Autism-Articles

A supplement group that is very commonly recommended for children with Autism are essential fatty acids. The supplement can come in the form of cod liver oil or just general fish oil and essential fatty acids have become very important therapies for many children with Autism because they serve to replenish the depleted fatty acids. And when I am examining a child, one visible sign that could mean its supplementation is necessary is really hard, thick ear wax. When a child has thick, hard ear wax, that can be some indication of a depletion in essential fatty acids. Now ideally getting a diagnostic test for fatty acid status would occur so that we could asses exactly what form of essential fatty acid needs supplementation. That would enable us to determine whether EPA was depleted or DHA or maybe the omega 6 oils are deficient. Without a thorough test, you don't know for certain. There are labs that perform essential fatty acid tests, Great Plains has a test as well ...

Self stimulating behaviours otherwise known as stimming is a major part of an autistic child's coping method. Though these behaviour can be difficult for the parent and others to deal with, they serve a very important purpose for the child. Stimming behaviours help them to cope with the world around them, and should be allowed unless they cause a danger to the child or those around them. How can you keep your sanity, while allowing your little one to keep theirs with their self stimulation behaviors? You can always try and replace their current method of self stimulation with one that is more socially acceptable (to increase their ability to socialize with peers and not be ridiculed for their behaviours) of more health appropriate. For example, if their behaviour is to suck on things, you could try giving them a sucker, or a chew toy to suck on instead so that they are not sucking on random items that can cause a risk to their health. Now remember this may not work...

Over the years I have seen children with Autism who have various sensitivities. These sensitivities can be with sound or even light. These issues can be quite problematic for some children, I have had some who need to wear earphones to muffle sounds so that they can leave their house. And for some sensitive children, even household sounds like a loud TV set, a vacuum or other sounds can be challenging for them. There are certain things that I look for when a child has these types of sensitivities. One is yeast, I have seen heightened sensitivity when yeast overgrowth is an issue so an organic acid test can check for arabinose or other biomarkers for yeast. A mineral deficiency is also another possibility, especially magnesium. A magnesium deficiency can increase irritation and agitation within the body. Supplementing with magnesium has certainly helped some children with light and sound sensitivity. The optimal form of magnesium supplementation would be through IV so t...

Quality sleep is crucial for quality functioning, and yet we are a sleep-deprived culture. Adults drink coffee and push themselves past their tiredness, while children will naturally push themselves to be more alert and then not be able to calm down. Kids with sensory issues usually have poor self-regulation, meaning they can't easily bring themselves from one state of alertness to another. When tired or feeling lethargic, they will rev up to a hyperactive state and remain there. They may even endanger themselves as they get toward bedtime and become more giddy and unmindful of where their body is in relation to people and objects. Accidents are more likely to happen just before bedtime when kids are getting wired as they are getting tired. For safety's sake, and to get kids in bed on time to get the necessary amount of sleep, begin the bedtime routine at least 30 minutes before their actual bedtime, if not longer. A few minutes between the announcement that it...

The profile of a child with Autism can mean that a trip to the Dentist is a potentially frightening event - for both parent and the child. If your AS child can't tolerate being touched at all, if he covers his ears with his hands at slight or sudden noises, if he wears a hat and/or doesn't engage in eye contact, if he's often in a world of his own and doesn't answer questions/requests and if he gets angry, agitated or melts down at smells then the trip to the dentist could be a nightmare! As parents we know it's important to establish the routine of seeing a Dentist twice a year in an effort to keep our child's teeth healthy. So what can we do to lesson the risk of a full-scale meltdown and totally unsuccessful first visit to the Dentist, thereby setting us up for a miserable time for future dental visits? Here's some steps that will help:- • Use a Social Story (Carol Gray) for a week or two before the visit • Bypass the waiting room and go s...

Autism - to label or not to label, that is the question. Have you been to your doctor about your child and been made to feel as if you were banging your head off a brick wall? Or quite possibly you have been told that a speech delay is common in boys and perhaps mom or dad is just being a bit too neurotic about it? If you have been down this route then you are certainly not alone. In Ireland the consensus now among many in the medical profession is that there is not really an increase in the number of autistic children out there but instead us parents are concocting the symptoms to claim state benefits by unjustly labeling our children. If you have already been told by a number of people that your child is Autistic and more importantly if you the child's parent who knows this part of you better than anyone else has an instinctual inner feeling that something is not right then chances are your suspicions are rarely unfounded. Recently a more enlightened member of th...

Autism has been difficult for most to understand. It is my belief that all the information that one needs to know is available to understand the phenomenon of autism. It is my belief that individuals with autism cannot reach their potential because those who are working with them do not understand the cause or etiology of autism. Once autism is understood we will see these children grow beyond our wildest dreams. It is my belief that the individual with autism has not benefited from an attachment. I call this an incomplete attachment. Our job is to help the individual to complete the attachment process. Some suggestions on what one might do are recommended below. These ideas are based on Attachment Relational Therapy: 1) First you need to accept that it will be difficult and it will be up to you to encourage the attachment. The child/adolescent cannot be responsible for the awakening of the attachment although the child is ready to complete the attachment proce...