A Case of Autism

Kora was a 4 yo girl with autism when I first saw her in 1999. Her mother knew nothing about homeopathy, (and would not to this day had my car not broke down in their neighborhood!) The circumstances forced me to stay overnight with my aunt Linda, who was acting as a ‘respite parent’ for Kora’s mom.

Kora made some friendly eye contact as she lined up her toys. Her speech was unintelligible. Linda told me Kora’s problems had started soon after receiving the MMR vaccine at 3 years of age. One of her main difficulties at school was dealing with transitions from one activity to another, which would lead to obstinate resistance and temper tantrums. As I waited for the call from the repair shop, I talked with Linda about homeopathy, and the approach we use to deal with various problems.

I asked Linda, ‘Does Kora have any fears? ‘Oh yes’, Linda answered, ‘she’s terrified of thunderstorms’. ‘Hmmm’… I thought, that’s a relatively distinct symptom. ‘How about foods?–Does she have any foods she really likes or dislikes?’ ‘Yes’, Linda said, ‘she likes spicy food, the spicier the better!’

Now I had two distinct symptoms, when 5 minutes before I had no expectation of even taking a case!

‘How about physical problems?’, I asked, ‘has she had any unusual physical complaints? ‘Well’, Linda replied, ‘she broke her foot jumping on the trampoline’. ‘Do you mean she fell off the trampoline?’, I asked. ‘No’, Linda answered, ‘her foot broke just while she was jumping on the trampoline itself’.

Finally, I asked Linda about any other personality characteristics Kora demonstrated. ‘Her mother tells me it drives her crazy to have Kora always asking to go outside, and then as soon as she gets outside she wants to come back in’.

At this point, I felt confident about the remedy choice, but the next step was to convince the mother that a total stranger was offering to help her daughter with some strange remedy! Her mother called me, we talked about homeopathy and the safety of remedies, and she decided to think about it.

I returned home, my car now repaired, and after 2 weeks had figured Kora’s mom had decided against the remedy. But a few days later I received an excited call from Kora’s mom, telling me that she’d decided to give the remedy to Kora after all. For the first week, Kora had experienced an aggravation of her symptoms, including irritability and stubbornness. Her mom then said ‘but after a week everything suddenly cleared up, and for the first time Kora looked at me and said ‘Hi Mom’.’

Kora’s problems with transitions began to quiet down, as did her desire to go outside and then come back in. Her teachers at school started noticing the difference, and began telling mom at about three month intervals ‘I think Kora needs that homeopathy remedy again’. Likewise, Kora’s speech therapist was so impressed she called me to ask more about what had been done.

The rubrics I used were:

Mind: Fear of thunderstorms
Mind: When at home, desires to go out, and when out, desires to go home
Generalities: Desires spicy food
Generalities: Bones, complaints of, brittle

The remedy chosen was the very well known Calcarea Phosphoricum. She was given a single dose 1M, and she’s continued to do well with this same potency. She gets repeat doses about every 3 months as indicated by an early return of stubborn behaviors, etc.

This was one of the most gratifying experiences I’ve ever experienced in homeopathy, and demonstrates how a remedy can enhance other supportive modalities for children with special needs. When Kora first began with the homeopathy about 4 years ago, she was at the first percentile for overall cognitive and social development, in spite of having participated in adjunctive therapies for the previous year. With each successive evaluation since that time, that number has increased so that now she’s at the twenty-seventh percentile. Her mother and father regard the homeopathy as a miracle, and her mom is willing to speak to anyone about her experience.

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David A. Johnson CCH, RSHom (NA) is a certified classical homeopath and professional member of the North American Society of Homeopaths. He completed his homeopathic training at the International Foundation for Homeopathy and the Northwestern Academy of Homeopathy. He taught clinical medicine at the University of Wisconsin and Augsburg College Physician Assistant Programs, and is an instructor at the Northwestern Academy of Homeopathy in Minneapolis. E-mail [email protected].