Errata on autism

Errata on autism

This is in reference to the article Parents struggle to help
child with autism published in the Sunday edition of The Jakarta
Post on June 6, 1999, written by Agni Amorita.

With due respect to the people involved, I would like to
submit several corrections on the following paragraph as the
information was misleading:

"Medication continued in various ways. Dwi once tried a high
dose vitamin E treatment on the advice of Dr. Diah Puspita,
treasurer of the Indonesian Autism Foundation. The treatment had
been effective for Diah's son, Irsan, who also suffered from
autism. Irsan, then six years old, finally managed to drink water
by himself."

1. I am a psychologist, graduated from the University of
Indonesia, but not and never will be a medical doctor.

2. Due to my professional background, I would have never
advised anyone to take any kind of medication, especially high
doses of vitamin E. There is a big misunderstanding here. Yes, I
gave my son a megadose vitamin treatment, based on the research
done by Prof. Dr. Bernard Rimland of the Autism Research
Institute in San Diego, U.S.A. The treatment consists of a very
high dose mixture of vitamins and minerals, mainly vitamin B and
magnesium, not vitamin E.

Yes, my son has had a lot of improvement during the treatment
of the megadose, but he was then under the strict supervision of
a pediatrician here in Jakarta to get the most effective dosage.
The mixture itself had to be imported straight from the U.S. as
there was none available in Jakarta.

3. My son's name is Ikhsan, not Irsan. He is autistic, but
hopefully he is not suffering. He has been able to help himself
since he was only three years old, not when he was already six
years old, and certainly not because of the megadose vitamin
treatment. He was able to accomplish so many things due to the
therapies he received, particularly the one-on-one structured
individual therapy using Applied Behavioral Analysis.

4. I am presently the head of Academic/Training Affairs in the
Indonesian Autism Foundation, but not and never will be the
treasurer.

If I am not mistaken, the only conversations I had with Pak
Dwi were by phone and through e-mail over two years ago (Ikhsan
is 8.5 years old now). I'm disappointed that he or the writer did
not put any effort into cross-checking the information with me or
any other person, as the paragraph contained mistakes and
misleading information.

Should there be any inquiries about autism or what people
should do to treat autistic individuals, we in the Indonesian
Autism Foundation would be very glad to furnish detailed,
scientific and up-to-date information for families and
professionals. Do not hesitate to contact us at 797-1945. We are
mostly parents and or professionals who are concerned with the
welfare of autistic individuals.

DYAH PUSPITA

South Jakarta