Returning web service result from calling function in javascript (Atlas)

When using Atlas is there a way that I can call a web service method and have the result returned from the calling function. I understand that Atlas works asynchronously and therefore uses callback functions but I need the calling function to return the result somehow.

I tried something similar to the following but it didn't work. It seems to be that the global variable only gets updated once the calling function completes.

var getResult;
function LMSGetValue(param) {
// Note that the LMSAPI is setup with a ScriptManager
LMSAPI.LMSGetValue(param,LMSGetValueComplete);
pause(1000);// helper function that pauses by # millisecs
return getResult;
}
function LMSGetValueComplete(param) {
getResult = param;
}

The reason that I have to return the result from the calling function is that the javascript that calls the function (which is located in a iframe) follows a strict specification called SCORM which is used for building sharable elearning content and learning management systems (LMS). The learning content in the iframe calls the LMSGetValue function to get the data from the LMS and expects a return value.

Any help or suggestions on how I might be able make this scenario work would be grately appreciated as I really am quite stuck.

Unfortunately there is no current support for synchronous webservice calls, you cannot return a value from your method directly, the results are only available thru your callback.