The Son-Rise Program®
At The Autism Treatment Center of America®
The Son-Rise Program® was created by authors/teachers Barry (“Bears”) Neil Kaufman and Samahria Lyte Kaufman when their son, Raun, was diagnosed as severely and incurably autistic.
Although advised to institutionalize him because of his “hopeless, lifelong condition,” the Kaufmans instead designed an innovative home-based, child-centered program in an attempt to reach their little boy.
The Kaufmans’ unique and innovative program, which marked a complete departure from existing methods of treatment, transformed Raun from a mute, withdrawn child with an IQ of less than 30 into a highly verbal, socially interactive youngster with a near-genius IQ.
Bearing no traces of his former condition, Raun graduated from an Ivy League university and went on to become the director of an educational center for school-aged children. He currently is the Director of Global Education. Following the publication of the best-selling book, Son-Rise (now updated to Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues), and the award-winning NBC-TV movie Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love (later shown throughout the world), the Kaufmans were flooded with requests for help from every corner of the globe.
Responding to this demand and the desire to share the unique attitudinal process that enabled the inspiring journey written about in Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues, the Kaufmans established The Option Institute® (which offers seminars and workshops for adults) and the Autism Treatment Center of America®(a division of the Institute), where they have been offering The Son-Rise Program® for over three decades.
