Robert H. Weiner, Ph.D.

Dallas, Texas
Autism One Conference - Chicago, May 24, 2009
CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities
Monitoring Network released data in 2007 that
found about 1 in 150 8-year-old children (6.6 per
1000) in multiple areas of the United States had
an ASD.

This was based on 2002 data from 14 states. The

prevalence rates ranged from 1 in 303 children
in Alabama to 1 in 94 children in New Jersey
CDC estimates that up to 560,000
individuals between the ages of 0 to 21
have an ASD.

A 2003 study by Michael Ganz indicated

that the economic costs in the United
States associated with autism are
In 2007, a report in the Archives of Pediatrics and
Adolescent Medicine estimated that each
individual with autism can accrue about $3.2
million in costs to society over his or her lifetime.

These costs include treatment and medical costs

throughout life, caregiver and social service
costs, education costs, lost productivity of the
child, lost productivity of the caregivers and adult
care.

Behavior therapy can account for 6.5% of total

Behavioral and Educational
Interventions

Medication

Dietary Change

Complementary and Alternative

Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention
(EIBI):
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is the
oldest researched treatment specifically
developed for autism. ABA is a very intensive
system of reward-based training which
focuses on teaching particular skills. A
qualified, full-time (30 hours/week or more)
ABA therapist devoted to working with a child
Speech Therapy

Occupational Therapy

Social Skills Therapy

Physical Therapy

Sensory Integration Therapy

Play Therapy

Developmental Therapies

Visually-Based Therapies
Drugs most commonly prescribed for autism
symptoms:
Anti anxiety drugs - benzodiazepines
Anti psychotics - used to treat severe aggression,
self-
injurious behavior, agitation or insomnia
Anticonvulsants - used to control seizures
Antidepressants - mood stabilizers (bipolar or
manic)
SSRIs used for depression or compulsive
behaviors,
(MAOI) Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors,
Tricyclic Antidepressants
Beta Blockers - used to decrease aggression or
hyperactivity
Opiate Blockers - to control self injurious behaviors
Gluten free/casein free; specific
carbohydrate diet
Vitamin & mineral supplements, enzymes,
probiotics
Rotation diet, food avoidance diet
Herbs, homeopathic remedies
DAN! Biomedical Approach
 In 2007 in the United States, nearly 40% of all adults and 12%
of children had used some form of CAM in the previous 12
months.
 Complementary and Alternative
Medicine
112 families were surveyed at the Developmental Medicine
Center at Children’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts whose
children received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder
(ASD) between 1997 and 2003. The diagnosis received was
either mental retardation or global developmental delay
(MR/GDD), autism, PDD-NOS or other.

Overall, 74% were using complementary and alternative

medicine (CAM) for their child with ASD. Approximately 90% of
children with a diagnosis of autism or autism/PDD in
combination with MR/GDD were reported to have used CAM.

54% used some form of dietary/biomedical approach, 30%

used a Mind-body Intervention, 25% used a Manipulative and
body-based method, 8% used Energy therapies and 1% used
Alternative medical systems

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine among

Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hansen et
Alternative medical systems (Naturopathy,
homeopathy,
Traditional Chinese medicine &
acupuncture,
Ayurveda)
Biologically based therapies (using herbs, foods,
and
vitamins; orthomolecular medicine)
Manipulative and body-based methods
(deep

pressure, chiropractic, osteopathy,

CranioSacral therapy, massage,

reflexology)

Energy therapies (Therapeutic Touch,

qigong,

electromagnetic therapy, color

Therapist/labor intensive (usually 1 on 1)

Most require cooperative and compliant

child

Often produce slow, incremental change

Require consistent, frequent treatments

Become expensive over time

NeuroModulation Technique – The Feinberg
Method
Developed by Dr. Leslie S. Feinberg, D.C. in
2002.

Premises of NMT
1. Regulation of body functioning takes place at
an other-than-conscious level, referred to in NMT
as
the Autonomic Control System (ACS).

2. Illness is the result of informational confusion

and processing faults in the systems responsible
for
regulating body functions. (Analogy of corrupted
computer program or computer virus.)
Examples where informational errors produce
illness:
Allergy and Autoimmune Disease: the body
produces immune system attacks toward foods,
respiratory inhalants, drugs, or the body itself.

Pain, tightness, and lost range of motion can be

caused by errors in the setting of nerve sensors
and how the nervous system processes that
information.

