Exceptional Children and Disability Information
Autism
Medical Issues/Medications
- Autism spectrum medical issues: a family's personal journey in dealing with thetreatment of Autism.
- Allergies and food sensitivities: People with autism are more susceptible to allergies and food sensitivities than the average person; and this is likely due to their impaired immune system. I have provided a brief discussion of allergies and food sensitivities below.
- Vitamin B6 and magnesium: An effective intervention for many autistic children and adults is the use of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and magnesium. For over 30 years, parents have given B6 and magnesium to their children and have observed benefits ranging from mild to dramatic. B6 and magnesium are safe and inexpensive.
- Evaluating the effects of medication: When a medication is being evaluated to modify the behavior of a person with autism, one must assess the risks versus the benefits. The benefits of the medication must outweigh the risks. Some medications can damage the nervous system and other internal organs, such as the liver.
- Vaccines and autism theory: Current scientific evidence does not support the hypothesis that measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, or any combination of vaccines, causes the development of autism, including regressive forms of autism.
- Autism from mercury poisoning: Thimerosal is an organic compound that contains mercury, or an ‘organomercurial’ and can cause Mercury poisoning.
- Autism and element imbalances: Much concern has been raised over the link between exposure to heavy metal toxins and neurological brain damage associated with learning and behavioral disorders in children. Indeed, research shows that exposure to heavy metals such as lead and mercury can impair brain development at very early ages-even at low doses previously deemed "harmless."1-3
- Autism and amino acids: Clinical and anecdotal evidence suggests that diet and digestive function play important roles in influencing symptoms in many autistic children. Amino acids are the chemical building blocks of key neurotransmitters that act on the brain to influence mood and behavior.
- Autism and fatty acids: Increasing evidence suggests that essential fatty acids, which are critical nutrients for the brain, may be especially important for children suffering from developmental disorders like autism.
- Experimental intervention: Three years ago, I began a dietary experiment that has helped my son enormously. Because I spent so much time and energy searching for answers as to why this has helped him, and how to implement this diet, I decided to share it with other parents and professionals.
- Autism and medical marijuana: Some families have found marijuana (mmj) to be nothing short of miraculous. Some of the symptoms MMJ has ameliorated include anxiety--even severe anxiety--aggression, panic disorder, generalized rage, tantrums, property destruction and self-injurious behavior.
- Naltrexone and autism: In the past year, naltrexone has received a great deal of media attention. Although there have only been a handful of studies on the effectiveness of naltrexone, these reports are quite encouraging.
- Biomedical and dietary treatments: While there are no drugs, vitamins or special diets that can correct the underlying neurological problems that seem to cause autism, parents and professionals have found that some drugs used for other disorders are sometimes effective in treating some aspects of or behaviors associated with autism.
- Autism and secretin
- Treatment : There is no standard, universally accepted treatment of autism; in fact, every single method has its detractors. General approaches may be summarized as follows...
- Treatment of PDDNOS: No one therapy or method will work for all individuals with Autistic Disorder or PDDNOS. Many professionals and families will use a range of treatments simultaneously, including behavior modification, structured educational approaches, medications, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and counseling.
- Dietary Autism treatment-Autism may be aided by a gluten-free, casein-free diet
- Gluten Free Casein Free Diet and Autism-Explanation of the diet, menus, sources of foods, message board.
- Quackery and Autism treatment-An excellent site about detecting quackery and health fraud. How to spot quackery, signs of a "quacky" website, and more. Several articles about treatments that are sometimes recommended for autism.
