Our family recently received the best Christmas gift. That gift was the “return” of our 5-year-old grandson Eli, who was taken from us at age two by an “illness” and given the label “autistic.” That gift was delivered by a caring Pediatrician, Michael J. Goldberg MD.
For the past three years Eli has been subjected to intense therapies including, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), speech and occupational therapies at a cost of approximately $50,000 per year with minimal success. His expressive language consisted of one or two word phrases. Tantrums, outbursts of screaming and other autistic like behaviors were daily occurrences. Trips to the park consisted of Eli sitting in the sand box digging holes or making a “volcano” (mound) in the sand. There was no interaction with other children at the park.
In an effort to provide socialization my daughter, Amy enrolled Eli in a private Pre K- K learning center. The teacher, a former 20-year public school kindergarten teacher (the one everyone wanted for their child) opened the learning center to give typical children a head start before they went into first grade. She had no special needs children and no experience with an autistic child. Amy convinced her to take Eli on a trial basis provided his ABA aide was present at all times to control him.
Eli would enter the class and immediately go to the toy box, lie on the floor and proceed to hoard the toys. The aide would lead him to a rack to hang his backpack and sit a table with the other children. His attention span was about 2-3 minutes and then back to the toys, until the next task. On the playground he would stay by himself against the fence or dig in the sand box.
On November 2, 2012 Eli’s life and the life of his family was changed with a visit to Michael J. Goldberg MD, a pediatrician in Tarzana. Dr. Goldberg over the last 20-plus years has found that approximately 90 percent of the “autistic’ children he sees, test positive for a virus that affects the brain resulting in the manifestation of autistic-like symptoms and behaviors.
Dr. Goldberg has also discovered a very high percentage of these “autistic” children also have allergies. Dr. Goldberg is of the opinion these children’s immune systems are unable to successfully thwart the virus because the allergies stress to the immune system. He has/is successfully treating these children and teenagers, including my 5-year-old grandson Eli with anti-viral and anti-fungal medications. In addition Eli’s diet has been modified to eliminate certain foods with known allergenic properties that can stress the immune system.
Eli started his anti-viral medication on a Friday. On Sunday, my daughter noticed he had slept through the night. On Monday through Thursday, the teacher commented he was increasingly more focused and his behavior was improving. On Friday the teacher called Amy from the classroom and said Eli had ignored the toys, walked in, hung up his backpack and sat at table with the rest of the children. On Saturday (one week after starting the medication) Amy was making breakfast and heard a voice say, “Hi Mom.” She turned thinking it was her older son. It was Eli. This was the first time he had ever said that. Her husband Josh, asked. ‘Where did that come from?”
Below are two emails from Julie, Eli’s teacher.
“Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2012 15:34:49 -0700
Subject: WAY TO GO, ELI
Amy and Josh,
It is days like today that make teaching more rewarding than ever! I am thrilled beyond words at how well Eli did today. I find myself going to work in the morning wondering what progress we will see for that day. Today I LOVED seeing him say, “CHEESE” when we took the attached pictures, listening to him sing song after song, watching him call the names of each classmate to line up, having him proudly show me the reindeer he made at centers, watching him play chase with the kids at recess and seeing him smile more than ever. The attached pictures document only a portion of his success today. Enjoy your weekend with Eli and observing all the changes that excite us all! I can’t wait to see what Monday brings!
Julie”
“Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:19:51 -0700
Subject: ELI
Amy and Josh,
As a teacher, today was one of those days you dream about in theory, but are not sure it will really happen. I was so emotional by the time Eli’s day ended. I have been teaching for 30 years and have never witnessed anything like today! Amy, as I spoke with you on the phone last night, I was so excited. It was hard to believe then, that today could have topped yesterday. I am starting to realize that there are no limits to what the day will bring! As I mentioned, now that Eli is starting to interact appropriately with his peers, the reinforcement and encouragement from the children adds another positive dimension. Here are some of the highlights from today:
- Center time is a joy now. He works HARD with Dawn (his aide). It’s amazing what he is showing us he knows. It is also a wonderful time for his language to be developed. I can tell he is becoming more attached to Dawn too. Today he put her chair close to his and asked her to sit down at the centers with him.
- Recess is amazing! We start by having him call the names of the kids to line-up. He is starting to say a name or two on his own. Outside he looks so happy, runs with his peers, seems interested when peers initiate contact with him, uses lots of language, comes in willingly and walks in the line appropriately. One of the girls in my class shared a story with me of an encounter she had on the playground with Eli.
Classmate: What are doing, Eli?
Eli: I am making a castle.
This child was so excited to tell me that “Eli used his own words!”
The kids are celebrating his progress and are ecstatic with each accomplishment! I had teared up many times. What all of the staff continues to repeat daily is:
1. How physically different Eli looks
2. How happy he seems
3. How the language is flowing all day long. The phrases are turning into sentences and his words are his own. He also is coming up with ways to express what he needs, when he doesn’t have the exact words.
As I read over my words, it still can’t truly express the difference I am seeing! I can’t imagine what tomorrow will bring. I really feel that I am witnessing a miracle each day. What a happy, lovable little boy has been inside that body! I can’t think of a better gift this holiday season!” What do you think tomorrow will bring?
Julie
After 90 days of following Dr. Goldberg’s protocol, the results in Eli have been nothing short of a miracle. No tantrums, head banging, screaming, he is a bright eyed, aware of his surroundings, inquisitive little boy. His speech therapist said, “This is not the Eli I have been working with for two years.” He runs to me, says “Hi Papa” and gives me a hug. He tells his dad “Bye, see you later” when he leaves for work. For the first time in two years Eli and his family went to a “sit down” restaurant. He is interacting with other children appropriately, engaging them and initiating play. Eli is functioning psycho-socially at about a 3-year age level and is now beginning to catch-up.
I accompanied my daughter and son-in-law to the first appointment (two hours) to make sure Dr. Goldberg was not some “snake oil selling charlatan” tying to take advantage of vulnerable parents. What I found was a caring pediatrician, who with a blood test found a virus in Eli that causes autistic like symptoms and behaviors. The only charge was for an office visit and a prescription for an anti-viral medication filled at a Walgreens.
As Dr. Goldberg said, “With 1 of 88 children being diagnosed as “Autistic” we are in the middle of an epidemic. Yet, scientifically, an epidemic cannot be to due a developmental or genetic disorder, it can only be caused by a disease process.”
For more information about Dr. Goldberg go to www.NIDS.net and read his book “The Myth of Autism” for complete details of his approach and treatment of this medical epidemic.