Autism

I just read Frank del Olmo’s article (“A Child Untickled by the New Elmo,” Commentary, Dec. 22) about his son’s progress with autism, and I am thrilled with the coverage. Too often the media have covered the miracle cures and instantaneous recovery stories, and though those are dramatic, they are few and far between in the real world of autism. What is working is the type of approach that Del Olmo describes, an intensive (and expensive) behavioral approach to teaching children with very different neurological systems. It is a lot of hard work for the children, the parents and the professionals who are of the attitude that we can teach them almost anything if we break it down into its simplest components and present it repeatedly until it is ingrained into their systems.

This method of teaching is not unlike learning to play a musical instrument or hit a golf ball. It is not mysterious or cruel or something that teachers cannot use in a classroom. Most important, it works. Not all children will “recover” but almost all will improve and begin to learn how to learn. For this reason, we persevere.

When people like Del Olmo provide this kind of positive information, it helps us further educate the school systems, medical professionals and the public about what autism is and how we can help our kids to be the best they can be.

JOANNA JAEGER, Co-chair

Families for Early Autism

Treatment, Greater Bay Area

Santa Clara