Q: Does Raja attend school?
A: Yes, Raja attends school. Raja started school in January 2004. He attends a mainstreamed Kindergarten class with 17 students, a teacher, and a teacher's aide.
Raja is doing beautifully in school. Within the first 4 weeks of enrollment, Raja earned an achievement award that was presented to him in a school assembly (See Raja Cheney Wins Achievement Award).
Prior to enrolling Raja in public school, I chose to home school him because his recovery needs were greater than could be easily accommodated at school.

Q: Do you feel Raja's educational needs were being met at home?
A: For Raja, home schooling was an integral part of autism recovery. To me, "home schooling" and "autism recovery" are interchangeable terms because home schooling allowed Raja the time and space to strengthen and grow on his own terms, acquiring skills such as language, attention span, and calm, appropriate behavior such that he could enjoy, and benefit from, school. However, now that Raja is in school, I am moved to amazement at how quickly and easily he has adjusted, happily participating in social and learning activities each and every day.
Considering the extent to which Raja's chemical sensitivities limited our participation in mainstream activities, his comfort and ability to succeed in school is uncanny. After all, he was diagnosed with severe autism in June of 2000, lacking language skills, attention span, gross- and fine-motor skills while possessing extreme tactile defensiveness and sensory hypersensitivities. He was terrified of new people and surroundings, clinging to me for dear life. 3.5 years later, he is actively and happily participating in a mainstreamed Kindergarten class without an aide, having never attended preschool, Sunday school, or other organized educational activities. To me, it is nothing short of miraculous and is a testament to home schooling when we needed to in order to prepare for the rigors and chemicals in a typical school setting.
Regarding the relationship between home schooling and children with special needs, studies have shown that children with special needs fare better when home schooled because the level of one-on-one attention is so much greater than in mainstream educational settings. At the time that Raja and I home schooled, I felt that this was our best choice because it allowed me the capacity to closely monitor his progress while providing the freedom to respond to situations in the moment (e.g., If the park had just been sprayed with pesticides, we could quickly and easily change plans rather than subjecting Raja to a 3-day developmental setback from pesticide exposure). If you feel that home schooling is an appropriate and comfortable alternative for you, there are many sites on the Internet to help you achieve your goals, as well as providing networking opportunities with local, state, and national home schooling groups.

Q: Has Raja received any Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)?
A: No.

Q: Has Raja received chelation therapy, vitamin shots, or Secretin?
A: No.

Q: Has Raja spent time in a sauna?
A: No, Raja has not used a sauna. Raja and I react to our own perspiration by breaking out in an uncomfortable, itchy rash so we avoid saunas. However, we spend afternoons outdoors every day to get our exercise and participate with nature by hiking, swimming in nearby rivers, and playing at local parks. Outdoor exercise is a large component of Raja's recovery.

Q: Was Raja vaccinated?
A: Yes, Raja received vaccinations twice. The first round was administered when he was six months old; the second round was administered six months later. During each visit, he was double-dosed. In other words, because he had not received his vaccinations according to the inoculation schedule, his pediatrician chose to have him double-dosed to make up for missed shots.

Q: Did you notice developmental regression resulting from vaccinating?
A: No. However, after the first round of vaccinations, I ached to see band aids covering multiple injections on Raja's legs and began crying when I smelled chemicals oozing out of his system. I sobbed and sobbed, looking at this tiny, vulnerable boy, feeling that something was terribly wrong that a human infant smelled of chemicals. At that time, we belonged to a group medical and hospitalization plan that put all patients on the same treatment schedule. The medical personnel completely dismissed any harm associated with vaccines (this was 1997 and no suits had been filed regarding a link between vaccination and autism). Moreover, they vocalized strong disapproval at vaccinating Raja when he was six months old, rather than two months old, as prescribed by the plan. I feared our medical coverage might be dropped if we did not comply with their plan so Raja was vaccinated again six months later. I had the same response to the second round of immunizations, intuitively feeling that something was terribly wrong with vaccinating. I investigated the dangers, medical consequences, and social ramifications of avoiding vaccinations in the future. Raja was never vaccinated again, but was diagnosed with autism in 2000.

