Autism-Articles

Rett syndrome is not a degenerative disorder, but rather is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Rett syndrome affects one in every 10,000 to 15,000 live female births. It occurs in all racial and ethnic groups worldwide. Parents later reflected on how it was nearly impossible to comfort them during their episodes. As many as 75% of all girls with RS had been previously diagnosed with the Autism Spectrum Disorder. Adult women with Rett syndrome show many individual differences in the severity of their disability.All women with Rett syndrome are incapable of living independently and require constant care throughout their lives. Innovative and flexible living arrangements such as group homes are becoming the norm in many cases. There are several treatments options available treat for rett-sydrome. Occupational therapy , physiotherapy, and hydrotherapy may prolong mobility. Medication may be needed for breathing irregularities and motor difficulties, and antiepileptic dru...

Children with Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) appear to develop normally for the first two years of life, but then lose skills in areas such as language, play, and bowel control and manifest impaired social interaction and communication associated with restrictive, repetitive, stereotyped behaviors. This disease and autism are among several developmental disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders or autism spectrum disorders. Childhood disintegrative disorder is also known as Heller's syndrome after the Viennese educator, Theodor Heller, who first described the condition. Childhood disintegrative disorder is perhaps 10 times less common than more strictly defined autism. It is a rare serious disorder in which a child older than age 3 stops developing normally and regresses to a much lower level of functioning, typically following a serious illness, such as an infection of the brain and nervous system. Childhood disintegrative disorder cann...

What are the best treatments for Autism? Regardless of which ones are chosen, the overall goals are: A) make the autistic person functionally independent, and B) to improve his or her quality of life. There are several types of Western treatments available for Autism. Here are some of the most common ones, along with some of their benefits and drawbacks: 1. Gluten-Free, Casein-Free (GFCF) Diet Certain types of diets (i.e. gluten-free and casein-free diets) are often used to treat Autism patients. The goal of the GFCF diet is to eliminate the proteins Gluten and Casein from autistic people. Pros: Some clinical studies have indicated that GFCF diets can be somewhat beneficial in treating the various symptoms related to Autism. However, it should be stressed that the results are inconclusive at best. Cons: There is conflicting evidence that there's a link between Autism and digestion disorders. In fact, clinical studies on the issue are somewhat conflicting. It s...

Understanding the way your child's brain works is crucial to being able to provide an optimal learning environment. Below is a brief overview of some of the research about the brains of people with autism. Then you'll find easy, practical ways to implement this knowledge and create an optimal learning environment at home. The Science Autism is referred to as a "spectrum disorder" because there is such a wide variation among people with the diagnosis. Researchers using technology that allows them to be able to see how our brains are structured also see that the brains of people with the label 'Autism' are vastly different from one another. Because of this, some scientists have suggested we need to look below the level of the brain's structure to the way individual neurons (brain cells) are wired to find the "miss-wiring" that affects all people with autism. Researchers have found evidence that the way some neurons are connecte...

Natural remedies for autism are helpful in improving and managing the known symptoms of autism. It is common for parents and caregivers of people diagnosed with autism to feel frustrated. Feeling ignored as patients go through their endlessly repetitive daily behavior is normal. It is a struggle trying to communicate and reach the private world of people with autism. And since the signs, symptoms experiences of autism vary from person to person; it is never safe to generalize anything regarding effective treatment approaches and methods. Conventional treatment approaches recommend patients to take prescription medications to control their anxiety and prevent feelings of aggression and tantrums. However, the circulating news regarding the horrible effects of incorrect and prolonged use of common autism medications resulted in the ever increasing interest for safer and more natural options to managing and improving autism symptoms. On natural remedies for autism The...

There's something up with a child you know. He's clumsy, picky, always on the move, or flopped in a chair like a wet noodle. He's impulsive, intense, and quirky. Maybe he has a learning disability, ADHD, or autism, or maybe not, but his behavior and responses to everyday sensations are puzzling. Why does he withdraw or act out? Why are transitions so difficult? Can he really hear the fluorescent lights that he claims are distracting him? It's very likely that this child you're concerned about has sensory processing disorder, also known as SPD or sensory integration dysfunction. An estimated 1 in 20 children and almost all children with autism have SPD. This child's nervous system is wired atypically, causing her body to process everyday sensations differently. Unable to rely on her senses to give her an accurate picture of what is going on in her body and her world, she is prone to anxiety, distractibility, impulsivity, and frustration. A ...

Autism spectrum disorder can be complicated to diagnose because there are no set symptoms that everyone can look for. It varies from child to child and so does the severity. Each disorder has a range of symptoms that sometimes can imitate more than one condition. However, with a parent's awareness and a doctor's diagnosis, a child's autism spectrum disorder can be diagnosed and progress made. Signs that Autism spectrum disorder should be suspected If by the age of twelve months your child is not making cooing sounds or babbling like babies do by this age, you may want to mention it to your Pediatrician. Your child should be gesturing at the age of twelve months; pointing, waving hello or good-bye, grasping at toys or a bottle. When your child doesn't do any of these then you may want to talk to your Pediatrician by the time the child is twelve months old. By the age of sixteen months, a child should be able to say their first word. This is a single...

