequently have underlying medical disorders that impair the neurological, gastrointestinal, metabolic and immune systems, and when these problems are accurately diagnosed and treated, the symptoms of autism often improve, sometimes to the point that the child is no longer classified as autistic.

Phillips’ son Connor, 6, was diagnosed with autism in October 2006 after she and his father noticed he no longer made eye contact with them, wasn’t sleeping at night and was late developing speech.

They were researching his condition on the Internet when they stumbled upon the Autism Research Institute’s Web site.

“I began learning more and more about the biomedical approach to autism and within weeks of putting him on a gluten- and casein-free diet, started to see improvement,” said Phillips. “He became more aware of his surrounding and started making eye contact again.”

Mumper says the institute uses a variety of treatments such as diets that address food sensitivity, nutritional supplements that add missing enzymes and vitamins for biochemical reactions in the body.

The paradigm shift is from thinking of autism as being dealt certain genetic cards that you can’t change to having medical problems that may be influenced by your environment and are therefore potentially treatable.

Not everyone is convinced autism is a curable disorder.

Jeff Chiusano of Duluth said he views autism the same way he does cancer. Cancers may go into remission but they also can come back, he said.

“Serious medical conditions can’t be cured,” said Chiusano, “but you can find a way to live with them.”

Chiusano’s 6-year-old son Joey was just 2 when he was diagnosed with autism.

In addition to having a one-word vocabulary, Chiusano said his first-born preferred to play alone and had “meltdowns” that sometimes would last an hour.

In June 2005, he started treatment at the Marcus Autism Center’s Early Intervention Program, where he has received both speech and occupational therapy.

“Now he’s doing very, very well,” said Chiusano. “He’s fully verbal now, and although he sometimes self-segregates, he plays with others.”

While Chiusano acknowledged there are probably several different causes of autism, he said he doesn’t care about the labels.

“All I care about is what is the kid doing right now and how best to help him,” he said.