Q: Do you believe immunizations caused Raja's autism?
A: While I believe that Raja was predisposed to autism from birth and do not believe that immunizations caused Raja's autism, I believe vaccines contributed to the toxic load Raja was already carrying (Raja was breast-milk jaundiced at ten days old, indicating his liver was overloaded, but his bilirubin count did not warrant a blood transfusion). Further, I believe the medical establishment pushes for immunizations far too early, before a child's immune system is even developed, and that parents should be fully informed and supported in their choices regarding whether or not to immunize.

Q: How do you measure Raja's recovery?
A: First, Raja expresses ongoing, measurable, and spontaneous developmental progress in all areas (cognitive, behavioral, social, gross- and fine-motor skills, planning and processing abilities, and of course, language, language, language). Second, Raja's diet has increased as he can now consume a number of foods that formerly produced reactions. Third, the duration and symptoms of reaction are decreasing. Where a reaction used to cost three days' developmental loss, a reaction now lasts from 20 minutes to 1 ½ days. Additionally, Raja used to lose three days' development regardless of what he was exposed to, from a bite of reactive food to an encounter with an environmental trigger. Now, his reaction times are vastly reduced and are related to the substance he encounters. He can extend his stay in environments that used to produce immediate reactions such as a public restroom where scented cleaners were used. Sometimes he has no reaction as a result of interaction in a given environment that used to produce reactions. His immune system has significantly healed, allowing him to more readily detoxify the triggers he encounters. This is a key measure of recovery.

Q: If your house has been converted to meet Raja's recovery needs, do you ever leave it?
A: Yes, we leave the house. We go outside for exercise and to commune with nature. We go grocery shopping, to the post office, and shopping for necessities like clothes and shoes. We participate in educational, fun, or social activities, like going to the park, zoo, or aquarium. Also, we have traveled quite a bit during the recovery period, driving across the country twice and taking a long, round-trip flight to Florida where we spent time in several airplanes and airports. While trips require a significant amount of advance planning regarding food preparation, they have added to Raja's life experiences. Because airports are airplanes are confined spaces with nowhere to get fresh air or exercise, we have limited our flight experiences for the time, but fully expect to be able to engage in travel more often in the future.

Q: Do you rotate Raja's diet?
A: I do not rotate Raja's diet the way a traditional rotation diet does. What I "rotate" is any food that disrupts his digestion if eaten two days in a row. For instance, when Raja eats eggs, he has no digestive disruption the first day. However, if he eats eggs two days in a row, he becomes constipated. Thus, we do not rotate eggs in the formal sense, but we do rotate eggs in that he cannot have them but occasionally to prevent digestive disruption.

Q: in Climbing out of Autism One Bite at a Time, you did not address ridding your home of plastic, yet in your web site, you make it clear that plastic should be avoided. Why?
A: Ridding the home of plastic is an advance I made since Climbing out of Autism One Bite at a Time as published. On my web site, I list advances made since the book's publication under the heading Climbing out of Autism One Bite at a Time: The Companion.

