How to Prevent Autism: Expert Advice from Medical Professionals

by Dara Berger, Sidney Baker (Contribution by), Nancy O'Hara (Contribution by), Geri Brewster RD, MPH, CDN (Contribution by), Maureen McDonnel RN (Contribution by)

Overview

The statistics are alarming and become more so every year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 68 children have been identified with an autism spectrum disorder, making it one of the fastest growing developmental disorders in the United States. Further, the CDC estimates that parents with a child on the autism spectrum can have nearly a 20 percent chance of having a second child with autism.

In How to Prevent Autism, Dara Berger shares her personal journey with autism. She describes everything that went wrong with her son that led to an autism diagnosis and everything she did differently to prevent her daughter from suffering the same fate. She interviews eight well-known ASD experts—including doctors, nutritionists, nurses, and scientists—about the factors that have led to the growing epidemic of autism. Based on the best practices for preventing autism in children, each professional offers perspectives grounded in their own research and their patients’ improvements. The book covers every detail—from the importance of mothers’ cleaning out their bodies preconception, through common genetic mutations that may put children at risk, to the crucial role of nutrition in prevention.

All parents agree that every choice counts when it comes to the health of their children. As Dara Berger makes clear in this personal, informative, and authoritative book, the stakes could not be higher when it comes to autism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510714663
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	07/04/2017
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Dara Berger is the author of the book titled “ How to Prevent Autism.” She is also a documentary filmmaker who is currently working on a film about how to prevent chronic illness in children. Dara served as a Board Member and Co-Chair of the Programming Committee for the National Autism Association New York Metro Chapter for six years. She began her career as a news reporter/producer for a local nightly news program, and subsequently founded her own documentary film production company, Say It Out Loud Productions, Inc. to produce films on meaningful issues. She has recently completed the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’ s health coach certificate program, which she hopes to use to help other families prevent chronic illness and autism in their children.

Dr. Sid Baker began his career as a faculty member at Yale Medical School where he received his medical training specializing in pediatrics. He is the former director of the Gesell Institute of Human Development in New Haven, CT and maintains a general practice where he treats both adults and children with complex chronic health issues including children with autism. Dr. Baker is also a cofounder of Defeat Autism Now!.

Dr. Nancy O’ Hara first began her work with special needs children as a teacher. Then she went on to earn a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and completed her residency and chief residency at The University of Pittsburgh. Dr. O’ Hara‘ s practice focuses on an integrative approach to treat children that have neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism, ADHD, PANDAS and Lyme.

Geri Brewster is a registered dietitian-nutritionist who treats adults and children with an integrative and individual approach. She specializes in children and young adults with developmental disabilities and complex feeding issues. Geri has done advanced studies with the IFM, IACCN and the Defeat Autism Now clinician conference training. Recently, Geri developed a new product line, Build Your Best Bump, which is aimed at helping couples promote a healthier pregnancy.

Maureen McDonnell has been a labor and delivery nurse for many years as well as a registered childbirth educator working extensively in pediatrics. She was instrumental in starting the very first Defeat Autism Now biomedical and physician training conference. Currently Maureen devotes most of her time writing for various health publications and educating people about nutrition and the effects of the environment through an organization she co-founded, Saving Our Kids Healing Our Planet.

Scott Smith is a Physician Assistant who specializes in working with minimally verbal children with autism otherwise known as slow responders. Scott has also written about biomedical interventions being used for treating autism in several publications and presents on the subject both nationally and internationally.

James Lyons-Weiler is the president and CEO of the Institute for Pure and Applied Knowledge (IPAK), a not-for-profit organization that conducts research in the public interest. Lyons-Weiler has a bachelor's degree in zoology, a doctoral degree in ecology, evolution and conservation biology, and a postdoctoral degree in computational molecular biology. He is also the author of "The Environmental and Genetic Causes of Autism."

Kim Mack Rosenberg is the president of the National Autism Association’s New York Metro Chapter and is a member of the Health Choice Executive Leadership Team.

Stephanie Seneff is a Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. She received the B.S. degree in Biophysics in 1968, the M.S. and E.E. degrees in Electrical Engineering in 1980, and the Ph.D degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 1985, all from MIT. For over three decades, her research interests have always been at the intersection of biology and computation. In recent years, Dr. Seneff has focused her research interests back towards biology. She is concentrating mainly on the relationship between nutrition and health. Since 2011, she has published over two dozen papers in various medical and health-related journals on topics such as modern day diseases (e.g., Alzheimer, autism, cardiovascular diseases), analysis and search of databases of drug side effects using NLP techniques, and the impact of nutritional deficiencies and environmental toxins on human health.

