Mar 25, 2009 7:00 pm US/Pacific
Mom Details Son's Recovery From Autism
DALLAS (CBS) ―
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Elizabeth Scott said she applied occupational therapy techniques and her own 'home therapy' to help her child overcome autism.
It was devastating news for the Scott family. At 18 months of age, their son, Roman was diagnosed with Autism. But mother Elizabeth Scott said she applied occupational therapy
techniques and her own 'home therapy' to help her child overcome autism.
Looking and listening to Roman today, you might not believe the Dallas-area seven-year-old was diagnosed with Autism. One of Roman's favorite subjects in school is math, "Because I like to add, subtract and do multiplication," he explains to CBS station KTVT-TV.
By age two, Roman displayed at least 45 symptoms on the Autism spectrum and was completely non-verbal.
"He couldn't talk. He couldn't eat, because he was constantly choking on food," Scott said. "He would run 60 laps a day around our family room."
Scott took Roman to speech and occupational therapy, but said she knew it wouldn't be enough.
"So, in addition I applied the techniques the therapist taught me and developed my own in home therapy program that I call 'Skills and Drills,'" Scott said.
Scott developed the techniques using her background in elementary education, KTVT-TV reported. She worked with Roman 10 hours a day, every day, for nearly three years.
"Each skill and drill was designed to achieve a specific goal," Scott said. "And everything that he was afraid to do and could not do, I had to encourage him to do and teach him to do."
Destructive behavior by Roman would be redirected into learning activities and meaningful play -- like shooting hoops. Roman was also afraid of rain, so Scott took him outside during storms and held him until he was able to overcome his fear.
Scott wrote a book about her methods, titled "Raindrops on Roman."
"I wrote this book to share my information to possibly help others overcome Autism," Scott said.
Scott stresses that parents of Autistic children need to be committed to what she calls a "CRS" plan, which stands for consistency, repetition and structure.
"Consistency -- meaning every day. Repetitive -- repeat the skill over and over again, until mastered and it needs to be done in a structured or familiar environment such as a home or pre-school," she explained.
While praising Scott's dedication and success, Dr. Carolyn Garver, from the Autism Treatment Centers of Texas cautions that recovery from Autism is rare and means different things to different people.
"She did something very unique, worked really hard and it paid off for her," Garver said. "I really haven't encountered that many people who've been recovered. I can't say that it can't happen."
With early intervention and the right tools and skills, some children with autism can grow to become independent adults, Garver said.
"Every little step that these kids can do, that they didn't do before, is a success and that's how you have to measure," Garver said.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth says every one of Roman's 45 symptoms are now gone. He's in a traditional 1st grade class, plays sports, and has an active social life with kids his age. The North Texas mother is convinced that her methods can work for other children.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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