Methylation is a vital biochemical reaction in the body that supports the cardiovascular, hormone, immune, and detoxification systems, DNA/RNA structure and function, and other key metabolic system controlling energy production. It is commonly a problem in many autistic-spectrum individuals. There are some effective therapies, namely methylcobolamin therapy (injection, oral, sublingual), as well as other methylation supplements such as DMG and TMG. The two most referenced chemical reactions in this methylation system are Re-methylation and Trans-Sulfuration. Re-Methylation (or methylation) - this pathway involves the conversion of Homocysteine to Methionine. Methionine is a rate-limiting step for the production of other necessary chemicals which affect the heart and blood vessels, muscle tissue, immune and nervous system. The conversion of homocysteine to methionine can occur by direct transference of a methyl (CH3) groups from Methylcobalamin (B12) or betaine (tri...

When dealing with tantrums and difficult behaviors in autism spectrum disorders, using behavioral approaches alone can sometimes fail. What is the missing piece to managing these behaviors that a behavioral approach alone may not address? To start, we need to look at the reasons for behavior. According to behavioral approaches, most of the behavior we see results from one of three reasons: a request, seeking attention, or a sensory reason. Let's look deeper at these three reasons for behavior and the ways we currently handle them. Handling a request is fairly straightforward. To put it very simply, a request is usually something externally controlled by both reinforcing appropriate requests and not reinforcing inappropriate ones, such as a tantrum. For negative attention-seeking behaviors, we can eliminate the behavior by not giving the negative behavior attention and give attention for desired behavior - very straightforward, and again, usually externally co...

Drug treatments for people with autism can be very harsh toward, and kill off the beneficial or "probiotic" bacteria that live in their intestines. This upsets the balance in the intestines causing discomfort and frustration - usually in the form of diarrhea or constipation. Supplemental probiotics restore balance and regularity which means less discomfort and more pleasant days and nights. It's not some kind of magic; it's simple physics: 2 objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. When supplemental probiotics are introduced into the diet of someone who is on a regimen of drugs for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), the probiotics are given the "upper hand", allowing them to occupy more space than the harmful bacteria that cause intestinal distress. As anyone who has ever suffered from intestinal distress can tell you, it's miserable. Possibly the only thing worse than intestinal distress, is intestinal distress experienc...

By medical definition, Asperger Autism is a disorder of the Autism "spectrum" which is characterized by repetitive and restrictive behavior and interest patterns as well as significant difficulties with the ability to interact socially. According to Wikipedia, "it differs from other Autism spectrum disorders by [virtue of] its relative preservation of cognitive and linguistic development." The atypical use of language and physical clumsiness are oftentimes reported as characteristics although they are not required for diagnosis. A child may display numerous symptoms of Asperger Autism, or they may only exhibit a few. Additionally, the severity of these symptoms may range from mild to extremely severe in nature. However, the key characteristic of this form of Autism is that the child will have a significant amount of difficulty when it comes to interacting with others in social situations. As a result of this unpredictable variance, no two child...

Many think that you can't see any autism symptoms in infants, but that is simply not true. It is certainly more difficult to see autism symptoms in infants, but research and science has developed to a point now where there are some markers, however faint, that can point in the direction of autism in infants. It should be understood, though, that this is not an exact science, and not all symptoms that might be autism necessarily are autism. In other words, be aware but try not to panic. How early can autism symptoms in infants be detected? It is possible to see signs of autism between 12 and 18 months. It may be possible to help rewire the brain through early treatment if the signs are caught early enough. You are not necessarily looking for abnormal behaviors this young, just the absence of normal ones . For example, many autistic infants will not respond to cuddling. They will seem to stiffen and shy away from your touch. They won't reach out to be picke...

The symptoms of autism typically include - lack of eye contact, lack of interest in objects or things or even people, lack of communication skills, disinterest in relationships and social interaction, restricted interests in activities and play, mental retardation in several cases, and occasional savant skills. Autism is a disorder that affects the social, emotional, and behavioral development of children, marked by serious difficulties in interacting and communicating with other people; and with other symptoms like constantly repeating certain actions or behaviors, and having intense interests restricted to only particular things or topics. However, autism is one of a range of similar diseases that constitute the autism spectrum disorders. They are referred to, professionally, as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs), and they are about five in number, autism or classic autistic disorder being one of them. The others are Rett's syndrome, Pervasive Develop...