Toxic agents and exogenous analogs of

hormones - pesticides, industrial chemicals,
heavy metals and other poisons may persist in
the body because informational errors do not
permit the body to use its ability to make
3. If this faulty information can be replaced
with correct information, proper body-mind
functioning can be restored. (Reload
computer program; run anti-virus program).

4. In NMT, practitioners can access this level

of functioning in an individual through
dynamic muscle response testing (dynamic
MRT) and ask the ACS to determine what
informational errors are present. (Remote tech
support diagnostics)
5. NMT Clinical Pathways provide the NMT
practitioner with a thorough way to
investigate the extent of these informational
errors and make the ACS aware of it so it can
correct the errors it has been mistakenly or
unknowingly making.

6. NMT is a collaborative therapy. NMT helps

the patient’s ACS sort out confusion that has
locked up innate healing resources. Healing
that occurs comes from within the patient, not
from the practitioner.
NeuroModulation Technique:
1. Non-invasive
2. Addresses both physical and
mental/emotional issues resulting from
confusion in the ACS
3. Self-contained treatment. No wires,
electrodes, external devices, etc. are required
to administer NMT. No supplements, food
avoidance or special diets, take home
therapies, etc. are needed.
4. Is compatible with all other forms of
treatment
5. Minimal to no side effects
NeuroModulation Technique:
6. Easily administered to anyone of any age
7. Cooperation of the patient is not required
8. Conscious participation by the patient is
not required
9. Treatment can be done remotely - the
patient
need not be physically present.
10. The patient’s ACS determines priority of
NMT pathways.
The purpose of this study was to
determine if NeuroModulation
Technique was effective in reducing
maladaptive behaviors and increasing
adaptive behaviors in children
diagnosed with autism.
Study Type: Interventional
treatment
trial

Study Design: Treatment,
Randomized, Wait-list Control

Phase I Study
9 study sites in the United States, 1

study
site in Mexico

Total Enrollment:  18 children between

the
ages of 5 and 10
Start Date: September 2007

Completion Date:  February 2009

Hypothesis: Children in the experimental
group would show significant improvement
over the control group as measured by the
ATEC, ABC and the PDDBI.

Children in the control group would show

significant improvement over their
baseline measures after receiving NMT
treatment.
Child must have had a formal diagnosis of
autism.

Must have had the diagnosis for at least

one year.

Children must not have started any new

therapies
During the study, children were required
to continue with any therapies they were
receiving prior to starting the study, and
they
were required to not start any new
therapies
besides NeuroModulation Technique
 In order to participate in the study, children
must
not have received any previous NMT
treatment.

Parents were asked not to apply to be in the

study
if they lived a significant distance from the
 Excluded from the study were children
who
have had or were undergoing chelation
therapy, and children who have
displayed
significant self-injurious behavior
(children who have caused visible harm
to
ATEC – Autism Treatment Evaluation
Checklist
(available free online at
www.autism.com)

ABC – Aberrant Behavior Checklist

PDDBI – PDD Behavioral Inventory

Schedule Child 1 Child 2
Symptom Questionnaire Symptom Questionnaire
Week 1
ATEC, ABC and PDDBI ATEC, ABC and PDDBI

Week 2 NMT 1, NMT 2

Week 3 NMT 3, NMT 4

Week 4 NMT 5, NMT 6

ATEC, ABC
Week 5
NMT 7, NMT 8

Week 6 NMT 9, NMT 10

Week 7 NMT 11, NMT 12

Symptom Questionnaire Symptom Questionnaire

Week 8
ATEC, ABC and PDDBI ATEC, ABC and PDDBI

Week 9 NMT 1, NMT 2

Week 10 NMT 3, NMT 4

Week 11 NMT 5, NMT 6

ATEC, ABC
Week 12
NMT 7, NMT 8

Week 13 NMT 9, NMT 10

Week 14 NMT 11, NMT 12

Symptom Questionnaire
Week 15
ATEC, ABC and PDDBI
This study received a seed grant from the
Autism Research Institute. www.autism.com

All the researchers in the study donated their

time and services.
Drs. Bernard Rimland and Stephen
Edelson developed this test to measure
the effectiveness of any type of treatment
for autism.

Most autism research uses test

instruments that are designed to diagnose
autism, not measure treatment outcomes.
This can lead to inconclusive results.
The ATEC consists of 4 subscales and a
total score based on the total of all 4
subscales:

Speech/Language/Communication (14
items)
Sociability (20 items)
Sensory/ Cognitive Awareness (18
items)
Health/Physical/Behavior (25 items)

The higher the subscale and total scores,

Was designed to measure behavior brought
about by drug effects in research studies.

