A Medical Guru in Scotland
September 7, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
“An Amerian medical guru.”
That’s how today’s Scotsman describes Raun Kaufman, the director of the Autism Treatment Centre of America. Raun Kaufman was cured of autism through the “Son-Rise” method, according to a book by his parents, BarryNeil Kaufman and Samahria Lyte Kaufman. The Scotsman quotes a number of autism experts who express something more than doubt about Kaufman:
Carol Povey, head of adult services with the National Autistic Society, said: “I have spoken to Raun Kaufman and told him there is no cure for autism. To claim otherwise is to mislead families who are extremely vulnerable.”
Dr Katie Cebula, of Edinburgh University, has conducted research into the impact of Son–Rise on families.
The committee member of the Scottish Autism Research Group said: “Around half of those involved reported that it caused some difficulties for their family life.
“Nearly all reported some financial impact.”
The Son-Rise program can cost more than £7,000 (= $12,378); certainly many families spend that much or more on various treatments. We’ve known a few families who did Son-Rise and there was no “recovery,” and the families have moved on to other therapies.
But hopefully not to other “autism gurus.
I was given a tape of one of Raun Kaufmann’s lectures. It was truly beneficial in many ways because it gave good strategies and ideas. However, a friend of mine spent over $1000 about 5 years ago to spend a week there and learn about what she could do at home, and all she really got out of it was hide all electronics, and play with your child and concentrate on their high interests. I’d say that’s pretty much common sense!
What I remember from the book “Son Rise” is that it was an intensive one on one therapy in which the mother constantly engaged her son, Raun. I suppose that the brain can be rewired in much the same way that stroke victims have been. On the other hand, if major structures of the brain are blown away (as I have seen in MRIs where the amygdala was swollen far beyond normal in profoundly autistic children), I do not see much hope.
The next breakthrough has to be medical.
I’ve been to his “free” lecture where basically no one gets into the auditorium without registering to get a non stop flow of email and direct mail marketing for the course.
Yes, Bonnie, it seems like very sound advice when you hear it and see the clips. And to a parent Raun is very inspiring.
Where I have a problem with it is the financial aspect, and the implication when you leave the auditorium, that you must do this; or you are neglecting your child.
They of course, do not offer parents the alternatives such as the much cheaper ABA courses offered throughout Ireland, the ABA schools, Hanen; which is paid for by the state usually, and “The Early Bird” which is also free.
So a newly diagnosed parent can leave thinking this is the one thing that they must do “to save their child”. People re-mortgage or borrow huge sums of money and whole communities are pulled together to fundraise to send the family to America to do the course and then come back to the special room to implement the program.
If a parent is unemployed or in a lower paid job, renting or living in state subsidised accomodation (called Council Houses in Ireland) then they do not have the means or collaterall to borrow and pay for the courses, let alone absent themselves from family life and work for the time needed; so they are left feeling hopeless. Hopelessness is not pro-active.
Unfortunately these “therapies” tend to be grouped together with the swimming with dolphins or even the gluten and casein free diet as “the only thing that you need to do to “save” your child”. I know people who follow the diet and ignore basic common sense in manageing the behaviours; let alone learn applied behavioural principals and techniques themselves.
And a lot of the time these “miracle cures” like the Dolphins, work because the parents are spending a LOT more time with their kid, in a structured way. Which obviously suits the kid.
I am not dissing the diet, I am sure it works for the kids who have a genuine allergy or inability to break those proteins down. But it isnt the ONLY thing you need to do. You gotta do the sensory stuff, the O.T. stuff, the behavioural analysis, the visual schedules; reduce and simplyfy your language. Sure it’s a whole package of extras. Not just one thing.
Interestingly, Raun comes to Ireland once a year and does media spots to promote his “free seminar”. He gives the same interview EVERY year, to a different gullible journalist or radio announcer and gives the same answers, regardless of the questions. So if the whole Sonrise thing ever breaks down; he could go into politics….
Robot Raun for President 2012??
xx
@hammie, you wrote:
I think this point does not get made enough. All of these interventions required much more time spent and just “stuff done” with a child; much more careful and close examination of a child’s needs and ways of being and communicating. Maybe that’s the secret behind why so many treatments work at least a little!
My husband went to one of Kaufman’s free seminars in NYC and left with a video. Jim had known about the whole Son-Rise story prior to Charlie being diagnosed and he was at least a bit “on guard.” The notion of having a special room and the nature of the therapy itself mostly seemed inappropriate for our family, as they are not transferable to a classroom setting.
YAY!
T. F. F.T.!!!!!
yes, the focus is on the individual, on encouraging communication, for the individual, based on coming to really know one is accepted for being their own best expert. Classroom application for individuals simply can not be as effective. If one wants children to be simply ‘taken-care’ of instead of loved and tended to with love and acceptance, and learn to trust and to react less fearfully, don’t consider Option.
yes Raun may give basically the same message each year, simply because it is difficult to improve on the simple truth…..nor is there any need.
Raun for president, now there is an awesome idea. I can think of a lot worse.
I do not see the SON-rise programe as a miracle cure: it is parents and professional investing time and money working intensively with the kid – and they do get results, and children gets cured from what other people see as an incurrable illness.
It is more expensive for a family to chose a programe where they have to pay themself than chosing a programe which is supported by the government – but I have heard of families who combined SON-rise and ABA – they simply trained their aba-staff to learn more about son-rise and they ended with their own programe set up.
I wouldn’t complain about Raun “reapeating” himself – I just see it as a dedicated person who still believes in his own core principles.
