ABSTRACT
Many women may change their health habits for the better during their pregnancy. During the author's pregnancy, she devotedly refrained from caffeine, alcohol, unprotected sun exposure, mercury-tainted fish, carbonated drinks, and the majority of over-the-counter medications. Her caution and overprotectiveness had been working well to keep her little guy healthy and developing normally. Anthony was a very happy and social baby. He frequently made eye contact, even with strangers, and always had a smile on his face. He was physically strong, healthy, and his psychoneurological development seemed to be unfolding smoothly. His behavior changed drastically: he stopped making eye contact, stopped responding to his name, stopped saying words that he had been saying, and stopped interacting with those around him. He became aloof and completely disconnected from the world, spending minutes to hours just staring blankly into space. With intense at-home services from an occupational therapist, speech therapist, and special teacher, he slowly began to make progress.
