Homeopathic treatment for pervasive developmental disorder

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, July, 2005 by Robert Ullman, Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman

(This case is excerpted from our new book, A Drug-Free Approach to Asperger Syndrome and Autism: Homeopathic Care for Exceptional Kids.: Edmonds, Washington: Picnic Point Press. 2005)

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Paolo: Free Trogs and Cracknutters

Paolo, eight years old, was adopted from a Brazilian orphanage. A charmer from the get-go, everyone who met the child was mesmerized by his contagious smile and liquid brown eyes. With strangers, Paolo was quite gregarious. At home, he was the opposite--cranky, complaining, and constantly dissatisfied. Paolo's mom recounted how a "demon look" would come over his face, at which time he would behave as if he were drunk. During these episodes, Paolo would roll his eyes wildly, run around frenetically, and literally bounce off the walls. The child's outbursts were even more extreme after ingesting food colorings, additives and preservatives. This marked correlation had led his mother to put him on the Feingold diet, which had clearly helped to some degree. One particular afternoon, Paolo, unbeknownst to his mother, had pilfered some food-coloring-laden candy in the supermarket. That evening, in church, he sang and whistled for an hour straight. His parents' reproaches didn't faze him in the least. Rebellious against his restricted diet, Paolo ate any "forbidden" food he could get his hands on.

Paolo's incessant "whys" exhausted even the patience of an adoring mother. After he would ask "What is Paolo doing?" five or ten times, though the answer was quite obvious, his mother would finally gave in and tell him. Rather than being content with her answer, the interrogation now switched to, "Why is Paolo doing it?" Instead of using "I" when referring to himself, he often began his sentences with his own name, referring to himself in the third person: "Paolo wants to go to the store today." Dyslexic, the boy routinely mixed up words and phrases and reversed letters, even whole words--"free trog" instead of "tree frog," "Acrifa" for "Africa," "cracknutter" for "nutcracker," and "lawn the mow" instead of "mow the lawn."

Talk About the Leopard I Am

Paolo loved to torment the family cat by grabbing her from behind or frightening her with sticks. The cat knew to steer clear of him, especially if he was in one of his strange moods. Paolo also loved to pretend he was an animal. Whenever he saw an animal, either in real life or in a book or video, Paolo became that creature, and begged his parents to share, in explicit detail, everything they knew about that kind of animal. "Talk about the leopard I am. Tell me his name and what he eats for dinner." When he first arrived from Brazil, he ate his food from a dish on the floor, just like their kitty. Other unusual mannerisms included swiveling his head from side to side and sucking his thumb while rolling on the floor. The youngster had the habit of touching and smelling everything he picked up. He also insisted that his mother take both parts of their conversations, and that she say aloud certain phrases just as he instructed.

Paolo was not much interested in going outside, though he occasionally threw his baseball bat around the yard or played briefly on the swing. Even inside, it was hard for the child to find an activity he enjoyed. Drawing and coloring were no fun. Only videos or listening to books read to him by his parents held the boy's interest for very long. Paolo liked being with other children, but they avoided him. Consequently, Paolo had no one he could call a friend.

Bob the Builder and Hot Dogs, Cool Cats

More than willing to participate in the homeopathic interview, Paolo immediately contradicted his mother by assuring us that he had plenty of friends, and loved playing outside. He also described how much he liked building towers with blocks, then knocking them down for fun. He enjoyed his Bob the Builder video, because "Bob was a worker, who had a machine and built with wood." Another favorite video was Hot Dogs, Cool Cats. In fact, Paolo admitted his affinity for all kinds of animals--cats, squirrels, bunnies, leopards and parakeets. He liked to play hide and seek with his cat, Thomas, and in quiet moments, drew pictures of the kitty. "Thomas is the bravest cat I've ever met!" exclaimed Paolo.

Paolo was an active child. He was always twisting himself in the phone cord, or rolling in the car, across the floor, or in bed. Thumb sucking and drooling were also frequent, as were spinning, banging, and crashing into whatever obstacles were in his way. Paolo also had the habit of spinning his toys. Even during quiet play, Paolo would mutter with agitation and make random threats like "I'll hit you and put you in jail."

Reaction to an MMR Vaccine

One possible source of Paolo's developmental and social delay was a severe reaction to the MMR vaccine at 27 months, shortly after he was adopted. The boy immediately developed an inflamed lump on his buttocks, and limped around irritably for days. Afterwards Paolo was far more upset than before the immunization and screamed inconsolably. The shrieking continued with frequency throughout his toddler-hood. Paolo lost nearly two years of language development, and his motor skills and balance declined as well. He lost any knowledge of how to play and, if given toys, would simply not know what to do with them. Prior to the immunization, despite having been raised in an orphanage, the boy's development appeared normal. Actually, Paolo had been the darling of the orphanage, so much so that he had been given a crib with a view!