9/9/08

(great article in today's free press, the walk/race mentioned is the one I wrote about a week or so ago, I'll be participating in that as well.

I know I've had some downer posts lately so I thought this one would be a great pick me up. Another successful recovery story :)




When Teresa Summers first learned her son, Sam, had autism she felt as if her world crumbled.



"You imagine the worse-case scenario," said Summers, 43, a single mom in Hazel Park. "Many children are institutionalized and never live independently. Many have aggressive behaviors. You mourn the loss of the future you'd planned for your child."
But rather than wallow in despair, Summers got busy, researching information on the Internet and seeking sources of assistance.
Sam was 16 months old when he was diagnosed with autism, a neurological disorder.
Within weeks of putting her son on a special diet that she learned about through her research, Summers began to see signs of improvement.
By the time he was 3 1/2, doctors no longer categorized him as autistic. Since kindergarten, he has attended regular classes in a regular school.
After Sam started kindergarten, Summers began doing volunteer work to help other parents. Her volunteer work led to a paid position at the Judson Center, working at the Royal Oak and Clinton Township offices where she is an office coordinator.
The Judson Center, a nonprofit social service agency with offices in 10 Michigan counties, offers services aimed at helping children, families and adults cope with and overcome various challenges.
On Saturday, Teresa and Sam Summer will walk in the second annual Duffey Adams Run for Autism at Kensington Metro Park in Milford. All proceeds raised will benefit the Judson Center's Autism Connections Scholarship Fund, which helps families pay for services at the center that they otherwise would not be able to afford.
Summers formed a team called Sam's Super Stars and hopes to raise $1,000.
"I have a very strong desire to help other families, to give them hope and put them on the path to helping other children reach their potential," Summers said Monday. "All children are different. But all children can make progress."
The strategy that helped Sam progress is similar to a plan popularized by actress Jenny McCarthy, who found great success using it with her son, Evan.
The plan involves removing wheat and dairy from a child's diet and adding nutritional supplements. It also bans artificial preservatives, food color and dyes. It's commonly referred to as the GFCF diet for gluten-free, casein free.
Summers put Sam on the diet when he was 19 months old, 3 months after a friend suggested he be checked for autism.
There were signs that something wasn't quite right.
He didn't speak or gesture, he didn't play with toys the way other kids did, he had very bad temper tantrums and he expressed little or no response or affection to people, even his mother.
Two weeks after starting the diet, her son went from saying no words to 20.
Summers said the memory she cherishes most is when Sam looked up and smiled at her. This happened one day a few weeks after beginning the dietary intervention.
"I wouldn't have believed it," she said. "It felt like God had given me my little boy back!"
In addition to the diet, a behavioral therapist worked one-on-one with Sam.
He also participated in small group therapy sessions at the Judson Center.
Summers offers this advice for other parents: "Become your child's advocate. Trust your instincts. And never ever give up hope."