Michelle Cheney is the proud parent of a beautiful son named Raja who was diagnosed with autism in June of 2000. A former massage therapist, Michelle combined anatomy and physiology with strategic analysis to create Comprehensive Organic Intervention, a two-pronged approach for facilitating autism recovery that addresses individual biological imbalances stemming from dietary and environmental sources. Using Comprehensive Organic Intervention, Raja is recovering from autism without medication or additional therapy.

Excited by Raja's consistent developmental progress, Michelle knew she was witnessing miracles. She further believed Comprehensive Organic Intervention could extend miracles to other autistic children, ending the tragic suffering experienced by afflicted individuals and their families. Wasting no time, she rushed her findings to two prominent and well-funded autism organizations that prided themselves on parent outreach, anxiously awaiting their responses. Envisioning public education campaigns aimed at reaching parents nationwide, Michelle pictured autistic children speaking, learning, and sharing for the first time. She saw hopeful and empowered parents exchanging recovery stories and teachers leading classrooms full of eager students. She imagined breakthroughs in science, medicine, and healing, and dreamed protective measures preserving the earth, so critical was its health to the health of its children. Day after day, week after week, she watched Raja blossom and dreamed her happy dreams on behalf of others, waiting for responses from the autism organizations. Day after day, week after week, her phone did not ring.

During this time, Michelle and Raja visited Michelle's grandfather, a warm and kindly man whose struggle with chronic pain had been an inspiration to Michelle as she faced Raja's autism as a single mom. Observing Raja's communication, learning, and self-help skills, and knowing Michelle's helplessness and grief as Raja had mysteriously entered autism's grasp, Michelle's grandfather encouraged her to write a book to help other parents achieve the level of recovery visible in Raja. Writing the book she wished had been available when she needed answers, Michelle completed Climbing Out of Autism One Bite at a Time, a step-by-step manual for recovery and developmental gain. It was published in 2001.

In 2002, further encouraged by Raja's continuing recovery, Michelle extended outreach efforts with the creation of Autism Recovery Education. Autism Recovery Education is a self-help program for parents of autistic children interested in autism recovery. Autism Recovery Education includes an informative web site, video, beginning and advanced recovery workshops, and national paradigms for both autism education and autism recovery.

Raja's autism taught Michelle to persevere in what she knew was possible and engrained in her not to take life's precious moments for granted. Every smile, every hug, every miraculous moment that Raja embraces life is a moment recovered from autism. These are the wondrous moments Michelle would like every parent to experience. These are also the moments for which her work exists.