Q: What is wrong with plastic?
A: Plastic emits VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, that constantly circulate in the environment. Unlike glass or stainless steel, VOCs do not stabilize. Since VOCs do not stabilize (they constantly out-gas), our homes do not stabilize. If our homes are in a constant state of out-gassing and destabilization, our bodies are in the same state, constantly bombarded by an invisible chemical load we must detoxify. I will share our plastic story to illustrate this concept.
While gathering plastic objects from our home, I placed them in a discard pile located in the extra bedroom. As the discard pile grew and the rest of the house became plastic-free, I noticed Raja was spending a lot of time the extra bedroom and when he exited, he was wild and hyperactive. During this time, a parent called me with recovery questions. Because an initial phone call is usually a long one, I took the call in the extra bedroom, talking and working simultaneously. Within minutes, my sinuses started congesting and my TMJ acted up. The longer I spent in that room, the more physical discomfort I experienced, including neck pain, shoulder stiffness, and feeling pressure on my head. The moment I hung up the phone, I moved all the plastic outside and redoubled my efforts to get the remaining plastic out of the house. Until that experience, I had not realized that Raja was addicted to plastic, choosing plastic toys (and even chewing on them) to get his "fix." Additionally, I never realized that plastic has a smell, a very distinct smell, which became obvious while spending time in the extra bedroom. When all the plastic was removed from the house, an unexpected and very welcome feeling of peace permeated our home.
The newest research regarding plastic and human reproduction is chronicled in the September 2003 edition of Delicious Living magazine in an article entitled If Pregnancy is in Your Future, Beware of Plastic. According to the article, Patricia Hunt, Ph.D., primary author of a study conducted at Case Western Reserve University regarding a chemical found in plastic and its effects on reproductive integrity believes the chemical is potentially hazardous to human reproduction. Further, she believes that contact with the chemical, which is found in such common products as baby bottles, drinking water bottles, refrigerator shelves, CDs, nail polish, artificial teeth, and is used in a coating dentists apply to teeth to prevent cavities, increases the risk of miscarriage and the offspring's chance of Down syndrome and related disorders. Finally, Hunt's research indicates this chemical, bisphenol A or BPA, can leach out of plastic as the material ages or when in contact with microwaves or dishwashing detergents. This is but one study regarding plastic and its long-term impact on humans. Because plastic contains VOCs, and because we do not even know the myriad health risks associated with plastic products due to lack of adequate testing, I would strongly recommend removing as much plastic as possible from all environments in which autistic children spend time, including home and school.

Q: Do you have any plastic objects in your home?
A: Yes, but we have reduced to the bare minimum. We have a computer, printer, television, VCR, two cordless telephones, an answering machine, and some movies (with outer cases removed) that contain plastic. We do not possess toys, kitchen equipment, night lights, storage bins, decorations, holiday ornaments, or other miscellaneous items that contain plastic.

Q: Your results with Raja are inspiring, but your approach seems overwhelming. Can your approach be simplified?
A: You can simplify my approach by categorizing the components and breaking them down into smaller parts. For instance, the dietary portion of the intervention has many parts, including allergy testing, shopping for organic foods, and cooking from scratch. If you take one step at a time and implement what is comfortable for you and your family, you will succeed. I think the most important step in making anything successful is follow-through, and following through to completion usually involves realistic planning and implementation.
In the beginning, I, too, was overwhelmed, but reached the goal one step at a time.
For me, this approach is easier, seems more natural, and is better suited to my personality than behavioral models. Additionally, Raja's progress seems more "fluid" than "trained" and I like watching his skills, abilities, and relationships open up spontaneously. For instance, I recently learned that Raja appreciates humor borne out in language and that I can make him laugh with words alone. I love it! I love laughing together. I especially love that we are laughing about a concept expressed in words. Moreover, Raja is attending to the outside world, both in nature and people. I delight in observing him as he watches a bird fly in the air, discussing whether it is an eagle, a buzzard, or a crow, or watching him initiate the farewell greeting to the postmaster without prompting. Like all advances Raja makes, these strides are very, very exciting to me, not only because they increase the enjoyment he and I experience together, but because they bode so well for his future - a concern of mine that is diminishing as his development progresses. For me, Comprehensive Organic Intervention is an investment that keeps paying off as life keeps getting better, easier and more fun all the time.

Q: Do you wear makeup? If so, what kind?
A: I wear a line of natural cosmetics that I purchase at the health food store and the brand is Kosmetik Sante. Kosmetik Sante makes foundations, powders, blushes, eyeliner, and lipstick. Because my skin is sensitive, I do not wear foundation, powder, or blush. Although I occasionally wear lipstick, I do not wear it around Raja because I do not want it to transfer to him (foundation, powder, or blush could also transfer while hugging face-to-face and should be avoided). Raja has never expressed a reaction to my choice of makeup, but if he did, I would not wear it at all. Some children are so sensitive that even the ingredients in natural cosmetics cause a reaction. Kosmetic Sante does not have a web site, but you could contact the importer for more information if your local health food store does not carry a suitable, natural alternative:

