When we finally figured out that Jackson apparently did not have seizures (at least for now, the neurologist maintained), it was back to the drawing board. Our developmental pediatrician was not satisfied that his regressions were of the typical, cyclical sort that many children with autism experience. He had run a thorough panel of metabolic and genetic tests to rule out the big scary metabolic or genetic disorders. He was out of ideas, so he referred us to a metabolic specialist.
Again, I wasn’t hoping for an ailment, but a potential answer and treatment approach (aren’t we all)? This appointment lasted all of 20 minutes (after 20 minutes of Jackson playing in the sink and completely soaking his shirt while waiting). After a careful physical examination, the doctor all but apologized for the lack of research on autism, and any clear answer for Jackson’s regressions. He felt confident, though, that we had ruled out any scientifically testable metabolic disorder. “We just don’t know.”
I left the doctor’s office feeling deflated, but realizing traditional medicine and research I desired was possibly five to ten years too late to help me…I was ready to look for other solutions.