Srini Donthireddy's basement is quite colorful. Toys and puzzles are scattered throughout. A mirror hangs on the wall and a big beanbag chair covers the floor. So, it might be quite surprising to some that this room was specifically designed to help his 5- year-old autistic son to focus.

Donthireddy's son Anuraag has PDDNOS, which stands for pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified. Donthireddy is now using a new form of treatment for autism, called The Son-Rise Program. The program works with all of the disorders on the autism spectrum.

"With autism, there are very specific symptoms that you can identify and isolate," Donthireddy said. "This is milder than others, but it's not specific enough. It's just another shade of gray."

His son was diagnosed with PDDNOS in 2005, at the age of two.

"We did not believe the diagnosis," Donthireddy said. "[The doctor] took 20 minutes for the diagnosis and he didn't make eye contact. We wanted a second opinion. We believed it was just a language delay."

Eventually, Donthireddy and his wife came to realize their son did, indeed, have a form of autism.