[Fwd: CBS 5 Investigates: Woman Promises Autism Cure?]

[Guest guest]

needs to make sure they dot I's and cross T's.

We have to make sure documentation is done, research is compiled

so that this doesn't happen ...

I went to our local ASA mtg tonight where a local pediatrician gave a talk

on HBOT. Her talk was good-parents were ready to jump on board.

It's time took a stand. But IMHO, a peer review or research item

on the kids needs to be done. " Where were they? where are they?

Show me the documentation! "

d

--- CBS 5 Investigates: Woman Promises Autism Cure?

Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:30:42 -0500

From: AutismLink <listserv@...>

sjsmith@...

**CBS 5 Investigates: Woman Promises Autism Cure?**

Source: KPIX TV, San Francisco

http://cbs5.com/investigates/MAPS.autism.cure.2.662695.html

(CBS 5) There are thousands of children in the Bay Area diagnosed

with autism, and parents are desperate for help. Families are looking

at all kinds of treatments. But a CBS 5 investigation uncovers an

autism treatment being promised as a cure.

It's being pitched at seminars across the country, several of which

CBS 5 Investigates attended with an undercover camera. At a seminar

in Orange County, we heart that promise.

" We are taking about fixing the brain, fixing the brain forever, " the

program's inventor, Claudie Gordon-Pomares told parents. She said she

can repair the brain through sensory stimulation called " Monitored

Multi-cortical Activities for Additional Pathways and Synapses, " or

MAPS.

" Of course it works, because it's been proven " Gordon-Pomares said.

" Doesn't matter the age, doesn't matter how long parents have tried

something. "

Who is Gordon-Pomares? Her Canadian center, the Brain Repair

Institute, has been featured on local news. Her website shows amazing

before and after results, and parents who like it.

Gordon-Pomares says it's a miracle cure for the brain she's spreading

all across North America. Reaching parents including and Holly

Wetz, whose 5-year-old son was diagnosed with a type of

autism.

" Trying to decide what to do, what would be the best thing to do, was

really overwhelming, " Holly Wetz said. The family had already tried

many treatments. " We took him off wheat, we took him off milk, " she

said, which failed to help.

Although it cost $5,000 for just six months, the Wetz's decided to

give MAPS a try.

" When you're a parent with an autistic child and tried everything,

you know, you're like, 'Wow! We're going to miss our opportunity, we

better do it,' " Wetz said.

But one year later, Wetz said " You know we weren't getting anything.

We kept getting promises. "

So CBS 5 Investigates went to ask Gordon-Pomares, who insisted the

treatment works.

" I believe the brain can fix itself, " she told CBS 5.

And why does she say that? " Any brain dysfunction, any mental

disorder is fundamentally a serotonin and a dopamine issue, "

Gordon-Pomares said. " So it can be a child with Down's Syndrome who

has a low level of serotonin. It's not really a specific diagnosis

more the dysfunction going to the function. "

" That is what sometimes is termed psychobabble, " said Dr. Bryna

Siegel, director of the Autism Clinic at UCSF. Siegel is a world

renowned expert on autism who reviewed the MAPS program for CBS 5

Investigates.

" She's just using concepts that on the surface sound like she knows

what is going on, " Siegel said.

Siegel was also shown undercover video of the seminar recorded by CBS

5 Investigates.

" I think I would feel absolutely comfortable saying that there is no

way that this is a cure for any case of autism, " Siegel said.

CBS 5 asked Gordon-Pomares why top experts have said her program is

not good.

" Well there are quite a few who say it's good, " she said. Experts

Gordon-Pomares said, like pioneering brain researcher and UC Berkeley

professor Mark Rosenzweig. " He said, there's no problem, I will put my

name behind MAPS and demonstrate it, the validity of it, to the

world. "

So CBS 5 Investigates went to ask Rosenzwig about the MAPS program.

" Now when you say MAPS, what is MAPS? " Rosenzwig responded. He said

he has never validated Gordon-Pomares' work as she claims. " In order

to do that I would have to know about it and look into it carefully

and I haven't done that, so I don't put my name behind her work. "

" Are they taking advantage? " CBS 5 asked Dr. Siegel.

" Absolutely, it's totally exploiting a very very vulnerable

population, " Siegel said.

Gordon-Pomares responded to Siegel's statement by saying: " No, I

don't believe a parent who's fighting the world to save their child

is vulnerable. "

So is Gordon-Pomares really doing anybody any harm? In Dr. Siegel's

professional opinion, yes.

" She's taking people's money and she's misrepresenting science, "

Siegel said, especially when parents are told to take their kids out

of school, or in the case of the Wetz's, to stop other therapies.

" That's the very definition of unethical conduct. Because you are

withdrawing something that is of benefit and replacing it with

something that has no theoretical or empirical basis. "

Gordon-Pomares responded: " I believe that they have to trust parents

more. Parents are very intelligent. "

" We did the research and everything, " Wetz said. " But you know,

we got duped. "

Gordon-Pomares claims to be a neuroscientist with two degrees from a

university in France. But that university says it has no record of

anyone graduating by that name.

