UPDATED 11/07
Purchase the DVD Reaching Raja: A Miraculous Journey into Autism Recovery
Discover the film veiwers are calling "beautiful", "touching", "inspirational", and "wonderful". This 90-minute educational documentary provides a rare window into the experience of healing severe autism.
For additional information, or to see the trailer,
click here.
AUTISM RECOVERY EDUCATION REPORTS: The Power of Information to Transform Limitation. Click here to learn more and to see the full choices of reports. Click here to order.
Hello! I'm Michelle Cheney and this is my beautiful son, Raja, who is recovering from autism. Formerly confined to the heartbreaking limitations of severe autism, Raja's miraculous, ongoing rehabilitation is the joy of my life. We developed this web site to share our knowledge and experience of autism recovery and to help and encourage others in the pursuit of rehabilitation.
Background
Our unexpected entrance into the special needs world began in 1999, three months before Raja turned three years old. Based on language delay, Raja's pediatrician referred him to a local Early Intervention program whereby a team of developmental evaluators pronounced him developmentally delayed. Seven months later Raja was diagnosed with autism. Devastated to learn that my beloved son had mysteriously become developmentally delayed and subsequently autistic, I was determined to understand his condition.
Unable to speak, dress himself, toilet train, or exercise any level of self-care, Raja was terrified of people, noises, and new experiences. Additionally, the difficult and exhausting combination of tactile defensiveness, hypersensitivities, disordered sleep, lack of language, lack of attention span, and inability to learn dictated our lives. However, the real anguish was recalling the happy and intelligent infant and toddler Raja had once been and the unhappy and antisocial boy he had become.
Desperate for help, I asked every pediatric professional I encountered what caused developmental delay and autism; no one knew. Baffled and disturbed by this lack of information, I spent hours conducting research and analyzing Raja's life, searching for answers to the questions that plagued me. How did Raja become developmentally delayed? How did he subsequently become autistic? Most importantly, how could I stop this terrifying downward spiral and recover my son, the sparkly-eyed boy who was once so curious and vibrant?
Experimenting with every intervention from vitamin supplements to parasite detoxification, Raja began achieving spontaneous developmental gain when I abandoned a generalized approach and addressed his needs individually. What happened then was amazing: Raja's attention span increased; he demonstrated a voracious appetite for learning; his sleeping patterns normalized; he was fully toilet trained in two weeks; he spoke his first word within four months.
Raja talks, sings, dances, plays, reads, laughs, and smiles. His tactile defensiveness and sensory hypersensitivities are gone. His gross- and fine-motor skills have returned. He displays empathy and imagination. He enjoys new experiences. He looks forward to playing with other children and making friends. Best of all, Raja is no longer overwhelmed by life; he is embracing it. On August 21, 2001, Raja wrapped his arms around my neck, looked deeply into my eyes, and said, "I love you, Mama." Clearly, autism recovery is not just possible; it is miraculous! Please see his progress report here from first grade!! This is NOW, not in the future, Raja is not only functioning in mainstream public schooling but thriving!
The suffering that results from autism's numerous, ongoing demands and limitations is engulfing. Autism Recovery Education exists to help lift the chronic and debilitating restrictions autism places on individuals, families, and the system by serving and supporting those interested in recovery. To this end, we offer:
A growing list of products and classes.
Autism Recovery Education exists to support and assist others in implementing. If we may be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us by telephone at (505)977.5439 or by e-mail. May the rich and rewarding experience of autism recovery be yours!
Please experience how far Raja has come... click here!