While the definition of Autism is basically clear, the causes aren't. Autism is a developmental disorder that starts either at birth or during the first years of childhood. Treating Autism is crucial in order for a child to develop the ability to interact normally with other people. Autism is about 20 times more common than experts initially thought that it was. However, there is no clear consensus among them about the actual cause(s) of Autism. That said, there are various (debatable) theories about what causes the disorder. Here are some of them: 1. Genes It is unquestionable that genetics is a major factor of Autism. However, the composition of the genes that result in Autism is quite complex, and medical researchers aren't 100% certain about which genes result in the disorder. Recently, scientists uncovered the first important connection between Autism and a person's DNA. The study involved about 1,000 autistic people, and 1,200 non-autistic peopl...

Do you have a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who is challenged socially? Do you realize that you don't have to rely on the professionals who provide services to your child to enhance their social skills. Social skill groups and classes led by experts in the field are extremely beneficial but you also have the power to take every social interaction your child experiences and turn it into a teaching/learning opportunity. As parents we interact with our children numerous times during the day. Each interaction has a specific reason attached to it, helping a child dress, tucking them into bed, or reading them a story are simple encounters that are almost done by default as if we are on automatic pilot. These can be anything from a greeting, asking them a question or giving them a direction that may be brief yet powerful. When you think of it, every contact we have with our children is a social one and as simple as it might be we can make it even more ...

Von Economo Neurons, Autism, and Intuition. Recently discovered brain cells called Von Economo cells (VENs), named after the neurobiologist who described them, are unique in that there are only about 200,000 of them in a normal adult human. That's amazing because just about any other type of brain cell we have number in the billions. Up until just recently, we saw these cells only in the great apes and not in any other animals. They are present but rare numbering only five or six thousand in the solitary gorilla, but relatively more numerous in the hyper-social bonobo monkey. VENS can be seen in just two parts of the most recently evolved part of our brains, the neocortex. They are present in the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC), and the frontal insula (FI). Other brain cells in the neocortex, the pyramidal cells, have a long process on the apical end but many shorter processes on the basal side (apical and basal dendrites). The VEN is unique in that it has ver...

Dinosaurs and the Autism Spectrum Autism is a life-long, debilitating condition that affects a surprising number of people. Research from the National Autistic Society suggests that as many as half a million people in the UK have some form of Autism or have a related condition such as Asperger Syndrome. Autism is a condition that affects the way in which people relate to themselves and the world around them. Sufferers can be over-sensitive to sensory stimuli, they can find it difficult to make sense of their environment. Asperger Syndrome is a form of Autism. People with Asperger Syndrome find it difficult to communicate and interact with others. Neither Autism or Asperger Syndrome are related to low intelligence, indeed, from our experience with children that have Asperger Syndrome the child concerned is often shown to have a higher than average IQ. For example, one of the attractions of dinosaurs to children on the Autism Spectrum are the long names and all the...

The beginning of the school year, and the start of each school day, can create potentially stressful situations for you and your child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Most children with Autism not only need routines, they require them in order to cope with an ever-changing environment. This article is designed to help prepare your child for the transition to a new year and for the beginning of each school day. For children with autism, who typically have difficulty with transitions, the daily requirement of getting up and ready for school can cause tremendous stress and frustration. Starting school can present extreme difficulties for children with autism because children with ASD are required to conform to unpredictable and demanding schedules, rules, behaviors, and social norms. As you prepare your child for a school year, begin by introducing new school supplies gradually. When purchasing clothing attempt to keep within the parameters of what fabrics, col...

Are you the parent of a young child who you believe has Autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder(PDD)? Are special education personnel in your district refusing to acknowledge this diagnosis, despite a lot of evidence? Many school districts refuse to admit that a child has autism, because they do not want to provide the special education and related services that a child needs! But this tool can be used by special education personnel to see if your child has autism. Below are 9 things that you must know about the ADOS: 1. Purpose: Allows an accurate diagnosis of autism and pervasive developmental disorder 2. Can be used for children who are 2 years up to adulthood. 3. Takes 30-45 minutes for a qualified examiner to use this tool. 4. The person using the tool must have prior education, training, and experience in using this type of diagnostic took. They must also have extensive experience with autism and PDD! 5. The person using the tool must take a clinical traini...

Does your child suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorder? If you are not sure, you may be looking for information on this condition in order to learn more and make a more productive choice of care for your child. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a disorder in the brain that affects the child's development. Signs and symptoms may begin as early as infancy or it can be delayed until around the age of two. Autism Spectrum Disorder includes several conditions; Asperger Syndrome, Pervasive Development Disorder, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. Each disorder has their own characteristics but they all share a common thread - autism. Behavior When a child suffers from Autism Spectrum Disorder, they display a variety of behavior problems. These behavioral issues can include repetitive behavior, social withdrawal, or impairments that can hinder the way they child functions everyday. They can be disturbing if others are talking in the room such as a school environment or if...