When she was two, she couldn't roll from front to back, sit unsupported, crawl, stand, or walk. She had no language.

When she was four she could not bite an apple, a chicken drumstick, or an ear of corn. She didn't chew, and swallowed her food whole. She used only a few single words which were hard to understand by anyone outside the family. She ground her teeth so loudly you could hear it in another room.

When she was nine she dug holes in her fingers and clawed at her arms and legs until they bled when upset. She had no concept of what a stranger was, and would have cheerfully gone off with anyone who offered her food or a trip to an amusement park.

When she was ten she was diagnosed as having Pervasive Developmental Disorder and Ritalin was prescribed. It nearly destroyed her.

That same year we began to learn about food allergies and their effect on the behavior of some children. Finally her life began to change for the better. By many months of observation, note keeping, and testing, we learned that she was allergic to 19 different foods, including milk and wheat. Discovering the foods she was allergic to and removing them brought about amazing changes in Asia. Adding supplements she was deficient in led to more improvements. The diagnosis was changed to Autism.

A short time later we found an Auditory Integration Therapist and learned that Asia not only heard some frequencies too well (which caused pain) and some barely at all, but she also had a 5 second time delay between her left and her right ear. This meant that sound reached her brain from her right ear sooner than from her left ear, creating her very own echo chamber. No wonder she had trouble with language....she had never heard it spoken correctly.  3 months after AIT the practitioner repeated an expressive-receptive language test he had done on Asia prior to AIT. She had gained 3 years in language skills in only 3 months.

Asia is now 27.  A lot has happened in the last 15 years. She still has autism but her future is much brighter than it was at 12. She has a job. She has friends. She is an accomplished runner who will compete in her first marathon this Sunday.

You can read more about Asia at:

www.adairsbooks.com