Jake Exkorn was diagnosed with autism at 2, and after two years of an intensive ABA/EIBI program was able to have diagnosis removed. Now at the age of 13, Jake is a typical teen. Significantly, his parents chose applied behavior analysis/ABA because it was the scientifically evidenced treatment, and the treatment recommended to them. to start as soon as possible and as intensively as they could afford, by an expert in the field of autism and autism treatment.
Video 5:46 (there may be a brief commercial intro):
From the story,
“...He hit all of the developmental milestones. He walked, he talked, he played,” says Jake’s mother Karen Exkorn. But at 17 months, Karen says the light began to fade from Jake's face..'I knew that I wanted treatment for Jake that had science behind it. And a lot of treatments don't. But the one that had the most science behind it was a treatment called ABA.'...Day after day, 40 hours a week, they plugged away – hoping to help Jake relearn what autism had taken away.-------------------------
'Going into this there were no guarantees. Nobody ever mentioned the word recovery to us so that wasn't our goal ever.'...After a year of ABA therapy, Jake showed progress. Then, at age four – a turning point. When Karen took him for ice cream, without prompting, Jake told the man what flavor he wanted: 'Nilla.'
'The man had no idea that this was this defining moment in my life, but this was huge. This was huge. And this marked the beginning of spontaneous language for Jake.'
What soon followed was an even bigger milestone. At Jake's 4 year check-up, Karen was told her son no longer had symptoms of autism. The doctor said Jake had recovered...."
FULL ARTICLE
Note: Some legitimate points are raised in the reader comments at CNN that not all children may have the outcome in this story; at this time there are no interventions guaranteeing recovery or best outcome (as Jake's mother herself notes in the story), however behavior analytic interventions are currently the most scientifically evidenced and have an established track record as a treatment of choice for children with autism. Other comments were about lack of availability through public programs or insurance reimbursement, and even when available through private pay, of the inability to afford or finance an ABA therapy program of the intensity that Jake's family was able to apply. On an encouraging note, many commenters also shared that they know, have a family member, or have a child themselves who was able to have removal of diagnosis, development of typical skills and function, or significant improvement in ability and quality of life by application of an intensive ABA/EIBI therapy program.
