Program equips parents of kids with autism

In the 1970s, when autism was a rare condition affecting 1 in 10,000 children, Barry and Samahria Kaufman were told their toddler son, Raun, was severely autistic.

Today, autism rates have soared — about 1 in 150 children are classified as having an autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — but the worry parents feel remains the same.

“Parents of autistic children are often told their children will never be normal, never talk, have friends, initiate affection, behave politely in public or learn academic subjects,” said Bryn Hogan, executive director of the Autism Treatment Center of America in Sheffield, Mass., and Raun’s sister. “Diagnosis is one thing, but prognosis is the problem. Some are handed pamphlets about group homes for autistic adults — when their child is 3 years old!”

Refusing to accept that Raun would never speak, make eye contact, learn or be aware of his surroundings, the Kaufmans decided to study his behaviors and follow his cues. Rather than trying to stop his repetitive and ritualistic movements, such as spinning a plate, waving his hands and squealing for hours on end, they joined in, doing the same behaviors for hours on end. Choosing to love and accept Raun unconditionally, they celebrated every moment of eye contact, every playful interaction.

Defying the experts’ predictions, within 3½ years, Raun had recovered completely. He became a fully functional, smart and social young boy, had a normal childhood, graduated from an Ivy League university and is now CEO of the Autism Treatment Center of America and the Option Institute.

The family’s story was dramatized in a 1979 TV movie, “Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love,” and soon, hundreds of parents were pleading with the Kaufmans to share their methods — which led to them opening the Autism Treatment Center of America in 1983.

“The central idea is that the child shows us the way into his world, and the parents show the child the way out,” Raun Kaufman said in a recent interview.

This approach runs counter to the applied behavior analysis stance that considers autism a lifelong and irreversible condition.

“There is an underlying belief by the professional community that the autistic child can’t be helped,” Ms. Hogan explained, “so they believe the best hope is to train them so they won’t look weird in public, make strange noises, embarrass the family. Applied behavior analysis tries to extinguish aberrant behavior with positive reinforcement or negative consequences.”

As Mr. Kaufman’s sister, Ms. Hogan grew up with the Son-Rise methods — which include teaching through interactive play, inviting eye contact, using fun and excitement to facilitate communication, being optimistic and consistent, and creating a safe, distraction-free area for the work of play. Although she later explored other types of interventions in studies and career choices, she said she found nothing that came close to the effectiveness of Son-Rise.

“The Son-Rise program empowers parents to help their child in a way schools can’t,” Ms. Hogan said. “It harnesses the most powerful force in the universe — parents’ love for their children — and gives them practical tools they can use to help their child.

“To do this program, the parent needs to find the most loving part of himself or herself,” Ms. Hogan said.

Unexpectedly, this became a personal quest for Ms. Hogan.

“When my adopted daughter at the age of 2 started to lose language, avoid eye contact, flush the toilet repeatedly, scream, go off in a corner, my husband and I realized that she was autistic,” she said. “So for 3½ years, I went on this extraordinary, painful voyage, finding the most loving part of myself, and doing this program with my own daughter — who today is a friendly, warm, affectionate, normal 13-year-old who sometimes says ‘Mom, can’t we step up the pace?’ and rolls her eyes — and my husband and I just feel so blessed!”

Nicole Schumacher of Canton, Ohio, said her 8-year-old son, Andrew, has blossomed over the past five years using the Son-Rise program’s approach.

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