ARI Publication 40 – 2013 Version

Summary

Autism is a very complex disorder, and  involves many genetic and environmental factors
that are not well-understood. However, there are many biomedical abnormalities that have
been identified, and most can be treated to some degree. By following the testing and
treatments outlined above, many individuals will improve to some degree, usually slowly
and steadily over months and years. Sometimes one treatment shows great benefit, but it
is more common that each treatment helps a small amount. However, the cumulative
effect of multiple treatments can be substantial.

Much of the research on biomedical interventions has focused on children. Research is
needed to understand their effectiveness on teenagers and adults on the autism spectrum,
but it seems likely that many of the treatments listed here will also be helpful to teens and
adults.

Much more research is needed to improve on these treatments and to determine which
individuals are most likely to benefit from a given treatment, and to discover new
treatments.

For more information, I encourage you to go to the website of the Autism Research
Institute (www.autism.com) and attend their conferences.

Please consider filling out the ARI Treatment Effectiveness Survey at www.autism.com, to
share your experiences with other families.

To read case studies of children who have greatly improved from biomedical approaches,
see “Recovering Autistic Children” by Stephen Edelson, Ph.D., and Bernard Rimland, Ph.D.,
available from www.autism.com.

I encourage you to support research on new treatments for autism by donating to the
Autism Research Institute at www.autism.com -your donations can make a difference.

Good luck in your journey.

James B. Adams, Ph.D.
http://autism.asu.edu

52