Maria Rickert Hong is the author of "Almost Autism" and a former Wall Street equity research analyst who is now a Certified Holistic Health Counselor. She is a Board Member and the Media Director for Epidemic Answers, a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to letting parents know that recovery is possible. She is also the Media Director for Epidemic Answers' Canary Kids Project, which will document the potential recovery of 14 children from autism, ADHD, asthma, atopic dermatitis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, mood disorders and type 2 diabetes.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xiii

Foreword Kim Mack Rosenberg xvii

Preface Dara Berger xxi

Part 1 1

Chapter 1 Dylan's Story 3

Chapter 2 The Diagnosis and Aftermath 13

Chapter 3 Jessica's Story 21

Part 2 29

Chapter 4 What Is Autism? Sidney Baker, MD 31

Chapter 5 Preconception and Pregnancy Prevention for Autism Nancy Hofreuter O'Hara, MD 53

Chapter 6 Nutrition Prevention for Preconception, Pregnancy, and Baby Geri Brewster, RDN, MPH, CDN 75

Chapter 7 Keeping Baby Safe Maureen McDonnell, RN 99

Chapter 8 The Biochemistry of Autism Scott Smith, PA 111

Chapter 9 Epigenetics and Metabolic Pathways Anju Usman, MD 131

Chapter 10 What You Might Not Know about Vaccines Jack Lyons-Weiler, PhD 153

Chapter 11 Glyphosate and the Autism Epidemic Stephanie Seneff, PhD 187

Part 3 213

Chapter 12 Other Parents' Stories Corrinne Simpson Brown Katie Wright Maria Rickert Hong, CHHC, AADP 215

Chapter 13 My Kitchen 265

Chapter 14 My Natural Medicine Cabinet 281

Chapter 15 Wrap Up 297

Further Reading/References 301

Editorial Reviews

"How to Prevent Autism is a timely and much needed resource for everyone interested in learning how to do just that. By interviewing some of the most knowledgeable and informative experts in the field, Dara Berger provides a reader friendly and easy to implement action plan for future parents. A must read for anyone seeking to understand and prevent the underlying causes of the autism epidemic.”
Jenny McCarthy — host of 'The Jenny McCarthy Show' on SiriusXM Radio and the New York Times bestselling author of Healing and Preventing Autism

"Dara Berger takes us on a touching journey that parents world-wide have all tried to avoid, the diagnosis of an autistic child. She has spent the time res earching and the energy writing a book that will help millions of moms potentially avoid some of the pain she has experienced as the mom of her autistic son Dylan. Through an intimate reveal of details about her own health and her family's health tragedies and triumphs, Berger teaches the reader to build their own guidelines about how to proceed through pregnancy and through your child's formative years with knowledge-based caution. This mama bear breaks down the medical jargon and teaches things that the average parent has never been taught. How to Prevent Autism is a must-read for anyone concerned about the neurodevelopmental health of their next generation."
Dr. Rachael Ross M.D., PhD — former co-host of the Emmy Winning talk show, The Doctors

"Berger’s How to Prevent Autism is the intimate, touching account of how Berger’s older child regressed into autism but has been on a recovery journey ever since. Based on experiences with her son, Berger learned how to give birth and raise a perfectly healthy daughter. Her advice about how to stay healthy in a toxic world is inspiring. And her interviews on how to prevent autism enrich us all – and not just those thinking about having children. These in-depth conversations with some of the country’s leading practitioners in preventing and treating chronic conditions, including autism, are truly enlightening — even for those who have long been in the autism community."
Mary Holland — Research Scholar, NYU School of Law and ASD parent

"This book is a wonderful addition to the growing body of literature on autism. A blend of personal stories and solid science makes it both entertaining and informative. Dara covers the full landscape of autism's complexity, from genetics to metabolism to gut microbiome, from vaccines to GMOs to toxic metals and pesticides. A must-read for anyone who wants to learn how to safeguard their children against the multiple assaults of modern times."
Stephanie Seneff — Senior Research Scientist, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory

"How to Prevent Autism is a timely and much needed resource for everyone interested in learning how to do just that. By interviewing some of the most knowledgeable and informative experts in the field, Dara Berger provides a reader friendly and easy to implement action plan for future parents. A must read for anyone seeking to understand and prevent the underlying causes of the autism epidemic.”
Jenny McCarthy — host of 'The Jenny McCarthy Show' on SiriusXM Radio and the New York Times bestselling author of Healing and Preventing Autism

"Dara Berger takes us on a touching journey that parents world-wide have all tried to avoid, the diagnosis of an autistic child. She has spent the time res earching and the energy writing a book that will help millions of moms potentially avoid some of the pain she has experienced as the mom of her autistic son Dylan. Through an intimate reveal of details about her own health and her family's health tragedies and triumphs, Berger teaches the reader to build their own guidelines about how to proceed through pregnancy and through your child's formative years with knowledge-based caution. This mama bear breaks down the medical jargon and teaches things that the average parent has never been taught. How to Prevent Autism is a must-read for anyone concerned about the neurodevelopmental health of their next generation."
Dr. Rachael Ross M.D., PhD — former co-host of the Emmy Winning talk show, The Doctors

"Berger’s How to Prevent Autism is the intimate, touching account of how Berger’s older child regressed into autism but has been on a recovery journey ever since. Based on experiences with her son, Berger learned how to give birth and raise a perfectly healthy daughter. Her advice about how to stay healthy in a toxic world is inspiring. And her interviews on how to prevent autism enrich us all – and not just those thinking about having children. These in-depth conversations with some of the country’s leading practitioners in preventing and treating chronic conditions, including autism, are truly enlightening — even for those who have long been in the autism community."
Mary Holland — Research Scholar, NYU School of Law and ASD parent

"This book is a wonderful addition to the growing body of literature on autism. A blend of personal stories and solid science makes it both entertaining and informative. Dara covers the full landscape of autism's complexity, from genetics to metabolism to gut microbiome, from vaccines to GMOs to toxic metals and pesticides. A must-read for anyone who wants to learn how to safeguard their children against the multiple assaults of modern times."
Stephanie Seneff — Senior Research Scientist, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory

From the Publisher