Only focuses on maladaptive behaviors, not

prosocial behaviors.
The ABC measures 5 factors of
behavior:

Irritability - agitation, aggressive, tantrums

Lethargy - social withdrawal, unresponsive

Stereotypy - abnormal, repetitive movements

Hyperactivity - impulsive, non-compliant

Inappropriate Speech - talks excessively,

PDDBI is used to assess response to
intervention, assist in diagnosis and
treatment planning

If a treatment such as drug therapy

causes a decrease in repetitive
behaviors, does the treatment also
decrease social communication skills?

Assesses both problem behaviors and

appropriate social communication
behaviors 
Is age-normed, because there is a need
to assess change due to age from that
due to treatment

Is standardized on a well-diagnosed
autism sample

Results are reported in domain scores

with T score values
T scores have mean of 50 and a
standard deviation of 10.

The average child with autism will have

domain T scores of 40 to 60 in all
domains.
Measures 10 domains:
7 Approach-Withdrawal Problem
areas (higher T scores indicated
increasing level of severity)
3 Receptive/ Expressive
Communication Skill areas (higher T
scores indicate increasing
competence)
Approach-Withdrawal Problems
Sensory/Perceptual Approach
Behaviors
Ritualisms/Resistance to Change
Social Pragmatic Problems
Semantic/Pragmatic Problems
Arousal Regulation Problems
Specific Fears
Aggressiveness
Receptive/Expressive Communication
Skills
Social Approach Behaviors
Expressive Language
Learning, Memory and Receptive Language
Composite Scores 
Approach-Withdrawal Problems
Repetitive, Ritualistic & Pragmatic
Problems
Receptive/Expressive Social
Communication Skills
Expressive Social Communication Skills
 PDDBI Child 5
Receptive/Expressive
T score Approach/Withdrawal Problems Social Communication Abilities T score

100 100

90 90

80 80

70 70

60 60

50 50

40 40

30 30

20 20

10 10

Domain/Composite SENSORY RITUAL SOCPP SEMPP AROUSE FEARS AGG REPRIT/C AWP/C SOCAPP EXPRESS LMRL EXSCA/C REXSCA/C AUTISM
T score 35 36 43 49 40 36 43 36 35 70 70 66 72 71 27
90% CI 30-40 30-42 37-49 43-55 34-46 32-40 38-48 32-40 32-38 67-73 67-73 62-70 70-74 69-73 23-31
Raw score 1 1 8 10 10 0 7 20 37 97 90 36 187 223 23
Profile from 02/04/2008 [PDDBI-PX] Profile from 12/10/2007 [PDDBI-PX]
 PDDBI Child 8
Receptive/Expressive
T score Approach/Withdrawal Problems Social Communication Abilities T score

100 100

90 90

80 80

70 70

60 60

50 50

40 40

30 30

20 20

10 10

Domain/Composite SENSORY RITUAL SOCPP SEMPP AROUSE FEARS AGG REPRIT/C AWP/C SOCAPP EXPRESS LMRL EXSCA/C REXSCA/C AUTISM
T score 37 42 39 46 35 44 40 37 37 59 57 53 59 58 34
90% CI 31-43 35-49 32-46 39-53 28-42 38-50 33-47 32-42 33-41 55-63 54-60 49-57 56-62 56-60 30-38
Raw score 2 7 8 10 7 11 4 27 49 86 78 30 164 194 48

Profile from 10/18/2008 [PDDBI-PX] Profile from 08/30/2008 [PDDBI-PX]

Researchers
CALIFORNIA
Robert I. Jeffrey, DC, L.Ac., 11611 San Vicente Blvd., #650, Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 826-5151 
Taras Lumiere, DC, L.Ac., 3301 Alta Arden #3, Sacramento, CA 95825  (916) 489-4400

MARYLAND
Fred Bloem, MD, 4108 Alfalfa Terrace, Olney, MD 20832  (301) 260-2601

NEW JERSEY
Monica Cristobal, RD, MS, 36 Robinhood Dr., Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046 (862) 273-9433 

OREGON
Rick Schwartz, DC, 1245 Charnelton St., Suite 1, Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 484-6055
Leslie S. Feinberg, DC, 633 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838 541-567-0200