Logona USA, Inc.
554 Riverside Drive
Asheville, NC 28801

Q: Do you dye your hair? If so, what do you use?
A: I dye my hair using hydrogen peroxide. My natural hair color is brunette, the color of Raja's, and I have achieved a shade of blonde by applying hydrogen peroxide once every couple of weeks when the roots start to show. Hydrogen peroxide is safe, non-toxic, and inexpensive. You can even highlight your hair with hydrogen peroxide by using a highlighting cap and applying hydrogen peroxide directly to the strands pulled outside the cap.

Q: Are you familiar with the Special Foods program?
A: I am familiar with Special Foods insofar as reviewing the literature that the owner, Karen Slimak, has produced. I believe that she and I operate along the same theoretical lines, although our approaches to recovery are very different. I am only vaguely familiar with the Special Foods requirements for the clean room as this advance emerged after I reviewed the Special Foods literature and listed her program in my book.
I suspect that Ms. Slimak created the Special Foods program because her approach worked for her kids, just as I wrote my book because my approach worked for Raja. We all gravitate toward what works for us and share it with others hoping that it will help them, too. However, I am not affiliated with Special Foods, Karen Slimak, or any program or proprietor listed on my web site under Additional Recovery Resources. If you are considering enrolling in a program, please conduct thorough research, ask for worst-case scenarios, and verify references before enrollment commences to be certain that the program does not exceed your finances, support system, or expectations.

Q: Do you maintain the same diet as Raja?
A: Yes.

Q: Have you noticed any changes in your health?
A: Yes, there have been many changes in my health. First, I have maintained my natural body weight without effort for the past several years as a result of eating what is right for my individual biochemistry. In contrast to my past, I am no longer constantly hungry or constantly fatigued, feeling better, stronger, and more mentally alert than I have since I was 15 years old. Additionally, I appreciate the experiential knowledge I have gained regarding the connection between mood and food, especially the relationship between blood sugar levels and allergens, and how blood sugar affects perception and influences mood swings. Finally, I am thankful to live in a home that has clean air and clean water and is free of plastics and other items that constantly out-gas. I never knew how much out-gassing affected me until I removed all the offenders from the house and felt completely calm and relaxed again.
I think the most amazing aspect of this lifestyle is how I am often reminded of things from my childhood - seeing my grandmother's home reflected in the "old style" non-toxic products I buy; smelling the sugar and flour as we pass the baking aisle in the grocery store (I had completely forgotten that I could actually smell that sweet, comforting aroma as a child); recalling the walk to the candy store where my sister and I would spend our allowances buying jawbreakers stored in screw-top glass jars like mine. Good times, good memories. This lifestyle often reminds me of the little things that were indelibly imprinted in my childhood mind that are a joy to recall and relive.
There is also the flipside. I remember spending hours swimming in chlorine-filled pools and marveling at how the chlorine turned my hair green; playing under the cottonwood trees as the DDT trucks sprayed child and tree in one fell swoop; swallowing diet pills and enduring starvation to fit into a size 5; applying perms to my hair for some 15 years. I look in my mouth and cringe, counting 9 mercury-filled teeth, knowing that this poison was stored in my body and could have passed from my body to Raja in the womb or via breast milk. I close my eyes and see the shoreline of the pea-green lake where I grew up and remember the summer the lake stagnated, bearing thick, turquoise-colored foam as far as the eye could see. The stench was so bad we could not open our windows. Every day I watched my beloved lake and waited for signs of life. What would happen to the fish? Where were the ducks? The experts said that lakes do that from time to time, that they "turn," but it never felt natural to me. As I hold Raja and look deeply into his smiling eyes, I wonder what toxins lurked in the thick, green water of my youth - the water we used for drinking and recreating, the water we assumed safe (even though it tasted bad) because we were told that it was. Do any of my cohorts have autistic children? Memories and questions mix and swirl in my mind. These lingering impressions fuel my thirst for knowledge in the quest to end autism's propagation and suffering.