Journal of Alzheimers Disease & Parkinsonism
Open Access

Abstract

Scared and troubled for the essence of my life, sever muteness hurts and disables me and I am/in dark, sad and lonely I am, these are the words of Hope (pseudo name), 13 years old. Diagnosed with autism hope has developmental including oral dyspraxia and with severe or sever and extreme S.P.D symptoms He is completely non verbal. Absent of A.D.L and almost completely dependent, his mannerisms are those of a very young child. Hope and I talk thru correspondence. In his unique and poetic language and wiry of change He declared to me: Better is my world than yours, if it was simple I would be less of furniture, a child who has forsaken the past and turns towards a grain, there will be my pride. After establishing a channel of trusting communication and thru deep and dynamic process, Hope chose change. Our encounter has left me with a hypothesis regarding the dangers of our diagnostic tools. I now believe we are held captive by a conception of autism and that the set of symptoms we use is merely an intersection, a meeting point for diverse and different disorders. But what do we know about the child? Are we using dynamic diagnostic tools which can identify another group of "high function" autistic children, besides savants? Does expressive functioning disorder really belong in the autistic spectrum? And with all of our good intentions, could we in some way be "manufacturing" autism? I now feel strongly that the process based approach to neuropsychology is vital for the rehabilitation of these children. Hope and I continue our journey together, every day discovering something new, and in this presentation we will share a glimpse into his hidden world and the therapeutic process.

Biography

Odeda Peled specializes in Developmental Neuro Psychology and Rehabilitation. She heads the center for integrative therapy treating children with a wide array of developmental, neurological and genetic disorders. Peled also guides practitioners and therapists in the integrative approach, incorporating different ways of treatment depending on the child's profile and environmental variables.