PENNSYLVANIA
Lisa Rhodes, DPM, L.Ac, 5055 Swamp Rd., Suite 203, Fountainville, PA 18923 (215) 230-
4600
Christine Hannafin, Ph.D., Bala Farm, 380 Jenissa Dr., West Chester, PA 19382  (610)
431-0588

TEXAS
Robert H. Weiner, Ph.D., 8499 Greenville Ave., Suite 106, Dallas, TX 75231  (214) 503-
1441

MEXICO
Lorena Rosas, RD, Federico T. de la Chica, #2-401, Naucalpan, Edo. Mexico 53100,
 Published NMT Research
Resolution of Cavitational Osteonecrosis Through NeuroModulation
Technique,
a Novel Form of Intention-Based Therapy: A Clinical Case Study

Leslie S. Feinberg, Robert B. Stephan, Kathleen P. Fogarty, Lynn Voortman,

William A. Tiller, Riccardo Cassiani-Ingoni. The Journal of Alternative and
Complementary Medicine. January 2009, 15(1): 25-33.
http://nmt.md/Papers/nmt_nico_jacm_pub_-_final.pdf

This study evaluated the possibility of using NeuroModulation Technique

(NMT),
a form of intention-based medicine, to induce osteogenesis and healing of
cavitational osteonecrosis, a common progressive form of ischemic disease
of the alveolar arch.

Results: All subjects presented between one and six cavitational lesions at
the first scan, most of which (92%) were associated with sites of previous
tooth extraction. NMT-treated patients demonstrated significant
improvement in bone density in 27 of the 34 lesions analyzed (79%). The
median number of lesions per patient was 4 pretreatment and 0 post-
treatment (p < 0.01). One NMT-treated patient, 1 surgically treated patient,
Some other areas where NMT has
demonstrated promising clinical
results:
Addictions
Allergies - food and airborne allergens
Chronic pain
Emotional issues
Fibromyalgia
Headaches
Immune system issues
For more information about
NeuroModulation Technique, video
excerpts from this study and
notification of the journal citation
when this study is published, please
visit: http://nmt.md/
 Thank you!
Robert H. Weiner, Ph.D., CST-D
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dallas, Texas
www.living-solutions.com
Link to send me an e-mail:
http://living-
solutions.com/feedback.html
 Description of the PDDBI Domain Scales
Source: PDD Behavioral Inventory™ Professional Manual Ira L.
Cohen, Ph.D., Vicki Sudhalter, Ph.D. ©1999, 2005 Psychological
Assessment Resources, Inc.
Approach/Withdrawal Problems
Sensory/Perceptual Approach Behaviors (SENSORY)
This domain includes behaviors that are largely non-communicative
and involve approach toward asocial stimuli. There are five clusters of
such behaviors in the parent version: (a) Visual Behaviors, (b) Non-
Food Taste Behaviors, (c) Touch Behaviors, (d) Proprioceptive/
Kinesthetic Behaviors, and (e) Repetitive Manipulative Behaviors
Ritualisms/Resistance to Change (RITUAL)
This domain describes behaviors that communicate the child's desires
to carry out rituals or to communicate dissatisfaction with a change in
the environment or routine. It consists of three clusters for the parent
version: (a) Resistance to Change in the Environment, (b) Resistance
to Change in Schedules/Routines, and (c) Rituals.
Social Pragmatic Problems (SOCPP)
This domain taps the difficulties children with autism have in either
reacting to the approaches of others, understanding social
conventions, or initiating social interactions with others. It consists of
three clusters for the parent version; (a) Problems With Social
Approach, (b) Social Awareness Problems, and (c) Inappropriate
Semantic/Pragmatic Problems (SEMPP)
This domain assesses the difficulties children with autism have in
using spoken language to indicate comprehension, communicate
meaning, respond to the interests of others, and sustain a
conversation. It presupposes that the child can say words. Three
clusters make up this domain for the parent version: (a) Aberrant
Vocal Quality When Speaking, (b) Problems With Understanding
Words, and (c) Verbal Pragmatic Deficits.
Arousal Regulation Problems (AROUSE)
This domain consists of behaviors that are largely non-communicative
or unresponsive and reflect emotional constriction, the apparent
seeking of kinesthetic sensation, and difficulty with sleep regulation.
It consists of three clusters in the parent version: (a) Kinesthetic
Behaviors, (b) Reduced Responsiveness, and (c) Sleep Regulation
Problems.
Specific Fears (FEARS)
This domain consists of behaviors that communicate the fears and
anxieties associated with withdrawal from social or asocial stimuli. It
consists of five clusters in the parent version: (a) Sadness When Away
From Care­giver, Other Significant Figure, or in New Situation; (b)
Aggressiveness (AGG)
This domain assesses the aggressive approach toward self or
others, as well as the negative mood changes that are often
associated with such behaviors. It consists of five clusters: (a) Self-
Directed Aggressive Behaviors; (b) Incongruous Negative Affect;
(c) Problems When Caregiver or Other Significant Figure Returns
from Work, an Outing, or Vacation; (d) Aggressiveness Toward
Others; and (e) Overall Temperament Problems.

