One of the interventions I mentions in my previous post that we were about to start was subcutaneous Methyl B12 injections. If you would like some background into the theory behind Methyl B12's effectiveness, I recommend reading Talk About Curing Autism's (TACA's) page on the subject and Dr. Neubrander's page discussing "Methyl B12: Myth, Masterpiece or Miracle." (Dr. Neubrander is one of the foremost proponents of Methyl B12 injections, and his recommended protocol is included at the end of the article.)
Bottom line: subcutaneous (as opposed to intnavaneous or intramuscular) injections of Methyl B12 have a pretty impressive track record of increasing language skills in children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) diagnoses (and possibly in others; I just haven't done research outside of this realm).
Due to a series of errors (I would say a "comedy of errors," but there wasn't much funny about it), in spite of the fact that we first got a prescription for Methyl B12 injections last June, we started them in January. I won't go into the myriad of things that went wrong.
As of our last appointment with our biomedical doctor, Zachariah had had exactly two shots. The doctor asked whether we had seen any improvements. At that point, we really hadn't seen anything that could be pinpointed as the Methyl B12. We had seen progress, but we had been seeing steady progress before we started the shots, so we couldn't be sure of a correlation.
At some point after that appointment, though, Zachariah brought me a calendar of classic cars and turned to the back where all 12 featured car pictures were shown. He asked me, "Mom, which one would you choose?"
You could have knocked me over with a feather.
He has never asked such a complex question before, not to mention that he was asking my opinion about something. Quite a higher level of communication than we'd seen. And we've heard a couple of other similar leaps since then. I am beginning to become a believer in the Methyl B12.
Oh, yeah, the injection part. Yes, we give our child injections. And by "we," I mean ML. I hold my phone (on the flashlight app, of course) in the general direction of where ML is working. And look the other way. And pray.
Why the flashlight? Did I not mention that we give him in injections in his sleep? And that he never wakes up?
Yeah, I'm a wimp. He barely feels it, and not enough to wake up. Really. (Dr. Neubrander has some videos on his site, if you're skeptical.)
Suffice it to say, we will be continuing the B12 shots for the foreseeable future. Especially if we can find a pharmacy that can file with our insurance. Successfully, that is.