This leads me to what I find essential: as a parent you are deciding what to do for your child. You can ask as many experts you want to but by the end of the day: you have to make up your mind about what will work for you, your family and your child.
I would encourage anyone who find SON-rise interesting but expensive to read the www and imply the principles explained here. If you have your child in a class room setting during the day, you might still be able to spend 10 or 30 min a day 1-on-1 with him. You can have a special room or simply a place in your home where you know you won’t be disturbed.
The book “ten things autism” explains the same principles and the only investment is 10-20$ for a paperback…
All the best
Joy
PS I am not trained in SON-rise but I have spend time with autsitic kids implementing some of the principles and we increased the eyecontact and the joy in the family.
Our Son, Philip, was diagnosed as having ASD about 1 year ago. In South Africa we have a number of “Autism Schools” (only 6 in the whole country). The waiting lists are endless. We were forced to enroll him in a private programme (at a cost of US$1000 per month!). We spent way more than we could afford, because this was our child and our responsibility! We have lost our house, sold a car and basically live on the bare minimum.
Then we found Son-Rise on the web. We Skyped them, 5 days later we had (free) DVD and information. On their website is more than enough information to get any family started with their Son-Rise programme! All free! They have regular webinars that are absolutely amazing and inspiring. We would love to go to the States, but if we can’t afford it, it really doesn’t matter, because of all the material AND SUPPORT they have already given us – for free.
We started using the Option (or Son-Rise) principles at home with Philip. The change in his life (and ours – especially his sister, Kristin, now 8 yrs) has been tremendous. We have enough info already to get started and make a huge difference. We have seen greater change in Philip by spending a sixth of the money. Remember, in SA we have no grants, subsidies, or any other financial assistance from any government or NGO.
We fully understand how hard the playroom situation can be, if you are not a “player” Many parents cringe at a stim. Some parents would do anything to stop the stimming that makes others stare at a child who is different. We have learnt to embrace our boy, with no expectations. Just accept, love and celebrate. Our lives, as parents has changed. Our relationship has changed. Thank you the Kaufmans who have taught us unconditional acceptance and non judgement and choosing to be happy. Even though the professionals think we have a tragedy. We celebrate his quirkiness with awe. Believe me, he still can make us very tired and cross at times when he will not put a thing in his mouth…..!!!!!
Every week we have more (free) info to use in our programme.
Philip attends a school for 4 hours every morning (as we both need to work). It is very stressful to see him when he comes home. Within half-an-hour of bonding with him and he is happy again.
More than anything, Son-Rise has shown us once again what wonderful and unique children we have.
Yes, Raun for president!
We just fired ours.
After attending a personal growth program at the option institute and viewed a session in one of their playrooms and read the Son-Rise books I returned to Belfast and was asked to work in a special school with the children with ASD. I would have 15-20 minuets with each child and one 30 minuet session with a class of 7 children one day a week.
After a number of weeks the teacher of the class reported that the children seemed to be more attentive and began to shear toys with much less fighting and tantrums, some of the children I was working with 1 on 1 were using sounds to communicate there wants, 2 of them were using words. one boy, when he saw me enter the class stood up and said ” Stephan play Simon” he was thought to be non verbal. an other learnt some circus trick by watching me and listening to my prompts, before we met all he would do was sit at a computer or stand and look happy.
The only thing I was doing differently from the fantastic, loving teaching staff was that I knew and implemented some of the Son-Rise principles in my work with the children. That was in 2000 and I payed for every thing. Now you can get every thing you need to start, free from the son-rise website and if you don’t like it it hasn’t cost you a penny.
Love and Laughter Simon *o*
Kudos for you two women for speaking up in support of those challanged with Autism….The message I have for those ‘holding-on to’ old ways, perhaps they belong to the flat-earth society…..there is perhaps a useful saying to keep in mind…..Autism Beurocrats, if one merely continues to do what one has always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got…..It really seems you are coming from fear of losing position, prestige, and money as authorities in control…..by depreciating methods that DO WORK, but you get nothing from.
Carol Povey,
I appreciate your statement. Barry Kaufman in his book spoke about people accusing Son-Rise of giving people “false hope” There is only hope, you cannot put the two words together, actually? Hope is what the world needs. We all grow up being fed negative reports, bad economy,landslides and we thrive on this. It does influence our way of thinking and inevitably our actions. The minute our minds change to positive (be it the”secret” or Son Rise) things seem to look brighter and become better. How you see it is how it becomes. Let us, as Raun put it in his interview, not “close our door” nor “forget to stretch out our hands” to those consumed by Autism.
Hammie, I think the saddest thing I saw with my heart, was when my son was in a classroom and was walking with his chair behind the others, following instructions, like a robot, like the rest of them also like robots…I then saw one of them on the trampoline, jumping, with the most beautiful look on his face. For the first time there was expression on his face. All I wanted to do was tear onto that trampoline and jump with him!!!! He looked so happy.
Kristina Chew, PHD,
I agree with you, it is not transferable to a classroom and in South Africa, everyone needs to work. We also have him in a classroom, mornings and the tears to go with it. Brilliant place, all teachers geared to help. We have distributed the DVD’s and there has been a radical change in attitude. They cannot use it in the class as a programme, but they can love them without prejudice. We only get to one on one for an hour or two and so far it has been amazing. Thanks for the comments on “drowning” They are drawn to water and must learn to swim.
BW- You are awesome!!!!!!!!!!!
It is so good to chat to all of you. Keep shining