Newsletter #2 – Can Autism be Prevented or Reversed?
Can Autism be Prevented or Reversed?
In my first newsletter, published last month, I talked about trends that are changing everything in the autism world.
With 1:31 kids now having autism and 1 in every 6 US children between the ages of 3 and 17 diagnosed with a developmental disorder, this newsletter will cover what can be done to slow the rate and help parents and professionals now.
At a lecture I attended years ago, the speaker told the river parable story. Maybe you’ve heard it before.
A group of people are standing by a river when they suddenly see a child drowning in the water.
They jump in to save the child.
Then another child comes downstream.
And another. And another.
Soon, everyone is frantically trying to rescue thousands of children from the river.
In the middle of the chaos, one person starts walking upstream.
The others yell, “Where are you going?
We need help saving these kids!”
The person replies, “I’m going upstream to find out why children are falling in.”
I’m the person going upstream, and as AI and research identify earlier markers of autism or potential autism, I want us to ask the most important question in the autism world that has already been answered.
Can autism be prevented or reversed?
If you have an eight-year-old or even a child who’s turning 30 in a few weeks, like my son Lucas, this might not be the most pressing topic on your mind.
But we cannot continue to try to pull millions of children from the river without putting most of our efforts on prevention and reversal of symptoms in very young children.
And, in terms of the global impact on autism, this discussion and focus on prevention and reversal of symptoms is the most pressing issue in the field.
Back when Lucas was showing signs of autism and was diagnosed the day before he turned three, parents and professionals were all talking about “autism recovery” and the number of hours of treatment per week that were recommended to give our kids the best chance.
But fast forward to 2026, and it is now politically incorrect to talk about autism prevention, reversal, and recovery.
Some of this is due to the collapsing of the autism spectrum under one umbrella in 2013 with the DSM-V, the increase in media highlighting the very high-functioning part of the spectrum, and autistic self-advocates who believe autism is a “gift.”
Because of these factors, very few people are asking the right question.
Can autism be prevented or reversed in very young children?
As I wrote about in newsletter 001. There is a 2023 study out of Boston showing that nearly 40% of kids who were diagnosed with autism between the ages of one and three no longer met the criteria between the ages of five and seven.
For years, I’ve followed the work of Dr. Ami Klin, an internationally acclaimed researcher known for pioneering eye-tracking technology used in the early detection of autism.
I highlighted Dr. Kiln’s research in the first chapter of my newest book, Turn Autism Around (which you can read by downloading the free book resources).
While autism is highly genetic and those genes can’t be prevented or reversed at this time, Dr. Klin has suggested that if children with delays and early signs of autism are treated very early, intellectual disabilities, language disorders, and the problem behaviors that accompany autism can sometimes be prevented or lessened in severity.
I also know hundreds of families (either personally or through my online course and community) who suspected autism early on but did not pursue a diagnosis. And in many cases, the child improved to the point where they never needed a diagnosis of autism – or maybe they were later diagnosed with ADHD or a learning disability (which can look quite similar in a very young child).
One family’s journey during Covid when 2-year-old Elena went from 2 words to 180 words and phrases just 33 days after implementing my toddler course strategies is included in this white paper I published with my BCBA mentor, Dr. Rick Kubina.
Waiting for a Diagnosis is Almost Always a Bad Idea:
One of the most urgent issues that breaks my heart is the waiting that occurs after parents or professionals first notice delays and possible early signs of autism.
As a registered nurse, I know that after a neurological condition occurs –such as a stroke or brain injury, we refer to “the golden year,” which is the first year after injury when the brain is most “plastic” and the most rapid gains can be made.
But in the autism world, almost everyone misses the first golden year by waiting, either parents like me who are or were in denial or waiting for a diagnosis or deciding when and how to act, which takes time.
In my Turn Autism Around book, I reference a study showing that on average kids aren’t diagnosed until 4 or 5 years of age even though signs usually show up and are noticed by 18 months or two.
Also, because of this waiting, about half of all children with autism don’t have any therapy until they start elementary school.
And by that point, many have severe language and behavioral disorders and in some cases, intellectual disability (with IQs under 70).
This is because their autism symptoms were not detected and/or treated early enough which is why prevention is such an important topic.
There is no time to wait and worry. As Dr. Ami Klin and other researchers suggest, we need to repair the back-and-forth joint attention and communication skills as quickly as possible and prevent and reverse the language, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms that often co-occur with autism.
He Will Probably be Fine or Really High- Functioning
A common misconception is that people think that if a two-year-old doesn’t look “too bad,” they should be fine and will be really “high-functioning.” (Another term that has fallen out of favor in the past two decades).
But after working directly with thousands of children on the spectrum, and training millions online – here is what I know for sure:
You cannot predict how a toddler is going to do at age 8 or 20.
In many children, autism looks very severe early on, and in others, like my son, Lucas, autism symptoms can look very mild in the beginning.