Receptive/Expressive Social Communication

Abilities
Social Approach Behaviors (SOCAPP)
This domain assesses those social communication skills that are
notoriously difficult for children with autism (e.g., eye contact, joint
attention, effective use of gesture, imaginative skills). The Parent
Rating Form consists of nine clusters: (a) Visual Social Approach
Behaviors, (b) Positive Affect Behaviors, (c) Gestural Approach
Behaviors, (d) Responsiveness to Social Inhibition Cues, (e) Social
Play Behaviors, (f) Imaginative Play Behaviors, (g) Empathy
Expressive Language (EXPRESS)
This domain assesses the ability of the child to speak the
sounds associated with the English language and to use words
and sentences that indicate his or her competence with
grammar, tone of voice, and the pragmatic aspects of
communicating with others. There are clusters in this domain
for the parent forms: (a) Vowel Production; (b) Consonant
Production at the Beginning, Middle, and End of Words; (c)
Diphthong Production; (d) Expressive Language Competence;
(e) Verbal Affective Tone; and (f) Pragmatic Conversational
Skills.

Learning, Memory, and Receptive Language (LMRL)

This domain assesses two areas of variable competence in
children with autism: (a) memory and (b) receptive language.
Many children with autism have excellent memories for
locations or routines but poor memory for movement
sequences, for example. Receptive language skills are often
idiosyncratic and do not indicate comprehension of important
concepts such as pronouns, verbs, and adjectives. There are
Interpretation of Composite Scores
In addition to each of the domains described, five composite
scores were constructed: Approach/Withdrawal Problems
Composite, Receptive/ Expressive Social Communication
Abilities Composite; Receptive,
Repetitive, Ritualistic, and Pragmatic Problems Composite;
Expressive Social Communication Abilities Composite; Autism
Composite). As with the domain scores, the average child who
has autism will obtain T scores between 40 and 60 on these
composites.

Repetitive, Ritualistic, and Pragmatic Problem Behaviors

Composite (REPRIT/C)
This composite score consists of the sum of the
Sensory/Perceptual Approach Behaviors, Ritualisms/Resistance
to Change, Social Pragmatic Problems, and Semantic/Pragmatic
Problems domains.

Approach/Withdrawal Problems Composite (AWP/C)

This composite consists of the sum of all of the domains on the
Approach/Withdrawal Problems section of the PDDBI. High
Expressive Social Communication Abilities Composite
(EXSCA/C)
This composite consists of the sum of the Social Approach
Behaviors and
Expressive Language domains. Missing from this composite is
the Learning, Memory, and Receptive Language domain
because problems in these areas are not diagnostic for autism
and can be applied to children with a variety of different
disorders. This composite is very strongly positively correlated
with the Receptive Expressive Social Communication Abilities
Composite.

Receptive/Expressive Social Communication Abilities

Composite (REXSCA/C)
This composite consists of the sum of all of the domains on the
Receptive/Expressive Social Communication Abilities section of
the PDDBI. High scores in this composite indicate increasingly
sophisticated use of both receptive and expressive social
Autism Composite (AUTISM)
The choice of domains to compute the Autism Composite score
was determined by a priori selection of those PDDBI domains
that bore the most relation to DSM-IV criteria for autism. These
included the following domains: (a) Sensory/Perceptual
Approach Behaviors; (b) Ritualisms/Resistance to Change; (c)
Social Pragmatic Problems; (d) Semantic/Pragmatic Problems;
Social Approach Behaviors; and
Expressive Language.

The T scores for the Social Approach Behaviors and Expressive

Language domains are summed and subtracted from the sum of
the T scores for the Sensory/Perceptual Approach Behaviors,
Ritualisms/Resistance to Change, Social Pragmatic Problems,
and Semantic/Pragmatic Problems domains.