The son also rises with new autism treatment program

SOUTH BRUNSWICK - Srini Donthireddy's basement is quite colorful. Toys and puzzles are scattered throughout. A mirror hangs on the wall and a big beanbag chair covers the floor. So, it might be quite surprising to some that this room was specifically designed to help his 5- year-old autistic son to focus.

Donthireddy's son Anuraag has PDDNOS, which stands for pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified. Donthireddy is now using a new form of treatment for autism, called The Son-Rise Program. The program works with all of the disorders on the autism spectrum.

"With autism, there are very specific symptoms that you can identify and isolate," Donthireddy said. "This is milder than others, but it's not specific enough. It's just another shade of gray."

His son was diagnosed with PDDNOS in 2005, at the age of two.

"We did not believe the diagnosis," Donthireddy said. "[The doctor] took 20 minutes for the diagnosis and he didn't make eye contact. We wanted a second opinion. We believed it was just a language delay."

Eventually, Donthireddy and his wife came to realize their son did, indeed, have a form of autism.

At first, they relied on the school district and the county to treat their child. From 2005 to 2006, they went through an early intervention program. Biomedical tests were performed that confirmed he was deficient in quite a few areas. However, he was deemed fit for a preschool autism program.

In the summer of 2006, after just three months in preschool, Anuraag's teacher said he could be put into a higher-level class, a transition program. However, this teacher left the school system soon after, and the replacement teacher did not agree with the recommendation.

Donthireddy said that these programs really did not help his child much, at all. So, he was reading constantly about the disorder and things he can do to help it.

It was during this time that he found out about the Son-Rise program. He read about Raun Kaufman, a man who was fully recovered from autism, and who promotes the program to this day. Barry and Samantha Kaufman developed the program working with their son Raun in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

"Once I read that, I'm like 'holy cow,'" Donthireddy said.

Donthireddy was skeptical at first, but he went to a training program at The Option Institute in Massachusetts and he immediately began trying it with his son. The first thing to do was to build a playroom or focus room for his son, and he did so in his basement. The goal for this room is for it to be a distraction-free environment, just a quiet room.

"[Autistic children] are overwhelmed by the input that they get," Donthireddy said. "Everything is equal to them."

This is why autistic children take longer to respond. Donthireddy observed that his son was too overwhelmed by everything in a typical classroom.

"The goal of this room is to reduce that," he said.

There were many other aspects of Donthireddy's training.

"Every parent has a dream for their child," he learned. "You have to let go of that dream, get out of denial."

Donthireddy had to start looking at the beautiful things about having an autistic child, and learn that his son was happy.

"No autistic child is unhappy," Donthireddy said. "They are happy where they are. This is [something] I was unaware of. They have a lot of repetitive behaviors. This is something they do to take care of themselves. They go into sort of a meditative state. [This caused] a major shift in how we viewed the problem."

The main method as part of the Son- Rise Program is called joining, which is interacting with the child. Coming into their world of repetitive behaviors opens up the child to more social interactions.

The improvement in Anuraag was stunning, from the moment he began the program.

"He sensed it," Donthireddy said. "He seemed to be a lot more happier. He started to make faces [in the mirror.] He was communicating with himself."

Donthireddy noticed that all of Anuraag's improvements came in the twohour period in the playroom, rather than during his time at school. So, he decided to commit to a full year of using the Son- Rise Program at home, instead of putting Anuraag back in a classroom.

After five months in the program, Anuraag has shown tremendous progress, according to his father. He is also showing a lot of affection, especially for his sister.

"He is very caring for her," Donthireddy said. "He does a lot of the typical things a child would do. I see jealousy. Also, when she's not in the room, he sometimes says, 'baby, baby, baby.' He wants to make sure she's safe. He actually fed her."

Donthireddy said this is difficult for an autistic child to do, because he has to make eye contact and make sure the spoon goes into the mouth safely, which is a lot of interaction.

Eventually, Donthireddy will bring Anuraag outside to do the program. He said, however, that there are very specific goals his son must meet first. He must make eye contact and make conversation for a certain amount of time, signifying that he is improving.

Donthireddy is just happy knowing his son is happy.

"When I learned that he's happy, I'm much more happy," the father said. "Every little thing he does we celebrate like we just won the lottery and he responds to that very well. He shows a sense of pride."

Anyone interested in helping Anuraag with the program can call 732-207-7638.