[Guest guest]

Doris,

Every time I take my son to the local pediatrician she asks when Dr. Goldberg

will be publishing studies/have peer reviewed studies/ etc. She sees the

improvements in my oldest and knows a cure will be found one day. I think she

wants to believe but wants to see the proof in writing in a medical journal

or something.

- in Mobile, AL

__________________________

Reality lies beyond the horizon...

Wonderwegian

CBS 5 Investigates: Woman Promises Autism Cure?

Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:30:42 -0500

From: AutismLink <listserv@...>

sjsmith@...

**CBS 5 Investigates: Woman Promises Autism Cure?**

Source: KPIX TV, San Francisco

http://cbs5.com/investigates/MAPS.autism.cure.2.662695.html

(CBS 5) There are thousands of children in the Bay Area diagnosed

with autism, and parents are desperate for help. Families are looking

at all kinds of treatments. But a CBS 5 investigation uncovers an

autism treatment being promised as a cure.

It's being pitched at seminars across the country, several of which

CBS 5 Investigates attended with an undercover camera. At a seminar

in Orange County, we heart that promise.

" We are taking about fixing the brain, fixing the brain forever, " the

program's inventor, Claudie Gordon-Pomares told parents. She said she

can repair the brain through sensory stimulation called " Monitored

Multi-cortical Activities for Additional Pathways and Synapses, " or

MAPS.

" Of course it works, because it's been proven " Gordon-Pomares said.

" Doesn't matter the age, doesn't matter how long parents have tried

something. "

Who is Gordon-Pomares? Her Canadian center, the Brain Repair

Institute, has been featured on local news. Her website shows amazing

before and after results, and parents who like it.

Gordon-Pomares says it's a miracle cure for the brain she's spreading

all across North America. Reaching parents including and Holly

Wetz, whose 5-year-old son was diagnosed with a type of

autism.

" Trying to decide what to do, what would be the best thing to do, was

really overwhelming, " Holly Wetz said. The family had already tried

many treatments. " We took him off wheat, we took him off milk, " she

said, which failed to help.

Although it cost $5,000 for just six months, the Wetz's decided to

give MAPS a try.

" When you're a parent with an autistic child and tried everything,

you know, you're like, 'Wow! We're going to miss our opportunity, we

better do it,' " Wetz said.

But one year later, Wetz said " You know we weren't getting anything.

We kept getting promises. "

So CBS 5 Investigates went to ask Gordon-Pomares, who insisted the

treatment works.

" I believe the brain can fix itself, " she told CBS 5.

And why does she say that? " Any brain dysfunction, any mental

disorder is fundamentally a serotonin and a dopamine issue, "

Gordon-Pomares said. " So it can be a child with Down's Syndrome who

has a low level of serotonin. It's not really a specific diagnosis

more the dysfunction going to the function. "

" That is what sometimes is termed psychobabble, " said Dr. Bryna

Siegel, director of the Autism Clinic at UCSF. Siegel is a world

renowned expert on autism who reviewed the MAPS program for CBS 5

Investigates.

" She's just using concepts that on the surface sound like she knows

what is going on, " Siegel said.

Siegel was also shown undercover video of the seminar recorded by CBS

5 Investigates.

" I think I would feel absolutely comfortable saying that there is no

way that this is a cure for any case of autism, " Siegel said.

CBS 5 asked Gordon-Pomares why top experts have said her program is

not good.

" Well there are quite a few who say it's good, " she said. Experts

Gordon-Pomares said, like pioneering brain researcher and UC Berkeley

professor Mark Rosenzweig. " He said, there's no problem, I will put my

name behind MAPS and demonstrate it, the validity of it, to the

world. "

So CBS 5 Investigates went to ask Rosenzwig about the MAPS program.

" Now when you say MAPS, what is MAPS? " Rosenzwig responded. He said

he has never validated Gordon-Pomares' work as she claims. " In order

to do that I would have to know about it and look into it carefully

and I haven't done that, so I don't put my name behind her work. "

" Are they taking advantage? " CBS 5 asked Dr. Siegel.

" Absolutely, it's totally exploiting a very very vulnerable

population, " Siegel said.

Gordon-Pomares responded to Siegel's statement by saying: " No, I

don't believe a parent who's fighting the world to save their child

is vulnerable. "

So is Gordon-Pomares really doing anybody any harm? In Dr. Siegel's

professional opinion, yes.

" She's taking people's money and she's misrepresenting science, "

Siegel said, especially when parents are told to take their kids out

of school, or in the case of the Wetz's, to stop other therapies.

" That's the very definition of unethical conduct. Because you are

withdrawing something that is of benefit and replacing it with

something that has no theoretical or empirical basis. "

Gordon-Pomares responded: " I believe that they have to trust parents

more. Parents are very intelligent. "

" We did the research and everything, " Wetz said. " But you know,

we got duped. "

Gordon-Pomares claims to be a neuroscientist with two degrees from a

university in France. But that university says it has no record of

anyone graduating by that name.