Early Signs of Autism: Risk Factors for Vaccines

There is still considerable debate regarding a connection between autism and vaccines.  On one side there are those citing that the original Wakefield study has now been deemed to have been fraudulent.  On the other side are parents whose children were perfectly fine, but developed a a fever right after the vaccine and were never the same since. Those of us that are involved with the Autism community and treat these children know that the latter is something that we have heard frequently enough to raise suspicion.  As I’ve stated previously, my concept is one of total load on the system.  It is the sum total of all the stressors on the child that decompensates the child’s health.  This would to explain why if thousands of children are vaccinated every year  only a small percentage developed symptoms relating to the autism spectrum.  It is the child with a latent virus, immature liver etc., that now receives the vaccine with mercury or aluminum which the child, do to other stressors is not able to handle.  In this case, the vaccine becomes the straw that breaks the camel’s back.  It can be one huge stress or more than likely a multifactorial cause. At this point there’s going to be a lot of resistance from pediatricians to those parents that want to delay or spread out the vaccination of their children. The purpose of this article is to give those parents a rational way to approach your pediatrician with regard to Autism and vaccines.  I will attempt to lay out some risk factors and early indicators of autism that would suggest that a parent might want to procede with caution with regard to vaccinations.  The more of these risk factors or indicators that your child has, the more persuasive your argument will be. 

Is there someone in your family that has autism?

Was your child premature?

Was your child breech birth?

Was your child jaundice?

Was your child of low birth weight, less than 5.5 pounds?

Is your child a boy?

Were you older parents?

Is there less than two years from birth to birth of your children?

Did you smoke while you were pregnant?

Did your child have a low Apgar score at 5 minutes, less than 7?

Were you exposed to toxins during your pregnancy?

Now let’s look at three early indicators of Autism. Obviously, if your child is showing early signs of Autism you may want to moderate additional risk factors.  Is your child not looking, vocalizing and smiling at others?  Is your child a picky eater?  Does your child have issues with joint attention?  Joint attention is how we alert others about an object or event  in a nonverbal way utilizing techniques such as gaze and pointing with another person. An example would be when you see something interesting and point at it (initiating joint attention ) in an attempt to get somebody else to become engaged.  This type of activity should be present at about nine months of age.

So whether or not you are involved in the vaccine debate or have a loved one that is concerned with regard to the Autism crisis, this article should serve as valuable information and a starting point for discussion.

Methylphenidate Not Effective For Executive Functions

One in 10 school age children have ADHD and half of those children will grow up to have ADHD as an adult.  ADHD is defined as having difficulty with inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity. This tends to lead to children having difficulty in school and adults having difficulty with employment. Those with ADHD, particularly adults, commonly complain of difficulties with executive functions.  The medical  dictionaries defines executive function as   ” the cognitive process that regulates an individual’s ability to organize thoughts and activities, prioritize task, manage time effectively and make decisions.” One can easily see how this would make it difficult to maintain and progress in a job especially one that requires any type of managerial duties. By the time those suffering from ADHD become adults most have tried the stimulant medications which are commonly prescribed for this condition. Having treated many adults with ADHD is very common to hear that the medication does not help them with organizational type skills and other types of skills which are executive function type task. A recent study in the European Journal of Neuropsychopharmachology seems to confirm what those of us that treat ADHD and those that have its already were aware of. The study found that methylphenidate the chemical compound in many of the commonly prescribed stimulant medications was not effective in moderating psychometric measures dealing with executive function. Translation- methylphenodate did not help with executive functions such as organization, planning and regulating inappropriate actions. Recently, there was a study published using children but not adults that  found that a restricted elimination diet was effective in dealing with symptoms related to ADHD. Also studies relating to physical activity have been published which have demonstrated improvement in ADHD symptoms.  There is also literature published which reflects that certain nutritional supplementation can at times be as effective as the stimulant medications.  Hemispheric Integration Therapy also recently published a study in which significant objective progress with psychometric testing was made in a 12 week period. Most of the research is done on children and many times the adult with ADHD has been forgotten.  In this case, it was nice to see a study done with adults.  So there are alternatives available to treat adults with ADHD. For those who would like to simply manage their ADHD as adults, there are certain organizational skills which can aid you with executive functions. These include things such as using list, setting up a filing system, prioritizing your list and your activities, using a calendar or day planner and limiting your activities so as to not become overwhelmed.If you’re interested in improving your situation and not just managing it, consult a physician that is familiar with not only ADHD but the treatment interventions listed above.

 Eur Neuropsychopharmacol.2011 Feb 7. [Epub ahead of print]

Help for ADHD Without Medication

ADHD is currently estimated to affect 5 to 10% of school aged children. This means we all know a child or adult with ADHD whether that be a son, nephew, husband or brother who suffer from ADHD.  Boys are affected 3 times more than girls. The standard treatment for ADHD is stimulant medications such as Ritalin, Adderal, Vyvanse, Concerta and Dexetrine. Stimulant medications are effective in reducing ADHD symptoms in approximately 70% of children and adults. But the stimulant medications have side effects such as trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, mood swings, anxiety, irritability, heart palpitations, headaches, upset stomach, slower growth and weight gain and repetitive movements or sounds (tics.) Many parents do not want their young children on medication and many are trying to avoid the aforementioned side effects. Additionally, if the medications work for 70% of those suffering with ADHD then it stands to reason that 30% of children and adults do not respond to this treatment. A new study in Lancet determined that use of a restricted elimination diet improved symptoms of ADHD in78% of children. The children were ages 4 to 8 and had an ADHD diagnosis. The study was notable as a relatively large testing sample, 100 children participated in the study. The results come as no surprise to those of us that use these types of interventions to treat children with ADHD and learning disabilities but it is nice to have some validation. The study did not find that measuring IgG (antibodies) levels for food sensitivities were helpful but practitioners who supervise parents introducing these types of treatments find that IgG food sensitivity test are useful and help guide parents in what may be a difficult diet to implement, particularly at first. My experience has found IgG food sensitivity tests to provide a considerable amount of direction and comfort to parents. The testing period may have been too short to see a significant change in IgG levels in this particular study. Therefore, if you have a loved one who suffers with the frustration that is ADHD, be aware of the elimination diet as a tool to help your child get off of the stimulant meds, or perhaps achieve greater reduction of symptoms for those  having success with the stimulants. This of course may be of greatest benefit for the 30%  for whom stimulant medication is ineffective. If you are interested in this type of approach consult a physician who treats ADHD and is familiar with dietary and nutritional interventions.

Auditory Processing Disorder

Auditory Processing Disorder is a conditon that is often misdiagnosed and confused with other conditions that are involved with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Atention Defict Disoder and Learning Disabilites. It also many times is mixed into the child’s “spectrum” which may include auditory processing issues along with speech delay, tics , perservations etc. I want to thank Kathleen Tehrani from the Omni Intelligencer for bringing the video regarding Autitory Processing Disorder to my attention. I know you are all tired and it is easier to watch a video and learn than read somithing and educate yourself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_1JsZjrweY&feature=related