Raun Kaufman

Raun K. Kaufman (born in 1973) is an American lecturer, author and former CEO of the Autism Treatment Center of America in Sheffield, Massachusetts, where the autism Intervention therapy Son-Rise is taught and practiced.
Kaufman, at the age of two, was diagnosed as severely autistic with an under 30 IQ, though questions have been raised whether Raun Kaufman was actually autistic before being treated. Although his parents, Barry Neil Kaufman and Samahria Lyte Kaufman, were told that their son's condition was incurable and lifelong, they created a home-based program to reach Raun. Subsequently, Raun is claimed to have "recovered" as a neurotypical person.
Kaufman's autism lectures in the U.S. and Europe continue to be controversial because of his stated "recovery".
Many of the techniques used in the Son Rise programme, which include "joining" in with the child in their world have actually been shown to be helpful in gaining social cues from the child. A technique often used in other programmes such as the More Than Words autism programme.
There has been a significant amount of success stories from the Son Rise program. As of 2017, the program has helped thousands of children in over 120 countries.
Kaufman is the author of the book Autism Breakthrough, published on April 1, 2014, and co-host of the radio show Raun & Kristin: Bringing Hope Into Your Home.
Biography
Early childhood
When Raun was four weeks old, he had an ear infection which was treated with antibiotics. The antibiotics caused severe dehydration and a several-day hospital stay; doctors even feared Raun would suffer permanent hearing loss. After a while Raun started displaying autistic symptoms and he was later diagnosed as severely autistic. By his parents' and his own accounts, he now leads a normal life.
Education and career
Kaufman graduated from Brown University with a degree in Biomedical Ethics and served as the director of a children's learning center. a book about his son Raun's "triumph over autism", which he revised and added further material to in 1995 in Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues. An NBC TV Movie Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love based on the book was broadcast in 1979. The Son-Rise Program has been widely covered in the press; for example, the 1997 BBC documentary I Want My Little Boy Back followed the family of a five-year-old autistic boy treated by the program.

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