And up to 30% (like Lucas) can also have regressions after the age of 1 or 2, making spotting the signs even trickier.
Starting in the fall of 1998, after turning two in July, Lucas attended a toddler preschool two mornings a week without any diagnosis or problem behaviors.
He carried his backpack, didn’t have any separation anxiety during drop off, sat in circle time, lined up for outdoor time, ate snack, and was happy when I picked him up.
Lucas was speech delayed (and started private speech therapy around the same time) and had other autism signs I missed (poor response to his name, lack of pointing, and poor imitation and play skills).
Even though I wasn’t an autism professional at the time, I knew lots of other kids who also were diagnosed around the same time. Many of them looked more severely impaired than Lucas did at 2.
At 30 years of age, Lucas has always and will continue to need 24/7 supervision and care, and some of the other kids who looked far “worse” early on have graduated from college and are driving.
In my first book (The Verbal Behavior Approach), I discuss some important advice from an autism professional –Dr. Glen Dunlap– after I attended his lecture days after Lucas’ diagnosis and told him that I didn’t think Lucas would need intensive therapy and would be fine because he looked so “good.”
Dr. Dunlap wisely said to “treat it like it’s the most severe case of autism.”
He added that in his long career, he had seen many kids with mild cases of autism fall behind severely-impaired kids because they didn’t get the intensive therapy they so desperately needed.
Thirty years of Dr. Dunlap’s career and now almost another thirty for me with the same advice –even if your child has mild autism or it looks like “just” a speech delay:
Don’t rest on your laurels or stick your head in the sand for months or years – act like your child’s future depends on it.
Why my Approach Puts Parents in the Lead
When Lucas started showing delays, he was offered one hour of speech therapy, one hour of occupational therapy, and one hour of teacher time per week.
Sadly, the early intervention (EI) systems that were set up in the 1990s now look almost identical to the way they looked back then.
EI services are simply not intensive enough, and the well-meaning EI professionals who work in homes and preschools usually don’t have the behavioral backgrounds to truly help kids in all areas.
Oftentimes, this leads to contradictory advice to parents with stalled skill progression and an escalation of problem behaviors.
And to get Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs in place, you almost always need an autism diagnosis (with waiting lists of months or years). This coupled with high staff turnover in many companies, and co-pays make the availability and quality of ABA programs highly variable.
Both EI and ABA systems do not provide the intensity or rigorous focus on promoting and training the parent to become the “Captain of the Ship.”
Through my online and high-touch coaching programs over the past 11 years, I have shown that a parent is often the best person to lead the way towards engaging kids of any age during most of their waking hours to increase talking, decrease tantrums, and improve picky eating, sleeping, potty training, and more – all at the same time.
My Turn Autism Around® approach is different than 99% of all others out there because I empower parents to get started as soon as delays are noticed and/or as soon as they become aware that there is more they can do.
And, even if your child is older but still struggling in one or more of these areas, it’s important to know that it’s not your fault and it’s not too late.
Even as Lucas is in adulthood, we are still teaching him new skills and continue to focus on the 3 things: I want both of my sons and all of your kids to be as safe, as independent, and as happy as possible.
For older kids, there is no finish line and it’s not a sprint…..it’s more of a marathon on a roller coaster.
After working with thousands of families directly from over 100 Countries I know it doesn’t require a diagnosis, a special degree, the perfect location, a large financial investment, or a team of professionals to begin using my child-friendly and proven approach to help kids of any age start to make progress.
But it does require parents and professionals to make a commitment to learn the step-by-step strategies and apply them systematically.
If you’re reading this and wondering what to do next for your child or client of any age, the next step is not to wait and worry.
Start by taking our 5-minute questionnaire, and we will help point you towards the best starting place!
As I wrap up newsletter #2, I do believe that, in some cases, autism can be prevented, lessened in severity, and/or reversed.
But we can’t continue to just rely on the antiquated EI and ABA systems built decades ago. We need to empower and teach parents what to do to turn things around.
Since we can’t tell which of the delayed babies and toddlers will progress to needing and getting an autism diagnosis, we need to empower parents (and the professionals who support them) to learn what to do to turn things around in all areas starting as soon as possible.
And, while it’s never too early, it’s also never too late to help a child, teen, or adult with autism make real progress in all areas.
As always, I would love your feedback. Send me an email at [email protected].
Until next time,
Mary
About the Author
Dr. Mary Barbera, RN, BCBA-D is a best-selling author, award-winning speaker, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst with a Ph.D. in leadership. As both an autism mom and professional, Mary brings over 25 years of experience helping thousands of parents and professionals around the world. She is the author of two best-selling books in dozens of languages, including her newest book, Turn Autism Around: An Action Guide for Parents of Young Children with Early Signs of Autism. Through her books, online courses, and podcast, Mary empowers families and professionals to increase talking, reduce tantrums, and improve life skills in young children with autism or signs of autism.