Autism Assessment

Frequently Asked Questions

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The Autism Assessment Questionnaire is provided online as a convenience to parents. The original questionnaire is included in the landmark book, Autism: From Symptoms to Solutions, A Parent's Track to Run On by Dr. James Smith with foreword by Jenny McCarthy. The book explains the assessment in detail. It also gives a complete informational discussion of each biomedical condition including suggested dietary interventions, nutritional supplements, and laboratory tests. Online, you are only provided the questionnaire, scoring of the questionnaire, graphic representations of the scores, permanent, secure database storage of your child's scores, and links to recommended nutritional supplements. It is necessary to have a copy of the book in hand for complete understanding of the assessment and intervention protocols.




How does the Autism Assessment work?

You will complete an Autism Assessment Questionnaire consisting of approximately 200 questions. It is like having a very in-depth consultation with your physician. The questions address your autistic child's history and symptoms which are commonly found in biomedical issues involved with the autism spectrum:

  • Gluten and casein sensitivity
  • Intestinal yeast overgrowth
  • Food allergy
  • Gastrointestinal disorders: hydrochloric acid, malabsorption, parasites
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Methylation and glutathione status
  • Vitamin D
  • Hypoimmunity
  • Allergy
  • Environmental allergy
  • Mitochondrial dysfunction
  • Toxic metals: mercury and lead

The questions have either "yes/no" or multiple-choice answers. The questionnaire is very simple and easy to complete taking approximately one hour.

Once you have completed the questionnaire, your answers will be tabulated, scored, and weighted. Then each biomedical issue for which there has been a significant score is reported to you in terms of "low," "moderate," or "high." Based on the scoring of the questionnaire, Autism: From Symptoms to Solutions gives you suggested protocols whereby you can implement your interventions. The step-by-step protocol algorithm in the book is designed to give you success in your interventions while minimizing confusion and expense.

As Jenny McCarthy said, the advantage of utilizing this type of approach to helping your autistic child is " … it gives parents a track to run on." It minimizes confusion and helps avoid wasting money on nutritional supplements which are inappropriate for your child. Using supplements targeted to support the interventions against specifically identified biomedical conditions is much more cost effective than random choices and guesswork.


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How will The Autism Assessment Benefit My Child?

Rather than autism being a single mental disorder or neurological issue, many authorities believe that the autism spectrum is a manifestation of symptoms caused by the combined presence of any number of underlying biomedical conditions. Physicians using the biomedical protocols detailed in Autism: From Symptoms to Solutions, A Parent's Track to Run On have seen remarkable improvements in autism symptoms with some children improving to the degree of being no longer considered autistic. The responses from one child to the next will differ. The level of response your child will experience cannot be predicted. However, what can be said with confidence is that when these biomedical conditions are identified and corrected, the child will show improvement in the autism symptoms presentation.

The Autism Research Institute has studied the response to various biomedical treatment protocols by polling the parents. Here are the results of their study.

Biomedical Protocols   %Reporting Improvement
Chelation 73
Food Allergy 62
Melatonin 63
Vitamin B12 62
Enzymes 57
Fatty Acids 55
Hyperbaric 02 52
Vitamin B6 50
Cod Liver Oil 49
Zinc 49
Vitamin B6/Magnesium 48
DMG 42
Folic Acid 43
TMG 42
Vitamin B3 41
Vitamin C 42

Special Diets %Reporting Improvement
GFCF 64
Candida 52
Feingold 51
Removed Chocolate 49
Removed Milk Products 48
Removed Sugar 47
Removed Wheat 46
Rotation Diet 47
Removed Eggs 37


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What is the Autism Assessment Scope of Use?

In the clinical environment, history and symptoms questionnaires are a routine tool of practice. Though individual components of the Autism Assessment Questionnaire have been used by clinicians for years, standing alone the questionnaire is not designed to nor is it capable of arriving at a diagnosis. It is, rather, an instrument intended to assist parents and physicians in biomedical assessment and decision making. It is simply a compilation of history and symptoms possibilities which, when organized into specific sets of criteria, give direction and suggestion for further evaluation and therapeutic intervention. It is not intended to be a replacement for the advice and services of a physician.


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