Medical News

DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ― It was devastating news for the Scott family. At 18 months of age, their son, Roman was diagnosed with Autism. But his mother's love and devotion brought about what the family calls an 'amazing' recovery and the Scott's believe it can help other Autistic children.

Looking and listening to Roman today, you might not believe the Dallas-area seven-year-old was diagnosed with Autism. One of Roman's favorite subjects in school is math, "Because I like to add, subtract and do multiplication," he explained.

By age two, Roman displayed at least 45 symptoms on the Autism spectrum and was completely non-verbal. His mother, Elizabeth, recalls, "He couldn't talk. He couldn't eat, because he was constantly choking on food. He would run 60 laps a day; around our family room."

Elizabeth took Roman to speech and occupational therapy, but said she knew it wouldn't be enough. "So in addition I applied the techniques the therapist taught me and developed my own in home therapy program that I call 'Skills and Drills'."

The North Texas mother developed 78 'Skills and Drills', using her background in elementary education. She worked with Roman 10 hours a day, every day, for nearly three years. Elizabeth incorporated all 78 skills and drills into everyday routines and said, "Each skill and drill was designed to achieve a specific goal. And everything that he was afraid to do and could not do, I had to encourage him to do and teach him to do."

Destructive behavior by Roman would be redirected into learning activities and meaningful play - like shooting hoops. Roman was also afraid of rain, so his mother took him outside during storms and held him, until his fear were overcome. To that end, Elizabeth wrote a book about her methods, called "Raindrops on Roman." "I wrote this book to share my information to possibly help others overcome Autism," she said.

Elizabeth stresses that parents of Autistic children need to be committed to what she calls a "CRS" plan, which stands for consistency, repetition and structure. "Consistency - meaning every day. Repetitive - repeat the skill over and over again, until mastered and it needs to be done in a structured or familiar environment such as a home or pre-school," she explained.

While praising Elizabeth's dedication and success, Dr. Carolyn Garver, from the Autism Treatment Centers of Texas, cautions that recovery from Autism is rare and means different things to different people. "She did something very unique, worked really hard and it paid off for her." But, Garver adds, "I really haven't encountered that many people who've been recovered. I can't say that it can't happen."

According to Garver, with early intervention, like in Roman's case, and the right tools and skills, some children with Autism can grow to become independent adults. "Every little step that these kids can do, that they didn't do before, is a success and that's how you have to measure."

Meanwhile, Elizabeth says every one of Roman's 45 symptoms are now gone. He's in a traditional 1st grade class, plays sports, and has an active social life with kids his age. The North Texas mother is convinced that her methods can work for other children.

One in every 150 American children has a form of Autism. Elizabeth believes that early screening and diagnosis are the keys to recovery. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening children at 18 and 24 months.

Scott will be signing copies of her book at the Barnes and Noble in Cedar Hill on Saturday, March 28.

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