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Two mothers infiltrate online groups where members claim that children with autism can be "cured" by ingesting toxic chemicals.
Melissa Eaton of Salisbury, NC, and Amanda Seigler of Lake Worth, FL, who each have a child with autism, have come across several groups – mostly on Facebook – claiming that chlorine dioxide, a bleaching agent industrialist, could treat the disorder. .
To join the groups, Eaton and Seigler created fake profiles, pretending to be parents of autistic children and looking for answers or treatments.
Then they took screenshots of tickets, in which parents suggest feeding their children with chemicals, reported NBC News.
Then Eaton, 39, and Seigler, 38, informed local child protection agencies about the abuse. So far, they claim to have reported at least 100 cases in the past three years.
Melissa Eaton, 39 (left) of Salisbury, North Carolina, and Amanda Seigler, 38 (right), of Lake Worth, Fla., Have been infiltrating online groups for three years. Groups suggest that feeding children with chlorine dioxide, an industrial bleaching agent, can "cure" autism
The "cure" was popularized by the former Chicago real estate agent, Kerri Rivera (pictured), who claims to have reversed the symptoms of autism in more than 500 children.
Eaton and Seigler told NBC News that some of the discoveries they discovered in these groups were horrific.
A mother from Kansas wrote in the Facebook group after feeding her child with chlorine dioxide: "My son constantly emits a blast
Another Canadian mother wrote that her toddler refused to drink the beverage. & # 39; It will not open the mouth. He screams. Spits. Turns around, she wrote.
Eaton and Seigler said the groups looked like a cult.
"It really weighs on you, but the kids are being abused," Eaton told NBC News. & # 39; You see it. You have the choice to do something about it or let it go. And I'm not the kind of person who can see something like this and just forget it. & # 39;
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder in which people with disabilities have difficulty communicating and having behavior.
It encompbades several conditions – including autism, Asperger's syndrome and childhood disintegration disorder – and its symptoms can range from mild to severe.
Children are usually diagnosed at the age of two years after presenting signs such as reduced eye contact, not responding to their name and performing repetitive movements.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in 59 children has ASD.
Scientists do not know what causes ASD, but believe it's a combination of genes and environmental factors.
Eaton (pictured) and Seigler, who each have children with autism, take screenshots of messages and inform local child protection agencies of child abuse.
Poison centers have warned that the chemical can irritate eyes and skin and even cause fluid build up in the lungs. On the picture: Seigler
Parents of many of these groups infiltrated by Eaton and Seigler believe that autism is caused by a multitude of factors, including viruses, bacteria, vaccines, parasites and even gluten.
The treatments offered are odd to say the least and include turpentine and urine from the child.
But perhaps the most popular is chlorine dioxide, a chemical compound used in the bleaching of wood pulp and in the disinfection of municipal drinking water.
Parents administer it orally or by enema.
The idea of promoting chlorine dioxide as a treatment was first popularized by Jim Humble, an ex-Scientologist.
It was however popularized by former Chicago real estate agent Kerri Rivera, who spoke about it in her book Healing the Symptoms, known as Autism, in 2013.
Rivera, who has no medical degree, said she was treating her own autistic son with chlorine dioxide and had been promoting it on social media.
According to NBC News, she has cured over 500 autistic children.
Rivera's book has been banned by Amazon, its email account has been removed by Yahoo and many of its videos on YouTube have been removed.
In a statement at the exit, she wrote: "This is a medical problem. I have a degree in homeopathy and work with doctors and PhDs.
However, inhaling chlorine dioxide can irritate the eyes, skin and nose, according to the New Jersey Department of Health and Seniors Services.
Increased exposure may cause fluid accumulation in the lungs, shortness of breath and jaundice or yellowing of the skin.
In one case, a six-year-old boy would have had the bowel removed and would have been provided with a colostomy bag after repeatedly receiving these enemas, according to The Daily Mirror.
In the past five years, more than 16,000 cases have been reported in the United States, according to data from the American Association of Poison Centers.
About 2,500 were intended for children under 12, although it is impossible to determine how many – if any – were autistic.
NBC News reported that 50 of these cases were considered life threatening and eight resulted in death.
In March, Amazon banned Rivera's book and YouTube removed several of its videos. Yahoo has deleted its email account and Facebook has also closed several of its pages.
Rivera told NBC News in an email that Amazon's ban on his book "would decrease public awareness" over his message and that the tech giant "was reacting to the hysteria generated by the media ".
However, Rivera has since created new Facebook pages, viewed by DailyMail.com prior to publication. She did not respond to a request for comment.
Eaton and Seigler say they're still watching her on various social media platforms, looking for new pages and new groups.
"His profile needs to disappear and they have to ban his IP address," Eaton told NBC News.
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