MERT Therapy for Child with Autism

@madison16,

As you probably already know, MeRT combines three technologies to treat autism:
- repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive procedure which uses “pulsed magnetic fields to change neural activity.”
- quantitative electroencephalogram (EEG), which monitors the brain’s activity
- electrocardiogram (EKG), which records the electrical activity of the heart

Keep in mind that MeRT doesn't work for everybody. I'm tagging fellow parents of children with autism like @bria @keeg1010 @dellavicent @roohsharma @mshamdann @keely21 to see if they have experience with MeRT or other options that worked for them.

You may also be interested in this podcast with Mayo Clinic's Dr. Maja Katusic a Mayo Clinic developmental-behavioral pediatrician.
- Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Interventions and resources after autism spectrum disorder diagnosis https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-qa-podcast-interventions-and-resources-after-autism-spectrum-disorder-diagnosis/

I have a nephew outside the country that could benefit from MeRT. Who can I contact for more information about MeRT therapy conducted at Mayo?

Hi Neal, I recommend contacting Mayo Clinic's Children Center https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/childrens-center/overview/appointments

My son 5.5 year has autism, he can say words but he does not understand the meaning and never communicate verbally , i was looking for the MeRT therapy for autism, Does anybody used it and benefited?Also is there any negative side effects or brain damage reported for that treatment??plz help

@rehesneha1992 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Here is a link to another discussion about MERT therapy in children. I hope you find some value in it.

How long ago was your son diagnosed with autism?

https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mert-therapy-for-child-with-autism/
Ginger

Thank you,he is 5.5 yeard old now and he diagnosed at the age 3years old.

I have checked my small library of books on Autism Spectrum and not found anything on it. However, I will make it a point to check and see what might be out there. We have an Autism Center in my small town. I can check with them.

Now a days if your child doesn't speak at a certain age then the automatic diagnosis is Autism. Some children speak at a later age than other kids too. Please have your son watch Ms Rachel show regularly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkYved-ucGg
Learning Alphabet and Number shows with music also helps. Have him attend school with regular kids while taking speech therapy. Look into his eyes when you speak to him. Have him play with other kids that like to talk.
Speaking from experience...Human brain is complex, more information you feed the brain is better and gradually the brain starts to organize the puzzle.
Let me know how your son is improving in the coming months.

Hello,
Experienced mom here. We used mert this past summer (2023) on our daughter, who was 8 at the time. The only thing I regret is not having found it sooner. She was non-verbal before the treatment and we saw a DRAMATIC improvement in her ability (and desire) to speak. Unfortunately, the treatment is not covered by insurance so we had to max out a credit card just to get her the 6 weeks of treatment. But, it was totally worth every penny. Mert combined with in-person speech therapy, a healthy non-inflammatory diet, and proper supplements has done wonders for our little one. The school had to update the IEP that they had prepared for her during the previous school year because upon returning to school after the treatment, she knocked her goals out of the park within the first couple of months .

We homeschooled for almost 2 years doing 40 hours of ABA a week. While it did help some-- if I could go back in time I would skip the ABA and do the Mert first--that's how effective the treatment is! Now-- is mert a CURE for autism--no. And nothing at current is. HOWEVER, this treatment is the only one of its kind that can get their little brain neurons to fire in a more normal fashion.